Friiiidaaaay!

Things I learned/remembered from having to dig out my A&M transcript:

1) I tested out of freshman English and Math. I don't recall taking the exams.

2) I took 18 hours at San Jacinto College over two summers at home. How did I ever squeeze in all that beach time?!

3) In Physics 208, I got the first C of my entire life. "Electricity and Optics." Just a taste of the epic fail I would experience in Electrical Engineering 214 (Circuit Theory) the following semester. I did, however, manage a B in EE-331 (Theory and Application of Electronic Devices) my junior year. *shakes fist at electricity*

4) That summer '88 class where the prof assigned us to go to the Chicken and get margaritas and observe the condensation as a lesson relevant to the chapter we were studying was "Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer," NOT Thermodynamics, which I had taken in spring. I've been telling that story incorrectly for 20 years.

5) I have 28 hours credit and 6 incomplete research hours towards my master's degree. I know, you're thinking, "Why didn't you just do it?" It sounds like a little thing, but those 6 hours do not include hundreds of hours of thesis writing. I know. You and I are both still thinking it. :)

I had a total gigglefit yesterday on LinkedIn, when I searched for "Make-A-Wish" and it came up with "Make-A-Sockmonkey." I'm giggling all over again just typing it! Make. A. SOCKMONKEY. *wipes tear*


Song Lyrics du Jour (Actually this entire song is a stream of brilliant visuals, and even better now, than when I thought he was saying "...snow in our pants...")

When the streetlights come on and the fireflies flicker
I am walking her home, making plans
With her shoes in her hands, I am watching her dance
As the hem of her dress gently kisses the grass
It suddenly rains on us
She is laughing and turns up her hands

Like autumn turns leaves, winter will breathe cold on our necks, snow in our paths
Wherever she goes, all that I know about us is that beautiful things never last
That's why fireflies flash...

Ron Pope "Fireflies"

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Interview!

Well, I'm all revved up and ready to roll on the job front. I got an interview, which will be sometime late next week. Woohoo!

I had to fill out an application online yesterday, which was about as long a process as rewriting my resume. Holy cow. I just wasn't prepared with short notice. I also had a chat with a colleague from my old company, to ask her to be the contact for my old job, since I have no idea where my former boss is now. That friend encouraged me to get on LinkedIn, where my old boss is one of her contacts. So then I had to figure all that out. Whew! Now I think I'm set. For the moment, anyway!

I keep forgetting to mention Bret Michaels and how shocked and saddened I am that he had a brain hemorrhage. I honestly didn't think much of him before I watched him on 'Celebrity Apprentice.' The guy has a really good heart. A bit manic at times, but he just comes across as a very unpretentious, super-nice guy. I hope he comes through this ok. :(

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Stalkarazzi

When Donna and I were at the band's/our hotel during concert weekend, JBJ's chiropractor and the chiro's significant other were at the pool just below our balcony. (No, I had no idea who the guy was. D is the fangirl and has the lowdown on all that stuff.) Well, next to the chiro was a guy who looked an awful lot like JBJ, with a woman who looked exactly like Mrs. BJ. (*cough* And no, I don't know the Mrs. either...)

So I was assigned to nonchalantly lean on the railing while D got her fancy camera and ducked behind me to zoom in to see if it was him. She couldn't tell for certain. Later he put on a baseball cap, which was evidently a sign that it might be him. Still, she couldn't decide.

Then last week D directed me to some photos that turned up of him wearing those same shorts and a ball cap. From the pics, we knew it was him at the pool that day. Too bad, because I think she deleted her pix. Oops.

Speaking of D, she got me on Twitter and now she's not even following me. As my little kindergarten friend would say... "WHAT THE...?!" That's alright, because I do way more reading than writing over there.

And a cardio kickboxing lesson for your Tuesday morning: When I started a while back, I hit myself in the chin a couple of times doing upper cuts- a common hazard for beginners. I haven't made any painful mistakes since then, until yesterday. I was doing a punch/cross combo, and on the "cross" portion, I accidentally grabbed some of my hair in my fist and then punched my arm out about two feet at breakneck speed. I'm thinking ponytail from here on out.

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Boobquake Day

Boobquake. Too funny.

So on Saturday...

Jeff: JeffC could come over to watch a movie... but he doesn't want to watch Avatar.
Me: So watch something else. Avatar isn't the be all and end all of movies.
Lauren: Actually... it is.
Jeff (to me): (agreeing shrug)

Come on now. Lord of the Rings beats Avatar any day of the week.  :p

Annoyance this morning: people who walk in the street when there is a perfectly good sidewalk. I understand the joggers, because they don't want to strain something going over the slanted driveways every two seconds. Same for moms with strollers. But anyone walking a dog, just walking to the mailbox, etc... Please. They're always taking up half a lane, too. At least stay next to the curb. A public service announcement from your friendly neighbor, who manages to walk on the sidewalk at all times.

Will be working on the Foundation website today, getting everything finalized for the big event this weekend. After this weekend, we start ramping up for the second event which is in San Antonio in August.

Just found out they are opening a Kerbey Lane location at Arbor Trails at William Cannon and Mopac this summer. Yay! Pancakes!

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Gorgeous Sunday!

Another beautiful day in the ATX. Yesterday afternoon Lauren and I went up to St. Ed's to catch Spotlight on Opera's production of Suor Angelica. The campus is so pretty. I just love walking around there. They have a fantastic view of downtown, too. The Mary Moody Northen Theater sits on a perfect hill for reenacting the opening scene from The Sound of Music. Ummmm, not that we did that... Anyhoo... The show featured many amazing voices, and we enjoyed it, despite the fact that we hadn't done any research on the story and missed a major plot point until after the show when it was explained to us. Ahhhh!!

