Dinosaurs didn't have DVR, either

This is the post in which I complain ridiculously about not having a DVR.

Hey everyone. Right now, I'm living my life without a DVR. The cable company would only authorize one DVR for our house due to their own low supply (CHEESY CABLE COMPANY ALERT), so I have to forgo my own DVR until next month. I didn't think it would be that big a deal, but that was before I got comfortable in my house and settled back into my television viewing habits. I also thought, at the time, that I was in a major metropolitan city less crazy than Phoenix, and that its nightly prime time started at 8 p.m., as it does in California and Massachusetts, the two normal places I've lived. With TV starting at 8 p.m., I thought I'd only lose a couple minutes of my first show while putting my kid to bed. But, as you can surmise by my tone, I find that I do not live in a normal place. I live in what they call "Central Time," which is an entire portion of the country that starts its nightly television at 7 p.m. I can't defeat that. It makes my lack of DVR even more frustrating.
Did you know that television has commercials when you don't have a DVR? They are real, and you have to watch them. You can push the fast-forward button as much as you want, but without the technology, the damn commercials just stay there. Also, you can't pause your television when you need to go pee, or check on the kid, or see what it is your husband is yelling out about on the television in the living room.
"Kimmie!! KIMMIE!! Come here and see this!!"
"Wait a minute! I need a commercial!"
"Just pause it and come see this!"
"I CAN'T PAUSE IT!! I DON'T HAVE A DVR IN HERE YET!!"
Even though my kid was asleep, I really did yell that from my bedroom into the living room. I have no shame. I'd yell it from the roof. I need my DVR. This is what they call a "first-world problem." Still, it is a problem. I'm a junkie. I need my DVR.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (5 votes allowed):
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
Rob Kardashian ~ 1 vote. I don't know why he got the one vote. If I had six votes, I would have given each two of them. Out of these three stars, I'd rather see Martinez or Lake take home the trophy. Nothing at all against the kid, in fact, I like him. I just prefer the other two. I'll let the rest of America decide.

Zoo homework: Study the map

So, not only do I have a whole new town to learn, but a new zoo, as well. While the Houston Zoo is quite lovely, and, I'm sure, incredibly pleasant to walk around when it's not humid or too hot, it's not going to be an easy one to learn. (Somehow, there has to be a use for all my Phoenix knowledge now that I'm not there anymore. Perhaps some kind of osmosis transfer? Or a City Where You Live app update?) We weren't able to investigate the whole place, as it was hot and our attitudes were a bit cranky, but we did get to see the sea lions, tiger, rhinoceros, lions, elephants, cougars, giraffes and meerkats, among other animals. I honestly can't wait to go back there. And once I have a more straightforward path to getting there, we'll become regular visitors. What I didn't like about today, in my own little crazy head, was not knowing where everything was. That will change, of course, after Sydney and I get our membership and start going there more often, but still, the lack of knowledge was irritating. I'm such a control freak.

Job title: author?

I checked out job listings in Houston last night. I won't lie, it was pretty dismal ... and disappointing. And, to add another alliteration, depressing. I didn't expect to find the perfect job right away. But the prospects were either not at all what I do, or the boring stuff I've avoided my entire professional career: technical writing and editing. There were a couple things that sounded okay, but nothing that made my heart go pitter patter with potential. I don't even know what I want to do now.
But I do know that I've got a nifty little manuscript for a kid's book. Maybe this is the catalyst for me to get my butt into marketing my own stuff. So, once the kid and the husband are into their routine, I can start sending out query letters. Might as well get to the "'starving' but not hungry" author part of this game, right?

Is it *really* cheating?

This, to the left, is my cheat sheet for my television channels. It's weird how, when you've got the cable company's channel list in your hand, you can really narrow down the list to just a few channels that you actually watch. Also notable on this list is that three of the channels are Sydney's. Five other channels are ones that I don't watch regularly, but do like to know where they are, i.e., ESPN, CNN, A&E, and Discovery.
So, as I go through my ridiculous television obsessions, I can see, by virtue of my cheat sheet, that I actually only watch five channels. I think I'm feeling my age in that I still haven't memorized the channel numbers yet. Every time I go to switch stations, my head pops up with the Phoenix numbers.
It'll take some time, I know, but I'm frustrated with not knowing better and faster which channel is which. Hence, my lovely cheat sheet. It sits atop my nightstand. Cheat sheets rule! I very much like them, Sam I am!

