13 March 2007

Hello?

If you're wondering why I'm not posting, it's because I'm no longer here!

I've moved to Wordpress. In about a week this blog will probably be defunct, which means you guys have a bit more time to update your bookmarks. Assuming you have my blog bookmarked. I love you if you do.

Also, for my pals who've linked to me, please change the link to my Wordpress site. I promise it's much nicer than this one.

GO!!

09 March 2007

Quote of the day

Taken from this article:

'Lance Berkman's left wrist was wrapped with tape prior to Thursday's game in Viera, but he was quick to offer reassurance that he was not injured.

"It's almost like a security blanket," Berkman said. "Sometimes, when you take a lot of swings, your wrist gets sore and you need some extra support. It's like a woobie."'

Woobie! I'll have to use that in my day-to-day life, because words simply don't get any better than that.

I wonder how tough it was for Allyson Footer to write that without laughing.

***Hey guys! Bookmark my new Wordpress blog!! Blogger, no! Wordpress, GO!!***

08 March 2007

People I have seen go in the women's bathroom whilst sitting at Spiderhouse

1. A woman with clunky combat boots tromping over the sensitive floor. Also wearing camoflauge pants.

2. Sole nice guy who works here trying desperately to get in to change the trash bags.

3. Two girls go in together. Twice.

4. Man with silver briefcase who locked the door behind himself.

07 March 2007

Music Wednesday!

I think that what this blog really needs is a theme day. This could only last one week. This could last forever. We'll just have to hold hands and venture forth together. Shall we?

Now, I'm not the type of person to be on top of music. Well, I know what's out (at least the good stuff), and I know what I'd like to have, but I don't have the money or time right now to build my already too large cd collection. I've recently been relying on Christmas presents and friends who will let me "borrow" music from their computers. Now, I don't do this unless the band is already established and makes lots and lots of money. And one of us always pays for it. So don't get mad at me. Tell them to make cds cheaper.

Anyway, back to topic. While I'm not always the hippest gal on the block with my cd collection, I do tend to think I have decent taste in music. And most of the time my friends are even farther behind me. Or just like to be reminded of that cd they bought many moons ago and maybe they should listen to it again soon. Gosh, I sure do help those friends of mine.

I'm currently listening to The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema. Yes, it's from 2005. I only bought it a year late though, in 2006. That's pretty good for me. Hell, I just bought Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights a few months ago.

It took me a while to really appreciate Twin Cinema, mainly because I'd previously only heard two songs from it, and I REALLY liked those songs. So I only wanted to listen to them. About 3 or 4 months after I purchased the cd, I actually started to listen to it. And recently it's been one of my regulars as of late. It's peppy in all the right places, and the harmonies are nothing short of wonderful. There's a song in particular that really keeps me on my toes: Track 6, AKA "The Jessica Numbers." It skips around from 3/4 to 2/4 like nobody's business, and again with the harmony! The melody is really quite beautiful in places, and is incredibly easy to sing along with, even though it jumps from what are higher notes for me (mid B range) to some alto notes (my love). I've decided that this song will be the song I make my band cover. Now I've just got to find a band.

We were lucky enough to see half of their set at last year's ACL Festival, and this is truly a talented group of musicians. They sounded incredibly similar to their cd; as in, the quality of their voices was almost as good as the recording. And there was a wonderful live energy to their music that, I think, turned my non-listening friends into fans.

They've got a few albums out (here's their website) and there's a new one coming out this year. If you've never heard this band, I highly suggest you take a gander. If you have heard them and can't understand what the hell I'm rattling on about, don't worry. I've got a somewhat varied taste, and maybe we'll be able to agree on something very soon.

Side note: My Wordpress version of this blog is now up and running. I will be posting to both for the time being; at least until Wordpress can import all of my Blogger posts. Go check it out if you like (it's still under construction). Yellow Turtle 2.0

06 March 2007

Haircuts and bikes

So, I got my hair cut yesterday. While I should have been at work. (Shhh!)

I sort of like it; as in, it's shorter and the split ends are gone and it's softer. But my angled bangs that were previously cute and not too short are now adorable and way too short. Well, not hip-short; I don't look like I'm trying to wear skinny pants and listen to Emo or anything. But they're shorter than they were. And they were cut differently than before. That's what I get for skipping work. And getting my hair cut at a salon in the mall. And not scheduling an appointment with the guy who rocked my hair last time. Let this be a lesson to you: don't skip work and then expect to get a great haircut. Karma won't allow it.

Recently I had a discussion with my co-workers about riding bicycles. One of my co-workers doesn't know how to ride a bike, which warms my heart a bit. See, I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was 13. One Three. Yeah. I've always been a slow learner, with walking, swimming (although I still can't tread water), biking, etc. I just don't like to put myself in what could be harm's way if I don't have to. I also lived in the country, so learning to ride a bike meant being willing to fall on a gravel road. Ouch.

My mom finally told me that I needed to learn (at least that's how I remember it. Hi Mom!), and she told me about how she learned by just coasting down a hill. The balance was the most important thing, she said, so coasting would teach me that. Then I could add on the pedaling. Well, after a few weeks of trying, I got up enough courage to try to actually "ride the bike." It sort of worked; I certainly didn't become the next Tour de France contender, but I could get around on two wheels if necessary.

It's been so long since those days that I no longer feel confident on a bicycle. I know people say it comes back to you, but I've got something to say to those people: Not when you were a crappy bike rider in the first place. I tried months ago, but was so embarrassed that I stopped immediately and decided to give up forever. Now I feel like I should hop back on the horse, because if nothing else I need to be able to teach my kids this stuff.

When did you learn to ride? Are you still wonderful at it?

01 March 2007

Memo

Ok all. I'm not officially moved over to Wordpress completely, but I will start trying to post both here and there. The link is: Yellow Turtle.

