The Trouble with Always Being Early is...

...when you're working from home and you call into a meeting at three minutes 'til, no one is there! So you call the Webex number, just in case they're using that instead.

Nope.

So you call back to the conference room again. Back and forth until it's past the hour and you start texting people to see if they're in the room. Only no one you work with carries their phone around.

WTF, people.

Well, I don't carry mine around either. But someone should, just for times like this.

Finally, one of your VP's calls you at ten minutes AFTER, saying "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Just sitting here waiting to see if anyone misses me. I think I was supposed to speak about 3 minutes ago.

"Oh. Sorry. We just got in here." *laughter in the room* "Go ahead and call in now!"

Wednesdays seem to be the day awesome food shows up in the break room. I figure they were all in there. (Darn you, okra chips!)

Hee! From xkcd.

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The Late Night Double Feature Picture Show

My colleagues and I spent all afternoon with sales guys from Minneapolis. Salesmen are always so interesting and entertaining! (It's their job, I know.)


Well, I've seen a slew of movies lately. First of all, see Prisoners. It is really really good. Not an uplifting sort of film, but such a frightening journey. It's one of those films you'll discuss afterwards. (After you look at each other quizzically at the very final moment.)

I saw The Great Gatsby for the first time. I enjoyed it! I'm a Luhrmann fan, so there's that. The visual impact of his movies is phenomenal. I love the narration. Such a grand collection of amazing quotes in there.

Did I mention we finally saw The Place Beyond the Pines? Oh man, is it depressing. All-star cast. It's good, just so very draining. 


Sunday Stealing: Fall/Autumn Meme

First of all, is autumn your favorite season? Why or why not?
Spring is my favorite season, because it's getting warmer again after being so cold.

Is it ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’, to you?
It's "football season."

What kind of weather does your area get during this season? 
Warm and somewhat wet, if we're not in a drought.

Were you born in an autumn month? 
Nope.

Do you pay attention to any ‘fall fashions’?
Yep. I'm particularly into boots and if anyone is wearing any supercute ones, I'm all over it. Also, in our offices, it's always cold, so some interesting new sweater shapes are showing up already.

Which leaf color is your favorite? 
red

Is it still fun to rake the leaves and jump in piles of them? 
YES

When can you really tell that it’s autumn? 
That first real cold front that comes through and brings cool wind and crisp air. Ahhh...

Do you enjoy carving pumpkins?
Yep. Well, not the carving itself as much as squishing my hands around in the pumpkin seed goo.

Do you eat the pumpkin seeds? If so, do you put any kind of flavoring on it?
I have, but I've never had a good recipe. They never turn out well.

Are you planning to go to a pumpkin patch this year?
No, but we used to every year when Lauren was little.

Which was your favorite Halloween costume to wear? 
Flasher. Skimpy clothes under a trench coat. Simple and sexy without being scandalous!

Are you planning to go trick-or-treating? Why or why not?
No, I have an almost 20 year old child.

Are there any county fairs or festivals held nearby during this time?
Wurstfest in New Braunfels

What is your favorite dessert for this time of year? 
Pumpkin chocolate chip anything

Is your Thanksgiving Day in October or November, if you even celebrate it? 
It's in November.

If you do celebrate it, where do you usually have Thanksgiving dinner?
I sometimes cook, but in recent years, we usually go to a fabulous lunch at the Renaissance Austin Hotel at the Arboretum.

Do you remember any crafts you used to do that were autumn-themed? 
Too many to count. I've done a bunch of silk flower wreaths, decorated cookies, made necklaces...

Are any of your favorite bands doing a fall tour this year?
Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake

Which new TV show are you looking forward to this season? 
The Blacklist with James Spader

How does autumn typically make you feel?
Refreshed. I like the weather and wardrobe change.

What color do you always associate with autumn? 
Orange

Is there a song that always reminds you of this season? 
Oh YES. "Fireflies," Ron Pope.

Do you have any seasonal traditions? 
Going to Aggie games!

Do you spend a lot of time outside during this time of the year? 
Definitely. Whenever I can. It's hiking weather!

How can you tell that fall is over? 
When the Christmas ads start. This year, fall was over in August.

