Month of August, 2002

Hanging out in H-town

I'm talking about Harlem, not Houston.
After an exhausting day of running around lower Manhattan sightseeing and shopping, we're going to spend a relaxing night at Kevin's apartment. Danny, Kevin's roommate until Monday, is even going to let us play Grand Theft Auto 3! Sounds like a perfect night. Tomorrow we're going to the Cloisters, the Guggenheim, and possibly a show if we can fit it all in. My sisters are definitely trying to wear me out!

It's so awesome to be here spending time with Kevin. I miss out on all the day to day stuff when we're not together. I feel like we're catching up on the silly stuff while together. Kevin has been an absolute doll to have my sisters come up as well. He's the perfect host. I was really, really impressed with his cleaning and rearranging of the apartment. It's a good chance for Karen and Kristen to get to know Kevin and for them to understand why he's such an important part of my life. Now if he and I could just get a little alone time.

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New York, New York

I'm off to New York for the weekend to visit my amazing boyfriend. This time I'm bringing my sisters with me! Watch out, New York, here come the Lucci Sisters!

Great article on the mirror project.
- link via Elaine

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Quote of the Day

"They're playing your song! 'It's so hot in heeeeeere.'"
- Karen, in reference to the Nelly song on the radio

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Quote of the Day

"I'm saving the world from froggy nuclear annihilation."
- Josh

What a Day

Man, today has been a killer. Ever since I came back from lunch I've been slammed. I am now catching my breath and plan on researching some of the tougher issues. I never should have come back from lunch. Note to self - Thursdays are good days to skip. Looking ahead to tomorrow since I'll be going to NYC to see Kevin. I haven't packed yet but it shouldn't take too long. I'm not stressing about it like some people. Did laundry late last night so at least I'll have clean clothes. Having dinner with Matt after work...only an hour and a half.

Handwritten Letter
My parents stopped by last night with some mail for me. (For some reason every time I try to get my mail forwarded from their house, nothing happens...I think the post office just wants to pretend I still live with Mom and Dad like a good little girl.) This time the mail consisted of a hand addressed envelope. Don't get too many of those these days. It was from one of my students when I was teaching high school. Katharine was a senior at the time and is currently starting her junior year at Texas A&M. My how time flies. It was really awesome to hear from her, and I'm looking forward to getting to know her outside of a teacher/student situation. Before bed last night, I sat down and wrote her back. It was neat to summarize the past two years and know how lucky I am to be where I'm at. My life is wonderful and I'm so very blessed.

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Pyramids & Tombs

If you find the pyramids and tombs as fascinating as I do, check out this site.
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
- link via Keith

Speaker Phone

I love it when a customer has to put me on speaker phone because they can't type and hold the phone at the same time. Mostly they can't look at the keyboard to hunt for keys and hold the phone at the same time.

*Update - this customer kept me on the phone for 100 minutes and 45 seconds. It was painful but I learned something interesting...the minute counter on my phone can't handle triple digits. It rolled over after 99 minutes.

Pictures from Wednesday's Happy Hour

Pictures from Wednesday's happy hour are finally up!
DFW Blogs Happy Hour - 1 year anniversary

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My cube

Just in case you were wondering what it looks like, this is where I sit for 8 hours a day.

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End of Day

I love this time at work. I've got about 15 more minutes here as I wrap everything up. This is the best time of the day for me because I start thinking about what I'm going to do when I get home. Tonight I'm leaning towards doing some shopping on the way home. Thinking about getting someone special a little something if I can find the little something I want. Hmm, WHO could I be talking about? I also have to go by the ATM to deposit checks and probably get cash for the trip while I'm there. I need to balance my checkbook but I probably won't get to it tonight. I'd much rather work on some photos I took the past few days. I'm in the mood to work on photos. That's definitely what I'm going to do when I get home. So exciting just to think about it. This is a great time of the day...I've got so much ahead of me!

Online Defensive Driving

This was certainly the most interesting forwarding page I've seen in awhile. Nice that they make it sound like they changed names to make everyone happy. If only the world really worked like that.