I'll be experimenting with the different themes and eventually building one of my own (most likely), so don't get to attached to the look. I'll also be adding more to it in the coming weeks. I realized that Wordpress also has widgets for their sidebar (which I complained about Blogger having), but everything else is much easier to use. And hopefully Wordpress will be much more reliable for my regular readers and semi-regular commenters.

Again, I am not moved over completely, so please be patient with my posting on that link. I'll be sure to make a big deal when I'm free of Blogger.

I. ROCK.



The picture will link you to a Facebook album. If you are not a Facebook member, don't despair. I'm planning on adding these to Flickr soon enough, so everyone can enjoy them. Whoo!

28 February 2007

I kinda wish I knew these people

Barack My World

People, I know this man is 45 and a politician. But looking at this picture, how can one think of anything except "This man's wife is a lucky, lucky woman."



I think that even the boyfriend would agree with me.

I find it interesting that someone I know thinks Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate. I cannot imagine that Hillary would have the ability to convince between 15,000 to 20,000 Texans to stand outdoors in bad weather for an entire afternoon. Texas is a notorious red state, with our governor turning into Bush Jr. The fact that Barack Obama was able to pull together people of many different races, backgrounds, and ages fully supports my belief that we will be able to vote for this man come November '08. Then again, this happened in Austin, probably the most liberal city in Texas. Oh well. Maybe the state will follow in our footsteps.

I've heard some claim that Hillary will get the vote simply because she's a woman and don't all women want to support her? NO! (I say emphatically) The fact that she's a woman shouldn't enter into the equation. Her politics are questionable. First she supported the war, then she didn't. This same flip-flopping cost Kerry the presidential vote in '04. What makes people think that she'll somehow be able to rise above it?

I've only scratched the surface of both candidates (I haven't even begun considering other Democratic hopefuls) and I intend to find out more about them as we draw closer to the primaries. I know that Obama supported the bill to build a fence along our border, which I oppose. So we'll see if anything else comes up about either that will help me make a better informed decision. But as it stands now, I'm hoping Obama's name will be on the ballot next year.

Any opinions out there? Got some love for a candidate yet?

26 February 2007

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Does anyone else listen to this band? I'm loving their new album right now. Especially "Satan Said Dance," which you can hear by going here.

A caution: if you don't like weird voices and electronic music, please don't listen to the song. You will not enjoy it. And you will be angry with me for wasting your time. And I really like you and want you to stick around.

My pity party has dulled a bit in severity, only because I just got an email from a friend who I haven't seen in, almost 2 years? Say it ain't so! She found me through the wonders of the internet, and hopefully I will see her soon. I should really reply to her email instead of just talking about it on the web.

UPDATE: The link to my Myspace page no longer has the song mentioned above. Now it's got Peter Bjorn and John. Also a band I'm in love with at the moment.

Pity party

I've just come to the horrifying realization that I have no idea what I want to do with this life of mine. I know I've written this before, but it's a recurring theme in my life and if this blog is about anything, it's about what's going on in my head.

I decided to poke around at different universities in the area to get a feel for what's out there in terms of graduate study. I've had a few ideas of what I'd like to maybe try out, but there's nothing that's jumped out at me and made a great impression. In order to even think about applying to graduate school at most places, I'll need to have three good reference letters from professors. At this point, I know of one professor who worked with me almost three years ago. I was not motivated in my college life to make friends with professors, so I don't have much to go on. That means that the free classes I can take at the university where I work will have to give me ample opportunity to meet and kiss professors' asses. Can I do that with a full-time job? Do I even want to?

Again, nothing in a graduate catalog really tells me that I want to try for it. I'd much rather find a job that I love than study some more, although I've always thought that the Sound Recording Technology program at Texas State (formally Southwest Texas) sounded so interesting. But I never thought I could do something like that. Nowadays I still feel like most things are probably beyond my reach, and if the music department at Texas State tells me this is too, I think it'll take me a while to bounce back.

I apologize for this rambling post, but a flood of emotions is hiding behind my eyes right now, and typing is the only thing I can do to keep from breaking down at work. I can't stand administrative duties; I hate being cooped up doing something I don't like for pay that barely helps me get by. I don't want to continue down this road, and yet I don't know what road would be best for me. When I make my next move, it needs to be one I have little or no reservations about. I can't afford to spend the next few years walking down a path that, in the end, holds no pot of gold.

I guess the bottom line is that I'm terrified of the future. I've told people that I'm interested in certain things, but that's usually just been to give them something to hear (and give me something to say). Now I'm realizing how hard anything I try to do will be. And I'm a bit discouraged.

Sorry gang. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be brighter.

22 February 2007

Uninspired

Hi. Lately I haven't had much interesting happen to me, so I guess I'll just talk about some things that have entered my mind in the past few days.

On Monday I had an appointment to give blood. I'd only done this once before in my life, and that was for extra credit in a biology class. And I would have sold my soul for extra credit in that biology class because people, I'm not that good at science. Anyway, we (my roommate and I) walk into the donor clinic about 5 minutes before my appointment. The lady at the reception desk stood up to greet us with a very nice "Hi, how are you doing today?" To which I replied, "Fine, how are you?" To which she replied, "Are you here to save a life today?" To which I replied with a chuckle and "Well, I have a 6 o'clock appointment, so.." It was an awkward moment, because for once I just couldn't contain the laughter at the statement. How do I respond to that? "Yes, I'm here to be better than most human beings and give blood so that others may live." Sure, that's what I was thinking, but who in their right mind would actually say that? Damn, I should have said that.

