Drinkin' ain't easy

Labor Day

2009-10-13T13:18:00.022-05:00

The Wednesday before Labor Day, Weenie, Mooey and I boarded a plane to New York for a long weekend. We got in around 10:30 and cabbed to Manhattan. We were beat. We visited with her parents for a short while and then off to bed.

The next morning we were waiting for another friend to arrive. It was a surprise for Mooey. Our old friend Sandy was arriving from Burlington that morning! After her arrival, we walked down to our favorite diner, Pier 72. YUM!

After fueling up on breakfast, we shopped around the Upper West Side until it was lunchtime. We decided on Rosa Mexicano. It was margarita time!

Pomegranate margaritas. $12 each. Strong as shit. We had 3 each. Whoops! Do the math.

Mooey was very surprised that Sandy made the trip. We really tricked her!

The food was awesome. I had carne asada. Delicious!

After Sandy bought our lunch, we went next door to P.J. Clarke's for more drinks! We were super buzzy already.

The day was stunning.

As we were sitting there, our table almost on the sidewalk, I noticed paparazzi everywhere but I didn't recognize anyone that walked by. Finally, I got up with my camera and walked around the corner. There was a movie being shot. I heard some people say it was the new Hilary Duff movie. All of the sudden, a guy walked out and everyone went running. So, I followed. I took a picture of some young guy I've never seen before. It didn't really come out so I'm not posting it. Apparently, everyone else knew who he was, they were all trying to have their picture made with him. Oh well, I'm old.

Sandy decided we were in need of show tunes, so we cabbed over to Marie's Crisis. We were a bit early and the only ones in the bar. It's very tiny and we chatted up the bartender while going out to smoke.

Finally, around 5:00, the piano player showed up and Mooey and Sandy sang a few show tunes. I'm not sure what they sang but there might've been a tune from Phantom.

We got directions to Henrietta Hudson's from the bartender. It was only a few blocks.

Sandy immediately got in the cage. We were in hysterics and I thought they might ask us to leave.

Weenie and Sandy decided to play pool while Mooey and I drank.

It wasn't long after the pool game that Weenie had had enough and we headed home. I think we passed out around 8:00.

The next day we needed pizza to cure our hangover so we went to Patsy's. Delicious!

Then we cabbed over to Fifth Avenue for a little shopping. First stop, Tiffany's!

Weenie picked out a couple of things she liked and I bought them for our anniversary.

After shopping at Tiffany's we walked to the Argosy bookstore that Mooey's stepmom owns but not before Weenie and I got a hot dog. It was not good.

We caught the Hudson Line at Grand Central.

What a gigantic place!The view from the train was awesome. The Hudson was beautiful!

Weenie on the train.

We arrived at Cold Spring, NY and Mooey's stepmom was there to pick us up and take us to the lake house.

As soon as we arrived, I unpacked my fishing pole and put it together. Within minutes, I pulled in this bass.

Sandy and Stu went out for a canoe ride.

The moon was magnificent that night. Weenie grilled chicken as we watched it rise.

I was worried about my hair for the picture so Sandy fixed it for me.

The next day was just as beautiful and after breakfast, I took my hot dogs down to the pier and began fishing. It was 9:00.

Intense.

Everyone else enjoyed the boats.

I sat and fished ALL day. I think 8 hours. I caught a bunch of fish.

Then I caught this giant catfish. He must've weighed 5 pounds! I could put my fist in his mouth!

It was so beautiful there!

Here's the whole clan.

Here is my breakfast view. Banana and a bagel. Yum!

We caught the train back to the city and cabbed it to Chinatown. Dim Sum baby!

Chinatown was so packed, we didn't stay long. The crowds were just too much.

Instead, we cabbed it back to the apartment, dropped off our bags, and decided to bar hop. First stop, Malachy's.

Here Mother Malachy is telling me a story about some kick box champion. She was quite a character and liked us so much, so knocked off all the beers on our tab!

Then we went to Jake's Dilemma where we had the dumbest server I've ever encountered.

We ordered shooters but apparently people don't order shooters so she brought them as drinks. I ordered an Absolut and soda with a splash of cranberry and she brought me an Absolut Mandarin on the rocks. I sent it back and she brought it right back and said "the bartender says it's right." To which I explained cranberry juice was red and my drink was clear. We asked for the check.

She felt bad so she brought us 4 shooters (what a concept?) on the house.

We walked across the street to St. James Gate.

We ordered pomegranate caipirinhas. They were so good and so strong.

We were good and drunk and walked back to Niko's for a late dinner.

They stuck us in the back which was good because we were loud and obnoxious.

The next morning, Weenie and I got up and went to Times Square to the M & M store. I just love that store.

Then Sandy and Mooey picked us up in a cab and we went to Katz's Deli for a pastrami.

The sandwich is gigantic and so moist and delicious. I think for the 4 of us the tab was $93.

Super expensive and we only had sodas.

Then we walked to St. Mark's Place for a little shopping before heading to the airport.

I ordered this frozen yogurt. It was delicious.

We hope to make this an annual trip. Mixing the lake with the city was great!

Pickwick

2009-09-17T11:58:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we headed up to Pickwick for a little fun in the sun. We had a boat full!

The weather was beautiful!

After boating all day, I did a little fishing.

Then it was time for drinking! It was cool enough to build a fire.

Cornhole was played repeatedly.

We had a blast. Can't wait to go back!

Elvis Death Week

2009-08-26T13:20:00.003-05:00

Weenie and I were on Beale Street the other night entertaining her mother and came upon an Elvis impersonator. Of course, we had to have our picture taken with him. He was from Canada.

Black Crowes

2009-07-28T14:39:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Ronny, Susan, Weenie and I headed to Tunica to see the Black Crowes. They were performing at Bluesville located in the Horseshoe casino.

As you can see, we had awesome seats. The people in the middle had to stand. Of course, Weenie had to rush the stage about 5 songs in. They were really awesome. They sounded great and Chris looked like he'd actually put on some weight. He looked like he might not blow away! After (and before) we gambled all our money away.

Cory Branan

2009-07-28T14:16:00.001-05:00

Cory Branan (go listen to Tall Green Grass) was next door at Ardent and came over for a little fellowship. He's working on his new record and I can't wait to hear it. He brought me some signed goodies. Be nicer.

Gracie Jean

2009-07-28T14:13:00.003-05:00

Weenie and I babysat for Gracie two weeks ago. She liked to sleep on Weenie's head. I snapped this shot at around 5:55 am.

Trivia

2009-07-28T14:10:00.003-05:00

Our trivia team was once again victorious last Wednesday. It's the best when we win.

Our faithful server Leila. She takes our shit and gives it right back!

Julie's Top 25 Lists

2009-07-21T13:47:00.002-05:00

I put these lists together in about 10 minutes.

Things That are Good:

1. Weenie
2. Finding money in your pocket
3. Your boss telling you to take off early on Friday
4. Patios with friends and beers
5. Live music
6. Naps
7. Days you never get out of your pajamas
8. Books
9. Laughter
10. Ice cold fountain Coke
11. Thai food
12. Fishing
13. Pizza
14. Winning trivia
15. Pontoon boats and the lake
16. Traveling
17. Best friends
18. 3 day weekends
19. M & M's
20. Cupcakes
21. Flirting
22. Cheap gas
23. Taking pictures
24. Air conditioning
25. Shoes

Things That are Bad:

1. Douche bags
2. Guns
3. Racism
4. Hangovers
5. Bills
6. Teaching hate
7. Doubt
8. Unrequited love
9. Paper cuts
10. Stupid people
11. People who yell out the answers at trivia
12. Diets
13. No raises or bonuses due to the economy
14. Getting older
15. Standing in line
16. Traffic
17. Mean people
18. Forgetting where you put something important
19. Greed
20. America's fascination with celebrities
21. Poverty
22. Organized religion
23. Biting your tongue
24. Allergies
25. Uncertainy

4th of July

2009-07-08T10:53:00.004-05:00

On the 2nd, Weenie and I took off for west Texas around 1:30. We arrived at the lake around 11:00 that night.

We were up early the next morning and got out on the boat. It wasn't long before I was hauling in giant perch.

Weenie was making fun of my outfit. I thought it was pretty sporty.

This is a shot at the campsite. If you look real close, you can see all the deer in the distance.

DP and Weenie's dad caught a bunch of big bass and so we fried the perch and bass for dinner. Delicious!

The next day we were at it again. DP scored a 4 and 5 pounder that morning. Look at those keepers!

This is a picture of my first try at crappie fishing. We didn't catch any.

It was so hot that we took refuge under a bridge for shade. It was quite pleasant there but we didn't catch many fish. I caught this nice perch though.

We went back to camp around 3:00 and I napped until around 5:00. It's just too hot to be outside. DP cooked steaks and then we got back out on the lake to fish until dark. Weenie caught this monster right away.

I caught about 6 more perch and then it was dark and time to go in.

We left the next morning around 10:00. It was a quick trip but next year, we'll stay longer!

Big Weekend

2009-07-08T09:19:00.005-05:00

Friday, June 19th, a whole bunch of us went to Overton Park to the newly refurbished Levitt Shell to see Susan Marshall, Reba Russell and Jackie Johnson perform. It was really hot but really fun.

After the show, we went to the Blue Monkey for more beers. It was ON!

