And the award for Oklahoman of the Year goes to...

Clint Ingram, #44, Linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners. Here's why:

The game last night turned out to be a pretty good matchup (insert comment on how overrated Oregon was, and how we were a better team than the rankings would lead you to believe). The first half was pretty slow, Oregon was up 7-3 at the half. But we came barrelling out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter, looking more like the Sooners I know and love, and went up 17-7 in no time. I felt confident in my boys, that I set the VCR to record and went up to work for a bit (we're remodeling the office). 4th quarter turned out to be quite the nail biter though. Yeah, I tuned into the OSN (Oklahoma Sooners Network, for those of you non-Okie bloggers out there) on the AM radio and listened to the 4th quarter unfold. As soon as Oregon scored, I was on the phone with my Mom, one ear tuned to her, the other to the boys on OSN. It seemed that the tide was turning Oregon's way, they were doing everything right, and we made some stupid mistakes. We finally get the ball back, and on our first possession after the short punt return, Adrian runs 2 yards and goes out of bounds! Okay, so he was sort of pushed out, but come ON guys, you're up by 3 and you've got 3 1/2 minutes of the clock to burn, you stay away from the sidelines!! The next two plays fare no better, and with just under 3 minutes remaining, we have to punt it back to Oregon. Defense holds, but no...wait....they're running, somebody get him! Tackle him for Pete's sake!! Oh for the love of football.......#($*#$**&@#!!!!! So now here we are sitting at our own 35 yd line,wondering if our resurgent 3rd quarter is going to be wasted in the last 2 minutes of the 4th. Oregon 1st down...Leaf pulls back, looking, looking, no receivers, so he rolls right, finds a receiver and its a 19 yard gain (another few choice words from yours truly). 2 plays later, Leaf pulls back and throws toward the endzone where Demetrius Williams waits with open arms....enter Clint Ingram. #44 flys into the air from the left side of the screen and picks off the pass. INTERCEPTION!!! The whole Oklahoma sideline is suddenly airborne, as are all of the fans at the game, and probably all of us listening/watching the game at home, I know I was. The refs toss a yellow flag at Ingram for celebration (which was stupid, cause all he did was get up and kind of saunter down the field for a few yards, but whatever, we'll take it). We've gotta get our shit together and finish the game though, all we've got to do is knee down....but Rhett gets dinged with another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (which is probably valid, but again, whatever). Final knee down, its over, we won, cue the band...

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner....

that's funny stuff right there

Last night, I had dinner with some friends. Z made us lasagna, which was really good. He was talking about the work he had done that day, he and his brother are re-doing someone's deck. Apparently somebody built the thing partly out of fiber-board, which is ridiculous for an outside deck. His brother makes some comment about how they must have built it just for them (to fix). Z says, "I don't think he built the deck. He's owned the house since he bought it." Umm, yeah. That makes total sense.

I look around at the others sitting at the table, waiting for some comment on what he just said, but I was the only one who caught it. Yeah. Good times.

lah-dee-dah

Not much going on in Heather-world at the moment. Just working. Trying to get all my Christmas stuff bought.

Had to scrape the ice off my windshield this morning, and the weather forecast says (and I kid you not): Abundant Sunshine, 61 degrees. Yeah. Welcome to Texas.

Anyone watch the season finale of Nip/Tuck last night? Freakin awesome if you ask me. Quentin was the obvious choice, but Kit (who I had previously pegged as a suspect, but then she got carved, and I moved on to someone else) being the sister was a great twist. They've left quite a bit unanswered for Season 4: what's wrong with Julia & Sean's baby, what will happen when they find out Quentin's body is missing and so is Kit, what will happen to Matt and Cherry when they find the psycho-bitch's dead father, and are Kimber and Christian really calling it quits?

And we finally watched the finale of The Apprentice. I figured Randall would win, but I was disappointed that he dissed Rebekah like that. Selfish!

That's all for now.

Hootie forsakes me, again

Damn you Hootie!!

Part One
Two summers ago, me and the roommates trekked down to Six Flags Over Texas to see our favorite band, Hootie & the Blowfish. I think we might have ridden 2 or 3 roller coasters, before making our way to stand in line for the concert. About 30 minutes before the show is supposed to start, it starts to sprinkle. The rain gradually gets heavier as we continue to stand in line, wondering when they're gonna let us into the ampitheater. We wait for almost an hour, in the rain, with all the other devoted Hootie fans. For the first half hour, the crowd is light-hearted, enjoying the little rain shower and singing Hootie songs to pass the time. The collective mood starts to go south, however, as the sky gets darker, the rain harder, and still no word from the ampitheater. Finally, after what seems like hours, there's news. The show is cancelled, Six Flags is closing. We stand around for a brief moment, hoping that this is some cruel joke, and that the doors will open and let us in. Sadly, it is true, and we sulk back to the entrance of Six Flags with our heads hung low, our clothes soaked through, and free tickets to come back to Six Flags another day (yeah, that's gonna make everything okay). The concert will not be rescheduled, they say. We stop at the entrance to decide what we'll do next, when I overhear a girl say to her boyfriend, "lets get that sign" (as she motions to one of the Hootie concert signs set up in the mall area). In the next second I was 2 steps ahead of them, taking the sign from its wooden frame, and making my way to the parking lot. As we walk past them, the girl says (to her boyfriend), "hey, that's our sign, go get it!" I turn and glare at him, to which he responds, "uhh, you go get it." Yeah right, you just try and take it from me. We drove all the way here from Abilene to stand in the freakin rain for two hours, the sign is mine.

We got to the car, headed to Emily's grandmother's house where she gladly let us use her drier to dry our rain-soaked clothes. Our next stop was Starbucks, and then we started the depressing 3 hour ride home. That sign sat on our mantle until we moved out, a shining testimony to our faithful allegiance to all things Hootie.

Part Two
About an hour ago, I got an email from Hootie & the Blowfish saying something about downloading live concert mp3s. I click the ad, and it takes me to their website. It is then that I notice the following: Dec. 15th -- Dallas, TX. WTF? I click on it, and sure enough, they are doing a concert at the Hard Rock with Collective Soul tonight in Dallas. I click the link to the radio station that is sponsoring the concert. Its some benefit for the make-a-wish foundation, and only 350 tickets were sold. They went on sale Nov. 17th. How did I NOT know about this? ME, the queen of concerts?? I click the "listen online" link, and I hear the DJ say, "okay....time to make someone very happy, we are giving away the last 2 tickets to tonight's show, call now!" If you know me at all, you know that I can be unbelievably lucky. I feel for sure that God is indeed smiling on me, so I pick up the office phone, and the cell phone, and feverishly dial away, hoping with all my might to be the correct caller. Busy signal, busy signal, busy, busy, busy....wait! Its ringing! "Mix 102.9 (YESSSS!!!), I'm sorry, we've already got a winner..." *$&#^T@(#)**$#!!!! I hang up the phone, and was seriously so excited/mad/depressed that I was shaking. Is it just not meant to be? Will Hootie and I never cross paths? Sigh...

