And the Adventure Continues

Miss Rodeo Queen

2005-03-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

Howdy y'all. I've been to the rodeo now three times in 6 days. How 'bout that for a rompin' good time! Reminded me again (don't know why I need to keep riminding myself) how awesome Texas is. Great times. You haven't been to a rodeo until you've been to one of ours.

Spring Break is now almost over. I didn't get near as much donw schoolwise as I'd hoped. But then again doing all my homework for the next 5 weeks in one week may have been a little ambitious anyway! I did get to check out the rodeo a bunch and some SXSW shows and I went to Fiesta Texas and I watched American Idol and all the other TV shows I missed and I went running everyday after work and I helped a good friend pick out a wedding dress and among all that fun, I still manged to get some school work done so it wasn't a complete loss.

Well, I better head off to bed. I'm gonna have sweet dreams of spurs, chaps and cowboys hats...and beer battered foot long corn dogs! Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm! I LOVE rodeo time!!!

What a $&#*!

2005-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

I'm taking 12 hours this semester and working full-time. It's going to be hard but then I never slept as an undergrad and had 3 jobs at any given time so this is do-able really. Or I thought so until one of my professors told me on the first day of class that I wasn't going to do very well. What a jerk. I couldn't believe it. I was actually rendered speechless. So now I have to work extra hard just to get an A in there to spite him. So now I REALLY have my work cut out for myself.

The new place is great. All settled in. We got a washer and dryer this weekend. I spent the whole weekend dreaming that maybe our fridge would break so we could get one of those new ones with an LCD TV in it. That would be so cool. Not that I have time to watch TV or cook for that matter. Oh well, maybe in 2 years when I'm done with school and have a fancy smancy job, then I can buy one.

All Moved In

2005-01-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

I spent the 3 day weekend moving into my new house. Yes, that's right. I'm officially an adult now. I no longer live with my parents. I got a really cute house with a roommate in Tarrytown. For those of you who don't live in Austin it's close to downtown and is an old cute neighborhood. It's gonna be great.

Things are going to get busy though. I start school tonight again. We'll see how it goes but if you don't hear from me for a couple of months, that's why. I'll do my best to keep blogging.

We're InVINCEable!

2005-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

How 'bout those horns! My boys came through in true Texas fashion. Edge of the seat, nail biting drama straight through to the end. I had a great time hoopin' and hollerin' with my dad and grandfather, both Texas Exes. All three of us were ginning ear to ear when that wobbly kick went through. Not a better way to spend New Year's Day in the world. Hook 'Em Horns!!

Oh and Bob Stoops....The Eyes of Texas are upon you. We're Texas and we're comin'!

Sorry for the Drought

2004-12-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in ages. I was so busy studying for finals and then Christmas came. It's just been nuts but hopefully you got my Christmas card and knew what was happening with me anyway. Here's a brief rundown of the past few weeks.

I passed all my finals and got decent grades in my classes. Yippee! I don't know if they are good enough for The London School of Business but we'll see..
I survived Christmas. I got great stuff like a sweater and new tires and new books...
I found a house to live in. Moving out of my parents on Jan. 15. Will send out an email with the new info later.
I'm planning my next adventure for March. Maybe Costa Rica...If you have suugestions post a comment.

Other news, if you want a (brief) first hand account of the Tsunami go to my blogroll and click Katrina Jakola. She and her husband and baby were in Phuket when it hit.

I will do better about blogging from now on I promise. I will close out voting for the 2008 Election on Dec. 31 at midnight. If you would like to vote, do it now. Currently you are choosing to have Michael Moore and Paris Hilton rule to world. Is that what you really want?

Early Voting Now for 2008!

2004-11-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

As the reality of Bush for another 4 years sinks in, I thought I would try to think positively. There is nothing I can do about the state of our country but I can get the word out for the next go round. Many people have been thinking what could possibly be worse than the Kerry Bush election in 2004. Well let me prepare you for the horrors of 2008.

