Month of October, 2001

Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat

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Dave recommends the following pickup

Dave recommends the following pickup lines when asking out a Fry's employee.
- Good afternoon, I was looking for a 4-port USB hub...and your phone number.
- Hi, I saw you earlier, and have since steeled myself for rejection, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in dinner some time?
- You know what they say about engineers...
- Hi, I have two tickets to Lord of the Dance, would you like to...

"I'm more concerned with the technique. I'm pretty sure that I can at least ask well enough to get rejected...it's the acceptance that's the hard part."

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I'm working the 9-6 shift

I'm working the 9-6 shift this week. I'm not complaining because I like getting up after the sun is up. There's something about sunshine that makes me more awake in the morning. Plus Tiger loves playing in the morning so it helps. But with the time change, it was getting dark as I left work last night. It makes it seem awfully late in my opinion. And I do want to complain about that. Last night I wasn't feeling well so I went home and made soup. That helped my mood a lot. After talking with my sisters, I crawled in bed with my "new" laptop and wrote. I was writing for Magic Toaster. It's exciting to be working on something new. Good stuff. It was probably just 10 pm when I started falling asleep. I could barely keep my eyes open. I'm a weenie. I slept hard and had weird dreams this morning. It was chilly in the house but I was warm under the covers. It's a good time of year to be in bed.

Scary thought "Driving. You might

Scary thought
"Driving. You might think me crazy, but hear me out. If one drives 10,000 miles a year (a low estimate) and at an average of 50 mph (a high estimate), then you spend 200 hours a year in a car. A little basic math and you realize that's just over 8 days. "
- jplay

It's at least double that for me. Maybe I should invest in something I really love.

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Another lovely pic from the

Another lovely pic from the mirror project. If you couldn't tell, slow day at work. Wish I was at the movies...I want to see Iron Monkey.

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82 hours

I just found out I have 82 hours of vacation/personal time to use before the end of the year. Right, like that's going to happen.

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I'm 47% Bitch. That's a

I'm 47% Bitch.
That's a LOT higher than I thought it would be. But I think that this rating is based on the fact that I've done some not-so-nice things in my previous life. Really...I'm a lot better person now.

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Looking for a part time

Looking for a part time job?
- link via Karen

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Saturday Slept late and enjoyed

Saturday
Slept late and enjoyed have no reason to get out of bed. The light that comes in my bedroom windows in the morning is perfect. So Tiger and I just layed around slipping in and out of sleep. Eventually I got up and had a slow day. I cleaned my room and bathroom (two very needed activities). Later that afternoon, I took a nap. The light that comes in my bedroom in the afternoon is perfect. Man, I love sleeping.

Saturday afternoon, Karen, Sophie, Tiger, and I attended Greyfest, a festival for greyhounds which raises money for retired racers and the adoption agencies that help them retire. It was lots of fun to see all the dogs and their respective owners. (MecaWilson was right about some of them.) The highlight of the afternoon for me was buying Tiger a new collar. I've been wanting something new and fancy for him for awhile. But with his Brindle coat, it's hard to pick something online. Being able to hold the collars up to his coat, made it an easy decision. He's now pimping in a beautifully embroidered, orange silk collar with black trim. You've just got to see it. Tiger was so proud on Sunday as he wore it for the first time. He knows he looks good.

Saturday Night - Halls of the Machine
Saturday night was the Halls of the Machine show. This was a big deal because Mark has been working his butt off on their site. Go check it out, it's gorgeous. Mark also did video for their show so it was an important night. I had the opportunity to see the video (with music) the night before when I stopped by Dave's briefly. It was good...really good. And I was able to understand Mark's passion for it.

There's so much to say about the show. It was incredible. It was a completely magical night. I had more fun than I've had in a very, very long time. I will go into more detail later.

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Friday night Left work exhausted

Friday night
Left work exhausted but it was early so I can't complain much. Skipped happy hour with coworkers...I was too tired. Went home and took a nap. Met Scotty for drinks. We caught up on each other's lives. Sounds like he's moving to Colorado in the next month. I think it'll be a good change for him. I hope it all works out. The highlight of the night was getting Cliff to make me a "Ninja Turtle." Before we left the house, Scotty had his bartending book out and I picked something new to try. It wasn't half bad - gin, blue Curaco, orange juice. Overall, it was a very low key, enjoyable night.

Dave has a license plate

Dave has a license plate project. He's put up some new images. Check out this one which is my favorite.

It's Friday and I don't

It's Friday and I don't feel like working anymore. I just had a big lunch and I'm sleepy. I'm looking forward to going home tonight and just vegging out. Some really good, long sleep sounds perfect. I'm not sure why I'm so tired but I am. It's always like this for me when Friday rolls around. I'm exhausted and all I want to do is sleep. I'm so sleepy I don't even want to write. Maybe my boss will let me go home early since I worked late last night. One can hope.

I AM 14% PUNK

14% PUNK.
Maybe it's because I've never vomitted while making out. Then again on second thought...I don't think I ever had. But is that really something I'd remember? I mean, if I was drunk enough to vomit, who's to say I'd remember?

Cold

Woke up chilly, chilly this morning. Too bad I don't have a dog that sleeps in my bed. I think we both could have used some extra warmth this morning. Though when I got up, I covered him up with a blanket. He is so spoiled. Won't someone spoil me?

Blogger Happy Hour #3
Last night was the monthly happy hour for DFW Blogs. We had a wonderful turnout - Leia, Matt, Tamara, Gary, Journalism Josh, Tina, Jeremy, Dave, Lyn, and Pat.

