My husband is job interviewing in Austin and will be back Monday night. Meanwhile, this is how the boys made me feel today. If I could bottle their energy, I’d be a billionaire.
Us
Have a look at this.
The top pic is Edgar and I a few months after we started dating in 1998.
Below that, Edgar and I a few days ago. I still love him so much, my heart wants to burst when I see him.
Sh-sh-sh-shingles!!
The week of Spring Break we went to a bunch of shows. Edgar and I attended “Galax-Z Fair II” in McAllen with a slew of RAD bands including Mac Demarco, Marnie Stern, The Coathangers, Cloud Nothing and my favorite, Bleached. It was at that show that I began to get a really painful and sharp pain in my throat. I blamed it on a chilly air condition vent and me being sneaky and smoking a cig at the show. We continued to rock out later that week when we attended our 9th SXSW. We took the boys and hit up all the free events. We saw Macklemore, Tegan and Sara, Molotov, and Café Tacuba. Sooooo fucking awesome. While in Austin, my throat began hurting again and there was also an excruciating back pain added to the mix. It felt like I was being stabbed in the back. I blamed it on Austin allergies and sleeping on a different bed…Little did I know those were warning signs of something worse to come. I finally decided to visit the doctor when I woke up with a swollen face, covered in red and pink bumps.
By now you’re probably thinking, get to the point, Cori! OK, here it is: I ended up with fucking shingles! Oh My God, worst pain ever. I had them along my jaw line, my neck, my outer and inner right ear, my neck and up my scalp. I can try my best to describe the sensation and pain, but words do not do it justice. It felt like someone was putting out cigarettes, stabbing me with tiny needles and stretching my skin to point of breaking. I ended up having to buy $200 worth of medicine and creams (and that’s with insurance!) and missed 2 weeks of school.
I’ve given birth to two babies and I would rather go through LABOR again than to ever have to endure the wrath of shingles.
One down, one to go!
We moved back to our hometown a few years ago to do two things and thankfully, one was accomplished May 10. My husband is now a college grad. I am so proud of him. He managed to work a full-time job at the university, take a full load of classes every semester, make the deans list, provide for us the entire time and still managed to make it to every single school event of our boys. I am incredibly lucky to have someone who loves us so much.
My goal was to graduate with him. I always felt we started this together, I’d like for us to finish together. Well, with me failing a math class and taking a semester off when my Oliver was born, I was not able to graduate with him. I will graduate in the fall. Seeing Edgar receive his degree made me so excited for mine! I can’t wait.
A thirty something in college
I started college at 17, really because my parents said it was a must. I didn’t know what I wanted to study, I eventually transferred to Austin and flunked out. My poor mom and dad, they paid for everything and I blew it. I returned to college at the age of 31 and let me tell you, what a mother-flipping difference! My first time around I would’ve died at my desk if a professor asked me a question, or if I had to stand in front of a class to speak? Please! I would’ve frozen like a deer in the headlights or possibly trembled like a teacup Chihuahua. It’s strange, when I was younger I was the class clown, but once it was “serious school time” I hid inside my shell like a turtle.
This time around? I LOVE to talk, I express my opinion at topics we discuss in class. This semester I am taking Gender and Communication and Conflict and Communication. There is always something I have to share, and I will always raise my hand with confidence and speak up. I am a reporter for the newspaper, so I can talk and interview with ease, I’m even an anchor for the webcast news. I think my age has a lot to do with it. I was a manager of a retail store for 8 years, dealt with district managers and corporate offices, asshole customers, and really friendly people who enjoyed hearing about the latest skin care or cosmetic. Maybe dealing with many different types of people and personalities brought me out of my shell? I think so.
Being a thirty something college student, I tend to do many mental eye rolls when some of the other students talk about things that bother them, or when they share their opinions on topics they know nothing about. There are things you’ve got to experience before you can talk about them. Don’t get me wrong, I admire that they says what on their minds (lord knows late-teen Cori would’ve just sat there like a bozo), it’s just some of the shit the say is so ridiculous! For example, last week a 22-year-old entered class, turned to myself and some other girls and said “Im suuuper depressed, y’all. Starbucks has gotten my order wrong three times this week.” Oh my god, someone get this poor girl a prescription to Zoloft, quick! How does she get out of bed each morning knowing that there might be a chance her coffee will be made incorrectly? And they say there are no more heroes today…How about the other young woman who can’t wait to have a daughter so she can dress her in head-to-toe Gucci? I sat there in silent satisfaction imagining the mess she’ll have to clean up when her daughter has a stinky,baby shit blow-out in her $300 baby Gucci leggings. Muahahahaha I thought to myself, “you just wait, sista! Good Luck!”
Not all of my fellow classmates are dumbbells, I must admit I have met some really bright young men and women who have their plan in order, know what they want and will succeed. You can just tell, they’ve got their head on straight and are ready to face the world. Much better than I was at that age.
I try to keep in mind, and to let my boys know that it is always good to speak up and voice their thoughts, and to stay away from materialistic girls who get depressed over coffee.
Keep it up!
I’m losing weight again. This lard ass decided to take things seriously. I do miss certain foods still, but I’ve go to admit, nothing feels better than slipping (not squeezing) into clothes.
I am writing more at work. It’s been great. I wish I still had more choices, I mean, how many theater advances can I do? I asked my editor if I could cover SXSW through my eyes (I do the free events, hit up the food carts, following the party rumor spreaders on Twitter) but that didn’t work out.
I’m still worried about work. We will hopefully be back in Austin by late summer but what about a job? I’m scuuuuurrrred.
Amour
Guys, I fucking love Christoph Waltz. He is such an outstanding actor, I can not get enough of him.
That’s pretty much it. I wish I had a lengthy article professing my love and highlighting his work, but I am lazy.
