Month of December, 2002
Lubbock Update
Sitting on the couch at Kevin's parents house in Lubbock (that's in West Texas for those of you who don't know). I've been here since Friday night and so much has happened! It's so wonderful to be with Kevin. Things are so good.
Friday night I got in around 10pm, unloaded the car, and talked with Kevin's parents. Then Kevin and I exchanged Christmas gifts. He did so, so, so well! I got two books - The Rape of Nanking, the Forgotten Holocaust of WWII and Batman: The Dark Night Returns. The first is non-fiction about atrocities by Japan during WWII and one I've wanted for awhile. The second, is a comic book which comes highly recommended. He bought me the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets video game!! (A resolution for the new year is to stay home and play more video games.) I also got a very sleek and stylish business card case. The best gift was a new ring! It's white gold with 3 small diamonds and so perfect. Kevin was so good to me this year!
After exciting present exchanging and catching up with each other, Kevin and I headed off to a house party. It was Little B (Brandon)'s birthday and a bunch of people got together for it. I ran into people I haven't seen in years. The best part was seeing the surprise on Little B's face when he realized that the girlfriend Kevin has been talking about all this time was me! Oh, and being reminded of plenty of silly things I did in college.
Saturday we slept in late, late. Isn't that what vacation is for? Then we ran around town doing some shopping. I didn't get the pots and pans I wanted because they were out of stock. But I got home and ordered them over the phone. (Probably the first time I've ever ordered over the phone but the website wasn't working right!) I did get a joystick for the computer after Kevin and I spent ages looking around Comp USA. Let me just reiterate how cool my boyfriend is.
Saturday night we went to a Lubbock Cotton Kings hockey game! We had a great time despite their loss to the Austin Ice Bats. It was such a close game with 3 goals by each team. It ended in a shoot out (which is like double overtime) and was very exciting. I was impressed with how small the coliseum here is compared to the sporting arenas I've been to in Dallas recently. And it appears that this town loves their hockey - every other person had a Cotton Kings t-shirt or jersey on. Note to self: go buy one before leaving Lubbock.
After the game Kevin and I went to a new bar (new since I moved away in 1999). We met Kris, Jason, and Corianna for drinks. Everyone caught up and I enjoyed the conversation immensely. It was really great to see Jason so happy. Kris was looking very handsome! And it sounds like Corianna really enjoys working for Americorps. As they headed off to dinner, Kevin and I were going to go dancing but decided against it when we heard Nelly playing from the parking lot. We'll save dancing for the big city where we can pick the type of music we dance to.
Sunday was more sleeping in late, late, late. In the afternoon, Kevin's parents drove us out to his mother's farm which is about 15 miles south of town. It was her father's land which was passed down. It's still farmed but not by anyone in Kevin's family. Though, her aunt and uncle live a few miles away and still farm their land. We stopped by but they weren't around. Instead we got to see all the old farm equipment (Kevin and I took a picture on the tractor) and visit with the 11 or so cats. I really enjoyed hearing all the stories from Carol's childhood. History is a very cool thing.
Sunday night we ordered a pizza (pineapple and Canadian bacon - our favorite)and rented some movies. We only got through Monsters Inc before heading out to visit Kevin's friend, Steve and his fiancé, Liz. They live in Waterford - the same apartment complex I lived in my last year here! So lots of lounging around talking.
Today, Monday, we didn't sleep in! We got up early enough to have lunch with Future, a good friend from my college days. We had incredible Mexican food at a local place and caught up on each other's lives. I'm excited to hear she's doing so well. I even got to see some of her recent art...awesome stuff. Kevin really liked her as well which is cool. He hit the nail on the head when he said that she's a very wise woman.
After lunch we did some sight-seeing. It's amazing how many new buildings there are at Tech and many more in progress! They're building on to the football stadium which is really scary, but scarier is all the houses they've torn down in the Tech Ghetto. Apparently MacDougal Properties bought all the land/houses and are tearing them down to put in apartments and town homes. It will certainly make for an interesting neighborhood in the meantime.
After the short tour, we stopped at Hastings and bought more books! Now I just need to find the time to read them! Grabbed some ice cream on the way home and have now been geeking out of the couch for quite sometime. I think we'll probably end up this fabulous day with a movie or two.
