Body Art

Well, friends, after over a year of wanting to do it, I finally got the tattoo I have been dreaming of. I am not going to include a pic just yet, because as those of you know who have gotten one, it has to go through this motling, scab-sloughing stage, which it is not quite over yet. It is 100% better over last weekend when I got it done, though. I have, however, included a pic of what the design looks like. My sister and I actually got the same one in celebration of her 18th birthday, and in a brave move she volunteered to go first. I am really glad it happened that way, because as it turns out, I do not handle pain as well as she does, and if I had gone first she probably would have chickened out. It did not hurt as bad as I had envisioned it in my mind, in which the worst case scenario was that he would be half-way done with the outline and I would faint and he couldn't finish and I would now be walking around with a swirly line thing on my back. That didn't happen, but it was not a pleasant sensation, especially the outline part. We got it done on our left shoulder blades, over our hearts, and it is called the Sankofa. I got the idea over a year ago on one of our Museum Studies trips which included the African American Museum in Dallas. There is an exhibit there called Sankofa, which highlights the furniture making of Thomas Day, a free African American who made furniture for wealthy white Americans in the late 1800s in North Carolina. I love the furniture he made because of the bold lines, and of course, the infusing of symbols, such as Sankofa, into the furniture of unsuspecting white patrons. That was his way of making sure his African past did not go by the wayside. The Sankofa is from the Akan tribe, and means "return and get it," which also means to move forward you must embrace your past. Here is the link to the site: http://www.aamdallas.org/sankofa.htm This means a lot to me as a museum person, as well as someone who is coming into her own as a technology buff. I have given you this info as a friend, so don't copy, OK?? Liz is the only other person allowed to get it! So that was my most recent adventure.



In other news, I got my hair cut yesterday, but it was really a trim of my previous haircut, which was a drastic change over my long hippie hair. I have included this pic I took last night on my Mac, because I realized there are not very many of me over the past two months with my new do. Also included is a pic Jessica and I took yesterday at work to be featured on our newest podcast radio show. We are posing with out sexy new LaserJet printer, which was also a topic of convo in the podcast. I am plugging the podcast on my personal blog because it was really funny this time. At the beginning we do Dr Pepper Karaoke! LOL!! Check it out.





Now for a discussion on The Office. Who watched it this week?!?!?! Let me just say, the last line was "I am going to kill Jim Halpert." - Roy!!! Yes, Pam told Roy about her and Jim's oh-so-romantic kiss at the end of last season and had a bitch fit and started throwing things, to which Pam replied "This is so over." YES YES YES!!! I HATE Roy!!! And of course the episode next week is a rerun. Why do they do this to me?!?! Also, best line ever, Jan says "That's what she said." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! That is awesome.

YUCK


Last item of business, I wanted to share the journey that will begin next week of my trying the Bare Minerals makeup I ordered from Sephora. My sis got one of the foundations and brushes a couple weeks ago in Austin and she really likes it. I ordered the Medium Starter Kit, which has a whole bunch of shit in it for $60.00, so we will see how it works. I am pretty excited about it, and I will let you know how it goes. If I like it I will plug the crap out of it, but if not, well, I will have wasted $60.00 + tax. I can't really do anything to them, but it sounded threatening, huh?



Peace.

My First Month of Work

Well, it is almost the end of January, which marks the almost end of my first month of real-life work. I hae found myself loving almost every minute of it, and genuinely looking forward to going every day. This has a lot to do with the people I work with, and if they weren't there it would make my work life so much different. This bodes well for the future, since life is much easier if you like what you do. At the beginning of the month we switched the Mac from downstairs to my desk, and I now get to work on it all the time. I think having personal space and a machine that I love working on also really helps my attitude about work. I know this sounds materialistic, but my sense of personal space and a workspace that stimulates my interest is a big thing with me, and actually effects my interest in work. Right now I am working on hooking up the Mac and a PC to my monitor and speakers and keboard, which is proving to be a little more difficult than originally thought, but I think it is going to work. I am keeping my fingers crossed!! This leads to my next topic, which is what I would do with my life if I was not a museum person. After an evening talking with Jennie's cousin Giles, who works for Apple, I think I would really want to do something like that. Jessica and I are finding more and more that we LOVE computers, especially Macs, and I think working for Apple, even if was just telling people how cool Apple products are, would be amazing. Jessica is getting closer every day to caving in and buying her MacBook, so let the "wear Jessica down until she caves in and buys it so she can start LOVING it" countdown begin!



