Poker Night 4

Oh my God. This is beautiful.


Two things you need to know to make this even better:

1. Brian is a 6' 7" Texan good 'ol boy in the making, and
2.

Low-Level Threats

I just got this UT Safety Alert email in my inbox:

"The University Teaching Center (UTC) and the Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL) have been cleared as safe by The University of Texas at Austin (UTPD) after being evacuated for a short time earlier today. The UTC has been reopened and will proceed with a normal schedule, but due to the indefinite duration of the threat, a decision was made to close the PCL for the remainder of the day. It will reopen at 7 a.m., Tuesday, June 12.

"At about 9 a.m. UTPD received a report of a low-level threat to the UTC near the intersection of 21st Street and Speedway. Police immediately investigated and swept the building with officers and their dogs in accordance with their protocol. As a precaution, both the UTC and the adjoining Perry-Castaneda Library were evacuated at 10:30 a.m."

UT students have received several of these "low-level threat" emails since the system was implemented after the tragic Virginia Tech shootings. And I'm left thinking what I always think after receiving one:

Thanks for making my day just a bit more freaky...

Danskin 2007

Courtney, Mel and me

Mel & Courtney survived their first triathlon today! With the minor exception of Mel's early morning meltdown, the whole thing went off without a hitch. They both finished in respectable times and already have their next tri planned.

This was my fourth Danskin - I've done the whole thing 3x now and did a relay last year, Team Boobs Not Bombs with Kristine and Dilek. With a finish time exactly 10 minutes slower than the last time I competed in the whole course in 2005, I'm thrilled (all things considered).

And the vodka shots begin

If a gauge of birthday party success is dictated by how thoroughly polluted the guest of honor becomes, I'd say Greg's special day was a hit! The poor guy held out until about 1:30 a.m. before crawling away for some private time with the toilet. An hour later after saying goodnight to the last of the guests, I helped him pour himself into bed. He barely budged from the couch for the whole of Saturday. Despite it all, he still contends that he had a great time. We're so fortunate to have such a great circle of friends. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a blast!

To see the rest of the photos and a progression of the night's debauchery, click here.

Six Word Story 2

Oh, what fun we will have...

***Update numero dos***

FIRST

With triumphant grin


SECOND

Well done, Doug.
You've tripled your money. Kim should be well pleased.


THIRD

A very dejected shumma. :(

Does this look odd to anyone else?

My British husband playing Texas Hold 'Em with a Lone Star beer.
Look what Texas has done to him...

Right now my house is over-run with boys, 11 of them. The high testosterone quotient of this poker game makes it a bit more intense than the one I usally play. While they duke it out, I'm hiding upstairs at the computer and (mostly) minding my own business. But every now and then I get sucked into their conversations. There's smack talk, yo' mama talk, some slightly pissy whining talk, some vulgarity (I think some of them have forgotten I'm sitting up here). I feel like I'm getting some illicit, unauthorized insider's view into a world I'm not supposed to see.

Our realtor Mikey has obviously just lost, judging from the stream of cursing drifting upward. Greg is still in it after being almost the first person out and doing well by the sounds of things. I don't want to jinx him, but my curiosity is starting to get the better of me.

Yes, that is Greg you see flexing his muscles in the back. :)

***Update***

Doug Howe, current Chip Leader and Happy Camper
He is under strict instructions by his wife to bring home the bacon.

Six Word Story

Legs akimbo, she is grace personified.

Someone's extra-special day...

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear Greg!
Happy birthday to you!

My shumma turns 33 today. I feel so lucky to have him in my life. I could go on and on about the reasons why I love him, but the most important to me today is the fact that he knows when a girl just needs a long, hard hug.

Happy birthday, babe. And... um... I'm sorry I didn't say this to you at midnight last night. :)

Farewell, purple Teva

By now you are well on your way to frolicking with the marine life in the Gulf of Mexico. But fear not! Joining you are my UT baseball cap, my sunglasses, at least a 12-pack of Bud Light, a whole slew of other clothing items, a few busted coolers, snacks, hats, shoes, waterproof cameras, sunscreen and heaven knows what else... You will not be lonely for long.

It seems that kayaking and canoing with 20 other people down the Guadalupe River this week-end demanded a sacrifice. Thankfully, it was not in the form of human casualty (although a few of us may be emotionally scarred).

The breaking point was a sketchy set of rapids with a huge rock rudely jutting out into our path. We all went right when we should have gone left. For most of us this meant toppling over at a small but angry little whirlpool. For Brent and Lauren, however, this meant twisting sideways and swiping against the rock splitting their fiberglass canoe in two. I didn't see it happen, but I saw the wreckage of the smashed up canoe as it drifted by. And then came the rumor that Lauren was missing - thankfully she was fine, a bit shaken up but fine. That was enough to get a few people out of the water at the early pick-up spot. I almost joined them but was convinced that the worst was behind us. And thankfully, it was.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, but you could feel the tension mounting every time we saw or heard anything resembling rapids. As far as I know, everyone tipped at least once, except for The Amazing Kim who was happily buzzed throughout. Maybe that's the secret... I'll have to try that next time. If there is a next time. I could not fall asleep later that night to save my life. I kept seeing whirlpools and water snakes and missing Gregs.

Deep breaths. Let the healing begin.

The pink shoe pictured above is the only surviving member of Katie's flip-flop duo. Luckily for me, she lost the right foot-er and we're close enough to the same size that it worked...

Side note: Man, I could really use a pedicure...