Moving, Ugh

We are closing on our house today (finally!), and then the work begins. The big move is on Friday, but we are spending the next two days painting and having some work done, etc. Man I hate moving! Anyway, I will be away from the blogosphere for a little bit, but here's a ultra quick update...

• The kiddos did okay at their first day of day care on Monday. They were there from 10 AM to 2:30 PM. Honestly, I hated it the entire time. I had Mark's assistant check on them frequently and email me updates. ("Carson was crying, but now he is fine....They are both sleeping...Kate ate 3 ounces, etc.") I am sure she finds this very annoying. I don't know what I think of all of this. The point of day care was so I could relax and get some stuff done. Instead, I worried and thought about them the whole time. They will be going back on Thursday so we can work on the new house.
• Mom's coming back to town on Thursday evening to watch the twins during the big move. I wish she would just retire already. :)
• The twins bought me (via my mother) a beautiful silver "mom" bracelet. Mark brought me white tulips (sentimental reasons behind that) and wrote me a sweet letter. The best Mother's Day gift, however, was my mom watching the twins while Mark and I went out to dinner Saturday night. Of course, we talked about the twins the entire time. I hope that changes one day. I miss non-twin conversation. Afterwards, we cuddled in bed and watched SNL together. Laying in bed and watching TV without having one ear on the baby monitor is my new definition of heaven.
• The twins are loving their Baby Einstein playmat thingie. They are all about reaching, grabbing and knocking things over right now. I swear Kate is on her way to rolling over! She gets so incredibly mad if something is slightly out of her reach that she does anything to get to it. I wonder where she gets that from?! Hmm... :)

Did I mention that I hate moving?...

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day...to all of the moms out there...but especially to the new moms and the moms-of twins!

Stranger Comment: Translation Needed

I had been meaning to post this last week, but, well...life is busy right now. Anyway, last week we (me, Mark & the twins) went up to the hospital for a baby CPR class offered at the NICU. We were in a rush, struggling with the new double car seat stroller that we had never used before, and flat-out exhausted. We finally made it into the hospital and were waiting in the lobby for the elevator. I was pushing the stroller, so I had my hands resting on the handle bar. A middle-aged woman looked over at us and the twins -- which, by the way, I am still not used to all the stares -- and said...

"What a beautiful ring. Looks like you are earning it now."

Huh? Can someone please translate that comment for me? She was referring to my wedding ring and it sounded a lot like an insult (especially given her facial expression at the time she said it). I was too stressed to do anything but give her a look. When we got settled down in the class, Mark leaned over and said he couldn't believe I let a comment like that slide from a complete stranger. I guess stress and exhaustion is cooling my temper.

Random Bullets of Crappola: Weekend Edition

Since I am way too tired to put this into paragraph form, I am resorting to my lazy format...

• I forgot to post the twins' stats from their last pedi appointment last Friday. Carson is now 6 lbs, 13 oz & Kate is 4 lbs, 14.5 oz. They are both doing well, but the pedi wants Kate to start packing on the weight at a faster rate.


• My mom went back home to Houston on Sunday morning. I really thought I would be the one to cry since she helped us so much the last 2 weeks, but she was the one who cried. She is talking more and more about retiring in July and moving to San Antonio to help my 81-year old grandfather. If she did that, she would only be 100 miles from me -- which by Texas standards is like living across the street -- and would be able to help me a few days a week.


• Carson slept for 4 straight hours last night! That has never happened before, and I ended up waking him up to feed.


• I love the fact that Mark forgets the baby monitor is turned on sometimes. I can sit in the living room or home office and listen to him talk to the twins in their nursery. He tells them the funniest stories.


• How do you respond to an emo-looking teenaged cashier at Target who says, "So, you learned your lesson the first time, eh? I hope so. There are too many damn people in this world as it is!"...that was in response to noticing I had diapers, formula, and a pack of condoms in my shopping cart. (This all may fall under the category of TMI, but oh well. The condoms were a strange thing to buy, but it was a "just-in-case" item since I haven't started back on the Pill yet.) Had I been well-rested, I am sure I would have torn into that kid, but I was just too tired to care. I ended up just sighing and saying, "Oh shut the hell up."


