Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head ...

This time last week my brother, my husband, and I were gearing up to go see Hot Chip. We caught them when they came through town in April of 2007, but they are a band you can see live multiple times without losing interest.

Hot Chip did not disappoint. They are so much fun! Their new record, Made in the Dark, sounds even better live. I didn't feel like carrying my camera around that night, so here's someone else's video from the show. And, yes, we danced. Hot Chip has a way of loosening the inhibitions. So our bobbing heads may be in there somewhere, as we were standing in the same area as the filmer. That could even be my "wwooooo" at the end.

I'm tellin' you, concert-going is a love/hate relationship. But some bands are worth submitting yourself to all the drunk idiots for. I'm just glad I'm not one of those drunk idiots ... I can remember the show, I didn't spill a beverage on any strangers, I didn't vomit on myself or anyone around me, and I have more cash in my wallet.

Can't Stop Listening To

Some of my current favorite songs/bands/artists ...

September 22

It's here. Happy Fall!!!

One More Thought

I often think about the way life is and the greatness in God's creation ... how seamlessly the world functions, how fragile yet strong everything is, how God's perfection can still be so evident in our imperfect world.

Weird how you can literally feel it in your body when the seasons change. Is it just a gift to help us enjoy the transition from summer to fall, fall to winter, winter to spring? Is it some part of the intuition God placed in us to help us function here? Or is it another part of our life that just IS and I don't need to understand why?

Something's got me thinking. Don't know if it's the comfort of my tasty coffee beverage, the thrill of the pending arrival of fall, or the sadness of being stuck inside on such a lovely day. Hmmmm ...

Starbucks has brought back their pumpkin flavored drinks, and that can only mean one fantastic thing: FALL IS IN THE AIR.

October - January has always been my favorite time of year. Once we live somewhere with a full season of winter, I believe my favorite time period may get extended to March. And the current weather in Dallas actually suits the time of year. It has been so lovely outside the past few days.

So the air feels a bit crisper, the stores are starting to sell Halloween gear, I can get my pumpkin drink at Starbucks again, and football is in full swing. All signs are definitely pointing to Fall. And I couldn't be happier about that.

And Many More

Happy Birthday Collin!!

One year closer to thirty. Don't know about you, but this stage of life makes me feel very in between things. We're still young, but getting older at the same time ... like we're 3/4 adult. It's still ok for us to play video games and be slightly immature, but we should probably start planning our retirement. Or at least build-up that savings account we always forget we have. That would be the smart thing to do.

But right now, we're celebrating Collin's 29th. Because of busy schedules and such, the celebration will last into next weekend. Which is good. Because I think it's a sham that little kids get all the special birthday attention. If there's any time in life when a person could use a little extra attention, it's in the adult years.

So first things first: making Collin's triple layer chocolate cake, as requested every year. (I am willing to make something new, should you ever desire it.)

Before ...

After ...

After, part two ...

Even Manji had some (that's frosting, not vomit) ...

And as if presents and cake weren't enough, Cody, Collin's beloved mom, came to visit us. Hoo-ray!! Together we had a weekend of shopping, eating, talking, and driving. We even went to the Dallas Aquarium.

As proof, I offer this picture of a poisonous frog ...

Further proof, a picture of Collin and Cody having the best time of their lives ...

There you have it. Big Birthday Fun Time Extravaganza #29. Happy Birthday Collin!! I'm not the only person who loves you. Your birthday proves it, as we gather to buy you things, take you to dinner, bake you cake, send you cards, and remind you that we're all quite fond of you.

"Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead."
— Mac McCleary

So Say What

The past couple of weeks have been weird. And as a result, I've had nothing to write about. Totally uninspired. But despite that, I've still been wanting to post something. I thought I would take advantage of my uninspired state to introduce you to someone special.

Some of you have been lucky enough to meet him; let this serve as a reminder of what a handsome devil he is.

And yes, he is both handsome and a devil. Both descriptions are accurate.

His new "thing" ... peeing on the front door. To be clear, he pees on the door and on the carpet in front of the door. He is nothing if not thorough.

His "thing" since we first got him ... vomiting. There is no pattern to it. He just throws-up ALL the time. And we are constantly cleaning it up. We will definitely not be getting our pet/security deposit back from this apartment.

He also squawks at us. It is not a meow. It is nothing other than squawking. And it is annoying as almost anything I've experienced in my life thus far.

He also jumps on our bed at hours when jumping should not be a part of any one's activities. And all so he can sniff our noses and our eyelashes, and crawl all over us.

He has completely ruined my $100 IKEA dining table set; it is the tool of preference for his daily manicures.

But despite that, I still find happiness in him. His little nose ... his little paws ... his super-softness. I can tell there are times when he genuinely enjoys our company. He's become quite a cuddle-bug these days; he follows us around the apartment more than he ever has before.

I think he's a bit of a comedian, too. Must have picked up on that from Collin. Maybe a little from me, too ... I have my comic genius moments.

He recently had an ear infection. Silly as it may sound, the experience briefly transported us into parenthood ... having to hold him down, resist the squirming, and drop the medicine into his ears. He didn't understand. But we had to help him get better.

I never thought I would care this much about a cat. But I do. Some days I want to kick him to the curb, tell him to pack his bags and get out. Really, though, he's our buddy.

Please meet Manji ...

