J L & O

Checking in, moving on.

2011-02-22T13:38:00.004-06:00

Went to dinner last week with the fam for Lauren & Michael's last week in Dallas. They are moving to Midland, TX. We'll love them and miss them and wish them the best of luck!
Owen was with Gigi. It's such a blessing to have both sets of grandparents so close to us. I'm pretty sure Owen loves it at much as we do, too.

This kid knows how to take a photo.

2011-02-22T13:36:00.004-06:00

He looks like he's modeling that baby bib. So relaxed, confident. Work it, son.

Walking lessons.

2011-02-17T22:13:00.002-06:00

Meeting Santa.

2011-01-14T19:19:00.005-06:00

Part One
Part Two

Part Three

Power.

2010-11-29T11:35:00.002-06:00

I think all Kanye West videos would be made better simply by removing Kanye. I know they say, "Don't hate the player, hate the game," but with him it's flipped. I love his music - his public persona, not so much.
On the other hand, I am loving the Mavs' lineup. This is truly a good group of guys, on and off the court, and I hope they go far this year.

First Mavs game and the Diaper Derby.

2010-11-02T09:19:00.004-05:00

We took Owen to his first Mavs game. We got great seats and everyone came along with us - Nana & Grandpa, Gigi & Poppa, even Lauren & Michael. Big O was on the Fan Cam a couple times. Not only that, Owen was in the Diaper Derby on the court! He went head to head with Jason Kidd's son (dressed as Winnie the Pooh). Owen was intimidating as the dragon, but he hasn't quite mastered crawling yet. It didn't dampen his spirits though. Go Mavs!

Scooter.

2010-10-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

Owen is becoming a little more mobile everyday. He started on his play-mat and ended up halfway under the couch. 100% boy, and maybe an extra 5% dust bunny.

Tears of joy.

2010-10-02T18:11:00.003-05:00

Just like the Bruins last week, the Sooners delivered another loss to the Longhorns.

This was Owen's first OU/TX game, it was a good one. So far, Owen's OU record is 4-0, a great start. We met our friends Mike and Jenn Kimbrel at a watch party to watch the Red River Rivalry kick off.

The Sooners jumped out to an early lead and on their first touchdown, the cheers went up, startling little O to tears. After explaining it to him, and quickly followed by another Sooner TD, all was well.

Good game, Sooners.

Big smile!

2010-10-02T13:15:00.002-05:00

At the beach.

2010-10-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

Destin, Florida this past September

What is this and can I eat it?

Reach for the stars, O.

2010-10-02T12:34:00.002-05:00

Boomer Sooner, baby.

2010-09-04T11:36:00.002-05:00

First gameday of his young life, and his instincts are solid. With no coaching whatsoever, he puts up the #1. Sooner born and Sooner bred.

Adorable indeed.

2010-08-26T14:53:00.001-05:00

Awesome hat, O!

Best mashup ever.

2010-08-26T14:51:00.002-05:00

This one's for the geeks.

Baby Owen laughing at Ellie the Dog

2010-08-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

2 Months Old!

2010-05-11T14:23:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that 2 months ago today we (and by we, I mean me--I have the stretch marks to prove it) had Owen. It has been both the best and hardest 2 months of our lives and I now know that no one can describe the emotion, the work and the changes a baby brings--you really do have to go through it to know.

I don't know what Jason and I talked about before we had him, I'm sure one day we will talk about something else, but for now I am quite content discussing bowel movements, feeding schedules, hair loss, smiles, coos, etc.

Owen had his 2 month appointment today which meant 3 shots. He took them like a champ and I think they hurt me more than him. Contrary to the picture hanging on the wall in the above photo, we did not take him to a veterinarian (although the picture did start a lively discussion about what breed of dog we would get if we had to choose). Our little guy weighed in at 12 lbs 9 oz and 23 1/2 inches long.

So little Owen, if the world wide web is around long enough for you to read this blog post one day, please know we love you more than we thought possible and will do our best to raise you right. Your daddy and I are so blessed to have you and look forward to many more happy memories and maybe even a brother or sister one day.

Bobble your head.

2010-04-25T19:19:00.001-05:00

Currently my iPhone wallpaper. Attaboy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We have ourselves a series.

2010-04-23T10:29:00.003-05:00

The Mavs first round playoff series versus the Spurs is tied up, 1-1. Game 3 is tonight in San Antonio. Here's an awesome video we put together with Green Grass Studios for the Western Conference Playoffs. It's inspired by the Nissan / Heisman Trophy commercials (Part One, Part Two) from a few years ago, where the physical embodiments of college team mascots are battling it out, chasing the trophy - my favorites being the depiction of the Sun Devil and the giant Buckeye bounding down the street like the boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The challenge we had is that many NBA team names don't easily lend themselves to physical representation. For example, how does one represent "Heat" in mascot form? Who gets to be the Dunkin' Gandalf between the Wizards and the Magic?

The Western Conference side of the Playoffs consists of the Mavericks (represented in our logo by stallion - not a literal representation but laid claim to since the 2001-02 season), Spurs, Blazers, Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Thunder, and Lakers. Not a single fearsome mascot in the bunch. But I really love how Green Grass got creative with the video (the Jazz portion especially, because really what else could you do, because wicked flute solos aside, how scary can jazz really be?).

So check it out, and let's go Mavs!

So serious.

2010-04-21T09:57:00.001-05:00

Where does that furrowed brow come from? That would be me.

Adorable? Yes.

2010-04-21T09:31:00.005-05:00

To be fair, I think he was in the middle of some serious digestive business. The fact that he's still adorable while conducting his big business is a testament to his Mama's good genes. What would your shirt say?

The Grands.

2010-03-14T11:35:00.008-05:00

Meet the Grand-Parents:

Poppa

Gigi

Nana

Grandpa

Owen wondering why he has more hair than Grandpa.

Owen.

2010-03-12T16:31:00.001-06:00

Let the waiting begin....

2010-03-03T20:23:00.001-06:00

40 weeks!

We are getting so close to our due date, but so far, nothing to report. The Braxton-Hicks contractions are pretty frequent but haven't turned painful. I definitely have slowed down quite a bit and am anxious to see how all of this turns out. We are packed and ready to go to the hospital but hopefully will stay at home for as long as possible for the early labor part. I promise we will do our best to keep everyone updated.

Showered!

2010-01-22T15:43:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we had our first baby shower! I opted not to do the girly thing so we had a couples shower and I was very impressed by the male turn out (it probably helped that there was a pool table and the football game was on). Needless to say, we were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and love for our impending arrival. I have NO pictures with my sweet hostesses but a huge thank you to Linde, Kay, Sandy, Christy and Anne. It was just perfect and we are so grateful. I am now realizing I have no pictures of the guests--if anyone has some, please send them my way, I am so bad at taking pictures and really need to work on this before Jason Jr. comes.

Owl and snail onesies from Jeff and Linde. Love them!

Forcing Jason in on the gift opening action.

I stole this picture from Kay's blog--Megan, Me, Kay and Sarah. Yes, I have gained 48 lbs. already but my dr. hasn't lectured me, so I'm not too worried.

What I listened to most in '09.

2010-01-15T17:36:00.001-06:00

I realize it's a little late, but I've had this list made on my iTunes for over a month and am just now getting around to putting it down for posterity. If I were feeling really ambitious I might also consider putting together a list of my top albums of the decade; alas, if I were feeling ambitious.

Like last year, my criteria was not only play-count, but what records this year I've actually told people about. Unlike last year, I didn't feel there were as many obvious choices for the list this go 'round. Nevertheless - my favorite word - in no particular order:

Samamidon - All Is Well
This is actually from last year, but I didn't hear of it until the first of January in '09 (from a best of '08 list, coincidentally) and it is one I have recommended to several people. Samamidon is Sam Amidon and this album of re-arranged traditional folk songs (mostly Appalachian) is haunting and beautiful. The arrangements are simultaneously sparse and lush, and deceptively simple. Sam's voice is unique in the weirdest way, I've read it described as "not un-pretty" which I can't help but agree with because it is by no means conventional. Your first instinct upon hearing him is to think, "this guy can't sing" but given a listen, the album is nostalgic, moving and surprisingly modern.
Standout track(s): "Wild Bill Jones" and "All Is Well"

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
A breakthrough for the French electronic-indie band. You've likely heard several of their songs in commercials, but this is hands-down one of the best feel-good albums of the past year. Not a bad track on the album.
Standout track: "Lisztomania"

Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
I love this album. A late find in 2009, an English band who sound like they came down from the hills of Kentucky, much like Old Crow Medicine Show. There's a darkness to the music that puts a Southern Gothic touch on the album but its tempered with a spirituality that's the silver lining on the storm clouds. Look at me waxing poetic.
Standout track: "The Cave"

Pete Yorn - Back & Fourth and Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up
Pete Yorn was busy last year, putting out his fourth solo album, Back & Fourth, and teaming with Scarlett Johansson for Break Up. It's a return to form for Pete who's first album, musicforthemorningafter has been on my all-time fave list since it came out in 2001. A lot of standout tracks on the album but topping the play count list is "Last Summer." A non-stop driving pop/rock song. The collaboration with Scarlett was inspired (by Serge Gainsbourg's 1967 and 1968 albums with Brigitte Bardot) and inspiring. The pairing of the two makes for some remarkable duets and is much better showcase for her than her '08 solo effort of Tom Waits covers, especially notable on the track "Clean."
Standout track(s): Back & Fourth "Last Summer"; Break Up "Search Your Heart"

Pearl Jam - Backspacer
This album has the song that I will always associate the year. "The Fixer" shows the positive side of Pearl Jam, long known for being the brooding pioneers of grunge. Start to finish though, this album ranks up in the top three of PJ's career. It has all the elements of a great Pearl Jam record - heartbreak stories, rock & roll poetry, thoughts on mortality, the spectrum of music from punk to acoustic ballad, and the prerequisite surfer song. Interestingly enough, the other Pearl Jam track that I'll always associate with 2009 is their self-titled album's "Unemployable."
Standout track: "The Fixer"

