you know you make me wanna shout!

toga! toga! toga!

today is handyman's brother's birthday. tonite we toga!

stop the insanity

the all-consuming televison

hi. my name is sweet t and i'm a tv whore. i didn't know it until it was pointed out to me the other nite. yes, one of the very few nites i managed to pull my lazy ass off the sofa long enough to have human contact outside of my home. well, maybe i did know it. i was just in denial. i watch way too much tv! and it's not even good shows! or full complete shows. i'm a surfer. i go from show to show, catching reruns or bits of pieces of the shows i only saw bits and pieces of before.

i went walking with my friend the other nite and we were talking about shows we were watching. "when did you start watching so much tv?", she asked. i thot about this for a bit and then she says, "you never used to be home long enough to watch anything". true. i used to have a pretty active social life. but, seeing as i live an hour away from most of my friends and the gas prices are outrageous, i see them a lot less.

handyman says he's seen this in me but didn't say anything. his point wasn't that i watched so much tv but more that i watched, in his opinion, 'crap tv'. i have to say that i am a faithful viewer of rachael ray, tho she's getting weak lately, and another show that's on the WB. after that, it's surfing. i surf so much i get interested in two or three different shows and don't even have time to watch the movies i have. this is going to stop! it has to.

starting today, i will NOT turn the tv on when i get home...sorry oprah. besides, she had soap actors on today. not interested. i think i'll turn the jukebox on instead. line up some tunes to clean my bedroom to. trust me, it needs it. later, i'll go walk with my friend and tell her i'm no longer a slave to the tv. well, at least for today. baby steps, people.

wish me luck

60 years young

just a few pics from the party

two over, two down. that's the old guy that just turned 60!

the party was a great time. i had fun dancing with the kids. i'm dating a white boy... not much for groovin'... j/k! handyman and the princess ditched me to cut a rug on their own.

aahhhh, good times.

uncle chato

by far, my favorite uncle

before saturday morning, i wasn't all that jazzed about the 60th birthday bash that was going on. i figured it was going to be mostly his friends and close family, like lives-in-town-or-near-family. i had NO idea that great aunts and uncles and cousins were coming!
these are, by far, my favorite people that i never see. they came from bay city, port lavaca, nederland, and victoria. not like that's SOOOO far away, but it's far enough that we don't see them enough. it was great to see everyone and catch up and i'm glad they all got to meet handyman. after all, he'll be a part of the family soon and i figured i'd ease him in a bit.

birthday pics

it's friday...

and i gotta tell ya. i'm not all that excited. there's been a lot of drama this week. two deaths and something we thot might have been a heart attack. she's fine but it did call for a ER visit to the hospital.

i'm ready to chill. only i have so much going on this weekend it's not funny.
tonite - CLEAN! i have to clean my apt! people, this is a major task. my apt is nasty. okay, not NASTY but it definitely needs some major cleaning. in between cleaning i'm going to go walk.
tomorrow - get up to help decorate for my momma's husband's party. come back home, clean some more. go to party. go to another party cuz i'm tired of hearing my friend say i never go to her parties anymore.
sunday - pick up kids. go to handyman's, check on dogs. take kids to baseball game.

i'm sure i'll need some down time after all that.

on the first day of summer my true love said to me

"...let's ditch the kids and go get married in mexico this weekend". so it doesn't rhyme. he still said it. the following are the reasons we are not (in no particular order):
1. he has not proposed
2. i have no ring
3. mother's husband's 60th birthday party this weekend (milestone thing here)
4. we already have plans to take booger and his friend (almost "ditched kids") to the astros on sunday
5. i WILL NOT get married without my dad

a rain duet...

or 'area i'd nut'? these are only TWO of the anagrams out of the 322 this site spewed out of mine and handyman's names together. we both dig the rain (for special reasons i won't go into since my dad does read this blog) so i thot that was kinda cool. hours of fun.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

