Saturday, October 31, 2015

Creating again

I'm trying to make my own recipe for butternut squash soup. Then we are going to relax and get ready for a Saturday night out which will include Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Premiere Nasa Dollar 8 20833 Gulf Fwy, Webster, TX 77598 (281) 332-4679 https://www.google.com/search?q=Premiere+Nasa+Dollar+8&ludocid=1168157557715623735&hl=en-US#istate=kp:xpd

Can't wait to see him

Check out @chriscornell's Tweet: https://twitter.com/chriscornell/status/651037370012278784?s=09

Vivi

Playing in the rain

Knee deep in places

More rain

Balloon pepper

My first jalapeño pepper

Yum

Eggplant bloom

Back to the Ellen Thing

I was still thinking about people bringing up that Ellen is a lesbian after I told them that I was wearing a costume and I was Ellen. I was thinking that one of the last things I think about when I think of someone is the person's sexual orientation. I think about how the person treats me and if I can trust the person or believe the person. I guess it doesn't really matter to me and I don't associate sexual orientation with some attribute worthy of judgment by me. Qualities like honesty, dependability, good listener, good adviser, hard working, deepness or shallowness of a person are all things I think about when I think about the intimacy of an individual relationship I have with someone the qualities of that particular relationship that add to intimacy of that friendship or lack of friendship. The differences and attributes of each relationship are what make that relationship unique thus intimate and shared by the other person and myself or I may feel that our relationship is not quality and we're just coworkers and nothing more or just casual acquaintances and will never be anything more because there because there is no chance of us connecting in any way but none of qualities and connectedness I desire in others so that something may develop and be long lasting has anything to do with sexual orientation. It just doesn't matter to me and is not going to sway what I think of someone or make me feel differently about someone. I've noticed people whom I am the most prejudice against are ASSHOLES (but I need to get over that since there is an abundance and I don't want my life to be full of hate and sometimes even assholes have some redeeming qualities it's usually necessary to do a little searching since it's buried deep inside below the assholeness).

Walking

Vivi and I joined a walking group and we were supposed to go on our first walk this morning. That won't be happening due to the weather. It sounded fun. And, it might be a good way to meet some new people. i think I have been hesitant to go out and try to meet people when I don't even know if I am going to stay here. Lately, I have been thinking about going back to school. I've been thinking about it for the last few years. That's one of the reasons I sat for my exam to become certified. There's no way I could get into school if I didn't even have my credentials. I've also thought that if I want to teach somewhere besides a community college I'll need my Ph.D. That may not be the next adventure since my list of accomplishments is pretty long. I haven't mentioned school to anyone in my family since that's never been an area of my life where my family was supportive but that's pretty standard operating procedure for my family. Luckily, I'm fairly independent and don't feel like I have to have other people's buy in or find it necessary to have an entourage to accompany me everywhere I go. I've known people like that who can't even go to the grocery store without someone accompanying. I think that is so strange and adds to the time the errand takes to complete between going to get the other person and dropping them off. I dated a guy who couldn't go anywhere alone. It was really annoying. If I didn't want to accompany him to Sam's Club (because I had many times and I don't consider that a date) he would go get someone else to go with him. I wondered why he needed a witness to all his activities or did he need someone else to validate his existence. Weird.

Awoken

My phone woke me up with an alert: Tornado Warning. It was reminiscent of home. My entire life the weather played a very important role in my existence because I grew up in Tornado Alley. I was just thinking, yesterday, that I am so glad I don't have to worry about tornadoes anymore but that is not the case. There were no confirmed tornadoes just an indication of rotation on Doppler Radar. I guess there aren't a bunch of Storm Chasers like there are in Oklahoma because if this was Oklahoma some Storm Chasers would have been trying see and confirm a tornado for sure. People are zealots about the weather in Oklahoma. The Storm Chasers and the Weathermen. They love the unpredictable weather and all the excitement. No exaggeration, one time when I was watching the Weather Report in Oklahoma the Weatherman was tracking a storm in Saskatchewan and predicting it's arrival and outcome in Norman and Oklahoma City. One of the Weathermen in Oklahoma said being a weatherman in Oklahoma was his dream job and it was all he ever wanted to do because the weather is so varied; crazy storms, super hot, super cold, baseball size hail (summer and winter), flooding, tornadoes, etc. That almost sounds like the beginning of Armageddon but no, it's just Oklahoma.

