So. Am I the only one who has been driven absolutely insane noticed that Christie Murphy on Big Brother looks a lot like someone I've seen before on TV? I couldn't put my finger on it, episode after episode.
Finally I asked Lolo. I told her Christie is the spitting image of an actress, probably on Degrassi or some MTV show or something. I can see the actress plain as day in my head, but cannot place her. GAH. I also sent Lolo a Christie clip from Big Brother.
Lauren: It's Lauren Collins from Degrassi.
YEEEEEEEEESSS!!
So if anyone out there happened to be wondering the same thing... there ya' go.
We took a trip out to the Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery historical sites in La Grange this weekend. The view from Monument Hill is GORGEOUS- straight down to the big ol' Colorado River and overlooking the town of La Grange. Just wow!
There is a tall, pretty monument and a tomb containing the remains of Texian militia killed in Dawson's Massacre and The Black Bean Death Lottery there on the hill.
Near the memorial is the Kreische home, built in the mid-1800's, which has tours, which I didn't know and really wish I had been able to do!! GAH. Anyhoo... Around the bend from the house is a ravine, where the ruins of Texas' first commercial brewery, the Kreische Brewery, are found. You can tour that as well, but we just observed it from the overlook.
All very interesting and a must-see if you're traveling between San Antonio, Houston and/or Austin. They have a Trail of Lights there in December, which sounds like a neat event.
We also met a little friend!
We stopped at the Berdoll pecan store on Hwy 71 on the way home, which we've never done in all our travels through that piece of road. Got some sausage and a famous Berdoll Pecan Pie, well, actually chocolate pecan, because... chocolate. It is almost ALL pecan (and chocolate) pieces, with very minimal "goo," for those of us who don't enjoy pecan pie goo. There's barely enough goo to hold the nuts together, which is perfect!
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The only good thing about it is that maybe there will be less experimental hairstyles/colors and facial hair in his future. Hee.
Cannot wait to see Songland! What a genius idea for a show. Yes!!
Saturday 9: God Bless America Unfamiliar with Deanna Durbin's rendition of week's tune? Hear it here. Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle.
1) Memorial Day was introduced after the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, this is when memorials, as well as the graves of veterans, are to be decorated with flags and flowers on this day to show our appreciation. Is there a war memorial in your neighborhood?
Not in my 'hood specifically, but there are monuments for several wars, including the Korean War, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War on the grounds of the state capitol.
2) Andrew Johnson, our 17th President, was in office the first time Memorial/Decoration Day was celebrated. Have you ever met one of our 45 Presidents?
No. George H. W. Bush spoke at our A&M graduation, although not at the engineering school's "session." That's the closest I've been. We visited his gravesite when we were in College Station a few weeks ago:
3) According to the AAA, more than 30 million Americans will hit the road this weekend and drive more than 50 miles. Will you be traveling far from home this weekend?
Staying here!
4) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food?
watermelon
5) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on?
Hell yes. This is Texas, y'all.
6) Though she's belting out one of America's best loved patriotic songs, Deanna Durbin was born in Canada. Is there anyone in your family or circle of friends who wasn't born in the USA?
I was born in Germany. My aunt was born in England. My dad's whole family is in Germany.
7) No longer a household name, Ms. Durbin was once one of the biggest stars in the country. One of her most popular films was 1937's One Hundred Men and a Girl, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Recommend a movie that you really like, but don't think many Saturday 9ers have seen.
I can't think of a movie I love that few have seen. I like popular movies I can talk about with other film fans, but I do have a couple of TERRIBLE movies to recommend, that you may not have seen! The #1 worst, most horrifying and disgusting film I've ever ever ever seen is The Human Centipede(now available on iTunes and other streaming services!). My #2 least favorite all-time movie: Boxing Helena.
8) Back in 1938, Deanna Durbin had her handprints cemented in front of the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Have you ever visited that Los Angeles tourist attraction?
No, but I would love to someday, if I get over my earthquake phobia. Thanks a lot, California.
9) Random question: What food did you hate as a child, but enjoy now?
Brussels sprouts
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Jeff and I went to Jeremy Piven's standup show at Cap City Comedy last weekend. Loved it! The two openers were hilarious as well. I didn't realize Piven hadn't done stand-up before. Well done!