I recently renewed my vehicle registration through the mail. Well, recently means yesterday. And it goes out at the end of this month. Oh well. As I was sitting at work doing my bills (because there was NOTHING to do at work earlier this week), I looked through all of the little leaflets they stuff in the vehicle registration envelope. Turns out that for $30-$40 I could have gotten a license plate that said "God Bless America" or "God Bless Texas" or my personal favorite, "Fight Terrorism." Actually, I can't remember right now if it said "Fight" or "Stop," but you get the idea. I wasn't surprised that TXDOT would have something like this, but it still shocked me nonetheless. It just seemed to me like a very loud declaration that "this state loves our President and he can do no wrong!" Ugh.

I'm currently putting off my i312 homework. I hope you guys follow that link and see that I now have two blogs. What fun.

I'll hopefully be able to post a bit more in the future, but lately these days have been dragging me down. I hope everyone's doing well.

19 February 2007

Summer's here!!

Well, maybe not. But I sure do have some great summer vibrations going on. I just walked to Jamba Juice and got drinks for all of us at work. And it's bea-u-ti-ful out there. The sun is out, the wind is blowing, winter has left us; at least for the next few days.

Now, when I saw winter I'm obviously not talking about real winter. Although there was that time we had snow that stayed on the ground for an hour or two. In fact, most would probably call our winter fall. But to me, a native Texan, it's winter. Because I had to walk to work in temperatures below 40 degrees many, many days (approx. 20). Way too many days for my comfort.

So the moral of this entry is this: I'm beginning to realize that I'm a true Texan. Because the moment the weather started to get warmer, my mood lightened. I'm sure part of this mood enhancement is due to the protein boost I got in my Caribbean Passion, but people, I like warm weather. I don't really like sweating on my way to work, but I love sitting on the porch after work, going to baseball games, driving with my windows down, and whatever else comes with summer. I love it. And I'm ready.

On death and tea

Saturday I went to the funeral of a woman I've known, well, I guess most of my life. She was a member of the church I grew up in, and was in the church choir (of which I was also a member). In recent years I've gone to church less and less, so I haven't see her too much lately. She had an aneurysm (I can't believe I spelled that word right the first time) early last week, and died on Wednesday. As she wasn't a relative and, like I said, I hadn't seen her in a while, I wasn't too torn up about it when I found out. Just sad. But getting to the church and seeing others crying in the choir loft really got to me. Seeing her husband got me even more. I just don't like funerals or death. I'd very much appreciate it if life could get rid of those sometime soon.

For no reason at all, the boyfriend gave me a gift on Friday night. Yes, that's right. No reason at all. He's of the opinion that he doesn't need a day to love me more, and I'm perfectly happy with that. Especially when he gives me gifts for no reason at all.

He gave me the new Shins cd, "Wincing the Night Away." If you're a Shin's fan at all, you'll probably poop a brick over this cd. It's good. It's different; not every song is Shins-y. They've expanded their horizons, it would seem.

My friend gave me Belle and Sebastian's "The Life Pursuit" the other day and it's been all I can listen too. With, of course, the exception of the present given to me for no reason at all. I just can't get over how all over the place it is and how they've managed to make every song perfect.

On tea, well, there's a song on "The Life Pursuit" called "For the P***e of a Cup of Tea" that keeps getting stuck in my head. Also, I've had a few cups of green tea with honey lately, and they've been rather soothing. Especially because they come out of my Office Space mug.

15 February 2007

Bleh

I stayed home sick today. When this happens I sometimes think that I'll begin to feel better halfway through the day and then I'll clean my room, wash the dishes, do LOTS of GRE studying, watch my Netflix movie--you know, productive things. But no. I sit and watch The Empire Strikes Back, Broadcast News, and The Family Stone. The Family Stone made me cry. It's a sad movie, but I shouldn't have bawled that much. I just tend to get emotional when I'm feeling sick, and this damn movie exploited that. Assholes.

This Wendy's commercial with the "trophy burger" is a bit ridiculous. They have a shot of beauty queens (are they called that anymore) holding a bacon mushroom melt like they're actually going to eat it. Yeah, right. You don't get to be a beauty queen by eating bacon burgers. You don't be to be a beauty queen by eating any burgers. Well, if you have my metabolism you don't.

Tina Fey's trying to be nice on 30 Rock. I really like this show.

I hope everyone had a good Thursday. Make sure your Friday is awesome, ok?

14 February 2007

Not much

Sorry. It's been an uneventful few days, and I think I'm coming down with something that resembles sickness. For now, this link will have to do.

I'll try to post more tonight when I've ensconced (Kim's word) myself with GRE books. I'm sure I'll need many, many breaks.

13 February 2007

12 February 2007

Flock of Dodos

I, my roommate, and apparently my friend Casey, went to go see Flock of Dodos. If you follow the link you'll get a basic understanding of what the film is about, but basically it's a documentary about the debate over what to teach in public schools: evolution or intelligent design. I've always thought that intelligent design came down to nothing more than revamped creationism, and this film basically agrees. It was made by an evolutionist, but he in no way insults or assaults believers of intelligent design personally. (So basically, he's a lot easier to listen to than Michael Moore.) He concedes that intelligent design advocates are actually more personable than evolution scientists, which is one of the reasons intelligent design has taken such a hold of our country.

Anyway, I shouldn't delve too much further into it. I'll just say that I went in to the screening believing in evolution, and I left it believing in evolution. If I had believed in intelligent design before seeing the documentary, I'd probably not have changed my mind either. I doubt the meaning of the film was to sway the viewers; I think it served its purpose of presenting the debate fairly. And I highly recommend that you find a way to see it.

New Link

I added a link to the side bar; wanted to tell you about it.

Daily Monster

Random

I'm feeling random today, so here's a random post for all of my (i.e. 8) loyal readers:

Last night my roommate and I went to The Moulin Rouge Singalong at the Alamo. (By the by, if you don't live in Austin, you're missing the greatest movie theater of all time. I suggest you move here right away.) Obviously, one would need to be a fan of this movie to go to the singalong; hell, to even watch the movie more than once you'd have to be in love with it. Which I am, forever and always.

