No Green Thumb...

I wanted windowsill basil.  That was the only thing I wanted to grow. Just some basil in a pot on the windowsill.  Justin indulged me.  We went to Lowe's. I bought a Thai basil plant and a Sweet basil plant and two planters that awesomely enough were named Ariana.

I had read that they didn't need a bunch of water. I thought they would have enough sun. I thought I would never have to buy overpriced basil again.

I was wrong.

Both plants started to die, wilting before my very eyes. The soil was moist, and the bamboo next to the pots kept growing, but the plants said "pblt" and keeled over.

I tried again.

I bought one more basil plant, this time at my local HEB. It smelled lovely- like hope and promise of yummy basil for years to come.

Hope lasted about a week, before it petered out in the same fashion as the previous two plants. I mourned the whole thing for a few days before I finally threw the plants out.  I would look at them while doing dishes, wondering where did I go so horribly wrong as to not be able to grown a potted plant.

I don't know that I'll try again.  I went through the same thing with pet goldfish when I was younger. I don't think I been the same since.

Midterm Elections...

They're never as exciting as those where we choose the leader of our country. But, you could be voting for someone who might choose to be the leader of our country later down the line.

In Texas we're voting for our Governor. The last Texas Governor went on to become president.

I voted early.  Well on the last day of early voting, I was able to vote where ever.  If you weren't a last-minute-procrastinating-early-voter like me and don't know where you're registered to vote, just ask Google "Where to Vote" and it'll help you out with a handy dandy little box for your address.

Course you gotta know you're registered.  I'm sure Google can lead you to the right place to figure that out too.

Pumpkin Carving…

This is a Halloween tradition that is not for the weak or timid.  It takes precision, patience, and persistence. The use of opposable thumbs. It takes a basic understanding of shapes and an awareness that the end product might look like it was art directed by a youngster learning shapes.

Behold Cyclops Vampire

We'll call him Cy.

Cy is what I did for my office’s pumpkin carving contest.  This is a contest in which you vote for the pumpkin you think is best. I entered my pumpkin because I figured I would help fill out the field.  There had been a rumor going around that not a lot of people were going to enter pumpkins because they were too busy at work.  Needless to say given the field of entries mine wasn’t the best.

So, my “cannot-tell-a-lie-with-a-single-bone-in-my-body” self did not vote for Cy. Poor Cy.

Here were the winners:

Third:

Uncarved

Second:

PacMan going for the Ghost.

First:

Tiffany Lamp

This wasn’t the only round of carving this year.  We went over to a friend’s place Saturday night and everyone brought pizza and pumpkins.  We all carved a pumpkin and ate the toasted seeds (which reminds me I have seeds that still need toasting).

Here’s the family photo:

Top row left to right: Dan's Life and Times of Time Character, My Scaredy Goofball, Lisa's Traditional

Bottom row left to right: Carrie's Owl, My Justin's Silly Guy, Sara's Voldemort, Carrie's Justin's Angry Baby Pumpkin, Jamie's Snarky Guy

Fun was had by all, though it was decided that pumpkin carving is some ridiculously hard work and it’s a good thing people are only expected to do it once a year.

You don't have to be a butter artist...

To have turkey shaped butter on your Thanksgiving table. You just have to head to the Alon HEB to stock up. Cause it is for sale right now.

 
It was so amazing I snapped this picture with my cell phone. I wish I made this stuff up. They make lamb and Christmas tree shaped butter too.

Austin City Limits 2010...

This was our first time to go to Austin City Limits (ACL). We lived in Austin for 3 years and it never happened. 

We bought our tickets almost a year in advance, months before the line-up was announced, and booked our hotel obsessively early too.

We brought the sunscreen, the backpack chairs and the CamelBak. 

We enjoyed 21 hours of music over 2.5 days:

My poor attempt of taking a pic of Holly and myself.

Friday 10.08.10

• The Black Keys
• Beach House
• Spoon
• Vampire Weekend
• The Strokes
• Phish

The stage where LCD Soundsystem, Muse, REK & more played.

Saturday 10.09.10

• The Very Best
• Bear in Heaven
• The Gaslight Anthem
• Black Lips
• Silversun Pickups
• The xx
• LCD Sunsystem
• Deadmau5
• Muse

The stage where the Strokes & Phish played.

Sunday 10.10.10

• Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
• Blind Pilot
• Portugal. The Man
• Lance Herbstrong
• Robert Earl Keen
• Rebelution
• The Flaming Lips
• The National
• The Eagles

We saw sunrise.

We drank beer. 

We hung out with friends.

We had a blast.

 We're doing it again next year.  

Tickets purchased.  Room booked.  CamelBak readied.

Tempus Fugit...

Or as I typed it into google to get the Latin Translation that I should have known- Time Flies.

I cannot believe how quickly this month has flown by.

10/03/2010 We saw Daniel Tosh when he came through town on his "World Tour"
10/07-09/2010 We spent approximately 21 hours, not including travel time, watching awesome bands perform at ACL (Austin City Limits- not the body part)
10/13-17/10 Spent some time in San Francisco and Napa celebrating my best friend's 30th (it's creeping up on me) birthday

I have pics from everything but Tosh- for fear of lashings from a volunteer usher- those people are serious at the Majestic Theatre when they say no pictures.  And the smarties who defy them with their phones and cameras flashing deserve what's coming to them.

Tonight is JLSA Ole Preview Party!  My mom and a bunch of friends are going and I am super psyched that so many people are willing to buy a ticket to support JLSA so that they can do a little bit of shopping.

Wookie! is still a horse.  That is the one thing that didn't change.  Actually, he is bigger.

Naked Kitties...

Well, more accurately collarless.  Timmy removed his collar about 1 month ago and I know where it is, but really he'll just get out of it again.  Timmy and the collar is a constant tug-of-war.  So this is no surprise.

Turtle on the other hand is the "good" kitty and usually has her collar on.  Last night however, I noticed it was missing. And I have NO idea where it is.

Then this morning, they are running around after each other like wild kitties making crazy kitty noises.  This happens on occasion, but while they are collarless they seem especially crazy.

Crazy, naked kitties.