Oh, and I didn't get a ticket (at least not recently). I'm taking defensive driving to lower my insurance rates.

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Don't forget September 22nd!!

After a good conversation with Jason about graduate school, I'm feeling much better about the whole thing. So I finally made my appointment for the GMAT - Sunday, September 22nd. Don't let me forget! My worst nightmare when I was younger was missing tests...and this one is really, really important (unlike the spelling tests I'd give myself ulcers over)!

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My breakfast could be in a commerical

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Saturday's Quote of the Day

while at Dick's Last Resort
Waiter: Is everybody doing ok?
Erica: Fine, other than having a dick on my head.

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What is it I'm supposed to learn?

I've had some really interesting conversations with friends the last few days. So much of the talk seems to turn to work. We're all so wrapped up in our jobs. I guess it makes sense when we do it for 8+ hours a day. Makes me wonder what I'm supposed to learn from the experiences of others. I know there's a big lesson here just waiting for me to grasp it. But I'm not quit there yet - still too self-centered. Need to let go of my pinhole perspective and start looking at the big picture. I have such a beautiful life and so much freedom. The really important part is to remember it's all a journey and there's really no destination. Learning from other people's journeys can only make mine a little bit sweeter.

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Texas Weather

As I drove to work this morning, the sky was very ominous. There was one section of clouds that looked like good and evil colliding. One side was very light and the other very dark. The clouds were mixing up together in a huge column. It reminded me of a tornado but I wasn't worried. Wrong season for tornadoes. But I couldn't quit looking at it. If I didn't have to be at work, I would have just stopped and watched the clouds. It was beautiful. As I drove towards the evil side, the rain started. Then before I could blink, the hail came. It's very weird to have pieces of ice (pea to marble-size) coming from the sky in August. Then at lunch today it was over 90 degrees. Only in Texas.

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I have a stalker.

My stalker wrote

Twas the night of darkness
and all through the house
not a creature was staring
not even a mouse

except for the little stalker
that sat quitely in the corner
watching your every move
as long as the night would allow.

you've been stalked!

Reason #946 Why my Boyfriend is Better Than Most Men*

He doesn't play fantasy football.

* this doesn't include my father because no man is better than him

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Questioning the Big Decision

So I've decided to go to grad school. The decision was made awhile back but life has gotten in the way. So I put aside this afternoon to get started on the application. Bleh. I hate applications. I hate resumes. I hate anything that involves defining myself on a piece of paper. (Well, except for this blog but it's not paper, is it.)

In the midst of trying to avoid all this writing, I'm questioning my decision. Should I really go? I know it can only be good for me but what if I hate it? This really shouldn't be a big deal because I'm pretty good at finding the good in anything. And I love being in school and learning so at least I'll have that. But what if I don't get accepted? This is the part that really scares me. I don't know if I can handle that kind of rejection. I know I'm worrying about this in the wrong order. I should first worry about getting the application completed. Then I should worry about being accepted. But most realistically I shouldn't worry about it at all. Just do my best and let fate handle the rest.

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I have the best boyfriend imaginable

Last night Kevin and I went on a date. Sure we're hundreds of miles apart, but that doesn't mean we can't have a great Friday night together. We both went and saw Blue Crush at the movies and when we got home, we were able to talk about it on the phone. Almost exactly how it is in person...except that I didn't get to drink all of Kevin's coke. And there was no hand holding throughout this movie.

Then this afternoon, while I was taking Tiger to the vet (no injuries, just his annual checkup), a box arrived. A bouquet of very beautiful tulips. Wow, thank you, honey!!

It's so wonderful that this time next week I'll be in New York with him. I am so very, very lucky.

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Quitting

My little sister, Kristen, is quitting smoking. She's been doing great and hasn't touched one in weeks. This morning she told me that she's been dreaming about smoking since she quit. Wow, creepy.

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DFW Blogs happy hour

DFW Blogs happy hour was a great time last night. Ruaraidh's pictures are great.

