Separated at Birth

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I've seen the commercials for "Once Upon a Time," but I can never figure out what exactly is going on, so I haven't watched it. Well, during the pre-feature program at the movies this weekend, they did a detailed story on it and it looks really interesting. One thing really surprised me though. Throughout the advertisement at the movie, I thought that Kirsten Dunst was the blonde chick. Well, it isn't Kirsten Dunst- it's Jennifer Morrison from House.

Kathy (who watches the show) emphatically declared that the two actresses look absolutely nothing alike. I would like to make a case here that they are practically twins:


Right??

Vassar accidentally sent acceptance letters to 76 applicants who were not admitted for fall 2012. Vassar is refunding their $65 application fees- a very small consolation. Some people are suggesting that they should admit the students anyway. While that sounds "fair" to many, it would be quite unfair to the qualified students who legitimately earned those spots. A college can't be expected to offer spots to students who didn't get in, because of an error.

I like that Vassar has offered to call other schools where the students may have been admitted, to ask them to offer their spot to them again. Provided final acceptance letters haven't been mailed (which they shouldn't have at this point), the most fair outcome would be for those colleges to offer them admission again. I feel bad for the students though.

Read more...

My Friend Mary

Monday, January 30, 2012

When I'm giving an example of something or making a comment on something, I sometimes use the name Mary as a generic person in that situation. For example:

At the post office when we were renewing Lauren's passport, a college-aged girl came in with a package that she proceeded to wrap at the counter with Scotch tape. She must have ripped 15 pieces of it from the roll, when the postal worker got annoyed enough to say, "I'm sorry, but you can't send anything through the mail that is taped with Scotch tape. It gets dry and cracks and falls apart. The packing tape is over there." She motioned to the packing tape sitting on the next counter.

Well, there was a roll of "Priority Mail" stickers next to the packing tape. This girl taped every seam on the box with a line of individual 2-inch, red white and blue Priority Mail stickers.

Lauren and I exchanged a befuddled glance with the girl in front of us. The passport line girl said, "Wow," and shook her head as we kept watching.

Wow, indeed. We mused that Package Girl was probably a T-sip. Heh.

Anyhoo--- when we were telling the story later, we said something like, "What is the person going to think when they receive that box? 'Geez, Mary! Did you run out of packing tape?!'"

So that's an example of a "Mary comment." I make them frequently enough that Lauren calls her "Mom's friend, Mary."


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Considering your childhood, do you feel you had it easier or tougher than your parents did when they were children?
Easier in most ways. Parenting was less strict and formal than when they were kids. Less spanking, more hugging, more participation in their kids' lives. Also each generation seems to have more disposable income than the previous one, which makes things easier.

2. Considering your life now, at your current age, how does yours compare to what you know about your parents when they were your age?
When my parents were my age, my mom was working at IBM. She was a single mom with me in college. My Dad was living in New York by that point, with his new wife (not the current one). They had just adopted his wife's three year old grandson, because her daughter was too much of a partier to be a mom to him. Turned out the wife (my dad's high school sweetheart from Germany) had only married my dad to get into the US, where she still is today. My life is going swimmingly, compared to theirs at the same time.

3. What do you miss today most about your childhood?
I miss all the fabulous trips we took, just the three of us, almost always by car. We went to the Grand Canyon, Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin... all sorts of places. I remember many moments where my mom or dad would call to me in the back seat, where I was reading or laying in the flat space by the back window (you all did it!), to point out a beautiful scene ahead- mountains or a valley or a city of lights at night. And all those stops by signs and landmarks where that they wanted to take a photo.

The last trip we took together was to Germany my freshman year of high school. We drove all over and stayed in B&Bs. It was wonderful.

4. What percentage of the time during your childhood did you get what you asked for (within reason)?
50%

5. What percentage of the time do you end up getting what you want today (within reason)?
90%

6. Take the quiz: Are You Spoiled?
You Are 8% Spoiled
You are definitely not spoiled. You've worked hard for what you have.
Down to earth and grounded, you don't need a lot to make you happy.

Read more...

Time to Play the Music, Time to Light the Lights

Sunday, January 29, 2012

I got on Facebook Mobile, and it opened on what I thought was my news feed. It was displaying a private message I had sent to Donna about a boudoir photographer. For about 4 seconds, my jaw was literally dropped, because I thought I had accidentally posted the message as my Facebook status. Turns out, it was just showing my conversation with Donna.

I really need to stop scaring myself like that.

Jeff and I were not the only adults at The Muppets without children yesterday, just so you know. The movie is mostly very goofy, on purpose. There were several laugh out loud moments, the best of which may have been Chris Cooper's rap number. Oh man- SO funny! Watch Jason Segel and others talk about Cooper's song here (at around 2:00 in the video).

If you watched The Muppet Show back in the day, you should definitely see this film. It may even bring a tear to your eye.


Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme: Part 1
You do enough survey memes and the questions begin repeating a LOT. I deleted most of the questions I've previously answered here, so for the full list, please visit the most awesome Sunday Stealing blog.

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.
"Grow For Me" Little Shop of Horrors
"My Little Girl" Tim McGraw (awwwww I love that song... You're beautiful, baby, from the outside in. Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will lead you home again...)
"Everything You Do" He is We
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [FrankMusik Cut Snare Edit Remix]" Lady GaGa
"Irvine" Kelly Clarkson
"Girlfriend [The Neptunes Remix, ft. Nelly]" NSYNC

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?
I usually say George Bush, Sr., but let's get real. George Clooney.

