20 questions

1. show us the inside of something cute

this fabulous book

2. the last homemade cooking i

had: j made broccoli and cauliflower pasta alfredo last nite. this is not an actual pic of

shot though sorry.

3.who do i miss? my girl N and her little monkeys. it's been way too long. someday though

4.what makes me laugh often?

my fav tv show flight of the conchords

5. my favorite

word:

hope

6. what am i trying to quit?

nothing, but i should give up my gum addiction

7, what's my favorite commercial right now? the trojan ecstacy one with the couple in the drug store

8. whose style do i dig? rachel bilson

9. what's the latest craft i made recently? i finally finished my seattle scrapbook last nite. it only took 9 years!

10. a photo of the last happy mail i got: my magazines

11. something i've got lately: my lemon icebox cookie scented candle

12.

what am i looking forward to? autumn and halloween

13.

recent snapshot of

myself: fake dorky cowboy outfit at los lonely boys show

14.

movie i can't wait

to go see: whip it

15. something i'm working on right now: my art assignment

16. if a movie of my life were made who would i want to play me:

sophia bush i know she's cuter and younger, but if you know

anything

about her personal life and how she continued acting through it. i think it's pretty amazing.

17.

what gives me goosebumps?

certain

musicians and guitar players. i love jimi

hendrix's little wing

18. link to great blog i discovered recently:http://inmyownlittleuniverse.bl

ogspot.com/.

19. share an obsession: slacker radio is the best ever!

20.what is the meaning of your life? from the infamous words of steve tyler from aerosmith Life is a Journey, not a Destination.

los lonely boys

We got free tickets from the car dealership. The problem was we were so lost getting there, we nearly missed the whole show! It was so bad J was driving the wrong way, on a one way road. He backed over the curb, which I thought was an absolute riot. What we saw of Los Lonely Boys was good. It was just too short, especially for that long drive!

lame concert

i didn't want to go, and he bought the tickets by accident. it was so dead only one entrance was open. we got golf carted there. we had lawn seats, but since it was empty we went to seats like usual. we jammed to last 3-5 staind songs. when their set ended the concert guy asked to see our tickets. he must've saw the blankets we had beneath our feet. we got busted, and sent back to the lawn. not that the lawn is bad. creed just was. i'm not into their music. they had great lights and fire, but it didn't matter. 30 minutes into their set people were leaving, yeah, that bad. it was lacking. people were laying and sitting down. we kept hoping it would better, but it just didn't.

rock the kids

i got a friend invite for rock the kids on myspace about a month ago, but i denied it cause i didn't understand what it was. then i saw the flyer in the fort worth weekly. it was a benefit concert for st. jude children's research hospital, i realized i had to go. i like the burning hotels, plus we wanted to check out stella rose which did not disappoint. their drummer is like tommy lee, their bass player is like kim gordon, their singer was like adam sandler in the wedding singer. he got off to a slow start, but by the end they killed it!!! we had such a fun time, and it was for a good cause.

j's new truck

here it is. i so knew he would get another red truck. this one is nicer, newer, etc. it even has an alarm so hopefully no one will use this one as their love machine.

tiny lizard

j caught a tiny lizard. he found it inside the house. he put it in the sink, to take pix. then he let it go, back in the house (so it could eat the bugs).

i didn't know anything about it until i saw the pix. weird thing is i had dreams of tiny seahorses in water very similar to those shots, but that was months ago.

i guess it's a good thing i'm not afraid of lizards!

more mountains

everytime i go i love to see my mountains. i hate saying good bye to them. i'm sad i have to wait four months before i can see them again.

j's family

what do they like to do? they play games. they went golfing. they played: uno, cribbage, back alley bridge, yahtzee, scrabble, and hearts. i ate pizza.

joe's wedding

she walked down the aisle to stairway to heaven. they both couldn't stop looking. they were so happy they couldn't stop smiling. he was crying. their hands clasped tightly the whole time.

i met some new people i enjoyed. reaquainted myself with old friends. ate some really good chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. danced and sang to the classic rock. whined about the lame country. and of course i love a party!

peter max

today i got to meet my fav artist. unfortunately they didn't allow photos inside. they did played zeppelin's misty mountaintop, the pretenders, zz top, and black crowes hard to handle. i got him to sign a piece of paper with my name on it! i got to see this turquoise glitter fender strat guitar signed with his name and splotches of paint. i was there in front of his original paintings, that i'll never be able to afford, but i got to meet peter max!!! which is beyond anything i'd ever imagine.

nick's house

bad mexican food, bad tv, bad demon dog, bad teddi backing up into the syracuse city truck with my in-laws vehicle. thank goodness there wasn't any damage! it felt like i went back in time to my days as a teenager. except of course back then there was almost always damage.

