Hairspray, Hootie, Wall E, Wanted and Work in between...

I can go for days without doing absolutely anything...but then it's all balanced out by having a period of 4 days where I just do a ton of things. I find it amusing. :)

One thing I look forward to every year is going to the Dallas Summer Musicals with my momma. Thursday night was Hairspray and the touring cast definitely did not disappoint. :)


Friday night I got to witness the end of the Dallas Desperados' 2008 Season. A 77-63 loss against the New York Dragons...It's alright boys, you're not the only Dallas team to lose in the first round. (ouch!) LOL


Saturday morning started off bright and early with me working the KLTY Celebrate Freedom fest/concert/event out at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. This event was sponsored by KLTY, which happens to be a Christian radio station, and was supposed to run 11am to 11pm. This wasn't exactly my crowd. But I can't really say anything bad about loving Jesus. :)



...I gotta be honest though, someone was definitely helping me out that night when the event ended early at 8:30 and I was able to arrive just in time to see Hootie and the Blowfish take the stage at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. Yes they're still around and they put on a rockin' show for a packed house!






Sunday morning came around and I couldn't sleep in (as I have this alarm clock in my head that wakes me up at 7:15 am...regardless of what day it is). I didn't have to be at work til 5 so I took myself to see the 10am showing of Wall E the new Disney/Pixar movie. Sooo cute! It was kinda fun to watch it with youngins in the audience. There are some really funny parts and it's just pretty cool to look at. Definitely a "feel good" movie. lol Oh, and the short at the beginning of the film is quite good as well.



As it was only noon at this point. I decided to kill some more time by heading to a different theatre and seeing part deux of my double feature...Wanted. This too is a "feel good" movie...if lots of gratuitous violence involving guns, knives, blood, peanut butter, rats, ergonomic keyboards, staplers, atms, sick car chases, hot bods make you feel good. And ya know what? In this circumstance...they made me feel SOOO good! lol Of course Angelina is super hot, but Scottish hottie James McAvoy is such a stud. And correct me if I'm wrong, but there are NO bad Morgan Freeman movies. (if you say Robin Hood Prince of Thieves...I'm ignoring you) ;) (so can't wait for Dark Knight) This is not a movie for everyone. But those who wanna see it or are just slightly curious about it...will LOVE it! Yeah it's gone on my favorite list for sure! So go see it! And if you want someone to go see it with please feel free to ask me...I can't wait to see it again. ;)


Sunday at 5 a clock rolled around and I was back out at "The Hut" in Frisco to watch FC Dallas lose to Chivas de Guadalajara 2-1. It was a bummer that we lost but I love the Mexican soccer fans. They are awesome and reminds me that Fan is short for Fanatic! ;)



Finally, hit the bed about midnight and once again my weekend had come to an end.

I don't know why, but this morning I was thinking alot about my bro-in-law, Mykey, over in Iraq. I think it's probably because July 4th is this Friday. He and all the other girls and guys, along with all those who've come before them, fighting for our Freedom are the reason we're able to do all the things we in America are so blessed to do. I love you Mykey and can't wait til they ALL come home!




much love

The Wackness

Lately I've been slightly obsessed with this little time period called the '90s. Perhaps obsessed is the wrong word...however, I can't help sitting down and watching VH1 every time they rerun the best 100 songs of the '90s. For the most part I tend to agree with their choices. Anyhoo, caused me to become slightly nostalgic and make some purchases on iTunes of some songs that only existed on cassette tapes for me previously. :)

So how bout a little movie review on this lovely Friday...that just happens to tie in with whatelse...the '90s. :) I've seen this trailer for this movie for the past couple of months and so I jumped on the chance to go to the free screening this past Wednesday. Here's the synopsis of The Wackness:

Its the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana. The newly-inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against crimes like noisy portable radio, graffiti and public drunkenness.

The Wackness centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck)a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depression.

Propelled by an exuberant hip hop score, The Wackness captures the spell of 1994--a time of pagers, not cell phones; a time when Tupac and Biggie were alive but Kurt Cobain had just died. Funny and moving, The Wackness is an offbeat tale of two lost souls stumbling towards maturity.



I really enjoyed it. It was super funny and Sir Ben Kingsley was greatness (although it was kinda weird watching "Ghandi" make out with an Olsen Twin in a phone booth lol). For about 90 mins I longed to be back in 1994...making a mixed tape, heading to high school (rather than college), wondering where you fit into this crazy world, wondering if that boy that "liked liked" you actually liked you, or just liked ya til someone better came along...

*Sidenote: Man my head was messed up back then but I wished I realized that others were in my same position...young, old we all got problems...and everything we go through leads us to the people we are today. Enough with the "deepness"...back to the dopeness. (if you see the flick you'll get it) :)

To ME (as this is my blog) the soundtrack flowed perfectly throughout the movie (my head bobbed along the whole way lol). I truly think the music makes this movie what it is...kinda like Gardenstate 's music did.