In other news, I am now able to announce, that my friend Jennie is going to have a baby!!!!!!!! This is amazing news, and I am very excited to start shopping the Baby Gap!! And knitting her a baby banket, which I am starting this weekend. Well, these things are what is going on in my life. I go to work all day then come home, eat dinner, then play on my computer all night or knit. Basically I am living my dream right now, and that dream will probably change, but for the moment I am good. David is hoping I will get interested in reading for pleasure again, but I tolf him I am just sick of it for now. I will get over it I hope.

So here is a story to leave you with...

My mom and my sister came to Waco last Sunday so my sister could go shopping at this dress shop for her prom dress. Before we left to go shopping my mom asked me for some lotion, and since I know she is super-sensitive to things that smell floral or fruity, I gave her some of my Kiehls Creme de Corps. By the way, this lotions rocks my socks! It is amazing. She loved it, especially since her hands have been so so dry because she is on this diet that cuts all the fat out of the food she eats. So she told me -- she told me -- to order her a big bottle and a small bottle for her purse. So I go online after they leave and order her two bottle, a small bottle for me, a big bottle for me to take to work, my eye makeup remover, and a lipgloss, which is a huge order. So when I talk to her that night she says "Oh, by the way, I went online to your lotion place and ordered some lotion!" Give me a break. She will have enough of that stuff to last her two lifetimes. She better be moisturized to the extreme at all times. My family is cra-a-zy!! I thought it was funny, so there you go.

Also, check out the Museum of Ugly Art, now with pictures of me and Jessica!!!

Workin' 9-to-5 All My Life

Just an update, that the Museum of Ugly Art has had more pictures added to it, and I am hoping to add a "Work People" section somtime soon. This newest update has pictures of David being horrific before he got his hair cut, so you must check it out.

http://web.mac.com/marybethwebster/iWeb/Site/MOUA.html

So Friday concluded mine and Dave's first week of real work, and we both had a great time. Dave is working on things he likes, has his own little cubicle like a real workin' person, we have all sorts of insurance, and his schedule is really flexible, which is nice. He is still getting used to wearing nice things, and has referred to it as "dressing up" several times, and I had to correct him and remind him that that is just the way he dresses now. He will get used to it, but maybe not the dry cleaning bill. We have more pairs of khakis in our closet than is humanly possible.

This week for me was crazy, and, while I love the press, I am hoping now that the exhibit is open things will calm down a lot. All week we prepared for the new exhibit to open on Friday. This means that is had to be done Thursday, and Jessica, Carrie, and myself all stayed until 11:00 at night to finish. It was tiring, but the exhibit looks AMAZING!! Please please stop by to see it if you are in town, as I think it is the best one that has been done in a while. It is called "Flava of Pop! America's Sweetest Concoction." It is very brightly colored and lots of fun!! Because of my late work hours I only had to go to work for two and a half hours on Friday, and spent the rest of the day eating out with friends and resting. On Friday night David and I met a bunch of people that he works with at Crickets for a meet-n-greet type of thing, and they all seem really nice. I got a chance to talk to David's supervisor, who said that transfers are rare and usually only happen if the person initiates it, so our chances of staying in Waco for a while are pretty good. This is great because it means we can start looking for a house this time next year, and I am soooo soooo excited to move out of our tiny apartment!! When we do move out, please, no house warming items except for maybe plants; I DO NOT want our house to be just a bigger version of the apartment!!

