Life's Ups and Downs

That long .... REALLY?

2010-01-09T18:07:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted on this blog!

A couple of updates ..... I've been doing a lot of theatre and that has kept me busy. Love, love, love that I got back into it.

Also, I joined Facebook. Enough said. LOL!

I hope everyone is doing well! I'm off to read my favorite blogs from the past now.

A Fantastic Review!

2008-09-07T11:33:00.002-05:00

OMG! We got an AMAZING review in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. (sidenote ... I'm in one of the pictures. Woo hoo! They didn't use a picture taken by the paper. They used a shot that was taken at rehearsal last week. The costumes aren't complete and we don't have our animal make-up on but who cares. We got a great review!)

Check out this link if you'd like to read the review and this for the preview article with a larger picture that was in the paper on Friday.

I will post some more pictures soon and then I promise I will stop blogging about the show. Hope I'm not boring you too much.

Happy Sunday!

Another Opening! Another Show!

2008-09-05T10:29:00.005-05:00

Finally! Opening night is here!! This has actually been a really short rehearsal period but when you are covered in fur and rehearsing in 90 something degree Texas heat every night ... well, it gets a bit uncomfortable at times.

Last night the Ft. Worth Star Telegram came out to take pictures and tonight a reviewer from the paper is coming to see the show. Keep your fingers crossed that he likes us!

I should have some pictures to post of the costumes soon. The one above is from last week before the costumes were completely done. This is about 1/2 way there. The costumes are AMAZING! Basil Twist designed them.

Basil is a genius and so wonderful to work with. It would be very easy for him to be a complete jerk because of how well known and successful he is but the opposite is true. (I know most of you have probably never heard of him but in the puppetry world, this guy is HUGE! Check out his web-site. You'll see what I mean.)

I hope you are all doing well. I will post again with pictures soon.

Happy Friday!

Office Perv Strikes Again!

2008-08-25T15:23:00.002-05:00

After elbowing him in the tummy, stomping on his foot while wearing three inch heels, and complaining to HR, I thought Office Perv was a thing of the past. Nope! I was getting copies from the copy machine today and he came up behind me and started smelling my hair again. Ewwwww .........

I've reached the end of my patience.

Happy Monday!

I'm Addicted!

2008-08-15T10:54:00.002-05:00

Who else is completely obsessed with watching the Olympics this year? I can't stop. I think I have a problem!! I have so many hours of Olympic coverage on my dvr that I don't know how I will get through it all. I sense a marathon of television for me this weekend.

Michael Phelps' domination in his races, women's gymnastics, beach volleyball ... Wow! It's an exciting summer. And tonight, track and field begins. Yay!

USA! USA! USA!

Happy Friday!

Fun in the Sun!

2008-08-11T23:16:00.018-05:00

All of us at the airport in our "Mexicoma or Bust!!" tanks. D was the man this year in his pimp hat. My boy didn't want to go to the beach. What?!! That's me on the floor.

A group dinner. The girl in the pink shirt is an old friend from high school. The platinum blond is her work friend. This was their first time on one of our group trips. I think we wore them out! They were in bed early every night!

Me and A bringing back drinks for the group. We've got mad skills!

A picture with a spaceship at the very strange Galaxy Club.

Am I his princess? If the shoe fits .....

My bff, 20 year old Bob, and me. He said we didn't look too bad for our age. LOL! I wanted to smack him. I'm only 29H! That's 36 in normal people years.

Dodging a crashing shuttle at the same weird club.

And the storm trooper. Come on .... you know you would have grabbed it too!

T and I have a tradition of taking pictures on things every year while on vacation. This is us on the card table. Remember Monica in that Friends vacation episode? Yeah, my hair got bigger by the minute because of all the humidity. It added about 2 inches to my height!

Our last night, falling asleep in the lobby. You can tell that D has reach his drink limit because of the Zoolander face.

My favorite memory from the trip is running naked on the beach. You're not getting those pictures! I promised that I was going to do it by age 35. I'm only a year late. Even better than being naked on the beach .... getting caught! Oh my!! Too bad my boy wasn't there. Now THAT could have been interesting!

Happy Tuesday!

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow!

2008-08-11T13:20:00.004-05:00

Wow! I don't know what it is about me and blogging but every so often I drop out of the blogger world for a few months and don't realize that I've been gone that long.

Here's a quick update on the last couple of months in my life .....

I finished my last play, Terra Nova, and it was such a great experience. Loved, loved, loved it! I start rehearsals tomorrow for another play at Hip Pocket Theatre. I have been wanting to do a show there for quite some time. It's a really cool outdoor theatre with live music before and after each show. I was offered a lead role in another play at another theatre but decided to take a background role as a 1/2 human, 1/2 creature in The Island of Dr. Moreau instead. It's a good way for me to get my foot in the door. It should be fun and no pressure.

My dog, Spegonza, was killed in a random dog attack. That was absolutely heartbreaking. He died in my arms on the way to the vet's office. About a month ago, I started visiting the Humane Society again and got another furry friend. Her name is Stella and she is a Havanese, not a breed I was familiar with, and just the sweetest little girl in the world. When I found her, she was completely matted and had huge wounds around her neck and body. It looked like someone had tied a rope around her and drug her behind a car. She even had gravel imbedded into her ears and skin. The Humane Society workers didn't think anyone would adopt her and were planning to humanely euthanize her. I'm not sure what it was but I fell in love with Stella the minute I saw her. She is now a very spoiled part of our family and is the best of friends with the other stray that I brought home months ago.

My friends and I did our annual beach vacation a couple of weeks ago. My boy didn't go this year so that was a little different. We had a great time, pictures and stories to come.

I guess that's about enough for now. I hope all my blogger friends are still doing well. I'm off to read up on all your happenings now!

Happy Monday!

Busy Little Bee

2008-03-06T17:10:00.002-06:00

I am on the crazy train and I don't see it stopping any time soon!

I decided to audition for another show and I got cast. I'm so excited!! Rehearsals are going really well and it is absolutely one of the most haunting scripts I've ever read. The play is called Terra Nova and it's about the race to the South Pole between the British and the Norwegians. I know, I know ... it sounds boring but the whole thing is written from letters and diaries found on the frozen bodies of the English who were found 11 miles from their base camp. My character is Kathleen Scott, the wife of Robert Scott who led the expedition. He only sees me in hallucinations and flashbacks. Parts of it are really emotional and it's probably one of the hardest parts I've ever done but I am loving the challenge.

On top of that, I rescued a stray dog from work a few weeks ago. I promised my boy that we would find a home for her but we both fell in love with her and I think we are going to keep her. That makes 4 dogs and 3 cats in our house now. It's more than a little crazy here!

The coolest thing that's happened, by far, is that I got to talk to my adopted soldier for the first time! He's back home and is still living in Texas so we are making plans to meet. That should be really cool. When we spoke, it was like two old best friends catching up .... laughing and gossiping. So cool!

K ... that's probably enough for now. I hope you are all doing well.

Happy Thursday!

Wow!!

2008-01-30T20:34:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. WOW! I tend to disappear a bit during the winter but I have actually been pretty busy the past month. Lots to fill you in on but no time. I just wanted to say hi. I'll post again soon.

Happy Wednesday!

A Crackhead Christmas

2007-12-26T23:30:00.000-06:00

After 2 days of driving over the Christmas holidays, my boy and I were finally back home and heading to my mother's for Christmas dinner. We exited the highway and at the corner a man was standing there with a sign that read, "Homeless ... will work for food." I immediately began making comments about crackheads asking for money and my boy shhhhh'd me because the sunroof was open. I felt kind of bad but we had yummy cookies in the car so I said, "Let's offer him some cookies. We'll see if he's really hungry or just trying to get $$ to score some drugs."

My boy rolled down the window and asked the man if he wanted some cookies. "What?" he asked. "White chocolate, macadamia nut cookies," my boy said.

"No thanks, I'm on a low carb diet."

Yes, the homeless, will work for food guy was doing Atkins. Wow! Totally f*cked up but it did make me laugh.

I hope you had a merry Christmas.

Happy Wednesday!

The Holidays

2007-12-18T20:02:00.001-06:00

The holidays suck and I'm ready for them to be over. Who's with me?

Hide the Body?

2007-12-09T18:17:00.000-06:00

Is it wrong to be thinking of ways to kill my little brother and hide the body? He is driving me and my boy crazy and I could totally use his bedroom as a gameroom. That sounds more and more appealing every day! I don't remember being such a pain in the *ss when I was 20. Ugh ....

On a happier note, happy birthday to my friend E. If you have a minute, please leave her happy birthday messages on her blog.

Have a great week!

Thanksgiving .... Family and Fun

2007-11-25T17:22:00.000-06:00

This is my beautiful niece, Taylor, and I on Thanksgiving day. About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, it started snowing outside. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to stick but it was wet enough for my hair to completely frizz, negating the hour of straightening that I had done earlier in the day. Awesome!

Thanksgiving was good this year. My family had waaaaaaaay too much food and I took home a ton of leftovers. So good!

Friday was our annual family shopping spree. We met at my aunt's house at 3:15 a.m. to hit Kohl's when it opened at 4 a.m. It was pure craziness! After Kohl's was Wal-Mart at 5 a.m. and Target at 6 a.m. Everybody got the bargains that they wanted, partly because the teenagers in my family are the "runners" and dash back and forth faster than us old folks can. The rest of us had specific areas to cover. It's a science in my family! I totally scored with a DVD Camcorder for under $200, a digital frame for under $50, and a 37 inch LCD HDTV for $500. I'm not sure why I bought that because the last thing I need is another television. I think it will be going back to the store. I also got my 450 threadcount sheets for under $30 and, oh yeah, I only have 3 Christmas presents left to buy. Woo hoo!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and long weekend with your family.

Happy Sunday!

Monday ... So Not a Fun Day

2007-11-12T20:32:00.000-06:00

I know that I should be grateful that I have a decent paying job but, man oh man, I HATE Mondays! It also doesn't help that the weekend seemed to speed by like a freight train .... whoosh, there it was and then whoosh .... it was gone. Today was full of irritating clients, meetings, calls, and to top if off .... Office Perv was at his finest.

Can someone please explain to me where a grown man gets the idea that it is all right to walk up behind a co-worker, grab a handful of her hair, and smell it? I mean, seriously!!!!!

Hope your week started off better than mine.

Halloween Happenings

2007-11-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. Love it! Love it! Love it! The festivities this year started with my friend's annual "Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas" costume party. It was a blast with lots of good food, a dj for dancing, games, and all the jello-shots a girl could need. Everyone tried to outdo everyone else for the craziest costume but I think I did pretty well this year as a pre-op transexual. Yes, one of those $1200 toys really came in handy!

On Halloween night, my boy and I made our annual pot of chilli and had my little brother and his girlfriend, my girls, and some of my boy's work friends over. Usually, we carve pumpkins. This year we did not but we did drink some very good dirty martinis (my boy made those) and some very bad orange-gasms (I made those) and lots of beer. We also handed out candy to the little tots but were sad that there were so few this year. We have a Halloween rule at our house. If you are a teenager or not in costume, you have to sing for your candy. We had the cutest group of 5 high school girls sing their entire school fight song for us. It was really fun and we gave them huge handfuls of candy ... the good stuff too! LOL!