What is a typical autumn outfit that you wear?
jeans, boots, tank top with a button-down shirt over it, unbuttoned a bit

Describe a perfect autumn day: 
Get up early and do an easy hike just to be outside. Have a relaxing lunch at an outdoor cafe. Drive to College Station and beat the hell outta some great football team at a cool, night game!

Do you hate it when stores start promoting Christmas early? 
YES

What is your favorite thing about this season?
The great weather.

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Work Meeting Silliness

We had a conference call for a brand new project on Friday. When both parties were announcing who was present, the client's project manager said, "Here in California, we've got Mary and Bob and Joe.. and I'm Dwight..."

I start writing Dwight in my notes, because he wasn't mentioned on the agenda.

"...Shrute, assistant regional manager of Dunder Mifflin..." Turns out, the guy is a total cut-up.

In an internal meeting this week, our assistant project manager was away from the office and called in. The PM had been complimenting Jason, because the color of his beige socks was precisely the color of his beige pants.

PM: I was just saying that I'm so impressed that Jason's pants match his socks exactly today.
Asst PM: He's wearing argyle pants?

I giggled about that through the whole meeting! I'm still giggling.


Gig 'em Aggies! BTHO SMU! We're off to the last home game for a while.


Saturday 9: Seattle

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) Let's get the obvious out of the way: Have you ever been to Seattle?
Nope

2) Business Week named Seattle one of the best places to live, citing its clean air, low crime and high employment. What makes your current hometown a great place to live?
Lots of music, the big city and gorgeous hill country right smack next to each other, laid back personality, great food, great bars

3) In this song, Bobby brags about how green Seattle is. Is it still green where you are? Or are the trees beginning to show their fall colors?
Fall what? We don't have much color in fall, except for the Bradford Pear trees. They are AMAZING. They haven't started turning yet.

4) This song was the theme of a 1968-1970 show called Here Come the Brides. Do you know the words to any other TV theme?
I shocked myself the other day when I knew every word to the Mary Tyler Moore theme. Song lyrics are sort of my thing. I know a lot of them.

5) Bobby Sherman was once America's #1 teen idol, selling millions of records and earning 5 Gold Albums. Girls who wrote to his fan club received a postcard back signed, "Peace, Love & Bobby Sherman." Have you ever belonged to a fan club?
Cathy and I were big time members of the John Schneider Fan Club, back in the day. Yeah, baby!! Hey now. We met him because of it, so... :p

I've never been much into cowboys or
blondes, but whoa. He was so cute!

I still have my membership card! (My friends: "Of course you do.")

6) Alas, the career of a teen idol can be short, and by fall 1970, Bobby was replaced on magazine covers by David Cassidy. Sherman went on to a second career with the LAPD, instructing officers in CPR and first aid. Do you know how to perform CPR? The Heimlich Maneuver?
Sort of. I'd do it if someone needed it and I don't *think* I would make their situation any worse than it was.

7) The "disc" you see shown is actually made of cardboard and was printed on the back of a Post Alpha-Bits cereal box. It was one of four that Post printed on different cereals back in 1970 so that Bobby-loving little girls would have to go through lots of different cereals to collect the whole set. What's your favorite breakfast cereal?
Raisin Nut Bran at the moment. I go through cereal phases.

8) Crazy Sam can't decide if she wants berries or banana slices with her cereal. Which would be your choice?
Banana all the way.

9) Do you ever eat cereal straight out of the box? Drink milk directly from the carton?
No and no.

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Maroon 5/Kelly Clarkson in Austin

Tracy and I went to the Kelly Clarkson/Maroon 5 concert last night. It was a late, late night and the audience had a minor case of the Wednesdays, but it was a great concert! Austin audiences are known for being exceptionally supportive and appreciative of music acts, but the mood last night was just a tad on the sedate side. Not awful or anything, just noticeable by both artists.

Kelly did a very long set. She has one of the most beautiful, strong voices out there. Just crazy amazing. I've seen her several times live and it's always a treat.

I LOVE her new song. We were dancin' it up!



Funniest moment of the concert was when Kelly said her musical director has "put up with my sh*t for 11 years and... deserves extra crowns in Heaven." Then she said that she must be home in Texas, where people curse and mention Heaven in the same sentence. While we were laughing at that, she went on to say that by cursing on stage, she was setting a bad example for the kids in the audience and she was sorry she was being an a**hole. Ahaha.

