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Archive for November, 2009

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-29

Sunday, 2009-November-29 by

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Mind in the Gutter

Friday, 2009-November-27 by

So, today on Twitter (and through either Foursquare which I play or Gowalla which I’d play except it crashes my phone), a guy I’ve met like-two-times-in-really-crowded-environments-&-he’d-never-remember-me situations posted where he was. He was Black Friday shopping at Toy Joy.

What? Did I read that right? Toy JOY? TOY Joy?

Did he just say that out loud? Does his mom read his Tweets?

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Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday, 2009-November-26 by

thankful for:

  • Emil and especially the many ways he shows his love for me
  • Sosta and especially that she is still with us and extra especially that she seems to feel just fine
  • Purrrrrl and especially that she helps me take care of Sosta
  • Turtleor and especially his cute expressions
  • both sides of our family and especially their understanding that we couldn’t make it to Thanksgiving this year
  • reasonable health and especially that I seem to be fighting this cold well
  • Netflix and especially the instant queue
  • our move to Austin and especially that this town has the kind of personality that suits us
  • Weenie’s Warriors #AwTwX and especially the wonderful impact it has in helping me set and meet goals for As You Wish
  • Twitter and especially that it connects me to people who inspire, challenge, and support me
  • humor and wit and especially the ability to appreciate those characteristics in others
  • our cute little Scion xD and especially its very quiet ride
  • and many, many of the little things in life…
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November Mini-vacay

Thursday, 2009-November-26 by

Now that we neither one work for a university, our holiday cycles have shifted. For example, Emil had to work late for this year’s election day (He works for the County Clerk), but Veterans’ Day was a county holiday. So, he planned a wonderful little mid-November mini-vacay for us…to Fredericksburg.

Wednesday morning, we slept in, loaded the car, took a scenic drive, and were in town by 2pm. We found the headquarters for the B&B and checked in. Our cabin was ~15 minutes out of town on 21 acres. It was peaceful bliss.

The outdoor shower is amazing, even in November.

As soon as we had the car unloaded, we sat in the rockers on the front porch and watched the birds and butterflies. The weather was just perfect—~70 degrees and a gorgeous day—so there was much to see.

We made a few little and tentative plans for the evening. We hadn’t had a vacation in a long time and have rarely had one that didn’t have an agenda of events to attend and sights to see. It was nice to have four days with nothing particular to do. We’ve been to Fredericksburg several times. We’ve seen the shops and toured the wineries. This time, we were here without much new to see.

We headed into town for dinner at the Rathskeller. Lori had a glass of Columbia Crest Shiraz and the avocado crab dip, which turned out to be our server’s favorite menu item. Emil had the Weiner Schnitzel with buttered noodles (shocker, huh?). Our meal was fabulous! There were six desserts on the menu that all sounded wonderful as well. So, when we are craving sweets, that will be one of the first places we think of.

We returned to our cabin to take advantage of the amenities. The dew had already begun to settle, so without dry wood, we had to postpone a fire, but the sky was 100% clear and the stars were the brightest we’d seen in a very long time. We stargazed on the front porch and had a little mini-scrabble tournament with our own flex on the rules and no scoring. We determined the winner by who went out first. Lori won both matches. Once we crawled into bed, we were both goners. The bed had one of those Tempurdepic mattress toppers. The only way to describe this bed is to say that it “eats” you. At 5am Lori awoke to the cold (it was probably ~40 degrees outside and we slept with the windows open), so we watched dawn creep up and watched the sunrise all while still bundled under the covers.

We went for an early breakfast at Taqueria Altos de Jalisco’s. It was fabulous. Then, we drove to the Old Tunnel where we saw our first bat emergence a few years ago. The sign said they had emerged the night before, but only took ~10 minutes to leave the tunnel; the season had, technically, passed. We decided it probably wasn’t worth a visit at night. We walked down to the tunnel viewing area, saw the few bats that haven’t migrated, yet, and then took a scenic drive back to our cabin with a little stop at the visitor’s center for more information about the Nimitz museum (and the new part that is supposed to open in December) and other area attractions.

