Must Have Reese's Dress

I'll take the shoes too. Poor thing, she looks tired. I guess having a gay boyfriend will do that to you.

Merry Ludachristmas Everyone

Our Thanksgiving was really good. We went to Houma for the day and visited with Mom's side of the family. My sisters informed me that I sound like the talking pothole on that Geico commercial, which is nice to hear. I was not aware that my accent had mutated that much, but according to those little beeeeaches, it has. Lovely. I blame it all on Neal.

My Mom's got some health stuff going on, we're just not sure what it is yet. From what I understand, she has something on one of her ovaries. I think a biopsi is scheduled in mid-December, so we should know a lot more after that.

Neal is still "rig watching" and is in the process of trying to get on with another company. They probably won't call until after the first of the year, but there are two job possibilities out there right now that both seem promising. They are both in the Shreveport area, so hopefully one of those will work out. *Fingers Crossed*

He had a lit Christmas tree set up when I got home last Wednesday and we decorated it that night. It's really cute and makes me happy. We are hosting Christmas for his parents, his sister and nephew the weekend of the 18th and I am nervous about it because I have to cook for everyone...yikes!

I keep looking at my calendar for next year and the months of Feb thru April are totally jam-packed. Weddings, bachelorette parties, Mardi Gras, 30th birthdays and on and on. I can't get over how quickly the past 6 months have flown by, so I'm guessing that the next 4 to 5 months will go by even quicker.

I'm also making a family cookbook for everyone on my Mom's side of the family for Christmas. My grandmother is the best cook on the face of the planet, so I'm going to get her recipes for all the big-ticket items (cornbread dressing, red velvet cake, shrimp jambalaya, etc etc) and put them into a book with recipes from everyone else in the fam. I'm also adding in pictures of everyone. I think this is going to be a little more time consuming than I had orgininally planned, but I'm still excited about putting it together.

So there's been a lot on my mind lately...Neal's job stuff, Christmas and the holidays, Mom's health, babies, houses, blah blah blah. I think everyone is sort of on edge around this time of year for one reason or another. I'm trying to quit worrying about things that I have no control over. It is very hard for me to do that because I am sort of a control freak, but worrying about everything all the time is not going to do me any good either. I'm just going to have to figure out a way to stop. I figured that since I've totally changed my lifestyle in terms of eating and working out, I can do this too. I'll be sure to let ya' know how that all turns out. ;)

Pros and Cons of Boston Trip (So Far)

Pros

Hair looks hardcore awesome b/c there is no humidity
Beantown is pretty and the weather is perfecto
Hotel bed is super comfortable
They have Fiji water at the meetings
Water pressure in the shower is better than at home
H&M is 1.3 miles from hotel
Lots of people on the streets (excellent for people watching)
Almost everyone here has an awesome accent
Just read an In Style mag my mom gave me and it has great winter outfit ideas
The Today Show and I are in the same time zone
I was able to bust out the pink Kate Spade messenger bag for the first time in years
There is a movie being filmed 2 blocks away from the hotel

Cons

Yankee girls are weird (We went to lunch at Legal Seafood and each girl proceeded to ask 1000 questions about where the restaurant's fish came from and then not one of them ordered it. Apparently it is not OK to eat fish from Puerto Rico. One chick went on and on about the importance of eating meat from grass-fed cows and eating only organic veggies b/c of her concerns about chemicals in processed food causing cancer....then she lit up a cig.)
Hotel elevators are scary
No one has said "wicked" yet
No room service at the hotel
My face wash leaked all over my bag of toiletries which contaminated my contact case which contaminated my contacts and now I have to wear my glasses
I paid $3 for a bottle of Aquafina at the hotel "market" before I knew about the free Fiji water
I am in class all day and don't have time to wander around the city.
I wish I had gotten the black Kate Spade messenger bag instead of the pink.
I have yet to see anyone famous and (thanks to Popsugar.com) I KNOW that Katie and Suri were here last week and that Ben Affleck and Don Draper are here NOW.

Hello Friends

So we're not going to BR this weekend. We have made a grown-up decision to watch the game at home. I think/know BR is going to be a mad house this weekend, and since we have no tickets and no place to stay, it is best that we don't go. But that's okay, I'm sure we'll make it in for some other games.

We have now been in C-ton for over 5 months, can ya' believe it? Time has flown by. I feel like I just left Houston yesterday. I guess the whole working full-time thing makes time move a bit more quickly. I leave a week from Tuesday to go to Boston for 5 days for work-related training. I'm staying downtown, but my days will be booked with training sessions. I don't think I'm going to have time to do a whole lot of sightseeing and I'm not quite sure how safe it is to walk around downtown Boston by myself at night. I guess I'll just feel it out once I get there. I sort of hope everyone is Boston says "wicked" as much as I think they do. I'm sure they appreciate that stereotype as much as we appreciate "laissez les bon temps rouler."

Neal's rig may be moved to Pennsylvania??? Sounds weird, right? But here's the deal, if they do move his rig to PA, he will work 14 and 14 and they will fly him there and back every 2 weeks. It actually beats him having to drive to and from west Texas every 2 weeks. The boss said that whichever one of these two companies (either the one in PA or the one in TX) makes a move first will get the rig. Now, back to the waiting game.....

I'm still debating the hair situation. (Sarah, if I decide to do it I will get the name of your girl from you.)Ladies, if ya'll would have seen the color of red my hairdressar turned my hair during the December '08 coloring incident, you would understand. It was Ashlee Simpson red, ya'll. Awful. And then the very dark brown she had to dye it in order to get rid of the red.....ugh. I didn't want to go out in public for a while. I was surprised everytime I looked in the mirror. It wasn't until it turned a lighter shade of brown that I started to like it.

Oooooooohhhhhhh, a girl I work with just brought me a petit four. There is not much in this world that makes me happier than a surprise petit four. Deeeelish.
Anyway, I'm gonna' ride this little sugar jolt to a productive afternoon. One more day until my 3 day weekend!

Since we now have access to blogger at work....

Oh, no. I'm getting that "I want to change my hair" feeling again, someone puh-lease make it go away. I don't want to cut it, I just want to color it. The last time I did it was such a mess, you would think that experience would have scared me off. But no, of course it didn't. I actually have not highlighted my hair since Feb, so the top 8 inches are all natural. I kind of miss my dark brown hair, that's all.

We do not have tickets or a place to stay for the game this weekend, yet we still want to go tailgate. We have been throwing around the idea of going to BR to tailgate and then driving back to C-ton at 4ish so we can watch the game at home. I'm not sure though. The smart thing to do would be to just stay home Sat and not go to BR at all, but our love for tailgating is completely irrational, so we may still go. Decisions, decisions.

The hubbs turned 30 last Friday so we went to the Barley Oak in Mandeville and then the Brew Pub for drinks. The Barley Oak is a draughthouse on Lakeshore Drive and has a balcony and a fabulous view of Lake Ponch and the sunset. It has a Gingerman-y feel to it, I highly reccomend it.

Both bosses are out of town this entire week and I have next Monday off for Columbus Day, so yaaaaay!

