Happy Easter!

Good morning and Happy Easter to those of us who celebrate! Laura, Lent can be considered to have ended on Thursday, so we were totally okay going out for barbecue on Friday night. (Just trying to absolve us of that ex-Catholic guilt.)


The foundation's pre-website-launch checklist is giving me fits this weekend. After I completed and verified most of my web pages early a couple of months ago (having been, along with web producers from two other chapters, basically a beta tester of the whole CMS system- you're welcome), the national office has made changes to the structure of some pages that has resulted in the disappearance and/or complete "screwing up" (technical term air quotes!) of several of my chapter's pages.

*sigh*

As I am reconstructing several key pages, I am finding new system bugs. Ugh. What a mess.


Sunday Stealing: The Two Memes in One Meme Meme - Happy Easter!

1: Who is your favorite Musical Artist from when you were a teenager? 
Prince and Duran Duran were my two ultimate favorites.

2: Who is your favorite game show host?
Chuck Woolery

3: Who is your Favorite Blog hosting service?
Blogger!

4: If you could meet anyone again from your childhood, who would it be?
Mr. Jackson, my awesome fifth grade teacher at Burnett Elementary in Houston.

5: Where did you want to live when you were growing up?
Good question. I don't think I thought much about living anywhere other than Houston. We spent a lot of time in College Station with my grandparents and aunt and uncles, so I would have happily lived there as well.

6: What is the most interesting piece of Trivia that you know?
Fun fact: Teeth are the only body parts that cannot heal themselves.

7: If you could live in any point of history when would it be and why?
I would live in ancient Rome, when they didn't have to wear pesky undergarments.

8: What is the most interesting job you have ever had?
The one I have now. It's never boring, working with brand new therapies and medical devices that may be helping people in the next few years.

9. Please share one middle school memory. It can be good, bad, ugly, funny. Pictures or words, I don't care, just share. 
Mr. Spasic, my seventh grade Texas History teacher, used to do these hilarious overheads for lessons, starring Mr. Spaso, a parody of Mr. Bill from SNL. This is a card I made him on the last day of school, with Mr. Spaso on the front. It said, "Oh NOOOOO.... Texas History is over. :(" Heh.

10. What's your favorite Beatles song?
"Oh! Darling" Love Sarah Bareilles' cover:



11. If I asked you to describe your most comfortable outfit, what would it be?
athletic capris and a thin t-shirt

12. Would you rather host a party or be a guest?
Be a guest. I love planning parties, but I tend to stress over the details when I am hosting.

13. Do you think we will move completely from traditional books to digital ones, and if we do, are you OK with that?
Yes and yes.

14. Do you learn best by reading, listening or experiencing?
experiencing

15. If you are (or when you were) single, what is the kiss of death for you concerning the opposite sex? (That is, what is one trait or behavior or habit or anything at all that immediately turns you off from considering that person a potential match for you?)
anyone who appeared to be insincere or fake

16. Snacks. Salty or sweet?
salty

17. Look around you in a four foot radius. What object is around you that you didn't realize was there or forgot was there? How long has it been there?
My table's table tent from the foundation's awards night (it says "Guests of Kathy ---"), that Laura stole for me. It's been here for maybe a month, waiting for me to figure out what to do with it.

18. What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?
Top Gun

19. You buy a bottle of shampoo and discover that you don't like what it does to your hair at all. What do you do with that full bottle?
I offer it to the fam and a couple of friends, to see if they want to try it. If not, I toss it. I did just read that if you don't like a new conditioner, you can use it as shaving cream. Great idea!

20. Your favorite spring comfort food?
What the heck is a spring comfort food? Winter comfort foods, I get. Spring... let's see... chicken Caesar wrap?

Read more...

And on a Positive Note...

My friend Luis said this yesterday on Facebook:

Today a woman picked out an item of which we only had one left in the store. When a man saw it and wanted to get one for himself she let him know it was the last one. He was disappointed and she noticed. She said it wasn't a day to be greedy and offered it to him while she would pick out another item that was similar. He protested but she insisted. He agreed but only if she let him buy her another item of her choice while he purchased the one she gave up. She agreed. It was a beautiful sentiment for a Good Friday.

Loved that story and wanted to share! Have a great day, y'all!

Read more...

Rude People... and Saturday 9!

I keep forgetting to tell this story on the old blog, so here we go. From the concert the other night...

There have been only two times in my life that I was so absolutely pissed off at a stranger that I very angrily confronted them about what they were doing. The first was several years ago at a cheer competition in Frisco, where a mom stood in an incredibly long concession line with all of us for a half hour, then tried to let her entire TEAM of cheerleaders cut to give their orders. If she wanted to order 20 cokes, I didn't have a problem with that. I did have a problem with her funneling in 20 girls to do their own individual orders.

