Halfway to Fifty

July's 12 of 12

2009-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Woooo! We're in the homestretch of posting a full year of 12 of 12! New to 12 of 12? Visit Chad Darnell for all the info. Play with us. It's fun!

On July 12th, I was at my parent's house outside of Dallas and spent the day loading up furniture then driving back to Spicewood. Here's what happened:

1:30pm- Heading out of my parents house. I forgot to take a picture as I left the driveway, so you'll have to be satisfied with a shot of the lovely country roads that take me home.

1:45pm- Cruising the speedtrap known as Crandall, Texas. And if you'll look out the left side of the truck, you will see the World Famous Crandall Cotton Gin Restaurant and Club. I recommend the chicken fried chicken.

2:20pm- My Ghingaw's house. We're here to pick up her dining room furniture that I am 'inheriting'. The house is now on the market... it's so weird to see that For Sale sign in the front yard when she's just a few miles across the highway in assisted living. It's the end of an era... when I walk in the front door, I can still smell the meatloaf and okra gumbo cooking.

2:50pm- Got the dining room table and buffet loaded into the back of my truck, and I'm off to Austin! Pretty cool view of downtown Dallas coming around the 'Fair Park curve' on I-30. You can just see how insanely hot it was!

2:55pm- And of course, as soon as I get into the 'canyon' part of downtown, we come to a screeching halt. On a Sunday. Seriously, people??

3:45pm- Look! It's the Monolithic Dome Institute! You can rent a cabin for $80. I'm so tempted to do this sometime, just to see what it's really like.

4:30pm- I 35. The highway that never freakin' ends.

5:00pm- Those poor people on the northbound side! This accident had the highway completely closed down and traffic was just parked over there. Ugh.

5:05pm- These poor suckers are at about mile 1 of an approximately 5-mile backup. I swear, this has got to be the worst highway ever. I see this crap almost every time I drive it, and sometimes I'm in that damn 5-mile backup!

6:30pm- Finally made it to Austin! YAY! I love this town... it's just the greatest.

7:20pm- Ahhh... home. It's such a great feeling. I love this drive up to my place. I so lucked out with this condo! Notice, my building is the only 3-story building for at least 5 miles!

9:00pm- The first installment of furniture is in place! This is my grandmother's dining room table, buffet, and some of her chairs. The other chairs and her secretary will be riding down with my parents tomorrow. So excited!

Bonus Pic!

I just had to throw this one in... this is the moon rising on my balcony one night last week. The long exposure made it look pretty cool, so I just wanted to share!

June 12 of 12

2009-06-15T18:22:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little late, but here is my 12 of 12 for June. Halfway through the year... I swear I will finish!!

9am- Driving past the lovely Domain shopping area in Austin on my way to my morning meeting. I left my camera at home, so all of my pictures this month will be junky phone pics.

9:15am- Quick stop at the bank to cash my birthday check from my Ghingaw!

12:30pm- Lunch at The Hub! First time I've been here, and it was pretty damn good. A little pricey, but the beer was cold and the burgers were hot!

2:15pm- And I'm off! Starting out the trip up to Dallas to visit my family this weekend.

2:15pm- And approximately 2 seconds later I went from 60mph to 15mph. Austin traffic on Friday afternoons is just the greatest ever.

3:10pm- Got rolling pretty good, running around 70mph, then we hit Temple. For 30ish minutes we slogged through this damn town, and there wasn't even an accident! Seriously, can Temple possibly have a rush hour? At 3pm?

3:20pm- Alex chilling in the back seat. Since I was going about 5mph, I took plenty of pics.

3:25pm- Including this one of the lovely bridges. I figured I might as well document this, since I-35 was under construction because of these bridges for SO freakin long.

3:30pm- Not sure if you can really tell, but there is a Budweiser billboard in the distance. After 20 minutes in this traffic, a Bud was sounding reaaaallllyyyy good!

3:35pm- No, traffic was not so bad that I actually thought Taco Bell sounded good... I just love this billboard. You cant really see it, but that is a 3D sauce packet that says "Smaller packets available inside".

4:15pm- The I-35 Statuary! Anyone who has made this drive knows this place. They have all kinds of concrete statues, from small gnomes to life-size hippos! My favorite is the gorilla painted to look like he is wearing a beanie and a union suit.

6:00pm- Finally made it to my parents' house. Ahhhhh... home. My room looks pretty much like it did when I graduated high school, so it really is like coming home.

Bonus Pic! This is from the 11th, when I spent my birthday at Cub Scout Day Camp. So scary... these kiddos are just out of 1st grade, and they were learning archery!

May 12 of 12

2009-05-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome once more to 12 of 12! Don't know about 12 of 12? It's a cool idea dreamed up by Chad Darnell. Visit his blog for more info and to see what went on all over the world on May 12, 2009!!

This month I actually remembered that it was the 12th before noon (Yay!), but then forgot about it being the 12th and doing my assignment sometime in the middle of the afternoon (Boo!). This should be good.

9:00am
One-half of my Chia Herb Garden in the morning sun! Pictured are my dill and basil plants. The cilantro and chives are still on top of the refrigerator, needing a bit more germination before they get direct sun. I'm trying to follow the directions to the letter so I don't kill anything else green.

9:30am
The best part of having a party? With my group of friends, the clean-up is super fast, and a few days later, I still have a clean and orderly house! I got everything straightened out and unpacked for my housewarming shindig last Friday, so now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

9:35am
Speaking of benefits of having a party, here is the lovely bouquet I bought for said party. The colors were a bit more vibrant on Friday (the purple is noticeably leaching into the water), but they are still very pretty. I just thought the bunches of green and purple flowers were too cool looking.

12:00pm
My new gig to earn extra cash on the side... Secret Shopper! My first assignment was at this dealership. I had to pretend to be interested in making a major purchase and then review how the salesman did his job. It was super fun! The picture would have been better, but I thought they might get suspicious if they caught me taking pictures of the place from the parking lot. Hence, the drive-by photo on the other side of I-35 you see here.

1:00pm
All that shopping made me hungry. Time to run through my favorite tex-fast-mex-food place EVER! It's more BUENO!!

1:30pm
Meanwhile, back at the Batcave... I mean, Scout Service Center- Stopping in for one of my few visits to the home office.

1:35pm
Time for tacos! This picture just does not do this food justice. Bueno is the greatest ever. A couple of tacos were exactly what I needed to make my day wonderful!

5:15pm
Here we are at one of my favorite haunts- Vino100! I met up with a few of my nearest and dearest for a spot of wine. It was wine club night, so there was also some yummy soup! I suppose I really ought to join the wine club, rather than just mooch off of all of my friends' memberships. Got a call and had to cut out early to go take something to one of my volunteers, so I missed our council popcorn kickoff meeting and forgot to take pictures for a while!

10:00pm
Home again, home again, jiggity-jog. Alex putting on a display. I need to look back at the end of this year and see just how many 12 of 12 pictures are of Alex sleeping in various places.

10:05pm
Catching up on some of my DVRed goodness. This was a go-cart scene from '18 Kids and Counting'. Why am I in love with this show?? Same story with 'Jon & Kate Plus 8'. I think it's because I have zero kids and will probably remain in that state, so I'm fascinated with these fecund folkses.

10:30pm
Time for some Twitterpation while watching a few episodes of Will & Grace. There are so many outlets for my voice now (Twitter, Facebook, this blog, MySpace) that I have trouble coming up with something to say for myself. I suppose I could always post the same stuff on each vehicle, but I have a lot of the same 'followers' in each place, so I hate to bore them!

11:00pm
Yet another benefit of having a housewarming party (and having kick-ass friends)... leftover Rice Krispies treats! This was an awesome house with hedges and everything, but after being picked over, it now resembles a scary smiley brick. Still tastes yummy, though!

Thanks for showing up yet again... almost halfway through the year and I'm still maintaining... sweet!!

April 2009 12 of 12

2009-04-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are once more, for the 12 of 12 for April 2009! New to 12 of 12? Please stop by Chad Darnell's site for all the info.

Here we go!!

Easter morning!

11:20am- Apparently, he golfs religiously! Here's another golfer getting ready to tee off on the 1st hole. Love my view!

It certainly is a gorgeous Easter morning! After an early-morning rain, the day was absolutely lovely.

1:35pm- Jaime spent the night and helped me put up my new jewelry armoire. It took some drilling and heaving, but we got it up on the wall. That lovely mirror opens to a green velvet lined jewelry case with space for all of my necklaces, bracelets, etc. Perfect!!

2:00pm- The day hasn't even gotten going, and already Alex is worn out. Sleeping all day really tires one out!

4:00pm- After our home improvement adventure, Jaime and I went to my old boss's house for Easter celebrations. There was a 7 year-old, a new puppy, and 4 cameras out in the front yard. I spent plenty of time convincing the 7 year-old that he should save the rest of his confetti eggs for Daddy. Success!

4:15pm- The new puppy, Jazz, was not so successful at avoiding the confetti eggs! She enjoyed licking the pink dye off of the eggshells, though, so I don't think she minded the confetti in her hair too much.

4:45pm- Again, a gorgeous day and a gorgeous view. Too bad the lake is so low right now!

I miss working at this house! The view is to-die-for, but I really did enjoy working for him, too. Here's hoping they tap me for some house-sitting sometime soon!

8:00pm- After a long afternoon of stuffing myself with yummy food and drinking lots of beer, the bottles of wine purchased yesterday will NOT be opened this evening. These are from Stone House Vineyard, which is about a mile from my door. I even joined the wine club over there!

8:15pm- Now that I've been here for about 3 weeks and actually got a weekend to stay home and unpack, I can take some pictures of my place. I love my huge living room!

My lovely fireplace, and proof that I haven't totally finished unpacking. I mostly have decorations left, so that's not too bad!

I've even gotten my bathroom in order. I just love my new place!

March 12 of 12

2009-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

So welcome back to 12 of 12. New to 12 of 12? Visit Chad Darnell for all the info. Join us! It's ever so much fun to see what's going on all over the world on a single day.

This month may look a lot like last month... but when the 12th happens on the 2nd Thursday of the month twice in a row, well, it just happens.

11:30- Excitement in a small town! I went to pick up my dress at the cleaners, and there had been a 'disturbance' at the tax-prep office next door. There were 2 cruisers out front with rollers going and officers questioning some guy. I had to sneak back around by the gas station to get a shot without being seen!

1:15- We've been having rain for the past few days after a tremendously long drought. The city has taken advantage of the moisture to burn brush. Since the burn ban has lifted, people all over the county have been burning their brush and the whole area smells like wood smoke.

4:15- I'm driving around looking at places for rent. This little gem is only $550 a month, but it's kinda junky. Wish it were more like the places directly across the street, but these go for $950 a month!!

4:30- Another house for rent in the same area. This one is more expensive, but slightly nicer. I still just can't find exactly what I want! Not so sure about this green.

4:45- Just down the street from the green thing is this adorable redwood. It doesn't look like much from the picture, but it's a cool 3/2. One side of it has 2 stories, and it has great decks all around. Unfortunately, it's also $800 a month. Next.

5:30- On the road again... heading down 71 into Austin for happy hour. Such a gloomy, cloudy, dreary kinda day. This calls for a beer!

6:30- Dammit!! So close to a burger and a beer, yet so far away. Austin traffic is just awful, but rainy days make it even worse. If I were a little more "rose-colored glasses" I'd think these twinkling tail lights were pretty.

7:00- YAY!! I finally made it to Sam's Boat!! Time for the fun to begin!

7:15- Yum yum yum! A freshly cooked Black n Bleu burger! It tastes even better than it looks. And it is perfectly paired with an ice-cold draft beer. Life is good!

7:45- A meeting of the minds at the end of the table. Dale, Helen, and Michael discussing something extremely important, I'm sure.

10:30- Alex is all tucked in for the night... and that's where I'm headed too!!

BONUS PICTURES!!!

This is the condo I think I'm actually going to move into next weekend! I'm headed out Saturday afternoon to look at the inside. Can't wait!!!

February 12 of 12

2009-02-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, I'm on a roll! Two months in a row! New to 12 of 12? Visit Chad Darnell for all the info.

Let's get started!

10:15am
Took a lovely trip to Sprawl-mart to pick up a tape adapter for my newly replaced iPod. It IS possible to get in and out in less than 10 minutes, but you have to be willing to shove a few old ladies out of the way.