The Joy Formidable - A Balloon Called Moaning
This band is one I was lucky to stumble across because outside of the U.K. and Northern Wales where they are from, they are grossly overlooked and under-appreciated. I'm not entirely sure how to describe them either, which may be part of the problem. But I've read their music described as, "epic, melodic, hand-shandy pop from a band who understand the true joys of life." Summing it up best is Ritzy Bryan, who called the band she fronts, "sometimes-pretty-with-twirling-melody/sometimes-corruscating-with-crashing-chords guitar and elegant but energised vocals." Sounds about right.
Standout track: "The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade"

Horse Feathers - House With No Home
This record actually came out September 2008, but didn't come to my attention until January of last year. Coupled with their 2006 release Words Are Dead, which I quickly tracked down after falling in love with the Horse Feathers sound - a trio consisting of a guitar, cello and violin with a vocal style reminiscent of Iron & Wine. Most of the numerous plays these albums got came while reading the Michael Chabon novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Set in Alaska, the music of the Portland band worked well providing both a tone and atmosphere for the book. Subsequently, the book and the band are inextricably linked both to each other and 2009. There you go, a book recommendation to boot.
Standout track(s): Words Are Dead "In Our Blood"; House With No Home "Curs In The Weeds"

Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones
See my review of DMB (not Dave Matthews Band - though he released a decent album in '09 as well) in my post in October.
Standout track: "Pa Pa Power"

Matt & Kim - Grand
Joyous piano and drums music. A no-frills production (down to the band name) that are known for their raucous live shows and infectious energy. Also has one of the best lines due to its spiritual implications, when the bespectacled Matt sings, "I know that one day I'll see without these frames." Putting my own meaning on it - and since I wear glasses, I feel I'm entitled to - he's speaking of the day we enter the Kingdom of God. Amen to that, Four Eyes.
Standout track: "Daylight"

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
She easily has one of the best voices in music today. I first heard her in the unfortunately named ensemble The New Pornographers where she stole nearly every track she sang on. Here she owns the whole show and has been christened the Queen of Indie Folk/Rock Music.
Standout track: "People Got A Lotta Nerve"

Honorable Mentions: U2 - No Line On The Horizon, Various Artists - Dark Was The Night, Original Motion Soundtrack - Away We Go, Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist

You ought to respond with your own list, I love hearing what folks are listening to.

Eduardo Najera is back with the Mavs.

2010-01-12T08:58:00.004-06:00

Najera is a former OU basketball star and one of my all-time favorite players. He helped OU to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances during his college career, as well as finishing in the school's all-time top ten in nine statistical categories. Before being drafted into the NBA in 2000 by the Mavs, Najera received rave reviews from scouts, who boasted on Najera's quick first step and extraordinary rebounding ability. He is only the second Mexican-born player to join the NBA. He was the first Mexican player to be drafted into the NBA. His first four years were with the Mavs where he became a fan favorite for his energy, rebounding and his tenacity on defense. The Mavs lost him in the trade to Golden State that brought Dampier to Dallas, and since then, he's been to Denver and most recently the dismal New Jersey Nets. But now...he's back in Big D!
Click on the article link below.

Najera can't stop smiling after trade back to Mavericks | Dallas Mavericks News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

It's a little sad to see Kris Humphries go, but at least he will get more playing time on the Nets as they do their best to not end this season as the NBA team with the worst record of all time.

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Did you know?

2009-12-10T12:48:00.003-06:00

Here's a funny little thing I saw today. On my oh-so-extensive IMDB biography, check out my "Birth Name"...
I had no idea I'd been going by a stage name my entire life! Why wouldn't my parents have told me that?

Hooray for love.

2009-11-30T18:51:00.014-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and one thing our family is thankful for is how awesome Lauren & Michael's wedding was!

It was this past Saturday and everyone agrees that they got hitched without a hitch. From the rehearsal dinner (at the Old Red Museum & Courthouse) to the ceremony (University Park United Methodist Church) and especially the reception (the Stoneleigh Hotel) everything was absolutely perfect! Lauren was radiant and I can't think of a better match for her than Michael. The band was excellent - big shout out to Amanda Baker (McKinney High alum) and Random Axis for keeping the party going. The Seely and Dorff family and friends in attendance were a blast to celebrate with. Mom and Dad did a great job in their Mother & Father of the Bride duties (bonus points to Dad for keeping his composure throughout the festivities).

I don't have any pictures yet - I'll let Leeanne post some when she gets around to it - but I did create some little posters for the occasion. Michael's mother commissioned me for these to display at the rehearsal dinner. There was kind of a Tex-Mex theme to the event and she let me have fun with it. She was also cool enough to print extras for guests and I was happy to see plenty of folks taking them home.

This was pretty funny to me when I was putting them together. Look at the side-by-side comparison, how Michael and ol' Tyrone Power are in nearly the exact same position. It's like he was channeling the spirit of Zorro - mask and all!

Also, Jeff helped me out with this little bit. A couple of posts back I talked about his music blog soundscountry, well, through that Jeff recently met with Rhett Miller, solo artist and lead singer of the Old 97s. He did a song for Jeff's blog and was a good sport by giving Lauren & Michael a wedding wish. I put the two together for a little surprise video for them at the rehearsal. It's a great live acoustic performance, but make sure you watch at the 3:35 mark. Hooray for love indeed.

New radio.

2009-11-25T10:27:00.006-06:00

Nearly back to back music entries! Also consecutive Jeff-related entries!
Dallas has a new radio station, KXT 91.7, and the timing couldn't be better after the promising rise and disappointing fall of both Lonestar 92.5 and Quality Rock 93.3. Lonestar went from a great roots-rock, Willie Nelson-endorsed, commercial-free format to your cookie-cutter classic rock variety station, followed by Quality's amazing start with a just-off-the-mainstream"quality" playlist to an even more insipid version of Kiss FM.

But now, KXT has somehow combined the good parts of those two experiments, and coupled it with the non-commercial sensibilities (and hopefully stability) of NPR. It's a member-supported station with a varying playlist and eclectic shows like the celtic-inspired Thistle & Shamrock. So that means instead of gentleman's club ads you get good music and news from NPR at the top of the hour. Also, local acts, deep cuts from great artists and a lot of live performances, such as the in-studio appearance last week by Pete Yorn (below).

And how is this Jeff related? It just so happens he is the main marketing man there who started the same day as KXT went on the air - very similar to how I started my new job on practically the same day as the NBA season opened. Like learning to drive on the Autobahn.

If you listen to KXT and would like to become a member, click here.

If it sounds country...

2009-11-01T13:29:00.006-06:00

Uncle Jeff has a (relatively new) music blog called Sounds Country.

It covers that area of music that encompasses alt-country, rock country, folk country, roots music, some bluegrass and americana. Intentionally excluded, the crossover stuff of pop that's prevails on mainstream country radio today.

It's what Sounds Country has bolted on the masthead:

If it sounds country, then that's what it is, you know — it's a country song. – Kris Kristofferson

So say hello again to ol' Kris, Lyle Lovett, and Robert Earl Keen alongside the Old 97s, Jayhawks, and Drive-By Truckers, and to paraphrase a recent country-fied pop exchange:

Taylor Swift: Thank you so much. I always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one these someday but I never actually thought that would happen. I sing country music so thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award...
Kanye West: Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you…I’ll let you finish. But...

...you don't really sing country music. Thanks for the great blog, Jeff, with interviews, reviews and - what a lot of music blogs forget about - music!

Mavs Man.

2009-10-29T21:35:00.007-05:00

Guess who got a job doing what he loves for his favorite NBA team!
...
No, guess again.
...
What? No - seriously? Don't you know whose blog this is?
That's right. I'm working as the Creative Editor & Producer for the Dallas Mavericks! That's my official title anyway, although I've heard it also referred to as a "Preditor," PRoducer/EDITOR. Sounds cool.

Basically, I'll be working to produce top-notch video productions for in-game entertainment, TV spots, promos, and online content for the Mavs. I started on Monday and the first game of the season was Tuesday so my head has been spinning. But I've had an all-access pass to see how the whole show is run, I've met some really awesome and nice people (including Mavs Man), and I'm excited about all that we're going to be doing - the All-Star Game is in Dallas this year, too.

It's just been such a blessing and so evident that God's hand was in this. Like I said, I'm a little overwhelmed - there's so much I could say, I just don't know where to start. Go Mavs!

I love you, OU & U2 too.

2009-10-20T21:53:00.008-05:00

Last weekend was a big weekend.

First and foremost, Leeanne had a special birthday! She turned __ years old, and for a gal who's __ years old and pregnant, if I met her for the first time tomorrow I'd still fall in love with her.

Also last week, my buddy Brad called with an extra ticket to see the OU/TX game. Huge thanks go out to him for that. We rode the DART down to Fair Park and hit the State Fair a little early before the game. I made the delicious mistake of trying chicken-fried bacon. I gotta say it tasted pretty good, but a little definitely goes a long way.

As for the game itself, it was ugly football. Don't kid yourselves Longhorns, y'all played ugly, too. But like good sports we managed to keep the peace in the spirit of a bipartisan nation when we ran into Drew after the game.

Then, Sunday we went up to Norman to see U2 in concert. Neither of us had ever seen them before - they've been on my list of must-see concerts for a while - and it meant getting back home to Dallas at almost three in the morning, but even Leeanne will tell you it was worth it. It's hard to explain but you can't watch them perform live and not think that you are watching the best band in the world. Bono is an iconic rock star, and they are an iconic band. It's truly an uplifting experience and I would love to see them again.

So truly a great weekend, on many levels, more of which we'll share soon. As everyone keeps telling us, the best is yet to come. So get on your boots!

Just in time for Halloween.

