Archive for March, 2009

Last Saturday was my brother in law, Griffin’s 23rd birthday. His lovely girlfriend Courtney threw him a surprise birthday party at Dave and Buster’s…but alas, we’re complete bums and already had plans to visit Austin. (which I will hopefully blog about tomorrow)

Griffin, Courtney, Andy, and me prior to the meat fest.

So as compensation for missing the party, we took Mr. Griffin and Miss Courtney out to Texas de Brazil for their respective birthdays. (coincidentally, Courtney’s birthday was last Tuesday, 03/24) It’s the same restaurant I took Andy to for his birthday last year. We thought it would be nice to take them out to a nice dinner, one that they may not splurge on themselves.

Getting ready to enter the hallowed hall of meat, otherwise known as Texas de Brazil.

With that said, it was an evening of meat, meat, and more meat. What did they serve? Let’s see here now…I think they had every cut of beef known to man, then every cut of beef known to man wrapped in bacon, chicken, pork, and then several cuts of lamb. To tell you the truth, I don’t really enjoy massive amounts of meat. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very tasty, but it has an uncomfortable tendency to just sit in your stomach in one solid lump. It’s a good thing we only go once in a very long while.

The happy birthday couple turns 23!

The most important thing is that Griffin and Courtney enjoyed themselves, which I hope they did, we certainly had fun AND gorged ourselves silly! Here’s wishing them both another very happy (belated) birthday!!

This weekend was really fairly relaxed. We really just wandered around DFW running a few errands and doing a few fun things. On Saturday, we stopped by Legacy Bookstore in Plano, Texas. Andy HAD to visit one of the few remaining independent bookstores in the area. It was a really neat environment. Cathy, Andy, and I spent the afternoon wandering around browsing through books, magazines, and sipping on Peet’s Coffee.

After a quick dinner at home, we settled down to watch Doctor Who. Cathy has gotten Andy and me completely addicted to this program. It’s a BBC television show that is a little cheesy, packed with science fiction drama, and brimming with quirkiness. We absolutely love it! In the evening, we tore ourselves away from the good Doctor (and our comfy couch) to go downtown for another game night hosted by Ethan. Last night we contributed by bringing our Apples to Apples game (thanks Kat!!). It is a game of word associations, imaginative uses of words, and is absolutely hilarious! I highly recommend picking it up, if you haven’t tried it already.

Sleeping in this morning was high on our list, but since Carrie was coming over to join us for brunch (baked french toast with fresh blackberries and hashed browns), we dragged our lazy butts out of bed. It was a beautiful day outside, so we took the opportunity to wander around the Amon Carter Museum in downtown Fort Worth. It’s a beautiful museum filled with gorgeous and interesting pieces done by American artists. Thank goodness Carrie and I move at the same pace. I think Cathy and Andy get a bit annoyed with us for speeding through exhibits all the time. It’s not that we’re not paying attention, we just happily appreciate the art and move on. Oh well, to each his own!

Me, Cathy, and Carrie posing outside the Amon Carter Museum.

In the late afternoon, we headed to some random field/park in Fort Worth for our first (and most likely last) kickball practice. Since the entire team couldn’t make it, Carrie and Cathy got to help train the rest of us. I think it really was a very beneficial practice! I have a better grip (not solid, but better) of the rules. Plus, I discovered that I can catch the darned red rubbery ball! Now if only I can catch it under pressure during a game! One can only hope our team does a little better! Go Bucky Ballers!

Many people claim that they’re not athletic. Though that may be true, they generally have a certain degree of coordination that allows them to function from day to day. I, on the other hand, am truly neither coordinated nor athletic. (Remember last spring when I fell flat on my face in a parking lot?) So, I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I agreed to join a kickball team that our friends put together for the spring season. I’ve never played kickball before in my life, which is oddly surprising to a lot of people. I can play one sport with a modicum of decency, and that would be badminton. Sadly, badminton is not currently a beloved sport in America. One can only hope that it will soon pick up in popularity, and I will have my day in the sports spotlight!! Until then, I’ll have to find another sport to enjoy…if possible.

