...and more grand canyon
Monday, November 07, 2005
grand canyon
pic of the grand canyon. i know i should have spent more time there but you can't just pop through like i thought. i was running late.
it really is freaking huge and awe inspiring.
it really is freaking huge and awe inspiring.
homecoming
so. tomorrow i go home. home for the first time in weeks. months even. when did the hurricane happen? August? jeez. its already freaking november? its been a long time since i've been in NOLA. its wierd. now that i've had to evacuate, i am very concious of being here vs. being there.
like, when i arrived in alabama for the funeral for D's mother. i was driving around all "holy crap. this morning i was in california. 5 hours later, i'm across the country in alafreakingbama." people are totally diffrent. my southern accent is kickin in automatically, ugh the weather sucks. and i'm not even in armpit nola yet.
and i never EVER thoght that i'd say this, but the food in alabama is better than the food in California. i'm totally eating my way through this place. cornbread stuffing! real gravy! SALT! food is SALTED here. crazy. i'm actually missing the 4$ calzones that i was getting every other day in Auburn.
my freakout continues. i'm not loving california. what if i don't like coming back to nola? where the heck will i end up?
i'll just transfer from WF to WF until i find a place that i like? will i be blackballed at WF as someone who transferres too much? gah.
i don't know what to expect when i go back home. i don't know how i'll feel when i walk into my house again, when i try to go out with friends, try to go out to eat, shop for a refrigerator, there's a curfew now. no more partying till all hours of the night. which is what i want to do since there is no partying in the OC. every bar is like in some town 45 minutes away. i'm used to 8 blocks away. hell, i'm used to across the street from work and my house.
but it's Soul Sista's birthday the week i'm home and i'm SURE we'll find something to do and somewhere to go out to. i'm very excited to see her and to be with her for her bday. she didn't think anyone was going to be around for it. yay me.
i also think that Pixel needs a dog. she does so well with other dogs that are totally bigger than her,and she loves the interaction. i'm a bit obsessed with getting her a corgi. i actually want a mini corgi. i don't think they exist, but that would be so cool. but i don't think i can afford another pup right now. not to mention that i'm sharing a 600 sq foot apt, so there's no room for another dog. even a mini dog.
D's mother's funeral was lovely. sad but beautiful. i'm so sorry that she is gone. she was so good for the family. but i think that D is doing well. he is up and down, as to be expected. its going to be a long time before he is ok. and who can blame him. i'm glad to be there for him.
like, when i arrived in alabama for the funeral for D's mother. i was driving around all "holy crap. this morning i was in california. 5 hours later, i'm across the country in alafreakingbama." people are totally diffrent. my southern accent is kickin in automatically, ugh the weather sucks. and i'm not even in armpit nola yet.
and i never EVER thoght that i'd say this, but the food in alabama is better than the food in California. i'm totally eating my way through this place. cornbread stuffing! real gravy! SALT! food is SALTED here. crazy. i'm actually missing the 4$ calzones that i was getting every other day in Auburn.
my freakout continues. i'm not loving california. what if i don't like coming back to nola? where the heck will i end up?
i'll just transfer from WF to WF until i find a place that i like? will i be blackballed at WF as someone who transferres too much? gah.
i don't know what to expect when i go back home. i don't know how i'll feel when i walk into my house again, when i try to go out with friends, try to go out to eat, shop for a refrigerator, there's a curfew now. no more partying till all hours of the night. which is what i want to do since there is no partying in the OC. every bar is like in some town 45 minutes away. i'm used to 8 blocks away. hell, i'm used to across the street from work and my house.
but it's Soul Sista's birthday the week i'm home and i'm SURE we'll find something to do and somewhere to go out to. i'm very excited to see her and to be with her for her bday. she didn't think anyone was going to be around for it. yay me.
i also think that Pixel needs a dog. she does so well with other dogs that are totally bigger than her,and she loves the interaction. i'm a bit obsessed with getting her a corgi. i actually want a mini corgi. i don't think they exist, but that would be so cool. but i don't think i can afford another pup right now. not to mention that i'm sharing a 600 sq foot apt, so there's no room for another dog. even a mini dog.
D's mother's funeral was lovely. sad but beautiful. i'm so sorry that she is gone. she was so good for the family. but i think that D is doing well. he is up and down, as to be expected. its going to be a long time before he is ok. and who can blame him. i'm glad to be there for him.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
costuming
so i have a costume party to go to this weekend, and my friend is going all out, and since i don't want to be the asshole w/o a costume, i had to go shopping for one on my only day off. ugh. i went to a huge costume shop and tried on all kinds of horrible cheapy cheapass "sexy this" costumes. if you thought bikini shopping was soul crushing, trying on a costume that was supposedly able to fit anyone from a size 2 to 14 and makes you look like the bee girl from the cover of the blind melon album cover, when it's supposed to be a cute witch costume is worse than trying on bikini's after a winter of homemade mac n cheese.
so these are my costumes of defeat options:
wet t-shirt and go as a hurricane survivor.
get a cop uniform and carry around a walmart bag full of stuff and go as a NOLA looter cop.
duct tape myself up and go as a NOLA refrigerator.
i'm leaning towards the nola looter cop, but people probably won't get it out here. and of course, since i'm a girl, and it's halloween, i'd ahve to go as SEXY nola looter cop.
