Reunion

Last night, after going through our entire Netflix Instant Watch list, we finally decided on revisiting Can't Hardly Wait. The movie was released the summer between Patrick's senior year of high school and my senior year of high school, so it definitely has a bit of nostalgia about it. The soundtrack to the film carried over to the soundtrack of our senior video that my film class edited and showed at our prom....yes, complete with the footage of me being wheeled off after fainting during the senior panorama picture. It was a hot, humid, September day in Texas. It happens. And while still in high school, I even got the poster from a friend who worked in a video store.

Besides some of the obvious ones: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry and Seth Green, that film seemed to be a jumping off point for so many actors in their late teens early 20s. There even seemed to be a pre-union (instead of reunion?) of Six Feet Under actors in there. Patrick pointed out that he has now seen Lauren Ambrose get licked by Eric Balfour in two different shows. Every time the shot or point of view changed, another familiar face jumped out and Patrick or I would yell "That Guy!" or "That Girl!"

And for all those people I didn't recognize, I wonder what happened to them. I wonder where they are now? 10 Years later. That's kind of how I feel on Facebook sometimes: getting a friend request from someone I can't quite remember or wondering about an old friend. My 10 year high school reunion is coming up this fall. I'm not even sure if I will be going...I'm just not quite sure if I'm ready for that

The New Year

A new year has rolled in since the last time I posted. A New Year, a New President(!!!) and LOST is back on TV. So far, so good.

We spent the weekend in Houston, getting to celebrate the marriage of two of our friends. "A great story of perseverance," is one of the quotes I heard describing the groom's courting of his bride. They were beautiful, and we had fun toasting to the new married couple. Lots of dancing with little kiddos and skirting questions of our future little ones.

I wish I could show off the beautiful bride, or the happy groom, or the adorable kids our friends have, but unfortunately, I learned a crappy lesson this weekend. Don't go 6 months without backing up any of your photos, because Murphy's Law states, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." It may not be immediate, but eventually, Murphy will catch up with you. Someone picked up our camera with way too many pictures stored on it. Hopefully it was an accident and it will be returned soon, but I have a sinking feeling that our fun little Casio is long gone. I guess we'll find out in the next few days.

I've signed up to volunteer with SXSW for the first time and tonight I'm heading down to the volunteer call to see what positions are still available. So, we'll see....it's been 5 years since I've worked a festival and I don't know if anything can live up to Sundance, or Cannes before that, but I'm looking forward to being around the artsy types again.

Hook 'em!

The Golden Hat

What an exciting game! Go Horns!!

Patrick and I got together with some friends for an at-home-version of UT vs OU Weekend. It was a fried food bonanza, highlighted by mimosas (since it was an 11am kickoff) and beer. Fried Pickles, Fried Plaintains, Hot 'n Crunchy Fried Chicken, Fried Okra, Fried Grilled Cheese, Fried Snickers...and despite my body punishing me the rest of the day, all was so yummy! I think this was one of the first times we went to Alamo Drafthouse and only ordered a couple of waters and sodas...we needed a break from all the alcohol and fried goodness.

The Bell Pepper

While waiting in line on opening weekend to see The Dark Knight (which I highly recommend), some friends joined Patrick and I in entering a contest for the FN Dish where you were supposed to send in a picture of an impersonation of the Iron Chef Chairman. Someone you know did end up winning, just check out the end of the slide show and this results page!

New Toy

Our computer has been acting funny ever since I turned it off the other day during a lightning storm. And I haven't been able to download my pictures from the LA trip yet. So, in the meantime I have to tell you about my favorite new toy.

Rachael and Hagan got it for us for Patrick's and my birthday and it's amazing! The Roku is the Netflix TV set top box instant player. So anything that you can instantly watch on Netflix on your computer, we can watch on our TV without having to do some crazy wiring hookup. I've been able to watch Showtime's This American Life (love Ira Glass), some of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival shorts (makes me want to go back) and the first feature film I saw on it was The Business of Being Born (started lots of thinking/discussion.)

I give the Roku two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Sick

Patrick and I finally watched Michael Moore's documentary Sicko this weekend. Now I want to move to England or France or Norway or Canada, pretty much anywhere but stay here in the US. Patrick said, "I keep telling you, Toronto is the place to be!" I just don't know if I could handle the cold. I do have some reservations on Universal Health Care, mainly the tax burden of it. But when the United States is being listed as number 37 on the World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems, I have to give my reservations a second thought.

Next on...

Just another show that I'm sad was cancelled. We finished the last Arrested Development DVD yesterday. Near the end of the series, they start making references to the series being cancelled:

George Sr.: I don't think the Home Builders Organization is going to be supporting us.
Michael: Yeah, the HBO's not gonna want us. What do we do now?
George Sr.: Well, I think it's Showtime. I think we have to put on a show during dinner."

Also when the Narrator blatantly says, "Now that's a clearcut situation with a promise of comedy. Tell your friends."

I feel bad that I didn't watch this show when it was on, that I didn't get a chance to support a show that is so much better than anything else that has been on network TV. So, since I missed the boat on this one, are there any other groundbreakingly good TV shows out there right now? We already watch The Office - well, I watch as Patrick nervously paces in the kitchen.

Anything new? Old? What series should we Netflix next?

How It All Started

Eight years ago today, Patrick pulled me aside in a 1942 house on Peck Avenue and spoke those words that I will forever remember as bringing us together: "Would you like to go see a movie?" He later told me that after much contemplation and thought of how to go about asking me out, all the plans and clever words went out the window at the last moment.

The movie would have to be put off till the following week, as I was heading up to attend the TX/ou game in Dallas that weekend. And he was going up to Dallas as well, but to see one of his best friends sing. I stayed with a bunch of friends Friday night and went to the game the next day, where he picked me up and promptly told me that I stunk. I had just spent the better part of 3-4 hours in the heat surrounded by other sweaty Texas fans, what do you expect??

We didn't end up seeing Mike sing that night. We got lost and finally showed up right as they were walking out of the building. I couldn't have even imagined that night that almost 8 years later, his friend whom I just met, would be singing at our wedding reception.

I mentioned to Patrick that I was going to be meeting my parents for brunch the next morning, so I'd need to go get my car from my friend's house fairly early. He responded, "Oh, I get to meet your parents?" So, only 4 days after he asked me to the movies, Patrick and I ate blueberry pancakes with my parents and my very talkative sister who probably helped relieve any anxiety or nervousness of meeting my parents for the first time. All a little unorthodox, but hey, we got it out of the way.

So, here we are: two Austinites who have been together for eight years, married for two, living with two neurotic cats in a "little place near Lake Travis," as Patrick likes to put it.

Happy Eight Years Honey!

The Order - no spoilers here

We decided to take a spur of the moment trek downtown to see the almost sold-out matinee. I never thought we could make it down to South Lamar from Northwest Austin in rush hour traffic within 30 minutes! We bought two of the last seven tickets and then snuck in to a packed theater and had the usher bring a folding chair so that Patrick could actually sit during the film.

Granted, it has been a few years since I've read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but when Patrick and I walked out of the movie theater last night, I felt pretty happy with the adaptation to the screen. Unlike Prisoner of Azkaban where Harry received the broom from Sirius at the end of the movie instead of in the beginning like in the book, the screenwriter for Order of the Phoenix did a great job following the plot of the book. And I was amazed at how some of the scenes in the movie were exactly how I imagined them while reading the book.

I can't wait till this weekend when I'll finally be able to finish this series of books!