Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Everyone needs one!

Today I indulged myself. For my eight years at BAH, I got a gift certificate to a spa. Today, I finally used it. Leah and I both got one and we decided to pay a little extra for a package. For me, it started out with a facial. I'd never had one before and it was w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. She told me when she was finished that I had excellent skin and to keep doing what I was doing (I make my own products). Yay-me!

After the facial, I had a glass of champagne. Then, I went in for my mud cocoon. What??? Well, they sisal-brush you off, put on a layer of mud with lavender in it, then set a canopy over you and steam you while they massage your head. I can't even begin to tell you how good this felt. Leah said I crawled out of the room.

We then went to Magnolia Cafe for lunch and I "crawled" home and took a nap. It was a good day.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

What's Gotten Into Me?

I don't know what's gotten into me! I've had some kind of strange insurgence of domesticity.

After work I went shoe shopping. I came home and made cookies! (I had some overly ripe bananas and a recipe for banana-nut cookies and all the ingredients needed.) After that, I made a big pot of sausage & lentil soup. Then I did a butt-load of dishes. I did a load of laundry. Today at work, I was even mothering a pregnant doctor!

I think the moon needs to get out of what-ever quadrant it's in!

Friday, November 30, 2007

The End

It's over! NaBloPoMo is over! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really, it's been an adventure in discipline, but, I'm glad it's over. I don't have to post tomorrow! You don't know how good that feels. You may not hear from me for weeks!

I'm also excited because Leah and I have finally decided on a date to do our Spa day, and boy--do we have a package planned. Both of us had toyed with the idea of handing our extra gift certificates to this particular spa over to someone else, but in the end, we decided--nah. We'll get a deluxe day of treatment with minimum cost to us. It's going to be soooooooo nice. A whole day of pampering. Just what the doctor ordered.

So, here's to you: NaBloPoMoers! Lift your favorite drink and give yourself a toast! Drain it with gusto! We deserve it!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Because I can

I'm watching the Cowboys and the Packers on the NFL network because I can. I don't have Time Warner Cable and they don't carry NFL network. I have Grande and they do, so I don't have to worry about a satellite dish going out in bad weather, either.

Time Warner Cable sucks! Their customer service is crap! Their prices are outrageous and they don't have anything more special than any other cable network can offer. Okay..they have News 8 Austin. But I have the NFL Network and don't have to spend $5 on A Beer at a sports bar to see a really BIG game.

Unfortunately, the Packers aren't doing so well. I can't stand the Cowboys. My intense hatred of them stems from living in Dallas for nearly 10 years and seeing members of the team get away with stuff you and I would never be able to get away with. The Dallas police kept arresting them, but the judges kept dismissing them. They would interrupt regular programming on tv to report that Emmit Smith had twisted his ankle and spend 20 minutes on it. It was ridiculous! And Jerry Jones...don't even get me started on him. I went to one game when I lived there and I got to see them get badly beaten by the Eagles. It was nice, though I did enjoy my victory very quietly.

Oh well...there's my two cents. Hey! Two....one more day to go!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Three

I'm sure by now you all know how I feel about this.
And there you have it.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Count

I feel like The Count from Sesame Street: "4! 4 more days of the NaBloPoMo! Ah-ha-ha-haaaaaa!"

Really...much more of this and I'll be Oscar the Grouch.

I admit. I'm a boring person! I have nothing to write about in my life! My life is not exciting! I get up, I go to work, I deal with people--sometimes very difficult people--I come home...nothing happens. I am no longer that girl that Mother warned you about. People always thought I was, but I really wasn't. I was always the more responsible one in our wild group.

Wonder what they're doing now? Certainly not trying to write a blog a day.

Monday, November 26, 2007

5 more days

I can't wait for this bloody month to be over!

I can't write a blog every day. Well, I can, but I don't like doing it. I don't like feeling like I have to do it. It doesn't flow if I feel like I have to do it. I really don't have to do it this month; it's not like someone's holding a gun to my head or anything like that, but I said I would do it. So I did. I am.

And after tonight, there'll be four more. And then....a nice long break:)

Sunday, November 25, 2007

6 more days

6 more days for this in November. Then, you'll probably never hear from me again! Just kidding.

This weekend has been weird. Friday felt like Saturday, Saturday felt like Sunday, and Sunday I had no idea what day it was, but it was cold and rainy. Being that it was cold and rainy and I have only five dollars until payday, I didn't do much of anything. I have noticed my new neighbors, though.

MG, they're loud. They don't go up or down the stairs without yelling to each other in the parking lot. On the stairs, they sound like a herd of something heavy, but too quick to be elephants. And the boy, who is about 9 or 10, is constantly yelling his sister's name..."Anna!...Anna!" How can people be so loud? Why would they want to be? This isn't a mansion that they live in alone. Why do people seem to no longer have any respect for their neighbors?

I can't wait to move to the mountains. Too bad it's going to be a long time from now.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Family Trees

I've spent the last 3 hours on Ancestry.com building my family tree. Fascinating stuff. I've discovered that I am a descendant of the Medicis of Italy. That's a big WOWIE! The Medicis were the most powerful family in Italy for over a century. They had their hands in everything.

So...I'm going back to the website now to find out how many connections I have to the Medicis. So far, I have two.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Aggies Suck!

And that's all I have to say today.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Turkey Day recap

I got to sleep in until 8:30ish. I got up and ate breakfast. I went to take care of a client's cats. I came home and vegged on the couch with a fabulous book and threw a load of towels in the washer. I got up at a chapter break and prepared my turkey breast (natural raised-free range, of course), stuck it in the oven and then prepped my potatoes. Went back to reading. Got up, checked turkey breast--almost done, put potatoes on a low simmer, and prepared green beans for steaming. Went back to book. Got the beans going. Went back to book. Whipped potatoes, got turkey out, checked beans--they weren't done. Prepared plate without beans, put Ocean's Thirteen in DVD player, and prepared to spend thanksgiving dinner with George, Brad and Matt. Sat down, started movie, started eating, didn't notice smell, and smoke detector started blaring. Beans had run out of water. Spent the next 10 minutes waving a fan under my smoke detector and had no idea what was going on in the movie. In between fan waving I opened patio doors and window, turned on ceiling fans, and threw beans into a bowl. Moved the movie back and caught up. Consoled myself with more mashed potatoes. Had to stop movie and go out for 2 hours taking care of other people's cats, one of which has turned into a mountain lion and wanted to kill me. I chose not to stay with him long. Talked to my mom and grandma. Came back home, poured a glass of wine. Talked to my dad and stepmother. Going back to book now--will catch up on movie Saturday.

That's all.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Thanksgiving Memories

What is your favorite way to spend Thanksgiving?

When I was younger, Thanksgiving was spent at my maternal grandmother's house. She has a small three bedroom house with one bathroom. All three of her kids, their kids (4 of us), and whatever significant others happened to be around at the time, would converge upon her house on Wednesday. That's 8-11 people in a three bedroom house with ONE bathroom.

It was the best time I ever had, though. My uncles are hilarious. I've had laugh lines on my face from the time I was eight because of them. My mother and my brother could certainly hold their own with them. They should have been a road act...we'd be millionaires by now. There was a lot of laughter at Thanksgiving in my family.

Grandma would get up early to prepare the turkey. The kids would all inevitably wake up since we were all camped out in the living room on the couch, chairs, and floor. She would proceed to make sausage and biscuits with gravy for breakfast--far better than you can get in any restaurant. She would have always had the desserts prepared before-hand, driving us kids to distraction wanting to get at the pumpkin and blueberry pies and the dirt pudding (pudding with crushed up oreos...mmmmmm.) Then the adults would start stumbling into the kitchen, which is the largest room in the house actually. Everyone--except the uncles--would commence to peeling potatoes, making dough for the homemade noodles, preparing the giblets for gravy (I hated that gravy), preparing the cranberries (no canned cranberries for this family), getting the green beans ready (not in a casserole), and preparing gallons of iced tea. It's amazing what you can do with only four burners on a stove. What a frenzy of activity it would be.

