words to live by

a former co-worker (and great friend) jori's 6-year-old son walker wrote up a list of tips to help us all live a healthier life. i have the original (well, a copy of the original) hanging above my desk to help me stick to my guns. i have written them below, complete with his adorable kindergarten spelling.

1. stae awae fom drugs
2. eat helthee food
3. hav more grane
4. do not eat much fat

such great tips! walker, you are wise beyond your years.

nutso football fans

did anyone hear about the OU fan that grabbed the UT fan in the balls? people are nuts! (pun intended)

so apparently these two guys were in a bar in oklahoma city and the OU fan said something to the UT fan about his burnt orange t-shirt. the UT fan then defended himself to the OU fan and the OU fan freaked out a bit and grabbed the UT fan in the balls. apparently there was real damage done. i won't go into specifics, but if you'd like to read the full article, be my guest.
http://www.nbc5i.com/sports/13968715/detail.html?better_headline

now, i'm not a guy, but does it seem strange to anyone else that grabbing the UT fan in the nuts was the OU fan's first reaction? seems to me a good old punch in the face would suffice, but again, i'm not a guy.

maybe ball grabs are the way of the new world. land lines have given way to cell phones, the virtual world has replaced the real world and good old fashioned bar fights are just that, old fashioned.

and, on top of everything, the alleged nutgrabber is a deacon. so many directions i could take that one, but i will refrain and retain the singular focus of the post.

house pics...finally

ok, loyal readers. i have finally taken pictures of my house! sorry it took so long, but here goes.

here's my cute little street. kinda reminds me of braeburn back in bellaire.

and here's the front of the house. here in richmond, it's called a cape cod. i know that's what these little postage stamp-sized houses are called all over the country, but richmonders actually use that terminology in casual conversation.

here's the living room. as you can see, mimi already feels very at home here. eventually, there will be a big green sofa where the red chair is now. and i love the fireplace!

another fireplace view. see the big blank wall? that's where the sofa goes. i'll find another place for my beloved red chair.

here's the "entry way" with the new console table i bought. notice the two texas touches that travel with me wherever i go. lamp look familiar, carol?

here's the dining room. needs a little love, but my furniture fits well and it'll work for now.

here's the view of the kitchen as you walk in. why are the dishes piled up on the counter? oh, that's right. i have no dishwasher. bummer...

here's the view if you look right from the sink. random shelving at the end was left by a previous tenant. tons of storage for an old kitchen. notice the molas on the wall, grammie?

here's the view standing in front of the shelves looking back at the kitchen.

here's the mudroom that's off the back of the kitchen. it's 4 steps down, so that's why it's an overhead view. great storage and laundry room.

here's the view into the backyard from the mudroom. huge, eh?

if you look right from the back door, here's what you see. the picnic table made it all the way from texas!

and here's the view of the back of the house from the back fence. you'll notice that the grass is a little sparse, but hopefully it'll grow back with a little water and tlc.

it just occurred to me that i didn't take pictures of the bedrooms or the bathroom. i'll do that this week, i promise!

more unpacking

the new place is coming along. did a bit of furniture shopping over the weekend, but i still haven't gotten rid of all the boxes. ugh. there are always those few that never seem to get unpacked. but now i've got internet and cable, which is a step in the right direction.

that is all.

granny big box?

yeah, that headline sounds kinda dirty, doesn't it? but it made you read further. oh, the power of a racy headline...

so in the midst of my daily npr-filled commute home the other day, i heard an interesting/disturbing story. read below:
http://www.marketplace.org/shows/2007/08/06/PM200708066.html

so, for those of you who are too lazy to click over and read the thing, here's the gist. a store just opened in germany that's basically a wal-mart for the over 60 crowd. they sell clothing, housewares, etc. that are geared for granny. they sell comfortable shoes (they mention velcro in the article...ew), practical clothing and gadgets such as talking alarm clocks that could prove helpful.

now, on the surface that seems like a good idea. one-stop-shopping is great. but i can guaran-damned-tee that none of the stuff in there is particularly cool or well designed. it's like clothes in, as rachel calls it, "the fat girl section" of department stores. there are a few racks of decent ensembles in a sea of sheets with arm holes. dowdy, boring clothing. and i'm sure it's nothing but SAS shoes all 'round. no, no, no. i still have no idea who decided that all "comfortable" or "practical" clothing for real people has to be ugly and poorly made. if anyone finds him- or herself in germany in the immediate future, check this place out, will ya? i will bet you $20 everything in there is both practical and god-awful.

great business idea here, dad. invest in fashionable clothing for the over 60 crowd. time to start thinking about my inheritance, old man.

getting there, i promise

alrighty, loyal readers. i have moved into my new house, but i don't yet have the fantastical worldwide interweb at my disposal on the premises. as soon as comcast gets around to hooking that up, i'll write a newsy post about my new abode and...wait for it...post some pictures. don't die of shock. i found my camera cord. get excited!