s.f.

and i did go to s.f. again to visit d and max and micah and pablo.

here are few of my favorites.

acl is upon us very soon.

i've been moved stages this year. i don't like not knowing what to expect. i don't ever like that. the stage i'm at doesn't have my favorite bands. it doesn't even have bands i've heard of. i hope to find some new ones. some real gems.

i'm most excited to see bon iver. jg and i have tickets to see an aftershow with bon iver.

i also get to see spring awakening in october.

i love the fall. football season is ok. has its moments. but the fall feels good, like a hot cup of tea. or soup, but not from a can.

got 2 new great cookbooks, both birthday gifts. a 1st edition of "mastering the art of french cooking" by julia child. it's challenging and scary and i have not tried anything yet, but am working towards it. also the "joy of cooking" which i love. it covers everything and anything. this week i made brussel sprouts and beets. i wouldn't have known what to do with those, without this book. it reads like a textbook. very informative. thank you holly and taylor, for GREAT gifts.

lately i'm:
-green tea
-bloody marys (lots of them, JG is perfecting his art)
-very busy at work, but it's good
-windows open
-missing max day
-always looking to buy for max day
-morning walks with jg and the dogs
-eating breakfast
-wanting to go to vegas (?)
-repaint the inside of my house (?)
-shave my legs a lot
-reading more

goodbye september, my favorite month.

birthday blues...

Birthday started out good-JG gave me a great chef's knife and some new polarized Ray Ban's. I went to work and everyone gave me a gift card to Embellish and brought in breakfast tacos from El Chilito, one of my favorites! I had a doctor appointment, as my glands had been swollen for a few days. I guess ignorance would have been bliss, had I waited a day to go, but turns out I've got strep. I was the 3rd person this week in her office to have this, who also mentioned swimming in Deep Eddy lately. Gross. We didn't get to celebrate my birthday last night and Hannah even got me a cookie cake. I'm not sure I've ever been so sad.




This made my day. My 28th birthday was spent mostly in bed with a case of Strep. I was so sad, but this little guy made things better.

I <3 Port A

A few pics from our last trip to Port A. Let me remind, it's a trip taken with 17 friends to Port Aransas. Total blast, more laughs than a weekend should ever hold.

Here's a pic from my trip to S.F. I don't like my laptop; I don't like downloading my pictures on it; but I did it. Here's in hope that more will follow...

S.F.

Just hanging in San Fran with D...we've been very productive. Denise got a new kitchen island, a dishwasher, and a new stroller, all for total steals. Off to the park to bask in the rare S.F. sunshine. Maybe grab an In-n-Out burger; I will order a minimum of 2 burgers. Nothing beats hanging with my favorite pregnant gal. :)

people keep saying, "you never blog anymore..." but that's not true, i'm just doing it internally.

externally:
-the house smells like beer, jg is brewing me and court's award winning recipe, "ancho-mamma's pale ale"
-i want to dust the house, but i don't do it
-the word "photog" comes to mind when i think of a photograph...this is foolish
-i crave a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt on it
-i look forward to carrie bringing little porter to girl's breakfast
-jg is growing some facial hair, i like it
-this past year has been one of landmark birthdays
-i'm going to visit denise in san fran when micah is out of town :)

spring?

I don't even know what happened this past Groundhog day, but it seems to me springtime has already arrived in Austin. There's nothing better than weather like this.

It is a beautiful day. I am listening to Rosie T at work and would be singing out loud except I'd rather spare my new-forming reputation here, as well as the sanity of my coworkers, so I'll save my pipes for JG. Which, btw, he thinks I would be a good addition to the cast of American Idol. Maybe next year.

Marley & Me

I just finished reading the book, Marley & Me.

I cried a little...and then started putting things into perspective with our dogs...and I bawled. I hugged on Burt and Jack for awhile and made them crawl in bed with me.

In the book, the author John Grogan (who is a columnist in real life), writes a column about putting Marley to sleep. A few of his thoughts I honlestly couuldn't say better myself:

A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.