• The transition from the Pack-n-Play to the nursery hasn't been too bad. However, we are keeping them in the same crib because when we put them in their own separate cribs they cried non-stop. We put them together in a single crib (with sleep positioners dividing them), and they love it. I love having them in their own room. I don't feel like I have to tip-toe around anymore.


• My mom bought me a Dyson vacuum cleaner for my 30th birthday, and I totally dig it! First of all, it's a sad, sad fact that I am in love with a vacuum cleaner or that I was excited I got one for a birthday gift, but it is true! I even did the "test"...I vacuum the master bedroom with our old vacuum and then did it with the Dyson to see how much the first one missed. I am so ashamed to admit that.

Photo: Here is my favorite Carson photo.

What a difference sleep can make!

Today has been a better day (so far). This is mainly due to the fact that (a) Mark did night duty and I got 7 hours of consecutive sleep, (b) my mom will be gone for 2 days and we desperately needed a break from each other, (c) I finally heard back from the UT School of Nursing and I am getting good feedback on the nanny hunt, and (d) Mark's massive case just settled today! He took the afternoon off and we had a good talk. I don't want to say all is well just yet, but we are on a better path.

Kate has been cluster-feeding like crazy today. The pedi said this might happen, and it definitely happened today! She is only eating an ounce or so and doing it every hour to hour and a half. Good grief! I hope this doesn't last long.

Random thoughts...you can never have too many bibs. Also, I heard back from a local nanny service and they charge $225 per night for a night nanny plus a 10% agency fee and taxes! I find it hard to believe that a nanny working 5 hours per night 5 days a week can make over $60,000 per year. So, I'm back hunting at UT School of Nursing.

Random stuff from a sleepless night (and day)

We had a ROUGH night. Both twins were up screaming for no apparent reason. Carson did seem to have a tummy issue as he was farting all night and I could hear and feel his tummy making sounds. Then again...I have no idea what the hell I am talking about. This is all trial-and-error. New Mom stuff. The only way I could get Kate to sleep last night was to let her sleep on my chest while I napped on the sofa. This is NOT a habit I want to get into with her, but I was desperate after 3 hours. I like having my mom here (and I don't know how I will manage when she leaves), but there are some drawbacks to having a menopausal woman in the house. She is freezing all of us out. I have the babies bundled as if we live up north, and it's driving us nuts. [By the way, we are not cold natured. I always tend to be hot too, but this is freaking ridiculous!]

Kate peed on me this afternoon during a diaper change. I didn't know a baby girl could get that kind of mid-air arch, but she could!

Finding Pampers Swaddlers PREEMIE sized diapers is becoming a challenge. At the baby showers folks stocked me up with massive sized diapers, and finding preemie stuff is not as easy as you would think.

Carson's crying...

Stuff on my mind

• It's so strange not being pregnant anymore. In most ways it's wonderful! My belly (for the most part) is gone. Yesterday I actually put on a pair of pre-pregnant panties and they fit...well, they were a little tight, but they almost fit! I don't need to go to the bathroom every hour. I can almost sleep on my stomach, and laying on my back doesn't hurt or cut off circulation. I can see my feet! All of my swelling is gone. I have much more physical energy and can do things around the house again. The list could go on and on. One thing I am surprised that I miss is my team of docs. After having my incision checked at the OB's, there is a feeling of 'Okay, well have a nice life' in the air. After months of weekly or bi-weekly appointments, I started to feel like I knew these people -- their kids names, their own pregnancy experiences, where they went to school, etc. It's just odd to look at my calendar and not see doc appointments on there, and to know I won't be going back until my next annual Pap exam in a year. I actually kinda-sorta-just-a-little-bit miss my OB and his staff. Very odd.
• I am passing up new business every day. Word got out in the NICU that I know a thing or two about real estate, and now they flock to me. Who would have guessed nurses and doctors in the NICU would be such a pond for business. However, I'm out of real estate right now and have no desire or interest to go back anytime soon. I find it rather annoying to be trying to feed one of my babies and have a nurse I don't know start asking me market questions. I have been passing all prospects on to a friend of mine who is still in the game. I hope she likes all the free clients I'm giving her. :)
• Speaking of careers, I'm not sure what I am going to do when the time is right for me to go back to work. I never considered real estate my profession. It's what I do to make money -- good money. It's not my passion though. My love, my passion, my education and background is in journalism and politics. It's a tough road though. At some point several years ago, I decided that I wanted a better lifestyle more than I wanted to starve being a reporter or freelance writer. Now things are different. Hubby's career is in a much different place, and I have more freedom to explore it again without fear of financial hardship. Plus, a big election year is already starting to heat up and I feel that pull again. Hmm...what to do, what to do... (By the way, don't just me as a writer based on this blog. There is a reason I call it stream of consciousness.)
• Oh, there is other stuff, but I need some sleep.