In the Democrat camp: We have Hillary Clinton who will now run in 2008. The New York senator has been dying for the job ever since her husband put passion above politics. Get ready America for the first female candidate. And who better to serve as her running mate than Ted Kennedy. The name alone is credential enough. The liberal Massachusetts senator will really be able to concentrate on homeland issues since he cannot fly anywhere due to being on the terror watch list.

In the Republican camp: Who better to continue the Bush legacy than Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida. I think dumb would be a welcome improvement from dumber. If Janet Reno were his running mate, there would be no doubt which way Florida would swing. Now this is a wonderful ticket for several reasons. Janet Reno could pull in the Gay/Lesbian vote with promises of gay marriages and gay rights. Also, those in the deep south would be eager to awaken a North v. South battle again. We may have lost the first one but by golly, we could get this one. And of course, all those men who couldn't stand to have a woman in office can easily identify with this practically male ballot.

In the Independent camp: Michael Moore has been sharing his opinions with the world over the past year. I'm sure these opinions will become more vocal over the next 4 years. What better way to challenge the Bush camp than to run against it. Now I know some people will think Michael Moore doesn't have the proper grooming or the right connections to secure his White House bid. For this reason, I see Paris Hilton as his running mate. She could help the guy clean up for the cameras and introduce him to the right people. Plus she (and daddy) could bankroll the whole campaign. It would be perfect. Not to mention Tinkerbell could easily replace Barney as the most beloved White House dog.

So early voting begins today right here on my site! There will be no debates because we all know Hillary will win them. Put the reality of Bush aside and go to the poll and vote. Who do you want running the country in 2008?

Post Halloween Scary Thoughts

2004-11-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a few scary thoughts for you in case you were going through scare withdrawal post Halloween:

1. I totally understand accounting now. I spent an entire weekend about 6 weeks ago familiarizing myself with the calculator manual and once I figured that thing out Accounting was a breeze. I aced the last test I took and even scarier...I actually kind of like it. Doing journal entries is fun. Everything has its place and if you know me in my super-organized state this is something I like. Plus if you do it right everything balances out and it is just so neat and tidy. I'm sure it won't be neat and tidy for long though which will be an endless source of frustration for me in my super-organized state but I'll deal with that when it comes.

2. I can still churn out a 6 page paper in 45 minutes and get an A. I know many of you are supremely jealous of this skill. It is a talent you too could possess had you suffered through Mr. Wood's high school English class. Remembering that class is scary thought #2.

3. It has been in the low 90s every day since my past blog. I think that one day was a fluke. I have been practically melting and wishing and hoping that fall would come soon. I can't believe people out there like Nevada McKenzie are experiencing blizzards when I was roasting and still putting my AC on full-blast. This is a crazy crazy world. We are supposed to have a blast of cold weather come through tonight. Tomorrow's high should be a whopping 62. Yippee. I can finally (fingers crossed) pack my shorts away.

4. And the final scary thing. This is far scarier than me liking accounting, far scarier than the memory of Mr. Wood and far scarier than Canadians shoveling themselves out of their houses in October. Drumroll please......I voted for John Kerry. I felt physically sick when I got home. I hate people that vote for him solely because they don't like Bush and then I went and did the same thing. I was going to write-in but I couldn't figure out how to work the stupid wheel. The proctor lady wouldn't even show me. She just said move it around. I got impatient and fed up and just checked the Kerry box. Oh well. I bet Bush will win Texas anyway. I'm predicting Bush 54% Kerry 45% and 1% figured out how to use the write-in wheel. Yes Jen, this is a closer margin than I predicted for you earlier.

So scary thoughts to all and to all a good night. I'm off to watch CSI Miami and I'll leave you with the last scary thought...

5. David Caruso aka Horatio. Is it just me and Jen and Arleen or is this guy seriously creepy. Despite his creepy voice and sideways glances I'm still addicted to the show.

I Heart TX

2004-10-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at my desk staring out at the beautiful day that has unfolded frm yesterday's front. Georgeous! It's 65 degrees and a bit windy. There's not one cloud in the blue blue sky and everything is green. It's the kind of weather where you drive with the windows down and you blare your radio. Everyone is in a good mood because it is so nice outside. I'm not even stressed about my exam this afternoon! I'm just excited I get to drive all the way to San Marcos with my windows down and the radio up. And on top of all this I get to go hear Norah Jones at the backyard tonight. Honestly, I don't even know why George W. wants to be president. He really should move back here and enjoy the weather.