Monday, October 03, 2005
By the Time i get to Arizona
Ah. the drive to AZ was really awesome. i really do like the western landscape. the huge mountains, the big sky, the rocks.
i really enjoyed this leg. there were a ton of hilarious little shops. one sign said "we have REDNECK FIGURINES!" i had to stop and pick out some little things for people.
the roadside attractions were getting better. Dinosaur museums. i hoped i'd pass the big dinosaurs that Pee Wee Herman did in that movie where he had to find his bike. i don't think i did, but there was a long stretch of road that did have big sculptures of dinosaurs by the side of the highway. they started out rather tame, but by the fourth or fifth one, it was pretty scary...big velocoraptor style dinosaurs taking down some kind of dino-prey and all bloody. i wish i could have taken pics of them.
So i'm on my way into Flagstaff, and i'm told that i can't not go to the grand canyon, since i'm right there and i've never been to it before. ok, i'm making decent time, so i tell my friends in P-nix, that i'll call them when i get to the GC and i'll see them later on that evening.
holy crap. how long does it take to get to the Grand Canyon? on the map, it looks like its *right there* crap. i'm feeling like a mix of Pee We herman (Again) all "wheres the Grand Canyon?" and like one of those stupid twats in a british chick lit novel, all "on the map, it looks like its so close to Flagstaff!" 5 hours later, and 8000 feet higher, i find the grand canyon. i have to go through a quaint little town, looks very ski resort and lodgey. 20$ to get in, and i just pull into the first lookout point that i come to. its already 4pm and the sun was kinda setting and it was getting late. so i take a few pics, mostly on my phone b/c my digicam's battery was dying. taking pics was hard b/c the sun was RIGHT in my face. i look very stressed out in the photos.
i have to admit, its pretty breathaking. and the weather was awesome. all cool and mountainey.
then i have to HAUL ASS to pheonix. i was impressed how my car did. i was running down mountains in pitch dark at like 90mph. i scared myself a bit b/c i was going so fast and it was so dark. AZ has laws against too many lights b/c they have so many observatories. finally i made it to my friends house.
i really enjoyed this leg. there were a ton of hilarious little shops. one sign said "we have REDNECK FIGURINES!" i had to stop and pick out some little things for people.
the roadside attractions were getting better. Dinosaur museums. i hoped i'd pass the big dinosaurs that Pee Wee Herman did in that movie where he had to find his bike. i don't think i did, but there was a long stretch of road that did have big sculptures of dinosaurs by the side of the highway. they started out rather tame, but by the fourth or fifth one, it was pretty scary...big velocoraptor style dinosaurs taking down some kind of dino-prey and all bloody. i wish i could have taken pics of them.
So i'm on my way into Flagstaff, and i'm told that i can't not go to the grand canyon, since i'm right there and i've never been to it before. ok, i'm making decent time, so i tell my friends in P-nix, that i'll call them when i get to the GC and i'll see them later on that evening.
holy crap. how long does it take to get to the Grand Canyon? on the map, it looks like its *right there* crap. i'm feeling like a mix of Pee We herman (Again) all "wheres the Grand Canyon?" and like one of those stupid twats in a british chick lit novel, all "on the map, it looks like its so close to Flagstaff!" 5 hours later, and 8000 feet higher, i find the grand canyon. i have to go through a quaint little town, looks very ski resort and lodgey. 20$ to get in, and i just pull into the first lookout point that i come to. its already 4pm and the sun was kinda setting and it was getting late. so i take a few pics, mostly on my phone b/c my digicam's battery was dying. taking pics was hard b/c the sun was RIGHT in my face. i look very stressed out in the photos.
i have to admit, its pretty breathaking. and the weather was awesome. all cool and mountainey.
then i have to HAUL ASS to pheonix. i was impressed how my car did. i was running down mountains in pitch dark at like 90mph. i scared myself a bit b/c i was going so fast and it was so dark. AZ has laws against too many lights b/c they have so many observatories. finally i made it to my friends house.
that day was a good 12 hours of driving. 12 hours. i now know that feeling of "just drive! just drive!!!!"
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Katrina should have hit Albuquerque
So i've never had a good relationship with Albuquerque, NM. my first 6 weeks of my hellish job sent me there, to the worst account my old company had. and i vowed never to set foot there ever again.
but i had to stay a night there on my way out to CA. it sucked. i roll up to the hotel, and it seems like things are going to be ok. the manager says that since i'm from NOLA, the Red Cross will pay for my room. coo. so he checks me all in, gives me my password to get on their wireless network, and i go. but ugh. my room is way in the back of the place, and all the rooms are open to the street. there's no indoor corridors. eep. AND i see a few cops searching the next door trailer park for something. a body? will my body be next? eeks.
not a good feeling.
so i decide to get some food and then lock myself into my room, and hole up. but fock. no wireless signal in my room. suck. suck suck. and the outlet by the bed is so bajiggety that the plug to my laptop keeps falling out, so i plug it into the outlet across the wall from the bed to charge up my laptop battery.
i eat my Sonic and watch Starsky and Hutch on cable. and by the way, there's hardly any tv channels. more suckage.
