Last post from downtown...
The loft is nearly empty. There are just a few cleaning supplies, the fish tank, and some odds and ends. One more carload will do it.

Friday and Saturday were hellish. Thank God Mark came up from Austin to help us at the last minute, after none of the movers we contacted returned our calls. We got all of the super heavy stuff yesterday. I think we nearly killed Mark; God knows that we were about to die ourselves. I couldn't sleep for a while last night because my body hurt so much.

Today would have been much better if I hadn't had an eye problem. I'm still not sure what's wrong, but I think it's a safe bet that I somehow scratched the hell out of my cornea. My eye hurts like a mother, and we can't seem to find anything in it that could be causing it. I flushed it out with saline, water, and eye drops - nothing. Sunlight really irritates it, and driving to and from the two apartments was agony. We also went to Eurway to get a new couch, and I sat in the truck with my head in my shirt while Victor bought it. Turns out we didn't need to take the rented truck over there after all; the couch we wanted is backordered until mid-August. We bought it anyway because today was the last day of their sale. When we returned the truck, I drove my car to the rental place (thirty minutes away at DFW airport) so that Victor would have a ride back. Tears were streaming out of my eye, and I looked like an idiot with sunglasses over my glasses. On the way back, we picked up an eye patch for me at CVS, and that helped a little. This afternoon, I've stayed out of the sun, cleaning the old place. We should be out of here in a couple of hours.

I didn't get a chance to get rid of my clunker car this weekend (yes, we are procrastinators), so I still have that worry looming over me.

The next three weeks or so we will not have any cable or internet. My old email, the iqmail one, will be out of commission. Anyone who needs me should either use my work email, my gmail (same as iqmail but with gmail.com instead)... or you can use the old-fashioned telephone. I'll update from work.

God, moving sucks!
I promise a real post when I'm not hot and sticky. Where did all of this stuff come from?!?!!!

P.S. I got a new car.

I can't believe the news today...
Well, the reunion went off without a hitch. None of my two or three super close friends were there, but plenty of old friends were present. It was pretty uneventful - no fights, no name calling, no drunken behavior. Everyone seemed happy to see each other. I understand that a lot of the drunkenness happened the night before at the picnic. Victor and I didn't go to that, because we were busy flying into town and then visiting with my family.

I was telling my friend Megan that it was kind of like there were really no social classes there. We had all grown out of being freaks, jocks, cheerleaders, popular kids, nerds, whatever. Some of the best-dressed, happiest people there were "nobodies" in high school. People who really didn't talk to me back in the day said hi, and I saw that happening to everyone. I guess we've all grown up! I'm glad that I've gotten over my animosity.

On Saturday, before the reunion, my mom, sister, Diana, Victor, and I (plus my baby nephew) went bridesmaid dress shopping. We finally found one that everyone agreed on, so I can check that off my wedding to-do list. Just a couple more things to do, and then we're smooth sailing for a little while.

I have decided to get a new car, a silver Mazda3. I'm getting the four-door version. We're going to sign the paperwork tonight, and possibly pick it up as well. They're bringing it from a Houston dealership, so it might not be here until tomorrow morning. I am so excited! I have to find a way to get rid of my old car, though. I might try CarMax, or maybe one of those "no credit, no problem!" type places in east Dallas.

One more news item... we're finally in the process of moving! We have taken several loads of stuff to our new place, but we are discovering that we have SO. MUCH. STUFF. Trying to move it all in a little BMW just isn't hacking it. So I think we're getting movers on Saturday. Note to self: check whether Victor has actually booked anyone.

Well it's been ten years and a thousand tears, and look at the mess I'm in.

Tomorrow is my ten-year high school reunion. We've been planning it for about a year... well, I haven't had a hand in much of the planning, but it has been being planned. There's a Yahoo! group set up for it and everything. I think we're expecting about 1/4 or so of the class of 435. Maybe more than that. I only keep in regular contact with a couple of people from my class, and neither of them are going, but I am.

