Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Quickie
I need, in no particular order, the following:
two new bras (one black, one beige - the wimmins understand)
a milkshake
booze...lots of it
a day off
better time management skills so I can get all of my work done in a normal work day
a lackey to come organize my server area at work, because DAY-UM
someone to come do my laundry for me, because again with the DAY-UM
ok, let's face facts here, I need a mommy
time to actually FINISH one of the eleventy-jabillion books I've started lately
a kiss from my boyfriend (aaaaaw)
some ice for my not-quite-so-iced-anymore-tea
a pedicure (boy howdy do I need one of these)
any word on that milkshake?
Work is currently kicking my ASS, I've had a headache for 2 days - one of the railroad spike to the temple specialties too...loads o'fun, and I'm fighting that runaway car feeling again - you know, that feeling like everything in your life is spiraling out of control and there's not a damn thing you can do about it?
"Make a list."
Um..OK..yeah - I'll get right on that. First item - BREATHE.
So...eh - I don't mean to whine, but it's my journal and dammit I will. In reality, life's fucking peachy right now. Financially, I'm doing OK. I could learn to save money a little bit better, but my bills are getting paid, my kid and my cats are fed and I'm not freaking the fuck out like I was a couple of months ago. I'm not in danger of having to sell my ass or live under a bridge or anything....so...that's good.
Physically, the headache bites goat sack, but I'm OK. I joined a gym and actually WENT and have discovered that I do indeed still have muscles in my legs and ass, because now they all hurt. Goody. I can still run, and I still look like a penguin on meth when I do so. So yeah...that's good.
The kiddo and I aren't seeing a whole lot of each other lately, just 'cause I've got a boyfriend and the aforementioned work-kicked ass and she's doing the summer thing, where teenage girls turn into groups of locusts, moving from house to house, cleaning out the fridge and spending the night, only leaving behind empty Coke cans and the sounds of "ooohmagoodd!" (yes, they still say that.) But when we do see each other, we get along great. Well, Ok...great for a 13 year-old girl and her MOM...granted. I'm taking off next Monday (Hey! I get one of the things on my list! Cool) to hang out and do some girl stuff, so...that's good.
Max...heh..Max and I are doing just fine, thank you. That's very good.
There's tons and tons of stuff I want to talk about here, but I just don't have the time or energy to write it out right now. Feh. So instead, you get this. A list and a bullet update. Sorry guys. But seriously - in the past two weeks I've had server after server go tits up in one fashion or another and it's just been mass hysteria at work, and I've got upgrades coming up and a move at the end of August and AAAAAHHH!!!! So - soon! A rant on the myth of maternal instinct! and I'll tell you about my sex life! And some open letters! Or maybe you'll just see your local newscasters giggling about the chick in Texas who was found on the roof of her office building, mumbling "list list, need a list....list list, need a list..."
Who knows?
Kisses.
two new bras (one black, one beige - the wimmins understand)
a milkshake
booze...lots of it
a day off
better time management skills so I can get all of my work done in a normal work day
a lackey to come organize my server area at work, because DAY-UM
someone to come do my laundry for me, because again with the DAY-UM
ok, let's face facts here, I need a mommy
time to actually FINISH one of the eleventy-jabillion books I've started lately
a kiss from my boyfriend (aaaaaw)
some ice for my not-quite-so-iced-anymore-tea
a pedicure (boy howdy do I need one of these)
any word on that milkshake?
Work is currently kicking my ASS, I've had a headache for 2 days - one of the railroad spike to the temple specialties too...loads o'fun, and I'm fighting that runaway car feeling again - you know, that feeling like everything in your life is spiraling out of control and there's not a damn thing you can do about it?
"Make a list."
Um..OK..yeah - I'll get right on that. First item - BREATHE.
So...eh - I don't mean to whine, but it's my journal and dammit I will. In reality, life's fucking peachy right now. Financially, I'm doing OK. I could learn to save money a little bit better, but my bills are getting paid, my kid and my cats are fed and I'm not freaking the fuck out like I was a couple of months ago. I'm not in danger of having to sell my ass or live under a bridge or anything....so...that's good.
Physically, the headache bites goat sack, but I'm OK. I joined a gym and actually WENT and have discovered that I do indeed still have muscles in my legs and ass, because now they all hurt. Goody. I can still run, and I still look like a penguin on meth when I do so. So yeah...that's good.
