November 13, 2011

I can't think of a better way to end such a relaxing weekend than with a sunset picnic on the top of Mount Bonnell.  With the standard picnic fare (ciabatta rolls, guacamole, hummus, cheese, some sort of deli meat, and pita chips), we made the seemingly endless trek to the top of Mount Bonnell about a quarter of an hour before the sun set over Lake Austin.  To see the view from Mount Bonnell is to be reminded of how blessed I am to call this city and this state my home.  Tonight's sunset was especially incredible:  with a perfectly cool temperature, a slight breeze, and low humidity, we comfortably watched the sky change colors as the sun descended under the horizon, with a splash of people watching and eavesdropping for good measure.  Such a wonderful Sunday evening is bittersweet this time of year:  I know we're lucky to have such a beautiful, cool evening, but I also know those evenings will soon turn unreasonably cold for this native Texan.  This being said, I'll take full advantage while I can.  

November 12, 2011

So, over the years I've learned that two cats a cat lady makes, apparently.  I suppose my falling to this moniker was inevitable:  my first stuffed animal, given to me the day I was born, is a small white kitten; I would always cry for and defend the terrible attitude of our cats growing up; and, of course, I now find myself the owner of two cats.  Alright, I'll embrace the classification, but I am not going to embrace the crazy.  With the classification, however, comes a great deal of poking fun at the expense of my family.  Every time an occasion calls for a card, I guarantee one of those cards will be feline-themed.  For example, the birthday card I received from Gene for my birthday this evening had this adorable kitten on the cover, which opened to reveal a feline disco party of sorts on the inside of the card.  As much as I've resisted the "cat lady" label for years, I must admit I find each and every one of these cards simply adorable.  I mean, who doesn't love a kitten in a party hat? 

November 11, 2011

Contrary to its seeming simplicity, queso is not always easy to make.  When you make a slight change in one part of the recipe, liquid ratios go wonky and things can get a bit sticky.  As part of a fajita feast tonight, I decided to make queso, going by the family recipe consisting of a delicious brick of Velveeta, a can of Rotel, and a splash of milk.  With just the two of us, I got a smaller brick of "cheese," but didn't get the revised liquid ratio quite correct.  While the flavor was by no means lacking, we had to wait a bit for it to resemble dip-able queso.  By the end of the evening, however, once the left over queso had sat in the fridge for a while, we again had a brick of "cheese."  Horribly unappetizing once you realize that is now sitting in your stomach, yet still so very delicious!

November 10, 2011

Hey, remember that time with the story?  You know, the story where I went on and on about seemingly disjointed events and people, without letting on where any of my rambling was going?  And do you remember the ending of the story when I had to say "that's the end of the story" because I was such a horrible storyteller and didn't make my point clear?  Yeah, well, I found twenty dollars.  Actually, I found twenty five dollars.  After watching a mid-week college football game, on my way back to the car from the Tavern, I spotted something on the ground.  As I took a closer look, I realized it was a money, laying on the ground without a possible owner in sight.  I'm supposing this random find is to make up for all of the ridiculous stories I've told over the years and, perhaps, to give me a better story to tell instead.  But, having read over this again, I don't think this story has hit its mark.  Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to stumble across another chunk of change again.