Then--the eating! This of course is when the uncles would materialize in the kitchen! I never developed a taste for the Turkey Leg because my mom and her brothers would fight over them every year. 2 legs, 3 siblings...such a clash of wills to witness. My mom is the oldest, so she usually won by using simple threats or reminding her brothers of the horrible things that they'd done when they were younger and she was in charge. My Uncle Tom and I usually dominated the pan with the mashed potatoes in it. Whichever grandkid was sitting on the outside of the table closest to the larger area of the kitchen usually got to enjoy their dinner in small bites between jumping up and down to retrieve forgotten cutlery, getting more ice for teas, and fetching things off the stove. We would stuff ourselves stupid and have to wait a couple of hours on desert.

During that wait, though, I always found myself with my cousins having to do dishes. I don't know how my brother always got out of it. Of course, Grandma didn't have a dishwasher. By the time we were through, there was usually someone rooting around in the kitchen for leftovers. I've always heard the Thanksgiving football game from the kitchen...never really saw it. Halftime saw everyone running for desert. I tell you, no one can eat a piece of pumpkin pie like my cousin Nathan; I don't know if he even tasted the pie underneath the tub of Cool Whip he put on it.

Afterwards, everyone would be dozing in the living room. Not easy to take a good long nap, what with being the iced tea drinkers we are and someone always leaping into the space on a piece of furniture that you'd vacated when you could no longer ignore your bladder. Uncle Tom would usually lead a procession to the local theater for the latest holiday movie while whomever was left behind got a rousing game of Scrabble going in the kitchen with more leftover munching.

It was a small, cramped house for that many people, but there was a lot of love and laughter. I miss it. I sometimes wish that everyone didn't have to grow up and have families of their own or move so far away. My mom is there now, sharing some laughter with her brothers and some anxiety about their aging mother. She's not as energetic as she used to be and she has finally started succumbing to her age and the exhaustion of taking care of a husband in the late stages of Parkinson's disease. There probably won't be half the amount of food that there used to be and there's finally a dishwasher--I say it's because Nathan and Tommy and I aren't around to wash them anymore. I'm sure that Nathan and Tommy with their eight kids will make an appearance, my brother and my niece Amanda may come over, and possibly some members of Don's family (my grandmother's husband). It won't ever be like it used to be.

I guess that's what memories are for, though.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Bachelor Follow-up

I had always wondered what happened to Byron and Mary. I even looked on the website to see if there was any info, but there was nothing. Happily, they're still together and still planning on getting married. I think the key to that one was that both of them were in their 30s.

Twenty-somethings don't know themselves yet. I always see these 20-something-year-old girls on this show and I have to roll my eyes. They have no idea how much their lives are going to change by the time they're 30. It's so easy to fall in love at that age. You still believe in fairy tales--"And they lived happily ever after..." blah, blah, blah. I look back at the guys I fell in love with when I was in my twenties and I thank God that things didn't work out!

A woman is established by the time she's in her thirties. She's aware of herself. She's confident. She doesn't have to know where this guy is 24/7. Confidence is so sexy. It's not the same as narcissism--and it's not that bravado that's put up with false confidence. It's just knowledge--knowledge of what you're capable of, what you can give, and your capacity for love. It's so different from desperation.

Yes....some twenty-somethings make it. They're really a lucky few. Congratulations if you're one of them!

Monday, November 19, 2007

The Bachelor

Okay...I admit. I watch The Bachelor. Not every week, but definitely the premier, a couple after that, and the finale. I usually get it figured out, too. I always know who the bachelor is going to pick. This year...he didn't pick either one. I was sure he'd pick Deanna. Does that mean he has to give the ring back since ABC paid for it????

Now, of course, I have to watch the "After the Final Rose" show tomorrow night to figure out what the hell he was thinking. He could be the smartest bachelor they've ever had; after all, everyone else's relationships have fallen completely apart after the show...except for Trista, but she was a Bachelorette.

Yes...the blogging gets slim when you have to blog every day. Makes you talk about The Bachelor. BTW--I think his twin brother is a lot cuter than he is!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

More on celebrities

I saw on the news today that the paparazzi have two newish members to the team in Hollywood; they are all of 14 and 15 years old! I can't believe their parents let them hang out in this crowd, snapping pictures whilst risking being accidentally run over by Brittney! Would you let your kids do this? On the other hand, they're bringing home about $2500 a week. That's a lot more than I made babysitting at that age.

When I was 15, I was obsessed with Def Leppard and Duran Duran. Half my walls in my bedroom were covered with DL pictures and the other half with DD. I read every article in any magazine I could get my hands on. I would miss the school bus in the morning if one of their videos happened to come on Mtv before I left. I knew everything I possibly could about them. I've retained a lot more of their information than I ever did of Algebra and Geometry.

I thought about all that the other day. Now, I hear a particular band and really like their music...let's say, the Foo Fighters. I love their stuff. I haven't the slightest notion what any of the band members' names are (except Dave Groehl--and I'm sure I've misspelled his name) or what they look like. I couldn't tell you anything about them. If I were 15 again, though...I'd probably never leave my house. I'd be on the computer forever searching for anything I could find on them. I don't even spend my time searching for DL or DD stuff...oh, if there had been the internet and PCs in 1985, though.

Instead, I spent the day torturing my cat. Not really, but I'm sure she thought so. First, I left her alone for a couple of hours, then I came home and Furminated and brushed her, vacuumed the floor, vacuumed her (she actually likes that!), and then I cleaned her ears. I really need to trim her claws, but I thought that after everything else, that may be a little risky.

I guess most people grow out of the celebrity stuff, huh?

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Brittnatized

Ever wonder why we are so inexorably drawn to Brittney Spears' life? I mean, this girl is an utter train wreck. Every week there's something new and completely stupid that the paparazzi have caught on film. This week, she's running red lights with her kids in the back seat. Actually, I'm surprised that, at this point, one of the kids isn't driving..I'm not usually a celebrity gawker, but this girl has me completely fascinated. It's beyond me how someone can be so clueless.

Of course, I've been wondering the same thing about George Bush for several years, so it's become somewhat of a habit.

Seriously? How bad of a mother does one have to be in order to be rooting for K-Fed to get custody? (That rhymes! It could be a country song!)

Let your children take notice: this is the result of no education. Hell, even reading a book once in a while could benefit--maybe not the ones that have titles like, "Wild Abandon" or "Pirate's Booty".

Anne said it best: "All I have to do is look at Brittney Spears, and I feel much better about my own life." (Hey, Anne--there's that adjective I was telling you about.)

Friday, November 16, 2007

Cold weather, warm cats

How is it that a small, 8-pound cat can keep you so warm?

Normally, my cat sleeps on the opposite pillow as me. When it gets cold out, however, she has to sleep on me in some way--usually , on my legs. I can move all I want, she'll just roll along with me. The heat she generates is so nice! It radiates all the way down the length of my legs. I don't worry about being cold at all when she's around. I guess it's because a cat, as small as they are, are normally 101 degrees, or so. That's pretty warm! Who needs to waste the electricity on a heating pad when you have a kitty? Anytime I pull a blanket out, she's gotta be on it.

Just one more reason to have a cat: they're nice and warm, but don't breathe as heavily or smell as bad as a dog.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Halfway there!

Blog a day, blog a day. It's like being in an 18th century Royal Court; you have to be scintillating and entertaining or sleep with the King in order to stay.
Where's the King?!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

???????

I don't know what to write about today. My cat did nothing funny, I don't have kids, and work was relatively uneventful.