Anyway, we go and are warming up our vocal cords with large Cokes. The movie begins. There's the 20th Century Fox part, the overture (I LOVE overtures, by the way), and then John Leguizamo is on the screen. He begins singing. We, the audience, begin singing (as you're wont to do at a singalong). The woman beside me sighs, looks around, and shakes her head. As in, "I can't believe people are singing already." IT'S A SINGALONG, LADY!! Obviously she (nor anyone in her party) has ever seen the movie before. Lord knows why she chooses to come to the singalong. Then, THEN, near the end of the movie, just as Nicole is about to collapse and die, she leans to me and asks, "What's that actor's name? The main guy?" (A collective gasp should be happening right now, unless you're my wonderful friend Marci, who doesn't see a lot of movies) A part of me dies. But I answer, "Ewan McGregor." Then Nicole dies, Ewan cries, and the crazy lady next to me just says, "Aww." Yeah, aww. THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE JUST DIED. Aww's a bit of an understatement.

On to something else, I just signed up for the GRE. My date of execution truth will be March 10. PLEASE wish me luck.

Earlier I found some joy in the fact that the Office Depot delivery guy recognized me outside of the office. Granted, I met him in the building I work in, but it's always nice to know that people you see everyday through business actually do remember you if you're not behind a desk and computer. Our UPS guy (James) remembered me in a coffee shop, and one of the Physical Plant guys remembered me after I'd left my old job, where he'd seen me constantly. I saw him about a month after I'd started my new job, and he wished me luck. I was happy all day after that encounter.

I'm glad these minor occurrences bring me joy. Otherwise life would be dull indeed.

10 February 2007

Updates

I am currently scanning my computer for viruses with Symantec. I normally use PC-cillin, and have been enamored with it. It does its job and stays out of my way, which is exactly what you want in a virus protection program, right? I hate it when programs are all, "I'm protecting your computer and you should know about it, because I'm doing my job well and I deserve some respect and admiration. I won't let you do your work until you acknowledge that I'm saving your ass every single day."

Anyway, I'm having to install and run Symantec for the class I'm taking (the link to the website I'm building for it is over on the right). I thought about asking the instructor if I could just skip that step and keep my PC-cillin going, but I decided to run Symantec anyway. If only to prove that PC-cillin's been kicking virus butt all this time.

The Symantec scan isn't pulling up anything so far. If it finds no viruses, I'm uninstalling that bitch and enabling PC-cillin again (sorry about the B word Mom).

Speaking of Mom, I was corrected last night. Concerning this post: my mother told me that growing up, baseball and basketball were a big part of her life. I had known about the baseball; she's told me about when she kept up with the Yankees. That's when they were the good guys, with players like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Apparently she also kept up with basketball, because that's when people like Wilt Chamberlain were playing. So this recent surge in basketball watching is nothing new to her. It's just new and wonderful to me.

I like finding things like that out about my parents. I guess it allows me to see more of myself in them than before.

Seventeen minutes in to the scan and nothing found. Looks like PC-cillin's sticking around and Symantec's getting kicked to the curb.

09 February 2007

Metabolism

It bothers me to no end when I see skinny people eating more than one pastry in one sitting. Because we all know they won't gain ONE ounce. I drink some water, and all of a sudden my jeans need to be two sizes bigger.

I imagine that at one time my metabolism did more than just take up space in my body. I'm sure it actually worked, and worked hard, since as a kid I was a decent size for a while. Then I discovered Cheetos. I don't remember when I started to gain weight, but by the time I got my braces and contacts, I was ready to lose some of that "baby fat." That was at the end of elementary school.

Through high school I kept the weight off, and I thought I was going to be one of the lucky many that didn't have to work out every single minute to keep my figure. Then college hit. And the infamous 15 pounds that all freshman seem to be required to gain hit me like a ton of bricks. Right in the thighs.

I haven't been able to shake it since. I've grown to not hate my body. Definitely not loving it, but at least I don't hate it like I used to. I work out as much as I can and I only have fries and extensive amounts of fried food every once in a while. I'm not losing any weight at this moment, but I think my muscle might be on its way to taking up more space than my fat.

Anyway, people with speedy metabolism intrigue and frustrate me at the same time. I'll never know what that feels like again, to eat whatever the hell I want and not gain weight. Then again, it might be better that I'm not able to eat lots of junk at once. I'll just stick with one donut every few months, thanks.

07 February 2007

Ooooohhh Yeahhhhhh!!!!

I've been breathless all morning. I got the official email from the official Astros saying that they're officially giving the email list recipients an early crack at buying OFFICIAL OPENING DAY TICKETS.

On April 2, I will be sitting in a seat at Minute Maid park with an overpriced beer in one hand and a jumbo hot dog in the other. And I will take lots of pictures and maybe even some videos. And I will probably shed a tear when thinking that Jeff won't be playing this game anymore.

It's become a small tradition, going to Opening Day. Two years ago I experienced my first opening day with some friends who happened to have an extra ticket. These boys thought of me when that ticket opened, and that still warms my heart. A year ago we carpooled from Austin to Houston, stopping for greasy food and occasionally singing along to classic rock and Ryan Adams. Another part of the group met us at Minute Maid, and our row was complete. It was great, especially because we got to see them uncover the 2005 National League Champions addition to the left field wall.

This year, I'm expecting a smaller group. I'm not bummed about this in the least, because I know that whenever I'm at a ballpark I feel incredible. It's an amazing feeling that just washes over me when I step into a park and can smell the dirt and grass. I just know that this year, this year's going to be great. And my Astros are going all the way.

06 February 2007

I am speechless



Emmitt, I love you.

By the by

I'm trying to figure out an easier way to archive my posts on the side. Currently, it's by dates only, and that's the default of this template. I don't know enough html to know how to do that, so if you have some advice I'd appreciate it.