Time number two happened the other night. We were in stadium seating, and the row behind us had a particularly wide space in front, for lots of leg room. Tracy and I had even mentioned that when we sat down. We should have gotten one row back, to have some space.

A drunk and/or high woman (around 30 years old, I'm guessing) and her boyfriend were sitting directly behind us. The woman kept putting her boots against my chair, and the chair of the guy next to me. Eventually she started kicking the guy and me in the back. He said something first. Then I said something. Her boyfriend kept yelling at her and physically holding her legs down, so she would stop.

A few minutes later, she pressed her boot against my back. I turned around and took her foot off me and placed it onto the floor and told her to stop it. She was slouching in her chair and laughing and writhing around like an idiot. To her boyfriend's credit, he was constantly doing his best to keep her from touching us, but that chick needed to be escorted out.

A couple of times more of her boot in my back and finally actually pressing against my head, and I stood up and turned around to face her. I put my hands on the back of my chair and leaned over and screamed over the music, "I WILL HAVE YOU KICKED OUT OF HERE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

Yeah, that was me. It felt sort of out-of-body, but I heard it coming out of my own mouth.

She kept slouching and writhing and giggling. Turns out she was with a whole group on that row. When I turned back around to watch the show again, they started asking what was going on, and the boyfriend explained to them that she was kicking me and pushing her feet onto me. One friend asked if they wanted to switch seats. He said she would just put her feet on someone else, so he was going to keep her from doing it.

If she touched me one more time I was going to find security to have them deal with her. Luckily for her and her boyfriend, she managed to keep her boots off me for the last half hour of the show. Grr!


Saturday 9: I Don't Want to Wait

1) Are you impatient?
I can be, yes. I don't like to be late, and I don't like when others are late. Time is valuable and I don't want to waste mine or anyone else's.

2) Do you believe some people have a gift for predicting the future?
Nope

3) The microwave is a great invention for those who "don't want to wait." What was the last thing you prepared in yours?
I made Lauren some nachos with the taco meat from Thursday night.

4) This was the theme of the TV show Dawson's Creek. Michelle Williams, a costar on the show, went on to earn multiple Oscar nominations. Name another performer who started out on TV and then became a movie star.
Oh! I've got this one! George Clooney.

5) What's the last bit of advice you received?
Get a cast aluminum patio set, rather than wicker, because the wicker could fade or crack over time.

The wicker these days isn't actual wicker. It has an aluminum skeleton and is made with all-weather PVC, treated with anti-this and anti-that, and colored all the way through. Still, a salesperson told us that it is less durable than cast aluminum. Even on our covered patio, the sun that peeks through in the morning and afternoon has weathered the wood of the hot tub, so I know I still need to consider that in my selection. But I love love love the modern wicker sets like this one:

Royal Terrace Havana at Chair King

6) What's the last advice you gave?
I gave some advice to CJ about a certain gentleman in her life. I'm quite the expert in issues of the heart. Just sayin'.

7) Easter is considered the season of rebirth. What leaves you feeling refreshed or rejuvenated?
Being outside in the fresh air, convening with nature a tad.

8) Easter is also recognized as the start of the spring season. What are you looking forward to this spring?
We have always had a table and four chairs on our back patio. I really want a nice, comfy conversation set instead, with a long couch, two chairs, an ottoman, a coffee table and end table. I look forward to hanging out on the patio, lounging with friends and refreshing beverages.

9) Which would you rather find in your Easter basket: yellow marshmallow chicks (aka Peeps) or a chocolate bunny?
Seriously? Chocolate bunny all the way.

Read more...

Lasts

Today is Jeff's last day at work. He's been at the company for 24 years, since college graduation. Can you believe it? He starts at the new place on Monday. So excited for him!!

Last night was his big sendoff happy hour/dinner with his coworkers. His original boss, who hasn't been with the company for years, was there. Talk about a blast from the past. Pretty cool!


Friday 5: Lasts

1. At a gathering of your usual social group, who’s almost certain to show up last?
Everyone I hang out with on a regular basis is pretty punctual. Bunco though- definitely Amy. :)

2. Of chores that must be done this weekend, which will you probably complete last, and why?
vacuuming, because... blah

3.Some TV remote controls have a “last” button. If you were to turn your TV on now and hit the “last” button on the remote, which channel would you be taken to?
HGTV

4. Your task is to try one scoop of ice cream per day until every one of thirty-one flavors is consumed. Which do you save for last?
mint chocolate chip

5. When did you last have an awful meal in a restaurant?
Don't tell anyone, but I hated the food yesterday at a restaurant all my coworkers said they loved, because one of them selected it for her birthday lunch. AND... then Jim asked me about it on Facebook (of course!), so I had to say it was good. I'll have to let him know not to go there. Ha!