First Full Day Home

It has been so wonderful to be back home. I have spent 95% of the last 24-hours in bed sleeping. I have been truly surprised at how sleepy I am. So far, I haven't had any headaches, swelling or other signs like I had last week. I have been feeling a good deal of pressure in my extreme lower belly, but I am guessing that's because Baby "A" (girl) is sitting directly on my cervix...at least according to my ultrasound yesterday. In fact, the entire shape of my belly has changed in the last few days. I am popping out more and more, and the belly is taking on a more long shape...i.e., less yoga ball and more watermelon.

I am suppose to call both of my docs first thing in the morning to get worked into to seeing them tomorrow. I have admit, I am scared to do so. I am scared they will put me back in the hospital. Logically, of course, I know that if that's where they think I need to be, then that's the best place for me....but...I really didn't like it there.

Random thoughts...

• Yesterday when I was being released from the hospital I heard to most horrible sounds of my life. Some poor women was in labor down the hallway -- according to the nurses. It was her first baby and she had waited too long to go into the hospital. She was already dilated to 10 and it was too late for drugs! I have never heard that kind of suffering and pain before. For her sake, I hope it didn't last too long.
• On the morning of the my second day in the hospital, they wheeled me up to the NICU to take a tour with Hubby. That really motivated me to get the hell out of there! They had a 28-week baby next to a 32-week baby, and it was the difference between night and day! It's amazing what that one month of growth really looks like. They told me that every day I can hold the twins inside my belly subtracts 3 days from their time in the NICU. That is my only goal right now. Also, the whole time I was touring the NICU, the twins were kicking up a storm! I hope that was them sending me a sign that they don't want to be there either!
• My nurses were all wonderful, and I never questioned the level of care I was getting.
• It wasn't until my last day in the hospital that we truly learned just how serious of the situation was when I was admitted. They had already cleared an operating room for me, and the twins were literally about an hour or two away from the decision to be taken. I feel blessed that we dodged that bullet.

Anyway, I am staying on my strict bed rest. Looking forward to laying on the sofa with Hubby and watching the Super Bowl. Thankful that I have good babies that still want to stay inside for a bit longer.

Another Ramble-fest

Lately, I have been surfing around the blogosphere reading other women's blogs about their pregnancies, especially twin pregnancies. Aside from filling my time, it gives me a sense of comfort to read that another woman is experiencing the same things I am. I get that, 'Oh, okay, this is normal' sense of relief.

But the one thing I have also noticed is how my journey to conception wasn't nearly as dramatic or trying as most other women I read about. We tried naturally for three years with no luck. I had a uterine polyp surgically removed in February 2005, and then went through all of the testing. Finally I did three cycles of Clomid...also with no luck. Then we took a full year off because we had so much family stuff going on -- the death of my dad and the death of my Granny being the highlights. We essentially had thrown in the towel. We didn't speak of it and I wrapped myself up in work.

Then this past July I decided to take an ovulation test. It came back negative. They always came back negative. It was the first ovulation test I had taken in a year. Anyway, that night we went out to dinner and a movie. We came back to the house and...well...conceived twins the old-fashioned way. It had been so long that sex was just sex. Remember how sex used to be?...fun and spontaneous. For years our bedroom had become a laboratory of sorts. Everything was timed. Positions were limited. Afterwards, I would have to get into some crazy yoga-like position. None of that happened the night we got pregnant.

