Queen of Napville

Good Friday Indeed

2008-03-21T23:27:00.004-05:00

This was the first week without our sales guy/project manager at work. It was a really hectic week not to mention a lot of his work is now falling to me, which is fine, I'm perfectly capable of doing his job....it's just that I already have a job, so doing part of his just makes for a busier day. The good news is I got a decent raise today AND my husband got his first unemployment debit card in the mail, both of which almost made me pee my pants. Life is pretty good right now--the dogs are good, the cats are fine if not a little bitchy, I just ate 3 huge pieces of pepperoni pizza, watched a movie and What Not to Wear which was filmed in Austin---sweet!---and now I'm going to sleep for at least 10 uninterrupted hours---which is reason #147 I'm not sold on having kids. Good night!

Happy March Everyone

2008-03-13T14:39:00.004-05:00

Here's a nice bulleted "what have I been up to" list since I haven't posted in oh, say, 5 months. I really have been kinda busy I think.

* The Rockstar's place of employment (large national company) went out of business 2 weeks before Christmas, and he still hasn't found a job - YAY! He's really good at being a househusband, though. He cleans, cooks, walks the dogs and does the laundry. I am really lucky. I'm sure if we had a kid, he'd be teaching it the intricacies of World of Warcraft, his favorite pastime - NERDY! (The following is from our Christmas photos that Ms. Lucky took.)

* Did a "no-gift" Christmas (only donations to charities in everyone's honor) and I have to say, it felt wonderful not to get caught up in the shopping hype. My credit card loves me too--super bonus.

* I've started spinning classes which are terribly hard for me, but I feel fantastic afterwards. I felt like I needed to do SOMETHING since I'm not doing the AIDS ride this year. I'm still doing Pilates reformer classes, too. LOVE it. I still want to get certified, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

* I signed up for, started and then dropped a Photoshop class. It was so boring I wanted to poke my eyeball out every time I sat down in the classroom. There wasn't a whole lot of teaching going on...it was all out of a book---uh, thanks, I can do that myself at work.

* I loved the last season of Project Runway--Chris March totally should have gone to fashion week---LOVE, LOVE that LOST is back on (may I have your baby Matthew Fox?), love the new Top Chef and can't wait for Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to come back on. Oh yeah, can't get enough Biggest Loser or American Idol, either.

* Am worried about being 32 in 6 months. Eeeek! Not sure at all how that happened. And why am I still breaking out at 31? That shit needs to stop pronto.

* Work has really picked up, and I'm worried since we're losing a team member tomorrow. He/she isn't going to be replaced. I'm just a tad nervous about the upcoming work load.

Damn, I'm lame. I really HAVEN'T been that busy. Hmmm. Yeah, I'll get right on that. After I take a nap cause I'm sleepy. Bye!

Favorites

2007-10-21T17:54:00.001-05:00

Okay, I admit it, he's my favorite. He's just sooooo sweet, and well, my other dog makes it very hard to love her. Don't get me wrong I DO love her, I really do, I just love him a tad more. Do people have favorites with their human kids? That must suck.

My Precious

2007-10-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

As long as can remember, I've always wanted a pig as a pet. But a pig that never gets big. Which doesn't exist. UNTIL NOW! Did any of you see the miniature pigs on GMA this morning? I'll take one for Christmas please! My husband said no because he thinks our heeler will take one look at it and see a big slab of bacon, just like a cartoon. I mean come on, just look at that tiny thing!

About the car, turns out the tree did NO damage to the outside of my car, and the total damage ended up being around $656 ($196 for the headrest/speaker tray/labor & $460 for the windshield) plus the exorbitant amount of money for the emergency tree removal which was a total scam, but they were the only people I could get to come out on such short notice. Let's just say this could have been a lot worse, I know that, but it was still a royal pain in my ass.

Well Fuck

2007-10-14T17:08:00.001-05:00

What have I done to deserve this twice in my life? I swear I'm a good person. Someone came to the door to tell us what happened, and my husband was almost too scared to tell me. When he finally got it out we both burst out laughing because it was just too hard to believe. About 6 years ago, the SAME thing happened with our other car (three weeks after I bought it), although the damage was to the windshield (and it happened at my sister's house). Seriously.

Perfect

2007-10-09T22:28:00.000-05:00

I just bought my tickets to see the Smashing Pumpkins in November. Yippee! I LOVE them. Always have, always will. I'm so glad they got back together and released a new album. It's an outdoor venue, so hopefully it will be chilly by then. Who am I kidding. I live in the land-of-no-seasons. Whatevs. I'm still super excited.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2007-09-30T12:57:00.001-05:00

Diabla is doing much better, thanks for all the concern. It was touch and go the first night, but she's acting like her old self again. We have to do a nebulizer treatment on her twice a day to strengthen her lungs, and she HATES it, but it's for her own good. Keep your fingers crossed that my insurance claim on her gets approved. If I can get half the $1200 back I'll be happy.

As far as the unwanted mail I've been getting goes, I've been doing the "Return to Sender" thing for years with no results, that's why I'm so frustrated. I finally submitted an irate "contact us" email on the BCBS website, and SOMEONE CALLED ME. All I have to do is fax them the contents of the mail (which I find weird, that they are giving me permission to open someone's mail), and they'll get it resolved. Thank god.

I have been meaning to thank my pal Hollow Squirrel for the award she gave me recently and I rudely never acknowledged. SO THANK YOU for the Rockin' Girl Blogger award! I really appreciate it.

Also, Bradley over at The Egel's Nest very nicely awarded me with the new Egel Nest Award for Blog Excellence! Thank you so much!

Now here's something weird for you. Today, the Rockstar and I were just lounging around and we hear this awful sound come from the kitchen. It sounded like the toaster just exploded, but there was nothing in the toaster. We looked all around the kitchen for signs that something was broken, had fallen, or exploded. Turns out our tempered glass cutting board like this:
had spontaneously exploded in the cabinet. When we opened the door, we saw this:

I'm not lying y'all, it just fell apart. Strangest thing ever. Kind of freaked me out actually.

And one last photo for your Sunday viewing pleasure...I give you the toad that lives in our dead-ish plant:

Diabla aka Blabs (or Blobs)

2007-09-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

I was checking my email tonight, when my cat Diabla started making a horrific noise. I ran into the kitchen to find her panting (tongue hanging out), crying and just lying there, totally limp. I rushed her to the emergency vet, where they immediately did x-rays. She has a pneumothorax, or air in her chest cavity. Normally there is some trauma, like a broken rib, that punctures the lung and allows air to fill up the area around the lung, making it hard for the lung to expand. In Diabla's case, there is no trauma. No broken ribs, no blood, no other injuries. She is in an oxygen tank at the emergency vets where they're going to extract air from the cavity every couple of hours. The did the first extraction about an hour ago, and they said it went well. Air didn't rush in to fill up the cavity which is good, and she was able to breathe much easier after that. She's not out of the woods, though, and she only has about a 50/50 chance of making it, so please keep her in your thoughts.

Riddle Me This

2007-09-18T18:40:00.000-05:00

So I've been getting mail from a large insurance company addressed to a previous homeowner .

This has been going on since we moved in (we've been here 3 years mind you), so I finally started opening her mail about a year ago because it started to bug me THAT MUCH. I had just assumed that they were trying to collect money or that it was general correspondence, but nooooo....she's going to the doctor A LOT, and I'm getting the current summaries of benefits paid out by BCBS. So I called BCBS and they told me they can't change her address unless SHE changes it which I totally understand, but I'm SICK OF IT.

Seriously, I get one or two letters a week people. And most recently, I got a letter from a hospital thanking her for choosing that location and blah blah blah. Doesn't she care that she's not getting her mail? Apparently not, but being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I choose to believe she's doing something shady. So I emailed BCBS today and told them that I want it changed ASAP because I feel like something no-quite-right is going on, and I don't want my address to be a part of it. For some reason, it bugs the shit out of me that she hasn't changed her information on her insurance. It bugs me a lot. More than it should.

What would you do? Just ignore the mail?

Hell Hath Frozen Over

2007-09-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Most of you who know me IRL know that my dogs aren't what you'd call friendly, per se. My sister is about the only person they love other than me and the Rockstar. They have to be put up when we have company because they are so protective of us and our home (they are rescued and have issues). I don't think they'd actually hurt anyone, but the barking and growling is enough to scare me and my guests, so for everyone's sake, they go in their crates. (They seem so sweet and innocent, no?)

Well people, hell has finally frozen over.

My friend K (my roomie from college and friend from high school with whom I recently reunited) and I went out last night and after we got back to my house, she wanted to meet my dogs. My response to that is, um, why? But she wasn't scared so I brought them out, and this is what happened:

Hey pretty lady, you should come over more often!

I wish you could see her face, it made the picture so much better, but I didn't ask her if she wanted to be put all over the internet, so this is what you get. HE LOVED HER. I mean, IN LOVE. He wouldn't leave her alone. He was trying to get in her lap and lick her face. He didn't even really want much to do with me. I think she thought I was lying about how crazy they normally are. I didn't get pictures of Dulce with her, but she was all over her too. I think I'm going to try bringing them out more often. All I know, was a bunch of anxiety was lifted last night and I feel so hopeful today.

My Feets are Happy

2007-09-12T22:47:00.000-05:00

I went to the outlet mall this weekend because I found a Visa giftcard for $100 that was a Christmas present. As in last Christmas. That's what happens when I actually organize. Anyhoo, I found some great clothes (lined, wool pants at Banana Republic for $14.99! Two necklaces and earrings for $30 at WH/BM! Gap capris for $12.99!) But the best steal of the day (which still made me a little sick to my stomach) was the Pottery Barn wool rug I got.

I've wanted a rug since we got rid of the carpet, but our sick kitty (RIP) peed on everything, so a nice rug was always out of the question. I feel so terrible, but now that she's no longer with us it's okay, and when I found this gem, I couldn't pass it up. The "Buy it Now" option on Ebay was $200 more than what I paid for it. (Dulce totally approves. She can't stop rubbing her head on it.) It's sooooo nice on the feet, and just in time for "fall" and "winter".

Also, the door company is coming out to survey the incorrect door so that it can be fixed. Toot sweet people (did any of you ever watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? I loved that movie, especially that Toot Sweets song). I'm itching to paint that thing. The light pine wood does NOT GO with anything I have and it's driving me bonkers. Please tell me you can see what's wrong with that panel on the right.

For the love of god.

Generations

2007-09-07T19:49:00.001-05:00

I think I've posted this before, but I came across it again and I just love it. Four generations in one photo. From left to right: My Super Sassy Grandma (I love that dress and I'm 100% sure she made it), my Great-Great Grandmother and my Great-Grandmother holding my Dad. I'll tell you one thing, there's no question where I got my hips, that's for damn sure.

First Quiz and it Feels so Good

2007-09-05T22:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I was totally singing Reunited when I typed that title. I had my first quiz this evening at school. I was a good student and read all the chapters, did my homework and studied. I got to class and our professor handed back our in-class assignment back from last week. We all got 100s because "we seemed to understand the concepts even if we missed a few questions." SERIOUSLY? I love this guy. And GET THIS. The quizzes are online AND multiple choice AND if you royally screw up you can see which answers you missed and RETAKE IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE. (See, even Doc can't contain his excitement.)

Well hot damn.

Had I known that I wouldn't have wasted a perfectly good Saturday night reading about Palettes and Measurement Tools and Layouts and BLAH BLAH BLAH. I keep forgetting this is Community College where they WANT you to succeed and not UT Business School where they really, truly, madly, deeply want you to fail. (See it gives the ILLUSION of serenity and caring, with the God-rays streaming through the trees, but it's really an evil place, ready to see you fail and cry.)

I like knowing that I'm going to do okay. And for once, I actually like what I'm learning about. Novel concept, huh?

Slobby McSlobkins

2007-09-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

Carrie has inspired me to clean my closet. For the love of jeesus:

Yeah, that's how I roll.

WTF iTunes?

2007-09-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

I'm severely annoyed right now. I was watching Rock of Love (which is bad ass, btw, and how could Bret get rid of Sam and leave crazy ole Lacey?) when I realized I HAD ZERO POISON ON MY iPOD?!!???!! What the hell? So I'm happily downloading "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and "Nothin' But a Good Time" (why so pouty, boys?),

then I moved on to "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again" from the lovely and talented Whitesnake (again, why didn't I already have these? There's no excuse for this blasphemy. NONE!),

and I then realized AIR SUPPLY! So I'm buying "All Out of Love",
and it hits me.

I don't own "Pour Some Sugar on Me".

Nooooooooo, that will never do. So I'm searching for my elusive Sugar, and ummm, well, any of you ever try this? You get 10 versions of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by random artists, my favorite is the version by Pickin' on Def Leppard: A Bluegrass Tribute.

I wish I was making this shit up, I really do, but I assure you I'm not. And I listened to it. And it's bad. Really bad. Amazon tells me there's a Hip Hop tribute as well. I'm not even going to go there.

Okay, so I decide to search for "Def Leppard". There has to be tons of their shit on iTunes right? I run the search and there are 13 total songs. Blink. Hmmmm, not sure what to think here. All 13 songs are from an album called Slang which came out in 1996. No Sugar people. So do I just have to shell out for the cd? What give iTunes? Why are you hatin' on me? I give you my money even though I know you're in cahoots with Starbucks and Wal-Mart to take over the world??? What's a bitch have to do to get some Leppard in the house?

