New Xander pics

one is showing him playing with the kitchen faucet - NOT a good thing. The other is him trying to obtain ice cream from Paula...

Yeah - it's my birthday!

Yippee!!! I am another friggin' year old. Happy, am I. Anyway, here are some home improvement pics from the last couple of weeks. I finally got around to installing the tile backsplash - 6 months after the counter was installed - but well... you know... I am lazy. Thanks to the fabulous Paula for all the help and tile cutting! Also, a shout out to my sister Keely who requested to see the home improvement pics. Maybe she will even comment?

Awesome photo from Lisa's Lomo

What have you done to my son?

Oh...wait. Yeah... that would be my fault. Because I stubbornly refuse to take extra clothes to day care (a great outfit might be stuck there for months and by the time I realize it, it might be outgrown by the X man), Xander was forced to wear these pants after a, well, after he ran through his very manly camoflauge pants I dressed him in. Poor kid. Great picture. Maybe it will build character? Or the desire to cross dress in the future. Either way, Paula said I had to give the cute little flowered capris back to daycare. I kind of wanted to keep them. Second pic has that "Soparanos' look about it. What the hell are you looking at me for? I can blast your entire family.

weird things that happened today

1. In the waiting room of the Dr. office - a middle aged man proceded to sing out loud. He was even making the do wop noises. I was trying not to laugh out loud.

2. As we were going to take a black light over to Sinda, the Pizza Hut guy that delivered us pizza TWO WEEKS AGO, brought the ranch dressing he had forgot to bring. Apparently he was quiting Pizza Hut or transferring to a new location and wanted to "pay off his debts?" WTF?

3. I actually found the way to Sinda's house through the field that separates our two neighborhoods. Maybe not weird to many, but truly an accomplishment to me.

at least he is very persistent

Xander's latest thing is to point out EVERY bug in our house. Please don't think we live in an incredibly buggy house (well we do). We have it sprayed every quarter, but still where we live is where the bugs (apparently)prefer to live too. So, every night, Xander must point out the bug, yell at the top of his lungs about the bugs' existence, then take us to the bug. It only ends when we pick the bug up and flush it. Of course, then it just starts over again with another bug.

box wine v.2

Other uses...after the wine has been drained. Furniture for toddlers.

Darn... and I was just about to go to bed

However, I cannot resist list making. The challenge from Sinda. If there are similarities, it's because I was reading her list and going..."man...I LOVE that song!"

NAME UP TO THREE:

Song(s) That I Loathe to the Core of My Being
Gosh, there are so many…
How about: We Built this City on Rock and Roll, by Starship
"You're beautiful" James Blunt, new but very annoying

Musical Artist(s) That I Loathe to the Core of My Being
Rush, (I know I am the only one for the next two) Queen, Led Zepplin

Rolling Stones Song(s) I Love
Monkey Man, Gimme Shelter, You can't always get what you want...guess which CD I own?

Beatles Song(s) I Love
O bladi, o blada, yesterday, can't buy me love, revolution, we can work it out...just burned my moms collection last weekend.

Who Song(s) I Love
Baba O’Riley, (not the Who, but Pete Townsend) Let my love open the door, and every theme song to every CSI currently on the air. Isn't it sad that's how I relate?

Reggae Song(s) I Love
nothing applicable

Country Song(s) I Love
Radney Foster - Nobody Wins
Lyle Lovett - This old porch and If I had a boat
Kenny Chesney - Anything but mine
George Strait - Amarillo by morning
Brad Paisley - Alcohol
James House - This is me missing you
Dixie Chicks - well...all of them, but especially Cowboy take me away
Mary Chapin Carpenter - the whole Come on Come on album, but especially "I'll take my chances."
Garth Brooks - Much to young (to feel this damn old).


Movie Soundtrack(s) I Love
Valley Girl (the Plimsouls!), Eight Seconds (wonder why the country answer was so long...), Reality Bites, Singles

Musical Sountrack(s) I Love
Grease
Rent

Cover Song(s) I Love
Anyone else doing Bob Dylan songs, i.e. Shawn Colvin "You're gonna make me lonesome", Indigo Girls "Tangled up in the blue."
Dixie Chicks doing Radney Foster's "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"
'Ol 55 - Sarah McLachlan, written by Tom Waits, done by the Eagles and covered by Sarah with liner notes that read "this was recorded in the wee hours of the morning after an evening of an immeasurable quantity of red wine.."

Contemporary Top-40 Artist(s) I Secretly Love
Eminem
Nickelback...I don't know. I actually had to LOOK at the top 40 chart!

Song(s) That Bring Me to Tears
"As I'm leaving" David Gray
"Romeo and Juliet" Dire Straits
"You had Time" Ani Difranco
"Here without you" 3 Doors down
"Come pick me up" Ryan Adams
"Goodbye to you" Michelle Branch


Song(s) That Make Me Shake My Ass
Janet Jackson - that's all I will say.

Classical Composer(s) I Love
ummm...

Rap/Hip-Hop Song(s) I Love
Beastie Boys - Fight for your right to PAAARTY
Eminem - The real slim shady, cleaning out my closet, lose yourself, without me, sing for the moment.
Snoop Dog - Gin and Juice
Kid Rock - Wasting Time, Cowboy

70s Disco Song(s) I Love
Last Dance - Donna Summer
More than a woman - Bee Gees
You're The First, The Last, My Everything - Barry White
She's a lady - Tom Jones

70s Supergroup Song(s) I Love
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
Not sure they count as supergroups:
Head East - Never Been any reason
Pure Prarie League - Amie
Player - Baby come back (one hit wonder probably doesn't count, but...)

Metal Song(s) I Love
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
maybe not metal, but close- Gun's and Roses - Paradise city
Rob Zombie - Dragula
Marilyn Manson - the Beautiful People


New Wave Song(s) I Love
New Order - True Faith
Cure - Just like Heavan
Violent Femmes -Add it up
Human League – Don’t you Want Me


Soul/R&B Song(s) I Love
Sam Cooke – Cupid
Jackson 5 - I want you back
I can't help myself (sugar pie honey bunch) - the Four Tops
Ain't too proud to beg - Temptations

Power Ballad(s) I Love
"Against all odds" Phil Collins
"Purple Rain" Prince
"Thunder Road" Bruce Springsteen


Pre 1950s Song(s) I Love
Most songs by Glenn Miller and Billy Holiday

Punk Song(s) I Love
The Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated
Jim Carroll - All the people that died, died
Green Day (more new punk) Longview, Jesus of Suburbia

Singer/Songwriter Song(s) I Love
Lucinda Williams
Lyle Lovett
Radney Foster
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Patty Griffin
Ryan Adams
Bruce Robison

MTV Video(s) I Love
Do they show videos?
I do like "Pimp my ride."

None of the Above Song(s) I Love
Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
Black - Pearl Jam
Don't let me get me - Pink
Fire Door - Ani Difranco
Something about you - Level 42
most things by Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen,

the 4th, anthems and really good TV

I did nothing on the 4th. Nothing to celebrate the freedom that I have. Please know that I do not take it for granted. I thought about the big fireworks show at Zilker park to the symphony. We went three years ago and it is amazing. Unfortunately, so are the crowds. Amazing in that they are oppressive and it is waaayyy too hard to get out of the park. Still we contemplated going.

Last October we moved into a new house in SW Austin. This is the first time I get to find out how my neighbors celebrate the 4th. Thankfully they could have been firework maniacs and the rain would have make me much less neurotic about the displays. However, it seems they are not maniacs. Maniacs still live in Pflugerville.

Every 4th of July reminds me of a favorite tv show from the 80's and early 90's - China Beach. If you have never seen an episode, well... you are currently out of luck. Just checked Netfix and it isn't out yet. It is a really good show. One particular episode showed the characters playing a game of baseball on the 4th of July with "America"playing in the background. A mix of fireworks and bombs blasted in the air as they were rounding the bases during the game. Definitely a scene to behold.

On a completely different topic, I watched the Townes Van Zandt documentary this week. Even if you are not a fan of documentaries, this one is good. Be here to love me: A film about Townes Van Zandt.