Hey Ya'll

So my work computers are super restricted and I am completely unable to access google blogger or facebook at work. I think I would blog more often if I could log on during the weekdays and write stuff as it comes to me...but I can't, so when I have time to write on the weekends I can't remember any of the stuff I thought about earlier in the week. (However, not having access to blogger or facebook at work increases my productivity by, like, x1000.)

We went to BR last weekend for the game, so we decided not to go this weekend. Last weekend went by too quickly...we partied all day Saturday, got soaked during the game Sat night (plastic hooded poncho + rain = permed hair), then came home Sunday where we ate wings and I passed out on the couch during halftime of the Saints game. Then it was time for work again Monday morning. I forgot how quickly weekends go by during football season!

Work this week was crazzzy busy. I went to a day-long swine flu planning session on Thursday that was given by some state agencies. I don't think I learned anything that you won't learn from reading the news. This current strain of H1N1 is pretty mild, so if you do get it, you probably don't need to freak out too much. The theme of the planning session = wash your hands.

Did anyone watch The Office Thursday night? Seriously, how freaking funny was that? I want to watch it again and again and again.

Neal has been home for a while and it's been nice having him here. We're still waiting on the oil company to give the go-ahead for his rig to drill. In the meantime, his company has been paying him to wait. Not too shabby.

We called Charter this morning to order ESPNU so that we can watch the game at home tonight and grill burgers or something. There's a whole lot of football on today and I need to go to the grocery and clean up around the house. I feel old. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys their weekends!

GAMEDAY!

At this time of year not too many years ago, I was waking up to the fight song being blared in my living room and one roommate running around the house with an LSU flag. Gameday mornings are now a little quieter than they used to be, but one thing has not changed....there is still a 50/50 chance that Neal shacked the night before.

So things at work are FREAKING GREAT! I get called into a meeting with my bosses the other day and here is what the big boss says, "Well, you're doing great. You know it, we know it. So this is what is going to happen..." Basically, our department will be expanding and I am on my way to a supervisory healthcare position. This is not happening right away as we need to find some grant money to fund the position and then figure out the exact structure of everything, but I will more or less become a sort of community health administrator. I had a brief review yesterday and they are just so pleased with everything I've been doing. They said that they want to hire more people to take over the less important tasks so that I can be involved in the more "higher up" stuff.

I cannot even tell ya'll how excited I am. I have never worked for people who just let me work on my own and do my own thing without feeling the need to check up on me every 5 minutes or get cc'd on everything. They understand that I am capable of a lot and have no problem letting me run with whatever assignments they give me. My entire job involves a lot of research, policy analysis, planning, and writing. I just love it. LOVE IT. I am actually going to get to do what it is I went to grad school for. I can't believe it.

I had to go to this networking lunch thing yesterday. There was a presentation about personality types and it was very entertaining and interesting. The types are identified by colors...I'm a green/gold. So all yesterday afternoon I was identifying people by color. FYI - Neal's an orange. I am going to be a big nerd and post the descriptions of each color for ya'll b/c I think it's interesting.

Orange = I am impulsive and spontaneous, a risk taker who craves fun and excitement. I value skills and courage. Bored by jobs that are routine and structured, I'm impatient with ideas and theories. I want immediate action. I'm very competitive, a natural trouble-shooter and leader.

Gold = I am responsible and practical. I have a strong sense of right and wrong. I value home, family, and tradition. I believe work comes before play. I need to be useful, to be part of an organization. I'm detail oriented and neat. I am the sensible, stable backbone of any group.

Blue = I am a people person, idealistic, caring. A romantic, who follows my heart, I believe in human potential and value personal relationships. I like jobs where I can help and nurture people. I'm warm and friendly, and a good communicator. I'm the peacemaker of the group.

Green = I am an idea person. I value intelligence. I look for explanations and answers. I like to do things that require vision, problem solving, strategy, and ingenuity. I constantly strive for perfection. I'm a competent self-starter who works best on my own without interference.

I think most people are a combination of colors, but you probably lean toward one more than the others.

Anyway, I am so stoked about this 3 day weekend. I am never able to sleep in on Saturdays. By Saturday, my internal clock is so used to 530 get-ups that I can't sleep in. I can usually sleep in until about 8 on Sundays. I'm hoping to make it until 9 Monday morning.

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. Geaux Tigers!

Not Much at All

*My brother and his fiancee eloped last weekend. Some friends of theirs are throwing them a party this Saturday afternoon in Denham Spraaaaaangs, so I will be making an appearance there this weekend. Here is a recent picture of their little boy/my nephew, TJ. He is a cutie. And yes, many members of my family prefer to go the "Hollywood Route" and have the kids and then get married. It's the thing to do, you know.



*My pops is going out of town the weekend of the Vandy game, so Neal and I got his tickets! Yay! I. Cannot. Wait.

*We helped my Mom move this past Sunday. She actually moved out of uptown (gasp!) and rented a cute little house off of River Road (near Ochsner) for her and Olivia. It is sooooo cute. It was a smart move, everything is so much cheaper in Jefferson Parish.

*I have begun "unfriending" people on facebook. There were a few people on my friends list who I didn't really know very well who were constantly on my homepage because they updated their status all the time. Since the unfriendings, logging on to FB is much more pleasant. I no longer have to read about their self-proclaimed total awesomeness all the time.

*Neal and I went to a local bar/grill this past Friday for drinks. This place is known for their martini's, so I had 3. The first one was pretty good, but then I ordered their lemon drop martini. Holy schnikes, it was fan-freaking-tastic. I think it was just absolut citron and fresh lemon juice (Sarah - this is where the fancy schmancy juicer comes in handy) in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. So good. I'm going to try to make one at home even though I'm pretty sure it will taste like shit when I make it.

*If you don't watch the show "How I Met Your Mother," you should. The peeps on the show are about our age, so everything that happens is pretty relate-able. And it's absolutely hilarious. It's one of the few shows that Neal and I both love.

And that's all I've got for now. I could have sworn that I had more exciting stuff to write about....oh well. Sorry for the boring post!

Just a Few Thoughts

1. There is not much on tv so I'm watching 90210 (new 90210) and I think Shenae Grimes is the worst actress in the history of the planet. She makes Tori Spelling look like Katharine Hepburn. Yet I'm still watching.

2. I just un-friended someone on FB for the first time. B's ex-wife was talking a lot of smack about him and I got tired of seeing it, so I "removed" her as a friend. Bitch is crazy anyway.

3. We recently started watching True Blood and I like it a lot. It's so dirty that it makes the Sopranos look like Sesame Street, but it's good.

4. When Neal's home, I will usually find at least 3 Old Spice deodorants sitting on the bathroom counter at one time. This bothers me mainly because I do not understand the need to have more than one or two deodorants at a time. In the past I've constructed an Old Spice bowling game in the bathroom in order to show him just how many Old Spice containers can be found in our bathroom at any given time. This past week I counted 5 deodorants hidden all over the bathroom, so I lined them up on the counter. When I came home for lunch, I went into the bathroom to find a pyramid made out of deodorant containers built on the counter. What can I say...he's creative and at least he always smells good.

Down By The Ba-You

I went to Houma after work Friday to visit my grandparents. I hadn't seen them in a long time, so I thought I should go for a visit. I really enjoyed spending some time with them, they are so wonderfully sweet.