Costume

Not one single person at work guessed who I was for Halloween. Then when I told people I was Ellen, the first comment was something about "a lesbian". I thought it was a shamed since she, like everyone else, is far more than one dimensional. The first thing I think of when I think of Ellen is how funny she is. She is a comic genius. I loved her stand up. She is incredibly clever and witty on stage and has a lot of charisma. I also think of how successful she is. She's come a long way from working smoky rooms to having her own show. I guess I'm weird because I don't really think about sexual preference too much or think that is all there is to a person. I sure hope people think there is more to me than my sexual preference, especially as hard as I have worked to be where I am. 

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Visit

I am so excited I will be having company tonight. I love having company. I like to be the hostess. And, it's so nice to spend time with a friend.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Good Monday

My lunch work out was vicious. I was dripping sweat. I got some stuff done at work today. I made it to Body Pump. It was tough as usual. Before Body Pump the Dance Jam class was performing Thriller. It was great. I wish I knew it but I don't think I'm coordinated enough to do it. It was adorable and the women did a good job. It looked like a heck of a work out.  

The Plan

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Tips

Gil had a good day working the suite at the OU game. I miss tips. I also miss the music. And I got a great work out without having to go to the gym. I loved being waitress. I remember joking around with my aunt one day and I said if this planning thing doesn't work out maybe I can go be an actress but I could only go for waitress roles.

Good day

It has been a nice day. I had a great workout between Cardio Blast and Body Pump. I think my butt and legs are getting a little too big though. For the first time in a while I got a back rub from the guy in the mall who does a heck of job. He really works out the knots in my back and this time I wasn't sweating because he was digging into the knots too hard. I bought some new jeans because I can't get into any of my old ones. That's what happens when you gain twenty pounds. It's been raining all day and love it. I've been listening to the rain and reading. I am glad I am too poor to live by the water right now since it may flood but I think I could tolerate the inconvenience if I could manage to find a place I could afford. My Xterra has always been good in high water though it's not the most comfortable ride. My buddy, James called on Google Hang Out so we got to catch up. I wish we lived closer to each other. It would be nice to hang out in person. Maybe I can get to Denver sometime. Harold texted me and let me know that he and his wife managed to get on a cruise due to a cancellation. That means my week will be busier than all get out at work. I'm always busy but if we are down a person it's unmanageable. I have been trying leave work at a reasonable time so I can go to Body Pump on Monday and Wednesday so I don't feel so much like all I do is work. I'm hoping to be able to go to Body Pump this week. I like it. June and Ron are talking about doing the MS 150 this year and they want other folks to get involved. They know my bike is cruiser which is not the kind of bike you need to do rides (it's more like the pub riding kind of bike). We have a bike program at work so they have suggested a couple of kinds of bikes for me to look at and consider. I don't know if my ass could take riding like that. And there are other body parts to consider. June and Ron are in pretty good shape. I'm a wanna be...It might be a good challenge for me. June and I could ride after work sometimes and she thinks I should get a trainer since that's what she did at first. i guess I'll see about the riding thing. Vivi thinks we should start riding when she's up so it would be something we could do together too. I ran into an interesting guy today, who had been on the Planning Commission here in Seabrook so I got the scoop on the area. I need to pay more attention to what's going on here since I've been living here for over a year now. I know a lot of money leaks out of the local economy here. The former Planning Commission told me that Seabrook has tended to be anti-business. I think I might start going to some of the Planning Commission meetings. Also, this week I confirmed that one woman is a shit-starter, that's what I call those people who always have something to complain about and point out other people's short comings. She's the same woman who is pissed that her boyfriend won't have sex with because she got fat. I suspect that's not the only reason he won't have sex with her since she bitches all the time. It would be really hard for me to have sex with someone who bitches all the time and is super negative. She told me this long drawn out story about how she was treated badly for complaining about her water bill and how she felt like she should not be treated that way because when she complained to higher ups she was a citizen. First of all you don't have to be a citizen to get a water bill she is a customer or resident who pays for utility service. And second and more importantly if you want to be treated like a customer (correct capacity/word for what she is) then don't go complain to assistant city managers about your water bill while you're on the clock. What a dip shit. She came of as an entitled dip shit to me. On top of that she had dropped an f bomb in one of the guys' offices. I was thinking she is lucky she still has a job. I can't believe any one would act like. I'm so glad that we don't hang out or anything. She reminds me a bit of Ronni from Corpus. Always taking time off and then bitching when she has to account for it and such. If you're not at work then you should have to account for it. In fact, you're typically accountable for your time even when you're at work. I have tasks and meetings and all sorts of things I have to do and I have to be available for residents with questions as well as other folks who work with me and don't understand something so they need explanations or my buy in or my review or something all the time so even when I'm at work st certain times of day I have to account for where I am and what I'm doing. I've been thinking she must have been very spoiled growing up and hasn't grown out of it yet. I know she sure has her boyfriend thinking he needs to pay for all her shit so maybe he M.O. has worked for her so far so she continues to behave like entitled. Enough of that, I'm glad I don't think the world owes me something. I'm surprised and lucky I'm still here. I'm going to visit with Gil tonight once she's done working the OU game.

