I've been up since 4 something a.m.

So please excuse me if I ramble more than usual.

In case you've been ensconced in a climate controlled lair, several miles beneath the surface of the Earth, then you probably know that we're in the midst of a "Weather Event" here in the ol' U. S. of A. I mean, as winter storms go, this one seems pretty epic and insanely widespread.

Yesterday, while more than a thousand cars got stranded on Lakeshore Drive and part of the 103 yr. old roof blew off of Wrigley Field in Chicago, most of the state of Texas had to deal with rolling blackouts caused by our so-cold-we-can't-handle-it temperatures. In fact, the block where my office is located at work was so affected by the power outages, that we actually had to close the office and the store for the day. That, my friends, is a rare event.

It is super chilly again here today, and they're even predicting snow for this afternoon/evening. Not sure about whether or not the rolling blackouts will continue--getting conflicting info on that via the interwebs.

So, enough about that. The big news is: I'm on vacation. WHOOT!! I guess that's why I woke up and was unable to go back to sleep--excitement. Dah is coming to stay with The Geej, and BH and I are embarking on a loooooong roadtrip this morning to far southwest Texas for a few days of R&R in the desert near Big Bend. Yesterday's windfall of time was kind of awesome because we were able to get our shopping done and start prepping for the trip. The house we're renting is going to be about 80 miles from the nearest grocery store, so we had to plan accordingly. I'm taking ye olde laptop with me, so you can expect photos to come.

Remember about a month ago when I posted about how excited I was about my new boss? Well, guess what: Now I have another new boss. That makes my 10th person I've reported to in a little over 11 years. Sigh. I am hopeful about this new reporting situation, but I'm simply sick to death of being tossed around like a hot potato. It just makes you feel unwanted after a while.

Oh, I had a birthday. On Sunday I turned forty fucking two. It was an uneventful day, really. It was gorgeous outside (sunny! 80 degrees!) so we took the convertible out to the lake and had lunch with Dah and her Man at this nice, newish restaurant with incredible views. It was really nice.

And Not to be too whiny, but birthdays have become a serious bummer for me. They just remind me how much of my life has already passed, and how few of my dreams I've actually realized. (Cue the sad trombone.) Again, sigh.

So yeah, VACATION!! Also, I got a new iPHONE 4!! THAT I LOVE!! It's via work, but I still had to kick in $200 for it b/c it was an "out of cycle" upgrade. But I don't care. Totally worth it. BH--who is not a big fan of technology to begin with--gets annoyed with me playing with it all the time. But I just can't help myself!!

Okay, my alarm--the one that was just now supposed to be waking me up--just went off. That means I've got to finish packing and get ready to roll (after I take The Geej to school, that is).

More soon.

Caution: Extreme Beauty Ahead

This is what most of our drive from Chattanooga, TN to Asheville, NC looked like--curvy roads, gorgeous, tree-covered mountains, and the Ocoee River to our right.

And the most funnest week ever comes to an end...

What. A. BLAST.

I really, REALLY needed this weekend--lounging by the pool, reading a book, chatting with old friends, laughing, eating good food, napping, no schedules, drinking wine, more lounging, sleeping in, more laughing, and just having one helluva relaxing, fun time.

Ft. Myers is a cute little city. Right on a river that leads out to the gulf. There are beaches nearby, palms and flowers everywhere. My friend Lane and her husband recently moved there and into a gorgeous condo (and by "recent," I mean last month). I felt like I was at a resort the whole time I was there. Between the killer views and the posh poolside set-up, it was pretty nuts.

I could regale you with many tales of the weekend, but I think I'll let the pictures--and a wee bit of video--do (most of) the talking...and flauting.

Here are the views I had for a good portion of my trip. While lying on my chair by the pool looking up, I saw this: If I conjured up enough energy to roll my head to the left, this was my view: And if some how I got really crazy and actually lifted my head off of my chair, I saw this:

See what I mean by "resort-like"? So very different from my life...

