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embracing the present by way of the past

Published by

Sarah

June 30, 2008 in growing up and pantship. 9 Comments

over the weekend, my parents and i returned to lafayette, LA, the place where i was born.

our trip wasn’t really planned. but you see, about a week ago, a guy in a rental car decided to run a red light while traveling at 98 miles an hour. and he hit a car with a family in it– a mother, a father, a daughter, and two foster children.

and all of them died.

the mother in the car was named christy, and when i was growing up, she was my babysitter. more than that, her family and mine were interwined by the same neighborhood, the same church, the same love of camping trips and christmas caroling and potlucks. christy’s family, along with several others, formed a community for me, a warm and light-filled place that allowed me to grow up in safety, in peace, in love.

when i look back, i realize how idyllic it all was. and yet, it wasn’t a utopia or a black and white pleasantville. it was real, supported by people who *worked* at loving each other, forming steps with their bare hands to lift each other higher and higher.

and so mom, dad and i drove to this place, where i first learned what “community” really means.

the service for the family was beautiful, actually, and filled with hope. that might sound crazy, given the tragedy, but it was. and to be perfectly honest, that’s not really want i want to write about today. so you don’t need to say that you’re sorry in the comments, because it’s the world’s loss, not really “mine.” and, based on this weekend and my previous experience with the people of lafayette, i know that the remaining family members will be comforted in their grief by a vibrant and caring community. you can read more about the family here.

maybe it’s selfish, but this trip, for me, was about coming home, or to an idea of home, that suddenly felt threatened by the shadow of death, the inevitable passing of time. and that’s what i want to write about.

we spent the night with the butts family, or rather, mr. hal and miss chris.

i believe i’ve mentioned their daughter, katherine, on this blog before… we went to elementary together, and in kindergarten she won the coveted role of “mary” in the christmas show (obviously i’m totally over the snub. obviously).

as i walked into their living room, a hundred memories flooded my heart… painting katherine’s little brother, david’s, toenails while he was asleep, marching down the street in our own parade, and most distinctly, creating shows to perform for our parents after their bible study ended.

so this may look like a regular room to you, but trust me, it’s a magical place.

katherine’s house featured the added allure of a tiny cemetery tucked away in the trees behind her backyard, which seems to me, now, like something from a coming-of-age movie. i guess it was *my* coming of age movie. i remember biking down a little trail and cautiously wandering around the perimeter, whispering “what if” histories for the bodies silently rotting under the green grass. the petiteness of the graveyard made it seem less frightening and more of a curiosity, death as a romantic mystery, “the clearing at the end of the path” as stephen king would say. walking among the stones, i felt like anne shirley, reciting “the lady of shallot” in a rowboat on the river and goosebumping with the thrill of gorgeous tragedy.

many of the trees have been cleared, and the new chain link fence really cuts down on the romance, but the cemetery is still there, meaning, there is a least a little magic left.

it wouldn’t be a true journey home without seeing my first best friend, emily philips. to tell you the truth, i felt a little nervous as i stood on the front step of her house and raised my fist to the door. i was about to see my first friend, and perhaps, in the purest, most innocent sense, my truest friend. what if she was different? what if i no longer recognized her laughter or voice or, god forbid, her smile? what if the *nowness* of her wiped out all of our shared history, ripped out the roots of who i am?

she opened the door, and my heart flip flopped, because i knew that face. i knew that smile. i knew this girl.

of course she has changed, because that’s what happens when you deal with time. but the core of emily, just like the core of “us,” hasn’t yielded one single inch. when i look at that picture, i still see these girls, crammed into a photo booth at astroworld in 1992.

and i still see THESE girls, growing up together on sweetbay lane.

the girl in the middle is mandy, who lived across from me. i didn’t like her as much as i liked emily. i think cos she was bossy. but you know what i DO like? a red sweatshirt with my name on it.

emily lived right down the street from me, and, in true bff form, we never, EVER got tired of each other. i’m pretty sure that we hung out every single day, our imaginations running wild with possibility. we made drawings and then sold them on the street (ah, neighbors. thank you for being so kind to two little girls); we climbed trees and “spied” on people with emily’s toy polaroid camera; we wove wild onion flowers into headdresses and tirelessly cleaned my swing set, which was actually a castle ruled by an evil queen.

i’m not sure what we’re doing in that picture, but it involves house plants and an umbrella and i’m sure it was incredibly amazing.

together, we experienced those milestones of childhood that are, perhaps, less intense than the struggles of teenagerhood but no less important– the first time we realized that boys were, maybe, ok… the first time we were teased in school… the first time we discovered that music, especially tiffany, *spoke* to us… the first time we saw snow in lafayette, the miracle of all miracles.

when i saw emily the other night, we discussed how sweet and untouched our childhoods truly were. i remember playing hide and go seek with all of the neighborhood kids as the streetlights popped on, our ears perked for the first mom to yell, “it’s time to come inside for dinner!” as the shadows, friendly rather than threatening, deepened in our hiding places. how little i knew of the world to come! and yet, i’m glad for that warm, easy ignorance. there is a time for innocence, and when i see emily’s face, i am so thankful that we grew up slowly rather than suddenly.

nostalgia is often as sweet as it is painful, a bitter pill coated in layers of fragrant ambrosia. when my parents and i finally arrived back in austin last night, i sat on my bed for a while and let the nostalgia have its way with me. i even opened my two special boxes, where i keep old notes from high school and ticket stubs and printed out emails from college, and sorted through my twenty-nine (ok, more like twenty-four) years of memories.

sometimes henri calls me “the girl who hates time,” and i think it’s a pretty appropriate label. as i looked through my assorted mementos, i couldn’t help but wish that all of my friendships and relationships could stay the same… we could all be just as close as we were, when we went to camp together or lived in the dorm together or played hopscotch on sweetbay lane. each person, each experience, is a piece of who i am, and remembering makes those pieces more distinct until their edges begin to pierce me.

but i know things can’t stay the same, nor would i want them to, because if i had never left sweetbay lane, i would have never met the pigbutts in houston, and then i would have never found the powersuite in college, and then my heart would not be populated by all of the amazing people i’ve managed to collect.

during the service for the family who passed away, the pastor offered some ideas on how to live our lives to the fullest, so that, no matter when we die, we will have loved and served people and appreciated the magic that is living. we will have LIVED.

one of the tips was, “keep yr relationships current.”

and it made me think about the way i cling to friendships, new and old, because i’m terrified to lose all of these precious pieces of myself. i’m so afraid of change and time that i keep these bits of paper as tangible proof that my memories still exist; when i saw that cemetery behind katherine’s house, i breathed a sigh of relief, because it meant that my childhood was, somehow, still intact.

but maybe, my clinging to the past can become, is becoming, an embrace of the present and the future. maybe my obsession can be a gift, a way to reach out to *people* rather than ghosts. maybe, all along, i’ve been fueled by my reservoir of memories to maintain friendships that are still as true as they were five, ten, fifteen years ago.

maybe i need to see that the passage of time yields experiences i have *gained* rather than lost.

in one of the boxes, i found a picture of emily and me, another photo booth shot from astroworld. and i realized that as much as i miss those days of headbands and swatch watches, i love knowing emily NOW. i love seeing her face, bereft of baby fat, and the way she smiles when she talks about the love of her life, which, by the way, is no longer kirk cameron.

i’m grateful for my memories, but i want to be even more grateful for the present.

because the present gives me the opportunity to embrace living, breathing, beautiful friends, who, unlike ghosts, will hug me back.

a day in her pants: the posh deluxe interview with jennifer taylor kunard

Published by

Sarah

June 27, 2008 in day in the pants and this post will conform to no category!. 13 Comments

happy friday, pants world!

today it is my absolute pleasure to present to you another fabulous pigbutt, jennifer taylor kunard.

one of jennifer’s gorgeous bridal portraits, taken by becky (rebecca root)

like many of the pigbutts, i met jennifer some time in the sixth grade, and i remember thinking that she could have been a model. she was tall, slender and beautiful, but she also had the *weirdest* sense of humor (which can be partially, but not fully, explained by our middle school immaturity). consequently, we became fast friends, although there was a brief period in sixth (or seventh?) grade when we had a falling out (memory fails on the source of our conflict, but i’m sure it was V. Serious).

jennifer was part of the “band nerd” faction in our friend group, but in spite of our differing activities (i was a drama geek, as you already know), i felt quite close to her in high school. we were involved in the same youth group, which meant countless weekend retreats together in mosquito-filled cabins and sunday school classes where i was thankful to have a recipient for my occasional eye rolls. jennifer was the kind of friend everyone really needs in high school; passionate and supremely loyal, she always took me seriously and yet never worried about making a fool out of herself. above all, jennifer was fearless, and that’s the quality i most admired about her (and still do). she sought out challenges and then rose to meet them, whether it was earning the position of drum major or joining ROTC in college. obstacles only served to make her stronger, and even when i was sitting across from her in the cy-creek cafeteria, i knew that this girl was going to blaze her own trail. rarely have i seen such drive and determination in a person, especially given that these traits are coupled with a warm, compassionate heart.

sure enough, jennifer made her own way, from studying at baylor to flourishing in the air force. after getting married last year to her wonderful husband, craig, she moved to atlanta, which is unfortunately not in texas (ahem). but i guess you can’t expect a trailblazer to stick to familiar territory, can you?

i have to give jen MAX PROPS for the photos she assembled to supplement this interview. i mean, we’re talking major gems. in fact, i’ll kick off the interview with my favorite, which features the previously mentioned “kevin schorp” ensemble i created in eighth grade with my dad’s clothes and my mom’s silver platter (in case you missed the story, kevin was briefly a kikker). but what i want to know is, what the heck were jennifer and christine?

this picture is so awesome, i can’t even think of a caption that could possibly… yeah.

so, jennifer, i’ve known you since sixth grade (i think?), but not everyone here on poshdeluxe has enjoyed that privilege. tell me a little bit about yr childhood history, yr family, you know, the real deal.

We may have known each other in 6^th grade, your guess is as good as mine. My parents are still raising their kids…my older sister, Kristina, is 33, I am 29, my brother, Jeff, is 25 and Katie is 18. Yeah, big age gap between all of us so there was always multiple phases of life in our house. I was the first one to leave, go to college, move out of the state, etc. My parents are hard working, and my dad is probably the hardest working person I know. He’s humble and I look up to him in every possible way.

if i were to label people back in junior high, which, of course, is what junior high is all about, i would have labeled you as a band kid (er, nerd). where did yr passion for band begin, and how did it develop?

Yes, I am a band nerd and I even went to band camp (insert jokes here). My older sister was in band and I remember going to her concerts. I heard this one distinct sound and I told my parents I wanted to make that sound.The glorious sound was the clarinet, thus began my love for music that eventually turned into a degree.

one of the main reasons i was NOT interested in band was due to the whole “practicing in the school parking lot in the dead heat of summer” thing. but i’ve always wanted to know: how DO you guys march in those perfect formations?

Do you really want to know this??? It’s totally nerdy, but here goes…in a block formation there are 8 steps from yard line to yard line. You learn the distance between each step, use peripheral vision to stay between the people next to you. For other formations, each person is assigned a “dot” and you read the field charts to find your spot. Each person has a specific coordinate that eight step guide serves as the basis for finding your spot. We use everything on the field, hash marks, sidelines, yard lines, etc. to find our spots. There’s a little more to it, but that’s the gist. See, I told you it was nerdy!

it’s like playing battleship but with people! cool.

as all of us cy-creek cougars know, you were selected to be drum major our senior year, which is a huge honor. what was that like? did you ever get into any rumbles with other drum majors?

I was drum major my junior and senior year J I LOVED having 180 people in front of me blasting their instruments in my face, it was a rush, had momentum and fantastic to be front and center. I really loved it. I think it was well known that Allison Moseman and I didn’t exactly get along since she was my assistant. Ha ha - such drama, right?

she makes it look so easy.

ok but seriously, did you ever get tired of wearing that cowboy hat? or think about submitting alternate designs for yr costume? cos, i mean, you know. just look at it.

I thought I was totally cool in my uniform, I mean, really, totally cool. I didn’t exactly like the hat, but when you paired it up with my boots (with tassels), I totally sported it. And we actually got to design the tops – they were custom made each year from fabulous shiny lame and satin materials. When you think about it, at least I didn’t have to wear the HOT wool uniform everyone else had to wear.

ok, i admit, the silver fabric is winning me over.

since we went to junior high and high school together, it’s pretty much required that i ask you to share a story or two from that time in our lives, since i need to supplement (read: recreate) my memory.

I am actually the worst person to ask about memories because I need prodding to remember what happened last week. Here’s what I can remember. You had the most fabulous parties at your house. There was this one where we had a shaving cream fight in your backyard that really stands out to me. I also remember making movies at your place. Weren’t we super heroes once? I believe I used my fabulous drum major saluting skills to “morph” into my character. I also was the maid (with a limp) during one of our detective adventures. Do you still have these embarrassing videos??? Oh, and there was a party at Rachel Tittle’s house and her neighbor offered up his car for us to drive. None of us had a license, we must have been like 14 or 15 at the time. Looking back, he was probably some crazy guy trying to do something bad to a bunch of innocent girls. There was also the time when I tried to race Trey Townsend and I think Talena decided it would be a good idea to give me a “boost” at the start of the race. That little boost made me skid my knees on the pavement and Trey carried my bloodied, embarrassed self back to the house. I still have a scar.

you better believe i still have all of those videos! if only i had been recording that night trey had to carry you home… even *i* remember that, cos it was so awesome.

dressed up for talena’s halloween party our… freshman year? note: i still own that suit.

when you went off to college at baylor, you joined the air force ROTC. what was THAT like?!!!

