au A hula

Happy Thanksgiving!

i feel like poop on a stick. i have been sick the last few days with bronchitis and a sinus infection. yucky yuck yuck! being sick sucks. you can’t do anything, it’s really boring. and i’m sleepy all the time!

before i got sick, i decided to go ahead and start celebrating Christmas. i came to the conclusion, based on what happened last year, and passed experiences that i really don’t like Thanksgiving. never really been big on that particular holiday. now, that doesn’t mean i’ m not all-American and don’t appreciate the whole Pilgrim/Native American shindig that happened billions of years ago… I just really don’t like the holiday today.

so i’ve decided to skip Thanksgiving all together. haven’t really told the family yet. but maybe they will understand. they may be getting the idea, because i have already decorated my apartment for Christmas and put up my tree, got my Christmas cards ready to mail and getting almost done with my shopping. .. think they might be suspecting something different going on.

well, here’s to getting over malaria!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Here’s to getting the “Big One”…

Happy Opening Weekend!

… my three favorite places.

i’m going to Hawaii! unfortunately it’s not a one-way flight. i’m only going to be there for 9 days and it’s for a family thing on the Big Island. but hey, i’ll take anything i can get. my family is taking bets on whether or not i “miss” the flight back to Texas. (oh, i’m going the week before Christmas).

i’m going to Houston! yea. (notice the sarcasm). no really, i love Houston and miss it terribly! i am going tuesday-wednesday for a meeting at the blood center. hopefully, i will get to see the old “NASA gang” and maybe Maricar too. although, i haven’t really talked to her and told her i was coming yet. hmm… should probably do that.

i’m going home! well, that would be hawaii… but i guess i’ll talk about my apartment/Nac. i am really getting settled here in Nac. it’s not as bad as i thought it would be. last friday i spent with friends and family of the friends on a deer lease out in the woods. we had a fire, smores, beer, and even sang “deer-camp” songs. good ‘ole time was had by all. the weekend before this was the county fair, complete with tractor pulls and mud bogging. i am staying pretty well entertained, although it is a far cry from the clubs of midtown and flying from city to city like i had been used to for so long. like i said… i’m getting settled.

i even bought new furniture!

in honor of my birthday, i shall compose you a poem…

There once was a girl that lived in a shoe,
Surf the internet was all she could do.
‘Til once day she met a prince,
Things haven’t been the same since.
They laughed and they played,
And compared the price of hay.
Then finally it was time,
For the two of them to dine,
On crackers and cheap wine.
To bed they went (and)
There forever they spent.
The End.

like i said… in honor of Bad Poetry Day. tee-hee!

go to this website and find out what bad holiday your birthday is.

…where the locals value the price of deer corn at gas stations more than the price of gas.

no, really. one of the signs of the times that fall/winter has come to east texas is the (rather large) presence of deer corn at every gas station, mini-market, and grocery store in the country. if you were to first look at one of the small towns here, you would think we were getting ready for a flood… pallets of bags makeup barrack-like structures that could easily be confused with sandbags. but no. no weather protection will come from these kind of bags. their only function is to satisfy the hunger of the avid deer hunter’s soul that lives in hearts of (most) native east texans. and price compare, they do. you are more likely to hear conversation over the average price of deer corn in the place of concerns over the price of gas…or really anything else…

unless, of course, its about the price of hay.

Midget Wrestling.

one of the most popular weekends in nacogdoches has come to an end.

yes, this weekend was not only the end of fraternity rush (i.e. Steps) it was also the weekend of the Do Dat Barbecue. teams of rednecks from all around gathered at the Expo for the 22nd annual barbecue competition benefiting, oh i don’t know… something. basically, its a huge drunk fest and the beer use to even be free (now its BYOB). oh, its great fun! walking around making fun of really drunk rednecks and eating really awesome barbecue. did i mention the firefighters dance and the lawn mower races?

anyways, this year i just went the night before and hung out with the HEB team. i didn’t go into the dance, it was pretty lame i was told. so we just hung out while everyone cooked and drank. good times. saw some interesting stuff.

saturday, started off as family day with a trip to Sandyland which by the way it sounds makes me think of board game and a beach. anyways, we met my uncle and aunt there for a bluegrass festival. let me paint you a picture… retired Do-Dat’ers (i.e. old rednecks) sitting around in folding chairs in the middle of a field listening to people play instruments like the banjo, fiddle (NOT the violin), guitar, a big cello looking thing, and maybe even a harmonica. (music like is on O’ Brother Where Art Thou). it really wasn’t that bad… i had a good nap.