Dave and Busters did an excellent job getting dinner for such a large group. It was nice to be somewhere that a large group is welcome. Our waitstaff, Tracy and Nik, were hilarious. Nik even hooked us up with free game cards. So I got to play skeeball with Josh. (Who I beat!) The boys played some "electronic death" games...Dave's favorite. Leia and Tina got addicted to the game where-you-drop-tokens-onto-a-smooth-surface-while-a-sweeper-pushes-them-and-the-whole-goal-is-to-shove-tokens-off-the-edge-to-get-tickets. (If you don't know what I'm talking about tough...I don't either.) They racked up tickets like there was a never ending supply! (And at D&B, it might just be.) Leia was sweet enough to buy me a *diamond* ring with some of her tickets. Thank you!

Conversation was great as usual. I just love hanging out and talking with these people. Everyone is so interesting and nice. Hmm, nice...really they're better than that, I just can't come up with a word right now.

Lyn, Pat, and I discussed the strange goings-on in her neighborhood. You should go go read about it. I offered my help if there's going to be an all night vigil. Pat says work is slow (I think everyone's work is slow these days), but he's got something coming up in a few weeks. He also tried to get some work out of Jeremy. But Jeremy's clients are cheap and don't want to pay for it.

Speaking of Jeremy, I learned that he's lost 70 pounds in the last 2 years. WOW. Lyn has also lost a lot of weight (40 if I remember correctly)! Discussion turned to body image and what our society tries to shove down our throat. Pat made a good point, being a photographer he gets to see it, that so much of the images we see are chosen by a small group of people with a very focused idea of what they want.

Josh was on TV yesterday though I don't think anyone saw it. Dave offered to put the broadcast up on the net if Josh gets a tape to him. I know I want to see it! But Josh brought me a CD last night so I'm not complaining. I listened to it on the way to work and like it. Though I can't remember the band's name right now...seems like I can't remember anything today. (Who slipped me something last night?) Anyhow, thank you, Josh.

Oh wait...I remembered. It's Death Cab for Cutie.

Gary doesn't have a job yet but he's got work. So that's good. He's also got Diablo 2 expansion pack so I think he's probably set on entertainment for months.

Tamara doesn't have a full time job yet but she's working on it too. Cross your fingers she gets the morgue position. She and Lyn had an interesting conversation about morgues and a job that is recession proof. It was intersting that two people in such a random group would be so interested in working with dead bodies. But, hey, someone's got to do it. I'm personally thankful that someone does it, because a world stacked up with dead bodies would be weird.

Which reminds me, I've changed my route to work and every morning I drive past the dump...err, landfill. What a strange thing. This morning it smelled bad. Most mornings I don't notice. But I always think about it. Mostly because I want to go look into the huge hole. Anyone have landfill connections and can get me a tour?

I worked late tonight because I couldn't get off the phone. I'm tired. And I just want to talk. Can you tell? Karen was good to me, and we conversed in the living room for awhile. Then I retreated to talk to you. Now I'm going to go listen to you. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.

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Comments galore!

Comments galore! Damn, Julie.

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His lower lip tasted of

His lower lip tasted of chocolate. The way he kissed made me wonder if he really did have feelings.
No, it was just my heart tricking me again. The ultimate trickster.

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I Hate Married People Really

I Hate Married People
Really bizarre stuff. But she's got Pet Shop Boys on the talking blog. I dig it.

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I just found out Summer

I just found out Summer and Greg aren't coming to visit at Thanksgiving as planned. Apparently Greg's family is having a big reunion at Christmas, so they're changing their tickets til then. Damn, I'll have to wait. Seeing really good friends twice a year just doesn't cut it. Maybe I should consider a job with an airline. Then again, maybe not.

We're slow at work so we're sitting around talking about the richest people we've met. What I want to know is do rich people have debt? Or do they pay cash for everything?

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Church Markee "Counter Terrorism Method:

Church Markee
"Counter Terrorism Method: Spread an infectious faith in Jesus!"
- via Head Space

Somehow, I don't think Jesus is going to work on the terrorists. I could be wrong, but the God of the Bible and Jesus have been the center of conflict for years. Not only that, but no one should be using the word infectious in a light-hearted manner these days.

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For some reason this morning

For some reason this morning as I'm getting ready for work, I find myself thinking about an acquaintance of mine. When I first met him, I really enjoyed him and hoped we'd become better friends. Now that I've spent more time with him, I'm getting to the point where I don't want to spend any time with him. I'm feeling a bit guilty about this because I don't like being wishy-washy. So this morning I've been trying to figure out what it is about this guy that is getting under my skin.

I think there's a few things about him that I couldn't realize right off the bat.
- One. He talks about himself...a lot. There's nothing wrong with talking about yourself. It's actually rather hard to have a conversation without doing so, but there should be a limit. Try to include others. Act as if you're interested in what they have to say as well.
- Two. He's always cracking jokes. Being funny is cute up to a point. Then there's the thought that crosses my mind after a person has only been cracking jokes for the past 2 months you've known them. "Hmm, I wonder if he is actually capable of having a serious conversation? Probably not." Not some place you want to be, I don't think.
- Three. He tells the same jokes/experiences over and over. I've only known him a little over 2 months but I've already heard the same stories a couple of times. I'm going to be rude next time and interrupt with, "yes, I've heard that one."

So I'm venting. This guy is driving me nuts. Well, not completely nuts because I don't hate him. I actually find myself feeling sorry for him. I know he doesn't have too many friends and is lonely. I know he is just insecure. And immature (at 30-something). I think I just have to come to peace with the fact he will probably be like this his whole life and console myself with the fact I won't know him that long. In the meantime, I'll just whine.

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Sometimes listening to sad music

Sometimes listening to sad music before bed is the perfect way to slip into the lap of Morpheus.

Sweet Lil’ Gal (23rd and 1st)
by Ryan Adams

You got a sister that’s mean
Hanging around the cigarette machine
But when I’m lonely she makes me feel nice
When I’m lonely she makes me feel nice
Steals my shirt, makes me hurt
In the field where my plane went down
In the field where my plane went down
Sweet lil gal
Sweet lil gal
Everything’s gold when she comes to me
Lay there for days on the floor with my things
But when you’re lonely she makes me feel nice
When you’re lonely she makes me feel nice
Steals my shirt
23rd and 1st
In the field where my plane went down
In the field where my plane went down
Sweet lil gal.
Sweet lil gal.