I'd really prefer to have it set up so that people can click on what year they want, then what month, then what post. And I'd rather have the post names, not dates. If nothing else, I'd just like to have that; the post names instead of dates.

Any ideas? Would this be a ton of work?

UPDATE:

Casey let me know how to do what I wanted to do. In order to do that though, I needed to "upgrade" my blog. Which means that I can't edit my template in html as I know it. Now I have to know how to do widgets, which we all know I won't learn. This is silly. I'm moving to Wordpress soon.

My mother

If you know me, you know how much of a momma's girl I am. Don't get me wrong; I love my father dearly, and wouldn't trade my life with him for the world. My mom, though, has always been my best friend, even when I called others that. Even when I didn't want to talk to anyone (we all know those years), I always wanted to have my mom around for when I felt vulnerable or sick or whatever. Nowadays I realize that I've grown into seeing her as someone who I can talk to about anything. And while she may not like everything I choose to talk about or do, she's always telling me that I should do what I want; whatever makes me happy (my father does too, I shouldn't leave him out of that one).

I'm setting up a story here, but to really make it awesome I need to tell you something else. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday. My mom plays piano for the choir, and when I was a kid she also co-directed the children's choir. I always thought my parents were God fearing, but later in life I learned that my dad actually went through a time of questioning. Which, of course, made me feel better because by that time I was already on my way to leaving religion. I vaguely spoke to my mom about this, but I never got the feeling that she questioned her beliefs. If she did, she never expressed it. So when my parents began NOT going to church every Sunday, I was surprised. But, then again, they've opened my eyes in recent years. First they were world travelers, then RV owners, then Airstream rebuilders and owners, and now, now they're Texas A&M basketball fans. My dad's an Aggie, which of course means that my mom's an Aggie. I grew up around Aggie football, which is where my love of the sport comes from, but there wasn't a lot of Aggie basketball happening in the house.

Cut to this past Saturday. My parents are watching A&M play Kansas. I believe that A&M was ranked #8 and Kansas #6, but don't quote me on that. Suffice it to say that A&M was a bit of an underdog. Apparently it was a really good game, coming down to the wire. My parents are, of course, freaking out, because all of a sudden they're Aggie basketball fans. My dad's pacing (that's where I got it from!), and my mom has her head down on the kitchen table. She's nervous. So nervous, in fact, that she thinks to herself (my MOM!) that if the Aggies win she'll go to church the next day. And they win. And she kept her word, even taking my dad along. These are people who used to get me up every Sunday morning. I think it's hilarious.

Meanwhile, my dear niece, the first baby I held that was related to me (that I can remember), doesn't know who Prince is. She apparently said something like, "Who was that guy in the halftime show?" I wanted to cry. Are kids that out of touch with real musicians these days? Or am I just getting old?

02 February 2007

Replacement post

I'm not sure how many of you were able to sell your soul to Blogger in order for my page to load yesterday, but you should know that I took it down. It was all political and stuff, and it was written while my blood was still boiling a bit. I should know a)never to post political stuff, because I might alienate readers and I wouldn't like that, and b)never write political stuff (if it's necessary to write it in the first place) while in the throes of anger. I thought the fact that there were no comments illustrated that no one agreed with me, but then I found out that one friend couldn't load my page all freakin' day. That's just silly, Blogger. You should know better than to do that to a PMSing woman. (By "PMSing woman" I mean me. My friend could be, but we haven't updated each other in that field)

Here's a synopsis, since I hate it when people talk about things they did but then took down and I never saw it so I have no idea what they're talking about. I received an email forward that basically ranted about legal and illegal immigrants and how they're destroying America. And I got all angry because I'm of the belief that the immigrants themselves aren't the real problem, the employers who hire them are. So I ranted about how employers are the ones who should be blamed for destroying America, not the immigrants who come to work. And then I took a shot at Republicans, but everyone should have seen that coming. Because that's how I roll. (For the record, I like that we have Republicans in this world; too much of the same would be boring)

That's that. You didn't miss much if you didn't see the post, and if you did see the post and you hate me now because you're a Bush/Perry fan, maybe we shouldn't talk politics. We can still talk other things, especially if you're a WILCO fan.

In other news, nothing much has happened to me lately. I've been incredibly tired but I think that might be due to the fact that I don't eat wonderfully healthy stuff all the time and I tend to be a night owl. I see all of these skinny, energetic people all around me. It usually happens that they're vegetarians, and I wonder if I'll ever get to the point where I'll give up meat (beautiful, tasty meat) in order to try to lose weight. And then I wonder why the hell I want to lose so much weight in the first place, because as long as I'm healthy and exercising, what's the big problem? The boyfriend loves me the way I am, and that's worth more than a size 2 garment.

That's how my mind has been working lately, just hopping from thought to thought. Sort of making sense, but not extremely cohesive.

Here's what I'm going to do after work: SLEEP. I wish everyone sweet dreams for whenever your head hits the pillow.

30 January 2007

Daily Themes

So I'm in a posting mood today. Technically I'm starting this entry at 11:55 on Tuesday, but I might not get it posted until after 12:00 AM Wednesday. We'll see.

Lately it seems that life has been giving me themed days. A few days ago I was thinking a bit about death and everything that goes along with it. I think I'd had a dream about dying and had woken up a little shaken by it. Then I noticed that Fringes had a post about death. And THEN I saw the first of many front page articles about the Pitonyak case that concluded today. If you haven't kept up with it, just know that there was some gruesome death associated with that case, and reading the details shook me to the core. I just couldn't get rid of this fear that maybe that was going to happen to me, and I should really be careful about who I encounter in my life. (That's just a silly fear, but still, I'm happy with my little group of sane friends)

Today's theme seemed to be sleep; or lack thereof. I had a weird night last night, going to bed rather early. I woke up in the middle of the night, used the bathroom, came back to my bed to discover that I'd fallen asleep with my laptop by my side, plugged it in to charge, and then promptly fell right back asleep. I woke to my alarm thinking "What the hell? Didn't I just go to sleep?"