In junior high (for us, 7th-9th grade), I was a bit of a social reject. I was kind of a nerd... not all pocket protector or whatever, but I always knew the answers and raised my hand. I was a bit of a Hermione, if you know what I mean. I was teased a lot by football players and popular girls. By teased I mean harassed, I guess. It didn't help that my family won "Farm Family of the Year" right at the beginning of junior high. It also didn't help that I've always been an easy target for teasing.

Still, I had a lot of friends. Junior high was bearable only because I had them. It was still torture, though, and I spent major parts of the eighth grade wishing I had the guts to kill myself. I beat myself up because I thought I was ugly, or fat, or whatever. Ninth grade was a little easier, because I was on the drill team. A little skirt and a jacket with your name sewn on it do a lot for your social standing, and I was glad all of those dance lessons paid off.

High school was another story. There were twice as many of us, since both junior high schools in town combine to make one high school. I became a bit more assured of myself, and the jocks either decided to stop picking on me as much or had too many new people to bother. Plus, I had drama class, drama club, rehearsals, and drama trips to keep me occupied. I also made some different friends. We were known as the weird kids. People thought we were on drugs (I never was, but I can't speak for others). We had crazy colored hair, weird clothes, went to raves, went to punk shows... in a little town in Arkansas this creates a bit of a stir. I still made great grades, was a National Merit Scholar, and graduated 13th in my class of 435. High school was a thousand times better than junior high, but it was still awful sometimes.

I went to college in the area, and a lot of people from my high school went too. It was funny how the social barriers dropped - suddenly, everyone would talk to everyone. Jocks who had hated me would wave and say hi. I actually made stronger relationships with people from my high school who were in my classes in college. Still, after college, I lost touch with most people. I know some of them live here in Dallas, but I haven't met up with anyone.

I wonder what tomorrow night is going to be like. I bought a new dress, Victor's wearing a suit, and we're going to try to have a good time. It will be interesting to see how people have changed or how they have stayed the same. I have changed a lot, I think. I left high school with pretty low self-esteem, and I was definitely a small-town girl. While I still suffer from personal image issues from time to time, I am confident, independant, and very sure of myself. I have had opportunities that many of my class have not had, like traveling, living in a foreign country, living in a huge city, relying on public transportation... while some of them have had families, marriages, divorces - things I really can't relate to.

It's gonna be a trip.

Not about the car!
New topic, please. How about the fact that Victor and I got the keys to our new place last night? Pretty exciting. Isn't it funny how small empty apartments look? When we moved into our loft, I was sure that our stuff wouldn't even begin to fit, but it ended up fitting nicely. Last night the empty bedrooms looked so tiny, although when we initially toured it, they looked adequate with the previous tenants' stuff in them. So I'm trying not to freak out about it. I think we may get busy with painting the bedrooms (they are white - uggh) this weekend.

We drove around the neighborhood a bit last night after having a lovely dinner at the Tipperary Inn, just a block from our new place. They're serving Smithwicks there! I'm so glad. Our neighborhood tour was nice, and we saw several restaurants and shops we want to try.

Open Letter to the DART Policemen I Met Last Night
Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for pushing my car the last block home last night. It's been a good car and has provided me with ten years of service, but it is seriously on its last legs. I did not want it to die on the way home from the mechanic, but it did so anyway. I also did not want it to die as I turned into a bus lane, forcing me to pull it onto the sidewalk to avoid being crushed by city buses. It is too bad that I ended up partially blocking an office building's garage, but I didn't mind the people yelling at me too much, and they were able to get around me. Thank God the torrential downpour didn't start until after you got me into the garage. I hope you heard me yelling how great you are as you ran back to your police car.

Your friend,
Mandy

$750
That's what it will take to fix my car. Then they will have to see what's making the computer go out, which could potentially cause more major repairs.

The blue book value is $860.

Looks like I may have to get a new-to-me car.

Christ.

Also, one of my coworkers was fired today. I now have to work on Saturday to pick up his class, so I can't go home to attend my friend's wedding. Today sucks.

OK Computer
Long-time readers and friends may remember the car saga of November 2003, in which I paid seven or eight hundred dollars getting my stupid car fixed. The computer had to be replaced.

Well guess what?

Now, a year and a half later, déjà vu. I just got off the phone with the mechanic, and he says that as the engine heats up, the computer has been heating up too. So when it gets to operating temperature, the damn thing stops working. This is why my car dies when I'm almost home or almost to work. They don't have a quote yet for the replacement computer; they will have to call a dealership tomorrow. How is it that a year-and-a-half old computer dies, when the one that was in my computer originally runs just fine for eight-and-a-half years?

So, I know you're probably sick to death of hearing about my car. Believe me, I wish I had better things to write about. Hmm. We get the keys to our new place this week... so get ready for an onslaught of moving tales.

In other news, beating people to death isn't going to make this whole terrorism crisis better. Sometimes the world is a really depressing place.

Highway to Hell
I hate my car.
I hate my car.
I hate my car.
I hate my car.
I hate my car.

Turns out, it wasn't the gas. I don't know what it is yet, but the bastard died again on me on the way home. On the highway. In a construction zone. With no shoulders. Dallasites, I was going on 75 south under the High Five, where it's down to two lanes and there are concrete barriers on both sides. And my car died. By the way, it's really hot in Texas right now. And people don't like you when you're blocking traffic.

Some Hispanic guys were kind enough to push me for approximately a mile (or more) to where the road began to have a shoulder (so that I could pull over). I gave them all of the money in my purse, which was probably only about $14, but I would have given them $200 if I had it. The Courtesy Patrol stopped by after a while to check on me, and they gave me some cold water. God bless the guys that pushed my car and the Courtesy Patrol! After an hour and a half - no exaggeration - the tow truck finally arrived. Right now my car is in the shop, and I'm waiting to see what's wrong. Cross you fingers that it's minor. I swear, I have got to get a new car soon. Anyone have several thousand dollars they're not using?

Don't think that the accelerator pedal is a man's best friend.
So, apparently in honor of Stereogum's post about how stars pump their own gas, my car decided to teach me a lesson this morning. In 14 years of driving, I have never run out of gas. Until today. Luckily, I was pulling into work when it happened. If I hadn't stayed in bed five extra minutes, I would have been riding the train instead.

And to top things off.. I think I left my beautifully prepared lunch at home.

Update: My lunch is sitting on the counter at home. Crap.

Wrapped up in books
Earlier tonight, I was checking out Technorati to see which blogs link to this site. Most of what I found was exactly as I expected, with one exception. Paul of More Chains Than Clank links to my site as well. So I spent a few minutes perusing his site tonight. He loves books, and it reminded me that I rarely write about what I'm reading.

I've always been an avid reader, starting with my Speak & Spell and Speak & Read. In kindergarten, I used to read stories to my friends during playtime. I was always the girl with her nose in a book. I've been collecting books for a long time, and there are currently five big bookshelves in our apartment overflowing with books of all sort. I'll read just about anything, but some of the authors I love are Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Daphne DuMaurier, A. J. Cronin... as you can tell, I love the classics and older books. Modern writers I like include David Sedaris, Donna Tartt, Dave Eggers (sorry, Kris), and Jonathan Safran Foer. I just finished JSF's latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close this week while on the train. On our weekend trip to Barbados, I read Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, and now I'm in the middle of The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq. So lately it's been mostly contemporary stuff.

However, before this slew of modern literature, I did read Trilby by George DuMaurier... and that one is pretty old. I have a beautiful hardcover copy of it, dating from 1895 (it was first published in 1894), which I found at the Brattle Book Shop in Boston last year. It was a bit worn, so I got it super cheap. By the way, I highly recommend this book shop if you are ever in Boston. I have bought a lot of books there. Heck, if you're ever in Rogers, Arkansas, check out The Friendly Bookstore, which is a block or two from where I used to live. They sell used books for super cheap, and they have a great sale once a year. Another great NW Arkansas find is Bunches A Books, housed in a metal barn right outside of Springdale (no book over $1.50!). Anyone who has lived in Fayetteville knows The Dickson Street Bookshop, which is a lovely place to lose yourself. And I guess if I'm doing shout-outs to bookstores, I can't forget Book People in Austin, which is not only the largest bookstore in Texas, but it's independant too!

One of my 43 Things this year was to read more books. I think I've got that one covered.

