This being Easter week, Jill has a lot on her mind and a number of services to attend.
I spent the week with a new pizza choice from East Side Pies. This is their Moon Dingo Pie with added spinach:
Saturday, I went to see The Hunger Games with Mollie and Maurie. The movie reminded me a lot of The Running Man and several others of that genre. But it was entertaining.
It was a long movie, and when I got home around 1:AM, the Easter Bunny had left me a surprise Easter basket on my front door:
Sunday afternoon was spent at Pete and Maria-Elena's place for their annual Easter pot-luck. It's always good to see the Kennedy clan - with a surprise visit from Doug this year. Also surprising this year was the oak aged beer that was served. Pretty strong stuff - and I did good just to finish one pint of it.
This past weekend was a busy weekend. Friday, I won tickets to the Lykke Li taping of Austin City Limits, so I invited Mollie along. I had never heard of Ms. Li, but she and her band put on a great show.
Afterward, we had dinner at Taverna nearby. Honestly, it was the best meal I've had in a long time. The most tender roast pork over a bed of red pepper mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus. Dessert was a chocolate mousse pie thing that was simple and amazing. It had been a few years since I've been to Taverna, but I definitely want to go back.
Saturday, I woke up at 3:30 AM, so I could pack my car and set up at Mellow Johnny's for their annual Mellow Swap. Think Velo Swap, but on a micro scale. My sister volunteered to help out for the day (in return, I "volunteered" to chaperon her students when they go to the Latin state competition in San Antonio next year). It took me a couple of trips to haul all my stuff there. In hind site, I should have left the bikes and frames at home, but you never know what people will be looking for at these events. Turns out they're looking for cheap stuff. I sold a bunch of used stems, handlebars, water bottle cages - stuff in the $5 to $10 range. All told, I probably sold $800 worth of parts. It was all stuff I really had no use for, so $800 for 10 hours isn't so bad. MJ did provide burgers and New Belgium beer for lunch, which was a bonus.
I also ran into old friends and met some nice people at the swap. The guy who set up at the table next to me was the former British national road champ. He rides for the Rapha Condor cycling team and was selling off outdated kits (jersey, bibs, vests, etc.). Apparently, Rapha revised his jersey 6 times this race season and wouldn't let him wear the old designs. I wish I could remember the guy's name, but I was amazed he was about 6'-2" and wore a size small. Needless to say, I did not pick up any of his excess kits. Oh, wait, I found the guy on the Rapha team site. He's Kristian House. Super nice guy. And he apparently wins a lot.
Speaking of cycling teams, Team Radio Shack was also there selling off their gear, including team bikes and clothing. In case you didn't know (or didn't care), Radio Shack is combining with Leopard Trek next year to form a super team that will include the Schleck brothers, Cancellara, Horner, and Klöden. It'll be called RadioShack-Nissan-Trek. Catchy name, yes?
Saturday night, I went to a musical at The Vortex theater with Maurie and Julia. It was the final show of Sarah Silver Hands. I wish I could tell you what the musical was about, but I kept falling asleep throughout the show. Julia liked it, however, which was the main thing.
To make up for my inattention, Maurie, Julia and I went to see Puss in Boots in 3D at the Alamo Village Sunday afternoon. Now, that was a good film. Funny. And the 3D effects were really well done. I especially liked the floating dust in the bar scenes. It was so lifelike. Amazing.
Jill's on the last of her 3 stops for this trip. She's in Two Rivers, Wisconsin for a week, but should be home soon. Hurray! This long distance thing sucks.
Just finished another late night call with Asia (this time - Singapore, China, and India). Earlier in the evening, I went to a preview screening of Incendiary: The Willingham Case at the Violet Crown Cinema. If you're not familiar with the case, it's about 3 girls that died in a Corsicana, TX house fire and their father who was tried and executed for their arson murders. I went with Maurie, who was invited by the filmmakers to answer death penalty questions after the showing. The filmmakers were there also.
The film is interesting because it's a death penalty case and it occurred in Texas. But it's more interesting because it focuses on the science of the case - specifically, the science of arson investigations and how it's evolved over the past couple of decades from folklore to a true science. I may not practice engineering all the time, but I am still a big fan of the scientific method. Apparently, Rick Perry is more faith-based. And apparently, I am not a fan of Rick Perry.
Documentaries tend to not stick around theaters long, so if you're interested, I'd recommend you check this one out soon.
I'm waiting on an 11:PM conference call with India, so I thought I'd update my blog.