Read more...

"Your Wit, Sir, is Legendary"

Lauren read my post from the other day and said that when I mentioned my "childbearing hips," I totally missed an opportunity to use the phrase "voluptuous German birthing hips," which was actually said by a girl on an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress" a few weeks ago. Ha!  Yes, them too.

The gals in our department are going to do an every Saturday morning fitness outing. Each week a new gym or physical activity, and if you can go, you go. Most gyms offer a free class. The ones that don't usually offer a cheap class- like $10. My suggestion: hiking, especially while it's still cool. We've come up with tons of ideas for things to do. It'll be fantastic!

Tonight, "Mustache," I leave you with just a few of my favorite Impractical Jokers moments. There was a mini-marathon or something going on this evening.

Two... burgers of ham!


I wouldn't get that...


Why would my friends call me that?


Both my therapist and my parole officer think I'm ready for a roommate...

Read more...

Video Clips...

Forgot to say one highlight of our evening was goat cheese beignets at Cru. Miniature beignets filled with goat cheese and drizzled with honey and a sprinkle of black pepper. Oh man.

Anyhoo!...

Well, no one has "Back 2 Good" from uploaded from last night yet, but here's another good one---
"So Sad, So Lonely" at 3:05...



...Dance all night 
With your ass on fire 
And your hands up high 
And feel me one more time...

Read more...

Matchbox Twenty

OMG. Matchbox Twenty is so awesome live. I've never seen them in concert before. Can you believe that? And ACL Live is the best venue. Every seat is a good seat. A pretty intimate setting for the size of it.

I cannot say enough about how great MB20 were. They played a few songs from their new album, and the rest from their years and years of colossal hits. Everyone was singing and dancing. It was amazing!

Best of all, they played "Back 2 Good," which is one of my favorite all time songs. Rob Thomas- just.. yes. He made a joke about Austin's cedar pollen making his voice all scratchy, which he thought might be sexy.... or creepy. Heh.

At one point he said he was "a teenager in the late 80's..." which shocked the crap out of the guys behind me.

Guy 1: DAMN. What?!
Guy 2: What did he say?
Guy 1: He said he was a teenager in the late 80's!
Guy 2: Oh my GOD. Wow.

At that point, Rob had gone into a very detailed discussion of making a mix tape from the radio, waiting for the DJ to shut up and stop talking over the intro to your favorite song, which you'd sat by the radio all dang day to wait for... Those guys had no idea what he was talking about.


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. What is the best part of your job? (If you’re unemployed or retired, what’s the best part of your day?)
I enjoy digging into data files and identifying discrepancies and queries. I'm sorta like the cute bow-tie guy on the H&R Block commercial who says he enjoys digging through 8 years of someone's unorganized papers to sort them and fill out a proper tax return. LOVE IT.

2. What was your favorite television show when you were a child?
I liked Zoom, The Electric Company, Sesame Street and Bugs Bunny.

3. When you go to a coffee shop, what is your “usual” order?
Skinny iced mocha, decaf.

4. When you watch a movie, do you skip the previews or do you watch them all with anticipation?
Skip them? Do I have a choice? I watch all of them with anticipation. I enjoy hearing everyone's comments at the end of each trailer. Oh, movies at home? No, I skip those, if the DVD lets me.

5. What’s the best thing that happened to you today (or this week)? 
I finished designing a user acceptance testing plan for one of my studies, and got it signed off.

6. Do you know any knock-knock jokes? If so, list it.
Knock knock
Who's there?
Cows go.
Cows go who?
No, cows go MOO.

Read more...

Saturday Nine

Heading out to a spin class this morning with the gals from the office. It's so "Austin," no?


Saturday 9: In the Wee Small Hours

1) Crazy Sam's mom and dad still talk about how exciting it was to see Sinatra in Vegas! What music did/do your parents enjoy?
My mom was a huge Tom Jones fan. I've known all his songs since I was tiny. She was also into pop music and always knew the current stuff. Dad enjoyed opera and Mireille Mathieu.

2) We all know Sinatra sang, and he won an Oscar for his acting. But he also painted and was proud to sell a few canvasses anonymously (signed "Artanis"). Do you have a secret talent?
Not that I can share here.

