Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m not a big TV watcher.  I like to sit down on occasion and watch a show, but most of the time I’d rather be on the computer or reading during my down time.  In my apartment I had basic cable with no DVR.  It was more than enough for me.

Sweet Tea likes to watch TV during her downtime.  She has a few shows that she enjoys watching each week as well as a couple of channels that consistently have shows that interest her.

When we bought our house we got ATT uverse with a Showtime plus package.  We are able to DVR stuff as well as pause and rewind shows in progress.  Since moving in I have watched a lot of TV.  So much of what is on TV now is reality based programing.  Swamp People, Holmes on Homes, American Colony, Animal Cops, Gator Boys, and many others are seen in our house on a semi-regular basis.  I’ll watch them if they’re on, but I’m not all that interested.

Sweet Tea loves Dexter, Weeds, Eureka, Bones, Fringe, and House.  Sometimes I’ll sit down while she’s watching one of her shows and watch it with her, but more often than not I’ll sit in the same room but be surfing the internet.

Through the magic of Netflix she’s introduced me to a show called Dead Like Me.  I’ve only seen the pilot episode, but it was quite good.  We’ve got that one in our queue to watch together.  Another show I’m enjoying watching is Rizzoli and Isles.  Sweet Tea read the books and says that the show is nothing like the books, but as long as she doesn’t compare them it’s pretty good.

So I’ll add Dead Like Me and Rizzoli and Isles to my very short list.  The list that so far only contains CSI and any true crime related shows.  Which I guess could be a long list, but since I don’t watch any of them on a regular basis I consider it short.

I do have to admit that I can barely operate the DVR or On Demand part of the whole system.  I usually give up before I figure it out.  So either Sweet Tea needs to be here so she can set the TV up for me or I’ll just surf the net.  Works for me!

Pride was this past weekend and Sweet Tea and I decided to celebrate with our church.  A couple of months ago we agreed to help some friends of ours with the church’s float.  Those friends ended up needing to drop out of the process and a new-to-the-church guy stepped up to lead the group at the last minute.

We met Saturday morning to piece together the float.  It was a hodgepodge of banners, balloons, lights, and crosses, but considering we were all new to the float making process, I think we pulled it together well.

Sweet Tea and I were assigned positions in the marching configuration.  I was a “wheel watcher” which just meant I walked next to the truck making sure nobody got too close to the wheels as we traveled.  Sweet Tea walked in back with a bottle of water to help keep a puppeteer hydrated.  She also had beads to hand out.

Ready, set, go.

The parade got underway and we did our thing.  I was surprised at how many people there were.  I was surprised at how loud all those people were.  I was surprised at how much those screaming people smelled like beer.  As I smiled and waved I saw all sorts of people.  Older heterosexual couples out supporting the cause.  Young families with two dads or two moms or the traditional mom and dad waving flags and enjoying rainbow sno-cones.  People of every age and stage were there to support the idea of equal rights for every glbt person and to celebrate with us.

There were a few that got to me though.  One girl who looked to be in her mid-twenties reached out and grabbed my hand and shook it saying thank you.  At first I wondered why she was thanking me.  I hadn’t given her any beads or done anything to get her attention.  Then I realized I was representing my church and christianity.  I was saying that she was welcome to come, and we would love and accept her…no exceptions.  And she was thanking me for it.  It was powerful.

Another woman stopped me and gave me a hug.  She didn’t say anything, but she had that look on her face.  The look that said thank you for accepting me for who I am.  I’m not sure if she was a male to female transgendered woman or just a man dressed in drag for the occasion, but either way it was moving for me.

The parade wound through the streets of Montrose and our part was eventually done.  We were exhausted from being on our feet all day.  Back at the church Sweet Tea and I helped undo our handiwork and finally took the long drive back home.  We were too tired to go out afterwards and celebrate with the masses.

I knew 2 years ago when I saw christian churches marching in the pride parade I would be okay.  I saw evidence that it was possible to be gay and be a christian.  I saw a group that I could belong to and be accepted by.  I am so glad I got to be a part of the celebration with such a great group of people!  I look forward to doing it all again next year!

So we went to Austin and I had a Purple Rita.  It was good, but I think I prefer a strawberry rita instead.  We did find out that the Purple Rita has Everclear in it which is why they limit them to 2 a piece.  I was fine with one!  I wasn’t about to get in the same situation I was in last weekend!

In other news I’m getting old.  I know…there a millions of people on the planet older than me.  There are numerous people who read this blog who have lived longer than my almost 43 years, but technicalities aside…I am getting old.  Today I plucked a hair from my chin.  The hair on my upper lip is darker than before, and there are age spots on my arms and legs where there were once just cute little freckles.  I was diagnosed with mild diabetes, my cholesterol is high, and so is my blood pressure.  My vitamin D is low as well as my B12.  I was told to take fish oil for my dry eyes which now need glasses for seeing up close.  I’ve started calling the 6 pills I have to take at night before bed my dessert, because that’s what my grandmother always called hers.  I have put them in a weekly pill box not so much so I don’t forget to take them but because I am getting lazy in my old age.  I don’t feel like having to open 6 different bottles every night.  My hair is thinner and most definitely grayer underneath the color and highlights.  The skin on my face is splotchy.  The dermatologist I saw said it was called Melasma or pregnancy mask.  The thing is I’m not pregnant nor taking any kind of hormones which is apparently what causes it.  I’m just naturally hormonal.  And old.  Great.

I don’t mind getting old most of the time.  I just wish my body wouldn’t decide to turn against me all at once.  If my face is going to go crazy on me at least my hair should look good.  If I have to be on blood pressure pills I should at least have perky boobs.  If I am going to have to wear bifocals I should be able to eat cake without it counting.  I’m just saying.

Now who wants to meet for dinner at Luby’s?  I hear they have an old timer’s special!

Sweet Tea has just informed me that I am not boring.  So there!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I did think of a story to tell.

Last weekend we took that little trip to Austin to get away and see some friends.  We hadn’t planned on the seeing of friends to take place in one friend’s hospital room, but since she had a major allergic reaction to some unknown thing and had to be hospitalized we took what we got at that point.  After visiting Friday night we decided to skip the hospital food for something that did didn’t come on a divided tray.  We wanted to stay close by so we chose a Mexican establishment called Casa Garcia just down the road.  They had chips and hot sauce and Margaritas so it was good with me.  And when I say they had Margaritas I should say that I had A margarita.  One.  But that was all it took.  It was yummy and strong.  When we got up to leave my head was swimming.  We went back to the hospital where I weaved through the hallways.  We visited a minute then said goodbye.  On the way to where we were staying we stopped at a convenience store where I honestly thought I might throw up.  From ONE margarita.  I never did, but in that moment of yucky I realized that I didn’t have my phone.  I had no idea where my phone was.  As my mind retraced my wobbly steps I had a vague recollection of taking my phone out of my pocket at the restaurant and putting it on the table.  I never do that!  But for some reason that night my phone was bothering me as it sat quietly in my pocket.  And I had no memory of ever putting it back in my pocket.  Sweet Tea called the restaurant and they had it safe and sound for me to pick up which we did the next day.  I did tell the manager that his margarita had knocked me on my hind parts which he thought was amusing.

Later that day we went to one of Sweet Tea’s favorite places for chicken tortilla soup.  This place is famous for the Purple Rita.  I had planned to try one, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of more tequila.  I had to pass.

And now we are about to head out to Austin on a whim.  I want chips and hot sauce.  And maybe a Purple Rita to wash it down!

I just unsubscribed from a host of blogs.  I think I had about 100 in my reader, and many of the addresses weren’t even valid anymore.  Some bloggers hadn’t blogged in years, and some were blogs that I consistently skipped over when I went through my reader each day.  Not that they weren’t good writers…I just wasn’t interested anymore.  Those bloggers usually only blogged about one particular subject…photography, homeschooling, exercise, etc. and I wasn’t into it. Don’t worry.  If you read here it is very likely that your blog is still in my reader.  I didn’t give up on everyone!

Speaking of blogging I don’t know what to say.  I’m not sure what is going on with me.  I used to write posts that were entirely too wordy, and now I can’t seem to come up with a few sentences to string together.  It’s not that I don’t have ideas or interesting tidbits to share, but it’s the writing process.  I sit down to write and it all comes out so boring sounding.  So blah.  I’ve deleted so many half posts because I read over them and wasn’t even interested in trying to finish my thoughts.  I’m not sure what that’s about.

I think I’ll stop here and publish before I delete this post as well.

And as a consolation prize for not stabbing your eyes out while reading this drivel, here are a couple of pictures of paradise.  Ahhhh….

You’re welcome.

This past weekend Sweet Tea and I took a quick trip to Austin.  We had planned to go just for a day long mini get-away, but then one of our Austin friends was hospitalized with an unknown illness so we ended up spending the entire weekend there.  On Saturday we left the hospital to let our friend rest and decided to drive around thinking about something to do.  We drove to Settlers’ Park to see the round rock in Brushy Creek and then decided to go to Innerspace Caverns.  I’ve driven by the sign advertising the caverns more times than I can count, but I don’t recall ever stopping for a visit.  We had a tour guide who had probably been there since the caverns were discovered in 1963 so he definitely knew what he was talking about.  After seeing the 1/2 mile of sights along the concrete paths I decided I needed to do the Wild Cave Tour.  It costs $100, lasts about 4 hours, and is done with only headlamps.  Our tour guide said the tour crawled through tight spots to see places not accessible on the regular path.  Sounds fun to me!  Next time!

In April of 2009 I watched a documentary that changed my life.  It was called Through My Eyes, and it was about gay and lesbian youth and their struggles with their christian faith.  It was my first experience with anything both gay and christian.  I was able to talk with some of the people involved in the making of the film and my world was rocked to the core.  It wasn’t just my struggle.  There were many others out there just like me, and they were okay.  For the first time I knew it was possible to be both gay and a christian.  I wasn’t sure how that would look for me, but at that point just knowing it was enough.  In June of 2010 I attended my first pride parade, and sandwiched between half naked men and butch dykes on bikes was a float for the inclusive Methodist church I now belong to.  I’ve come a long way in three years!

This summer I seem to be on a mission.  I have watched several more documentaries concerning faith and homosexuality.  I have been amazed at how many different movies there are on the subject.  Fish Out of Water and For the Bible Tells Me So were both excellent and very informative.  I also watched a movie called Fall From Grace which is about Rev. Fred Phelps and his anti-gay protests across the nation.  It was shocking to see young children being taught to have such intense hatred for a group of people.  Add to that list Prodigal Sons, about a transgendered woman (nothing about religion) and bits and pieces of several other movies as well.  I’m not sure what my goal is in watching these movies.  It might be nothing more than just an interest.  We’ll see.

I’m going to bed tonight with a thankful heart.  Why am I thankful?  Many reasons.

Today Sweet Tea and I went to the zoo and just enjoyed each others’ company.

This evening I picked up my youngest from a nephew’s party where I saw my mom for the first time since September.  She hugged me.

Tonight I made microwavable chocolate cake.  It wasn’t half bad.

My day lilies are about to bloom.

Tomorrow isn’t Monday.

Did I mention that my mom hugged me?

I can’t wait for school to be out for the summer.  I am seriously tired!  I know….I’m always tired, but this is different.  This is crazy!  First of all the kids are insane.  They know that school is almost out and they are done with all the major testing so nothing really counts anymore.  This is the only year that it will be this way.  The state has adopted new standardized tests and this year was a trial run.  The scores don’t really count.  We won’t know if the kids passed or failed these tests until the fall.  Next year the kids will take the tests in March, receive the scores by mid-April, and, if necessary, retest in May.  This year they tested in March and April.  And so they were finished.  Everyday I hear sighs and complaints when I give them their assignments.  I’ve tried to be creative and give them fun stuff, interesting stuff, different stuff, but they are done and don’t seem to care about much.  Because they are done, they are getting in trouble a lot.  Constant talking, playing, goofing off.  We’ve had some incidents of bullying, and today one student wrote a sexual comment complete with picture about my teaching partner in the boys bathroom.  Next week is our 5th grade graduation, UIL competition, and Field Day.  The week will basically be one crazy, long week of crowd control.  Now it’s my turn to sigh and complain.  Only 8 1/2 more days.  Sigh.

Sweet Tea is a great driver, but she has no idea where she is going most of the time.  She’s only lived in this large city for a couple of years, and she has lived in three different parts of the city during that time period so it’s understandable that she might get lost now and then.  When she first moved here she bought a GPS and named her Karen.  Karen was a great navigator.  Anywhere Sweet Tea wanted to go Karen could get her there.  She might take her the long way, but eventually she arrived at her destination.  When Sweet Tea and I started dating I competed with Karen for navigational duties.  Most of the time it was because I knew a quicker way than Karen planned to take us.  I knew which roads to avoid and where the shortcuts were.  But there was a big problem with my taking over the navigation duties.  I don’t multi-task well so I would get involved in the conversation and forget to tell Sweet Tea where to turn.  I did usually know where to go, but I would forget to speak up soon enough to get there.

Sweet Tea also has another issue with navigation.  It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve directed her to a place she still needs me to show her the way most of the time.  I understand this.  When Karen navigated she just followed her directions.  She didn’t pay attention to landmarks or street names.  When I gave directions it was the same way.  She just did what I said without question.  Most of the time it isn’t a big deal.  I am there to guide her.  It only becomes an issue when she needs to get someplace we’ve been numerous times before, and I’m not going with her.

The funny thing about all of this is that in my past life I sucked at navigation.  I could read a map and get where I needed to go for sure.  The thing was that so many times someone else was doing the driving and they knew exactly where they were going.  I was just along for the ride.  I lived in the same city in Turkey for almost 7 years and still never completely learned my way around.  There were certain places that I could get to with my eyes closed, but there were many others that, despite the fact that I had been to them over and over, I couldn’t have found my way to them on my own if my life depended on it.

I’ll never forget when a new friend moved to our city.  I had already lived there for a year and a half and had taken a bus downtown numerous times.  The problem was that once I got off the bus I wasn’t very adventurous.  I was scared to walk too far away from the bus terminal.  This friend and I started exploring the city on foot together.  She worked at a radio station part-time and on several occasions I went with her to take care of some work related stuff.  The station was located in an apartment building about a 10 minute walk from where we got off the bus.  I don’t recall how many times I had been to her office before the day came when she asked me to meet her there.  I had no idea where to go.  All the times we had been there together I just followed her.  I never paid any attention to the landmarks we passed.  I never paid any attention to the outside of the apartment building.  That day I got off the bus and realized I had no idea which direction to turn.  I was lost.  I had to call her and have her guide me.  After listening to her tell me which way to go and where to turn I had no problems finding the station.  I looked at landmarks and buildings along the way and made sure to memorize my turns.  I was found.

I think my life was like that.  For so long I was just along for the ride.  I was a follower.   I didn’t pay attention to how to get anywhere.  One day I woke up and realized I had no idea how I had gotten where I was.  I was lost, and I was alone.  Since that day I have studied maps, listened to directions, paid attention to landmarks and have slowly but surely found my way.

When I first started writing this post I thought it was going to be a funny account of how Sweet Tea depends on me to get her where she needs to go even though I often fail miserably at that job.  It never got funny and then it morphed into something completely different.  Hm…