Month of September, 2002

Walked into the backyard

Walked into the backyard the other day and saw this growing. What a beautiful surprise.

*Update* Everyone do the happy

*Update*
Everyone do the happy dance, Crabwalk.com is back up!!!

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AHHHH, Crabwalk.com is down!!! WHAT

AHHHH, Crabwalk.com is down!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

Friday Night Festivities

Had a ton of fun Friday night. Catharine and Ryan were in town from LA so a bunch of people go together. We bar hopped!! (I haven't done this in years...really years.) We started at the Tipperary Inn, then to Cosmos, over to Lakewood Landing, and finally ended up at Ships. It was a great crowd of people - Dave, Leia, Catharine, Ryan, Mark, Ed K, Billy, Jessica, Alison, and a couple of people whose names I can't remember. Oh, and Karen even met up with us late in the evening! Drank too much, stayed out too late, but it was all quite fabulous. Slept on Mark and Jeremy's couch (thank you, guys) before coming home to be lazy all day today.

Leia and Dave at the Tipp

John, Ryan, and Mark at the Tipp

Dave and Ryan at Ships

Alison and Mark at Ships...Alison brought bubbles

Catharine and Dave at Ships - apparently Catharine's favorite bar in Dallas

Me and Alison

The salsa bar at Taco Cabanna...I can't believe I ate there.

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Music Should Catch Up

Music Should Catch Up to the Market
I picked up a PC Magazine the other day at work. I don't normally like the columns John Dvorak writes because they're so opinionated. Yes, I realize they are opinion columns but he rubs me the wrong way. Yet, I'll still read his column when I pick up a PC Magazine. Go figure. Anyhow, in this article, titled "One Buck Forty or Die," Dvorak talks about how rampant music sharing has become. Anyone with half an idea about the Internet knows how rampant it is, even with Napster gone.

Basically, Dvorak tells the music industry to catch up with the times. Instead of putting out commercial after commercial chastising people for sharing mp3s, they should lower the price of music. "It's a matter of competition," he says. I completely agree. It's not a morality issue. People are simply trying to get a product for the cheapest price possible. Since the markup on music is insane, people are not buying CDs. Logically, if the music companies lowered the price of a CD, people would start buying them again. I know that if CDs were 4 or 5 dollars (rather than 15 or 20), I would be more than happy to go back to buying CDs! The industry just needs to realize that by being greedy and finger wagging, they're not helping themselves.

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Up Again

Up Again
So the server and site's back up again. Thanks, Matt, for taking care of my little online world! Oh, and all the email came through this morning. So give me a little bit to catch up.

Perfect Night for the Patio
Hung out with Abby and friends at Ozona's last night. It was so enjoyable to hang out with interesting new people. I really enjoyed talking with her man, Malcolm. (I really don't know the appropriate term here, sorry, Abby.) He works at Tiggon, which is a small startup and that absolutely fascinates me. Abby's roommate, Anna, is a 2nd grade teacher! She's great - why couldn't I find women like that when I was teaching?! I also enjoyed talking with Libby though she wasn't able to come to Ozona's with us. I was impressed with how open she was in our conversation. As the group got bigger, I got a little quieter, but really enjoyed it. Carolyn, Katy, Andrew, Michael, and JJ all showed up as well. It was a great night.

Abby and Anna

Anna, Carolyn, and JJ

Malcolm and Abby

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*Update*

*Update* Email seems to be working again but some may have been lost. Don't call me now because I'm going to bed.

Oh, and go check out Karen's site. I redesigned it.

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Paralized Without

Paralized without
My email seems to be down at the moment. I'm kinda freaked out. I haven't been without email in years. But it'll be ok, right?
If you need me, call me.

Memories On the way to

Memories
On the way to work this morning, I was listening to the news. Sounds like there's a good chance Tropical Storm Isidore will hit new New Orleans, as Jeff mentioned a couple days ago. It made me think of New Orleans and the last time I was there. This in turn made me think about Adrian and I felt small pangs that we haven't continued to stay in touch. I know that everything happens for a reason so I told myself not to feel bad. Life takes its course. Then I remembered the conversation Adrian and I had in the car that night.

We were talking about relationships, of course. At that time in my life, I was still nursing a broken heart. I remember sitting in the passenger seat, with my back against the door, looking at Adrian as he spoke. I'm not sure how it came up, but he said he had no intentions of getting married because he didn't feel that way about anyone in his life. It was like a light shone down from heaven despite it being 3 in the morning and we were driving across the swamplands of Louisiana! It finally clicked for me that you get married because you love someone enough to be with them forever and only because of that. Marriage wasn't something you "should" do. It wasn't the "next step" in life. It was something you did when you wanted to...really, really wanted.

