Yes, it's true. I spent the holidays having a fabulous time with my friends. We ate, we drank, we played. We ate & drank & played again. We ate...well, you get the picture. Did I work out? Ummm...only if rushing to the bar at last call counts for sprinting. Am I back in the saddle? Yes! The slugfest season celebrating couch potatoes is officially over. You know which one I'm talking about, right? Starts at Halloween or as I like to call it, Hallowine, and goes through New Year's.
I am coaching a walking group for the Cap 10K in March. Austin Fit head walking coach Elayne is tag teaming with me on Thursday nights. We've enjoyed the first few weeks of training, although we're walking on sidewalks and streets. I prefer to walk on the trail since it's so much softer. Concrete and asphalt are unforgiving. My walkers are great and I have a soft spot for one of them already. She doesn't quite believe she can do 6.2 miles. I know she can, if only out of stubborness and personal dedication. She was our ONLY walker who showed up on week 2, when temps dipped and abnormally chilly weather ruled the evening. Mmmhmm, she'll be fine.
I had a blast, blast, blast over the weekend. On Saturday I manned a water stop for AF's 21 miler, the last long run before the AT&T Marathon & Half-Marathon. We had all the usual water stop goodies: water, Gatorade, bananas, gummy bears, salted boiled potatoes, pretzels, cookies, chocolate and mimosas. What? Yes, mimosas. How do you think we kept warm? We offered up band aids, vaseline and rides back for a few runners who were courting injury if they kept going. We were only a few miles from the finish, but there's no sense risking harm so close to the marathon. Our water stop had the added advantage of being in the Double Dave's Pizzawork's parking lot. Mmmmm. Guess what lunch was? Yup. Cheese pizza.
Our volunteers were terrific, as usual. When the other water stops starting closing down, more volunteers came to join us. I can honestly say this was the best staffed stop, ever. And possibly the one with the most unusual topics of conversation. Our gabbing zigzagged from New Jersey squirrels with lead poisoning to the Colton Pitonyak trial to runner's issues such as digestive upsets and raw nipples. Why is it men (and some women) think they can run for miles and miles and not have chafed nipples? I saw at least two men who were bleeding. Trust me, bleeding from the nipples whilst wearing a white running shirt is not sexy. At all. Hello, people! Either use round band aids or buy some Nip Guards. The Nip Guards are easier to peel off than band aids, I think.
Sunday morning was even more fun than the water stop. I organized a cheer squad for friends running the 3M Half Marathon. Frank, Chel, Dan and I started off around mile 3.5, cheering in the cold for Coby, Gilbert, Christine, Todd, Rockett, Jason and assorted other friends. And let me tell you it was cold. Frank brought a jug of Starbucks, but after two sips my java was icy. Still, mile 3.5 was a good time, with Duran Duran blaring from Chel's SUV. We showed up at mile 9 as well, handing out Kleenex, bananas, potatoes, cookies and pretzels. Dustin joined us at that mile marker and cheered along with us. For some reason he was not as adept at getting rid of his snacks. I suggested he take off his shirt. Female runners (as well as a few males) would then veer toward him and he could thrust cookies at them. He did not follow my advice. It was cold.
It was exciting and thrilling to be in the thick of it but still on the sidelines. To be a good cheer station, you have to know the race route, road closures and limited access roads. Then you have to plan your stations around all that, keeping in mind that you can't cross any road on the route. Even limited access roads will sometimes have a 30 minute wait for a gap in runners before the police will allow a vehicle to cross. So, we dashed all over Austin but it was well worth it. Not much makes you feel as good as seeing teammates at their best or being supportive when they're at their worst. It's a cheer squad's own version of a runner's high.
Christine finished in 1:56, an awesome pace time. Gilbert had a 1:45 run and Coby a 1:48, both terrific and finished strong, as I expected. Todd sped in with a 1:57 finish. Rockett pulled out a 2:14, despite the pair of brand new shoes she had on...found out quickly they weren't as broken in as she had previously thought. Jason finished in 2:08 but I haven't found out if he PR'd, as he hoped he would. I wandered around at the finish handing out more Kleenex to runners waiting in line for Rudy's Bar-B-Q. Made sense to hand them out since we had them. If you've ever had to indulge in a "farmer's blow" while running/walking, you can appreciate free tissues.
After the run, the gang met up at Z'Tejas for brunch. Z'Tejas has expanded into a national chain, but we dined at the spot that started it all, W. Sixth Street. I can't complain at all about the mango swirl margaritas or the chicken and potato hash. The combination of fried shredded potatoes, cubes of jerk chicken, poblano peppers, roasted corn and red onions topped with two eggs (I chose sunny side up) and a touch of chipotle hollandaise sauce was sublime. I just about licked my plate. And no, it wasn't low fat. I did say fried potatoes. I am convinced, however, that my Cheertator duties burn calories.
