Red Skies at Night... or In the Morning

This morning, one of our programmers came in for a department meeting, though she's off today.

Director (to programmer): Isn't your boyfriend in town?
Programmer: Yes.
Director: You didn't bring him?
Programmer: Ha. No.
Me: Oh! Is it Bring Your Boyfriend to Work Day?
Director: I don't think your husband would be too happy if you did, Kathy.

Heh.

Wanna see the freakishly beautiful red sunrise in Austin from this morning? Well, sorry. I missed the photo op, because I was driving, and I can't find a photo of it anywhere. But! I did find this gorgeous photo on Flickr... which isn't from today, but looks the same!

Read more...

A Musical Wednesday

I'm very flattered to find out that my hubby has my blog on his Google Reader, and reads it the minute it's updated. 'Cuz he said, about two minutes after I posted the other day, "Ohmigod. Your blog has a TYPO!" Thus, I found out that the RSS feeds don't update (at least right away) when I correct a typographical error. *sigh* I guess I have to proofread a little closer before posting. Or just let Jeff proofread it. :p


Lyrics o' the Day
I heard them this a.m. and they're STILL in my head. Because... yes.

...Try to tell you no, but my body keeps on telling you yes
Try to tell you stop, but your lipstick got me so out of breath
I'd be waking up in the morning probably hating myself
And I'd be waking up, feeling satisfied but guilty as hell
Baby, there you go again, there you go again- making me love you
Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go...

Adam Lev... uhh... Maroon 5 "One More Night"


Music Memoirs Top 5 on Friday

Top 5 "Icy" songs

1. Alanis Morrisette "You Oughta Know"
Every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back, I hope you feel it.

2. Gavin DeGraw "Radiation"
If you miss me, don't. If I never wanna see you again, I won't. If you get an invitation, I'm probably drunk.

3. Maroon 5 "Harder to Breathe"
You drain me dry and make me wonder why I'm even here. This double vision I was seeing is finally clear. You want to stay, but you know very well I want you gone. Not fit to f**king tread the ground that I'm walking on.

4. Paramore "Misery Business"
I never meant to brag, but I got him where I want him now. It was never my intention to brag, to steal it all away from you now, but God does it feel so good, 'cause I got him where I want him now. And if you could, then you know you would, 'cause God it just feels so... It just feels so good.

5. Kelly Clarkson "Why U Wanna Bring Me Down"
Is it too much to give a damn, when I'm giving you one hundred and ten? Don't blink cause I won't be around. Why you wanna bring me down?

Read more...

Saturday 9 on Tuesday

I told Lauren what Cyndi Lauper's song "She Bop" is really about.

It turns out, she'd never even heard the song before, and now she has it stuck in her head. (Thanks a lot, mom!)

Saturday 9: Call Me Maybe

1) Do you owe anyone a phone call?
my Grandpa

2) Do you still have a landline phone?
Nope.

3) When was the last time you looked up a number in the phone book?
years ago

4) Do you receive more calls or texts?
texts by far

5) Carly Rae made the Final 3 on Canadian Idol. Can you name another cultural import from Canada?
Ryan Gosling

6) Sam grew sick of this song by hearing it too often on the radio. Where do you listen to the radio most often? Car? Work? Somewhere else?
car

7) Mother Winters can work wonders with an iron and a can of spray starch. Every blouse and shirt she presses looks good as new. Is there a domestic chore you excel at?
I have to say, I enjoy ironing with spray starch, too.

8) Do you consider yourself competitive?
Not really.

9) Tell us your superhero name -- as determined by the color of your shirt and an item to your right. For example, Crazy Sam now fights crime as The Light Blue Coffee Mug!
The Blue Lamp

Read more...

Oscars

The Oscars were pretty good this year! Long, but good. A special YAY from me for Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway! Eeee!

The Best Actor category was so packed with talent that I don't know how they chose just one person to win. I was most moved by Ben Affleck's speech during Argo's Best Picture win, especially after he didn't get a nom for Best Director. So great!

I loved all the live musical numbers- except for Katherine Zeta-Jones' lip syncing. Egads. If you're going to lip sync, at least do it well.

Seeing the Les Mis film cast sing live was amazing. I have to admire Russell Crowe for getting out there and singing after we've all blasted him about it online for the past two months.

The Jaws play-off music KILLED me. Very funny. And quite effective.

Patrick's Saturday Six: Y

1. Y is for YACHT: What’s the biggest boat, ship or vessel you’ve set foot on?
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas



2. Y is for YAM: What kind of potato do you prefer most: the traditional white potato or the sweet potato?
for french fries- sweet potato, because it doesn't need any condiments
white potato for all other applications

3. Y is for YAWN: You see someone yawn: how likely are you to yawn within a minute after that?
very

4. Y is for YELLOW: Look around you: what’s the first yellow thing you see?
my Daughtry VIP pass on my bulletin board

5. Y is for YOGURT: Which flavor of yogurt is your favorite?
I'm not a fan of yogurt.

6. Y is for YOLK: If you were to eat eggs for breakfast, how would you prefer them cooked?
poached please, over English muffins or toast

Read more...

Sunday Stealing

Happy Oscars Day! Good luck, Bradley Cooper!


Sunday Stealing: The (20) First (Questions) Meme

First Job: Houston Post telephone sales

First Real Job: Clinical Data Manager at a pharmaceutical research CRO

First Volunteer Job: My first "real" volunteer job was as a cancer information specialist at the American Cancer Society, when I first moved to Austin. I answered questions from people who called in on the 1-800 cancer info hotline.

