Curious Notions

Happy New Year’s Eve!

I’m about to go shower, get prettied up, dine with the beau, and then we’re heading downtown.

Here are some last few photos of 2008 for my last entry of 2008.

Nisreen’s birthday was this past Sunday. A picture from her dinner.

And then the day before Alan was craving seafood. Papadeauxs was crowded so he introduced me Captain Benny’s. I’ve driven by this boat shaped restaurant over the past few years but never been. It was delicious! We had raw oysters, boudin, fried shrimp. He had the stuffed catfish; I had the crawfish etouffee.
Mmm. A feast. The garlic bread was extra buttery… the service was great and the restaurant cozy. I’m ecstatic to have another seafood restaurant in our food bank.

January
- Kim came up for New Years. We celebrated downtown with Alan’s couple of friends and Jon and the boys.
- Kim and I wrote on two balloons on New Year’s Day. One balloon of our regrets and things we’re letting go. The other balloon our desires for 2009. Then we ever so poetically, released them on my balcony.
-I went to San Diego for the fourth time. I made it to the zoo and stayed at the same hotel as Jon and Kate plus Eight when they went to San Diego on their way to Hawaii.
- Made Jambalaya for the first time.
-Ate a lot of food with Jon while he was visiting Texas.

At Paradise Pointe Resort in San Diego.

February
- Spent my favorite holiday with Jamie.
- Did my own taxes for the first time
- Found a new hair stylist of of Sixth Street after asking her for a kiss for Bing for his birthday.
- Sent out Valentine cards and packages.

Celebrated Bing’s birthday on Sixth Street. The night I met my hair dresser.

March
- Watched a lot of movies and cooked a lot of dinners with Alan.
- Cindy came up to visit. Introduced her finally to Flip Happy Crepes.
- I got about 3 hours of sleep a night.
- I go to San Diego for work yet again and stay at a hotel that had sex toys in their mini bar available to purchase.
- I search for a Madam Mam’s replacement. (Never found it)
- I celebrated Brandi’s birthday with Jessica. This is the 2nd time in 2008 we managed to spend some time together. We went downtown for her birthday and ate at Hula Hut.

With my girls, celebrating Brandi’s birthday. I wish this year we saw each other more. There was a time a year or two ago we saw each other once a week at least.

April
- I go to Second Chance Prom with Neville. Sweet since I didn’t have a date to my highs school prom. Well.. Liz was my date :)
- I meet my little and take her to celebrate Earth Day at Republic Square.
- I take a fabulous vacation to NYC (originally suppose to include Boston too and visit Mary Ellen but her paper got accepted into a conference). I got to see the Jennifers and Jon. Jon was my lovely host. (entry, entry, entry, entry)
- Had my first Brazilian Wax. Yikes.
- The father of two of the kids I’ve babysat since both of them were born, died.

Jon and I in NY.

May
- My brother graduates college! My parents came up to see him walk.
- Alan and I didn’t renew our lease and I started to mourn the apartment. I was in love with our location and view.
- Continue to babysit for the boys who lost their father. Started with the night of the memorial service and then the funeral.
- Selina asked me to be her bridesmaid.
- My brother turned 23. Making me feel old.

Our view.

June
- Go to funnest book signing I’ve been to with Si Nae and her boyfriend. We went to see Chuck Palahniuk promote Snuff. He threw out blow up dolls.
- I worked a lot.
- I saw a lot of movies with Alan.

Si Nae, her boy, and Chuck Palahniuk!

July
- Alan and I moved out and stopped being roommates :( But it was a good move for us :).
- Went to Florida for the first time to get Mary Ellen married. Flew in a few days early and I joined her clan in cooking, building, bitching, bonding, all in the name of love and the most beautiful wedding I’ve been to yet. It was pretty much a DIY wedding and you can see the labor of love in everything. The baby food jars around the garden sheltering tea light candles, the fireworks/crackers, the dance floor her uncles and aunts built, the cascading fruit basket one of her uncle fashioned at 3 in the morning the night before the wedding, etc. SO many details that were not only beautiful on its own, but also in the labor and thought and love that it represented.
- I take a Thursday off of work and Brandi and Jessica and I hang out for the third time this year. They treated me to a trip to Schiltterbahn for my birthday. Last year it was Sea World.
- Turned 25. Jen T who normally only comes once or twice a year happened to be in town for my birthday :). Si Nae dropped by flowers. I had a pretty birthday cake in the shape of a snow globe. I celebrated with friends. Felt special. Alan took me out to a romantic dinner and bought me a cell phone. It was a good birthday. Though I hate that I’m now 25.

