Huongy-Poo: Adventures of a Poor Graduate Student

It's been quiet lately....

2010-07-26T16:18:00.002-05:00

Sadly, it's been a little quiet around my blog. Apologies to my 3 readers! Hahaha.

It's been crazy in Huongy-Poo land. Lots of school work to be done but the good news is...*drumroll* I graduate with my MS in August! WOO! Finally! I thought I'd never be done! I'll be having a little gathering in celebration. Don't get too excited though, I'll still be in school, trucking along to get the PhD. Sigh. Another 3 years? Most likely.

If you like to read funny things, then you should check out me and Husband's blog Conversations With My Wife. It's pretty funny. Lee and I re-create (to our best ability) our ridiculous conversations. I like to re-read them and laugh often.

I'll make a more substantial post later. It's hard though, since Lee usually posts about what we talk about and he's a better writer than I am. Curses upon him!

Food + Celebrations

2010-05-23T16:15:00.002-05:00

Have you ever noticed how much food plays a part of our lives? (You know, besides the whole nourishment of the body thing.)

We can't do anything without food. We can't:

* celebrate special occasions (birthdays, graduation, accomplishments, etc)
* go on a date (dinner, movie popcorn, etc)
* hang out with friends (dinner, snacks, movie watching snacks, potluck, etc)

I mean, I can't even be bored without food. I'm bored? To the fridge.

Food is tied up with our emotions. I often tell The Hubs that I'm "eating my feelings" whenever I'm stressed or terribly upset about something. (Also note: this is a gendered practice.)

Have you ever tried doing something without food? IT'S FUCKING HARD. The Hubs' parents take us out to eat every time they visit. Every time. Why is that? I think it's because going out to eat is a time-filler. It's a way to initiate conversation, without it being too "serious." I also think (just in general) that going out to eat as a way to socialize is safer. And by that I mean that going out to eat can take as little or as much time as you (the group) want. If the conversation is lacking, you can just leave and go your separate ways. On the other hand, if all involved are having a great time, you can just linger at the establishment.

People don't just get together to talk and engage in conversation anymore. People do it with their friends, co-workers (the inevitable "happy hour") and their family. After all, look at the holidays! I think for a lot of people, it's an excuse to eat an obscene amount of food and visit relations you only see a few times a year.

I have to wonder: Does that make our relationships superficial? What does it say to bonds between people that we cannot do anything without some sort of mediating "middle man" ?

I am not writing this as a judgment or to say "Look at them!"---obviously I do this as well. I'm reading some literature (to be blogged about later) that talked about a gathering of individuals (though it was a dinner party) where they talked about issues pertaining to their lives. Not superficial "How was your day? How was work?" talk. But deep seated issues that affected their everyday lives. This is the kind of thing I'd like to see, like to implement myself.

But how do I do that? How do you find like-minded individuals that are interested in conversation and dialogue? I think at my current point in life (graduate student)--that's probably a bit easier, as I am surrounded by like-minded people. But, I wonder, how would they feel about just getting together to initiate a dialogue?

The pups!

2010-01-28T16:40:00.001-06:00

October 2009

2009-10-20T20:17:00.003-05:00

Look at how big the kids have grown! My nephew is nearly 4 now and my niece is 6 months old. Jeez, how the time flies, eh? Jaylen is in headstart and Maryah is nearly crawling. I hadn't seen them both since July. Sad day.

Generally, not much is going on over here. I feel I should write more, but I often forget. Ha. School and work (new job) have been keeping me busy, along with procrastination and sheer laziness. The semester is nearly over and I still don't have my thesis, in fact, I've barely touched it since May. (I need to be punched, for realsies.)

Scout weighs about as much as Harper now, though she's still a few inches shorter. She's going to be a small boxer though, she's got a small frame. She is still crazy and I swear Harper deals her cocaine when we're not around.

Wedding/Hawaii time is fast approaching. We leave at the end of next month! The ceremony and everything is already booked so nothing to worry about there. We've got our rings. Now I just need to fit into my dress HAHAHAHA.

I saw a picture of myself from 4 or so years ago and could immediately tell the weight I've gained. Funny. You never think that you could "ever get any bigger" and ta-da! you do. It's like some sick part of me is self-sabotaging. Why can't I say no to a cookie? Why do I crave cheesey burgers and fries? Why are fries so freakin' delicious????? Ironically enough, I just watched Super Size Me and now I feel super gross. Even more ironic? I've got a friend visiting Friday and he wants to go to McDonald's. (It's a silly thing we do together--eat fries in mass quantities.)

I'd love to be able to eat healthier and know more about nutrition. Nutrition facts are hard to find and I can't seem to eat "healthier" without losing deliciosity. I don't know. And I've told Lee several times that he cannot be an enabler. This time, however, he seems to be doing well. He forever loves to surprise me with goodies. And of course those goodies are: chocolates, jalepeno cheese bread, and chips and salsa. I'm trying to be good! Of course, I could do better. *sigh* We've also started going back to the gym. Haha. Again. It's so hard when you have a limited budget--healthier food costs more unfortunately. You definitely pay to eat better.

Thus Far..

2009-08-06T13:05:00.002-05:00

Large Puppy Bed Sharing

Underbite Deluxe Puppy Yawns

Aren't the pups cute? Scout has gotten so big! She's basically half of Harper's weight now (Harper is 40 pounds) and she's still growing! She's a terror though and we need to start training with her soon (it's been on hold b/c of the move and everything).