While I was there I also got to visit two sets of aunts and uncles and my cousin, Ashley. Ashley and her husband live in Thibodaux in a house that they - get this - bought for $25,000 and then had physically moved to a piece of property on the bayou. They gutted the whole thing and completely re-modeled it and it is awesome. They also have a screened-in porch where there is a giant metal crab hanging on the wall. And now I must...have...giant.....metal...crab. Seriously, I need one. Even a giant metal crawfish or something would do.

Oh, and you know you're "down the bayou" when there is a sign on the side of the road that says "FRIED PIG SKIN - WATERMELON - FAT CRABS."

I saw one of the cutest baby girls I have ever seen in church this morning. She had chubby cheeks and was laughing and wearing a gingham onesie with a smocked collar....seriously, she almost brought me to tears. If one of her shoes fell of I probably would have pulled a Liz Lemon (from 30 Rock) and picked it up and put it in my purse. I mean really, my biological clock is ticking loud as mamma jamma. But we have discussed this, and in order to be responsible adults, we are waiting until next summer when we are stable work-wise and financially. Sigh. In the mean time I guess I'll get drunk and collect random baby shoes. Kidding. (About the baby shoes part, not the drunk part.)

I need to clean and do laundry today, but it's all rainy outside and I can't seem to get motivated. The weekends go by way too fast!

What a Weird Week!

I was supposed to go have drinks with peeps from work, but I just couldn't do it. I stayed up until about 11ish the past 2 nights and I feel it now. 530am comes calling early, you know?! I have also been having some stomach problems since Sunday. I will spare you the details, but it is has been an uncomfortable situation.

Neal left for work today (booooo). We had a pretty good weekend. We are still watching our $$, so we stayed pretty close to home. We did, however, resurrect Sunday Funday. We went and saw the new Harry Potter movie and then went to the Brew Pub after to sit outside and have some beers. You know, I used to criticize the whole Harry Potter thing, but I kind of dig it now. The movie was pretty good. And I loooove Hermione aka Emma Watson. She is so cute. Is it weird that I want to be her and she's like 10 years younger than me? Probably so.

This work week has been exceptionally weird though. This is my Tuesday: I start off at the Parish's main office for some computer training. I get back to my office where a masseuse from my boss's chiropractor's office had come in to give us all brief, chair massages in order to get us to come into his office for a consult. So I get my little massage and I get the question that I know is coming..."Have you been diagnosed with scoliosis before?" And I say that I have, like in 5th grade, by the school nurse. I haven't ever gone to see a doc about it though. Basically, my spine is sort of crooked and I'm not sure that there's anything you can really do about it to make it 100% straight, but there are some sort of precautions you can take so it doesn't get worse. So this masseuse talks me into making an appointment at the chiropractor's office for a consult. The problem is that I don't really believe in chiropracty (sp?). So now I'm thinking about going to an orthopedist to see what they say. Ugh, I would really just prefer to ignore all this, but my shoulders do hurt sometimes when I'm running, so I should probably nip it in the bud.

After the fun and not-at-all-scary scoliosis talk, my other boss drags me with him on the field trip from hell, which I am not ready to write about. I saw some stuff I never wanted to see. I'm pretty sure I'm scarred for life. I'll fill ya'll in on that one later when I am able to think about it without getting nauseous. I'll just say that even though we don't do case management in our office, sometimes our boss has to get involved in less than desirable situations that require some sort of case management or Parish intervention. Yuck.

I just want this week to be over!

What, Now?

(I'm not sure if this post makes any sense or not. I've been staring at a computer all day, so everything is just kind of running together. Attempt to read at your own risk.)

I went to Rouses (Crack Den) after work today to get a few groceries. I opened the back of the Jeep to put my groceries up when I noticed a freaking frog wedged in this little space of my trunk. I shoed him out and realized that he had probably been in there since the last time I opened the trunk, which was Sunday. YUCK. And that's not the first time there has been a frog-in-the-jeep incident. Damn frogs.

I went to NO this past weekend to help my Mom out with her garage sale. Want to meet some interesting people? Have a garage sale uptown. For instance, a man stopped by with his daughter to browse. They were both on bikes. He was pretty interesting looking because he was wearing a sailor's cap and used a carved wooden walking cane. We chat with him a bit and it ends up that he is a wood carver and he carved the cane himself. Mom's friend Susie (who is an artist) keeps saying how familiar he looks. She asked him if he did psychic readings on Oak Street. He said he did. It turns out, he had done one for her a while back. (Of course he did.) He also did not remember it. Maybe he's not that psychic.

Olivia's Dad, Keith, also hung around the house all day spending time with Olivia. Keith is....something else. I can't really describe him, but I will give you 3 examples of things that happen/ are said when he is around.

1. Since Mom lives just a few blocks from where we used to live on Willow St, Keith and Olivia thought it was a good idea to walk back to the old house, knock on the door, and ask the current tenants if they had any similar odd/ghost/haunted house experiences that we experienced when we were living there. Thank goodness, no one was home. FYI - Keith is loud and about 6 foot 5. If someone like that, whom I didn't know, came knocking on my door asking me about ghosts I would probably call the cops.

2. Most embarrassing moment of the day: Keith asks Mom's gay friend Susie, "So you gotta' man?"

3. Most cringe-worthy moment of the day: Ted, Keith and I were talking about the time we were backing out of the driveway in our car on Willow St when we got hit by a woman flying down the street in a suburban who was married to a McIlhenny (Tabasco family). She pulled some strings and he ended up getting a ticket for the wreck about two weeks after it happened. Keith tells me and Ted, "When I lived in Lafayette, I was doing one of her McIlhenny nieces. Take that to the bank, bitch!"

So anyway, Neal's company has found 2 contracts for 2 rigs that are not his. He left last Wednesday to go to Oklahoma for the week to drill on a rig there. He's coming home tomorrow, yay! However, working 7 and 7 in Oklahoma is not going to fly. It's just too much driving. Supposedly, his company has found work for his rig in northwestern Texas. If this pans out, he will go back to being rig manager and will work 14 and 14. The drive will be about 12 hours, but if he only has to do it once every 2 weeks it will be more manageable. We shall see.

Work is going well. Lots of politics and secrets and laws and drama, etc. It's good though, I'm still likin' it. I get to go to Boston in October for work training, which is pretty cool.

Hmmm, it's 6:45. I feel like I'm ready for bed, but I'll try and hold out until 9. I hate being this tired this early!

MJ, Rouses, and LSU

1. First things first....Michael Jackson just died? What?? And Farrah Fawcett? And Ed McMahon passed away yesterday. Why do celebrity deaths always come in 3's? It's so sad.

2. I am currently readjusting to the slowness of south Louisiana. Everyone and everything just moves so much slower here than it does anywhere else. I am reminded of this every time I go to the local Rouses grocery store, or as I like to call it, The Crack Den. I don't know why this store is so sketchy, but it is. The people that work in this place resemble the misfit toys from Rudolph (except they're cracked out). Also, I think I may have seen our landlord's realtor working there. I guess it could have been him....the housing market isn't exactly booming.

Anyway, the white girl that was working the check-out lane next to mine was talking to the woman that was in her line. This is what she was saying..."Mmmmm Hmmmm. Yeah, so we moved in and he's all like, 'just watch you'll be pregnant in 3 months' and I'm all like shit, no, I ain't ready for dat. Mmmmm hmmm, he's 30 and I'm 19. I ain't ready to get pregnant, I already got a 2 year old."

