christmas time!

Dog is my co-pilot.We just got back from a wonderful Christmas trip to St. Louis. We rented an FJ Cruiser and decided that just about everything about this car is ridiculous. It reminded us of the car that Homer Simpson designed. ... complete with "Big Gulp" sized cup holders. Its as big as a bus, but has surprisingly little room (half doors for the tiny backseat). It is build for hunting game on the Serengeti or drawing fire away from hummers in a war zone. We could have paid extra for the optional machine gun turret and Safari hats, but decided against it. Anyway, I could go on, but it got us (and our presents/loot) home, minus a tire, but thats another story.

The first night we arrived we had a fun time visiting family at Grandpa's house. After 13 hrs of driving our spirits were renewed by the warm reception, and visiting ensued swimmingly!!Later that night we exchanged some gifts at the hotel. Here is Rx and mom getting into the Christmas spirit! In the parking lot of the Chesterfield Mall, Rx experienced one of the rare perks of pregnancy... good parking. She wishes there were more of these signs around I am sure.
Cousin and Co (Melissa, Lee and Aaron) hosted an awesome baby shower at their house!! A special thanks to them and Mom and Katie for throwing it.

Future Aunt Katie got this awesome cake too!!
Louie loved the luxurious Drury Inn sheets!

We were pretty tuckered out on the trip home. We had a great visit! Thanks everyone for your hospitality and gifts!

Also.....
Happy 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry

Christmas

Santa....

...You're scaring me!!!

This movie looks simultaneously horrible and awesome (not for children).

news

I am getting so tired of these fat cats...

Not those fat cats.... these fat cats! About right now I wish there woulda been a little oversight in that ole bailout that went through... Na.. throwing money at the people who caused the problem in the first place was the right idea, I trust that they know what's best, afterall they are corporations so of course they have the taxpayers best interests in mind!

Also, there have been riots in Greece for the past 2 weeks. The riots started when a cop shot a teenager. The riots are spreading across Europe also. There is civil unrest in the air. You wouldn't know about these growing riots by watching the news here as our national morbid obsession with Caylee Anthony is the top story on every "news" website.

Can you imagine anyone in America rioting if a cop shot a teenager, no matter how flagrant? We would see it on the news and go "tisk tisk, They should fire that cop!!" Then settle back down on the couch for a night of House, CSI: Miami, or in my case Family Guy... I think some civil unrest is a good thing. In America, we only get excited and trample people in this country for 30% off a big screen TV at Wal-mart. The daily indignities, corruption, law breaking, and malfeasance by our government officials, peace officers, and financial overlords aren't enough to get more than a disapproving nod. Sure the Greek youth anger may be misplaced and dangerous, but it is genuine and signifies anything but apathy (our main problem), at least they have a pulse.

Christmas Spirit

Thanks mom...

El Paso

We just got back from a great visit to El Paso to see Dave, Peggy & Family... Enjoy the video!!

Glenn Greenwald

This weeks Bill Moyers had the blogosphere's brightest star, constitutional lawyer turned author Glenn Greenwald. He put the Bush legacy in sobering terms.. I hope Obama gives up the "liberties" Bush has taken with the law, but as history shows, the executive branch never gives up powers it aquires.
GLENN GREENWALD: Let's just quickly describe in the most dispassionate terms, as few of euphemisms, as possible, where we are and what has happened over the last eight years. We have a law in place that says it is a felony offense punishable by five years in prison or a $10,000 fine to eavesdrop on American citizens without warrants. We have laws in place that say that it is a felony punishable by decades in prison to subject detainees in our custody to treatment that violates the Geneva Conventions or that is inhumane or coercive.
We know that the president and his top aides have violated these laws. The facts are indisputable that they've done so. And yet as a country, as a political class, we're deciding basically in unison that the president and our highest political officials are free to break the most serious laws that we have, that our citizens have enacted, with complete impunity, without consequences, without being held accountable under the law.
And when you juxtapose that with the fact that we are a country that has probably the most merciless criminal justice system on the planet when it comes to ordinary Americans. We imprison more of our population than any country in the world. We have less than five percent of the world's population. And yet 25 percent almost of prisoners worldwide are inside the United States.
What you have is a two-tiered system of justice where ordinary Americans are subjected to the most merciless criminal justice system in the world. They break the law. The full weight of the criminal justice system comes crashing down upon them. But our political class, the same elites who have imposed that incredibly harsh framework on ordinary Americans, have essentially exempted themselves and the leaders of that political class from the law.
They have license to break the law. That's what we're deciding now as we say George Bush and his top advisors shouldn't be investigated let alone prosecuted for the laws that we know that they've broken. And I can't think of anything more damaging to our country because the rule of law is the lynchpin of everything we have.