Political Musings Part 2

2004-10-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

I watched the presidential debate last night. I thought Kerry's budget plans were hysterical. This is by no means an endorsment for Bush but Kerry has math skills worse than mine! He said he's going to roll back the tax cuts for the rich. This will give him about 80 million in surplus. So I ask you Mr. Kerry, how in the world can you say you are going to cut taxes for people who make less than $200,000, and increase the child credit? How can you provide tuition reimbursements up to $4000 and introduce a $1.5 trillion medical plan? Oh and did I forget that you, Mr. Kerry, also said you were going to balance the budget. I don't see how this is possible by providing tax cuts and only receiving 80 million from rollbacks. With this wacky plan and his record on raising the taxes, I smell increases for everyone. He seems more intent on balancing the budget that anything else.

If you missed the new jibjab cartoon on Leno the other night, don't forget to go check it out. www.jibjab.com

It's the new Google!

2004-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading the New York Times yesterday and discovered the coolest thing. It's Clusty, the new way to search online. No, I have not been hired by Vivisimo to promote Clusty but let me tell you about it anyway. When you search on Google you get pages and pages of results. When you search on Clusty you can sift through the pages of results if you'd like or on the side you can see different clusters the links have been placed in. And it is just a thorough as Google.

For example, let's say you want to look up a Hilton hotel in Paris. Now if you type in Paris Hilton on Google you have to sift through pages of photos and sex tapes before you find the page about the actual hotel. On Clusty you type in Paris Hilton and while it gives you the option for photos and sex tapes there is also a hotel button that you can click. This click gives you only the 36 links pertaining to the Hilton hotel in Paris. It's a pretty cool concept. So the next time you want to search, don't Google it...Clusty it!

www.clusty.com

Another Beautiful Morning in Texas

2004-09-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky that my office is 2 stop signs away from my house. I get to drive down a very windy residential street, through the greenbelt and past beautiful estates to get to work every morning. No traffic. Gorgeous views. Another upside is that I get to see the sunrise every morning on my way.

Sunrises in Texas are brilliant. Even on a cloudy day the sky turns pink and purple and then this radiant ball of orange pops up and illuminates the horizon. Its breathtaking everyday but most especially when the sun beams reflect off a few scattered pink clouds. I have seen a few sunrises in my days of traveling. We got up at the crack of dawn many times on our trip to watch the sunrise. None of those days have come close to surpasing even one of the ones I've seen in the past few weeks.

If you live in Austin Texas, you are lucky. I know you already know this for the obvious reasons but...Did you know the sun rise is at it's most beautiful between 7:10 and 7:30? I know most of you are up getting ready for work during this time. I highly encourage you to go have your coffee outside one morning before daylight savings time ends. On Oct. 31 the sunrise will fall back an hour. Go check it out while it still comes up at a decent hour.

Routine

2004-09-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

I have settled into a routine now that I have a job. It makes life a little easier n0t to be running around like a chicken with no head all the time. I work in a Catholic school right now. I issue the tardy slips and do attendance and all those other fun things. It's 2 stop signs away from my house and I get off at 4:15 everyday so I like it fine. It's only temporary though. My school schedule will probably change so I didn't want to lock myself into a job if I was going to have to leave in a few months.

So I go to work everyday and come home and study every night. I'm not quite as stressed out about school. My mangement class and economics seem to be going alright. I may ammend that statement after my exams but all is well on those fronts. As far as the accounting front though....still not so good. I'm looking for a tutor. Maybe after I find one things will make sense to me. Who knows! I may be lost forever. It's times like these I think everyone should keep their money in a jar buried in their back yard. Or better yet: we could have a no money society. We don't need accountants then!

Busier than a Bee

2004-09-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know where I got the idea that graduate school would be like doing my undergrad. I was dead wrong. It is so hard. I study at work, I study every night of the week, I study on the weekends. It is so hard!!! Economics is going okay. Management is fair. Accounting is kicking my butt. And this is only week 2! I still have more than 2 years left! My mom asked me if I needed to get a tutor for accounting. The sad thing is, my main problem is that I can't even figure out how to work the financial calculator. I'm getting off to a great great start.

