Drugs and a K9

So, a few friends and I are competing in this documentary film challenge. we're competing with 74 teams in 9 different countries. They gave us the topic Wednesday and we have until Monday to mail off the completed project. Our team agreed to do the documentary about seeing eye dogs. Late last night we contacted a police officer who had a K9 and he agreed to meet us at a gas station to stage a scence for our movie. You're probably wondering what does a seeing eye dog have to do with a K9 dog, but I assure you it goes with our storyline. So, we meet the officer at the gas station. We wanted the dog to search the car for drugs. Before we started shooting the officer told me to keep my distance because the dog will bite me if he feels threaten. Luckily the dog didn't bite me and the K9 didn't find drugs in Chris' car....obviously. It was really cool video taping the search. I felt like I was documenting an episode of cops. Today will be a full day. I work till noon, I'm meeting up to interview our main subject around 12:30, afterwards start capturing the footage, begin to edit, and finally meet Jessica this evening to record the voice over.

No Hell Was Raised, But Corporate Employment Looks Promising

I called apple and talked with a rep. The rep referred me to technical support and somehow I ended up talking with customer relations. No, there was no screaming or crying, but let me tell you I gave the customer relations guy a piece of my mind. I told the guy, "apple needs to resolve this issue once and for all!" He agreed and said, "we'll repair the computer free of charge." He then asked me if I was satisfied with the offer. I thought about it and said no I'm not satisfied because it'll just be a matter of time before something else goes wrong. Oh, well! I told him I would take the offer if that was all they could do for me. Tomorrow I will send off my laptop to TN. Did you know how much it would've cost me to pay for the repair? Up to $350 dollars. When they told me that I told them they were crazy and there was no way they were gonna get my money. Who do they think I am? So that all happened yesterday, but as they say today is a new day. This has really been a great day for me! I found out I'll be teaching a video class this summer for high school students. Another great thing happened. I don't like to blab my mouth about a lot of stuff so I'll say as little as possible because I feel like if I say too much I'll jinx the whole thing.........Here it goes...I'm pretty sure I have a full time job after I graduate! Sigh, I said it! Okay no more details until it actually happens. I probably won't even start until July. But I'm so excited I can barely contain myself!

IT'S A LEMON!

No big suprise, my laptop is freaking out again. My 3-year warranty has expired, therefore it will cost an arm and a leg to have it repaired. I really need my arms if I plan on shooting footage this weekend, so I'm not cutting anything off of my body. I consulted several people and they believe I have a lemon computer because I've honestly sent it in to be repaired at least 5-6 times. I'm so gonna raise hell when i call apple! I apologize in advance to the lucky apple rep who has to deal with me on the phone. It's nothing personal.

Home

I'm back home. Wahsington was great, the convention was super, and spring break was too short. The highlight of the trip was traveling to DC. I don't really feel like going into detail , but know it was worth the time and expense. This week I'm gonna be busy. A few friends of mine are entering this IDC documentary competition. We'll find out Wednesday what the topic is and start pre-production that night. Our entry has to be mailed by Monday so we have to work fast. My role in the production is director of photography and co-editor. I can't wait to get my hands on a camera!

Street Legal

I'm officially legal! I went down to the DPS to take the written and driving exam to legally drive my scooter. I read the 50 page book and spent over an hour at the DPS. Trey and I have spent the weekend riding all over town on the vino. We went to a few open houses just because, and we were disgusted and amazed at some of the houses we saw. We came back at the end of the day and decided we are very fortuned to have found such a great house for the right price. Other than scooter news, it's safe to say that spring break is here. I will be flying out of DFW Wednesday on my way to Washington DC. So if you don't hear from me for a while that is why. I'll be attending the National Broadcasting Society National Convention. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Spring Break.

Before and After

What a massive Dog! I took Bruiser to the vet yesterday and he weighs 84 pounds. He's slowly creeping up to my weight. Everyone at the vet's office was saying oh, my goodness Bruiser I remember when you were a little puppy and your ears were all floppy. When Bruiser and I went in the office to meet the vet a whole crowd joined us to watch and swooned over him. Bruiser is one sexy dog.

Screaming Under Bridges

This Picture is for all my LA friends. Yesterday, Trey and I cruised the Abilene streets in our scooter. We had a blast! I was wearing this funky helment with a bright neon green and orange reflective vest. I'm sure when Trey looked at me he thought wow, I've been married to this crazy looking girl for 2 years. Poor guy...No it was truly fun. We went to get snow combs and we rode under bridges screaming and honking the horn. What a great way to spend an anniversary.