My boy hid in one of our front yard trees to jump out and scare people, they weren't, and we also did the liquid Tide scary messages on the front of the house lit up with a blacklight. Very cool. Lots of spooky candles too. All in all, it was a blast!

Oh yeah, and don't forget the doggies. They took a picture with mom in her Tippi Hedren from The Birds costume in their own festive outfits. Rusty was the dog from Our Gang, Spegonza was our little soldier, and Knickers was a hula dancer. Aren't they cute?!

One of my favorite pictures of the night might be me and my friend T, her in the deviled egg, and me in my birds costume shrieking in terror... because of the birds. We couldn't figure out why A was laughing so hard while taking the picture but figured it out when we saw the pic and my little brother was behind us. Doesn't sound too funny. Guess you had to be there

Happy Monday!

The Umm... Toy Debacle

2007-10-21T19:45:00.000-05:00

I went to a "toy" party with my girlfriends ... you know, a TOY party. We drank, we laughed, we were absolutely shocked at some of the items to be had. Of course, we all ordered some toys for our respective homes. Imagine my surprise when I checked my bank account and there was a withdrawal for $1210.94. Ouch! Now, I like toys as much as the next girl, but I certainly didn't order a freaking pirate's chest full of them!!

I had to call the bank to find out what the charge was for because it didn't say. Can you imagine that conversation? It was AWESOME! Then, I had to call the toy lady to get the original amount refunded and charged correctly. It was a great day!

I also skipped the audition. Sooooooo, not ready for rehearsals again.

Have a great week!

Welcome Home To My Soldier

2007-10-15T19:21:00.001-05:00

I've got great news!!! Remember my adopted soldier? He's on the way home!!!!!! Woo hoo! I had a box sitting on my front porch when I got home today filled with thank you gifts to me for supporting him. How cool is that?! He should be home within a week or so.

I thought about waiting to adopt another soldier but decided that with the holidays coming up, I needed to go ahead and re-up. I got another one ... and it's a girl. I'm excited to buy some fun girly things this time.

Not too much else going on. I'm trying to decide if I want to audition tomorrow for another show. I don't particularly want to do this show but the theatre is doing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in May and I'd really like to do that one so I'm thinking that I maybe need to audition and get my face in front of them. This theatre has a reputation of only using actors that they are familiar with. Sigh .... not really ready to start rehearsals again but I might have to at least try for it. We'll see what tomorrow brings moodwise.

Have a great week. Happy Monday!

I Can Breathe Now

2007-10-09T11:15:00.000-05:00

Run For Your Wife closed this past weekend. This is a picture of the only other female in the cast and myself in our dressing room right before our last performance. It was kind of a bittersweet moment. On one hand, I was really ready for some free time again but on the other hand, I was really going to miss performing in this show.

Thank goodness, we had an amazing audience for our last show. The house was oversold and the theatre set up folding chairs in the aisle and in the floor space in front of the stage to fit everyone in. The crowd laughed at every joke and even at some that the previous audiences didn't get. The show ran almost 30 minutes longer than it had been because of all the laughter. It was an amazing feeling!

After the show, one of the other cast members said there was someone waiting that wanted to meet me. It was a kid with Down's Syndrome. He held out his hand to shake mine but, of course, I gave him a big hug instead. He said that he really liked Barbara because she was so pretty. How sweet is that?!

Once that moment was over, we had to tear down the set ... ahhhhh, the joys of community theatre. Let me tell you, I am not a girl that is comfortable with power tools and all that but by the end of the night, I was ripping out screws and tearing down walls like a pro!

All in all, performing again was AWESOME!! I am already on the lookout for the next show I want to do. Wish me luck!

Happy Tuesday!

The End is Near

2007-10-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been absent. I had forgotten how exhausting it can be to perform ... not that I'm complaining ... far from it! I am having a great time. It's wonderful to be on stage again. Opening night was fantastic. We had a full house. My boy and the girls each brought me a bouquet of my favorite flowers, Oriental Lilies, backstage and they pelted me with roses when I left the theatre. Yes, thorns were removed. My friends in SD, backwards ande and her family, also sent me beautiful flower arrangement that I got before I headed to the theatre to perform.

The crowds are loving the show and we have been almost sold out for every performance. Even the matinees are crowded. It's crazy! This weekend is our closing weekend and I'm looking forward to the following weekend when I have absolutely nothing to do but nap and eat. I have a feeling though, that I'll be auditioning again soon.

I hope you are all doing well.

Happy Tuesday!

And We're Off

2007-09-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

We had our preview tonight with about 50 people in attendance. It was odd, very odd. The audience was mostly retirees and they seemed to really enjoy the show but they laughed at things that we didn't think would get a laugh and there was dead silence at lines that we thought would have the crowd rolling in the aisles. Strange.

Above is the cast picture that will be hanging in the lobby of the theatre for years to come. Not too bad. I wish I didn't have such a fake smile on my face .... sigh.
This is a picture of our set. My apartment is the one on the left. The grey area in the middle with the low seat is a shared area so the actors in either location can use it as long as we don't cross into the other apartment. It makes for some pretty funny scenes when there is action happening in both spaces at the same time. Lots of phone conversations.

Well, I have work tomorrow and then opening night. I need to get off to bed. I hope you are all having a great week.

Happy Thursday!

Another Opening, Another Show

2007-09-13T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been a bit absent. We are rounding the last corner unitl my play opens. One week .... that's all we have left until our preview show next Thursday. The official opening is Friday night.

Rehearsals have been a beating! I'm sooooooo freaking tired. It will all be worth it though. The play really is hysterically funny. And, opening night will be fun. My boy and all my girls are coming. I've told them that I definitely expect flowers backstage ... preferably Oriental Lilies. Those are my favorites!!

K ... I need to study lines a bit more. I hope you are all doing well.

Happy Thursday!

Wonderful Weekend

2007-09-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

Aren't friends wonderful?! I went back up to South Dakota to visit fellow blogger Backwards Ande and her family this weekend. It was an absolutely fantastic trip full of laughs and craziness. Some of the highlights include attending Steak Out (this does not involve a swat team), crashing a wedding reception (not as exciting as the movie makes it out to be), a sing along, dancing in the street, The Book of Questions, nearly getting expelled from an informative Mt. Rushmore movie for giggling too much, smelling trees (I was a scoffer but there are pine trees that smell like butterscotch. Seriously!), getting complete strangers to smell said tree, a crazy bee (I'll let Backwards Ande tell that story), a beautiful rainbow, a funny cowboy, taking dirty pictures with statues, and a slumber party. All in all, it was nearly a perfect weekend! (There was a fly swatter incident.) Other than that, too much fun and I'm a tired girl today!!

E, B, and Me

The coolest kids in the world!

Nice gun!

Flashing JFK

Hey! Smell this tree!!

My favorite couple

A beautiful rainbow

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Happy Tuesday!

Free Drink Anyone?

2007-08-27T18:48:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying, "Lesbians LOVE me!" Did I get your attention?

I attended a happy hour Friday night for a co-worker that is moving to Houston. We went to Sue Ellen's, a local lesbian bar. (Yes, my co-worker is gay.) I was more than a little shocked when the bartender began giving me free drinks every time I "bought" a round. Between 14 and 16 free drinks and shots AND she began bringing beers to me at our table too! Woo hoo!! Now I know that if I ever break up with my boy, I will be a hot commodity in the lesbian community. I did better there than I ever have at a straight bar!

It's good to have a back up plan.

Happy Monday!

Wheeeeeeeeee!!

2007-08-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

I had my first rehearsal last night and let me tell you, it was AWESOME!!!!! The show is hysterically funny. The read through took us about 2 1/2 hours because the entire cast was laughing so hard. I am so, so, so happy that I'm doing it!

My character, Barbara, is the "sexy" wife. That's going to be a little hard for me to play because I am the absolute least sexy person on the planet. Dorky, yes ... sarcastic, absolutely ... sexy, laughable. Maybe that's why I was cast in the role. It is a comedy after all.

Not too much else to say. I'm tired and I have lines to learn. I hope you are having a great week!

Happy Thursday!

Excitement!

2007-08-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Get Off My Lawn and his post on going to a community event, I auditioned for a play last week. It's the first time I've auditioned for anything in a couple of years. Well, I guess I still have at least a little talent because I got the role!

I have my first read through with the cast on Wednesday. I must admit, I had forgotten how much I enjoy being on stage so this is a very exciting time for me. I know I'm going to be exhausted with working full time and rehearsing as well but I think it will be worth it in the end.

The show is called Run For Your Wife and it's about a taxi driver in London that has two wives. He tries to save a little old woman from muggers and ends up getting hurt himself so he has to go to the hospital. He gives the hospital one wife's address and the police the other wife's address and then spends the remainder of the show trying not to get caught. I play one of the wives, Barbara. The play is set in England so I'm going to have to brush up on my English accent and it's a farce so the whole thing will be fast paced and, I think, really fun.

If anyone is going to be in DFW around the end of September, come on out and see the show. Don't wish me luck ... tell me to break a leg instead!

Happy Monday!

And the Award Goes To

2007-08-15T17:57:00.000-05:00

I have been given the Inspirational Blogger Award from justawriter for the My Soldier post that I wrote. She has informed me that I need to pass this award on to 5 bloggers that I find inspirational. There are quite a few of you that I read and find wonderful for many different reasons so it's going to be hard to pick just 5. Please don't feel left out if I don't include you in this list. If I'm commenting on your blog, I think you are fantastic!

Here are my 5 selections in no particular order:

1) Mrs. D - I have known this woman since my early 20's. We used to do shows together, she drove me to the courthouse (through downtown Ft. Worth after a tornado ripped apart the city and all the roads were blocked) so that I could file my divorce papers, and she is one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. She actually got me started blogging! Mrs. D's blog started because she and her hubby were having infertility issues. She still blogs about that but also writes about her life in general. She's a talented writer and she has an interesting life.

2) Lindsey - I love Lindsey's blog! She is one of the first that I started reading. Lindsey writes beautiful posts, full of emotion and heart. She's also the one that got me started with Soldier's Angels, one of the most fantastic organizations on the planet!

3) Backwards Ande - I met this lovely lady on my recent South Dakota trip. She is married to someone that will always have a special place in my heart. I spent quite a bit of time during my trip with their family and she was gracious enough to make me feel welcome when any other female would probably have been a complete and total jealous witch. Backwards Ande and I are becoming very good friends and have been blowing up the internet with the mass e-mails that we send each other. She's the only person I've met that can keep up with me in that department! She is a busy mom of 2, wife, and new blogger. Her posts are always full of fun family stuff and great pictures. I adore her and you will too!

4) Tree - This guy is busy! He's got an online science fiction story blog and the picture blog that this post links to. Tree is really, REALLY funny and always leaves comments that make me smile! You gotta love a quick witted man!!

5) Get Off My Lawn - I am a reasonably recent reader of this blog but I enjoy it, never a dull post. Get Off My Lawn recently posted about attending community events and actually inspired me to go to an audition for the first time in a couple of years. I had forgotten how much I enjoy being on stage so I thank him for that. I'll be sure to let him, and you, know if I get cast!

