Making the rounds

I got my car back from the shop and everything is fine on that front. My insurance is only gonna go up twenty dollars a month as a result, but I've been told that will go down after a settlement is reached with the State.

This week has been nuts at work. Several new clients have come on board, and it'll take us some time to adjust to the workload and/or hire some new people. Good thing I get paid overtime.

I hadn't heard from Sid in a while, so I called him up this afternoon. He's met this girl, and he's been stuck in the new relationship disappearing act. He had a different sound to his voice...far less sardonic and dark as I'm used to hearing from him. He's only known this girl a week, but they have not spent more than twelve hours apart since their first date. Absolutely amazing.

After getting off the phone with him, I made a few more phone calls. I called my mom to see how she's doing. She and I haven't talked very often over the past couple years, mostly on account of my relationship with my ex. The two of them didn't get along, and it kinda boiled down to a it's her or me situation. Now, I'm left with a burned bridge to rebuild. We had a good little talk; airing out a lot of the issues that have kept us apart over the past few years. With everything going on with Papa, I've had a renewed energy towards connecting with my family.

Since my father's death, I've been kind of the black sheep. At the time, I didn't fully understand what was happening to me, so I internalized my fears and withdrew from those close to me. When I was a senior in high school, I was showing signs of turning around. That was, until my friends and I had our falling out. Then, I crawled back into my shell. It was so hard for me to connect with anyone because I was either afraid of losing them or being hurt by them. But now, there are things changing around me, seeming without reason, and I'm doing my best to go with the flow.

After mom, I gave Nana a call. It had been a rough day for Papa. He was sleeping when I called, but he was in a lot of pain earlier today...almost enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room. He's fine now, though. That news didn't do much to ease my sense of panic.

I called Grace, but she didn't answer, so I left a message. I kept the mood of my message short, sweet, and charming...and I got it all in one take. I didn't have to review my message or anything. I may be getting the hang of this after all.