First Car: a $1200 used maroon Mazda GLC (pictured later in this post, in a not-so-pristine state)

First Record: 1st album- Saturday Night Fever soundtrack  1st 45- "Happy Days" Theme

First Sport Played: school basketball team in 6th grade. Go Lions!

First Concert: At a major venue- The Summit in Houston (we saw tons of famous acts at Astroworld in middle school)- I say it was the Go-Go's, but Kimberly insists Hall & Oates was first. She's crazy. It was 9th grade though. Kimberly's dad took us and he wore ear plugs. I thought that was so hilarious.

First Country Visited: I'm pretty sure my grandpa and grandma were living in England at the time that we lived in Germany, when I was teensy, and we went to see them. Don't hold me to that.

First Kiss: FrankieB in third grade, for purposes of a kissing contest between another girl and me. Yeah, Frankie was pretty smooth for an 8-year-old.

First Speech: Hmm. My first speaking role in a school theater production was in third grade. First major public speaking was a work presentation on medical coding that I did at a huge investigators' meeting in Scottsdale. I think my only actual "speech" was the one I just did a few weeks ago when I won an award.

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend: JohnH when I was 15. We were together for a year-and-a-half.

First Encounter with a Famous Person: I was one of a small group of kids presenting a PISD award to Gordie Howe for his involvement with schools, center ice at a Houston Aeros game when I was in second grade. I happened to get to stand next to him, and he put his arm around me during the presentation.

1974. He was playing for the Aeros,
alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty.

First Brush With Death: In college, I hit a deer on a highway at high speed. It jumped right into my windshield and bounced off, thank goodness. Glass was all over me and everywhere in the car, but the deer did not end up in my front seat. WHEW.

Notice I stopped when I hit the deer. Just saying.

First House/Flat Owned: About a year after we were married, we bought a very cute house in Shady Hollow in southwest Austin.

First Film Seen at a Cinema: Benji

First Media Appearance (Radio, Newspaper, TV): The Gordie Howe presentation I mentioned before. TV and newspaper coverage.

First Hospital Stay: Tonsillectomy when I was a kid

First Book You Remember Reading: I'm wondering if this is a quick answer for most people. I don't remember a lot of books from when I was very little- other than The Velveteen Rabbit, but that was one that was read to me at bedtime. The first book I really fell in love with was Charlotte's Web, in elementary school. I read it over and over, and it made me cry every single time.

First Pet: orange tabby cat named Mickey

First Election You Voted In: 1985- nothing too exciting that year. Kathy Whitmire won the race for Houston mayor. My first presidential election vote was 1988, when I supported George H. W. Bush over No-Thanks-I-Don't-Dukakis. :)

Read more...

Nestande Sentencing

What happens when you drink and drive, run over a woman with your car and then flee the scene while she dies in the street? Well, if you do it in Austin, you get probation.

I haven't been this angry about a court case since Casey Anthony.

The jury's punishment is completely ludicrous. Holy tap-dancin' Moses-- she killed someone and was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. They commented that she had never been in trouble before. That may be relevant if you are being convicted of stealing a tank of gas. You don't get one free homicide because you've been a good girl all your life.

The most deplorable action here is that Nestande didn't stop. If your windshield is shattered by something you even think is "a deer," wouldn't you stop? Who would just continue driving? Commenters on news stories about the trial have said that they have hit deer and stopped out of concern for the DEER. Her testimony is such a crock. She knew exactly what she hit and she was scared, because she was drunk or had at least been drinking and didn't want a DUI.

Smart, since obviously, at least in Travis County, a DUI carries a stiffer sentence than criminally negligent homicide.

Let's say you killed someone completely by accident. Someone walked in front of your car while you were going 65mph on the freeway, while you were completely sober and not texting on your cellphone. This happens on I-35 all the time. (WTF? Stop walking across the freeway, people. Please let me direct you to this thing they call an "overpass.") Drivers who leave the scene of those accidents are charged with failure to stop and render aid, where they wouldn't have been guilty of a gosh darn thing, had they stopped. Normal people stop when they run over a human being. They help. They call 911.

How could they NOT convict her on failure to stop and render aid? GAH.

There are a lot of discussions online about this being a Travis County issue, that juries are typically lenient with drunk drivers as a group. APD Chief Art Acevedo issued a statement about the sentence, and actually said it's a problem in all areas of criminal law in Travis County:

While I'm deeply disappointed, I'm not surprised about the jury's decision(s) based upon a history of permissiveness in our community as it relates to holding criminal suspects accountable for their actions.

My heart goes out to the Griffin family who have been sentenced to a lifetime without their loving daughter, with woefully minor consequences for the individual responsible for this senseless and completely avoidable tragedy.

The men and women of the Austin Police Department will continue to tirelessly pursue those who place our community and families in dire risk of serious injury and death as a result of their criminal acts. We will also join the Texas law enforcement community in vigorously pursuing penalty enhancements at the Legislature for those who fail to stop and render aid to their victims.

I hope Nestande suffers some consequences of her extraordinarily irresponsible actions in her own heart and mind, since she won't be paying any sort of price in the justice system.

