Worn Out

After 2 days of jury duty this week, a more-unpleasant-than-usual blood donation exprience yesterday, and this morning's frantic mayhem of contacting the baby's school and emailing/phoning our lawyer combined with frustrated yelling by me and S at each other, I have had enough. Thank GOD I got to leave work at 1 today. I need at least 2 drinks. I should be getting them later though so that's the great news of the day.

Tomorrow is a 10-year old's birthday party; Sunday will be spent relaxing as much as possible, and Monday I am going back out on the boats with the Marine Division. Then we get to see if Gustav the Tropical Storm makes his way here or not. Tuesday S starts a new job working with motorcycles again. Bye, Starbucks assholes!

Well Shut My Mouth

I can't believe I got picked for jury duty. What's more, we didn't even finish today and I must return tomorrow! It's a dream come true for me. Seriously, this country's jury-of-your-peers system is unique and quite an incredible right for citizens to have and I am so tickled to finally be a part of it!!! I am serious.

I have been thinking of the songs I want played at my funeral/memorial service. I still have not yet decided what I want done with my ashes although I am seriously entertaining the thought of having some of them embedded in jewelry, art, musical instruments, etc. Anyway, here's my top songs to play at my memorial service:

1. Paul Pena's "Jet Airliner" (this song kills me)
   
2. The Band's version of "Loving You (Has Made My Life Sweeter Than Ever)"
3. Vince Bell's "Woman of the Phoenix"
4. Is it too Texas-cliche to have Townes Van Zandt's "Rex's Blues" on the list?
   
5. I hope this is not too cliche either: Kris Kristofferson's "Loving Her Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again"
6. Polka Freakout's "Uzmi" (Too bad I'm not getting buried b/c there's a great verse from this song that would make an awesome epitaph: "When I am older and losing my teeth/Won't be because of rot!/Put on my tombstone (s)he didn't lose them/Eating fine chocolate/(s)he took a bite of life!!!")
   

I need to add to my list and get it put in my will--which also needs to be finished one of these days. S and I have rough drafts but that's where we're stuck.

Here's the other reason jury duty is awesome: today while waiting I read pages 183-almost 400 of Next. I'll be completely done within the hour now!

Always in the Jury Pool

...never a juror? I have jury duty tomorrow. I have always wanted to serve on a jury and I have often heard that lawyers love librarians since we are interested in facts and the truth, are good with detail, etc. But alas, they don't seem to like me. :-( And now I wonder if my cop status will make me weeded out even faster.

Today my right arm is pretty sore from annual qualification yesterday. Mudflap and I went together and he borrowed my shotgun. I love shooting the shotgun but it's amazing how 12 rounds can take their toll! The academy even has an 8-hour tactical shotgun course--does that sound like fun or what!--but I am hesitant b/c I shudder to think how bad my arm, shoulder, and chest will feel after 8 hours of that. Anyway, I did well yesterday although I only scored a 213; 196 is passing. My highest score ever was 238 or 240 (I think 280 is the highest score possible) and that's when I earned my "Police Sharpshooter" certificate! So a score of 213 is only fair shooting in my estimation. Mudflap did badly and failed and he's shooting a damn idiot-proof Glock with a rubber grip recoil absorber! There were 4 of us shooting at the same time and Mudflap and the other female failed, she also shooting an idiot Glock. But since it was the end of the day and there was no one else around, they "let" Mudflap and the female try again, which they are not really supposed to do. Mudflap barely squeaked by with a passing score of 196 after I gave him some shooting pointers, and he promised to come to the range with me when I go. The female failed again, which sucks for her.

I don't understand why someone would want to become a cop and then never spend time at the gun range. I really enjoy shooting very much and just wish I could afford to shoot more often. I used to go at least once a month. It's the only sport I've ever not sucked at and I've done some pretty impressive shooting in my day, if I do say so myself.

