Meeting the Kinkster

Well, I went to hubby's education/teacher conference at the Marriott Austin North (in Round Rock...La Fronteria). They had a great turn out, and I ended up schmoozing with principals and other educators from all over the state. Anyhoo, Kinky gave about a 30-minute speech right before lunch. I was a bit concerned about how Kinky would be received in front of a lot of these educators. I guess I just assumed they are all conservative. Fortunately, he was received very warmly. (Sorry, I'm in a rush here.)

His "speech" wasn't planned at all. At first I wondered if he even realized who his audience was. He was dressed in his all-black cowboy attire; unlit cigar firmly in his mouth. He was funny and tossed in all of infamous slogans, such as: "May the God of your choice bless you"..."Why the hell not?" etc. Kinky spoke about how sad it was that Texas was last in so many categories: education, children's health insurance, etc. He asked, "What had six balls and screws Texas? The lottery!" He spoke on the end of the absurdity of teaching to a test, using the Texas lottery to actually go towards education as it was originally promised, legalizing casino gambling, lower property taxes, keeping spirituality in schools, etc.

I agreed with a good deal of it, but I have some issues with religion in public schools and legalizing casino gambling. I admit to being rather hyper-senstive about gambling as I have seen the other side of that coin. I may make that another post. I have some hot opinions on that topic.

Blah Blah Blah

I had Kinky sign my copy of the Texas Monthly cover and one of his books that I have. Hubby took a photo -- a horrible photo -- of me and Kinky. He seems like a nice guy. Obviously not a morning person and shorter in person than I would have guessed. (Of course, I always say that about all celebrities that I meet.) More later.

Sleep Denied

It's 2 AM and I can't sleep. I am exhausted, but I can't get my mind settled down enough to fall off to lala land. So, I thought I would hop on here and ramble out some more pointless crap.

To be honest, I have nothing remotely interesting going through my head. Let's see...I have essentially done everything possible not to actually work this week. I feel burned out. I am sick of drumming up business constantly. It's draining me both physically and financially. Of course, it's so liberating to be self-employed, to be my own boss, and all that other jazz...but this week I almost wish I had a "normal" job. The kind of job where I just show up and work is magically sitting on my desk. But then as soon as that thought pops into my head I am instantly reminded that a job like that means I would be working to make someone else richer, and there is something in my blood that prevents me from doing that. My mindset on this just adds to the question that has haunted me since I was a kid, 'How did I come from this family?' My mom lives in Houston and has spent the better part of 30 years as an executive for a large oil company. So, not only is she a corporate slave/whore but also works for the fattest of all fat cats...BIG OIL. Everyone in my family is either a corporate whore or a school teacher. I am the only one in business for myself in the whole bunch. If it wasn't for the fact that I look like a clone of my dad, I would swear I must have been adopted.

Ahh, now here is a stupid whiney topic for you...

I went and got a mani/pedi today. As much as I enjoy the end results, I feel so uncomfortable while having it done. I wish I could accurately explain why I feel so weird about it. My mom and friends think I am nuts. I hate sitting in that big vibrating (well, okay, the vibrating part is damn nice!) chair while some small, middle aged Asian woman tends to my feet. I feel like some pampered asshole. Some rich lazy bitch. And yes yes, I know they are doing a job and I am paying them for it, but I just can't shake that feeling. I felt the same way the one and only time I hired some people out of the Greensheets to work on the yard. My guilt is so bad that with both the nail folks and the yard folks I double paid them (tip = service)! And I KNOW that's crazy, but I can't help it. Fuck, am I really this much of a bleeding-heart liberal? What the hell is wrong with me? I need something done, they want to work to earn money. It's all economics, I know. To make the issue more fucked up, hubby thinks it has something to do with the fact that they are minorities. He pointed out the fact that I have no hesitation or "guilt" with barking orders at the 20-year old white college guys who clean our pool every Tuesday. Someone please psycho analyze this situation for me. Or at least tell me if I am a damn headcase!

