Meet the Tsou's

Post.

2010-05-31T22:38:00.002-05:00

March? Geez, that was a long time ago. I apologize for being MIA, but the past few months have been crazy and filled with travel. My current (and soon to be former) position requires an exorbitant amount of travel, so in the past few months I've been (on a weekly basis) to Portland, Phoenix, Chicago, L.A., Denver, L.A....you get the idea. So most of my weekends are filled with me lying on the couch and becoming even lazier than I ever thought I could be. Well I suppose all of that is about to change. I've gotten a new position with a different division of my old company, and it will require NO travel! I will only be in SF, and I'm excited to finally explore the happy hours around town. So here come my random thoughts......

I clicked on my Google Reader for the first time since I don't know how long ago just before I started this post. I love reading everyone's blogs to see what they've been up to. I mean some will argue that the internet, emails, twitter, texting or whatever are impersonal and you should just pick up the phone. But I like that I can read up on friends that I can't always catch on the phone and see what's going on in life. And I guess it's what's prompted me to write this post too. I should be more faithful for all the inquiring minds who want to know what we're up to in the bay area. And I will try.

The weather's finally getting a bit nicer, and I'm hoping I'll be more active! I have to get in shape, not only cause I will probably have to train for the Nike Half Marathon later on in the year, but because I have become so lazy. I wanna volunteer somewhere, hopefully with some sort of mentor program, just cause I feel like I've been so self-serving since we've moved here. I'm still trying to look into the best programs, but if you have any suggestions please leave a comment! I miss having some core girl friends I can call up and go do stuff with. But I suppose that will take some time. Shopping continues to be my best friend and my husband's worst enemy. One day we'll meet in the middle.

That's all folks.

A Month in Cooking

2010-03-23T20:07:00.005-05:00

Just a couple things I've (James) been cooking this month and trying to learn:

Beef Noodle Soup: Jen says it was just ok, but I thought I did a pretty decent job for my first try. Did you know that the only/main difference between Schichuan and Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soups is Dou Ban Jiang (Hot Bean Sauce) and Schichuan peppercorns? Kinda interesting.

I made this for Valentine's day. Dungeness Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli, Red Pepper Soup w Crab, and Parmesan Crusted Scallops over Zucchini. Kinda burned the crab cakes a little and the Zucchini secreted some water in the cooking process that I didn't expect, but outside of that it was pretty tasty.
Garlic Roasted Crab (below) and Garlic Noodles (not shown): This was delicious. The famous places here in SF ie Crustacean, PPQ, Thanh Lang though delicious are severely overpriced. Not hard to make and really good eating. I made this for Jen for our 2 year anniversary. Time flies when you're eating good food with the woman you love.

If anyone wants any of these recipes or knows of any great recipes or improvements I could make please feel free to let me know.

wait·ing

2010-03-17T21:47:00.002-05:00

When I looked up the definition of "wait" there were five listed. The one I feel is our current state is number 3 on the list: to remain neglected for a time. I always think that patience is something God is always trying to teach me or rather something I'm needing to learn and improve upon. And if there is anything I'm really bad at, waiting would be in the top five. I wonder how Sarah or Job or the Israelites felt when they waited for what seemed like forever to me. I must suck at waiting compared to them. Here is a list of the Top 5 things I don't like waiting for, I suppose in no particular order:

1. Traffic
2. Seating in packed restaurants
3. Service at the local DMV
4. Open seating at a crowded blackjack table
5. Husband's next step in life (as well as mine..)

Interestingly enough, number 5 on the list of definitions is to look forward to eagerly. I guess I could always choose the latter, but for now, waiting just sucks.

That's all folks!

Up in the Air

2010-01-21T23:27:00.002-06:00

We recently went to watch Up in the Air by Jason Reitman. It was a great movie. I "oh my gosh, yes"ed at every single comment George Clooney made when he was coaching Anna Kendrick (who looked so cute at the Golden Globes!) on which line to choose when going through security. I am by no means a master traveler, but I have gone through more airport security in the past 6 months of new employment than I'd ever really care to. So he picks apart every type of traveler from a traveling mom with kids (which I am always very impressed and sympathetic) to old people and opts for Asians who are very efficient. I actually felt a sense of pride at that moment, because yes, I really do try to be efficient when I'm going through security. The following are non-negotiables. Everyone should be prepping:

1. Yes, you have to take off every type of outerwear. Including bf sweaters/large cardigans.
2. Why are you wearing lace-ups instead of easily slipped on/off shoes?
3. If you don't know that you need to take your lap top out of the bag at this point....
4. Men: remove your belts! (in the most proper way possible)
5. Keep clear baggy easily accessible, your shoes don't have to be in bins....be patient.

In other news...

For girls who are "squatters" over the john, do y'all hate the auto flushers that flush too hard? I feel like you have to be extra fast (I'll spare the details of being fast at what) so droplets don't get on you. Sorry if that's gross, but typically airport toilets are like this, so it made me think of it.

Pedestrians, do you try to cross the street when it's your right of way extra fast even if the countdown hasn't started cause you know the car turning right hates you for taking your time?

If you're shopping for something online do you want it a bit less if there's a lot of stock available versus something that you see is sold out in sizes you wear? For example, I really want a pair of rain boots lately (considering it's been raining for the past 5 days) and the beige color is available, but the black, blue and purple are sold out. I like the beige, I could deal with beige, but I think subconsciously I don't want it cause it's available. I'm weird.

Til my next random thought...

a new decade

2010-01-05T16:32:00.009-06:00

10 years ago I had almost had my license for a year and was about to get my own car, unknown to me, in about 5 months. I thought high school was the best years I'd ever have - I had THAT much fun with my friends. I had yet to go on a first date, yet to be kissed, but I did have good ole cellie - same number to this day. Well man times have changed. 10 years later I am married, I've moved halfway across the country, and I'm wondering when the best years of my life will be (though college gave high school a run for its money). However I am glad that some things never change. I was so sad that the greatest blizzard of the past decade had hit Wichita Falls on our way home, and we were literally closed off from the city, but we finally made it on Christmas Day. That night we had hot pot with my fam in Wichita Falls followed by an invigorating session of Blackjack in which Mark was the banker:

I think everyone had fun until it got to the point when people were laying down bets to flip the highest card. Sigh. Good times. Here's my extended fam at their best:

Then we had a snowball fight with the best gear we could find:

Classy.

So yea, I'm thankful that these things don't change. We also spent some time in Houston and didn't get to see AS many people as we'd hoped, but got to spend good time with family too. Looking forward to a new year and a new decade hopefully starting off with a big W.

See y'all in Pasadena. Hook 'em!!

umm..yeaaaaa

2009-12-20T23:31:00.002-06:00

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.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

2009-12-02T23:13:00.003-06:00

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

What if...