So, these are a few of my favorite bloggers. There are so many more that I read and totally enjoy. I wish I could figure out how to add a list of them to my blog but for the life of me, I can't! OneHung has promised to walk me through it if I e-mail him so I may take him up on that.

Happy Wednesday!

I Would Rather ...

2007-08-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

I would rather have a toe jam smoothie for breakfast every day this week than go to work tomorrow!

It was a long week last week and I have a feeling it's going to be a long week this week. Long and hot, with temperatures over 100 every day. Ugh! Wish me luck. I have a feeling that I will be a sweaty, nasty, tired grouch by Friday.

Hope your week is a good one.

Happy Sunday!

Girlfriends

2007-08-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think men will ever fully understand the bond between girlfriends.

I am lucky enough to have four women in my life that, I know, would willingly walk though fire if I needed them to. They've made me laugh, they've listened to me whine, and they've been rock solid through major upheavals in my life. These women would help me bury the body before asking what happened.

I spent the day with my girls today and as we were talking and laughing and just spending time together, I realized that I am one of the most blessed women I know. Not everyone has the kind of friendships that I am fortunate enough to have in my life. I know they're going to kill me for this picture but it's the only recent one that I have without anyone else in there. Sorry!

Cheers to the most intelligent, amazing, talented, and freaking awesome women I know! Ladies, you've got mad skills!! That's just the way you roll.

Happy Sunday!

Help Me!!

2007-08-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

I have the unfortunate duty of attending a family gathering on Saturday where, I am sure, that I will again be accosted from every corner on my marriage and baby free state. I am dreading it, oh how I am dreading it!

I think this time I am just going to say that I can see myself licking the boil on a hunchback's butt before I do either one. Do you think that is gross enough to get my point across?!!

Happy Wednesday!

My Soldier

2007-07-29T18:20:00.001-05:00

I have an "adopted" soldier that is stationed just outside of Baghdad. We've never met and yet, I consider him to be a good friend. I've written at least one letter a week and sent two care packages a month for the past 8 months and he writes when he can. Some of his letters are happy, some are scary, and some of them are filled with the horrors of war that he can't share with his family.

I received a letter from him recently that really touched me and brought tears to my eyes. Normally, I wouldn't share something like this but in the hopes that maybe this will lead someone else to "adopt" a soldier far away from home in need of support, I'm breaking my own rule of privacy. Any confidential information has been deleted and I've edited anything that I felt was too personal and would be disrespectful to share.

"It means a lot to me whenever I receive a letter from you. There have been days when you feel down and you just want to say forget it all. I must admit how supportive you've been has made this war easier. Alot of my co-workers are amazed at how dedicated you are about writing me and wish their Soldier's Angel was you. (smile)

It seems more and more soldiers die each day. A question I know that can't be answered is, "When will it end?" I sat on the flight to *****, took off my gear, and inserted my ear plugs. I looked to my right and I saw 3 boxes covered with a US flag. There were 3 dead soldiers on the flight being transported to the US and it really bothered me to see this because all I can think is how can you tell a mother, wife, child, or friend that your loved one has been killed. Things like that replay in my mind constantly.

Well, take care and God bless, and again, thank you for all you have been to me."

I want to thank Lindsey for telling me all about the Soldier's Angels program and I want to encourage anyone who has time to write some letters and send some love from home to check out this awesome program. http://www.soldiersangels.org/

Have a great week!

My Shameful Secret

2007-07-27T01:21:00.000-05:00

I have a secret.

It's a little something that is tucked deep inside the hidden corners of the pleasure center in my brain .... and my brother found out and called me on it.

Awwww crap!

I admit it ... taking a deep breath ... Yes, I love bad 80's music!

Little brother borrowed my IPOD for his run and when he came back, he laughed at me! Brat!!

I can't help myself: Michael Jackson, Bananarama, Tears for Fears ... I love them all. Thank goodness he didn't get far enough into my playlist to find the Grease 2 soundtrack. Oh gosh, did I just admit to that too? I think it's time to go to bed.

Happy Thursday!

Things I Learned on Vacation Part 2

2007-07-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

I have nothing exciting to write about and I don't want to vent about work so you are getting more vacation pictures instead.

Hanging in there at 2 a.m.

If you jump into a conga line, get sucked into beach olympics, and then escape over a brick wall because the stairs are blocked .... you will get a bruise like this one. It's much more purple and green in person. Charming!

The goat race is one way only. You aren't supposed to carry your goat back to the starting line!

If you fall asleep during dinner, people will take your picture! We loved R and M. They were too funny!

Always leave your mark in the sand.

And finally, this is where I'd rather be!!

Happy Tuesday!

Things I Learned on Vacation

2007-07-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

Jamaica makes me happy. I'm going back!!

How to swear in Japanese from Edwin the sushi guy.

How to swear in Jamaican from Dewayne.

I can't fit in the dog house.

New shot games from Dewayne.

If you get naked in public, you will end up on the internet.

Pray before getting on the trapeze. It's freaking scary!

If you lose a flip flop, it will stay in the same place for 3 days.

My friends and my boy are the best and I LOVE them!!

As you can see, we had a great time on vacation. I have lots of stories to share but not tonight. I hope you all had a great week.

Happy Friday!

The Sound of Music

2007-07-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

So long, farewell, alpheterzane (how do you spell that?) goodnight!

Just when my schedule clears up and I'm able to blog again, it's time to go on vacation. Not that I'm complaining, definitely not that! I will be gone for the next week and I promise to post again when I get home next weekend. I hope to have some fabulous pictures and crazy stories to share.

Have a great week!

Talk Amongst Yourselves

2007-07-08T18:59:00.000-05:00

When women gather, there are many topics of conversation but the most recent conversations between my friends and I involve men, s*x, vacation, and men. No surprise there. The big surprise for me is how such a tightly knit group can have such different likes and dislikes.

I won't go into specifics for my friends but I can tell you what I'm attracted to. Intelligence, a great smile, a sense of humor, and a way of looking at me that makes me think I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.

As far as the bedroom goes, well, you're not getting those details but I will say this ... there is nothing better than the perfect kiss. When a man threads his fingers in my hair, tips my head back, and then brushes his lips against mine, I'm a goner.

So, what do you fancy?

Happy Sunday!

The Princess Principle

2007-07-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

When I was leaving a store today, the young, male clerk said, "Thank you, ma'am. Have a nice day." I glanced at him and replied, "Please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old."

The clerk responded, "What would you prefer to be called?"

"Hmmmm ... well, princess would be nice."

Without missing a beat, he smiled, winked, and said, "All right then. Thank you, princess. Have a nice day."

What a sweetie. I think I'm in love.

Happy Friday!

Big Love

2007-07-04T02:34:00.000-05:00

I can't sleep so I just watched Monday's episode of Big Love. I am totally obsessed with the idea behind this show. Polygamy, sister wives, a schedule of visitation with your spouse .... mind boggling, but at the same time, very thought provoking.

I asked my boy what he thought and, in typical male fashion, he was all for having more than one woman at his beck and call. LOL! I believe he was thinking more of the "intimate" moments than of things like shoe shopping, pms, and the ladies getting irritated when he leaves his socks everywhere. I can't say that I blame him though. If I could have a stable of beautiful men vying for my attention, I imagine it would be something akin to what a rock star feels. Mind you, that would be more socks for me to pick up ... ugh! Nope, that wouldn't work. Plus, I have that whole aversion to marriage thing.

I recently read a book where the characters formed an Ilian, an alternative kind of family. I believe they were allowed to have anywhere from 3 to 9 men and women form each unit.

Can you imagine? More people around to help handle life's daily issues, more people to laugh with, and more people to pick up socks ... and there is no binding, legal document! It sounds great to me so I'm taking applications!!

Happy 4th!

Let the Games Begin!

2007-07-02T23:38:00.000-05:00

Red Stripe training officially began this weekend. Tomorrow is the nine day mark until my boy, myself, and my girls leave for JAMAICA!!! I am so excited and absolutely cannot wait. 8 days and 7 nights of pure, unadulterated bliss. Woo hoo!

T's 4th of July bash was Saturday and the Sun God didn't answer our prayers. It was rainy and yucky and yet we had the best time. About 20 people showed up and as the evening progressed, very strange comments were being bandied about and somehow they all took on a "bad" connotation. Go figure. With the way my mind has been working lately, that's no surprise. Here are some of the "best" ones:

Don't burn the weiners.
One little poke and the cobwebs are gone.
Did you get it off? Yes, with my mouth.
I need more juice.
There's some beef in the house.
It's a little bit further down that I thought it would be.
I hate it when it's just a squirt.
It was tough but I twisted it until it popped off.
Strap a board to it.
It's not that tight.
I can't find the hole.

When a men's hockey team showed up, nope not kidding, I took my leave. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

Office Antics

2007-06-28T13:16:00.000-05:00

Things that made me happy today .....

I left the office at lunch to work from home using mysterious "female ailment" excuse. Was surprised at how easy this was and how not guilty I feel.

Saran wrapped lazy co-worker's desk while they were out sick. The best part is that I saran wrapped lazy co-worker's scissors, placed them in a file drawer, and saran wrapped the drawer shut. Can't wait to see the reaction tomorrow! New boss found this very humorous.

Took blogger friends' advice. When Office Perv (not Tech Boy) came from behind, put his arms around me, and began smelling my hair again, what is up with that?!!, I dug my 3 inch heel into the top of his foot and said with a smile on my face, "I don't like you touching me and if you do it again, my foot will connect with a more sensitive part of your anatomy." Office Perv let go and limped away. I smiled.

And finally, I set up a kiddie plastic bowling kit and declared it was time for "three minutes of fun" in my department. Everyone stopped working to have a go.

I hope you are having a great week. My best friend's 4th of July bash is this Saturday. I sure hope it stops raining in time.

Happy Thursday!

Proof of Life on Other Planets

2007-06-26T20:31:00.000-05:00

And this is Elwood, winner of the 2007 World's Ugliest dog contest. He reminds me of someone .... hmmm .... oh yeah, my ex-husband!

Please take a minute to visit my friend's new blog at http://andespelledbackwards.blogspot.com/. She's one of us now so let's make her feel welcome!

E - I think you're gonna love it. Welcome to the dark side!

Happy Tuesday!

Freak Magnet

2007-06-25T22:13:00.000-05:00

Is it normal for a man in your office to grab a handful of your hair and smell it? No? I didn't think so. Office Perv struck. I think I'm going to shave my head now! Can I use a Daisy disposable for that?

Happy Monday!

Mmmmmm ... sigh

2007-06-23T14:14:00.000-05:00

Soft touches
Lips teasing, brushing mine ... once, twice
Nuzzling
Breathless, sighing
Heart pounding
Wanting
Aching
Needing

I have been in a near constant state of arousal for days now. Vivid dreams leave me breathless, mental images drive me wild, and the thoughts in my head .......

If this is what men go through, then I apologize for every time I've pushed one to the edge either knowingly or not.

I want to be a bad girl.

Home Sweet Home?

