3 posts tagged “friends”

i've been in the 281/713 area for a little over a week now.  here is an update in response to the popular question "how is houston/work"

*skip to pictures here

Housing: A+
Originally, my landlord agreed to let me move into my lease a week early (last week of May) in order for me to have a place as soon as work started; however, she decided to let me know two days before I moved in that the previous agreement was no longer possible.  Of course, I a) freak out, b) send angry vibes to my landlord, c)remembers that she's still pretty nice, try to withdraw mean thoughts, d)desperately try to reach stephanie ip, who was at rec week & was w/o phone service for the most part.  thankfully, things worked out, and i got to stay w/ the Ips for a week in sugarland for my first week of work.  since i went in so early, i beat the traffic, and the driving wasn't bad at all.  plus, her mom cooks well & her dad is SO. SO. SO. funny.  oh, plus stephanie is a good room-neighbor too.  THANKS, IPS!

Driving: C-
someone cut me off on the highway (45) 10 minutes after entering the houston vicinity; no joke.  then he proceeded to glare at ME in his left side mirror; at ME!  after he cut me off! 
apparently, no one ever clued me in on the fact that when you signal in Houston, it actually is a sign for the people in the adjacent lane to speed up and pass you in oblivion, paying no attention to your traffic signal.  also, the highways loop.  the plus side is even fi you get lost, stay w/ it and you'll eventaully end up there; the downside, hard to make a judgment call how far you've gone on the loop and if you should turn and try the other direction. 
I've also gotten lost a good handful of times trying to navigate back to my apartment (located amidst a puzzle of one-way/downtownish streets).

Work: A-
i actually like it.  unlimited office supplies (and post-it's), break rooms, lunches, and newness all kept me going for the first week with great energy and enthusiasm.  Come this second week, it's a bit harder to get out of bed in the morning at 6:10am, and still slowly feeling my way through this monstrous project gets a bit repetitive. plus, i have a big gray cubicle, but nothing to put up except a few polaroids i remembered to snag out of my austin apartment.  the people are all really great though, all really warm & smart & friendly & helpful, the whole nice sha-bang.
however, my sleeping schedule has gone from sleep-at-4am-up-by-noon to sleep-at-midnight-up-by-six.  i also get pretty wiped out by 10:30.  If we do hang out this summer, please arrange all activities to end before 11 or else i will surely be asleep.
through work, i also realized that a) business casual clothes are boring, b) hotchocolate+black coffee = moccachino, c) tea+creamer = milktea, d) although wearing heels downtown is suicidal for the feet AND the heels, wearing heels to work is a-ok b/c of CARPET.  i love walking in heels on carpet.  plus i sit for a good 90% of the day.  

Eating: A/F
i dont know why i ever thought it would be possible to diet/be healthy in houston, the fattest city in america.  seems like for every meal, there is a "oh! you must try this place!"  i eat out about two large meals a day.  oof.  i've learned also that it takes me a long time to get sick of chinese food (still not quite sick yet, but i have been to every block in chinatown now, and juicebox...4 times... :-[ )

All pictures are here.  i am too sleepy (it's 11:48 right now, i'm cutting it real close) to integrate pictures into this entry.  perhaps at a later time.

OH. favorites!
so far, my favorite area in houston is rice village, which is a convenient 10min drive away from my apt (if i dont get lost..like i did today). ...ok, i've run out of favorites for now.  sorry, that was a misleading intro. 

i've been watching some sappy movies lately.  i saw music&lyrics and actually really liked it, and i've been thinking about neverbeenkissed.  what the heck is wrong with me.
i am also reading traveling mercies (thanks brian) & the book of nehemiah right now.  i also have been listening to a lot of jamie cullum & various repetitive rap songs i find on youtube.  i also am watching more tv than i have in the past semester combined.  oh yea, i'd also like to make the statement that while spelling may seem overrated in pop songs, remember how great that classic L-O-V-E song was?  and at least these are correctly spelled, decently lengthy words, for kids to learn.  that is my defense for fergie for the night.  and a quick flash of my life.

i will end this lengthy entry with something cheesy & something classic.

---

drew barrymore: A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. Sex.
hugh grant: I so get that.
drew barrymore: But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that makes it magic.

[from music&lyrics]

&

1 Peter 4:7-13

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

and in case you missed the first 2 links.

pictures

 

this is my mouthing-off entry.  isn't that what blogs are meant for anyway?  unfortunately, i can't deliver any political insight or even philosophical ideas to chew on, but here are a few things that get to me - in good ways and bad.

The Bad - Bratz Dolls

I am seriously offended by these dolls.  I see them dominating the shelves and toy aisles.  They are probably running Barbie out of business.  Yes, I was a loyal Barbie fanatic, but I don't think it is out of that loyalty and bias that I say this - despite controversy over Barbie's dimensions, at least she had some worthwhile qualities for young girls to model after.  Barbie at least pursued and tried out professions and societal roles beyond toting a new purse, platforms, and a shopping bag.  Nothing against purses or shoes or shopping bags (bc god knows those excite me many a times), but i think those accessories, miniskirts + eyeshadow & lip plumping gloss are the only things "happenin'" in these characters' lives.  Oh, my bad.  Some of them also cannot eat hamburgers b/c that's too fattening & others struggle with finding their boyfriends.  Okay.  Come on.  I recently watched a girl line up her Bratz dolls on a table at a coffee shop and played away as I remember doing with my Barbies.  Okay, I doubt my Barbies worked on curing cancer or poverty issues, but I really do think they were of some more positive influence than these new things.  The young girl's parents were also at the table, just watching.  I hope Bratz dolls go extinct before I have a daughter; I would probably kick myself if the day should come when my daughter asks for a Bratz doll.  Thankfully, I am not alone in this hatred (I knew I always liked BU).

The Ugly - Crocs

Ok.  Sorry Titus & Jeremy & whoever else is a Croc-evangelist in my Vox neighborhood.  I really do think Crocs are hideous.  I've tried them out and even Wiki-ed them, but I still can't jump aboard the band wagon quite yet.  Sure, they certainly do not even come close to offending me as much as Bratz do, but their ugliness, in my opinion, cannot be ignored.  I just think it's interesting that these little ugly things have caught on.  Strangely enough, their ugliness gets cute after some intense staring.  I looked down today at the IV office & saw 3 pairs of Crocs in a row.  I wonder how many pairs I can count by lining up the Penthouse collections.  Maybe I will invest in buying a pair for my parents.  Maybe.

The Good [saved for last] - Questions that don't beat around the bush.
There is no picture to go with this last one, but it's pretty simple.  I really appreciate questions that don't beat around the bush.  Maybe that isn't the most gentle or easing approach, but I think it's nice.  Today was especially good since I had some straight-forward encounters.  I like it when people just come straight out & ask things like, "how is your heart."  i mean, yes, it's kind of an odd-sounding question - call it cheesy or awkward if you must, but i think it's probably one of the top rated underasked questions.  i think i will drop this one on people more.  While my "the good" blurb isn't as lengthy as the previous two, i would say it outweighs the others & was able to make my day.

The Unknown

Does anyone else find the "p" in receipt to be odd?  I mean, I know I don't enunciate it when I say the word.  Does it have any purpose what-so-ever?  I will cling to my fob status & humbly ask if the P is ever pronounced. 

Has anyone ever sent in their rainbow flipflops for replacement?  I wear my shoes out in weird places since I drag my feet, and I am about to wear this pair out to the point when they are no longer qualified to be replaced by the company.  Despite the site's promise, I still hesitate to send off these expensive flip flops.  i think rainbows have cost me more than the rest of my flipflops combined.  has anyone done this successfully?

While I'm on the topic of the unknown, I'm going to Houston tomorrow to hopefully eliminate a question mark - hopefully I'll find a place to live near medcenter/innerloop over the summer while I work.  So.  hopefully, either people will call, reply to E-mails, or the coveted complexes will begin to drop their prices overnight.  Perhaps by the time I make my next post, I will have [and be paying for, or rather, have my parents be paying for] 3 homes in Texas.  that. is. so. wasteful.  ...anyone want to sublease my austin place this summer?

The Happy Places
I have a couple of happy places.  Sunny days are a happy place...not a location really, but just a nice sunny day is always a happy place for me.
Other two toppers include:

TARGET.  I love Target.  I love the one spot, the stationary/candles clearance section, the new designers, the EVERYTHING.  I love target.  target also sells Real Simple goods.  and I love Real Simple.