The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

We definitely have a problem.

Ugh.

I know that technically "ugh" is probably not a word, but it's the only one I have that adequately sums up how I feel right now.

First off, I've got a HELLUVA stomach ache. And I would insist that it's stress related, except that BH has it too. Must've been something we ate, but I'm not sure what. Right now I'm enjoying some Immodium washed down with a lovely ginger ale in hopes of achieving some sort of normalcy before I try to go to sleep. And I'm lounging in my bed with my laptop, literally, on top of my lap in a valiant attempt to tend to this horribly neglected blawg.

God, it's been so long since I've written a real post that there is much to catch you fools up on. So now, in no particular order...

Yes, I have high blood pressure. But my foxy doctor put me on meds, and tomorrow I'm going for the stress-test/echocardiogram. Plus, I'll get to learn the results of my blood test where they did all the triglycerides/cholesteral stuff. Today while at the dentist, they took my blood pressure, and it was darn near normal (136/70), so yay for that. I will say that since going on the meds, I haven't felt the heart palpitations I used to feel at least a couple of times a day. Sometimes these "flutters" would lead to full on anxiety attacks because of the freaky inner dialogue that would go on when they would happen (Stuff like: "Holy shit! I'm stroking out!), so it's nice that they've gone away.

The wedding plans are progressing nicely. We bought our wedding rings. I've figured out where I'm going to get our wedding cobbler. I've ordered the flowers. We're meeting with an officiant this week. My dress came in and is at the alteration lady as of today. And, I found a PERFECT pair of shoes to go with that were on sale for $28.50 (down from $115). I also bought a cool comb-y thing for my hair do on the day of. Now I just need to figure out what jewlery I'm going to wear and figure out who the hell is actually going to DO my hair on the big day. Any suggestions? We've still got to get our marriage license, and BH still needs to find something to wear, but other than that, we're pretty much good to go.

Work is super crazy right now. I'm part of a very small planning committee for a very big company event that's being held in mid-October, and we didn't start planning it until about 2 weeks ago. So...yeah. Of course it's taking up WAY more of my time that I anticipated, and that's on top of my normal work stuff. I'm just trying to keep my head above water at this point. Let me just say that, by the time our short little honeymoon gets here, I will be more than ready for some downtime.

The Geej has started her karate class at school, and she's digging it. It's cool because most of the kiddos in the class are new to her (as opposed to her already knowing everyone in her gymnastics class). I think her favorite part of karate may be getting to wear her "karate unicorn." She's also going through a "baseball" phase where she's wanting for me to throw the wiffle ball for her to swat at with her big red bat every night. Since she's not related to me by blood, she may actually have a shot at having some athletic skills!

I managed to completely avoid the Austin City Limits music festival this weekend by staying totally south of the river. There were a lot of bands I would've loved to have seen, but I've just gotten where I can't DEAL with the hassle of big huge crowds like that anymore. I know...I'm a fucking senior citizen.

BH and I are talking about re-doing our bathroom. Nothing huge--some new mirrors, new paint, new drawers. But I'm excited!! I'm sure we won't do anything until after we get the wedding behind us, but I'll be ready to rock when we finally get going.

If I hear "Wall Street versus Main Street" one more time, I may vomit.

We've been sleeping with the windows open every night since it's cooled off here, and I'm LOVING it. The only problem: I cannot get up in the morning. It's just too comfy and cozy.

I tried to watch the new Allan Ball series on HBO, "True Blood." I gave it three episodes, and then I said, "Screw this crap." I had real hopes for it since I loved "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty" so much. However, the best thing about "True Blood" are the opening credits. Seriously: The accents, acting, and writing are SO bad that even sexy blood suckers couldn't keep me interested.

I know I've got more to tell y'all, but I'm beat and still feeling queasy, so I'm gonna sign off and go top off my ginger ale.

More soon...

Once again...

...work has amped up to eleven. I am up to my eyeballs in multiple projects at the moment, and it's taking everything I have just to stay sort of kind of on top of things. Meanwhile, I've got a wedding to finish planning and a home life to attend to.

Oh, and a blog to update occasionally.

But right now? I'm too tired to punch one more key.

Like mother, like daughter.

The Geej has always responded to music, even when she was very wee. And we do NOT listen to kiddie music. Mostly because I would end up going postal in a Chuck E. Cheese if I had to endure that shit. So, in the car, we listen to whatever's in the CD player or on XM. And if there are songs we hear frequently--like if I've made a mix CD of a bunch of stuff I like and we're listening to it a lot--she very quickly learns the song and sings along at the top of her lungs. And as soon as she's learned something, she feels a sense of ownership and begins calling it "my music" and starts requesting to hear certain songs. Right now, I'm going through a big Yacht Rock renaissance, so we've been listening to a great deal of Doobie Brothers, Gerry Rafferty, Loggins and Messina, Steely Dan and the like. You know...music that played in MY mom's car when I was a kid. Anyway, she's LOVING it, and singing right along.

