Too Sexy for My Shirt

Where the heck have I been for like 2 months? Shoot, why have a blog if I'm not gonna blog, right? Oh my Lord & Taylor! Any who, I finally have something to blog about :)~

Earlier this month I had the most awesome opportunity to travel to the Middle East and hang out with my peeps. Nov 15th, Jess and I took off to Muscat, Oman to meet up with our favorite straights in the world (who are tied with my bro and sis-n-law).

Here we are in the Miami airport awaiting our 777 to London.

We look tired, rightfully so, I dragged us outta bed at 5 a.m. cause I'm evil that way. After a million + 1 hours up and down we arrived at SEEB airport on the north side of Muscat.

Once we got through all the customs and immigration jazz, we realized our luggage didn't make it with us. Oops! So we headed out to the front of the airport to meet up with our straights. And boy were we totally happy to see them. It was past midnight at this point, so we were ready to crash hardcore. Oh, yeah, that's past midnight now Nov 17th (you do the math). Muscat is 10 hours ahead of Houston. It wasn't too difficult adjusting forward.

Our first day in Muscat was crazy busy. We did sightseeing, went through culture shock, started familiarizing ourselves with the area. And around 10 a.m. we visited the only Mosque open to non-Muslim visitors.
In order to visit the Sultanate Qaboos Mosque we are required to cover ourselves from head to toe being as that we are of the female persuasion. Well, not really to the toes, it's actually that you must cover your hair, and everything from your shoulders to your wrists, and down to your ankles. You can show your feet. It's really hot there, so any little bit of non-covered skin is greatly appreciated. After we went to the Mosque, we went down to the Souk where the locals sell wares of all sorts. We heard over and over, "Pashmina, ma'am Pashmina? Nicest here, best price." After an hour or so of that, we had gotten our fill of Frankenscense and Pashmina so we left the Souk and then decided to locate the Harley-Davidson dealership in Muscat. It's actually really cool to me to be in a foreign country and have American made products be sought after. So here is the H-D dealership.
When we were leaving the H-D shop, I realized that a bike had come up while we were in the shop that was pretty crazy identical to my friend Amy's bike, so I of course had to take a picture of the bike to 1. show her what her bike would look like with an Arabic license plate and 2. what her bike would look like if I took a pic of it (ha ha ha) ...pretty darn sexy is all I can say.

Well, the next cool thing that happened was we happened to be in Muscat at exactly the same time that an H-D Middle East Rally was scheduled to occur. In fact, it was the 8th annual event, and I was able to get this pic of me taken before the rally started. Okay, 1. How crazy cool is it that we were there at the same time as the rally? and 2. How crazy cool that our peeps lived about 1/4 mile away from the hotel that was hosting the rally? We actually got to walk down to the hotel a few times during the week and see the bikes growing in number as more and more folks arrived.

A few days after we arrived, Jess was scheduled to have LASEK surgery. I had the fortunate opportunity of driving her to the Muscat Laser Eye Center. When I got in the car, I found it amusing that the side view has the same "object in mirror are closer than they appear" as our American cars but in Arabic. Anyway, I'm sure anyone can take a picture of a side view and then claim they were driving in the Middle East, so I begged Jess to take a photo of me actually in the driver's seat while we were driving around the McDonald's. There I am in Jason's Land Rover. And let me say...that car ROCKED. We went off-roading a few days later and I learned to have great respect for that car as it helped us maneuver down some pretty steep crazy terrains at times. But before I get into the off-roading experience, here's a shot of the British planes flying over our peeps house in honor of National Day. Not too long after Jess had her eye surgery, we got to go up to the rooftop, listen to some 80's tunes, and see an amazing display of planes flying right overhead.
The next great adventure we had was going out off-roading as I mentioned earlier. This was fantastic. We got to drive through tiny villages, with pathways so small we had to pull the sideview mirrors in so they wouldn't be knocked off. There were times we weren't sure there would be a road once we crested a mountain top. A few times, Jason got out of the car and checked for a road. A few of those times there wasn't a road so we had to back up. Well, at one point in the journey, we came upon a place that was so quiet, so peaceful, and so beautiful. We stopped to capture some of the beauty. This place is called Wadi Tiwi. We took about a 2 hour drive from Muscat, on and off road, as some of the roadways had been washed out during the summer due to Cyclone Gonu. Wadi is just another name for a river bed or water way. As you can see in the pictures, there's no civilization, there are no telephone poles, no towers, nothing. It is very quiet there.It was really neat to stop for a few moments and see some of the insect life. I saw my first red dragonfly. I love dragonflies. I believe in the Chinese culture, dragonflies are a symbol of good luck.

I was wondering around Wadi Tiwi a bit and Jason happened to snap this photo of me being a bit graceful.
Pam was nice enough to pack us a sack lunch that day, so once we had something to eat, it was time to continue on in our journey. From the Wadi, we tried to find the white shores on the coast. It just seemed like we were having a hard time since the waters had receded out so far. It had apparently been a really hot and dry year (minus the cyclone) so the water was way way out. While we were searching for a place to get back on the highway, we randomly ran in to some wild (not-so-wild) camels.
Jess' only request really while we were in Oman was to get to ride a camel. Well, we didn't get to ride a camel, so being able to see a camel in the wild was even better. There were 4 of them. And actually, they were just as curious about us as we were of them. When we first saw them, I don't even think Jason could get the car completely stopped before we were jumping out trying to get a better view of them. All 4 of them, came up to us so closely that we thought maybe they were going to get upset and spit on us, so we started backing off.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a few of our peeps' peeps. They are other ex-pats. It was a lot of fun. Then the following day, we went out on the boat. So here I am on the boat, lookin' just too sexy in my shirt...


So I took it off and hopped in the water :) hence the name of this blog. When we left the boat, we were walking back to the SUV and happened to run into this little gem of a car...
Okay, I didn't even know this car existed. This is the Rambo Lambo and it is a special order car. I've been told that the Saudi army drives these SUVs exclusively. Well, my final contribution to this particular blog will be a shot of Red Bull and Coca~Cola. Just like the side view mirror, I'm intrigued by the Arabic writing.
The only other thing I can think to write is that I was completely shocked by the culture. But it was a pleasant surprise, not a shock like I was appalled and didn't feel comfortable and didn't want to be there. Quite the contrary. I thought that the culture was intriguing. I was a little surprised by the metal burqa and leather burqa that we saw. It was hard to not react to the sight. It was hard to hold the expression in my face very constant as I sat next to the ladies wearing them. But it was also amazing that someone would find comfort in such garb. I always say, "to each his own". I hope that they ladies truly do feel that it is their own and not that they are adopting something they don't truly believe in. I am glad to be back on American soil. Though I do not agree with all the customs, ideas, or traditions of America, I do agree that it is one of the greatest lands and I'm happy to be home once again.

She's Gone Country...Back to Her Roots

I decided to do the funny MySpace snapshot that you see a lot of the gay boys doing. Last Friday, my gf and I went to BRB to take some lessons. One of them was not the 2-step of which I still clearly suck at. HA! It has been years since I line danced. But, I went ahead and did it, though it cracks me up A LOT! I also learned more Cha and some other step I didn't know.

Being at the bar with country music blasting sent me back to my roots. It's been 8 years, and still I know every word to every song. My oh my how country remains the same.

Blasts from the Past...Some Photos

Some might call me crazy for posting these pics, but what the heck, I have no shame. I was sitting at work a little while ago and ran across some photos from an old hard drive of mine. Of course curiosity got the best of me and I had to start thumbing through them. I found some that reminded me of the different hair phases. (I'm currently in a long phase and want to cut it so badly...so I'm dreaming of the days of the past.)

Should I start with the worst and work my way to the best...hmm...dunno? I guess start out good and then go bad bad bad.


So that one wasn't too bad. My hair wasn't crazy long. I actually had recently cut it I believe. I was at a Christmas party and I think it was 2000 or 2001. This is the same party I met my friend Rose who is up in Dallas. It seems it's been a million years since too.

Moving a few months forward from that, I'm up in Seattle with my bro and his fiance' for their wedding. Apparently my hair is growing long again. This is a pic of the kids together.

I wish I knew what the heck we were laughing at, but I think it actually wasn't really too funny, we'd just had a bunch of Ouzo and I wasn't a drinker at that time. You could probably sneeze and I'd think it was hysterical.

Okay, on to the hideous pic I found...

OMG, who let me out of the house? Seriously...was my gf mad at me at that time? And my hair only got longer. I finally cut it off and donated it. Thank goodness! This was the summer of '99. I had recently transplanted to Houston and was in Space Flight Academy. The guy in the middle, Loren, is an astronaut that no longer flies and the guy on the right ,Pete, is a current astronaut that is also a medical doctor. He was only just beginning his career at NASA just like me at the time of this picture.

Okay, now that we've seen the hideous...let's get back to the hair I think is cutest and what I'm thinking of going to soon.

I was in NY, the only time I've been there. Look I'm a frikin GIANT next to the Statue of Liberty...she looks almost like a midget. HA! Anyway, that's where I hope to be with my hair soon. Until then, I'd like to share the song by Sheryl Crow that I rewrote, "Everyday is a pony tail...gets a little longer...everyday...". And I'm out!

New Camera

I had to ho myself out on the corner of Montrose and Harold to get this camera...
Of course if you knew the camera, or that corner for that matter, you might say that I'd get enough money by holding a cup for 10 minutes rather than ho'ing myself out, 'cause no one gonna pay for a girl like me ;). Which is actually true. I think it was all of $7. Yup, seven bucks. It actually scares me quite a bit. I thought I was going to have this special warm fuzzy feeling inside about purchasing this camera, but really, not so much. I think when I go to have the photos developed, they will say to me, crazy woman, get out of my store with your blank film.

Here's what the website says about this camera...now mind you...this thing feels like it's as sturdy as the Jell-o pudding containers that mom's send in kids lunches. And probably even cheaper.

"


One snap of the camera takes four pictures in the span of one second, preserving that moment in time and motion on one single print. Each plastic camera uses any standard 35mm film and has no flash. Item is repackaged for easy (less expensive) shipping, and comes with full instructions and quad cam tips.

The Quad Cam Photo Philosophy
Life is movement and action - so why take pictures that are boring and still? With the Quad-Cam you can capture one second of life in all its dynamic splendor. One snap of the camera takes four pictures in the span of one second, preserving that moment in time and motion on one single print. It's what happens during that one sedong that counts.

Taking pictures with the Quad-Cam is about trial and error, imagination and experimentation. Forget everything you've been taught about "good" photography, this is fun photography, this is art photography. The camera is no longer an objective observer, it's an active participand and a window into the world through your eyes. Take pictures of things in action, of people in motion. And if your subject isn't moving, try moving the camera while you take the picture. This will create effects and blurs that could produce a spectacular Quad-Cam picture. Shoot from the hip, and be spontaneous."


I'll let you know how the film turns out. I'd like to imagine it's going to do all the things it claims. However, the phrase, "taking pictures with the Quad-Cam is about trial and error" really does scare me.

Bored, I Guess

So I had 3 shots back to back in about 15 minutes... Of course blogging always sounds fun then, right? I figure I'll need to re-read this tomorrow and see if I reveal too many secrets. If anyone has the recipe for Spanish Fly...for the love of God...send it to me ;) Thank you!

Apparently I like fun with photoshop. Actually, GIMP is a lot of fun. But why the heck am I not smiling. Am I trying to be all tough with my chest all puffed out and stuff? How can I be all tough with a bandana on my head that has SMILING skulls and ...AND... it's PINK. That's all I'm sayin'.

Corpus

Well there I am riding to Corpus taking pics of myself. Also the reason the picture is so crooked. Which to me is really funny. Well, I had someone take a pic of me once we got to Corpus cause I needed to status Chuck and Christi on my progress. I'm doing really well with my workouts, so much so that I was able to climb a light house while in Corpus without even breaking a sweat.

I guess I felt the need to play the part of King Kong for a while. I don't think I was actually swatting at anything though. Well, we'd just dismounted the bikes and I was a bit loopy from all the rattling around in my brain. So it is possible I was seeing stars or something. Thanks Chuck and Christi for helping me reach my potential...climbing a light house.

And finally, another "hands on hips" moment was brought to you by DynaGrrl.

New-to-me Tank (and fender)

I recognize this is not the greatest picture. I usually do much better with the photos I post. However, in my defense, I didn't take this one and I haven't had the forethought to take one of my own with the tank sitting in my living room. It's actually in the shipping box, slightly cocked to the side, and the cats keep trying to jump in with it. It's rather amusing actually. But I've digressed...

This tank, though not a pretty sight at the moment, should become an incredible new addition for Annie. Not pictured here is the rear fender that came in the mail 2 days after the tank. It's solid black just like the current fender on Annie. If only I could locate a front fender that doesn't cost me the equivalent of my first born child. I located one in the Northeast, however it seemed the deal was a kidney for the fender. I thought it was rather pricey, eh? So my next adventure should be to hit the junk yards. I wanna see if I can find a fender and for the price of the part, have a new-to-me front fender without all this other madness.