Pinatubo

I got to thinking about yesterday's post and started reading up on the volcanic eruption of Pinatubo. I think I know what my father meant when he said that is put 100 years worth of industrial gas in the air. They actually refer to it as a stratovolcano.

According to Wikipedia beginning 5/5/1991, it was emitting 500 metric tons of sulfur dioxide per day and then by 5/13/1991 it had increased to 5000 metric tons/day and then rapidly decreased on May 28th. Eruptions then began June 3. "Over the following months, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), and ozone destruction increased substantially." The total mass of Sulfur Dioxide that was emitted when all was done was 20 million metric tons. There was measured damage to the ozone layer right after this.

Every time I read anything that discusses what our (mankind's) refineries put into the air the number is like 14.5 metric tons. But it doesn't state if it's daily or annually. Honestly, I don't think we could put a dent in this. Even if we reduced emmissions by 100%, which we can't do, it wouldn't amount to a hill of beans to something like this.

And if 50 - 60 volcanos are erupting annually, obviously not of this magnitude, then I believe that is the source of gases. The earth, in effect, is passing gas.

What's Not Being Said -

Ok, now that I'm working from home, I have time on my hands. So, be forewarned, this is a soapbox post.

I read that the Earth's population is 6.5 billion. If I'm not mistaken, that number looks like this 6,500,000,000. The population of the US is about 330 million; 330,000,000. We make up about 5% of earth's population. If indeed, man is contributing to Global Warming, I seriously doubt that the U.S. is contributing as much to it as some politicians would like us to believe.

Did you know that 50 - 60 volcanic eruptions occur annually? Not all of them as great as Pinatuba or Mount St. Helen. But they are emitting gases into the air. Gases like CO2 and SO2. I remember when Pinatuba erupted, my father, who was a geologist, said "That volcano just put 100 years worth of industrial gas right into the air". He didn't specify if that was U.S. industrial gas or worldwide industrial gas. It's too late to ask him to which he was referring.

I don't doubt that the earth is warming up, the evidence is pretty clear. I'm just not sold on "man" being the big culprit. I seriously doubt man can really do that much to control the earth's warming. And if man could do something about it, it's way beyond anything that our country can do. If man is actually 50% of the problem, then would that make us only 2.5% of the solution?

If we could prove, without a doubt, that man contributed enough gases such that if we changed our ways we could actually reverse the impact, then I would think the culprits are going to be the larger populations..... China, India ..etc.

Hmmmm.

Dilemma

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I was born and raised a Republican. Initially, I voted Republican because my upbringing was that way. Then, as I got older, I found that my values were more in line with those of the Republican Party. During Bush's second term I found myself seriously questioning my loyalty to the GOP. As "punishment" I voted Democrat during the local elections last year.

I was hoping that Giulianni would run for President because I believed he would breathe confidence in the GOP back into my weary heart. But lo and behold someone else has surfaced and I cannot believe how much I like this person. Barack Obama.

I absolutely adore this man. He's non-invasive, smart, articulate, fair, consistent and doesn't come across as an ambitious politico. I can actually visualize myself voting for a Democrat during this upcoming election. Not only voting for one but actually liking my choice after I've done it. All the other options feel like bulldozers to me.

So, what's my dilemma? Obama is THE ONLY Democrat I could vote for. I cannot bring myself vote for Hillary. And if she is on the ticket with Obama, it could really screw it up for me. But that's not the dilemma.

This is the dilemma. I want to vote in the primaries to help insure Obama wins as the Democrat's nominee for President. But it is my understanding that if I vote in the primaries, I have to vote that party during the Presidential election. I can't decide to vote the Republican candidate if I don't like which Democrat makes the nomination.

What's a girl to do?

Run! Don't Walk - Houston

Recently, I went to Stages Repertory Theater to see a play titled I Am My Own Wife. You must see this play.

The play is performed by a single actor who plays each character without a costume change. Initially, when John invited me to see the play I thought it would be interesting to see an entire play performed by one person especially since I somewhat knew the actor in person. But what really transpired was so much more than I was expecting.

To start with, the actor Philip Lehl, is a phenomenal actor. He was the lead in John's musical "Deep in the Heart" and he did a really nice interpretation of the leading role. But in this particular piece, he had to play each role with such distinction so that the audience could never mistake who was who. It worked. I didn't see John's friend Philip on the stage ever; I saw only the characters he portrayed.

The play pulled me in and held my attention through to the very end. I didn't find myself scoping out the audience during the performance, which is something I have a tendency to do in a small theater. The story itself was riveting. And most importantly, his portrayal of the lead character is so very poignant.

If you live in Houston, go see this play.

.....Gorgeous

This is the Amaryllis that just recently bloomed in front of my little duplex. I love Amaryllis. I have 4 in pots that I'm trying to get to bloom.

Firefly

I'm not a big Sci Fi fan but my sister is. She was a major Trekky while I was growing up. Even today, she has the coolest ornament for her tree. It's a small replica of the Enterprise and it lights up by using an existing light socket from the tree lights.

Well, this past Christmas, she introduced me to a Sci Fi program that didn't last long called Firefly. I loved it. I watched every episode she had. Anyway, I was trolling through my nephew's journal and saw he took the Serenity quiz. Looks like we both are Malcolm. He and I are very similar in many ways, though I doubt he would probably agree. I see it in hindsight because I'm older, I guess.

Your results:
You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

Honest and a defender of the innocent.
You sometimes make mistakes in judgment
but you are generally good and
would protect your crew from harm.



Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

New Favorite Passtime

Meet Little Bear. He is the sweetest kitty a person could want to have. And unfortunately, has become the source of twisted amusement for me.

It's not that bad, really. I have hardwood floors now. Something I've never had before. I find it amusing to chase him and watch him slip and slide all over the floor as he makes his getaway.

Believe me, this little kitty gets a ton of kisses and affection.

This is a picture of him on my desk. He has decided this is his new spot.

Take me Out to the Ballgame

My brother and I went to the game today and watched the Cardinals smear us all over the field. But hey, the Astros have 156 games left in the season, they have to pace themselves. At least that's what I tell myself.

We enjoy going to see the Astros play. Every season it always seems to come down to a game between the Astros and Cardinals in a race for the pennant. And it always seems to be so so close. It has to be said, the Cardinals are a great ball club.


This yummy guy is Albert Pujols. A guy I have a very strong Love/Hate relationship with. Whenever he comes to the plate, the whole stadium boos him. And he answers back by hitting the ball out of the park. According to the light bright score board, his batting average was .059. Not a great average, but it just doesn't matter because he hits the ball when it seems to count the most. Every time he comes up to the plate, my stomach turns into knots.

So, over the years, as I begin to embrace the idea that the Astros are always going to have to go toe to toe with the Cardinals, I've grown to accept Pujols as part of the package and I really like the guy. I can't help it. He's hot. He's talented and he's cocky. And I can't help but wish he were on our team. So, I can't really bring myself to truly "boo" him when he comes to the plate. Because I really think that he should be worshipped.

Oh, God, did I just say that?
Source of image.

Color me......?

Anybody want to guess what color this Amaryllis is going to be?

Just stuff

I released the last three butterflies yesterday afternoon. They all hatched at about the same time. They were so cute.

It takes them a while after their wings have dried to move on. They remind me of planes on the tarmac prepping to fly. They open and close their wings and they move their heads back and forth. It's almost as though they are going down a checklist of things prior to take off. I kissed them goodbye... how cool is that? I only had the cocoons a few days but I miss them.

I want to plant milkweed to attract more butterflies.

The Amaryllis bulb is opening up but I am still unable to determine what color it is going to be. It's driving me crazy. I go out and check it every day.

I'm pretty well settled into my new home. We all seem to be well adjusted. I feel different. Funny, I don't really miss the Allen House. I think I had outgrown it a couple of years ago. I just needed that "push" out the door.

Butterflies are free to fly. Fly away. Fly Away. Bye Bye

I released the third butterfly this afternoon. When I awoke at 10 this morning, I found the second had hatched and was ready to be released. The ritual is that I take it outside, let it rest on my finger until it flies away. But it seems that each one wants to linger just a little longer.

There are three remaining; and I think can tell which Cocoon will hatch next.