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.
There is not a single book in this room today. There's a Consumer Reports magazine (Feb 2012) though:
At his third visit to the Chase office, David was shown a historic simulation report that compared the 11-year performance of the Chase Strategic Portfolio, 5.98 percent, with a benchmark index's 3.87 percent.

Gripping, no?

4) What do you think about most?
Lauren's high school grad and getting ready for college

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?
"Ty. You too!" (CJ)

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
usually with

7) What's your strangest talent?
Remembering meme questions I've already answered. Like this one.

8) Women.... (finish the sentence); Men.... (finish the sentence)
Women identify cars by color; Men identify them by make and model.

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
checking out my flower beds, watering, weeding

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?
behind

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?
The phone. Video chat gets interrupted too often by internet/computer notifications and such. During a phone call, I can step away from the computer.

Read more...

Word Play

Saturday, January 28, 2012

So, there's a new Macaroni Grill ad, where a guy talks about a pan-roasted pork chop, nestled in warm pea and mushroom risotto. Only he pauses in an unfortunate spot and says, "...pan-roasted pork chop, nestled in warm pea... and mushroom risotto..."

Eww. Well, at least it's warm.

We passed the new Alamo Drafthouse yesterday. Their iconic neon sign is finally up!! So exciting. Though due to lights that are out, instead of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, it says, "...Drafthouse inema."

Lauren and I giggled about the drafthouse enema for an hour.

Because we're 12.

Also funny about that theater--- It's on Slaughter Lane. The Alamo Drafthouse identifies most of their locations by street name, so they refer to this one as... Alamo Slaughter. Yikes. ;)

Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man" came on the radio. The part that says, "It was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line..." I jumped in late on the second line but thought it was going to say "it was your fault," so I sang "it was your f-art on the line."

(When we told Jeff the story, I mistakenly said I had sung, "It was not your fart but mine..." which was even funnier.)

Very similar to the error I still make to this day with "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado. The lyrics are "I don't know where my soul is. I don't know where my home is." Only, I always try to sing "home" first, so it comes out, "I don't know where my h-ole is."

Yep. The official lyrics to that song in our household since 2001 are:

...I'm like a bird
I'll only fly away
I don't know where my hole is
Ahahahahaaaaaa...

Which, on a more serious and sentimental note, brings us to the Lyrics of the Day. A single brief, but ohhhh-so-cool line:

Don't look down
It's only love we're falling in...

"Falling In" Lifehouse

Read more...

Heeeyy! It's Friday!

Friday, January 27, 2012

I've made a new discovery on Yahoo. In Yahoo Mail, along the left side, you can see all your email contacts who are online, along with their IM statuses- even people you haven't added in Messenger. And while you are not even logged into Messenger. Awesome (and confusing... but awesome)! You can message them right from the email window without even logging into IM. You know who I discovered on there? My grandpa! Now I can chat with him anytime.

Of course, it looks like my Messenger contacts see me as "online" in their Mail page, when I'm just logged into Mail (which explains a lot of things). I am usually logged in to my Yahoo Mail account 24/7. Messenger, not so much.
 
OK, remember yesterday, when I said ...I'm almost certain to hear from at least one of my girlfriends, saying "What about so-and-so!"

First comment was from my husband, vaguely remembering my list about an hour after reading it-- "Did you list Viggo Mortensen?" Ahaha! Why, yes I did!

He added that, in all fairness, I "should post photos of hot chicks in bikinis tomorrow." So at his request, I present female celebs I think are gorgeous. In no particular order. By the way, I almost got five viruses searching for these hot chick pics. Adding the word "bikini" seemed to up the malicious attack potential, so these are head shots.

Viruses were not a problem when I was searching photos of male celebs, and I spent a lot more time on that. Just sayin'.

 Angelina Jolie

 Charlize Theron

 Jennifer Garner

Kate Hudson

 Mila Kunis

Sofia Vergara

Read more...

Eye Candy Thursday

Thursday, January 26, 2012

This post has turned out to be mostly for the ladies. So guys, please take the minute you would normally spend reading this and Google images of hot chicks. You're welcome.

Major celebrity crushes... I think I can list all of them in chronological order, although I'm almost certain to hear from at least one of my girlfriends, saying "What about so-and-so!"

Here we go:

1. Erik Estrada (1977-80)


2. Gregory Harrison (1979-82)


3. John Schneider, the first celeb crush I ever met in person- he is SO nice, I cannot say enough great things about him still today. I had this album. And White Christmas... and Quiet Man... I'm not a big fan of country music, so that says a lot. (1980-83)


4. John Taylor from Duran Duran- ooooh the hair (1982-85)



5. Well, I can't remember what celeb or celebs with whom I was enamored for ten years between high school and ER. That is weird. I loved all the Brat Pack guys, but never really had a "thing" for any of them.

Next (and last) is George Clooney, starting from the very beginning of the ER series. (1994- )




Though it pains me, I'll stop at three photos, but you get the gist.

I do have the occasional short-lived side-crush, like these guys...

 Colin Farrell
 
 Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Bradley Cooper

Viggo Mortensen - preferably with the long, dark
hair and a sword

 Robert Downey, Jr. 

The single thing that ties most of these men together- besides the fact that they have great dark hair? They're smart-asses. All the way back to Officer Poncherello. Am I right? What's up with that?