So this weekend I braved the crazy roads and drove home so mom and I could take the dogs to dog training, which was interesting to say the least. DJ almost choked herself trying to play with the other dogs when she was supposed to be practicing sit, but thankfully she already knows how to do that, so it was not a huge deal. Once we got home we have stayed here, but I am going to have to drive back to Waco tonight. Thankfully I won't have to make the trip again for two weeks because of work next Saturday. Last night we had guests over by the name of Mel and Maria Tucker and Roy and Therese McKillop, which was a lot of fun. Roy played with Duncan so much, which was nice because that is what dad used to do before he left, and I think both he and Duncn have really been missing it. I did have to sit at the "kiddy table" aka the bar, with my sister because there weren't enough spots at the regular table, and while the grown-ups were having a very in-depth discussion about Iraq (Roy has also been there), Carol and I delved into the great mystery of why we hate Karen and why Pam and Jim STILL aren't together in The Office. Very rivetting, I must say, especially since we followed it with an encore presentation of Thursday's episode. LOVE IT!!!!!



Why Karen?!?!? You know about Pam and Jim now!!! Back off!!!!

Is This a Good Look for Me?

Last Tuesday afternoon I took the hair-type leap and cut all my hair off. I was pretty nervous, but my hair was very long due to the fact that I have not had time to get a haircut in forever, and I did not mean to grow it out. Because I did not really mean for it to get so long, I was not as nervous as I guess I could have been, but it was still like letting go of a security net. And my neck is cold now. Now that it is done I really like it and I got to work 15 minutes early on Wednesday because it took so much less time to style it. I have been told I look more grown up but in a "good" way, whatever that means. Soooooo....you likey??



David also got his hair cut last weekend, THANK GOD!!!!! He starts his job on Monday and we are going shopping in Austin with my sister tomorrow for her school clothes and David work clothes, or big boy clothes, as my sister calls them. I worked the last three days of this past week, but I start full time officially on Monday too. The new flavor exhibit will be done on Friday, and I am very excited that yesterday we moved the Apple computer from downstairs up to my desk. Now I work on a Mac both at home and at work, which is exciting for me. Starting my new job has gotten me to thinking lately about how I have changed over these past few months. Even though I am only 22, I am and have always been mature for my age. I am married and a college graduate, and honestly I love to just stay at home and knit and play on the computer or watch TV. I love what I do all day, and at night I just love to be with Dave and DJ and do things I dreamt of having time to do when I was in school, like my laundry. I think it is also different for me than it is for my more going-out-type friends because I have basically tried to make our apartment a home instead of just some place we sleep at night. I feel like I am developing really rewarding and important relationships with the people I work with and their families, and I would honestly rather be at game night that at happy hour. However, this is not going over too well with my friends, who expect me to still go out and party. That is fine sometimes, but I can't see doing that regularly anymore. I love my friends because they are amazing and help me remember not to be an old married lady, but I kind of am an old married lady, so what can you do??

In other news DJ will be starting dog training classes next saturday, and I had to go today when they tell the owners what to expect. I expect that DJ will do whatever the hell she wants to, so I am really just doing it to keep mom company. Updates on how that is going soon to come. ~Mary Beth

The Museum of Ugly Art

Please check out my new website that features pics taken with my Mac computer. You will pee your pants.

http://web.mac.com/marybethwebster/iWeb/Site/MOUA.html

Here is a preview to entice you to go...

After Christmas, Before the New Year

My grandparents got here on Wednesday night and things have been crazy since then. On Thursday I got up at the crack of dawn and took my car to have my state inspection done, which my grandma thought was a crime against womanhood. "Mary Beth, don't you know that is a man thing and you should not do anything yourself that you can get a man to do for you?!?!" I promptly told her that I could do it myself thank you very much and if she could call and get David up at 7:30 in the morning then she could be my guest. I was not aware that I was living in the 1920s. After that adventure I picked up David and we went to the bank to get my birth certificate then went to his mom's law office to turn in our will information. Yes, we are very old and getting wills already. But I figure it is a good idea to take care of it while we can get it for free instead of having to pay someone $1000 at some point in the future. Then we went to the mall and Best Buy to finish up belated Christmas shopping and eat lunch, then we drove to Temple to the social security office. I am now officially Mary Elizabeth Webster with th US government, so as of now I am Mary Beth Webster to all of you. My corrected credit cards are on their way. So after that I packed for our trip to Kerrville to see David's family on his mother's side.

