Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Rocket Returns!



Whoo-hoo! It's a done deal. Roger Clemens returns to the Houston Astros for one more year! We definitely need pitching help right now!

Suck it New York. Suck it Boston!

Mark your calendars for June 22. And it looks like us Austinites will get to see him pitch out in Round Rock on June 16.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Holy Hell, Brownie finally won a bet!

So, Brownie and I bet on the Astros and Pirates series this past weekend. I guess they were pissed that we swept them last month in Houston. At least they didn't win all 3 games of this series...We won the last one on Sunday!

Actually, the bigger thorn in my side is Albert Pujols.

Guess Wanker better make sure his possible new job lets him off for CoTex, because that's where we both pay up on our lost bets. So get your arse to Ruidoso, Brownie Boy!

Great Dane Fabio Pain

Got many things to post this week...lots o'pics, etc.

HAD to at least post this pic for now. This is how he showed up to the Keever's house. Hilarious!



P.S. For those who don't know GREAT ANE PAIN, this is what his hair normally looks like...


For more on how this hairdo came about, check out FREE MEAT'S page here.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

R.I.P., Justin & Clifford

Last night I found out that some friends lost their brother to a drunk driver on 2222 this past Sunday. They are still trying to find out all of the details. I hope that they get the answers they are looking for soon. My thoughts are with them as they go through this rough time.


Also...Just saw this email from Waterloo Records.

We got just the news that Clifford Antone was found dead today in his home of an apparent heart attack at the far too young age of 56. Clifford was an important figure in the Austin music scene: impresario of the legendary blues club, president of the record label and owner of the roots and blues record store, all of which took his name. He was a tireless promoter of the blues, not only through his various businesses, but as an educator, teaching courses in the blues at both the University of Texas and Texas State University. If anyone could be described as a true blues "friend" it was Clifford, but his impact on the entire music scene in Austin can't be underestimated.

Waterloo extends our deepest sympathies to his family, his students and his countless friends all over the world.

Clifford Antone articles and info.

I've been going to performances at Antone's since they were over on Guadalupe, before they moved to the 5th Street location. Many good times. Can't wait to go back. Maybe for Bob Schneider or the Scabs? Anyone??

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Afternoon Fark Funnies...

Ok, so I am taking a little break from working on my current fundraising database and thought Fark might make me laugh. I was correct! The quotes/blips are usually quite more humorous than the actual article, but I've included the links to the full article for those of you who care to read 'em.

Here are a couple of blips that I found amusing. Apparently, there is a theme...

Katie Holmes experiencing post-natal depression. Brooke Shields to Tom Cruise: Suck it

Free South Park "Trapped in the Closet" DVDs given out after screening in England. UK to Tom Cruise: Suck it

Lindsay Lohan freaks out after "That 70s Show" guy fails to convince that other "70s Show" guy that she's not a drunk skank
Hyde is a Scientologist??

This one just made me laugh because of...well, you'll see.
Larry Brown refuses to be bought out of his contract to coach the NY Knicks, will have to be fired instead. You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie

Slacker

I've been a slacker lately with posting pics. It didn't help that my digital was getting fixed for a few weeks and I had to use my film camera. Have some great pics from the hash where I got my 25 Runs magnet, but I have to scan them in, then upload to Kodak Gallery, then post here. So who knows when that will occur. This is a busy week/weekend for me. All I have right now are more pics from Miami...but those are pretty much all family shots. Got a few more of the beautiful blue ocean, so maybe I'll share those.

I've also been a slacker this year with working out, and it shows in how my clothes are fitting tighter than in the past. So much so that I've joined a bet with my family. Everyone puts in $50 and the person who loses the biggest % wins...not necessarily the person who loses the most weight overall. I mean, none of us need to lose a ton, we are just trying to motivate each other to get in shape by working out more and eating healthier foods. The bet begins the day after Memorial Day and ends on some holiday after that. Not sure which one. Wish I didn't love fast food/fried food so much. Oh yeah, and I'm a sucker for queso. Hopefully this bet will finally get me motivated! I've never quite made it to the point where I become addicted to working out. Maybe someday...

