Wednesday, January 28, 2004
After all these months...
Using my new-found html skills, I'm starting work on my large bunch of unpublished photos. Come see Halloween! These were taken with Victor's camera, since mine was out of batteries that night. I promise that I'll upload some more when I get a chance. I'm beginning to wonder when my space is going to run out on this server.
Using my new-found html skills, I'm starting work on my large bunch of unpublished photos. Come see Halloween! These were taken with Victor's camera, since mine was out of batteries that night. I promise that I'll upload some more when I get a chance. I'm beginning to wonder when my space is going to run out on this server.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Crazy update time!
Know what's great? When your work pays you to learn something you wanted to learn all along. So, since I've been doing the HTML classes this week, I've refreshed some of my old skills and learned some new. I have two more days left. Look forward to this place looking much nicer.
Also on the work front... it's another trip to India. Oh yes. They bullied me into going back. It's going to be 7 weeks this time, one week of which will be in New Delhi, visiting an outsource location we have there. It'll be just me and one coworker. I like her, and we were in India together twice last year, so I think it will be OK. We're going to visit the Taj Mahal during our time in New Delhi, which will be great.
The downside of the trip is all of the stuff I'm going to miss. South by Southwest, again. Victor's birthday, again. Ryan's birthday, again. Victor and I were planning on going to his cousin's wedding in Mexico... but I'll miss that too. *sigh* I'm lucky he puts up with this crap.
In other news, it's Girls' Night tonight, and we're having Indian food. I'm in charge of dessert, but instead of learning how to make an Indian dish, I'm copping out and having Milkshake Surprise! Basically, I'm just going to take my Drinkmaster milkshake machine and some supplies, and I'll make to order. Yum!!
Know what's great? When your work pays you to learn something you wanted to learn all along. So, since I've been doing the HTML classes this week, I've refreshed some of my old skills and learned some new. I have two more days left. Look forward to this place looking much nicer.
Also on the work front... it's another trip to India. Oh yes. They bullied me into going back. It's going to be 7 weeks this time, one week of which will be in New Delhi, visiting an outsource location we have there. It'll be just me and one coworker. I like her, and we were in India together twice last year, so I think it will be OK. We're going to visit the Taj Mahal during our time in New Delhi, which will be great.
The downside of the trip is all of the stuff I'm going to miss. South by Southwest, again. Victor's birthday, again. Ryan's birthday, again. Victor and I were planning on going to his cousin's wedding in Mexico... but I'll miss that too. *sigh* I'm lucky he puts up with this crap.
In other news, it's Girls' Night tonight, and we're having Indian food. I'm in charge of dessert, but instead of learning how to make an Indian dish, I'm copping out and having Milkshake Surprise! Basically, I'm just going to take my Drinkmaster milkshake machine and some supplies, and I'll make to order. Yum!!
Monday, January 26, 2004
Bah!
I deleted the extra b-day post, and unfortunately it had Ellen's and Kelly's comments on it. Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday!
I deleted the extra b-day post, and unfortunately it had Ellen's and Kelly's comments on it. Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday!
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Happy birthday to me.
I'm 27 today. Many moons ago, during a snowstorm in Arkansas, a little Mandy was born. Celebrate tonight!
I'm 27 today. Many moons ago, during a snowstorm in Arkansas, a little Mandy was born. Celebrate tonight!
Monday, January 19, 2004
One more thing
I realize that today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (or at least, observed). I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dr. King. I know that the work that he did was instrumental in bringing civil rights to America, and even though we still have a long way to go toward racial tolerance, I know that we would have much further to go without him.
However, this day happens to also be another anniversary. My senior year of college, I was at home on MLK Day. I think it was the first year that the University of Arkansas gave us the day off from classes. My mom and I were watching TV, and my Dad had gone to town for a doctor's appointment. We got a call from a neighbor (now, remember, in the country, "neighbor" means anyone within a 10-mile radius) that Dad had been in a car accident, and we would need to come help get the truck out of the ditch. They said Dad was alright. We figured we had some work to do, so Mom put on her ratty work coat, and I put on a bra (hey, it was my day off!). I didn't put on my glasses though... I guess I just forgot.
