ELF Running Amuck

:))))))))))))))))))) Dr. Horrible

2008-07-18T17:20:00.006-05:00

I love Neil Patrick Harris as he is a very funny and talented man. I also love cheesy and clever musicals. Also, if you are a Sci-Fi geek you should recognize Dr. Horrible's nemesis. I hope you enjoy this gloriously geeky and fun Sing-Along Blog. I was happy to have discovered it via a music blog. :)

http://www.drhorrible.com/index.html

:)

Sparklers and such...

2008-07-07T18:24:00.009-05:00

On July 4th, I was invited to cavort with some friends. My favorite picture is of Dave with his sparklers. The other fiery picture is of cavorting :) It was a nice relaxing time and I have to remember to thank the hosts again!!!!

Here is the majestic Maevis :) Not a post without a cat picture. :)

In April, I went to Kerbey Lane, on Kerbey Lane, and while eating I looked up and on the wall they had some new artwork. A week later I was there again and I looked up at the artwork and did a double take. I tried to remember if the face had been there before. It took a while for me to figure out what the extra part was but after two waitresses and I discussed it long enough, I concluded that it wasn't a child's crayon work, but an adult had consciously decided to go up to the chalk board, grab the chalk and then defaced the artwork. Regardless of my opinion of the artwork, it really bothered me that someone would deface some one's work. Click on the picture to see the added drawing.

I participated in another Austin Photography Meet-up and this time we did Light Painting. It was fun but I have a lot more to learn. I hope to plan a group outing to do some more elaborate Light Painting. Get a group together to go eat and then go forth and paint. :) I already have a few people ready to paint!

I went to the HalfPrice Bookstore tonight (7/14, I started this post a couple days ago) and grabbed a new book. Going to try out a new mystery writer that one of the nice employees suggested. :) I'll let you know if it is a hit. I like reading Patricia Cornwell but she doesn't churn them out fast enough :) and her last three books or so seemed odd. Like she lost her focus or who her characters are. Anyway, I would like to find a few more authors that I like and hopefully they have a couple books already out.

Last Friday I met up with my friend Mary and we had dinner at Mother's and then went and saw some improv at the Coldtowne Theatre. It was a rather fun evening. It is a tiny theatre, and seems very upstart. I hope that they have success as they have some really talented people. :) Next time I plan on trying one of the restaurants across the street from Mother's, one has coffee and gellato. Yum!

I am thinking about taking a vacation and that is about as far as I have gotten. I don't even have a destination although I am leaning towards going back to LA as it makes a nice long weekend. Hawaii keeps popping in my head but I have read about how expensive it is right now, the groceries alone. If I really had the time off and money I like to pretend that I would go to New Zealand. I think I might look at New York again. Next week I hope to enroll in some photography classes. If the classes happen then I am about to get really busy doing something I love. I look forward to it.

Symphonic Led Zeppelin

2008-05-04T21:46:00.008-05:00

So last night I had the chance to go see a show at the new Long Center. Cobi got some comp tickets that ended up being amazing - the second row. So we were sitting to the right of the stage in these wonderful seats. The show starts and there was the band and a full symphony playing Led Zeppelin. Now for some reason I didn't put together that there would be a singer. So when the singer started to walk out onto the stage I was mentally chanting, "please be good...don't suck". Zeppelin songs are not easy to sing, you have to be an amazing singer to really pull it off. We lucked out last night. The singer was awesome!!!

So we are sitting in our awesome seats and the show starts and this young twenty something sitting right behind me was rather excited and expressed it by yelling "Rock and Roll" etc.. Which was cracking me up because well, there was a whole symphony. So he also started clapping out of time but he would only clap about four times in a row and then stop. Then the top of the lungs wooos would start. Directed to the back of my head. That and he would sing, poorly, even during a quiet solo. We were feet from the actual singer so it was pretty bad. This young man was sitting next to his dad and his mother and her friend were sitting behind him so it wasn't like they were oblivious to his actions. At first it was a bit funny but progressively became annoying. I found myself leaning forward to try to distance myself.

Well he left for a bit and I could smell the alcohol upon his return. Cobi and I moved to the center part of the second row, which was empty, taking a new friend we had met with us. I was tired of the yahoos behind us. So after the intermission I looked over to our old seats and the guy who had been so loud and animated earlier was passed out. Geez. Later his parents had to help him walk when they left.

Regardless of the loud drunk behind us, the show itself was great!!! Cobi and I met Chris who sat with us and we all had fun by watching the show - the guitarists were awesome. We were also highly amused by the craziess who had moved up to the front to rock out and generally make sure everyone else could see them. When the show was over we met Chris' friends Larry and Allison. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. So it was neat to meet new people and hit it off so well.

Hmmmmm. What else. I had some good conversations this weekend with various friends and it is awesome to be able to have honest connections with people. To learn that you aren't alone and sharing experiences.

I need to vote this week so that I can help ACC be in the Round Rock area and that I can take classes for a reduced price. :)

I have been taking pictures of a lizard in my backyard. I am not sure if it is the same one but I like to pretend it is. :) It hangs out on the same part of the trellis with the roses. He is pretty cool!

Time Filler

2008-04-20T23:16:00.005-05:00

I got the the below idea from http://themarshalogues.blogspot.com/index.html

Only requirement: one word answers.

1. Where is your mobile phone? Table
2. Your significant other? MIA
3. Your hair? Growing
4. Your mother? Two
5. Your father? Trying
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? Latte
9. Your dream/goal? Clarity
10. The room you're in? Living
11. Your ex? Silent
12. Your fear? Failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Hmmm
14. Where were you last night? Friends'
15. What you're not? Fake
16. Muffins? Berries
17. One of your wish list items? :)
18. Where you grew up? Encinitas
19. The last thing you did? Shower
20. What are you wearing? PJs
21. Your TV? Good
22. Your pets? Cats
23. Your computer? Crappy
24. Your life? Progressing
25. Your mood? Indecisive
26. Missing someone? Yes
27. Your car? Dirty
28. Something you're not wearing? Yes
29. Favorite Store? Waterloo
30. Your summer? Wonderful
31. Like someone? Sorta
32. Your favorite color? Blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Forgot

Bring me your speakers...

2008-04-16T17:55:00.003-05:00

Maevis sticks her tongue in your general direction!

Quit licking the speakers!

2008-04-13T19:28:00.018-05:00

Maevis has mastered the art of waking me up. I have accepted that I have enabled this behavior and many days it doesn't last long. However, some early mornings it is an epic battle. There are numerous things that she does but the thing that just drives me up the wall and out of bed is the sandpaper sound of her licking my computer speakers. So the other day we tried something new, which had to be repeated this morning. I grab the pain in the butt fur ball and put her on the back porch. I just leave her out for just a few minutes as she is a bit scared. So far it has worked. She stopped licking the speaker and let me sleep the rest of the morning with out interruption.

I went to Art City Austin today and saw some neat artwork. Overall, the work was rather good. One artist in particular I have come to recognize from sight. I have an appreciation for Jay Long's work. If I ever have a chunk of change that I can spend on art I would like to get one of his pieces. http://www.jaylongstudio.com/ He is based out of Austin and I like the color/tones he uses as well as the mediums he chooses to work with. Here is a link to a piece of his work I really like...
http://www.jaylongstudio.com/Pages2006/SecretBirdPage.html

Music I am listening to right now would be new albums by Steve Earle, Carolyn Wonderland, and also Michael Franti's Yell Fire, which is great.

It looks like I will have to go to New York again for work next month. I wish I had time to go into downtown New York. Maybe something will work out.

The above is a picture of Simon, not the speaker licker.

This weekend was nice and filled with lots of things. Saturday I participated in the SafePlace walk with my parents and Sarah and then we went and had lunch at Kerbey Lane. It was yummy. I then went to Whole Foods for some gelato, Waterloo Records where I got a new CD, some free CDs and a cupcake with lip balm in it. :) Theeeeen I went to the Half Price bookstore up near my house, met some friends for dinner and thennnnnnnnnn went home and mowed the lawn. Later that night I watched Eastern Promises, which really wasn't very good and it could have been awesome. So Saturday was a full day.

This puppy had it's ears trimmed and I wished his owners hadn't had that done to him. He was very sweet and was happy to be at the walk.

Today I slept in a bit, had breakfast/lunch with Cobi, and then I headed downtown to the Art City Austin and was there for a couple hours. I then went home for a bit, had a photo shoot with Simon and then headed to return a chainsaw I borrowed and ended up playing cars, collect the acorns and mow the lawn with Jackson. :)

GQ Boy...

2008-03-13T22:17:00.010-05:00

So, I met the Sray's earlier this evening at a local park. Jackson and I played while I took some pictures. He is a fast moving boy! Then the lot of us went and had a substandard dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Jackson was a big boy and sat next to me at the restaurant. Well, he stood for quite a while. The patrons at the table next to us were impressed with his ability to feed himself so well, especially while standing. :) He didn't use a high chair or anything!

I have been sick since last Friday and I am now on antibiotics and steroids. I was proactive and went to the doctor earlier in the week, as quite a few people around me have been miserably sick. So far I am doing better. Yay!

I took a few more pics last weekend and the Herod bunch was nice to pose for me in the shed, before going on to do their thing. I really enjoy taking pictures of people who aren't shy.

So the other day my desktop decided to stop connecting to the Internet. Lovely. I would say it was the router but my wireless is working. I am going to attempt to fix it and then probably start looking at laptops as a replacement. :) Too bad they aren't free. I am gonna see if I can at least wait until I get my government check in May. :) Laptop suggestions would rock. :)

Jesus Christ Super Star...

2008-02-26T23:04:00.005-05:00

is currently showing at The Georgetown Palace Theatre. They have done a great job and the cast and crew are really talented!! That and they are very tolerant of my camera. :) I call the above Jesus in Blue Jeans/Etheral Jesus. :) I like playing with the slow sync flash. Anyway, I have really enjoyed practing my photography and the dancing is something I like to get good shots of. (I know I ended with of, I will fix it later or just ignore it.) :)

One of my favorites to shoot is the Herod scene. :) Although it has been a challenge with the equipment I have etc and I am still learning. But the group is very talented and brave/very comfortable with their bodies. I am curious to see what the fine folks Georgetown think. Go see it. The singing in the show is awesome and I haven't seen a Jesus look so much like Jesus. :)
If you haven't seen the show most of it is in period clothing but there are some scenes with modern clothing. Above is a picture of my friend Cliff who plays Judas.

I was able to cast my vote early. I noticed the early voting sign at the local Rec center and thought I might as well as get there will I have time. This is your friendly reminder that if you haven't voted yet, don't forget to do so!

I will try to blog more this weekend.

I can take a message...

2008-01-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

I tend to get all kinds of calls to my house phone and most times it is a stranger trying to speak with Elaine or the man of the house regarding a "thank you". They want to thank me alright and take my money. I have learned that if I do not recognize the voice then my standard reply is that I can take a message. More often than not, the caller gets off the phone as fast as they can or they proceed to ask for the man of the house. I realize that at some point in history this was probably proper etiquette but frankly it is an archaic request and some days it just pisses me off. Other days, I wish Simon could meow on command, as he is the man of the house. Mostly, I find the offer to take a message allows me to circumvent an out right lie and it isn't like I haven't give them the option to leave a message.

So the other day someone called my house phone and asked to speak with Elaine and I dutifully offered to take a message. She asked again, and I said I could take a message. For some reason it wasn't frustrating me, perhaps because she wasn't being rude/pushy and frankly I just lucked out. By the forth request I could hear my sister in the back ground "saying that is her, she is home". I promptly replied to the lady on the line that my sister wasn't going to get any money from me. :) The phone was then handed to my sister. Turns out that my sister had misplaced her phone and didn't want to leave the store parking lot to have to turn around if it wasn't somewhere in the car/on her person. It was rather funny. Fortunately, the lady understood my technique for answering my phone. So I proceeded to call Amy's cell phone. When the phone was located it was with the help of Luke, who started yelling when it started to ring. He was able to locate it as it was under his hiney. Heh.

~E

Let me see your tooth...

2008-01-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to visit my sister and we hung out and organized her craft supplies. I had fun hanging out and while I was there one of the neighbor kids lost her front tooth. It was pretty cool and she was happy t0 have something to exchange with the tooth fairy. I heard her talk about it while she was on the phone sharing the exciting news with her father.

So, right before the below video started, everyone was showing me their teeth. Some had brand new holes in their smiles and some are about to add another, as one of my nieces has a veeeeeeeeeeery loose front tooth. :) Luke was the last to show me his "tooth" and also the most interactive. :) The upload isn't the best quality but you get the idea.

I had a really good weekend and I will post a bit more later but I need to eat and I want to watch a bit of my football team's game. Any guesses as to who I am rooting for? In reality, I also have chores to get cracking on and I have quite a few things I would like to read. :)

Slacken Napper

2008-01-07T01:19:00.000-05:00

I spent a chunk of time working in my backyard Saturday. Simon hung out with me and on more then one occasion I had to remind him not to eat grass. Well, I like to listen to music and I had my stereo setup to play out the open windows of my house. So while Simon and I were in the yard Maevis decided to get on the forbidden chair and pass out. I came inside for water and when I saw her on the chair I grabbed my camera. I love the fact that the song that was playing on the radio seems to fit the video. :)

Here is to the New Year!

2008-01-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

New Years Eve was fun! I was originally going to go to a house party but then I re-evaluated and since I do not drink and that was probably the theme, I decided to just hang at home. Then the Sray's mentioned that they might be up for something. That turned out to be a lot of fun as we made dinner, had a yummy dessert, played some Wii and then cards (Flux). I had never played a Wii before and I watched Jen play a few games and then Cliff and David bowled. I was going to try the bowling but then I discovered that there was boxing. David and I went a few rounds and it was hilarious. I had to strip a layer as I was starting to sweat and then I had to stand outside for a bit to cool down once we were done. It was pretty funny, I was trying to side kick David as he was able to do side punches but for some reason it wasn't working for me. Oh, my side kicks weren't via the game console but my actual foot. I had to try something different. :)

I think David and I entertained those who were watching. It was a nice little workout. My biceps hurt the next day. I remember shifting gears and trying to think as to why my arms hurt. :) I think that might be something that I would do for 20 minutes a day to get a little cardio. Although, I suspect it would be more fun playing someone then the machine. I would hate to spend all that money and lose interest. The card game was also fun as well as everyone played and it had some funny results. So New Years Eve was my kind of gathering. It was so successful that we are going to try to do it again this weekend before the Butler folk get too busy with shows.