I found 2 tickets on ebay, but Emily cannot go, as she'll be heading here to finalize her wedding plans (she's getting married Saturday!). And I would not go without her. One of these days, Hootie. One of these days.

wow what a weekend

Yeah, it was such a great weekend that I think I've finally recovered enough to write about it. =)

So Friday was my 25th birthday. It was about 1:30 and we're trying to decide where to go for lunch, the boys in the office wanted to take me out. Alex pokes me on the shoulder and points to the back room and my mom and sister are standing there with a balloon and a poinsettia. Awwwww! So that was a great surprise! I had no idea, they're so sneaky. So we all went out to Red Robin for lunch (which was great). They went and did some shopping and I went back to work. Yeah, not fair!

After work we went to Zookini's and then met my cousin Kami and her hubby James at Starbucks. You gotta try their peppermint mocha if you haven't, man, its delish.

Saturday we got up and met my uncle Richard for breakfast at Denny's (wanted Cracker Barrell but it was too crowded). Mom and Leslie left around lunch, and then Christy got here. We did a little running around town, then home to get ready for dinner. We met up with my friends (there were 11 of us) and had dinner at Outback. I had two buttery nipples to drink, they're awesome! (ok, that looks and sounds weird, haha). Kami made me the coolest cake ever! And it was reeeeally good too. After dinner a bunch of us went out to club unity to watch a drag show. Once it finally started, it was definitely entertaining, but for almost two hours we sat around and tried not to stare at the awkard and inappropriate pda going on everywhere. Ugh, get a room! There were a few acts that were freakin awesome, one was David and Jade doing the 'I'll Cover You' duet from Rent, and then the group performance of Thriller was amazing!

So Sunday was a recovery day, haha. Spent all day on the couch in my pajamas. I actually got dressed around 8 pm to do some laundry and run to the store, but overall it was a lazy day.

This week has been pretty crazy so far, Alex is off skiing in Colorado, so we're having to fend for ourselves here. Only a few minor catastrophies!

Ben

My buddy Ben Lazcano is in an acappella (no instruments) singing group called Escape. They're about to start recording a new album and are needing to do some fundraising. If you can, help em out. Here's the info he sent me:

Dear Heather ,

My group, Escape, has just kicked off its fundraising campaign and this year, we've found a new way to raise money. It's fast and easy for you to help support our cause! When you buy, renew or extend your favorite magazine subscriptions on our online store, 40% of each purchase goes back to our cause!

Over 650 magazine titles at up to 85% off the newsstand prices
Buy online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Use this link to go to our online magazine store and help support our cause!
http://magfundraising.com/GroupPage.aspx?e=1005993

Thanks Heather , for your support.


Ben Lazcano
Escape Ministry

memories....

I usually hate things like this, but this looked pretty interesting...

Here goes: If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment here on my blog with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

When you're finished leaving your comment, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you. This should be fun. If you leave one for me, I'll leave one for you!

another weird message

Okay, so I got another weird message over the weekend. (I'm not including her full name *yes I said her* or her email).

"Hi, I'm Anna, 23f from TX and I love to fight and wrestle? I am 5' 6" 135lbs and my pic is on my yahoo profile. Do you like to fight or wrestle?"

Ummmmm. Wtf? I saw her profile, and she's pretty good looking, so guess I should be flattered. But, and I kid you not, the only interest she listed was 'women of wrestling.' Wow.

Frustrated

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job. Great coworkers who are my age (including my boss), nothing unethical goes on around here, we occasionally have to deal with crazy customers (but who doesn't), consistent raises, good hours, respect, the list goes on. But...

I am the office manager here. Its my job to make sure everything is running smoothly: bills are paid, overdue customers are addressed, parts are ordered and shipped, and that turnaround is normal. We've been sort of understaffed and overly busy lately, and my boss has had to pick up the slack, and he hasn't had to do the in-shop stuff in awhile, so I know it frustrates him. But its his company, and you have to do whatever it takes to get stuff done. I'm tired of nagging and complaining, I feel like I'm the wife or mother to this business. Nag nag nag, lately its all I do. And I'm so tired of it. But I feel like its necessary, otherwise customers aren't happy and business declines. How do I get through to my boss, that I'm not trying to control him or his business, I'm just doing my job? Eck, its so frustrating.

Sigh. At least its Friday.

Christmas Lights

Okay, this took some serious time, effort, and dinero. I'm just glad I don't live in their neighborhood. Its awesome, check it out! (there's music to it, so you'll need to have sound).

Christmas light bonanza

personals ad from hell

Okay, so I have a personals ad. I've only met like, 4 guys from this thing, one is promising, a few were nice but there weren't any sparks, and one was a total a**hole. I get some messages from divorced fathers, some from 40 to 50 yr old men looking for a twinkie in the city (Friends anyone?), and occasionally some from the crazies. Here is a message I got back in July from one of the crazies. I did not edit the content (other than omitting the email address and phone numbers he left). Enjoy.

"Dear friend:
Hi , I did find your profile from internet ,my name is Larry Miller , I am living and working in Houston Texas as manager of service company my work no. is (***), I have a town house in Houston west side close to Memorial Shopping Mall ( it is in a gated community, with 24 hours guard on duty, very safe part of city) it is a new ,and very large shopping mall , I am 5' 11" with my shoe and cloth on ,and weight 186 lbs with my clothes on , Iam caucasian , dark hair ,and light skin , I do not drink or smoke ,do not have any criminal conviction on my records, and I donot get mad easily ,and easy to get along and member of a local Baptist church, I am always respectful toward others especially toward people that are close to me ,and I have never left a relation on a bad terms , and usually do not keep grudge against any one,, , and I am single and looking ,do not have any children , but I do like childrens , I do have pet rabbit he is snow white with pink eyes , my hobbies are reading ,jogging tv Discovery ,and National Geography are my favorate channels , ,do it yourself projects , I wish to invite you to come to houston and visit me, to see if you like this city or not , when you come and visit me and Houston if you wish I can get reservation for you at a local holiday Inn for your peace of mind , my home ph. *** , cell
no. ***, e mail ***. cordially larry Miller

p.s. if you decided to go to any local schools / colleges, i will pay your tuition too ,also include your ph. no. in your reply letter , writting back and forth is waste of your time ,, if you do not know it by now"

I actually had one of my coworkers call his cell # and judging by his accent, he must be from the middle east somewhere. So I sincerely hope that the whole thing was a joke, but sadly, I don't think it was. Although the whole 'paying for my college tuition' thing was pretty intriguing, I had to pass on Mr. Miller. Gave me a weird 'not without my daughter' vibe.

