A Quick Update

Was your Thanksgiving great?

I spent the day with Scottie, and it was quite nice. His conversational skills are greatly improving. The big news however, is he has been moved from the hospital to a rehab facility. There have been several complications regarding his move over the last few weeks.

About a month ago, we thought we had him placed in a perfect facility, but several things happened to make the move not go through at the time. As it turns out, it may have been for the best. He is much more receptive to therapy at this point, and the place he is now in is only a few blocks from his old apartment. We moved him Friday. There was a mix up with the hospital and they were going to move him alone earlier in the week. We were able to push it back to Friday, so he would have family there during the move. He seems very, very happy to be in this new place, and it will be much easier for his kids to come and see him now.

I'm getting ready to drive back up there in a few minutes, but I thought I'd let you know.

So yeah, I have things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Yes, I am thankful for all of you as well.

Still Busy . . . .

Is the mad rush to the Holidays getting you down? Keeping you busy?

Clinton had his first basketball game last night, and tonight, the boys go to their Mother's for Thanksgiving.

I will work Wednesday, and then?

I plan to get up early Thursday morning and spend the day with Scottie, then drive back and spend the evening at the Bayhouse. We'll see. I may even drive up there Wednesday night.

Meantime, here's something to enjoy.

As God as my witness . . .

No Doubt About It, This Is Good News

I'm loving this!

I'm Too Tired To Write, So I'll Post Pictures Edition . . . .

It's true, I am tired.

Tonight is #2 son, Dylan's 16th birthday party. It is somewhat calmer than his younger brother's 14th was.

No less work for the grocer and chef, I'm afraid, but its a calmer crowd.

I'm glad for that. I've been up since about 12:45 AM, and I'm afraid to sit for too long, because I'll probably fall asleep.

Anyway, here are a few random photos which have been sitting in my camera, some from tonight, some from a month or two ago, and some in between. These are unedited, so be kind. As always, they have clickable goodness.

Clinton and friends tonight, going to yet another Quincineria

Speaking of Clinton, this was so not his costume, really.
(What do you think? He could go as Tavi)

Pork with Green Chili and Potatoes, in the pan
(make sure and click this one)

And ready to eat

Tailgating at last year's Texas Bowl. Sorry Pido, we all wore Cougar Red.
(But we sat on the TCU side)

Not A Rookie, But Way Cool . . . .

Are you familiar with the blog Style Rookie?

It is allegedly written by a 12 year old named Tavi.

She is tragically hip, precociously clever, and pretty damn funny actually.

My guess is, she is not 12 and the site is someone's creative outlet.

I hope she is a 12 year old writing a blog like that. If so, she'll probably grow up to be as good as Bee.

You should go and check it out.

It's OK, I'll wait, tell me what you think.

Merry Christmas To Me? . . . .UPDATE!!

UPDATE!!

AWKKK!!!

It's not on sale this morning!!

It was $69.99 yesterday, and now it's $186.99

OK, I haven't done it, but I probably will.

In this morning's Petulant Rumblings, I saw this nugget.

Do you have any idea how long I have wanted this? And for only $69.99?

Yes, I already have every individual season in the original DVD releases. Yes, this version has one disk of extras, that has some interviews and such, but really, do I need them all in a single package? (40 disks!)

This Amazon.com reviewer, who has a daughter in college thinks so. His reason?

I Quote:

You buy "The Chosen Collection" so your kids will leave your "BtVS" DVDs alone

I mean, that's sensible, right? The kids will be going off to college before you know it, and technically, some of those seasons are theirs, birthday gifts and the like. So what's a Dad to do when the offspring run off with his Buffy DVDs?

I know some of you still haven't jumped on the Buffy Bandwagon.

Do you trust Brave Sir Robin's judgment?

OK - other than in Women.

Would I steer you wrong? This is the perfect opportunity for those of you who have to this point been reluctant to enter the Buffyverse. It's 65% off!!

Still not convinced? (Yes, I know which ones of you aren't), here is the Amazon editorial review:

From its charming and angst-ridden first season to the darker, apocalyptic final one, Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeeds on many levels, and in a fresher and more authentic way than the shows that came before or after it. How lucky, then, that with the release of its boxed set of seasons 1-7, you can have the estimable pleasure of watching a near-decade of Buffy in any order you choose. (And we have some ideas about how that should be done.)

