Little "chubby" Meg

The other day at our HHH Celebration Dinner, one of the guys’ wives discovered I’m (still) single & decided to play Fairy Godmother/Matchmaker. It was all fun & games until she actually came up with the name of a guy she knows who’s single. She didn’t go into too much detail but I was intrigued. But a little freaked out. I told her the meet-cute needs to be as played-down as possible as I tend to freak out when I feel the slightest bit of pressure (what do you think of him? do you you like him? he likes you & wants your number, etc). She said she’d set up something casual like a group dinner (which she later translated as a double date) and would have it be as little-pressure as possible.

That was August 31.

I received a phone call from Fairy Godmother September 18th. She started off saying, “I have something to ask you. Well, I have something to TELL you & then I have something to ask you.” Oh lord! She then proceeded to tell me the guy she’d mentioned at dinner the other day has been dating & her husband just now decided to clue her in. She wasn’t happy. But the good news is, there’s a Plan B! A guy who works at her school in Electra. Something about specializing in Special Ed but the school district isn’t hiring Special Ed teachers but he’s doing something there anyway. Then she started in on the description: never married, no kids (pretty good so far), kinda of shy (uhhhh wait a sec), a little chubby......I’m pretty sure she listed a few more things but I tuned out at this point.

“A little chubby”?! I know I’m being a brat here but, excuse me, I’m 32 years old. I didn’t hold out this long for “a little chubby”!! And by “holding out” I mean, I’ve never actually held out because that would imply I had a selection of guys of which to hold out ON. But then I started thinking (and that always gets me in trouble). “OMG, Little Meg, what if she described YOU as ‘kind of chubby?’ YOU don’t want to be labeled as chubby, do you?!” So I think I finally found my motivation. Since nothing else seems to be working to get my ass in gear, maybe the thought of someone thinking & describing me as chubby will do the trick. So later that day, during Happy Hour, I explained all of this to a few of my co-workers and told them, several sips into my margarita, that I’d be hittin’ the pavement for a little runny-run or cycling the next day.

Update:

It’s just after midnight Sunday & there was no runny-run or cycling involved in my Saturday activities. Maybe Mond....no, can’t then. Maybe Tuesday.

Well, regardless, I’ve decided I’m going to let her set something up & will meet him. I can’t be TOO self-absorbed & stuck up to meet a “kind of chubby” guy. I mean my Husband Criteria is getting slimmer by the day.....

Dude!

I love this word : ) Like that Bud Light commercial, it can be used in so many different ways. Check it out....

But I digress. I had a couple "dude" moments last night.

I went to see The Killdares, this awesome Celtic Rock band at Iron Horse Pub and, Dude, they totally ROCKED!!! I always have such a good time seeing them!! I can't wait for them to come back in a month for Hotter 'n Hell (Sat Aug 29 at the Finish Line Village).

My other "dude" moment was when I discovered this guy I've been flirting with for forever is.....engaged. Dude! What?! But wait, there's another "dude" moment here in somewhere. Oh yeah, that even in spite of his commitment to marry his girlfriend, he still wanted to take it to the next level. Dude! Seriously?! I'm heartbroken on so many levels. A) that I invested lots of (wasted) flirting time, B) that things didn't run the course I'd imagined/hoped & waited for, C) that I thought he was a pretty stand-up, good, decent guy, D) that his friends never clued me in, E) that I made the biggest "He's Just Not That Into You" mistake & gave him my number.

But really, it all boiled down to this gut feeling. Even before he told me about his impending nuptials, I just had this feeling like him & I wasn't a good idea. I can't tell you the times I've said, "I WISH I'd trusted my instincts!" I'm SO glad I listened this time. Didn't hurt that I was extremely sleepy & so kissing 'n stuff was SO off my radar. And as I laid in bed, alone (dogs don't count) very early this morning, I thought of that "How I Met Your Mother" episode where Ted says his mother always told him "nothing good every happens after 2am." SO true! Unless you're punching Korean Elvis in the nards : ) Dude, I love that show!

Oh and did I mention another guy I've been talking to, I found out is married! Dude, what the freak?!

Black Hawk Down

The Leadership Breakfast speaker today was Matt Eversmann, one of the Army Rangers that went into Mogadishu, Somalia October 3, 1993. They went in to do a mission that was only supposed to take 30 minutes & ended up lasting over 12 hours!! Even though they lost several good men that day, they succeeded in their mission of capturing two men (and as a bonus, 19 others) close to the main bad guy, Mohamed Aidid.

But you can see that by watching Josh Hartnett as Mr. Eversmann in Black Hawk Down. Which I watched last night. You know, I’m a nerd & decided to “study” for the talk this morning.

What was great about this talk was Mr. Eversmann’s perspective on the events of that day which, surprise surprise, differed a little from the movie. What really touched me was the inspiration and reinforcement of his faith & duty to this mission. To our country. To those defenseless, starving people. He mentioned a memorial at Ft Bragg that had a Bible verse from Isaiah that really hit home for him. And he talked about how God told Joshua he was to pick up the leadership role where Moses left off and how Joshua was scared crapless but God told him five times that he would be there with him. Mr. Eversmann talked about how great leaders exhibit selfless service, courage & commitment to whatever it is they’re doing.

One of the most powerful scenes in the movie is when TWO Delta snipers go in to rescue the guys from the second Black Hawk crash. When everyone else was securing the first crash site, there was no one to help at the second. But these two guys rescued the only survivor, Michael Durant and themselves were killed because of the enormity of the Somalian crowd that descended on the helicopter. Very haunting. And Mr. Eversmann spoke about how those two men were so committed to their mission that they asked permission three times to be placed in that environment. How courageous they fought for as long and as hard as they could before they were finally killed. He said they are the epitome of selfless service to their fellow man. That scene in the movie is only a few minutes long but Mr. Eversmann’s compassionate words for those men definitely left an impression on me.

I’m not sure which Leadership Breakfast this is for me but every single year has been SO amazingly uplifting. Which is funny because the subject matter hasn’t really been that pleasant. But to see & hear how true leadership is being demonstrated is amazing and very inspirational and I’m grateful to be associated with a company that supports this event.

How Samurai drove me into the arms of Papa John's

You know the saying: too much of a good thing? well, too much can be BAD!! in the last month I've eaten at Samurai THREE times! now before this all started, it'd been like over a year and a half that i'd been there. don't get me wrong, the first time was great! the second time was just ok and the third time I really could've cared less. and ironically the day i partook for the third time, unbeknownst to my dad, he suggested we go there for dinner. i did feel a little bad at my screaming over-reaction. but hindsight's 20/20, right? anyway, i DID have leftover's that last time (like i did every time i went so really, it's like i ate Samurai SIX times!!) but I was so repulsed of the idea of trying to choke down my hibachi fish that i sought comfort in a thin crust cheese pizza at my beloved Papa John's! oh man it was good!!

are you freaking kidding me?!

