Blog changes

I'm sorry I was gone for a year, but with a counter on my blog, I know that people periodically checked in to see if anything new was here. And of course there wasn't and people were sad. I was sad. It was hard to maintain a blog that promised weekly entries. And a week off became a month and a month became a year, and here I am now, a boy with a dream that is on life support and the cord rests solely in my hand. So I'm gonna keep the respirator running and see if I can bring this dying dream back to life.

When I didn't have to be an adult it was easy to write and be entertaining. I could get off work at the restaurant after lunch or dinner and come home and open a beer and sit down at my computer and write. But a real job came along and now a wife is coming soon and a mortgage and insurance and stuff are all waiting on m, and it will still be hard but I'm going to give it my all to still share my thoughts on relevant topics and ramble about irrelevant topics and be self pitying and attempt to humor the few people that might want to read what I have to write about.

So without further ado, the new, the hopefully improved Wednesdays with Warner.

Please hold your applause.

Honestly I don't have much to say this week. I took a new job last week that I start tomorrow so I've had a few days off to write but I really can't narrow down my thoughts to any particular subject matter, so I'll share a few thoughts with you from the last few days.

1) Atlanta is a wealthy Southern city. I went for a wedding this weekend and saw cars that I only see in magazines. Or James Bond movies. On the other hand, Alabama is not a wealthy Southern state. I saw a PT Cruiser convertible that was mustard yellow outside of Birmingham. Yikes.

2) Weddings all look very different. I've been to about 600 in the last two years and now have one of my own to plan. I hope that our guests will enjoy ours as much as I've enjoyed the ones I've been to. But at the end of the day I get to marry my best friend and spend the rest of my life with her and don't really care about anything but that. I still suggest we elope on a weekly basis.

2b) Sending requests for addresses on Facebook for our wedding invitations is almost as exciting as a Facebook birthday. You just sit and watch the messages roll in and you feel really loved. But in the back of your head you know people are just excited about a free party and free beer.

3) I'm going from working in a suburban mall parking lot at a huge Memphis bank branch to a high rise in East Memphis for a small Memphis Bank on the executive floor. Huge improvement. Very exciting. Unfortunately I will not be able to walk to the following fine dining spots: Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, Logan's Roadhouse, On the Border, or TGI Friday's.

4) I've had Friday and Monday off. I've sat at home for the majority of both days and noticed one thing. My dogs are worthless. Legitimately the only moves they make are to change sleeping spots. I'm jealous.

5) My shirt has been inside out all day and I haven't showered since Saturday. I usually shower twice a day. I'm a tad disgusted with myself, but I really don't smell that bad.

6) TBS has changed their daytime lineup significantly since the last time I had a day to watch it. No more Home Improvement or Yes, Dear. Now we have shows exclusively produced by Tyler Perry or starring the Belushi brother that has had less success in thirty years than his brother had in about four.

7) Jimmy Buffett fell of a stage last week. If you've seen the video, he literally just walked off of it. Did he not realize he was near the edge? A rock and roll legend (to some) is quickly approaching Bob Dole status. Sad.

8) There was a gas leak in my front yard yesterday. My mom sent me a very dramatic text message with lots of ellipses to inform me. I thought I would be staying in a hotel for some time until it was fixed. When I called her to get the whole story, I quickly learned that it was not a big deal and would be fixed within an hour. So much for the drama.

8a) Mom just called and informed me that the year 2011 will take five years off my life for the following reasons: I'm getting married, I took a new job, and I'm going to buy a house. She also was disgusted that I haven't showered since Saturday.

9) Dogs just changed sleeping spots. If I weren't so lazy, I'd take them on a walk.

10) The hit teenage drama Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family does two things for me. It makes me excited about Mondays almost as much as professional wrestling does. It also makes me justifiably creepy because I watch it with such enthusiasm.

That's about it for today. Check back sometime next week for a new post. It won't always be Wednesdays from here on out, but I figure if Cougar Town can carry that title and have nothing to do with cougars (women on the prowl or animals), then I can continue to call this Wednesdays with Warner.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @uncle_warny. It's locked but chances are I will accept any follower request.

Growing older but not up.

My birthday was yesterday. 23. A new year right in front of me.

I got a job this week. A real grown up job. Suit. Tie. The whole nine. Perhaps a new (first) career is right in front of me too.

So a new year, a new job, a whole new life almost.

The only thing I've known over the past 23 years has been school and occasional part time work. However, Monday that all changes and the 9-5 daily grind starts for what most likely will be the rest of my life. And I'll be honest with you; I'm a bit scared. Everyone tells me that if I weren't a little scared, they'd be worried, but it'd be a great deal easier if I knew how the map of my life would read from here on. Am I supposed to be a banker for the rest of my life? When am I going to have time to write that bestselling novel I've been thinking up recently? Am I going to be that man that works for the same company my whole life? The guy that gets the really nice watch when he retires with the company logo engraved on the back?

I really liked school. Kind of one of those loves that you're supposed to let go and if it comes back yada yada yada type thing. It sucked while I was in class and bored or tired. And homework wasn't too much fun either. But now I really miss it and want it back. Walking across campus the other day made me a little teary eyed. A tad pathetic if you ask me, but whatever; I'm a sappy guy sometimes.

But despite all the sentimental junk, I know that I have to grow up. I can't stay a strapping college hunk all of my life. I have to don the suit and tie. I have to build the 401k. I have to have the wife and 2.3 kids and the nice house in the burbs eventually. It's what I want. But it sure snuck up on me faster than I had anticipated. I don't feel like I should be opening this door quite yet, especially since I have no idea what the hell is behind it. Sure the benefits of working at a bank are nice. But it's still the unknown. And it's scary.

Ultimately I know that everything is going to work out well. Probably better than I can imagine right now. I'm a pretty optimistic cynic. I know that I can change careers if I don't love the banking road. I'm still young. I have my whole life ahead of me. Etc.

It still is weird though. I can't deny my nerves heading into these uncharted waters. Which is a weird analogy because plenty of people have said that it's going to be good for me to get my feet wet. So I guess I'll run with this. Why get my feet wet when I can dive in. I mean I was a swimmer in high school. (Yes. I wore a Speedo.)

So new times are coming at me fast. Bring them on. I can handle it. The nerves will wear off sooner than later. The wife and kids and stuff will come in time. Twenty years from now things will be great. Twenty-three will be a scary time, but scary stuff is exciting. Rosanne Cash, Johnny's daughter, wrote, "The key to change is to let go of fear." I can do that. I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter now, but I can do it.

I hope I don't turn into the super business man that neglects the more pleasurable things in life. If I let go of the fun parts of my life, then what's left to live for? The almighty dollar? I'm pretty sure as these new life changes come at me I can still maintain the youthful joy that I've learned over the past few years. But I haven't even started yet, so ask me again in a year or so if I'm still having fun with life in addition to making money and settling down. If I'm not, then buy me a beer and tell me to readjust some things so I can.

I'm ready to move ahead in life, but I don't think I'll ever be ready to stop finding joy in my life outside the work world. I guess I'll find out soon.

Jimmy Buffett once said, "I'm growing older but not up. My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck. Let those winds of change blow over my head. I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead."

I'm getting older and growing up, but that doesn't mean the fun is gone. I can't wait to see how this unfolds. Thanks for coming along for the ride every week.