We spent the afternoon riding our bikes around the property, viewing the other cabin still under construction, and seeing the new bridge that the neighbor is building to cross a creek. We also spent another chunk of time watching the birds and butterflies. Again, it was great to have nothing to do!

bike trail

Thursday evening, we went into town for dinner and some German beer and then came back to the cabin. Emil was victorious in 3-out-of-4 games: Scrabble (with scores this time), Ticket to Ride, and the first of two rounds of dominos.

Friday the 13th started off true to fame. We were going to have breakfast at Andy’s, but it wasn’t in the cards. The place was crowded with only two servers. Of course, as luck would have it on this day, we got the much slower, weaker, forgetful server. She wanted us to want coffee and juice and was befuddled that we did not. Then, she was ready to take our order before we had read the menu. We asked for just one minute, but she never returned. We watched her take the order of several other tables, skipping us every time. We looked around, held our menus over to the side, and made eye contact with the other server. It felt like she couldn’t serve us because we didn’t fit the mold of coffee-drinking breakfast diners—-and we weren’t even the youngest people in the place! Emil’s comment was, “Clearly, she’s never played Diner Dash!” So, we headed back to Taqueria Altos de Jalisco’s where we knew we’d get good food and good service.

And then came the massages from Above and Beyond Day Spa. Emil signed us up for massages (a first for both of us) at our cabin. Mmmmmm.

The massage therapists had gotten lost on the way to our cabin and said there were some buffalo about three miles north of us. So, after the “massage-hangover” subsided a bit, we hoped in the car to go see them. They weren’t near the fence along the road, though, and we never found them. Instead we made the loop around to Enchanted Rock. Emil hadn’t been since he was a kid and Lori had never seen it. Eventhough we weren’t dressed for it, we made the short-but-not-easy hike to the summit. From the parking lot it was a 465’ climb over .6 miles. The top is at 1800’ and offers some fantastic views of the Hill Country.

The way back from Enchanted Rock led us back into town too early for supper, so we headed out to Luckenbach. It felt a little like a petting zoo this time. A guy with a longhorn and saddle was loading up his prop photo business as we arrived. One of the resident cats, Miss Kitty, let us love on her for at least a minute or two. And, the chickens and roosters were very active and quite entertaining to watch. It was nearing sunset, and they were getting ready to roost. It was funny to watch them go from the ground to a table to a roof to the limbs of the tree. Some of them even preferred to be way up in the tree and not just on the first branch they could reach.

When it started to get chilly, we headed back to town for supper. Dinner at Kelly’s Café was amazing.

After such an active afternoon, we were both ready to go back to our cabin for more of the R&R part of our trip. We each won one game of Ticket to Ride and then Lori beat Emil in two dominos matches.

We sank into bed early and then slept in on Saturday morning. We got up just in time to pack up, check out, have a leisurely breakfast, and get on the road to Austin for a big game day: a Miami watch party at the Daily Grill and the Settlers of Catan board game group at Dragon’s Lair.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-22