Friday, May 12, 2006

Dancin' Comedian

This is for those of you not on the Austin or Hill Country Hash distribution lists. Thanks to DBD for sending out this gem earlier today. I laughed my arse off!

Click here for video.

CornBitchSwallow Hash

On Sunday, May 7, I was in no mood to hash at all, but I made myself go. I mean, it started 10 minutes from my place, so why not? Plus, my friends were haring. [HIPPIE SWALLOW, BITCH, JAMES BITCH and CORNHOLIO] Glad I went because I needed the exercise, but I was just not in party mode. I liked the trail, except for the fact that I forgot my Camelbak. Man, it was hot out that day and I don't handle heat well. You'd think since I grew up in Austin that I'd be used to it by now...NOPE! Anyway, one part of trail made me laugh. There was a tall concrete wall we had to climb over. What was there to help us? A freakin' office chair! Not sure where the hares stumbled upon that, but it was perfectly placed to give us a little boost over the wall.

At the last beer check I was starving, so I found the unlocked hares car with all the food inside. Scarfed a handful of cheesey poof balls and off the pack went. Well, we started following CORNHOLIO since he was one of the hares. Turns out he wasn't quite sure which direction trail went. What the?? We found trail without his help and ran to the On-In. Luckily for me, it was very close because I needed some food since I hadn't eaten lunch. I screamed with joy when I discovered some candy corn [yes, I'm easily excited] and then made my yummy sandwich. Good job on the food hares! Think I've been a little addicted to sandwiches lately...
A special thanks [and chuckle] goes to HIPPIE SWALLOW for purchasing the Hard Salami. She said she just couldn't pass it up with a name like that. :)


Funny shirt seen at the On-In.

Cirlce seemed to go on forever, but maybe that was because I just wasn't in the mood. TUCK IT UP THE BUTT did receive his 69 runs hat, so that was cool. Then I got talked into going to the On-On-On for a drink. So off to the Hideout Pub we went. Did you know that Amy Blows Ass? If you were there, you know what I'm referring to. Hee hee hee.....

Pics are here.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Beautiful Day! Kinky! BidetMate!

Oh my, today is absolutely beautiful here in Austin. Blue skies, a few clouds, a light breeze and 78 degrees. Why can't we have more of these Spring-like days? I didn't want to come back to work from lunch. It's the kind of day where you want to kick back with a cold beer on an outdoor patio or go to Town Lake or Zilker Park. Something, anything, as long as it's outside! I think I need to invest in a bike this year. Would be a great day for a bike ride.


Also, lookie who made the Austin American-Statesman today....BidetMate! She is a volunteer with Kinky Friedman's campaign. If you don't know her, she is the chick with dark hair in the green shirt.


Full story here

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

CoTex Here I Come!

So it's official as of today...I am going to my very first CoTex weekend! Wet Spot and I booked our flights today. She finally found something at a decent price that didn't leave El Paso at the butt crack of dawn on Sunday morning. Also buying a rego from someone who can no longer attend...so I'm in!

The cabins we are staying at look pretty cute. But no wonder they sold out so quickly....only 13 "forest homes" in the joint, according to their web site! All the procrastinators will be staying at the nearby Whispering Pines. I wonder what both places are gonna say when we don't get out of the hot tub or stop playing beer pong by 9pm? Who has quiet time starting that early anyway?!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Cinco de Mayo Madness

So there I was, counting down the minutes until 5 o'clock on Cinco de Mayo last Friday when my boss called me over as I walked by her office. She waved at me and said, "Bye, go and enjoy the weekend." Hells yeah! It was just after 4pm. So I shut down my computer, hopped in my car and headed for Lovejoy's. Hadn't been there since the pub crawl for Texas Interhash. Got there at the same time as TAF, and Squeef was already camped out, of course. Soon after, Fuck U Knave, Cornholio, Smells Like Teen Fanny, Swalamander and my friend Duanette joined our table. Had too many Black & Tans and a Jager shot...which was free! Gotta love Marshall. Well, actually, this time I befriended Joe, who was there for Stacy's birthday. Apparently Stacy knows some hashers or something...I forget the story. Damn alcohol killing my memory. Anyway, free Jager shots for Stacy's birthday! Whoo-hoo!