I got tired of waiting for this one to fly away on his own, so I stuck him on a rose bush.

Shhh Butterflies hatching

Last night I had an event celebrating the opening of my new business. I have these fabulous personal financial advisors and they hosted the event for me. It was absolutley wonderful and I had a great turnout.

One of my guests raises monarch butterflies and he brought me this most wonderful little gift. As you can see in the photo it's a "hatchery" of sorts for butterflies. He said it symbolizes my new business. When he gave it to me last night, there were 6 cocoons. Now as you can see, there are five as one has just now hatched. As soon as the butterfly's wings are dry, I will set it free.

How cool is that people?

The Other Guys

This is my nephew's "band". He's the one singing this song.

The video quality isn't as good as it should be but he's the one at the beginning in the red shirt; reddish blonde hair, beard and mustache.

I'm not sure who wrote the song.

Their website is: www.theother-guys.com

Enjoy!

I love flowers.

I love flowers! My new place has a huge rose bush that is blooming like crazy. The flowers are just beautiful. they are somewhat like the antique roses. You know, the yellowish kind with the pink edges. It's hard to tell from the photograph.

And I was sitting out on my tiny little patio out front and I noticed what looked like Amaryllis leaves protruding from a bulb in the ground. A few days later, sure enough, a bloom is working it's way up from the bulb. There are four Amaryllis but it appears that only two have decided to bloom. I can' wait to see them. I wonder what color they are.

I brought four over myself. They bloomed the first year I had them but I haven't been able to get them to bloom again. I have them in full sunlight now and I've been feeding them. So, I'm hopeful that I can get them to bloom soon.

I also have pink impatiens that have been blooming. But when I moved, I had to cut the whole thing back. The move really stressed them.

Ok, that's all I have now. Yes, I do plan on taking photos of my new place, but it's still not quite where I want it to be.

Cheers everyone.

Things that go bump in the night

I've been in my new place about 2 weeks now. My new home is the bottom half of a duplex. It's a pretty old building, about 80 years. I also have hardwoods and I'm not accustomed to them yet. The first night I was here, I thought I heard people walking in my apartment. It turns out it was my cats. They make a lot of noise when they walk...

So, today, my neighbors who live above me have moved in. They're noisy. Hopefully it's because they are moving things about and getting settled. Either way, I'm ok with it. I like the sound of having them above me. This is a big duplex and I've been feeling sort of nervous being here by myself.

I have a friend who is moving, too and she needs my boxes. I really want them out of my home so badly. I've broken them down but I hate having them here. I want to get rid of them. So she's asked me to give her another week before disposing of them. I hope she can get them this week.

I don't feel settled yet. I had an idea in my head regarding how my business was going to work and a move was not on the radar. I'm thrown off kilter. I'm trying not to let it have so much impact on me but it hasn't been easy. So, we'll see.

Ok, that's my update for now.

I moved!

Well, I did it. I moved. It was really really rough. I had been in these apartments 11 years. I made an apartment my home and accumulated a lot of things.

It was a very overwhelming project. I'm still unpacking boxes and putting things away.

I love my new place. I absolutely love it. I couldn't sleep the first two nights I was here. My cats had a lot to do with it. They are both nervous nillies and couldn't be still. I thought I was going to kill them. But they've finally calmed down. My bird is happy. She has her own spot with a window and she is adjusting just fine.

And to top it off, during all this, I even managed to write up a contract and negotiate a successful deal on a house for one of my buyers. That was a really nice little gift that life passed my way.

Anyway, I'll take some photos and post them soon.

Second Wind

Hi everyone. Sorry for the long absence. I've sort of been depressed.

The landlord of the place I initially wanted to lease got a little greedy and decided to take advantage of my situation. I could have afforded what he was asking but I didn't like the approach. And I didn't like the fact that he left me hanging for 4 days while he decided what to do. I could have used that time to find something else.

So, I found another place in the Heights, which is a safer neighborhood than the first place. I'll be able to ride my bike and take walks in the neighborhood. Less than a block away there is a cafe, a Berry Hill, a burger joint, a pastry shop and an upscale restaurant. It's a really nice place and I'm going to be happy there.

Even though it's a better place, and a little more expensive, I've just been really depressed about the whole idea of moving. I finally placed the order to switch my utilities yesterday. I still need to order the truck so I'll do that today. I have people lined up to help me move. It's just a matter of it happening.

I checked my mail today and I had a couple of Valentine's Day cards. Awe. That really lifted my spirit. And then, I went to the apartment office and picked up two packages my sister sent me.

OH MY GOD! She sent me the cutest black and red purse. I know why she thought of me; it sort of goes with the colors of my business. My company name is in Red and my logo is Black and all of it lays over a white background.

So, then I opened the second box. She made me a memory book of this last Christmas we spent together. I absolutely love it. I love it so much.

It made my day and has given me the second wind I've needed to get through this month. I've done some business but I've been struggling getting out of bed. I've lost focus and I've needed a boost to get my "mojo" back. Anyway, her thoughtful gifts have given me the boost I needed.

I love her so much.

Dazed and Confused

I have been in such a daze these past few days. I haven't yet heard back from the people I submitted my application to for the duplex. I feel pretty certain that I have it but still, until I hear from them, it's not a done deal. It's a loose end that I very much need to have tied.

Even the mood ring on my google tool bar is Gray, indicating that my mood is anxious, ill at ease, strained. How does my google mood ring know this? That's sort of scary to think that Google is tracing my steps to know how I'm feeling......

Anyway, I stood up an appointment today to show a property. That is the very very first time I have been so distracted that I forgot an appointment. I am so embarrassed.

I'm excited about my new home but at the same time I'm very very distracted. It's hard for me to get up in the morning, I just want to sleep. I honestly believe I am feeling very overwhelmed. I look at all my things and I don't even know where to begin packing.

I have been collecting boxes for my niece because she has wanted to move. She changed her mind, so now I have boxes. I still need more.

I wish my sister were here, it would help me. I have friends that have offered to help, but I need my sister.

I'll be ok. I'm just waiting to hear for sure that I have a place to live. And then I have to figure out how much I can afford to spend getting there.

It was only inevitable

I have some very sad news. The apartment community that I have called home for the past 11 years is redeveloping and forcing it's residents to move. You can read the story here. I have wanted to move for some time, I really need more space but have just kept putting it off. I know so many people here and I have loved living here so much.

I found a new place. It's what I want but I'm so depressed about it. I know that I cannot come back. I know that these people who have always been a part of my daily/weekly routine will no longer be a part of my new life. My life is going to change so much.

I don't want to go, yet.

I will have to do a series of memory posts for this place. I have held so many parties here and have seen so many people come and go. I feel like a very close friend has just died.

Sigh.

Teach a man to fish

I have discovered someone who's work has had a really big impact on my life. A very big positive impact on my life. And if I don't say anything else here worth your time than this, then I would be satisfied.

Way back when, while working at Accenture (then known as Andersen Consulting), I listened to a speaker. I loved this guy but for whatever reason, I didn't keep his name or information about him. Then, a friend, invited me to hear him speak last December.

I have been in sales for over 6 years and I've heard a lot of motivational speakers: Tom Hopkins, Zig Zigler etc. None of them, really hit home for me or said anything that I felt I could really incorporate into my life without feeling 2 dimensional. But this guy is phenomenal.

I invested in one set of CD's. I wanted to hear him first before investing in more of his stuff. I love it. I listen to them as often as I can and I find that I am incorporating his techniques in my life and I can sense a change in myself. I am having a fantastic first month in my new business and I have to give some credit to his work. It isn't just the money I've made but also the opportunities that have opened up to me

So, who is it? It's Brian Tracy. I wish that I had started listening to him years ago.....

Oh, and which CD's did I buy? I bought "The Psychology of Achievement" because I wanted something that could help me address the ROOT of it all.

A moment of silent gratitude

I would like to take a moment to give thanks to those people who invented e-mail, faxes and scan capabilities and then made those things affordable and accessible to the average person. It is so friggin cold and yucky outside and I have contracts that have to be delivered. I don't have to step outside of the toasty warm confines of my house. I can scan and e-mail the little devils.

So thank you, whoever you might be, and I hope that you made a lot of money off your little inventions because you deserve it.

