Sometimes life hands you a handful of lemons. Best laid plans go awry due to the ever loving kindness of Mother Nature and yet you find yourself somehow miraculously making wicked hard lemonade outta those lemons. This weekend I was fixin to go to a sandbar party out on Lake Travis with some friends, among a few other plans when things went egg-shaped (that’s a nice word for FUBAR). Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to cool down this Texas heat with one of her fronts that poured down an inch of rain. And I’m not complaining one bit. Of course we already know how much I love dancing in the rain (even if I’m riding my bike and taken by surprise when the torrential downpour starts… note to self, read the weather report before taking off on a bike ride). But of course it turned out to be a pretty awesome weekend anyway. So I decided to put together a list of things to do when you find yourself stuck indoors when mother nature strikes. Sorry it’s only a top 5 list. I’m a little busy watching Detroit and Chicago battle it out on the ice.

1. Make a fort: Who says kids get to have all the fun? I certainly don’t. So push the furniture back (hey! it’s an opportunity to redesign the living room anyway) and make a fort outta old blankets, sofa pillows, and if you happen to have big card board boxes around, go for it! Or take that tent that you were planning on pitching outside and throw it up in the living room. Be sure to leave the opening facing the wide-screen TV and put on some great National Geographic Channel specials. Don’t get me started on the Travel Channel’s programming. bleh.  Might as well picture yourself in the great outdoors while stuck inside. To fully capture the experience you can turn off the tv, pull out a board game with the friends and play Monopoly or Risk! Oh and if you want, I have a great way for making S’mores on the stove. Be creative! (Oh! and I played Guitar Hero last night for a little while and it was really fun. I wasn’t very good… in my defense, those drums are HARD! but it was a lot of fun hanging out, drinking a few yummy beers and being a rockstar!)

2. Dance in the Rain: That’s right. You heard me. If Mother Nature decides to shower you with some May showers, then go outside and enjoy them. Granted you probably shouldn’t be wearing you white Easter Sunday dress with the pink bow when you got sloshing through puddles but that shouldn’t stop you. Oops. Live and learn.  Clothes wash. You’ll dry… unless you’re the Wicked Witch of the West… then you’ve got bigger problems anyway. “I’ll get you my pretty… and you’re little dog too.” I so don’t know where that came from. heh. But dance in the rain. I always love heading out to Mt. Bonnell when the thunderstorms roll into Austin. Talk about a spectacular display. Ride the Lightening.

3. Be a do-gooder. Stuck inside and been meaning to go through your closet to get in a good amount of spring cleaning? What a perfect opportunity to be stuck inside and go through all of your gently-warn clothes to donate to Goodwill. Never a better time to catch up some spring cleaning.

4. Catch up on your reading: Been meaning to re-read Angels and Demons since it’s coming out in theaters? (And yes, I know. Even with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard at the helm, NOTHING will ever come close to the book)  Wanting to re-read the Twilight series for the oh-i-don’t-know hundredth time? Gonna catch up on Robert Patterson’s latest crime novel? What a perfect day to wrap up in a blanket and read. Disappear into your favorite lollipop book. And whatever you do. Do not pass go. Do NOT collect 200 dollars. DO NOT. I repeat. DO NOT read anything pertaining to work, business, self-help or other gobbidly goop. The weekend, especially Sunday, is a day of rest. You owe it to yourself, to your family and to you friends to relax a bit. So enjoy a guilty pleasure. It’s okay. I promise. Work will still be there Monday.

5. Dance: Okay. You know this was going to be on the list. Turn on the radio, IPOD, or computer and dance! Just have some fun with it. No matter what throws your head back, just enjoy dancing to the anthem that inspires you to move! For me this weekend it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that but mostly some Oldies, Classic Rock, and Metal. Surprise. Surprise.

What’s your favorite indoor, rainy day game?

Yes! The vending machines have been restocked and the world has realigned itself. I also secretly (or I guess not not so secretly now) suspect that the Swine Flu pandemic is a massive conspiracy created by manufacturers of hand sanitizer.
Now go enjoy your weekends everyone! Have some fun.

You see. I have this little teeny tiny vice. It’s microscopic. Well sorta. I have a drug problem. I know! Surprised aren’t you? I am addicted to caffeine and it gets worse… much worse… it’s a particular product where caffeine can be found that I am addicted to. Yes I should go to a group meeting about this addiction. “Hello my name is metalchick and I am addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. “

Seriously. It’s bad folks. So bad that I had to leave the comfort of the 3rd floor vending machines in search of Diet Dr. Pepper yesterday morning. I put out an APB on Diet Dr. Pepper until someone, thank goodness for fantastic developers, located some on the second floor conference room vending machines. Crisis overted. But today is another day. Did they restock my precious or am I going to have another crisis? The glow of florescent lighting and ambrosia of the gods, the one the only, Diet Dr. Pepper beckons. So it’s hi ho hi ho it’s off to work I go. Only going to the office will reveal the truth. I should seek professional help huh? Shush from the peanut gallery.

So my trip to big D got postponed for a little bit and thus tonight I find myself enjoying an evening at home watching game 7 of the Pittsburg Penguins and Washington Capitals. Don’t worry. I know you’re worried. I’m still going to Moline, IL, the illustrious home of John Deere, next week. Yes. There are tractor races. I’m gonna get muddy! When in Rome ya know? A girl’s gotta be flexible and still have fun regardless of the way the ball bounces. I’m super impressed with Crosby tonight. This guy is phenomenal, amazing, incredible. There simply are not words. Inspector Gadget would say ‘wowzer’.  Of course I still miss the Stars and they will always have my heart but alas, not making the playoffs I have to go for second best. Go Peguins shall be the battle cry going forward!

In other news, I’m really getting excited about this Adventure race. 12 hours (give or take a few ) , 3 men, me, 800 foot zipline, 12 miles of mountain biking, kayaking, and a partridge in a pear tree? Oh and did I mention there’s North Shore beer as incentive to get to the finish line? I’m SOOO there! Should be an awesome way to spend Memorial Day weekend! Hooyah! I guess that do something every day that scares you mentality is really rubbing off! You make me feel like dancing! I wanna dance the night away!

Bad Pun. I know. Forgive me. I’m sitting here tonight realizing I have an awesome opportunity to travel to rural Illinois next week. Overalls and all.  Only I haven’t the slightest clue of what to do at night when I’m not busy workin. When viewing Marriott’s recommendations, they list nothing under bars, eateries, or nightlife. Not even the local dive bar, restaraunt, or places of interest. But fear not there are chains of plenty. Ahh America. The land of corporate, franchises.  Unfortunately even google in their infinite wisdom has not surfaced any significant results. Seriously. Although I know more about the history of Moline and Davenport Illinois than I did 24 hours ago. Reading through the local newspaper, there is hardly mention of any sort of fun activities during the few days I’l be there. And yes I even asked the customer… to no avail. A pity. So what’s a single, adventurous girl to do? I guess I’m just gonna have to stir up a ruckus like any like-minded solo woman business traveller must do. Times of desperate need call for desparate measures. Talk about your super hero come to life. No worries, I’ll report back on any adventures I have. This week, it’s back to Dallas and a few foosball, beer-laden nights. Perhaps this time he’ll take me dancing. We’ll see. You never know what unfolds behind the auspice of a casual night out in Dallas! Carpe Diem! Have fun y’all!

It’s really amazing the way the years have a tendency of slipping off of you like layers of clothing the closer you get to pulling into your drive way. You’re really always 17 in your home town. It’s the freakiest of phenomena. I wonder why Stephen King hasn’t written a book about it. It’s really kind of interesting how easy it is to slip into your old habits and routines (the good, the bad, and the downright ugly) the moment you cross that threshold. For me, my family has lived in the same house for over 27 years. Granted a few things have changed since I left home like my bedroom is now my mom’s dressing room. But there are far more comforting similarities than those that have changed. Yes. I did get a hankerin the semester I graduated from high school to sponge paint my entire room maroon, hunter green and navy. My Starlighter pictures and collage (that gratuitously displays a David Boreanaz homage) still hangs on the walls. Yes I know but he was hot and conflicted. Ironically my man choices have been fairly consistent.

Anyway I digress. I had a point. Uhm Really. But I did find it funny that immediately my old habits started playing out before me like a 10 piece marching band.  My shoes were shaken before being placed on my feet in case scorpions decided to reside in their depths. Gotta have my diet dr pepper for breakfast. And sitting outside by the bbq pit as it billows out smoke cooking those amazing pork and beef ribs reading are all my favorite things to do at home. So my Mother’s Day was just what I always wanted and it was fantastic. I even got the golden opportunity to see my niece roll over for the first time AND catch that on film. Take that Steven Spielberg!

For your viewing pleasure. The man was and still is hot. hot hot hot.

David and all his hotness

Hey everybody! I know. You’ve missed me. It’s been a while since I posted about my super hero life. But fear not, I’m actually coming out of my transition phase and exploring life in some very positive and hilarious ways. So more stories to come. Promise!

Today was interesting. My CEO asked me if I’ve decided what I want to do when I grow up. While you and I both know where he’s going with that, I cheekily wanted to reply with, “I don’t wanna grow up. I’m a Toys-R-Us Kid. There’s a million toys at Toys-R-Us that I can play with…” You get the idea. While honestly I’m a fairly clean slate right now. I’m actively de-sludging my soul. (tasty right) and realizing that there’s a plethora of opportunity out there. I just have to decide what my dream and passion is and go for it… full throttle… cause we all know that there’s no other speed in my vocabulary. I stumble headlong into whatever passion I decide upon. And I learn a lot. It’s gonna be greatness in a glass with a little salt and lime. Here’s what I do know. I want to live my best life. I want to laugh. And I want to entertain and inspire people.  You never know who’s just gonna need a smile!Beyond that, I’m not sure what I’m going to decide in the end. I’ve got me a few options… okay… just a bazillion. The difference between me and the rest of the world, I’m actively pursuing change… a dream… passion… I’m gonna create Metalchick’s own super hero world. You gonna come along and have some fun? Let’s party!I’ve got a couple of ideas from creating a new (but revenue generating) blog that talks about living your best life called “It’s not about the wait”. Heh did you catch the pun there? Yes. Clever little girl. LOL. Maybe I’ll be a travel writer. I can get caught in a few more revolving doors purely for entertainment value… or learn to salsa in Buenos Aires. The world is my oyster. And i’m the pearl Okay. Okay. that’s a little too cliched even for me.

This is what I wrote in my journal. It’s a little deeper. Have fun! Do something every day that scares you.

Today is the day my life begins. Today I become accountable to myself. You never know today is the biggest day of your life until you embrace the present, let go of past mistakes, and embrace the possibility of the future. You never realize that today is the best day of your life until you confront that today… the present… is the only day you’ve got. Every day is an opportunity to leave off the bow lines and sail away from the safe harbor.

And to think I cancelled a date tonight to spend the night divulging these great secrets to y’all. Well not really. I had other things come up too but there are many fishes in the sea and this was more important. Although I’m sure my date with D.J. would have provided a few hours of endless entertainment a funnier blog post. I digress. Y’all have a good night!

Ever been woken up by the thunderous applause of God’s wrath only to be thrust back into a reality that is just too ironic for words? This morning there was a huge thunderstorm in Dallas where I was staying. It was incredible. Have I mentioned how much I love thunderstorms? Like seriously. LOVE. Anyway I digress.
I woke up this morning to a great thunderstorm in yet another hotel. I woke up wondering why my back was so warm. I could have sworn I went to bed alone last night. Only to find out that it was the ever loving glow of my laptop. Yes I went to bed with work last night and woke up this morning to realize that my shirt was also inside out. Hardly the super hero life I envision in my dreams. I’m going back to bed.

So I was talking the other day with this guy when he asked just what kind of comic book super heroine I would be. Sadly Lara Croft wasn’t an option. As previously mentioned I rock that chick. But alas no he wanted super hero powers and the whole snazzy outfit. Secretly I think he has some sort of comic book fetish that he hasn’t admitted.

Lacking the opportunity to choose Lara Croft, I decided to go with a feisty redhead. Surprise surprise there. I know! Sometimes I am a little too predictable, I suppose. I chose Jean Grey from the X-Men series mostly because I’ve never actually read a comic book before but I had seen the X-men movie and she was complex, conflicted, confident, and cool. (can I alliterate or what?). Her fatal flaw of not being able to control her powers is interesting while she is also incredibly powerful to control emotions and objects. Sounds like it would be a fun little super power to possess. Just knowing whether or not you go to your boss and you’re going to get that raise ahead of time is pretty compelling. At least a girl can dream right? A quick google images search yielded this picture. Yes sirree, I think I could totally rock this chick. I may have found my next Halloween costume… You just never know with me!

Jean Grey

So what would you be if you could be any super hero? Would you fly? Walk through walls? Be good? Be evil? Be nice and a little naughty? Do tell! Let your imaginations roam! Wherever I may roam!

Ever wanted to make a difference while also riding a bicycle and partying with Shiner Bock at the same time? Hells to the bells yes! Last year I did the Real Ale bike ride down in Blanco, TX with some friends. This year we’re upping the ante folks. Yep. That’s right. You heard it here first… or probably really last. We’re upping that ante. So next weekend… It’s the Shiner G.A.S.P, Great Austin to Shiner Pedal. That’s right. If you know much about Texas geography, that’s a little over 100 miles. WOOT! Shiner Bock beer and music is at the end of that rainbow. Talk about having some incentive! So load up your IPOD, put on those clipless pedals, and bring some friends!

Note all fees get donated to the American Cancer Society so double woot!

Wanna go? Dare to do something every day that scares you. Sign up here: Shiner G.A.S.P