I'm so happy that my trip is only halfway over at this point! It's fabulous to be on vacation and super wonderful to be with Kevin. Though I am missing my baby, Tiger, a little bit. Oh well, I know Karen is taking good care of him! (Thank you!!!)
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Lubbock for the new year
Well, I'm off to Lubbock until after the new year. I hope everyone enjoys their celebrating responsibly!
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Note to Self:
When old, don't lecture younger people about how to live their lives. Everyone needs to figure it out for themselves. And just because you're old doesn't mean you got it right. Besides, no one wants to hear your life story day in and day out.
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Laptop
Well, despite much indecision, I finally ordered a laptop. No, it wasn't a Mac like everyone (including Kevin) wanted. I'm a PC girl and change is hard. Shoot, people, I work for a software company - we make software for PCs!
Anyhow, someone needs to congratulate me on finally coming to a decision. I bought a Dell Inspirion 4150 with everything I could possibly want. I'm actually pretty excited now! I'll have to wait a couple weeks because they'll have to build it then ship it. Should have paid for 2 day shipping, but I'm too cheap. Patience is a virtue.
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Christmas Pictures
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this year! I'm so thankful to get to spend the holiday with my family. Enjoy the pictures.
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Merry Christmas!!
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Who took a bite then put it back?
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Kiss
I just finished reading _Kiss and Sell, The Making of a Supergroup_ by C. Lendt. It's all about the band, Kiss, and the marketing that went into their rise to fame. Of course, Kevin loaned it to me as he's far more into the music industry than I am.
Despite it being very depressing at times, this was one of the most interesting non-fiction I've read in a long time. I'm fascinated with the rise and fall. With how people react to fame. With how quickly a person can squander millions upon millions of dollars. With how much people blame everyone else for their shortcomings but take all the credit for their achievements.
Reading about the rich and famous is interesting but sad too. Their lives are so many times more complicated than mine. It makes me happy to be in the audience rather than on the stage. And next time Kiss comes to town, I really will be in the audience.
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Christmas Eve
On the way to work today, it was snowing!! What a surprise considering the warm winter we've had so far. Snow in Texas is awesome because it comes down, looks pretty, and usually melts on contact with the ground. I'm thankful it doesn't stick, especially since I'm at work today.
Getting up and coming to work was tough when everyone else in the house was sound asleep. Oh well, if I'm lucky, I'll get to go home early today.
Tonight I'll be attending a Christmas Eve service at my parents' church. Then we'll probably head back to Mom and Dad's to make homemade spaghetti, a new tradition with the Lucci's. Later, we'll open one of our presents. (Christmas Eve tradition has always been to open one present after church; then on Christmas morning, we open the rest.) Hopefully I'll end the evening reading a book in front of the fireplace at Mom and Dad's.
I am so happy today. My life is so full and wonderful. Sometimes it takes unpleasant moments to remind you how good everything is. I'm so glad the unpleasantness was only a moment.
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Hail
It started storming at 2am. Tiger was pacing around the room. I just wanted to sleep.
This morning around 6:30am, I heard tapping in the attic. It freaked me out until I realized it wasn't actually coming from inside the attic. A brief look outside the window made me realize it was pebble to marble sized hail. It really came down hard and fast. In one neighborhood I drive through on my way to work, it looked like snow on people's roofs.
Texas in the winter is always interesting.
Christmas Carolers
I was sitting at the computer finishing up some email when I heard a bunch of people outside. I assumed the neighbors were having people over (even though they never do) when the doorbell rang. A group of about 15 people were outside our house singing Christmas carols. I hollered at Karen, we stepped outside and sand with them. The next thing I know, they're introducing themselves as our neighbors from down the street and are inviting themselves into our house!!
So they all pile into the front room petting dogs and everyone talking at the same time. I caught only one person's name out of the whole group but everyone was so nice! I dragged Christmas cookies out, explained who all lived here and got invited to the next block party they're having. Then they all thanked us and filed out.
It was the most bizarre thing I've ever experienced in this house.
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Visiting
What a lovely weekend it's been. Feeling very much in the spirit of Christmas and feeling very blessed. This weekend has been about being with loved ones.
