I Cannot Wait

As disinterested as I am in the current presidential election b/c I KNOW who I'm voting for--Bob Barr!!!--I can't wait to watch the Veep debates this Thursday. Sarah Palin, that moron, is going to crash and burn. I do also plan to watch the Prez debates too, just for fun. The 1st one left me kinda clammy, though I thought Barack did ok.

Meanwhile, the Bush socialist party's $700 Billion Wall Street bailout failed, just like it should've. I don't think I've ever before had to contact all my state rep's the way I did about this! I thought this was a matter of life and death. I thought if we didn't do something yesterday we would all be fighting to grab the half-chewed food from the inside of our grandparents' mouths by tonight. YET--Congress rests on this until Thursday! HOW STUPID DO THEY THINK WE ARE!?! I mean, most people are stupid, yes, but come on, Bush's little panic ploy didn't work out the way he thought it would and that just goes to show how much of an idiot he is. I also can't wait for election day.

Good Soreness Today

S and I went to the gym yesterday and we did a "Rocky"-style workout. He put me in this horrible contraption that you have to climb up and get into, these elbow straps that hang from this high bar which you then rest your entire body weight into, and do leg lifts. Then he had me do crunches up from an incline bench, and those were just mean! Later I put these stinky-ass boxing gloves on (I need to find mine desperately) and we hit and kicked the bag. It was a great workout, and today I am sore all over.

We had a nice weekend and the wedding on Saturday wasn't too bad, although I congratulated the groom after the ceremony, saying brightly, "You're married now!" and his glum reply was, "Don't remind me." Well damn, it sucks to be him, eh? It was a total country wedding. We had to drive an hour north of Houston and there were horses across the road from the groom's house, where the ceremony and reception took place. We pulled up and parked and there were 2 portacans outside, and I called them "outhouses" and asked S if didn't they have indoor plumbing? The good thing was that nobody even noticed or cared that S was not only NOT wearing the $65 wedding vest, but that he also was adorned in an old pair of jeans. 90% of the folks there were in jeans, even the women! The reception meal? Little Caeser's pizzas!

Looks like most of Houston has gotten their power back. I remember driving in the early hurricane winds to R.'s house b/c she still had electricity on the first night of the hurricane and seeing all the pretty blue lights in the sky as transformer after transformer blew up. That was really wild. It was a nice feeling to go buy groceries again last week and stock our refrigerator. That hurricane was a good opportunity to completely clean the fridge out and start anew with all nice new foodstuff! And lately, I have been indulging in cold beer and ice cream, especially. (Not together.)

On top of everything else going on, I have barely had time to get excited about my New Year's trip this year! I am gwine to New Orleans! I have not been there in several years and I am anxious to see the "new"city, post-Katrina. I especially want to explore the Lower 9th Ward and see the "real" N.O. I'll be staying in the Vieux Carre as well, and it will be quite the party: me, Bean, L., J2 and their men! (Sadly, S will not make the trip.) I have been to N.O. with Bean before and I have a hilarious pic of us, he with his arm around me, smoking a cigar, and me, obviously drunk, with my hair in my face. I have been to N.O. with J2 and we only took a few pic's b/c we were too busy drinking the night away and driving up the wrong entrance ramp to the freeway. Maybe this will be the trip that Bean sleeps in Louis Armstrong park armed only with a John the Conqueroo!

Feeling Much Better Today

Last night I was at Job #2 and S called me and said, "Guess what we have at home?" I can't believe I wasn't overwhelmed by my pessimism and I actually took a halfhearted guess, "Power???" The answer was YES!!! Praise Jesus! So I blew off the gym, drove through the only food place that is currently open near our house (Taco Cabana), and got home just in time to watch mindless TV, mainly Project Runway. I can't believe the cable was even working, too! Later, I had to scrub down the fridge. Yuck.

I say I'm feeling much better today, and that's true, but I am still seeing RED thanks to our socialist government. I am joining the Libertarian party as soon as is humanly possible. I agree with all their philosophies and platforms anyway. Bob Barr for President!!! I am serious, where's my fucking bumper sticker?!?!? Fuck Congress, Fuck the Senate, Fuck Bush, Fuck McCain, and Obama, I used to have such high hopes for you but I fear you can no longer be trusted either... Well, my congressman, Culberson, actually does have a decent head on his shoulders and says he opposes the bailout. I will vote him back into office and I wrote him a congratulatory email yesterday. I wrote a pissed-off one to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison b/c I have not yet determined where she stands on the issue. She has not had the decency to post anything on her website yet.