I have been using my fireplace and I love it. Especially with the cold weather. Maevis is currently laying on a pillow in front of the fireplace. I am making sure the two combustibles are safe. Whereas Simon is sitting on my belly as I type. Such a helper. :)

Over the holidays I went to a few movies and thought I would share some thoughts on them. SPOILERS.............The first one, Walk Hard, I saw with Sarah and Mitch and it was better than I thought. It is pretty much a Spoof of Walk the Line. When I initially saw the commercial I wasn't too impressed. However, the acting is really good and the music is too. There are a few jokes that run throughout the movie that are pretty funny. Also, male frontal nudity is just frigging hilarious. I know it made people uncomfortable and that made it even funnier. If you can handle some cheese and know that it is a spoof, I think you may like it. If you are easily offended I do not recommend it. Anyway, if you have seen it I would be curious to know what you think. It isn't amazing but it is funny.

I saw Sweeney Todd with Sarah and I found that I liked the version I saw on PBS better. The opening of the movie had me worried as Johnny's voice was rather rough but that was done on purpose. The singing is actually pretty good. I didn't expect Helena Bonham Carter to have an amazing singing voice so I didn't expect much and she did fine. Overall, the singing was fine but had there been some different casting it could have been better. Really though, I didn't take issue with the singing. Where the movie failed was in the lack of expressing the humor. There is one moment when Helen gets the point across but that is how a majority of the movie should have been, not just a moment.

I recommend the 2001 version that I saw on PBS, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert" it will give you an idea of what the movie could have been. Not the same type of singing style but you can see what I mean about the humor etc. Johnny Depp is a great actor, yes, but the movie should have focused less on how much blood could shoot about and focused more on the acting and singing. It was missing a level of humor and cleverness that I know could have been there. The brilliance of Sweeney Todd is that, although it is a very dark story, there is humor laced throughout, this was barely evident in the movie.

On a side note, the actor (Jamie Campbell Bower) who played Anthony Hope, Johanna's love interest, looks a lot like Garrett Pounds. :) I mentioned that to someone else and they agreed. I think it was Cliff or Jen. Anyway, that wraps up Sweeney Todd.

I saw Juno with Marsha and I really, really liked it. The dialogue is great but made amazing by the delivery by the cast, particularly Ellen Page, who plays Juno. Allison Janney is in the movie as well as other actors that I really like. They have an innate since of timing and delivery. Anyway, it is a quirky movie with odd dialogue and interesting characters who on a whole are ultimately kind, which I appreciate.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets, well I watched that with a bunch of strangers. :) I was surprised at how full the theatre was but it was the holidays. :) That and the fact that it is rather wholesome-ish compared to most of what is out there. I rather enjoyed it and found it to be better than the first one. The actor (Justin Bartha) who plays Riley the sidekick, is very humorous and adds a lot to the movie. It was also Baby Day at the Drafthouse and they all behaved rather well.
.................................................................. SPOILERS OVER ..............................................

I am waiting on getting my camera until after I find out if my contract at work is going to be renewed. I should find that out by the end of the month, if not, then in Feb..

What else can I tell ya? Heh, I went to town on the volunteer trees in my backyard. I need to get the chain back on the chainsaw so I can cut down one more tree but I got a lot done. So I have a lot of tree parts that need to be bagged up - feel free to come over and help out! I need to do a lot of work everywhere but I am getting there.

I thought of somethings that were funny that I should post but that usually happens when I am trying to go to sleep so of course, I forgot what those thoughts were. :) I will try to remember.

Um, Amy's girls bought me a pink squirrel for a Christmas present. I suspect it has to do with the fact that they knew I was bitten by one when I was little and then there is the influence of their mother. :)

I have a book on lighting on its way which I cannot wait to crack open and I am probably on my way to hang out at Barnes and Noble tomorrow as there are some magazines and books I am interested in. Magazines on decorating etc so I can get some ideas for my place and there are some various books I am interested in. It is my understanding that tomorrow it to get in the mid 70s, that is wild! YAAAAAAY!

I have been watching the British Robin Hood series via the magic of Netflix. The Sray's recommended it and I am watching disc two right now. What I have surmised is that it has a good cast and amazingly low budget. :)

I have been spending time with friends and family and it has been good.

I hope everyone had enjoyable holidays and that this year is truly a good one.

~E

My latest lesson from indoor soccer...

2007-12-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I should stop stopping the ball with my face. The upper palate and gums of my mouth have been hurting all day from the ball that knocked me on my ass last night. I barely saw the ball before I discovered I was laying on the ground. Last night, as I laid there on the turf taking a mental inventory, like - can I still see and is there blood, I heard one of my team mates let me know that I would have to recover on the field as we had no subs. Heh :)

Indoor soccer is played at a much faster pace than outdoor and the field is smaller and the odds of getting beamed by a ball are much much higher. I have experienced this a few times since I have been playing indoor.

Yesterday was a rough game, and I don't particularly like those types of games. I want to be able to play for a long time to come and rough games can shorten any ones ability to play soccer, let alone exercise. I had one player apologize for hitting me in the boob and I would had given some humorous rejoinder if she hadn't simultaneously whacked the crap out of my wrist. I was busy mentally cussing so I couldn't respond right away. I mean, it was humorously odd to be running next to someone while they apologize for essentially punching you in the boob.

Ultimately, we had fun and we worked hard as a team. I was thankful for the exercise and that I wasn't too hurt. I will be taking some Ibuprofen before I go to bed. :)

Cats, dogs, turkeys, flying monkeys, Oh My!

2007-12-06T00:31:00.000-05:00

So it has almost been a month since my last blog entry and I thought I better get a crackin'. What have I been up to? I am sure a lot of this will be out of chronological order but oh well.

I took more photos of the cast of Cats and Cliff made posters for all of his cast members. I thought that was very thoughtful of him. I know the Srays have a wall of pictures from their shows and I would want the same if I had been in a show. Anyway, it was good practice for me and I found it helpful that the cast was made up of very talented, friendly people who aren't shy in front of a camera. :)

I do not know if you can get an idea of how high the jump to the right is. If you look at the door to the right you will see where the knob is. The guy can jump! It took us a few tries as I was using a point and shoot which can be rather slow. I am learning. :)

I have a ton of photos of the cast and it is hard to choose what/who to post. I will leave it with these for now.

I had the chance to see Hairspray. It was a last minute thing and it went off without a hitch. If I had had more time to think about it I may not have done it. Fortunately, the friend I invited to go with me drove and had attended school in Waco, so there was no problem reaching our destination. Had I gone by my lonesome it is highly likely that I would have gotten lost. There was one actress in the show that was frigging brilliant. She was soooo very funny, had prefect timing and made the show for me. Marsha had told me to keep my eye out for her as she had seen her in the same role last year. The actress is great!

Um, what else. I went to Brackettville for Thanksgiving. My dad and I drove there together and it was fun. That is where my older brother and his girlfriend live. It was the first time I had been out there. Next time I will go when it is warmer weather so I can get the tour, as it were and take more pictures. I ended up taking a lot of pictures of their dogs, who are all kinds of sweet. I had my dad take a picture of me with my aunt and my brother's girlfriend as otherwise I wouldn't be in any of the holiday photos. I would like to be in some of the pictures too and I am trying to get him to start taking pictures again. He is a great photographer.

Rue and Fran are both very sweet girls!

Anyway, Cid, my brother, hosted Thanksgiving as my mother is in Germany for work and he smoked two hams and two turkeys. There was an INSANE amount of food. The drive out was neat as we saw a whole bunch of cotton less cotton farms. Actually there was some cotton remnant's on the barbed wire fences. I would like to make that drive when the cotton fields are ripe for picking, as it were. I want to take some surreal pictures with floating tufts of cotton. I am pretty sure I saw an eagle but it didn't register until later otherwise I would have tried to convince my dad to pull over. That wouldn't have lasted long though as we may have been shot by hunters, as there were a lot around. On the way back to San Antonio we stopped in Uvalde and went to an Army Surplus store. It was pretty fun. I tried to convenience my dad to buy a flight suit for next Halloween. If I slim down a bit maybe I'll get one for Halloween. Pretty easy costume. They also had some parachutes, which I keep forgetting to tell Amy. She was looking for one for one of the kids birthdays. We used to play with them at school and it remember it being rather neat. So if Amy ever finds time to read this she will now have a source other than eBay. :)

Tin Man - that SciFi movie extravaganza was rather crappy. The script could have been so much more imaginative. Also, Zooey Deschanel, who played DG - a descendant of Dorthy, well she was really bad. I have seen her in quite a few movies and she was great so I have to attribute it to the director, who seems to have wanted her to keep her eyes wide for the innocent look. Hard to act when keeping your eyes wide. Honestly I do not know what the cause was, I am sure there were a few factors but the resulting performance was lacking. There were three parts to the series and a part was shown each night, for three consecutive nights. Each part was two hours long and it got progressively crappier each night. Although, not intentionally humorous, there were the "monkeys" and I have to tell you where they flew from. The bosom of the sorceress (witch). She had tattoos on her that would fly off of her chest and morph into CGI flying monkeys (bat like monkeys?). The smirk on David's face when this would happen was hysterical. I called him tonight to tell him that I didn't quite know what to do as none of the shows on TV tonight had flying boob monkeys. Some of the most dead on and funny reviews I have read in a while can be read here. Just the commentary on the monkeys brought tears to my eyes. http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/elfman/674160,CST-FTR-elf30.article
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11302007/tv/against_all_oz_849976.htm
If you aren't interested in actually reading the reviews here are some snippets...

"Plus, no guy will be blamed for wanting to get comfy with the Wicked Witch. There's a change for you. Replacing the green skin and cackle is a dewy thing with a sultry voice. With a bit of dramatic heaving, the tattoos on her lush bosom transform into monkey bats and launch into the skies. Around the country, nerd boys will be reconsidering what their ideal unattainable woman looks like."
"On the upside, the special effects are, well, very special and very good and must have cost a bundle. Just to build Azkadelia's S&M Cinderella outfits and shooting boobs must have broken the bank."

Today Elizabeth turned two!!! She is such a sweet girl. She had a Diego cake and all of the kids enjoyed the sugary concoction. I took video of the event and while videoing Luke broke into a hilarious dance of jubilation when his father said is was time for cake. I told Amy I want a copy. We need to send a copy to Grandma and our Aunt, I bet they will love it!

Last weekend my dad was in town and my sister, dad and my sister's two oldest and I went to the movies. We saw Enchanted. The lead actress and the prince were excellent. The movie was fun and although I thought it was a little slow at times and could of had more humor, I realize that I am not the main target for Disney. I like the quick wit in Shrek. Anyway, we all had fun at the movie! Spoiler..........................................................................................................................................................
I was disappointed that Idina Menzel didn't sing. I some how figured she wasn't going to but I really had hoped that she would. Hello, musical and she has chops!
End of Spoiler
One of my favorite people came into town last weekend and I was able to meet up with him last minute on Saturday night. We met at Whole Foods and then hung out at Starbucks for about two hours. I like talking with him as I can be open and talk about anything. Also, I like talking about spirituality, what we have been doing with our lives and things in general. He is a very positive person and I appreciate that in my life. Shawn is one of those people in my life that I can see once a year and have a great heart to heart. No bullshit, just laughter, kindness, clarity and friendship.

I need to be taking more photos so I thought I would put it in writing...to make it so. :)

Today I let David know that I bought a lotto ticket for today and Friday so I am pretty much covered. In which he replied "Sweet". He gets it. It is great to have a friend who gets your humor. Of course he then said I could adopt 100 cats. Then he suggested 200 Maevis'. So if I do win, any amount, I do not think I will ask David how I should spend it. Plus, I have plans for funding my Vespa gang.

As a side note I only edited the black and white photo so I know they could use some tweaking but then I wouldn't get to posting.

One last photo to help me sign off. :) Some of my favorite subjects...

Soup, Music and Tours of Art

2007-11-08T23:52:00.000-05:00

The other day I was hanging out with my sister and her family and we went over to their new house to see the progress, as it is just about finished. My brother in-law and I were in the backyard when I saw movement. I pointed out my discovery to Charlie. A very large tarantula. Charlie called everyone to come check out the spider as I went to my car to look for a camera. I couldn't remember if I had brought my camera and I hadn't but fortunately my sister had brought hers. I took some pictures and Amy is going to email some to me. If they turned out I will post one. Although spiders give me the hebegebees some of them have beautiful patterns, like the ones on my back porch. The tarantula was just impressive.

There are a lot of things coming up that I want to do. The East Side Art Tour is supposed to be the week of November 17th. The Empty Bowl Project is on Nov 18th and I really recommend it. http://www.clayways.com/e_emptybowl.html There are also quite a few shows coming to town that I am interested in. Iron & Wine will be at La Zona Rosa, Nickel Creek is going to be at Stubb's, it is their Farewell For Now Tour. There are other shows as well. I may pick a few and go. I saw Tegan and Sara last night and there was too much cigarette smoke, more than I have been around in a long time. I am allergic to cigarette smoke so being around it isn't a pleasant experience for me. I didn't have as much fun as I did at the show I saw there last month but there ya go. They sounded great live and I probably should have moved either closer or away from the crowd as where I was, it was hard to see the stage and the smoke was in abundance.

I saw my ex the other day and I was completely shocked and I have no idea what she thought of my reaction/our brief interaction. She looked beautiful and had a friendly smile. It was hard to see her (it has almost been a year since we have seen each other) and I was surprised she said anything to me. There was a part of me that wished she hadn't said anything to me at all since we aren't talking. I haven't heard from her and part of me really had hoped she would have sent me an email. Then again, maybe I looked like I didn't want anything to do with her. Honestly, it is probably best because she still affects me. It was probably a 5 second moment and all I could do was react and then go sit down at my booth. I was at lunch with co-workers and there was nothing I could do. The fact that we sat about 10 feet from her table wasn't easy but it was somewhat comical.