Speaking of which, we've moved out of our crappy apartment and are now in a duplex with a yard. Yay! Having a yard is certainly nice. Especially when the dogs are being annoying and jumping around on each other, on the couch, on you, etc. We've implemented a new "get the eff of the couch" rule. It's going pretty well so far and I think that's in part to the new puppy beds we've bought them (pictured above). It's soooooo nice to not have to battle a pup for a spot on the couch or have them PLAY on the couch (so annoying!).

This summer, academically, was a waste. I've not done the work I should. I kept putting it off and then other things would pop up and BLAH BLAH BLAH [insert excuses here].

And now I find out that we may have to do some adjusting to our Hawaii trip....because when we booked it, I hadn't planned on taking any courses this Fall. Well now plans have changed and the dates we're booked means that I would miss the last two classes of the semester.....which is an issue since that's when presentations/papers/finals are due. I think we could move the dates, but it would cost monies ($$$$) which we don't have to spare. Otherwise, I could suck it up and have a crappy end of the semester (super busy finishing work early) OR I could go with the original plan of not taking anything but Research Hours, but I kind of see that as a waste of a semester, just for a week's worth of vacation. So who knows. I can't really make any decisions until I see the syllabus for the courses. I emailed both profs and of course one said "we'll work around your schedule" and the other said "that's problematic." And naturally that's the course I REALLY want to take. Sigh.

So school/wedding stuff is stressing me out right now. So until I know what's up with the trip/school complications I can't book the ceremony part or the bachelor-ette parties. And we've already sent out the Save-the-Dates. I bought a dress online. Let's hope it fits and/or I don't look gross in it! Money is so ridiculously tight right now it's not even funny. Things will be sooooo much better in January once all of the wedding saving is done and over with. Phew!

Lee has started making his blog random conversations that we've had. Haha. They are rather amusing. =)

Meet Scout!

2009-07-06T13:39:00.001-05:00

We got a new puppy. A female boxer we named Scout. Isn't she adorable??

She's still so tiny! She's 12 pounds now but she'll be much bigger later on.

Sisters! Harper & Scout looking adorable-licious.

She kept trying to sniff the camera...

Video Games

2009-06-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

If we're Facebook/Twitter friends, then you probably know that I was on an eBay frenzy all weekend. I have no idea why. I rarely go on eBay, and it's usually for something specific and I do the 'Buy it Now' option because I always lose the bidding race.

Well, for some reason, I was on eBay literally all weekend looking at video games!

Here's a list of what I bought (hahaha):

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)

Brain Age 1 & 2 (Nintendo DS)

Iron Man (PS3)

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Today I got Super Paper Mario and Iron Man in the mail. I bought Iron Man for Lee, so I can't comment on it (he likes the game) but Super Paper Mario is fun! I've never played it before but it's just my type of video game. I've always loved Mario games. I'm just not into the whole "shoot things" and "build things" type of games. I like the straightforward 'beat the level' type of games. You know, or Street Fighter or something hehehe.

I've played Little Big Planet before with Lee (he's rented it) and really liked it. It's fun--and different. And it's actually two player! I have a feeling Wario is much like the Mario games in terms of beating levels and such, so I'm sure I'll like it. Lee has wanted the Brain Age games for a while as well.

He also bought Mirror's Edge last week and really liked it.

Why are so many games one player now? Jeez. It's hard to find two player games!

He also wants Bioshock. But I told him we've got enough for now, haha.

I also really want a Wii Fit. I'm working on that one....

Call Me wink

2009-06-08T20:33:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, my contract with T-Mobile finally ends! Yay! Lee and I are going to switch to AT&T. He's currently with Sprint. We both basically hate our service/phones (Lee's is worse).

We're going with AT&T because they have better service/coverage. Lee hardly has any coverage when traveling and mine just drops constantly...when I'm in my apartment.

We plan on getting LG Xenon's. They look awesome, to say the least. AND they are running a 'buy one get one free' sale thingy!

I'm going to keep my number, since I've had it for five years. Lee is getting a new number.

I can't wait!

Random Blatherings

2009-05-31T13:58:00.002-05:00

Well, the semester is over. Finally. Yay! However, my work is never done. I still need to re-work my thesis proposal (boo) and then find some data for my thesis. I might even do interviews. And then I get to WRITE the thesis! Woo hoo! ..... or something. It probably won't be that bad actually. But I've got to complain about something.

I'll probably be done or near done with my thesis by the end of the summer, if all goes according to plan (but when does it?). I'll still be taking classes in the fall/spring but I guess I'll apply to other schools in the fall to see if I can get my phD somewhere else. (It doesn't look that good if you get all of your degrees from one school.) Yup. That's right kids--looks like I'll going in for the big one--the phD! Yeah. I guess I couldn't get enough of school? I'm worried about this whole "go to another school" thing though. I'm going to lose credits and have to re-take some other classes (if I go to another school). And that basically means I'll take more time to finish the degree. I'm also just worried about going to a new school and a new city and who knows, even state! It's a scary prospect. I've been in College Station too long though I guess, hahaha. But I really like the department I'm at and I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my mentor, so I'm reluctant to leave since I think I won't find that elsewhere.

We'll be moving to our new duplex (with a yard for Harper yay!) at the end of July. So yeah. We basically have to move during one of the hottest times of the year. Awesome? I'm not looking forward to packing. Ugh. We have so much crap. But I hate throwing stuff away! I keep thinking, "Oh, I'll use that." or "Oh, I'm sure I'll fit in that again someday soon..." Pfffft! I'll be glad to get out of this apartment though. We'll be moving to completely different area, so we'll have to adjust to that. But I'm looking forward to it. And Harper gets a yard! That was one of the reasons for moving. I feel bad that my poor puppy doesn't get to play outside that much. We had thought about getting another dog when we moved, but I believe we've settled against it. It'll just cost too much montly to properly care for another dog (vet bills/meds/food). I'd rather have one well taken care of dog than have two and feel overwhelmed.

