it's the little things...

I had my housewarming party yesterday afternoon. It was a good time. I definitely wouldn't have been able to pull it off without the help of the brother, the brother's girlfriend, the brother's girlfriend's mom (especially), and cph. So props to you guys. It was probably a dumb idea to be out of town last Thursday-Sunday and then again Tuesday-Thursday. That certainly didn't leave a bunch of time to get ready for a parade of 24 adults, one adorable toddler, and one super cute DrewBear . Friday and right up to the wire on Saturday I had some help getting a million last-minute projects completed and getting the house cleaned. I know no one would have pointed out a dirty floor or said "this wall sure looks bare" but I wanted the house to look her best. (I know no one would have said those things because no one said "wow, why didn't anyone weed these flower beds?") But I had the time (sort of) to get all those things finished because the b...

Yeah, on Wednesday. How did I miss Tuesday? I was awake for almost its entirety. Anyway, this week's topic is: 10 Things You Like to Do Alone Read Drive Travel Watch embarrassingly cheesy reality TV shows Craft Paint (walls, furniture, canvases) Eat a full order of dessert Go to the museum Take pictures Sit on the porch Some of these things I like to do with other people, too. Probably the thing I enjoy the most on that list is #8. I love going to the Museum of Fine Arts in the middle of a workday. I don't get the opportunity to do that very often but maybe I should try to work it in. I like it because of all the beautiful art, because it's always the perfect temperature and humidity, and because it's quiet. I love the sound of only my feet hitting the wood floors. I love turning the corners through the maze of walls only to find yet another empty room. I love the sneakiness of not being "productive" during a workday. It's great. I must say that when I sa...

I got back to my beloved South yesterday evening. It was a really good trip--so good that it kind of made me want to stay up north. Are they still yankees if they are from the northwest? I know, anything north of Dallas... So 200 pictures, two sore legs, and not enough sleep later, these are my 10 Things for Seattle. Praise whoever you worship, but I got bumped up to first class both ways. I cannot say how much I appreciated that on a 4-hour flight. From my comfy, roomy leather seat, I was able to see out the window (beyond this woman who was annoying not taking advantage of the great view), to see my first glimpse of Mt. Rainier. It was stunning. Because I wasn't at the window seat, I didn't take a picture. On the way back, Mt. Rainier wasn't out. Here's a picture taken by someone smarter than me...it's just the peak coming through the clouds. Like an iceberg, so much more of it lay between the clouds and the ground. They have fantastic mass transit. I took a ...

I would not be a good twin (which works out fine since I'm not one). I'm leaving today for Seattle. I normally don't post that I'm going out of town, just that I've arrived back home. Since there's a picture of my house on here and terribly intelligent yet criminal minds in cyberspace, I'd like to avoid being robbed blind. Please don't rob me, intelligent criminals. For some reason, leaving to go on a trip for leisure instead of business makes me want to get more things in order around here. It's not like I'll be gone longer than some of my regular business trips. I won't. It's not like I'm traveling overseas or something. I'm not. Maybe it's because I'm losing a weekend at home. I'll get back only to turn around again (at some point during the next week--shame on you criminals for trying to figure out when). As I was getting a few things done around the house this morning, I was thinking about going on this trip alone...

I don't really know what to say about all of this. The generic "my thoughts and prayers go out to the families" comes to mind. And I do mean it. I don't know what it would be like to lose a loved one that way. So violently. So senselessly. I also can't imagine how horrible it would have been to be in one of those classrooms, whether you were able to walk out of it or not. These people just thought they were going to class... I just can't wrap my mind around it. What I am annoyed about is, as always, the media coverage. Way to go, people. Let's focus on the killer instead of the victims. Let's talk about it being a record. Like was mentioned on the news last night, this will inevitably lead to someone trying to break it. Let's turn this guy into a celebrity when that's exactly what he wanted--to be seen, to be talked about. Let's focus on him being Korean instead of the fact that he's been in the US since he was 8. Let's make a big d...

