Robot and Guanaco are off to visit the great city by the bay! We will regale you with tales of our travels when we return. May all our readers have a wonderful holiday season, however you celebrate it. Don't forget to check back with us in 2009 --- we have some 'funky fresh' ideas to liven up this blog so as to stay hip with the young people. Or, at least, try to become hip...???
Spent a thoroughly enjoyable weekend in LR with Kelly, Jen, and Baby G. We ate junk food, watched movies, caught up on what's going on in each other's lives, had massages, and met Salem, the sprinkler-chasing dog. It was awesome.
LadyBird Johnson is heading home after a hospital stay. Glad you're feeling better, Bird!
The Supreme Court took yet another giant leap backward, ruling that race cannot be considered in school integration policies.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that iPhone is here. A bunch of tards lined up in the rain to be the first to get their hands on one. When they go home, they'll never need to leave the house again.
Baby G and I are taking a loooong weekend, as in we're off until next Thursday. Schweet. Enjoy your 4th of July festivities.
Oh, and Chief Justice Roberts is WAYYYY more conservative than anyone was led to believe. I didn't like him before, but now I really don't like him.
Back at el officina today. It's okay. I had five glorious days off at no cost to me. Thanks, Mama Nature! I slept, watched tv, did crossword puzzles, drank beer, watched more tv, and chased the cats around. (They loved that, by the way. Not really.)
We suffered only one casualty. Our mailbox finally gave up in the storm. It had been on its last legs, but now I think it's dead.
First, let me say it is good to be back from the land of dial-up hell. My dad has the slowest dial-up that side o' the Mississip' and no matter how often I tell him his frustrations would be [mostly] solved with the installation and use of cable modem, he continues to access the Internet the old-fashioned way via his 26 kbp phoneline. Ugh. It's like watching water boil.
Second, I walked a mile and a half yesterday. That, in addition to the two miles I did early Friday morning, plus the 2 miles Thursday night, makes for 5.5 miles walked in the past 5 days, not counting walking done in the "normal" course of events. I have to admit, I feel good. Perhaps I'll commit this time? The prospect of buying bigger clothes is quite the motivator.
Third, Baby G and I went to see El Vez with friends last night! What a GREAT show! Costume changes, dancing girls, giant Santas and snowmen... for $15, you just don't get much more than that! Plus, it was over by 10pm so I was able to get home in time to watch a Travel channel special on the QE2. Woo hoo! Dork out!
Hello, Gentle Readers. After a few miserable days of severe allergies and a resulting sinus infection, I'm back at el officina. (Actually, I was back yesterday on the Ref Desk, but that's a horse of a different color.) Today's the only day I work this week, as I get tomorrow off for working yesterday. Schweet. I'm off to spend a few days with the fam. Should be fun. They're quite disappointed about the recent turn of events in our government. (I'm the black sheep Democrat in my family.)
My new favorite tv show is Haulin' House. Last night's episode featured this family who bought a 170-year-old house for $1.00 and moved it to the other side of an island near Detroit. Total cost for moving the house? $610,000.00. Yes, instead of buying or building a house for 600 grand, they buy a roach motel for a buck and move it across town. Makes perrrrfect sense. Baby G, her brother, and I rooted for the house to collapse. It didn't. Oh well, there's always next time.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!
I spent this weekend being a sloth. It was fabulous. I watched Super Troopers and series one of Little Britain, my new favorite comedy series, and ate lots of yummy food. We had Indian food Friday night, [authentic] Chinese food Saturday night, and Baby Guanaco-made Italian last night. Today it's back to apples and ham sandwiches on wheat. So sad.
I'd like to give a shout-out to Jake -- last night he and I polished off a pitcher of what I like to call pink drink (a delightful mix of vodka and cran-blueberry, lime, and pineapple juices) while we watched the telly with Baby G. I don't have a hangover this morning, but I sure wish I was still in bed.
Confidential to KD in LR: You're welcome to stay with us on SnB weekend if you'd like!