I'm not working for the summer! I love my co-workers, but I'm glad to be out of the office for the summer. (My professor funded me--so I "work" for her and get my tuition paid.) I really do like the people I work with, but I was feeling like I was in a rut there. I mean, I'm not trying to sound snooty or anything, but I'm above the work I was doing. I'm a glorified paper pusher. And I just feel that my time would be better spent doing something more constructive or productive. But my status as a student has its limitations unfortunately. But being away for the summer will be a welcomed break. Especially since I'll have so much more time for working on my thesis, and I didn't have to take out loans to pay for my summer tuition. :) Yippee!

My niece is growing! She's a little piggy. And so adorable. Her eyes look kind of green/hazel. So, naturally I'm jealous. When I visited two weeks ago, she barfed on me three times. We bonded. She also barfed on Lee. Which is amusing since he's never really around/been around children that small. So she blessed us all that weekend.... who knows when I'll get to see her again! They just grow so darn fast. And my nephew is adjusting well I think. As well as a spoiled brat can adjust I suppose. ;)

I'm addicted to ice tea. Um. Last week I drank 1 gallon in two and a half days. I'll admit it. I think it's laced with cocaine! It's not my fault!

We got our engagement photos a few weeks ago. If we're Facebook friends, then you've probably already seen them. We'll send out our save-the-dates in July and then the invitations in October-ish. We haven't chosen a picture yet for the save-the-dates. We haven't chosen between 2 or 3 pictures. We still haven't planned any wedding/reception stuff since my last post. We've been too busy! We'll probably do more of that after the summer, since we're not having anything big or traditional. The food/site for the reception is already taken care of, and that's the big thing anyway.

I guess I've blabbed enough. If I did this more often, they wouldn't be so long each time. :P

Huongy-Poo Presents: Baby Niece!

2009-04-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

On Friday, my niece arrived into this world! Yay! She is, of course, adorable. She weighed almost 8 pounds and has the chub-cheeks. =) My favorite picture is the pouty lip one hahaha. So freakin cute.

Of course, now that my brother has produced two adorable offspring, pressure is now on me to do the same. WTF. All I heard all weekend was, "Now it's your turn." & "When are YOU going to have babies?" Blah blah blah. Don't ask me! Ask Lee! =P

Huongy-Poo's random long coming update

2009-04-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

So it's kinda tiny, but here's a collage of some of my pics from when Lee and I went to Seattle over spring break. I know, I know. Kinda long in coming, eh? But hey, that's life. I guess I haven't updated because I didn't feel that I had anything substantial to say. Just the normal run of the mill things that go on in life I suppose. Let's break it down nicely.

* Seattle was a blast! I had much more fun this time that I did the first time around (overall). The weather was also much more accommodating. It was of course great to see my peeps [hahahaha--I accidently typed "poops"] that have relocated there (Jorge, Anton and Michael). I missed my boys! Lee and I got to see many things (I also did things that I didn't the last time) and of course, I ate many things. Because it's not a vacation unless you gain a pound or five. Yay! The week went by quickly. I also vowed to never live in such a bumpy hill-y town. Geez the calf muscles one much have to live there! I was definitely tired at the end of each day. And of course we got to HIKE on the last day. Had I known that was on the itinerary, I would have either said a) No or b) let's do this the first day. I kid, I kid. It wasn't really all that bad. I'm just horribly out of shape and I'm a bit of a whiner. What? I'll admit it. Don't judge me! It was a good trip though and I was sad to leave my favorite boys behind. ::sniffle::

* School is coming to an end (the semester) and of course that means scrambling to do things that should have been done long ago. I am feeling a tad bit overwhelmed by the work I have to finish, yet feeling optimistic that I can get it done. I'll be done with the semester on May 11th, when my last paper is due. And that last paper is supposed to be the proposal for my thesis, hence the extra stress. Honestly, this should have been done a semester ago, but I was just not into school last semester. This semester it is better. I'm still a slacker, but at least I don't hate school like last semester. I think I was kinda lost and depressed last semester. Luckily, I seem to be getting out of that slump. Thank god! I don't want to be one of those people that take 8 years to finish a degree due to being lazy.

* We are going to move out of our apartment soon. We have been having issues finding a new place. Long story short: we thought we had a place lined up. Dude told us that there were "plenty" of units available. But when I go to drop the monies a day later, all the units are gone. Yeah. Not Happy. I wrote him an email stating as such. But either way, we then had to start the search ALL OVER on short notice. It's not like this everywhere, but I happen to live in a college town. Which means that things for summer and fall and pre-leased starting in February and here we were already in April. Pickins were definitely slim and I was realllllllly worried about it. BUT luckily we found a place that met all of our specifications (2/1, yard, good storage space) within our budget (actually below). It's a bit far away but the drive won't be that big of a deal. So we move at the end of July! Gross, considering it's one of the hottest months of summer. In TEXAS. Ugh.

* My sister in law is schedule to be induced this Friday! I can't wait for my niece to be born! Poor thing, she's so huge and miserable. :( My mom thinks the baby will be a 9 pounder! Let's hope not! I'll be going out of town in order to witness (take pictures) of the miraculous birth. Yup. That's my duty. SIL even told me so. "No one else will remember to take pictures if you're not there!"