My Political Musings Part One

2004-09-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

Traveling through Asia I was faced with many long train rides. I met many people and the topic of conversation always reverted to American politics. I feel like I talked about it everyday for almost 4 months. I learned many things. Some things I learned from other people, some I learned from myself just talking out my opinions. As the election draws nearer I have had many people ask me my opinion on the election having returned “more worldly and wiser.” I labeled this part one because I feel there will be more entries on this subject before the dreaded November day. Here are my current musings.

When did the general public become so cynical about politics? I know there have always been those few cynics on either side but this year it is truly awful. Is just because I am older that I’m finally starting to notice? Is it because I was away for so long that now I am on the outside looking in? Maybe I’m wrong but I think this year, people are more cynical, more divided, more hateful than ever before. My neighbor and others have likened Bush to Hitler. That Zell Miller guy said some pretty nasty things about Kerry. Is either one of them really that bad? I don’t particularly want to vote for either of them but I don’t think they are quite as terrible as they are made out to be. I think neither one of them can help our country therefore I’m leaning towards writing in my own name. Then again, living in Texas, it doesn’t really matter. Big business, oil and military bases will win all the electoral votes here.

Booklist

2004-09-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I love to read and I have actually gotten the reputation as a good recommender of books. This year I started writing down all the books I read so I could keep track of which ones I liked. Many of you have asked me recently for a good book to read so I thought I'd just post the list for everyone. Here the best books I've read this year. This isn't "best" solely based on the quality of literature but more on the intrigue value.

We'll start with Numero Uno.

1. The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale

This book is incredibly good. It sucks you into the story almost from the beginning. It reminds me a lot of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in a sense. It is set in East Texas in the 30s during the depression. It is a coming of age novel that involves a boy and a girl. There are many black v. white issues and paints a good picture of the sad life of segregation. Like TKAM, there is one rotten family in the town and a few good minded people scattered about. Unlike TKAM this book is fastpaced and suspenseful. It starts right off with the murder of a colored woman and evolves into a story about a serial killer but it isn't scary or too gratuitous. I read the whole book in a day and was genuinely sad when it ended. The only downpoint to it was the frame story that encompassed the novel. I didn't think it was necessary and only put in, I think, to justify the buildout in the epilogue. I think this (and the epilogue) could have been omitted. But that aside, it's well deserving of it's Edgar winning prize of Best Novel of the Year. And so far, it's is winning my award for Best Novel of the Year.

2. Five Quarters of an Orange by Joanne Harris

The title itself I think is very intriguing. This author also wrote the book Chocolat. You probably remember the movie or at least Johnny Depp in the movie! This book is much richer and more complex than Chocolat. It tells the story of three children growing up in small-town, German occupied France. Harris weaves past and present very skillfully in order to tell the story of the youngest daughter. Her mother willed her the recipe book/diary when she passed away. As Framboise reads the book she relives her past and involvement as a child in the resistance movement. Through the diary Framboise is able to put together all the missing pieces of her past. It is really good and Harris does well using past and present in an not confusing manner. The only downside is that it begins a little slowly. Still a great read, very intriguing.

3. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

4. An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

5. As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers

6. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Let me start off by saying two things and read both of them before you skip down to number 7. 1) All four of these are Christian fiction. 2) I hate Christian fiction. It is so lame. Now keep reading to see why I have 4 all by the same author on my list. This woman is so good. She will keep you from sleeping at night. #3-5 is a trilogy and I don't think I slept at all the week I read them. The trilogy is also known as the Mark of the Lion series. It tells the story of a Jewish girl called Hadassah in ancient Rome. There's gladiators and battles and sex and gods and it is so good. The third book in the series isn't quite as engaging as the first two but it is still pretty good. Being Christian fiction there are references to Bible verses and the characters are usually trying to "witness" to others and they do pray. It is much for subtle than other Christian fiction and the book reads more like a novel with underlying Christian themes as opposed to a Christian testament with an underlying novel. The other book (#6) is a retelling of the book of Hosea in the Bible. If you haven't read it, that's not a big deal. This book is set in California in the 1800s during the gold rush time. There are much fewer Biblical references here. The main character, Michael, prays a lot but it doesn't deflect from the novel in the least. I highly recommend these books despite the fact that they are in the lame Christian genre.