The kiddo and I aren't seeing a whole lot of each other lately, just 'cause I've got a boyfriend and the aforementioned work-kicked ass and she's doing the summer thing, where teenage girls turn into groups of locusts, moving from house to house, cleaning out the fridge and spending the night, only leaving behind empty Coke cans and the sounds of "ooohmagoodd!" (yes, they still say that.) But when we do see each other, we get along great. Well, Ok...great for a 13 year-old girl and her MOM...granted. I'm taking off next Monday (Hey! I get one of the things on my list! Cool) to hang out and do some girl stuff, so...that's good.
Max...heh..Max and I are doing just fine, thank you. That's very good.
There's tons and tons of stuff I want to talk about here, but I just don't have the time or energy to write it out right now. Feh. So instead, you get this. A list and a bullet update. Sorry guys. But seriously - in the past two weeks I've had server after server go tits up in one fashion or another and it's just been mass hysteria at work, and I've got upgrades coming up and a move at the end of August and AAAAAHHH!!!! So - soon! A rant on the myth of maternal instinct! and I'll tell you about my sex life! And some open letters! Or maybe you'll just see your local newscasters giggling about the chick in Texas who was found on the roof of her office building, mumbling "list list, need a list....list list, need a list..."
Who knows?
Kisses.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Stranger danger
Question - Does a salad justify fried mozzarella sticks, or do fried mozzarella sticks cancel out the salad?? Discuss.
I've been inhabited lately by this awful woman. Seriously, this bitch is just....foul. She's not mean or vicious. I'm sure she'd make perfectly acceptable dinner company and she could be trusted to watch your children or your cats and maybe even water your plants on a regular basis. If you had her over for dinner, she probably wouldn't drink the last beer or clog the toilets or do anything gross in the flowerboxes. You might even want to go shopping with her. She's a snappy dresser!! If you don't mind flip-flops (see below.) But dude...I wouldn't want to date her, and I'm certainly not enjoying BEING her.
This woman is not me. I do not know who this woman is. I want her gone, evicted, booted out, shit-canned, eighty-sixed, exorcised, outta here. Whatever it takes. An old priest and a young priest? Fine. A diet? Fine. New meds? Fine. A daily exercise regimen? Fine. Give up alcohol? Well....let's not get crazy.
Seriously...I'm hearing the drivel coming out of my mouth and I just want to slap myself. Has this ever happened to you? You hear yourself talk and you just want to step outside of your body and yell at yourself?? Hmm...perhaps we've found part of the problem already.....
In the past two weeks, I've accused my boyfriend of not being attracted to me (Yes! Already! I KNOW!!) I've taken things personally that had NOTHING to do with me, I've cried for no reason, I've gotten mad for no reason, I've woken up angry, I've
gone to bed angry (I've been at home ALONE people!), I've flipped off total strangers for no good reason, I've generally turned into this surly, weepy, insecure, whiny, stompy, angry, grumpy, bitchy woman that I just do NOT WANT TO BE.
BAH.
Max has not done a single damn thing to EVER ever make me believe he doesn't find me interesting in any way. The woman he was attracted to was NOT this insecure, mealy-mouthed little bitch, but I can guaran-damn-tee you the woman he gets annoyed with
will be her. Wow...that was some awkward sentence structure right there....you might need to stretch a little after reading that...ow. But you got the point right? This version of Laura? She's that Nightmare Insecure High Maintenance Girlfriend. She's the woman I have prided myself on NOT BEING for 34 years. Ask my ex-husband, and even HE will tell you that I certainly have my issues, but this? NO, I'm not usually like this. "Do yeeew still loooove meeeee???" "Whaaat are yeew
thiiiinkiiiing???" Glllaaaaarrrgggg. Somebody shoot me! Pleeze.
So yeah - Max? I'm sorry baby. It's not you, it's me. Heh.
The other stuff??? I dunno....just weird stuff, like I've been convinced that the reason why BFF hasn't emailed me on some sort of regular basis (regular according to whom??) is because I've committed some kind of egregious error. I've pissed her
off in some way - by going to happy hours with the Austin crew (??) by taking pictures of the wrong things at the wedding rehearsal (wha?) by drinking two beers at the baseball game when we were in Lincoln (she got me the second one - hell, she
upgraded it!!) It couldn't possibly be that she's newly married, newly pregnant, just moved to a new town and just started a new job. Noooo - it's ALL. ABOUT. ME. See? Narcissism and paranoia - two great tastes that go great together!
