A Sickly Christmas

My best friends at the moment are: Robitussin, copious quantities of warm water, layers of clothing, and anything that will allow me to lay horizontally.

Energy levels are OK, and I sound like a frog, hahaha.

Looking forward to a better New Year's!

Recent Conversations

[ me on the phone with my DSL provider, regarding repeated dropped signals for long periods of time ]

Me: Yeah, so my internet's actually working NOW, but for example, last night I couldn't connect yet AGAIN, even after the technician came by and supposedly fixed the problem.
Nasal-voiced DSL Guy: Well, I'm looking at our connectivity reports last night ma'am, and there was a shortage last night.
Me (tired of them giving me the runaround): Shortage? What kind of shortage? Like, a power shortage? Shortage to what?
NVDG: Well, it could be a power shortage, or a variety of other calamities.
Me: Did you just say "calamities"? What sort of "calamities"?
NVDG: Well, you know, like ice storms.
Me (thinking to self - what a tard!): Ice storms?! You DO realize I live in Houston, Texas, right?!
NVDG: Well, not necessarily, I didn't mean ice storms, um ... [ starts laughing nervously ]

[ chatting online with friend who'd had a terrible day ]

Me (4:20:05 PM): but now i know
Me (4:20:10 PM): and knowing is half the battle
Me (4:20:19 PM): "GI JOEEEEE AMERICAN HEROOOO"
Friend Who'd Had Terrible Day (4:20:22 PM): GI HAHHHHHHH
Me (4:20:27 PM): hahahahahah
Me (4:20:33 PM): were we on the same wavelength there? 
FWHTD (4:20:36 PM): omg.. maniacal laughter caro
FWHTD (4:20:49 PM): i have just had a day, that felt good
Me (4:20:57 PM): kekekekekekkee

[ Online chat with friend who had an um, interesting link to share. Click thru at your own risk! ]

Friend With Interesting Link to Share (3:32:15 PM): if you need to blow four minutes for something really stupid (or just read the title): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-asA8s0c4A
Me (3:49:56 PM): i'm at work, and i've clicked thru
Me (3:50:03 PM): and i'm glad that i had the volume turned WAY DOWN LOW
FWILtS (3:50:11 PM): oooh
FWILtS (3:50:13 PM): sorry
Me (3:50:18 PM): i can't hear wha't s going on and i'm not sure that i want to hahaha
Me (3:50:26 PM): hahaha no
Me (3:50:30 PM): tis ok
FWILtS (3:50:30 PM): don't bother
Me (3:50:50 PM): i'm going to close the window now, as the queens or kings are engaged in a 69 position
Me (3:51:00 PM): and in slow mo
FWILtS (3:51:04 PM): right
FWILtS (3:51:33 PM): well, i gotta make sure to do nsfw next time, so that's completely my bad

Comic relief has been much appreciated during this high-stress week. Thanks to Chef Hugh and the gang for some super-appreciated social as well as culinary pleasantries:

That's right, Korean BBQ at home, foo! (I am SO going to buy that attachment for the gas burner)

With Chef Hugh's homemade soft tofu dessert with real ginger syrup.

A White [Elephant] Christmas

I got a good start to the holiday season this weekend. As usual, click through for the complete set of pics and the hopefully witty comments.

Delicious-looking hotpot! I did not partake, but enjoyed a most excellent vegetarian pasta dish.

Decorating trees in the middle of the night on the side of 360. :)

In addition to making lots of new friends, I met up Masako, whom I hadn't seen for at least five years!

Austin downtown on Congress at sunset, festively decorated for the holiday season.

The Great Puppy Bow Wow Pow Wow of 2007

Highlights:

Donnie threatening to bring a bottle of "Mount Gay Rum" and following through, proving that there really is such a product. :)

Discarding the rules of "Would You Rather" for reading and discussing and laughing at the questions freestyle.

Impromptu "garbage pail punch".

And last but not least: DOGGIES!!!!

Click through for all the canine chaos, complete with commentary. :)

Always Learning Something New Every Day

Today I learned that ...