Sunday, 2009-November-22 by
  • @Pats4Me You must have Fredericksburg confused with some other town. I-45 is in ~east Texas and F'brg is west of Johnson City. #
  • Dammit #
  • @annamunoz ooooh I have a great brussel sprouts recipe I saved….lemme find it. in reply to annamunoz #
  • @annamunoz plz 4give that it's from WF. :( Also, haven't tried, but it looked sooooo good. http://ow.ly/CvKd in reply to annamunoz #
  • Good morning to you, too!! Thanks for letting me sleep in…brrrrrr. Headed to laundry/errands/edit. Need anything? #
  • It's a blessing and a curse to be offline for several days. Much catching up to do! #
  • AGREED! @LaniAR i think mondays should be eliminated and we should call it napday. #
  • Monday + post vacay catchup = late lunch. At least I can multi task it with laundry and sending Tweets of little value! :) #
  • I'm sure there is a (safety) reason, but why isn't dryer-exhaust recirculated into an area for hanging clothes that drip dry? #
  • @andreaschulle Oh DEAR. Those are hideous! LOL! in reply to andreaschulle #
  • @andreaschulle LOL Wear them out in public? Wha'? maybe if you knitted some spats to cover them up! LOL in reply to andreaschulle #
  • I got what I came here for, but I'm early 4 the party & the girl I'm here 4 is out w/ flu. At least she'll know that I was here #
  • I just became the mayor of The Dig Pub on @foursquare! http://bit.ly/27OHwL #
  • Also i can get bags/purses, jewelry, statuettes, wall clings, and other products. Let me know id u want a list. #
  • I long for a time when rush hour limits vehicles to 3 or less axles. No more wide loads on your way to work/meetings. #
  • Remember that episode from How I Met Your Mother where Ted's date is a huge Chatty Cathy and ends up engaged to a deaf guy? #
  • RT @maczter Someone please make the voices stop. #
  • me too @ JennSiegel ditto @charlesf11 Having…trouble focusing today. All I can think about is Aggie Bonfire. #bonfire #TAMU #gigem #
  • @slavetofashion I was wondering earlier today about denim color. I think all my jeans are too light for current trends. #
  • RT @ileenieweenie Fun "blogging" for SIX hrs w/ @michaelpearsun @maczter @jenztweets @loriluza 2day! Next time: actually going to blog… #
  • @IleenieWeenie Let me find my phone so i can call you. in reply to IleenieWeenie #
  • Super cute! @slavetofashion FINALLY the outfit pic! http://twitpic.com/py3p8 What do you think of my skinny jeans ensemble? #
  • RT @IleenieWeenie …amazing tutors @LaniAR @BennRosales & @loriluza in reply to IleenieWeenie #
  • LOL! but they are funny turds! @LaniAR: @omarg @maczter you are turds. #
  • Well, the Aggie sadness combined with the front that moved in has surfaced as a headache…the first I've had in a while. must find drugs. #
  • RT @WebAnna http://twitpic.com/pyct0 – Bonfire memorial before… (After coming at two a.m.) #aggiebonfire #
  • UR famous! @mherzber Conference Humiliation: They're Tweeting Behind Your Back http://chronicle.com/article/Conference-Humiliation-/49185/ in reply to mherzber #
  • Austinites, look at the sunset sky moon right NOW! #
  • Hells yeah! @andreaschulle @IleenieWeenie bling it up, baby! in reply to andreaschulle #
  • @IleenieWeenie No, we were on our way out, so I didn't get a pic of the moon tonight…but it was effin' gorgeous! #
  • soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur; sleepy kitty, happy kitty, purr purr purr. I love The Big Bang Theory! Thank you Chuck Lorre! #
  • @ileenieweenie I'm cutting you from from the sauces until you can learn to control yourself! LOL!! #
  • Listening to @keithandthegirl while I edit images. I'm a few behind and listening to episode 1075. Keeps me quite entertained while I work. #
  • KATG is going on air RIGHT NOW! @keithandthegirl http://www.keithandthegirl.com/ #
  • @ileenieweenie Do you need an Accountability Warrior this evening? ;) #
  • OH: That was not meant to be as orgasmic as it sounded. #
  • @ ileenieweenie ok. See you at 8:10pm ! #
  • @ileenieweenie ok. See you at 8:10pm ! #
  • http://twitpic.com/q6bvg – #
  • @IleenieWeenie Those r usually in the Settings down at the very bottom of your admin menu. Or, /can/ be n the code. I can help u find on Tue in reply to IleenieWeenie #
  • People who let facebook feed their twitter status make it very hard to RT their stuff. They are often already over 140 and so truncated. #
  • @rmedina Isn't it great? It's a (new?) six pack. I just got it at HEB! in reply to rmedina #
  • http://twitpic.com/q6bvg – If our family reunions were this good, we might actually go. #
  • @ileenieweenie Did you get a lot done in your sans-Twitter hour? #
  • hells yeah! We rarely skip Braum's r TacoDelite when in town @redwhiteandgrew @zachvat headed 2 Paris…finally going 2 get a Braum's burger in reply to redwhiteandgrew #
  • @redwhiteandgrew Oh that explains my head this week, too. Cedars and Junipers are my biggest triggers. in reply to redwhiteandgrew #
  • The party was so much fun! Yes, hope hope hope! @BethylEthyl Had fun w/ @loriluza tonite – hoping @jodisatwit makes it out this weekend!! #
  • Tweeps IRL tonight, Austin @ 6:00 at the Gingerman http://twvt.us/aus #
  • bad news, kiddos, @jodisatwit threw a timing belt and her car won't be fixed until at least Monday. Planning a Dec visit. #
  • Watching a Jelly guy play w/the cool app Balsamiq http://bit.ly/U964Y I wish there was a "Save as a WordPress theme" button #
  • OH @ #roundrouckjelly "You don't have Anal in your contacts" Even Dial2Do can make us laugh. #
  • scrolling #fail by @sheilas @ #roundrockjelly #
  • tag with #twitterHH for tonight's Tweetup at the Gingerman #
  • Whoosh whoosh!! #gocanes NCAAFTBL FINAL Blue Devils (Duke) 16, Hurricanes (Miami) 34.(AP) #
  • @CRAVEAustin Thanks for the #ff !! in reply to CRAVEAustin #
  • RT @funnyoneliners If you have a headache, follow the instructions on the aspirin bottle. Take 2 and keep away from children. #
  • I am tired of this "hair" headache…what is a good remedy for these? #
  • I wish I could go ice-skating outside…while snow is falling, of course. #
  • If I'm ever part of a tragedy I hope police & other LEOs ll be just like Det. Kevin Bernard (played by Anthony Anderson) on Law & Order. #
  • Are there any square wine glasses? I think I would like that. #
  • @andreaschulle Are you saying that hair headaches are created by sleep deprivation? Or, is that just a remedy you know? in reply to andreaschulle #