My heart goes out to Courtney Griffin's family. When asked what message this decision sent to the rest of Austin, Courtney's birth mom said, in complete frustration and anguish, “Everybody just go out tonight, drink, get behind the wheel, drive through neighborhoods and hit innocent people.”

So sad.

Read more...

TGIF

Happy Friday, y'all! I have tickets to TRAIN! Yeah, baby. I've been waiting and waiting for them to come to Austin, and they're playing the Tower Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas. I can't wait to try out the brand new venue. Gavin DeGraw and The Script are opening. So great!!


Well, I have found a new meme. It's the musically-inspired Top Five on Friday. How cool is that?!

Here we go--

Top Five musicals that were turned into movies

I present two variations on this question.

Top five MUSICALS that were turned into movies (where I like the musical more than the film):
1) Rent
2) West Side Story
3) A Chorus Line
4) Chicago
5) Hairspray

Top five MOVIES that were originally stage musicals (where I like the film more than the musical):
1) Grease
2) Les Mis
3) Little Shop of Horrors
4) Sweeney Todd
5) My Fair Lady

Read more...

Organogram

I wonder how long it will take me to stop misreading the file name "organogram" at work.

Ya' know what I mean?

Maybe it's just me. :)


Giggle o' the day: A friend of a friend on FB is thinking about going vegan. He wants to ease into it though, rather than going "cold tofurkey."

Ha.


Cell Phone Survey
Grab your cell phone and get ready to have fun!

What is your current ringtone?
lobby ring

What is your current wallpaper?
A&M logo

What was the last picture you took?
Another sunrise over Austin. My company has the best views in town.

How many contacts do you have on your phone?
94

Who was the last person you spoke to on your cell phone?
I talked to Jeff at 9:15 this morning.

What service do you have?
AT&T

Who's on your speed dial numbers?
I don't use it.

Do you have voicemail?
yes

How many contacts do you have that start with J- Who are they?
13- Jack, Jason, Jaxon, Jean, JeffC, Jeff, Jen, Jim, Joan, Johnny, Judy, JulieE and JulieP

Who do you call the most?
Other than Jeff & Lolo... Laura

How many text messages do you get a month?
I have no idea. Too many to count.

Can you send pictures?
Sure. Do you have a specific request? ;)

What are the first 2 digits to your number?
42

Go to your SENT texts..what does the first one say?
The earliest one on my phone (without calling up archived messages) is to Kathy. It says, "Sounds coolio. Give me a call this evening!"

Last person that texted you?
Lauren

Last person you added to your contacts?
Stephanie

How many minutes are on your plan?
550

Wanna give out your number?
Uhhh... no.

Read more...

Season Tix Re-Up Time!

Our Aggie football season ticket invoice has arrived. Eight home games! Yay! This year, we are pre-scheduling all our game guests. Then we'll sell two of our four tickets for any games left over, before the season even begins. Hate to say it, but we'll probably sell two of our Bama tickets, even if someone wants to go (well everyone wants to go), because I think we'll make a lot of cash on those.

In other news, I swear everyone I know is going to the UK in the next month. I'm so jealous! Kimberly and Gib are going to Ireland for their 25th anniversary. How AWESOME is that?! Hey... OUR 25th anniversary is coming up...


Patrick's Saturday Six: X

1. X is for XENIAL: Are you more likely to be the person who hosts out-of-town visitors or the person who stays with someone else when you’re the one out of town?
I'm more likely to host. I usually enjoy taking the opportunity to stay at a hotel when I travel, as part of the trip activities, unless there is a compelling reason to stay with a friend or relative.

2. X is for XEROX: What is the last thing you recall making a copy of?
This morning I created a few status reports for one of my studies, and made copies for the project update meeting.

3. X is for XIPHOPAGUS: If you could have a twin for the day, who would you play a prank on first?
Laura

4. X is for XMAS: Have you ever complained about the use of Xmas as an abbreviation for Christmas?
Not once. Suuuuurely there are more important things in this world to whine about.

5. X is for XYLITOL: Which artificial sweeter do you prefer if you’re avoiding sugar?
Equal

6. X is for XYSTER: How many times have you been operated on?
12! (Even I am surprised.) Here is your TMI for the day:
1 tonsillectomy
1 excisional biopsy- Hodgkins
3 excisional biopsies- breast cancer
1 mastectomy & 2 reconstruction surgeries
1 C-section
1 D&C after a first-trimester miscarriage
1 elective hysterectomy & 1 repair surgery when the sutures wouldn't heal

Read more...

iPhone 5

YES. I have it.

I was not thrilled with the salesman I dealt with at the AT&T Store, who told me during his sales spiel that "you really should increase your data plan because LTE uses more data than 3G." Um.... WHAT? Either he has absolutely no idea what he's talking about or he was lying to me, either of which are a huge issue. Not happy with that at all.

The only scenario where the LTE itself would be to blame for increased data usage is for times when something would have taken too long to load over 3G and I would have aborted before the data transferred. On LTE, it might load in a jiffy and I wouldn't stop the process. Otherwise, data usage is data usage, whether via LTE or modem or horse-drawn carriage. Speed is irrelevant.

The backup & restore process from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 was fairly breezy, other than my Google contacts stopped syncing, and when I re-synced, of course they lost their custom ringtones. OMG, it takes forever to reset them for every person.