2007-06-19T01:57:00.000-05:00

I had an absolutely amazing and completely emotional trip back to South Dakota. I honestly didn't want to come back to Texas. My hometown has changed so much but, on the other hand, hasn't changed at all. I saw so many people, had so many wonderful conversations, and lived so many memories .... and right now I feel like a big chunk of my heart has been ripped out and run through a shredder.

I'll try and write more about this later but for now, here are a few pictures.

Me and Miss B The Wonderful K Family

Some of my old classmates to the right and R, the boy that gave me my first kiss, above.

My old school and then me and Miss C, one of my oldest friends

Have a wonderful week!

Oh Good Lord!

2007-06-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

To quote Britney Spears, "Oops, I did it again!" I am so sorry for my lack of posting in the past several months. I have been absolutely slammed at work.

I found my lost kitty. She was trapped under our neighbor's porch. One of my other cats, The Dude, found her and went completely crazy until I followed him next door and then I went completely crazy when I saw her tiny little nose sticking out from between the porch steps. She couldn't squeeze out from between the steps so I lifted up a loose plank and then pulled a brick completely out of the mortar so I could grab her. I guess it's true when they say that you get superhuman strength when someone you love is in danger. LOL! Poor thing, she was absolutely starving when I brought her home and incredibly irritated when I wouldn't put her down. I'm so glad she's home and safe.

My South Dakota reunion is next week and I am sooooo excited, not only because I get to see my old friends and my hometown for the first time in 19 years, but also because I get 4 days away from work with no laptop and no way for my clients or co-workers to contact me. Halla-freaking-lujah! I can hear the angel choir singing.

I hope you are all doing well and having a great week!

Angela

So Sorry

2007-04-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

I apologize to everyone. I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd written until I checked my email and saw a comment from Lindsey. It has been a crazy, busy time lately.

My company is going through a merger and that's very stressful. On top of that, my boss who is also a good friend of mine, decided to leave the company for a job out of state. On top of that, my boss' boss is trying to recruit me to move to Houston which I am so not interested in. It's just been a madhouse lately.

Good news to share ... my boy, my friends, and I are all planning a group vacation again this summer. We just booked 7 nights in Jamaica in July! I cannot wait! We got a great price and the resort has lots of cool extras. Scuba certification for $70 with 2 dives a day included, catamaran cruises, booze cruises, and best of all ... circus school! Yes, that's right, yours truly will be learning how to fly on the trapeze. I am very excited!!

Sad news, one of my cats escaped the house and we can't find her anywhere. I'm praying that a nice family took her in and that they will respond to our flyers. I'm so worried about her. She's an indoor cat and we didn't even have a collar on her. Wish me luck in her safe return.

Have a great week!

Singing Monkey

2007-03-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend, Tania, celebrated her 30th birthday recently. (She is the "baby" of our group.) T loves monkeys so a couple of our friends ordered her a singing telegram featuring a gorilla in a tutu. It was definitely one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Imagine said gorilla walking through a dark, smoky bar to the stage, pulling an incredibly shy person up there, and shoving a microphone under the gorilla mask to sing a personalized birthday song in front of about 300 very drunk people. Nothing can top that! Especially when a line in the song talked about her freakishly strong hands ... LOL!

I really don't have much else to share. I've been busy with work and working out. I've heard from several people in my hometown that are going to be at my reunion in June. I'm getting excited and also VERY nervous. My friends and I are planning another big group vacation for some time in July. I believe we are going to Playa Del Carmen this year. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Have a great week!

Dust in the Wind

2007-02-24T17:10:00.000-06:00

OMG! We have 40 mph winds rushing over the state of Texas right now. It's crazy! I had the front and back door and all the windows open in the house, enjoying the nice warm temperature and was cleaning like crazy. I couldn't figure out why my floors were still dirty and streaked. Well, duh, it's the West Texas red dust being blown in. I'm an idiot! Now, after 7 passes over the floor, it almost looks clean ... ALMOST!

I'm skipping cardio today because all my cleaning has surely burned 1,000 caloriers, right?

Happy weekend!

I Would Rather

2007-02-10T12:50:00.000-06:00

I am starting my 6th week of the healthier me and I have to say that I would rather poke out my eyes with a spork than get off the couch right now and exercise! I don't know why. It only take 45 minutes and I can sit back down but ergh ....

K ... taking a deep breath ... signing off now.

Happy weekend!

Reunions - Fear or Fun?

2007-01-15T14:17:00.000-06:00

My friend, Jamie, recently had a cast reunion from one the shows that we performed in while in our early 20's. It was fun seeing everyone but a little hard. Not only had it been about 12 or 13 years since I'd laid eyes on most of these people, but I also had to deal with the random gray hair that had popped up, the "smile lines" around my eyes, and the fact that I was no longer a size 4.

Add to that, I just booked my ticket to South Dakota for the centennial of the town that I grew up in. I moved away the summer before my sophmore year of high school. There is also an all school reunion that I will be attending. On one hand, I am so excited about seeing some of my old friends and teachers again but on the other, I am incredibly nervous as well. What in the world will we talk about? Our lives are so completely different.

In planning this trip, I've come to the realization that I, while so excited, am also reverting back to my younger insecure self, asking questions like, "Will they like me? Will they think I'm pretty? Will I fit in?"

I'm not typically a person that cares overly much about what other people think. I grew out of that a long time ago. I take pride in the fact that I'm a little bit weird, or off center, as I like to say. I like that I'm not a girl who wears much make up or dresses to impress. I like that I laugh a little too loud and that I tell great dirty jokes. It doesn't bother me that some people don't "get" me. With that being said, why am I so nervous and fearful of what people that really have no impact on my life are going to think about me?

Is there a part of a woman's brain that is hard wired to insecurity at the mention of their pasts?

My 29G Birthday

2007-01-03T03:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Jan 2nd, was my 29G birthday. For those of you that actually count the years past 29 and not the letters, that's 35. I was expecting it to be slightly more traumatic than it was. Surprisingly, I wasn't nearly as stressed as I thought I was going to be.

Because I am hitting my mid 30's, I informed my boy and my friends that I would be celebrating my birth WEEK and not my birth DAY this year. We kicked off the week on the first with tequila. Lots and lots of tequila! My boy made tons of food and we had an impromptu party with a couple of my girlfriends and my little brother. The evening was spent drinking the tequila mentioned before and watching some car auction where we played along at home and placed our bids, trying to match the winner of the actual auction. Kind of sounds weird but was actually very fun.

Yesterday, the real day, my boy made breakfast (even while suffering a pretty decent sized hang over) and I got my presents ... a beautiful, hand beaded purse from my boy and the Bonzai dvd game from my little brother. One of my girlfriends came over and my boy took us to the shooting range. (I've always wanted to try it.) I did all right but the noise freaked me out a little so we were done in about 45 minutes. I don't think that I will ever be comfortable around guns, just not my thing. We had dinner at Razoo's and then came home to play games with friends. Fun!

Tomorrow is shopping with my Christmas gift cards. Thursday and Friday are back to work days ... sigh ... but my boy has promised delicious dinners on both nights. Saturday is the big night out with about 15 friends. We are going to the Italian Inn for dinner. I love the singing waiters. After that, we are off to the dueling piano bar for drinks and general loud fun.

Not too shabby for an "old" lady!

Pity Party

2006-12-24T18:18:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Eve and I am sick as a dog and home by myself. My boy left yesterday morning for Houston and I was supposed to join him there today but apparently I have either a monster case of food poisoning or the tummy flu. I am feeling incredibly sorry for myself and having a big time pity party.

I spoke with my boy this morning and he was going to come home and take care of me but there is no reason that both of us should miss Christmas and he would just be watching me sleep anyway so I told him to stay. My little brother is at my mother's house and I didn't want to take the chance of making my niece sick so I'm here alone, on the couch, feeling like someone has run over me with a mack truck.

Christmas sucks!

Quote of the Day

2006-12-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

I was writing letters today and adding quotes to them and for some reason, this one made me laugh ....

Eagles may soar but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

I don't know why. It just did.

Have a great weekend!

Cosmic Weirdness

2006-12-11T23:20:00.000-06:00

About a month or so ago, I was totally conned into buying a pet rat at the pet store. She was the last tiny rat left and the clerks were afraid she was going to get sold as snake food so me, being the sucker that I am, bought her and made her a part of our extended animal family.

This weekend I was cleaning out Olivia's, the rat's, cage. I thought the cats were completely involved with their food in the other room but I was wrong! Oh so very wrong!! I had the lid off Olivia's cage, she was sitting in my hand as I scooped out her bedding, and out of nowhere one of my cats, Sweet Monkey, came flying over my shoulder into the cage!!

Olivia freaked out and ran up my arm with Sweet Monkey in hot pursuit. About this time, someone started knocking on the door. I was yelling, "Hold on a second," while trying to simultaneously grab my cat and my rat who has now crawled into my hair and is on the back of my neck. (Now, I am really cool with my rat but I am NOT cool with her being in my hair!!!!)

I finally got Sweet Monkey under control and on the ground but I still couldn't get hold of Olivia so I answered the door to the UPS guy. As I was signing for my package, he asked, "Ma'am, did you know that you have a mouse on your ear?" Yes, Olivia had crawled up through my hair and was poking her little face out over my ear! I told the UPS guy that yes, I was aware of the rat on my head and I was completely impressed when he replied, "K... just checking." He then took his clipboard back and left.

Talk about drama and weirdness! My boy says that if he didn't live with me he would think that I make this stuff up. Is it possible to be hit with a cosmic weirdness bolt at birth? I think the universe has been playing jokes on me for years now!

I Would Rather

2006-12-03T20:49:00.000-06:00

I started a new game at work last week and I feel the urge to continue it now. It's called "I Would Rather" and it completely and totally, without reservation, expresses my feelings right now.

I would rather eat live, large, hissing cockroaches than go to work tomorrow.

Anybody? Please join in. It's fun for the whole family!

The Greatest Gifts of All ... For Myself

2006-12-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

I bought the coolest thing yesterday! My boy and I went to Cheaper Than Dirt and they had an original Russian helmet from back in the day for only $10. Now don't ask me what I need with one or when I will ever wear it, maybe a mosh pit?, but I just had to have it.

Since this is a "gift for myself" post, I also wanted to post a picture of the fabulous floor and couch that I gifted myself with a while back. These were definitely the greatest gifts I have ever given myself and I love them.

And, how cute are two of my babies? Knickers is the black one and Rusty is the white. I just love the little brats to pieces!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Take care!

The Holiday

2006-11-26T21:23:00.000-06:00

My boy went to Houston for the holiday (we always split up on Thanksgiving) and I stayed here for the family festivities. It was a little odd this year. My mother was in CA visiting my brother and his wife, my boy was gone, and the awful, house destroying uncle was at dinner. He's had the good sense to stay away from me but apparently he's reverted back to idiot status because he actually tried to engage me in conversation. I couldn't even make eye contact with him and just walked away. One of my aunts told me that I needed to let the past be in the past and get over it. I politely told her that it was none of her business and if he had done to her daughter what he did to me, she wouldn't be so forgiving. I've come to the realization that my family might be my family but I don't think they are the best people for me to surround myself with. They definitely don't have my best interests at heart. It's very hurtful to think that they accept the hell that he put me through without batting an eye and just pretend that he's still a part of our family even though his wife, my aunt, passed away years ago. What is that?! As far as I'm concerned, he is trash and needs to be tossed away with the rest of the garbage.