7. The Shopoholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

These books are hysterical. Probably only funny for women though. The main character in the story is Becky and she has some serious problems with shopping. She overspends every month and the letters from her bank are hysterical. They are quick easy reads. Great to take on vacation or a long plane ride. I think one of my favorite moments is when she's in New York and she discovers a sample sale. She just goes nuts. The only downside: This book will make you want to go shopping. So only read it if you aren't broke! A funny aside: When I ran spellcheck, it listed that shopaholic wasn't a word and the first suggestion was syphilis. I think that should tell us something about shopping.

Those are my highlights so far. I thought I'd include my top 3 favorite adult books of all time though because people ask me about that too. So here they are in no particular order without explanation.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. My Antonia by Willa Cather
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Happy Reading!

A Day at the Lake

2004-08-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Nothing really exciting happened this weekend. Saturday afternoon I went to a wedding. I saw a bunch of old friends there. It was good to see them and the boyfriends and babies they've accumulated since I last saw them. We went out and had drinks after the wedding so it ended up being a long night in new shoes.

Sunday I went to a goodbye party for a friend at Mother's. For those of you not in the know, this is a vegetarian restaurant. I have no come to the conclusion that I have utterly no idea why people would want to be vegetarian. This is supposed to be one of the best vegetarian restaurants in town and the carnivores in the group could barely eat our food. It was awful. BLECK! We were forced to go to Amy's Ice Cream afterwards to get rid of the bad taste.

After Amy's we went out on a friend's boat. We got out there kind of late so by the time we swam and it got to be my turn to ski, it was sunset. It was so great to be zipping--well I don't actually zip when I'm skiing but you know what I mean--along on Lake Travis as the sun went down. It was just gorgeous. Then we pulled the boat into Shades, had dinner and fed the catfish. It was a great weekend. One of the best I'd say since being back.

In Stores Soon: Shellie Does Dallas

2004-08-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow intern at Citysearch, Tara, got me emailing one of my former editors last week. He'd asked her to do some mammoth freelancing for him for a Dallas site launch on September 1st. I emailed him and let him know I was around as well and before we knew it Tara and I had 10 spots to review. All bars and restaurants. Now, normally this wouldn't be an interesting blog but here's the kicker: We decided to do all ten in one night. And the icing on the cake: the diversity of the reviews. We had an up-up-upscale restaurant, a hookah bar, a restaurant that serves everything on skewers and a techno dance club to name a few. So I was all set to pack my heels, fancy clothes and ...er...glow sticks? Dilemma one was what in the world to pack.

So Saturday morning Tara, my four different outfits and I hopped in my car and drove up to Dallas. We got there about lunch time and hit one of the restaurants. My friend Lindsay met us there and we ate a whole lot of food. So one down, nine to go, easy peasy.

We got back to Lindsay's house about 3 and got ready to head out. We dressed for the diverse night and headed out to party at about 4:30. I'm not kidding. I was dressed to go out all night at 4:30 in the afternoon.

I will spare you the long story but here are the high points.

Several of our friends thought that after going to nine bars it would be fun to receive a phone call from me and Tara. Surprisingly we were pretty fine and I have discovered my new talent: fake drunk dialing. I am so good at it. I had Tara and Lindsay crying they were laughing so hard and I had some pretty convinced friends on the other line. Hilarious!

We walked from downtown to Deep Ellum. Probably not the smartest idea but we did it. We also had "Hey Baby" shouted at us at least 10 times. We played it safe though. We all had 911 typed into our phones ready to hit send.

After walking to Deep Ellum we went to the Hookah bar. This was an awesome place. If you haven't been to the Velvet Hookah, go. Two of Lindsay's friends met us there and we got a pink panther blend. We drank beer, danced and smoked the bowl. It was really fun.

