Sunday, March 31, 2013

March 31, 2013

I went to the 11:10 AM showing of "The Host" with a meetup group this morning.  I don't usually go to AMC First Colony.  It was already busy so early on a Sunday morning.

I haven't read the book yet.  I'm sure if I had read it first, I would have enjoyed the movie more.  It was okay but a bit too long.

We went to a Thai restaurant for lunch.  I got to eat peanut chicken - hurray, no more lapband!

I always get turned around in Sugarland.  There are few street signs.  I couldn't even find the theater.  It's hidden behind the mall.  A sign would have helped.

I thought I'd shop after lunch.  The stores were all closed.  I don't remember stores closing for Easter.

Next weekend the painter has to redo the dining room.  He put latex over enamel.  The paint just started peeling onto the floor.  I'm sure it was another language problem.  No way would I have approved of the latex.  So, now I will have 2 more weekends of a house stinking of oil based paint.  He has to sand the walls and prime next weekend.  The following weekend he'll paint with the enamel.  Maybe I'll bring a sleeping bag to the office - not.  I'll wait and see how bad it is.



Saturday, March 30, 2013

March 30, 2013

I just got home from my first gay bar experience.  It was great fun.  There was a drag queen show put on by 4 very talented people.  They performed as Jessica Simpson, Taylor Swift plus others that I can't remember.

It was a meetup by The Fabulous Life Group.  Lupita went with me.  It was a new experience for both of us.  I think they have these show almost every weekend.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 24, 2013

I am busy trying to make a new life for myself.  I've been repurposing the rooms in the house, getting rid of excess stuff and trash.

Yesterday Omar must have carried out 30 old cans of paint.  That opened up a lot of space in the laundry room.  Last night I cleaned and organized that room.  It's still not finished but I got a good start on it.

I was going to run errands yesterday but I stayed at home to try and finish some things.  The trouble is every time I work on organizing a room the whole house gets messy.

I hope to get back to working on my sewing room.  I can't sew yet because I need to organize that room first.

So, once the house is finished, I can start making things again.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

March 20, 2013: my new ORANGE car

Last Monday I went to the Subaru dealer to check out smaller models.  I don't need the big cumbersome Outback since I don't have a wheelchair to haul anymore.

I wanted to test drive the Impreza hatchback.  It is pretty low to the ground.  My salesman at Gillman Subaru South, Mo suggested I try out the Crosstrek.  It's 8 inches higher from the ground than the Impreza so it's easier to get into.  Plus the extra height is an advantage driving in Houston's giant rainstorms.

The Crosstrek is smaller than the Outback, larger than the Impreza and the Mazda 3.  It's hard to get a higher car that is small.  The Crosstrek has a big cargo space when the back seats are folded down.

I test drove the Crosstrek.  Then I asked Mo to get it up to 60mph and slam on the brakes.  He even took his hands off the wheel and the car stopped straight.

After my Mazda 3 did 360 degree wheelies on I-45 when my rear tire blew out,  the Subaru's ability to stop straight is a very important selling point for me.

I went back to the dealer after work yesterday and bought the Crosstrek that Gillman had in stock.  I thought about getting a white one and painting it Pepto Bismol pink but decided on the "tangerine pearl" one.  It's a great very saturated shade of orange.

This is the first time that I've bought a car by myself.  I chose the accessories that are important to me.  I hated the rear view camera on my Outback.  It made things look so much farther away than they actually are.  I bought it because S_head wanted it.  He also wanted the big engine, a moon roof and flood lights under the car.  I don't need that stuff.

I wanted a mirror with a compass, back seat cargo nets and ORANGE leather seats.  So, I got all that plus a 7 year golden warranty plan.  I ended up driving out paying just a little over $400.00 for everything and I got the car that I wanted.

My salesman is Mo Hmar-Lagroun.  His cell is 281-250-4068.


Thursday, March 14, 2013

March 14, 2013

I just got the biggest raise that I'll ever get - $300/month!  That's how much I paid for Jim's health insurance every month.

An actual raise in salary would be nice, too.  But, you know how that goes.....


Sunday, March 10, 2013

March 10, 2013

I went to Sam Houston Race Track last night with a meetup group.  We had a great table by the window near the starting line.  Unfortunately, the buffet was up a bunch of stairs.  Who would think that climbing stairs uses your abdomen muscles?  I was very sore when I woke up this morning.
I'm getting to feel comfortable with everyone.  One woman, Lady, even went back up to the buffet to get me dessert.

I stayed for the first 4 races.  It was almost 30 minutes between races.  The next one was the ostrich race.  It was a very short race but it was fun to watch.


This morning I found my journal from August 2006 that I kept at the time of my lapband surgery.  I was in lots of pain that time, too.  I was even having pain a month later.  So, now I feel better that my abdomen still hurts so much.  I was getting worried that the doctor had left a scalpel in my gut because  I get so many sharp stabbing pains.  So, I'm relieved.  I am probably just fine.

I took half a vicodin last night before I went to bed.  My abdomen hurt and I wanted to get a good night's sleep.  I slept until 10 AM this morning!  The cats were really mad at me.

I still have a long way to go before my house is back in order.  The surgery was at a bad time.  The house is a mess but I can't lift anything over 10 pounds or over exert myself.

Today I took apart a large flower arrangement that I had made for my wedding day.  I'd kept it for sentimental reasons.  There is no reason to keep it anymore.  I was able to make 3 floral arrangements with the flowers that I took from it.

March 9, 2013

Last night Lupita and I went to see Cirque de Soleil, Quidam.  It started off kind of slow but then got really exciting.  I prefer the smaller venue, a tent in Reliant parking lot, to gigantic Toyota Center.  We had good seats but still the stage seemed far away.

We had to go through security before we could enter Toyota Center.  Lupita had to take her camera back to the car.  It was silly.  Everybody was snapping away with their cell phones.  Lupita took this with her phone.  She bought the mask.  I bought the little top hat that I'm wearing.