2009-09-03T18:50:00.004-05:00

The other day a friend of mine got a new blackberry and had posted a status on facebook to add more Blackberry Messenger friends (which is awesome and perhaps the only thing that bb has on the iPhone). Well I immediately pinged him my PIN so we could be friends, sent him James' and also gave him another friend's PIN who was living in the same city as him. This is all leading somewhere folks, stay with me. Well I started chatting with James afterwards and said, I wish I could just be a socialite. In my mind I would just make friends, introduce people to each other and have free stuff dumped on my front porch daily. But then I found this website (thank you google): www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Socialite

Well I wouldn't want to be a Paris Hilton, I'm already married and I could refrain from loving expensive things. I could just be an average jane's socialite. I guess amongst the average young working professional class, and that would be my job. I could make a ton of friends and just connect them with each other - like a human LinkedIn/Facebook/MySpace. Sometimes I think about it, and we do have really random groups/pockets of friends who are all really different from one another.

DISCLAIMER: not saying we're soooo popular

And I've tried to mesh groups, but it's never been quite that successful. So we keep it separate unless it's a big thing like birthdays and such. So if we have the ability to make these different types of friends, it would be so useful to me if I became a socialite. I'm already on my way! A big what if. Do you think this could work?? Or do you feel as if I just sound like a self-proclaimed prom queen...

In other news I finally sprang for some yoga type pants. I realized after joining my Pilates class that there was a good reason that girls didn't just wear shorts. I always felt like I was flashing Amy, my mat class instructor. Well flash no more Jen, you have yoga pants. And I gotta admit, I thought they were more for fluffy girls who wanted to look cute when they were exercising, but when I was trying them on I thought OooOoOO, these fit nice. I feel sexier, more fit and slimmer already! So maybe THAT'S why girls tend to buy them. Don't get me wrong, I still like my Nike running shorts, and I'll stick by em til I die, but SF is a bit cold and the pants are snug. Don't judge me.

ALSO - calling all website saavy people:
PLEASE HELP ME REDO MY PICTURES AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE! I want to update the pictures, because believe it or not there are MORE pictures of us eating and drinking good food and drinks. I just remember last time it took me a while, and it was really frustrating. So maybe if you're good at it, and maybe if you take pity on those of us who aren't so much good at it then you'll help?

Should I Recycle This?

2009-08-16T22:20:00.003-05:00

As most of you know (all 2 that might read our blog) we have recently relocated to San Francisco, CA. I really hoped blogging wouldn't just be a phase I went through and seeing how my last post was in April, my fears were realized. And this post was only birthed because I'm putting off some reports I need to fill out for work and after 45 minutes wasted on Facebook, blogging somehow makes me feel less guilty for procrastinating.

Well six days since our move out west, our stuff is still "in transit". The truck driver won't call us, and we don't have his information so what I keep picturing is him going through our drawers, relaxing on our pink sofa and eating our non-perishables doused in our Asian cooking sauces. All with an evil laugh. And all of which is probably not true. It just doesn't feel like we're settled in without our stuff. It's actually like we're squatting in our apartment, because we have random IKEA furniture boxes, every electronic we own plugged in to the walls right now surrounding our friend Tim's futon mattress he's generously let us borrow. And it's actually been good cause James and I get to read what we originally thought was a sorta cheesy book (and I'm so sorry if whoever gave that book to us ever reads our blog..) and almost gave away, but actually is a pretty good one called "Moments Together". Like a daily devotional for couples, which has been fun and nice.

Here's some things that have been running through my mind and some new things we've learned about the great state of California:

There's a hands-free law, and you can't talk/text while driving. I usually do both responsibly and you can judge all you want.
You can't have the two front windows tinted, but the back two can because it obstructs your view of pedestrians at night.
You can't mount GPS' on the windshield.
Will my neighbors judge me if I don't recycle everything that's recyclable?
Does every girl really need yoga pants to exercise outside?
I hope my sister's friend doesn't find out I read her blog cause Mel said it's hilarious...but I really don't know her. And she is quite funny.
I need to pound out my speech for Brookey's wedding so I can memorize it and practice to the point that I won't cry when I give it. Cause everything I've been thinking about has made me cry.
I will try my best to be at a beach every weekend I possibly can.
I laughed really hard the other day when this guy who was riding his bike along the Marina while talking on the phone tried to weave through some parking bumps and ate it. HARD. He was okay, so I didn't feel too bad. It still kinda makes me chuckle..

Hopefully it won't take me 4 more months to make another post...

My Friend MK

2009-04-07T08:46:00.003-05:00

This morning I logged into facebook and in the sidebar there was an ad that had "JOHN" in barbwire tattoo writing and underneath it said this:

"Love your husband? If so tattoo his name under your profile picture to prove it"

or something like that. I immediately thought, "Yes, I love my husband" and then realized a tattoo was too permanent. I wonder who made up that app and how much they're getting paid for it. I probably could have thought it up as well and be sipping coladas watching sunsets of the coast of Brazil right about now...

Anyways I deter. This post is all about my friend Mary Kate T. (abbreviated to protect her identity of course), whom I so affectionately call MK. Yesterday we got to catch up for a bit about what's going on in her life as she currently resides in Dayton, OH. So she told me that she just got back from interviewing for a job in San Diego and she proceeded to go on about how awesome the city and its weather were. So this whole time I'm assuming that she interviewed for a copyrighting or some type of web design or design/computer art whatever type job - cause that's sort of what she had been doing for the past couple of years in New York. Well come to find out she applied for a job as an animal trainer at Sea World. She heavily trained in a pool for two weeks prior to her interview, flew to San Diego and had to swim in 50 degree water up and down in the pool as if rescuing someone or something for her interview. She also had to perform a script and an improv act for her interviewers to become an elite member of the Sea World team. I think she might have had to sing as well...She did not get the job, but we got a good laugh.

So MK's always been one of my most interesting friends. She always has a good story, and yesterday the stories did not stop there. Come to find out she's been applying for all sorts of jobs including a posting for an ornithologist (one who studies birds?). Her game plan is to first land an interview and then spend the next week or so becoming an expert in that field. In the mean time she is also posting job listings of her own so she can see what legit people submit for their cover letters and resumes. (I mean, do people actually do this?? It's a great idea...) This might seem unethical and slightly shady of her, but if you knew her like I did you would most likely be laughing really hard. And that's why I've chosen to post her story today. Because it gave me a good laugh, and I hope it does for you as well.

On closer inspection... (these are loafers)

2009-03-18T10:41:00.005-05:00

So I've been receiving pressure and mixed innuendos from the wifey that I should begin blogging more regularly. However, I usually like to blog when I have stuff to blog about. As I think about it more in some ways my life has been more eventful, in which case I have no excuse, but paradoxically in other ways it has been less eventful, in which case I am free from my wife's tyranny. I will present the cases before you in what I like to call:

Is my life eventful?

