more bluebonnets and dogs.

i'm sorry i just cannot seem to get enough of this lovely spring weather and our sweet pups having a field day in it.  we took them to walnut creek again this weekend, with a camera this time.  if possible, this weekend was even prettier.  they did not want to behave and sit calmly for any portraits, but i think we got some pretty hilarious action shots that capture our little adventure.  

i'm also posting a couple pictures of the chickens in a planter.  we have a long, skinny window-box type planter with nothing planted in it right now.  the chickens think flinging the dirt in there around is a great time.  

garden update #1

so, things in the spring garden are really growing, so far.  i think it's a combination of fresh rain water (jb is so diligent, and it is because of him that the plants are all still alive....), functional temperatures (nights in the 50s, days in the 70s = perfection), and chicken poop.  jb dressed everything with a healthy amount of chicken business last weekend, and we've really seen some great growth since then.  i really hope the weather stays spring-ish (as opposed to summer-ish) for a while longer so we can actually reap the benefits of all this work.  here are some pics from this afternoon:

(valley girl tomato plant - one of eight tomato plants we're growing this year....)

(one of our heirloom varieties - i think we have three total, out of the eight tomatoes)

(eggplant - you can see the pole beans in the background)

(squash)

(habanero pepper - we're growing like 6 different types of peppers, too)

(tomatillo, one of two)

(pumpkins!  from seed....)

(watermelon, one of three)

(bluebonnets - these aren't in our garden, but they're in our yard)

happy weekend!

hoppy easter....

for the record, i have always hated the phrase "hoppy easter".  i think it's ridiculous.  but somehow, i also now find it hilarious and like to use it in jest.

this is obviously a few days late, but we had a great day for easter, and an awesome weekend in general.  friday, we had w&d over for steaks and got to sit on the back porch for dinner.  the back porch dinner is the thing i love the most about austin, and this time of year is the most exceptional for it.  saturday, jb did a long bike ride.  he's training for the shiner ride - a 100 mile bike ride to shiner, texas.  he did it last year, and i think he's kind of crazy, but also awesome.  anyway...last year there was not a lot of training but he still made it.  this year, despite every single one of our friends bailing on doing it with him, he's put in lots of training rides and been doing strength training.  i'm quite proud.

anyway...when he got back from his ride, we took the pups to walnut creek park for a hike and a picnic.  it was, yet again, absolutely gorgeous out.  the bluebonnets are in full bloom everywhere right now, which is gorgeous.  the dogs got to romp through fields of flowers and cool off in the creek.  it was etta's first time swimming, and she's not quite sure about it yet.  she's also not sure about bikers, and she let them all know by standing behind me and barking at them.  she's quite ferocious.  i can't take credit for this picture since we forgot the camera, but this is a good representation (and it's from walnut creek, this year).

on easter sunday, we went to mass with several friends at st. austin's on campus.  it was a really good service, and the priest there is full of energy and really nice.  then, we all went to brunch at z tejas.  always delicious.  i spent the afternoon working on a paper for school (less than 3 weeks left!), and then we went to c&r's for gumbo.  all in all, the only downside was not having a few extra days to hang out and relax.  it's time for a real vacation....

the virtue of happiness.

i came across this editorial yesterday, and i was super intrigued by it.  the gist of it is the sandra bullock conundrum.  if you could have the pinnacle of professional success, only to find out a week or so later that your significant other has been philandering with 11 different other women (that we know about), would you make that trade?


of course, my answer, and the consensus of the studies cited in the article is a resounding no.  i've always felt, i guess on a gut level, that you can't quantify (monetarily) domestic contentedness.  i mean, it would always be nice to make a little more cash, to have a little more breathing room.  but never at the expense of my marriage, family, and home life.


a couple of interesting factoids from the article: "joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income....being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year."  


anyway...as you go on about your day, think about the areas where you really are fortunate, and realize that even though money may stress you out, you're much happier than you might even realize.  

how does your garden grow?

warning: picture overload of garden delights.  we (let's face it, really jb) have worked super hard the last several weeks getting the yard and garden ready for planting our spring treats.  though we're not totally done, it's well on its way.  have i mentioned how excited i am to be done with school so i can play in the yard all the time?  super excited.  anyway...i don't have pictures of everything, but below are just some of the things growing in the yard right now.

what edible items we're growing (so far):
cucumbers
tomatoes (lots of types)
tomatillo
peppers (lots of types)
watermelon
squash
pole beans
bush beans
eggplant
about a million types of herbs, including a jb vs. me contest on who's herb pot is the cutest

still leftover from winter garden:
swiss chard
lettuce
onions
green garlic

(last of the broccoli)

(lettuce/chard)

(mustard greens)

(head of lettuce bigger than jb's head)

(the new beds - better growth shots coming soon)

(jb's chicken coop masterpiece - i don't think i'd ever posted a pic of this)

(rain barrels and gutters make watering fun)

(happy pansies - we have LOTS of flowers right now and i love all the color)