on the biggest and most important night to be outdoors it freaking pours! like the streets were flooded w/in minutes! from where I was at the Ho Jo, i could only see the tip top of the biggest fireworks and that was standing under a tree. (i know, right, I'm pretty smart standing under a tree in a thunderstorm so I can get my annual fireworks-fix) finally I said "forget it" and ran under the main entrance overhang for a few minutes listening the boom, boom, boom of the pretty lights i couldn't see. then i heard there was a tent w/in eyeshot of the fireworks so i ran under that I saw about a 1/4 of the fireworks finale because we were still too close to the building. but here's where it gets REALLY fun....after the show, in the torrential downpour, i decided to make the trek back to my car that was across the street. not just any street....fifth street aka the MAIN street that all the folks from mpec were using to leave. so i'm standing & standing & standing getting absolutely soaked & thinking "gee i don't remember this light taking so long to change." it finally did and as i ran across the street, holding my white t-shirt out in front my girls so i wouldn't give anyone a show as I crossed their headlights, i saw a guy standing on the other side of the street. i immediately thought he was a weirdo but then i noticed he had a bright green vest on & he was standing in front of an open box. I said, "were you the one responsible for making that light so long?" and he said he was. grrr! but THANK GOODNESS for my slackerness & not taking the towels out of my car after my last bike ride (which was like in april--i have to lay down towels in the backseat if i don't want to get grease on my leather & poked holes from my gears wheel thingies)! Happy Freaking Birthday, America! (i really am grateful to be an american, just not a soaking wet one : )

Sympathy Pain

I have NO idea why my left arm is SO sore! : ( It's like I lifted a bunch of weight but just with that arm. Very weird. So I'm blaming it on J-Si's 71 push up's on Friday. Hmmm, maybe he did them one armed. 

Oh and just an update...the house didn't get cleaned yesterday : ) I mean : ( It's so weird but I feel like I don't know what to do with myself. Outside of work, these Twilight books have consumed every moment of my time and now that I have all these moments back...I'm a little lost. Great, I've got vampire seperation anxiety! I need a Bellward fix! Or Edwalla : ) (I need my movie back, Traci!) Oh forget it, I'm going to Stephanie Meyer's website so I can thank her for how she ended it and to start on Twilight: From Edward's Perspective! Gotta go!

I've got ants in my pants

I want to go on vacation like everyone else! I just want to get out of town for a week. Or two. Vegas is calling my name something fierce! Or I want to do something crazy, like some extreme adventure expedition in which I'm returned in one piece but stocked up on a new appreciation for the great outdoors or turtles or something. I don't really feel like laying around on a beach or a cruise ship allowing myself useless thinking time. Although some co-workers just got back from Alaska and their pics are AMAZING! Have you ever stopped to realize that maybe this is it? Like THIS is all you're ever going to do in life? I'm having one of those moments. I just finished reading some of Liz's blogs and she's got a ton of exciting thing happening in her life: husband getting out of the military, preparing to end a chapter here, step-son eating third-world delicacies, nieces losing their first tooth, etc. Then, thanks to Facebook, i found out another eligible bachelor from college got married. I barely recognized my friend's 5 year old son, he's getting so big! And here I am, with my two dogs, doing the same daily routine, having corn-on-the-cob again for dinner, rotating my M-F wardrobe....AHHH!!! Now wonder I haven a hankerin' to buy a new car and smartphone! I need a change! I want my hair to grow out and look halfway decent. I want to be able to manage my time a little better so I can blog more. Commit to some Y classes. Get my house in order. I know this was all brought on because I found out today marks the halfway point in the year. We're already on the downward slope toward New Year's Eve. For some reason I'm freaking out about it. Well, not really "freaking out" per se, just being reflective about how much of 2009 I've wasted doing....what?! Just making it? Just BEING? I don't want to just BE! I want to look back on my life & know I took advantage of every minute. And that little thought is courtesy of the Farrah Fawcett special. Doggone my sleepless mind (with a little help from my first Eskimo Hut treat)!

I'm Done!!!

***spoiler alert if you haven't finished all four Twilight books!!*** 

I finished Breaking Dawn!! I really thought Bella was a goner so I'm VERY happy with the ending! I was really apprehensive and had NO idea what might happen in that field so of course I'm bawling my eyes out when she's telling Reneesme that she'll have to leave them & go with Jacob. OMG I was a mess. Willie & George were looking at me like I was crazy : ) 

I've had several friends tell me it took them anywhere from seven to 10 days to read all four books (approx 500 except for the last one which is 754 pgs!). I'm apparently a really slow reader and very sleepy because I kept falling asleep. Not because the book wasn't interesting but I'd stayed up late the night before and it'd catch up to me every other day or so. 

So this month-long journey I've been on has really drained me! I'm VERY happy with the ending so it was all worthwhile. I think this last one was my favorite. I read it faster than I did the other three. It's weird to think back to the innocence and new relationship of Bella & Edward in Twilight to where they ended up in Breaking Dawn. 

I'm SO ready to see how the movies play out!

All Caught Up

On my sleep that is! I'm telling you, these Twilight books are a butt kicker when you actually have responsibilities! 

So your exciting your's truly passed out while reading last night about 6:30, woke up at 8:30 and was in bed by 9pm. On a Friday!! And I wonder why I'm single. I'm gonna go hunt me down a Shriner Sugar Daddy this weekend!

How do you people with kids DO it?!

i could never been a new mom....i got four hours of sleep last night and am dragging! : ( SO sleepy! i've heard horror stories of how many hours new moms get so i can empathize (at least today : ) and in the evenings i'm not about to do anything strenuous so i can't imagine chasing kids around the house or driving them around from this sports game to that musical instrument lesson, etc. seriously, is it the B12 i keep hearing kellie rasberry raving about? 

when i told one of my co-workers i didn't make the best choices last night & stayed up too late, she was like, "did you go drinkin' last night?!" how funny is THAT?! i quickly reminded her i wasn't 23 and i'd stayed up late to work on stuff from a committee i'm on and station stuff. pretty boring, huh?! : ) go me! i was dreaming about going to bed as soon as i cracked my open this am! it's gonna be a long day...

Memorial Day memories 2009

Here are some cool things I saw or heard today: the ragin' chocolate milk Falls! (wow, yucky muddy!) a gianormous American flag covering the entire front of Colonial Baptist Church. SO cool!! Willie & George running with so much happiness during our walk a curtain of cottony fluff between me & the sun that George kicked up ahead of me on our walk (other than the whine of the model planes flying overhead) hearing the lapping of the lake, music of the insects & otherwise complete silence hottie Hugh Jackman kicking some serious Wolverine and mouth-sewen-shut-Ryan-Reynolds-bad-Mutant XI butt!! hearing a customer actually reacting to something I said during my remote & inquiring about a car at the Herb Easley! Maybe I CAN sell cars! : )

Mama's Day

Last year I had a really hard time with Mother's Day. For some reason this day, which I had never really celebrated to a degree before, suddenly became very heavy on my heart. Maybe it was the realization that I had such a crappy, nonchalant attitude while my mom was still alive. But now that she was gone, I was missing out. Stupid reasoning but kind of goes along with the whole "you don't miss something till it's gone." Anyway, the weeks leading up to Mother's Day 2009 were getting me anxious and I really didn't want to have a repeat of last year. Especially since my dad's new wife has been here a little over a year now. She's really great. SO nice and gracious, loves animals and REALLY loves my dad. She had only been in town a few weeks before Mother's Day 08 so I really didn't have the connection that I do now. So for the first time, sadly ever I think, I'm ready for Mother's Day. I have her pressies all ready do go. Well, I need a box, but then I'm done. Well, I need to fill out the card but then I'll REALLY be done. It's weird that I'm prepared for a holiday. I'm usually wrapping stuff 10 min before I leave the house. But Mother's Day is also a day I reflect on the fact that I'm NOT a Mom in the traditional way. I have Willie & George and that puts me in the Pet Parent category. But I'd like to think that being a Mom ultimately means sacrificing needs and wants and giving of yourself to someone else. Whether that's your kid, your aging parent or a co-worker. So to all the woman out there, who sacrifice, love unconditionally and clean, have a WONDERFUL Mother's Day!!!