Anyone else have a fun personals ad story?

Thanksgiving!

I had a great Thanksgiving, lots of family around the table and no drama!! Woohoo! Went shopping with Mom on Friday, we got up before the buttcrack of dawn, but late enough that we missed the truly insane people that were at the doors of Target before 5am. We got there around 7, and it was still really busy. We got lots of great deals on DVDs, and I got a DVD player for $30! Yeah. Good times. Got some clothes for my birthday, which is always nice (unless you're under the age of 12, and then it sucks, haha). We had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and watched the first half of the UT/A&M game. Mom and I have come a long way over the years. She roots for Oklahoma and I root for Texas (unless, of course, they are playing each other). And what I would like most come January the 4th, is for Texas to completely humiliate USC (if they can get by UCLA this weekend).

movies

Okay, so over the Thanksgiving holiday I saw two movies. The first was Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds. It was laugh out loud funny, with Reynolds being his usual obnoxious self. I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. The second movie was Rent. I've been looking forward to this movie since the first time I saw the trailer, and I was not disappointed. Rent was full of fabulous characters, a great story, and absolutely amazing music (I've been listening to the soundtrack all day). I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I will probably see it again before it leaves the theater. Bring some tissues with you though, and be prepared to leave the theater with red, puffy eyes. Its a sad one kids.

movies....

Last night I saw In Her Shoes, the new Cameron Diaz flick based on the novel by Jennifer Weiner. I'm currently reading her book Good In Bed. Its really good so far, and no, its not a raunchy romance novel. The movie was excellent, a laugh out loud and brush back the tears kinda movie. Its one that I will probably own when it comes out on DVD, and I will definitely be buying the book. Definitely a chick flick. Go see it, and take the girls.

I love movies. For two solid hours, I get to forget about my own reality for awhile. I sit back and wonder what I would do in this situation or that, what I definitely wouldn't have done, and how I would have reacted when faced with the same situation. Would I be the same 'me' that I am now, if I lived in a different part of the country, or the world? Some movies make me want to change things about myself, and this was one of em. Be more confident, love yourself for who you are, take down the walls and let other people love you, and so on....Good movies can completely mesmerize me, only to be jolted back to reality by the rolling of the credits and the house lights coming on. I don't know about you, but my long holiday weekends usually involve going to the movies. Rent and Pride and Prejudice came out today, Narnia and Memoirs of a Geisha come out on my birthday, and closer to Christmas will be The Family Stone, The Producers, Rumor Has It, and so many more. Man. I love movies.

Hope your Thanksgiving is filled with friends, family, good food, and if you're anything like me, good movies. =)

Go Mavs Go!

GO MAVS.....BEAT THE ROCKETS!!!

Favorites

Yeah, I totally snatched this from someone else. Thanks!

10 Favorites:
Favorite Season: Fall
Favorite Sport: Football! Hands down.
Favorite Time: Nov-Jan.
Favorite Month: October
Favorite Actor: Will Ferrell
Favorite Actress: Jennifer Aniston or Kate Hudson
Favorite Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate Chip
Favorite Food: Fajitas!
Favorite Drink: Coke Zero, Amaretto & Diet Coke (yummmm)
Favorite Place: at a football game

9 Currents:
Current Feeling: tired and sore
Current O/S: XP
Current Windows Open: too many to count (I have two monitors, hehe)
Current Drink: water
Current Time: 11:20
Current Mobile(s) Used : Motorola V400
Current Show on TV: Friends
Current Thought: i'm tired
Current Clothes: pink/brown sweater, brown pants

8 Firsts:
First Kiss: Alex (yeah, I'm slow...leave me alone)
First Crush: the first one i remember was in 4th grade, can't remember his name though
First Computer: Commodore 64!
First Vehicle I drove: 1967 Cougar, my baby
First Job: cashier and R&S Drug Store (boooooring)
First Pet: oh man, it was like jack hanna's backyard when i was little, but i guess Roadie (he got dropped off near our house).
First Shave: my cousin Krista shaved my legs when we were little. Trouble!
First concert: James Taylor when Mom was pregnant with me =)

7 Lasts:
Last Movie: umm, Legally Blonde on tv the other day. In Her Shoes tonight!
Last Time I Drove: to work this morning
Last Time Shaved: Sunday
Last Web Site Visited: ebay
Last Software Installed: Quickbooks
Last Pill I Had: my BC pill this morning
Last time I cried: Sunday

6 Have You Evers:
Have You Ever Broken the Law: yep.
Have You Ever Been Drunk: um, yeah.
Have You Ever Climbed a Tree: yep, total tomboy when i was a kid.
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn’t Know: no way.
Have You Ever Been in the Middle/Close to Gunfire or Bomb Blast?: just the shooting range
Have You Ever Broken Anyone’s Heart: I guess.

5 Things:
Things You Can Hear Right Now: Material girl by Madonna, the boys talking next door
Things on Your Computer Table: my desk is a wreck, i don't wanna talk about it...
Things You Ate Today: fruit smoothie!
Things in Mind: tonight's plans, work i should be doing right now
Things that Annoy You: incessant pen clicking

4 Places You Have Been Today: Bedroom- bathroom- car- work-

3 People You Can Tell Anything To: Becky, Leslie, my Mom

2 Choices:
* Black or White: Black
* Hot or Cold: Cold

1 Thing You Want To Do Before You Die: Be in love.

today's game

I have one word for the outcome of today's OU/Texas Tech game: Bullshit.

"Taurean Henderson was sure he scored on the final play of Texas Tech's game against Oklahoma. On television replays, multiple camera angles from the near side and one from behind and above the end zone seemed inconclusive. There were no angles from the far side of field, where the official who made the TD call was positioned. Stoops did not dispute the call and said it will not be used as an excuse for losing. "I didn't see it and I'm not going to sit here and criticize," he said. "We have a system in place and you hope that it works and it makes the calls that are correct."" (from the AP)

Well said Bob. I completely disagree, but well said. Henderson's freakin knee was DOWN and then he stretched the ball over the goal line.What's the point of being able to review a play, when you still call it wrong? Sigh. The game was well played by both sides. Granted, we had a few things go our way that we didn't fully take advantage of, but come on. What a ridiculous ending. This was definitely one of the most 'intense/exciting one second/horribly depressing the next' game I have seen in awhile (the ND/USC game comes in second). Sure wish we would've come down with that ball on that oh-so-important TT 4th down. I still argue that he didn't get that first down there...they definitely got a generous spot, even the announcers thought so. I'm hoping that this game will bump us back into the top 25. And maybe it will. Guess we'll find out on Monday.