Tonight I am going to Discovery Green to see The Gourds in concert! R. should meet me there. I am looking forward to an evening being decompressed by music. After that I am determined to find ice cream one way or the other; it's scarce in these parts thanks to Ike but I am on a mission from God.

Aggravated, Even Though Holes Are Good

12 days without power... and although I can read at night and the cold showers are finally starting to hit the spot now that the heat's back, S is sleeping at Mudflap's and I am a little lonely at night. And it certainly doesn't help that 2 nights ago I came home to sleep and one of my neighbors has a noisy-ass generator so now it's too fucking noisy to sleep in the baby's room, which is the coolest room in the house and is the only one that catches a breeze!!!

Although I still am grateful to have escaped major hurricane damage, it is starting to grate on my nerves that it seems that EVERYONE has power at home except me!!! Even my brother, R., and J. Fu got power yesterday. S and I raced home last night after he got off work and I finished at Job #2 to see if hopefully, now that everyone else we know has power, should we also be so lucky and.... NO.

S and I met at the Mezz on Monday night to watch Heroes and have dinner. I also drank a pint of Shiner Bock. Last night we went back to the Mezz to watch The Shield and have dinner. This time I drank 2 pints of Shiner. If we continue to be without power for much longer, I fear I will turn alcoholic.

Tonight we're going to the gym. The current predictions are that we might have power by Sunday, but the last predication was that we might have it by tomorrow, so now I am definitely no longer optimistic. Fortunately R. has said that we can move in with her if we don't have power by this weekend. I am still refusing to talk to Mudflap since he forgot all about me, S and the baby last Friday and forgot to leave us his key while he went to go stay with his girlfriend and left his perfectly good 3 bed/2 1/2 bath house that has power completely empty, which is why S is staying over there and I am not. Oh well, at least it's not MY karma that's in trouble.

I am arriving late to Job #1 and leaving early b/c at night when I finally fall asleep it's hard to wake up in the morning. We have a wedding to go to this Saturday, where apparently S will serve as Best Man even though he refused to go get fitted for that vest like he was supposed to. Fine with me, I surely don't want to spend the $ and now we can ill afford stupid wedding vests anyway! Also apparently this marriage is already in trouble and though the groom came thisclose to backing out he does not have the balls to call it off. I can't believe this shit and I certainly can't believe we are agreeing to go participate in this farce and even have to drive to another county to participate on top of that!

I am starting to get a little cranky, but I'm just tired... Tired of not sleeping well at night, tired of eating out for every meal (b/c I refuse to deal with the hassle AND expense of hunting for ice every day!), and tired of being alone at night in the dark! I wish S would stay with me but all he would do is bitch about the heat, etc. etc. so I'm glad he's gone while at the same time I miss him. To be honest though, I probably wouldn't be this pissed off if the news from Washington and the 700 billion dollar bailout which I can't even get into right now, weren't making me so aggravated. And I'm also aggravated b/c I remember living through Hurricane Alicia and I don't recall my mom getting any assistance from FEMA, or ice, or MRE's or a trailer or anything!!!!!!!!!!!! I just feel like this country is turning dangerously more socialist day by day and I have decided I'm not voting for McCain OR Obama! My votes are all going Libertarian and I don't even give a damn anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day... I am grateful for my holes at work. "Holes" are what I'm calling the electrical outlets after the Seinfeld "Frogger" episode.

GEORGE: All right, let's--let's focus. Can we get back to the plan?

SLIPPERY PETE: Well, I need a battery for this kind of a job. Can I at least steal a battery?

GEORGE: Fine. Steal the battery. Now, all right, here is the Frogger. This is the front door, and this is the outlet.

SLIPPERY PETE: What's that?

GEORGE: The outlet?

SLIPPERY PETE: Mm-hmm.

GEORGE: That's where the electricity comes out.

SLIPPERT PETE: Oh, you mean the holes.

One of My Little Problems is Gone!

I met S at the Borders yesterday after work so we could charge up some more stuff for the night. I had a coupon and I was determined to buy a book light and I found a great one!!! (I had a previous book light but found last Friday that the ancient batteries inside it had corroded the contact inside--anyway, this book light is far superior!) So last night I was able to read and all was well!

Around 10:30 pm S spoke to Mudflap who had the news that his house, approx. 2.7 miles away from us, had power. S had no qualms about abandoning me and he took off so fast it made my head spin! I would've gone too except I was tired, had my book light, and didn't want the aggravation of having to pack up all my clothes and toiletries and shit in the dark to take over there. I slept just fine, totally disagreeing with S that it was "hot as fuck." It was like, in the 60's last night!!!

