Adultness...

-Being stoked that Dental coverage is being added to company's insurance.

-Realizing that your rent is going up...yet again.

-Purchasing a new truck battery at 8 in the AM.



not so much love

Life, Death and Chihuahua...

So I began this posting yesterday but decided to go back and edit it quite a bit due to recent events.

Life:
Two old friends, one from high school and one from way back in elementary school became Mommies in the last week. (Congrats to Heather and Jennifer...and welcome Avery Elizabeth and Jonathan!) I'm still not sure if that's something that I'd ever want to take on. These days I'm way too self-centered. I want what I want when I want it. And I think dealing with my own life and schedule is all I need at the moment. (Of course this is all big talk and who knows maybe a year or FIVE from now i could want such a thing in my life <---but did ya see what just said? No (good) mother or someone wanting to be a good mother would ever say that. lol)

Death:
Sadly yesterday LeRoi Moore, one of the founding members of Dave Matthews Band, passed away at the age of 46. This man artist, whether he knew it or not, has been a happy part of my life for over 10 years. Since 1997 I have seen at least one DMB concert every year, wherever I happen to be living (Dallas,Orlando..), by way of a road trip (Vegas 2001, The Woodlands 2004 & 2005), or plane (NYC birthday @ Madison Square Garden 2003 w/surprise guest James Brown R.I.P.). Each one of these times were great times, with both good friends or solo, meeting (but most likely dancing along with) new "friends". DMB was in Dallas this past weekend and I had my tickets already to go...but ended up selling them to my cousin, as I, alas, would not be in town. I find this coincidence slightly eerie. But that's just how I look at things sometimes. 46. 46 is so young. Once again that's why I urge everyone to take risks, do all that you can and love all that you can right now...as we don't know what tomorrow brings...He will be is already missed by sooo many.


Chihuahua:
So the reason that I missed the show was because this week I was working for Versus (doing tape) for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) 2008 World Cup. So while everyone else watched the Olympics and this guy:

...five teams of guys were also competing for their own countries south of the border in Chihuahua Mexico.

I gotta be honest. I am digging this sport. These guys (and the bulls) are crazy nuts but I think it rocks! Just watching gets your heart racing...sorry baseball...you are boring! lol Afterwatching all these crazy (and just plain lame) "sports" in the Olympics, I so don't get why bull riding is not an event. I mean guys from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia all compteted this weekend. I'm sure there's other riders, cowboys, vaqueros all across the world that work hard and train, etc...just as much as freakin' ribbon & hoop wavers, laser fencing, handball, indoor cycling and badmitten players. ( no offense to all you out there that do these sports and happen to be reading this lol)
But down from the soap box I come. :)

In addition to work, it was just a pretty good weekend all around. Friday I landed in Chihuahua and the others on the plane and I headed to the Governor's Ball...the place was fabulous, and there were tons of people...but unfortunately we got there just in time to leave. Oh well. Crazy fact: the Electric Slide and Achy Breaky Heart is universal. Oh yes, you read that right. We even got the pleasure of hearing it en español.

We headed back to the hotel (got to listen to a couple of the Australian riders talk to each other...yeah I'm a sucker for accents, but what chica isn't? lol) and after a stop at Wendy's (yep) we arrived back at the hotel/hotel bar where the rest of the crew was...yeah they had been partying for awhile. :) It was definitively cool seeing people I haven't seen in a year.

The next morning was excellent. I had a great breakfast then head to the pool for the next 3 hours. I wish everyday before work could be spent I this. *Sidenote: It was also an excellent ipod day...every song that came through the shuffle rotation was pure gold (to me anyways)...and it was freaky but Dave Matthews Band came through several times...it's like it knew I would be missing the concert that night...yes I'm a dork...I we know this. ;)

On to work...The show went great and Team Canada dominated the competition on day one. It was pouring super hard when it was over...and we took what seemed like the longest route possible back to the hotel...but we did arrive to the hotel safely so that's really all that matters. :)
The call for the morning was early the next day so I didn't hang all that long afterwards but we did get to see what I like to call "the agony of defeat" montage of the Olympics...this was a Mexican broadcast we were seeing mind you...I don't think NBC would ever show such pain. It was wicked. Day two went well also. And after the Brazilians fought hard to keep their title from last year, the Americans came from behind to defeat the Canadians. It was a very cool event.

