The Blues.

I have post-vacation blues.

Good thing I'll be on vacation again in a little over a week.

Last night the sky was angry and black. Kristin and I peered out the door, debating whether or not we should postpone our weekly walk to Cafe Medici.

It looks kind of dark out there.

I think we can make it.

You think so?

Yeah, let's do it. I'll do it. Will you do it?

Let's do it.

We walked out into the front yard and looked to the West, watching the rumbling clouds rolling towards us.

Let's run.

We set off at a quick pace, picking it up everytime we heard the threatening thunder. Every time we met another runner or cyclist on the road we smiled at each other.

If they can exercise in this, we can exercise in this.

Are we being stupid?

As we ran, we passed an elderly couple sitting in rocking chairs on their porch, waiting to watch the storm.

Run faster! the lady called to us.

We made it to Enfield, about three blocks away, before the large, heavy rain drops started hitting us. At first it was just a splat on the forehead, but then another and another and another until I felt my bangs starting to stick to my skin. We stopped at the light. Kristin saw an opening in the traffic and said Let's go!

But I hesitated.

The next thing I knew, Kristin was on the other side of the road and cars were zooming between us, no opening in sight.

At that moment, the storm hit.

Within seconds I was drenched, utterly helpless, standing on the corner with no where to go, and waiting for an opportunity to sprint across the street. Finally, it came.

I bolted across the street and set my course for the dryness of the cafe porch. I threw my head back and laughed as the cool rain poured over me. It was bliss.

It was too late to worry about the lightening stretching across the clouds, or the booming thunder that shook the trees. I was in it. Right in the middle of it.

We raced to the cafe and came to a halt at the top of the porch steps, laughing breathlessly.

We made it! We were alive! We were soaked to the bone!

We stumbled into Cafe Medici and were met with amused stares. The girl behind the counter was smiling and said something about how it's really coming down out there!

Looking out the large cafe windows you could see flashing lightening across the dark sky, followed quickly by crashes of thunder. We ordered a delicious Toddy SS (the best drink in the world), took a seat next to a window blurred by a sheet of water, and enjoyed the comfort of warm light and good conversation as we relived our adventure.

The Adventures of the Young Sir

Chapter 87

A Concerned Aunt

Nearly a fortnight has passed since the Young Sir traveled to Austin to visit his favorite aunt.

The Young Sir is small in stature and stout in girth. He's very charming and smart. And he has a lot to say about everything. Opinionated, like his father.

He likes it when you tickle his toes. And he especially loves to find his aunt's purse and take everything out of it. Especially her phone, wallet, and credit cards. He's a man on the go with distinguished tastes. One may often find him snacking on croissants or calamari, which are among his favorites.

His other interests include laughing, singing, running outdoors, taking care of the environment, and playing with red motorcyles that his aunt buys him from Wal-Mart. 

And he loves his aunt.

One fine evening whilst in Austin, the Young Sir and his entourage went to a late dinner at P Terry's. The evening was quite lovely. The Young Sir feasted on a chicken burger patty and sang along with a nearby party as they sang "Happy Birthday" to their friend. He is always delighted to see others enjoy themselves, and was only too happy to join them in their revelry.

Just after dinner, the Young Sir and his entourage were preparing to leave so he could go home and have his bath. Among those attending him were his favorite aunt, who had just given him a brand new red motorcycle from Wal-Mart, and his beloved mother.

All was well as his aunt doted over him, telling him what a fine Young Sir he is and petting his soft little arms. When suddenly the Young Sir became very serious. His brow furrowed and his face turned an angry red. He raised his little hand to his forehead, as if in frustration. This concerned his aunt. She knelt down beside him and asked him, "What's the matter?" But he wouldn't look at her. His eyes welled with tears.

His aunt looked up at his mother who was standing nearby and questioned in a worried tone, "Is he alright?"

The Young Sir's mother glanced over at him and smiled.

"Oh yeah. He's poopin'!"

Copacetic.

Meaning, very satisfactory.

Use it in a sentence?

This weekend was copacetic in every way.

The Slovaks came. The name of their band is actually Longital. The first couple of days they were here were a whirlwind. Our schedules were so completely opposite that we barely saw them. But finally, on Saturday, we were finally able to spend time with our guests.
Early Saturday morning they were up and out of the house for a feature interview with NPR. I thought that was pretty darn exciting. At 4 PM they had a show at Mi Casa on 6th, and Daniel and I were determined to go. Despite the overwhelming crowds and horrible traffic. We managed to score a parking spot just 5 blocks away.
We settled in at Mi Casa, helped ourselves to some free tamales (oh, they were so good) and drinks, and prepared for the show.