Affirmative
Exhibit A: I have traveled more in these past year than I ever have in my life. (on a side note, when you write do you ever get so paranoid about your use of vocabulary and spelling to the point where it's unhealthy and you have to dictionary.com everything and then you get ambitious and want to use bigger words so you start to thesaurus things as well; yeah me neither.... on a conterminous note: I already knew that the word traveled has one "l" and not two, unless you're a BRIT!) (By the way, don't you hate it when people's parenthesis become paragraphs and you have to go back and reread the original sentence and then skip the paragraph just to know what the heck the person was talking about in the first place! I mean after a certain point if the parentheses (plural? or parentheseses - you choose) become longer than the paragraph itself, wouldn't it suffice to say that the parentheses then become the body? And actually upon writing that, I can draw parallels with my life. I feel like I'm currently living a parenthesis. I was writing something mid-sentence and then boom! I ain't got no job and I ain't got s41t to do! So now I'm in that real life limbo waiting for "the man" whether it be school or work to call my number, so I can resume with the sentence. But therein lies the rub, sentences are not meant to be defined by work, nor parentheses by the lack thereof, hence my predicament and my frustration.) Maui, New York, European Tour including: Paris, Barcelona, French Riviera, Switzerland, Italy, Germany; Las Vegas, Vail, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Big Bend. Especially with my current employment hiatus, we've been able to travel as religiously as we darn well please, so we have.

Exhibit B: In this past year I have eaten well. If there is any vice that Jen and I indulge, it is eating (or gambling) oftentimes without conscience towards the price tag. (Of course if we narrow it down to individual vices, I'd definitely have to go with designer jeans for Jen and buttressing my HD quality movie and sportswatching experiences for me. But we're speaking collectively here.) The other day while in Vegas (haughty laugh) we ate at Picasso to celebrate our 11-month wedding anniversary because the 11th month really doesn't get enough love with the greedy, narcissistic 12 looking down on it (coming up this weekend by the way woohoo!!!). So here's what we had: both: Roasted Puree of Serrano Pepper Amuse Bouche; me: Maine Lobster Salad, Pan-Seared Scallops with Potato Mousseline and Jus de Veau, Sautéed "A" Steak of Foie Gras with Roasted Peaches, Vanilla, Muscat and Crushed Almonds, Roasted Aged Lamb Chop with Ragout of Flageolets and Mushrooms; Jen: Poached Oysters Garnished with Osetra Caviar, Sauce Vermouth, Sautéed Filet of Black Bass with Saffron Sauce and Cauliflower Mousseline, Sautéed Medallions of Fallow Deer with Caramelized Green Apples and Zinfandel Sauce. One of the best meals I've ever had and with the Bellagio fountains spraying right out the door and the ambience of actual Picasso paintings lining the walls, it was a really nice experience. I often ask people if they were to give up one sense what would it be ( and you can't pick smell cause that's cheating), and I think I'd choose sight for spiritual reasons as well as the fact that if I were to choose touch I'd be a leper and die an early age, I would hate to give up conversation and music, and I just love food that much.

Exhibit C: I should have more time to blog and be interesting and do interesting things because I have so much time on my hands... in theory. I started off really well because I idolize Demetri Martin and was inspired by his "If I" (palindrome) comedy routine. In it he lays out numerous tasks he gave himself each week to complete and would give himself prizes every week he completed those tasks. Tasks such as: 30 minutes of solving puzzles, 3 hours of lateral thinking, 1 point for filing out the task sheet, try to see someone else's point of view/week, read 2 books a week, demonstrated unassailable confidence etc. (look up "If I" on Youtube by Demetri Martin... awesome) So I thought, well that's a great way for me to spend my time, so in the spirit of Demetri, I endeavored to make my own list and keep score. I had things like read 2 books a week (which quickly changed to 1, which quickly changed to 1 per 2 wks), hours of personal reflection, learn new language (el chico debajo un avioneta), write a screenplay (which quickly turned into write a short story to be adapted to a screenplay), 1 hour of poetry writing, learn to cook two new dishes/wk, 1 hour of personal dancing study/wk, 5 hours of exercise/wk, approach random person and have conversation/wk, perform a random act of kindness/wk, fast one meal/wk, solve a rubik's cube without cheating/yr, improve stock investing ability/yr (fail), think of something original/yr, run 15 miles/wk, etc. So I started off really well, but since I've returned from Europe these have become almost non-existent. In any case, I suppose I should have more stuff to talk about, but in most cases I talk about how I have fallen short of most of these tasks.

Negative/Rebuttal
Exhibit A: I'm an unemployed man who plays way too many video games for a 26 year old. I got really excited the other day when in my NBA 2k9 association league I pulled off a masterful trade by getting Danny Granger for Shane Battier and Stephen Hawes. Danny Granger has subsequently gone on to win most improved player of the year making the All-Star team for the first time. I have killed thousands of innocent pedestrians in Grand Theft Auto 4 and received my first trophy for completing all of Brucie's missions. Also, I get really excited when I beat the computer on level 5 on Tetris. And although it's not a video game, at one point I spent late nights playing in play money no limit hold'em and no limit omaha eight or better tourneys to build my play money account on PokerStars.

Exhibit B: My reading used to be interesting books like Satanic Verses and The Fate of Africa, but now I read the Watchmen, which is actually really good, but I feel like a loser when I must join the community that defends the use of words like "graphic novels" instead of "comic books for adult losers."

Exhibit C: I have recently started studying for my CFA2 exam, so if you find the difference between neoclassical economic growth theory vs. classical economic growth theory or how to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities in put-call parity interesting give me a call and we can discuss. I don't expect many phone calls.

Exhibit D: I watch more tv than I should, including LOST, 24, Flight of the Conchords, Eastbown and Down, old Arrested Development episodes, anything poker, anything sports, 30 rock, office, fringe, wire, weeds, topchef, anthony bourdains no reservations, real sports with bryant gumble, family guy, etc. I could talk about this for hours, but I feel like so much of my life is wasted on watching tv I should really not proselytize others into my web and vaccuum of space and time.

Exhibit E: I've spent hours writing this blog post and have only given up study time to do it.

So the evidence has been laid out; what is the verdict?
You decide.