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Calgon take me away!!! Today

Calgon take me away!!!
Today work was horrible. I just want to cry, but I've kinda been feeling like that all day. Some strange emotional state I'm in. Work is only making it worse. I woke up this morning and missed Kevin so much I wanted to get back in bed and cry myself back to sleep. Of course the logical side of me knew it was just a hormonal change so I got up and came to work. Should have stayed in bed. We just got plowed at work today. I can't even begin to think of all the work I have waiting for me when I get here tomorrow. I do not get paid enough for this. But worse than that, my customers don't pay what they pay for the lack of service they got today.

At least I'm off and have a few hours to enjoy myself. Dinner with a coworker tonight. Hope we don't talk too much about work.

Eating breakfast in front of

Eating breakfast in front of the computer
I usually eat breakfast here but today it seems strange. Why can't I stay away from this box? TV doesn't hold my attention like the computer. Hours can go by and I hardly notice. Too bad I don't have hours this morning...I have to be at work at some point.

Speaking of work, it's horrible right now. I've got a billion and one things to do and can't seem to scratch the surface. It's all really tough, confusing stuff. I guess it'll mean I'm going to learn something and grow through it but only if I can live through it. I want to play hookey just so I don't have to deal with these customers. Too bad they'll still be there when I get back. Better to just go and deal with as much as possible. Today I'm going to pester everyone to help me so I can get through this.

Last night was Paul and Jill's last night in Texas. They're flying back to Liverpool, England today. *Side note: I just learned that Liverpool has produced more number one pop hits than any other city in the world.* So to wrap up their trip, the whole family had dinner. It's sad to see them go but it's been such a wonderful visit. And it's good to know that someday we'll see them again. The picture above is of Paul, Grandma, Karen, Dad, and Mom in the doorway watching the dogs perform tricks. Seeing everyone watching was more entertaining than the dogs, so I took a picture.

I haven't been getting enough sleep recently. I'm so tired every night. Poor Kevin has to put up with me falling asleep on the phone night after night. I want to stay up and talk but I just can't. It's very frustrating. It seems that I've made my schedule so full that I won't be able to catch up on sleep until Friday. Hmm, that's really not good. Since tonight is DFW Blogs happy hour, I don't think I'll be catching up on my sleep tonight. This will be the 1 year anniversary of DFW Blogs happy hours. WOW. It's amazing to think how different my life is now a whole year later. I'm far happier and so much of it is the friendships I've made through this group and blogging. So tonight I'm going to be taking lots of pictures...be prepared!

Art
Seeing Robin and Ed this weekend made me think a lot more about making art. I think I'm going to make some electronic pieces (since I love the computer so much and can't seem to get away from it). As I was looking through my jewelry drawer today and through some conversations I've had recently, I've realized that I have a lot of crap I don't need and really shouldn't keep. So maybe an electronic art piece detailing all the crap I've got and the process of getting rid of it. Simplifying one's life is good.

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Pictures from the weekend

Pictures from the weekend trip to Lubbock and Amarillo.

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Sometimes I can't believe my

Sometimes I can't believe my eyes
Guns that look like cell phones.
Stun gun cell phone.
- Thanks, Phil, for the links, I think.

I love this dress.

I love this dress.

Back I'm back from a

Back
I'm back from a fabulous weekend it West Texas. Yehaw!

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One more hour. I only

One more hour.
I only have to survive one more hour here. It's been a hell of a week at work. Tuesday was my one year anniversary here and I think someone decided I needed a dose of humility. I have had more really-tough, I-have-no-idea type questions in the past 4 days than I've had in at least the past 4 weeks. When it rains, it pours. I'm very exhausted and feeling very stupid. I just want this week to end.

Luckily, as soon as I walk out of here I'll have 2 full days all to myself. And believe me, I plan on not thinking about work...at all.

DFW Blogs Anniversary
This weekend is the big DFWBlogs anniversary party on the lake. Very sadly, I won't be able to make it and celebrate one of the coolest groups of people I have ever experienced in one place at the same time. Instead of being in Dallas, I'll be in West Texas. My family decided to take my parents' British friends to Lubbock, Canyon, and Amarillo for the weekend. As I attended college in Lubbock, it's pretty darn exciting to go back. It'll be a quick trip but I'm really excited about the picture taking opportunities. When I lived there for college, taking pictures of the town just didn't seem very important. Now I'm kicking myself for not documenting better. Speaking of pictures, I hope someone takes lots of them at the lake!!