Back to the hotel (wait isn't that a song) anyways, we hung at the bar for a bit and Ben (cool camera guy from Idaho) suggested that we should go try out the hot tub since it was kind of a cool night. So Ben, Kevin (another cool camera guy from Idaho..who knew? lol) and I went in search of the hot tub. Well the Westin Soberano is a nice hotel with tons of amenities...except a hot tub. Well we were already dressed for the occasion so we said, "What the Heck," and got in the pool. This didn't last very long. Afterwards, we headed back to the bar where the rest of the crew was (soaking wet). *Fact: The Westin Soberano DOES in fact serve hot chocolate...in August. The night ended pretty early, as the first bus was at 4 AM and the second at 530 AM. I set the alarm for 445. I woke up at 5:09!!! I packed and dressed and made it down stairs by 519. I think that's pretty darn impressive. Got to the airport and head back to Dallas...I was super thankful that I was only having to travel under 2 hours...many others were not so lucky. End of that story. :)

Now that I am back from Chihuahua, I leave you with this one:

much love

To My Fellow Children of the 80's...

For anyone that grew up going to ShowBiz as a child (or now takes their kiddos to Chuck E Cheese) you might find this amusing...and you might even, dare I say it, laugh out loud ;)

This is soo wrong (if you consider the subject matter)...and yet soo brillant! Be sure you keep watching through the rap solo (2:19ish) it's my favorite part.

Enjoy!

much love

Officially Olympic Obsessed...and other stuff :)

So yeah, this weekend was the start of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing...and I've watched a ton and loved every second (or 8 100th's of a second) of it! And as sleepiness was just about to set in, the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay took place and the USA came from behind and (to use the words of the French) SMASHED the team from France. It was so incredible to watch...and the reactions that followed were priceless! Yeah there was trash talking before the match by the French but in the end the Americans let their swimming do the talking. Not only did they win gold...they beat the world record by almost 4 seconds!!! 4 seconds seems like nothing but in the Olympics that's like days. lol (*Note I have no hatred for the French...or anyone for that matter.)

Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale:

This, by far, was the most exciting event so far...but there have been many moments that have made me "feel" something during the games. Seeing Dirk Nowitzki leading Germany during the opening ceremonies was something special...

And then Yoa Ming and Lin Hao (the little boy that ran back in to save his classmates during the Sichuan earthquake) leading China got me a little teary I must admit. :)

And I was one of the several Billion watching the USA "Redeem Team" (not sure about that quite yet) vs. China in Men's Basketball...

...I am super proud to be an American but I am loving seeing these amazing people from all over the world proudly representing their own countries. Can't wait for more! :)

Other stuff in the past couple of weeks...

Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman took another trip on their bikes but this time they started at the northern most part of Scotland and ended in Capetown, South Africa. 18 countries in about 90 days...The Long Way Down series the just started on Fox reality channel i suggest you check it out. I saw the big screen version, and I am reading the book...this journey is definitely more emotional than The Long Way Round, being that Children and troubles in Africa are the main subject of the trip.

John Mayer doing what he does best August 1st in Dallas...super hot (literally) and super talented.

I finally got around to seeing The Dark Knight and was not disappointed. All though I thought the first 30 mins was kinda slow...I soo came outta of there wanting to ride a bat cycle. lol

Wednesday, August 6th at 12:01 am I saw Pineapple Express at the Inwood in it's "Living Room." Love those couches and dug this movie. Yeah it's a stoner-ish flick, but I think it's more of a violent action film more than anything. It's not for everybody, but those of you it's for will laugh most definitely. :)

Also up last week was the musical Jersey Boys. I've see many a musical and this is one of my absolute faves. This is definitely due to the music and songs. For those of you that don't know, Jersey Boys is based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Sounds a bit weird (but such is me and my life) but I've been a huge Frankie Valli (and the Four Seasons) fan ever since I was a little girl and my cousin Kellie and I were on a weekend trip with my mom to Lake Murray and we bought this Cruisin' Classics tape at the gas station and Big Girls Don't Cry was on it. lol Good times...and great songs!

Friday, I went to my friend Monica's 24th birthday party at Surf & Swim in Garland. It's been at least 15 years since the last time I was there. It was a great night.