I do not concede this game. It was not a fair win. And that's all I have to say about that.

BOOMER SOONER BABY!!! Got to go the game on Saturday, big thanks to my aunt Diane!! If I'd only known earlier, we could have gone for the whole game. I drove home Saturday morning, timed it just right to get there for the 11:00 OU game. Called Mom about 10 minutes away, and wanted to make sure we had a place to watch it (sincer her freakin satellite only gets 1 of the big 4 stations). She calls back and says, you wanna go to the game? Diane's got 4 free tickets. Yes I do, I'll be there in 5 minutes. So, after a 3 hour drive, I hopped into another car and we drove straight to Norman, listening to the game on the radio, and made it by halftime. Not the greatest seats, they were in the endzone (a little higher up than this picture, hehe). Its so hard to see what's going on from there. But still freakin awesome nonetheless. There is nothing quite like being in a stadium full of nearly 85,000 red and white clad, crazy, screaming fans!! I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT.

At a loss...

What can I talk about today that's somewhat interesting or funny...

Perhaps we should discuss the Texas election results from yesterday? Nah, everyone expected #2 to pass with flying colors. What about the steadily decreasing price of gasoline? Exciting, yes! Interesting or funny? Not so much. Oh! I know!! I don't think I've talked about my crazy martial arts skills in awhile. Yes!

For those of you who don't know, I am a student of Kuk Sool Won. It is a Korean martial art that "covers the entire spectrum of established Asian fighting arts and body conditioning techniques, as well as mental development and traditional weapons training." We do a lot of kicking, punching, joint-locks, throws, and forms (which are my favorite). We've also done a little weapons training, which is really fun too. I've been doing this for about a year now, and I'm a red belt (belt progression: white, yellow, blue, red, brown, brown/black, black). So I'm movin right along. Be afraid folks, be very afraid. In the past month, however, I have become quite the slacker. But as of last Wednesday, I am now back at it, which is good because we have our mid-quarter stripe testing next week. Hopefully I'll be ready for it! Man, Monday's class kicked my rear!! Well, actually, if you wanna be completely accurate, it kicked my ankle. It still hurts! I'm not hobbling around anymore though, no more gimpy!

Moral of today's story: Don't mess with Heather. She's a baaaaaad mamma jamma.

What a weekend!!!

Saturday, I had a lingerie shower to go to (one of my old roommates is getting hitched in December---for a side story about roommates and weddings, see previous post) in Dallas. Well Thursday morning, I'm thinking....geee, what can we do afterwards? I know! Are the Mavs in town? Sure enough, they are, and who are they playing? None other than the returning NBA Champs, the San Antonio Spurs. And where, 2 days before the game, am I going to find tickets to this sold out home opener? Ebay, kids, is a wonderful wonderful thing. Their newest advertising campaign rings very true. Ebay's got IT. I was watching a few auctions, and the one I wanted more took a big jump in the last ten minutes or so, so I opted for the second and won it. We met the guy in Ft Worth on Saturday morning and picked up the tickets (saving myself the $15 in overnight mailing charges).

The lingerie shower was really fun, the best one I've been to. Sangria and cake, lots of very nice lingerie for Emily, and 2 toilet paper wedding gowns. Haha. The present I put together (from me and 2 of my friends) was saved until last. Must've been the feather tickler sticking out of the bag. I do believe that Emily turned 2 shades of red when she opened it. Hehe. Had a great time, and I got to see Annie! (another former roomie).

After that we picked up Christy, and then Nathan, and headed to the American Airlines Center in Dallas. We were a bit late, but still got decent parking. Our seats were definitely in the nose-bleed section (I think we were about 10 rows from the very top), but we could see everything perfectly. No need for binoculars. The game was incredibly good, pretty tight in the first half, but we pulled away towards the end of the 3rd, and then kept the lead steady in the 4th and finally blowin it up at the end of the game. Final score: 103-84. Dirk (aka THE MAN) had 34 points and 8 rebounds. We went and wandered around the West End after the game (haha--we paid a homeless man (who we mistakenly thought was the parking lot attendant) $5 to park and then got a parking ticket cause we didn't pay the automated teller), and had dinner and drinks at TGIFridays. AND on Sunday we had lunch at the Black-eyed Pea (my old alma mater, sigh, what a great 2 years that was). A great weekend!

Always the roommate, never the bride...

If you want to get married, move in with me. Here are the guidelines:

• You must be an official roommate, not one who comes and goes, or stays for less than 2 months, you must actually be on the lease and pay the rent.
• You don't need to currently be dating anyone.
• There is no guarantee that if you are dating someone, that he will be the one you marry.

Okay, now for the evidence:

• Freshman year roommate: married the summer following our freshman year, now living in Japan with hubby and 3 kiddos.
  
• Sophomore year roommate: married during our junior year, no kids yet.
  
• Junior year roommate: married a year and a half ago, now living in San Antonio with hubby and baby boy.
  
• Senior year roommates: 1 is engaged and getting married in December, 1 is in a pretty serious relationship, and the 3rd is playing the field (yeah!). *My only explanation for only 1 out of 3, is that apparently the magic is only immediately good enough for one roommate.*
  
• My last roommate: got married a few months ago.
  

So there you go. Have the urge to merge? (one of my uncle's lines). I might be needing a roommate soon. Leave me a message.

Ken doll makeover?

So Mattell has announced that consumers could see a change in the Ken doll in the spring of '06. Apparently, Ken is a bit miffed that Barbie left his ass for Blaine, the hip and hot Aussie surfer, so he's going to get a little work done.

"Among the changes [you might] see are a better tan, an eyelid surgery that allows him to wink at his favorite lady and a more lean and defined physique" says a Mattell exec.

I'd like you to take a look at the progression of Ken from the 70s to the 2000s. The 70s and the 80s Ken fit the decades rather well in my opinion. The 90s Ken, however, what in the world? As one article quoted, "in the 1990Â’s, Ken was the most garish of the Golden Girls." Thank you for being a friend, Ken. In the 2000s, Ken ran right over the 'metrosexual' line, right into San Francisco. Perhaps Barbie's little pink vette actually belonged to Ken, no wonder she left him.

As promised...

Here are a few pictures from yesterday!

Happy Halloween!