Don't accidentally kill yer dog

My friend, Casey made the brilliant idea that we should eat salad for dinner every night for a month. So I stocked up on the healthy stuff Sunday and got ready for this very challenging task.....which I've already broken with tonight's Filet-o-Fish but at least I lasted a couple days. Well, actually I had salad AND some other veggies, fruit & cake last night for the Wildcats Banquet so, ok, I lasted ONE day. Don't judge me. 

Anyway the reason I'm posting this is because the ONE day (Monday) I did eat salad, I gave Willie & George some raw broccoli but as I gave it to them, I suddenly wondered if that was on the "bad food for dogs" list. Thankfully, two days later, they're still alive 'n kickin and I just came across this article on Yahoo! that actually covers the good & bad people food for puppies. Thankfully (most) fruit & veggies made the "good" list. In the big NO-NO category: chocolate. Which I had a dog + chocolate = scariness experience last week on vacation. But I'll tell you about that later. 

I was surprised to read the real reason dogs eat grass and I'm very glad to know all the hassle I have with brushing their teeth is worth it! 

Here's the article: 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29780984/?GT1=43001&pg=2#Health_CreatureComforts_PetMythsaw broccoli but as I gave it to them, I suddenly wondered if that was on the "bad food for dogs" list. Thankfully, two days later, they're still alive 'n kickin and I just came across this article on Yahoo! that actually covers the good & bad people food for puppies. Thankfully (most) fruit & veggies made the "good" list. In the big NO-NO category: chocolate. Which I had a dog + chocolate = scariness experience last week on vacation. But I'll tell you about that later. 

I was surprised to read the real reason dogs eat grass and I'm very glad to know all the hassle I have with brushing their teeth is worth it! 

Here's the article: 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29780984/?GT1=43001&pg=2#Health_CreatureComforts_PetMyths

Holy humidity and bald tires, Batman!

Ok, so this humidity is the reason I don't live in Houston or anywhere near a coastline!! I can hardly breathe! And what little time I spend on my body-less hair is for nought. 

Did you know your car will fail the annual State Inspection if your tires are too bald? My dad casually pointed out that I might need some new tires a week or so ago so luckily I budgeted that in this month but I guess I'm gonna have to go back to the inspection place AFTER I get the tires. Oh well. 

Update on my Twilight obsession: 
I think I'm cured. I didn't watch the movie with director & stars commentary yet because I bought the book & spent all weekend reading. I finished on Tuesday and would've been done sooner if I hadn't kept falling asleep. I feel horrible for hating the writing style so much. And my hatred for Bella as a gangly, awkward, klutsy "normal" girl grew page by page. Ok, we get it! She's NORMAL and he's an ANGEL with a chest of marble. So after not reading a single sentence of JK Rowling's Harry Potter epic, I had to vote for her on Tony's poll question the other day. I feel like a Twilight traitor! But, right now, I'm blaming it on watching the movie first. So I AM going to read New Moon before the movie comes out in Nov. But if that doesn't go well either, I'm done with this book series....I'll stick to the movies.

I have a problem

This was a blog I originally posted at 929nin.com......

Hello. My name is Little Meg. And I'm addicted to Twilight. 

In the span of a 5 day movie-rental, I saw it four times and watched all the deleted scenes and extra stuff. 

Then yesterday I broke down & bought the two-disc version & watched all the extra, extra stuff off the second disc. 

My plans for the weekend include tracking down a copy of the book and watching the movie again, this time with commentary from Catherine Hardwicke, Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson. 

I need help.....

-------

And here's a response I got from rosalie72...

You are in good company with your Twilight addiction. It seems everyone I know, even a little older ladies like myself (hu hum..36) are fascinated by Twilight. I saw the movie first and didn't think much of it until I read the book, then the second book New Moon, and boy I was hooked! Now I watch to the movie just to see the characters! 

Be ready for a tear jerker in New Moon. Stephenie Meyer's writing does get better with each book. She doesn't have a degree in writing, but she should have a degree in good story telling! 

Oh yea, if your still a twi hard in a few months, there's a TwiCon in Dallas July 31 to August 2!

------

My only question at this point is, what exactly do you DO to earn a degree in English?  I mean besides reading what else do you do in/for class??  Hmmm, let me think....

I'm still going to read New Moon though.  

Miracles DO Happen!

As a single female, it's VERY hard and frustrating to know when you need to heed the advice of a mechanic. Especially if they tell you things could get very bad if they don't fix the problem on your car and oh, by the way, it's going to be $600-$700!! 

So for the last month, I've been driving around town with the fear of God in me that at any moment my car could go kla-blooie. I happened to be talking to some folks who thought my car was just the cutest & asked if I liked it. I told them I LOVE my car but was having some problems that I couldn't afford to fix right now. They told me about someone that does work "on the side" for my kind of car. Well, I'm Miss Rule Follower so after they told me it was legal, I got his number, made an appointment & as of yesterday afternoon, my car is fixed for $230!!! : ) Miracle One, check! 

The next miracle is really bittersweet for me. A few years ago, I moved into my parents, very cluttery house. The last year or so, I've decided I need to get my act together and find a real home for all this Stuff. Some of it is legitimate: decorations for holidays, camping equipment, Halloween costumes--you know stuff you don't use everyday but would like to have for that certain time of year. Granted, the stuff all added up over 30 years of marriage, two kids, etc but the majority of Stuff in this house, if it were up to me, would be recycled, trashed or donated. I've been trying for awhile to have dad/daughter time to go through said Stuff but something usually comes up and it still hasn't happened. 

Well when I pulled into my garage last night, I heard a constant hissing noise. I instantly thought that dude had pulled a fast one on me & my car wasn't entirely fixed, but then I saw water all over the garage floor. I freaked & ran into house so I wouldn't get electrocuted and called dad. He said it sounded like the water heater had busted. Sure enough it was. And it turns out, any Stuff on the garage floor is wet & pretty much ruined. So while I'm sure we're going to come across some things that are sentimental, the clean-out process has begun!!

Spring Cleaning

It makes me sad that the only motivation I have to clean my house is when I know someone's coming over. 

My uncle from Alaska is coming to town & is probably only staying one night but nonetheless I've been cleaning for two days now. Granted I haven't cleaned since it was 2008 (I know, gross!) but with all the sweat equity I've put out in the last two days, I feel pretty confident I can safely eat on any surface in any part of my house at this point. 

Did you know walls get dusty?! 

Thanks to my self-prescribed ADHD, staying with one cleaning project at a time is pretty hard. 

Example: I was scrubbing off the spray-on-caulk (don't ask) from the guest bathtub when I decided to rinse off the washcloth. Since I'm not that well-educated in the proper order of items to clean (ie top to bottom) and had already cleaned the bathroom sink to a sparkly spotfree shine, I decided to use the kitchen sink. On my way back to the bathroom, however, I glanced at the backdoor to be horrified at how gross the doggie door was. While sweating up a storm on all fours, I noticed some spots on the door so I wiped at those and when it came off, decided there was more wipe-able grossness that needed to come off. Needless to say, the backdoor (both sides), the doggie door flap (both sides), frame of the door and the baseboards leading into the kitchen are now spotless! Thank goodness for toothbrushes being able to get into those cracks & corners! I finally made it back to the bathroom and am quite happy with it's clean, fresh result! 