3) Those close to Sinatra maintained that every time he sang,"In the Wee Small Hours" (hear him perform it live here) he conjured up how it felt to lose his great love. Have you ever had your heart broken?
Who hasn't?

4) In 1966, when he was 50, Sinatra married 21 year old Mia Farrow. Their union lasted less than two years. Do you think a wide age gap necessarily dooms a romantic relationship?
Yes. It adds a lot of extra pressure, expectations and possibilities for conflict.

5) Offstage Sinatra wore orange sweaters and liked seeing orange throw pillows in his home and dressing room because he believed "orange is the happiest color." What color raises your spirits?
blue

6) Frank and his loyal buddies were famously known as "The Rat Pack." How many people do you consider close friends?
Six

7) Sinatra's children followed their father into show business. What advice would you give a young person entering your career of choice?
For clinical research data management, you should have a solid background in biology and medical science, along with an interest in helping people. You'll need strong technical skills as well. Know how to communicate effectively and patiently with a large project team of people with varied perspectives and vastly differing levels of technical and clinical knowledge.

8) Legend has it that Frank was embarrassed by a scar on his face (received at birth from the forceps used in his delivery) and worked hard to cover it. Do you have a physical characteristic that you try to hide?
My childbearing hips. Gah!

9) In 1964, when he first heard The Beatles, Sinatra was very dismissive. By 1970, he called the Beatles' "Something" one of the most beautiful ballads ever. Tell us about something you changed your mind about.
Nicki Minaj. I dismissed her from day 1, because of her wacky professional persona, but I've seen (on the few episodes of AI I've watched this season) that she is a really sweet and pretty smart young lady. (Her weird waffle commentary the other night notwithstanding.)

Read more...

Driver's License Renewal

Renewed my driver's license today. Oh the thrill of the DMV. Nowhere else is there such a varied group of human beings. My favorite is always the creepy hipster in the corner with his laptop.

I talked to a girl there, who had a beautiful diamond ring that she told me she got at Costco. I had no idea Costco sold jewelry. She said they sell caskets, too. Truly one-stop shopping there.

I was mostly so happy to get a new photo. My old photo looks nothing like me, and is utterly hideous. Back at work, my office mate said that she doesn't ever want a new DL photo. She actually dug her purse out of her desk drawer to show me how pretty she looks in her current pic. It's supercute!My driver's license has been in my wallet backwards- I kid you not- for about eleven years.

I'm going to be in the office full time beginning on Monday. The Foundation website is finally close to completion (and I've been working full time for the company for a couple of weeks now anyway). So, yay! Lauren has very helpfully volunteered to take over grocery shopping, so I don't have to do it at night or on the weekend. So nice of her!


Text convo with Cathy Tuesday night:

CJ: I'm at Open Mic Night with Geoff's band. I just sang two songs, but I can't think of any more to sing.
Me: Katy Perry? Taylor Swift? That Christina Aguilera/ Blake Shelton duet?
CJ: "I Kissed a Girl"!
Me: Jeff says do the Harlem Shake.
CJ: I've never tried it.
Me: Oh please... you kissed a girl once, back in your crazy army days!
CJ: Right. I was talking about the Harlem Shake. LOL

Ahaha. Catherine. Always keepin' it real.

Read more...

Hippity Hump Day

Now that I know certain people are creeped out by the term Hump Day, it'll probably be my Wednesday post title every week. "Hump day" and "moist" seem to be my friends' least favorite words.

My least favorite words? "Fracking" and "sloughing."


Justin Timberlake announced that he will release the "second half" of his album later this year.

Is that the GOOD half?

Ha. Sorry, I'm a fan, but not of the new album. There are no songs on there that you can't get out of your head. I wanted to like it! Meh.


Kathy has taken two business trips to SIngapore in the past two months. She finally got to take some time for sightseeing, and went to the Gardens By the Bay there. I tease her all the time about never taking photos in all the cool places to which she travels. She doesn't even take them on her phone! When she told me about the gardens, I wanted to see photos. "Google Gardens By the Bay," she told me.

This weekend, we brought some online photos up while we were hanging out by the pool. OMG. How awesome is that place? I refer you  to Google Images. Go ahead and check it. I'll wait...

It looks like drawings, doesn't it? Very surreal and futuristic. There is a walkway between those tree things, that she walked on.

She visited another incredible place there- the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. More photos are on Google. Holy wow! I must stay there! What a view. What a pool!

One of her colleagues there is from California. He says he may never come back to the States after living in Singapore. Well now I need to add Singapore to my wishlist travel destinations!