In other news, we had an absolutely lovely time on Saturday night at the wedding reception! We were all there: me, S, the baby (wearing a purple princess dress), my mom, stepdad, aunt and uncle. It was so fun and the venue was very cool with a wonderful eclectic vibe. The food was great, the company was great, and the cake was superb: everything you want in a good wedding reception! But because I had to clean guns on Sunday morning and then was out with Mudflap the rest of the day, I did not have time to get the pic's off my camera. Tonight is my monthly sheriff's meeting so give me a few days and I'll post the pic's eventually.

"Mawwaige." (From the Princess Bride.) We have another wedding next month and this time it's actually one of S's friends. He has to rent a vest and we are a little put out by that. At least my friends know better than to rope me into their ridiculous wedding spend-fests!

Packing for the Weekend

Unfortunately I don't get to pack up to go anywhere cool, like certain vacationing people in Botswana. But I do get to work from home tomorrow. At Job #1 we are going to try to let everyone work from home at least 1X/month, so tomorrow's my day. But I also have to do yet another health fair on Sat. so I am really packing a lot of stuff to take with me! Also tomorrow the whore says we can pick up the baby for our 2nd makeup weekend, which will be the last makeup weekend from when she violated the court order earlier this year. Then next weekend is our usual weekend again, as well as the weekend after that, so we are getting like 7 weekends in a row with the baby.

Me eating Bugs Bunny at Discovery Green, earlier this summer.

Me and the 'rents from a couple of weekends ago. Me with new hair though you can't see the red extension here, I don't think.

Then on Saturday it's WEDDING DAY! Or at least, wedding RECEPTION day! We're all going: me, S, the baby, my mom and stepdad. Ah, love.

Mini Updates

Went shooting last night, took 2 newbies: 2 chicks who had never been shooting before. We had a great time! I feel ready for my annual qualification on Sunday. I just need to take my time, breathe, pretend I'm shooting for an Olympic Gold medal, heh heh.

Went on patrol on Saturday with my Lt. He let me drive the whole time which was great, but he also said I drive way too slow. How the hell am I supposed to break my slow, gas-conserving, fuel-economizing, deeply-ingrained-thanks-to-the-past-4-years-of-increasing-gas-
prices-coupled with-my-decreasing-financial-state driving habits?!?! Anyway, my slow-driving ass made 2 arrests.

I took 2 really cool classes last week: This one and this one. Consequently I am now reading an actual FICTION book, Next by Michael Crichton and I cannot put it down. I am doing that thing again where I read at stop lights in the car. S'ok, it seems to make the lights turn green faster.

My new boss at Job #1 started on Friday. She seems cool and friendly. I mean, anyone who has gone to see Dave Barry and the Rock Bottom Remainders in concert--as I have--is damn well ok in my book! Meanwhile, my boss at Job #2 sent me an email saying, and I quote, "I am not surprised that you are always on top of things. You are a wonderful asset to the [Job #2's name] family."

S started a new job last week. He is now employed by one of his favorite places of all time. Money is money and we will take what we can get. We still don't know which store he's going to be based out of yet though, or if he will be part-time or full-time.

I am teaching a lot this week, today, tomorrow, and on Friday. And yet another health fair on Saturday. I really want to go see El Vez tonight but I may be too wiped out. I need quality time with my book and S.

Oh yeah, one last thing: years after everyone else, I am finally getting my MySpace page going. Better late than never. I have only invited the creme de la creme to be my friends!!!

Such A Night!!!

It was time for a musical road trip on Sunday so I went with my father "Laszlo" and his friend "Little" Joey Salsa to Austin for the tribute to the legendary accordionist Esteban "Steve" Jordan. It was a sight to see--and hear. I was overwhelmed. They call him the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion, you know! It would've been absolutely perfect if he had only done my favorite song of his, "Squeezebox Man." I don't think I've heard that song since the 1970's when I was a kid but I can hear it still in my head to this day. Anyway, he's sticking to Tejano accordion these days. I watched from right up front just a few feet away along with my father filming next to me and my breath was literally taken away. It was just the best thing, the most wonderful medicine.

2 Tejano legends: Little Joe and Esteban.

Laszlo doing his thing, shooting Max Baca and the Texmaniacs.

Esteban getting a proclamation from the TX government!

The squeezebox man... squeeze it, squeeze it, squeeze it.....! Wow, wow, wow.

Thar She (or He) Blows!

It's a hurricane a-comin'. My Sgt. called last night and asked was I prepared to work. Ma'am, yes ma'am, said I! (I wasn't being a smart ass, my new Sgt. is a chick.) I've read enough books about Hurricane Katrina now to know what to expect. I asked S to stay with me, work with us, we'd deputize him!

They are coming to pack up our computers here at Job #1 any minute now. This should be interesting. I'm just glad I got lots of books to read at home should we need to pass the time while waiting for whatever.

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow

And it brutally shone on me all day today, too! I had to do a health fair, outside, in August, in Houston Texas today from 8am-noon. I love the heat, but damn. I also spoke Spanish almost the entire time I was there too. I got me some good breakfast and lunch on the company dime though, in retaliation. I earned it in sweat today.

There's been a lot going on, which is evidenced by the dearth of blog posts. I just have been so busy at both jobs that I have not had time to post anything. From grant-writing and deadlines, to being busy interviewing for Bob's replacement, to my just being out of the office so much on comp time and vacation, the days have flown. But here's the highlights:

• The Circus last Friday!!! Send in the clowns! What's better than Ringling Brothers? And it was the baby's first time, ever. We went early and got to walk amongst the animals. She got a free ticket from the Summer Reading Club and I got a discounted one. Next year when we have more $ we are moving down from the cheap seats! I bought her a (gulp) $12 dollar snowcone, but I couldn't resist b/c it came in a nice plastic white tiger cup that she can reuse and reuse. God, I love the circus. My dad does too and he took me several times, even when I was into my twenties, heh heh.
  
• I have new hair. Also last Friday, after S picked us up from the circus (he can't ever go due to his clown fear) we went to the Galleria and I needed a haircut, bad. I told the dude to do something fun in the front and he gave me chunky bangs. Then he put a cool red hair extension in the side and I just had to buy it. The baby saw me and wanted one too so I bought her a pink one! Pic's later, blah blah blah.
  
• Got my blood glucose tested on Saturday at yet another health fair I had to work (it's the high season for health fairs) and although I have rampant diabetes on both sides of my family AND had eaten a whole bagel and muffins that morning, my blood registered a low and healthy 67. Yay!
  
• Patrol on Sunday was eh. I rode with a nice young deputy I'd never ridden with before and it was almost time for me go to home when a shots fired call dropped. We were standing in the substation at the time, testing DNA off a bloody broken pane of glass when the call dropped and I watched my partner and the other deputy in the room TAKE OFF RUNNING. I'd never seen this happen before and I was a little stunned and so he had to yell at me to "Come on!" so I ran too and man, my boots are hard to run in. In the end it turned out to be nothing very major (an older man shot out his window at his son "supposedly" thinking it was a burglar) but the adrenaline was pumping there for awhile!!!
  
• Monday night S and the baby came with me to my monthly sheriff's meeting and that was fun. Afterwards we ate at the Hard Rock cafe with Mudflap, et al.
  
• Tuesday I did my last skin care class of the summer and I am now DONE! Back down to working only 3 jobs. I sure wish those bums would pay me though, they have not paid me for the past 6 classes yet. I'm going raise my rates next year at least another $10 to get back at them.
  

This is the last weekend of our entire month with the baby. I'm so glad she's getting older b/c every year she's a little easier to deal with. S can go back to hitting his job search hard starting next week again. In the meantime, we're still scraping by though I got some good news recently that will definitely help our situation.

This weekend I'm most looking forward to sleeping late and reading my many, many books!