Since the opening ceremonies began on Friday, I have been watching as much of the Olympics as is possible. If I didn't have to work or eat or sleep or do errands, I'd be watching more. And now that I'm an adult and have control of my own TV and remote, the skies' the limit.

I have always loved watching the Olympics. I think it's because you get the chance to watch people compete in sports you rarely, if ever, see in mainstream athletics. And you know those swimmers, runners, gymnasts, and divers could kick the crap out of the professional athletes we Americans are so proud of. I just really appreciate seeing athletes perform outside of the super-commercialized realm of whiners and losers we try to pawn-off on our kids as heroes.

And when is the last time any of us watched a good round of fencing!? Not only can those girls poke your eye out before you've even realized what's happened, they could also clean-up in a spelling bee. (They attend colleges like Duke and Yale.)

I have been craving Coca-Cola the past few days. Hmmm. Odd. And McDonald's, even more odd. A golden chicken sandwich sounds so good right now. With a coke, of course.

I usually root for Team USA, but don't really have a particular reason for doing so. There is something great about seeing someone from a less privileged country beat the pants off on American kid, though.

While I was watching Michael Phelps swim his way to another win in the big fancy pool, it dawned on me that for the past four days I have been sitting in front of the TV watching hours of footage of people with spectacular bodies twisting and contorting and jumping and running in basically nothing but their underwear. Is that what spawns my fascination with the Olympic games? Am I subconsciously drawn to the hiney of these well sculpted athletes? Do I care if he wins, or do I just want to see Phelps' pants come off during his victory celebration?

We may as well go back to days of yore when athletes performed naked. They pretty much are naked anyway, so why not eliminate the clothing altogether. What's more aerodynamic than the skin God gave us!?! (those camera close-ups only make matters more intimate)

It's also been excellent having the usual commercial times cut short. So as not to interrupt potential pivotal moments in Olympic history, NBC is showing hardly any commercials. It's fantastic!

I've been appreciating Google's participation, too. They've been changing their homepage image every day. Thank you Google. Thank you for somehow incorporating a pig dancing with a ribbon into your trademark rainbow-lettered image.

Most people I've talked to don't care about the Olympics. They're probably the same people who don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day.

When it comes to being a girl, I've never considered myself a traditionalist. But I found a good amount of joy in a tradition this week ... Collin bought me flowers.

"Sometimes we fight just so we can make-up." A line from literally THE only Garth Brooks song I know.

Visit Your Friends

My 10 year high school reunion was this weekend. I did not go. Instead I opted to more wisely spend my money on a trip to Good Records, probably the best record store in Dallas. This trip has been in the working for some time, so I had quite a "to buy" list. And thanks to a graduation gift from my brother, and my recent promotion and subsequent pay increase , I was able to buy more CDs in one visit than I really ever have in my entire life. Collin and I have been listening to my new buys all weekend.

In high school, I remember being afraid that I would get boring as I got older - particularly that I'd loose my taste in and love for music. But the 10 years since high school have proved otherwise. If anything, my taste in music has actually gotten better, more progressive.

I've always thought it's weird that for someone who loves music so much, I don't play an instrument. But I've come to the conclusion that I'm perfectly content reading interviews, buying albums, going to shows, and appreciating other people's handiwork.

All that to say, I'm happy with my choice to take a one hour trip to the record store. I walked away with a much better feeling than my two day high school reunion would have given me. (Though it would have been great to see you, Mel.) Maybe I'll feel more inspired to attend the 20 year reunion. But I doubt it.

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

— Eleanor Roosevelt

I So Want One

No, I Know I Can't

I cannot stop watching this show; it is my current guilty pleasure. Normally I don't get into these kinds of shows, where "judges" heep insults on people and America joyously feeds. But this show ... this show has won me over. Maybe it's because of the flashy outfits, or the catchy top 40 tunes, or the super-cute British host, or my own secret desire to dance?

And let's all admit ... it's so much better watching people dance than it is watching people sing. Boo American Idol, boo!!

But I don't watch the elimination show. I want my life to be full of sunshine and rainbows, not eliminations and dissappointments. (I'm such a realist.)

I can't decide who I want to win. Should it be Will, or Katie, or Chelsie? ARGH!? You decide for me, America. Just call 1-888- ...

It's My Bike!!

I had to post about my new bike, because it's so pretty (and so expensive). Though it hasn't seen much use yet - namely because of that devil sun I mentioned earlier - I have high hopes for my relationship with it. I just know we'll be the best of friends. But right now it's just taking up space in the living room ...

I'm Melting

Devil sun.

This is the time of year when weather forecasters seem redundant. And by redundant I mean unnecessary. It's more of the same; each day is a repeat of the previous day. Sunny, hot, sunny, hot, sunny, hot.

As hurricane Dolly hits South Texas, I can't help but be a bit jealous ... they're getting rain.

Free At Last

Though it happened over two months ago, I feel the fact that it took me ten years - yes, ten years - to earn my bachelor's degree gives me the right to celebrate my graduation much longer than those I refer to as "normal" college students. I am enjoying the freedom that graduation from college has brought me. No tests, no homework, no professors.

And if no one considered me an adult before, they do now thanks to my fulltime job.

Much appreciation to you who stood by my side through this education process. My husband definitely deserves two or four or ten pats-on-the-back for enduring all my whining and complaining. We made it, dear. You and I. And now the fun continues as we spend the next 25 years paying off student loans.