Estoy Nueces

Good Lord o' Mercy! I just happened to look at the stats and the referrers and this Holidailies thing is sending LOTS o' people to ol' Nuecesland. Welcome! I guess? It's been kind of quiet around these here parts for some time and we don't want to have to stand in line to get our Yoo-hoos at the Toot 'n' Totum or put up with lots of folks drag racin' up and down main, so please, enjoy your visit (quickly), conduct your business, and move on, if you would. Please. Kindly.

I got my diagnosis. I do have acid reflux. It sounds like I'm a middle-aged woman. At least I know, for sure, the cause of this breathing and speaking difficulty. It wasn't anything new to the ENT. He had a printed out sheet with instructions and had a pre-printed prescription pad with a new drug for me. I will get started on both today and hope it clears soon. He said I would be better in three weeks and "cured" in three months. He said he could see the "burn" scars or wounds on my vocal cords so there was no doubt I had what they call "silent reflux."

Last night was the company Christmas party. After a day of anxiety and certainty that Mark would find a way to not go, he went! I was happy about that. Of course, I ran home as quickly as I could from work (since the party began before I even finished) and found him doing drum stuff with a friend in the garage in a t-shirt and shorts. Eeeeeeeee. 30 minutes until we were going to leave. He said he was aware of the time and he did make it (or pretty close).

The drive out to the lake was pretty with Christmas lights. There is a tree all lit in red lights out in West Lake that is gorgeous. I'd never been to the Oasis, and I'll still have to go back on a sunset night. We had a small room up on the third floor with neat decks overlooking the lake... pretty even in the dark, though a bit chilly.

The food was good, the drinks were plentiful, the people are some of my favorites. Mark had never met "the hamster".... the old evil boss, the new let's-make-this-work boss. He was surprised at his youth. He said he was kind of creepy though.... creepy in a "Scott Peterson kind of way." That describes him very well.

We stayed a couple of hours and fought to talk with people over the loud (but very good) band. Mark knows lots of the people I worked with at the first job down here, since he worked there, too, and he visited with them, so he wasn't too uncomfortable trying to make conversation. I'm sure he didn't have "fun," but he wasn't miserable at least, and therefore I wasn't too miserable either. I had more fun with him than I would have had alone, I do know that, so I'm glad he went.

Today, piano lessons and then an evening home free and alone, I believe. Hooray for me, the sheriff and school marm of Nuecesland. Nuecesville? Nueceston? Looneybin?