If anyone uses that bathroom before the guests arrive, I'll freak!

Tips on how to be happy today

According to Deepak Chopra : ) I would've had NO idea who this guy was if it weren't for the Razzie Award-Winning Movie of the Year, The Love Guru starring Razzie Award-Winner, Mike Myers. Since watching that movie (that I now own proudly thank you very much!), I've come across Deepak's name several times. 

So when I saw this article on msn.com, I thought I'd take a looksie. Seems like pretty good advice, especially if you're watching the news everyday and are bombarded about how crappy our financial situation seems. He has a good point that it takes a crisis to bring out the really important, human emotions (think: family member's death). And I like what he says about living in fear. Check it out for yourself.... 


http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/article.aspx?cp-documentid=18631691&GT1=32001

Little kids & old folks rock!

I did my very first triathlon today! Well, it was actually a sprint triathlon which means it was WAY shorter than a normal triathlon but, nonetheless, I swam, cycled & ran my little legs off for a total time of 1.10:32 in Duncan, OK! I'm just glad I didn't drown in the pool or puke on the track! The Simmons Center by the way is SUPER nice!!!

There was a guy next to me on the spin bike (all the events were indoors thank goodness!!) who was ALL about kicking some booty and was pretty intense. His son, about 8 years old, would come up to him & ask him if he wanted something to drink and the dad would be really short with him & told him a few times he couldn't talk right now. The son would go back & stand with the rest of the family for a few minutes and would come back to see if his dad needed anything. It made me smile that the kid was trying to be so helpful. But I wanted to smack that dad for being such an A. I mean what the heck was he trying to prove? Was he really trying to win a big, red trophy so it could sit on a shelf and collect dust while showing his son how unappreciated he was? I just peddled along and watched the pre-recorded Texas countryside go by on the screen in front of me as I jammed out to some really peppy music courtesy of some hip volunteer (thanks!).

As I was trying to stifle a burp which could've turned into projectile vomit (sometimes you never know how it's going to come out esp when pushing yourself to barely breathing points) during my run, I looked down into the cycling area & there was a fraking kid on one of the bikes! I found out later he's 12 and is "a runner." I thought that was pretty funnny...at 12 he was identified as A Runner. I wonder what I was at 12 : ) Then I noticed a grandma at the back of the room peddling away. I ran into a few more mature women and really appreciated seeing them there. This event was really tough for me so I can't imagine being their age & exerting all that energy!

So if you've never done a triathlon, start small with the sprint & do the Give It a Tri in Duncan next year.

(one of my) 2009 Resolution(s)-DONE!

Maggie freaking Moos!! And other stuff....

I can't believe I'm just now writing about our newest & most delicious store in town! Maggie Moos (next to United Market Street) has been open for a couple weeks now & I went last Saturday for a VERY sweet treat!! I got the Better Batter Cake Carnival in a waffle cone and it was AMAZING!!! The only reason I won't get it again is because I want to try something new next time but also the ultra-cold Twix was nacho much fun. I hadn't thought how the frozen the caramel would be. So, I'm definitely thinking the Red Velvet Cake Fresh Escape is next on Meggie's Menu! : ) You can start searching for YOUR first treat here:

http://www.maggiemoos.com/ice_cream___treats/Fresh_Escapes/

Believe me, there are SO many options, you'll need plenty of time to sit down & think!

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I'll be checking off my first New Year's Resolution (I have been pretty good with the flossing but I can't really check that off till 12/31/09) in a couple weeks with my first sprint triathlon. It's in Duncan and it's on a Sunday which is kind of weird that it's on the Lord's Day but whatever. I'm sure His name will come up during the course of swimming 300 m, cycling 8 mi and finishing up with a nice run of 3 mi (Oh Jesus help me not die today. Oh Sweet Jesus, please don't let me drown, etc). So I'd appreciate any shout-out prayers you have for me March 1st. The girls indicated they want to come with so I hope there's lots of hot guys for them to ogle while I'm trying to not drown & die. Assuming I don't, I think we're gonna hit the Dented Can Store. I can't wait!!

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So today during Kidd's Zine Scene, they brought up the ever-applicable weight issue and Kidd said "people that have a few extra pounds are happy. skinny people aren't happy, they're hungry. they have no one to eat with. and you have no time to work out because you have a social life..." It just got me to thinking that besides a few frustrating moments at CPAA meetings or being really busy and stressed out, I am happy. I have a pretty consistantly-busy social life (thanks ladies) so I don't have a lot of time for extra stuff like going to the gym, checking myspace or facebook or for that matter, doing housework : ) Well, I DO the housework, but it's not high on the priority list especially when it's just me & the boys who have to see it.

40 lbs of baby fat

No friends, you haven't missed anything major happening in my life. Like a baby. Or finding the man of my dreams. No, this is about my stupid weight and my crappy self-image. Again. I'll make it brief since I'm bumming myself out pretty quickly.

I'm really considering going to a hypnotist so he make me believe that I have a hankerin' for salad and dispise sweets. Oh and I'll see if it's extra to cast a I-crave-working-out spell on me. Like just now for example....I had a class at 5:30 but at 5:00 I decided I was too tired to change my clothes and excrete any sweat for the next hour. I just really don't know what it's going to take for me to change my food/(lack of) workout habits. Am I going to have to be diagnosed with something horrible before I start caring about myself and feeding my pie-hole with good stuff instead of chinese buffet and Filet 'o Fish's?

My friend started paying attention to her portions & started eating "normal" portions & lost about 4 lbs in a week! Seriously?! Why can't I get it together?

Well this blog is shot. Kory just showed me some Youtube videos (failblog--best man & mug shot just name few) and they were freaking hilarious so I don't feel like being negative anymore.

I'll figure it out later.

Toilet Time

Well this'll be funnier for you than it was for me. Apparently I have a love affair with the toilet. Pre-usage by the way. I'd never tell the world my private-time if the commode had served it's purpose....

Anyway, within a 10 day period of time, I have dropped two items into the toilet! I had just arrived at Office Depot when I ran to the restroom. The toilet holder thing had a little flat surface so I set my purse on it. As I was turning around from locking the door, I watched it falling into the toilet. It's a little purse. It didn't get too many things wet but I was already grossed out so I went next door to Target & bought another purse.

Then Monday, I my work badge/ID flew off my sweater & into the toi-toi. At least with my purse, it floated....but my badge...at the bottom of the basin : ( Yucky!

I definitely had second thoughts while I was checking messages while on the pot, knowing things come in threes. But the phone's still intact!

My legs on the other hand aren't. This boot camp at the Y is kicking my booty! I really just hope for the best (aka cleanliness) when I have to put my hand on the toilet seat ring in order to sit down. Otherwise I'm sliding my hands along the wall, assisiting my sore quads in yet another squat position (that I've already done repetitive sets of) in order to do my bis-nass.

I'm freaking poor

Well, I the last few days I had several thoughts of "I need to remember to blog about that" but, alas, I never did so, another alas, I can't remember what the hell I wanted to talk about.

So I'll tell you how I had an epiphany yesterday. It actually goes back to about a year or so ago, when I was crying to my dad about how there's no men in WF that I have anything in common with and will be doomed to be single forever. My dad told me very matter-of-factly (a tone I DIDN'T want to hear at that moment) that if I wanted to meet guys I had something in common with, I probably should be doing those activities. I totally blew him off and realized he was a man & in a generation that had NO idea what I was dealing with as a young woman in the 21st century.