When i get up the next morning to roll out extra early, b/c i can't stand to be in ABQ one more minute longer, in my dazed state, i trip over the cord that is attached to my computer and my laptop falls off the bed and bounces around. OMG. fuck. my laptop. my lifeline to the internet. since i can't even get a good signal, i can't tell if i broke it. gah.
then i walk out to pack up my car and i see that it had rained last night. and i had left the windows of my car cracked open. so my seats were all wet. yay. i lay down shop towels and new little potty pads of pixel's on the seats so my ass isn't soaking wet during the drive. i know. classy.
so i go to check out and the night manger who said my room would be paid for by red cross wasn't there like he said he would be. there was some little old dude that had no idea how to do that. he said that they just keep a copy of my driver's liceense and i wouldn't be charged for the room. ok. then i head out to the little restaraunt attached to the hotel to get some ice for my travel mug, b/c i didn't get ice from the ice machine b/c it was waaaaaaaaaay far from my room. and i wanted out. so i go into the restaraunt and i just ask if i could please have some ice for my cup. She looks at me and is all "are you a guest of the hotel?" i say yes, i stayed here last night. She asks me for my free breakfast voucher. i said that i don't want breakfast. i just want some ice so that i can get on the road, and all that crap is in my car. b/c i want to get the hell out of this shitty ass place. she looks at me with suspicion and reluctantly gets me some ice.
for pete's sake. its just some ice. do i need to give them my voucher for that? ugh. i could not belive that shit. Finally, i roll out and leave that hellish hellish place behind. of course only here would i have so much shitty shit happen. i've never left for on the road in such a bad mood.
Good fucking riddance, ABQ. no. i don't want your fucking red. or green sauce.
but i had to stay a night there on my way out to CA. it sucked. i roll up to the hotel, and it seems like things are going to be ok. the manager says that since i'm from NOLA, the Red Cross will pay for my room. coo. so he checks me all in, gives me my password to get on their wireless network, and i go. but ugh. my room is way in the back of the place, and all the rooms are open to the street. there's no indoor corridors. eep. AND i see a few cops searching the next door trailer park for something. a body? will my body be next? eeks.
not a good feeling.
so i decide to get some food and then lock myself into my room, and hole up. but fock. no wireless signal in my room. suck. suck suck. and the outlet by the bed is so bajiggety that the plug to my laptop keeps falling out, so i plug it into the outlet across the wall from the bed to charge up my laptop battery.
i eat my Sonic and watch Starsky and Hutch on cable. and by the way, there's hardly any tv channels. more suckage.
When i get up the next morning to roll out extra early, b/c i can't stand to be in ABQ one more minute longer, in my dazed state, i trip over the cord that is attached to my computer and my laptop falls off the bed and bounces around. OMG. fuck. my laptop. my lifeline to the internet. since i can't even get a good signal, i can't tell if i broke it. gah.
then i walk out to pack up my car and i see that it had rained last night. and i had left the windows of my car cracked open. so my seats were all wet. yay. i lay down shop towels and new little potty pads of pixel's on the seats so my ass isn't soaking wet during the drive. i know. classy.
so i go to check out and the night manger who said my room would be paid for by red cross wasn't there like he said he would be. there was some little old dude that had no idea how to do that. he said that they just keep a copy of my driver's liceense and i wouldn't be charged for the room. ok. then i head out to the little restaraunt attached to the hotel to get some ice for my travel mug, b/c i didn't get ice from the ice machine b/c it was waaaaaaaaaay far from my room. and i wanted out. so i go into the restaraunt and i just ask if i could please have some ice for my cup. She looks at me and is all "are you a guest of the hotel?" i say yes, i stayed here last night. She asks me for my free breakfast voucher. i said that i don't want breakfast. i just want some ice so that i can get on the road, and all that crap is in my car. b/c i want to get the hell out of this shitty ass place. she looks at me with suspicion and reluctantly gets me some ice.
for pete's sake. its just some ice. do i need to give them my voucher for that? ugh. i could not belive that shit. Finally, i roll out and leave that hellish hellish place behind. of course only here would i have so much shitty shit happen. i've never left for on the road in such a bad mood.
Good fucking riddance, ABQ. no. i don't want your fucking red. or green sauce.
Monday, September 26, 2005
yee haw
chillin in Amarillo, TX. i took a later start today b/c the drive wasn't too too far, and i didn't want to drive in the high heat of the day. but awesomely, there was great weather in OKC and all the way to Amarillo. the best thing about hurricanes is that the weather before and after is the best. cool and breezy and clear. i didn't even have to use my a/c for the drive.
unfortunately, i do have a seatbelt tan across my chest. yeah. i know. its hot. all the boys will want to get with me b/c of the big white diagonal stripe across my chest.
downtown OKC was nice. i found a coffeeshop where i could get some food that wasn't junk fast food. theres lots of large corporate art in downtown OKC. its very clean.
at the Love's Truck stop where i stopped to pick up a travel pillow for Pixel, and some shopaholic series book on cd [it is very scary how much i relate to this dang shopaholic girl] i got stopped by some old guy and his buddy b/c he pet Pixel and made some small talk. the guy is a contractor and is eventually going to go to NOLA to help rebuild.
At the next Love's i stopped at to get gas, the old guy and his buddy stopped too. they were also going down to Amarillo, and invited me to have a steak dinner at some crazy steakhouse that gives you the steak free if you eat the huge one. like 96oz? whatever. all i couuld think of was that movie "the great outdoors" with john candy and some random cute boy actor i had a crush on and the only reason i watched it.
i was a little "um, i'm a vegitarian, so steak dinner is out, but thanks" while thinking of the bag of pork rinds i can't wait to break into in my car. but i'm not going to dinner with random truck stop old men. i mean, i still have to go pick up that charming hitchhiker outside of the indian reservation.
an aside: Love's Truck stops have good cheap gas, cheap cigs, and clean clean bathrooms, but they all have Subway's in them and they all fucking reek of the stank that is subway. its really gross. i hate that subway smell.
