Neccesity is the Mother of Invention

(Ohmygoodness, two posts in one day! Can it be?!)
I have to preface this by saying that my first post today was only because I was waiting for someone for a good bit of time, so I decided to be productive and blog even though I had no inspiration. NOW I do.

Sometimes, actually more often that not, I need a break from work in the afternoon and a caffeine pickup, which results in a trip to the local starbucks. Let me say that I am not your snootty emo kid with a mac laptop (not that there's anything wrong with that) who drinks starbucks because it's the hip thing to do. F- that. I go to starbucks because it works on my gps rather than trying to find a random coffee shop. I MUCH rather prefer hometown coffee places because they have an ABUNDANCE of flavored syrups (which brings me to my point) and all kinds of snazzy drinks. Let's face it, after a while, starbucks can get kind of boring. So to combat this I decided to switch to Italian Sodas, or if I'm feeling fiesty, Italian Creme Sodas, which for most baristas, you have to spell out and say you want a Pelligrino over ice with your favorite syrup. However, at Starbucks they only carry two fruity syrups, melon and raspberry. As stated earlier, I get bored easily with the same thing. Today I walked into a starbucks in Weslaco and asked what fruity flavors they had, hoping for something different. The girl mentioned the usual, raspberry...melon.....strawberry... I stopped her, "Strawberry, you say?" and she said yes. I promptly grabbed the Pellegrino bottle out of the case and told her I wanted that over ice with strawberry. "Weeeelllll," she said, "it's not really a syrup, it's a smoothie base, so it's rather thick." I told her I didn't care, fix me up. She decided she would blend my Pellegrino, strawberry base and ice and it should be fine. HOWEVER, a naysayer behind the counter promptly stomped that idea out as well as the shaken idea. (Whatever, I get the reason why, but she was just all emo-ed out with black hair and sullen face and just plain mean about it.) So the inventive barista decides to blend the strawberry base with ice and THEN add it to the Pellegrino. Holy cow, it was heaven in a cup. It was like a light smoothie, without any cream, so refreshing because it was bubbly from the Pellegrino but you could still taste the REAL strawberries. OH! It was so good I went out to my car to get extra cash to tip her AND I told the manager how much rocked. She totally made my day. And I hope I made hers by bragging to her manager. I remember working in retail and how NOT often people do that. So take that you naysayer emo barista! In yo face!

Writer's Sleep?

I know, I know...I've been horrible at updating. It's just that every time I'm ready to update, I get sooooooo sleepy. I've been working in Harlingen since the beginning of the year. I don't know if it's the six hour drive each way or something about the weather or climate or what. I always feel like I can go to bed at 9:00 every night. Then the weekend comes and I wake up at 8:30. What the heck? That's almost unheard of for me! So I'm really gonna work on it in February, which is almost here! Where does the time go? I cannot wait for warmer weather. I'm scheduled to be down here for three months, so hopefully after indoor drumline is over, the weather will be warm and I can spend a weekend here and go to South Padre Island. I've never been and I've heard it's amazing. I definitely miss the beach so I know it's gonna get even worse when the weather changes. BUT my cousin's wife step-grandma (did ya get all of that?) has offered to take me to the beach AND mexico! Holler! I'm excited. And I'm going to try and do better at posting. Even when I'm tired...(hopefully). But even if I don't, you can't say I didn't warn you, look at my blog title... =) (and yes, it's been that way since I started it.)

I Have a Big Head and Tiny Arms...

Today, I had half a day off and was in Houston at Mark's house. After I finished up work and finally motivated to do something, Mark and I decided to go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I haven't been since sometime in grade school or maybe elementary school. I had sooooooo much fun. I think the dinosaurs were my favorite! It's just amazing to see how massive they were AND to view them from the inside so to speak. Their bones were massive and to believe they are still around today.

I was a little disappointed in the gem and mineral exhibit. I remember, or at least I think I do, that there used to be a section of minerals that you could push a button and they would change colors under a black UV lighter. I was so excited to see them!! But they didn't have them anymore, it looked more like a jewelry store in there. I was totally bummed.

Kristen, you would totally enjoy the Chemistry hall. They had lots of fun stuff in there. They had a scale which would tell you how much oxygen and other stuff was in your body. AND a periodic table with real examples of all the elements. I felt like a little kid! I haven't done anything like this in years. I know my mom wants me to go to see the BodyWorlds or whatever and I'm totally dreading it. (I don't do well with stuff like that.) But I'm excited to get another chance to go back!


p.s. Kristen, I will catch up to QotD soon! But thanks for always commenting!!

First Time for Everything

I did something I've never done before tonight. Looking back it was pretty ballsy, but I had had enough. I was on my way out of San Antonio to drive to Harlingen. I decided to stop at the San Antonio classic, Bill Miller, for some tasty chicken strips to start my four hour drive off on the right foot. I should have known things would go awry when I was at the speaker and someone pulled into the line in front of me. Wtf? This either meant that someone's order had been screwed up or someone just felt like cutting in front of me. Next, the three cars originally in front of me AND the cutter did not move for 5 minutes and 21 seconds (I know because I was on the phone for that long) which started my blood boiling. I absolutely hate inefficiency and me sitting in a line four cars deep for over five minutes is not efficient in my book. Then, I heard a ridiculously loud bass pass by, another thing which I hate. I'm all about rocking out to my music. In fact, I'm pretty I have sustained hearing damage due to my extended cases of rocking out in my car. However(!) I always have the decency to turn it down when at a stop light or in a public place, i.e. a drive thru, for the courtesey of others, not to mention how the music gets exponentially louder when you are still verus moving. Well lucky me, the bass I thought was just passing by whipped around into the drive thru. The minute he finished giving his order and was right behind me, everything in my car started vibrating. I couldn't even enjoy my own radio because of the buzzing. I sat there cursing him in my head thinking it would soon be over. But we know the rate at which the line was moving and it only seemed to get slower. I guess everyone wanted LOTS of bbq, or perhaps it was new worker day; I don't know what it was, but their lack of efficiency and mr. bass behind me were really starting to piss me off. I tried to passively-aggressively shoot dirty looks to the car behind but it obviously wasn't working when I FELT his bass get louder. I was sooo ticked that, even though I was one car away from the window now, I flung my door open and marched back to the brand new jeep with all the windows down in 50 degree weather. As I walked up to his car, he looked shocked. 'Um, can you turn your bass down because it's making EVERYTHING IN MY CAR SHAKE?!?' I tried to politely say, but it didn't come out that way. 'I..I..I...I'm sorry. I didn't know,' followed by an immediate volume reduction. A brief and curt thanks and I returned to my car. What the heck, do I seriously believe that he wouldn't know how that affects other people's cars? Or even that I would like his music? How presumptuous of him. But I also assume no crazed woman has ever gotten out of her car at a drive thru to tell him that. :)

I'm thinking...

I want to run a 5K again. Anyone up for it? I guess that means I'll need to start running again....hmmm....maybe I should re-order my marathon book that got washed out to sea, err, the bay. I'll get to work on that.

When I see you smile...

I guess it's official that I have the most beautiful smile in the world. Or maybe at least in Texas. I've been told that on numerous occasions, I NEVER complain when I hear it, but most of the time I just don't believe it. However, today was a new day and it's also a new year. Today I was at the gas station and there was a pair of women in the 40s at the counter. Apparently they were cougars because as I was walking up the first woman said to the cashier (a young man about my age), "Oh, you should keep smiling. It's so cute. The best smile I've seen," and giggled to her friend. As she was leaving, I was walking up laughing to myself and he tells her, "I think you're wrong, I think SHE'S got the best smile." For some reason, it decided to stick with me today. Instead of giving him the "you're crazy as a loon look," I decided continue to flash the best smile and be nice to him. [Note: Not that I'm ever MEAN so to speak, I just usually don't take compliments from strangers well. I'm just too paranoid.] So here's to 2009 and turning a new leaf.

A few resolutions:
1) Take compliments better.
2) Blog for at least 4 days a week.
3) Post at least 4 recipes a month on my food blog.
4) Go back to working out multiple times a week(isn't that everyone's?)
5) I'll get back to you on the rest!

The Stupid Game...

Since the hurricane, I'm not gonna lie, my emotions have been like a roller coaster. There are times when I can be as strong as a rock and can talk about Gilchrist and my home and the devastation that happened like I was a stoic reporter not talking about my personal things. Then there are days like today. Days when I realized I lost a single item in my house and it rips my heart to shreds and all the pent up emotion that I've been trying to stop comes out like a flood. Tonight, I was thinking what I was going to wear tomorrow, and I thought, OH! My FAVORITE green sweat pants. And then I stopped in my tracks and realized the last place I saw them. I had done laundry not two days before the hurricane and I had just put everything away. I can remember them in the second drawer on the right folded right on top because I knew I would be wearing them as soon as I got home again. But of course, we know how that game ends. I never got to go home again.

I have to go to Gilchrist on Monday to retrieve something that reminds me of what I used to have. I had these broken concrete step stones that my Grandmother could no longer sell at the Shell Shop because they were damaged. They had been lying in my yard since I got the house and I decided to make use of them. I meticulously pieced the broken parts together and placed them in a walkway in my yard. They are the only thing left that even hints to what used to lie on that piece of land. My grandfather has hired someone to clear our lots and I have to get back before those get taken away too. I hate going back because in my head, my home still exists. In my head, my couch with my paper lanterns behind it still exist. My first piece of furniture that I bought in college is still under my table. My bed is perfectly made, waiting for me to lie in it and listen to the ocean mixed with heavy trucks passing during the night. It's almost as if time stopped on September 11th, 2008. The images of how I tore up my house to get things off the walls and off the floor so water wouldn't damage them does not exist. The fact that I can stand at 2007 Highway 87 and not see my house doesn't seem affect my memory. Somehow there's still a small glimmer of hope that things will be the way they once were.

I know it sounds crazy. And I feel crazy when I happen to have one of these breakdowns around someone who didn't live down there. It's so hard to explain it to someone who doesn't know. It the hardest feeling in the world to describe. Yes, they are only things, but these little things made up our lives. That was my first house on my own. Everything there had a story, from my couch (which I drove to Clear Lake and met a friend from San Antonio to pick up and then hated for the first week and a half, but grew to LOOOOOOVE it) to the plant behind my couch (which came from my Uncle Bill's funeral) to my stupid mini blinds (which both my mother and my aunt helped me install) and I could go on and on. Don't get me wrong, YES, I am thankful that me and my family got out because we know SO many people who didn't. It still doesn't make the pain go away. Here I am, three and a half months later, still realizing things I am missing for the first time. I don't think it'll ever end. I should have known this was coming when I was in Target earlier this week teary-eyed because I saw bathroom accessories that WOULD HAVE gone perfectly with my bathroom. I don't know what it is that triggers it, but I just wish I could back to the place in my memories. I'd give anything to have my house back. I just don't feel like I belong anywhere else right now.

In case anyone reads this, thanks for sticking with me and not thinking I'm totally crazy...I love you all.

These are my steps that I plan to retrieve on Monday...



(Just so you know I'm not the only one who is crazy, Melissa Bech has a blog on the Houston Chronicle and shares some of the same feelings. Here are two of her stories that could have very well been written by me.)
The "I Left it at the Beach" Game
I Visit My House at Night