Mix Tapes

2009-03-18T09:07:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's because we've been traveling a lot lately and listening to "Hip Hop Car", an affectionately named playlist on Lupe (James' iPod) or because I considered making my friend Kelly a "mixtape" for her birthday last week and then realized that was so 1999 (or later, I don't remember...). But I've been reminiscing about how I used to burn cds for people all the time. Or when I was in junior high and would record songs from the radio on my tape. TLC and Alanis Morissette...awww yeaaaa. But people don't do that anymore, right?*

Well I have been thinking about what I'd put on my ultimate mixtape, and now that we can burn even more songs on one single cd, this has made my life much easier and my decision making process a lot faster. Here's a preview of what I'd think about adding (I LOOOOOVE lists on my blog..):

1. TLC - Creep
2. Mariah Carey - something from Daydream, Emancipation
3. Fuel - Shimmer
4. Sublime - What I Got, Pawn Shop, 40 oz to Freedom, Santeria, April 29, 1992 (Miami)
5. one or two Tom Petty's
6. three or four Beyonce's
7. Jay-Z - a couple from his Unplugged album
8. Alanis Morissette - some Jagged Little Pill songs
9. Amos Lee
10. John Legend
11. Sandra McCracken
12. Notorious B.I.G.
13. The Format

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'm leaving some off. What would you put?

RANDOM - I totally redid this blog so that I could include James on here. I even spent like..a lot of time..making the picture at the top of this page - and most know that I am NOT technologically saavy (so you can guess how long it took me) - and he hasn't blogged since.

*actually the last time I did it was for my wedding gift to the guests..

random thoughts as of late...

2009-03-09T10:36:00.002-05:00

It's really annoying when older, bigger ladies crowd right behind you at the baggage carousel in baggage claim and then say, "Oh! That's mine!" while looking at you dead in the eye as you turn around to see who said that. Why can't they just nicely ask you to get their bag for them? Passive aggressiveness wins. (shared by the husband)

I really miss corporate worship at City of Refuge since we've been out of town for the past month or so. I remember when I just wanted to hear the right songs that would put me in the right mood, but you never know what song is going to be sung at our services, and a lot of the times I don't know them. But I love watching the Barnes family, Wendy on stage and Sandra with her tambourine. Even if I don't know the song they just look so happy worshipping that I know God's presence is there.

My junior high girls from youth group have been coming to church on Sundays almost regularly, last time I checked before my month hiatus. This past Wednesday at youth group I deliberately told them I wanted to take them out to lunch after service on Sunday. None of them showed up yesterday.

Number 3 leads me to www.fmylife.com which is a blog that has been repeatedly referenced and suggested to me. I read it regularly at work knowing that some of it is probably not real and most are rather vulgar, but I still laugh at the stories.

When I watch ABDC sometimes I think to myself, "Oh yea, I can probably do that if I really tried and exaggerated my movements". But then I try and fail miserably and just look really weird. I need to YouTube some more videos before I try learning again.

Our neighbor snores really loudly, and after I snooze my alarm in the mornings he's all I can hear through the walls.

James claims that I regularly lose to him in Rock, Paper, Scissors. This was brought to my attention after we were trying to decide where we should eat (or something like that), and I said if I win, then...etc. And then he told me, no that's unfair because I have an advantage over you. I always beat you. Of course I disagreed, we played and then I lost. But I demanded a best out of 3 of the best out of 3, and he declined. So is he really right?

That made me remember that yesterday when we were playing ultimate frisbee with some random friends I paired up with a girl to decide which team we'd be playing on. I threw a paper and she a rock, and then I said YES! And this is how our conversation went:
Her: Wait, did you win?
Me: Yea, I was the paper.
Her: Oh really? Oh ok. Well some people play that the rock smashes the paper.
Me: What? No way, I've never heard of that. I'm pretty sure the paper beats the rock.
You be the judge.

I've been trying to think of something more meaningful to post. Something that might require more thought, but nothing's come up.

...but really 25

2009-02-08T19:26:00.001-06:00

Allllllright. I feel compelled to put the rest of this on here, because my besties have tagged me in theirs as well. So here's the rest. Lawrence - I hope we are two different people now...

16. [edit]..I prematurely received this tag and apparently there are 25 Things, not just 16 that you may not have known about me. So let's continue, and I've added others who have tagged me in theirs. Please continue to enjoy. PS. This time I'm at home and not stealing company time.

17. I am terribly good at Tetris and yes, I challenge you to a game any time, any day.

18. I am currently watching the Grammy's and had no idea that Bono wore eyeliner?? I don't know how I feel about that. Please share your thoughts.

19. I am super competitive. And please feel free to replace "super" with "uber", "ultra" or any other new age word that I haven't learned yet.

20. I cry when watching Grey's Anatomy. Almost every episode to this day. PLEASE don't judge me, especially you Andrea.

21. Most already know, but I am in desperate need of rehab for my addiction to Hollywood gossip. Can you name who was spotted at LA's hottest new club with whom and then again with so and so in Vegas on Saturday? Well you've met your match.

22. My #2 fear of all time may be that I am missing out on a good time. So even if my eyes are bugged out, the lids are heavy and I should probably not have another I will overcommit myself so I won't NOT be there.

23. "When do my besties want to make another trip, and where should we go?" is a question I often think about. I vote Seattle or Portland. The box is open for suggestions.

24. I want to commit myself to running a full marathon but am not confident that I'll follow through with it so I will probably never sign up. But I think I can live with that.

25. In this past year I have signed up for more email alerts, more web-based communities (I feel your judgment already) and more internet stuuuuff than I have in my life. These include Twitter, Yelp, my blog which I started because of Brooke, LinkedIn, Google Latitude, Google Reader and probably much more. And now I wish this was hidden around #12 instead of being #25 so it's not what you last remember about me.

16 Things

2009-01-28T15:08:00.002-06:00

I always get emails that are forwarded with the same people who preface their forward with "I usually don't do this but..." and let me start by saying I usually don't do this but work has driven me to do so. Much like the birth of this blog. So this lady in my bible study tagged me in her note on Facebook for this list, and at first I thought - I probably won't return this. But I read so many random interesting facts about her, and since most of us don't meet except for every other week, I sent it back and tagged the rest of the ladies as well so they can know a bit more about me too. It turns out I thought it was cute and found out things about others in the group I didn't know either. So I've decided to share my note. Here goes and feel free to share yours as well:

Here are the rules: once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals. At the end, tag 16 other folks. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1. I have really bad road rage, and I've posted a blog entry about it. Search for it at www.chispeaks.blogspot.com and please don't judge me.

2. I have an incredible fear of not reaching my full potential and settling for the comfort zones of this materialistic, consumerist society rather than really making a change and impact in the world, whatever my role may be in realizing that.

3. I bite/chew on my nails because of my crush named Justin Parker in the 1st grade. He did it, and I just wanted him to notice me! Well he moved by 2nd grade, and I still have this horrible habit...

4. I love meeting new people and making new friends and will most likely stalk you to keep your friendship. Do not be alarmed if I call/text/facebookpost/email you until you are uncomfortable. It's completely normal.

5. I have an insatiable hunger for gambling, but I only play lottery tickets (only Break the Bank), Roulette, Black Jack, Pai Gow and craps. Slot machines are only for my down time at the casino. I really don't have a gambling problem. Promise. But as I type this note there is a sidebar with The National Problem Gambling Hotline that has popped up as an ad...irrelevant.