TGIF!

Have a good weekend!

Icepocalypse Now!!

This morning, Rx and I went for a walk in out T shirts, now it is approaching freezing. For the first time in about 3 years (I am told) we are having some wintery precip other than rain! We are having sleet! I can only imagine the carnage on the roads now. Most Texans are probably huddling in their homes considering suicide pacts rather than going out in this stuff. Whereas sleet is common in the upper midwest (in May) it is unheard of down here. Downtown Austin probably looks something like this...

not much, just a quickie update

So, the baby is a butternut squash this week. I guess they're running out of vegatables for comparison. Seems a little lame. I'm starting to feel like a beached whale. Also really enjoying trying to get off the couch - ha. like a turtle on its back.

Anyway, things are going well - normal contractions, nothing to bad and I worked this past weekend so that was the true test.

Also, the leg pain is dissipating! I'm soooo happy. It's still numb, but no longer stings, nor do I have stabby pain anymore. I commented a while back about this so I'll explain how I managed to get it relieved. I saw in total 2 neurologists, a pain specialist (anesthesiologist), a pain specialist NP (please take no offense, Marta), a chiropractor, a physical therapist, and an acupuncurist. When I described my symptoms all of them said it sounded like, amongst a multitude of other theories, my IT band was involved. These visits went on for about 3 months and included steroid/lidocaine injections (ouch, btw).

So one day I decided I was going to look up IT band stretches. No one had suggested that before but, hey, why not? So I found stretches and a roller that I could use to do my own PT. Low and behold, on day one the pain went from a level 9/10 (I literally couldn't walk into the grocery store) to about a 2-3/10. I have plateued there, but as long as I do my stretches I feel better and am able to actually walk again! Louie is happier about this as well.

Needless to say I'm pleased that I feel better, but also frustrated after seeing so many people (and paying them) and getting no answers from people who should be experts. So crazy.

I started doing this about one month ago, but didn't want to post about it too soon, so as not to jinx myself!

idle threat

Karl Rove is to "name names"

From cnn political blog:

The man widely credited with Bush's two presidential victories says his new book will include an accounting of those in Washington who never accepted the president as a legitimate commander-in-chief.
"I've got behind-the-scenes episodes that are going to show how unreceiving they were of this man as president of the United States," Rove told Cox News in an interview published Sunday. "I'm going to name names and show examples."

Could you feel that?... It was the collective fear of Bush opposers in Washington shuddering at the thought of themselves being outed as being "unreceiving" to the least popular president in history... Ooooooh, I bet they are shaking in their boots!!! Please, please, please name these names Karl; I would like to send money to them. Also you can include my name on that list.

Russ

Bill Moyers interviewed Russ Feingold this week. It was a perfect storm of people I admire on TV. I nearly swooned!!! swooned I tell you!!

Bill is by far my favorite journalist and Russ is by very, very far my favorite politician. I have extolled the virtues of Bill Moyers ad nauseum, so I will briefly talk about why Russ Feingold is so awesome. 1) He is not a warmonger, like all in the Bush administration and most in congress. 2) He was the only senator to vote against the Patriot act. Proving his both his huge cajones and his commitment to protecting out civil liberties. Because as he said on the floor of the senate... "Preserving our freedom is one of the main reasons that we are now engaged in this new war on terrorism. We will lose that war without firing a shot if we sacrifice the liberties of the American people." So many people dont get that, and it infuriates me! Russ gets it. Sometimes I think only Russ and Ron Paul (strange bedfellows indeed) get it. 3) He understands that the US cannot survive on a service based economy. We need to make things. By washing each other's dirty laundry no new money comes into the system. We need to make some goods to be economically viable. Here is a quote from the interview.

SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD: I can't imagine a strong economy in this country if we're not making automobiles in this country. We are not going to make it if we let the rest of the world make the real things that people make with their hands.
If we're going to have everything based on services and funny money on Wall Street, as opposed to the ability of people to have good paying jobs back in the home towns, in places like Wisconsin and Illinois and Michigan — if we're going to have that kind of economy, we are going to be subject to the whims of the rest of the world. We will not have an economy that protects the American worker. And this follows on, of course, these trade agreements, all of which I voted against.
I voted against NAFTA. I voted against GATT. I voted against most favored nation status for China. Because all these decisions are basically calculated to move jobs overseas for the benefits of large companies. And in fact, it has been devastating to the working people in my home town and my home state.