10:30am
There goes my gym... I should really be stopping off there... I know they miss me.

10:40am
Yet another stop on my list of errands-- the library. This is the view from the parking lot. I love living in a place with scenery like this.

1:00pm
Just finished up my Rotary meeting and decided to get this shot. We meet in a room right on the lake, so the view is great and I've always meant to take a picture of it!

1:45pm
Driving into Austin enjoying my iPod. Yes, my truck is always this full of crap. I tend to pack up my life and move into Austin 3 days at a time each week.

2:00pm
Yep, construction on 71. Big shocker. This time it sucks really hard, though. The speed limit is 45!!

5:30pm
After a long slow drive down 71 and 2 stops in an effort to find a dress for a friend's wedding, I arrive at Parrothead Happy Hour! The 2nd Thursday of every month we meet and have a great time. This is the new t-shirt, modeled by our lovely Head Phruitcake, Robin!

6:00pm
The crawfish are in!! The excitement was palpable among the tables... we devoured several pounds of crawfish over the night. I can smell it right now. Yum!!

6:30pm
Not everyone chowed down on mudbugs Thursday night. Ric opted for a big ol' cheeseburger. Love this shot of him cramming in a bite!

Much later...
Ric also opted for a new delivery method for his beer. Totally not my idea. And besides, Emily started it!!

Even later...
There was a good reason for the extreme debauchery and the late night. Dennis came home from Afghanistan!!

I think this was still the 12th...
The final shot of the evening. Dennis and our favorite waitress Jennifer. She does such a good job of taking care of us! One waitress and sometimes upwards of 20 Parrotheads at a time... she's good!

January 12 of 12

2009-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I did it once last year. I'm going to attempt to actually do this every month for 2009! Here goes:

Spent part of the morning catching up on DVRed shows while answering emails.

Alex busy doing what he does best.

Mmmm... lunch! Or at least part of it. Here's some black bean tortilla soup from Nutrisystem, to be followed by a salad.

My stack of stuff that was going to get dropped off at Goodwill. I just found out that a friend lost a lot of stuff in an apartment fire, so I'll have to hold off on getting rid of this until I find out what all she needs.

My office/junk room in the throes of being cleaned out. I'm also starting to pack up boxes of things I don't think I'll use between now and the end of Feb. If I know I won't use it in 6-7 weeks, does that mean I should just go ahead and get rid of it?? Naaaah.

Another trip to the gym, another great workout! Note that my gym is in the same building as a Mexican food restaurant. Argh. At least it's not like when I worked at Curves... you could actually smell the fajitas cooking in the stretching room there!

A rare sight indeed... Alex actually using the backyard for its intended purpose!

A lovely sunset over Granite Shoals.

My yummy Nutrisystem dinner! Spinach and cheese ravioli in meat sauce, asparagus, and cherries. I don't know why people think this food isn't wonderful!

My lovely room, all cleaned up and straightened out!

As long as I've got the camera out and the room clean, I'll take a couple of angles to send to my landlord so she can advertise before I move out. Ain't I nice?

And to round out my 12, a shot of the gorgeous full moon. It just doesn't translate to my lil digital camera the way my eyes see it!

How bizarre

2008-03-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, there's a first.

I had a phone call from a sheriff in Creed, CO on my work cell tonight. My first instinct was to panic, of course. Then I remembered I had done nothing wrong (lately) and hadn't been in Colorado in a decade.

Turns out they are looking for a guy I worked with in Florida, and I had sent him a comment in Facebook earlier today, asking how he was and if he was planning a visit to Texas. They googled me, found my work cell on my work website, and called me to see if I had heard from him.

See, they aren't looking for him because he did something wrong. They're just looking for him. No one has seen or heard from him since Thursday. Seems like that might be a little quick to have the sheriff trying to find a guy in his early 20s... but he just got fired from a job, and I know he has had some alcohol problems, so he very likely has other problems.

So keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I hope everything is okay and he just had to get away for a bit.

First Try

2008-03-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my first attempt at 12 of 12.

This is what happens when I schedule an 8am meeting. I run through Whataburger for a honey chicken biscuit and then chug a triple mocha at the Java Bean while discussing fundraising.

Next, I'm off to Fredericksburg for my fundraising luncheon. Notice the man who is eerily similar to Leemer.

More folks at the luncheon. The old guy on the left donated a stamp collection. My chairman asked him to say a few words. He told war stories for 5 minutes before he finally had to be cut off.

Stopping at the bank, I spotted this sweet beagle chilling on the dash. Man, if only I could be that comfy. Gotta get home to my pup!

And back at the batcave... on hold with Home Depot.

My super-professional workspace. Note the big fat stack of checks... over $10,000! Also, the big fat stack of pledge cards... cheap bastards who haven't given money... YET. Why yes, that is "John Tucker Must Die" on the crappy 19" woodgrain TV in the background!

Yes, I moved in at the end of January. Why do you ask??

See Katy. See Katy refinish furniture. Paint, Katy, paint. This is my 50 some-odd year old desk that was rescued from the barn. See the great color I painted the inside of the drawers. Orange, baby, orange.

Took a stroll outside... looky here! Tons of wildlife around here.

Yet another project not quite taken care of. I bought an awesome shelf with built-in speakers to which you can connect an mp3 player. One of these days I'll get that put up on the wall.

And a project that I did actually complete! If you can't see from the picture, it's a metal grid with two file boxes, a candle holder, and some random clamps that you can rearrange and such. And notice the lovely space just beneath it for the desk when it is finished!

Now it appears that we are done for the night. Alex has tucked himself in for the night, so that's my signal that it's time to get going to bed.

Next month's will be better, I promise. On April 12th, I'll be in the midst of Pirates Ball. Yarrrrrrr! Be preparing yerself fer some excellent photos, yar!

I have seen the future...

2008-03-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

and thy name is Botox, John Leeming.

Yesterday I met a man (ironically named John) who reminded me sooo much of my friend John. Except that he's 50. And looks 29.

His features are eerily similar to my friend John, except that his skin is flawless, his eyes are bagless with just a hint of a crow's foot, and he has a mouthfull of perfect glowing white teeth.

So, John, I've seen what you will look like when you are 50. You'll look 29. You'll be the regional president of a major bank. You'll be heavily involved in civic activities, well-respected in the community, and quite wealthy.

And you'll have a life partner named Joe.

Fun with radio ads

2008-03-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows about "used" cars.

When you're talking luxury vehicles, they are considered "pre-owned".

The latest (and my personal favorite)?

"Previously enjoyed" RVs

I love radio ads.

So, does it make me a nerd that I took the test??

2007-09-07T08:28:00.001-07:00

Cardiff Wales

2007-07-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been lazy and haven't updated lately. There really hasn't been that much going on except that we've all gotten sick with some nasty cold/sinus crap, so the entire bus is just one big mass of snotty people.

We are currently in Cardiff, Wales. The dorms here are really nice, but in the ghetto. We've been cooking in the kitchens to save the money, so I made sour cream chicken enchiladas the other night. There have been several requests for an encore, so if everyone goes to the store and buys ingredients for me, there will be another performance tonight.

Oxford was cold and rainy. Cardiff is cold and rainy. I have a feeling the rest of the trip will be cold and rainy. The weather made the views from the tops of the mountains absolutely gorgeous yesterday, though. We ate lunch with a mayor and went through a manor house with people dressed up in period costume and playing characters as household servants. It was a good time.

Next we are going to Breacon, then to Bangor. I'm so ready to come home. I'm tired of wearing the same clothes over and over and over!! When I get home, I'm going to be on a mission for good Tex-mex, a real Diet Coke, and some Taco Bueno. Mmmmmmm... it's more Bueno.

Fer Chrissakes!

2007-07-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

We couldn't get the hell out of Paris fast enough.

On our last night in town, we all thought it would be a nice quiet night. Some of us went to bed early, some played cards, some were just hanging out and talking.

In the midst of the hanging out and talking, some of the guys were acting silly, so one of our guys took a picture of them. There were several 10-12 year old British boys staying in our dorm, and they happened to be running through the halls in their underwear and managed to get in the back of one of the pictures. Also, their extremely fat French teacher was out in the halls in ONLY a towel yelling at them to get in bed and managed to get in a picture as well.

The boys complained that Greg (the guy taking pictures and also the nicest and most innocent guy you will ever meet) had taken a picture of them. The idiot teacher took that to mean that Greg was doing something inappropriate. The teacher finally put on some clothes and drug Greg and his camera downstairs to talk to the guard.

The teacher basically accused Greg of being a pedophile. WHAT?? GREG??? ABSURD!!!!!! So Greg grabs our teacher that speaks French since the teacher and guard were speaking French in discussing the incident. I must say that I'm quite proud of our professor... he just told the French teacher that he didn't appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night because of a half-baked accusation. Niiice.

Our other professor just said the next morning that Greg wasn't taking pictures of the children... he was taking pictures of that 'fat bastard' in his towel. Giggle.

Of course, this professor also referred to our bus driver as a 'damn bastard' and an 'arse.'

Good times.

Now we're in Oxford, where the dorms are nice, the food is excellent, and the weather is cool and rainy. Only two weeks til Texas!!!!

And Paris continues...

2007-07-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

As if this place couldn't get any more exciting, we had an 'incident' last night.

A guy in our group originally struck me as simply a testosterone-fueled moron. In London, he kept wandering off from the group late at night, getting ridiculously drunk, and tried to have a one-night-stand with a girl in the group. Of course, after she rebuffed him, he claimed he didn't want to hook up with her anyway. Then he disappeared for about 24 hours explaining himself by saying "Hey man, I couldn't pass up a threesome."

So this guy comes home from dinner and one of the girls (the one who rebuffed him in London) has brought 2 French guys back to our dorm and has one of them on this guy's bed making out with him. Understandably, he gets angry with her, then proceeds to call her every name in the book. She starts hitting at him and scratching him, so he just grabs her arms and pushes her out of the room. I slept through this portion of the evening.

He apparently doesn't handle confrontation very well, so to deal with it, he downs several Xanax and chases them with a bottle of champagne and at least a couple of bottles of wine. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but apparently he got very upset and began trying to break mirrors in the hallway and succeeded in breaking a window. He then becomes somewhat suicidal and keeps trying to jump out of the windows on the 4th floor. He's a big guy (probably 6'3" and about 260lbs), so when he decides he wants to jump out of the window, it takes several guys to hold him back. They finally convince the hostel guard to quit shushing them and call the paramedics and police. The guy takes off down the hall, throwing himself into walls and saying he is going to kill himself. It took 4 guys to hold him down for about 30 minutes before the police showed up.

To give credit to the police, they didn't club, taser, or pepper-spray him. He was a complete animal, throwing people off of him and roaring. They finally managed to get him into the ambulance and to the hospital.

Today the professors had to go get him from the jail and put him on a plane back to Texas. I just hope he actually got on the plane. And I hope he gets the help he needs back at home.

The excitement just never ends...

Forget Paris

2007-07-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

This city sucks! We finally arrived at about 10pm on Bastille Day because we just kept getting delayed everywhere we went. Our group (4 girls, one gay guy) decided to go out to the Eiffel Tower to see the festivities and left the hostel around 11. After a ridiculously long ride on the Metro with one confusing transfer, the trains shut down at midnight, spitting us out 2 stops before where we wanted to go. We got out of the subway and started walking towards the Eiffel Tower.

Our first clue to turn around and go home should have been when everyone was walking away from the tower as we were walking towards it. We grabbed a beer and some french fries and checked out the scene. It was nothing but people working on a 12-hour drunk, so we decided to finish our fries and grab a taxi. The taxi stand near us was full of people and no taxis were coming, so we decided to walk a little away from the crowds to catch a taxi there.

As we were walking away, 2 guys tried to talk to us and wouldn't leave us alone. After telling them we were all gay and Brett trying to hit on them, it still took us pretty much forcefully pushing them away to get them to leave. We walked on until we found a promising looking square. No taxis were stopping, so we spotted some cops and told them where we were headed. They sent us to a taxi stand a few blocks away after laughing at how far we were from 'home'. At that taxi stand, some locals laughed at us and told us we'd never get a taxi there.

Okay, forget it, we'll just start walking and see if we can catch a taxi as we go. We continued walking for about an hour, then stopped into a Best Western to see if they would call a taxi for us. Nope. It's about 2am at this point. We stopped into a bar and even bought a beer to see if they would call a taxi for us. After the waitress stole the change we dropped, she said no, they don't have a phone. Bitch.