Saturday, after having dinner with the aunt and uncle, and cousin and others, Momma and I went and saw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2! Yes, I liked it. Yes, America Ferrera is my idol. And, Yes I want to go to Greece and find my own Kostos. ;)

Sunday, in between watching the Olympics, I was "Big Sis" (to Nena, Lisa & Brenda) and "Tia" (to my niece Mia). I wasn't always around as my sisters were growing up (being in Florida and California), but as they've grown up it's good to see that they still need me from time to time. :) Anyways, they and my bro-in-law Eric came over to my apartments and we swam for a couple of hours and ate pizza and watched a movie. I have decided Mia will be a fish. :)


And Mykey (my bro-in-law in IRAQ) even called while they were at my house...he's doing alright...and that makes us happiest of all! It was a good day...along with a pretty good couple of weeks.



much love

Happenings and Observations...

So it's been awhile since last I emptied these thoughts...so bare with me...or not and move on to a more interesting page...and yes I enjoy visuals. :)

A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of working Premier Designs (think Mary Kay but jewelry not makeup) National Rally in lovely downtown Ft. Worth. I actually look forward to this (slightly) every year mostly because I get to see people I only see once a year and it gets me out of my "cave" ...and this year into the "truck" (where the video production and such takes place). Overall, it went really well. And as an added bonus, I got to stay in out there in a hotel and didn't have to drive back and forth like in past years. (I know that seems silly but at 4 bucks gallon, there's no way I wasn't gonna take the room) :) And as a doubly added bonus, I actually got to have dinner twice with "the boy"...who just happens to live in said Fort. Of course, this is not "my boy" and it's quite possible that he will never be, but nonetheless, I enjoyed sharing his company for an hour or two as he introduced me to Thai food (which was quite tasty) and the art of the chopstick (which i used the entire meal...yay me! lol)

....and a restaurant owner that desperately wanted us to LEAVE (dude's tip would have been much nicer if he hadn't acted in such a manner, but whatever.) Perhaps we'll have another encounter down the road. :)
Up next...I worked an incredibly boring graduation...for an online college at the AAC...and why couldn't that have been online as well?
Anyways...then (directly) on to Superliga...where Santos took on Pachuca. I do love working international games. Their fans are awesome and the vibe is just so great compared to regular MLS games. (I still love ya HOOPS!)

And then Thursday came around and that meant...

Yes I went to concert of the Crue that is Motley. And I'm not gonna lie...I had a really rockin' good time. After a couple of encounters with some scalpers (yeah I was trying to get rid of my extra ticket...I know, I know, I should only buy one ticket to such things but you gotta be optimistic right?) I entered the Superpages.com-formerly Smirnoff-formerly-CocaCola Starplex-Center...(all that really means is that the parking cost me $15 and the the super weak margarita cost me $13 but whatever)...and man there was some people watching (one of my favorite spectator sports) to be had. So many observations....my favorites was that it is way too HOT, in July, in TEXAS to be Goth! (or in this one chick's case, poser-Goth...that seemed to have bought and wore the entire Hot Topic store lol). I am not the biggest Motley Crue fan by any means...my whole purpose in going to the show was to see Papa Roach and Buckcherry...two bands that I actually am a big fan of. So after seeing their sets, and also Sixx AM (Nikki Sixx's new band, that were pretty good as well) my plan was to leave after one song into Motley Crue's set. This didn't happen. I ended up staying about 40 mins longer. These guys ROCKED! The lighting and pyro was freakin' amazing and Tommy Lee...well he's smokin' hot! (of course he knows this) lol So I took a ton of pictures but being that I'm vertically challenge and with all the smoke from various sources, most of them came out blurry, foggy, with backs of heads and a ton of "devil" horns in them. But I know what I saw. ;) Speaking of what I saw lol...Observation: Mr. Lee has an incredible power over SOME women...that makes them take of their shirts. It was at this moment I stopped taking pictures lol...good times had by all...I found it most entertaining watching the guys (boys at this point of the show) and their eyes popping out of their heads. After this, I felt my Crue experience was complete and I left and beat the traffic...like I said, good times. :)

Friday rolled around and I joined one of my favorite people, Oscar, and a few more of his friends, for his birthday at Martini Ranch...of the ones I tried, the Wedding Cake Martini was by far my fave! Then we hit up Kona for their reverse Happy Hour...cheap food and drinks...yay! Observation: while waiting at the bar for others to arrive...inconsiderate smokers do not like the smoke actually in their face while talking to someone else, and therefore push the ash tray as far as they can from them, while holding the cigarette...I ask you this, what makes you think that I, a nonsmoker, wants YOUR smoke in MY face? Just a question...and thanks to all my smoker friends for not putting your smoke in MY face :)

Saturday, after hitting the pool, Momma and I saw...