At Casino El Camino


Lesley & Doug


Cute purse Knave!

Anyway, I couldn't stop talking about pizza, so finally we left for some food and a change of scenery. Got a slice at some joint on 6th Street and then headed for Casino el Camino. I had heard about their amazing burgers, but never tried one...guess that will have to wait until next time. I think Doug met us at this bar. He's a friend of Fanny's/Lesley's from North Carolina who just moved to Austin.

I guess we needed another change of scenery because next thing I know we are walking over to Mugshots...which worked out perfectly for me because my car was parked right in front of that bar. [As if I needed to be driving.] I have no idea how long we stayed here...didn't ever seem too crowded because we pretty much had an entire area to ourselves. Duanette came out of her shell and started dancing with Lesley while Knave and Doug kept complaining about all the pictures I was taking. Guess the flash was freaking out their eyes, or something. Silly boys, don't they know better? When I get tipsy, I go camera crazy.

Since Lesley's place was closer than my place, I ended up crashing over there. Did we grab food on the way home? I honestly can't recall. All I know is that I woke up early Saturday morning with a headache and Lesley went and picked up Whataburger for us. What a sweetie.

After chatting for bit and just being bums hanging around the house, we decided it was time to show Doug a little bit of Austin and take him to get a good burger. Off to Crown & Anchor we went. We introduced him to the delicious bacon cheeseburger, sat on the patio and I hoped the beer would help my headache. It did a little.

I finally headed home to shower and was a couch potato all freakin' day long. Caught up on Tivo'd shows and found some movies on HBO. I seriously was a zombie all Saturday afternoon and night. Was too lazy to even go get something to eat for dinner! Who would have thought that a little ol' Friday happy hour would screw up my entire Saturday?

Monday, May 08, 2006

Fark is Freakin' Funny

Any other Fark lovers out there? The little blibs about the articles crack me up. For some reason this pic amused me today. Could it be from my lack of sleep all weekend? What does it mean??



Want to read what some of the suggestions were for what the hell this sign means? Click here.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Miami, Mia and Magna Cum Laude

Ok, so I am skipping ahead to my trip to Miami, then maybe I'll go back to that "I've been tagged" thing.

Ok, so here is the quick version of the story....
Went to Miami on April 29, had a big joint family dinner on April 30, brother's first child born on May 1, brother graduated from Florida International University on May 2, returned to Austin May 3.



Mike & Mo in the baby room, the day before Mia was born




Longer version...So on Saturday, April 29 I flew to Miami to visit my brother and his wife. My little bro Michael was finally graduating from college at Florida International University. Both sets of my parents were there, plus Monique's folks live in Miami...so it was a mini-reunion. Michael's wife Monique was due to have their first baby on May 9. We kept joking around with them that they needed to have the baby while we were all in town...and they did! Mo had her little one 8 days early while the fam was in town for graduation. Couldn't have happened any better.

My mom, step-dad and I got into town late Saturday, we had breakfast at the Gables Diner Sunday morning. I really like this place...great variety of delicious food plus friendly staff. Oh yeah, and my brother and Monique are regulars, so they've become friends with one of the co-owners. After breakfast, my bro wanted to take us on a tour of his hotel, The Setai. It's a swanky hotel with ridiculously priced rooms and gorgeous views, but hey, I was just there for a tour. Well, my mom and I have seen the place before on previous trips, but my step-dad Randy had never been. So we headed over to the beach side about the time when Mike was supposed to get off work. While waiting in the lobby area we were people watching. Next thing I know my mom is waving at us saying, "that guy is on TV." I didn't recognize him, but apparently he is on Oprah quite a bit. Does celebrity weddings and such. Anyway, it was Colin Cowie. I've heard the name, but never would have recognized him because I don't watch Oprah! He was there to meet with some couple to plan their wedding in Cabo. Lifestyles of the rich......

My Dad and step-mom Carol flew in Sunday afternoon. We ALL had dinner at Monique's parent's house on Sunday night. It sure is nice to have divorced parents who get along with each other. Makes times like these so much more enjoyable. [Did I mention that Mr. Pinon makes killer rum drinks!]. The Pinon's served up a traditional Cuban meal...dee-lish! They are quite hilarious as well and always have fun stories to tell. My stomach hurt from all the laughing I did. Guess those rum drinks helped with that too!

