Brianna112506

Brianna's Travel and Tales

ok, it actually began a few weeks ago. it's back to that time of year where i am
in a new state almost every weekend. and i love it. first it was phoenix. i drove
through there once before, but really didn't see much. this is time i was there
working most of the time but did have a chance to see the mountains and palm
trees (such a great combination!) and an amazing sunset, for which i didn't have
my camera. the show was pretty good. it was at the cardinals stadium, where
they were putting up the stage for the rolling stones, who were performing there a
few days later. definitely the most elaborate stage i have ever seen. they had to
start building it 5 days before the concert if that tells you anything.

the picture i have up of the dude tripping is from phoenix. that was a big plastic
strip that covered up all the wires (meant to prevent people from tripping), but
seemed to have the opposite effect. i tripped over it and i'm pretty sure i looked
exactly like that picture. then i saw another lady fall flat on her face from
tripping over it (i'm still amazed that i didn't burst out laughing...horrible as it is,
that would be my normal response). after she fell her husband was taking
pictures, they were looking for security and were basically ready to sue
someone....gotta love Americans and their lawsuits.

the next weekend we went to Houston. though i'm a huge fan of texas, houston
is not my favorite part of it. the weather was kind of crazy, but still really nice.
80 degrees on the day i arrived, 60 the next day. pretty big jump, but i happen to
prefer the cooler weather. the show seemed to be bigger and better than last
year, which is always a plus. there was a big "nutcracker" convention going on
next to the motorcycle show, which i initially thought sounded kind of strange. a
convention of nutcrackers? seriously? no, not seriously. it was actually
supposed to be a big christmas themed convention. there was tons of christmas
stuff there, but there was also lots of food (and lots of yummy samples), jewelry,
clothing, etc. interesting to see, and in true brianna form, i bought nothing but
food.

speaking of food, the astrodome (where the show was) left a lot to be desired in
the way of food. i waited over 30 minutes in a line to get my lunch. all i ordered
was a cheesesteak. that took at least 25 minutes and when it came out, it was a
piece of beef that looked like a pork chop (bones and all), piled with peppers,
onions, and who knows what else. even the cashier asked the food preparer if it
was supposed to be a cheesesteak. so she totally understood when i didn't want
to take it. i said chicken fingers would work instead. i saw about 20 people
leaving with them while i waited for my "cheesesteak" and they looked half
decent. well, no more chicken fingers left. so i ended up with an overcooked
hamburger that i really didn't want. yum. next day it took about 15 minutes to
get a cup of fries. it was incredible.

and, that brings me to my most recent trip: Ft. Worth, TX. i like ft. worth. it's a
good place. i went to a pawn shop and got 9 dvds for $30. i was, and still am,
very excited about that! i haven't even seen 4 of the movies i bought but i
figured it's cheaper than renting them. i get really excited about good deals on
movies, music, electronics, etc.

ft worth was another good show. also seemed busier than last year which was
great. there was some drama there due to another vendor that was present, but i
won't get into that. we were still busy and continue to find more and more
customers that are amazed at what we do.

and of course the best part of ft worth? the food (you had to know that was
coming). ft worth is one of the homes to one of the best restaurants out there:
TEXAS DE BRAZIL. if you haven't gone to one, you need to do so. there
aren't too many around the country yet, but they are slowly growing. the place is
incredible. there is a big soup and salad bar (all you can eat). other than that,
you sit at your table with a card that is green on one side, red on the other. just
as you would expect, green means go, red means stop. when you have the green
side face up, tons of dudes with different types/cuts of meat come by your table.
if you want some of it, they slice it off right there and put it on your plate. filet
mingnon, flank steak, parmesean crusted pork (my favorite), pork tenderloin,
bacon wrapped steak and chicken, lamb, just to name a few. you also get
yummy mashed potatoes, although i am usually so focused on the meat that the
potatoes hardly get touched. i know i talk about food a lot, but this place
seriously is amazing. i'm getting hungry just thinking about it. mmmm....

my plane rides have been pretty interesting. i took a 5 hour flight on us airways,
and they provided us with a 1 ounce bag of "mini pretzels". mini pretzels, in case
you didn't know, are actually mini pretzel sticks. combined, the whole bag is
equivalent to a MAXIMUM of four regular sized pretzel sticks. judging by what
you've read above, i'm sure you realize that i was not pleased with four pretzel
sticks in five hours. on a 3.5 hour us airways flight they only gave us drinks. no
snacks. i've flown to pittsburgh and been given snacks. but to texas? no snacks.
nice. of course, then i fly on delta, which is bankrupt and i get a choice of 5
different snacks on a two hour flight. and guess who wants to buy delta out? us
airways. guess i have to enjoy my snacks while they last...

now i have been home for a little over a week. it's been good for the most part.
i finally had a chance to spend some time with my sister and my 3 month old
neice. she is so adorable. i'd post pictures on here, but for some reason i don't
like the idea of posting little kids pictures on the internet. i'm not usually the
paranoid type but there are way too many weirdos out there...i'm not taking the
chance with my neices and nephew. anyway, it's amazing how she has her own
look. doesn't look a lot like anyone in particular. she's such a sweetheart.

on tuesday i worked and then hung out with my friend Kyle. we went bowling,
and i got a kid's score. like a 10 year old kid. pretty pathetic. nobody peed on
my car this time though which was a plus.

wednesday was a two job day, so work pretty much consumed the whole day.
thursday was thanksgiving of course. spent the whole day with Rob and my
family. lots of yummy food, lots of fun.

and yesterday, i began my journey into the world of weffriddles. if you don't
know what that is, you may not want to. if you are anything like me there's a
good chance it could consume your life. my aunt showed it to me on
thanksgiving. on friday morning, i thought, "oh, i'll check that thing out". so, i
went to www.weffriddles.com, and it was all over. it's just a these crazy
puzzles/riddles that you have to solve to progress to the next level. i got totally
sucked in yesterday, and accomplished nothing (except for making it to level 18).
i finally tore myself away and tried to actually do stuff for a little bit. i got
sucked back in briefly and then was totally stuck and walked away. spent a little
time on it today and made it level 25. now i'm kind of stuck again. feel like i
figured out the puzzle but it doesn't seem to like my answer. hmmm...anyway,
it's really really addicting but there's a certain amount of gratification every time
you beat a level. i love it, but i don't want to be blamed if anyone else tries it and
gets totally consumed!

ok, now that i've finished writing what must be a very boring blog, i'm going to
try to get past level 25. wish me luck!

Saturday, November 25, 2006
"the traveling circus begins again..."