Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
A year ago today...
...we were clutching this little picture and waiting on pins and needles to see if we had passed court.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Come to WOW
Saturday, April 17 - Window on the World - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TTU's Roaden University Center. WOW is an international festival celebrating cultural diversity and global harmony.
Bring your loose change to the WCTE booth to the benefit of the tens of thousands of Haitian children orphaned by the devastating earthquake on January 12th. Your loose change and/or dollars will make a difference in their lives.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Online again
Just completed (almost) a week without social media. I say almost because a couple of times I forgot and checked my blog list. This week was much harder than giving up sweets, but not as hard as giving up TV/radio/music, which I totally blew. I've enjoyed catching up on my friends' blogs and seeing how everyone is celebrating spring.
We're celebrating it with sinus infections -- Caroline and Dawit. They're both like dribbling hose pipes. Well, it's probably just allergies because the pollen is now in full force, but we decided to skip out on church so I didn't have to rely on other people to wipe my kids' noses.
I had a great time with my friend Cathy in Houston. Thanks Cathy! She just told me they're thinking about widening the interstate -- like 50 lanes, I think. What I didn't tell her is that, after my heroic drive to the airport with time to spare, my flight was canceled! I stood there at the electronic check-in station, my chest all puffed with pride that I still had time to get a Starbucks and a gift for my kiddies, and the machine said, "Would you like to leave Tuesday, the 23rd, or Wednesday, the 24th?" I was all, "What a minute, what day is it? I think I want to leave on a Monday! Isn't it Monday? Where's the option for that?" There was no option for that. I think I kicked the machine. Then I noticed some other Nashvillians wigging out at their machine, and decided to be adult about it. They offered me a choice: wait a few hours, go to Dallas, wait a few more hours, get home at midnight, drag my mom out of bed to pick me up. Or get a hotel and fly out at 7:30 the next morning. I opted for the latter. I was irritated that I had to wait another day to see Caroline, but it didn't affect much else. So I ate and slept on Continental Airlines' dollar.
Anyway, made it home. Got to see C and D and S on Tuesday.
We're celebrating it with sinus infections -- Caroline and Dawit. They're both like dribbling hose pipes. Well, it's probably just allergies because the pollen is now in full force, but we decided to skip out on church so I didn't have to rely on other people to wipe my kids' noses.
I had a great time with my friend Cathy in Houston. Thanks Cathy! She just told me they're thinking about widening the interstate -- like 50 lanes, I think. What I didn't tell her is that, after my heroic drive to the airport with time to spare, my flight was canceled! I stood there at the electronic check-in station, my chest all puffed with pride that I still had time to get a Starbucks and a gift for my kiddies, and the machine said, "Would you like to leave Tuesday, the 23rd, or Wednesday, the 24th?" I was all, "What a minute, what day is it? I think I want to leave on a Monday! Isn't it Monday? Where's the option for that?" There was no option for that. I think I kicked the machine. Then I noticed some other Nashvillians wigging out at their machine, and decided to be adult about it. They offered me a choice: wait a few hours, go to Dallas, wait a few more hours, get home at midnight, drag my mom out of bed to pick me up. Or get a hotel and fly out at 7:30 the next morning. I opted for the latter. I was irritated that I had to wait another day to see Caroline, but it didn't affect much else. So I ate and slept on Continental Airlines' dollar.
Anyway, made it home. Got to see C and D and S on Tuesday.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Driving in Houston
...is interesting and a tad terrifying. I set off this morning a little before 7 a.m. so I could navigate the traffic before rush hour. I was a little nervous about driving in the dark -- it's hard to read the micro-text of Google maps in the dark while merging onto a 12-lane interstate.
