Grinning from ear to ear...

I was sitting at home enjoying doing absolutely nothing on a Friday night. I was surfing the web, and saw that one of my all time favorite bands was on KGSR doing a live broadcast from the Saxon Pub. BoDeans. I grew up with them when I was a young kid trying to find his way in the world in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The songs about finding and losing direction in life and love has always spoken to me. I am a lot older now, but I still love to listen to them, and they spea to me even more so these days. I couldn't make the shows. Sitting here listening to them play on the radio has my mind filling with memories.

One of my biggest crushes I ever had on someone was this amazing girl Sheryl Osmanski. We worked together at American Eagle Outfitters in Wisconsin back 1989. That was one hell of a summer. We became close friends, and I introduced her to ComedySportz and The BoDeans. She introduced me to beer, shots, and living life to the fullest. She also told me the legend of the claddaugh ring. Nothing ever came out of my crush and that was for the best. She showed me how to be outside of the box. When she met me, I was shy and introverted. When she moved up to Port Washington, she left behind someone who learned to speak his mind and was ready to finally explore the world around him.

I joined an improv troupe class the next year, and eventually moved to Minneapolis to give perfoming a try. Right before I moved, I was at a BoDeans show at Sherman's Celebrity Club. The bar had a capacity of about 70, and 500 people showed up. Kurt, Sammy, and Bob performed acoustically on the street for everyone who couldn't get in. I went up to Kurt after the show, and told him how much I had appreciated their work. He wished me luck in Minneapolis and said they perform there from time to time.

That time of my life had some of the best memories I ever had. I met some amazing people and it set me free from a lot of things that I needed to escape from. Here's to you guys (and Sheryl). Thank you for everything...

Sadness...

I was watching The O.C. season 2 episodes the other night and one of the cars in the show they had a John Kerry for President bumper sticker. Well, we wouldn't hve a Camp Casey if things were different.

What to do...

Well, I am enoying another hangover day off. Surfing the web, The OC season 2 DVDs, Lumines on the PSP, and maybe even 99 cent margaritas. I am also silently cheering from a distance for Shana, who is trying out for American Idol. go shana. I have to cheer silently or it will hurt. Damn you Tuaca, damn you.

One must get a waffle at Waffle House! Mmmmm...

Hmmmm... What to get....

Now this is what I am talking about... Moonwalk.. 3am. And a Sparks.. I don't even care that it is Hello Kitty.

To my surprise...

Last nght over at Dallas NC, we were having a discussion about what a 'fifth of alcohol' is. I totally assumed it was one of the flask sized bottles. Nope. Wrong. It is a 'fifth' of a gallon, or 750ml. More useless information for me to have. Now I owe those yahoo's corndogs.

I need voice lessons...

This morning when I was taking a shower and doing what most people do which is sing. What I didn't expect was the cat to think it was a duet and everytime I sang he cried out along with me. It is a good thing I never tried out for American Idol. I may take the cat in though...

This happens to be one of my all time favorite bars in Austin. If you have not been able to check it out, I highly suggest you do. Tell Francis and Sara I sent you.

Not only can Shana rock out on 'Chain of Fools', but she can also make sure I get home safe!!

I am so glad Jaq is back from Florida!!!

Funny memories...

I was cleaning around the apartment and I found a cd I haven't listened to in awhile. Junior Senior. I opened it up and noticed the autographs so I had a little memory kick in. The first time I saw them was at Waterloo Records where they were doing an instore before the show. The were really good for fun swedish pop. I rememeber buying the cd there and waiting in line with the person I was with and they were really funny. They called the person's friend I was with and left them a message on her machine.

D-d-d-don't Stop the Beat....

Don't stop... Believin'...

Journey is coming to Austin on September 20th. It is going to be at the Backyard, the same venue I saw Bowie. Oh yeah.. I need to get my Journey on.

I didn't see a single one...

Meteors. Didn't see one. Maybe tomorrow... Did anyone see them?

It could have been me...

I played Halo 2 nonstop for almost 2 days when it came out. I guess this guy didn't have the heart for it. (Really bad pun, but come on...)

In other parts of my mind...

I really enjoy walking around UT. For anyone who has never walked the campus, it is a beautiful, and expansive one. Huge stadium. HUGE. A lot of trees too. Plus, when one walks around UT, you can go to the Crown & Anchor to refresh with ice cold beer! I didn't today, but I was tempted. Instead I had an Odwalla and relaxed in a Wi Fi cafe near campus. It is nice pretending to be a student. Thank god I am not anymore. But ,oh, those were the days..

I finally broke down and did it...

I installed Office Professional 2003 today. I have WORD!! I have EXCEL!!! I have it all!!! A special thanks to my friend Lori for helping me with that. I have been putting it off forever, as I thought Microsoft Works would be plenty for me. No, not so much. In a nutshell it blew. Big time.

Viva Office 2003!!!

A case of the 'Nasty's'...

I took my friend Nikki out to Nasty's last night. She had never been. For those not familiar, Nasty's is a rugby bar, but on Monday they always have old school hip hop by DJ Mel. It is a lot of fun. I love hearing Joy and Pain mixed with Mama Gonna Knock You Out...

