The Pain of the Pepsi Perdido

Saturday night on the way to work, I dropped by the Arby's for a bite, and by the time I arrived to work, I hadn't had a drink of my Pepsi. I stuck it in the office while I went to change and clock in. After a few minutes of working on the drive, I was thirsty. I went to the office to get a drink, only to discover that one of the afternoon desk guys, Kevin, had cleaned the office before he left, disposing of my drink. As a result, it was necessary to do all I could do to make him feel very guilty. Unfortunately, for some reason we did not have his phone number in the office, so I couldn't call him at 3am demanding a replacement. And it would be four days before I worked with him again.
So last night, when I came in, he was working at the desk. I stood in front of him, pursing my lips with a very disapproving glare. He looked up, and said, "I understand I owe you a Pepsi."
"Yup."
I had to explain why. He remembered. He got all obsequious and apologetic. He offered me a dollar. I said, "No, I want you to go to Arby's and buy me one."
"OK. Sure. I can do that. Just tell me when you want it."
A minute later I was telling Brett, our overnight security guy that I had insisted that Kevin go buy a new drink instead of just paying for it. He said, facetiously, "Of course. He's got to feel your pain." Yeah, Brett gets it.
See, it's not about getting a replacement Pepsi. (I'd prefer a Coke.) Nor is it about feeling that I was robbed. (It's not that big a deal.) It's all about Kevin having put himself in a vulnerable position where I can play with his brain simply for my own amusement. (Insert evil laugh here.) I love this kind of stuff.

Adendum 5-30
Kevin insisted that I take $2.00 for the Pepsi, since he would have to have been buying it eight hours before he would see me.

¡Que $emana!

So, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we were in Dallas, and I had to work Tuesday night. I slept 13 hours Wednesday and got up just in time to go back to work. Thursday and Friday I had family obligations, and in all this time I had things I wanted to do and couldn't because I had demands on my time. So when Saturday rolled around, I told Gaby that I really wanted some time to myself. I didn't mean for it to sound that way, but he took it that I was telling him to vacate and not come back till I was at work. He was a little miffed about it, too.
We needed groceries desperately, so Sunday evening we took off to the WallyWorld, stopping at the Braum's first for supper. My debit card was declined. We had some cash, but not enough for groceries and dinner. On the way home, we stopped at the bank to check my balance. I knew that it was not possible that I was overdrawn. The ATM was sorry, but it could not process my request at that time. All I did was stick in my card. How do you even know what my request is? I figured the machine must be down, so Monday morning I went to a different ATM. Same result. Now I'm really concerned, and with it being the holiday and all, I had no one to ask about it. Unless...
I called the customer service line, and, wonder of wonders, a real person answered. I explained my problem, and got transferred to a supervisor, who informed me that on the same day that I was buying a sandwich in Edmond OK, someone else was buying $495 worth of groceries somewhere in Pennsylvania with the same debit card. This looked suspicious, so they shut down my card. She promised me that the money taken from my account would be returned, and that I would have a new card in a few days.
This morning, I went to the bank to make a deposit, and I got a printout of all transactions on my account for May. That one was the only bogus charge. All other checks and debits were accounted for. I'm really impressed. Chase Bank is really on top of things.
What I'd really like to know, tho, is how did someone in PA get my account info?????
Meanwhile, groceries.

Good Trip

I'm enjoying this trip a lot more than the last time we were here. The lodgings are more enjoyable, I'm getting some rest, and we've seen all the friends we want to see without being rushed to be someplace.
We left here yesterday to see our good friend Charla, who lives in Bedford. Besides leaving later than we intended, it took us forever to get through the traffic jam on the "high five," the new interchange between I-635 and State Highway 75. Charla took us to lunch at Cheddar's, and we went back to her house and caught up on stuff. Gaby told her when we were leaving that he wished she lived close enough that we could visit at least once a week. Me, too.
Traffic kinda forced us to take the long way home. I don't mind that kind of thing when we have nowhere special to be. I really like exploring. Back to the hotel for a nap and then to meet Saul for a late supper.
Saul was Gaby's roommate when Gaby lived in Garland. (Robin Williams played him in "The Bird Cage." I swear, it was uncanny.) He met us a little Italian place called Tony's (of course.) I was delighted to find tortellini bolognese on the menu. I love that stuff, and I haven't had any since, oh, 1986? Saul gave Gaby a computer he'd picked up at the thrift store. We'll see if it works.
Then we went out to the "area," as Gaby calls it. It's a cluster of gay-owned shops, restaurants, and clubs at the corner of Cedar Springs and Throckmorton. (Look up the medical term "throckmorton" on wikipedia.) Not very many people out on a Monday night. We had a stilted conversation with a couple there, which I started, but it didn't last long. Gaby chastised me about just walking up to people and talking to them, but how are we supposed to meet anybody if we don't? I did find out that I really don't care for vodka-7s, even with a lime.
Anyway, back to the hotel, and to bed. Lunch today with Saul, then home, and work.

