Left to My Own Devices

I'm eating a delicious filet mignon from Fresh Market, cooked for 30 minutes or so in an iron skillet. Wonderful. The bad part? It's 9:20pm.

Music

I had a fun trip to the CD Warehouse last weekend, while Dave smoked a cigar next door. It's pretty dangerous to leave me in CD Warehouse for more than a hour since that gives me time to go through every single bin. But, then again, it's CD Warehouse, so at least everything's pretty cheap.

So, here's the damage:
Junior Brown - Guit With It
Pretty in Pink Soundtrack
The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It
The Mavericks - Live in Austin Texas
Traveling Wilburys - Vol. 1
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Alejandro Escovedo - A Man Under the Influence
k.d. lang - Shadowland
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Radio Sunnydale

Wow

It's been a while, huh? Sorry about that. I've been feeling pretty crappy lately, and just never go to the computers at home. Had to do some work stuff today, so the work laptop's on the couch with me. Lazy? Yep.

Went to see Watchmen today and loved it. It's dark. No question about it. Humanity stinks. Even the heros stink. But there are lots of good fights, great effects, and an surprising amount of full frontal male nudity. Somewhat shocking at first. Then you just get used to it.

pics from the show

Set List - taken upside down, then flipped

Dave Abeyta and Cody Braun

Dave Abeyta

Willy Braun, Cody in the back

Love it Live

There isn't much better in this world that a great live concert. Tonight, Dave and I went to see one of my favorite bands - Reckless Kelly - at the Variety Playhouse. RK is a Texas roadhouse kind of band - equal parts rock and country, along with incredible songwriting.

The show was wonderful, and made me completely forget for two hours that I am sick and exhausted. Dave and I were right up front, in between the lead guitarist and mandolin/violin player.

Set List (if any of you care to look them up or listen):
Ragged as the Road
A Guy Like Me
Seven Nights in Eire
Wild Western Windblown Band
Wicked Twisted Road
Vincent Black Lightning
Stick Around
How was California?
Love in Her Eyes
Wiggles and Ritalin
Nobody's Girl
Vancouver
Hay Say May (Drinking Again)
Baby's Gone Blues
Wandering Eye
American Blood
Cool Rockin' Loretta
Castanets

Encore: Revolution, Crazy Eddie's Last Hurrah

I sang along the whole time, and Dave Abeyta, the guitarist, basically played right over my head for at least 1/4 of the show. At one point, Dave and Willy (the lead singer) both leaned over and played right at me. I almost fainted.

During Crazy Eddie, Dave leaned over, looked at me, and pointed to his guitar. He wanted me to play! I strummed a little, and then he tried to hand me the pick, but I dropped it. I strummed some more, and after that he went on to finish the song. It was soooooo awesome. My Dave, of course, found the pick later.

When they finished, I pointed to the set list, and he nodded. After they left, a roadie came out and gave it to me. So, now it's autographed by the whole band.

What a night! Some friends of ours are going to the show in Raleigh on Saturday, and I'm so jealous.

A good week

Yep, it's been a good week. I guess we could start counting back when we met the Funkles for dinner on Friday night. It's been since NYE 2007/2008 that we were all together. We had so much fun, and I absolutely don't want to wait that long again.

I finished Love in the Time of Cholera. Meh. It is beautifully written, but I just never cared about the characters. Some quotes are at the bottom of this post, though.

What else?

Oh, I slayed the email beast this week - knocking out the 177 unread messages that were in my inbox on Monday, along with 38 in my action folder, and almost all the ones that were coming in during the week. As of my leaving work today, there were 13 emails in the action folder and zero in the inbox. Woo hoo!

And finally, only one more day of work before we go on vacation for a full week, and a whole new batch of emails populate my computer. But at least I'm not starting out behind.


From the book:
"He was still too young to know that the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past."

"She had barely turned the corner into maturity, free at last of illusions, when she began to detect the disillusionment of never having been what she had dreamed of being when she was young."

I love and desperately missed Jack Bauer

There's really nothing more to say.

Just a Spare

A lovely image greeted me this morning when I let Millie in.



The neighbor's tree missed only one board in that particular section of our fence. The wind and rain combined to uproot the thing and drop it right across our back yard. What's amazing is that it missed the swing entirely (thank goodness), and even the chairs escaped damage. We're also very lucky it was that thin little (though tall) poplar, instead of one of the massive pine trees that surround our house.

Honestly, I'm not even sure when this tree came down, though it must have been last night. We didn't hear a thing, but I can't imagine I would have missed that all day yesterday.




We're also lucky that Millie no longer feels the need to wander about, because she was out for a while this morning. I don't look into the back yard when I put her out - just open the door and let her go. It's usually dark, anyway. But when I went to the back door to let her in, there she was running around the yard - and that's when I spotted the tree.

Goodbye Versatile Video

After 28 years of business, Versatile Video is closing its doors. The owner, Chuck, is retiring. It was a wonderful place to patronize and to work.



Versatile Video was my second "real" job. I started there when I was 16 years old, and worked through high school and even on Christmas, spring break, and summers until I was out of college. It was a fantastic job. An independent video store, we had an amazing array of regular customers. Mr. Jenson comes to mind, mainly. He'd stop by to rent about five movies for the weekend after he'd gotten his peanut butter and 10 loaves of bread to feed the raccoons and possums in his backyard.

VV employees were responsible for my first hangover - because of which I had to call in sick to work. Is that irony?

It Ain't All Bad

It's good to remember that there has been good news in 2008.

2008 Wrap-Up

All in all, 2008 was a good year for us. Sure, our 401(k)s lost about 35% of their value. We’re young, though, and still have good jobs with good companies - which is very much something to be thankful for. And, well, a few things didn’t happen that we would have liked. As every good sports fan knows, though, there’s always next year.

We did enjoy a lot of great entertainment and travel in 2008, so in the spirit of the good things that happened in 2008, the list below lays it out (in no particular order) as best can be remembered. A couple of accomplishments are listed, but, yes, mostly it’s entertainment and travel. We have a good life. (Oh, and please note I realize all of this is superficial. This is not meant to be a list of the truly wonderful things in our lives like family and friends.)

Got It Done:
Paid off credit card debt
“New” car for Dave

Travel:
San Antonio, TX
Charleston, SC (x2)
Hollywood, FL
Tarpon Springs, FL
Durham, NC
Birmingham/Huntsville, AL
Hilton Head, SC
Whitney Alone: Minneapolis, MN
Dave Alone: NYC (x4), Tampa, FL; Chicago; Miami, FL

Books Read:
Atonement* – Ian McEwan
Born Standing Up* – Steve Martin
Twilight*, New Moon*, Eclipse*, and Breaking Dawn* – Stephenie Meyer
The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
Our Town – Thornton Wilder
Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Tender is the Night – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Empire Falls* – Richard Russo
The Great Gatsby* – F. Scott Fitzgerald (3rd reading)
Sarum – Edward Rutherford
I, Lucifer – Glen Duncan
Wicked – Gregory Maguire
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams
Until I Find You – John Irving
The Second Coming – Walker Percy.

Concerts/Shows:
Reckless Kelly* at the Variety Playhouse (x2)
Reverend Horton Heat* with Nashville Pussy (Variety Playhouse)
Atlanta Symphony* with Joshua Bell (Copland, Barber, and Bartok)
Atlanta Symphony* free show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Atlanta Symphony* Christmas Concert
Harry Connick, Jr.* (Cobb Energy Center)
Les Miserables* (Fox Theater)
Eddie Izzard* (Cobb Energy Center)

Movies (Theater):
Wanted*
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Atonement*
Dark Knight*
Twilight* (x3)
Quantum of Solace* (x2)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Tropic Thunder* (x2)
Iron Man*
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*
Burn After Reading*
Sex & The City
Run, Fat Boy, Run
Max Payne
Wall-E*

Movies (Rented):
Simpsons Movie
Forgetting Sarah Marshall*
The Happening
Death at a Funeral*
August Rush
Last King of Scotland*
Penelope
Maybe Baby
Green Street Hooligans*
Vantage Point
The Bank Job
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show*
Fool’s Gold
The Lookout
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Pride and Prejudice (miniseries)
Mr. Brooks
Balls of Fury
Enchanted*
Gone Baby Gone*
Tristan and Isolde
Night at the Museum
Once*
Shoot ‘Em Up
Day Watch
Tender Mercies
Lars and the Real Girl
Eagle Eye
Trainspotting
Miller’s Crossing*
Sweeney Todd

CDs Purchased (mostly bought used):
What is Beat – The English Beat
Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Perfect Symmetry – Keane
Catalogue of Generous Men – Modern Skirts
Greatest Hits – Rick Astley
Reckless Kelly was Here*, Bulletproof*, and Wicked Twisted Road* – Reckless Kelly
Use Your Illusion I – Guns and Roses
The Delicate Sound of Thunder* – Pink Floyd
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things* and Mr. A to Z – Jason Mraz
On a Clear Night* – Missy Higgins
Golden Road – Keith Urban
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace –Foo Fighters
Viva la Vida* and X&Y* – Coldplay
Crowded House*, Woodface* and Together Alone – Crowded House
Audioslave – Audioslave
Born on a Pirate Ship – Barenaked Ladies
All the Love You Need – Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Charlie Brown Christmas
Safe Trip Home – Dido
Twilight Soundtrack
Sweeney Todd Soundtrack
True Romance Soundtrack
The Apostle Soundtrack
New Miserable Experience – Gin Blossoms

* highly recommended (If it doesn’t have an asterisk, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.)