If no news is good news... is news generally bad news?
I'm not ignoring the London bombings. I feel awful for the people there. I know some people there and don't know how to get in touch with them, and that bothers me. Terrorists are awful. I really don't know what else to say, other than I did note some extra security on the DART train this morning, and that makes me feel a little less nervous.

In other news...

Eeek! Famous friends!
Check out this Austin Chronicle article about local film news, featuring my friend Kat! And there's even a picture starring my friends Kat and Jim.

How to have a fabulous Caribbean vacation, Mandy and Victor style



1. Leave earlier to ensure you will make the flight. After much deliberation, Victor and I decided to go to Barbados for the 4th of July. First we were leaving on Saturday. Flights started looking bad, so we decided to leave Friday instead. I had Friday off anyway, and I met Victor at his work around 11am, and we headed to the airport. Our plan was to fly to Atlanta Friday afternoon, then to Miami either Friday night or early Saturday morning, and then on to Barbados from Miami Saturday morning. There was bad weather in Atlanta, so we circled the airport for about an hour and a half, before diverting to Huntsville, AL to refuel. We then made it in to Atlanta. They had cancelled an earlier flight to Miami because of the weather, and it looked bad for us to get on the last flight out.

2. When all else fails, rent a car. We didn't make the last flight out to Miami. We checked with the gate agent, and it seemed likely we wouldn't get out of Atlanta until Saturday afternoon, so we would miss both flights to Barbados from Miami on Saturday. Crap. So, we formulated a great plan. Rent a car, drive to Orlando, get on a flight to Miami there, then connect to Barbados. Now, keep in mind that this decision is made at 10:30pm. So we rented a car. We drove all through the night to Orlando, fueled by coffee, Starbucks Doubleshot, and Mountain Dew's diet and Code Red versions. We listened to Georgia's and Florida's finest music stations, including the Buzz, which I think is the station that got us through our darkest hours.

3. Be a rock star! By which, I mean show up bleary-eyed, having slept not one single wink, for first class seats, and then proceed to drink! Yes, we made both the Orlando-Miami flight and the Miami-Barbados flight. They were rather generous with the drinks on the Barbados flight. Yum.

4. Do your homework. We had spent countless hours on tripadvisor trying to decide on a hotel. We eventually decided on The Crane, which is a pretty old hotel in a remote area in Barbados. The Crane was having a sale (35% off!) because the hotel is undergoing renovations through the end of 2005. We read reviews on tripadvisor which warned us of this, so we were prepared. We were also prepared for the underperforming air conditioner, which was totally fine because of the trade winds and cooler night temperatures. It was a little uncomfortable during the day, but we didn't spend too much time in the room.

5. Eat like kings! Or pirates. Well, whoever eats really fresh fish. Saturday night we went to the Oistins Fish-Fry, which is held every Friday and Saturday night in this fishing town. There were a lot of locals there, so we knew we were in the right spot. I had grilled marlin, and Victor tried fried flying fish. Both were amazing. Plus, it was super cheap. We ate the rest of our dinners at the hotel in their restaurants L'Azure and Zen. L'Azure had great lobster and fish freshly caught from the reef near the hotel, and Zen was wonderful Thai and Japanese food.

6. Go during hurricane season. The prices aren't cheap for nothing. We did expect little showers, but it rained more than we thought. Turns out Hurricane Dennis was forming! We did end up getting drenched a couple of times, both at the beach and also during our visit to the capital, Bridgetown. The weather also ruined our snorkeling plans. However, we both managed to sunburn odd parts of our bodies which had somehow escaped sunblock. So I guess we got some sun after all.

All in all, it was a great trip. We had plenty of time to relax, which is exactly what we wanted. Other highlights of the trip included hearing a radio news report about a huge marijuana bust in which the news reporter referred to the goods as "ganja" the entire time, seeing a British Airways Concorde at the Barbados airport (it retired there), and having a local guy totally try to make friends with us by offering travel pointers... before asking for money for food. It was the nicest panhandling I had ever experienced. Oh, and we also had lots of rum. Lots and lots of rum. Bajans (people from Barbados) are really friendly, and everyone calls you "love," "dear," "governor," etc. The accent was tricky, but we got used to it. What a lovely vacation. We can't wait to go back to the Caribbean.