Summer and Greg are two very close friends whose families have accepted me in warmly. Summer and I have been close since high school. I got to know Greg when Summer started dating him in college. Both of their families live in the area but since Summer and Greg weren't coming down for the holidays, I wasn't going to see their families as usual. So I decided to take it upon myself to visit them anyway. That's what Christmas is all about right?
So Thursday afternoon, I stopped by Greg's parents' office with homemade goodies and a little holiday cheer. They are just the sweetest couple ever. Summer is very lucky to have them as in-laws. It was awesome catching up as it had been quite a few months since the last visit. They even sent me home with a cheesecake!
Friday Kristen's friends came to visit us. She had a Christmas party and had quite a few friends over. Though I didn't feel much like hanging out early in the evening, I really enjoyed myself. It's so neat for me to see these people who have known each other for years and really have a bond. Plus her friends are just fun. Kristen's friend, James, was also in town for the party and I enjoyed meeting him.
Saturday Dad and I installed an exhaust fan/light in my bathroom. It was something we've been meaning to do for months. Of course, it took longer than expected but it's done now and looks great. I'm so glad I have a dad/landlord who is so handy. Saturday I was really impressed with how much he knows about electrical lines and such as this is a topic I need to learn better.
Saturday night I went to the G's yearly chili party. The G's are friends of Kristen's so saw many of her friends from the night before. After the party, she and I headed over to Flying Saucer in Fort Worth to see Josh's dad's band (Tequila Mockingbird) play. The highlight was visiting with Josh's parents after the show. I hope I'm even remotely as neat as that when I'm their age.
Sunday morning was spent lounging around the house. Then I drove out to Summer's parents' house for lunch. Jan cooked an incredible meal of cod, rice pilaf, veggies, salad, and even homemade bread! We talked and talked. Steve and Jan are such wonderful people; almost like a second family. They've always included me in their family started when Summer and I were in high school. It's so wonderful to have relationships like this that lasts years.
Faith was so talkative and warm! I can't believe she's already in 2nd grade. Andrew is growing up and is so mature. Steve is a wonderful father and seems to have come a long way since I was in high school. Maybe I can just relate to him better now. Jan has her MBA and is extremely encouraging of me getting one too. I appreciate her business perspective a lot. It was such a wonderful wonderful afternoon! The only thing that would have made it better is if Summer and Greg were here too!
Did a little bit of shopping before coming home to walk the dogs. It's been a full weekend and I'm totally worn out. I think I'll wrap up the evening early and get in bed. Christmas is only 3 days away and it's already been a wonderful holiday!
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Indecision
I am the most indecisive person in the whole world. Well, maybe not the whole world. Well, then again, maybe I am. Yes, I definitely am. Hmmm, maybe not.
Ok, so I'm trying to buy a laptop. I simply can't decide!! I know what I want IN it but I can't decide who to buy it from. Which company is the best? Should I buy an IBM, Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony??? Should I get a refurbished, new, or used machine? Ahhhh, I can't decide! And frankly, I sick and tired of not being able to make a decision about this.
Someone remind me it's JUST A COMPUTER.
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DFWBlogs Holiday Potluck
I had an absolute blast last night at the potluck. You people are so much fun! Tina, thank you so much for letting us party in your house! Charles, thank you for the fabulous stuffed unicorn. Dave, thank you for making that first drink (even though I'm regretting it this morning). Peter, thank you for coming. Gary, thank you for driving. Josh, thank you for the CD. Karen, thank you for bringing food for us.
I could go on and on about how wonderful everyone is. I'm glad to have a social group as neat as this one. I hope that everyone has a very happy holiday and incredible new year!
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Quote of the Day
"While working on the new website, I'm also building a presentation for Nugget Saurios. They're dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets in a Spanish package! I'm really livin la vida loca over here."
- Gary
Marketing Genius?
I saw the packaging for a new fax machine in the office. It says "Dependable and Worry-free!" Wow, I'm so glad I don't have to stay up at night worrying about whether or not my fax machine is working.
I'm feeling much better now.
Busy day at work. Came home to decorate sugar cookies. The frosting turned out pink rather than red no matter how much food color I added. Guess this explains why I couldn't buy red frosting in the store.