the bestest daddy in the whole wide world

100 things i learned from my daddy

1.   to drive a car
2.   to drive stick shift
3.   to drive a column shift
4.   appreciate the blues
5.   to never give up on dreams
6.   he'll always be proud of me
7.   men are shallow dogs
8.   there are good men out there
9.   to love Santana
10.  to love corny jokes (SUPPLIES!)
11.  to respect myself
12.  i need a man, not a boy
13.  nobody likes a nag
14.  you can't force it
15.  to drive a go-cart
16.  to muffle crying when thrown off said go-cart
17.  parents always try to do the best they can.  sometimes they just don't know
18.  to play LCR
19.  i should have been a flight attendant
20.  meat & corn in a skillet is a meal
21.  to pump gas
22.  grab 1 more tortilla and make a burrito with the leftovers
23.  unconditional love
24.  never make fun of someone picking their nose, they might flick it on you
25.  in times of pain, we do the most growing up
26.  to be proud of myself
27.  never pick up a hitchhiker
28.  to be fearless
29.  it's not okay not to know my native language
30.  to make the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world
31.  do not stay in retail just because your friends aren't ready to move on
32.  shoot pool
33.  to honestly not give a shit what people think and do what makes me happy
34.  it's still camping even if you just go to the dike for the day (we never bought that one)
35.  love is rare.  latch on when you find the real deal
36.  never color in facial hair and go to basketball practice afterwards
37.  communication is crucial to happiness
38.  i can do anything i set my mind to
39.  steel toe shoes can not be ruined by a passing 18 wheeler
40.  when something terrible happens, you learn who your real friends are
41.  you don't have to be pretty on the outside as long as you're pretty on the inside
42.  even thin people have insecurities (i wouldn't know this from personal experience)
43.  love of guitar playing
44.  never give up
45.  it's a waste to look back, always look forward
46.  to flare my nostrils (in and out)
47.  to ride a 10 speed
48.  catch a cheap buzz at the VFW
49.  thank a vet
50.  snap my fingers
51.  appreciate siblings no matter how much we fight
52.  a broken nose gives you character
53.  anyone can be a sperm donor, but he is my DADDY
54.  we all have moments of weakness
55.  tell stories of your childhood
56.  don't try to be someone else
57.  there is such a thing as a female mechanic
58.  how to put things together without looking at the instructions
59.  how to resort to the directions when nothing fits together
60.  it's okay to cry (as long as he didn't cause it and mom's not around)
61.  if you're gonna do something, do it right
62.  chicago is too damn cold
63.  doing yard work in the spring is fun
64.  to drive a dirt bike
65.  you can get too many golf gifts
66.  always go for the cheap laugh
67.  find something you love and figure out how to get paid for it
68.  how to defend myself
69.  if someone tells you No, ask someone else
70.  "if you're going to kill each other, do it outside"
71.  i wasn't raised in a barn
72.  always be early.  it makes a good first impression
73.  give a firm handshake.
74.  perform routine maintenance on my car
75.  duct tape works wonders (masking tape, too)
76.  shoe shining (even tho i never do)
77.  finish what i start
78.  all the lyrics to Delta Dawn
79.  to shoot a layup
80.  when walking, always carry something sharp & pointy between your fingers
81.  how to make a weiner sandwich
82.  how to make a fried bologna\cheese sandwich
83.  mayo goes with everything!
84.  do not judge
85.  if it breaks, glue it back together before mom gets home
86.  if it can't be glued or duct taped, it's broke
87.  put english on it to make corner shots
88.  cheech & chong
89.  don't let whitey keep the brown down
90.  what a hero is
91.  tejano dancing (i love it when he spins me)
92.  wash your hands, but don't dry them and when you come out of the restroom rub your sisters face and tell her, "there's no more toilet paper"
93.  always drive yourself.  you always have a way out
94.  turn off the lights when you leave the room (handyman's still trying to get this thru my head)
95.  whatever you do, don't pull his finger
96.  money doesn't grow on trees
97.  kids today have it easy
98.  there's no such thing as too much hairspray
99.  what a best friend is
100. my daddy's the greatest (i learned that one on my own)

BONUS LESSON:  Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it.

i miss you daddy!  i love you!  have a happy day!

it's a honey bunny birthday!

my honey bunny

tomorrow is my honey bunny's birthday. she will be seven.

i'm going to pick her up tonite so she can spend the nite and i'll take her shopping on the strand in the morning... okay, afternoon. we all know i'm not a morning person. anyways, i hope she has a good time. what am i saying? of course she will. she's at the age where she still loves me and i'm the coolest person she knows. ya gotta love the young mind.

lake limestone

lakehouse pics

-the caboose has a pretty interesting story behind it, only i can't tell it cuz i don't remember the details. handyman can tell you all about it. something to do with his granddad running something or something like that. really... it IS interesting.

-my baby, ringo.

-we went for a swim and got to enjoy the sunset on the lake.

I.GIVE.UP.

i am a frikkin systems analyst! why can't i figure out how to put more than ONE frikkin picture, at a time, in this blog!?!?!?!?!

no more posts until i figure this out! or until sunday, whichever comes first.

hi! my name is ringo.

i'm a mommy!

bet you thot you'd never hear me say those words. well, i am...and i love it!
i am the new mommy of a 3 month old jack russell terrier mix. he's sooooo cute and so tiny and so loveable.

this weekend was the trip to the lakehouse at lake limestone (Wrong Turn). we had a great time and really didn't want to leave when it was time. we hung out with our friendly neighbors we met last time we were there, raymond & his son emmett. raymond is who i got the pup from. his doggies had a litter of 3 boys and 1 girl, i believe. i got the cutest boy.

after handyman's WEEK OF HELL (as we will refer to it from now until the end of time) it was a pleasant getaway.

who decides?

i was flipping channels last nite and saw yet another missing person on CNN last nite. another white girl. not to make that sound trivial. it's not. i'm just wondering, who decides that this college girl from alabama, the intern, the runaway bride, and the two little girls near chicago last month, get NATIONAL coverage? and why?

there have been SO many missing persons in the houston area. small children. ethnic children that have gone missing and not once did i see any of them on CNN.

why this sudden "craze" of missing persons coverage? not only missing persons coverage, but missing 'white girls' national coverage? has anybody else noticed that or is it just me?
__________________________________________
update: it's not just me
http://thepoliticalteen.net/2005/06/04/everyone-drop-what-theyre-doing-a-white-girl-has-gone-missing/

http://blackambition.blogspot.com/

http://injusticeanywhere.blogspot.com/2005/06/media-alert-pretty-white-girl-missing.html

http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=853336&boardname=off&dt=060805094547

http://www.tuckle.net/?p=3382

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5325808/
_____________________________________

don't get me wrong. i do feel for the families and friends and do not wish this upon ANYONE. i hope for a safe return. i just also believe in "equal opportunity", so to speak.

nothing to report

i've been sick the last few days so not much to report. handyman was worried that i wouldn't be well enough to go to the lake this weekend. we're going to his uncle's lakehouse in jewett, tx. the lakehouse itself, is very nice. the way to get there, is SOOOO "wrong turn". HM says i shouldn't worry about it because things like that only happen in kentucky or some other back roads place. i swear, last time we were there, i was just waiting for us to run over some kind of barbed wire in the road. it was THAT scary-looking out there.

on another note, handyman and i had an anniversary yesterday. one year and a month! can you believe?!?!?

from dream-cheating to dream-dying

tell me if you think this is weird. handyman and i are laying down to watch this thriller movie that he rented. it's a stephen king movie about some guy who's trying to go home and see his mom before she dies. he's hitch hiking most of the way and comes across some pretty interesting characters along the way.

anyways, we're dozing in and out of the movie and i can't take any more. the movie itself was not all that, but i hate to not finish a movie. at this point, we had had a full day and i wanted some sleep... besides HM was snoring in my ear. so we go to bed and HM says he's having some weird dreams. as in premonition dreams. he says it's happened a total of 5 or 6 times in his life where he has a dream and it happens. i told him it was just the movie jackin' with him.

he dreamt about his grandfather dying and he dreamt about his dad dying. those both happened. who doesn't have a bad dream like that at point or another? he says "these" dreams are different. they're very vivid and they really scare the crap out of him. if you know me, you know NOW I GOTTA KNOW what he just dreamed about that he was so shaken up. so this is what he tells me.... he says that i couldn't ever go to new mexico, or arizona, or nevada. mind you, the boy was just trying to get me to vegas to marry his ass on saturday! i'm like, "wtf"? he says that he saw very clearly that i was in a car wreck (good god, man). i survived (whew). i went to get help and then got hit by another car! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?

granted, me and some team members were planning on a new mexico trip next year. rachael just moved there last week and we figured we'd go skiing or biking or something just so we could go visit her. i guess that's out! he made me promise not to go to any "states that have that same topography" alone. he has to be with me. great, he was probably the one driving!

p.s. he also had one of "these" dreams about his brother being in serious trouble. he had it about a year ago. nothing's happened yet. if something does happen, you'll see one freaked out frikkin mescan!

break on thru to the other side

i'm not sure how it happened or exactly when. all i know is that it happened the nite of our "walk & talk". as i said earlier, it wasn't what was said exactly, it was just the fact that we were saying SOMETHING. sure we talked about future plans and that was exciting for handyman. but in there somewhere, i got excited too. after that nite, i had feelings come up that i'd never had before. I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND. sure, i knew i loved him before, but i never thot i was "in love" with him and i wasn't sure how that was going to pan out for future living.

i can honestly say i love him and that not only do i love him but i'm IN LOVE with him! i know he's a good guy and he is good to me. tho, i do appreciate all the kindness, i always thot it a bit overdone. now, not so much. i love him for all the little things he does.

like i said, i don't know what did it, but he's not as annoying to me anymore. and when he calls, i now run to the phone (except in the morning). i enjoy conversation with him more and i want to see him more. i DO love him.

why it took me a year to get to this point, i don't know. i'm just glad i finally made it.

bte with ryan b

i had so much fun last nite! better than ezra rocked! the best part... mary got us FREE tickets!

last nite, i met up with ryan b, don-keeey, and sweet cheeks (mary). we had a blast! i haven't seen ryan and donkey for a while so it was great hanging out with them. we got there in just enough time to grab a drink at the bar and get settled. ryan pulled me all the way up to the stage to see them. they are awesome!

he also made me a greatest hits cd that i'm listening to right now. i can't wait for them to come back. maybe, the next time, ronnie won't have an excuse not to go.

unofficialy engaged to be engaged

last nite was a wonderful nite. after HM and i made and ate our dinner of salad, shrimps and veggies, we went for a walk on the seawall. it was a very nice nite and we did a little window shopping and talked. we talked! we actually had conversation and communicated! it was awesome!

we talked about alot of things. things that mattered, things that didn't. he talked about me "being a guy". i talked about him "being a girly man"... j/k. he says i'm a "guy" because i like "guy things" and "guy movies". well let me ask you this... who said Animal House was a "guy movie"? and why are electronics considered "guy things"? so what if i don't want some pink frilly plant thingy or bath and body smelly stuff or some diamond earrings. yes, diamond earrings would be nice, but i would totally dig a new receiver, too. i like my toys just like anyone else. is that so bad? i think not.

the discussion got more serious at home. HM's been banned from "future talk" around me, but every now and then, he slips it in. i'm not gonna lie, i do it too. but mine is more of the fun-teasing nature (at least it is to me). so last nite he says he can't wait 3 more years. my original plan is that i can't marry you until i've known you for 5 years. i've shortened it to 3 for him (because i love my honey and let's face it, i'm not getting any younger). AND he wants kids. so we compromised.

i want to be engaged for a while. at least 6mos to a year. he says, "an engagement for longer than 1 year is stupid". so here's what we're looking at... we're getting married no earlier than Fall 2006, no later than Spring 2007.

p.s. i DO NOT want my walk in closet in the bathroom!

what dreams may come

why do i have the boyfriend that listens to me when i talk in my sleep? not that i knew i even did that, but i do now. my mom says that ronnie and i used to have actual conversations with each other in our sleep. since i've blocked out my childhood, i don't remember that either.

handyman didn't really read into what i was saying, but i could tell he was a little nervous because, at first, he wouldn't tell me what i said. after i finally drug it out of him, my quotes were as follows: "he can't find out i'm seeing him" and "we have to be careful he doesn't find out we're seeing each other". mind you, i don't remember any dreams i had about cheating on HM. i wasn't even fantasizing about it!

it's happened before. not the talking in my sleep but the dreaming about cheating. only i wasn't the one cheating. i had a dream once about HM cheating on me with a Jack-in-the-Box employee down the street from my mothers! i don't even eat at J-n-B so it's not like i know what any one looks like there. needless to say, he got an ass-kickin' when i woke up. he's done it, too. he woke up really upset with me one day and he wouldn't say why until much later. turns out, i was "dream-cheating" on him.

he says that he's been told he talks in his sleep, too. i've heard him once, but it was very incoherent. he says that one nite i could be asking him questions that he'll answer but have no clue about what he said, the next day. i wonder... how would that be any different than when he's awake?