I was so thrilled to FINALLY see Maroon 5. You have no idea. Adam Levine gave a girl in the audience HIS GUITAR. Not a pick. The whole guitar. They were just supercool.

Every song played by both acts was a mega-hit. I didn't realize how many great songs they have to choose from! It was really hard to figure out which ones were still left to play when it came time for the encores. (Do y'all do that? Try to figure out what the encore will be? No? Me neither. ;) )

Let me reiterate my loathing of the exiting process for the Austin360 Amphitheater. That place is in the middle of nowhere. We get out in the middle of the night. There should be several free-flowing paths just zooming out of there. Instead, it takes about 30-45 minutes to get out of the vicinity of the track.

Otherwise, it's a wonderful concert venue!

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A Taste of a Poison Paradise

My favorite performance on X Factor last week:



I just love the re-imagining of a song! They did a great job, and of course, it's always interesting when you don't expect a good performance and it turns out to be awesome.

Free fun: Turn on text-to-speech on your iPhone and have it read the "pile of poop" emoji. Well, you can have it read all sorts of things ("Gig 'em Aggies," "Luke, I am your father," "You are the weakest link..."), but the pile of poop is the best. It says, "Smiling pile of poo."

Then, switch the dialect and have it read it again with a different accent. Irish is fun!

What did I say yesterday? Easily. Amused.

Speaking of iPhone, I just found out that iOS 7 is going to allow us to block numbers from phone calls, texting and Facetime. YAY! I have been waiting for that forever. Thanks, Apple! Ironically, I just found a terrific workaround using Do Not Disturb. Gah. Oh well. Yay!

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Bama Game

Well, the A&M/Alabama game lived up to the hype! Congrats, Bama! Too bad we didn't win, but it was quite the exciting game. If only we had that end zone interception back...

Mike Evans is a ROCK STAR. More amazing catches this week! And Johnny had a couple of astonishing running plays.

Where was our defense though? I think the second string was playing better than them the past two weeks. Of course, it was Alabama offense we were against yesterday. So, perhaps it was their talent. Either way, hopefully they'll pull it together.

Funniest tweet about the game was something like, "The D was missing because Johnny gave it to Katherine Webb before the game." Hee!

Best thing about game day was hearing so many Alabama fans, including some Lauren and I spoke to at dinner after the game, say how friendly and welcoming A&M fans were. That's the culture of Texas A&M, and something about which the school, students and former students can be very proud.

Driving to and from College Station, I discovered that my musical tastes haven't changed the last year and a half. My current car CD includes Train, Sarah Barielles' "Brave" and Gavin DeGraw's new song. My car CD from last year's Galveston Mardi Gras trip has Train, Idina Menzel's "Brave" ("Mom, you must like songs about being brave.") and Gavin DeGraw on it as well. TOO funny.


Sunday Stealing: More Meme Part III

Most daring Dare you have ever done?
Ride Greezed Lightnin' at Astroworld in middle school. Holy crapcakes, were Lori and I scared of that thing. For months. And with good cause, I might add. As I recall, it was KimB who dared us to finally ride it. Afterwards, of course, it was so fun that we rode it non-stop every day we were there.



What was on your mind most today?
My hair and if I should cut it. (It's a slow Sunday.)

If you were upset, who’s the first person you would go to?
I typically call Laura.

What have you done today, so far? 
Went to lunch with Jeff at Mandola's (conchiglie with meat sauce- GET IT). Chatted with Lauren. Now they're both taking naps and I'm blogging and working on my website.

What did last weekend consist of? 
Sam Houston State football game in College Station. A trip to Sam's. Watched Oblivion.

What are you listening to? 
Bruno Mars "Natalie"

Who were you last in a car with?
Jeff

Have you ever been called cute?
Yes, most recently by Jennifer, when I wore a ponytail at work.

Describe how you feel right now in one word: 
Tired

Has anybody ever told you that you talk too fast? 
Yes. I tend to talk fast any time I feel like the other person is in a rush.

Did you have fun yesterday? 
So much!!

Do you like to cuddle? 
Yes.

Do you think someone is thinking about you? 
Nope.

Are you stubborn?
No, I'm pretty flexible.

Is there a friend, boyfriend/ girlfriend, or ex that you will never forget? 
I won't ever forget any of my close friends or boyfriends. They're an important part of who I am.