Here's the tracklisting if you're at all curious:
1. The What - The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Method Man
2. You Used To Love Me - Faith Evans
3. Flava In Your Ear - Craig Mack
4. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
5. Can't You See - Total featuring Notorious B.I.G.
6. I Can't Wake Up - KRS-One
7. The World Is Yours - Nas
8. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
9. Heaven & Hell - Raekwon
10. Bump N' Grind- R. Kelly
11. Just A Friend - Biz Markie
12. Tearz - Wu-Tang Clan
13. Long Shot Kick De Bucket - The Pioneers

...to me it's just good summertime music that takes me back to being a kid in the '90s.

Go see it...or not :)




much love



*Just for fun I attached the list I was talking about...surely some of these make you smile...others will make you think "Really?" Enjoy :)

100 Greatest Songs Of The '90s Full List

01. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
02. U2 "One"
03. Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way"
04. Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You"
05. Madonna "Vogue"
06. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back"
07. Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time"
08. TLC"Waterfalls"
09. R.E.M. "Losing My Religion"
10. Sinéad O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U"
11. Pearl Jam "Jeremy"
12. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know"
13. Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang"
14. Mariah Carey "Vision of Love"
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge"
16. MC Hammer "U Can't Touch This"
17. Destiny's Child "Say My Name"
18. Metallica "Enter Sandman"
19. Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
20. Hanson "MMMBop"
21. Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On"
22. Beck "Loser"
23. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue "Whatta Man"
24. House of Pain "Jump Around"
25. Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"
26. Eminem "My Name Is"
27. Counting Crows "Mr. Jones"
28. Ricky Martin "Livin' la Vida Loca"
29. Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby"
30. *NSYNC "Tearin' Up My Heart"
31. Radiohead "Creep"
32. BLACKstreet "No Diggity"
33. Spice Girls "Wannabe"
34. Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life"
35. Oasis "Wonderwall"
36. C+C Music Factory "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
37. Green Day "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
38. Christina Aguilera "Genie In A Bottle"
39. Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"
40. Color Me Badd "I Wanna Sex You Up"
41. Spin Doctors "Two Princes"
42. Collective Soul "Shine"
43. En Vogue "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
44. The Fugees "Killing Me Softly With His Song"
45. Hootie & the Blowfish "Only Wanna Be With You"
46. Shania Twain "You're Still the One"
47. Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch "Good Vibrations"
48. Matchbox Twenty "3 AM"
49. Jewel "Who Will Save Your Soul"
50. Alice in Chains "Man in the Box"
51. Tupac (featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) "California Love"
52. Sugar Ray "Fly"
53. Naughty by Nature "O.P.P."
54. Joan Osborne "One of Us"
55. Fiona Apple "Criminal"
56. L.L. Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out"
57. Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule "Can I Get A..."
58. Sophie B. Hawkins "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover"
59. Weezer "Buddy Holly"
60. Bell Biv DeVoe "Poison"
61. Sheryl Crow "All I Wanna Do"
62. Live "I Alone"
63. The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Mase & Puff Daddy "Mo Money Mo Problems"
64. The Presidents of the United States of America "Peaches"
65. Digital Underground "The Humpty Dance"
66. Edwin McCain "I'll Be"
67. Deee-Lite "Groove Is In The Heart"
68. Will Smith "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"
69. Korn "Freak on a Leash"
70. Jamiroquai "Virtual Insanity"
71. Arrested Development "Tennessee"
72. Barenaked Ladies "One Week"
73. Marcy Playground "Sex and Candy"
74. Cher "Believe"
75. Kris Kross "Jump"
76. Blues Traveler "Run-Around"
77. Ice Cube "It Was a Good Day"
78. Lenny Kravitz "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
79. Meredith Brooks "Bitch"
80. Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy"
81. Paula Cole "I Don't Want to Wait"
82. Geto Boys "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"
83. The Breeders "Cannonball"
84. Snow "Informer"
85. Cypress Hill "Insane In The Brain"
86. The Cranberries "Linger"
87. Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart"
88. Duncan Sheik "Barely Breathing"
89. Liz Phair "Never Said"
90. New Radicals "You Get What You Give"
91. Sarah McLachlan "Building a Mystery"
92. Public Enemy "911 Is A Joke"
93. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories "Stay"
94. Fastball "The Way"
95. Montell Jordan "This is How We Do It"
96. Nelson "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection"
97. Prince & The New Power Generation "Gett Off"
98. EMF"Unbelievable"
99. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"
100. Gerardo "Rico Suave"

Father's, Family, Friends...