Say it isn't so...

I may be looking to get my own access point again. Read this...

The arms behind me is Noah, who turns 30 today. This would be the last time anyone would be smiling this night.

In the hood of West Austin...

I am at a friend's party using a computer they have in the kitchen. I can say three things about tonite.

1. I have had a bit of alcohol to drink...
2. I hate Playstation 2...
3. Cab fare is ridiculous...

More later....

How ridiculous...

Ok, so two kids set up a lemonade stand. And a guy operating a hot dog stand calls the cops.

Click here to read about it...

Juicebox and a nap...

I went into work for almost two hours of nothing. Actually it cost me more to go work than I made to work. For the first time in the longest time I actually took a nap. Damn, it was good! Two and a half glorious hours of nothing but sleep. Now I am waiting for friends at the El Arroyo on Far West while enjoying 99 cent margaritas and free WiFi.

I can make any day a better one...

A break in the day...

So I am taking a break in between shifts. Amy's Ice Cream right by my work has free WiFi. Barnes and Noble has WiFi also, but they charge $19.99 a month. I have been spending the last hour enjoying a root beer float and IM'ing my friend Gretchen. A great way to kill time!!!

Hump Day...

Ugh. Wedensday... It really isn't hump day for me as it is the start of my work week. I want a juice box and a nap instead.

The Tuesday blahs...

I worked for a couple hours this morning before going to Best Buy to have them fix my laptop. The iPod Shuffle I purchased a few weeks back was an open item. They forgot to wipe it and it downloaded P2P conduits into my iTunes. Damn Best Buy... Hopefully they got it all off the HD now.

I needed a margarita after that, and I had several. I stopped by the WiFi coffee shop in my apt comlex and was listening to the girl telling her friend who she ran into the night before.. She asked her friend on the phone to guess who, and all I kept hearing was, "No", "No", "No", and "Close, but no". Tell her dammit. Stop teasing her. She finally did and all the hair on the back of my neck stood down.

I need a Red Bull.

Well, I thought I was going to have sort of a chill evening. I had drinks with a MySpace friend for a bit and was walking home when my phone rang to meet up with friends over at Dallas Nightclub. After a few Tuaca's I ended up on the mechanical bull. Kevin, whose birthday it was, demanded we all have our turns.

Fun software I am trying...

Well, I tried MSN's and Google's Virtual Earth software programs where you can see satellite footage for pretty much anywhere. I really like Google's. Had a lot of fun over at El Arroyo the other day with it. The staff kept asking me to look up addresses so they could see what areas they grew up in changed or where they lived to see if their car was there when the picture was shot. You can check Google's out here and MSN's here.

I was IMing someone I work with and she had asked me about what browsers I use. Firefox and Explorer is what is on my laptop right now. She talked about this browser I haven't heard many people use called Avant Browser. I like it. The formatting issues on some pages Firefox would mess up look great, and it is pretty simple to use. You can find out more about that here.

This pic makes me laugh as I have no idea what the hell I am looking at. This was taken back in March during SXSW at Red Bul House.

The week is not moving...

Or it seems like it isn't. I can't wait for Saturday. I don't know why but I am excited for it. I definitely need to have some friend time this evening as I can't wait for two days to pass. I have been enjoying the Halo again. Love the Halo.

Oh, and I just finished watching all of season one of The OC. Can't wait to rewatch the second season when it comes out in a month. Hey, don't judge me.. It's my new Melrose Place.

Damn Keys...

I lose keys all the time. It is so bad that a good friend of mine gave me a key finder for my brithday. I have found my normal keys, but if you lend me a key, I will lose it. Tonite it was the key to the apartment complex clubroom that I needed for an event I was doing for them. Hopefully it will turn up. Good thing one of the managers was around to let me in. I am in so much trouble.

Update:
The key was found!!

So this is Lance Armstrong's bar in Austin, named SIX.. It just opened up last week. Are they going toname it SEVEN now? Ha, they should put a big red X over it and put a 7 next to it.

Oh happy day...

I am a little blog happy today. But, it hasbeen awhile since I have been a posting fanatic. Another link to share. Angry Alien's 30 second bunnies is updated!!!!

Funny & Cruel prank...

I was looking at Dawnita's blog and she had this clip on there. WARNING! Harry Potter spoiler!! But the clip is a drive-by prank at a Barnes & Noble in Dallas.

Let it go to voicemail...

Last night I didn't feel like interacting with the world. I put the cell phones on silent, made a nice snack for myself, and watched a few episodes of the first season of The OC. Around 11 or so, I got up to get a glass of water, noticing I had a couple missed calls. Caitlin, a girl I know, wanted to go to Dallas and didn't want to go on her own. I I reluctantly agreed to go. One thing about Caitlin, as sweet as she can be at times, drama and her go hand in hand. It requires a lot of energy to hang out with her.

So I go.

As soon as I arrive, friends of mine who were there, invited me to go downtown with them. But I had decided to go to the bar with Caitlin so I decline. I hang out there and let Caitlin do her thing.