So, I signed myself (and Andy) up for the Bucky Ballers team in the Texas Storm Fort Worth Kickball Division. Most of the teams have some silly pun involving balls and kicking. What does Bucky Ballers stand for? Don’t worry, it’s not dirty. For those of you that can take a moment to think back to chemistry class, a buckyball (aka Fullerene) is a chemical structure. Like graphite or a diamond, buckyballs are made of carbon. All the molecules are positioned in such a way that the structure looks similar to a soccer ball. Since it fit the ball naming scheme, we went with it. Was this incredibly nerdy of us? Absolutely! But if you’re going to be a geek, may as well be proud of it!

We were SUPPOSED to practice at least once before the first game. But due to the rainy and cold weather we had last week, the practice was canceled. On Sunday, I forced Andy to go to the park with me and at least make sure that I could still kick, throw, and catch the cheap soccer ball we purchased. For future reference, cheap soccer ball does NOT equal big rubbery kickball! Plus, even though I read the official kickball rules, I still had no clue what I was supposed to be doing! I also forgot the feeling of panic I get in the pit of my stomach when it’s my turn to bat/pitch/catch/run. Even when I actually know what I’m doing (which I didn’t), I have a tendency to freeze. All of this probably should have been disclosed to my teammates before I registered…oops.

Yesterday was our first game, the Bucky Ballers versus Don’t Stop Ball-ieving. Needless to say, we lost…by a lot. I’m rather disappointed in myself. I neither caught the ball nor did I make it to a base. I was the second baseman, one who was utterly lost as to what was going on. I think at one point, one of the other team’s players had to give me a few pointers. Oh the shame of defeat! Apparently, we as a team did badly enough that a practice session is going to be established before next week’s game. I feel much more optimistic about our chances of not losing so severely (notice I didn’t say winning) with the idea of practicing the game in action (and not just reading about it in the rulebook). Andy keeps telling me that I did not singlehandedly cement our team’s loss, the entire team still needs to get used to playing together. Sure, most of us are friends already, but that doesn’t mean we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses on the field! Strangely enough, I actually did have a lot of fun, even though we lost horribly. It was a beautiful evening to be outside with your friends cheering each other into defeat.

The Bucky Ballers celebrating their first game (ahem...first loss).

So, if you’re looking for something to do in the Fort Worth area on a beautiful Tuesday night, feel free to come cheer us on! We may be far from the best team in the league, but we certainly have more than our fair share of fun!

Happy St Patrick’s Day to all you Irish and Irish at heart folks!! We celebrated this year by going to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Greenville (Dallas) on Saturday. It also happened to be our friend Brandon’s birthday celebration. So, we dragged ourselves out of our comfy beds way too early for a Saturday morning and hopped on the TRE train in downtown Fort Worth. Why the train? Well, Dallas is notoriously bad when it comes to parking, traffic, and fees. Andy, who by the way is WAY too over-enthusiastic about public transportation, found a train route for us. Carrie, who was also part of the festivities, drove to a train stop about 10 minutes from her Irving apartment and joined us about a half an hour later.

Cathy giving us her best "I'm awake and on the train WAY too early" disgruntled face.

Andy and I also tried the disgruntled look, but were much less successful. Let’s just say, I look…odd. I won’t be posting it here, but if you must, here’s the link.

After getting off the TRE at the Dallas Union Station stop, we hopped on the DART light rail to get to our final destination at the intersection of Lover’s Lane and Greenville Streets. It was PACKED full of crazy green colored people (and dogs, which is sad, please don’t paint your dogs!). I rather liked all of our outfits, they were properly festive without crossing over into insanity. We met up with Brandon and Adam, who had staked out a nice spot along the parade route for our group. Sadly, the weather was very chilly and no amount of green beer could warm us up. Once the parade started, at least we were able to huddle together for warmth.

Cathy, me, and Carrie contemplating our green beers. All I have to say is YUCK!! The fact that I dislike beer to begin with, doesn't help matters.

The parade was entertaining, most of the floats had something to fling at the unsuspecting public. It meant a lot of ducking for me. Though I can’t understand the need to collect as many beaded necklaces as possible. My understanding was that collecting beads was a Mardi Gras theme….but whatever floats your boat I suppose. There were floats for a huge variety of clubs and organizations, anything from Hooters to men in kilts marching in their bagpipe band to bail bondsmen companies. You never really knew what was going to come next! Oh the excitement!