The little pixie to the right has the cutest outfits. I just love her coat, I wonder where I can find one like that. Unfortunately it would only get worn once in a blue moon here. It says it's 1 C. I think that translates to about 33 F.

Brrrrrr

It's [insert dirty word here] cold here in Houston

It's cold and wet here in Houston. I know other parts of the country are getting it far worse than we are and are probably laughing that we even think it's cold. But we laugh at those other parts of the country during the summer when they claim they're hot. They don't know summer hot 'till they've lived in our fair city during July and August.

So, It's *#!)(*# COLD here in Houston

I don't have any other way of putting it.

Beta Blogger, you suck.

Ok, I bought into the rhetoric, I made the switch. You told me it was safe. It sucks, ok? I 'm not a spoil sport really and I'm pretty patient about these things but come on, no one can post comments on my blog. I have trouble logging in. I can't always pull up the page elements and I have to keep clicking on refresh to see if I can bring it up.

Look, I know you're trying and I also know this is free. I don't have to pay for this and I get this great online journal to make friends with people I would never have met otherwise. But I have to say, it's a bit frustrating.

From the Heart -- To my sister who I love very much

As I clean up the remnants of my first tea party, my thoughts wander to you. Since I am baby sister, many of my firsts have been in your shadow. So this event causes me to consider the number of times I have wanted to grow into being the woman I always saw in you. Independent, feminine and one who was dedicated to making every day become something new, different and interesting all the while respecting and holding true the romance of the past.

As a young child, I remember watching you as you magically created beautiful Barbie furniture from thread spools and scraps of lace and fabric from Mom’s projects. And I, too, thought it made perfect sense that Mom’s stiletto made as good a Barbie car as anything else you could find. So, by the time I was old enough for Barbie, Mattel provided her accessories. Lace, fabric, glue and scissors were no longer required, so it wasn’t as fun. My interest leaned towards race cars, trains and whatever else I could get my hands on that seemed boyish and cool.

I recall as I began planning this tea party thinking of the ones that you have held and told me about. I imagined the invitations you would make with doilies and calligraphy. I see scissors and glue; and possibly even glitter. Each envelope thoughtfully addressed and mailed out weeks in advance.

My invitations went out via e-vite.com.

Determined to somehow stay true to tradition, I selected a menu of finger sandwiches and scones. I scoured the Internet for the best recipes I could find for egg salad and cucumber sandwiches. I borrowed a food processor to make the scones from scratch. And then, my guests informed me of their special low carb diets and before I knew it, tradition was again to be abandoned and finger sandwiches would be replaced with deviled eggs, ham rolls and cucumber and sour cream salad.

Finally, the day came and my guests, in the spirit of a “tea party”, arrived bearing hats and gloves. I pulled out Aunt Evelyn’s full length gloves and a Talbot’s hat I bought several years ago. And then found myself serving Constant Comment tea in little china tea cups to guests sitting prim and cross-legged with their hats and gloves. The weather was beautiful and the gazebo in the courtyard beckoned us all outside. While I was preparing water for another pot of tea, a guest discovered my Origami book and paper. So, when I went outside with a fresh pot of tea, I found all of my guests had abandoned their gloves and were making Origami designs.

We laughed, drank tea and ate guilt-free bite-sized snacks. Various teas were tasted and future events were planned. We were the secret society of the ya-ya sisterhood and life was great.

And so as I wash up the last of my delicate little tea cups, feeling all mature and feminine, I reflect and wonder what you did at your tea parties. I wonder if I did it right and what you would have thought of it. But mostly, I wonder what it would have been like if you were present and wish most of all that you had been.

Mirabelle

Last night I watched a wonderful movie called Shopgirl. I thought it was fantastic. The name of the main character is Mirabelle. What a cute name for a girl.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this movie all day.

So this morning, I'm showing a house to a client. Her name is Linda and she's inspecting the living room. I'm in the kitchen and I think of something to point out to her. I address her as Mirabelle when I make my statement. She had a funny look on her face and I realize that I called her Mirabelle. I apologized and explained that I saw the movie and really liked it and that I've been thinking about it all day. It was a fun moment.

So later this evening, I was showing a totally different property to a totally different customer. She met me at the property with a friend. As we were walking through the property I realize I didn't introduce myself to her friend. So, I turn to her, apologize for my oversight and introduce myself.

She looked at me, smiled, and told me her name was Mirabelle. What are the odds, really?

First Post of the Year

Well, I've thought about reviewing the past year but I'm going to pass on doing it because this year is about moving forward. The past year offers me fabulous lessons. It was mixed with disappointment and with accomplishment. So, I'm leaving the past in the past and I'm focusing onward to my future.

So, I start the new year armed with a list of goals and a plan for the year ahead. I expect growth, both personally and professionally for myself.

In the spirit of change, I changed the look of my website.

So, here's to all of us and to 2007. May we grow and prosper.

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

I'm flying to D.C. on Friday. And as you saw in my previous post I've started my new RE company. There are a zillion things I have to do between now and Friday a.m. So, this is my only opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

Kisses to you all.

Announcements!

Hear ye hear ye gentle people from Blogspot and welcome neighbors from livejournal and myspace. Girl From Texas has an announcement of the utmost importance!

I have decided to start my own real estate company. This is why I have been so absent lately because I have been wrapping everything up. I wanted to start doing business under my new company today, my birthday.

Everything is done. LLC and dba's have been filed, signs are in the ground business cards are here, agreements with clients have been signed. Now, it's time to do business....the scary part.

So what brought this on? My broker last month decided to dip into my commission. It was just what I needed to push me over to this side. It's time to do for myself that which I so freely do for others.

So, this is all I can post for now. Friends are taking me to Mark's to celebrate my birthday. I'll post more later.

Gotta See It!

For those of you who live in Houston or who are even planning on visiting our fair city during the Holidays, you must must must see Houston Grand Opera's Hansel and Gretel. I know, you're thinking, "Augh, I hate opera. "

The production of this opera is not like anything you would expect. HGO partnered with Basil Twist and Jim Henson Company to develop and present to Houston's audience a performance worth remembering for a very long time. To begin with, they sing it in English; they still provide subtitles. With the use of puppetry and creative special affects they are able to make the adult performers of Hansel and Gretel actually look like children. And then, the witch. Oh My God, the witch is absolutely phenomenal. I can't even begin to describe how remarkable she is and they have intentionally NOT provided any photographs of her.

And if you're an adult thinking this is just a show for kids, think again. Basil Twist designs his puppetry with the adult in mind. The interaction of the puppetry, music and singing is fabulous.

You can buy your tickets here. You will not regret this, I promise. (Here is a really good review)

Oh, and the opera is slowly but surely becoming more and more casual. You do not need a fur or expensive clothing to feel comfortable, clothes one would wear on a date or a cocktail party will suffice.

My not so daily "daily" plug

Ok, y'all loyal readers and lurkers. I have a link over there to the right to a blog called the Daily Nooz. If you haven't checked it out, I want to entice you to do so. They have the coolest stuff.

So anyway, I don't plug sites very often but I really like this one.

What are you waiting for?

Go.

There's nothing more here to read.

Go.

Go now........

Tourists

I find it interesting how people come upon my site and with this cool site tracking device, thanks to Freebird, I'm able to see just what lures people to my site. The most interesting visits are those who pass through my site by googling something. It's almost like their tourists travelling through.

The post that pulls the most visits to my blog is the one I did on how women used to self induce abortions. If one is so inclined to read it, here is the link. People aren't googling "self induced" abortions, they are googling the methods listed in the post.

These searches are coming from all over the world and I often wonder if these are women who are trying to self induce or if these are people who are just doing research on the subject. My hope is that it is the latter.

I've had people find me by googling the poem that is recited in Nights in White Satin by Moody Blues. You know, the one that begins with "Breathe deep the gathering gloom, Watch lights fade from every room, etc." I actually posted only the last stanza of that poem.

I've had two people from two totally different parts of the world within two days of one another google one of my movie quotes. It was the one from Dances with Wolves: "Dances With Wolves. I am Wind In His Hair! Do you see that I am your friend!? Can you see that you will always be my friend!?"

I always wonder about the people who come across my site this way. I want to know what they are looking for and what inspired them to search. What was their final destination?

My six things.....