e and me

we did what we always do. we went to lunch and we went shopping at the mall of course!

with c

showing me ur place, photos, and theories on people, as represented on their refridgerators.

more tnt

going to the hospital, doing something we'd never imagined we'd do, watching movies, and cleaning the kitchen like back in the day.

k & me

we got our hair cut, i got to see the boys, and i finally got my photo shoot with my girl. doesn't she look pretty?

dog walking

went dog walking with m, a, and a at liberty park. didn't get to spend enough time with my cuz, but i'll always take whatever i can get.

ra n me

cause we lost track of time chatting. we picked up m late from kindergarten, oops! hey for a 5 yr old she takes pretty good pix, wouldn't ya say?

little frog

one day while pulling weeds, j caught a little frog. it was tiny. maybe the size of a nickel or dime. i had never seen a frog so small! of course there are all kinds of creatures here. he acted completely giddy, the way i imagined he did as boy,when he'd catch horny toads in the desert.

newest artwork

incubus

incubus was a great show. it was relaxing and fun. granted we were on the lawn forever away from the stage, but the time just flew by. i couldn't believe how short it seemed, and when i looked at the time i realized that they played for 1 hour and 45 minutes. that's what happens when listening to good music.

chevelle & staind

chevelle was on my must see list. i LOVE their music! the show was stifling if you look at pix. i had people up in my face & behind, with all sides surrounded. i got wild turkey spilled on me. it was shoving and standing on tiptoes just to see him play chords. still glad i did it.

then we backed off for staind cause i didn't want to go back into that mess. i'm not into their music as much, but there are definitely songs i feel. the best part was when he came out into the crowd with some stage set up for a few songs.

switchfoot & blue october

obviously we go to a lot of shows at the house of blues. we missed all of switchfoot's set except the last two songs which are my fav anyways. the place was the most crowded i've ever seen it, and they were sold out there the night before.

blue october was the best show i have ever seen there! check out the violin player along with whatever other instrument he had strapped to his back which he took turns playing along with the keyboard. the lead singer blew me away with all his raw emotion and power! i mean i could feel his heartache, rage, and love in every single word he sang. but the clincher was the way he ended it. with an acappella of everyone he performs for, and why it's cause the audience understands him. which is the truth and beyond inspiring!

the peacemaker

trees just reopened last weekend in deep and we went to see the peacemaker. i can't believe how much we paid to see local bands. it was beyond packed with people stepping all over each other.

i wasn't feeling the next band, so we headed out before the headliner. i just wish the peacemaker's set lasted longer. those guys play loud and hard. the lead singer cracks me up with his clickety clack!

shawn's wedding

sorry i missed it. i really wanted to be there. i know it was a long time coming. ma said the desserts were delightful. you look great. congrats!

our lady peace

Our Lady Peace at the House of Blues. didn't get as close as i like to be, because we were late. i still got to see. it was a good show, except for the dude jamming beside me, who kept touching me. i wasn't sorry when he moved on, (i was sayin see ya, wouldn't want to be ya).

burning hotels

local bands at the tavern in dallas. introduced to a new band called record hop. i'm pretty picky about female singers. this girl rocks! their sound is punk like, and reminds me of sonic youth.

but we really came to see the burning hotels (who happened to be in the movie just released called bandslam). they had replacement bassist who used to play for black tie dynasty (they were huge in this area until they broke up this year). anyway the bassist was good. poor singer broke two of his strings on two different guitars, but they kept on playing!

glasvegas concert

Ida Maria opened, and she was amazing! Glasvegas played their hearts out. The ending was the best when the audience was singing the words back to them. The lead singer was choked up, humble, and he kept saying thank you from the bottom of his heart.

the lounge

at the lounge in deep ellum. we saw dead beat poetry, branden daniel and everybody gets laid, and stew. my music was dead beat poetry. my fav performance was branden daniel. look at him play that fender! stew had a mini marshall stack, mini drum kit, and fake stones like the stonehedge scene in the movie this is spinal tap. we didn't even stay through their first song cause something about their amps was giving me a headache. there was a cool magazine wall collage that covered the women's bathroom however.

cafe brazil

this place was in deep ellum. i love the vibe there. they are open late, and breakfast is served all day. i had these super berry crepes!

gallery & nasher

the gallery stuff was okay. the dr. suess prints were fun. we didn't take hardly any pix. it was my 3rd time at Nasher. It was John's first.

skating

i was so in my element at the skating rink! i was surrounded by little ones. they played happy kid music and classic rock. there was also a birthday party. they were giving away extra cupcakes chocolate or vanilla. they had so much whipped cream frosting they turned our teeth and tongues green.

we got to wear our own roller blades which is nice. the woman running the place was wearing a t shirt that said it's all about the children. i couldn't agree with her more.

jimi hendrix tribute band

they started their set playing blues, fabulous thunderbirds, etc. then they took a break got dressed in their afro wigs and 60's clothes. the music was good.

other's art

they really mix up the variety at fort worth community art center. of course the weekend before we saw museum art at the amon carter in fort worth of african-american art:works on paper with docent guided tour. we also saw art at the meadows in dallas of cubist work focusing on diego rivera,but no photos were allowed in either. so this is what you get to look at instead, lucky you.

jack's mannequin & the fray

i love jack's mannequin, but we missed most of their set. of course since they opened it wasn't the way i want to see them anyway. the fray put on a good show especially light displays etc. the audience was mostly teen jailbait girls with their mommies. it reminded me of n' sync or jonas brothers concert. with much better music.

cosmic cafe

an indian inspired vegetarian restaurant with unusual spices and dishes. did i love it? no, but j did ;)

J's shots

thought i'd showcase some more of j's everyday shots.

sonic youth

Last nite was a good time, Awesome Color opened and I was near the front. Someone had a gas problem that was toxic. It was short lived cause when that person left I took my rightful spot in the front row directly before the guitar player of Sonic Youth. Thank you very much!

my mountains

yeah everyone says you don't know what you got til it's gone. that's how it is with those mountains i love. i'll be thrilled when i get to see them again, in just a couple of months.

missin u

i spent more alone time with my mom than i had in years. i'm thinking since age three before nick was born. she got so tired of me singing to the radio. she said how do you know all the words? well i didn't, cause i totally messed up one song which is now a new joke for us. then i forgot to take pix of her dogs! oops. i did manage to get a few shots of my bro's demon dog gracie. my brother is a funny guy. his new house is huge. so sorry i couldn't help him move into it (ha!) and i miss u guys, but that goes without saying doesn't it?

D's 30th B-day

My cousin only turns 30 once, and I was not going to miss it. Since I was in town. Super glad I got to spend time with my family.

corpus christi

In Corpus there was the beach and street art! We had some tasty Greek veggie pizza, but my fav place was called Hester’s café. It was a coffee shop with all homemade food, and desserts. J ordered a chai caramel tea that tasted like pumpkin pie with a Portobello sandwich on ciabiatta bread. I had spinach and tomato quiche with swiss, and the best homemade tomato soup of my life with parmesan and black pepper! They had every kind of dessert you can possibly imagine. There was chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake, caramel cheesecake, pecan pie, all kinds of cookies, and muffins. We actually tried the blueberry cheesecake that had pieces of fresh blueberries on homemade graham cracker crust. We ate a yummy lemon scookie that tasted like crispy shortbread scone. The chocolate muffin was very chocolatey. The best dessert was the chess or buttermilk pie that tasted like a cross between caramelized sugar custard and flan.

Now Corpus is fun to visit, but I would be bored stiff if I lived there. Their House of Rock was a joke. I was bored at a heavy metal show! We left early. I had an epiphany that just because people can play their instruments well does not mean their music is any good.

dredg concert

So I go to a lot of concerts right? Cause I love them, but not this one. The opening band Rx Bandits were okay, but the venue was so crowded I couldn’t see. I felt like no matter where I went I was in someone else’s way, and I don’t ever feel that way. Then it was all hot, muggy, and dizzying. We ended up sitting upstairs, but we were so far away from the stage I felt disconnected. Truth is I felt that way the whole show anyway. I love Dredg, but not this venue. The vocal mike went out. The sound was fading and weird. This is my 2nd bad experience here. So I’m thinking the next show I want to see is a no go, but I’m not making any promises. ;)

New Orleans

This was our 2nd trip to New Orleans, but the first time after the hurricane. This is a city that celebrates: music, art, and food. I got to stand in front of art by some of my favorite artists: Chagall, Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, and Peter Max. My jaw dropping at the Peter Max. Then the local artists or artist unique to specific galleries. I discovered Max Papart, Martin Laborde, William Hemmerling, Mark T. Smith, and Francoise Gilot (Picasso’s lover). We went to the Contemporary Arts Center where we saw a sculptural wall made of 600 found drawers collected after the destruction of the hurricane. We listened to an interview of a woman telling her story. Then we walked upstairs to see the dichotomy of happy jazz photographs. Both important parts to linking the city together.

It was hot, but 10-12 degrees cooler than Texas. I remember it used to smell like cajun spices, and seafood. Some areas still do, but now it also smells like vomit. The street perfomers peddling for money, and Burbon Street alive with partying, music and no cover charges. It’s okay to flit from one location to another if you don’t like one show walk on to the next one. There were jazz, blues, soul, funk, rap, and rock bands. Which do you think we mostly listened to?

After dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant I noticed we had a flat tire. My car parked right in front of two homeless drugged out looking guys sitting on the ground drinking beer. My instinct was oh no! I am so staying in the car. The scrawny young one says “I can help I’m not doing anything“. Don’t ask me why there was no lug wrench in my trunk. Young guy walks over to my window, sticks out his hand and says, “I’m Chris, and you…?“ (I should have said jerk off. Cause that’s what I was for judging someone without knowing them). Then he goes walking down the street and brings back two different lug wrenches. He borrowed from friends. Unfortunately they didn’t fit, but I keep fix a flat in the car. Which we used until we could get a new tire the next day. So there was another life lesson for me. I like to think I’m open minded, but not as much as I could be.

lunches w/ em

it's fitting that em and i would go to lunch together since that's what we always did in high school. back then it was burritos from taco maker or crazy bread from little caesars. this time it was quizno's and taco time. oh, and i hope we don't ever lose her son in the store again. what a nightmare that was! yes we found him, ok.

that car almost backed into us, and i'm honking the horn. we were laughing about all my driving mishaps as a teen. it was good being together. it reminded me why we are still friends.

skating w/ L

i wanted to go roller skating and no one would go with me, except L! she's so happy go lucky and up for anything. she even wore her own roller skates (which look very similar to the first pair my grandma bought me as a child). we made waffles with her homemade strawberry jam, from their strawberries outside. we visited with the rest of fam while we played tridominoes and scrabble. skating is one of my favorite things to do. sweet that i got to create that memory with her!

concert w/ K

i had to go to a concert while in utah, and who better to go with than K? the girl who, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, took me to my first concert. she bought me my first tape (bon jovi: slippery when wet). she introduced me to heavy metal (iron maiden, judas priest, & dio), and i've been trying to repay her by introducing her to new bands. i fought my way to the front row, (the way she taught me how). it was my third time seeing 10 yrs and the best, cause i've never been so close before. hello, we even got to meet the band!

however i was a little disappointed in the bass player cause he didn't run around the stage and rock out like normal. not sure if it was cause the stage was too small or he lost his cool when he whacked off all his hair! he was kinda a jerk in person too. i mean dude i tell you that you're my fav bass player. which means something cause I go to a lot of concerts, and you act like uh huh, NEXT autograph! the rest of the band was nice though, especially the bald guitar player.

t n t

i am grateful for all the hours we spent together. hadn't seen tel in years. i got to be there for j's and c's birthdays. it's been hard being away. crazy how c is as tall as i am now. i made t homemade carrot cake cupcakes, and she listened as i rambled, like she always does.

k's boys

i can't believe in all the time i spent with my girl K we didn't get one photo of us together! i did get some of her boys, something they rarely let me do. I also got them smiling, which is a rarity too!

i made K homemade choc cake with cream cheese frosting. she made me all kinds of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. yes, they are rockin, just like she is!

my andy weekend

I got to spend all weekend with Andy. She invited me into her life, and I had a blast! We washed and vacuumed her car. We washed up her dog Mable. I got to meet and hang with her best friends C and A. I met all her roommates and crashed at her house. We went hiking, we rented dvds, we cooked, ate out, we did strut your mutt, hung out on the porch, and we went to a party. I also got to see my cuz E whom I hadn't seen since her bro's wedding. Which was in Sept of 2007.

Good times, I love SLC!

with ra

I loved just hanging out with my friend and her girls. She showed me the progress of her garden, and we chatted for hours.

vegas trip n may

So we went on a road trip to Vegas to see Cher in concert. Not my first choice, but a lifetime chance to spend time with my oldest friend. I'm so glad we went. Cher was unlike any show I've ever been to. First they took all cameras hostage, so sorry no pix. Cher came in on some kind of wire chair thing flying through the air with this massive headdress. There was lots of dancing on those vertical wires, singing, major fancy costume changes, and old clips of her and sonny. I cried. I laughed. I sang along. However the band was mostly off to the side in the dark, and I could barely see the guitar player which bummed me out.

My first time in Vegas and at the risk of offending people, I have to say it's not for me. It's too flashy and trashy. The place is all about stealing your money. It's not my scene at all! I came, I saw, I went. Will I ever go again? Who knows?

the rainbow

When I arrived in Utah I saw the mountains. Then there was a full rainbow out my airplane window.