The next biggie is the February marathon. I'll be recruiting cheerleaders and Todd will be serenading the runners. His band, The Humiliators, plays at mile 0.5, just out of the start. I know it'll be a rockin' good time.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, December 15, 2006
Pinup Priests!
A fellow blogger, albeit one who actually gets paid to do so, turned me on to the Calendario Romano something I can only call 12 months of pinup priests. Or as Miss Adventure termed it, it resembles a genre that rhymes with "May Born".
While Miss Adventure favors the month of March, I must say that July is quite attractive as well. And the pic of the priest and the pussycat...well, all I can say is "me-ow!".
The calendar is being hawked on ebay for $15.25 US. It's shipped from the UK, so get your order in now. And, it's a fundraiser! A portion of the sale ($1.86 US) goes to The Food Chain, a charity for Londoners living with HIV.
Not only will these make excellent New Year's gifts but also are a sure fire method to get you down on your knees and later, back into confession. "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I'm guilty of impure thoughts...."
This calendar reminds me of Father What-a-Waste. Fr. Buddy Ceaser was a member of the Catholic music group The Dameans, who were based in New Orleans. I saw them perform several times at my North Louisiana church. He was quite sexy, with dark and mysterious eyes and thick black hair. Mmmmmm. I heard he later left the priesthood to marry his childhood sweetheart, who, rumor had it, had joined the convent when he entered seminary. As soon as he ditched the collar her wimple was history.
While Miss Adventure favors the month of March, I must say that July is quite attractive as well. And the pic of the priest and the pussycat...well, all I can say is "me-ow!".
The calendar is being hawked on ebay for $15.25 US. It's shipped from the UK, so get your order in now. And, it's a fundraiser! A portion of the sale ($1.86 US) goes to The Food Chain, a charity for Londoners living with HIV.
Not only will these make excellent New Year's gifts but also are a sure fire method to get you down on your knees and later, back into confession. "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I'm guilty of impure thoughts...."
This calendar reminds me of Father What-a-Waste. Fr. Buddy Ceaser was a member of the Catholic music group The Dameans, who were based in New Orleans. I saw them perform several times at my North Louisiana church. He was quite sexy, with dark and mysterious eyes and thick black hair. Mmmmmm. I heard he later left the priesthood to marry his childhood sweetheart, who, rumor had it, had joined the convent when he entered seminary. As soon as he ditched the collar her wimple was history.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Holiday Whirl a Go Go
My holiday party merry go 'round is in full rotation. I kicked off December at a friend of a friend's company party, at which there was an open bar. Kids, you know what that spells for me: amorous flirtations & disaster. The amorous flirtations were harmless fun but I'm very much certain that quite a few bored married men went straight home and tried to convince their wives that swinging would be just the thing to spice up their bedroom life. As for disaster...luckily, no bones were broken (this time) in my tragic drunk walking accident after the party. Yep, I tripped over a cement parking bumper curb thingy. I landed on my elbow and have a nice huge scab that will require 6 months of vitamin E treatment to lessen scarring. I'm just happy no emergency rooms were involved.
Last weekend was the Maines-Marley Holiday Open House. Suffice it to say that we danced (some of us on table tops) to 80's music and drank enough booze and beer to rival a frat pledge hazing night. There were party attendees in their underwear, a very lovely "present" who looked ravishing as usual and Rocky Horror showed off his dance moves. The Miller-Reinhardt family made an appearance early on but left before the debauchery ensued so that my nephews could get to bed at a decent hour. We feasted on an array of my hors d' oeuvres and a full holiday meal whipped up by Darren. Ahhh, friends, food and festivity!
Tuesday was Oil Can Harry's staff Christmas party. Two words: open bar. This time, mindful of my healing elbow, I restrained myself and practiced safe drinking habits. Hydration in the form of water was promoted and shots were discouraged. The bar staff from Rain were nice enough to come over and fill in so all the Can employees could enjoy the night. OCH staff will return the favor when Rain has their party. Of course it was odd to be handed a drink by a bartender in a competitor bar's t-shirt, but the Can staff will wear their OCH shirts at Rain and call it even steven (and Josh, Blake, Andy and David). The gift exchange was entertaining, with most gifts appreciated but a few gags here and there. There's nothing like a Christmas piñata given to you with love...or at least with tongue firmly in cheek. And at the Can, it's usually your tongue in someone else's cheek.
Just when I thought I could get some much needed sleep, the next evening rolls around with not one but two events. I made a very, very brief appearance at the Austin Fit White Elephant party, mostly to drop off my gift in an effort to make velvet art a tradition in the annual exchange. I did manage to steal a bite or two of Chel's fish tacos and fetch her a Tito's vodka press before traipsing off to OCH for the second night in a row. The AF party was at Union Park, which took over the old Rocco's Grill on 6th St. next to Katz's (never Kloses), which took over Ninfa's, which took over...hmmm, don't remember what was there before Ninfa's. UP is a great bar and I highly recommend checking it out, even if they did run out of Tito's, a cardinal sin in my world.
At the Can, the Christmas Affair was just getting started. I wasn't ditching AF just for a customer appreciation party, I worked. Yes, that hot goddess in the red blouse carving up oh so delicate slices of roast beef and making miniature croissant sandwiches was me. I served up meatballs, kept the cheese plates attractively full, explained to every one with a perplexed look that yes, it was a ginormous pâté. And I solemnly promise I washed my hands before I touched your buns and balls.
The soiree was a successful fundraiser for Glenn Eaddy's annual toy drive for Project Transitions. The price of admission was one unwrapped toy that will be given to a child with HIV or affected by the disease. One lucky boy and girl will be thrilled to received the brand spankin' new bicycles and helmets, that's a certainty.
Just when the party was winding down and after the bar staff gathered on the dance floor to host the Christmas carol singalong , Chel and Frank showed up. They entertained me with tales of the AF gift exchange, in which the least desireable gift was a second hand dvd of Brokeback Mountain. (Apparently you can catch Gay just by touching the dvd). We hung out for a while and joked around with Sloppy Joe at the side bar. Margie has decided to replace me as her Chief Babe with Chel, who outranks me in chestiness. I didn't realize Mama was such a size queen, but hey, Chel has a great rack and mine...well, suffice it to say that I saw more men last night with bigger bitch tits than my small chi chis. And that's not counting the ones in drag.
Tonight I have dinner with the parents at their favorite restaurant, Cherry Creek Catfish Company. We're celebrating Mom's birthday and their anniversary, which was yesterday. Fun times and fried foods, what more can you ask for?
Friday night is my company Christmas party. Yes, open bar. I'm sure I'll have a memorable time to blog about, providing I can actually remember it. Saturday is a marathon of activity. I have a 2pm performance of The Nutcracker in which my stepdaughter M has the role of an angel. In Austin, like in many cities, it's a holiday tradition to hold performances of The Nutcracker. Ballet Austin makes our annual production unique by inviting movers and shakers of the community to play the role of Mother Ginger. This year's Mother Ginger will be our mayor, a local radio celebrity, a tv news anchor and more Austin personalities, a different person at each performance.
After the ballet I'll hightail it over to the Miller-Reinhardt Friends & Family Christmas Celebration and feast with the fam. We have our gift exchange, too. Ummm....still need to buy that present. From there I'll rock on up to North Austin to a graduation celebration for Danny's niece, Jennifer. She is an edooocated college grad, as of tomorrow. After Jennifer's shindig, I'll head South...not quite to my casa but instead to the Copa on Congress for my roomie's company holiday party. Thank God for taxi's, right? If I'm not under the influence I'll simply be too exhausted to drive. I'm tired just typing the itinerary.
And Sunday, you ask? Sunday, I sleep.
Ho, ho, ho.
Last weekend was the Maines-Marley Holiday Open House. Suffice it to say that we danced (some of us on table tops) to 80's music and drank enough booze and beer to rival a frat pledge hazing night. There were party attendees in their underwear, a very lovely "present" who looked ravishing as usual and Rocky Horror showed off his dance moves. The Miller-Reinhardt family made an appearance early on but left before the debauchery ensued so that my nephews could get to bed at a decent hour. We feasted on an array of my hors d' oeuvres and a full holiday meal whipped up by Darren. Ahhh, friends, food and festivity!
Tuesday was Oil Can Harry's staff Christmas party. Two words: open bar. This time, mindful of my healing elbow, I restrained myself and practiced safe drinking habits. Hydration in the form of water was promoted and shots were discouraged. The bar staff from Rain were nice enough to come over and fill in so all the Can employees could enjoy the night. OCH staff will return the favor when Rain has their party. Of course it was odd to be handed a drink by a bartender in a competitor bar's t-shirt, but the Can staff will wear their OCH shirts at Rain and call it even steven (and Josh, Blake, Andy and David). The gift exchange was entertaining, with most gifts appreciated but a few gags here and there. There's nothing like a Christmas piñata given to you with love...or at least with tongue firmly in cheek. And at the Can, it's usually your tongue in someone else's cheek.
Just when I thought I could get some much needed sleep, the next evening rolls around with not one but two events. I made a very, very brief appearance at the Austin Fit White Elephant party, mostly to drop off my gift in an effort to make velvet art a tradition in the annual exchange. I did manage to steal a bite or two of Chel's fish tacos and fetch her a Tito's vodka press before traipsing off to OCH for the second night in a row. The AF party was at Union Park, which took over the old Rocco's Grill on 6th St. next to Katz's (never Kloses), which took over Ninfa's, which took over...hmmm, don't remember what was there before Ninfa's. UP is a great bar and I highly recommend checking it out, even if they did run out of Tito's, a cardinal sin in my world.
At the Can, the Christmas Affair was just getting started. I wasn't ditching AF just for a customer appreciation party, I worked. Yes, that hot goddess in the red blouse carving up oh so delicate slices of roast beef and making miniature croissant sandwiches was me. I served up meatballs, kept the cheese plates attractively full, explained to every one with a perplexed look that yes, it was a ginormous pâté. And I solemnly promise I washed my hands before I touched your buns and balls.
The soiree was a successful fundraiser for Glenn Eaddy's annual toy drive for Project Transitions. The price of admission was one unwrapped toy that will be given to a child with HIV or affected by the disease. One lucky boy and girl will be thrilled to received the brand spankin' new bicycles and helmets, that's a certainty.
Just when the party was winding down and after the bar staff gathered on the dance floor to host the Christmas carol singalong , Chel and Frank showed up. They entertained me with tales of the AF gift exchange, in which the least desireable gift was a second hand dvd of Brokeback Mountain. (Apparently you can catch Gay just by touching the dvd). We hung out for a while and joked around with Sloppy Joe at the side bar. Margie has decided to replace me as her Chief Babe with Chel, who outranks me in chestiness. I didn't realize Mama was such a size queen, but hey, Chel has a great rack and mine...well, suffice it to say that I saw more men last night with bigger bitch tits than my small chi chis. And that's not counting the ones in drag.
Tonight I have dinner with the parents at their favorite restaurant, Cherry Creek Catfish Company. We're celebrating Mom's birthday and their anniversary, which was yesterday. Fun times and fried foods, what more can you ask for?
Friday night is my company Christmas party. Yes, open bar. I'm sure I'll have a memorable time to blog about, providing I can actually remember it. Saturday is a marathon of activity. I have a 2pm performance of The Nutcracker in which my stepdaughter M has the role of an angel. In Austin, like in many cities, it's a holiday tradition to hold performances of The Nutcracker. Ballet Austin makes our annual production unique by inviting movers and shakers of the community to play the role of Mother Ginger. This year's Mother Ginger will be our mayor, a local radio celebrity, a tv news anchor and more Austin personalities, a different person at each performance.
After the ballet I'll hightail it over to the Miller-Reinhardt Friends & Family Christmas Celebration and feast with the fam. We have our gift exchange, too. Ummm....still need to buy that present. From there I'll rock on up to North Austin to a graduation celebration for Danny's niece, Jennifer. She is an edooocated college grad, as of tomorrow. After Jennifer's shindig, I'll head South...not quite to my casa but instead to the Copa on Congress for my roomie's company holiday party. Thank God for taxi's, right? If I'm not under the influence I'll simply be too exhausted to drive. I'm tired just typing the itinerary.
And Sunday, you ask? Sunday, I sleep.
Ho, ho, ho.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
U.T. Nativity Features Joseph & "Gary"
You have to hand it to the Young Conservatives of Texas. They are not your average student political organization, content to hold voter registration drives and invite state politicos to speak at their meetings. These are the young guns who brought us "Border Security Ball Toss" a game in which participants gathered at Gregory plaza to attempt to toss a ball through a hole in the middle of a giant cut out of the United States.
Now they're showing their Christmas spirit via an ACLU-themed nativity scene on campus on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Protesting what the group says is the systematic removal of Christmas from the public domain is a nativity with Joseph and Gary, instead of Joseph and Mary. Because the organization believes the extremist views of the ACLU have a direct negative impact on religious freedom of expression, they also feature a terrorist shepherd and Nancy Pelosi as an angel with the Three Wise Men depicted as Lenin, Stalin and Marx. Pictures can be seen here.
While I think it is important to retain religious expression and the right to display holiday ornamentations related to your religious celebration of choice, I'm not so certain everyone would agree, especially conservatives. If this particular nativity scene had featured a completely pro-homosexual marriage and family angle, the ultra religious factions would be screaming like Lucifer himself had a family portrait on display.
What about a display commemorating the most important Muslim feast day, Eid al-Adha, which starts on December 31st? Can you ensure the decorations wouldn't be vandalized by some ignorant person who believes all Muslims must be evil terrorists?
If we are going to fight for freedom, we need to be able to uphold the rights of all Americans, not just the ones whose beliefs most closely match our own.
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