speaking of indian reservations. i saw a billboard for some car dealer or lawyer or some such vermin and the dude's last name was howe, and the billboard was his name all huge, and him standing infront of a huuuge statue of an indian with it's arm raised up. as in "how. me indian" wow. thats effed up.
just for my girl, the Noo - i TOTALLY passed a cornfield maze!! i saw the CORN MACABRE! i tried to take a phone cam pic, but i would have died trying to take a pic and drive.
then i came across something scary. a HUGE white cross rising up from some field. i mean HUGE. it made me think of that random steve martin movie where he was a hack preacher guy. the huge ass cross really freaked me out. i don't even think it was for a church.
for my bacon lovers...you know who you are. i passed one of the big names of bacon's bacon making plant! it was very exciting. i think it was bar-s? the one that comes in the red package. and the billboard before it said "BRING HOME THE BACON" aww yeah. i REALLY wish i had been able to take a pic. but again, i would have died trying to drive and pic, and couldn't frame the shot as i was speeding past. i really did try for this one. if there was an exit for it, i would have gone and tried to take a tour. or get a paper hat.
so actually, this drive was interesting. well. more interesting than previous drives.
i roll into Amarillo, and i see the monstrosity that is the massive steak steakhouse. its like a casino. and its on my hotel room key. maybe i'll keep this one. and no. i didn't go and meet up with old dudes. i settled for pizza delivered to my room.
i do love how the city of Amarillo spells the name with a little pair of cowboy boots for the "L's" dammit. i do wish that i was able to get my awesome Dan Post boots with me. they are quite possibly the sweetest pair of shoes i own (wonderful gift from D) they rock so hard i feel that i may not be worthy of wearing them. well, thats not true, i got the Chip N Pepper jeans that i rock with them. aw yeah.
and what up with putting the ethernet plug behind the tv? my cord is long, but it doesn't reach all the way up to the back of the bed so i can lie in bed and soak up the internet. so i moved the couch from the wall to right in front of the tv and i'v been on it since about 6pm when i rolled in. the last hotel i stayed at rocked, b/c it had wireless. well, it didn't rock so much b/c it wasn't a suite like this one, but whatever. i had wireless and i laid in bed and got my internet on.
travel tip- find the longest ethernet cord they sell and take it. moving around a hotel couch isn't fun. and they don't vacuum underneath these bitches.
tomorrow? Albuquerqueueueueue new mexico! i fucking hate that city b/c the name just keeps going on and on and i don't really know or care to spell it right, and i was also stuck there for 6mos for my first IT assignment. they gave me the most fuuuuhhcked up account for my first assignment. and i was damn tired of hearing nothing but "red or green?" every time i ordered food. do i REALLY have to have chile sauce on my food? even if its just toast? i mean its good and all but on *everything* meh. oooh but i can't wait to get some sopapillas. i'm getting hungry. mabye ABQ won't be too bad after all.
ugh the next two legs of my drive are the tough ones. i need good luck to make it though.
but i'll leave later in the day so i'm not driving in crazy heat, and i get to sleep in. rahoo for 1pm checkout!
unfortunately, i do have a seatbelt tan across my chest. yeah. i know. its hot. all the boys will want to get with me b/c of the big white diagonal stripe across my chest.
downtown OKC was nice. i found a coffeeshop where i could get some food that wasn't junk fast food. theres lots of large corporate art in downtown OKC. its very clean.
at the Love's Truck stop where i stopped to pick up a travel pillow for Pixel, and some shopaholic series book on cd [it is very scary how much i relate to this dang shopaholic girl] i got stopped by some old guy and his buddy b/c he pet Pixel and made some small talk. the guy is a contractor and is eventually going to go to NOLA to help rebuild.
At the next Love's i stopped at to get gas, the old guy and his buddy stopped too. they were also going down to Amarillo, and invited me to have a steak dinner at some crazy steakhouse that gives you the steak free if you eat the huge one. like 96oz? whatever. all i couuld think of was that movie "the great outdoors" with john candy and some random cute boy actor i had a crush on and the only reason i watched it.
i was a little "um, i'm a vegitarian, so steak dinner is out, but thanks" while thinking of the bag of pork rinds i can't wait to break into in my car. but i'm not going to dinner with random truck stop old men. i mean, i still have to go pick up that charming hitchhiker outside of the indian reservation.
an aside: Love's Truck stops have good cheap gas, cheap cigs, and clean clean bathrooms, but they all have Subway's in them and they all fucking reek of the stank that is subway. its really gross. i hate that subway smell.
speaking of indian reservations. i saw a billboard for some car dealer or lawyer or some such vermin and the dude's last name was howe, and the billboard was his name all huge, and him standing infront of a huuuge statue of an indian with it's arm raised up. as in "how. me indian" wow. thats effed up.
just for my girl, the Noo - i TOTALLY passed a cornfield maze!! i saw the CORN MACABRE! i tried to take a phone cam pic, but i would have died trying to take a pic and drive.
then i came across something scary. a HUGE white cross rising up from some field. i mean HUGE. it made me think of that random steve martin movie where he was a hack preacher guy. the huge ass cross really freaked me out. i don't even think it was for a church.
for my bacon lovers...you know who you are. i passed one of the big names of bacon's bacon making plant! it was very exciting. i think it was bar-s? the one that comes in the red package. and the billboard before it said "BRING HOME THE BACON" aww yeah. i REALLY wish i had been able to take a pic. but again, i would have died trying to drive and pic, and couldn't frame the shot as i was speeding past. i really did try for this one. if there was an exit for it, i would have gone and tried to take a tour. or get a paper hat.
