The Beauty and the Mess

Helen....we called it.

Rita is forecast to continue on a west-northwestward track through the Gulf of Mexico over the next 12 hours. A turn toward the northwest is anticipated Thursday night and Friday.

The projections are more northward than what they were saying yesterday. I think they just didn't want to scare people.

Oh, and we're at 95 degrees today. Happy first day of fall.

I had an entry written earlier, but I just hit "Delete draft" by mistake. The only important thing in it was me wishing Jonathan a happy birthday. I pray this will be a good year for you. :)

The weather here is horrible for late October. It's still in the 80s, and so humid there's no point in trying to make my hair look good. The air conditioner is still on at home. Sometimes I wish I lived a little further north where there are actual seasons. Okay, we have seasons, but they don't come at the appropriate times. Summer hangs on for at least six months of the year. Evan explained to me that in Chicago (where he comes from) it's that way with winter. If I had to decide, I'd probably stick with the longer summer. Cold makes me weary after a while.

Last night I pulled out an old exercise video, the Cosmopolitan Fat Burning Workout. It has five aerobic sections alternating with five handweight sections, and it's pretty brutal. To my own surprise, I got through it okay (something I couldn't always do at the height of my exercising discipline). It says you'll see results if you do it three times a week, so I may stick with this one and try to do it that often. It might be more effective than intending to aerobicize every day and managing it maybe twice a week. I've given up on being an Exercise Nazi - I just do what I can now. There are too many other things in life.

One of my co-workers, the really domestic one, brought an amazing pumpkin dish today. Not a pumpkin pie, but sort of casserole-ish. I refuse to see it as canceling out my exercise, because pumpkin is extremely good for you. Really! I want to go pick out a pumpkin with Evan and do the whole pumpkin thing - roast the seeds, make a pie, carve the shell. We may not have time before Halloween, though. Is it still okay to do pumpkin things after Halloween? :)

I finally heard a Joss Stone song this morning. The press is right. She rocks! Oh, and I'm warming up to Keane, too. Their CD is really cheap at Target right now, and I almost bought it. I have to save up for U2, though.

Hot weather makes me so sleepy. Or maybe it's the contrast between inside and outside. This time of year, I can actually feel things in my head expanding when I go outside and shrinking when I come back into the 68-degree office. Weird. Also, it's way too early for us to have highs in the mid-to-high 80s. I'm afraid of what July will be like.

This weekend is wide open plans-wise, which is very nice. Will I go to a movie? Finish my Shopaholic books? Have dinner with Helen before she leaves town? The possibilities are endless! Evan has Sunday off, too - yay!

A dove has made a nest in the eaves of my parents' front porch. It's neat. I took some (far away) pictures of her last night- I'll probably post them and other pictures on Monday.

Sorry I'm so boring today. Lately I feel totally uncreative and unable to come up with anything original. I feel like I say the same thing over and over. ( Here's a poll since Jessica asked for one. )

Hey, I got a new work computer this morning! Now I have XP and flatscreens at home and at work. It doesn't get much better than that. :)

So here's my weekend story. Friday night Evan and I went to McAlister's with Kathy and Daniel, then hung out at the apartment until it was time to meet Chris, Joe, and Ryan at the Flying Saucer. It was pretty fun. Chris brought me the Clay issue of Entertainment Weekly, which was a thoughtful, nice surprise. He and Joe convinced me to go to the game the next day, insisting that they could find a ticket for me. I had to clear it with Kathy first, but we agreed to go and give it a shot. Then Evan and I went back to the apartment and hung out some more. End of Friday.

The next day was total lunacy. Kathy and I met the guys at 9:30 am and then headed over to the game. We had to park far, far out among some city government buildings. When we got to the stadium, we waited in line at the new student gate (which is far less convenient than the old student gate) for half an hour just to get in, but then had no trouble getting a guest ticket at the turnstile. Interesting. Then the four-hour game began. It was amazing and I'm so glad I was there. We beat Ole Miss 44-34, which is the first time we've beaten them in ten years, and (go ahead and laugh) the first time we've been 2-0 since 1976. There was much jubilation. I'm sorry, Danielle, but this is a huge win for us and not a huge loss for you. :)

