Addiction's Bad Attitude

Alright, before I wax philosophic about the local Starbucks closing, I think I need to address an issue that has popped up a few times in my comment section. It has been implied more than once that I might have an caffeine addiction problem.

First of all, you can't tell me anything. I am fully aware of my addiction and frankly, do not consider it a problem. The problem (as I see it) is I don't care that I have a problem.

Sure, from time to time, I think about my health and wonder about making positive lifestyle choices. When I get on this vein of thinking I will list the reasons why I should stop/cut back on drinking coffee, they are:

1. The only fluid I consume is coffee (or some other form of brown, like Dr. Pepper or tea). I'm sure that can't be good.


2. I only have one kidney and at this point I'm sure it's mocha colored.


3. My resting heart rate is 120 beats per minute. RESTING! The doctor prescribed a Beta-Blocker to get it down some. I take the pill every morning with a cup of coffee. Ironic?

Knowing all this, I still don't care. I will just drink the coffee. No need for an intervention. I will fight you. Dr. Drew can just step off.

Starbucks Rockport is Getting the AX

When I read that Starbucks was closing 600 corportately owned stores nationwide I was not worried. Why worry, our local Starbucks is the only coffee shop in town. Even when I learned that they were closing stores that opened after 2006, I still wasn't worried.

I am a niave fool.


Word began spreading Monday that Rockport Starbucks was shutting down (Portland Starbucks which is 30 minutes away is not). Two of the four in Corpus Christi are closing, as is the Kingsville store. Last night in the drive through Aaron said they have 60 days at least.



I want to write about this some more and probably will, but right now I am experiences all of the stages of grief at once (except of course acceptance). So to my brother David, as many times as you have asked me: How can Rockport have a Starbucks and Lake Jackson can't? Now you know. Obviously we can't.

Happy Independance Dog

July 4th in Rockport is a lot of fun. There are all day activities on the water and at the Beach Park. We have an annual Art Festival that brings people in from all over Texas and beyond. Of course, it always rains for a portion of the day making us all wonder if the BIG SHOW will go on. The BIG SHOW I am talking about is the fireworks show, and I'm not kidding, it really is a BIG SHOW.

Here is a picture of Cookie and me watching the spectacle (Cookie was so well behaved). I regret the fact that my camera cannot capture the "magic" of the show, so just take my word for it.

The funniest part of the evening is the RACE to your car the minute the show is over. Everyone is trying to beat the traffic jam that is about to ensue. No time for good-byes or hugs, you just run like a maniac trying to be the first one on the road. So to the people I sat with tonight, I bid you a belated adieu. And to the pedestrians I may have "clipped" on the way out.....here's to a speedy recovery (pun intended).

Billy Thomas

My dad was named Billy Thomas Hanna, but he liked to go by B.T. Last week I meet a Young Life kid named Billy Thomas. He too goes by B.T. In my whole life I had never run into anyone with the same name as my dad, but on the day I did, for some strange reason it made me happy.

Here's a picture of my dad looking rugged.

I never new this dad, because by the time I was born, my dad was older. He sat in a recliner and watched T.V. while smoking Eve cigarettes.

My dad did laundry. When I brought my laundry to his house while I was in college, he repeatedly instructed me to change loads during commercials. To this day I still don't have the hang of it.

My dad liked to have Bar B.Q.s. I can picture various members of our blended family there in full 1970's style apparel. [Right now I would like to insert something about the difficulty of being in a blended family.....always on their "turf", always with "them". But I will restrain as I don't want to be a kill joy.....uh oh too late.]

My dad mowed the yard in cut-off shorts. He would roll the legs up and the waste band down until it looked like a blue jean Speedo. Thankfully he did this when he got to the backyard. As embarrassing as this may sound, today I do not care and would let that nut case mow my yard any day of the week.

Happy Father's Day to all.

classmates.com

Back when I first started enterwebbing, I logged on to classmates.com and registered. Nothing happened much back in those days of the www, so I never got in the habit of checking out the site.

About a week ago I got an email from classmates.com saying there was some activity on the site that I would interest me. Being a curious cat I went to look and saw that someone I went to high school with posted a "shout out" on my personal profile page, so I responded. She wrote me again and is now waiting for my response. How nice is that, to reconnect with high school friends? So I spent some time updating my profile.