Birthday celebration.

August
- Lily teaches us to make sushi.
- Alan introduces me to Mikados. I mention this because now we go here fairly often for sushi. I’ve yet to take him to Musashinos.
- Cindy comes and stays with me for almost 2 months for her pharmacy school rotation.
- I take my little to her first play. Jack and the Beanstalk.
- Nisreen and Nino get engaged and Nisreen asks me to be one of her bridesmaids.

Sushi making night

September
- I take my certification test and am now certified in clinical research.
- I go to the Domain with Nisreen to study for that test. We go just looking around for her wedding dress and we actually FIND it at St. Thomas.
- I fly to Orlando for work, wishing Alan had gone.
- I take my little to her first UT football game.
- Cindy and I try to learn about football.

So it wouldn’t just be for me why I wanted Alan in Orlando with me. Lookit the golf course!

October
- To my surprise, I’m taken by UT football. Really taken after watching OU game. I thought I had burnt out on football forever, but it’s really quite addicting.
- Alan takes me to see UT/Missouri game.
- Alan had a birthday.
- I dress up as a Hula girl for Halloween.

Kissing Meatwad.

November
- Ran my first 5k with Nisreen, Katambra, and Melissa.
- Jessica has a birthday, so the three of us (Brandi, Jessica, and I) reunite for the fourth time this year. FOUR times. That’s so sad. We go to Pete’s Dueling Pianos with plans to go to ren fest again but Brandi got struck with hives.
- I practically live at work.
- My brother breaks in his apartment by hosting a Thanksgiving meal. He makes his first turkey. Delicious!
- I take my little to the Paramount theatre for the first time. We see The Hungry Caterpillar. Then I have a mini high school reunion.
- I take Thanksgiving week off from work and spend a week in Houston.
- I see fireworks with Kim and kind of Chris.

Nisreen pours everyone a double shot of bourbon at my brother’s Thanksgiving dinner.

December
- I finish paying off my car :) One of my New Year’s Resolutions. I bought in July 2007. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
- I spend Christmas in Houston.
- On the 26th of December, Kim and I for the 2nd time release balloons for New Years. We’re stunned that this time around, we do not have any regrets to write on that regret balloon. Instead, we write what we want to stay away from. Good times with Ms. Kim.
- I get to see my best friend, Mary Ellen. Second time this year. First time being for her wedding in July.
- I go back on Saturday (today) to get some work done and to spend NYE in Austin. With friends and beau.

Our balloons. Purple = wishes. Pink = what we’ll stay away from. Since we didn’t have regrets this year.

It’s been a good year. I read 10 books, ate a lot of Pho, and laughed a lot.

Be safe and merry.

- Linda

I’m still sitting at the office. Sigh. I’m going to work as much as I can, then say good bye to Alan, drop off a gift for my little, and God-willing, be on my merry way to Houston.

I can’t believe the year is coming to a close. I can’t believe I’m still at the office. I can’t believe I had potato chips for lunch today….

Okay, that’s enough. Have a merry one :) Pictures of my little’s gift waiting to be delivered today and pictures of Alan’s already opened presents follow.

I had such a great Saturday yesterday. I finished up some Christmas shopping at San Marcos with Katambra and Daniel. I haven’t spent alone time with either of them and they’re a riot. I haven’t had that much fun shopping I don’t think ever. We discovered that together, we have a very laughable, goofy, playful, musical, genuine, and entertaining dynamic. Often times we’d all three start dancing to whatever song that catches our ear that is playing at the stores. Tried on fun accessories. Enjoyed having a male following us around that actually ENJOYED shopping. The deals were deals to write home about as well.

Katambra and I went back to my place and it was timed so perfectly that by the time we reached the third floor of my apartment complex, the Domain set off their last night of fireworks! (Every Saturday at 8pm they have fireworks until Christmas day). We stood at my steps and oohed and ahhed before calling it a night.

I then went to Fry’s with my brother to finish shopping for my parents. Bing hooked up with 40 dollars worth of discounts. We owe Bing.

Then I met up Ms. Jen T. who is town from Philly/med school. We nursed hot coffee outside at the Domain in front of the electric fire.

Productive and fun with good people. Ingredients of a great weekend.

I wish my Sunday was just as great. Today, I woke up early to babysit. Got peed on for the first time in my babysitting career (heh) of ? eight years? It was so traumatizing. I had a cuddly baby girl in my lap, snuggled against me and sleeping when I felt a warm sensation in my groin area that was spreading. To my HORROR, the kid PEED on me. I guess it went out the side of her diaper. I wouldn’t mind half as badly if it was on my thigh, but it was in my GROIN area. Yuck. I had wet undies :(. Needless to say, I got to go home early to take care of business.