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Theme Song She Drives Me

Theme Song
She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Canibals

Leia was playing MASH "Your

Leia was playing MASH
"Your wife's name is matt and you have 18 children. You're a socialite who drives to work every day in a polka-dotted pinto.
It's truly a wonderful life when you consider the countless romantic nights you have spent with matt in your shack in texas."

Hmm, I think there was some user error in there...like she didn't select "I like boys." But hey, at least they'll be living in Texas! I don't want them running off and leaving me in this vast state all alone.

Second try:
"Your husband's name is mark and you have 0 children. You're a socialite who drives to work every day in a red bmw.
It's truly a wonderful life when you consider the countless romantic nights you have spent with mark in your house in oregon."

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Is anyone in the market

Is anyone in the market for an executive desk set? You know, like a desk, a chair, some shelves, etc. I know where to get a pretty nice one cheap ($100-$400). Just thought I'd throw that out there. Oh, and they're not stolen. Though I'd like to think I have good connections, this is not a connection with the black market. My office is moving and they're getting rid of some furniture. I don't need any but I figured if you did, I'd help you out. Working on karma.

Slow day at work this

Slow day at work this morning. I've already been here an hour and a half and only have answered the phone once. Maybe twice. Yeah, twice. But the second call didn't really count, because I transfered them to a coworker's voicemail. Certainly someone somewhere needs help with their software!! (Of course, as soon as I type that someone calls.) The customer I'm talking to just referred to minimizing an application as "shrink it." I think I'm going to start saying that. "You can just shrink that window."

I'VE MOVED!!! Thanks, Matt, for

I'VE MOVED!!!

Thanks, Matt, for all your help.

Power Supply

Dad had a power supply that worked so I went over there. Of course, they fed me too. I love my parents. Anyhow, the new toy is a IBM Thinkpad 380XD with a PII -233MH, 64MB, 3 gig hard drive, CD-rom, floppy, and a network card. Basically it's the same as this. Plus it's got Windows 98 instead of 95. I can live with that. It just doesn't have any cords. I don't think it's going to be too hard to find a power supply but it might be tough to find a pigtail (or whatever it's called) for the network card. All in all, I'm quite pleased. Now if I can just get a power supply at MY house.

More Definitons

Leia sent this one.
PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard - ie. the user

I'm talking to one right now. He can't even remember where he saved a file we created 2 minutes ago! Is it really too much to ask that he remember where he saves files on his own machine?!

Definitions of the Day

A55H01E - Tech support notation for a caller whose ability to comprehend or adequately describe a problem is inversely proportional to his or her bad attitude (from Wired)
ID10T error - Tech support notation for a caller who doesn't know the basics of computer use.

Karen just bought me a

Karen just bought me a laptop for 5 bucks. Yes, a whopping 500 pennies. It cracks me up. I wonder what kind of piece of crap I just got for $5. All I know is it has Windows 95 and no power cord. Too bad I know the power cord is going to cost me more than the machine. I'm also willing to bet it doesn't have a network card. The whole reason I want this machine is so I can surf from bed. (Oh, and to play while I'm at Dave's house.)

Now I just want to go home so I can play! New toy, new toy!

IM conversation

Dave says: no, you're different
me: like i'm "special" ... on the "special" bus?
Dave says: we don't have a bus

Slippery When Wet

First thing this morning, I slipped in the shower. I was just stepping into the shower when I ended up on the floor. For half a second it was like I knew I was falling but I couldn't react quickly enough. Luckily both legs went out from under me and I landed on my bottom. Feels like I've got a bruise but better than a broken leg.

I did end up going to the Amon Carter Museum yesterday afternoon. The new addition is gorgeous and makes it a very large building now. I'll be writing up my experience soon for Magic Toaster. Details to come.

Listening to SugarBomb on the way to work today put me in a great mood. That and traffic wasn't too bad. Mondays don't always have to be bad.

Shopping

Did some shopping this morning. I needed work clothes so I spent most of my time looking for something that will make me look grown up without looking like I'm playing dress-up. It's a tough balancing act. But I found a few things so it was successful.

The mall makes me feel really unhip and fat. There's something about all the trendy clothes and skinny models that make me feel inferior. I know that it's stupid to feel that way, but I can't help it. The mall tries to make you feel that everyone is glamorous and rich. It makes you feel like you're not good enough so you'll buy more to become "good enough." It's such a strange place. I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

Got my car washed (finally) after leaving the mall. Generally, I really enjoy going to the car wash. It's a time to relax and watch people while someone else works. Today was a perfect day to sit outside and wait for the car. What was really interesting is there were far more women at the car wash than men. It was notable because all these women were extremely impatient. I'll admit that things at the car wash were a bit slow, but I'm the first to cut them some slack. I mean, how fast do you really expect someone making minimum wage to be? I'm just thankful that 5 bucks will get my car completely clean and I didn't lift a finger.

Had lunch with my parents and grandmother. After lunch, Mom and Dad showed me pictures from their recent trip to Costa Rica. It looks beautiful. The most fascinating picture was one of a sloth. It was extremely low on a tree and Mom got a great photo. Apparently later in the day, the sloth actually fell out of the tree and the gardener had to put it back in. What a life!

Now I'm contemplating going to Fort Worth for the opening of the Amon Carter museum. Sunday is a great day to go to the museum. So why not.

Had another church conspiracy dream

Had another church conspiracy dream last night. There was something weird going on with the church leaders and the ceremony. I was trying to a spy to figure out what was happening. I think someone chalked it up to just being a test of the faithfulness of the church members. Weird.

Last night at dinner, I

Last night at dinner, I was telling my mother about Mark's unfortunate run-in with the cops. She reminded me of an experience I had a few years back and told me I should blog it. So here it is, embellished of course.