David and I ventured into the unknown world of privacy on road trips and took our own car down there instead of trying to ride in the car with Linda and Ryan. This time, however, Linda decided to bring her three stinky pugs with her supposedly per the request of her mother. So the pugs were in the car too, and they were in crates so there was really no room for David and me in the suburban anyway. They were supposed to be at my house on Friday morning at 8:15, and I woke up at 7:45 because the power had been off since 1:00 am and my alarm didn't go off. I was not ready to go when they got to my house, and as I was putting the gel in my hair to scrunch it since there was no way to blow dry and straighten it, the power came back on. Grr. We got to Kerrvile around 11:00 in the morning, then went to David's aunt's diner to have lunch with David's grandparents, his uncle David and his wife and three kids, his aunt Debbie's kids, and David's family. It was this tiny place and busy aside from us being there, so after buying about $200.00 worth of fireworks from the neighboring stand me, David, Linda, and Ryan went to James Avery. For those of you who don't know, James Avery is a really nice jeweler that is based out of Kerrville and has a couple of branches throughout Texas, so where we got to go is the actual factory and studio where all the jewelry is made. David got me a pair of earrings that I have wanted for a while, and Linda got a present for her mom. Afterwards we went to the hotel where we stayed to check in and rest for a while, then we went back to David's grandparents' house. We ate pizza and played cards and drank all night, and David's aunt Debbie was particularly funny as a real-life version of SNL's Drunk Girl. We left around 11:00 pm to go to the hotel and get some rest. The next day we went to their house around 10:30 and after waiting for everyone to get there the ladies went shopping and to lunch at a local tea room called Queen B's. We went shopping at Billy's Western Wear where David's grandma tried to buy me a pair of $250 boots and a $130 belt. I did not let her as I refuse to enable her impulse shopping. Then we went to the tea room and it was soo much fun! The tables were set with beautiful china and there were hats hanging on all the walls and we each got to choose a hat to wear. Then we each ordered a pot of tea and our meal. I had broccoli and cheese quiche, tomato and herb soup, salad with raspberry dressing, and a strawberry and cream buscuit for dessert. It was absolutely delish!! I also found a few very special antiques, but they shall remain nameless unless the person they are intended for reads this... After the tea room we spent the rest of the afternoon at the house and later had cake to celebrate David's grandma's 70th birthday. David and I ahd to leave around 7:00 to get home before too late, and Ryan was not far behind. I had a much better time than I thought I would, and I attribute much of it to the fact that David and I insisted on having some privacy from the craziness that is family gatherings.

Today I had lunch with my friend Tami Jo and her boyfriend Josh, and now we are just preparing for David's family to come over for New Years. Tomorrow is the last normal day I have before going back to Waco on Tuesday. I am getting all my hair cut off Tuesday afternoon, so see pictures of Kate Bosworth and Posh below for a reference of what I am going for. Happy New Year!!!



Buying fireworks...

OK, so Linda refuses to learn how to use her camera, so she told me and Ryan to take pictures for her. She did not specify what she would like the subject of the pictures to be...













The whole family!!


How I want my hair done, not my face done, just to clarify........

Christmas Presents!! Yay!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!! We did here at the Tait/Webster house. I got everything I asked for plus more, it was a beautiful day, and there were no fights to speak of. David was very allergenic, though, which will have to be fixed before next Christmas. The only downer thing was my dad not being here, but we got to talk to him for a while, even though he sounded pretty sad. But to lighten the mood, here are some of the things I asked for and recieved!

First, here is kind of a representative spread of what I got, and now that I am older there is pretty much an explanation for everything. Except for DJ. She was a Christmas present three years ago, but is not included in the spread this year.



First, I got some very comfy pj's/clothes from Victoria's Secret's PINK line, which I like. My mom also got me the Natalie Dee Cupcake + Multivitamin = Super Breakfast t-shirt, which I love.



