Smells Like the '90s

Watched some show on VH1, last night, that featured hit songs from the 90's. They say smell is the strongest sense tied to memory, but I gotta say listening to clips of those songs brought me back to my time in Lubbock quicker than South West Airlines could.

I'm going to take you through a journey starting from 1990 to 1993. The next blog post will include 1994-1999. These songs are the ones that brought back the most memories for me as Dale and I watched this show late into the night. Some of the memories are of how much I hated certain songs. If you liked a song I hated, well...my taste is better than yours so you suck.
Just kidding. As you can see, I will admit to liking some big-fat stink bombs. Especially in the early '90s when I was but a child. Here is what I looked like.I just had a growth spurt and was taller than most boys in my class. Nice biker shorts and fake Keds.




Ok, here we go:


Alice in Chains - "Man in the Box" (1990) I really, really wanted to see Alice in Chains in concert. I loved Layne Staley’s voice and the crunchy guitar provided by Jerry Cantrell. My brother and I shared a common fondness for A.I.C. He was more into Metallica and I was more accepting of Pearl Jam but we could both agree on A.I.C.


Sinéad O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990, #1 US) I didn’t understand her bald head but I thought it was awesome that Prince wrote this song for her. I would stand in my kitchen (because it had the best acoustics) when nobody was home but me and sing this song as loud and as best I could. Yes, I did use a broom as a microphone.


Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991, #6 US) The first time I heard this, I was standing in Charlotte Brown’s living room. It was late at night and we were hanging out with the older kids. This song came on MTV and I literally felt my heart start to beat faster. I stopped paying attention to that boy standing in front of me and turned to watch the video. I could not understand a thing Kirk Cobain sang and I loved it. I felt like kicking a hole in the wall every time I heard that song.


Pearl Jam - "Jeremy" (1991) Um, just about every girl I knew owned a copy of Pearl Jam’s Ten. I remember listening to it at Miss Bee’s house, singing along to “Even Flow”, “Alive”,and “Black.”


Prince & The New Power Generation - "Gett Off" (1991, #27 US)
I knew the lyrics were nasty and suggestive but could not quite figure out why.



Gerardo - "Rico Suave" (1991, #7 US)
I was a little girl hanging out at my friends house watching the jukebox network (remember that?) This video was requested ALL THE TIME. I appreciated Gerardo’s pointy boots, though I did not actually call him “Gerardo.” I called him “Rico Suave” like everyone else.


C+C Music Factory - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (1991, #1 US) Who Danced around to this song in her bedroom for hours upon hours, weekend after weekend? This gal.


Color Me Badd - "I Wanna Sex You Up" (1991, #2 US) Ahem…um…uh…I had this single. SHUT UP! It was during my I want to be a back up dancer phase. I would watch the video and copy their sweet, sweet moves.


House of Pain - "Jump Around" (1992, #3 US) I got really tired of jumping around when this song would play at a school dance. Really tired. But hey, it was better than the Garth Brooks bullshit that the student’s at my school loved so much so “Jump Around” I did.


Billy Ray Cyrus - "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992, #4 US)
My mother bought me a Billy Ray Cyrus poster. I did not like him, but I think she did. I hung it on my wall for a little while because I think she liked to look at it from time to time. My heart belonged to Johnny Depp.


Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue - "Whatta Man" (1993, #3 US) I still know all the words to this song, and I bet my friend Amy does too.


The Cranberries - "Linger" (1993, #8 US)
Love this song. Hearing it takes me back to riding around in my buddy Clint’s truck singing (screaming) this at the top of our lungs.


The Breeders - "Cannonball" (1993)
I wanted to be in this band. I wore the hell out of my Breeder’s tape. When I hear it now, it reminds me of my friend Lynn. He was much older than me but we shared a common weirdness. He also loved The Breeders. “Want you, Koo Koo, Cannonball!”

