Tom is a Rock Star

(this should have posted on 2/22- not sure what happened)

Day: 191

High Temp: 57F

Tom is a rock star. Of course most of you are sitting there saying, "yeah, we know!" But here is a new reason to respect his awesomeness...

Tom has spent this past weekend in Washington D.C., at Arena Stage's Devised Work symposium. Kirk Lynn, a co-founder of the Rude Mechs, a well respected theatre specializing in devised, nearly avant garde original theatre, is one of the presenters at the symposium (along with people from SITI and Tectonic, two very exciting theatre companies working to redefine what modern American theatre is.)

Kirk also happens to be one of Tom's professors at UT. Recognizing Tom's passion for non-traditional playwrighting and collective creation, Kirk approached the University and asked they would pay to bring Tom to the symposium with Kirk. I think he recognized that Tom would not only learn a lot from the presentations, but that he would potentially make lots of really excellent connections that will help him further his career down the road. The University agreed, and said they would pay.

I think it is just so cool that Tom was pulled out from a group of really talented playwrights to have that experience. I also think it shows Tom made a great decision in the program he chose to attend. They are obviously recognizing his talent and interests, and are doing what they can to foster those things. Yay Tom!

Wedding Dress Shopping Part 2

Day: 190
High Temp: 73F

Since Tom and I got engaged, I have been fixated on the idea of wearing two dresses, one for the ceremony, and one for the reception. I like the idea of a costume change. Part of it is surely the drama queen in me, but the larger part has to do with practicality. My wedding gown is long, it is full, and although it is light materials, it is a lot of dress. I just cant imagine enjoying a 5 hour reception in such a gown.

So, yesterday my fabulous friend Sara joined me at Unbridaled, a cute little bridal salon here in South Austin, specializing in unique bridal gowns. This boutique is so Austin, catering to brides who are laid back, and looking for something a little different than your standard ball gown. The girl who ran my appointment was sweet as pie, a master with those plastic clips, and really patient with me and Sara as we tried on 10 gowns, pored over the fabric samples and took loads of pics. The dress I chose is sleek, and short and very fun. It is the perfect dress to dance and party the night away in! And, it was part of their Jenny Yoo trunk show, so I got 10% off!

My mom has indulged me in this one splurge on my wedding day, agreeing to pay for two completely separate dresses, alterations and accessories, because she knows it will make me happy. How amazing is that?

Giving It Up

Day: 184

High Temp: 61F

Neither Tom nor I are very religious. We both grew up in Catholic families, and Tom was even an altar boy, but that is about the extent of our religious activities. Despite this fact, most years we do choose to participate in the ritual of sacrifice that typifies Lent. We both like personal challenges, they build character and can sometimes even make you a better person.

I gave up meat as a junior in high school. This, in fact, led to my subsequent decision to stop eating mammals all together. 12 years later, I marvel at how many times I have said no to pork or beef.

Tom and I both gave up alcohol a few years back. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, and it saved us a ton of money.

I have even given up Chocolate, although I don't think this made me a better person.

I like to try and find a new thing to give up each year, and this year, having exhausted most of the typical Lenten sacrifices, I was hard pressed to find something that made sense. So, instead of thinking what would be hard to give up, I thought about what I could do to make me happier, and less stressful, and cause me to be more kind to my fellow (wo)man. The solution came to me on my daily commute...

For 40 days I will be a better driver. This doesn't just mean that I will curb my Chicago-born aggressive streak. I will also do nice things for other drivers, too. Here is how it works.

Driving related Lent sacrifices/promises.

I will:

-refrain from using my horn (yes, even if you cut over in front of me, without a turn signal, and promptly slow down.)

-leave the best parking space for someone else. I could use the exercise anyhow, and hopefully an expectant mother, or even just someone having a bad day will revel in their parking luck.

-not bitch or complain about Austin drivers, traffic, highway design, traffic lights, etc in any forum. Not when I get home from work, not when I am out with friends, and not on the blog.

-refrain from making any negative comments about how Tom drives (He says I am really hard on him, so I will stop.)

-let people in, even if they are doing something jerky and dangerous, like cutting around a line of drivers and through an intersection in the right turn only lane, just to get a head of those waiting to get through the intersection.

This will be real challenge for me, but my hope is that through conscious effort and repetition that my commute home will be better, not only for me, but for everyone... even the assholes who don't follow the rules.

Remembering Sweetie

Day: 177

High Temp: 64 F

It is with a heavy heart that I report to you all that Sweetie, the beloved beagle owned by my parents for the past 14 years, passed away last night. Sweetie was at home, with my parents, when she started having trouble breathing. Shortly after her labored breathing began, she died quietly and calmly.

If you know my family, you know that for the most part we are very much "dog people". Sweetie was a very important part of my family, and was a constant joy to have around. In honor of one of my most favorite dogs of all times, I thought I would share a few of my favorite Sweetie moments.

-Puppy. Seeing her for the first time in the cage at the humane society downtown. We fell in love with her immediately.

-Hide and seek. Sweetie loved to play hide and seek. I always had to hide, but she would literally play for an hour straight.

-Stormy Sweetie. She was terrified of storms, and if we were gone when a thunderstorm hit, we would inevitably find her wiggling her way out from under my mom and dads bed when she heard us come home. Even if the storm had abated hours before, she would wait for us under the bed.

-Bad Dog. My mom and I took a 6 day trip to San Francisco the summer before my senior year of high school. When I arrived home, I realized that Sweetie had been going into my bedroom to pee on my bed each day. Six distinct spots. We guessed that she was so mad at us for leaving her with the boys that this was her revenge. That, or she thought that if she did something naughty, we would come home sooner to punish her.

-PB&J. Sweetie was an infamous beggar, trained on years of table scraps. Her favorite part of the day was when my mom would come home mid-day after working a morning at the floral shop, and they would share a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I think it was my mom's favorite part of the day too!

-Santa's Little Helper. Sweetie was not only adept at unwrapping presents, but she also became a pro at stepping in just the right place on the paper while I was wrapping to leave a big, decorative wrinkle across one side, and maybe even a little tear, for artistic value.

-Squirrel Chaser. Sweetie definitely had the hunting instinct of her breed, and the famous beagle yowl. No squirrel could enter the back yard without a fierce bark from her, followed by a spirited chase up the hill. Terrorizing the squirrels of West County was her favorite pastime, a hobby that she happily taught Homer over Christmas.

-Sweetie and Bandit. While Sweetie always tolerated bigger dogs, she never really liked other dogs much, especially those smaller than her. However, a few summers ago my sister-in-law's sister Ashley brought her white Pomeranian, Bandit, to the house for a visit. The dogs were instantly best friends, and Bandit soon had Sweetie playing with the vigor of a puppy a decade younger.

I know this isn't the most exciting blog post to read, but it helps me to write it, so I appreciate you all bearing with me. Sweetie was a truly wonderful, and very happy dog and I will miss her terribly.

Long Time, No Blog (I'm sorry!)

Day: 172

High Temp: 47F and Rainy, so rainy!

I feel terrible. It has been so long since my last blog. It's not as though I haven't been thinking of you all! I have. And it's not as though I haven't had anything to write about. For instance, in the past 3 weeks, I should have been writing about:

- My new job

- The whackness of traffic in down town Austin (I commute every day now...)

- The release of the new Spoon album!

- Homer's first day of daycare

- My new love affair with KUT (even as I guiltily stream WBEZ at my desk each day...)

- My first paycheck

- My awesome book club

-The progress of the niece(s) and/or nephew(s)

-The Rusty Cusses, Pig Belmont, and other UT fun-facts

Honestly, the list goes on and on!

So what is up? Well, blame it on Lost.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past month, you will know that the final season of Lost premiered last night. Well, as ambitious as we are, Tom and I decided to re-watch the first 5 seasons. It had been years since we had seen 1-3, and we were feeling rusty on the most recent episodes. Besides, I have been following Jorge Garcia's blog, and the excitement was just getting to me.

We started a little late for such an ambitious project, so we have been marathoning back episodes for weeks now. I have even been watching on my lunch break, which is when I had intended to try and keep up with this little blog project. Lost has taken all of my free time.

But the good news is that we finished, and literally just in time for last night's premiere. And now I am confident that I will understand all the obscure references, get all the little inside jokes and recognize all the minute characters who will undoubtedly show up again on the island (or off...) this season.

And have no fear, I am back to writing on a regular basis. This place is a lot cooler when you have a little money to spend, and I have a lot of fun things to look forward to in the next few weeks, including our first non-family visitors (Cassie and Ben), a very Texas birthday celebration for Tom and tons of fun cultural happenings both at UT and in the greater community.