Last night I almost got out of my truck and told a trucker to fuck off because I *thought* he honked his horn at me. Wrap your mind fully around this mental image: Me - in a sleeveless top, skirt and sparkly flip-flops (yes, I'm one of those women,
shut.up.) getting out of my car in the DARK on I-35, which has ONE LANE BLOCKED OFF, to go stand at the driver's side of an 18-WHEELER to tell the driver to fuck off, because I THOUGHT he honked at me. UM. Yeah. That's not the first time I had to talk myself down from a ledge over the past couple of weeks, either.
That, and the fatigue, and the obvious lack of focus exhibited in yesterday's entry (I swear, no crack was involved in that, I just got to a certain point and threw up my hands in disgust and hit publish) and I..just..I....I quit.
I had an appointment with the meds doc yesterday (as my entire readership - all 3 of you - breathes a sigh of relief) and she upped the meds I'm on...which is new stuff from what I HAD been on, which...eh...long story. My "issues" are not even comparable to some folks out there - we won't even start that discussion. I could probably deal with the grumpies - sometimes I actually sort of enjoy being in a bad mood. Hee. Stomping around all sort of angrily, projecting this kind of aura of "fuck off" is kind of nice - especially when you're 5'10" and have the physical presence to back it off. I am NOT one of those women that gets told "aw, you're cute when you're angry." I get told something more like, "dude...don't hit me, OK?" So being angry is not really that big of a deal to me. But I don't like walking around feeling defensive all the time, I do NOT like feeling like I'm going to cry all the time, and I most definitely do NOT enjoy being the type of woman who asks her boyfriend "what are you thinking?" when really all he's doing is wondering if he needs to get his oil changed or not.
Any of you folks need a roommate? I'll pay the bitch's first month rent!!! bah!!!
I've been inhabited lately by this awful woman. Seriously, this bitch is just....foul. She's not mean or vicious. I'm sure she'd make perfectly acceptable dinner company and she could be trusted to watch your children or your cats and maybe even water your plants on a regular basis. If you had her over for dinner, she probably wouldn't drink the last beer or clog the toilets or do anything gross in the flowerboxes. You might even want to go shopping with her. She's a snappy dresser!! If you don't mind flip-flops (see below.) But dude...I wouldn't want to date her, and I'm certainly not enjoying BEING her.
This woman is not me. I do not know who this woman is. I want her gone, evicted, booted out, shit-canned, eighty-sixed, exorcised, outta here. Whatever it takes. An old priest and a young priest? Fine. A diet? Fine. New meds? Fine. A daily exercise regimen? Fine. Give up alcohol? Well....let's not get crazy.
Seriously...I'm hearing the drivel coming out of my mouth and I just want to slap myself. Has this ever happened to you? You hear yourself talk and you just want to step outside of your body and yell at yourself?? Hmm...perhaps we've found part of the problem already.....
In the past two weeks, I've accused my boyfriend of not being attracted to me (Yes! Already! I KNOW!!) I've taken things personally that had NOTHING to do with me, I've cried for no reason, I've gotten mad for no reason, I've woken up angry, I've
gone to bed angry (I've been at home ALONE people!), I've flipped off total strangers for no good reason, I've generally turned into this surly, weepy, insecure, whiny, stompy, angry, grumpy, bitchy woman that I just do NOT WANT TO BE.
BAH.
Max has not done a single damn thing to EVER ever make me believe he doesn't find me interesting in any way. The woman he was attracted to was NOT this insecure, mealy-mouthed little bitch, but I can guaran-damn-tee you the woman he gets annoyed with
will be her. Wow...that was some awkward sentence structure right there....you might need to stretch a little after reading that...ow. But you got the point right? This version of Laura? She's that Nightmare Insecure High Maintenance Girlfriend. She's the woman I have prided myself on NOT BEING for 34 years. Ask my ex-husband, and even HE will tell you that I certainly have my issues, but this? NO, I'm not usually like this. "Do yeeew still loooove meeeee???" "Whaaat are yeew
thiiiinkiiiing???" Glllaaaaarrrgggg. Somebody shoot me! Pleeze.