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Buzzword Cereal

Buzzword Cereal

Going Home I'm so excited.

Going Home
I'm so excited. We're going to West Texas this weekend as a family. My parents' friends, Paul and Jill, are still in the country from England. We're showing them as much of Texas as possible and decided a trip to the west side is only appropriate. I'm thrilled to be going back "home" to Lubbock. It's been a year and a half since my last visit. In preparing for the trip I thought about who I would want to see while there. Time is extremely limited as this is a family trip. I just had to contact my old friend and professor. I sent email yesterday as I couldn't find her phone number. I wondered if she would get it in time. I was so pleased to get up this morning and see email from her. And to learn we can get together Saturday. There's nothing like going home and seeing good friends.

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Back it Up Darn good

Back it Up
Darn good advice. The thought of losing all my photos at this point is completely earth shattering and I've only gone solely digital since March. Now if I can just find the time to back it all up. Anyone proficient in Windows 2000 need a little extra cash?

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One Year

Today is my one year anniversary at this job. Wow, I can't believe it's been so long. I can't believe how different my life is now. Good stuff. I'm very lucky to be where I am and very happy that life keeps on changing. I had no idea when I got this job a year ago how good it would be for me. I've learned so much and really enjoy what I do. Plus I work with a group of great people. I couldn't ask for more.

You know you're in Texas when...
Last night as I was leaving work, my coworker and I both commented on how pleasant the weather was. It felt cool and there was a nice breeze blowing. On the radio later, I heard that it was actually 91 degrees outside.

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Monday is almost over It's

Monday is almost over
It's 6pm on Monday and I have a hour to go. Some days it sucks to work late. But I have to remember that I got up at 7am (which is fairly late if all things were considered) and walked the dog, went to the gym, and had breakfast all before getting to work. When I think about my morning, I have nothing to complain about. Really, I have nothing to complain about right now other than I want to go home and out of these work clothes.

Saturday
Got up earlier than I wanted to take Grandma to the hairdresser. It was overcast but I really didn't think it was going to rain. By the time I picked her back up from the salon, it started to pour. Big, big drops of rain. It was really rather beautiful. And luckily it continued raining for a good part of the rest of the day. Hung out at the house most of the day. It was good to just stay indoors and geek out. Eventually I got antsy and Justin was good enough to go to the movies with me. We saw Spy Kids 2, which is a really fun, fantasy-filled movie. Now I want to read the book Robert Rodriquez wrote _Rebel without a Crew_. Justin said it's like a journal and we all know how much I like reading journals! After the movie, we grabbed some dinner at Razoos where I almost burned my stomach up on awesome stuffed jalepenos. They were so hot, but I couldn't quit eating them! As we were walking in downtown Fort Worth we walked past a truck. Just had to get a picture.

Spent the rest of Saturday in front of the computer and on the phone with Kevin. It was a pretty good Saturday.

Sunday
I woke up around 7:30am to let Tiger out. Then I crawled back in bed. When I finally woke up, it was almost 11. As promised, I rolled over and called Kevin. He was still in bed so we spent the first few hours of our day lying in bed together (together in spirit - the only way to be when you live 1397 miles apart). Then I walked Tiger and worked out. Came home to Kristen vacuuming her car. She was awesome and vacuumed mine too! Wow, I have the best sisters! Later that afternoon, she went to Target with me where I bought a tent and a couple sleeping bags for an upcoming camping trip with Kevin. Hopefully I can convince the sisters to go camping before that to test out the gear. Later that evening, Phillip and I went for a swim at my parents' house. The pool was a bit dirty after the rain but it was the perfect temperature. Then I came home to pay some bills before heading to bed. I got to enjoy my new pillows (oh yeah, I bought pillows at Target too) while talking to Kevin until I was about to fall asleep.