:)

Read more...

Weekend Update

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

"...Jane, you ignorant slut..." LOL. Wow, that's an old reference. Moving on...

Had a lovely weekend! I jaunted up to Dallas and hung out a bit with my aunt, uncle and grandfather. My great aunt met us all for lunch and we did a lot of catching up. My grandpa is 92 and still sharp as a tack. And so funny!

Then I met Donna and the girls at a sports bar called Brackets, where I was able to catch the end of the Patriots game (woohoo!) and we played table shuffleboard. We had dinner at Nosh Euro Bistro (and watched the Giants win- woohoo!) and hung out at the Palomar hotel the rest of the night. It was great to see them! Fun group.


Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Ends

36. Have you watched American Horror Story
Ugh. Yes. On the recommendation of several friends. Those people are nuts. The episode we watched- the pilot, I think- was really slow.

37. Baseball hat or toque? 
baseball cap

38. Do you shampoo or soap up first in the shower? 
shampoo

39. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste?
wet

40. Pen or pencil?
pen

41. Have you ever gambled at a casino?
I've played blackjack, video poker and slots on very rare occasions.

42. Have you thrown up on a plane? 
nope

43. Have you thrown up in a car? 
Yes- one time out the front passenger window while we were driving. It blew right into the open back window onto my oma. How she didn't throw up, I'll never know.

44. Have you thrown up at work? 
Ahahaaaaaaaaaaa. Several times a day for four never-ending months during my pregnancy.

45. Do you scream on roller coasters? 
rarely. I'm usually giggling at the person next to me screaming.

46. How many shoes do you have? 
maybe 10 pairs. Don't get me wrong- I love shoes, but I'm very practical and buy them in the basic colors so I don't have to fill my closet with them or spend Lauren's college fund away.

47. Who was your first roommate? 
Never had a roommate.

48. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time?
I think I was drinking party punch of some sort.

49. What was your first job? 
selling papers on the phone for the Houston Post

50. What was your first car? 
Mazda GLC

51. When did you go to your first funeral? 
When my great-grandma died... I was 7.

52. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 
18, for college

53. Who was your first grade teacher? 
Miss Cacioppo at Shawanoe Elementary in Kansas City

54. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
from Frankfurt to Houston on a permanent move to the United States. My dad had gotten a job at NASA.

55. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? 
I never snuck out of the house. I always told my mom where I was going and when I would be back, even if it was (exceedingly rarely) the early hours of the morning.

56. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
Kristin Dutney in kindergarten. I haven't seen her since the summer after first grade, when we moved from Kansas City to Houston.

57. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents’ house? 
College Station, TX

58. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Laura can always cheer me up from a sucky day.

59. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsman? 
Kathy and Gary's

60. What is the first thing you do in the morning? 
brush my teeth

61. What was the first concert you attended? 
The Go-Go's... first "real" concert at a venue other than Astroworld.

62. First tattoo or piercing?
Ears when I was 15.

63. First celebrity crush? 
Erik Estrada- BIG time. My best friend and next-door neighbor, Lori, had a thing for Larry Wilcox (Jon on CHiPs), so that was fun. We were 10-12 years old at the time.

Read more...

Just Another Gorgeous Day in the ATX

Saturday, January 21, 2012

RE: the train from Boston to Binghamton
There isn't one. Sad day!!

~

From now on I am going to just refer to KathyL as Kathy, and one can assume that if I say Kathy, I'm not speaking of myself in Bob Dole-esque third person.

For a few months, Kathy (senior level marketing genius, not sure if that is her official title) has been angling for this job as integration lead at work. Her company purchased a company in England and they need a person to be in charge of all the monumental tasks that come with that. It's a 12-18 month gig, with a probable promotion to head of the new branch at the end, should she be successful. Well, she got it! Woohoo! So thrilled for her.

She won't be moving to England, but she will be traveling there for five days every other week. Along with her regular trips to company headquarters in Cali, that girl is never going to be in town during the week.
~

Kim's "#1 Song on Your Bday" that's been going around Facebook is "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry. Great song! Haunting. I still remember singing it with my girlfriends.



"...He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge
And she and Billie Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge..."

Creepy! 

Saturday 9: Home

1. Do you live close to where you grew up? Why?
Three and a half hours away. Why? I think we mostly live in Austin because Jeff got a job here, and then we loved it so much we stayed. It also happened to be equidistant from each of our parents' houses- his in DFW and mine in Houston.

2. Have you ever been so angry that you almost lost control?
The only time I've felt like I was actually "almost losing control" was the Cheer Mom Incident. You laugh! Cheer moms can be dangerous. I confronted a mom who was letting her daughter's entire squad cut in front of us at the short-staffed concession stand at a cheer competition. No one in the endless line in which we'd waited almost an hour was saying anything. So I did. Keep in mind, I am never the person who says something in those sorts of situations. That's how irritated I was. After we started arguing, the rest of the crowd joined me against her, and I won. Ha!

3. Are you a fan of a musical act that slightly embarrasses you?
Several. The worst is probably Katy Perry. Her music is aimed very much at the teen crowd, but she's very talented. I don't think she has great taste in men, but she's adorable and I like the music a lot.

4. Is there a movie that always makes you cry?
Too many to list. Love, Actually is one of the hardest hitters... The Notebook...