Cathy tagged me and asked me to list 6 "wierd" things about myself. This is what I came up with.

1) I eat macaroni and cheese with ketchup. It's the only way I'll eat it. When I make my own macaroni & cheese from scratch (w/velveeta or cheddar cheese) I'll add a little worstchester sauce to the mix.

2) I like wear a corset. I buy them here

3) I ignore the prompts etc. that Netflix sends me letting me know what movies are arriving. I set up my laptop, turn out the lights and put the movie in the DVD player and wont' know what's playing 'till I hit the start button. I like the surprise. And then, I like to pause the movie and google stuff from it.

4) Whenever I eat chinese food and the waitress puts the fortune cookies on the table, I won't let anyone touch them until I have picked mine out. I think that if someone else touches your fortune cookie, it ruins the fortune.

5) I have a weak stomach and if I don't remove something from my refrigerator within the first 2 weeks, it will sit there for months until my friend John comes over and removes it for me. He's very sweet about it. He did ask me once not to wait 6 months to remove something but I get embarrassed by it so I keep putting off asking him to do it.

6) I wait too long to scoop out the litter from my cat box. Both kitties are very patient about this but believe me, when I finally get around to doing it, it's not a pretty site. Each time I tell myself I'll clean it out more frequently. The problem is that I get the best smelling kittie litter I can find AND I feed them Science Diet. Their feces doesn't really smell bad with this cat food so I don't smell it. It's usually the urine smell that hits me and makes me clean it out.

Ok, Ya'll, that's all I could come up with.

Billy-isms

Ok, so my friend Billy takes me to see the Nutcracker Suite last night. I think I've mentioned him before, he's the one with whom I went to see E.O. Wilson's lecture. Billy is my Harvard Grad friend who went on to get his PhD in Biochemistry THEN proceeded to medical school. (I mention his credentials for 'new visitors' to my blog. I just to keep everyone up-to-date.)

We have this thing. Neither one of us like sweet 'n low, so any time we go to a restaurant we measure it's class by the sweetener they offer.

Before the ballet, we went to Birra Poretti's downtown for dinner and saved dessert for after the ballet. Who can resist dessert after watching the sugar plum ferry scene? So, anyway, we go back to BP after Nutcracker and order dessert and coffee. The restaurant was dark and all I could see were sugar and sweet 'n low packets. I noticed that Billy pulled out one of his "Equal" packets; he always carries his own. I tease him about carrying his own stash.

I proceed to drink my coffe and eat my canolli. After a minute or two, he hands me a napkin. It's the chemical formula for Aspartame. It is such a Billy thing to do.

Yeah, he's geeky in that way but he's really cute and sweet. I told him I wanted to keep the napkin. He asked me if he should sign it; he's convinced he'll be famous one day.

By the way, after a second look, we noticed that tucked between the sugar and sweet 'n low were Splenda packets. I just couldn't see them because it was dark. So, BP is back up the class scale.

Ouchie Pooh

I was in a 3-car accident last night. I was the lead car and thankfully didn't hit anyone in front of me. No injuries, just a boo boo on my car.

For once I've been hit by someone with insurance! I've had a few fenderbenders over the last 5 years and no one seems to have insurance but this time, it doesn't have to come out of my pocket.

Well, that's all I have to report for now.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Introducing Musetta - The Umbrella Cockatoo

Hi Everyone, I'm Musetta! But when mommy says it, it's more like "It's Musetta! The greatest bird in the whole wide world". You would think I was in a circus or something.

I'm going to be famous one day and make lots of money doing tricks and stuff. And when I am, I'm going to buy me a peanut farm, 'cause I love peanuts. You know, I'll do just about anything for a peanut. I like men, too.

My favorite toy is the Kong Tuffy I love it so much I try to go to sleep with it but everytime I try, it just slips through my tallons and falls to the bottom of my cage. It wakes me up when that happens. I do arm curls with it, I drink water with it, I like to poke one of my tallons into the center and bounce it off my head and I play with it on top of my cage like I'm a monster. I have lots of things I can do with my Kong Tuffy.

I don't travel much. One time, mommy forgot to lock my cage and I decided to explore. I found all sorts of cool stuff. There was a purse that was hanging from a door knob and I chewed the bottom off. And then I found a pen on the floor and I opened it up and spread ink all over the place. And then I found the phone cord and decided to chew through it. I think I made her mad when I did these things.

A couple of years ago I laid some eggs. Mommy really freaked out and she called my doctor. All I remember her saying was "at least we know she's a girl now". Duh! I could of told you that!

Ok, I gotta go now. I have important things to do, like act like a clown, hang upside down on my toys and annoy mommy with my loud shrieking.

We're taking it slow

This is why I hate Meredith Grey's character so much. So, the episode begins with her and McDreamy in a tub together. He is kissing her on the neck in the tub and she is saying, "hey, we're taking it slow".

She is taking a warm bubble bath surrounded by lighted candles WITH HIM and that is her way of saying "we're taking it slow".

So, what else is he supposed to be doing in the tub with her? Talk about makeup?

Another new toy for Mama!

Yes indeedy! I finally got me a camera. So, I thought I would start with a photo of my quilt. Below you will see the squares I have completed thus far. The hoop is on the square I'm currently working on.


I have a lot of work still left to do. I have many squares that still need quilting work.

Below is a close of up Sun Bonnet Sue. I am quilt stitching butterflies; in this square I have embroidered 2 butterflies. This square is special because the black fabric comes from a quilt my sister Diane is doing. So, I have embroidered her name on this square as well.



Isn't she cute? She is the ONLY square with two embroidered butterflies. All the other little girls have only one. The embroidered butterflies are in different areas of each square.

Each girl has the same blue bonnet.

Here, below is Overall Joe. I am quilt stitching little fish and the embroidered fish are in different phases of jumping out of the water. In some cases you only see splashed water where the fish is supposed to be.

Each Joe has a blue blue shirt that matches Sue's bonnet. Each Sue has a different skirt and there is an overall Joe whose overalls match her.

I can't wait to finish this quilt. It needs to be washed.

Boy did it take a long time to load these photos.

The end isn't right

I watched Desperate Housewives last Sunday and it's on again tonight. There is something about the end that bothers me. This is only going ot make sense if you saw it. If you didn't see it and you plan on seeing it (you can do so at www.abc.go.com) then this will spoil it for you.

They kill the woman at the end of the episode. There isn't any reason to do so; she's unarmed.

She gets hit in the head with a can of food and drops the gun. Then she gets into a struggle with someone. Then a person standing by picks up the gun and shoots her in the head. Why? It wasn't necessary. The woman is about 50 something so it should be pretty easy for one or two people to restrain her.

There was no need to kill her and it bothers me that they did it that way.

Something I've never done before

I'm one of those people that is called "brand loyal". I have only one gas card. I have the same insurance I've had since I started driving. I was raised in a Republican household and I vote Republican. And if I don't vote Republican, then I vote Independent. In the early 90's I couldn't bring myself to vote "the enemy", so I went half-way and voted for Perot.....twice.

This time, I went all out and voted Democrat. I am so angry with the party and I had no other recourse. That was it. That was all I knew to do. And now I discover, I'm not alone. There are other loyal Republicans who feel as I do that the party is letting them down.

My issue is not so much with the war on Iraq as much as it is women's issues and a lack of tolerance overall for people who see things differently. I sincerely think that the Republican party is just a bunch of white, self-righteous, christian men who believe they know what's better for us than we do. I'm sick of it. Really, I am.

I love Mac

For those of you who have never heard of Mac Cosmetics let me be the first to tell you about it. It is a fabulous line of cosmetics. I was referred to them by a colleague last year and I have fallen in love with this product. If you haven't heard of them before it's because they don't really advertise, they've grown by word of mouth.

It isn't just the cosmetic but it's also the people who sell it. They are the best.

Yesterday, I used the very last drop of fluid foundation and I went to the Rice Village to get a replacement. Unfortunately they were out of my color so they called a store in the Galleria. I don't know which one they called but I headed over to Nordstrom's and went to the Mac counter there.

They, too, were out of my color. The rep was so sweet. She created a sample for me to take home and use until their shipment arrived. That's not the first time they've done something like that. Early this year I wanted to switch the type of foundation I was using and wasn't sure which color I wanted. The store in Rice Village gave me at least a week's worth of samples in the two shades I liked to help me decide.

