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.
Now that the cat is out of the proverbial bag, I can say, Crystal got MARRIED to her roomie last week! Whee!
Me: So why did you guys finally decide to make it official?! C: Well, it's a very romantic story involving health insurance.
Bwahaha. Hey, whatever it takes. I like to see people formalize their love with a piece of paper.
She and I went to Blue Genie market on Monday. It's at a new location this year, and the parking sucks, but it's always fun to see all the art and other handmade stuff there. Just plan to park on the street!
1. How do you feel about candy sprinkles (on ice cream, doughnuts, cupcakes, or whatever)?
Ew. No thank you.
2. Where’s a good place to look at Christmas lights? Pedernales Electric Coop in Johnson City. The coolest! (Open through Jan 6!)
3. What’s a good idea for a drive-through service or product that doesn’t yet exist?
Drive-through new tires or tire rotation. They lift your car up a little and do it superfast, like at the race track, and you're on your way. No sitting in a crowded, dumpy waiting area for an hour.
4. How confident a parallel parker are you?
Not at all. Had to parallel park at Blue Genie. Yoiks.
5. How much plaid do you own?
I have two plaid shirts.
So I created an awesome "wrap" for a basic gift card. For Christmas, take one bottle of Shiner Holiday Cheer, their peach-n-pecan-ish (delicious) Christmas brew:
Festive, no?
Then get an Amazon gift card in a gift tag. (Search Amazon for "Amazon.com Gift Card in a Gift Tag".)
(There's a cute snowman one, too! And "Thank you" and "Happy Birthday," etc.)
Tie the tag around the bottle neck and TA DAAAAH! Beats the heck out of a little envelope.
If you're crafty, you could make a little gift tag yourself for any other gift card.
Got a message from Grant the other day, out of the blue. Just two photos of him, posing with a duck on his shoulder. Grant and I are the kind of old friends who send birthday cards to each other and text or email maybe once a year, so to start a text conversation with random photos, instead of "Hey! Check out my new pet!" was a clue that these photos were probably sent to me inadvertently.
Grant and I chatted a bit, and then I told Jeff about it. Jeff said, "Well at least it wasn't an unsolicited d* pic."
No. It was an unsolicited DUCK PIC.
Bwahahaa.
Jeff and I had margs at Curra's with Doug and his mom last weekend. She is still a firecracker, like she always was! It was fun to see them together again.
In other news, we saw A Star is Born, like a million years ago now, and Lady Gaga is SO talented. Holy moly. I mean, we knew it already, but she is amazing in this film. Bradley Cooper, also fabulous. I hope "Shallow" gets an Oscar nom!
We also saw Green Book, which I loved. Such a relevant movie for these times. It is very raw and real. The honesty is refreshing. And you'll be smiling at the end, which is nice.
Finally did our weekend in Waco with Scott-n-Julie. It was fun fun! We made it to the Waco Mammoth National Monument. It was VERY cool. Learned a lot. They may start digging there again soon.
We went to a museum with a John James Audubon exhibit. We've had great luck getting museum curators and directors telling us stories during our trips, and this one was no different. The lady told us how she accidentally ended up with a very rare print. Ask questions at museums! The real stories are behind the scenes.
Sorry to say, I wasn't very impressed with Magnolia Market. It's just a store, and it is packed to the gills with people, making it impossible to see everything. I would have bought a giant clock, but there is no way I could have fit it into the car was going to stand in that line.
We went to the Spice Village, which I liked a lot. There are a lot of neat things for sale there. Many stores in town have "Magnolia-like" merch that you can buy for less money and hassle than at Magnolia. At one of those stores, I wanted to get a retired red wine barrel for my in-laws' back patio (they're wine people), but wasn't sure how to get it home or to Frisco. Cool item though!
Posts
