This blows "Exploding Varmits 2" right out of the water!

This Saturday I went to the Pico Blanco Staff Reunion/Holiday Party. I've gone for the past eight years and it is a good nerdy time to be had by all. We sing boy scout songs, share inside jokes, some people wear their uniforms, and above all we play Pico Bingo.
Pico Bingo is a pretty simple concept. When you arrive you get a bingo sheet and place a piece of paper with your name in the "Pico Bingo" box. Then as the party gets started you go around and get signatures from fellow partiers to fill out the bingo squares. In order to play you must however bring a Pico Gift. This is a cheap item, usually under $10, that is somewhat rediculous. Things like opened bags of candy, a spagetti fork, Hannah Montana gear, records from the 70s, etc. The most rediculously awesome gift in recent memory was "Exploding Varmits 2" on VHS. Anyway, the whole point of the gifts is that when we play Pico Bingo, when your name is called out of the box people check it off their bingo sheet and you can go up and pick up a rediculous gift. It's a good time to be had by all.
This year when my name was called I went up and picked up a big box which was pretty light. When I opened it up there was one of those fake dove ornaments you can put on your Christmas tree. I thought it was pretty, however when I went to pick it up to show everyone - it moved its little beady eyes to look at me. There was a fucking live bird in the box. Mind you, I did not say cage or box with bird supplies such as toys and water, but just a box.
When I told everyone my present was a bird they all laughed because they thought I was trying to make them believe it was a real bird when actually it was a fake bird. So I whipped it out. Cue stunned, slack-jawed silence.

A little secret...

Sometimes when I am alone - such as driving my truck in the woods at work - I put a toothpick in my mouth, listen to Alan Jackson, and pretend I am a Republican.

General Update

No cute funny story, but just an update of the different facets of my life...

Things are going good. I moved out of my mom's house, which was the first big step for me. My new house is awesome; it's a garden apartment (half underground) in a big Victorian near downtown. I can walk to the grocery store and any of my favorite hangouts downtown. That is DEFINITELY my favorite part. My room is nice and big, which is nice after living in Peach Street cupboard for so long!
My roommates are super awesome! Jackie is the one who's here the most and she is on the fast track to becoming one of my new best friends. She's in school to become an acupuncturist and often pokes me with needles or does Chinese medicine for me to relieve my various aches and pains. She also is a great listener which is good for me being a big talker! My other roommate is Leleia, but I never really see her. She mostly stays at her boyfriend's house, but she seems cool enough.
This week I purchased a queen-sized bed. This is my first big bed I've ever had, so I am feeling pretty pampered. I am loaded up with a body pillow and three others. Along with my wubby I feel like the princess and the pea on that thing.
The job is going smashingly. I am getting trained for chainsawing, which rocks! Yesterday we were bucking (cutting felled stuff into smaller lengths) up some trees and I got to buck a whole tree by myself! I did however get poison oak on my face...grrrr. Hopefully soon I will be a certafied faller and then I can run a chainsaw whenever I want!
Christmas is coming up soon which I am stoked about. No real big plans but I am excited about my presents. For the first year ever I actually thought of a gift my dad would like instead of having to ask him. I also have some nice presents for my girlies up here in town that I am excited about.
Nick's coming out in 6 days! I am excited to see him and excited to spend the holidays with him. I know that so many others of my friends do not get to see their sig. others as much as I get to see Nick, soI feel truly grateful for that. We've got lots of fun plans and he's here for almost two weeks so goodtimes on that!
Anyway. That's pretty much it in my life right now. Enjoy the catchup!

T-day Thanksgiving

things i learned in texas:

- Texans have never heard of vegetables. only lard.
- Tell a Texan that you would like the "taco no meat", they say "would you like it with chicken?"
- I can freakishly do way more decline push-ups than regular ones. mostly because I am a savage.
- Mushy words are nice. But helping you, protecting you, and trying to anticipate your needs is much nicer.
- Mexico has a big flag demonstrating to the US their pride. We have a GIANT-could-be-seen-from-space lit up U.S.A. across an entire mountain range to say "fuck you guys".
- For a town of 100,000+ people, El Paso has nothing to do.
- Never, ever go on Dire Street.
- Always check the coolant levels.
- Doesn't matter if you only worked out your arms, you will not be able to use your left calf for 3 days.
- Never assume the roommate isn't home.