And the girls there aren't snobby at all! They take the time to really help you get the right color and look.

So, if you haven't tried Mac, yet, get ye to a store near you. It is a fabulous cosmetic.

If you're happy and you know it.......

Musetta, my little umbrella cockatoo, loves peanuts. She'll do just about anything for a peanut, even a stale peanut. She doesn't seem to like peanut butter though. I think because it's messy.

One time, way back when, I shared some of my spaghetti with her. In order to do so, I had to sit on the floor and put some in a little bowl for her. She likes to eat what I eat sometimes. Anyway, after eating a couple of sauce covered strands of spaghetti, she walked over to me and wiped off her beak on my blue jeans. So, I'm pretty sure that peanut butter just looks and feels very messy to her.

But when it comes to peanuts, all you have to do is say the word and she stops whatever important thing she is doing and comes to full attention.

I made up this little song that I sing to her sometimes. It goes to the tune of the song "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands."

So my little song goes:

If you say the word peanut, you better mean it.
If you say the word peanut, you better mean it.
If you say the word peanut, by god you better mean it.
If you say the word peanut you better mean it.

Yeah. I definitely need a life.

To Be or Not To Be

My friend, John, and I went to see the opera Don Giavanni. This was written by Mozart and is based on the tale of Don Juan. It was a very long opera but was well done. Mozart has a clever way of telling a story.

The charactor of Don Giavanni is one of those who on the one hand is all charm and on the other a worthless philanderer. You love him and "hate" him at the same time. Mozart doesn't really portray Don's evil side as darkly as he could so hate is too strong a word to represent any ill feelings you may have for the guy. Maybe reproach would be more appropriate a description.

On our way back from the opera we were discussing this delimma, this love 'em hate em' character. He had one named Trent in his musical Deep in the Heart. Trent was an abusive asshole but he was so incredibly sexy and charming that it wasn't difficult to see how a woman could be seduced into his lair. I brought up a movie that came out in 1995 called Richard III and asked John if he had seen this movie. This was a really good example of a guy you liked and loathed at once.

He asked me if this movie had Kenneth Branagh in it. Kenneth had played many Shakespearian roles and John started telling me of the one he played in Hamlet. He went on to tell me that Robin Williams was in this movie, too. So then the conversation goes as follows:

"Really, Robin Williams was in it? Who played Brutus, then?"

"Brutus?"

"Yeah, you know, 'et tu brute?'"

"No, that line was from Julius Caesar"

"Oh. Then who played Hamlet's girlfriend. What was her name, Sophoclese or something?"

"That was Ophelia"

"Ah, yes, Ophelia. I remember. She gets killed because she is standing behind a curtain and Hamlet stabs her"

"No, no, her father was standing behind the curtain and Hamlet, thinking he was someone else, stabs him. As a matter of fact, Ophelia goes crazy from the fact that Hamlet murders her father and she frantically runs into the woods and dies."

"Oh yeah, Hamlet dies, too. He commits suicide, right? Poison I believe."

"Hamlet dies and there is poison involved but he doesn't commit suicide."

"This is the play with the witches, right?"

"Witches? That's MacBeth"

"Doesn't Hamlet start with 'There is something rotten in the state of Denmark?'"

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with witches."

Hmmm, I think I need to go back and re-read some Shakespeare.

Cyberspace to Paris - Final Chapter

From the Eiffel Tower

April 14, 1998

Andy and I woke up on time and were out the door headed to the airport as scheduled. I would have liked to talk to his father a while longer; he seemed very interesting.

Once we arrived at the airport, we had one final cup of coffee together and had our last conversation. We embraced one another and shared our last kiss before I boarded the plane. I turned back around one last time; I can still see him walking away.

Based on the way Andy interacted with me during this trip, I interpreted him as being very sincere towards me. He was attentive and sweet. All in all, I loved very moment we spent together, even when I went to the Louvre by myself. I wanted nothing more than to wake up every morning and see his jeans and tennis shoes on my bedroom floor. I don't know how Andy felt about me since I didn't go there with him.

Andy and I took different roads for our lives. His dreams and goals were different from mine. In retrospect, I had a wonderful adventure with him and believe that if I had the opportunity, I would do it all over again and again and again.

I have decided not to meet people over the internet anymore. The outcome can be too painful and I want this one adventure to be the last of its kind. I suspect that I will never experience anyone like him again.

There will always be a special place in my heart for him.

Kisses to you, my friend.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 17 & 18

April 12, 1998

Andy and I walked from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower and decided we would climb it together before leaving Paris. Since Andy was averse to elevators (claustrophobia) we climbed only as high as we were allowed to climb.

It was very cold that afternoon. All the while that we were in line I kept thinking of ear muffs and warm gloves. We waited in that line for 1.5 hours waiting our turn to climb. Just 15 minutes before getting to the entrance a couple with a small child cut in line in front of us. We were completely stunned by this and since we couldn't tell what language they spoke didn't really know how to address it. It was really interesting how we talked about it later that evening from the hotel.

After climbing the tower, we sort of just wandered around the city. We didn't do a lot. It was cold and we were both tired. I was feeling depressed about the trip coming so close to an end. I was growing fond of Andy and didn't want to leave him and yet, I was also looking forward to just being home. Traveling does that to you after a while.

April 13, 1998

Andy and I had our last breakfast together in France this morning. We loaded up the car, closed out our bill and headed for Calais to catch the ferry to Dover.

The weather in Paris this morning was beautiful. The sun shone brightly and it was a sight I didn't see a lot as we seemed to find cloudes wherever we went. Then, about 45 minutes outside of Paris, we hit a snowstorm. Finally, we arrived in Calais and caught the ferry.

On the ferry we met a really nice couple. The conversation was interesting enough and it made the ride go by quickly. I think they were amused by our story. Like most English they seemed to want to know from what "class" Andy came. Once on shore, we immediately pulled into a petrol station for fuel. The odometer on Andy's car read 150300. We went 100 miles over our budget. Not bad.

Since we ran out of money, we had to stay the night at his father's house; I think it was just outside of London. I was able to meet his father, stepmother and adorable little half-sister. I liked all of them.

His father booted the girl out of her room for the night and let Andy and I share a blow up matter, I believe. I can't recall if it was a blow up or not but it was one mattress. Andy was really perplexed that his father would do this because as he said "what if we hadn't gotten along?". I guess he thought his father was being rather presumptuous. It was a pretty big mattress, so if needed, Andy and I could find our own space.

I was so tired, I fell asleep right away. I was so afraid to allow myself to feel any closer to Andy than I already felt. I didn't know how to even express what I was feeling and didn't know if Andy wanted to hear it, especially in his father's house.

I regretted that this was our last day together. I woke up in the night to find Andy turned on his side (away from me and toward a light), he was reading. I can still see his back. I didn't touch him, I didn't want him to know I was awake, I wish I could turn back the clock.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 16

April 11th, 1998

I made a big mistake this morning. There were a lot of emotions going on inside of me and I had reached a point where I needed to spend some time alone. Coming to Paris from Houston is a big ordeal and it's not cheap. I had no idea when I would have another opportunity to be here.

Andy's claustrophobia and the limited bus schedule was restricting what I was going to be able to do in the city and I really really wanted to go to the Musee de Louvre; I had missed it the last time I came to Paris. There was no way to get there from our hotel without taking the below ground subway and he would not get on the subway.

I left Andy at the hotel and went to the Louvre. He was very angry at me for doing this. I think he thought I was punishing him. In my defense, prior to our trip, I had told him that I would come to a point in this trip where I would need some time alone. It is very much a part of my personality to take time in isolation to regroup.

I spent the morning in the Louvre. The works there were beautiful and I especially enjoyed the french paintings of the 17th - 19th centuries. Collet, Ingres, Boulangeais...there are so many to name. Unfortunately, I did not find any of Bouguereau's paintings there. He is my favorite artist.

I observed local artists coming into the museum with their sketch pads. They drew the sculptures and sketched some of the famous paintings that were displayed. The works were so beautiful and there is so much context within the paintings themselves. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of what I saw that I was brought to tears.