* I'm so glad I don't have to plan a wedding on top of all of this other DRAMA in my life! Woo-hoo! Although, Fanny and I are supposed to go dress looking next month. Oops. I just realized I shouldn't have been eating like a fat-ass these past few weeks. Guess it'll be a mu-mu (moo moo? :P) for me! A white one of course. =)

Updates: Weddings

2009-03-03T15:45:00.000-06:00

No, that's not a picture of me. Just in case anyone was confused and/or forgot what I looked like. :)

Well, I've got a wedding update folks. We've been steadily (mostly me) been running around looking at venues for the ceremony/reception. We set a budget, and damn, it was hard to keep to it. Weddings are EXPENSIVE!! And the moment you say "wedding" the price goes up! Whores.

So, anywho, the moral of the story is that we were not sure how we were going to have a wedding on our budget, without getting married in a crap hole and serving croutons. It was causing us lots of stress, and a number of arguments.

In comes his dad to save the day! His dad basically offered us money to NOT have a wedding. He is giving us a good sum of money to "elope." But we're not really eloping, we're just going to have a private ceremony, and then throw a reception ("party") when we get back. So, we're going to have a private destination wedding in HAWAII. Damn right! We had wanted to go there for a honeymoon, but it was above our price range. Well, now we can go! So we're going to roll the ceremony and honeymoon all into one. And then just throw a party when we get back. Still like a reception, with RSVPs and stuff, but much less stress! So, really, we just have to find a venue for the party. I've already got my favorite and I'm just waiting to get the proposal back on it for our number of guests (around 65). So, once that's done, we just have to book our tickets to Hawaii. And we're going to take engagement photos in April, hopefully. So yeah. Basically done. This is soooo much less stressful! No more worrying about colors, and flowers, and dresses, and finding a venue nice enough for a ceremony AND reception! YES!

We're still looking to do all this around the same time (December) so that's why I don't consider it "eloping"--as it's being planned in advance. Besides, we're telling people that's what we're doing! No, I don't know why his dad wants us to do this. Lee's parents eloped (for real) and I think he likes the idea of it, and he doesn't like weddings. In the end, it all worked out for the best!

BTW--the dress pictured was one of my favorites, and the one I was hoping to buy. But now I don't really need a big, "formal" wedding dress. But I'll still probably try it on for fun. :) It's so pretty after all!

Huongy-Poo's Announcements: Engagement!

2009-02-14T09:06:00.001-06:00

Well kids, the rumors are true. Somehow, I ended up engaged. Not sure how really. Must have tricked him mighty good to propose! :)

Of course, everyone has the same questions

1) Let me see the ring!
2) Were you surprised?
3) How did he do it?
4) Did you cry?
5) Did you set a date?

Now, this just happened on Thursday evening and Friday (yesterday) people were asking me all of the above ALL DAY. I mean, literally. Now, do people already know their date 12 hours after get engaged????!!!!! But I digress. It's only natural to ask those things. I believe I've asked them myself. It's just annoying being on the other end. I say annoying only because every single person you see asks the same exact thing. So after a while, you kinda get sick and tired of saying anything at all. In fact, I think I was just emotionally drained from the whole ordeal. I mean, Thursday night I was already feeling overwhelmed thinking of all the things we now have to do/plan/pay for. I think I dreamt of wedding stuff that night. Already. Ugh. It's enough to make a gal want to elope, that's fo sho. But anywho, I know you're sick of hearing me drone on. After all, you want the answers to those five questions!

1) Let me see the ring!
Well you've seen it by now. It's white gold, with a ruby in the center (red-violet colored) and two rows of diamonds on both sides. One row is princess cut and the second are baguette. There is also a tiny princess cut diamond on each side, looking from the side.

2) Were you surprised?
I was surprised in the sense that I didn't think it was coming this soon. I was for sure he'd wait until the summer or something. But I wasn't surprised he asked. He has talked about it for months and asked my ring size. HAHAHAHAHA.

3) How did he do it?
He did not to anything crazy or over the top. Which, honestly, suprised me. And should surprise you if you know him. The funny part is that I was actually annoyed with him and in general when he did it. See, I was trying to get some reading done, for school. I kept getting interrupted by him, the dog, a knock on the door, etc. So I was in the guest bedroom/study with the door shut, attempting to read. He called my name. I said, not nicely, "What do you WANT?!" He said, "Can you please come out here?" So I rolled my eyes and said UGH loudly. I opened the door and he was in the hall down on one knee. I just stopped abruptly and said, "What are you doing? What are you doing?!" And then he just asked simply (with the dog running around him) "Will you marry me?" And I said, "Yes. Maybe. Yes." (hahahahaha--I can't help it.) Then, while he was still on one knee, I said, "Why did you change?" (He had put on a dress shirt and slacks.) He said, "I dunno. I didn't think I should do this in my Super Mario t-shirt." Ha! And that, was that.

There's an earlier part of the story where he tricked me into thinking the package that had arrived (with the ring) was actually a birthday present for his friend. The amazing part is that I believed him because he is a horrible liar. And he had made up a really believable--good lie.

4) Did you cry?
No. In fact, after he had asked, we were sitting around and I said, "Do you feel different? Should I be crying or something? Are we supposed to feel different?" Bottom line is--we didn't. We didn't feel different or act different.

5) Did you set a date?
No, we have not. We've got some things in mind but everything is still up in the aire until we talk to some venues for pricing/availability.

Huongy-Poo's Observations: Cohabitation

2009-02-09T11:02:00.013-06:00

Cohabitation is a tricky thing. It can make or break a relationship. I’d like to think that Lee and I are doing fine. I’m here to tell you some things that I did not think about when deciding to move in with my partner.

