whatever

playa del carmen is so beautiful! and the iberostar quetzal/tucan rocks.

kelly and i had a blast. our usual routine was to wake up at 8, go to breakfast, hit the beach til about 10:30-11, go shopping in playa or at the little plaza about 5 minutes away, eat lunch, back to the beach/pool until about 7, shower and dress up for dinner, hang out at one of the bars playing cards until 9, go to dinner, back to the bar for one more drink, read on balcony until sleepy. aahh.

the water was calm and blue and warm and wonderful to swim in.

we saw monkeys right outside our balcony (i almost fell off the balcony while trying to take a picture of one and another one made that crazy monkey growl/bark/roar. i still don’t know if it was directed at me, but after kelly’s husband told us about the gangs of monkeys in indonesia who come into town and steal stuff… i wasn’t taking any chances).

we had many margaritas azul.

i tried to speak spanish (my funniest blunder was thinking that a bartender had said ‘como estas?’ when he’d actually said ‘como se llamas?’ (or is that te?). anyway i answered that my name was ‘muy bien’ which caused the bartenders to all laugh and say didn’t i mean ‘muy buena’ or ‘muy bonita’. i didn’t figure out what had happened until about 5 minutes later. this may have had something to do with the fact that it was 6pm and i’d been laying on the beach drinking margaritas and cervezas since noon).

and our flights were both pretty free of turbulence. i managed to not take any drugs this time! yay! i did almost pass out when we took off from dallas, but i made it. our scariest travel incident was on our drive from the airport to the hotel. we’d almost reached our hotel and our driver had to make a u-turn. it was raining. as he started into the turn, the car hyrdroplaned and started spinning. i’m still not sure if we spun around 2 or 3 times. thankfully, there were no other cars around us and we weren’t on the edge of a cliff. whew.

i can’t wait to go back!

and on an unrelated note, i totally need some of these.

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i was gone a whole week so let’s see what happened!

PHYSICAL PLANT #7 – Gas Station, 1300 Manor

Criminal Trespass: A non-UT subject was found using the water from a radiator fill hose to brush his teeth. The subject was issued a written criminal trespass warning. Occurred on 9-27-05 at 5:17 AM.

ick

UNIVERSITY POLICE BUILDING, 2201 Robert Dedman

Criminal Mischief (2 counts) / Evading / Resisting Arrest / Attempted Escape from Custody: A UT student walked through a parking lot located on the east side of the building. The student returned a short time later carrying a rock. The student threw the rock at the left side of a parked patrol vehicle two times, causing the left front window of the vehicle to break. The student fled on foot toward Robert Dedman and entered an awaiting Subaru that was being driven by another UT student. Officers were able to stop the vehicle a short distance later. After being stopped and ordered to exit the vehicle, the student who had thrown the rock at the police vehicle fled on foot again. Once that student was stopped, he resisted arrest by kicking at officers. Before being placed in a patrol vehicle, the student attempted to escape by breaking free from an officer and running a short distance. Occurred on 9-25-05 at 10:15 PM.
i don’t even know what to say about this… um, bad idea??

SAN ANTONIO GARAGE, 2420 San Antonio

Criminal Mischief: An unknown subject smeared a red paste, believed to be ketchup, on the driver’s door handle to a grey Chevrolet pick-up truck while the truck was parked on the 5th level. Two empty ketchup packets were found on the ground near the vehicle. Removal cost: $2.00. Occurred on 9-27-05 between 10:45 AM and 6:45 PM.
“believed to be” – ha

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thanks to jenn for this link. i think this sums up why people say it’s good to be single in austin (lots of other singles) but necessarily good to be looking for a long term relationship here-

If you lived in Cleveland you might feel really immature, as your 20s waned and your 30s began, to still be a single person going out on dates. But in New York it feels perfectly normal and legitimate to be doing those things.

There is also an idea that is not really expressed in the book, but is in an upcoming issue of n+1. The idea is that dating should lead toward mating, and spread out before us is this array of choices that should lead toward a choice you can feel secure in. But I think the opposite happens. You become familiar with disposable relationships. So though they seem to be conducting you toward permanence and mating, in fact they’re just inculcating a habit of serial monogamy.

jenn included this quote in her forward which i also think is interesting –

I have a sense that particularly in New York — though I’m sure it exists this way in Boston and in San Francisco — there is a super-abundance of attractive, intelligent young women whom a man is very unlikely to be worthy of, who nevertheless set a higher value on him than he sets on them. This makes any sort of decision very difficult. Because to constantly be exposed to people whom you are unworthy of to begin with, yet who want you more than you want them, is confusing.