That moment I had true clarity. I knew that I had met Adrian just so I could hear those words at that exact moment. It's cool when you just know.

Tim just dug this

Tim just dug this one up and sent it to me. I'm in Guatemala the summer after 9th grade. Good memories.

Radio that finally gets me moving

There's been some discussion in the Dallas area regarding the new station playing on 106.7FM. Karen turned it on a couple weeks ago as we were cleaning house and I couldn't believe it was radio. All dance music all the time. Now, this is my kind of radio! I had been enjoying it for a week or so when I realized it was actually a loop of the same songs. Not so great but who am I to complain? I'm finally getting music I like and it was commercial free. Definitely had me wondering if someone was broadcasting out of the house (but it seemed too strong for that) and I kept thinking it was going to be turned off. Then Leia did some research and enlightened us on the situation. Today I heard a real station identification, and it sounds like KKDL 106.7 is going to be dance music. Whoohoo!

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Movie Date Kevin and I

Movie Date
Kevin and I had a movie date tonight. Him in NY and me in TX. We saw The Four Feathers. Definitely an epic story. It made me cry. Sucks not having someone's shoulder to cry on. But at least I'll have someone to talk about it with later...as soon as he gets home from the laundromat.

Fall is here!! Today is

Fall is here!!
Today is too gorgeous to have the windows rolled up, the convertible top up, or be sitting in front of the computer! I need to be OUTSIDE!!

I passed!! The GMAT is

I passed!!
The GMAT is over. I'm done. The pressure is off. And I'm actually pleased with my score. Can't ask for more than that.

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The card said, "Good

The card said, "Good luck math girl!"

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Exhausted

I'm currently completely exhausted. Stayed up way too late last night at the slumber party. I didn't realize how late it was until someone sat me down and forced me to take a test. As Karen read through all 400 questions, I found myself falling asleep....because it was 3:00am! But it was totally worth staying up late to hang out with the women. The best part for me was sitting on the porch talking with Lyn and Christine. Christine's perspective on graduate school was invaluable. And these are two of the funniest women I have ever met.

Got to see the makeovers of beautiful women running around in pjs.
Saw much flirting via webcams. (Don't you boys have anything better to do than watch us?)
Talked about everything under the sun and felt comfortable the whole time.
Saw the incredible spread of chips and candy everyone brought. I limited myself to porkrinds.
Danced in the living room.
Drank too much gin. Who didn't drink too much last night?
Sat on the porch and talked to my boyfriend before going to sleep.
Woke up way too early.
Felt hungover but Lyn fixed it by making coffee.
Things got even better when Thomas, Alex, and Brian showed up with breakfast.
Spent the rest of the day laying around Leia and Julie's house. It feels good to hang out with friends without anywhere to be (just like my college days).

Now I'm at home thinking about "THE" test tomorrow. I've done some reviewing and think I'm going to leave it at that. I need a good night's sleep and plan on getting that shortly. The best part is I'm not stressing out. Getting to hang out last night and all day has really taken the pressure off. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to taking the test. I hope to surprise even myself.

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Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday. Thank goodness work has been chill this week. Thank goodness the GMAT is on Sunday so I can quit worrying about it.

Slumber Party!!
Some friends are having a slumber party tonight. Yes, just like 6th grade (except this time we get to drink)! And I probably won't be able to stay up all night being freaked out by ghost stories. I think it's extra cool that it's a bunch of girls rather than a mixed group. Sometimes we just don't need the drama that having men around supplies. But I am looking forward to sneaking off to call my boyfriend on the phone. And when I get back hear all the girls squeal when they hear who I was talking to. Hmm, somehow I don't see it happening like it used to. But that's ok, I don't have to relive my childhood to be happy...I wonder how much trouble we'd get in if caught rolling someone's house....

Studying on Friday? Lame
I've decided to do some studying tonight before heading over because I just can't let it go. If I get some done then I can enjoy my night. No need to stay home and worry all night. There is, afterall, a limit to my ability to soak up math. Tomorrow I'll review everything once more for good measure. Then Sunday I'll work out to clear my head and then I'll just take the test. The key to the math section for me is definitely taking my time and checking my work. It's too easy to make stupid mistakes. I can do this.

Change...can you spare some?