Emily Howard: But I am a lady! I like to do ladies things!
Being back in the office today is tough, folks. Having the past 7 days off was much needed. Of course, it flew by before I could really settle in to relaxing. As mentioned in earlier posts, Baby G and I went camping the weekend before Thanksgiving. We had a great time. We also saw the new Harry Potter flick and put up some Christmas decorations around the casa.
For Thanksgiving itself, I traveled home. On Friday, my mother and I ran around town and pretended to be tourists. We visited the Old Courthouse Museum, home of many cheese-tastic artifacts from the Civil War to the mid-20th century, including the famed pregancy minie ball. 
(The story goes like this: a shot was fired. The bullet, or minie ball as they called them then, went through the loins of a Confederate soldier, then continued on through the womb of a woman standing on her porch. The supposed sperm on the minie ball impregnated her and she gave birth to a healthy baby 9 months later. The doctor who sewed her up after the gunshot introduced her to the soldier and they married and had 2 more kids the "natural" way. Apparently getting shot in the nuts didn't stop him.) Indeed.
After the museum, we went to the National Military Park, a sprawling scenic park that houses various state memorials to Civil War participants and features the Siege of Vicksburg. When I was a kid, I loved going to this park and climbing on the huge 
monuments. Texas (see right) has a nice monument, but it's not as big as I remember, nor as big as some of the other states' monuments. The Illinois monument is the biggest and has the best echo chamber in the state! Missouri has a particularly pretty monument made of pink granite.
The newest monument in the park is a tribute to the African-American soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Gee, it only took 106 years for the state of Mississippi to give some recognition. Good job, Mississippi! Way to keep current! Sheesh. At least the monument is beautiful . (NOTE: Blogger is being wonky right now and not letting me load pictures. More later.)
Greeetings Gentle Readers! I'm coming to you live from my home office, listening to Christmas songs, sipping hot coffee. I've had the past 5 days off from work and school. Baby G and I went camping for a couple of them and we've put up Christmas decorations and seen the new Harry Potter flick. It's not been all fun, however. I have 10 journal entries for class to conjure up and a large project due next Wednesday. Oh, and I have to travel to my parents' too. So, the stress is there, I'm just choosing to ignore it for the time being. Why stress today when you can watch E! News and eat candy?
Our cozy cabin in the woods: 
It's taking wayyyyy too long to load pics on my crappy dialup, so you'll just have to wait until I can get a hold of something faster later. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Booklahver! Sorry you have to share your special day with a bunch of turkey and dressing, but hopefully your one-&-only will give you some smooches?
Well, it's over. Today was kinda anticlimactic. I feel like my vacation never really started. Wow, eleven days of being away from work and I still feel as angsty and worn out as I did on August 31st. Eh, what can you do?
I did a lot of loafing today on principle. I watched 5 hours of Property Ladder. I enjoyed a couple cold PBRs and lemon cookies.
I also did a lot of 'responsible' things like put new sheets on the bed, research a project, prep some homemade Christmas present ideas, and create my academic calendar for the semester. I couldn't help myself--I finally felt normal today after a long week of feeling crappy. If there were Razzie awards for worst vacationer, I'd most certainly be a nominee this year. Oh well, there's always next year, right?
I've been Watching your world from afar I've been Trying to be where you are I've been Secretly falling apart --Aqualung
Health update (or, as I like to call it, hell update):
My congestion has settled in my lungs now. Today I sound like someone who's been smoking for 15 years, not 30. I got my appetite back today. I also got a bit of exercise. By Monday morning, I should feel like a million dollars. Too bad I'll have to waste my good health in the office. C'est la vie, right?
I did a bit of shopping yesterday and scored some jeans and a pair of slacks. To my utter amazement, I did not go up a size like I had imagined. Sure, it's possible I dropped a pound or two this week from my illness, but that wouldn't have covered the 10 lbs or so that I thought I had gained. Hmmm... Anyhoo---the fact that the number on the label of my new pants did not increase cheered me up considerably (as did the small number on the price tag)!
