Me 0; Cold Weather 1

I've become a serious weather wimp. The last 7 years I was south of I-10 in New Orleans. For two years before that, I was in Seattle. I've had to whip out wool sweaters about 10 tens in the last 9 years and I'm still wearing the Gore-tex jacket and LL Bean Fleece I bought at an outlet mall 10 years ago.

This morning like at idiot, I walked outside to the vehicle on the way to work wearing my flip-flops. I can attribute this illogical decision to a few things:

1. I just came back from a week in New Orleans where I sweated in 75 degree and 65% humidity weather.
2. I got very little sleep since I drove around Saturday night/Sunday morning in Bristol, VA at 1 am looking for a wireless internet router I could piggy back off of. The La Quinta's router went out, and I had to post to a newroom for my class.
3. Trouble kept me awake with his coughing which is definitely not kennel cough since he's gotten the vaccination.

All I can say is, I swapped out my shoes at the vehicle, and I'm digging out my ten year old sweaters. And I'm fearfully anticipating snow that actually sticks to the ground longer than a few hours.

Come Winter! I dare you to freeze me out! I dare you!

Spam Can Listen

Finally! The Spam Gods have heard my plea from my last post as found here. I've received an invitation to Meet Interracial Singles Today! Since I am of Asian decent, are they inviting me to meet someone of a different race? Is the interracial single a combination of caucasian and asian? Am I the interracial single people are coming to meet? Questions and more questions ... At least my potential dating pool has expanded. I'm still wondering where the Anarchist Singles are though. They sure would be exciting.

Greatness! "Dance your cares away, Worries for another day, Let the music play ..."

Good news for all your Fraggle Rock fans. The Jim Henson Company is in developments for a full-length Fraggle Rock movie.

The link to the story is here: http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2006/101906.shtml

Wembley rocks.

The Joys of Spam

Email that is, not the processed luncheon meat.

One of the joys of getting elected to Advisory Council after ICYPAA 48 is that I've quadrupled the amount of spam I receive. It's come to the point I enjoy reading the subject lines to see how creative and random the headings can be. The trend is mostly YOUNG GIRLS! with a combination of wet adjectives and/or animals. Or the cleverly disguised p*nis or two letters transposed like fcuking. And then there are always the anatomy (and I don't mean boobs) enlargement or stamina ads. Why I would want to look into that, I have no idea. I'm a girl for chrissakes! If I'm with someone who wants or needs that stuff, he can do the looking around on the internet, not me.

And now they have targeted me for my dating habits (or lack there of as the case may be). I'm not sure how, but I've gotten numerous emails about meeting Black Singles in My Area! Not that I have anything against meeting Black Singles (which are definitely better than meeting Black Unavailable-in-a-Long-Term-Relationship or Black Marrieds), but what about the White Singles? Hispanic Singles? Asian Singles? Anarchist Singles? I mean really, I'm separated now. I don't need to be limiting my dating pool. Bring it on, baby!

I had one the other day with the subject line of: Guten Tag, Jennifer. Hey, someone who knows me! I clicked on it, and dammit, more help for my "girth."

Great. Now I have about another thousand spam emails to expect. Spam away!

Notes from the Road

Thursday I dropped off the boxers at Petsmart and began my 1071 miles journey from Northern Virginia to Petit Jean State Park outside of Morrilton, AR. That's right, Arkansas. I started about two hours after I wanted to and began to stress out and berate myself for being always late. Then I realized my only commitment/responsibility was to be at the park by Friday late afternoon and to get there without killing myself or anyone else on the road. So I said,"Fuck it. No one is waiting on me," and headed out.

The drive was absolutely beautiful. The leaves have started changing and turning yellows, golds and reds and I climbed past the Smoky Mountains heading west. There is just something about starting a long road trip with a road atlas, cooler full of beverages (I prefer the non-adult kind) and a bag of pizzeria pretzel combos that just makes me excited about the journey ahead. Perhaps this stems from my senior year in high school's desire to wander around the country after graduation, working in little diners and restaurants and saving money before moving onto the next town, and seeing America. Instead, I joined the military a month after graduation and joined that rat race until now. I blame it all on reading The Dharma Bums senior year in lit class.

I tried to live out of my car and wander the US a few years back before I went to grad school, but since I was never selected for that program, that dream died on the vine. I did purchase a nice big vehicle to do that which came in handy moving to DC with the dogs and cats.

Anyway, I traveled through Northern Virginia, through Tennessee and into Arkansas. I stopped at a La Quinta Thursday night and checked in with about 20 golfers. I thought they were crazy since the weather had turned, and the nice 75 degrees temperature I enjoyed with my short sleeved T-shirt and flip flops leaving VA caused me to freeze my butt off in the ensuing 48 degree temperature. Every time I got our of the vehicle to gas up, people looked at me strangely in my flip flops. At least my toenails were painted a nice color. Tabitha Hughey (wife of a guy I worked with in Houma, LA) would be pleased I didn't look "white trash" (in her own words).

Just on a side note, La Quinta apparently means the following:

1. Free high speed internet
2. Pets stay for free
3. Complimentary continental breakfast

I don't remember a lot of high school Spanish, but La Quinta sure means a lot of things in English.

I had a great time seeing all my friends from New Orleans and Louisiana at ARKYPAA. Petit Jean State Park is just beautiful and the view overlooking the Arkansas River Valley is one I could look at forever. I headed out on Sunday at 1230 which was only two and a half hours after I started the process of saying goodbye. I always hated saying goodbye before because it felt like I would never see these people again and our relationship would never be the same again. I've realized that for every person who leaves, it means there is just another person I was meant to meet and share my life with. So as sad as I was leaving Arkansas and about 30 people I've seen on a regular basis for the past three years bidding for and hosting ICYPAA, I know I will see them again even though life has changed for all of us.

I know I have true friends and made lifelong relationships if I can see someone after a significant amount of time has passed since we have seen or spoken to each other, and it feels like no time has passed. We can pick up right where we have left off. I've got two friends from high school who are like that, and my sister. Being in the program has given me a lot more people like that in my life and I am grateful for the gifts of being their friends.

I'm in New Orleans right now. I think everyone down here would have kicked my butt if I traveled all the way to Arkansas and didn't come down and see them. But I have a week to wander around, take care of some work stuff, catch up on school work, and generally enjoy myself not being on a schedule or responsible to anyone. Freedom to be. Joy.

Son of a Bitch!

I just typed a lengthy post about three movies and four books I read, and then Boom! Gone.

Dammit.

I'll write it again when I get the energy.

Crap.

Best Intentions and All ...

I tried to post during September, but it seems where I truly get the inspiration to write is when I'm avoiding something. In this case, homework or a paper that is due. Now, I did do some procrastinating in the month of September by cooking, baking and TV watching. Don't ask me why, but I had a sudden urge to watch the last two seasons of Charmed while they replayed on TNT since I never saw the series finale. And if that isn't true procrastination, then I don't know what is.

On the other hand, I've baked two different kinds of chocolate cupcakes with fancy icing I piped through a cake decorating bag, vegetarian chili, cornbread with creamed corn and green chilis, and tomato-mushroom eggplant cassorole. The people at work are pretty happy with my desire to avoid unpleasant tasks at home. At least someone is benefitting from my laziness.