Drama dog

Tonight, we are seeing a play at the Kitchen Dog Theater. We haven't seen "Superman Returns" yet, but we most likely will this weekend. This weekend, family is coming to town and I'm taking a much needed 4-day weekend. I need new steam.

Metropolis on my finger

Many readers don't know this, but in the last few months I went from 195 pounds to averaging around 178. This was the result of Yvonne and I just watching what we eat, the portions we eat and exercising regularly. This is also a final recovery for me, who moved to Chicago and gained a lot of weight. I peaked at 205 up there deep in one winter. I managed to get down to 195 before moving to Dallas because of all the riding I did. I'm amazed I averaged 48-64 miles/week back then.

But, there has been one set back to the loss. My wedding ring stopped fitting correctly and often fell off. I always felt it fall off. Once I was riding and it almost rolled into a busy street. Another time, I was mowing and it slipped off in the sweat. One time, I gave a friend a high five. Everytime, I'd pick it up and put it in my pocket for a while. We were starting to wonder if there would be a time I didn't feel it fall off and it would be lost.

So yesterday we bought an alt ring. It's half a size smaller and fits great. And proof that my wife loves me: She bought a ring titled Metropolis for me three days before "Superman Returns" hits the theaters. She's so awesome.

Got an itch

Today, I slept in 'til 8am. I started the water for the last phase that I couldn't finish last night (I watered until about 10pm). While that was running, I took the mutts for a walk. I am trying to do that every morning before work as my "commute." So far, I'm probably doing it about 75%.

I have poison ivy on my leg again. It happens each summer and my skin isn't strong enough to heal from it anymore. We suspect the cat gets it on his coat and rubs the oil on my shin, but truthfully, we don't know. I usually get some cream from the doctor, but I'm out. What sucks is I have to go back to the doc, pay the copay, just to hear her say, "Yeah, that's poison ivy. You need the cream." Then, I finally get the wonderful cream that helps me defeat the evil, conniving Poison Ivy. It would be great if I could just "call it in" like so many peeps told me I should do.

We have a nearby neighbor that gave up on her yard decades ago. The back yard has a child's swing set hidden among trees and weeds that have never understood the threat of clippers. She has 20-foot tall poison ivy vines up in the trees and oozing into the alley. I avoid the alley now to be safe. I noticed she has it in her front yard now too.

While picking up the cream, I bought a laser pointer for the cat. He's already hunted his red little friend several times. Walker doesn't like Roscoe's hunting behavior and tries to stop him. It's kind of funny to watch. It take the mind off of my desire to take a cheese grader to my leg for a good 15 minutes.

Happy Birthdaze

We just got back from an action packed trip in Austin to celebrate Yvonne's birthday. Among the highlights:

• Maria's breakfast tacos
  
• "SoCo" shopping
  
• 18 plus two high chairs for the party reservation at Z'Tejas
• Yvonne was carded for an Avacado Margarita, but she didn't mind
  
• Bowling competition, dude

There are more, of course, but that's it for now. We're tossing another party in the DFDub this weekend and we're expecting about half the turn out.

Weather is more tame with no triple digits expected. Tonight, we're going to watch "Deadwood" at Warlord's.

Truth in advertising

Over the weekend, we bought a vacuum cleaner. It's not a very exciting purchase, and a costly one. We went mid-range in hopes that it would last as long as the old one did.

I bought the old one in Austin just after moving into what would be my last apartment in A-Town. That dates it around 2000. It was a good vacuum with a sensor that turned green when the carpet was clean. That gizmo was the reason I bought it I think. Well, lately the green light isn't noticing there's still dog hair down there.

So, after a successful test run with the new vacuum cleaner, I put the old one on the curb. I taped a sign on it that read, "Still Sucks!"

It was out there less than 10 minutes.

I didn't even bother emptying the canister, so whoever took it got some free dog hair as well. It might even smell like dog upon use---we wouldn't know.

Yvonne and I were joking the sign should read, "Free vacuum and dog hair" or my more flashy "Free vacuum and pillow stuffing!"

Heat is on

On the grid yesterday, I noticed the weekly forecast included 100 degree temperatures for the next week (they are now dropped to 95-99). Summer has begun. We are trying to keep up with watering, that's about all we can do in the yard.

Meanwhile, this week has been about recovering from a head cold. Monday was the worst day for me. For Yvonne it was Saturday. The illness was sneezing, headache and dizziness. On the worst day, all you want to do is sleep. It didn't hit me as hard as Yvonne, but it's taking longer for me to drain.

The Boneshakers rode around the lake on Thursday. Five riders strong, we did the 9 miles in 45 minutes. That's not too bad. The mixture of bikes was interesting and we instantly realized we had not planned accordingly for one rider on a road bike. He ended up carrying his bike about 50 yards to the paved trail. Then he rode circles around us. He's a pro rider. We should probably have one of those in the group ...

I plan to meet with Warlord tomorrow and work on the Boomshaker. I donated my hybrid Schwinn for the music bike, but it needs work. The fork is still bent, but we're going to try to have it fixed, rather than forking out $80 for a new one. Once the bike is in shape, we'll begin building the boom. We might buy speakers tomorrow. WNBC's Combat has an 8 inch sub on his and we are thinking along those lines.

Off to weekend errands ...

Great show

On Saturday, I took my two brothers to see Bauhaus and Nine Inch Nails. It went as perfectly as I hoped and the three of us had a fantastic time.

Bauhaus was a favorite band of mine for quite some time, and to see them rock just as hard as they did in their videos (they broke up about four years before I'd heard of them from my brother) was a treat. Daniel Ash wailed on sax. David J thumped on his bass and Peter Murphy did the "bat pose." (NOT Batman) Kevin on drums was great, but he was never the show, poor guy.

They sang all the favorites except their biggest hit, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", of which I had a very large poster back in the day (as well as a painted leather jacket with the "Sky's Gone out" logo). Chris thinks they didn't sing it because it's almost TEN FRICKIN' MINUTES! I tend to agree, and it's a lot of set up. This audience needed "Telegram Sam" and "Ziggy Stardust" and "She's in Parties".

And they got it. "The sights, the sounds, the smells and more. A whole lot more."*

Oh, and then NIN followed. I look around and both my brothers are dancing, singing (screaming) and smiling hard. It was all worth it. If I had a mirror, I would have seen a third brother doing the same thing.

* Marti DiBergi in "This is Spinal Tap"