Friday night, we went to eat Mexican food and we were seated in the part of the dining area that was right near the substantial bar area. Whe we'd walked in, I'd noticed a keyboard/stage-type set up in the corner of the bar, so really thought nothing of it when we started hearing a loungey type duo doing their thing. At one point, I think I asked Stacy and Lane, "Wait...do I hear a flute?" But then we got back to our margaritas and queso and thought nothing more of it. That is until Lane came back to our table after a trip to the ladies room (via the bar area) and suggested, no, ORDERED us: "You have to come in here. Now." We followed even though our food was arriving at our table and there I witnessed something I really can't even begin to describe, so I'll give you a couple of minutes to watch this video I took so that you can come back and we can talk about it.

Yes. My friends were flauted. As I stood their stunned and motionless, "Leo" be-bopped his way on over to my friends Lane and Stacy and got ALL up in Lane's substantial cleavage. It was...um...awesome? Seriously, it was one of the funniest/most bizarre things I've ever witnessed. Thank God I had my little Flip camera to capture it and share with the world.

After the restaurant, we went to this place called the Mona Lisa that had been recommended to Lane by some friends. We wanted to make asses out of ourselves by singing a little karaoke, and supposedly the Mona Lisa (suspiciously located in a strip mall) was the place. When we got there, however, it was just filled with patrons eating pizza and drinking beers. There was a "stage" (which I later found out was "brand new" and of which they were quite proud), but there were no other signs of karaoke.

The new stage. Isn't it fancy?

So we asked our waiter, and he assured us that, come 10 o'clock, it would "be packed." That meant we had an hour to sit there and consumue some liquid courage. For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to have "champagne." Just a note for future reference: if your "champagne" comes in a little bottle with a screw-off plastic top that's made to sort of look like a cork, you should probably just order something else (instead of proceeding to order several of the little bottles, as I did).

Eventually the KJ (karaoke jockey) showed up, and soon thereafter, so did the crowds of...TEACHERS! It was "Education Night," and there were some teachers there ready to shake a tail feather and get a little crazy. Oh my...

Lane and I were the first ones up, signing a duet from Xanadu (of course). And we each had other songs on slips that we'd turned in, but we waited. And waited. And drank.

Lane and Stacy cracking up about something.

And we waited some more. And then FINALLY, I got to sing one of my "signature" songs, Kim Wilde's "Kids In America," which I dedicated to all the hard working teachers in the audience. Call my name and song, or I'll cut you!!

It wasn't pretty, people. But it was wicked fun.

Next morning, we went to an early lunch at a place called Butterfly Estates that had what Lane described as "gift shop food" and, of course, an indoor butterfly garden. It was lovely. After frolicking with the winged ones, we headed back to the condo and went immediately to the pool until one of the regular afternoon spring showers blew through and started to rain on us. It was fine with me thought, as it was time to get my incredibly pale self out of the sun and into the shower (after which I had a GLORIOUS nap).
A fairly typical spring afternoon storm in SW Florida. They blow in quickly and, thankfully, leave quickly as well.

For dinner Saturday night, we went to Ft. Myers beach for some seafood. Our first stop, right on the water, had an hour-and-a-half wait. We were starving, so we decided to pass (even though the stuff on the menu sounded AWESOME). We piled back in the car and went back down the road and ended up having a really good meal at a place called...wait for it...PINCHER'S. (Get it? Crabs and whatnot?) Beach humor is so lame.

After supper, we were all full and sleepy. Went home and didn't even make it though 30 mins. of SNL before I had to crash. And poor Stacy, my roommate, confirmed once and for all that yes, I do snore. I was SO mortified that I was snoring like a big ol' bear and keeping her awake. I wish her sweet dreams and restful sleep tonight.

So now, I'm just sitting in the damn Orlando airport, waiting for my flight to Austin. My layover this time is 3.5 hours, and I've still got another two hours to go. Ugh. And I've already had lunch and am sick of people watching.

I am excited to get home and see The Geej and BH, but I'm wishing I had one more day before I had to head back to work...just one more day of the most funnest week ever. However, reality awaits.