We had Roger's 33rd Birthday

We had Roger's 33rd Birthday party last night. (Sorry, Roger, I just had to announce how old you are!) I think everyone had tons of fun. Karen cooked a great spaghetti dinner for everyone. And Connie brought the birthday cake. We all hung out and even played some board games. It was a really great night around the Lucci House. Pictures are up...be sure to check out the cake!

Today it's a grey and rainy day. I'm not really complaining though. It's nice to have days like this occasionally. If only Kevin were here to take a nap with.

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Martha Stewart'sWay Versus The Real

Martha Stewart'sWay Versus The Real Woman's Way
Martha's Way: Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

The Real Women's Way: Take a lime, cut it in quarters and rub it on the rim of a tall glass. Put lime in glass, fill with gin and tonic water and sip until the throbbing goes away (repeat as required).

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Went to Billy Bob's

Went to Billy Bob's last night with my parents and some of their friends. Specifically their friends, Jill and Paul, from Liverpool, England. More pictures.

Quote of the Day "Wow,

Quote of the Day
"Wow, that would be intense. Lucci saturation."
- Cameron, upon hearing that the 3 Lucci sisters will be in NYC for Labor Day

Note to self, check out

Note to self, check out chillcam software. Per Justin. refresh meta tag

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Vegas/Defcon pictures are up.

Vegas/Defcon pictures are up. Be warned there's a lot and no captions yet.

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Vegas

As I wait for the clock to strike nine and my cell phone minutes to become free, I figure a little writing about the weekend is in order. I'm overdue.

Thursday morning I flew out to Vegas. Kevin left earlier than I did but was to arrive later. Sucks to live on one side of the country and try to get to the other. At least he didn't have to walk. In the airport, I checked out all the people waiting at the gate. Lots and lots of people. One group of guys interested me as they looked like Defcon types. Sometimes you can just tell. So as everyone was boarding, I struck up a conversation with Dustin. (Very impressive resume, by the way.) The flight was uneventful. I sat next to a woman with horribly long hair. Have I mentioned how much long hair grosses me out? Just does. She ended our flight by combing her hair in the seat next to me. I wanted to run away screaming. Instead I help my breath and sat quietly.

In Vegas I wandered around the airport waiting for Kevin's flight. Watched an Asian couple win hundreds of quarters out of a slot machine. I didn't think anyone won in the airport. Kevin's flight arrived early which was a pleasant surprise. Then we picked up the rental car which ended up being a PT Cruiser. After we got over our initial confusion about direction (which way is north again?), we drove out to Hoover Dam. Quite the amazing architectural accomplishment. Now I need to find a documentary on the history channel to answer all my questions about it. I really enjoyed rubbing the toes of the winged figures for "good luck." Which I believe did bring us a bit.

It was a hot day, as one expects in the desert in August, but we still enjoyed seeing the dam. Then we drove out to Lake Mead. In a surprise bit of luck, we ended up on a beach. Found a changing room and went swimming or rather just soaked ourselves in the lake for a few hours. Make for a beautiful afternoon. On our drive back to Vegas, we actually experienced some rain. In the desert. In August. It took some convincing but finally Kevin realized why I thought it was such a special thing. I felt blessed.

In Vegas we found our hotel, the Barbary Coast, and checked in. What a great place Kevin picked out for us to stay in! It's small and in a great location. I really liked not having to walk a billion miles through the casino to get to my room, unlike my last trip where I stayed at the Mirage. After such a long day outside in the heat, we cleaned up and crashed for a nap. Didn't wake up until late, I have no idea what time it was. We had dinner at a diner in Stratosphere since we were too late to eat in the restaurant at the top. Then we drove to downtown and poked around there. Being pretty exhausted we went back to bed only a few hours later.

Friday
The first order of the day was returning the rental car. A fairly uneventful trip back to the airport. Then we ran around the strip for awhile having an awesome lunch at Rainforest Cafe in the MGM. Later that afternoon (or was it early evening?...time is hard to track in Vegas), we headed over to the Alexis Park where Defcon was being held. In the lobby, the infamous Deth Veggie, aka Luke, was waiting for us with our con passes. It's good to have friends. Only shortly after I got to meet his incredible girlfriend, Kerri, aka Phen. We wandered around the conference hotel for awhile just taking in the sights. Nothing like a whole bunch of hackers and wannabes running around. We attempted to sit in on one presentation but I was bored. Security isn't really my thing. The people were more fun to watch.