First: rest assured that there's no shame in coming to Buffy late, even if you initially turned your nose up at the winsome Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking the hell out of vampires (in Buffy-lingo, vamps), demons, and other evil-doers. Perhaps you did so because, well, it looked sort of science-fiction-like with all that monster latex. Start with season 3 and see that Buffy offers something for everyone, and the sooner you succumb to it, the quicker you'll appreciate how textured and riveting a drama it is.

Why season 3? Because it offers you a winning cast of characters who have fallen from innocence: their hearts have been broken, their egos trampled in typically vicious high-school style, and as a result, they've begun to realize how fallible they are. As much as they try, there are always more monsters, or a bigger evil. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the core crew remains something of a unit--there's the smart girl, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) who dreams of saving the day by downloading the plans to City Hall's sewer tunnels and mapping a route to safety. There are the ne'r do wells--the vampire Spike (James Marsters), who both clashes with and aspires to love Buffy; the tortured and torturing Angel (David Boreanz); the pretty, popular girl with an empty heart (Charisma Carpenter); and the teenage everyman, Xander (Nicholas Brendon).

Then there's Buffy herself, who in the course of seven seasons morphs from a sarcastic teenager in a minidress to a heroine whose tragic flaw is an abiding desire to be a "normal" girl. On a lesser note, with the boxed set you can watch the fashion transformation of Buffy from mall rat to Prada-wearing, kickboxing diva with enviable highlights. (There was the unfortunate bob of season 2, but it's a forgivable lapse.) At least the storyline merits the transformations: every time Buffy has to end a relationship she cuts her hair, shedding both the pain and her vulnerability.

In addition to the well-wrought teenage emotional landscape, Buffy deftly takes on more universal themes--power, politics, death, morality--as the series matures in seasons 4-6. And apart from a few missteps that haven't aged particularly well ("I Robot" in season 1 comes to mind), most episodes feel as harrowing and as richly drawn as they did at first viewing. That's about as much as you can ask for any form of entertainment: that it offer an escape from the viewer's workaday world and entry into one in which the heroine (ideally one with leather pants) overcomes demons far more troubling than one's own. --Megan Halverson

Ok - I wouldn't advise you to start with season three, because one of the things Joss does so well, is allow the characters to grow, to mature and to act age appropriately. It's damn fun to watch. Also, the amazing way he presents story arcs over multiple seasons. If you watch closely, he'll drop story hints a full two season ahead of when they actually happen.

This series should be required watching for every television executive, producer or writer, before they're allowed to work in the business. This is how you do it people.

It's not about the monsters, it's not about the special effects, it's not even about a hot chick in a miniskirt. It's about relationships, it's about characters who are real to us, no matter how fantastic their circumstances may be. It's about growing, and learning, and love, and yes, loss.

Sigh.

OK. I was gonna buy myself the new Blackberry . . . . . .

Scottie Update

Guess what Brave Sir Robin did today?

I had a phone conversation with my brother!!

It was slow and halting, and difficult to understand at times, but it was real, and I could tell it was him.

To be honest, there were many days that I thought he was gone. I had said my goodbyes, and I actually went shopping for a new suit for the funeral.

Then, after the hurricane, we had a glimmer of hope, only to be frustrated with the turtle's pace of his progress.

I doubted this day would ever come, but it did.

Welcome back Bro. I love you.

Blogroll Call Out!!

Hey guys,

The new site will roll out in a day or two - you should have noticed a few tweaks here and there. There will be more of the older posts back up as well.

When I started taking the site down the other day, I lost a few people off my blog roll. If you can see who's missing, let me know.

OR . . . .

If think you should be on it, and you aren't, let me know, please!

I realize Homesick Texan and Steamy Kitchen are missing, I'm working on a separate food link gadget, so they will be covered.

My Plea . . .

I'm listening to this sound track on the headphones today while I'm working, and this song came on. It struck me as extremely appropriate, considering the events of this weekend. Listen to the lyrics, it's very dammed appropriate.

And yes, I knew him before he was famous.

I'm good today.

Tuesday was Dylan's birthday, and we went to Victoria to eat and do a little shopping.

Last night, I had planned to make pork and green chili tacos, but my green chili seems to have disappeared. I made something else, which took longer, so I basically spent all night in the kitchen or on the phone.

Why on the phone? My sister called with news about Scottie. Good news. . . . stay tuned!

About That Purge . . .

Brave Sir Robin had a bad weekend.

I can't really share much of it with you, I may at a later date, but possibly not.