4) he is for limiting the power of the president not expanding it 5) he is a friend of the environment.
I could go on and on, but for the sake of not boring everyone to death I won't. Long story short, there are many politicians that possess some of these attributes, but very few (perhaps only 1) that has all of them. You can find a link to the transcript here, but the video will be on the website later.

Basically he is the best of all worlds, financially responsible, against government intrusion, yet socially progressive, and against corruption and corporatism. Although I dont think there is anymore room in Obama's new cabinet with all the Washington insiders, Ex-Clinton era insiders, and people that he beat in the primaries, if there was any room left I think Russ should get an appointment.. preferably to President, (but I dont think Obama can do that).

The days events...

Bunny loves sleeping in the sun, but sometimes it is too bright and she has to tuck her head into the sheets... she is so cute...

We are dogsitting Mark and Kelly's dog Lilly this weekend. Lilly and Louie were playing up a storm in the backyard. Lilly really enjoys Lou's turkey squeeker toy "Mr. Gobbles" She was fetching perfectly.

BUSTED!!! Lilly & Bunny in the same bed... caught on camera!!

For some reason the park next door was decorated with bag candle thingies. We took a spooky walk down the candle lit path. It is actually getting cold here unfortunately, I had to wear a coat.

This is what happens when Priscilla is without food for say... 5 minutes... She gets up on the counter and eats bread. Cornbread is her favorite, she will settle for biscuits. She took a little taste of all 3 of them, how nice of her!

Funny

New Funny or Die video about Prop 8.

Silent Night...

Holy night, All is calm,
All is bright,

Round yon Priscilla under the tree...
Soon there will be presents waiting for me....

for me...

Thanksgiving

I would like to introduce you all to our new good friends here in Austin, Mark and Kelly. They hosted us for an "orphans" Thanksgiving this year. Here they are with their very first turkey. It turned out beautifully.

During our last visit to Madison, Mark M. and I were joking we have replaced him with another Mark down here. So, Mark and Carol, meet Mark and Kelly. Has a nice ring to it.

Here is Mark carving the glorious bird.

Here we have little Ariel (the daughter of one of Jack's lab mates) snuggling with a stuffed "Bevo". Bevo is the UT Austin mascot - he's a cool ass long horn.

This year there were no white russians for me, or Settlers, or Laurels for me to pick up, so it was a little less eventful than a couple years ago, but it was nice nonetheless.

In unrelated news, I have recently been told to start "taking it easy" and being "off my feet" more. (Apparently dehydration and working too hard can cause premature contractions, as I got to find out in the ER the other night - who knew!? Well, Marta, YOU probably knew). Taking it easy sounds nice, but not for me with my type A personality and all. But, for the sake of not having our baby 3 months early, I will give it my all.

You know that photo of Jack with the mustache? That's what greeted me after I got home from work Friday night, that and a beautifully clean house! Jack has been telling me to "sit down" a lot and that he "can get that for me"...I'm trying, I really am :) and he is doing a great job of making me feel like I can.

I also recently got an early Christmas present from Jack. This very funny and very cute T-shirt. Since I can only wear it so long, he gave it to me early. We're going to keep that bun in the oven a little longer!

So, looks like Bunny and I will be enjoying lots of TV together in the next few months!

shaving

Bad-ass biker or Village Person?.. you decide.

Quick Update Post

Here is a Bunny glamour shots pic for you'all. Rx caught her basking lazily in the sunlight the other day.


Our Baby's room is almost complete! Thanks to Roxanne's dad for our newest purchase, a 6 drawer chest! It looks great!

David jr.'s creation Calvin came to visit with us, here he is taking in the local sights.

I found a new favorite soft drink

Check this out!!! Diet Dr. B!!!!

Tastes more like regular Dr. B Coming soon, Dr. B junior!
Bunny was unamused by that joke.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

wordle

This is a wordle picture from all our October blog posts... Just paste any text into Wordle.net and it will make a word picture with the most used words bigger than the less frequently used words. You can see from the October wordle that Texas, Baby, Day, Awesome, Wisconsin and Got were used quite frequently.

For November apparently Government was on our mind a little bit. Now I know for sure I am on some watchlist.

Here is the Gettysburg Address wordled.