Then my friend, Casey went out of town. Without me. What the hell?! Seriously it wasn't that big of a deal (she's spending her weekend pasting down pics of events that happened to her in 2005 & pieces of paper onto a bigger pieces of paper and then doing God knows what with the scrapbook), but I realized she's doing something she loves to do. I suddenly had a flashback to my conversation with doesn't-know-what-he's-talking-about dad and put 2+2 together.

Now, I don't know what Casey's chances are of meeting a man that shares her passion for Scrapbooking, but I realized I need to start "getting out there." I came up with a plan. I'm going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I have a friend that goes all over the world & has climbed a ton of mountains. He told me climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was not technical at all so that's why I decided on that one. You know, as opposed to Everest. Kidding!

Well, my dreams are already dashed : ( Since I have no friends that would want to do that, I started looking for organized trips. I only looked up two. The first one scared the hell out of me about all the pre-planning you have to do to get your visa. You apparently have to send your passport off somewhere. I'm not down with that. I found later where you could get a visa from any port going into Tanzania which made me feel a little better. This website clearly stated "no strangers in your group" which, on any other occasion would be fine, but I NEED strangers to be in my group : ) The second website looked pretty cool and was definitely a whoever-wants-to-sign-up thing. But it's a 17-day long trek that starts at....$7400!!!! I have the time to take off from work but I don't have that kind of dough! Holy crap there's no way I'd have that kind of money EVER! Well, no, I take that back, I might have that saved by 2019! I'll give myself a 10-year cushion. Man, this money thing sucks!

I feel like watching Moulin Rouge!

Willie & George didn't make the list

Being the dog lover I am, I really enjoyed this article today about the most common and UNcommon pet names for 2008. Check out the story here:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28540800?GT1=43001

Make sure to click on the Most Popular & Most Unusual Name list to the left of the article for some really great ideas for your next family member! : ) I personally love Rush Limbark and Edward Scissorpaws : )

So I went on an office-supplies shopping spree the other day (I LOVE office supplies--pens, highlighters, organizers, etc) and found a FABULOUS pen! So I quickly put my name on a little sticker and taped it to my pen because, you know, pens grow legs. Well, I realized today that I'd misplaced my beloved pen! I found it in the Buzz studio, mixed in with the common Bics and Papermates. Puh-leeze! So I learned a valuable lesson....putting your name on a pen doesn't mean it's going to walk itself back to your In-box. Now I know why geeks have the pocket protectors! I'm just shy of putting mine on a string and hanging it around my neck : ) Just call me Pen-on-a-Rope-Meggie!

It's Monday after a holiday, folks!

Holy crapola it was a busy day! I guess everyone had a crappy holiday season and wanted to find out where their Christmas checks were and take their grinchiness out on us. The phone's were ringing off the hook and EVERYONE was coming into the office to check on stuff. I put out lots of fires and got zero work done which doesn't make me happy at all! : ( I want to be productive tomorrow.

I went on a shopping spree yesterday. I bought lots of pens & highlighters and a day planner! I LOVE office supplies! So I'll be set on Meggie's-only pens for awhile! : ) I also bought a new wallet & little purse to hold my chappy-chap stick, lipstick & eyedrops at Target. And I almost bought a swimsuit. Across from the purses there were racks of brand new swimsuits out on display! Then that Yoplait commercial popped in my head with the girl who has her itsy-bitsy teeny-weenie yellow polka dot bikini hung up in her room and she's walking around eating yogurt being mindful that she's going to have to fit in that bikini come summertime. So I thought that'd be great motivation for me too. But they were REALLY tiny! Some of the tops were cute but the bottoms.....I really think I'd have to resort to surgery to fit into.

Our office Biggest Loser started today. I don't think I can force myself to write the actual number but it's the heaviest I've ever been. I want to say I almost started to cry but I didn't. I felt crappy about it but that just means I have ALOT to lose which hopefully means a big money pot come end of March. When I told Ellen my goal weight, she said there's no way I could get there based on the booty I've inherited. I'm kind of glad she's a borderline outspoken B because I'm using that as motivation to prove her wrong.

My triathalon class starts back up tomorrow morning at 5:45. My group is starting off running sprints then swimming. I'm NOT looking forward to running outside. I really hate to wuss-out but if I get too cold, I'm coming back in & running on the track or treadmill. I better get home & to bed so 4:30 won't seem so crappy. Oopsie, Texas just scored again (17 to 6). Dave won't be happy if his Buckeyes don't win. NIN listeners, watch out tomorrow from 2-7! : )

Here I come to save the day....

"Help a stranger once a month"....check!

So I have January's resolution done!

Casey & I had just run to Hobby Lobby to pick up our gnome (who will be following us around everywhere we go) and were on our way to Meers for din-din when we decided we were famished and needed to get a snack at the McDonald's on SW Pkwy and McNiel. As we sat in the left-hand turn lane, Casey said "don't look." Well, of course I looked & saw a doggie coming from McNiel & crossing OVER SW Pkwy. The light had just turned green for straight-goers but they saw what was going on & waited. The dog was very confused and was coming right towards us. I immediately opened the door and called to the dog. I've called out to dogs before but usually they run the opposite direction but this one actually came over! He jumped in the car and promptly sat on my lap.

He was a pretty big dog so his face was right in Casey's "space" which wouldn't have been so bad but he was drooling pretty heavily. Well, our light was still red so we just sat there & sat there & Casey's freaking out "get his face away from me! He's drooling on me!" I couldn't help but laugh because the dog was so big (about 50 lbs) that there was no where for him to turn around or move to.

Our light finally turned green & we drove down the steet next to McDonald's that turns into a residential neighborhood trying to figure out what to do since he didn't have a collar (stupid pet parents!!). We stopped and I opened the door to let the dog out which he did but he kept circling the car. I felt so bad and didn't want him to head back towards SW Pkwy for God's sake so I called my friend, Traci who's hubby used to work in Animal Control. She told me Animal Control does work on the weekends so I immediately called & had them paged. A woman called back a few minutes later. I was sitting on the curb at this point with doggie with Casey safe and drying out in the car. She said she'd be able to come out to get the dog in about 35 minutes. So I suggested Casey run to Micky D's to get some water for the dog.

I got alot of looks from residents coming down the street. Casey returned & doggie drank some water but not the volume I'd have guessed he'd needed. So again, I thought he had to be someone's dog if he'd had access to water recently. This man in a red pickup drove by & asked us what we were doing. After we explained he offered to give us some rope. Then gave us his address in case we wanted to drop it by his house after we were done. He was Mr. Know It All because he asked if we knew what was going to happen once Animal Control got there. I covered doggies ears while he said "they're going to put him down." I thanked him for the rope and was very happy to see him leave.

Animal Control arrived about 20 min after we called them and this very nice guy talked to us for a little bit & explained they'll hold a dog in Reclaim for about 5 days and then it'd be up to the Humane Society to take him over there.

So if you know of anyone that has an Airedale Terrier/maybe German Sheppard mix dog that's about 50 lbs, I think male, lost Sunday afternoon about 3pm (i'd include a pic but my phone's being stupid), contact me so I know he's gone back home.

A year ago today....

I wrote the following blog. And here are my responses on how everything turned out and what I'm adding for 2009:

Ok I have to write these down before I forget them.