Carrot Shows and Newt Regina

It is a few minutes after 6:00am, and I'm typing this from the business center of the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas. Gaby is still asleep upstairs, and I'm doing the best I can with my wierd sleep schedule. I woke up hungry and with a headache. The hotel has no vending machines, but they give free chocolate chip cookies at the front desk.
We're here to visit friends. Another weekend would have been better, but I promised Gaby we'd come this time, and so here we are. For one reason or another I was not able to make arrangements for our stay, so we had to go through Gaby's BF, Marlene, who works here at the Doubletree, for the hotel. If I had made the arrangements through my hotel, I think it might have cost about $40 less, but this place is really nice, and the room on the 18th floor has a nice view and a comfortable bed. A sign in the bathroom reminds us to use only one towel during our visit because "When you care, it shows."

It's been a long time since we've been to Dallas. The museum was to open the King Tut exhibit in a couple of days the last time we were here, and we were hoping to get a chance to see it. We arrived last night only to find out that yesterday was the last day, and the show is closed. However, there will still be things to see, places to do, and people to go, so there won't be a lot of down time on this trip. I just hope that my sleep time, or lack thereof, won't have the bad effect that it had last time.

adendum 9:30am
I left the business center and went back up to the room. While waiting for the elevator, I got a look at myself in the mirror there, and found that I had been amongst the early risers with a pillow-hair mohawk--which,btw, does not look good with a bald spot.
I got another hour or so of sleep before Marlene called us down to breakfast. In our bathroom, they have some Neutrogena products that corrected all my hair problems. Breakfast was wonderful. I can't believe I ate the whole thing.

Doggy Phobia

Last weekend (which for me is from Sunday morning to Tuesday evening,) we decided to get a head start on some of the summer plans by taking out the carpet in the back room. It was easier than we anticipated, and in a couple of hours we had exposed and cleaned the floor underneath, which is green square kitchen tile. It was in such good shape that we could actually leave it as is if it weren't for the fact that the color puts the ug in ugly.
We thought the dogs would find it interesting; curious, perhaps. We had no idea that Shadie the schnauzer would actually be frightened by it. Her bed is in the closet in that room, and she now refuses to get out of bed to go outside in the morning. When we open the back door to let her in, she whimpers and wiggles with nervousness, because she wants in, just not on THE SCARY FLOOR! When we do get her in, she races to the living room, where it is safe. Then, if we are in the back room watching TV, she stands at the door and whines. (When she's excited or nervous, she makes a sound like a rooster crowing.) It frustrates her that now Fritz is getting all the attention because he's not afraid of THE SCARY FLOOR!
Last night she was really a nervous wreck, because she's also afraid of thunderstorms, and she would have to walk across THE SCARY FLOOR in order to get some comfort from Gaby. Tonight I got a lot of amusement from tormenting her by putting the gate across her only exit, locking her in the room. She got up on the couch and couldn't get down.
Just wait till this summer when we redo the living room floor, too. (Insert evil laugh here.)

"The Lion King" Onstage

The are not enough superlatives to express my amazement at "The Lion King," which my family and I saw Tuesday night. We already knew the music and story from the movie, but that didn't prepare us for the amazing costumes, lighting and visual effects that brought this stage production to life.
On top of that, I had the personal satisfaction of having been the one to plan and pay for an outing of this sort for my family for the first time. I had never had the opportunity before just because I was too poor to do so. It made me feel like a grown-up. Nice feeling.

Impatience 1

I want a vegetable garden. I don't know anything about working a garden of any sort, but mi novio is very good at that kind of stuff. So he goes out to the garage and finds some 1x12s and makes a 4'x8' fence, digs out a patch in the yard, and puts the fence around it, burying it about 4" deep. Then he tells me we need to spend about $70-$100 on supplies. I don't know why we need to spend that much because my Grandma's garden was just a plowed area of her yard. But if he says so, that's okay. Just as soon as I have the money.
So we had an art show this past weekend, and did pretty well. Then the next day I got my tax refund check. Then Friday was payday. So I have the money. And he knows I have the money.
So he's going to say, "Hey, I'm going shopping for garden stuff. Gimme your debit card." Right?
No. He got some planks out of the garage, laid them across the fence, covering the dug out patch, and put his potted plants on top of it. Why? Because he can't wait for me to go to the bank.
Now, he's going to read this and say, "But you didn't tell me..."
And I'm going to say, "Why do I need to tell you something you already know?"
And he's going to say "[ad naseum, ad infinitum]."
And I'll roll my eyes and walk away.

adendum 5-13:
It was carefully explained to me that it was all my fault. Mm-hm.