My Back Door, Now With Less Symmetry

2007-09-01T12:17:00.001-05:00

Thank you sweet baby jesus! There really is a Santa Claus! I think an angel just got her wings!! The hideous metal monstrosity of a sliding glass door is gone, never, ever to be seen again. Let's take a look back down memory lane. Ick. It doesn't look so bad right here, but trust me, it's bad.

Look at the size of that metal handle!!! You could seriously take an eye out with that thing.

It was installed backwards, so the spot where you would put a bar or broom handle to add extra security was on the outside. Effectively, someone could have locked us IN. Can you see it?

Not to mention the lack of sliding ability causing a horrid metal-on-metal screetching sound everytime the dogs have to go outside. Anyhoodle, the door came out really easily, and we had a big hole in the wall for about an hour. It made me feel funny. Thank god it wasn't 5 billion degrees outside:

Then the lovely new door went in without a hitch. Well, there's one little problem which I didn't notice until about an hour after the door had been installed. The two little side doors (called sidelites) are supposed to be mirror images of each other. The vertical piece of wood running the length of the window is supposed to be toward the outside of the sidelite. If you look closely, the sidelite on the right, is the exact same as the one on the left.

Correct Side Incorrect Side

Do you see it? Well I do, and my OCD won't let me NOT think about it and how it is wrong, wrong, wrong. Not to mention the door cost $1000s of dollars and we should get the correct thing because we paid so much for it. I called Home D and they're going to have the door manufacturer send a correct sidelite since it was their fuck up. Once that happens, we're going to paint it white to match all the other trim and doors, and it will be DONE. Can't wait for fall (ha!) so I can open up those sidelites. They have screens so you can let the air flow without having the actual door open.

And just for fun....she looks semi-awake, but I GUARANTEE as I type this, she's snoring as loud as a grown man.

Ever wondered...

2007-08-30T22:41:00.000-05:00

...what it looks like up a dog's nose? (Yes, I realize that is some high class English...)

Huh. It's pinker than I imagined.

Poor kid. He HATES having his picture taken, and I keep forcing the issue. He's gonna bite my face one day.

Sign from my Emo Power

2007-08-29T15:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my last post was all emo and complain-y about "What am I going to do with my life?" and "What is my purpose in life?" Boo fuckin' hoo. Well people, I checked the Austin Community College schedule one last time today to see if anyone had dropped a class. Lo and behold, there was ONE spot in the evening Digital Publishing class at the location that I needed. If that's not a sign, then slap me upside the head. So starting tonight, I'll be in "school" Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8:40. I guess I need to get one of those trendy messenger bags. Or perhaps some new "sneaks". Seriously, I'm going to be coming from work, so today I will show up in heels and a knit jersey dress. Uncomfortable and dorky. I'm going to be the old, working lady in the class. Wish me luck. It's been 8 years. I'm a little scared.....

On another note, I owe Cara a HUGE thank you for cleaning up my blog template and posting the new masthead I made. She's is the bestest ever. THANK YOU CARA!

UPDATE: Class was okay. The teacher blows. He knows his stuff, but TERRIBLE at getting his point across. We're going to learn Quark the first half and InDesign the second half. I feel smarter already, and since many of the concepts are pretty close to Illustrator, I'm not totally lost. Except when we had to do some MATH people. MATH!!

¿Qué es mi problema?

2007-08-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

I know I want to go to grad school, but for the life of me, I don't know what kind of degree I would get. It's really frustrating to have the desire to go back to school, but having zero clue what kind of degree to work for. I have a Bachelor in Business Administration (gag) (I hated every minute of that damn degree) (except art history, child development and anatomy...yes, of course NOW I see why the business thing wasn't really for me...now, when it's too late.) (Don't I look SO HAPPY to be done with my hideous business classes? I'm serious, I was elated, high on life)

and all that really sets me up for is an MBA (double gag) so it seems I would have to take a ton more undergrad classes to even be able to start a graduate degree program. Sigh. Here's my pros and cons list, if you will.

First on the list (and these are in no particular order) is nursing (don't you laugh!) (I'm really only worried about the vomit and possibly giving enemas, but think about all the cool medical stuff you would see! And wearing scrubs! Joy!) because I've wanted to be a doctor since I was a child, but it never really seemed possible? I think it's the chemistry courses that freak me out. UT offers a masters in nursing to people who have undergraduate degrees in something totally unrelated. Hmmmm, it's like being a doctor, but not.

Next on the list of possibilities is a Graphic Design associates degree/certificate from our community college. I know that you have to have a portfolio (and rightly so) to get into a Master of Fine Arts program at UT, so that's out. Since I kinda do this for a living, this probably makes the most sense, buuuut, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Graphic Design kids at ACC are rather proud of themselves. I'm NOT looking forward to the pretentiousness of young "artists" (yes, I picture all of them having buttons such as this on their annoyingly trendy messenger bags.)

Next is pilates certification. It would be cool and I love pilates and I have a knack for it and I feel really good about myself after I've done it, but there's the getting up in front of a class and teaching thing that I'm not so keen on. I have terrible stage fright and can't stand oral speaking. (Yes, I said oral.) Teaching private lessons would be really cool, but I'm sure pilates teachers are a dime a dozen in Austin since we're kind of like a mini-hippie-California. For me, it would mostly be a personal achievement. For those of you who don't know me, that's me down there! (Ha!! Just a little joke for your Tuesday evening entertainment.)

And lastly, my other option is to do nothing. It seems that's what I'm best at? I'm good at thinking, but not doing. I'm not a do-er (stop laughing you dirty-minded hussies).

(Did I mention the part about how I hate writing? Yes, I get the irony that I'm writing on my blog right this very second. Totally different. I hate writing papers. I'm no good. Despise it. Just thought I'd throw that out there.)

So here's a question. If you've gone back to school, how did you know what you wanted to do with your life? Have you known forever, did it just come to you one day? Spill it.

Herd Dog AKA Fatty

2007-08-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

I took our red heeler, Dulce, out to Paws 4 Ewe to be evaluated for herding ability and interest. I figured she was trying to herd the cats all the time, so maybe she could really learn how to herd, Babe style? It was AWESOME. The owner/trainer Michele McGuire has sheep, horses and goats and a ton of border collies all of which are smart as shit and beautiful. She doesn't usually work with heelers, it seems, but she was very sweet to Dulce. Here's Dulce at her foster house before we adopted her.

First off, she said Dulce was fat, real fat. Too fat. Funny cause the the vet just told us she's at the high end of normal, but I tend to agree with Michele, she's fat. I was the owner of the fat kid today, but I was so proud of her because she normally has some fear aggression around other dogs, and she was an angel the entire 3 hours we were there. Sniffed butts, sat in the water pools, and herded those sheep (kind of). Michele said that she would have liked to have seen more drive in Dulce, but she said it could have just been that she pooped out early because of the heat and being overweight. I'm going to take her back in a few weeks after she's lost some weight and we're going to work earlier in the morning to see if her drive is up. If not, then oh well. We'll do obedience training or maybe agility.

Today was the closest I've felt to being a proud parent. Okay, I WAS a proud parent of a smart, fat dog whom I almost gave away at one point. I'm so glad I didn't. Here's one of Lucky's beautiful photos of my fatty...

I Think I'm Back, And I'm Not Crying Wolf

2007-08-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, well, it's been awhile, as you can tell. Things have been, well, okay, I suppose. I'm alive, see?

Which one am I, you ask? Come on, it hasn't been that long....okay, I'm the one on the left. The chicken faced one. The pink one....

Here the haps:

I guess the biggest and saddest thing that has happened is that we had to put our sick kitty Sonja to sleep. She finally got too thin, and the doctor said it was time. The Rockstar had a really hard time with it. Harder than I had expected. It's weird adjusting to the loss of a pet. There's just something..missing. Her ashes are in my closet. He just can't deal with it right now. She's the B&W one on the left. Her mom (the one on the right) meowed all night long after Sonja was gone. It was terrible and sad.

My new (but not new anymore) job is still great. So flexible. I know I can have time off pretty much whenever I need it. I'm learning a ton about Illustrator which is awesome.

Speaking of, I was going to take some Illustrator/Design classes at the community college since my place of employment will pay for them, but two semesters in a row, other people beat me to the 12 open spots. I guess it's just not my time. I'm okay with that. It will happen when it's supposed to happen.

Let's see...what else is going on....I'm actually semi-apprenticing to become a pilates instructor. Like-a-whoa. Bet you didn't see that coming. I didn't either. My pilates mat teacher at the gym told me I was good, and that I should start apprenticing under her and then get certified (which, btw, is motherfuckin expensive), so I'm not 100% sure I'm going to do it. I've been doing reformer classes, though, and I have to admit, I L-O-V-E them.

I'm taking our heeler out to herd things at a sheep farm this weekend. I feel like she's bored and I found a place that does herd training. The trainer is going to evaluate my dingo, uh, I mean dog for interest and natural ability to see if we can start training. I hope she doesn't attack a ewe or a lamb. That would blow. And certainly put a damper on things. Here's one of her not-so-bright moments trying to squish into a cat bed.

Ummmmm, what else....oh, my sister and I went to South Padre over the weekend and it was awesome. The weather was perfect and although I wore sunscreen, I still got an awesome tan. It was so relaxing and there were hot dads everywhere. It was kind of strange. 30-40-year-old men who had hot bodies carrying babies around by the pool. It was nice eye candy. In a kind of creepy way.

I have gotten over my fear of pedicures, and now I get one at least 1-2 times a month. My feet look pretty great.

I think our crazy Australian neighbors got a divorce. The wife is never there anymore. It's a shame. A damn shame. Can you tell how broken up I am? All the partying has stopped and there are no cars parked in front of our house anymore. I'm just sayin.

Our piece of SHIT sliding glass door is being replaced with this:

Oh hellllllz yeah. I cannot wait until next Friday. Then, the remodeling madness will end. Until we get new garage doors......and maybe a new roof....or perhaps a deck.

Do any of you watch Top Chef? Tre? Seriously? He's one of the best chefs on there. Howie needs to GOOOOO away. He bugs. Oh, and Tre's hot.

That's about it for now. I don't want to totally overwhelm you with an endless Nappy update. Hope to hear from some of you!

Things I Learned

2007-04-22T22:08:00.001-05:00

I had a really good time at the Blowout! I'm so glad I went. Here are just a few of the things I learned from taking a roadtrip and sharing a hotel room with TxMom and Lucky:

*TxMom is very prepared and had Pepto ready when I had a nasty onset of food poisoning at 4:00am.

*Lucky will go to Spencer's and buy awesome party favors like d*ck lollypops, d*cklets gum (which was disgusting, btw) and Girl's Night Out cards which have different tasks for everyone to accomplish while in a bar...such as tell a random stranger you're not wearing p*nties or get under the table and grab people's ankles...which Lucky did. So thoughtful.

*TxMom will sacrifice the king size bed for the sleeper sofa because she won't want to wake you with her coughing. So sweet.

*I can talk to either of them about anything whether it be husbands or bodily functions.

*Lucky can make a whoopie cushion fun for 24 hours. Seriously, it never gets old, especially when you let it rip in an elevator with a teenaged boy.

*I wear the same size shoe as both of them. Nice :)

*TxMom is really good at opening non-twist off bottle tops with no bottle opener (sorry about the finger Monica).

*Lucky needs to take more girl trips.

*They have become really good friends and I love them both.

I'm sure there are many more, but I had a blast with them, I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

The Killers

2007-04-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

My sister and I went to The Killers show last night and it was AWESOME! They put on a wonderful show and got a nice contact high from the person smoking out somewhere around us. I'm not a huge fan of their new stuff, but they played enough of their songs from Hot Fuss to make me happy.

I can't believe the Houston Blowout is next weekend! I'm really excited to see/meet everyone. Now I just need to get a new outfit and batteries for the camera. What is everyone wearing? Jeans?

I REALLY can't believe the AIDS ride is in two weeks. I heart my new road bike---it makes hills so much easier (not that I haven't walked my big ass up a few anyway). I really appreciate all of you who have donated...you rock!!!

Say a Little Prayer

2007-04-06T07:46:00.000-05:00

Last night, my sister, mom and I took one of my sister's cats, Rufus, to the emergency vet to be put to sleep. He had liver and kidney problems, and he was not doing well. I know she made the right decision, he looked terrible, and was not getting better. She did everything she could including getting him accupunture, giving him subcutaneous fluids at home, and tube feeding him. He was a wonderful big orange tabby that acted like a dog most of the time. We called him "Puppy Kitty" because he would sit for a treat when the dogs got their biscuits after dinner. He loved people and would mingle at parties instead of hiding. He will be SO missed.

CT Scans & Y&R

2007-04-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

I got my first ever CT Scan this morning to check out the throbbing in my abdomen that won't seem to go away. It's not painful, just strange. And it comes and goes at random intervals. The ultrasound I had last year showed nothing, but my OBGYN still wanted me to talk to a laproscopic surgeon to get their opinion. Well, her opinion was blood work and a urinalysis which turned out completely normal, so the next step was the scan. The CT Scan "will show big things" she said. I'm assuming that means tumors. Now that it's over, I guess I just wait for the results.