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Remembering Aggie Bonfire 10 Years Later

Tuesday, 2009-November-17 by

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Bonfire that killed 11 students and 1 former student. While we did not know any of the victims, personally, we both worked in Student Affairs. Furthermore, several of our friends were directly affected by the death of someone very close to them. It was terrible.

Our clock radio went off that morning with perfect timing. The first words we heard went something like this:

“Once again, the Bonfire stack collapsed at approximately 2:30 this morning. Rescue crews have been working all night. Please avoid the area.”

Lori laid there, awake, and too shocked to speak for a moment.
Emil’s first words, “honey, did you hear the radio?”
Lori’s first words, “Poor Rusty.” (Rusty was Bonfire’s Advisor…what hell must he have been going through!)

Tonight/tomorrow, at 2:42am, there are remembrance ceremonies all over Texas (and elsewhere probably). It’s particularly special that the Leonid Meteor Shower will be brightest in the sky at the same moment as the anniversary of the collapse.

When looking for a ceremony in Austin, we discovered that the bonfire site is down.

It’s also a fairly active topic on Twitter:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23bonfire
and
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23aggiebonfire

In Memory

Miranda Denise Adams
Christopher David Breen
Michael Stephen Ebanks
Jeremy Richard Frampton
Jamie Lynn Hand
Christopher Lee Heard
Timothy Doran Kerlee Jr.
Lucas John Kimmel
Bryan Allen McClain
Chad Anthony Powell
Jerry Don Self
Nathan Scott West

The Eagle also did some great stories about each of the families of these Aggies,

Spirit of Aggieland

Some may boast of prowess bold
Of the school they think so grand
But there is a Spirit can ne’er be told
It’s the Spirit of Aggieland
We are the Aggies – the Aggies are we
True to each other as Aggies can be
We’ve got to fight boys, we’ve got to fight
We’ve got to fight for Maroon and White
After they’ve boosted all the rest
Then they will come and join the best
For we are the Aggies, the Aggies so
We are from Texas A.M.