That night, we were wondering about the reason behind the two-drink minimum at comedy clubs. Patrons pay for tickets, so they could make easier guaranteed money from that, and also, most everyone is going to have at least one drink during the show anyway (or far more). Why this annoying requirement?
Mother's Day we went to DFW to my brother-in-law's place for an afternoon with the fam. The four moms all got massages at a spa, which was very relaxing!
Finally, on an unrelated note... Mary Faye asks who can name their teachers from K-5th grade. Easy!
K- Mrs. Brown
1- Mrs. Cacioppo
2- Miss Greenland
3- Mrs. Walker
4- Mrs. Upchurch
5- Mr. Jackson
Do I think NSYNC should tour without JT? Uh, YES. I'd rather them tour with him, for the sake of completeness, but without is fine as well. They do have another lead singer, yes? :p
So J and I went to College Station for the weekend last weekend, just for funzies. Stayed at The Stella. Always lovely.
We did to the Brazos Valley Builders Association Parade of Homes, which was really fun! Very different from the high-brow Greater Austin Parade of Homes, where you tour multi-million dollar homes wearing hospital booties over your shoes. In College Station, it was model homes and spec homes ranging from like $150,000 to $750,000, all over town and the surrounding areas. We liked so many of them.
The biggest current building trend is the utility room off the master closet, in a
master bedroom>bathroom>giant closet>utility room
arrangement. So you just walk from your closet through a door into the utility room to do laundry! NICE. Several homes even had a laundry door in the closet, so you can just dump dirty clothes through a little flap, directly into a laundry basket or hamper in the utility room on the other side of the wall. No need to walk all the way into the utility room from the closet. (#firstworldproblems)
OMG. I'm making mojo sauce for the first time and there wasn't a warning that the entire house would smell like garlic. WOW-WEE. *cough*
Anyhoo... I went with Scott-n-Kerstin to a storage locker auction on Tuesday! Very interesting. It was the fastest 25 minutes ever. Walked to a locker, had about 30 seconds to look into it, then a brief auction, then moved on to the next one. Zippity-zee. You could tell there was a group of regulars, and a few of us newbies. One of the Texas Storage Wars guys was there, although I don't watch that show, so I didn't know him. Lockers went from $5 to $500. Keep an eye on your local newspaper for the next locker sale in your area.
New "Best Name Ever Encountered in Genealogy Research": Booty McDougle.
BOOTY. MCDOUGLE. y'all.
Love it!
So, what the heck is up with Apple Music when it randomly starts playing 2-3 songs over and over? I'm almost always on the Pop A-List playlist when I'm driving, but every now and then, it will circle around songs, like last week, when it was alternating between "Why Don't We" and "I Don't Belong in this Club." I start thinking, Sure, I like this song, but it seems to be playing a LOT. After a few rounds, I realize it's stuck.
I think it may happen on some Fridays, when the playlist changes. Not sure though.
Both Jeff and I just finished Super Mario Odyssey this past week!! Yes, I know we're all sorts of late to that party. And by "finished," I don't mean that either of us got all 999 moons, thus "completing" the game. We each got all the moons we are capable of getting, just missing several Koopa races and a few other moons like Volleyball/Jump Rope Genius, which... seriously- who got those?
Very amusing that Google is now suggesting brainy searches for me, like "moons around Saturn" and "Jupiter moons," because I've been looking up Super Mario moon clues for the last ones I was missing. Thanks, Google.
(Kathie Lee and Hoda are on while I'm typing and Andy Cohen is subbing for Kathie. He just called Donna-dorable "Donna Dor-ahhh-blay." Aaahahaha.)
Are you watching too much television true crime, if you ponder whether the man in front of you at the supermarket checkout with three bottles of bleach cleanser just killed his wife?
Asking for a friend.
Maya knocked over an entire fresh 12 ounce soda in a glass full of ice yesterday. While I was cleaning it up, I had to wipe off an "I Love My Cat" coaster. smh
What other randomness do I have for today?
I could go for a Biden/O'Rourke ticket. Well, let's be honest, I would go for anyone against the current crazy, with very few extreme exceptions. But Biden/O'Rourke would be interesting.
And OMG, this movie!! From the writer of the incomparable Love, Actually.
1) Are you of Irish descent? I am about 1/8 Irish, via my maternal grandmother's mother.