(one of our little helpers....)

i'm kind of awesome.

i know this might not seem all that impressive, but i just peeled an orange all in one piece, using just my fingers.  i feel pretty awesome about it.

march madness.

like all good things, this past weekend came to an end much too soon.  it was the first full weekend of exclusively glorious weather, and we totally soaked it up.  i think we ate every meal outdoors the entire 2.5 days.  we also planted one whole bed of the new raised beds jb had constructed a couple weeks ago.  tomatoes, tomatillo, several peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and pole beans in that one.  pictures are on the other computer, so i'll try to post them later tonight.  we should have the other bed ready to go by the end of this weekend as well - i think some of the same types of plants, maybe pumpkin or some melons too.  i am so unbelievably ready for the end of school (4 weeks!) so i can spend my evenings lazing in the gardens, watching the dogs frolic and the lightning bugs come to town.

while indoors, we spent a lot of time watching the insanity that is march madness this year.  my goodness i have never done so poorly on my brackets in all my life.  that being said, it's been a blast to watch all the super-close games and upsets.  there is just something about an underdog team.  let's just hope one of the many underdogs left in the final four can whip duke.

finally, it was the one-year wedding anniversary of our close friends w&d.  they were out of town to celebrate, but i wanted to give them a shout out anyway.  their wedding last year was gorgeous and an absolute blast.  many happy returns to them.  here's a picture of me and jb at the event.  it's also probably the last time he and i were in a photo together at the same time - pitiful.

holy deliciousness.

jb and i eat fish tacos a lot.  it is seriously one of our favorite dinners, now that we know how amazingly delicious they are.  i think we ate our first fish tacos a little over a year or so ago, and i am so sad that i missed out on nearly 28 years of fish taco delight.

so anyway...tonight, we made some and they were particularly tasty, so we wanted to write it down for posterity.

- tilapia filets, blackening spices, broiled for 13 minutes (7 then 6)
- guacamole with cilantro and purple onion, salt, lime, lime zest, pepper, served on a bed of homegrown lettuce
- black beans sauteed with onions, cumin, cholula, salt, and pepper
- cotija cheese - the coup d'etat of the whole experience
- blue corn tortilla chips
- fresh cilantro and tomatillo salsa for garnish
- whole wheat central market tortillas
- cholula to taste

if we hadn't been so hungry, we might have taken a picture.  maybe next time....

here's to your health.

note: the following post is political.  it's also really long.  if you think you don't want to read an opinion that might be different than yours, i suggest you bypass this one.  i'll be back to posting about pups and austin weather tomorrow.

today, the president signs the health care legislation that passed in the house this weekend into law.  above and beyond anything else, i am so happy to see that something is being done.  do i believe this bill (law) is the answer to every issue on the matter?  not in any capacity.  but i do think it's a step in the right direction, a step towards progress, a step towards action instead of sitting around finger-pointing and complaining about how everything is going to crap but not offering a single suggestion (other than "not that crazy socialist plan!" and other such exclamatory buzz words that don't actually mean anything).  i am disappointed there hasn't been any sign of bipartisan efforts, but i am not surprised.  some people just don't play well with others.

regardless....i think, to paraphrase the wise words of my friend dr. c, the government has a few basic responsibilities: to protect us, to educate us, and to enable us to pursue life.  the us government has done a pretty good job of the protection (even if i'm not always crazy about the methodology).  it's done a piss-poor job of the education (don't even get me started), by and large (consider the wealth and opportunity in this country, then take a look at the comment posters on ANY website.  wow.).  and it's been a mockery when it comes to ensuring the RIGHT (constitutionally-given) of every citizen to pursue life, liberty, and happiness (healthiness?).

anyway....this legislation attempts to mend the path for all people to be able to afford their own healthcare.  will there be a burden on some of us?  certainly.  is there already, and wouldn't it be increasingly oppressive if we did nothing?  to be sure.  i have seen some egregious commentary (oh, facebook) about illegal immigrants and racial minorities sucking off the system.  it's a painful reminder that even though the civil rights movement happened 50 years ago, some people just still aren't moving.  my first response to this is: do you think these people aren't going to get healthcare somehow/some way if they really need it?  have you heard of the hippocratic oath?  the drain on the emergency room system comes from the same pockets as any tax burden this legislation will apply.  my subsequent response, and my gut feeling about all of this is: why is it that you deserve to be well taken care of?  is it just because you always have been?  does someone who has not had the fortune to be in your or my shoes deserve to have to fight tooth and nail for a pinch of the luxuries and "rights" that we take for granted?  just because they are poor?  or not as intelligent?  or less educated?  i think it's really easy to cite examples of the leeches - those people who feed off of our hard-earned tax dollars, giving a bad name to everyone that happens to be down-trodden.  it's just as easy to cite examples of the aristocrats who thumb their noses and their bibles at the less fortunate, maybe because they can't possibly fathom not having the silver spoon stuck in their pompous mouths.  what happened to compassion for everyone?  what happened to loving your brothers?  i'm pretty sure your bible has a few things to say about that.

before i get more heated or my words more inflammatory (i'm not innocent in the exclamatory language department), i will close with a summary one of my professors did of healthcare, in general.  for the record, this guy is brilliant.  he's a lawyer and an MBA.  one of the few people i know who really, actually sits on both sides of the fence (i really hate that fence....let's tear it down).  his blog can be found here.  this is a transcript:

It seems like there are two issues: the availability of healthcare for people who can’t afford it and the rising cost of healthcare.