Incidentally, Kathy and Alex went to NYC over Spring Break and she took photos! All of Alex in front of touristy locations. Very cute. Bravo.

Read more...

Music Tuesday

Kathleen Edwards' version of "It Must Have Been Love" is SO fabulous. Love Roxette of course, but man, that is a great cover. It's on iTunes.

Lyrics of the Day

...My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she called "love"
And when I look into my nephew's eyes...
Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from...
Some terrible nights...

Fun. "Some Nights"

"...some terrible nights" is evidently a confirmed lyric via the band's Twitter, but I still think "...some terrible lies" is better. JT or one of the other NSYNC boys once said back in the day, that they didn't want to publish the lyrics of their songs, because you should sing whatever lyrics you hear that make sense to you. Sometimes 'tis true. (And so originated the great "didn't have G's/didn't have cheese" debate of 2001.)

So, I'm going with "terrible lies."

And a bonus lyrics of the day, because it's on the radio at the moment:

...You think I'm just too serious,
I think you're full of sh*t...

Pink "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"

Not particularly stirring on paper (or um, screen), but very powerful words to sing really loud, while thinking of someone you think is full of it.

:)

Read more...

Disappearing FB Ticker?

What is this I hear about the Facebook ticker going away? How am I supposed to stalk you people if I can't see the ticker?

More later... Have a great day, y'all!

Read more...

March Madness Part II

Yeah. I'd have to be about twenty years older to rank college basketball coaches by handsomeness. Why didn't anyone tell me this before I went looking?

Okay.. here's the way to do it, if you're serious, but have no idea what's going on this year with NCAA basketball:

Good luck with that.

I'm just going to go with the mascot that would win in a real tussle.

Read more...

March Madness

The office is doing the March Madness hoo-ha and I hear that people who don't follow college basketball always win these things and really irritate the big fans. So I'm very tempted to participate, but how do I choose? I think my "always go for the underdog" style isn't applicable when I'm gambling on the winners, so how about going for... the hotter coach?

Yes. This may work. Far more fun for me than researching teams, too.

Here's something for my guy friends to snicker at: I Googled "hot college basketball coaches" and the first result was a photo gallery of the "highest paid college basketball coaches."

Well-played, Google.

Read more...

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Meme From Memphis (part two)

Have any memories that you’d like to forget?
No, because I don't want to forget any life lessons I learned the hard way.

Is there someone you really like to hang out with and just talk about stuff?
Any of my friends. We don't need to be doing anything exciting, just hanging out!

Have you ever been called prince or princess?
Nah. I've always been more of a rough and tumble sort of girl, rather than the dainty princess type.

Do you think teenagers are weird?
No, I think they are at a stage of life when they are more self-conscious and sensitive to the thoughts and words of others than they will ever be again. Most of their "weird" behaviors just stem from that. We grew out of it. So shall they. And theirs as well.

How fast does your mood change?
Most of the time, its a gentle slope. It depends on the situation though.

How are you feeling?
A little run down after the week I've had.

Do you want someone to call you right now?
No, I'm about to lie down on the couch and watch Wreck it Ralph.

What do you always take with you?
iPhone

Is your bed comfortable?
very!

Would you say you’re an understanding person?
Yes

Are you generally a happy person?
Yep!

Who’s in your facebook profile picture with you?
Jeff, Scott and Julie, although I've pretty much cropped them all out.

Were you single on Valentines Day?
Nope

What is the last movie you watched?
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II

Do you listen to songs when you’re done?
No, I put on my satin robe and a fedora and smoke a cigarette in a long cigarette holder.

??

How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?
10-15 minutes after I turn off the TV

Are you talkative?
Quite so.

What are your St. Patty's day plans?
I wish I could say I have big plans, but I have none other than to get into my jammies and catch up on DVR stuff.

Read more...

Hello Saturday!

Well friends, if you don't eat, and you can't sip the minimum required amount of fluids for five days, you too should take a trip to the ER! They will fix your dehydration with some IV fluids and potassium. Then you won't be as fainty anymore, which is awesome.

We did establish during my stay at the ER on Wednesday night, via the ER physician's consultation of Google "the literature," that extensive mouth blisters are actually a fairly common symptom of a serious allergic reaction to sulfonamides like Bactrim. There had previously been disagreement and uncertainty on that point among the four doctors I saw over the past week.

Yesterday (6 days after this all started) I was finally able to eat room temperature pudding. Today was the first day I was able to eat most foods. No sharp, pointy things, but a good variety, and at most temps that weren't super-cold or hot. YAY.