Lenny Kravitz - "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993)
Damn, everything about this song was cool. Lenny was the definition of cool. He had a chick drummer. She had the biggest afro I had ever seen. He had the longest dreds. The song had that sick lick. It’s still on my ipod.



Spin Doctors - "Two Princes" (1993, #7 US) This was another band my brother and I could agree on. If the Spin Doctors were touring tomorrow, I would go see them. Their music is timeless. I want to hug them.

Radiohead - "Creep" (1993) I’m really not a big Radiohead fan, though I would be if all of their songs sounded like Creep. This song Reminds me of my buddy Jeff. I’m not sure why. I think he liked it.

Here Is another picture of me from back in 1990. I'm the gal in the middle. Yikes!

Thanks for the photo, Miss Bee.

It's Their Version of Television

I only allow my dogs to hang out in the front room when I am in there so that I can watch them. If they are left unsupervised, they try to eat the furniture. Well, just the old-ass love seat. I got said love seat from a grad school buddy. It has to be 40-50 years old. Maybe older. Any-hoo, I think she had a cat who liked to nap on the love seat. I guess my dogs can smell the cat, because they just tear into the cushions any chance they get!

If I am in the room, and can supervise, they will leave the love seat alone and just look out the big window at all of the people and animals walking by. They will stay there for as long as I let them....just watching....and barking.

Macro

I have not had fresh flowers in the house for quite some time. Right now, the fall flowers are out and they are beautiful. I could not resist buying a few bundles while I was at HEB.
Take a tip from me and don't pay the extra money on a pre-arranged bouquet. No, no, no. Just buy the separate flowers by the bundle and mix them all up!



They seriously cheer me up. Now I know we always send flowers to our friends that are in the hospital.
I wish I could have them all over the house. I hear that Elton John spends a small fortune on fresh flowers.


And they are really fun to photograph.




And even more fun to edit.

Flowers are evidence that God loves color.

It's in the Details

I was going to do a post about my new hangers and how much I love them. They are slim, soft, and strong. Since I have switched over from my old plastic hangers, my closet has more room and the metal hooks easily slide along the wooden bar. I took the above photo and was thinking about my next shot when I saw my little bohemian girl statuette. I love her. She lives in my closet next to my shoes. I bought her at Ross dress for less. No, wait...It may have been TJ Maxx. Either way, she was not expensive.

Here she is:


I made Dale take her outside and snap a few photos so I could show you the little details. You're welcome. Haha!








She reminds me of Penny Lane from Almost Famous.

outtakes

First my eyes are closed:


And then Cooper's eyes are closed:




Third times a charm?


Well, it's a cute pic but the bottom half of my face is covered up.

Hmm...

Here we go!

Wait, now only one side of my face is showing.

Screw it!


Hahahaha!

Eat.

Three weeks ago, Dale and I found our favorite place to eat Saturday breakfast. Russell's Bistro In Jefferson Square is awesome. The first time we ate there, we ordered coffee, a carrot bran muffin, and an apple fritter. Soooooooo good! We sat at our table and discussed whether or not they made their pastries and muffins on site or if they ordered them. Just then, out from the back came a man carrying the most beautiful chocolate cake. He set the cake on the counter and I took the opportunity to ask him where the delicious pastries were from. He told me that he makes them from scratch and that he has another bakery/coffee bar on burnet that has been in business for over 10 years. We chatted with Russell for a while and he told us about their brunch, dinner, and lunch menu. So far, we have only had the coffee, muffins, and pastries though because we want to sample all of them before moving on.

The next week, we had the carrot bran muffin and a slice of pumpkin bread.

This past Saturday, we and the carrot bran muffin (we always order the carrot bran muffin so we don't over do it on the pastries) and a schnecken.


What the heckn's a schnecken? Well, it's a flaky pastry filled with nuts, raisins (or currants), and some cinnamin. It may resemble one, but It's not as sweet nor as gooey as a cinnamon role.


