Month of November, 2002

Today is flying by and

Today is flying by and believe it or not, people ARE working today. (Because they're calling me.) Though I'm guessing it's about to get really quiet around here as many people have gone home early. Thank goodness for Thursday and Friday off.

After work I need to clean up the kitchen and buy groceries. If there's enough time, I'll grab a drink with Kristen and her friends before heading to the airport to pick up Kevin. His flight gets in pretty late so hopefully it won't be delayed. Plans for tomorrow include breakfast around the Lucci House before heading off to the original Lucci House for Thanksgiving lunch! Per usual, we'll hang out, watch TV, work on a puzzle, and eat too many snacks before a late lunch. Here's where I will add that my mother is the best cook in the whole wide world and I can hardly wait until tomorrow's meal!! Thursday evening will probably include a movie - Bond perhaps?

The rest of the weekend isn't planned out yet, but I don't mind. When Kevin's around the plan doesn't really matter. He'll be here in 7 hours!!

Today is flying by and believe it or not, people ARE working today. (Because they're calling me.) Though I'm guessing it's about to get really quiet around here as many people have gone home early. Thank goodness for Thursday and Friday off.

After work I need to clean up the kitchen and buy groceries. If there's enough time, I'll grab a drink with Kristen and her friends before heading to the airport to pick up Kevin. His flight gets in pretty late so hopefully it won't be delayed. Plans for tomorrow include breakfast around the Lucci House before heading off to the original Lucci House for Thanksgiving lunch! Per usual, we'll hang out, watch TV, work on a puzzle, and eat too many snacks before a late lunch. Here's where I will add that my mother is the best cook in the whole wide world and I can hardly wait until tomorrow's meal!! Thursday evening will probably include a movie - Bond perhaps?

The rest of the weekend isn't planned out yet, but I don't mind. When Kevin's around the plan doesn't really matter. He'll be here in 7 hours!!

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It's nice to wake up on a Wednesday and feel like it's Friday.

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Unexpected

An unexpected conference call interrupted lunch. Actually, lunch was just postponed until 4pm, which really makes it feel more like dinner. Drove thru Wendy's, and they got my order wrong. But this time I was pleased they got my order wrong. As I drove up, I saw a sign for their new bacon Swiss burger and was considering ordering it. Until I realized it was 3 bucks. So instead I ordered little 99 cent cheeseburger. It was a nice surprise to get the better burger instead. It also cheered me up as I was all wound up from the call. It's an issue that started months ago, but I thought was finally over. It's like a reoccurring nightmare. Apparently there's something to be learned here, and I have to keep revisiting it until it's learned.

Quote of the Day
"Mom, I don't wear a 44D!"
- A daughter in the lingerie section of Target

It's getting really cold outside - 43 degrees but it feels like 37! It's just as cold here as it is in NYC right now. Except they have chance of snow and we don't. (Thank goodness.) I just want to go home and crawl under the covers. Instead I think I'll go home and clean because Kevin arrives tomorrow!

My hair looks lopsided today

My hair is definitely looking lopsided today. I'm not quite sure why. Hmm, don't really care all that much though. I think I'll leave it like this and see if anyone else notices. It's probably not even noticeable. It's just me being crazy. Again.

Oh, and I'm not really as grouchy as I look in the picture. I'm just tired. And I don't want to go to work. Typical morning stuff.

Good things
• Dinner with Gary last night.
• Drinks with An Bei, Never, Christine, Vanessa, and Master V last night. (Dang, why didn't I get Vanessa's URL...this has GOT to be the first time that's happened.)
• Karen found my lost thumb ring. It was in the bottom of the sink below the stopper but not actually down the drain. Weird.
• Karen also did all of my laundry yesterday. Don't I have an awesome family?
• Kevin arrives tomorrow night. Assuming the weather in NY doesn't keep him there.
• Christmas decorations are going up at Lucci House already!
• It's a slow week at work because so many people are on vacation.
• Thursday and Friday are vacation days!

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Quote of the Day

"Luxury should be appreciated and respected when you can get it. But don't play yourself."
- Grandmaster Ratte at cDc

Weekend full of Aggies

It was a weekend full of Aggies and in this case that was a good thing. Friday night I went to Emerson and Karri's party in Fort Worth. (Sorry, no pictures, I didn't even think about it.) I met Emerson through Keith and Sarah, who were in town last weekend. They all went to Texas A&M - Keith and Emerson studying architecture. Emerson's roommate Karri, was a photo student at TCU. The just moved into a great house just a few blocks away from TCU and wanted to show it off. I met tons of really nice people and enjoyed seeing Emerson and Karri's art work. Since Emerson and Karri work together as well, plenty of their coworkers were at the party. Plenty of them were Aggies too. However, Deborah, another coworker is a Tech graduate so I didn't feel completely left out. I was shocked at home fun and friendly everyone was. This is by far the best party of strangers I have ever been to.

	On Saturday, I drove down to College Station to visit Katharine. When I taught high school a couple years ago, Katharine was one of my students. We've kept in touch over the years and she's now a junior at Texas A&M! I'm so, so very impressed!! We haven't seen each other in forever, so a trip seemed like the thing to do. It was a short visit but good all the same. We got to hang out, enjoy the beautiful weather, eat good food, and most importantly talk, talk, and talk.
Katharine lives with two roommates, Laura and Shelli, in some new apartments not far from campus. This complex was absolutely amazing. Check out their view from the porch! All I know is if I lived in a complex like this when I was in college, the last thing I would have done was actually go to school!! But these women seem pretty on top of things (Laura was studying when I first got there and Shelli when I was leaving) so apparently it works for them.
	Spending time with Katharine in a non-teacher/student way was really great. She's a wonderful person whom I'm very lucky to know. It was a really great weekend.

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Critical Mass

IMing in preparation for lunch date with Dan G., Karen, and Dad.
Karen says: I told Dan he'd be having lunch with the three of us.
Dan G says: Wow we are reaching cirtical Lucci mass.
Erica Lucci says: critical lucci mass rocks!
Dad says: I reached critical mass many years ago. That's why there's 3 lucci daughters.

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DFW Blogs Happy Hour

I had an absolute blast last night at Cosmos with DFW Bloggers. I'm so lucky to have such a neat group of friends and acquaintances. Plus, I got to meet some new people last night! The most exciting was meeting Seth and Larry who are from Lubbock and are acquaintances of Kevin's! It's such an amazingly small world when it all comes down to it. Six short degrees of separation.

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Happy Hour

Today has been a long boring day. Thank goodness I'm going to DFW Blogs happy hour tonight!!

Monumental

Sometimes monumental conversations keep you up late at night. But I wouldn't want it any other way.

Defensive Driving.com

I finally finished my defensive driving class. No, I didn't get a ticket. My insurance discount ran out, and I could really use the lower rates. Six hours of driving classes is a bit of a drag but a good reminder. It's amazing how many people die in car crashes every year. It's especially bad because much of this can be avoided if we all do our part by not drinking and driving, buckling up, not driving when sleepy, etc. Especially for those of us living in a state where we drive a lot and goodness knows, I drive a LOT!

One of my favorite sites as of late: http://thirteen.creepsville.com/

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Friday

Keith and Sarah came in town this weekend for a wedding. We got the pleasure to have them stay with us! Friday night we met a few of their friends out and had a few drinks. (Only after we satisfied Sarah's craving for Whataburger...they can't get it in Ohio.)

Sarah and Me	Kathy and Keith
Billy and Karen	Dustin and Deedra

Saturday
Saturday Keith and Sarah went to the wedding they came down for. Karen and I hit the gym, walked the dogs, and took a nap! Saturday night Tina was awesome to have us all over. A fabulous pot luck dinner was made by everyone! It was a perfect evening to just sit and relax. I needed a night to sit around the kitchen and just talk with good friends.

Sunday
Keith, Sarah, and I went to the Fort Worth's new Modern Art Museum. The building wasn't open yet but we really just wanted to appreciate the outside. It's gorgeous. Emerson, Michael, and Shannon, all friends of Keith and Sarah's from college, met us out there. We enjoyed an absolutely perfect afternoon outside followed by some Mexican food.

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Someone shouldn't watch scary movies

K: i think there is something in our attic
E: probably a squirrel
K: no, I KNOW it's that chick from the ring and she's going to get me *runs screaming from the house*
E: she lives in the TV, remember?
K: right now she's in our attic
K: i'm sure she's wiggling down the cords into my television hence all the noise

I love my sister.

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Should have paid attention in Algebra

I'm SOOOO fed up with this customer. He wants me to hold his hand while he does his work. I refuse to do math for him. I'm having to help him write formulas which involve BASIC algebra. You know, order of operations stuff...we're telling the software whether to divide or multiply first with parenthesis. All I know is he should have paid attention in high school because I lose my patience after I go over it 3 times!

Jumping?
It sounds like someone is jumping on the roof in our building. It's very rythmic and annoying. I wish they'd stop!! Boy, I'm grouchy today.

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Austin pictures from June

Austin pictures on June 7 through June 9, of this year. Went down for Kevin's birthday and some tubing on the Comal River.

Marathons

Thinking about marathons quite a bit the past few days. While in New York, I got to hear Amanda talk about her NYC marathon experience from the week prior. It boggles my mind that people run 26.2 miles all at one time. I can only imagine the amount of training they go through. Then on top of that, the pain one experiences during the actual race. Amanda said she couldn't even get out of bed the next day! It scares me and yet it's gripping at the same time. I'm not saying I want to run a marathon but the idea of being able to does interest me.

I've been feeling the need to set goals in my life. With the acceptance to grad school I have reached one very large goal. Now I'm thinking about setting a smaller, physical goal. It will be about achievement. Something to work towards. Something that will motivate me to push my body and stretch my limits. I'm not sure what this is going to be. Though I'm quite sure that at this point, it is not running a whole marathon.

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Time Magazine's 2002 Best Inventions

Time Magazine's 2002 Best Inventions
This has been keeping me entertained all day off and on. I'm absolutely amazed at the things humans can create. Too bad we can't all just get along.

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Making Fun of Presidents is Fun

Make your own Bush speech.

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New York City Pictures

New York City pictures from May 31 - June 3, 2002 are finally up. I know this was a long time ago, but there's still some fun pictures. (At least for me.)

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Rumors

Karen cracks me up. Apparently I'm a slave driver. The funny thing is I don't even think I said much about cleaning. I was just doing my part. Guess that made her feel guilty. Plus, it means we all have less to do this evening. Though, I still have more than everyone else since I sortof live in two rooms - my bedroom and the office. Too bad I struggle to keep the office picked up. It seems that everytime I go in there with intentions of picking up, I get sucked in by the computer. Drastic measures will be taken tonight. I'll turn it off.

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July 4th Pictures

Isn't this the cutest picture of Kevin and Bentley? I can't believe it was taken in July and has taken me so long to put up. Anyhow, July 4th pictures are finally posted.

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Carpet, Toenails, and TV

Took a training class all day learning another piece of software. It's always good to learn in a classroom setting rather than teaching it to yourself (like I've tried to do the past couple weeks). I'm so glad I'm going back to school.

I've got a slight headache lingering in the background. I need to go to the gym but have no motivation. Cleaned carpets last night because our house smelled like dog. At least it doesn't now. I was wishing we could just scrap the carpet and put in tile. But then I'd probably complain about mopping. It's always something with me. Going to do some more cleaning tonight since we're having guests this weekend.

Clipped Tiger's toenails this morning. He actually snapped at me while I was doing it. I almost fell over in shock. This is NOT normal behavior for him; he's so tender and sweet. I wish there was something that would just make his nails stop growing so we wouldn't have to go through all the trauma of clipping them. Unfortunately I didn't get to about 3 nails on his front paw this morning so I'm going to have to do it tonight. Not looking forward to it.

However, I am looking forward to watching my new TV show. Now, I normally don't like television shows enough to watch them on a regular basis. Usually, TV is just a way to relax when I have a spare moment to do so. But all of that changed a short 3 weeks ago. MTV had a special showing of the FOX show, Fast Lane. Billboards are all over here (and in NYC) advertising it. A couple of very attractive men and a hot car. They're undercover cops in LA who get to always act like they've got a ton of money. There's nothing particularly special about this show other than I like it. I think I like it because of all the money everyone is supposed to have and how pretty everyone is. It's also filmed a little differently than a lot of shows and they've got good music. Plus it's not a sitcom (which I hate). I feel slightly guilty about having a TV show that I look forward to watching but it's really not a big deal. I can't even believe I've managed to write about it this long. So, instead of writing I'm going to go check out the website.

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Going to Grad School!!

Today has been a very, very good day. I got into grad school. Something I've been working towards and worrying about for awhile now. Luckily the worry is over. OR just begun as the case may be. I think something Kevin realized about me this weekend is how much I worry. I don't necessarily talk about it much but it's there. I'm always worrying about something. Of course it's not as bad as when I was a child mostly because I've realized that much of life is not a big deal. But there's something in my nature that worries. So just as soon as I stop worrying about getting in, I start worrying about doing all the work. Starting January, I doubt I will have much time for anything other than work and school. So I must start the list now.

Things to do before January:
(because I know I won't have time to do it later)
- migrate my site and Karen's site to Moveable Type
- clean out drawers / store summer clothes
- plan the bathroom remodeling
- catch up on posting photos
- make sure Kevin and my family know how much I care about them

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Hosting

Who knew I could love a hosting provider this much? It's totally affordable PLUS they added tracking. Not to mention they're really good people. AptMinds Hosting.

Happy Dance

I got into grad school!!!

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Sunday mornings are best spent around the house

Hanging out with Kevin in NYC on a Sunday morning. We just finished up some breakfast and made our plan for the day. Listening to The Faint while Kevin is in the shower. Surprisingly, I really like it. Looks like we'll be heading out soon to do some shopping and then to see 42nd Street. Tonight after dinner we'll see 8 Mile as well. A day full of media.

Satruday was a very busy but very nice day. To my complete surprise, the weather here has been gorgeous. I was afraid it was going to be chilly but instead it's been nothing but sunshine and just slightly cool. In the morning, we hit the grocrey store in Kevin's neighborhood (after a fabulous pancake and egg breakfast cooked by Kevin himself!). We did meal planning on the way and picked up everything we needed. It was different to be in a grocery store with low ceilings and the aisles so close together. But other than that, it was just your normal grocery store. After dropping off the groceries at the apartment (damn the 5 flights of stairs), we headed back out; first to pick up the mail. We took the subway down to the general area of Kevin's post office box, then walked across Central Park. It was absolutely gorgeous. Picked up the mail - most importantly the tickets for the Broadway show - but also included a bunch of magazines. My new favorite mag is TimeOut New York. I wish Dallas could support such a zine, but, alas, that probably won't ever happen.

After the mail, we spent a couple of hours wandering through Central Park. It was such a beautiful day, there were tons and tons of people out as well as lots of street art, foreign languages, and dogs. Then Kevin took me over to the visual and performing arts library. We borrowed Medium Cool which we ended up watching late last night. It's a very interesting film about a very interesting time in the US. After the library, we went to Canal Street for a little shopping (of course). Then headed back home to grab some food before the show. Last night we went to CB's Gallery to see They. They consists of Danny and Anthony and is produced by Kevin. They put on a very nice show despite being cut off a bit early. Then we had a lovely, lovely meal with Danny, his wife Elyssa, Anthony, and his wife, Amanda. All these people are originally Texans but have settled here quite well. Not to mention they'll all absolutely wonderful people. Dinner wound up and we found ourselves back at Kevin's.

Suddenly it's Sunday afternoon and I had better quit writing cuz we've got places to go!

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Hooray!!

The graduate program just called and wants to interview me!! Tuesday at 9am.

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Packing

I need to be packing but I'm eating dinner. A little posting is allowed, right? Going to visit the boyfriend in the big apple this weekend. We already have tons planned. Saturday is sightseeing on Roosevelt Island then a show by his friends' band. Sunday morning I hope to do some shopping then we'll see 42nd Street in the afternoon. Monday will go all too fast since I leave in the evening and airports are such a production now. Looking forward to the trip. Hopefully it won't be as cold as it was earlier this week. The forecast looks good but I'm still taking warm clothes. Have I mentioned yet how much I hate being cold? Well, be prepared. As winter arrives, you'll hear me say it a billion more times. I promise.

Ok, now I'm off to find a bag big enough for my clothes AND a blanket. Yes, I'm taking my own blanket. Not because Kevin doesn't have any. But because he doesn't have enough. From now until April, it's a two blanket minimum...and that's just in Texas! Lord knows New York bumps it up to 3 or 4!

Slow

Work is slow. Not a bad thing but I'm not being particularly creative with the extra time. Bored. Hungry. Coworkers are eating Chinese food at their desk, and it smells really, really good. I wrote a kick ass script this morning for a customer. They totally owe me.

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Pei Wei

Didn't bring lunch to work today (and no snack either), so all morning I've been fantasizing about where to have lunch. I finally decided to try a new place - Pei Wei. Rumor has it this is the same company that runs PF Chang's. I can definitely see the resemblance. The food is fabulous and quick. I would highly recommend it!

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Hump Day

I'm up and going even though the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed this morning. Don't know why but I was completely exhausted by 11pm last night. Plenty on my mind about school and work. I just have to keep reminding myself that everything will work out as its supposed to. At some point it will all come together.

Tiger
Someone was asking about my dog recently. Apparently I haven't been blogging about him enough lately. Tiger has been an absolute sweetheart recently. He's very happy and that happiness spills into my life. I have some idea of what children would be like now that I have a dog. (But the nice part is he'll never grow up to be a teenager.) Kristen and I have taught Tiger a new trick. We taught him how to get up on the couch. Yes, Greyhounds are known for being "couch potatoes" but Tiger never has been. We believe he's afraid of heights and therefore doesn't like to get on anything above the ground. With a little prodding and some treats, we managed to get Tiger on the old love seat in the office. Here he is with Sophie, curled up in a blanket. Isn't he just adorable?!

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Election Day

If you haven't voted already, please go!! It takes just a few minutes and shows that you really do care about our country!

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Weekend

Friday night Kristen had a small group over to celebrate her birthday. They even dressed Bentley up for the occasion! I socialized some but spent a good part of the evening preparing for the garage sale. Her friends got a kick out of getting to "shop" through our junk.

Garage Sale
Saturday morning I got up early, early to do the garage sale. It was pretty wet and cold so we didn't have much of a turn out. Lucky for me, Lyn came over and kept me company! I did end up making as much as I had hoped to make but learned a good lesson. Garage sales are a lot of work and the amount of money earned is simply not worth it. Again, I am reminded that my time is worth more than what I got for it. I should have just boxed everything up to give to charity (which is what I ended up doing anyways).

Greyfest
Went to the festival sponsored by Greyhounds Unlimited on Saturday. It was a pretty chilly afternoon but at least the rain held off. The festival was set up wonderfully and Tiger got to see lots of his "family" members. I had a nice time but realized that this festival is really just a fundraiser for the group. (Duh.) Since I couldn't participate in the silent and live auctions for cute Greyhound stuff, it was as much fun for me as it was for others. Though, it was a good reminder that I should start helping out with the group. Looks like they've moved "Bath Day" to Sundays...fits my schedule a lot better. Now I have no excuse!

Annual Halloween Party
Billy and Jessica's Halloween party Saturday night was awesome!! Instead of just having a costume party they set a theme - a Pajama Party! Practically everyone showed up in their pj's and looked great! It also set a great mood for the party - everyone was laid back. For me, it was a great chance to see and catch up with many friends. Pictures from the Halloween party.

Christmas Planning
Christmas was on my mind this morning. The holiday is creeping up so quickly. Am I going to be prepared? One of my big concerns is the annual Christmas party at the Lucci House. Gotta pick a date and start planning. I know it seems really early, but if I don't pick a date, all my weekends will get filled up. Shoot, November is already full and it just started!

The other concern is the gift-giving aspect of Christmas. I know it's not a tremendously big deal but I do like buying gifts for family and friends. It's time to start thinking about good gifts for everyone. As I was thinking about this on the way to work, I was wishing my friends/family would have lists of their "wishes" so that I could have some direction. So I decided to make my own. Here's my Christmas wishlist.

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Kristen's Birthday

Halloween has come and gone. It's already November 1st, which marks Kristen's birthday. Happy birthday, Kristen!! It also marks, at least in my mind, the beginning of winter. Today feels like winter too - 50 degrees and rainy. Though Keith told me it was snowing up in Ohio earlier today!

To celebrate Halloween and Kristen's birthday a bit early, I went out with Kristen, Ragan, and Chris. We went to Gilligans, a bar in Arlington, where there was much hoopla. Karen stopped by briefly but looked so tired from her day that we let her go home. A bunch of Kristen's old high school friends showed up, and I got to meet a few new people. I had a couple drinks, laughed at a few costumes, was shocked at how good the cover band was, and almost fell over when I saw how cheap the bill was. (Note to self, drink in Arlington more often - it's cheap!) Had a really great time hanging out with my younger sis. She cracks me up like no one else can.

Kristen and I

Karen and I as twinkies. Thank goodness we don't work in the same office.

Kristen having some "witches brew" to celebrate her b-day.

Got to talk with Kevin when I got home. Was missing him a lot last night. Only 7 days until I can see him again.

Woke up this morning with a wicked headache. That's what I get for drinking cheap gin followed by a cider and not enough water before bed. Oh well, some liquids, advil, and breakfast cured me lickety split. Work was a steady flow up until 5 o'clock. Typical Friday night. Luckily I'll go home soon.

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