1. Boys poop. A lot. It seems like every 30 minutes Lee disappears into his cavern (aka—his bathroom) to do ungodly things. I mean, really. It takes that long to go to the bathroom? He’s always taking a book or comic with him. Weird. And you might have heard that I got Lee an iPod Touch for his birthday. Well just yesterday, I was in the guest bedroom/study and he went into the bathroom, with his iPod. And guess what? I heard him playing on it! I think that’s where I draw the line—being able to hear what’s going on in there—in any capacity. Disturbing.

2. In conjunction with #1, boys also forget to SPRAY or neutralize the area. Gross.

3. Also, in conjunction with #1, boys leave unsightly things in the toilet. Have I mentioned, back before we cohabitated, that I would go into my or his bathroom, only to find..uh….little presents left behind? We had a conversation/talk about this before where I told him to watch things spin away in the toilet. He still doesn’t.

4. Boys like to fart while they sleep. And then deny that they do it. I don’t know how many times I’ve rolled over for a little cuddle action—only to be met with rude noises. It’s disconcerting.

5. To go away from bodily functions: Boys don’t like to clean. They are content to never sweep/mop/vacuum. Ever. When Lee moved out of his old apartment, he told me he had never cleaned the bathroom, or mopped. I'm pretty sure he's never scrubbed a tub, either.

6. Boys like to play video games and read comics. They would play/read all the time if they could. And some do. When Lee is playing a game or reading a comic, I am tuned out completely...even if we were already talking. I'll be having a conversation, and then I'll eventually figure out that I'm talking to myself. I'll say, "Uh. Hellooo?!" and he'll either say: a) "....Yes...?[pause to finish level/comic frame]....What?" or b) close his book immediately and say, "Yes ma'am? What? I'm listening now."

7. Boys like to watch stupid movies. I have declined numerous movie watching experiences with Lee. Things like, Rambo and Bablyon A.D. So, he then goes and sees these movies with one of his besties, Ryan. I call them man-dates. I suspect he cuddles with Ryan while away.

8. Boys don't know how to wrap gifts. Our first Valentine's Day together, Lee gave me my gift in a brown paper sac. I kid you not. Not only that, it was stapled shut. That's it. No card, nothing. This Valentine's Day, he gave me my gift straight out of the Amazon box. There doesn't seem to be a learning curve...

9. Boys don't know how to give compliments. Instead of saying, "Oh, you're so pretty. I find you attractive." Lee says things like, "I LIKE YOUR FACE." and "YOUR FACE IS PRETTY."

Although there are some funny things: Lee is always doing stupid things around the house to make me laugh. He will play with a duck float, or dance and let me record him, or even burst randomly into song while wearing a duck float and playing the Wii.

Huongy-Poo's Advice: Don't live next to the ghetto

2009-02-03T21:12:00.001-06:00

Well, I think the title says it all folks. I officially live next to the "ghetto." Perhaps ghetto isn't the right word. Perhaps "bad neighborhood" or "sketchy folks" works better. Either way, all I know is that the longer I live here, the more I am faced with certain mishaps that I never wanted to deal with. For those that don't remember, my brother's car was broken into a couple months back. But not only that--there had been a string of break-ins and creepy peeps hanging around. Not to mention the fact that we just hate the management, in general.

Well, I was out of town over the weekend, visiting family. Lee was home with Harper. While I'm getting my party on with my parents (what? don't judge me!) Lee calls me to tell me that there is a guy outside, with a gun, shooting randomly into the air. He said the crazy armed man was walking around outside (it was night) firing haphazardly. He told me that he had called the police and had turned off all of the lights. He also told me Harper was scared. Poor puppy! Then he told me that the crazy man was walking towards our complex with said gun. WTF?! I told him to hide in the closet or something. Jeez! The police arrived, but couldn't find the guy. He used his magical crazy man powers and disappeared. Don't think they ever found him. Awesome.

We can't wait to leave this place. Oddly enough--we both thought that this complex was a step up from where we both were, respectively. Since living here we've dealt with: unresponsive management, conflicting stories, horrible service (maintenance), several car break-ins, harrassment, and now guns.

June can't come soon enough.

Huongy-Poo's Opinions: Palm Z22

2009-01-29T18:59:00.002-06:00

I love having a planner. I wouldn't have survive my undergrad without one. I like planning out my entire semester the first week of school. I go through and put in my planner when I need to read certain things, when papers are due, etc. I use it for basically everything. I've been doing the paper ones for quite some time. I've often thought of getting a PDA...but I could never commit. Because of the price, and because I just like writing things down (physically) too much. But all of that changed last week...

Someone I know bought a Palm as a gift. When it was shown to me, I was enthralled. I kept wanting to play with it. That's when I remembered the Z22. I remember liking how it looked. So, I became obsessed* with owning it. However, buying on Amazon meant dropping $300-$400. Which is kinda crazy since I remember seeing it as OfficeMax/Depot for about $100. But I digress. Lee convinced me to look in eBay. I discovered that I hate the whole bidding process. I lost two auctions and said "Eff This Shit." So I found one, in my price range, that had the Buy It Now option. Sweet success! It came in the mail last night and I LOVE IT. It small, light, compact and has everything that I require. Of course, I need no fancy smancy device. I wanted a basic PDA--calendar, contacts, etc. Bluetooth? I don't care. MP3 player? Don't care.

I love that when I need to change something, it takes a few clicks, and I have none of that ugly scratch out business going on. It's great--I can organize tasks based on priority, category, date due, etc. I can color code appointments. I can look at my week and see immediately where I have open spots. I know I haven't had it long, but I already love it. For a basic un-fancy PDA, you can't get better than a Palm Z22.

