The Worst Kind of Procrastinators

JR and I are the worst kind of procrastinators. We think of doing everything else except what really needs to be done.

We both have our plates full, and I don’t mean a dieter’s plate, I mean, the buffet is about to close, lets hurry up and get our food, lets pile it on, type of plates. JR has brought up the idea of going to one of those time management seminars where they teach you to how to effectively use your time, but we keep putting that off.

Take this example…I have a business that needs to be worked on really, really bad. JR has been helping me, but with work (he has been out of town lots and I have been super busy with my job), the kids, the house (what little we do clean it), and some sort of social life, the business keeps getting put on the back burner. Understandable I say.

Anyway, on Saturday JR says, hey, I think I am getting a grill. I say ok! Let’s go look. While at the store I find a book on patio design ideas and think it would be cool to have something to put the grill on. I keep looking and find these really cool pavers, without thinking about it we embark on a house project. I really do not let JR touch the house, I have succumbed to idea that any job should be left to the professionals, but think that, a. this seems like a simple project, b. it is outside, and c. it is not even touching the house too much. So, I am comfortable with doing the job ourselves.
How does the line go? “And thus began our treacherous journey”.

The project is supposed to be finished by Friday, so I will keep you guys posted. There are 101 I should be doing instead, but like I said we are expert procrastinators.

Shakira - Houston Bound

I swear this is the first time that belonging to a fan club has paid out.

I was listening to the radio and they were advertising Shakira’s concert in Houston on Sept. 19th. I first I thought, hey, it would be nice to go. The commercial then said that the tickets go on sale this Saturday at the Toyota Center Box Office at 10am. Then I thought, you know what, I am a little too old for that.

I remember the days when I would stand up in line and wait for hours to buy tickets to a concert…Depeche Mode comes to mind (I was at Music For The Masses and it was awesome, but that its another story). Later I established a connection with Lou Walton – The Panther of Lover, from 93Q, do any of you remember when it wasn’t a country radio station? Anyway, we would trade tickets. I have been to a lot of concerts in my life, but I have not been to one in ages. I guess I am a little pickier now days.

Back to Shakira, I have been a Shakira fan since 1995 when “Pies Descalzos” came out. Anyway, I was thinking that it would be nice to go, but did not want to deal with that whole buying ticket mess. Now get this…this is where it gets good, so pay attention…I get home check my email and there is a message from the Shakira Fan Club telling me that I can pre-buy tickets for the concert. I was like, I am so there. I clicked and clacked and a few minutes later I was the proud owner of four seats to the event. It was meant to be.

Ok, so if you are a fan, only fans, no scammers or resellers, go to Shakira.com and follow the instructions and get your own, before going on sale, awesome, no getting up early on Saturday and standing in line, super cool, concert tickets.

See you guys at the show.

Shopping

I am finally getting back on the swing of buying me stuff, yes, the baby weight (can it still be called baby weight?) has not come off yet, but I can not live my life waiting for the day that it does, if it ever.

I have been having fun going out and shopping for myself. I am still having a hard time trying the stuff at the store – florescent lighting does not help the self-esteem (how about some semi dark, soft lighting, just like those touched up photographs? That store would sell millions!! My idea and you guys heard it here first), so I take the clothes home and try them on there. Lately I have been doing all my shopping at White House/Black Market. They have trendy styles without being hootchie, plus they have an awesome sale section.

What about your feet? You ask. Well, I have bought me three pairs of shoes. Yippie for me. The first pair I bought was a BCBG. Super cute and four inches high!! Yeah, I love shoes that make me feel tall. This is a, I am going out on the town pair, not for endless walks or standing too long.



The next pair is Coach and I can not seem to find a pic of it anywhere, I know it is a 2006, but can not find the pic. The style is called Tyra II and it a basic black two inch wedge shoe. This pair is perfect for walking and doing everyday stuff.

The last pair is also by Coach (Coach means today, trendy, and when you are done you can sell them on eBay and get some of your money back!). I just loved this pair of shoes. They are so, so cute. They are 4.5 inches high, but they are super light and have a rubbery sole. They are good for going out or running errands. And of course, I had to get the wristlet that went with them.






Well, that is it for my shopping. I so much more enjoy buying shoes than clothes; my feet are the only part of my body that has reverted to my pre pregnancy state. Way to go feet!! Good Job. Baby steps, baby steps.

The Weekend and TV

I must blog, I just realized that I have not blogged since last Friday, that is just too long.

I guess I can update you guys on my going-ons…
On Friday, my friend Chris (Internet Curios) had his going away party, no, he is not leaving town he is just changing jobs. We meet over at El Tiempo on Washington, we were joined by friends and other bloggers, including Greg from Dissonance.



My friend Phil from the Chronicle (he is the one on the right) was also there by himself!! He is on the market and on the prowl, so if any of you ladies are interested email me for full details.

After El Tiempo we headed over to The Social. Man, I have been two nights this month alone and I don’t even go out that much.

On Saturday, Baby Girl had a birthday party so headed to my mom’s house (the party was for one of her little neighbors) and spent the afternoon there, just hanging.

On Sunday, JR and Baby Girl headed to the Houston Shell Open. I stayed at home with the Sequel and watched some needed TV. I watched Elizabeth I – first episode, a mini series by HBO. I really like the lady that plays the queen. She is so intense.

I also watched God or the Girl on A&E. I have watched the show before and found it interesting. The show is pretty much about a group of guys that have to choose between becoming priest/celibate or getting married and having a family. You get to follow the guys as they date, stop dating and start their “single for a season” – a season can last 6 months to 3 years plus, how they raise money, or have no money at all, all the way until they reach their big decision – becoming a priest or having a family. Interesting.