I was so busy listening to her that I did not realize that the boy who was bagging my groceries was placing only one item in a bag. Really, every single thing I bought had its own bag. My bag of baby carrots was even double bagged.

3. Work is good so far. I enjoy what I'm doing because it's all government policy and regulations stuff. I am totally in my element. I feel that I definitely ended up where I was meant to be!

I'm pretty tired when I get home, but I'm hoping that I get over that soon. I've also managed to follow through with my morning workouts. Tues - Fri I get up at 530am to go to the gym. Yeah, I can't believe it either. I mean, I used to shower the night before work so I could sleep till 745am when I was supposed to be at work at 815. Who knew?!

4. How bout 'dem Tigahs????? Did anyone else tear up a little bit when Coach Paul was hugging his dad after the win? So sweet. And I love Les Miles for being there. We (LSU fans) currently have some of the most respectable, kind coaches in the NCAA. Now I'm ready for football!

T minus 2 hours till part 2 of the Real Housewives of NJ reunion show. Fuhgetttabouttit.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

The new job starts tomorrow....I am nervous and excited! I am looking forward to once again becoming a productive member of society, but I will sometimes miss being a day lady. No more weekday afternoon trips to the grocery, or watching sitcom reruns on Lifetime all morning or sleeping till whenever. But for reals, 8-430pm 5 minutes away from our house ain't all the bad, ya' heard? I am also looking forward to buying new clothes. There are a couple of cute boutiques right around my office that I plan to start frequenting. I will wear a uniform shirt to work so I only have to worry about buying pants, etc for office wear. All my other clothes can be just for fun.

Neal was home for almost TWO WHOLE WEEKS this time and it was wonderful. We made the most out of our joint time off since it will probably be our last until we have kids and I go on maternity leave.

Six years and two days after our first date at the zoo, we finally went back week before last. It was awesome. Hot, but awesome.





Last Saturday we went to Pruitt and Kat's to watch the baseball game and the following day was Cara's baby shower in NO. Monday we worked outside around the house, Tuesday Cara and Evan came over for a visit, Wednesday the in-laws came in town for a night, and my sister came in town Thursday. She and Dad watched the game at our house Friday and then yesterday Maddie, Neal, Zells, and I took Zells' boat out on the Tchefuncte and in Lake Ponch. It was tons and tons and tons of fun. (And I'm not posing in the pic below, I was holding my weird-length bangs back because visors do not do a good job of doing that for you. I really wish those suckers would just grow the f out already.)





Neal headed back to work today and I went with the rest of the fam to my brother's house for Father's Day. We BBQd and swam and had a nice day together. Ted is probably one of the most hands-on fathers I've ever seen. Since Diwina works in BR, he takes TJ to and from daycare everyday and takes him on all of his visits to the pediatrician. He dotes on that cute baby so much its unbelievable. It is really very sweet.

So now I'm sorta' tired, I need to do laundry and I start my new job tomorrow. Dear Lord I hope I manage to get through day 1 without doing or saying anything too stupid. If I'm lucky, no one I work with was driving on the Causeway yesterday afternoon and saw me dancing like a fool on a boat in Lake Ponch.

Employment!

I am now an employee of the St. Tammany Parish Government! I start 6/22. I will be working in the Office of Social Services as the Community Development Block Grant Administrator. (Money comes from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development and is distributed across St. Tammany Parish to build things and make the community a better place. Some of it is healthcare related and I was told that, as time goes on, I will continue to receive more and more specific healthcare-related responsibilities.) It's 8-430 M-F and the office is less than 5 minutes away from our house. HOLLA!

Interviewing

So I had an interview with another company this past Wednesday and I have an interview with another organization Monday. I was also contacted about another job that I applied for and was told that interviewing will start after June 13th. One of these HAS TO WORK OUT!

Neal came home Wednesday and will be heading back to the Port today. We had a lovely evening last night. We had some drinks on our back patio, BBQ'd and then watched the basketball game. Life is good. I'm going to Kristen's tonight for a girls night. Kristen is making her margs....should be fun!

I finally got my grades in from school. 4 A's and a motherfrickin' C. And yes, the 'C' was in statistics. Ahh, well. At least I passed! My overall GPA is a 3.6. Not too shabby.

Oh, and for the first time ever I did some half-assed gardening yesterday. I cut dead flowers and leaves and stuff from the hydrangea and gardenia bushes. I have a history of killing plants so I need to get a book on gardening. And then I can get some fun gardening boots and clothes. I'm thinking something along the lines of....



Sooo cute, right?! Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm a Master of Healthcare Administration. Now What?

Still no news on the job front. It's getting a little frustrating. I know something will come along eventually, but I'm hoping it happens sooner rather than later. I'm starting to go a little stir crazy.

Neal and I went to Baskin last weekend and it was actually the first time we had been there since September. Neal's parents hosted a fish fry shindig for Neal's grandfather. I cut fish and spooned hushpuppy mixture into a boiling pot of grease. (Maybe I'll add those skills to my resume.) It was actually a good day. His grandfather loved it and Marilyn was very excited to have the entire town of Baskin at her house for a party. I'm glad Neal was off so that we were able to go.

Yesterday we might have gone to the Brew Pub at 2pm and I might have gotten a little tipsy while there. And then we might have had Cane's for dinner last night. I am not proud of any of this, but sometimes a girl's gotta' drink on a Tuesday afternoon. I still feel guilty about it though, so I don't see it happening again anytime soon.

I visited Kristen and her kids this morning and those kids are SOOOOO cute. I'm heading to Shreveport Friday to spend the weekend with Neal and am stopping in BR on the way there to take another civil service exam that is needed for some of the jobs I applied for with the state.

Dave's new album comes out June 2nd and I am way excited. The Fuse channel is airing some kind of documentary about him and the album next week and I am stoked for that as well. I recently read an interview he gave to the Times Pic not long after Jazz Fest and he has nothing but wonderful things to say about NO. I was getting super stressed today about the job sitch so I road around for a bit and listened to him in the car, and it made me feel better. No matter what, I can put Dave on and it immediately chills me out.

It really is just so nice to be home. I just loooove our little house. Now if I could just get a job everything would be marvy. Here are a few pics of the house..






And all this Jon and Kate Plus 8 biz????? I did not watch the show Sunday night, but Kidd Kraddick was talking about it on the radio Monday morning so I'm going to watch it the next time it airs. I really think they should just remove themselves from television and focus on the fam, but I seriously doubt that it's going to happen. Those poor kids.

Anyway, that's about it. Miss ya'll!

Stuff

1. I'm heading to BR in a bit to attend my sister's graduation. Congrats Maddie! I will be staying the night to go out with her. So, yeah, I'm going to Fred's at 8pm tonight for free drinks. I told her that I don't think I'll make it past 10, but I'll try it out for a bit. Yikes.

2. I keep forgetting I'm in Louisiana. I guess that happens when you've been in another state for 4 years.

3. Oh Real Housewives, why do you continue to suck me in? The preview for RH of New Jersey came on and I fully intended on changing the channel, but I never actually pressed the button. I was sucked in by the big hair, NJ accents, and overall tackiness of the show. It's so gloriously trashy that I can't turn away.

4. I'm convinced I will have problems with the DMV for the rest of my life. If you're reading this, you probably heard about the Texas DMV debacle of 2008 when I went license-less for 2 months b/c it took that long to get my new license in the mail (when it was supposed to take less than 2 weeks). I've already made 2 unnecessary trips to the DMV here and in Hammond and no forward progress was made at either of them.

5. I've had 2 interviews this week. No news yet.

6. PJ's is now serving iced praline coffee. And yes, it's good.

7. Our anniversary is Sunday. One year ya'll, can you believe it?

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!

Second Interview

So they called me today and I have a second interview Monday afternoon at the hospital in Hammond. Yay!

Almost There

WOW, you guys. These past 3 weeks have been the craziest ever. I am in Pero's guest room right now and am about to crash. I had my statistics final tonight and it wasn't pretty. EVERYONE in the class took the whole 3 hours to take the test, he practically had to kick us out of the classroom. The whole test was out of 120 points and he grades on a curve, so I might be okay.

I'm finally winding down with the school work....I have to finish a powerpoint tomorrow which I present Thursday night. I have 2 group projects due Sunday (both of which I finished my part of over a week ago) and I am just waiting on my group to finish their parts so we can turn them in. I spent some time over the weekend researching stuff for my oral final that was last night and it was unbelievably nerve wracking. I got up at 630 this morning to study for statistics and was so tired that I had to make 2 separate trips to Starbucks for 2 venti iced coffees because 1 just wasn't enough (PS- if you get an iced coffee from Starbucks, get the "sweetened" coffee with skim..it rocks). I am DONE with all this bullshit. School is for suckers.

I had my interview Friday. I think it went well...I felt like I impressed them, but I also feel that they're looking for someone with a hardcore marketing background, which I don't have. It could go either way. But I guess whatever is supposed to happen will happen, so I'm not going to freak out about it.

We are all moved in the house and I LOVE it. Like, it's so cute I can't even tell you. We got our new sofa and bed in and they're both great (props to Neal for picking them out! I was way impressed.). The house is soooooo us. There are even blue hydrangeas that are blooming right outside of our dining room windows...they're my favorite. AND, I totally saw a turtle scooting around our yard (he was moving kind of fast...who knew). Since we can't get a dog I thought about keeping him as a pet, but as we learned growing up, turtles don't really make good pets.

We finally got to unpack our wedding presents too....I am now equipped to season food (spice rack), serve hors d'oeuvres, and offer wine to the first 16 guests in the house. His mom came in town Friday and helped set it up so we had everything unpacked and decorated by Saturday afternoon. I will take pics and post sometime next week after I get back.

We had some movers load up the UHaul Wednesday and we got up at 430 Thursday morning and got on the road. Neal drove the UHaul and towed my car and I followed him in his massive truck. And I did just fine with it, thank you very much. I did sit on a pillow though when I drove it (seeing over the steering wheel was a tad difficult without a boost). We stopped at a gas station around Lafayette to fill up and I hopped out of the mama jama and got some looks from some work men who were at the pump next to me. I was all like, "YEAH, that's my truck. And my pillow. So suck it."

Dad, Katie and the girls came by Saturday and dropped off Andygator for Neal and some flowers for me. His sister and her new BF came by Saturday night and we had dinner at the Brew Pub. B came by Sunday and stayed for dinner (I made the chicken spaghetti stuff...thank you for the recipe Jill! It is definitely a winner). I left Monday morning to head back to H and Neal has been hanging out with Pruitt and Zells since I left. He is in his happy place. Like Neal said, we've had more visitors in 2 days in Covington than we had in 2 years in the K-Wood.

I'll be here at the Pero's until Friday, then I'm going to visit Neal in S-port Friday night, and will pick my sister up in BR on the way back to Covington Saturday. Will probably be in NO for Mother's Day. Speaking of the Pero's, they are feeding me well. We had white beans, sausage and rice last night for dinner and then shrimp etouffee tonight. I've barely gotten to see Chloe since I got here, but since I'm off tomorrow I plan on playing with her all tomorrow night. She's the cutest! Aaaaaaand now I want a baby. (But that isn't happening until next year, at the earliest.)

Sit On It

Ch-ch-ch-check it out boys and girls...thanks to the generosity of the in-laws, we have ordered a new sofa!


I am sooooo excited because there is no need for couch covers!!!! YAY! You can sit on it without having to tuck anything in when you get up. Neal and I have had the same plaid sofa and loveseat since, well, forever. It was in the house on Ira Street before we were even dating. He used it in the Kenilworth house when he lived with B and Kerry. It's been around a while. We are very grateful to have had them this long and we are going to keep them in our "sun room," but are ready for some grown-up furniture.

We also ordered a new bed, but I don't love it so I'm not going to post a picture. It IS a king size though :). It's a little more modern than I'm used to, but I think I can work around it.

Side Note....I watched "Trouble The Water" this past week and WOW. It's a documentary about a couple from the lower Ninth during and after Katrina. I didn't cry, but I almost cried quite a few times. It is emotionally draining, but it is very, very good. I would suggest that you watch it on a rainy Sunday or something like that.

5 more days, ya'll. I'm missing Dave at Jazz Fest tomorrow and that really upsets me, so I'm trying not to think about it. Since I'm not going, Mom and Maddie will probably go and end up meeting him and hanging out with him afterward, but c'est la vie. Got too much else going on. I spent a ridiculous amount of time working on statistics yesterday and I'm in the middle of writing my policy paper, so I better get back to it. Peace out, folks.

Job Interview

Friday May 1st at North Oaks Health System in Hammond. She called when I was in the middle of writing my HIPAA paper and I was so "in the zone" (like in the Britney and Madonna song) that I did not get her name. Awesome. Also, I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. It's so super long right now. Like, it's almost Lindsey Lohan long. (Except it doesn't reek of desperation, red bull and narcotic stimulants.)

Torture

This is a list of my remaining school assignments and their due dates. My goal is to have all of this done (except for stats test and in-class presentations) before moving day. I am going to update this as I get them done and I'm hoping this will help motivate me to stay on track.

HIPAA Paper Sunday 4/19 (DONE!)
Finance Journal Review Monday 4/20 (done)
Statistics ch 9 quiz Sunday 4/26 (done)
Finance Case 4 Sunday 4/26 (done)
Statistics ch 10 quiz Sunday 4/26
Mission Statement Monday 4/27 (done)
Statistics Computer Assgn 3 Tuesday 4/28 (done)
MOVING DAY Thursday 4/30
Seminar Oral Presentation Final Monday 5/4
Statistics Final Exam Tuesday 5/5
Policy CHIP Term Paper Thursday 5/7 (Done!)
Policy CHIP Presentation Thursday 5/7 (in progress)
Finance Group Business Plan Sunday 5/10 (done)
Group Practice Marketing Plan Sunday 5/10 (done)

When these are all done, I'm going to get to' up from the flo' up. I might even stay up past midnight.

Oh Goodness

We had a pretty good weekend. Friday night we dyed Easter eggs. I went to CVS to get some Easter egg dye kits and the only ones they had left were Disney Princesses and Transformers. I got one of each b/c I certainly did not want to decorate my eggs with Transformer stickers and vice versa for Neal. Because that would be weird. So I bought the two kits and the lady at the check-out counter looks at them and says, "Oh, you must have a little girl. And a boy!" I just smiled. I didn't know what to say. I was too embarrassed to be like, "No, those are for me and my husband." So I just nodded and hoped that she wouldn't ask me more questions about my non-existent kids that I would have to make up answers for. I was all ready to say, "Well Hayes is 4 and little Harper is 2. They are really looking forward to dying eggs tonight." This whole situation was pretty sad. But our eggs did end up looking awesome.

Since our kids are only make-believe, we were able to go to the local bar Saturday and get drunk at 4pm. It was awesome. Sunday I watched the Master's for the first time, and I didn't hate it. Maybe you begin to enjoy golf with age? I was rooting for both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (b/c he's cute) but neither one of them did very well.

We boxed a lot of stuff up this weekend. I hate it when the apartment is a mess, but it's going to be that way until we move. Disarray usually increases my anxiety by a lot, but I'm so excited about moving that I think I can deal with it. Got some school work to do, so later gators.

My seminar class is working on a pretty big project right now. For this project, we had to elect people we thought would be good leaders to an executive committee. Last night our CEO went a little crazy and walked out of the class. He also fired our COO (who wasn't even there) and randomly appointed someone who didn't want the job to the position. It was like our own little Enron scandal. It was weird. I thought he was going to cry. We worked through it without him though and now I have TONS of work and research to do on it this week. Ugh.

Still no word from the hospital in Hammond on a second interview. The chick in HR said that if I don't hear from them by next Monday to call her.

Neal comes home tomorrow...YAY! He's been gone for two weeks and I am so very excited to see him again. :)

I talked to my brother yesterday afternoon and he said Dwina did very well with the delivery. There were no problems and they should be able to go home by Wednesday. He said that TJ will of course be wearing an LSU outfit when he leaves the hospital. My brother brought his "Nick Saban is a Douche" t-shirt to wear that same day. I begged him not to, but I'm pretty sure he's still going to wear it. Sigh.

And let me tell you what, I am READY TO MOVE. Like, NOW. I already started packing, but I think Neal and I will tackle the majority of it this week. I went to the UHAUL place and got 10 medium sized boxes and then realized that I could barely carry them up the stairs at our complex. I couldn't quite get my arms around them because, flattened, they were pretty wide and my arms don't stretch far enough to get a firm grasp of both sides. I think it would have been easier for me to put them together downstairs and then carry them up one at a time. If anyone at the complex saw me from a distance they were probably like "What kind of fort is that little girl going to build with all those big boxes?"

Guess that's it for now...

I'm an Aunt

Here he is folks...my new nephew, TJ. My brother sent me this picture along with a message that said, and I quote, "He's white...I'm that baby's pappy!"

'Cause It's Funny

There is this comedian named Sarah Haskins that films weekly video segments called "Target Women" for www.current.com. She pics a random topic and films a little video about it and how it relates to women. This week, the topic is Carl's Jr. commercials. I posted the Carl's Jr video below. She's frickin' hilarious. It's not completely safe for work as she says "douchebag" a lot, but it's worth the watch.

J-O-B and Some Other Stuff

I have a phone interview tomorrow morning for a marketing strategist position at North Oaks Health System hospital in Hammond. I got a call from an HR rep last Friday who set it up. I am super excited as the job sounds great. The money, however, is not so great. It's the same I was making at TMA. I mean, two years of graduate school and I'm starting over making the same money I did before the MHA???!! That SUCKS! I'm trying to get past the negative thoughts though and put things into perspective. I am trying to remember the following:

1. I have been out of work for two years.
2. The economy is in the crapper and people are getting laid off everywhere and administrative people are usually the first ones to go in a hospital.
3. Because of #2 I can't afford to be picky. At least the job is in a hospital. Taking it would be taking a step in the right direction re: my career.
4. People in Louisiana make less than people in Texas. (I remember having this conversation with Sarah in 2005 right after we got new jobs and moved to Texas.)
5. In a hospital, there will be opportunities to move around/up. My MHA degree should facilitate that.
6. I will not be working for the biggest bitch in the whole wide world anymore.
7. This could all be a moot point if they don't offer me the job!

So I am excited about my interview. I would love to have a job lined up before we move. It would be one less thing to worry about!

I have been looking around my apartment and am DREADING the packing. How is it that we have accumulated this much shit? Neal's parents have been generous enough to fund our move and buy us some new furniture. We are definitely getting a new bed (king size, what what?!) and maybe/hopefully a new sofa. I went to see him yesterday at work so we went into Shreveport and looked around at furniture stores to get some ideas of what we want. There is something about walking around in a furniture store that makes me feel very grown-up.

He's super excited about getting a king size bed since we sleep in a double now. I don't know how much of a difference it will make though. No matter how big our bed is, I will most definitely still sleep right smack in the middle of it.

We grabbed dinner last night at a seafood joint in the Port. It was pretty good. I am hoping that the novelty of things like gumbo, crawfish pies, po-boys, fried alligator, vanilla velvet ice's from PJ's, etc etc etc wears off right after we move. It's okay to have that stuff once in a while, but if I eat like that all the time I'm going to swell up like that blue bitch from Willy Wonka. It won't be pretty.

This is sad but I'm going to say it anyway. I am looking forward to Tuesday b/c: 1. There is a new episode of 90210 and 2. Betthany and Kelly get into an argument on the Real Housewives of NYC and I can't wait to watch it. Betthany is hilarious and Kelly is ridiculous (her daughter is named 'Sea' for frick's sake) and it should make for wonderful cringe-worthy television.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

We Got the House in Covington!

Moving date is Thursday, April 30th. Our lease will be for one year. We will have an extra bedroom, so come visit!

Last Week's Trip

I had a pretty productive trip home last week. I went to NO on Tuesday and got to spend some time with my Mom and my sweet sister Olivia. I headed to Covington on Wednesday and met Neal at my Dad's house. That night we hung out at the house and had cocktails and dinner on the porch. Neal and I got up Thursday morning and went to look at a house to rent in Covington, which we loved. The house is minutes off of 190 (busy street that the Causeway Bridge turns into) on a private road. The people who own the house live on the property right behind it in an incredible home that backs up to the Abita river. He is a vet and she is a housewife/artist. They seemed pretty cool and they thought we were the cutest people ever (I mean, duh).

The house we hope to rent is about 100 years old. It is a "renovated cottage" and sits on a 1/2 acre of land. 2 bedrooms, 2 bath. It's already furnished with some not-so-cute furnishings, but they're going to clear out everything we don't want to use. In the past they have rented it out to people who use it has a weekend home, but they decided that they wanted to rent it out to someone who wanted to live in it full-time. That would be us.

Here are some pics...



Assuming we get the house, it will definitely be a change for me. I have never lived in a place this rural (and it's really not THAT rural). I just love the house so much that I am willing to try this out. During our first visit there, we saw a jack rabbit and a frog. It is only going to get worse as far as "critters" go. There will probably be a snake or something out there, and I am preparing myself to deal with that. My Dad will be less than 10 minutes away and he likes snakes, so when Neal is gone, I can just call him to rectify the situation. Also less than 10 minutes away is Neal's best friend. I am preparing myself to deal with that situation as well.

Thursday night we met Pruitt and Zellers at the Abita Brew Pub for drinks and dinner. I got to enjoy some Abita Strawberry and it was wonderful.

We also went to this hole-in-the-wall place for lunch called Bear's. I had an awesome roast beef po-boy and there were people all around us discussing LSU basketball. The next morning I went to PJ's to get coffee.....I was HOME! It was just such a good feeling to be back.

I've applied to jobs in Covington, Hammond, Slidell and New Orleans. Still haven't heard anything, but maybe once I have a local address to put on my resume, that will make a difference.

I'll let ya'll know when the details of our move are finalized. Hope everyone has a great week!

It's That Time of Year Again

That is all. Have a nice day.

Updates

Neal's rig is stacked right now (non-operable) and so are the other rigs his company owns. They're looking for more contracts, but thus far no one is hiring out rigs to drill for natural gas. The company has kept the toolpushers on as "rig watchers" and they've managed to do this by cutting salaries and having the guys work 14 and 7 (work for 14 days, home for 7 days). In other words, things are not looking good. He could get laid off at pretty much any time now....it's a little scary. I actually went and stayed with him out on location last weekend. We did still manage to go into Shreveport and have some fun!

School has been crazy crazy. I had three presentations to give in class last night. I was BEYOND nervous, as I hate public speaking. They went well though and I am so very glad that they are over! I have my statistics midterm today which I have done some serious cramming for. I mean, messy hair, I really need to shower, caffeine induced cramming. It felt like 3603 Ira Street study time (without Jeanne's cat, Olive, sitting on my textbook of course). I cannot wait for this test to be over with. I still have some assignments due this weekend, but compared to the stats test and 3 presentations, they should be easy peasy.

I spoke with one of my professors yesterday about job hunting in Louisiana. She gave me some contact names and ideas, and then looked at me and said "Honestly, it's going to be hard." Awesome. I've already applied to 8 or 9 jobs with the state, but I haven't heard back from anyone yet. I *think* we're going to come into town next weekend to apartment/rent house hunt on the Northshore. We decided to look for a place to rent for about 6 months. At that point, assuming that we are both employed (!), we will look for a place to buy. So please send some happy thoughts our way! We are very ready to move and settle down in South Louisana, but we both need jobs in order to do that, ya dig? I just hope everything works out.

Shhhh....Can't You See I'm Trying to Work?

I've had trouble concentrating at home, so I came to Starbucks today to work on a paper. I used to come to Starbucks a couple of times a week to do school work, but I stopped because the people that hang out here to talk or whatever are usually loud and completely ridiculous. For example, I'm 99.9% sure I'm sitting next to a middle-aged blind date (their names are Donna and Ron). They're discussing ex-spouses, kids, love, life, etc. Why can't they go to a bar after 5pm like normal people? And of course this bitch Donna is louder than loud. I think Burger King has wi-fi, maybe I can go there instead. Or not. I would go to the public library here, but I went in there once and got the feeling that there were perverts lurking all around. Think about it..if you're a perve, and you enjoy internet porn but don't have a computer, where do you go??? The public library of course! So, Starbucks it is. Oh...wait...Donna just left....okay back to my assignment. Wait....WTF??? Just got stared down by some creepy short man with a mustache in all black.....he's probably on his way to the library.

He Was Left Out!

I was watching the Grammy's tribute montage last night and kept waiting to see LeRoi Moore pop up on the screen, but no dice. LeRoi was the saxaphonist for the Dave Matthews Band and he passed away this past year from injuries received in an ATV accident. I googled this morning and found the below on a DMB fansite. The Grammy's can suck it.

From www.antsmarching.org:

LeRoi Moore forgotten by Grammys

Posted by Joe Maliszeski in Band Member News on Monday, Feb 9th, 2009

LeRoi Moore (1961-2008), 12 time nominated and 1 time Grammy winner, was shockingly forgotten by the Grammy’s. Lifetime musician, influential jazz saxophonist and one of the founding members of the Dave Matthews Band was left out of the Grammy’s annual Memorial Tribute. The Tribute is a video montage put together by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honoring those in the music business that have passed in the last year. A number of known (and not-so-known) artists (and a photographer) were honored in the video but LeRoi was missed (or skipped, we aren’t sure.) While we are disappointed and saddened that the Grammys and CBS did not give LeRoi the tribute he deserves, they do not properly represent the music industry’s and the many billions of music lovers feelings. Although the so called National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences did not honor him, we at AntsMarching.org will continue to pay tribute to his contributions.

On the Hoof

The Hubs is Hilarious
I was talking to Neal last night and he was telling me about stuff that was going on at the rig. There is a woman who works out there as a mudlogger. From what I understand, a mudlogger lives in a trailer on the rig location and works 24/7 testing mud while the crew is drilling the well. It is pretty unusual for a woman to work in the oil field and Neal said, "You have to see this woman." He started describing her and said, "She's about 350 on the hoof and wears more plaid than any man I've ever known." He said that she had borrowed his screwdriver and hadn't returned it yet and that he was too scared to go ask for it back.

He said "on the hoof" and I just lost it. I could not stop laughing. Apparently "on the hoof" refers to cattle or deer and what they weigh standing up. I start laughing everytime I think about it. I keep picturing this massive, animal-like, redneck woman dressed in plaid, with hooves.

I went to church this morning and this very large woman came and sat right next to me. I would say she was about 300 on the hoof. When it was time for shaking hands/peace be with you I shook her hand and then reached behind her to shake her husbands hand. Sometime after I shook his hand, her ass and my hand collided. I don't think she felt anything, but I can't be sure. Then I started thinking about "on the hoof" again and I started laughing. While in church. Going to hell in a handbasket.

Wait, What Was That Again?
Also in church, the choir was singing a song and I could have sworn the refrain was "I know Jesus's name is Anthony." I didn't think that made much sense at all. I mean, I've never read the bible in its entirety, but I'm pretty sure he never goes by "Anthony." I listened a little more and realized they were singing "I know Jesus has laid his hands on me." That made much more sense. But I've always had trouble understanding song lyrics when they are being sung. Anyone who knows about my cousin and I singing "What's love cock a do, cock a doodle do" instead of "What's love got to do, got to do with it" when we were kids knows this about me.

Don't Talk Trash to Urban Meyer. He'll ask Tim Tebow to Eat You.

They can't all be as honest and respectable as Les.

Lane Kiffin was just hired at UT a few months ago and has already started causing problems. He took a defensive coordinator and top recruit away from LSU at last minute, so I don't feel bad for him being embarrassed like this. I hope Florida whoops Tennessee's a** this year.

From ESPN.com...

Kiffin reprimanded by SEC, apologizes

Comment Email Print

ESPN.com news services

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin apologized Thursday for remarks he made about Florida coach Urban Meyer, where he alleged the Gators coach violated recruiting rules in pursuing wide receiver prospect Nu'Keese Richardson.