Friday night we hit the movie theater on the Strip preferring to get something for our money other than the "chance" to win more. We saw Signs which had me on the edge of my seat and grabbing Kevin's arm throughout. Good flick.

Saturday
Spent all day at Defcon though didn't hit too many sessions. I got to hang out and help sell cDc shirts and watch the crowds of people. It was highly entertaining watching people interact with Kevin. The excitement people had when they realized he was Grandmaster Ratte. Quite hilarious since I'm not really plugged into that scene and can't understand what a big deal it must have all been. The best part for me was hanging out with Kerri and hearing her stories. She and Luke have been together for a couple years and both have connections to the bbs/hacking scene. She was able to provide me with some good perspective and insider information. Plus she's a really wonderful woman and we got along perfectly.

Met lots of people all day but it wasn't like SXSW where everyone is passing out cards. Sometimes I got first names, sometimes I got handles, and sometimes I got affiliations. It's all so hard to keep up with. I did get a free t-shirt thanks to Kevin's rockstar status. I sat around a listened quite a bit interjecting when possible. In the afternoon I heard a speaker on lock picking which is a totally new topic for me. Interesting stuff. Kevin was off doing his own thing. When I did finally track him down he was getting photos taken and being interviewed at the same time. I snapped a couple pictures and walked off giggling.

Saturday night we had dinner at the Hard Rock Casino with an awesome group of people. Wish I had everyone's names/urls but I don't. Just enjoyed the conversation a lot. Kevin and I headed back to the room for a nap. Got up around midnight to head back to the conference room. As it was Saturday night we had a heck of a time finding a cab and finally decided to walk. It was such a pleasant evening I'm glad we did. There's nothing like nights in the desert. Hung out with a bunch of different people at the Alexis Park. I really enjoyed meeting Jason Scott of textfiles.com and hearing about his documentary on the old bbs days. I also spent a lot of time talking with Ross who has no rockstar hacking connection and is a lot like me. All good people.

Kevin and I wandered around awhile enjoying the gorgeous weather and watching everyone enjoy themselves. I hear this was a very mild Defcon compared to some. I was kinda glad nothing too crazy happened. We plopped down in the grass under a tree to talk and as I wondered what time it was as I saw Kevin's eyes practically close. Somehow it had quickly become 4am so we headed back to our room for a good nights sleep.

Sunday
We slept in late before packing up our stuff. Of course we had to grab the casino's $10.95 steak special before we left. It was surprisingly good. Then we hung out a little longer at Defcon making sure to say goodbye to Luke and Kerri. Had the chance to hear a very entertaining speech by Gobbles (what kind of handle is that?) before heading off to the airport. It sucks that Kevin and I get to spend the last of our time together sitting in an airport.

The weekend went way too fast but it was great. I'm really lucky that I have such a wonderful man in my life. And thankfully it'll be only 4 more weeks until I get to see him again.

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Check it out, I'm

Check it out, I'm a parent!

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Can someone tape this show for me?

TechTV is doing a special on Defcon tonight at 8pm. I'd really like to see it but apparently we don't have TechTV. Anyone who does??

*Update: Matt's grabbing it with TIVO for me. Thanks!!

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Back to the Grind Back

Back to the Grind
Back in Dallas after a super fabulous weekend in Vegas with Kevin. Lots to tell but there's too much work and not enough time.

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Happy 33rd Anniversary, Mom and Dad

I have the best parents ever. Well, you already knew that. But the great part is they're still in love with each other. A beatutiful, beautiful thing.

Vegas, Baby!
In just a few moments, I'll be leaving for Vegas. It's finally here! Later today I'll get to see Kevin, the Hoover Dam, the Strip, and who knows what kind of interesting people at Defcon! Very, very exciting. Off to catch a plane!