However, this morning I did pack a bag for the baby and will certainly acquiesce to moving in temporarily with Mudflap this weekend. It is supposed to warm up here in a few days, though I am hoping that will make the cold showers at home--should we return home after the weekend but knowing S he will be against that plan, and anyway Mudflap has no problem at all with us moving in for as long as we need--a little more bearable. My thing with cold water is that I was totally traumatized as a child and to this day am extremely, unreasonably sensitive to the cold. Sometimes I can't even place a magazine on my bare lap if the paper is too cold! What happened was, it was one of the rare times I remember as a child spending time with my father at his house--the reason being that more often than not he simply didn't show up to pick up me and my brother for our visitation occasions. Well, on this particular occasion he had to bathe us, but for some reason or another he had no hot water and it was during wintertime. He put us in the bath regardless and tried to convince us that the water would get warmer or that we would get used to it after awhile. That is but one of the numerous lies he has told me throughout my lifetime!!! And to this day I am scarred by the whole experience. I probably didn't stop shaking for days after that, though I can't remember that part, thank goodness.

Going to Job #2 in a little bit to try to salvage some salary since I missed so much this week. Regardless it's going to be tight for awhile. I don't even know if the electric bill will make up for it! But tomorrow at L.'s house, if me and the baby end up going--and there's a good chance of that happening since, thank God, S was called into work this morning--will be fun and there will be drinks and music and camaraderie! And if S is not called into work tomorrow then we will have a fun family weekend regardless, as always!

Ike Came, He Saw...

He conquered some parts, certainly. I feel so lucky and keep saying that the worst of it for me is not being able to read at night and the freezing cold showers. But at least we have water so I have nothing to complain about. I saw the Katrina devastation up close and personal. I do not have 5 feet of fucking water in my house and everyone I know is fine and healthy. Today I am back at work (Job #1) and finally have access to my very own outlets so I can charge up flashlights and my cell phone. And at home I'm washing my hair at night only, then the next morning I'm getting in and washing only my pits and my [CENSORED] so that the cold water does not make me too depressed! But I even shaved my legs yesterday and that was great.

I went and patrolled on Monday and Tuesday. A lot of thefts were occurring. I ate 2 wonderful hot meals on Tuesday: lunch at a Mexican restaurant (my partner and I had the cheese enchiladas b/c we were skeptical of the meat situation) and then dinner at Hooter's with S and Mudflap. Hooters even let me charge my cell phone while I ate.

See, I lived through Hurricane Alicia and even though that was 25 years ago I still remember vividly how hot and miserable that was. We are doing MUCH better now than then. The cold front came through Houston on Sunday night and even though Saturday night was absolutely miserable, on Sunday night we needed our blankets! So we have all been so blessed. On Sunday S and I went to the store and stocked up on more water, bread, and snacks. Then we went to Borders where it was air conditioned and you could charge up your stuff and they even had laid out all their pastries free on a table for anyone to take!

I cannot stand to hear people complain and bitch and moan just b/c they don't have power. You know, humans lived without power for thousands of years just fine! But young people like S seemingly cannot survive without their tv to watch or video games to play. At Borders I let him buy some comedy CD's so we could have that as entertainment at night. Then he went back to work on Tuesday. Since I patrolled on Monday and Tuesday I let myself take Wednesday off as a day of rest before coming back to work today and I had plenty to occupy my time. First I tidied upstairs. Then I swept the downstairs. Then I experimented with solar cooking on the car dash. Then I read. Then I dragged out my guitar (my skin is real dry due to the weather and so my nails are all broken) and played a few songs. I read my diaries from when I was in my debaucherous twenties (holy SHIT are those hilarious! I can't believe I lived that crazy ass life of drinking and going out every night and hobnobbing and playing grabass and running to and fro. I laughed out loud at my various escapades many times. For example: I was mad at a guy and went to eat at the House of Pies and he called me on my cell and I said I couldn't talk because my carrot cake was on its way! Hilarious!!! I also can't believe how many friends I had back then. I'm reading all these names in my diaries and can't even remember who half these fuckers are...) Then I read some more and listened to the radio, etc. etc. Next thing I knew S was home from work and we went to the movies with Mudflap to see Burn After Reading which was fun. We even drove through Whataburger, so you see, I AM NOT SUFFERING AND HAVE NO REASON TO COMPLAIN. And neither do most people around here! (Now, I confess I am jealous of the 6 other people here in my department b/c they all have power and I'm the only one that doesn't!!! [So frankly, they can cut me some slack today, ha ha.] But as long as I stay away from them I'm fine.)

