The first countdown I refer to is the 20 days remaining until I turn 31. This seems significant to me because it will feel more like I’m “in my 30s.” Turning 30 was more of a “completion of my 20s” milestone and was the best birthday ever, so I didn’t really have to think too much about the whole new decade of age thing. And I just realized I ought to share the awesomeness of that birthday here. It’s nearly a year late, but that’s OK. That will be my next post. Promise.

Anyway, this year’s birthday festivities, if there are any, will never be able to compete with last year. But there’s something about that number — 31 — that makes me think I ought to be all growed up and have a life plan and a solid career.

Which brings me to the second countdown. I’m just a couple of months (in fact, exactly 2 months) from being unemployed again. I’m in a yearlong contract and, once it’s done, I can’t come back to work for The Big Ol’ Company as a contractor until I take a 100-day break. It’s an odd setup, but I’m actually looking forward to being done. I’m really hoping to get some freelance work lined up, get an actual little business of my own started up and perhaps do some soul-searching to figure out what it is I really want to do with my life. And I want to walk the Earth. Perhaps not literally walk it, since it’s big and I’ve got the ol’ lady knees. But I do want to spend some time just roaming or visiting people I don’t get to see often or taking Man Candy on a fun birthday trip or kickin’ it with my nephew.

I have no life plan. No career plan. No plans. I’m planless. Sometimes that bothers me. I often wish someone would have told me what I had to do with my life. But, the thing is, I can do almost anything I want. I can start a new career. And I’m fairly certain I will, at some point. I just have to pick one. And that is where that new dartboard I got for Christmas will come in handy. I can just write each career I’m interested in on a separate little piece of paper and put all the little pieces of paper on the dartboard and throw darts until I actually hit the dartboard somewhere (no, my new career will not be a professional dart player) and wherever the dart lands will be my new life!

Stay tuned …

I’m pretty sure Wheezy was trying to tell me that she would prefer that I don’t use my iPhone headphones to talk on the phone and that I should instead play with her. If only she could have found a less destructive way to communicate this message.

I’m still sick, which means no one wants to come near me. I’m not allowed to help make dinner or put away dishes or fold clean laundry or hug people. I suppose I should enjoy it while it lasts, but I’m kind of sick of feeling useless. I found a recipe to use up our leftover sweet potatoes but then I can’t even help make it. So, basically, I said, “Hey, I found this recipe. Make it for me.”

I did take out the trash. That’s something. It’s already garbage, so I can’t make it much worse if I cough on it. Although, I suppose the garbage man may catch something, depending on how long germs cling to the Hefty bag.

It’s Saturday night and our good friends Beth and Matt are visiting from D.C. But, instead of hanging out in Ballard with them tonight, I’m sitting at home, wrapped in a blanket with my Zicam and my Mucinex and my tissues and my hot tea. I got hit hard with some kinda sickness on Thursday night and it seems to have gotten worse since then. I’m hoping 12 hours of Nyquil-induced sleep will make me feel better enough to actually hang out tomorrow. The weather has been amazing, and it’s awful being cooped up inside with the sniffles when I would much rather be enjoying the unusually beautiful February days we’ve been having.

On Saturday, I dropped my laptop off at the Apple store to be sent to a faraway land to receive a new Logic Board. MacBook hadn’t been charging for more than a month and would turn off if the charger got unplugged from the computer, which was quite a pain in the ass (Wheezy has tripped over the cord MANY times and unplugged it). Today, the FedEx man brought my computer back to me. I’m sure he was a little confused when I ran out to greet him on the porch and thanked him over and over. I’m just glad to have you back, my little computer friend. Right now I’m typing with my computer plugged in to the wall. Ooh, but check this out: Now it’s unplugged! And I’m still typing! YAY!

When we were trying to determine what exactly was wrong, my Mac genius Man Candy had predicted that it was possibly the Logic Board, and he found out how much a new one would cost and we were weighing whether to have him replace it himself. But, it turns out that Apple has a flat-rate repair cost that made replacing my Logic Board cheaper than it would have been for us to just buy the part. Plus they gave me a new top case and connector for that same flat fee! Love ya, Apple.

I’m glad I had a work laptop to keep me connected while MacBook was away, but gosh I missed my Mac. Glad to have you back, Mac.

That whole “it rains a lot in Seattle” thing is NOT an exaggeration. It rains and drizzles and rains some more. It tends to be sopping wet here for months on end without any sun in sight. But, today, I saw the sun! And according to the weather app on my iPhone, the sun will remain ALL WEEK LONG! No rain in the forecast! This is spectacular, especially as we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some out-of-town guests this weekend.

Today, I worked from home in my new office (newly set up, anyway) overlooking the beautiful world outside. And, when I got hungry, the dog and I took ourselves a lovely walk to procure a delightful falafel sandwich. Today is a good day.

One of the things about me that most people agree on — whether they admire the quality or despise it — is that I don’t skirt around tough topics or “pussyfoot around.” I recognize that being direct can be offensive and I’ve actually learned a thing or two about when it’s appropriate to be upfront. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I always follow those guidelines of appropriateness, but I’ve come a long way.

In the work environment, I haven’t been afraid to tell others what I think. This includes higher-ups. And while I’m sure I’ve rubbed a few people the wrong way, I also think my willingness to speak my mind has opened a few doors for me. If my colleagues are smiling and nodding at an idea from the “big boss” and I think it’s the wrong direction, I’ll say so. And I’ve been put in my place more than once.  I may not agree with someone, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. I’ll admit that my ideas are often the “bad” ones. But it’s only through voicing our opinions and having a constructive dialogue that we can understand one another’s perspectives and accept choices as appropriate. No one can know what’s best 100% of the time.

One thing that I loved about the newspaper environment was how collaborative it was (and is, I’m sure). The newsroom was also a place where I felt comfortable voicing my opinion. We journalists have some strong opinions and are always eager to share.

Awww man, now I’m missing newspapers. Not that I’m not happy to be home at a reasonable hour and have a “normal” life and a flexible schedule. But I miss the people and the energy and the feeling that you’re doing something that matters.

Valentine’s Day: 1) a way for the card companies, flower shops and candy-makers to make a few (or a billion) extra bucks; 2) the worst day of the year to be single; 3) a contest among men to see who can buy the biggest bouquet of flowers or the most sparkly diamond …

I could go on and on. And I agree that Valentine’s Day is sort of a ridiculous holiday. But, you know what, I love people. It doesn’t matter that February 14 is supposed to be a day for couples. I prefer honoring it as a day of love. All kinds of love. Motherly love and brotherly love and daughterly love and sisterly love and love for friends and neighbors and strangers and enemies.

I got a card this morning from my actual “Valentine”  that features our old pals Winnie the Pooh and Piglet:

“How to you spell ‘Love’?”
Piglet asked Pooh.

“I don’t have to spell it.”
said Pooh.
“I just feel it.”

It’s so true. And I feel so much love for so many of you. And that’s all I have to say about that.

I have returned to the blogosphere with a new look and a new commitment to blog more than once every few months. This first post on the new and improved Leahtard.com comes on a very special day: My dear friend Reann is celebrating her 30th birthday! Happiest of birthdays to you, my dear. I wish I could be there with you to celebrate!