Below, I’ve summarized three articles.  The first article that I read discussed the costs of healthcare from a macro perspective.  The second article is simply a summary of the likely healthcare reform bill.  The third discusses how the specific bill will be paid for.


Article 1: There’s a great (short) article about the cost of healthcare hampering our competitiveness.  Here’s the link:
Article 1 Link


The key ideas are:

1. Health insurance premiums and employee contributions averaged $12,860 per family in 2008.
2. The US spent 17.6% of GDP on health care in 2009 (more than double the percentages of Japan, Britain, Italy and Australia).
3. As a percentage of GDP, health care spending has more than doubled over the past 30 years.  It is forecast to double again by 2035, reaching 31%!
4. Healthcare is hurting competitiveness.  For example, it adds $1,500 – $2,000 to each GM car.
5. Businesses are affected in three ways: (A) paying for employee health insurance; (B) indirectly subsidizing Medicare and Medicaid via income taxes; and (C) subsidizing America’s uninsured by paying higher insurance premiums.
6. One study argued that the industries with the highest levels of employer-paid healthcare showed the slowest growth from 1987 – 2005 (manufacturing, education and finance).
7. Since 1999, employer contributions have increased 119% while employee contributions have increased 117%.
8. Americans are increasingly making job decisions based on benefits.  This may make people shun entrepreneurial start-ups.
9. Healthcare will be less affordable when it is 31% of GDP and we will lose even more competitiveness.

10. Some studies argue that even though we spend more, the health of Americans is worse than many other countries.  (I don’t know how much of this is related to obesity, wealth and stress.  I can tell you that when I’m sick, the last thing that will go through my mind is that I want to go outside of the US.)

11. We need legislation that will stop the increasing cost of healthcare costs.


Article 2: WSJ article summarizes impact of healthcare legislation.

Article 2 Link


Realize that most of these benefits will occur within the year, but this is assuming that the Senate bill also includes them:

1. Insurance companies would no longer be able to cancel enrollees’ policies because they get sick.
2. No more lifetime caps on policies’ payouts.
3. Children could stay on their parents’ insurance policies until their 26^th birthday.
4. New insurance plans would have to cover the full cost of certain preventive care and exempt such care from deductible payments.  (This wouldn’t apply to existing policies until 2018.)
5. The government would create an ombudsman to help reconcile contested medical bills.
6. Starting in 2014, insurance companies could no longer exclude adults because of pre-existing conditions.  (This will start in 2010 for children.)  Until 2014, the government will set up high-risk pools to help these adults buy coverage.
7. Starting in 2014, a family of four earning up to $30K will be eligible for Medicaid.
8. For a family of four earning more than $30K but less than $88K, there will be tax credits so that the family spends no more than 9.5% of the income on coverage.  (This scales up from 3% to 9.5% as salaries rise from $30K to $88K).
9. Starting in 2014, Americans will be required to carry health insurance or they will be fined.  By 2016, the fine will reach 2.5% of income.  Of course, that is still much cheaper than health insurance for most Americans.

10. Small businesses (fewer than 25 employees and average annual wages of less than $50K) would be eligible for tax credits to cover up to 35% of their insurance premiums.

11. Companies with more than 50 workers will have to pay a $2K assessment per worker if any of their workers get a tax credit to buy coverage.

12. Companies with more than 200 employees will have to enroll all employees automatically in their health insurance plans (although they could opt out).


Article 3: I also read an article on CNN discussing the costs.

Article 3 Link

1. The plan will cost $940 billion over ten years to provide expanded coverage (per the CBO).
2. The House plan could reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first ten years.
3. Over the following decade, this could reduce the deficit by $1 trillion.  Of course, we have no idea how this will play out, how the costs will increase or how the coverage will be amended over the years.
4. The long-term deficit reduction comes from Medicare ($500 billion) and new tax revenue ($438 billion).