I needn't have worried about that! By the time I picked up my Starbucks at Kroger and merged onto I-10 East, an enormous ball of sun was peeking up from the horizon. As I drove, it peeked higher and higher until I was TOTALLY BLIND. Squinting, I could barely see the road, let alone road signs. And Houston interstates don't just go one way - they are an intricate web of merges, loops, underpasses, overpasses and splits. If you just try to go straight (seems logical!), you may end up on a toll road from which there is no escape (I learned this on Thursday, and it cost me $3). And if you're a Nashvillian and recall the I-65 entrance ramp at 3rd Ave that does not allow you access to I-65 south because you have to cross two lanes of traffic so you don't miss the split...phooey! Houston highways are ALL about crossing lanes. You merge onto I-10 east and are immediately in a one of three exit only lanes for a toll road. So you immediately have to cross SIX lanes of traffic just to stay on I-10. And at almost-rush hour in the blinding sun, this is no small feat. In fact, you can pretty much just close your eyes and go for it, because everyone else is.
So, I'm headed east, and looming overhead every 100 yards or so are big black rectangles. Behind the rectangles is an orange ball of fire. So I look away for a moment, blink a few times to clear the spots, and steal a glance again at the rectangles, praying for a few letters or numbers that confirm I'm on the right track, in the right lane. I hang out mostly in the center lane of, oh, about 12 lanes in case I have to do a miracle merge. I finally catch a glimpse of 610, my loop. But which way? I glance down at my directions, but my pupils are so dilated from the sun, I can't see the paper. So I strip off my sunglasses, blink furiously and learn I need to go north. Thank God! For one, there's a huge wreck going south, and everyone's going that way. For two, the sun is finally to my right, and my vision is starting to return. I'm the ONLY one in Houston going north, so the road is mine.
And I arrive at my destination unscathed.
I needn't have worried about that! By the time I picked up my Starbucks at Kroger and merged onto I-10 East, an enormous ball of sun was peeking up from the horizon. As I drove, it peeked higher and higher until I was TOTALLY BLIND. Squinting, I could barely see the road, let alone road signs. And Houston interstates don't just go one way - they are an intricate web of merges, loops, underpasses, overpasses and splits. If you just try to go straight (seems logical!), you may end up on a toll road from which there is no escape (I learned this on Thursday, and it cost me $3). And if you're a Nashvillian and recall the I-65 entrance ramp at 3rd Ave that does not allow you access to I-65 south because you have to cross two lanes of traffic so you don't miss the split...phooey! Houston highways are ALL about crossing lanes. You merge onto I-10 east and are immediately in a one of three exit only lanes for a toll road. So you immediately have to cross SIX lanes of traffic just to stay on I-10. And at almost-rush hour in the blinding sun, this is no small feat. In fact, you can pretty much just close your eyes and go for it, because everyone else is.
So, I'm headed east, and looming overhead every 100 yards or so are big black rectangles. Behind the rectangles is an orange ball of fire. So I look away for a moment, blink a few times to clear the spots, and steal a glance again at the rectangles, praying for a few letters or numbers that confirm I'm on the right track, in the right lane. I hang out mostly in the center lane of, oh, about 12 lanes in case I have to do a miracle merge. I finally catch a glimpse of 610, my loop. But which way? I glance down at my directions, but my pupils are so dilated from the sun, I can't see the paper. So I strip off my sunglasses, blink furiously and learn I need to go north. Thank God! For one, there's a huge wreck going south, and everyone's going that way. For two, the sun is finally to my right, and my vision is starting to return. I'm the ONLY one in Houston going north, so the road is mine.
And I arrive at my destination unscathed.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
This is us at the Sam Houston memorial something or other. I had no idea how much history Sam Houston had in Tennessee.
And this was post-meal at Blue Nile with a few of Cathy's friends. They all seemed to enjoy Ethiopian food, although this was no finicky chicken-eating group. They dove right into the lamb (the French love lamb) and Tibs, which is a raw beef and a signature dish in Ethiopia. I tried it, and it was very good.
Okay, gotta go: brunch and theater...
And this was post-meal at Blue Nile with a few of Cathy's friends. They all seemed to enjoy Ethiopian food, although this was no finicky chicken-eating group. They dove right into the lamb (the French love lamb) and Tibs, which is a raw beef and a signature dish in Ethiopia. I tried it, and it was very good.
Okay, gotta go: brunch and theater...
Miss my kiddos! And my hubby!
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