SOOO GOOD! If it doesn't make you smile and want to immediately book a ticket to Greece...then I just don't know about you. lol
Sunday, the weekend ended with a 4-nil FC Dallas defeat over the La Galaxy and this guy ...sorry I just had to :)

And last night, after taking advantage of half price food at Cafe Rembrandt, my friend Greener and I tried to see The Dark Knight at the IMAX theatre...sold out...so we ended up watching:

Stupid...but really funny!

So yeah all in all, a good couple of weeks...

Final thoughts... last night and today I've found/and have been found by some more old friends from elementary school on Facebook. (totally random, but I saw my principal, Mr. Dillard, from said time period on Sunday while out to lunch with my mom...he looks and sounds exactly the same...crazy) It's also so crazy to see everyone "all grown up" and see where they are and what they are up to. Observation: Lots of marriages, engagements, and babies for the most part. (Shout out to "new" old friends Stacey, John, and Chris!) I have no marriage, engagement, or babies...but I have an awesome t-shirt from CRUEFEST!!! What's wrong with this picture? lol

much love

Seriously??!!

This has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever read...

Mr. McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter, said flatly that he opposed allowing gay couples to adopt. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption,” he said.


Wow! I had no idea that my Mom and I were NOT successful. Thanks for pointing this out Mr. McCain.

So I guess there's really nothing left to say but...

much love

8:47...

...that would be the time that the wave started at the George Michael concert tonight at the AAC. So the ticket said that there would be no opening act the show would start promptly at 8 o'clock...HA! So the crowd was actually pretty much all there at the supposed start time (really slightly earlier than that)...The crowd consisted of 85% gay men, 10% straight chicks, 4% couples and 1% other. But the overall majority seemed to be of Latin decent...go figure. ;) This was George's 25th reunion kind of a tour....and as I was 2 at the time, I am not the biggest fan of Mr. Michael, but being that the ticket was on 25 bucks, and all i had to do was walk across the street I was up for it. After waiting for an hour and slowly slipping on a half yard full of weak margarita, and sitting through the a fore mentioned wave...he finally hit the stage at 8:50. The stage I have to admit was SICK. Crazy video boards!!! I would have pictures...but the photo Nazis were in full effect tonight. I did manage to talk my way out of checking my camera at the door...so that was a plus. :) I so don't get why artists don't want you to take pictures...it's not like you're loosing money on the deal...you've already got the ticket price (some people paid $165 to sit on the floor), and most likely those people are gonna buy a t-shirt or some sort of souvenir, and the area got 11 bucks out of me for the drink...but whatever.
Pretty sure he was on of the first guys I remember being "hot" growing up...the hair the earring...the scruff...who wouldn't lol...figures though...and thus began my attraction to the gay man. lol

After playing for about 45 mins he then puts up a countdown and says he'll be back in 15 mins. Are you kidding me?? Sorry dude, no more waiting...I got to hear Father Figure and that was gonna be satisfactory for me tonight...i'm so out! I walked back into my apartment at 10:16. I'm not complaining, but I gotta tell ya, ya kinda let me down, but such is life...especially after boasting that he'd be singing for the next and I quote "close to 3 hours." Whatever...there's no way the the AAC is gonna let him sing to or past midnight...this is not Stars' playoff hockey!! lol

But yesterday I saw an AWESOME show at the Bass Hall in Ft. Worth:

The best way to describe it is an "R" rated Sesame Street. Such greatness. Yeah, it's not for everybody, and it is a musical...but we already know...I am SOOOO not everybody! ;)

Friday night I saw:

Ugh! It wasn't terrible but the reason I saw it was because it's part of my season tickets at Fair Park. The kids there loved it! Um let's see...the sets were really cool? :)

Today I also saw:

not really what I was expecting...but pretty good. Will and Charlize are great and Jason Bateman is just adorable...that's right I said adorable. lol
An added bonus was that I watched the movie at the Inwood in the new "living room" theatre. I gotta tell ya I was way skeptical about the whole "love sac" thing but these were actual couches with ottomans and such...and the fact that my mom watched a thing on it this morning on the news...and learning that they frequently wash the slipcovers...eased my mind about them. A most excellent (sorry Bill & Ted lol) way to watch a flick.

This weekend didn't go down quite like i thought it would. Some tragic things happened. And I can't stop thinking about my friend that was affected. I just want him to know I'm here for him...I miss ya Rockstar!

much love