Thinking back, are there people you have no idea why you hung out with? 
Um, definitely.

How’s your heart? 
Good, thanks!

Are you easily amused? 
Yes :)

Do you speak more than 2 languages? 
No

Are you doing anything tonight? 
Watching Insidious (Lauren's pick for scariest movie ever, which I haven't seen) with Lauren in preparation for going to see Insidious 2 with her this week.

Is there a person of the same sex who means a lot to you? 
Of course!

Is your hair naturally straight? 
No, it's curly.

What happened at 10:00 am? 
I don't know. I was still asleep.

What were you doing at ten last night? 
I had just arrived home from College Station and I was taking a shower. Nothing is more gross than that post-game grime that has stuck to your sunscreen through the day. Blech.

Have you made someone happy today? 
Yes, I told Lauren she gets to pick whether I cook dinner or we go out. (It's the little things.)

Is it hard for you to get over someone? 
Ack. Very hard.

Think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted? 
I do not think it's "disgusting" when someone is really wasted, and certainly have no different feelings about whether it's a girl or a guy. I just feel bad for them, because they're going to feel so bad in the morning.

How long did it take you to get over your last ex? 
My last ex is a bad example, because we didn't have a typical breakup. After we were together in high school, we went out whenever we were in the same town, well into my sophomore year of college. That spring, I started dating Jeff exclusively and just stopped going out with Evans and anyone else.

My first boyfriend- it took about six months for me to truly move on. When Jeff and I broke up in college, I really hung in there strong for a couple of months, hoping we'd get back together. Once I wised up and stopped that, it was another couple of months before I was really excited to go out with new guys.

When you are home alone do you still close the door when you shower?
Most of the time, yes. If Jeff comes home, it would scare the heck out of me to turn around and suddenly see him standing there.

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Bring It On Down to Aggieville!

Last night, during the streaming Midnight Yell Practice from Kyle Field on ESPN3, they kept referring to Aggieland as "Aggieville." Every time they said it, I thought of Justin Timberlake in a Slovacek sausage costume, singing, Bring it on down to Aggieville!

My favorite part of the stream was that the announcers from ESPN didn't know their mics were on the entire broadcast, and at one point one of them said to the other about Yell Practice, "This is AWESOME."

Yeah it is!

BTHO 'Bama.


Saturday 9: Dominos

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Listen to it here.

1) Have you ever carefully set up dominoes and then watched them fall? Or built a house out of playing cards?
Of course I've done both many times. Has anyone not?

2) In this week's song, Big Pink lead vocalist Robbie Furze sings, "The hottest love has the coldest end." Have you ever had a relationship that started out so promisingly and passionately but then quickly flamed out?
No. Thank goodness.

3) This is from Big Pink's CD, A Brief History of Love. What about your personal history of love? How many times would say you have truly been in love?
Three.

4) Nicki Minaj sampled this song for her own, "Girls Fall Like Dominos." Nicki won't be back on American Idol this season. Is your reaction a) delight or b) sadness or c) a yawn.
C

5) While nationally the news centers on foreign policy and the economy, Sam's hometown is abuzz over the new Asian-fusion restaurant on Main Street and whether it can get a liquor license. What's the big local story where you are?
The soon-to-be Austin Aquarium is in hot water every two seconds for one violation or another. They bought marine life illegally. They don't have the correct permits to build and run their business. A bunch of their animals died at their Portland aquarium. They've sold Austin Aquarium passes, but might never open. Disaster.

6) Mary Jane Kelley is believed to be the fifth and final victim of Jack the Ripper. OK, now it's your turn. Share a random fact that's rattling around in your brain.
The last time the Crimson Tide and the Aggies met at Kyle Field was 1988. I was there, too!

7) Crazy Sam cursed last night when she dropped a can of tomato paste on her foot. (Hey! It really hurt!) When was the last time you swore? 
When I pulled something coming up out of one of our "wall sits" at work yesterday. Thanks, Crystal.

8) Sam has a grocery bag filled with hoodies and t-shirts she no longer wants and plans to take them to The Salvation Army store. What do you do with your gently used clothes? Toss them or donate them or hand them down to a friend or relative?
I read this "Sam has a grocery bag filled with bodies and t-shirts..." Mmmkay.