5. Who is the most famous person that you've met?
Jon Bon Jovi. Long story, and although we weren't formally introduced, I'd still count him as the most famous person I've "met" in my lifetime. (I've somehow managed to make it sound salacious, when it's so not. Ahaha.)

6. Before you leave your home, what must you have?
iPhone

7. What do you miss the most about being a kid?
my mom's awesome cooking

8. Tell us about a passion of yours that your readers would not expect.
I have a love of captivating photography, particularly in print advertising. Back in the day, I used to collect Oneida flatware ads (so visually stunning) and others from magazines and kept them in a special folder. Now I have Pinterest to tack them up in my little space on the web.

9. At what age do you think you'd be to think, “I've had a great run”?
Having had a life-threatening illness, I feel like I've been living on very precious bonus time since I was 21, and even back then, I thought I'd had a great run! One can have had a great life at most any age. It's about appreciating and reveling in "moments" day-to-day and also looking back on them in the light of possibly never having had them. That being said, I think I'd be around 75-80 to really feel like I'd lived a "long life."

Read more...

Foundation FY2012

Friday, January 20, 2012

This week, the Foundation staff have begun submitting major annual updates for the website for the new fiscal year. Technically, the fiscal year began Sept 1, but "nonprofit time" is sometimes similar to the typically slow-as-Christmas "hospital time," so here we are.

This yearly task involves more than a wee bit of effort and patience with the Content Management System we have to use. Did I mention I loathe the limitations and inelegance of CMSs, as well as the audaciousness of the interface to so erroneously tout itself as WYSIWYG? (I may have also whined about it here and here... and here's the most positive comment I've ever made about the gosh darn thing.) I run my other two websites very smoothly, with infinite design freedom and quite impressive efficiency using Dreamweaver thankyouverymuch.

:p

Speaking of hospital time, Jeff's aunt and my dad were both released from their hospitals yesterday. My dad is recovering nicely and taking lots of Percocet, which should be entertaining for Ursula. Dad and she are heading home from Rochester today, now that the weather is less wintery. Jeff's aunt Kathryn also had cancer surgery. She will be in a rehab center in Boston for a while.

We're visiting both of them this summer, when we head to the Cape Cod area for Jeff's family reunion, with a side trip to Binghamton- maybe on a train. Train from Boston to Binghamton, that is. Not from Austin to Boston. Just... no. I took a bus from College Station to Austin once. With stops in every teensy berg along the way, the two-hour drive took about six days. Lovely trip though.

Alright, I'm off to check out what my Facebook friends and the rest of the world are posting on Pinterest. Happy Friday, y'all!

Read more...

Sunday Stealing on Thursday

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I know. I'm way behind this week.


Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Part Two

21. Did you go to your high school prom?
Yep. It was at the Adam's Mark Hotel (now a Marriott) in Houston. Evans kept it a secret from his mom, because she felt that his going to my prom (he was a junior) would take away from the significance of his own prom. Being a mom now, I'm sure that she knew all along that he was going.

22. Perfect time to wake up?
7:00 am

23. Perfect time to go to bed?
11:45 pm after Letterman and possibly Craig Ferguson's monologue

24. Do you use your queen right away in chess?
I thought you couldn't move the queen on the first turn. ??? I've played chess maybe three times in my life.

25. Ever been in a car accident?
Only one- when a deer jumped into my windshield on the highway. Glass shattered all over me and into the front seats, but only tiny shards, so I wasn't hurt that badly. Luckily, one of the people who stopped to help me was a volunteer firefighter. He knew the secret to getting most of the bajillions of glass shards out of your skin--- he got a towel from the back of his truck and whipped it back and forth across my legs and arms (after saying, "Trust me. This won't hurt." I thought, riiiight..., imagining the shards being jammed in even further, but actually it didn't hurt at all and worked very well.)

26. Closer to mom or dad…or neither?
Close to both, but I was closer to my mom, especially after they split up. I lived with her and Dad moved to England.

27. What age is this exciting life over for you?
110

28. What decade during the 20th century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
The 80's, baby!

29. Favorite shoes you have EVER owned?
I had some freaking amaaaaaazzzzing black leather boots that I bought myself in London when I was a sophomore in high school... in the 80s! Everyone loved them. I can't believe I don't have any pictures of those boots! While I was in London, I also got a black leather pencil skirt and these totally rockin', very European, black pants with decorative snaps down the sides. Oh man. So cool.

30. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school?
No. Probably the last thing I got rid of was my letter jacket. I kept the letter and ditched the jacket.

31. Were you in track and field?
Nope

32. Were you ever in a school talent show?
Several. I usually sang.

33. Have you ever written in a library book?
Good Heavens. No.

34. Allergic to?
Deathly allergic to CT and MRI intravenous contrast medias. I have a medic alert bracelet to let people know, should they find me unconscious, at which time they would most likely whisk me into a CAT-scan or MRI and kill me with their test.

35. Favorite fruit?
watermelon

Read more...

Pinterest- Part II

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

My DD sent me an invite to Pinterest, so I'm on there now. I've even pinned my first pin. Whee!

One thing I didn't like about the signup process- it makes you join via either Twitter or Facebook, and then automatically subscribes you to all the people you know from that site who are already on Pinterest. It also requires you to enter some interests and subscribes you to several people you don't know at all. So I was automatically following a ton of people when I first logged in.