When we rounded the corner onto the scene, we were amazed by the amount of flashing lights. Several police cars and an ambulance were all crowding the road. Mom said, "That can't be for Dad!" But it was. We parked the car and started running. As we got closer, we could see the truck, flipped onto its side. Mom made some sort of pitiful noise, which broke my heart, and I grabbed her hand so that we could run together.
Dad was already on a stretcher. He was awake but not really that coherent. He knew who we were, and he was in pretty good spirits. We could see that he had driven off the road into a culvert, and it appeared that the trucked had flipped up into a tree and slammed down sideways. He was wearing his seatbelt, thank God. Apparently, the neighbor (whose identity, to this day, remains a mystery) found him crawling out of the smashed back window.
We went to the hospital. I rode in the ambulance because I didn't have my glasses. We didn't have the siren on, so I figured they thought that Dad was going to make it. I cried quietly in the passenger seat. My mom drove her car, calling my sister at work on the cell phone. When we got to the hospital, my sister was already waiting in tears.
As we waited for the hospital to process Dad in the emergency room, he kept asking us what happened. We would tell him that he flipped his truck, and he would ask if he could fix it. "I don't think so, Dad." "But I just washed it today!" Over and over.
It turned out that he broke his back and his sternum, so I guess it's pretty incredible that he made it out the back window. He was in the hospital for about a week, and though the recovery was slow, he did recover.
So Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is something I remember for two reasons. One, for the fallen leader, and one for my dad, risen again.
I realize that today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (or at least, observed). I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dr. King. I know that the work that he did was instrumental in bringing civil rights to America, and even though we still have a long way to go toward racial tolerance, I know that we would have much further to go without him.
However, this day happens to also be another anniversary. My senior year of college, I was at home on MLK Day. I think it was the first year that the University of Arkansas gave us the day off from classes. My mom and I were watching TV, and my Dad had gone to town for a doctor's appointment. We got a call from a neighbor (now, remember, in the country, "neighbor" means anyone within a 10-mile radius) that Dad had been in a car accident, and we would need to come help get the truck out of the ditch. They said Dad was alright. We figured we had some work to do, so Mom put on her ratty work coat, and I put on a bra (hey, it was my day off!). I didn't put on my glasses though... I guess I just forgot.
When we rounded the corner onto the scene, we were amazed by the amount of flashing lights. Several police cars and an ambulance were all crowding the road. Mom said, "That can't be for Dad!" But it was. We parked the car and started running. As we got closer, we could see the truck, flipped onto its side. Mom made some sort of pitiful noise, which broke my heart, and I grabbed her hand so that we could run together.
Dad was already on a stretcher. He was awake but not really that coherent. He knew who we were, and he was in pretty good spirits. We could see that he had driven off the road into a culvert, and it appeared that the trucked had flipped up into a tree and slammed down sideways. He was wearing his seatbelt, thank God. Apparently, the neighbor (whose identity, to this day, remains a mystery) found him crawling out of the smashed back window.
We went to the hospital. I rode in the ambulance because I didn't have my glasses. We didn't have the siren on, so I figured they thought that Dad was going to make it. I cried quietly in the passenger seat. My mom drove her car, calling my sister at work on the cell phone. When we got to the hospital, my sister was already waiting in tears.
As we waited for the hospital to process Dad in the emergency room, he kept asking us what happened. We would tell him that he flipped his truck, and he would ask if he could fix it. "I don't think so, Dad." "But I just washed it today!" Over and over.
It turned out that he broke his back and his sternum, so I guess it's pretty incredible that he made it out the back window. He was in the hospital for about a week, and though the recovery was slow, he did recover.
So Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is something I remember for two reasons. One, for the fallen leader, and one for my dad, risen again.
Sorry.
I haven't really felt like writing lately. I guess it's the post-Christmas, pre-birthday blahs. I haven't really done anything that exciting lately, other than accompany Victor to Dallas. Looks like he'll be taking the job there. We looked at some possible housing (from the outside... will have to get a tour later). I bought a cute Marc by Marc Jacobs skirt on sale at Neiman Marcus. Victor got a bunch of stuff.