We walked on along the shore of the Seine, waving at every taxi that passed, with cars full of locals whistling and laughing at us. We stopped once more at a small cafe where someone bought a sandwich and the waiter said he would call a taxi for us. The manager asked where we were from, and when told USA, he laughed and said he would not call a taxi for us. Bastard.

So as it's nearing 4:30, we are starting to get somewhat close to our hostel. Had a taxi picked us up when we first started looking, we would have been at home and in bed by this point, rather than having the worst experience yet.

We were crossing the street and Brett was approached by a shirtless guy asking him something in French. Brett replied in French that he speaks English, and the guy pointed to a knife wound (looked pink, more like a scrape or a scar) in his side and was accusing Brett of having stabbed him. Brett tried to shrug him off and keep walking, but his friend came up and they grabbed him. Two more guys came into the fray and one punched Brett in the jaw. We finally figured out what was going on, and began screaming No! at the guys and trying to keep them away from Brett. I was in there pulling guys off as they were kicking Brett, trying to keep them from pushing him over the wall onto the concrete walkway next to the Seine 20 feet below. The guys were not that big, but they were all strung out on something and fueled by alcohol, drugs, and testosterone. There was one guy that was probably about 5'7" and 130lbs, and I had him by his throat. If some locals hadn't appeared, I would have probably either gotten really hurt or sent to jail.

Thankfully, there were some locals around that saw what was going on... one guy getting the crap beat out of him, only defending himself and not swinging back, with 4 girls pulling guys off of him and screaming. They came up and somehow got all of the guys away long enough for us to take off running.

We made it back to the hostel at almost 5am on a total adrenaline high. I showered and went to bed, but Brett and one of the other girls were so freaked out that they stayed up until this afternoon drinking wine, popping anxiety meds, and smoking cigarettes in the bathroom. Real good way to deal with all of that.

So... Paris sucks. I'm ready for Oxford and Wales. And Texas most of all.

People are strange... or just stupid

2007-07-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's very interesting seeing London with a group of college kids. Most of them have never been out of the country, so they are complete stereotypical dumb Americans.

Questions I've heard so far:

What's the prime meridian?
What's a subway coach?
What does 'maritime' mean?
Isn't 30 minutes enough time in the British Museum?
Why do they call dollars pounds?

And last I heard, we are missing a guy. We all went out to some clubs last night and at 2am when everything was closing down, he didn't want to go home with everyone. Instead, he wanted to go with the girls he had met. No one has seen him since. This same guy passed out on a park bench a couple of nights ago and was woken up by the police. And he's a senior at UT. Whatta moron.

Paris should be interesting...

Queen Rocks My Socks

2007-07-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Tickets to a show... £23
T shirt from show... £15
Lapel pin from show... £5
Seeing We Will Rock You... Priceless

A musical based on the music of Queen? I'm so there. It absolutely rocked. I had so much fun that I am still smiling from it! Julian, Victoria, and I went to the TKTS office this morning and got half price seats. Standing in the rain and waiting for the tickets was so worth it... it was only a 45 minute wait anyway.

Oh, and there are some of the dumbest chicks I think I've ever seen on this trip. I think next year they should institute a general knowledge test before people are allowed to sign up for the trip. Seriously. How can someone make it into the University of Texas and have the gall to ask "What's the Prime Meridian??"

Here in the UK

2007-07-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

So I made it to London, finally. Turns out the Barcelona Reus airport is not in Barcelona. It's not even in the same province. It's about an hour and 15 minutes out of town... or €160... or almost $200 in a cab. Eff. Once I finally made it to the airport, my plane was delayed by about 3 hours. At least I made it here.

London is insanely expensive and I'm ready to go somewhere cheaper now. Sad that Paris is actually sounding reasonably priced after seeing fish and chips here for about $18!

At least I don't start sweating immediately as soon as I walk out of the door. It's about 70 here for the high, and that's absolutely lovely!!

2007-07-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

A much better band outside of the Prague Castle. Again, thanks to John for the video.

2007-07-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

Worst band ever...

We had to sit through 2 hours of this at a dinner in Stramberk. Ouch. Video thanks to my brother, John.

A Tribute to Kourtney and Jaime

2007-07-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

Famous places I've peed in...

Venice, Italy- The Doge's Palace
Florence, Italy- The Uffizi Gallery
Rome, Italy- The Colosseum
Vatican City, Italy- The Vatican Museum (right next to the Sistine Chapel!)
Madrid, Spain- Reina Sofia Modern Art Museum (close to Picasso's "Guernica")
Barcelona, Spain- Sagrada Familia Cathedral

I get around, eh?

Quick Hits from Barcelona

2007-07-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

Because I'm having trouble remembering what I've posted about...

- Rome in a day and a half was good. I saw the Parthenon, the Forum, Capitol Hill, the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica. Whew.

- Milan in 5 hours was a bit short, but I did go to the Duomo and went to the roof of it and saw all of Milan.

- Overnight trains without a couchette or sleeper berth are bunk. Absolutely the worst night ever. And I didn't even get my free mineral water and earplugs.

- Spain's rail system is effed up. A 2.5 hour wait to make a reservation for a train the next day? You gotta be kidding me! Although you can shorten that to just over an hour if you know how to cheat just right. Who, me??

- Madrid was nice. I love the fact that when traveling alone I can manage to cover 3 major sites in less than 8 hours. The Prado museum was nice, but the Reina Sofia with the collections from Picasso and Dali was way cooler, if much smaller.

- Two days in Barcelona, then I'm off to London. I'm ready for a bus with A/C and meals that have already been paid for!!

Travel Quiz

2007-07-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

When entering a musuem, church, castle, or other tourist spot, what is the best location to stop suddenly?

A) Directly inside the door
B) Directly outside the door
C) Directly in front of a popular exhibit, for as long as possible
D) All of the above, especially if you are a large person and/or have several children and strollers surrounding you

If you answered A, B, or C, you are an amateur. Nice try, but keep working on it.

If you answered D, congratulations! You are an expert asshole tourist! You are ready to be a complete pain in the ass in any language. Good job!

Shrimp Crack

2007-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Rome has been interesting. I had Chinese food for dinner last night... the appetizer was translated into English as "Shrimp Crack". It had the texture of light styrofoam, tasted like shrimp, and popped like Pop Rocks when I touched it to my tongue. Interesting.

Last night I saw the Pantheon, the Parliament Building, a marching band concert, and the Trevi Fountain. Today I saw the Colosseum, Forum, Capitol Hill, the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel), and St. Peter's Basilica. Whew. Packed, but a fun day!

Tomorrow I'm off to Milan for a 5 hour layover before I catch the overnight train to Barcelona, then on to Madrid. That is, if I can get a place to stay in Madrid!

Awesome!

2007-06-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

I went on my first dive since being certified today, and it was amazing! We did two dives off the coast of Sorrento. We went to 25 meters (about 75 feet) on one dive and swam through a cave. Then, we went on a 23 meter deep dive and swam through a hole in a rock into a small little beach area. It was the coolest! I saw octopii, eels, lots of fish, starfish, and beautiful coral. I almost got seasick, but I powered through it!

All of this terrorist activity in London has me worried. I will be there in 9 days. Let's hope they get all this mess stopped before I show up!

Thrills

2007-06-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

Those of you who think NASCAR and Formula One drivers have talent... those guys ain't got NUTHIN' on the guys who drive buses on the Isle of Capri and along the coastal road of the Amalfi Coast. Those rides were well worth the money spent. Flying around corners, horns honking to let everyone know "A big-ass bus is coming, get outta the way!" Those drivers slid the buses into spaces I would swear were at least a foot narrower than the bus. At one point, the driver jumped out and pulled in the side mirror to make it around a corner. And the horn that he honked to let people know he was coming was hilarious. It had a high-pitched and lower-pitched tone which he would alternate, so it sounded like "Eeh-aaaah-eeeeh-aaaah!" I was never so glad to be on solid ground as I was after that ride. It was beautiful, of course... straight cliffs dropping to the ocean on one side, cantilevered hotels and houses on the other. Makes you admire the engineers that figured out how in the world to build a road and buildings on that mountainside. After seeing how beautiful it is though, I can understand why they were determined to do so!

Sorrento

2007-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

I think I have officially found my favorite place in Europe! I spent the day on the Isle of Capri (not the boat in Bossier City, you hicks), and it was awesome! I am going to try to go scuba diving tomorrow and maybe to Pompeii. I spent the afternoon laying on the beach on Capri, listening to Buffett on my ipod... heaven.

I've decided that the obnoxious american tourist doesn't really exist as much as it gets talked about. The worst offenders are high school kids, but teenagers from anywhere are obnoxious! I saw some German kids eating a pizza in the train station, then they threw the box on the ground, when the trash can was about 5 ft away. It's not that there are no obnoxious american tourists... it's just that they are the people we consider obnoxious back home, too!

Funny how...

2007-06-26T06:04:00.001-07:00

one meal can change your perspective so quickly.

I arrived in Firenze (Florence) about 5 hours late after riding on a dirty nasty train in 2nd class. I had paid for a 1st class reservation, but my train got cancelled, so I was just screwed. I had a crappy ham and mushroom sandwich and a Nestea for dinner, and was just pissed off. I was in no mood to enjoy Firenze at all. After a sweat-drenched sleep in a hostel (what the hell is wrong with the Spanish girls who decided the window must be shut??), I spent the morning confirming everything to get the hell out of here. I took a bus, wandered around, read my guidebook, and decided I had played enough of the "Let's see how long I can possibly go without food in order to save money" game.

I went to a little restaurant in a basement that didn't look like much of anything, but it was in the Rick Steves' guidebook and they had a 10-euro lunch special. The food was pretty good, but there was a big group of annoying American tourists (teenagers, no less). Despite that, I had a great lunch. It was an insane amount of food- big bowl of spaghetti to start, bread and olive oil, grilled pork chop, and fried potatoes. Ugh. The waiters were fun. Apparently someone in that restaurant had a thing for me. I couldn't figure out who, but a few different waiters came over to me and asked me questions about where I was going, etc. Then, somehow I got a free shot of Limoncello after my meal. And the manager came up and talked to me for a while. I wonder if they are that friendly with all single women who come into their restaurant, or if there was a reason the guy sat me where I was facing the kitchen and the cooks could watch me?

No matter, it just put me in a much better mood. Plus, it rained, so it cooled way off outside! I'm waiting around to see if I can sneak into the Uffizi gallery just about an hour before closing without waiting in the insane line that is out there right now. Here's hoping...

Italy so far...

2007-06-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's hot. And crowded.

Venice was pretty and it was fun to ride around in the vaporettos. I went through St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. The palace had the world's largest oil painting. It looked like... you guessed it, a really big freaking painting.

After a nightmare of train delays and cancellations, I finally made it into Florence last night. I'm staying in a hostel, which is interesting. I'm about to go to the train station to reserve my train out tomorrow, assuming I get the reservation I need at the hotel I want in Sorrento!

I'm beat. I'm ready for Sorrento... 3 days at the same hotel, see Pompeii and the Amalfi coast, and just relax for a few days!

Did you know?

2007-06-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

And now, it's time for a rousing game of "Did you know?"

Did you know...

-Gambrinus is better beer than Starbrno?

-long fringe is supposed to keep flies out of a room?

-John in Czech is Honza?

-the worst polka band in the history of ever rocked our pig roast?

-3 fat Americans will get stuck between floors on an elevator when dozens of Czech kids have been punching the buttons constantly?

-it costs almost 3 times what the wine cost to ship the bottles home and that you can accomplish this in a post office with a HUGE language barrier?

-the cheek of the roast pig really is the best part?

-after 2 weeks of having dessert (deserty) with every meal, you feel a little cheated when you don't get it... even though you are completely stuffed?

-Vienna is just a big, hot, dirty city?

Stramberk... not Stromboli

2007-06-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, such a lovely little mountain town. And not a damn thing to do but drink. Or swim in the creepy basement swimming pool. Ive been doing a lot of drinking. And I still havent found that damned apostrophe. The Czech people have spices other than salt. I know this. Ive seen pepper on the table and tons of spices at the market and in the soups. However, Im still quite sure that every Czech recipe begins with "2 cups of salt" and ends with "add more salt."