See, I have set up my phone to have a special ringtone for callers not in my contacts list. Since Apple has yet to make this a simple setting (yesterday I added my suggestion to the bajillion others I'm sure they already have), the workaround is to make the "unknown caller" ring your default ring, and then set everyone in your contacts to another ringtone. It works, but when you initially set it up, it takes for-freaking-ever to change each contact's ringtone individually. As I add contacts, I just make sure they have their own ringtone, which is no biggie.

The screen resolution is noticeably better. I didn't even really remember that it was a higher resolution display and noticed it right away. The camera is the biggest reason I upgraded, and I haven't taken a single shot yet. Ha!

I like having more icons on a screen, so I don't have to page through as much. More contacts on a page. Etc. Very nice.

OH. And guess what?! That incessant "muting" of my phone calls that I (and my pals) have been dealing with for two years now was due to a faulty proximity sensor in my iPhone 4! OMG. Had I figured that out, I would have exchanged it two years ago. My phone screen never turned off when I was talking on the phone. People said it was supposed to, and I thought I was just holding the phone in a weird way or something. *forehead smack* So now, I can very happily report that I will not be muting my phone ever again by accident in the middle of a conversation. My new one works splendidly.

Read more...

Spoiler Alert

We watched The Words yesterday. I hadn't seen it at the theater, because it got such bleh reaction at the time. I like all the actors in it (Dennis Quaid, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Zoe Saldana), but so many critics and viewers said the movie was not so great. Well, the story was intriguing. My problem with the film was that it seemed to be struggling to make it's scant 96 minutes. It felt like a full twenty minutes of the movie was one person or another just staring at something (or nothing) for an excruciatingly long time.

 

 

That last one isn't from the film. Just something I happened across, while looking for the other images.

So, how about that ending?! It's the major issue most people have with the movie. Spoiler alert--- The last five minutes or so, you realize that the movie was a depiction of Clay's novel. Or not. I assume it is, because that would be the most interesting turn of events.

My theory is that because the film opens with Rory and Dora, we assume that is the story we are watching. We think that is the "reality." We wonder for most of the movie about the identity of the guy doing the book reading. Is it Rory himself? Exactly how many years would it take for Bradley Cooper to turn into Dennis Quaid? How annoying is it that someone is narrating the movie for us? Once we realize it's Clay, we wonder who Clay is. Someone from Rory's life? Someone related to the old man in some way? What happened to Rory?

In the end, I think Clay wrote a completely fictional story about writer Rory and his wife Dora and the old man. If they would have made that very clear in the movie, it would have been a Sixth Sense sort of surprise! Clay says, "You have to choose between life and fiction. The two are very close, but they never actually touch." Don't be deep and obscure and leave us wondering and discussing it afterwards. Commit and play the uber-dramatic music and let the audience go, "I didn't see THAT coming!"


Sunday Stealing: The Basically Obscure Meme-Part 2

38: How did you spend Valentines day?
Pragmatic as it sounds, I made a yummy casserole and we stayed in as a family. I don't like going out on Vday, because I feel rushed. Having worked at a restaurant, I know they are hoping you'll get the heck out, because they have more reservations coming up. So, we went out to dinner last night!

We went to Carrabba's, which we really enjoyed, although I felt it was very similar to Johnny Carino's, which is closer to our house. Jeff thought Carrabba's was better by far, and called Carino's "the Chili's of Italian Restaurants." Clearly, Olive Garden is the Chili's of Italian Restaurants. Carino's is more the Pappasito's of Italian Restaurants, as I would also say of Carrabba's. (Did y'all know the guy who started Chili's, Larry Lavine, and the guy who started Carrabba's, Damian Mandola, are actually the owners of Mandola's Italian Market, which I love. AND the Mandolas started the Mandola Estate Vineyard in Driftwood, which gave rise to the amazing Trattoria Lisina, which is the Trattoria Lisina of Italian Restaurants.)

39: Do you eat enough vegetables?
Probably not. I try though.

40: Do you like horror movies? How about thrillers?
I like horror movies and thrillers.

41: Do you like scotch?
Absolutely not. Not even the expensive stuff.

42: Who is someone you would never swear in front of?
the Pope

43: Coolest thing you've ever seen on Halloween?
I have seen a lot of stuff on Halloween in my day. I can't remember a specific costume at all.

44: If you could change your natural hair color, would you? To what?
I've gone darker, for fun, but it's not that cute on me. When I start going gray, I may do a slightly redder version of my hair color.

45: What subject would you take if you were forced to take a free class?
medical ethics

46: Do you use a reusable grocery bags?
Yep. I have for quite a while now. In Austin, plastic bags will become illegal everywhere, with a few exceptions, on March 1.

47: City or nature person?
More city. But I like nature, in occasional doses.

48: Have you ever used something other than "makeup" as makeup? (Like paint? Markers?)
nope

49: Do heights bother you? Can look look out the window on the top floor of a skyscraper?
Yes, heights bother me. I can easily look out the window at the top of a skyscraper, but I don't like to look down to the ground below. Toronto's CN Tower has a glass floor at the top, and I couldn't even walk on it.

50: Post 5 awesome things about your blog. BRAG AWAY!
Cute color scheme and header graphic!
Abbreviated movie reviews with spoiler alerts!
Random amusing conversations!
Friends' anonymity guaranteed- sort of!
No ads!

Read more...

My Funny Valentine

Two things drove my design of this year's Valentine for Jeff:

1) In all the years I've known Jeff, any time I've used the phrase "there are a lot of fish in the sea," he says, "No other fishes!" (Let us note, I've never said it to him, just in conversation with or about other people.)