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Confusing Information

Sunday, 2009-November-15 by

Thanks to @maczter and @ileenieweenie for finding this cool graph.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/10/chart-of-the-day-8.html

I feel this way quite often!

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-15

Sunday, 2009-November-15 by
  • @annamunoz Have you tried the Matrix Biloage series? They are VERY hydrating. in reply to annamunoz #
  • It's almost a new world in our home. @emil285 now has a headset to talk to his friends while they all play online D&D. Setting it up, now. #
  • One thing I love about @netflix I don't have to wash the DVDs when they arrive. Rental store DVDs are always so grimy and skip badly. #
  • Bea-U-tiful play, New Orleans!!! Wow! #
  • @andreaschulle Dig Pub for knitting? 7pm? Would love to see you, if you can make it. in reply to andreaschulle #
  • OMG #AWTWX is CRACKING us up, today! My apologies to anyone who is subject to our out of context humor. ;) #
  • A Warrior just told @ileenieweenie to pull herself together. #AWTWX #
  • Snackage for the mini-vacay procured! HAPPY Verterans' Day (early) #
  • http://twitpic.com/p0w07 – Hey look! We're real Austin hippies now! #
  • @BethylEthyl You can't work with a dead brain. Zombies are sooo last month! #
  • WTF??? @kuuala Twitter-equipped bathroom scale tells the world how much you weigh http://bit.ly/2U18U3 #
  • RT @annamunoz Speechless…2,266 Veterans Died In 2008 Because They Were Uninsured – http://bit.ly/3BNCFn #
  • Happy Vererans' Day. Thank you to those who serve/d our country. #
  • Cattle guard! Cheers, Richard!!! #aggieasb2000 #
  • @ileenieweenie At least @slavetofashion and @laniar would tie you UP instead of down! ;P #
  • http://twitpic.com/p5g8h – Our cabin retreat! :) #
  • Our mini-vacay cabin: Quiet, comfy, inviting, Fire pit, rockers, jaccuzi, fire pit, outdoor shower, stove heater, bird sanctuaries. Heaven. #
  • It's in my top 5 list, too along with pee and poop! @IleenieWeenie barfing ÄisÑ why I don't have kids. #
  • RT @IleenieWeenie RT @orgconnect "Accountability Warrior" That has a nice ring to it. #
  • Gorgeous sunrise on a cool morning in Fredericksburg. Lots of deer around. Happy morning, everyone. #
  • Having an Enchanted Rock Red Ale at the Fredericksburg Brewing Co. #
  • .@slavetofashion I just saw what should be the beginning of an episode of What Not To Wear ! Eeeewwwww! #
  • Eeew. Make that two! #
  • .@ileenieweenie I heard they were scaling it all back to conserve electricity…and shifing it all to Zilker. More concentrated? Less $. #
  • Which is correct? Doucheocity? Doucheacity? Or… DoucheAssity? Anyway, he ran the full spectrum of db. :) #
  • Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! #
  • Where is a nephew when you need him? Hey Dusty, we need the fire moved from here to there. #
  • @Pats4Me No, the cabin is ~15 minutes outside of Fredericksburg. Blog post coming soon! #
  • @slavetofashion It was not possible to get picks of these ones, but I'll try next time! in reply to slavetofashion #
  • I just unlocked the "Super User" badge on @foursquare! http://bit.ly/nuk91 #
  • I just became the mayor of Dragon's Lair Comics on @foursquare! http://bit.ly/2jn3b2 #

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Comma Use, again

Tuesday, 2009-November-10 by

A fellow Warrior posted to his blog this week as well. I guess the comma stuff was going around.

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Comma Use

Monday, 2009-November-9 by

One of my grammar pet peeves is poor comma usage. It’s easy enough to learn. So, here is a great guide from the DumbLittleMan for good comma usage.

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