Texas Lou

Over the past few weeks, I have developed a passion for a new salad that I can’t get enough of.

The ingredients are:

• Baby spinach
• Craisins
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Pecans (chopped, halved, or whole)

I mix them all together and don’t need any dressing to enjoy it, although I have a suspicion that a raspberry vinaigrette would go well with it.

The goat cheese totally makes the salad, but of course it would not be so tasty without the spinach, pecans, and craisins to complement its flavors!

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

I always get a little sad when I have to leave my family in Texas after Christmas and come back to work, but there was a little something waiting on my desk that brought the biggest smile to my face!

My friend Ashley MADE this Christmas ornament for me! I absolutely love it!

Thank you Ashley! Your gift will be cherished for many years to come!

There’s something I’ve been wanting to write about recently, but for several reasons, I don’t feel it is appropriate to write about in this forum.  It’s neither the right time nor the right place.  However, the constant consumption of my thoughts by this topic leaves me wanting to write about nothing else.

So technically I am writing about this topic right now, but in a very vague and foggy way…a way that does not reveal anything about the subject to my readers (if any do exist).

Anyways, hopefully my mind will soon find something new to obsess about and I can write all about it here.

I had a little extra time this morning before work and was craving the seasonal pumpkin spice latte (I LOVE anything pumpkin flavored) so I decided to stop by Starbucks.  This was the first time in years, if ever, that I’ve been to Starbucks before 8 AM, and WOW now I know why they call it starBUCKS!

That place was so crowded.  There was a line all the way to the door and people were coming as fast as they were going.  I’ve got to give them credit…the customer service was great and very quick!

The thing that struck me is this place is so crowded, there have got to be people who are regulars and stop by Starbucks every morning.  How do they afford it?  I ordered a tall (small) skinny pumpkin spice latte and a turkey bacon, egg white, and cheese sandwich on an english muffin and my total was over $7.  This is a rare treat for me, but making a stop at Starbucks part of your everyday morning ritual could get VERY expensive!

All I know is the founder of Starbucks might have been psychic (or really addicted to their coffee) when they named the company!

I know I’m a little late on discovering this gem, but this video, created by the Gregory Brothers, is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time:

Here is the original newscast the music video was made from:

I’m now subscribed to 298 blogs on Google Reader!

I must be crazy because there’s no way I’ll every keep up with that many!

It’s starting to feel like fall!

After the sweltering heat that we’ve endured this summer, I’m welcoming the autumn season with open arms.

Fall always reminds me of new beginnings: starting school, starting a new job, entering into a new relationship.  These significant events in my life have almost always happened during fall, so the familiar smell of the air and feel of the breeze cooling you as the sun warms your skin perfectly always makes me happy and nostalgic.

Tomorrow, I’m attending the Harvest Wine Festival At The Plains and will happily be sipping local wines while enjoying the company of friends and the feel of the grass beneath my body.  Next weekend, I’ll be attending and “starring in” the autumn harvest themed wedding of two dear friends.  I can’t think of a better way to welcome the season!

Today is my two year anniversary of working at VGT!

I still miss my old job and everyone who I had the privilege to work with at Albemarle County Public Schools, but I also am so thankful for the opportunity I was given two years ago.

I have learned so much related to programming, communication, teamwork, design, and analysis and I’ve met so many wonderful people!

I feel very blessed to have a job, especially a great job that challenges me and provides such wonderful benefits, and I hope to have the opportunity to work at Video Gaming Technologies for many years to come!

Robert:  “This is Robert!”

Patsy:  “And this is Patsy!”

Both: “And we can’t come to the phone right now…”

Mikey: “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!  You bastards!”

All:  Snickering and giggling ensues.

This is the voicemail message that people would hear when calling my home phone number for a couple of years when I was in high school.  The idea of a teacher calling to talk to my mom and getting this voicemail message always cracked me up!

My mom and step-dad had been trying to set a new message on the answering machine when my brother decided to bust in and ruin their efforts with a notable quote from South Park.  It was so funny and we all couldn’t stop laughing so my mom and step-dad decided to leave the message.

I wish I could hear it again just for shits and giggles!

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog!  It’s been an extremely busy summer with lots of traveling, special occasions, and activities!

Recently, I’ve been helping my friend Sarah get ready for her wedding that is two weeks from tomorrow, but once things calm down some and the slow and relaxing air of autumn is here, I will share all of my adventures!