And now I’ve been getting some work done. So I’m still trying to channel the glow and happiness of my yesterday and not let the reality of today erase it completely.

I must begin again, and again I must begin. Every time I lose, I win and must begin again.

—Joyce Sutpen

I managed to finish off a couple of people for Christmas yesterday and today after work. Yesterday was a good day to walk around Round Rock Outlets with the friends but today, I knew if I didn’t go to Target and Sams right after work, I wouldn’t leave my apartment once I got home. Yesterday we were in the 80s and now we’re in the 20s. Gad. I haven’t finished writing my Thanksgiving cards! I guess the good thing is I don’t send out Christmas cards… So many things to do and hardly not enough time to do it. I better get to it. I leave you with a recap of my 2008 resolutions. I’ve been pretty much successful this year.

Financial Resolutions

• Open a Roth IRA and contribute for both 2007 and 2008.
• Do my own taxes.
• Save all my receipts
• Pay off my car note. 7K more.
• Open up a HSA and contribute enough for it to be a deductible

Healthy Resolutions

• Eat at McDonalds no more than twice a week.
• Work out 2 hours a week.

Communal Resolutions

• Volunteer more. (Big Bro/Big Sis)
• Recycle

Leisurable Resolutions

• Keep running list of books I finish this year. (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/104097)
• Watch one half of the AFI Top 100 American Movies (Currently at 34/100)
• Get my passport. I have an appointment at the post office 12/29. Cutting it close!
• Take a true blue vacation. NYC :)
• Attempt to expand my writing horizons.

Relationship Resolutions

• Take a few more risks.
• Be a good friend but learn when to say ‘No’ and not feel so guilty.
• Date someone I like for at least a month.

I was checking my to do list for today that I had written yesterday before leaving work.

One of the bullets said “charts.”

I look around my floor because that’s where I keep my unfinished charts. What charts? There were no charts on my floor. So I looked at my to do list again and there’s another note scribbled in my handwriting.

“Look behind you.”

Hee. I had cleaned yesterday since some bigwigs were coming to see our office and put up my pending charts which I normally stack at my feet.

I’m easily tickled. It just felt like I was having a conversation with my old self.

I go home from work feeling beaten everyday this past month or so. It looks like this is how it’s going to be for at least two more months. I developed a lingering cold and the malaise actually muddles my pain.

Today, I received a belittling email from a third party senior and the words chosen were needlessly condescending. I responded to the email very diplomatically and apologetically, conjuring up advice my supervisor passed on to “never be right.” I finally finished How to Win Friends and Influence People recommended to me by Will and Kym and sometimes I wish people I have to interact with (I.E. aforementioned third party), would read and brush up on their people skills. The book opens up (if I remember correctly, it only took me 2 years to read) that you can never win an argument. Even if you’re right, you lose. My supervisor in training me to be a supervisor, told me to give up being right. She implies that when your goal is to be right, you’re essentially making someone else wrong, thus breeding resentment. As third party picked on “my” mistakes, she left herself open for goofs as well and instead of responding in kind, like I so wanted to, for the sake of our future relationship, I had to apologetically own all miscommunication. Yuck. I don’t mind a few bites of humble pie every now and again, but this one had a strongly bitter aftertaste.

You know what would rid that bitterness aftertaste from my palate though? Tomo’s Tina’s Handroll. Alan and I last week finally tried out Tomo’s. It used to be called something much longer.. it’s still on their credit card machine but I’m too lazy to check my statement for their former name. My boss first told me about this place in early 2007 when it still had its old name and I hadn’t gotten around to finding the place/trying it out til last week. Sae recommended Tina’s Handroll (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, spicy crab, avocado with soy paper) and my goodness, that roll was the best handroll I’ve had. So good. I didn’t have my camera on me but we ordered one to go for Sae. That big palm in the picture isn’t mine, by the way. I have more delicate hands.

The place is in a mini mall close to Cool River on Parmer lane. Once you go in, it’s very tiny. Reminds me of NYC hole in the walls. Could sit maybe…20 people? Best to go off peak hours or make reservations. They have an aquarium with FAKE jellyfish floating around. I didn’t catch on that they were fake til a little late. Delicious sushi :) And down the street from where I live!

The favorites from today from upsidedowndogs.com. To cheer me up this miserable Monday morning.