Did any of you know that Brno and Dallas are sister cities? I didn't. THERE'S THAT APOSTROPHE!!!!!! Well they are. And we went and met the mayor yesterday morning. It was all very impressive. He gave us hats and pens.

This morning we went to a factory where they make the most gorgeous Christmas ornaments. They are very cheap to buy there, but I don't think I could get them home without shattering them into a million pieces. My aunt says she has a catalog where they are only a little more expensive, though.

We went to a tractor factory the other day. The one place where I would have loved to have a t-shirt from, and they didn't have a gift shop. If anyone sees a Zetor tractor shirt, let me know.

One more day in Stramberk, then we head for Vienna. Maybe I can find a laundromat there. Socks washed in sinks don't really get all that clean, plus they are a little crunchy when they dry. Anyone know the Czech word for laundromat??

Off to dinner... salt meat and starch discs, I'm sure! I'm ready for Italy where I can get tired of pasta. Dobre mata.

Quick Hit

2007-06-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

Im now in Brno, still no sign of an apostrophe. The weather here is much nicer... cool and breezy. Yesterday we went down into an amazing cave. It was so different from Carlsbad, etc. We even rode little boats through the cave and saw parts of the rock formations that are under water. Also, we finally had a decent dinner. Steak with cheese on it. I know, sounds foul, but it was excellent. And the fries were great smeared in the cheese sauce!

Tomorrow we are meeting with the mayor of Brno then we are going to Stromberk for our next hotel. This hotel here in Brno gave gummi bears instead of chocolates on the pillows... cool. Okay time is almost up in the internet cafe. Im off!

The People Make the Trip

2007-06-16T01:31:00.000-07:00

And the people Im traveling with are a trip. Sorry, still no apostrophe to be found.

Lemme tell you about the people riding around on the bus with us.

The Tour Guide- Maria. A native Czech, likes to fill every moment of silence with "interesting and special" facts. Needs to work on not being annoying as hell, "You know?" My favorite thing is to listen for her little foibles... whenever she had to do something in the past, she talks about how she "hadjt to do do it". Ill have to imitate her in person for that to really come across.

The Bus Driver- Honsai, or at least thats how Tim says it. I think his name must be Honsa or Hansel or something like that. He understands English very well, just doesnt speak it very well, and apparently our tour guide doesnt know all that much. Hes pretty funny and definitely likes to stay out late and drink his beer.

The Tour Coordinator- Tim. From a small town in west Texas, Tim looks like he belongs here in Europe. Tall, goofy smile, flat top haircut, and coke bottle glasses. He also likes to get drunk.

The Sisters- Julie, Mary, Jennifer, and Monica. Four women in their 40s-50s all on a trip with just the girls. Except that one brought her husband and one brought her 14 year old kid. They were definitely raised as Southern Belles down in southern Louisiana. They are always dressed up, hot pink lipstick on, and ready for any opportunity to shop. Very funny women, but I feel sorry for the husband and kid.

The Homeschoolers- I think their name is Doubechka. Odd couple from Killeen. She homeschools their 4 kids, has a tattoo of a cat holding flowers on her thigh, and seems like shes just some dumb hick on her second marriage. He doesnt claim her first kid, but talks constantly about how gorgeous his three kids are.

The Backrow Boys- Dan and JoeJohn. No, really, his name is JoeJohn. They tip the scales at over a quarter ton put togther and like to sit at the back of the bus. They spend lots of time drinking, smoking, and searching out casinos. They are somewhat rude, Dan being extremely condescending, and just kind of a pain in the ass.

Mary Katherine Gallagher- Eileen. This woman is crazier than a bedbug. She talks 90 miles an hour and just generally annoys the hell out of you. She always wants to drink a Fanta, but she talks so fast that the poor waiters have no idea what she is ordering. She just has the carriage of Mary Katherine Gallagher as a 40-something woman... picture that.

And all the rest. Several very large men. A few women who have trouble walking anywhere. Some people that I swear I didnt see the first 3 days. And my family.

And the food. Lots of salty meat and starch discs. Still. Last night it was salty duck with beet root and two kinds of dumplings. At least the alcohol is pretty free-flowing, so you can get good and buzzed and not really think about the food. No blood sausage has been offered yet, and I hope to avoid that.

I dont think I mentioned, we went to the Budweiser Budvar factory the other day. This is beer that has been made in the same spot since the 1200s. No relation to US Budweiser. We drank beer straight out of the holding tank, before pasteurization or any of that. That. was. the. best. beer. I. have. ever. had. in. my. whole. life. YUM!!!

Differences

2007-06-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ways in which things are different -and weird- around here:

-Keyboards. This is how a sentence would look if I tzped it the waz I normallz tzpe. And I just found the forward slash.
-Toilets. Sometimes you have to pay, sometimes there is no toilet paper, and there is always something weird and different about the way they flush.
-Air conditioning. You are lucky if you can find it. However, there is always the option of heading into a basement where its much cooler.
-Body odor. Yeesh.
-Hair color. For some reason Sharon Osbourne-ish burgandy is prolific throughout this country.
-Hair styles. I found a salon with pictures of the latest fashions in hair for women... mullets. I should have taken a picture, dammit.
-Food. Almost every meal so far has consisted of meat and what we have been referring to as starch discs. The starch discs can be potato, dumplings, bread, or anything else thick and starchy and needing beer to wash it down.

More to come later. Its time to go figure out how to make a phone call.

And yet another castle...

2007-06-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

We are on our way to visit another castle today. I finally got my luggage yesterday, so I am happy to report that I am wearing clean underwear that actually has elastic in it. I will have to tell the story about shopping for clothes in Prague when I have more time. Just suffice it to say that cheap underwear in the US is WAY better than cheap underwear in CZ.

My birthday was great. Thanks to everyone for the greetings. I drank too much Slivovice and Becherovka and lots of beer. John, I havent seen absinthe here yet, but I promise I will try it just once for you. I will have to sit down and really tell about all of the things that make this place so different from home... like a 5 star hotel with no air conditioning. Interesting.

Im off to the bus... maybe later I can figure out where an apostrophe is on this keyboard.

Oh yeah

2007-06-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

And I still don't have my bag. Rumor has it that it will be on a flight from London to Prague arriving at 7pm tonight. Of course we are leaving Prague at 11am today. I really hope my bag catches up to me at some point.

Off to Ceske Budojovice

2007-06-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Prague has been beautiful, if hot. Yesterday was my birthday and our tour guide attempted to get me completely blitzed on Slivovice and Becherovka. You can strip varnish with that stuff!! After dinner I met up with my friend from high school (Hi Melissa!) and we went out for drinks and wandered the streets for a while. As much warning as I have had about how this place is so bad with pick-pockets and such, I have only felt uncomfortable on the subway... and that was mostly because of the odors!! We are leaving in an hour or so for Ceske Budojovice. I'm worried about our hung-over driver... hope he does okay. We'll stop in some small town along the way and do a walking tour there. I think we are having dinner in a castle in the next few nights... fun!

Eff

2007-06-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Going into night #2 and still no luggage. At least I have family members to mooch off of. I've been wearing my brother's socks, my mom's underwear, and tomorrow I'm wearing my dad's t-shirt. I'm going to go to a store tomorrow and get some stuff (which the airline damn well better reimburse me for), but my bag better show up tomorrow!! Ugh.

On a brighter note, tomorrow is my birthday. I better have several beers purchased for me!

Praha

2007-06-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to Prague, after a delay at London Gatwick because the luggage belts weren't working. We sat at the gate for almost an extra hour so that 'all of the luggage can come aboard.'

Yeah, so I don't have a bag right now. Who called that one? At least I met a really nice girl from UT who knows her way around really well and speaks Czech. We put in our baggage claims and shared a taxi. I made it to the hotel about 2 hours later than I was supposed to.

And the tour group has left without me. So I'm wasting time in the lobby hoping they will come back to find me before they eat dinner. The Mediterranean Tuna and Chicken Takki sandwich I had 5 hours ago is not doing much for me. At least I got that, though!

I need a beer! Pivo!

Off to See the Lizard

2007-06-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

My flight takes off Friday night at 5:05pm, if I have a seat. I'll be in Prague the next afternoon. Everyone have a great summer... see you on the other side of the pond!

Testing

2007-05-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this blog is where I'm going to try to keep friends updated on what I'm doing while I'm in Europe this summer.

I'm leaving on June 8 for two weeks in the Czech Republic. My parents and family will be leaving me in Vienna, Austria on June 24, then I'm on my own for a while. I'm planning on taking a train to Venice the first night, then traveling through Italy, the south of France, and Spain. I want to finish at the Festival de San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain, watching the running of the bulls. Then I'll get a flight to London to meet up with the group from UT for the Oxford program.

So, here's the first blog entry, and I wanted to test uploading pictures...

Ta-da!!!

Walmart Ways

2007-04-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

I made what is quite possibly the most White Trash purchase I have ever made at Wal mart. Aside, of course, from the White Trash Survival Kit I made consisting of a styrofoam bait bucket filled with beef jerky, Moon Pies, RC Cola, hunting magazines, and the like. For my friend... Angela.

Anyway, my photographer boss is making a crazy photo project that needed some props, so he sent me to the store to get an ashtray and cigarettes. On the way out the door, his wife asked me to pick up something for her.

So I checked out in the 'tobacco line' with a glass ashtray, Marlboro Menthol Ultra Lights, a Red Bull, and.... baby aspirin. If I had added a sixer of Natural Light and some formula or generic diapers, I would have won the gold.

Brush with fame

2007-04-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

I am the coolest, ever. Really. I have a CD autographed by a world-renowned musical artist. It says, "To Katy- thanks! I LOVE YOU! *world-renowned artist*"

I know he is world-renowned because while I was talking to him at his show Thursday night, he had no fewer than 3 Australians approach him for autographs and the like. I had to translate. Aussie to West Texan doesn't go so smoothly. Good thing I can at least understand Aussie, and I'm fluent in West Texan.

And I didn't have to pay the cover charge to get in because the door guy thought I was with the world-renowned artist. So I bought a tshirt and CD to make up for saving $10. Plus the world-renowned artist bought my first 2 beers, so I thought I owed it to him.

Dishonesty?

2007-04-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

How do you deal with not wanting to tell someone something? If I tell them, I look petty, and I don't really want to tell them anyway. However, if I don't tell them and act like everything is normal, I'm not being honest. Ugh.

Too much thinking

2007-03-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

What an insane dream I had last night! I got arrested for something like jaywalking in some random small town and was immediately thrown into jail with 3 other people. We were put into a cell that was kind of a 3-D pentagon split into 4 separate sections, one for each person. I somehow managed to escape long enough to go find my dog and hand him off to my old roommate to take care of. I then snuck back into jail before they could catch me. I snuck back in because I was certain that I would get out as soon as my trial was over, and I didn't want to cause more trouble for myself by getting caught breaking out of jail. At some point when I had gotten out of my cell (again), a girl who worked for some magazine that occupied the other half of the building where the jail was covered for me to keep me from being caught. She acted like I was working for her and took me into her half of the building. I want to say the girl was Natasha Lyonne or someone like that, and she was mad when I left and went back to my cell. I didn't want to get in more trouble! I don't remember much else, but I do remember being able to drop into my cell from a staircase window that went above and behind our little pentagon cell. And I was shocked when the magazine girl actually helped me out, because we all thought she was some repressed uptight goody-two-shoes.

I need more sleep.

Aren't we adults?

2007-03-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm in high school all over again, only without the great part where my parents paid for everything and I had no responsibilities.

Is it just me or is it ridiculously passive-aggressive to delete someone from your "Friends List" on a social networking website? And I don't mean some random acquaintance or a band you added on a whim or something like that. I mean someone who you consider to be a very close friend (or at least you did at some point).

And if you were upset enough with said friend to delete them from your Friends list, wouldn't you at least want the person to know what terrible offense they committed? I know I would... if someone pissed me off that thoroughly, I would want to give them a good dressing-down.

Now, I just keep wondering and running different scenarios through my head of what could have possibly triggered this. Of course, the most obvious is there, but there are some other things that I can see having happened. I won't go into detail here, but I have my hunches.

Anyway, in case you are wondering, if I do something to piss you off, just effin' TELL ME what I did wrong and what I can do to fix it. Or just say goodbye.

Fuck.

?Habla ingles?

2006-10-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Since I am the only employee at my gym that speaks any Spanish at all, I have been nominated to deal with every single Spanish-speaking person that walks through the door. I can do okay with someone who speaks a little bit of English, but when I get someone in there who doesn't even know "Hello", it's a bit of a challenge.

Thanks for assuming I can speak Spanish fluently when I really speak about 3 words. Putas.

Blog? What blog?

2006-10-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, I'm terrible. Updating this blog regularly sure didn't last long. Here goes another try at it.

I'm in the middle of my next-to-last semester of undergrad work. WHEE! My 12 hours this semester are certainly not going to be easy. Why was it easier when I was taking 15 hours?? I had a test today, have a paper re-write due Monday, paper due Tuesday, and a MAJOR EFFIN TEST on Wednesday.

The MEF is in Medical Geography. That class is going to be a bitch. The population in there is about 80% pre-med. One of them told me, "Don't worry, we don't even like ourselves." Ha! I just hope I don't bomb too bad. At least I know how to spell "schistosomiasis" and "diphyllobothrium latum." That's got to be worth at least a couple of points, right?

My two jobs are keeping me busy, too. I like working at Curves... I get to work out while I'm getting paid. I just wish I were getting paid more! Or that I could work out more; my doctor chastised me on Monday for doing too much on my ankle. I have to rest it until my next visit with her so that maybe there won't be yet ANOTHER visit with her. The photography gig is still great. If I could talk him into letting me have just ONE of his royalty checks, I'd be doing great financially.

Trips coming up: DFW to visit with family the weekend of 10/20. I'm flying SW, so I will have to find someone to watch Alex for me. The big one! Key West 10/31-11/5! I can't wait!! I may not come back at all.

I got nuthin.

How utterly, ridiculously appropriate. And sad.

2006-03-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Katy

Amusing to the opposite sex

'What will your business card say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Oh yeah, and...

2006-02-21T19:43:00.000-08:00

Also, my contact got so jacked up this afternoon that I was seeing triple on the power point presentations in class, so I finally just pulled it out of my eye and threw it on the ground. Nice depth perception for the rest of the day, let me tell ya.

But it could always be worse. A girl in one of my classes got hit by a car Monday. Her body. His car. POW! She got HIT by a CAR. Be careful crossing the street, man. She is relatively fine- bruised, sore, a few stitches in her chin, and waaaaay loopy on pain meds (and she's pretty damned dingy to begin with), but no broken bones or anything serious.

Oh, and I had chicken fried steak for lunch that wasn't too shabby. CFS, garlic mashed potatoes (2 HUGE scoops with cream gravy), sauteed mushrooms and onions, toast, and a drink... for $4.95! I may have to make Cain & Abel's a lunch spot for school days. For the same price as a craptastic fast-food meal in the Union, I can walk a few blocks and get actual food... even a beer if I so fancy.

YotL, huh?

2006-02-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

So the past few days have not been kind to me.

It started Sunday morning. I woke up to ice and nastiness outside, as expected, but I had another surprise. A flat tire. Turns out it was slashed. Nice. Thank goodness my neighbor's boyfriend (and she also got her tire slashed) was there and offered to change the flat for me. I managed to only be 50 minutes late to work, after detouring around a marathon being run near work (crazy fuckers, running when it's 30 degrees outside). I brought dinner home from work for my neighbor and her boyfriend as thanks, for those of you keeping track.

On Monday, I was supposed to get off of work at 4p, but the girl who was going to come in at 4 never showed. So, being the nice person I am, I said I would stay until close. I got home after 9p, and my dog had crapped and peed on the floor. Nice. I then had to clean that up and stay up late finishing homework that was due today.

Speaking of homework that was due today, I had a photography assignment due at 6:30 tonight that I didn't finish until yesterday. I went to drop the film off to be processed... turns out I somehow managed to buy a type of slide film that is only developed in 3 places in the WORLD, and only one in North America. So I have to find out how long it will take if I mail it in to the place in Kansas. If it's too long according to my professor, then I'll have to re-shoot the entire damned assignment.

I was almost late to that photography class because I fell asleep in the Union. Somehow I woke up about 4 minutes before the class started, just enough time to power-walk over to the classroom so that I could explain to my T.A. why I didn't have an assignment to turn in.

Oh oh oh... and I don't get to have satellite TV installed tomorrow, either. I got that phone call yesterday. My apartment complex doesn't allow them to install the dish anywhere on the building, so the maintenance man told me I could rent a stand from the dish company or make one of my own. I made one with a bucket, a sack of concrete, and a metal pole, so I thought I was good to go. Turns out my complex won't allow the dish companies to ground the dish to an AC box or somesuch. So why the hell doesn't the complex just say NO SATELLITES instead of acting like they allow it, but with all these restrictions and caveats?? I just lost 50 effin dollars for the non-refundable deposit to save my place for installation. Bastards.

YotL... where are you??

2006-02-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

Why is today sucking so much?

I've only been 'with' someone once on Valentine's Day, and that was kind of a failed bit. Other than that, every V-Day has just been another regular old day in my life.

So why am I having such a hard time today?

Maybe because I'm in a city away from most of my friends. I've made friends here, but none that are good friends, and none that I see (or have time to see) outside of work or school. I have absolutely less than zero prospects for dating, and I don't see any coming around anytime soon.

Don't mind me. I'm just moping on this day and thinking about all of the relationships that I've fucked up with my own stupidity and/or arrogance.

Someone pass me a Blizzard.

Quiz Whore

2006-02-12T16:15:00.000-08:00

Because this is about all I have time for...

Your Personality Profile

You are dependable, popular, and observant.

Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.

In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do.

You are unique, creative, and expressive.

You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while.

And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few.

But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky.

Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

For a minute there, I thought I was becoming Leemer... until...

You Are a Bright Star Soul

Like a shining star, you have no trouble being the center of attention

In fact, you often feel a bit hurt when all eyes aren't on you

You need to be number one in everything, no matter how trivial

And it's this ego that both hurts your confidence and helps you acheive

You're dramatic and a powerhouse of pure energy

You posess a divine quality or uniqueness that's hard to define

A natural performer, it's likely you'll become famous in some circles.

Just learn not to take everyone's reaction to you so personally!

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul and Prophet Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Yep... I'm Leemer.

Your 2005 Song Is

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz

"Love forever love is free.

Let's turn forever you and me."

In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Oh my goodness.

2006-02-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Did you know it's possible to cook an egg with two cell phones?

Rock Star

2006-01-24T06:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Bonnie, I am someone I don't even know...

Which Rock Chick Are You?

Let the games begin...

2006-01-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

So I decided to wait until I had been through a few classes to make judgements on my professors and the classes. Of course, the first day of class in most of my classes was a lot of 'administrative junk' and paperwork and introductions to the professors and TA's (teacher's assistants).

Thursday was my first day of 'real' classes. I got a much better feel for what each class will be like. I have a good feeling about this semester. For one thing, I've already been forcing myself to sit in the front of the classroom and make sure that I am noticed by the professors. I think if I continue to do that, I won't be tempted to skip classes, because I will know that the professors might actually miss me if I'm not there!

My Intro to Journalism professor really irked me on Thursday. Still, I think this is a good sign, because not only am I paying attention to what he is saying, I'm really thinking critically about it and not just swallowing the tripe so that I can regurgitate it on a test or a paper. He was driving me nuts with his 'good old days' mentality and the fact that he kept showing charts that were very misleading. He showed one graph showing how voting in the U.S. has been in a slow decline since the 70s. A few slides later, he showed a slide that showed how older generations vote more than youth (18-24). Next, he showed how voting among the 18-24 age group has declined and was asking the class about why the youth of today don't vote. Well, Dr. Reese, why doesn't ANYONE vote as much anymore?? You JUST showed us a slide proving that the voting rate is going down in the U.S. population as a whole- don't you think the voting rate would also go down in an individual age demographic?? That's just an example of one thing that bugged the hell out of me about this guy.

Now on the flip side of that, my next class is an absolute blast. Dr. Z is a hoot. He's an old reformed hippie, and is just a card. I think the class is going to be very beneficial to me in deciding whether to stay in the Geography dept or switch to Journalism as planned. I think Dr. Z will be a great mentor and sounding board for me in discussing my future plans. On top of that, our big project that we will be working on for the entire semester is based on Texas tourism... how much better can it be??

My photography class makes yet another switch. I feel like I'm taking a class that should be a prep class for the one I took last semester in Dallas. I have already learned black and white photography and how to work in a darkroom... now I'm reversing to only using color slide film and having my film developed by a lab. It's a little disappointing, but maybe it will be an easy A??

More on the rest of my classes later- it's a Friday night and I'm bound and determined to have some fun!

Buncha damn drunks...

2006-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Q1) Have you ever been drunk? You mean today?

Q2) How old were you the first time you got drunk? 18

Q3) Have you ever gotten/given digits while you were intoxicated? Yes, but I don't call it 'getting or giving digits'... who the hell says that?

Q4) Have you ever 'drunk dialed'? Unfortunately, yes.

Q5) Have you ever been drunk in front of family members? Yep... not sure if my parents knew I was drunk, though.

Q6) Have you ever had to cover up the fact that you were drunk? Occasionally.

Q7) Have you ever been arrested for any alcohol related crime? No, thank God!

Q8) Have you ever hooked-up with someone while drunk? Unfortunately, yes.

Q9) Ever forgot their name? Nope

Q10) When was the last time you were drunk? It's been a while.

Q11) Have you ever been on a drunken binge? Not really

Q12) Do you need alcohol to have a good time? No, I need free alcohol to have a good time

Q13) What kind of alcohol gets you the most intoxicated? It's all the same.

Q14) Favorite liquor: Rum

Q15) Favorite beer: Imperial (Costa Rican beer)

Q16) Have you ever woken up after a night of drinking and found... throw up? Oh yes... that night of Wild Turkey 101 at the Players Club was baaaaad.

Q17) Have you ever swam drunk? Yes.

Q18) What kind of a drunk are you? I am a goofy drunk... I have the BEST time and laugh so much.

Q19) Is alcohol like "truth serum" to you? No, it's a "stupid serum" for me.

Q20) Favorite drinking partner: Any of my friends.

Q21) Who is the most annoying drunk that you know? Heather

Q22) Who is the most flirtatious drunk? I tend to be a little flirty.

Q23) Do you have a drunken nickname? Not particularly...

Q24) Funniest drunken scene in a movie: Dazed & Confused... party at the moontower

Q25) Favorite song(s) about drinking: Anything by Buffett.

Q26) Have you ever woken up next to someone you didn't know? No

Q27) Have you ever been hit on by someone way older than you? Constantly

Q28) What's the worst 'buzz kill'? Anyone starting drama

Q29) Have you ever dated a bartender or bouncer or cocktail waitress? No

Q30) Do you ever say to yourself, "Dang, I need a drink?" At least a few times a week

Q31) Do strangers ever buy you drinks? Yep

Q32) Have you ever drank too much on a date? Yes and I feel shame

Q33) Is there anything that you refuse to drink? Not big on Buttery Nipples.

Q34) Have you ever been drunk on a plane? No. I don't drink on planes... too expensive.

Q35) Have you ever gotten drunk during the day? Yes, even at work once.

Q36) Have you ever had to run from the cops and leave the beer behind? Um, no.

Q37) What's your favorite drinking game? I like Presidents and Assholes/

Q38) Have you ever injured yourself while drunk? Yup... sometimes I wake up with what we call an API- Anonymous Party Injury. My best was on my forehead when I was told the next day that I had fallen over into a fence.

Q39) What's the most destructive thing that has happened while you were drunk? I backed into a car.

Q40) Ever been drunk at a concert? Yep... Kiss/Aerosmith at Smirnoff with Stacey. She was also stoned and then her clit ring fell out while we were peeing in the parking lot. Good times.

Q41) Are you still friends with someone you met while wasted? Probably... I still hang out with some Chi Phis.

Q42) Why do you drink? To have a good time and socialize.

4 Things

2006-01-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, so John called me out. I've done this survey before, but only on My Space .

