Well, yesterday was my first Reds game and the first baseball game I've been to in years--and it was all free!  As a "thanks for hauling ass the past 8 months" gift from work, we and a guest (well...I had no one to take, so in my case it was just me) were treated to club seats and access to all-you-can eat stations (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, pretzels, nachos, pulled pork sandwiches, Chipotle-esque chicken), free pop, and to top it off--we won!

I woke up this morning and immediately yearned for the next weekend to begin.  The 25th I'm taking my guns (including my new one) to the range, making amazing steak for dinner, and drinking in celebration of my birthday, which is the 26th.  On my actual birthday I'll get my new tattoo but otherwise take it easy.  The 27th and 28th I get to leave early so I can play steel pans (rehearsal), the 29th I get paid, the 30th I have my first gig in a year (and will get to leave early from work once again), and the 1st and 6th of August I have gigs.

So I just hope I can focus on my work now instead of being distracted by calypso tunes, money, tattoos, and firearms...

No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio
o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:
te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,
secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma.

Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva
dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,
y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo
el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra.

Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,

sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

--
If you appreciate the sentiment Neruda conveys in the poem, you've essentially figured me out and what my goal is in life in terms of my relationships.