In really good news, Mom loved her surprise (as I knew she would). She even liked her present (the hummingbird earrings). But she really loved me showing up. I left my house around 3:30 a.m. Thursday and I arrived at my parents’ place around 2:55. Almost 12 hours...and boy did my backside really feel the strain of the journey (and my back, and shoulders and arms and legs..). After getting everything unloaded from the car and settling in and eating a bit (I hadn’t actually eaten since 6:45 that morning =..=), we met up with their friends (who also happen to be the pastor and his wife) and headed down to the Buffalo River. It was cool, but refreshing to be weightless after all those hours of sitting in the car and…feeling weighty XD. We frolicked around for a while, and waded, and just sat in chairs in the middle of the water, just enjoyed ourselves. Then it was back home. Not much else happened that night.

Yesterday, we woke up to the weather channel, Gustav, and everyone we knew in that area either calling us or being called by us to ask about plans. We had planed on going to Branson, MO to celebrate Mom’s birthday. You know, walk around, see the sights, window shop, take in a show and eat some good food. We didn’t leave till 1ish. The car ride nearly made me sick too.. but we got there, and found that Gracie (my parents’ Garmin GPS) is amazing for finding exactly what we want. We used her quite often. We went to the IMAX which had a bunch of small stores inside it. Dad ended up buying Mom a fancy-dancy clock that plays different songs and lights up at each hour (but has a light sensor, so it won’t at night). Then we went to the Bass Pro shop...just to look around. We went to see the Presleys’ Show…the Presleys’ Country Jamboree...I’m a little wary about anything with the word “Jamboree” in it…but what the hay. It’s for Mom anyway. It was amusing, but…not really my scene. But I wasn’t there for me, right?

I’m really getting mixed reports...yesterday, Scamp had told me that she and her family were evacuating north, but today Mom said that Aunt Jane said they’re staying in Lafayette (all of 20 minutes away from where they actually live). Of course, according to all the reports gas is scarce, and all hotels in north LA have been booked up. Reiko was all freaked, because they’re making her work at PetSmart, even though the city is under mandatory evacuation. Yeah...she says she going to leave for Conway, AR today after work. She’s already moved everything essential from the first story of her apartment to the second story, so she’ll just pack everything else (her animals and what she needs) and head up on back roads.

In a way, I’m glad I got out early, because everything’s going to hell now – what with the interstates being backed up and all. But…I really wish I could’ve had more time to move my stuff around, or pack it up and bored up the windows =..= Still, there’s no use worrying about it now. Just have to wait it all out and then see what the damage is later. As of now, I have no idea when I’ll be heading back up. Dad was supposed to leave tomorrow morning early sometime to be heading back off shore...and he has no idea what his company is going to want him to do, because...well, his company isn't the greatest humanitarian group. Gustav is supposed to hit sometime Monday or Tuesday, and from what I know, they’re blocking all roads leading south (as in to South LA…where my home is =..=). I know that we won’t exactly be having work...but that we’re expected to call in to the voice mail and see if there are messages O..o yeah…whatever. Anyway, plans for traveling back are uncertain. The only plans we really have are those for today (we’ll worry about tomorrow when it gets here). We’re going to go shopping at Wal-Mart, and then my parents are going to a party tonight (but I’m going to stay home and read).

I didn’t bring enough cough drops ~..~ Talk to ya’ll later, Sunshines.

Beware, for I am: Drained

Thank God that today is ending. /Sigh I've gone from anger, to frustration, to depression, to resignation, to sardonic humor, and at this point, I’m just too damn tired to feel anything. So. And update from when I last left you. I finally got in touch with this Think All Publishing place. Turns out, I’ve been billed at least 3 times a month since November. So all-in-all, I’ve lost about $180 to these people. It’s times like these when I wish I could just forget all about my Christianity. But then I remind myself that I walked right into this scam and there really is nothing I can do but be resentful. And what good would that do me in the long run? So, aside from being extremely disappointed in myself for allowing myself to be duped (Paul did say to work hard that no one should deceive you after all), that crisis is pretty much averted. On the good end of the spectrum, I did get my income tax checks in, and they were enough to make the Think All disaster virtually ineffective on my account. During my call to the Think All people, I politely requested that they cancel my subscription (or whatever it is they call it), and have received an e-mail verifying said cancellation. That doesn’t mean I won’t be looking for these people on my next bank statement, but at least I have an e-mail as proof now that it should be canceled.