Four jobs you've had in your life:
Ear Piercer/Cashier at Claire's
Intermodal Dispatcher
Front Desk in a dorm
Hostess at Manny Hattan's

Four movies you could watch over and over:
Dazed & Confused
Clerks
Blue Crush
10 Things I Hate about You

Four places you've lived:
Warsaw, TX
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
The Grove

Four TV shows you love to watch:
The Simpsons
The Office
My Name is Earl
Desperate Housewives

Four places you've been on vacation:
Costa Rica
Key West
New York City
San Diego

Four websites you visit daily:
my bank
Yahoo mail
Craig's List
Yahoo Groups

Four of your favorite foods:
Tex-mex
Seafood
Hamburgers
Taco Bueno

Four places you'd rather be:
Key West
Costa Rica
Pensacola
Los Angeles

Four albums you can't live without:
James Taylor's Greatest Hits
Jimmy Buffet... any of them
Patsy Cline's 12 Greatest Hits
Elvis Presley Gold

Four magazines you read:
Cosmopolitan
Jane
US Weekly
Vanity Fair

Four cars you've owned:
'94 GMC Jimmy
'88 Chevy Blazer
'94 Chevy Blazer
'01 Toyota Tundra

Four people to do this meme:
Ali
Nate
This one
That one

Austin

2006-01-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Austin. Finally. I moved in last Friday, and I've been spending the past week getting settled in. My apartment is nice, but the area is just as ghetto as the neighborhood I moved from in Dallas.

My Dad actually paid $100 for 2 men to help us move everything up to the 2nd floor. He was glad he spent the money, so that means it was WELL worth the $100 to not have to drag a washer, dryer, sectional couch, dresser, mattress, and heavy boxes up a flight of stairs. Those guys were a HUGE help. Yay for craigslist for helping me find someone cheaper than the moving companies!

I've been setting all of my stuff up and getting my apartment organized this week. I bought an IKEA TV stand used for $20 and two AWESOME paintings for $20. Again, yay for craigslist!

On Wednesday, I went out job-hunting. I put in an application at one Tex-Mex restaurant, and I still haven't heard from them. However, I went to a nice deli that had an ad in the paper and I was hired on the spot! The manager kept commenting on my smile and telling me I seemed intelligent, so he offered me the job in the first 5 minutes we spoke.

I started that job today. The money isn't huge, but I will get a share of the tips from the servers. It was a little hectic around lunchtime, but they said Saturday is their busiest day. So far, so good. Some of the servers seem pretty cool; some seem like jackasses. Thankfully, the one that really struck me as an asshole is leaving this week to go drive a truck. Genius. The owner is a dork and his parents showed up to 'help' today. They are a little pushy, but seem like nice people. The girl that trained me is really fun- unfortunately, she's leaving to go work at a bank.

I think I did pretty well. At least I didn't get fired, like one girl! Today was her first day training as a server. She called 20 minutes after she was supposed to be there and said she was running late. No, really? Then around 2 she kinda ran out the front door, telling one of the hosts she got fired. Apparently she didn't impress anyone with her serving skills either. So I guess I'm doing alright! The manager who hired me told me I seemed to be doing a good job. Yay!

I go back tomorrow morning, so we'll see how that goes once I'm settling in a little bit. Tomorrow I'm supposed to try some of the food. I'll let you all know how the deli is. And if anyone comes to Austin, be sure to come to my restaurant, Manny Hattan's, and tip generously!!

Sigh

2005-10-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am sooo guilty of neglecting my poor blog. Like anyone actually reads it, but I feel guilty for not posting anything in absolutely forever. Especially since I check my friends' blogs daily and I'm always disappointed when they haven't updated. I don't want to disappoint anyone!

I am currently sitting in the Student Union on campus at the University of Texas. 2 more months til I'm back here full-time!! And now they have Wi-Fi all over campus for free... drooool. I called in to work this morning with a "migraine" and drove down here for the weekend. Lunch with one of my closest friends was nice... battling for parking around campus was not.

I met with my advisor this afternoon to see what I have left to get my degree. If I go with my current major (Geography) I only have 33 hours left to take, so I could easily be done by the end of 2006. However, I want to switch to Journalism, so it looks like it will be slightly longer than that. Even if I go with Journalism, I only have about 33 hours to a degree, I just have to take some Geography classes this spring since I won't be eligible for more than 2 Journalism classes until I officially switch majors.

Here's a fun fact: my official time for registration for the spring semester begins exactly 41 minutes before I'm scheduled to land in Key West. So, as soon as I land, I'll have to desperately search for an internet connection of some sort and get my ass registered for classes before they all fill up!!

I went and visited my financial aid counselor... I'm willing to bet big money he plays Mage or D&D or is involved in LARP. I'm also willing to be that there's no way he is under 350lbs. He didn't give me the best of news, but at least I will be eligible for a small grant.

Now I'm chilling out in the Union, looking like the typical college student of 2005- laptop on my (surprise) lap, mp3 player cranked up, bottled water next to me. I am too effin' cool for words. I just finished proofreading for a friend, so I ought to email her those notes before I step outside for a smoke, huh? Probably won't, though. Now I only have approximately 1.5 hours at the least and 4.5 hours at the most to kill. Good thing I have my laptop and a book!

Some people...

2005-10-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

We have the weirdest manager in our office. He's just a strange little guy. Possibly gay and he just hasn't admitted it to himself?? He's in his 50s, so maybe it's just from growing up in more conservative times. Anyway, he's just creepy. And his name is Lester.

My favorite story about him recently is that he had to ask our administrative assistant- a woman- to kill a bug for him. He spotted a cricket and rushed to her desk telling her that there was a HUGE cricket in his office and COME QUICK because it must be KILLED NOW! EEK! Our AA said that it was just a normal-sized cricket. WHY does a grown man need a woman to kill a friggin cricket for him? I don't think that's in her job description. Bizarre.

Continued VA Beach Fun

2005-09-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

So Saturday night was a blast. John, Beth, and I ended up extremely drunk, stumbling back along the boardwalk after an awesome thunderstorm. When we got up on Sunday (finally) we were all ridiculously hung-over and tired. We ate mini-quiches and baba ganouche (sp?) left over from the party the night before for our breakfast. Once we had properly sated ourselves, we drove to the base. Joe had left a performer's parking pass for us, and John still had his Navy ID, so we drove right up to the flight line and parked by the hangars. Thank God... I couldn't have walked far in the state I was in.

We started out in the Fed Ex tent, scarfing hot dogs and potato salad, then they pulled us down to the Executive Chalet, which is where all of the 'big boys' on base and their families were. I was psyched about that because I thought I would be able to get some good shots from an area so close to show center. Then, a guy organizing the air show came and grabbed us and the other pilot's family so that we could be right on the flight line for Joe's final flight. We were right next to the announcer's platform, right where all the planes taxied by. It was great!

Joe's last flight was a really cool experience. The only disappointment was that during the portion of the show where the announcer switches the mic over to the cockpit, they had some problems, so Joe didn't get to do his last 'shout-out' to the crowds. No worries... we had our shout-outs on Saturday. How much fun is it to have your name called out by a guy sitting in the backseat of an F14 going about 300mph? Super cool.

After the flight, they sat at the end of the runway for a while. I got kinda pissed because they delayed their final taxi and last pass in front of the crowd for some bullshit Hummer giveaway. We had to stand there and wait about 15 minutes while some schmucks tried their keys in a Hummer to see who won it. Who cares? We're waiting for the final F14 demo EVER! GET OUT OF THE WAY!! They finally got to taxi up to us and had their 'wetting down' ceremony where all of the guys in the squadron shower them with champagne as they climb out of the jet. It was great to get to see that. I got some pretty good shots, but a guy I know from an aviation photography website sent me some even better pictures of the final ceremony. The funny thing is, they were taken by his 10 year old son!

As soon as the ceremony was over and we got to talk to Joe, we had to jump in the car and get to the airport as fast as we could so that John wouldn't miss his flight. I had to wait about an hour for mine, but our timing was pretty good. My flight was uneventful, really. I sat next to this girl that was very odd. She just kept pulling snacks out of her bag in between naps... Pringles, Capri Sun, more Pringles, Zebra Cakes, Twizzlers, another Capri Sun, MORE Pringles. What's up, piggo? When I got back to my truck in remote parking, guess what? It wouldn't start. My battery was completely dead. I had to go back to the little bus terminal and call the courtesy patrol. They came out with the magical little black case and jump-started my truck. I made it home just fine, thank you.

See pictures of my weekend here.

Monday morning, I woke up feeling like complete and utter ass, so I called in sick. My roommate needed me to move my car from behind hers in the driveway so she could get to work. The moment of truth. My truck just baaaaaarely started. I was afraid to risk it not starting again, so I pulled it back into the driveway, ran inside to put on some clothes, and drove to Wal-mart. Do you have any idea how much fun it is to sit in the Wal-mart automotive waiting area for a couple of hours while you are breaking a fever? Let me tell you, it's great.

So I laid around most of Monday, feeling like crap. I called in sick to class so I wouldn't have to drive all the way up there and sit for 3 hours. Tuesday, I attempted work. I ended up having to leave around 11:45, because I just couldn't be there anymore. Same story for Tuesday afternoon... more laying around, more sleep. I made it through work on Wednesday, but skipped class again. I still feel junky, but at least I'm not as nasty-feeling as I was.

That's my story. Nothing too exciting, but enough to keep me busy. More later.

Is it really almost October??

2005-09-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, okay, so I suck. I know it's been entirely too long since I've updated. How pathetic is my life? I'm too busy to waste time blogging, but I'm not busy doing anything interesting enough to actually write about. My only time to blog is at work, and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I've actually been somewhat busy at work lately.

The diet is still on, but I've been cheating like a m-effer. I do pretty well when I'm at work, but on the weekends it's a challenge. I'm still down about 12 lbs, but it's been bouncing up and down a little. (hehehe... I said bouncing) I cheated my ass off when I was on vacation this past weekend, but that's what vacations are for, right??

Oh... you want to know about my vacation? Okay. Sounds like a plan.

I left DFW Thursday night (over an hour late due to the thunderstorms) and arrived in Norfolk VA where my entire family was waiting on me. We went back to my brother's condo (not bad, not bad) and crashed. My oldest brother(Joe) took my parents to wherever it was that they stayed that night, so I staked my claim in the guest bedroom and made my other brother (John) sleep on the couch. After all, I booked my plane ticket first, so this was MY trip!

Friday morning, Joe and my parents went to the naval base for his practice flights and so my parents could watch the other planes practicing for the air show. John and I jumped on the beach cruisers and rode down the boardwalk in search of lunch. John ordered clam chowder and got something that was... red. Not exactly what you expect from chowder, but he said it wasn't bad. I took some pictures of the surf (which was really high, due to Hurricane Ophelia sitting just off-shore) and got some pictures of John riding his bike. Exciting pictures, I know, but they are for my photography class.

After we got back to the condo and got cleaned up (I think the humidity was 200% up there), we all went back to the naval base to watch the twilight air show. I think the best part of the night show is the big rig with jet engines and the giant wall of fire on one side of the runway! After the show we went to the Officer's Club on base and did some drinking. I met the F-16 pilot, Hack, who presented me with some fake flowers he stole from the ladies' room. Those military men are high class, huh?

Saturday morning we all slept in, then went back out to the naval base for Joe's next to last flight. It was ridiculously hot and humid, but we were in the Fed Ex tent, so we had free food and drinks all day, plus lots of Fed Ex goodies! The show was really fun, and it was great to see Joe fly again. We left just before the Blue Angels finished so that we could get back to Joe's place and get set up for the party he was throwing that night. We got back to find his girlfriend (Beth) working in the kitchen, and we all started dragging things out to the pool area.

Everyone showed up, started drinking and eating, and we had a grand old time. I met some of the guys from Joe's squadron in Japan, almost fell in the pool, learned that I don't really like champagne, and somehow ended up exchanging phone numbers with Disco... like I'm ever going to see him again. John, Beth, and I proceeded to get exceedingly intoxicated, and when the official party was over we went down to a bar on the boardwalk with a couple of the guys from Joe's old squadron. We were only at the bar for one drink before it closed, but in that time one HELLUVA thunderstorm came through! When the place shut down, we all stumbled back to Joe's place and passed out promptly.

Sunday will have to come later, along with links to pictures of the weekend. Right now, I have to go to a meeting for work. Wheeeee.

Monday Monday

2005-08-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are, starting week #3 of the diet. As of last night, I’ve lost 9 lbs. Well, approximately 9 lbs. My damn scale at home is so inaccurate- if I lean forward and/or back, it will fluctuate by 20 lbs, so I have to try to stand as centered as possible, with my feet in the same spot each time, and not lean at all. Unfortunately, my gargantuan feet won’t fit on the scale, so I have to try to get myself centered with my toes hanging off or my heels hanging off. Ugh. At least I know it’s going down!!