- my people were NUTS between 1966 and 1976. We were f@#%ing inhuman. WTF?!!?! [ courtesy of International Education Week speaker and professor of English composition at North Harris College, Dr. Wei Li ]

- Qatar is a country that shares a border with Saudi Arabia. The American diplomat to Qatar, Chase Untermeyer, joked that working as the chairman of the Texas State Board of Education, an unpaid position, helped prepare him for working as an ambassador in the middle east, since the fussing and feuding is about the same in intensity. :P

- you can pay for a specialty Texas license plate that says "God Bless America", "God Bless Texas", "The Lone Star State", and "FIGHT TERRORISM" (complete with a graphic representation of the twin towers doubling as the 11 in "9-11-01" enclosed in a pentagon shape) (I can't believe that last one is classified as a "Souvenir" plate ...)

- if a Toyota Corolla hits a wooden pallet on the highway even after slowing to 65 mph, it will FLY over it and have such an impact that any and all unsecured change in the car will scatter all over the floor

- the Sam Houston Tollway Emergency line (713.222.7328) is pretty responsive and will also handle reporting of road hazards

- I can have fun doing karaoke sober too. :)

Dude, I totally forgot to get my trusty tambourine in the picture.

Rusty Pong Arm

Saw D again after at LEAST eight years. He looks the same!! Here he is in his natural work setting:

Did he wear pink just to spite me?

Sorry D, my pong form was not as heroic as it once was. I have become weak!!

It was so good to see him. I am pleasantly surprised by the intro and re-intro of Dulles Vikings into my life as of late.

More Unbridled Cuteness

Number one at the Hallowe'en costume contest as "Lobster Dinner". That's how my nephew rocks the show, yo. :)

How Do I Live ... Without Internet

Let's see.

I can do everything except for ...

surfing the web
checking / sending e-mail
online chatting
uploading pictures
updating my website
checking in on my finances.

My home DSL is spazzing out. So, I've been sleeping earlier. And talking more on the phone. Hmm. Imagine that.

Just felt like posting these pics of doggies that I am honored to be aunties to. Surprisingly nice pics taken with cell phones!

Mollybee (pic by A, with her Motorola Razr):

Happy (with my Nokia 6103):

I Hate Hallowe'en

Well, I loved trick or treating as a kid. I just recently saw Hallowe'en, the old movie, at Master Pancake Theater in Austin, which had me twitching with fear between laughing my head off. Yeah, if *that* freaks me out, then there's no way I'm will be able to stomach other more recent stuff. My most recent fond memory of watching a scary movie is with Fri, in the middle of the afternoon, sun pouring in, huddled together in Ed's bed, watching a Korean or Japanese version of The Ring ... and both of us still shivering with fear. Hahaha, we are so weak. :)

A dog dressed up as a mummy.

The people at the Scion Fright Fest were really getting into it.

Close-up of the hand and feet on the grill. I'm glad I'm a vegetarian ...

Hahahahahah. Nice.

My Corolla dressed up as a Matrix.

Me at my best.

I Should Never Go Shopping While Hungry

I saw these little orange wheely things at Walmart. There was only Spanish labelling indicating what it was. I thought it was candy. I was hungry. I picked one up and put it in my mouth ...

Yuck. I think it was pasta! :(

Adventures in Austin, TX

So J.Ma and I headed out to Austin for a brief jaunt.

Note to self: never change drivers at Columbus because that is where you are supposed to get on the 71 from I-10. I is moran. Well, on the upside we discovered the cities(?) of "Swiss Alp" (yes, just one "alp") and "Schulenberg"(sp?).

Highlights (click through for the full set o' pics):

Me jumping for joy because we went to the WRONG PLACE for the Maker Faire!

Finally finding the Maker Faire, we found a van decorated entirely with ... cameras! Oh, and these convex mirrors.

We went to watch the Master Pancake Theater. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was showing at the same time. I got a pic with the best-dressed couple!

What is UP with all the pinkness! Notice that the number of ladies' port-o-potties WAY outnumbers the men's.