2)  He loves goldfish crackers, particularly the Flavor Blasted cheese ones.

I got his fave goldfish crackers and repackaged them in a transparent cellophane bag. Then I made a cute graphic tag that said, "There are a lot of fish in the sea, but you're the only one for me!"

I showed it to Lauren. We both groaned over the cuteness. Then I mentioned, "They're those super-cheesy goldfish."

She said, "Super-cheesy. Like this gift."

Heh.

J and I hardly ever do our big romantic dinner out on Valentine's Day, so tonight is it! Happy V-day to anyone else who postponed to the weekend!


Saturday 9: Pour Some Sugar on Me

1) Do you have a favorite "hair metal band?"
Not really. I'm not into hair metal, in general. I do like several Aerosmith songs though.

2) Def Leppard got their start in South Yorkshire, England. Have you ever been to the UK?
I've been to London and Brighton.

3) Who would you rather chat with, one-on-one: Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William or Prince Harry?
Prince William

4) Do you use real sugar or a sugar substitute?
I use both, but typically Equal.

5) Valentine's Day is big for candy sales. Did you indulge in any Valentine-themed, sugary treats this week?
Yes. Jeff gave me chocolates.

6) Do you regularly balance your checkbook?
Nah. I rarely write checks.

7) What was your last impulse purchase?
cool lipstick

8) When Sam was a girl, she had nightmares about snakes under her bed. When did you last have a bad dream?
Hmm. I can't remember my last bad dream. That's a good thing!

9) We're ordering pizza. Do you want deep dish or thin crust?
I love deep dish, but I usually get thin crust to cut out a lot of the calories.

Read more...

2000th Post

This is my 2000th post at Blogger!

Whee! Thanks, random people!

Missing several Saturday Sixes, so here we go--

Patrick's Saturday Six: T, U and V

1. T is for TALKER: Which specific topic tends to get a lot of attention on your blog?
Movies, Home Decor and the "anal girl" quote from 500 Days of Summer.

2. T is for TELEPHONE: Who was the last person you spoke to on a telephone?
Jeff

3. T is for TIME: Which do you usually have the most difficulty doing: getting to work on time or leaving work on time?
leaving on time

4. T is for TOUCAN: If you could own any kind of bird (and feeding and housing wouldn’t be an issue), which bird would you like to own?
penguin

5. T is for TOY: What do you own at this point that you consider your favorite “toy”?
my iPhone

6. T is for TYPEWRITER: At what age did you first start learning to type?
about 12

1. U is for UBER: What topic might people accuse you of being a bit “too extreme” about?
I'm usually far more concerned with safety issues than the people around me. That's why they keep pouring me another glass of wine, until I finally stop trying to get them to come down from railings or to stop standing on bar stools.

2. U is for ULCER: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stressed, what is your stress level in an average week?
lately about an 8

3. U is for UMPIRE: If you had to officiate any sport, which one do you think you’d have the most trouble dealing with?
Baseball. The fans are ruthless. And close enough to throw stuff.

4. U is for UNDERWATER: Which sea creature would you most fear if you were diving in the ocean?
jellyfish

5. U is for UNDERWEAR: Which color are most of your undergarments?
black

6. U is for URBAN: Would you most prefer to live somewhere more urban, somewhere more rural, or somewhere more suburban?
suburban

1. W is for WAKING: What time do you usually get up if you truly consider yourself having “slept in?”
10 a.m.

2. W is for WALKING: How much time do you spend walking in a typical day?
A lot. 

3. W is for WARMONGER: Do you tend to be the hothead who’s ready to fight or the peacemaker?
peacemaker

4. W is for WEDDING: What would be your “dream site” to hold a wedding?
Oooh... a castle in Europe, with a view of the ocean. Or Kyle Field.

5. W is for WRINKLE: When you look in the mirror, do you feel that you look younger than you really are, older than you really are, or about the age you really are?
about my age

6. W is for WRITE: How often do you handwrite a letter to a friend or relative?
Hardly ever, but I recently wrote a paragraph or two in a birthday card for my Grandpa!


Happy Fat Tuesday, peeps! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Read more...

Grammys!

My favorite performance, I think, was the tribute to Bob Marley. Sting, people. I also liked Elton John with Ed Sheeran. (I still don't understand why he says her face is crumbling like pastries though. Icko.)

Maroon 5-- always get a big YAY from me!

Timberlake is an incredible entertainer, but I just don't like the sound of "Suit and Tie." I've tried to let it grow on me, but so far, no go. I hear the rest of the album is different. I hope so! This song is absolute snoresville.

Katy Perry was funny.

Not sure what the heck was up with Ellen Degeneres. 

Fun. was fun! I like them a lot.

Mumford and Sons were awesome.

LL Cool J was funny about Twitter. He went on and on about it like it's a new thing. Tell us again how to use hashtags?

The Lumineers are a fave. Nice to see them live.

Best moment-- Prince. He is the coolest cat on the planet. I can't imagine how thrilling it would be to hear him say of your song, "I really like this song," like he did before announcing Gotye's win for Record of the Year.

Read more...

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Basically Obscure Meme-Part 2

21: Would you swear in front of your parents?
Never when I was a teenager, but as an adult, yes.