ROTC was the best thing I could have done. I learned to appreciate the military and its past. I even got a scholarship, which is why I am debt-free from both my undergraduate and graduate degrees (I took advantage of the master’s programs while on active duty). But the money was secondary to the whole process – preparing for active duty, going to boot camp, learning discipline, true camaraderie and team work. It was difficult to balance ROTC and school, but it was totally worth it when I got my commission. I was less than eight months from entering the service when 9/11 happened and the Air Force I had anticipated on entering had changed in about an hour. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to serve this amazing country, no matter what it was going to bring.

jennifer, receiving her commission and looking badass in the process.

in the air force, what was yr position? and by that i mean, what did you do?

I was a public affairs officer. Seriously good times. I figured out early on that a camera was like a ticket anywhere on base and I totally took advantage of it. I got to ride on a KC-135 (gas station in the sky) and watch it refuel the Thunderbirds. I took some amazing pictures that day! I would climb all over the aircraft’s scaffolding to get in the strangest places to “get the best shot” or “I need it for the magazine” or “I need to go on this mission so it’s properly documented…” Gratefully, I never got jacked up by the MP while taking pictures on the flight line.

I was also an assistant professor of aerospace studies (taught ROTC) for a year. Made for a very cool business card!

jennifer risked her life for this amazing photograph of a thunderbird refueling. everybody now: “hiiiighway to the DANGER ZONE.”

did you ever have a moment where you were like, “this is SO ‘top gun’”? cos that would be awesome.

I didn’t have a “top gun” moment, but I did have many “movie” moments. The biggest one that stands out was when I deployed. My office got notification that a public affairs officer in my unit (there were only two) needed to deploy with the 960^th squadron on a POTUS (President of the United States) mission and that check in was at 3 a.m. – like 15 hours away. My boss, the only other officer, decided he was sick and told me to pack my bags (he was such a draft dodger, he pulled me aside and told me his deployment paperwork was not in order and that he didn’t want to get in trouble. Such a dork.). Anyway, the next 15 hours were filled with security processing, paperwork, deployment lines and a ton of other crazy stuff. Here’s the big movie moment: I went to OSI (the Air Force’s version of the FBI) and told them my coded mission.. I was locked inside a small room with no windows and two chairs, and told to read over the terrorist activity paperwork coded to the region I was deploying to. I was told that everything was confidential and could not be spoken about outside of the little room. I was given time to read it over and told to buzz the agent when I was finished. The agent returned and communicated other verbal instructions and answered any questions I had. I also could not tell people where I was going or how long I was going to be gone. I called my parents and told them to watch the news if they were curious where I could be, but that was all I could say. That particular mission ended up being one of the most exciting things I did while in the military. Everything I had trained for became an actual realization! I coordinated a LIVE press conference with foreign media on foreign soil. Everything from screening media through OSI, to securing the aircraft, to answering questions on live TV…It was a really cool experience. Plus, one of the engines on our E-3 AWACS broke on the way back so we had to divert in Germany…Awww, shucks!

DUDE!!! that is some serious jason bourne action!!!! talk about hard core. you were like, jennifer taylor by day, sydney bristow by night! i am totes impressed.

this is how hardcore super military agents take naps.

what would you say are the main lessons you learned in the air force? did it change you as a person?

Serving in the Air Force was a wonderful job and I would love to still be doing it. I have never worked with such devoted people as my fellow military members. Respect, dignity, taking care of each other, pride, ethics, hard work…I can’t think of enough great things to say. Being an officer, I was catapulted into leading people from the get go. In order to lead people, you must be the example to follow – and there is a delicate balance of being someone’s friend and their boss. It was a lot of fun, but there were the serious times, too. I was recalled at 2 a.m. once because there were reports of two Middle Eastern looking men with what appeared to be shoulder-launched missiles aimed at the flight line. Everyone just worked together and nothing serious happened. You can’t experience times like this without some change…So yes, I guess it did change me.

which is better: yr air force uniform or yr drum major uniform?

Military uniform. I totally got hit on in my uniform (I guess guys like a gal in uniform) and I got free stuff when I was in uniform: meals, tickets, someone even paid for my gas once. People liked to show their support of the military and there were many times I got my meal paid for without ever knowing who had done it…just because they appreciated service members.

do you keep yr band nerd roots alive? by that i mean, are you still playing the clarinet?

I really should play more, but I keep my nerdy music ways alive by playing my guitar a little every day.

so now you’re married and living in atlanta. is being married like what you thought it would be?

Marriage is the biggest blessing to me – it’s more wonderful than I thought it would be. I cannot say enough good things about my darling husband. I love him more every day.

jen and craig, totally in lurve (fabulous picture by becky (rebecca root))

i’ve never been to atlanta, so tell me about it. what are yr favorite/least favorite parts?

Favorite: weather is not nearly as bad as humid Texas (but I miss Texas), and there are hills and mountains! Downtown is really cool and so is the GA aquarium!

Not so favorite: Beware of the drivers!!! People here are MEAN on the roads and I get very scared sometimes.

if i come to visit you, will i have to sleep on an air mattress?

In the apartment, yes L. We have a cabin on the river in the north Georgia mountains in a little town called Ellijay. We have spare beds up there and you might even get to see deer or a fox! You are more than welcome to visit any time!

what is yr secret power?

I can read Craig’s mind about 90% of the time. It absolutely drives him nuts because he can’t read my mind at all. It’s actually become quite fun!

do you sleep in jimjams? what kind?

No, but I have to sleep in a tank top. Sleeves, of any length, drive me nuts when I am trying to sleep!

this picture was taken in our senior english class on the last day of school. and yes, i mean we were seniors IN HIGH SCHOOL.

what is yr #1 favorite food?

Hands-down, Tex-Mex. I could eat it everyday.

what is yr top restaurant recommendation in atlanta? what’s the best thing on the menu?

There is this circa 1800 house that’s been turned into a restaurant called Vinings Inn that is DIVINE. The have the best pecan crusted trout with butternut squash…OMG!

tell me about yr top area of expertise.

I am totally right-brained…music, crafts, etc. Because I’ve studied and performed music for more than 18 years, I also don’t hear one line of music at a time, even if there is only one line of music. I can see the melodies that don’t exist floating around in my head. It’s so much fun to me (and probably geeky to everyone else!). I am also addicted to making cards, it’s become more of an obsession than an expertise.

what was yr favorite item of clothing as a child?

My yellow and white Coca-Cola long sleeve T-shirt. My older sister got a red one and I had to be just like her so I get one for myself. I loved that T-shirt because I thought it made me cool.