After the parade ended, Cathy, Carrie, Andy, and I stopped to defrost our fingers and toes while grabbing some lunch at the nearby Central Market. Once we were sufficiently thawed, we headed back out in search of our friends who had wandered over to Milo Butterfinger’s Bar. There seems to be something very wrong with so many people getting drunk so early in the day. On top of that, it seems doubly wrong that several parents had brought their young children into the bar to watch them get drunk. Needless to say, we didn’t spend very much time there, just long enough to buy the birthday boy a beer.

Happy 24th Birthday Brandon!!

Soon enough, we were back on the train headed home. We bid Carrie adieu at the West Irving station and continued on our way. A much needed nap was in order for the wary travelers. Feeling refreshed, Andy and I headed to Ethan and Donald’s apartment for an evening of fun board games. (Cathy was feeling a little queasy from the train ride and opted to stay home and keep Jabber company) During game night, we played several rousing games of Cranium and one very long game of Dicecapades. As far as board games go, Cranium is definitely one of my favorites. But I am sorely out of practice, as I’m sure my teammates noticed. However, our team did manage to win both games! Yay for us!

Adam O trying to get his team (Andy, Donald, and Brittany) to guess his picture of a blimp, which he had to draw with his eyes closed. Hilarity ensued. And yes, there is a Xena Warrior Princess cutout in the background...

Lacretia and I make up half of the winning Cranium team.

The most awesome Cranium team!

We had so much fun, but were all so incredibly tired when all was said and done. Sunday was spent running a few errands and just relaxing at home. Andy, Cathy, Jabber, and I did stop by the park because it was a beautiful day out. Why wasn’t it so nice on Saturday? I’ll never understand Texas weather! It was a great weekend, and my first St. Patrick’s Day celebration was a blast! However since tomorrow is the actual day, don’t forget to wear green and show off your Irish pride! Oh and click here for more photos…

Jabber is ready for St. Paddy's Day with her festive green beads! No pinching for this dog!

I absolutely love an excuse to dress up. Ever since I was a kid, I donned a reindeer dress (complete with bells on the antlers) for Christmas, an orange and black quilted sweatshirt and pant set for Halloween, a red velvet jumper with pink fuzzy hearts for Valentine’s Day, and the poofiest of poofy pink dresses for Easter (fluffy bunnies not included). Though I think I’ve grown up quite a bit since elementary school, I still get a certain sense of enjoyment getting dolled up for a holiday. Gone are the days of cartoonish characters on my sweatshirts, and I’ve been trying to use basic pieces in an interesting way to get more use out of each item. Realistically, one can only use a glitter Christmas tree sweatshirt for Christmas…though I suppose Arbor Day could still count, but that’s just silly!

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I’ve been keeping my eye out for fashionable green pieces for my wardrobe. Green is not one of my favorite colors, and the lack of any Irish heritage in my blood (What? Angela’s not Irish? Shock! Dismay!) has kept St. Patrick’s Day very low on my list of favorite holidays. But this year, we’re actually planning on going out to celebrate. Leaving me with the dilemma of what to wear to look festive, but staying far away from the lunatic leprechaun category. I really enjoy the following… (but sadly am currently out of expensive clothing funds to invest in anything. I do enjoy seeing what’s out there, not as much as I’d like to wear it, but I figure online shopping is close enough to window shopping)

From the ever wonderful J Crew, though this would be a little cold in the weather we're suffering from right now. And I LOVE the shoes!

Ann Taylor, one of my favorite shops, though I don't think I could pull off the white pants part. I'd just drip salsa or pour ketchup on myself.

And from Nordstroms (which I definitely can't afford) a lovely trench coat...though what I would do with a neon green trench coat after St. Patrick's Day, I'm not sure...

And perhaps some Lanvin shoes from Barney's? Hey, I seem to be on an increasingly expensive trend in this post. Why not Barney's?

And really, why not end this St. Patrick's Day spirited post with a lovely item from Tiffany's? Because come on, if we're going to be extravagant, may as well shop Tiffany's! It's only $83,000, chump change!