Two Years Ago on This Day...

Trey and I got married. He woke me up this morning at 6:30 to tell me happy anniversay. That sucker always beats me at everything. We don't have anything planned for today (or at least that I know of), but last year we went camping so I think this weekend we might do the same thing. I want to go San Angelo over spring break becasue I hear they have a great bike trail. Yeah, spring break is right around the corner and the second half of it I'll be in Washington DC. Oh, I can't wait.

FYI: Last night I was sitting on the edge of my seat as I waited to hear who got best picture. I started screaming when they said Crash. I'm so happy Crash won and was seriously disappointed Robert Altman didn't get best director. Oh well, everyone knows best picture is what really counts.

Sleeping in a Van and Dreaming of the Moon

Trey usually works normal hours, but last night his boss wanted him to do some work out at Eastland late last night. I mean late... I didn't feel like staying home by myself, (partly because our house is kind of creepy late at night because it's so old)so I went with him on the one hour drive. By the time we arrived at Eastland I was so tired. Trey worked and I slept in his work van. There are only two seats in the van, so I curled up in a ball and slept for a few hours. When I woke up my neck was all sore. Ouch!But the drive was so worth it. Trey and talked about stupid stuff like traveling to the moon. Trey said he has no desire to go to the moon. I on the other hand would like to go.

Don't Follow Your Nose

What's going on? Well, last Sunday morning I woke up and found myself driving around my neighborhood crying. That sounds horrible doesn't it? Well, my pup Daphne has been sleeping inside the past few nights. When we woke-up Sunday morning I took her outside, in the front yard, so she could do her business. She was on her leash and I wasn't paying attention and before I knew it she was half a block away running for freedom and I was standing there with a leash and a collar with no dog. With no luck I tried to catch her as I ran in my flip-flops and pj's. I said to myself, "Screw it, I'm getting the car!" I ran back home grabbed the car and Trey and I floored it. We eventually found her 2 houses from ours. Beagles are the worst dogs to try to keep. One time I was walking her and this lady stopped me and told me she once had a beagle, but her dog was constantly running away. Beagles are the kind of dogs that follow their nose. No matter how much they love their owners they want to be anywhere their not.

Old Lady Tendencies

I've been having such a relaxing week. Yesterday, afternoon I stayed home and vegged out for a few hours. I don't know why, but lately I've been wanting to go shopping. It really doesn't work out very well, since I have no money, but nonetheless I still went to Pier 1. Natasha, my younger sister and I went and drooled over everything. This weekend I'm going to go window shopping. I plan on going to a few antique stores in town. That sounds like something an old lady would do with her time, huh? Oh, well I can't help it I like old stuff that has character. I don't plan on buying anyhthing, but it'll be fun to get out of the house. Trey and I were planning on doing yard work, but we not going to since it's gonna be a soggy weekend.

Balloon Atmosphere

Not too long ago Trey asked me, "Dominique, do you know what happens to balloons when they are released outsided?" At first I didn't think too much about this question, but now I can't stop thinking about it. So, what happens to these balloons? Do they pop once they reach a certain elevation, do they reach outerspace? I wonder if there are thousands of balloons still floating in the atmosphere from thousands of weddings. Seriously, there has got to be an answer! I should ask my geology prof.

Pretty Lame

Last night I went to the Olive Garden and Linda asked me what I planned on doing that night and I said well I know it's a Friday night, but I have to do my homework. How lame is that. She made me feel better when she said that's exactly what she was gonna do.
So, right now I'm at work with mis-matched clothes, as usual. You'd think I dressed myself in the dark. I promise I don't.

This Too Shall Pass

When Wednesday arrives I will have a life again. I have a geology exam tomorrow, Sing Song this weekend, work, and a HUGE, I mean HUGE paper due Tuesday. I called my mother-in-law yesterday and told her, "I just wanted to say hi because you won't be hearing from me for awhile." She just laughed, but I'm not laughing. Last night my brother-in-law came over to visit and all I said was, "It's good seeing you, but I have to return to my dungeon to study, bye." I should really stop complaining, but I need to vent so deal with me. Although my life is not exactly how I would like it to be right now I am looking forward to tomorrow. I'm meeting Linda for dinner at the Olive Garden. Yummy huh. Her husband is out of town, so it'll just be us...two old married ladies.