2009-10-14T20:48:00.012-05:00

An Oscar-nominated Hollywood heartthrob and his best friend round up a bunch of instruments-- some of which they don't know how to play-- and a massive children's choir and make a concept album about the supernatural. Seems like a recipe for disaster, right? Guess again. - Pitchfork.com

It occurred to me that I haven't written about any albums in a while. It also occurs to me that if you had said that the next album I wrote about would be by an actor, I would have laughed. Like most people, whenever I hear that an actor has decided to put out an album, my natural reaction is to roll my eyes. The last thing the word needs is another vanity project from the current Tiger Beat cover boy or Hanna Montana of the week. Past attempts have resulted in such bargain bin albums as Bruce Willis' Return of Bruno, Don Johnson's Heartbeat or opening acts like Keanu Reeves' Dogstar and Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars. If you haven't heard of these, not to worry, it's likely best that way.

But sometimes...sometimes you get something really worth listening to. Past examples are She & Him, a collaboration of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel and the recently released Breakup by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson. But now, Ryan Gosling has quietly and with little fanfare put out an album that is all concept and no conceit, experimental not overexposure, and pretty dang good. That would be Dead Man's Bones.

First as an actor; every woman in America knows Ryan Gosling from The Notebook, but if you've never seen Half Nelson I recommend you do. It's a powerful performance. Secondly, he's got some legitimate music chops. Like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, Baby Goose (as I like to call him) was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club, and like those two (the exclusion of Britney Spears is intentional, y'all), this kid can actually sing.

He's put together a little band that consists of him and his best friend, and combined their mutual fascination with ghosts, monsters, graveyards, zombies or anything deathly to create a spooky little indie record.

They've enlisted a choir from the Silverlake Convervatory of Music, the Los Angeles music education facility co-founded by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The choir members' ages ranged from five to 17. Every Sunday afternoon for several months, Gosling and his buddy Zach Shields would rehearse and record with the kids. What's really surprising is the results. The sounds reflect a wide range of influences - a little bit of doo-wop and artists such as The Shangri-Las, The Cure, Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens. And the choir is reminiscent at times of A Charlie Brown Christmas, although this one would be more fitting for The Great Pumpkin.

This is the video for their song "In the Room Where You Sleep." In the clip, Gosling and Shields lead a bunch of kids, all dressed in Halloween costumes, through a spare acoustic lament.

It's creepy and catchy. It sounds like a middle school assembly gone goth. - Pitchfork.com
All of this gives Dead Man's Bones the feeling -- in the best possible way -- of a bootleg recording of an elaborate grade-school Halloween pageant. - AMG

DEAD MAN'S BONES - "NAME IN STONE" from biz3 publicity on Vimeo.

Can't start too early.

2009-09-10T13:19:00.003-05:00

My pops got this for our future Manchild Warrior (name still pending, although based on information currently available, our little one is a boy - Leeanne is still a little shell-shocked, her initial reaction, "I don't know what to do with a little boy" met with my knee-jerk response, "Same thing you do with me" which made me realize how outnumbered she truly is).

Will Tiger Woods still be playing competitive golf in 20 years? I don't know but if we start this little guy early El Tigre may finally have some stiff competition come 2030.

The OU hat placed for size comparison, not pride in our unfortunate performance last Saturday (quiet weeping). I had an interesting discussion with Leeanne about whether losing the game and losing Sam Bradford to a sprained shoulder was adding "insult to injury" or "injury to insult" - I contend it's the latter. Sigh.

First came love, then came marriage....

2009-08-17T20:34:00.010-05:00

...and as of March 2010, we will be in need of a baby carriage!

It is official, we are having a baby! Our plan had been to wait until I turned thirty but God had other plans and we are thrilled. It is such an odd thing that most of our friends can probably relate to. Jason and I knew pretty early on but wanted to wait to until we had seen/heard the heartbeat, had all the tests and felt like we were in a good place to tell others. In the meantime, we just got so used to the idea and used to not telling people that now that we finally are, it seems so new again! I don't know if that makes any sense, not much I do or think these days does.

I am just overwhelmed at the love and excitement our sweet friends have given us. Everyone has a great story or experience to tell and I am so grateful for all the advice and encouragement I am getting from all you girls who have done this before.

So, like it or not, I am sure this blog will have a more "child-friendly" theme from now on.

Here is a picture of our little nugget a little over a week ago. It was really cool because he/she was wiggling like crazy and kept putting his/her hand up to it's face. You can kind of see a profile with it's little nose, mouth and huge forehead.

This is what my super creative husband sent to his friends to tell them the big news.

And this is an example of the type of picture I promise NEVER to post of us.

And a big congrats to our dear friends Craig and Sarah on the birth of their baby girl, Elizabeth, yesterday!

Rings and things.

2009-08-05T23:34:00.004-05:00

A week ago I lost my wedding ring. I haven't the slightest idea where it might be or how I lost it.

Like most things you misplace, I have a strong recollection of having it on the day it went missing, but only a vague impression of the points leading up to when I discovered it was lost.
So basically, it could be in the yard, in a crack behind the dresser, or in the bottom of a box of Froot Loops for all I know. Maybe a hobbit found it and is taking it to Mordor as we speak (nerd alert).

I have to admit, I was pretty upset. Leeanne had the inside engraved and though it was a little bit large - my fingers are what you might call "dainty" - I wore it every single day since we've been married with few exceptions. For the few days after I lost it and had to go without it, I was really bothered not having it on my finger.

It made me think about what a wedding ring actually is and more importantly, what it stands for. Humans as a species tend to put so much emphasis on a symbol, be it an object, tradition, or act, that we completely lose sight of what that thing is symbolic of.
The wedding ring is a symbol of my marriage to Leeanne. Even without that outward symbol on my dainty digit, I'm still married to my wife. Heart and soul, I am hers and she is mine.
Just as our rings are a symbol for our love and devotion to one another, our marriage is a symbol of our relationship with Christ. Heart and soul.

A ring, a marriage, a saving relationship with Jesus. Out of those three, I'd much rather be without the one that has a tendency to slip off my finger when my hands are wet. I lost an object, a token, a reminder of more important things. Things that are so special, amazing, undeserved, and, thankfully, can never be lost.

On August 6, 2005 Leeanne and I got married in Brentwood, Tennessee. Today marks our four year anniversary. I love you, sweetheart, heart and soul.

Kid, you'll move mountains!

2009-08-05T15:08:00.007-05:00

It's pretty much become a cliché for graduates to be given the Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Places You'll Go! So much so, that I doubt the majority of those who have received it in the past few years has even taken the time to read it. That's a shame.

I just finished working on a baby shower invitation with a Dr. Seuss them for one of my sister's friends. And while doing so, I took the time to read Oh, The Places You'll Go! I probably had not even looked at it since receiving it from my folks over 13 years (yikes!) ago.
What I found was not the simple book of rhyming platitudes I had come to think of it as, but a poignant and encouraging look at life. At success and opportunity, yes. But also at failure, loneliness, and waiting for change.
As one of the many who are waiting on a change in the economy, looking for employment, or any change in there circumstances right now, I found some encouragement there.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

Anyway, I just thought I would share that. And I would encourage you, if you have a copy somewhere (I would bet that you do), to dust it off and give it a quick read.
Also, I'd like to share the invitation I did. The nice girl I did it for had seen one done like this and wanted me to try and recreate it. It's actually based on the cover for another Seuss book, The Lorax. It was a lot of fun to work on, and I even found a fun Dr. Seuss-themed font in the process.
Here it is, and I should say, all credit to the original designer and of course to Dr. Seuss for his incredible body of work and who continues to inspire.

So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

First Dates

2009-07-25T22:33:00.007-05:00

I really want to be a good blogger. I read other people's blog like its my job but have been lazy about updating my blog that my husband is so much better at. I too have stories and experiences to tell but find myself becoming self conscious when I sit down to write. I am determined to get better even though there may be only 3 people ever reading this.

Tonight brought back a lot of fond memories. Jason and I went to Magianno's for the first time since we had our first date there over 8 years ago. We were living in Los Angeles and went to Magianno's then saw Black Hawk Down (not the best date movie, but with the best date). As we enjoyed our dining experience there I got to thinking about how different things are 8 years later.

1. While waiting for our table, Jason decided to pull out his iPhone and take a "cleavage shot" of me because my tank top was unusually low cut (it's 100 degrees people). 1st date Jason was sweet enough to open doors and maybe (?) held my hand in the movie theater. I guess I am flattered.

2. Also while waiting for our table, we got bored, made up a word game, then went on to play it through our salad course. I remember our conversation being a little more formal and nervous all those years ago....I think there may have been a few awkward silences as well.

3. Jason and I split an entree! We laugh that pre-me, "Jason doesn't share food". He has always eaten a lot and a little territorial about his food. I didn't even have to ask tonight, I knew what I wanted before we got there and he gladly shared and even had leftovers for tomorrow.

4. We realized we were out of milk on the way home and had to stop by Target...very romantic.

5. And the best difference between now and then....we ended the night under the same roof in the same bed all this by 10:30 on a Saturday night.

Changing horses.

2009-06-29T22:16:00.010-05:00

JG is a man with connections. It's good to be connected with a dude like that. One of those is a friend at the Granada Theater, a really great music venue in Dallas. Sidenote: the first time I went to the Granada was back in the mid-90s when it was experimenting with the Studio Movie Grill formula of dining while watching a big-screen movie. The movie I saw that night was Primal Fear with Richard Gere and Ed Norton. What sticks out most in mind was during the brutal murder scene, thinking that shrimp cocktail is an odd dish when accompanied by violent cinema.

Anyway, last week we went to see Ben Kweller play. He's a semi-local boy who grew up in Greenville, TX and has since moved on to be a critical darling in the quote-unquote indie music scene. His last album, appropriately titled Changing Horses, finds him exploring his Texas roots by putting out some straight-forward country songs, a departure for him although his off-kilter/rock voice assures us you won't hear him on the Twister anytime soon. It's too bad though, because his songs have more heart than most of the faire you'll find in mainstream country right now. I challenge anyone to listen to "On Her Own" and try to tell me that if Tim McGraw did a cover it wouldn't be #1 with a bullet.