The next day came to soon and I had a terrible hangover. We headed downtown to Ronny and Susan's place to predrink before the Eddie Vedder concert at the Orpheum.

After a couple of beers and shooters, I began to feel better and we went to the show. It was amazing. He really put on a great show. After the show, we met Leila at the downtown Blue Monkey for karaoke. It was her birthday.

Leila in the middle!

Group sing.

Pickwick

2009-06-09T10:55:00.006-05:00

Weenie, Bacon, Meredith and I arrived Friday afternoon around 5:00 and we started on the beer right away. Then we boarded the pontoon boat for a quick ride around the lake while we waited on the others to arrive. Here's a picture of the baby waterfall.

Later that night, Bacon decided she was going to fish and took some Bunny bread and a pole down to the lake. We were all eating burgers and dogs when she burst through the door holding a catfish named Carl. I snapped a picture and she returned him to the lake.

Then more beer drinking.

The next morning we all boarded the boat around noon. I got on the Sea Doo and rode that motherfucker all day. LOVE!

Bacon was on the other one.

Flinking.

Lucas and Chelsea showed up around 1:00 and they joined the festivities.

Lucas got on the Sea Doo and rode for a while.

Weenie was our captain.

Two beautiful days on the lake with all my friends. Fucking awesome.

Trivia

2009-06-02T10:14:00.002-05:00

The bananas were victorious once again last wednesday.

Belize Day 4

2009-05-27T12:42:00.012-05:00

Day 4 started very early. We walked out on the pier at 6 am. We were heading to an all day trip to the Blue Hole.

Here's a look at Caye Caulker from the boat.

Once outside the reef, the waves were huge! The boat was being tossed side to side as we went over 15 foot swells. Everyone's stomach started to roll and it wasn't long before there were people at the back trying to keep breakfast down. We had taken our Dramamine so we were safe.

Water on boat came in these little plastic bags. You tore off the corner and sucked it out.

Here is a picture as we are approaching the Blue Hole and the Lighthouse Reef. There are coral heads everywhere.

Here is a picture of the edge of the Blue Hole and the beginning of the Lighthouse Reef.

We all geared up and jumped in. I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. There are no words great enough to describe the incredible untouched reef before my eyes. I was in awe. These pictures have not been retouched.

The reef was on the right and when you looked to your left, the floor dropped off in to the abyss.

As you can see, the reef is just below the water. Breathtaking.

Hundreds of blue tangs.

French Angel Fish.

Parrot fish.

Huge brain coral.

Trigger fish.

Banded butterfly fish.

Lee Ann getting some sun after the Lighthouse Reef. Since we were lowly snorkelers, we were banished to the top of the boat (which rocked!).

For the next snorkel stop, we were dropped off at this Caye and snorkeled off the beach. There were thousands of fish here and lots of big fish. They were very shy and fast so getting pictures was difficult.

Parrot fish.

A Four Eye Butterfly Fish snacking on coral.

Purple tipped anemone.

Grunts.

Barracuda.

Gigantic barracuda. After I saw him, I calmly exited the water. He was around 5 feet long.

Once back on land, it was time for lunch. We figured it would be ham sandwich and chips. Oh no! We had curried chicken, pasta salad and rice. It was delicious.

We had one more stop before heading home. This place was called the Aquarium. When I jumped in and looked down, it was a long way down. I'm guessing we were in at least 30 feet of water so the visibility for picture taking was not that great. I got a couple of shots.

Black grouper.

Puffer fish.

It was then my arm started stinging and I came up to the surface. Several other people were complaining as well. Tiny jellyfish were everywhere. I swan as fast as I could to the boat. You can't really see all the red bites on my arm but they stung like a motherfucker. Mooey had a reaction to the venom and her bites blew up into huge blisters. It was bad.

The ride back took more than 2 hours and I was ready to be back on land. The rum punch made the ride a little better though.

We were starving when we got back.

Mai tai.

Tequila.

I ordered curried snapper. It was fab.

We went to bed early. The Blue Hole wears you out!

Gracie

2009-05-27T12:12:00.002-05:00

Recently, I had to stay with Gracie while her parents were in Vegas. So, we had a little photo shoot.

So tired.

Sunning.

BBQ Fest

2009-05-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

May 14th, Weenie and I joined Ronny and Susan and went down to Tom Lee Park for BBQ Fest. We had been invited to Lee Ann's team Pork Que (who placed 11th in ribs!).

Here is a view from the bluffs. Look at all the teams!

Pretty much everyone is drunk during this festival except on Saturday morning for judging.

It started to sprinkle around 9:30 so we went back to the loft for more beers.

Belize Day 3

2009-05-06T14:19:00.010-05:00

The next morning we were up pretty early. In order to shake off the Panty Ripoffs, we went over to the Sand Box and I ordered two bagel egg sandwiches. Delicious. Then it was off to the pool for sunbathing.

After a few drinks, we decided to get some lunch and then go out on a quick snorkel trip just out to the reef. You could see the reef from our hotel.

This sandwich was so awesome. The dressing was homemade. It was some kind of Dijon based vinaigrette.

As it neared one, we went to the snorkel store and then out on the dock to board the boat.

The water in Belize is just breathtaking.

The guide took us out to Caye Caulker local reef. As you can see from the picture above, the wind was blowing really hard that day and the current was unreal. We put on our gear and jumped in. None of these pictures have been enhanced with color.

Reef squid.Barracuda!After snorkeling about 20 minutes, we went back the boat. The current was so strong, when you grabbed the ladder your body would become horizontal. This made climbing the ladder very difficult. Next stop was stingray alley.

As we pulled up, we could see the rays everywhere. The water was only 4 feet deep. Too shallow in my opinion. Once we got in the water, the rays were so close it was almost sensory overload. Most of my pictures here are of half of a ray because they were right under me. Nevertheless, they were beautiful.

The current was unbelievable and I almost couldn't get back in the boat. We had one more stop but Weenie and I decided to not go.

The snorkeling was pretty good and we had a trip scheduled the next morning to the Blue Hole. If it was like this here, 5 minutes from our hotel, we imagined 26 miles out, it would be spectacular. Wait until you see those pictures!

Once back on land, we got ready and walked over to Habaneros. We were told this was the best restaurant on the island. It was the home of the frozen mojito. So, we all ordered one. It was really, really good.

We ordered shrimp wraps that were great.

My entree had shrimp, snapper and stone crab claws. The crab was so sweet. I'm salivating.

Weenie ordered a Brazilian feast that had chicken, shrimp and pork. The pork was to die for. Everything was really good.

After fighting the current and getting a little sun, we were all beat. We had to get up at 5:30 to head to the Blue Hole. It was an early night.

Beale Street Music Fest (Mudfest)

2009-05-05T11:23:00.002-05:00

Friday night, a bunch of us went over to Ronny and Susan's house before we trekked down to the festival. Their loft is not far from one of the entrances.

Of course, we had to have shooters before we left.

It was packed. Here we are waiting for The Cult to start.

Then it started to sprinkle. Typical Memphis in May weather.

Then it stopped raining and Ian took the stage.

They rocked my face off. It was so good. Then Steve Miller came on and some of us got bored and went back to the loft for beer and darts!

Indigo Dykes

2009-05-05T11:07:00.003-05:00

Saturday, the 25th, Weenie, Meredith, Bacon and I attended the Indigo Girls at Minglewood. I was a little ambivalent about seeing them since I've seen them at least a dozen times.

That ambivalence soon changed once they took the stage. Old favorites like Prince of Darkness soon had us all singing at the top of our lungs. Then Amy started Romeo and Juliet and I almost died. Awesome show!

Afterwards, we went to the Blue Monkey. Ryan Peel was playing with his new band. It was so good! I cannot wait for him to play again. We had a great time!

Belize Day 2

2009-04-29T11:14:00.010-05:00

Sunday morning we woke up early. It was my 40th birthday (retch). We put on our trunks and headed out to the Happy Lobster for breakfast. We were planning on going to the Split for some snorkeling later.

I ordered an omelette, sausage and some potatoes. The potatoes were awesome. The green things you see are jalapenos. Delicious.

After breakfast, we started walking towards the Split.

Mooey stopped to talk to the dive shop and I made a friend.

The view at the Split.

The bar at the Split was called the Lazy Lizard.

It was very crowded at the Split because it was Easter. Mooey and I put on our snorkeling gear and got in. We weren't staying long. The wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and I could tell the current was bad. As soon as I jumped in, I noticed how deep it was and that there was a shipwreck under me. I immediately saw a big angel fish.

Then I looked to my right and there was a southern stingray!

I came up for air and almost got run over by a boat. Thanks.

Then I looked around and there was another stingray!

Mooey and I fought the current as long as we could and got out. That was my first stingray sighting in the wild.

We packed up and went back to the cabanas. It was time to start celebrating my birthday! We were also awaiting the arrival of the rest of our group.

I started off with a strawberry daiquiri.

Then Weenie saw this huge lizard!

Then I had a Belikin.

We saw this little bar right down from the cabanas called Popeye's. We decided to check it out.

Mojitos! (what is my hair doing?)

Mooey and Weenie posed with Popeye.

Then we walked to Rose's cafe for a little lunch. I ordered grilled whole snapper. YUM!

Then the rest of our party arrived after their flight was canceled the day before. They came bearing gifts. It was also Easter so I got an Easter bunny filled with candy!

Then the girl from the front desk came and informed us that our luggage had arrived. Hooray! We taxied out to the airport and picked it up. It was a great birthday present!

Once back, we walked over to the Sand Box where I ordered a banana daiquiri.

Hooray, the whole group!

We walked back to our place and went upstairs to enjoy the view and more drinks!

More banana!

Our faithful bartender Jabulos waited on us all week. These are Panty Ripoffs.

New Sanuks from Ronnie, Susan and Leeann.

We got hungry so set off for Don Corleone's. We were all pretty toasty.

I ordered pizza. It wasn't very good.

Then cake and singing. I was thrilled.

We walked back to the cabanas but not before we stopped to buy some bandanas. They didn't have the tradional plain ones so we bought these hideous ones. It didn't help that we were drunk.

Crying.I had a great birthday. Thanks everyone! Also, thanks to Weenie for being the photographer!

Belize Day 1

2009-04-24T09:35:00.006-05:00

Mooey, Weenie and I got up around 3:30 am to head to the airport. Our flight was at 6:30. The airport was pretty deserted and we went up to the counter to check in. They told us our flight had been canceled and we were now on the 8:30 flight to Atlanta instead of Houston. Mooey had gotten her ticket using miles so she just got bumped to a later flight to Houston. We were all bummed. The good news though was we were now on the flight with the rest of our party. We all boarded the Atlanta flight only to get seated and be told the airplane was broken. We stood in line waiting to be rebooked. Little did we know there are only a few flights to Belize daily. The nice Delta man was able to get Weenie and I on a flight to Miami but the rest of the party had to go home and come the next day. BOO!

We barely made the flight to Miami and once in Miami, we barely made the flight to Belize. We were dead tired when we landed and we had no luggage but we were at the beach!

We took a taxi through town.

He took us to the water taxi that would transport us to Caye Caulker.

We were last to get on and had to sit in the front. The ride was bumpy and jarred my insides.

Once we got off the boat and took in the scenery, it was stunning.

The Seaside Cabanas were at the end of the pier.

We checked in quickly and went to our room. It was nice.

We checked out the bar, Uno Mas.

We were starving so we went next door to the Sand Box. The inside of the restaurant has sand on the floor.

The first order of business was to have a beer!

Dena ordered the chirmole which is a black chicken soup. It was unbelievable.

I ordered the jerked snapper sandwich. It was so spicy I could barely finish it but it was divine.

Afterwards, we moseyed back to the bar to wait on Mooey. Here is a picture of my banana colada! Yum!

View from the pool.

Drink specials! 2 for 1!

We went to bed around 8:00. We were all dead. Tomorrow was my birthday!

I'm Back

2009-04-23T09:35:00.001-05:00

I'm back from Belize and still going through all the pictures. Post coming soon! The underwater pictures are stunning!

Old

2009-04-07T14:33:00.011-05:00

Friday night started out at Mooey's house to sample some of her wine she procured in Napa. I was in the mood for white and the only thing she had was Cakebread. Really, really awesome. We sat outside and drank wine. Our dinner reservations were not until 8:30 with Mel and Karn. We were all starving by the time we left Mooey's at 8:00.

I walked into Mel and Karn's house knowing they weren't ready. I was starving. I turned the corner and there were about 40 of my friends hiding. As you can see, I almost fainted. They got me so good. I'm turning the dreaded 40 this coming weekend but I'll be in Belize. Don't hate. So they thought they would throw me a surprise party. All the pictures are courtesy Weenie and Susan! Thanks ya'll!

Weenie and her bro DP.

Dancing. What is Renee staring at?

Cake.

Shooter bar. I cannot begin to count the number of shooters I had that night.

Mel and Karn had the affair catered. The food was out of this world!

Is that Maker's Mark in your cleavage?

Then my little boyfriends showed up!

More shooters!

Needless to say, this was very late.

Thanks to all my friends for attending! You made it very memorable! I'm still old though.

Darla

2009-04-07T13:38:00.003-05:00

Weenie was in the attic about a month ago and found an old squirrel nest. She picked it up and put it in a garbage sack. When she brought the sack downstairs, it started crying. Oh no! Babies. We immediately called our friend that works at a vet and we took them over to her to nurse. There were 3 at first. The boy was a runt and didn't make it and one of the girls got out.
I'd like you to meet Darla. We will be releasing her in our backyard this week. *sniff*

Blues City Cafe

2009-04-07T13:12:00.004-05:00

Last week, Weenie and I stayed at a friend's house downtown for one night to look after their pets. We decided to hit Beale Street. Being locals, we rarely go because of all the tourists. I was craving ribs and Blues City Cafe has some of the city's best. When you read about Memphis BBQ or see shows on TV, all they talk about is the Rendezvous or Corky's. In my opinion, they both suck. Hard. This place and Interstate BBQ are so much better than those tourist traps.

Beer goes great with ribs.

Weenie and I both ordered the BBQ shrimp as an appetizier. True to form, I burned my wrist right away on the very hot skillet. Texas toast is served with everything.

Main course, half a slab of ribs. I wanted to save room for more beers.

It was a nice night out so we went for a stroll down Beale. We ended up at The Tap Room. It's pretty much a dive which is why we chose it. We immediately made friends with the bartender and he made us a shooter. It was huge!

After buying too many $4.25 Bud Light's, we paid our tab and headed over the the downtown Blue Monkey where we get happy hour prices all the time. It's much easier on the wallet. Lee Ann was there and she knew my birthday was approaching so she made me do a blow job shooter. This one requires no hands.

I'm neat.

Dyna turns 36!

2009-04-06T11:03:00.007-05:00

Saturday night it was Dyna's 36th birthday. We all met at the Silly Goose downtown. There was a little dancing happening when we arrived.

Then shooters were ordered!

Dyna didn't care for hers. LOL!

It wasn't long though before we tired of the Silly Goose and all went to The Green Beetle where we could really let loose!

Cake, no candles.

I wish I knew what song Weenie was singing.

Me and Bacon!Most of the people had left and Mel, Dyna, Weenie and I decided to have a night cap at the Blue Monkey. After a couple of beers, it was decided we hadn't had enough. The Blue Monkey is located around the corner from Backstreet, the big gay nightclub. Off we went walking.

Pole dancing? That's right.

Happy birthday Dyna. I think we tore it down sufficiently!

Trivia!

2009-04-06T10:04:00.003-05:00

After a bit of a drought, We Love Bananas was once again victorious in trivia last week. That victory vaulted us to the number one overall position in the tournament. Hooray!

SXSW

2009-03-24T11:55:00.012-05:00

Wednesday morning, the Powell van (bus) came by my house to scoop me up. I was outside waiting. Teenie was in tow as well. I was very excited to be hanging out with him. He is a true living legend.

Once we got to Little Rock, Teenie said he knew some place to get BBQ so we were all in. He directed us to Sims Bar-B-Que.

They brought the Cokes to the table and check out the crushed ice!

I ordered the rib plate. Delicious! The potato salad tasted like pickles but everything else was divine.

Apparently, the restaurant is located in a bad neighborhood hence this sign on the door.

After eating, we (Teenie) headed over to the Liquor Barn for some refreshments.

We arrived in Dallas around 6:00 and dropped Teenie off at this millionaire's house. I have never seen a house like this. Unbelievable. I took a picture of the heated pool and putting green out back but they didn't really come out.

We went in and had a beer. We helped Teenie unload his stuff including his guitar. I took a picture of his guitar strap.

We left Teenie and went over to Susan's sister's house. She was putting us up for the night. She had cooked lasagna and it was delicious. We had a couple of glasses of wine and then I hit the hay. We had a big day tomorrow.

We left Dallas around 10:00 and made it to Austin at 1:30. It was hot and we needed to check in at the Convention Center. Susan dropped us at door while her and Jeff found a parking place.

Teenie and I sat in the shade.

Then a friend joined me and sat right next to me. She was collecting rocks and then took off her shoes. I had to go then.

We were running out of time but needed to register and get our wristbands. We went inside and made it out reasonably quick.

Then it was off to KEXP for an interview with All Access Live.

While waiting, Teenie held court in the lobby. That's Cody Dickinson from Hill Country Revue in the black jacket.

They called us upstairs for the interview.

They interviewed Susan for a long time then called Teenie in at the very end.

We left the studio and found our way to the hotel. We unpacked and went down the street for dinner. Teenie and Susan were pooped but Jeff and I were ready to conquer 6th street! Susan dropped us off and we were met with a barrage of people. It reminded me of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

We walked by Esther's Follies and I looked in the window. This band was starting. We ran in and got a seat. I had to video it.

We only stayed for one beer. Jeff looked at his schedule and we saw where there were some Memphis bands playing at the Dirty Dog. So we headed down there.

We watched Lucero for about 2 beers and got bored. Did I mention we were shooting Jack too? We left the bar and started walking again. That's when we saw this piece of pizza (or what was left of it?).

Completely flattened.

Just after we finished laughing at the flattened pizza we turned around and there was a dance party. Enjoy.

In case you can't place that song, it's this.

We watched for a minute, then continued on. We came upon another bar and went in.

We could only guess that this was Jack Daniel's himself. Jeff had to have his picture made with him.

We called it a night after that and cabbed it back to the hotel.

The next day Susan had a gig at the Sin City show at Maria's Taco Express.