Sadly, the techno club wasn't very eventful. Nor was the restaurant with skewers. I did learn some things along the way though.

Life Lessons Learned

Map folding should be a skill to put on your resume. I cannot include it on mine.
All professional bartenders have done a stint in Austin at some point.
You shouldn't be a belly dancer if you have a big belly.
Speed Walking should not be considered an Olympic sport unless the athlete is sporting high heels.

and because you asked...

The Drink List
Mango Martini
Cosmopolitan
Sake Cucumber Martini
Honeysuckle Martini
Passion Martini
Lychee Martini
Clear Cosmopolitan
Chocolate Martini
Key Lime Pie Martini
Beer Beer Beer
a splash of water here and there

Our editor said he might need us to come up and do another freelance job so stay tuned for the sequel Shellie Does Dallas Again (working title).

2004-08-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tara and I in the Hookah Bar. Where's the Hookah? You'll have to ask me for those pics.

Bosque Bexar

2004-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

I know you are thinking, "What is that title supposed to mean?" Well, it's the name of our new puppy! After we put Jinks to sleep last week Gabe seemed really depressed. My parents decided to get him a puppy to play with. Now we have a tiny 8-week-old boston terrier puppy. He is really just a little ball of fur. So in the tradition to name our dogs after Texas rivers, my dad thought of the name Bosque (pronounced BOS-key). It's a river somewhere around here. His middle name, Bexar (pronouned bear), is a county here in the hill country. Now the little guy has a name longer than he is. He'll grow into it though. I take him hiking on the greenbelt everyday just to wear him out. He's got so much energy. I can't believe it. So now that my dad has gone back to work I don't have to babysit him anymore. I just have to babysit the new puppy. That's my news of the week. There's a photo below.

2004-08-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Little Bosque Bexar. He's so tiny! Those arent full-size soccer and basketballs. Check out the tennis ball in the upper right corner for a size comparison!

2004-08-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

Lance in front of the yellow Capitol rotunda

2004-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Blocks and Blocks of Lance Fans

Spreading Yellow Fever

2004-08-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

There are really no words to describe Friday night's Lance celebration. It was awesome, in the true sense of the word. It made me so proud to be a Texan and a Texan living in Austin for that matter. Let me attempt to paint the stage for you.

Due to some stroke of good luck Chris Fowler brought some of that Colorado weather with him when he came to emcee the show. It was breezy and about85 degrees (29 Celsius), a real nice break from the 100+ (38+) days we had last week. I went to the show with two girlfriends of mine and we got there earlier enough that we were close to the stage and at the front of the crowd so we could see him ride by as he rode down Congress Avenue.

Once the bikes and police escorts passed they let the people into the streets. We got within about 20 rows of the stage and could see very well. The stage had yellow banners flanking the sides with a picture of Lance, arms in the air. There were video screens on every city block so everyone could see. After some political bigwigs talked, Robert Earl Keen took the stage. He and all his bandmates were wearing yellow button downs. He took the stage right as the sun was setting and The Capitol behind him glowed pink. Honestly, there is nothing better in life than being outside in Austin, TX with a cool breeze at sunset and listening to Robert Earl Keen croon It Feels so Good Feeling Good Again. Wow!

After REK wrapped up his set with The Road Goes on Forever and the Party Never Ends, we watched all the Nike commercials I think Lance has ever made. As Lance same out they lit the Capitol rotunda yellow. It looked magnificent, truly amazing and with Lance standing just in front, it was truly awesome. He thanked us all for coming and seemed really humble staring out at the blocks and blocks of people gathered to see him. Then he introduced Steve Miller and the fun kept on coming.

Steve started out with a few favorites but then he invited out Eric Johnson and John Handy in turn and the set took a real bluesy turn. They played some Ray Charles tunes in tribute and it was nice to see an amazing local guy like Eric Johnson jamming away with Steve Miller. With about 4 songs left Steve brought out Sheryl Crow who sang You Keep on Rocking Me Baby, Jungle Love and Jet Airliner with him. It was odd though. There were several times when she looked like she couldn't remember the words. The finale was the best. Eric and John came back out and with Steve and Sheryl they played The Joker. Even Lance sang along...into the mike. But he seemed a little uncomfortable so they gave him a cowbell and he played away.