Because I've been at a loss regarding what to write about lately (with the exception of a few days last week--thanks, Ted), I decided to browse some other blogs out there. It seems that there's this whole category of blogging of which I was unaware. These posts are called memes. Who knew? Don't answer that; I'm sure I'm the last... For those of you who aren't in the know, a meme (rhymes with "team" from what I can tell but I'd rather it be "me" twice) is a list of questions posted by someone that the blogger (me) is supposed to answer. It seems like kind of a jumping off point. I think the word "meme" is annoying and makes me sound a little dorky so I won't mention it again. Anyway, after some searching, I decided to start doing one. The one that seemed the most interesting was Ten on Tuesday . I'm not going to add myself to their little community or anything but I thought I'd give you guys an explanation so this won...

And I'm glad. Being gone for four days is too long, especially when you have so much work to do. The leisure side of the trip was enjoyable since I got to live with Ted and a co-worker for a few days. And the B&B was nice. These people haven't even owned it for a year (and it's their first B&B) but they're doing a good job. Very friendly, good breakfasts. They have two houses--one built in the 1870s and one in the 1890s. This old area of Shreveport really is quite picturesque. It's funny how there are parts of the city that are so run down and yet this part--with buildings 100 years older--are beautiful and maintained. It was also nice to be able to talk to the owner about living in an old house and to browse around for ideas. Yesterday morning we also met the new local news reporter who was staying in the B&B. And I forgot to mention that last Thursday we went to see Larry Joe Taylor (for the umpteenth time) in Kemah. We sat in the front row with none ...

I'm in Shreveport. Nothing exciting to report from here, right? WRONG!!! I'm staying at a B&B with a co-worker and--wait for it--TED DANSON. How funny is that?! I even spoke to him. "If we get annoyingly loud just let us know." He said, "You do the same." And then he said goodnight and we did as well. I can only hope he'll be at breakfast in the morning. I'm freakishly giddy. It's a good thing it wasn't Brad Pitt, George Clooney, etc. My job rocks. **UPDATE** Ok, I'm a little less excited about this tonight so I can provide a few more details. He looks good--tall like you would expect and we decided he may have had plugs or else his hairpiece is the best ever. We don't know why he's in Shreveport. One theory we heard today is that his wife's family is here. I don't know about that. He's also got a project in production and had a script with him. (I don't know, maybe all actors carry them arou...

So remember that last post? I'm going to boil it down to just being how those specific members of the family are (at least with us). I think it's a person thing instead of a family thing. Here's why... Last night the brother and I had 9 members of our family down. First, if you know me, you think it's weird that I've seen this much family in so short a time. It is. Anyway, we had our twin cousins and their husbands (all in their 40s) and their 5 kids (approximately 12 and 17-20). We had a really good time. These were some family members we were closest to before Mom died. (I'd like to interject here that it really was such a defining moment that--especially with family--there was life before it and life after.) When we get together it's more like no time has passed. It has, of course, because we've only seen each other maybe once every 18 months or longer over the last 10 years. But we talk about more meaningful stuff. I do leave feeling l...

Other than my brother, I hardly ever see or talk to any family. It's not that I dislike them or anything. I usually enjoy the time I spend with them--we just don't have a lot of contact. We were/are kind of estranged from my dad's sister and her family but Mom had 5 siblings. They all have children and grandchildren and one even has a great grandchild as of last Wednesday. Most live in Texas so geography isn't a big issue either. I've been trying to think of what is... It isn't that they remind me of Mom. Sometimes they do but it's not like I avoid them to avoid thinking about her. I think about her all the time. Some of the family bring her up every time we see them--in a we-still-can't-believe-she's-gone kind of way. To them, it's as if I'm still 19 and dealing with that immediate grief, that my life has been on hold since then. Others have never mentioned her at all (that I can remember) in the last 10 years. Not even in passing. I think t...