Because I had to get up at the crack of dawn to drink the damn barium (yummy, "Berry Smoothie"...um, yeah, not so much) I was feeling really tired, so I took a long lunch and watched Y&R. HOLY HELL. Did Sharon and Dru just fall of a freakin cliff and die? And are they trying to make Daniel a po*n addict? And what the HELL is wrong with Gloria's face? Oh, and TxMom, why am I attracted to EJ Wells on DOOL? THESE are the tough questions I need answers to while I wait to find out if I have a tumor. Just kidding. I don't have a tumor. At least, I hope not. Okay I don't. My friend Bill thinks it's my twin that never developed and just throbs when it's hungry. Totally creepy.

Game Night w/ Screech

2007-04-01T18:42:00.000-05:00

So I had game night/girls night last night, and we had a blast. We played Scruples which TxMom insisted on because she was sure I had something to hide, and we freakin' watched the Screech s*x tape! Or tried to, at least.... The first 10 minutes were so boring we stopped it. We didn't even get to the Dirty S*anchez. Shucks. Anyhoo, I love my peeps, and it was a great time all around. I have so much food left over and I've been eating ALL DAY LONG. I swear I've eaten 15 or so cookies.

Exhibit A: Bowl of Evil Cookies

We got $400 back from Citimortgage from our escrow account which was a really nice surprise. I think a new pair of shoes for springtime are in order. I will be going to DSW next weekend!

I started painting my bathroom and I'm about 3/4 done, but now I've lost the motivation to finish. I hate that shit. At least it's green over green, so it's not that obvious.

I can't think of much else going on. Hmmmmm...oh yeah, the red truck is back. It still has the huge sticker on the windshield, but it's now parked in front of their house, thank god. I just can't believe it CAME BACK. I guess it's like a boomerang. I mean, they are from Australia???

That Shit is GONE

2007-03-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

So the truck is G-O-N-E my friends, gone. I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

Also, how awesome is Y&R? I love the Sharon/Phyllis cat fights. They rule. And I can't believe they're bringing Stefano back on DOOL. Seriously. Why would they do that?

In other news, I have a freakin' maid cleaning the house people and it rules. A few other bloggers know. She is the best EVER. The best money I've ever spent. Better than shoes..... I KNOW. I can't believe I even typed that.

Thanks for your kind words about K and our kitty. It really means a lot to me :)

Here's a photo just cause photos are fun:

Cancer Strikes Again

2007-03-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

My good friend that moved to Denver was in town this week, and we had so much fun catching up. We went out on Friday and had a blast:

While I was at the bar at the Belmont closing my tab, I heard someone say my name. I immediately recognized the voice as K, a friend from college. She was always so sweet and funny, and we kept in touch after college for a few years, but eventually fell out of touch. When I turned around, there she was, same beautiful face, but she was wearing a newsyboy cap down low almost over her eyes. We caught up on weddings, houses, jobs, etc, then she just blurted out, "If you're wondering why I don't have any hair, it's because I just finished chemo. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. They caught it early, though, so I'm doing really well now." K is 29. It scared the crap out of me. She is too young, and too wonderful to have had this happen. I'm just glad she's okay.

Also, our kitty Sonja was diagnosed with Lymphoma and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She's too old to do chemo, so we're just giving her meds to help her absorb her food better and keep her comfortable (she's the black and white one; the other one is her Momma. They're making biscuits on each other's stomachs. SO CUTE!):

In other, less important news, the house is almost done. We just need to get the garage and my office cleaned up, and the only other project I want to do is get the sliding glass door replaced with French doors. Here are some photos:

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I hope everyone is doing well. I have been so focused on the house and some other things, that I just don't have the time to blog like I used to. I really miss catching up on everyone's lives, though. I'm going to try to post at least once every weekend.

PS Our shitty neighbors' broken down truck (which sits in front of OUR house, not theirs) has an abandoned vehicle sticker mysteriously slapped on the windshield. Hmmmm, I wonder who could have called that in? If they don't move it, it's going to get towed. Oh darn.

In Disarray & the HCRA

2007-02-12T20:37:00.001-06:00

Okay, I realize that it is February and I'm just now posting after about a month, but I have GOOD reasons. REALLY GOOD REASONS. First, there is NO blogging at work. That is where I posted from 90% of the time before the job switch. Also, things are in serious disarray at the Casa de Nappy. We have been removing more flooring and buying new furniture, but it's all for nothing until the new flooring goes in. Of course, our new flooring is out of stock everywhere, so we wait. And wait. And wait. It's getting really hard to live like this.

Here's the entryway where I pulled up ceramic tile AND a layer of vinyl tile AND a layer of adhesive:We also pulled up the carpet AND a layer of vinyl tile AND adhesive in the office:

Yes, that is a big dirty spot where the dog likes to sleep or look out the window. Shut it. So where is all the furniture you ask? Well, it's here (notice the cat STARING at you from the green chair):

And here:

It's driving me bonkers. We're living like heathen. Ick. Oh well, I guess we should be thankful we have a roof over our heads. I just keep telling myself it will be all better soon. And it'll be beautiful and worth every minute of the piggyness. Yeah. I guess I can believe that.

Of course, when the meth lab next door blows up, I guess it will all be for nothing. Yes, my shitty neighbors are still at it. I called the cops on them 3 times in 3 weeks for partying on week nights. In their backyard. With a bonfire. Until AFTER 8 AM. Yes, they were still going when I left for work. Rat bastards.

So here's my shameless plug. I'm doing my 3rd Hill Country Ride for AIDS in April. I did my first ride on Sunday, and DAMN it was cold, but we did it. If you would like to help me meet my fundraising goal, just click here to get to my personal page. I really appreciate everyone who helped me out last year.

Back at Last

2007-01-18T22:28:00.000-06:00

Today was my first day back at work, and it was a half day at that. No complaints here. Nothing wrong with a day-and-a-half-long work week. No sir-ee.

I have two things to say.

1) DVR rules. I watched all my soaps this evening, commercial free. LOVE IT.

2) Sometimes this kid KILLS me with her cuteness. Just look at that tongue peeking out:

Another Ice Day

2007-01-16T12:39:00.000-06:00

I'm at home AGAIN! I can't believe this weather. Here's what it looked like this morning:

I LOVE it. I can see how it would get old after a while, but it hasn't been long enough for me to be sick of it yet. Some parts of the hill country are supposed to get 5 inches of snow by tomorrow! I think we might be off work again tomorrow, too, because it's not supposed to get above freezing until then.

Here's a photo my dad just sent me. The baby is my dad, the woman holding him is his grandma, on the far left is his mom (my grandma) when she was 30, and the oldest woman is his great-grandma! Four generations in one photo! I just love the look on my grandma's face. So sassy:

Ice Day

2007-01-15T09:21:00.000-06:00

So we're experiencing our annual ice storm, so I'm at home for the next two days. Yippee! Here's the awesomely cheesy graphic from the news website:

And just for TKW, here's our favorite weatherman doing his thang:

Since I'm kinda stuck here, I'm going to be working on my cross stitch. Here's the one I've finished:

I'm pretty happy with it.

We're still trying to get our stupid flooring put it. We had an appointment with a company to come do an estimate, and they never showed. Asshats. They just lost our business. So right now we still have half carpet half cement in the house. We got a new chair, though, and I love it:

World Market has a 40% coupon on any regularly priced item, even furniture, so I'm going to use it a couple of times before February. That's my FAVORITE place to get furniture other than El Paso Imports. We're ALMOST done getting the living room in order, we just need the damn floors put in.

The really exciting thing that has happened is that my college roommate and good friend from high school found me on myspace! I haven't talked to her in 9 years, and I really missed having her in my life. We had dinner on Friday night and finally had to go home at 12:30, but I feel like we could have kept talking for hours. It was like no time had passed, except that we had many, many years to catch up on. She and her husband are building a house about 10 minutes from me, so we'll be able to hang out pretty often. I can't explain how happy I am.

Other than that, not much is happening!

My Favorite Gift

2006-12-29T11:44:00.000-06:00

Other than the awesome tv my darling husband gave me, my favorite Christmas gift is this book from my sister:

Back in the day, I was quite the cross stitcher. My grandma taught me many crafty things, cross stitch being one of them. I did butterflies, rainbows, etc. I haven't done it in a really long time but with patterns like these, I'm starting this weekend. I'm making this one for my sister (at her request):

And this one for me:

And just a few more of my favorites:

There are so many other hilarious patterns, I can't wait to get started. There's something about the combination of surly phrases and cute borders and images that is so funny to me. You can find more patterns on the website that aren't in the book, like this one and this one. These are going to be my best work ever.

Mommy Like

2006-12-26T13:25:00.000-06:00

I kinda knew what I was getting this year, but I had no idea it was going to be so BIG. No, get your heads out of the gutter. I got this:

Oh yeah. 45 inch flat screen. I LOVE it. That was Clay Aiken's debut on Days. He's so girly.

Let's see, my kitty got kitty uggs for Christmas:

Hee hee, not really. That's just from the surgery.

And here's one of our poor dogs who didn't get anything for Christmas. Oooops, mommy forgot. With simple pleasures like this, who cares? (Disregard the paint can, dog towels and general mess. I'm sick and haven't cleaned up):

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

We had a nice day at my parent's house, then ate lunch/dinner at Katz's. It was great! We're going to have Christmas at my MIL's on Wednesday since my SIL was in St. Louis for Christmas.

Happy Holidays to You

2006-12-24T13:20:00.000-06:00

I hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday!!!

Junk in a Box - NSFW

2006-12-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

OMG, this is THE BEST. It's from SNL and I find it utterly hilarious. NSFW, though:

Merry Whatever-You-Celebrate

2006-12-20T21:10:00.000-06:00

Just a little something to make you laugh:

Merry Christmas! Yes, I'm the happy looking child on the right with the blue sheet on her head (the sheet really resembles a nun's habit, don't you think?). I know we were playing the nativity at my grandparents house, and I suspect my sister made me be Joseph which would explain my surly facial expression.

How is your holiday season coming along? I painted my kitchen (it was orange...see the new fridge? And that row of tile is what will be going in soon):

I'm about to cry because my cat is spending the night at the specialty hospital after having surgery on her knee (that's her sitting in my lap):

She dislocated her knee and she tore her ACL (ligament), to the tune of $1300. She's fine and will come home tomorrow, but I'm having a delayed reaction, and just NOW feel like crying. Poor thing has to be confined to a room for 6-8 weeks, and that is NOT going to go over well. One day at a time, I suppose.

UPDATE: Here's my poor kitty. At least she's eating, that's a good sign. She's already trying to get out of her room, which doesn't bode well for the next 6 weeks.

I finally got the tree up:

and have all our cards hanging up with the stockings:

and now, I guess I'm just tired. I'm finished buying all my gifts, and this year I tried really hard not to get caught up in the horrid "perfect gift" trap. I give what I give, and if people don't like it then they can take it back. I put thought into it, sure, but I'm just done worrying about it. I made beaded ornaments for my coworkers. Here's one that I think a few people might appreciate:
If I don't talk to you before Christmas, have a wonderful whatever-you-celebrate. Oh, and thanks to those of you who sent cards. I LOVED seeing your families and children!!

Bet You Weren't Expecting a Post!

2006-12-09T09:20:00.000-06:00

That is, if you still read this. I need to get back in the groove of blogging. I just seemed to have lost my mojo when the whole job switch thing happened. I actually think I did most of my blogging from my old job, and I can't blog from my new job. It's just not going to happen.

So here's what's happening with me. We have a contractor coming over today to give us a bid on flooring (same guy that did TxMom's family room). My parents are going to lend me the money for wood if it's not too expensive. We desperately need new floors. In fact, the carpet was so bad, we just did this:

We ripped that shit right up. I can't tell you how much better it made me feel. He's also going to tell me how much it would be to replace that tile in the left of that photo and put tile in the kitchen. In addition, some of you might remember this antique window I bought last year:

I'm going to see if he can replace my bathroom window with it.

We also have a new refrigerator coming today to replace this piece of crap:

It came with the house, and it's probably from the 80s. The ice thingy on the front doesn't work, and you can't fit anything in the freezer side. I HATE side by sides. Here is what we are getting:

I CANNOT wait. It's not stainless, but "Ultra Satin" which is more of a matte finish so it doesn't show all the smudges like a Target bathroom door (have you seen how nasty those are?).

Other than that, I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping, although I don't have our tree up. This is about all I've done in the way of decorating:

Nice. The screen serves as our mantle and card holder every year since we don't have a fireplace/mantle.

And last but not least, I did my nakey photos! Of course, you'll never see them unless you come to my house. You can ask TxMom, Molly, Cara or Jackie what they really think. They all got to see them at girl's night!!!

In and Out of a Funk

2006-11-11T10:57:00.000-06:00

Once again, I'm getting not-so-subtle hints from SFG about posting. I swear, I can't believe she hasn't given up on me considering I'm such a bad post-er and comment-er. I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I guess it's because I'm having to get used to a new commute, a new set of coworkers and a new job. Here's what's been happening.

* I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, and had my first two cavities EVER. Boo. I just got
them filled. It's not bad at all. I'm just sad I broke my streak. My good friend called me yuck-mouth. I also had a chip in my front tooth, and since the enamel was also chipped, insurance paid to have it bonded. Sweet! Chip be gone!