Some things I strive for this year is:

--to be more Green (sorry Casey, I totally stole that one from you). Specifically by taking a cloth bag with me when I go to the store. We have so many plastic bags it's sick. But I do kind of recycle those when I line them in my wastebaskets. And I'm going to continue to turn out every light when I'm done at work & then run to the hallway as fast as possible because I'm scared of the dark. And after my dad leaves, I'm going to turn the thermostat down to 64 a) so I can save energy and b) so I can save some money. I'll be a Little Meg Popsicle but I'll be saving the environment damnit!

I have been VERY good about the cloth bag thing! I read an article in my new favorite magazine, Positively Green, about a girl who kept forgetting her bag so to get herself to remember to bring it in, would leave her future purchases in the store, and run out to her car to get her bag. That happened to me once & it happened to be a very cold day so I sure remember now! Dad did move out and I have the thermostat set at 71 which is pretty cold sometimes but I throw on my fleece PJ's and cover up with an extra blankie. I'd like to re-word that last line to say "I'll be a Little Meg Popsicle but I'll be saving some money damnit!" I'm also going to see about how we can get recycling at HHH '09. And I'd like to conserve more water. I can start by figuring out how to fix my leaky faucet in my bathroom sink & shower and the kitchen sink.

--support local businesses as much as possible. (Almost) Everyone's Christmas present came from local businesses this year & I really felt good about it. While I appreciate big corporations & the freedom to grow as big as possible as a business, I really appreciate the fact that we have the freedom to be a small business owner. They all started small. And I really admire folks that take that leap & put their finances and personal lives on the line to keep it operating.

I did this somewhat throughout the year and just a few times for Christmas. I still feel the same way and there are a few new local businesses that I'm going to support the hell out of (Vincent's and Paw Spa Bonetique) as much as I can this year.

--lose at least 20 lbs. My reunion is this year & I'm determined to be smokin' hot by July! I will accomplish this with the Best Life Diet. Go Bob! I'm also going to try to change my thinking about food. Because all food, no matter how expensive or delicious or abundant ends up exactly the same....in the toilet.

Well, it doesn't matter that I have no idea what my weight was 1/2/08 as I definitely did NOT lose 20 lbs by July or anytime last year. I feel confident enough to say that I probably gained 20 lbs this year. I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I'm just sick of this crap. The office Biggest Loser competition starts on Monday and my goal will be to win it. I'll be going back to my Triathalon Class three days a week and starting a Boot Camp three days a week and hope to be at the gym or doing something healthy six days a week. And I pray I don't injure myself. My views on food are still the same. I love sweets. I love junk food. I just need to realize I can still have that but just not as much and not as often. I'm planning on signing up for Weight Watchers online and per my quote in TRN will try to shove as much green in my piehole as I can. I'd really like to be down to 110 lbs and stay that way till I have a baby (which I have no plans for in the near or far future).

--to, if I haven't already, tell my friends & family how much they mean to me. I've been really crappy at keeping in touch with family and I'd like to either send handwritten notes or emails to my relatives on a somewhat consistant basis.

Haven't really done this one either. I'll keep this on my list for '09 and logisically would like to send a handwritten note to a friend or family member once a month. Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture talked about how much he valued handwritten notes and I really do too so I'm going to start a'writtin'.

--not be so cluttery at home. My room's a freaking disaster and it's because I keep stuff and don't have time to sort it out & now it's out of control & I feel overwhelmed. So this year I'll try to remember to think about if I want to keep said piece of clutter & if so, where I need to put it or throw it away/recycle it. If I don't use it or wear it, I need to get rid of it.

My room's still a freaking disaster but thanks to Casey, I'd have done NOTHING about this one. I did two big clean-outs this year and between the both of us, we gave away alot of stuff. I have NO recollection of what I gave away so it must've meant alot, right?! I have a long way to go. Ultimately I want to clean out the storage unit that's costing me $77/m. When I started thinking about it, I realized if I cleaned out Dad's room and the garage, I might be able to at least move the storage unit stuff over and sort it out later. It just seems so overwhelming and looming. I just need to sit down & give myself a deadline and stick with it. One of my new goals is to spend 30 min/day doing some kind of housework. I'm hoping that way, I won't look around one afternoon and say to myself that I need to vacuum, do the dishes, take out the trash, do laundry, dust, straighten up, find places for things.

--some things I want to do/places to go: Irish Festival in Fair Park in March, Red River Wine Festival, Petapalooza in the metroplex, Oktoberfest in Muenster, Vegas in March and reunion in July. As a natie Texan & having lived here for like eight years now, I have never been to the State Fair so I'd like to go this year. I want to go somewhere either in the fall or maybe next Christmas--cruise maybe?

I did GREAT on this one! I went to the Irish Festival (fun), Red River Wine Festival (always fun), my reunion (awesome to see my friends) and the State Fair of Texas (lots of fried food was consumed and good times were had). I also went to the Oklahoma State Fair (really fun but my feet/legs were hurting so bad by the end of the day that was kind of a drag). Casey & I went to Muenster but I think it was Germanfest. Vaca's this year: Phoenix for spring break, Hershey, PA for July 4th week.

--finish paying my last & final school loan. I'll have to save paying off my overdraft account for next year.

Finished paying my school loan right before my reunion. What a great feeling! I realized I was paying through the nose on interest on my bank overdraft account so I transferred the balance to a 0% interest credit card and I'll work on having that all paid off by 12/09 (if not before).

--I think I secretly want to put "that I'll go on at least five dates" but I don't want to put that pressure on myself. Plus it's not a resolution and it's an out-of-my-control goal so....I'm not going to include that one.

Yeah, this didn't happen either. TRN's own Richard Carter suggested to Casey & I that we each ask out someone that was out of our league. I'm intrigued. I'm letting it marinate. If the mood strikes me, I'm going for it. I'm still going to see if the girls will chip in $100/each so I can go on a It's Just Lunch : )

That's all I can think of at this point but I reserve the right to add things to the list if they should arise. Life changes don't always have to start with the beginning of a new year!

I'd love to reflect on 2007 a little bit but to be honest, I really can't remember a whole lot that happened this year.

Still can't remember what happened in '07.

I went through some crappy times at work for a few months which had me seriously looking for other employment opportunities. But after awhile and a demotion later, things got better. Maybe I was just too chicken shit to actually leave and start somewhere new. Or maybe I was just being what they call a responsible adult. I really wanted to get my bills paid off and I was scared if I left, how that'd affect my goal of being about 80% debt free. But I stayed and finally paid off over $17,000 of credit card bills over the last five years. Which is funny because it took me about that long to rack them up. I almost wanted to cry with the lack of praise from CCCS. I wanted a freaking party! Or at least a note saying "good job meg! You did it!"

I DID get a lovely thank you letter from Prin telling me how grateful they were that I paid off my loan. I kept the letter.

I went on one bike ride this year. How sad. My bike is now barely visable with all the clutter (see above) in front of it, around, hanging off of it.

Bike's still kind of buried amongst clutter but accessable. Went to the Byers Bike Bash, TCC's Spook 'n Spoke and the Ride of Silence. And maybe rode the trail once. As slow as he was, I miss riding with my dad. I told myself to appreciate that time while we were riding and I did, but I still miss it.

I had another great (defintely my best) year at Hotter 'n Hell. The Finish Line Village kicked ass and greatly improved from the year before! I was very grateful for Casey & Jules for helping me out and were able to see what I spend months preparing for. And I was very happy that Traci got to see the riders as they flew plast the United. Even if she was just running up there to get breakfast & thought it'd be a quick errand : )

Well this year's Finish Line Village was even better than last year's. And thanks again to Casey & Jules for helping me announce bands while I put out fires. I am worried about how to handle some things next year. But I'm excited to expand and grow. And to keep in mind that ultimately I'm here to uplift guests and riders and not be bothered by little crap.