22: Which continents have you been on?
North America & Europe

23: Do you get motion sickness? Any horror stories?
I very occasionally get motion sickness if I'm in the back seat of a vehicle where I can't see out well. A few video games have given me motion sickness. No horror stories, thank goodness.

24: Why did you name your blog whatever you named your blog?
I love Duran Duran and I thought this particular lyric would be a clever blog name!

25: Would you wear a rainbow jacket? A neon yellow sweater? Checkered pants?
Rainbow jacket- no. Neon yellow sweater- I did in the 80's, when it was cool. Checkered pants- only with some good reason.

This reminds me of my favorite jacket of my entire life. Semi-interesting side story- When I was in middle school, Nolan Ryan was the pitcher for the Houston Astros. He lived near us and his family went to the church by my school, with a bunch of my schoolmates' families, including my best friend Lori. That was the only thing I really knew or cared about with regard to the Houston Astros, or baseball itself. Anyway, we went to the Westheimer Art Festival one weekend and I somehow convinced my parents to buy me a bright blue satin baseball jacket with silver glitter on the back that said "Houston Astros" along with some stars. Totally unlicensed, I'm sure. (Dad: Houston Astros?? Why do you want this?  Me: It's so pretty!!) I wore that thing EVERYWHERE. I looked like a cross between a roller disco princess and an Astros superfan, neither of which I was, but I just loved that it was just so shiny and awesome. It got glitter everywhere. Very obnoxious, so it would fit right in with this question. Blue satin, baby!

26: What was your favorite cartoon growing up? Post a picture if you can.
Bugs Bunny.

27: In a past life I must have been a...
playwright.

28: If you had to look at one city skyline for the rest of your life, which would it be?
I wouldn't want to live there, but NYC has the best skyline in the world.

29: Longest plane ride you've ever been on?
Atlanta to Frankfurt.

30: The longest you've ever slept?
Probably 12 hours, the night I got home from the hospital after having Lauren. I had been there two nights, after a planned c-section. (She was transverse breech.) We were completely sleep-deprived, so we let Grandma take over and finally slept!

31: Would you buy a sweater covered in kitten pictures? Would you wear it if someone gave it you for free?
No and no.

32: Do you pluck your eyebrows?
Yep. Wax rips off my skin.

33: Favorite kind of bean? Kidney? Black? Pinto?
pinto

34: How far can you throw a baseball?
I don't think I've ever thrown a baseball.

35: If you had to move to another country, where would you move?
Germany. It's beautiful and I have family there.

36: Have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? Vietnamese? Korean? Nepalese? How was it?
I've had Vietnamese noodles several times. It's good.

37: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Read more...

Carpet Stretching

Oh my gosh, having your carpet stretched is SO NICE.

Not a euphamism.

I should have taken before/after pictures. (That's what she said. Heh.) We had actual ripples in the hallways and on the stairs. Gone! It's like new carpet. The service is inexpensive, too! They even move your furniture. Best value for the money for any house maintenance we've done so far.


Saturday 9: The Way We Were

1) In honor of Valentine's Day next week, what's the most romantic movie you can think of?
Moulin Rouge *sigh* I love the breadth of Christian and Satine's relationship, from the deeply romantic and absolutely heart-melting secret song, to the sexy scene with her wearing his shirt, to the silly laughter and banter between them. My favorite part is when Christian wins Satine over with the love song medley. Ewan McGregor is SO awesome in the movie. He wins most romantic film boyfriend, hands down.

I know you're all screaming, The Notebook! I love that film as well, and while the story is crazy romantic and fabulous, Noah and Allie's lifelong relationship included quite a bit of deception and discord, mostly due to Allie's (very occasionally adorable) petulance. It's just a different type of story. Moulin Rouge wins for me in this case, because I find it a bit more "romantic" for external forces to act against an otherwise strong relationship, rather than working through internal issues within the couple themselves.

2) The Way We Were was a tearjerker. Do you think that most real-life love stories end in heartbreak? Or do you believe in happily ever after?
I need H. Ross Perot over here, with his pointer and charts. Statistically, most love stories end in heartbreak, otherwise we would only ever have at MOST one love before our final, enduring relationship. Yes? So considering that most people have more than one bf/gf and only one successful marriage, it is true that most love stories end in heartbreak.

But then you get your happily ever after!

3) What's your favorite love song?
It's actually "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge, but "Smile" by Uncle Kracker is a close second.

And "Accidentally In Love" by Counting Crows. Okay, I'm done. :)

4) In 1993, Barbra Streisand married actor James Brolin, who first became famous as Dr. Steven Kiley on Marcus Welby, MD. Who is your favorite TV doctor?
Oooooh. You know who it is.

Dr. Doug Ross.

Gah.

5) In 2012, Streisand renewed her contract with Columbia, where's she's been recording since 1963. So she's been with the same label for fifty years! Where have you worked the longest, and how long was that?
I worked at a large, Austin-headquartered CRO for almost three years before I was a stay-at-home mom.

6) Sam Winters once worked as a hostess in a chic bistro in Worcester, PA. That's why she frequently gets frustrated by bad service in restaurants -- she's certain she could make it run more smoothly. Where do you find yourself getting annoyed most often?
The grocery store. I guess when I'm there, I am trying to get through it as fast as possible, and it becomes an obstacle course of stockers, people who park their carts in the middle of the aisles, slow checkers, no baggers, etc. That's why I miss being able to go in the morning, when there are fewer people to trip me up.