* The new job is great. I can't believe they're paying me to do what I do. It's mind boggling, really. Of course, we're in the slow season. Next spring might be terrible. I'm already doing work for clients, so that's good? Right?

* I set a date for the naked photos. Eeeek. Two weeks and counting.

* I found my new favorite wine. I go in and out of phases with keeping wine in the house, but this is good if you like pretty dry, not sweet white wine. It's only about $11.99, too:

* This weekend, I walked eight miles, pruned the plants in the front flower bed, did ALL the laundry in the house in addition to HANGING IT ALL UP. Sometimes I impress myself.

* Today, I decided to use a ton of coupons that were about to expire. I had one for a free bag at DSW:

for buying these two pairs of shoes. One pair of heels and a pair of flats. I also had $10 off:

I used a buy-one-get-one-free at Bath and Body works (thanks Lucky!), and I got $5 off at the grocery store.

* My hubs and I decided this week that he and I are having Thanksgiving just the two of us. I'm going to Central Market and ordering dinner for two, buying a bottle of wine, baking a pie and calling it done. I can hardly wait.

I honestly can't think of anything of interest going on right now. I feel as though I'm SO boring.

Okay SFG, You WIN!

2006-10-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

So after some gentle hints from SFG in my comments, I will post about my wonderful trip to the beach and some other stuff. We left for the coast last Wednesday and got back on Sunday. We had a great time, it was a tad cold, but it was relaxing and I didn't want to come home, except to see my dogs. So here's the trip in pictures:

So this was our condo which was FREE. Yeah, as in we only paid $40 to have it cleaned:

Here are some from our first walk on the beach. It was freezing!

And here's a good sunset for you:

We ate entirely too much fried fish and hushpuppies. YUM. I feel like I gained 10 pounds in 5 days.

Within an hour of getting home, one of our cats was dragging her back leg around and it was obviously hurting pretty badly, so it was off to the emergency vet we went. Turns out she tore her ACL (ligament in her "knee"), and I thought she was going to need surgery. The vet said that these injuries in cats often heal on their own, so we're waiting a month to see if she starts to use it more, and in the meantime, she's on pain meds. Poor cutie pie. They told me she's fat, and that can contibute to her condition. Oh, and our male dog LOVES this cat. He follows her around, but he won't look her in the eye. Can you see him cowering from the love??:

And last, but certainly NOT least, when I went through the mail, I had a surprise package from Shell! I tore into it, and this is what I saw!

OMG, she is amazing! I haven't even emailed her to thank her yet for the birthday/new job gift. I LOVE it. The stones are gorgous and I only wear silver, so it's perfect :)

That's about all I have going on. Let me know what you are up to!

How Are You?

2006-10-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

I feel like it's been so long since I've posted. I can't blog at work, so it's probably going to strictly a weekend thing. So here's what's been happening:

*We feed two of our cats in the garage and for the past couple of weeks, they seemed to be hungry all the time. The other night I went out to do laundry, and this is what I saw. Yeah, I think he's living in our garage:

*I found the most BAD ASS t-shirt on sale at Target tonight. Oh yes, I will be wearing it. I loves me some Bon Jovi:

*I also got a new pair of brown pumps at Target. They are comfortable AND cute!

*We leave for the coast on Wednesday, and I made a horrible mistake. I didn't even THINK about my monthly visitor. Um yeah, it will be there at the exact time we're on vacation. WHY? This is the second time I've done this.

*So far, I love my job. It's overwhelming, but not so much so that I want to come home and cry. Even my husband says I don't seem so down after work. I love that I have an office with walls and natural light. Everone is so nice and patient with me.

*I ate a TON of halloween candy tonight and loved every minute of it. Yum. I think I'll go have some more.

*I've been watching Father of the Bride 1 & 2 today. I forgot how much I like those movies. I also watched most of season 2 of Felicity this afternoon. I love, love, love that show. Scott Speedman (Ben) is HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT. Damn, the scenes where he's sleeping with the married caterer....wow. He's yummy.

*I have been seriously slacking on the walking and working out. That week I took off between jobs really screwed me up. I should have walked everyday. Instead, I slept in til 11 everyday. I have to admit, it felt really good. I mean REALLY good. I got to watch Y&R and DOOL. I loved staying my pjs until after noon.

That's about it right now. Let me know what you've been up to!

The Big 3-0

2006-10-04T17:20:00.000-05:00

B-day Update: I had a really nice dinner with my family and closest girlfriends. It was really nice. My hubs got me a 3 hour spa package from Jackson Ruiz! Sweet! It's a facial, body polish/massage, hand and foot treatments, plus it comes with full size products too! I tried to upload photos, but blogger won't let me :(

I'm back from Chicago, and today's the day! I'm 30 and that's okay with me. I'm excited to see what my 30s will be all about. I met some of my best blogging friends last Friday for a b-day happy hour and I had so much fun!

They are all hilarious and fun and their labor stories are awesome. Now I REALLY don't want kids (totally kidding.....kind of....).

My trip was really fun, and even though I still hate flying (not at all helped by the CRAPPY landing in Chicago--I saw other people looking quite nervous as well, so it wasn't just me), it was worth it to see Weezie. She took me to lunch for my birthday, and we were able to catch up on the last 3-4 months. I miss talking to her everyday. She is one of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met.

I also got to see D, whom I met when we were case clerks at the firm. She just passed the bar, so she's an attorney now! She and her boyfriend took me to Lula for dinner which was really good. I ate like a piggy.

It was so good to see her too, and she was amazed that I actually hopped on a plane to come see her! The weather was god awful. It thunderstormed and even hailed when we were getting in her car to go to dinner. (You can see the wet street behind us, and her boyfriend's cigarette smoke in the foreground). Here are some photos from the next day (which was beautiful).

I just love that town!!! I'm off to get my hair done for my birthday dinner! Talk to ya later.

I HATE Fear

2006-10-01T00:46:00.000-05:00

I'm physically and mentally exhausted right now. My husband is dead asleep, one of the dogs is snoring as loud as a human and I can't sleep because I'm already freaking out about flying on Monday. I hate flying, and I really HATE that I hate to fly. I wish I loved it because I love to visit new places and see new things, but it's the GETTING there that is the problem. I have flown to Europe and Mexico multiple times, and Canada once, not to mention tons of US cities, so I can make myself do it, but it doesn't mean I won't cry while it's happening. OR feel like I'm going to have a heart attack because my heart is racing faster than it should. I have to go to bed about 8 pm tomorrow (actually today) because I have to get up at 3 am on Monday (6 am flight), so I need to be asleep as I type this, but I just can't make the thoughts shut off or my heart stop pounding in my chest.

And then there was the horrible Brazilian plane crash yesterday. I feel so bad for all those families and loved ones. It's just horrible. Terrible. Don't even want to think about it, but of course I read every little detail in the news articles because I can't NOT read them.

Also, don't even think about giving me the GD statistics about car accidents vs. plane crashes because A) when you're in a car accident, you don't fall 1000s of feet out of the sky going 100s of mph and B) everyone who's been in a plane crash woke up the morning of their flight and thought they would be fine. It's not about dying, it's about being up so high in a huge, hulking piece of metal. Sorry for the negativity, but I'm not okay right now. There's nothing that's going to make me feel better other than landing safely in Chicago. THEN I get to do it all over again on Tuesday.

Last Day

2006-09-28T23:04:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my last day at a firm I've been with for five years. I interviewed on 9/11 which I will never forget, and have held two different jobs there, one of which was passed down to me from TKW. I tried to fill her shoes as best I could, but people really loved her (of course). There are so many cool people I'm going to miss, but unfortunately that doesn't make up for the handful of truly hideous people I have to deal with.

I worked it so that I have next week off, which is also my birthday week, and I just booked a two day trip to Chicago to see Weezie and my friend D, whom I met on my first day at the firm. She's now an attorney living in Chicago and I haven't seen her in over a year! I got a round trip, nonstop flight and one night at a hotel downtown for $311 TOTAL, fees and everything. It's my b-day present to myself. I hate to fly (note: I usually have to medicated AND drunk to fly), and would normally never do something so last minute like this, but I'm trying to live life to the fullest and not live in fear of everything. Speaking of fear, I don't like salons and makeup counters because I always feel judged. But today, I walked into an Aveda concept salon I've been wanting to check out (they had a few walk in appts), and got my hair cut and colored. I LOVED the woman who cut my hair, and I think she did a good job! I went dark again. I think it makes my eyes show up more (yes my kitchen is orange, and I like it that way).

The biggest part of ridding myself of fear was my job change. I used to work with a guy who left the firm about two years ago. A job recently opened up where he works now, so he recommended me and I got the job. It's a company that does trial support and graphic design. I'm going to be trained to do everything, but mostly the graphic design because there is only one person doing it, and she is overwhelmed. It's more money, a better work environment, plus I get an office with a door (it's glass, but whatever). I still don't feel like I deserve everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks, but I'm trying to change that. I was so scared to take the plunge and do something different, but there were NO cons, only pros. I am freaked out about my first day, but also so excited.

I feel bad because I haven't been commenting very much. Everyone at work is trying to squeeze every last ounce of work from me, so when I get home I don't even want to look at a computer screen. There are some of you (ahem, Shell) that I've been meaning to email, but I just don't have the mental energy right now. Hopefully after my week off, I will feel a little more like myself. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and emails. It truly makes a gal feel special.

I'm About to be Sick

2006-09-15T16:52:00.004-05:00

HOLY CRAP I JUST PUT IN MY TWO WEEKS NOTICE! In the past three days, I got an interview, got an offer and accepted job. I think I'm going to dance a jig and barf all at the same time.

Rats and Porn

2006-09-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

Many of you might remember hearing about the little pest issue we've had at my place of employment here, here, here and here. Today we started to smell a horrible smell. You guessed it (or maybe you didn't). A dead rat in the ceiling directly over my head.

And here's something to make you laugh. When I google my first and last name, there's a penthouse pet from the 80s with the same name whose links come up first. Here she is. You're welcome.

Quick Post About Nothing

2006-09-05T12:33:00.000-05:00

1) If you go see one movie for the rest of the year, go see Little Miss Sunshine. Holy crap. It was funny and sweet and sad and happy all in one. Mostly funny, though.
2) What the hell is Blogger Beta and why do I care?
3) I am a shitty typist and that's not good for this project I'm working on.
4) I am getting a 1 hour massage on Tuesday to work on all the knots in my neck and shoulders from so much typing. Cannot wait.
5) My mom has a friend with a beach condo, and if the friend okays it, the hubs and I are going to spend 5 days there FOR FREE. She doesn't know us, though, so it might not happen.
6) It's raining and I LOVE it. I love the rain.
7) I'm doing a detox "diet" (I hate to call it that) and I haven't had caffiene, bread, meat, cheese, sugar, etc for 6 days now. What have I had? A TON of fruit and vegetables, brown rice, tofu, beans, water, soy milk, yogurt, etc. Does it work? Well, I definitely had a "detox" moment that we won't go into, and I don't feel as bloated, I'm sure from the lack of bread. I have lost about 4 pounds (probably all water weight, but whatever). I feel like my body will thank me.
8) I'm going on my lunch break, so I'll check back in a few days.

Fug Thursday, Late and with no Photo

2006-08-31T20:46:00.000-05:00

So I was walking this evening with my friend E, and we were catching up on each other's goings on since she no longer works with me (boo!). As we were about to hit the water coolers (RunTex provides water for our hike and bike trail) we see a woman running in what can only be described as a sports bra and bikini bottom. This was no triathalon "bottom". E can back me up on this. It was a skimpy bathing suit bikini bottom. And she was running. That part wouldn't be soooo bad, but as we were taking a sip of water, I almost spit mine out because bikini-lady was stretching with her leg up on a bar. Legs spread, bikini bottom, you get the picture. Lady, I don't want to see your sweaty cooch so put on some shorts when you're in public. Or at least keep your legs closed.

I haven't been around much because I'm working on a huge project at work, and I've been working a lot of overtime. I'm trying to read blogs in my "spare" time, but I don't have time to comment. LYLAS!

You Stink, Revisited

2006-08-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

Grown men should NOT (and I mean NEVER) smell like baby powder. NOT. EVER.

Not What I Paid For

2006-08-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

Since a few people have asked me about the flooring situation, I'll give you a short update. We took Friday off and stained the concrete. All we have left to do is seal it, paint the new drywall, move the furniture back in and call it DONE. I will then be able to park in the damn garage again. There was one tiny glitch in the whole plan. The color we bought was "Golden Wheat". Beige. Like carpet. Here is the sample from the website:

Um, yeah, it came out a rusty orange color. You can still see the old vinyl tile marks, so I'm calling it "Saltillo Tile" and moving on. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. We're going to use the same wheat color in the master, and there's no vinyl tile in there, so I'm betting the color will turn out more true to the picture since there is no adhesive to remove.