I just finished my first whole year of not eating meat. It's been weird at times and sometimes I wonder why I do it. Well, until Casey shoved the P.E.T.A. booklet in my face. But I sure do love my seafood!

Year two, done. Well, I did have a twice-baked potato at Roma's last week and thought I'd removed all the bacon that was on top but was informed mid-digestion that the bacon was mixed in throughout. Oh well.

Had some great times with my girlfriends this year! Vegas (in March? April?) and had the best time ever! New Year's Eve was awesome (even in jeans)! Even the typical weekend at OT, Toby's or BWW always brought some fun. Wildcats games are alwasy fun and I love giving away freebies to fan! I love to laugh & I did alot of it this year!

Ok, just a few more goals for 09 (not like I don't have enough already!):

--go off the grid for one day a month. No cell phone, no email and (weather permitting), no electricity. Basics baby, back to basics.

--just like my housework, instead of spewing out all the thoughts in my head at once, I'd like to blog 30 min/day.

--I want to be a better/nicer person. I want to start waving to fellow Beetle owners because we drive cute cars & save a lot in gas! I'd like to start doing random acts of kindness for strangers. Casey came up with a good idea-to pick 12 non-profits and donate something (probably time) to them.

--At my last teeth cleaning, I was informed I needed to be flossing at least once a day or else. Bad things could happen. So I started immediately but the last month or so has been slackerville & flossing by convience only. So I resolve to floss 365 times this year.

--I could've sworn I mentioned running a marathon in 08. Well, as it turns out, that didn't happen. But I have started a sprint triathalon class so I'm going to do one of those in March.

Ok, I gotta go home and go to freaking bed. But not till I floss!

My night with WFPD

No, I was not arrested on New Year's Eve! : )

As my friend Casey explained to someone that just couldn't understand why we'd want to do a police ride-along on the biggest party night of the year, "we've been to house parties, clubs, been with boyfriends & without boyfriends, been sitting at home alone--why not ride with cops on New Year's Eve?"

Thus was the thought process of our New Year's Eve plans. Last year we headed to a swanky club in Dallas (where I forgot to bring my freaking dress so there I was in jeans and a green fleece--but I still had a great time). This year we had NO plans and as Christmas quickly approached, Casey suggested we do a ride-along.

Now I thought ride-alongs were just for Alums or current members of the Citizens Police Academy, but as it turns out, ANYONE can do a ride-along. Just be prepared for them to do a background search on you.

We were told it would take a few weeks to process & get approval so we signed up a week before Christmas. We knew we wanted 3rd shift (11pm-7am) and had decided the Eastside beat was where it all the action would be. We were told by several different officers that Eastside was actually pretty quiet & if we wanted to be where the action was, to sign up for Downtown or The Hill (by Old High).

I called on Monday to check on the progress of the paperwork & was told it hadn't been approved yet. So with just two days left, Casey & I started making other plans (plan B: Kiowa Casino, plan C: OKC to go sledding in Bricktown). Casey called Tuesday and hers had been approved. I quickly called & was told mine had been approved as well! Oh happy day! Actually I wasn't as excited as I thought I'd be. Which kind of freaked me out a little since I'm all about doing new and unusual things. Maybe it the was the girl in Records who was less than enthused about my ride-along getting approved & gave short answers to my questions of "what do I do now? Where do I need to go?" Casey had some info from the woman she talked to (like what to wear and what NOT to wear) so that helped some.

Yesterday's T0-Do list contained a few items: work all day 8-5, do show & cut spot 5:30-?, take nap 6:30-ish, do ride-along 11pm. I was pretty on-target all the way up to station stuff. I actually finished 15 min head of schedule and headed home to get in a nap so grouchy Meg wouldn't make an appearance around 2:30am. I was almost home when I got a text from Casey that her & the 'rents were at Cracker Barrel and I was invited. Well, I love to be included and am self-diagnosed ADHD so I did a U-turn a block from my house & headed for some food. As soon as we were done though, all I could think about was getting some sleep.

I didn't sleep well. George was acting unusually clingy as I laid there trying to fall asleep. He crawled up right next to me, licked my face and laid his head down on my chest. I think I got maybe 20 min of sleep. After consciousness returned, I realized George was freaking out over the fireworks being set off in nearby neighborhoods. That worried me alot. I had visions of him managing to get the back gate open & running for the hills. Or worse...the VERY busy street a block away. Casey noticed I wasn't myself either as we headed to the Police Department. I just felt off.

10:15pm: My giddiness quickly returned as I picked up the phone to tell the lady behind the bulletproof window that we were here for our ride-along but I was so out of breath from the stairs, I started giggling because it sounded like I'd been running for help or something. We filled out another form and gave her our driver's license's in exchange for an official Ride-Along Badge! We chatted in the lobby till a little after 11pm when the doors flew open and two officers came in.

10:40pm: I'd been assigned to Officer M on the Downtown beat and Casey had Officer B on Southside. Casey on the other hand, wasn't that excited. We had talked about how one of us would probably have a great, action-packed time while the other was driving around investigating calls on strange people in alleys and hanging out at Stripes. Well, I knew I was the former! : )

11:10pm: Ofcr M & I jumped in cruiser and took off. And by "off" I mean "fast"! Holy cow that guy liked to drive like I like to drive but he could do it legally : ) We tore down 8th street and drove past all the downtown clubs including Rendezvous, The End Zone, Simba's and Odd's. All quiet in Falls Town. Ofcr M and I were definitely NOT on the same sense of humor level and I was having a hard time reading him so I tried to pose my questions to be as less annoying as possible. He seemed very professional and analytical which wasn't the ideal setting for bringing out the real me. He drove me around the perimeter of the Downtown beat which I thought was pretty large but he said was the smallest beat in town.

I asked what the craziest thing Ofcr M had ever seen or experienced while on duty. He said a cabbie flagged him and Casey's officer, Ofcr B down to tell him about a fare he'd just dropped off at this house downtown. The fare told the cabbie that he thought he'd just killed a guy and asked to use the cabbie's cell phone where he called his boss & told him the same thing. So Ofcr M and Ofcr B went to the motel where the guy was staying and sure enough, there was a dead body in the room. So they went to the house were this guy had been dropped off but he wasn't there. Well, another cabbie caught wind of what was going on and called in that HE'D just picked up that guy from the house & taken him to Wal-Mart. So every cop in town decended on this Wal-Mart and caught the guy--gun in pants and blood on his hands. This happened about a year ago. Where the heck was I?

11:40pm: Ofcr M & I met up with his partner at the MPEC parking lot. I wasn't really happy to see how few cars there were for Party in the Falls although the pics in Times Record News sure made it look cool. Officer M's partner, Officer R was very funny in a dry sense of humor way and was better known as, The Shit Magnet. Another officer pulled up on the other side of Shit Magnet so I couldn't really see or talk to him. Then another officer pulled up on my side. He was pretty handsome and I guess his job was to hand out the DWI's because he said if we saw anyone that looked drunk to hit him up. While we sat there talking, I checked my phone & Casey had texted: guy with knife at camelot. That was at 11:20. It was now 11:50 and I'd done & seen NOTHING exciting.

