Away From Blogging

I am going to be away from blogging for about 10 days. I will start blogging around June 1st again.

See you after May.

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #176

Today's Word:
too damn busy

Today's Picture:

This morning, Owen & Les e-mailed me and asked me to go to a movie with them... the opening of Terminator Salvation at the Alamo Village. I said, "no, I am too busy".

What kind of a doo-dah am I?

Who cares if I am busy? These are friends! And this is a movie I wanted to see! What is wrong with me? I should have gone. Oh well.

I think that has been a common theme in my life recently: there are more things I want to do than I have time to do. I think I work too much.

Any solutions out there?

In Summary: I am too damn busy, I should have gone and hung out with Les & Owen, I am a doo-dah.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #175

Today's Word:
Rocky IV robot

Today's Picture:


I went to see Master Pancake's Rocky IV this weekend. It is High-Larry-Us. This is one of the most fun Master Pancake's ever. The sketch video (John's idea, my editing) was a hit. My sister Jess gets major props for playing a robot in the sketch.

If you are going to see the show, make sure you do a refresher on the Journey Separate Ways video before you go. I had not seen it in 15 or 20 years. But watching the video made it all come rushing back. I suddenly had the urge to wear a muscle-man T-Shirt and play my keyboard on the wall.

If you are in Austin, please go see Master Pancake's mocking of Rocky IV. It is the American thing to do.

In Summary: Jess is an excellent robot, Master Pancake's Rocky IV is hilarious, I want to wear a muscle-man T-Shirt.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #174

Today's Word:
happy dog

Today's Picture:

It is Friday. And I am a happy dog. It has been a short week, but I am pooped. I am happy this week is over. I feel like PugPuggy in this picture...

... except my teeth are not as jacked-up as PugPuggy's teeth.

Last night, I stayed up until 2 AM finishing-up a Master Pancake video for their Rocky IV show which starts tonight. I am not in the show, I just made the video. Megan watched it this morning and said, "this is the most entertaining thing you have made". How about that?! The sketch video was John's idea. I just DP'ed and edited for him. It was fun to make. My sister Jess is in it twice... once as an Alamo employee, once as a robot.

If you want to see the video, you can check out Master Pancake at the Alamo Drafthouse any Friday or Saturday for the next 3 weeks. You can get tickets here. Mac, David, John & Joe are sure to rock Rocky IV. This movie has everything you could possibly want in a movie: boxing, a robot, montages, communism, heavy-handed political messages from Sylvester Stallone, more montages, Drago, more training montages, more flash-back-to-previous-Rocky-movie montages, Apollo dies... this movie has it all.

In Summary: It is Friday, I am a happy dog, Master Pancake Rocky IV is going to rock.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #173

Today's Word:
Jess Zach Pug Puggy

Today's Picture:


Jess is my youngest of 3 sisters. She lives in Milwaukee where she works for Americore. Zach also lives in Milwaukee where he is a law student at Marquette. Jess and Zach have a band called One Small Step. They are awesome.

Jess and Zach went back to Milwaukee yesterday. I had a blast with them. Here is what we did...

• tubing on the Comal River
• took PugPuggy to the creek
• saw 3 movies (Star Trek, Earth & Observe and Report)
• filmed a Master Pancake sketch
• played (or watched) a softball game
• went to 2 outlet malls
• went to IKEA
• went to Barton Springs
• went to the Blanton to see the "Birth of Cool" exhibit

... so I am pooped. The visit was so fun. I was really sad to go back to "normal life". I am having a hard time adjusting at work. I just want to hang out on my back porch with my sister again.

Here is a picture of four people sitting on a 3-person couch...

... we took this picture at Megan's office. What did we do before the timer shot?

Here is a picture of Jess and Zach at Bull Creek. PugPuggy loves to swim in Bull Creek...

... that was the latest I had ever been to Bull Creek. We left just after sunset and it was getting dark.

We hung-out on the porch a bunch. This is what it looked like from a small squirrel's angle...

... if you are a squirrel, PugPuggy is HUGE!!!

One more picture of 2 of my favorite people in the world (and 1 of my favorite pugs in the world):



In Summary: Jess and Zach are awesome, I am pooped, PugPuggy's head is HUGE to a squirrel!

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #172

Today's Word:
Jess

Today's Picture:


So my sister, Jessica, is in town this weekend. I Google-Image-Searched her name and, low and behold, some strange couple comes back. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel - never heard of them.

Jess brought her boyfriend... no, not Justin Timberlake... Zach. Zach is like Justin Timberlake in that he is a law student at Marquette. Wait, that is nothing like Justin Timberlake. Nevermind. This is confusing.

Jess & Zach are from the winter-wonderland of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is like Austin in that they both have a Bartley child living within their city limits. Also, in that respect, I must type this sentence: Plain City, Ohio, is a lot like Milwaukee and Austin. There is a sentence I never thought I would type.

I am going to have a blast this weekend. Expect blog entries the middle of next week as I am going to take a couple of days off next week.

In Summary: No blogs for a few days, Justin Timberlake is like Zach... except different, Plain City is like Milwaukee and Austin.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #171

Today's Word:
Pac-10 pug

Today's Picture:

Wow. How does Lorenzo Romar look like a pug?

This is a Pac-10 pug:

Yes, Megan graduated from UW, I went to the UA. We are a Pac-10 family. From her facial expression, I am guessing PugPuggy does not like hats.

In summary: Lorenzo Romar is a pug, Megan graduated from UW, PugPuggy hates hats.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #170

Today's Word:
"fun in waco"

Today's Picture:

Megan & I went to a wedding in Waco last weekend. Megan's friend Holly got married. Waco is home of Baylor University. It was also the home of David Koresh. I had no idea what to expect, so I did not expect much. And, ooo-wee, did Waco exceed my low expectations... barely. Because I set my expectations low, I was pleasantly surprised by Waco. I would not want to live there, but it was not as bad as I was expecting.

First, we visited the Cameron Park Zoo.


The zoo was amazing. Besides the Singapore Night Zoo, this is the coolest zoo I have ever attended. We were greeted by a couple of white monkeys (they have a real name that I can not remember). They were making these crazy sounds. They were defending their territory. It was unreal. They were going "WoooooooOOOOOOOp" and "Weeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooo!!" It was wild. Here is a picture:


I also saw a jaguar. The jaguar made extended eye contact with me. It was unnerving. Even though it was covered by a net and a cage, I was intimidated.


Then we saw this thing. I think I saw it on a Disney cartoon or something. It reminded me of PugPuggy.

I saw buffalo (yes, buffalo, not bison) eating hay.


We also saw sharks.

I was really impressed with the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. It was very natural and the animals seemed happy. Except for a crazy bear who was swimming too close to the glass. And the Lion... it looked bored.

Next, we visited the Dr. Pepper Museum. Waco is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper. I did not know that before I visited Waco.

We did not go into the museum, we just went to the gift shop and the old-time soda fountain. We ordered an original recipe Dr. Pepper from the fountain. It was served out of a tap and tasted delicious. It was made with real cane sugar. It reminded me of a Mexican coke.


Finally, it was off to the wedding. I had so much fun at Holly's wedding, I forgot to take pictures. But this is a picture of Megan and I in our wedding gear.


On Sunday, we drove through Salado, a nice small town between Waco and Austin.

We stopped for lunch at the amazing Monument Cafe in Georgetown, TX. It was incredible. I love the Monument Cafe. If in Georgetown, TX, eat at the Monument Cafe.

In Summary: Waco - not good, not bad, just Waco; Holly's wedding was super fun; I like original recipe Dr. Pepper.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules

Google Image Search: Word & Picture #169

Today's Word:
Megan's birthday dinner

Today's Picture:

Google, you mysterious, magical image searcher. A couple of questions:

• Are these kids old enough to be talking on a cell phone?
• Are these kids old enough to be eating sushi?
• Are these kids old enough to drink?
• Which one of these kids is Megan?

So the above picture was not taken at Megan's birthday dinner. But this picture was:


That is Megan and I after her birthday dinner. The food was amazing.

In Summary: Kids should not have cell phones, kids should not eat sushi, Megan had a birthday dinner with a handsome guy in a jacket.

Daily "Name This Person And Win!"

The first person who names the person in this picture wins a hug from Ben!!!

Rules