For those of you who don't know, I graduated from high school a year early. I was sick of school and living with my parents. I had to get out. So I devised a plan to get enough credits and get out. So during what would have been my senior year in high school, I attended Bible school in Estes Park, Colorado.

If you've never been to Estes Park, I would encourage you to go because it's a beautiful place. But if you're used to city life, don't stay too long. There's nothing to do in Estes Park. Oh sure there's the grocery store, a couple bars, and a McDonald's but trust me, it'll get old. While I was living there, the grocery store closed around 8 or 9pm. The McDonald's only stayed open an hour later than that. And we weren't allowed to go to any bars as we were studying the Bible.

Plus, I was 17 and barely looked it.

So much of our spare time was spent in the mountains being one with nature. I mean, what other reason to live in Colorado if not to enjoy the land? It was gorgeous. Every free chance we got, my friends and I would drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Sometimes we would just drive around. Other times we would hike. Sometimes we would just sit and look at the stars. Most of our free time was at night so I can remember much of these outings occurring in the dark. Like the time we ran across the frozen lake with only the moon to light our way. But that's another story.

This particular night, I was driving around the park with JD. I don't remember what we were doing specifically but probably nothing different than any other night. We were out driving around talking on and on and on. It couldn't possibly have been that late because our curfew was 10pm. JD was driving and accidentally turned down a closed road. As he was turning around to go back, a park ranger pulled up behind us with his lights on.

He got out of his Jeep Cherokee and came up to JD's window. We willingly obliged when he asked for identification. We also explained that it was simply an accident that we were on the closed road and were going back just as he pulled up. Of course being the good park ranger that he was, he checked out our ID's.

After a moment, he looked at me and asked, "Do you know how old you are?"

I sat stunned for a moment then answered, "Yes, 17." Of course I didn't think anything of my age because it was just one of those facts of life that you can't change. It wasn't until he asked, "Do your parents know where you are?" that it occurred to me that being 17 didn't make me a legal adult. It didn't help the situation that I had a Texas driver's license. Nor that I was with a 27 year old man from Louisiana. And we were both in Colorado. In the woods. At night.

We finally caught on to what this park ranger was thinking and quickly set out to explain our situation. The problem was the Bible school we were attending was very small and outside city limits. Plus no one in Estes Park nor in the surrounding area had ever heard of it. We did our best to clear up any suspicion about us in this park ranger's mind.

Our story must have either been somewhat believable or so wacky that it must have been the truth, because the park ranger let us go. At the time, telling this story made for some good entertainment, but I eventually forgot all about it. My mother remembered it because of the way the park ranger asked, "Do you know how old you are?" ...as if one could not know.

Spent the evening playing. So

Spent the evening playing. So here's something new to look at. But remember, the content is really where it's at.

Jerry's Photos

I was checking out Jerry's photos. I really like this one.

Email From Elaine: "Hee, hee...

Email
From Elaine: "Hee, hee... I saw Bert this afternoon - he replaced Mark!! :D Very cute indeed..."
From Karen: "I see London, I see France, I see Erica's ... oops, well, I mean, I see Bert!"

For the record, I'd like to point out that I did not put Bert in the banner. Queen Leia, who has admin authority on my site, put up this one. Thank you, Leia, it was a pleasant surprise.

I have something to confess.

I have something to confess. I love George Michael. Well, I don't love George Michael, but I love his music. This isn't something I've been trying to keep a secret, but I felt like I just had to tell you. Don't hate me because I love cheesy pop music.

Went to dinner last night

Went to dinner last night with Dave. Talked a bit about a redesign of my page. I've been feeling like it's time. However, I'm not just going to sit down and write code. I've decided it's time to learn a wysiwyg. So this redesign is probably going to take awhile. Plus I'm not even sure what I want it to look like. Where's web-cupid when I need an arrow of inspiration?

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My dad rocks. He bought

My dad rocks. He bought Mom 2 dozen purple roses for her birthday yesterday.
Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Yeah! We're getting a new

Yeah! We're getting a new garbage disposal Saturday morning! It's the little things in life.

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Elaine linked the Mirror Project.

Elaine linked the Mirror Project. Here are some photos I like.

Young girl and crib
A vespa (for you, specifically)
A familiar name - the web is a small world
Is it more about the camera or the person?
One of my favorite virtual men
Two very beautiful women
And another familiar one
Ewww...but somehow yumm at the same time

I know the tourist guy

I know the tourist guy thing is a bit old but I hadn't seen this one. Too funny.

Ft Worth Music Festival

Did you hear about the music festival in downtown Fort Worth this weekend?

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Lunch with Big Boss

Went to lunch with the boss boss today. He's in from out of town and had promised to take me out the last time he was here. I'm glad we went (I mean, who would complain about free lunch) because he's a really nice man. When he interviewed me, I'll admit to being intimidated. He asked some tough questions and showed little response to my answers. But now that I'm on his team, he's warm, open, and honest. He's good about asking for my thoughts and opinions. It's so nice to be comfortable with the big boss since I've had a couple jobs that weren't comfortable at all. I'm lucky...and full.

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At lunch today I sat

At lunch today I sat in my car for a few minutes to warm up. I've been cold ever since I got out of bed. I couldn't think of any place warmer than my car with the windows rolled up. It was so comfortable that I almost fell asleep. As my mind went to a place that really isn't here nor there, a memory came sweeping in.

I remembered a time I was living in Houston and John was visiting. We had been out all day running errands and wanted to catch a movie before going home. Since the theater was a good 30 minutes from my house, we decided to take a nap in the car until show time. As I was sitting in my car this afternoon, I was reminded of how it felt to wake up in a warm car with John.

Remembering that made me sad.

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Great flash - Vector Park

Great flash - Vector Park
- link via Zach

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OK, great.

My boss just pointed out that I say "OK, great" a lot. Do I do this in real life too? Or is this just a work thing? And of course now that he's pointed it out, I can't quit saying it.

