who the hell is kyle?

At the end of January in 2009, I was laid off from a sales job that I sucked at didn’t like was miserable at am lucky to have left in my past.  The evening of my pink-slipping I celebrated with my parents at dinner, then friends at home.  While my parents supportively asked if anyone else had been let go that day (to which I assured them that no, it was my lucky day and my lucky day alone), my friends helped by bringing over a cookie cake and a bunch of booze.  It was a great night.

In the days and months that followed, I filed for unemployment, drank a lot, updated my resume, considered returning to sales, drank some more, looked into teaching English in Korea, turned 30, drank enough to probably concern my mother had she known how much I was really drinking… and then decided I would write.

Initially my idea was to write a book about my year as an exchange student in Australia.

I wrote a full intro.  That was it.

For months I spent a lot of time thinking about the book… but I still didn’t write any more.

Instead I decided a blog would be a good way to practice writing and ease into a more serious writing project.  I may be nuts, but I think if I throw my words up onto the internet for others to read and share and enjoy and laugh at, I may have an opportunity to improve more than if I hoarded all my little stories to myself.  I’ve made no more progress on my original idea, but eventually maybe I’ll write enough on one particular subject that I’ll be able to put together a book for real.

I love reading new (to me) blogs and stumble across different ones daily, but there are only a select few that I actually do visit with some frequency.  Additionally, it only took me 3 months to realize that an “About” section written in the 3rd person is really tacky- unless someone else actually writes it.  (If you’re interested, feel free to email submissions.)

I tweet, albeit crappily and generally without purpose.  Feel free to follow if you like.

As for the About Me And Things I Like To Do…

There’s a rumor afloat that I like to do headstands in the middle of my living room and that I’ve had roommates come home at all different hours of the day to find me balancing upside-down… and that’s true.  I also am always working on new yoga party tricks that I can share at 2am after big drinkfests.  (Don’t think I’m crazy, the opportunity has presented itself in the past.)

There is no where else on this entire planet that I would rather be than on Keuka Lake in New York from May to November.  I can say this with a certain amount of authority because I’ve seen a couple other corners of the world.  They’re awesome, but seriously- nothing compares.

I do dumb things.

I’m not a cat person, but I have a cat.  Her name is Leenah and she’s been in my life since 2001.  I adore her, even though she’s had a propensity to pee in my laundry basket in the past when mad at me.  I will not have another cat after her.  I won’t be an old cat lady, despite what my brother likes to say.  (As my now-residence has two large dogs, the kitteh resides these days with my sister at our parents house, where she struggles with peeing in places she really really shouldn’t… and we are working on ways to remedy this.)

I enjoy wine.  A.Lot.  I grew up in a wine producing region, got my first job at a winery in 2000 and recently returned to the wine industry.  My friends have known for years that I drink a lot of wine.  As for talking about it?  Well, that’s a different story.  There is a wine language.  The technical words and terminology are not Greek to me, but when I’m in the middle of wine-geeks talking about wine, I squirm.  I can only relate it to learning a foreign language.  I’m at a comprehension stage- as others speak I understand them and what they mean, but I do not have a solid enough command of the language to make use of it myself.  But I’m learning.  I can’t spend 45+ hours a week in a tasting room and not become fluent, right?

However, please note: I will never turn down an opportunity to taste wine.  And this will never change, regardless of where I am employed.  It’s just, let’s say, easier these days.

I hate exercise for the sake of exercise; I’d rather be outside hiking or biking or kayaking or just doing something… but I also have decided I want to be fit like when I was an athletic teenager, so I’m trying different things- from exercise videos to diet changes to quitting smoking (again.  and again.  and again.)  (Success!  in 2012, almost 2 years smoke-free… although the exercise thing has fallen somewhat by the wayside…)

I cook.  Frequently.  It’s a stress reliever.  I grocery shop (also a favorite past-time of mine) almost every single day because I need to try out new recipes (or combine ones) I find immediately. Photographs of my food are inevitable; I feel this is a result of my inability to cook something edible for so long and needing proof that I finally got something right.

I’m also of the mind that the more I do that brings me back to my childhood, the happier I am.  Therefore, I love dirt under my fingernails, playing dress-up, having cuts and scrapes on my knees, touching stoves to learn that they’re hot and playing in the water until my lips turn blue and the sun starts to set.

kyle@thatgirlkyle.com