Near the end of the night I see her and some friends of hers collecting their things and start heading for the front door. She was just going to leave me there, not even saying goodbye.

After she left, I stood at the bar, tilted back the Lonestar to my lips, and swallowed the last sip of cold beer and smiled.

That is what voicemail is for...

I am an idiot...

Last night I went out to answer the call from Josh, a friend of mine, who happens to bartend at SOHO. This leads to the Ritz, Headhunters, Lavaca Street, and others. Crown on the rocks, Tuaca, and Lonestar were with me the entire night. Ran into a lot of peoples. Always good times.


I prefer going out on my own and meeting up rather than going in a group. Do you find that in groups that you spend more time deciding on where to go rather than actually going into a bar? I can't stand being in a committee. Wanna go here? How 'bout there? Why not there? IT DRIVES ME NUTS!!! Pick a place people! So much more fun running into people, I love the randomness.

But why am I an idiot. Well, besides my big mouth, this time it was what almost happened. When I woke up this morning, I couldn't find my iPod shuffle. I was like WTF... Where the hell is it? I left for work this morning with the assumption it was lost in the cab ride home. After work, I happened to find it under a shoe, and a big shoe at that. Idiot.. (say it like Napoleon Dynamite)

Samantha is pinching my behind...

Julianna and I being silly...

yeah.. I am that cool...

Losering...

I have been going out all week. In a nutshell having a birthday month. It has definately been a different week. The project I have been working on with an Austin startup magazine I pulled the plug on. It was unfortunate, but it needed to happen as the entity can't seem to keep it together. I didn't want anything I set up to fail due to their issues. Anyone who unleashes their logo on the public by charging their friends ten bucks so the owner can have spending money on her trip to California is just something I couldn't be a part of.

In other news, I had drinks with Cyminda, who is a friend of mine at one of my favorite hangs - Barfly's. Just a great place to get a 'happy meal' and listen to great music on the jukebox. a happy meal is a Lonestar and a shot of Jagermeister) I ran into Heather, a friend of friends, and her new guy there also. Come to find out she 'recycled' him from their circle. Didn't even recognize him.

Good times...

One long week...

Well, my week isn't getting any shorter yet. It's the weekend and that means work. I have been working on Project FFF all week and it is coming together. I will give details on how to be part of the fun on FFF.

On another note, I have been getting into podcasting since iTunes has made it so easy for me to subscribe to them. I love the Dawn and Drew show. I just find it funny. No particular reason either. I really like having my iPod shuffle. It is so light and easy to use. I used it to DJ my Napoleon Dynamite Prom and it turned out great! My next purchase is a portable hard drive.

I don't know why I am up so early after last night, but, here is a picture of the prom. It was a blast!!!

Ah, waking up at 6am...

Can be prouctive. Especially when you are doing something or others. Sunshine Kids. Hope they had fun.

Do you realize???

I have the rest of the weekend off!!! Sunshine Kids tomorrow morning then nothing but pools and parties for me. Gotta love birthday weekends. 36 and learning new tricks!!

So I finally chose...

It is a bittersweet enjoyment with today's events, but after much thinking, I got the iPod shuffle. It's tiny, light, and simple. It sounded better than what I had imagined. Definitely a good purchase. Now to look at accessories for it.. I like the water resistant sport lanyard.

Where will this take us???

London. I was in shock at what happened today. What's next? Is this over? Will there be more attacks? Who will we counter-attack? Unbelievable.

Busy Tuesday...

I had a very busy Tuesday. Worked on flyers and suck for the apartment complex, then in the evening was at 3 different venues for an event I am planning. Me tired. Big time. Working all day, but going to Dallas and Lala's tonite. If you want in you know how to get ahold of me.

A long weekend...

So it is the 4th of July weekend. It has been a long weekend of work for me. Last night drank with the neighbors. Ah, tuaca... Tonite is Elysium! Alternatove 80's!!!

So is the end of the world coming???

On July 3rd, NASA is hitting a comet with a projectile. Now I have to wonder, are we getting ready for the world to end by comet? I am going to start stocking up on Lonestar and Cheese Puffs. You can read a story on it here...

Melancholy is the new black...

I just watched a movie that for some unrelated reason resurfaced some memories I had completely forgotten about. More of a moment than a memory.

I remember the evening, walking from a show I had seen with someone, recalling the smell and sounds as we walked back to the car. I hear the shoes she wore as we walk across concrete, then asphalt, to cross a road. I can smell the soap she purchased when she was on a trip as she presses her hand into mine as we walk. And I remember her smiling.

It amazes me sometimes how we can get lost in our lives with the details that are required of us. Those details that cause us to forget certain moments of time. That memory is a couple years old from a past that is completely forgotten and done with. Well, not forgotten, but definitely a closed chapter. It first saddened me for a moment when it came to mind. The kind of sadness that you feel when think of something you lost or broke as a child. But the sorrow departed quickly when I remembered the rest of the evening that went with it.

And that was why I was smiling as I wrote this. It was one of my favorite memories of that moment in my life...