Instead, they should just suggest people you know. I enjoy browsing the "popular" pins or searching for whatever I'm thinking about today, rather than commenting on the things my friends have pinned. I guess I think of Pinterest as more of a personal, but shared, bulletin board of ideas than a social outlet. Although... it wouldn't be the first time I've totally missed the point of something. :)

Off to pin on the four boards I've set up! I wonder if I can find the neat things I've seen already again...

Read more...

Pinterest

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

But first... two bits of randomness...

*I'm going to Dallas this weekend to have lunch with Grandpa and hang out with Donna and Kelly. No rock concerts this time, but I'm sure we'll find some fantastic trouble to get into! And I'll enjoy seeing Donna and Kelly, too. Heh.


*Scotty laughed "jajajajaa..." while we were IMing. They say that you know you've learned a language well when you start thinking in that language. Laughing in Spanish? I think that kid is well on his way to mastering it. Or he just had one too many sangrias.

The Bloggess has referred to Pinterest on occasion, so I knew what it was, but I had never visited the site. Then Laura was complaining that she had become completely addicted to it and I thought perhaps it was a really good idea to stay away from it. Within several days, I was becoming more curious, so I finally went on it, and now I'M addicted. Whatever you do, people... go straight to Pinterest and check it out now. But only if you have at least an hour plus a lifetime to browse all the awesome and amazing things you'll see there.

I got stuck in two main areas- recipes and home decor. It doesn't matter what your interests are, they are there in abundance. The coolest of the cool products, ideas, etc. on the net. Now I just need an invite to participate myself!

Read more...

Happy MLK Day

Monday, January 16, 2012

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Jeff and I spent a fun weekend in San Antonio. We've been regular visitors to the city for twenty years now, so we sought out activities we haven't done before. I didn't figure there would be many, but it turns out there is quite a list, including the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which I highly recommend.

The Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero) is the most famous of San Antonio's missions, because of the battle that was fought there. It's part of the "Mission Trail" of five missions along the San Antonio River and is maintained by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The other four- Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada- are maintained by the federal government in cooperation with the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio. The Archdiocese maintains the churches on the grounds, as they are still used for services and ceremonies today.

The Alamo is awesome, and a must-see, but these other lesser-known sites really gave me a particular sense of connection to the past, perhaps because they are less "touristy" and not right in the middle of downtown. They were all built in the early 1700's and many of their structures exist today- some with more restoration than others, but all with a significant portion of the original buildings and walls. Many of the frescos are visible, which is so cool. These are probably the oldest buildings I've seen in the US. And beautiful- I got some amazing photos!


This has got to be the most striking architectural photo I have ever taken. It's from Mission San José. Just the way the sun was shining through the arches... such great geometry of lines and curves. Later when we were at the galleries at La Villita, we saw paintings and photos of this same area of the mission. Looks like everyone thinks this is a fantastic shot! I may have to frame this one quite honestly. I love it.

La Villita was very quaint. It's a village of art galleries and other shops selling upscale handmade items like jewelry and metal works. There are a few restaurants/cafes. Many of the shops are in historical homes. It sits just a block away from Rivercenter Mall, so if you're there, be sure to walk over and check it out.

Your Aggie Joke of the day-

I was Google mapping the restaurant we chose for dinner on Friday night, and I didn't understand why it said this place was 20 minutes away, when it looked like it was sitting right next to us. The Hill Country Hyatt is by Seaworld, and so was the restaurant! It was sending me over this long route on a freeway, but clearly the place was sitting RIGHT THERE. I was so confused. I finally showed it to Jeff.

"You're looking at us. The restaurant is that point across town on the freeway."

Don't say I never gave you anything, my Austin friends.

We had breakfast in the restaurant at the hotel Saturday morning. The staff is very attentive and cheery, and they address you by name while you're there. A couple with a very loud and overly-friendly sort of guy (one Frank and Bob would call "the frat president") was seated next to us. The hostess mispronounced their complicated last name as she sat them. The guy smiled and explained that his last name was Czech and pronounced it slowly for her a few times before asking, "Hey! How would you say that in Spanish?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'm Thai."

Yeesh. You know he's that guy asking women when their babies are due... complete with a hand to the tummy.

Best part of the weekend was the gorgeous weather! We couldn't have asked for better. Cool and sunny. I so enjoyed the getaway. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

And I am happy to report that all is going well with my dad! :)

Read more...

Friday Meme

Friday, January 13, 2012

My dad's seven-hour cancer surgery is today. We're hoping that he'll have an uneventful surgery and a very smooth recovery. And no more chemo!


Curious as a Cat

1) Describe your ideal romantic dinner.
Secluded beautiful beach. Jeff's wearing like... linen pants and a lightweight white button-down shirt and I'm wearing a gauzy white sun dress. Lots of candles. Fabulous wine. Bryan Adams singing live.

2) If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be?
I'd be this sexy leather sectional, available at Motif:

I'm fun, adaptable, streamlined, and also available in Ultrasuede.

3) When was the last time you spotted an unwelcome visitor (i.e., bug, rodent, etc.) in your house?
We usually get a moth in the house every night when someone opens the door. It flies in and settles around a light and drives the cats bonkers all evening.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one. 

I think of how, if you're lost in nature, civilization is supposed to be in the direction of the side of the rocks where the moss grows.

Read more...

It's FAFSA Time

Thursday, January 12, 2012

It's that time of year when all senior parents are bugging their kids about the FAFSA, the college financial aid form, which has been available for submission since January 1. All my friends are asking, "Has Lauren sent in her FAFSA? My son (daughter) hasn't!" I reply no and we have a big discussion about scholarships and college financing.