At the theater, Lauren and some of her friends were trying to decide what an Italian word posted on a sign meant. I can't recall the word, but we collectively decided it meant "cupcakes," because they were selling cupcakes at that table. We were pretty proud of ourselves, until after the show when we found out it was the word for the printed English translation of the opera... which would have been very helpful when we were all desperately trying to figure out why Angelica was killing herself.

Then last night Kathy, Alex and I saw the Broadway musical In the Heights. I had never heard of the show, even though it's won many Tony Awards in the past couple of years and is still playing in NYC. Fast-paced, great music, lots of hip-hop and rap thrown in. The dancing rocked. There are two very funny characters who kept us laughing throughout. It was a really good time!

Song Lyrics of the Day (Nina teaches Benny some Spanish...)

...Nina: Llámame
Benny: Call me
Nina: Azul
Benny: Blue
Nina: Amame
Benny: Love me
Nina: Perhaps I do
Benny: Well, how do you say kiss me?
Nina: Bésame
Benny: And how do you say hold me?
Nina: Abrázame... al amanecer... at sunrise
Nina/Benny: Anything at all can happen
Just before the sunrise...

"Sunrise" from In the Heights

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Job

I have a line on the perfect job for me. It's something I would really enjoy doing, plus it's half-time, so I'd still be available for all my mommy activities, and also to get things done around the house and on my websites. Two friends in the biz have been keeping an eye out for open positions for me. One of them even has some influence in the matter, and I'm grateful for her recommendation.

At very short notice yesterday, I had to update my 16 year old resume. My computer skills included dBase III+ and Lotus 1-2-3. Yeah. You know you want to hire me. Now it's all current, and includes my volunteer experience over the years, and it's in the hands of the person who asked for it. She said my resume is going straight to the top of the stack. Now we wait. I hope I get it!

Seeing In the Heights at Bass Concert Hall with Kathy tonight. It's my birthday present!


Song Lyrics o' the Day

...You're right,
I must be crazy.
You're out getting high, I'm here pretending I'm in love.
The sound of your heart,
my head on your chest,
dropped your hands to your sides and gave up.
I'd rather be crazy than right tonight...

Pat Monahan "Always Midnight"

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Random Friday

* Demetri LIVES!!!1!!!1!!! Oh man, I love "FlashForward." I haven't been that close to the edge of my seat  in a long time.

* The Four Seasons in Dallas serves this splendid summery concoction they call Texas Cider. It's Shiner Bock, lemonade and a splash of Sprite. Yummo. I need to find out the ratio of Shiner to lemonade. I guess I'll have to call.

* As a favor to Donna, I am publicizing the links to get Bon Jovi to play the Superbowl in Dallas next year:
Petition
Facebook Page
Although, Jerry Jones probably has a band all picked out already.

* I am seeing that Twitter really serves a different purpose than a Facebook status. Facebook statuses are expected to be interesting, helpful, funny or thought-provoking. Tweets can be any random thought that pops into your head or whatever you're doing at the moment.... Right? :D

* I saw the CoCo photo where she's getting a Brazilian wax. Jeff was amused that she is covering her chest but exposing everything else. In the unedited photo she does have a one-inch wax strip covering her stuff. Really, she's been out at clubs wearing about that much. Why the hubbub?

* Note today's helpful starred format for the randomness. Have a good one, y'all.

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Earth Day

Remember to hug a tree today! :)

Well, I had forgotten what a thrill-ride it is to drive and park downtown during a weekday. Yesterday the Foundation needed a bunch of things dropped off and picked up for the upcoming soiree. Three of the items were in various downtown locations, and nowhere near each other. Cue me driving around countless blocks searching for a parking spot for each. And to make things worse, we have major construction downtown at the moment.

The first spot I took was in a lot for a building I thought housed the business I needed to visit. I felt like I had hit the lottery finding an actual parking lot space. When I got out of my car, I immediately saw the business across the street, but first walked through the building in whose lot I had parked, because all sorts of folks were watching me. Vultures. Eying my spot. (I just made sure it wasn't a handicapped space- I've made that mistake before. Most expensive ticket ever.) And I made it through the first pickup without a ticket or towing.

Next stop was on Congress. Good grief. No spots anywhere, until one opened up at a meter. COOL. But, I had no coins. Three minutes remained on the meter, so I ran two blocks to this place and high-tailed it back. The process took fifteen minutes. No ticket there either. Whew!

The last downtown business happened to have a customer parking space open right in front. Lucky! Yeah people who are collecting charitable donations are customers, too... I think...

They may need more errands done today. If so, I'm bringing a friend with me to run into these places, and I'll just drive around the block and pick them up.

I scored some very underground, demo-ish, unfinished Chasez songery from my fairy godsister. Shhhh. Most are... well... demo-ish and unfinished, which is not only totally okay with me, but also übercool in and of itself. And a couple were pretty good. It's nice to know he's still singing. Such a voice. It's a shame we're not hearing it on radio. Heck, even an intimate Austin bar would do.

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Quote Me on This

Some of the quotes from me that Lauren keeps on her Facebook page:

"i'm a walking aggie joke!" -mommy
Unfortunately, I say that a lot.

me: "i wonder whos in that charter bus over there."
mom: "mexicanos."
LOL. That was when we were driving to Dallas once, and a bus was driving past. It said "Americanos" on the side, in ginormous letters. With a glance, I thought it said "Mexicanos" and I thought I was being funny, as the bus was clearly labeled. "You mean, AMERICANOS?" Lauren asked. You had to see the size of the logo to fully appreciate the "duh" factor. (Although Americanos is a Mexican bus line, so there were probably Mexicanos aboard. Just saying.)