On Monday I took my Dad and Carol to another restaurant I like to frequent when in town. It's called Berries. I love the outdoor courtyard seating and the food is scrumptious. I even like the hummus! Can you believe it? That's right...Jen, Ms. Fast Food/Queso Queen, likes their spicy hummus. After lunch, I gave my Dad and Carol a mini-tour of Miami Beach and my brother got a co-worker to give us a tour of his hotel.


On South beach with Carol

View from 37th floor of hotel where my brother works



Then we got the photo text of little Mia! Earlier we were told Mo wouldn't have the baby for about 6-8 hours, which is why Michael wanted me to take the folks on a tour. But Monique had the baby quite quickly, so we bolted for the hospital.



So here is little Mia with her mom, Monique.



Mia Katherine O'Neil
Born on May 1 at 4:25pm, 6 pounds 13 ounces, 18 1/2 inches long. She is definitely a Gringo...didn't get the Cuban genes! Mo joked about getting Mia a fake tan so that she looks more Cuban. Out of 6 grandkids, only 1 looks like the Cuban side of the family!


When they took the baby to be cleaned and to run some tests, I took both sets of my parents to grab a bite to eat at a little bayside restaurant called Scotty's Landing. This is such a great little chill, grab a burger and a beer, kick back and watch the water type of place. Very relaxing. Then it was back to the hospital until visiting hours were up at 9pm.


Auntie Jen!

Tuesday, went back to the hospital. While there, 3 of the guys decided they would attempt to put the car seat in Monique's car since she was going to be released later that day. After about 20 minutes, it still wasn't in properly and 2 of the guys were veteran parents. So off to the fire station they went to get it checked out. The fireman fixed it lickity split! Of course, the guys didn't return right away. My brother decided he needed to go home to get his graduation stuff, decided to shave and piddle around the house. Carol and I were feeling like we should have left a lot earlier because Monique looked like she really needed some quiet time so she could rest. Finally, they returned and off we were.
My dad with his first grandbaby

Couldn't decide what we wanted to eat, so we drove over to the Miracle Mile area where we knew there would be food that was quick, but not fast-food. Stumbled upon the Atlanta Bread Company. Had never even heard of it, but loved their paninis. I was dying to check out this new surf shop that Monique had told me about because I need some new board shorts and I can't find any in Austin this year. So my Dad and Carol headed over there since it was close to their hotel. After I came out of the dressing room I saw someone I met in May of 2004. Very small world. I don't think I've talked to this person in about a year. Met him in a surf shop in 2004 and ran into him in a totally different surf shop this trip. Small, small world. Later that night was my brother's graduation, so we didn't get to chat very long. Had to rush to drop off my Dad and Carol, get home to change clothes and get to the ceremony...all through insane Miami traffic with crazy drivers.

The graduation was nice once the Business School woman stopped her commercial for their program. Get over yourself lady! The Hospitality and Tourism department made the whole ceremony fun. They were loud and crazy and had these cool things that popped large confetti way up into the air. At the end of the graduation they started blaring fun music...only in Miami. And can you believe it? Monique had the baby on Monday at 4:25pm and went to the graduation the very next night. Crazy. Not sure how she did that on 1 hour of sleep...or maybe even less with all the contractions the previous days. Either way, she was not going to miss it since she had been pushing for him to go back to school to get his degree. Michael Calvin O'Neil graduated magna cum laude. Way to go Bubba! He is pissed though that he lost his gold rope sometime during the ceremony while hugging all his friends and professors.



For our graduation celebration, Michael wanted to go to the Gables Diner. He called his friend who owns the place to let them know he was bringing in a big group. They were actually about to close up the place, but held it open because they really like my brother. Not sure if they were closing early or if they just close at 10pm on week nights. We felt bad about keeping them, but the owner was insistent. He even let in another group since he knew we were on our way. That place is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

Wednesday was return to Austin day. :(

I already want to go back!

More pics to follow when I get the time!
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