Oh, yes, the Kinky thing. Hubby (and some folks from his firm) are going to a conference on education reform and school law issues on Saturday up in Round Rock. Kinky Friedman is a speaker and will be attending the luncheon as well. So hubby snagged me a ticket. I would love to bend his ear for a few minutes and get some clarifcation from him on some topics that he has been rather hazy on. Of course, I seriously doubt I will be able to do that, so I am hell-bent on at least getting a photo with him.

Well, I am off to make another attempt at sleep. Folks, send me some comments. I need feedback or else I am going to starting thinking I am just talking to myself. G'Night.

Just a reminder

Fuck You, Mr. President!

Up until now, our crazy president and his ridiculous (and often irresponsible) policies had never directly affected me. Sure some of his shit has had an impact on my wallet, but it was never really personal until today.

Bush axed the Stem Cell Bill today! For the first time in his presidency, he used his constitutional veto power. It is asounding to me, that THIS would be the bill he would kill. A bill that could save the lives of countless folks or at the very least make them more comfortable. And his reasoning for it is simply absurd. Somehow he thinks a clump of cells destined to be destroyed in a fertility clinic is the same as slaughtering newborns.

Damnit, I am so pissed I can barely think straight.

As I have stated on here before, I am a diabetic. Stem Cell research directly impacts my life, my future quality of life and, perhaps, the length of my life. My dad dropped dead 7 months ago of diabetes at the age of 56. Every member of my family had diabetes as a contributing factor to their deaths -- whether young or old. Research showed that with the strides being made with stem cells, diabetes COULD HAVE likely had a cure in less than 10 years. With Bush killing the bill, however, all federal funding is gone and it will be much more difficult for it to continue on.

Seriously, who voted for this motherfucker? He seems to care far too much for lives that have not yet begun, but shits on the living humans here already....and this goes far beyond the people who would have benefited from the stem cell advances....we have a young generation of men and women who are fighting an unwinnable, unjustified war in Iraq (as the rest of the Middle East is crumbling around them as we speak)...I spent my childhood witnessing my dad trying to cope with his memories of fighting an unwinnable, unjustified war when he was a young man...that shit lasts a lifetime. Bush shit on (and continues to shit on) the people of New Orleans. I could go on and on. I guess I just still can't believe the majority of Americans actually elected this dumbass as our leader.

Grrrrr!!!!

*Deep breath*

I had lunch with an old friend from school at Chuy's. It was good. Talked politics and religion. I don't understand why Austinites LOVE Chuy's so damn much...it's okay, at best. I could name several other Mexican joints I would pick over Chuy's. Can someone explain this to me? Am I just not ordering the right stuff or what??

Oh, and me and hubby are meeting with Kinky on Saturday! I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl! Details later.

The Calm Before the Storm

Random thought...

Last night I was talking to a good friend of mine about the possiblity that we are experiencing the calm before the storm. Meaning: Me and my good friends are all between 28-32 for the most part, we are done with higher education, we have already started our careers, we are beyond the typical twentysomething "Who am I? What do I want" phase (and we had all experienced that), we are (or most of us) in serious relationships -- either married, engaged or shacked up...basically, we are all settled adults. All of still love to go out for drinks and laughs, but it's not like it was 10 years ago. Most of our conversations involve our relationships and careers. Most of us either own houses or are saving up to buy one soon. Life is pretty calm. Life feels like it's on auto-pilot. Life, for the most part, is good. So...is this it? I tend to think this is the calm before the storm...and the storm is children. Other friends tend to think that this is it. We cruise along, one day blurs into the next, and we countdown until we can retire. Shit, I hope that's not the case. I always need something to strive for, something to chase after. If I don't then I get bored and then depressed.

Sudden observation...
Je-sus! I have become such a shitty writer! It's rather sad to think that my background and education is in journalism. Once upon a time I actually got PAID to write. I guess if you don't use it, you lose it, eh?

NOTE: This post was written two days before I became pregnant with twins. (December 21, 2006).