The great thing about the show was he brought the guitar/pedal steel sound from the last album and applied it to the rest of his rock catalogue to really awesome results.
So, consider this a recommendation to check out Ben Kweller's album Changing Horses.
And consider this an attempt at arty-iPhone photography.

Bonus: a "Where's Waldo" moment from the show - can you spot Jeff & I? Here's a hint, Jeff's keeping the beat and I'm pondering whether or not I'm too old to go to rock shows.

To coin a term.

2009-06-10T10:46:00.005-05:00

My buddy Neil just added a new word to my lexicon: blandiose.
Essentially, something intended to be grand or important, possibly more complicated or elaborate than necessry, but affectedly boring.

Online portfolio is now...online.

2009-06-03T21:58:00.004-05:00

Allow myself to introduce...myself. While the highly (or nighly) anticipated jseely.com is still very much under construction, I am pleased to say that I have finally got a makeshift portfolio up featuring a smattering of my design, illustration and ad work over at Tumblr (why no "e?" I hav no ida).

Check it all out at jseely.tumblr.com, and tell your friends.

Design on the side.

2009-06-03T08:51:00.021-05:00

Latel, I've been keeping busy doing some design work here and there for my generous family and friends. I did a Save-the-Date for my sis (The Paper Lion in McKinney did a great job printing them up).
And on the heels of that, it just so happens that Lauren's future brother-in-law, John, is getting married this month. His sweet mother, being an advocate for the arts (and unemployed artists apparently) asked if I would design an invite for their rehearsal dinner.

The event is at the Sons of Hermann Hall, an excellent live music venue built in 1910, so I thought it would be cool to design the invite like a concert poster. Not only that, John's family has ties to the Texas Sons of Hermann fraternal organization dating back over a century ago.

For inspiration, I looked to the Nashville institution Hatch Show Print.
If you follow country music, country music history or the history, art and culture of the American South, sooner or later you're bound to run into the letters, images and unmistakable "look" of Hatch Show Print. They're one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, and over the years their posters have featured a host of country music performers ranging from Hall of Famers Hank Williams, Bill Monroe and Johnny Cash to present-day stars and bands like the Old 97's, Wilco and Coldplay.
With that in mind, as well as wanting something distinctly Texan, I chose to emulate the poster at right.

Below is my interpretation, created in Illustrator and Photoshop. You may notice that the cowboy and ring theme carries through from my previous design - what can I say, I like the imagery.

Click for larger view.

That was the initial design, but to include the family history, a couple other items of information and make it more interesting, I decided to take a more rustic approach in Photoshop.

Click for larger view.

It has been a lot of fun working on these, and if anybody's interested, I've got several more cowboy/wedding ring ideas in storage.

Oh, snap! "Yo Mama" jokes for Mother's Day.

2009-05-08T21:26:00.004-05:00

From McSweeney's Internet Tendency. I love you, Mom!

RESPECTFUL
YO MAMA
JOKES.
by Lucas Klauss

- - - -

Yo mama is so healthy her BMI is probably exactly within the ideal range for a woman her age.

- - - -

Yo mama is so well respected within her profession that I bet she'll get another raise and promotion this year despite the downward trajectory of the economy.

- - - -

Yo mama is so good at cooking she should open her own restaurant. I'd be the first customer.

- - - -

Yo mama is so attractive she could be on the cover of Prevention.

- - - -

Yo mama is so Internet-savvy she should start her own social-networking site designed specifically for moms. It would be really popular.

- - - -

Yo mama is so well read she could teach a course on literature at an accredited university.

- - - -

Yo mama is so good at listening she makes you feel like she's put everything aside to focus all her attention on you. That's a really great trait to have.

- - - -

Yo mama is so skilled at coaching basketball she should apply for a job in the WNBA.

- - - -

Yo mama is so generous she just paid for everyone's meal at Applebee's.

- - - -

Yo mama is so supportive of you and your efforts that I wouldn't be surprised if you were incredibly successful as a result.

Do not want.

2009-05-06T13:09:00.008-05:00

I saw this interesting little item on the internet today:That's right, eyeglasses piercing. They’re made by the Pierced Glasses company, if you’re looking to get a pair for yourself. I'm going to pass.

I like eyeglasses. They are the only acceptable accessory for your face in my opinion (apologies to all my lip, brow and nose pierced friends). I typically wear my contacts, but on days when I want to give my peepers a rest I pop on the specs.

Another reason I enjoy those days is I tend to get a lot of comparisons to Clark Kent. It makes me wonder why on most days I'm not mistaken for Superman, but I guess therein lies the genius of the subtle disguise.
My secret is safe for another day.

Oh Baby!

2009-05-04T20:02:00.005-05:00

The summers where we had a wedding/wedding shower every weekend have officially ended and we have moved on to the baby phase! No news from my womb but pretty much every single one of our friends is expecting or have just had a baby. It is so much fun seeing our friends become mommies and daddies. As I write our friends Tim and Christy (mainly Christy) are in labor and are having a baby boy who we can't wait to meet.

We got to meet sweet Sadie Kay on Friday night. Rob and Kay had her on April 24th and she has the most hair I have ever seen on a baby...good thing her mama does hair! She was so fun to snuggle with and we are so happy for them.

New favorite show.

2009-05-02T16:32:00.012-05:00

Deadliest Warrior, the ridiculously masculine series on Spike, just earned a spot on my DVR roster. Here's the description from Spike's website:

Each week on Deadliest Warrior, a new episode will pit two of the most feared warriors civilization has ever known against each other. Along with the use of 21st century science and the latest in CGI technology, each episode enlists warrior-specific world-class fighters and experts to provide insight into what makes these combatants tick, analyzing every facet of their unique skills of destruction, culminating in a head-to-head final fight between two legends of the battlefield that will produce the deadliest warrior.

Like I said, ridiculously masculine, basically a show for meat-heads, but I love the premise. I myself have had these type of questions/discussions/arguments with friends (when I was 12 years old, mind you, but as a matter of fact, one review actually reads, "If you love non-self-aware comedy or are a 12-year-old boy, stay tuned..."). These hypothetical scenarios make for good TV, and taking it a step further, great stories since most comic books and movie scripts are written based on these setups. Who would win a fight? Superman or the Incredible Hulk? Abe Lincoln or Ghandi?

Most of the time, the results of these match-ups are determined by the personal preferences of the writer. For example: Superman over the Hulk; Honest Abe over Ghandi (he's a pacifist for cryin' out loud). What Deadliest Warrior does is add a little objectivity to the process. Breaking down the weapons and then running all the determining factors through a program that simulates a 1,000 battles.

Other highly-anticipated showdowns this season include: Pirate vs. Knight, Viking vs. Samurai, Green Beret vs. Spetznaz, Maori vs. Shaolin Monks, William Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu, and Ninja vs. Spartan. Superman vs. Lincoln must be next season.

Incidentally, I am aware that this blog is quickly becoming the dorkiest thing on the Internet. I apologize. Actually, I'm sorry that I'm not sorry. This is my geek-outlet. And Leeanne doesn't post anymore, so it is what it is - all "He Said."

Winner: Supes

Nerd alert.

2009-05-01T22:49:00.003-05:00

I first read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in college. From that point on I was hooked on all things Middle Earth. I would joke with Leeanne when we were engaged (and even yesterday when we were talking with some friends about wedding rings) that I wanted the "one ring" as my wedding band. It was that or a Batman ring, both of which unbelievably are available in the Skymall catalog, here and here. Pick one up for yourself next time you fly. Then when the movies came out, I, along with countless others (except for, inexcusably, my brother-in-law Jeff), became super-geeks upon seeing the universe Tolkien created faithfully given cinematic life. I love those movies, and while they are long, I'll watch them every time I come across them on TNT or AMC (same goes for Braveheart or Godfather II). Also, even though watching the entire trilogy would take a solid nine hours or so (not even including the indispensable bonus features) it takes considerable less time than reading the books - that takes true commitment, easy readers.

While all of the LOTR fans are waiting for the next movie to add to the collection - The Hobbit, split into two separate films, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Guillermo Del Toro - in the meantime, here's something fun.

A group of "incredibly proactive dork- er, Lord of the Rings enthusiasts," recently shot a 40-minute, high-definition film in North Wales with an all-volunteer crew of 150. On Sunday, May 3rd, it will be released, online and free, at TheHuntForGollum.com. Check out the trailer below. Cheesy? Undoubtedly. Legal? Uncertain. Awesome? Undeniably.
Does it make you wonder how many of these dudes live in a basement and showed up to the audition already in full costumes their mothers made? Indubitably. And it's that kind of commitment I want out of film-making fans if I'm going to sit down on my couch and waste my time watching something for free.

THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1 from Independent Online Cinema on Vimeo.

Rumble grumble.

2009-04-17T09:06:00.021-05:00

The NBA playoffs are here and the Mavs have made it into the postseason. While I love the Mavs and am a Cuban-certified MFFL (Mav Fan For Life, probably not the best initialism, say all the mo-fos out there), I'm afraid my hopes and dreams don't extend past the first round. Sad, I know, but that's just how I feel.

Also in NBA news, the inaugural season of the Oklahoma City Thunder did not end with a trip to the playoffs. No one really expected it to, but that's not why I bring them up. This is a little old, but I was asked to comment on it. Bringing almost as much controversy as the relocating of the Sonics to OKC was the introduction of the Thunder's mascot, Rumble.

Now I love mascots, especially dunking ones. Dallas' own Mavs Man? Genius. He's made out of basketball. Of course he can do a somersault-jam off a trampoline.Then there's Rumble. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's all that bad, in fact, I'll go on record as saying I think Rumble is O.K. I like the fact that he's a bison - very appropriate choice for an Oklahoma team, tapping into the local culture. Way more thought must have gone into this than the team's actual name (still disappointed in "Thunder," I think "Marshals" would have been a much cooler and certainly less generic name, but at least "Rumble" as a name works for both a bison and thunder). But the fans and the media (at least the obscure segment of the media that deems this type of item worthy of comment) have given ol' Rumble a tepid reception and a resounding, "meh."

