I'm Still Alive and Kicking

Greetings friends. I know I'm a lousy blogger....it's incredibly hard to make myself sit down, write, and post photographs when I have so many things to do. Life is full and fun and there is no way to get to it all. The sad thing is that I really love my blog and want to be good at it...but it's not in the cards right now and always takes a back burner.

Winter is coming and I'm preparing myself physically to handle extreme weather again. I've absolutely got to get back to hiking and backpacking regularly. It is a MUST for me and every time I think I'm gonna get to go, something happens. I want to do a solo trip so bad I can taste it! I will keep hoping and wishing, and doing what I can every day to make it a regular part of my lifestyle again.

I gained a lot of weight back by not going regularly, but that is becoming less and less of a problem as I have completely changed my dietary habits and am moving around much more. I lost 22lbs of the thirty I gained back in less than a month this past month. I'm doing it sensibly as well...I think my body is more than ready to get back to serious business and becoming fit again. My metabolism is through the roof right now because of the key important things I'm doing.

Well I'd love to sit here and post more, but I've got folks demanding my attention right now. I hope to get back soon and update everyone.

Cheers to you all!

p.s. I've decided it's time to start seriously dating. I joined match.com after much debating with myself. We'll see how that goes....

Test Drove a Fit...

And I didn't have a fit over it. I was actually disappointed. The configuration of the driver's seat and steering wheel is awkward despite the "telescopic" steering wheel. If I wanted my knees to not be too bended I would have to put the seat far back, therefore making it difficult for me to reach the steering wheel. I could reach it, but then my arms were fully extended out and not in a relaxed position. Plus I had to lean forward a bit and couldn't rest my shoulders back in the seat.

So that was no good at all. Despite all the other great features of the car, that one detail ruined it for me. So on to the next vehicle. I test drove the Honda Insight. Great car if you don't mind cramped quarters and virtually no pick up. I can deal with the lack of pick up, but not so much the cramped quarters considering it is a hatch back. Yeah the seats fold down and all that jazz, but the low back window area takes away all the head space making that storage/cargo area not so great.

I eventually ended up driving a KIA Soul. I like this car. I test drove it twice and am going to test drive another one today to see how it handles the rainy weather we are having. I will give a full report once I'm back from the test drive...

What to do...what to do...

I have two many offers on the table of fun stuff to do this weekend and I'm torn now. It's Saturday morning and I just don't know what offer to take. I knew this could happen the second I started formulating plans to go backpacking.

I now have two parties on the table and they both sound like a lot of fun, and I could have a date tonight as well if I want. Dammit! I want to do it all!

Gonna Try to Get out this Weekend and Hike

I am seriously considering going back packing this weekend despite the horribly hot weather we've been having. Anyone want to join me?

Time for a New Car

So I've put a lot of thought and research into this process and I've decided to buy a Honda Fit. I need a new car and I deserve a new car. The Fit has fantastic gas mileage and even though it is small, it's still roomy enough for camping gear.

I hope to get something next weekend. :) Will keep my readers posted...

I Love My Life

So life is rockin and rollin along. Work has been awesome, my friends have been awesome, my kiddos are awesome, and life is awesome. Tomorrow I am heading out to the lake with Veronica and a good friend of hers who has a boat. He just bought a 75,000.00 dollar ski boat that holds 20 people and we are gonna party like rock stars. It's been a long while since I've been on a boat and I'm looking forward to it.

I asked our friend what he was gonna do with that boat when there is no longer a Lake Travis...he said he'll park it at Lake Austin, and then if that lake dries up he'll park the boat in his back yard and have parties on it lol. In any case I hope I can overlook the tragedy of a dying lake for a little while, as I'm living large on a fancy new boat.

Ben starts school very soon and is going into the second grade! I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing up and he is simply the smartest kid in his grade. He wants to learn spanish, german, french, and italian. He says if he has time he'll learn Japanese too lol. And on top of all that ambition, he reads through chapter books like crazy and is broadening his vocabulary by leaps and bounds every day...it's sometimes like talking to a 15 year old, not a sevin year old.
I'm always having to remind people, "dude he's only sevin".

Today I am cleaning house and doing laundry. I hope to get out by the pool in a little while and freshen my killer tan back up. My close friend Andy is probaby going to spend the night tonight and I want to have a gorgeous glow ;) I think we are all going out somewhere for live music and eats this evening and then who knows what.

Last night a couple of my neigbors and I stayed up laughing and enjoying each other's company, so I won't be surprised if tonight goes a little something like last night. I made pancakes and bacon around 3am and my place smells like IHOP today. Wonder what I'll be cooking up at 3am tonight...time will tell! :)

My cute friend Dusty from upstairs asked me if I would cook for him on an ongoing basis if he brings me the stuff. Ha, that's what I get for letting people know I'm skilled in the kitchen. I haven't made anything spectacular in a while, but I feel something special coming... something French...mmmmmmmmmmmm

P.S.

I went through all of my hiking, camping, and back packing pictures last night, and for the first time in a very long while, I could look at Thomas's pictures without feeling sad as fuck. Instead I felt saddened by the fact that I'm not spending my kid free weekends in the back country. Damn I miss it! I have too many friends pulling me in other directions. I wish I could get them all to join me out in the woods...but they are city folk. ;)

Freakin Awesome Party!

Veronica and I decided to meet up at the party and got there around 8ish. Things were still being set up and not many people were there yet save for the close few that I know. Veronica, a really nice girlfriend of mine who is my age and divorced with kids, had never been to a party like this, or a One Eyed Doll show. She LOVED it. I so knew she would. She fell in love with Kimberly like everyone else does.

Johnny Flash played first and it was totally over the top fantastic. Johnny has sheer talent. To be entertained in a friend's home with a quaint few people, by the most incredible talent, is too good for words. I love these people and they always light up when I show up on the scene. This isn't a surprise to me, everywhere I go it is like that. People remember my name, they cheer and call out my name. It's almost like being famous dude. I must admit I like the attention.

I inherited this from my grandfather. He taught me how to be gregarious and outgoing. I hope I let him know enough while he was alive, how much I appreciate what he taught me. Everywhere he went, people cheered his name too and treated him like he was someone very special, and he was. I miss him.

The party was just crazy fun. Kimberly and Three played a hot show with visual and physical entertainment that only Kimberly does best. She was in our laps, crawling all over the floor, and running around head banging up a storm. It just rocked!

I'm happy to be on her street team. We are getting ready to get very organized and blow this thing out of the water. Kimberly is going places and we all want to help her get there. She is our friend who shares her art with us and we are fortunate for that. We simply have to be there for her because of what she brings to us.

Veronica was thrilled to experience such a unique gathering. The entertainment could not have been better. I've got posters and cd's if anyone is interested. Just email me.