Saturday 9: Hakuna Matata

1) Sam is crazy for The Lion King. Do you have a favorite Disney movie?
Oooh! Hard question. I think my fave is The Little Mermaid.

2) The song tells us that Hakuna Matata "means no worries." Is something worrying you right now?
Nope!

3) Who is the most optimistic person you know?
Me

4) Elton John wrote "Hakuna Matata" but didn't record it. Name a song Sir Elton is famous for singing.
Candle in the Wind

5) Can you play the piano?
Yes

6) Congratulations! You just won a guided African Safari Tour! 8 days in Zambia and Botswana for you and a friend. All expenses paid, and allowing you access to breathtaking, unforgettable sights. It takes at least 30 hours to get there, and before you go you'll need yellow fever and hepatitis vaccinations and medication to prevent malaria. Are you up for it?
Of course!

7) There's been a mistake. You really won a 4-night Disney Bahamas Cruise for two. Are you relieved or disappointed that you'll be partying with a guy in a Simba suit on the Lido Deck instead of observing a real lion in the wild?
Disappointed, but only because Disney cruises are full of small children. If it were Royal Caribbean, I would be relieved.

8) Let's bring this back to real life -- do you have any vacation plans?
No. Jeff and I both have new jobs. We're going to Houston in a couple of weeks though, for Wayne's annual crawfish boil!

9) Describe your luggage. Is it durable and high quality? Or are you like Crazy Sam, who has been known to use an Old Navy shopping bag as her carry-on?
Durable and high quality Travelpro.

Read more...

Don't Read This

Let me explain exactly what is happening with my allergic reaction at this point in the "healing process." Warning- it is pretty freakin' horrific.

The swelling is mostly gone. The skin rash is better. The killer is... I've lost the surface layer of large areas in my mouth. The intraoral rash has now peeled- the inside of my cheeks, the roof of my mouth and areas of my gums, as well about half of my lips. It's all super-red and oozy, and it hurts like a mofo.

I am not even kidding.

Still working, because we're drowning. I have my mobile first aid kit of Orajel, Chloraseptic and Vaseline lip balm. I'm hurty and starving, and sort of woozy. What I really need at this point is Gatorade, to restore my electrolyte balance, but omg, I can't even imagine how that would feel.

Oy.

Chloraseptic. Dude. That stuff is your worst nightmare and your best friend over a span of about ten seconds.

Read more...

Allergy

Well, I had one heck of a weekend. After I posted Saturday morning, I went back to bed for a couple of hours and woke up with my face and lips swollen, a spotty SUPER-PAINFUL rash in my mouth and red spots here and there on my skin. I was allergic to the antibiotic I was on. I had to go to urgent care twice over the weekend, and I saw my regular doc today. Got a steroid shot and two kinds of antihistamines to take together.

Yay!

It sucks BIG time and I cannot eat or drink anything but tea at this point. I thought I might have one of Lauren's fancy mouth infections, but it's not. (Thankfully!) Oh and today at work, I got a nice red rash all across my chest. Everyone noticed. Not sure if that's a compliment to my great boobs or just a statement of the ghastliness of the rash.

"Did you get some sun this weekend?"

"No, I'm dying a slow death at the hands of my own immune system."


Justin Timberlake is one of the best SNL hosts ever. Other than having to endure the horrible "Suit and Tie" (ugh), it was great!

Bring it on down to Veganville! *snort*


Sunday Stealing: The Meme From Memphis (part one)

Be honest, who texted you last?
Jeff

Do you sleep with the bedroom door open or closed?
closed- We don't let the cats sleep in our bed.

Do you drink tea?
Yep. It's all I ingest at the moment. Think mashed up avocado would be good for mouth sores? One of the most stinging things I've tried. Wooooooo-WEE.

Do you have plans for tomorrow?
I plan to suffer through work again and come home and take my super-antihistamines and pray for sleep.

What’s worse: dry skin or chapped lips?
chapped lips- they're much harder to fix

Would you be surprised if Facebook started charging?
yes

Would you rather go to Canada or California on vacation?
Cali! I actually just said that I really want to go to LA- lol

How many social media sites are you registered with?
3- LiveJournal (haven't hung out there in years), Twitter (haven't logged in there in about two years), Facebook

Are you wearing jeans, shorts, sweatpants or pajama pants?
jeans

So, what if you changed lives for one day with the last person you texted?
I would take my wife on the most rockin' trip to Italy, because she is so awesome. :D

Last person you told a secret to?
Cathy

What are you listening to at the moment?
Coldplay "Paradise"

Where was the last place you fell asleep other than your bed?
the couch

Is there someone that you believe you will always be attached to?
Like someone not completely obvious? My Aunt Ellie, who is married to my uncle Brian. She and Mom were great friends.

