Got my first Nerd Shirt!

Last weekend I got to go to the Dallas ComicCon...yes, yes, I know, it's not the "real" ComicCon, but it was still quite the nerd fest if I do say so myself. Please note, I use the word nerd here as a term of endearment...not in a mean way whatsoever. I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm part nerd, so I might as well embrace it, right?! Anyways, so my dad partnered up with a friend and they got a booth together to sell all their comics/toys/autographs/games/etc. My dad used to own his own Comic Book/Sports Memorabilia store back when I was really young, it was a great place where the jock and the nerd could come together in peace and happiness...okay, I don't really remember it much, but I like to think that that's the truth! So of course, 20+ years later, my dad still has quite a collection of stuff to sell, which he's been trying to do at various flea markets, comic book shows, toy shows, etc over the past few years. This was his first "big" show. By big I just mean there were more people that actually came to this one than anything else he's been to.

I grew up watching my dad act as basically a giant kid at heart. He plays video games, loves random German made board games. He even joins my friends and I in our weekly D&D games. When my brother and I were younger, instead of reading us the typical childhood stories, we were read Bone (the amazing comic book, look into it!) My love of these things definitely comes from my dad, and seeing his excitement at being at the Dallas ComicCon made the entire weekend entirely worth it!

There were some of the most interesting people I've ever seen there. Please remember, I haven't been to any sort of Comic Book convention before, so I'm sure it's old and everyone knows all about the intense fans that dress all crazy and what not, however, this was my first, so it was all new to me! Sadly enough, the most interesting outfit (a guy that was dressed as the galaxy of Star Trek...he was a big black circle with lights for the stars and different star trek ship minis hanging off of him) walked by when I didn't have my camera. One day, when I learn how to post photos in here...I'll show you all the ones I did get!

It was quite the fun weekend. I met Thomas Jane...I guess he's well known for his Punisher, but I know him from an episode of Arrested Development. =) I saw Amanda Pays and John Wesley Shipp from The Flash tv series. And I saw...drum roll please... Stan Lee! Of course, I couldn't get a photo of him...that'd cost me about 50 dollars or so, but it was still pretty awesome to see him! Carrie Fisher and Leonard Nemoy were both there, but they were hidden up in rooms where you had to pay to get in. I can appreciate being a fan, but no, I will not pay $75 to see a famous person sign a photo for me. =)

And...I also got by first nerd shirt. It's an old school X-men one. If I had to choose a group of super heroes, X-men are possibly my favorite. I love my new shirt and had a great time. Maybe one day I'll go to the REAL Comic Con! =)

And Happiness Is Coming...

After typing this particular title I thought, "Well...that sounds a little depressing, but with hope!" In no way is it meant to be depressing, I've been happy all day long! I was off work today, got to spend some quality time with some quality friends. So maybe a better title would be "Happiness is...and happiness will be", but now I've already discussed the title and to change it would take away this paragraph of description...and I've worked too hard to get it to here. =)

Happiness is coming down the road (up the road?!) from Texas in less than 24 hours. I will get to see my lovely and wonderful Disney, whom I haven't seen since February at her surprise birthday weekend. A lot has happened since we last were in the same state. I haven't changed much, and maybe she hasn't either, but life sure has. Many things in my small town have that I am sure most people haven't noticed, but she will. It's going to be somewhat of an eye opener to her, and somewhat sad...but overall, there will be happiness that she is back here, what I consider her true home.

Excitement is too small of a word for how I am feeling about getting to see her. She's an amazing individual and I'm just so glad to call her friend. Happiness will come...in less than 24 hours! =)

Travel Bug Got Me

I want to go somewhere. I want to travel far far far away. Anywhere really. Ideally, back to South America, or to Europe, but I'm really not picky. I almost feel as if I'm stuck here with no where to go. Thankfully, I have a great family and great friends who keep me grounded...but sometimes, I still want to get away.

Anyone up for a vacation? Soon? Somewhere not here? I'll drive, fly, swim...whatever. Just wanna go...

There's a Hole in My Back

That's right, a hole. Quite literally, a hole. Okay, maybe it's not so much a hole anymore, because the doctor stitched it up and what not, but I'm gonna go ahead and say, there's still a hole.

****Warning: I might get a little graphic here, so if you get queesy or woozy about medical stuff, you might not want to read. =) *******

I've led a pretty "lucky" life as far as injuries go. ***Knock on wood!!!*** The most damage I've done is sprain my ankles a countless amount of times thanks to playing basketball from 4th grade until I graduated high school. When I was 16, I got my wisdom teeth taken out, and that had been my only "surgery" until today.