6. Even if I don't shower at night before I go to bed, I HAVE to wash my feet to feel clean before I climb into bed. And then I have to watch tv until I fall asleep.

7. I often think about what it would be like if the husband and I moved to another country and got random jobs to support ourselves. Like selling tomatoes in a market or performing spoken word in the public squares at night. But I will most likely not do this because I will always feel obligated AND want to support my parents and extended family as they age.

8. I enjoy watching the NBA, Winter X Games, World Poker Tour, college football games, sometimes NFL though not very likely unless it's a "good" game and volleyball not because I want to look "cool" in front of boys, but because I really do enjoy watching these sporting events.

9. My goal has been to read the bible all the way through since sophomore year of college, but I still have yet to do so. I'm not sure what's holding me back except my own laziness and the invention of DVR.

10. I really want to get a tattoo on my back under the shoulder bone (you know the part where it looks like you could have wings), but I'm not sure what I would get, and I don't think the husband would like it very much. But just so you know, it's on the table.

11. When I hold/use really big knives I always picture something bad happening. Like it's going to slip out from underneath me and slice my toe off or something really bloody. That is so weird, and please don't think I'm crazy!

12. I often think back to high school and college and wonder what I could have achieved by now and where I might be and what I would be doing if I hadn't done enough to JUST get by and instead really put my nose to the grindstone. I think I would've liked to be a doctor. But then I wonder if I just want to do that to feel accomplished and make my parents proud.

13. I have really low tolerance for people who say ignorant things, act ignorant and who are close-minded, but then forget that I am guilty of not loving them as I should.

14. I played the piano for 11 years from 5 years old to 16 years old, but I can't remember a single song all the way through, and I have no music theory.

15. When I was in college I watched Love and Basketball almost every night when I went to bed. It is still to this day a movie I can put on and watch over and over again.

16. I really have nothing left to say and can't think of anything else right now, but I feel obligated to write 16 things because that's how it was passed along to me.

ABDC

2009-01-16T09:15:00.004-06:00

It is back and in business. I gave up midway through last season because I was so disappointed in the groups. Super Crew was awesome, but nobody else really impressed me. But I watched the premier last night, and aside from missing Lil Mama being the most dramatic and "loud" person, the groups for were awesome. So far I am hoping that Quest will make it to the end. I loved Hok when he was on SYTYCD, and Dominic too, and I hope this is their second chance to win it all. Does anyone want to join my dance crew if I start one? I do a mean running man, working on the lawn mower and flail my arms about when I run. That's a start, right?

Goin in Blind 2009

2009-01-05T16:51:00.004-06:00

I knew most people would probably have a reflective post filled with crossed-off items on a list, unmarked lists or deep thoughts of what could've been. I really didn't want to have to think about what to post. Most of the time I just want to write about random things that come to mind. *ahem* Please keep reading our blog. We're not shallow people!!

I guess most of 2008 was a blur except for my wedding, last Chang's graduation from high school ushers in the empty next at the Chang household and last but not least - travels galore. I know it's good to be reflective and introspective so you are able to set future goals (right?), but I feel like so much is riding on 2009 - it's hard for me to think about what's happened in 2008. I guess for the better part of the past year, apart from the eggciting, unpredictable adventure of marriage, I have been deciding what I want to do with my life and career. I knew James' 3 year slavery to investment banking was coming to an end. I knew I didn't like my job at that point. But I didn't know the economy was going to self-destruct nor did I know that James would be applying to grad school. So most of that time was spent waiting for our backpacking trip to end so that I could look for another job or do something else. We still wanted to move to the Bay Area or move somewhere out of Texas. That's all I knew.

Well here is 2009, and I feel like after a little over a year I still don't know what's going to happen next. James has applied to schools all over the country, and he doesn't hear back until March-ish - right (directed towards husband)? So where will we be 8 months from now? What will I be doing? Who knows. It's just weird to be stuck in the "in-between" for so long. So I look forward to 2009 and all that it brings - our next destination, Obama's first term, being an aunt (sister-in-law is due any day now), etc.

Andrea Mertz said it best: "Lookin' fine in 2009"

When a Good Day Turns Bad

2008-12-18T09:15:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a really great day. I got a nice-sized order, work was really good and we ate at a nice little Italian cafe that was fairly priced. Even traffic wasn't too shabby with the fog and all after work. I got home in about 26 minutes. All in all a good day.

After a 20 minute cat nap I reluctantly got up to get ready for youth group. James almost had to make me. I was just so tired for some reason. James grabs his basketball, the bibles and I get dressed in workout clothes to pump myself up for a run after youth group. We get out of the car with my purse, the basketball, the bibles and James grabs his wallet and phone. Right as I walk in I get hit hard in the head by a basketball, and that proceeds to give me a throbbing headache for the rest of the night. But Trevor actually apologized and asked if I was okay, so I thought it was a mini victory.

10 minutes later James realizes he accidentally sat his phone and wallet down on the table when we first walked in, and it is now missing. So Pastor Dan made an announcement that nobody was leaving until the wallet and phone showed up, but 4 boys had already left by then. James' wallet was found by another church member on the street with the cash gone, but everything else still in tact. The phone is still yet to be found. Two of the boys promised they'd get the phone back and told us not to worry about it. As of now I still remain skeptical as James remains hopeful. (Is that sad..)

As all of this was going on two of my girls were tugging on one of their shoes back and forth and the other girl let go. Of course they both wanted me to sit between them so my nose gets slammed by her crocs. At this point I am ready to just go home. The kids are being so rowdy, Pastor Dan presents a "nick" (affectionately described by J, the aforementioned kid from "Ya'll went to Zuma's?") of pot found in the hallway, and James has locked his phone and disconnected it. I never ran last night.

So this is how a good day turns bad.

HOWEVER: We did get to do our candlelight service with the kids and a short message from John, which was the redeeming factor of the night. We're still taking them out to the Galleria to iceskate and play broomball Saturday night. If you're out and about in that area around this time, please beware.

Meet Mark & Nickie

2008-12-08T10:18:00.007-06:00

My wonderful parents whom we affectionately refer to as "Mark" and "Nickie" (real names have been used) are the best. First they let us call them Mark and Nickie, usually when we're teasing them or making fun of a comment or gesture they've just made, second they're AWESOME parents who have worked hard to get us where we are now and third, not to limit their awesome-ness with only three points, they shamelessly guilt trip us when we don't call them at least twice a day (which I have kept up for the most part) and then act like it's not a big deal when I call and say "I'm calling so you won't freak out when you don't hear from me today". Usually Nickie will respond with, "Oh. I don't care if you don't call..." They're just such cute little characters. My mom is perhaps the sassiest 51-year-old you will EVER meet. Sassy is sometimes referred to as a bad thing, but she's so darn cute when she gets all snappy. My dad used to talk to our dog Spot, "Oh! Good morning, Spot! You need to pee?" And he'll randomly yell things throughout the house (disclaimer: dad is not crazy). Maybe you have to be there...