I dressed up as an 80s punk rocker today. Lets just say, I'm glad I wore bloomers under this short skirt. Although, I still gave the passersby at the gas station a pretty good show regardless. I was getting out of my car and the wind was blowing something fierce, resulting in skirt sailing up in the air AND debit card flying under the car. So I'm trying to pull my skirt back down where it belongs (all the while muttering "are you kidding me?" repeatedly) and THEN I've got to get down on my hands and knees and search under my car for my debit card (which, thankfully, had only traveled as far as my left rear tire). However, this holiday is definitely one of my favorites, so enduring the wind induced peep show is nothing compared to the endless stares and smiles I envoked while traversing across town today. I'll be sure and post a picture of me tomorrow. Man I love Halloween.
Hope everyone has a safe and wonderfully candy-filled night!

The hot guy up the street

Okay, so on my drive to work (it takes a whole 2 minutes), I drive past this one house. And almost every day, there is a very hot guy outside working. Some days he works on a car, some days the roof, some days its a construction project in the garage. This week, he's been working on a Habitat for Humanity house (its on a flatbed trailer parked out front). Since I moved to my new apartment in July, seeing this hot guy is one of the highlights of my day. We've actually begun to wave at each other every time I drive by (which is about 4 times a day--to work, home for lunch, back to work, and then home). Up until recently (damn the cold weather!), he has been shirtless. And he's a luscious dark brown, because he's outside all day.

Well, my car has been in the shop for the past week, so I've been driving a friend's car. He's still there everyday, but hasn't noticed me because I'm not driving my car. I wonder, has he missed me? Does he wonder where I've gone? Well, I got my car back yesterday (thank goodness!), and as I passed his house this morning on the way to work, I got a big wave from him. =) Thank God for the little things.

¿dónde está el baño?

Wow! What a great weekend!!! Here are the top ten things I learned on my trip to Mexico City:

1. It is GINORMOUS.
2. There are flowers. Everywhere.
3. They love statues and fountains.
4. I should have brushed up on my español.
5. Two words: motion sickness.
6. If there is a VW headquarters, it must be Mexico City.
7. There are no turn signals, only horns.
8. Every lane is a turn lane. In either direction.
9. They can set up a market in about 2 minutes.
10. In general, we as Americans are very egocentric.

The highlights: the Dolores Olmedo museum (one of Diego Rivera's wives), Bulldog (an awesome club), the Turibus ride around downtown Mexico City, Cirque du Soleil, Becky and her roommates Anna and Chappy and her buddy Mike Jones (who? Mike Jones). I really had a lot of fun, and I'll try to do another post with more details later this week.

Here a few pictures, if you'd like to see them all, you can shoot me an email and I'll send you the link.

Roxie!

Here are a few pictures of my kiddo!

Viva Mexico!!

Okay, I'm now officially freaking out! I'm going to Mexico in two days. Two days!! Man, I'm excited. Last year, I went on a cruise with my family (I think there were 20 of us total) for Christmas, and we went to Yucatan/Progreso, Cozumel, and Belize. It was a blast! (you can check out december and january archives for the recap)

I'm going to visit Becky (a former roomie) in Mexico City. She's there going to grad school on a Rotary scholarship. She's got all sorts of awesome things planned for us: a hookah lounge, the zocalo, the palacio nacional, the bosque de chapultepec, maybe the zoo, and cirque de soleil!! So I'll be taking the next two days off to sleep so I have enough energy to do all of that. Hehe, just kidding.

So for those of you cool enough to get presents from me for Christmas and such, let me know whatcha want from Mexico.

Monday

So I just had a customer call, the ones that make you wish you didn’t have caller ID, because you groan as soon as their name pops up on the little screen. My boss bought his truck from this guy, and he owes him a few thousand dollars (loan difference or something). Well whenever they bring their computer(s) in, they want premium, lightning fast service. Like they’re holding something over our heads that should make us bow to their every whim. Normally, we’re pretty accommodating, but in the past few months, they’ve been in here several times. We actually had 3 of their machines in here all at once about a month ago. The wife is really demanding, calling too many times a day and when I tell her “I’ll call you when its ready,” she understands that to mean “just come by whenever and ask if your machine is done.” We’ve had their same POS e-machines in here about 3 times. We wipe it, re-install the OS, and it works fine for a few weeks, and then they bring it back in complaining that its freezing up. Well DUH. It’s a freakin e-machines! Not to mention the fact that when you load all sorts of crap on it, and frequent gaming/who knows what websites, you’re gonna get more crap on it. So this guy proceeds to say that we’re not doing our job, and how can we expect to do computer services for big companies when we can’t even take care of one machine, and it must be because my boss owes him money, and blah blah BLAH. I say, “Sir, I can assure you that we are NOT doing a half-ass job, and…” (he interrupts) “well I don’t see how you could be doing a good job, well, I just shouldn’t have called, you tell your boss that I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.” “Okay sir.” Click. Please, by all means, take your damn business elsewhere!

GO WILDCATS!

Friday!!

TGIF, in the worst kinda way! Man I'm glad its friday. What a week. Lets not re-hash, its over.

This weekend is Homecoming at ACU. Go Wildcats! Needless to say, I will be participating in many of the weekend's festivities. Tonight is JamFest on campus, lots of student bands, and a few returning alumni: Zane Williams and TJ McCloud. These guys are awesome. Check em out!

A snapshot of tomorrow:
6:30 AM--TKG Homecoming Breakfast
9:30 AM--Parade
10:45 AM--Chapel
Lunch!
2:00 PM--Football game

Probably do dinner with some old friends, perhaps catch "Seussical" at some point, maybe a little coffee at Java City. Who knows.

Some developing news: I may be buying a truck today!! Its a '97 Ford F-150, short bed, green. It fell right into my lap. Nothing is final yet, but I've got a loan secured (almost) with the bank, and the truck is currently being checked out by my mechanic. Cross your fingers!

I want the truth...

Have you ever found out (through less than honorable means) that someone has lied to you? And when you confront that person, and ask for their complete honesty, they still lie to you? What if that person is your best friend? All I ask for is honesty. The truth. Even if it hurts more. I would rather have the damn truth, than be lied to. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is.

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner...

Okay, Saturday is the big day. The University of Oklahoma vs. the university of texas. Here's what has happened over the last decade:

OU-UT

• 1995: 24-24 Tie. I'd like to thank the genius that decided to change that stupid rule, who thought a game ending in a freakin tie was a good idea?!

• 1996: 30-27 WIN in OT.

• 1997: 24-27 Lost.

• 1998: 3-34 Lost. Again. ENTER: Bob Stoops, assistant head coach from the University of Florida.

• 1999: 28-38 Lost Sigh. We did, however, end the season at 7-5 and played in the Independence Bowl.