I did get a $50 gift card for spa services at Mecca, though. Who wants to bribe me? A Mother-to-be Massage would only be $45.........

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Acrobatic Cats

Sometimes, I wish I could have a camera on my cat at all times, because she cracks me up with her acrobatics. She has nightmares. She'll be sleeping peacefully and leap out of it to amazing heights.

One night, she was dozing a little on the floor. I pointed my laser pointer over towards her and turned it on--it was right in front of her. She jumped, literally, 4 feet in the air from a completely stationary position. I laughed until my sides hurt.

She's a very particular cat. She knows when something is out place--which is pretty challenging when her mother is somewhat of a slob. One day when she got one of those wild cat hairs and started running through the apartment, she was drawn up short at the little hallway between my bedroom and bathroom because one of her toy mice was laying there that had not been the last time she had passed through there and she did a cartwheel right over it. Really! A two-pawed cartwheel! The surprised look on her face at her feat made it all that more funny.

What crazy things have your pets done that make you laugh?

Not my fault

Okay...it's not my fault that I didn't post last night. All I was going to write was: "Sorry. No scintillating insights tonight. I'm tired...going to bed." However, I turned on my computer and there was not internet, but that's okay, because now I have a story to tell and if there are any men who read, they can be very glad that they are men.

1 AM this morning, I was awakened by horrible cramps! Awful, ugly, somebody's-digging-a-hot-poker-into-my-gut-and-stirring-it-around cramps. And not a speck of aspirin, ibuprofen, morphine or anything else in the apartment. So, I finally throw on some clothes to drive down to the HEB. I get there and they have the aisle that the Aleve is on closed off because they're waxing the floor!!!! Normally, I would have walked down that aisle anyway and dared anyone to say something, but there was a very large, liquid puddle of who-knows-what's-in-it wax on the floor . No one else will go down there either. So I have to get back in my car and drive all the way down to Stassney, hoping the CVS there is 24-hour. Luckily, it was. I finally got to go back to sleep around 2:30.

It was a lovely night.

So, if I post again tonight, provided I can get my internet up, will that still count as a post every day?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Day 11

OIY----another lazy day today. Read em and weep Moms. Sometimes, I'm really okay with the fact that I never had kids. My kid would likely end up in all kinds of therapy anyway.

I'm being tempted more and more to move tonight. Someone periodically keeps blasting Led Zepplin in their car in the parking lot. I'm torn between annoyance and curiosity: Led Zepplin isn't exactly what I would picture my neighbors blasting from their cars. I'll put it this way: the last time Cherri was pet-sitting for me, she asked, "Are you the only white person in this place?" I mean, Led Zepplin was great and all, but not exactly first choice for my Mexican neighbors.

Finished my book today and started another one. They're books that I've read before, but I wanted the escape. It's about time travel, which leads me to this question for you: If you were to go back in time to the American Revolutionary War, would you be able to tell someone when a particular battle was to take place or how it turned out? I mean, really? How well do you know your American History? And, aside from all that,--and aside from your own, personal Jamie Fraser-- could you survive without indoor plumbing, basic hygiene, or proper refrigeration of meat? Think about it. Could you?

Saturday, November 10, 2007

R&R

A fine, lazy day today. My windows are always open--despite the allergies and asthma. I read all day long, with the exception of football games. Although, I did read through the Notre Dame game; it doesn't seem the Irish can do much to hold my attention these days and it does little good to yell and scream at their coach through the tv. As it became apparent that the Longhorns were going to soundly trounce the Red Raiders from the North, I dozed on the couch.

There is much I could do around the apartment today, but I just didn't want to do it. I'm contemplating looking for another place to live. I found a listing for a "green built" apartment. It doesn't give the location, of course. The low price of a two-bedroom for $750 suggests East Austin, though. Wherever I decide to go, I can always ask John, a police officer I know, for the low-down on the neighborhood. Of course, my current neighborhood boasts prostitutes and drug dealers. I've never had a problem, and I can always tell who the prostitutes are when they're walking home in the mists of dawn. They always look used and defeated--it's rather sad. What has to happen to you in life to get you to that point? I hope I never find out.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Energy

Okay...so, we're running out of oil. Now, our Illustrious Leaders--or IL--want to get a new source of energy. So instead of looking to all the free, renewable energy readily available to them now and in the future, they want to establish more nuclear energy.

I have to wonder how much money has been contributed to IL from nuclear energy producers? Apparently, quite a lot.

Wind, Sun, Water--all free, all going nowhere for quite some time, and no harmful waste. Even garbage can be utilized to produce energy! Seems like a no-brainer, right?

Well, no. See, the key word is "free". No one can harness the Sun and say it belongs to them. No one can harness the Wind and say it belongs to them. No one can claim the Ocean as their own. Kind of like what the Native Americans were trying to tell IL about the Earth 200 or so years ago, doesn't it?

Nuclear energy. The waste it produces can literally kill millions with one little leak. Not a quick death, like an actual nuclear explosion, but very slow. Like being turned into a slow-churned pudding. Or like being placed in a microwave--cooked from the inside out. And IL thinks there will always be acres and acres of open land that they can bury their nuclear waste in for hundreds of years, and it won't bother anyone.

Kentucky was also acres and acres of open land about 300 years ago. Come to think of it, much of the United States was. 300 years sounds like a long time, but really...it's only 3 or 4 generations. That's really not so long.

IL is not a very forward thinking organization. IL has no breadth of vision. IL thinks only of right now, maybe 20 years from now, and how much MONEY can be made before they die. Whomever follows really doesn't matter. IL does not look at how much things will cost 50, 75, even 100 years from now.

Hey--people are living to be 120 years old now; we could still be here.

IL is stupid. IL is greedy...very greedy. IL doesn't have a clue what it is to be a true human being. IL has lost sight of that.

Campaign time, Dear Readers. Write e-mails to Congress, the Congressional Committee for Energy. Wind, Ocean, Sun--it's all here right now. It has been for centuries before us. It's so easy and the technologies that are being perfected that can harness their energy is out there NOW. And, its waste cannot kill or harm us. (Unless you stay out in the Sun with no SPF or stand in the path of a Tornado or Hurricane) IL will kill us with no thought at all except for the bankroll it will produce.

And whose backyard is IL going to bury the Nuclear Waste in anyway? Guarantee, it won't be a neighborhood full of mansions and indoor pools.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

NaBloPoMo Day 8

Ummmmm---yeah, hi. Blogging. Today. Yeah me!

My friend, Cherri, is going to Ireland in April. Can I just say, "I hate her!"
I'd like to go to Ireland. I'd especially like to go anywhere with someone I love. Must be great.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

What the *#@!

I'm driving home tonight thinking about the news piece that I saw last night on NBC Nightly regarding the cost of gas going up another 32%. I thought it would hit in a couple of days and I needed to fill my tank up. My lovely little diesel bug, that does so well on gas mileage. The last time I filled up, it was $3.19/gallon and it cost me almost $40. A Volkswagen Beetle! $40 for a fill-up!

It didn't take a couple of days. The price of diesel is already up to $3.40/gallon! 3-*#@!^$-40 a gallon!!!!! (Oooh--I wonder where that link goes to? I'm not clicking it to find out.)

The irony is this: It costs less to produce diesel fuel than regular fuel. So, why is diesel more expensive? Please....figure that one out for me.

Gross things going on in the world:
Sonic is now selling Fried Macaroni and Cheese Bites.
Long John Silver's is selling Buttered Lobster Bites.
Lance Armstrong has apparently been making out with Ashley Olson (yeah--of the Olson Twins)! (Sorry Anne; didn't get a chance to tell you that one before my phone died.)