So yeah - Max? I'm sorry baby. It's not you, it's me. Heh.
The other stuff??? I dunno....just weird stuff, like I've been convinced that the reason why BFF hasn't emailed me on some sort of regular basis (regular according to whom??) is because I've committed some kind of egregious error. I've pissed her
off in some way - by going to happy hours with the Austin crew (??) by taking pictures of the wrong things at the wedding rehearsal (wha?) by drinking two beers at the baseball game when we were in Lincoln (she got me the second one - hell, she
upgraded it!!) It couldn't possibly be that she's newly married, newly pregnant, just moved to a new town and just started a new job. Noooo - it's ALL. ABOUT. ME. See? Narcissism and paranoia - two great tastes that go great together!
Last night I almost got out of my truck and told a trucker to fuck off because I *thought* he honked his horn at me. Wrap your mind fully around this mental image: Me - in a sleeveless top, skirt and sparkly flip-flops (yes, I'm one of those women,
shut.up.) getting out of my car in the DARK on I-35, which has ONE LANE BLOCKED OFF, to go stand at the driver's side of an 18-WHEELER to tell the driver to fuck off, because I THOUGHT he honked at me. UM. Yeah. That's not the first time I had to talk myself down from a ledge over the past couple of weeks, either.
That, and the fatigue, and the obvious lack of focus exhibited in yesterday's entry (I swear, no crack was involved in that, I just got to a certain point and threw up my hands in disgust and hit publish) and I..just..I....I quit.
I had an appointment with the meds doc yesterday (as my entire readership - all 3 of you - breathes a sigh of relief) and she upped the meds I'm on...which is new stuff from what I HAD been on, which...eh...long story. My "issues" are not even comparable to some folks out there - we won't even start that discussion. I could probably deal with the grumpies - sometimes I actually sort of enjoy being in a bad mood. Hee. Stomping around all sort of angrily, projecting this kind of aura of "fuck off" is kind of nice - especially when you're 5'10" and have the physical presence to back it off. I am NOT one of those women that gets told "aw, you're cute when you're angry." I get told something more like, "dude...don't hit me, OK?" So being angry is not really that big of a deal to me. But I don't like walking around feeling defensive all the time, I do NOT like feeling like I'm going to cry all the time, and I most definitely do NOT enjoy being the type of woman who asks her boyfriend "what are you thinking?" when really all he's doing is wondering if he needs to get his oil changed or not.
Any of you folks need a roommate? I'll pay the bitch's first month rent!!! bah!!!
Monday, July 18, 2005
I...don't...know.....
Ok, first?? HA!!!
Second - Yes! I'm still alive! HI!
Last week was The Suck at work. I don't really want to talk too much about work stuff here because HI - I like to eat. Suffice it to say, Suu-uuu-uuu-UCK.
I am tired. I do not know why I am so tired. Every time I say I'm tired at work, I get leered at. Which y'know..if that were why I were so tired, I probably wouldn't be so tired, in a bizarre twist of logic.
Seriously, don't you find that when you get to spend the night before staying up screwing, you're not really *tired* the next day, whereas if you stay up until 3AM drinking, fighting, reading, watching TV, whatevering - you're just exhausted? No....just me? I'm the only....? OK-never-mind-moving-on..
So no - despite the wonderful and insanely talented Max, I am not tired due to a wacky schedule of trapeze sex. Sorry to disappoint. I'm just...tired. I remember feeling this way before I started taking meds. This constant low level fatigue, this feeling of being able to just curl up and take a nap anywhere, anytime. I go over to Max's after work for a visit and it's tempting to just curl up in his bed instead of hanging out. I get home - sleep please. I'm hitting my snooze ....lots. Thing is? I'm not sleeping worth a SHIT at night. So..um..what the?
I remember before I started the AD's that I was tired all the time - that's normal. But I also remember that I could sleep like a mofo. The first couple of questions they ask you in a depression screening are "do you have trouble sleeping?" NO!! And "Do you have problems with your appetite?" um...only if you consider the fact that I EAT LIKE A FUCKING PIG a problem....???