I got out my own college financial paperwork, because Lauren wanted to know when I found out about my scholarships (mostly March/April). In the folder was my FAF (the former document, which was simply the Financial Aid Form, rather than the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It was really interesting to look back through all that information from the 80's- Mom's job info, my summer job info, our bank account balances, monthly expenses, etc.

Also in there- SAT and GRE scores. Whee!

One of my winning scholarship essays was in the folder, too. Oh, such pretty words about how much I loved math and science and how I was driven to help all mankind with my future endeavors. Cheesy, but true. Dear Foundation-- it turns out I've done a bit towards helping mankind, and will continue that pursuit. So, thank you!

I also told Lauren about a small engineering scholarship I got from Schlumberger, a petroleum services company in Houston. I didn't apply for it, and I'm still not sure how I got into the pool of people from which they selected their scholars. When I got the letter, I was SO confused, because at the time, the only Schlumberger I knew was a mattress store, and I thought it was from them. Yeah, there's a joke there somewhere...

So get those FAFSAs in, seniors! Get your parents off your back. :)

Read more...

Philanthropy Tuesday

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

KathyL really got on a rant about an organization who asked her for a donation recently. They catch feral cats and have them spayed or neutered and then release them back to wherever they found them. She was probably the most animated I've seen her in months.

"THIS is what they think we should be spending money on right now? When there are children starving in this country?! Give me a break!!"

When I told Jeff about it, he said, "Ask her if she'd give money to a group who catches feral cats and feeds them to hungry children."

Ahaha! Solving the problems of the world, one horrifying idea at a time.

BTW...


I'm up another million!

Read more...

Soap on a Rope

Monday, January 9, 2012

My quote of the day yesterday?

"There was this thing in the 70's, called 'Soap on a Rope.'  It was soap... on a rope!"

After we stopped rolling on the floor laughing, Lauren asked why it was on a rope. I... uh... have no idea. A lot of things from the 70's defy explanation. I figured it was to hang the soap on the faucet so it didn't get all gooey on the soap dish.

Google is telling me you put the rope around your wrist so you don't drop it. The Urban Dictionary points out that this feature is particularly useful in prison.

Read more...

"Pow" is Totally a Word

Sunday, January 8, 2012

If Words with Friends, Bookworm and Hanging with Friends would just add the following types of words to their dictionaries, my scores would friggin' explode:

1) Spanish words
2) onomatopoeia
3) teenage slang

I'm best at Bookworm, because my wordsmith friends kill me in the other two games. Competing against myself and those burning tiles...


That's 3.6 million. It's good, but I never ask my word game buddies what their scores are, because..... Winning!

Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Part One

1. Song that always makes you sad?
 "Rain"- Patty Griffin



2. Last thing you bought?
Fireball cinnamon whiskey

3. Last person you argued with? 
Jeff. For our San Antonio weekend, he wanted to stay on the Riverwalk, because we would have that as our accessible nighttime entertainment. While I appreciate having entertainment options in walking distance, I pointed out that we wouldn't walk the Riverwalk, because we've been there, done that a hundred times. Instead we would most likely just end up picking one nice bar to hang out for the evening and chat and people-watch. I'd rather stay somewhere with a pretty view and hang out in their bar and chat and people-watch. Winner---- me. And the Hill Country Hyatt. *applause* (Don't get too excited. He totally gave me this one.)

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on? 
Ewww. That's really over the top, eh? Although this week I saw Giada De Laurentiis mix a stick of butter into four cups of cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches... with pancetta. Girl is turning into Paula Deen.

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?
I can't remember my named stuffed animals. I remember my dolls' names though!

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD?
Stunt and Rock Spectacle

7. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

8. Favorite sundae topping?
chocolate sauce and fresh nuts

9. Did you take piano lessons? 
Yep. Mom was a very talented pianist and sent me to three years of lessons. It didn't come as easy to me, but I did like playing. It must skip a generation, because Lauren picked it up in no time at all.

10. Most frequent song played?
according to iTunes- "Hide and Seek" Imogen Heap

11. T.V. show you secretly enjoy?
I should probably enjoy it in secret, but I just tell everyone. The Bachelor. Love watching women get all crazy on each other about some guy they've just met.

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey? 
basketball

13. Date someone older or younger? 
I always dated within about a year of my age, but if I had to pick... younger

14. One place you could travel right now?
Puerto Rico

15. Do you use umbrellas? 
definitely, unless I have my weather-proof jacket on and it's a very quick trip through the rain

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem? 
Is there more than "O Canada?"

17. Favorite cheese?
We had a cheese plate last night at the Grove with a fabulous selection, and one hard cheese I really loved, but I have no idea what it was. For sandwiches at home, I usually have Havarti on hand.

18. The Smith’s or The Cure? 
The Cure

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes? 
brunettes

20. Best job you ever had?
PPD pharmaceutical research data analyst

Read more...

You Know You Want This

Saturday, January 7, 2012

I posted a link to this awesome Facebook shower curtain yesterday on Facebook, with the comment, "You know you want this." Only the link didn't post with the comment. So it appeared as:


Aaahahaaaa! I deleted it and tried again, and yay- the link posted, too. Now it's a running gag, of course. You know you want this.