* I have this thing where if I see something and want it, I have to have it immediately. Which might explain why I hate bidding. I just like buying it outright. I got my first iPod because I saw a friend with one, had to have it, and bought it as soon as I left his apartment.

Opinions: Twitter

2009-01-27T21:26:00.003-06:00

Recently, I joined Twitter. I've been making fun of Lee for months because of his addiction to Twitter. He's always on the Twitter on his phone! Constantly sending/receiving updates. Well, I finally joined yesterday. What lured me was the fact that I could basically sync Twitter and Facebook. So, by updating Twitter, I updated Facebook. I also like that I can update Twitter by text. It is rather neat. And addicting. I joined, changed my layout look, added my phone, and started tweeting immediately. Some might say I'm addicted. Some would be correct. It's a nice service--you can update in small increments at anytime. Basically, letting people know what you're doing/thinking. What really neat is the phone feature-the ability to send/receive updates via text. Unfortunately, I do not have unlimited text like some people, so I just allow me sending updates via text, and not receive texts when someone updates their twitter. All in all, it's just another internet black hole sucking me in. I love it.

This is a picture of what my dog did yesterday, just for shits and gigs. Two of her favorite toys got stuck under there while we were at work. And, being the little go-getter that she is, Harper apparently decided to eat her way to them. Gotta love that moxie.

Huongy-Poo's Opinions: Purity Balls

2008-11-12T21:50:00.001-06:00

I'm currently watching a special on TLC about purity balls. TLC defines purity balls as "where fathers and daughters subscribe to the single fundamental notion of chastity, with the fathers pledging to protect their young daughters' purity, and the daughters pledging to remain virgins until they marry."

Now, I want to make clear that I have no problem with the concept of purity. I have no issue with people that choose abstinence. There is nothing wrong with people choosing to wait until they are married or those that have chosen abstinence after they have already had sex. What bothers me about this "purity movement" and what I saw in this television special is that this movement only concerns girls. For some reason, it is only the women that have to remain pure in heart and body until marriage. Um, really? It really bothers me, this double standard.

They have these events called "Purity Balls" where fathers and daughters attend together. The daughters pledge to remain virgins and the father pledge to "protect" them. What creeps me out about this is they have children as young as 5 pledging. What does a five year old know about sex and intimacy? Especially enough to make such a pledge? There's also the fact that because these kids only get abstinence education, when/if they do have sex they have no idea how to protect themselves. They had one girl on the show that broke her vow and had sex with her boyfriend (first one at 19, when she was given permission). Since she had no sex education, she ended up pregnant. She was then forced to become engaged with her boyfriend. To this day, her parents treat her like some person--not a daughter. There are girls on here that say they are saving their first kiss for their wedding day. And that they "hope" their future husbands will do the same. Seriously? Why the lower expectation? If she's expected to be pure, why not him?

The fact that purity is dumped on a girl's shoulders annoys me. It goes back to men not being able to control their sexual urges and women being at fault for anything sexual that occurs between them. After all, a man cannot be expected to control himself. It's up to the woman to do that.

Huongy-Poo Talks Politics

2008-11-05T08:11:00.002-06:00

Yes, another blip about the campaign.

Obama has won. Yes, I voted for Obama. I believe in him as a person and a leader and I believe in his platform and his ideas for the country. Of course, there are people that are disappointed by this news. What is bothering me about that are the REASONS that people are disappointed. I am sick of hearing about religion and how "God is out of the Whitehouse." My Facebook is littered with status updates to the effect of, "Praying for our leaders/country" and "Vote for Obama and answer to Jesus" and "May they never vote God out of office" ...... etc. Um, I think these people are forgetting that whole separation of church and state nonsense? You know, that little thingy that is one of the tenets of our country? That thing? Yeah.

And can I say that I am SICK of the abortion issue?! Yes, I am pro-choice. Know why? Because I do not think the government should be able to tell me what I can or cannot do with my body. Personally, I am mostly pro-life. But politically I am pro-choice. You can be against abortion personally but understand (see the light?) that the government should not have control of such an issue. The same goes for gay marriage. If you're going to give tax breaks and other benefits to married couples, then denying those rights to others is a little thing called DISCRIMINATION. I see it the same way as the abortion issue. You may strongly believe that "marriage" (religiously defined or not) is between a man and a woman, but can you not recognize that since it's sanctioned by the government and those people are given rights controlled by the government that denying others access to those same benefits is discriminatory????

That's what upsets me about the ultra-conservative/religious. That they want to push their ideals and their agenda upon a whole nation. Why can't people understand that you can hold your ideals and your morals, while still understanding the freedom that this country offers and that denying people choice or benefits is discrimination?

Huongy-Poo's Adventures: RenFest

2008-11-03T14:42:00.003-06:00

Sunday, we went to the Renaissance Festival. We got some free tickets from someone that had won them from a radio show contest. Sweet! Free tickets! Of course, we got "lost" on the way there. Awesome. But we made it, losing only 20 or so minutes of time. Here's Lee, gorging himself on a turkey leg. This was the first thing he did upon arrival at the RenFest.

It's true. We're pretty adorable. Yes, I got a haircut.

In order to show how cool I really am, I got my face painted like any other self-respecting citizen.

He's my "special" boy. So special.

We got to see The Ded Bob Sho. We thought it was pretty hilarious. Clearly he's a skeleton puppet. He likes to insult people. We like to laugh.