Okay, maybe I'm making this a bit too dramatic. I had a cyst, all right? Just a cyst:

"Cysts are noncancerous, closed pockets of tissue that can be filled with fluid, pus, or other material. Cysts are common on the skin and can appear anywhere. They feel like small peas under the surface of the skin. Cysts can develop as a result of infection, clogging of sebaceous glands (oil glands), or around foreign bodies, such as earrings." - Webmd.com

Luckily, mine was just a clogging of a gland, I guess...right smack dab in the middle of my back. It didn't bother me until it ruptured underneath my skin. That's right...it ruptured. So my dermatologist decided to cut it out! Ah! I went in today and he just cut me right open and...leaked out the pus and fluids and man...this is gross. But you know what, hearing your own skin being cut open by surgical scissors is pretty gross as well. Then, hearing the doctor cauterize the open blood vessels on your back? That's pretty gross too. Also, after it's all said and done, and you're stitched up, ready to go home, and you see a chunk of skin from your OWN back, slightly bloody, laying on the table next to you? Yeah...gross.

So that was my day today. I got some antibiotics, and some pain meds! Hopefully I won't need them too much, but I've never had stitches before, or a wound this size, so I don't really know what I'm in for. So far, it's just been really itchy...with a dull pain, getting a bit worse. Time to pop a lortab and go to bed, I have to work tomorrow. =)

Memphis Rocks My Socks

Hello world. I realize it's been awhile since I've posted. I'm sure you're all upset and whatnot that I haven't had anything exciting to talk about in weeks. =) But no more of that sadness! Put a smile on and sit back as I bore you with details of my solo road trip out to Memphis this past weekend.

My best friend, The Stage Manager, moved to Memphis last fall. She was offered a job at a theatre in Midtown, right there in the heart of Memphis. She's the assistant stage manager and I'm oh so proud of her. Anyways, I hadn't seen her since the Christmas break, and that's just too long for us to not be around each other, so I decided to make the road trip out to see her. The drive was only about 7 hours or so...sigh. I used to love long car rides...I now realize that's only because I didn't have to drive when I was younger. I got to sit in the back seat and read a book, listen to my personal cd player, do word search puzzles, or watch movies when my mom got the cool van with a dvd player in it. But no, driving 7 hours alone, is not something I thoroughly enjoy. Luckily, my friend Disney kept me occupied for a little over an hour of the journey, I also talked with Dad, Grandma, and a few other friends. I listened to NPR for the first time in who knows how long. Listening to other people have conversations definitely helped keep me occupied.

I arrived in Memphis around 11pm Friday. After getting off at the wrong exit, and driving around downtown Memphis for 20 extra minutes, I finally found the theatre where the Stage Manager works. I was so excited to see her! There was nothing too exciting about the evening, other than the constant hugs and squeals of joy at me just getting to be in the same city as her. We had a late dinner and crashed pretty early.

I was amazed at how teeny tiny her apartment is! I remember when she moved in and she called me crying because it was small and dirty and...small. I honestly don't think there's a better representative of an apartment for the starving artist. These interns get paid very minimally and their living quarters are minimal as well. She shares this small, 2 bedroom apt with some guy who also works with the theatre. They get along well enough, I guess, but it's obvious they just try to stay out of each other's way. Her bedroom could definitely be 2 of my closets. Her closet is in her living room. It was so small! I was amazed...but I guess that's the life you have to live if you wanna do theatre. That's how you gotta start out in this biz'ness. =)

Anyways, Saturday rolled around and she took me to the cutest cafe next to her apartment. She says that it rarely looks the same inside because the owners always rearrange the tables, putting different games, table cloths, flowers or other things on the different tables. It was a very eclectic little cafe and the coffee was delicious!

She had to work a little during the afternoon, so I spent my time looking through an old bookstore and going to a local mall to buy a new pair of jeans! Which I did successfully. =) I met the Stage Manager for her dinner break, then she had to go back to the theatre for the Saturday night show: August: Osage County! I had seen the show once on Broadway a couple of years ago. It's definitely a great show, even better if you think you have a crazy family, it will make you feel better about your own life. Such a great show.

Saturday night we went out to a nightclub. It was...interesting. And that's really all I can say about that.

Sunday, more work for the Stage Manager. In true theatre form, her only day off is Monday. So while she did her managing of the stage, I went to her theatre's sister and watched Grey Gardens, another show about a crazy family. It was...interesting. The lead actress was phenomenal, and the supporting cast was good. It was great for a free show, but maybe not something I would see again? It would have been much better had it not been a musical. =)

Sunday night, the Stage Manager and I went out to a fancy dinner. It'd been awhile since I'd gotten all dressed up and I was so glad to be doing it with my best friend. After some yummy spinach artichoke ravioli and a huge chunk of chocolate cake, we decided to hit a local hangout spot with some of her intern theatre pals. It was a fun night, getting to meet everyone and learn more about these people who have been "taking care" of my best friend. I am so thankful for them being there for her, especially since I live so far away from her.

Monday was my last day, and it was a sad/happy day. As I mentioned before, it was her day off, so I was glad to be able to spend most of it with her. She took me to my new favorite home-style restaurant. I ordered hot cakes and they were oh so delicious! Not to mention, the cook added "ears" to them, so they looked like mickey mouse heads! My grandma used to do that when I was little, so happy memories were floating all around me, even up to the wood paneled walls, just like in her house. =) We then did a little shopping, had frozen yogurt, and went to the University of Memphis where we looked at an Egyptian exhibit in their museum. We met an Egyptologist who told us the story of the real mummy we saw (it had spent time in a pawn shop before being studied!)