Longital.was.awesome.

I'm not one to get into the music festivals and all that. The crowds do nothing good for my social anxiety. Looking for parking is maddening. Bumping shoulders with so many strangers makes me want to sit in a corner with a blanket and suck on my hair.
So typically, when the festivals come to town, I lock myself in the house for several days.
But I am so happy I ventured out into the frightening world of skinny jeans, eye liner, colorful tights, and straw fedoras. (People dress like clowns. Clowns.)

I was a little hesitant when we arrived at Mi Casa. Would this be good? The bands that preceeded them were so loud I thought my ears would bleed. You couldn't hear the voices, the instruments, even the baseline was blurry because it was so dang loud.

But then Longital stepped onto the stage and whisked us away to Slovakia.
The music was upbeat, creative, passionate, and nothing like I'd ever heard!
I was thoroughly entertained.

And to top it off, they dedicated their final song to "Karen and Daniel, two beautiful people sitting right over there (he pointed)." I felt so honored.

They were a crowd favorite, and their music certainly captured the attention of the noisy bar. The chatting became hushed and people were listening.

After the show we packed up their gear and Daniel and I took our guests to Maudie's for excellent Tex-Mex (they were quite pleased), Margaritas (very pleased), and then to Amy's Ice Cream. They were fascinated with the way Amy's "prepares" the ice cream. It was quite funny.

On the way home we discussed "comfort zones" and how their experiences in America have helped them grow.

Dano said, "Amy's is comfort zone. If I lived here, I would be regular there!"

Now they are gone, off to Bratislava for a quick stop before heading off to Italy for a show.
Kind of makes me wish I had a shadow of musical talent.
I've never really spent any time with real, genuine, musicians. At least not any like this. You can actually sense the creative juices oozing out of these people. They see art and beauty everywhere. They seem aware of things that my mind has not been trained to be aware of. It was really interesting and, I feel, like I benefited from being around them. I hope they could say the same of Daniel and me.

Life is feeling normal again. I continue to heal, the guests are gone, our house is empty, and I have a lot of laundry to do.
Daniel is helping me with the laundry. He is so good to me.
Last night I found myself in Clarksville again, having dinner at the Galaxy Cafe and sipping coffee at Cafe Medici with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. Another beautiful evening, full of sweet and nourishing conversation. I am so thankful for my good friends. And I thank God for those friendships that feed my soul and lift my heart. I don't know what I would do without them!

Weed Mountain

We've had this weed problem in the backyard for quite some time.
And with the warm weather and rain the problem was only getting worse.
Last week while I was unwell, my mother-in-law and husband took it upon themselves to attack the weed problem. As a result, on Sunday morning I walked downstairs and saw out the back window, a mountain. Weed Mountain.
It covered almost the entire back porch, and was about 3 feet tall. It dwarfed the dogs (although pretty much everything "dwarfs" them. They are dwarfy creatures. Dwarfy). 

On Monday night when Daniel and I made our Central Market run for plastic bags and wine, Weed Mountain was the reason. Rain was blowing into Austin and we were in a crunch to get Weed Mountain into the bags before it got soaked and melded to the back porch.
Daniel had fun talking loudly in line at Central Market about our huge mountain of weed(s). He may or may not have left off the "s" for shock value. It took me a minute to catch on. I was busy looking at Michael Douglas on the cover of Vanity Fair when I heard him nearly shout something about, SO much weed(s)! A mountain of weed(s)!!
I looked up to find Daniel smiling devilishly at me, obviously very pleased with himself. I thought to myself, This is Central Market at 10 pm on a Monday night. I doubt anyone here is phased by the mention of Weed(s). That might work at HEB or Randalls, but not Central Market. But he was obviously being so clever, I decided not to mention it to him.
We rushed home. But only after Daniel had a bout of friendly banter with his favorite scruffy, frizzy cashier.
On the way out to the car he asked me again if I'd noticed his mentioning the weed(s).
Yes, yes I did, and you are so funny.
We made it home just as the rain started to sprinkle. I had to wait a minute while Daniel shook out his gray gardening gloves because "there might be spiders inside them." Then he made fun of my gray gardening gloves and told me his were way cooler.

