Sunday, December 20, 2009

umm..yeaaaaa

I had the best weekend this past weekend that I've had in a while. Two of our closest friends came up to visit and the other half of this blog (or the kid who only posted ONCE, but gets half the glory of its namesake...) planned a REALLY great weekend. It really was a blast - good food, good company and really good laughs. I miss the Mertzes, and I ALMOST forgot (how could I???) how funny some of our friends are. But this isn't the whole point of this post. I've been thinking about this for some time now, really since we first moved to SF, and the thing is...I think I've become more awkward in conversation. I mean I've always loved socializing, it's really half of my job now - literally - and I find myself in social settings thinking to myself, "Say something, girl. OOooOoo not that..." And I don't believe that I make uncomfortable comments (at least I hope not - though I guess I won't really know, cause the people who have been in said settings probably don't read my blog..), but sometimes I just don't know what to say. Or I'll make a comment thinking it's a funny joke and either nobody will even courtesy chuckle or it'll just go unnoticed. I don't have any real theories as to why this is occurring to me now, especially since we've moved to a brand new city and now more than ever need to utilize social skills that will aid us in acquiring friends (and I say us, but really it's just me. James is a hit!). Anyways, just a thought.

In other news I'm excited to go back to Wichita Falls. I feel like a lot of people will be home, reunions will be had, and I wanna see our newly renovated restaurant - woo hoo! I also want to have a sip of beer out of the lava lamp at Krank It Karoake, the Falls' hidden gem. This will most likely be my last post unless boredom stages a hostile takeover while I'm at home - which is likely a possibility. I'll be on high alert.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Well, I have obviously been very bad at updating this blog. Thank you to the three of you loyal followers who persistently remind me that I need to update. I still haven't taken pictures of our place to post, and I think it's because I really don't like how it's decorated. But even more frustrating, I'm not sure who I want it to be decorated. I mean we do have a salmon toned pink sofa and a huge UT flag hanging above where a real fire place would be (except that it's a wall). I wish I could turn it into an instant SF apartment with a cozy feeling and randomly colored rugs/throws to feel homey. But I do love our kitchen, because it is quaint (ie there is not much room). Now that I'm typing this, I'm wondering if I've previously blogged about this already...or maybe that I've been wanting to blog about it...oh gosh. So seester dos recently started a blog (recently as in tonight), and that has also prompted me to update. I'm currently at my hotel in LA on a business trip, and my nose is so stuffed up that I have to breathe out of my mouth. And you know it's gotten to the point that my mouth is way too dry, and I didn't even get to really enjoy the Papa John's pizza I ordered (ham, pineapple and jalapenos for those who are wondering) tonight. I digress...

I was just about to blog about random thoughts, but instead my very recent trip to Vegas and my deep love for Vegas has prompted me to blog about that instead. So we went to Vegas for Thanksgiving, and I shield your judgments (or perhaps this is my subconscious guilt voicing itself..) by saying we were JUST in Austin for a wedding and shared a fantabulous Thanksgiving meal the Sunday night before we left with James' fam. We met up with our friends BL&JL and their friends, and we had a great time, good food and we came out on top after our trip. Now a couple of things. James and I recalled a conversation we had with another fellow casino patron and friend a while back, and we talked about the lure of Vegas. Because we all love gambling, and we all agreed gambling is gambling wherever you are, but for some reason, it's just different in Vegas. And I think it's because it's the AMAZING food, the vibe and how one can almost avoid materializing every bet placed. We've eaten at a ton of places in my previous trips, but only in the most recent have we gone to Michelin-rated restaurants. Nonetheless, the buffets have always been awesome and the hotel restaurants top notch as well. In Vegas, it's harder for me to visualize my $X bet as a pair of shoes or a purse or something tangible. And I don't think I gamble any crazier than at other local places, but I dunno. Also, the rush that you get from winning a good split followed by another and then a double down in Blackjack is so fun! I also play Roulette, because I usually hit a number, so I feel like it's a good game to play. We definitely stayed away from the craps tables as our luck has not been so good there the past few times. I've also noticed that I've become a gambling snob. I used to hear my parents talk about it and complain about people who come in in the middle of the shoe or stay on 15's, and I thought well they'll play how they wanna play. But then this guy sat next to James and single-handedly busted three of James' hands in a row, because he didn't hit when the book said he's supposed to. This is one of many reasons I like to gamble late at night, past 1 or even 2 am when there aren't randoms and drunks floating from table to table. I feel very badly, I honestly do, but I really don't like seriously playing when there are those types of people at the table. And I realize everyone has to learn at some point, and I hope this doesn't turn any of our friends away from ever wanting to join us on trips (especially if they haven't played much in the past), but I guess when I'm in the zone I just prefer to be at a table of "good" players.

One of the highlights: Beatles LOVE! That show was awesome. Not only did it incorporate dancing, skating and a mini bubble show, this Cirque du Soleil show was done to the tune of Beatles' songs (obviously) and it also told a story the whole way through. I really, really loved it. We also went out for the first time in Vegas to LAX at Luxor with our friends. As many times as I've gone to Vegas I've never gone out, and it was really fun. I think we expected the club to blow our minds, but it was just okay. I mean it was definitely roomy, had a good DJ mixing and was crowded, but yea. So I'm now recovering from 3 near all-nighters in the desert city. So I guess that's really it. Hopefully this holds us over until I can ramble on about more things that are meaningful.

DICLAIMER: I feel there is no way to blog about this without sounding like a complete compulsive gambler or a junkie feeding an addiction, but please know that we are not such people!

Okay two random thoughts I must get off my chest: I'm tired of hearing about Tiger and who are these random people who crashed the White House dinner party? More importantly, who cares??? I'm actually impressed that they crashed it and wonder if I could've gotten in myself...

Three things I should be putting more thought into:
1. What is going on in Afghanistan now? (I know more troops were just approved)
2. Booking our return flight from Texas post New Year's Eve
3. A good optometrist, dentist, family practice doctor and hair stylist in SF