After dealing with that unpleasant matter, I settled in to watch Robotech. A full start-to-finish thing ending whenever I should finish the Invid saga. I was interrupted half way Mom. Sees Bub (my brother in Oklahoma who’s in college) has found this new thingy called a Green Dot card. Basically he has this card that he bought from Wallgreens, and you can put any amount of money on the card and it only cost like $4.95 to reload it. So, he figures if we get a Green Dot card, and load it, then transfer the money he needs for rent and tools (usually a once-a-month expense but lately, who can say?), it’d be easier than sending said cash in cards. Mom likes to get encouraging cards and send the cash in those. The cards are thicker so they hide that there’s money in them and all that. Plus it’s just sentimental. Well, Mom’s very dubious about the whole thing. Why? Because Bub said three little words…It’s Really Easy. Any time someone remarks on how easy a process is, it will invariably become a troublesome process when my mother tries it. It’s not really her fault. She’s just not very inept when it comes to learning new things. She forgets everything too, so when it comes to doing something she hasn’t done recently, she forgets that too.

So, we head on down to Walgreens and we pick up the card right away. We ask the cashier about the whole process and she flippantly tells us that it’s easy and it’s outlined on the back of the card. We shopped a bit for some other things that we needed. Nothing big, just little things, you know. Then we headed to McDonnalds. Mom wanted a vanilla ice cream cone. The nearest one said their ice cream machine was down, so we went all the way on the other end of town to get one. Their ice cream machine was down as well. Turns out they clean their ice cream machines all on the same day. Today. So they were all down. Aggravated Mom to no end, I tell you. So we ended up going to the Snow ball stand not two streets over from our own. I got a snow cone (Coffee flavored with condensed milk) and Mom finally got to have her ice cream cone. We came home, turned on the watering hoses so the flowers could get a good drink, and set about the arduous task of this ‘easy’ Green Dot card.

...

Don’t you know...it wouldn’t work. We tried doing it over the phone. We tried doing it on the net. We tried putting in several different numbers (they gave us 2 receipts with numbers, maybe those were the correct numbers) we put in Bub’s card number, we put in our card number. Finally Bub calls. Mom tells him the situation and says she’s gonna call the store manager and see what he thinks. He tells us to come down to the store (again) and he’ll do it right from the store.

...

He couldn’t do anything with it. That made me very happy. It only aggravated Mom more, but I found it very refreshing that we were not the problem. So I called Bub (because by them Mom was so upset about the whole thing she didn’t want to talk to anyone), and I told him that the manager told us to come back in the morning and talk to the head manager, because he couldn’t make a refund on a purchase that big.

The whole problem with my Mom is that she feels stupid. She always feels like she doesn’t know what she’s doing and she’s stupid. Everyone else can do things so easily and she just feels inadequate because when she tries they’re terribly hard. My brother is a know-it-all with a tendency to talk down to others. Throw these two together in this situation, and you’re gonna have some hurt feelings. She started going on how she wish she could just never do anything on the computer again, because if she didn't then she wouldn't have to feel stupid. I told my mom that I thought she was a great woman before she got to e-mail and technology and I thought she'd be just fine without it if that's what she prefered. If all she wants for her computer is a glorified game box, then that's all it has to be for her. It's fine with me. /sigh she was sullen and quiet for the rest of the evening...make me sick. I hate it when things come and take the light right out of her eyes.