7) Have you ever taken a polygraph test?
Nope.

8) Crunchy, smooth or organic peanut butter?
smooth

9) Describe your favorite sweater.
I just bought a beautiful cream and beige cardigan with 3/4 sleeves and silver buttons for work. Soft!

Read more...

Moved In

I've now "moved in" to my office. Photos of the lovely fam- check! A&M stuff- check. Foundation stuff- check. But not my trophy, because that's on the mantel.

Lauren recorded A&M Signing Day on FOX Sports SW, so we could watch it when I got home on Wednesday. I've never watched any live (or semi-live, as it were) coverage of signing day before, but there was a lot of cool stuff about spring football and of course talk about next fall. Coach Sumlin and all the coaches were on, talking about their subgroups of players. It was really interesting. And truth be told, I have a sports crush on Will Johnson, so it was great to see him get so much air time. Whoop!

A&M did really well in recruiting, of course, so it was superfun to watch all the clips of the new signees. I didn't see a kicker in there, but the kicker coach (I'm certain that is not his proper title) said he is working with Bertolet to "increase his accuracy." (Every time his name comes up, I can hear my seatmate shouting, "Ber-to-let! Ber-to-let! Ber-to-let!")

Okay then. Let's do this thing, Bertolet! You can do it!!

As a bonus during the show, I learned that the soccer coach's name is G Guerrieri. I thought at first that his name was just Jeeguerreri, like Madonna. But no. G has got to be the coolest name ever, in all of history. Not G-period. Just G. (It stands for Gerald, shhhh...)


Friday 5: Cereal

1. What was your favorite breakfast cereal when you were a kid?
Captain Crunch. Mom wouldn't buy it for me, but my great-grandma always had it when I visited her in El Campo. (I didn't just break into Spanish there. It's a small town southwest of Houston.)

2. What’s your favorite breakfast cereal now?
Raisin Nut Bran

3. Where does cereal rank on your list of favorite breakfasts?
#2 behind eggs Benedict

4. What serial novels or films have you most recently enjoyed?
Clever. Um... Batman: The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

5. What recently surreal experience have you gone through?
Interviewing with several people I worked with twenty years ago.

Read more...

Happy Tuesday!

Got my hair cut today. I got a lot chopped off, because I'm tired of the long, super-straight look and want to have a little more freedom to use my curls if I want to. The stylist suggested I layer the ends a little, but she really hacked into it! I was pretty afraid when I saw a whole head of hair on the floor, but I let her do her thing.

It looks great! Sometimes you just have to trust the method.

I've finally completed all my one-on-one training sessions and reading SOPs at work. This was my second day of actual WORK work. Things still run very similarly to how they ran 20 years ago. Many parts of the process have been streamlined and automated, but the big picture is the same. It's busy and pretty cool!

This weekend, we're going to see Lauren's guard director as Edna in their high school production of Hairspray. Ha! Ohmigosh, I cannot wait. I am sure he's awesome in it.

Speaking of high school musicals, I'm sad to say I haven't really loved Glee this season, but last week the girls did a fantastic rendition of "Locked Out of Heaven." See, it was a Sadie Hawkins dance, and the guys sang "No Scrubs." Too funny!

Kudos to the choreographer who decided to put the mic-stand slamming move in this one. Sexy! Rock on, ladies.

Read more...

Super Bowl 2013

We weren't into the Super Bowl this year, but we watched. We were going for the Ravens, me because they were the underdogs and that is my default when I don't really have a fave in a sports event.

That or "cutest quarterback."

I went to the grocery store during the first half, to get something I needed to make dinner. When I returned, Jeff announced that the Falcons were running away with it. I didn't know the Falcons were even playing, but it took a second for us to even be sure they weren't.

The game ended up being really fun to watch, once we all sat down at the beginning of the second quarter. Beyonce was good, and I liked the whole Destiny's Child cameo. Not the best-ever Super Bowl halftime, but very entertaining. The power outage was interesting, and just as I was saying that's probably never happened before, they talked about how it happened twice in one game just last season.

Jacoby Jones' 108 yard kickoff return was the highlight of the whole game. So cool!

My fave commercials:

Leon Sandcastle




Clydesdale



Prom



"Lots of people go by themselves."

"No they don't."

Heh.

Read more...

Not a Taffy Pole

Dear wonderful people maintaining New Girl quotes online,

You know I love ya', but in season 2: episode 15 ("Cooler")... It's a taffy "pull," not a taffy "pole."

Hugs,
me


The Grove was hoppin' last night! I had a yummy Petite Sirah. Someday I want to get their pizza again. We've just fallen in love with their appetizers, so we never get a main dish anymore.


Sunday Stealing: The Basically Obscure Meme

1: Do you notice a persons eye color? 
usually

2: White, milk, or dark chocolate mocha? 
dark

3: If you could get a tattoo free, would you do it? what would it be? 
I wouldn't.

4: Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it? 
Big town- the suburbs of Houston. I loved it!

5: Your favorite adult as a child? (and not your parents, if they were your favorite) 
Mom's friend MaryBeth. So funny and huggy!

6: What kind of smoothie sounds really good right now?
strawberry/banana

7: Most embarrassing moment from your elementary school years?
Dress rehearsal for the 5th grade musical, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. They had brought in a professional photographer to take stills of the whole show. I was Aunt Polly, and I had a pretty period costume- a prairie dress and bonnet and apron- but I forgot my awesome costume SHOES, so I had to wear the sneakers that I'd worn to school that day. I was mortified. The director was ticked!