We donate them.

9) Do you blush easily?
YES :)

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TGI Friiiiidaaaaay

HA. I almost forgot to share my best line of Burlesque Night. Ari (not her full name, because it's unique and everyone would be able to locate her in this post with a mere click of The Google) has a beautiful Spanish name. We started class by going around the room and saying our first names. Ari says her name.

Instructor: Oooooh. *repeats her name* I like that.
Me: That's her stripper name.

Ahaha. *bows* It's all in the timing.

(Not sure I was supposed to tell that joke TO a stripper, but there you go.)

Want your own stripper name? Tired of "First Pet/Street You Grew Up On?"  Watch Jane Lynch play the Stripper Name Game.

Mine are--

First Perfume/Western State: Charlie California
Favorite Dessert/Eastern State: Cheesecake Massachusetts
Favorite Fruit/Favorite Shoe: Strawberry Bandolino
Native American Tribe/Favorite Hair Color: Shawnee Red
What You Named Your Favorite Barbie Doll/Favorite Newscaster's Last Name: Linda Cooper (bwahaha!)
Commonly Used Birth Control Pill/Kind of Piano: Yasmin Kimball


The Alabama game-- tomorrow at 2:30 CST. I cannot WAIT!!!11!!111!!!!!!! We'll be there early to get in on all the action on campus, and then screaming our heads off for three hours from the 17th row. Look for us in the end zone. Johnny likes to come in on our corner. Good luck, boys! GIG' EM!!

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"...I Lost my Sh** Because of You..."

My hair felt so gross after the rain Saturday night. I always think that rain is pure water and should be great for hair. Jeff said something about how when it rains, the rain leaves gunge on our cars, probably environmental junk it picks up in the air. It must leave the same gunge on our hair.

Sort of takes the magic out of turning your head to the sky and letting it rain into your mouth, doesn't it?

Anyhoo... The work girls and I finally went to our burlesque class last night! SO FUN. I was voted sexiest freestyler on the pole, thankyouverymuch. Well, of our group. The "regulars" were really amazing.

We learned a LOT in an hour. Our instructor taught us two minutes of dance/strip choreography (which would be followed by two minutes of freestyle pole). We learned and practiced most of the class, and then finished with two "performances" in a dark room with nightclub lights flashing.

The choreographed portion included skills like hair flips, body frisking, rollovers, sexy push-ups from the floor, "sexy crawling," fan kicks in stilettos, removing your bra straps without looking like a dork like a total professional, and the best move of all... unhooking your bra with one hand and the associated benefits of doing so. (See, if you use two hands, you have to toss the bra. With one hand, you can hold it over your chest and extend the tease.)

In class, you wear a prop bra on the outside of your shirt. (Of COURSE. You sillies.) Actually, the bra was just the "prop of the week." It could have been a hat, a scarf, thigh-highs, etc.

We also learned that strippers put clinical strength antiperspirant on their hands to avoid getting the pole sweaty and slippery. There's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm not about to go there.

Our song was Nine Inch Nails' "Piggy."



If you don't have a pole at home, you can "wall dance." It's the same as pole dancing, but rubbing around on the wall. It's a pretty good substitute, as long as you're not looking to take things aerial. I guess one could roll around on the couch back or something... Ha!

They tout the classes as workouts and they really are. Best of all, it was one of the best Girls Night Out ideas ever! See if it's offered in your area!

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A&M vs. Sam Houston

There was a constant, soaking rain from when we got off the bus at the Quad through 7 minutes into the second quarter of the game. We were drenched. It was GREAT. There was even a time when the wind was blowing and it was 77 degrees and it actually got cold for a bit. It's true!

We only did the money sign from our seats twice. The team had obviously been told not to do it anymore, so we stopped.

OK, we did it on the downlow a couple more times. But then we stopped.

Johnny did all the right things yesterday. We were all so proud of him, particularly on the play where a Sam Houston defender not only pummeled him 3/4 of the way through the end zone after he ran in for a TD (right in front of us), but then continued to goad him when he complained to the ref about not throwing a flag. Everyone in our section was yelling, "Walk away! Walk away!" His teammates were ushering him away from the situation, too. He didn't ever get into it with the guy, though. He just complained to the ref, as he should have. I'm sure he was taunted and pushed all game long, with all the drama this week. He never lost his cool.