All in all it was a great night and made me even prouder to be a Texan. Nobody in the world throws a party like Austin, Texas. It truly is the best city in the best state in the world. I know we're braggarts but hey, we've got the rights!!

Addendum

2004-08-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your concern but I do actually have insurance now. I can drive. I drive all over town actually just because I love driving here. While I miss my moped Ted, the driving here is so much more calm, not like the frenetic driving in Taiwan. I actually haven't seen my life flash before my eyes since I've been back.

I went to OfficeMax this morning. It was a far cry from 9x9 in Taiwan. I was a little sad. Do you think maybe I could franchise that place? For those of you who have no idea what 9x9 is, you are truly missing out. But your ignorance is saving you money.

Whirlwind

2004-08-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've been back in America now for 10 days and what a ten days it has been. It started off badly when I landed in LA and learned American Airlines has some kind of computer crisis. Now how am I supposed to believe this. I mean, I can have a computer crisis. I am an individual who has taken zero computer classes. Now a HUGE entity like American Airlines that relies on their computer system for everything and therefor pays numerous people to keep them running, how can they have a computer crisis. Anyway, after already traveling for close to 20 hours facing LAX in crisis mode wasn't exactly what my sleep deprived state needed. Not to mention that I think people in LA are rude and unhelpful (in my sleep deprived state I think I used the word vile.) The delays were averaging 2.5 hours so I decided to get some good ole American fast food. I lugged my bags over to Burger King and stood in line for 20 minutes (no kidding, you should have seen the line at Starbucks!) and when I got to the counter the girl told me all they had were hamburgers. No french fries, no onion rings, no chicken strips, only hamburgers. Can you believe a fast food restaurant in American ran out of french fries! Well, eventually I ate and eventually I got on my overbooked plane and made it home. That was Day 1 in America.

Day 3 in America I went to the lake. It was so nice to waterski again. Unfortunately, waterskiing is not exactly like riding a bike. It is easy to get up but you fall right off again. I think I could stay up for about 2 minutes before I fell down. Toward the end I could get back and forth over the wake and turn and stuff. Even still I only managed to stay up about 5 minutes. And oh my back hurt the next day. Ouch! If this is what it feels like to get old, I don't want to do it anymore.

Day 4-6 in America I bought a car. I did this all by myself. I didn't get swindled. I got a good deal. I did it all myself. My dad didn't even see the car until I drove it home. So I am an adult now. I can buy a car and pay cash for it and feel good about it. I knew all that bargaining in Asia would pay off!

Day 7 in America my parents went out of town leaving me with a new car in the driveway that I COULDN'T DRIVE! There's this funny thing here called insurance and you can't get that on a Saturday so I have a car that I can't drive.

Day 8 in America I still can't drive. And on a sadder note...my dog had a brain tumor so we had to put him to sleep today. Good thing I got home when I did and could see him for a few more days. We buried him at our ranch.

Day 9 in America my dad goes running on the greenbelt (hiking trails behind our house) and falls some how and separates his shoulder. All those muscles and tendons and ligaments are separated from his shoulder now so he has to have surgery to wire him all back together. Now I am his arm. I write all things down for him and this means he can no longer do the dishes afetr dinner. You can see what this means for me!

Day 10 in America my birthday! Yeah 25! What did I do? I wrote stuff down for my dad. Then I went to Adult Skate at the roller rink. While it was a bit fun to laugh at the weirdos who actually could skate, I realized that skating is not my strong point and it is a really good thing that bad 80s music isn't played everywhere. It really shouldn't even be played at the roller rink. You can only take so much Prince! No wonder he changed his name to The artist formerly known...he couldn't even take it anymore.

Day 11 is back to normal I hope. Just looking for a job and a yellow shirt to wear to the Lance Armstrong parade and concert on Friday night. Steve Miller Band and Robert Earl Keen and $10 says Sheryl Crow makes a "surprise guest appearance" and sings with REK. I'm sure there will be a blog after that event. Until then...
Shellie