11:50pm: Another officer pulled over someone at 5th & Burnett, right next to where we were talking, so Ofcr M decided to back him up. Turned out he didn't need backing up but when he got back in the car, dispatch told him about a traffic stop from one of his sergeants several blocks away so we decided to back him up. This guy & girl were driving with no lights on and were pulled over. She had on a tank top and capri's...and no shoes. The guy was kind enough to put his arm around her but never gave her his hoodie. Jerk.

Midnight: I rang in the new year sitting in a patrol car watching a couple officers asking questions and taking a looksee in & around their car and listening to fireworks going off all over the place. Apparently they were clean, so we left and cruised around the neighborhood. We came upon a sparkler or some kind of firework in the front yard with a couple teens standing by. We turned the corner before we got to the house but we drove around the block and when we came back, just a few seconds later, it was like nothing had ever happened--no teens, no fireworks. Ofcr M said fireworks are the least of their worries since there's so many other, bigger issues. Which I was about to find out.

12:30am: We responded to a call of an assault at the Wal-Mart parking lot. A woman had been punched in the face & someone took off with her one-year-old. We sped over to the house that belonged with the car in question and found the kid with the baby's daddy and his friends/relatives standing in the front yard. Baby daddy was handcuffed and put in the back of the car. Him in the back. Me up front. Ofcr M talking to perp's friend or sister outside. He was quiet for awhile but then started talkin' crazy about how it was his birthday and he just wanted to be left alone with his family and he just wanted to see his daughter. I convinced myself that he was talking to himself until he said "Miss female, your husband looks like a good guy, could you just tell him I just want to be left alone..." I just continued with my text messages to Casey: "i'm alone with a perp. perp is talking to himself. perp is now crying." She was across town with a guy who had threatened to kill his wife. He's a hunter and had lots of guns and she had locked herself and the dog in the bathroom. I had heard dispatch calling about that and was sick to my stomach about the dog. At 12:31, Casey texted: "I'm a little scared right now." Thankfully the guy decided to make good choices and came out. At 12:34, she said, "shooter is handcuffed : ) I feel safe. this is the best new year eve ever."

1:00am: Ofcr M & I took our perp to jail. The whole way over, this guy's saying some of the most colorful curse words and nastiness I've ever heard. I almost wrote one of his insults down because it was so original. I was FINALLY able to get out of the car once we were inside the jail garage area. As I watched Ofcr M fill out paperwork, another cop car came in & out walked....the handcuffed hunter. The cop took him to the holding cage & came over to start his paperwork and I immediately asked how the dog was. He looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about so I filled him in that there was a lady & her dog locked in the bathroom for dear safety. He just laughed & said he knew me but didn't know from where. We took our perp into jail, Ofcr M did some more paperwork and headed out. Casey and her cop came in right as we were leaving.

1:30am: We patrolled the bars some more & then got a call about someone that was trespassing at the Flying J. Apparently you can get banned from gas stations. So we hauled down Jacksboro Hwy, didn't find the guy so Ofcr M and his partner shared info on their favorite flashlights.

1:47am: We were called out to Brenda's Bar for a fight outside the bar. Ofcr M said it was probably gang-related which kind of scared me. When we got there, there was a guy who directed us over to where the fighting was. I, again, had to stay in the car while I got to watch all the drunk party-goers stumbling around. Again, no one wearing a coat. What the freak?! I looked over at one point and saw my Ofcr and one of his partners walking back, very calmly, and there were angry-looking people all over the place. I realized how scary it must be to be in a situation where there are alot of people that may not like you but you have to obey the law and serve and protect. Then I noticed Ofcr M had locked me in the car. Then I got a little more nervous.

2:15am: We went immediately from Brenda's, down Jacksboro Hwy again, to Crazy Horse, to investigate a call on a guy who refused to leave. Apparently he doesn't know the 2am song "Closing time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here..." Weird. What did he think he was going to do? Make a pallet behind the bar? Once we got there, the guy in charge said pallet dude had just left but there was something going on around the side of the bar. We drove over & saw a girl screaming in this guy's face. Ofcr M & his partner went over & talked to them for awhile. Apparently the girl was trying to leave & the guy wouldn't move his car so the girl got out & slapped the guy. Stupid waste of time.

2:30am: Received a call about a high speed chase involving two vehicles over in the Eastside. We crossed beat-lines and saw that one of the vehicles was already pulled over & being heavily questioned so we mosey'd onto Lincoln looking for the other one. As we were rounding a corner, we were almost hit by the other car. Ofcr M flipped it in reverse and stepped on the gas. I grabbed the "oh shit" handle and was very nervous about not being able to see where we were going. Thankfully the guy we were chasing didn't put up too much of a fight & pulled over down the street. Ofcr M pulled his gun as he approaced the car and the driver seemed pretty cooperative as he got out & let Ofcr M handcuff him. About 2 seconds later, FIVE other patrol cars came screaming up for backup. Ofcr M came back to the car for something & told me I could get out if I wanted. I was SO excited to finally be outside outside! A few seconds later, I heard gunshots. Ofcr M had just been telling me that folks will call 911 to report gunshots fired when it really turned out to be firecrackers. But I knew it was gunshots. I didn't say anything but I knew I was right when the cops started looking at each other. Then all hell broke loose on the radio. I texted Casey at 2:59 that someone had been shot at The End Zone. She texted back at 3:00 that she & her cop were on their way. It seemed like forever but looking at the text messages we exchanged, it really happened quickly. Right after the shots & the reports from dispatch, most of the other officers left for the shooting but we had the guy in handcuffs. I was SO anxious that we were missing out on the ride-along event of the year! Ofcr M said the last time shots were fired & someone had been hit, it turned out to be more than one person that had been shot. And that the cops were shot at too. Ofcr M had called in to Records or whoever runs background checks and the guy was clear. He claimed he'd been jumped in the parking lot of a club and now everything was cool. So Ofcr M cut him loose & we hauled ass to The End Zone. Faster than before. But he still stopped at every sign & light.

3:03am: Arrived at 8th & Indiana and couldn't get anywhere near The End Zone because every other patrol car in town was there. The building across from the Flea Market blocked my vision to see what was going on on the other side. Ofcr M jumped out, locked the door & took off around the corner. I just assumed I'd be staying in the vehicle : ) Casey was three patrol cars ahead of me & right in the middle of the street so she gave me play-by-plays of the crowd standing around, the big gun that one of the officers had and her officer telling her the guy that had been shot probably wasn't going to make it. As the ambulance rolled past me, I could see the EMT giving compressions which was cool but freaked me out a little. I just sat in the car watching folks walking around the corner in their mini-skirts or walking into Club Rendezvous or driving by real slow. I saw our old friends driving-without-lights from earlier in the evening. I was glad to see the guy still wearing his hoodie and she had finally found shoes. It seemed like forever but about 3:30am, Casey's officer came over to get me and said he'd give us a ride back to the Police Department.

I turned in my Ride-Along Badge in exchange for my driver's license and almost felt like telling the girl I had the time of my life but she didn't look like she wanted any conversation. So I figured I'd tell y'all! Here's what was listed in the paper: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2009/jan/01/police-investigating-nightclub-shooting/

You think you know what it means to be a cop because you can SEE what they do on COPS. But this was really an eye opening experience on what they deal with and how they deal with it. I really respect the men & women in uniform so much more after spending a measly 4 1/2 hrs with them. They're young (Ofcr B is only 24) and, to me, seemed brave and in control of every situation I witnessed.

Sorry I haven't developed the Art of Brevity yet. It's on my to-do list.