Yes Me, There is a Santa

Things took a complete turn for the better. First of all, it is Christmas Eve and I must say to my family...CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT!...heh heh. And if you got me first oh well...I have a great excuse...(This is a family tradition that goes way back. Maybe I will tell the story soon since it is Christmas.)

I am in my new apartment! I wanted to move before Christmas so badly, the universe complied and things fell into place. Thank you Universe. The move was exhausting, stressful, and seemingly never ending. Damn glad it's over. Moving over the holidays is highly unrecommended. Moving to a third floor over the holidays...yep...not so great when everything you own is heavy. But happily I didn't injure myself too severely. I hurt my shoulder a little, but it will heal in time.

I love that after it was all over it felt like I backpacked about a nine miler mostly uphill. And for those of you who know me well, yes I wish I was camping! I'm thinking next Christmas I might have to drag the family out to the camp grounds somewhere. Maybe Hill Country State Natural Area. That would be sweet and I can't think of anything more peaceful. Get away from all this holiday madness.

Speaking of which. Today I have much to do still. I have a last minute Christmas to pull together. I only have a tree to purchase, set up, decorate, presents to buy, wrap, and a turkey to make. That isn't so bad really compared to what I've just been through.

One more thing. Ara, you my dear friend are always in my thoughts. If we lived in near proximity of each other, the times we would have! Think how famously Marley and Spirit would get along. We are two parallel arcs peaking on different time waves, only to briefly pass each other. Life always teases us that way. Hug your dear doggie for me. I will email soon or try to call.

Ok, sorry everyone. Sometimes this is just the best way to communicate. My phone is dead and I have no charger thanks to the cat mutilating the chord. That is one more thing I will be taking care of today. The phone charger, not the cat. She is lucky to have escaped death this time ;)

I can't wait for the upcoming plans over the next couple of days. We are going to spend the holidays with our dear friends here in Austin. I am extremely fortunate to have such amazing friends in my life. They are all like family to me and we have the best times together. I want to send a special shout out to Veronica and Dusty. I love you both. Life is that much sweeter because of you two.

Dusty you are my muse and a solid ear to bend. I know we don't get to spend as much time together as we did over the summer, but I look forward to spending time with you over the holidays. The same goes for you Veronica! I am so thrilled that the kids and I will spend Christmas with you and your family. It is going to be fabulous that everyone is able to come together. :)

And to Mom, Lynn, Lee, and everyone one else who I know I have failed to mention, I am thinking of you always. I am sure we will talk soon.

Good day my lovely readers, friends, and family. Merry Christmas and fantastic festivities to all!

Hey Everyone :)

Just wanted to say hi and let everyone know that I will be thinking of them over the holidays. Things are a bit crazy around here (so what else is new?). Caitlin is back in the hospital and it looks like I have to move over Christmas.

I am moving to a bigger place in the same complex, but my only choice is to move starting xmas eve and being done by the time the weekend is over. Ugh! I can't believe we are going to have to move over Christmas, but worse can happen.

Hopefully Caitlin will be back on her feet by the time we have to move. Just taking it a day at a time around here...

Will keep everyone posted when I get the time.

Love to all!

Ginny

Marley and Me

She is so awesome it's ridiculous. I've had some amazing dogs as pets in my lifetime, but I think Marley is going to show far greater potential. My childhood dog named Blueberry lived until I was in my early 20's. I was around five when she was brought home to us and she was smarter than any dog I had ever encountered. She understood most of what I said to her verbally and unspoken. She was a Border Collie mixed with Australian Sheppard.

I think Marley is going to be like Blueberry in many ways, but of course she is entirely unique in other ways that are surprising me day to day. I can easily kill an afternoon playing with her...actually we all can. Caitlin, myself, Ben, and our friends all spend a considerable amount of time playing with her.

Marley is half Rhodesian Ridgeback and half American Pit Bull Terrier. She is gorgeous and very smart, almost too smart. She certainly is all puppy still turning six months old today, but she weighs in at 60lbs already and looks full grown. It's not surprising given her father's size. He is the Rhodesian half weighing about 120lbs, so freakishly big and incredibly goofy. Marley has that goofiness about her too.

Her mother, the pit half, is a calm, sweet, and generally mellow dog. Put the two together and you get Marley, a sweet rambunctious goofball who definitely has the mellow side. She also has a bit of a stubborn streak mixed with part lazy. She requires discipline for sure but once something is off limits she respects the rule. We've left our shoes and personal affects out which would be ever so tempting for most dogs, but she hasn't touched them ever. She seems to know already that they are not to be played with.