Oh yeah--I almost forgot--Britney Spears left her two children, along with her court-appointed supervisor, in the car during one of her supervised visits to shop for chandeliers. (The judge is going to love that!) Seriously--this girl doesn't have a clue!!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Nothing

I don't have anything to write about tonight. Nada.

Except, that I was right. Today at work, the receptionists were all, "It's freezing! I'm so cold!" In a nice out of the wind climate controlled 72 degrees.

Seriously...I think there is something medically wrong with them. I have a physical reaction to it, too....I just want to knock them upside the head. It just grates on my nerves to hear them all whining about how cold it is. It isn't cold in the office at all. By any stretch of the imagination.

Maybe their all just a little psycho. Maybe I am for wanting to knock them upside the head.

It's going to be a long winter.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Major Cold Front

There's supposed to be a major cold front moving in tonight. That means that everyone at work will be freezing tomorrow, they'll be trying to jack up the thermostat, and I'll be hot. I haven't been able to get Indiana totally out of my blood--I don't freeze to death at 60 degrees! It will be a major change from today, though--at least a 25 degree difference. They're already wearing long sleeve sweaters and sweatshirts under their scrub tops and it was 84 degrees today! I don't know what's wrong with these people. Not enough iron in their diet or something.

I love this weather. I hate being hot. You can always layer up for cold, but you can't do anything about hot. Hot with humidity is the worst! I can't imagine coming to Texas in the 1800s and having to wear a corset and petticoat. No wonder women were always fainting! All those clothes and stockings--I would have been running off with some Indians first chance I got! They dressed sensibly.

Hey...I've posted a blog for 6 days in a row!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

An extra hour?

We set our clocks back last night to gain back that hour we lost in the Spring. People like to say they get an extra hour to sleep, but really, don't we all sleep in on Sunday anyway? (Well...those of us without kids). When I worked at a night club, this was a big deal because it meant an extra hour of business since the clocks got set back at 2am. That was an extra hour of tips for me. It's really not a big deal to me now. An extra hour to be lazy on Sunday.

I did torture myself with food today. I made some Jambalaya in the slow-cooker. After about three hours, this wonderful smell began to permeate the apartment and it had four hours to go! It was so good when I got to finally eat it, though. I can hear them talking now tomorrow at work: "Something smells good in here!" Here, being the break room, because of course I'm taking left-overs for lunch.

I e-mailed a realty company that deals with properties in Forbes Park. I'm starting the hunt for my Colorado mountain property. They have a nice one listed that's not too far away from my Mom's place. There's a lot adjacent to it that's also available. All total it would be close to 4.5 acres. I don't know if I'll be able to get my dad to help me out with 2 lots, though.

Yes...my daddy is helping me buy this property. He's always going on about how much money I'll get when he and Miriam, my stepmother, die. I just asked him if I could have some of it now. He was agreeable to it since it was for a property investment and not something crazy. I don't know how $$agreeable he is, though. Over 4 acres would be nice tucked away in a very underdeveloped part of Colorado. I'm about tired of the city. It's nice having convenience, but you can get just about anything you need on the Internet now anyway. I will miss HEB and Central Market, though. Not that I'm leaving anytime soon.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Blog day--3

I got soooooo much work done today at work, mainly because my boss was not there. I love her to death, but it's hard to get anything done when she's in the office. She's a chatty one. And we're fully staffed now, so I don't have to be a full-time-receptionist-part-time-manager. Now I can be a part-time-receptionist-part-time-manager. Believe me...it's as complicated as it looks.

I watched Apocalypto tonight. It was a pretty good movie, and not just because all the men were half naked and well muscled. Well, most of the men were; all well and good if you could ignore the teeth. I couldn't do that in real life. BLEHH!

I'm very mad at Charlie Weiss, the coach for Notre Dame football. He could have won the game with 1:25 to go with a very simple field goal--the 22-yard line for crying out loud. BUT NO! He apparently wanted to go into overtime, which they did; not once, but three times. And what do you think happened? They lost, of course. I really wish I could figure out what goes on in a coach's mind, because they make some really dumb calls sometimes.

It appeared as if the UT game wasn't going to fare much better. Every time I popped over to channel 3, Colt McCoy was throwing an interception or someone was fumbling the ball. They pulled it out in the fourth quarter, though. Guess what? Mac Brown decided to go for the field goal instead of going into overtime. I think he and Charlie need to talk.

Friday, November 2, 2007

NaBloPoMo Day 2

Okay....so what is one supposed to post when nothing really happened today? I can't really talk about work stuff, because people from work read this. I don't really want to reveal my inner-most soul on-line.

Oh--I'm going to try some therapy. No, not that kind of therapy. I've had a problem with exercise. I feel good when I'm doing it. I feel good after doing it. It has a wonderful affect on my body--I'm fortunate in that I lose weight very quickly once I start exercising. The problem is doing it. I don't know what my block is...I'd rather sit and read a good book. I've been considering hypno-therapy to try and make me want to exercise. I have a friend that is a therapist and we're going to try some new-fangled hypnosis-free therapy to see if we can get me up off my ass. I have to because my scrubs are getting tight. It's bad news when scrubs get tight. I mean, Hippos could fit into these things.

How many people do you know that actually have to have therapy to exercise?!!! I guess everyone has to have their hang-ups.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Try something new

So, Jennifer, being a big advocate of NaBloPoMo, has me intrigued. Can I post a blog a day for a whole month?

"HAAAAAA!" Those of you that know me are doing right now, perhaps inhaling some liquid refreshment or spewing something out of your mouth along the way---wish I was there to see that.

The fact is, I quite like writing. I would love that to be my vocation in life as well as a source of income. Not having to follow a time-clock schedule is my absolute dream. Being able to wake up when my body wants to wake up, which is still annoyingly early, but not as early as when I have to get up to be at work at 6:45 AM. I'm not one of those persons that can leap out of bed in the morning 15-minutes before I have to leave for somewhere, although it can be done in a pinch.

So, Jenn, be my cheerleader and I'll give it a whirl. Who knows, maybe I'll graduate to trying the Triathalon next year.

And you thought it was safe to put something in your mouth again.....

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Origins of Halloween

I love this time of year. Have you ever wondered why you bother getting your kids all dressed up for Halloween and carve Jack 'O Lanterns? Well, I'm going to give you a little history lesson tonight. Yes...history, not myth.

Halloween, or Samhain (Sow-en) began with the ancient Celts. Probably before them, but that's when things started getting recorded. The Pagan and Celtic tribes of Europe, Northern England, Scotland and Ireland saw this time of year as the beginning of a new year. It was the time of year to finish harvesting and laying in food stores that would see them, their families, and their entire tribe through the coming winter months. (They lived in a tribal society--it wasn't an "Every-man-for-himself" society.) They often worked through the night harvesting the last of their crops, so bonfires where lit throughout the land. There was a celebratory air to it all. The crops could not be harvested after this night. Probably weather driven, but also, the Pagans believed very much in The Little People, or Faeries.

These were not cute little winged things for them. The Little People could be very mischievous and vindictive at times. Many societies believed in them in one form or another, even in the Americas. If any part of your crop remained after Samhain, the faeries believed it was being left for them. If one dared to harvest it afterwards, they believed something that belonged to them was being stolen and punishment was meted out. One's family, home, livestock or the whole tribe could suffer in one way or another.

What about sacrifices to the Gods, you ask? Yes, much of the livestock was slaughtered at this time, simply because there would be no way for them to survive the winter months in the hard-scrubbed lands of the North. The meat was cured and stowed away for the winter. The remaining livestock lived in the house with the family it belonged to, so keeping a whole herd through the winter months was not feasible. Livestock living in the house provided extra warmth and fuel for the fires. No one ever had a herd of cattle, sheep, or goats that numbered more than twenty. They just didn't need that many.

Nothing was ever wasted. Not a single part of a slaughtered animal was ever just thrown away. Every part had some use. Our society could learn much from the ancients.