Now, we are scheduled to pick up the baby tomorrow and I don't know what we're going to do with her at night. I told S she is just going to have to rough it like I did 25 years ago, and I don't want her getting on my nerves. On Saturday I'm going to take her to visit L. so we'll be entertained doing that all day long. This is assuming S is at work b/c they sent him home early today, unfortunately (damn, we need the $) b/c there is not enough work there right now. But he came here to see me at work and we went out and had a lovely lunch. I can even go have a hot shower at Mudflap's if I want to since he does have hot water. We will definitely have to take him up on that offer this weekend when we have the baby.

I suppose I better do some real work today while I'm here! I was supposed to work this coming Sunday but we are going to be closed for the weekend, yay.

Ok, There's REALLY a Hurricane Comin'

Ike is on his way. S and I didn't go on a freak-out panic shopping spree like most people. I did break down and get some water and D batteries for my boombox radio (so I can listen to the news and CD's when--not if--the power goes out), also some Snickers bars, pita and hummus. But that's pretty much it. We already have plenty of other snacks in the pantry and didn't see the need to buy out the grocery store like other people are attempting to do.

Now we're sitting around the house glad to be off the streets b/c earlier when we went out people were well-behaved but still in panic mode--and we're not even in one of the evacuation areas! The worst will be (hopefully) just being without power. I have my books but I don't know how S will amuse himself with no wrestling to watch! He says he can do kung fu in the dark.

Other than that, I'm making lots of ice in the freezer, my 2 cop flashlights are being charged up, the cell is charged, and the 2 laptops will be fully charged too. Then begins the waiting!

I'm just really disappointed I didn't get to see a baby being borned last night. My cousin was in the hospital for 3 days until last night when they finally decided to break down and do a C-section. Crap! She had told me I could watch the baby being borned but that c-section ruined all my plans b/c they don't let anyone except the dad watch that. I went to the hospital 2 evenings in a row to get my chance and it never happened. I enjoyed turning on the huge spotlights they have in the birthing room and flipped them one last time before they wheeled her off to the c-section room and we had to leave the area. What a gyp!

Still--it is GREAT to have the day off from work. They actually shut us down last night at 5. I passed out last night around 10pm and got almost 10 hours of much-needed sleep.

Movie Quotes

I am so glad the baby is finally developing a sense of humor. For the longest time she didn't have a very good one b/c her BowelMovementBirthMother has no sense of humor at all. But now that the baby is getting older and spending all this time with us she is getting to be so much more fun and has been getting into funny movie quotes with me. For example, we are now quoting from: Ocean's Eleven (the line that Carl Reiner delivers in his hilarious Lyman Zerga accent that Elliot Gould makes fun of, "They will be here!"), Beauty and the Beast (the hysterical Gaston song lyric, "And every last inch of me's covered in hair!"--and on the word "hair" you must pull your shirt away from your body to show off your chest), and some bear movie that the baby saw that I haven't seen but we are still quoting from it anyway: "All over his body!" We also act out a couple of scenes from these and other movies when necessary. The baby's latest favorite movie is Adventures in Babysitting which I couldn't resist buying cheap from Target!

We didn't end up going to J. Fu's b-day party last Saturday after all b/c the baby and I spent the whole day with L. and her terror brood at her mom's swimming pool. I drank 3 huge mimosas and a fun day was had by all. L. is getting ready to go to South Africa for 3 weeks with her man and we are all very excited for her.

The baby got 2 more yellow days last week. I'm going to be saving lots of money on her allowance, it looks like! I had my first parent-teacher conference ever (I feel like such an adult) and met her teacher who is a very nice lady and we discussed the baby. The baby is reading lots of words slowly but surely but it is like pulling teeth and she gets distracted and acts like she doesn't know words that she does know and AARGH! I don't know what to think about her and her schooling prospects. I was reading when I was 3 but then... I'm me!

Going to try a new thing: going to the gym at lunchtime! J.Fu says that's what she does and then eats lunch at her desk when she gets back to the office. I was all ready today. I had my gym bag and plenty of time around the lunch hour and an easy lunch to make when I got back. I headed in the car towards the gym, which is only 1.3 miles away from work anyway, got down the street--and realized I forgot my damn shoes at home!!!!!!!!!!!! The next 2 days at work are all FUBAR due to other commitments, so we'll try it again on Friday.