She has been housebroken since she was three months old and knows all the standard dog stuff like sit, stay, lie down, roll over, etc... She knows the difference between her bone and her ball. She will bring which ever one you ask her to find which is something new since this weekend. I taught her that in about 10 minutes this Sunday.

But here is something that has really blown my mind about how intelligent this dog is. She has taken the initiative to answer the phone when we can't. Today she took the phone off the receiver and brought it to Caitlin while she was in the shower. It was incredible! I've been coming home some evenings to find the phone off the hook and figured Marley was knocking it off, but I didn't know she was actually trying to answer it!

When I called the house this morning Marley answered the phone. I got a lot of heavy breathing and muffled shuffling around and I kept saying hello thinking it was Caitlin sleeping after knocking the phone off the hook. But not too long after, she called my office and the first thing I asked her was where was she. She said she was in the shower and that's when I asked "Did Marley by chance bring you the phone?" Caitlin said "Yeah!" and we both died laughing.

So needless to say I am in love with my dog and can't wait to turn her into a trusty trail companion. Sweet!


And finally I would love to tell you what I learned about Rhodesian Ridgebacks. They were first introduced into Africa in an effort to create a superior hunting dog that would be courageous, steadfast, level headed, intelligent, and loyal to family(their pack). Their ability to track lions and keep them at bay until the hunters had the chance to catch up and finish them off was fine tuned into the breed.

Because they are not nervous dogs they are confident and unlikely to be the dog that picks the fight. Ridgebacks are more likely to observe and avoid rather than get in a quarrel with a dog not interested in a good romp. Marley has learned this lesson and will give another dog plenty of space if that is what it wants.

They have speed, agility, stamina, and can go the distance. This is one of the reasons I think Marley will be an awesome trail dog because she has it all. Good looks, smarts, bravery, loyalty, and a ton of fun. :) Yeah I love my dawg.

Damn I'm Pissed Off!

I'm still in the market for a new car. I know what I want, but getting it has been an issue. I'm sick and tired of greedy salespeople who are trying to RIP ME OFF. Surely there is a hungry car salesperson out there who won't turn down a sale. Isn't some profit better than no profit you greedy fucks?

The attitude that someone else will buy the car for more money is getting old and I am sick to death of it. Isn't that the same greed that has gotten our country into quite a fine mess? I think it is last time I checked. Fuck you all! I will wait for the hunger to set in...car rant over...

I'm Still Alive and Kicking

Greetings friends. I know I'm a lousy blogger....it's incredibly hard to make myself sit down, write, and post photographs when I have so many things to do. Life is full and fun and there is no way to get to it all. The sad thing is that I really love my blog and want to be good at it...but it's not in the cards right now and always takes a back burner.

Winter is coming and I'm preparing myself physically to handle extreme weather again. I've absolutely got to get back to hiking and backpacking regularly. It is a MUST for me and every time I think I'm gonna get to go, something happens. I want to do a solo trip so bad I can taste it! I will keep hoping and wishing, and doing what I can every day to make it a regular part of my lifestyle again.

I gained a lot of weight back by not going regularly, but that is becoming less and less of a problem as I have completely changed my dietary habits and am moving around much more. I lost 22lbs of the thirty I gained back in less than a month this past month. I'm doing it sensibly as well...I think my body is more than ready to get back to serious business and becoming fit again. My metabolism is through the roof right now because of the key important things I'm doing.

Well I'd love to sit here and post more, but I've got folks demanding my attention right now. I hope to get back soon and update everyone.

Cheers to you all!

p.s. I've decided it's time to start seriously dating. I joined match.com after much debating with myself. We'll see how that goes....

Test Drove a Fit...

And I didn't have a fit over it. I was actually disappointed. The configuration of the driver's seat and steering wheel is awkward despite the "telescopic" steering wheel. If I wanted my knees to not be too bended I would have to put the seat far back, therefore making it difficult for me to reach the steering wheel. I could reach it, but then my arms were fully extended out and not in a relaxed position. Plus I had to lean forward a bit and couldn't rest my shoulders back in the seat.

So that was no good at all. Despite all the other great features of the car, that one detail ruined it for me. So on to the next vehicle. I test drove the Honda Insight. Great car if you don't mind cramped quarters and virtually no pick up. I can deal with the lack of pick up, but not so much the cramped quarters considering it is a hatch back. Yeah the seats fold down and all that jazz, but the low back window area takes away all the head space making that storage/cargo area not so great.

I eventually ended up driving a KIA Soul. I like this car. I test drove it twice and am going to test drive another one today to see how it handles the rainy weather we are having. I will give a full report once I'm back from the test drive...

