Monday, April 14, 2008

Idle hands

Today, when I clocked out, I officially became unemployed. No more contract extensions. I can turn off my alarms--yes, plural. Why? Because I want to get to work on time. I've set the two alarm settings on my alarm clock, and plus, I set the alarm on my watch. The stereo is set to play "Wake me up before you go go", and all the alarms go off within 10 minutes of each other. Now, I don't have to worry about getting up at all. I can actually sleep, turn over, look at the time, and then keep on sleeping. Or, I can have a drink or four, and not worry about having to drive to work later.

I was very humbled and genuinely surprised at the farewell party (and gifts) my coworkers had set up for me. Even the boss lady showed up for my farewell party...Of course, I was moved by my coworkers efforts at making my last day awesome. I've really enjoyed working with them and I wish them well, but I need a change, and I want something more.

I've just let the management know that I was checking out tomorrow, so later on, I'll be packing. I'm going to drive home to Corpus Christi tomorrow after brunch. Then return to Houston on Wednesday to hang out with a friend before flying out of Texas for a long vacation...to visit my brother. I'll keep you posted on what happens.

I'm not even thinking about looking for another job right now. I just want to enjoy having no responsibilities for a short while. Speaking of responsibilities, I've filed for an extension on my taxes. Every year, I wait til the last minute to file my taxes. Tomorrow is April 15, the last day to file taxes or the Federal Government will turn pimp on you and beat you down while screaming, "Bitch! Where's my money!" Now, I've got another 6 months to file my taxes. Unfortunately, the longer I wait to file, the longer it's going to take for me to get that gov't rebate check.

It feels weird but good to know that I've got some free time. Now, just some clean up and loose ends to tie up before I let loose and enjoy the things I can do with these idle hands.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Ladies Night

Under the Boardwalk

These past few days have been busy for me. I've been working hard these last two weeks at work, and playing hard during my time off. I've been feeling very energetic and fired up at work, taking on the more difficult clients and dealing with them quite effectively and satisfactorily. I guess knowing that my time here has come to an end has somehow given me this incredible energy.

I've had to work off some of this energy, and what better way to burn off excess energy than to meet new people. I've got this thing about not dating anyone from work. It can get complicated, and people sometimes can't separate their professional lives from their personal lives. So feeling adventurous, I went to the museums, festivals, and other public gathering places to find new people. And it's been a great adventure so far.

One of my favorite local places to go for a sort-of-date when hooking up with new people is the Kemah Boardwalk.


On the boardwalk, you can stroll along the piers, watching the sun rise or set on Galveston Bay...or enjoy it's fun rides and fine restaurants, day or night. You can work up an appetite on the roller coaster and ferris wheel; or you can walk it off on the leisurely stroll on the pier, or dance it off in the plaza amid the floor fountain spurting water at intervals, in intricate patterns to the delight of all.



On weekends, there is a live band that plays the plaza. There's even a band of NASA astronauts who entertain on some weekends. Then there are monthly festivals that take place on the boardwalk. It's a great place to have fun with someone new (or familiar). I've seen parents sit and drink margaritas after sending the kids off to the rides...fun for everyone.

It's a great place to get to know someone before finding out if you really want to know them ;)




Miss Saigon

This weekend, the local community college held it's annual International Festival Night. It was a fun way to celebrate diversity in the student body and the community. Some of my friends had a booth and I went to check out the festivities and the international cuisine--tacos, spring rolls, meatballs, and an assortment of meat and veggie dishes. Each booth was set up to highlight a particular region of the world by the students or community members from that region. After a quick tour of the various booths, I started to notice a few things.

For one thing, there were two Chinese booths, and I had this feeling that they were trying to take over the gymnasium where the festival was held. When I asked one of them about which items were from Tibet, the student that started to answer me was quickly pulled aside by the others for an "emergency" and the replacement said something about "unauthorized" comments about the booth. I never the first student again for the rest of the evening...nor were my questions about Tibet answered satisfactorily.

The Japanese booth had an LCD tv with DVD player, a powerpoint presentation, and of course a bonsai tree and tiny little digital equipment. I'm thinking, Wow, these people really are ahead in technology. I kept waiting for the two Japanese men to show up with a Wii and say, "We would like to play". Unfortunately, the only time I heard that phrase was from two drag queens when I was backstage. Of course, they were saying this to anyone within hearing distance, so I politely declined and told them I was interested in a different kind of game.

Over at the Palestinian booth, I noticed right next to the Koran was a big fat bong! Well, they claimed it was for incense...but the twinkle in their eyes and that certain scent emanating from the "incense holder" pretty much convinced me that it was a bong. I suppose that's one way to achieve peace in the Middle East.

The highlight of the night was the performances by the various participants showcasing their cultural arts and music and dances. I took pics of some of my favorites:

From Romania, a gypsy woman dancing:



It would've have been really impressive if she had swallowed that sword...but balancing it on the top of her head was still pretty cool.

In case you didn't know, I luv how the ladies look good in a dirndl.



And these ladies look hot!!! But that's to be expected with menopause.

A pair of red heels can make a woman look fantastic, but a woman who can dance well in red heels is the most captivating:



Who can look away when you hear the thunderous foot stomping and see the fast and furious flapping of her plumage? Such a sight has not been seen since the terror birds of South America hunted down prey in the prehistoric age.



One of the performers was going to sing a Vietnamese song. One of my friends asked if I knew any songs with Vietnamese women, and before I could stop myself, I said the first song that came to mind, "Me so horny" by 2 live crew. I have this twisted sense of humor that can be hard to suppress sometimes. Luckily, my friend and I were out in the corner away from everyone, where we laughed out loud, knowing that we've just gotten closer to Hell.



And while she didn't sing the 2 live crew song, her sensuous jazz made me want to luv her a very good amount of time ;)

So wraps up the last few weeks of my time here. It's been a fun run, but I'm ready to put my boots on and go...where? who knows? anywhere but here, I suppose. Last week of work...and I'm feeling great!