The fridge did not die and I am thankful that I didn't have to go buy another one. Frankly, I need to by more groceries and stop going out so much. Although, I am trying to be a bit better about it. Monday night we had a pre-chemo dinner. David and I went grocery shopping and then cooked dinner at their place. I think it turned out rather well and I even toasted some pine nuts. :) We had pasta with grilled chicken, shrimp, pine nuts and the sauce had a whole bunch of garlic as David is a garlic fiend. :) We also had fresh bread, steamed broccoli and chocolate and some ice cream. Needless to say I ate too much. :) We had a good time hanging out and talking

I have been listening to a lot of random indie music lately. Also, Sara Bareilles and The Gotan Project. There have been quite a few artists covering Rhianna's Umbrella and my favorite version is by Tegan and Sara, which I heard on the Internet and I also heard it live last night and it sounded even better last night. See if you can find it online and give it a listen. It sounds great.

Strangely Silent Fridge - DEFY MURPHY!

2007-10-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

As of late, my refrigerator has been a bit noisy. This evening when I went to pour myself some club soda - decadent, I know - I noticed that the contents were beginning to freeze. I then adjusted the level on the fridge thinking maybe I accidentally knocked the gauge, knowing full well that I probably didn't. A few minutes ago I opened it up to see if it is losing its cooling ability but I cannot tell.

I wonder if the previous noises were its last gasps? I am hoping such is not the case. However, something is going on as that was my third bottle of Club Soda I have opened this week and the first to have ice in it. Now, in the kitchen - utter silence. Don don dooon. Since I went grocery shopping just a few days ago, Murphy's would dictate my fridge's death. I hope that both the fridge and I defy Murphy. Dorky news? Yes, but thought I would share.

Yard Mange

2007-10-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

Heh. In a previous post I mentioned the attempt to save some of the bugs in my backyard. While trying to spare the bugs in my yard from the swift blades of my lawn mower I have created a rather mangie looking yard. So I will have to finish up the backyard. I mean, if someone were to look at it they would be hard pressed to explain the thinking behind it all.

Last night I went to a fundraiser event which had the theme of Casino Night. Marsha went with me and we had dinner, dessert, drinks and did some gambling. There was also a silent auction. You also received chips to gamble with and at the end of the night you could cash your chips/winnings in for tickets. You would then drop your ticket into the bag in front of the item you wanted to be in a drawing for. There was a fish tank, a tool set, VCR recorder thingie, A GPS unit, Rhino bed liner, and a few other items. Marsha tried for the GPS unit and and I put most of the tickets into the bed liner bag, and a few into the GPS bag. The GPS bag was very full with tickets and I thought the odds were better for the bed liner. We had a lot of tickets because the first of two tables we played had a very generous dealer. :) There was also a man who would walk up and take high dollar chips from our dealer and hand them out. :) When I was at the second table some one gave me $1,000 worth of chips for a water. LOL

Also, my friend Stacy, who gave me the ticket for the event was there with her husband. I was trying to help Mitch, Stacy's husband, win the bed lining for his truck and the odds were really good as most people put their tickets in for the GPS unit. Guess what? We didn't win jack. :) We weren't surprised but we dared to dream. Regardless, I had a while lot of fun hanging out with friends while working on my math skills. Anyway, we had fun! We didn't even make it to the Texas Hold 'Em tables because we were having so much fun at the Black jack tables.

Today I slept in and then hung out with Simon. He was happily laying on one of my pillows, purring. Later I met my friend Mary at Guerros on SoCo and we noshed while we conversed about life. We then perused the stores. We even got to check out the new candy store, which had some funny items, along with things you would expect. I also saw the cupcake airstream that I want to try out some time. They sell cupcakes and only cupcakes - yum! There was a line and if I hadn't been so full from lunch I was seriously considering the Red Velvet - which was a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing on top. I think it is clever and I really hope they stay in business.

The weather was great today and I am glad I got to enjoy some time out in it. Tonight I hope to do some reading and chill out.

~E

Emmett

2007-10-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

I lost a friend yesterday. Quite a lot of people lost a friend yesterday. Emmett Miller was a sweet kind man that used to sit around the corner from me at work. We had many a great discussion about music, food and life. It is rare for me to find someone as in to music as me so when I discovered that he too was an audiophile, I knew I had a unique friend. Emmett was older than me so his music collect was more of the vinyl variety. I suspect he also had a large CD collection. :)

Emmett always had a smile and when he was upset he still had kindness about him. He was the kind of person that would go out of his way to help others. I remember when he helped a co-worker out he didn't really even know and drove her to and from work for longer than he should have. He spoke of his mother often and with affection. Not too long ago we chatted about his mother being on the cover of The Chronicle. For Christmas I got him a bottle of wine, which he refused to open because he liked the way the bottle looked. And for someone who would often have me help him with a computer issue, he was very knowledgeable on how to sell things on eBay. We seemed to appreciate each others' quirks. I loved him. He was a kind person who had a great laugh and I will miss hearing him call me Shug.

~E

2007-10-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I went to see Rilo Kiley and I had a great time. I was surprised to see so many people there let alone that so many people new the words to the most of the songs. It was a beautiful night and they gave an awesome performance. Initially, I was going to skip it as I was rather exhausted from my soccer game but a few of my friends said that I should go and so I did! :) You can see some of their videos here http://www.rilokiley.com/video

Last weekend I saw The Jane Austen Book Club and really enjoyed it. It was a fun chick flick with an actual bit of discussion regarding Jane Austen's work.

Last night I mowed part of the lawn - the tall junglie part. While mowing, I saw all kinds of critters scrambling as I literally mowed through their forest. So being the dork I am, I slowed down the mower so that they could scramble. Why cause carnage when it isn't needed? Plus I like to take pictures of all of the critters. They won't hang out if well... if they are dead or their habitat is gone. Go figure. Anyway, while mowing I was visualizing movies like A Bugs Life and I was the giant with the killing machine, while all the cute nice bugs screamed while they fled. It was humorous and wrong at the same time. So I decided I wasn't going to mow the whole yard so that the bugs would have somewhere to hang out, plus I was running out of day light.

I went to the opening night of Cats at The Georgetown Palace Theatre and they did a great job. If you like musicals you should go. I was so impressed how well the community theatre pulled of the show. Great dancing and just a good job overall.

Monday night I went out with the Sray's, as it was pre-chemo night, and we ate well at the Macaroni Grill. It was nice. Part of the time Marsha and I talked about books and I enjoyed that as I haven't had that type of discussion in a while. It reminded me that I need to do more reading and so I need to make a list. I already have something on its way from Amazon but it is non fiction. I would like to read more fiction and I am going to ask Marsha to email me some of the titles we discussed because I cannot remember them. [Marsha email me some titles, please :) ]

Tuesday night I hung out with Marsha and her mom as it was chemo night. Marsha had chemo that morning and it was a rough day. She was very nauseous and weak. Marsha commented that it was worse than morning sickness and at least with morning sickness, at the end you get a beautiful baby. Who could argue with that? I am glad we were able to hang out as I cannot fathom having to go through that alone. Not that I was much help but sometimes I think it can be a little less miserable if you have someone there with you. Marsha's mom was there too and we just talked a bit, watched tv and hung out. Marsha's mom is great and they have such a good relationship.

Anyway, I know I haven't posted in a while. I have just been busy and obviously need to be better about posting.

I finally did it...

2007-10-07T12:04:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday after the mid-day heat soccer game I spent some quality time trying to get the humidity/sweat induced knots out of my hair. I figured it was time to measure my hair again and see if I had the 10 inches for Locks of Love. Well, have the 10 inches and still have enough hair for a ponytail and for me to be happy with the length. So Friday I went in and had my hair chopped. Cost Cutters is doing a hair drive for Locks of Love and they will cut, shampoo and blow dry your hair for free if you are donating your hair. I hadn't had that done in a while. It was nice and I was in a happy massaged head place. The above picture is of 10 inch ponytails. Instead of trying to saw through one big ponytail the lady wisely sectioned my hair off. Anyway, I am happy with my haircut and that I was able to donate my hair. I was too distracted and forgot to take an after photo. I will see what I can do.

Jackson, David and I had dinner at Cafe Java Friday night. It was fun and the ladies at the diner all loved Jackson. :) Marsha stayed home as the after effects of her chemo are still in effect - evil bone pain. Jackson more than once mentioned that mama wasn't coming. He had a good time though and was pleased that there were chips with his nuggets. Um, he also kept stealing noodles from my plate. :) I like the way he says noodles.

I spent this weekend taking lots of pictures. Starting with an outing Friday night Jackson, then with my sister's family, then Saturday I took pictures at Allison and Andy's wedding and then Saturday late afternoon I went and attempted to take more low lighting photos of the Cats Rehearsal. I have much to learn about lighting.

The picture to the right is of the Johnson clan looking at/ordering gelato. :)

I will try to edit some photos, maybe tonight, so I can post some of what I took this weekend.

I have been rather busy, last week I had a line break in my front yard and that was a bit sucky but my neighbors were very helpful and Roto Rooter was quick to show up and finish the job.

ACL Festival 2007 - Fire and all...

2007-09-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

Click on the pictures for a closer look.

So I managed to swing a wristband to the ACL Fest and while there I took a bunch of photos. I also took a few videos.

There was a fire at the festival and I got quite a few photos. Apparently some people were cooking and there was a faulty butane line. The fire ended up burning up a trailer and two 18 wheelers. Above is a pictures of the burned out Budweiser truck. This fire was not in the open public area but it was very close, as you can tell from the photo. There is a short video at the bottom that I took of the fire.

One of the favorites for me was the Gotan Project. The front man was very talented and made me crack up. There were three violinists, a pianist, a guitar player, a cellist, two DJs, a singer and an accordionist. You should visit their site http://www.gotanproject.com/ so you can get an idea of why they are great. The whole time everyone was dancing. I was up near the front and I was surround by young folk who were all fluent in Spanish. A couple behind me asked me where Bjork would be playing and I got out one of my maps and showed them. The lady then asked me if I had heard of the Gotan Project before and I said yes, she then asked if I understood what they were singing, and I said a little. :) I told her that I owned some of their music. She said that she was from Mexico city and had never heard of them. I think she was surprised that she had never heard of them and that I had. She of course has no idea what a music freak I am.

I also got to see M.I.A. and she was entertaining but I think the heat made the crowd a little lethargic. Her run dancing looked cool and funny at the same time. I haven't modified any of the pictures from her set yet. There were a lot of people to see her show as she has a new sound but also there are also political issues with her and they finally let her in the country.

Zap Mama was great and I was glad they moved them to a stage as opposed to the tent they were under two years ago, as they had a huge crowd and the tent wouldn't have sufficed.

I also saw Amy Lavere and she is very talented and her lyrics are a humorous and a bit dark. She can also slap that bass! I love that she wears a TCB - Taking Care of Business neckless. The video isn't the best quality but I am playing with this new feature. :)

Adam Hood put on a good show and I need to look at his site more so I can figure out which album to buy. He and his band have a good sound. Country rock, as it were.

I like taking pictures of people with reflective glasses as I try to catch what is in the reflection. In this case you can see the crowd watching him play.

I have never attached a video before and this was a little large. When I left Saturday night I stopped on Barton Springs, on the way to my car, to watch these guys. I enjoyed listening to them and was impressed with their home made instruments.

Read the bottom text of the sign. :) It says "Violaters will be towed to a place of Darkness and Tormanet!"" Heh.

~Elaine

Hola

2007-09-16T22:00:00.001-05:00

Click to see some serious eye lashes. :) Luke loves cookies!

So it has been a little while and I am sitting on my couch trying to recall what I have been up to.

The day before labour day I drove to my parents and we had a big BBQ. All the kids were there, along with their kids, my aunt, uncle, cousin and her husband. Also, my brother's girlfriend was also there. Anyway, it was nice to see my dad in good spirits and a lot healthier.

The picture is of my sister's family. We took a walk while visiting my parents.

I went and saw a scary/campy movie about on labour day with David, Marsha, Cliff and Jennifer. The movie was much better than expected. I spent part of the movie covering my eyes and waiting for those watching the screen to stop groaning from what was on screen. That isn't to say that I miss calculated on occassion and saw entrails across the screen, but there you go. Black Sheep is a campy horror movie and be sure to have your volume on when you visit the site, you know, so you get the whole affect. http://www.blacksheep-themovie.com/

Outdoor soccer has started and I am thankful that most the paperwork has been completed and we have a good bunch of players, both as players and more importantly, people.

Marsha and I went out to eat the other night and that was nice. I mentioned to her that I am trying to be better about what I eat and then we ended up splitting a HUGE piece of chocolate cake and it was lovely. We then went to the Half Price Bookstore. It was fun. I then dropped her off and then hurried home as I had found a camera at the field the day before and the owner was meeting me at my house. It turns out that I know the wife of the person who left their very nice camera at the field. We talked a bit and he shared that he takes classes from Precision Camera so I am going to look into that option.

I babysat the other night. All four kids and it went well. I asked Amy how long the first movie was that she put in and she said at least 90 minutes. I had a feeling that wasn't the case so I read the back of the box and it was 34 minutes, then I read the other video's info, and it was a whole 11 minutes. Fortunately, the kids and I also had Hercules. Charlie, who had to work late, came home to Luke refusing to let Anna remove the first movie so we could watch Hercules. I was in the middle of asking Luke to use his words when Charlie got home. Heh. So Charlie and crew watched the movie for a while and then I ended up spending about 20 to 30 minutes throwing Luke and baby Cate onto the big bed, which was covered in pillows. They had fun. Then I ended up having to do that with all the kids, my back was a bit sore the next day but we had fun! I hung out until Amy got home and monitored Craigslist and managed to buy a last minute ACL ticket. I already had Friday off and so things fell into place.