The only good points about today: 1) We got some Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Cream candy bars (my new favorites). 2) CSI: Miami was very good. 3) The day is over, and soon I can sleep.

I hope tomorrow is better...It just has to be /sigh. Goodnight.

I'm an Evening Sky.



Cool and comforting, you're a brisk evening sky. You figure you've got the same number of hours every day, why waste them sleeping late or hitting the bed early? The most active hours of the day your comfort zone; morning and night are simply time to warm up and cool down.

What sky are you?

Take Other Caffeine Nebula Quizzes

---

MM

Alright. So today was...kinda bad. But there’s good news and bad news.

The Bad News. In a word, Rita. Now, everyone’s freaking out about what could happen. Mom wants to leave ASAP, but since Dad isn’t here, there’s a huge “What now?” question. Dad doesn’t come in till Friday, and the storm’s supposed to hit Thursday. God forbid Dad’s offshore company have the sympathy to send their workers home considering that some of their families are now facing the threat of a hurricane. Mom doesn’t wanna spend 10 hours in traffic (whether just stuck in traffic or going to a certain destination), and I’m not too thrilled about the idea either. See, according to most stations, Rita is supposed to go across the gulf and then veer up towards Huston. But now they’re saying it could hit anywhere from Huston to Lake Charles, or even as close as Abbeville(sp?). Either way you look at it, we’re on the east side of the hurricane, so we’re on the bad side. Even if it doesn’t hit near us the storm surge will be enough to overload and re-flood New Orleans along with most of our coast. And Mom doesn’t intend to board up the house or anything, and that’s not cool. I don’t like the idea of leaving the house unprotected...It’s just too soon. It feels like we’re only just getting over Katrina (and some of us still aren’t over her) and it’s too soon for this mess to be starting up again! I can’t wait till we move. But that won’t be for another year of course. /sigh I keep thinking of the stupid lines from The Little Mermaid Things like “Hurricane a’commin!”

The Good News. Mom got me an ‘early’ birthday present in the form of pre-ordering Black&White 2. I was so excited. And she got it for 2 day delivery, so since it comes out on the 4th it’ll be here in time for the 6th, my birthday...in theory. We’ll have to see. And also, that medicine my mom gave me is finally starting to wear off (sorta). I find it interesting that I slept all most all day and I’m so very tired tonight. Oh well. If I had the money, I would buy B&W2 for _guinevere_. Because her reaction to the game seemed...favorable. But then, if I had had money, I would’ve bought a copy of Princess Mononoke for tinhuviel. /shrug Nothing ever goes as planned.

Also in good news; I went this morning to see about Hancock’s and the manager didn’t interview me or anything, but he did take my resume and he said he’d call back in a few days...of course if he calls back while we’re evacuated...that would be bad. I was sorta hoping that he would interview me this morning and I could get it over with. Oh well.

I am gonna try my hardest to go see The Fantastic Four at the dollar theater tomorrow. The earliest showing is at 5:10 though...I guess I could still go. I was just hoping for an earlier show.

I am once again beset by grogginess. I shall bid you all goodnight.

Caboose


What Red vs Blue Charecter are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

---

Red vs. Blue is team killing love

---

MM

Hey Minna. I know I shouldn’t be on, I mean getting on the computer before I have to leave is asking to be in a rush. But I don’t have much else to do. So let’s see what’s up. Well I have a speech test this morning. I’m not too crazy about that.

Oh and Thomas arrived at the school at 5AM this morning. But that really wasn’t his fault. All his tires were dry-rotted and blew out on the way there. They didn’t have the decency to blow at all once so he only had to pay for one towing fee, no they blew each at a different time -.- And now he’s only got $500 left of the money Mom and Dad gave him. But at least he’s safe.

Open diary isn’t working right ¬_¬ . Grrr. Oh well. I should be getting off now. I’m go study a bit more then relax. That always works for me. If I study, study, study I don’t do as well as if I just study a little and then relax before the test. Weird ne? Oh well. That’s all she wrote.

MM