What to do...what to do...

I have two many offers on the table of fun stuff to do this weekend and I'm torn now. It's Saturday morning and I just don't know what offer to take. I knew this could happen the second I started formulating plans to go backpacking.

I now have two parties on the table and they both sound like a lot of fun, and I could have a date tonight as well if I want. Dammit! I want to do it all!

Gonna Try to Get out this Weekend and Hike

I am seriously considering going back packing this weekend despite the horribly hot weather we've been having. Anyone want to join me?

Time for a New Car

So I've put a lot of thought and research into this process and I've decided to buy a Honda Fit. I need a new car and I deserve a new car. The Fit has fantastic gas mileage and even though it is small, it's still roomy enough for camping gear.

I hope to get something next weekend. :) Will keep my readers posted...

I Love My Life

So life is rockin and rollin along. Work has been awesome, my friends have been awesome, my kiddos are awesome, and life is awesome. Tomorrow I am heading out to the lake with Veronica and a good friend of hers who has a boat. He just bought a 75,000.00 dollar ski boat that holds 20 people and we are gonna party like rock stars. It's been a long while since I've been on a boat and I'm looking forward to it.

I asked our friend what he was gonna do with that boat when there is no longer a Lake Travis...he said he'll park it at Lake Austin, and then if that lake dries up he'll park the boat in his back yard and have parties on it lol. In any case I hope I can overlook the tragedy of a dying lake for a little while, as I'm living large on a fancy new boat.

Ben starts school very soon and is going into the second grade! I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing up and he is simply the smartest kid in his grade. He wants to learn spanish, german, french, and italian. He says if he has time he'll learn Japanese too lol. And on top of all that ambition, he reads through chapter books like crazy and is broadening his vocabulary by leaps and bounds every day...it's sometimes like talking to a 15 year old, not a sevin year old.
I'm always having to remind people, "dude he's only sevin".

Today I am cleaning house and doing laundry. I hope to get out by the pool in a little while and freshen my killer tan back up. My close friend Andy is probaby going to spend the night tonight and I want to have a gorgeous glow ;) I think we are all going out somewhere for live music and eats this evening and then who knows what.

Last night a couple of my neigbors and I stayed up laughing and enjoying each other's company, so I won't be surprised if tonight goes a little something like last night. I made pancakes and bacon around 3am and my place smells like IHOP today. Wonder what I'll be cooking up at 3am tonight...time will tell! :)

My cute friend Dusty from upstairs asked me if I would cook for him on an ongoing basis if he brings me the stuff. Ha, that's what I get for letting people know I'm skilled in the kitchen. I haven't made anything spectacular in a while, but I feel something special coming... something French...mmmmmmmmmmmm

P.S.

I went through all of my hiking, camping, and back packing pictures last night, and for the first time in a very long while, I could look at Thomas's pictures without feeling sad as fuck. Instead I felt saddened by the fact that I'm not spending my kid free weekends in the back country. Damn I miss it! I have too many friends pulling me in other directions. I wish I could get them all to join me out in the woods...but they are city folk. ;)

Freakin Awesome Party!

Veronica and I decided to meet up at the party and got there around 8ish. Things were still being set up and not many people were there yet save for the close few that I know. Veronica, a really nice girlfriend of mine who is my age and divorced with kids, had never been to a party like this, or a One Eyed Doll show. She LOVED it. I so knew she would. She fell in love with Kimberly like everyone else does.

Johnny Flash played first and it was totally over the top fantastic. Johnny has sheer talent. To be entertained in a friend's home with a quaint few people, by the most incredible talent, is too good for words. I love these people and they always light up when I show up on the scene. This isn't a surprise to me, everywhere I go it is like that. People remember my name, they cheer and call out my name. It's almost like being famous dude. I must admit I like the attention.

I inherited this from my grandfather. He taught me how to be gregarious and outgoing. I hope I let him know enough while he was alive, how much I appreciate what he taught me. Everywhere he went, people cheered his name too and treated him like he was someone very special, and he was. I miss him.

The party was just crazy fun. Kimberly and Three played a hot show with visual and physical entertainment that only Kimberly does best. She was in our laps, crawling all over the floor, and running around head banging up a storm. It just rocked!

I'm happy to be on her street team. We are getting ready to get very organized and blow this thing out of the water. Kimberly is going places and we all want to help her get there. She is our friend who shares her art with us and we are fortunate for that. We simply have to be there for her because of what she brings to us.