Cut Short

One of the big news items around Austin in the past week is the accident that happened at The Backyard after The Black Crowes concert on the 3rd. Five people were hit by a drunk driver while standing outside the concert hall after the show. The most severely hurt was a 32-year old criminal defense attorney named Jeff Wilson. Jeff, his wife Mandy, and three others were hit by a woman from Tyler (my hometown) with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. Jeff sustained severe brain damage, and he died yesterday. What has made this even more upsetting to me and other Austinites is that Jeff's blog address has been released to the public. It so easy to hear something tragic in the news and not thing twice about it. However, I went to look at Jeff's blog, and it puts a face to it. This guy sounded like someone I would be friends with...he and his wife did the same things me and my hubby love doing...he just seemed like a funny, interesting guy who loved life. What a shame. I feel for his wife. Apparently they had just returned from a vacation, and life was good.

I am having a blah day. I worked my ass off yesterday and got a lot knocked out. I went to bed around midnight, slept through my alarm clock (and therefore my sales meeting), and finally got up at 10 AM. I can't believe I had slept for 10 hours! That never happens. So I am off to a late start.

Anyway, here is Jeff's blog.

ADDENDUM

Here's information about Jeff's memorial and obit. These were his words from June 6, 2006:

You only get one shot at this life. don't waste it, it could be gone any day. travel. blow some money. go see some music. make some music. kiss someone on the mouth (preferably someone who won't sue you). read a book. write a book. whatever. just don't take it for granted. no one lies on their death bed wishing they had spent more time at the office.

I wish I knew why this person and this story has affected me so much.

It's Time to Pull Your Head Out of the Sand

It's WWIII, and U.S. is out of ideas
By Michael Goodwin, New York Daily News

(July 9, 2006) -- Last week's headlines prove the point: North Korea fires missiles, Iran talks of nukes again, Iraq carnage continues, Israel invades Gaza, England observes one-year anniversary of subway bombing. And, oh, yes, the feds stop a plot to blow up tunnels under the Hudson River.

World War III has begun.

It's not perfectly clear when it started. Perhaps it was after the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended. Perhaps it was the first bombing of the World Trade Center, in 1993.

What is clear is that this war has a long fuse and, while we are not in the full-scale combat phase that marked World Wars I and II, we seem to be heading there. The expanding hostilities mean it's time to give this conflict a name, one that focuses the mind and clarifies the big picture.

The war on terror, or the war of terror, has tentacles that reach much of the globe. It is a world war.

While it is often a war of loose or no affiliation, and sometimes just amateur copycats, the similar goals of destruction add up to a threat against modern society. Even the hapless wanna-bes busted in Miami ordered guns and military equipment from a man they thought was from Al Qaeda. Islamic fascists are the driving force, but anti-American hatred is a global membership card for any and all who have a grievance and a gun.

The feeling that the wheels are coming off the world has only one recent comparison, the time when America's head-butt with communism sprouted hot spots from Cuba to Vietnam. Yet ultimately the policy of mutual assured destruction worked because American and Soviet leaders didn't want their countries hit by nuclear bombs.

Such rational thinking is quaint next to the ravings of North Korean nut Kim Jong Il and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They both seem to be dying to die - and set the world on fire.

And don't forget Osama Bin Laden's declaration that it is the duty of every Muslim to acquire a "Muslim bomb." Is there any doubt he would use it if he had it?

I sound pessimistic because I am. Even worse than the problems is the fact that our political system is failing us. Democratic Party leaders want to pretend we can declare peace and everything will be fine, while President Bush is out of ideas. Witness Bush now counseling patience and diplomacy on North Korea. This from a man who scorned both for five years.

But what choice does he have now that the pillars of his post-9/11 foreign policy are crumbling? As Harvard Prof. Joseph Nye argues in Foreign Affairs magazine, Bush's strategy of "reducing Washington's reliance on permanent alliances and international institutions, expanding the traditional right of preemption into a new doctrine of preventive war and advocating coercive democratization as a solution to Middle Eastern terrorism" amounted to a bid for a "legacy of transformation."

The first two ideas have been repealed. The third brought Hamas into power and has so far failed to take root in Iraq or anywhere else.

I believed Iraq was the key, that if we prevailed there, momentum would shift in our favor. Now I'm not sure. We still must prevail there, but Iraq could mean nothing if Iran or Bin Laden get the bomb or North Korea uses one.

Meanwhile, I'm definitely not using any tunnels.

[My Notes: This is a great article that's getting a lot of coverage today.]

GGGOOOAAALLL!!!!!!!

Alright, I have to confess that I fell deeply, madly in love this past month! ...with watching the World Cup! Trust me, this comes has a huge shock to me too. In the past I swore off soccer for three main reasons: (1) too low scoring, therefore boring; (2) the offsides rule is stupid and relates back to reason #1; and (3) it made my knees hurt just watching it.

As a kid, like most American kids, I played soccer. In 8th and 9th grades I also played indoor soccer -- which was a blast. That's when I blew out my left knee. I mean I completely blew it out. After reconstructive surgery and almost a year of physical therapy, I was done with soccer!

Anyway, hubby got me sucked back into it during this World Cup. I religiously watched it and found myself cheering for the countries of my ancestors. (Haha...well, it's not like America had a snowball's chance hell!) Great fun. Hubby and I made a vow that we would do everything possible to try to attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Other than watching the Finals, I had a nice low-key weekend...house cleaning, laundry, swimming, laying by the pool, out to nice downtown seafood joint, Asian food tonight, work...the usual.

PHOTO: This is Fabio Cannavaro -- the stud Italian soccer player. One word: YUM. This guy makes David Beckham look like he was hit with an ugly stick.

More words to chew on...

An Austin sunset

"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics." -- Unknown

Quote of the Day

I have learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

--Henry David Thoreau

Photo Note: I was way overdue for an eyebrow waxing in this photo!

Me & My Barely-Working Pancreas

My sleep schedule is officially whacked out. I didn't feel too hot today, so I ended up drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the day (i.e., excessive napping). I don't know if I ever mentioned this on here before but last summer I was dignosed as diabetic. It really did not come as a shock given that every member of both sides of my family have it. If anything, it was surprising that I made it to 28 escaping it. I know I make light of it, but it truly is big deal. I am not on insulin right now -- just 2 pills a day -- but I see the needle in my near future. 95% of the time I feel great, but it's that 5% of the time that sucks. Today was one of those 5% days. I was sick to my stomach, my calfs and feet were slightly numb, I was tired, and had a killer headache. Hubby calls it one of my "diabetes days." What really sucks about it is that I did nothing to bring it on. I completely avoid sugar, ultra-sugary fruits, and most white flour carbs (though I am not horribly strict on it). I swim almost every day in my backyard pool, never drink non-diet sodas, always remember to take my pills, and drink a lot of water. Basically, I am doing everything I should be doing. So, it especially pisses me off when one of these "diabetic days" hits me. Bottomline: It fucking sucks that I was dealt this hand of cards. I always thought it was ironic that I come from a diabetic family...everyone is pretty healthy. I guess it's a defect in the genes somewhere. I sincerely hope my future children will get hubby's genes in this department.

So...my Fourth sucked. It was a lazy, rainy, yucky day. I never even left the house today or got out of my PJs for that matter. Oh well. We all need days like this every once in a while. I have been busting my ass working for months now...so it was earned. Too bad I felt like shit though.

I hope everyone -- isn't it cute how I pretend I have readers? -- had a wonderful July 4th.

PHOTO: Another great Texas Monthly cover! Gotta love them.

In the mood for a little DMB...

Where are you going, with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away, like an ocean
But you can’t see, but you can...smell
And the sound of waves crash down

I am no superman.
I have no reasons for you I am no hero.
Aww that’s for sure
But I do know one thing:
Where you are is where I belong.
I do know, where you go, is where I wanna be.

Where are you going? Where do you go?
Are you lookin' for answers to questions under the stars?
Well if along the way you are growing weary, you can rest with me
Until a brighter day you're ok.

I am no superman.
I have no answers for you.
I am no hero, aww that's for sure.
But I do know one thing:
Where you are is where I belong.
I do know, where you go, is where I wanna be

Where are you going? Where do you go?
Where do you go? Where are you goin? Where do you go?

I am no superman.
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, awww thats for sure.
But I do know one thing:
is where you are is where I belong
I do know, where you go, is where I wanna be.

Where are you goin'? Where do you go?

Tell me where are you going?
Where? Let's go.

-- "Where Are You Going?"...Dave Matthews Band