It was an amazing concept that I was only now, in the wake of his death, fully absorbing: Marley as mentor. As teacher and role model. Was it possible for a dog-any dog, but especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one likes ours-to point humans to the things that really mattered in life? I believed it was. Loyalty. Courage. Devotion. Simplicity. Joy. And the things that did not matter, too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see.

John Grogan received many many emails, letters, and calls with the condolences of strangers. The one that stood out most to me is this, from a person named Elaine:

"Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them."


I love these guys.

birthday cake...

look what me and jg did this weekend in a mere 6 hours...





there is something very satisfying in:
a.)cooking/baking something new and challenging
b.)having it turn out as you had hoped
c.)people complimenting your hard work

He's a lefty...

I wasn't as caught up in the historical moment on Tuesday as most people probably were...however, I was feeling somewhat emotional and was more consumed with putting myself in Laura and GWB's shoes. I'm often nostalgic when things in this life come to an end...leaving high school, leaving college, moving on to a new phase of life...all of it makes me sad and puts me in reflective mode. I tried to imagine the feelings the Bush family had this last week...leaving something behind you'd worked so hard on and just handing it off to someone else. As a person who likes control of my projects, has a tough time delagating, and likes to lead, I can't imagine how I would let the White House go (if it were me). The extreme change that one rotation of the earth brought their family on Tuesday overwhelms me. Waking up everyday (or being up for days straight) and giving everything you had to a purpose, to a people, to a country and then just walking away from it after serving for almost a decade would be tough.

Even harder that all of that I think would be the reality that in most people's eyes, you still never did enough or did it all wrong. We all make mistakes, but most of us don't have our mistakes thrown into the public eye and aren't berated for our mishaps by the people we effect. I was saddened thinking about the way GWB has been treated over the years. Yes, he's made mistakes, but he also did everything with his people in mind.

In saying this, I will never treat President Obama as people treated President Bush. I will never disrespect someone who is working for every single one of us every minute of the day. You can't say that about anyone else in this country. Who am I anyway to decide which decisions are mistakes and which ones are good for our country? Sure, I believe in democracy and the people having a right to speak their minds, to join in making decisions...but probably 99% of what goes on we never find out about so we just need to let a lot of that go...and trust...

In closing his Inaugural speech, President Obama ended with this:

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Chicken Shit Bingo

"Sissy"

2009

just a few that i think i can actually accomplish...

-shop locally.
-journal, i'm tired of being the one who never remembers things.
-stop using salt. pepper is pretty good.

i'm truly looking forward to this "new year" although today feels no different than last week did...but i really think (hope) 2009 will be a better year. it seems most everyone i know is disinchanted with 2008 as well.

i look forward to more meals with friends. i realize more and more how much i love sitting down to enjoy food in good company. it's biblical to break bread together (not saying i have any fantastic examples at the moment) and i become extremely aware of god's blessings while having a meal among friends.

i'm so thankful for friends who truly know me. thank you holly for the framed verse you gave me. i read it everyday and am reminded you love me.

...christmas...

yesterday our christmas tree fell over. jg cussed. a lot. it was funny. i tried not to laugh at his anger.

speaking of dog poop...

this one really cracks me up. a tale told by my mom:

Pearl got up on Saturday and couldn't walk or get up off the floor. It was so pittifuil so off Dad goes to the vet. We thought back or hip but it was her knee. She probably stepped in a hole. Anyway, $150 later she comes home and we are giving her these horse pills and then she gets diarrhea and you nor I have ever seen anything like it. The pills didn't give her the diarrhea....she's had it for a long time and we should of taken her as she's never had a hard poop. Anyway, she pooped all over the house and it made Dad so sick so I cleaned it up. Then when we got home from OU, she had done it 3 more times and you can't imagine the smell. I can't desrribe it but I cleaned that up as best we could, and today Dad shampooed the carpet and he was cleaning the upstairs and he actually heard her poop, and it splattered over the furnituire, stereo cabinet, (I know you're laughing) but we took her to bed and shut our door and she was fine...Dad left for work, and she did it again and when he came home at 9:30, he said it was the largest area he had ever seen of poop. I called the vet and off he went with 2 samples in baggies and now she has 2 parasites; one of which he sees in puppies and we think she's always had it so now is on two more pills to the tune of $70. Dad said NO MORE DOGS!!

i hope Sasha and Malia's new puppy shits on the Oval Office rug.