Most Funnest Week Ever Update

My work week was short. Monday and Tuesday, to be exact. Tuesday night was The Night the Rocked My Ass. BH and I met up with Jaye and Thelma at The Longbranch for a beer, then we all four headed to the Nine Inch Nails-Jane's Addiction show. Can I just tell y'all how damn excited I was when I found out that this tour was coming to Austin? I'd never seen NIN or Jane's addiction in concert. And although I'm sort of a fan of NIN, I am a HUGE Jane's Addiction fan, so this--seeing Jane's with the original line up and them playing mostly their old stuff (the stuff that had made me fall in love with them in the first place)--was pretty much a dream come true. And you know what? It did not disappoint. They are still tight as hell. Perry's still an amazing frontman. Eric and Stephen make up a phenomenally talented rhythm section. And Dave Navarro--despite the fact that he's a sleazy-ass porno producer--is one hell of a guitarist. I literally couldn't sit down (despite the fact that we had bad assed seats). Every song was fucking mind-blowing. I will never listen to their music the same way again.

Yesterday, I took the day off of work to run errands and get shit done before travelling today. I'm so glad I did, because I had a ton to do and I would've been stressing today if I hadn't gotten a day to just take care of stuff. I shopped, got a manicure, worked out, banked, did laundry, went to the gym, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't even remember right now b/c I, literally, ran my ass off all day. The one thing I didn't do? Pack for my trip, despite the fact that I was having to leave for the airport right after taking The Geej to school the next morning. But I was beat (and I hate packing more than I can express in any language spoken by man), so I opted to go to bed early. Going to bed early meant I had to get up before the damn crack of dawn today to get packed, get ready, get Geej ready, etc. But somehow, I managed to do it. Got to the airport on time. Flight left on time. Flight was fine except for the fact that the ENTIRE LAKE TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL DRILL TEAM was on the plane with me. WHOO HOO! THEY WERE GOING TO DISNEY, AND OMG Y'ALL THEY WERE SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED. Seriously. I was stunned by the volume of the chattering and constant giggling. But I popped an Ativan, put on the iPod, and managed to sleep most of the way to ORLANDO.

Yep, I had a layover in ORLANDO, a place I have no interest in ever visiting ever ever EVER. And it was a looooooong layover. So I got to contend with The Disney Freaks, the People Who Came to Watch the Space Shuttle Launch, and (apparently) the Southeastern Regional auditions for the next season of The Biggest Loser. I'm no skinny Minnie Mouse by any stretch of the imagination, but HOLY HELL, there were a lot--I mean an alarming number--of really, sadly, morbidly obese families walking the concourses of the Orlando airport. Very depressing.

Got on my next flight about 1/2 an hour late and headed to Ft. Myers. Here I rendezvoused with two dear old friends who I haven't gotten to hang out with in years. My friend Lane and her husband recently moved to this super fab high-rise condo in Ft. Myers, and I swear, it's like we're staying at a resort. The views are insane, and I can't even begin to describe the loveliness of the pool, by which I'll be sitting my ass for most of the day tomorrow.

See? Most funnest week ever!! And it's only Thursday!

More soon (with pictures)!!

Things we saw*

*Also known as "I'm too damn tired to post much else tonight."

Sometimes you've just got to pull off the highway. Like when you're driving along in the desert and all of the sudden, off to your left you see a sprawling field of intense yellow. When you pull on to the shoulder, put it in reverse and then go down the dirt road, you discover a field of sunflowers pointed east at the morning sun.

You catch your breath. Then you move on to Balmorhea State Park where there's a big spring fed pool that's so clear and lovely it looks like it's made of blue jewels. On the grounds of the state park is this: Not a view one would expect in the desert, making it that much more amazing and lovely.

Speaking of views, here was one of my favorites--the view from the patio of our room: The Marfa Courhouse, water tower and, of course BH. It is the rainy season right now in that part of Texas. And while we were there, we were treated to gorgeous storms, rolling in for miles. Ironic, isn't it, that to view a decent rain, I needed to travel to the desert...

And after the rain, apparently there's almost always a rainbow there. We saw several including a double rainbow, and this succinct, intense and very determined little rainbow-lette pushing its way out of the dark storm clouds:
When it rains, the reptiles get happy. This was one of the happier fellows we met. (Notice the goddamned cigarette butt in the upper right of this photo...grrrr.)