Mollie and I saw Contagion at the Alamo Village this past Saturday. Good, escapist film. Also good were the ice cream shakes we ordered. She got the mocha, and I got the balsamic strawberry. I highly recommend both:
Last night I got a call from Jeremy. He was in town from Plano for a work presentation. Maurie also called to see about getting a drink - she had just driven back from Huntsville, where she was suppose to witness her client's execution (the Supreme Court stayed the execution with 2 and a half hours to go):
We ended up at the Hyde Park Grill. It's a good place for a drink (her), vegetarian food (him), and some real food (me).
Garden update: Looks like my pumpkins and gherkins are off to a good start (cork used to show scale):
I'm getting back into the rhythm of seeing my friends Maurie and Molly on a regular basis. They have very different personalities, so I can usually count on very different conversations. Dinner at Malaga and a movie at the Violet Crown Thursday, and dinner at Mikado last night. I think Malaga and Mikado have both seen better days. Both serve tapas, but the food and service at Malaga is very inconsistent (however, the duck pizza and lamb are both tasty). The food at Mikado is still good, but they've installed 2 giant flat screen TV's in their dinning room, which really kills the ambiance (btw, I'm not a person that usually uses that word).
Saw "The Trip" at the Violet Crown Cinema downtown. If you like British comedies about food, the human condition, and impersonations of Michael Caine, then this is your movie. I happen to like all those things and thought the film was hilarious. Btw, the Violet Crown is one of those theaters where you pick your seat when you purchase your ticket (either online or in person). If you go, try to get one of the front row seats - they're like easy chairs with a movable ottoman and are very comfortable (and sleep inducing if you're not careful).
I needed a break from writing a white paper last night, so I went and saw the new Terrence Malick film, "The Tree of Life." I wish I could say I liked it, but I didn't. The underlying theme of a stern/abusive father/husband and the helpless/enabling mother/wife and coming to terms with your past I get. It's the presentation that bothered me. The film felt like a 2 hour Calvin Klein commercial. Judge for yourself:
And really, do you need the voice-overs of each character's inner conscience spouting rhetoric that actors like Brad Pitt and Sean Penn should be able to convey with their craft? "2001: A Space Odyssey" didn't need it, and "Blade Runner" was a much better film without it. The director should give his audience credit for being somewhat intelligent. And I really didn't like the last scene - I'm sure the characters are suppose to be confronting and making peace with their inner demons, but it feels more like they are all trapped in Limbo, waiting for Purgatory. Yeesh...
A better presentation would be what I had for lunch yesterday. Betsy surprised me with the following bánh mì sandwich, homemade cookies and strawberries in a personalized meal delivery device:
And Monday night we made a bread salad with chicken sausage for dinner. Again, when I say "we," I mostly mean her - although I did chop up the bread:
I won't show you what we had at Mozart's on our Sunday ride, but this is a nice picture:
As I watched "Blue Valentine" tonight, I reflected on what makes relationships work. You'd think I'd have a better clue at my age, especially when I'm surrounded by successful examples. But the truth is, I don't really know. I'm certain common goals, laughter, growth, passion and dedication form parts of the equation - although that seems overly simplistic. Then again, perhaps I'm over-thinking and it's an even simpler quadratic, and I just have too many variables.
Regardless, it's an uncomfortable film - especially if you'd had the good fortune of being in a relationship long enough to grow apart.
I'm not a movie critic, but Mick LaSalle is. And I thought his review of "Blue Valentine" in the San Francisco Chronicle was the best I'd read - you can find it here.
The story behind the soundtrack song, "You and Me", is also an interesting one. Enjoy.
Btw, Ron's birthday was yesterday, and today is my sisters' birthdays. Salud!
I'm watching "The Happening" on FX while eating dinner. From what I can gather, it's an M. Night Shyamalan eco-horror film. I'm only 30 minutes in, and I can already tell it's the worst film ever made.
The biggest problem is the horrible mis-casting - Mark Wahlberg as a high school science teacher, and John Leguizamo as a high school math teacher. Wahlberg as a fighter I can believe. Even Leguizamo as an animated sloth I can believe. However, these two trying to explain the scientific method or amoritization schedules I cannot believe. And Zooey Deschanel plays the same doe-eyed character that's better suited for a summer-ier film.
I had today off from work, so I decided to do a little grilling this afternoon. Nothing fancy - just pork fajitas and a steak:
I had a little of the fajitas for lunch and the steak for dinner (with the requisite mac and cheese and bok choy). I highly recommend the Shiner pairing (said in a regal tone):
I intend to eat the rest of the pork fajitas as fajitas, thus sparing you a week of mystery pork recipe posts.
Quiet weekends are made for movie watching. And I tried to get a few in - but the only film I actually watched to the end was Winter's Bone. Good movie, but bleak. Bleak as in, "I grew up in a very basic fishing village, but this part of the Ozarks make the fishing village seem like Park Avenue"-bleak.
