Holiday Hangover

I'm back from the holiday and still wondering where all the time went. I feel like I should be rested after all that time off, but it was tough getting back into the swing of things. I hit a wall around noon and was ready for a nap.

So it all went down likes this:
We ended up leaving Dallas pretty late on Wednesday which made no difference in the grand scheme of things. After I got off work at 2 I fought my way over to the kennel to drop of my dawg which ended up taking a hour and a half roundtrip. Main Street in Lewisville is my own personal traffic hell...I avoid it at all costs! So after meeting Ally (who was nice enough to pick up my dry cleaning on the way over) back at the house I ran around like a moron packing the last minute items. We threw everything in the Rover and pulled onto the road a little after 5 which was a little later than we had planned. We stopped at the campus bookstore on the way out of town to get my cap and gown for graduation since the deadline was Friday and we wouldn't be back by then. Traffic was pretty thick getting out of town, but once we left the metroplex it let up a bit. That was until we hit the construction on 20 where the road bottlenecks down to ONE LANE! It created a backup for miles and it took us over an hour to get through a stretch of highway that is probably only 10 miles. Regardless of the traffic snarl Ally and I had a good road trip as usual. We are never at a loss for things to talk about which makes the time pass quickly. Abilene had already rolled up the sidewalks when we got there, but Al's parents were happy to see us.

The rest of our time in Abilene was spent eating, sleeping and watching the boob toob. The rest of the world could have burned down and I would had never known it unless they broke in during the Cowboys game or the Bond-A-Thon on TNT. That's what I like about Abilene. They take the insane-o-meter and crank it back about 30 notches until everything grinds to a hault. Even their mall, which you might think would be chaos on the day after Thanksgiving was bearable. I've seen more chaos at the Tom Thumb on Sunday afternoon here in Dallas. We headed back on Saturday and beat most of the traffic back to Dallas. We rented The Terminal to watch Saturday night which was pretty good. Sunday I got to sleep in again! Ally and I went to brunch at one of our favorite spots, La Duni. As usual it was pretty busy and pretty cramped, but the food was excellent. After that we stopped in to Northpark, but quickly realized that we weren't in the mood for shopping. We picked up Elf on the way home and settled in for some lazy Sunday afternoon DVDing. Just for the record, Will Ferrell was hilarious and I highly recommend Elf for a holiday movie even if you are a grinch like me. Sunday night we had a delayed Thanksgiving dinner with my family and listened to stories (and looked at pictures that I wish I hadn't) of my parents travels over the last week.

In a nutshell it was a good couple of days off and time well spent with family. Now for the chaos to commence as the final push to December 12th continues. Unfortunately the crunch has claimed its first victim. Due to time limitations I won't be recapping The Amazing Race for a while. For all of your who liked the first recap I apologize and hope to find the time once everything settles down.

The Wednesday Before The Thursday

I feel completely unmotivated to do anything today! I rolled out of bed 10 minutes before I was supposed to be at work and still hit the snooze. I stayed up too late last night messing with laundry and Halo 2 and TiVo. I didn't even get to watch the whole Amazing Race episode so the recap is going to be a couple of days late. My contingency plan is to burn the episode, take it with me to Abilene and recap it there. The only hitch in my plan is internet access since Al's parents are still on AOL dialup. I know the Buffalo Wild Wings has free wireless interweb so I might have to make a stop there for some boneless wings and blogging. I'm looking forward to a good Thanksgiving meal at the country club. The only thing I will miss about not having the bird at home will be the leftover turkey samiches. I might have to smuggle some turkey out of the dining room in my pockets for later. White bread, hellman's and cold, fat slices of urkeytay...YUM! I hope everyone has a great couple of days off for Thanksgiving. Be safe!

Did I Move To Seattle?

It's done nothing but rain here for what seems like 2 weeks straight and its really starting to grate on me. My mood is definitely down! No wonder Seattle has a high suicide rate. A couple more months like this and I would be ready to sit in the garage with the car running too! (Note to all: this is not my cry for help.)