Saturday 9: Nobody Told Me

1. When you grew up were you ever told how to deal with problems?
My mom was the practical one when it came to handling problems. She gave me quick, pragmatic advice like, "Just ignore jerks like him," or "Maybe you can try to switch shifts with someone at work that day." Dad was the philosopher... "Probable impossibilities are preferred to improbable possibilities."

2. What was your first apartment like?
I had a garage apartment at my grandparents' house at college. It had its own outside door and was separated from the house by a locked door, so it was completely private. There was a bedroom, a hallway with a microwave and small fridge, and a bathroom with a shower. My grandparents traveled a LOT, so rarely was anyone there. That meant... crankin' up the tunes! Small space. Plenty of loud music.

3. What was the first car you owned?
Maroon Mazda GLC. I got it my sophomore year of college. The car was about 6 years old when we bought it for $1200 from one of my mom's coworkers, who had maintained it in pretty pristine condition. I paid half and Mom paid half; then she paid for insurance and I paid for gas and maintenance.

4. Tell us about a crush or relationship that you had at high school.
You guys have heard all about my two high school boyfriends, so let's see...  I had a persistent crush on Matt. He was very geek chic. He was a soft-spoken guy who was very funny. He was into punk bands, so he had that "edge" going on. Blond hair and ironically nerdy dark rimmed glasses.

Last year, KathyL informed me that not only did SHE also have a crush on Matt, but "so did everyone else!" WHAT?

Well, eat your hearts out, Creek girls. Here's what Matt wrote in my yearbook, sprawled across a photo of the band hall (did I mention he was a drummer?)...

My permanent residence, the birthplace of my lust for you; I hope you (we) may delve into the spiritual entity of your dream.  
Matt

So deep, right? ;) We never delved into anything, because on that very day, the day of the yearbook party before our senior year, I started dating my second boyfriend.

5. Have you ever had an “enemy” in your life?
I never had one of my very own, but there was an insufferable biotch on our bus who was Kimberly's enemy. We had assigned seats. They argued incessantly, Kimberly in my seat and this girl across the aisle. Kimberly was always taking the high road, appearing calm and cool, and this chick was a bruiser with an attitude, threatening her all the time, but never coming through. I had a stomach ache every single time I got on the bus for a couple of months.

6. What were you doing the first night that you got drunk?
The first time I was ever "drunk" was at a house party. There were tons of people there. I went with Johnny, Shane, Everett and Doug. Shane and Everett were walking me around in the street when the police arrived to break up the party. My "friends" unceremoniously shoved me behind a tree or something, to hide me. When the guys dropped me off at home that night, I tossed my cookies on the front porch. (Mom's practical advice the next day? "If you're going to drink, for God's sake don't drink too much." So true!)

7. Ten years ago, what was your job and did you like it?
I wasn't working then, but along with the two websites that I still run, I was co-running the fansite and the fansite message board. I loved it! It was amazing the sheer numbers and variety of people I met, some of whom I'm still close friends with. Our families have even vacationed together!

8. What movie had the biggest impact on you as a child and why?
Grease. I was 11. Lori and I were in a department store modeling class/camp (ahhhh such a joke- fun though) that summer. The movie had just come out and we were all obsessed, including the class instructor. Every day there was an hour or so when we would practice whatever the lesson was- makeup, aerobic conditioning, photo sessions, runway show, etc.- and every time, the lady would put on the Grease soundtrack and we would all sing and dance around, and scream when "Summer Nights" came on. Lori and I also played it constantly at home, making up our own choreography and taking turns being Olivia Newton-John. It was just such a universally appealing film and I so enjoyed bonding with friends and strangers with that shared love of the music.

9. What are your plans for this weekend?
Jeff and I are planning our upcoming weekend trip, making hotel reservations, etc. We'll watch the Texans/Bengals game this afternoon. Go Texans!! KathyL and Cindy and I are going out tonight. Tomorrow- no plans. Hit me up!

Read more...

Google's "Other Contacts"

Friday, January 6, 2012

I use Google contacts now, since Yahoo upchucked on me. Still no gmail, because I've been wracking my brain for three weeks trying to think of the perfect username. Please send suggestions. Thx.

Google has this weirdness with two groups of people- your actual contacts, which they call "My Contacts," and a mysterious group called "Other Contacts." Other Contacts seems to include friends of friends, although I have absolutely no idea where they are pulling them from. A bunch of Lauren's friends appear there. Several siblings of my friends, some of whom I don't know at all, other than their names. My friends' children. I don't know. You're really freaking me out here, Google.

If they are friends of friends, or contacts of my contacts...

(click for larger)

um... which one of you has been holding out on me that you know Jon Bon Jovi?

Read more...

Watch Out for Facebook "Please Repost" Statuses

Thursday, January 5, 2012

There has been a Facebook status going around since the Ticker (haven't you turned that thing off yet?) began, that says:

Please do both of us a favor: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you'll see a box that says "Subscribed". Hover over that, then go to "Comments and Likes" and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY IT LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles. If you repost this I will do the same for you. You'll know I've acknowledged you because if you tell me that you've done it I'll "like" it.

This is all a bunch of malarky. Here's the Snopes link. When statuses start being reposted around Facebook and use capital letters and alarmist language, be suspicious.

Also, if you don't want your friends to see your Facebook comments and likes, maybe you shouldn't be commenting and liking those things in a public setting like the web.

Kimberly hit me with the most random text yesterday...

