Wordless Wednesday- Dry, Dry Texas

Another not-so-wordless Wednesday, but there are fewer words. More pics.

I know I've been talking a lot this summer about heat & the lack of rain- our water is at an all time low. I'll let the pictures do some talking.

The trees may look green....

But look at the color of the grass

You can see the level where the lake used to be, and where it is now, from the lack of water

More evidence of low lake levels (fountain to the side, couldn't be avoided)

It's like that all the way around; this is not quite a small lake

A picture of the fountain from the pier- just for kicks and giggles

Texas needs some water. Of course, at this time, it will take a lot to build up reservoirs and whatnot, and the amount would probably cause flash flooding. Right now we're having fires. The cool off would be nice too, we'll be in the 90s next week hopefully. Let's hope some hurricanes fling rain our way. I quoted on Twitter, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram online, "It's pretty bad when people are praying for a hurricane." (See the article here).

Off for a surprise visit to the dentist. Huzzah!! (or...yikes...actually...)

Day 30: To Infinity and Beyond!

Day 30: A dream for the future beyond next year...think long term

I've known this one for a very, very long time. I've written about it many times. Some people are probably sick of hearing about it, so this will be very brief. This is the final day of "30 Days About Me," appropriately asking about what will happen beyond here. I know I've missed some days- I've had a few people say they want to participate, and I don't have the comprehensive list on my blog, but if you want all the prompts to do a 30 days about yourself, you can find the list linked here, and although you won't be able to link up to the posts for the month of August, it'll give you the opportunity to participate in a 30 day writing thingy.

On to my dream for the future.

1) I want to see Germany, Austria, other parts of Europe like London, Paris, and maybe other places like Norway, Iceland, but the main place that I would absolutely love to go, if I ever had the chance, would be Australia. I'd also like to see some parts of South America, Canada, the Caribbean, (not Central America though), maybe the country South Africa. Not an exhaustive list, but the highlights.

2) I want to have a nice place of my own, not necessarily with a family- however, if I do ever have kids, they would probably be adopted- heaven forbid if they end up with my genes. I don't want kids like me. They wouldn't be very happy, and they'd have a lot to worry about.

3) Learn German. I'd love to become fluent, but that, I know, is rough after the teenage years because of brain plasticity. However, if it can happen, I would love it.

4) I want to pay off all my debts and still be able to afford to live comfortably. Being a social worker, I know that's gonna be rough. I'll have to work it out somehow. I'll probably end up working two jobs anyway, because I don't like downtime.

5) Move away from Texas. I know it's where I live and all, but it's not where I want to live forever. I'd also like to travel the country before settling down, and see all the sights that there are to see, in every state. Road trip, anyone?

6) Feel better....for good. Not just avoid bad days- I know they happen...but avoid the depression. There's a difference.

7) Find someone who cares about me genuinely. I doubt this will happen, but it is a dream of mine. I don't believe that everyone has a soulmate- really, I don't.

8) Now that there are 7, I have to reach 10, so I need a few more. Let's see. I would love to see both my brother and sister graduate from college, even though my brother is currently no longer attending college. I'd love to see them get married (my brother is on his way there) and have families of their own, and have happy lives themselves.

9) I'd like to find a niche. A place I belong. Somewhere I can feel comfortable and be myself. A place where I know I'm accepted, and where I don't feel I have to bend backwards to be someone else, or wear a mask or façade to fit in. Friends and everything will be there.

10) I'd love to meet all my bloggy friends. That means all the ones from all the corners of the world- readers and bloggers alike. I want to know who it is that likes what I'm writing, as well as the ones that I'm reading. I want to meet them all!!

THIS IS PERHAPS THE BIGGEST DREAM OF MY ENTIRE LIFE:::::
My dream, my biggest dream, is that I will become a LMSW. For those of you not educated in the lingo of Social Work, that means a Licensed Masters' of Social Work. This would require a second degree- probably about 2 extra years of schooling, which I hope to complete at UT Arlington- and further licensing.

