Blog Hiatus.

Hi friends and strangers.

I'm going in for stupidfuckingsurgery tomorrow, and don't know when I'll be up to blogging again. A few days? A week? Not sure at all.

Please keep me in your thoughts and check back in a few days for the latest from Karla May.

I still need to tell you the story (and post a photo) of The Geej's black eye, don't I? I promise, I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Take care, Internets.

You know how sometimes you make your bed...

...and there's this big lump under the covers once you get it all made up? And you're like, "What the hell? Did I leave a big wad of pajamas under there? How did I miss that?" And then you pull back the comforter and, viola:
Not only is it not pajamas, it's alive. And it's purring.

Another (Mr.) Wonderful Weekend

Had a great time in northeastern Colorado visiting Mr. Wonderful and his two boys.

First off, let me say that the town that Mr. Wonderful lives in is not just small--it's microscopic. His town is surrounded by corn fields, millet fields, wheat fields, sugar beet fields, more corn fields, cow pastures, more cow pastures, and feed lots. It's mostly flat, but there are a few strategically placed hills that give way to some lovely vistas. The whole town takes up 1 square mile and has, literally, one stop light. It's one of those places where nobody locks their doors, people sleep with their windows open, and kids still ride their bikes everywhere with no worries whatsoever. (In case you're wondering, Mr. Wonderful lives there because of his job, which is rather specialized. He is, however, pretty done with the place, and looking to move. To Texas. To Central Texas.)

During my short trip I saw: lots of hawks, bison, antelope, a coyote and a llama. Oh, and lots and lots of cattle.

The weather there was pretty amazing, especially since I was coming from the fiery cauldron that is Texas in late August. The days were in the low 70s and breezy. At night, it got down into the mid-50s. Freakin' heaven, people. I even saw this wet stuff that falls from the sky!! I forget what it's called, but it was really awesome. And after the wet stuff fell, I saw this:

A double rainbow! Saw the whole thing, from beginning to pot o' gold. Really gorgeous.

Friday night, we went to the neighboring town (35 miles away, mind you) to go to...

THE DRIVE IN!! That's right, Internets. It was awesome. We drank bad wine out of styrofoam Sonic cups and watched "Talledega Nights" from the comfort of the front seat of his Toyota. The windows were cracked just enough to let the cool night air in. I enjoyed every second of it.

Saturday night, we went to the only bar in town, down in the basement of the VFW hall:

Yes, it was just as kick-ass as you might imagine. The people-watching was priceless. LOTS of disturbing dirty dancing done by hardcore farm folk to really bad music. Truly, a sight to behold. We were lucky because we were there on a special night. How do I know it was special? Well, there was a sign on the inside of the stall in the totally skanked out ladies room that read,

"Come on down to Millies Aug 26th and party!!!! Dance to Sound Connection from 9 to 1:30!! Gather up your friends and go!!! Must be 21!!! Picture I.D. required!!!"

With that many exclamation points, I've got to assume it was a big fucking deal, right? By the way "Sound Connection" was a man in his late 50s with a really loud sound system, some wacky disco lights, and a whole lot of really terrible music to play. Gretchen Wilson's "All Jacked Up," anyone?

It sucked to leave yesterday. Each time I hang out with Mr. Wonderful, it becomes harder and harder to leave him. I was a real baby about it. Not only did I not want to leave him, I didn't want to come back to the billion degree tinderbox of August. I missed the Geej like hell though. I was so happy to see her when I got home yesterday evening. Even if she did have a black eye.

I'll save that story for my next post...

We're number 5! We're number 5!

According to this article, Austin is the #5 drunkest city in America.

The rankings go like this:

1. Milwaukee
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul
3. Columbus, OH (What!?)
4. Boston
5. Austin

I have to believe that me and my blogging buds are partly responsible for this significant honor, so WAY TO GO you lushes and wobblers! We did it!!

Next year we're kicking Milwaukee's drunk ASS!

Helooooooooo Cleveland.

I'm not sure why I titled my post that, but I did, so deal.

This week has been so wildly busy, I don't even know what to think. Trips to the doctor. The Geej's new school. My first official full week as Team Leader. Meeting after meeting after meeting. Trying to work between meetings. Not accomplishing nearly as much as I need to.

Today I had no fewer than four people at work tell me I looked really tired. That's always comforting to hear...

And now, outta nowhere--Some Funny Photos!

I walked into The Geej's room the other night as we were preparing to get her butt in the bathtub, and this is what awaited me:

It's her favorite babydoll, Sally, stripped down and sitting on a little potty, right in the middle of the room. I think The Geej may be trying to tell me something...

And then tonight, while doing our pre-night night wind-down routine of watching about 10 minutes of the damn Teletubbies, this happened:

When I asked her what she was doing, she said--no shit--"Chillin." (She's heard me use that as in, "Let's just chill." But I wasn't prepared to hear it thrown back at me yet.)

Tomorrow I head to Colorado for a much-needed weekend with Mr. Wonderful. This time, we're hanging in his tiny town in the NE corner of the state. I'd tell you where it is, but you wouldn't be able to find it on a map. It's literally one square mile. The whole place, that is. I'm looking forward to seeing with my own eyes this Mayberry-esque place he's describe to me and sent photos of. Plus I'll get to hang with his boys again and get to know them better, which I'm excited about. I'm praying for cooler weather up there than what we've been having. And since the past couple of weeks have felt vaguely like the surface of the Sun here in Austin, I'm willing to bet it will be nicer up there, even if they're just as drought-ridden.

With my travels manana, I doubt you'll hear from me again until I return on Sunday evening. Be good, weiner schnitzels.

6,000 Words

Some random photos to brighten up your Tuesday. Enjoy!!

Trying like hell to keep my yard on life support during this ridiculous heat and way-too-long dry spell.

A Texas spiny lizard on the tree at The Geej's old school. See it? There were three of these suckers that hung out on that tree, much to the delight of the toddlers. They're REALLY cool looking. Much better than the fleshy looking geckos that hang out on my front porch.

The view from the pool deck at the hotel I stayed at in Dallas this weekend.

A fountain park near my hotel in downtown Dallas. Quite pretty. Nice city. Have fun when I visit. But I'm always happy to hit IH-35 south, and head outta there.

Me and The Geej reading to the toddlers at her old school on her last day.