So I consider myself to be a rather strong and independent person for the most part...but I gotta tell you, the weekend was kind of a roller coaster of emotions. I think most of this surfaced due to the fact that Father's Day is coming up on Sunday. Some of you out there know about my daddy...most of you do not. I'm not going to go into it here but if you ever care to know the story I'm more than happy to share. Anyways, he's in Mexico and I haven't heard from him in awhile and I do miss him. He's not the only one I miss these days. Growing up I had the privilege of having Nana and Grandaddy always being there for me when others weren't.

<--(College Graduation back in December of  2000...lost him in 2001 and her in 2005)

Grandaddy's birthday is on Saturday (flag day) and Father's Day on Sunday...glad to be working on both, possibly it will keep my mind off the fact...that's the plan anyways :)

Friday afternoon I got a call from my uncle saying that mi Abuelita (grandmother) was heading back to Mexico on Sunday, I so wanted to see her before she left so we ended up going to dinner with them that night.  And then I saw her and my aunt off on the bus on Sunday...I needed that....I needed that "familia."

   <---LOPEZ

Now now, don't think I'm favoring one side of the family over the other.  Saturday I got to have lunch with my Momma, Uncle, Aunt, and two cousins in my backyard...aka House of Blues.  If you haven't been there I totally recommend it.  You're thinking novelty chain-ish restaurant...but I think their food is way better than that...especially the skillet mac & cheese! :)

Sunday we headed over to my cousin's apartment and we had a good time at the pool with all of the listed above and her daughter Alizabeth.  Ahhhh Summer! :)

So it wasn't all just hanging with family this weekend.  I had a Desperados' game thrown in there and Saturday night/Sunday morning was most excellent times with Michael and Seth.  Dancing til the lights came on at 3:45 in the AM. And the obligatory Cafe Brazil stop.  As Seth would say  "Loves It!"

This afternoon I'm headed to Killeen to see my Bro-In-Law, Mykey, my sister, Nena, and niece, Mia, one last time before he's shipped BACK to Iraq for his second round.  15 to 18 months this time around...think of him...and the rest of our boys and girls over there.

 <--When he got home the FIRST time.

This is quite a ramble of a posting today but I just needed to get it out...my heart has been quite heavy lately.  I try to live by Carpe Diem or Seize the Day...but I have to remember that it's not just about filling your days with great experiences...part of those experiences must also include the people that are most important to you.  We don't know how long we have with each other or have period.

I adore those of you that take time out of your busy lives to hang with the family or listen to a friend vent.  Even if it seems like a pain at first.  I think in the end it's all worth it.  Trust.

Some of you may not always understand where I'm coming from but perhaps this may clarify things about why I am the way I am.  I apologize if I've ever scared anyone away by being to clingy or getting attached quite quickly.  (some may call this psycho lol) I truly have tried to change this....but I'm not always successful .  Just know that you are important to me and time spent with ya or even just talking to ya is/was something I look forward to.  I'm quite cynical about "forever" but I do believe in today and tomorrow. :)

much love

Weird.

So it's been an eventful couple of weeks. Let's just start with Memorial Day Monday....it was FANTASTIC not having to get up early...and yet the phone still rang at 7AM...no worries though, got to enjoy most of the day at home, and even took in Ironman...good stuff.

Then that night it happened. The event that would totally bum me out for the rest of the night.
<----but replace it with grape juice (why is it always grape juice...see 2000 honda civic lol) and the single keyboard with keyboard and laptop. After dealing with Dell 3 times in the last week and a half, I still have no new keyboard...and it seems to be getting sticky-er (underneath the keys) every day that passes...they say it's on the way.

Anyways, in the last week I got to hang with my bestest friend Stephanie several times and good times were had, dinners, margaritas!!, getting her a fabulous new hair cut (that resulted in her donating ELEVEN inches to charity)...and now she's off... again (in typical Stephanie fashion)...back to live in Hawaii...for the past decade (man we're getting old lol) we've rarely lived in the same city, state or sometimes even country, and yet I still will miss and love her. ALOHA Girlie. :)

On Sunday I attended the graduation of Garland High School's Class of 2008. My youngest sister, Brenda, did it! It's so crazy but awesome. Eleven years after my own and 5 diplomas later...we're all through with this group of "kids" (me, Henry, Nena, Lisa and now Brenda)...next up...my niece Mia...16 years from now. :)

 <---As my mom and I were driving away from the arena, I saw this sign as I was stopped at a red light...funny, yet slightly disturbing. :)

In additon to hanging with best friends and family, I've also gotten to hang with my favorite redhead a time or two. things are good.

Life is good...lots of afternoons at the pool and six flags (yes I'm 27 and have a season pass...forgive me, I like to scream while falling at high speeds)...and yet summer nights are most terribly boring with no nba or nhl to work...I'm so weird lol...but we know this.

much love