Brian = Tiger Food

I have created a monster. This monster says many fun random things to me, but sometimes, they are irritating things. One particular pebble in my shoe is, "We haven't done anything fun for me today." Sometimes, we can not always do something fun for Sydney every day. Sometimes, it's all about family things, or errands, or other responsibilities.
The last several days have been about these other concerns, and since Sydney has been such a trooper, we decided to do something fun for her today.
We visited the aquarium. I am actually pretty impressed with our local aquarium. They had a whole bunch of different fish and mammals: piranhas, huge grouper, jellyfish, eels, sharks and anemones.
But weirdly, the aquarium also has a white tiger on display. It has a lovely space, with big windows, a little pool to play in, and lots of room. The tiger though, developed an interest in Brian. Sydney and I watched the tiger from the left side of the exhibit. Brian passed by us and went to observe from the right. The tiger stopped chewing up its toys and followed Brian over to the window. It lay down right by the window, showing all kinds of teeth when it yawned, spreading out its legs while stretching, and watching Brian with as much interest as he showed it.
We allotted about five minutes of time in focused conversation with, and about, the tiger. As we stood up and turned to leave the exhibit though, the tiger LEAPT up, and seemed to try to grab Brian. No kidding, it jumped up, with claws out, teeth on display and, no doubt, some kind of predatory noise coming from its throat. I turned back just in time to see the tiger standing on its hind legs with its front legs on the glass and the teeth showing. As an understatement, I'll say that I was startled. Brian didn't seem to flinch at all, and Sydney didn't even get what was happening. But really, the tiger would have mauled him, had it been able to get through the glass. That would have been messy!

Perhaps more sleep is in order

I get that I'm tired. I do. But this falling-asleep-on-the-sofa thing is driving me batty. Why can't I stay awake just a little it longer, and get ready for bed in a proper and timely fashion? Why do I find myself crashed out on the sofa or the bed, having just woken up from a nap?
Of course, part of the problem is that I lay down, get comfortable, and close my eyes.
Also, I enjoy sleeping, so it's not exactly an activity that I fight against when the mood strikes me.
But waking up after being asleep for 45 minutes, right when I actually should be going to sleep, is exhausting. It messes with my nighttime agenda, as well as my sleepy head.

It's such a good show!

I have only five boxes left in my apartment. And they are in my hallway, waiting to be taken down to the garage. It's liberating, but still, it means I've got a ton of vacuuming to do tomorrow once the boxes are gone. Also, I didn't leave my apartment all day. Finishing the office was my main priority, and I got that done, so I'm feeling good about that.

Good things about today:
I found the cushions for the sofa bed.
The laundry room is organized.
We're watching Friends right now.
Both my dogs pooped on their walk this evening.
Sydney ate all her pizza and meatballs for dinner.
It's getting cooler outside.

Eating out, and on the Internet

We had our first dinner out in Houston tonight. We ate at the New York Pizzeria on the corner. I've brushed my teeth twice, and I still taste the garlic bread. Sydney and I shared a pizza, and Brian ordered some sandwich thing, as well as some clam chowder. Do not ask me why our first foray out into the Houston nightlife was to a New York pizza place. It was what Brian was hungry for, and I was in no mood to try to change his mood. Still, the pizza was tasty, and Miss Sydney ate plenty.
What else? Well, Brian's had a bit of what I call a "stress cold." He's been hit hard by this cold for the last couple days. Now, I worry for Sydney, who told me at 7 p.m. that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. I mentioned that it was early, and, of course, she then insisted on staying up and watching some television. So, she had her normal bedtime, but I hope that she gets as much sleep as she needs tonight. And also that she doesn't crawl into bed with me. I don't want any germs at all.
And having returned to the world of television and Internet, I can get back into my normal life of being perpetually connected to my computer and television. I haven't voted on Dancing with the Stars in two weeks, so I can claim no responsibility for this, but I am pleased to see Hope Solo and Nancy Grace (last week's exit) off the ballroom floor; and J.R. Martinez, Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian in the finals. Good stuff. Next week should be good!
As for my house, I have only a few boxes left in it, and only the remaining bits in the office to put away. Tomorrow, I should think, will be my last day of unpacking.

