A Weekend Totally Dominated by Football, Again

And Baseball too...

It's Monday, and I couldn't be more tired. Friday, I left work a bit early, had some errands to run before I went to The Stros game with one, Michael D. Topping. He was running 3 minutes late, so I of course filled that time by going to the bar and getting a beer. Ran into some friends. I mean, in all of Houston, why can I go into any bar, and see people from Clear Lake, its getting to be ri-god-damn-diculous. So Mike shows, go to the suite, where I tried to act polite, as to not offend his parents who were kind enough to let me join. Watched the Astros play yet another frustrating game. Got enough free beer to fill my quota, and headed home to Boon's. I was meeting Kate. Now, she was coming from a restaurant 7 minutes away. I was coming from Minute Maid, which is 30 minutes away. Who do you think got there first? Pathetic Kathryn, pathetic. Ran into MORE Clear Lake people. Then proceeded to get hammered, hammered drunk.

Saturday, woke up earlier than necessary. Well it was early, but Nancy didn't find it unnecessary. What is it about older people, that sleep pisses them off. I mean, ya, if my friends over sleep and we were supposed to meet up, annoying. If I am minding my own business however, it doesn't bother me to know others are sleeping. Anyways, so I woke up, did some more nothing around the house, went into town to watch the game, blowout, nice. Watched the Tech vs. UH, game, go coogs. Still pretty hungover from Friday, it's like I'm old or something, stupid liver.

Woke up early on Sunday, to my father saying "what time you getting up?" Me: "When are we leaving?". Gregg: "10 Minutes". What the hell, who waits until 10 minutes before the train pulls out. 30 minutes would have been nice. I mean, ya I sleep in, but 8:45 on Sunday, not weird for me to be sleeping. I'm gonna have to figure out this sleep thing. Maybe if I had any time, I could have had a glass of water before we left. As it happened, I didn't have water, so when it got hot as shit at the tailgate, I blacked out. Nice. I know I fell, and I know my dad caught me, otherwise, I'm a little fuzzy. Fantastic. Went into the game. Got a free hat, nice. Watched the Texans embarrass themselves, I mean c'mon, pass interference, I think not.

And again, one Peyton Williams Manning came to my rescue. All day I was down in fantasy football, then number 18 comes and pulls a miracle 49 points. Love, love is in the air.

We've Been Coming To The Same Party For Twelve Years Now, And In No Way Is That Depressing, or, Labor Day Weekend: Part 1

As a person new to this whole 9-5, Monday through Friday thing, 3 day weekends are definitely NOT taken for granted. When I returned from the office after lunch, the lights were off, the door was locked. It was 1:30, and everyone was gone. Done. Nice way to start the weekend. I stayed a bit, checked me email and such, and awaited H1. She was supposed to be arriving around 4:00, so I had a bit of time. Went and got my haircut. It was just a trim but everyone I saw commented on it. Now, this kind of reaction would make sense if it was now blue or boy-short, but no. I'm not sure, but I think I'm gonna have to start putting more effort into my hair. But then again, I am extremely lazy, so we'll see. Hayley arrived. Went shopping for Vegas. Started drinking about 5:00. Started drinking heavily around 7:30. Went to the pool, First Friday and all. Tried to keep up with the adults and then ditched the party 45 seconds before clean up began. After party at the Chateau Stansfield, shots of JD are NOT a good idea, btw. James came in and asked to play Apples to Apples. For those who are unaware, James is 11, and it was 1:00am. To me this sounded like a great idea. I think James one, he always does. Passed the eff out, woke up to Hayley having to leave. I proceeded to sleep until 11:55. As I walked into the kitchen, my father commented that I was getting up to early, I mean what 23 year old gets up before noon, he think he's hilarious. As I started the search for fellow football watchers, A sinking suspicion that I was the only person left in the Greater Houston area fell over me. Between Possum Kingdom, Fort Worth, a Cruise, Nashville, College Station(don't really understand that one), and Austin(totally understand that one), I had some how managed to not solidify my football watching plans. Shame on me I know. So what do I do, I get crackin' on the phone calls. I lucked out however. First phone call, JR Foley. Jackpot. Me: "Hey, so I'm gonna come to Austin, but I don't have a ticket to the game". Foley:"It just so happens that I have an extra, get your ass to Austin". I love him. 30 minutes after I got up, I was in the car with my momma going to Austin for opening day, things sure can turn around quickly. To be continued...

Texas On My Mind, or, Varsity Blues: Another Reason To Love Texas

This blog entry is in honor of, well Texas obviously, but also, to Jacqueline because she has totally got me thinking about Texas and its greatness for a couple of days now. Being in Thailand, you would expect the homesickness to create a need for more Texas. But I'm here, why do I crave it so? Because it is awesome is why.

I just got back from lunch, which was BBQ. Mondays and Thursdays is Mexican. This new work schedule is great for fulfilling those cravings. But what else do I crave? What else is there to appreciate about Texas and the food that is ours and ours alone?

1) Blue Bell. Now I know they sell it in other states but c'mon, its Texas through and through. When people here ask if you want ice cream, they don't say "ice cream". They ask "do you want some Blue Bell". It's like pop vs. soda vs. coke. Brand recognition. Ya know what, you should have yourself a Blue Bell Country day.

2) Speaking of ice cream, lets DQ something different. Now I know most of you only eat their ice cream, and that is totally legit. But Dairy Queen also makes a mean chicken finger basket. The Hunger Buster isn't bad either. I recommend branching out and trying these delectable items.

3) Which of course brings about DQ's rival on chicken baskets, What-a-burger! I know its not spelled like that, but that's how the ads say it so I wanted to give you the true experience. With their awesome ketchup containers and Taquitos, truly, a Texas original.

4) Shiner anyone? We all know that other states pale in comparison to our greatness, but some of them redeem themselves by transplanting some of our treasures to their own boundaries. Living in Florida, I had Blue Bell so that was a life saver but no Shiner to be found. 6 months. That's how long I went without it. No wonder I was depressed.

5) To round out the top 5, I bow to the all mighty queso! With your golden color and spicy flavor you put me in a trance and make all the bad parts of life melt away. How I love thee, let me count the ways. Ya know what, I can't even begin to describe the love affair, so I will leave it at that.

At this point in the countdown, I am realizing this list is gonna be longer than I thought.

6) Kolaches. I'm not sure if ya'll understand that these are ours and ours alone. You go to the other coasts, they look at you like you're crazy. Better than a donut. Better than pig in a blanket. They're just great, great, great.

7) I realize that Mexican food is technically "Mexican", but we in Texas believe that ours is better. So rather than take the credit, I pay homage to our southern neighbors for giving us the inspiration and basis for our favorite staple food.

8) BBQ. All I have to say is that Memphis, Kansas City, and any other yahoo city who thinks that they are " The BBQ Capital", can suck it.

9) Some might consider this item to fall into some of the above categories, but I believe it stands alone. Breakfast tacos. From the gargantuanness of the Don Juan, to the sublimeness of Taco C at 4 in the morning, I salute you, creator of breakfast nirvana.

10) Another item that is found outside our state but we totally have claim over, Dr. Pepper. DP and DDP are such Texas staples that I have had cousins with Dr. Pepper themed decorations for there home coming parties. DP is home. Glorious with its syrupy awesomness. I'm a pepper, he's a pepper, she's a pepper, we're a pepper, wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?

Honorable Mentions

A) Now I know this belongs to our neighbor more than us, but I would like to thank our eastern neighbor for: crawfish. It wouldn't be spring without a Saturday filled with ripping open shellfish while my fingers were on fire and dirty with spice and chugging beer to save my life.

B) Lonestar Beer. I had to mention it.

That was the food section, shall I continue...

Here goes... The Hill Country, Tubing on the Guadalupe, Friday Night Lights, "G"uadalupe and not "huadalupé", Gruene, 6th Street, Fredricksburg, Timber Cove, Pecan Pie, George Strait, Houston, The Czech Stop, Juan in a Million, Pecan Trees, Taylor Lake Village, Hruska's, Boating, Luminarios, Possum Kingdom, Ranches, Football: High School, College, NFL, Amy's Ice Cream, Bluebonnets, Boondoggle's, Reckless Kelly, Lake Travis, My Line of Trees, Max's Cafe, Horny Toads, Seabrook Classic Cafe, Astros, Austin, Varsity Blues, Nolan Ryan, Small ass Texas towns with college sized football stadiums, The Alamo, Walter Cronkite narrated "We are Texas"/ "What Starts Here Changes the World" ads,NASA, Dallas, Longhorns, Kay's Lounge, Maggie Mae's, Fort Worth, First Friday, Tilden, Shipley's, Big Bend, Frenchie's, Town Lake, Darcy, Trudy's, Enchanted Rock, Christmas on the Bridge, Tito's, Country accents, Pickup trucks, Ghostland Observatory, Lonesome Dove, and THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

Everybody's Workin' For The Weekend!