When I returned to the hotel several hours later, it appears as though neither one of us were harboring any bad feelings towards one another. I was disappointed that he didn't leave the hotel. He was still upset with me but I apologized for the way I handled the morning and we talked it out a bit. He succeeded in helping me see that there were other ways I could have handled the situation.

I suggested that we count our money to see how much we had left. We decided we could splurge on one final meal. I picked out my leather skirt and a silk sweater. Andy picked out the jewelry and lipstick I would wear; then we headed out the door for an Italian restaurant.

I was wearing thigh high stockings with the rubber grips. For some reason, these stupid things would not grip my thighs, so halfway to the restaurant they started to slip down my legs. Andy and I had to continue to duck into coves along the buildings where I could attempt to pull the stockings back up. We finally found a restaurant where I rectified the problem.

It was at this point that I realized I was falling in love with Andy. I would be heading back to the states in about three days and I had nothing waiting for me.

There was a young couple who lived in the same apartment community as myself. He was about to graduate from law school. Two days before this trip, he pulled me aside and told me that if Andy asked me to marry him to do it. He told me not to worry about anything, he would put together the legal matters for me once I returned. You had to understand their story in order to appreciate where he was coming from.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 15

April 10th, 1998

This day is Good Friday. We got up, had breakfast and headed into Paris.

Since this was Easter Weekend and Good Friday was a holiday, Andy and I were greeted with very long lines, everywhere. We started first at the l'Arc the De Triomphe. Andy had this thing where he didn't want me to ask anyone to take our photos because he didn't want the French to know we were tourists. However, if the person we approached was Asian, then it would be ok to ask them to take our photo. Luckily, I found such a person at the L'arc and we had our photo taken at the top of the structure.

After this we wandered over to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. We were really discouraged by the long lines. I told him about Feyrouz Deli, a Lebanese place, where I had my first shwarma sandwich 10 years ago. We decided to go there and eat. I thought I knew exactly where it was, but 10 years was a long time ago and it took us a couple of hours and a few beers to find it. But we did find it and I discovered it had grown to a full service restaurant. The food was outstanding and we had a great dinner.

I could tell that Andy's claustrophobia was bothering him on the subway and unfortunately, there was only one above ground line that ran. Fortunately it was the one that took us to the Eiffel Tower. Since this was Easter Weekend, the buses were on a very small schedule and many of them were not running. So, we were pretty much forced to use the subway. I could tell that this was going to restrict our movement in the city.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 14

April 9th, 1998

Andy and I took breakfast downstairs in their kitchen. Mr. Nouri, always the perfect host, suggested I make a selection from his library of music to listen to while enjoying breakfast. I requested Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It is my favorite classical piece.

As we pulled out of the driveway, Mr. Nouri was taking his empty wine bottles to his trash can. He held them up to us and he said (In French) "When the bottle is empty, life is full. When the bottle is full, my life is empty" Mr. Nouri believes that wine is to be shared with friends.

We arrived at our hotel in Paris at 3:30 that afternoon. When checking into hotels and such in Paris it is customary to produce your passport. I'm not sure why this is. The day before, while touring the castles, Andy and I had stopped in Chinon to exchange the remainder of our travelers checks. The woman at the bank did not remember to give my passport back to me after verifying the authenticity of my signature. Luckily there was a division of that same bank just a block down the street from this hotel. I was able to get my passport sent to me and it arrived the next morning.

Up until our arrival in Paris, I had not given great consideration to the way I was feeling towards Andy. I'm a slow burner and I needed to process what I was learning before coming to a conclusion about him.

It was difficult at first because he was like a stranger to me. He also seemed nervous, as was I and I felt some self-imposed pressure to continue the feelings I had for him while we interacted on the internet. It took a day or so for me to overcome those feelings. In some cases I just decided to go with it in spite of what I was or wasn't feeling.

Here, in Paris, I felt a flood of emotions towards Andy. I don't know how much of that was complicated by the fact that we were in Paris, but I know that the feelings were quite strong.

We both decided we wanted to "start Paris" in the morning so we opted to stay in the hotel and eat picnic food and listen to music.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 13

April 8th, 1998

Andy and I had no idea what we were going to do with this day when we woke up. Not to worrie, Mr. Nouri had already anticipated that. When we sat down for breakfast, he presented us with a map that highlighted a loop around the area with 6 sites (castles) for us to visit. We made all six of them that day.

When we returned, we were tired so we took a quick nap. After an hour we went downstairs in an effort to head out for dinner. Mr. Nouri had just opened a bottle of wine and indicated that he wanted Andy and me to sit and share it with him. His wife joined us as well but she didn't talk much. Mr. Nouri was somewhat chauvinist and didn't seem to want his wife to talk so she sort of would nod off during conversation. This made both of us uncomfortable.

By about 9:00 we were able to escape and find dinner. This was the best meal of our trip. We went to a place called L'Auberge St. Pierre. The host was so incredibly polite as were the waiters. Andy was so cute. He looked at me across the table and told me to select his meal and order for him. He wanted to see how well I knew him. I did well.

When we got back, we were hoping not to alert Mr. Nouri of our return because we knew he would want to talk. The clever man had one of those motion detecting lights on his drive way. There was no way of returning without anyone knowing. Sure enough, he was waiting up for us.

Down to his celler he went and produced one of the nicest brandies I've ever experienced. I want to say it was Napolean III. He was not approving of my choice to drink this as I think he believed there was a more appropriate drink for women that I should be enjoying. I'm not sure if he offered it to me or not but I opted for the brandy. We stayed up until close to 1:00 visiting with him. His english was limited so I had to translate for Andy. I don't think that Nouri had access to the internet so we weren't sure he understood how we knew one another. It didn't matter really.

This was probably the best day we had of the entire trip.

Tomorrow, we go to Paris!

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 12

April 7th, 1998

We had breakfast this morning at the hotel restaurant. We got a really charming table with a great view of the harbor. Shortly after being seated, a stately, elderly couple entered the dining room. Andy and I were the only ones there at the time. "Madame, Monsieur" they each said as they entered the room; I'm not sure they looked at us while acknowledging us. It's customary for the French to acknowledge the room upon entering and to bid farewell to everyone when exiting. It's just that the way they did it seemed very cool. Oh, and she had her small dog with her which she proceeded to feed at their table. Anyone surprised?

These next two days were really a lot of fun. We decided to travel West towards Paris about 150 miles and stay in Saumur.

So, along the Loire we went stopping once at Challone to take advantage of the market. There we bought fresh bread, cheese, meat and fruit. Then we found a picnic spot along the water and ate sandwiches and drank Orangina. I love Orangina but to me it tastes better in France than it does here.

When we arrived in Saumur, we found the tourist office where they had brochures listing bed and breakfasts in the area. Andy and I settled for the cheapest one, which was realy a chambre d'hote - basically a room someone "rents" from their house. Promptly we phoned for availability and directions.

This little chambre d'hote was absolutely charming, and so were the couple who owned it: Mr and Mrs. Nouri.

Our room was cozy. The first thing that one notices apon entering are the little mirrors scattered throughout. They had the little "Happiness is...." characters on them that were so popular in the 70's.

Then, there was the issue with the lights. The light switches didn't make sense. One outside switch would turn on the lights across the room and inside the bathroom. A separate switch turned on lights near the entrance of the room and other parts of the room. It was really sort of comical trying to determine what lights were connected with the multiple switches.

And finally the bathroom that was adjoin to the room; it was separated only by a curtain, no door. Andy and I felt we knew each other well enough to be able to work through this one. We were correct and we even enjoyed teasing each other about it.

After we put our bags away we went downstairs and sort of wandered through the their house. We discovered an endless music collection and an array of different gadgets and other things. We stepped into the kitchen and waited for Mr. Nouri to come talk to us.

He was really quite a character; an older man with a very big white mustache. He wore wooden shoes, like the ones you see from Holland. He had two pairs: one pair for inside and one for outside. His inside shoes were painted orange and had been painted 7 times. Neither Andy nor myself were sure if he meant 7 different times or 7 coats of paint. His outside shoes were painted black. He didn't mention how many times they had been painted.

He also owned the old property across the road where he was pounding out walls and discovering secret rooms.

That first day in Saumur, Mr. Nouri sent Andy and me into the local town to see the work of a local artist who specialized in illumination. He was really quite talented and knew everything there was to know about the subject. He was very cute, too.