Afterward, the guys and I decided to go to Chili's. Ryan and Luke rode with me. It took an hour to drive the five-mile distance, due to game traffic, and my radio and AC kept putzing out. I asked Ryan if I should be concerned. He said the car was probably just tired from all the idling. When we left Chili's, I got in my car and turned the key and nothing happened. Someone jumped my battery off, and then Chris went to AutoZone with me, where it was confirmed that my battery was dead (and where we kept encountering other sunburned people wearing blue, and greeting them with, "Go Tigers!"). Someone jumped me off again, and I barely made it to my parents' house. My dad took me to get a new battery and then installed it for me. I was thankful the problem wasn't more serious. Meanwhile, I was supposed to be at Kathy's birthday party, clean and bearing gifts, over an hour earlier. Instead, I showed up late, dirty, sunburned, dehydrated, and without her present. I spent most of the party talking to MaryElaine and watching Miami beat the Gators (what an awesome day for football!). I finally made it home at 11:30. I felt like I had been beaten from head to toe.

Yesterday I went to church, and then went shopping. I somehow have extra money and wanted some nice clothes. I ended up just getting a gray cardigan that I needed. On my way out through Goldsmith's, I saw the I-N-C fall line. It's all pink and black, which I love. Against my better judgment I tried on two of the shirts. Both of them made me look like a supermodel. They were about $50 apiece. If I had thought of any way to justify spending a hundred bucks on two shirts, I promise you I would have done it. It killed me to put them back. I'm buying them the second they go on sale...and even that'll be a major splurge, but I don't care.

( By popular demand, some weekend photos! )

The sweltering continues. Thankfully, the power was restored to my apartment by Saturday night, so I was able to spend the night comfortably in my own bed. But today, the air conditioner to our department is broken. Not the whole office building. Just our department (and Helen's). We have fans going full blast. No one has come to fix it. I half expect to see a camel go by any second. I'm ready for winter.

Okay, so my weekend. Friday night was happily spent hanging out with my brother, Evan, and Chris. Oh, and watching the Dolphins win their pre-season game! :) Saturday was spent at my parents' to escape the heat. I worked on my band scrapbook for most of the day, until my back started hurting. My parents took me to the new branch of Wolf River Cafe for dinner, and we had some great catfish. On Sunday, I went to church as usual. It was great; my pastor has been doing a series on the necessity of suffering. After service I saw Addie and got to talk to her for a few minutes. Yay! I then spent the afternoon at home, very bored.

Later, longing for something to do, I did the New York City Ballet Workout that Em gave me for my birthday. To my surprise and joy, I could do most of it fairly well. :) I've always loved ballet. I started when I was three, and stopped after we moved here, when I was almost ten. Then I took it again in college, briefly, and went through a major Ballet Phase during which I wore leotards and overalls and my hair in a bun (Jeremy will remember this). I used to wonder if I could have been really good, had I stuck with it, but the truth is, I'm not built the right way. I just really enjoy dancing. I like the way I feel when I'm dancing regularly. I'd like to take a class again, but do they have any classes for non-professionals over 18? I'm, like, elderly in ballet terms.

( A survey and some football philosophy ) Hey, Danielle, did you know Memphis and Ole Miss are playing each other on your birthday? I realized this because it's also Kathy's birthday, and she's having to make her birthday plans around the game. :)

Hey, good news! My brother's eye is much better! He's only seeing a flash or two per day now. I saw him yesterday and he was wearing his glasses and didn't have his eye patch on. He even went out and played golf. I am convinced that it was everyone's prayers that made a difference. So thanks, guys, for praying for him. I am so glad he's okay. :)

This weekend was okay. I watched all of Friends season 2. I read some more Robert Jordan (at a slow rate that's driving MaryElaine nuts because she wants to discuss the books with someone). I got to go to my own church (!) and have lunch afterwards with my friends, a "normal" activity that I haven't gotten to do in two months. The people at my church are so nice. The old college group seems to be re-forming now that there's a Sunday school class, so I'm feeling refreshed by that. I also went to another cookout at Kathy's parents' house and discovered, while weighing myself in their kitchen, that I have apparently gained ten pounds in the last six months. I don't look or feel different, and all my clothes fit the same, so I was pretty unpleasantly surprised. I guess it's time to start cutting corners again. :(

Tonight I am hoping to get my second air conditioner for my room. The cat woke me up at 4 this morning and I couldn't get back to sleep because it was so hot. When I finally did fall asleep, I had a string of bizarre, very scary nightmares. I refuse to have another night like that.