Well, as might be expected with a music lover, she doesn't just want to sing along with other people's songs: she wants to create some of her own. Accordingly, we've recently entered the "making up 1,000 songs a day" phase here at Casa de Geej. She is singing constantly, and it's awesome. She actually has a good voice and can sing in tune. And when we're Yacht Rocking out in the car, she's holds the melody line while I sing harmony with no problem.

So anyway, I thought I'd let you see a little bit of what I'm talking about with the whole making-up-songs thing. This is a fairly typical number. They're usually about love and pets and things that are pretty and getting to do whatever she wants. And at the end, her favorite inexplicable ending-phrase when we're recording vidoe: "Hot lava!"

Enjoy!

The meme stolen from about half of the people in that list over there on the right.

1. How do you like your eggs?
My favorite way? Deviled. My most frequently ordered/prepared way? Scrambled.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
Tea, straight up. Coffee, no thank you.

3. Favorite breakfast food:
Potato, egg, cheese and jalapeno bkfst. taco with pico de gallo. Heaven on freakin' Earth.

4. Peanut butter:
Yeah...I'm sort of weird about peanut butter. But if I have to have it, creamy please, and all natural...you know, like you have to stir it up to mix all the oil and shit together.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
Any kind of vinagrette. Aside from a Greek salad, I deplore creamy dressings.

6. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke. Not diet Coke; the real thing.

7. You're feeling lazy. What do you make?
Bean and cheese soft tacos or a sandwich.

8. You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
All veggie, sans bell peppers.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
Oh man...pretty much anything. I'm all about entrees, sides, and salads. But I'm not good with desserts and baking. My favorite thing to prepare for a semi-fancy meal is a seared, high quality tuna steak, a really good salad, and some sort of starchy side. For a simple supper, a good entree salad with tons of fresh ingredients.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
King Ranch Casserole (also called "Mexican Chicken" around my house). It was one of those "go to" dishes my mom made a lot when I was growing up, and I've always loved it, despite the Velveeta.
Also, fried catfish. It's something that my dad excelled at creating, and I miss his version like crazy.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Broth and jello.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Quiche reminds me of my grandmother. Purple-hulled peas remind me of my stepfather. Pistachios remind me of my dad. And Whataburger reminds me of Longview.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Any kind of mammal.


14. What was your favorite food as a child?
Fried shrimp. Apple Jacks.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Salad.

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
Milk

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
Potato, even though that's kind of a cop-out vegetable. But I've never EVER met a potato I didn't like. Next in line? Spinach. Fruit? Those little tangerines that are in season right around Christmas time...Cuties? I could eat 10 of those a day.

18. Favorite junk food:
Doritos. Any flavor.

19. Favorite between meal snack:
Mixed nuts.

20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I eat the entire pickled okra, including the stem.

21. You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
Tamari rice cakes

22. You're off your diet. Now what would you like?
Cheese and vodka

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
Medium to "It goes to eleven/Vindaloo Poo."

24. Can I get you a drink?
Yes, please!

25. Red or White Wine?
White (as long as it isn't Chardonnay).

26. Favorite dessert?
Key Lime Pie.

27. The perfect nightcap?
Nice tall cold glass o' agua.

Yeah, but as easy as this quiz was, it's really not saying much.

Austin Real EstateTake This Test

Signs of autumn.

Well, we've FINALLY gotten a wee bit of relief from the heat and humidity that has dominated this summer. The past couple of days have been glorious--with highs in the low 80s, very little humidity, and lows in the upper 50s. Usually this first little taste of cooler weather is followed by a brutal bitch slap of hot misery, so I'm bracing myself for that.


However, there has been one positive sign that perhaps fall is here to stay. Much like Punxsutawney Phil of Groundhog Day fame, Austin has its own weather-predicting mammal--Lard Ass Earl. And yesterday, September 16th, he sleepily showed his belly, meaning we're in for an early fall.

Or maybe he was just in the mood to air out his junk. It's really hard to say.

I know you've probably already seen this...

...but in case you haven't:

See more Gina Gershon videos at Funny or Die

I think I may be sort of in love with Gina Gershon.

I have seen the light.

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about how I'd met with a cleaning service and was feeling a little bit guilty for even wanting to hire someone to help clean my house.

