Nothing much

Not a lot has been going on, but here are some random things.

This kid that's around my brother's age who went to HHS and is now at SHSU befriended me on the facebook. He's been facebook messaging questions like, "do you have a boyfriend," "are you at WashU or are you in Huntsville," "do you want to hang out and watch a movie." I don't remember this guy from high school, and I think it's slightly strange that he wants to hang out all of a sudden. However, I'll probably take advantage of the situation because it's an excuse for a free movie.

I've been thinking a lot about The J lately; it's kinda sick. I can't understand how I can let that boy get to me. Remember how I mentioned that he took me off his facebook, but I could still check his profile? Well, yesterday, I checked it, and I'm his friend again. I'm pretty sure I wasn't mistaken the first time because I looked more than once, but now I'm not so sure. Puzzling.

Oh yeah, I said not much is going on, but I lied. I've had issues with the Peace Corps process. Remember, I had to go to some more specialists? I did and after sending in the forms, I got a letter saying I was not medically cleared,therefore; they could not offer me an assignment. In other words, they were rejecting me. Well, this scared and upset me. What was I going to do now? I had already pictured this as THE opportunity to start my international career. I called the Peace Corps RN the next day to ask why I wasn't cleared. She said it was because of my shoulder. I told here there must be a misunderstanding because my shoulder is fine. I had to send in an x-ray report from the doctor with more details. So, I did that last week and called her on Monday. Turns out that I was right, and she medically cleared me. Yesterday, I received a formal letter saying I was dentally and medically cleared. Now, my file is going to the Office of Placement where they do the assigning. I'm not sure how long that will take, but I should be used to the waiting by now, right?

Rita Aftermath

Hurricane Rita has passed, and we are fine. If you watched the news, you know that Rita hit farther east than anticipated, which was good news for Huntsvillans. The only thing we got were strong winds of about 40mph. Some tree branches broke, but there was no damage to our property. Our power went out around 9am Saturday and came back on that day around 6pm. We spent all day Sunday cleaning up and putting pictures and other decor back into place. My cousin and his family went back to houston late Saturday afternoon. And, when my auntie got off of work around 6pm, she picked up her kids to go home too. Needless to say, we are well, thank goodness.

My friend David (he studied in Spain) came to my house last night since he was in town from Houston. It was nice to chill with him. We talked a lot about friends and the difficulties of staying in contact now that we're moving on to the next stages of our lives.

I didn't forget to tell him about the wonderful blogging system ;)

Hurricane Rita

I don't know if ya'll have been hearing about Hurrican Rita, but it's big news here. They called a mandatory evacuation for Galveston and the surrounding area including parts of south houston. In fact, my cousin and his wife and baby live in the south part of Houston. They arrived in Huntsville last night to stay with us. Because of all the traffic, what used to be about a 2 hour drive turned into 6. They left at 4:30pm and didn't get to our house until 10pm. Furthermore, I've heard that it's been taking people from Galveston 14 hours and 24 hours to get to houston and dallas, respectively--drives that should only take 4 and 7 hours!!! Today the Texas State of Transportation has turned all the south-bound traffic on I-45 to north-bound. In Huntsville, they've opened up several churches, the university collesium, and the high school as shelters.

The Huntsville ISD is closed today and tomorrow as well as the university. My mom still has to be at work. I called my boss last night to see if we were still going to be open. He said yes, but when I got there this morning, he had left a message saying he wasn't coming.

All the water, peanut butter, bread, air mattresses, etc. are out at Wal-mart. My cousin said when they were leaving houston, they stopped to get gas, but they were out of everything except diesel. Jr mentioned that last night at the Diamond Shamrock near our house, they were running out too.

As far as Huntsville goes, the prediction is that by the time Rita gets to us she'll be a Category 1 hurricane, but with winds of about 100mph. The general census is that we're not worried about flooding, but rather wind damage. My auntie and her kids who live here are gonna stay with us too because they live in a mobile home.

Everyone is glued to the tv and radio stations. Everywhere you go, Rita is all everyone is talking about.

Weekend Update

Friday night, I went to dinner and a movie with Edwin, one of my co-workers from the Rec. He said he hadn't been out in forever and was itching to do something. We went to Margaritas for dinner and like Lei Lei said Mexican food is a love-hate relationship. Aimer was working, so I asked our waitress to send him over when he had a chance. After dinner, we went to see The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I thought it was scary and it kept me on the edge of my seat; however, a lot of reviews say it's not good. I really wanted to see it, and I wasn't disappointed.

Saturday night, Andrew and I hung out. I actually saw him on the street Thursday morning. I stopped him and, since I didn't have to be at work for another half hour, we took a drive in his new truck. I told him how I've been bored, so we made plans to get together. We ended up driving to his lake house, which is about half hour away. We had red wine, cheese, and ice cream while watching Sideways. What's really funny is that the movie is about two guys taking a week to go around vineyards and wineries. Before that, we took a walk and watched the full moon rise. Drew was telling me that the sunset and moonrise happen simultaneously. However, from our position we couldn't see the sun, just the moon.

Sunday, I didn't do much. We took a family picture at home. If you go to thefacebook, you'll see the updated picture.

This aint no daycare

I would have to say that yesterday at the Rec Center was a bad day. Instead of telling a story (because it would take too long and I don't even know how to begin), I'll just make a list.

1. I did a lot of yelling because the kids were out of control.
2. They were out of control because, although we were doing arts & crafts, there was no specific activity.
3. The other two workers are pussies and don't seem to understand the word 'discipline.'
4. Too many kids under the age of 7 were there. The program is supposed to be for kids 7-17. Somehow folks thought it was ok for younger ones to come. Now, I know why the age starts at 7 because any younger than that they start to throw tantrums; they refuse to listen; and the cry unnecessarily.
5. I had a confrontation with a parent. She brought a kid that was 5 and I allowed the little girl to go walk home with an older cousin. It was my mistake.

Breakfast at IHOP

Friday morning at 8am, Bess, Darren, and Hallie came into Huntsville to enjoy a nice hearty breakfast with me. It was GREAT to see them. We talked about Bess' adventures and what we are all doing know that college is over. Also, we had a discussion about the Peace Corps and some of the good and bad things we've all heard. For example, Bess mentioned a girl who had a nose ring, but refused to take it even though she knew that in the community a nose ring indicates that you are a convict. The girl wanted to prove that not everyone who wears a nose ring spent time in jail. As a result, the community didn't bring their children to her programs and no one wanted to interact with her. This led to a more general discussion on assimilation and personal beliefs.

Afterwards, I realized how much I miss having intellectual and meaningful conversations with good friends.

Sex talk update

I talked to St*eve about the whole sex thing yesterday. He asked me if something was wrong because we hadn't really talked in two days. I just told him that if he just wanted sex or if he wanted it soon, then I'm not the girl for him. I wanted to let him know so that we wouldn't be wasting our time. Then he said something that I wasn't expecting.

"Hey, if you wanted to have sex with me that first night, I wouldn't have thought you were a slut like some guys. I could have sex with someone the first night and end up falling in love later."

Huh? Okay, that's great, but what does that have to do with me? I guess he thinks that I'm holding out because I don't want him to think I'm easy. Well, I guess that's nice, but I wasn't thinking that at all. I was just thinking, "I don't want to have sex with you, and don't try to rush/persuade me because it won't work."

Peace Corps: Relief Followed by Frustration

My current life question: When do you find out about the Peace Corps?

The question that haunts me and drives me mad. When will I find out? My anxiousness got the best of me, so I emailed someone at the regional office in Chicago about my application status last week. (Those are the people who nominated me.) They responded with a helpful email saying I should talk to the med people at the DC office.

After talking to Dennis, I learned that processing is slow during the summer, and there have been a flood of applicants. He said if I didn't hear something in 3-4 weeks I should call back. Furthermore, I learned that the deadline to accept or reject me is in December. Knowing more specifics helped calm my nerves.

Well, yesterday, I received some correspondence from them saying I need to fill out more medical forms. Not to mention, they have to be filled out by a dermatologist and an orthopedist. The Peace Corps wants more information on my eczema, which sometimes flares up on my fingers and on my painful/swollen joints, which refers to my shoulder. BLAH! I already hate going to the doctor and that just means spending more money.

Bessalee

Bess called me yesterday with some exciting news. She's in Texas!! When she called she was somewhere in West Texas (way, way, way far away from me). She's on her way to Houston to drop off Silke. Darren and her friend Hallie are with her. And get this, after Houston, they'll be going to Dallas, which means they will pass right through Huntsville! HOORAY!! They'll be in Houston for a few days and will take a trip to the beach in Galveston. I might join them, but she'll be in Houston on Thursday and Friday, and I work. Either way, Bess, Darren, and Hallie will make a pit stop in Huntsville to have lunch or something. I can't wait!! I'm dying for some WashU company.

Tired of boys

This weekend was mostly related to boys.

On Friday, I met up with St*eve and his friend at TW's bar. Thier lawyer friend was buying drinks. I had a really good time because it was nice having a few drinks and some conversation. Afterwards, I felt really good because I could potentially be starting a mature relationship. However, St*eve almost ruined it by calling me later because he wanted to come over. He knew I had to leave the bar at 10pm to tend to my sisters, so I was a little annoyed when he tried to invite himself over.

The next day we went to a movie, Four Brothers. It was a 4:15pm movie, and later we went back to his house where he cooked fresh shrimp and potatos. It was yummy. We also watched Million Dollar Baby; that's a good movie. I'd like to watch it again because I was a little distracted by the kissing and eating that went on. I was turned off by this point because he tried to go up my shirt and into my pants. I've known this guy for a week, and he already wants to get down and dirty. He tried to put in another movie, but I told him I wanted to go home. On the way back, he asked me if I was tired of him already. I replied that I don't like to rush things and I don't like to be rushed. His response was "there's no rush."

Those words would prove to be wrong Sunday night. He called and here is how part of the conversations went:

St*eve: "Don't be surprised if I try to have sex with you."
Me: [Surprised laughter at his boldness] "Well, don't be surprised if I don't let you have sex with me."
"I would be surprised."
"Well, now you won't have to be since I warned you before hand."

I told him that I didn't know him that well, and that I have to be comfortable with someone. He hoped that I was comfortable with him, but I explained that I've only known him for a little while, so I couldn't possibly be comfortable at this point. Although the night before, I mentioned no rushing, it doesn't seem like he understands the concept. I'm really turned off, so when I talk to him again, I'll let him know that if he's looking for a sure sex partner, he can start looking some where else.

Remember that G*ian guy, half italian half belizean? Well, Sunday night/Monday morning my brother comes into my room at 3:30am with my cell phone. This G*ian kid is calling me, and I haven't spoken to him in 2 weeks! I tell Junior that I don't want to answer the phone and quickly go back to sleep. In morning I check the message, and to my surprise, he's called to apologize for making me mad. He really wants to hang out because he really enjoyed spending time with me. I was flattered and glad that he called. I ended up talking to him last night, and told him the reason I got mad was because that one night he was too forceful and when a girl says no, or at least when I say no, I mean it. I'm not sure how he took that. He said thanks for telling him, but then there was some silence so I changed the subject. We didn't talk long before I told him I needed to go to bed.

Right now, I'm tired of dealing with boys.

Busy, busy day

Yesterday, I had a super busy day. I worked from 9am - 3pm. Nothing special happened, but there was definitely no time to be bored.

Then I had to pick up Chinyere from school and take her to my mom's work. I was dropping her off because I had practice with the SHSU club volleyball team. I was running a little late, so I had to dress quickly in the back of the van and walk speedily over to the gym. At practice, I sucked it up. I couldn't pass the ball to save my life, and I was one of if not the best passer on the WashU club team. I was getting soooo frustrated. I got a little better (not much) during practice, but at the end while we were playing 3 on 3, I twisted my foot. DAMN! Now it's slightly swollen, and it hurts. I have to limp around everywhere. I feel like I'm getting old. Since I got to college, I hurt my shoulder and twisted my ankle. Now this! ARRGGG!

After practice, I changed because Ezinne and I were going to the opening Sam football game. We got as close as we could, so we could cheer for C*hadd #29. Ezinne actually left to go sit with her semi-boyfriend, Sergio, leaving me alone to sit with a bunch of junior high kids. They knew a lot about the team. In fact, when I said something about "#29" this one kid said "Oh, you mean Chadd*Oliphant?" I was so surprised. "You know him!?" This kid knew almost every player and his number from going to all the home games last year. Anyway, the game was sooooo long. One of the annoying things about football is they have 15 min quarters, but it takes more like 3o min because they stop the clock every 5 sec. Sam won 77-7 against Bacone.

I was going to go out after the game with Baby, but my foot was killing me, so I decided to stay home. I met this guy Steve last Thursday, and he really wants to hang out, but I've been putting it off because of didn't know my stance with C*hadd. Well, I talked to him last night. I asked if we were just friends or if he wanted to be something more than that. His response: "I don't really want a girlfriend right now. I don't really know why, but I don't." He said some other stuff that I don't remember clearly enough. I said that was cool, I just wanted to know because situations could arise with the potential of dating other people. "Yeah, I'm not trying to stop you or anything like that because we're not together." I steered the conversation in another direction, so that it wouldn't end akwardly.

So, how do I feel about that? Well, I'm glad I know, so that I don't have to wonder about it anymore. But, I'm also pissed and upset for several reasons.
1. No one is ever happy about rejection.
2. I wasted time and energy thinking about him.
3. In hind sight, it seems that he just wanted to have sex.
4. It causes me to think about my other relationships and how they didn't work out.
5. Which then makes me think I will never have a boyfriend, that I will never have sex, and that I'll die an unhappy, old hag.
6. This, then, makes me more upset because I realize how society has twisted its ugly head in to making me believe that I can only be happy with a man.
7. And this rattles my belief in being a strong, independent woman.
8. And finally that makes me doubt myself, and I ABHOR doubting myself.

These feelings will pass soon, but until then, it sucks.