So yeah....this no sleep thing? This is new and weird and entirely unwelcome. I like my sleep. I've always enjoyed the fact that I CAN sleep, that I need very few rituals or special blankets or pillows or any of that. As long as the temperature is reasonable and I'm not sleeping on ground glass, I'm usually good to go for at least the first night. The notable exception is hotels. I can NOT sleep in a hotel (motel, whatever) for the first, like, three nights. Which makes me a cranky bitch on vacation...which yes, Virginia, defies the whole purpose of vacation. This is why I like vacations that involve a surplus of alcohol and a dearth of itineraries. Really - it's best for everyone involved if the closest thing to setting an itinerary on my vacation goes something like this:
"Ok, Laura - we have to be at the airport at noon in 4 days. Can you be sober and packed by then??"
"Absholooodley....had me anudder beer and go 'way."
heh
Actually - I'm a blast to travel with. NO! Really! I fall asleep in the car, unless I'm driving, which I'm totally willing to do. I'm not terribly picky about where I pee or eat on the road. I'm pretty flexible about temperature and music - I'm like a dog! Wait....
I just don't like over-planned trips.
And I digress...a lot...because somehow I got from the fact that my meds need to be either changed or increased to the fact that traveling with me is a lot like traveling with a Jack Russell with a license.
Thus proving my point.....y'all have a good one.
Second - Yes! I'm still alive! HI!
Last week was The Suck at work. I don't really want to talk too much about work stuff here because HI - I like to eat. Suffice it to say, Suu-uuu-uuu-UCK.
I am tired. I do not know why I am so tired. Every time I say I'm tired at work, I get leered at. Which y'know..if that were why I were so tired, I probably wouldn't be so tired, in a bizarre twist of logic.
Seriously, don't you find that when you get to spend the night before staying up screwing, you're not really *tired* the next day, whereas if you stay up until 3AM drinking, fighting, reading, watching TV, whatevering - you're just exhausted? No....just me? I'm the only....? OK-never-mind-moving-on..
So no - despite the wonderful and insanely talented Max, I am not tired due to a wacky schedule of trapeze sex. Sorry to disappoint. I'm just...tired. I remember feeling this way before I started taking meds. This constant low level fatigue, this feeling of being able to just curl up and take a nap anywhere, anytime. I go over to Max's after work for a visit and it's tempting to just curl up in his bed instead of hanging out. I get home - sleep please. I'm hitting my snooze ....lots. Thing is? I'm not sleeping worth a SHIT at night. So..um..what the?
I remember before I started the AD's that I was tired all the time - that's normal. But I also remember that I could sleep like a mofo. The first couple of questions they ask you in a depression screening are "do you have trouble sleeping?" NO!! And "Do you have problems with your appetite?" um...only if you consider the fact that I EAT LIKE A FUCKING PIG a problem....???
So yeah....this no sleep thing? This is new and weird and entirely unwelcome. I like my sleep. I've always enjoyed the fact that I CAN sleep, that I need very few rituals or special blankets or pillows or any of that. As long as the temperature is reasonable and I'm not sleeping on ground glass, I'm usually good to go for at least the first night. The notable exception is hotels. I can NOT sleep in a hotel (motel, whatever) for the first, like, three nights. Which makes me a cranky bitch on vacation...which yes, Virginia, defies the whole purpose of vacation. This is why I like vacations that involve a surplus of alcohol and a dearth of itineraries. Really - it's best for everyone involved if the closest thing to setting an itinerary on my vacation goes something like this:
"Ok, Laura - we have to be at the airport at noon in 4 days. Can you be sober and packed by then??"
"Absholooodley....had me anudder beer and go 'way."
heh
Actually - I'm a blast to travel with. NO! Really! I fall asleep in the car, unless I'm driving, which I'm totally willing to do. I'm not terribly picky about where I pee or eat on the road. I'm pretty flexible about temperature and music - I'm like a dog! Wait....
I just don't like over-planned trips.
And I digress...a lot...because somehow I got from the fact that my meds need to be either changed or increased to the fact that traveling with me is a lot like traveling with a Jack Russell with a license.
Thus proving my point.....y'all have a good one.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Great Plains Road Trip of '05
HI! Yeah, we went to Kansas and Nebraska, we met Jane, we saw BFF, we're back, that's it.
What? you want more? Oh, fine.
