The L word and other GRAND things

Hoping this blog posts... trying it on a new device... power has been out at my house off and on for the past 48 hours also... so we will see when this gets posted.

I was out with my family Friday night for my mom's birthday- took her to Olive Garden and Costco. Lots of fun chatting about my pronunciation of certain words, as well as my mom's. I bought my mom what was a $450 suit at SteinMart for around $60 on clearance. I didn't know anything about it other than it was a black and white, and in a color she would wear. I didn't know it was a super high end brand name in women's fashion that makes really tailored looking suits. My mom loved it.

Saturday morning
- Mike texted me about 9. I woke up at 8:55. I was exhausted.
- He was out and about getting a haircut.
- I told him we would meet about 11.
- I get to his house at 11 as he is cutting the grass. I watch him do that and occasionally move the trash can over to where he was so he could dump grass in it.
- As we go in the house there is a big gift on the island in the kitchen. It is in a black and gray striped bag with tissue paper and he tells me to open it as it is only part of my graduation gift, and this is something he cannot live without. Someone bought him one and he became obsessed. I open it up and see the same type of electric toothbrush he has. He is so picky about that thing. He is obsessed with it. It goes everywhere when we travel. He lost one a few weeks back as you may recall, and that caused a panic. I laughed and thanked him. He told me to take it with us this weekend. I read the card, which was so sweet too, and made me want to cry.
- Mike tells me we need to go somewhere and to pick. He mentioned San Diego several times, but they wanted too many free hotel reward nights. I tell him I like the idea of Visalia (anyone know what's up there?). I throw out Phoenix, The Grand Canyon, San Diego.
- Suddenly we're looking at how long it takes to get to the Grand Canyon, where to stay, how to get there, and he's booking a rental car, and we are off.
- We go down to the airport to get a Hyundai Sonata since we wanted something that was good on gas and a Cobalt just didn't cut it.
- He was convinced this car would make me consider Hyundai a viable carmaker. I was impressed. I would never buy one because who wants to say you drive a Hyundai? But features wise... XM radio standard, 35mph on the Sonata, very comfortable
- We start our trek out to Arizona and he books a cheap points hotel in Prescott, Arizona.
- We take the 10 to the 60 to the 71 to the 89 to get there.
- Lots of windy and back country roads that no one goes down. Every shop we drove past was closed. This gave us a chance to make up on time. Mike sped down these roads. At one point we were doing 120mph down some of the roads. And don't get me started on those mountainous roads. I was scared to death. He drives those fast. It helped it was a 2 lane in each direction road in one case, but he was doing about 45-60 when the signs said 30. Thank goodness we were the only ones on the road. He told me to keep my eyes on the white line in the middle of the road and I wouldn't get so dizzy. LOL.
- Listening to XM was enjoyable and here's some new jams you should be listening to:

- We get to the hotel about 7. We left at 2, so we made great time.
- Lots of talk about my mom's birthday and cousin's visit last week. I told him about the suit I got my mom and he was impressed.
We hear interesting stuff on XM like this, which apparently Mike knew all about, but I didn't...

- The hotel was VERY nice, especially with how little in points it cost. It had a couch, a granite wet bar, big bathroom, big king bed, and a 20'' tv or so. I love going to hotels with Mike and being treated like a VIP. We always get water bottles and cookies/treat bags when we come in.
- We go to the room, admire, then go to The Raven, which was an organic bar/restaurant. I had the club sandwich, which was perfect, and not toasted too much. The restaurant specialized in small name beers, which was cool. I tried an Emily ____something_____ from Colorado. The food was great. It was all organic as I said.
- Mike admired the interesting crowd at the restaurant. You had the Rastafarian guys, the young hip, a bunch of older people, and some burly looking men, and bikers. Mike kept saying CREEPY! I laughed. I said I figured this town was probably one of those progressive ones and it had a cute old charm with lots of mom and pop restaurants.
- We head out and check out the rest of the town. Lots of bikers, which was scary, and so not our type of people... lol
- We go in search of dessert. Ice cream shops were closed.
- We go to Target, which was like an early 90s Target. They still had the signs I remember from when I was a kid. Mike thought it was a time warp. I did too. I lamented about how this is what Target looked like when I was a kid. The setup was the same, they even had the Food Avenue, same signs, and so it was fun. He was disappointed there was no clearance section at the end of the aisles.
- We cruise across the street to Wal-Mart. It is a Supercenter. We get individual cake slices and a bottle of pino griggio for dessert.
- Drive around town just to see what there was.... drive around the mall... Costco... 1 McDonalds... no movie theater... lots of mom and pop stores/restaurants... Lowes and Home Depot... the town is definitely liveable. We google the average temp and guessed it was probably people trying to escape Phoenix heat that may have a house and flock there. There were tons of people and the hotels were full, though.
- We go back to the hotel where we watch some movie that was on TV with Jennifer Aniston
- Took showers
- The wine is pouring, we're enjoying cake, and I'm feeling the buzz. He is too. We go to bed and we can't keep our hands off each other, so of course we fool around lots. I wanted to say the L word, but it wasn't the right time after the buzz. I didn't want it to seem like it was just alcohol talking.
- After we drifted off to sleep Mike gets up and goes to the bathroom. He gets a cup I hear and then is downing tons of water. He has excruciating heartburn. In my tired and buzzed state I laid up in bed and rubbed his arm and back while he tried to sleep. He didn't sleep well.
- Bed about 12:30


SUNDAY
- Up at 9
- Mike had me turn over- he didn't say anything- but he indicated through his actions that he wanted me to turn over- and we had a role reversal as he tried to fuck me... he didn't penetrate... just slid his dick between my legs... it was hot, though, as we both ended up in some crazy position making out
- Shower and cinnamon rolls from the hotel for breakfast... the cinnamon rolls were truly bomb!
- We drove downtown to see what there was and the western art/craft show that was going on. There were so many people and so many diverse peoople- old, Indian, young, hip, trendy, dog people, you name it. We walked in several trinket shops.
- We go to the mall for pizza and Orange Julius. I get a little grief for not getting an Orange Julius and getting the strawberry banana. The pizza guy at the mall was a Mexican guy who was so animated in trying to sell us the pizza. It was cool. The eating area had carpet, which was a surprise.
- We check out wikipedia to learn about the town and the Prescott College has a Rastafarian/progressive population and that explained the strange mix of people we saw. The town has 100k-200k people. Walk around and do some more exploring. Check out Realtor.com... one of our favorite things to do
- IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WINDY!!! We wondered if this was normal...
- Drive toward The Grand Canyon. Stop for gas. After we do a box gets stuck under the car that was flying in the wind. I get out to try and remove it, but it was on Mike's side, so he moves the car so he wouldn't be in danger as he got out on his knees and got under it.
- Mike was annoyed he couldn't do 80+ with all these slow drivers. Different scene than the day prior where there was no traffic and no idiots in our way.
- XM started to repeat songs... I don't like the hits station
- Stop at the hotel for the night about 2pm. We stay at the Grand Canyon Hotel in Williams, Az, which was still 50 miles from the Grand Canyon, but the internet made it sound like YOU could only stay there.
- Hotel was nowhere near as nice as the night prior, but was ok
- Relax on the bed and check out yelp - we decide to go to Bedrock
- Bedrock, as in the Flinstones, a Flinstone amusement park about 50 miles away near the Grand Canyon. Well, originally Yelp said it was down the street from the hotel. The reviews said tacky and rundown, but others said nostalgic.
- Mike was iffy and said he would only go in if other people did. Being the adventurer I am, I said I would. We go in and I see the look of "like really?" on his face. I suggest we go in the park and pay the $5 per head fee for the 2 of us to go see.
We are suddenly in Bedrock with a bunch of other people visiting Fred and Barney's houses. It was super windy. Super tacky at some points, but amusing, and well, it was a good photo op. Lots of cute pics of us riding in the cars, hanging out by the houses, on top of Dino