I thought about posting this Tiffany’s necklace instead, but let’s be honest, it’s a bit too much jewelery for me and costs more than my house!

Okay, needless to say, my outfit for tomorrow does not include any of these items. I think it’s rather cute, and I’ll be sure to post pictures later on this weekend. And most importantly, I think it will keep me sufficiently warm. Which, looking cute and staying warm do not usually go hand in hand. And just for kicks…

Doesn't this look like a divine dress to spin around in? Of course it's from Bergdorf Goodman's...so keep practicing those perfect spin techniques!

My little sister Cathy drove down from Kansas on Thursday to stay with us for a month. It’s nice to have her around, and we greatly appreciate her company (Jabber in particular). Why has she come for such a long visit? Well, she’s in search for a job…like a lot of the country seems to be as of late. So, if you’re in need of a fabulous graphic designer, please let me know. I have a very talented sister to recommend. (ahem, because I have no shame…click here for portfolio and resume) I’m afraid I don’t know very much about the art field, so I’m not much help to her. But I do what I can!

On Friday, I went downtown and visited my old workplace, UNTHSC. Not normally something I like to do, but it just so happened that Friday was Research Appreciation Day (RAD). Old memories of presenting my poster and abstract resurfaced as I walked around looking at everyone else’s research. I was also there to support all of our graduate student friends. I always like to see what they’re up to and hear about the amazing things they’re trying to accomplish. Call it living vicariously through their research, if you will. Though some of the presentations were a little dry, I did learn a lot throughout the day. Amber, Donald, and Adam O. all won awards for their presentations (the links are to their abstracts, if you’re interested…) Congratulations to all of them, I know they’ve worked hard and deserve all the recognition they receive. So to celebrate, we all headed to M Martini Lounge. There was a little bit of drama with the cocktail waitress and a few spilled drinks, but really…what kind of celebration doesn’t have a little bit of drama? We called it a pretty early night, since we had all had such a long week.

We woke up happily refreshed, sleep has that magic effect on us, and went grocery shopping at the Chinese grocery store with Carrie. We go very infrequently because it’s on the other side of town. However every once in awhile, we make the trek for some delicious frozen dumplings. Now that my freezer is contentedly stocked up, we don’t have to worry about making time to drive to Frisco again for another six months! In the evening, we went and relaxed with our friends in Fort Worth. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! We sat outside on the patio and chatted the night away!

Andy and Cathy enjoying an evening of odd music, drinks, and fantastic company.

Cathy, Brandon and I celebrating Brandon's pre-birthday. The guy is about to turn 24 next week...oh to be 24 again.

Amber, me, and Carrie enjoying a fantastic night...not that I'm trying to rub our nice weather in all you snow covered faces, but it really was fabulous last night.

Today has been a pretty laid back day. We slept in as we always try to do on Sundays, went grocery shopping, did some laundry, finished some light housework, and I’m about to get started on some ironing that I’ve been putting off. Next weekend is going to be the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day celebration and parade. We’ve been invited to join the festivities in Greenville (an area of Dallas, so I’ve been told). I’ve never been to a St. Paddy’s Day party and am looking forward to it. Now I just have to find something green to wear…

I’ve discovered that I am a bit of a fragrance snob. I’m very particular about how something smells. My absolute favorite lotion, Juniper Breeze, was recently discontinued in Bath and Body Works stores. For Christmas this year, Andy very thoughtfully went online and bought me my very own stash of lotion. There’s nothing quite like coming home from a long day at work, opening the bedroom door, and just inhaling the sweet smell of comfort with a hint of Juniper.

Well when I went to Central Market to pick up some flowers for Ashley’s visit last week, I found another scent to add to my prestigious list of favorites. But as a bonus, I also found a new favorite flower, freesias!

The gorgeous freesias and bright cheerful gerbera daisies decorating our kitchen.

I had actually tried to plant some freesia bulbs last year, but since I’m such a horrible gardener they never grew and I eventually forgot about them. Oops. Perhaps I should stick to flowers that are already grown with little to no maintenance required. No matter, walking into the kitchen and smelling my freesias makes me happy. And a happy Angela means an even happier Jabberwocky!

Jabber dog loves freesias too!