Tonight I've been feeling like its time for a change. Not really sure what that's going to be but it's definitely on the horizon.

Perspective
Soapbox got it right. I've been feeling this way a lot lately.

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Roomba

I want a Roomba for Christmas!!

Information Session

Attended an information session for the grad school I'm applying to. I can't say that I'm overly excited but at least it was informative. I don't feel like I did when I was picking out an undergrad school. But I don't get too excited about anything these days. Par for the course I suppose.

Information is helpful when making a decision. For example, I decided that I won't be applying to the extension campus like I originally thought. I like the school schedule better but I don't like the drive. (It's a hour door to door.) I also learned the extension campus has only 12% women while the main campus has 27%. Both numbers are lower than I'd like, but what can you do? I like the program so that's a plus. I also learned that my GMAT scores don't have to be quite as high as I thought. That relieves some pressure for Sunday. Overall it was good as I think more and more about the future.

It still freaks me out though.

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Because I can.

Because I can.

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Dream

I threw on the usual shorts and t-shirt to walk Tiger this morning. To my surprise, I was underdressed! The breeze was quite cool and I found myself wishing for a windbreaker. I think Fall might actually be here.

Drempt that I was visiting a friend in a college town. It was nothing like the town he actually lives in but more like the street next to my parents' street. Anyhow, in the dream, I found out right before I was supposed to leave town that in fact I couldn't because my car had been towed. (Apparently parking on their street was illegal since it was college property.) I was struggling to find the right person to contact to find out how much of my soul I would have to sell to get the car back. All seemed hopeless and I finally woke up. Luckily the car is still in the garage.

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Quote of the Day

"Not hick, southern sheik."
- Cameron on my accent.

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Update on my Life

Haven't been in much of a writing mood lately. It was a slightly tough week. Lots of world events to pay attention to with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Then Wednesday night Kevin and I had a relationship talk. Good things came from it but it was tough at the time. Then I heard Bush's speech to the United Nations encouraging military action be taken against Iraq. It was an excellent speech and he has some very strong points. But war always worries me.

In the midst of the major events going on around the world, I'm trying to re-teach myself a lot of basic math in preparation for the GMAT. The countdown has begun. I take it a week from yesterday. I'm ready for it to be here already so I can be done. I worry about this kind of thing way too much.

Friday night Mom, Dad, Karen, and I went to a free concert hosted by the Oldies radio station. We saw Steppenwolf and CCR (Creedance Clearwater Revisited). It was an especially fun night, and I probably should go see more live music.

Saturday I had a hard time settling down and getting any quality studying done. So somehow I ended up going out and buying a couch and a loveseat. We've been wanting furniture for a really long time and I saw an ad in the paper for an outlet store. They just happened to have the same set I had been looking at their regular store. I called Kristen up, she came to see, and approved. The next thing I know we've got new furniture. I'm so excited that my living room looks decent now!! Pictures are coming as soon as I finish Scotchguarding them.

Saturday night I got together with friends and had a great time. The quality of conversation was so much better than what I've been having lately. It was completely refreshing. I know some really wonderful people.

Sunday was studying and rearranging the furniture in the house. I also got to have a couple phone conversations with old friends like the Grants and Cameron. I didn't make it out to grocery shop like I wanted but I'll do it tonight. Heading out to work in a few minutes. The new person at work is starting, and I'll be training them for the next 3-4 weeks. I'm actually looking forward to going to work today because of it. Plus I'll get to catch up on the news on the way to work. I intentionally ignored it all weekend.

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Quote of the Day

"There is always room in your heart to love more and deeper. There are no limits to that kind of love.
- Tina

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Gama-go

Very cool t-shirts and sweatshirts...excellent design.

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Be mushy.

Be mushy.

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Remember September 11th

Tired

I'm tired and math is so boring. Mom and Dad came over for dinner tonight. Therefore I didn't sit down to study as early as I should have. Now I don't want to study at all. Lazy. Good for nothing. Stupid. That's how I feel at the moment. Mostly I'm just tired. I want to talk to Kevin. Since I'm not getting anywhere with these problems, I think that's what I'll do.

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General Life Rule

Don't call customer support for help then put them on hold.

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Tomorrow & Putty

Reading Jeff just scared me. I sure hope he isn't correct about tomorrow.

On a lighter note, anyone want 10 pounds of putty? I want to start a pool.