Speaking of Seattle and suicide and Kurt Cobain. Ok so we weren't talking about Kurt Cobain and this is my lousy attempt at a segway into talking about music. So I've been listening to some good music lately. The most recent, noteable additions to my collection are:

• Gavin Degraw
  Chariot + Bonus Chariot Stripped CD



• Coheed and Cambria
  Second Stage Turbine Blade



• Snow Patrol
  Final Straw



• Snow Patrol
  When It's All Over...[IMPORT]



• Roni Size
  Touching Down



• Earlimart
  Everyone Down Here



• Interpol
  Antics

As you can probably tell my music tastes are leaning towards Indie as of late. I have Matt and Alisa to thank for the inspiration. I was in one of those music ruts where all my CDs were starting to sound the same, but I'm back on track wit da jamz.

Short Week Here I Come!

Trying to sort out the coming week in my hazy, Sudafed head has been a real challenge. Luckily Ally was around last night to talk me through the weeks task, activities and commitments. I don't know what I would do without her! She was a real trooper yesterday considering she was in dog hell for a good part of the day. Since I am going home with her for Thankgiving I have to board Kitty (my dawg...Yeah I named a dog Kitty...get over it). Well to board a dog they have to be up on their shots which Kitty was not. I found out about a mobile clinic that gives a round of shots that normally costs $100+ for $32 so it was game on. Well of course my parents are boarding their dogs who also need shots, so it was dog shot field trip time.

Let me back up and qualify a couple of things before we proceed on. Alison has several allergies varying from grass to pet dander which cause her discomfort (she's not quite to the plastic bubble phase yet). I don't know how many of you out there have been through an allergy test, but I liken it to medieval torture. I was the designated handholder for Al's and it was even painful to watch. Lemme set the scene: Ok, we are going to expose you to anything and everything that you could possibly have an allergic reaction to. To do this we are going to put drops of these allergic baddies on your back and then prick them with a needle to make sure you are exposed. Don't even think about scratching either. Not that you could reach most the places they put them without pulling some contortionist shiz. Then we want you to lay there for 15 minutes (!) and let this crap react on your back and make you swell up like Quasimodo. We will eventually put some cream on the hump that has formed on your back , but you are still going to itch like no ones business. To top things off, we have this special test where we actually have to inject a bubble of the baddies under your skin. If your skin itching wasn't bad enough, how about itching UNDER your skin?

All this to say Ally has dog allergies...so back to the pet shot field trip. My mom, Al and I pile into the Yukon with 3 dogs and head out to Lewisville. Being the nice guy I am, I let Ally ride in the front seat and I rode in the back with the dog circus. And it wasn't that good dog circus where they where tutus and do tricks and stuff. It was crying, whining, shedding hair, slobbering, batsh!t dog circus. Our dogs always freak in the car because 90% of the time its becase they are going to the vet or to be boarded. It's amazing how 3 little dogs can stink and muck up a car in a relativley short time. We finally dropped my mom's two dogs off at the kennel and we are left with the 3 of us and Kitty. I'm a dog lover, have no pet allergies and I was still pretty annoyed by the dog funk that hung in the car, so I know Al wasn't having a good time. She trooped on through, never said a word and we finally made it back home. Meanwhile I'm sure she was ready to strip off her clothes and writhe on the concrete in itching agony. Such a gal!

"Harry! You're Alive...and You're a Horrible Shot!"

I appreciate all the emails with your concern about my well being. I am, in fact, alive and well...ok maybe just alive. I apologize for not updating for so long, but it has been one of those weeks where I would be pulling my hair out if I could get a hand free. I popped up on a few blogs for some comments, but that's about all there was time for between Accounting exams, a workload eruption at work, and my life in general. I usually try to make a post in the morning while the snowball is still rolling relatively slow, but this week instead of a snowball it was an avalanche threatening to kill us all. It's either feast or famine up there which I know Kyle can relate to! Just when I was looking forward to a slow, relaxed weekend Lumbergh asked me to come in on Saturday. So I will be bangin out a couple of hours at work tomorrow too! Yippee! I guess it could be worse...I mean look at Scott Peterson.