When Christianity--and more specifically, Catholicism--began to take hold, these practices could not be halted, for they were not only tradition, they were a means of survival. They couldn't just put their "devil worshipping" stamp on it and sweep it under the rug. So, it was Christianized with the addition of All Saints Day on the first day of November--a day of honoring the dead, a tradition that is carried out most thoroughly in Mexico today.

What about the masks and disguises? Well, it is said the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is very thin on this night, the last night of October. One needed to disguise themselves in order to confuse the wandering spirits on this night. Jack 'O Lanterns were placed in windows to scare off spirits--originally carved in turnips! Divination was used to ask the souls of the dearly departed for advice for the coming year--but caution always had to be used lest a soul that was not a "dearly departed" came through instead. Thus, such things should never be played with. Don't believe it? Well....tonight, after the little ones have gotten all their treats and are tucked into bed, just step outside for a minute or two.

Still your mind. Listen. You'll start to feel that the air feels...different. Be careful though; don't stay out too long. You never know who may be standing there listening beside you.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

I am so glad that Jennifer didn't tag me with the "food" blog, because I can't think of a single food that I like that means anything to me that starts with a "g"!

I'm getting ready for Halloween. The best Pagan holiday of the year. How do I get ready? Well, one of the best ways is watching the mini-marathon of "A Haunting" on the Discovery channel. 6 hours of real American hauntings. Seriously...if you want to be creeped out and not sleep, you've got to watch this stuff. It is real..and scary. If you watch more than a few hours of it, you'll get scared. Too bad it's on Sunday and I have to go to work the next day.

What is our fascination with being scared? Why do we want it? Is it the adrenaline? The fast pounding of the heart, the shortness of breath, the feeling that someone is watching you...following you? We go to scary movies, we read Stephen King novels, we turn on the 24-hour news channels.

What creeps you out?

For me...it's the giant roaches that Texans call "waterbugs". Yeah, right....waterbugs. Big Roaches that look at you and communicate their findings with something with those antennae. Seriously...they watch you and communicate something to someone. And they're just like Michael in Halloween---they don't die with the first attack. When you come back to scoop them up in the dustpan...they're gone. And you know they're somewhere--watching. Waiting.

Spirits don't really scare me. They're just energy that have not let go of consciousness. In their measure of time, it's still "now". Well, deep down, I really believe that, but my mind does buy into the "that's not natural" thing. That's how the Hauntings thing creeps me out.

So, seriously....what scares you?

Monday, October 15, 2007

I am cool personified




Okay...that's way better than the World Leader quiz. Now all I need is my Harley. Sadly, the Vespa may come first.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

My Mommy is leaving me

Tomorrow, my mother takes off for her new home in Colorado. Tonight, she gave me all the stuff out of her freezer and refrigerator. As I was driving home, it hit me....Holy Crap! My Mommy is leaving me!

My Mom has never left me. I have left her...I moved to my Dad's when I was 16 and after that, she moved to Texas. Since I have been an adult and out on my own, though, she has never been more than three hours away from me. Every holiday, she's only been a short drive away. Colorado...that's 14 hours. Not a short drive. I can't chill out at her house in between pet sitting gigs for the holidays. I can't call her and say, "Hey, I'm heading for the Farmers' Market, do you want to come?" She can't call me and ask, "Do you want to grab some lunch?"

Now, she's going a long way away, and I'm really going to miss her. I've always had one of my parents nearby. Now, neither one of them is going to be close. I'm beginning to see that this sucks! I'm trying to convince myself of the benefits (a really cool place in Colorado to visit), but it's not really working.

I need one of my blogger friends who have children to be my surrogate Mom...even though, you're the same age, if not younger, than me.

Because, sometimes....you just need your Mommy.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Are Men really above Women?

Ah....the age old debate. I read a wonderful book, not too long ago, that hi-lighted this debate in one of its chapters. It takes place in the 13th century and a girl is trying to become a student. The first few chapters of this book will make a lot of women so angry because it hi-lights how women were more or less just used for breeding purposes in that time. But this girl--she wasn't going to let that happen. I told a friend about this passage and she said, "You have got to post that on your blog!" So, here it is....Enjoy, Ladies.

From Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross
"Your ignorance, child, is revealed in that question. For St. Paul has asserted this truth, that women are beneath men in conception, in place, and in will."
"In conception, in place, and in will?" Joan repeated.
"Yes," Odo spoke slowly and distinctly, as if addressing a half-wit. "In conception, because Adam was created first and Eve afterward; in place, because Eve was created to serve Adam as companion and mate; in will, because Eve could not resist the Devil's temptation and ate of the apple."
Odo smirked. Joan felt an intense dislike for this man. For a moment she stood silently, tugging on her nose.
"Why," she said at last, "is woman inferior in conception? For though she was created second, she was made from Adam's side, while Adam was made from common clay."
"In place,"--the words tumbled out as Joan's thoughts raced ahead and she reasoned her way through--"woman should be preferred to man, because Eve was created inside Paradise, but Adam was created outside."
There was another hum from the audience. The smile on Odo's face wavered.
Joan continued, too interested in the line of her argument to consider what she was doing. "As for will, woman should be considered superior to man"--this was bold, but there was no going back now--"for Eve ate of the apple for love of knowledge and learning, but Adam ate of it merely because she asked him."

Well, needless to say, I highly recommend this book. Truly, I do believe that Men and Women are equal, but we stand on different ground, our paths criss-crossing. We compliment each other and, as there is equal balance in all things, one would be no good without the other. I've often viewed women and men as the two parts of God; Women being the creators of life and Men the destroyers. But really, without Men we could not create life and without Women, they would have nothing to defend if for.

So although we rant and rave against each other on a daily basis, it's good to step back and look at it as a whole and accept the differences between us and the things that just will not change. We are different, but One...and no better than the other.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

This movie looks interesting....

.

I guess this movie is based on some children's series. It looks interesting--a good December it's-too-cold-to-go-do-anything movie. Of course, right now, it doesn't seem like we're going to have that type of December here. Oh well. Take the kiddos to it. Fuel their imaginations.

Go to the website and find out who your daemon is (or, if the word frightens you, your animal familiar). I think mine is pretty accurate.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Back home again

Summer has finally caught up to Texas. We had a very long, rainy, cool Spring, but Summer has finally remembered us. And we remember her. It's so freaking hot! And it's not a "dry" heat!

I miss the sound of the wind in Colorado. The sound of people in the parking lot and traffic on I-35 just doesn't compare. I miss the clean air, the clear--very cold!--tap water, open windows all day and night long, and, best of all, not having to take Clariton-D every day! (No molds). I am determined to buy a parcel of land up there. You wouldn't believe how inexpensive they are! Even after adding electricity, well, and septic tank, it's a whole lot less than trying to buy a house and keep up with property taxes in Austin!

So, it was back to work. Aye-yay-yay. Why do people have to create such DRAMA out of something that really isn't that BIG OF A DEAL? They're called Negaholics--and they thrive on it! As a manager, I must not feed into it. That's why I invest so much in wine these days! I'll have cheese with mine, thank you. One of the guys at work asked me the other day, " You've changed--Why don't you gripe and complain about anything anymore? Why are you always smiling? You're always in a good mood." I asked him, "What's the point?" Really...there is no point in complaining about something you have no control over. I learned to do that in traffic a long time ago, thanks to living in Dallas. Now, I've learned how to at least hide it at work. I really did grow up and become an actress.

So, yes, I'm back to the grind, but with dreams of Colorado giving me something to reach for. I want land up there. I want a house up there. And I will get one...someday...........soon...I hope.