• 2000: 63-14 WIN Hell Yeah! We went 13-0 this season, beating Florida State 13-2 in the Orange Bowl to win the National Championship.

• 2001: 14-3 WIN

• 2002: 35-24 WIN

• 2003: 65-13 WIN This season, however, ended with a sad sorry loss in the Big 12 game to K-State (where I almost lost my fingers and toes cause it was so cold), and another sad sorry loss to damn LSU in the Sugar Bowl (Nat'l Championship). Yeah, I was at that game too.

• 2004: 12-0 WIN Can you say, shut out?

And that brings us to 2005. We are currently 2-2, 1-0 in the Big 12. The question is not can we win on Saturday, of course we can! This game is more of a head game than anything, Mack Brown hasn't been able to do it in 5 years. The question is, Will we win? I just don't know.

but baby its cold outside...

So the front finally came in, and its feels like October outside. Yeeeeeeeehaw! I left my patio door open just enough to let the winter come inside, but not enough for Roxie to squeeze out. And I put a random curtain rod behind the sliding glass so nobody could sneak in and steal me away. =)

So, because of the rain, Roxie got to don her new little pink raincoat this morning. She's adorable! I'll get some pictures up later today or tomorrow.

Halloween Costumes

Okay, here are the choices so far:

*Biker chicks
*Dorothy & Toto
*Bunnies
*Flappers (ala Chicago, her name is Roxie)
*Sonny & Cher
*Football players
*Super heros

Please take a moment to vote for your favorite. Write-ins are allowed, and please, no hanging chads.

Suggestions?

Okay, I know, I know. Some of you will shake your head at this, but I don't care, she's my dog.

If you know me, you know that I absolutely LOVE Halloween, its right up there with the 4th of July for me. (What? Your favorite holiday is Christmas? Yeah, yours and everyone else's.) Anyway, back to the point of this post. I want to dress Roxie up for Halloween. There are so many cute costumes out there, that I'm having a hard time choosing. I thought, perhaps, that we could coordinate and dress alike. Biker chicks? Cowgirls? French maids? (HAHAHA) I am now taking suggestions. Whoever can come up with the coolest costumes, wins, um.... I don't know. They'll win something cool. Maybe a piece of pottery made by yours truly, or a giant super-size bag of Smarties.

Let the games begin.

missing someone?

Phone call that took place at approximately 9:35 this morning:

My apartments: "Heather?"

Me: "Yes?"

Apts: "Are you missing someone?"

Me: "Um, my dog?" (who was in the apartment when I left this morning)

Apts: "Yeah, we found her roaming around on the property."

Me: "Hmm, she must've gotten out, the little rat."

Apts: "Well did you leave her on the patio?"

Me: "No."

Silence.

Apts: "Oh...kay."

Me: "I left the window open a bit and she must have popped the screen off and climbed out."

Apts: "OH, okay."

Me: "I'll be right there."

Never underestimate a smart dog.

Top 5

Top 5
Alright, here's my top five. Copy, paste, and post your own answers if you dare...

Five things I plan to do before I die.
1. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef.
2. Get married and have some kiddos.
3. Skydive.
4. Become a true artist (who actually sells stuff).
5. See my boys win the national championship.

Five things I can do.
1. Fajitas!
2. Break a board.
3. Play the guitar.
4. Run an office (efficiently even).
5. Put up drywall.

Five things I cannot do.
1. Water ski/Snow ski.
2. Do that sexy growl thing. Dang it.
3. Put my clothes away.
4. Eat a raw onion. Ewwww.
5. Stay mad at someone.

Five things that attract me to the opposite sex.
1. Sense of humor.
2. Beautiful eyes.
3. Courtesy.
4. Passion and intensity.
5. That look.

Five things I say most often
1. I will kick you in the face.
2. Um, sure.
3. Oh..kay.
4. Hey, whatcha doin?
5. Where you at?

Five celebrity crushes
1. Johnny Depp
2. Keith Urban
3. Matthew McConaughey
4. Matthew Perry
5. Brad Pitt

Five things that annoy the hell out of me
1. Pen clicking.
2. When grass gets stuck in your flip flops.
3. People who don't turn into their own lanes.
4. Popcorn chompers at the movies.
5. 100 degree weather in September.

do ya feel me?

Okay, let me just go on record and say, relationships suck. Anyone else agree? Things are truckin along, everything seems fine, then bam! All hell breaks loose and your seemingly perfect-ish world is turned upside down. And there seems to be no specific, well, at least no good reason for it. In the course of these things, I have forgotten what its like to be alone. I'm definitely an awesome gal, so I should have no problem hanging out with 'me.' But after having someone to depend on and take care of (and vice versa), hanging out solo just plain sucks.

And that's all I have to say about that.

For now.

Roxie

Well, I've been looking for a dog for several weeks now, and this one fell right into my lap! John at CGS next door got her from a friend of his (who got her from PetSmart I believe). She and that lady's other dogs didn't get along, and she didn't get along with John's lab either. Alex and I went over to their house to meet the dog, and ended up taking her home. She's absolutely adorable! I renamed her Roxanne (ala Sting), Roxie for short (thanks Leslie!). She's a 3 yr old mix, not sure exactly of what, but likely poodle and cocker spaniel, which would make her a Cockapoo! lol. She's black and weighs about 9lbs. She's so sweet, loves to cuddle, knows how to sit and dance, loves to ride in the car with her ears flapping in the wind (don't we all), and turns in circles when she's ready to go outside.

We introduced her to Blue (Alex's wonderful Blue Heeler) Saturday night, and they got along very well. We actually left them in Alex's apartment for several hours, both of us a bit worried, but there were two whole dogs there to greet us later. =) Its good for them both to have a buddy, and they seem to like each other alot.

Having a bit of drama with my aparment complex. They're being bastards, and I'm getting madder by the day. That's usually the way it works out with landlords. Now, don't get me wrong, I have had some awesome landlords (thanks go out to Nikki and Mark). But I've also had my share of crappy ones, Monette Y. being the foremost crappy one in my mind. Upped my rent by $100 with only 2 weeks notice, threatened to take me to court when I told her I was moving out (after trying to reason with her), and then not returning my security deposit or answering any of my certified letters concerning that deposit. There is one word that sums her up: Bitch. We've still got some negotiating to do with my current apartments. Had an overflowing toilet and bathtub (neither of which I was using at the time), and it wasn't fixed until 8 days later. They offered me a whole $25 off of next month's rent for my inconvenience. Thanks but no thanks! I'm at least owed 8 days worth of rent. That's all I want. And maybe not to have to pay the stupid $500 pet charge. I will never understand that.