DRAFT DUMP: Sleep Depreciation

FROM THE LOST ARCHIVES OF FORGOTTEN DRAFTS:
I am convinced that sleep is completely overrated. On a normal night I am not able to wind down and get in bed till right at midnight. This may seem strange considering that I get up at 5AM to be at work at 6AM, but it's the way it works. I intentionally went to bed early (10:30PM) last night and I still feel the same as when I goto bed at the normal time. And this is not an isolated occurence. I have, in the past, made a conscious attempt to be in bed before 11PM for several days in a row and I notice no change. I am conviced that my sleep debt is in the triple digits.

The Monday Routine

Ok boys and girls, this is the part where I pretend that everyone is interested in what I did this past weekend and you guys pretend to listen attentively while clipping your toenails. It's the typical Monday post. If nothing else I am trying to be consistant here. The weekend was very family-centric. Friday night Ally and I went to Houston's with her parents and favorite Aunt and Uncle from her dad's side. The food was great and the company was better. There were a lot of laughs about Al's sister's wedding and a picture swap which included tears (mine...women are so emotional about weddings). As usual Uncle Randall comes through with a great story or two and cracked us all up. There was short talk of my graduation and what I was planning on doing afterwards. It was a little nerve-racking to talk about the job leads, especially since I feel somewhat inactive about the process at this point. I have to say I am really stressed out about the whole thing. Between working 40 hours a week, trying to finish 3 classes 4 nights a week and trying to stay sane, I think I am barely making it. I'm not sure if I even know where to begin. I feel the way I felt before I graduated high school where there is that looming future and you are only halfway sure what it holds. Except this time around I don't know where the next path leads me. When I graduated HS I at least knew where I was going to school. I am also very uneasy about the prospect of finding a job in Dallas. I know that there are a lot of IT possibilities here, but I worry about the economic climate for the sector in general. I do feel lucky, however, that I already have a decent paying job now. That takes a little pressure off the situation, but not a lot. Anyway, enough with that tangent. Try the crab cakes and 5 nut brownie ala mode at Houston's, good stuff!

Saturday day was pretty humdrum. I went over to Kevin's to play some GTA: SA and drink beers. Saturday night my family went to Texas Land and Cattle for Kevin's Bday and tortured a waiter with no sense of humor. "Coldest beer in Texas my Anus!" "That's what she said!" After that we headed back to the house and watched the first part of The Godfathter. I'm still trying to figure out how I can sneak "Leave the gun...take the canolis" into a conversation. Great line!

Sunday was business as usual. I worked in the morning/afternoon and then went over to Al's to watch the end of the Cowboy's game. I say the Cowboy's game, but I am pretty sure that they were at IHOP watching while the cheerleaders suited up and took the field. What now Parcells?! The only good news on the NFL front was seeing the Eagles get trounced by the Steelers! When the early games were over and the "bonus footage" (hee) had ended we once again set out on the search for the holy grail of bedding. After striking out at Sheets and Sh!t (aka Linen's and Things) and Blood Bath and Beyond we headed to the Northpark Dillards. Yeah, Once more unto the breach, dear friends. I will say that the bathroom in the homewares department was very clean with plently of room to stretch out on the fighting chair (fishing reference. Anyone anyone?). Sure it was the Handi-stall, but I would have vacated if I saw wheels under the door. Geez, what do you take me for? Anyway, we made our way over to the mobbed Tom Thumb where shopping is like Death Race 2000 with Highland Park soccer moms at the wheel of many a buggy. Cougars, as Alisa would say, were in high numbers. We made it out alive and darted over to the local Blockbuster only to walk the aisles aimlessly (Me: "saw it, saw it, saw it" Ally: "what about this one?" Me:"I saw it" Ally: "you watched that without me?! Stop watching movies without me!") and end up with Big Fish. We ordered in Lover's Pizza(yum!) and plopped down (well I plopped down, Ally gracefully drifted down and landed as soft as a feather) on the couch. I dozed off a 1/3 through Big Fish and then woke up for the last 1/3. I didn't really feel like I missed anything though, very interesting. Al and I agreed that it was a little long for it's own good. It had good parts though. I could make a lot of jokes about Ally's intermittant and completely unpredictable food/drink needs yesterday, but I won't. :)

As usual, I hope everyone has a good week.

