Lookout! 3/31/2006 06:55:00 AM
Don't scroll down to the next entry if you're at work.






Really!


Don't do it!
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 NSFW! 3/30/2006 07:58:00 PM


Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.
Thursday fun at 'Club No Minor'.

UPDATE Club Minor is not what you may think. It's the back bar in a Tex-Mex restaurant, where D and I went (with Houston Amy and Hubby Daniel, not to be confused with Chicago Amy and Hubby Danny) to celebrate D's brother Brent's b-day, her mom's birthday, and the announcement of the newest member of our family, the 2006 tax return.
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 Blech! 3/28/2006 08:46:00 AM
Every morning I wait to brush my teeth until after I'm done drinking my allotted 2.5 cups of coffee - why bother brushing and THEN drinking the staintastic beverage? Usually, this occurs while I'm at my desk working. It's easy to brush and work, you see..

Anyway, today I was brushing while waiting for a guy to call about a problem we were having with a data import, and sure enough I had a mouth full of toothpaste suds when my phone rang.

It must have looked pretty comical. I have music playing on the computer on the other side of the office from my work desk, a mouth full of toothpaste and spit, and a phone ringing. I got up and started toward the bathroom, then spun around thinking I wouldn't have time to spit and get back to the phone in time, then spun towards the music-playing computer, then went back to my desk and did it.... I swallowed the mouthful of wastewater. Ugh. I can still feel the tingly all the way down to my stomach... Blech.

At least this should clean out what remained of the Szechwan Chicken from last night. I just hope it stays down. My stomach isn't happy. But maybe I'll have bubbly poop. :) There's an image for you all.

Today's moral: DON'T SWALLOW TOOTHPASTE!
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 Weekend report. 3/27/2006 08:31:00 AM

We did LOTS this weekend. We took it easy on Friday night as we were waking up early to head out on a ride (me) run (Dana) on Saturday morning bright and early. So, Saturday morning we woke up bright and early (apparently I can't write until I've had THREE cups of coffee... one sec).

Aah, that's better...

Before I get to Saturday, I must insist you read Dana's post about what transpired on Friday. OK. Now that you've read that.. Shortly after she got home we went to the Cingular office and got her a new SIM card, and popped that in my phone so she has another one to lose one to use for work. I won an eBay auction for a cheapo Nokia that should hopefully not take too long to get here, so we can get back up to 100% cell-phone-wise. Then we went to a pub for dinner. If this place was closer to where we live, smoke-free, and if we had found it earlier, it would be "The Bar". Unfortunately, we didn't discover it until the hurricane, as it was one of the few places open, but they didn't have any food then (they were sold out), so we left vowing to come back. Well, it took six months, but we made it back. And they had great fish and chips (the right way - with peas). It's very cozy, not too loud, and they have a great beer selection... Anyway.. Back to the weekend.

Where were we? Ah, yes. Bright and Early. So we got up and headed out to Chappell Hill, a quiet little town about an hour from us (if you speed like a Texan), and I hopped on the bike as Dana took to the shoulder for a 17-mile run. (I was on a 40-mile ride). The cars were, as usual, very considerate, with one exception - some redneck teenage punk who buzzed me twice while shouting something out the window. But as long as people don't THROW things, I could care less. What the freak probably doesn't understand is that if he's going 55 and I'm going 20, I can't hear what he's saying anyway. But it sounded like he said "Why doesn't daddy love me?". OK, it didn't sound like that at all, but I'm allowed to take some creative license.

If I had my really cool google-maps cycling thingie built, I would be able to illustrate that I finished this ride 15 minutes faster than the last time I did it (two weeks ago), and that my average was 3mph faster than last time... but I don't have it built yet, so you can't see it. But you can take my word for it. Basically, it just wasn't windy this time around. And it wasn't as hot, either. But I'm pretty happy with getting such a hilly route done at 16.5 mph (average). And I just felt GREAT on the second 20. I think it's probably time to up my milage on the long rides (and just in time for a 66-miler next weekend). Unfortunately, it was a little chilly for most of the ride, so my arm warmers prevented me from enhancing my already-emerging cycling tan. But we've got plenty of time for that before Steamboat.

After the ride, D and I hopped in the car and headed home for showers, then out to lunch (I... forget where...). We went for pizza that night and chilled at home, then woke up Sunday to get ready for D's soccer game at 11. You haven't heard much about her soccer this year since she hurt her hamstring and has been avoiding it to prevent further injury, but she was feeling good (if tired) after her 17-miler and decided to go for it.

So we headed out (I remembered a chair this time*) and she got through the first half and took herself out. A one-on-one sprint down the line aggravated her hammy again and she didn't want to risk further injury.

We headed back home and to our typical Sunday lunch haunt, where my girlfriend the waitress Pam was happy to see us (we were out of town last weekend). Ate, came home, and then...

Yes, there's more. We hopped on our bikes and headed to the Bayou City Art Festival (pictures), where we walked around for a couple hours and saw some good (and some not so good) and some fantastic art and photography. And they had beer (which was good). Rode home, hopped in the shower, and CRASHED. I fought to stay awake while watching cycling and Dana totally crashed, then we headed out for sushi, came home, and collapsed into heaps on the bed.

Needless to say, we were pretty worn out. But we both realized that this would have constituted a mild activity weekend in Steamboat and that we have to get used to getting this much exercize (there are worse things, to be sure). And we had a blast.

*UPDATE: I didn't remember the chair, to be accurate. Dana did, but it was FOR me.. so...

UPDATED AGAIN: added links to this photographer and this one from the festival on Sunday.
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 Texas 3/24/2006 12:38:00 PM
Since we're only going to be "down South" for a few more months, I have to get my digs in now.



from Salon.com's Video Dog
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 What's up? 3/24/2006 08:01:00 AM

Something is wrong with the world when the only person you know who updates their blog in a given week is the couple that just had their third baby a week ago. (No link, sorry - they like it private. "You know - for kids!"). OK, Karen, as always, is good about updating. But other than KAREN. ;)

It's not that I have any particularly profound pontification pending (alliteration, yay!), but I RELY on you people to ENTERTAIN ME when I take breaks from work. And when you can't do that, WHO CAN? (Again, other than Karen. Who is quite entertaining, yet whom I've never met).

I feel I might also be neglecting Houston Amy, who posts often, but often limits said postings to the weekend. (so by the time Tuesday comes around, there's nothing new. This week is an exception, however).

I did find out from Erik this week that the Journey of Hope arrives in Steamboat on June 30th this year - which means I'll probably miss the team by a day, which is a real bummer. Maybe I'll pass them the next day (actually, we'll PROBABLY pass them the next day) while they ride to Breck - we should pass them somewhere in the mountains.

Anyway... This weekend - early tomorrow morning, in fact - Dana and I are once again headed out to Chappell Hill for our ride/run combo. I have to admit I'm a little sketched out about it, but just because someone can't control her SUV (what else is new, especially around here) - she actually swerved into the oncoming lane! and must have been all the way over, because we know, as cyclists, that drivers are MORONS and we have to hug the shoulder - doesn't mean I'm not going to ride. Besides, he was out in the afternoon and we'll be out there WAY early in the morning.

OK, apparently I opened a fresh wound with this one, because I find myself ranting. Here goes.

I don't know all the facts, granted, but the report says that she "lost control while rounding a curve". I don't care that the road was "damp" - if she's going so fast that she crosses all the way into the other lane (think: England), she's obviously got no control of her vehicle. Unless the cyclist was in the center of the road (when was the last time you saw that on a country highway - I vote "unlikely") - and even if he WAS - there is no excuse for what she did. I don't care if she bent over to pick up a CD or was putting on lipstick or eating a freaking cheezeburger or what - they really need to throw the book at this woman. My guess is that she'll get a suspended sentence and suspended driver's license. Probably some community service. And that's it. For KILLING a man because she was being irresponsible.

I know (probably) that everyone here has a car. And I know that I've spent a good part of my life with a license driving like an idiot. But driving is a privilege, not a right. So PLEASE pay attention while you're out there driving. And for chrissake, give us some room out on the road. According to, as I recall, almost EVERY state law, bicyclists are intended users of the road - we have just as much right to be out there as anyone in a car. And we're vulnerable.

Next time you get exasperated because you have to slow down to let oncoming traffic pass before you can pass a cyclist, just take a deep breath and realize that you're going to hit the next red light anyway, and you won't get to wherever the hell you're going that's so important any faster by putting me at risk.

Cars cut us off from the world around us. They're a great way to get around quickly, but people (and I'm guilty of this too) forget that when they're driving they've got - literally - a ton of steel under their control. The slightest lapse of attention can literally change (or end) someone's life. So please be careful.

And have a great weekend!
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 Booked! 3/21/2006 01:57:00 PM
Well, today D and I booked our flights (and car, and rooms) for our home-finding trip to Steamboat Springs! We're going out over Memorial Day weekend and are going to stay through May 30th, then drive to Denver where D is presenting at a conference. Then about a month later, we'll be MOVING THERE.

Very exciting. This trip also falls the weekend after we're headed to Fargo for the Marathon, so we're going to be some busy kids! We're going to have to come home from the Steamboat trip and start packing for the move! (ugh)

Time between now and then is going to FLY.
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 Attention, Swan! 3/20/2006 10:55:00 AM

My uncle thinks he's clever, but he thinks I'm cleverer. Prove you're the cleverest in the comments, and answer his answerless question: "Why is a blue tarp blue?"
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 Blogroll update.. 3/17/2006 08:55:00 AM
Let's all give a wave goodbye to Hammer and a beckoning "come hither" to Karen, Erik's fiancee.

Erik and I were buddies in college (both times), but I think I like Karen more (though we have never met, and she mistakenly believes that Tony Almeda is actually dead). Her post of Hermione is what really won me over, but the fact that she's a BSG junkie brought her into the circle.

I would write more (really!), but my slacker ass has a conference call.

Welcome, Karen!

Oh, and when D and I actually bear children, feel free to order the newbie onsie from ThinkGeek. That would be AWESOME.
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 Transformation: COMPLETE (frackin' a!) 3/16/2006 08:27:00 AM
For some reason I feel like I haven't blogged in FOREVER, even though it's only been three days. And I know I still owe y'all a proper rodeo post (my best three pictures have been up at flickr since Saturday).. I'll get to it.

Anyway, that's not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this post is to announce that my transformation of Dana into a Geek is now complete. After completing her second full episode (which sadly happened to be the season finale), Dana is now sufficiently addicted to Battlestar Galactica. She tried and tried to make fun of me (and it) but I withstood her (baseless) taunting silently, knowing full well that some day she would be too tired to fight and not tired enough to fall asleep, and watch an episode. It's the same way it happened to me (thanks, Scott). After the first episode you're interested enough to watch once more, and after that, the hooks are WAY too deep in you.

I realize I'm talking about a show that - to those who haven't seen it - probably seems like a cheap Star Wars/Star Trek knockoff. And in the 70's, it was. But today's show is really the bomb.

For those of you who know me from back in my X-Files days ("RULE!"), you know how much I like it when my show is interrupted. But there's just so much backstory in BSG that for Dana's first two episodes I had to repeatedly pause the show just to explain to her what was going on.

And after the season finale got cut off in the last two minutes (SERIOUSLY, TiVo, WTF?), she made me go straight to iTunes to buy it. (What an ending!!!! Seriously!!!) And now the mini-series pilot (which I never saw) and Series one (most of which I've never seen) are now in our Netflix queue so she/we can catch up on the backstory before next season.

So seriously (no, really, I mean it) - if you have the slightest inkling of desire, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

And you get over the fracking cursing pretty quickly.
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 SXSW 2006 downloads (FREE MUSIC) 3/13/2006 08:17:00 AM (See what I'm talking about)
Being in TX this year, I am aware that SXSW (South by Southwest) is going on in Austin this coming weekend, but since we'll be out of town I gave it little mind.

But today while working I decided to reduce the size of my "unplayed music" playlist, much of which consists of music from SXSW 05 (I can't find the post from last year where I linked to the free music d/ls). I went to the SXSW site to find out about downloading the music for this year's show that's offered, but only found individual listings, and I wasn't about to download everything individually.

But in the interest of you, my loyal readers, I did locate a link to two TORRENTs of the collected free tracks (and movie trailers, if you're interested), here.

I can't get the first torrent to work for some reason (713 free songs), but I am currently working on the second (229 free songs). I will not be making these available to download from me, so you can forget about asking (I don't have that much space for you people!). But go ahead and get the TORRENTs. And if you don't know what a torrent is, there is a link on the page that should help you.

Now download away! And seed that first one so I can get it and reload my "Never heard" playlst!

UPDATE: I downloaded the new version of bittorrent here and that solved my problem with attempting to download the first link. I think. I just got it started and walked away, but it didn't error out. I think right now it's concentrating on DLing the second package, and then will move on to the first. We'll see. Either way, it's going to take a LONG TIME.
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 New snowboard jacket time! 3/13/2006 07:22:00 AM (See what I'm talking about)
I need this for when we move to Steamboat. I really, really do.
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Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.
'The good Lord doesn't put horns on a bull like this and not tell him how to use em.' direct quote, rodeo Houston.
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Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.
Oh yeah, it's rodeo time!
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 SO... HUNGRY... 3/08/2006 08:35:00 AM
For whatever reason, I am so hungry right now. OK, to be honest, I know the reason. Dana and I had a meeting this morning with a tax guy (we bit the bullet since we have (at least) two separate employers each, a ton of business-related deductions, and two states to contend with for our 2005 taxes), and on our way home we passed by Goode's BBQ. Holy crap, would it suck to work at a BBQ place. I mean, how could you stop eating it?

Damn, I'm hungry. We have decided to have Goode's for lunch. I have a feeling it will be an early one today.

And I'm sure D is going to blog about the taxes thing (she took a picture of me last night commemorating our "first taxes together". God help me. :)
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 And so do I. 3/07/2006 01:24:00 PM

image stolen from Erik's fiancee
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 Weekend ending with REAL Texans 3/06/2006 08:13:00 AM

Yes, pictured above you see Dana's and my cow[girl/boy] boots. I mean, we had to get some before we head to the rodeo later this week. Besides, Dana's were kind of my wedding present to her (not my fault! I couldn't buy them without her!).

To celebrate, we went to the Armadillo Palace right after we got them (here), though I'm now convinced that the Armadillo is nothing but a tourist trap. The good news is, we picked up a birthday gift for The Don while we were there. No details on that on the slim chance that he or Carol will check this blog before he receives the gift. Don will love it, Carol will... well, let's just say she won't love it. :)

Good weekend, though. Woke up WAY early on Saturday to go on the ride, then D and I grabbed some lunch (second lunch, for me), then headed out later that night for some sushi, where the bartender kept giving me free "samples" of drinks. We headed out for a cocktail after that and found our way home somehow. Sunday started out the same as the last several: I make breakfast while Dana plays videogames (she's an addict, what can I say?), then we headed to lunch as usual, then a nice walk through Rice.

I had commented during our walk how much I wish we could watch some baseball (it just felt like a baseball kind of day), and then noticed the lights on at the Rice baseball stadium (it was overcast and a little drizzly). So, we popped in to watch the game (we're going to try and make Tuesday's game against Texas, too). Came home for a pit stop, then headed straight out to Cavender's to get some boots. I think you're pretty well caught up after that.

Last week's picture "contest" seemed to be surprisingly popular, so I'll try to continue that this week, but we're looking kind of busy already. Tonight should be pretty calm, but we have maybe the baseball game Tuesday, then probably the Rodeo on Thursday, and then we're back at the weekend already.

And oh, yeah. I have to work in between there. Damn. :)
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 Steamboat Oscar commentary 3/06/2006 08:04:00 AM (See what I'm talking about)
Don't know why I thought this was post-worthy, but, well, I do. D and I watched the Oscars last night (actually started to watch, then decided to pause it and watch something else for an hour so we could fast forward through all the BS we didn't care about - TiVo has paid for itself over and over and over again). Anyway, I decided that Dolly Parton is the most plastic person in Hollywood. And she's not even IN Hollywood! (Figure that one out). Below, find some of the colorful commentary found in today's Today.

Dolly Parton on Sunday night acknowledged the designer of her clutch. For the uninitiated, a clutch is a really small handbag, not much bigger than a paperback book. They're barely big enough for a lipstick tube, but in Hollywood, they are encrusted with sapphires.

I can guarantee you that Dolly paid more for the clutch she clutched at the Oscars than you or I would have to pay for new skis, boots and bindings. Heck, we could probably add a GoreTex powder shell and a pair of mountaineering pants, and still not top the tab for Dolly's clutch.

But that's Hollywood.

And this is Steamboat.
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Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.
Baseball! Rice v. Cal State Fullerton.
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Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.

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 First ride of the year 3/04/2006 02:54:00 PM (See what I'm talking about)

You know you live in Texas when the food provided after a ride is chili cheese dogs. (they look tasty, but weren't that good unfortunately).

Yes, it's nice enough to be out riding down here. I decided at the last minute to head out on this ride today (only a 33-miler) after hearing earlier in the week from an old Fraternity buddy (Duggan) about a ride we'll be doing in April - so he joined me this morning and we headed out to Baytown for the Gator Ride. No, we didn't see any gators, sadly. I did, however, see lots and lots of oil rigs and refineries. I finally felt like I lived in Houston.

Nothing special about the ride (short of the chili dogs). I felt really strong, and it's one of the first "real" rides I've taken with the new bike (which is such a beautiful thing..). Also, got a new rack for the car this week that was well-reviewed and didn't make us buy a whole system from Yakima or Thule (or get a hitch installed on the car) - good news all around.

Having felt strong today, I decided I'm going to attack the hilly 40-mile route outside of town next week. Even if I can't prepare myself physically for the mountains of Colorado, I'm going to be damn sure to have a killer cycling tan by the time we get there.
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Originally uploaded by MarkFitz.
One of the benefits of living in Texas. Weather in the 70s in March. *Perfect* beer outside weather. We're celebrating 'old man Hutch's' 29th in style at little woodrow's.
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 Contest pt 2 3/02/2006 08:58:00 AM

OK, hopefully this one is a little tougher...

Guess away!

Hint: This is something holding multiple other things.
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 Contest! 3/02/2006 08:17:00 AM

Today's contest: guess what this is.

Hint: it's a picture I took this morning of something in our apartment.

Rules: after I get four (unique) wrong guesses, I'll post a bigger image (zooming out to reveal more). And maybe another clue.

If nobody votes (or cares), then, well, we can stop playing.
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 Post 500: MG dinner exposed 3/01/2006 09:27:00 AM (See what I'm talking about)

OK, holy crap was dinner last night good. Dana was totally skeptical (though she hid her skepticism very well, I must say), but we ate the shit out of the crawfish etouffee I made.

So, in honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to make my favorite cajun dish, etouffee. I've only made it once before (with Bally; long, long ago), and that time with shrimp. And a published recipe. This time I decided to take the risk of going with an "internet" recipe (Just some dude from Louisiana's recipe online), and it was killer. I have to admit, it was only OK at first, but after adding the hot sauce it was PERFECT. SOOOO good. The top picture is all the ingredients, pre-cooking. Below is the finished dish (with my yummy Fontina/Onion/Beer bread in place of the more traditional cornbread).

Best meal so far of the year, hands down.

In the picture album, you'll see ingredients for pesto pictured. That has nothing to do with this meal (I'm making pesto-chicken salad for lunches later in the week. Hopefully will have it in time for D to come home today - shouldn't take long). I found myself without enough basil, so I had to prematurely postpone the pesto prep.
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