- We were now curious to see how far Grand Canyon was... maybe 20 minutes away.
- We decide to pay the $25 per car fee to drive in to the park. OMG. WE ARE SO GLAD WE DID.
- We did the desert trail tour. We start driving and off to the left OH WOW WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW IT WAS THE GRAND CANYON. IT WAS AMAZING. I was looking at the map and oblivious, but the hush in the car was an indicator of the magnitude of what we just saw.
- We get out and are disappointed I don't have my camera.
- We take photos on our iPhones and stand around admiring
- We stop at each lookout point on the drive and admire.
- This was sooooooooooooooooo worth it and we were glad the Flinstones lead us to this.
- Stop at a hotel just outside of the Grand Canyon for food. The food and service were awful. The service we noticed first as it took 10 minutes to be acknowledged in the bar. We just ordered Coronas y nachos and decided we would eat elsewhere. The bartender also had an attitude with us and we are the 2 most nonconfrontational guys.
- Drive back to hotel in Williams, Az
- Eat at Pizza Hut Buffet... it wasn't good... we weren't hungry. We talked about iPad use in the classroom/laptops
- We go over to Safeway for dessert. We choose chardonnay and cream puffs, plus get water and snack bars for the train trip to Grand Canyon
- Back at the hotel we discover the awful Edge Network from AT&T is all around and can't play a Netflix movie. The hotel's wireless internet was $9.95 and Mike had me bill it to his credit card unsuccesfully. His card was declined many times, which it shouldn't have been. Finally my Virgin Mobile MyFi card saved the day. I pulled it out, logged onto their website, and paid my $40 for unlimited streaming.
- We watch a mid 90s show called "Working Girl" with an all star cast.
- Mike was very tired and falling asleep throughout. We laid on the bed against each other
- Bed about 11


MONDAY
- Up at 7:30 to make the train. Mike woke up about 40 minutes prior feeling super dehydrated and sweating. I just laid in bed.
- Stop at McDonalds for breakfast and I tell him all about what I learned from my cousin
- We go to the train, watch the shootout they had before boarding, then board
- We are around an Israeli and 2 black girls
- I joked with Mike about how we were going to see black people because Oprah went to Yosemite... and we did see a few black people
- There were performers as we went up who sang songs like

- Mike and I sang along to the ones we knew like that, which I was totally impressed he knew it.
- We use my Virgin Mobile MyFi for his iPad as we are on the train to look at vacation options for my graduation trip
- We also play Scrabble and he beats me... occasionally he questions if I know what some of the words mean that I came up with and I didn't! lol
- In Grand Canyon we go for Bloody Mary's at the bar at the El Tovar overlooking the canyon. It was my first bloody mary. Mike said it was great. I thought it was eh.
- We walk down into the canyon some, but Mike's leg and mine started to hurt.
- I didn't complain, but he's not the outdoor type, so he didn't want to hike, so we didn't.
- We go back and this time have lunch, vegetarian chili. We ate out on the patio and it was about 60 degrees, but colder with the wind blowing
- We go inside to the bar where he has a baileys coffee and I have a water. I have a peanut butter chocolate pie dessert deal and he has cheesecake. It was so-so. It left the worst aftertaste and I had it in my mouth until 10pm last night!
- We look more at vacations on his iPad
- Much more leisurely enjoy the view day at Grand Canyon
- The train ride back was fun, train robbers, talking about vacation options
- We get back to the car and start the drive home
- We tried to stop at Subway, but had to wait nearly 80 miles for one
- We cruise home on the 40
- We stop at Subway and I wasn't hungry- he ordered a sandwich for us and I told him at most I'd have a bite or two. I did, about 10pm
- We are tickling and holding each other, and there were a couple times he poked me, I'd laugh, then he'd giggle, and he'd say "sorry," and I could have so easily said "I love you too," but the words couldn't come out. I was so nervous and worried he wouldn't say the same thing, which was ridiculous.
- We talked a lot about my best friend because he texted me as we were on the train up saying that he was no longer single and engaged. I told him about coming out to my best friend since he asked, he asked about his job as a pilot, and his history with women. I told him things like the first time my friend called me to tell me he had sex or when he got gonorrhea. I informed Mike about gonorrhea and the symptoms of various STDs.
- We get back to his house about 11- the navigation system kept saying it would be 12:30, but there was some error in it and finally we got it straightened out. We avoided all the holiday traffic on the Cajon Pass.
- We watched Real Housewives of New Jersey since OC didn't record on his Tivo and I am DEVASTATED.
- We went to bed about 12:30

TUESDAY
- Up at 5:15 when Mike uses the restroom, he comes back and is grinding up against me and starts to slide down my undies... action time!
- We both cum on his chest and fall back asleep until 7:30
- We get up and shower
- He handles stuff for work and I search more vacation options
- He suggests we take the car back to the rental car agency, so we do that
- We stop at Farmer Boys where I had a kids meal cheeseburger and get a little heat for that. It was the perfect sized meal- A Mike sized portion
- We talk about Linda and my parent's plans for the summer
- We stop at Home Depot because he needed to have keys made as we had to practically break into the house since he didn't have his garage door opener last night. He makes 3 keys and gives me one... woo! I felt special.
- I head out about 1pm
- I go over to give him a hug and we kiss/hug. I had taken an anxiety pill earlier and the words were able to flow much more easily. I said "I love you," and he said "you too."
- We go out to the car and there is such a happy vibe in the air as he is wishing me well
- I text Gonzo I had the courage to say it and drive home
- I get a text from Mike as I am down at the bottom of his street saying "FYI I love you too :-)"
- Now I'm home and we have no electricity... using the neighbor's wireless... family is trying to arrange furniture as my mom's birthday gift of bookcases and couches came in. I'm staying out of the mess and will just say whether I like it or don't like it later. lol

All hands

Sometimes it seems when making love I'm all hands or arms. They're just in the way! If I'm laying on my side surely I don't want to lay on my hand, and if I put it in front of me it interferes with how close I lay to him. LOL... then I find myself questioning am I the only one to have this? LOL.

Allergy headaches

It is no wonder my allergy shot dosage has been more than quadrupled and has been made more potent in addition. I have had an allergy headache at least every 2-3 days over the past few weeks. It is also no wonder my allergies are so bad when I live in one of the worst areas for them according to this Huffington Post article.

And speaking of the LA area, here's how to be a true Angelino.

Made her work

My mom was out with Linda last night and my dad had graduation supervising duties. I had a pleasant evening. I told my sister I was going to cook dinner and she didn't say "no," like usual. I saw chicken in the fridge, so the plan was barbecue chicken and cheesy rice orzo. The barbecue chicken was delish. Jack Daniels BBQ sauce can do no wrong. My sister ate 2 pieces. I was impressed as she will only usually eat 1. I think that was a complement to me ;-).

After dinner I went in her bedroom- earlier in the day I told her to wash her car. She didn't, even though the weather was perfect. I went in her room as I said after dinner and told her to "WASH THE DAMN CAR." I left the room and went out to vacuum mine. Soon she came out to her damn car. She hosed it down and started washing. I told her it had to be waxed also because it needed it. I told her what to do and put her to work. I worked at buffing out the scratches from her accident and did a pretty good job I think. After, I got back to work on my car, washed, and then dried it. I told her that her car was a mess on the inside and that she had to vacuum it. She said she didn't know how. NO JOKE. I pulled the car in the garage and told her this was a vacuum, this was the hose, use that on your seats and the floor. Then I told her that she needed to use Windex to clean the interior windows. And you know what? She did everything I asked and didn't complain. And now I'm content.

My new favorite song of the moment

I like everything Jason Aldean does...

No financial aid

I have received 3 or 4 emails from my college asking me to pay $2,800 by May 31. I was a little alarmed. I am completely on financial aid and it has always covered my balance for my classes. I emailed the financial aid lady at my college and she swears that she told me my financial aid would not cover my last 2 classes. She did not. Ugh. Can't stand that lady. Yike! What to do... guess I will have to dig into savings? Also going to go back over my financial aid documents. No bueno. Not happy. Hopefully I can cover it.

Tried to hug me

Keith was at the gym last night when I was. I was getting ready to leave and had just finished working out on the shoulder press when in the corner of my eye I see someone walking up to me really fast. I think how strange that was since we were in a gym and who follows/comes up on someone like that? I turn around and there he was there with his arms out like he wanted to hug me.

I turned around, gave him a look of skepticism, then he had a huge grin on his face, and said hi. He said he wanted to either poke me or hug me. I replied, "in a gym?" He smiled and shook his head yes. I said "oh." He said he was there to work out, had a bad day since someone at Staples pissed him off, had a nephew coming into town next week, had been struggling at work, and a dozen other things. I just replied "ok.........." I told him I had to go. He asked where. I said "away" and he gave me a frown as I walked away.

The more I am around him the more agitated he makes me. I said maybe 5 words...

New Yrok Times

I was scrolling through featured articles on Yahoo.com the other night and ran across one about surprising facts about board games. Me, the trivia lover, decided to check it out. The article was by a Yahoo blogger, which blogger probably means a little less reputable source, but still, Yahoo, nonetheless, it had a glaring spelling error that bothered me. Do you see it?

Lady Gaga's Album

Because I'd be a bad gay if I didn't listen to it. I downloaded the entire album for $.99 on Amazon as the Deal of the Day yesterday. I listened to most of it and my favorite songs were "Scheibe" just because it sounded different and "Bloody Mary." I was disappointed that the version of "You and I" was not the more stripped, piano version like she had performed on Idol or the Today Show. I am also going to say the album is going to do well; it has more of a club sound than the previous album, which is hard to believe; but there was not one song that captivated me like several of the songs from The Fame Monster. I do also think the songs that haven't been released are better than "Born This Way" and "Judas."

Graduation

SATURDAY
- Met my cousin at the Pala Casino with my parents. My mom and dad hadn't seen my cousin in probably 8 years. It was like picking up where we left off. My mom and cousin are like mother/daughter- they look a like in many respects. Heard all about my cousin's planned relocation, her difficulties at work, my mom's difficulties at work, some of the cool ins of my cousin's job. Sat and talked at the buffet for 4 hours. The buffet was not that great, but it was nice to chat.
- Finished my masters thesis and printed it
- Worked myself up over the sadness I felt my parents/family was not attending my graduation

SUNDAY
*** Thanks sooooooooooo much guys for all of the comments of love and support this weekend. It really helped bring my spirits up and were really nice to read.

- Up at 6:21am and was really sad
- My mom told me I had to pick up Linda since she was going to my graduation in my mom's place
- Get to Linda's house about 7:38
- We run into a sigalert on the 10 at Dudley where they were shutting down the freeway. Thank goodness for the side access road/exit ramp
- Got to my graduation at 8:30
- Easy parking
- Ran into counseling girl, a girl from school in the parking structure with her daughter, son, and husband
- Beautiful main campus... I'd never stepped foot on it before
- Lots of vendors selling flowers and muffins etc.
- Show Linda how to use my camera and I'm off to line up
- Lots of photos with my friends from school, which was one of the best parts of the day
The photo below is L and I

- Process into the stadium
- Linda is there at the far right yelling my name and trying to pass me roses, which I thought I was going to take some flack from from friends. I wasn't expecting the flowers as no one has ever brought me flowers.
- We make our way to our seats, stand, talk, and then the graduation starts
- Awful graduation speech from the Masters graduate, he is some MA in Public Administration guy who went to another campus. He talked about being drunk, spending lots of holidays drunk, he recommended we go to Starbucks because it feels like a family, he had an awesome internship with a Southern California city, and how he had it so much easier than everyone else. Selfish much? Egotistical?
- Bachelors grads first
- Masters second - I am in the 2nd to last row out of 1000 grads
- As I'm making my way to the stage L helps me adjust my masters sash
- Get up to the stage area and Linda is there taking photos, trying to throw something at me, and yelling to put it on. It lands on the turf, and I put it on. It is a sash with the name of my college. L again helps me get it on
- As we make our way to the side of the stage there are mirrors for the girls to fix their hair etc.
- Photographers snap a photo of us in a tent before we go across the stage
- Walk across the stage- it was all so quick
- Another photo in another tent
- Back to my seat, stop a few times for Linda to snap more photos
- Get a few more photos with L and other friends as I make my way to find Linda
- They have a reception afterwards with fruit (strawberries and grapes), cookies, lemonade and water
- Linda insists I want fruit and cookies
- Linda wants photos of me around some of the trees, in front of the billboard for the campus
- Text my cousin who was already at the restaurant with my aunt and uncle
- Was on a major high after graduation
- We go to TGI Fridays and family had been there for 45 minutes or so and waited for us
- Lots of talk. I sat next to my cousin, across from dad and sis. Linda was down with my mom, aunt, and uncle. Lots of good conversation. Everyone really got along well and no talk about my sister's "professor" position. Cousin was doing well. Fun times.
- We talk and eat for about 3 hours or so
- Take Linda home
- Go to the gym while I take my masters thesis to be bound
- Chatted via text with Mike and he has been showing me around to his coworkers thanks to the pics I texted him. They seem to like what they see...
- Reflecting back I had a great time, but it would have been nice to have family there, and that they weren't I was sad. My graduation already sounded 100x better than my sister's. I am glad that Linda did go to make it a great day, and again, thanks for the awesome comments :-) !!!

Going to my graduation alone

Yay me.

Desert food and shopping trip

I didn't work yesterday, so here was what happened:

- Mike had to return his rental car, so I met him at the airport
- He ran up to the car, stuck his head in, and scared me as I was playing AirTycoon on my iPhone
- Mentioned I was hungry and TGI Fridays or Yardhouse sounded good
- He suggested Lucille's
- It was a big meat fest... I had ribs, chicken, and pulled pork. I wasn't planning that and he made fun of me for that
- We loooked up the history of Lucille's, who owned it, and mused over the signs in the restaurant
- Had to stop by my cousin's house to give her tickets to my sister's graduation. Mike stayed in the car even though I invited him in
- Get back to his place and switch cars to his convertible
- I get to look up movie times on his iPad and we decide on "I Am"
- Stop at the Cabazon Outlets where I get a course in good luggage and we get iPad cases at Tumi. He tells me why I must have a Tumi case and I was sooooooooo close to getting a Tumi laptop bag that was a sexy bright orange
- He wouldn't let me get these bronze Vans casual slip ons because no guy should have glittery/flashy shoes like that. He was adamant that I didn't, but they were unique. I could have worn brown and black with them. I was a little disappointed. LOL. I told him he just has a lot of hate for fun shoes like the green that I needed last weekend
- We go to the seafood place out in Palm Desert we like called Pacifica, but there were TONS of people there
- He said we were going to go to Fishermans instead
- We get there in the niche of time as there were 2 open tables - it got so crowded as we were leaving
- We had the mushrooms, which were so-so, garlic bread, 2 tacos y 2 cervezas
- Stop at Ross where I convince him to get 2 pairs of shoes and I get 1 slip on brown pair that I could actually tell would look good with jeans. I'm a bad influence because I let him buy shoes.
- We see "I Am," a documentary from the guy behind Jim Carey and Bruce Almighty movies. It brought up some interesting points like in Darwin's books he talks about the need for connection/unity and the part that is emphasized is survival of the fittest... made me want to go read it and check it out... sorta. Mike talked about how his coworkers/salespeople are all geared toward survival of the fittest and they're such slimes
- On the way home we discuss disturbing songs from The Band Perry as they were playing on XM Radio. Here's what we heard. The last few lines of "You Lie" is disturbing and then what is not disturbing about their song "If I Die Young?"


- Drive back to his place to watch Oprah's Most Memorable Guests, then go through Wednesday and Thursday's Idol in about 30 minutes. He didn't want to hear Scotty sing, was over Lauren, and didn't like Haley. I am glad the 2 country singers are the top 2, which is very surprising and I did not predict. I thought James would have been one of the last as I said before. I am guessing Lauren is the next American Idol.
- Played around a little
- Bed at 12:30

SATURDAY MORNING
- Woke up at 7:30
- Showered
- He packed for his week of business trips
- I entertained the cats
- We talked about our preparations for the end of the world as we know it tonight.



Off to the casino now to see my cousin with the family.

Why walk at graduation?

I blogged several weeks back that my sister I graduate on the same time on the same day at two different colleges. I was so thankful for the advice all of you gave to walk and to invite my boyfriend. He said he would be happy to go and would love to. Turns out the conference he has been telling me about for work is also at the same time and we didn't realize that until tonight. This conference is where the anybody and everybody he is in contact with throughout the year attends. We just happened to be texting back and forth when he asked when it was. I ran to the bathroom and cried. I was really saddened. I thought it was so cool that he was going to go- a guy that I am in a relationship with cares enough to sit 2 hours in the hot sun to watch me... ME! I officially felt alone. My mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin 1, cousin 2, and cousin 3 are all going to my sister's. I thought about how I will be alone. My mom told me Linda will step in, and for that I am grateful. Still... I'm sad. My want to walk suddenly faded again when Mike and I realized this. My friends at school were anxious to meet him. He says we will celebrate when he gets back and he wants pics while I'm there, so that he will get- it just won't be the same. But I will walk because I know I'll regret it otherwise... I'll put on a smile and that'll be it.

Dinner stops

WEDNESDAY
- Subbed severely handicapped kids at my mom's school
- Ran into my mom as I was helping the kids out to the busses and she said she had to talk to me. She is being transferred. Again. Weeks after she was told it was rescinded.
- Comforted her
- Got a text from Mike who had just gotten home from his meetings inviting me over
- Head to his place and we watch Oprah
- We go to Victoria Gardens to Harry's Pacific Grill since we heard they had a good Happy Hour. It was a sad hour. Limited happy hour menu and the margarita was not enough to kill stress from the day. It was too small. We ended up with the tuna tartare and bbq potato chips, which was like a bag of warmed up potato chips
- I suggest we work our way down the mall to the other seafood restaurant
- We get in the car and Mike says the steakhouse we like
- Sit next to a high maintenance couple then make fun of them with the waitress
- We order the bruschetta and oysters, then the grand marnier souffle, which was sooooooooooooooooooooooo good
- Mike agreed the grand marnier was better than the chocolate one - I think we are both more white chocolate fans, and it was my suggestion... hehehe
- At dinner Mike asks me what I want for graduation and suggests something really extravagant that I won't elaborate on so I won't jinx myself, but it is something that is at the top of my list of things to do in my life, and I can think of no better person to do it with. When he suggested this it was as if I couldn't believe I was hearing it, then he said it again, and WOW, well, it would be pretty sweet
- Stop at Kohls for his electric toothbrush, instead find sunglasses for me for the convertible
- Go to Target where I get a henley shirt on clearance and he gets household products
- Back to his place where we watch Oprah Behind the Scenes
- Bed about 10:30 and I'm wide awake... it is 2am before I fall asleep

THURSDAY
- We sleep until 10 even though his alarm goes off at 7:30 and 9
- We take turns showering
- I get a call to sub for 5th grade and head to that
- The kids went on a field trip to the park with the other 5th grade teachers
- Their teacher was in a bind and her masters thesis professor said she had to have her thesis in completed by 5pm or else leaving her no choice but to take off early
- Dinner with a bunch of teachers from school... it was nearly a 5 hour dinner since we talked and talked and talked, but it was so necessary... everyone is having issues with administration, district officials, and it is every teacher for himself/herself
- Helped my mom scan documents on my printer so that she could apply for 2 jobs in other districts. Risky move to leave the district she is in, but it is also a risk for her to stay where she is.

FRIDAY... a look ahead
- Subbing?
- Meeting my cousin to give her tickets to my sister's graduation
- Hanging out with Mike

SATURDAY
- Meeting my cousin from Oklahoma with the family for lunch at the casino buffet

SUNDAY
- Graduation and graduation dinner

MONDAY
- Masters presentation - I get to present my masters
- Order final transcripts

TUESDAY
- Dinner with Gonzo. I need to remember to text her.

WEDNESDAY
- Appointment for invisalign retainers

THURSDAY
- Shopping for my mom's birthday

An email convo with my sister

Here is the transcript of an email conversation with my sister about where to eat for our graduation dinner since she was too busy/refused to do it in person, meaning in the same room as me. She claimed she was busy, didn't have time, and didn't care. Obviously she did care. But look at her attempt to rub her intelligence in my face.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hi-

Hágame un favor y pick out your top 5 restaurants from this list.

The smaller ones like Carolina's, Roman, and Zena's all have high reviews on yelp.com

BJs
TGI Fridays
Old Spaghetti Factory
Lucille's BBQ
Taps Fish House
California Pizza Kitchen
Roman Cucina
El Torito
Olive Garden
Yardhouse
Buca di Beppo
Cheesecake Factory
Red Robin
Tony Romas
Bubba Gumps
PF Chang
Carolina's Italian
Zena's Mediterranian and Lebanese
Mrs. Knotts
Mimi's Cafe

Sent at 1:48pm
-----------------------------------------------------------
Me: Can you please reply soon?
Sent at 5:32pm
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sis: Not with that kind of attitude, no.
Sent at 5:33pm
-----------------------------------------------------------
Me: Please suddenly implies attitude? AN ATTITUDE WOULD BE REPLYING LIKE THIS. Mom and dad want an answer soon.
Sent at 5:33pm
----------------------------------------------------------
Sis: My phone was dead and I didn't hear it ding. I'm working on an essay and editing at the moment. And yes, saying "soon" usually implies attitude.
Sent at 5:34pm
----------------------------------------------------------
Me: Where do you want to go?
Sent at 5:35pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Sis: Your an idiot cuz you don't understand attitude. You really are a stupid English teacher. You should look it up in the dictionary. You need to look up stupid and attitude. You wouldn't know. I would. Being a Speech major I know these kinds of things. Speech major usually helps you get to know the way people talk. Speech majors also have the hardest courseloads and hardest professors. You didn't. I had Dr. G and Dr. C who were the hardest professors at school. They graded you on spelling and grammar in writing. Your professors didn't. They graded you based on how you dressed. They graded on how well prepared you were for your speech. They graded you on how well you presented. They graded you based on how fast you talked and you couldn't go over or under. They said speech majors are the best.
TGI, TGI, TGI, Knotts, Olive Garden
Sent at 5:39pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Me: Obviously they didn't grade you in the use of you. You is used in informal language. I can assure you, hun, they weren't grading me. And your professors apparently never picked up on your redundancies.
Sent at 5:42pm

I got the last word in. Heh.

My sister's real GPA

My sister has gone around telling everyone how great her grades are for years. She never admitted her Ds and Fs in classes in college. She won't admit she dropped her chemistry degree.

She was even telling my mom last night how she was graduating magna cum laude. My mom never questioned her. Her response was she was happy for my sister.

I walked in on a conversation between my sister and dad tonight and she said that she was trying really hard in grad school to get a better GPA than her

2.88

she received in college.

We know she isn't exactly the most stellar student. A look back at some of my favorites that I found real easily from her...
Her bad grade
My sister doesn't know what a theory is

Sister applying for scholarships

Oh, and for the record I had a 3.44 GPA and worked 2 jobs at one point.

Birthday Weekend

Hopefully blogger is back up and working... it was so frustrating this past week with the outages, posts not posting, posts not working...

THURSDAY
- Mike was in Dallas for work and his flight was diverted to San Francisco- he took what flight he could get out of Dallas due to weather. We were worried he might have to fly to LAX and I'd have to get into his house to get our tickets for Ellen
- He made it into the nearby airport by 8:30am and I met him at 11
- We were going to see the Ellen Show in LA
- He let me play with his iPad as we drove and played a new game he found on his iPad that was totally addicting called AirTycoon.
- I played AirTycoon most of the way to LA and kept losing $$$$... Mike laughed at my inability to make money
- Stop for a few things at CVS
- Go to Taco Bell for lunch... chicken taco was ok
- Went to Taco Bell down the street from NBC Burbank with tons of child star photos inside... none we knew... but this was the Taco Bell for short people... signs everywhere to watch your head
- After we go to Ellen
- We see some midwesterners there and other eccentric people... a guy with a studded leather purse... a mom and daughter with $ from Cincinnati... a gay nightclub singer
- Lots of waiting to be seated for Ellen show... very different than Leno
- The show starts- the guests were Collin Farrell, Christina Perri, and Lil John from Apprentice

- We got the Justin Bieber movie (OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and Christina Perri's CD... her CD is pretty good
- Mike is starved as am I - he suggests food trucks - we find the Grilled Cheese Truck nearby
- I have the amazing mac and cheese with pork rib grilled cheese
- They were parked outside of a winery and the winery had a $5 wine tasting promotion in conjunction with the truck visit
- We go in and sample the wines, talk about Ellen experience and my Leno experience
- Ellen was much more structured and she interacted much less with the audience, which was disappointing. She just came out at the end to say a really short thanks. Leno was personable on the other hand and came out before the show to take pictures, meet audience members.
- Traffic was bad since it was 5:30 on a Thursday, so we drive down to the 210 and make our way home about 8:30
- Talk to my professor about my final corrections for my masters paper


FRIDAY
- I didn't get called to sub :(
- Mike had a call at 5:30am and worked until 11 or so
- Wish Mike a Happy Birthday when we wake up
- He emerges from work about 11 and says we should go to Vegas as he found an awesome cheap hotel using his points
- I surprise him with 2nd row concert tickets to see Adele next month... SCORE!!! He loved that!

- Call my mom and tell her, pack, and then we are off to get a rental
- Rental was between a Maxima and Santa Fe. I said Santa Fe and he said Maxima. The Maxima won. No complaints- it was comfy.
- Cruise to Vegas playing AirTycoon and I start to make money
- Talk about lots of stuff to do in Vegas, my sad paychecks, work
- Get to Vegas about 5
- We stopped at the outlets at stateline for Williams and Sonoma and Old Navy
- At the hotel we check in and look at how "shady" it looks
- I search on yelp to find an awesome special at Fiamma inside MGM where appetizers are under $10
- Sit at a table at the bar chatting with 2 older ladies and a daughter from Seattle - we talked about Seattle, good eats, and they advised us what to eat
- We had the bruschetta, gnocchi, and mussels --- gnocchi was DELICIOUS
- Dinner was my treat for his birthday
- We go for a walk down the strip and try to take the Deuce bus... it should be pronounced doosh... they were serious dooshes... we put $7 in the machine that we didn't get back because the sign was lying about the fares and the bitch handling the fares kicked us off hte bus and the driver couldn't speak English. Mike was so pissed off calling the driver and fare taker fuckers... never thought I'd see that side of him
- We walk down the strip while he calms down and I do too to an extent
- Go to Downtown Vegas... old Vegas...
- Drive down and park... this is the Vegas you see in the movies!!!

- Walk through the casinos and see the old signs and what Vegas was... it was a cool trip
- Go into the Californian Casino... tons of Hawaiians there
- They actually let you play quarters and pennies and you the machine spits out coins... the old slots
- Mike teaches me to play poker at one of the video poker machines... sort of have the hang of it
- I was insistent I had to play a penny machine and was not going to be happy until I did. I lose Mike for a few minutes and find my machine. I put $5 in and was down to $1.40. Suddenly I get into the bonus round on some machine (something Fiesta?) and I have 14 free plays. I end up winning $51.05. Mike was shocked.
- I treated him to cheesecake at Smiths grocery after. We looked for Albertsons, but only found Cardenas and every Albertsons on his GPS ended up being Cardenas and he didn't like the barrio look or impuestos store on every corner.
- Get some cheesecake and go back to hotel
- We end up making out, which we hadn't really done and he rode me, which he had never done... saw a different wild side of him that I liked

SATURDAY
- Go to the Dunkin Donuts we saw on the drive in - we don't have those in Cali by the way
- I have a cinnamon and raisin bagel, iced tea, then we get the mini donuts for the road
- Go to Fry's Electronics and look at iPad cases and accessories
- We go to the Hoover Dam

- We take the tour where we go above and in the dam wall. We take lots of dam pictures.
- It was cool to see the inside and it is hard to imagine anyone building anything there (even a dam) with all the rock
- I liked looking out of the dam and the picture of both of us from the inside
- We walk the Pat Tillman Bridge above the dam - it was kind of scary to look up at it and see how high it was when we were at the dam
- After we go to the Red Rock Casino since they had a good happy hour
- We found a good sushi place special and the gal serving didn't charge us for the drinks and was really friendly. The LCD roll we had was good... not sure what was in it... don't recall, just remember it being good
- Drive to Freed's Bakery as seen on Rachael Ray's $40 a Day for dessert. I had been searching for the best desserts in Vegas. This ranks up there. We got a couple cookie sampler boxes, red velvet cake, and strawberry shortcake. The red velvet cake was excellent - I was upset they used buttercream and not cream cheese icing, but the flavor of the cake was amazing.
- Mike doesn't let me get the green Vans shoes at Nordstrom Rack and tells me how they'd only look good in my mind. I want. They are only $24. I plan to check our Nordstrom Rack tomorrow.
- I also found a pair of Cole Haan casuals in black and brown that I just loved, but couldn't dream of paying $79 for - especially when I know I need to save my money since I don't have summer paychecks and I have a boyfriend. If I had them, though, I could guarantee that they would be awesome, I'd love them, wear them, they'd make my world go around, and ensure that the sky stays blue. They're that important.
- Mike gets some undies at Marshalls
- Mediterranian hookah bar... Mike had never done hookah and was surprised I had... had some so-so hummus and good calamari
- Both restaurants we found MIke said would be must stops for him when he go to Vegas from now on
- Go back to hotel to play AirTycoon on my phone and his iPad
- Cuddle on the bed as we eat our treats from Freeds
- Bed about 9:30

SUNDAY
- Up around 7:30
- Search for McDonalds
- Talk about living in Vegas/ridiculous investments in Vegas/Phoenix/his friends who have places in Vegas and Phoenix and are in over their head
- Drive back and play more AirTycoon
- Back at Mike's about 1
- Watch Real Housewives of NY, the Food Network Chef Show with Border Grill lady
- Family keeps calling, texting, and emailing, so I head home
- Home about 5
- Lots of family drama I managed to miss this weekend... whew! So tired of my Aunt in Nor Cal. So tired of my sister. She called me a "ducking fitch" because she was mad I was home and being the good Christian she is...

Look who I found

Rachel Boesing!

Who knew she rollerskated?

Glad to see her post Today in LA.

The most popular question I get on my blog

I often get emails asking me the following- more than any other type of email- I rarely get any emails from people wanting to chat about sexuality, getting to know me, instead I get this:

Do I know Jason Martinez?
Am I Jason Martinez?
Do I know how to get in contact with this hottie?
Am I his boyfriend?
Is he straight or gay?

Jason Martinez was a reporter/anchor for a short time at KTLA in Los Angeles before a brief stop in Denver and now is in Miami, Florida. I saw his reports a few time via the satellite station on our cruise ship back in April. He was looking good.

I blogged about him quite a bit and pretty much became the go to source online. I would get 25-50 hits a day about him. I still get an email or two a week about whether or not I know him, I am him, or if I know how to get in contact with him.

He is now a morning reporter in South Florida.

For the record I don't know Jason. I am not Jason. I don't know how to get in contact with him. I am not his boyfriend, but wouldn't mind being, and the chances of that are highly unlikely as he is straight. Let this feature serve as a highlight that he is straight.

The irony

The Avenue next to Weight Watchers... now I wish I had photographed the sign on the outside of The Avenue that had a discount if you showed your Avenue receipt at Weight Watchers. LOL

How big is your music collection? Let the music play!

I know that I download/buy more music than I would have with CDs thanks to iTunes. My music collection has 2,582 songs as of today, which are a collection of about 700 songs The Guy gave me, lots that I downloaded legally, and lots off of CDs that I own.

I am amused by the statistics. The 2,582 songs breaks down into 6.6 days of music, and 13.59 gigs. Who has actually sat and listened to all of their music from start to stop?

The 13.59 gigs makes me mad that I cannot have all of my music at my fingertips on my phone. I mistakenly bought the 16 gig iPhone. Lesson learned.

It is a mix of 390 oldies songs, 906 pop songs (anything that isn't oldies or country and includes current pop hits), and 535 country songs, and 551 songs from The Guy that we did not have in common. There are also a few musicals/soundtracks like RENT, Grease, Garden State, and Spring Awakening.

I have 2 television shows downloaded that are an additional 2 gigs.

Who knew we would ever have so much media on our computers and at our fingertips? These little things amuse me.

I know The Guy has well over 10,000 songs in his iTunes collection.

Mike has just about the same amount as I do.

Even my mom has close to 900 songs on her iTunes!

Do you listen to everything that you have? I tend to not. I hate the iTunes DJ only playing the same 25 songs over and over. I have tried the genius mixes and those are somewhat better.

Turned to lesbianism

I loathe these conversations with my mom. My aunt in Oklahoma called the other day to talk about all of the family drama. I heard that I now have an additional lesbian cousin. My mom described it as "mom does it (my first cousin is a lesbian), so the youngest has turned to lesbianism too and is headed down the wrong path." Of course we need to pray because God can fix this.

Oh, and lesbianism turned the other daughter suicidal.

And I didn't think it was even the time to argue or even make a comment correcting given the other issues my mom was talking about.

My beef with Keith over beef

Many of you will remember my beef with Keith over how he has not thanked me for house sitting for him a few months back. I ignored all of his texts, calls, and avoided him in person. I saw Jack Off Buddy, his boyfriend, and Keith all talking at the gym a few weeks back and went in the other direction. I inadvertently pulled my car in across from Keith at the gym a few weeks back, saw him, waved, and went to work out. I get a text from him later that it was too late to work out.

After talking to someone else I decided what it was that bothered me about Keith. He is a user. He has used me, and this was something I didn't blog about out of shame.

Back in December he texted me one afternoon to hang out. I said that would be fine. He said we were going on a work adventure and if I would help him for a few hours he would treat me to dinner. I said that was cool. I help him do what he needs, which was measuring a shopping mall, counting the parking spaces, and size of each unit/building. After, we drove by what looked to be a ritzy, 60s style steakhouse in the OC. He asked if it sounded good and I said it did. We go in, grab drinks, then head to the table where we talk about lots of random stuff like his ex, friends, and the usual. When we were grabbing drinks he assured me I should order whatever I want as he was covering it. I order the $30 cheapest meal house specialty steak. He orders the most expensive wine on the menu at about $75 and I partake. He orders his meal, which is double mine, and dessert. When the bill comes Keith said things like he couldn't afford to me, he always does 50/50 when he goes out with friends and it comes to the bill, he talked about how his bills all came due at once. Poor him. Then why did he say we were going to this expensive place? I was student teaching and had not received a paycheck since August or September- and he knew that very well- I told him several times. I spelled out I was not getting paid. I told him I was relying on money from my parents, which was the absolute truth. I couldn't afford the $230+ ticket not including tip. I paid my portion, which was like $113 excluding tip. He said that then I can afford it because I can ask them to pay for it and tried to put words in my mouth. And were we going to have a showdown at the table? I should have challenged him. Maybe? I just put my credit card on the table in shame, then went home and begged mommy and daddy to pay, which thankfully they did begrudgingly. I was quite the bitch going home. I was full of snark. I think Keith found it hilarious.

I went out with him probably 2 months back after seeing him at the gym. We went to Islands because he was hungry. He was one of those who was so precise that the bill be split just so meaning he was 100% sure I was paying for mine and he was paying for his. Um... most people split down the middle and it isn't an issue... and prior he had. And my chips/guac and drink were far less than his. And sure it would have cost me more, but the annoyance of going through and doing it his way was not worth it.

I ran into Keith a few Saturdays ago at the gym after months of avoiding him. I walk into the locker room and see him there naked, which was way more than I wanted to see. He says "hey you." I was completely out of it. I was tired from not sleeping last Friday night, being up early on Saturday, and it was 95 out. I said "hey" in a fatigued voice and walked to wash my hands since I was ready to leave. He asked how I was and where I have been. I said busy. He said I was tan. I told him I'd been subbing PE recently. He said he could see. He said I was looking sexy. I said thanks. He started in on his pity party. His mom had heart surgery, a bypass, and pneumonia or something over the past few weeks, he can't afford his bills again, he missed his mortgage payment, and how was I? I said I was great. I told him I was on my way to the bank and to meet a friend, so he hurried up to dress and we walked out of the gym together. He told me he missed me and wanted to hang out soon. He reached his arms out for a hug and grudgingly I gave in. I get in my car and leave.

I ran into him at the gym Tuesday night and was not my usual self. I saw him walking out as I was walking him. I saw him, he stopped in the crowded entryway, and he asked if I was coming or going. I said coming. He said he was hoping I was going. I said I was running late and so got to the gym late. He said "okie" and I said goodbye since we were getting bumped in the hall.

At least I realize what kind of friend Keith is and I know I won't let this happen to me again.

Hustle and Bustle

Friday
- Met Mike at 4:30 after work
- We went to Happy Hour at TGI Fridays. I needed it. Thursday felt like Friday making it an extra long week. The electric lemonade pepped me up and refreshed me.
- Talked about commuting, traffic, and dumb people who commute 100+ miles a day and have a worn down BMW.
- Went to Best Buy to look at iPad accessories and he made me jealous
- Went to PetCo and realized that Mike lost his invisalign retainers, so he just started a new pack
- Bumped his new iPod playlists which included soft hits like this:

- Back to his house where we watched Idol. Still on a Scotty love affair. His voice is unique and different than what is out in country right now. His version of Montgomery Gentry was awesome. He is "in it to win it!" Random LOL's with Mike about "in it to win it"

So here's my Idol predictions... fingers crossed... America did right voting Jacob home last week.
Haley is voted off this next week. I just don't like her, or her personality. She should have gone home weeks ago.
The final 3 are James, Lauren, and Scotty. I predict James will win. My vote would be for Scotty or Lauren, however. Lauren has the southern charm and can cook. Scotty is really shining. I love his facial expressions. James is alright- I don't see him having radio hits that I would listen to because I think he'd go heavily into that whole rock thing, but he has the unique look and appeal to girls that works for him. His singing is so-so, and as witnessed with his version of "Without You" this week he has a tendency to get too emotional and has the emotional appeal for people that makes him popular.

Saturday
- I didn't sleep well. It was not a restful sleep and I slept very lightly- woke up many times.
- Woke up and fooled around
- Mike made an egg, cheese, and salsa frittata with bread
- Watched 2nd part of Idol... thank goodness Jacob is gone!
- Went to Oak Glen to see what goes on there when it is not apple season. Shared my memories of going there with my family as a kid. Spent maybe 30 minutes there and just walked around. There wasn't much.
- Talked about evangelical churches like Saddleback in the OC and I explained the Harvest Crusade
- Stopped at Gourmet Pizza Shop in Redlands, which was really disappointing. Mike and I both talked about how flavorless it was, the sauce on both of our pizzas were awful, and we both only ate a slice of our pizza. I had been there twice probably 7-8 years ago and it wasn't bad- maybe my taste buds had changed- or maybe the quality has declined. He blamed me for a bad choice.
- Stopped for Mike to get coffee, Marshalls, and Joann Fabrics... I may be making Mike curtains... woo! Show off my sewing skills because I am on a quest to be "more gay than I already am"
- Back to his place for some pasta and more TV
- Off to Old Navy and Michaels
- Went to steakhouse we went to a few weeks back for new appetizers that were pretty good- bruschetta, delicious crab cakes, and oysters. The souffle was to die for.
- Drove home in the convertible rocking out to Adele and our favorite song

- Talked about Mother's Day, gifts for our moms, work, how I don't get paid during the summer, etc.
- Back at his place we watched a movie on Netflix called "The People I Slept With," which was ok
- Bed about 11
- I fell asleep about 11:30 after my sleeping pill knocked me out... I didn't get a goodnight kiss

SUNDAY
- Up at 7:30 and headed home to see mom

Blake Shelton and his anti-gay remarks

I can't stand this guy. I can't stand his humor, personality, and this just goes to further that.

Blake Shelton's Homophobic Tweet Advocates Violence Against Gays? Star Apologizes

UPDATE II: Shelton has now formally apologized over Twitter, sending out a series of messages about the incident:

Hey y'all allow me to seriously apologize for the misunderstanding with the whole re-write on the Shania song last night...
It honestly wasn't even meant that way... I now know that their are people out there waiting to jump at everything I say on here or anywhere
But when it comes to gay/lesbian rights or just feelings... I love everybody. So go look for a real villain and leave me out of it!!!
@glaad hey I want my fans and @nbcthevoice fans to know that anti-gay and lesbian violence is unacceptable!!!!! Help me!!!! And DM me...
He sent out a number of other tweets of the same nature; click over to his Twitter to see them all.
____

UPDATE: Gay-rights advocacy group GLAAD has called on Shelton to apologize for the initial tweet; the organization sent the singer a tweet, saying, "No, @BlakeShelton - violent, anti-gay statements are not what a woman wants. Apologize now. #LGBT #gay #thevoice @NBCTheVoice"
_____

PREVIOUSLY:

For the second time in a month, Blake Shelton has made a comment seemingly derisive of gay men, with his newest remark seeming to advocate homophobia and violence against gays.

The massive country music star, and now judge on NBC's new smash hit singing competition "The Voice," sent out a tweet last night that read:

Re-writing my fav Shania Twain song.. Any man that tries Touching my behind He's gonna be a beaten, bleedin', heaving kind of guy...
Shelton, hearing comments about his perceived homophobia, later tweeted:

"Ba! Ha! Reading all my anti-gay hate tweets.... Ha! Ha! If people only knew even a little about me, my family and friends. Dumb asses..."
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Then, he tried to clarify further, tweeting:

“@becchez: Please make it right! I want 2 like u again.” Ha! Ok try this. Its meant to be from a girls point of view.. Thus, "Shania Twain"
Still, it's not the first time Shelton has gotten himself in hot water. Back in April, Shelton made insensitive remarks while presenting at the Country Music Awards in an exchange with co-presenter, Reba McEntire.

Speaking of Taylor Swift, McEntire said, "She writes songs about guys who break up with her, which I don’t understand in the first place. She’s beautiful, she’s talented, she’s sweet. What in the world was Jake Gyllenhaal thinking?”

Shelton's response: “Wait a minute… He was in 'Brokeback Mountain!'”

"Brokeback Mountain," of course, is the film in which Gyllenhaal famously played a gay cowboy alongside Heath Ledger.

This is me.

Substitute the word woman for man.

Decisions

Constantly questioning
I am not sure if I'm right
and all bears down on me.

- a haiku by Mike

So applicable to my life.

My bed is where it is happening

I hate how I may be gone for a few days or a week and come home to find my room has been taken over. See, I have a pretty sweet setup. I have a 46'' TV and my parents have a 22'' TV in their bedroom. I have a big cushy California King mattress and my parents don't. My sister likes to watch TV in my parents room and well, they don't. So on nights when I'm not home and my parents are the only one home it is not unusual for me to come home and find my bed has been used. My dad will come in and watch TV. He will often eat and leave a candy bar wrapper, plate, or empty coke bottle. Um. Thanks. And thanks for the crumbs? Um. I would appreciate it if you would wash my sheets.

Catching up on TiVo

Crazy couple of days...

SATURDAY MORNING
- Home with the family
- Fell asleep at 3am due to severe anxiety
- 5am the wind starts howling
- Up at 7:47 when the mechanic calls to tell us my mom's car was ready. We took her car to get the tires rotated.
- Went to JCPenney and the mall with my mom
- Visited the bank as I had to handle an issue. I was billed 14 times for the Queen Mary tour last week on my ATM card, which left only $41.44 in my bank account. The money will be put back in by the end of tomorrow.
- Went to Mike's about 2:30
- He was laying on couch pretending to sleep when I walked in and then after a few minutes said "boo!"
- We both laid and tried to fall asleep on the couch as we caught up on all things TiVo like Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters
- Went to Fresh and Easy about 5 to get stuff for dinner... found avocados, fish, and lots of veggies
- Talked about telling my family about the trip and how they now want to go
- Mike made some delicious guacamole and for an easterner makes some pretty credible guacamole
- And what goes great with guac like margaritas? I had 2, thanks.
- More TiVo while he dozed on the couch. I couldn't sleep. I had such anxiety.
- Watch Reese Witherspoon's "Just Like Heaven"... um... it was ok
- Mike made salad for dinner with some parmesan bread we got at Fresh and Easy
- Watched the awful Brady Bunch Goes to Washington on TiVo
- Bed
- Anxiety still high... took a melatonin and it helped

SUNDAY
- Slept all night and it was soooooooooooooooooooo welcome
- Woke up to Mike holding me, flipped over and got the hint
- Played around a little
- Showered
- Mike made fun of me for being so red, peeling so badly, and my scaly skin. I got a really severe sunburn on my chest and face on the trip.
-Mike made eggs with salsa and bread
- After breakfast Mike cut the grass
- I watched House Hunters and Sell It and a few other HGTV shows
- I dozed on the couch... I was exhausted
- Mike watched Cougar Town on TiVo
- Give Mike my memory card to upload the pics of the cruise
- Mike talked about wanting an iPad, looked on Best Buy's website, then he said let's go for a drive
- We go to BB and get an old iPad... omg... it is sexy and I must have one... maybe for a grad gift?
- Go to Big Lots for a case for it
- Back to Mike's where he lets me unwrap it and set it up. He hooks it to the computer
- Watch the Sunday night shows like Real Housewives of the OC, The Judds, Oprah's 25
- Mike makes bread, fish, zucchini in salsa, and oven fries for dinner... soooooooo good!
- We start Celeb Apprentice, but I leave as my mom was wanting me home so she could explain everything for the week for me
- Oh... and I saw on his iPad that Osama was dead... it was like "oh... that's nice"