This is my goal for the future. To help as many people as I possibly can. I know I can't help everyone, but I can at least make a difference with the ones I can reach. Each one that I can help makes a difference. That's what counts.

Day 24: Small Town, Texas

Day 24: Where you live- Tell us or show us about where you live

Well, I live in Small Town, Texas, USA (because I really don't want to say which small town, more specifically than "near Fort Worth". From here on, Small Town will be ST. Just so I don't have to type it repeatedly.

Most STs in Texas are very similar. Future Farmers of America? Yeeee Haaaawwww!!! I shake my head...and walk away. I'm not the rodeo type. There is a *small* nugget of truth to the stereotype, I will admit. I do hate, though, that people generalize that every person living in ST, Texas is the stereotypical cowboy/cowgirl. Sorry to disappoint.

For example, I sort of live in between ST, Texas, and suburbia, which is nestled tightly on the edge of Fort Worth. My ZIP code lies in suburbia, my school is in ST. It's not the smallest of towns- I graduated in a mediocre sized class of just over 200 students, but it's the only high school in town. There is a grocery store, but only one. The only other place to buy stuff other than food is the filling station markets or the Dollar General. They have built a hotel since I graduated. They also have a few used car lots, a one room post office, and a bajillion gas stations. Oh, and a high school, a middle school, a 9th grade center, and a few elementary schools. They just changed the system (again)- it used to be a few elementary, an intermediate, a middle, and a high school, then a few elementary, a middle, and a high, and they just can't make up their minds!!

Suburbia is...well, suburbia! They have all the major shopping chains, and they all start within 2 miles the other direction of my house. They also have all the major restaurant chains, all the major chains of...well everything. A couple high schools in that town, several middle schools, and goodness knows how many elementary schools they have. A famous person graduated from there, not too long before we moved here. They have a hospital within a mile of my house (I can run to the emergency room...literally run!!). Quite a few people, and the roads aren't wide enough to quite accommodate the traffic yet.

Suburbia sort of runs into Fort Worth- it's a bit difficult to tell where one merges into the other (they're that close). So I can drive less than 15 minutes and be in the heart of Fort Worth, if I really want to. That is, if I really want to. The traffic on I-35W, the main interstate running north and south through the city, is typically not easy to drive, even during hours not considered rush hour. The only hours during which it's even halfway navigable is between 11pm and 4am....and I don't really want to be driving then anyway. However, if I want access to anything in a big city, Fort Worth is right there, and I can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time without excessive travel.

As far as my house, it's a cozy (not-so-little) 4 bedroom house. Since my brother used to live here with my sister and parents and I, it was the perfect number of rooms, but now we have a spare room for guests and whatnot. We have 3 baths- 1 between my room and the extra room, my sister has her own, and the master bath. There is a family and a formal living room, a family and a formal dining room, and multiple hallways leading here and there. We all have walk-in closets, and we also have a walk in pantry, almost big enough to be a room in its own right, lol. We also have a 3 car garage. I love our house. We have a front yard the size of....well, our front yard isn't much, because our lot is like a slice of pie (we live on a cul-de-sac). The back yard, though, is huuuuuuuge. I think I recall my dad saying we have one of the biggest lots in the front area of our neighborhood. We could probably fit a house back there. With our shed. We used to have a trampoline and a pool back there, but the trampoline got old and weak in the Texas sun, and the pool just....didn't go up one summer. We didn't use it after that.

So now, you know about where I live...

Huzzah!!!

Facepalm

I just thought today, it would be a little funny to look at some of the situations I've been caught in either in the distant or recent past; some of them built up a lot of anticipation only to realize...darnit, there's a catch. You know, that situation that you're like oooo, this is good, this is great, EXCELLENT..... oh wait, damn, this actually isn't as great as I thought. Yea, that's kind of what I wanted to look at. Those facepalm moments. Some of them I just threw in there that haven't happened to me, but I've seen them happen, and I really feel bad for the person they've happened to, but most of them have actually happened to me.