We hit I35, heading north about 8AM on Friday. We drove....for a loooong time. About 45 years later we made it through Oklahoma. Seriously - Oklahoma takes a long time to get through. I'm from Texas, y'all - I KNOW from taking forever to get through a state. Maybe it's because Oklahoma was just sort of in my way the whole time. No offense, Oklahoma - I'm sure you're a lovely state. Actually, driving through, the southern part is just gorgeous. But...I wasn't visiting anything/body there - just trying to get through it. Anyway, Oklahoma - it goes on forever. You probably won't see that on their license plates anytime soon.
Yes, Jane did indeed greet me by pulling a knife on me. Actually, she greeted me with "I don't hug", THEN she pulled a knife on me. But then she offered me a slice of the fresh peach that she was slicing with aforementioned knife, so it was all good. She then proceeded to spend the rest of the visit offering me beer and food - which is the quickest way to my heart. If you're ever in Kansas (or Nebraska - they sell it there too!(I'm sure it's available in other parts of the Midwest, just not Texas, sob!)) there's this Boulevard wheat beer (Jane, help me out here) that's just delicious. Get some, consume, lather, rinse, repeat. One warning - do not consume with food, or you will soon resemble a beached whale. WHEAT BEER. Just sayin'.
The in-law's house is lovely - Paco's dad apparently built it himself, and it is bee-yoo-tee-ful.
Jane is adorable - do not let anything she says about herself in her journal fool you. She also talks EXACTLY how she writes - big words and all. LOVE!!
Paco, Holly and Elliot are all just as beautiful in person as they are in pictures. I know - unbelievable, huh?? Kiddo's remark - "That entire family has beautiful blue eyes - all four of them. It's just disgusting." Hee.
Our visit was entirely too short - made shorter by the fact that I'm a complete dork and didn't pay any attention to the directions given to me by Mapquest, BFF AND my boyfriend. BAH. So yeah - going to Salina, KS?? TAKE 135!!!!! Just a suggestion.
Also? The folks in Kansas? So friendly!! The toll road employees are very nice when you do things like freak out and hysterically tell them that you have taken the wrong exit and need to pull a U-turn in the middle of the toll plaza. They stopped traffic for me! (BTW - that was my exit and totally where I SHOULD have gotten off. HEH) They are also really understanding when you do things like HIT THE TOLL BOOTH (yep) in an effort to get closer (??) and then ask for directions to a bathroom (the kid needed to go!) and then give them a 10 dollar bill for a 75 cent toll. Hee. No wonder Texans have such a bad rep. HI! SORRY KANSAS!! I'm actually really cool! Call me!
So yeah. Kansas - y'all rock. Next time I'll stay longer and try not to dork out quite so much in your state. Oh, and I'll obey the speed limit (thanks for just letting me off with just a warning, Mr. State Trooper Guy - also very friendly!!) and I'll actually spend some money, instead of just using the bathrooms for free. Hee.
The next morning there was coffee and cinnamon rolls and gossip and then we left for Nebraska. Wheee! Our directions to BFF's house involved the phrase "look for the 'Prick of the Prairie'" (the Nebraska capitol building, which is actually quite lovely, but does indeed look like a giant penis. Uncut. Just sayin'.)
BFF and To be named* have a cute little red brick house on the Sout' Siiiide of Lincoln. heh. Seriously. Cuuuute red brick house, garden in the back (with rabbits! who has rabbits in the city limits?? Folks who live in Lincoln, NE, that's who!!)
Oh, the next three days are a blur of food and fireworks. We went to a Saltdogs game, which was! SO! FUN! The Saltdogs kicked ASS, BTW. I don't even LIKE baseball, and I had a blast.
The next day, we went to TBN's parent's house, where there was foooooooood. Oh my GOD, was there food. Fruit salad, fresh pea salad, potato salad, this corn/macaroni and cheese casserole stuff, loose meat sandwiches, Polish dogs, regular hot dogs, sliced tomatoes, pasta salad and four different desserts (home made ice cream w/ home made fudge sauce, brownies with frosting, brownies WITHOUT frosting and some sort of cherry bar thing.)
Admittedly, there were 17 people there - BUT!!! There were LEFTOVERS!!! GAH!!! SO. MUCH. FOOD.
I think I may still be digesting portions of that meal. uuuuuuuh.
And there were fireworks. Good lord, were there fireworks. Apparently the laws about fireworks are a little different in Nebraska than in Texas, in that you can actually, oooh, GET THEM AND SET THEM OFF, so TBN and his brothers (3 of the 5, he also has a sister) had around $200 worth of fireworks, ranging from those black cats, to the little sparkly whirly things that stay on the ground, to the BIG boom! WOW! things that I just don't know the name of. yeah...cooooool. Hours, and I mean that literally, of entertainment.
Now see - that was the THIRD of July. We'd had fireworks on Friday night when we came in to Kansas (thanks Elliot!), on Saturday at the Saltdogs game, on the third at the Named's place, so on the fourth, what did we do?? Why we sat on the front lawn of BFF's house and watched a whole bunch of shows in the distance. Again, lots of fireworks available to just normal folks living in the city limits. Then, we had two professional shows that we could see off in the distance. And then - at 10:00, the good stuff - the Lincoln Country Club started their show. Whooo!! And after that, there was pie. Because the pregnant lady needed pie.
Oh? Did I forget to mention that part?? Heh. BFF is pregnant! WHOO! (Actually, I've known since mid-May, but we've reached the official "it's OK to announce time" so - Hey Internet! My best friend's gonna have a baaaybeeeee!!) So yeah, at one point we were joking around w/ sparklers and somebody mentioned apple pie, and she got that pregnant lady gleam in her eye. Luckily, Village Inn (yum) was open late on the 4th and we scooted in for some 11PM pie. Whee.
The next day, we left. SOB!!! And we drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. And then for kicks, we drove some more. And then we got to Oklahoma, where I gave up and decided to just move to the side of the highway, which is where I'm sitting right now while I write this.
No - seriously - I pulled a marathon driving thing (left Lincoln about 10AM, pulled into Round Rock about 11:30PM) got lectured the next day about how unsafe that was by my mother (thanks mom) and now I'm back.
It was fun. Loads and loads of fun. Next time, I will fly.
Heh.
Smooches!!
*I couldn't think of a pseudonym, so he got that, and I think I like it, so there we go - BFF's husband shall now be referred to as TBN. Don't like it? Start your own journal and give him a name of your own. hmph.
What? you want more? Oh, fine.
We hit I35, heading north about 8AM on Friday. We drove....for a loooong time. About 45 years later we made it through Oklahoma. Seriously - Oklahoma takes a long time to get through. I'm from Texas, y'all - I KNOW from taking forever to get through a state. Maybe it's because Oklahoma was just sort of in my way the whole time. No offense, Oklahoma - I'm sure you're a lovely state. Actually, driving through, the southern part is just gorgeous. But...I wasn't visiting anything/body there - just trying to get through it. Anyway, Oklahoma - it goes on forever. You probably won't see that on their license plates anytime soon.
Yes, Jane did indeed greet me by pulling a knife on me. Actually, she greeted me with "I don't hug", THEN she pulled a knife on me. But then she offered me a slice of the fresh peach that she was slicing with aforementioned knife, so it was all good. She then proceeded to spend the rest of the visit offering me beer and food - which is the quickest way to my heart. If you're ever in Kansas (or Nebraska - they sell it there too!(I'm sure it's available in other parts of the Midwest, just not Texas, sob!)) there's this Boulevard wheat beer (Jane, help me out here) that's just delicious. Get some, consume, lather, rinse, repeat. One warning - do not consume with food, or you will soon resemble a beached whale. WHEAT BEER. Just sayin'.
The in-law's house is lovely - Paco's dad apparently built it himself, and it is bee-yoo-tee-ful.
Jane is adorable - do not let anything she says about herself in her journal fool you. She also talks EXACTLY how she writes - big words and all. LOVE!!
Paco, Holly and Elliot are all just as beautiful in person as they are in pictures. I know - unbelievable, huh?? Kiddo's remark - "That entire family has beautiful blue eyes - all four of them. It's just disgusting." Hee.
Our visit was entirely too short - made shorter by the fact that I'm a complete dork and didn't pay any attention to the directions given to me by Mapquest, BFF AND my boyfriend. BAH. So yeah - going to Salina, KS?? TAKE 135!!!!! Just a suggestion.
Also? The folks in Kansas? So friendly!! The toll road employees are very nice when you do things like freak out and hysterically tell them that you have taken the wrong exit and need to pull a U-turn in the middle of the toll plaza. They stopped traffic for me! (BTW - that was my exit and totally where I SHOULD have gotten off. HEH) They are also really understanding when you do things like HIT THE TOLL BOOTH (yep) in an effort to get closer (??) and then ask for directions to a bathroom (the kid needed to go!) and then give them a 10 dollar bill for a 75 cent toll. Hee. No wonder Texans have such a bad rep. HI! SORRY KANSAS!! I'm actually really cool! Call me!