Next are my Born shoes that I have been wanting for a while. Let me explain that now that I am an old workin' woman I have to have comfortable shoes to wear all day. While I find these attractive as well as comfy, they do not compare in cuteness to my high heels or knee-high boots. But I definitely tried to wear my 5" Mizrahi heels that I mentioned in a previous post last week to work and before Jess and I could go on a shopping trip for exhibit supplies we had to drop by my apartment so I could change shoes. I attribute the fact that I am horrible at walking in high heels to my already extreme height issues, so it is not really all my fault.



My mom also got me The Complete Works of Jane Austen, which I am excited to read. I love all the movies based on her books and Pride and Prejudice is my fav movie of all time, but I have never read the book. This is disappointing to many of you I know, but because I have to read so much for school I don't have a lot of interest in reading for pleasure. I hope to change this now that I have graduated. Although, this blogging thing is what I seem to be doing so far...



David and I jointly got The Office Seasons 1 and 2, and I got underwear and a martini shaker and various other things from Santa. I don't even want to know how he knows my undie size! For shame, Santa! I also got two different Victoria's Secret bags.



Things that are not shown are a laptop glove for my new mac, a keyboard protector for my new mac (which I am typing on right now), two board games, a bunch of DVDs, and the new translation of The Aeneid (which I translated myself over the course of 2 semesters of Latin). Nice.

And now, in a completely seperate act of revenge, are pictures of my sister being extremely unattractive, followed by pictures of both of us being just plain ugly. You likey?!?!

Merry Christmas!!!

Hello everyone out in blogger land!! I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday break with their families and friends. Today at my house has been spent knitting, cooking, and preparing for the big luminary/light show tonight. In our new neighborhood putting out luminaries and Christmas lights is a big freakin deal, so we have been opening the bags and getting them ready for the past hour or so. However, it has been raining pretty steadily for the past few days and is really wet outside, so we are not really sure if we will be able to put them out. Even if the luminaries are a bust, there will be a ton of people driving by to look at Christmas lights, so it's all good. Tis also the season for every fattening treat imaginable, which my mom has been slaving away in the kitchen making today. There is fudge and chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread cookies and pecan sandies and sherry tea cake cherry coconut bars, not to mention all of the regular food for dinner tonight. Today is probably my favorite day of the year because we get to have a ham. We do not do both at Thanksgiving, and I look forward to the Christmas ham every year. I know I could go get a ham any time I wanted to, but then it wouldn't be special, now would it?!? I have spent the past few day wrapping presents, which I consider my specialty, and it is nice as my sister and I have gotten older that we now have smaller, more expensive things instead of lots of large cheap toys and such.

Sooo, this is my mom's new dog Duncan's first Christmas, and he and DJ were very festive this year. See pics below for the Santa-type fun!! The only bad thing about this Christmas is the fact that my dad is in Iraq. We are very lucky because he has been able to call about three times since I have been home, and we all got to talk to him for a really long time today. He is really sad he has to be over there, but he told me they all finished their work today and will get to rest and eat all day tomorrow, barring a huge disaster. He said there will be a huge amount of food all day, and then tomorrow night his boss Gen. Odierno is throwing all of his senior officers a private dinner that he gets to go to, which will be really nice for him. Below are some pics he sent me from their Christmas celebration in the palace he works in...




My dad and General Odierno

And I forgot I don't have the pics of the dogs being festive, so they will come later. Sorry!!

In other news Jennie came to visit us yesterday and we had a blast!! we went out to lunch with David and Ryan then came back and goofed around for a while before everyone had to go home Oh! I have a movie recommendation. Mom and I inadvertantly watched "Just Friends" with Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart last night, and it was hilarious!! I highly recommend it. Well, mom is making the sweet potato cassarole right now which I am very excited about. We are about to deliver tins full of homemade goodies to our neighbors, so they will be excited about that!! I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas, and I wil be sure to update you with the haul I get tomorrow morning!! ~MB

And for your viewing pleasure, pics of me an my sis earlier today being REALLY ugly! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

FREE AT LAST!!!