Right now, the morning temperature in austin is perfect for outdoor dining. Russell's has a beautiful covered patio for those of you, like me, whom love to eat outdoors. The sides are open to the elements but a ceiling (complete with ceiling fans) covers your head from the sun.


Fresh flowers on the table adds a nice touch.




Test shot #1

Ok, I knew I would write a blog post about Russell's so I wanted a few pictures of our breakfast. I brought the camera (obviously) and took a few pictures. I wanted one shot of me taking a bite of the carrot bran muffin. One shot.
Dale was attempting to get the camera settings juuuuuust right, so he took a few test shots. I did not want to sit there and just hold the fork ,piercing a yummy muffin bite, in front of my face so I continued on eating as I normally would. I figured there would be one shot that I could use. When Dale finished taking the pictures, he looked through what he captured he laughed and laughed and told me that pictures of "people" eating are funny.





Next time, I will just hold a fork full of muffin next to my face as I smile for the camera.

Good People, Good Parents.

My friends Jeff and Erin recently welcomed their daughter Ellison into this world. Love that name by the way. "Ellison." It's very elegant.
I met Jeff the same night I met my husband. I met Erin just a short time after that. Jeff and Erin started dating on a halloween night, more than 10 years ago. Erin was dressed as a tag-team wrestler with glitter on her face and a cape on her back. Jeff is always full of flavor on any given day of the week. Costume? He don't need no stinkin' costume!
He was, as usual, dressed as himself though he helped himself to other people's costumes throughout the evening. He borrowed a caveman beard and wore that for a while....looking more like a terrorist than a primitive.

They clicked as a couple. Easy as pie.

They waited a while before getting married. But we all knew they would, eventually.

When the day of their wedding arrived, I watched Jeff's face as Erin walked through the church doors giving everyone (including Jeff) the first glimpse of her as a bride. She was beautiful. Jeff had the warmest smile I have ever seen. The smile was on his face and in his eyes. At that moment, I knew that they would be ok. In this world where 50% of all marriages end in divorce, I knew they would remain married until the end. I still know that. It's in the way they talk about each other. It's in the way they do things for each other. It's in the way they look at each other.....still.
Hmmm....I feel like I have written about this before. No matter. It still holds water.

Congratulations, Jeff and Erin. Ya'll are solid people. Ellison is lucky to have you both as parents. I know you both feel lucky to have her as a daughter.

Ready for the pictures? I stole these from Jeff's face book:






You can read all about Jeff's journey into parenthood at his new blog
http://raisingelle.wordpress.com/

Fall is for Music!

When I opened my mail today, I got a letter from Lone star Beer:


A while back, I had registered to win tickets to attend the Lone Star Bash at the Brewery. Turns out, I have been selected to win.

I can't find a link on the Lone Star Brewery Bash's website to actually purchase tickets, so I think everyone that enters is a winner

Hacienda, Band of Heathens, The Bluebonnets, Dale Watson, Bob Schneider, and The Texas Tornados are all playing.
This could be fun.

I added the winning tickets to my growing stack of tickets to fall concerts:


Lone star Bash at the Brewery
Black Lips with Those Darlins Oct 8th at Emo's
Hacienda Nov 5th at Stubb's indoor
Dr. Dog Nov 12th at Stubb's outdoor

Bee, today I took the liberty to register for you to win tickets to the Lone Star Brewery Bash. Keep an eye on your mail.

The New Blue

What's this you see? Why it's a new fancy pillow to go with my new fancy bedding!

I have always wanted one of these tootsie roll pillows:


Are you thinking, "What the truck? Why do you have new bedding all of the sudden? You didn't tell me you were going to change things around up in here!"

Let me explain. Ok?
I was looking at this piece of embroidered silk I have hanging in my bedroom:

and I was thinking about how much I like it's color scheme.
Here is a close up:


I didn't really capture the true colors, but you get the idea. In real life, it is more of a grey-ish ice blue background with indigo, honey, soft beige, and taupe accents

Any-hoo, as I was admiring it I thought "hmmm....I would never think to put those colors together."