Tonight I will watch Big Love on HBO. I am hooked. I really like the story, the plot, and think the characters are well developed. Thumbs up!

Houston Bound

I am finally on my way home. It has been a LONG week.

Kerrville is nice, it is located in the Hill Country very close to Fredericksburg. There are a lot of hills and winding roads, driving was fun. Downtown Kerrville is filled with unique shops, antique shops, and boutiques. In the new and used bookstore I found some 1st edition Golden Books and a Commemorative Wizard of Oz book (have I mentioned that the whole family is going to New York in a few weeks and that we will be seeing Wicked again?).

Work went horribly. The company I was working for hired another company to take care of our side of the business. So, I not only had to deal with the company itself, but also with the other middle guy. This guy, lets call him Dork, reminded me of Michael, boss guy, of The Office! I had the same feeling dealing with Dork as I do seeing the show – you really think the guy an idiot, but somehow feel sorry for him. Ok, get this; we were working with this guy named Bernie and all of the sudden he starts making references to the movie Weekend at Bernie’s. WTF. He would say “woo, hoo, Weekend at Bernie’s, yeah!”

Anyway, long story short, I actually had to work or pretend to work since I was in front of the client…I just hate that.

Oh, yeah, another thing, everyone at the office was on a diet. They were all eating raw carrots and broccoli and of course I was sitting there eating my huge brisket sandwich with chips and a soda. Wait, that is not all, the office manager was actually reading other peoples nutritional values as they ate. Needless to say, I ate at my desk after that.

I am so glad the week is over. I NEED a drink, but that will have to wait till next Friday. Today I am spending quality time with the kids.

My Weekend – The Bad, The Good, and The Ugly

On Saturday we got up at 7:30 in the morning because Baby Girl had her last soccer game of the season and, of course, we did not want to be late. Since it was her last game a party at the park was to follow and she was super excited. Well, the excitement was short lived; she woke up in a bad mood and did not want to go to the game. We finally convinced her to go, but then she did not want to wear her uniform. We finally got the uniform on, but she did not want to wear her soccer socks, well, I found her some other ones. We got to the game and her team was wearing BLACK, BG was wearing RED (there was a mix-up in the email), she freaked some more. The coach had an extra shirt, but she refused to wear it. She did not play the whole game and we end up leaving before the game ended. There was no way she was going to that party! I am just glad that was the last game.

Saturday night we made plans to go out to eat with my Sorority Sister and special friend Lenny; she now lives in Tucson, AZ. and was on her way back home from pulling over 400 teeth in El Salvador. We meet over at RA Sushi - restaurant, bar, and current hot spot - in Highland Village on Westheimer. The food was ok, but the ambiance was awesome. I highly recommend it. If it wasn’t a small world already, my sister, her boyfriend, and Chloe Dao - of Project Runway fame, were also there having dinner. I could not believe I forgot my camera at home!! Darn it!! After Dinner we headed over to The Social. Saturday is Latin night so there were playing some awesome dance tunes.

We got up early on Sunday...AGAIN, because Baby Girl had a birthday party at 9:30 am, yes, in the morning.

On Sunday afternoon I had to get my stuff ready to go out of town for work. I hate that!! I hate having to say goodbye to the kids. I always tell Baby Girl that if anything happens to me she should know that I always loved her. I also tell her to be nice to her brother and to tell him about me every day – I am tearing up writing this. I HATE leaving them.

The airport is pretty dead when I get there. I find a parking space without even looking for one. Yippie! I check in on gate C for my flight to San Antonio and notice that I am leaving out of gate E24, a good five mile walk from the check-in station. Crap, I guess I WILL be getting in my exercise for the day. I swear, you can not get any further away on the airport than gate E20, ok, E19 is a little further, but that is it. The only light at the end of the tunnel is the Auntie Anne’s Pretzel shop that is 2/3rds of the way there; this trip might be salvageable after all.

Phone Pic

Phone Pic.

Awesome day for kite flying.

Immigration

United States was founded by immigrants. The fact that people have chosen to forget that, well, that is another issue. Immigrants have always been the backbone of our society.

American companies are moving their factories overseas because of the cheaper labor rates. Manual minimum wage jobs in the US are disappearing and instead of the workers getting angry and protesting against the big companies that left they are pointing fingers and blaming the "illegals" for not being able to find jobs.

People come to the US from ALL over the world (not just Hispanic Countries like most people think, I have actually spoken to plenty of Russian immigrants up in Minnesota) to find a better life for their families. The United States is a country of hope. A country where if you work hard there is nothing you can’t be.

I do believe that the United States needs to choose its citizens carefully. There needs to be tougher ways to become a Citizen - Thorough background checks need to be made, ALL government agencies need to be able to talk to one another and share information; and a probation period needs to be implemented before a person is granted citizenships. Also, there should be background checks on any person requesting any kind of Visa into the United States.

Illegals are getting such a bad rap and that does not surprise me. Immigrants have always been the scapegoat. They are being talked about, pointed at and blamed for what is going on here in America, but this is all a side effect of an underlying issue. We need to find the true cause and try to fix it - whether is retraining our workforce to do different kinds of jobs, keeping large manufacturing companies from seeking cheaper and cheaper labor overseas, or coming up with a “Taking Jobs Overseas Tax” and heavily taxing imports that are made in the cheaper countries.

The US is a country of hard workers, a melting pot, that was I was told in school, different people, from different countries coming together to make this the greatest country in the world. There are problems that need to be fixed, but taking it out on people that believe in the American dream is just plain wrong.