Otherwise, I've just been cleaning my house, playing soccer, andho-humming sighing my way through work. Doesn't ho-humming sound really dirty?
This Saturday is my 27th birthday. That's definitely on the downward landslide of the 20's. I'm starting to feel old.
I haven't really felt like writing lately. I guess it's the post-Christmas, pre-birthday blahs. I haven't really done anything that exciting lately, other than accompany Victor to Dallas. Looks like he'll be taking the job there. We looked at some possible housing (from the outside... will have to get a tour later). I bought a cute Marc by Marc Jacobs skirt on sale at Neiman Marcus. Victor got a bunch of stuff.
Otherwise, I've just been cleaning my house, playing soccer, and
This Saturday is my 27th birthday. That's definitely on the downward landslide of the 20's. I'm starting to feel old.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Your friendly news service.
It's a big day in news today. First, an item about Austin appears in Gawker today. I had always noticed the "frog mural" (which I would have called graffiti), but I didn't know its long history. More on the frog can be found here.
Secondly, it's a day full of Morrissey news. NME has news on the new album, which will be called You Are the Quarry. And Morrissey-Solo has a report about Morrissey joining PETA's fight against Iams. Sorry, Moz, I am going to continue feeding Liam Iams, because it makes his coat so shiny!
Finally, I might as well include a couple of tidbits from Florida's trashiest news service, Local 6:
Fla. Woman Charged With Sexual Relationship With 11-Year-Old
Woman Living With Corpse Thought Dripping Liquid Was Rust, Not Blood
As Ryan said, "Dude, what's wrong with Florida?"
It's a big day in news today. First, an item about Austin appears in Gawker today. I had always noticed the "frog mural" (which I would have called graffiti), but I didn't know its long history. More on the frog can be found here.
Secondly, it's a day full of Morrissey news. NME has news on the new album, which will be called You Are the Quarry. And Morrissey-Solo has a report about Morrissey joining PETA's fight against Iams. Sorry, Moz, I am going to continue feeding Liam Iams, because it makes his coat so shiny!
Finally, I might as well include a couple of tidbits from Florida's trashiest news service, Local 6:
Fla. Woman Charged With Sexual Relationship With 11-Year-Old
Woman Living With Corpse Thought Dripping Liquid Was Rust, Not Blood
As Ryan said, "Dude, what's wrong with Florida?"
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Brrr!!
Man, it's been cold here in Central Texas. The cold moved in Sunday afternoon, right after we played soccer. We were sitting at Mangia, eating pizza in our soccer shorts, when we felt the temperature drop pretty dramatically. It's been in the 20's and 30's all week, which is pretty cold for this neck of the woods.
I've been coping by curling up with some good books. First, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and now I'm reading Pompeii, both of which I heard about on NPR. The first was a novel told from the perspective of a 15-year-old autistic boy. It was absolutely fantastic. Victor is reading it right now. I started Pompeii last night, and so far it's good too.
Friday, Victor and I are going up to Dallas so that he can see about a prospective job. I'm going to do some shopping. Which, incidentally, we did in San Antonio last weekend. We went to a big mall with a gigantic pair of cowboy boots outside. Ah, Texas.
Man, it's been cold here in Central Texas. The cold moved in Sunday afternoon, right after we played soccer. We were sitting at Mangia, eating pizza in our soccer shorts, when we felt the temperature drop pretty dramatically. It's been in the 20's and 30's all week, which is pretty cold for this neck of the woods.
I've been coping by curling up with some good books. First, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and now I'm reading Pompeii, both of which I heard about on NPR. The first was a novel told from the perspective of a 15-year-old autistic boy. It was absolutely fantastic. Victor is reading it right now. I started Pompeii last night, and so far it's good too.
Friday, Victor and I are going up to Dallas so that he can see about a prospective job. I'm going to do some shopping. Which, incidentally, we did in San Antonio last weekend. We went to a big mall with a gigantic pair of cowboy boots outside. Ah, Texas.