Listening to Sigur Ros, quite possibly my favorite. Wanting to sit in front of a fire and listen to it with Kevin.
Cosmic connections are a weird thing. It's hard to know how much to read into it. The world is so much smaller than we imagine. I want to believe it's for a reason but I'm too cynical.
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<a href="http://web.lanterna.tv/">Lanterna</a>
I'm feeling overwhelmingly sad tonight. I'm not sure where this came from. Nothing is wrong, nothing happend today, nothing has changed. I'm just sad.
Got home from work and found lots of packages. With all the shopping online I've been doing recently, it's no wonder they're piling up at the door. Amazingly two of them were things for me to enjoy! Kevin sent me the PC version of Grand Theft Auto III!! What a sweetheart and he's not even making me wait until Christmas! The second package was a CD I spontaneously bought - Sands by Lanterna. I heard a review of it on NPR last week. The clips played sold me on it. So this is the first CD I've bought in probably a year and totally worth it. Beautiful, beautiful music.
So I put it in the computer, cranked up the speakers, and laid down on the loveseat to listen. No one else was at home. I lost myself in the music. Started thinking about the past and people who are no longer in my life. I guess that's what was making me sad. Remembering a time when I felt more alive than I do now.
I got an old journal out. Three years ago at this same time, I was such a different person than I am now. I like who I am better now than who I was then, but I miss the excitement and furvor I had then. I miss my friends from that time. I wish I could go back and do some things differently.
After listening to the whole CD and reading far too many memories from my journal, I forced myself off the couch and into the kitchen for dinner. I'm still sad but I'm sure by morning it will have worn off.
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My Wishlist is Going to Get HUGE!
FindGift.com is a great online wishlist where you can register for any gift, from any store, for any occasion.
link via Phil
<a href="http://www.envador.com/">Case Mods</a>
This guy's mods are really fun! Maybe someday I'll build my own case...someone remind me after I finish school that I've always wanted to do this.
link via Charles
Work Christmas Party
I had a great time at my work Christmas party last night. Typical work party, talking, eating, drinking, prizes, and karoke. Thanks so much, Gary, for going with me!
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What absolutely incredle weather!
Today the sun finally came out after a very cloudy week. It's been bumming me out but feeling 100x's better today. Amazing what good weather can do for one's mood. The temperature right now is 61 degrees. One can't ask for better weather in December!
Stayed at home last night to bake Christmas cookies. Dave was awesome enough to come by and help. Then we sat on the couch talking until we both could barely keep our eyes open (around 12:30am). It was a long week for both of us.
Spent the morning at Mom and Dad's helping get ready for Grandma's Christmas luncheon. My mom did an incredible job with everything. The house looked perfect. I know Grandma was really looking forward to the party.
As guests started arriving, Mom, Dad, and I headed back over here to pick up Karen and Kristen for lunch. After numerous changes of venue, we ended up eating on the porch of TGIFridays. The food was great, the weather amazing, and the company perfect. I'm so happy with my family.
Came home to take the dogs to the park and to walk off some of lunch. Now I'm off to run a couple errands. Tonight is my company Christmas party. I'm hoping to slide in a short nap and a phone call to Kevin before picking up Gary. I feel so good right now I'm even looking forward to the party! Thank goodness for great weather in December!
Found Magazine - found things
link via Mia
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Table PC
See what I've been reading about today:
Great review of the FIC SlateVision and Windows XP Tablet Edition.
Review of Tablet PCs at Comdex.
Pretty demos and various information from Microsoft on their XP Tablet Edition.
With all the good dance music in the world, you think an aerobics instructor could get a decent tape. Apparently aerobics instructors are musically challenged, at least mine are. This morning I was sweating to Salt and Pepper's Push It, among other painfully bad hits of the 80's. Though, Push It felt strangely appropriate as I made my body do things it didn't want to do at 5:30am.
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Virtual Model
My virtual model...more endowed than the real thing.
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Christmas Scavenger Hunt - Saturday night!
Leia and Tina have come up with an idea to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. A photo scavenger hunt which will no doubt be Christmas themed. Sound like fun? Read more about it:
Bring on the MotherF***ing Cheer
Haul Out the Holly
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Work Party - an oxymoron
The company Christmas party is Saturday. Many of my coworkers are talking about it. It seems the women are extremely interested in what everyone else is wearing. I haven't heard much from the men. One was talking about getting drunk and the other asked if I was bringing my boyfriend. Did I mention we're having karaoke at the party? Classy. Since Kevin can't come down for it, I'm dragging Gary along. He said he would karaoke, but I'm not going to let him.
