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

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...

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

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

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...

Maevis sticks her tongue in your general direction!

Quit licking the speakers!

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. :)

~E

Slacken Napper

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!

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...

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!

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.

R

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

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!

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

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

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

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...

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.