I have to mention that I've always been happy to see him encourage and congratulate other players, including those on opposing teams. He is noticeably very supportive of them, and has been since we were introduced to him last year. There's a good-guy quality for you, ESPN.

I'm incredibly pleased with the offense this year. We've got a Heisman quarterback. Mike Evans is looking fantastic. New guys Brandon Williams (who transferred from Oklahoma) and Tra Carson (who transferred from Oregon) and JaQuay Williams (a freshman) are amazing. Malena is still fabulous on offense and special teams. Just a powerhouse bunch of guys on offense. We miss Swope, but as all students do, he had to leave at some point.

I'm not sure how the defense will look, since most of them were benched for the past two weeks, but Deshazor Everett (big interception in the Bama game last year!) continues his awesomeness this year.

On to the Biggest Game of the Season next week! ESPN should be relieved to know, that despite the the overblown hate they've spewed at our QB the past several weeks, there was cheering and applause when next week's College Game Day (at A&M) was mentioned at the game last night.

It's gonna be a hot one again. Hoping for rain!


Sunday Stealing: More Meme Part 2

What would you choose to be famous for?
Being a singer in a band. I don't think I'd enjoy the pressures of being a solo artist. It would be great to share the ups and downs with friends who were in it with me.

If you have a webcam, are you ever paranoid people can see you? 
Ahaha! Yes! When I'm not on it, no, because I keep the cover on it. When I'm talking to someone on it, I'm always concerned that a hacker is splicing a direct connection to a thousand websites where people tune in to random webcams or something.

Do you find it difficult to sleep at night? Any reason(s) why? 
I wake up at about 4:30 most mornings, including weekends, thinking about work things. I need to do this, I forgot to email so-and-so, I could try that on such-and-such project, etc.

If you had to go on a game show, which would you choose?
Wheel of Fortune. I haven't watched it in years, but I'm pretty good at it.

What about if you had to go on a reality show? Which would you choose then?
Real Housewives of Austin ;) 

Tell me about your favorite TV show: 
American Horror Story is my current favorite. The cast is always stellar each season. It is so well-written and keeps me on the edge of my seat for weeks.

Why were you last irritated? 
Some people cut in front of us last night in the uberlong line for the bus back to the parking area. Seriously? Then the people in front of them mentioned that they had, like us, lost their season tickets in the Kyle Field re-ticketing DEBACLE, so we all started commiserating about that and I wasn't irritated at them anymore.

What time did you get up this morning? 
8:30. We didn't get to bed until about 1:30 this morning.

The last city you were in: Where was it and do you like it there?
College Station. I LOVE it there!

Do you like the countryside? 
I like to visit the countryside, but I wouldn't ever live too far from a city.

If you see someone yawn, do you often yawn as well? 
Yep. We all started a yawning chain on the parking bus last night after the game. Funny.

Recommend me a good movie: 
Love, Actually

Do you think you’d make a good model? 
No

Would you ever want to be one? 
Nope

How often do you change your hairstyle? 
Not often. There aren't a lot of ways I like to wear my hair. I go with straight, curly or ponytail. That's about it.

What does it look like now? 
It's down and still curly from the rain, because I didn't wash it when I showered late last night.

Do you have a favorite day of the week? Which is it? 
Saturday

Are you alone? 
Literally, yes. In the non-literal sense, not at all.

When is the last time you were on the phone after 2 am? 
It was a couple of years ago, when I thought I was talking to my distraught cousin, but I eventually figured out it was a random teenager.

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Saturday

Apologies for the lack of a creative, musically themed blog title this morning.

Caaathy's got a boyyyyyyfriend! His name is George. (Resist the urge to say... "And I will hug him and pet him..." Ha!) He sounds great. Can't wait to meet him!

And I got a PROMOTION on Tuesday. Woo! It's a good week.

Heading to the football game today! With every sports media outlet tripping all over themselves to completely demonize a college kid with a bad attitude, I cannot wait to do the money sign- for the "money play" that got the job done, which all the players have done for a couple of years now incidentally- after every single touchdown we make. YEEEAH!

Oh look. Here he is, doing it last season at the Cotton Bowl.

Or... is it the bottom half of the weed sign thing that President Loftin did? I really need to keep up with the signs.