Family Reunion

I've reestablished contact with a cousin of mine that I haven't talked to in years. In fact, the last time I remember seeing him was in '89 or '90 when he stopped in at the restaurant I was working in at the time. Since then there have been a few emails, but I barely knew about anything going on in his life. We missed each other at the family reunions. He and a fellow everyone presumed was his partner came one year, I came the next, and there were no more after that.

When we were kids, he and his sisters were our main playmates, and for my brother and me PaulDebbieandTammy was just one long word. His youngest sister wasn't born until after the family move to a farm outside a small town some thirty miles away. We were part of the same social group when they moved back in the late seventies, but we never had the same kind of relationship again. He moved away for college and career, and though his family still lives here it is rare that he gets a chance to come to visit.

He sent me a picture today of himself and his partner, Mark. (He asked me not to post it). I'm hoping that we can keep up a correspondence. Thirty years is a long time to catch up on, but I want to try.

It Is May, Isn't It????

The Edmond Downtown Arts Festival took place on May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. It was cold (54º in May‼) and rainy most of the time, and sales were slow.

I was fortunate in that I sold a big original early on the first day. If not for that, the show would have been pretty dismal.
I got the Judges Choice Award for my new pic, which I have tentatively titled "Saturday In The Park." As soon as I have prints made, I'll be hanging it at my mom's house.

There's One (Or Two) In Every Crowd

Tuesday was Gaby's 40th birthday, and I threw him a surprise party. I say "surprise" although he knew something was up. I had to tell him that someone special was coming over just to keep him from going to Texas. And at some point preceding, he found the beer and liquor that I had carefully hidden in the studio. Ah, well.
Ten guests showed up, five times more than the last party I threw, and Gaby really had a good time. My friend Jason made a marvelous cake, and I got way too much food and beer. Everyone seems to have had a good time, and I think a couple of the guys might start dropping in once in a while.


Since the party was on a Tuesday, I started inviting people a month in advance so they could make arrangements. I called Jason to get him to make the cake. I called Gus to have him start thinking about who of the Hispanics should be invited. (Gus had taken Gaby camping with a few other guys, and I hoped that some of those guys could come. Gus repeatedly complained about the party being on a Tuesday, and ultimately I don't think he called anyone.)

I invited our friends from Texas, and they were all eager to come, but two couldn't get out of work, one couldn't get a baby-sitter for two days, and the other, our dearest friend, Charla, got sick. Charla overnighted a card and gift certificate that arrived just a couple of hours before the party, and she and two of the other Texans called during the party.

Locally, I invited a few of my cöworkers, and some guys we know from the club. In particular, I invited Gus' cöworker, Oscar, a fellow that Gaby had gotten to know recently, and whose company he really enjoyed. Oscar didn't know me well enough for me to call him on the phone, so I went to his office and extended a personal invitation to him and his wife.

A week before the party, I sent a text message out to those with cell phones as a reminder. Oscar texted back demanding to know who Gaby was. I texted back that Gaby was the guy who helped him move into his new house just a few days before. I couldn't believe he had forgotten him so quickly.

A couple of days before the party, I called around RSVPish to get a feel for how much food I should buy, and to make sure everyone had directions. Most were eager to come, one had to decline. From these calls, I figured there would be around 15 people. Even if 15 had shown up, I still had way too much food. The enchiladas I made were a whole serving each, and I had enough fixins for 50. (I made twenty; twelve were eaten.) I also got six bags of chips, three cans of Mexican style rice (which was awful), a whole bag of limes, and enough Velveeta to make two crock pots full of queso. Some guests also brought food.
I also bought seven bottles of pop, $56 worth of beer (and I don't even like beer), a bottle of tequila, and a bottle of vodka (which, along with the Kahlua one guest brought for White Russians, was the only thing anyone drank.)

I think we're going to have to throw another party just to get rid of the beer and chips.

A day or two after the party, Gaby talked to Gus. Gus didn't think we had enough food. He also said that Oscar decided not to come to the party because I had been "harassing" him with all the phone calls and text messages. Singular people, those two. I'm not sure what to say about the harassment charge.