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Grilling & Studying

After work we cooked out steak on the new grill. Grilling is such a nice way to have a good, quick dinner. We're so lucky to have a grill now. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

After dinner, Dad helped me go over some of the math problems on the sample test. I'm feeling much better about it now. I feel confident I can do these problems. It's just a matter of remembering how to set them up. This is a good reminder of how much easier it is to study with someone else. I'm even excited about school now. Getting back into studying is going to be a good change for me. Earlier today Josh had me slightly freaked out about how quickly the test is coming up. But I think studying really hard for a few weeks will be better for me than having the test hang over my head for weeks and weeks. I have a very real goal that I need to work very hard towards. I can do this.

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GMAT Practice Exam

Little motivation occurring at the moment. Why are rainy days so tough? Good thing I don't live in the Northeast; I'd never get out of bed. But I'm up and working. Good for me.

Yesterday was a lazy, stay at home day. Of course, the fact it was raining on a Sunday only reinforced the desire to stay at home. I was good though, I took the practice GMAT. Oh, and I bombed it. My "analytical" skills need some sharpening. It's safe to say I've forgotten anything math related I ever learned (or pretended to learn). It's been years since I've done math in a text book sense and my scores showed it. Scary.

So the good news is I did quite well on the verbal portions so I won't worry about studying for those sections much. Instead, I'll focus on the math and re-teaching myself all the things I've let cobwebs grow over. I feel quite confident that with some discipline over the next few weeks, I'll be able to raise my score enough to get accepted to a school.

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Kevin & Me in Times Square

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

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Quote of the Day

"You lick it off, it's your birthday cake!"
- Lynn to Amanda regarding the icing she had on her hand

Grandma's Birthday

We celebrated my grandmother's 91st birthday last night. Her birthday was actually Sunday. She turned 91 on 9-1. Neat. After dinner she and I were talking about jobs. The word "database" came up and she asked me what that meant. I almost fell out of my chair. I wasn't necessarily surprised that she didn't know what it meant. She knows little about computers and always asks questions about them. I think it just caught me off guard. It's one of many things in my life that I just assume everyone else understands. So I explained, as best I could, what a database is to my 91 year old grandmother last night.

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Threat of War

There's a ton of talk on the news about a possible attack on Iraq by the US. President Bush wants to attack because he believes Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction or will have weapons of mass destruction soon. I believe the idea is to get him before he gets us. Congress isn't supporting the President at this time. Public opinion is against attacks. Even our foreign allies (not including Great Britain) appear to be against attacks without more evidence.

All I know is I'm scared that President Bush will start a war he can't stop.

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Quote of the Day

"Some peoples' mamas just raised them right."
- Michael Eric Dyson on why people blow the whistle on corporations and the goverment during the Tavis Smiley show

Healthy - physically and mentally

Yesterday I had a tough time adjusting back to real life. Feeling much better this morning. I'm back in the groove. Tiger and I got up early and went for a walk. Then I hit the gym and had a really good workout. It was practically deserted which is the way I like it.

Thinking a lot about the coming month. I'm going to focus on being healthy - physically and mentally. The rest of this month will be spent strictly preparing for the GMAT and completing applications for grad school. Not something I'm really, really looking forward to, but I can do anything for a month. And I'll keep reminding myself that the rewards are great.

I had better finish getting ready for work. I'm sure they would appreciate it if I showed up with my hair fixed. I'm trying to remain content with work. I'm getting slightly antsy and need a little bit more from work. At least that's how I feel at the moment. I probably should just invest my energy somewhere else (like applications). Besides, I'm good at what I do. Yesterday afternoon, I was complimented by a coworker. She came by and told me she had heard good things about me. Since she works with the customers in a different dimension than I do, it was a really nice compliment. It feels good to be recognized.

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MegLeeChin

Kris recommends checking out MegLeeChin.

Back Home Again

There's nothing like coming back from a trip and being completely overwhelmed. Work just kicked my butt this morning. The crazy part is I only missed ONE day! And my job isn't even that important!! I guess I was just popular yesterday. Though I felt a little crazy at first, I've caught up. It feels good to work hard and be appreciated for that work.

This weekend's trip was great. I don't currently feel like going into detail. Just know it was wonderful to be with Kevin again.

Last night when I got home, I hung out with my parents for awhile. Somehow Dad and I got on the topic of technology and how much cooler the Japanese electronics are than the ones we get here. I was saying how awesome it would be to have access to the same products the Japanese do. Ironically the Wall Street Journal had an article about getting Japanese products here in the States. Very interesting stuff. Thanks, Dad, for the link.

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