Are you going to any concerts this year?
My current upcoming concerts are Matchbox Twenty, Train and Bruno Mars.

Do you believe in Karma? 
Not in the religious sense (God doesn't give you riches because you're a good person or burden you with plagues if you're bad), but in the pop culture sense. I think you reap what you sow, because people see you for what you are- in good and bad ways.

Read more...

Saturday 9

Well, Maroon 5 is playing Houston a week from Tuesday and Dallas that Thursday, so I guess I have to accept the fact that they're not going to toss in an Austin show between. Sad day!

I know... if I were a dedicated fan, I would take a day off and road trip it. I was close to doing it, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. Have fun, Maroon 5 peeps in Houston and Dallas!

I do have Bruno Mars tix, so that makes me very happy.


Saturday 9: Midnight Train to Georgia

1) Have you ever been to the Atlanta?
Only on my way to Europe through the ATL airport.

2) Do you enjoy traveling by train?
If the scenery is going to be interesting, yes. It takes a while and there are stops, so I have usually done it when I want to see everything between my location and my destination, as part of the travel experience.

3) "Midnight Train to Georgia" is Sam Winters' signature number at the karaoke bar. What's your go-to song when you take the mic?
Oh I don't karaoke, but I love to watch everyone else do it. If I were to sing myself, I would do "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. Always go with a crowd-pleaser.

4) Do you drink tea?
Yes. Usually lightly sugar-sweetened.

5) What's the most recent thing you purchased for your home?
a full size food processor

6) Are there dishes in your kitchen sink right now?
Yep.

7) Have you ever been fingerprinted?
I don't think so, although I did have one of those art festival artist "thumbprint drawings" done when I was six.

(Heh. It happens to be on a shelf in this room.)

8) What was the last check you wrote?
Feb 8, 2013 for $486.22 to the company that stretched our carpet and steam-cleaned/sealed all the grout in the shower and on the floor of our master bathroom. A pretty good deal, actually.

9) What color are your eyes?
green

Read more...

TGIF

Oh em gee, I have been completely underwater at work this week! As soon as I stopped in my tracks Thursday morning and spent an hour-and-a-half creating a very well-organized list of tasks I had to do, life was good again. Ahhhhh.

I've been working a lot of overtime and I am soooo glad it's finally the weekend. San Antonio with Scott 'n Julie tomorrow!


Music Memoirs Friday

Top 5 Country Songs

1) "Friends in Low Places" Garth Brooks
2) "Alcohol" Brad Paisley
3) "I Know You Won't" Carrie Underwood
4) "I Hope You Dance" LeeAnn Womack
5) "Bless the Broken Road" Rascal Flatts

Can you tell I don't listen to a lot of country? Old stuff. Great though!

Read more...

Perks of Being a Wallflower

We watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower last week. I'd rather comment on that than The Last Exorcism II, which L and I saw yesterday, because Last Exorcism sucks like a giant sucking thing. Oh man. Does it suck.

Perks was a great film. Lauren has read the book and she loved the movie. I was surprised by the twist, although I should have seen it coming. Or maybe not, as they definitely steer you towards believing that Charlie is depressed because of his aunt's death. It's a sad story in a lot of ways, but a tale of typical teen angst and friendships and some of the craptastic things we all went through in high school. It's got a ton of great 80's music and references. I recommend it as a rental, if you haven't seen it.

Bonus- all the guys in their 40's who have creepy crushes on Emma Watson will enjoy it! (That's a bit of a jab at my hubby.)

;)


Music Memoirs: Top 5 on Friday

Top 5 Albums on your wish list right now:

I so rarely buy albums anymore, but the ones I would like to "complete" are-
1) Les Mis film soundtrack
2) Overexposed Maroon 5
3) Adele 21
4) Gavin DeGraw Sweeter
5) Bruno Mars Unorthodox Jukebox

Read more...

Patrick's Saturday Six- Last Letter

Our department director wants us to be on Trillian at work, so we can send quick messages to each other during the day. (Ideally, the company would provide a secure, internal IMing platform, but they don't.) I prefer that work stuff be documented in email, but since everyone is using Trillian, I'm going to have to install it. I'm at home in the afternoons until at least the end of March, so it would be especially useful for the folks in the office to reach me in the p.m. via IM.