"yeah i once dated a guy named marlin. he was a rebound guy and i only dated him for a month so its okay." -mom
This was something she misheard. I dated a guy FROM Marlin. Never dated anyone NAMED Marlin. Let's make sure we have that straight. :p Although maybe better to have dated a guy named Marlin than one from Marlin. Ahhhhh, just kidding!

me: "its 11:11, make a wish." 
mom: "WHAT"
I had never heard that one is supposed to make a wish at 11:11. Much akin to the fact that I never knew 4/20 was Weed Day. Thank you Lauren and Google.

"lets go, mofos"- mom
Yeah, I said it. Get a move on, people.

(Ya' know something? Lauren types her quotes much like I type on Yahoo Messenger. Sometimes we don't have time to mess around with caps and punctuation.)

I am going to do something I've never done before and give a shout out to Janera and her brand new meme Wednesday Wickedness- first because she's a forty-something mom (yay!), second because I love quotes and her meme questions are based on them, and third because her first official meme is Gorgeous George quotes. Awesome!

Wednesday Wickedness: George Clooney Quotes

1. "I grew up in the world of bad television, on my dad's sets and then as a young schmuck on dating shows and so on." What is your all time worst TV show and why?
Flavor of Love. I never have seen it, I've just seen others making fun of it. It was a sad combo of Flavor Flav and everything that is wrong with "The Bachelor." Girls fighting over some yutz they don't even know.

2. "I'm certainly the last person to give advice on, well, anything." Where do you get advice?
from friends

3. "Run for office? No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties." What celebrity do you think could make a run for office?
George Clooney. :) Most people in office now have done all those things.

4. "The only failure is not to try." Tell us about a recent failure.
Most recently I've been trying to do high impact workouts on my knee, but it's not quite ready for that. I've had to go back to low impact on the right side. Now I'll be all unbalanced. HEY. No comments.

5. "After doing One Fine Day and playing a pediatrician on ER, I'll never have kids. I'm going to have a vasectomy." If you have kids, tell us about them. If not, would you want them?
My brilliant, talented and gorgeous daughter is 16 and looking forward to summer right now, when she will volunteer at the hospital between trips and camps.

6. "You have only a short period of time in your life to make your mark, and I'm there now." Have you made your mark yet?
I think I've made my mark as a wife and mother. I plan to continue making an impact in those and other ways.

7. "I don't believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately, you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It's a mean thing, life." Do you believe in happy endings?
Yes I do.

8. "I was in a bar and I said to a friend, 'You know, we've become those 40-year-old guys we used to look at and say, 'Isn't it sad?'" Have you ever felt that way?
Yep! But we all have the last laugh, because being 40 isn't sad after all.

9. "I'd think, 'In a relationship, we should never have this kind of fight.' Then, instead of figuring out how to make it work, I looked for a way to get out of it. The truth is, you shouldn't be married if you're that kind of person." Have you ever left a relationship that you later regretted?
No. The times when I was the one who ended a relationship, it was the right thing to do.

10. "I'm the flavor of the month." What celebrity is your flavor of the month?
George is not my flavor of the month. He's been a steady crush for years and years. Bradley Cooper is my flavor of the month!

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No Clooney on the Web

Those who are looking for George on social networks, here's a quote from him. "I would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a Facebook page." (How about a woman with very warm hands? heh.) No Twitter. No Facebook. Sad day! (I wonder if he has a fake Twitter account for stalking his buddies...)

In the news... There is increasing concern about various websites collecting more in-depth demographic data about site visitors. I really couldn't care less. Matter-of-fact, I like that the ads that do make it past my ad blocker are tailored to me by geographic area and interests. Better than some Viagra or Axe ad or some other garbage I'll never buy. We are talking about data unassigned to our actual identities- not our names, drivers license or social security numbers, addresses, etc. This is the collection of gender, region, search terms and other things that are not mapped directly to me as an individual. To internet advertisers, I am Person A, the generic, Dairy-Queen-headed silhouette-of-doom profile photo with some descriptive data attached. Who cares? And I'm cautious on the net!

I'm curious... is anyone out there watching Leno at this point?

And finally, a hair tip... Curly-haired girls, here is the secret to perfect curls. Wet/wash your hair. Towel dry. Apply Curly Sexy Hair curling creme  (thank you Cathykins) all over, tousle and let air dry. Run your fingers through or use a pick to separate curls here and there. Finish with a spray of John Frieda Frizz-Ease Glossing Mist, kind of "scrunching" it in with your hands, which will rid you of any flyaways and put a fabulous shine on everything. PERFECT.

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Life is Sponsored by Volkswagon

Life is over. The show on Discovery Channel, that is. Just a phenomenal, well-produced series, even though Oprah wasn't my favorite narrator. I was surprised how much I learned over the weeks. I almost didn't watch the plant episode (plants?! yaaaaaaaaaawn...), but it turned out to be one of the best ones! I got a feeling of immense satisfaction watching mosquitos being eaten by carnivorous greenery.

I am looking for a good offline Blogger client, should anyone have a recommendation. Sadly, Firefox and Blogger do not play nicely together.

I now have a non-personally-identifiable Twitter account, after giving in to massive peer pressure. Not that I have much to say over there, but it's nice for following friends who aren't on Facebook. At the moment, I'm mostly using it to harass Eva. :D

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Saturday Six on Sunday

Cathy spent the weekend and just headed back to Houston. Superfun! While she was here, she got her long hair lopped off. It's so cute! I've just let my hair dry into its naturally curly state all weekend because of the rain, and the gals told me they love it. I just don't know... it's so... random. It's great for the beach, but walking around with it on a daily basis feels strange. While CJ got her hair cut, the stylist grabbed some of this product for curly hair and put it on me. It works really well. Perhaps curls are best for the time I'm growing out my disaster haircut.