Also, in the vein of not what I paid for, we're now being asked to do things at work that we're not getting paid to do. As in, things that a supervisor would normally do. We are now a little over 2 months without a boss, and it has been okay I guess. We recently noticed that our company removed the job ads for our supervisor position from all the career websites which makes me think they have no intention of hiring anyone (I'm smart like that). So, in the meantime, we're being asked to promote our group around the firm. We don't have time. We're supporting 5 offices with 4 people who all do very different things. If I'm gone from my desk for too long, I end up with a billion emails and voicemails. I don't have time or energy (or desire) to schmooze with the higher-ups. So, my co-worker called a meeting with the big-man to talk about salary. If they're not going to hire a supervisor, and we're going to be expected to do the work, then we should at least get an increase in pay to help with the increase in work. Right?

No word yet from my meeting the other day. Tick tock people. One way or the other, just let me know.

Is it just me, but are prices on everyday stuff going up? I swear, I bought the usual stuff at the grocery store last night, and it cost me $171 vs. the normal $120-130. I bought a few extra things, but I also didn't buy any household items like toilet paper or detergent like I normally do. My money just doesn't seem to be going as far as it usually does.

I have 42 sick hours and 77 vacation hours. I'm just saying. And because I have no money (see previous paragraph), I think I'll be taking a week off and sleeping. Any tips on what to do with vacation time (that has to be used) when you have no cash?

Crappity Crap

2006-08-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I'm invited to a good friend's wedding taking place the same day as the blogger blowout. Crap.

My Little "Meeting"

2006-08-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

So I had a "meeting" at noon today. I think most of you know about it. I have to be kind of vague about it. I dunno. It was okay, not great. I wish I could learn not to babble. My head is telling me to SHUT UP, but there goes my mouth, "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH and did I mention BLAH?" The woman was soooo nice, and the vibe was really good. I left with a decent feeling in my gut about everything, except she didn't ask me for my references which I take as a bad sign, and we didn't discuss the most important thing, you know, the stuff you need to pay for things? They did ask me about availability, so I guess that's good. I'm going to send out my thank you notes today, so they will arrive tomorrow. I fully believe that things are meant to be, so if it doesn't happen, then there is something better around the corner. Bonus: I walked 8 blocks in my new 3 inch heels and they didn't hurt my feet!

Hunters, Turn Away Now

2006-08-16T14:44:00.001-05:00

I'm going to get on my soapbox for just a minute. I hate hunting. All hunting. I don't get it and I never will. I've had a good 30 years to think about this. Well, apparently Troy Lee Gentry of the country group Montgomery Gentry bought a bear named Cubby for $4650, put it in a pen, and shot and killed it with a bow and arrow. Like I said before, I don't like ANY kind of hunting, but this is especially bad. It's not really hunting if the bear is in a PEN. To me, this just says he likes to kill stuff. And that's scary. The great part is, he tried to pass it off as a wild bear, and now he's in deep doo doo. If he's convicted, faces five years in federal prison and a $20,000 fine. Good riddance as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and Troy? Let's see how you like being hunted in "the pen" (Ha! Did you catch that pun?? I slay myself!)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/16/people.troyleegentry.ap/index.html

A Long Overdue Bulleted List

2006-08-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

Here are some things that came to me this evening:

I love Careless Whisper (any George Michael, really). Guilty feet, indeed.
I hate the dust and dirt that collects on my sweat when I walk on the hike and bike trail. I end up all gritty and dirty. It's been a two-shower-a-day kind of week.
Central Market's tortilla soup ain't that great.
I love Laughing Cow cheese....any cheese for the most part...
I hope my husband can work enough hours today and tomorrow (he's at work right now) so he can take Friday off with me to finally stain the floor.
I get really pissed and grossed out when one of my darling dogs who shall remain nameless (DULCE) climbs behind the baby gate and CHOWS down on cat poo in the litterbox. She had litter all over her mouth. Ew.
Found out my shitty neighbors tailgated my friend/neighbor all the way to a major thoroughfare, then sped around her, only to get pulled over by a cop on a side street HAHAHA. Karma's a bitch.
I wish I didn't feel guilty about buying a $14.99 shirt at Target.
Why must I have a pimple between my eyes? It's small, but still.
I'm getting excited about the big 3-0.
I really didn't think Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson would break up, but then again, I had high hopes for Dave and Carmen.
Go read this post. Because it's funny. And I can't stop laughing about it.
I need to do something with my dried out wedding bouquet.
I need to tell you about my latest Michael's experience. I'm still pissed about it. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER.
I hate the lyrics to the new Nelly Furtado song. Promiscuous? Come on. Could you TRY to be a little more creative?

I guess that's all I can come up with right now. My camera batteries are d-e-a-d, otherwise I would have shown you my dirt/sock line and my dog's dirty cat litter chin. Aren't you sad you missed THAT!

If You Know Fashion, Apply Within

2006-08-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

The following is a totally hypothetical situation. I LOVE thinking up hypothetical situations. It's like role playing without the stupid skit. So hypothetically, if one has a meeting regarding possible employment at a certain establishment that displays art (but it's not a gallery) what would one wear? The person does not own a suit, and does not have the money to buy one, so that would be out. Here's what I would tell them to wear: black pinstriped pants, bright colored/trendy shirt, short black jacket, long beaded necklace, black pumps? Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Here are some more photos of my dog for those of you are interested:

You're Rude

2006-08-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

Here's my bitch for the day. Say a certain someone (ahem) sets up a requested lunch training for a large group of people. And say 25 people RSVP that they are coming. And say during the next couple of weeks, some people drop out. Cool. The day of, let's say a few more people can't make it. Cool. No biggie. So let's say that 14 people have confirmed the day of that they are coming. RSVP YES. As in WILL BE THERE. And when the training starts, guess how many people show up?

3.

You heard me.

3 fucking people had the decency to show up since they said they would. So here's my REAL bitch. Today, the secretary of one of the asses that DIDN'T show up asked me if I was going to provide training on this certain application. Um, I already did. And there was lunch. And dessert. And the ass you work for didn't show up. Come to think of it, you didn't show up to the staff training I ALSO set up. So now you're demanding that I set up another training?

I'm sorry, I support 4 different computer applications plus training on those applications for 5 offices. I don't have time for your irresponsibility.

Whew, I feel better now.

Everything is Normal

2006-08-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

with the ultrasound, that is. Normal ovaries, normal uterus, normal appendix. The assistant I talked to said, "The doctor wants you to come back if the pain is persistent or worsens." Um, it IS persistent which is why I went to see a doctor in the first place. Fine, have it your way. I guess I'll wait until I have appendicitis, and then I'll be done with all this.

Some small progress is being made on the naked photo front. I'm still walking a lot with my sister (damn it's hot outside) , and I've been adding more elliptical machine to the mix. I did 20 min on Fri, 30 on Sat., and 20 minutes on Sun. That's an extra 700 calories burned! I made the executive decision to stop taking a steroid I was on because it wasn't doing what it supposed to, so maybe that will help a little. I really like how walking has become part of my life. It's not a chore. I totally look forward to it, and I feel healthy which is the most important part.

We have walls! We have baseborads! I would have posted photos, but I can't upload them. The drywallers came on Friday and fixed the holes that were cut from the water leak. The hubs purchased the floor stain and are ready to go! I just have to mop a couple of times tonight, and we can get started. I think we'll have it done by this weekend. If it works, then it's on to the master bedroom. I LOVE NOT HAVING CARPET. I despise carpet. With a passion.
Update:
Before:
After: Before: After:
That's all for now. I need to get some caffiene. TIRED.

Shoes Anyone?

2006-08-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

I found this at Karla May's and I've watched it about 5 times. I made my husband watch it twice, and now he's pissed because he can't stop singing it. It's very Kids in the Hall-esque, so if you don't like that style humor, you might not get this. And then I can't be your friend anymore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XvwaiOtups&eurl=

You are welcome. Shoes.

Awesome

2006-08-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

I just had dinner and drinks with Lucky to go over the photos she took of Dulce, one of my dogs. She is so awesome. I'm sure you saw this one on her site (which is one of my favorites):

Here's another one. If you look REALLY closely, you will see a bit of Dulce's tongue hanging out:

There are so many good ones, it's hard to choose which ones I want. I want all of them! Anyway, I think she's great, and she's so much fun. I found out I'm only 2 days older than her!!! Weird. I can only imagine what will happen when we attend the Dallas Blogger Blowout in October. It should be interesting...

Your Girls Look, Um, Sad

2006-08-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

This is no better than lingerie. Put some fucking clothes on when you're in public. At the very LEAST put on a bra. Your girls will thank you. Oh, and that lipstick color does NOTHING for you. Just a tip. That is all.

Stolen Fun

2006-08-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

I got this from Lori...

9 Lasts...
1. Last place you were: Home
2. Last drug used: Synthroid/Cytomel
3. Last beverage: Coffee
4. Last kiss: Doc (the dog) licked my nose
5. Last movie seen: Broken Flowers (terrible ending)
6. Last phone call: To my husband
7. Last cd played: Depeche Mode (I LOVE them, FYI.)
8. Last bubble bath: Last year, I'm sure
9. Last time you cried: Sunday

8 Have You Evers...
1. Have you ever dated someone twice: yes
2. Have you ever been cheated on: Not that I know of, but I'm sure it's possible it happened
3. Have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it? Yes
4. Have you ever fallen in love: Yes
5. Have you ever lost someone: Yes
6. Have you ever been depressed: Down, yes, but not full on depressed
7. Have you ever been out of the country: Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and a few other countries I can't remember. My dad likes to travel.
8. Have you ever been on TV: No

7 States You've Been To...
1. California
2. New Mexico
3. Nevada
4. New York
5. Illinois
6. Colorado
7. Louisiana

6 Things You've Done Today...
1. Blogged
2. Kissed my husband
3. Checked my email
4. Wondered why I'm still doing my job
5. Edited a database
6. Had a good laugh with a co-worker

5 Favorite Things...
1. My family and dogs
2. SLEEPING IN
3. Shoes
4. Getting real mail
5. Coffee in bed

4 People You Can Tell Almost Anything...
1. My sister
2. The Rockstar
3. My mom
4. Weezie, E and H...it's a toss up

3 Favorite Colors...
1. Red
2. Black
3. Pink

2 things you want to do before you die...
1. Figure out what I'm good at and do it for a living
2. Take a two week vacation

1 thing you regret...
1. Although I firmly believe that things happen for a reason, I wouldn't have let that semi-one night stand turn into a four year relationship.

I Can't Heart That

2006-08-01T17:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, I love a good bumper sticker. I really do. I think my favorite was "No One Died When Clinton Lied" and "Bush Made me a Democrat". Not that I was ever Republican, but I like that one when I see it. Because I think, wow, that person is SMART! Another favorite of mine is "George Bush is not from Texas!" We all know the truth. That being said, everyone is entitled to their opinion, BUT today when driving to the doctor I saw one that says "I *heart* Gitmo". Um, what? And they were serious, too. There were a ton of Bush and Perry stickers covering the back of the truck. Who *hearts* denying people their fundamental right to due process of law? WHO?

I read on Wikipedia that on the "10th of June 2006 three Guantánamo Bay detainees committed suicide. The military reported the men hanged themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothes. One of the men was first detained when he was a juvenile. They each had been imprisoned for the past four years, but never charged with a crime. Before June 10th there had been 41 suicide attempts at the camp."

And you seriously *heart" that? Because I think it's sick and represents everything that's wrong with our country right now.

I'm Going With Appendix....

2006-08-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

You might remember my recent post about the issue I had getting an appointment with my lady-doctor to talk about some pain AND doing my annual exam. Today's the day I'm supposed to go in for the pain, but here's the deal. It's not really pain so much as pressure. It's been happening for a long time, but it was so random (once every twos weeks or so) and lasted a few seconds, so I chalked it up to gas or a random cramp. Starting the week before last, it became a constant. It's like pressure or a dull ache. And sometimes it throbs, but it doesn't hurt. It's very hard to explain. It's right around the lower right-hand part of my abdomen, so of course my first thought is my ovary. I did some googling, and it's also very close to my appendix. I'm trying not to worry, but all I can think about is ovarian cancer. Nevermind that I have none of the risk factors and only one of the symptoms. I'm a worrier, what can I say. Anyway, 11:30 can't get here fast enough. All I want is an answer so my mind can calm down a bit.

Update: I'm back and feeling a little better, even though I don't really know any more than I did this morning. My doctor (whom I adore---I don't think I mentioned that yet) did a pelvic exam (a very thorough one, I might add) and couldn't tell anything, so I have to schedule an ultrasound to see if there are any cysts, etc. She had me show her the exact spot of the pressure and she said it was directly where my appendix is, although it could be a cyst coming off my ovary. If the ultrasound doesn't reveal anything, then they do a laproscopy so they can actually SEE what's going on, and at that point, they will take out my appendix. She said even if it doesn't look funny or inflamed, 9 times out of 10, the pain goes away with the removal of the appendix. Huh. I guess I won't know more until next week. And one last thing....I weighed 4 pounds less than I did at home. Go figure. My scale is going in the trash. It obviously sucks.

Adventures in Adhesive

2006-07-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

We're almost done removing the floor adhesive in the guest bedroom. Almost. Here's what we started with. Wet, mildewing, smelly carpet:

We pulled up the carpet and padding to find 30-year-old vinyl tile (you can't see the tile. I accidentally deleted a bunch of photos off my camera. Oooops.)