What inspired this post was the phone conversation I just had with my dad about a recent Christmas purchase I've made for them. I called to let them know to be sure to look out for the Amazon package which will contain the digital camera I've purchased as their present (which they asked for - that's how we roll in the Chang household. Buy your own presents, wrap them yourself and stick them under the tree).

Well then Mark proceeds to whisper in the phone (all in Chinese, but I'll spare you the butchered ping yin since I've not been a product of the Evergreen Chinese School of Houston or other "formal" schooling), "Hey, buy your mom that hair clamp thing that your sisters have.

Me: What hair clamp thing? Mom's hair is too short.

Mark: You know, the one that your sisters use. She keeps saying she wants one...

Me: Ohhh, the Chi?

Mark: Yea, sure. (voice getting quieter) I know she wants one. She keeps talking about it.

Me: (chuckle) ha, okay okay.

Mark: Be sure to send it to the restaurant, okay? Okay? Don't forget...

And I just thought it was so cute! This is probably a normal occurence in every other household (parents sneakily getting each other surprise gifts), but it's just extra cute to me when my dad tries to do it. Here's some more pictures just cause. And one day when they finally learn how to efficiently use the computer Nickie will kill me for posting these pictures of her in her pj's celebrating her birthday this year and for posting her age.

I'm a window shoppaaa

2008-12-01T11:03:00.002-06:00

If only that were the case...
So my family (my mom, 2 sisters, and their bf's who aren't considered "family", but eh..) and I braved the crowds at North Park mall in Dallas Friday morning on my way back to Houston. This place was craaaazy. We walked past Bebe (which I've never been a HUGE fan of), and the line was INSANE. It was snaking through the store occupied by women salivating over their soon-to-be purchases. And I walked by several times - the line was neverending at all times. So after shopping ALL day - literally - and running into Miss Tina Lin (woo hoo!) I was pooped. I didn't even get to go through half of the stores in the mall let alone the whole thing. Every year (or month, depending on my shopping itches) I'm torn between buying and not buying. A lot of the times I just feel guilty about it, but I am the person who will sacrifice kitchen devices, home decorations and possibly food to shop. So doesn't that justify me spending a little more money on clothes/accessories/shoes since I am willing to cut back on the other things? (Sure, Jen).

Well one of the very first sermons I remember Pastor Smith preaching about was regarding Christmas and Madison Ave. techniques. He said that we'll notice the church will never have too many "holiday decor" and Christmas trees and whatnot, because that's not what celebrating Christmas is all about. He even said his kids have never gotten a present on Christmas Day, because it's not their birthday. And when it was their birthday, they would receive the appropriate gifts. I noticed plenty of people were tweeting "No buying day". Not sure what that meant, except maybe they were protesting the consumerist society that America has become (myself included).

Well maybe this will help explain some of it. Shopping has always been a bonding type of thing for my family. When my parents worked a lot, they'd take us on a shopping trip to Dallas (why not WF you ask? you can see our mall from end to end when you enter from any one entrance). And I've come to discover that my parents show their love and receive their love in the form of gifts (and some quality time). Not that my parents spoiled us rotten when we were kids, and not that they will only think we love them when we buy them gifts, but that's just how they showed their love to us. When my mom can take all three of us shopping she sees that as spending quality time with us, AND she LOVES shopping with us. She doesn't necessarily like shopping alone. Only when she shops with us. So I guess none of this justifies my overspending at times or my lack of control when I shop at times, but this year I don't feel bad for shopping and buying. I feel like I spent good quality time with the fam, my mommy was very happy (which she repeatedly told me throughout the day) and I think she really appreciated it.

What are your thoughts on shopping for the holidays?

my best invention

2008-11-12T09:11:00.002-06:00

In the 4th grade at Washington Jackson Math Science Center we had an "invention convention" with our science classes. My invention was the Laundry Separator in which I slit a Rubbermaid laundry hamper in half and inserted a plastic separator. Then I cut out two flaps on the top and bottom in which you can dump your whites and colors respectively. I was inspired by my mommy who did laundry at least twice a week and would have piles upon piles of clothes all over the kitchen floor near the laundry room. I guess they have separate hampers installed into the bathroom walls these days. Needless to say I didn't win or get honorable mention. Keith Whipple with his blender guard (to prevent splattering and what not when you blend things - basically a plastic guard around your blender...) won first place. I remember picturing him becoming a millionaire by the 6th grade.

What brought up my recent walk down memory lane was Time's latest issue of the best inventions of 2008. We live in a world of geniuses people. I was truly amazed that people could even think of this stuff. Among my favorites are the following:

1. Google's Floating Data Center - wind turbines and wave-powered generators will provide the electricity, ocean water will cool the servers, and offshore real estate is free.

2. The Global Seed Vault - located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, a "backup for backups". It keeps collections of native seeds so local crops can be replanted in case of an agricultural disaster and can hold up to 4.5 million samples, which will be kept dry at about 0°F.

3. Green Crude - *James' dad actually told us about this a while back...researchers at ASU have been working on raising algae to turn into a biofuel that would be almost the same as gasoline. It would be carbon-neutral, because algae consume carbon dioxide as they grow.

4. The Dynamic Tower - the world's first moving skyscraper, powered by wind and with each of the 80 floors rotating 360 degrees, all at different speeds. First is to be built in Dubai with another planned in Moscow.

5. Camera for the Blind - hold the camera up to his/her forehead, and a Braille-like screen on the back makes a raised image of whatever the lens sees.

I also liked Montreal's Public Biking System, Sound-Enhanced Food and the new Ping-Pong Serve. I wonder if I'll ever invent anything that will change the way people live life or better processes around the world. One can only wonder.

Ya'll went to Zuma's?? (A post by James)

2008-10-30T14:43:00.003-05:00

This is my first post on Jen's blog (yay :). So Jen and I lead Bible Study groups for kids at our church on Wednesday nights. I lead early high school boys and she leads junior high girls. Both groups tend to be pretty rambunctious to say the least. This past Wednesday something hit me though that although was somewhat evident before really hit home here.

I have one kid in my group whose name let's say is J. J was active in the youth group all summer and at times showed promise to even be a leader. He's funny at times and can be quick witted, but oftentimes is annoyingly loud. Playing ball with him over the summer he repeated the phrase, "Mr. Sir Sir!" at the top of his lungs for two straight hours that drove me nuts. About a month ago I found out his story: both parents in jail, constantly on the move living with relatives and oftentimes at friends' houses before being kicked out, sometimes coming to youth group not knowing where he will be staying that night. One Wednesday he was acting up so much and being so disruptive I had to sit him aside for about 30 minutes to teach the lesson to him individually. It did not seem to register. Our pastor who has a good relationship with him decided to ask him to take a break from the fellowship for a couple of weeks as a punishment for being so disruptive to the lessons. So for a couple of weeks I did not see him and then found out that he was in jail for carjacking. Then last week I found out that he has had numerous run ins with the law having accidentally shot and killed a family member a few years back.