Ah, this past Friday was my last day at LibreDigital. I had an exit interview at 10:AM. Co-workers took me out to lunch at 11:30. Turned in my laptop and key card, and I was out the door by 2:00. The whole thing ended rather ignobly. My exit interviewer was a bit argumentative. Come on, if you ask me for my opinion as to why the development staff is frustrated, I'm going to give you my honest opinion. Just take the information and try to do good with it. It's my opinion - don't try to convince me it's not valid.
I got home from work around 2:30 and was just exhausted! I didn't realize how much stress I had been carrying around until I laid down on the couch. I was on that couch a good 3 hours before Maurie texted me and asked about seeing 127 Hours. At this point I thought I should at least get off the couch (if only to take a bio break), so I said sure.
Let me tell you, 127 Hours is an intense film. Not relaxing at all. Don't get me wrong, it's really good. And James Franco does an amazing job. It's just not very relaxing. And definitely not for the squeamish.
Looking to re-unwind, Saturday morning, I went out to Town Lake and ran 10 miles in my new shoes, the Asics Gel Nimbus v.12. Nice shoes. I tend to forget how much cush leaves a shoe after a year until I get a new pair. Nice flashy lime green too.
I wonder if the shoe industry will take a cue from the mattress manufacturers and point out that the weight of your shoe nearly doubles in 8 years due to sweat, dead skin, and dust mites. Yes, dust mites.
I've also decided my favorite bands to run to are the Allman Brothers, the Raconteurs, and the Flaming Stars. I really need to take the Cowboy Junkies and Mazzy Star off the iPod.
I started to call it an early night, but lying in bed I remembered that I needed to adjust the eccentric bottom bracket on the tandem for Sunday's ride. The chain kept falling off the last time the tandem was out. Very frustrating. Well, the task turned out to be a little more involved than I originally thought - requiring me to remove the crank arms and actually touch a greasy chain.
The Sunday morning tandem ride with Alison, Karen, and Glenn was a lot of fun. Cold and windy - I think it was below 50 degrees when we started (and I think minus 30 with the wind chill factor) - but a lot of fun. We headed East from Hyde Park along 51st Street to Springdale Rd. Springdale to East 12th. Up 12th to 11th. Then brunch at the Blue Dahlia Bistro. It was my first visit to the Blue Dahlia - the food was good, but the chocolate croissant was amazing.
We took Red River and Speedway back to Hyde Park. After a long, long, hot shower, I was pretty useless the rest of the day.
This last shot is just me doing the dishes sometime this afternoon. I though the blue dish in the white porcelain sink looked pretty cool.
First day back at Dell tomorrow. Looking forward to it!
Maurie's out of town, so she asked if I could dog sit (in situ) a few days. Sure, why not? My family was visiting this weekend, so I gave them the run of my house while I took up shop at Mylo's.
Gave me a chance to recover from my bug and teach Mylo a few tricks.
Being food motivated, snatching popcorn in mid-air was easy.
Getting him to play fetch was a little harder. He's easily distracted - between his ball and his bone. Frequently, he tries to get both, but balancing on 2 legs while trying to grab another item with his remaining third is a bit tricky.
Btw, I saw Last Train Home and The Switch this weekend. Last Train Home is a pretty incredible documentary - I highly recommend it. The Switch - well, let's just say it's a lot better than The Back-up Plan. Actually, it was mildly entertaining. But go see Last Train Home (it's at the Regal Arbor) - I can't say enough good things about it. You won't regret it.
Had a really nice bike ride yesterday. Dustin even rode in from Steiner to join us. It was just a gorgeous day.
We parted ways in Manor, with Dustin heading back to Steiner while Pete and I continued on to the Aztec Taquería in Elgin for our traditional breakfast tacos. Happy to see my mileage edging up slightly every week. 45 miles last Saturday, 51 miles this Saturday. More importantly, I remembered my water bottles this time, so I wasn't cramping the last 10 miles of the trip - making for a much more enjoyable time.
Sunday, I was given a wristband for ACL, but I decided it was too much trouble to go for just a couple of shows. The line-up this year really sucked. Hopefully, Pete got more use out of it.
Instead, I went bowling at Highland Lanes. It doesn't have quit the charm of Dart Bowl, but it'll do for a lazy Sunday afternoon. AJ kicked my ass, but he's on a bowling league, and this was my first time to bowl in at least 3 years. Still, I did break 100 in each of the 3 games. Woohoo!
Saw The American last night. It's a polarizing film - you either really liked it or didn't. I guess I must be pretty pretentious, because I thought it was great. It reminded me a lot of A Single Man. If Tom Ford were to make a film about assassins, this would be that film - with beautiful locations, impeccably dressed actors, a haunting soundtrack, and stylishly sparse sets. Sparse also describes the dialogue. It's no Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, but it is pretty quite. Then again, that can be appropriate.