To continue this theme, my friend Becks wrote a post about her rather eventful night of dreams that seemed to interrupt her sleep cycle. Then the boyfriend told me that he barely slept last night due to a bit of nervousness about something that was to happen today.

Finally, I saw a Lunestra (no link, sorry--I'm tired and want to finish this) ad which, I thought, illustrated insomnia rather well. An ex of mine had (still has, I guess) insomnia something awful, so I can definitely say that of the many things I'm thankful for, not having insomnia is definitely one of them. I LOVE to sleep, and I simply can't imagine not having that one true escape from a stressful life.

The whole point of this post is to wonder if life has themes like this and I'm just tuned in to them for some reason, or if I'm just making all of these links up because I over analyze. Do you ever have days like this? When it almost seems silly to NOT take note of consistencies?

I've also gotta say that I love what Rolling Rock is doing with their ad campaign. They're airing apologies for ads that are apparently so contraversial that they can't air them on TV. Of course I fall for it and go to their website, but come on! A party gorilla AND men in a office wearing thongs? (you don't see the thongs, for the jackets cover everything) I'll fall for those two things any time.

Oh man

Second post today, so scroll down a bit if this is your first visit for Jan. 30.

Someone needs to remind me that I have no business getting a Pomeranian puppy in the Texas heat with my schedule. Because the video below makes me want to retire and watch Pomeranian puppies all day long.

Aloneness

When I was younger I used to be in awe of people doing things by themselves. How could they stand to do that, with no one with them? Why go grocery shopping by yourself? Why eat by yourself? And the ultimate, why go to a movie by yourself?

I think this may have been a result of always going places with my parents while growing up. We lived in the country, and in order to do anything other than see family (who all lived down our dirt road) we had to either travel to our hometown, which was 10 minutes away, or the nearest town with grocery stores and such, which was 20 minutes away. And obviously, it took a while before I could drive myself anywhere. So I was always with my mom when we'd go to the post office, to the bank, to the grocery store, etc. And I couldn't imagine doing any of that on my own. Because that just wasn't the way of the world.

When I began junior college in the above-mentioned nearby town, I had to start facing the world alone. I still lived at home, but my days were mine now, almost completely, and I began to go to classes, get lunch, go to rehearsals all on my own (not all the time, but you get the idea). And then I started to realize that people do things by themselves because IT'S AWESOME. It's refreshing to drive by yourself, to eat with a book or magazine, to even go to a movie all alone (I didn't do that until my last year of college, and that was mainly a way to prove to myself that I didn't need a damn boyfriend to go to the damn movies).

I guess I still prefer going certain places with others, especially grocery shopping. I still haven't quite gotten over that one. But every once in a while, I remember how I thought being alone was such a big deal; and even though I still think that today, I've just reversed the sentiment. I like it now, instead of fearing it. It's relaxing and a bit empowering.

By the way, if you haven't seen a movie by yourself yet, I highly recommend it. At least there's no fighting over what movie you'll see.

29 January 2007

Food diary

I just came across a post at Killer Rants! about things that are useless. Food diaries were mentioned, and this intrigued me. You mean someone (several someones, apparently) thought it was a good idea to publish a list of what they're eating? On the internet? Who cares?

But then I decided that I'd tell you all what I just ate. Yogurt. Yoplait to be exact. Light Harvest Peach. It's not that I particularly love yogurt. Or that I'm trying to be healthy. Well, maybe. I just wanted something other than waffles and pop tarts for breakfast at work. So I decided to eat yogurt again. Last time I did this, my stomach hated it after two weeks. We'll see what happens this time.

What did you just eat? Or what are you dreaming of eating?

If anyone's on a diet and starts bragging about their rice cakes, you should know that I might just have to loathe you. Unless you honestly love those rice cakes. Then we can maybe be friends. If you share. (I've never tried them, are they good?)

25 January 2007

Yellow Turtle Jr.

My blog now has a junior. For my first assignment in my Information Sciences class, I've had to make my own i312 assignment page. This will be the page that my instructor will use to grade all of my assignments, as I will be linking them to it. If you'd like to see the progress of the page, I'll be linking it here and hopefully finding an awesome picture to use as a logo. That way the wonder that is my junior page will always be just a click away.

Yellow Turtle Junior.

It looks extremely simple right now, but I'm actually enjoying this a lot. I'm learning about Unix and Linux, using xhtml and typing "pico" a lot, and just generally feeling awesome that in a few months I'm going to have a page that I've truly created from nothing.

In other news, I'm in love with Tina Fey and Steve Carell tonight. If you don't watch NBC on Thursday nights, you're really missing something good.

24 January 2007

Football for Ladies

My friend Rebecca just posted about this, but I shall too.

You may have noticed the nice big Austin Outlaws logo to the right of this post. I highly suggest you visit the site, because it's only the most awesome thing in this world. Mainly because my friend Marci is a member of this female football team. She tried out, she wowed and impressed, and she got in. Words can't describe how proud I am, but they will have to eventually. Because I will be holding a sign up for her at every single home game.

Please visit the website and consider a game. If you want season tickets, you can buy them from my friend directly (I recommend this), or you can buy them through the website (I'm pretty sure you can get single game tickets through her too--ask me about it if you're interested). There are only 4 home games, and season tickets only cost $35. That's more than a single seat at an NFL game, and these girls are playing for the love of the sport rather than the money. Which always makes it better.

This post may seem rushed, because it is. I apologize for this. I am trying to publish before 5.

Go Marci!

Oh No!!