Veronica was thrilled to experience such a unique gathering. The entertainment could not have been better. I've got posters and cd's if anyone is interested. Just email me.

One Eyed Doll Tonight...Private Party

Well tonight will be the last private OED party at the Doll House. Maryann has to move to an apartment and obviously Kimberly can't rock us out in an apartment. So we are all sad that our fun little parties at the Doll House are coming to an end. :(

I need to take pictures this time. The last several times I've gone to hang out at the Doll House, I haven't taken any pictures, except in my head. But since this is the last time at Maryann's place I'll have to take a ton of pictures of everyone for sure.

Today I have errands to run. Blech. We need to get mousies for our snakey, I need to grocery shop, and go get a new phone. I've decided to get a Cricket phone for now, but hopefully I will keep the same number. We'll see...

On to other news...

I got a much needed raise...my second one. This time I got a HUGE raise, way more than I ever expected. Thank goodness too, because I've been in the poor house quite a bit since I haven't gotten any child suport in a while. Russell has had a very difficult time in the job market and has been struggling with finding and keeping a good job.

Things better improve quick on that front for everyone's sake, but in the meantime at least I can have a little breathing space and can get caught up on bills once my new and improved salary starts coming in. Big things are coming up in the future though. I wish I could spill the beans about it all, but needless to say, it's gonna be awesome and I have to keep it hush hush for a while...

Well the day is getting away from me. I need to do my errands and then get ready for the most awesomest party ever. :)

Transformers Dos

Took the kiddo to see this today because he loved the first one and begged me to take him to the second. I nodded off a couple of times, and raised my eyebrows a time or two. Some of the subject matter was way more brazen than I expected. Not appropriate much for young kids. Usually I see a movie first before I let him see it...should have this time. Fortunately the adult situations were probably a bit over his head.

I took him to Walgreens first to buy him some candy since it is more in my budget...we all know what a rip off movie prices are. Ben wanted this toy phone that had candy in it. It turns out this toy phone is crazy annoying. Ben behaved in the theater of course, and he kept the phone quiet during the movie. He was following the rules of turn your cell phone off which I found amusing and endearing all at the same time. He's a great kid...

Now on to the crazy part. On the way home from the movie, he was making music with that thing by pushing certain tones and sounds. He was singing along and having a great time. This was the best 1.29 I've spent in some time, at least I thought so until the thing went haywire.
It wouldn't stop making the same loud noise over and over and I tried everything to get it to stop. I eventually sat on it to muffle the noise so we could get home in peace.

Then when we got home, we managed to get it to shut up. But just in case it decides to do that again, I have it buried under stuff so we won't hear it. :)

Oh BTW...

I saw Belligerent 86 the night I was with my friends Ralf, Niki, Zak, and Said(Sa eed) of Krash Karma.

After KK's show, we went to see B86 across the street at room 710. It turns out that Houston, the singer of Belligerent 86, and I have a friend in common. I know a gal named Devvon, who is best friends with one of my best friends and she happens to be childhood friends with Houston.

Such a small world. Who knew that I would end up meeting and knowing so many amazing people on Red River. I'd seen Houston around at Head Hunters many times, but only knew him as an aquaintence...still only do really. I didn't know he was in a band that another mutual friend had mentioned a time or few. Small World indeed.

So Red River feels like home in many ways for many reasons. I've certainly had some of the best times of my life there watching amazing rock shows. And it's so great that I get to be friends with these bands and hang out on a personal level. It's no good to have musicians as friends if you don't get to hang out with them. This is why I am not ever listening to the radio anymore, and I rarely listen to mainstream music. Although I do find the lyrics to many songs compelling as you can all see.

There is this one band called "Course of Empire". I turned Ralf onto them. I only have one cd, and I don't even know if they are well known or not. I heard about them many many years ago...probably more than ten or so, and bought their cd. It is so great! I'm pleased that Ralf thinks so too. He heard them for the first time over at my place. Ralf is way cool and I adore him and everyone else in Krash Karma. Good people totally.

I told Ralf he should have a conversation with my sister Lynn. He is from the black forest and she lived there for a while. I told him that she speaks German fluently, since she still speaks German to some of her close friends there. Anyway I think she and Ralf would enjoy a conversation.

Heh, yeah it's a long post...so deal. When I write, I don't kid around. You don't hear from me for weeks or even months at a time, and sometimes complain about it. So when you finally do read my posts, you better be enjoying them dammit. ;) And I mean collective you btw.

Okay, so where was I?

music, Red River, friends...