As I rehydrate this morning, I'm seriously questioning my beverage of choice last night - beeritas. They seemed so benign. But then again, what did I expect from a toga party hosted by Kelvin and Colten. The things I endure for a friend's birthday...(credit to EmSue for the photo)
Albeit moving a little slower, I'm managing to work on my bikes while re-watching Formosa Betrayed. If you're not familiar with Taiwanese politics and the martial law that ruled my birthplace from 1947 to 1987, the movie provides a dramatized introduction. Many think of Formosa/Taiwan as a democracy, but few realize that it didn't become so until recently. I'll just leave it at that.
My mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law visited me this past weekend. Actually, they were in from Houston to check on my other sister, who had her tonsils removed Friday. She's still sore and eating jello, but healing well.
Given my culinary abilities, we spent most of the weekend eating out - everything from Hyde Park Grill to Bess Bistro to McDonalds. The Bistro was rather disappointing. Shrimp over cheesy grits sounded good - maybe they have a new chef or something - but the meal was pretty boring. Sadly, I think the best meal of the weekend was the Sourdough Jack from Jack in the Box - a true indulgence.
I guess my family felt bad regarding the state of my refrigerator, so look what my sister left behind:
Yes, cupcakes and ice cream from a new place in town called Lick it Bite it or Both - touted as the only place in town for both cup cakes AND ice cream. Given the amount of money they spent on packaging, I expected more from their cup cakes. A bit dry and overly sweet. I'd stick to Hey Cupcake if I were you.
Speaking of overly sweet, I watched Valentine's Day this weekend. It featured an all-star cast in interwoven vignettes about love. I won't say it's the worst film I've seen this year (no, that distinction goes to The Back-up Plan), but it is pretty bad. And that's coming from an admitted 'hopeless romantic.' If you're looking for a better rom-com, go see The Kids are All Right or rent (500) Days of Summer.
If you've ridden with me recently, you may have noticed the fancy carbon rear wheel I'm sporting. After my first ride, I thought the decals on the rim clashed a bit with the minimalist carbon/titanium color scheme. Luckily, the decals peeled off easily by hand (as opposed to Seven decals that need scraping and a good dose of Goof-Off to remove).
A side benefit from the nude carbon look is the substantial weight savings I realized. Yes, that's one whole gram. Keep in mind, that's just for the rear wheel. Imagine the savings for BOTH front and rear wheels. Purely a guess, but I'm thinking it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 grams.
Now, there's been much discussion over the years regarding the effects of lighter weight wheels. If you study the equations (and more equations), many say that it's pretty negligible, and perhaps only a benefit when accelerating from a standing stop (like climbing a steep hill). Who really has the time to study these equations. I prefer to live in a fantasy land where my one gram weight savings means the difference between making it up Mount Bonnell or not.
Btw, Inception is showing in IMAX over at the Bob Bullock Museum. Need to find some time to get over there. I'm not sure how you can spin a whole city like that. The equations must be complicated.
I left work early Wednesday, so I could meet up with a delivery person at the house. They had a batch of fresh baked cookies for me - courtesy of my new employer. A welcome wagon gift, I suppose.
While I was home working from the rear office. I hear this loud crack, followed by lots of flying sparks and a generous amount of smoke. Startled me for a minute. Steeling my nerves, I ventured outside to find a large hackberry branch had fallen on my utility lines. The riser from my electrical box had been torn off, and my electric meter had burned up. Lots of fun.
The electric company was quick to send someone over to assess the damage. They cut off the power and told me to contact an electrician. Cindy was nice to supply me with a referral, but he couldn't stop by until Thursday noon. I spent Wednesday night at Alamo Drafthouse and The Karate Kid. It gave the house time to cool down.
The electrician and his crew spent 7 hours repairing the damage Thursday, but they finished too late to call the city inspector over. So I spent Thursday night at Eric and Gaby's. Thanks for the chili.
Finally, today, the power came back on about 1:00. Have power but no cable or internet. How am I going to keep up with the tour? I may have to go old school and do something not 'connected.' Oh, the horror... the horror...
I'm glad to see someone around here likes fennel. I took these picture over the weekend. The plant was stripped bare this morning. That's ok - I hate fennel. The only reason I have it is because a friend thought it was dill.
Btw, Ron came into town for a brief visit Saturday. We saw Knight and Day and had a chance to run around Town Lake. He thought the weather was great. I thought it was miserably humid. The movie was entertaining, however.
Watched "Ondine" earlier - starring Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda. It's a pretty film. Not much more I can say about it. I did like this quote from the New York Times:
“Ondine” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). The film has some mild action, most provided by Ms. Bachleda’s wet breasts.