I mistakenly called Pig Pen Linus!! How can I ever call myself a Peanuts fan again?

Well, I've always liked them. But as is obvious, I was never a fanatic.

I shake my head in shame.

23 January 2007

My apologies

I've been so quiet lately! Here's what's been going on:

I've been improving my GRE math score (by 50 points on the practice tests) so that I can take the GRE and THEN figure out what I'm going to do with it.

I've also begun a class at the university where I work that will ultimately teach me more HTML. Also, I shall know CSS. I'm a bit excited.

I've finally felt ok with running my cellphone battery down to nothing (like everyone says you're supposed to) before plugging it in to charge. This is a big deal for me, because I'm not known for my patience.

I've just realized that I have two of the boyfriend's books. I've begun reading both. I've finished neither.

I cleaned a bit around the house, so that I don't feel like I'm sharing a space with Linus.

I laughed a lot at the Caveman commercial again. How does he do it?!

I've realized that I probably have a rather unfortunate addiction to the show Dirty Jobs. This revelation came when my roommate was flipping through channels in the living room. She came across Dirty Jobs and said, "Look, it's your favorite show." And then she proceeded to change the channel. Even though I wasn't even in the same room and therefore had no say over what was on the TV, my heart broke a little when Mike Rowe's voice disappeared.

I watched a Modern Marvels about balls. I'll leave it at that.

Just an aside: how did The History Channel swing www.history.com? Crazy.

17 January 2007

Cabin Fever

I've got it, alright.

Because of inclement weather, my state institution of employment decided to close yesterday. And they're going to be closed today as well. It's currently 1:30 AM and I'm awake. I think nothing of this, only that I wish so badly that I wasn't in this terrible sleeping cycle. It's the week, after all. Shouldn't I be wasting time at work by day? Shouldn't I be sound asleep right now, dreaming of emails and office supplies to come? No. I am only sitting here listening to Ryan Adams (go here if you have no idea who Ryan Adams is) and thinking about how I really need to do something other than watch TV when I wake up (which will probably be 9 hours from now).

I know what some might be thinking, reading this. That I should NOT be complaining about having to stay home from work and that I should just enjoy the snow that fell today. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate this time of freedom, these wonderful hours in which I completely control my time. But the thing is, I'm trapped inside of my house. All of Austin is seemingly discouraged from stepping foot outside, let alone driving somewhere. And living in a city like this, well, you live here because you like to go places. It's just how it is. And I can't go anywhere. And can you tell it's making me a little crazy?

I told my roommate today that American Gladiators helped make me the person I am today. Anyone else know what I mean?

15 January 2007

Monday

Not much happening lately. Spent some time this weekend in San Marcos, and completely forgot that I had told a friend I'd be at his house last night. Yes, I know I'm a horrible person, but all I was thinking about was wanting to see the boyfriend before his classes began. I just know that I'll have to be considerably less selfish with him once he's got professors and classmates breathing down his neck, so I decided to make this weekend a weekend of us. I didn't tell him this, mind you. I just did it. Hope he didn't mind.

This weekend I also started my GRE Test Prep class. It's an Informal Class offered through the university, so it's relatively cheap when compared to other GRE prep courses. They usually run near $1000 or so, and I've paid less than $300 to be tutored by a man who (he claims) has actually trained the instructors who teach the $1000 classes. I'll be taking this class until Feb. 4, sitting in a classroom with seven other people each Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 PM. I hope this helps. If nothing else, it'll make me feel better that I'm actually doing something to make my life more productive. And who knows, maybe I'll kick ass on the GRE in the process.

We're watching the Golden Globes right now, and I've just seen Helen Mirren and Rachel Weisz in the span of a minute. And I've concluded that I should really be British. My humor would be sharp, and my speech would be intriguing. Then again, I like that I'm from Texas. Oh well. Maybe I'll try out the British thing to see if it fits. I really think I could pull it off.

Does anyone else ever wish they were from somewhere else?

12 January 2007

Ha

This is funny.

10 January 2007

I realize...

...that this is probably too much information, but:

You know how in the restroom at the doctor's office they have instructions for what to do when you have to give a urine/stool sample? If yours doesn't, they probably assume you know how to pee in a cup/poop in a whatever (I've been fortunate enough to not have to poop into a whatever) and wipe it off. The office I go to doesn't. Which is probably a good thing, as sometimes I forget that others would rather not touch my urine if they can help it.

Anyway, I noticed last time that there are instructions for wiping yourself as well. As in, don't wipe from back to front. And it got me thinking about how one learns to wipe. I don't remember my mom ever actually saying "front to back," I just remember her doing it. And so I did it.

Did some people have mothers who were too busy to teach them how to wipe? Or told them the wrong direction? Because it seems to me that it's just plain gross to wipe from back to front, especially after a stool sample.

I feel that this kind of absurdly cautious direction is on par with "Be very careful. Coffee is HOT."

Oh. My. God.



Please go here for more.

I want

09 January 2007

Double ugh

Just had another conversation about my apparent lack of motivation towards my life. My co-worker and I happen to be in the same boat. I'm still a young 'un (not yet a quarter century, at least not until May) and I still have what seems like a lot of time. And really, these days you can make a fresh start in your 60s and still have plenty of time, so I've got no need to freak out right now. And yet I am.

I'm scared not only because I don't know what I want to do, but because I have no idea what I'm good at. So far it seems I'm only good at office work, and there's no way I want to end up doing this in the years to come. I can't stand it. Sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours a day looking for work to do is not fulfilling.

