What I did on my winter vacation.

Didn't get to get as much done on my vacation as I thought I would, but I got more done than I would have otherwise done.

The desk/uncluttered bedroom situation, well, that's best left for another discussion.

However....

I read:

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Almost caused my own personal Oprah moment, several in fact, there where so many times in reading this that I wanted to break down and cry for this little girl, my heart actually ached for her. (acutally a re-read, but it still chokes me up even though I know what's going to happen)

Dead and Buried (don't remember by whom)

Drug store true crime paperback about a serial killer. There isn't much else that can be said for it. Escapism for less than $ 10.00

Dead Before Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead all by Charlaine Harris

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that the whole Anne Rice Vampire thingee was pretty much lost on me. Too much to take in or maybe because I was considerable younger when I started to try and read these they where just over my head. Either way, I thought I was done with vampire books, and then Miz Robin over at Bitchypoo.com recommended Living Dead in Dallas so I picked it up and gave it a whirl. Eight hours later I was cussing the fact that B & N didn't open until ten the next morning and it's a fourty-five minute drive besides. Anyway, I made a special trip to town to pick up Dead Before Dark and Club Dead. And that was three days shot to hell because all I did was read.

Delta of Venus by Anais Nin

After seeing Henry & June years ago I was curious about her writings, so I ordered this last summer and had it knocking around so I picked it up and started reading it. Yes it's erotic, but it also has this Hitchcockian undertone that suggests sex is good while it lasts, but eventually everybody has to pony up and be punished for having a good time, and you may or may not be a better person for you new found knowledge. And then there was that whole sex with a corpse thing and pretty much skeeved me out. I'll probably read more of her work, but it'll have to be a later thing.

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Ok, this comes with a big old disclaimer: I tried to read it. I really did. But three pages in and it was so fucking complicated I gave up. Of course I was on a rocky, pitching alcohol infused cruise ship out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and that might have challenged my powers of concentration.

Dawn by V. C. Andrews

I read the Dollanganger books years ago, in secret, because once my mother picked up Flowers in the Attic and read a few pages she flipped. Not only was the story "bad" it was "almost pornography". So needless to say she flatly refused to cut loose any more cash for said books, I didn't even bother to ask. I relied on the generosity of friends who's parents were not as curious about what they were reading to slip me their copies when they were finished. Anyway, now that I pull my own paycheck I'm working on reading more of the V. C. Andrews books. 'Nuff said.

I watched:

Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid, only because Johnny Messner was in it and I think he is hella hot!!! I'm talking third degree burn hot. The only reason to watch this dog.

The Hunted, Tommy Lee Jones movies are compulsory for me. He's got a certain quality that just compells me to watch his movies. And no, it's not exactlly a Johnny Messner thing. It's a Tommy Lee Jones thing and if you don't get it, you never will. I can't even begin to imagine Vincent D'Onofrio in this movie because as bad as Benicio Del'Toro was in it, I think VDO would have been worse. (And regular readers will remember that I've got a pretty bad VDO thing going on.)

Claire Dolan, in keeping with above mentioned VDO thing, I really like this movie, it's dark and broody and really challenges my comfort level. However it pisses me royally that I bought it on VHS less then six months ago because I couldn't stand waiting for it to be shown again and the effing thing comes out on DVD next month.

A Perfect Murder, this movie is so much eye candy for me. I dream of one day being able to live in Manhattan in a fabulous apartment like Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow do in this movie. Of course my dream has absolutely nothing to do with that raw pot roast the maid out together just before she left for the day. I have a recurring daydream about cavorting in a tub like that with VDO. Ah, someday.

New things I tried:

Cruising.

I got hooked up with a great price for a four day cruise (seriously good price, I don't think they charged me enough to cover all the food I ate, cause if I ate out that many meals in Houston for four days my credit card would be serioulsy swollen)Honestly never knew that the Gulf of Mexico could have water so beautiful and clean, go to the beach in Galveston and you are sticking your feet into dirt soup.

Speaking of food, I tried:

Passionfruit mouse, OMG! That was fabulous! I'd say that I'd try to replicate this creamy tart sweet silky goodness in my own kitchen, but since I haven't mastered microwave popcorn or pot pies yet, the probably isn't a happening thing.

Grand Mariner Souffle, Another OMG! But, souffle I'm pretty sure is best left to the professionals.

Chateaubriand, With this being my first sample, I'll stick to burgers from now on. Try as we might, we could never figure out what the hell cut of meat that was. It was tough as hell and just kept expanding the more we chewed. My view, that cut of meat was the last part over the fence cause that's sorta what it smelled like. YUCKO

Other than that though the food was good, some remarkably so and somebody else was cooking it, getting it on the table and cleaning up the kitchen. How can you compalin about that?

Mexico.

Said cruise went to Calica, Mexico. We were supposed to go to Cozumel, but they are still repairing damage from Hurricane Wilma (thanks, bitch) and we could not go into port there, so we went to Calica. I'm thinking that I've seen enough of the third world now, thank you. I'd go back to see the ruins at Chicinitza (that probably isn't how it's spelled) but I won't be going back for much else.

We took a shore excursion to the ruins at Tuluma. A five hour excursion which would have taken 3.5 had it not been for the stop at the "art center" where local artisan's display their crafts. Yeah. All stuff that I could get on Houston's near north side a helluva lot cheaper. Seriously, I think the art center was probably owned by the bus driver's uncle or something. Anyway, we get to the ruins and walk around, haul our big asses down to the beach and step out into the clearest prettiest water I've seen in a long time. And the iguanas, all over this fucking place there are iguana's hanging out soaking up the sunshine. Betcha at night when the park closes and no one is around that place is a regular iguana circus.

I might try another cruise, I try to never rule out anything completely, but I'll need to do a few other things first. Things that don't involve sea-sickness and still feeling like you're floating on a very rocky ocean a week later.

Von Dutch Energy Drink, ok, never really speculated what lighter fluid mixed with cat pee would taste like, now I think I know. This is one thing I hereby rule out completely!!! Never, ever again!

Oh man, I had so much more material, but I'm steadily winding down energy wise. Classes start next week and I am looking forward to it, and then again I'm not looking forward to it.