until i was woken up by a text message that gave me 2 HOURS to get ready for a formal! remember the whole rush thing? it was something to do with that… so anyways, i put on my best dress and hung out with college students the rest of the night. fun, fun times! LOL - i went to a college formal and i’m old!!!

so, no lawn mower races but at one point over the weekend i did ride around a pasture in my Jeep looking for deer. saw an armadilla’.

needless to say sunday was indeed a day of rest.

just in case you skipped all that above and need a summary:

- Do Dat Barbecue

- Firefighter’s Dance

- Drunk Rednecks

- Jeeps and Deer

- Sandyland Bluegrass

- Retired Rednecks

- College Formal

- SLEEP!!!

news from the backwoods of nac-a-nowhere…

Redneck Roundup

you think i’m kidding, right? well, i’m not. this last weekend in the big town of Shiloh which is close to the big town of Alto (and if you don’t know where that is, there is really no other “big” town to give you proximity to)… they had a Redneck roundup or a day of Redneck Games. which basically includes anything you can think of involving mud, beer, barbeque, and yes… more mud and beer. Parental Discretion was strongly advised for the event, so you can just imagine what else was involved.

Open Bull Night
tomorrow (monday) night at the Expo center the Cowboy Christian Association is sponsoring Open Bull night for all ages, Pee Wee (i.e. children) to adult. yes, this means even children can participate. what exactly are they going to be doing? well, you pay an entry fee and you get to ride bulls all night. and there is a jackpot prize. it’s free admission just to watch and there is a church service afterwards.

Washer Tournament
wednesday night, after church of course, they are having a washer tournament at Banita Creek Hall downtown. i feel like i should give a rundown here for those of you that may have no clue as to what i’m talking about… before you think we are having a tournament to see who can wash something the fastest…

Washers is a game you play with a large size washer, ya know like hardware. there are three holes in a row on the ground (usually just dug in the dirt) and you stand so far away from the hole and you try to pitch the washers into the holes. and there are points for each hole. basic idea. tons of backwoods fun!

Great Texas Mud Race
back at the Expo… this coming weekend, for TWO days!!! fast races included! and a 4X4 tug of war competition, in the mud of course! should be good times! can’t wait for this one!!!

what can i say? we love our mud

i pop back into your life.

isn’t that usually how life goes? or is that how that how love goes? i wouldn’t know.

anyways, i’m still alive and kickin, here deep in the pineywoods of east texas. i swear my accent is unbearable. if you could only hear me. still don’t have the internet (officially) at the apartment, but if i sit in just the right spot on my front porch, well… you understand. so that’s where i’m at… fighting off the heat and mosquitos. bandit’s here. sticking his little nose through the railing, looking for something… probably something to eat or bark at. well, that’s about the most exciting thing going on here in nac-a-no-where. i’ll let you know when something earth shattering happens. or better yet… i’ll just drop ya a line. hows that?

keep ‘er steady!

remember i have no internet at my new casa and it will be awhile til i get it, so updates are all you are going to get for now.

anyways, i’ll just give you a run down. work has been hectic, but pretty normal… i’ve pretty much moved in everything except what is still in the barn… i was “set up” for the first time in my life… still broke as a joke… missed workshop with kumu for the first time in my life… and well, that’s pretty much it. no drama, is good drama, i guess.

sorry for the short update, but my email inbox is about to explode the internet universe if i don’t check some of it…

yea!! i wish i could say i’m all moved in, but i have way too much stuff for those words to come out of my mouth for at least a month. seriously, i think i could easily furnish a small sorority house with all the furniture i have. but anyways, i’m getting moved in slowly… i haven’t even been able to spend the night yet because i can’t seem to find my sheets. if i don’t find them today, i’m going to go buy some dang it! my roommate (Bandit) hasn’t moved in yet and won’t until i get things sort of settled in… he gets stressed out with messes. honestly, he does. he hides when i have like clothes on the floor.

