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So here’s what we’ve got coming up in the next month or so for me:

• Tonight (7/12) I have to go try and track down a pencil skirt and/or blouse to pull together a “Sexy Librarian” outfit for the show this Friday (see below).
• Tomorrow (7/13) night I have rehearsal for the show on Friday (Grotesque Burlesque).
• Wednesday (7/14) night is Game night.
• Thursday (7/15) night is the final dress rehearsal for Grotesque Burlesque. We also have a softball game, but I’ll have to miss it – since I’m kinda in charge of the stage hands for the show – I really can’t miss rehearsal.
• Friday (7/16) is Grotesque Burlesque, pretty much from the time I leave work until 1 or 2 in the morning.
• Saturday (7/17) Phlome and I need to get an early-ish start and head up to OK for his 20 year HS reunion.
• Sunday (7/18) after more reunion activities and visiting family we’ll head back home.
• Monday (7/19) morning I drive down to Austin for a terribly exciting “TCEQ Training Providers Seminar” which will run through Wednesday afternoon.
• Thursday (7/22) we have a double header – and hopefully our last night of softball for the season.
• Friday (7/23) night we’ll make a short trip out to the club, come home earlier than usual and get ready for Saturday morning.
• Saturday (7/24) we’ll head South to Texas City, where we’ll spend the evening before our cruise
• Sunday (7/25) drive 20 minutes into Galveston and board the boat
  • Where we’ll be until Saturday the 21^st – WHOO HOOOOOOO!
• Then the next Friday (8/6) I have another show at the Lakewood
• I get to go back to Austin on Friday the 13^th – not sure if I’m going down Thursday or Friday yet – or if I’m coming back Friday or Saturday
• Then we’re hosting our Christmas in July in August (aka A very Beaver Christmas) on August 14^th
• Family reunion August 20 – 22
• Then a show at Excuses: Pantheon II – Ancient Boogaloo! In late August.

It doesn’t slow down a whole lot after that – in September I have more shows, at least one concert and a wedding. By then it’ll be time to start getting ready for Halloween, then the Holidays. This year is practically over already. *sigh*

About once a year my mom and/or my aunt and her daughters come down to Dallas to visit. This year it looks like there will be two trips. My mom is coming down for Mothers’ Day weekend, then may aunt and cousins will come down with her again in early June. Since their visits are so infrequent, I try to always do something new with them. With so much to do in the metroplex, there’s really no excuse. It’s just a matter of deciding what to do, that most everyone will enjoy without exhausting them. Last time they came down we went out to the Stockyards then my cousins and I went to Billy Bob’s, followed by Cowboys Arlington. That night ended with a dislocated thumb on my part. Good times indeed.

The trick is balancing the preferences of my near agoraphobic aunt and her co-dependent daughter, with those of her youthful party-girl daughter, and adventurous yet frugal oldest daughter and my unpredictable mother. I also have to take into account the cost of the trip for them, so I usually try to take advantage of as many free or low cost activities as possible. One thing they all seem to really enjoy is riding the TRE. So the weekend usually involves at least one ride into downtown Dallas or Fort Worth.

Like I said, this year, my mom is coming down by herself for Mothers’ Day weekend. She’s taking the Heartland Flyer from OKC to Fort Worth on Friday. Since I work on the edge of Dallas/Irving/Grand Prairie, and she arrives in Fort Worth around 1, I’ve asked her to hop on the TRE to the South Irving Station, where I can pick her up on my way home from work. Driving into Fort Worth on a Friday afternoon is not an adventure I want to tackle if I can at all avoid it.

So, after I pick her up, and get her all settled in (either in the Squid’s room, since she’s visiting her own mother for the weekend, or at a nearby hotel), we’re going to the races at Lonestar Park. It’s a party at the park night, meaning that after the races, a local cover band will play. That Friday it’s Hard Night’s Day, a Beatles tribute band. Mom is very excited. So am I.

Saturday we’re going to Scarborough Faire. If things go well Friday it will be a late night, so I expect we’ll sleep in a bit on Saturday. The plan is to get to Scarborough in time for a late lunch. I can’t imagine we’ll be there for more than 4 hours. So if we get out of there by 5:30 at the latest, we’ll plan on a late dinner at the Clay Pit in Addison. I say late dinner, because we’ll want to go home first and get cleaned up. Scarborough is about 45 minutes south of our place, and Addison is about 45 minutes north. So we’ll be driving quite a bit on Saturday.

Mom has to be back in Fort Worth by 4:30 on Sunday in order to catch the 5:30 train. So I thought we’d have an early-ish lunch around 11 at La Madeleine (probably Arlington Parks Mall area), then head up to the Sam Moon in North Fort Worth for some shopping. That should give us plenty of time to shop before I take Mom back downtown to the train station.

So that’s the plan for Mothers’ Day weekend. Easy enough since I only have to entertain my mother. Next I have to plan for the big Girls Weekend when the whole crew comes down…

I’ve been feeling at a loss for my blog topics lately. So this time I’ll just recount the weekend then plan out the week.

