Be Sweet

Yesterday was kinda hard for me.  Okay let's rephrase.  Last night, after leaving my friend's apartment I was helping move, was hard for me.  It was late, I was tired, hot, and dirty, and I just wanted to talk to someone who could keep me focused and make me laugh.  All the people I usually call were either out or asleep and I didn't want to disturb anyone.  Besides the person I really wanted to talk to, well he's not around anymore.  So I just turned up my music really loud, and sang along.  Too bad it was to Michael Buble's "Close Your Eyes", which is a love song to his wife.  Awesome, totally brought me down a little further.  I got home, showered (I'm telling you, a cold shower after sweating buckets for four hours? Total lifesaver), and went to bed, still feeling a little down.  But I was so tired I couldn't think about it then.  You know how when you're down and you go to bed, then you wake up in the morning and you're good?  Yeah that didn't happen this morning.  It should have, because I'm going to Houston today to see lots and lots of people I'm SO EXCITED to see.  But it didn't.  Probably because I knew I had a bunch of stuff still to do before leaving my apartment, like um packing.  Plus it's kind of a downer to see all your clean clothes that you were too lazy to fold/hang up and put away spilling out on your bed in all their wrinkled glory.  So I was kinda meh this morning.  I stopped at Starbucks (because that's what I do when it's Friday and I have an extra $7 floating around in my purse), and ordered my usual, but iced because it's now summer.  And when I got to the register, I decided to get a scone, and I asked the guy. You know what he said?  He said "Of course! You can have anything you want."  And that very cheery, very nice answer picked me right up.  I mean how many people do you know would be sweet like that when it's 7:30 in the morning on a gross cloudy morning with a line of people behind?  Not many I think.  I wanted to give him a hug, but I settled with a smile and "Why thank you!"  So the moral of the story is, be sweet. You don't know how it might brighten someone's day!

Three Words Game - Ribbon, Thumbs Up, Woman of Mystery

As I posted yesterday, I took part in Court of Baking in My Bathing Suit's game of Three Words.  She gave me three random words and I had to incorporate them into a short story.  While you can still find the story on her site (link above), I thought I'd include it here as well, so I always have it.

I tightened the ribbon on the gift.  Usually I'm quite calm about giving presents to people; I tend to have a knack of knowing exactly what they want.  But this one, this one was very special.  This present would either make or break a couple of huge relationships.  I’d either get a gigantic thumbs up or be pushed back to the very back of their address book.  With a deep breath, I got out of my car and weaved my way into the restaurant.  It was crowded and took me a minute to find my friends.  Finally I reached them, and with the greetings of old friends, I handed over the important package and made my way to an empty seat. 

The night went on, filled with great conversation, food and drinks.  My dinner companions were mainly known to me, except for one at the end.  We weren’t close enough to talk but I caught him looking at me as I looked at him.  I’m not known as a woman of mystery, but his surreptitious glances made me feel sexy and enigmatic.  But right as I relaxed into the feeling, it was present time.   I hate when people open presents in public, especially when it was an important present as this one.  They made their way through the pile of brightly wrapped boxes and bags, oohing and aahing over each one.  Finally they made it to mine.   I held my breath as they unwrapped the painting.  There was a tense moment as they stared at the canvas.  Then she looked at me with tears in her eyes.  “It’s perfect.”  And with that my night was made.  I blushed and ducked my head as every head turned towards me.  The stranger at the end of the table raised his glass to me in a silent salute.  I released my breath and smiled shyly.  Another excellent present choice by me. 

Just FYI

So I don't know if y'all really care, but I've been included in Baking in My Bathing Suit's Three Word Challenge.  Court gave me three random words and I had to write a short story (around 300ish words) that included all three.  This is my first time being visible on someone else's blog, and I'm kinda excited about it!  Be sure to check it out, and give Court a little love.  She's pretty awesome!

Here's the link to my story, if you wanna go check it out on her blog.  I'll be posting it here tomorrow.
http://bakinginmybathingsuit.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/three-word-game-ribbon-thumbs-up-woman-of-mystery/

Five Great Things

1. I got enough sun this weekend that my freckles are out in full force, but not enough that I got sunburned.  Major score.

2. One of my great friends is moving closer to town!

3. It's Tuesday, which means we TOTALLY missed the Monday grumps (yay!)

4. I am at home ALL week this week.  (You don't know how great that is until you're not home for a week and there are clothes and dishes everywhere)

5. My baby sister is currently winging her way home from Alaska for the very last time!!! I don't get to see her til Friday, but I'm SO excited we no longer have to battle a three hour time difference.  We'll have to deal with a two hour difference for the summer while she finishes her masters in Portland, but after that she'll be only a mere four hours away in San Antonio!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

What excites you today?

Note to Self

Soooo note to self, I suck at blogging in the face of abnormal activities, such as root canals.  That's right.  I can only blame my lack of blogging on poor dental health on my part, and the fact that I'm such a baby afterwards.  I had a root canal last Thursday, and while it went perfectly fine, no issues at all, and I was in and out within half an hour, it hurt like the motherfing dickens.  Not the day of, because I was CRAZY numb, but the next day, the whole side of my mouth hurt.  And my actual tooth hurt as well.  As the days went on, my tooth hurt less and less unless I accidently bit down on it, then it put up a major amount of pain. But it slowly stopped hurting.  What didn't stop hurting was my jaw and my cheek where they shoved a gigantic needle to numb my mouth.  It was a constantly painful ache.  Not the kind of ache where you're like oh that sort of hurts.  No, this was the kind of ache where you constantly check it to see if you can SEE what's causing the pain so you can eradicate it.  Throbbing, beating annoying pain, not made any better by a two year old and a five year old who don't really understand the whole invisible pain thing.  I went to my aunt and uncle's house this weekend, and my cousins did not really care that I was hurting, as shown in the pool.  My five year old cousin would grab my face to get my attention, which is fine, except he's really strong and would put pressure right on my jawline.  I had to tell him several times to watch my face before he got it.  My two year old cousin, bless his heart, accidently hit me in the face with a water shooter, which was basically a pipe you shot water out of.  I seriously almost dropped him from the rush of tremendous pain.  Luckily I didn't, since we were in the pool and he can't swim but refuses to wear floaties.  So that was my weekend .  Fun, but painful.  Then this morning I woke up, nine hours after my dose of pain medicine, and there is only a faint twinge of pain in my jaw.  My tooth feels a little sore, but only when I touch it, and my jaw only hurts when I open my mouth really wide (yawning especially).  On the mend!  Only to have them go in again tomorrow and replace the temporary stuff with the real stuff.  Hopefully they won't have to numb me again......

Small Bands, Big Hearts

For about 5 years, I lived in Austin, which is fondly known as the Live Music Capital of the World.  No really, it's muraled on a wall on 6th St. (and yes I did just use the word "mural" as a verb).  And it's true, there are hundreds of awesome venues for live music in Austin.  Not only that, but they have some pretty kick ass music festivals every year.  I never went to Austin City Limits (or ACL as it's more commonly known), because a. tickets are HELLA expensive, and b. I'm not really a fan of huge smelly crowds all sweating together in the hot sun. But I did get to take part in South by Southwest (or SXSW, or South by) several years in a row, mainly because I worked at a restaurant that was a venue. Because of that, I got to hear lots of awesome bands, some that have made it somewhat, and some that I've heard of once, loved, and haven't heard of since.  For example:

Thriving Ivory

This was my first no-name band I heard of, and I was a fan from the beginning.  Mostly because the bassist came and kept me from being bored out of my skull checking ids at the front door, but then because they're actually really really awesome!  They have a couple of albums out, and according to Facebook, they have a major announcement coming up on May 20th!

Thriving Ivory -Where We Belong

Gin Riots

These guys are a faint memory in my head.  They were pretty cool when I saw them, but they never really stuck with me.  The only reason I remember them is because I got an awesome pin from them.

Gin Riots - Johnny Cash

I Hate Kate

Oh I Hate Kate.  Y'all were so awesome.  These guys actually opened for Thriving Ivory at one of the shows I went to in Austin, and they were awesome.  So awesome, I in fact went out the next day and bought their CD, which I listen to all the time.  I think they've broken up, which makes me really sad because like I said, they were super awesome.

 I Hate Kate - It's Always Better When I'm with You

The Fishermen

These guys are a little different, because I actually know a couple of guys in the band.  It's my friend Lindsay and his brother Phil and their band.  They have a total laid back mellow sound and it was always so much fun to go to their gigs.  They moved back to DC a while ago, and they're playing a lot there, at Nationals games and stuff like that!  I'm really proud of them, and I wish I lived closer so I could see them more often.

The Fishermen Band - Honey

What small bands or not very well known bands do you love?

Immediately if not sooner.

My sister and I were chatting today about how tired she is and how she wishes someone would go get her a vanilla latte so she could perk up.  A little background: my sister teaches 1st grade in Alaska.  I work in an office in Texas.  Our comings and goings (not to mention timing) are a little different.  So I told her she should send someone out to get her fancy coffee, and she volunteered me.  When asked how I would get it to her, she replied "Super speedy shippers.  It's a company.  That I just made up."  That got me thinking.  There are cities around the country where you can get anything from pizza to clothes delivered (NYC I'm looking at you).  Then there are places where you can only get the normal things delivered (pizza, chinese food, etc.).  Why on earth hasn't someone (or some company) decided that it would be a good idea to deliver things like coffee drinks to people?  There is a Starbucks across the street from my office, but sometimes it is way too cold or rainy to make my way over there.  Wouldn't it be amazing if you could have Starbucks delivered?  There are companies that deliver hot fresh cookies and ice cold milk, why can't there be a Starbucks delivery service?  Think about it.  It could be big.

What do you wish could be delivered right to your door?

Traditions!!/Happy Birthday!

Today is my second oldest sister's 30th birthday.  It's awesome and amazing, and she is the second sibling to turn 30 (my oldest sister turned 30 last year).  But there seems to be a slightly alarming trend happening with my siblings' 30th birthdays.  Last June, when my sister turned 30, she was pregnant with my nephew Mason.  A few weeks, but pregnant nonetheless.  Today, being my other sister's 30th birthday, she is pregnant with my niece Carrie Anne.  And we're talking due in August pregnant.  Now I've got about 2 and a half years before I turn 30, so I've got time.  But it does make me a bit nervous to think that this could be a tradition begun by my sisters.  Being pregnant on your 30th birthday?  I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to deal with that nonsense on my birthday.  Either way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!! I hope you have a magnificent day, and a stellar year!  I love you!!!!

Ill

So the dentist gave me antibiotics and painkillers for my tooth.  The antibiotics makes me nauseous and vomit, and the painkillers wipe me out so bad that I took one at 11 last night and I'm still exhausted 9 hours later.  And that was after going to bed at 8:45.  It's a little ridiculous how not good medicine makes me feel, mainly because I've never had any trouble with medication in the past.  Granted I haven't been on medication since my senior year of college (for a sinus infection), but that was only three or four years ago.  I just want my mouth to not hurt anymore and I want my body not to react poorly to antibiotics.  Seriously.  I've got shit to do this week/weekend.  I don't have time to be feeling crappy.

OWIE

Recently, I've been having some major tooth trouble.  It started with little twinges of pain, mainly when I ate or drank something extremely cold, hot or sweet.  But then it worsened, and worsened, and worsened until it came to a head last night with an extreme amount of pain that radiated through my entire face.  Like it made the back of my eyes hurt, that's how bad the pain was.  I couldn't sleep until I had a hot wet washcloth on my face, and even then when it cooled down, I'd wake up and have to go microwave it again.  So needless to say, I went to the dentist today.  Now let me preface this by saying that I hate the dentist.   I absolutely completely am not a fan of a person digging around in my mouth. So I don't have a dentist here.  Luckily, there is a dentist office across the street from my office and they were able to fit me in this morning.  So I went, sat down, they took an x-ray and the filling of my tooth was pressing on the nerve, which caused an infection to start and an abscess to happen.  So yeah, super awesome.  I'm sitting there listening to this (ridiculously attractive, I mean really.  Bearded, blue eyes, humana-humana) dentist tell me that I need a root canal, and that he doesn't do them, but he can send me some place, and he can prescribe some meds for me so I am not in pain anymore.  So now I have an appointment to (voluntarily) let a doctor DRILL INTO MY TOOTH, kill it, fill it with crap and cover it back up temporarily. Can you tell I'm a wee bit nervous about this?  And of course, it's in the middle of the day, so I will have to go back to work.  UGH.  The lesson learned here is ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH.  And floss.  And use mouthwash.  I hate dental work.

Sleeping Preferences

People are PICKY about their sleeping circumstances.  I should say SOME people are picky.  Others don't care where they sleep because they can sleep anywhere, or they're not going be sleeping much anyways.  But there are those who HAVE to have a certain type of blanket or pillow, who FREAK OUT if the bed is too soft or too hard.  Me, I'm pretty easy going when it comes to sleeping.  I have to have a blanket of some sort, but it doesn't have to be particularly fluffy or whatever, just as long as it covers all of me except my head.  I can usually sleep on hard or soft surfaces, though I'm sure like everyone else, I like a little bit of padding beneath me.  But the one thing I am picky about is pillows.  I HATE soft pillows.  It's like not even having anything under your head!  I don't like flat pillows either.  I like a firm fluffy pillow, which is nothing something that is easy to find.  So I create my own.  I take two firm, flat pillows and I stuff them into the same pillowcase, thus creating the perfect mix of firm and fluffy.  This is why I take my own pillow everywhere I might be sleeping.  I don't want to have to makeshift a pillow out of way too soft pillows, which leaves you with a tower of pillows and a neck ache.

Comfort

Comfort is this month's theme for BlogHer's NaBloPoMo.  Oh comfort.  Everybody talks about getting OUT of the comfort zone, and pushing yourself to get away from the comforts.  But there's something to be said for being comfortable.  Sure it's good to push yourself and to take risks, but it's also good to know that there are things that are perfect comforts. One of those things is stuffed animals, every kid's perfect comfort. When I was little, I didn't have a ton of stuffed animals, because I shared a room with my little sister, and she has crazy asthma.  But I did have a couple of very special animals who were so comforting to me.  One was a tiny little tiger named Rusty who I got when I had my appendix out when I was six.  He was small, but such a great comfort to me in a time of crisis!  Then I got a huge teddy bear for Christmas one year.  I must have been eleven or twelve, right at the age when I didn't really NEED a stuffed animal, but I wanted one.  And I named him Nicholas Gene Carter Mouton, because I was madly in love with Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys.  I kept Nicky for quite some time, until my goddaughter was born.  Then I passed him down to her.  When I was fifteen, my family and I went to New York City, and each of us kids got a little stuffed animal from FAO Schwartz, and I got a tiger fondly named Brooklyn.  Since I've had him, he has been my constant companion in slumber.  He's gotten a little matted, a little mangled, and he's missing an eye, but he is a fantastic comfort who comes with me everywhere, a little piece of home wherever I go!