“If I offended anyone at the University of Florida, including Mr. Foley and Urban Meyer, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intention. ” -- Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin

Florida demanded an apology and the SEC publicly reprimanded Kiffin on Thursday. "At an energetic breakfast with some of our donors and alumni I made a statement that was solely meant to excite the crowd," Kiffin said in a statement. "If I offended anyone at the University of Florida, including Mr. Foley and Urban Meyer, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intention." WVLT-TV reported that Kiffin told a group of fans at a signing day breakfast celebration Thursday morning that Meyer phoned Richardson while the recruit was making his official visit to Tennessee recently. "I'm gonna turn Florida in right here in front of you," Kiffin said, according to WVLT-TV. "While Nu'Keese was on campus, his phone kept ringing. One of the coaches says, 'who's that?' And he said, 'Urban Meyer.' "

Richardson, a Pahokee, Fla., native, signed with the Volunteers on Tuesday, despite having indicated he would sign with the Gators. Kiffin told the crowd, "I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him." The SEC said that Kiffin broke the conference's code of ethics with his comments at the breakfast. "Coach Kiffin has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement. "SEC Bylaw 10.5.1 clearly states that coaches and administrators shall refrain from directed public criticism of other member institutions, their staffs or players." "The phone call to which Coach Kiffin referred to in his public comments is not a violation of SEC or NCAA rules. We expect our coaches to have an understanding and knowledge of conference and NCAA rules."

In a statement released Thursday, Florida demanded an apology from Kiffin.

"His allegations are inappropriate, out of line and, most importantly, totally false," Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said in the statement. "It is completely unfair to Urban Meyer, our coaching staff, our football program and our institution. The appropriate action at this time in my opinion is for Coach Kiffin to make a public apology.

Your Pants Are On Fire

"I did a lot of things that were mostly right."
- GOV. ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH

Um, I think the Illinois State Senate begs to differ. Good riddance bowl-cut.

If x = I Hate this Freaking Class, the Standard Deviation of x = Suck It, Nerds

I am taking a prerequisite statistics class this semester. It started last week and about 80% of the people in my class are of Indian descent. Most of them have only been in the U.S. for a couple of weeks, if even that long. One of the guys was pretty chatty and filled me in on his story and situation. He is Indian and had been living in Dubai working in sales. He was raised as a Hindu but eventually converted to Islam. He told me that, in his culture, most marriages were arranged (I knew this because: a. I'm smart and b. I watched the movie The Namesake. It's pretty good.) He decided that he did not want to participate in an arranged marriage, so he went searching for his bride on the internet instead.

He found an Iranian Muslim woman he wanted to marry on some website (I did not ask which site). He went to see her because he needed her father to sign a piece of paper in order to make their union legal. Without this piece of paper, he would be unable to take her to the U.S. with him. He faced disapproval from his family and hers, but managed to get the signature he needed. He is now in the process of arranging her move to the states. It was a very interesting story and even though I was completely creeped out by it and deeply offended on behalf of women everywhere, I hope everything works out for him and his mail order bride.

All that being said.....my statistics class is gut-wrenchingly horrible. I'm sure the class is not horrible for those who understand math, but I don't understand math so I hate it with the intensity of a million white hot suns. The teacher is nice and is a statistics/math genius, but I just don't 'get' the subject matter. The most frustrating part of this entire thing is that I have already taken and made an 'A' in the the class that I needed this particular prereq for. I have to take the class in order to graduate and therefore dropping it is not an option, but I will be sure to bitch, whine, moan, groan and complain my way through this semester. Poor Neal.

This Story is Nuts

Poisonous Testicles Send Diners to Hospital

Maybe it's just me, but if you go to a restaurant and order poisonous blowfish testicles as an entree, you're asking for it.

Britney

You know, Britney Spears has been around a long time and it is only in the past year that I decided I liked her music. You see, I'm normally pretty picky about what/who I listen to. I generally like people (mostly male) who write their own music, play an instrument, and can actually sing well. Britney can do none of these things, but I have come to accept that and appreciate her for what she is (pretty, crazy, and a really good performer.)

Britney's songs are perfect for exercising. Her music takes up the majority of my 'workout' playlist. She's going on tour soon and, I have to admit, I wouldn't mind seeing her live. I looked at tickets on stubhub and okay seats were going for over $300. I told Neal this and he said that if I wanted to watch a single mother from a small town in Louisiana dance on stage, wear skimpy outfits and lip sync, I could probably go to any strip club and get the same experience for a much cheaper price.

Peace out ya'll. ;)

First of All...

Intro
I have two friends that have recently started blogs so I'm going to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon. I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog for a while now and am fairly certain that I will, at some point, get tired of it and delete the entire thing. We shall see. For the next couple of months, however, updating this blog of my random thoughts and life updates will be just another outlet of procrastination while I finish up my last semester of graduate school, apply for jobs and coordinate an out-of-state move. Why wait to procrastinate?

Galveston
I spent this past weekend in Galveston with my extended family (Dad's side) and had a wonderful time. The family convened in Galveston to celebrate the recent marriage of my cousin. We had dinner and drinks at my aunt and uncle's Friday and then more drinks and food at a reception Saturday night at The Pelican Club/Gaido's restaurant. The seafood was AWESOME. And so were the drinks. I drank white wine until about 1opm when I thought it was a good idea to switch to bourbon. I stayed on the bourbon until about 2am. I would have stopped drinking at about 1:45am but my Dad's cousin was kind enough to sneak my cocktail out of the bar and into the car so I could enjoy the rest (my uncle was the DD, I wasn't driving). I was still tired from the weekend when I woke up this morning. I can't handle two days of partying anymore.

My aunt and uncle took us on a tour of destruction in Galveston. Overall, I would say that the island looked better than I expected it would, but you could still see remnants of Ike almost everywhere you looked. When I got to the island, I looked all around expecting to see a Katrina-like water line on houses, trees, buildings, etc. There was no water line though because the flood water receded relatively quickly. But then again, if I would have really thought about it ahead of time I would have rememberd that New Orleans is a bowl, and Galveston is not. Moody Gardens was open, the majority of shops on the Strand where not. The restaurant where I had my rehersal dinner just re-opened about a week ago. The island population has decreased and many businesses are struggling. Galveston is such a cool, unique place and I hope that it can quickly be restored to it's pre-Ike status. Of course I took no pictures this weekend and I absolutely should have (pictures of my family that is, not just destruction).

Rise and Shine Campers...
And don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there! Just wanted to remind ya'll that it's almost Groundhog Day. I don't really care about Groundhog Day b/c I live in the hot dirty south where 6 more weeks of "winter" means nothing, but I do care about watching Groundhog Day the movie as many times as possible in a 24 hour period. Don't say I don't have goals.

And Like That, Poof, She Was Gone
A staple of our apartment complex has moved out. Smokes-a-Lot lady has taken her cigs and her wide array of tracksuits and has moved out of her apartment. S.A.L lived in an apartment whose balcony faces our balcony. Anytime I'm looking out the window or have been coming and going, I could always look across the parking lot and see S.A.L. puffing away, on her porch, while dressed in a very colorful, yet comfortable outfit. During the summer, we would see her at the pool floating on a raft or sunning on a chair and puffing away. And now, she's just, gone. She's the freakin' Keyser Soze of cigarette smoking recluses. Good bye Smokes-a-Lot, I wish you all the best sunbathing, track suits and nicotene life has to offer.

Okay, I'm out. Time for the exciting world of Business Statistics. I'll catch up with ya'll later.