It was a beautiful day, but ended sadly with me having to drive all the way back home. I already miss the Stage Manager, but knowing that I get to see her again in a few months makes things a little better. She's been with me through so much, and even though we've only been friends for a couple of years, I know we'll be friends forever. So here's to you Stage Manager, I love you and had a great time with you this past weekend. I can't wait to see you again!

Saw A Favorite Today!

Band that is... Somehow convinced Dpad to travel to OKC with me tonight to see He is We, one of my favorite bands. I discovered them first semester my senior year at OBU while in the scene design studio. I was working late late hours trying to finish my scene design homework, playing random music on Purevolume.com (great site by the way, you should check it out, it's a great place to find up and coming musicians). He is We started playing and I fell in love. Sadly, my love for them has only spread to a couple of my dear friends, who are (of course!) now not living in this state to go see the band with me!

Luckily Dpad was willing to go, despite never really listening to the band. I've always had a hard time at concerts listening to the openers, because for one, unless you know the songs, it's somewhat hard to hear what the lyrics actually are, so you basically hope that they're catchy enough to follow along. And for two, you go to concerts to hear the bands you want to hear...and just get stuck listening to the openers. (By the way! Not trying to out down the opening bands. Musicians have to get their start somewhere. I've even discovered some great music because of openers...I'm just saying, their usually not why people go to a show.) Anyways, so yeah, sometimes listening to bands you've never heard of is somewhat...not fun, so I don't even know why Dpad agreed to go, other than to be a good friend. =)

The show was held at The Conservatory in OKC...the place is shady! It's in the middle of this worn down part of town and the sign on the building is so hard to catch from the road...we drove past it twice. It's a really small venue and I was surprised that shows would even happen here. But it worked. The crowd wasn't completely overwhelming the music wasn't horribly loud and what not. I will say that I definitely felt out of place as far as "looks" were concerned. It's a very "hipster" type atmosphere. Guys with beanies, plaid shirts, semi-long hair. Girls with flowery tops, skinny jeans. Everyone with TOMS shoes, ear gauges, and hair cuts I could have given at the age of four...again, not dissing this in any way...it's just a style I'm not really a part of.

Luckily, I wasn't there to be part of the hipster scene, nor did I really care about where the location was...I just wanted to see my band. And they were amazing. As opposed to the other 3 groups that played that night, the crowd seemed to know every song that He is We played. They screamed the loudest for them, and demanded "ONE MORE SONG" at the end of their set. When the band left the stage after an amazing set, the crowd seemed to disappear, either out the door or to the merch table to get autographs and photos with the lead singer and guitarist...and the head liner of the show got a smaller crowd! I was so proud of He is We. The performance was great, the crowd loved it, and Dpad said they were actually pretty good. =) I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them!

Check them out!!! He is We Music.com OR at PureVolume.com =)

Sending a Blog from My Ex's House...

Most people would think it strange that I hangout with my ex-boyfriend Dpad on a regular basis. There might even be some friends who say it's a "bad idea". Sitting on his couch, playing on the computer while he plays his new video game...it's not something most exes do...

We've always been something of an anomaly when it comes to the rules of dating and breaking up...and dating and breaking up. We've been friends for years and I guess you could say that despite the break-up, we didn't want to lose that friendship. We enjoy spending time together, we make each other laugh, I'm pretty sure we've both made the other cry...I mean...he's never cried, he's a man! They don't cry, right?! =) We've been through so much together. There have been days when I've felt like he's the only person I can go to with my troubles. I'd like to think he's had days when I'm the only one he could go to. We're great at reading the other, I don't necessarily need to really try and act like I'm upset or happy or extremely bothered by something because he can tell by looking at me in about a second, which I guess is a good thing but it makes it really hard to lie...not that I'd want to...*cough* =)

When I started typing this particular post, I didn't really know what I wanted to say, or even that I had anything important to actually write about, but I thought it'd be a fun idea. Especially once Dpad turned around in his "gaming" chair and asked, "What are you doing?", took one look at my face and assumed I was up to no good. I said, "Typing in my blog!" and he responded with, "About me?" See? He already knew even though I wasn't planning on telling him, because, as you might have noticed, he's the only person that actually follows this blog at this moment., so he'd eventually read it.

To this day, I guess neither of us really knows what to expect when it comes to us, but luckily we both roll with the punches and just wait it out to see what happens next.

Ooh...I just realized the point of this post. Being friends with your ex is, in fact, possible. I realize that Dpad and I are definitely a special case, but we've both decided that our friendship is worth the work, despite that awkward "...oh yeah...we've dated". He's truly a great guy, even if he doesn't quite realize that every day (which he should!!!) I'm super thankful for the friendship I have with him and wouldn't trade it for anything...short of a million dollars... =)