The first post from Houston

I honestly have no idea where to even start with the last couple weeks I've had.
I guess I'll start by bitching about my poor decisions about Houston while I was in Phoenix, including my housing option and my daughter's school.
1. The apartment we chose was AWFUL, with a capital AWFUL. We -- stupidly -- signed our lease before seeing the place, and upon seeing the place, I was frantic. There was NO WAY I was going to live, and have my family live, in a place with a rubber-stamped "Pimp" on the front door. The complex was gracious about our sudden turnaround, but wasn't interested in letting us out of the lease we had just signed 15 minutes prior. They sent us to one of their sister properties, which is, happily, much nicer; and in a better part of town. So, I'm settled (mostly) into a nicer place with three bedrooms, storage, and two carports. Happier campers all the way around, but still, I'm horrified with where I almost ended up.
2. The school, and its curriculum, was fine. The school was great. The 45 minutes it took me to drive her there on Monday was NOT great. The 35 minutes it took to pick her up was also not great. I did find a school, with just as challenging a curriculum, only two minutes away, and she's enrolled there. Sydney restarts school on Monday. Tomorrow, I bring in her paperwork and the first tuition check. Another disaster averted.

No kidding, you guys. If I was a hitter in baseball, and these two decisions comprised my batting average, I would be benched and traded before I could draw my next breath. While most everything pressing has been dealt with, I still find myself terrified of what will happen next. I go to bed every night with a bit of a queasy stomach because of the uncertainty of my little life right now.
You know what I need? A job. As soon as I've developed a bit of a routine with my family, I am on the hunt. I won't survive out here without something for me, and a job is exactly what I need.
I feel like I'm bursting at the seams to talk to you, so may just post a bit later.

Tomorrow, leaving the Arizona desert

So.
Tomorrow we make our way into Texas.
Our first day of driving will only be about seven hours and change, so there's no reason to get up too early and bust our butts to get out of town at the crack of dawn. I'm thinking a 9 a.m. departure time. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep, too. I got a decent one last night. Let's make it two in a row, yes?
I ended up reviving our Netflix account tonight. I had suspended it because I didn't want to worry about the DVDs while we were in transit, but when the account is suspended, so is the Watch Instantly feature. That, to my daughter, is not acceptable. And because Super Why was imperative to her good mood this afternoon, I revived the account, but changed the address to Houston. So, I'll hold on to our X-Men movie, and we'll have two new movies when we get to Houston.
Other than that, we didn't do much today. New travel beds for Ollie and Daisy in the cars, more food for them, too; and some snack foods for Brian and I in the cars. It'll be weird going on our road trip without being in the same car. But we each got a new car charger for our phones, so we can spend the entire seven hours in the car on the phone, if we want.
So, tomorrow we say goodbye to living in Arizona. Weird.

What?!?! A blog?!?! TONIGHT?!?!

ITEM!: I think you all should consider yourselves lucky that I'm blogging tonight. Not that I have any incredibly life-changing and beneficial information or advice to impart, but because I'm super tired and would rather be napping. Sydney's asleep in our bed in the other room, and I'm currently listening to Brian and his dad argue over the country's finances. "He who speaks loudest is right." Such is the mantra when those two are together!
ITEM!: So, all my stuff is on a big truck on its way to Houston. Our load weight, according to the driver, is 13,000 pounds. I declare shenanigans in the worst way about that. Brian is incensed. There is no way we've doubled the weight of our life since we came out from Boston, he states. I think I agree, though I definitely see where we did increase our load over the last five years. Still, it means that we're paying the cost of our entire estimate, A LOT, and the rest of my life is more stressful. I'm never going to want to move again. But I'll have to. I've got at least two more moves in my future: from apartment to house in Houston (hopefully), and eventually, from wherever I am to California.
ITEM!: I'm tired. Like, so tired. I woke up this morning just as exhausted as I was yesterday morning. I got to take an hour-long nap later in the morning. I had a relatively relaxing day. Still, I'm super tired. It's only 10 p.m., and I can't wait to go to sleep. I'm even thinking of dosing myself with some NyQuil. I need to sleep tonight, because I probably won't tomorrow night, in preparation for the drive out on Sunday morning. My god, people, I don't think I'll sleep well for another four nights. That's making me all tired again!