Friday I was supposed to go to a birthday party of a friend that was to include dinner, lesbian bar, and a stripper. By about 7 pm I had decided to flake. I was tired, and had a lot more planned for the weekend. Plus my stomach hasn’t exactly been cooperating with me much lately. I feel like I suffer from a stomach ache at least briefly almost every day. Sometimes it goes on longer. So instead, Phlome and the Squid rented 2012, we ate popcorn and stared in awe at the indestructibility of limos, RVs, single engine jets, and John Cusack.

Saturday Phlome and the Squid ran errands while I did a couple loads of laundry and finished watching the Firefly series (again). Then Saturday night we went to another friend’s birthday party at Excuses with intentions of staying out long enough to get in line to watch the Irving/Dallas stadium implosion. We stayed up late enough, but when we drove by the stadium, we decided that it wasn’t worth waiting in line for a chance to get in, when home and a warm comfy bed were so nearby. Yeah folks – we’re real party animals.

Sunday was our last softball practice of the season, followed by linner (lunch/dinner) at pizza hut. Then I watched Serenity. I am now well prepped for our Serenity role playing game nights out at zero/elanna’s starting next week. We had planned to go see Clash of the Titans, but alas it will have to wait for another weekend.

This week is looking to be pretty busy:

Tonight and Wednesday I have Lollies Rehearsal from 7:30 – 10

Thursday is our last scheduled season game, except for one rainout make-up game scheduled in two weeks. We really need to win this game. If we can win out the last two games we make it into the finals. Which I think just means we get a free t-shirt.

Friday night is the first night of the Lollies shows for April at the Pocket Sandwich Theater. Before the show we may take the Squid out for dinner to celebrate her new drivers license.

Saturday we’re going with a good size group of friends to Scarborough Faire. Then Saturday night I have the 2^nd night of the Lollies at the Pocket.

I hope I don’t have anything going on Sunday other than a possible viewing of Clash of the Titans. I’d really like to just rest on Sunday. Saturday’s gonna be a long day.

Growing up my mother always told me I could be anything I wanted to when I grew up. At one time I had plans to go into law with aspirations of becoming the first female president of the US. I was through with that plan by high school. She may have even said that I could do anything as I tried. I truly appreciate her encouragement. But there’s one key word she left out. Dedication. Sure you can try this or that, but that doesn’t mean you can do it. Writing is a prime example. I have a strong drive hidden somewhere deep inside of me to write. I don’t really want to write the great American Novel – just something that would get published. I keep starting. I’ve started a vampire novel for young adults (that was before Twilight but after Ann Rice). I’ve started to write short stories for submission to writing contests, I even tried to write the story of Phlome and I. But I just can’t finish any of them. I get caught up in the wording of this one sentence, or maybe about the history of one minor character, I just get stuck on stuff that ultimately is only a very minor part of the story I’m trying to tell. A couple weeks ago I started reading “When you are engulfed in flames,” a collection of essays by David Sedaris. While reading through it I thought, “I could do this.” It’s just blogging on paper. Right, and we see how well this blogging thing is going. So out of curiosity I went to find out what it was David Sedaris did to become a famous humorist/essayist. The answer? He met Ira Glass who liked his diary. That’s it. Ira Glass liked David Sedaris’ diary, so he brought him on This American Life. It was damn discouraging. I don’t have the luxury of hanging out in coffee houses hoping a famous NPR personality comes by and picks me out of the crowd. Which means I’ve just got to buckle down and do it. As Nike says, Just Do It! So I’m starting with getting back into the blogging thing.

I write on my blog in a different voice than I do when I decide I’m going to sit down and start writing. I start with an idea and then just go from there. Usually that one idea is about all that gets put in the daily blog. But when I’m trying to “write” I get stuck on sentence structure, word-smithing, and story order. I know, I know. I just need to sit down and start writing.

Maybe I should start by going through my archives and seeing if there’s anything in there I can start with and flesh out.

Today Phlome and I are celebrating our 4^th wedding anniversary. We’re celebrating tonight by playing softball against a team we will most certainly lose too, and then coming come to move furniture around. Woo Hoo! Actually, we’re really going to celebrate tomorrow night at III Forks. But tomorrow we’re getting our ceiling repainted, so we have to move our bedroom furniture out of the bedroom.

This is actually quite a busy weekend coming up. Tomorrow a few folks from the softball team will be spending most of the day at a softball training camp, then Saturday Phlome will join in the fun at the camp. As I just mentioned, tomorrow night we have our anniversary dinner followed by a night out at The Church/Lizard Lounge. Saturday night is our big 5^th annual “we got hitched” / birthday party. I think Sunday is our recovery day.

If you’re new to reading the blog, as in you weren’t reading this more than 5 years ago when I started the blog, you can read the history of how we met, and got engaged here: Storybook Story.

My new Scooba should arrive by Monday afternoon.  I am very excited.  Right now it is sitting in Earth City, MO.  “Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story” is also en route to my house.  I expect to see it in the mail by next Wednesday.  Next week should be a very exciting week.