Well, now classmates.com is telling me I have another person who signed my "quest book". So I clicked where instructed and ended up on a page inviting me to become a GOLD member. In order to see who signed my guest book I have to subscribe: two years for $59.00, or 1 year for $39.00, or I could satisfy my curiosity for a mere $15.00 (3 month subscription).

Couldn't this be classified as a "bait and switch"? WELL I'M NOT FALLING FOR IT!!!

So if you are the one who signed my quest book I will never know, but thank you anyway.

Frog Blog

I had a broken terracotta pot. and I noticed I had some toads.

So I turned my broken pot upside down and made a terracotta hut: a frog sancuary if you will.

They moved in and it makes me happy.






This beautiful vine (Morning Glory) is killing my Azalea.

I must now kill the Morning Glory.....again!

Who Do You Remember

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who serve in the armed forces so that we can live free in a country such as ours. So today I remember Jeff Nelson, a former student, who is serving now in Iraq with the United States Army.

Today I remember B. T. Hanna, my dad, who served in the Construction Battalion of the United States Navy. Pictured below on the right.

I remember my brother Bill who served in the United States Air Force in Korea.



I remember Garrett McLead, also a former student, who served in the United States Army. He was killed last summer with 17 other soldiers when the Black Hawk he was in went down in Iraq.





Today and everyday is day to remember those who are serving or who have served. It's also a time to remember that sacrifices are made by wives, sons and daughters, moms and dads every time a soldier puts on his uniform. Freedom is never free and should never be taken for granted.

Not a Square to Spare

The unthinkable has happened: I ran out of toilet paper. Two and a half years ago for my birthday I asked the YOUniverse for a year's supply of toilet paper and I have been using that TP ever since.

So imagine my surprise and COMPLETE SHOCK when today I looked under the bathroom cabinet and found nothing but cotton balls. Talk about girl interrupted (vague movie reference).


I just got back from buying a 12 pack at the store.....and tomorrow I may go back and actually buy the toilet paper. :)

Bowling for Gasoline

Tonight was the annual Young Life Bowl-a-Thon. This year the committee participated in order to raise money to help defray the transporation costs of each camper.

I had the standard flat rate sponsors. Those are my favorite because my bowling game doesn't affect the donation. That being said, I bowled the worst game ever! Forty nine pins the first game. GUTTERS GALORE! Then 70 pins the second game. I redeemed myself a little in the second game by hitting a strike. There was no third game due to fatigue and shaky muscles. It was like someone kept coming over and trading out my already heavy, pink ball for an even heavier, pink ball.

And yet, there are those sponsors, who insist on paying per pin. I wonder if they are trying to motivate me into playing the best game ever, or instead have they sized me up and are banking on my deficiencies?

The baristas at Starbucks (5 of them) sponsored me. They didn't have a hat to spare (pun) so they gave me an apron to wear. When I arrived, one of the campers said, "I didn't know you worked at Starbucks." I replied, "I don't, they are my corporate sponsor."

Cyndea, Shane, Bobbi, Catherine, and Ryan.

Patti, Cat, and Leslie.

I'm telling you now that bowling BEATS having a rummage sale any day.

Googled and Found

I have some announcements:

1. I just googled "generation perplexed" and we showed up in the top 5 hits (number two to be exact). Oddly however, it was a post I wrote called "Recipes from the Crypt". I read it again and then read your comments. You guys are funny! It was like looking at a photo album but instead of your faces I saw your words.



2. I had a person make a comment on my blog a few times and so I went to read his. He is funny and weird. So I check out his blog from time to time. I noticed in his "links" in the sidebar he has a link to my site. How friendly is that? I will return the kindness and put him in my links.



3. My pastors (see my links) write interesting/funny blogs. Pastor Scott recently wrote one about music. I think I will investigate what my iPod says about what I listen to now that he has brought it up.



4. Did y'all notice I didn't Mother's Day post? What a rotten daughter. By the way Mom, your card wasn't locked in the YL office after all. I found it today in my garage. David, Glory, and Bill really do love you the most.....so PLEASE start loving them as much as you love me.

This concludes our evening announcements.