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I want to learn Java

I want to learn Java and I can't think of a better way - Geek Cruises!

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An Addict for Life I

An Addict for Life
I admit it. I was video chatting tonight. I'm coming to grips with the reality that the addiction will never go away. There will always be someone new and interesting to talk to. I'll always enjoy flirting with perfect strangers from the comfort of my own home. I'll always like that I can turn it off and go to bed when I'm done.

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It must be Monday There's

It must be Monday
There's nothing quite like IMing the wrong person first thing in the morning to make you feel really stupid. I accidentally IMed this Matt instead of this Matt.

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What was that noise? Late

What was that noise?
Late Friday night Mark and I were sitting in the Lucci House which at that moment was very quiet. We were more than slightly startled to hear an animal like scratching.

Me: Please tell me that is outside.
Mark: *long pause* I wish I could.
*more scratching*

It became clear there was some sort of living creature moving around inside the wall. It also became clear that Mark and I were both a little creeped out. We held our breath. It was quiet for a moment then the scratching began again. We gasped. The scratching continued. When we finally allowed ourselves to whisper, the scratching stopped.

Me: It heard us.
Mark: Stop it! You're freaking me out.

It was only when the scratching stopped for good that we could laugh about having a rodent make it's home in my house. Mark in late night delirium said it was probably just a Racoon who was playing with its Palm Pilot. Of course I'd have the geeky rodents in my house.

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Trash Sweeper Thursday night I

Trash Sweeper
Thursday night I went to the State Fair with Leia and Mark. I think my craving for Fair Food has been satisfied for another year. At least my arteries hope so.

While at the fair I had a very interesting memory pulled up. Throughout the fair grounds, we saw people whose sole job was to sweep up trash. And their work paid off, the grounds looked far better than I expected. Their presence reminded me of the time that I was a trash sweeper.

It was my first summer home from school. I got a job at a temp agency which specialized in catering. It was the perfect job because you called them when you wanted to work and you picked out what jobs you wanted to take. They must have had a ton of employees, because there was never any pressure to take jobs that were too far away or didn't pay enough. You simply took what you wanted.

I must have been pretty desperate because I took a day job at Six Flags. In retrospect, I probably had high hopes of doing something glamourous like serving Lemon Chills and flirting with high school boys. I showed up at the staff entrance and got to see what happens behind the scenes at a huge amusement park. I got my assignment and my tools. They dressed me in a uniform before sending me out to the front lines. Armed with my small broom and dust pan with a long handle, I wandered around my assigned area with my eyes glued to the ground. Any sign of trash, even the smallest piece moved me to action.

It wasn't the most glamourous job but it was an easy one. And while other trash sweepers sat around or wandered into unassigned areas, I stayed true to my post. I swept trash diligently for a full 8 hour shift. I can't say I enjoyed it nor got a whole lot of satisfaction from sweeping trash. So I never went back. And more importantly I forgot about it. Never mentioning this job to my too-cool-for-trash-sweeping friends.

But at the fair Thursday my memory was jogged. I remembered. And the only thing I wonder now is why didn't I screw around more when I was a trash sweeper?

Do I look stupid? ...don't

Do I look stupid?
...don't answer that...

I just got my very first email requesting personal information about my bank accounts so that I could get 152 million dollars. The prime mister of South Africa supposedly wants me to have all that money. I didn't get to the part where it explained why.

I'm just at a loss. I really didn't think these kinds of email were real. My idea of the Internet as a pure place has been crushed! There really are people out there trying to trick other people so they can steal all their money! I heard rumors of this but I thought it was just that, rumors. I'm SO SHOCKED.

Really, do these people honestly think people are that stupid? Wanna help spam them?

On a lighter note, no pun intended, Amanda came over today for me to bleach her hair. It looks good if I do say so myself. Maybe she'll put up some picks later tonight.

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I'm always so exhausted Friday

I'm always so exhausted Friday night. I left work a little early this evening and tried to unwind on the way home. It was such a hectic Friday and I was as tight as a spring. Luckily traffic wasn't too bad and I got to vent to Kristen a bit. Then I crawled in bed with a book. Of course it wasn't long until I put the book down to take a nap.

Three hours later, I woke up to a violent storm. My dog was pacing, scared out of his skin. I was groggy and confused. Kristen, the only one around, started to communicate with me. Though it still took me a full 60 seconds to actually catch onto the conversation. She had ordered Chinese food and I set out to eat some of it. We listened to the storm. Lots of thunder and lightening. The rain was coming down in sideways sheets. She said the power had cut out twice. I worried about my machine. We lit candles and talked.

Just a few minutes ago she left and I'm home alone. The rain isn't coming down in sheet anymore. Nor is it sideways. The lightening isn't as obvious when not looking outside from a dark room. My dog is still hiding. The thunder is rolling in the distance. All I want to do is to go back to bed.

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Awww, look at the movie

Awww, look at the movie Mark made me.

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Sugarbomb is playing at Bass

Sugarbomb is playing at Bass Hall on Saturday, November 10th, for Cool Yule. Tickets are about ten bucks. Wanna go?

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Present

Mark, I found what I'm going to get you for your birthday!

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Geekin Out

After work today I followed my father's example and bought 256MB of RAM. Came home, mowed the lawn before the storm. While it stormed and I was going to have the computer off anyway, I put the RAM in. When I told Dad, he asked me if I had male sheep in the house! Anyhow, I proceded to get Photoshop installed and I've been playing with my graphics pad. You know, it's one of those toys I just don't spend enough time playing with. I'm having WAY too much fun. In fact, I don't even want to go to bed! But I'd better, if I expect to function tomorrow. Hopefully some digital art coming soon.

Oh my goodness, did I just say I'm making art?

Banner

Dave wins the prize
Dave says: ack! who's that guy up in your banner?