2) Legend has it that the heroine of this week's Irish ballad was a real lass. 17th century birth and burial records confirm that a woman with that name lived in Dublin. Can you think of another song about a real historic figure?
Elton John's "Candle in the Wind"
3) Molly sold fish from a cart that she wheeled through the streets. What's the last seafood you ate?
ceviche at Cuba 512
4) The lyrics tell us that, after her death, her ghost continues to wander the streets of Dublin with her wheel barrow. Do you believe in ghosts?
not really
5) This week's featured band, The Dubliners, are obviously from Dublin. They were introduced to American audiences on The Ed Sullivan Show. Today, Stephen Colbert tapes his show in The Ed Sullivan Theater. Who hosted the last talk show you watched?
Seth Meyers
6) Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. Is it a favorite of yours?
I haven't had it, but I would try it.
7) According to Irish legend, leprechauns earned the gold in the pot they guard by repairing shoes. Crazy Sam can't remember the last time she got a pair of shoes repaired. When the heels wear away, she discards the shoes and buys new ones. What about you? Do you get your shoes fixed (either by leprechauns or just by ordinary repairmen)?
Nope. 8) Do you look good in green, the signature color of St. Patrick's Day?
Yes 9) Random question: Did you more recently sneeze or cough?
I've been sneezing like crazy. Seasonal allergies! Don't move to Austin, SXSWers! ;)
We went to Fredericksburg with Cathy and George for the weekend. Supah-fun!
On the way, we stopped in Luckenbach. We probably could have missed it, to be honest. If there was a concert or something, I think it could be cool. We landed there with a bus load of tourists who were just sitting around staring at each other at the tables outside. It's tiny, which is the point, but it's just more commercial/touristy than the typical historical places we like to go. Still, a concert would probably be great!
We ate at a local Italian place in Fredericksburg Friday night. It was good, but the most significant thing was finding out that there is a modern Fredericksburg just outside the historical/touristy Main Street! Who. Knew.
Saturday we did the Main Street thang, hitting all the stores. Ate lunch at Jennie's Smoked Burgers and Tornado Fries. VERY good. The smoky burger is really different and delicious. The tornado fries are spiraled potato on a stick, fried in a fryer and seasoned. Yum.
We went out to the gorgeous Altstadt Brewery and tasted several of their beers. What a beautiful place to have a wedding or other event. We especially liked their Alt, and also a subvariant of their Kolsch, which was available on the tasting menu. Their restaurant menu looks divine, but we headed back to town that night for dinner at The Auslander. Everything was good at The Auslander, including their Opa's sausage, schweineschnitzel and the apple streudel.
They are building a Texas Rangers Museum outside of town, which will be a lot bigger than the one in Waco. It's right next to Fort Martin Scott on Main.
We stayed at the Fredericksburg Inn and Suites, which I recommend whole-heartedly. The inn is on Baron's Creek, just a block off Main, near the Nimitz Museum. The rooms are modern, clean and comfortable. Free fountain drinks are available in the historic Sunday House, 24/7. They have the typical hotel free breakfast. There are tons of cool little seating areas around the grounds, for groups large and small. Really nice place.
Cathy's stories are always entertaining, sometimes because they have a random surprise element towards the end. She was telling us about her mom's new boyfriend, and that Mom is moving out of Cathy's place to live with a female roommate.
Me: Why isn't she moving in with the new boyfriend? Cathy: Probably because he's married.
Ha! Ahh!
Later, she was talking about her cousin who quit her job and went with her husband to Las Vegas to gamble on a big future with their gambling winnings. Then they ran out of money and started calling family members to send them more money. Me: What does her husband do? Cathy: I don't know. I do know he's a cross-dresser.
You really have to stop drinking when she's telling a story, or risk spitting your drink across the table.
Yesterday, the colonoscopy anesthesiologist chatted with me about the anesthesia, and then did the normal round of medical history questions- that list of 100 things from seasonal allergies to stroke, where you say, "no...no...no...yes...no...no..." Always fun.
When she was finally on her way out of the room, she smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you made it through the..."
I thought she was going to say, "...colonoscopy prep meds!"
She said, "...Hodgkin's and breast cancer!"
Ha! Yes, that, too! But those laxatives. Seriously y'all.
