hmmm...

I seriously need to commit to a plan...in more than one area, but this is specific to the next two weekends.

I am going to Denton Thursday. That is certain.

Absent a certain phone call, I would be fine sticking with the original plan. Now, though, I'm thinking of waiting until the Nebraska game... We'll see.

Driving home today, Stubbs called and asked if I was in for OU/Texas. I was planning on passing this year. I'm not really sure why, but I just wasn't really feeling up to it. Now, the seed's been planted...how can I say no? It will be great to see the regular OU/Texas group, Stubbs, Bill, Trav, Scotty, and Rob. Plus, I'm almost positive Beth and Wade are flying in. It would also be great to see Jake and Brooke...and whoever else we happen to run into over the course of the weekend. I'm not committing just yet, but the draw is definitely there. (Nevermind the fact that RK will be playing Friday at the AAC Plaza and Stoney and MMC are at the Palladium Ballroom...lol. Ridiculous. I know.)

The trial has been going as well as can be expected. I got out of there the past two days around four, thankful for the break. Today was the worst of it...it can only get better, right?

What did I do this weekend?

* Finished book 3 and am halfway through book 4
* Slept 13 hours Friday night/Saturday morning
* Hung out with the family
* Got ACL updates from Jessica and a photo of Gordo
* Family dinner Saturday night and after-dinner margaritas
* Didn't go see Wade and the boys
* Got a call from Vegas @ Venice Beach, trying to convince me to take a trip in November
* Checked flights to LV and LAX
* Watched tons of college football

Nothing very exciting... Ready for the work week to start so I can head out of town for a little while come Thursday.

fighting sleep...

I've been waking up earlier than usual this week, and been fighting to stay awake later to finish up some things to prep for next week. I think I finished all the big things today, thank goodness.

The trial next week is going to be harrowing. Thank goodness I am not the lead. I just did the majority of the grunt work. Even that left a bad taste in my mouth. I hate the case. I hate the hours upon hours I've spent listening to police interviews; reviewing medical records; looking at photographs; comparing x-rays and CT scans. I wish I could delete it from my memory.


Right now, I'm watching Letterman lay into John McCain. What were they thinking? Ouch...

Tomorrow night: Miss Lauryn has her first school recital, so that's what my Thurs night holds

Jessica is trying to talk me into a trip to ATX... Problem: I have no ACL passes, and really no desire to go, other than to see Bingham and the Foo Fighters. Yes, Shooter's in town...so that's a plus. However, I don't think it's going to happen. I have to get back to Oklahoma...and next weekend it's calling my name. :)

woo-hoo! friday!

I've been pretty bored all week at work, or just plain disgusted. Neither of those is a good thing.

Things going on this week:

* New nephew! Nolan was born Monday night. You can see pics here.
* Obsession with the Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights cd. I've had it for at least 4 months, but am just now giving it much attention.
* Trying to avoid listening to the audio from some interviews. I just can't detach my feelings from the situation enough. I had to shut it off after 33 minutes yesterday. That leaves another 2.5 hours. I guess that's what I'll do tomorrow just to get it over with.
* Decided once and for all that I do not have the stomach for criminal law.
* Family law presented a problem this afternoon, too. Sometimes things just really suck for all sides. If everyone could take a step back and see that there's a reasonable compromise underneath all the hurt, it would be so much better.
* Welcome distractions: The Bonnie Hunt Show, the return of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (so wrong, so funny...I was crying earlier tonight from laughing).

Tomorrow I'll be cutting out of work an hour or two early to hit the road to see the baby. I'm looking for something to do this weekend...woody's? manchaca? nada? It will definitely be a game time decision.

I hope that the people affected in the Houston/Gulf area see some sort of return to their normal lives.

tell me those stories I adore...

...about all your voices you try to ignore

- Tall Tale, Charlie Shafter


I got a text from Deidre last night. She'd walked into Adair's and said THE Charlie Shafter Band was playing and she thought of me. I'm not sure that it's a good thing that for many people I am reflexively connected with them. Hahaha... Do I talk about them that much? More than RK or RRB?

Anyway, I was happy that Deidre got to see the show and that she likes them, too. Originally, I planned to see them at Gruene Hall next Thursday. I thought, "Why not?" I'll already be headed that way to see Becky, Brady and the new nephew, Nolan. Well, that changed this morning. It looks like I'll be going this coming weekend to the Waco area. Mom called and said Becky was headed for the hospital.

Run down:
Thursday/Friday morning: water, water everywhere

Heather sent me this picture, which I had missed:



Obviously, the drainage system in the stadium was pretty good since the game went on as scheduled. The roads home were almost impassible. The courthouse was closed the next day due to flooding and the likelihood of more rain on Friday.

Friday:

Gloomy day, but never more than a few scattered showers throughout the morning. The plan was to work from home and then head to see RK for an in-store performance. Well, stuff happens. I ended up shopping for my cousin's birthday, taking my nieces to the library, doing a little more research and realizing the afternoon was gone. I never even attempted to go to the show.

I call the amphitheater to make sure RK and RRB are still on for the night. They say it's still on. I am flying solo. Jessica was on her way to Dallas to see the Eagles in concert with her family on Saturday night. Chris was who knows where. Elvira was working. Eric and Emily? No idea. Kristi? No idea. Michelle and Mana? They thought it was Saturday night. At this point I have to admit I didn't call anybody before heading out. I figured the odds were good that I would know someone there among the thousands of people. Well, all I can say is Thank God for Brad. I didn't know a single soul there (Well, I didn't see anyone I knew until the last 10 minutes of the RRB set).

The RK set was great, as always. There was a time I thought they would walk from the stage because of a few bottles being tossed...never made contact, but came very close. I'm trying to remember the specifics of the setlist, but I clearly remember Guy Like Me, Castanets, and 52 Vincent. I would go see them anytime, anywhere.

RRB was fun. They played the new stuff, including Never Be That High, which I hadn't heard live before. The crowd seemed to have a good response, but they went absolutely crazy for KMITD. Still amazes me...to see all those people there for RRB.

I found out that 75 people or so showed for RK's in-store performance. I totally could have made it. Brad said there was some sort of mix-up with the production company and the show ran like 3 hours late. Daaammmnnit! (À la GDV) He assured me I didn't miss much.

Saturday: College football and Christopher's first game of the season in his youth football league. Christopher is the younger cousin I took to see The Dark Knight. Not only was this his first game, he was named QB and was celebrating his birthday. Big day. Following his win (32-6), we had his birthday dinner and party. He cleaned up re: football gear, video games, and cash.

I'm not really sure what I did after leaving my aunt and uncle's house. Wait, I watched SNL. Tina Fey returning to portray Sarah Palin was the highlight.

Sunday: a whole lotta nothing

In my dreams I remember every feature, 'til I wake up to an imaginary creature...

- Tall Tale, Charlie Shafter

I've spent the better part of the last week reading the first two books of the Twilight series. I have book 3 waiting in the wings until lunchtime. Rebs posted a tweet asking Trisha and I if we've had any Edward dreams. I wouldn't go that far, but the second book sure was great at developing a longing to hear from his character. The books are totally geared toward a younger set, but I enjoy them just as much as my cousin, Dione, a high school senior. I am counting down to the movie (even if it did bump my Harry Potter movie until next summer...), ready to get lost in the next book, and not really wanting to finish the fourth anytime soon.

The rain from earlier continues. It will continue to fall the rest of the night until 4:30 this morning according to the weather reports. The playa lakes have exceeded their limits, the streets are a mess. Driving home, I never went faster than 20 mph and usually in a single lane of traffic due to the flooding. The standing water was well over a foot in some areas. According to the reports, thunderstorms will hit the region again tomorrow evening. I'm not sure how much more rain we can take.

___________________________

I didn't want the day to pass without acknowledging the day in some fashion.

things I've done today:

1. Nothing actually related to my profession

2. Acted as the IT person in the office. Seriously, I spent much of the morning setting up the network between the computers in the office and adding a wireless router for the front office because...well, I'm not sure why. I should get a bonus for that. IT guys get paid at least $75 bucks for basic installation, right?

3. Positive note: All the computers are successfully connected and available throughout the network. Negative note: For some unknown reason, the printer connected to the front administrative computer will not work! WHY? It is not hooked up to the network, just the local computer. The network connections had nothing to do with this printer and its connection to the computer...I'm at a loss. The printer is ancient, though. I think it's time for a new one. It's seriously one of the first laser printers that was widely available. I don't think buying a replacement is out of the question...at least that's what I'll be saying when I talk to D later today. lol

4. I've watched the rain fall outside my window for much of the day. I've been watching the street flood bit by bit. Should be a fun drive home. (I hope all you Houston/Gulf residents are prepared and have adequate shelter and provisions!)