A few weeks later, my period was a day late. I was also very regular, but I didn't really think too much of it. Hubby was away on business and flying home that afternoon. To this day, I don't know why I decided to take a home pregnancy test. It wasn't even on my mind as a possibility that I could be pregnant. I dug out a year-old test and took it. I went back to the kitchen to finish up some dishes and completely forgot about the test sitting on the bathroom counter top. Finally I went back there and noticed the faintest second line on the test. I couldn't believe it, but I wasn't overly excited either. I thought either the test was too old to be accurate or something wasn't right because the line was so faint. I didn't start to get excited until I called Hubby (who was about to board his flight home) and my mom, and heard them scream and get all excited.

I thought I had such a long, emotional, tough road to getting pregnant but it doesn't even come close to so many other women. Thankfully I never had to do IVF or any of the other procedures. I just wish I knew how it happened. How did I release two eggs when I never ovulate?

I guess I will never know the answer to that question, and in the big picture it doesn't really matter. I feel so lucky that I am getting a boy and a girl, and my family will be complete. Now I just focus on the finish line and dream about the moment I finally get to see these little monkeys that I have waited so long for...and who have been kicking me non-stop since early October!

I start week 29 on Friday.

Random Bullets of Crappola

• I am on my third day of taking the iron supplement for my anemia (Repliva). What a difference! I felt so exhausted for the first two-ish days, but now I feel re-energized. I guess I never realize just how fatigued I was feeling until I felt good for the first time in weeks.
• Austin is finally thawing out. I wish we would have more snow and less ice. Hubby is returning to work tomorrow...which is a good thing. :) We have enough trapped-in-the-house-due-to-ice-togetherness to last until next winter.
• After asking around and doing some research, I have found a pediatrician that I am interested in. Now that the weather is getting better, I am going to call him either this week or early next to try to set up an interview. Several of Hubby's co-workers use him, he is only a mile from our house, and everyone just swears by him. Now it's a question of if he is taking on new patients. I need to come up with a plan of attack to convince him to take on the twins because I don't have a Plan B doc in mind.
• Something is happening in the boob department. I haven't decided if I want to post on it because I'm not sure how graphic I should be on here. Let's just say, things are changing!

Bullets of Randomness

* I feel horrible for the families of those missing Mt. Hood climbers, but isn't this the risk you take when you participate in extreme sports of this nature? I am rather amazed that with all of our modern technology we don't have some sort of tracking device that could be worn by climbers just in case they find themselves in such a situation.

* Justin Timberlake's SNL "Dick in a Box" skit has left me laughing for days now. I personally like how they went with a Color Me Bad look for the skit.

* Am I the only chick that doesn't think Matthew McConaughey is worthy of the title Sexiest Man Alive? The last time I think he looked good was a decade ago in "A Time to Kill." He looks awesome from the neck down, heading north he looks spent.

* I still have not done any Christmas shopping! I usually spend a lot of time looking and buying the perfect gifts for folks, but this year I am just physically not up for the task. I'm afraid this year will be all about gift certificates.

* I have 12 weeks or less left in my twin pregnancy. I will be so ready to pop them out by then. I am truly starting to get physically uncomfortable.

* I can't believe we have an Aggie running the war now.

* Last Saturday night, hubby and I went down to the campus and watched the Dallas Cowboys game at Posse East. (The Cowboys game was only being shown on the NFL network, and that's hard to find.) Posse East is a place we have been to a few times over the years, and it was hubby's law school hang-out back in the early 90s. What most struck me, however, is that today's college kids look so damn young! Perhaps this is a sign of the times for me. For more than a decade I would see college students and think they essentially look like me. That's not the case anymore. They look like babies...so fresh faced, so small, and so determined to look hip. My college years were spent in the immediate aftermath of the grunge era. When we hung out at our local dive, we literally just threw on what ever was clean. Anyway, time marches on and time waits for no one.

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.

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.

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.

If I Only Had More Time...

I have been SLAMMED busy lately -- both personally and professionally -- but there have been several items floating around in the news world that I wish I had time to blog about. Here's the short list:

• The Pavlov-like reactions of Bush's base on gay marriage.
• All the reasons Ann Coulter (a.k.a. nasty cunt bitch) offends me as a woman.
• If I vote for Kinky, am I throwing my vote away?
• Is being called 'photogenic' really a back-handed compliment?
• Why Sen. Joe Biden is my man in '08.