I took a bunch of pictures at the festival and I will post some soon. Needless to say, last night I decided that three days at the festival was just too much so I didn't go today. They need more shade or to move it to October. I saw some great bands but when I go by myself I have a habit of walking all over the place when I should just settle and enjoy it all. I am thinking that next year I may go to some of the pre and post shows instead, as they are after dark = cooler and I suspect longer than a 45 to 60 minute set. We shall see.

Random thing to share, if you enjoy campy/cheesy movies, with action/spies and such, and aren't uncomfortable with a gay theme/love story, I so recommend D.E.B.S.. It cracks me up and it is PG-13. It is on TV right now and so I thought I would share. :)

Picture story for David

2007-08-30T22:57:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, like two days ago, there was a kitten that liked to hang out in the Funk's backyard and torture the black and white kitty who lived inside the house. You see Simon Funk, while very sweet to humans, has some serious issues and doesn't like other cats. It is suspected that he feels threatened, some times due to their cuteness and other times due to territorial disputes.

Recently, Simon tried to project himself through the sliding glass door, which he is want to do when he sees a cat in his backyard, let alone on his porch. On this particular day he turned it up a notch and ran to the kitchen to further stare down the furry intruder...it was rather comical...

Simon scrambled to get on top of the fridge and then worked his head around the high dollar paper curtain. Please note I have curtain rods up, so I am getting there.

The next photo is not of a ghost but of the illusive Mork, who wants to live at the Sray's. I added the scientific circle so that you could see the non apparition with greater ease.

Also, Mork was named by David, hence the name. :)

Meanwhile, Maevis could really give a rip about cats. Had it been a dog then Simon would have been lounging and Maevis would have tried to go through the glass door. Maevis loves her new plush Ikea rug and rather lay upon it in an unlady-like fashion than look out the kitchen window.

Here is the view from behind the curtain. :) Simon wasn't fooling around.

This is probably the cutest cat I have seen in a long while. It just sat there wondering what was up with all of the commotion.:)

I hope everyone has a happy Friday! Mork misses you David and says to come pick him/her up!

You should be able to click for a closer look at Mork. :)

Interviewed by Marsha...

2007-08-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

I requested that Marsha interview me per her site's posting...(by the way it is great so you should visit it! http://themarshalogues.blogspot.com/index.html)

Interview rules:1. Leave a comment saying “Interview me.”2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.3. You will update your blog with a post containing your the answers to the questions.4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. What was the first car you drove? The first car I ever drove was an orange Datsun hatchback that we called Pumpkin. I was around 12 and would beg my mother to let me drive. So she would let me drive it around the pasture on the farm. She would last about 15 minutes at a time as it was hot and and I am sure boring. I thought it was awesome :) When I got a little older I used to get to drive to and from church. At that time all the roads were pretty much back country roads. I will have to see if I can find a picture of the car.

2. (from David) Talk about your passion for photography. Is it new or renewed? What is your goal with this talent? It is renewed. When I was in High School I got a hold of an old Pentax and some lens. Both my step dad and my dad gave me some of their equipment that they had purchased while stationed in overseas. It was much cheaper to buy overseas so I had the hook up. I still have all of what they gave me. I really got into taking pictures of football because I had a subject, my brother Daryl. I proceeded to take pictures quite often. My brother Daryl was on the yearbook committee and he was able to use a lot of my photos, which I thought was cool. At some point, after Daryl graduated, I was busy with work, school and handling life, taking pictures faded. Ultimately, my dad and my mother were a shutterbugs and they passed it on to me and my sister. I haven't decided what my goal is other than to improve. I am interested in being able to sell some of my work at some point. To have someone see what I have done and feel a connection. So an artistic path is what I am thinking. We will see where it takes me.

3. How did Maevis get her name? Simon? Heh. I named Maevis after I heard the name in a Xena episode. It was was a humorous moment in the program where the main character is off her rocker (I believe due to the Furies) and refers to her friend as Mavis, and the name just stuck in my head. I spell Maevis with an e in it because I wasn't sure if I liked the name enough and I could always call Maevis Mae, or Mae Mae instead. It turned out that she is a Maevis. Simon is named after a cat we had when my sister and I were little. He was Siamese and he disappeared, most likely with the help of coyotes. I just like the name.

4. Who is your favorite actor, male or female and why? I am not quite sure who my favorite actor or actress is. I think there are really talented people who are in crap and then there are not so talented people in great films. Hmmm. Then there are aesthetic qualities versus pure talent. :) So, I do not know. I will have to think on it and if I figure it out I will post my findings.

5. Talk about your favorite vacation. Where, when, what. A few years ago I went on a short trip to L.A. with a friend and I had a really good time. It wasn't over planned, there was great food, went to the Getty, took pictures, watched two plays outside in beautiful weather, got to see the coast, etc. Low key, relaxing and fun.

So if you have a blog and would like me to interview you, just send me a note.

Ice Cream :)

2007-08-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a little while and thankfully things have settled a bit. Most importantly, my dad is home from the hospital and recovering. We are so very thankful for that. I ended my sentence with the word that and that is going have to suffice! :)

Simon is also at home and recovering. I am a little paranoid about him as he has been peeing a lot but then I need to worry when he isn't peeing so here's to lots of peeing! He has been very good as I have to give him strong antibiotics twice a day. So I pop the pill in and sometimes I have to pop it in again. :) Overall, he has been quite the sport. He has taken to the forbidden pillow as though it had a healing source and he dares me to say anything. I know better. I just cover the pillow or when foiled by his stealthiness, I just have to throw on a new cover. The other day I had to get up around 12:30 AM as he had been sick, on the bed, and I had to switch the sheets out. He laid there and I had to pick him up and move him to different parts of the bed, as he made it clear he wasn't gonna move. Mattress pads are a godsend. If he weren't sick I would have motivated him to move it. I think he may be milking it a little but he is such a good boy and he almost died, he deserves the attention.

I went outside and took some more photos, one of my favorites has the bee's shadow on the flower. I just like how that turned out. I also took a million photos trying to get a picture of a particular spider's web. It took two days to get the right lighting etc. I could do better but I suspect I would need a macro lens. Click on the picture to get a better view of the web.

I bought two rugs a couple months ago from Ikea's As Is section. They were discontinued and they were like $5 each. Well I finally put one out to see how long it will last. I am going to put flooring in my bedroom but for now it is concrete. I thought a little rug would be nice and it is rather cushioned and feels awesome. It is Maevis' new favorite place to pass out. I will have find the picture.

Let's see...I had my birthday and that was okay. I think next year I am gonna leave town and do something fun. I did that a few years ago and had such a good time. Birthdays are kind of hard for me and I rather just plan something then regret not doing something.

Here is a picture of a bad mama jamma. I wish I hadn't cut off the top of Stacy's head but it still looks cool. This picture says "Badass". :) I took this at our last co-ed game of the season.

I got hit in the esophagus last indoor soccer game and may I just say, I do not recommend it. I went down, laid there and decided there were just a couple minutes left in the game and the world could kiss my ass. That isn't nice but it was the pain talking. I walked off the field, my body shaking. After the game quite a few players from the other team asked if I was okay, which is rare, and that was nice. The person who did it apologized and it made me laugh because before she said anything, I hadn't known who hurt me. I have noticed that when someone takes a play too far that I have to back off and fight the urge to slam them into the plexi-glass. It feels odd to react that way as I really try to be nice but I attribute it to fight or flight. It rarely happens but when it does it is a rare sight. I am usually goofing around etc so it throws people off to see me as Angry Spice. Anyway, Stacy had warned me that I might experience some whiplash, which I couldn't fathom, I was too busy making sure that my trachea was still connected. Well, Stacy was right, lovely headache and a stiff neck followed the next day and has continued. I am trying to get in with Donna so she can work out some of the whiplash.

Marsha celebrated her birthday on Sunday, August 12th and there was a nice gathering. Jackson really, really wanted to open pressies and was very helpful when the time came to open pressies. A lot of the presents were in bags and he was very adapt at pulling things out. He was a good helper!

To left you can see a fun photo of Andrea holding the pressie king. You may notice that he is holding tissue paper that he liberated from a pressie, before the adults got wise and put the bags out of reach. Also, if you look to the left of Andrea you will see a cameo by Sarah Sray. I took the picture of me and Jackson and he is just chilling with his ribbon.

Marsha had a b-day pie as she was caked out from Jackson and then David's birthdays. Mmm chocolate cake! Cakie!!! - as Jackson says. The pie was actually very yummy!

Friday night I went over to the Johnson's and had wookies with lil bit cake. :) That's how she says cookies. Then her siblings came home and we watched High School Musical 2. Woooo. :)
It was cool to watch them watch something they were excited about. Where as Amy and I had fun making cracks about the program but at the same time talked about how talented the actors are.

The girls were enthralled with the show and progressively got closer to the TV and if you wanted to see the screen you had to ask them to move. :) I had a good time with everyone and it was fun to hang out with Amy and talk. Sooner than later I am supposed to go to the lake with them. We'll see. I am already sun burnt from Saturday.

So Saturday I went to the Whole Foods downtown and stumbled upon a cool event. I ended up staying and taking quite a few pictures. The guy in the picture below, I can't remember his last name but one of the other people at the event said he was a professional skater. I meant to get a picture of his back as he has his last name tattooed on it. It starts with a B.

This picture is of a shopper who also stopped to watch the skaters. His hat looks like something you would see in a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare adaptation/movie or maybe on Heehaw.

After getting a nice red base coat, as opposed to a tan, I then headed to the First Annual Austin Ice Cream Festival. I met with some friends and we all had a cleansing sweat while eating ice cream or sipping on $4 sweet tea. I actually had a cool thing happen there as I was in line to get tickets, as you had to use tickets instead of cash, a lady behind me handed me hers as she wanted to leave and not fool with getting her money back. So it was like her handing me $9 in cash.

I didn't have enough ice cream while there but by the time I was ready for a big cup-o-ice cream I didn't want to stand in line so the sweet tea served me well. There was a great turn out and next year they will be better prepared, more scoopers and more ice cream. Some of the vendors ran out before the mid-day. They even had ice cream for dogs! I had fun and the cool part about Waterloo Park is that you can find shade, which we did. I got to pet quite a few dogs and one of the cutest ones there was Buster. He was a rather larger dog and very sweet. He and I shook hands and he let me take his picture. I dig his collar.

There was a contest with popcicle sticks and the below was the coolest of the ones we saw.

Saturday night I had dinner with the Wanke folk and guests. The meal was awesomely delicious, and the company was great. Unfortunately, I didn't last too long as I had been outside or a good part of the day so I left at a decent hour. :) I must say not only was dinner excellent but they served two different kinds of ice cream cake! Yay ice cream and yay cakie! So not having but a small scoop of ice cream with root beer earlier in the day paid off.

Sunday I got to hang out with Allison and Andy and that was a lot of fun too. They have really worked hard on their house and I can only hope a bit of their domestic diligence will some how transfer to me. I need to send them some of the pictures I took.

I also had to register The Red Hots for a new season of soccer. So I am still trying to get in paperwork and money. So far it has been gone rather well.

Anyway, this last weekend was the best weekend I have had in a while and it consisted of all the simple things. :) Kind people, good food, laughter, photography and so on.

Starbucks coupon...

2007-08-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Some Target stores now have Starbucks in them. Click on the link for a printable coupon.

http://www.spoofee.com/coupons/page.html

~E

Please and thank you

2007-08-07T22:33:00.001-05:00

My dad has been improving and he was able to go home tonight. We are all very thankful for his improvement and for your thoughts and prayers, they were and are appreciated.

Send up good thoughts for my meow Simon as he is pretty ill and staying at the vet. I had to rush him to the emergency care center last night and then I took him to his regular vet today. He has improved some but it is best for him to stay where he is for now.
Today is David's b-day and Jackson loved the b-day cake. Marsha made an awesome dinner which consisted of steak, shrimp, corn and salad. I wisely went and played soccer about an hour afterwards. Tada! Fortunately for everyone on the field, I did not explode and I even scored a goal! It was a fun game and a good stress burner. My team mates are fun and awesome people.

Marsha got her hair cut today and it looks very cute!!

I am tired and I have more to share but maybe I will do that tomorrow. I hope that all 3.5 of you who read this are well!

~E

ICCU - who knew?

2007-08-04T18:43:00.001-05:00

I am currently sitting in a hospital room watching my dad sleep. He was admitted last night and it turns out he has a Bi-Lateral Pulmonary Embolism. Essentially, he has blood clots in both of his lungs. He seems to be doing well and they are starting him on blood thinner. They are trying make sure the clots attach and go no further and that may take a few days. So we aren't sure how long he will be in the hospital and we are hoping that the clots will be responsive to the medications. So although this is very serious, it is such a blessing that he is in a hospital and that the clots were caught when they were.

So we have recently passed the mid-year mark and in taking stock of what has happened so far, I think we are doing pretty well. The collective we, heh, more so those in my life. Even Marsha and David whose lives recently took a turn they would never have anticipated, are doing amazingly well. It isn't to say we all don't have our moments, but they are just that, moments. Obviously, some moments are longer than others. :) A key thing is to try to be positive and that can really, really help. I also think surrounding yourself with good people can also do wonders.

I feel like I am learning a lot and I have got to tell you, some times I want to take a vacation from all the glorious life lessons. :) So I am thinking of maybe taking a short trip somewhere. I have just recently seriously considered it and now I have to figure out a plan.

I went outside this morning as I am trying to get pictures of a particular spiderweb and its tenant. Let me just say it isn't easy and I suspect I need to get up even earlier than I did. I did get some pictures but I still need to see how they turned out. I also took some pictures of some more inhabitants of my backyard. I will post those later once I am settled back at my house.

~E

Thank you...I'll be here all week!!!!

2007-07-26T17:52:00.000-05:00

Many have experienced the misplacing of an item, like your glasses. Only to realize that they are on your head. Last night as I got out of my car I started looking for my cellphone. Once inside the house I even went back out to my car to make sure I didn't leave it in there, as I did that early in the week. I have to point out that the whole time I was searching for the phone, I was talking with my aunt, via the "missing" phone. When my brilliance finally sank in I had to explain to my aunt why I kept laughing. She too had a good laugh. I am a bit lacking in the sleep department and I am thankful that although yesterday could have been really rough, it wasn't.