Well, today they came to do the "initial clean," and for four hours, two very nice women worked their ASSES off cleaning from the damn baseboards to the ceiling fans. Y'all, this place hasn't been this spotless since the day before I moved in. I freakin' LOVE the smell of bleach and cleaning chemicals (I'm a huffer...not really), and when I walked in to our house this afternoon and breathed in the amazingly clean smell of everything, I nearly piddled myself with glee. GLEE, I say!!

As I've said before, BH is the bomb when it comes to carrying his weight with domestic duties. But even with his help, normally on Fridays I've got a list in my head of all the housework--and laundry--I want/need to try to accomplish before Monday in order to keep CPS at bay. And right now? For the first time since The Geej entered my life, I'm not feeling that Friday Evening Dread.

Wow.

Totally worth the dollars and the guilt.

Conversations from the playground.

Geej: Maximus asked me if I have boobs. (Maximus is one of her admirers at school, and yes, that's his real name.)

Me: What did you tell him?

Geej: I told him that I have Barbie boobs.

Me: What are Barbie boobs?

Geej: You know...(shit-eating grin crosses her face). Big boobs. Like yours.

Me: Did you ask him if HE has boobs?

Geej: Yes. He said he has a tail.

Born in September?

I'm a January baby myself, but this idea is so phenomenal, that I had to give...and to share.

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

This one's for Shelia.

First of all, "Howdy!!" I've long been wondering who the heck was reading my stupid old blog all the way up there in Alaska. I could see your little blip on the sitemeter map, and I felt humbled and curious. And it was you!!

I want to say thank you for posting your very local views and opinions about Sarah Palin. It does seem that she's got some really cool characteristics, not the least of which is being a ball buster. And clearly she's made quite an impression during her time in public office there in Alaska. But I still just cannot support her in an office as important as Vice Presidency of the United States, and again, that makes me sad.

I am a hardcore feminist in that I believe that women absolutely should be considered on equal terms with men, no matter what the playing field. That part of me desperately wants to be able to be thrilled and excited by a female vice-presidential candidate. But I honestly feel like she is being used by her party to pander to sections of the voting populace that they heretofore had difficulty reaching, and she either isn't aware of this (pitiful) or doesn't care (scary). I grew up behind the Pine Curtain--a place that is filled to the rafters with serious gun-loving, abortion-hating, immigrant-blaming, feminist-bashing, Bible-thumping, N-word dropping good ol' boys (and gals). I KNOW people like Sarah Palin. Hell, I'm related to people like her, which is one of the reasons I left the Pine Curtain and have never moved back. But Ms. Palin and I stand so far apart on so many issues, that I feel like she's speaking on behalf of my grandmother's generation, not my own. Although I'm intimately familiar with her world view, I simply don't understand it, and I'm very sure she'd have a difficult time sharing mine.

Nothing about this election has excited me. I'm not thrilled with the Obama/Biden ticket, but I will vote for them come election day because it means voting against the Republicans.

The Republican polices of the past eight years have prolonged an astronomically expensive and unnecessary war while virtually ignoring where the real problems still lie (Afghanistan), have made enemies of countries who used to consider us friends because of our arrogant "do as I say and not as I do" approach to foreign policy, driven our economy into the crapper while the cost of everything has skyrocketed, done nothing to decrease our slavish independence on foreign oil, and on and on and on. And the most disturbing trait of this administration (and that's saying a lot) is their feeling that they're simply above the law--invoking "executive privilege" and "for reasons of national security"--whenever they don't want to play by the legal rules and putting a positive spin on everything they can in order to avoid admitting to anything. The fact that the McCain/Palin camp is now trying to convince voters that they're who we should vote for if we really want some change in Washington is seriously insane. They saw that the "change" mantra was working for Obama, and now they're trying to co-opt it. Pathetic. And what's sadder, is that there are millions of uninformed voters out there who will fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

Bear in mind that I am in a blue county (one of very few in Texas) surrounded my a whole lot of blood red, so my measly vote counts for almost nothing here. But I will cast it, while mourning the fact that four more years have come and gone and there is still not a viable 3rd party candidate in the running--not because there aren't capable people with interesting ideas out there who could be leading a strong third party--but because the Mighty Media deems it so.

Yep, there's much more wrong with this whole picture than the fact that we've got a slate of less-than-stellar options to choose from on November 4th.

Hack.

Yep. That's me. Hacking and wheezing and bitching up a storm because I AM SICK AS A FREAKIN' DOG up in here. Summer Cold. Happens every year. Low grade fever. Raw throat. Lots of drainage and coughing. Watery eyes. And oh my GOD, the headache.