But what else am I good at? Nothing comes to mind. I'm not good enough at this to pull a Dooce, so blogging is out. I was never that good at my chosen college major, so Theatre as a profession is out. I was only OK at my minor, so English is out. I don't have a lot of patience, so teaching human beings younger than 18 is definitely out. I'd like to have a career like music or something, but I have no guts and no training other than Mom teaching me piano. I can play some, but I have practiced in years. And my voice is really only mediocre as opposed to recordable. So music's out (at least until my friends let me be in a band with them.....but I've got to get band friends first). I'm vaguely interested in places like Harry Ransom Center, but I've never done anything like that. I'm going to take a class in Information Sciences, so we'll see. But as of now, that's still out. I'm also vaguely remembering my enjoyment of a Linguistics course in college, but at this point that's only a small blip on the radar.

This is depressing me. I just don't know what the hell to do, and I've felt this way for close to two years. If I don't have something figured out soon, I don't know how far my depression's going to take me down. I realize that something will happen at some point and I shouldn't be so impatient, but man this is hard. Anyone with an awesome career opportunity needing an awesome college graduate with mostly awesome hair (today's a bad day) can hire me. I'll be your dream employee. I'll also wash your dishes.

05 January 2007

Meme!

That word looks like a French exclamation to me. Hence the exclamation point inserted behind it.

Rebecca tagged me with gusto, so I must follow orders and post. This might make or break some relationships, because after you find out certain things about me I'm not sure you're going to want to talk to me. Or you're going to want to marry me. I don't know. We'll see. (Fingers crossed for marriage proposals)

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

1. I used to eat my boogers. I know, every little kid did that. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the different textures, the different shapes, the joy of finding something in my nose that I could then put in my mouth. I didn't do this for long, mind you. It wasn't something that my parents had to call Dr. Phil about. I imagine that if they actually had called Dr. Phil, I would have eaten boogers well into adulthood just to punish them for bringing such an evil presence into my life.

2. I CAN NOT STAND DR. PHIL. Well, you may have known this about me, but I really really don't like that man. And finding the link made me look at his face, and looking at his face made me want to tell you how much I dislike him.

3. I secretly wish I was a photographer. I now live with one, and my secret (yet non-violent) jealousy for her might rear its ugly head one day soon. I have a fascination with beautiful photos and wish that I could afford a glorious camera to make me take better photos. Because that's all I'll need to be talented.

4. I got the title of my blog from a yellow turtle stuffed toy that I inherited when I started my new job. It was sitting on my desk. Now it sits on top of my monitor. Staring at me. I love him.

5. I used to daydream about the love of my life showing up one day out of the blue (this ended after high school). Normally the daydream consisted of me being in some kind of danger; or more commonly, a hospital bed (seriously, don't ask). I would wake up and there he'd be--never a face, just a presence. He usually had facial hair though; I knew that innately. Must be part of the reason I love the boyfriend so much, eh? Mmmmm.....beards.

And there it is. The marriage proposals should come with jewelry, by the way. My ring size is probably around a 5 by now. It used to be close to a 4 in high school, but I've gained weight since then. I like food, what can I say?

I'll tag Kim, Fringes, and Avi.

04 January 2007

Sympathy garnered here

So the apparent shit storm that was preventing me from breathing like a normal human being (through my nose) was just a severe allergy attack. I hate saying that, because it seems to take away from the miserableness that was me for a few days. I honestly thought I was going to drown in my own snot. I almost got my roommate to take me to the hospital one night. What would I have said? "I can only breathe through my nose and it's REALLY freaking me out!" God I'm silly when I'm sick.

Luckily (so that I don't sound like a complete fruit), the doctor told me that if I had let this go untreated it could have turned into a sinus infection. Score! A real 'feel sorry for me' sickness! So that's what I've been opening with when people ask me if I'm feeling better. People, I LOVE sympathy. I feel ok admitting this, because everyone knows that if you admit something bad about yourself people can't hate you for it. So anyway, any sympathy that I can get is good sympathy. I'm a sympathy whore.

The doctor gave me a sample of Nasonex to try. It's not supposed to work its best until 2-3 days have passed, but it's already made a difference. Will I have to change from pills to nasal spray? I've been so faithful to my over-the-counter (i.e. cheap) Claritin that I'd feel like a traitor going to another allergy medicine. What to do, what to do.

I do feel kind of hard-core using nasal sprays. It's like saying that my allergies are SO BAD that I need a medicine that goes directly to the trouble spot. Pills don't cut it for me people. I've got allergies.

01 January 2007

Happy New Year!!

Yeah, happy new year everybody. While every other blogger I know was writing lots of wonderful stories, I stayed pretty quiet. I apologize for that. I ended up traveling a lot. The boyfriend's family lives way out in the country where there is no wireless internet or cellphone reception. I felt like I was in the dark ages. (Not really, but I like to tease him about that) As of tomorrow though, I'll have free internet and wonderful cellphone reception when I'm visiting him. He is finally (after a year and a half) moving closer. Thank goodness for patience.

Since it was his last weekend in his hometown, we did New Years there. I thought that surely his friends would be jumping at the chance to hang out with him on one of his last nights in town, but not much was going on. We ended up meeting up with some of his old friends from high school. This group amazes me. They've known each other for a long time (some are friends from middle or elementary school I think), and each one has changed considerably I'm sure. There are some conservatives, some liberals, artists, gun lovers, you name it. Somehow they've all grown up to be different people while still staying close friends. I don't know how this is possible, as the only person from my childhood that I see with any regularity is my cousin. And that's because she lives with me. I thought all of this while standing around a bonfire with the boyfriend's friends surrounding us. It made me a little sad that I don't have my high school friends around anymore, but it also made me very happy that this group has accepted me quite quickly. I guess they figure that if one of their own likes me, I can't be too bad.

On the frowning side of things, two consecutive nights of bonfires in 30 degree weather has taken its toll on my sinuses. I'm currently breathing out of my mouth, as my nose is completely stopped up. I hate feeling like this. But I love that tomorrow I will be having afternoon coffee with friends and helping the boyfriend move in 30 minutes away mourning, and therefore not working.