8: Most embarrassing moment from your middle school years?
My very first real game on the 6th grade basketball team, the first time I got the ball, I started down the court the wrong way. The big tip-off--- no defense. Well, that and a lot of yelling from the crowd and my teammates.

9: Most embarrassing moment from your high school years?
While walking with a few friends, I tripped over a crack in the pavement in our crowded high school courtyard during lunch. I went to the ground in heels and a dress. Swift, eh?

10: Have you ever fired anyone?
no

11: Have you ever climbed a tree more than twenty feet off the ground? 
Nope.

12: Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing set?
Yes! Yes!

13: If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get?
a sloth- so cute!

14: What's your favorite place to relax?
the beach

15: What's your most favorite part of your personality?
spontaneity

16: Madonna or Lady Gaga? Neither? Both? Who cares?
Both are exceptionally talented performers. One doesn't have to choose between them.

17: Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through? 
many times

18: Have you ever watched any major sporting event live?
Like a bowl game, Olympics or World Cup? Not yet.

19: What's the most delicious food you've ever eaten in your life?
Yeesh, that's a hard question. I'll go with the old Canyon Cafe's banana burrito. It was banana, chocolate and nuts wrapped like a burrito, but in phyllo, then fried. They cut it in half and served it over vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate and caramel drizzle.

20: Margarine or butter? Which did you grow up with? 
Butter. Butter.

Read more...

Saturday 9: Aida

Saturday 9: Aida

1) Have you ever been to the opera?
Why, yes! Twice. I went to the opera with my parents once at the Alley Theater in Houston, when I was in middle school. I can't remember which opera it was, but I remember the experience. Lauren and I went to see her friend's stepmom sing in Puccini's Suor Angelica a couple of years ago.

2) Maria Callas was often called a "diva." Is that a compliment or a criticism?
Both. Being one of the best opera singers in the world is an admirable accomplishment, but there's nothing good about being egotistical, demanding and temperamental.

3) Aida was composed by famous Italian Giusseppe Verdi. In addition to opera, what else can the world thank Italy for?
physics, the invention of the radio, amazing paintings and sculpture

4) Verdi was Italian and Callas was Greek. Would you rather vacation in Italy or Greece?
I am dying to see both, but I'll go to Italy first.

5) The Marx Bros. starred in A Night at the Opera. What's the funniest movie you have ever seen?
The Hangover

6) What's for dinner tonight?
We're going to my favorite wine bar, so... fruit, cheese and bruschetta!

7) Are you wearing any jewelry right now?
Nope. I'm in my jammies. It's not even 6 a.m.

8) Sam Winters has a scratchy throat and watery eyes. How do you treat the common cold?
Rest and lots of liquids.

9) Do you need your glasses (or contacts) when you drive?
I don't have glasses... yet, anyway!

Read more...

DUH Week

I am like the Queen of Brainlessville this week!

1) The other night, I was trying to video the lightning on the horizon with my iPhone, while Lauren was driving us to the mall. I tried THREE times, but the screen was just dark. I couldn't see anything! It was really weird.

I figured out the next day that I had the camera reversed, facing me in the dark car, instead of out the window.

2) First day of work, two minutes before I wanted to leave the house, I went into my bathroom to put some product in my hair. I squirted it OVER my hand, straight onto my pants. Had to iron new pants that had been folded up on the floor, with tags still on them.

3) When I met with the CEO of my company my second day, he told me about his career and all the companies he's owned, and then immediately launched into, "Do you remember Powerhouse?" This was the database software I used to use, back in the early 90s at the old company, where he was the CEO and I was a DBA at the time. We were the only company using it in our entire industry, and it was fine, but a tiny player in a market where Oracle was (and still is) king.

Me: I remember.
CEO: I bought it!
Me (WHY?!): Really?
CEO: YES!!
Me: Wow!
CEO: I got it for $400!
Me (OMG, a whole company for $400. Probably a bad indicator of future success...): WOW.
CEO: I know!

This is when I suddenly realize he's talking about the software package itself, NOT the Cognos Corporation that owned the product. Oh, man.

4) My first two days of work, I wore business attire. Everyone else was more business casual, which is actually the dress code when clients aren't in the office. The third day, since I had figured it out, I was nicely dressed, but wearing jeans.

Everyone else? Business attire.

There were clients in the office. The notification had gone out at the end of the previous day, after I was at home without access to my work email. (That has since been remedied.)

I had self-guided training for half my day, and IT training the other half, so I just planned to hide in my and the IT guy's offices all morning. I went to the admin's desk to turn in a form and who was standing there?

The CEO.

Better than the client seeing me, but not by much.

IT Guy asks later if the CEO gave me "the look." I wish I could show you all "the look." Priceless. I don't know if I got "the look," because I avoided all eye contact.

5) Going somewhere on MoPac (it's an Austin freeway) the other night... Jeff, Lauren and Laura in the car with me. Jeff driving.

Jeff: I think this place is actually on MoPac.
Me (a bit distracted at the moment): Well. It's on the feeder road.
Carload of people: *crazed laughter*

What. It is!


Oh. And I finally remembered what Laura said that was so dang funny last week when a meme asked the last time I had laughed really hard.

Sadly, I can't say it here. Hit me up on IM for the deets. *snort*

Read more...