Weather

When I heard that there is going to be a lot of rain, I was disappointed but I don't usually do a lot on Saturday night anyway, reading The Martian will be a great evening.

Exam

It was time for my annual female exam. Once it was the day of, I started to get uncomfortable since no one else sees my coochie. Then during the exam two women had the faces in between my legs and were chatting me up. It was even more surreal than I thought it would be. I'm glad I don't have to do that very often.

Very short film

Friday, October 23, 2015

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thursday at 9

happily, I'll be watching How To Get Away With Murder in a little bit. it will be an entertaining ending to a long day.

Lately

I have always been apprehensive about Googling someone I dated but people have told me they do it all the time so I don't know if people are creepy for doing it or it's just natural to be curious about someone who used to be a part of your life. I told Vivi that recently my son said he thinks that people don't get over a break up until they start dating another person and Vivi said that she agrees and even thinks that sometimes feelings linger even longer than that and maybe it takes dating several people to get over someone.

Nice

It has been so nice to have a friend around lately. She has really been a comfort to me. Moving from Norman, Oklahoma to Corpus for a job that sucked was a horrible disappointment especially as hard as I had worked to make a new life for myself because the life I had come to know as a mother was about to change as my son was going to be an adult and go his own way. Of course maybe I was being naive thinking that my life would be a chick flick but I prefer to think that I was being optimistic. Then, I met a man in Corpus who seemed perfect but he was anything but... I finally got over that and met a man who was someone who I thought was great and I had a instant connection with but he didn't live in Corpus. Unfortunately, he lived in Houston. Around that same time I met Vivi and Beth and just loved hanging out with them and going to the beach. I felt like my life was complete. At the same time, I was told to work directly under the Building Official in Corpus. He was not trustworthy at all. I was afraid he was going to get fired, which he did, and I would be negatively affected when that happened so I accepted a position I was offered in Killeen, Texas. That turned out to be a disaster so I started searching for a different job. In the meantime, the guy I met in Houston started acting weird; lying, doing the come here, go away thing, etc. and then dumped me. Luckily, I did find a different job and moved once again. So I have had a great deal of change over the last few years, lots of ups and downs, and for better or worse there will probably be more change. Over the last two years I feel like I have been in a flux. I keep trying to believe that I am where I am supposed to be but it's hard to keep my chin up when I don't always feel like there is anything here for me other than a job and it seems like there should be more to life than clocking in somewhere.

Change

Everyone keeps telling me that I need to go out with someone. And that I need to go for a different type of man than I have been attracted to in the past. I don't know if I can change the type of man I am attracted to. I don't think it's something that I can control. I think attraction is all about chemistry. None of the men I have gone on dates with looked alike but they seemed to have some similar traits and those were probably just traits that most men share. Right now, I want to decide where I am going to live and what I am  going to do and if I started dating someone it might distract me from those two things.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Hummus

For months I haven't eaten hummus so I decided to buy some for a snack. Now, I know why this one guy I went on some dates with a while back was always complaining about being bloated and had a lot of gas.

New haircut

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Alone

Vivi left this morning. Work was very busy as always so it kept me distracted from coming home to an empty apartment. I left work around 7:00 and came home to eat and watch Jane The Virgin on Netflix. Vivi and I started watching it last night. It is very cute. It might help me with my Spanish. If I'm going to stay in Texas I should probably learn it.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Tonight's Body Pump

I didn't get to work out at lunch today but I made it Body Pump. We're still doing Body Pump 95. My legs were killing me. I feel like I am going to sleep great. Vivi being here adds to me sleeping well. It's nice to have company. Time is better spent with friends.

Lessons

Harold keeps telling me I need to look for a man at church and today he told me there are lots Harolds and Nathans out there. It was so cute. I told him that I know there are a lot of nice guys out there. I just haven't met any lately or maybe ever. They were laughing there butts off at one of my date stories and that had started the comments from Harold. Harold and and Nathan really are good guys and I would be very lucky if I did meet someone as nice as them.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Great weekend

Vivi and I have had a wonderful weekend; lots of healthy cooking, exercise, a long walk, played shuffle board and pool. We also talked about life and love. I wish tomorrow wasn't Monday. 

Tidbit from Brainpickings

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Textra

I downloaded Textra when handcent stopped working; I am still getting used to it.

This morning

The weather is beautiful this morning. Lately, the mornings have been absolutely gorgeous and enjoyable. Not so long ago, even the mornings were too hot to enjoy a cup of coffee on the balcony. It finally feels like Fall. Overall, the weather is one of the reasons I like living here but lately I have thought about it would be nice to live somewhere that I have relations and/or friends. The feeling will probably pass. Some days I have a little trouble passed the irony that I ended up in Seabrook considering my connection to the area was someone I am not even friends with now.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Carrot soup recipe

None of these measurements are exact but rather to taste - put the ingredients in a pressure cooker for 11 minutes, after cooked, stir and liquefy in a blender to a creamy consistency.
4 or 5 carrots (peeled)
1 sweet potato (peeled)
2 new potatoes (mostly peeled)
1 gala apple
6 grape tomatoes
about 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
about 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin
some chili powder
some paprika
some red pepper flakes
some black pepper
some onion powder
about 1 teaspoon of garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
some salt
fresh cilantro to taste
some fresh lemon and lime balm leaves
Thai basil leaves to taste
1/2 to 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
1 carton of chicken or vegetable stock

Moisturizers

Beauty Tips

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Too picky

A couple of women told me I am being too picky because I don't like men who dye their hair and I said that's not too picky, their hair always look ridiculous, and why would I go out with someone I'm not attracted to. If you go out with someone and you're not attracted to them then you'd just pick them apart and both be miserable.

Carrot Soup Update

Everyone who tried my carrot soup loved it. It's super spicy and tangy. It doesn't taste like carrots at all but it's great. I hope I can remember how I made it. I'm going to have to write it down before I forget.

Why

I don't understand why guys ask questions like, "Are you a pole dancer?" How stupid can one be? I wish men would just ask normal questions like, "Where do you work?", "Do you like your job?", "Where are you from?", etc. June was absolutely disgusted when I told her that one guy asked me if I'm a good lover. I told June, "How would I even know?" Then she said she is so glad she's not out there dating. I told her that she and Harold are always telling me I need a boyfriend and it's hard to find a guy who is not a cad. 

Binge watching

I started Vexed and it's good. 

Power Yoga

Unfortunately Power Yoga classes have been cancelled. Darn it. I loved that class.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Trouble communicating

Earlier, I was reading about people who have trouble communicating their feelings. One of my observations is that people who have trouble talking about their feelings only have trouble when it's something that might make them vulnerable. If it's something that makes someone else vulnerable or hurts someone else's feelings then they have no trouble at all.

Carrot Soup

Always inventive in the kitchen, this day I decided to try to make carrot soup. I wanted it to be spicy like Thai soups. And it is. It is fantastic but it doesn't have much of a carrot taste. That may be because I added a sweet potato, a couple of small new potatoes and an apple. There's also cracked red pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro, lime balm, lemon balm, Thai basil, yadda, yadda, yadda. It is so good that I feel rewarded for my effort. I wish I had written down all the ingredients so I can make it again, it's so yummy.

Preserving spices

Organic Fabrics

Quit

Harold asked me to give him one year notice if I decide to quit my job.

VW

Taekwondo

Yesterday, I got back to my Cardio Blast and Body Pump routine and today I am looking forward Taekwondo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnfEYtRIo1Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjj7IpwN2SM

Reading

One day while waiting for a class to start, I realized that I forgot my kindle so I bought a book The Martian and began reading it. So far it is very good and I may even see the movie.

This could be helpful (I'm convinced the last date I had was with someone who could not communicate)

Why We Fall in Love from Brain Pickings

Friday, October 9, 2015

Nevers

1. Never buying new furniture again.
2. Never buying a new car again.
3. Never wearing a tube top on a roller coaster (might be a cumber-bun at the end of the ride). 

Critique of AHS Hotel

Good Times

Going to the Pleasure Pier was so much fun. Harold has the heart and soul of small child though he is 60 years old and it really came out at the amusement park. He wanted to ride every ride. It was nice that we got to hang out with some of my friends and acquaintances from Corpus Christi. Harold is always so kind and thankful. He made it a point to say he was grateful that he got to hang out with my friends and me. Kris, my former coworker in Corpus, who now works in this area said that Harold seemed very nice and then asked me if people tend to try to take advantage of him because he is so nice. I told Kris that it doesn't seem like people do. Harold said that when he called his wife to check in with her that he told her all about our experience at the pier and how we all rode rides together. I made it a point to tell Harold thanks for giving me encouragement with regard to the rides. I don't know that I would have ridden that roller coaster if he hadn't encouraged me. It was really exciting. I think I need to be a little more adventurous.

At the conference, I kept running into my former boss in Killeen. it seemed like every time I turned around I saw him. Moving there was a disaster. Two different people I know said they told me I should not move there. I distinctly remember both of them saying it was my decision. I like people to give me some input but if they don't offer up an opinion and then later say "I told you so" it is so annoying. 

The Friday of the 2015 TXAPA Conference in Galveston

Sunrise on the Friday of the Texas Planning Conference

Implementing the Comp Plan Through Infrastructure










Thursday, October 8, 2015

Roller Coaster

I rode a bunch of rides at Pleasure Pier. The scariest was the roller coaster, luckily it lasted about one minute. It seemed longer, especially when it was going straight down for 100 feet.

Thursday at the conference




Harold dancing

Maria and Annika dancing


Me at the pier

From the Equity and Biking Session

Mitchell Silver - Key Note Speaker

Day

So far so good, it's been a great conference. Tonight we're going to go to the pleasure pier maybe we'll ride some ride, sounds fun

Thursday Morning

Up and ready for a beautiful Thursday by the water in Galveston. I'm looking forward to going to some sessions.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Wonderful

It's nice to see so many people I know all in one place. I had a great evening. I am really looking forward to the conference.

Heading out

I'm on my way to Galveston to the planning conference course I'm going some backwoods way because there so much traffic on 146 but hopefully I'll be there soon and I can mix a little work with some fun

Relationship advise

I don't why people ask me for relationship advise since I'm not in a romantic relationship and haven't been for years. I have observed a lot of relationships (research). I am very interested in human behavior. My latest observations that were offered up: you don't have to be alone to be independent but you have to be with someone who respects your decisions and if you wait on the timing to be right to be in a relationship you may miss out on the love of your life (first, if you way on the timing to be right that may never happen and don't let yesterday muck up today and tomorrow). Those are just my observations so they are skewed by my perspective.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Floor options

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Nobel Prize in Physics

Late night

I just got home. I forgot that I had volunteered to go to feed one of the neighborhoods in Baytown. The neighborhood is a working poor neighborhood. Going to a neighborhood where people are disadvantaged really opened my eyes to how lucky I am. I have been one of the working poor and it was rough. Every day was a challenge. I bet 100 people showed up for the get together. It was a good turn out.

Test

An astronaut was telling me how he is going to do some test today on the Orion spacecraft. He said that they are going to try to get out of the spacecraft and they're testing a bunch of different people  to see if it's really hard to get out of the spacecraft or is it just that there some kind of design flaw

Over it

Several people have told me they think that you don't get over the last person you dated until you start dating someone else. One person said it may take several more relationships to get over a broken heart. I always thought that once you're whole again and over your broken heart that's when people are attracted to you because you're happy and hopeful. 

Weekend Eating

Things that happen when you stop drinking

Monday, October 5, 2015

Galveston

This week is the TXAPA conference and I am really looking forward to it. It will be nice to be around other planners and see what's going on in the rest of the state. 

Body Pump 95

We started a new Body Pump. It's tough, my legs are exhausted.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Nietzsche

Out

Going to dinner; deciding between a wine bar with a patio and Boondoggles...

Productive Sunday Morning

It was a beautiful sunrise and we had a healthy breakfast. The day is glorious; the weather is perfect. I'm trying to organize the clutter in my life while Vivi works. She's playing 80's music; The Smiths, Billy Joel, (what a dichotomy), etc. In two hours we're taking a break for yoga and then back at it. 

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Company

Vivi's coming to spend. Yay. I'm so glad. I love her so much. She is so positive. I really miss my girlfriends in Corpus. It took me years to get used to Corpus and feel like it was home and then I moved. I wonder if I will feel like this is home. I sure never felt like Killeen was home. I hated it there. That was a mistake but surely I learned some lessons there to take with on my sojourn. 

Again

The funeral i attended was very sad. I saw some of my coworkers. They seemed to be in shock as I was. i thought my friend, Grace, might beat the cancer. I know others thought so too. She was such a fighter. It was difficult for me to see Grace. When I touched her hand to say goodbye she was cold and hard (gone). She had been so strong and vibrant. She was the glue in her family and at work. She worked very hard and took good care of her parents and her nephew, whom she had adopted years ago. Grace's family was grief stricken, especially her husband, Chris. He was weeping so. And when Grace's little sister said that Grace said we should all let go of the hate in hearts for what happened to her, I thought that I wished that I could but it will take a long time before I reconcile myself with how truly unfair life is. Of course, Grace was thinking of others even in the end and wishing we move on and make the best of every day since we have another day and she had her last.

Vivi said I should stay with her rather than driving right back home so I did and I am so glad I did. Vivi is a great comfort to me and I value her friendship. We walked along the bay front in Corpus and saw the most beautiful moon. It was waning and halfway between being full and new. The most amazing thing was the color it was orange when it was on the horizon. I was so grateful to see something that beautiful on such a sad night. Around 12:30 I went to sleep for a little while so I could get up and drive to the gym for Cardio Blast. It was a difficult drive. I had a hard time staying awake. I went to Cardio Blast and then left before Body Pump started so I could go to the Farmer's Market. Vivi called me which really lifted my spirits. I'm so grateful for her. I am blessed to have her in my life.

Friday, October 2, 2015

$600

I'm failed my car and I'm headed to Corpus Christi for a funeral. It's a sad day.

Car

My car is still being held captive at the repair shop. I was hoping to get it back by now so I can go to Corpus Christi for my friend's funeral.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Moments you hate

Doncha just hate it when you can't find a phone number so you look through your recent calls and think you found it then you realize you've already dialed the wrong number too late so you can't find the number you need and someone you didn't mean to call thinks you called. It's usually someone you did not want to call.

The brain and happiness