It was just starting to come down pretty heavy when we tied up the 6th giant bag of weed(s).

*Tonight we have some interesting guests coming to stay with us. A band from the "Slovak Republic" as NPR put it. The only band, in fact, traveling from the Slovak Republic to perform at South by Southwest. We've never met them, and I have no idea what their visit will be like. We shall see.
*Also tonight, Once Over celebrates its 1 year anniversary! Free beer and cappucinos from 4-7. As I was picking up my Skim Vanilla Latte this morning, Rob told me, "I've learned that to get people to come, you have to offer free beer. And to get them to go away, you have to run out of beer. So I hope we run out of beer around 7:00. I don't want this to be an all-nighter."
Wise words.

My Evening in [poorly lit] Photos

 

Resolute

So 2009 has come and nearly gone.
People keep asking me, "So, any resolutions this year?"
I answer, "To grow up."
And they look at me oddly. No one has asked me to expound on that yet. Maybe they're scared.

I don't really know what it means. I just say it.

Daniel and I are going to eat Tex-Mex tonight. I know, I know--we are so flipping fantastic! We might make an appearance at a few events afterwards, but we've both agreed that we would really like to act like an old married couple tonight. Maybe have a glass of wine and work on a puzzle while watching Fletch (not my dog, the movie. But it is Fletcher's namesake); maybe a little cuddling. We really don't want to get trashed and party till 3 am. That would totally ruin our day off tomorrow. So not worth it.

Last year I got all dolled up and we went to Antone's for a Bob Schneider concert. I stood in a packed room, in really cute, uncomfortable high heels while people spilled beer on me and mistook me for someone else. And then we stood outside in the cold for a couple more hours trying to catch a cab home. Drunk people kept walking out in front of cars and stealing my cabs.

Not cool. Not cool at all.

But I did look cute.
But...so not worth it.

I'll try to snap a few shots tonight to ring in the New Year. I'm excited for 2010! I think it's going to be a good year.

On another note, my company is hosting yet another sales meeting next month. As always, there is a theme. Last year's was "Peace, Love, and Beauty Supplies" and we all had to dress like hippies.
This year the theme is "You're a Star!" and the costume is "red carpet style."
I loathe and despise costume parties. I really try not to be a nay-sayer...but I hate them. And so many people love them! I think 9 times out of 10 when I am planning a party with someone they have the idea of a theme.
And I glare at them, full of wrath. Usually they back down.

But I've had an idea. You might be able to guess who I plan on dressing as--her style is conveniently simple, elegant, and timeless which means I won't have to try too hard (har, har). I can get on board with that.

This has the potential to be yet another dismal failure.

Nostalgia

Well, Christmas has come and gone. Daniel and I had a great time skiing with his family and relaxing together for a few days. I feel refreshed and invigorated! And I have only one dadgum day to go before my next weekend starts.

Don't you love nostalgia?
So wistful. So sentimental. Everything is cast in a near-perfect light.
I am definitely someone who basks in nostalgia from time to time. Complete with half-smiles and contented sighs. Ahh...those were the days...
And then I remember what an awkward person I've been my whole life, and a single memory can wake me from that dreamy state.
Today I've been thinking about this guy.

But when he looked like this:

He really hasn't changed too much.
But I was thinking back in the day when I first met him. Maybe I should say saw him. I remember the first moment I laid eyes on him.
I was a young and spry fifteen years of age. It was mid-morning some time in late January. I was a Sophomore. And I had excused myself from Mrs. Brunson's American Literature I to go to the restroom. I walked out into the hallway and turned to the right. On the stairs to the left I heard some commotion, so I glanced behind me...and there he was. Standing on the top of the stairs in a blue and green striped, short-sleeved Polo and khaki shorts was the best-looking guy I had ever seen in my life. He was tall, tan, and handsome.
I stood and stared at him for a moment as he turned and walked away from me. Who was that???
And then I went about my business.
At lunch that day his name was buzzing around the small lunch room. Daniel. According to gossip, he was the older brother of another new student in our class, Josh. He was a transfer student from a public school. He was bad news. You see, I went to a small, private, Christian school and the slightest ripple in the water was like a tidal wave to us. You also may know that teenage girls love drama.
Especially these girls