The Weather I Wanted

Just like clockwork November ushers in great weather. Troy Dungan was particularly excited, in his red blazer and matching bowtie, to report the cooler weather for the next couple of days last night on the news. I was late this morning because my bed was just too warm to get out of. I also woke up with a headache which is juuuuust great! I can't stand waking up with a headache that I didn't earn the night before. The way my head was pounding I could have swore it was beat flat on one side with a 2x4, but a brave glance in the mirror proved me wrong. I made my way downstairs and checked the digital thermometer outside which read 37. Wow! That's pretty crazy considering this time last week we were in the 70s. I opened up the door to let my dog out and a perfectly timed breeze whipped in the door and slammed us both in the face. She immediately turned and headed back to her bed. I wanted to do the same, but I was already late for work so I needed to hurry. It's really a vicious cycle though when I am late. A couple years of analysis have proven there is a window of about 15 minutes for me to leave the house and be on the road with minimal traffic. If I miss that window traffic is 2wice as hectic and my commute time doubles (argh!). Especially when you get behind a city bus, a moving truck and a 18 wheeler driving down the road like neighbors and blocking the whole frickin' highway! I also had the benefit of almost plowing one of the morons that works in my building this morning because they apperently don't know how to use a blinker when turning into the garage. I am going to stop now before this turns into a traffic tirade the likes of which no one should be subjected to this early in the day. I will now take deep breaths and try to make it through today without my head exploding. Thank the Lord for Excedrin Migraine.

Bush Wins!

The Battle of Ohio was a victory for the Republicans and Bush wins re-election! The icing on that cake is the expanded Republican majority in the House and Senate. Republicans even control the gubernatorial (what a great word!) race.

And The Winner Is...

...who knows. The media is still trying to drag this one out and Kerry isn't conceding. This one won't be over till the Democrat's lawyers have their say. Kerry's Breck Girl running mate has vowed that no vote would be left behind in Ohio (well at least no democratic vote). My favorite headline is from CNN.com that reads "BUSH CAMP CERTAIN OF WIN." I looked at the map right before I went to bed at around 11:45ish CST and they were still unsure. So first thing this morning, I flip on the TV and IT'S STILL OUT! I will be interested to see which network has the stones to come out and call it first after what happened in 2000. Tom Brokaw will would not stop talking about "having egg/omelet on his face in 2000" yesterday. I kept yelling at the TV, "you're hilarious Tom!! Give it a rest!!" "In other news, the race for King of the Dipwads is close with Tom Brokaw inching ahead of Regis Philbin by only a couple of votes." I kept thinking election returns coverage would make a great drinking game so I made up some ground rules.

Drink when:
Someone says "Chad" ie "Hanging Chad", "Pregnant Chad", etc
Someone says "Pundits"
Someone says "Provisional Ballots"
Someone says "Democracy Plaza"
Someone says "Electoral"

Take a shot when:
Someone says the name of the state you were born in

Drink the whole bottle when:
Tom Brokaw says "Bukkake"

Those rules should get you started, eventhough you won't be able to play for another 4 years. DOH! Although...the continuing coverage might provide good fodder for getting shiddy. If you are out there Tom Daschle, this could be just the thing to ease your pain. Muahahah! He should have "reached across the aisle" once in a while, it would have provided a little experience in his new job as a supermarket stocker in South Dakota.

So now we wait...