On a more happy note, one of my other uncles dressed up as Santa this year and made a visit for all the little ones in the family. This is a picture of my niece, Taylor, and as you can see, she wasn't so impressed. She wanted to go back to her mama as soon as she sat down on Santa's lap.

On Friday, I got up at 3:30 a.m. and did the annual crazy Christmas shopping marathon. I got some really great deals, I have no idea why I bought some things that I did and will be returning them this week, but I only have 1 more gift to buy. Woo hoo! Now I just have to wrap them all and find a place to store them until Christmas. I've decided that I don't feel like putting up a tree this year. Most people think that's weird but I just don't feel like doing it.

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday!

WOW!

2006-11-13T20:38:00.000-06:00

I know that all my blogger friends will be very happy for me when I share this next piece of news. I was one of 15 people from my entire company of over 5,000 that won a big award with a very nice bonus attached. I won!! I won!! I won!!

Apparently, all the hard work and long hours that I've been putting in have been noticed and FINALLY, I have been rewarded. Hip Hip Hooray!!

K ... of course, I have a few things to work on from home tonight and I have blogs that I want to catch up on so this is a short one. I have lots to post and tons of pictures to share ... new floor, new pet, and Halloween so I will really try to get those up soon.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

The Biggest Loser

2006-10-15T03:21:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else sit and eat junk food while watching The Biggest Loser? I don't know what it is about that show but it makes me hungry. It must be all the freaking excercise they do.

An Old Friend ... A New Post

2006-09-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hi all! It's been a long time since I posted and I have lots to tell you. After vacation, almost 2 months ago, I got sucked back into the work vortex. My social life completely disappeared, as did any free time to even read a book. I'm trying to pull out of that now but I'm still getting slammed on a daily basis and my company is trying to go through a merger so I can't really cause too much of a stink or I could get lost in the transfer ... not good. I also got a fish tank for my desk, thinking that the fish would relax me but, sadly, I killed about 14 fish and 4 frogs so not too much relaxation there. One of my co-workers said he was going to call the ASPCA on me!!

I had my wisdom teeth taken out about 3 weeks ago. That was a complete and total nightmare. I had a full on panic attack in the chair when I realized that the "oxygen" they were giving me was actually laughing gas and I couldn't think straight. The pulse monitors started beeping like crazy so the dentist slammed the IV in very quickly and I was out. I got a horrible infection in one of the teeth removal spots and that was pure horror and pain. All is well now and I even got the 4 teeth they took out. They're really cool in a disgusting kind of way.

I finally got sick of my house looking like a white trash dumping ground so I've been forcing my boy to help me clear things out. We got a new couch and a new bed and we're having flooring put in on October 2. Sadly, we couldn't save the original hardwoods. The previous owner completely destroyed them with the cement fillers he put in. ERGH!!

Last but not least, the weather is finally cooling down. Highs are in the 80's this week. Woo hoo! I'm hoping that last month's electric bill of over $400 will drop quite a bit since we aren't running the air conditioner quite so much. I have all the doors and windows open now (the ones that aren't painted shut) and there is a nice cool breeze flowing through here. It's really nice.

All right, I am off to catch up on all my favorite blogs. I PROMISE that I will not be such a stranger again.

Happy Tuesday!

Freaking Fantastic!!

2006-08-03T22:35:00.000-05:00

I'm back!!! I'm sorry for the wait but I wanted to have pics to post before I told you all about my trip. It was wonderful!

We had the best time in Puerto Vallarta!! On the first day, we couldn't get directly into our rooms so I checked out prices for a massage on the beach and on the way back to the bar, I got pulled into a game of bachi ball with a bunch of retirees from New Jersey, Germany, and Italy. My partner was Vincent, from Italy, and he was totally competitive and very funny. I ended up meeting this group every morning at 10:30 to play in their game. They called me Tex and we had a strange bond throughout my entire vacation. I even got up the guts to ask Warner, the German guy, about why he thought speedos were fantastic ... a very long and discombobulated explanation that I won't go into. My friends thought it was funny that I hooked up with a bunch of 70 year olds on the first day but how can you beat that?!! They didn't know what they were missing.

We went swimming with dolphins, pictures to come later. It was AMAZING!! We were pushed by their noses out of the water and just flew! Unfortunately, my bikini began taking water at an odd angle and I completely flashed the camera guy and all the innocent children in the area. Ouch!! I had to bail early, darn it!! At least I got waxed before the trip!

We took the zip line tour, OMG!! That was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. I am completely terrified of heights but it didn't matter when you were flying across the line.

We went to a foam party and, shockingly, I got hit on by a 20 something Australian. I was amazed but my boy just laughed and told me that I needed to believe him when he said I was a hot babe! LOL! It totally made my day, night, week, year ....

The rest of the time, we ate, boogie boarded in the ocean, relaxed in the pool, drank, and had a generally awesome time.

We're already planning our next trip. We are thinking Costa Rica or Jamaica. Anyone want to join us?!!

7 Days till Paradise

2006-07-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

Again, I apologize. I keep thinking that work will slow down and then ... WHAM ... KAPOW ... I get hit again. As of yesterday, I hadn't had a day off in 2 1/2 weeks with me working 14-16 hour days. I'm pretty sure that my mental capacity has dropped by at least 50%. I finally took today off to go shopping for my vacation and I only got about 11 phone calls from the office. "Not many," she said sarcastically. Is that spelled right? See what I mean? No brain power left.

It doesn't matter, though. Life is good. I go on my fabulous Puerto Vallarta trip NEXT SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!! We began the countdown at 108 days and we are down to a week. We are all meeting at my best friend's house and taking a shuttle to the airport together, drinking mimosas on the way. Keep in mind, the shuttle picks us up at 3 a.m. Ouch!! But that just means that I will be drinking a bloody mary on the beach by 10! I can't freaking wait!!

Check out this fabulous mind saving and murder preventing holiday destination link. This place looks amazing. When my boy and I went to Cabo last year, we stayed at the same resort there and had the best mini vacation that could be had. Everything was fantastic from the food, the people, the rooms. Can you tell that I'm just a liiiiiiittle bit excited.

I bought this really cool belt that lights up and runs any words you program into it across the belt itself. I am trying to figure out what to put on there. I'm sure something like "Uno Mas Cerveza, Por Favor" will be the winner. I can program in up to 1100 characters or something like that. Right now it says "Crazy Me Rocks!" My boy thinks I am a dork. I think I am a genius for buying this thing. I'm going to have so much fun with it.

Hope you are all doing well. Happy Friday!

Introducing ..... Marabelle the Mini

2006-06-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

Do you name your car and if so, what? I am a car namer and even imagine their personalities. Strange, I know, but I can't help it. I even had a long talk with my Jeep on the way to drop her off to be traded in. I actually felt guilty about letting her go. LOL! How sad is that?

I would like to introuduce my new best friend, Marabelle (this might be changing) the Mini. Isn't she the cutest darn thing you've ever seen?!! I couldn't be more happy with her. She looks cute, she's got the best little purr you've ever heard, and she's quite the sassy little thing.

This is the only picture that has turned out so far. I will post more, I'm sure, because how could you not want to look at her!! I am a proud mama!

And damn it, I look goooooooood in this car!

Happy Thursday!!

Something Mini This Way Comes

2006-06-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

Major sadness today when my new MINI was not ready to be picked up. I wasn't even sure if it was actually here until about 4 p.m. today. The good news is that it will be ready for pick up Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., windows tinted and all. I can't wait!!!! My boy is so sick of me talking about this car, I think he might be losing his hair. The last straw for him was when I told him that I would pick him up so I could take my arm candy, pretty boyfriend for a ride in my hot new vehicle. He didn't appreciate being called pretty while the car was called hot. LOL! But he IS pretty ... blame genetics, not me for that!

We moved into a new office building over the weekend. The movers lost tons of files and pictures and things that we had all packed up. I didn't care though. It meant less for me to unpack today. For some unknown reason, our upper management thought it would be a great idea to serve us lunch (yes, good) and have a Mariachi band play. Huh? See picture below. This shows about 1/2 of the band. They were very good but I thought it was a strange choice. And a very loud one.

My little brother also moved in over the weekend. So far, so good. He loves having the stand up arcade game in his room. Go figure, he likes the old school style games. He THINKS he will top my Ms. Pacman score but the kid doesn't stand a chance! I am THE Ms. Pacman master after spending afternoons at the local pizza parlour, shoving quarters into that game until my fingers went numb when I was about 13 or so. He will never beat my score. NEVER!!

Hope all is well in your world. Happy Monday!

Whew ...

2006-06-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry, sorry, sorry ... I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. That just goes to show how quickly time passes when you are working like a dog!!

Lots of big news here. My new Cooper Mini S will be here in less than a week. Woo hoo!!! I am so freaking excited that I can hardly stand it. I will definitely post some pictures when it gets here.

Obviously, I am still working way too many hours. My friends have been lecturing me about my hours, my boy is lecturing me even more. I know that I'm working too much with too little recognition and appreciation and even though it drives me nuts, I can't stop. I know that if I don't do the work, it won't get done and I absolutely cannot stand that. Is that a woman thing?

My little brother is moving in with me this weekend until he goes off to school this fall. My mother is travelling with her job so my boy offered my little brother our guest room. It should be very interesting having him here. An 18 yr. old is bound to shake up the household a little bit.

And ... only 30 days until I leave for Puerto Vallarta!! We started the countdown at 108 days so we are almost there. I want to be on the beach with a cold Corona in my hand so bad, I can taste it!!

Hopefully, things will slow down here soon so my posts will be a little more regular and a little more interesting. Thanks to all those that have hung in there with me!!

Happy Wednesday!

Car Shopping Nightmare and Travel

2006-06-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have been going back and forth to Houston for the past couple of weeks for work and it is a real drag. The scenery between Fort Worth and Houston isn't the best to look at so the drive is loooooooong and booooooooring.

My car starter is going out so I decided that it might be time to go ahead and get that Cooper Mini that I've been jonesing for. The sick part of car shopping ... the negotiating. Well, I looked up invoice pricing, researched tactics, found any rebates, etc., etc., etc. and was ready to go.

I have spoken to every Mini dealer in the metroplex and Houston and NONE of them will negotiate on price with me. NO NEGOTIATING AT ALL!!!

Apparently, supply is still catching up with demand so they aren't budging a bit. I did get the dealer here to throw in some of the extras that I wanted but didn't want to pay for ... about $500 worth of stuff but still. Ergh ..... It is so frustrating. I HATE buying cars.

Now, I'm waiting to find out if the car that I want, that is supposed to go to another dealer, can be traded to the dealership here. If so, I am getting it. If not, I will be waiting until the end of the year and buying a 2007 model instead. Right now, it's in transit to the port in S.C. and will land there on the 18th. I should know by Wednesday whether or not the car is mine.