I'll start a separate IM account for work though. I don't really want to mix the work/play groups. There can be some overlap, but not for everyone. Ya' know? :)

Patrick's Saturday Six: Z

1. Z is for ZAKUSKA: What is your favorite appetizer in your favorite restaurant?
We never get an appetizer in my favorite restaurant, Austin Land and Cattle, because it would be way too much food with the steak dinner. My favorite appetizer in town is the Grove Crispy Oysters at The Grove Wine Bar-- oysters on house-made chips with spicy aioli and mango-poblano pico. Delicioso!

2. Z is for ZEPPELIN: If the great airships of old became an accepted form of transportation again, how likely would you be to travel in one of them?
If I could have a little wine first, I would love to travel in one. Not totally comfortable with the safety, but it would be very cool!

3. Z is for ZEPPOLE: Do you prefer doughnuts freshly made and still hot, chilled or at room temperature?
Room temp. I don't mind them hot, but they usually have a melt-in-your-mouth consistency then, which isn't as good as the complex crispy/soft texture at room temperature. I've never had them chilled. (?)

4. Z is for ZERO: What is a grocery item you’ve completely run out of at the moment?
I'm not out of anything now, but I did run out of milk last week.

5. Z is for ZOILISM: What subject do you feel people are too quick to criticize others about?
People are too quick to criticize others from historically persecuted groups, who say things like, "He didn't promote me, because I'm a woman," or "They didn't punish that drunk driver because she's White." People roll their eyes at those types of comments. They typically assume those injustices are outdated, but the sad fact is, they aren't. Each situation should be taken on its own and considered with the facts.

6. Z is for ZOOCULTURE: If money were no object and you could domesticate any wild animal and have it live with you, (and you knew the animal would be safe to live with), which animal would you choose to have as a pet?
koala

Read more...

Sequester... and Saturday 9!

Let me see if I can piss off another "friend" who'll stop talking to me in real life because they don't like to read my opinion on this blog. :)

These across the board government cuts were completely avoidable, if Congress would have put on their big boy panties and worked a little compromise to come to an agreement on the Federal budget. They've spent the past few months voting on various measures to change the terms of sequestration, rather than voting on a budget. Waste. Of. Time.

That being said, and what's done being done, these fearsome sound bites from government entities are irritating me to death. If a private company has to trim things, it doesn't begin with cutting its most vital parts. This is an opportunity for government to cut its waste... not to furlough necessary employees or reduce program benefits. Sure, they may have to furlough people, but is there any consideration of identifying, at the program level, and eliminating truly unnecessary expenses and employees?

I don't know much about how it all works internally, but someone has determined what exactly is being cut in each organization, and those particular people should answer for why they thought that was the right place to eliminate cost. In each area, certain benefits and employees have been exempted from sequester cuts, while other employees and programs were deemed expendable. Who made all these decisions? I doubt it was Congress. Probably program administrators. We should be asking them why they chose these particular cuts.

There is a lot of blame for the scary headlines to be shared among Congress, the President and program administrators.


Saturday 9: It's a Sunshine Day

1) The best known Brady Bunch song is, of course, the show's theme. Do you know the lyrics?
Let's see... Yes.

2) The Bradys were a blended family. Do you have stepparents, stepchildren or stepsibs?
I never lived with a blended family, because my dad moved away to England and then New York state when my parents split. It was my mom and I from my sophomore year of high school on.

When Dad was married to Hildegard, I had an older stepbrother and stepsister, and an adopted baby stepbrother (these were Hildegard's two kids and her grandson- long, sad story). Later, when Dad married Ursula, I got her kids- one stepsister and three stepbrothers. I also have a half-brother who grew up in Germany with his mom and stepfather. He is my Dad's only other biological child, from a brief marriage before my mom- for a total of 4 weddings, if you're keeping track.

3) Samantha admits that, when she was 12, she taped Greg Brady's photo over her bed. Before you judge her too harshly, come clean yourself. Did you have a major pre-teen crush? Who was it?
Erik Estrada, Gregory Harrison and John Schneider. Cathy and I went really nuts with the whole John Schneider thing. We were card-carrying fan club members and "officially" greeted him at an airport once with a few other fan club chicks. He's incidentally one of only TWO blonde guys I had crushes on... ever.

4) Which TV character do you wish lived next door?
Sheldon Cooper

5) It's a sunshine day! Describe your sunglasses.
dark, with wire rims

6) You're on a 90-minute flight. How will you spend the time? Do you read a book? A magazine? Look out the window? Take a nap?
I read SkyMall and my own magazines. Then I play games on my phone.

7) Do you have a favorite brand of toothpaste?
Crest Mega-Super-Whitening

8) How many keys are on your key ring?
4

9) What do you miss about summertime?
The warm weather!

Read more...