We were left with black adhesive:

Um, okay. Here's our after photo:

Not great, but not terrible. I think we're going to have to make a second pass at it before we can stain it and make it look like this:

As I type, my husband is pulling up the cat-pee carpet in the hallway. Praise Jeebus.

That's all I've got right now. I'll post more photos when we actually attempt the stain.

P.S. I'm up one pound since I started walking to try and get into shape for the naked photos. I'm so sad. I don't know what to do. Basically I changed nothing about my lifestyle other than adding exercise 3-5 times a week. Tell me how that makes one GAIN weight?

You Stink

2006-07-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting at my desk, and a certain person just came over to talk to a co-worker and he is wearing so much cologne I think I'm going to gag. Not only is he wearing too much, it just flat out stinks in general. LEAVE MY SPACE. GET OUT. YOU'RE STANDING 10 FEET FROM ME AND YOU DON'T KNOW I'M TYPING THIS. I WISH I COULD SCREAM THE THINGS I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS. Gah. I can't explain how bad it is. I know I could get up and leave, but it's MY DESK and MY SPACE. This is why cubes suck. Get me out of this place. Oh WHEW he just left. I wonder how long the stink will linger.
Props to Monica for quoting Anchorman, one of my all-time favorite movies. Formidable scent, indeed.

In other news, my wonderful husband has almost finished getting up the adhesive in the spare bedroom. (Sidenote: I really hope it wasn't asbestos tile that we found under the carpet. The house was built in 1973, a good year after asbestos was banned, but what do you want to bet some builders had some extra tile and shingles to get rid of and just continued to use it until it ran out? Oh well, I didn't breathe in TOO much during this process. Cough. Cough.) I think we might be able to start the staining process this weekend! I really hope this works because we will have saved so much cash. It was a royal pain in the ass, BUT we're not poor because of it. And there isn't any tile under the hallway carpet, so I'm hoping that continues into the other bedrooms. I don't want to deal with adhesive again. I'll post some photos soon.
Here's the color for the bedrooms (it's basically the same color carpet we had):

And the living room color will be one of the following (although the thought of dealing with a larger space makes me want to throw up a little):

Oh, I totally missed Project Runway last night so no spoilers!!!!!

Insurance - Need it, Hate it

2006-07-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

So here's a good one for your Tuesday reading pleasure. I tried to make an appointment for my annual lady-parts exam AND so that my doctor can check out a pain I've been having in my abdomen. Seems simple enough, no? The appointment lady (AL) says, "We can't schedule you for an annual exam and a general exam at the same time." Um, excuse me? I said, "Hmmmm, that's weird." I mean, don't people normally "save up" some questions for their doctor so they can get it taken care of all at once? I can't talk to my doctor about more than one problem in one visit?

The AL goes on to say that insurance companies are starting to not cover exams in which more than one issue is covered.

What the shit is that? I have to make TWO appointments and pay TWO co-pays for something that can be covered in ONE exam. It seems like they are making more paperwork, more hassles and wasting money for everyone involved. AL went ahead and scheduled me for the general exam, since the pain is more important than the annual, and she offered to check with my insurance company to see if they would cover everything at once. Sheesh. Why is it so hard to get your parts looked at?

Update: I totally should have waited to ask her in person, but I'm so dippy when I'm at the doctor I forget my questions and fail to mention important things. I have a history of doing this. I really don't know if it's the insurance co. or the office, but I'm inclined to think the office. Why would the insurance want to pay for two visits? It doesn't make any sense. All I know is, I'm going on Tuesday for the pain (I'm hoping there is nothing wrong with my ovary), and maybe I can sweet talk her into a pelvic exam. If I have a few drinks before hand, I could be extra flirtly.

Lifer

2006-07-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

I stole this from SFG, and I totally knew how it would turn out. I'm such a lifer right now it's not even funny. In my defense, I'm currently taking a class on finding my perfect career and so far, it has been pretty interesting. The first class basically reaffirmed that that I need to be doing something creative or working for a company that does something creative. Nothing about my current job is creative except for the rare Powerpoint presentation I create every now and then. In the end, those jobs usually get ruined because the person for which I'm creating the presentation has waited until the last minute and is in a total hurry, therefore squashing any creativity I could have used. I want to go back to school, but the prospect of going back at nights, taking one or two classes at a time, and taking 6 years to get my masters is a hideous proposition to me. I like things to be efficient. I like succintness. I'm impatient. Working part time isn't an option, either. Gah. I should have gone straight through when I was in my 20s. I never understood why people did that, and I now I TOTALLY get it.

I'm a Lifer!

To you, a job is what pays the bills. You put in your hours, follow the rules, and then go home. Occasionally, you consider quitting, but then you think of how bad the job market is and you reconsider. Whatever happiness you get, you get from your life outside the workplace. Relationships, family, hobbies, and outside creative pursuits are what really matter to you. You're probably taking this test at work because you don't have anything better to do.

Talent: 33%
Lifer: 67%
Mandarin: 28%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Yippee, it's Friday!

2006-07-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Random thoughts for Friday:

I met with Lucky yesterday morning for the doggy photo shoot. I had so much fun, aside from the heat and my sweaty face. She is such an awesome person. So calm and nice. And she seemed to LOVE Dulce, which is the way to my heart. She sent me one of the photos last night, and it is incredible. She totally captured "it" if you know what I mean.

My good friend E became an aesthetician not too long ago, and she just got her dream job at a great spa, so congrats E! I'm so happy for you!

I have been watching Felicity (SHUT IT) on Netflix and it makes me sad. Not the fact that I'm watching it....the show itself makes me sad. I can't explain it, but I feel like I totally wasted my college experience. Watching that show makes me want to go back and do it all over again.

Very little progress is being made on the stained cement flooring in the guest bedroom. I will be an adhesive removing fool tomorrow and Sunday.

We are still boss-less at work. It's weird.

My husband took our male dog to the vet yesterday. Doc has to wear a muzzle because he gets snappy with the vet techs when they get close to his nails or his hiney. Those are no-go zones for him. No touchy-touchy. The tech kinda got shitty and seemed to imply that we never walk Doc because his nails are so long. My husband wanted to punch him in the face. We walk him about 3 times a week, but his nails are so hard, the asphalt doesn't wear them down like most dogs. So as they were leaving the vet, Doc pissed on their door. Nice.

Our sick cat is still peeing in the hallway. I have ceased to care. I'm in la-la land (you know, fingers in my ears and singing la-la-la-la-la). We are ripping up the carpet this weekend and will be staining the cement along with the bedroom floor.

I have been walking about 3-6 times a week, mostly 4 miles at a time, and I have yet to lose a pound. I am officially discouraged.

I made Kami's banana bread again, and it turned out totally different than the last time, but equally as delicious. Not sure what I did differently. It's more pound cake-y and less banana bread-y. Very pale.

My husband and I went to dinner last night, and there was a kid singing the "Move It" song from Madagascar (we loved that movie). Anyway, he actually smiled, laughed and said it was "pretty cute". Um, who are you and what did you do with my husband? Kids usually annoy the crap out of him. I have to admit it was sexy.

Hey Carrie, I need to know some good condos in Port A that take dogs...any suggestions?

That's about all I got right now.

Hot Shit and Butt Sweat

2006-07-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

Most of you won't remember this post about how hot it was last September. That's okay because I will give you basically the same post today, but abbreviated. It's motherfucking hot outside. H-O-T. As in melt-your-eyeballs-right-out-of-their-sockets hot. I think it's supposed to be 101 today, but it will feel like 108 in the shade. That's insane-o. I know I choose to live here, so if I don't like it, I should leave. Weezie did just that, and I'm a tad jealous. I took this afternoon off of work, and I need to go run errands, but I'm stalling because I know that just walking to and from my car, I will have terrible butt sweat. Good thing there aren't any of the paps following me around. I would hate to have one of these floating around the internets:

I also have tomorrow morning off of work and I'm meeting with Lucky so she can do her magic and photograph one of our crazy dogs. I can't wait! Hope you are all staying cool. (Oh, and I chose that picture of Carmen Electra over Fergie or Jenny McCarthy because I'm MAD at her and Dave Navarro for splitting up. I thought those crazy kids had a chance. I really did.)

A Bitch Slap in the Making

2006-07-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

I think someone needs to bitch slap Malan. If you don't know who I'm talking about, then you should. Because then we can gossip about how terribly horrible he is. And it will be fun!! His pretentious nature and haughty looks guarantee that I will yell out something like, "Fuck yeah, motherfucker!! Take that!!! You like that?? Oh yeah. SUCK ON THAT" when he gets cut. Not that I've thought about it or anything. Oh, and I love Robert. He's the Nick of the 3rd season. Le sigh. (Yes, I realize I stole that from Pink is the New Blog, shut it.)

Mandy

2006-07-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

So here's the deal. This puppy is available for adoption from the rescue organization where we got our two dogs. And I love her. And I want her. But I know we can't have her. We have enough pets right now, and puppies are A TON of work. I'm just saying...look at that face. It makes me happy to know that someone will snatch her up right away and she will have a wonderful family.

She and her siblings were found at the same junkyard where our first dog was found. They had parvo and unfortunately, all her brothers passed away. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same breeder who dumped our heeler and her puppies. He apparently just breeds heelers in his backyard, and dumps the ones he can't sell. I'm glad she was saved because LOOK AT HER.

I'm sorry but I do not agree with breeders of any kind....."responsible" or otherwise. There are already too many dogs in this world without homes. There is no reason to purposely breed more.

Hell Has Frozen Over

2006-07-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Adam Corrolla is my new hero. I normlly hate him and pretty much think he's a gross piglet, but he HUNG UP on Ann Coulter which makes him okay in my book. You can listen to an mp3 of the call here. It is truly priceless.

The Kid Has No Manners

2006-07-05T22:44:00.000-05:00

But we didn't really raise her (she was two when we got her) so we can't be held accountable for the crazy...

(Gimme biscuits and no one gets hurt.)

Kami Don't Lie

2006-07-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

OMG, I just made the banana bread recipe that Kami had on her blog awhile back. HOLY CRAP it is good. Really good. I didn't have any sour cream, so I substituted non-fat vanilla yogurt and I don't think it made a bit of difference. It's moist (EWWWWW, I HATE that word) and dense and delicious. Kami, you were right, I'll never go back!

So, I got up this morning and walked with my sister, then grabbed some coffee and came home. The plan was to watch Days of Our Lives. Turn on the TV and damn tennis was on. The ONE day I can watch my soaps, tennis has to be on, so I made the banana bread, mopped the kitchen and bathroom (with a mop! and a bucket! and soap! It doesn't happen very often, I'm afraid) and vacuumed the house then ate a piece of banana bread. YUM. I checked back, and lo and behold, they're playing Days late! Woo hoo! So after that, I'm going to walk the dogs, take a shower and take a nap. Can't wait. The only thing that would make it perfect is if it would rain while I was sleeping. Have a great fourth!

Slow as Dirt

2006-07-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

I don't know if that's a real saying, but I'm sitting at my desk, and it's slow as dirt. Most everyone took a vacation day, but I decided to let my co-worker have the day off since he had to work on Saturday. It's just me and one other guy. Since we are boss-less, our HR manager came down here to "check on us". I think she was verifying that we showed up. I wish I had a deck of cards. Or a book. Or a crossword puzzle. I usually copy the one from the paper, but some jackass stole the Life and Arts section. People can be so rude. Anyone else at work?

Naked Photo Update

2006-07-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on what I've been doing to get ready for the Naked Photos. Starting from last weekend, here's what I've done:

Friday: Walked 4 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Saturday: Walked almost 3 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Sunday: Walked 4 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Monday: Walked 4 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Tuesday: Pilates
Wednesday: Visitor arrived, so I did nothing.
Thursday: Bowling with the family. Sad thing is, my arm is SO sore.
Friday: Walked 4 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Today: Walked 4 miles with my sister on hike and bike trail
Tomorrow: If it doesn't rain, we're going to do a 20 mile bike ride. If it rains, I'm going to the gym.

I feel like I've been moving my ass A LOT. It totally helps that my sister is always up for walking with me. I haven't gotten on the scale because I don't want to go by numbers alone, and I FEEL better and not as bloated. My ass seems a little less jiggly? We'll see. I'll probably weigh sometime next week.

I also made blueberry pancakes this morning (I'm on a blueberry kick since they are the #1 antioxidant and are supposed to be fabulous for your skin.) Here's the evidence. I have to say, they were DARN tasty.
And here's a random photo for HollowSquirrel:

This little guy was tormenting my dogs and looked quite pleased about doing so. My dogs were glued to the back door until Mr. Squirrel decided to run away:

The Ability to Sense Ass

2006-06-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Rump-dar: The ability to sense a nice, ample rump from 500 yards away.

Yes, my dear husband told me last night that he has great rumpdar. That he can just sense a nice booty. As though it's his special power. Who am I to argue?

(Yeeeaaaaah, I'm sensing a great rump right now. I can't see it, but I know it's close.)

Update

2006-06-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

You know the neighbors I wrote about last weekend? Well the broken down truck is gone, and has been replaced with a Corvette. Are you shitting me? Meth lab, I swear.