so actually, this drive was interesting. well. more interesting than previous drives.
i roll into Amarillo, and i see the monstrosity that is the massive steak steakhouse. its like a casino. and its on my hotel room key. maybe i'll keep this one. and no. i didn't go and meet up with old dudes. i settled for pizza delivered to my room.
i do love how the city of Amarillo spells the name with a little pair of cowboy boots for the "L's" dammit. i do wish that i was able to get my awesome Dan Post boots with me. they are quite possibly the sweetest pair of shoes i own (wonderful gift from D) they rock so hard i feel that i may not be worthy of wearing them. well, thats not true, i got the Chip N Pepper jeans that i rock with them. aw yeah.
and what up with putting the ethernet plug behind the tv? my cord is long, but it doesn't reach all the way up to the back of the bed so i can lie in bed and soak up the internet. so i moved the couch from the wall to right in front of the tv and i'v been on it since about 6pm when i rolled in. the last hotel i stayed at rocked, b/c it had wireless. well, it didn't rock so much b/c it wasn't a suite like this one, but whatever. i had wireless and i laid in bed and got my internet on.
travel tip- find the longest ethernet cord they sell and take it. moving around a hotel couch isn't fun. and they don't vacuum underneath these bitches.
tomorrow? Albuquerqueueueueue new mexico! i fucking hate that city b/c the name just keeps going on and on and i don't really know or care to spell it right, and i was also stuck there for 6mos for my first IT assignment. they gave me the most fuuuuhhcked up account for my first assignment. and i was damn tired of hearing nothing but "red or green?" every time i ordered food. do i REALLY have to have chile sauce on my food? even if its just toast? i mean its good and all but on *everything* meh. oooh but i can't wait to get some sopapillas. i'm getting hungry. mabye ABQ won't be too bad after all.
ugh the next two legs of my drive are the tough ones. i need good luck to make it though.
but i'll leave later in the day so i'm not driving in crazy heat, and i get to sleep in. rahoo for 1pm checkout!
Friday, September 23, 2005
treading water
Anxiety sets in.
Still in Dallas, hurricanes seem to be following me, as there is a big hurricane coming at Texas. it's definitely not coming up here, but everyone is evacuating far in advance, due to the clusterfuck that was katrina in NOLA. so traffic is insane, even up here and the alarmist gas reports are making people crazy and gas stations are running out of gas.
it looks like i'll have to stay here till the hurricane is over with, and hopefully, people won't be evacuees up in oklahoma, b/c thats where i gotta go next, and it is right in the path of where it will end up, so i have to wait more, since i don't want to be driving in crazy thunderstorms.
today, i woke up really afraid to drive through the desert. i know that i've fixed just about every major thing on my car, but i just am gripped with fear of breaking down in the desert. i can't stop though. i have to go on and whatever happens, i'll make it work. i've done it so far, and i can do it again. i'm not taking the huge drive on I-10, i'm going I-40 up through OK, NM and AZ. and each jog is about 6 hours each. so its not so bad, but there is one stretch of hwy between Amarillo, TX and NM that even on my triptik says "no gas or services for 165 miles" WHY THE FUCK NOT!?! argh.
i think today the anxiety of this enormous situation is finally getting to me. feeling nomadic, and non-centered. its not a great feeling.
my funds are beginning to run a little low, due to the car repairs, and i've got to get to working and get established in california. Can't someone just teleport me out there?
Still in Dallas, hurricanes seem to be following me, as there is a big hurricane coming at Texas. it's definitely not coming up here, but everyone is evacuating far in advance, due to the clusterfuck that was katrina in NOLA. so traffic is insane, even up here and the alarmist gas reports are making people crazy and gas stations are running out of gas.
it looks like i'll have to stay here till the hurricane is over with, and hopefully, people won't be evacuees up in oklahoma, b/c thats where i gotta go next, and it is right in the path of where it will end up, so i have to wait more, since i don't want to be driving in crazy thunderstorms.
today, i woke up really afraid to drive through the desert. i know that i've fixed just about every major thing on my car, but i just am gripped with fear of breaking down in the desert. i can't stop though. i have to go on and whatever happens, i'll make it work. i've done it so far, and i can do it again. i'm not taking the huge drive on I-10, i'm going I-40 up through OK, NM and AZ. and each jog is about 6 hours each. so its not so bad, but there is one stretch of hwy between Amarillo, TX and NM that even on my triptik says "no gas or services for 165 miles" WHY THE FUCK NOT!?! argh.
i think today the anxiety of this enormous situation is finally getting to me. feeling nomadic, and non-centered. its not a great feeling.
my funds are beginning to run a little low, due to the car repairs, and i've got to get to working and get established in california. Can't someone just teleport me out there?