Nina is back from vacation, so my plant-sitting job is over. She mailed me a postcard from Oregon. I just got it today. It was a fun surprise. :)

CALIFORNIA COUNTDOWN : FOUR DAYS

I had a nice weekend!

On the way to the fish fry on Friday night, I listened to an Evanescence concert on 93X. I was so blown away that I went to Target immediately afterward and bought the CD. As far as I'm concerned, this is the album of the year. I cannot say enough about it. I also got the Chamber of Secrets DVD for fourteen dollars. (Take note: if you know you want to buy a movie, go to Target and get it the day it comes out. It's ridiculously cheap for about 48 hours.)

Did anyone else get totally overemotional while watching the season finale of Ed? Just me, then? Okay.

On Saturday morning I had band practice, and then we went to MaryElaine's for her (belated) birthday party. Much fun ensued. Kathy and I enjoyed the swings in the backyard. I tried to take a picture of Ryan, but he hid behind a post, so Kathy taunted him with bubbles and managed to get him out into the open. We ate strawberry cake while MaryElaine opened her presents, including a softball glove from me and Kathy, and then watched some of the Chamber of Secrets special features. Later, we went for a very long walk and came upon a park with a swing, where we watched the sunset. On the way home, MaryElaine discovered the "lake" of Lakeland (where they live), and joyfully called Royce to tell him about it. :) It was a fun day.

Yesterday was hot, hot, hot. I laid out for an hour in the afternoon. (It didn't make much difference, though.) Gandalf meowed at me, through the window, the entire time. Then I went to a production of Mendelssohn's Elijah at IPC. It was amazing. Myla had a solo and did a great job.

Did I mention that it's hot here? The high is 85 today. Excuse me, one week ago I had to take my sweater out of storage. Are we skipping spring entirely now? Good grief.

I haven't posted in 5 days. That must be some kind of record!

So what have I been doing? Last Wednesday night, we went out to Shelby Farms for the fireworks. It was the best fireworks display I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot. On the 4th, Kathy and I went to Hobby Lobby and bought an insane amount of scrapbooking supplies (since everything was half-off!). Then we went swimming at her house. When MaryElaine got off work, we all went to see MIB, which was just as great as the original. I really like Will Smith.

Friday night, Evan and Ryan came over of their own accord. Kathy and I were glad, as we have been living a fairly boy-less existence for the last couple of weeks. :) Evan had recently taped the musical episode of Buffy, so he brought it over for me to see. It was really funny and clever. Even if you're not a regular Buffy watcher (I'm not), you should see it.

I spent Saturday inside, hiding from the heat. Apparently, six years (!) after ending my marching career, I have lost all my tolerance for 100+ degree temperatures. In the evening, Kathy and I ventured out to the Ingram Hill show! The concert itself was great, but it was very hot and crowded, and we were surrounded by drunk people. However, there was a cute, non-drunk guy near us who stepped on my foot and then apologized profusely. :) We held onto our spot for most of the show, hoping he would talk to us, but finally we had to move to the back where there was more air. :) Anyway, the band will be famous soon, so I'm glad I had the chance to see them in one of their last hometown shows.

Yesterday was a little less hot. Church was good. I had a fun lunch with the guys and Matt, who kept discussing silly things to make me laugh. :) It was refreshingly normal. I've been missing that. Later, Kathy and I watched Star Wars while we worked on our scrapbooks. Tonight...the Empire Strikes Back! :)

Also tonight, my parents are coming to take Bun home. I'm going to make my flag cake for my dad, who was stuck in Singapore last week. He is one of the proudest Americans I know (especially since Bush got elected), so I know it made him sad to miss the holiday. Now he can have the 4th of July on the 8th. :)

Gosh, this has been boring. I'll think of something more exciting later. I'm waiting to hear more from the Dallas adventurers! It sounds like you guys had a great time. :)