The same article described where some of the money would come from:

1. Medicare tax on high-income households ($200K individual; $250K couples).  ($210 billion)
   
   
   A. Medicare payroll tax is currently 2.9% on all wages (employer and employee each paying 1.45%).  High wage individuals will pay 2.35% of wages.
   B. In addition, high-income earners will also be taxed on dividends, interest and rent income – 3.8%.
   2. Excise tax on insurers offering high-cost health insurance plans. ($149 billion)
   3. Penalties for those who don’t get coverage. ($17 billion)
   4. Taxes on employers if they don’t provide coverage and their employees qualify for federal subsidies.  ($52 billion)
   5. Fees on health care companies (drug makers, medical device makers and insurers).  The idea is that these business will profit from the new customers.  ($107 billion)
   6. Trim various health-related tax breaks.  There would be an additional 20% penalty for non-health withdrawals from health savings accounts; a $2,500 limit to flexible health spending accounts; higher limits before you could deduct medical expenses.  ($29 billion)
   7. Create a new long-term care insurance program where you must pay for five years before you can get benefits.  As a result of this set-up, this will reduce the deficit by $70 billion.  Of course, that’s absurd.  It’s like selling insurance to someone that is only good five years from now and counting all premiums as profit.  ($70 billion)

rainy day saturday.

this entire week has been gorgeous, 70-degree, breezy, sunny weather but at around 6 this morning, all of that changed.  i woke up because of the lightning and i got really excited because it's been a while since we've had a good storm around here.  jb was happy to go back to bed for a while, so i drank some hot tea and watched the rain and replied to emails.  it's not raining anymore, but the day is still overcast and super windy.  it's also about 40 degrees now, which means we will not be getting our spring veggies into beds today.  oh, well, what can you do?

we've opted to go out for a light lunch, play some NES (jb discovered his old nintendo and got it working again....as if we didn't have enough gaming devices in this house....), spend gift cards at wal-mart (i remember again why i don't frequent that store), and take some naps.  not the most productive of days, but it's been really awesome.

we also found some bunny ears and tried them on the dogs, to get them in the easter spirit.  i never thought i would be one of those people who put hats and stuff on my dogs, but my gosh it's so cute.

anyway...a final note: if you don't remember bubble bobble, it's the best game of all time ever.

swiss chard and other garden delights

i should have taken a picture of the actual plants that we grew this year, but we plucked and ate them last thursday.  and, let me tell you, they were delicious.  chard is an interesting plant, for sure, but the heartiness of the green is really satisfying.  and let's face it, what's not delicious when sauteed with a lil olive oil and garlic?  even if it wasn't tasty, i would probably want to continue to grow chard.  it's so pretty with its big waxy leaves and colorful stems.  love that.

this weekend was not long enough at all, especially after losing that precious hour to daylight savings time. i have no idea why we've moved to daylight savings in the middle of march now, but i am not a fan.  waking up at 6 (which my brain thought was 5) this morning wasn't pleasant either.  regardless, we did get quite a few things done this weekend.  jb and i headed out to the natural gardener, our favorite place, and picked up some tomato plants, peppers, and a couple eggplants.  we also shoveled our own dirt from their hill country mix and bagged 5 big bags full.  that will get us maybe a third of the way through our first new raised bed (that jb built yesterday as well), so i guess that means more trips to the natural gardener!

we also managed to have some fun as well.  our friends a&c hosted their second annual national potato chip day party.  c imported 25 types of chips from around the world and we tasted and ranked and guessed at them.  a even made potato chip cookies, which were delicious.  jb should be making a video to commemorate that event, so look for that on future posts.
one more thing i can't neglect to write about: our friend m made homemade pizza for us last night.  he made the crust and sauce from scratch, and my favorite of the pies had pancetta, potatoes, gruyere, and rosemary on it.  seriously, even having had pizza in italy, new york, and chicago, these were among the best pies i've ever ever had.  well done, mister doctor.

more movie reviews...

while this might not be super interesting for many people (not that there are many people that read this, but regardless), jb and i have been on quite the little movie jag lately, and i like to keep track of our viewings and thoughts about them.  this week, we managed to have two movie nights at home, which was such a treat.  i have been super duper sleepy lately, so it's been nice to have these laid back nights.  anyway...on with the reviews.

inglorious basterds: i never saw the original, but i was quite impressed with tarrantino's remake.  his films are normally super violent, and this one was no exception, but i thought he exercised some discretion with the violence for once.  it was also very fitting for the story, which was powerful and well written.  i'm a sucker for a strong female character (not to mention the french language), and this movie had both in spades.  the acting was remarkable, the mise en scene well thought-out.  it was really really long (like 2 hours, 40 minutes or something?), so maybe they could have made some more liberal choices with the editing, but i was never bored or anxious for the movie to be over.  certainly worth seeing, regardless of what you think of mr. quentin's other work.

sunshine cleaning: we watched this last night and i was pretty much in tears for half of it.  it was so touching and well-acted, i just couldn't help myself.  amy adams is a gem and i will gladly watch her in anything she is ever in.  emily blunt is also fantastic, and this role was no exception for her either.  i would have loved some more screen time for alan arkin, who i find hilarious and perfect in movies like this.  but all in all, just so so so good.  the script was beautiful, the story simple and character-driven.  i find myself thinking about the people still, today, and if that's not the hallmark of a good movie, i don't know what is.

anyway...i hope we continue on this little bout of movie-watching for a while.  i am loving it.

the envelope please....

tonight is oscar night and for the third year in a row we will head to our friends; m&j's house for delicious italian food, oscar smack-talking, and prizes in every category.  the hosts go all out and it's a great time.  jb has won the last two years in a row, so he's looking for a three-peat.
last night we went to see alice in wonderland in 3D at the alamo.  it was rather disappointing, especially because i normally like johnny depp and tim burton's weirdo brain is always at least entertaining on the big screen.  not so much the case this time.  redeeming factors: alice was a good choice, helena bonham carter was the highlight of the whole movie.  the story was at least moderately interesting in its attempt to tie together the more traditional take with this version.
other than that, we are just taking it easy.  hoping to get the spring vegetable garden planted over the next week or two, so i will post pictures.  enjoying the slightly warmer weather we're seeing.
more news later.

spring in central texas.

is totally nuts.  this was our backyard one week ago.  today, 60 degrees and clear blue skies.  i don't get it, and it's given me a ridiculous cough/cold situation that i hate.  but, i can taste the beauty of the early spring in austin, and i know it's halfway here.  bring on the backyard dinners and extended outdoor brunches!

five thoughts: olympic edition

here are my random thoughts upon the end of the 2010 winter olympics, in no particular order.

5.  vancouver: if at any point in time you were looking at the footage of the vancouver skyline with its lights and the water and the clear skies and you DIDN'T think, holy cow i could totally move to canada like, tomorrow, then you are not me.  i thought the canadians in general were gracious and delightful.  they won lots of golds, which is cool, and a huge boon when you're the hosting country.  i have a lot of odd fondness for canadia (i think they should change their name), and it was in all ways reaffirmed by this olympics.

4.  apolo ohno: i'm all for competition.  my mom will tell you i am rabid in my own right, and i'll admit i've been a bad sport on more than one occasion (we all have things we're working on, and i do think i'm getting much better about this).  but dude, apolo ohno did not go out with grace.  after pushing the canadian and being disqualified (a move that i completely understand, actually.  i mean, he had no chance of being on the podium, so he did what he thought he needed to do and hoped to not get caught.), he was interviewed about whether or not he agreed with the call.  at that point, he made accusations to the judges that there were home-field advantages and he thought he shouldn't have been DQed.  honestly, i would have had more respect for him if he had just admitted to just buckling under the pressure and moved on.  also, i think he needs to shave the ridiculous flavor saver.  that thing is a terrible idea for his face.

3.  ice skating: lots of people talk smack about ice skating because of the ridiculous outfits and the general flamboyancy of it all.  i think these people should try to hold their leg out parallel to the floor for 5 seconds, just while standing on normal ground.  that is hard, people.  try doing it at high speeds, on the thin blade of a skate.  don't even get me started on the jumping and spinning.

2.  general laziness: the two week period of the olympics accounted for more television watching than i do in the rest of the year combined.  this is both my favorite and least favorite thing about the olympics.  being cuddled up on the couch with the dogs and cat and blankets and jb, watching people do stuff that i will never ever be able to do is awesome.  feeling my muscles atrophy after being such a lazy bum, not so awesome.

1.  curling: never has such a random activity provoked the social response that curling has.  seriously, people cannot stop talking about it.  including jb, who is pretty sure he missed his calling to be an olympic curler.  it's kind of boring, but somehow you just cannot turn away.  i personally just want a pair of those random shoes that let you do the walk/slide on the ice.

procrastination

i have some accounting homework i should be doing, as well as some asinine book to read for my capstone class (my prof wrote it and 40% of our grade is participation, but in an mba class, that amounts to lots of people regurgitating the same stuff because they like to hear themselves speak).  but i ran this morning (100 minutes of running!) and it's overcast and chilly out and i just really want to nap with my pets and watch the olympics.
instead of napping or doing homework, though, i will take this brief opportunity to review a few things.  i have opinions, and i like to voice them.  so, here goes.
crazy heart, the movie.  jeff bridges is good, but i don't know how un-jeff bridges he is in this movie.  the song writing is good, even if you're not the world's biggest country fan, which i'm not.  the story is anti-climactic, but held together by a level of refreshing optimism.  there is hope, people can change.  too late doesn't necessarily mean too little, all that.  fundamentally, this is a little movie that wasn't trying to be anything but that.  i like that about it, but now that it's become all hyped up and whatnot, i don't know that it really rises to the occasion.  though a little slow-moving, there's nothing to really despise about the movie, which tells me maybe they played it a little too safe.
valentine's day, the movie.  i could say a lot of this about valentine's day the day too, but this was one of the most trite, sickly sweet busts of a romantic comedy that i've ever seen.  i love cheesy movies - i swear i have several of them memorized.  but this, this is beyond bad.  the acting is horrendous.  the stories are too perfectly and obnoxiously woven together to be even remotely believable or enjoyable (you can't even suspend disbelief, that's how bad they are).  even the token kid, who is always a redeeming character, was annoying and written so poorly.  i think they might have paid monkeys to write this script.  it is possibly the most base level of character development i've seen in a movie, ever.  don't waste your $7, or risk your husband's ire by forcing him to see this with you (i, fortunately, went with several girlfriends, so even though it was bad, it was still entertaining and super fun to be with friends).
the soloist, the movie.  we just received this via netflix.  jb is a classically trained cellist.  the folks in the movie, not so much.  so, we are biased.  the story is compelling, but should have stayed a news feature.  we both fell asleep before the end, and had no desire to watch the rest.
contra, the album by vampire weekend.  i cannot say enough positive things about vampire weekend's sophomore effort.  i also cannot believe i just wrote sophomore effort.  but anyway...it's great.  hints of a paul simon influence, maybe some fab 80s dance hits, refreshingly mixed with their signature drum lines and clever (albeit sometimes hard to understand) lyrics.  i loved the first album, but the diversity and evolution they display with contra has completely wowed me.

i think that's it for now.  we're going to see shutter island tonight, so stay tuned.  also, we're not drinking for lent, so there will probably be several movie reviews forthcoming.

dat tuesday.

mardi gras, party gras!  i am starting to be very excited by the concept of each passing holiday/event as my "last" event while in grad school.  the last superbowl while in grad school, the last mardi gras we can't make it to specifically because i have class on tuesday nights.  9-ish (maybe more like 10-ish?) weeks left of class, and man is it flying by.  i am sure i will feel some nostalgia, but for now, i am just so so so ready for it to all be done.
in other news, i haven't blogged in some time.  the world has changed during this time, in that the saints are the superbowl champions.  holy hell, it's like the crazy awesomest turn of events ever.  anyway...drew brees has become even more of a statewide hero/legend, and for once in my memory, the media his focusing positive energy and attention on my home state.  i love it.  it's the first time i've ever really missed living there and being a part of the culture and the shared experience.  i always love going back and being with the fam and all of that, but this was the first time i've felt an ache to be a part of it again.  anyway...i digress.
we've done several pretty major projects in the yard and around the house.  pictures will be forthcoming.  but things are starting to look good and organized, and that makes me very happy.  the chickens got a new coop, courtesy of jb, and they're not too thrilled about their new life in captivity.  i think it's hilarious that our chickens have tasted the good life and are now all ornery about having to stay in their deluxe coop during the week.  they will still free range on weekends, but we're trying to mitigate the poop situation, and this is the route we're going.
i think jb and i are going to give up booze for 6 weeks and see how that goes.  not that we're crazy drinkers or anything, but i think it will help us kick start our get back into shape plan, and be a good exercise in self-restraint.  i have thought about giving up cheese for a little while too, but i don't know that i want to set myself up for failure in such a way.....i've been running lots more, and there's only so much deprivation and restraint a single gal can handle, right?
i guess that's all for now.  brief shout out to my homegirl, n, who found out yesterday her first baby will be a girl.  exciting times, all around.

snuggies

i never liked people who dressed up their pets.  i thought it was terrible and demeaning.  but that was before i saw how cute etta james looks in a snuggie.

project

my cousin made this and posted it on her blog, so i decided to try one.  other than the fact that i am incompetent with a staple gun (and we should have gotten shorter staples so they didn't go through), i think it turned out pretty cute.  definitely a more polished look than dorm-room-chic in our office.  sorry for the poor photo quality, it was an iphone snapshot before work.

a letter...

dear goat cheese,

you are so delicious in my mouth.  thank you for spreading so nicely on bread but also crumbling delightfully into salads and becoming a creamy delight in pasta.  i love how you can be so sweet when paired with dried cranberries.  i love your fiery side when you complement jalapenos.  nothing else can make toasted walnuts or pecans or almonds taste so toasty and wonderful.  i treasure the time we've spent together, and look forward to each chance meeting we may have.  thank you, goat cheese, you really know how to push my buttons.

love,
piper.

and the winner is...

i completely forgot to mention that ollie won a holiday photo contest for the picture we took for our christmas card this year.  the contest was through earthdog, which is a fabulous place to get earth-friendly gear for your pup.  ollie's signature blue collar and leash are from there.
anyway, the prize was a donation of $100 to a pet charity of my choice, so of course i chose blue dog.  they do great work and have given us two awesome pups.  clearly, ollie's cuteness speaks for itself.
oh, click on the title of this post to see the announcement.

why puppies are awesome

so Etta is a climber...

doing yoga with dogs.

in my attempts to sort of try to get back into something that resembles decent shape, i decided to do yoga this morning.  i used to practice ashtanga semi-regularly back before jb and i started dating seriously, but when i started running more, i fell off the yoga wagon...and even when i wasn't running so much, i didn't really pick the yoga back up.  anyway, it's something i really really enjoy, but it's an expensive hobby to have, so i downloaded a practice on itunes and tried to follow the instructor's verbal directions.  it was moderately successful - i can certainly do the vinyasas and warrior pose, etc.  the practice was from a studio i've never been to, so there were definitely some series in there that i wasn't familiar with.
in addition to my general out-of-shapeness and my lack of familiarity with some of the yoga business, i also had the dogs inside.  they were very interested in participating in yoga, particularly young etta james.  ollie kept trying to share his bone with me and my mat.  hilarious.  it's not super easy to focus on your breath when you're laughing because a dog is laying on your face while you prepare for a backbend.  good dogs.

um.

i am tinkering with the way this whole thing looks. please excuse the baby poop colors. this will be normal again soon.

little engine

when i was a kid, my parents read the little engine that could to me, frequently. i think it was partially because the author is watty piper, and partially because the message is great for a little kid who's trying to learn to do so many new and challenging things. the world is daunting and disappointing, but a positive attitude and a belief that you can do it will combat anything, right? so says watty.

fast forward to my adult life. i do actually still think i can, believe it or not. i am 5'4" (this is the truth, though i add 1-2 inches for posterity) but i think i can reach the stuff on the high shelves. i am klutzy, but i think i can run and exercise and take care of myself in a way that is satisfying, if not on the level of a naturally gifted athlete. i am busy and overcommitted and stressed most of the time, but i think i can be a good friend/wife/daughter/eventual mother/citizen. i think i can have and do and be it all. i really think i can. even if sometimes i flip out and get overrun by fear and negative thoughts, at the heart of it....i think i can. haha.

i guess all this positive energy and can-do attitude has permeated my behaviour in some way. so much so that at some untraceable point over the course of our marriage, jb has started calling me little engine, sort of as a pet name. he calls me this when i try to lift 80-lb bags of concrete on my own even though he's standing right there, and when i ask him to reach something for me as i'm crawling onto a counter to reach it myself anyway. he calls me that when i stretch myself too thin and overcommit and refuse to drop anything or let anyone down.

it's my favorite nickname ever.

new year, new leaf.

new years always bring out a pile of lists and endeavors to be better at things. things like organizing and eating healthily and taking care of body mind spirit intellect. i'm a little slow on endeavoring so far this year, but i'll get there.

this weekend was my last free weekend before my last semester of grad school. i'm going to louisiana solo this weekend to see the parents and pick up a couple of christmas gifts that couldn't fit into our overly-stuffed, dog-filled car during the holiday trek. anyway...we managed to get several things done this weekend. i cleaned out all the bathroom cabinets and organized all of that, as well as the desk drawer. then jb hung book shelves high up in the office and the bedroom and we got rid of this massive ikea bookshelf that was taking up half the office. geez i have a crap load of books. so, things are somewhat more organized, or at least on their way to being so.

etta james is getting bigger ever minute and is the sweetest and most precocious little pup. she loves ollie and follows him around, eagerly awaiting his attention. he's adjusting well to her presence, though he's not 100% back to normal yet. i think we need to get on a more disciplined pattern with both dogs, but it's been fun nevertheless.

the past week was insanely cold - a low of 16 one night, in the twenties the others. we put the chickens into a rubbermaid container and brought them inside because we thought they might not make it huddled in their coop along. hopefully it's a tad warmer this week so i can run a few times....

holidays on ice (and snow).

well, it's 2010. we've made it. i don't really know what that means, but there are lots of cool things to anticipate this year. my graduation, some friends having babies, projects, trips, jb turning 30....it's going to be a fun year, i think.

the vacation time this year was different, but still really good. we passed on louisiana - only my second non-louisiana christmas ever. instead, we drove to my uncle's in dallas, where my family met us (me, jb, and the 2 pups). we spent 3 days 2 nights there, mostly eating a ton of some crazy delicious food and watching the snow dump. first white christmas ever! it was beautiful, if ridiculously cold. all in all, a very fun gathering with the fam. nice gifts, good chats, and a few quality board game throw downs. my uncle also happens to live on a lake (his suburb is called the colony) and there is a sweet path all around it that was awesome for morning walks with ollie.

we left christmas night to drive to wichita to hang with jb's family, hoping to miss traffic and be rested for family picture day on saturday. bad idea jeans. the weather was bad all over i-35, apparently, and okc had been absolutely blasted by snow and ice on christmas eve. there were several very treacherous stretches of road, but jb's remarkable driving skills pulled through again, and we made it safely to the cozy basement at his mom's house. nevermind that it took 7 hours instead of 4....

anyway, wichita was a good time. the little dog and the big dog liked romping through all the snow in the parks near jb's house. freaking precious. we ate tons more good food, and got to spend some quality time with the crew, including our nephew maddox.

we made it home in (slightly) better weather and buckled down to get the house ready for our first new years eve party. lots of work, lots of fun, and i think we're going to pass on hosting another one next year. i also mixed a few too many types of cocktails, so new years day was a very rough experience for me. not the best way to start a new decade, but what can you do?

we are full of high hopes and aspirations for 2010: more vegetables, more running, less t.v., less clutter. lots of other ideas and resolutions too, but...that somewhat sums it up.

the new baby

this is just a super quick post to introduce etta james browne, the newest member of the family browne. she is a precious little angel, and details about how she came to join our little zoo and how my husband is the awesomest person of all time will be forthcoming.

eat your greens

in the infamous words of wesley willis, i am sorry that i got fat, i will slim down. in all seriousness, the browne family has been very lacking in the health department of late. before this summer (yes, i know that was a long time ago), we cooked all the time. vegetables and fish and lean meats and whole grains and goodness. we also exercised. not excessively, and not like we never cheated, never ate anything bad for us or whatever, but we both made it to the gym at least 3-5 times a week, took walks, and were often found to be engaged in push up contests.

flash forward to now, when we eat anything and everything we want (this usually equates to cheeseburgers) and i haven't been to the gym really since july. woops. how does this happen?

anyway. in an effort to reverse this unfortunate trend, i just signed us up for the johnson's backyard garden CSA. every other week, we get a big ol' box of fresh, local veggies. i picked up our first one last night. omg deliciousness. new potatoes right out of the ground, heavenly herbs, perfect peppers. yum. i can't wait to start cooking this stuff. and maybe that will help me get my arse back in gear and my running shoes back on my feet.....

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas....

my husband and his mad photography skills took this photo of our tiny little tree. it's a cute one this year - a noble fir from the optimist club place on guadalupe and san gabriel. we put it up on a table this year, which is really nice because it has more of a presence and the pets can't drink water out of the base....there has been so much going on as of late, i feel like it just needs to be listed, in no particular order:

- longhorns are going to the national championship game, despite sucking it up against nebraska

- saints are still undefeated because drew brees is the awesomest qb ever

- i am almost done (8 more days) with my second-to-last semester of grad school

- jb and i have decided to stay in austin, despite a really cool job opportunity in sf - it was really hard, but definitely the right choice

- it fake-snowed in austin on friday, which left none of the white stuff, but tons of dead plants

i guess that's all for now....check out this story if you have a few minutes - crazy and super inspiring.

holiday time

holy gees november flew by. really, all of 2009 did. have we really been in the 21st century for a whole decade? my mind is blown.

thanksgiving was different this year. my mom and dad came to town the weekend before because mom was in a wedding the day after turkey day. we did the traditional dinner on sunday, so we had tons of leftover turkey.

i got sick on monday, and it got progressively worse, so the long weekend was slightly hampered by my incessant coughing. a close college friend and his adorable girlfriend were also in town, so we managed to spend some time with them. we also did lots of hiking and outdoor adventures, of which ollie was a big fan. all in all, a fun time, if very much untraditional. i did find the time and energy to make the annual turkey and sausage gumbo (solo attempt - turned out pretty good), as well as leftover turkey pot pie. so, even though we didn't do the whole crazy dinner extravaganza, our waistlines didn't really get much of a break....

anyway...outtake of christmas card photo is above. have i mentioned how much i love this dog?

pumpkin patch!

We traveled to Elgin Texas to purchase pumpkins this year. Why Elgin Texas you ask? Because the only pumpkins we could find in Austin were at the H-E-B. Procuring pumpkins from a produce section of a grocery store is particularly pointless. Rock on random Elgin family with your farm and pumpkins and christmas trees. Rock on.

halloween and other scares

i'm the worst about blogging, obviously, but i tend to not have a whole lot to say unless there's an event of some sort. this past weekend, that event was halloween. we dressed up like zombies and went to the zombie prom at the highball with our friends w&d and e&d. wicked fun, although i have to say my skin and hair are not fans of zombie couture.

the night before halloween, we went out to dinner and ended up at target for some late night antics (i mean, where else are you supposed to go on a friday night at 9:30?). while there, we found some pet halloween costumes on sale that i decided we needed to have. the pets tolerated them for about 8 minutes, but they were pretty miserable. it was still the cutest thing i've seen in a while though, and luckily we got about 100 pictures of the occasion. here are a couple....

anyway...halloween night was lots of fun. when we got home (super late) and fell asleep, though, i awoke around 4 to the sound of drama in the hen house (literally). i shook jb awake to alert him to this fact, and the conversation went something like this:

me: "dude, there is something in the chicken coop, listen to them!" (they were squawking and generally freaking out a bit.)

jb: "i'm sure it's fine...zzzzzzzz....."

very helpful. anyway, they quieted down before i could decide whether i should brave the chilly evening to see what disturbance was occurring, so i eventually just went back to sleep. when i woke up the next morning, all three hens were still alive (thankfully), but there were feathers all over the place. bixby was missing half of her tail feathers and bernadette had a bunch missing under her wings. bettyrene escaped relatively unscathed. the chicken caper remained a mystery until dusk, when we saw a baby possum creeping along the edge of the yard. we are so lucky it was just a little guy, as i don't think he could do too much damage to the ladies.

anyway...we've decided to get rid of the run that the girls have spent their days in for the past year and just let them roam the yard in the day and spend nights locked up safely in their coop. hopefully they won't have anymore nocturnal visitors anytime soon.