Where do I begin?
Last weekend I was back in the SF Bay Area spending time with family. It was great because I got to see little cousins and elders getting elderly. There is no better way for me to put that. I saw cousins, cousins with their kids, as well as my folks and their siblings. It was warm, both in temperature and spirits.
It began with a dance recital seeing my two youngest cousins of our generation. These to girls in addition to be Hannah Montana fans, are great dancers. There was plenty of what one would expect at a dance recital with little ones. Overall it was great. Lots of laughs, and lots to be proud of.
Later that evening my brother and I drove to my cousin's place to see her, her husband, and their 4 month old baby boy! By then it was pretty late and I didn't have much energy, so I spent most time with the little guy.
The following day we drove up to my Dad's house in V-Town for his 59th birthday. Although I believe it was initially supposed to be a surprise, my uncle clued my dad into the fact that more family was coming up. His usually dusty house was cleaned by my brothers before the rest of the family arrived. A needed activity as the house was later packed with extended family.
My three day weekend ended Monday with my successful attempt to stuff a handed down iMac from my brother into my suitcase. I regret not taking a picture of it. However, it was a success and it arrived with me back to Texas without any new scratches.
More about that and the rest of last week later!
Last blog, apparently not as funny as I thought it initially was. Level of concern: Low.
I was exhausted last night. So much, that I left the bathroom light on. How inconsiderate of me. My exhaust was a result of a full day of work, coming home to a halg hour of yard work and a roommate that required accompaniment to an Asian market on the other side of town, followed by an evening jog around the neighborhood, and packing for the weekend. Needless to say, I crashed... I crashed hard. I did manage to wake up early this morning for the 3rd time this week and arrived in town early enough to grab breakfast.
I will get through today's work day with the motivation that at 7:15 p.m. CST I will be on a plane headed for home. The last time I was in California was in March for my late grandmother's funeral. I had to cut my trip to Mexico short when I learned of the news. This however will be a much more lighthearted trip. Tomorrow I get to see my two little cousins in a Dance Recital, and Sunday is my old man's birthday. Although both trips home I saw family members, this particular trip will be much happier.
What does my work day hold? Returning phone calls and emails to students. Why? So they can get accepted, come to campus, and do what college kids do.
So while I am at work in other parts of the state I am allotted a per diem. $36 a day for food to be exact. And since I love blogging about food, I'll be highlighting the places I've been eating while in Ft. Worth.
I arrived in Ft. Worth Wednesday afternoon. I picked up my rental at the airport and headed straight to my hotel to check in. I managed to grab a nap... a much needed nap before I went out to grab dinner. Now, when I am in a new place and have access to the internet, I like to research restaurants on Yelp.com. Yelp is a website where people can find, review, and talk about anything and everything in an area. Wednesday night I used Yelp to find Edohana Hibachi Sushi. I ordered California Roll (a classic that you can't go wrong with ordering... unless the place sucks!) and an order of Unagi. I was real please with my meal and my server was very attentive.
Yesterday, lunch consisted of a 12 oz. can of Dr. Pepper. Luckily dinner was more substantial (and much more enjoyable). I had the pleasure of having dinner with my friend/former student K-Dog. We had dinner at Mercado Juarez Restaurant. I drove up to the place, across the street was a trailer park. Usually not the best sign, but Yelp reviewers raved about this place. When we walked in we realized the place was HUGE! I didn't think the food was amazing, but it was good enough. We did have a bit of a show, and by show there was a mother speedily walking her son to the bathroom with her hand over his mouth as he tries to keep from vomiting. Don't worry, we don't think it was the food. The mom was wearing a fanny pack and we weren't far from Six Flags. I think one could assume the kiddo was a little sick from possibly too many roller coasters.
Later that evening, we hit up a Dogs & Hounds. We spent the rest of the night beating each other in NTN Buzztime Trivia! What a great way to end the night, even if I lost the last game.
Tonight wasn't too bad either. I wanted to stick with the ethnic theme I had been going with for the past few days. After doing a Yelp search I decided to dabble in a little Indian cuisine at Maharaja. I started off with Seekh Kebab, a ground lamb sausage; followed by a Lamb Vindaloo. Dee-licious!
My appetite has been a percentage of what I usually eat. Is that good or bad? Bah! I have no fricken' clue.
(On a side note while writing this blog I have been watching Man vs. Wild and Greensburg. Two fricken' awesome shows!)
Posting from my hotel room in Lubbock, TX. I am (as usual) exhausted.
This weekend I had two college friends in from Chicago for a little vacation. I took Friday off tso that they could get as much Reedo Burrito time as possible. Before they even arrived, I was neck-deep in a program on campus for high school guidance counselors that kept my busy way more than 12 hours on Thursday. The next challenge was picking up my two friends from the airport. They just happened to fly into San Antonio (because it was cheaper) as opposed to Austin, where I live.
Highlights of the weekend include CB, the female of my two friends in from Chi-Town, referring to Whataburger as "Whatchaburger", and Town Lake a.k.a Ladybird Lake as Lake City. All weekend long. They both almost died (so they say) from the heat. 100 degrees is not the end of the world... granted, it's close. "Howard", the male of the two, broke a lamp next to my bed in an attempt to pick it up thinking it was a vase. Nice move. I hope I don't awaken with shards of glass in my face. I think in all, they had a great time. They left Sunday night, after which I began cleaning up the house and preparing for the work trip that has led me to post from Lubbock.
The basics of today include: driving back to the office at 1:30am to get my Travel Card; getting 2 hours of sleep in my bed before heading to the airport; not boarding the 2 first flights out of Austin to DFW because of overbooking; arriving in Lubbock after a less than stress free day of travel only to be working until 9pm for a program serving as a group leader to 30+ high school seniors.
All that, and I still make time to write in the blog. How awesome am I?
I've neglected to post so far this month. As previously stated, I'm busy. It's currently 3 a.m. and I have to be at work before 8 a.m. tomorrow for a program my office is hosting, but here I am being kind enough to provide you my update.
I'm in the new house, although not officially out of the old apartment. I have two amazing friends coming in from Chicago tomorrow night to stay with me for the weekend. The morning after they leave, I will be leaving for Lubbock for a program at Texas Tech. Once that program is over I will be flying to Fort Worth for the rest of the week for work and professional development. I am certain I will have plenty to blog about next week.
To wrap up tonight (this morning) I will share with you two things. First, the fact that I strongly dislike the State of Texas' Vehicle Inspection policy and program. It is in my opinion, a waste of time and money. I failed my recent inspection because the check engine light is on, and today is the last day to get reinspected without repaying the fee. Tomorrow is packed with other tasks, projects , and evens that will keep me from addressing the inspection. Again, horse sh*t. Secondly, since I don't discuss politics with friends, colleagues, or acquaintances in the non-online world, I am more comfortable sharing political views on my blog. Why? Why not? So here goes. I am thrilled my dear friend Barry Obama received the Democratic nomination (finally). Now that as a party we chosen our candidate, hopefully we can unify our party with the goal of having a Democrat as the Head of State/Commander in Chief/Etc.
Yes, I am a Democrat. I am proud of it, but I don't think a person is wrong if the choose to be a Republican (or Green Party, Independent, Socialist, Communist, etc.) I will happily engage in a discussion about points of view, but I'm not out to recruit for my party. As a political scientist, I will make attempts to educate others on political systems. I do not claim to be an expert, but an educated, thoughtful, open-minded discussion is ALWAYS welcome.