Ah yes...brings me to my next thought process...the outdoors. Well are you surprised? Hahaha, what else do I talk about? So yes, I'm heading out for a much needed camping trip with my good pal Gilbert and the kids. I want him to check out Krause Springs with me. Such a nice little place.

I am long over due for this trip. I have let the pool and Red River pull me away from what I really want and need to be doing. But I have my reasons for not hitting the trails other than the aforementioned stuff. I don't want to go into that though. It's only temporary in the grand scheme of things anyway. My heart is always in the outdoors even when my body isn't. I'm so glad Ben is turning into the outdoorsy kid I was hoping for. It can't be said enough how important the outdoors is to a growing young boy. For girls too! Can't forget that.

But he will be a wonderful trail buddy when he is strong enough to survive if he had to ever be in that kind of situation. I won't get him too far off the beaten path these days...but absolutely I do my best to get him involved in nature in one way or another.

He loves his pet snake Jasmine. She is such a pretty girl. She shed her skin yesterday and is ready for more mousies. yummy

Your Big Day...here is the full song...goes out to you folks gettin married...Enjoy

"Big Day"

It's your big day, your big day
So you want to tie the knot
Tie it tight, don't let it rot, the memory of this day
Are you deafened by the bells
Could be heaven, could be hell
In a cell for two
Big day come and big day go
Life goes on after the show
But will your love have the fire and glow
Like on the big day
Statistics they don't say a lot
But can you keep what you have got forever together
There's a lesson to be learned
Many fingers have been burned with the touch of gold
Love can come and love can go
What your chance is I don't know
But if you have love then let it show like on the big day
You're a new recruit
The big day
in your wedding suit today
Like on the big day
yes you're looking fine
The big day
sign on the dotted line
The big day
it's your wedding march today

Finally it's Official!

I'm divorced!!!! I am so happy and relieved it's over. I'm going to celebrate tonight with my good friend Azzura and I'll probably have a party at some point. Marriage is over rated...and if you are thinking about getting married...well good luck to you.

Krash Karma

Went to see my friends play last night at Red Eyed Fly on Red River and then late that night we came back here for hot tubbing and swimming. Much needed after a sweaty night on the town...lots of mosh pits to run around in...

My Days are Filled with

Work, taking care of the best little boy in the world, keeping the homestead clean, swimming, getting tan, spraying sunscreen all over Ben and myself, visiting with pool friends, paying bills, buying snake food, watching Ben color or draw, feeding the cat and giving her enriching things to do, feeding fish and a bottomless pit of a crawfish, cleaning tanks, cooking, driving, messing around on the computer, reading, talking on the phone, doing laundry, shopping, and on and on it goes...

Life is full and I am in a reasonable place. I have many good fortunes to look forward to. But I do crave the simple life. I crave the back country and want to visit wild places outside of my dreams. It is coming, but I need to be patient and let it all unfold. Ben is a real nature lover and he can't wait to go out camping again. He will need to practice some patience too. It's good to learn delayed gratification.

I saw an owl the other night, a Great Horned owl. Beautiful sight! Of course I couldn't help but be reminded of the one I left behind in the old neighborhood. The birds are prolific here at the apartment and at work. I saw an Oriole at work the other day while on my lunch break, and several other species as well. I like to sit and watch them when I can. Our office site is quite nice and I see a lot of nature there. Deer are always in the area as well as frogs, and fish too.

I'm thinking about getting a tarantula, but that is going to have to wait. I want one that is the size of a dinner plate and wear it like an accessory, The kids will love it! But it will be costly and there are other things more pressing. Someday, someday.

Speaking of Pictures

I was going to post a few photographs I took, but I think they got deleted accidentally. Bummer, they were nice. I need to get out and start taking some new ones!

Today...

Today might be a repeat of yesterday, almost.

My friend Windy came over yesterday and we spent the early afternoon poolside with a cooler full of Tecate. The sun was out enough, and we had the perfect opportunity to talk and do some much needed catching up.

After a couple of hours we decided we had to have a Sonic Snicker's Blast, and packed up the pool stuff and left. While we were at Sonic the thunderstorm started with intermittent big fat rain drops splatting on my very cracked windshield. I had visions of big fat hail stones finally finishing what they started a few weeks ago, and my windshield getting shattered while I'm at the Sonic drive through. Ha.

Fortunately that vision didn't manifest. So we got our stuff and went back to the apt. It's pouring rain. The sun is gone for the day. We had only been home a couple of minutes when the phone rang. It was Gilbert. He and his boys were at the sprinkler park not far from me and he asked if they could come by. Of course the more the merrier!

So we spent the rest of the day watching the rain, talking, watching movies, etc... Then Russell dropped off Ben and the kids played games, etc...It was a great day.

Today the sun didn't come out, and we did not go out to play. But I'm content. Gilbert left the boys with me for a sleep over and he went out with friends. Now as I write this, I'm being treated to breakfast. Gilbert is cooking! We're having bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits, tortillas, and orange juice. Oh and he brought me a latte which I'm currently sipping on. :)

I doubt the sun will be out, so we'll end up just hanging out. We were supposed to camp this weekend but bailed due to the crowds. Good thing, we would have been rained out. This is the second time now we've had to cancel camping. I'm hopeful that we'll get a chance soon to take the boys out. They love to camp too! :)

Cheers to all my friends.

Tomorrow is our pool side bbq. It will be a lot of fun with many friends invited. Hopefully I will get pictures!

Good Times for Sure...

This is in my friends garage/music studio/hang out. A couple of weeks ago my friend Jamie came into town and had a party at her friend Kelly's place. We had a great time. I never did get a shot of people jamming...I was too distracted.

This is Jamie. She is a very good friend of mine. Jamie has been playing guitar and writing songs her whole life. She can play the drums too.

This weekend I am going to hang out by the pool with other friends and we plan on cooking out. I will take some pictures of the festivities, the pool, etc...

Cheers for now!

Making Friends Poolside

I like the apartment complex I live in. I have been taking Ben to the pool now that the weather is good for swimming and I've met about 10-15 people who are regulars at the pool. There is a good community here and these people are fun to hang out with and talk to while we hang poolside.

It's never been difficult for me to make friends and I feel more at home than ever here at "The Ranch". Some of the people who live here have been here for years and they all know each other. I have more community here than I ever did in the old neighborhood! And not only is there community here for me, it's here for Ben too. He has a TON of kids his age to play with and has been having a total blast coming home and heading to the pool after a long day of school for him, work for me, etc...it's become our routine.

I'm hopeful that now Ben lives with easy access to a pool, he will learn how to swim this summer. We'll see how it goes. :)

I was gonna go camping this weekend but I ended up getting sick today at work and had to come home. I'm still feeling crappy but hopefully will feel like doing something tomorrow. We'll see.

Pajama Party with Kimberly

Last night I went to Maryann's place for an intimate gathering of folks to listen to Kimberly's new cd release "Sleep" with Kimberly and good friends. It was a magical evening. Candles were lit everywhere and Kimberly's new cd is incredible.

She told us all about the songs and why they were written and the stories behind them. It was very moving. This girl has had some tragedy in her life and her new album is reflective of that when you know the stories. But even amongst the melancholy there is incredibly beautiful music and then there's Kim's god like voice of course.

After the cd was over we had a lovely time lying about in the living room floor on blankets and pillows talking about stuff. We also got to hear some of Kimberly's new music that she and Jason are working on. Let me tell you, there is some fantastic stuff in store for the fans. Jason is quite the talent himself and I'm anxious to get my hands on the music he is working on as well.

Here is a picture Dave took of me and Maryann last night. I didn't take any photos...I just hung out and enjoyed the company and soaked it all in. I do have a lot of photos to post soon though...

Senior's 44th Birthday

Senior is Elliott's dad. We call him Senior because he is also named Elliott. Usually we call Elliott EO, short for Elliott Oliver...I don't think anyone ever calls him Jr. The birthday party was a lot of fun! We camped outside on Senior's property both Friday and Saturday night...weekend before last.

There were tales of a panther that the locals have been seeing, and Senior was telling me I might not want to go off into the woods alone to pitch camp...I did anyway. I was hoping to see a panther, but never did. Of course I take that story with a grain of salt.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures taken at the party at Senior's place.

Senior

Senior sitting in my lap

Senior's new bird house...a present

EO
My new hammock. My sister sent this to me for my birthday. I tried it out at Senior's place during his birthday weekend. There are plenty of things to like about this hammock, but there are some things not so preferable as well.

The good news is that it's lightweight and will be perfect for hot summer camping. The bad news is it doesn't give a level sleeping surface...so a bit hard to stretch out. The good news, it makes a great chair to relax in and a great place to put stuff out of sight since it's camo. If I want to leave my camp sight for instance and go exploring, I can throw my gear in the hammock and tie it up in the trees somewhere out of sight. The bad news, it won't do for winter.

So, all in all I think it's a practical gadget for summer. 12 oz is way better than lugging a heavy 5lb tent around in the hot summer. However, I intend to save my money and buy a really well thought out and more expensive hammock sleep system that I can use year round. I will keep this one though for a partner or just to put stuff in or use as a chair.

Great Family Time

Here are the first of several pictures. These are the little girls Ben met on our camping trip. They are all sitting on a downed cypress tree...the thing is huge! Ben had a blast crawling all over it during our stay at Krause Springs.


Three not so small bumps on a log


I will be back a little later this evening to post more...

A Couple of Weekend Events

Weekend before last I went to my friend's birthday bash and camped out. I have a hammock review to post, and pictures of course from that event. Then last weekend I took my son Ben camping with me to Krause Springs. We met up with some of my friends and both Ben and I had a great time. He made some new friends at the camp out and enjoyed the camp fire. It was great watching him discover things out in nature too.

There are stories to tell with pictures. Yet I'm pressed for time right now, and regretably so. I would love to post the photos now...but you know the drill. :)

My Car from Hell

Ugh I'm so pissed at my car. It's just a disaster...I constantly have to have it fixed. Something always happens to it...either some ass hole runs into me, or I get hailed on! Windshield broken, light fixture broken out, dents all over the new hood I just bought, ARGGGGGGGHHHHH what the hell universe? I need this car to run somewhat peacefully for the next year at least while I try to save money for a good used car.

I'm not sure what the problem is this time, but it over heated and is being looked at now by a friend of mine who is a mechanic. Shade tree mechanic...if you've got a good one, they are worth their weight in gold because they have very flexible hours. Ah, speaking of...my car is back!
Now THAT is service! I didn't have to lift a finger. I called my mechanic and said "I have a car 911 I need you", and he came right away to get the car, took it away to fix it, and then brought it back. Done in three hours. WOW! If anyone wants his name and number please do let me know...

...Ok, so it turns out that the wreck cracked the radiator and the thermostat was messed up too. Lucky thing though, he said the engine does not appear to have suffered. Woo hoo good news! Total dollars spent...350 smackaroos. I hope this is it with bad car luck for a while.

Other than that bit of misfortune, I am doing well and looking forward to the weekend camping. I plan on trying out my new back packing hammock! I'm spending two...count 'em...TWO glorious nights outside starting Friday. I can't wait! I should have camping pictures up in the future to show off my hammock. SWEET!

A few of My Favorite Things

My Skull Candy Bandanna I got at SWSW...the were chunking these out a window to the crowd

My colorful rainbow of dannas

My cat Lola...she loves to play with straws

An art book and my Rembrandt oil pastels

Oil Pastels...my sister brought these to me from Germany a long time ago

Pure Pigment Pencils

Paint Brushes and Acrylic Paint

My Drum Sticks

A New Painting I'm working on...this is a close up, it's going to be lichen on a rock

Another close view...this is a large painting...acrylic on canvas

Another Painting in the Works...just a small one

Dude a Whole Month!

Hi Friends!

Wow, I'm behind. A lot has been going on for the last month...primarily work and taking care of my great kiddo. But I've managed to find time to party with friends and enjoy the things in life that make me happy.

I have a lot of pictures to post! I went to SXSW and Texas Rockfest, listened to great live music, hung out with band friends of mine, and met some way cool people. Krash Karma stayed at the house and it was cool having the chance to get to know Ralf and Niki even better. I met their newest band members Zach and Said, both talented musicians. This band kicks ass my friends...their live show always blows me away, but this last one I saw was the best show of theirs I've seen to date.

Of course I saw One Eyed Doll play several times over the past couple of weeks, once at a house party and twice downtown. Their show is always a crowd pleaser and the fan base is growing by leaps and bounds. Kimberly and PJ(Three) are a big talent that begs attention. I adore them.
They will be on tour and missed in their hometown. I'm on their street team and the only "Doll" in North Austin. I need to organize and recruit some new members to help me promote the band in this part of town...(I'm working on it Kimberly).

In other news, my good friends came over to my place to help me celebrate another birthday. I'm getting younger and younger every year! It's so awesome! Then a few days later my good pal Gilbert came over and cooked me a dinner to die for. On the menu was chili and cornbread. It was the best damn chili and cornbread I've ever put in my mouth! Gilbert is a rockin cook. I love it when a man is competent in the kitchen and can rock my tastebuds.

What else has been going on...

Well I got caught in that big ass hailstorm that swept across Texas Hill Country. I was on my way home from work, on the freeway, in traffic, when it hit. It was terrifying because the hail was HUGE! I had round chunks of solid ice as big as baseballs slamming into my car. It was extremely loud and I was scared to death my windshield would be shattered. It almost was, there are terrible cracks all over. And the body of the car took a solid beating too, looks like a baseball bat in the hands of an angry person went off on my car. I'm more determined than ever to see this car to it's death. Hope it's not too soon! I don't want a car payment. I have no coverage for hail damage *sigh*

Ok, enough chatter...it's picture time. :)

a beat up old car...from my wreck

My place...view from my bed

My sitting room

View from my kitchen

From my front door

The bathroom

Lemon Poppy Seed cake...Jerry made this...it was delicious!