All in all, it was a good time. The RenFest is nothing more than scantily clad people, over-priced fatty food, and expensive gifts. Gotta love it. Especially the food. :)

Huongy-Poo Offers a Life Lesson: Pumpking Carving is Hard

2008-10-25T21:17:00.001-05:00

This is the pumpkin I finished carving not 20 minutes ago. From start to finish it took me two hours. For Realz. Two hours for some glowing ghosts in a pumpkin carcass. See, I've never actually carved a pumpkin myself per se. Mom always did it when we were younger. Needless to say, it was a "learning" experience. Some things I have learned from carving the featured masterpiece:

1) Be sure to make the top hole big enough to get your hands in......
2) Scraping the insides takes a damn long time.
3) Tiny little lines do not come out as smoothly as they do on the design
4) Same goes for those tiny little eye holes
5) Be sure to take breaks to ease the hand cramping around those elf-sized carving tools.
6) When you don't' make the top big enough, it is quite easy to burn yourself (Ex: thumb) while trying to light a candle on the inside.

I had fun carving it though. It's a Halloween tradition! It goes along with eating lots of food and dressing up like a ho with no repercussions. Oh, how I love American traditions.

Huongy-Poo's Adventures: Thievery

2008-10-16T10:19:00.000-05:00

So, when my family evacuated here because of Hurricane Ike, one of my brother's cars got broken into. His radio was stolen. Of course, we were shocked. Sadly, this was the second time this poor car had been broken into. In fact, Lee and I had seen a truck a few weeks prior that had a busted windshield.

Well, this morning while doing some work, I overheard a conversation where the girl said, "And they stole..." So I listed for a few seconds (I had my window open). I opened my door (she was right outside my front door) and asked her if her car was broken into. She said her boyfriend's truck was and they stole his radio AND his iPod. She also told me that before her truck was broken into and she's also had people banging on her windows at night. She told me that this has happened to a few others that live here. Awesome.

So I totally feel (not) safe here now. I mean, before you could say it was a "fluke" or "bad luck" but it seems like people are targeting my parking lot. I thinks the only thing keeping Lee's car and mine safe is that we have boring old factory radios and not anything fancy or worthwhile. But still. I already hate being alone at night and this will only make it worse! The girl I spoke with said they're going to try to get out of their lease based on this and dissatisfaction with the office/maintenance. Good luck with that one. It is extremely difficult to get out of a lease. Believe me, I've tried.

Guess it's a good thing we only have... 8 more months here. Woo.

Harper's Adventures: The Sickness

2008-10-03T10:49:00.002-05:00

Harper has been sick for about a week. She started by throwing up bile. Then she progressed to throwing up food. Then she refused to eat or drink. Now she's back to eating and drinking and almost her normal energy level. I will admit to being very worred about her. She was vomitting sporadically so it was hard to diagnose and/or pin point a cause. She has been given antiobiotics because the vet thinks she has an overgrowth of bacteria in her stomach which is causing her to throw up. So we have to give her two pills three times a day for three weeks. We also have to give her Pepto, and believe me when I tell her that she does not like it.

But I am encouraged by the fact that she seems to be getting back to normal.

Harper's Adventures: Naughty Places and Halloween

2008-09-29T18:41:00.004-05:00

This is Harper chewing her toy in an inappropriate area. And Lee posing just as inappropriately. I suspect that Lee has a not-so-secret aspiration to pose for Playboy or Playgirl. Or perform in low-grade porn.

This is Harper in her devil Halloween costume. As you can see, it's too small for her. The hood doesn't fit or reach her head and the tail doesn't quite reach her actual tail. It's cute nonetheless! And good news is she didn't seem bothered by the costume. As you can see, she's a STAR in the making!

I'm sensing future costumes for Harper. =)

Huongy-Poo Presents: Michael (M-Sexy)

2008-09-21T21:04:00.004-05:00

This is Michael. I met him in Spring 2004. We met at a Guess Who's Gay panel that we both were a part of. As you can probably deduce, the panel was a group of people that answered questions and at the end, the audience guessed who they thought was straight, gay or bisexual. The point of the panels was to point of stereotypes and spread awareness. Well, we met and fell in love (friendship love) immediately. Michael is "older" but has always gravitated more towards a younger crowd, as evidenced by the people he would date. *wink*

Throughout my undergrad and beyond, Michael is one of the few people I still keep in contact with. In fact, he was one of my first "friend groups" I had in college and still one of my very good friends to this day. He has since moved to Houston but we still talk and visit each other.

I love Michael for many reasons. We value each other's opinions and regularly seek each other's advice. We're honest with each other and tell it like it is. =)

I love the way he gets excited and jumps around, the way he moves his hands like he's an orchestral director when he listens to music, the way he says, "oohhh" when he hears a good bit of gossip, the way he loves to eat french fries, how he eat a ridiculous amount of ketcup, and then gets hyper off of the sugar high....

Michael is one of the very few people who will do anything for a friend. He is often reluctant to give up on people, and while that is a good trait, it has burned him a few times. Michael goes beyond the lines of friendship for someone he cares for. I have often chastized him for not cutting people off when he should, and doing too much for people, without the same thought and consideration given to him. Especially in relationships, he would do so much, and not get anything (or expect enough) in return. He is often taken for granted because he is just the type of person that does things for someone. He's thoughtful and considerate by nature. He often does things without asking and doesn't expect something in return, or "keep tabs."

Michael is one of my best friends, as evidenced by him being #7 on my speed dial. After all, he did introduce me to Settlers. Even though the bastard beats me almost every time. =)

Harper's Adventures: The Spay-ening

2008-09-20T13:09:00.002-05:00

This is Harper when she came home from the vet yesterday. She was sleepy, but still rambunctious and ready to play. I gave her this chew treat (that I got from the vet) to keep her occupied (read: not jumping). This chew treat will play a bigger part in the story later.

