I promised!

Well the project started quite well, as you can see in the top photo. Nice bead and I think I did a pretty good job of smoothing it out, looks nearly like I did it on purpose. Things got a bit rough behind the sink. The faucet caught my wrist and I start getting uneven in my pressure. The bead went wide and really its pretty amateur but I did not have the energy last night to scrap the line and start over. Behind the sink was my initial problem area anyway and my guess is this will be good practice for 2 months from now when I have to redo it anyway.

The worst thing about caulking is corners. I know I am no Bob Vila but the corner you see here I am pretty embarrassed about. I will keep working on it. I have to do the master bath tub soon, maybe my technique will improve. Maybe I will hire someone to come do it...

Unhand my caulk...

Last night at around 11:30 I was cleaning out the pantry when I ran across an aging but unopened tube of caulk. Instructions clearly state it has a shelf life of one year or so (this was purchased a good 3 years ago) but I was feeling lucky so....

I trimmed all the aging caulk from my counter top, the one with the sink, painstakingly scraping and wiping until not a speck of the offending mildewed sealant remained. I sliced open the end of this geriatric cylinder and began to lay down a quarter inch bead of pure white which promptly separates into tiny beads making one UGLY line.

Long story short, avoid old caulk. Pictures to follow.

1941

Please take a moment to remember those that serve us in the Armed Forces. Regardless of your opinion on our foriegn policy, political affiliation, or stance on war, the people who volunteer to make the Armed Forces their employer do so with the knowledge that their lives are subject to the whims of Kings and Presidents, Emporers and Ministers. Ultimately they put up their lives to guard yours. Thank you.

Fine Dining

Last night my family was treated to a unique dining experience at The Driskill Grill. My uncle was in town for a conference and is staying at this fine hotel located in downtown Austin, Texas. My cousins were also there, Bridget and her daughter Darcy, bringing the guest tally to 4 adults,2 four month olds, and one 4 year old. The hostess was quite dismayed at seeing us ask for a table. While children are not expressly forbidden they are clearly less than welcome. It was already shaping up to be a fantastic meal. Moving past the jaws agape and onto our table, (flanked lovingly by two tables obviously cleared of place settings to buffer those around us from our uncivilized presence) we were finally seated and allowed to begin our meal. Check out this menu!

I started with the Poached Lobster Salad (the menu linked is slightly different than the one we viewed) which I have to say was pretty darn good. The salad dressing was some sort of glaze which I wish had been more liberally applied. The second course delivered me the quail. This was accompanied by a patron curd (as in jose cuervo) which sounds horrid but is actually pretty nice when spread on thinly sliced quail. I finished up with the prawns. The crawfish were good but the chorizo bed they were placed on was incredibly rich and I felt as though I was spooning grease directly into my gullet with every bite. All in all it was an incredibly pompous affair and the price was outrageous. My only conclusion is that I have a very immature palate, and I am happy for that.

The company more than made up for the uncomfortable atmosphere, and not to brag but my kids were so well behaved that the hostess actually ended up sitting at our table and coloring with my 4 year old daughter. Quite the turn of events considering she was definitely considering denying us a seat.

If you are in Austin, stay at the Driskill, but eat at Sullivan's.

I am probably OCD...

Last night at midnight I just HAD to clean my closet out, trying on 6 year old khakis as though my fat ass was gonna magically fit back into a 30 inch waist. Tonight when I got home, its like 30 degrees, I felt it was the only time possible to wash out the trashcan, that big stinky mofo that goes in the garage. Two frozen and bleach cracked hands later it smells like fresh laundry. I am strangely satisfied.

This is what can

happen to your happy office space if you spend all of your free hours playing WoW or, in the case of this sad photo, EQ. Not only was I running 3 computer simultaneously to maximize my efficiency while playing/farming, note the fine stacking of multiple snack containers as well as the loose organization of the overflow food area. I tell you, multi tasking is a breeze at work after the hardcore training I put myself through with days of uninterrupted dragon slaying and gear chasing. While it is undoubtedly a sinfully selfish waste of time, I do enjoy the computer games. I have had to wean myself from them though,as the demands of parenthood and work have grown both more demanding and rewarding.

While I do not play nearly as often as I did, reading Goodnight Moon takes more time than one might imagine, I still get to log on occasionally and raid the wasted lands with a few of my fellow heroes. My office has not looked like this for years, instead the tornado has moved to my kitchen, living room, backyard, and den as my daughter roams the house leaving destruction in her wake. I wonder who taught her to make such a mess?

tI evoM

What a great license plate, I saw that the other day. It is a damn good thing I didn't see it today or the cruelty of it would have slain me. That is because it took me 2.5 hours to drive my normally 45 minute commute to work. IH35 in Austin is a pain, check it out here. Texans cannot handle wet and cold when combined with a water main breaking under the freeway. Who knew.

Crazy Blog Compulsions

So Jen got me blogging and I started to wonder if anyone else I knew did. Well where would I look? Myspace of course, as my kid sister has some sort of site there I had signed up a while back to check it out. Sure enough, there are a couple of people I 'knew' from high school there, anyway I am sure I shocked em by emailing a couple of them and thought I would throw down a quick bio for them in case they are feeling crazy and drop by.

1994 - I did actually graduate highschool in El Paso Texas even with my attendance as horrid as it was in San Antonio.

1994 - Dec 1996 - I roamed the states, moved in and out of my parents house in Ohio, did a brief stint at St. Edwards University in austin in 1995, lived with Brandy (some interp chick? if you remember her) and a couple other girls for a bit, Tony Garza even stayed with us a while, eventually ended up back at home.

January 27,1997 - On the way back to San Antonio I stopped off at a coop in Austin to meet Jeremy Stevens ex girlfriend Megan O'Dell.

January 28, 1997 - moved in with Megan O'Dell

April 1997 - Joined the army.

August 1997 - Married Megan O'Dell, now Megan Hart.

Sep 2002 - Had our first daughter, Keily.

Jul 2006 - Had our second daughter, Abigail.

Currently living just south of Austin, we bought a home in a development out here. Megan is a teacher and I work for Grande Communications.

Anyway that's about that.

Early to bed...

I was not. I was however, extremely early to rise and to work. It seems I did not have to be here today until after 2pm though I badged in at 830am. Oh well, I am sure I have things to catch up on, like blogging.

Could Christmas be bearing down on us any faster? I sat down and composed my list of people to shop for yesterday and was astonished to find that family alone put me at 28! Of course I still have to dream up something that will sweep Jen off of her feet as she gets to celebrate the birth of her favorite savior and the birth of Jesus in the same week. Poor kid, don't tell her she is old. This ones an early present chica.


Routine -

He rolled over blind
the sounds of the screaming black box
a mosh pit in his head.

Feeling for the crystal blue button
pulsing in concert with his temples
facilitates a short lived reprieve.

His daily drive past the
pushers and the pimps a twisting
trail of hot asphalt. Slick and sticky

The coach operates itself
The road essentially etched with
The tread of our lives.

Passing, as always, the hoping
probing hands. Begging eyes
set in vacant lots.

This crawling commute, interminably
delayed, veins of traffic vie...
in vain. in a rush to begin.

There is some bad imagery for ya. Every time you get an email dogging your writing reply back with a link to this and show them bad writing!

Blogging Bug

Did you know how easy it is to just walla walla bam - *make* a whole new blog. Well let me tell you its as easy as doing it. Check out Hart Strings, I hope to actually be able to keep up with some of this stuff. Flickr and blogspot have monopolized my last two days, but it has been fun.

Could my kids be more amazing???

Long time coming

Just wanted to sneak in a little line or two in November so I could say I blog quarterly now. Jen will be thrilled. I think maybe my blogging is not as consistent as it would be if I did not feel compelled to write a novel every time open the edit window. Perhaps I could commit to one line a day. mebbe.

So many cool things happening; I let the whole inlaw grudge thing go, I cruised to a church retreat, I have been feeling pretty spiritual, and I get to go back to Ohio for christmas. Hopefully I will get to see my best friend while I am there.

I'm a pro at creation

So, you wonder where I have been? What have I been doing? Mostly smoking crack and running hookers out of my saturn. But also -

I had a baby, my second... ok ok our second. Abigail was born 07/25 10:47 pm. My cousin had his daughter in the same city on the same day at 12:47 pm. That is strange.

His kid was 6 pounds, mine was 8, thats 14 pounds of kids - 10 hours apart = 4 people to make them. Damn am I a math major? Maybe. Some things just add up.

I got to watch them perform the c-section. Very cool, only got semi woozy when I saw the smoke from the soldering iron they use to seal up the cut. Ok it probably has a much more technical term like cautewhatever but I can spell solder and am too lazy to run spell check. Onward - they jumped on her stomach and out popped my kid. It was amazing.

I highly recommend children.