Good eats...pears,blueberries, and gargonzola

Some of my friends...I love my friends. :)

Some guy in a band at Texas Rockfest. He gave me a cd, I haven't listened to it yet...

Dave, he is a talented photographer and really nice guy. He produces "Dave's TV"...lots of way cool vids of bands and stuff

Dave's wife and my friend, Maryann. She and Dave are good people.

Kimberly performs at Maryann's place. This was taken a couple of weeks back

This is Roni, she is Kimberly and Three's Street Team President. Roni is a way cool gal and quite talented herself. It was good to meet her. Maybe she can help me organize the North Austin Dolls Street Team.

PJ(Three) Kimberly's drummer. He is a freakin awesome drummer!

Kimberly's rad new boots. I love 'em!

Here she comes...

In my lap going crazy!

And there she goes...off my lap and into a back bend

Perched on the back of the couch for a moment

and down she goes, rocking her little rock and roll heart out...we all love Kimberly's show antics. Dawg she is hard to photograph...always on the move...

Maryann took this of me in her back yard during the Austin Music Award celebration she hosted for OED. Several bands played that evening...it was so much fun!

Crummy Luck!

So on the 23rd I got in a car accident and the insurance companies ruled that me and the other person were 50/50 at fault, which doesn't please me since I KNOW I wasn't at fault. Damn it! But I suppose it could be worse, they could have said it's my fault completely and then I'd really be in a pickle. But as it is now, at least half of my damages will be paid for so that is something. I'm too bogged down with stuff to fight it, so will just let it go. One of these days I'm going to buy a bright red car so people will see me! lol

Today my purse was stolen. I had almost 50.00 in cash in my purse, and of course my credit cards, driver's license, social security card, check books to two bank accounts, and my bank cards were all in it...so I've been busy trying to cover those bases. What a big friggin hassle and I'm so pissed. My purse was stolen right out from under my nose at our garage sale. I set it down for just a minute or two to assist a teen age girl, and I think her friend took the purse while I was helping her. As soon as they left, I noticed my purse was gone. GRRRRRRR

So I called the police, yadda yadda yadda... but I doubt the dirty little theives will be caught. In any case I suppose things could have been worse...I could have had a whole pay check's worth of cash in it or something. Hopefully these brats are too stupid to try identity theft, but I'll cover that base too...gonna call the soc sec. office first thing on Monday.

As for my car, it's fixable and I have a trustworthy mechanic who will do the work. I've already gotten the parts from a salvage yard. I just hope there is no engine damage but am taking it to the dealership as soon as possible to get their opinion and their estimate on the damages. Then I have to take it to the insurance company to get their appraisal. Hopefully they won't try to screw me over...well of course they will try...but I'll have the dealership estimate to come back on them with should the insurance company try to pull a stunt. Ah life is so wonderful! lol

Other than this string of bad luck over the past few days, things are going okay. I'm still loving my job and love my new apartment. :)

I think I'm going to start offering art classes soon to individuals as a way to make extra money and am looking forward to getting my art studio set up. Lot's of work to be done there, but fun work! I haven't been able to paint yet, but am getting close to being in full swing on that. My 43rd birthday is in a few days and I'm hoping to have a party this weekend. We'll see how things go.

I went backpacking with Gilbert last weekend, but we didn't get to hike the next day. One of his kids got sick and we had to cut the trip short, but none the less, it was WONDERFUL getting out in nature. We went to Colorado Bend State Park and had a really good time. There wasn't a soul around and it was incredibley peaceful. I can't wait to get back out on the trails soon.

I guess that is about all the update I have for now. To all my loyal readers, I love you and I'm sorry I haven't blogged much lately. Things are starting to settle down though and I should have more leisure time to blog. I hope all is well with all of you!

Hugs,
Ginny

About Damn Time Right?

Yum!

Pears with gargonzola cheese

Fun with Blurring

fun with spinning the camera while taking the shot

typical moving pictures...

semi moved in...

I sleep on the floor and I like it that way


more typical moving shots

taken at the old place...moving is so much fun!

This is very special glass...it comes from a place in my childhood.


Stained glass from Grandaddy's old studio. This piece used to be part of a wall in his studio.