Those of you who have been following this site for a while now can guess it's nature.

It is time to move on.

This blog started at a time in my life that is the opening parentheses of a series of events that this current situation may well close.

Most of my older post will come back online over the next few days. Some may be edited, some may never come back.

I will be changing the look and feel of this site as well. It won't be a drastic change, but I need to move on.

I can tell you this, I have more friends than I ever imagined.

I'm OK . . . (physically)

Guys, I'm sorry if I alarmed you.

I was in a pretty emotional state when I took the site down last night.

I didn't feel safe, and I wasn't thinking clearly.

I have been overwhelmed by the concern and love I have been shown today.

Each and every one of you has blessed me.

I'm going to figure this out, and I will keep you posted.

Any Good Thoughts Out There?

I don't believe in prayer, but I could sure use any good thoughts, or Karma, or candles, or Whatever it is you believe in.

I'm kind of a mess at the moment.

Yeah, that again.

Danger!!!

If you watch this video, you may die of cuteness overload.

You have been warned.


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Confessions of an 8 Year old Liberal.

From the mouths of babes . . . .

My niece, (8 years old) wrote the following paper for school. She is obviously being raised right.

(with clickable goodness)

The text, slightly edited for spelling clarity:

If I Were President

If I were President, I would make it free to go to the hospital and I would stop people from polluting and I would help the poor. I would also help the people that don’t have any clothes or food or toys, and if children don’t have enough money to go to school I’d let them go for free. I would make it where people that rode motorcycles would have to wear their helmets. I would make it were they can’t cut down rainforest. I would make it were people couldn’t smoke. I would lower gas prices and tell people to recycle. I would help the animals that need help and that’s what I would do if I were President.

What do you think folks?
She has my vote.

Let The Carnage Continue

The Freepers want to boycott Fox.

Bwahahahahahahaha

They Eat Their Own, Don'cha Know . . .

Priceless . . . The McCain camp is already throwing Palin to the sharks.

Stay tuned guys, I have a feeling the feeding frenzy has hardly begun.

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

Ahhh, Schadenfreude.

Well Done America, Well Done

I'm still too numb to think clearly, (and exhausted, I was up very, very late) so here are a few images and random thoughts.



The diversity in the crowd in Chicago was a beautiful thing to see. The look of joy and hope on those faces of so many colors and, even more importantly, so many backgrounds, gives me hope. Hope for an America that values every citizen.




When I saw this on my TV screen, this is when my own tears started. This is the second time this man has brought tears to my eyes. His Democratic Convention address in 1988 did it, and then when I saw those tears streaming down his face last night, my own started. I don't always agree with him, and he has some problems, but he has been fighting not for this night, but for the opportunity this night represents, for most of his life. Thank you, Mr. Jackson, you deserve those tears. Hope is alive.

What a beautiful first family. I'm so proud for the world to see America tonight.

Hope is a beautiful thing.

Finally, It's Today

We somehow have made it to election day.

Good thing, I'm not sure I could have lasted much longer. I haven't really had a good night's sleep since Friday. The stress and anxiety are killing me.

The ugliness of this campaign has shocked even a jaded cynic like myself. The Rev. Wright ads were plastered all over prime time last night on at least two major networks. The willingness of the Republican party to look America in the eye and lie may someday be their undoing.

I wish that were already true, but as long as there is hatred and bigotry in this country, the Republican party will be there to exploit it.

Please go vote.

Vote straight ticket D. Give the party of lies and hate a clear message that this country is ready to care for all of it's citizens, no matter what color they happen to be or what tax bracket they happen to fall into. Tell the thieves and criminals that have been overseeing the most massive redistribution of wealth since the gilded age that Haliburton and Blackwater can no longer siphon money out of the treasury at will.

Defend the constitution, defend the environment, defend a woman's right to make her own health decisions.

Give Barack Obama a clear and resounding mandate for change.

Yes, we can.



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OK - This was going to be a serious post, but I just couldn't resist . . . . . .

If you need a voting guide, see below:


And then, there is this.

Sarah Makes Me Smile

No, not that one.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Sarah Haskins?

It's true.

She totally rocks Brave Sir Robin's world.

Her Target Women series is just absolutely adorable. I can't decide which one is my favorite, so I'd suggest watching them all.

You do know Sarah Haskins, right?

OK here is one of my favorites, but you really owe it to yourself to watch them all.



OK, or maybe it's this one: