Groupon

I am sure most of you have already heard of www.Groupon.com/houston, but if you are like me (totally behind the times) then you should check it out. This website posts special offers for places around town for everyone to enjoy. For example, I bought a coupon worth $15 for $7 to Jersey Mike's. In order for everyone to get the deal, a certain number of coupons need to be purchased for the coupon to be valid. So, you log on, purchase the deal, and if enough people buy it then you get the offer. Then, all you have to do is print the coupon and enjoy. Now, if not enough people buy the coupon, your credit card does not get charged and no one gets the offer. Most of the time they a have really cool offers. Let me know if you end up buying anything. The cool thing about this website is that they offer specials for major cities around the US, so if you are going somewhere check this website before you go.

It's Complicated

Is anyone interested in watching this movie besides me? Usually my husband and I are interested in the same movies but this one has him running for the hills. I understand; it's a total chick flick. First, you have a cheating husband who runs off with his whore only to miss his ex-wife. Second, the cheater, comes running back trying to re-kindle the relationship he gave up. Third, you add another man into the mix and you have a wonderful chick flick! So if any of you want to go watch this movie with me, just give me call.

Getting Ready for Our Big Trip

Ok. So we have been so busy with our daily lives that we are just now getting ready for our trip! First we are headed off to Dublin to celebrate Christmas, then we are flying to Chicago to for New Years. Because we are making multiple stops and because airlines now charge an arm and a leg to check in bags, we have decided to only take carry on luggage. So that means that I have had to go out and buy everything I usually use on a daily basis in small containers. It's really not that much, just your usual: contact solution, tooth paste, saline solution for my nose (my nose dries up when I fly, I know TMI), and baby wipes (they always come in handy). Since we are staying in a pretty modern hotel we are not taking shampoo or conditioner (on second thought I may take my conditioner) and will use the hotel's. Let's see what else...Oh yeah. So I HATE taking cabs from the airport to my hotel any time I travel. I have been royally screwed by taxi drivers, mainly in Italy (I'll explain some other time) and therefore avoid using them at all cost. I also don't like to take public transportation with all my luggage because it is easier for pick pockets to attack and it can get annoying and emotionally draining looking for your hotel with all your bags in tow. What my husband and I have done in the past is arranged for pick up service from the airport to our hotel. It can get costly but well worth the money when you by pass all the taxis (HAHAHA!!!) get in the car and get to your hotel within 30-45 minutes of arriving. I did try arranging for pick up service but our hotel does not offer it and they were not helpful in finding a limo service (NO, we don't get limos, mostly town cars or whatever they can pick us up in). The receptionist kept referring to the taxis and how that was a better choice. After a while I got sick of arguing and let it go. The I tried finding a limo service on line and even requested a quote from two companies I thought looked reputable, judging from their websites. One company did not response, and the other neglected to quote me but wanted my credit card anyway. I just checked my email and they quoted 75 Euro. HA! I guess we are taking the train. I will try to blog while we are over there but don't expect any pictures until we get back. Wish us luck.

Those Shows Are Still On?

I am surprised by how many crappy shows are still on the air and how many good shows have been cancelled. Who watches these shows? My husband and I came up with a few shows that keep surprising us:

1. Chuck
2. Big Brother
3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
4. The Apprentice
5. Desperate Housewives

My husband wanted me to name this one:

The Bachelor

What do you think?

Get Well Soon Mom!

I want to send a get well soom blog to my mom. Mom I hope you feel better soon, love you!

Weekend

This weekend was a lot of fun. My husband and I were treated to a great little vacation to Galveston by my in-laws. We stayed at the Galvez Hotel, visited the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights, and took a tour of one of the most extravagant mansions down there. Even though it was really foggy the entire time we were there were, we were still able to enjoy many of the sights. Despite the fact that Galveston has not bounced back 100% from Ike and it's looking more dilapidated than ever, it has some great places to visit: the different mansions, Schlitterbaum, Moody Gardens, The Strands, and some really nice old hotels. I say we all visit Galveston more often and help it get back on track!

Thanks Cindy and Lynden

MBA Orientation

I attended the MBA orientation this weekend and it was strange being back in the classroom. I was able to visit the university campus and take a first look at where I will be taking classes in several times a month. Even though I am so scared (remember, I have not been in the classroom for 7 years!!) I am ready for the challenge. I take that back, I did take a statistic class several years ago but it did not matter what grade I got since I took the class to improve my ability in the subject. One thing is for sure, they are not playing around. It is quite different than in undergrad, of course, but I am not sure that some of my classmates understood that. My husband was sweet enough and supportive enough to attend the orientation with me. Since both of our programs are very similar I am sure both of us will be spending a lot of time on the Internet studying and reading. Any who...I start classes on the 19Th of January and will be busy for the next year and a half to two years. Wish me luck!

I Got Accepted Into the MBA Program!!!

I found out today that I have been accepted into the MBA program I applied for a while back. I am so excited! To tell you the truth, though, I am a bit nervous. I have been out of school for a while now and totally not used to studying anymore. My husband (who is currently getting his masters) tells me that this time around it is much easier. Since this is an MBA program for executives, most of the work load is done via Internet with a possibility to study abroad! Great, put me down for 2. I have an orientation on Saturday and I can't wait to tell you how it goes.

100!!!

This is officially my 100th blog post! Can you believe it? Woo hoo!

Yoga Update

I have been doing yoga for about 2 months after a long hiatus. I have noticed a big difference in my flexibility, endurance, and balance. I am, however, not getting the results I wanted out of meditation. I guess I just need to continue going and try to get my crazy mind to stop thinking and totally relax. Believe it or not it is a very difficult thing to do. I have a challenge for you: Sit in a quiet room, totally relaxed, close your eyes and try to think of NOTHING! After a while your mind starts to wonder and next thing you know your thinking about XYZ. You can also try to focus on some part of your body and relax that muscle. That too gets boring after a while and your mind wonders off again. I am determined to learn to meditate and enjoy nothingness. I will keep you posted on my progress.

The Honor System

For some reason or another Metro decided that the rail would work on the honer system. I still don't understand why. Every other city that has a rail or subway does not work on the honer system. In fact, you must purchase your ticket and walk through some sort of gate to get the train. I use the train to get to work almost every day of the week at the same time. Everyday on my way to the platform I see the same woman walking up the platform around the time I get there, but she always failing to pay. She is a working professional who always has her blue tooth on and chatting away on the phone. I always pay! In fact I have a Q Card which enables you easy access to pay for your ride. I could not deal with the guilt associated with not paying my dues along with the ticket you can get that is around $75 to $100! Not worth it if you ask me. I have seen the police officers ticketing people and actually getting them off the train. Not worth the humiliation. On top of that, a head Metro publicly stated that the rail is NOT for the homeless! OK? First of all, how are you going to enforce that if you are working on the honer system? Second of all, what a douche. If I was homeless I would ride the rail too if it meant I could get out of the killer heat. Metro, GET IT TOGETHER!

Uncouth Blog

Ok...so I know this is a very taboo subject in the female world but I just want to get the men's perspective. I was at work today and I walked into the restroom which was suprisingly full or at least more than usual. As I walked in, this lady in one of the stall let one rip. I was mortified for her but at the same time, I was relieved that I was not in one of the stalls so at least everyone knew it was not me! For a split second every other women in the restroom just paused and pretended it did not happen. That same day as I was in the restroom, again (I drank a lot of water today), along with one other lady who was doing her thing in her stall. Needless to say, she farted, but it was one of those that slipped and she managed to get it under control. We both exited our stalls at the same time and we locked eyes. It was kinda like, yeah I know I did it, I am so embarrassed, but lets pretend it did not happen. Now for the most part women DON'T talk about farting or anything that takes an exited from that part of the body. To tell you how far that goes let me tell you this story. I was at a friends house and we were sitting on her couch just talking and watching TV. Suddenly she lets one slip and I was so embarrassed for her that I literally pretended that it did not happen, even though we both heard it and she knew I knew it happened. Now I am used to men farting, my father, cousins, friends but for some reason when it's another women we're like "whoa, what happened here?" It's like our brains have to reboot and start from the beginning. Do men just fart around each other without a care or do you guys get embarrassed as well? Let me know.

Rummikub

Our friends Ivan and Kathy introduced us to the game Rummikub and it is addicting! Everyone gets 14 cubes which each has a number printed on them (1-13) and in 4 different colors. In order to begin to play you must have at least 3 different cubes that add up or exceed 30 when added together. You can either group these cubes by the same number but in different colors or numbers in ascending order but all the same color. Now, the strategy comes in to play when start playing off of other peoples cubes and start using the wild cube, which has a smiley face on it. I highly recommend it, in fact I really want to buy it so my husband and I can play.

Bride Wars

So I finally got to watch the movie Bride Wars and I really liked it. My husband and I watched it with our friends Kathy and Ivan and needless to say the boys where somewhat fidgety. Any who, the movie is about two friends who "need" to get married in June and at the Plaza Hotel in New York. When the wedding planer's assistant messes up the reservations, they are forced to choose who will get married within 3 months and who will have to wait 3 years to tie the knot. That is when the fun starts and the gloves come off. I can't believe anyone would get so crazy about a wedding, since my husband and I had a very small ceremony. I can imagine, though, that long term friendships would break up if two real life women found themselves in that situation. Has anyone ever seen Lifetime's Bridzilla? Crazy!!!!

Garment Bag

After I finished my jacket I tackled on a small project. I made a garment bag. I love it! It was simple, it was a quick project, and best of all, I can actually use it! I got the material at High Fashion Home which is across the street from High Fashion Fabric close to downtown. The zipper is a little short but I was not able to find the right zipper for this project. Either way I am already using it. It now houses my skirt and jacket. I hope that next year I will have enough time to start the rest of the sewing projects I have in mind.

Jacket

The jacket is done! I have finally finished the jacket I have been working on for a long time. I am so happy it's over, LOL. My instructor really liked it and praised the construction but if I had to do it all over again I would choose a different material. My instructor chose the pattern and I was not able to alter the pattern in anyway, therefore it is not a perfect fit. No worries, though, next time I work on a garment I will make sure that it fits me just right.

Babies

I love children, despite not being ready to have any of my own. This movie is coming out in April of 2010 and I am so there! The movie makers followed 4 children from different parts of the world for 1 year. The babies are from Japan, USA, Namibia, and Mongolia and their followed from birth. I can't wait to see all the differences and similarities that they all share.

LOL

Can you tell I just figured out how to post videos on my blog? Just check the blog below. I hope to continue to spice up my blog, so stay tuned. You never know what I will figure out next. LOL.

Naive by The Kooks

This is one of my new favorite band! And this is one of my new favorite Songs! You should check out their CD's and they rock. Enjoy!

Children Behaving Badly

This little girl is so cute...but I am not sure about the mom laughing!

The Riches

This show came out a few years ago on the FX network and I loved it! Unfortunately it was cancelled after two seasons :( But Hulu.com now has both seasons for free. This story revolves around a family of travelers (gypsies) who steal the identity of a husband and wife who died in a car accident. Their three children, a girl and 2 boys (one of which like to cross dress) make life a lot more interesting as they manager their new lives. Now, most of the time it's pretty unbelievable, the dad pretends to be a lawyer with no previous training, and he managers to succeed and somehow they always get a lucky break. But even with those flaws, the show is actually really good. The 1st season does not have an expiration date but the second season is scheduled to expire in March of 2010. I highly suggest you check it out.

How Cute is This?

I love this! and I normally dont like cats.

In recent years fishermen have noticed that jelly fish have gotten humongous. Does anyone else find it repulsive? Or is it just me? Ahhh...gross!!! Any who. Scientist have not figured out if these huge jelly fish have gotten that big because of global warming or due to the fact that their predators are close extinction or are extinct. Either way they are totally messing with the fish populations and making it more difficult to find fish in normal fishing areas.

It's Cold Outside!!!

It's getting cold outside and I love it! It is such a great surprise since it does not get cold in Houston. Reporters are even saying that it will snow on Friday. I cant' wait. Now, it did snow last year but of course it melted as soon as it came down. Either way, it's a great sight to see. I am glad we bought those jackets from L.L. Bean, though.

Crescent City

3260 Westheimer Road, Houston - (713) 520-8291

I love beignets!!! I was only able to get them in New Orleans until I found Crescent City right here in Houston. It's in the River Oaks area of town and their beignets are amazing. They are open every day of the week and normally close at 11 pm, or at least that is the hour they post on their window. They have been known to closely early for no reason, but their beignets are so worth taking the risk. Good job Crescent City!

Frost/Nixon

I was really surprised by this movie! First of all, the portrayal of Nixon was an unusual one for me. I was not around at that time and every time I did see footage of Nixon he was resigning his job as president. Naturally his demeanor was very somber and he looked defeated. The movies portrayal of Nixon was that of a shrewd business man who had a huge chip on his shoulder for not being like the elite he was surrounded by. Despite feeling like an outsider of the top echelon of the social structure, Nixon committed something illegal and felt like he should be above the law. The interviewer, Frost, was a playboy Englishman who was known for being more of a talk show host and ladies man than a bonafide reporter. For that reason Nixon agreed to the interview thinking that he could have the upper hand and control his image. It was agreed that Nixon would get paid and the interview would actually take place over a span of several days. This is where the movie raises the intensity and the sparks fly. Watch the movie and let me know what you think.

The Road

I loved the book and I loved the movie! This is the first movie adaptation that I was not only impressed with but felt that the movie makers did the book justice. If you are not familiar with the book I highly suggest you read it before you see the movie. Now, the book and movie start with a father and son trying to make it to the coast after a world disaster, which is not defined as being caused by war of mother nature. Throughout the story they encounter a new way of life and flash backs of what life used to be. Because Cormic McCarthy's writing was very minimal in the book, the movie makers were able to cover much of the book without leaving major parts of the story out. I don't want to disclose much of the story because I would like for you to be shocked like I was when I read all the gory details. Trust me, even if you read the book and watch the movie later, you will still get the surprised by what you see. I will say this - DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE ALONE!