First, let me say that the pictures from the pevious post are my sister Carol, not me, even though she is wearing a t-shirt that says my name on it. That is an old-school airbrushed shirt with a ying-yang on it from Gulf Shores, AL. There has been some confusion, so I thought I would clear that up.

SOOOO, I am coming to you now as an official COLLEGE GRADUATE!!! I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor's Degree in Museum Studies and History on Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 am. That is when it started, but I really graduated around 11:40 am. I am soo excited to be done. I just found out that I will be the Collections Manager for the Dr Pepper Museum starting January 8, which is also the day David starts his job at L3. Here is some of the stuff that has happened since Thanksgiving break...

As some of you know, my dad is in the Army, and the Tuesday after Thanksgiving I drove back home to see him off to Iraq. This is his second tour, and he was not too excited about going again, as you can imagine. So Monday and Tuesday were spent eating at all the places he wanted to before he left, so we went to Olive Garden Monday night, this little cafe for breakfast Tuesday morning, and the Texas Roadhouse for dinner Tuesday night after we dropped off his things on post. It was sad, but we didn't do the whole sit-in-the-gym thing, which made it a little easier to bear. So after we dropped him off I had to drive back to Waco for class the next day. :(

So on my way home to see dad before he left I got to pick up my brand new Mac computer from the FedEx store in Temple!! David and I decided to go ahead and get it, and I am LOVING it so far!! My old computer is not talking to me anymore, so I am sure it would appreciate being bought by someone who will love it forever! I understand my computer is not like a stray I am trying to find a good home for, but I get attached to my computers and make them personal, so I do feel like I have abandoned it in a way. It is a great computer, so if you are interested let me know! I am also thinking about listing it on Craig's List Waco, so check that too. The Mac is amazing and I love all the cool features it has. I am also very lucky because for my graduation my parents got me the Adobe Creative Suite which has Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and a bunch of other applications to help me with my web design ambitions. LOVE IT!!!



Next on the list is my growing obsession with two particular things: Natalie Dee and THE OFFICE!!! I love both!! Natalie Dee is so freakin hilarious that I can hardly stand it, and she is totally mine and Jennie's kindred spirit. I bought my self a Dinosaur Vice Principal shirt (see pics), and Jennie got me the You Will Blog About This shirt plus a Will Knit for Tattoos bag for Christmas. I LOOOVE Dinosaur Vice Principal, and the blog shirt is double great because it combines my love of blogging and Chinese food! YUM!!!! So, The Office is the best show ever. EVER!! I love it so much. I am dying because the new episodes don't come out until January, and then we get to find out who Michael took to Sandals Jamaica with him!!! Ahhhh the suspense is killing me!! The most entertaining character is Dwight K. Schrute, who has his own bobblehead doll, which Jennie gave me for graduation. LOVE IT TOO!!!! He is the guardian of mine and David's new TV, which we purchased as our Christmas present to ourselves. It is sexxxy!!!




Dinosaur Vice Principal says: "Do your homeowrk and quit being a dick!"






Dwight guards the TV!!






So enough about new purchases, I was totally sick all last week. I think everyone I know has been sick this winter. Maybe because it is 75 degrees outside when it should be 30!!!! It is colder today though. I had a sore throat which turned into a sinus thing, so I was not feeling too wonderful during graduation. However, I did suck it up to go to a Shake N' Bake party. We ate Shake N' Bake and macaroni and cheese and drank beer at Jessica's house, then moved on the Jennie's house where we ate Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes and watched Talladega Nights. It was a lot of fun, but I felt so bad:( I am still not totally over it, but I am getting there. Just when I thought things might settle down, my dog DJ is sick today and I have to take her to the vet. What is wrong with her is kinda gross, so I will spare the details, but I will say it is a backdoor issue. Fun fun.

Well, I know there was more I wanted to update about, so I am sure I will think of it later. Just know I am free, and now will have much more time for this kind of thing!! YAY!!

~MB

The Thanksgiving Madness has Begun!!!!

Are they professional pics? You be the judge.....

These are some pis I took in Salado yesterday for Carol and her friends for their yearbook page.