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since mel will be out of town and i’ll be in cancun (yay!) on jenn’s actual birthday, we celebrated on saturday. we went to uchi for dinner and then to star bar and then to jenn’s house to play games and to do our new favorite late night activity – sing and dance to the dish network’s 80s station. it makes me realize why i can’t remember anything anymore. it’s because i know all the lyrics to air supply and gloria estefan songs that i don’t even like. sigh.

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Any morning

Just lying on the couch and being happy,
Only humming a little, the quiet sound in the head.
Trouble is busy elsewhere at the moment, it has
so much to do in the world.

People who might judge are mostly asleep; they can’t
monitor you all the time, and sometimes they forget.
When dawn flows over the hedge you can
get up and act busy.

Little corners like this, pieces of Heaven
left lying around, can be picked up and saved.
People won’t even see that you have them,
they are so light and easy to hide.

Later in the day you can act like the others.
You can shake your head. You can frown.

William Stafford

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so shanna and i volunteered at the convention center last night. i’m definitely glad that i did it but i don’t think i’ll be going back. it was rewarding to help out even a little, but i think i’m not tough enough to deal with it for more than one night.

even walking through one of the convention center ‘dormitories’ the first time to get to the computers made me want to cry. it’s just this huge area with cots laid out side by side with bags of belongings on them and people and it does look like you see on tv, but the reality of walking through it and realizing that all of these people have no place to go and have been living here for two weeks or more…

i spent the first 45 minutes helping a man post lost pet ads for his dog bruno. when he’d been evacuated from the convention center the pets had to stay. he chained his one year old dog to a golf cart (by a door so people could see him easily) and left him a big white bucket of water and an opened bag of food. the whole time i was searching and posting for him he was telling me about bruno and how badly he wanted to find him and how sorry he was that he’d never taken a picture of him because he loved him so much. he told me if i found a posting with a picture that he was going to hug and kiss the monitor.

then shanna and i went to the intake area and helped out from 8-11:30. most of our time was spent replacing worn out wristbands and telling people that we didn’t know the answers to their questions (the red cross leaves at like 8pm so there’s no one to help people with travel arrangements or vouchers or money). we got a phone call from a houston shelter from a woman looking for her mother and child and were happy to be able to tell her that they were both safe in austin. shanna got hit on by 18 year old boys we did some data entry. and we listened to people talk.

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at least his friend was trying to help him out!

JESTER CENTER EAST, 203 East 21st Street

Public Intoxication / Possession of More Than One Driver License: A UT student, who was under the age of 21, was found passed out in a 4th floor hallway. The student had evidence of previously having had an extreme involuntary physical reaction to the over-consumption of an alcoholic beverage on the front of his shirt. The student was in the company of two of his friends. One of his friends advised the police the student was “okay” and would respond “when you slapped him in the face.” The student was found to be in possession of two driver licenses; one of which was issued to another who was over the age of 21. The student was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point that Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services needed to transport the student to a local emergency room for the treatment of alcohol poisoning. Occurred on 9-11-05 at 2:50 AM.

Crime Prevention Tip:

What are friends for? “Watch officer, he is okay” – smack right in the face. I can not imagine the feeling of having no control over my abilities, safety or surroundings. I would hate to think that a “friend” of mine needed to slap me to keep me conscious. Avoid the assaults – be it from a friend or foe. If you are under the age of 21, know that it is illegal to drink alcoholic beverages at all and UT has a zero tolerance policy. If you are over 21, know when to say when. Keep your sober friends close. Drink in moderation and never drink and drive.

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i knew there had to be one reason to be glad that the students have returned to campus – it makes campus watch so much more interesting!!

• again, what is up with the quotes? was it only allegedly a dirt pile? maybe it was more gravelly? what?
  

  600 Colorado
  Public Intoxication: A non-UT subject was observed stumbling in a parking lot before “passing out” on a “dirt pile.” The subject was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point he was a physical endangerment to himself. Occurred on 9-3-05 at 3:00 AM.

• um, do you mean ‘expletive’?
  

  DARRELL K ROYAL TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM, 405 East 23rd Street

  Public Intoxication: A UT student was found crying and being “verbally abusive” towards spectators in section 26, row 60. When an officer asked if the student needed assistance, the student shouted an explicative at the officer and ran, in an unsure fashion, through the crowd causing several people to lose their balance. The officer caught the student as she began to lose her own balance on the stairs. The student was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point she was a physical endangerment to herself and others. On several occasions, the student attempted to pull from the officer’s grasp. Once in custody, the student refused to walk with the officer and needed to be carried by the officer and four of the officer’s co-workers. Occurred on 9-3-05 at 7:45 PM.

• bark? i understand the necessity of quotes on this one.
  

  DEVELOPMENT OFFICE BUILDING, 2901 North IH-35

  Criminal Trespass: A non-UT subject was reported as being in a 3rd floor area reserved for faculty, staff and students asking for a restroom and for “bark.” The subject was found on the east side of the building. The subject was issued a written criminal trespass warning. Occurred on 9-2-05 at 11:25 AM.

• this guy jumped 20 feet? barefoot?
  

  2000 Jester Circle

  Public Intoxication / Evading / Possession of a Fictitious Driver License: A UT student, who was under the age of 21, was observed staggering and swaying while walking in the middle of the roadway. When an officer ordered the student to stop, the student yelled “I don’t’ think so” and “No way” before running away from the officer. The student ran toward an exterior stairwell near San Jacinto Hall, removed his sandals and jumped over the stairwell landing and landed 20’ below before running into 21st Street. When the student was finally apprehended, it was determined that the student was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point he was a physical endangerment to himself. The student was also found to be in possession of a fictitious Louisiana driver’s license which had the student’s photograph but another person’s name and date of birth. Occurred on 9-5-05 at 2:50 AM.

• wet pants … and a wet car seat
  

  2000 Robert Dedman

  Driving While Intoxicated / Driving While License Suspended / Public Intoxication / Possession of an Alcoholic Beverage in a Motor Vehicle: A non-UT subject was stopped for running a stop sign while driving a silver colored Mercury 4-door. The driver of the vehicle was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point he was driving while intoxicated. The driver’s Texas Driver License had previously been suspended. A second non-UT subject, who was a passenger inside the vehicle, was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point he was a physical endangerment to himself. A plastic cup containing an alcoholic beverage and a partially empty can of beer were found under the passenger side seat. It was hoped that the wet condition of the passenger’s pants had been from spilling one of the alcoholic beverages – that was not the case. Occurred on 9-3-05 at 12:30 AM.

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Greater Austin Restaurant Association – Sept. 8, participating restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the American Red Cross Children’s Relief Fund. For a list of participating restaurants, click here.

Participating Austin Restaurants:
Artz Rib House
Baja Fresh
Chuy’s
CoCo Restaurant
Culver’s
Ding Ho
E Zs Brick Oven and Grill
Eddie V’s
El Arroyo
Fonda San Miguel
Hill Country Pasta House
Hong Kong Market
Hoover’s Cooking
Hula Hut Las Palomas
Louie’s 106
Lucy’s Boatyard
Matt’s El Rancho
Melting Pot
Perfect Ten Men’s Club
Pho Van
Pronto Italiano
Shady Grove
Sun Flower
Thai Spice
Tokyo Steak House
Wok and Roll
Z Tejas

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i took work off on friday and waited for my washing machine to be delivered. then jenn and i went to get pedicures. yay! pretty feet. friday night jason and i went to star bar for happy hour, visited mel, then back to his place for more drinks and hanging out. i am totally jealous of his pretty hardwood floors.

saturday and sunday i hung out with calla mostly. she was happy. we had a baby pool morning and a bath and several walks. and i made curtains for the kitchen (finally).

sunday night i went to the austin adult swim party. got to see the small stars for the first time. from a pool. in my underwear. so that was something. josh’s recap of the evening here. and josh is even mentioned in the small stars blog!

monday woke up at 1:15, went to threadgills with shanna and rachael. laid on my mattress/sofa (damn you lacks! where the hell is my new sofa??) for an hour and then went to opal divine’s for graham’s birthday happy hour.

how is it already tuesday??

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sure, it’s sweet that you love your grandma but having a picture of you with her in your profile is disturbing, not cute.

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CENTENNIAL PARK, 1620 Red River

Indecent Exposure: While walking to work, a UT staff member observed an unidentified subject who she believed to be “feeding squirrels” by the west bank of Waller Creek. As the staff member approached, she recognized that the subject was exposing himself in an obviously excitable state. The subject was described as a white male in his 20’s or 30’s, wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. Occurred on 8-31-05 at 12:35 PM.

and… is this code for something?

SAN JACINTO RESIDENCE HALL, 309 East 21st Street

Harassment: A 2nd floor resident received a telephone call on her cell phone. The caller did not identify himself other than stating he had seen the resident while he was “walking his poodle.” The caller made several alarming statements. Occurred on 8-31-05 at 7:04 PM.

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