Usually comes on swiftly--like within 12 hours--and lasts a couple of days. So yeah, I should be feeling better just in time to head back to work on Monday.

Yay.

But for now? NyQuil.

Live blogging while watching the RNC (a.k.a. Karla May, tell us what you REALLY think!)

• To think I used to like and respect Rudy Guliani. Now he just gives me the willies.
• Cindy McCain holding the Palin baby? Pure photo op. Pure bullshit. I think I'm gonna barf.
• The standing ovations when Rudy was apologizing to Obama because Palin's hometown "isn't cosmopolitan" enough and "clings to religion" (which made people froth at the mouth, I believe) were stinking piles of patronizing bullshit.
• They just introduced Palin. Time for more wine...
• Her husband's a champion snow mobiler? Who knew?!
• Man there are a LOT of white, chubby, middle-aged people in this audience. Hey! That describes me too! I'm going to TOTALLY relate to this thing!!
• This is just me being a bitch: Her accent? Fingernails on a chalkboard. Do not want.
• I'm wondering what it would take to go as Sarah Palin on Halloween...
• When I hear the audience chant "U.S.A.!! U.S.A.!!" it scares me. But apparently there were also chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" regarding our domestic oil policy. So...yeah. I'll be having nightmares about that later on this evening.
• She waited 3.5 minutes to pull out the "my son Track is deploying to Iraq on September 11th" part of her speech. THAT must've taken some restraint.
• And 4.5 minutes in, she reaches out to "the families of special needs children." She'd be a freakin' GREAT spokeswoman for Down's Syndrome families. But that does NOT make her a good vice presidential candidate. Sorry.
• Her husband's in a union? But...Republicans hate unions.
• Earl just joined me on the bed, and appears to be watching Mrs. Palin do her thang. Oh wait...he's licking his butt. More interesting, apparently.
• Me being a bitch again: I bet she has a sweatshirt at home with puff painted kittens on it.
• Oh God. "Hockey Moms 4 Palin."
• Oh. PBS just showed some woman being escorted out of the venue. Wonder what that was about.
• They just showed a dude in the audience dressed in full on Abe Lincoln regalia. Bring on the freaks!!
• Here she goes, "I'm not a member of the long-standing Washington elite..." I'm-an-outsider stuff. Okay Sarah...but what about your running mate? And isn't that the same reason George W. said we should vote for him 8 years ago...when he was an unqualified, inexperience governor? And let's all pause to reflect on how well THAT'S turned out...
• I just got a telemarketing call for someone named Paul Morgan at 9:48pm. Sarah? Can you do anything about this annoyance?
• Did she really put the executive jet used by the governor's office for sale on E-Bay? Because, if so, that's pretty awesome.
• Cindy McCain scares me.
• I can't believe I'm only 5 years younger than this Palin person.
• She is a poised public speaker despite that grating accent. I'll give her that.
• I'm wondering how many U.S. states she's actually visited in her (adult) life. I mean, she just mentioned the Gulf of Mexico. Has she ever actually been there?
• Seriously? She's a vice presidential candidate in a major party?
• God, I'm sad. I'm sad that--as a woman--I feel no affinity with her and absolutely cannot support her.
• I'm wondering how much she actually had to do with writing this speech.
• According to Palin, Obama wants to "reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world." Really? I don't remember hearing that in his platform.
• Here goes the "Democrats are wimps and want to French kiss terrorists" part of the speech. Awesomely predictable.
• Cindy McCain has the crazy eyes.
• Earl has stopped licking himself and has been bored to sleep.
• For those of you who may be new to this blog, Earl is my cat, not my fiance.
• She's brought it back to McCain. Here's a good line: "Our opponents say they'll fight for you. But there's only one man in this election who has really fought for you in places where winning means survival and defeat means death." Well played, Palin.
• Oh! My glass is empty. More wine please.
• Another nice one for Palin that I'm sure will be quoted ad nauseum in the press: "For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words. But for a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds."
• She's done, and I've still got wine in my glass. So, life is pretty good.
• Except that Cindy McCain is an android. A very wealthy android.
• Here comes her family. Here's the thing: Either she's too dumb and starry-eyed to realize they're using her "beautiful family" for these photo op type moments, or she doesn't care. I don't know what's more pitiful.
• Here's McCain. And the crowd goes wild!!
• That poor baby, Trig, is up way too late for a 5 month old.
• I cannot WAIT for the vice presidential debates...and I can honestly say that is a phrase I've ever been tempted to utter.
• And I will have wine and be live blogging for that sucker too.