Another One Rides The Bus

Hey! He gonna sit by YOU! Another one rides the bus, look out! (With thanks to Weird Al.) I had to ride the bus last night since I took my car in to the shop, S was down at his new Harley Davidson job, and Mudflap had a late meeting and couldn't give me a ride home or to Job #2 at a decent hour, so I had the night off, if you consider an almost-hour bus ride home a night off. It's such a shame the bus takes almost an hour b/c it only costs $1 measly dollar and drops me off literally a 1/2 block away from my house! But I can't ride it on a regular basis b/c my time is waaaay too valuable these days and it doesn't make sense to save a few bucks on gas when I am making lots more than that at Job #2 and need my time in order to do so. But riding the bus really is a wonderful thing, even if at the same time I couldn't help but notice that only minorities seem to ride the bus. I am serious, I always notice racial disparities. Only minorities ride the bus and I was the only minority in at least one of my library school classes! Also one friend of mine only has white friends except for me, I've noticed at her parties and get-togethers. I was also almost always the only non-white at all those Band concerts I used to attend. I can't help but notice this stuff.

I am very excited b/c tonight the Iguanas are playing for free at the Discovery Green park! I am trying to get my friend M. to meet me there, and my father apparently is already there, waiting around.

Slightly less busier than usual weekend coming up although tomorrow is a doozy. I have to go pick up a certified copy of the court order so we can change the baby's name, FINALLY. Then to our atty.'s office to pick up the huge load of case documents. Then I've scheduled a meet and greet with the baby's teacher before I pick up the baby from school. Then back to Job #1, then on to Job #2, and finally I'm done!!! Saturday S will be at work and I am sleeping in, after which time I'll probably take the baby to the library so we can hang out there for awhile. Saturday night is J. Fu's birthday party at her parents' fabulous house. Sunday: more chillin'.

S and I had a talk with the baby about her behavior report for the 1st week of school. Blue is a perfect day; Green is still good. Yellow however means there were warnings. Orange and Red are bad and the baby better hope she never brings those colors home! Well, the baby had 1 blue day, 1 green day, and 2 yellow days her first week (Friday was not recorded for some reason) so we had to lay down the law. If she gets any non-blue or green days she is not getting her allowance ($6), so she did not get it last week. If she gets a month of ALL blues (dare I dream this is possible with this child? I myself was an "always blue" child--I was quiet as a tiny, shy, frightened mouse--but then look at who the baby's biological parents are) then we are taking her to the Main Event for a day of games and fun!

So I wonder when I'll see the inside of the Main Event again????????????

For A Long Holiday Weekend

...I sure am wiped out! And sore, too. First I bent my toes under while playing frisbee in the park with S on Sunday. The baby was nearby playing on the playground but then she joined us in our frisbee game for awhile.

Yesterday I spent The Whole Day out with the Marine division. I threw on my old uniform and headed out there and I'm so glad I did b/c there were only 4 of us there and one of them was a brand new cadet, having just graduated on Saturday! The Sgt. paired me up with himself and, amazingly, let me operate the Duracraft all day long. I couldn't believe it but after 2 years of having been on a boat, much less driven one, it all came back to me, slowly but surely! I managed to avert any major catastrophes such as getting mired on a sandbar and even docked the boat once with the Major himself watching me (I was nervous and skittish as HELL but tried desperately not to show it). I got much better at "planing" the boat and got my speed up and also caught some knuckleheads who broke the law by towing under a bridge and then didn't have enough PFD's on board! Finally, at the end of the day I even trailered the boat and it only took me 2 tries to get it on there, heh heh. The Sgt.--a kindly old man who's been on the Marine division for 33 years--said I handled the boat well, that I was thoughtful and took my time when necessary, and said I could come out any day with him! He really didn't need to lie to me to make him his friend, but it was very sweet of him to say anyway!!!

So today my arms and back hurt from handling the boat all day long. It was pretty windy out there so I had to fight some rougher currents than normal plus the usual wakes and stuff. As we all know by now we did not have a hurricane hit Houston after all, which is always good.

I really don't want to consider that I may be possibly slowing down and not being able to handle all the rough stuff I used to be able to handle when I was younger, but I sure am tired today. I still have no problem jumping into the drink when necessary like I did yesterday (only up to my knees) even though the other female deputy out there said I was brave to do that b/c she thinks the river is nasty. I retorted that your body is not a temple, but rather an amusement park! I don't like that female at all, anyway. It took her 5 times to trailer her boat and she's been on Marine full time for 4 years. She can't even back her own trailer on to the dock! I can do it, even if it does take me 10 full minutes! But my point is, I'm seeming to have a lower tolerance for La Vida Loca these days! Or at least, my body sure is noticing the next day what I put it through the day before!