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Last Days in Auburn
So i never really got to talk about my last day in Auburn...it was really quite sad. i had been there for 3 weeks, managed the store, made great friends, and had a little life goin on.
it was the 3rd and last Game Day (war eagle!) and i had been there for all of them with everyone. i was scheduled to leave sometime during the game to avoid post game traffic. i HAD to stay a little bit, for the big nachos and beer at Buffalo's. it was our tradition now. it was a boring game, but everyone came out, and we took pics and when i realized, oh shit, i have to go! it got all sad. i realized how much i got into being there. i felt really sad to say goodbye to these peeps.
the girls said not to come back all skinnay from california, i said that i'm comin back botoxed out and big fake tits...
they also said that i could always come back and just get right back into working if i wanted to. that was awesome.
it was really sad to say bye to everyone.
it was the 3rd and last Game Day (war eagle!) and i had been there for all of them with everyone. i was scheduled to leave sometime during the game to avoid post game traffic. i HAD to stay a little bit, for the big nachos and beer at Buffalo's. it was our tradition now. it was a boring game, but everyone came out, and we took pics and when i realized, oh shit, i have to go! it got all sad. i realized how much i got into being there. i felt really sad to say goodbye to these peeps.
the girls said not to come back all skinnay from california, i said that i'm comin back botoxed out and big fake tits...
they also said that i could always come back and just get right back into working if i wanted to. that was awesome.
it was really sad to say bye to everyone.
the house after Katrina
So someone finally got back into NOLA and got a pic of the house. no awning, and roof damage. doesn't look like anyone broke in, and there's definitely no flooding. good, b.c that awning was kinda ugly, even though it was necessary, as it was hot as ass w/o it, and i need a new roof anyway and was stressing about having to get on the pole to make the money to pay for it.
so, good. claim claim claim.
i hope i can sell the bitch soon so it will be out of my hair and i can get on with my life.
so, good. claim claim claim.
i hope i can sell the bitch soon so it will be out of my hair and i can get on with my life.
sign your name..across my heart
one thing, y'all, if you comment anonymously, let me know who you are so i can reply to you personally!
Car Wars
Ok. So i try to get a early start out of Memphis, b/c i plan to drive straight to Dallas today. I get up, rig up my fan to my battery and head out. i knew i should have done some test drives around the block first. my temp was still sky high. i run into a few gas stations to check my water and stuff like that, and i realize...hm. i'm not in the best neighborhood. both gas stations i went to were all barred up around the cashier. and when i used my card to get gas at the pump, why did it ask for my zip code instead of my pin number? totally wierd. and why does NO gas station have bottled Frappachino!!!!? suck.
Somehow, i get on the road. totally later than i wanted to. temp running mid high, no windows open, no a/c running. I talk to D, and he's telling me to put the heat on, so that it takes away the hot air from the engine to help keep my temp cool. thank goodness i got an early start, it wasn't as ass hot as it could have been. i'm worried about the car, so i make it to Hazen, Arkansas and pull into a gas station and call AAA. i'm only getting a fucking busy signal on D's phone. I run into the gas station and ask the guy what the address was, and he's all, "need a tow? my guy Rick is right down the street...he's AAA too" so awesome. he gives him a call, and just so happens, a few minutes later, Rick himself walks in. I 'splain about the car, it needs to be looked at, running hot, etc. and b/c we gotta go thru AAA, i have to call AAA back and get the paperwork done. the guy that had called Rick turned out to be the owner of the gas station, and he was really really nice. Hollis. Hollis in Hazen, AR. thanks dude, if i hadn't come into your gas station, who knows how freakin long i would have been sitting waiting for a tow.
So we get the car to Rick's auto shop, and turns out that my radiator was almost empty of water, and thats it. I had been refilling the other tank, not the radiator itself. sheesh. ok. so i head on back out. Rick and Hollis were very nice, and i'm feeling lucky, or that maybe someone's really watchin out for me on this trip. b/c i had pulled into another gas station on the opposite side of the Hwy, but decided to cross and stop at that certain gas station for some reason.
I pass through, or rather, around Little Rock, it looks like a nice town. i have an old co-woker from my IT days that is in LR, who i would have loved to see, but i know she's out of town on b'ness. and there's an old co-worker from NOLA WF that i would have liked to see, but he already moved too. So i speed on through.
I get SO BORED in the middle of the day. the drive to Texarkana is SO BOOOORING. bored. bored bored. i've run through all the Sirius radio stations, and even put in my Harry Potter book on cd, and i was STILL BORED. i thought i was gonna die, and its still so early in this trip. i shouldn't be tired of driving noow. but somehow i get through it and make it to Dallas. FINALLY. I roll into town, and i finally get to meet up with the Noo and Janet. i can't say how freaking cool it is to meet these bitches. Mary greets me with beer (mmm Beck's light.) and Vodka. then we go out to meet Janet and have mexxican food and margs. mmm margaritas. i have to say, my drinking has vastly improved in my time in Auburn.
Pixel and Dusty, Mary's dog are totally best friends. they run around and around and around with each other. its so awesome. Pixel is so happy to be able to run and play with another dog after being cooped up in a car for two days straight. She didn't have any other pup friends in Auburn either, so she's having the best time playing with dusty. sheesh. its 12.30pm, and they have been at it since 6am, and they are finally ready for a nap. Pixel really does antagonize Dusty though. she's such a brat.
of course there's car issues. my poor ride. we drop off the car at the car place here in Dallas, and come to find out, my radiator is leaking, and it needs to be replaced. woo. i guess that would 'splain why it was practically empty in Hazen. i mean, when is a radiator ever empty?
unless it leaks. and i just got it flushed too, in Auburn when i had the whole thing tuned up and stuff. whatever. better i find out that ish now than in the effing middle of the desert. i would actually die. die, if that happened. so i'm chillin here with the pups and satellite tv. its a nice break from driving.
a bizarre thing happened last night: when i closed my eyes to go to sleep, it was as if i was back in my car. i saw huge semi trucks passing in my periphery and then zooming ahead of me. it was *exactly* as if i was back in my car. totally wierd. how do people drive for 14 hours at a time? 10, and i'm seeing trucks behind my eyelids already.
i figure i'll chill here in Dallas for a bit, and when i sober up, i'll head out to Oklahoma City, and get on with the rest of my trip.