Splish Splash

Well luckily I had my kayak mounted on the Rover this morning (not really). Nothing like fording through 2 feet of water to start your day off right. My favorite is when I hit a deep puddle at high speed and it throws up huge plumes of water and drowns the compact cars next to me. Sorry to all of you who drive compacts.

Had a great weekend eventhough it started out a little crazy. Friday I spent all day (after I got up at 11am of course) running around getting ready for my mom's bday party. My dad had this hair-brained idea that he would buy her a slot machine after they had seen some at a craft fair a while back. So we trucked over to the Slot Warehouse(!) to look at used slot machines. This ended up being a total waste of time considering they were much more than any sane person would pay for something that would end up sitting in the corner collecting dust after a week. I told him to put the money into taking her to Vegas. We bombed over to the mall with a few hours before the party was going to start and decided on TiVo for her. It's a running joke in my family to ask for a sack of hundred dollar bills so my dad thought it would be funny to get (100) 1 dollar bills and put them in a sack to give her. I know...we are cheesy, but ya luv us! My mom said she was going to take them to LaBare's (read: Sausage Show). We ordered food from Pappasito's (Mom's fave) which ended up being awesome as usual! The Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are the bombshizzy. After the party we spent the rest of the night setting up the TiVo. I also managed to vote Friday which was a small bit of chaos in itself. I stood outside for about an hour and a half so I could get inside and have an 80 year old guy explain to me how a touch screen works. "Oh no no...I get it...touch the SCREEN with the tip of your FINGER, then press the BLINKING BUTTON to cast my ballot."

Saturday Ally and I ran errands for most of the day which included a hair cut for me, a trip to Pottery Barn, a trip to Crate and Barrel, a trip to ghetto Target (read: screaming, bastard kids nightmare), a mid-day work press check for Al, a trip to Best Buy, and Northpark where we ALMOST ended Al's neverending search for the holy bedding grail. I procured a pimp-tastic shirt which I rocked with the blue kicks Saturday night. We decided on Texas Land and Cattle for dinner(service=slow) and then met up with fellow art house flick junkies, Brie and Jakester, to see I Heart Huckabees. If you like quirky, off-the-wall comedies then I Heart Huckabees is your movie...very Royal Tenenbaums. I laughed hard!

Most of Sunday was at work and most of that time was spent waiting for/listening to the Cowboys game. The Boys pulled a win out of their hat and I couldn't be happier. Al and I watched the last quarter in the bar at the new Buffalo Wild Wings. She's now convinced she has black lungs from the cigarette smoke and her hair "DEFINITELY smelled like smoke." We got home and I slipped into a wings and Shiner-induced coma for 3 hours. I woke up all groggy and suddenly it was time to eat again according to Al, so we had creamy tomato soup (not so much) and grilled cheeses (much much!). After fighting the rain home, I realized that I wasn't going to be tired for a long time due to my nap so I stayed up screwing around on the computer until I forced myself into bed at 2am. And that was how the weekend ended.

Don't you feel well informed now?

Halloweiner

For the record I did absolutely nothing Halloween related this year. Well unless you count eating left over candy. It was a constant source of entertainment to see people wearing costumes all weekend long. It seemed that people had extended the holiday all the way in to Thursday. I guess all you have to do is give people half a chance to dress up and the run with it. I can remember hitting the clubs in Houston on Halloween back in the day and it was a riot. Something about being able to wear a costume made everyone a little more freaky-deaky. Case in point...my roommate at the time decides (after way too many vodka-Red Bulls mind you) that it would be a good idea to pinch a girls butt that was walking by dressed like a boxer (not the dog). Good thing she wasn't a real boxer because she turned around and swung at him, but she was so off aim she nearly took me out. So she stumbles off like nothing happened (obviously toasted). We run into her later and my roommate apologizes eventhough she didn't even remember it happening. Long story long, they hit it off and end up hooking up at the after hours for the TKO (or so he says). Meanwhile, I was dressed as a doctor and did my civic duty by giving out free breast exams all night.

Crazy Halloween nights!