Hiya! I know it’s been forever since I blogged. Too busy having a life and all ya know. So anyway. I had a great weekend with some friends in Dallas. We went to Ozzfest. Let me tell you what… the devil didn’t just come down to Georgia… he took over Dallas, TX and stole just a few more souls than normal. It was INSANE.

The day started out awesome by going to 5 Guys burgers and getting a big juicy hamburger with french fries. BoyScout is certainly good at doing his homework for locating the best eateries anywhere. I expect to see a blog post about it soon. I digress. Anyway we arrived a little later than we had wanted but thank goodness for my txtag. It saved us a good 40 minutes in a toll line. I zoomed right past all the out of town suckers!

Once there we got in a couple of good songs and headed over to the second and third stages to see a rioting act by Drowning Pool. It rocked my world. We stayed out on the perimeter and started counting the number of bodies hitting the floor literally due to dehydration and exhaustion. Added to our counting list was the number of mohawks… why? Because they’re back in style and the number of men wearing kilts… why? because metalchick likes! a lot! I miss kilts… Add that to my list of things I miss from Europe. Manly men wear kilts.

While Metallica was the highlight of the evening, as everything is, I really enjoyed HellYeah! They rocked it. There were some massive pits that developped and they really riled up the group. This was immediately followed up with the tribute to Dimebag which I thought was pretty cool. I enjoyed Wish You Were Here the most. (video posted below). I didn’t know that Lars had done the drumming just due to my angle from the stage. Regardless it rocked my socks… Course I wasn’t wearing socks at the time. But you get the point.

My most noteable memories from this weekend:

Fireworks!!!! - Ozzy ended his montage with a barrage of massive fireworks. I was soo close you could feel the heat and smell the sulfur. Did I mention I’m a sucker for fireworks? S-U-C-K-E-R… Love me some explosive balls of fire.

BoyScout looking like a kid in a candy store - So BoyScout won the famous Meet N Greet opportunity which he then got fully upgraded to the VIP access. He came back from the show looking like a kid in a willy wonka store. Literally. Grinning ear to ear. Glad he had such a good time.

Father Son Time - Met a kid and his dad from california. It was his first metallica concert. He wanted to see One. He got his wish and fell asleep in the chair after the first encore. It was a late night for the bugger.

Metallica Played Mercyful Fate with King Diamond… and I got to hear the new Cyanide off the new record. It’s awesome! That’s about it for now. It was fun times. Had by All.

Okay no I haven’t officially LOST it. However I do feel a little like it’s spring time. Yes we all know I’m the goddess of procrastination and when my spring cleaning occurs in late summer, I have to admit, I’m metalchick and I have a procrastination problem. But I do have a point with all of this. I have been enjoying being home a little bit in that I now have enough time to clean up the apartment here a little bit. Granted it’s not pristine. My mom wouldn’t step foot in here but at the very least everything is off the floor and the bathroom (surprisingly not the smallest room in the place) is CLEAN with a fresh new shower curtain and all. Genius isn’t it?

Aside from that I wanted to give you a list of the things I’m grateful for. Why metalchick do you ask? Well oftentimes, I get mired down in a lot of negativity and it’s always good idea to take a step back and itemize what I’m truly grateful for. So here goes.

Ace of Cakes: I am a closet (okay not so closet if I post this on my blog) Food Network junkie. A girl on the Atkins diet loves the food network… talk about inviting temptation. But seriously. Have you ever watched Ace of Cakes? WOW I love the creative genius of Duff and the decorators. It’s incredible and I love it. Anyone who takes cake and makes it have fire is a god in my book.

Thunderstorms: Who doesn’t love a great Texas Thunderstorm? I just love them. I live for the rumbling turmoil and that fresh - it’s gonna rain smell. When the wind starts picking up and blowing through my hair, adreline just storms through my body like a category 5 hurricane. Love it.

Books: I love reading. Reading is greatness in a glass. I had forgotten how much I love to read and write until my vacation where I was reminded about the serenity of reading in a hammock. I love spending an afternoon in the hammock reading where no one is needing you to do anything for them. I love being able to escape into a ficticious story about a strong, complex heroine while sipping on my margaritas. Is there anything better? I think not.

Puppies: I love puppies and dogs in general. They’re so amazing and loyal. I could learn a lot from a dog.

Friends: I need to do a whole post on my amazing friends. I am truly blessed. Seriously people. I have some crazy great friends. I have friends that make me laugh, laugh at me when I cry, and slap me upside the head when I’m being a royal pain in the ass (not that I would EVER do that).

Family: Love my fam. I pick on them. I needle them. But today is my dad’s birthday and it just reminds me how very far we’ve all come and we’ve done it together. It’s great.

Music: While okay so one of my nicknames is metalchick so yes I love metal and hard rock type music. It’s my productive way to release stress and anxiety, stuff I internalize like nobody’s business. But I love music. All types. well except some crazy beebop jazz stuff. I’m not into that. But there’s always a mood to match the music in my ipod. Dancing to music is probably my bestest and favoritest thing ever. And yes for the grammar Nazis this is my blog and if I wanna use favoritest, it’s for comedic relief not grammatically correct. I specifically love that moment in the car where you’re radio surfing and you hit upon the perfect song. This song is totally random and you haven’t hit on it in a long time. yesterday while driving home, I accidentally turned it onto Wild Thing by Tru Loc. It took me back! Hilarious.

Sleep: I love sleep which is where I’m going now. Exit light. Enter night… take my hand off to never never land. Sweet dreams!

ps

Magic Eraser: OH! I forgot about my new favoritest thing. The Magic eraser. BoyScout’s mom gave me one when we went to visit them about a month ago and I used it this weekend to erase these scuff marks on my white apartment walls. And guess what… it WORKED without damaging the cheap white paint that the apartment complex uses. it’s my new favorite thing!

I rarely if ever discuss work on my blog. Mostly because I do everything in my power not to think about work when I leave. Okay who are we kidding. Everyone who knows me, knows that I rarely if ever don’t think about work, even at rest. But what I learned on my recent vacation is that if I take a week off, work still gets done and I’m not missed. It is a really great feeling. It’s awesome realizing that there is a whole world out there to be explored… to be experienced… where you’re not defined by “what have you done for me lately”… where you’re allowed to be creative, fun, have a life, and really enjoy just being yourself.

It is this realization that has allowed me to realize that I have GOT to invest in myself. I’ve got to stick up for myself and do everything in my power to get into a place and world that I really like. I want to like me. I want to enjoy being who I am. And more importantly I want to feel as though I actually do something with this life I’ve been given. I know you are probably tired of me hearing of me talk about 3 doors down but their latest album ’speaks to me’ for lack of a better term. Somewhere I did lose myself along the way. Little by little I’ve given up on myself. that is the most isolating and lonely feeling in the world. I used to be this person that was sarcastic (okay not the best quality but I loved that about me), smart, witty, funny, independent, nonchalant, and most of all I wasn’t this arrogant, know it all bitch that I’ve become. How did I lose sight of that kickass girl who flaunted her flaws and just really enjoyed life and all of its crazy little quirks it had to offer? Granted I’m probably the worst judge of self perception but I certanly seem to have lost pieces of me somewhere else.

I just finished reading “Remember Me?” and “Can you keep a Secret?” by Sophia Kinsella. To PittsburghBelle, she refers to them as lollipop books. While they are certainly easy reads, the best thing about them is their centralized theme. Each lead character is a quirky, English girl who comes to find her true self. One learns that a single decision three years prior causes her to go down a path that warps her so badly she doesn’t know who she is anymore, literally. Well granted she gets amnesia and the whole story is about her rediscovering that amazing, funny, and kind friend girl that she used to be. The other discovers that being truly honest with someone and most importantly with herself is her most valuable asset. There are two significant lessons to be learned there. Ones that I needed to hear at exactly the right time I was actually ready to listen to them. I listend. Look out world. Some changes are coming around the bend and you better keep all hands and feet inside the carriage at all times.

What’s funny is that I also read the investment book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The first story in the book discusses Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. It was actually a good reminder, being the precocious, independant that I have always been… So for your reading pleasure.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20

Utah was an excellent adventure. The commute there was less than noteworthy. The only comment I have is that while waiting on upgrades on the Vegas flight, I met a very interesting guy named HarleySalesGuy. He was on his way to Vegas for yes you guessed it, a trade show. HarleySalesGuy was older, funny, and one of those great airline passengers you don’t mind running into on an airplane. It’s the perfect relationship, for 2 hours you talk, laugh, giggle, and have a good conversation. At the end you go your separate ways still thinking highly of the other without bitterness and resentment. He was a lot of fun. I hope that he was able to sell a lot of his little harley replicas. Hopefully he took my advice and went to see O!

Once I got to Utah, several aspects of the trip resonated with me immediately. I loved the heat without humidity. It was as if the stone allowed my body to melt into it. I immediately felt at home in the arid environment. It was gorgeous! Lots of mountains everywhere and very very few people. It was glorious.

It also reminded me the kind of home I want to have. It has to have a hammock. I LOVED reading in the hammock during the afternoon. One night, I abandoned my lush king sized bed with its zillions of pillows for the hammock. The stars were out, the night was clear and it was a little warm. But as I swung there, looking up at the stars above, I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. It was gorgeous. I forgot what it was like to sleep under the stars. If I buy a house, I’m totally making good on my dream to embed LEDs in the ceiling and installing a hammock in the backyard. Can’t wait.

Sidebar Edit: It’s shark week on the Discovery channel. Could anyone ask for a better television week? I think not.

I know. It’s been a week since I last posted. I’m sure you’re anxiously awaiting another post about the wild tales of travel. I shall not disappoint. I promise. Although this week I don’t have a single story about my missteps. I promise to regale you with tons of stories about my recent vacation in Utah. But for now, let me preface the entire story with, “I Couldn’t ask for anything better”. It was as if God’s little finger sweeped down and cleared away the clutter. I was not expecting to be a changed person or ‘fixed’ upon arriving back in Austin (although it would have been nice to have a fresh perspective and a renewed focus). However I had an amazing trip.

You know there are a few perks to traveling like I choose to do. For example, this girl knows how to pack. I had everything. While my hairs were out of place, I didn’t lack for anything and yet still had plenty of room in the suitcase for newly acquired accessories. To top it off, I didn’t have any security line issues. I also got my free upgrades. While American Airlines does many things wrong and are completely disloyal to their loyal customer, they did eventually upgrade me on both legs of my journey for free. I can’t complain.

I have no complaints about the resort except for the fact that these people are TOO freakishly happy and cheerful. I often felt like the recalcitrant day camper who was playing hokey from the ‘wonderful’ day activities at camp. These people reminded me of the Parent Trap where the two girls were ostracized for their bad behavior but having a great time while camp resumed without them. I chose to take the path less travelled (as is usually the case) by going mountain biking instead of meditation and poolaties? These group classes were filled with some very excentric crazy women who then spent their entire dinner conversation talking about the quality of their classes. I was very glad that I had packed well with over 20 books to keep me well occupied to retreat into the solace that I needed. I did feel like the rebel with a cause. it was quite liberating. I’m sure all of these eccentric women are very nice and good human beings but I just couldn’t bring myself to make new friends and influence new people this week and it was GLORIOUS. Although, I will get to TabascoMan in a bit. He was quite delicious… well in theory.

DId I mention that i NEEDED vacation? it wasn’t something that I really wanted to do alone. it certainly wasn’t something that I had planned to hurt people in my life by ‘abandoning’ them. But it was something that i NEEDED to get some time and space for myself. And quite frankly I feel that I’m a much better sister, daughter, coworker, friend, and girl for it. So forgive me for taking off without you but you’ll get over it. That’s about it for now. Just know I”M BACK… and Lord help me, but I’m scarier than ever.

This week I have started to really embrace my town. For the small interim that I actually live here, I have decided to get to know my city. One of my coworkers and I decided to take a walk around Town Lake on Tuesday evening. When I arrived, he suggested we take a look at the bats. We actually did a very Austin thing to watch the bats come out of the Congress street bridge. it was fascinating! I’ve never really done the watch the bats thing and it was actually cool to see such a massive number of bats pour forth and fill the nights sky with their black movement. It’s amazing.

i also had my own hypnotherapy session. I know that it sounds very Austin but wow. While the jury is still out on actually being hypnotized, it was exceptionally wonderful to spend an hour taking a break and relaxing listening to someone help me visualize certain things about myself. It was amazing. To dispel any myths, she didn’t hypnotize me with a stopwatch. She was awesome and sweet. It was like a severe meditation session. I even had this visualization where I was able to start letting go of all of the negative stuff. i was able to start letting go certain self images/perceptions that keep me from really putting myself out there and believing that I don’t deserve to lose weight/be happy/be sexy/be beautiful/etc. So it’s been worth it, just to have some time to stop. relax. it’s been worth it just to relax a bit and sleep.

in keeping with embracing the Austin moment, I also went to the Blanton Museum with some friends Friday evening. it was fascinating to see again. i hadn’t been there since high school. I love Roman history! Although of course there are a lot of exhibits that are replicas of the actual pieces I’ve seen personally at the Louvre. But it was awesome. I enjoyed getting out of my normal mold. I also just got back from 6th street. We had a great evening of drinking and partying. At least I’m starting to get out there again and not staying in a rut. Next thing you know I am gonna enjoy something new. I can’t wait. what else should i do? yoga! Oasis? I want to experience the life a little less ordinary!

Next thing you know I’m going to be wearing straw skirts, strappy t-shirts without a bra and harping on the benefits of green technology and the Democratic party… Well maybe not that FAR… scary

So this 4th of July, I was privileged to take part in a celebration. My grandparents have been married for 60 years. 60 years. That’s a long ass time. 60 years ago, Eisenhower was in the oval office, Arthur Miller completed Death of a Salesman, and Warner Brothers showed the first color newsreel of the Rose Bowl Parade. Truman got elected in November of that year. We hadn’t put a man on the moon yet. We had yet to create cell phones, two-way pagers, cds, walkmans, and the Beatles hadn’t hit the airwaves yet.

And yet today we call it progress? I wonder though if a life a little more simple could be as grand. From the recollections of my grandmother and her girlfriends, life was a lot different then. She told us a story about Leonard who used to tease her on her 2 block walk to school. he would play with her shoes as she was walking. One day when she’d had enough, she turned around and hit him with her book satchel. Seriously. In today’s world if a girl did that she would be labelled a bully and charged with assault for hitting some momma’s precious baby.  It’s amazing at age 82, she can still recall with clarity the feelings of watching her first television show and discusses how she would ride the train to san marcos for college. It just seems like to me that while life had fewer advances in technology, it almost seems idealicly simple. Of course… that is until I realize that there were few options for women outside the home… So I guess there are some advantages to living in today’s world.

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend! BoyScout as he will be forthwith be named was my rescuer. He was able to obtain some fantastic VIP tickets for the Stone Temple Pilots concert in Houston this weekend. So we road tripped it in the rain down to Houston. The concert was AMAZING. It was the exact release I needed from stress and tension. As the chords of Vasoline thrummed through the air, I felt the past couple of weeks just pass out of me and into the world. The rest of the stress, worry, hunger, sadness, and anger just vanished. It was intoxicating… even sober!

The best part of the night was either going to the Goose Acre after the concert and chit chatting or having Scott Weiland come down our row and be less than 5 feet from us!!! it was insane. the rest of the weekend was greatness too. We just chilled and then I went home to have a birthday party for Ken. It was his birthday and we did hibachi! I danced in the rain on the way home. I couldn’t ask for a better weekend.

Yes. i know. I have written about them multiple times before. But this time, it’s something good. While I can rail at length about the ever waning privileges of those who travel frequently and the downgraded services, American Airlines did the next to near impossible today. They made me happy. Seriously. Happy.

Immediately after getting off the flight into DFW, I sprinted over to the very next Austin-bound flight so I could perhaps get home at a decent hour. My hopes began to wain as I watched as the plane started boarding and the line was 16 deep for the standby passengers. Thank God I have flown so much as I put my name on the list, it popped to the very front! yes. All those hours. All those miles. They do stand for something. I was able to get a flight into Austin in time to get some dinner and get started on the never ending list of mundane details that I haven’t paid attention to for a month. Of course my baggage is still in their possession but I don’t really care. I can do laundry next week while in Dallas. Now off to signing a lease, paying dues, filing expenses, putting together my UK tax return, and I’ve GOT to get a mountain biking in this weekend before I head to Houston with Chris to see STP. No rest for the wicked I suppose.

Oh and I get to be a bridesmaid again! My bestest dearest friend Julie is getting married next year in July. I’m sure it’ll be a blast.

Welcome to the world Corbin Thomas Zavala! I can’t wait to meet you!

It was river trip 2008. It rained a little. We danced a lot and drank even more. Here’s the shots!

http://picasaweb.google.com/metalchick/RiverTrip2008