UPDATE ON ABANDONED KITTY:
The next door neighbor was able to adopt her and she is very healthy and happy in her new home. She was at a perfect weight, hydrated, and glossy when I saw her this week. Sigh of relief for at least one mistreated kitty. No word on her previous owners, though.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Don't want to come home

Colorado is absolutely wonderful!!! Of course, this is not my first trip here, but this time, the isolation has been a much desired break. There are no strip malls here, no traffic, hardly even a road, and it's paradise!
The weather can turn on a dime here. It was about 82 degrees today, but the storms rolled by in the afternoon and now it's 66. No humidity! No mosquitoes! It's so wonderful.
I don't want to go back to civilization. On the drive to Taos yesterday, there was miles and miles of open plains. Just nothing. Just wide open space. The stars in the sky here are incredible! My mother's house sits right underneath the Milky Way. I haven't seen that since I was a kid. The sky was peppered with diamonds. The moon, also, was much closer here than in Austin. Sitting in the woods the other day, I realized how much the city is sucking my soul dry. I hate it. The only problem is, with these open plains and no strip malls or the regular forms of civilization, there is also no job. I need to be independently wealthy to move here. I must find a way, because I know I can't wait until I retire.
There is no vet clinic in "town", though, and lots of people have pets up here. Wonder if any of my Vet colleagues would be up to a move? Mom said I should go to beauty school, quickly. There is only one hair stylist within 50 miles of here, and she has a booming business and isn't even that good.
Hmm....the mind quickens.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Countdown

One more day and then it's off to Colorado for a few days.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I need this!!!! I plan on getting lost in the wilderness for a few days. I won't even be near a cell-phone tower, so NO ONE will be able to call me.....AHHHHHH, bliss. I'm really looking forward to getting away from work. I hope I've been able to mask how frustrated I've been lately. If not, I apologize. I do try.

So, I'll blog more when I get back. I'll talk all about how gorgeous the house is that my mom and her husband are building and all about the views. Hopefully, I'll be able to see a bear; they supposedly wander through the "back yard" all the time.
Yeah...then I'll probably be more motivated to find a job that I can actually retire from where I can get paid and not work, because Mom is retiring. She's going to be able to concentrate on her writing and do nothing else as well as being able to do all this in her own home that was planned to her specifications in the middle of the mountains and forest in Colorado. She plans on wearing her pajamas for a year. I actually want a beach hut in Belize or Costa Rica. Just a hut will do. Really.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Pets are not disposable

Sometimes, you just can't help but take work home with you and things keep you awake or wake you up in the middle of the night, such as tonight. At least it's not about something involving scheduling, employees, or the every day operations of the place tonight. Just the occasional case that comes in that my mind has trouble wrapping itself around.

I'm fortunate that in the eight years that I've worked for a veterinary hospital, I have not seen many cases of animal cruelty. I work at a somewhat pricey hospital, so most of the patients we see are of the spoiled variety. (Really, people who will spend $300 on a dental procedure for their dog or cat are not generally animal abusers; although, we do still get the occasional client that thinks Ol' Roy is quality dog food--joke: I'm not saying that people who feed their pets Ol' Roy are animal abusers) Cases where a pet has been abused usually comes when one of our clients has adopted a rescue animal or has seen a kitten tossed from a car on the highway and, risking their own lives, rescues said kitten. One of our clients adopted a dog from a rescue group that had been taken out to the gulf in a boat, tossed overboard, and left. (Apparently, they didn't want to deal with a pregnant dog.) Luckily, some nearby boaters saw the incident and were able to pull the dog into their boat.

It has always rancored me when one of our clients brings in a dog or cat that they want to take care of or have "inherited" due to the fact that someone has moved out of their house or apartment and abandoned their pets. How can someone just leave their pet? This is an animal that has formed a bond with their owner, and sometimes, I'm sure the owner has a bond with that pet, but they just leave them. I try not to pass judgement on these people, because I don't know what kind of situation they're moving into, but still...We've seen them left because a baby was born; because someone is getting married and the fiancee doesn't like the dog/cat (Hello??? Why are you marrying them? Package deal!); because they're moving somewhere that they can't take their pets to, etc. I realize, that some may think that it is better than taking them to a shelter where they may be euthanized instead of adopted. Believe me....it's not.

Today, one of our clients came in with a cat that had been abandoned by its owners. She lived in the neighboring apartment to this cat and hadn't realized the owners had moved out. If she had known that they had moved out, she would have notified management much sooner about the incessantly barking dog next door. I don't know how much time had passed, but someone finally went into the apartment. The dog, by this time, was dead.

(Just letting that sink in a little)
The people who left them, probably weren't intending to be what they thought of as "cruel". They left food out. Too bad they didn't leave the water running in the bathtub or something. The cat was very cute and sweet (a bob-tailed, dilute tortie with big green eyes). She was not in horrible condition--she was alert and active. I have never seen a cat, in my entire life, go for a bowl of water like she did when I brought one in the room. She had it almost emptied in less than 30 seconds.

I can't imagine what this cat went through, what was in her mind, as she was there day after day with her housemate as the water ran out of the toilet bowl and then watching her friend and housemate die, knowing that she would too if someone didn't come soon. Wondering where that person was that had always taken care of them--fed them, kept their water bowls filled; petted them, played with them, gave a lap or bed to lay on.

The girl that brought her in just couldn't contain her tears, thinking that she could have saved the dog, too, but didn't get management to go into the apartment next door when the dog wouldn't stop barking. It's not her fault, but she feels terrible. She wants to keep the cat, but for right now, the cat is evidence in an animal cruelty investigation and had to be surrendered to police and taken to the shelter. A doctor there will examine her. Our client will have to go through the adoption process once evidence is gathered and a judge rules on the case. I just hope the cat doesn't get a horrible upper respiratory infection at the shelter. They do the best they can there, but URIs are inevitable.

So, how can people just leave their pets? Why don't they take them to a shelter if they can't keep them, or find a rescue group that will take them in? There are hundreds of rescue groups out there! How can they just abandon them and think that it's the best they can do for them?

I don't know how many people besides my friends and co-workers read my blog, but I want them to know this: Pets are not disposable. When you get a pet, it's almost like taking care of kids, when they're puppies or kittens, to taking care of aging parents as they get older. They are a commitment and a responsibility. They require veterinary care and preventative medications. There is no such thing as a free pet. They cost money. If you get one and find you can't take care of it, please, please find a shelter or rescue group that will. Don't just abandon them. They depend on you. They love and trust you. Don't break that faith because somehow, some way, it will catch up to your soul.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Uh...Hi

Well...it's July. Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I have been so busy, so tired, spinning around in a thousand different directions. I think I'm getting the center of my gravity back, though.

I quit my restaurant job. Finally. Working so many hours at BAH and with everything that's going on there now, I just wanted to go have a couple of Margaritas, not make them. Plus, there are new owners at the restaurant. One change per job, please. I didn't want to deal with change at two. I am missing the extra money right now, though. Strange how even a bad night equaled a couple extra hundred bucks each month. And then, there were the good nights. Not to mention the good food and the margaritas, but now I know how to make excellant margaritas and mexican martinis. I've also become the Queen of Quesadillas at home. So easy to make at the end of a long day. I'm going to have to get the Albondigas recipe from Letty for winter...and maybe the Chili Verde.

Not much else going on. Work is my big focus now. Figuring out exactly what I should be doing, because no one is really telling me. Of course, there is all these grand plans, but, I've worked there long enough to know that those might take a while. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on getting my staff on board with some enthusiasm.

It's gonna be a long summer.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Catch up

Well...I'm officially now one year and one week older. I don't know how I feel about that. So many things that I thought I would have by now are just not here. I pretty sure by now that I will never have my own children.

I've seriously considered going to Africa and taking care of orphans. No...I'm serious. My only problem is my psychotic cat: who would take her? What would I do with her? She freaks out if I'm gone for a week. Her blood work that I did during her last annual was perfect. She's too mean not to live forever. She is something to consider.