Somehow, i get on the road. totally later than i wanted to. temp running mid high, no windows open, no a/c running. I talk to D, and he's telling me to put the heat on, so that it takes away the hot air from the engine to help keep my temp cool. thank goodness i got an early start, it wasn't as ass hot as it could have been. i'm worried about the car, so i make it to Hazen, Arkansas and pull into a gas station and call AAA. i'm only getting a fucking busy signal on D's phone. I run into the gas station and ask the guy what the address was, and he's all, "need a tow? my guy Rick is right down the street...he's AAA too" so awesome. he gives him a call, and just so happens, a few minutes later, Rick himself walks in. I 'splain about the car, it needs to be looked at, running hot, etc. and b/c we gotta go thru AAA, i have to call AAA back and get the paperwork done. the guy that had called Rick turned out to be the owner of the gas station, and he was really really nice. Hollis. Hollis in Hazen, AR. thanks dude, if i hadn't come into your gas station, who knows how freakin long i would have been sitting waiting for a tow.
So we get the car to Rick's auto shop, and turns out that my radiator was almost empty of water, and thats it. I had been refilling the other tank, not the radiator itself. sheesh. ok. so i head on back out. Rick and Hollis were very nice, and i'm feeling lucky, or that maybe someone's really watchin out for me on this trip. b/c i had pulled into another gas station on the opposite side of the Hwy, but decided to cross and stop at that certain gas station for some reason.
I pass through, or rather, around Little Rock, it looks like a nice town. i have an old co-woker from my IT days that is in LR, who i would have loved to see, but i know she's out of town on b'ness. and there's an old co-worker from NOLA WF that i would have liked to see, but he already moved too. So i speed on through.
I get SO BORED in the middle of the day. the drive to Texarkana is SO BOOOORING. bored. bored bored. i've run through all the Sirius radio stations, and even put in my Harry Potter book on cd, and i was STILL BORED. i thought i was gonna die, and its still so early in this trip. i shouldn't be tired of driving noow. but somehow i get through it and make it to Dallas. FINALLY. I roll into town, and i finally get to meet up with the Noo and Janet. i can't say how freaking cool it is to meet these bitches. Mary greets me with beer (mmm Beck's light.) and Vodka. then we go out to meet Janet and have mexxican food and margs. mmm margaritas. i have to say, my drinking has vastly improved in my time in Auburn.
Pixel and Dusty, Mary's dog are totally best friends. they run around and around and around with each other. its so awesome. Pixel is so happy to be able to run and play with another dog after being cooped up in a car for two days straight. She didn't have any other pup friends in Auburn either, so she's having the best time playing with dusty. sheesh. its 12.30pm, and they have been at it since 6am, and they are finally ready for a nap. Pixel really does antagonize Dusty though. she's such a brat.
of course there's car issues. my poor ride. we drop off the car at the car place here in Dallas, and come to find out, my radiator is leaking, and it needs to be replaced. woo. i guess that would 'splain why it was practically empty in Hazen. i mean, when is a radiator ever empty?
unless it leaks. and i just got it flushed too, in Auburn when i had the whole thing tuned up and stuff. whatever. better i find out that ish now than in the effing middle of the desert. i would actually die. die, if that happened. so i'm chillin here with the pups and satellite tv. its a nice break from driving.
a bizarre thing happened last night: when i closed my eyes to go to sleep, it was as if i was back in my car. i saw huge semi trucks passing in my periphery and then zooming ahead of me. it was *exactly* as if i was back in my car. totally wierd. how do people drive for 14 hours at a time? 10, and i'm seeing trucks behind my eyelids already.
i figure i'll chill here in Dallas for a bit, and when i sober up, i'll head out to Oklahoma City, and get on with the rest of my trip.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Road doggin it
omg. i can't even get out of alabama without a road crisis.
Firstly, i somehow, i couldn't even get out of Birmingham. i have my AAA triptik all laid out, i thought i went over it and understood it, but somehow i missed the exit to go to memphis. i remember diggin in my McD's bag for that last mcnugget, and seeing a roadsign for "jrewkfjewoijr" MEMPHIS flash by, but fuck if i didn't catch what exit to take. i thought there SURELY must be another sign coming up to remind me to get the heck off, but no. 40 minutes later, i'm on my way to fucking Huntsville, AL. so i turn around and go BACK to B'ham, get my bearings and get on 78 West.
i think i'm doing well, that i'm on my way, that i'm gonna get me some good BBQ when i hit Memphis.
no.
i look at my temp, and its freaking almost up to the redline. granted, it IS 90 degrees out (why the FUCK is it still so freaking ass hot in alabama? it's the END of sept!! i thought they had seasons here!) so foock. foock foock. what to do. i try to call D, but i see something on my phone that i haven't seen in a long time. NO SERVICE. yes. i officially am in nowhere, somewhere between Mississippi and Alabama. So, here i am, my little car is about to overheat in 90 degree weather. i pull up to a gas station and there's a garage behind it. but when i talk to the dudes back there, they say that they only work on four-wheelers. dang, i SO am in rurual alabama. so they point me to a little tow truck / garage place down the street and i go in and ask if someone can look at my car. its freaking 4pm, i know if i need a part, they won't have it, and what the hell am i gonna do. whatever. i'll figure it out. i just can't freak out right now.