Merry Christmas

The Weekend

The weekend was busy but very very fun. The place was amazing - Twelve Atlantic Station. It's the third hotel we've stayed in because of an Imedex function that didn't feel at all like a hotel. Friday night started with the party mentioned below, and as you can tell, it went on for a while. The dj at the main party was fantastic, so I was on the dance floor most of the time. When we weren't dancing, we were either eating, drinking, or Dave was busy winning enough in gift cards for us to buy a 40" Toshiba LCD TV on Saturday morning.

The afterparty - where I continued drinking, having moved on to champagne - lasted until about 3:30am.

We woke up about 9am, and I was surprisingly not very hungover. I didn't feel great, but the only real issue was a splitting headache that went away after about four Advil. However I was completely exhausted, so the rollerskating plans that Stacy and I had didn't actually happen. I took a nap, and then Dave and I went to dinner and a movie with his sister and brother-in-law.

Longhorn, as usual, was great. The Day the Earth Stood Still, on the other hand, even in IMAX, was just ok.

I know I promised some pictures of the new do, so they are below - along with some other pictures from our trip to Florida a couple of weeks ago.


Packing to leave for the party. The hair's a mess, but well, that's what I like about it. It doesn't really matter when it's a mess. As a matter of fact, that's kind of the point.


The view from our hotel room at the holiday party - looking East.


Looking West


Bedroom at Twelve




Kitchen and Living Room


I don't know what I was thinking with all that make-up. All I can say is that I was in a hurry to get to the party ...


Surprisingly early in the evening.


Not surprisingly, this is later on in the evening.


This is me slightly hungover, so the hair isn't exactly as it should look, but you probably get the idea. And this is definitely the picture that shows the new color the best.



The Westin Diplomat - Hollywood, FL



This one's for you, Stacy


The pools from a balcony at the event center


newest tattoo

12:19am

1 glass of wine
$750 AMEX gift cards won in drawing = new hd lcd tv, most likely
5 jack and cokes - strong because the bartender liked my new haircut
1 glass dropped on the floor and shattered - yeah, that was the last j&c I had
afterparty in room 420 - seriously ... on our way.

piictures tomorrow - or sometime later

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year or ...

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only “AMERICA” in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
-This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.
-It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.
-It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

(full disclosure: I did not come up with this; it was stolen from a coworker)

New Hair

Well, it's been a while since I got anything tattooed or pierced, and I needed a change. So, it ended up being the hair.

Until I can get a decent picture posted, you'll have to just imagine me with Sharon Osborne's hair (yes, color and cut).

No, I hadn't planned it that way, but it turns out this is really the best possible comparison.

The things we learn

It amazes me that after 33 years on this planet, I learn new stuff about myself all the time. It puts things in perspective and has made me realize how much other stuff there is to learn and that I never really will get it all. I don't have a problem with that; it's just interesting to realize and understand.

So anyway, what have I learned about myself recently?

I don't like Santa songs. I do love Christmas music, and started to realize this year that I prefer the more religious Christmas songs. So I initially thought that maybe I've become less of a fan of the secular songs, but that's not it at all. I really love many of the non-religious songs. What I generally don't like, though, are the Santa songs. For the most part, they bug the daylights out of me.

So much for more quiet

Last night was another birthday gathering. Tonight is more Christmas shopping. Tomorrow night - friends coming over, Saturday night - symphony, Sunday night - Christmas tree, Monday night - haircut, Tuesday night - soccer (scratch that; Tuesday is a concert), Wednesday night - 7pm work meeting, 18th - free!!!!!! (so far), 19th - party, 20th dinner with family, 21st - family day. I mean, seriously, this is just ridiculous. But I wouldn't not do any of it.

I still want to blog some stuff during all this; I've been reading such great books lately. But I can't make any promises.

I really do

want to blog, but it's just been crazy around here. I should have something new up this week, though. Tomorrow and Thursday should be a little quieter (more quiet?).

Twilight

Yep, we went to see it this weekend, but we waited until Sunday. While I didn't really want to wait, we did because Dave was out of town until late Saturday night. Turns out this was a good thing. If the conversation and giggling (and cussing) during Sunday's matinee were any indication, Friday would have been an absolutely miserable experience. As it was, I was cracking up half the time, listening to the little girls behind us.

I really enjoyed the movie, but it was impossible to watch it "objectively" - as if I'd never read the book. I was constantly thinking about where it was going and how it may be different, so I'll be curious to see if I watch it differently next time, now that I know what changes they made from the book to the movie.

The cool part is that there were a few things that would likely have been missed, or at least not as fully understood, by those who haven't read the books. And I can see why people who haven't read the books wouldn't necessarily enjoy the movie on its own.

I'm really excited for the sequels, though, because I'm sure they've learned a lot from this one and will do even better next time.

Also, the Harry Potter trailer was awesome.