Another Friday at the office. My office is one of those offices that is missing at least 50% of its employees on Fridays. Being the new girl, I am one of the sad minority to stay. Right now, there are 3 of us here. In about 15 minutes, I'm sure one of them will duck out. Someone has to be here until 5:00, so its a dance to see who has a more reasonable excuse to leave. Last week, I didn't have a key yet, so I couldn't be left alone, but alas, they have solved that problem. I'd be willing to bet money that I will be locking the doors today. But someones got to do it, and I don't help out that much in any other way, so it's the least i can do for my cohorts.

Next on the agenda, pool party. Now when I say pool party, I mean everyone in the neighborhood showing up with a cooler at the pool. No one really swims, but its a nice open area, and no one needs to worry about the state of their house. Man these old people utilize facebook. I mean, we have a yahoo group, facebook group, and of course, there is the old, call someone on their cell phone. The reason for the get together: it's Friday, what else are you gonna do. Generally, these parties are "beer for dinner" parties, so I'm not planning on eating tonight. Again, my healthy living is something to be jealous of.

After, the pre-party with the parents, it is off to town. I like to pretend that I live way out in the middle of nowhere and "Town" is some big deal. In reality, I live in a small city adjacent to town and the only difference is the variety of bars. We have bars, just not as many that don't suck. But we do have bars you can drive up to in your boat, so suck on that h-town. OK, back to the topic at hand. Going into town, gonna drink. Not sure where. Then the decision is, do I come home for the day on Saturday. I think I will, breaks up the weekend and makes it seem longer. Also, more likely that I get a nap. Yep, those are my plans. But knowing me, I'll just get drunk earlier than expected and cancel all of them, so good luck to me!

Sunday Funday?

I had big plans for the weekend. My first weekend as a working girl. Like I've said before, nothing makes you appreciate the weekend more than not being able to sleep in everyday. So, Friday night rolls around, and I get hammered. Maybe just a little to much, I'm not sure. I don't quite remember. I know I lost my cell phone, it has since been found. I know I woke up with an almost empty handle of Vodka in my driveway. I do not remember however, how these things transpired. We'll just chalk night one up to a success.

Then Saturday. My cousin said I should come to Austin. Generally, I find that trips tend to elongate the weekend. I considered going up until the time I woke up on Saturday. Wasn't gonna happen. I was still debating whether I could handle the 40 minute drive into Houston let alone the 3 hours to Austin. Time to find other options. Texted the available options and narrowed my search. Decided on the other cousin, generally a safe bet for a good time. Headed to Kay's Lounge around 9:30. Fairly early for me. I generally don't need over 4 hours at Kay's. I can do plenty of damage in a 2+ hour period. Plenty. By 1:05 I was so tired I couldn't hold a conversation. But without a car, I was stuck. 2 o'clock rolls around and I am ready to be on a couch. It's a funny thing however, when you get to a place you could actually sleep, you don't really want to. Hence the reason I stayed up until 5, drinking and dancing to the most random of songs. So when I was awoken by a loud mouthed cousin, I was none too pleased. Somehow, one of the beds in the house was empty and there were two of us on the couches, not sure how that oversight occurred. I could have sworn it was around 7:45am, but no, it was 11:45am. Lunch a bit later, after we constructed a pyramid of pillows on Justin's face, which of course, he slept through. The amount of noise that man can sleep through is intriguing. Which would have been helpful for me because the amount of snoring he was doing was unforgivable. I mean, I try to let people sleep, but when the effing windows are shaking, its time to wake up, or at least roll over. At this point, I was thinking about going home. I mean, I go home, I can get stuff done, get out of their hair. Nope, not what happened. I stayed until 9:40. I got off the couch, maybe twice, not sure. Watched movies, TV, football. Ate fajitas, played with babies. See, the problem with going home is the pressure to be productive. You can't lay on the couch for 9 hours without one of your cohabitants letting you know they don't appreciate a good couch day the way you do. For shame.

The point, my friends, its that the weekend is over. I was drunk a healthy percent of the time. And of course by healthy, I do not mean physically healthy, I was definitely drunk an unhealthy percent of the time if we are talking physically. But my mental health is much improved. And now, I only have to wake up 4 more times and I can do it all over next weekend. Livin the dream.