I went to the party on Saturday, and it wasn’t so bad. I was a little uncomfortable, but I pretty much just stayed away from the woman who thinks I am evil. I spent quite a bit of time off to the side hanging out by myself, but it was pleasant. At least I had a definite escape- bar time with Leemer !

I left the party around 10:15 and met up with Leemer, Snake, and Snakette at a bar not too far down the road. I think that was the most diverse crowd I’ve ever seen in a bar. There was everyone from us plain ol’ crackers to Asians to African-americans to a pre-op tranny to a guy in a wheelchair. And somebody had a pizza delivered. That cracked me up. I got 2 free beers (Thanks Leemer!) and 2 free packs of cigarettes (Thanks Camel!), so the night was a success!

Class starts tonight for the fall semester. This time I won’t be in class every single weeknight, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m taking an intro Photography class, so I’m excited to see what all we are going to do. That means I may be coming after you to pose for me for an assignment… consider yourself warned.

Okay. That’s it. No other excitement over here. I’ll save my ponderings about the ex (?) boyfriend for another time.

Updates Galore

2005-08-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, so many things going on! Let’s start at the top- men.

Man #1- We’ve quit talking much because he is still not over his ex-girlfriend. I understand that- they dated for a year, and she broke up with him without a reason only about 2 months ago. I’m just impatient… I really like this guy and I wish we could get together.

Man #2- Oh my. 2 dates, he called me 2-3 times daily, and then it abruptly stopped. I found out why, though. He and his ex-wife are going to try to make it work. Good for them. It was fun while it lasted.

Man #3- Referenced him on this blog a while back. Still uncertain about the situation, but since I haven’t seen him since the ‘big event’ I think it’s safe to say that nothing is going to happen there.

A lack of relationships is probably best for me right now anyway. I’ll be moving to Austin in about 4 months, so I don’t need to get tied down with anyone. I’m starting to look for houses seriously now, and I found one yesterday that I think I really like. I’ll probably be making a trip down that way next weekend to look at houses, if I can find an agent to work with. Stress.

I’ve decided to go ahead and go to the party this weekend that I was going to avoid because of the situation with the woman that will be there, myself, and my ex-boyfriend. If she hasn’t gotten over it by now (almost 3 months later), she probably never will. If she can’t deal with something that minor, I don’t need or want her as a friend. I know enough people that are ‘perpetual victims’ without adding another to the cadre.

Social obligations are coming out of the woodwork right now- I have 3 things going on on one night in September, and I would like to attend all 3, but it looks like I’m just going to go to the event I committed to first, as etiquette demands.

The new diet… lost 6 lbs the first week!! I’ve cheated a bit this week, so we’ll see how well I do, but here’s hoping…

It's been sooo long

2005-08-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Week one of the diet… I lost 6 pounds! YAY!! I actually haven’t been all that hungry, so I suppose it’s working out okay. I only cheated a little bit. Now I need to get off my ass and start exercising.

A guy ‘winked’ at me on match.com and we went out Wednesday night. It was a good time- he’s a nice guy and pretty cute. We rode around on his sport bike for a while, which was a little scary, but fun. He called me Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon, Thursday evening. He called me Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and we went to a concert Friday night. He called me Saturday afternoon, and 3 times Saturday night. He called me Sunday evening. I think he likes me.

My parents have decided that when I move to Austin to go back to school in January, they will help me out with a down payment on a house or duplex. The amount they named is EXTREMELY generous, so I’m starting to look for a place seriously now. If I can get a duplex that already has one half rented out, that would be awesome. I would love to get my mortgage cheap enough and get enough rent coming in that I would actually be making a profit. Not sure if that will happen, but man, would that ever be cool.

There have been several events with the Parrotheads that I have not attended, mostly due to the issue with my ex-boyfriend and a fellow Parrothead and the fact that she won’t forgive me. I’m planning to work the MDA Telethon on Labor Day, but I’m undecided as to whether to attend the ‘Mermaids Sleepover’ or the ‘Compass Over the Rail Sail.’ I have 2 people telling me to go to the Mermaid party, so I’m considering it. I will go to Compass Sail only if I can find someone to go with me. Ugh. I hate having someone mad at me.

Stolen from Bonnie

2005-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

01 First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Pat... actually Pat Thormalen, but 1st graders couldn't say Thormalen

02 Last word you said: Zacatecas

03 Last song you sang: I Can't Get Enough of You Baby

04 Last person you hugged: I can't remember! Erin, I think.

05 Last thing you laughed at: My own running commentary in my head

06 Last time you said "I don't remember:" See #4... sort of.

07 Last time you cried watching TV: Last night on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

08 What color socks are you wearing? White

09 What's under your bed? Rolled up rug, photo boxes, 2 underbed boxes full of winter clothes, magazines, wrapping paper, and some keepsakes.

10 What time did you wake up today? Around 6:45

11 Current taste: Water.

12 Current hair: Brown, bad highlights, needs a trim and color.

13 Current annoyance: My final Spanish grade has not been posted yet.

14 Current longing: 2 guys... (but not a girl and a pizza place)

15 Current desktop background: Black & white beach scene.

16 Current worry: Money, as always.

17 Current hate: No hate.

18 Current favorite article of clothing: My new jeans that are all factory-worn-out.

19 Favorite physical feature of the preferred sex: Eyes.

20 Last CD that you listened to: I think it's Jimmy Buffett, A License to Chill.

21 Favorite place to be: Home.

22 Least favorite place: Work.

23 Time you wake up in the morning: Around 6:45 on weekdays.

24 If you could play an instrument, what would it be? Guitar.

25 Favorite color: Blue.

26 Do you believe in an afterlife? Absolutely

27 How tall are you? 5'7"

28 Current favorite word/saying: "No problem."

29 Favorite book: I can't pick just one!

30 Favorite season: Winter

31 One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: Pawpaw, since he died before I knew him.

32 Where do you want to go for university? University of Texas at Austin, Eastfield College, Northlake College, Richland College, and soon either back to UT or to University of North Texas

33 What is your career going to be like? Adventurous

34 How many kids do you want? Two or three.

35 Said "I love you" and meant it? Every time.

36 Gotten in a fight with your dog/cat/bird/fish? No.

37 Been to New York? Of course!

38 Been to Florida? Of course!

39 Been to California? Of course!

40 Been to Hawaii? Of course!

41 Been to Mexico? Of course!

42 Been to China? Of course not!

43 Dreamed something really crazy and then it happened the next day? Of course not!

44 Do you have a crush on someone? Of course!

45 What book are you reading now? Babysitter's Club... yes, I know. I buy them at Half Price Books to fill in my collection from childhood, and I can't just put them on the shelf without reading them first.

46 Worst feeling in the world? Being caught.

47 What is the last thing you think about when you go to bed at night? Mmm... bed.

48 What is the first thing you think about when you wake in the morning? Ugh... work.

49 How many rings before you answer? Whenever I can grab it.

50 Future daughter's name: Kathryn Clementine (KC).

51 Future son's name: Benjamin.

52 Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Only a 5 foot marlin that hangs out on my bed.

53 If you could have any job you wanted what would it be? Travel journalist... working on that one.

54 Wish you were somewhere else? Always.

55 College plans: Heading back to 'big college' in the spring. At least, that's the plan.

56 Piercings: Just the ears.

57 Do you do drugs? Nope.

58 Do you drink? Yep.

59 What kind of Shampoo and Conditioner do you use? Right now, it's Garnier Fructisse.

60 What are you most scared of? I'm not really scared of anything...

61 What clothes do you sleep in? Nothing.

62 Who is the last person that called you? Canada agent, asking about boxcar rates, and cracking me up pronouncing Zacatecas (Zah-cuh-tay-cus) like Zack-attack-us.

63 Where do you want to get married? Wherever my friends and family are.

64 If you could change anything about yourself what would that be? Probably my weight... I don't need to be skinny, just healthy.

65 Who do you really hate? People who are perpetual victims. (Why oh why is everyone out to get me? It's raining... even God hates me! Waaaah!)

66 Been In Love? I think so.

67 Are you timely or always late? Usually early.

68 Do you have a job? Yep... been working full time for over 5 years now.

69 Do you like being around people? I adore having an audience.

70 Best feeling in the world? Knowing that someone appreciates me..

71 Are you for world peace? Um... yeah. Who isn't??

72 Are you a health freak? Hardly. (puff, puff... swig)

73 Do you have a "type" of person you always go after? Male. That's about it.

74 Do you want someone you don't have? Perpetually.

75 Are you lonely right now? Lil bit.

76 Ever afraid you'll never get married? Always. I can't find someone who can stand me long enough for that.

77 Do you want to get married? Hopefully.

78 Do you want kids? Yes.

79 Cried today? Nope.

80 Bought something today? Not yet.

81 Gotten sick today? Nope.

82 Sang today? Yes.

83 Said I love you today? Nope.

84 Wanted to tell someone you loved them today? Haven't seen anyone I loved yet today.

85 Met someone today? Yes, the new guy Aaron.

86 Moved on today? Nope.

87 Talked to someone today? Yes... Marisha, Nancye, David, Dandridge, Aaron, and Paul.

88 Had a serious talk today? I try to never...

89 Missed someone today? Nope.

90 Hugged someone today? Nope.

91 Yelled at someone today? Too early to yell.

92 Dreamed about someone you can't be with today? Yeah.

93 Danced today? No.

94 I.M.ed someone today? Nope.

95 Watched TV today? Nope.

96 Played dress up today? Nope.

97 Left someone a comment today? Not yet.

98 Sent someone more than five text messages today? No... I don't think he's talking to me right now.

99 Gone to the movies today? Not in more than a year...

100 Completed another survey today? Just did.

Not a weak week

2005-08-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ah…what a good week.

#1- I got accepted to the University of Texas! I can go back in January, and I should be able to finish a degree in Geography in one year, or (my preference) in Journalism in 3 semesters. I may even get super-ambitious and decide to double-major in Journalism and Geography, since I want to be a travel journalist!

#2- I decided to get my ass in gear and lose the rest of this weight. I lost 55 lbs about 2 years ago, and have gained back about 15. I want to lose another 75, so I’ve decided that since I have ZERO self-discipline (not quite sure how I managed to lose the weight previously, other than tons of ephedra), and I’m entirely too busy to cook healthy meals for myself, I’m joining Nutrisystem. I know it’s super-cheesy to be eating pre-packaged ‘diet food’ for every meal and getting support from an online bulletin board, but I think it’s what has to happen.

#3- Shout out

#4- I think the super-cute guy in my class is actually interested in me! YAY! Maybe I can get over #5.

#5- My friend cut off all of his hair (probably more than a foot of gorgeous straight blonde hair) and gave it all to Locks of Love, where they will make it into a wig for a cancer patient. God, he rocks.

#6- Only 7 more classes til I’m done with Spanish forever!

And I’m spent.

Ignorance Part II- How stupid is LA?

2005-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

The ignorance of people in the world today absolutely astounds me.

Yet again on Los Angeles Craig’s List, someone posted the question, “Where was Israel during WWII?” They went on to ask, “If all of these Jews were getting killed in the Holocaust, why didn’t Israel do something about it?”

Of course, there were several misspelled words, but you get the gist of the astounding ignorance being displayed.

Several people responded with the correct answer that Israel didn’t even exist until 1948.

I think my favorite response, however, was the poster who responded that Israel didn’t have a ‘real’ army until 1949. Holy cow.

Are people really this ignorant of world history? It hurts me just to think about it. Ugh.

Ignorance

2005-07-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Posted today on Los Angeles Craig’s List:

“My partner & I went into Houston's restaurant the other day to have a nice dinner as we've done so many times in the past. We went around 5pm to get a seat without taking a number. We were greeted, seated, etc. The first bad news was that they've removed their best dessert & our favorite; the apple crisp w/vanilla bean ice cream. The final blow was when the waiter announced, "...I have more bad news...". My parner has had surgery on his head & was wearing a "Hard Rock Cafe...love all serve all" cap to cover the scars. The bad news was that he was going to ask my partner to remove his cap as they have a new, "no hats" policy. We left, disgusted & angry.

The manager explained that they're trying to attract a more "sophisticated clientelle".