Well, enough blabbing for now. I'll try and keep you posted.

weekend with the fam

Spent Memorial weekend with the family, and a good time was had by all. We met up in Wichita Falls for a little shopping and dining on Saturday night. Had a lazy Sunday, complete with an afternoon ride on Dad's motorcycle (sweeeeeet, but cut short by the rain) and a night out at the movies. Mom & Dad went and saw Star Wars and Leslie and I opted for House of Wax. It was pretty good, a little cheeseball and predictable, but good. Got to take a longer ride on the bike Monday, super fun! Makes me want one reeeeeeeal bad. Dad cooked out for dinner, we had smoked pork, corn on the cob, baked potatoes (all cooked on the grill), and homemade ice cream (not cooked on the grill). We had a good ole family meal with the grandparents and Diane & Krista. Leslie and I went and saw Madagascar after that (my 2nd time to see it, its really cute! I loooove those crazy penguins!). I got up SUPER early this morning and drove back to Abilene, made it to work and clocked in a whole 2 minutes early. Talk about good timing.

Finally got to meet Leslie's new puppy, BJ. He's half Labrador and half German Shepherd. We call him a Gerbrador. =) He's got the German Shepherd ears, and when he looks at you a certain way, they fold together in the middle, its precious! Check him out, he's a cutie! I bought him that flamingo toy, he loves it!

BJ -- ain't he a doll?! 

hotties! 

The Game 

drop it like its hot... 

Snoooooooooooop

What a crazy weekend it was! I took a friend to Austin Saturday morning, and then drove on to San Antonio. Then Becky, Sarah (her cousin), and I went to see The Game and Snoop Dogg in concert! We had insanely close seats, and for The Game we went up to the front and danced the night away. They made us go back to our own seats for Snoop though, those dang security people. Oh well, we were still really close (in the orchestra pit). I'm telling ya, we were definitely buzzin from all the weed smoke in the air. I never saw anyone actually smoking it, except for Snoop and his entourage on stage of course, but you got a big whiff of it every few minutes. Craziness! We had a blast groovin to all the old school songs, took me back to junior high...hahaha.

Not sure what my next concert will be yet, there are several people I'd like to see. I don't have anything lined up though, which is sad! Perhaps the Willie Nelson picnic (speaking of weed, lol) for the 4th of July weekend. Not sure though. Man I love this time of year, concerts concerts, and more concerts! Bring on the bands!

Lata, fo shizzle my nizzles...

Sweet Caroline....bah bah bah!!!!

Sorry, just got an email that Neil Diamond was coming to Dallas. Hope that song gets stuck in your head too. = )

Well, not too much has happened in the last month, but here goes. I'm now a yellow belt in Kuk Sool Won! I had to break a board with my hand, and it wasn't easy, but I did it. So there, don't mess with me...kiiiiii-yaaa!

Alex and I took a road trip down to Dallas and met my parents for the James Taylor concert in Grand Prairie last Thursday. James is just amazing, he makes it look so incredibly easy. If I had to choose one CD to listen to the rest of my life, it'd prolly be one of his. He can just put you at ease with his voice. Man.

Did a little shopping in Dallas on Friday (Sam Moon!) and came back to A-town Friday night. We had a flat in the rental truck, but luckily Alex is a big strong man! Got to visit with his parents for awhile over the weekend, that's always nice, his parents are great.

This weekend is the Jones Family Reunion in Tyler, TX. Think I'll be driving over with my uncle Terry. Hope the weather is nice so we can go out in the boats, maybe some tubing. We'll see.

I'll be moving (yes I said moving....again) at the end of next month. Hopefully to a nice apartment on the southside of town. Yes, that's right, I'm leaving the Hill. And I'm very excited about it. I found a nice place that's in a good neighborhood and the apartment is big and not too expensive. Hopefully I can get a downstairs this time. =)

I'd like to give a shout out to all my fellow Administrative Professionals out there!! Its our day! Well, that's all for now, back to work.

Tina's not the gal she used to be...

So I went home for the Easter holiday and had a wonderful weekend. Leslie and I went and saw The Ring 2 (which was incredibly creeeeeepy). We actually went twice, the first time the power went out before the movie even started. Glad this didn't happen during the movie! Power was out in most of Duncan for awhile, but not at our house, so that was good. We had a great Sunday lunch with the family, complete with colored eggs and deviled eggs (yay!).

I left for Abilene at 4:30, and made it all the way to Wichita Falls (about 60 miles). This is when I noticed that Tina (my car--get it?) was being a bit fussy. When I slowed down to a stop, it wouldn't down shift. So I put her into park and revved the engine a few times (which usually takes care of it), but I got nothing. So I put it back into drive, and it wouldn't go into gear! So, I turned it off, waited a few seconds, and then tried to start it again. Nothing! What in the world?!? By this time, there were a few people behind me, so I put my flashers on and waved them around. One guy got out and offered to help me push it to a nearby parking lot, but I declined, assuming if I gave it a few minutes, she'd start back up. Well, crap. 15 minutes later, I'm still sitting at the stop sign, now with the hood up. I should've counted the number of cars that passed me without offering to help. I think a total of 4 people stopped, out of maybe, a couple hundred. Geeez, help a girl out! A cop even drove by, turned around and drove by again, and then left without stopping! Thanks a lot. Finally a very nice man and his wife stopped and helped me push it to the parking lot. They offered to give me a jump, but neither of us had jumper cables (mine must've climbed out of the trunk and ran away). So I called the parents and they were on their way to get me. Okay, maybe 10 minutes after they left home, I fiddled around with the battery cables and tried to start the car. I kid you not, it started with no trouble. What the #$%$#@#!! I decided it was not worth it to drive 30 miles to meet them, switch cars, and then drive 170 miles back to Abilene, so I just went back home.

The bad news: I had to get up at 6 to drive to Abilene.
The good news: I got to bring the Lincoln.

As much as I love Tina, I do love driving the LS. I think it might be time to start looking for a new(er) vehicle. I've always wanted a truck...but I'll never sell Tina. She's a member of the family!

Well, I don't know who even reads this besides me, but I apologize (if only to myself) for not updating in over a month. I'll try to be a better blogger! Later...

finally friday!

It's friday, can I get a Hooo-ah!?! Tomorrow Christy, Leslie (my sister), and I are going to Blushes Salon in Granbury to be pampered. I'm getting a one-hour Swedish massage and a pedicure, and I am SO looking forward to it. I pulled a muscle in my neck a few days ago (still not sure what caused this), and I need a massage in a bad way! I can actually move my head to the right and left today, which is an improvement, but it is pretty sore still, as are my shoulders. (man, there, were, a, lot, of, commas, in, that, sentence,) ha. After being pampered at Blushes, we're going to dinner with Emily! Then we're heading to Billy Bob's to see Dierks Bentley, he's hot (and talented). Its gonna be a fun weekend!!!

