Coffee Date

I'm so glad we have this chance to sit down together now and then. This month has been crazy, ya'll. CRAZY. And I was basically running on fumes last week, but this weekend was really nice and fairly calm, and I feel much more relaxed going into this week.

I miss hanging out with you, so I'm glad I have a few minutes to catch up. But let's be honest — I didn't go get coffee. I drank sangria instead. So no shame, if you'd rather have a sangria date. It's all good.

My new job is going really well. But working two jobs is kind of overwhelming me. Several clients I was convinced I wasn't going to hear from again got in touch the second I stopped being available all the time. So that's awesome and kind of stressful, but I think I've figured out a good schedule where I only freelance an hour or two in the evenings, so I can keep everyone happy and not burn myself out. Plus, maybe I'll actually get to spend time with Matt again sometimes?

Know something else interesting I've learned? Everyone, but EVERYONE in this town is doing something on the side. So that makes me feel better about what could be a weird situation. But it also makes me wonder why so many of us do that to ourselves. Do we all have dreams that are just too big for College Station? Or is it something else?

I've been trying to find a self-defense class in town, with little luck. It seems like all the available classes are either included in a martial arts curriculum, or involve taking Krav Maga. I don't really want to do a whole new type of activity like that, but I would like to feel stronger and safer. I had an incident on my third day of work where I was eating my lunch outside, and a homeless man yelled at me and told me I was evil because I said I didn't have anything to give him. I felt trapped, and it really shook me up, and ever since then, I've been a little bit freaked out walking the two blocks from the parking lot to my office. I have my stun gun, but I have never taken any self-defense classes, and I think I would feel better if I knew of more ways to protect myself, especially in situations where I'm not actually being physically threatened.

I tried a couple of new foods in the past few weeks! The first was a fresh fig, and while it was kind of weirdly crunchy, it blew the socks off whatever that blech crap is in Fig Newton filling. I also bought hatch chilies, because HEB runs a special on them every summer, and the ones I got were from the "mild" bin. And they were so spicy that neither Matt nor I could eat more than a couple of bites. So we won't be doing that again.

I also ended up joining a kickball league for this fall. Which should be incredibly entertaining, considering I haven't played kickball since middle school.

Last weekend, we went to visit some friends in Dallas, and we went to visit the George W. Bush Presidential Library. The museum was hosting an Oscar de la Renta exhibit (still going through Oct. 5)! There were several gowns that de la Renta designed for first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, but there were also a lot of fabulous, intricate, gorgeous dresses on display. It was fantastic. If you'd like to check them out virtually, you can do so here. (Otherwise, we were slightly disappointed with the museum itself, though the Sept. 11 tribute was incredibly well done.)

My mom and sister came down to visit us over tax-free weekend, and we basically left Matt to his own devices and spent two whole days shopping. It was a lot of fun, and I got two awesome dresses — designer! — on sale for under $50 apiece, and they're prettyyyyy. I've already worn both of them and felt glamorous all day. The fabrics are just so luxurious compared to the stuff I normally buy.

L: Ralph Lauren from TJMaxx. R: Gianni Bini from Dillards.

I took another belly dancing class last week. Did you know that your abs are supposed to have three distinct muscles that you can contract and roll? I don't have any of those muscles. I looked like a fool, for sure, and wound up sucking my stomach in further and further since my weenie ab muscles didn't want to function as separate units. Damn you, Pilates! But it looked cool when the instructor did it.

What's going on in your world? Have you gone shopping lately? Did you have any fun trips this summer? What new things have you tried?