You be the judge. We are never going to Houston's again. The Bush regime's philosophy is creeping into every nook & cranny. And Houston's has become quite the snob hangout.

Just be warned...don't wear a cap & expect to keep it on if you wanna eat at Houston's.”

Oh my word. Are people really this ignorant? First of all, it is common courtesy for a man to remove his hat while indoors. Period. It is considered even more atrocious for a man to wear his hat at the dinner table. Does no one know proper etiquette anymore??

Second, WHAT?? What the FUCK does Bush have to do with a ‘no hat’ policy in a privately-owned chain restaurant? Is it because the religious right keeps pushing these god-awful things called ‘manners’ and ‘respect’ on an unsuspecting nation? You don’t have to be Christian to understand basic courtesies and show some respect for other people. Acting like a pig does NOT demonstrate how liberal and hip you are… it only shows that your mother raised you to be trash. *shudder*

This is why I don’t identify myself as ‘Pro-Bush’ or ‘Anti-Bush’… I don’t want to be on the same ‘side’ as any of these morons.

Quick Hits

2005-07-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

My new favorite site- perfect for those days when your coworkers are pissing you off because no one can make a damn decision about where to eat.

Also, Craig's List- why can't we get this going in DFW? No one seems to frequent the DFW pages but me and 6 other people. Let's start a campaign and get some action going on this page, particularly the Rants and Raves page.

I started my final semester of Spanish this past Tuesday. Yay that I only have one more month and I'll be done with my foreign language requirements for pretty much any school I want to get my degree from. Boo that the class doesn't start til 7:50 at night and goes to 9:50. At least my teacher lets us out a little bit early rather than taking a break in the middle of the class. She's a great teacher- very entertaining, knowledgeable, and I can understand most of what she says in Spanish. There's a ton of homework, so this class is going to drain the fun right out of my life for the next four weeks. Also, our teacher has huge fake tits, so it's easy to pay attention, I just have to make sure I don't become hypnotized by their rhythmic swaying.

One more rant- what the fuck is up with the Blogger posting template? Why does it change all of my links to link to blogger.com when I go to preview the post? Mother fuckers.

Ooh... fun idea from a friend's blog. What celebrity do I look like? Am I as lucky as she is to be compared to a (pretty) whore? Nah... I'll probably get Ricki Lake and Rosie O'Donnell, as usual. At least getting called Rizzo was slightly flattering- she gets laid on a regular basis.

People are stupid

2005-07-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just had someone at work email me because they can’t get a program to work on their computer.

We got a notice from one of our program’s companies with a .PDF file attached. The note stated that the next time you sign into their program, there will be a new security certificate prompt that you must click “Start” on to get to the program. You will only have to do this once. There was a print screen on the .PDF showing what the security certificate will look like.

My agent was trying to ‘install’ the new program by clicking “Start” on the graphic on the .PDF.

Ho. ly. Cow.

Bitch, bitch, bitch... you'd think I was having a real problem

2005-07-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Excessive noise absolutely whips my ass. I’m not sure why this is. I’m an extremely visual person- you tell me something, I may or may not grasp it; if I get to see something, I’ve got it down. Maybe that has something to do with my extreme sensitivity to noise.

So why is it that I always have to work with the noisiest people ever?

One of my co-workers stomps around the office like a baby elephant in her giant wedge heels. That grates on my nerves like you cannot believe. She and I are about the same size, so why is it that I can walk around with galumphing so that everyone in the office can hear me coming 50ft away, but she can’t?

My favorite is the poor kid who still has a horrendous stuttering problem at the age of 22. He can barely get a word out. I feel so bad for him, but it wears me out. Of course, he also stomps (he’s a big guy), and heaves sighs so loudly you would think he was contemplating the future of the entire free world.

And the bit players- the Indian guy who moans instead of saying ‘Um’ (which would be worse? I can’t decide.); the boss who seems to have a perpetual hacking cough; the Russian woman with the best lilting voice and laugh, but also the loudest; and the VP who is quite possibly the loudest man in town, and also very likely the most eccentric. His favorite trick is to walk into the office and shout my director’s name across the floor as though the man weren’t standing less than 20ft from him.

What else can I bitch about today?

Ooh, I know. My roommate. I have to float every one of her bills, including buying the groceries for at least 2 weeks out of every month. She borrows things without asking, broke a hair clip and just threw it away, and it’s time for her to mow the damn yard!

My leg hurts, my toe is still purple, and my hair looks bad. And we’re out of Ziploc baggies.

On the flip side, my parents came to my house last night bearing gifts. I have a window unit in my bedroom now! YAY!!!! Air conditioning… no greater indulgence, no sweeter sin.

Who am I? Where am I?

2005-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

I do believe I had about the oddest weekend I’ve ever had…

-Friday night I had the most monumental (possible non-event) of my life. I don’t know what to think about it. I don’t know what I can say about it. What do you do when you get what you want, but only part of it, but there’s a possibility you might get all of what you wanted, you just don’t know yet? And what do you do when it’s something you have wanted so badly for over 7 years that you have prayed about it, cried about it, and gotten stupidly drunk because of it? I don’t know what to think, say, or do at this point. I think that’s a first for me.
-Saturday night I saw a friend I haven’t seen in over a year, and it was like no time had passed, except that he had chopped off about a foot of hair. It was definitely an interesting evening, but I’m glad I went.
-Sunday I spent a while in a friend’s pool, then went to visit another friend and her baby. I had to discuss the events of Friday night with both of them, which didn’t really help me to reason things out, just confirmed some of what I was thinking.
-Sunday night I went out to help a friend celebrate a birthday and met some cool new people. It was very different being with this person and not in our usual circle of common friends.
-Monday I spent most of the day in a friend’s pool and a good portion of the afternoon discussing the events of Friday night. Still wasn’t able to wrap my mind around anything. I spent a lot of time staring off into space, in my own little world. I think they all thought I was really drunk. I’m just extremely confused at this point, and I don’t know whether to be happy or sad.

Final tallies:
Rum drinks consumed- 5
Beers consumed- 30ish?
Cigarettes smoked- Thousands, consequently millions
Bands heard live- 2
Cities visited- 4
Injuries- the weirdest sunburn I’ve ever had (it doesn’t hurt!), and one hellacious spider bite
Mind-numbing experiences- one, but it was a doozy

Someone tell me where to go next. I’m lost.

Brand new thoughts

2005-06-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Things about the internet that confuse, worry, and annoy me…

Because everyone loves a list.

-Fat chicks who describe themselves as BBWs (Big Beautiful Women). Seriously now, you’re just fat. Say it with me, “I’m fat.” As far as being beautiful, that’s up to whoever is looking at you. I’m a fat chick. Period. Some people think I’m cute, others find me revolting. I have learned to live with that without having to slap some half-assed label on myself like BBW.

-Guys that post personal ads with email addresses that include the following words/phrases: playa, bigdick, 696969, muffdiver, rockhard, and my personal favorite, rockhardbigdickplayamuffdiver696969.

-Nope.

-People who still forward goofy chain emails, even the one that was funny (once) by making fun of the goofy chain emails. The girl isn’t missing, you’re not going to cure cancer by forwarding an email, and no, you will not get a gift certificate to Cracker Barrel. Oh, and there will NOT be a cute video that pops up after you forward the message to your ‘friends’, because trust me, if you’re forwarding that shit to them, they are no longer your friends.

-People who take things so seriously online. You do realize that this is all online, and to most people it’s not ‘real’, right?? Quiddit. Just quiddit. No one is taking you seriously, so stop taking everyone else so seriously.

-Bloggers who bitch about clichéd internet annoyances.

Oops.

Too much drama for your mama

2005-06-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Why all the drama?

I thought that when you reached a certain age, the petty jealous feuds that high school girls are so prone to would just magically disappear. I had hoped that those kind of things were outgrown by the time you reach 25, 30, 35… I was wrong.

Background: I’m in a club with several people, both single and married. A new guy joined the club last December and he and I began to date. We dated for 6 weeks, then I broke it off with him, ostensibly because I was ‘too busy.’ He took it well (I thought), and we all moved along on our happy little ways.

Another woman in the club has ‘liked’ him since she first met him. After I broke up with him, she tried to make her move. They got drunk, messed around one night, but nothing came of it. She finally told me what was going on, and she and I ended up discussing him, his habits, his traits, and what I thought he meant when he said/did certain things to her. This went on for quite some time before I realized that he is just not interested in her at all. After all, she suggested they go out ‘just as friends’ numerous times, and he had to get her number from her again each time, yet he never called. Obviously not interested, right?

Oh, women. We are so dumb. We will set our sights on a man, thinking he is the end-all be-all, and refuse to give up, believing that we WILL win him over. I’ve been guilty of it myself, dozens of times. And those poor unsuspecting men… oh my.

Like all obsessions, though, this one eventually seemed to wear thin. After all of the mixed signals, confusing group outings, and still not a phone call, she said she was tired of the game. She said she was through with it. I was glad. I didn’t want to see her continue to obsess and end up hurting even more.

So, fast forward to about a month ago. Our club went on a weekend camping trip. She rode with me, he was there, all seemed to be going just peachy. Until I completely forgot about her feelings. Just being around him reminded me of how much fun we had together. I started flirting a bit, he flirted back, and it just escalated over the weekend until he ended up in my tent Saturday night.

I wasn’t aware that anyone knew he was in my tent, but apparently all that rum I drank impaired my judgment just a bit (who would have thought??). She knew what happened and confronted me after we made it back to the Dallas area. She was deeply hurt by my actions, which I understood, but she thought I had done it all on purpose. Now anyone who knows me knows that I would never maliciously do something like that to hurt someone else, particularly someone I consider a friend. However, she doesn’t know me that well, apparently, as she is currently not speaking to me.

On top of her drama, he and I began discussing getting back together. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that, what with her still being around, but on the other hand, I know now that she is not going to go after him anymore, since we ‘humiliated’ her. We spent some time together trying to figure out what we are going to do, but the long and short of it is that we are not going to get back together.

So from all of that drama and heartache, absolutely nothing about the core situation has changed, really. He and I are not going to date. He is not interested in her. Now, I’m just the bad guy in all of this. I guess I just learned my lesson about always thinking about everyone else before doing anything. Like that’s going to work.

Slow weeks, fast months

2005-06-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

I’ve never believed the quote “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach” until I met my current professor. He is exactly what ‘they’ were talking about when ‘they’ said that. He may understand Spanish perfectly. He may even be understood by native speakers. However, he can’t teach! When he reads from the book, he not only mispronounces words (simple ones), but he SKIPS words! He mumbles along, acting like he’s not sure of himself, then grades us based on our pronunciation and ability to sound like native speakers. I think the thing I love the most though, is the fact that we have been in his class for two weeks now, and he still doesn’t know the names of at least 75% of the class. And there are only about 15 of us in there.

Enough of that rant. I have to sit and deal with it for 2 hours every weeknight- why waste any brainpower during the day on that sloth?

Last night I was told that I am ‘easy’ and ‘crazy’. Wow. So basically, you just said I’m a psychotic whore. Nice.

And it’s only Tuesday. Can I go home yet?

First Step's a Doozy

2005-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, we’re going to give this another try. This will be the 4th ‘blog’ I have started, and hopefully this one will stick. I seem to have problems finding things to write about without it sounding like a running conversation with myself, which this really is.

Since I’ll be headed to Austin in six months to pursue a degree in magazine journalism, I figure I ought to start writing on a regular basis to get in the habit of it. Also, I’m working under the assumption that as my writing becomes more prolific, eventually it will become more profound.

Plunging in here, I’m at risk of this blog becoming a repository for things that normally would fall under “Dear Diary This is What I Would Write in You About if I Weren’t Allergic to My Own Handwriting.” Stop me if you see that coming. No, wait, just post a snarky comment so I can see how superior you are.

The other side of that coin is that this could just become one big summary of a Craig’s List Rants n Raves:

Smokers are disgusting
I hate traffic
Fatties just need to quit eating and get some exercise
My boyfriend wants anal, should I try it?
Liberals are pussies, Conservatives are hate-mongers

Although if I were posting my own opinions (and let’s hope I have the cojones to do that on my OWN FREAKIN BLOG), it would look more like:

I need a cigarette
Traffic is just more time to gawk at the insanity that is humanity
Being fat sucks
Been there, tried that, no thanks
Liberals are pussies, Conservatives are hate-mongers