Ho-leeeeeee Crap and TMI

2006-06-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

I realized about noon today that my monthly visitor had not made her appearance. And she always appears at the same time, same day, every month. With. Out. Fail. By four this afternoon, I was frantic. You know what my first thought was......shit, I made a baby, shit, shit, shit. Shit. But, I guess she was just feeling slugglish, kinda like me, cause she's here. And I'm breathing again.

Thank you

2006-06-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

It's nice to know so many of you have my back. The whole thing was a huge misunderstanding, there were apologies and everything is fine. I went to pilates and the grocery store, watched an episode of Scrubs (that's our current Nexflix choice) which I LOVE (Hellooooo JD), did a crossword and went to bed at 10:30. I'm feeling much better this morning. Now let's hope nobody goes and screws it up. I want to have a happy humpday. And really, I just wanted to say hump.

I hope you all have a lovely day. And seriously, if you ever get into a street fight a la Anchorman, I got your back, too.

Trapped

2006-06-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

I am so annoyed, confused and angry right now I could scream. Or cry. I'm shaking and THIS close to giving someone a piece of my mind. And if I did, I would get fired. Then I wouldn't have a job and the mortgage wouldn't get paid. So I sit here, angry, and do nothing except fight back tears of frustration. Why can't everyone just do what they want for a living and make enough money to live comfortably? It would make the world a much better place.

Shut Up

2006-06-24T10:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Rude Ass Neighbors:

We woke up at 4:20 this morning to the AWESOME sounds of partying in your backyard. Which is literally 6-7 feet from our bedroom window. You had a fire going (which, I might add, is totally unnecessary in Texas in June) and you were LOUD. I mean MOTHERFUCKING LOUD. Laughing, fighting, crying....I couldn't tell. After about 20 minutes I realized you weren't just out there for a smoke break, so I called 311 (non-emergency emergency) on your asses. Yes, that was me. And I stood in the bathroom peeking out the window in hopes of seeing you get busted. The cop came about 5 am and I could hear him tell you guys that PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING. Do you not comprehend that partying outside at 4 am is unacceptable? I know you are Australian, and I LOVE a good accent as much as the next lady, but IT'S NOT CUTE OR SEXY AT 4AM.

Let me explain since you obvoisly haven't grasped this yet.

This neighborhood was built in the early 70s and many of the original homeowners remain. They are in their 60s. It is a really quiet neighborhood which is why we love it. So STOP FUCKING HAVING PARTIES AT 4am. It's rude and it's annoying. Get some fucking manners...And one more thing, despite the fact that I KNOW you exist, I've never actually seen you. Is your house a meth lab? Are you laundering money through your "building company"? And about that. Do you really need 4 vehicles and a trailer? You continue to park in front of our house and THAT is also starting to piss me off because when I look out my front window, I see this (the orange car on the right that you can barely see is theirs too):

Or this:

Hey guess what. That truck hasn't sold in over a year, so you might want to give up the dream. And that white trailer just annoys the crap out of me (what you can't see in the picture is that there is another red truck on the street on the other side of the trailer).

In conclusion, you're loud, weird and take up too much space. I want you to acquire a fence door and remove the dishwasher from the side of your house. You are bringing down the value of your home and mine. Yeah, let's work on that.

Regards,

Your Pissy yet Sweet Neighbor and her Equally Annoyed Husband

You Better Watch Out...

2006-06-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

Cause here comes my new body. Let me explain, I'm not getting new boobs. I had dinner with the fabulous Lucky the other night. She is a really talented photographer, and she's going to take NAKED PHOTOS of me. I'm planning this as a gift for a certain someone *cough, cough*. No, they're for my HUSBAND you dirty-minded hags. Anyhoo, I scheduled the photo session in August so that I have a little less than two months to get my bod into rockin' shape. This should be interesting since I've never had what one might consider a rockin' bod.......and the closer I get to 30 the slower my metabolism seems to get......and I'm on a steroid that "could cause significant weight gain".

Whatevs.

I'm hopeful! I can do it! I want to be healthy! I only want to lose 10-15 pounds! I can do it, right? RIGHT? TELL ME I'M RIGHT!

So here's where I am with this whole "rockin' body" thing. I'm not denying myself any food (except for things like free doughnuts which we have 5 boxes of at work this morning), but I am practicing portion control which is hard for me because I can EAT! A lot! More than my husband! He's 6'1"! I'm 5'2"! It's quite freakish actually. And I'm strangely proud of it.

I am walking the dogs every day because they deserve it, and it's a good extra 30-40 minutes of cardio for me. See? I'm smart, too. Killing 2 birds with one sweaty stone. I'm either waking up and going to the gym (which hasn't happened yet...SHUT UP) or riding my bike which I did Wednesday morning. I went to pilates last night AND did the elliptical machine for 30 minutes AND walked the dogs. I came home and my husband had made brownies. Shit, shit, shit. I ate ONE SERVING. Do you know how hard that is?? I do cause I did it. And it was hard. Like really hard. I woke up this morning and walked the dogs at 6:20, and I'm going to walk 4 miles around the lake with my sister this evening. Whew. I WILL do this.

I am determined to do this, not only for the NAKED PHOTOS but because I want to be healthy. And I've found that the more I work out, the more energetic (and calmer) I am. I don't want to be a slug that sits around on the couch (I AM part slug btw. It's a documented fact). I want to be active and healthy and take pride in my body because, I hate to be cliche, you really do only get one body in this lifetime. I'm trying to make nice with my body because I smoked for 10 years, and did some serious partying. I was a terrible ho to my body for a long time. So, in summary, I want to look good in the NAKED PHOTOS and I also want to be around for a long time. Wish me luck. Hold me accountable. If I post about wanting to give up, tell me you won't be my friend anymore. That should do it....or send me into a brownie eating shame spiral. It's a 50-50 chance, really.

Because You Never Get to See Them....

2006-06-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

I know that I have subjected you to numerous photos of my dogs over the past year, but rarely do I give you my cats. So here you go. Photos of the momma, Sasha, and her baby, Sonja (the sick one). You can thank me later:

What? What's that you say?. Didn't quite catch their cuteness the first time around? Hmmm, well take a closer look:

Yeah, they'll kill you with cuteness. It almost breaks my heart. Almost. Then momma will wake up and scratch your eyes out while "the baby" will poop on the floor. Literally. I'm not joking. Sigh. I guess they can't be cute ALL the time.

I would have also given you a photo of our other cat Diabla, but she is outside, probably killing a bird or pooping in the front flower bed. Other than a terrible game of Scrabble, you're looking at my Friday night. Goodnight and good evening.

P.S. So I guess I'm still blogging. The cats willed me to do it. It's all their fault!!! Blame them if you must blame someone.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2006-06-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

I have thought many times about getting rid of my blog. I think a lot of us have either wanted to quit or start over with a more anonymous profile. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done so many things differently with this blog. Like not tell certain people about it. I still go back and forth about telling my parents about my blog, but I don't because know I would censor myself even more than I already do. This post and this post are great thoughts on some reasons why blogging can suck, and can safely say I have felt some of their feelings. There are so many times that I just can't come up with anything good to write about, or I've been on the computer all day at work, and I just can't bear to sit in front of the computer at home, too. I really love reading blogs, but sometimes the commenting seems like work, even though I really want to comment. I just don't always have time to be as thorough as I would like. Thoughts? Feelings? Comments (hee hee, yes that was supposed to be funny)?

Grody to the Max

2006-06-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

I have a sort of love/hate thing going on with meat (insert immature laughing here).

It started at a young age when I was designated the "hard spot finder in ground beef" in the family. Every time my mom cooked with ground beef, I would always find some gristle-y, boney piece of nastiness. I knew I didn't like it, but as a kid, you kinda eat what is given to you. I also grossed out hard when I found some sort of veiny looking thing in chicken, but that wasn't as bad as the hard spots in the beef.

A few years ago, I finally decided not to eat beef or pork anymore. Basically, I found the thought of ingesting the skeletal muscle of cute barnyard animals, well, gross. After about a year, I took chicken and turkey out of the equation, too. So there was lots of fish, tofu and dairy being eaten in the Nappy household. (Don't get me wrong, my husband is a big ole meat eater, except for chicken. It gives him the heebs, too.)

After a year or so of that, I just felt like I needed more protein, so I went back to eating chicken and turkey. All has been well, except today, when I bit into a NASTY piece of chicken in my Lean Cuisine Chicken Fettucine Alfredo. I almost gagged at the texture. I spit it out and mistakenly SAW it which grossed me out even more. So, folks, I think I'm going to have to give it up again. It just sicks me out toooo much.

Here's my dilemma. I think too much dairy contributes to my break-outs. And I really think I tend to eat more sugar when I'm not eating as much protein. Anyone have any bright ideas? I'm tired of thinking about it today.

All About ME, ME, ME

2006-06-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks SFG for giving me the idea for this post.

TxMom asked: If someone gave you $10,000 and told you that you MUST spend it on yourself (not charity, not gifts, not house stuff), what would you do with it?
Well, I would follow in the footsteps of What Not to Wear, and spend a few grand on clothes. Good clothes. And shoes. I would take a really nice trip for a few weeks with my husband, somewhere we could take our dogs with us. With half the money left, I would spend the rest on starting my masters degree.

Wendy asked: Hmmm. I've been wondering about your mention of shoes in your profile. What's the most you've ever paid for a pair of shoes?
Great question, and funny you should ask. I just had a conversation with my good friend E about how much we'll spend on shoes. I am a HUGE bargain hunter, so the most I've ever spent is probably $80 for boots. My latest bargain was a pair of camel Nine West wedges on clearance at Ross for $17.99. I don't like spending over $30 on shoes unless they're a wardrobe staple (good black pumps or boots). I hope that wasn't disappointing.

TBG asked: If you had kids what would you name them?
If we have a girl, Addison May or Addison Ann. (Family names). If it's a boy, Simon or Max. The Rockstar and I agree on the girl's names, but he has vetoed the boy names.

Shangie asked: Have you ever "been with" or made out with a woman? You had to know that would be our question;) And then Kami asked: OOOOOOHHHH, I second Shangie's question.
Nope!! Not even one little kiss! I do have crushes on Elizabeth Hurley and Evangeline Lilly, so if I ever meet them, who knows!! I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind.

HollowSquirrel asked: ok seriously people. How can you follow that question? My "who is your favorite Harry Potter character" just seems so lame now...
Not lame at all!! I LOVE Harry Potter. Harry is actually my favorite character. So humble and sweet :) I love his goofiness, but he's not as disheveled as Ron. (Just FYI, HollowSquirrel is my new favorite blog right now so check her out!) (Oh, and HollowSquirrel? JACK IS MINE!!!! Don't you forget it.)

Isabel asked: Um...what's your favorite kind of Hostess Pie?
Oh my, I haven't had one in a really long time, but I'm going to have to go with cherry. I loves me some cherry pie. I like the Warrant song too, but that's a different post altogether.

Lori asked: If money were no object, what job would you want?
I would love to work at a no-kill shelter. I adore animals and would have at least 5 dogs if I had the space, time and money. I already have the heart.

Amy asked: Where in the world would you like to go on your next vacation?
Definitely a beach somewhere I've never been like Fiji or the Bahamas. Someplace like TKW just went in Mexico wouldn't be half bad, either. I love the slow pace of a beach community.

SFG asked: If you could change lives with someone just for a day, who would it be and why?
Please don't expect anything deep because this is going to sound shallow. I would like to be someone really, really rich that doesn't work for it but not someone who is chased around by paparazzi. I would like to know if it feels as shallow as it looks to most people or if it is as great as I imagine it.

Sweatpantsmom asked: Where did NapQueen and Queen of Napville come from? Do you like to nap? Do you nap frequently? If so, do you prefer napping in bed or on the couch? With Oprah on or off? Before or after the afternoon cocktail? Okay, I'm done.
I truly love a good nap. In the bed. Without Oprah. Definitely in the afternoon, and usually not after a cocktail, unless I'm on vacation. I have loved napping since I was a teen. (Ironically, I hated it as a child, and would do anything to get out of it. I think I caused my mom a lot of heartache.) I love sleeping in a semi-dark room, AC blowing (aka summertime), two pillows, a down comforter and preferably a dog or two snuggled with me. I really love it when I sleep so hard that I wake up disoriented about time and location. And 10-30 minute naps don't count. Uh-uh. I won't accept anything under an hour and a half. More points for drooling. In fact, I'm drooling right now just thinking about it. Okay, I'm off to sleep.

Thanks for playing everyone!!

Copy Cat

2006-06-09T19:16:00.000-05:00

I'm totally copying my girl SFG. Ask me anything you want in the comments section, and I will try to answer as honestly as possible. Please play!! This will be fun, I swear!!

Goodbye and Good Luck

2006-06-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my boss' last day. I am S-A-D. I consider her not only my supervisor, but my friend. I can tell her about the cute things my pets do, when I'm annoyed with a co-worker, or ask her for help with any project comes that comes along. She is, to be blunt, AWESOME. Again, I am sad. She got an incredible opportunity to move up north to do what she does best, and I couldn't be more happy or excited for her. Having lived in C-town for a very short time, I really think she is going to love it. And her cutey-pie kids are going to love it too because they get to see snow, REAL LIVE SNOW! It's our firm's loss and I hope they know it. I won't go into detail, because I don't want to get dooced, but we are soooo screwed without her. My daily work routine is going to be so strange come Monday. There is going to be this gaping hole. I'm going to miss talking shoes, co-workers, legitimate work projects, clothes, husbands, kids, and pets with her. She's one of the most real, fun, funny, sarcastic people I have ever met, and I will miss her. A lot. So L, here's to you *raising my glass (seriously, I'm drinking wine)*, you will be TERRIBLY missed. And don't think I won't be coming to visit because I will. Sooner than you think. I'm just a few vodka sodas, 3 Xanax and one flight (or six if I fly Southwest) away from being in there! Take care. We miss you already.