Went to Evangeline's for the first time last night. Because we went during a ginormous thunderstorm, there were actually tables open! Great food, and the best fried pickles I've ever had. (Lauren and I consider ourselves connoisseurs. We'll have to take her next time.) The crawfish etouffee was very spicy hot, so I won't get it again, but my tablemates enjoyed it. The Crawfish Evangeline, which is like fettucine alfredo with crawfish, and Speedy's Catfish, sauteed catfish with creole corn chowder, were also hits.

Saturday Six

1. East coast or West coast…and why?
Ooh difficult choice. I'll go with East Coast, because of the variety of people and places.

2. Painting or photo…and why?
Photo. I enjoy the beauty in a real image of a moment in time.

3. Coke or Pepsi…and why?
Coke. Pepsi is just un-American. :) Pepsi is too sweet. I like the more acidic taste of Coke.

4. PC or Mac…and why?
PC. I feel like I can more easily get into the inner workings of my PC, where I know just enough to get myself into trouble.

5. Shower or bath…and why?
Shower. I don't know how anyone feels clean after taking a bath, sitting in a tub full of the grunge they just washed off. Baths are for playing or relaxing in, after a shower.

6. Paper or plastic…and why?
I use reusable bags, but if I don't have one for some reason, I use plastic because it's easier to carry.

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Spin That Record Babe

Well, we finally have tickets for Lady Gaga... in Dallas, July 23. Not our original plan, but it works, considering her shows sold out in no time last week in Houston and Dallas.

Originally the kids wanted to road trip it to Houston on their own, but the parents said that wouldn't be safe (plus we wanna go! lol). So three parents and three kiddos needed tickets. I was responsible for parent tix, while Jim was trying to get floor seats for the kids. We struck out last week on the Houston tickets, and he tried Dallas, too, which had sold out. New shows were added and we tried again yesterday when they went on sale.

The first 8-9 times I didn't get any tickets showing up. The next time, at about 10:06, three not-so-great tickets came up and I took them for us. Because he was without internet, Jim actually called Ticketmaster. (What is this, the 80s?) It is all automated as well, he reports. He of course reminded me that he could have done the purchase on his iPhone, but he just wanted to try another route. I know, I know. The iPhone mows the lawn and does your taxes, too. ;) There's probably an app that buys your event tix automatically. (If not, I have dibs on that moneymaker!)

So he got better seats, although not floor, for the teenagers. It all worked out. The Monster Ball Tour is supposed to be a "stage musical" sort of format, with the songs strung together in a story. Sounds cool.


Song Lyrics of the Day

...Here in town, you can tell he's been down for a while
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles
Wanna hold him
Maybe I'll just sing about it...

Anna Nalick "Breathe (2AM)"

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Ticketmaster Day Again

10 a.m. concert ticket purchase to be made this morning. It's so nerve-wracking, isn't it? Luckily, I'm not going for floor seats, which always makes it all the more intense. There's a whole theory that waiting until 10:10 a.m. is better, because some people are on there just to see what kind of tickets are available, then theirs are released so you can get better than you got at 10. But sometimes, like this same artist last week, the concert sells out in two minutes and you're screwed. Two minutes? This ain't U2, people. And no small venue either.

Why so secretive? I don't want any more competition getting seats for this thing. :-)

Cathy's coming for the weekend. Woohoo! We're going to try to tear Scotty away from work long enough to have a margarita with us on Skype Saturday night.


Friday Five

1. How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings for whatever you have to do on a typical day?
about 40 minutes

2. If you had to retrieve your birth certificate right now, how long would it take before you had it in hand?
2 minutes. It's in a lock box in my closet.

3. How long would it take you, via the quickest means available, to get to the place of your birth from where you are right now?
14 hours. 12 hour flight from Austin to Frankfurt. An hour getting through the airport. An hour drive to Heidelberg.

4. How long has it been since your last visit to the dentist?
about 3 weeks

5. How long is your usual get-ready-for-bed routine?
20 minutes

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Happy Tax Day

Yep, we're filed and getting a refund. Woo!

Those of you who haven't heard the JBJ story in person will have to see it. The written and spoken versions just can't convey the full depth of the experience. My reenactment of a five-second interaction somehow requires five minutes, forty square feet of open space, and a venue seating chart with a pointer.

Meme (I lost the link.. sorry)

1. Your thoughts on truck drivers?
For the most part, I think they drive responsibly. It's always that one dorkass on I-35 between here and Dallas, speeding and jumping lanes every two seconds, who drives me up a dang wall.

2. Have you ever done something to hurt someone intentionally... just for the sole purpose of hurting them because you thought they deserved it? Maybe a payback's a bitch sort of thing?
Never. I do think karma is a bitch though. It won't be me who pays you back, but rather the universe in its own poetic way.

3. Is there anyone in your life that when you go to their place of residence, you just walk in without bothering knocking? Does anyone just walk into your house without knocking?
Heavens no.

4. Whats in the trunk of your car? Do you even have a clue?
A trunk organizer, a tire inflater, four reusable shopping bags and a first aid kit.

5. When you go to a family holiday get together (such as Christmas or Thanksgiving), about how many people are there?
six or seven

6. What is in your kitchen sink right at this very moment?
A rinsed plastic bowl and a rinsed roasting pan.

7. Do you fold your underwear or do you just toss it in a drawer?
Toss them. Girly panties aren't really foldable.

8. There is a Harley-Davidson giveaway. Tickets are $100 and they are only selling 250 tickets. Do you buy one?
Nope. I'm more a "$1 ticket, selling 25,000 tickets" sort of girl. And I don't have any use for a Harley, so it would have to be a different item, like a cool trip.