The reason I think about this: Africa has a lot of orphans living in horrible conditions. It would give some meaning to my life, since apparently, I'm not doing anything here. I know there is plenty to do here, but there are things here that I would need to get far away from in order to concentrate on the task at hand. Things are still way up in the air with the love of my life: we still love each other deeply, but circumstances keep us apart. I will wait for only so long...after that, I have to leave for my own good. I have reason to believe that I will have my answer one way or the other by the end of this year. Meanwhile, I will look into Africa.

Other things are going fairly well. I got a promotion at work--I have visions of change; I only hope that others can see it, too. The Longhorns are, again, in the Regional playoffs--hoping that this year goes better than last (I can't go two years in a row where they are not in the College World Series). I've found the world's best liquor store where my favorite Tequila is $20 less than in any other store (If you are still drinking Cuervo, you have no idea what Tequila is!) The Cubs suck again this year, so, obviously Hell hasn't frozen over yet and the world continues to stay on track. (Damn Cubs!) I finally had a member of the family come to Texas for a vacation, so I've had guests. (Boy...they're kind of exhausting!) I'm healthy...first mammogram was A-OK. (If you've ever just wanted to play with breasts, you should be a mammogram tech.) As long as I keep busy at work, I don't dwell too much on the love-life. Busy doesn't look like a problem, at least for the upcoming month. And, I found out recently that, despite all the times I feel alone, I do have friends. For that, and for them, I am very grateful.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

What to do in Austin

Okay, bloggers. I have a family member coming into town next week (FINALLY) and I need your help in the 5 Must Do/See while in Austin, Texas for someone that has never been here...or, very much outside the state of Indiana. (Just taking her to a restaurant and seeing tatooed and pierced servers may blow her mind!) Send me a list of your five favorites and I'll compare mine and narrow it down from there.

THANKS!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Answers to an interview

Answers to Jennifer's 5-question interview:

1. So, if you could have a college degree instantly, like the information and learning electronically zapped into your brain in an instant (with a legitimate diploma), what degree would you choose and what career would you immediately have?

Wow--so many to choose from. I have so many interests, but, I'd have to say that my first passion would be Earth Sciences. Watching the climate changes, the melting Polar Caps, the Volcanoes....I'm fascinated by volcanoes. I'd be the one sitting on the cap of Mt. Ranier when it finally decides to go. Earthquakes--where is the "big one" going to be? California or the long sleeping New Madrid (around the St. Louis area)? The Earth has always taken care of herself--death and rebirth. I'd love to chronicle the next "death". I'm completely handicapped by Physics, though. Physics is a major part of predicting earth changes and how to handle them. We'd all be buried under a pile of snow if it was all up to me!

2. What do you miss most about Indiana?

The green, green summers. Miles of rolling green hills. And tall Maple trees--trees you could really climb high into. The smell of things growing. It smelled like life. Crisp autumns. There is nothing like a football game with the smell of autumn in the air, the rattle of autumn leaves, the color of autumn leaves! I really miss Autumn. It's hard to describe how the air can be crisp to a Texan. And, I don't know about now, but, when I was a kid, it was soooo much fun to go out and play in the snow (and we're talking about a couple of feet, not millimeters like what happens here), get cold and wet to the point of numbness, and then coming in to hot chocolate or chicken noodle soup. It was the best way to thaw out and the warmth it created was so much more than physical. Green summers, tall trees, and crisp autumns...that's what I miss most, I guess. The land is beautiful there. And it grows really tasty tomatoes--Texans have no idea what a tomato really tastes like. Or plums--great plums in Michigan. Going to Indiana Dunes--a real lake, with real sand.

3. What is the best thing about living in Texas? How did you end up here, anyway?

Well, like anyone raised in a small-minded place, I wanted to escape. Women in their thirties in Indiana look twice as old as we do. And they all cut their hair and perm it after the second child, and that's how it stays. Smoking--there's a lot of smoking in Indiana. And eating lots of heavy bland meals with gravy that clogged your arteries just looking at them. I wanted to go to a big city, so, I went to Dallas. My mom already lived in Austin at this point. After a while, I discovered I hated the big city--especially Dallas. I love Austin, though. Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It's full of people more like me: open-minded, full of empathy for their fellow human beings, rational--you can rationalize with people in Austin!--and forward thinking people. People who aren't stuck in the past or just the here and now. People who don't worry about what something costs now, but what the potential cost is for the future by not doing something now. That's not Texas--it's Austin. If Austin were to disappear, I probably wouldn't stay in Texas. So, I guess the thing I like most about Texas is Austin.

4. What is your favorite childhood memory?

The neighborhood I grew up in. All the kids played together, no matter what age. My older brother showed me off to all his friends when I was born, so I was the youngest in the neighborhood for a while. We played outside all the time--until an hour past dark in the summer. At Halloween, we would canvas the entire neighborhood--for blocks! Our friend, Gary, was a mentally handicapped 26-year old. So, he was basically our age. It thrilled his mother to death when we would knock on their door and ask if Gary could come out to play. He fit in just right. We never knew any different. The innocence of my childhood--that's my fondest memory. Kids know too much these days. We had no clue. Ignorance is bliss. We had so much fun! We didn't have to have our parents planning our every move. ADHD didn't exist. When we went on a car trip, there were no DVD players in the car! We read books, used our imaginations with other toys, or just talked with our parents while hanging over the front seat of the car. Dayton Street--that's my fondest memory. We hardly ever went inside--we just played.

5. If you owned BAH, what would you change?

Well...we'd probably go broke, because I would move the focus away from the financial aspects and more towards doing what we could for the patients. I don't think we should have to have a pet owner approve an estimate before we save their pet's life. Why can't we offer the cheaper alternatives or do more to find out what we can do? I'd like to see us more involved with the community around us. I'd like to see some more concern for all that gets wasted--from electricity wasted when the attic lights are left on when no one is up there to all the recycling we don't do. And, being more open to alternative, natural, treatments. No, you aren't going to cure anything with herbs and nutrition, but you could sure prevent a lot with more natural diets and an awareness of what kinds of cleaning products people are using around the home. And I would try to mend the separation that's felt between the "front" and the "back". Create more of an atmosphere of openness and warmth. Probably move, too, to a place where we wouldn't have to spend so much in overhead so we could come down on some of our prices. And I would never hire people to put a body in a space--blending would be a must--there would be 30-, 60-, and 90-day reviews on new-hires as well as annual reviews on everyone else.

Hope you learned something about me you didn't know.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

I just read the last comment to my last blog, and all I can say is ....WOW. I checked out her blog: all about how the service industry sucks. Like, if she weren't in a party of nine, she couldn't be irked because her order wasn't being taken and all this time was being wasted on two little people...Some people have never had to work in the service industry. I'd love to see them try it one day. Just one day. Oh, what a fantasy. That everyone would have to work in the restaurant industry or retail customer service for just one day. Or, be an administrative assistant.

Every year, I watch what used to be Secretary's Day pass by (now it's Administrative Professionals Day) without a card, without a flower, without a cake or anything for the receptionists at work. It adds greatly to the feeling of being underappreciated for what we do at work. For the past few years, I've watched cakes being brought in for "Veterinary Technicians Day". Never have the receptionists been shown such appreciation. If one of us doesn't do something right though, boy--then we all get the kick in the ass.

I know, deep down, the work we do is appreciated, but it would just be nice to be shown that once in while. All we ever hear in meetings is "the receptionists don't do this" or "the receptionists aren't doing that". I would love to just one day have all the receptionists not show up to work so everyone would finally realize how much we do do.