Just yesterday he came back to fellowship a little more sedated with kids asking where he'd been. He brushed it off and made some quick deflective remarks. So I taught the lesson asking him questions along the way to which he did not have any answers. And by the end of the lesson, which I'm not sure if he took anything away from, he comes up to the leaders who are discussing next week's activity outing and listens. He hears someone say, "Zuma's." And a light bulb went off in his head in a way that "Jesus", "salvation" , "sacrifice", and pretty much any other heftier word in the lesson did not have a standing chance. So he asked, "Ya'll went to Zuma's?" and asked it about 5 times quickly in succession. To which I responded, "No, we're deciding that right now for next week." He looks at me for maybe a second turns back to the leaders and asks, "Ya'll went to Zuma?" At this point I give him a confused look and then confoundedly turn to Jen who is just laughing at me.

All this being said. There are a couple things and questions I'd like to pose and highlight:
1) Not all these kids have such troubled pasts but many do, and my question is, is this a vicious cycle doomed to repeat itself? Many of these kids are 16/17 barely out of middle school. Is it the failure of parents, bad teachers, the system, the students themselves, us as a society, or simply us as the "privileged"? I realize that progress and revitalization takes much time, and we try to do our small part in the larger more complex puzzle, but it is nevertheless frustrating, so where do you think the problem lies? And I suppose the follow-up question would be, what are we each and all doing to alleviate the systemic effects of poverty either in our close proximity or around the world?
2) I see how intelligent these kids are and for some how much they have failed and come to be satisfied with their failures that it makes me lose heart. It's funny cause Jen would hear the kids often rapping freestyle and if that's not an indication of their intrinsic abilities and intelligence I'm not sure what is. So, maybe it is a product of expectations. ie) the only way to "make it" is to be a rapper or an athlete, so that's where they invest their time. I recently told the kids that I'm unemployed right now looking for a job, to which they responded: "YOU UNEMPLOYED, but didn't you graduate high school?!" One this is probably a product of them thinking I'm 18 as opposed to 25, but also it's a product of them seeing high school graduation as the necessary hurdle for employment as opposed to college. Now I realize and sympathize that that might just be the reality for some who can't afford or have to work urgently, but isn't there a systematic problem with an expectation that your dream in life is to simply get by if that athletic scholarship doesn't come through?
3) Going back to my friend J, what will it take to get through to this guy? I have no clue; what he has gone through in the past year I most likely will not experience in a lifetime and to extrapolate that comparison for his entire life, I would in turn not experience in 10 or 20 lifetimes. So I cannot empathize, but I still will try to point him to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and one who can truly empathize with his suffering. Other than that I'm at a loss. Personally in the midst of all my uncertainty with regards to job or school or future residence, I cannot make promises on being able to be there or mentor him long term or anything like that, so that makes it difficult. But I have him for a short while. Maybe I can reach him for a second. That second where he looks at me and he gets it and it all makes sense; that's what I'm waiting and hoping and praying for. But as for now, he looks at me again and says, "Ya'll went to Zuma's?"

H-Town Traffic

2008-10-23T08:33:00.002-05:00

Every bustling metropolitan city deals with traffic. It's a part of life and character development. I'm actually pretty blessed, because the route that I take to work is opposite of the flow of traffic. So most days I speed at 70-72 mph (though lately it's been around 60 as I hear you can save gas by doing so..), and I watch the stationary cars "driving" down 45 south thinking to myself, "That realllly sucks. How do people do that day in and day out and THEN go to work?? I'd shoot myself".

Well here's my beef with traffic, outside of the normal congestion due to the fact that we live in a large city with a large population of commuting suburbanites and no great public transportation system (my apologies to those who Park N Ride and LOVE it):

1. Drivers who cut in the merge lane last minute because they refuse to wait in the long line that they obviously know exists half a mile back. One, they are stopping the flow of traffic in the lane they are currently in because they are having to slow down last minute to get in front of a car who has waited patiently for the past 20 minutes and is now very unhappy and will most likely edge into the car in front so that they absolutely can't get in. Two, this can cause backups in the lane they already occupy or even an accident, because there is no reason for them to be stopping or slowing down heading in that direction. There are some people who argue that it's okay that they do so because they transition smoothly and don't cause the car behind them to brake and ripple effect. But this is just simply not true. The cars behind you will most likely panic and brake anyway even if the aggressive merger has "transitioned smoothly".

2. Traffic that is stop and go until you get to the horizon of freedom and realize that there is NOTHING there. There is absolutely no reason as to why you have just driven in 0-20 mph peaks and valleys for the past 7 miles. Some days I'll hear news of a wreck that was previously there and has been cleared for 30 minutes, but most of the time I attribute this phenomenom to people who just don't know how to drive. Why is traffic stop and go when there's clearly free lanes? Because people don't know how to drive. I realize that that is a pretty general statement, but plainly put it is what it is. And this traffic hiccup usually sucks most when I leave for work early only to sit an extra hour or so of unexplained stoppage.

3. Wrecks. There I said it. Call me insensitive. My disclaimer: I know that accidents happen, and sometimes that's just it. So knowing that accidents are likely to occur - pay attention my friends! I have seen a truck drive 60 through sheets of rain only to hydroplane and slam into the divider. Or a '98 Corolla who pulls out in front of a car in swift motion who obviously is going too fast for said Corolla to gain speed and compensate for cutting them off. Make wise decisions Houstonites. Sometimes it gets to the point when I'm annoyed that there are wrecks. I feel like I am going to get run over by someone who's experienced or knows of someone who's experienced any type of automobile accident - and I apologize for that happening to you, but I don't apologize for how I feel. Pay attention people!

Please pray for my safety in driving home today...

Coffee Talk

2008-10-21T10:49:00.004-05:00

What? Elections are happening this year?? Well thanks to Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 I've been on top of things! I was devastated when Stephen Colbert withdrew from the race, but life must go on. So! Obviously, being the young, idealistic invididual that I am I suppose I am slated to vote for Obama. Well over the course of the past few months, on my way to the coffee pot, I've had several long conversations with an older colleague of mine. He's staunchly Republican, but was not always that way back in the 70's when he dabbled in things...