9. You are at a grocery store. On your way to your car with your cart full of grocery bags, you see a black kitten in an empty cart. What do you do?
Check for a tag and call the owner. If no tag, I'd take him home and leave a note at the store.

10. Is there anything that you do for a hobby that you are asked to do for friends/family that most people would hire a professional to do? (example: cake decorating, fixing cars....)
People have had me do scrapbooks for them or as gifts for their friends, even after I stopped scrapbooking my own stuff.

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Back to the Grind

Sunday Stealing: The Me Me Meme

1. Never in my life have I been:
to Russia.

2. The one person who can drive me nuts is:
Laura :-)

3. High school was:
freakin' awesome.

4. When I’m nervous I:
hold a lot of tension in my shoulders.

5. The last song I listened to was:
"All You Wanted" Michelle Branch

6. If I were to get married right now my best man/maid of honor:
CJ

7. My hair is:
not my favorite cut at the moment. :(

8. When I was 5:
I had Mrs. Brown for kindergarten in Kansas City.

9. Last Christmas:
it snowed like crazy when we were in Big D.

10. I should be..:
installing software.

11. When I look down I see:
the Fiesta Chicken Chowder recipe I emailed to Scott.

12. The happiest recent event was:
Dallas weekend.

13. If I were a character on 'Friends' I would be:
I have only seen Friends a time or two, so I have no idea.

14. By this time next year:
I may be getting rid of my crafting website.

15. My current gripe is:
the tons of oak pollen coating everything outside.

16. I have a hard time understanding:
how that family could send their adopted son back to Russia. They should have gotten him help here, even if it required moving him to a mental health facility of some sort, temporarily or permanently. At least he would still have a mother and father. That's all kinds o' wrong.

17. There’s this girl I know who:
was at the Obama Inauguration.

18. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be:
Jeff

19. Take my advice:
Life's too short not to "splurge on the pit tickets" every now and then.

20. The thing I want to buy:
a new video camera

21. If you visited the place I was born:
you would think it was beautiful.

22. I plan to visit:
Puerto Rico this summer.

23. If you spent the night at my house:
we would stay up late in our jammies and talk.

24. I’d stop my wedding if:
the maid of honor said she spent the night with the groom.

25. The world could do without:
oak tree pollen.

26. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than:
listen to any Owl City song.

27. Most recent thing I’ve bought myself:
a Bon Jovi t-shirt

28. Most recent thing someone else bought me:
an amazing Sedu straightening iron

29. My favorite blonde is:
Simon Baker

30. My favorite brunette is:
Bradley Cooper

31. My favorite red head is:
Maria Kanellis. She is possibly the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. Not that I would switch teams... well...

32. My middle name is:
Marguerite

33. In the morning I:
post on my blog.

34. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds are:
pigs. Then everyone would have to do all sorts of things they never wanted to do.

35. Once, at a bar:
I danced on a box.

36. Last night I was:
finishing laundry and cleaning the kitchen floor.

37. There’s this guy I know who:
did camera work in Italy on the upcoming George Clooney film, The American... coming to a theater near you on September 1, 2010!

38. If I were an animal I’d be:
a cat. Quite the life.

39. A better name for me would be:
Kathy actually suits me well. I'd love to be Anastasia or something like that, but it so isn't me.

40. Tomorrow I am:
hoping to be finished getting my PC back to its previous state.

41. Tonight I am:
watching Modern Family and Cougartown.

42. My birthday is:
early in the month, so sometimes I forget it's coming up.

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Girls Weekend

Gah. I had a "rock star encounter of a lifetime" Sunday night (well, not that kind), but it just occurred to me that I can't really tell you about it in this public forum, because we were using fake names at the time and suddenly identifying myself as "Kathy from Austin" would kind of ruin our mystique. ^&# %^$#!!!!

So, if you know how to contact me outside of this blog... ASK ME ABOUT MY ROCK STAR ENCOUNTER.

Okay, moving on. Let's see what I can tell you about this weekend that won't divulge my identity to Googlers.

Hmm. Nope. What happens in Dallas stays in Dallas I suppose.

Five of us did go to both freakinawesome concerts and were about 6 inches from the guys when we were leaning on the stage. Security frowned upon us touching their legs. We got great photos. Donna's are better, so I will wait for those to post on my Facebook. Well, maybe. I'll take a look at mine and see what I got. The "inside" tickets were definitely the experience of a lifetime that I imagined they would be.

We had a lovely dinner at Palomino downtown. Also fabulous food at our hotel. We got such little sleep at such odd hours. A late night fast food run was waaaay more amusing than such an activity should ever be. We met many interesting people through the weekend, too.

We also saw the Texas Stadium demolition. Amazing. Kinda freaky. We were a couple of miles away in our hotel on our balcony, which Donna had specially arranged for a view. I could feel the reverb of the blasts standing there. I got video and before/after photos. Very cool!

Fantastic time.


Song Lyrics of the Day

Who's going to save you
When the stars fall from your sky?
And who's going to pull you in
When the tide gets too high?
Who's going to hold you
When you turn out the lights?
I won't lie... I wish that I
Could be your Superman tonight 

"Superman Tonight" by (you know who)

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Saturday 9

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You

1. When was the last time (in a romantic setting) you have told someone that you loved them?
A romantic setting. Not like at the end of a phone conversation? Wednesday.

2. Tell us about your very first romantic kiss.
I was 15. John and I came home from what was maybe our third date. It was night time and when he brought me home, he walked me to the front porch and kissed me. I remember the kiss, and it was great, but the thing that really sticks in my mind was trying so hard to be cool until I got inside my house, where I squealed and called to my mother... "MOM! MOM! He kissed meeeee!!!!" I could not have been more thrilled.