Andy and I then headed back to the house, we showered and went out for crepes from one of the local eateries. Always a tasty treat.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 11

April 6, 1998

We were awakened by a knock at the door. The hotel brought us breakfast; we were not expecting that. So, we had breakfast in bed which was really really nice.

When I checked us out of the hotel, I noticed that they forgot to add the wine to our tab so I brought it up and paid it. Andy got mad at me for this. I just didn't feel right not paying for it. If we had driven off and I noticed, then I would have blown it off.

Off we went to Le Croisic, only 77 miles from Quiberon, another harbor town. I don't really recall the reason behind the places we decided to visit. It may just have been that when Andy and I laid out our itenerary, we took turns deciding where we would stay. Mont St. Michel was definitely my pick.

When we arrived we discovered our hotel was just off the water. The weather was slightly warmer but not by much and it was still very wet. We wandered up and down the coast for a while and window shopped. Later we found a bar where I had a demi-fraise. That, my friends, is a beer with a strawberry flavor added to it. A pinache is another similar drink but it is a beer mixed with their version of lemonade. Both are rather tasty. Andy drank his beer straight, like the respectable man that he was.

We noticed the people here did not seem happy. They didn't talk to one another and barely seemed to even acknowledge each other. Everyone seemed to have a dog as their companion. When we were ready to have dinner, we set out to find a restaurant with a decent selection of seafood; dictionary in hand. My vocabulary as it relates to seafood was limited. It seemed that all the restaurants had a sign indicating that they were pet friendly. "Your dog welcome here" is basically how it translated. It seemed so odd to me to come from such a happy place as Quiberon which was only 77 miles away to here where no one smiled.

The retaurant we ate at was called L'Atlantique. At first we were the only couple in the restaurant then after about 20 minutes another couple arrived. After they had been there only about 10 or 15 minutes they started to argue. She slapped him and then left him at the restaurant. Then she returned only about 15 minutes later with her dog! How sad. It seemed that these people could find companionship only from the canine variety.

When we went back to the hotel we hung out at the bar and stayed up late talking. I wish I remembered the things we talked about because we did a lot of it. Some of it personal, some just observations about life and our adventure.

The next two days would be the days that Andy and I decided we would just "wing it", so we didn't have a specific destination yet in mind. We did, however, know that we needed to be heading in the direction of Paris.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 10

April 5, 1998

I didn't sleep well that night but we got up as planned, had breakfast (croissant and coffee) and headed South.

Our first stop was St. Malo where I bought stamps and post cards to send to friends back home reassuring them that indeed I was still alive and not hacked up in a million pieces. We found a little cafe where I wrote my cards while drinking down hot chocolate. Then we decided to walk around a little.

St. Malo is a very interesting little town. First of all it is surrounded by a concrete wall and throughout the town there is a lot of concrete; we didn't notice much green at all. The weather was very very cold and the concrete seemed to emphasize that. The laughter of the children and the friendly people around us seemed to take the edge off the cold.

I observed a very strong tie to WWII in this town. I think that when the Germans were retreating from U.S. they set the place on fire and just about destroyed it. I remember while in the cafe seeing a large photograph on the wall that was of a boat carrying U.S. soldiers back to a New York Harbor. It looked like it had been taken in the '40's. There seemed to be a strong appreciation here for the U.S. but I never really had a chance to ask anyone; it was just something I sensed. I regret that we didn't spend more time here.

We continued heading South to our destination: Quiberon. This is where I learned a couple of interesting things about Andy. The first thing was his claustrophobia. I may have already known this about him but this was the first time I was able to really observe it. Our hotel room was on an upper floor and our bags were too heavy to carry up the stairs. Andy's solution was to put the bags on the elevator, press the button of the appropriate floor, then run up the stairs to meet the bags. That was hard core.

This particular hotel was located in a suburban area. When we stood at our window, we could watch children playing soccer in the field below.

We arrived here early afternoon and the weather was slightly warmer here than it was at Mont St. Michel so we decided to walk into town and wander along the coast. Both of us were in the mood for pizza so we set out to find a decent place to eat pizza and decided we would have dinner there later in the evening. This is the second thing I learned about Andy. Andy had to see all the options before deciding where we could settle down to eat. I was ok with this because I noticed that he did eventually decide but it became a routine throughout our trip.

Once we knew where we would have dinner, we headed to the sea wall to take a stroll. We weren't aware that the sea was as angry as it was because not long after getting there, we were drenched by a wave. Soaking wet, we found a bar to hang out and dry. This was really nice because the bar itself slowly started to fill up with people, even young people and children. Andy and I felt like we had stumbled across the most happening place in the village and everyone seemed so happy here.

We left and overstuffed ourself on pizza. (Interestingly, they put a raw egg in the middle of the pizza). When we walked back to our hotel we were both still a little damp and we were cold. So we raced each other back to the hotel, the winner would get to use the tub first. I lost so while he bathed I went down to the lobby and got a bottle of wine and glasses.

We grabbed the blanket off the bed and tried to cover ourselves with it while sitting on our terrace with the wine but it was just too cold, so we decided to spend the rest of the evening inside drinking wine and talking. Andy and I had our first kiss.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 9

April 4, 1998

We woke up at 11:00 a.m. We had agreed previously that on this first day we would sleep in since I had been travelling non-stop since the morning of April 2.

Immediately we headed to the little island of Mont St. Michel. It was raining a bit and very cold and windy. I asked the parking attendant what time the tide would be coming in. There would be no high tide. Unbelievable! Apparently there is this special relationship between the earth and the moon that determines what our water will do. I forgot to consult with the moon when I made this trip. We really wanted to see that tide come in. We sat in the car and waited for the rain to stop before we walked across the bridge to the island.

Once passed the entrance, we found a little cafe where we quickly ducked in to get waffles and hot chocolate. Something happened at the table, I don't know what it was. Our souls found each other. And then, we started talking and laughing; suddenly we felt at ease with one another and we felt like we had known each other a while.

We headed up the steep climb to the church. We decided to go to the main area where the alter is. Apparently, it is believed that God's presence is just behind the alter. We observed two people who were lying on the cold brick floor, face down, arms spread apart and legs together. They were praying. That image for some reason stays with me.

I had been here 10 years ago and there was a statue of Michael slaying Satan. So Andy and I decided to go find him. On our way, we came across another couple who were looking for the same statue. She was French and he was German. It was really cute because Andy seemed to need to share with this German guy the story of us. Unfortunately, the German did not understand as much English as necessary to get the gist of our adventure. But it was cute watching Andy try.

We must have spent close to an hour looking for this statue. Every time inquired to anyone about it, they kept pointing up. They seemed to think I was referring to the statue that is on the very top of the church. Finally, I found someone who knew what I was referring to. It turns out he was in Paris. I think he was being cleaned up or something. No tide and no Michael. Still, Mont St. Michel is so absolutely gorgeous it's worth it to see it.

As we stood outside the church it rained and then became sunny intermittently. When it rained it was cold and windy and when the sun was shining it would be calm and quiet. I loved this visit to Mont St. Michel.

Andy and I headed back to our bungalow and decided to write in our journals. I decided to write about the events and things we were doing because those things I would forget and the memory of them would trigger the memory of what I was feeling. I don't think Andy understood this, he seemed to be more disappointed that I wasn't writing about my feelings. I think he may have been focusing on his impressions of me and perhaps even of the feelings that he was experiencing; I'll never know as we sort of just decided not to share our separate journals with one another.

Later that evening, we headed to a little offbeat town called Ponterson and we had crepes for dinner. We found a very small place and had a wonderful meal. It seemed to us that we stepped into a place that wasn't frequented by many tourists. It was obviously a family owned and operated eatery; and also very old fashioned. There was a very little area reserved as a bar. Only men were at the bar and a woman was back in the kitchen.

At first everyone was sort of cool towards us. After a while they warmed up to us; I think the fact that I spoke French and Andy tried to speak it helped us earn their acceptance. As we left, the entire restaurant bid us farewell.