I protest! I protest!

Well, here I am, less than 48 hours from the movers arriving to pick up our stuff for Houston. I'm trying hard to not freak out. Note the word, "trying."
Honestly, I'm doing pretty well, I think. Brian did look at me an hour or so ago and remark that I looked like I was having a nervous breakdown. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Still, I look around and I see "a box here and a box there" that needs to be packed. I was on fire today with the boxing, and I intend to power through a lot of it tomorrow. My goal is to have everything that needs to be in the cars ready to go in the cars by the time we see Katy tomorrow night. That way, selfishly, I'll have another set of hands to help carry everything downstairs.

Also, I am irritated with a capitol "IRR" about David Arquette being expelled from the ballroom tonight on Dancing with the Stars. He was having so much fun. He was doing better at his dancing. He was frickin' entertaining. His ex-wife and daughter were fantastic in the audience. And in looking at other stars, it's inconceivable to me that Arquette is the one sent packing. In fact, I'm so over Maks, his ego, and his behavior, that I had really hoped that he and Hope Solo would have been sent home tonight.

Who's the sleepy kitten?

I always know when Brian's asleep on the sofa because I've been hearing the same television show for an extended amount of time. Like right now. I don't know what he's watching, and I can't understand it beyond the noise over my headphones, but it's been the same basic voice noise for more than 30 minutes. This is not typical "Awake Brian" behavior. And then, I hear the snore.
HOUSTON: I am beyond pleased to tell you that I accomplished everything on my list for the day. The results: We have an official residence when we arrive in Houston. My mail is changed and being held until we settle in to Houston. Our auto and renter's insurance is being transferred to Texas. Now, all I have to do is pack more boxes. I got three done today. Tomorrow, more. Actually, a lot more: kitchen and bathrooms.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (6 votes allowed):
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
David Arquette ~ 2 votes.
Hope Solo, Nancy Grace, Rob Kardashian ~ 0 votes. It's crunch time, people, which means that the points go to the people I think most deserve them. With only six votes, every vote counts for that much more. (I find myself to be incredibly pretentious right now, as if my little votes actually make any difference!)

Getting ready for Thursday's launch

Well everyone, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow, I start boxing stuff up in my house. It's the big day. I'm digging into my kitchen, into my bathrooms, into the living room. I may even start the packing for the several days we'll be homeless. I don't want to start stressing out, but I think I'm gonna.
Also on tomorrow's list: call the apartment complex and find out what the hell is going on with my place; call the insurance company and get that transferred to Texas; and change our address and hold the mail in Texas. I have only four things to do tomorrow, and only three of them need to be completed. I can do that. Right? Right?!?!
Monday. Monday. Monday. Bring it on.

Well, that sounded brave, didn't it?!?! Love it!!

My purple pig won ... TWICE!

Is it wrong that I'm actually kind of disappointed that we didn't get lost in the corn maze today? Every year, for the last two years, Brian, Katy and I (with Sydney present as an observer) have managed to get ourselves lost in the corn maze at the pumpkin patch. I'm pretty convinced that it's an easier maze at the Queen Creek patch, rather than the west Phoenix patch we went to the last two years. The corn rows were a bit too thin, and the paths were too well-walked. We let a five-year-old guide us in the maze and we made it in and back out within about 15 minutes, without a single moment of where-are-we? panic. Not fun!
But still, the pumpkin patch was pretty awesome. We got to pet goats, watch pig races (YES!!), launch pumpkins, pick pumpkins, and bought a delicious, homemade apple pie. All in all, it was a pretty perfect day.