so the mechanic guy drives it around, and he comes back and says that my fan isn't working, and they don't have the parts to fix it. [i realllly try not to freak out right now. i think about turning around and going back to Auburn, fleetingly]
a little while later, he comes in, and tells me whats going on, and my eyes actually start to water a little bit. but then he says that he fixed it for now, that it's a sensor, and not like the fan is busted. he just doesn't have the means to fix that. He walks me out, and shows me that he rigged my battery to my fan so that it's just always on. and that all i have to do is unplug the wire from the battery when i turn the car off, so that i don't drain the battery. ok. that will get me to memphis.awesome.
the awesomer part is, that he ended up being the nicest guy about it all. he apologized for not having the means to really fix my car, but he definitely did what he could do. he didn't treat me like a stupid girl, he straight up explained what he did to the car and what i need to do with it. he knew i was from NOLA, asked how i was doing, if i lost anything and how my family was, where i was going and what i was gonna do...then he wished me the best of luck, didn't charge me, and gave me a HUG. and it was really sincere, not wierd or creepy. how awesome, this weathered, southern mechanic really showed concern and well wishes for me. so, Don, in Guin, or Winnfield (i was in one of the two places, and incedentally, inbetween Guin and Winnfield, there is a place called Gu-Win. yup) at the auto shop. thank you kindly, i'll never forget it.
so, if you want an idea of where i was, here's the google map link
So i eventually made it to memphis, too late for me to get any BBQ, but i'll be rollin out tomorrow to go directly to Dallas. there, i'll get the car fixed and it will give me more time to party with my girls there.
Getting thru this first little crisis has just bolstered my confidence in being able to get through this road trip. i can handle my shit. i won't freak out. i'll hold it down and get through it.
till next time. hopefully in Dallas. Unscathed.
xo y'all!!
Firstly, i somehow, i couldn't even get out of Birmingham. i have my AAA triptik all laid out, i thought i went over it and understood it, but somehow i missed the exit to go to memphis. i remember diggin in my McD's bag for that last mcnugget, and seeing a roadsign for "jrewkfjewoijr" MEMPHIS flash by, but fuck if i didn't catch what exit to take. i thought there SURELY must be another sign coming up to remind me to get the heck off, but no. 40 minutes later, i'm on my way to fucking Huntsville, AL. so i turn around and go BACK to B'ham, get my bearings and get on 78 West.
i think i'm doing well, that i'm on my way, that i'm gonna get me some good BBQ when i hit Memphis.
no.
i look at my temp, and its freaking almost up to the redline. granted, it IS 90 degrees out (why the FUCK is it still so freaking ass hot in alabama? it's the END of sept!! i thought they had seasons here!) so foock. foock foock. what to do. i try to call D, but i see something on my phone that i haven't seen in a long time. NO SERVICE. yes. i officially am in nowhere, somewhere between Mississippi and Alabama. So, here i am, my little car is about to overheat in 90 degree weather. i pull up to a gas station and there's a garage behind it. but when i talk to the dudes back there, they say that they only work on four-wheelers. dang, i SO am in rurual alabama. so they point me to a little tow truck / garage place down the street and i go in and ask if someone can look at my car. its freaking 4pm, i know if i need a part, they won't have it, and what the hell am i gonna do. whatever. i'll figure it out. i just can't freak out right now.
so the mechanic guy drives it around, and he comes back and says that my fan isn't working, and they don't have the parts to fix it. [i realllly try not to freak out right now. i think about turning around and going back to Auburn, fleetingly]
a little while later, he comes in, and tells me whats going on, and my eyes actually start to water a little bit. but then he says that he fixed it for now, that it's a sensor, and not like the fan is busted. he just doesn't have the means to fix that. He walks me out, and shows me that he rigged my battery to my fan so that it's just always on. and that all i have to do is unplug the wire from the battery when i turn the car off, so that i don't drain the battery. ok. that will get me to memphis.awesome.
the awesomer part is, that he ended up being the nicest guy about it all. he apologized for not having the means to really fix my car, but he definitely did what he could do. he didn't treat me like a stupid girl, he straight up explained what he did to the car and what i need to do with it. he knew i was from NOLA, asked how i was doing, if i lost anything and how my family was, where i was going and what i was gonna do...then he wished me the best of luck, didn't charge me, and gave me a HUG. and it was really sincere, not wierd or creepy. how awesome, this weathered, southern mechanic really showed concern and well wishes for me. so, Don, in Guin, or Winnfield (i was in one of the two places, and incedentally, inbetween Guin and Winnfield, there is a place called Gu-Win. yup) at the auto shop. thank you kindly, i'll never forget it.
so, if you want an idea of where i was, here's the google map link
So i eventually made it to memphis, too late for me to get any BBQ, but i'll be rollin out tomorrow to go directly to Dallas. there, i'll get the car fixed and it will give me more time to party with my girls there.
Getting thru this first little crisis has just bolstered my confidence in being able to get through this road trip. i can handle my shit. i won't freak out. i'll hold it down and get through it.
till next time. hopefully in Dallas. Unscathed.
xo y'all!!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Saturday, January 15, 2005
The Booty Jeans Breakdown
So its the era of the high end jeans. Finally, gone are the days of the super high waisted, tapered, unflattering and uncomfortable jeans of the past. But with designer jeans come designer problems. They all seem to be made for one body type. The type with out the bootie.
With all the talk of Sevens jeans being so popular, us curvy girls seem to be left out..but no fear! We are not! i've done extensive research (read:shopping) to find really flattering jeans for the girls with the curves.
With all the talk of Sevens jeans being so popular, us curvy girls seem to be left out..but no fear! We are not! i've done extensive research (read:shopping) to find really flattering jeans for the girls with the curves.
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