I met cute doggies ...

... and Ashley's kid for the first time. He let me hug him! Aww!

Oreo Fun

Just got around to uploading pics of J's bite-sized chihuahua, Oreo.

She always looks kinda freaked out. Here's Oreo hangin' out in her homemade bed.

When her owner isn't around, she sometimes starts to get testy.

She has a love-hate relationship with Andy. Here, it's love, I think. :)

Maker Faire Oct. 20 - 21, Austin, TX

Hey friends! I have a friend (who makes cool clothing and other stuff all by hand) participating in this fair up in Austin, so I thought I'd spread the word.

[ Maker Faire Website ]

[ Hoang's online shop "hodgepodge design" with photos of her work ]

[ her handmade baby booties are super popular, get 'em while they're hot ]

Some real live shots of her work ... at play (thanks to our lovely model c):

Dang Wendy, your fingers be scary, yo. :)

Astute iHaTePiNk.com Reader Submission

I love it when I get fan mail. Or in this case, ARCH ENEMY MAIL!!!

Oh my eyes!!!

Photos courtesy of CW, of a travelling exhibit promoting Victoria's Secret Pink line in Austin, TX. Thanks for making me literally LOLOLOLOL!!!

Wicked Wacky Week

Where do I even begin.

2 flat tires within half an hour (not mine, but I can now confidently say I can swap a flat with a spare all by myself) (Thanks Eddy, thanks Brian!).

Lunch @ M's. Got to see Happy. :) [ see all 12 pics ]

Happy Hour where some people got uh, a little too happy. :)

Saw Mamma Mia - I laughed, cried, then laughed again. I'm not even a "musicals" person.

Got sealed into two parking lots within 12 hours.

Forging new friendships, strengthening present ones.

Sincerely happy for people doing what they need to be doing.

Japanese food and karaoke for J's bday - good times. [ see the full set o' pics ]

Digital camera was misplaced when I most needed it. (Recovered safely, thank goodness. But nearly went insane.)

Hung out with cousin's fiancee's cousins and their cousins. And the coolest grandma that ever lived.

Bumped into Claire (as I seem to do once a year) and re-met King (found out he's soon to be remotely related to me).

Movie night. And oh, the wisdom of mothers. Profoundly and soundly blown away and humbled.

"A real fighter doesn't need to fight."

Pimpin' Post-Pool Party Portraits

Don't be a playa-hata, now ...

 

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAA. Karen rocks so hard.

Hangin' with Miss Daisy

So, I was like all ready to be all productive and stuff tonight. Instead, I allowed myself to get distracted by this lil' lady.

Click through for more pics and some semi smart-aleck comments.

Pink Love

I can now tell time and by a cool pink display too:

I have reason to believe this gift card (feelin' da love!) is an intentional mockery of iHaTePiNk, knowing the bestower of the gift's humorous personality:

And ... blatant iHaTePiNk love, even from a hospital bed:

Reflections of Blue Sky

I couldn't see the blue sky from where I was at, but I could see it was just around the corner. :)

Happy Belated Birthday, Yao Ming!

Two feet shorter than Yao Ming, but two days older. :)

Go Howie, iss yer berfday, we gon' party lak iss yer berfday! And it is! Have a good one, bro.

Taken in Zanesville, OH, May 2007.

Related: Mr. Fantasy video shorts (trust me, I have mixed feelings about this nickname that he's acquired), my bro's blog (warning: for fantasy sports geeks only)

The Day After

Congratulations to Bill & Cindy for tying the knot and plunging forward into their futures together.

Grand party, it was. Though I think near the end of it I was too busy testing the capabilities of my liver to remember much. 'Twas a good time. Thanks to Masa Sushi for serving up a special plate for the vegetarians, and for serving up the drinks, and for uh, tolerating me.

And of course, our live performance, raw and unedited. My fellow comrades in rap rocked da houz for sure.

Note to self for "next time": no drinking prior to live performances that require mad Chinese tongue-twisting skillzZz.