3. What was/is your idea of the perfect date?
Dinner outside, like at the beach or anywhere with a great view, followed by a nighttime dip in a pool or hot tub under the stars.

4. What music would you prefer when you are “getting it on”?
I think my newest iTunes download, "White Rabbit" by Collide, would be a great song for that. Yep. Paula Cole's "Feelin' Love" is a great one, too.

5. What is the most amazing experience you’ve ever shared with a partner?
Let's not go the "getting it on" route for public blog purposes. As "experiences" go, I'd have to say flying around DFW in a Cessna with Jeff on a double date with friends was the most amazing. Just the four of us, the summer after our sophomore year of college.

6. Sex is best saved for: love, marriage, alcohol, days that end in “y”?
Love

7. Have you ever kissed a stranger?
I don't think so.

8. What's missing from your life?
Lately I'm missing the social aspects of working at a large company.

9. Are you a giver or taker?
I like a healthy balance. Sometimes things get stacked up one way or the other, but over time people should be able to give and take pretty evenly.

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Facebook. Just Do It.

Getting ready for girls' weekend in Dallas! Woooooohoooooo! Unfortunately I have to be up at the crack o' dawn tomorrow to make it to Love Field (I typed Love Fiend... oh my) to pick up D at 9 a.m.  So excited!!

This week's Southpark was about Facebook. I don't watch the show anymore, but I had a heads-up on this episode. Then I forgot to record it. I've only had a chance to see a few hilarious clips so far. Watch the episode in its entirety at the Southpark website. I will catch it later today. :D

Jeff has a GREAT tip for getting the desperately-needed money to play Bangkok in Mafia Wars. Once you've reached levels 5A and 5B and are no longer playing episodes 1-4, you only need the last two items listed in the Weapons, Armor and Vehicles inventory lists for Bangkok. So you can sell everything else, as long as you aren't using them in fights. Don't forget you can play each level 1-4 four times, so be sure you've either done that or don't care to ever do them, before selling items you need there. You can get billions! And you need it for 5A and 5B. (To see what items you're using in fights, as well as loads of other extremely useful info, use Mafia Wars Helper.)

Sunday Seven

Name seven benefits you think you’d most likely get or are already getting from Facebook.

1. Reconnecting with high school and college friends. That's the original reason I joined. I wasn't really going to "participate" but more just search/find and collect email addresses to keep in touch. Bwahaha!

2. Getting to know local acquaintances better. It's great to see what people like "Janet from PTA" are up to every day, and discover new things you didn't know you had in common.

3. Retail or restaurant savings, like coupons or notifications of specials, when becoming a fan.

4. If you forget where Joe went to school, you can always check his Facebook page.

5. I really do like playing Mafia Wars with my friends.

6. Sharing videos and photos.

7. Facebook chatting with people who don't want to get on Yahoo/MSN/AIM. What is that about anyway? Sign up for real instant messaging, y'all! FB chat is remarkably lame.

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Good Thursday Morning!

I have told six people the details of what happened with my aunt the other night. Four of them immediately replied with the same touching words... "You want me to kick her ass?" LOL. Remind me to stay on your good sides.

Ryan Reynolds beat George Clooney in March Man Candy Madness?? Who was voting in that contest? The final winner was Zac Efron. Ah. Now I know who was voting. Lots of complaints on the website about it, as that is not the station's demographic.

Lauren and I saw The Last Song last night. Some of the cheesiest dialog I've ever seen in a feature film. Greg Kinnear, who I love, struggled to be believable with those lines. It hasn't gotten good reviews at all, but sometimes you hope you'll like it. The acting wasn't great either. Kelly Preston's character kept randomly appearing for no real purpose. Miley Cyrus overacted from the opening scene on. It was just a mess. I still cried when we found out the dad was sick. How I even mustered an interest in any of the characters is anyone's guess.

Found Renee H from high school yesterday on Facebook by accident! Her maiden name isn't on her profile at all, nor her year of grad, but one of her friends is a relative with her maiden name and that person happened to be listed when I got to her page. Lucky! She still looks very much the same, too.

This is such a happy little song>>>

Song Lyrics du Jour

...Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there, you and I, you and I...

Ingrid Michaelson "You and I"

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Segway Tour

Tracy and I did a downtown Austin Segway tour on Monday! It was really cool. The Segway is very easy to operate, although it takes a couple of minutes to get the feel for all the maneuvers. The capitol parking lot was empty when we first rolled through, so we really went fast all around there.

I had never seen the underground part of the capitol, the Capitol Extension. Very interesting building. They've made all sorts of architectural choices to maximize light for all the people who work there, including hallways with glass roofs barely visible above ground. They constructed the building underground so the view of the Capitol would not be obstructed. Cool. Here's a photo of the rotunda, which is the same size as the Capitol rotunda. The top railing is at ground level. It's just beautiful.

There is a Tribute to Texas Schoolchildren sculpture on the grounds that has two kids missing from it. They may be out for repairs or something. The guide said people always make a joke about "no child left behind" when they see it.

Did not know that Lance Armstrong owns the coffee shop called Juan Pelota. Juan. Pelota. Our guide said some tourists from Spain laughed before everyone else when he talked about that another day.

Also learned about the Moonlight Towers, which neither Tracy nor I had heard of in all our years here. There were 31 and now there are 17. They were built in the late 1800s to light up the downtown area, where women were being murdered by a serial killer at the time. They suspect it was a Jack the Ripper suspect, who was working here as a cook during that time. Interesting. We are the only city that has these lights now. They were refurbished recently.

We went from the Capitol down to the Convention Center and over the Congress St. Bridge. The Convention Center is another great place to just ride around. I learned a lot, too, which was a pleasant surprise!