Last night we played our third night and fourth softball game of the season.  We lost.  But it’s a loss with no shame.  We played hard and we played well.  Our pitcher is showing more promise.  We played harder than I’ve seen us play so far.  We went into the game with a low expectation of winning, but our loins were indeed girded against a complete beat-down.  We held our own, and played defensively very well.  We were up against a much better team, and still scored 8 points on them.  Everyone hit very well.  I’m proud.  I hope we can play like that again.  It just takes time and experience.  We have 4 more games this season, then the summer season starts up.  I would like to play again this summer, I hope we can get enough people together.

Tonight we’ll probably take it easy - nothing too terribly exciting. Perhaps go to the club for a few hours.  Tomorrow I have Burlesque Undressed at the Lakewood.  Rehearsal at 2, call time 7, show at 9.  I don’t even know what to wear at this point.

We’re also getting a new roof today.  And eventually a refinished ceiling in our bedroom.  Someday we’ll have a new doorframe onto the balcony, and Phlome (with a little help from me) is making a lot of progress on our deck.  My hopes are that by the end of next month we can use our hottub again.  Which will be great to come home to after a softball game.  We had initially hoped to have the deck done, and hottub useable by our anniversary, but we have had so much rain this year, we’ve probably lost about 4 weeks.  In theory if we really buckled down, and focused on it, we might make it happen.  Maybe we can just set the goal to have it done by April 22nd, and host a hottub party in celebration of the end of the softball season.

As for the other ‘projects’ I’ve been working on: 

• The cork board is done, except it’s not.  It needs some backing to support the corks a bit more.  If it definitely an amature job.  But hey - it’s a first attempt.  Don’t judge me.
• Zero progress on the clown costume still…maybe Sunday.
• I finished my first knitting project.  That is, if one can consider getting to the end of the ball of yarn with no intention of going futher, done.  Technically I still have to “bind/cast off” the knits.  I’ll be done with that before lunch today.

I can’t remember now what else was on my list, if there was anything else.  So I think I’m done here.

Gonna give this another shot.  I have no excuse what-so-ever, other than just not thinking about blogging anymore.  So here’s a brief summary of what I’ve been up to.

I’m working as a stage hand of sorts with a local Burlesque troupe: The Lollie Bombs.  I’ve also been asked to help out with several other shows for other Burlesque performances not necessarily related to the Lollies.  I enjoy it.  It’s fun, I get a little attention, but don’t have responsibilities of the performers.  Low stress, maximum fun, and occasionally I get paid enough to pay for my drinks for the evening.  Plus, this weekend I got recognized while out to dinner.  My little taste of local fame - whoo!

I’m managing and playing on a co-ed recreational softball team.  We don’t win much, but we have fun.  Though it is significantly more fun when we do win.  So far in the past 2 seasons we’ve won 2 games outright.  With one forfeit.  This season we were undefeated for one week - but we made up for it this week when we lost two consecutive games to the run-rule.

I also have a few too many other crafty type projects going on.  Some started, some planned, and several mid-process and put away for entirely too long:

• Shadow box of great-grandmothers items: completed twice, but the items aren’t staying up as they should - have to give it another go soon - it’s been a year, since I tried to fix it.
• Victorian-era inspired skirt and coat: started, have all the material, and the skirt cut and pinned.  Been about six-months since I worked on it.  Have no excuse.
• 1940s/50s inspired housedress for Christmas in July/August Very Beaver Christmas themed party - have pattern - otherwise have not started
• Clown Costume: piecing together some parts of other costumes I have together, and a few items purchases (plus learned how to make puff balls out of yarn).  Mostly done have to hem the skirt and add border to it.  I hate hemming.  Bust be completed before the 27th.
• Knitting: I’m learning - I’ve spent about 2 weeks on a wrap that is only about 6 inches long.  Time consuming yet relaxing.
• Wine-cork board: Been putting of for years.  Have plenty of corks - finally got a frame to attach the corks to.  Started last night.  Bought more glue today.  Hope to finish before the end of the week.

That’s all for now.  I may or may not post again soon.

This fall Maxis (of the sims/simcity notoriety) is releasing a game that they’ve been teasing for a couple years now: Spore.  The basic concept is you get to evolve a single celled organism all the way through to universal domination.  I need a count down clock….I also need a new PC so I can enjoy spore when it comes out.  But first I need to work on not being broke.

I’m rather out of it for the next month.  Last week I had new hire training, this month I have a 2 week class I’m entertaining during the week (and this weekend).  They’re leaving next Friday.  The following Sunday I have a term paper due, another one the next week.  I have a business meeting in Tampa on the 17th and 18th. Then I have two finals to take the week of the 23rd (1 on the 23rd in class from 6 - 9pm, the other is online and has to be completed before April 29th).  April 30th I have another class in town for a week, immediatly followed by new hire again May 9 - 11.  So, while I will be completely done with school in 24 days (at the latest), work won’t slow down until may 12th.  That’s assuming we don’t double up the number of new hire training sessions we conduct, or take on any other major tasks in my department before then. So, basically what I am saying, is that I won’t be posting much for the next 4 - 6 weeks.

This weekend I want to do something with my hair. Something new. Something trendy maybe? I might even go the way of some layers. But I really have no clue what the trends are now. Any suggestions? By the way, my hair is now a darkish rid if that helps at all.