Saturday 9: Band on the Run

1) This song is about a band of musicians that escapes on an adventure. Do you consider yourself spontaneous and adventurous?
Yes! I qualify that with three simple rules: No skydiving, No bungee jumping and No riding donkeys across mountains.

2) Paul McCartney and Wings traveled all the way to Lagos, Nigeria, to record Band on the Run. That's a long, long way from London. What's the farthest from home you've ever been?
Bertchtesgaden, Germany, near the Austrian border. 5563 miles.

3) Wings featured Linda McCartney on keyboards. Paul said that when Linda died, after almost 30 years together, he lost the love of his life. Who is the love of your life? Or have you yet to meet him/her?
Jeffery is the love of my life! :)

4) Paul has said he's very proud of Band on the Run, his most successful post-Beatles album. Brag a little. Tell us something you're proud of.
This week, I officially left my volunteer job as webmaster for the Foundation, so I've got that on my mind. I'm very proud that I introduced them to the internet and designed their first website back in 2000. They were like, "Do you think we should have a website?" Um, YES. It's brought them a lot of revenue over the years they would otherwise have missed, which has enabled them to accomplish so much towards their mission.

5) Paul's birth certificate reads "James Paul McCartney." He's named for his father, Jim. Are you named after anyone?
My middle name is my maternal grandma's name.

6) Paul enjoys oil painting in his spare time. What's one of your hobbies?
Writing.

7) 20 Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney's boyhood home, has been turned into a museum by the British government. It's a modest 2 bedroom cottage, with a drainpipe that Paul used to climb to sneak in after curfew. How would you describe your childhood home?
My childhood home was a 3-bedroom ranch-style house, with my bedroom in the front. I never snuck out, but I had a lot of conversations with people through my open window at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Dad had wired our stereo system in the back room to a second set of bigger speakers in the living room. Albums (a stack on the turntable spindle) or the radio were always playing at our house.

8) Paul is 5'11". How tall are you?
5'4

9) Actor Christopher Lee is on the album cover. He played Dracula in a series of movies in the 1950s and 1960s. Who is your favorite vampire?
the heroic, good-guy vampire Ethan Hawke in Daybreakers

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A&M Game vs. Rice

Was just watching a bit of Lord of the Rings on TV. It was the scene where Aragorn and Eowyn are totally flirting, but then Aragorn talks to Arwen in a dream or vision or something and she tells him his journey must continue, but she really means he had better be faithful to her OR ELSE. Heh.

Eowyn: Who was the woman who gave you this jewel?
Aragorn: Someone who has left for a land far away with her kin.
Eowyn: So... you're single then?!

Well, that's my interpretation.


The game was very strange (and OMG SO FREAKING HOT) yesterday. I think with several players suspended and Johnny out, the team was a bit discombobulated. (No spellcheck error on that? Hmm.) Joeckel was great. Bertolet- also great. And Drew Kaser's 77 yard punt???! Holy wow. Loved it when Johnny finally came into the game second half. Great reaction from the fans.

The defense were mostly second-string freshmen, and it was obvious, although they did come around for a while during the second half.

There were a few issues of pissiness getting out of hand, which is too bad, and is unfortunately a recurring issue with Manziel. I've always said though- the two unsportsmanlike conduct offenses of football I think are ridiculous are for "excessive celebration" (let people celebrate! WTF?) and "taunting." Please. These are grown men. If it hurts their feelings to have someone talk crap to them, they need to stop playing sports. Completely silly rule. On top of that, they talk crap back and forth at the scrimmage line all game long and no one cares, including the players.

After high school, why don't we just penalize when a player physically assaults another player. Kthanks.

So tell me, what is with ESPN's anti-Manziel rage lately? Mark May is the biggest Johnny hater. Turns out May had his own issues back in his day. He was found guilty of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct as a sophomore in college and DWI (double the legal limit) when he was with the Redskins. That doesn't count all the other charges for which he was arrested. May should either comment from a supportive place or not comment at all. Surely there are plenty of announcers at ESPN without a rap sheet, who could make the same points.

I agree Manziel needs to get his anger issues in check. Luckily, he's young enough to learn to deal with it if he wants to. I hope he does. It will be vital for a successful career, even with his incredible talent.

Happy with the win and hoping we don't have to endure any more 103-degree games at noon!

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