So, this is how you teach...

Now, I don't think I ever suspected this really happened, but I've been told by one of my friends (whose husband had to teach physics...after having never took physics) that it does, in fact, happen.

Things that annoy me 2

Another thing that annoys me? NIMBYs. Short for "Not in my backyard".

Sometimes I totally understand and agree with the NIMBYs--you know, like when it comes to landfills, sewage treatment plants, concrete plants, mining operations, nuclear power plants, etc.

However, if you are a NIMBY because you don't want a skate park (or a regular park) put within viewing distance of your house, you are an idiot. Same goes for any sort of road sign or other thing that may eventually save your life or the life of someone you care about. And I'm all for keeping streams and creeks as natural as can be, but if you've gone and bought a house that backs up to a creek, and then demand that the government do something to protect you from flooding, don't be offended when they say the options are to widen the creek (and channelize it) or to build a dam. If you want the homeless off the streets, you're going to have to find a place to put them (or you could hope for a serial killer that only goes after the domicile-ly challenged), and it just may be a large homeless shelter close to your house. Same goes for animal shelters.

AND for the love of God, stop complaining about how you want all the wildlife around your house, except for, you know, the wolves, the bears, the mountain lions, the prairie dogs, the coyotes, the snakes, the vultures, the raccoons, the possums, the porcupines, the rats, the mice, and the rabbits (in case you couldn't tell, this basically leaves birds that look 'pretty', armadillos (if you're in Texas), and cloven hoofed animals).

Things that annoy me

There are things that annoy me. Like the fact that Washington Mutual has decided that WaMu is a much cooler and hipper name to go by. I assume the same thing happened with Charles Schwab and their slogan of "Just ask Chuck". But, back to WaMu. WTF mate? WaMu does not make me think of someone that I'd like to trust my money and retirement accounts to, WaMu makes me think of a seal/orca mutant hybrid animal thing. Incidentally, this animal, in my head, also talks. and he sounds like "ggaaaahhhhh.....FFFEEEEEDDDDDD WAMU!" kinda like that big gingerbread cookie man in Shrek (which was based on the marshmallow man in ghost busters wasn't he?)

Updates

Recent Updates:

1. I changed my blogger picture and the blurb about me. Because my mom said I had to change the picture to be one of me with short hair, and no glasses. This is only because otherwise the picture didn't look like "me". Thanks, Mom.

2. Made the apple pie cheesecake thing and it's pretty freaking tasty.

3. The pants from JCrew and Old Navy arrived. They were both too big. The Old Navy one I can alter to fit better, but I had to send back the JCrew one for an exchange (damn). The worst part about it is that Dani and I went to the actual JCrew store to look at some dress she wanted, which is absolutely gorgeous and a size 4 in that fits fine. Go figure.

4. Dani's leaving today, in all, we did the InnerSpace Caverns, the Candle Factory, the Ikea, found some longhorns to take pictures of (at the Westinghouse building actually), made Pam's cheesecake, went to the natural gardener, when to Barton Square Mall, watched the Bats, looked at the loons on 6th street (which, by the way, there's a Leslie wannabe down there now. it was really sad...especially since the guy was wearing less than Leslie wears.), and we ate at Bess Bistro (no sightings of Sandra Bullock, and Shawn felt under-dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Also, on their lunch menu they have BLTs!).

blogs

Hey all, so Shawn has finally gotten into the blogging. You can find the link to his blog in the list o' blogs to the right.

Because my life is boring...

I have to blog about stories that Shawn has told me. Isn't it wonderful!?!?

So, yesterday, Gabe (whose wife is pregnant...for the third time in....2.5 years) asked Shawn and Joel for boy name ideas. The only caveats? That it had to be a biblical name, and it couldn't be the "normal" names (Matthew, David, John, Aaron, etc.). Here is a list of the names they suggested:

Caine
Lucifer
Herod
Judas
Hezekiah
Jedidiah
Ezekiel

I simply said that Shawn forgot about Mishach, Shadrach, and Abednego (who, we all know is Gumby's cousin)

The bitch about getting older

is that you never seem to be the same size you were in high school. If you are one of the few people that was bigger in high school than you are now, then you are a rare person indeed. As for the rest of us, we have invariably gotten bigger. And it's not just gaining weight. In fact, it has nothing to do with gaining weight and everything to do with just spreading out.

To illustrate this point: I decided to order clothes online yesterday. I decided to buy pants. The last time I did this, I just went for the smallest size that Eddie Bauer had (2), and actually, it was still too large. However, when I ordered pants from LL Bean, I got a size larger (4), which also happened to be the smallest size they had, and they fit fine. So then, what sizes do you get at Old Navy and JCrew? I decided to use the sizing charts. Oh the sizing charts. And when looking at the sizing charts, it was then that I realized I was still using my measurements from high school. And I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be grand to get my measurements now?" And so, I went and got out some string and the tape measure. And what I learned: I've gotten 1.5" larger everywhere (well, except for inseam...I stopped growing taller by the time I was a senior). And this, of course, puts me squarely between sizes. DAMN.

But, on the plus side, that means my boobs are bigger.

On Monday

I have to be at work at 730 in the morning*. THE MORNING! 730 is when I get out of bed normally, that's not a normal working time! how do people do that?!?!?

This is what 7:30 am looks like:

*Do not be fooled. I do not HAVE to go to the thing--it's just that I want to make sure that everything is going smoothly at the training...mostly because if it doesn't, then I'll be the one getting blamed**. Even though the computers have been around longer than the entirety of Survivor, and over half of them don't work (at all), and it's at the freaking Police Academy, where there are fire drills, and sirens, and live gun fire, I will still get blamed if it isn't a good training. Yeah, this should be great.

What I wanted to do to the computers:


**Yes, I was put in charge of planning a training that I am not going to be attending...which of course, just makes me a bitter old woman because I don't CARE how the training turns out, but then I realize that I DO care, if not only because if it goes poorly, then I will be in the proverbial dog house with my supervisor. Also, we have a person that we hired specifically for "event planning", thus I don't know why I was ever put in charge in the first place.

What? just because I'll be in the dog house doesn't mean that it can't look awesome:
Disclaimer: Don't listen to me. I just feel like being whiny tonight for some reason. It's probably because I'm hungry.

No, you can't come inside.

And she's been sitting out there for half an hour. by the door. waiting to come inside. she finally like 2 minutes ago got the hint so she's now in the grass eating it's delicious braaaaaains.

Oh Happy Day...and other stuff.

1. Pam, baking goddess extraordinaire, has agreed to write up her recipe for the delicious, delicious apple-pie-cheesecake. However, I have to wait a while for her to move into her new house and unpack and what have you and then remind her to figure out what it was that she did with the cheesecake.

2. Dani is coming to visit soon (WEEEEE!!!!!!) and I'm excited...In case you couldn't tell. Anyhow, I've been looking at things to do around town, and here's a list of things that I found:
a) BatCon
b) Innerspace Caverns (and Candle Factory)
c) Bob Bullock History Museum
d) Capital building
e) Hill Country Flyer
f) outlet mall in Round Rock (and Ikea)
g) outlet mall in San Marcos (and glass blowing factory)
h) Ghost Town Tour and/or 6th Street
i) SeaWorld in San Antonio and Alamo/Riverwalk
j) Bess Bistro (mom says we have to go there)
k) looking for a peach stand
l) Bull Creek park at Lakewood, and a drive down Spicewood Springs road (what? i'm a dork)
m) Department Picnic
n) 1st Chinese Bar-b-que
o) Zen restaurant (dad says we have to)
hmmm....did I leave anything out?

3. I have decided that Miss Sarah will have her baby on July 1. And Christina will have her baby on August 1 (or 2). This is because so far this year, everyone's babies have been born on the 1st or 2nd...which, really when you look at "everyone" I mean John's baby and Mrs. Poochie's baby.

4. I went walking for an hour today, and racked up a total of 5 miles over the entire day because I rule.

5. The bathroom is almost done. The vanity and sink are in. Now we just have to saw the edge of one drawer, shorten another and put everything back in place. Easy right?

just desserts

So, the other day, I had this delicious, delicious dessert. It was an amalgamation of my two favorite desserts: Cheesecake and Apple Pie. I'm serious! The dessert was plain cheesecake with apples quite possibly meant for apple pie on top of it with a streusel topping. It was one of the best things...ever. It was so good that I had to force myself to put it back in the fridge to save a few bites for Shawn.

So then, tomorrow's goal: Get the recipe from Pam, the cheesecake goddess (actually, I could probably call her the domestic cooking goddess extraordinaire as I've loved every recipe she's ever made).

Pirates

Okay, so Shawn and I went to see Pirates 3 yesterday. And I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. I actually almost liked it as much as the first installment. Yes it was long, and it could have been shorter, but it was at least entertaining (to me anyhow). But then, maybe I only really liked it because once again, I had heard it was only 'meh' so i expected it to be 'meh' and it ended up being 'really pretty darn good.' Also, any movie in which i'm thinking about it the day after i've seen it, means it, at the very least, stood out to me (hell, i was having 'nightmares' about 28 days later for like a week). Mom, Dani: Take note. I want the trilogy for my birthday/Xmas. The one thing I thought when the movie ended however was "God, just end the series already!" Because, the directors/writers/producers, in their infinite wisdom, totally left themselves an out for if they want to do another one. I mean, it was like the first movie--where it ended, you didn't expect it to have a sequel, but while walking out you said "you know, if they came out with a sequel, i'd see it." and that's exactly how i felt about this movie. (as an aside, at the end of the second movie all I really felt was "shit, now I have to see the next one." and it wasn't necessarily a good thing...it's kinda like the Species trilogy--I watched the first 2, and so, when the 3rd one came out I was like "goddammit! they're going to make me watch the 3rd one aren't they?")

However, I think i'm going to be disappointed by Ocean's 13. Mostly because everyone says it's good, so now I'll get my hopes up. Only to have them dashed later. bah.

last night

Last night was one of those nights where all that was running through my head was "$#!@...GAH...why?,....what the....GAH....$#!@" And that was about it...the best part? There was absolutely no reason for me to be thinking that...but i was sad, and frustrated. But then everything is better in the morning, and thus it was. I mean it still didn't change the situation, but it at least got me off my lazy ass and ask my non-work friends if they wanted to do something together soon.

Pictures from McKinney Falls

My pictures:

Itty Bitty Bridge on the "nature trail"

Rock Ledge. They (I don't know this "They") have found proof that old timey folks (read: Natives) used to use this ledge as a home. Well, sure...until it would flood...walls like that ain't just formed because of nothing.

Yay for "Fecal Contamination Present. STAY OUT OF THE WATER!" Ross tells me that the mill is on the other side of the river, so we didn't get to see it. Damn.

I'm a lobster back

We went hiking on Saturday. I forgot to put on sunblock before leaving. In fact, I didn't even think about sunblock until after we got there. Now, I'm a lobster back...I've even got nice little lines where my bra straps were. Fun. However, hiking around in McKinney Falls State Park was fun. Though, because of Fecal Contamination and/or High Water and/or Excessive Turbidity, we were unable to cross Onion Creek to go see the Grist Mill. For comparison purposes: We were at the area shown below (from the State Park Website). We couldn't go out to those rocks because there was water flowing over them at a VERY fast rate. But, we did watch a big ball go round and round from behind the falls to in front of the falls then back around to the back of the falls for about 10 minutes. What can I say? We're easily amused.

Baby Calison...No, that's not her real name.

Mr. and Mrs. Poochie's Baby was born on Friday June 1st at like 5:30 am. Welcome to the world, baby!