Yesterday started with my cleaning up the cat trifecta - if it can come out of a cat, it did. Needless to say, at least one of them will be going to the vet tomorrow. So I had to clean as best as I could and then head off to work. Lovely. :) The night before I had a very late soccer game and ended up going to bed around 1AM as once I got home I had somethings to do.

Then I had some cat issues of the behavioral sort, which I haven't had in a while. Maevis protested my attempt at sleep - vocally- and then she woke me up earlie in the mornin'. I think someone feels neglected but I have to tell you, it makes me appreciate the fact that she had been really good for quite some time. I think that she hasn't been attending her sessions with Gnomie. That will rectified.

I will have to go take a picture of something as it feels odd to post with out including a picture.

I have been listening to a new song by Tegan and Sara, off of their latest album The Con. The song is called Back in Your Head. Anyway, I like their music and was excited to hear some new tunes. Tegan and Sara are twins from Canada and I dig 'em. You can hear some of their stuff at http://www.myspace.com/teganandsara I recommend the song I previously mentioned. They have interesting lyrics, catchy melodies and although pop-ish, they aren't mainstream. They are coming to Stubb's and I have purchased my ticket. Go forth and listen.

Pretzel Monsters...

2007-07-25T00:13:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago I was attacked by pretzel monsters. If you look in the back ground you will see the lil one being held by her mom. :) We had a lot of fun and they were kind enough to pose for the camera. :) Being Aunt Elaine/leelane is pretty cool.

Another fun thing, other than surprise food attacks, is sharing music with a whole new audience.

Pushing back

2007-07-23T21:41:00.000-05:00

I have a tendency to push back. I don't know why but it is something I have been working on. It is hard. It is hard to look at yourself and try to understand why you do or don't things. To put a magnifying glass on what you have tried to ignore, didn't realize, or thought it was fine only to learn how much more you have to work on.

I have found when working on yourself it can be very hopeful and frustrating at the same time. I feel like I am partially aware of what I am learning and that more will fall in to place when I am ready. I am trying to put things into practice and quite often think "holy crap I still have more to work on".
I cannot tell you how f'd up I have felt about allowing someone's opinions to really cloud the truth and how that affected me. I have learned that they were pretty off base and I am also learning how to prevent that from happening again.

Losing yourself - I don't really recommend it but I have to tell you, I know I am stronger, wiser and will be better prepared for the next go round. Next time I see red flags, I won't be so quick to excuse, forgive, and or ignore. Rather, it will be discussion time and quite possibly time to move on. I think it can apply to any relationship in your life.Vague enough for you? That's okay, this part of the post seems to be for me and those who know of which I babble. :) Mayhap I should print it out and tape it next to the tenets on my bathroom door?

So I finally decided to take some photography classes, something I have put off for years. Part of the reason has been due to trying to find a class that worked around my work schedule and then the other being that I haven't been too thrilled with the thought of spending 5 or so hours in class on a weekend. I am sure a larger part was/is my tendency to push back.

I have enjoy taking pictures and thought it was time to take some classes. So I registered for classes this morning, which felt like a big step for me. I discovered when preparing to pay for the two classes that I am out of district which means tuition is about three times what I thought it would be. Two classes will cost me a little over $1,000. So I have until Friday to figure out what I am going to do. Right now I can't fathom spending all that money. That money could buy the SLR camera I want. So I am leaning towards reading more, taking more photos, talking to those who know about the subject and saving up for the SLR.

I think I am disappointed because I was really looking forward to taking the classes, meeting new people and learning about one of my favorite things. I am trying to step forward but it seems as of late that when I stop pushing back that I am running into obstacles. I should probably stop looking at it that way and I will try. Although life is a bit chaotic and frustrating right now, I know that a lot of this is what is supposed to be happening and I have some learning to do. So I am fixin' to keep a learnin'. :) For further stories about obstacles ask me about the church service I attended. Heh.

There is also a larger part of me that feels guilty that the things that are bothering me, are bothering me, when there are bigger, more serious things in life. I guess this is my stuff and I just have to keep it in perspective. I have a good friend of mine who is very sick and I haven't decided if I want to blog about it or not. She called me tonight and she received some good news and I am so glad that she shared her news with me. She starts chemo tomorrow so keep her in your prayers.

~E

Travel, movies & chocolate cake

2007-07-19T18:03:00.001-05:00

Once again it has been a while so I have some things to share. I spent part of the July 4th week in Illinois hanging out with my dad's side of the family. It is always fun and I love the fact that the relatives that live near by always come to visit us when we are in town. I had a plethora of cousins around and they are all quite fun and nice, which makes for a good trip. Although, I don't feel like I got to spend enough time with my grandmother so I may need to fly out on my own.

My grandmother has a cool backyard. If you click on the photo you will see that there is a staring contest going on.

This trip I met my dad flew in the same day and met at the St. Louis airport. A few days later, my sister and her two oldest kids flew in to visit as well. So that was fun and it was cool to get some group photos of the multi-generations. While on my trip, my aunt Beni and my cousin Chris took me downtown for lunch and to look around. We went to Fitz's and inside they bottle their own Root Beer, which was cool to see. We then walked around "The Loop," stepped into a comic book store, where I met an employee who is from Gruene, TX. We talked about the all the rain and the flood that hit Gruene a couple of years ago. We then visited Blueberry Hill which is also on The Loop and Chuck Berry plays there on occasion. There are a lot of photos all over the inside of celebrities who have visited. I believe in the basement there is a rather popular music venue called the Duck Room.

We then went into a Head shop - The Loop is very close to a college campus, where we proceeded to look at the home made clothes, quasi-clever tee shirts, and the 18 year old in deep discussion over a one hitter with the sales guy behind the counter. First of all, I didn't know that is what the wooden flask like object was called but Chris educated me. Secondly, I was impressed with how lucid the sales guy was and he was really educating the kid and working on a two dollar up sale. It was all rather odd. Lastly, I really was tempted to walk up to the kid, who probably just turned 18 and looked about 15, and I wanted to say "Don't I know your mother?". Alas, he lucked out and I was distracted by my aunt's inquiry as to what a particular t-shirt's acronym meant. Anyway, Chris turned down our idea of him getting the I Heart Boobies shirt for the family photo that would happen the next day, so the entertainment value of the head shop was exhausted. So, even though I was full from Fritz's I was craving a cold concoction from Starbuck's and Beni and Chris were kind enough to wait for me and then we went down the street and they got Bubble Teas.

The picture to the left is very representative of how I spent a lot of my time in Illinois, as my aunt is a great cook. :)

The trip was fun and I got to see lots of family folk. I also took a lot of photos. :) I have so many photos that I need to go through all of them and tweak them. I should actually post one of the group pics but I will do that another time.

Movie reviews...

While in Illinois I went to see Transformers with my Uncle Bob, my cousins Chris and Adrienne. It is a great action flick. I am glad they waited for the technology to catch up because if they had made Transformers about 10 or more years ago, I suspect it would have consisted of spray painted cardboard outfits. Not to say that ain't fancy but I think what they did in the movie is very impressive. While on the topic of movies, this past Monday I finally got to see Ratatouille, or as I call it, Rata-pooee aka Rata-poopie. I actually had to check the time to see how much of the movie was left. The visuals were great and there was a plot but it was severely lacking in cleverness and there were blantant things done for shock value, things that I don't think little kids need to see. I was very disappointed and I say if you plan on seeing it, go to a matinee or wait to rent it.

Jackson turned 2!!!!!!!

Last Saturday, July 14th, my buddy Jackson turned two. There was a shindig where he got a lot of trucks and such but I think one of the true highlights was the chocolate cake. Jackson is my type of friend, as he understands the love of chocolate. I was lucky enough to get a picture of the jubilation on Jackson's face when he saw the cake. He was so excited that he ran to the table and then turned and made a beeline for his high chair. He is a smart boy!! Jackson was also kind enough to share his coveted chocolate cake with his mom. :)

This entry was started on the date shown and completed on Monday the 23nd. Apparently drafts maintain the start date. It is early Monday morning, around 12:30am and I blame Marsha and David for keeping me up late. :) We went and saw the latest Harry Potter movie at the last minute and it was pretty good.

Anyway, I will post more this week. Later today - July 23, I am to register for my photography classes. I hope I am able to get the ones I want.

Mostly Winged Things

2007-06-29T19:14:00.001-05:00

For some reason this dump truck was parked on the main street by my house. It looked as though the driver was talking with someone from the neighborhood. May I just say it had a rather foul smell, cause it did. Regardless, I had to take a picture because the For Sale sign was cracking me up, and the Mack dog adhered to the front of it was rather humorous as well.

The below photos were all taken at my house...

Click to see larger versions of the pictures.

Finding God

2007-06-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

So I was given the assignment to find God. Essentially, to be aware and see what strikes me as His presence and take a picture of it. Well I had taken some photos through the week but I wasn't taking as many as I would like as things have been busy. So I went to my indoor soccer game a little early on Tuesday night and I got my camera out to take some pictures as there is a field next to the building I have my games. I thought maybe I would luck out and the cows would be there. So while taking a picture of some flowers I noticed something flew into my shot. I tried to get another shot off but it was too fast for my none SLR. It felt like I may have gotten some help with my assignment. :)

I babysat Jackson last Saturday and that was fun. We played a lot of push the truck. Well he pushed his truck and I made sound effects and took pictures. You can just see him working things out. He is sharp and figures things out and will ask for help instead of getting upset. Per usual, click the photos to see a larger version. One of these pics has bubbles. :)

Amy and family have arrived and it still doesn't seem real. I suspect once they settle and we get to hang out more it will sink in. I really like being Aunt Elaine and I am so happy that I have my sister so close by. So expect more photos of kids. :)

I will try to post more often.

Per Tam's request :) A crack free post...

2007-06-23T02:03:00.000-05:00

The above photo is of John Butler, of the John Butler Trio, playing his harmonica. I took it last week at the Waterloo instore. He did an accoustic set and it was really great. He is a excellent guitarist. Not only does he play slide but he also plays a mean banjo. :) Anyway, I will post more this weekend but Tam had requested I post something new so that when she visited the site she didn't have keep seeing the crack shots. Heh. I am trying to make this post long enough so that you would have to scroll down to see the last post. Somehow I don't think I have enough to say right now as I am muy sleepy. Perhaps another photo?
The posters at the bottom right hand side are what the cover to his new CD, Grand National, looks like. If you haven't heard his music then I suggest you Google him. GOOGLE!
~G'night.

Crack kills or atleast may cause a wreck...

2007-06-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

So I had the joy of seeing this guy Saturday afternoon. At first I was like, is he just wearing a Speedo? No, Crazy must be wearing a jockstrap. I was wrong on both accounts. As I turned and attempted to not hit him with my car, as he too was headed for the freeway, I was able to discern that he was wearing neither of the aforementioned underthings. It seemed very likely that he was wearing one of his own creations. May his handy work never be trendy.

Let me just say that I was compelled to take a picture because no matter how I told the story, you just wouldn't have the visual burned into your brain like I did. Why should I be alone? So, tada! I thought I would share and frankly, it is great blog material. I have reduced the size of the photos so that you aren't too traumatized. However, you can click on the pics if you dare. :) I must say, whatever he was wearing, it didn't look comfortable.

This weekend was busy. I saw my friend David in 1776 up at the Georgetown Palace Theatre and he was great! It is a good show and I recommend it as it has humor, history, and one should support your local theatre. Plus David has a really good solo.

Friday night I went to Mitch and Sarah's and they fed me yummy food. While leaving, I saw the two toads that moved into Sarah and Mitch's pond. Pretty cool to not only hear them but to see the throat puffing too.

I know this isn't chronological but that was thrown out with starting with the Saturday photo so there ye go.

Saturday we had our Red Hots soccer BBQ and it was rather fun. We have some great people on our team and it was a fun bunch who made it to the hootenanny. I brought a gift for Toby and Lindsey and Toby loved it. I took some pictures so if you read this before I add them, check back later so you can see Toby in his new pool. :) Robin and Philip were kind enough to host the party and I am thankful they did, as I think everyone had a really good time.

We talked about uni-sex bathrooms, celebrity sitings, deer repellent vegetation, toilet weight limits and the list goes on. There was a lot of laughing and I am all for that!

I heard from my friend who took her son on a surprise graduation gift to New York. What a cool mom!! Anyway, I owe her an email but it was nice to hear that they are having a good time. I can't wait to hear the stories.

I know that there is more but I need to go to bed. So I will leave you with a cliff hanger so you will come back to see how my Library story ends. I checked out 15 Cds from the Library, which were due yesterday. I spent at least two hours searching for said discs. I only know where one is as I have been listening to it in my car. The only two things I have come up with were that I put them in my soccer bag so that I would stop on the way home after a game to return them and that they were lifted while I was playing. Or, I have them at work, which I do not remember leaving them anywhere. I have once place to look. Dear lord I hope I do not have to replace 14 Cds. So, if you have any idea what I may have done with them, let me know. :) And before you start posting that Maevis ate them, she did not. The End

Bloggie stuff...

2007-05-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I have managed to get a shin splint. Of course it happens when I am finally able to make it through an indoor soccer game without feeling like I am about to pass out. Although, I still like to call for a sub before the game starts. Right now I am icing my leg. I just finished icing my shin and now I am icing behind the knee. So I have a bag of ice on my ottoman, my leg propped on top and Maevis is laying next to the bag, apparently she needs to do some icing as well.

Maevis hangs out with her new friend Gnomie because he is a good listener and trustworthy.

This past long weekend was very busy on some days and rather slow on others. I wish I had been more productive at home but I had fun and was quasi productive. I went and saw The Waitress, a cute movie that also has some sadness to it too. Stacy and I went and saw that in the knowledge that trying to see the pirate movie, part bazillion, would be a bit crazy. The fact that the theatre was practically full for our movie let us know that we were not only right but that we weren't the only ones who were willing to wait to see the latest blockbuster. Frankly, I would like to see it with a group of friends or wait to rent it. There are a few indie movies that I am more interested in and will go see them instead if it isn't a group outing.