I had been on a crimson kick but was beginning to grow tired of that shade.
These are the colors of my previous bedding. I'm not sure why the comforter is missing in this photo...you get the idea.



Ok, back to the pretty blue colors. As I looked at the embroidered silk I purchased many, many years ago at a yard sale I thought "hmmmm....I want to put those colors together and re-do my bedroom."

This all started when I decided to make new drapes for the big room. Those drapes turned out so nice, I decided to make drapes for the bedroom as well. I couldn't decide on a color until now, thanks to the embroidered silk. (Actually, my old drapes don't look that bad with the new bedding. I still want to sew my own, but I can hang with these while I am making the new ones and it wont drive me crazy.)

No sooner did I decide to change the bedding when I got a mailer from Tuesday Morning with this sucker on display:


I knew it was meant to be.
Decor Karma.

Here you see the bedding with my current drapes in the background.


All the pretty pillows:


And a cool candle holder:

Eventually, I would like to buy new lamps, new nightstands, a new ceiling fan, and a new dresser. One thing at a time, sweet friend. One thing at a time.

Touche'

Every neighborhood has a house that serves as a hangout for the neighborhood kids. To be the kid friendly house, their must be a set of wonderful parents to go with it. These parents have to be kind, funny, unselfish, and one of them (at least) needs to know how to whip up something yummy for dinner. When I was a kid, my friend Amy's house was that house. Though I did not live in her neighborhood, or even in the town her house was in, I did go to school with Amy and her house was basically across the street from the school.

I would often hang out at Amy's during lunch or after school. One day, I thought it would be funny to sign my name on little scraps of paper and place them in the corner of all the paintings as if I painted them. I thought that was hilarious! I also had left over papers bearing my signature so I decided to hide these all over the place. Amy's mom was still finding these several years later. It was the prank that kept on pranking. She called Amy a few years ago telling her that she had found another "Sarah signature." Again, I thought that was hilarious! (It's nice being easily amused.)

Well, Janis (Amy's mom) finally got back at me. Here's the story, morning glory----Amy and her husband Will came to Austin because Will had a speaking engagement (ooooh, fancy).


Here they are. They had to dress all Texan for the event. Amy bought herself some boots and everything. Will had his pants heavy starched and wore his best white shirt.

Amy and Will stayed at our house and were lovely house guests....or so I thought. The next day, when I came home from work, Amy and Will were already gone. I was walking in the hallway when I saw a little scrap of paper on the floor. I picked it up and it had Amy's mom's name written on it. At first, I thought nothing of it. I just figured it fell out of Amy's suitcase or something. And then, I remembered what I had done to Janis' paintings all those years ago. I turned the corner and examined the first painting I saw. Sure enough, this was in the corner:

The little scrap of paper I found had fallen from a painting in the hallway.


Oh, I "erased" Janis' last name to protect her from you. You are such a stalker. Ok, you are not a stalker. I'm sorry. Still, I don't think it's polite to publish somebody's last name without their permission.

I took a picture of the evidence with my cell phone and sent it to Amy in a text message. She replied to my message by telling me it was her mom's idea.

Janis' name was in every painting and picture in every room of my house. Touche' Janis, Touche'.

Then, Amy started posting photos on Facebook....photos of her and Will posing in various rooms of my house. Again, Amy told me this was her mom's idea.

Here are the pictures:

Amy writes, "Didn't you love the ending, Sarah?" (Back in highschool, I wanted to read this book but Amy told me the ending. I thought it was such a terrible ending and decided to not waste my time reading the story. Years later, I decided to read it as I had nothing new on my bookshelf. It turned out that Amy lied to me and made up the ending as a joke. Damn she's good!)


Will taking in the Austin air on the back patio.


Will practicing his grilling technique.


This is in my bathroom. Yes, I do love peacocks. Why do you ask?


Amy LOVES taking baths.


Will pretending to work in the office.


Amy pretending to sew.

Funny friends (and their funny parents) rule.