Had my second pottery class today. So far I've made 2 coffee cups, 2 vases, a bowl, and a plate. I'm finding that the more I immerse myself in it, the more I remember. Larinda came and watched me throw on the wheel today, so that was cool. I love this stuff, getting all dirty and messy and making something beautiful or useful or weird and unusual out of a big hunk of unformed clay. Hmmm, is there a spiritual correlation here? Yep, I think so. God does the same thing with us. We're just a big pile of unformed clay, He molds and shapes us, puts us through fire to make us stronger, and adds elements to us that make us uniquely His.

So there's my thoughts for the day. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

road trip!

Just got back from a fab weekend in San Antonio! I drove down Friday night for Raena's baby shower on Saturday. She is due in three weeks, and she's getting pretty big (and I know she'd definitely appreciate me saying that, lol). She's beautiful though, glowing, ya know? She got lots of cute stuff, particularly the little overalls I bought her, and our Kappa gift: A breast pump and bottles. I ask you, what could be more appropriate? Yeah, nothing. Section D Cup forever!

Saturday night Becky, her Flamenco-guitar-playing friend Randy, and I went down to Austin to meet some of Becky's friends. We ate at Romeo's, which is very very good (even though the wait was long). Then Becky and I went and wandered around on 6th street. I almost got a tattoo, again. Dang it, I don't know how many times I've been in a tattoo parlor wanting to get one, and I always chicken out! I've decided this time, though, that I'm gonna design my own and take it to the Happy Dragon here in Abilene. I know they're good, clean, and maybe cheaper. That way I know its safe, and I'll have a tattoo that no one else in the world has, yeah...sweet.

Got back to San Antonio around 3:30 am. Sunday, we were supposed to go to church at Oak Hills, they were having a big service at the SBC center, but we overslept. So we vegged out for awhile, and then did a little shopping down at the Quarry. Went to Sushi Zushi for dinner, which was fabulous! Had an FBI roll--unagi eel (yeah, Ross isn't the only one with unagi), cream cheese, avocado, and eel sauce, mmmm. We also had a spicy tuna roll, some soup, maraname (I think that's what it was called), fried plantain, fried beef wrapped asparagus, and sake. It was delish (and it made quite a dish). Wish we had one of those here in Abilene, I bet it would do pretty well.

I drove back to A-town this morning, it was definitely a more pleasant trip coming back. On the way down, I almost hit a raccoon, about 1500 deer, and a bobcat!!! Not kidding, a bobcat. Anyways, just wanted to share my fun fun weekend with y'all. Hope Monday is treating you well!

Does anyone read these things?

So it's been awhile since I've been-a-bloggin. Sorry.

Not a whole lot going on at the moment, just work work work. The new apartment is alright, I would rather have been on the other side of town, but I guess the Hill does have its advantages (if you consider fast food places an advantage...) Anyways, gonna be traveling to San Antonio this weekend for Raena's baby shower, I can't believe she's due in March! She's having a boy, and I already bought him the cutest little overalls...sigh, my poor kids are gonna be in overalls all the time. They're just so darn cute! I did get to borrow the parents' LS for my trip down, holla!

Valentine's day is coming up, or as I like to call it, Singles Awareness Day (SAD, how appropriate right?). But me and the gals are planning a girls weekend in DFW, complete with spa treatments, movies, and good food. It'll be fab!

I guess that's all for today, perhaps I'll have something more interesting/exciting next time. Until then, au revoir tu la monde!

Hmmm, I didn't quite understand you...

You know what I hate? Voice automated answering services. You call and have to make your way through a seemingly endless maze of choices, none of which is why you called in the first place. I have discovered, however, that if you say "operator" enough times, you might just get to talk to an actual person! This does not work on all systems though, use with caution.

So the past few weeks have brought several changes into my life. First, I'm single again. Yuck. There really ought to be some "break-up" rules as far as timing is concerned: No dumping around the holidays, especially Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's. Also, avoid all anniversaries and birthdays. It sucks to be dumped at all, but it seems to suck even more when the timing is bad.

Second, I moved! Not too far, just down the street really. There's not much I like about moving, except that you get to start all over with decorating. After living by myself for several years, I've accumulated a lot of crap. This time, however, I was determined to throw stuff away, the more you toss, the less you have to move. I think I got rid of at least 6 or 7 trash bags full of stuff, mostly junk mail and papers. (these somehow seemed to have made it through my last couple of moves, but not anymore!) Our new place is two bedrooms and 1 1/2 bath, with a big kitchen/dining room and a good size living room. So far, the living room is the only room finished, so at least we have a place to chill and watch tv (all 5 channels worth). Next room on the clean-up agenda: the kitchen. So that's what I'm doing tonight, and hopefully it won't take me very long. Then its on to my bedroom. I'm a little nervous, because there sure are a lot of boxes in there. But it is bigger than my previous bedroom, so hopefully everything will fit. Keep those fingers crossed!

I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to my parents first of all, because they worked their rears off (as usual) to help me out. THANK YOU also to my very own movers for helping on Saturday: Chris Cummings, Jamie Hooten, and Larinda Smith. You guys are awesome!! I've always said, you find out who your true friends are when you move. Love y'all!

Well, I've been cleaning up the office all day, but my break is over. I'll leave you with a thought for today:

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory." --Paul Fix

And then there were 2...

2 days left on the boat. man, what a great week! We spent most of Thursday laying out and making friends with the employees. Becky's friend Carlos gave Krista, Becky, and me free airbrush tattoos (yay for free!) I got a butterfly on my lower back, and it really made me want a real one. dang it.

Saturday's weather was pretty yucky, it was too cold to even layout! I was pretty ready to get back on dry, non-rocking land. Thinking about going on a cruise? I'd suggest a 5-day for your first one, it just seemed a little long (although I enjoyed every minute--for the most part).

Going through customs on Sunday morning was a bit chaotic, but we made it through just fine. No one got their stuff taken away, and no one got hauled off by the fuzz, so that was good. The trip back to Abilene was a bit long, but I was glad to be off the rocking boat, except for a few days after, I kept running into stuff and getting dizzy every now and then.

I've been dreaming about the cruise lately, it was the best vacation ever! If you get a chance, definitely go! Well worth the dough we spent. I guess this concludes the Cruise, sniff sniff. Back to the daily routine (which does NOT include room service, laying out by the pool, and fruity drinks).

*sigh*