It was packed!

We made our way inside and scored a table. We got some food and I started in on the free beer!

The show was fantastic. Susan sounded so great and Teenie got up for one song. It was magical.

Afterwards, we loaded up and went to the next venue. As you can see, the streets were always packed, day or night.

We arrived at the venue around 6:00 and stayed there until almost 2:00. Here's a picture of Teenie and I before he took the stage with Susan.

The next morning (afternoon), Jeff and I were moving slowly. We went to Denny's for some breakfast (lunch). I was feeling like complete shit after 2 nights in a row of drinking. I told Jeff I was probably going to skip drinking today and he said "Not if Evil Jeff has anything to do with it".

Breakfast (lunch) was awesome and we got in the van and Susan dropped us off at the end of 6th street. We were off to watch the Tigers play Maryland. We walked and walked until we finally found Daddy's Grill & Bar.

It was packed with people watching basketball but we were able to get 2 chairs upstairs right in front of 3 gigantic screens. I ordered a bloody mary and then 3 more. Then onto beers. The Tigers killed Maryland. It was so awesome. Then we watched basketball until about 10:00 that night.

We left the bar after the last game and considered bar hopping but we were just too tired. I'm getting old. As we were leaving, this band started playing. I call them "the hippie band".

SXSW was a lot of fun. I learned there are a bunch of really bad bands and a few good ones.

SXSW

2009-03-16T12:26:00.001-05:00

I'm leaving Wednesday to head to Austin for SXSW. I will have tons to blog about. See ya then!

Ernie turns 1!

2009-03-10T14:21:00.008-05:00

Today is Earnestine's first birthday. Her mom went by the doggy bakery and got her a cupcake. Delish!

The birthday girl posed for a few pictures.

Then we introduced the party hat to her. Here's what she thought of it.

Once the cupcake was introduced, she forgot all about the party hat.

Yum!

Happy birthday Ernie!

Valentine's Day

2009-03-06T13:56:00.004-06:00

Weenie and I joined Ronny and Susan at their downtown loft for a Valentine's dinner. Susan made beef tenderloin kabobs. We brought some wine for the occasion. The steak was just unbelievable. Susan has a secret marinade that is out of this world. I'm hoping she will make this for us again soon.

After dinner, it was time to get the party started so I made us some shooters.

Then it was time to head over to Itta Bena to hear Susan Marshall play. We had seats at the bar reserved for us.

Susan was playing another gig after Itta Bena with her full band at the Blue Monkey, so we left around 9:30 in order to get seats for the next show. More friends showed up and we had a blast.

Lucinda Williams!

2009-02-26T14:20:00.005-06:00

Lucinda played Minglewood Hall this past Tuesday. It was going to be my first time at this new venue and I wasn't sure what to expect. A bunch of us parked our cars in the tiny lot at 6:00 and then walked up the street for a beer. Once inside, the bartender told us that the people that brought the beer in for the concert lost their license and there would be no beer. We were all kind of freaking out about no alcohol. About that time, Powell called Ronny and told him that they did indeed have beer and it was FREE! We quickly paid our tabs and made our way to the venue.

The venue was very spacious and they have ample bathrooms. I loved it! I can't wait to see another show there.

Lucinda came onstage around 8:30. I was so psyched. Susan had her camera and went up close to take pictures. I was saving my camera for video.

Lucinda played for like 90 minutes then exited the stage only to return moments later with my friend Susan Marshall!

I turned on my camera and held my arms in the air.

Susan jammed on that song!

We knew Susan was going to play an after show at the Poplar Lounge so we all left the venue and headed to the bar. The bar wasn't very crowded and we scored a table.

We kept waiting and waiting on Susan to get there to start her show so I called Powell (her husband). He answered (!) and said "We are on our way and Lu is with us!" Just as I'd hoped.

I didn't see her come in but before I knew it Dena was waving me over. Lucinda stood up and gave me a hug. She remembered us from last year when we hung out in the bus with her. Anyway, she patted the seat next to her and told me to sit down.

We chatted for about an hour and then I got up and let her enjoy the rest of Susan. But not before I asked for a picture.

I had given Susan my CD in case I didn't see her and she got Lu to sign it on the bus.

As Susan was wrapping up her set, she called Lu up on stage and they sang Don't Let Me Down by the Beatles.

They tore it up. OMG, I'm still reeling from the whole night. Amazing.

Grammy Night

2009-02-16T13:51:00.004-06:00

Because we have musician friends, we got invited to the Grammy Party at the Hard Rock Cafe on Beale.

Ice sculpture. Someone does not like it.

Us on the red carpet with unknown friend.

Group photo.

There were free drinks involved and somehow I got hammered. Hammered + Monday = Mizzy.

U of M game

2009-02-16T13:35:00.003-06:00

Mooey scored some tickets for the U of M/Rice game. We had row L which was very close and we had a waitress to bring us beer!

Coach Cal!

The student section read the paper while the other team was announced.

Our view.
Today, the polls came out and we are #6. Suck it!

Christmas in New York Day Five

2009-02-16T11:25:00.005-06:00

After a night out bar hopping, the morning came to soon. We had to get to the MOMA if we were going to get in the Van Gogh show. We quickly showered and ate a bagel, left the apartment, hailed a cab, and were in line at 8:45. The line wasn't very long so we knew we were guaranteed a viewing.

After buying tickets, we rode the elevator up to the 2nd floor and were immediately allowed into the Van Gogh exhibit. I was mesmerized immediately and didn't speak a word for 45 minutes.

No pictures were allowed but I was able to take a few with no flash. This exhibit was incredible and nearly brought to tears.

Since it was our last day, we cabbed over to Herald Square for some shoe shopping. Surprisingly, I did not purchase one pair (one year I bought 4).

Then we cabbed over to Union Square where we went to the same diner that still wasn't good. Next year, we won't be eating there.

After eating, we hit the Strand bookstore where Mooey purchased some travel books.

We were beat after the museum and all the shopping and knew we had big dinner plans. We headed back to the apartment to pack and rest a little before going to Rosa Mexicano.

Guacamole!

Pomegranate margaritas!

I ordered a shrimp dish that was very spicy. It was delicious!

Here's a picture of Mooey's family (I'm an honorary member).

After eating and drinking, Stooie and I napped at the table.

Weenie's New Sled

2009-02-06T12:28:00.003-06:00

Check out Weenie's 1986 Lincoln she just got. I'm in love with it. She let me drive it to work today since she rode her Harley. It basically drives itself.

Christmas in New York Day Four

2009-02-03T11:00:00.007-06:00

Saturday, we slept in and wanted pizza for lunch. We had heard of Patsy's in Harlem but we ran into a delivery guy in the elevator and he told us they were on Columbus too. So, we walked down a couple of blocks and found it easily.

The pizza was outstanding!

Then we cabbed it over to the MOMA. We really wanted to see the Van Gogh exhibit. We got in the long line and heard people say it was sold out. Then I freaked out. Mooey called her dad and he called the MOMA. They only sold a limited number of tickets daily for the show. 150 people every 30 minutes. I was near tears. Her dad said if we got up early the next morning and got in line, we were sure to get to see it. I was a little relieved but sceptical.

So, we grabbed another cab and went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Annex in Soho.

No pictures were allowed in the exhibit but I managed to sneak a few out of the pouch of my hoodie.

The first room had all the inductees and their signatures. I had to take a picture of my man Prince.

Elton's shades.

Prince's guitar. They also had his purple coat from Purple Rain but it came out blurry.

After spending several hours here, we hailed a cab over to the Guggenheim. We only had about 90 minutes before it closed. They were showing a Catherine Opie exhibit including photos of drag kings.

The show was amazing. I felt really lucky to have been able to view it. It was also awesome watching the straight tourists reactions to some of the photos.

Then it was time to bar hop!

Patron to get the party started.

Then it was time for Malachy's. It was packed and they didn't know how to pour a Black and Tan so we left.

We ended up at P.D. O'Hurley's. Another Isish pub.

We had gotten hungry and decided to get some hot wings so we wouldn't get so drunk. They were really good and super hot.

Sweating.

Then Mooey had to brag about her new wallet from the M&M store.

Here's what I think of the wallet.

We left there and made one more stop. The P & G (the pig) is our favorite. We scored 2 seats at the bar and flirted with the cute bartender.

Here is my $8 pack of cigarettes from the bodega next door.

Jack for Mooey and Soco for me.

The shooter just about did us in. We got the giggles and had to retreat outside for a smoke.

Starving, we walked to Big Nick's and got a slice. It saved our life.

Christmas in New York Day Three

2009-01-29T11:56:00.010-06:00

The day after Christmas, Mooey and I had a private food tour with Myra from Noshwalks. This tour was in Queens, specifically in Elmhurst.

We met at this grocery store. Myra took us in and we looked at all the different can goods and seafood. Some of the stuff was bizarre.

Then we stopped in this tiny grocery store that was also a video store. Myra picked up some fried plantains and taro root.

As I was looking around, I noticed these bugs for sale in the freezer. Yummy!

We walked around and she showed us this Thai church. It was beautiful.

Then she took us to another small grocery and we picked up this mackeral thing and a drink made from basil seeds. We took all our stuff and went to a nearby park to eat it. It was really cold that day and we nearly froze to the concrete bench.

Mackeral paste stuff. That's the best way I can describe it.

These were peanut balls. The outside was very chewy and had no taste but the inside had peanut butter.

This is the basil drink. It was okay tasting but I kept thinking there was a bug in my drink.

This is chicken with onions and cliantro. It was SO HOT!

After eating, we went into another grocery store. Check out this okra!

And green bean popsicles. MMMMMMMMM!

How about some whole squid?

Myra then took us to this dumpling house. She said they would make noodles from scratch right in front of us.

After making the noodles, she cooked them with some pork. The soup was great.

Then we ordered some pork dumplings. These were by far the best dumplings I've ever had in my life. I could've eaten 10 more.

Then, because we'd never had them, we ordered scallion pancakes. They were awesome.

Our last stop was an Indonesian place called Java Village.

Myra ordered some kelp (I actually ate it!) and some chicken dish. It was so great. I could've eaten the whole thing myself!

Here is Myra with the chef at the restaurant. They were very nice.

On the way to the subway, Mooey could not resist a ride on Donald Duck. Myra lent me a quarter and off she went. We laughed and laughed until the ride was over.

Christmas in New York Day One and Two

2009-01-27T13:08:00.008-06:00

The first day we needed to kill time before the matinee so Mooey had seen in Time Out New York there was a lizard and snake exhibition at the Museum of Natural History. We had to attend. They had a chameleon!

Chameleon! He was bad ass. We watched him for about 20 minutes. His eyes moved independently of one another. It was bizarre and fascinating.

I can't remember if this was a boa constrictor or a python. Either way he was creepy.

This lizard was a spaz and was jumping from limb to limb with his tongue out.

This is the Emerald Tree Boa. He was beautiful but scary. We had a stare down and he won.

After the snake show, we took a cab to Times Square and shopped at the M & M store. I bought a few things and Mooey bought a bag of peanut M&M's for the show. It was a small bag, probably the size of a softball, and it cost $8! Unbelievable. They were good during the show though.

After eating some terrible pizza at Ray's, we went around the corner to the Gershwin Theater. Mooey's dad had scored us house seats for Wicked. It's sold out every performance.

The stage was very elaborate with a huge dragon at the top.

The rain never let up so after the show (which was amazing), we cabbed it back to the apartment to visit with Mooey's parents. We got Indian delivered for supper.

The next morning the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. It was Christmas! We walked the several block to Central Park and went to one of my favorite places, Strawberry Fields.

After wandering around, we caught a cab to Chinatown. We were starving and it was time for Dim Sum. We usually ate at Mandarin Court but Mooey wanted to try something new. We settled on Oriental Garden Restaurant. As we rounded the corner, we saw the huge crowd standing outside. Mooey went inside and got us a number. The man said 20 minutes. 45 minutes later, we were finally seated. It was so tight and packed in there. The food was good.

Then it was time to do some dreck shopping on Canal St. I think I only bought Weenie a belt buckle which is quite amazing. I usually buy all kinds of stuff.

Chinatown is right next to Little Italy. We rounded a corner and there was a bakery. People were spilling out of it with all kinds of goodies. Mooey and I went in to gander. We came out with a cannoli. It rocked. We shared it.

After tons of shopping, we cabbed it back to the apartment for some much needed rest.

Mooey's parents wanted us to join them for dinner and they picked out this fabulous restaurant.

I ordered the Mediterranean Chopped Salad. Cucumbers, red bell pepper, tomatoes, oregano and feta were finely chopped and tossed in lemon and olive oil. It was one of the best salads I've ever had.

For my next course, I ordered Grilled Hangar Steak with green peppercorn sauce, Swiss chard and onion rings. I'd never had Swiss chard and I really don't eat many green things. I surprised everyone at the table by eating all of it. My dinner was awesome.

Coffee and cheese cake for dessert. The food and conversation were delightful.

We walked back to the apartment and hit the sack!

New Years!

2009-01-16T13:12:00.003-06:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve at Ronny and Susan's. They had a giant party and it was so fun. We think about 100 people showed up.

Party hats for everyone!

After we rung in the New Year, Susan sat down and played us some tunes. Magical!

Meredith and Weenie joined in for a song.

After most of the people left, we played a couple games of darts on their new dart board.

Dancing!

Drinking!

I'm not sure when we left but it was a fucking awesome party!

Winners!

2009-01-15T10:17:00.002-06:00

Last night, We Love Bananas was victorious in trivia once again!

Morro de Sao Paulo

2009-01-12T09:59:00.017-06:00

Roberto came and picked us up from the pousada at 7:00. We drove to the airport and we took our bags to the chartered plane. We could carry clothes for 2 days. The rest of our luggage had to stay behind. We were only allowed 35 pounds each.

We took a shuttle to a tiny airstrip.

The plane was made when I was in high school.

The view was spectacular.

Mooey got to ride in the cockpit.

We landed in a coconut grove.

Our guide, Danny, was there to pick us up. He barely spoke English. There are no cars on Morro because the island is so tiny. They carry your luggage in wheel barrows. We walked through several beaches before we arrived at our pousada.

The garden surrounding our room was unbelievable.

Coconut trees everywhere.

We immediately put on our swimming togs and hit the beach.

This guy is cooking cheese over charcoal. In his left hand is a fan so he can make the coals hot. The cheese is in the other hand. He sprinkled it with oregano. It was so good we had several.

Our waiter kept the drinks coming!

Mooey bought us these hats. LOVE!

Then it was time for snorkeling!

Tiny blowfish.Check out the pink and turquoise snail in the shell. I watched it for a long time moving along the ocean floor.

This is some kind of weird sea star and a shrimp is on the right.

Mooey found these shrimp and dove down to snap some pictures.

This is the eel I saw. It scared the shit out of me.

Mooey went snorkeling the last morning and saw this crab.

Our waiter brought us lunch. He set up a table for us. On the plate is three lobsters, dorado and a bunch of shrimp. Yummy!

Here is Mooey trying out the Acai berry dessert. We did not like it.

A group formed and started playing music on the beach.

We also saw guys and girls performing capoeira. It's half dancing and half martial arts.

We went back to the room and Weenie had a nap in the hammock. It was really rough for us.

Then drinks!

Mooey was in the room when she told me to go grab my camera. She said there was a rabbit outside our room. I did not believe her until I saw her petting it!

Then I looked up and saw this parrot!

This banana tree was next to our room. I've never seen a bundle of bananas on a tree like this.

We ran into an American that lived in Morro. We asked her where we could get authentic Salvadorian food and she gave us directions to this place.

I ordered some kind of fish and Weenie ordered chicken stroganoff. She loved it! There was so much food.

Mooey finally got her moqueca.

After dinner we were in a coma. We did some shopping as it was our last night in Brazil. We passed a fruit stand that made drinks. I saw some things I'd never seen. Look at the yellow things in the middle. Those brown things on top are cashews! No wonder they cost so much. Only one cashew per fruit.

The next morning we had our last breakfast.

We gazed out at the ocean one last time.

Then Danny came and retrieved us. We walked to the pier where we were catching a catamaran back to Salvador.

We all took Dramamine because I get seasick and they were scared of getting sick. It was a good thing because the ocean was very rough that day. Not that I would know.

Weenie went out front to snap this picture of Salvador. It was dangerous up there because there were no ropes or rails! It was crazy.
So, we took a boat to Salvador. Then a plane to Rio. Then a plane to Miami. Then a plane to Memphis. To say I was tired when I finally arrived would be an understatement.

Brazil was a trip of a lifetime. I leared a lot about the Brazilian culture and the snorkeling was amazing.

Salvador de Bahia

2009-01-06T10:38:00.006-06:00

After getting up at the crack of dawn and driving back to Rio to catch our flight to Salvador, we finally arrived. Our flight was late which put us behind schedule. As we rode through the city, the architecture grabbed me. It reminded me of New Orleans.

Here is our hotel. It only had a few rooms.

Mooey had her own loft at this place.

Our guide, Roberto, took us on a walking tour of the downtown. There was graffiti everywhere.

This is the one of the oldest churches in the city.

Here is Weenie and Roberto. Every panel tells a story.

After our tour of the church, we had a snack at an outdoor cafe. It was very hot.

We walked down to the harbor around sundown.

As we were walking back to our pousada, Roberto stopped at his favorite place for a snack.

It was like cornbread with okra and some other unidentified things. It was delicious.

After walking up a hill that was not unlike Mount Everest, we were dead. We wanted to go to a restaurant close to the hotel. After resting a bit, we walked down and found this place.

The restaurant had a spectacular view of the city.

It wasn't until we looked at the menu did we realize it was Italian and not local cuisine. We were too tired to leave so we just ordered. We had some more eggplant and peppers.

I ordered shrimp in a marinara sauce. It was okay.

We went straight back to the room. We had to get up early to catch a plane to a tiny island!

Buzios

2009-01-02T09:22:00.020-06:00

Morning came too quick after the 7 caipirinhas. We were all cranky at 6:00 am. Luciano scooped us at 7:00 am and we were off to Buzios. As you can see, we almost slept the entire 3 hours drive.

We arrived at our pousada around 10:30.

We immediately went out to the deck area. It was quite a view.

Then we met Monique. As you can see, her life is so rough, she has to sleep on the couch in the lobby.

It was sprinkling when we arrived so we decided to head into town and get a bite to eat and shop. We settled on pizza.The pizza was to die for. We had roasted red peppers on one side with onion. It was so awesome.