Another thing that's been making me laugh lately is a hilarious moment on the show "The Kids Are Alright." A kid is on the phone with someone, making an excuse that he can't do something, because his grandfather is dying. He whispers to his brother to make a noise in the background like he's dying, and the brother shrieks...
On an unrelated note- I explained Fudgsicles to Scott and Julie the other day. It reminded me of that time I took toddler Lauren to "Mixed Age" Mothers Club playgroup, and a mom with an older child brought lollipops, and Lauren was like, What the heck is this?
It isn't easy to describe a Fudgsicle.
Just saying.
So... I had my first screening colonoscopy this morning! Whee! The colonoscopy itself was nothing. Easy peasy. Had propofol and was in and out of the place within an hour of the start of the procedure.
The prep diet wasn't bad- two days of low-fiber diet followed by a day of liquids only. The low-fiber diet is fine. Any diet with pasta, chocolate and cheese on it is good by me. The liquids-only day is okay. You'll be good and hangry by the time you start taking the prep meds.
The prep medications did suck, as reported by millions before me. I used the Plenvue prescription prep. The doc's office and pharmacist say today's preps are far better than 10 years ago, in volume (reduced from gallons to pints), taste (fruit punch or mango... and SALT - ACK), and ease of gastrointestinal expulsion (no cramping, nausea, etc. just expulsion). Only... the TASTE though. Egads. I made it through the first round of mango/salt solution. The second dose (fruit punch, much better than the mango I think) I got down about 3/4 of the glass and then upchucked it all. I finished the last 4 or so ounces (yes!!). It was still fine.
The chaser drink, after completing the med, should be something tart, like lemonade or limeade (pulp-free of course, just use a powder mix). I tried ginger ale and it was more of the uber-sweet taste of the prep, which was just too too much sweet. *shudder*
I am thrilled to report that I got a score of 9 (the maximum, no 10, why?!) on the clearing out of my GI tract, so when Jeff has his colonoscopy next week, it's totally a competition.
Bonus- They gave me photos of my colon, which I can't wait to show my daughter! If only I were still a scrapbooker!
When you moved in middle school, it's very strange to watch your high school friends reminisce over elementary school photos. People you know very well... talking about years of stuff you weren't a part of. So weird. (Although, it is superfun to see them when they were little kids. Awwwww!)
We watched the super-duper wolfie moon over at Scott-n-Julie's Sunday night. Scott has a telescope, so that was very cool. We even stayed up past our bedtimes!
A Star is Born got some great Oscar noms. I guess we'll get to see Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper sing "Shallow" live. YAAAAAAY! I haven't seen The Wife or Vice yet, so I need to do that.
We went to the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing hangar in San Marcos a few weeks ago, on one of our day trips. That is a cool place. You can even ride in some of the old airplanes for a fee. The museum (the door is along the back wall) has a lot of interesting items to peruse as well, so don't miss it.
One of the volunteers let us go inside That's All, Brother, the lead plane carrying paratroopers into France on D-Day. Amazing. The aircraft was discovered in Wisconsin in 2015, and brought here to restore. It's got just a few small details remaining, and will take part in 75th D-Day anniversary activities in Europe this summer.
Went to Frisco for Christmas. It was nice. No political arguments with the Trumpers, even! Peace on Earth and all that! Lolo babysat in the infant room at the grandparents' church for the Christmas Eve service, which she's been looking forward to for weeks. It was also the first Christmas with my new sis-in-law and her kiddos and parents. They're fun, which is really great!
Jeff and I went to Don's river house for NYE. Very cool. (Very cold, actually, but we had a big fire.) Many people were in and out all through the evening, and several of us stayed overnight. The young kids shot off fireworks with some adult help, announcing each one with, "IT'S HAPPENING!" Too funny.
College football has been interesting (and good- GIG EM!). Looking forward to the championship next week! Go get 'em, 'Bama!
Oh, and by the way, I have found the one person on this earth who hadn't seen, then finally watched, and actually hated Love Actually---- Laura! I even told her she didn't need to feel guilty for wanting Juliet to dump Peter and run away with the hopelessly romantic Mark (we don't ever really get to know Peter, so... Sorry Peter!). I mean, what the heck. Everyone loves Love Actually! Just discussing it with her made me want to watch again.
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