10 Lives

My problem is I want to do too many things. I am interested in multiple areas. I get overwhelmed by life's possibilities.

If I could have 10 lives, or live 10 lives in my one, I would be:

-a photographer
-a fashion designer
-an event planner
-a florist
-a mom
-a writer
-business owner
-pianist
-student/professor of English Literature (Romantic poetry)
-Austin restaurant critic
-bedding/furniture designer
-politician
-architect/interior design

That's a little more than 10. The goal is to start with one and slowly bring in the other lives as I go.

What can I devote myself to this coming year?
Which can I do when the first is completed?
Which activities can I do for 20 minutes a day?
Which ones can I do on the weekend?
Which can I do once in a while?

My best idea? A woman who runs her own business as an event planner within the Austin political scene. She not only does the planning, but also offers floral, styling, and photography services. On the weekend she writes restaurant reviews, plays her piano in church, sews clothes for her kids, and teaches a class on Wordsworth's poetry at ACC. She still has a fantastic social life.

Can someone hand me this life please?

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?

ACL

ACL was great this year. Aside from the dust which made my snot black, the increasing heat as the days went on, and my awful corporate attitude (super-huge cell service) sponsors, I had a great time.

The after-party was a little shaky, as I knew NO ONE (and neither did Courtney) but went for networking purposes which doesn't work if you don't know people to talk to and haven't been participating in the $20 body shots to get the courage to chat it up with total strangers who you hope to work with one day. I felt a little like Romy and Michelle at the lunch table in high school. Unfortunately, no one sent me the memo to bring a change of clothes, preferably a little emo-ish, so I was still wearing my running shorts and the same t-shirt for the 3rd day in a row with onion flavored dressing spilled all over it.

My Favorite Shows (all which were viewed from the stage, which makes all musicians seem way cooler and probably more talented than they are...or else it just showcases their talents even better):

MGMT

What Made Milwaukee Famous

Patty Griffin

Swell Season

Hot Chip

Okkervil River

Band of Horses

Stars

I took some great pics of the bands on my stage (and of Patty up close) and then proceeded to drop my camera into the keg water...totally submerged and marinating as I fumbled around under the keg to find it. I am now letting it sit in some rice as I heard it will slowly pull all of the water out of the camera. If this doesn't work, it will be my 3rd camera in 3 years to ruin.

Last year was still my favorite festival.

While I learn well from others who have traversed the rough terrain before I will and love hearing the wisdom of experience, I find that I (many of us) still have to learn these things on my own. Maybe I just can't take someone else's word for it 100%. Just as when a good band or movie is recommended to me, even from a trusted source, I always take it with slight hesitation and a pinch of skepticism until I can make that decision for myself.

So, while in finishing my professor Greg Garrett's book, Crossing Myself, I understand the things he has learned and even agree with him. These are things I should just take as truth and avoid the mess of teaching myself. Yet, I'm sure as I quote him here and can say, "Yes, Amen!" I will still have to learn this on my own, first hand:

It's a good lesson-life is full of things we think are destinations, when really they're only rest stops.

There's no straight path from the shore of the lake where I sit, mosquito-gnawed, back to the beginning of the trail heading down the mountain. Almost always I have to blunder around, wading through mud, climbing over fallen trees, before striking where I'm supposed to be.

But I don't worry about that anymore, because-although it's taken me my whole life-I've learned two important things. First, if you know the general direction you're headed-and I do-you don't have to know the exact path. And if you believe that God can make straight lines out of crooked things-and I do-then blundering around is never in vain. In fact, oftentimes it will take you exactly where you're supposed to go.

It's good thought, however, to know someone will agree with me once I figure this one out for myself.