For those not speaking my language-

• Yay- excellent! A good thing has happened
• Facepalm- palm of hand meets face. That sucks.
• Double facepalm- both hands meet face. Shock and amazement at the suckishness.
• Headtable- drop your head on the table. That is amazingly horrible, and I really don't want it to happen.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not being pessimistic here, I'm just kind of looking at the ironic situations that sometimes make you look back and wonder how you fell for it. I know it's got negatives, but it's all in good fun. It also kind of helps to know you're not alone...we've all had these kind of situations where we just feel like...oh man, that sucks.....we all get stuck in situations like these sometimes. I'm just in a little bit of an irritated mood, so this is my backhanded note to the person I'm irritated at without actually writing to them. Enjoy!

Yay- Catching the things you want to buy while they're on sale!

Facepalm- Catching the things you want to buy while they're on sale, but you have no money, or they're out of stock.

Yay- The sun shining

Facepalm- The sun shining in your eyes driving down the highway when you're trying to see

Double Facepalm- You're driving in Texas (DFW to be specific)

Headtable- It's rush hour, you're downtown, and there's a wreck

Yay- Getting a coupon

Facepalm-The coupon expires within a few days

Double Facepalm- Getting a coupon that limits your purchases so much that it's pretty much useless anyway

Yay- Finding a coupon

Facepalm- Finding a coupon that has expired....recently.

Good- Finding something you thought you had lost

Facepalm- That something you find being messed up somehow

Double Facepalm- Finding out that it's beyond repair

Yay- It's raining! We need it.

Facepalm- It's raining! On your parade.

Double Facepalm- It's raining, hailing, thundering, and lightning, and you really did have plans

Headdesk- All of the above, and add tornadoes, subtract shelter.

Yay- Sleeping!

Facepalm- Sleeping when you're supposed to be doing something else

Double Facepalm- Sleeping when you're supposed to be doing something else, and it has a negative after-effect

Yay- Meeting with someone you've missed for a while

Facepalm- Finding out they didn't really care

Yay- Weekends

Facepalm- Weekends after a busy week, where you're forced to spend the weekend doing homework.

Yay- Jokes!

Facepalm- When you're the target of a bad joke (I was today :( it sucked, but I survived I guess)

Yay- Going for a drive

Facepalm- Going for a drive and getting lost

Double facepalm- Going for a drive, getting lost, then running low on gas

Headdesk- Going for a drive, getting lost, then running low on gas in the middle of nowhere, where you can't stop and ask for directions, fill up on gas, and your phone has bad reception, and there are no landmarks to even have someone help you get un-lost. [edit- head-steering wheel?]

I'm still laughing at myself for the last one, because that one really did happen to me. I went to Cleburne for something, I don't even remember what now, but I ended up not needing it. On the way back home, I was trying to take a road back home, but there was some construction going on, so I tried taking a different road, but the directions my mom gave me didn't make sense. I tried finding a different road I recognized, but after a while, buildings and roads gave to farmland. I had driven to Cleburne more than once that week, not realizing the one day had been a holiday, so I had forgotten my tank was low. That day, I looked down, and realized I was low.

I called my mom, but she wasn't near a computer and couldn't give me directions out there. I called my dad to see if he could pull up a map on the computer, but in all this farmland, there were no street signs, and most of the roads were CR (insert random number), posted on a teeny sign. I was panicking because my signal wasn't that great to begin with. It didn't help that my phone was dying and I hadn't yet gotten a working charger for the phone I currently have. I ended up being somewhere in Godley (some small ass town out in the middle of nowhere) but somehow navigated myself to a town closer to home. Thank goodness, because much longer in the country, and I would have deteriorated. I'm not a country girl. I was not made for the scent of cowpies and skunk.

Have any situations like this happen to you recently (or even not so recently)? Feel free to add them. I need a laugh, you need a laugh, we all do occasionally, right? These are my *facepalm* moments.