That's all I've got for now. I hope all is well out in blogger land.

Happy Monday!

Busted by the Pizza Guy

2006-05-28T21:46:00.000-05:00

For the first time in weeks, possibly months, my boy and I were home at the same time when the sun was still up and we weren't in a catatonic state. We decided to take advantage of a Sunday night at home by ordering pizza, I can ignore Operation Bikini rules on Sundays, and enjoying some "alone" time. Unfortunately, we didn't time the pizza delivery and the "alone" time very well and we got completely and totally busted by the pizza guy!

All the doors and windows were open, taking advantage of the nice Texas weather, and we were in full blown "alone" time when there was a knock on the door. Totally and completely busted ... without a shadow of doubt, the pizza guy knew what was going on. D*mn my boy and his loud self!

I won't go into major details other than to say that the pizza guy had a big smile on his face and so did my boy. Freaking men!!!

Happy Sunday!

Keep That Tongue in Your Mouth. How About a Picture Instead?

2006-05-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

Sadly, there was no Aiden licking action for me this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I did ask but, to be honest, he was all sweaty from the show and I really didn't want to lick him at that point! The look on his face when I asked if I could lick him though was priceless. I'm not sure if he thought I was crazy stalker girl or just plain weird but I burst out laughing and asked if I could get a picture instead. He happily obliged. I was impressed. Mr. John Corbett was very charming and sweet to all of his fans and stood and signed autographs and took pictures for a long time. You can't ask for more than that. And, surprisingly, the band was actually pretty good live. Much better than the cd.

The bar we went to, Suede, is owned by one of the former Dallas Cowboy coaches, Joe Elizondo. I actually spoke with him for a while about the bar and the fantastic roof top with a great Dallas city view. He was very excited about the new place. Some of the players were there too but with me being a Patriot fan, go Tom!!, I didn't recognize any of them.

There was also a local dj, Jagger, there that my friend K just loves. He's the same guy that used to host that tv show Change of Heart. He was very funny and talkative and had great energy.

The high point for me was going home and going to bed. I was exhausted!! Before we left, 2 of my girls snuck back upstairs to grab a forgotten cd and they spent about 30 talking to my lickable man, Aiden. They were on cloud nine when they finally came back.

All in all. It was a good night out but I'm going to wait a while before doing it again. I'm too old for tequila shots!!

Happy Monday!

Something Wonderful This Way Comes

2006-05-17T21:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend, one of my all time favorite eye candy men is coming to town and I'm going with some of my girls to see him. Yes, I am talking about Aiden (John Corbett) from Sex and the City.

Aiden, I will continue to call him Aiden so the fantasy continues, has a band now. (Sidebar ... his band isn't all that good but who cares? It's Aiden!!) I've got my ticket to see him this weekend and the girls and I are going to a meet and greet so I can lick my fantasy man! Yes, that's right, I said LICK!!

I have told my boy that Aiden is my temporary free pass this weekend, he just shook his head, and I am busy planning my speech on how to convince Aiden to actually let me lick him so I don't get thrown out on my bootie! LOL!!

I am out of town for the next couple of days on business so I will post again after my meeting with my fantasy man!

Happy Wednesday!

Retail Therapy ... It's Good for the Soul

2006-05-13T00:20:00.000-05:00

I have been sick and not at work for the past week. I guess my body finally said, "If you won't slow down, I'll make you!" I must admit, it has sucked being sick but it's been lovely not being at the office for 14 hours a day. I must also admit that I've been logging in from home every day, checking e-mails, and taking care of 'must be done right now or the world will come to an end' items. Probably not the smartest thing to do but I just can't seem to let go. What is up with that?!

Well, I am feeling better, going a little stir crazy, and believe or not, craving a walk or a bike ride out in the fresh air. Since that is not an option, seeing as how it's a little after midnight, I have indulged in a little online retail therapy. Nothing like shopping to raise the seratonin levels in a girl's brain!

I bought 10 books from half.com, which may sound like a lot but at $.75 a book, is nothing. NOTHING!!! I also began looking for a super sexy bikini to wear on my vacation to Puerto Vallarta. I think I have found the one I want. Check this hot mama vacation bikini out and let me know what you think. I most definitely do not have the body of the girl in the photo, but that's all right. My boy loves my ghetto bootie!!

I guess that's enough rambling for now. I should go to bed but in reality I will probably either read or work ... reading sounds much better. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy Friday/Saturday!

Good Times

2006-05-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

A couple of good things have happened this week. One of my clients sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers for all the hard work that I've been doing for them lately. It doesn't take away the near-death tiredness but it was a nice gesture.

My company also set up a team outing to the horsetrack as a thank you for all the long hours, kind of a cheesy thank you ... I would prefer a raise or even overtime pay, but it was actually really fun. I completely blew off Operation Bikini eating rules for the night and indulged in tons of pasta, chocolate covered cherries, and other bad for you foods. They also gave us $25 for gambling or drinking and I used it on both. I won $28 on the first 2 races so that was pretty rockin.

I am exhausted so I am out for the evening. Hope all is well in your world!

Happy Wednesday!

A Mini ... Me?

2006-04-30T14:07:00.000-05:00

It is getting close to the time when I will have to retire my beloved Jeep, Betsy, and get a new car. She's been a good, reliable friend but Betsy has been having some issues lately and seeing as how she is 10 years old with almost 200,000 thousand miles on her, it just doesn't seem cost effective to pour money into the old gal.

My dream car for the past 4 years has been the Cooper Mini, and really, within the last year, the Mini Convertible. I'm not sure why I love this car so much because I have never been a car person, but I salivate every time I see one of them on the road and I make my boy drive past the dealership so I can dream "shop" mine.

I've been doing some research online because I want to make sure that this is the car for me but I thought maybe some of you out there had some opinions. Do you have one or know anyone who does and what is the general concensus on the car? Does it have lots of problems, is the mileage decent, does the cuteness wear off? (That last question is totally girly, I know.) How is it for transporting pets, groceries, or just junk? (It actually appears quite roomy inside.)

I hear that the 2007 model is going to have some engine upgrades but I'm not sure that Betsy is going to last that long without an overhaul so I'm looking at the 2006 models, or possibly even a used version with low mileage.

Let me know your thoughts.

Happy Sunday!

So Close and Yet So Far

2006-04-26T19:08:00.000-05:00

It's only Wednesday!! How is it possible that the week can be dragging by so darn slowly? I did not get the day off as I was hoping to on Tuesday but I did stay home and work ... ahhh, the joys of technology. I actually worked 15 hours, which is just sick when you think about it. I have decided that no matter what happens, I am NOT working this weekend. I need a freaking break!

My boy and I are meeting one of his work buddies at My Martini on Friday night. I've never been but apparently they have gazillions of different flavored martinis. I have already told my boy that I will not be driving and if he plans on drinking as many drinks as I do, we will be getting a taxi home.

No more time to write. I have to get back to work now.

Happy Wednesday!

Raw Fish Rocks!

2006-04-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

The 26th is my one year blog-iversary. Thanks to my friend, Jamie, for telling me about blogging. It has been a great way to get things off my chest, rant, brag, and share life's little moments with people ... some of whom I would dearly love to meet in person!!

Tonight, I left work at 6:45, only 2 hrs. and 15 minutes after I'm supposed to begin the commute home. My boy left work about the same time so we decided to try a new local sushi place for dinner. My friend, S, called about the same time and she is a sushi freak so she joined us.

Let me just say that I love sushi. I LOVE SUSHI! I used to think that sushi sounded really disgusting, I mean seriously, who wants to eat raw fish?! If you've never had it, you should totally try it .... mmmmmm. We gorged ourselves on several different items and bonded with our bartender who began making us crazy drinks like "The Imminent Demise of Papa Smurf." It was a blue drink with a cherry all swirled in the bottom of the cup so when you finished it looked like, you guessed it, a smurf hat.

We spent way too much money, blame it on the martinis ... very dirty, but had a great time. I told my boss today that I wasn't coming in tomorrow because I had worked all weekend so I have no guilt about the fact that I may be a little tipsy and I will be sleeping late in the morning.

Happy Monday!

Pissy Mood, Pissy Me

2006-04-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

I worked all day yesterday and have been working since noon today and I am seriously ticked off. Sadly, the long hours didn't stop as I thought they were going to. I told my boss, for those of you that don't know, he is a friend of mine, that I would rather be a cheap hooker in a third world country than have this job anymore. He has promised me some help but so far ... nothing. I am seriously thinking of putting in my notice and saying screw it. I want my life back!!

K ... enough whining. Sorry for the rant but I am at my wits end!!

My boy had to work late last night so I took a break and went out to dinner with the girls. We tried to go to 8Os, a local bar/food place, to sit outside and eat but there were no empty tables. We saw a guy sitting alone so we asked if we could sit with him. He was drunk and his friends had stood him up so he said that was fine. Not 15 minutes later, a woman (I'm thinking his girlfriend) showed up with another guy. The woman got very angry that we were sitting there (puh-leaze, we weren't groping the guy, we just wanted a place to sit) and the friend thanked us for taking their seats. Then, the waitress came over and the drunk guy told her that we had stolen his table. What?!!! He b*tched about his friends the entire time we were sitting there and was totally fine with us being there. I guess the girlfriend was seriously ticked off so he threw us under the bus. We got up, left, and found a local pizza place to go to. After that, the girls brought me home and I worked some more.

All in all, I broke Operation Bikini food choices and I worked for 15 hours yesterday. It was so not a successful day! That's all right, it's a new week and it's bound to be better.

Happy Sunday!

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T01:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to all my blogger friends. This may be inappropriate to some of you but, you must admit, it is pretty funny!

Operation Bikini

2006-04-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I began Operation Bikini. I got home from work late, as usual, so I only had time for a 15 minute bike ride before the sun was completely gone and I became target practice to the road rage filled drivers in my neighborhood. Today I got home from work late, as usual, and did an hour of ChicoMetrics, the most painful experience my body has had in ages. I am already feeling the soreness and have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be even worse. That's all right because I want to look fabulous on our vacation in 102 days!

My plan is to alternate days of cardio vs. toning 6 days a week with Sundays off. I have also given up fast food, which may end up killing me, and my boy went to fabulous Wally World and bought tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and an assorment of other healthy things for us to eat. So far so good.

In my own experience, it's much easier to stick with a plan A) if you have one and B) if you have a goal. Well, I have a goal. I have always said that I wanted to dance naked on a beach in Fiji but I don't think I'm getting there any time soon so Puerto Vallarta is going to have to do for now and I don't want anything jiggling while I do it!! Wish me luck!!

Happy Tuesday!

A Saner Me ... Coming Soon!!

2006-04-10T01:03:00.000-05:00

From me to you .... don't work as many hours as I have been lately. You go a little crazy. I think I have officially crossed the line into clinical insanity! With that said, I THINK this should be the last week of horribly long hours and I'll be able to do about 50 a week after this and keep my head above water. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

On a positive note, my friends and I have talked about taking a beach vacation together for the past year. Well, we booked our trip on Friday!! I am sooooooooo excited. We are going to Puerto Vallarta at the end of July for 5 days!! This is the beautiful place we are staying. http://www.riu.com/index.php

As of now the group includes, myself, my boy, and 6 of my girlfriends. People ask if my boy will be all right traveling with a pack of women and I have to laugh. What guy wouldn't want to go on a tropical vacation with 6 beautiful women and his adoring girlfriend. He's going to be the stud of the resort!!

We are definitely doing a zip line tour through the woods?, jungle?, forest? where Predator was filmed. We're all really excited about that. We have a split group for other activities. A few of us want to swim with dolphins and my boy and the other girls want to do a 4x4 trip. We'll probably split up on that day and do whichever activity sounds the most fun to each of us. The rest of the time will be spend lazing around in the sun, sipping Mai Tais on the beach, and eating. I can't wait!!!!

I hope all is well with everyone. I should be back to a more normal posting schedule very soon. I appreciate all those who have checked in and continue to check even though posting has been slow.

Happy Sunday!

I'm Back

2006-03-26T20:45:00.000-06:00

Sorry, it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. Even though I thought work was going to slow down, I was wrong. Hopefully soon. Working 6 days a week for 12 hours and then coming home and working some more is absolutely not fun.

This week was my boy's birthday. We went out last night and celebrated with friends in the West End of Dallas. This used to be a really fun place to go but things have changed in the couple of years that I haven't been there. While eating dinner at Cadillac Bar, we saw some Hare Chrishnas jumping and singing their way down the street. I didn't know that Dallas was home to any Hare Chrishnas.

We then headed to where there used to live bands playing outside. The live bands have been replaced with a lone guy playing a keyboard. Not good. We were approached by a man giving free tickets into one of the clubs in the area so we decided to try that. The club that we entered was the most bizarre place I have ever been in. It was a combination karoke, dance, comedy, pool hall place and I loved it.

We didn't stay too long but in the course of the 60 minutes we were there, my girl A and I, danced like Michael Jackson and I jumped on stage to sing The Devil Went Down to Georgia with the guy running the karoke machine. It didn't sound too great but I burned off quite a few calories with my fiddling during the music breaks.

All in all, we had a good time and everyone made it home safely.

I am off to bed soon. I've got to get to work eary tomorrow. Please don't lose patience with me. Things will slow down and I will be back to posting regularly soon.

Happy Sunday!

The Fast Food Kid

2006-03-12T20:31:00.000-06:00

I have spoken about my boy on this blog many times because I adore him and think he's wonderful but one thing that he is not good at is ordering at the dreaded fast food window.

We decided to get some tacos about a week ago and what should have been a 30 second ordering process turned into a 10 minute event! My boy refuses to wait to order until he knows everything he wants so he tends to pause in the middle of the order. This, of course, leads the drive through worker to think he's done and ask if he wants anything else, which leads to him saying, "I'm not done yet. I'd also like ...."

Last week, this went on for several minutes with the drive through worker getting more and more irritated and my boy losing his patience so when he's asked what he'd like to drink he says, "and I'd like to add 2 more tacos." The driver asks again what he would like to drink and he says, "and a bean burrito." It became an all out ignoring each other's words war with my boy and the poor drive through girl until he finally added our drinks and we drove around to the window.

We ended up with way too much food and the dogs had a feast that night. I think from now on, I will be the one ordering our fast food because really, isn't fast food supposed to be fast and not a night on the town?

In other news, work is still crazy busy but I think there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Happy Sunday!

Bad Things Come in 3's?

2006-03-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

Update from the last few days ....

I cut my knee open on a nail and had to get a tetanus shot. I am a huge needle-phobe so I was very proud of myself for actually going to get the shot. I figure that's better than dying a gruesome lock jaw death.

Still working the long hours at work. I missed my friend's birthday dinner and I missed going out with all my girls on Marti Gras night. Very disappointing indeed.

Someone broke into my car at work. Guess what they stole ... no, not my MP3 player or the change in my change cup ... they stole a 24 pack of Coke from my back seat. Yes, that's right, they chose to break the most expensive small window in my back seat for about $7.00 worth of loot. I hope karma comes back and kicks them in the ass!! Wearing a size 14 boot!! With a steel toe!!

On a positive note, surprisingly, I am getting a lot of positive feedback for all the work I've been doing lately. I wasn't expecting that because praise isn't usually given freely around my office. It brought a smile to my face for the first time in weeks.

I just got home from the office and I'm about to put in a couple more hours. It's 8:00 now so I should be done by 11:00 or so. I'm very much looking forward to sitting on my couch when I'm done.

I hope all is well in your world!

Happy Thursday!!

Flying Monkeys - My Posse!

2006-02-27T13:12:00.000-06:00

I have officially made the broomstick my personal mode of transportation. When you hear your name and the song "Witchy Woman" pops into your head, it's time to acknowledge the fact that you are no longer the reasonably sane, if a bit quirky, individual that you used to be and should now be traveling with your own group of flying monkeys!

Yes, I fully admit that I have been working too many hours with too little appreciation and my personality has undergone a DRASTIC change. I don't think, at least to my knowledge, that I have ever been referred to as an out and out bitch but lately, I think I deserve that title and more.

I caught myself this weekend snapping at my boy for absolutely no reason and you've all heard about my meltdown with Tech Boy. I swear, I hear some of the things I'm saying as they come out of my mouth but I am completely powerless to stop them.

I have made a promise to myself that I will be nicer to those around me, even if I am wishing inside that a pack of Tickle Me Elmos would violently attack them, and I will keep a smile on my face even if the sound of someone's voice, namely Tech Boy's, makes me want to squirt liquid paper in my ears to drown out the sound.

I vow I will be nicer if it kills me and, quite frankly, it just might!!

Happy Monday!

Texas Twang

2006-02-24T14:13:00.000-06:00

A girlfriend of mine sent this to me and it made me laugh. Some Texans are very hard to understand with that drawl but, for the record, we don't use y'all like that. It's more of a group identifier, not a single person.

After a Texas tourist had been served in a Las Vegas cocktail lounge, he beckoned the waitress back and said quietly, "Miss, y'all sure are a luvly, luvly lady; Can ah persuade y'all to give me a piece of ass?"

"Lord, that's the most direct proposition I've ever had!" gasped the girl. Then she looked around the room, smiled and added, "Sure, why not? You're nice lookin', too, and it's pretty slow here right now, so why don't we just slip away up to your room?"

When the pair returned half an hour later, the man sat down at the same table and the waitress asked, "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Why yes," replied the southern gentleman. "Ah sure 'preciate what y'all Just did for me; it was real sweet and right neighborly, but where ah come from in Texas, we lack our bourbon real cold, so ah still need to trouble y'all for a piece uh ass for mah drink."

It's the middle of the afternoon and I came home to work but I don't want to log in just yet so I'm updating my blog. Good use of company time, don't you think?!

TGIF!!!

Tech Boy Bloodshed

2006-02-22T19:41:00.000-06:00

As you know, I have been working long hours at work, bringing work home daily, basically going crazy. Today, Tech Boy just about sent me over the edge!

When you walk up to someone's desk and they are obviously short on time, do you think that's an appropriate time to ask if they can counsel you on your relationship with the cheater? I don't and I kind of lost it today when he interrupted me.

He asked if I wanted to step outside and smoke. Nope, no time. When I told him that, he stood at my desk hemming and hawing and finally blurted out that he needed some advice. Normally, I am, if not nice, at least reasonably patient with Tech Boy. Today, with papers stacked everywhere, the phone ringing off the hook, my co-worker who does no actual work talking on the phone in the background about their upcoming birthday bash, and the seconds ticking by loudly in my head, his question sent me a little over the line to the dark side!!

I looked at him, glaring daggers I'm sure, and said in my most sarcastic tone, "I'm sorry that my work and absorption in it are cutting into your counseling. Of course, I would LOVE to step outside so I can listen to you whine about your personal life." He obviously, didn't take this very well and slunk away like a thief in the night. Honestly, I feel really bad about being so mean. I just sort of lost it in that moment.

I know that I should apologize but I also know that will turn into an hour long conversation about the cheater and I am just not up to it. Ergggg .... I'm pretty sure it's time for me to buy the Darth Vadar costume and begin wearing it!

Happy Wednesday! (At least I think it's Wednesday. I've lost track of the days since I have no life outside of work!)

And So, It Begins again!

2006-02-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

It's Sunday and I just finished up work that I brought home with me. How sad is it that the actual work week hasn't started and I've already put in 4 hours? I would have done more but I got logged out of the system. Oh well, I'd rather be in the other room with my boy anyway!

I have to say that I have never been a very career or job oriented individual. It's a trite saying but I work to live, not live to work. If I didn't like my boss so much, I would so NOT be putting in the hours that I am. Unfortunately, I do like my boss. I have been promised that help is coming my way soon. It better be real soon because I am on the fast track to burn out.

On a happier note, I did get to spend last night with my boy, just the two of us laughing and having fun. We went out to dinner at a Greek place we've both been looking forward to and after that we got a couple bottles of wine to bring home. We tried to watch SAW II but it was disappointing so we sat and talked for a couple of hours. Very nice. Very nice indeed.

I will post again later this week. I'm sorry for the lack lately. Hopefully, work will ease up soon and I can get back to a normal posting schedule again. I miss my blogger friends!!

Happy Sunday!

Birthday Bash

2006-02-14T20:01:00.000-06:00

My friend A's birthday was this past weekend and we had a great time. Some of the girls and I got together and devised a list of stunts that she had to perform. See below for a couple of her tasks. She lucked out because we ran into a bachelor party and they were more than willing to participate.

1. Lick every bald man's head. (BTW, she loves bald heads. This was not a challenge except for the sweat factor and after a few shots ... she didn't care about that!) completed
2. Air band in the street ... find a drummer, guitar player, and key boardist to help her sing, "You say it's your birthday. It's my birthday too.) Not completed
3. Grab a guy's package. completed, picture to come later
4. Give someone a hickey. completed on bachelor party guy
5. Find someone to moon you. completed
6. Sing "I'm a little Teapot" in the street. completed
7.0 Find a man wearing a thong. He must show us. sadly, not completed ... it would have been a great picture
8. Lots of spanking. completed ... I doubt she can sit down yet. People were MEAN on that one.

That's enough for now. You would think by reading this that we are all teenagers but, sadly, we are all immature 30 somethings.

I am still working like a crazy beast with no end in sight. I'm pretty sure that I am going to either keel over of a heart attack or go completely insane within the next couple of weeks. Ergh .........

Happy Tuesday!

Is Crack the Way to Go?

2006-02-07T20:49:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry for my lack of posts lately. I have been working monster hours at my job and it's going to continue for the next couple of months at least. I am exhausted and may have to take up crack to complete everything that needs to be done! I promise to try and post at least 2x a week, 3 if I can squeeze it in. I miss all my blogger friends' comments and blogs!

Not too much else to report. On Friday, I went to a sex toy party and was completely blown away by some of the new items out there. Can someone tell me why I would need a spiral shaped, vibrating, light up "pleasure toy" for my home? It looked really scary to me. REALLY SCARY!!!

This weekend is my friend, A's, birthday. We have a massive scavenger hunt/stunt list for her to complete. I'll give you more details next week but I can't list any of the very outrageous things she'll be doing because she reads my blog. Good luck, A!! It's going to be FUN!

I hope you are all getting to spend more time with your families than I am. I think my boy thought a stranger was walking in the front door tonight. It's been so long since we've spent an evening together ... sigh.

Happy Tuesday!

Life in the Fast Lane

2006-01-31T10:30:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy, busy. No time to post but I promise to update tomorrow.

Tech Boy 's Obnoxious Odor

2006-01-25T18:23:00.000-06:00

The proxima in our meeting broke today and Tech Boy was called in to fix it. I'm not sure what kind of cologne he was wearing but it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

Sadly, I was sitting right next to the proxima and when the first wave of rancid air hit me, I almost fell out of my chair. I am highly sensitive to perfumes and can't stand heavy ones because they give me a raging headache but this was beyond headacheville. I began sneezing and my eyes started to water. It was horrible.

To top it off, he leaned in to ask if I was all right and that just made it worse. For the rest of the day, all I could smell was Tech Boy. I can still smell him and it is creeping me out. What if I can't get rid of the smell and I have horrible Tech Boy dreams tonight?!! I will promptly jump off the nearest bridge if I have any sort of Tech Boy images in my sleep, especially if he's wearing those leather pants!!

Happy Wednesday!

Hell Week

2006-01-24T18:36:00.000-06:00

I am in meetings all this week at work and I think I might just go insane. I am sitting next to my co-worker who does no actual work and if this person asks one more stupid question, they might just get a mechanical pencil through their hand into the conference table!!

I don't know who's great idea it was to print out a 600 page document and READ IT TO THE EMPLOYEES, but whoever came up with that great concept should seriously consider hiding away in the woods somewhere because I am surely going to hunt them down, skin them with a potato peeler, and roll them in salt over the weekend.

You see what I mean, I am going insane!! INSANE!!!

Meanwhile, my in box is piling up and I have over 600 e-mails to read in just 2 days! I can't imagine how high that number will be by Friday. I will be seriously ready to go out and cause some trouble. Heck, I might even be in the frame of mind to start a bar room brawl, not that I would participate all that well having never been in a fight, but I can break a beer bottle on someone's head. It can't be all that hard.

Well, hats off to everyone this week!

Happy Tuesday!

Threadcount Love

2006-01-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

I got new sheets with a really high threadcount. Wow!! I am never going back to cheap sheets again and will spend most of my weekend lying in bed. It's been a long week and, ahhh .... screw it, I don't care if you think I'm lazy. I just want to nap!!

Happy Friday!

Tech Boy's Wife

2006-01-18T17:39:00.000-06:00

The cheater came to take tech boy to lunch today and wow!! Remember, Mimi, from The Drew Carey Show? It wasn't quite that bad but in a few years a definite possibility!!

She had on hot pink lipstick, fake baked to death skin, and almost fem-mullet hair but with really tall bangs. I think she got stuck in an 80's time warp.

My eyes will never be the same after tech boy's leather pants and now this!!

Happy Wednesday!

My New Toy

2006-01-17T18:06:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the start of bad auditions for American Idol. These are some of the greatest moments in television history and I'm totally addicted!

This is the toy my boy picked up for me last week in honor of my obsession. The cool part is that it has a sucker top, gum in the handle, it lights up, and it plays music so you can sing along. I will be irritating him to death with it tonight while I laugh at the freaks that believe they have talent but in reality should probably be committed.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Crazies

2006-01-16T11:48:00.000-06:00

My friends and I met Saturday night at a local sports bar to watch the Patriots play. Sadly, they did not win and in the last quarter, the band started playing which was incredibly irritating. Even yelling, "You are hurting my ears," and other obnoxious comments wouldn't make them stop. The waiter told us they were a metal band but they looked and sounded more like a bad boy band, aged about 25 years. It wasn't pretty.

After the game, we stayed around to dance, make fun of the band, and have a few beers. My boy abandoned me for the pool tables. The boy band was getting to him, I guess. I took a shot of the dance floor so you can see some of the local color. Why shirts were coming off, I cannot answer.

When I got home, I found this in my purse.

I would just like to send a simple message to my girlfriends ... if you are going to steal the flatware and send it home with me, at least make it a complete set!! I have no spoons and only 3 forks and two knives.

Happy Monday!

Tech Boy's Pants

2006-01-11T20:33:00.000-06:00

Tech boy wore leather pants today. My eyes are still burning!!

Happy Wednesday!

Birthday Hoopla

2006-01-09T18:09:00.000-06:00

Last week was my birthday and typically they kind of suck because it's so close to Christmas. For years, my family would hit the after Christmas clearance racks and buy me the most horrific left-over Christmas sweatshirts and sweaters. I had a wonderfully scary collection going. I would totally appreciate the sentiment of that now but when you are a teenager, not good at all.

This year was great and it turned into a week long celebration! On the actual day, my boy took me shopping for some new shoes. (I got 2 pair. Woo hoo!) We also went to the video store and got the Best of Christopher Walken Sat. Night Live dvd. (I gotta have more cowbell, baby!) After that we headed to Hooters, yes Hooters, and ate dinner. Well, the place was jam packed with men so I text messaged all my girls to join us to scope them out. We had a great time and my boy bought me a semi naughty hooters t-shirt. (Twin Peaks - We'll teach you how to get it up.) One of my friends also gave me a mullet removal shirt for my t-shirt collection with the rule that I can't wear it out on girl's night.

We came home and my boy made my favorite cinammon (sp) cake with a VERY rude candle!

We had friends over for the Rose bowl on Wednesday and then Saturday night was the girl's night out celebration. Imagine 10 girls, on the town, acting crazy. It was a fabulous night and although parts of the evening are a little fuzzy and I had a monster hang over yesterday, it was well worth it. Just ask the man in the cowboy hat with balloons attached. He had a great time too!!

Happy Monday!

Is the Stupid Fairy Walking Around Wacking People?

2006-01-06T19:28:00.000-06:00

Good night!!! This was the longest week in the history of long weeks, in the past 10 years, in the past century .... awwww screw it, in the history of time! Things that happened this week to drive me crazy, please see below.

1. One of my clients changed 100 creatives and orders at least 48 times, and that's all I counted. On her last round of changes, I was ready to jump through the phone and carve her face off with a salad knife!

2. People bottlenecked in the middle of rush hour traffic to get a look at a homeless man sitting on the side of the road. It took me an extra hour to get home from work. Why? WHY?!!! It's not like he was stripping or anything. That would be worth slowing down for. Nope, just sitting there, drinking a beer. I almost pulled over to join him!

3. Somebody drank MY last diet coke from MY mini fridge. Enough said!

4. My mother has called me 17 times this week to ask me stupid questions that I've already answered. 17 TIMES!!! I don't even like to talk to the voices in my head that much. Give me a freaking break! The woman drives me batty!!

5. Tech Boy showed up for work. As if that isn't bad enough, he told me that he and the cheater "made sweet love" while he was on vacation. Ewwww ... did I really need that visual?

That's all I've got to share tonight. It's time for a muscle relaxer and a beer!!

One of my friends, yada yada yada, has started her own blog. Please drop by and welcome her to blogland!! (http://yadayadayada33.blogspot.com/)

Happy weekend!!

New Year

2006-01-02T13:28:00.000-06:00

My boy and I had a very tame New Year's Eve. We played board games, made mimosas and cosmos for me, and whiskey sours for him, and ate lots of junk food. At midnight, I made him go outside and bang on pots and pans with me. It was very noisy and totally satisfying. A very nice change from the typical drive to Austin and partying all night with his college buddies.

I have a strange habit of taking naps in the middle of parties. Just 15 minutes and then I am good to go for the rest of the evening but I always find a corner, an empty room, or sometimes the couch in the middle of the party to nod off for a few minutes. Our friends are amazed at my sleeping abilities when there is so much going on around me. Last year's new year found me sleeping in the living room for my typical nap and waking up when one of my boy's friends lay down on top off me, promising to take care of me if my boy ever did me wrong. I must admit, I missed some of the noise and hustle of a large new year's party but the thought of driving yet again filled me with dread and the thought of being anywhere other than home was not satisfying so we had a quiet evening here and let drinking newbies have the roads for the night.

I hope you all had a safe and happy new year as well. Cheers to a great 2006!!

Changing My Name

2005-12-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

I am the queen of paranoia and it's been bothering me that I had my name listed on my blog so I've changed my signature to Crazy Me. This will show up on your comments now so don't think I abandoned reading and posting to my favorites. I'm still spouting off on your blogs as well as my own! I'm just trying to be a bit more discreet. I have nightmares of someone I know reading this and figuring out that it's me.

Tomorrow I am off for my Ultimate Swedish Massage, one of the fabulous Christmas gifts from my boy. I'm hoping that it will be an hour and a half of bliss. Following that, I am getting my hair cut. I'm toying with the idea of chopping it all off but I doubt I'll go through with it. Any time that I've tried shorter hair, I look like a cross between Ronald McDonald and Richard Simmons on crack! I'll probably just get a trim and be done with it.

Anyway, I doubt I'll post tomorrow so if you don't hear from me, have a great day!

Happy Wednesday!!

Nope, It's Not Raining. That is Pee on Your Leg!

2005-12-27T23:36:00.000-06:00

One holiday weekend down and only one more to go!

I survived my boy's family with no major problems and and actually had a couple of real conversations this visit. I'm still not comfortable around them but my idiot meter only went off a couple of times for some speaking before filtering that I engaged in. Sometimes I wish I weren't quite so sarcastic a person because not everyone gets the things I say but I guess this is who I am, love me or leave me.

My animals were seriously ticked by the time we got home. The cats are still ignoring me and my dog decided to pee on me for a wake up call this morning. Nothing like waking up to your brand new comforter and sheets soaking wet, not to mention yourself. I seriously thought about killing him with my bare hands but threw him outside and took a shower instead. I had to take my new dry clean only comforter in to be cleaned, which is costing a fortune. I'll get it back tomorrow. The little bastard. I'm still, excuse the pun, really pissed!!

Anyway, I'm off to bed now. Hope your holiday was a good one.

Happy Tuesday!

Merry Christmas

2005-12-23T17:28:00.000-06:00

Just got back from the last minute holiday rush shopping and I'm FINALLY done! Woo hoo!!!

My boy and I are leaving tomorrow for our annual Texas triangle journey. We head to Houston in the morning to his mother's and Austin tomorrow night for Christmas day with his dad. We ususally come back Christmas day but my boy wants to stay until Monday which is stressing me out big time. His family is so proper and I am so not. Nobody smokes and the conversation is like pulling teeth. I don't know what it is but I just can't be myself around his family. It is like I have entered some bizarro world where Angela can't come out to play. In my head, I'm sitting in a corner rocking and singing to myself. I will be counting the minutes until we can leave.

Don't get me wrong, his family is very nice. I don't know what it is but you would think after three years together I could carry on a conversation that doesn't include the weather but I can't. So, it's gonna be a looooooong weekend.

I hope you all have safe and fantastic times with your families. I'll post again next week.

Merry Christmas!!