Friday, January 02, 2004
So this is the New Year!
Did you make it? Did you survive your hangovers? I, luckily, was blessed with no hangover. Maybe blessed isn't the right word, since I had the good sense to stop drinking when I began teetering unsteadily on my four-inch heels. That happened to occur fairly early in the night (we started around 7pm), so all I had afterwards was one glass of champagne at midnight. I feel pretty lucky to have the same boy to kiss that I did last year. That is so atypical of my regular New Year's Eve experience.
We had a really great dinner at Nevie's... roasted stuffed pork, yummy chicken, green beans, and risotto, followed off by a dramatic display of Bananas Foster. The party got a little crazy after that... but probably my most memorable moments were creating some beautiful dual-drum-player music upstairs in the band practice room, talking video games with Victor, Debbie, Aaron, and George, and Wendy's hilarious comments about her future children.
New Year's Day was spent with a traditional snarky breakfast with Ryan and Victor, followed by much Mario Kart Double Dash and Mario Party 5. The three of us had dinner with Mark and Kurt, after Victor and I changed a slashed tire on his car. I swear, People of Austin, if you don't stop slashing Mark and Victor's tires, I'm going to do something drastic! We spent a fun evening at Kurt's talking movies and music. We watched a bunch of Victor's Michel Gondry music videos. The evening culminated with Chris threatening Sean with kidnapping, tying to a tree in the desert, and offering a dog corpse for food after two weeks. Nothing sinister here, folks, all in fun... these guys will just go a long way to prove a point. We were rolling with laughter. On the way home, Victor and I chuckled that we should notify the NME about these vicious threats, since both of those boys are in bands that are pretty big in Europe. It would have been the NME scoop of the week!
So, do you have any resolutions? I have tried to not add "losing weight" to mine the last couple of years, but it's back in the game this year! I have some cute dresses that I'm not able to wear right now, so my goal is to fit into them. I'm so pissed at myself for gaining back the weight I lost in India. Other goals: organize my life and pay off my debt. All three of these are entirely reachable.
Did you make it? Did you survive your hangovers? I, luckily, was blessed with no hangover. Maybe blessed isn't the right word, since I had the good sense to stop drinking when I began teetering unsteadily on my four-inch heels. That happened to occur fairly early in the night (we started around 7pm), so all I had afterwards was one glass of champagne at midnight. I feel pretty lucky to have the same boy to kiss that I did last year. That is so atypical of my regular New Year's Eve experience.
We had a really great dinner at Nevie's... roasted stuffed pork, yummy chicken, green beans, and risotto, followed off by a dramatic display of Bananas Foster. The party got a little crazy after that... but probably my most memorable moments were creating some beautiful dual-drum-player music upstairs in the band practice room, talking video games with Victor, Debbie, Aaron, and George, and Wendy's hilarious comments about her future children.
New Year's Day was spent with a traditional snarky breakfast with Ryan and Victor, followed by much Mario Kart Double Dash and Mario Party 5. The three of us had dinner with Mark and Kurt, after Victor and I changed a slashed tire on his car. I swear, People of Austin, if you don't stop slashing Mark and Victor's tires, I'm going to do something drastic! We spent a fun evening at Kurt's talking movies and music. We watched a bunch of Victor's Michel Gondry music videos. The evening culminated with Chris threatening Sean with kidnapping, tying to a tree in the desert, and offering a dog corpse for food after two weeks. Nothing sinister here, folks, all in fun... these guys will just go a long way to prove a point. We were rolling with laughter. On the way home, Victor and I chuckled that we should notify the NME about these vicious threats, since both of those boys are in bands that are pretty big in Europe. It would have been the NME scoop of the week!
So, do you have any resolutions? I have tried to not add "losing weight" to mine the last couple of years, but it's back in the game this year! I have some cute dresses that I'm not able to wear right now, so my goal is to fit into them. I'm so pissed at myself for gaining back the weight I lost in India. Other goals: organize my life and pay off my debt. All three of these are entirely reachable.