On Saturday night Cobi was kind enough to go run amuck with me to Stubb's where KGSR was having their t-shirt party/free concert. Carolyn Wonderland and Papa Mali were the two performers I had a field day taking photos and I was thankful that Cobi was happy to shake her groove thang while I went up to the front and blinded the performers with my camera. Not only did we have dinner there but in between Papa Mali's two sets we went and split a dessert - yum!

I enjoy taking photos and playing with the lighting, that may annoy some people but I like it. Click the pics to see larger versions of the photos.

The pedi-cab guy was nice enough to peddle around so that I could take a second shot but I ended up liking the funky one, which is the one I posted. Click on the pic to see the passenger.

So on Sunday I went and saw the closing performance of Marsha's play, which she wrote and starred in at the Scott Rite Children's Theatre. Also, Andrea was the director. :) Anyway, I liked it a lot and so did the theatre full of kids. Plus Marsha's dress was cool and probably just what ever little girl who wants to be a princess would want to wear. I also got a fun shot of Jackson while hanging out with him and his momma. Is that last sentence grammatically correct? So how cute is he?!!!!

So I know I have been slacking in the blog department I will try to be better about it. I know I write vague descriptions of musicians I like and I will try to do a better job. I have a lot of new artists I would like to share about. I wish I could have a way to play music via this blog. Maybe there is a way to add it or I may eventually be motivated to switch to another blog service.

I suspect I will blog in the next day or so as I feel like I am forgetting something. I just remembered...Monday I went to a BBQ at Sarah and Mitch's. I have more pictures but that will be for the next entry. :)

7 Random Facts About Me!

2007-05-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Marsha tagged me with the below...

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. When I was in elementary school my parents let me bring home a baby chicken from school. The chick had been incubated and hatched in the school library. The boy who originally took the chicken home had failed to get permission from his father so he had to return it. The chicken was a burnt red color, the same color of my older brother's hair at the time, so it used to nest in his hair. We didn't have the chicken as long as we would have liked as Thumper, our rabbit, ended up attacking the chicken. Legend has it that at the end of the epic battle Thumper was heard to have said, "There can be only one." Fortunately, I didn't see the incident as I was visiting my mother for the summer.

2. When I was little, the family rabbit Little Berries, died. I was about three at the time and according to my sister, I would walk up to strangers and tell them how my yabbit died. My sister said I milked it, I say it was part of my healing process.

3. I really love the guitar but I believe that my favorite instrument is the tabla. I love how it sounds and what it can add to a song.

4. My favorite sport in high school was the discus.

5. I watch the UFC. Most people who know me find it surprising but what interests me is the skill level and the fast thinking. If is gets bloody I have too look away or turn the channel.

6. I get an adrenaline rush from great music. Music is one of my favorite things.

7. When we moved to Japan my parents signed us up for activities coordinated through the base's Youth Center. I was signed up for bowling, which I had never experienced before. The bowling alley didn't have shoes for kids so we had to bowl in our socks. I swung the ball out towards the pins and proceeded to fly backwards as the weight of the ball set me off balance and having no shoes to grip the floor with, I ended up landing flat on my back. The ball proceeded to go above me and then landed on my right hand, splitting and breaking my finger. I remember that I was dripping blood on the bowling alley floor. I ended up a having my finger splinted and three of them taped together, due to the ball's impact on my hand. That was the end of my foree into bowling. My parents had to enroll me in a new class, so they put my in an arts and crafts class. I can still vividly remember sitting in at a table trying to use scissors with my left hand and finding my situation rather pathetic. That is when I experienced my first earth quake. :)

So those are more like random stories with facts but there you go!

2007-05-11T15:28:00.000-05:00

So I have been running around flocking strangers' yards with flamingos. I must admit that it can be rather fun. I am volunteering with PlantCancer.org and we are doing flockings Tuesday and Friday nights. The shirt I am wearing in the photo says Flock U. I think that next year they should add www.planetcancer.org on the shirt so that it makes more sense. But a big pink Flock U is a bit funny.

Andrea and I met for dinner last week before we went flocking and we were approached about our shirts, which was cool because then we were able to share about the organization. Anyway, I am wearing capris today because it is getting hot and I don't want to fry. To the right is a picture of Andrea. I am leaving it up until she reads this blog and tells me to take it down. :) Actually, I know I will see her tonight and I will let her know that the 4.5 people who read my blog will see a picture of her arguing with a hand puppet.

Last week I went to New York on a business trip. Alas, I didn't make it into the city but I did eat well. If I go back I will try to arrange to stay with my sister's friend who lives in the city. So to entertain myself on the flight home, I took pictures out my window. The picture to the left is of the O'hare Airport. The non pared down photo is pretty cool because you can see the planes on the runway. Anyway, I took a whole bunch of photos of clouds and the earth below.

I was glad to get home as the whole trip seemed to mainly involve scrambling to get to the next place. While in New York we visited a small town named Katona. We walked a little bit of the area as we were on a waiting list for the local resturante and we had about forty minutes to burn. So while walking around I saw the largest jade plant I have ever seen. I hoped that I wouldn't get all glare on the photo because I wanted a picture of the massive plant. I need to crop the photo but take a look. >>>>>>

I have more to blog about but will do so a bit later. I know I owe Marsha a response to her tag and I actually started on my answers the other day. I will post them soon.

Smoking Fences

2007-04-28T19:16:00.000-05:00

The other morning, while strolling through the house towards the fridge, as it was breakfast time, I decided to open the blinds. It was going to be a sunshiny day and since I was going to work from home it was also going to be outside time for the meows. I looked out the sliding glass door to see smoke rising from my fence. Subconsciously I knew not to be alarmed. I took a closer look to confirm that there was no fire and then proceeded to get my camera. I think I didn't freak out because at some point I had seen it before. It looked pretty cool. It had rained the night before and it was a very hard rain. My fence rails were soaked and the hot sun was was essentially cooking the water out of them. Hence the smoke.

A battle of wills is currently happening in the Funk house, particularly the kitchen area. Maevis has a UTI and the only way I seem to get her medicated is by putting the meds in tuna. Well, if the ratio isn't right she can smell/taste the meds and won't eat the tuna. I have been taking the same plate of medicated tuna in and out of the fridge all evening and her other food has been removed from reach. She will eat a little and then complain but she is gonna eat that before I put out her food. Poor meow, I know she is miserable.

I have been very restless today. I have fought the urge to go to the movies. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go but I have to rentals at home that I haven't watched yet. I think it has to do with the a few things. The first being my house is in disarray. I am in the process of installing a new kitchen faucet and of course, this will involve multiple trips to a hardware store. I am in the middle of the installation and need to go back to Home Depot. I hope I can finish this project on my own.

Another contributor to my state is the cranky cat that is annoying me and the pee that goes with her problem. I spent last night trying to collect enough of her pee to give the Vet a sample, which I delivered today. Let's just say that when she did use the box with the special litter she eventually ended up flipping it, which sent the black plastic pellets everywhere.

I am also in a bit of a funk - no pun intended - and down time allows for thinking, although that is what I need it isn't always something easy to do. As of late, by the time I have down time I am fried and not up for introspection. Well, I am trying to reduce my running around as I know I need that time and it is important not to ignore self maintenance. So, I forced myself to stay home and I did some work on the sink. In regards to self maintenance I have a book to read.

Earlier in the week I had the chance to see Ravi and Anoushka Shankar at the Paramount Theatre. (The picture to the left is from her website). It was an awesome experience. Anoushka played first and she had four musicians accompanying her. There were two drones, one flute and a tabla player. It sounded great. The flute has a haunting sound to it and the tabla is actually my favorite instrument. They played a set and then Ravi played, with everyone except the flute player. When Ravi came out he explained why he had a bench to sit on. He has been very sick with double pneumonia. Also, he had injured his shoulder. So they had him sit on a bench and he used a Sitar that he had especially made so he can still play. At first he seemed a bit weak and timid and then he must have warmed up or found comfort because soon his eyes were shut and I was privileged to watch the Master of the Sitar's (87 years old) fingers fly up and down the sitar and it was amazing.

Admittedly, I enjoyed Anoushka's set more but I knew that I was very lucky to see her father perform and both sets were great. Part of it had to do with her set including the flute and tabla. I found myself smiling the whole time. If you have a chance, visit their sites so you can hear some of their music. http://www.anoushkashankar.com/ http://www.ravishankar.org/index.html. A side note, Ravi is also the father of Nora Jones, another talented artist.

Here is a photo I recently took when crossing over I35, headed West on 620.

Asthmatic Squirrels

2007-04-27T14:54:00.000-05:00

I have slacked a bit in the posting area but this entry should make up for it. Let's begin with a story...

Once upon a time there was a little house in the borderline ghetto, and it was infiltrated by evil beings. They were milky and almost translucent, squirmy and had no likable qualities. Said beings of evil started to eat the poor little house's innards. Luckily, the little house was able to show signs of the invaders' presence and action was taken. Thus beings our story of the asthmatic squirrel...

Part of the treatment for termites should include your bath tub. I learned this from numerous sources so when I was in the process of getting bids on a termite treatment I brought up the tub. Of the two companies, only one mentioned how the tub area should be treated and the method in which he would do so. I went with his company, Longhorn Pest Control.

He sawed out a rectangle of the drywall in my bedroom closet and low and behold, there was my tub. The importance of the tub area is that there is open space there and that the termites can some how find the water so they can come up through that space. Upon opening the hole to treat the area, the termite specialist noticed an excess amount of dirt and some feces...not of termite creation. He was kind enough to dig it out into a bag and dispose of it. He couldn't' think off the top of his head what it was but he had seen it before. We discussed what may have happened and that maybe something fell down there at some point. It didn't look like it happened recently so I found some comfort in that knowledge. I told TS (termite specialist) that if he found a Hobbit carcass to please not tell me as it would make me sad.

So hours later, around 1 am, I am on the edge of sleep. It had been a long work day and I had to cut a check for toxins which were sprayed into the new trench around my house, which would be filled in the next morning and then treated again. Important note...My bed is up against the side wall of my house, which is exposed to my neighbors yard. So as I am about to fall asleep, my mind finally slowing down, I hear a noise that sounds like scurrying. Once in each direction. Please note that the scurrying I heard was not above, no, not a rooftop scurry but more of the holy crap I think something is in the wall kind of scurry. Not only in the wall but behind where my head rests upon my pillow. Needless to say, this woke me up. okay, not a big deal as even in that moment I questioned the validity of what I was experiencing.

So there is no more scurrying and all is quite and I have calmed and am ready to go to sleep when in the quietness I hear what in my fertile imagination sounds like wheezing. The logical thing to do, well when you are half awake and it is creeping towards 2am, is what I did next. I put my ear to the wall.

What ran through my head, "I have something dying in my wall, by my head." It was a surreal moment and it was both sad and funny at the same time. I thought perhaps it is an asthmatic squirrel. Regardless, ear to the wall, I listened all the while thinking I have to be wrong but the way things have been going lately that I am gonna have to have a hole cut in my wall to extricate a squirrel who had a reaction to the termite treatment. Then, with my ear to the wall, listening hoping it would suddenly sound like a tree or some other explanation that doesn't involve death, a thought came to me. Ear still planted on the wall, laying sideways on the bed, this is when I thought that if this were a horror movie, this is when the mutated squirrel would reach through the wall and attack. Mind you it would be a very bad b movie, but there ya go. I finally went to sleep knowing there was nothing I could do and with hope that my asthmatic squirrel theory was wrong.

So far there is no stench and yesterday after work I peeked in the neighbors' yard and there is some sort of plant on the side of the house where my bedroom is. So I am hoping that there was in fact never a squirrel. I still have the image of a squirrel taking a hit of its inhaler.

More entries to come very soon! I have to share about the smoking fence and an awesome concert I recently went to - Ravi and Anoushka Shankar.

~Elaine

To Robin, from Simon...

2007-04-17T23:47:00.000-05:00

Ehem. If you ever want to see your hair thingies again you can just visit this blog. However, if you ever want to use them again you must pay a ransom. A can of tuna, and not the cheap stuff. Frankly, I don't like how the oil effects my insides so please make sure the tuna is in water. Then there is the Maevis tax which means I will have to share so make it two cans of tuna.

Otherwise, I will have to send my cute picture to all your friends and tell them how you have wronged me and that I am tuna-less. Seriously, I'll do it. Don't test me. I may look sweet and meow like a little girl but I can throw down!

Sincerely,

Simon "will wear hair thingies for tuna" Funk

Disclaimer - delivery of your items my or maynot be immediate upon my receipt of said ransom as I am at the mercy of a human, who may or may not remember to deliver said thingies for ones hair.

Walking and such...

2007-04-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth is doing very well and is at home. I will have to ask Amy, but I would like to post a picture of her so you can see what a cutie she is. Thank you to everyone for your kind words and prayers.

So. I hit up a lot of you for a donation and thanks so much to those of you who could help out. I did the SafePlace walk yesterday morning and with help from my friends, Team Funk collected $300. Team Funk consisted of me and I almost went to the team photo booth so that I could have my picture taken with the sign but I was running out of time and so I improvised my self portrait.

When doing walks you must remember to do your stretches. Now the fine folks at the walk usually have some group affiliated with exercise lead the walkers in stretches before the walk. What I found to be a much more intensive warm up is trying to use the port-a-potty without touching anything. Just the thought of touching anything makes the impossible, well, possible. You contort your body in ways that God didn't really intend. So, that's how I warmed up. On a side note, I kid you not, while in there trying not to laugh, or fall, I kept hearing "Hi, how are you." I couldn't tell if it was a recording to freak people out in the port-a or if there was a crazy person out side chanting their hellos. Upon exiting the porta de potty I looked around and then decided to ignore the whole experience.

So, one thing I really enjoy about the walk, besides how efficiently it is run, is that there are all kinds of dogs!! I cannot wait to take some of my younger friends on this walk as they will be in heaven. Lots and lots of friendly dogs of all sizes.