"He is definitely the hottest guy in the school."
"He is the hottest guy I have ever seen!"
"Really? I don't think he's all that cute."
"Are you kidding? He's gorgeous!"
"He sits in front of us in Algebra. I couldn't stop staring at him!"
And the conversations went on.
I spent lunch looking across the room at the Junior class lunch table, catching glimpses of this mysterious new boy from time to time.
Later that afternoon I was running errands during study hall for one of my teachers. So young. So carefree...
I darted into the administrative offices to drop off some paperwork but stopped short when I noticed a familiar blue/green striped Polo standing in an office doorway.
Daniel.
I stood staring for a moment before the secretary asked me what I was doing out of class.
"Just, uh, dropping off some, er, papers for Ms. Jo...this period is my study hall," I smiled awkwardly, looking at the papers in my hands.
She held out her hand to take the paperwork, and just as I handed them to her Daniel turned and started walking in my direction.
He was looking at whatever the guidance couselor had handed him and was about to slip by me while mumbling "excuse me" when...I panicked.
"Hey!" I said loudly. Too loud.
He looked up at me with a pair of gorgeous brown eyes.
"Uh, hi."
"You look a lot like your brother!"
He smiled slightly, "Yeah..."
I was drowning. He was obviously weirded out. I glanced at the blue/green striped Polo.
"I like your shirt."
"...thanks..."
"The blue and the green...it reminds me of the sea!" As the words came out of my mouth I remembered thinking what the heck is wrong with you? but the second thought didn't come soon enough. So I laughed. Loudly and awkwardly and for way too long.
"...haha, thanks. Well, see ya." He said as he slowly backed out into the hallway before turning to leave.
"Yeah. See ya."
I looked at the secretary and she smiled strangely at me. A dismal failure.
Well, so much for that. I thought as a wandered slowly back to the portables.

*Daniel claims he has no recollection of this meeting, lucky for me. However, I have reminded him of it many times. Which might have been a mistake, but apparently not because he married me.

After study hall I made my way over to Mrs. Uhrich's Art Class with Christi.
Here we are in high school.

On the way I recounted to her the pitiful exchange between me and the new guy, and then we proceeded to talk about his handsomeness. We sat in our typical spot along the side wall, a great spot for us to pass notes and doodle on each other's notebooks. And watch the boys goof off on the back row.
I was a very diligent student.
Students started to trickle in, but Christi and I were wrapped in conversation, not paying much attention to our classmates. That is, until I heard a familiar voice coming down the hallway. It was the new guy, Daniel, and he was walking down the hall joking with Josh, one of his fellow Juniors (there were a great many Joshes in my life throughout high school; kind of weird, actually). My ears perked up, I glanced in the direction of the voices, and saw that Josh and Daniel were walking into my art class. They scoped out a couple of seats in front of Christi and me and sat down. Christi and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and stifled giggles, recalling my awkward conversation with Daniel a few minutes earlier.
I thought I would never have a reason to interact with him again--other than a polite, passing hello in the hallway...yet there he was. One row in front of me for the rest of the semester...


Ah, nostalgia.

PW's Bag of Goodies

First off, I want to say that when I showed the girls at work this picture...


...despite the fact that I have no lips when I smile and my hair appears to be a peculiar shade of green, they said, "You look like you could be related!"

?

Anyway. I mentioned before that I gave PW a little gift bag. And then a string of slurred words.
Well, she didn't open the bag right then and there. She was probably a little disturbed and confused because of my inability to speak. But she was kind enough to say, "Turning on your camera is an important step in taking pictures!" (yeah, I forgot to turn on my camera), and then she said, "Ooh thank you! I can't wait to see what it is!"
So here's what I gave her (to channel Julie Andrews, "a few of my favorite things"):


Sebastian Whipped Cream
This stuff is truly, truly, amazing. And when you dispense it, it really looks like whipped cream. But it's not food. It's heavenly hair product that I love.

Aquage Beyond Shine
This stuff is pretty awesome. Makes your hair shiny. Like diamonds and pearls. And it smells funky in a good way.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Treatment
This stuff really is a miracle. Ignore the tacky packaging. This stuff gives your hair amazing softness and overall health. I love it.

These items are only available in professional salons. You can't just pop into Wal-Mart and pick up this stuff.
(Actually, I think due to diversion you can but you shouldn't. No no.)
Did you have any idea I had such great hookups?