WOW do i love this photo– becky and jennifer, posing before the eighth grade dance.

what was yr favorite toy as a child? (the moody bonus question)

The swing set in the back yard. My older sister and I would pretend the swing set was an airplane that wrecked on a deserted island. We basically turned it into our own Swiss Family Robinson dream world. There was a large magnolia tree that would drop leaves on our side of the yard and we would collect them and turn them into shoes and clothes – because we were wrecked and had no clothes. Our dog would turn into a wild animal that would eat us if we stayed on the ground too long. There was usually a volcano that spewed lava and swamp land with alligators and other swampy creatures. We spent hours playing shipwrecked.

what do you plan on doing when you’re 80?

As cheesy as it sounds, going to bed and waking up next to my husband. Waking up next to him starts my days out wonderfully and if I can still be doing that in 51 years, then I’ll be happy.

if you could assemble yr own ocean’s 11, who would you pick and why?

Well, my brother, Jeff because he’s the funniest person I know and would entertain everyone else. My sister Katie, because she reads more than anyone I know and is very smart. Craig because he’s got such an engineering mind that it would come in handy. Se, because the BFF has to come along (and she’s also smart, as in PhD smart). And since it’s a fictitious question, I’d also bring along Wonder Woman (aka: my child hero). I know it’s not 11, but seeing as Wonder Woman is part of the team, I don’t think we’d need 11.

jen and one of her oceans 11 crew, se, at her wedding.

what is yr best karaoke song?

I don’t really karaoke, but I do sing in the shower…somehow TV theme songs (with and without lyrics) pop in my head.

do people ever tell you that you look like someone famous? who?

When I was younger, people said I looked like Drew Barrymore. I never saw it, but maybe it was because it took forever for me to grow out of my fat face. I did go as the fire starter one year for Halloween because it was cold outside and I wanted to layer up. I ended up sticking matches through the button holes in my jacket and that was my costume.

tell me something scandalous!

My older sister and I literally tore the towel bar out of the wall while playing – sheetrock and all. We’d swing from the countertop to the bathtub and using the bar as our hinge. We placed the bar back and covered it with a towel and got away with it for like a year. Then, my mom went to the bathroom to collect towels and she thought SHE broke the towel bar. It wasn’t until a few years ago that my sister and I came clean on the whole thing. It was really, really funny when we told her.

me and jennifer at a church xmas party in 2001 (i think).

thanks for letting me interview you, jennifer! i’ve really enjoyed reminding myself why i like to keep you around– because you’re truly, truly amazing.

not to mention the fact that you’re an excellent source for pictures.

p.s. don’t forget, guys, you can ask jen questions in the comments!

lake house weekend: 100% fun, 0% axe murderers

Published by

Sarah

June 26, 2008 in extravaganza and voyages. 14 Comments

last weekend, a group of meredith’s greatest admirers gathered in a lake house on lake quitman to celebrate the birthday of our beloved friend.

and, of course, it was awesome.

lake quitman is REALLY far away, but the drive was obviously worth it. esp. cos i got to see a spaceship!!!!!

yes, it’s the starship pegasus, which is pretty much the best name for a space craft since the death star. and guess what?! you could actually OWN this piece of space history!! see?

dude, can someone loan me a couple thousand dollars? cos hello, how cool would it be to say, “hey, wanna come over to my place tonight? the address is STARSHIP PEGASUS.”

we finally arrived at the lake house, which was graciously loaned to us by meredith’s family, including her dazzling fox of a grandmother.

seriously, when i’m old, i’m gonna BLANKET my house with glamor shot portraits. because, at that point, airbrushing will be my v. good friend.

we headed out back to the deck… dock? end of the pier? eh, whatever you call it, it’s awesome. given the celebratory nature of the evening, we were forced to break out the champ cans.

i don’t know why, exactly (attention, science: future study right here!), but hanging out on the water at night with yr friends is pretty much the best thing ever. maybe it’s the calming expanse of the water, or the reflection of the moon, or the sounds of crickets and frogs, but being out there on the lake, surrounded by some of my favorite people, gave me that This Is What Life Is All About feeling. the night was pure magic, filled with conversation…

singing…

and of course, dancing.

thanks to the 90s station on XM radio, the party eventually evolved into a full on sing-along (i’m sure the neighbors LOVED US).

when matt picks up the radio and treats it like a boombox, you know you’re at a good party.

i’m not sure what exactly is happening in this picture, but i like to think that jill has just invented a new dance called, “Flash Yo Flashlight.”

the night couldn’t have been better… especially considering that we were in the middle of nowhere and therefore prime material for some rural axe murderer. every time someone left to go back to the house, we joked about him/her getting hacked into pieces. and when i say “joked,” i mean, kinda sorta wondered if it might happen and, if so, who would be the sole survivor who gets to come back in the sequel. anyway, thanks for not killing us, murderer dude!

we began the next morning with mimosas on the porch. starting yr day with a mimosa, a swing and yr best friend is WAY better than, like, special k. i don’t care what the commercials say.

after finishing breakfast, we of course had to attend to the v. pressing business of enjoying the pants out of the lake.

i love the laziness inherent in a day on the water. there’s not that much to do, and yet, there’s SO much to do.

first, you can go paddle boating, as illustrated adorably by matt and henri.

honestly, is there ANYTHING MORE PRECIOUS than two boys in a paddleboat?!!!!!! we decided that they were the hardy boys, off to seek adventure in the nearby island.

second, you have to model yr sunglasses, because they are FABULOUS.

i told erin she had a joan collins vibe going, which is a V. HIGH COMPLIMENT.

matt and henri returned from their trip, like the hardy boys they are, with some treasure! after exploring the island, they christened it “shell island,” because this is what they found:

oh boys, being funny.

the main thing you can do on the lake, obviously, is float in it. meredith was extremely prepared, not only with a tube, but with her handy (or should i say, handless?) beer coozy!

so this is pretty much what we did, all day:

i know, water sports are ROUGH.

the entire day really did feel like a beer commercial.

henri and i decided to take the paddleboat back out for another voyage. as we paddled away, my legs were like, “what? is this EXERCISE? cos, uh, i thought we were on vacation.”

it was actually harder than i thought, until i looked behind the boat and realized that we were, uh, towing some extra weight.

what a bunch of freeloaders.

after jerry finally let go, i kept turning around and waving to everyone, just like sandy at the end of “grease” except not skanky.

the exploration of shell island whet henri’s taste for adventure, so we paddled out to the other nearby land mass (turtle island, according to the locals) to see if we could, you know, solve a mystery or find some cool treasure or maybe even a forgotten civilization!

well, we didn’t discover a civilization, but we DID find treasure AND solve a mystery! it was like one of those nancy drew and the hardy boys super specials!!! the treasure we uncovered was actually a clue to the origin of the island’s name!

dude, i love being a teen sleuth.

we arrived back at the dock to find everyone, in an amazing display of endurance, doing the same thing they were doing when we left the lake.

matt, ever the engineer, had even created his own floating bar!

erica’s present to meredith was a bubble gun, which provided us with hours of entertainment. because we are the world’s oldest toddlers.

bubbles are fabulous, but on a LAKE? they are super fabby fabulous.

another thing you can do on the lake? jet ski!

by mid afternoon, we had built up the strength to drag out the jet ski from the garage. i took the opportunity to force everyone to take a group picture, which is what i do, pretty much every day.

unfortunately, the jet ski… didn’t work. at all. which totally sucked, cos it was a huge pain (for the boys) to haul across the yard. plus, i was really looking forward to the wind ripping my hair out.

but i took a picture anyway, cos the guys just looked so dang studly on that thing.

all of the activities i’ve just listed can fill up yr day quite easily, esp. since you tend to repeat them, over and over. esp. the floating and drinking part.

erin and meredith took the paddleboat for a ride, not realizing until it was too late that they had a stowaway by the name of henri and his booty.

i love all of the videos i took on the water, because for some reason, maybe the glint of the sunlight on the water, they look like old home movies. i half expect kevin arnold to swim into the frame.

don’t worry, i moved just before i would have been torn apart by the razor sharp plastic paddle.

and then, there was more of this…

punctuated by surprise attacks from our local water monster, henri.

if you’ve done all of these activities and find yrself still lacking for entertainment, consider the classic aquatic tradition of chicken fighting.

only the fiercest of men dare to do battle in the ancient chicken style, as you can see.

check out this video for an illustration of practical chicken fighting techniques and dirty tricks, including “go for the glasses.”

and, if you’re REALLY a daredevil, you can do what teenage boys have been doing since time began: Trying Dumb Stuff On The Water That May Kill You.

for example, henri, attempting to “surf” on the lake with a boogie board.

meanwhile, matt followed up his floating bar invention with a totally sweet (and i mean sweet) new headband.

he’s like, the richie tenenbaum of the south.

after an exhausting day of chicken fights, island exploration and doing stupid stuff, it’s nice to know that you can head back to the dock for drive-thru drink service, courtesy of jill.

to sum up my tips on how to spend a day at the lake, just do this:

that night, it was birthday party time!

matt, my favorite chef, risked his life (and eyesight) to grill up some DELICIOUS fajitas for everyone.

while eating my tasty business, i discovered i had a new friend.

the friendship quickly ended when he discovered that he had picked the WRONG gal to beg from. sorry, doggie, but posh is a GREEDY PIGGIE.

henri and i gave meredith some kitten mittens that are almost as cute as she is.

and of course, there was cake! caramel cheesecake, to be exact!

so, just to be clear, we spent the weekend: floating, dancing, talking, drinking, paddling, chicken fighting, laughing, singing, exploring, eating cake and not being murdered.

yeah, i would say that’s pretty good.

LINKS

squee of the day: a cat and a dog are friends, and THERE’S MORE! see, the dog is blind and the cat guides her around!!!!! because they are friends!!

today, i’ve got a bonus squee for you: white tiger cubs!!!!! HOLY SQUEE.

did you know that IBM is sequencing and analyzing the cocoa genome? FINALLY, science is good for something!

this guy created a miniature paris in his backyard. oooh i wanna go and eat a miniature croissant!!

you can sell yr daughter on the internet! it’s like that shel silverstein poem but better (thanks, matt, for the link).

mexican pantalones: how to be rich, cancun edition

Published by

Sarah

June 25, 2008 in extravaganza, tasty business and voyages. 10 Comments

erica, henri and i spent our last day of the trip in cancun, being rich.

and so today, i present to you a step-by-step guide of how we did it, so that you too can be rich, should you ever find yrself in cancun (or, really, anywhere. it helps if there’s a pool).

i will preface this guide by stating, as i mentioned yesterday, that we got a really good rate at our hotel thanks to erica. so if you want to *feel* super rich without the actual money to back it up, i recommend exploiting yr friends for any and all discounts.

and with that, let the lesson commence!

1) decide to spend the entire day at an uber posh resort

when you’re staying at a place that has a pool, nay, a series of pools that look like this, there is no need to set foot off of hotel grounds. esp. since, beyond the grounds, there might be poor people.

plus, rich people don’t need to work, so spending an entire day by the pool is pretty much their standard MO.

2) pick the best spot at the resort and OWN IT

we chose the nearby infinity pool, which earns its name by appearing to drop off, for all eternity, into the ocean. since erica arrived early, she claimed the poolside bed with the best view:

how do i *know* it’s the best view in the whole resort? well, uh, maybe because it’s IMMORTALIZED ON OUR ROOM KEY.

seriously, we are PROFESSIONALS at being rich. it’s almost sick.

here’s what the poolside beds look like, fyi:

imagine spending the ENTIRE day on one of those beds. that’s what we did, because that’s what rich people do. they LOUNGE.

3) act like you’re rich

rich people *know* they’re rich, and this knowledge infuses their every action with richness. therefore, you have to *feel* like you’re rich, so that you can consequently act accordingly.

it often helps if you wear a bland, slightly bored expression while doing something that 99.1% of the earth’s population never gets to do.

“yeah, so i’m drinking a margarita in a white bed by the infinity pool here in cancun on the perfect day. AND? sigh… je m’ennuie.”

but if you accidentally goof up by smiling really big cos you realize you’re hanging out in a gorgeous pool with yr dad, that’s ok, too. don’t forget that rich people are still HUMAN.

4) order way more drinks than you will actually need

rich people waste money all of the time, kind of like how you might not pick up a penny if you drop it on the ground because, you know, it’s just a penny. to rich people, it’s just, like, money. and since rich people HATE to run out of things, they always over-order. you know, “i’ll take two of everything on the menu.” so, when it comes to ordering margaritas by the pool, don’t be skimpy. esp. when it’s happy hour.

5) order room service

i shouldn’t have to tell you this, but i will. room service is over priced, and that is EXACTLY why rich people order it. this is a v. tasty way to be AND feel extravagant, so by all means, order from the poolside waiter named jesus. and whatever you do, *don’t* ask how much things cost. first of all, rich people could care less about prices. second, you actually really don’t want to know.

6) hand feed exotic creatures

rich people are constantly surrounded by exotic animals, whether they serve as pets, household curios or targets on the annual african safari. even the most rare of species elicit v. little surprise from rich people, because they know they could buy it and put a rhinestone collar on it with the spare change in their wallets.

for example, lots of rich people have peacocks littered about the lawn. peacocks are like the gnomes of the elite.

and so, if a peacock approaches you, do not hesitate to feed it a piece of pineapple, as this is a lesson all rich girls learned in the hallowed halls of northeastern boarding schools. hand feeding exotic animals is a sign to the world that you are a refined lady of great wealth and breeding.

7) end the day with a lavish steak dinner

everyone knows that rich people love to eat big, expensive steaks. so, after yr relaxing day by the pool, make sure you treat yourself to a meal at a nearby steakhouse, preferably one that shows you the raw meat before they cook it, so that you can inspect it for yrself. after all, rich people have v. high, exacting standards, and they have to make sure that everything in their vicinity is *perfect.*

during the meal, it’s important to insist on excess. not only do rich people love wasting things, they also want everything taken to the Next Level.

for example, regular french fries aren’t enough. for rich people, french fries must come in a waffle fry bowl.

and of course, don’t forget yr table manners.

LESSON CONCLUDED.

now go forth, and be rich!

LINKS

oh you must must MUST watch this NYT video on the international high school prom in brooklyn. it’s like, a global squee (and angelina jolie & brad pitt already want to make a movie about it! seriously!).

so you may have heard that a monet sold for over $80 MILLION (waaaaahhh), but what you probably *didn’t* know is that the previous owners were a totally badass couple that totally brought cosmopolitan pants to columbus, indiana.

squee of the day: OMG!!! A MALTESE PUPPY ON WHEELS!!!!!!! she actually kind looks like a toy dog i used to drag around on a rope when i was two. except WAY MORE CUDDLEY.

i never thought i would say it, but this texas congressman is totally awesome for turning the tables on TMZ (thanks becky for the link).

check out these delightful hand-made creatures based on children’s drawings.

dude, not only is this new line of kettle chips stylish, but the flavors look TASTY!!

mexican pantalones: coco bongo, aka where pants go to melt from AWESOMENESS

Published by

Sarah

June 24, 2008 in cray, extravaganza and voyages. 8 Comments

i have to warn you right now that the following entry will almost definitely MELT YR PANTS WITH INCREDIBLENESS.

so, if you’re ok with that, please keep reading.

henri, erica, papa g. and i spent the last two days of our trip in the sunny party town of cancun. given all of the spring break stories i’ve heard over the years, i was DYING to see this place for myself.

and guys, it did NOT disappoint. for many, many reasons.

first, erica got us a FANTASTIC deal at a posh hotel resort, due to her employment. this place was POSH DELUXE TO THE CLASSY MAX. check out the view from our balcony:

mexican pantalones: facing fish fears & a wedding on the beach

Published by

Sarah

June 23, 2008 in extravaganza and voyages. 7 Comments

hallo oh hallo! did you guys have a lovely weekend? I DID! and i’ll tell you all about it on wednesday after i finish up these mexico blog entries.

the more time that passes, the harder it is to write these trip posts. not cos i don’t remember things (that’s why i take so many pictures, folks. they do the remembering for me) but because I WANT TO GO BACK SO BADLY. MEXICO TAKE ME BACK TAKE ME BAAAAACK.

sigh. anyway.

so, the day before the wedding, a group of us decided to go snorkeling at this place about 20 minutes away from grand coco bay. we got on a shuttle, which took us to this big touristy marina, where they loaded us onto a boat and gave us life jackets, flippers and a snorkel mask. the boat was actually pretty cool, cos there was a huge flat surface where everyone could sit, and the boat guys gave us orange fanta and played spanish hip hop. i highly recommend this mode of ocean travel.

i hadn’t been snorkeling since my parents and i went to hawaii when i was nine (?), and i’d forgotten that snorkel masks HURT MY FACE. ok, i know the suction has to be tight so the water doesn’t get in yr eyes, but YIKES. is this how it feels when you get a face lift or botox? nicole kidman HOW DO YOU DO IT? and just so you know that i’m not being a *total* baby, i had an indentation in my forehead for like six hours after the trip. gross.

with that said, snorkeling mask pictures are pretty dang cute.

special thanks to erica for these pics, cos i left flossie at the resort (i feared her death via drowning).

speaking of erica, check this gal busting a snorkeling move!

even in a bright orange life jacket and face-smooshing mask, girlfriend has got style.

unfortunately, i don’t have any fish pictures to show you. first, cos we didn’t have an underwater camera (duh). second because… well, we didn’t see any fish. and by that i mean, we spent the majority of our time AVOIDING the fish.

see, the thing is… henri has kind of a phobia of fish. as in, he really, really hates their faces. even the dead fish at central market give him the heebie jeebies.

so of course, snorkeling was a great idea! obviously!

actually, henri was hoping to conquer his fear, and since he likes to be EXTREME, this seemed like a good way to do it.

that is, until he put his head under the water and saw a zillion fish swimming towards him.

one of the fish accidentally ran into me, which unfortunately caused me to shriek, which was all henri needed to launch into a full on panic attack.

so… we hung out. in the water. away from the fish. several times, the boat guys asked us, “are you ok?” each time, we said, “yeah!” with thumbs up signs. eventually, one of the guys swam over to us, as i’m sure they were all dying of curiosity, since we had paid money to basically drift futiley in the ocean.

boat dude: “hey, are you guys ok?”

me: “oh yeah, we’re fine.”

boat dude: “why don’t you want to go over where the group is?”

me: “uh, because there are fish over there. and henri just found out he doesn’t like fish.” (ok, small lie).

boat dude: (laughing) “come ON. you’re kidding me. i would think YOU (points to me) might have a problem, but YOU (jabbing at henri)?! oh man. no way.”

me (wanting to say, “thanks for the sexism, jerkface!” but remaining silent)

henri: “ha ha… eh… yeah.”

boat dude: “don’t worry, man! they don’t bite white people!”

me & henri: “eh… ha?”

in the end, henri’s frustration overpowered his phobia (or maybe it was simply the knowledge that fish don’t like white people), and he managed to conquer his fear. we spent the last ten minutes actually SWIMMING with FISH, and it was really, really cool. i kept saying, “hi nemo!!” but it came out like, “mmmi bemmo!” cos, you know, i had a snorkle in my mouth.

the next day, henri and i spent a little more time on fifth avenue, where we discovered a DAIRY QUEEN.

uh, como se dice DIP CONE?!!!

i also really liked this decoupaged angel, who is apparently really into catholicism.

also? windows with pink trim on an ivy colored building? straight out of the children’s book of my mind.

henri found some super sweet nikes at a store called “shelter,” and i hope he wears them every day, like a little boy who refuses to take off his red rainboots.

swish!

we made it all the way to the end of the street, where we found this pristine little church front.

if you want to take a ferry to cozumel, you can do it here.

also, if you want to bake in the hot sun until yr corpse resembles a california raisin, you can do that here, too. seriously, it was SO HOT.

so, naturally, we had to stop for a margarita. because that is why they were invented, as life saving devices.

we headed back to the hotel and cleaned ourselves up for meredith and kiley’s wedding. have you guys ever walked on a beach to get a wedding? this was my second time to do it (the first was for julie’s wedding), and i have to say, it’s the most delightful, beautiful journey you can make.

of course, henri and i had to take a cheesy picture, cos we were dressed up and on the beach! come on, gimme a little squee here.

and if that doesn’t make you squee, what about THIS picture?

awww, alex and henri are so in luuuurve!!! how romantical!

the ceremony took place on the beach, with the reception following at a place called the kool beach club. lame name, AWESOME venue.

the wedding was simple and beautiful, and the excitement in the audience was palatable. having spent the past few days with each other, our group’s collective spirit was positively soaring.

meredith’s parents walked her down the sandy aisle…

and alex officiated an extremely heartfelt and lovely ceremony. when the bride and groom exchanged their vows, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

the marriage was pronounced, and we walked off into the sunset…

(i love erica’s face in that picture as she looks back at leo)

there was a dinner, followed by some v. entertaining and earnest toasts, followed by my favorite parts: cake and dancing!

on the dance floor, i found out where erica’s grooving genes come from.

even kiley’s texas mama was cutting up the rug!

the only minor problem was… the dj. you guys, i HATE IT when wedding djs are bad. i mean, how hard is it to just load up yr laptop with some JT and 80s tunes and press shuffle?!!!! come ON. and yeah, i guess this guy sort of has an excuse, since he’s from mexico, and some of the music there is different but… when “ring of fire” is the biggest hit of the night, you’ve got problems.

at one point, while dancing to a song, we got down really low in preparation for the climax, and… BOOM. SONG CHANGE. we were left squatting on the floor in disgust.

so i took this picture, for the dance climax that could’ve been.

in spite of the musical lameness, we showed playa del carmen a thing or two about dance parties as the reception raged into the night.

just like his daughter, papa g. was on FIRE. long after i sat down on one of the faux beds by the pool to rest, he was hopping around the floor like the ultimate dance panster.

and of course, the pool did not go unused.

i preferred to stay dry and watch from the sidelines (lame, i know), but in doing so, i was able to observe papa g., holding hands with his best friend, bob, and jumping into the pool while singing the beginning of the laverne & shirley song. “schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated!”

i don’t think i will ever see anything at a wedding that will top that.

eventually, even erica was convinced to join the pool group… by her own mother! sheesh.

as you can see, it was an utterly festive night, just the right kind of party for two feisty, fearless people so deeply in love.

i mean, how often does a wedding reception end like this?

exactly.

congratulations, meredith & kiley! the happiest of happiness to you.

LINKS

tasha tudor died! she illustrated my mom’s copy of “the secret garden,” and for that alone i will forever love her. but i had no idea she lived such a rustic… reincarnated?! life.

i love this NPR ode to nancy drew.

speaking of childhood heroines, my beloved strawberry shortcake got a make-over… well, at least she doesn’t look like a bratz doll (yet).

jason segel is writing the next muppet movie!!!! OH KERMEY, I CAN’T WAIT!

this british guy pulled a “high fidelity” and interviewed all of his ex-girlfriends for a documentary. which i am totally going to see.

via trish’s blog, i just found out that, when it comes to furry toys, beauty truly is really only skin-deep.

squee of the day: a floating hedgehog! in a bathtub! p.s. turn the sound off. just… do it.

a day in her pants: the posh deluxe interview with erica greenhouse

Published by

Sarah

June 20, 2008 in day in the pants. 9 Comments

today, it is my UTMOST pleasure to present you with one of my favorite austinites, not to mention the biggest hoss i know, erica greenhouse.

yeah, that’s erica, eating pizza and drinking a beer right after she COMPLETED A TRIATHLON. BECAUSE SHE IS THAT AMAZING.

i first met erica when she and her sister, meredith, were in town from NYC to visit old college friends, including henri. i liked erica *immediately*, and if you know her, i’m sure you felt the same way– it’s impossible NOT to like her. she’s friendly, good-natured and exudes a warm, sunny vibe that feels like a sweet, comfy hug.

when i found out erica was moving to austin, i was ECSTATIC, not only because she seemed so genuine and nice, but ALSO cos she was Always Up For Fun. since i’m such a planner pants, this is one of my TOP qualities in a friend. i can call erica up, days in advance or minutes in advance, and ask, “hey, do you want to do dinner?” or “hi, wanna come to a sing-along?” or “are you interested in checking out this club that will probably be terrible but hilarious?” or “yo yo YO we’re doing karaoke tonight and i know you hate it but you HAVE TO COME!” and invariably, even if it’s 10 PM and she has to get up for work at 4 AM, she will say, with boundless enthusiasm, “SURE!”

let me put it this way: if you’re throwing a party, you MUST have erica there. her dance party madness and incredible endurance will insure that even the lamest of parties will be a massive success.

after knowing erica for a few years (two?), i feel incredibly blessed to count her as a friend. she’s not just a super fun party pants, she’s also a loyal and true kindred spirit, a comrade who is always ready to lend a helping hand (or a bottle of wine). truly, my austin would be a dreary, dispirited place without her.

and so, without further ado, let’s begin!

so erica, as members of pants world already know, i recently spent a week with yr family in mexico. i LOVED hearing about all of yr traditions and inside jokes and jewish christmas deodorant. tell me a little bit about yr experiences growing up in jersey and some of yr favorite traditions.

Well, people can make fun of Jersey as much as they want and I will take it. To me it was the greatest place to grow up.

1) I am from Bruce Springsteen’s home town (enough said).

2) 45 minutes from New York City or Philadelphia, and my parents were not afraid to take us there. Every single year my parents would take us kids out of school for a day near Christmas time to go into the city. We would get super bundled up, cause it is cold, and then go to see the tree and ice skate, go to FAO Schwartz to play with toys, and hang out in Macy’s to see Santa. It was perfect. We would go many other times of the year, but that was always my favorite. My dad is a HUGE Hockey fan so we had season tickets to the Rangers and the Devils so we would go to games all the time. Every year, before they started winning Stanley Cups, the Devils would have a skate with the team day, so we used to ice skate with them and get pictures. My parents would also take us to Philadelphia Phillies baseball games, especially on give a way days, my favorite was bat day.

3) Six Flags - 15 minutes away. That was what I did every summer. I can’t tell you how many time the music group the Monkee’s played there I would go. That was great!!

4) The beach. Also 15 minutes away. On Sundays in the summer we used to go to Seaside Heights and get $1 pizza and soda at the SawMill and play skee ball all night long. My dad loves a good bargain.

erica, her nephew leo and the special christmas deodorant.

dude, i am so spending next christmas with you guys. esp. if yr parents take me to FAO schwarz.

so, you are the baby in the family (well, you were before yr nephew and niece came along). what was that like? did yr siblings torture you?