Weenie got gnocchi. The red sauce might be the best I've ever had.

After shopping we decided it was time for some cocktails. We walked down the boardwalk and settled on a little bar that overlooked the ocean.

In Brazil, they don't have juices as mixers. So, you can't order a cranberry and vodka. You pick your fruit and your alcohol. Here, we all ordered Absolut and pineapple. The bartender took a pineapple, peeled it, put it in a shaker with some sugar and mashed it up. Then he poured vodka until his arm was tired and then poured it into a high ball glass. Delicious!

That night we decided to have Thai food. Luciano had recommended this place. He did not disappoint.

Weenie ordered sake and it came in a box.

I stepped outside to get a snapshot of the sunset.

My dish was so great that I could not stop eating it.

Then next morning when we woke up it was sunny. We went down for some breakfast. Here is the view from the dining room.

Time for the beach! We had rented a jeep to get us around so we loaded it up and headed to João Fernandinho Beach. We walked down and chose an umbrella.

Banana daiquiri.The chairs and umbrella were free if we agreed to eat at their cafe. While we were sunbathing, our server brought out the catch of the day for us to choose from. We chose the red grouper (in the middle).

While waiting on lunch to be prepared, Mooey and I went snorkeling. The water was very clear and we saw all kinds of things.

Mooey took my camera out by herself and snapped this giant blowfish! He is so cool!

View from our table.Here is the grilled grouper. It was unbelievable.

Then it was back to sunbathing.

Weenie took a spill, but as you can see, the beer was saved.

Beer was served in large bottles and they came with these sleeves that kept them cold until you finished.

Mooey and I were sick the entire trip. Here is a smattering of our meds.

We got dressed for dinner and went back to our favorite bar BarDoze for more drinks. We walked down our steps to the boardwalk.

This lovely lady was on our door to the stairs.

Mooey ordered a passion fruit drink. It was tasty.

We decided on Italian for the night.

We had an eggplant and pepper appetizer. Yummy.

I had lobster and noodles. Delicious!

The next day was rainy again so we went into town for lunch. We found this little place that had empanadas. The lady there didn't speak any English and we finally figured out what the filling was for the most part. I was afraid it might be something weird but it was beef and chicken. They were really good.

We watched the weather and it was still overcast but we wanted to snorkel again. Mooey wanted to go to this secluded beach called Azeda Beach. So up a steep hill we go with the snorkel equipment. Poor Weenie had the task of carrying it. The hill was straight up and never ending. Finally, we reached the pinnacle and began walking down.

This yucca plant was over 10 feet tall!

We finally figured out that in order to get to the beach, you had to walk down this tiny treacherous muddy path. After risking our lives, we made it to the beach. As you can see, it was pretty deserted. Mooey and I suited up and snorkeled for about 30 minutes. It was pretty cold and the visibility was bad so we gave up. Then we had to walk all the way back up the mountain.

It was Thanksgiving night so we decided to go to the most popular restaurant. It's called David's.
I ordered a sausage appetizer.

Mooey order kale soup.

I ordered a fish called Dorado. It was delicious.

Mooey ordered a seafood medley. If you look closely in the middle of the plate, you can see the suckers on the octopus. No thank you!

We headed back to the room after doing a little more shopping. We had to get up at the crack again to catch a plane to Salvador.

Ernie!

2008-12-23T10:49:00.002-06:00

Ernie came to work to wish us all a Merry Christmas!

I'm heading to NYC today and I won't be back until the 29th. I have so much to load on this blog! I promise to get busy when I get back!

Rio

2008-12-12T11:52:00.023-06:00

After getting up at the ass crack, we arrived in Rio around 11:30.

Our guide, Luciano, was there to greet us. He was very nice. He escorted us out to the van. Upon exiting the airport, I noticed men in army fatigues with machine guns. Oh boy. We would later find out that Vladimir Putin was arriving around the same time we were.

We were taken to the hotel. We went in and Luciano got us settled. We made arrangements for him to come to the hotel tomorrow morning for our city tour. We had the rest of the day to ourselves. Unfortunately, it was raining.

We walked a block to beach anyway. We were on Copacabana beach.

We were hungry so we order a slice of pizza. Only it wasn't a slice. It was a cone! Delicious!

Here is the boardwalk that is usually full of people. Sadly, it was mostly empty.

After having a drink on the beach, we caught a cab to the hippie fair. We were out of money and had to walk many blocks to finally find some money. The line to the ATM was very long and by the time I got up there, I got $600 in tens. Great.

After the bout with the ATM, all Weenie and I wanted was beer! We saw an Irish pub and made a beeline. Mooey went off to the fair to buy more dreck.

We went out on the balcony to people watch. The waitress spoke English which was nice.

After the fair, we taxied over to the famous Copacabana Palace. This place was impressive.

We made our way to the bar area where we had caipirinhas.

We had 3 drinks apiece and the tab was $90!!! It was totally worth it though. This place was magical. We speculated about all the celebrities that had stayed there in the 50's and 60's.

After we left the Copacabana, we headed further down the beach to a restaurant Luciano had picked for us. It was like a BBQ where it's endless meat, but this time it was seafood. It had a cheesy pirate theme.

This was from the buffet area. I thought it was awesome.

They came around with giant plates of lobster tails, shrimp, eel, calamari, octopus, and fish. Martha made me eat some grilled octopus and it was awesome. After I took a bite, she showed me what she had cut off before I put it in my mouth. It was the suckers. EWWWWW!

Once we got back to the hotel, Weenie decided she wanted to try some coconut water. As you can see, Mooey hated it. Weenie didn't like it either but finished it. It's supposed to be great for you.

The next morning we were up early and ate free breakfast at the hotel. Luciano picked us up and we were off to Sugarloaf Mountain. Once again, our guide got our tickets and we passed everyone in line.

Here's the cable car we rode up in . The floor was glass and it made the ride up a little unsettling for me.

Here we are on top of Sugarloaf. That's Copacabana Beach behind us.

This is the view of Corcovado from Sugarloaf. See Jesus in the distance?

Our guide, Luciano.

Mooey wanted to see monkeys. She asked Luciano if we would see any and he said he knew where one was. Weenie and I rolled our eyes as they walked away. Mooey came back with this picture. Furious! This one was in a tree down the mountain a little. He has seen it before and remembered the area and it just so happened to be there that day.

After leaving Sugarloaf, we drove over to Corcovado.

We rode a train to the top. I think it's 2.5 miles if you hike it.

The train took us up the mountain through the Tijuca Forest. It was wild to be in a forest in the middle of Rio!

Once at the top, Jesus was covered in clouds. They parted for a brief moment and we saw his face.

Here is a picture of a favela perched precariously on a hill. Favela means shanty town and they are everywhere in Rio.

A band played on the train on the way back. Many of the passengers got up and danced in the aisle.

Since it was still raining, Luciano decided to take us to the soccer field. Here is a picture of where the Carnival parade ends. Those are seats like a football field. There are 5 of them in a row.

Before the soccer field, it was lunchtime. Here is a shot of downtown Rio. It reminded me of New York City. No one spoke English and there were cabs everywhere.

We had lunch at Confeitaria Colombo. Its one of the oldest restaurants in Rio. It was another giant buffet but this time it was fantastic. The restaurant was very elegant.

Yummy!

The dessert table was unbelievable!

Here is the front of the soccer stadium.

It cost $20 to tour the facility!

Here Mooey and I are in action!

Weenie in action!

The stadium holds around 90000.

Pele made his 1000th goal at this stadium.

It was nearing the end of the day and Luciano suggested we tour H. Stern. You can watch them cutting stones and making jewelry.

We were shown to a table after the tour and we realized they were going to try and sell us something. We were about to bolt when the lady returned with a tray of watches. Below is a photo of us upon realizing a sales pitch was about to happen.

She opened the tray and I saw the price tags. $13000 and up. Mooey asked her the price and she blurted out $18000 for this one watch and then began to laugh uncontrollably. That made us laugh a little and feel weird at the same time. We told her that was out of our price range and ran away.

We took a cab back to the hotel so we could change. We decided it would be a good idea to bar hop since it was STILL raining.

This is the view from our first bar and where I had 2 caipirinhas.

Then we walked 1/2 a block to this place. Weenie decided she wanted some appetizers.

She ordered calabresa potatoes. OMG, the were so fucking hot we could barely eat them.

The waiter brought us some complimentary empanadas. Some of them had fish in them and were not tasty.

Weenie also ordered tempura cauliflower. I know! Well, I don't eat cauliflower so I can't say for sure but Weenie and Mooey said they sucked. We were pretty buzzy by now and Weenie turned around and kinda yelled at the waiter "Yeah, I don't like this!" Of course, we fell out laughing because he didn't speak English.

We moved onto this bar. I was really getting drunk.

I was on caipirinha number five when I had to pee. We were sitting outside and I could see the inside of the cafe. It was empty except for 2 women. As I walked in, they pointed to the restrooom and I noticed they were shitfaced. I came back out and sat down. Before I knew it, they were approaching our table. Check out the fellow lesbians we met!

Holy shit these ladies were drunk. The one in the flower shirt kept poking her middle finger into her hand saying "I fuck yourself!" and then she would die laughing. We didn't have the heart to tell her she was saying it wrong. They barely spoke any English. Finally, Mooey eyed the bartender and asked him to rescue us. They were ushered back into the cafe.

After caipirinha number 6, it was cabbage patch dancing time. These videos are priceless. They are done to the song The Girl from Ipanema which we sang the entire trip.

After dancing I had to pee again. Mooey and Weenie both warned me that returning inside the cafe was asking for trouble but I could not hold it. When I walked in, flower shirt was not at the table but the other woman was. I was peeing when I heard the door open and then the lights went off. SHIT! I calmly said "Turn the light back on!" Then I heard the door open again and it was Weenie to the rescue. She had been watching.

I came back out and ordered number seven. Wow, I was drunk. Then I saw a dog with shoes on and knew it was time to go to the hotel. We had to get up early. We were going to the beach tomorrow!

Iquazu Falls

2008-12-09T15:48:00.022-06:00

We had to get up at 6:00 in order to make our flight to Sao Paulo. The taxi was on time and took us to the airport. It was an 8 hour flight and no one was looking forward to it. We didn't know what to expect since we were flying TAM.

We arrived in Sao Paulo around 9:00 Brazilian time. Our flight to Iguazu didn't leave until 11:00 and we didn't arrive until 1:30.

Our guide picked us up at the airport and took us to the hotel. It was hot and we couldn't figure out how to work the air conditioner. We had to go back down to the front desk and explain. The bellman didn't speak English.

The next morning, Marcos (our guide) was picking us up to go to the falls. Here is the view from our room.

Before going to the falls, we needed money. So, Marcos took us into town to use the ATM. I noticed right away that there were VW bugs everywhere, even vans.

We used the ATM and got money. This would prove to be a thorn in our side during the trip. The exchange rate however was awesome. I got out $600 reais and they took about $249.00 out of my account.

Fucking McDonald's in every city.

Marcos took us to the national park where the falls are located. There was a huge line waiting to get tickets. He told us to go have a seat and he would get our tickets. Things were looking up! We noticed people were also waiting in line to get on a bus to go into the park. Marcos looked at us and said "Don't worry, I'm taking you in my car." We looked at each other and grinned. This was incredible. Did we pay for this?

Marcos handed us our tickets and took us to the front of the line where we passed everyone and waited on the curb for him to pull his car up.

There were beautiful butterflies everywhere.

These coatimundis were everywhere. They were not scared of us either. They kind of looked like a cross between an anteater and a raccoon.

Marcos took care of our tickets for us and we got ready to go on the safari part of the trip that took us to the boat ride in to the falls.

Somehow we scored the front seat. We were heading in to the rainforest.

Here is a picture of Marcos. He was awesome.

The rainforest was very thick and we were on the lookout for Jaguars.

We came upon a clearing and had to walk down to a boat dock.

We watched another boat take off as we put on life jackets. I could see some anxiety in Weenie's face.

I had lost my waterproof jacket in the Miami airport so I didn't have any waterproof clothing on at all. I mean, how wet were we going to get anyway? Mooey and Weenie had on their waterproof jackets and pants. Thanks.

Then we were off at break neck speed.

We had to go fast because of the approaching rapids. The river was running so fast. I looked over at Weenie and she was holding her hat. She didn't care for the rapids. Mooey and I had our hands in the air.

All of the sudden I looked to my left and there were the falls. Absolutely stunning.

Then, we were off to the falls. Check out the video. The action doesn't really start until about 2:30 into it so you may want to fast forward. Enjoy. You'll also notice what a great cinematographer I am. My stupid finger is in the picture the entire time. I was so afraid the camera would fly into the river I had a death grip on it.

Here is a picture of Weenie and Mooey after the boat ride. See how dry they are? There isn't a picture of me but every stitch of my clothing is soaked. It's just like I jumped in a swimming pool. Great.

After the boat ride, Marcos drove us to the mile trail that walks along the falls. This picture shows the Argentina side of the falls.

The views were incredible.

There were lizards along the path. This one is about to eat an insect I've never seen before.

Every turn we took offered a different view of the falls. There are 270 different falls that make this up and it spans about 2 kilometers.

This picture was taken at the beginning of the falls on an observation deck. I was kind of scared with all that water rushing beneath my feet.

Looking over the rail all the way down.

To get a real sense of the the enormity of the falls, I stood right next to it and shot a quick video. I think it's like 10000 gallons a second or something like that.

Afterwards, we got a bite to eat and Weenie and I walked over to sit on a bench. As we rounded the bench, this giant lizard was standing there. He was about 3 feet long.

We loaded up in Marcos's car (me still soaking wet) and headed to the bird zoo.

At first all the birds were in cages and it was making me sad.

Then we went through a gate and this toucan flew down and landed right next to me. It scared the shit out of me.

The rest of the tour the birds just flew wherever they wanted to.

Weenie tried to get this one to get on her hand but he ignored her completely.

This peacock was unbelievable.

Then we went in to a final area. I meant to take a picture of the sign outside the door. It said "Enter at your own risk. These birds may bite." As soon as the three of us went inside and shut the door, about 50 giant birds swooped down towards us. We all three ducked down and they flew on. Holy shit, that scared me to death. The birds did it on purpose. I took a few shots but couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Marcos took us back to the hotel around 4:00. It had already been a full day but he had arranged for us to attend a Churrascaria (BBQ) that night with a show. It sounded great!

We arrived early and the buffet was giant. There was a big area where all kinds of meat were being prepared. I looked over the other stuff and made me a salad. The rest of it didn't really appeal to me.

I got sausage, some kind of ribs, chicken and sirloin. As you can see and as I came to find out, most Brazilian food is cooked to death. The meat was pretty tasty though. Mooey did have a few slices of meat on her plate that were medium rare. I tasted it and it was really, really bad.

Then the show started promptly at 9:00. There was music from various countries and dancing.

Here's what I thought of the show.

We left before it was over and went to the hotel bar for caipirinhas. One of about 100 I had on the trip.

The next morning Marcos came and scooped us up and took up to the airport. We were headed to Rio baby!

Miami

2008-12-04T12:29:00.004-06:00

Thursday, November 20th, we boarded a plane to Miami. I've never been to Miami so we thought we go to South Beach for a night before flying to Brazil. The sun was just starting to go down as we reached the airport.

We took a cab to the Mercury.

Here is the bedroom. Right outside that door was the swimming pool. It was a little too chilly to swim. It was unseasonably cool in Miami.

As soon as we put our bags in the room, we ran to the beach.

Then it was supper time. We walked down Ocean Avenue looking for a place to eat. After passing up TGI Friday's (I know!) we settled on Quinn's. This was after a super hot hostess lady offered us a free bottle of wine.

We got a great table on the veranda.

We wanted appetizers. Weenie is a huge crab lover and when she saw the stone crab claws on the menu, she knew that's what she was having. Mooey wanted some too so they decided to share the appetizer which included 2 claws total. The price out beside the claws said MP (market price). Out of curiousity, we asked the price. $15 per claw!!! Give me a break. When they heard that, they said "Forget it". Then, after a few minutes, it was "Fuck it, we're on vacation". I ordered the Bam! Bam! Shrimp. They were marinated in 14 spices and palm sugar, served with a mojito cool mint sauce with island cucumber slaw. Delicious!

Here are the $15 each crab claws. They were giant and delicious but way overpriced!

I ordered the Caribbean Snapper with plantains, black bean corn salsa and chayote. It was outstanding. Mooey also ordered the snapper.

Weenie went for the Grilled Grouper. It was even better than ours. She also had lobster mashed potatoes and grilled veggies.

Since we were in South Beach, we had to have a mojito to finish off our meal. We also all ordered dessert. The mojito was delicious.

After dinner, we walked down Ocean Avenue some more but since I was suffering from bronchitis again, I had to call it an early night. Plus we had to get up at the ass crack to catch our international flight! Tomorrow, Brazil!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

2008-12-03T13:25:00.001-06:00

Today is my first day back at work since the 19th of November and boy does it suck. I'm just beginning to plow through the pictures I took in Brazil. I have over 500 underwater shots and possibly 900 or so on the other camera. It will probably be next week before I can load it all. The trip was amazing and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Brazil!

2008-11-19T08:47:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow, Weenie, Mooey and I are jetting off to Brazil for 11 days. Try not to cry. I know I am. With the weather here in the 40s, the beach is going to be nice.

Many pictures will be taken and many Caipirinhas will be had. Talk to you guys later.

Trivia!

2008-11-14T09:07:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, after a long dry spell, We Love Bananas was finally victorious in trivia. And we won by 8 points.

Obama Wins!/Lucas Turns 26!

2008-11-12T13:17:00.006-06:00

Tuesday, Dyna came and scooped me up at home around 3:30. I was a nervous wreck about the election and we both took off work to calm our nerves with beer. Dyna had her porch all decked out. Here is the map for coloring.

TV for election results.

Dyna had Lola amend her 2004 t shirt.

Everyone was gathered around the TV as the polls closed.

Mooey was knocking out the red wine.

Lola and Egypt were working.

Weenie is coloring in South Carolina in red. She drew a middle finger instead.

Torrence is coloring in Maine.

Mooey is coloring in her home state of New York.

Here I am putting my thoughts to paper about my home state of Tennessee.

Then I looked at the TV and it said "Breaking News! Obama has won!"

We didn't believe it at first but then I heard the champagne popping and I knew victory was ours!

Weenie said fuck coloring in the map.

We left Dyna's and went to One More for darts. As soon as we walked in, Obama was taking the stage for his speech. No one spoke the entire time.

Then Lucas, Alan, Chelsea, Ian and Drew showed up for part 2 of the evening. It was Lukey's birthday! Darts immediately!

It was a looooooooooooong night.

River Arts Festival

2008-11-12T12:42:00.004-06:00

Two Saturdays ago, Weenie and I went to El Porton to get a good base for beer drinking. It was so beautiful we sat on the patio. It was sunny and about 70. We had margaritas and burritos!

Then we headed downtown to Ronny's place on South Main. We had to park several streets away and walked up on the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum. With the election days away, Weenie and I took a moment to reflect before moving on.

Then it was beer time! Ronny let us in and we watched the festival from his balcony. Several people went shopping but I stayed and watched Ole Miss kick Auburn's ass. Sowway!

There was a band below us playing music. I Heard It Through the Grapevine started and these belly dancers started dancing.

Day turned into night and the shooters started.

Here is a picture of Ronny's sister, Lauren, either before or right after she dropped her beer for the 3rd time. Oh well!

We walked down to the Green Beetle for darts around 10:00.

VOTE!

2008-11-04T10:23:00.002-06:00

I just voted and it was awesome. I only waited 50 minutes. Please, everyone, go vote!

Stone Temple Pilots

2008-10-31T13:36:00.004-05:00

Last night we went and saw Scott Weiland in all his glory. He wailed and danced for 2 hours. It was fucking awesome and the light show was jawdroppingly stunning. It was almost sensory overload. Brilliant. We started out at the Blue Monkey. DP made me have 3 shooters. Wow.

Then we had a cooler in the car. God forbid we be beerless!

This picture was taken by Mooey's phone while me and Weenie went for beers. We had to wait about 90 minutes for them to take the stage. A tad bit too long for me.

Then the lights went out and all was forgotten. Head banging commenced. Sex Type Thing nearly decapitated me.

We ended the night back at the Blue Monkey for a night cap. I'm a little hangy today. Oh well!

Andy is Having a Panda!

2008-10-29T09:20:00.009-05:00

Saturday we attended a shower for Andy. It was held at the Grove Grill. We had a room all to ourselves. It was a good thing because we can get loud. Of course, there were stupid shower games that we had to play. One of the games was to take the couple's names and make new names for the baby. They picked the funniest one and it was Panda. I have to admit, that is a good one. The bad thing is, I will probably call him Panda.

Weenie and I had been out the night before so we were trying to shake off hangovers.

Here's how.

There was also a game where everyone got a tiny baby pin and if you said the word "baby" whoever heard you got to take your pin. As you can see, Mooey was listening instead of talking.

Here Andy is opening our present. I think it's called a Diaper Dude.

Dessert.

After the shower, everyone went home and took a nap. Then at 7:00, we headed downtown to Itta Bena. We were meeting Andy for dinner. Susan was playing.

My hangover was pretty much gone by now but these helped. Absolut, soda and with a tiny splash of cranberry. Yum!
I had a delicious entree of halibut which I forgot to photgraph. Thanks. We said our goodbyes to Andy and loaded up and went to One More for darts! It got kind of wild.

Double air guitar.Then the dancing started.

Whose fucking turn is it!!??

Jerry kicked us out. Sowway!!!!!!

Bumble Bee

2008-10-28T14:00:00.003-05:00

My boss brought Earnestine to work to debut her Halloween costume before the actual day. Someone was not amused.

Help!Furious.

Disaster

2008-10-27T12:32:00.004-05:00

For those that know me personally, you know I am obsessed with my DVR. I look at it everyday. I scan the guide looking for shows to record. I keep up with my percentage of fullness. I go around all the time saying "We have to go home immediately and watch some shows because my DVR is at 88%." My friends just roll their eyes. Often, it will near 100% and a show I've been meaning to get into has to be sacrificed. All this explanation is leading up to the disaster that happened when we came rolling in around 1:30 am Friday night. I usually let Weenie get in bed first so she can go to sleep and I check my DVR. I noticed the time was not showing on the cable box and I was alarmed right away. I walked up to the box and punched the on/off button several times. NOTHING. I was buzzy so I didn't get too freaked out about it. That's until Weenie is on the phone the next morning at 8 something (!) and screaming questions to me. The lady at the cable company told us the DVR was dead and that all 48 of my programs were gone. Who ever thought this could even happen? Now what am I supposed to do? I have to start all over. Tonight, when I go home, I'll have one show on there. Cold Case from last night. Maybe I will save it for awhile.

Defeat Prop 8

2008-10-21T14:25:00.003-05:00

Please join my fellow bloggers in raising money. Please go to http://8against8.com/ and donate! It's important!

Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting

2008-10-21T13:14:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday night, Weenie and I went over to Mel and Karn's for some wine and wine appetizers. They had quite a spread. Cheese galore and dips. Yum! Afterwards, we headed up to the Monkey to meet our friends and hear Susan Marshall. As you can see, we had a good time!

As if we hadn't had enough, we walked across the parking lot to Backstreet. It was dead. We walked to back and there were a few guys singing karaoke. Perfect. We got beers and sat down. It wasn't long before Dyna was singing a duet with one of the guys. Don't Go Breaking My Heart. It's a true story. I've racked my brain trying to remember the other songs they sang. I know Material Girl was done and then for the finale, Mel sang Music by Madonna. Again, true story.

Another beer?They had to kick us out. Karoake is fun! True story.

Ronny's Birthday

2008-10-07T09:34:00.005-05:00

This weekend we went back to Pickwick to celebrate Ronny's birthday. It was a little chilly.

So we built a fire in the outdoor fireplace. Stupid isn't it?

Shooters!
Here are the foragers of wood and the fire attendees.

Here I am enjoying the view. We had been out on the boat but I forgot my camera so there are no boat pictures.

Susan was icing the birthday cake and posed for this picture.

Hi cake!Birthday boy!

Saturday night, we went to Counce and ate at the Broken Spoke.

Weenie ordered quail. Yuck! She said it was awesome.

I had the shrimp which were good.

Then it was back to the patio for more fire and more beers.

I'm not sure how many beers I had over the weekend but I was barely awake on Sunday at all. It was a fun weekend and I can't wait to go back!

It's a Drag

2008-09-30T13:15:00.004-05:00

Friday night Weenie, DP, Dyna, my cousin JD, and I headed to Millington for the NHRA drag races. It was a beautiful day and about 78. I had played in a golf tournament that morning and then Dyna and DP came over and we sat on the patio and drank beer until the working stiffs (Weenie and JD) got off work. It was a hard day for me.

Pro Stock.

They didn't sell regular sized beer there.

Funny cars!
Dyna is holding a spark plug she got off Melanie Troxell's car.

John Force.

Top fuel.

Afterwards, we bar hopped and ended up at Yosemite Sam's. Some of the girls decided they would sing Fat Bottomed Girls. It was bad.

Gracie!

2008-09-29T10:48:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we went out to my aunt's house to have a birthday luncheon with my mother. Of course, all the attention was paid to Gracie. Be cuter.

So tired.

Kathy Griffin

2008-09-11T09:32:00.007-05:00

Holy shit. I'm still reeling from the Kathy Griffin show on Saturday night. She is just incredible. Two solid hours of comedy and I never stopped laughing. I am in total love with her.

After the show, we had margaritas at the Happy Mexican and then went to Mary's for some stellar karaoke.

Wow. They had to kick us out. It was super fun.

The Delta Fair

2008-09-10T10:09:00.004-05:00

Friday night, Weenie and I were guests of Ronnie and Susan at the Delta Fest. They were sponsoring the Keith Sykes Songwriting Celebration.

It was all the free beer I could drink. Free beer = super buzzy!

Rodney Crowell was the headliner. He was great.

We had a blast. Afterwards, we had a nightcap at the Blue Monkey.

The Kettle

2008-09-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

Last week, a coworker and I went to the Kettle for lunch. The burgers are awesome here. It's not in the best part of town and there are always characters to see.

Upon sitting down in the booth, I noticed a sign on the giant fish tank. We couldn't read it from where we were sitting so Carrie got up and went over to see what it said. When she returned and told me what it said, I called her a liar. I had to take a picture of the sign because no one would believe me.

I wonder who is stealing all the fish?

Bacon Proposes!

2008-09-04T13:18:00.006-05:00

I'm so late posting this but I've been bizzy!

On August 16th, a couple of us met at Itta Bena around 6:00. We were going to watch the Olympics in the TV room and then go to our table at 7:45. Below is Bacon freaking out before she proposed.

Meredith has no idea.

Several of us ordered Absolut with soda and a splash of cranberry. Yummy!

Bacon ordered champagne to toast Meredith's birthday.

We all toasted and Meredith thought that was it.

That's until Bacon got on her knee and produced a tiny box.

Then we all started crying.

We moved over to our table to enjoy the lovely Susan Marshall. She had called ahead and reserved this table for us. She sang several songs for Meredith. It was awesome.

Here's Meredith listening to A Case of You.

Here's the scampi I ordered.

Then Susan joined us for a group picture.

After dinner, it was off to the yearly Leo party. So many of our friends have birthdays during August that they have one party for everyone.

Fireworks!

It was a late night once again!