I'm still a bit in shock over this whole "cavity" business. I've never had a cavity, so when the dentist told me I did, then showed me the pics he took with his tiny tooth camera, my stomach did a little flip. Silly, but true. My cheap-ass insurance will cover most of the proceedure, but I still have to cough up a chunk o' change. Sheesh. I'll be honest with you the knowledge that there are holes in my teeth has hit me--the very thought of putting hard candy into my mouth is daunting. Sugar: why can't you treat me right? I have loved you for so long now...
I can't believe Vacation '05 is almost over. I've been sick for 1/2 of it and out of town for the other half. I'm just now starting to relax, ya know? Ah, I can't relax with all these appliances around anyway---who can chill when the tv, computer, coffee maker, and hair dryer are staring at you all day, connecting you with the world? Perhaps next year, I'll go primitive camping for a week? I won't smell too pretty, but I bet I'll feel fucking fantastic afterward.
Well, my airways are once again opened and I can go more than 5 minutes without reaching for a tissue to blow my nose. All it took was a little Sudafed and some rest. Oh, and lots and lots and lots of water. Good times! I had a dental check up this morning. The good news is my teeth are relatively healthy and I don't have gum disease. The bad news is I have 4 cavities. Shite!
So, lucky me gets to go back to the dentist not once, but twice to get those suckers filled. My dentist is very 21st century so I got to watch a quick video on the process and I must say, yuck. Thankfully, I'll be blissfully numb. Not-so-thankfully, I'll have to lie there for an hour while the good dentist pokes around my teeth, puts a metal band around the cavity-stricken ones, and fills them with green colored goo that later turns white when an ultraviolet light is held over it. I bet that's gonna smell real good. Yeah. Kids: avoid sugary sodas. Fo' realz.
Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about my wacky molars and their varying states of decay, I'll fill you in on my vacation doings for today. Baby G is coming home for a quick brunch, then I'm off to the video store to see if Simpsons Season Six is in. If not, I'll probably do a bit of shopping and perhaps treat myself to some new shoes. (Ah, there's nothing like that fleeting feeling of wealth & power one gets at the beginning of the month.)
So, many thanks for the well-wishes for my health. I might have a sinus infection, but at least I still have my home and know that my loved ones are safe. Staggering Brain and her crew are hosting a benefit for the hurricane victims with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. Check 'em out.
I put the word vacation in quotes because today has been awful. I woke up sick as a dog; I had to go to class this afternoon; and I have suffered that goddamned yappy neighbor dog's barking fits for the past 3 days and am this close [*] to marching up there and strangling it with my bare hands then drop-kicking its corpse across the street.
(Those close to me know I am an animal-lover; so to tick me off this badly, the animal must be one helluva little cuss.)
Sure, my not feeling well has a lot to do with my current rage. Green snot and phlegm seem to be in endless supply in my head and chest. I can't smell, nor can I breathe through my nose. This is not vacation---this is me, struggling through the day, trying to do all the things I wanted to do but cannot do because my insides have decided to explode. Not only am I pissed at my neighbors, but I'm pissed at my seemingly weak constitution. I could spit nails, I'm so frustrated. To top it all off, tomorrow I get to go to the dentist. Oy. Is Satan my travel agent?
Well folks, I'm back. Baby G and I had a lovely time in Hot Springs with our pals J & K and the house was still standing when we got back. Heh. The sad thing is, I contracted a very nasty cold on Sunday and am now the proud owner of a couple of enlarged lymphnodes in my neck. Good times. (Thankfully, I was planning on sitting on my ass all day today anyway.) Below are a few pics from the trip for your enjoyment. I'm gonna go climb into bed now.
This is the hotel where we went for our bath & massage. It was fabulous. Unfortunately, our shitty waiter at dinner afterward crushed the 'natural high' we were all surfing on. I hope his bladder hardens and shatters into a 1,000 little pieces. (Did I mention I wasn't feeling so hot? Well, I'm not.)