I guess lately, I've been feeling like I'm just wasting time in, not one, but two thankless jobs. I do the best I can at both of them and it just never seems to be enough. I'm --30-something--and I'm still living from one paycheck to another. Working 1-2 other jobs just to have something to have some fun with once in a while--and eat food that's good for me, not just filling. What the hell is wrong with me?

Other friends of mine either have well-paying jobs, houses, or are finishing college. How do they do that and I don't?

I heard something this week that has really set me off. Roger Clemens, a guy that can throw a ball well, is going to be paid 4.5 million a month to pitch for the Yankees. 4.5 MILLION a MONTH. To throw a baseball. That's like, $30,000 a day. What human being actually needs to make this kind of money? And is he going to do anything good with it? Will he be altruistic? Will he save any children in Darfur? Will he save any children here, for crying out loud? He's pitching baseballs! He's not curing cancer or AIDS for God's sake! And it's just for 5 months for sure. That's more than a lot of his fans (or non-fans, like me) make in a whole year of actually WORKING THEIR ASSES OFF! Again, like me. Shit...this country is fucked up with it's values. And they say Gay Marriage is going to ruin things.

Our Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Soldiers, Teachers...people who actually DO SOMETHING get paid Crap, and a guy that can throw a baseball gets paid $30,000 a day. Mull that over for a while.

Then...wonder why you're not getting the best possible service at Chiles.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Does anyone know what a waitress is paid????

Okay, People....listen up. I'm going to educate you on the thankless job of Waitressing 101.

If the food is bad...it's not our fault. If the food is late coming to your table...it's not our fault. If we don't have what you want...it's not our fault. And if your service is slow and it's Friday night and 3 waitresses have called in and one has to take the sick cook to the doctor leaving only 3 waitresses to serve a busy Friday night restaurant crowd...it's not our fault.

Do you know that wait-staff only make $2.01-$2.15 hourly? Do you know that the proper amount to tip is at least 15%? Do you know that if you have a waitress that is doing the best she can for you and often goes above and beyond that it is totally acceptable to tip more than 15%? Do you know that wait-staff has to tip bartenders and busboys 5 and 10%, even though they are getting paid more hourly? Come on, People! Help a girl out!

Now, I understand that you don't want a tip if your waitress/waiter is ignoring you, getting your order wrong, standing around talking to friends/co-workers, or just plain giving you lousy service when there is no excuse for it. Just 15% or worse, 10% would be justifiable. We're making $2.15 an hour. I think you should know that. $2.15/hour. That's it. And we have to share our tips with people who are getting paid more hourly. We're working hard for you--taking abuse that you would never take in the process--and you're leaving 3 bucks!! Maybe two. And if you're really mad, because it took 40 minutes to get your food and you spilled your expensive Mexican Martini all over the table, you leave NADA. Just a big 'ole slash mark through the tip line on the credit card receipt. Like it's MY FAULT.

Can you tell it was a bad weekend at the restaurant yet?

Friday--the BUSY night for restaurants, especially if they serve Margaritas and Mexican Martinis--we had 2 waitresses call in sick and one that was out of town. Our cook--and owner's brother/co-manager--had been dragging his sick ass to work all week long to the point of bordering on pneumonia. He looked like death warmed over and could barely stand up. I told our illustrious owner--the cook's own sister--that he was going to end up in the hospital on fluids for a week if she didn't make him go to the doctor and go home and get some rest and she finally decided that it might be a good idea. She sent the one waitress--we had only four at this point--that didn't have a table to drive him to the doctor. Leaving us with three. Three waitresses on a Friday night and no cook. At least, no cook that was used to cooking. She ran 30 minutes behind on everyone's order because she's not used to doing it. Because her brother works his ass off every day and every night. And let me tell you...he can run the kitchen just fine by himself. In fact...he prefers it that way.

Anyway..it was a night from hell. Some customers had sympathy and understood that we were doing the best that we could do. Most though....they didn't have a clue. So I just thought you should know: Wait-staff only make $2.01-2.15/hourly. Don't stiff us if we're doing the best we can do. Don't stiff us if we're out of something you want. Don't stiff us if your food is not made the way you want it made. Don't stiff us if it takes 40 minutes for your food to get to your table. If you're the only person in the restaurant and you aren't getting good service, then you may have a point. We are not the cooks. We are not the inventory control managers. We are not the managers that can't seem to hire reliable wait-staff. We are not the owners that think they can get by with only two cooks, one of which only works days. We are not everyone else that decided to go out on Friday night. We are your waitstaff. We are SERVING you. We're not getting paid a living wage. Show some apppreciation for God's sake! You don't have to cook or do dishes because of us. Your getting awesome--yes, we do serve awesome--Margaritas and Mexican Martinis because of us. And you don't have to lift a finger to do it! You have no mess to clean up! You can let your kids throw food all over the place--and you do! You send us running each time we come to the table for something instead of telling us everything you want or need all at once, taking us away from other customers, because YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT MATTERS.

SHOW SOME APPRECIATION!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

In order to get Kat to respond.....

Kathryn...she goes away to Boston and then starts asking questions! Can you belive? So..in an effort to get a response from her.....I have to do this. Oh well...post in the comment field your answers. Maybe I'll learn something about you that I don't know already (because, I know more than you think!)

1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15. Tell me one weird fact about you.
16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?
22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Bottle or Draft?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. In one word, how would you describe me?
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Momentous Events

Alright Blogger-hounds...I'm posting!

This will probably seem a strange thing to start blogging with, but it picks up off a post from Leah. It involves a trip to the Girly Doctor. I have discovered that the best time of day for us motherless, always-wanted-to-be-a-mother-but-it-never-happened women to go in for this appointment is late afternoon. A blessedly empty waiting room awaits you!

It happened. She clarified the aging process by saying, "It's time for you to get a mammogram." Shit....I was hoping Leah's doctor was just crazy and jumping the gun a bit. A mammogram. Great. It's time for me to get my breast squished down to pancake size to search out possible invaders. Men don't have to have their testicles squished in a machine. Sure, they may think being manhandled by a doctor is horrible, but no...we have to endure so much more in our lifetime, but I digress. To top it off, insurance doesn't cover a whole lot of the cost because it's just to get a baseline. They don't think baselines are that important. Men run insurance companies, don't you know?

But wait! Oh...now there's a reason for the mammogram--she finds something. No, no, not THAT, just a cysty material. But reason enough for insurance to cover most of the cost of the mammogram because there's something there. The one breast also gets to have an ultrasound. Now I get to have cold gooey stuff rubbed all over it as well.

When I was 12-years-old, I started my period. The day this happened was a momentous event. I was filled with joy (little did I know). I was so filled with joy, that I called my dad--two states away and at work--and told him, "Dad! Guess what? I'm a Woman now!" He was so tickled that I would call and tell him this, that he told everyone at work. Little did I know what that one day would give way to, especially at the age of 12: hormonal fluctuations that caused horrible skin eruptions (because 2-3 zits are horrible at that age), split second emotional ups and downs that had the whole household walking on egg-shells, cramps from hell, "leaks" caught by someone in the hall at school that no one bothers to tell you about until the start of the next class, sudden longing for boys I had never noticed before and I would die if they didn't notice me, trial and error with pads and tampons...yeah, joyful day.

But, it is a momentous change. Good or bad. Here comes the beginning of the next one. I guess after my appointment, I'll call my dad--now four states away--and tell him, "Dad, guess what? I had my first mammogram today. I'm a middle-aged woman now,". This is just a small momentous event. That big one is lurking just around the corner. As always, there will be the good and the bad with that one.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

MySpace Evacuee

I've recently retreated from MySpace and I am entering the world of Blogspot where many of my friends and co-workers have been for years. Too many problems on MySpace--too much time typing brilliant blogs that got lost in Cyberspace as soon as I hit the "Preview and Post" tab. So now, I have to get back into the habit of posting a blog because I had just given up trying. Bear with me as I transition....