The weather was the nicest it has been for the SafePlace walk that I can remember. I believe it was in the low sixties which walk wise, was perfect. All in all, it was a great time and I have some pictures I took that I promised to email. The kids, I just thought they were cute and I lucked out because when I went to snap another photo, they were no longer holding hands.

I took this on the way home from the walk. It really was a gorgeous day.
I went to my friend Mary's again and I had a great time. I love her house, a lot. I also really love going to her gatherings because there is such an eclectic group in attendance. Everyone is very interesting and kind. Although, two of the gentlemen like to verbally joust each other but you can tell it is in fun. There was a lot of poetry quoted, by both the sober and the loose of tongue. :) While there, Mary's neighbors invited me over to their place and I got to meet their new dog, who they recently adopted. He is very cute and very loved. Anyway, they also have a neat place. It amazes me when people tell me how they installed a tub and did the piping etc..
Mary is a great person and I am thankful for her friendship!

Today I did some work from home and tried to rest as my allergy issues are kicking my bum. I feel drained. I am consistently taking medication and that seems to be helping.

~Elaine

Ode to Termites

2007-04-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

So the last week has been an odd one. It would have been much more stressful if things didn't turn out as they have so far.

While doing some work around the house I came upon evil, evil termites. The good news being that it isn't a major infestation. The not so great news it that termite treatment isn't remotely free. It is funny how you just mention termites to someone and they cringe. Stinky termites!!!

Then I took my car in for an oil change before going to my parents for Easter, where I learned that I need new tires. I had my dad confirm the prognosis and he said yes, I need new tires. I am thankful that I saved my tax return as it has relieved me of some potentially serious stress. Plus the Easter Bunny made a donation towards some new tires, which is awesome!

So all of that seems to be working it self out, which I am very thankful for.

I sent out an email earlier about my niece and my family appreciates all of the prayers and positive thoughts. If you didn't get an email my 16 month old niece had surgery yesterday and there have been complications. She is now in the ICU as she is still having breathing issues. Anyway, prayers are and have been appreciated.

There are a lot of positive things going on too. I have some volunteer things coming up, flockings, walkings, and um, maybe a movie-ing. I have recently joined an indoor soccer team and I am looking into taking a class at ACC. I wanted to take a specific photography course but it wont be at the ACC location by my work until Fall. I am looking into a PhotoShop class so that I don't have to wait until Fall to get enrolled etc. So life is moving forward and that is pretty neat.

Other than that, allergies are kicking my ass. I need to be on allergy meds and I need to not only accept it but actual get a perscription. I have a very scary voice going on right now. People like to mock me about it. :) Thanks. Even with everything going on, the only thing stressful is Elizabeth.

Do you need a new journal? I read about this site a few years in a magazine. The journals make cool gifts and you would be supporting a very small company - a husband and wife. Check out http://www.bookjournals.com. Also, you can visit my SafePlace site at http://www.austin-safeplace.org/goto/elaine.funk, which is the walking I mentioned earlier. You are very welcome to join me!

I hope to post good news about lil bit Cate soon!

~Elaine

Emotional B-day Overload

2007-04-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post this great picture my sister took of Luke last Saturday, which was his birthday party. Amy said that for the first 45 minutes or so Luke wasn't himself but fortunately he shook off his blues and had fun. These are the photos that the older he gets the sweeter the memories/photos will be.

My Soccer Buddy

2007-04-04T22:24:00.000-05:00

This is my new buddy Toby. He is about 3 months old and is a Corgi. He is very sweet and likes to hang out at soccer fields and steal other dogs' biscuits and cold melon slices from unsuspecting soccer players. That's just how he rolls. Don't hate him cause he's cute.

I spent last weekend at the fields watching friends playing in the State Cup tournament. How cool is it to watch people you know win the semis in overtime and then go on to the final and win?! Very cool!

So I took a boat load of photos, some with my camera and some with Philip's SLR. Which I reluctantly gave back. (Toby belongs to Philip and Robin, although he wants to live with me.) I had a blast. The only downside was my failure to wear enough sunscreen, let alone a hat. One of my favorite photos from the tournament is the moment right after my friend Robin made the tie breaking goal. You can just see faces of jubilation. It is rare to see pure joy, let alone catch it via your camera. Once you look past the celebration you can see the other team sitting on the field in disappointment. It was a hard fought game. The game was 80 minutes of regular play, then two fifteen minute overtime halves. They then went to kicks on goal. So there was a lot of effort put forth by both sides. Click on the picture to get a better look at the expressions.

Tonight I had the pleasure of dining with my friend Mary and that was really nice. It helps to be able to talk about things with someone and really be able to relate. Plus she shares her wisdom and that is always welcome!

Here is a picture of Jackson's daddy. His dad is sporting an instructional t-shirt regarding the alphabet. The alligator has some aggression issues and is eating the letter A. This picture is really for David so that he can submit it to Threadless, so his will get a discount towards his next purchase. I think it is a fun photo. No shame is his cheesy game! There is a link to Threadless at the bottom of my blog, I believe it is titled cool shirts, visit the site and buy lots of stuff using my link so I can fund my t-shirt expenditures. Plus you will be stylin'.

I am tired and need to head to bed. I will post more in the next day or so.

Luke is 3, the magic number!

2007-03-31T10:28:00.000-05:00

My sister is a good mom! She asked her son Luke what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he told her a castle. She stayed up way too late last night and made him a cool castle cake. Try not to notice the sacrifice the dragon had to make in the name of aesthetics. Today is Luke's birthday party, yesterday he turned 3 and got a big boy bed, among other neat things for his birthday. I am told he thinks he is the stuff with his new bed. :)

You can click on the pic for a closer look.

Serendipity-doo-dah

2007-03-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

So I have been reading about grace. Grace in the sense of "the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them." The book I just finished, The Road Less Traveled, not only covers the concept of grace, resistance to it, accepting/allowing it but whole bunch of other interesting topics.

I found quite a few things were interesting but currently I am most interested in the concept of grace and what the author had to say about it. It makes sense to me that grace can be different for everyone, some accept it with ease others can fight it for years but to have it isn't easy. Reading the words that it isn't easy was very encouraging. That may sound odd but it is the truth.

Anyway, between reading the above mentioned book, discussing the concept of providence on Tuesday and try to process everything, my brain is whirring. I will next be reading Conversations with God and I experienced a little providence regarding the book while having lunch today. I learned that a friend of mine is on chapter one so we are gonna have a mini book group. :) It will be great to have someone to discuss it with while reading it but also it will help me read it in a timely fashion. :)

Whether you are a believer or not, you should consider reading The Road Less Traveled as it is very interesting. Only a few chapters are about grace etc. A lot of it is about love, neurosis, psychotherapy, poodles, etc. Okay, I may have made one of those up.

Lots of protesting in the Funk household...

2007-03-25T23:44:00.000-05:00

Maevis is protesting her diet. She feels oppressed and has found the best way to symbolically get her point across is by electing to spend time in the "cage." I commend her non violent tactics as that isn't usually the case. For example, she was miffed that I was leaving the house and swatted my leg as I headed to soccer. I found it humorous that my shin guard saved me from her stabby claws.

Poor Simon fought like the dickens not to go in the carrier as he had to go to the vet on Friday. I have been spending time in the yard, as previously mentioned, pulling weeds. Simon has been out there with me and has in turn been having his own allergy issues. I noticed the other day while we were in the yard that his back leg was missing hair. Upon further inspection there was also a patch missing from his belly. So Friday I left work early and we ventured off to the vet. It was a loooooong wait and we were there over two and a half hours. Apparently many, many pets were being tested due to the food contamination. Essentially something is irritating Simon to the point where he is licking off his hair. So of course the solution would have to be bathing him. Lovely. Anyway I bathed him last night and I should have bathed him tonight but I will attempt to do so tomorrow. He is such a sweet cat. Click his majestic pic.

I am pretty happy about the fact that a handy man is coming over to fix my ceiling. I have saved a little money and it is about to go bye bye for a good cause. Or I can just let the hole continue and I will have a natural skylight to the attic.

I am starting to feel better. Days fluctuate and some days I have a strong pull towards wondering what is going on in a life that is no longer part of mine. As of late I have been thinking of M more than I had been but in a new/different way. I think I am just processing. Since this is a public-ish blog I won't go into detail as it isn't just my personal life.

Regardless, I am getting to a better place than I have been in a very long time. I am doing things I had put off or wasn't motivated to do and it feels good to get things accomplished. I am also trying to work on my future, suggestions would be nice. Or should that say nice suggestions only? :)

Anyway, next week I am having dinner with a friend of mine who I only get to see once in a while and I am really looking forward to our visit. She is a kind and funny person who I really respect and so it will be fun to catch up and wax philosophic. I know the phrase is poetic but we are more on the plane of discussing life and its many crazy facets.

As for poetry I haven't written poetry in a long time. I do have a friend that is great with lyrics about his son and cats if anyone needs entertaining. Speaking of poetry...I found a poem I wrote when I was in college earlier this evening when looking for an address. Please feel free to leave a cheese factor rating as most everyone seems to be hesitant to leave a comment.
Ehem...

Silent wonder

indisposed

I am reaching

down

to set

free

it rattles

within

my heart

this

silent wonder

you've ignited

within

no longer

indisposed

I wrote that in my Drugs and Society class. That was an interesting class with a very odd teacher. I remember the first day of class while going over the syllabus the teacher asked us not to send her any sample discoveries while on our travels. Apparently previous students would send her drugs, the latest was from India. :) I remember writing a paper on Opium/Laudanum for that class. I had watched Tombstone.

This seems to be one of my more random posts. So, post a comment, send an email or remain under the radar, whatever ye like.

May you have pleasant dreams, joyous days, and all the poetry you can handle. I am sleepy and off to bed.

~EF

If anyone knows of a blog that will let you play music, let me know cause that would rock! I could torture with word, pictures AND sound!

Going Flocking...

2007-03-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

Well Winter is gone and Spring, although it has just begun...well it is kicking into full gear. Soon I will be out Flocking and if you are interested in having someone Flocked, it is for a great cause. http://www.planetcancer.org/ Anyway, this year will be my second year participating and I look forward to it. There will also be a kick off fundraiser and you can attend that as well, if interested.

We are but a couple weeks away from pre-sale wristbands. THE wristband to have for music lovers. The fine peeps from Austin City Limits will soon taunt us with the possibility of being fortunate enough to purchase incredibly cheap wristbands for the ACL fest. There are a very, very limited amount of tickets and the amount of people who try to purchase said tickets is enough to overwhelm the servers used to make your attempted purchase. The key is to be around your computer and to have a fast connection. Last year I saw that I received an email but didn't check it in time due to work. I remember before they would give you hints when the sale would be but I don't remember any for last year. The special tickets/wristbands should go on sale during the first week of April. You need to sign up via the http://www.aclfest.com/ site if you want to receive emails regarding the sale and all things fest related. If you don't plan on going you can help me out on my cause and sign up and purchase a pair for me! Seriously. Don't make me cry.

Being single can be great and it can be sucky. Deep, I know. As of late it is the little things, the reminders. Like having bought an Entertainment book and realizing the two for one deal really isn't that good of a deal when you aren't part of a two. I guess you could take the other meal home so later when you eat the additional meal, you can relive your dinner for one all over again. Um, wooo?

So here is my quasi lame reason why singleness is currently sucking... There are shows I want to go to and I would like to go with someone but I am not up for organizing a group. Going to shows can be a lot of fun and it is even more fun when you can go with someone who you know will have fun/appreciate the show. Frankly, they can be very fun date nights. Alas, I am currently single and figure I might venture out and go on my own. It may be good for me and I don't want to miss out on music just because I may have to go alone. So I will be pushing my boundaries...my next step is to pick a show or two.

There are some shows that are coming to town that I am compelled to go to just because they are either awesome live or I haven't seen them live and they don't come here often, if ever.
Then there are some that would just be fun. I am looking at Citizen Cope and Kings of Leon, both will be at Stubb's and should be good. Then I read tonight that Angelique Kidjo will be playing at Antone's in late April. http://www.kidjo.com/ She is a talented singer from Africa and I think I should take the opportunity to see her as I don't remember her ever coming through Austin since I lived here. I have one of her albums and she does an amazing version of Jimmy Hendrick's Voodoo Child.

Another show that I am really interested in is on May 1st and I believe it will be at La Zona Rosa. Toots and the Maytals. I think the whole place will be dancing. It will be positive, rhythmic and fun. http://www.tootsandthemaytals.com/toots/ I saw them perform at an ACL fest and there was a field of dancing happy people. :) I recently went and saw Michael Franti and Spearhead at Stubb's and it was awesome. Good music, a connection between the performer and the crowd, positivity and all kinds of dancing. I think Toot's show will be similar.

If you are looking for some free music for the whole family, visit http://www.centralmarket.com/cm/cmEvents.jsp and click on the locations you are interested in. You can buy dinner in side and hang and listen to great, free, live music.

Also, April 7th is the 29th annual Spamarama. It is only $5 and should be great for people watching and indigestion. I have yet to make it to one but really want to. This may be the year! Although, it is Easter weekend so that may not work out. Booo.

Ararat is closing tomorrow. I have only been there once, earlier this year, but even so it saddens me that a local, bohemian place with great food and creative ambiance is closing. So tomorrow I hope to go and join in on the closing festivities that will include music, fire performances, dancing, food, and an auction.

~Elaine

REI Gateway - Members Only Garage Sale

2007-03-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have an REI membership or have been waiting for an excuse to get one the REI on N Capitol of Texas Hwy will soon be having their Garage Sale.

REI Gateway - Members Only Garage Sale4/7/2007 9:00 AM
Here is your chance to get some great deals on used gear. You must be a member to shop at the Garage Sale. Have your coop number ready. All merchandise purchased at the Garage Sale is non-refundable. NO CAMPING ALLOWED. LINE STARTS AT BACKDOOR AT 5 AM.
Location:
REI Gateway - 9901 N. Capital of Tx Hwy
Contact:
REI Gateway Customer Service - 512-343-5550
Cost:
Free
Registration Required? No.

2007-03-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a tree in my backyard. Spring is in the air and sprouting from the trees. :) Of course, along with wonderful blooming flowers the weeds have also returned with a vengeance. I spent some quality time in my backyard last weekend and on Monday night, pulling evil weeds. Simon spent some time outside with me, giving weeds the evil eye. If only his stare would have caused them to spontaneously combust. Click on his pic for a closer view.

I didn't nearly do as much SXSW as I would have liked. I just wasn't motivated enough to spend my downtime running around at night. Maybe next year I will take some days off and get a wristband. There were quite a few musicians that I would have liked to have seen. I did get to go to Waterloo Records and see Lilly Allen and Sparklehorse. I wasn't too impressed with with Sparklehorse but Lilly Allen was on after them and she has a great voice.

Lily's music has been called cheeky pop. I like it. Although some of her lyrics are a bit inappropriate, overall what she does works. I really like the music that accompanies the lyrics, which can be a bit sophomoric but she is aware of this. She is marketed as cocky but that part of her personality was not evident at the in store. She seemed a bit nervous at first, she played to a packed store. It may not have been nerves, she may have been tired, or just ready to perform.

What really sold me on her was seeing her live and hearing her sing a song by The Kooks called Naive. It was nothing like her music as it was a slow heartfelt acoustic song. It is painful for me to go to shows and discover that an artist is sub-par or the sound is messed up. She sounded great and was only accompanied by a young man on guitar. She sang a few covers as she did an acoustic show and as she said her music isn't really acoustic. I found a site where her version of Naive is located if you want to hear it. Go to Myspace to hear her songs.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/lily-allen-naive-radio-1-live-lounge-mp3.html

I thought of a funny story from my childhood last night that I wanted to blog about but then I promptly forgot it. Ooops. I just remember that it was funny. Anyway, this week has been going rather quickly, which I am thankful for as I would like some chill time. I think I am going to treat the yard this weekend so that some of the weeds will die. DIE WEEDS, die. Ehem. I hope to also do something fun this weekend but I don't know what that will be yet.

I am thinking about selling my camera and getting an SLR as I am just not happy with the time delay that I experience when taking photos. I am going to see if I have better luck with the manual function and then I will make my decision.

If music were measured by the pound then I have a few pounds of SXSW mp3s to wade through. I am going to try to weed through them and delete the chaff so that I do not clog my system with music I don't enjoy. I will post about some of the artists...eventually. :)

I have been a bit busy :)

2007-03-12T19:37:00.000-05:00

The weekend was a rather good one! I got some chores done and had some fun. Saturday I got up and went over to Cafe Java and after eating I headed down town. I stopped into Waterloo Records in the hopes that there would be some free music as SXSW is about to start up. There were two discs and they were mostly blah. I then went over to Whole Foods and grabbed some water as it is starting to warm up here. They were barbecuing in front of Whole Foods and it looked good but I was still full from breakfast. So I went across the street to REI. There is a messenger bag that I want to buy and the North location didn't have it so I thought maybe the downtown one might. I was wrong. :(

My disappointment over the bag was soon forgotten when I discovered that I had stumbled upon that location's Garage sale. It is a sale on their clearance, returns, things used in photo shoots etc. I need to see if they have a mailing list specific to their stores as I would have liked to been at the store earlier. Regardless of the fact that I didn't mosey on in until the early afternoon, I scored on some deals. I walked out of there with three nice sweaters, a pair of shoes, and a jacket for my buddy Jackson, for all under $36. The jacket was originally $50, the shoes $60.

I may have had to remove Maevis from the jacket and thoroughly lint roll it. Click on her picture to get a better view. :) I made sure Jackson's daddy knew about the role-a-thon so that they would wash it. Which I am sure they would have done anyway but Jackson's mom is allergic to cats so best to wash it sooner than later.

Anyway, it made for an awesome afternoon. I went home and did somethings about the house and while I lounged on the couch my friend Stacy called to see what I was up to. I thought well cool, maybe she wants to go to the movies. She was calling to see if I wanted to play indoor soccer. I told her of my plans to do nothing but read and get some gelato. I asked if she had chocolate, and she happened to have a big bar of dark chocolate.

I decided to go as there just seemed to be something wrong with the fact that I was putting off fun exercise with really nice people, due to the gelato and laziness factor. I went and played and although I thought I was gonna hurl, I had so much fun! So tomorrow night I will be playing with Stacy's team again. :)

Sunday I went to my friends' house and had glorious raclette with their family. I managed to pick up some gelato on the way over as I figured I had earned it. :) Raclette is awesome!

I had lunch with Sarah today and we met at Sports Authority where we each got new soccer balls. It was cool to be able to meet for lunch. She is on spring break so that worked out well.

Working from home today was good as I opened up the doors and aired the house out. I was a beautiful day. The sky looked amazing after last nights hard rain.

So all in all it was a great weekend and the week has started off rather nicely!

~Elaine

Blogalicious

2007-03-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

B to the L to the og a licious. Don't mind me, I am just entertaining myself. I have spent a chunk of time this evening looking at different blog templates and sites on how to improve one's blog. So maybe this weekend I will make some changes. I am surprised at how few templates there are for Blogger but maybe that has to do with the fact that this is a newer version of Blogger.

Tomorrow a new shopping area opens up near my work and I plan on going over and checking some things out as they have a lot of festivities planned for the next couple of days. There will be a lot of drawings and the one of interest to me is the Vespa. I do not know what I would do if I actually won it. I guess I could ride it to get gelato as that isn't too far away from where I live. I couldn't ride it to work as it would be too dangerous and take too long. Even if I could go 65 MPH on a scooter, I don't think I would.

I feel like I am forgetting something, like I have plans for this weekend but I have blocked them out. David called me today to invite me to nosh with his family on Sunday, which is always fun so I said yes. What am I forgetting????

I am vacillating as to whether I should go see the movie Zodiac or not, I am worried that it will be too graphic. I like mystery, not shock value or evil, as I am very visual and it disturbs me.

SXSW is starting up and I am going to try to catch a movie and maybe some music. I plan to go to Waterloo and catch some of the free in stores.

I have a story to share. My dad told me a story that was rather odd and humorous all rolled into one. It was odd as I wouldn't have imagined him doing what he said he did. The story goes that when he was a freshman in high school there was an upper class men who would harass him. He would take my father's pencil and at times break it. Well, my father has the nature in which it takes a lot to anger him. I think it may have been more frustration but one day my dad decided to pee on the pencil and then put it behind his ear. That is kind of nasty but he was driven to action. Low and behold, the upper class men not only took the pencil but he also put it in between his teeth and bit in half.
Not the after school special you expected, but special all the same.

I have another story about a high school band recital, wire, and a light socket. However, that will be for another time.

Spring Broke Sale!!

2007-03-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

My favorite t-shirt site is having a sale. Their quasi famous $10 t-shirt sale. So, if you are looking for fun shirts for the impending warm weather then use my magic link! USE IT!http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=efunk

I ordered some shirts today and I should be looking snazzy or slightly inappropriate, depending on which shirt I wear. :)

Last night I found a lot of indie music and that was fun but I spent too much time on that and should have been doing some reading. I plan to go to the SXSW site this weekend and dig through the music there. There is a lot of free, legal music out there, you just have to dig.

As for an artist I would recommend, check out Feist. She is really talented and sings in both English and French. She has a rich voice and a distinct sound. www.myspace.com/feist
She sings mostly what would be called pop, but really it is more than that. She is too creative just to categorize her as pop. Just give her a listen and let me know what you think.

~E

Happy b-day to my sista Amy!!!!

2007-03-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

Today is my sister's birthday and in honor of said birthday I am posting a special photo. I dug out the photo the other night and scanned it so that I can share documented proof of one of the things that my sister and I both truly love. Chocolate.

The story goes that my father, who was raising us by himself at the time, had gotten us ready for bed. Teeth brushed, pajamas on, the works. He then accidentally fell asleep on the couch. That's when the Sirens' call to the kitchen began. We not only heeded their call but may have taken things to a new level. Needless to say, what you are looking at is the result of our love for chocolate. Which we both still have to this very day. We have since expanded our love from chocolate syrup (which we tried to cover the kitchen with) to now dark chocolate, truffles and the like.

Please note my sister at the mere age of three was already wise enough to know to turn the focus away from herself. Even though she too was covered in chocolate, you can tell from her body language and refusal to look towards the camera that she was saying - look at what that crazy one year old did.

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

It was Ohn...

2007-03-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

Two Friday's ago I went and saw Ohn perform the Light Bar and they were great! They are a very talented bunch. The bar was smoke free and the crowd was more Wherehouse district (where it is located) than 6th Street. Meaning I was surrounded by adults. The whole experience was great. Admittedly, I am biased about Ohn as my friend Allison is their new-ish lead singer. I had fun hanging out and also taking pictures. I still have a lot to learn regarding lighting but having a digital camera allows for mistakes and photo taking in mass. :) Sooo, Ohn will be releasing a new album soon, I believe in March, and I am ready to buy a copy! Go to http://www.letsgetitohn.com/ and listen to samples of their upcoming release.

I know there is one more member of the band and I will have to upload more photos later.

I was talking with my friend David during lunch today about how cool it can be to learn about people outside of the work place. Like going to see them in a play and seeing a whole other side to them other than a cubical drone. I met Allison years ago when we were young :) and she is so much more than that glimpse of a person I thought I knew. We are good friends now and it is cool to look back and see how much we have grown, now that we are almost old. ;) Anyway, she is recently engaged and I am so happy for her!!

~Elaine

-Photos are the property of Elaine Funk please do not use without permission. That includes you David!-

Understanding Britney...

2007-02-19T14:53:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that over that past couple months there have been brief moments where I have relished the idea of shaving my head. Some due to the weather and the tiny knots that drive me crazy but also the potentially cathartic ties to shaving ones head.

I have always been tempted to shave my head. I just don't want to deal with growing it out. It is the in-between length that is a pain in the ass. Plus, there are few people who look good with a shaved head and I just don't know if I would be one of them.

So, when I read the CNN tag line that Britney had shaved her head and saw her picture I didn't think what a horrible thing. I related with and felt for her. Let her have her breakdown in private. Let her go through the stages with out public scrutiny. I often forget how young she is and when reminded, I question how many of us would even be doing as well as she is, if we were in her shoes. Hell, I know I wouldn't want the public in my personal business, criticizing how I am handling my drama. I don't think trying to focus on handling things with grace can necessarily allow you to actually handle your business, when it takes all you have to cope. Do I think she is handling it in the best way? I have know I idea. All I am saying is I can relate.

Running with Valentine's Scissors

2007-02-16T16:42:00.000-05:00

Valentine's was actually rather painless and I am thankful for that little miracle. Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine about Valentine's Day when we were growing up and she said how she had loved it. I said I liked it until I had to sit down at the kitchen table and sign what felt like a million cards. That was in elementary school.

Cobi, my friend, remembered more of the receiving then the giving and conceded that the signing was a bit cumbersome. I then asked her if she had the roses like we did in high school. How you secretly hoped you would get one of those $1.50 single roses but new that the person delivering them was going to give to the girl who already had a pile from the ones she received all day, each period. You would grumble to yourself that you just knew she was sending them to herself. Then you would get the idea to send them to your friends and they would send them to you. I relayed this to my friend and she started laughing really hard. When she could finally speak it was to say that they did the same thing at her high school. I wonder if that still do that today?
So Cobi sent me an email for Valentine's that was sooo funny about how she was gonna send me a rose in Home room. Too funny.

I watched Running with Scissors the other night and I think the acting was amazing. If reading about the movie will ruin it for you then you shouldn't read on. The actual story is very interesting and a reminder of many things. To be cautious of who you surround yourself with, that things in moderation is a better idea then consuming drugs/alcohol like a kid after Halloween. It was also a great reminder that there are a lot of hurting people out there and that there are also a lot of selfish assholes, too. Sometimes, they are one in the same. It was also interesting to see things that are clearly wrong, be acted so well that you have empathy for the characters. At least, that is how I felt.

There are quite a few serious topics throughout the movie ...
Psychotherapy, homosexuality, alcoholism, over medication, divorce, unrealized dreams, abandonment, a 14 year old in a relationship with a 35 year old schitzophrenic. Mental illness, being ignored, deceit, extortion, fraud, and failure to be a good, if even present, parent. There is also hope, strength, perseverance and the ability to overcome.

Sometimes watching the mother was odd because it reminded of me of when my mother was sick but Annette Benning was awesome. If you don't mind being a bit uncomfortable, I really recommend the movie.

I am thankful it is the weekend. I hope it magically seems like a week and that it is a good one.

So it begins...

2007-02-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

I am not sure what the focus of this blog will be. I suspect there may be a lack of focus. :) I hope to have a chance to post information about the different musicians I like and the latest songs etc that I have stumbled across. I am also interested in streaming some of the music but I am not sure if that is possible, so I have some homework to do.

The latest artist that I have come across is Mika. I think if I just heard the song that it may have taken longer for me to like it but the first time I heard the song was when I saw the video. It is very interesting and I like his energy and the little girl in the video too. I am sure that it is on-line and if you are interested take a look at it.

Mika sounds like a few other artists out, he even mentions how he sounds like Freddie (Mercury) in his Grace Kelly song - which is the video I was referring to above. I need to listen the rest of his album to see if it was just that song or if I can confidently recommend his album.

Although, I have a friend of mine that through time we have learned that if we hear something we fundamentally do not like, that there is a very high probability that the other will like it. I have given CDs to Tony that I just found painful. I have thought of him when hearing something, that while the artists are talented, their music just wasn't for me, and he would laugh stating that he already owned some of the band's music or he would look them up on-line to find that I was right - he liked them.

He sooo does not like Ani DiFranco and I finally got him to concede that she is talented but he just doesn't like her voice. That is something that people are not likely to be able to look over. I understand though. Whereas his favorite bands are Tool and Mr Bungle wich on the most part are just too much for me.

As for an album that I would recommend, Ray LaMontange's latest album Till The Sun Turns Black is great. It is more bluesy than his first album and is richer in sound.