So yeah. Kansas - y'all rock. Next time I'll stay longer and try not to dork out quite so much in your state. Oh, and I'll obey the speed limit (thanks for just letting me off with just a warning, Mr. State Trooper Guy - also very friendly!!) and I'll actually spend some money, instead of just using the bathrooms for free. Hee.
The next morning there was coffee and cinnamon rolls and gossip and then we left for Nebraska. Wheee! Our directions to BFF's house involved the phrase "look for the 'Prick of the Prairie'" (the Nebraska capitol building, which is actually quite lovely, but does indeed look like a giant penis. Uncut. Just sayin'.)
BFF and To be named* have a cute little red brick house on the Sout' Siiiide of Lincoln. heh. Seriously. Cuuuute red brick house, garden in the back (with rabbits! who has rabbits in the city limits?? Folks who live in Lincoln, NE, that's who!!)
Oh, the next three days are a blur of food and fireworks. We went to a Saltdogs game, which was! SO! FUN! The Saltdogs kicked ASS, BTW. I don't even LIKE baseball, and I had a blast.
The next day, we went to TBN's parent's house, where there was foooooooood. Oh my GOD, was there food. Fruit salad, fresh pea salad, potato salad, this corn/macaroni and cheese casserole stuff, loose meat sandwiches, Polish dogs, regular hot dogs, sliced tomatoes, pasta salad and four different desserts (home made ice cream w/ home made fudge sauce, brownies with frosting, brownies WITHOUT frosting and some sort of cherry bar thing.)
Admittedly, there were 17 people there - BUT!!! There were LEFTOVERS!!! GAH!!! SO. MUCH. FOOD.
I think I may still be digesting portions of that meal. uuuuuuuh.
And there were fireworks. Good lord, were there fireworks. Apparently the laws about fireworks are a little different in Nebraska than in Texas, in that you can actually, oooh, GET THEM AND SET THEM OFF, so TBN and his brothers (3 of the 5, he also has a sister) had around $200 worth of fireworks, ranging from those black cats, to the little sparkly whirly things that stay on the ground, to the BIG boom! WOW! things that I just don't know the name of. yeah...cooooool. Hours, and I mean that literally, of entertainment.
Now see - that was the THIRD of July. We'd had fireworks on Friday night when we came in to Kansas (thanks Elliot!), on Saturday at the Saltdogs game, on the third at the Named's place, so on the fourth, what did we do?? Why we sat on the front lawn of BFF's house and watched a whole bunch of shows in the distance. Again, lots of fireworks available to just normal folks living in the city limits. Then, we had two professional shows that we could see off in the distance. And then - at 10:00, the good stuff - the Lincoln Country Club started their show. Whooo!! And after that, there was pie. Because the pregnant lady needed pie.
Oh? Did I forget to mention that part?? Heh. BFF is pregnant! WHOO! (Actually, I've known since mid-May, but we've reached the official "it's OK to announce time" so - Hey Internet! My best friend's gonna have a baaaybeeeee!!) So yeah, at one point we were joking around w/ sparklers and somebody mentioned apple pie, and she got that pregnant lady gleam in her eye. Luckily, Village Inn (yum) was open late on the 4th and we scooted in for some 11PM pie. Whee.
The next day, we left. SOB!!! And we drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. And then for kicks, we drove some more. And then we got to Oklahoma, where I gave up and decided to just move to the side of the highway, which is where I'm sitting right now while I write this.
No - seriously - I pulled a marathon driving thing (left Lincoln about 10AM, pulled into Round Rock about 11:30PM) got lectured the next day about how unsafe that was by my mother (thanks mom) and now I'm back.
It was fun. Loads and loads of fun. Next time, I will fly.
Heh.
Smooches!!
*I couldn't think of a pseudonym, so he got that, and I think I like it, so there we go - BFF's husband shall now be referred to as TBN. Don't like it? Start your own journal and give him a name of your own. hmph.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
workin' on it
Trip re-cap in progress. But let me just say - Oklahoma?? Takes for-fucking-EVER to get through. GAh!!!!
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