In order to stop her from licking/biting at her stitches, I got her this E-collar. Needless to say, she did not like it. It took her a while to get into it.... (for me to force her into it). I even tried putting my hand through with a treat and she still was having none of it. I finally had to hold her down (gently) by the collar while I tried to snap it on. As soon as it was on, she cowered in fear with her tail between her legs.

As you can see, once she left the kitchen she was afraid to move. She didn't quite grasp the concept that when she lowered her head like that, it made the collar drag on the floor. She would take two steps and then stop and look at me and whine.

It was worse when I put her in her crate. She stayed semi-standing like this in her crate, whining. She did not like the collar. She kep whining and wouldn't lay down. She finally did, but not for long before she wouldn't go back to sleep. I eventually took it off so she could go night night.

*******************************************************************************

The real story of the day pertains to that chew treat featured earlier. It's about four inches long and three or so inches wide. She chewed it for about an hour, after which it became sorta soggy. She was chewing on it, being quiet. I looked away for about five seconds, and when I looked back IT WAS GONE. She has swallowed the whole thing! All of it! I started freaking out. She made faces and noises and movements like she was choking. I didn't know what to do. It was already after hours in the vet clinic. She seemed okay though. I watched her breathing and I didn't see anything stuck in her throat. My next worry was now that she had this huge thing in her stomach. Um..... so it went in, but how was it coming out? I took her to the vet this morning and they said that she looks fine, and as long as she has no loss in appetite or vomits she should be fine. They said that chew treat is digestible. I've fed her and she seems to be doing well. She ate all of her food (she hardly ate yesterday because of the surgery) and hasn't vomited or seemed sick. Whew! I'm not going to lie though, she scared the crap out of me. I thought she was going to choke and die. I won't lie.... I cried a little. I just kept imaging her choking while I kept trying to run around and do something about it. She didn't make it any better when she started lying down after choking. I just kept thinking, "She's losing oxygen to her brain!"

The moral of the story is this: Harper is a smart dog, but sometimes she's dumb.

Huongy-Poo offers a Life Lesson

2008-09-19T12:54:00.008-05:00

If you've seen The Orphanage then you know it involves ghosts. And children. What you may not have known is how those ghost babies came into being. Behold! Educational pictorial.

Huongy-Poo's Opinions: Petsmart

2008-09-19T12:54:00.005-05:00

I love Petsmart. Before we even got Harper I was asking people I knew about their caretaking habits. One of my co-workers said she goes through Petsmart for her veterinary needs. I was intrigued. A pet store has a vet clinic? So I went there to do get some information on Banfield, their clinic. I got brochures, talked to people, etc. Needless to say, when we got Harper I enrolled her in their Wellness Plan the next day. The gist of it is: you pay a one time $100 enrollment fee and $20 a month (for the puppies) for a year. This covers ALL shots, free office visits, and for the puppy to get spayed or neutered (before six months old). I love this plan. In all, we are paying about $300 or so a year for her regular vet bills. I think it's a great plan considering shots can run you $150 and spaying can run you $200 or more.

The staff at Petsmart/Banfield have always been helpful, no matter what I ask. And believe me, I ask a lot of questions. We go there for pet supplies, the doctor, and we even enrolled in their obedience classes. They even have a grooming facility and some have PetsHotels!

I always receive a call the day after a visit to make sure Harper is okay. And I always get a reminder call the day before her appointments. We've even done walk-in a few times and have always been accomodated.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 cupcakes

My dog is more educated than your dog

2008-09-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

I would like a few minutes to congratulate Harper on her graduation from Puppy Class. After a grueling eight week course, she has proven that she can master the basic commands of: "Harper" (attention), Sit, Stay, Down, Leave it, and Drop it. We are still working on loose-leash walking. She just gets so darn excited to be outside that she lunges everwhere, choking herself in the process.

Harper is a special dog in that she has no self-preservation instinct. She once choked on a large piece of bark. She still eats bark. She pulls on her leash so much that she chokes herself and can't breathe, to the point that her eyes turn red. She keeps pulling. Some would call this stupidity. I call it tenacity and stick-to-it-tiveness.

Loving Boyfriends

2008-09-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of thing my boyfriend likes to send me while at work. Yeah. Super great, isn't he? I send him declarations of love and I get a picture proclaiming that my boobs are great.

Ah, love.

Introductions--Part 3: Other players

2008-09-18T08:01:00.000-05:00

This is the boyfriend. No, I am not joking.

This is the family. From Left to Right: Mom, Me, Dad, Brother, Alyssa (sister in law)

This is the nephew, Jaylen. He is almost three years old.

Introductions--Part 2

2008-09-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is Harper. She is a female blue heeler/lab mix. She was born May 10, 2008. She is currently four months old. She enjoys barking at anyone while outside going potty, chewing her tire, chewing anything, jumping on people, licking people's faces, sneak-eating leaves/grass/bark/twigs, drinking copious amounts of water, peeing, pooping on the floor for Daddy, running really fast, chasing her tail everyday, and looking adorable.

Introductions

2008-09-18T07:59:00.001-05:00

This is Huongy-Poo. She is currently 23 years old and is a second year graduate student in Sociology working towards her masters. No, she doesn't know what she wants to do with that. No, she has no plans as of yet. No, she will not make copious amounts of money.

Huongy-Poo enjoys eating chocolate, napping, squishy pillows, reading for enjoyment (rare), HEROES, playing with her puppy (Harper), visiting family, new gadgets, Wii, cooking, and worrying about the future. Yes. That is it. She doesn't really have time for anything else.