A little torture, but not too much. I would say EXTRA love. I was always pretty easy going as a kid so I just hung out with whoever was around. I would play catch with my brother, hang out with both my big sisters, anything went. I did get a lot of hand me downs, but overall I think I was treated super well being the baby. At times I felt my parents were over the parenting thing, but that worked to my advantage

I guess the only times it was sad was when all my older siblings would be doing something I wasn’t old enough to do yet. That sucked.

tell me about yr dad’s obsession with bruce springsteen concerts, cos it’s the most awesome thing ever.

Yes, it is pretty awesome, I must admit. To set the record a little straight, he is obsessed with concerts in general, just most specialized in Bruce. HE LOVES HIM!! My dad has been taking us to concerts since I could crawl. But he will travel all over to see this guy and if he is playing 10 shows in Jersey, my dad will go to at least half of them. Here is an example. So Bruce was playing in Dallas, so my dad was gonna come to Austin for the weekend and we would drive together to go to the show and then he would leave from Dallas. Well, all of a sudden my dad calls me and says, “Bon Jovi is playing in Las Vegas (where my parents own a condo) on Sat night, so I am thinking maybe you should drive to Dallas alone of Friday, leave your car there, fly to Vegas we will meet there then go to the show Sat. Fly back to Dallas on Sunday to catch the Bruce show and then you can drive back Monday what do you think.” This is not the normal talk of a 62 year old man. We got lucky cause Bon Jovi announced a show in Dallas for Monday night, so we could catch a double header in the same city. To prove my dad knows these Jersey performers so well, on the walk to Bruce he announced that he bets Bon Jovi gets on stage to sing a song with Bruce, I wasn’t sure, but he was right. Bruce and Bon Jovi did a song together. A jersey girl’s dream come true

i had to put another xmas picture in this interview cos I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS AWESOMENESS.

you are SO jersey, but only in the good ways. like, yr hair isn’t huge.

it seems to me like you had the “cool parents” in high school. what is the secret, in yr opinion, to being a cool parent?

Well, besides the fact that they actually are cool people (good taste in music, love to travel, etc.) the most important thing about being a cool parent is Trust! My parents trusted all of us to make our own decisions and to do what was best for us, and we all turned out great. We didn’t have a drug addict or high school dropout, but it was by choice cause they never forced anything down our throat, so that made us want to do good. They set such great examples, it was easy to model after. They were also extremely realistic. For instance, they were very aware that 18 year old people will occasionally have some drinks (ok maybe younger too, but don’t want to reveal too much) so if it was a special occasion we could drink in the house as long as all of my friends spent the night there, so there would be no drinking and driving. Very sensible parents I must say.

you left jersey far behind to attend college at UT, where you met a 19 year old henri. tell me about THAT!

Oh yes, the time of leaving Jersey to meet Austin. Yes, there was a young Henri. How I remember him well. He was pretty similar except a little smaller. The very first time I met Henri was actually when I was in high school. My sister Meredith had gone to school at UT as well, and I was visiting her. So I meet this 18 year old guy who I am videotaping and he walks up to my camera and licks it. I really did not know what to say. My mouth dropped and I tried to keep taping, but it looked funny from his saliva. We then went to Maccaroni grill for his birthday and he waved the napkins above his head while we sang. Oh the memories. Two years later I actually moved to Austin and it felt like moving to a new country. I was always lucky to have Henri around as my ‘council’. Being that he was older and wiser I would go to him about the crazy stuff that went on with my friends, and there were lots of those times, and he would tell me about his times and I would feel better. Then he would make Selina mad with his silly arguments and we would have to leave

So glad the times have changed

But I do miss the times at the south mall just wasting the days away with chicken fried rice and cherry lemonade.

henri? making silly arguments? really?

henri and erica– a little older, a little wiser…?

after college, you spent some time working at disneyworld. i’ve heard some crayzee things about that place– can you spill any secrets or will walt disney hunt you down?

I can’t believe you even asked me this. You could be killed just for asking me about the secrets of Disney. Hehe. Well, that was definitely a unique experience working at Disney. I went right from college for an internship. This is a program where a bunch of college kids leave together in apartments that are dorm style in the way they are issued, and work easy jobs while they just party all the time and do not have to worry about consequences cause they won’t ever have to see these people again after the internship is over. But besides that party aspect, Disney itself if a crazy place. You have some true Disney people, who live, breathe, sleep and eat Mickey Mouse. It is awesome. They definitely remind you several times (i think this is the PC way to say it) of how great Disney is and what a great place it is to work for and how great it is. But with all the crazyness of it I must admit, I wanted to go into hospitality, and they taught me well, they are pretty good at that stuff. Plus I got to see the real Disney….

minnie to erica, “if you ever so much as THINK about spilling my secrets… keep smiling… i will cut you.”

now you’re the front desk manager at a v. posh hotel in austin. inquiring minds want to know: WHERE DO YOU FIND THE PATIENCE?

Sometimes I wonder that same thing. First I must admit, BACK OF HOUSE areas save everyone. Right after to talk to someone totally cray, go in the back and make fun of them till you feel better. It works like a charm. You know it is just about not taking yourself or others too seriously. There are some CRAZY things I have seen and dealt with, and I just enjoy them all. Those that are mean and angry and try to get stuff for free..well I just feel bad for them cause it must be hard to be like that all the time, I am lucky that I am not. But if anyone in pants world wants to know how to get free stuff from hotels…I am the girl to ask.

or at the v. least, you can always give us a free breakfast (i.e. how erica deals with people who complain).

tell me a story (or two) about “interesting” customers you’ve dealt with in the past.

Hmmm. Interesting in a good way or in a bad. Tough call. I will say the meanest anyone has ever been. I was at Disney and this dad was yelling at me about not have a magic kingdom view, blah blah. Then all of a sudden his kids come down and he picks them up (2 kids maybe like 3 and 5) and says “Let me introduce you to the girl that is ruining your vacation, let me introduce to the person that is destroying your dreams.” My response of course was “Hi”. Then he put them down and while I continued to apologize profusely to him and explained that there actually guests inside all of those rooms and I could move him tomorrow, he would tell me to look over his shoulder at his kids and remember how much I am ruining their dreams. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but man I felt bad for those kids. That has got to be a tough dad to have. Let’s see, another person insisted that since their movie cut out in the middle of the movie I have to give them a free room. But there are also the fun crazies..and the stories could go on and on. I don’t want to put it out on the net, but the famous people stories I could tell. Spike Lee, Obama, Eddie Murphy, Flava Fav etc. Hospitality is a great business.

even though i already know it, please tell everyone about the time you checked in ice cube. because that was awesome.

Two words: Mr. Cube Yes I am a BIG dork, and he came to check in. He started asking me about the two suite options and which one he should stay in and I said “Well Mr. Cube I think….” I couldn’t believe I called him Mr. Cube. He has a real hard core look, but he totally snuck a smile in there cause it was ridiculous, but really what should I have called him. Ice? Mr. Ice? Senor Cube? I don&#