So he chides me, usually just teasing me, for the views I hold and my opinions on what the government is doing or should be doing in the future. He says I'm idealistic, and that's not a bad thing.* We've talked about everything from abortion to Afghanistan to Cambodia to Africa to education to healthcare to the Middle East to the Iraq War to bailouts to Vietnam to the economy. I guess we've touched on a bit of everything. He's brought up very interesting points and opened my mind to different views that I probably would not have thought of before. It's almost made me a tad more cynical as well. Should I vote third party just to protest? Do I really think either of the candidates will follow through with what they've promised, or will they just be controlled by their campaign contributors? Will Obama really spend dollar for dollar, and how will he decrease taxes with all of the new programs he's wanting to implement? What will the world come to think of America if, heaven forbid, Sarah Palin ever became President???
(ohh, I don't know...pew pew pew)

Well the point of this blog is really just to express how much I've enjoyed my coffee talk with him. Not only did it tell me more about him and what he's done and where he's been in the past (which I probably wouldn't have known cause he keeps to himself quite a bit), but it has kept me in check and made me think of the whole picture, what and how might circumstances change my views in the future. And that I'm just not as bright and well-read as I thought I was. Which isn't really breaking news to me, but it always feels good to have it handed to you every now and then. It's made me think mostly of how much I want government to be involved and where it should be involved, and lots of other things too, of course. And I haven't really come to a conclusion. Which can only lead me to my first and only tried and true - I am not leading toward one party or another. I hope to and should always vote on the issues.

*Of course when the whole bailout happened he casually said that I was a socialist because of the thoughts and views I shared on what should/could happen (and this is coming from an NPR/BBC junkie who majored in Biology and is married to a finance major - what do I know??).

Living for the Weekend

2008-10-21T08:48:00.002-05:00

So I've always heard that it's really sad and almost pathetic to live for the weekend. And let me explain my perception of "living for the weekend". When I get in the office on Monday morning my countdown for Friday has already begun. And I get into work early. I have never been more thankful for Wednesday, my midweek intermission before there is only 2 more days until the weekend. Thursday happy hours are tempting, but I will forgo it to enjoy Friday's that much more. Friday happy hours no longer entice me with their food specials. Sometimes I just want that cold drink to hit my lips and thus beginning my weekend.
But the thing is I don't want to live for the weekend. It's really sad to me, and I don't want to be at a job that will give me that mindset. However I AM now at such a job, so I'm guessing I need a change of attitude towards my job. Easier said than done.

Things currently distracting me from work: Twitter (my newfound friend), Facebook, bank accounts (yes, bank accounts which I will check daily) and Flickr.
I'm sure there are more to come.

Eurotrip 2008

2008-10-03T11:38:00.003-05:00

In efforts to increase my blog's visits, and to increase James and I's ratings in life we've decided to combine forces to form one gigantic blog - for the 3 readers that do wander to this blogspot. With this blog I feel like I did back in elementary school. I was that girl who would start every hobby because I wanted to buy all the cool stuff at Hobby Lobby, and then 3 weeks later be bored of it. Well I refuse to let this little thought vomit space become the next ill-fated hobby!!! So I continue by reminiscing and throwing out thoughts of our Eurotrip 2008 from August 21st to September 16th of this year.

We started out in Paris, France.

Top 3
1. We saw all of the big sights - The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, etc.
2. The cheese is AMAZING there. I could eat it every day, every meal.
3. Subway system is convenient and will get you anywhere. PLUS people are very chic.

Bottom 3
1. People are snotty and rude. *Disclaimer: not everyone, but a good number.
2. Everyone smokes - and I hate smoke.
3. Places we went were really touristy = long lines = I have no patience. I know it's our fault, cause we went to touristy places, but that doesn't change the fact!

Next stop - Barcelona, Spain

Top 3 - I really could go on about this place...
1. Gaudi architecture was amazing.
2. Everything was cheaper than Paris.
3. People were a lot friendlier and good eye candy wherever we went (before you judge me, James thought so too)

Bottom 3
1. ya know, I don't know if there are any....except maybe people take too many siestas! but that's just part of the culture

ADD has already set in as well as the lunch hour portion of my work day. This is to be continued..

V is for Vision

2008-08-06T16:18:00.002-05:00

Back in college I used to write out my goals for each school year whether they be short term, long term, school-related, personal - you get the point. And then I'd look back and see how each year went, journal about it blah blah blah. Most may know how this process works, or most are thinking this girl's cheesy. **And of course by "most", I'm referring to the 3 people that I know how are actually reading my blog. Pahaha. And I thank you...**
Onwards! I always lose focus...So I was sitting here at work rethinking every word of venting/gossip/complaining I've vomited out of my mouth today, and then mentally kicking myself for not following through with what I've resolved to do (which would be NOT to do that anymore), and my mind wandered back to when I used to have goals for every year. And that led me to thinking about having a vision statement for myself and what I intend on doing with life this half-over 2008 year. So I've decided to compose some sort of vision for the rest of this year, and probably something that I can add on to or modify from year to year as I march on to chronological maturity*. Here it is, hold me to it, also subject to change:

"To live life filled with a compassion for people, zeal for the work that I do and led by a pattern of godliness."

End post.

*trademark Pastor Rufus Smith, IV

Meet Nelson

2008-07-24T16:13:00.005-05:00

This is a good friend of Mary Kate Tate's new puppy affectionately named Nelson. For most people who know me I've been scared of dogs all of my life. However, I've recently (past year or so) come to the revelation of getting a puppy and raising it on my own. I feel that this form of therapy would be best to get over my fear.

Alas my fear will never be put to rest because my dear husband refuses to get a puppy. He's "allergic", and here's how our convo went:

Me: can we please get a puppy?

James: i thought you were scared

(i proceeded to explain my self-prescribed therapy)

James: i don't want to buy something that i will have to serve. it's not gonna happen. besides, i'm allergic

Me: you're allergic?

James: yea my parents told me when i was a kid

(ZACK MORRIS TIMEOUT): you put two and two together and tell me whether or not he's really allergic. If I was a parent who didn't want my kids to get a dog, my kid would probably develop an allergy too.

Everyone in my complex has a puppy, and is that the reason I want one? No, I don't need a conversation piece to get into the dog park club. I really do want a puppy. So this post is dedicated to my burning desire to get a puppy. Here are some of my top choices:

Beagle

Boxer

Please comment and voice your best reasons for getting a puppy to convince my husband that we should get one too. CAVEAT: Dog-owners preferred.

WHOA. chi did what??

2008-07-23T13:04:00.003-05:00

Yes, Chi did.
I don't really have anything deep insight into anything or witty commentary which is usually what I think of when I hear blog/xanga/whateverelsetheremightbe. If anything I now wish this could've been anonymous, and that way it could be an avenue of venting about my daily traffic battles, demoralizing volleyball games and office drama that nobody would care about. BUT Lora Brooke Barber has done it again, and ironically, she has been the one to get me started on what she would previously have referred to as "asian-y things" rather than the other way around. First myspace, now this. So here I am blogging about my new blog at work when I should be closing some sale. But it's kinda fun. Hats off and cheers to the overflowing nonsense that is to come. Good luck and godspeed to everyone reading.