Mark and I had a little fun with the cam on Saturday. We wondered how long it would take for someone to notice. We even picked out a prize for the first person who did. Guess I'll be getting something off to California in a couple days.

The real question is WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE REST OF YOU?! I see how it is, you're sick of seeing my face.

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The good and the bad

GOOD: Amanda has got a new look.
BAD: Karen's had a tough day.
GOOD: Matt got a new job.
BAD: Mom has a flat tire.
GOOD: Dad got cheap RAM at Best Buy.

So far nothing eventful has happened to me directly. But I'm afraid that I'll get something bad since that's up next.

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30-something

Just read Dink's novelette. It's so nice to hear someone so happy. I can't wait to see THE dress! It's good to know that she's a lot like me in that she likes to stay home. Watching movies the other night was just the right speed. Thinking about it made me remember Mark's comment as we left, "Well, we just did the perfect 30-something evening...even though we're not 30-something." Makes me think I'm old, but I'm just too happy to care!

Karen and I are going to the Dallas Stars Charity Softball Game Sunday, October 21st. Wanna come?

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Stop the Terrorism

Interesting stuff. Link via Gianni

Reading

I've spent the evening reading Wicked, the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It's damn good. There's nothing like losing yourself in a book.

Fall

The weekends seem to slip away faster than usual. But I guess all of time seems to slip away faster and faster. I can't believe it's Fall already and I actually wore a coat yesterday. It's so beautiful outside. I'm excited to start pulling out the long sleeved clothes! Maybe I'll even get an extra blanket for my bed.

Friday
After work, I went over to Leia's apartment. This was the first time I drove by SMU. It's strange how I could grow up in the Dallas area and I've never been to major parts of the metroplex. I'm constantly surprised when I see something new. Guess it's the little things that keep life interesting. At Leia's I got to meet Gracie and Pixel, her pets. While we waited for everyone else to show up, we got an interesting visit from the neighbor. I was under the impression that they were acquaintances, but it became clear that they were complete strangers. This woman wanted to know if we could help her with her furnace. It was definitely cold that day but not that cold. And she commented on Leia and I's heights. Yeah, Leia is tall and I'm short. Her tone was just weird. But the whole incident ended with me feeling sorry for her because she said she was lonely. (I'm not sure how you just throw that into your first conversation with the neighbor which started about the furnace but she did.)

Later, Mark, Matt, and Dave (whom I hadn't seen in what felt like forever and I was so happy to see, but I managed to not show it by making a mean cutting remark) showed up. We played with Gracie for awhile before squeezing into Dave's car to go to dinner. We ended up at Campisi's for some pizza. While the others ordered, Mark and I went to the liquor store for a bottle of wine with dinner. I really like bring your own places - especially when they are right next door to a liquor store. Mark picked out a really good bottle. One of these days I'm going to learn about wine...but until then I'll just rely on everyone else. Andy showed up not too long after the food arrived. Dinner was good but conversation was even better. It's just a group of people I really enjoy talking with.

This Campisi's (as there are a few) was an excellent choice. It's mainly a take-out place so we didn't have to bother with wait staff. And after the dinner rush, it was no big deal for us to sit and talk on and on. No one was rushing us out of our table. Most of the customers at Campisi's were simply there for the food. Actually, Campisi's was in such a non-rush for us to leave that the manager brought out deserts on the house. With that kind of special treatment, you know I'll go back again. Anyone up for a movie at the Inwood and dinner at Campisi's?

Saturday
Spent some time driving Grandma around Saturday morning. She always gets her hair done Saturday morning...I think it's imperative for her to look good on Sunday. You know, got to impress God. Anyhow, I was the only free Lucci so I played taxi. It was no big deal but she still slipped me a ten dollar bill. There's nothing like getting money from Grandma to feel like you're in high school again.

Later that afternoon, I watched the Texas/OU game with Mark and Andy. Football isn't usually my thing but I enjoyed going to The Fox and Hound to eat, drink, and hang out. The game was actually really good. That blocked punt was the most amazing move I've seen in football!

Mark and I went back to my house for a Saturday evening nap. I know, I know, you're not supposed to nap after 4pm and it was 6. Woke up around 8:45pm when Billy called to invite us to dinner. There's no telling how late I would have slept otherwise! We met Billy and Jessica at Queen of Sheba for my first Ethiopian experience. Ethiopian food is reminiscent of Indian food, in my limited experience. But the fascinating part is that you don't use silverware. You use bread to pick up your food. It's an amazingly comfortable and natural way to eat food. Just like the night before, conversation was very enjoyable. I'm constantly in shock that I've found so many people that I really click with here in the Dallas area. After dinner Jessica and Billy were awesome to have us over to watch Memento.

Sunday
The highlight of Sunday was having lunch with my parents. I miss seeing them everyday and knowing what they're doing at all times. Now I just get the overview of the week. But Sunday, when the bombing of Afghanistan started, was a good day to be in the emotional comfort of my parents' house. We had a long conversation about it but I'm still struggling with my feelings on the matter. Though I do believe these people should be punished, I can't get past the feeling I have deep down that no-matter-what, it's wrong to kill someone else.

I goofed around the house the rest of the day trying to do laundry but not getting very far. Why do I always wait until the pile is bigger than me? I managed to waste the rest of the night (and keep my mind off the war) by watching Remember the Titans and U-571. Tumbled into bed only to wake up to a chilly house and no possibility for heat since the furnace isn't lit. I know what I'm doing tonight when I get home.

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Dreams

Leia sent me this cool dream interpretation link. Though I'm still a bit confused why I drempt about a dead snake, alligator and rat the other night.

War

I was going to write all about my weekend which was quite wonderful because I spent time with good friends in good conversation. Now it's hard to know what to write because I just heard that my country is bombing Afghanistan. All this unnecessary killing. I don't feel like it's worthwhile. I don't feel like it's going to get us anywhere. I don't feel like it's right. But I can't do anything about it either. It hurts.