This is the old-school bathhouse that the National Park Service has turned into a museum on Bathhouse Row. It was very neat to see all the rooms and devices used back in the day. There's actually still one bathhouse in operation on Bathhouse Row, The Buckstaff, but we didn't have time to try it out.
This is a view from West Mountain. We had gorgeous weather while in Hot Springs and enjoyed the scenery almost as much as we enjoyed getting pampered. If you've never been to this interesting little town, you should go. It's relatively inexpensive (especially when you split a hotel room) and the food isn't half-bad. Just be prepared to see a lot of bad teeth---perhaps the water in Hot Springs isn't as good as they say? All-in-all, we had a very lovely time and I believe we're making this trip into an annual pilgrimage of sorts.
Day two is travel day. Baby G and I are running around, getting the house in order, running errands and such. I'm very excited to get away for a few days, get a massage, and relax. We have the housesitter ready to take over and the laundry put away. I even finished up the dishes this morning! Whew!
In other news:
I, like many others, am quite upset about the Katrina devestation. Wynton Marsalis played a trumpet solo on one of the morning shows today while a montage of the destruction and the disheveled, dislodged masses flashed on the screen. Baby G and I had a good cry. While NOLA is not our home, we've been there many times and feel a connection with it (as most visitors to this unique and culturally valuable city do). We are Southerners; we don't want to see the Gulf Coast nor the city of New Orleans be bulldozed and left for the vultures as some would have as if their opinion mattered. (Fuck you, Dennis Hastert.)
I realize rebuilding a city on ground below sea level doesn't make sense. I realize I questioned the logic behind the choice of swamp for a city a few days ago on this very blog. Yes, I wish logic would prevail in our lives; but humans, while quite capable of logic & foresight, are also passionate creatures. We don't always follow logic; if we did, we'd probably live in a very boring and predictable world. (Yeah, that Mr. Spock--he was the life of the party, he was.)
So, Gentle Readers, this is probably the last post until after the trip. Until then, may your heart and your mind work in perfect harmony.
Wow. I was up at 7am this morning. Kinda wrong on a day that's deemed to be a 'vacation' day, but Baby G was up so I got up too. It's not like I don't get up at 7 every weekday morning anyway. She had to go to work this morning so I made her some earl grey and scooted her out the door. What a trooper!
I've been listening to reports on looting and lawlessness in NOLA. Good job, citizens! Cock up the situation even more! Dubya is offering small comfort (see eyeteeth for further musings on him). All around: depressing.
Last night I watched After the Thin Man, delightful but not as funny as The Thin Man. I love these films because of their humor and their cultural context. The relationship between the two main characters is refreshing (not only for its time but in the context of today as well). Viewing it was a nice escape.
Today is kind of a work day. I plan to do some cleaning and organizing and dig around about this notion of food/culinary scholarship. Hmmm...will post more later. I'm sure you all are keen to hear about such mundane activities.
I'm home from work and watching the news. The devastation in NOLA and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is sobering. This is the first I've actually seen of it; I've been keeping up via the internet so far---mostly textual descriptions. Tears have welled more than once in the past 30 minutes. This is silly, but I feel kinda guilty being on vacation while others are living in a hell-on-earth, not 6 hours away. But as I posted earlier today, hell-on-earth is always happening somewhere and just because it's happening closer than usual today doesn't mean I should feel guilty. Right?
As for the rest of the evening, I plan to be low key. I have to return some videos tonight and do some laundry. I had my first class today in Mass Communication & Society---we're focusing on the Deep South. I'm excited about this class, as we're focusing on a topic that I take for granted--the place I live. I have to remember to go by my prof's office to get the readings for this week. Perhaps I'll do that tomorrow?
So far, vacation is not very vacation-y. I'm not in a rush. I've got plenty of time.
Lawrence: No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man.
--Office SpaceDr. Rick Dagless: As I turned the corner, I felt muscular and compact - like corned beef.
unique visits since May 2005