Nature is a Ho

2006-06-06T22:38:00.000-05:00

This morning, as my husband was leaving for work, I heard all sorts of squawking coming from the front yard. I peeked out the front door and saw two birds flying around our trees and making a huge racket. And when I say huge, I mean LOUD AS SHIT.

Exhibit A: Mama or Papa Bird:

I also saw my cat in the front flower bed looking quite scared and trying to make a break for it.
Exhibit B: Diabla (sorry, I couldn't get one of her in the front yard):

You see, a baby bird had fallen out of its warm, comfy nest and our darling cat was most likely about to eat it. My husband saved it just in time. He picked it up with a paper towel (even though you can touch baby birds, apparently birds don't have a very well developed sense of smell), put it back in the tree and headed off to work. I herded our cat inside and even though she was glad to be rid of the dive-bombing birds, she was meowing at the top of her lungs because she knew there was a baby bird outside ripe for the eatin'. I realize that's nature, but sometimes nature is a crack whore you'd rather not deal with.

To make a long story short, I glanced out the window and there lay the paper towel on the ground. Crappity crap. I went out there (in my piggy pajamas), put him/her in a bowl and put it back in the tree. (Sidenote: About this time, I looked up to see my Harley riding, braided hair, bandana wearing, ZZ Top looking neighbor looking at me. Um, yeah dude, don't judge. Pig pajamas are AWESOME especially when you're not wearing a bra. Whatever.) Anyway, the bird immediately flew/flopped out of the bowl and on to the ground. Shit. This time I put it in one of our flower pots so it would be closer to the ground...mind you, the parent birds were flying overhead and making a racket the entire time. They were NOT happy that someone was messing with their kid.

Exhibit C: CUTE ASS BABY BIRD:

OMG, it was breaking my heart even though, in this photo, it appears to be looking at me with total disdain, as if to say,"Feed me you crazy ass bitch. After all, it was YOUR cat that almost devoured me feet and all." It would just look up at me and throw its mouth open as if I had a stash of random worms and bugs to toss in the gaping, weird, rubber-band-looking mouth hole.

When I left for work, it was no where to be seen. I choose to believe he learned to fly and went back to the nest. Yes ma'am, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Cute, huh?

2006-06-05T17:36:00.000-05:00

So I changed my template. It was about time, I know. Thanks to Miss Zoot. Her templates are soooo cute. And I also know that the posts are down at the bottom. Eh. I'll get around to fixing that later. Right now I'm about to leave work and face 95 degree weather and a car with a black interior. Good times.

*Okay, the posts look right to me now. Let me know if something looks funky to you. I appreciate it :)

* I tried pasting my Flickr badge code into my template, and it moved my entire sidebar over to the left side. Why did it do that? Any thoughts or ideas?

Another Stupid List

2006-05-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some things I feel I need to put down on paper (so to speak):

* Seeing my friend pregnant REALLY made me want to have a baby. Seeing her WITH her baby made me change my mind. Her baby is sweet and precious and beautiful and she's a great mom, but it's not for me....not yet.

* Sometimes, I really despise the 9-5 work environment. I mean, REALLY despise it. Unless work is playing with my dogs or being with family and friends, then yes, I despise it. Mostly because many co-workers bug the shit out of me. (Sidenote: I H-A-T-E it when people insist on playing phone tag and refuse to email me or give me some sort of clue as to what they need. "Hi, this is Jackass, call me back!".....grrrrr.....and what praytell, do you need?)

* On a related note, when I'm taking a personal day, I find that I am obsessed with knowing what the people around me are also doing off of work. Or do they work at all? What do they do that allows them to be running on the hike and bike trail at 10 am? Who goes to Starbucks with friends at 2 in the afternoon? I know, I know, a lot of them could be like me and have the day off, but not ALL of them.

* I really love my husband. I mean REALLY love him. Sometimes it makes my heart hurt. We argue, sure, but we don't name call and we're not mean to each other. He looks at me as though I am the most beautiful creature in the world and I love it.

* I think pilates is my favorite way to exercise, yet I can't make myself go to the classes or watch the DVDs. What's up with that? I KNOW it works faster on my body than any other exercise method, so why can't I make it to two classes a week? Sometimes I piss myself off.

* I worry all the time about where I will be in 10, 20 and 30 years. I know I've said it before, but I'm afraid of being the grandma working at McDonald's because that's my only choice.

* I need to speak up more when I disagree with people. I'm kind of a wuss. I like to tell myself I pick my battles wisely, but I really just hate to rock the boat.

Not the greatest post, but it made me feel better and it's my blog, so there.

Happy Birthday!

2006-05-29T11:02:00.001-05:00

The Rockstar turns 29 today. Happy Birthday baby!

(Just in case you're curious, last night we had pizza, salad and chocolate cake and it was all awesome. No salmon to be seen anywhere.)

Pizza, Noooo, Salmon, No, Wait, Pizza....

2006-05-24T12:56:00.000-05:00

The Rockstar's 29th birthday is coming up soon, and his mom wants o have us over to dinner for some grilled salmon and birthday cake. Great, sounds good to me. On Mother's Day, however, Kris told his mom to just order some pizza, that way everyone would be happy. He would get to eat his favorite food, and she wouldn't have to clean up. She seemed really happy with that decision. We decided to get a meaty and a veggie pizza from a local place that has the best pizzas. Done and done.

Or so I thought.

So the other day, she asked the hubby what he wanted to go along with his salmon.....uh, well, hmmmm. He told her he thought we were having pizza? She remembered. Okay, NOW we're all good. Then his dad called him and said, "Hey your mom said we're having salmon. Can I bring anything?" He had to explain, that no, we're having pizza and everything has been settled. So then, MIL emails me and asks the name of the place where we're getting the pizza. I emailed her back with the phone number and the names of the pizzas we had planned on getting.

Not two days later the MIL calls the hubby and asks him what he wants to go with his salmon.

I give up.

DH

2006-05-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Any of you watch the Desperate Housewives finale? If Mike is dead, which I know he CAN'T possibly be, I will stop watching the show. Forever. I mean, just look at him? He's sort of like Matthew Fox's hot older brother. Now there's a sandwich I'd like to be a part of.

Blogging Blahs

2006-05-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

I've had so much going on lately, I haven't posted anything because I don't know where to begin. I have been continuing my spring cleaning into summer, and I can't seem to stop. I'm getting rid of stuff right and left. My sister and I had a garage sale at my house on Saturday and ended up making a little under $250 which we deemed a huge success. It felt sooo good to get rid of all that crap that has just been wasting space.

On Sunday, we had mother's day brunch at my sister's lovely home where we feasted on quiche, coffee cake, fruit and coffee. Then the hubs and I met his mom for lunch at 2. There was a lot of eating going on that day. I think I still ate a decent dinner even though I ate enough earlier in the day to last me 3 days.

The rockstar and I also FINALLY got our insurance check to the tune of $3400 from this little incident, and we decided we're going to use it to install laminate/pergo flooring in the entire house minus kitchen and baths. I just can't justify wood with all the running and playing our dogs do. The floors would be shredded to bits in months. We'll probably get that done first week of June because we need to get the drywall fixed first.

Not to leave you on a sad note, but please keep our kitty Sonja in your thoughts. She has an intestinal problem that is at worst fatal and at best a lifelong issue that will mean lots of puke to clean up. She is about 11 or 12-years-old and has always been a puker, but it has gotten worse lately. And when I mean worse, I mean she's puking as much as a child. I'm not exaggerating. The vets can't figure out what is wrong with her. They have done a sonogram, stool samples galore, blood work, etc....they want to do a biopsy, but they only thing that will do is confirm or deny cancer. If it's cancer, there's nothing more that we can do for her then what we are doing now, which is lots of love, anti-vomiting medication and antibiotics to keep her from getting infections. Here she is (the black and white one) sleeping with her momma Sasha. That picture kills me everytime. She is the sweetest little kitty, and she's my husband's favorite. Please send good thoughts her way.

I Love You Momma

2006-05-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world. I love you!

My Nose Hurts

2006-05-11T08:45:00.000-05:00

Someone on our floor (okay the basement) doused themselves in some sort of baby powder scented crap and it's stinking up the entire hallway. Have I mentioned that I hate baby powder scented ANYTHING? I don't really even care for it on babies, but I really don't get it for adults. It kind of creeps me out. Why do you want to smell like a baby?

Weekend Update

2006-05-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

Here's my famous weekend in bullets (yes, I know it's not really famous, but whatever, it sounds better):

* Saturday morning, went to SIL's graduation ceremony. Very.long.ceremony.

* Went to MIL's house for graduation party. Had a very nice time. Ate lots of seven layer dip. Saw hubby's grandma whom I ADORE.

* Came home to see trashy looking people looking at our neighbors house that is for sale. Was tempted to tell them the house is covered in lead paint or asbestos, but took the high road instead.

* Hung out with the dogs.

* Drove through the millionth storm of the past two weeks to get to my sister's house for movie night. Watched North Country and ate pizza. SO GOOD (the movie and the pizza). OMG men are pigs.

* Got home to find tree branch broken and resting on neighbor's roof. Crap. Hope they aren't shitty (we already know they're weird, but not sure about shittiness factor).

* Did some crossword puzzles and fell asleep about 1 am.

* Woke up at 10 am (hallelujah, no more ride training!)

* Drank coffee and ate some waffles.

* Did a ton of laundry.

* Organized all my filing.

* Still in my pajamas.

* Had more coffee and did more crosswords (yes, I'm addicted).

* Showered at 2 pm to go to a food bank volunteer day with my sister and dad. When we get there, they were done early, yippee!

* 4:10, get a message from best friend, H, who was in labor. Finally. She is five days late and HUGE. And uncomfortable. And really annoyed.

* Went to hospital and sat with her from 4:30 to 9:30. Watched Desperate Housewives in the hospital room.

* Came home and went to bed.

I still haven't heard from H or her husband about the baby and it's making me crazy! She started having contractions at 8:30 am on Sunday, and when I left at 9:30 pm, they were about 2 minutes apart, but she was only dilated 2 cm and the doctor was going to wait a bit to break her water. I'm dying to see that baby! I'm just sitting at work, sipping a latte and waiting to hear the news. Update at 9:05 pm! H's husband just called me. She just had a c-section and they now have a beautiful healthy girl weighing 7 lbs, 9 ozs. Yay!

On an unrelated note, I was talking to R (her husband) last night, who is a firefighter. His station was actually the first on the scene of that cyclist that died last month. She was alive when they got there and they did 45 minutes of CPR on her. Her husband showed up while they were working on her. R said he wished all his friends who are cyclists would get a new hobby. I can see his point.

The Ride

2006-05-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

I guess by now you know I survived! Here's the day in photos.

It rained really hard the night before, and was still raining when I got up at 5 am. I was a little worried, but it stopped about 5:30 and turned out to be a gorgeous day. Here's my car clock as I left my house:

It's about a 45 minute drive to Krause Springs, so when we got there, the sky looked like this:

We parked got our bikes ready and walked over to the main pavilion to eat breakfast. After a breakfast taco, banana and yogurt/granola/fruit combo, we started to line up to head out:

It was absolutely gorgeous. It was sunny and clear and, thank god, not humid after such a torrential downpour the night before. I love how this ride includes all ages, shapes, sizes, athletic ability. My sister and I were marveling about how we can walk around in spandex shorts that include crotch padding and not feel the least bit uncomfortable.

Here's the first pit stop. We fill up on more gatorade and Clif bars. This is where we also met a man who was smuggling a panini in his backpack. It became a running joke and, well, you just had to be there:

Our trusty bikes taking a break:

Some good ole Texas scenery. Nothing like a Loose Livestock warning:

Here I am in all my spandex-y, helmet-y glory:

Brush fire at mile 22. That was nice on the lungs:

Riding out after the lunch pit. We had hummus sandwiches, pasta salad, cookies and more gatorade. And more cookies. And maybe even more cookies.

And here is a sign we saw as we were leaving the lunch pit:

Yeah, it says, "Active Underground Mines: Blasting Area". Great.

I don't have any more pictures from the actual ride, but my parents came out for the closing ceremonies and dinner. Here are some pictures of the memorial signs which were made from memory tags that we made for our jerseys and wore during the ride:

It was a very moving ceremony where they read out the names of loved ones that have died from AIDS. There was some visible emotion and very loud crying going on.

I just love this ride. It's so cool, the people are great and so far this year, it has raised almost $470,000 for local AIDS services. 75% of that money will go directly to the beneficiaries which is unheard of.

I cannot adequately thank everyone who sponsored me. You are so awesome. I would like to thank a certain someone named Lori who noticed that I was $5 away from meeting my goal, and donated a SECOND time so that I would meet my $1000 goal. Thank you, thank you, thank you.