I am in the process of switching offices which entails a lot of paperwork and marketing material updates. It's such a pain in the ass, I wonder if it's really worth it!

I hosted a big family BBQ/baby shower for a cousin who is pregnant with twin boys (!!), and we attended my firm's company picnic on Saturday. Both went beautifully, but it's nice to be back in a silent house! Now it's back to work, work, work.

I promise to do better blogging, and do less excuse making on why I'm not blogging! I hope all is well in your world.

Yee-Haw! A Texan's Observations on DC

Honking: Now I am not some backwoods Southern who has never ventured north of the Mason-Dixon line. I have traveled to numerous locations, including some extensive time up in NYC. And, yes, I have noticed that in every northern city there seems to be a lot of car honking as a primary means of communication while behind the wheel. However, it always amuses me. It’s always the biggest reminder than I am not in Texas anymore. When you are south of the Red River and you decide to lay on the horn, you damn well better be prepared to engage in a gunfight. You just simply don’t use your horn here – especially when stopped at a red light when there’s an 8 and 10 chance the driver being honked out will get out of the car and attempt an ass beating! Your smartest move is to honk on the highway when you have a fairly good chance of out-running them on the open road.

Unsolicited Opinions: Now I love this about DC and other places in Yankeeland. Every cabbie, every cop, every doorman, every waiter, every pedestrian waiting at the bus stop has a strong political opinion and eager to share it with who ever is half-way listening. I wish Texas were more like that, but that’s just not the “southern way.” It is considered private, and rude to discuss it unless you are with peers whom you are positive share the same views.

Anti-Smoking “Soap-Boxers”: We only encountered two assholes while in Washington and both where anti-smoking bastards. The first time this happened we were sitting off the National Mall (near the Smithsonian) and away from other folks. A middle-aged black man started pacing back-and-forth in front of us loudly chanting incorrect stats on secondhand smoke. Neither of us said anything in response…just longer drags. The second time it happened, we were in a non-smoking Italian bistro off DuPont Circle. My friend went to the bathroom and set her pack of smokes on the table. (NOTE: She was not smoking them. She needed something out of her backpack and set them on the table while digging in her bag.) Anyway, a haggish-looking twentysomething woman started directly and forcefully confronting me on why the cigarettes where sitting on the table. I unleashed on her ass. She and her friends quickly got up and left. It’s a bit of a catch-22 for me. I love how people openly express their opinions, but I get highly pissed when strangers feel like they can lecture me.

The Metro: Is it just me or does it seem like there aren’t enough stops on the Metro? Nevertheless, the DC subway system is hands-down the nicest and cleanest I have ever been on.

Protesters: I LOVED seeing protesters in Washington. It’s just a beautiful example of everything I love about my country. (However, the Da Vinci Code protesters were a bit annoying. Newflash: It’s a work of fiction! The more hype they generate protesting the movie, the more people will want to see it. Duh!)

Assumed Red: Naturally, most people we met in DC asked where we from. And naturally when we said Texas they immediately thought we were Bush-lovin’-Republicans. Umm, No! I am blue trapped in red. It’s always entertaining to hear ridiculous stereotypes.

So, let me set the record straight while I am on this topic:

Yes, I am a proud native Texan.
No, I do not own a horse. In fact, I haven’t been on a horse since I was 5-years old (and that was at a petting zoo).
No, I do not drive a big ass pick-up truck.
No, I do not listen to country music. In fact, I detest it.
Yes, I do know how to two-step.
No, I do not line dance. (Stupid, stupid, stupid!)
No, I do not wear a cowboy hat or boots.
No, I do not have much of an accent.
Yes, I do have all of my teeth.
No, I am not a racist.
No, I am not a homophobe.
No, I am not a political conservative.

Anyway, I am proud of our nation’s capitol, and I am so glad I finally went to visit. The entire city and it’s residents were friendly and beautiful.

Oh, and I wouldn’t be a true Texan if I failed to mention that our state capitol in Austin is larger than the federal capitol in DC. (Sorry, that’s a state law!)