I'm not particularly excited about this party. Most of the company parties aren't all that exciting. But as I've been reminded, it's just another aspect of work. This is just the social aspect. So I'll go, be pleasant, not drink too much, and tell everyone how beautiful they look. It's all part of the game.
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Update Complete!
Just rebooted Kristen's computer in Windows 2000! The system update is complete. Whew, all that worrying for nothing. Thanks, Larry, for helping with the network so I could copy her files to my computer. Oh, and for suggesting I reboot again.
So now the tough stuff is ahead of me. I've got to install the software for the network card. It's only hard because I can't find the disk. Thank goodness for the internet!
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And the process begins
I'm starting the reformat of Kristen's machine. I'm scared. But you're there to help if I need it, right? Ok, good, I feel much better. I've got dinner, a beer, and most importantly, good music. (Thanks, Todd, for the CD I won at the White Elephant Gift Exchange on Saturday!) Webcam is on in case you want to check in on me. I'm also logged into the various instant messangers. Say hi.
Wish me luck!
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You never know what they're hiding
I recently found out that a coworker of mine has 4 tattoos. FOUR! I was shocked. She didn't strike me as the tattoo type but then again, what exactly is the tattoo type? Not really my point. My point is it's amazing how much of ourselves we hide with clothing. I'm not really against all this hiding (and I'm certainly a lot warmer with clothes on than without), but it makes me realize how much hiding I do in other areas of my life as well.
When did I get so private? I find myself holding back quite often these days. I keep my thoughts to myself more than I used to. I don't tell my family, my friends, or even my boyfriend, the things I think. For some reason keeping these things to myself is important now. I wonder if I've always been this way and just didn't realize it. I wonder if I'll ever go back to the way I used to be or at least the way I perceived myself.
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Delete Scares Me
My little sister's computer is acting up (and has been for like a year). I think her hard drive should be reformatted and I'd like to install Windows 2000 rather than 98, which is what she's currently running. We've talked about it and she's cool with wiping everything clean. After I back up a few of her files, I'll be ready to tackle it.
The only problem is I've never done this before and I'm nervous! I know I need to wipe the drive, delete the partitions, then install Windows. Installing Windows should be the easy part since I have a disk, but I'm more than a little nervous about wiping the drive and deleting partitions. Can anyone offer some advice?
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Links via Kevin
How To Make A Talking Fish Say What You Want: Boogie Bass Hack
ASCII animated Star Wars (you need a telnet program)
These sites and more from Dirty Style Design!
Monday Rainy Monday
It's been overcast and rainy all day. Definitely a good day to stay in bed. Unfortunately I didn't. I was at the gym by 5:30. I enjoyed the aerobics class quite a bit despite seeing butthead guy was there.
Have I told you about butthead guy? Probably not. There's this man at the gym named Bill who is older and probably retired. I had seen him around but hadn't talked with him. I make it a point to talk to as few people as possible when at the gym. It's hard to be social when you're putting yourself through pure torture. Ok, I'm exaggerating but you get my point. So one morning months ago, Bill commented on my t-shirt. It said "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." Naturally, he didn't like it.
I should have known better than to wear a shirt like that to the gym where a bunch of old people (mostly men) work out. But I just grabbed it from the pile of t-shirts with little thought. Bill seemed to give it way more thought than I wanted him to and tried to get me in a conversation debate about feminism.
Now I don't mind a good debate every once in awhile when the topic is good as are the people involved. But from the start, I knew I didn't want to debate Bill. The main reason is he was simply out to make himself look good and me look bad. Plus, it was obvious in his tone of voice, he was never going to change his mind about feminism. So any point I was to make would be lost on him. Typical old man.
So I simply explained that it wasn't a good time for me to have such a serious discussion because I had to go to work. Which was true; and goodness knows, I'd rather be at work than at the gym. He didn't like my retreat and did everything he could to keep me. Luckily I escaped, but with a very bad feeling about him.
My stomach dropped when I realized Bill was in the aerobics class this morning and he was making his way to my piece of floor. I wanted to shuffle away as quickly as possible but there was no escape. He asked me if I was the same "girl" with the feminism shirt in his taunting tone. I only offered a curt "yes" and kept aerobicsizing. As I was formulating my next response about old men intimidating young women, he shuffled away. I was relieved.
The rest of the class was fairly uneventful. During the stretching at the end, Bill attempted to gain the attention of everyone in the room with jokes and generally juvenile behavior. It occurred to me how sad Bill really is. Here's a man who probably has no other social life than the one he (sortof) has at the gym. He probably doesn't work. His kids have moved from home. His wife wants little to do with him and spends most of her time away from the house. He doesn't know what to do with himself now that he doesn't have a job where he can harass his coworkers. So instead, he harasses anyone who crosses his path at the gym (including the aerobics instructor).
But really, it's all just his way of dealing with loneliness and insecurity. He's just like many of us were in junior high. We wished for friends and for a little attention, but we went about the complete wrong way to get it. Luckily most people grow out of that stage and figure out how to connect with others. Too bad Bill hasn't figured it out yet and probably never will.
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. My new schedule started at work - 8am to 5pm. I had lunch with Jay, a coworker, for the first time in ages. I ordered book for my classes in January. I've had a headache since 8am. Tonight my dad and I picked up my car from the shop where it got new front brakes. Pretty uneventful and normal day. I think I'll wrap it up with a phone call to Kevin...just like normal.
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2nd Annual Lucci House Christmas Party
Pictures from last night's party are up.
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Dog birthday party
This afternoon, Tiger and I attended a birthday party for Sunshine. Sunshine is Ana's yellow lab who was celebrating her 2nd birthday. They had cake, party hats, and even a pinata! Despite the drizzly weather, the humans and dogs all had a great time. Tiger is completely passed out on the couch from exhaustion.
But isn't he the cutest dog you've ever seen?!
I'm pretty exhausted too and am looking forward to getting to bed early tonight. My new schedule starts this week so I'll be in the office at 8am instead of the usual 10am. A lot on my mind as far as scheduling is concerned. I want to use my time more effectively, especially with the start of school right around the corner.
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The day after
Laying around in bed all day on an overcast Sunday is a good thing. I've been watching tv, eating, and talking on the phone with Kevin, all from bed! Only now (at almost 2pm) have I ventured out to get on the computer. It's probably time to get the day started anyhow.
Last night was the 2nd Annual Lucci House Christmas party. I had sooooo much fun! I hope everyone else had a fraction of the fun I had. A big thank you to everyone that drove all the way to Arlington to celebrate the holidays with us. I am blessed with truly wonderful friends and I am so thankful for every single one of you.
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Beautiful day
It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day - perfect for running errands and cleaning house. The only thing making it more perfect would be having Kevin here to do these things with me. Such is life in a long distance relationship. Oh well, I'm about to be so busy I won't even think about it.
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Winter is here
It's been feeling like winter the past few days. The temperature has dropped drastically (below freezing the past couple nights), all the leaves are gone, and the grass is brown. (This is a sure fire sign of winter in Texas.)
Luckily we're not getting the ice and snow that many of the other parts of the US are getting. Kevin's been drudging through snow to and from work the past couple days. Good thing he enjoys winter weather! I'd just be complaining about the cold.
Took this picture on the drive to work this morning. I thought the bare branches and bright sun was a perfect picture of winter.
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What are sisters for?
Karen says: you are SO good.
Erica Lucci says: don't mock me
Karen says: I wasn't!
Karen says: I LUV you
Erica Lucci says: i'm wary
Erica Lucci says: you just need me for coding
Karen says: oh please it's not just that
Karen says: I need you to pay all the bills too
Wow, I've been gone a long time!
You've probably wondered where I've been. Or maybe not. Well, I've been around just working on the backend of the site. I have finally finished the upgrade to Movable Type. Whew.
Feeling really good about the new content system and am excited about the new things I have to play with! Movable Type appears to be worth all the work it took to upgrade to it. Though I still have some cleaning up to do, things should be back to normal around here. Though I enjoyed the technical fumbling, I really missed writing.