5. Listened to Jenny Lewis' cd, Acid Tongue, on her myspace page. I can't get into the falsetto voice she employs on some of the tracks, but overall I really like it.

6. Wondering where Ryan Bingham is going to be this Friday. I don't usually spend time thinking about this...just FYI. I was looking around Craigslist last night and found a posting for Kalf Fry tickets tomorrow. The ad listed the following artists: Reckless Kelly, Randy Rogers Band, and Ryan Bingham. Excuse me? I have no idea if that's true or not...but how I hope it is.

From Sara, Heather, Suzy, Steph, Sarah...and everyone else that did it:

I AM…still sleep-deprived.
I WANT…a sleeper couch in my office.
I HAVE…more than I probably need.
I KEEP…thinking about that damn printer up front. It will haunt me until I figure out why it's not working.
I WISH I COULD…turn the thermostat up. It's freezing in here.
I HATE...reading political threads and the inevitable insults that result. What's so wrong with agreeing to disagree?
I FEAR...the coyotes in my parents' yard. They have taken to getting on the roof of the house via the storage shed/trees of mom and dad's next door neighbor. The tree extends over the fences and reaches the roof. The tree's like the Bering Strait or something. The family of foxes were fine. Coyotes...not so much.
I HEAR...The Damnwells' "Texas". It's still one of my favorite songs.
I DON’T THINK...tomorrow night is going to go as planned. There's a 90% chance of rain. FAN-tastic! If they try to cram 4000 people into the covered theater, I'm not going to be happy.
I REGRET…nada. If you changed something, who knows where you'd be now.
I LOVE… good times, detours, my favorite people, thunderstorms, books, laughing at lex and lauryn, the staff at the BL, sleeping in, sneaking out to catch matinée movies, road trips.
I AM NOT…a morning person.
I DANCE… only if forced to do so by Tater. LOL
I SING…pretty much at shows...or to irritate my niece, Lauryn, who has her own theme song.
I NEVER…thought I'd step foot in the Tequila Lounge. However, that's where I'll be in Nov.
I RARELY…see this much rain in a month, much less three days.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH…I don't know. Everwood? "The Gift" or "The Body" episodes from Buffy?
I AM NOT ALWAYS…this much of a slacker at work.
I HATE THAT…I haven't seen some people in a very, very, long time.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT…that stupid printer.
I NEED…to let the printer thing go.
I SHOULD…make a few phone calls before the day is done.

It's ridiculous how sleepy I am. I'm reading everything I can (work-related or not) to try to keep me awake. I've got the ipod on and continue to fight falling asleep at my desk. The weather is a contributing factor. It's a pale gray outside, threatening to rain. Fall's definitely just around the corner. Yesterday was the same gray sky and rain throughout the day.

Saturday night was a much needed break from being at home. I knew it was going to be less than ideal circumstances due to the multiple band lineup and game broadcast at the bar. However, I ended up having a good time. I was there to see CSB, but the Hogg Maulies and Will Green were also good. I just hate the overcrowding in the bar on football weekends...and they weren't even playing in town. The feed of the Tech game was grainy, so I usually had my back to the screen watching the actual telecasts of the Texas/UTEP game. Brady sent me this clip from the game that is so AFV, but I laughed nonetheless:



Things spotted Saturday: grinding action that had Tracie and me in stitches; B getting a little excited about the show LOL; plans for a spaceship; hairstyles that Rebs wouldn't have been able to keep her hands out of...

I was planning on going to see Jason Eady tonight at the Blue Light...but that's not happening. I'm going home. I'll save it for Thursday when Ryan James is back in town...and the acoustic set with RK Friday afternoon...and RK and RRB Friday night. Good weekend coming...but not fast enough.

Well, last weekend did not go as expected. Instead of RDRU, I was home with most of the family. My grandma took a turn for the worse and never recovered. She passed away early this afternoon. I'd gone to work yesterday and today. Sitting around was driving me a little crazy. I decided to go in and see if I could find something to bide my time. My mom called around 11 a.m. this morning, saying that I should probably come home. I left the office and drove to grandma's house. She passed peacefully and I think we're all grateful for that tonight.

Thanks for the continued prayers and thoughts for our family. I missed you guys this weekend, and your texts, calls and twitters made me smile quite a bit.