Bands

Saw Honchie and The Gobos last night. Highlight of the show was some inappropriate sexual banter between the Gobos. Which was followed up by "Play it before we get struck down!"

Oh yeah, and it was loud.

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Quote of the Day

"I need a reliable girl, that's fast, sexy, and is always willing to let me ride her."
- P, in reference to his new lover who happens to be a motorcycle

Cryptic

There's nothing quite like cryptic email first thing in the morning.
"Hey, I don't know if you know who this is but I hope I surprise you. I'm not going to tell you who i am yet but please call me at 808 XXX-XXXX. I've been waiting to hear your voice for what seems like an eternity.the e mail address isn't mine so please call as soon as you get this. I would really love to hear you again. RLB"

I wonder if someone in Hawaii would appreciate me calling at 7:45am Dallas time. It's only 2:45am there. Hey, it says to call as soon as I get it!

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Clean Acceptance

Went to the dry cleaners for Karen tonight. I was not in a good enough mood to go inside so I pulled into the drive through. As the teenage boy got Karen's clothes into my car, he noticed I was listening to a techno CD Adam made me. Conversation ensued.

Boy: Is that techno? *in surprise*
Me: Yeah. *laughing to myself that I must look too old/professional to listen to techno*
Boy: Do you RAVE?
Me: *chuckle* No, I used to but I'm a bit old for it now. *If he only knew how old raves really make me feel.*

He wasn't going to be discouraged and continued to tell me about a "huge" rave on November 3rd. Aren't they always "huge" before they happen? I know I've never been to one that was as big as everyone promised it to be. Still, it was kinda nice to be considered a cool enough stranger to get "in the loop."

Going to the cleaners in a grouchy mood and coming back feeling accepted by the teenager working there is good.

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Dallas Shooting

Listening to the radio on the way to work this morning. Heard a horrifying report of a man in Dallas killing his ex-wife, 9 year old son, and injuring his 14 year old son before killing himself. The report I heard was from a radio reporter who happened to drive by the house just as this was happening. He was in his car and a boy ran in front of his car waving and screaming. Once the reporter realized that it was not a hoax, he went back and got the details. The boy was running away from his father who was trying to kill him. It sounded like the father killed himself once the boy got away. It was a completely horrifying story. I can't imagine. I don't want to image. I almost cried in the car thinking about that family and especially the high school freshman who will have to deal with these events the rest of his life.

On a lighter note, a new birth control device has been approved by the FDA. It's a "ring" that releases the same hormones as birth control pills. It's supposed to be as effective as the pill in preventing pregnancy.

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Shopping

I just spent 60 bucks on Amazon.com. I thought part of the reason for going to work was so you couldn't spend the money you were making there. But I guess that's all changed with online shopping. Which by the way, I absolutely LOVE. I'm not hardcore like I won't buy everything online, but I do like the time it saves. Mostly it means I don't have to do any more driving than I already do. And we all know that I do WAY too much driving.

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Motherly

Sometimes I wonder if I'm more motherly than I realize. There's something in me that wants to make everything ok for everyone. I want the people in my life to be happy. I want them to be comfortable. I want to take care of them. Even when it's not my job. Actually, most of the time, it isn't my job and it shouldn't be my job. I need to learn how to be emotional support without feeling like I need to be more.

When I was in high school, I dated all sorts of needy guys. I was drawn to people I could take care of. Weird. My parents joke that they were worried I would end up being a mom to one of these guys for the rest of my life. No worries, I didn't settle down. I've grown up a lot in that I have no desire to be with someone who needs me to be their mom. However, I still have some desire to make my friends happy and comfortable. I do this with my family too. I think it's middle-child-syndrome. Maybe it just means I'm a caring person and I'm thinking too much. I just hate feeling like I want to fix things for someone yet knowing it's not my job so I shouldn't feel that way.

What is it someone told me once? I should continue to care but be less empathetic.

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Ass Pants for Mark

Ass Pants for Mark
- link via Leia

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Bored

Bored at work...the phones are down again. Thank goodness for the net.

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Grouchy Bear

I'm grouchy tonight. I don't know how I got this way. Just a few hours ago I was having a great conversation with Dave. I even shed a few tears over his lost love. Then I did some work around the house and it started growing inside me. It was just a few hairs and a deep rumble at first. Then it started to grow into a full fur pelt. I couldn't keep it inside. I tried to be pleasant. I even took the dogs for a walk to settle the monster inside that was growing. But Bentley was just difficult. He wanted to run everywhere and pulled super hard on the leash. His behavior stirred up those knots I get inside when it starts to grow. By the time I got home, it was too late. The pelt was complete and so were the teeth, and the claws. Before I knew it a huge growl escaped! I had turned into a grouchy bear! Watch out, I'm nasty when I'm like this. There are only two things that can make me sweet, nice, normal Erica again. One - a big hug and a kiss. Two - sleep.

I'm off to administer the number two cure right now.

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It's not my birthday, but...

Doing some surfing via Leia and Mark...found some pants I want. I'll definitely model if someone buys them for me!

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Moveable Type

Mena and Ben are working on their own publishing system, Moveable Type. Very, very cool. Matt, thought you'd especially be interested in this.

Quote of the Day

"It's like smoking a cigarette when you work in a coal mine."
- Keith

Slow Monday Morning

Thank goodness it's slow. I didn't feel like coming to work and be thrown into high gear. It's Monday. I'm wishing it were still last night when I was in bed.

Wednesday night Happy Hour
Wow, it now feels like Wednesday was a whole billion years ago. DFW Bloggers got together for the second monthly happy hour. After work I met the guys over at Dave's house where they were patient with me while I got cleaned up. It's always a weird feeling for me to do my make-up and hair in front of men. I'm not sure why especially when it's a group of guys that I'm very comfortable with. I think it's just me being insecure about the fact that I put effort into my appearance. I know, doesn't make any sense.