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Not Suzy Sunshine Today

Sunday night, my aunt (who I used to say has always been more like a big sister to me) was three sheets to the wind when she called "to wish me a happy birthday." She ended up prodding me into an argument which I spent two hours trying to get out of. (I'm the diplomat, remember?) She said the most hurtful things anyone has ever said to me. I was very sad and upset until a few hours ago, when I reached the point where I am just ticked off. She so obviously had the sole motive of trying to hurt me, and that is not okay. Family or not. Yeesh, especially family!

On top of that, I have a bad haircut. It's a good cut, just a bad style for me. I got it last week and I've tried to get used to it but it just sucks. About four months and I should be good.

My computer running Windows Vista is crapping out more than usual, so we're going to install Windows 7. I always get a funny feeling in my stomach when we switch to the new Windows. Scary, man.

Donna just called to tell me they're streaming the first four songs from our Sunday Bon Jovi concert live on the Bon Jovi website. April 11, 7pm CST. We're in the pit that night! Fun. The promo is already up there.

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Crawfish!

Wayne's 6th annual crawfish boil was superfun. Jeff had a launch, but Lauren came with me. There was dancing, food, drinks, kids running around tossing live crawfish on unsuspecting guests, glow-in-the-dark necklaces, and really great crawfish. Johnny was in from Louisiana. Spike was also there, which was awesome. Haven't seen him in person in about five years. And of course the rest of CJ's fam and various groups of Wayne's coworkers and law school buddies.

Wayne lives on a small lake with a large alligator in it, who likes to sun himself. Luckily there was a wrought iron fence between the gator and us. Very entertaining though.

KathyL and I went to Opal Divine's at Penn Field yesterday for lunch. Shockingly, I've never been there. It is really good. I had a panini and their famous fries. Later I asked Jeff if he's ever been.

Jeff: No. Isn't it a bar?
Me: No. It feels like a bar. It has bar food. It kinda looks like a bar. Well, there is a bar there.

Lauren declared it a bar at that point. Hee! But really, it's more like Doc's. A bar and grill sort of thing. If you haven't been, go!

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Joyous Easter

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far! This day always reminds me of family Easter celebrations at my grandma's in College Station, setting up stuff at the church with her the night before, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, Lauren's early Easter days with her pretty dresses... :-)

This "missing older posts link" on Facebook is really ticking me off now. From my extensive internet research, it's wildly common, yet frustratingly random. When the link is missing on the news feed, you cannot view any more than the last 10 items your friends have posted. Along with that, you sometimes can't post comments; the box for comments does not expand when you can type a reply, so you cannot see what you are typing; the notifications flag at the top of the page will not clear; some links do not work like the "more" link on the applications list; no dropdown list appears when you type in the search bar... I could go on, but half of you have skipped to the meme anyway at this point. Not that I blame you...

It seems like a Flash problem to me, but why the random nature? Gah.

It happens and stays that way for several days and then randomly works again. Sometimes everything works in IE, other times it doesn't work there either. I can log in on other computers in the house and it works. It is working for everyone I've checked with, including other users in my own house. One person found a temporary fix by replacing the "http" in the facebook feed URL with "https", although then Facebook chat does not work, along with applications and a few other items.

I've filed four bug reports at Facebook. If you've ever filed these reports, you are laughing with me about that! "Completely unresponsive" is an understatement around there. I'm sure they deal with gajillions of goofy complaints every day, but someone should be filtering through all of them to see the real problem reports.

Sunday Stealing: The 35 Questions X 2 Meme: Part Two

36. If you suddenly became single or are single, do you think you could last in a relationship for 12 months or more?
Of course

37. Do you forgive or forget?
I forgive. It is unwise to forget.

38. Do you trust people?
Yes, sometimes more than I should.

39. What are you not looking forward to?
Nothing really. Grocery shopping?

40. Do you get mad easily?
No

41. Tell us about the last time you were told you that you have pretty eyes.
It was one of Lauren's elementary school teachers or Cathy's mom or someone like that, saying that Lauren and I both have gorgeous green eyes. Not at all romantic, but very sweet!

42. Do you have strange dreams?
Yes, when I am awake in the pre-dawn hours and then fall back asleep.

43. Ever licked someone's cheek or forehead?
Ewwww. It creeps me out to see someone do that!

44. Tell us about the last time you fell asleep in someones arms.
It was a crisp winter night, with rain softly tapping on the back porch roof... Yeah we're definitely in TMI territory on this one.

45. When did you last play a game?
I play Mafia Wars most days on Facebook. Last time I played a real game was March game night.

46. What do you have on you at all times?
There is nothing I have on me at all times. I don't keep my phone with me 24/7. I take off my rings at night, so even the wedding ring is a no.

47. Do you go out in public without getting all dressed up?
Sometimes. I am typically fairly dressed up.

48. Do you like fruity or minty gum?
minty

49. Favourite musician or group?
Such a hard question. One of my faves the past year or two is Daughtry.

50. Do you like anyone?
I like most people. Heh.

51. Favourite computer game?
I haven't played a computer game in years. Last one I played was Sims, and I mostly built and decorated houses with it. I loved Worms.  I also enjoyed silly adventure games like Escape from Monkey Island. One of the coolest games I played was Myst. These totally date me, but yeah. I do rarely still play some of the more interesting solitaire games.

52. First album you ever went and bought with your own money?
Saturday Night Fever

53. Think back five months ago, were you single?
Let me think... nope.

54. Do you believe in celebrating anniversaries?
Not for every little thing, but the big things, yes.

55. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
at 9:30 am on Easter morning? Probably not.

56. Last thing you bought?
Cheese and sausage for the party yesterday

57. Are you a jealous person?
In a relationship? Not typically. I am usually able to discern my guy's female friends from someone I should be concerned with. I'm more relaxed about that because I've always had an overabundance of male friends.