And then, yesterday during the nearly 450 mile trip home, I just marveled at the diversity and beauty of the state I was born in, amazed by the fact that there are still LARGE parts of it that I have yet to experience, and wondering why in the hell it took me nearly 40 years to see this part of it.

Oh yes. We will be back.

Back from down over there.

I have many tales and photos from our trip. Actually, more photos than tales because our trip was the dictionary definition of uneventful. Which is a GOOD thing and absolutely what I needed.

Texas is very big and very beautiful. Where we were is the geographic and natural antithesis of all things Pine Curtain-esque, but it is still so very Texan and, because of this, comfortable. People there will be friendly if you want them to, but will utterly leave you alone if you'd like for that to be the case, and not think you're uppity or aloof for even one minute.

If this trip taught me anything it is that I am so tightly wound most of the time, that it actually requires effort for me to relax. I mean to just chill the hell out and be comfortable with nothing on the day's agenda. That is much harder than I ever imagined it would be. And just when I start to get into the groove of it, it's time to come back to reality and wind back up.

More tomorrow, lambs.

Things are about to change.

I've got a confession to make: when it comes to Texas, I've never been west of Llano. I mean, yes, I've been to the panhandle. Twice. But the panhandle is its own thing. West Texas is like a whole other country, with high deserts, mountains, canyons, and miles and miles of nothingness. It's what people who've never been to Texas think of when they think of Texas. And I've never been there.

Where we're going will change this.

In Austin, it is humid and sticky and--at the same time--bone dry. Hotter than hell with no rain to help break the monotony of the dog days. Even at nearly 10pm, it's still 86 degrees outside. The place where we're going? It gets down into the 50s each night.

BH and I haven't been alone with each other--sans kids--in...well, it's been a while. Where we're going, we're going to be alone. Blissfully alone with each other.

No agenda and no plans other than let's just get there.

Marfa, here we come.*

*Potential evildoers: Don't bother. We have a house-sitter, an alarm, and a vicious dog.

Where was I...?

Oh yes. At the beach. Only a few short daze ago.

Truth be told, this past weekend was originally the weekend we'd planned to get married. But life happens, and we postponed the Big Day, and haven't managed to reschedule yet. So we decided that even though we weren't getting hitched this past weekend, we at least deserved a long weekend away together. So Dah agreed to keep The Geej, and we hopped on a plane for a short ride to the southern tip of the state for some R&R.

It was a great trip. We relaxed. We people-watched. We read. We rode around in this (with the top down, of course):

We walked on the beach where we saw some of this (kite boarding). It looks so fun, but SO hard. And it was perfect weather for it on this particular day, i.e., windy as hell.


We also saw a LOT of this:

Seriously, smokers. What the FUCK?! It's bad enough when you throw the butts out of your car window and think it's not littering, but on the beach? Really?! Shame on you.

We saw a few of these


Tangled up in a lot of this.

I'm not sure what was going on, but on day 3 we were there, the tide brought in TONS of this stuff. It was less than pleasant.


We also went birding. This was a first for me, but BH is all about our fine feathered friends. South Texas is supposed to be a primo migratory birdwatching spot this time of year. (This is the type of thing you learn when you're in love with a wildlife biologist.) However, they haven't gotten substantial rain down in the valley for months, so everything is dry as it can be and, as a result, not very appealing to migratory birds. We did see quite a few species, but not the overwhelming multitudes that are usually down there during mid-April.

One preserve we went to actually suffered a major fire (a result of the dry conditions) two days before we went there to check it out. Luckily, there were other parts of the preserve that were unharmed. The palm forest, for instance. I got to see green jays and chacalacas and indigo buntings buff-bellied hummingbirds and numerous other birds for the first time ever.And also, at this preserve, I got to see the Rio Grande for the very first time.
We were also surprised with fireworks while we ate dinner on a pier on the bay our first night there.

One night, we even pondered the Great American Dilemma:

We were lucky enough to see a couple of amazing sunsets.

Basically, we had a very, very nice time.

We'll go back again. Hopefully soon...