Later in the evening, we walked out of our bungalow to see Mont St. Michel all lit up. We talked a lot and went back to our bungalow to sleep. We continued to talk and talk and laughed ourselves to sleep. Andy seemed to be reluctant to call it night, he seemed to really enjoy the conversation but I was just wiped out.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 8

My flight landed at approximately 7:00 a.m. After going through customs, I had to make my way into a waiting area just before exiting the airport. There were rows of people standing in front of me as I walked along the exit path. Some people were holding signs inscribed with the names of people they were there to pick up. I knew Andy wouldn't be holding a sign; I think we decided against it, so I didn't pay much attention to them.

Andy approached me as I reached the end of the line.

I hugged him and told him I was glad to finally see him. I couldn't say "meet" because I felt as though I already met him. Then I asked him if he was nervous. He squished his nose and said "a little".

As for me, this guy standing in front of me was a complete stranger. The thing about meeting someone on line is that no matter how well you know each other from writing and talking on the phone, once you are in each other's presence, you take several steps back. Our souls had to find each other again. I knew I had to reacquaint myself to him and I knew it would take some time before I recognized the guy with whom I had grown so infatuated over the computer.

Together, we found his car and headed to Dover to catch the ferry to France. Before getting there, we stopped for a coffee and croissant in a little coffee shop. In hindsight, I think that Andy needed to reassure himself before proceding. I suspect his friends probably advised him to do make an assessment before we moved forward.

He was very nervous. I took a picture of him at this shop and the expression on his face, his smile, was forced. It was the only time during our entire trip that I saw this expression. He relaxed soon enough.

We agreed that we would split the expenses, so I started to log everything. The starting mileage on Andy's car was 149,100. It was 50 degrees outside.

One of the first things that I discovered about Andy's car was that the window on my side would not roll down. He had broken the handle the day before and didn't have time to fix it. No big deal.

We had several hours of driving time ahead of us and we decided to take the most scenic route to our first destination: Mont St. Michel.

In France, unlike America, one can drive 90 mph. I was sort of ok with this but the scary part was the fact that once we came into France, we had to change the side of the road we drove on. Since I wasn't driving that shouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. When Andy had to pass a vehicle, he would have to scoot my side of the car out a little to see if he could pass thus putting us (me first) in the path of possible oncoming traffic. That combined with the fast speed was pretty unnerving.

We crossed the bridge of Le Havre. We drove through the sweetest harbor towns: Deauville and Trouville.

And finally at 9:00 p.m. we arrived to Mont St. Michel. It was so beautiful all alone in the distance lit up in soft peach lights.

There are many things about this place that make it famous but my focus was on seeing the tide come in. I had been here before and missed the tides. We agreed to stay two nights here in order to catch the tides.

We dropped our bags and found a local restaurant. After we ate, we went back to the hotel, showered and crashed.

We actually had a bungalow here and thankfully, separate beds. We were on a really tight budget so we agreed that when necessary we would have to share a bed.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 7

This story starts HERE

My concern was never about whether I was going to be safe. I had travelled to France twice before and of course I spoke the language, so I knew I would be ok. My biggest concern was that Andy would get cold feet and stand me up at the airport.

My sister gave me the number of some friends she knew in London just in case he backed out; and she made me promise her that if that happened I would go on to France as planned and have a wonderful time. So, I promised her I would.

My journal entries of the first day of my trip are as follows:

April 2, 1998 Hobby Airport - Houston

I was up at 4:00 a.m. Had strange dreams last night. I dreamt he wore glasses; square lenses with metal rims and that he was somewhat flighty. Not nearly as handsome as his photos but I was really enjoying myself nonetheless. Then the scene changed. I was following him in a car to the airport and lost him. I couldn't find him anywhere. Then suddenly, I woke up, looked at my clock and couldnt' return to sleep.

I am nervous; so much flying ahead of me, so I'm occupied with the flying. I hope I sleep on the plane to Gatwick. On verra.

9:45 Atlanta Georgia

The flight over was uneventful. The little cookies they passed out were tasty and the airline was very generous with them.

I'm still nervous. i'm mixed with feelings regarding my trip and my impending unemployment when I return.....very scary.

But what I would like to do within the next four hours is leave it all here in Atlanta. I'm not going to bring anything on this trip that I don't need.

Present mental state: Uncertainty due to my trip and my future. Good mood, vulnerable. Feeling apprehension, not focused.

I decided to wander around the airport a bit and see if I could locate some breakfast. After walking past so many gates, I stumbled across a Wendy's. Well if Wendy's has a spot here, then so must Burger King. After an inquiry, I discovered I was right and ventured to another concourse.

I met two really nice older ladies heading out to Florida for an antique show. They were carrying large jars of maple syrup with them.

April 2nd evening - Waiting to fly from Boston to Gatwick.

I remember the first time I road the Texas Cyclone at Astroworld. The intial, almost 90 degree drop was it's claim to fame. It is a simple old-fashioned wooden roller-coaster much like the one at Coney Island in New York.

I was so excited just thinking about riding it and wasn't the least big discouraged by the long 2-hour wait to get on the ride. This ride represented an act of bravery and maturity. It was speed, thrill and an intense adventure to the wide-eyed 12 year old that I was at the time.

When I sat in the car and the attendant strapped me in, a little tinge of apprehension set in but not to worry. I was fine. Then the train slowly pulled away from the loading platform and made the turn to approach its initial incline. It would be from this first hill that the ride would gain enough inertia to carry it through its entire tour.

The car jolted as the chain gripped us to pull us to the top. It was a crude clunky rhythmic sound and we jerked about as the string of cars began the ascent. The closer we got to the top of this incline, the more I began to wonder if this was such a great idea.

Suddenly, I felt so vulnerable in the high open air. I could see the top of the Astrodome for Christ's sake. There was such a wide gap between the safety bar and me; would the seat belt really hold me tightly enough? I want off this thing! But it's too late. I couldn't turn back, we were almost at the top and finally, I reached the pinnacle of my fear and panic.

That's almost how I feel right now. I'm about to board my final flight and it feels as though I am approaching the initial incline of this "roller coaster". But oh! it is such an adult roller coaster.

I am still so very excited by this ride.

Cyberspace to Paris - Part 6

Andy’s family owned a house in the Dordogne in France. Usually the house was empty save for the summer when tourists flood the area searching for a place to dwell while they enjoy the local vineyards. Unfortunately, his father had already leased it out so it wasn’t an option for us as a vacation spot. We decided it would be more fun if we just took a road trip through France, instead.

Both of us bought a map of France and tacked it up on our walls as we chartered out our path. Once we decided on a vacation spot, since I could read, write and speak French, it was decided that I would search for hotels over the internet and contact them via fax to inquire regarding price and availability. I would have to send out the faxes late in the evenings and would usually receive responses in the afternoon.

We decided I would fly into Gatwick early in the morning and he would pick me up in his car. Then, we would take the ferry across the channel and enter France through Calais.

We agreed that we would have each day set up with a hotel and that we would reserve two days without any plans. On those two days, we planned to just “wing it” and see where we landed, so to speak.

We decided that I would fly over on April 2nd and then fly back on the 14th. My itinerary started at Hobby Airport on Air Tran to Logan’s airport in Boston. I had to catch a connecting flight in Georgia. Then in Boston, I was to catch a flight on Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick.

My sister, Diane, was very excited about our trip. She put together a little care package for me that included a special cassette tape she put together of music by Luka Bloom and Christie Moore. She titled it Tea and the Emerald Isle. I made a music mix of my own as well. In addition, she bought me a couple of silk sweaters to wear and a journal to record my daily activities.

Andy was very nervous about telling his father. They went out for dinner and Andy told him that he was going to take this road trip with me. His father asked him how we met. Andy’s response was that we hadn’t actually met, yet. It was an awkward moment.

After Andy recounted the story of us, his father’s response was really sweet. He basically said that when he was Andy’s age, he would have done the same thing. Then he gave Andy his version of the appropriate care package. It included a roadmap of France, a bottle opener, two cups, two plates and flat ware. How sweet was that?

This was my second time to meet someone in real life that I had met over the internet. So my friends had already given me the “he could be an ax-murderer” lecture the first time. This time, they just wished me well and hoped I had a good time. Andy, however, was getting the “she could be an ax murderer” lecture from his friends. I said “yeah, I’m flying all the way to England just to murder you”.

Finally, we had everything ready and done. It was time to begin the trip