so that’s the story on the apartment. i also had to miss hula this weekend (with kumu, yikes!) due to work. it’s the end of the month other things are going on and it’s just “Drama in the ER” at work for Jo. i was sad i had to miss workshop, but it was neccessary… and between you and me, i didn’t feel prepared, ya know physically and mentally for the intense practice. with all the stess of moving in and work, i haven’t had the time to practice lately and i just didn’t feel prepared to give it my all for Kumu. but alas, i will suffer in the long run…

so anyways, i don’t have internet yet in my apartment, and i’m not sure when i will be able to afford to hook it up, may be a couple of week before i figure out my finances. point of the story… these little chats may be few and far between, but i’ll keep you updated.

peace.

and again, it’s not out of Nac.

so my mom hated the first apartment, and i have to say i wasn’t too thrilled with it either. so we turned in the keys and drove around the corner to the nicest place in the county… U Hill. and that is where i will be living.

it’s gorgeous! but kinda pricey.

unfortunately, not from Nacogdoches.

only to a new apartment! yea! i would like to say i’m all packed up and ready to go, but i’ve been kinda lazy. but actually, i never really un-packed from the last move. so i guess it’s ok. anyways, gotta go pack!

i’ve always considered myself on the non-bookreading side of the spectrum. i can this up with the fact that i haven’t finished a book since 1998. yes, i even survived college without reading a complete book cover to cover.

with that said, there are times when i feel the need to have a book on my nightstand. it’s kind of like when i feel like i should eat taco bell, but it occurs less often. it’s like i think i’m going to forget how to read or grow stupid if i don’t try to read a book ever so often. therefore, every now and then i start a book.

and never finish. yes, it’s a fault of mine. i do confess. i don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the commitment i can’t handle. maybe i just get bored. (probably both). but for some reason, i never finish a book.

Hosted at YourSpaceNow.com

remember how my comments are broken and i’m too lazy to fix them? well, i have an alternative way for you to comment about stuff on my blog, if you are so inclined. or basically, just another way for us innternet-types to communicate.

myspace

original, i know. for those of you on it, great. for those of you not on it, join the club. i promise it is so addictive. just go to myspace.com and sign up. i’m not saying to forego your weblogs, this is just dessert. or is it desert? anyways, visit my site at http://www.myspace.com/51274267

i think.

so i was cleaning out my office, yes i have my own office…windows and everything, the a couple of days ago. apparently, the lady that was there before me was quite the pack rat. in the bottom of one of the filing cabinets i found a bunch of old beepers and cell phones. one of the cell phones was in a ziploc with a note taped upside down on the outside of it. i was like hmm… what does this say? so i peeled off the note and it read ” bloody phone due to a spill.” i was like “oh, my!”. so i went and put it in a bio-hazard bag. it was just sitting in the bottom of a filing cabinet for who knows how long?!?! i told miguel about it later and he said that he remembered the incident and that the phone had fallen into a “pool” of blood! yikes!

have you ever noticed, for those of you that work in an office setting, that in every office there seems to be a possessed piece of equipment? by possessed i mean a piece of office equipment that has a mind of its own… works when it wants to, often “eats” things like important documents, and is visited by the repair guy more than i visit my manicurist. usually these renegade office wreckers are the every industrious fax machines. (reference #1 office space). when i worked at the space agency, that was definately the case. many times, i threatened to throw it out the third story window. now, at the “scrub” place… strangely enough it is our shredder. ironically, enough… the thing that we use to actually eat the important documents refuses to feed. and this is a common ailment among the possessed. anyways, there is really no point to this babble, but if i start hearing gangsta music and suddenly feel the urge to body slam a piece of machinery… hey, at least i warned you.

why does life change? why do you wake up one day, all of your friends are married, moved away, or have simply changed. the people you once knew better than you knew the back of your eyelids… they are now complete strangers.

it makes me wonder… what happened? whose fault was it? who caused the great rift in the friendships that used to be stronger than a three-corded strand? was it them? was it me? will all the friendships that i have now end the same way? finding out about their life changing events through the internet. when will those “life-long” friendships form?

i always heard, “oh, you’ll meet your life-long friends in college.” but, then you get a job after college and move away. what then? and then there are those that have been able to remain friends all the way from high school til now. how did they do it? by sacrificing their college/careers, they have gained life-long friends. is that the key? you are supposed to choose one or the other?

i don’t know the answer. somehow, i think it is me. i think i’m bad at being friends.