58. Does it take a lot to make you cry?
Nope. It doesn't take much to get me teared up.

59. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?
Since I've been married, I don't really "confide" in male friends, just because it seems inappropriate. When I was single, I had several guys I could talk to about anything and everything.

60. Have you ever had your heart-broken?
Why does this question keep appearing? Is there someone out there who hasn't? I bet the Dos Equis dude hasn't.

61. Have you ever done something while drunk that you still cannot believe you did?
Nah. I don't get that far out of my normal behavior when drinking, even when I've been overserved. I may lose some inhibitions and do something I wouldn't normally do, but nothing that would shock me later.

62. Is there anyone you secretly wish you could be spending your time with right now?
No

63. Do you text?
Yep

64. Do you wish someone would call or text you right now?
Sure. Txxxxxt meeeeee!!!

65. Is your life anything like it was a year ago?
No. Since Lauren got her driver's license, life has changed dramatically around here.

66. Go back one year on your blog. Leave us a link to your favorite post.
Gavin DeGraw  So fun!!

67. You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life, what is it?
water. I know it's boring. I would say tea, but it would stain your teeth if it was all you drank.

68. Tell us about someone that you have lost contact with someone you wish you didn't.
DOUG WILLIAMS. Dude. Where the heck are you??

69. What is the last thing you said out loud?
"Okay bye!" when Lauren left

70. Will this year be better than last?
I anticipate every year will be better than the last.

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Happy iPad Day

Yesterday was the best birthday I've had in years. Caught up with some friends online. Got three flower arrangements and three surprise phone calls! Awesome dinner at one of my very favorite restaurants, too. Kimberly gets the award for Birthday Card That Almost Made Me Pee My Pants: "At our age, I guess it's time we finally admit something. Neither of us is likely to marry a member of Duran Duran." Bwahaha! Speak for yourself, sister! :p

Off to H-Town today for the big party!

Saturday 9: Hurts So Good

1. Tell us about the last time you really got hurt.
Physically? This ridiculous knee thing. The mystery injury without a story. Before that, it was stepping on a sewing needle New Year's Eve of 2009 and having it lodge deep in a tendon. Had to have it removed in the ER by a doctor with giant pliers. Now THAT's a story.

2. What's your oldest possession?
Personal possession I've had the longest- a custom wine glass my father had made the day I was born
Oldest possession in our home-  my great-grandmother Lee's diamond pin, probably from the 1930's

3. Do you have any phobias?
I can be claustrophobic in certain places, but not to an extreme.

4. What values did your parents instill in you?
enjoyment of life, independence, creativity, empathy

5. What are your plans for Easter?
Hoping the weather will be nice so we can do something outside together.

6. I like sun more than snow.
Yes I do. Snow is a pain. Pretty to look at though. Nice to visit.

7. Tell us about 3 fads from your teenage years.
Big hair, shoulder pads, plastic jewelry

8. Tell us what is the most important attribute in a lover.
Other than being smokin' hot? ;) Sense of humor. Not necessarily "funny" per se, but someone who likes to laugh, who can see the light side of things.

9. What new piece of technology have you resisted buying and what would it take for you to change your mind?
iPhone. It would take a reduction in the monthly data plan cost. Maybe.

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It's Friday I'm in Love

Ta-da! ^^ I know you were waiting for it.

I saw my plastic surgeon yesterday!  He did my reconstruction after the mastectomy when I was 25. He asked how I was, what I was up to. I told him I have a teenage daughter. He smiled and said, "Of course you wouldn't let a little thing like breast cancer stand in the way of your having a baby." Uh, heck no! He is awesome. He looked pretty good, too. He's probably had some work done.

Scotty's movie recommendation of the week... Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). "You'll never look at laundry detergent and gazpacho the same." Hmm. "...A very young Antonio Banderas is in it." OH. Well let's get this thing on the Netflix list! I saw the trailer. Antonio has a very cute 80's Johnny Depp haircut.

I am very psyched to report that my knee did not pop a single time during my workout yesterday! Perhaps today will be my final doc visit on this thing. *crosses fingers* I like the people at the office, but between seeing them for Lauren's groin pull and now for this, I'm sorta sick of being there. I will miss the jarring moments in the quiet when the mellow new age CD playing in the background is suddenly disrupted with Spanish opera. Evidently the sports med doc is a fan and stuck it in the playlist. It'll definitely wake you up.


Song Lyrics of the Day

...Only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar...

U2, "Magnificent"

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...Thursday Doesn't Even Start...

(I feel compelled to finish the song^^.)

It's April Fools Day and Google, erm, I mean... Topeka, is reporting search times in interesting units (Hertz, shakes of a lamb's tail...). Also, check out Street View on Google Maps for a rad 3-D option today.

Every so often I get an interesting email via my crafting website. This week it was from a husband who wrote a very nice note asking me if there were any crafting events in a particular city during certain dates earlier this month. He said his marriage was literally hanging in the balance over my reply. I assume this meant his wife told him she was at a retreat and he suspects she was not.

I did email him back. Luckily for me, I honestly can't recall the events from those dates and I don't have an archive of them anywhere. Also, it isn't really possible to have a comprehensive listing of events, so there were probably some occurring that I didn't have on the site. I would just hate to get in the middle of something like that, although my heart goes out to him for feeling like he needed to do the research.

"Girlfriends' Retreat." It's the new "Business Trip."

Evidently Lent ends tonight. I would have sworn it ended on Easter. All those years of CCD and a Confirmation certificate, right down the tubes. :)

I am so looking forward to this weekend! We're going to Wayne's big ol' annual crawfish boil in Houston. Parrrrtaaaaay! And of course there's Easter Sunday. Hoping for nice weather to possibly get some wildflower photos. :D

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