Scary-Cat

So, I've been driving my scoot around the parking lot near our house. The first day we got it all I could think was, "what have I done, this little scooter is scary," but now after riding it around several times, I've adjusted to it. You may think I'm a baby, but the fastest I've gone is right under 40 mph. I'm telling you it's scary, especially when you hit bumps. I had an awesome weekend. I went to the black history show (which was interesting), I also went to the Philharmonic and spent some time with friends Sunday at church and went out to lunch with them. This week is gonna be super busy. I have two appointments tomorrow, a huge research paper I need to start, an exam I need to study for, and reading I have to do. Not to mention work and everything else between. My goodness I should really do something right now. Bye.

Squealing With Happiness

As expected, the weekend I purchase my scooter it happens to be the coldest weekend of winter. Well, today Trey and I signed the papers and they'll be delivering the bike to our house this afternoon. I have to get my motorcycle license to drive it "legally", but that won't stop me from getting comfortable with it. I already plan to drive it around the neighborhood as soon as I can, even though the windshield feels like 35 degrees. I was so stoked because I had never seen the bike in person. I had only seen pictures, so I was hoping I would like it. When I finally saw the bike I was going to purchase I started squealing with happiness. It's adorable. I should be able to reach speeds of 55-60 MPH on it, so I shouldn't have any problems keeping up with the traffic in town. It's highly recommended not to drive the vino on the highway so don't count on seeing me there, besides I'd be too scared of blowing away.

Beep, Beep

I haven't mention this in my blog, but ever since I got back to Abilene, I've been wanting a scooter. Our Honda Element gets great milage, but I want something that's super economical. To my understanding the scooter I want gets 75 MPG. I think our Element gets 24 in the city...Wow, that's a huge difference. The last 2 months Trey and I looked all over town. We didn't find anything we liked. I knew what kind of scooter I wanted: the vintage yamaha 125, 2006 model. Everywhere we went they had these funky bikes that looked all futuristic, but this yamaha I want looks really great. We talked to a sales rep at Max's and Trey gave him our number so if they got one in, we'd be the first people he'd call. Well, today the sales rep called us and it looks like I'll be crusing in a silver moped. The bike comes in tomorrow, but we're going to go to the shop tonight to talk with the sales guy. So, that's great news!

As far as my exam goes...I think I did okay. It wasn't as hard as I made it, but at least I was prepared. Now that it's over I feel like I can breathe. This weekend I think I'm going to be helping out with the Black History show. Not exactly how I want to spend my weekend, but it will have to do.

Over My Head

I've been studying for several hours and thought I needed a break. My goodness I'm ready for tomorrow so I can just take this exam to get it over with. Thursday where are you? That's all I really have to say. I have too many useless facts in my head to think straight.

This Could Only Happen To Me

I was scanning over my ipod warranty yesterday. Guess what? It covers noraml wear and tear to my ipod, but doesn't cover cracked screens. Those money hungry yuppies! Who do they think they are? Okay, I'm not really that upset, but I have to be honest it does bother me. I have three months for my hardrive to die in order to get a new ipod. I want it to die so they'll have no choice but to replace the entire thing. I wonder how ipods react to really cold weather. I can hear my self explaining it now to a best buy rep., " Well, I guess I accidentally left it outside and now it's not working." No, I won't do that, I promise.

Other than that, my week is already off to a great start. My friend Landrea moved back to Abilene. We went to lunch and talked for a while. Her husband is in Iraq right now. She really misses him and to some degree I know what it's like to be away from your loved one for a long period of time. I encouraged her telling her the time will fly. Even though I oppose the war, I do support the troops. I hope Brandon makes it back safe.

The Invincible ipod

Yesterday I went to the gym. As I was jogging on the treadmill I was listening to the band called The Format. You know that song from them called Give it up:

“The stairs you learned to climb
Are the ones you’ve left behind
And your eyes light up when we talk about the past
God, I miss those songs we used to sing
Talking like getting away would be the greatest thing
Well me, I got out,
And you, you kept singing to me
Like that's really going to set this free”

This was what I guess you could call my theme song when I lived out in LA (living without Trey for 4 months). Well, I’m jogging and reflecting when I accidentally yank the cord on my mp3 player. The ipod drops on the treadmill, rolls off of it and lands on the hard wood floor with a loud thump. All I could think was, “Oh, *#$%!” I stop running and go to pick it up and assess the damage. To my surprise all I did was crack the upper part of the screen, which is unfortunate, but a lot better than having a 300 dollar broken ipod. Am I right? So, my pod is under warranty and it’s already been in for repairs twice. I was looking at my manual and apparently the third time you send it in you automatically get a new one. This should be covered under my warranty, lets cross our fingers and pray. I’ll keep you updated.