I think most of the people's beef has come from the fact that he looks very much like Teen Wolf. Though it should be noted that, in the relocation of the team from Seattle to OKC, the mascot came along as well. The Sonics' costumed representative was another hairy bugger called Squatch. Squatch was loved by the fans in the Pacific Northwest. Why? 1. Because he was hairy, 2. because he was part of local culture (yes, Bigfoot is an indiginous creature to Washington) and 3. because he could shoot t-shirts out of a canon (r.i.p. Maude Flanders). Rumble does all these things, and in reality, he is Squatch, albeit with a different head and jersey. But then again, isn't the team itself (different head and jersey, that is)?

And the Teen Wolf thing? How can that be bad? Have they ever seen Teen Wolf, he was awesome at basketball (ignore Teen Wolf, Too, I'm trying to make a point). Come to think of it, why hasn't anbody used him as their mascot? For further evidence read this - COVERING TEEN WOLF: ONE COACH'S GUIDE.

So, I think I've adressed that adequately, Rumble is perfect for the Thunder. Sadly, one other comment I read on a sports blog I have no defense for, and that is:
"This mascot will have sex with your wife." I mean, look at that guy. He's got bedroom eyes.

"They lifted the curse."

2009-03-24T14:29:00.006-05:00

Today, Pearl Jam is releasing a remastered edition of their first album Ten.

Every time I hear anything off that record I can't help but be reminded of that time of my life, around 1991, when Pearl Jam and my burgeoning love of music coincided which ultimately created in me a mental autobiography marked by songs as much as events.

One of the seminal tracks from Ten is the song "Alive." Below is a clip from a few years ago when PJ did an episode of Storytellers on VH1, and Eddie Vedder tells a really beautiful story about the meaning behind that song and its transformation over the years.

Incidentally, Pearl Jam make the list below at #60 with a bullet. That's above average, but like I said, it's not a strictly scientific study.

Music that makes you dumb.

2009-03-17T14:50:00.007-05:00

I love this. A guy named Virgil Griffith did this little study, comparing favorite musicians/bands (compiled from Facebook) with SAT/ACT scores (gathered from CollegeBoard) of those who listen to them, which ultimately is good news for folks who like Beethoven, Sufjan Stevens, Counting Crows, U2 and Radiohead - bad news for fans of Beyonce and Lil Wayne.

Go to this site, musicthatmakesyoudumb, to see how he did it, as well as a couple more interesting visual representations, like the one below, of the data.

While understanding that this is far from pure science, I am more than a little pleased that I have so many faves in the upper tier. Click here to see the straight list. Click on image below to embiggen.

Working on the world wild web.

2009-03-17T14:03:00.004-05:00

I just noticed there's been no updates for a month. For shame on me (Leeanne I think has given up all together, but perhaps she just needs some encouragement?).

Part of the reason why is that I am working hard on getting my online portfolio up and running. Jeff is helping me out big time on this. First and foremost, he & Linde secured the domain name for me and staked out the little corner of the internet where it will be residing. Plus, he's helping me with all the dots & dashes/bleeps & bloops that make the internet work. So, hopefully, we'll be launching it soon!

Be my Valentine.

2009-02-14T14:16:00.005-06:00

Leeanne got me this great shirt for Valentine's. Quite possibly the best band t-shirt ever created, combining the Kings of Leon with the color and style of the Oklahoma Sooners - plus its from my one true love, my beautiful bride, the incomparable, Leeanne. I love it!

FYI - "Followill" is the last name of the three brothers and one cousin that make up the band.

Basketball and karate together at last.

2009-02-11T12:53:00.008-06:00

Two great tastes that taste great together, and once it gets to your stomach, dragon-punches you.

This film, Fireball, is recommended to anyone that spent an afternoon in high school on my driveway playing a little game we lovingly referred to as "21 Kill." Basically, a friendly game of 21 with the little twist of full-body contact added to it for kicks (kicking was allowed, come to think of it).

My question is, who was the wizard that came up with the idea of adapting it to film and can we create a special category of Oscar for Radness?
(It was a two-part question.)

It's a good thing there are "No Rules" because I'm pretty sure I saw some flagrant traveling.

What, was "The Pride of Oklahoma" unavailable?

2009-02-09T09:47:00.006-06:00

This was the only part of the Grammys (Grammies?) I saw last night, and I'm still 100% sure it was the best thing about the program.
Radiohead backed by the USC marching band.

Radiohead - 15 Step
by Alisvideo

USC thinks they are sooo cool - "We're so cool, we get to play with Radiohead" - but here's the thing...they aren't.

Sometimes I draw.

2009-02-06T14:38:00.005-06:00

The other day I found this drawing I did while in college. Based on actual events and influenced by the brilliant, but now defunct, comic strip by Michael Jantze - The Norm.

Linked in.

2009-02-06T12:53:00.019-06:00

Front page news today: "January job loss worst since 1974."
1974. Essentially, the worst month for the workforce to occur in my lifetime (so far). Employers cut 598,000 jobs in January.
Now, this whole post isn't just about the news, but bear with me. Here's a list of the milestones from the Labor Department:

The most jobs lost in one month since 1974;
The highest unemployment rate since 1992 (7.6%);
The largest one-month drop in factory jobs since 1982, and;
The most jobs lost in 12 months since the government began keeping records in 1939.

I find it funny (smirk-funny not laugh-funny) that our government didn't even start keeping track of labor numbers until about ten years in to the Great Depression. Makes you want to not hold your breath on that economic stimulus getting passed anytime soon.

Appropriately enough, as far as this conversation goes, the last few months I have found myself to be part of history in that I am one of the 7.6%. I have been fortunate, however, in that I have been able to fall back on something that, at times, I have taken for granted and - on more than one occasion - loathed, but now have come to appreciate and plan on insisting my children have. No, not a college degree - that's now become an expected step in our society, and not necessarily a tell-tale sign of success - but the ability to do a three-plate carry.

While I was in L.A. pursuing a little bit of the life in show biz, I supported myself waiting tables and tending bar. It paid my rent and then some back in the day, and I have it to thank for meeting my bride. And thanks to the good people there, when something I certainly wasn't planning on happened in November (7.6%), I didn't have to be without income for long.
Sure, it's not exactly part of my career plan, but it's been an integral part in our lives while I look to get back on track.

The second integral part on the road back is what I really want to talk about, and it has always been something I've not been very good at, but am working on and already benefiting from: networking.

The internet has changed the job hunt in so many ways - nearly every company advertises job openings on their own sites as well as job boards, Monster, craigslist, you name it. But the reality is, the percentage of positions that are filled through these means are very, very low. The greatest percentage of positions filled are through personal referrals. I can attest to that in that the interviews I have gotten, have been through a recommendation from a friend or colleague - not from an online application.

A valuable resource to that end, that also uses the internet, is LinkedIn. I've had an account for a while, but never fully utilized until recently. Basically, it's a social network for your business connections. Yes, many of your connections will be friends (not unlike MySpace or Facebook), but the goal is to make contacts with people in the workforce. That way, if I'm looking at a position available at Company XYZ, and my friend has a connection who works there, he/she can make that introduction and bingo! Personal referral.

Now, the other reason I'm plugging this is not just because - hey, I want to tell you about this - it's actually - hey, I want you to think about signing up for this!
In this economic environment, it pays to think ahead, and I know I'm not the only one looking right now, and I know there are those who worry that they may be looking soon or, you are thinking of making a job/career change of your own volition.

So, I encourage you to join up. And make me one of your connections, because I know people, too. View my profile here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonseely

It wouldn't be a true post if I didn't include something a little dorky.

The Obameter.

2009-01-29T14:11:00.014-06:00

I saw this on Neatorama the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. Politifact.com has created The Obameter: Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises. I've always felt like campaigns, presidential or otherwise, tend to be so much talk geared toward what people most want to hear. It reminds me of the kid in middle school running for student body president who would make ridiculous promises like: vending machines in the cafeteria that would spit out free Jolt colas.
This is a good way to provide a little accountability and find out if we really are getting what we bargained for in this last election. Whether you voted for Obama or not, I think it's helpful.
There are six levels of assessment for 510 pledges Obama made during his campaign that the Obameter is following: Promise Kept, Co mpromise, Promise Broken, Stalled, In the Works, and No Action.
No promises have been rated Promise Broken yet. For the good of everybody, red or blue, I hope there aren't any. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Sadly, before I could even finish and publish this entry, this showed up. Promise #234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills. To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.
"One of President Obama's major campaign planks was making government more open and accountable. It's a reaction to a habit in Congress of rushing bills through the House and Senate without giving people much opportunity to know what the bills would do. Indeed, sometimes members of Congress don't even know what's in the bills."
Ironically, he broke this promise by signing a bill into law that fulfilled another promise - #411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear, the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination - but still, that's accountability.

What I listened to most in '08.

2008-12-30T20:01:00.009-06:00

My bro-in-law does this list every year (see this year's incarnation here) and I've decided to chip in, too.
My criteria was not only play-count, but what records this year I've actually told people about.
You ought to respond with your own list, I'm always curious as to what folks are listening to.

1. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

I'm surprised every time KOL puts out a record at how good they actually are. They are kind of entering a U2 phase with really big, arena rock songs right now, but they are still awesome songs and they are so tight live that it works for them. Plus, they've got much love for my Sooners.

2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Trendy? Maybe. But so good. I love the imagery they create - that is evident in everything they do, from lyrics to how they dress - of a yacht club rock show in the Hamptons.

3. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Another band who just physically embodies the way their music sounds. "He Doesn't Know Why" is to me now, what MMJ's "The Way That He Sings" was 7 years ago. Who is this "He"? Probably Hugh Jackman.

4. Twilight Sad - Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did

The first of two Scottish bands on the list. This being the gateway band for me. The brogue is thick and the music fitting for a cold, wet island. It would be a little depressing if not for that William Wallace via Mel Gibson rallying the troops strain of hope that persists. A little more experimental than the next group of Scots.

5. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Flight

A recent addition, but I'm really digging it. It's more than just the accents that somehow lend credibility to this style of music, not exactly shoegazing but its roots are there.
p.s. For further listening, Glasvegas combines Scottish brooding with Phil Spector's patented Wall of Sound with cool results.

6. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Oasis does one thing and one thing only, make music for the Gallagher brothers to drink to. They are rock and roll, and I'm all for it, la'.

7. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

A little different for me, but it made me feel like I was in a John Hughes movie when I listened to it. Which was often.

8. Coldplay - Viva La Vida

They are the biggest band in the world and are on track to, at the end of their career, stand toe-to-toe with bands like U2 and Radiohead. And Joe Satriani wishes.

9. TV on the Radio - Dear Science,

These guys have something to say and a way to say it that is always interesting.

10. What Made Milwaukee Famous - What Doesn't Kill Us

It might be hipster rock, but these are well-crafted tunes, that guy can sing, and this band is more than a one-trick pony as far as I can tell.

And in the Original Motion Soundtrack category, give it up for Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions: these albums made a big end-of-the-year push to get on the list...
Santogold - Santogold; The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Graves; Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago; Johnossi - All They Ever Wanted; Girl Talk - Feed the Animals; Weezer - Red Album; Born Ruffians - Red Yellow and Blue; My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

One day shoot followup.

2008-11-24T10:24:00.007-06:00

Here it is: the final version of the shoot we did back in September. The spot is running now through January on Cartoon Network (mind you, not in this exact form, this is the extended "director's cut"). The spot on-air is in black & white and ridiculously shorter. We felt that the set design was so awesome though it deserved to be seen. The actors who played Dad & Mom were terrific and it's kind of a shame that there wasn't more for them to do. The bit at the very end I put in because it was hysterical to watch them as they started to lose their minds.

Pray for Obama and serve God.

2008-11-06T09:15:00.005-06:00

Matt Chandler
Lead Pastor, The Village Church

I stayed up late Tuesday night to hear President-elect Barack Obama speak to the 225,000 or so people who gathered in Chicago's Grant Park. My mind floated to two different texts as he spoke. The first was 1 Peter 2:13-16, which says,
"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."
The other text was 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
I don't know if the election went the way you wanted it to go but the commands of scripture moving forward are simple. Pray for Barack Obama and our government, and be servants of the living God.

Sorry, this picture is cheesy, but I like it. Is he praying or about to punch you in the face? Not sure, but that's what I want people to be contemplating when they see me, too.

So that's where all the music videos went.

2008-10-28T13:52:00.008-05:00

Isn't it weird that you have to go online to actually get music videos from MTV (Music Television)? I can't remember the last time I saw one on the actual channel.
Thanks to Jeff for pointing this out on his site.

Hair today...

2008-10-25T16:29:00.004-05:00

After 6 years of long hair, I finally got tired of it. The washing/drying process just takes way too long and it ends up being in a ponytail most of the time anyway. So today, my sweet friend Kay took her shears to it and I love it! I think I will be able to sleep an extra 20 minutes at least every day. Here are the before, during and after photos! Happy Saturday!

THE Wedding...

2008-10-24T10:17:00.003-05:00

August 30 was a big day for our family. My little brother Jeff married Linde in Tyler, Texas. It was a great weekend of celebration and the wedding was just perfect. I am so excited for Linde to join our family and couldn't have asked for a better 2 sister in-laws (Lauren and Linde, lots of L's). Here are some pics...

The gorgeous FOG and MOG

Me and J

The happy couple

Linde and Me

The blog is back.

2008-10-24T10:03:00.004-05:00

After a busy August and September, I am attempting to be a better blogger. Big 2 months, my brother got married, I started a new job, 4 friends told me they were pregnant, I had a birthday and a very busy week this week.

Wednesday night I went to the House of Blues in Dallas for the first time with my friend Anne and a couple of her friends. We got the hook up and got to hang in the Foundation Room where we hob-nobed (sp?) with the celebs. We had a great time but not going getting home until midnight kind of threw me off for the rest of the week.

Here is Anne and me with Marc Broussard, I really like his music.
Us with Sara Bareilles

Back by popular demand.

2008-10-22T10:57:00.010-05:00

Due to several (um, two actually) requests for more posts, I'm back. So now I can officially say, "Back by popular demand..." Which is quite nice.

Also back, by no demand whatsoever, is my beard. Usually around this time of year, I like to pretend that I can grow one. I come from a family full of mustache-havers and bearded men, and I'd like to follow in that tradition, in my own patchy way.

You see, while I'm pretty good at the 5 o'clock shadow, after about a week and a half, my attempts at full facial hair look more like a case of mange. But I'm hoping, by really committing to a time frame of about a month (October becomes Octobeard), I'll get that thick winter coat for my face I've been striving for. If anybody's interested, I'll post a pic upon fruition (but only by popular demand!). It's itchy as heck in the meantime though.

Not only that, but for some reason whenever I make the effort, people are constantly asking me "Why are you growing a beard?" Which I usually take to mean, "Why would you think of covering up that handsome face?" but which invariably really means "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

But, to answer the first question, a) because it's Octobeard, that's why, and b) do you really need a reason? If you do, I stumbled upon this today that should really make you consider growing a beard, if you haven't already, and reconsider, just in case you have.

Click on either image to check it out.

Reason 6 is my second favorite. My top is Reason 1, because it's so true.

One day shoot.

2008-09-14T13:43:00.004-05:00

Thursday at Mediajuice we shot a commercial for a popular kids' video game. This was the most involved shoot I've gotten to be a part of and was a lot of fun. We were recreating a 1950s style family sitcom and our art director, cast and crew were incredible.

Our retro set.

A little behind the scenes.

Gretchen, our art director, really had a blast with the little details.

The view from the monitor.

The happy family.

A little special FX - I can't believe it's not butter.

Applying the butter.

Steve, our Dad, was a trooper.

The butter will make more sense when we put it all together. Stay tuned for the full spot. Hopefully, we'll get to do more of these - a lot of work, but a ton of fun.

Bringing the Thunder.

2008-09-12T12:45:00.003-05:00

First - I think it's great OKC has finally has a professional sports team.
Having gone to a few of the games when OKC was a surrogate home for the Hornets, the city definitely deserves it.
I will miss the Sonics, though I'm sure someone in Seattle will revive them eventually.
My beef stems from the new team name and logo. Maybe it's just me, but I have a major peeve with singular team names (Magic, Wild, Heat, too many MLS teams to count), and now, Thunder.
This comic strip from Garbage Time All-Stars does a pretty good jorb of summing up my feelings of underwhelm-ed-ness.

Sooner rock.

2008-09-08T09:48:00.007-05:00

The Kings of Leon have a new album coming out September 23rd, "Only By The Night."

Album of the year.

How did I get it? Some of my best friends are pirates. I will be purchasing it upon releasing - which is saying a lot.

These guys have been making country-fried garage rock for awhile now, and are consistently getting better on each record.

Here's a quick rundown on the Kings:
1. Keeping Southern Rock alive.
2. Keeping the Rock-n-Roll Mustache alive.
3. Keeping it all in the family (made up of three brothers and a cousin).
4. Keeping it real; I saw them last year and they are a tight live band, plus, check out the drumkit in the picture. Boomer.
5. Watch this video. Sooner.

Fantasy football has arrived.

2008-09-03T11:42:00.010-05:00

And the team to watch this year is...
The Infant Batmen.
And before anyone even asks, which came first - the picture or the team name - I'm afraid I cannot answer that. The chicken and the egg, people.

Yes, it's that time of year again. That time when grown men across the country gather together and play pretend. "Okay, Billy, you're a NFL coach and I am too, and we'll have all the best players from every team, and when they do something good, we'll get points. And the couch is safe, but if you touch the carpet you die, because it's lava!" Sounds about right.

It's also a time my wife hates, because it requires me to watch as many football games as I possibly can - not entirely necessary, but I enjoy it. Honey, you're not alone - there's even an organization you can join, Woman Against Fantasy Sports. Yikes.

I leave with our team motto - taken directly from a 1940 Batman comic.

You tell 'em, Bats.

Phoenix!

2008-08-17T17:13:00.007-05:00

For our anniversary, my sweet husband sent me packing to Phoenix to see one of my best friends Jessica (Jason went on to brother's bachelor party at the lake). I hadn't seen Jessica since her wedding last summer and it was definitely time. We had a great weekend of relaxing, shopping, eating and playing with Daryl, her puppy. Nick was definitely outnumbered but hung out with us like a trooper.

Jessica getting kisses from Daryl D.

Their gorgeous spanish style Phoenix house. Love it!

Sadly, this was the best picture I got of the two of us!

Jessica and Nick at Houston's!

Very exciting news...I got a new digital camera while in Phoenix so expect more great pics and posts from now on. Have a great week!

A little late....

2008-08-17T17:01:00.005-05:00

So almost a month ago we got to celebrate the wedding of our friends Mike and Jenn and I am little behind on getting the pictures up. The wedding was in Tulsa and it was beautiful. Mike and Jenn are just perfect for each other and I know they will have a great married life together.

Here is Sarah and I at the rehearsal dinner.

Craig, Mike and Jason at the Rehearsal Dinner.

Sarah, Libby and me on the dance floor.

J and me at the church.

Drew and his sexy ladies!

The gorgeous couple ready to leave for Mexico.

New post.

2008-08-11T13:16:00.006-05:00

I had to get something else posted up. You can only have a banner of a musical starring Doogie Howser, M.D. up for so long before people begin to wonder what kind of site you're running here.
I think Leeanne was planning on doing a little re-cap of the Kimbrel wedding soon, as well as posting some pics from her Phoenix visit to her good pal Jessica's place.
I, sadly, do not have any pictures from Jeff Gidden's bachelor party weekend, but there's always a good reason not to have a camera at a bach party. You know what I'm talking about, boys.
Just kidding - it was all clean fun, out at Chad's lake house with the bros. As Jeff's old roommate Noah might say, it was a bromantic getaway with a bunch of brofessionals, that took off like a broman candle into the fratmosphere. We also watched some of the Brolympics. And from the looks of it, so did this bro.

So that's, you know, coming along.

2008-07-17T09:36:00.004-05:00

I really can't think of a more appropriate venue to promote this than the ol' blog.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 40-minute, 3-part musical comedy produced for the Internet, telling the story of a low-rent supervillain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to. The movie was written by Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) and his brothers Zack Whedon (a lesser known television writer), Jed Whedon (a composer) and Jed's fiancée, Maurissa Tancharoen (an actress).
The writing team penned the musical during the WGA Writer's Strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike. Whedon funded the project himself and everyone else worked for free.
Having seen the first two acts, it's surprisingly really good. You can watch it for free here until Sunday, when it will only be viewable by purchasing it on iTunes.
I just really love the fact that there are people out there in Hollywood who are willing to just go out and make things, not for the paycheck or popularity, but to create something for its own sake. It's kind of inspiring.
I say "kind of" because the flip-side is you have to be super-successful at playing the game to begin with to even get the opportunity to do something like this, but you get the idea.

Mike says a mouthful.

2008-07-16T09:40:00.009-05:00

First, a little history - Spoonerisms. A spoonerism is a play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels or morphemes (I had to look it up) are switched. It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1944-1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency. Here are a few examples:

"The Lord is a shoving leopard" ("loving shepherd")
"Mardon me, padam, this pie is occupewed. Can I sew you to another sheet?" (Pardon me, madam, this pew is occupied. Can I show you to another seat?")
And this masterpiece, said to a student: "You have hissed all my mystery lectures, and were caught fighting a liar in the quad. Having tasted two worms, you will leave by the next town drain" ("missed ... history," "lighting a fire," "wasted two terms," "down train")

Again this week, I honor Mike "Cobra" Kimbrel (click here to see marvelous Mike at top form, i.e. Bono-kicking) . Mike, like the Rev. Spooner also has a linguistic phenomenon named after him: the Kimbrelism. Most times, a kimbrelism occurs when Mike is singing or citing a pop culture reference. A list of favorites, compiled over the years:

Anklets - instead of cankles
Huckenberries - huckleberries
Kong fu hustle - kung-fu hustle
Shiser Kozay - Kaiser Soze
A candlelight virgil - candlelight vigil
Bing bing - bling bling
Ken-yuh West and his popular hit, Jesus Rocks - that would be Kanye West's "Jesus Walks"
Roofers - roofies
Pinot garagio - pinot grigio
Greaseling - reisling
The fur pull - full pour, used in a sentence: Give me a fur pull of pinot garagio, or on second thought, do you have a nice greaseling?
Calvin Simpson - former OU b-ball coach, Kelvin Sampson
Telebabies - Teletubbies
Hereby, hereby - Hear ye, hear ye
Soap duds - soap suds
The KGBI - a nefarious combo of the FBI and KGB that followed Sly Stallone around in Rocky IV
Garndorf - Gandolf from Lord of the Rings
Bruce Williamson in "The Lost Boy Scout" - that's Bruce Willis in "The Last Boy Scout"
Roy Lolita - Ray Liota
Phil Huffman and Phyllis Seymour Hartman - both Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Deznel Washington - this one is pretty common, though it's Denzel Washington
Civil War - silverware
Bone Pickens - Boone Pickens
Besides she is way hotter than you - said to Jenn, his future wife to reassure her that he was not looking at that other girl
Jello fish - jellyfish
Eskimoos live in iglows - Eskimos and igloos
Beaming W - BMW
Jojo beans - jelly beans
Decaficated - defecated (perhaps after coffee?)
Angelhair - Angelfire, NM
Dinky - DKNY
Turtle, Texas - Tuttle, Oklahoma
Someone slipped a Ru Paul in my drink. - again, "roofie"
Parishonal vision - peripheral vision
Third winner - I'm third
Darson's queek - Dawson's Creek
All in a day's night - all in a day's work
Livin it up, Elvita - Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator"
Somebody told me, it was it was your birthday... - The Killers "Somebody Told Me, You Had A Boyfriend"
Oooo oooo oooo oooo - Crash Test Dummies song "Mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm"
Happy trails to you. Again I say hello. - sort of changes the meaning of the song, eh?
What's cooler than being ice cold? - Outkast's "Hey Yah," the question being: "What's cooler than being cool?" Answer: "Ice cold." But in Mike's world, the answer is: "Nothing, I guess."
Shake it like a polaroid camera - same song, that should be: "shake it like a polaroid picture"
Five Young Cannonballs - the band, Fine Young Cannibals
And finally, Mike singing the song, "Jenny, 867-5309" - with video evidence, courtesy of Jeff T. Roberts (Rated PG-13 for Language - but no "F" bombs)

Congratulations, Mike & Jenn! Remember, "It is kisstomary to cuss the bride!"

Happy Mux of July.

2008-07-14T10:22:00.004-05:00

Hey team, is anyone out there listening? Here's my muxtape for the month of July. Kicking it off like the Fourth is Explosions in the Sky. I like to imagine this whole list set to fireworks.

Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand In Mine
Beck - Gamma Ray
Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains
Weezer - Heart Songs
My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed
What Made Milwaukee Famous - And The Grief Goes On...
Coldplay - Lost!
Born Ruffians - Badonka Donkey
The Envy Corps - Wire & Wool
We Are Scientists - It's A Hit
Spoon - Anything You Want
Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn)

click the boombox to listen

Best weekend ever, coming up.

2008-07-08T22:47:00.004-05:00

I'm not kidding you when I say that I could not be more excited about what's coming up this next weekend, starting July 18th. Not one, but TWO, amazing things are going down!
First, Mike "Cobra" Kimbrel is getting married. Leeanne and I will be heading up to Tulsa Thursday night to kick off the festivities on Friday. You may be thinking, "Oh, the wedding's in Tulsa...wouldn't it be great if they had the rehearsal dinner at Showbiz Pizza? The Rock-a-fire Explosion could provide the music." I wish., but sadly, no. I'm sure they've lined up something else, though, equally as terrific. Mike and Jenn deserve no less than the best.
Second, and let me shift into full Comic Book Guy mode here, The Dark Knight comes out in theaters. Seriously, I'm way excited to see this movie. Top-notch actors in a movie about a comic book character dressed as a bat from a director that actually takes the material seriously? I'm geeking out.
But, even more incredible...to top it all off and tie it all together with a bow... a photo from 1999. Coincidence? Maybe. Another sign pointing to an all-knowing and powerful God, who loves his people so much he created movies, comic books, friendship and marriage for their enjoyment? I think so.
Batman enjoying a beverage of unknown origin in a styrofoam cup available for photo ops? Apparently.

It's my turn...

2008-06-25T08:36:00.004-05:00

So Jason has blogged a lot more than me lately and I think it's time I take it over again. May and June have been really busy for us, a lot of travel but a lot of fun too. Here are some pictures from our friend Kay's birthday at the beginning of the month. She is such a fun friend and we had a great time celebrating with her. I am hunting down pics from weddings, Linde's Bachelorette weekend and a few other events, I will post those soon! Happy Wednesday!

Kari, me and the Birthday Girl, Kay!

All the girls

The Birthday Girl!

Rob, Jason and Mike.

The boys and Kay!

Usher's new jam is gonna be huge with the kids.

2008-06-24T16:37:00.003-05:00

For the record, the band is called The Rock-afire Explosion.

Update! For those who don't know, The Rock-afire Explosion was the house-band at ShowBiz Pizza Place - formerly located at 71st and Memorial in Tulsa. It was converted into a Chuck E. Cheese by the early '90s. Where my T-Town folks at? Craig, I know you were there...Ruttman, Cobra, don't be shy!!!

Epic trailer.

2008-06-16T11:52:00.013-05:00

Another nerd alert brought to you by Mediajuice. This was probably the highest profile project I've worked on yet. A :60 commercial for
Street Fighter IV.
It was a bit of a nightmare due to the fact that this is a huge franchise in the gaming world and we had to work with a big-time N.Y. ad agency - they even had the $$$ to license the music for it. Although, their final choice was a little questionable (Faith No More's "Epic") we still cranked out a decent spot, I think.

The best part was it was broadcast during prime-time on CBS during their new "Saturday Night Fights" show featuring Kimbo Slice (the scary dude on the right - he has a chest mohawk).

Here it is. Enjoy.

Update: An interesting stipulation in putting this video together was that we could not show anybody getting hit in the face. Keep in mind, this aired during a show where very real people actually hit each other in the face. Go figure.

The May mix.

2008-05-23T11:29:00.003-05:00

My mix for May if anyone's interested.

http://triangleman.muxtape.com/

Bush in Yurp.

2008-05-20T10:02:00.003-05:00

The following is a statement from the Press Secretary of the United States:

The President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Europe from June 9 to June 16, 2008, to strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership and to celebrate the enduring friendship between our nations based on shared democratic values. The President and Mrs. Bush's visit will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, underscoring the historic and continuing U.S. role in supporting a Europe increasingly whole, free, and at peace. The President will begin his trip by participating in the annual U.S.-European Union (EU) Summit in Slovenia. Following the Summit, the President and Mrs. Bush will visit Germany, Italy, the Holy See, France, and the United Kingdom.

What it does not say is that my sister is going with! She'll be accompanying the advance team to Germany. The last time she did this, in Africa, she got to fly home on Air Force One, and even call her brother from the air. I answered the phone and Secret Service asked if I would hold for Lauren Seely. Cool.

By the way, I like President Bush as a dude. So, I am not condoning his portrayal as a shoe-less missing link, as he is portrayed here in The Gaurdian (UK), but I love listening to him talk and I do condone the U.S. president having a light sabre.

The quotable Carson.

2008-05-16T23:04:00.005-05:00

In honor of Carson Smith getting married to Sarah Earley this weekend, I would like to present some of my favorite Carson sayings from the time I've known him. Please, feel free to submit your own in the comments section.

The profound:
You can lead a horse to water but don't look him in the mouth; it's a gift.
Eloquence equals elephant, and I am no elephant.

The absurd:
Hey, "Vanilla Obstruction" is a cool name for a band. Admit it!
My mind and soul are sizzling with mysterious delight!
Bring on the voluptious vixens because I'm smelling spicy!

The personal:
Seels, you still wear Mossimo.

And finally, my favorite...
If this is living, I don't want to be right!

Girls, girls, girls....

2008-04-30T15:07:00.001-05:00

So three of our friends have given birth to 3 girls within the last week....I love it! Welcome to the world Jules, Jane and Kaeden!

Why didn't I think of that.

2008-04-28T21:37:00.015-05:00

Last week, our pals Ben & Anne introduced us to Top Golf. Genius. A driving range turned into something not unlike a bowling alley, making it appealing to both avid golfers and brand new duffers (to be honest, the line between the two is much thinner than most of us care to admit). And while Judge Smails (Caddyshack) & Shooter McGavin (Happy Gilmore) may have a problem reaching out beyond the country club walls - "Darn you people. This is golf, not a rock concert - go back to your shanties!" - it's definitely a way for the game to reach a new audience.

The concept is simple:

Carl Spackler: Cinderella story...outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac - It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!

Baseball with the Nutters!

2008-04-25T11:30:00.009-05:00

So last Monday night, our fun friends, the Nutters, took us to the Rangers game. The Rangers aren't good this season but Christy had gotten front row, behind the dugout, next to Nolan Ryan seats that rocked! (we dodged foul balls the whole time, we were that close, I was hoping for a reason to get a nose job but no such luck)

Here are some pics from the game. Christy is sending me some more and I will post those later.

Little known fact: Tim made his first million selling peanuts and frozen lemonades during the summers in high school at the Ranger games. Not surprising since we spent $40 on 2 corn dogs, cotton candy, a beer and a diet coke.

Toothbrushes, Cockroaches and Child Birth

2008-04-24T17:19:00.004-05:00

These are three things on my mind today.

1. Toothbrushes - This past weekend we (Jason, my dad and I) were in College Station for work. Jason came down Friday afternoon and that night realized he forgot his toothbrush, so he used mine all weekend. At first I was kind of grossed out but got over it. I threw out the toothbrush when we got home because it was getting old but keep forgetting to buy a new one so I have been using Jason's toothbrush all week. I am wondering if this is really unsanitary or if it matters since we share germs anyway...thoughts????

2. Cockroaches - Since we have moved in our house we have found about 4 cockroaches. The old owners had put out traps so most of the ones we found were in the process of dying. Last week I decided to buy new traps and replace the old ones. Don't know if that was a great idea bc the traps seem to attract them. One of them ran by Jason while he was in the bathroom yesterday but he wasn't able to catch it and it disappeared.
This morning while he was getting ready for work, it appeared again....but this time it ran under our bed. J and I were on the floor on either side trying to catch it. Those suckers are fast and gross and literally make me scream. It took us about 5 minutes to catch it and flush it.

3. Child Birth - My sweet friend Merritt is having her first baby (it was due May4th but her blood pressure has been high so they are inducing). The thing is that she has been in the hospital, in labor for over 48 hours. I really didn't think that labors could last that long. She has been given the inducing medication twice so far and nothing! Poor thing has been in a lot of pain and fortunately has been given an epidural. I am waiting and praying that the baby comes soon and both of them are okay. The gender is a surprise so they have a lot to look forward to and Jim, her husband gets 2 weeks paternity leave...how cool is that!
UPDATE: Last night Merritt finally gave birth to a baby girl...Jane Stuart Holmberg, coming in at 7 pounds. Merritt is a rockstar, she pushed for 2 hours and 55 minutes, 5 minutes short of the Drs. making her have a c-section. I am so proud of her.

Garfield minus Garfield.

2008-04-24T15:25:00.015-05:00

I love this. At one time, I was a big fan of Garfield. Pre-Calvin & Hobbes, it was my Sunday morning comic of choice. Sadly, at some point I outgrew the fat orange tabby, and most of America moved on as well - no more plush kitties suction-cupped to the back windshield of many a Datsun. As it turns out though, there may have been more to the ol' strip than everyone first realized...

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let's laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb."
- from the blog, Garfield minus Garfield

The facts of Lauren.

2008-04-21T17:06:00.006-05:00

Fact: Lauren is my sister.

Fact: She lives in Washington, D.C.

Fact: She is way cooler than me, but not as tall.

Fact: That is faux fur in the picture, or maybe Muppet fur.

Fact: She finally has a blog.
Check-a check it out.

Cool beans.

2008-04-09T10:22:00.002-05:00

from Hot Rod

I made you a mixtape.

2008-03-28T21:04:00.004-05:00

The mixtape is alive and well at Muxtape.

Wired: “The mixtape is gone for most intents and purposes, but the idea of assembling a few tunes for one’s friends is very much a thing of the present. Muxtape is the latest service we’ve seen that lets users assemble mixtape-like playlists online, and it might be our favorite.”

I have one, wanna hear it? Here it go. http://triangleman.muxtape.com/

My brother is an uncle....almost!

2008-03-28T17:04:00.007-05:00

Exciting news....Linde's sister and brother in-law (Abbe and Michael) had a baby on Monday night. Avery Blake Womble came into the world almost a month early but both mom and baby are healthy. My mom and I got to visit on Wednesday night and he is so cute. He is a little thing weighing in at 5 lbs 10 oz!

Jeff looking all too natural holding a baby!

The proud aunt and creator of the nursery!

In heavy rotation.

2008-03-24T20:28:00.008-05:00

Just kidding - I am strongly opposed to snobbery in music. And while I am definitely am not as up on new bands as I used to be, every once in a while I'll stumble upon something interesting that I feel I've got to share.

Vampire Weekend - I've been wearing this album out since I saw them on SNL. They look like prep school kids and sound like a mix of the Kinks, Elvis Costello, and the other name that gets dropped by the critics, Paul Simon.

With verbose lyrics about pin-stripes, madras, and Cape Cod, Vampire Weekend sounds like a J. Crew catalog come to life.

Bonus points for taking their name from a short film the lead singer made as a freshman in college. Watch the trailer.

My Nintendo still works & is hooked up in my garage.

2008-03-20T16:08:00.011-05:00

Here are the two trailers we just did, one of which my honey already mentioned (thanks, babe).

These are two old-school games that some might remember back when Nintendo was the entertainment system, video game controllers only had two buttons, and everybody knew what up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-b-a meant.

1942 and Commando - updated with new graphics and music, but with the same style of gameplay as the classics.

1942: Joint Strike

Commando 3: Wolf of the Battlefield

Something very cool...

2008-03-20T14:05:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone is having a good week. I want to use this blog to brag on my hubby. He did this trailer for this new video game and I don't really like video games but I would totally play this one!

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/31862.html

My favorite part is that he put a Ronald Reagan quote at the beginning on the preview. And, read the comments people wrote about the trailer and the game...I am so proud!

$25 Bucks...I'll take it

2008-03-17T09:41:00.003-05:00

So, as many of you know PayPal is really annoying and has continued to add fees, etc. So, enter the competition. www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com is the new way to pay a friend back for your half of dinner, send money to your family and get paid for whatever is owed you (i.e. half of dad's gift we gave him last Christmas, Jeff).

Here is the cool thing (and the reason I am blogging about this). If you sign up by March 31, they will put $25 in your account, which you can send straight to your checking account. Free $25, pretty cool. I did it and it worked.

Here is an even cooler thing. For every friend you refer, you get an additional $10. So I did it, referred Jason and we made a cool $60.

If you want me to refer you, let me know and I will give you $5 of my $10 referral reward back to you (I just need your email address). Go to their website and read about the company, it's legit and pretty cool. Have a good Monday!

Done.

2008-03-16T22:51:00.004-05:00

Piece of cake. I was like a crazy cross between Matt Lauer & Santa Clause - just blowing into countries long enough to paint'em red then moving on.

Notice I went ahead and decided to visit Canada. I had to see for myself whether their bacon was worth all the hype. Turns out their Canadian bacon is just like our Canadian bacon, except it's just called "bacon" there. No one could tell me what they called regular bacon. You'd think with two official languages they could have come up with something, eh?

Finally, there's one little country still unvisited on the map. That would be Guatemala. Because Leeanne and I are saving it for July.

We've started working towards going on a mission trip to Guatemala. We've been praying for an opportunity like this, and as you can tell from previous blogs, it's been on our hearts for a while. We're in the process of filling out the application and we hope to know soon whether or not we will be going!

My new favorite thing...

2008-03-16T22:14:00.005-05:00

Since we have gotten married, one of the things I've hated most is having to come up with ideas of what to cook and shopping lists of what to buy.

So, I was so excited to be introduced to e-mealz.com. Every week they send you a menu list and shopping list, you can pick your lists based on what stores you shop at, diets you're on, etc. It is wonderful and cheap and saves me SO much time. And so far, Jason has loved everything I have cooked from it.

Oh, the places you'll go.

2008-03-14T11:34:00.005-05:00

This is so sad. These are all the countries - outside of the US - I have visited.
I vow to change this. Mark my words, by the end of this weekend, I'll have been to every country in the world - with the exception of Canada because it's like the Delaware of foreign countries.
Impossible, you say? No. Implausible? Slightly more yes than no.

Make your own map here, but please don't go trying to send them to me afterwards with your all-red map to rub it in. You're better than that.

p.s. Thanks, Jeff, for the link.

What a weird job.

2008-03-13T15:48:00.006-05:00

I'm not sure why I never thought of a career as a living statue.
Just lazy, I guess.
(Also from the Arboretum.)

Spring is here...maybe

2008-03-13T14:33:00.010-05:00

So Sunday was beautiful, so Jason's mom came down and took us to lunch and to the Arboretum. It is one of the most beautiful places ever; so anyone who lives or visits Dallas needs to go. It will make you want to work on your yard. Here are some pics from our visit....I think it will be even prettier in a couple more weeks when everything is bloomed.