Kimberly: Was Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" our drill team try-out song?
Me: Yikes. Is this a pop quiz? I have no idea. Did we even try out for drill team?
Kimberly: YES! YOU MADE ME!
Me *giggling and confused, because we would never have tried out for "the sluttiest girls this side of the creek"*
Kimberly: I was SURE YOU would remember. Listen to it and get back to me.
Me: LOL. I KNOW the song. I'll say... yes. Do you remember the routine?
Kimberly: Oh, I'm doin' it here on I-90 in South Dakota. Join in anytime. No, not really. I just remember there were splits at the end I couldn't do. :p
Me: Ohhhhhhh... I remember the splits. They said we didn't have to be able to do them, but almost everyone else could. Well, now I have the song stuck in my head.
Kimberly: My work here is done. 

Read more...

Happy Tuesday

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I'd like to begin with a little web designer humor this morning, for a few people out there. Please click and enjoy this

Clients from Hell post.

Heh.

Under the category "Better Late than Never," I give you my New Year's Eve restaurant mini-review. We went to Fleming's. The food was fabulous and the service was good, although I had to laugh when the waiter carefully corralled all the table crumbs with his crumb sweeper and then swept them straight off the table edge, onto the floor. We also enjoyed people-watching, with all the women dressed like hookers that night. I think it was just bad judgement on NYE attire, but it may have been a group from a strip club.

Our table had the tenderloin carpaccio (mmm), sweet chili calamari (the best), various steaks (the melt in your mouth kind- so good), Fleming's potatoes (jalapeno scalloped potatoes), green beans (blah), cheescake, creme brulee and berries& Chantilly cream (a.k.a. "whipped cream"). Other than the green beans, everything was absolutely awesome. The only bad thing about Fleming's is the cost. You can get food just as good at McCormick & Schmick's or my favorite place, Austin Land and Cattle, for less than a mortgage payment.

Today, we return to our regularly scheduled lives after such a wonderful couple of weeks of holiday time. The sun is out, traffic is light and temps are frigid here in the ATX! Enjoy your day, friends!

Read more...

Football

Monday, January 2, 2012

Every time the Cowboys are sucking (and oh, were they ever last night), my Dallas-raised husband waxes poetic about the Staubach days. Yeah yeah... Houston Oilers 4ever, baby!! Bum Phillips, Dan Pastorini, Earl Campbell.... Wooooo!!!

:)

I forgot to mention a very important thing yesterday--- Aggie bowl win! They even kept it together through the second half. Nice job, guys! What an honor to Joey V and Coach Sherman. It was such a touching tribute for Northwestern to wear Joey's number on their helmets alongside the Ags.

I enjoyed the fun element of the "monkey on their back" the Northwestern coach had them carry around all week, even though I didn't want them to be able to rip that jersey off it! Good luck next year, Wildcats!

And who happened to be right there at the Lemon Bowl (a yellow football? come on Meineke) Car Care Bowl, being inducted into the Gridiron Legends?


That would be Bum Phillips! (And that logo is totally a lemon.)

URL Meme

In your browser's address bar, type the letter "a" and make note of the first page that comes up in the autocomplete list. Repeat for "b", "c", and the rest of the alphabet.

A- Amazon
B- Barnes & Noble
C- YouTube vid of Cats Playing Patty Cake
D- Discover Card
E- Etsy
F- Facebook
G- Google
H- The Highball
I- iStockphoto
J- a Jonestown (Lake Travis) vacation rental 
K- McKinney Roughs
L- Lost at E Minor
M- MorgueFile
N- Not Too Sweet
O- BioAustin life science companies list
P- PayPal
Q- Modern Family Quotes
R- Stunt Ranch
S- Southwest Airlines
T- TastingRoom.com
U- Uncrate
V- VectorStock
W- Austin Water Bikes
X- xkcd
Y- Yapta
Z- Z Gallerie

Read more...

Happy New Year!!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012 is going to be the best year ever!

I found the drinking game for Arena. It's on this page, in the comments... search for "drinking game."

Bwahaha!

Today's "Year-In-Review meme" was shamelessly gacked from LJ:

Find your first entry for each month of 2011. Post the first line of each, and that's your "Year In Review."

2011 in Review

Had a fabulous time out with the Jeffs last night at McCormick and Schmick's, where the only two pieces of festive New Year's headwear were sported by an 8-year-old and me.

Thank you, Laura, for calling just to say, "NICE RACK!" I'm touched. *wipes tear*

Kimberly is coming down to see Tara's new baby, and I'll get to see all three of them in the next few days.

Friday I got an mail from "Old STNY," which I figured was spam from some pothead flower child, which was doubly weird because Yahoo is da bomb at screening spam.

Why is it that I buy sixteen boxes of Kleenex to stash around the house, yet when my nose starts running like a six-year-old's from all this Austin pollen, there is not a single tissue around?

Last day of work! ...for a while anyway.

Jeff and I spent the past two days touring south central Texas.

While we were on vacation I got pulled over for the first time EVER for a moving violation.

Dear PeopleWhoWearSunglassesInsidePublicBuildings,
I can't stop staring at you to make sure you aren't "someone."

Football this morning!! BTHO Arkansas.

For those who missed it, Chris singing at a World Series game...

Yesterday was pretty great! 

Read more...

About This Blog

This is a personal blog with no particular niche, or really any purpose whatsoever. Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! Stalker...

;)

  © Blogger template On The Road by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP