In Need of a Good Piano Bar

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” - Unknown

Usually my mind wanders and I try to take my thoughts and ideas and put them on paper to see where I'm focusing my energy. I didn't know that was the luxury of an idle mind because with things being so busy this summer, especially at work, I've had less time to reflect and evaluate. I'm more in the process of just doing. October is my month I'm hoping, I'll hit the pause button, take some inventory and see what goals I'm not actively pursuing. Sometimes you have to take the long look at things and say, hey, I haven't talked/hung out with so and so for months or what happened to your budget plan and least favorite, am I really eating the best type of foods that I can. Man the list can go on...why are those books half read, what should I do with this clutter, are my pets getting the proper attention and exercise, how is my grandmother doing (who I called today).

My motions hearing for work this week went well. I enjoy the arguing much more than I had thought I would. I had it in my mind that the writing was the part for me, but nope, it's the argument. I'm still keeping pretty busy, but I don't have to bring work home with me for the most part, so it is still ideal. I really enjoy my job I must say. Another week until the trial. I am excited, but too bad I'll be working on Labor Day. Hopefully I'll just make my own labor day in the fall. I am getting a lot of great experience and getting finally exercise some of my skills.

Tuesday, I had a golf lesson, but due to rain, my friend Azalea and I went to happy hour instead. She is so lucky to live in downtown Austin. I think if I lived there, I'd be at happy hour daily. We had some good chats and she helped me put some things in perspective. We see the world in similar ways in some respects and in completely different ways in others. I guess you are an accumulation of your experiences.

Sunday, is my friend Christina's birthday. I'm excited for her, since everyone loves their own birthday. We had plans to celebrate on Friday, but her family ended up coming into town instead. We will probably do something later. That sucks. She still has a few years left in her 20s, I hope she enjoys them. Her brother just turned 21 today, so she is getting to do a lot of celebrating this weekend.

I had heard about the Facebook movie and thought, what a terrible idea. I don't know what I thought, maybe that it was a movie about people being friends online or something. Then I saw the trailer. Wow, the story about how Facebook was created seems really interesting. I must say, now I'm actually looking forward to watching The Social Network. Here is the trailer below. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnamMtQs1fI]

The first real week of school is over and I'm hoping everyone is settling in well. My life isn't much different, but I'm sure yours may be. I'm glad I have all that behind me and don't have to worry about the parent part of it for quite some time. I remember thinking 12th grade would never come when I was back in 2nd grade. Little did I know, I had 7 more years after that. My trip to work is now much longer thanks to school buses and 4 schools zones I must traverse. Maybe I'll just get an earlier start.

I am very much in the mood for a piano bar. It has been too long since I have gone. I think that might be the welcomed jolt I need. Or maybe a good 80s cover band. That, of course, and a cold beer. I really should get down to San Marcos.

funny, cool with the lines

An Enigma of Sorts

“The best way to waste your life, ... is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the details. Report. Don't participate.” - Chuck Palahniuk

Last weekend, I took Abram to the driving range with me to hit some golf balls. He ended up picking up golf really quickly and doing much better than I am, and that is with my lessons. It made me want to work harder on learning the game and becoming adequate enough to hang. Part of me was jealous, but the other part was happy because I'll have someone I can play with when I actually start playing games. (Or do they call it rounds?) I even purchased golf shoes and a glove, so I'm in it for real.

On Tuesday, I had another golf lesson with my friend Azalea. I'm thankful to her for coming up with the idea. It was fun, we got to practice on two holes with the instructor. After, he let us stay and play on the course. We played until dark, and even though I did lose quite a few balls, I was happy with my improvement. I do wish I would have picked this up much sooner than I have.

I have been swamped at work. Due to our deposition schedule, I've been taking a lot of notes. I hope they are good because it is hard to improve on something if you don't know if you are doing it wrong. I was supposed to go to Houston again this past week, but I ended up staying in the office to work on some motions. I really enjoy writing motions, and though I usually hope to have more time to write them, I really thrive on the feeling of having made a strong argument. I have felt really valued added at work and I hope to keep up the hard work. I found out I'll be working on Labor Day, so after this trial I'm going to take a well deserved vacation. I just found out that there are cheap tickets to Puerto Rico, which would be fun, but I don't think I'm ready to go again just let. Maybe San Diego finally, so I can stop talking about it. My friend Oscar and his girlfriend just went and they had a great time.

My niece, Bekkah, starts college next week and I'm so proud and excited for her. She even got a car from her father, which was an expense I didn't foresee, but it makes me feel so much better that she will be mobile. I really hope she is safe, especially since she just recently got her license. The next four years will fly by and I will be the proudest uncle when she walks across that stage with her little sister watching as she is about to embark on her own college journey. The world can be a trying place and I want my loved ones to have every advantage they can to do well for themselves in a country that in many ways still rewards hard work. My sisters should be going up to see her when she moves in. It is an important moment. They went up when my brother went to college. For me, I was alone because Cornell was so far, but even memories of my parents driving me up to summer camps at colleges left an impression. I'm gonna let her settle in and then go and visit.

The new school year is starting. My nieces Sarah and Jamie will be starting high school. Talk about an experience. I'm excited for them. These 4 years will shape who they become, which if you think about it is kind of scary. Kids do grow up fast. All I can think about is how all the school zones I have to drive through in the morning are going to slow me down. For my teacher friends out there, I hope you had a great summer. I will forever be envious of your summers off. But not as much for the time you spend with misbehaving kids. I would love to teach, but not have to deal with the behavior stuff. A college professor is probably more up my alley. Man I go off on tangents.

Saturday night was a pleasant experience. I invited a girl out on a date and ended up having a much better time than I expected. I try not to talk about my personal life when I write, since it is best left to being lived, but after enjoying reading about seeclaudiadate.com 's adventures in dating, I feel like making an exception today. I will, of course, keep the true details to myself, but there were a few things I wanted to share. The plan was simple, dinner and drinks, a good old fashioned 1980s style get to know you date to determine if there were any common interests or even just friendship possibilities. When we meet up, I decide to pull an audible, and instead take her to Bat Fest. In Austin, we have the South Congress Bridge Bats, which fly out from under the bridge. There is a long story about them, which I've mentioned in my blog a year or two ago, but in short, it is pretty awesome. Each year they have this festival to celebrate this unique attraction and it had totally slipped my mind when making plans. Having a cheerful, relaxed and laid back attitude, she was happy to check it out with me, so we ditched dinner. There were bands playing, all kinds of stands and lots of people, especially along the edge of the bridge to see the bats. It was much darker than I expected and the bats flew out much later than I remember from years past, so they were harder to see, but the sight was still amazing to me. Here is a video I found that shows the bats so you can know what I'm talking about.



People were really friendly there and I had many conversations with people about the bats. After Bat Fest, we headed to the Warehouse District where I took her to a few of my favorite bars and chatted over drinks. We had a lot in common and the conversation was really easy. I'm usually pretty talkative, so I enjoy conversations, but she has some great stories. I felt a bit guilty that we had skipped dinner, even though the bats were worth it, so we finished out the night at a local pizza truck. That is a date with me, eating a slice of pie on the side of the street at 2am. It was good pizza. I liked how she folded her pizza like a Northeaster. No matter how things work out, it was an enjoyable summer night.

Sunday, I went to the driving range with my friend Oscar. I'm practicing and practicing, but I feel like I'm missing some fundamental that when I get down will change my life. Oscar if very good and plays a lot, so I'm always happy for his pointers. Practice makes perfect I keep telling myself. After, I did some shopping, mainly for items for my pets. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but they have fleas that I just can't rid them of. I have tried drops, baths, collars. But they are stubborn. While in the pet store, I bought Koki a cat cave and she loves it, which she better considering the outrageous price I paid. She had been using my hamper, so I figured I'd get her a real one. I bought Mia a cat bed that she enjoys.

Norbert's friend has been living with us for the past month or so. She has been a great house guest/boarder as I affectionately call her. If we had another room, she would be an ideal roommate, though I'm sure living with 3 guys isn't ideal. If I understood correctly, she will be moving out soon. I'm sure she will enjoy having her own room and some true privacy and her dog will enjoy not having my puppy jump all over him. It really was almost like she wasn't here at times. Such a nice girl. The guys are going to miss her PS3 with her streaming netflix I'm sure.

four points

30 Dates in 30 Days

"It is the woman who chooses the man who will choose her." - Unknown

My friend Claudia has taken on a new project which I find to be very interesting, and adventurous to say the least. In reflection of turning 30, she has undertaken the task of going on 30 dates in 30 days in south Florida during the month of August. Here is her website where you can track her progress: http://seeclaudiadate.com/. There is also an interview that was done of her on http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/08/broward-woman-goes-on-dating-spree.html that I feel sums it up well.

All I can think is that the setting up the 30 dates must be the hardest part of the ordeal. As she has already started, I have enjoyed reading her entries about each date. I hope she doesn't hold back too much in an effort to not hurt feelings. I wish her the best of luck. As a guy, all I could think is that would be expensive if a guy did it. She is going to accomplish in a month what has taken me 30 years to do (less you know the last 15.)

I've written a lot about my work travels recently and I'll probably keep this up only because it involves travel and its still a new and novel experience for me. On Wednesday night I head out to Houston again for work and will be returning on Friday night. Then the following Wednesday I'll take my last trip to Houston and once again return on Friday. The three hour drive is pretty boring, I'd much rather be doing a 5 hour drive to the Valley.

This past weekend my sister Ana and Rick came up to Austin. I went on Saturday to play golf with Rick. It was my first time playing an actual game and I knew I was not prepared. We played in teams and even though I did terribly, they were all encouraging and I had a great time. I really think that if I practiced more I'd actually be able to play. It was a great first experience playing golf.

After, we went to a BBQ at Rick S.'s house. The Ricks always make great food and Ana made some really good rice, and I'm picky about rice. It was nice hanging out and hearing their stories about how they met and their old frat days at UT.

I spent the weekend setting up network attached storage at my home. It was a complex procedure, but I like the idea of having a place where I could back everything up in case my drives failed. I like it, but I don't know if I have it set up right exactly. I'm proud of my computer skills though I will say.

why does everything that needs motivation feel so much like work?

Valadez Wedding trip to Arizona

"Albert: You know, honestly, I never knew I could feel like this. You know? I swear I'm, I'm going out of my mind. It's like I want to throw myself off of every building in New York. I, I see a cab and I just wanna dive in front of it because then I'll stop thinking about her.

Hitch: Look, you will. Just give it time.

Albert: That's just it. I don't want to. I've waited my whole life to feel this miserable. I mean and if this is the only way I can stay connected to her, then this is the way I have to be.

Hitch: No, you don't, you can change, you can adapt. You can make it to where you never feel

like this, never again." - Hitch (2005)

My cousin Mario just married his fiance Sarah last weekend. I attended the wedding in AZ and I'm very happy for them. I had a great time on my trip, but let me do some catching up before I talk about it.

Last week, I traveled to Houston for work on Tuesday (7/27) and Wednesday (7/28). I had to attend some depositions. I don't travel a lot for work at my job, so I was somewhat excited. I don't go to Houston often and feel very unfamiliar with the city. My work there was uneventful. I got back to Austin and then on Friday (7/30) I few out to Phoenix, AZ for my cousin's wedding. I had a direct flight which is always nice.

I arrived very quickly, but there was a problem picking me up, so I had to wait an extra hour at the rental car place until my mother, tia and uncle came to finally get me. It was really early, so I didn't mind. We had breakfast at IHOP and caught up. I hadn't seen my Tia Mati and and Tio Jesse in some time and it was nice to see that they were doing so well. They just live up the road in Ft. Worth, I should visit more, but don't often have occasion. I have always appreciated how well they treat me. My mom had been in town for a while before me and was going to stay for a while after. It is nice being a teacher and having a long summer vacation.

After breakfast, we headed to my cousin Sonia's house where my mother had been staying. I was amazed that people didn't have lawns and that must of the homes were very much in a stucco style (probably a correct term for this). Her house was very nice, inside and out, but it had the effects of numerous family members and friends coming through. I was envious of her hot tub, even more so than Mario's pool at his house. My grandmother was there waiting for us and we visited.

Soon after, we all went to a hotel in Scottsdale to check in and had lunch at In-and-Out Burger. It was my second time there in my life, the first being while I was in college and went to visit a friend in LA. She worked there and introduced me to such good burgers. It would never compare with Whataburger for me, but it was a memorable part of a very memorable trip. I'll always have good memories from that place and my family was excited that they had not so hidden Bible passages on the cups. Not closed on Sunday like Chick-fil-a I bet.

Later we went back to my cousin Sonia's house where I saw my cousin and her sister Marissa, her husband Steve and their cute baby Lukas. They came all the way down from Alaska. I also visited with my Tia Sarah and my Tio Mario who were very excited about their son getting married. Soon after, they all had to leave to the church rehearsal.

I helped my cousin Sonia pick up the food for the rehearsal dinner/party at Mario's house on Friday night. They served some very good enchiladas. My mother and Tia helped serve as I got to visit with all of Mario's family and friends. I was finally able to meet his finance Sarah, who was a really nice girl. Mario was busy entertaining and as the second belle of the ball we didn't get that much time to chat, but it was still nice seeing him again.

Saturday morning, I had breakfast with my mother, grandmother, and Tia Mati and Tio Jesse. We toured Scottsdale and even visited the mall there. Finally, we got ready and made our way to the wedding. It was a drive out there, and we ended up getting to the parking lot just in time. The place was pretty cool I must admit. It reminded me of the Mapple store from the Simpsons. There was a very big mountain in the background. There was also quite a walk up the hill and since my grandmother is getting older, we didn't get to the actual church until the wedding had already started. We waited for the bride to make her entrance and then we went in. I had never seen a wedding from this vantage point before.That is usually one of the best parts of the wedding. The ceremony was nice, much shorter than I was used to, but I was more distracted with how neat the glass building looked from the inside and the way they decorated. Here is that Mapple building I mentioned.
Here is the actual photo from the outside. Here are my photos from my trip to AZ:http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyadus/sets/72157624504120133/

Here is a small video I took and by small I mean short.

Afterward was the reception at the resort we were staying at. It was a very nice place. They had a cash bar that I was happy came with a heavy handed bar tender. Everyone had a great time at the reception and even though there were not a lot of people my age, I had an enjoyable time. Sarah's family was also very religious and I thought the best man speech by Mario's dad was good. Sarah has three brothers who were super high energy balls and all over the dance floor. You could tell they cared about her very much, but wow, they were extroverted. They skipped the ceremonial throwing of the bouquet and guarder which I didn't mind because I always secretly hope that it doesn't come at me.

The reception ended at 10pm, which is midnight on my internal clock, but I then hung out with my cousin Sonia and her two friends at their cottage she was staying at. I had a good time drinking some beers and chatting it up with the girls. I feel like I got to know my cousin better and her friends were really down to earth. I was probably quite the chatterbox, but I enjoyed myself. It is always nice hanging out with cousins.

Sunday morning, I took a car service to the airport, and then flew back to Austin. I then repacked and drove three hours to Houston for work on Monday. Some busy times I tell you.

Monday I had more depositions and then after work, I went to dinner with my friend from high school, Gennie. I haven't seen her in years and it was very nice to meet her fiance as well. They look very happy together. She was one of my closest friends back then and it was nice to see that even though she aged and matured that she was still the person I remembered.

Afterward, I went to have a drink with an old college friend of mine from Cornell. She is from Puerto Rico, a doctor and I guess is doing, let's say residency, in Houston. She gave me a tour of downtown and showed me all the hospitals. Man there are a lot. We chatted about life and where the last 8 years have taken us. She had some interesting stories. It was a nice time.

I worked again on Tuesday and Wednesday and then drove home to Austin. I had even heard from another old friend who I can never seem to come to an agreement with. I felt pretty tired after all of that traveling. I'm very thankful that Abram took care of my pets while I was gone.

I took some time to finally get an entry together and I apologize for how cursory it was, but things as of late feel like all the balls I have been juggling are falling one by one and I have forgotten where they have landed and rolled off to.

neglecting my dating life it feels like