Anyhow, we showed up at New Amsterdam Coffeehaus right at 7pm. As we got out of the car, a stranger on a bike asked us if we were meeting for the 'happy hour.' I guess we looked geeky enough to be bloggers. Ends up it was Jeremy who later agreed to take me for a ride on his bike someday. (Watch out, Jeremy, I'm going to hold you to it!) As we walked in, I recognized Lyn but couldn't for the life of me remember her name. Luckily we didn't have to pretend and reminded each other very quickly. With Lyn was Anna Beth who is very animated and a lot of fun to chat with. Both of these ladies are 817's so we're going to have to get together on our side of town soon. Oh, I just remembered'I need to go back and read Lyn's infamous post about men. (Just finished reading it WOW.)

When I first got to New Amsterdam, I wondered about it as a choice for happy hour. Ends up it worked really well. We had tables to sit at but there wasn't one centralized group with a fringe on the side. It seemed to me that everyone mixed well. Those who wanted to sit and chat for awhile did, while others made the rounds. I tried to do more and 'made the rounds.' I met Josh who is now dubbed 'Journalist Josh' to differentiate between Murphy Josh. I met Gary who just went to Hawaii. I was jealous.

I got to see Billy and Jessica, Josh and Carly, Trent (whom I had a great hockey ticket discussion with Trent, we'll be talking soon) and Cheri, Dave, Matt, Leia (of course), Jason, Karen, Charles, Denise, Andy, and a few more that have slipped my mind. At one point, Leia and I did a head count and a few more showed up afterwards so the grand total must have been really close to 30. Wow, quite the social group we've become. I, personally, had a blast. Though I know we annoyed some of the New Amsterdam regulars'poor souls'didn't know what to do with the bar so full. Hopefully everyone made the bartender happy, which is all that really counts.

For me, personally, the highlight of the night was being able to attend a social function with the person I'm dating and for it to be so comfortable. I didn't feel like Mark and I had to be a couple. You know, going around and talking to everyone together. I didn't feel like I had to rein in my usual flirty behavior. Nor did I feel like I was being ignored. I didn't feel like I had to baby-sit. It was perfect. We could go out together, enjoy the evening as individuals but also enjoy each other. This is turning into a really wonderful relationship. And it's definitely entertaining when people (especially fellow bloggers) ask what is up. According to Journalist Josh it's 'Interblogger Love.'

After happy hour which was more than a couple hours, I was a bit tipsy and very hungry. A few of us went to Cafe Brazil. I can't even remember what I ate but it was good. Luckily I had Mark as my designated driver and got back to Arlington safe and sound. I swear we got home at 3 or 4 in the morning, but Mark says it was only 12:30am.

Thursday's a good day to play hooky
As planned, I called in sick Thursday morning. It felt so good to sleep in late and just not care. It was a well-spent sick day in my opinion. Eventually I got up and made good use of such a pretty day. Mark and I ate take-out Vietnamese food in a park. Then we made our way over to the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art for the Ed Ruscha show. Good stuff. My favorite was Ice Princess. I didn't realize he was such a pop artist. All I could remember of his work was the Standard Station, which is quite obviously influenced by the pop art style. I also didn't know he did so many books. Super exciting stuff for me since I'm so into books! If only we could touch them and read them - very frustrating to only see one page of a book when it's on exhibit. Luckily the catalog included full plates of the books. After the museum we grabbed some film for Mark and headed off to the Botanical Gardens. I hadn't been there in ages but it was just as beautiful as I remembered. I even got to feed the gigantic goldfish! It was a perfect afternoon to be outside. I'm looking forward to seeing Mark's photos'especially of the monkeys.

Later that afternoon, I took Mark back to Dallas. We were both surprised when we got from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas in only 30 minutes. If only there was always that lull in traffic. I heard it took Karen 2 hours just from Arlington to Dallas on Saturday. * yikes * After a brief nap on Dave's couch, Mark and I met his concert mates at Angry Dog. They ran off to the They Might be Giants concert and I went home for much needed rest and a little computer lovin'.

But I didn't find rest right away. And I wasn't able to find the time to get online at all. I had to address the cleaning situation in the Lucci House. So that got all squared away and I packed for Houston. The best part was hanging out with Kristen whom I hadn't seen much of.

Speaking of Kristen, that reminds me of a story she was telling me. A couple weeks ago, Karen and I were both out of town leaving her alone in the house. She heard something outside her window that freaked her and the dogs out. She was afraid it was a person outside the house. I asked her what she did! Kristen said, "I was scared so I turned up the TV."

Friday
Usual day at work, no weirdness from calling in sick the day before. Was plenty busy so I still didn't get any internet time. I was going through withdrawal symptoms by the end of the day. Mark met me for lunch, which was the best! He told me about a hilarious dream he had the night before. (Can you picture him jumping over desks in his boxers and black socks? I can.) Got out of work early to head to Houston. But still got stuck on I-35 due to a wreck. I was just thankful it wasn't me.

Highlights of the Houston trip
- Eating at Mai's
- Shopping at IKEA
- Keith's quotes (which will come at a later date)
- Art you can actually touch at the Contemporary
- Cow pics with Elaine and Adam
- Catching up with Ngis and realizing how much I've grown
- My first Freebirds burrito
- Meeting Jeremy, a friend of Adam and Keith's, and having a very candid conversation

Sunday
Dropped Keith off at the airport rather uneventfully then drove back home. It was a perfect day for a drive and it gave me time to catch up on phone calls while driving. Mark met me at home where we cooked dinner. Well, I cooked dinner and he serenaded me. Then we went to Mom and Dad's house to drop off their IKEA goods and to socialize a bit. Tiger was thrilled to see me and I him. Didn't get in bed early enough nor did I get on the computer.

What a crazy, non-online life I'm leading. But it's been tons of fun. I'm so happy even though I'm a bit worn out at the moment. I'm looking forward to a slow and relaxing week.

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