My fabulous friend Rebecca and I are off to San Antonio in a few weeks… only for two days and staying one night but it will be fun!  Purpose of road trip?  To eat Mexican food… it is always to eat Mexican food.  Nothing tastes like San Antonio Mexican food… Fort Worth Mexican food does not know how to be Mexican food in comparison.  Jacala’s Mexican Restaurant is the place to go… located on West Avenue, it is the oldest originally owned Mexican restaurant in San Antonio.  You must depart from the Riverwalk and Market Square if you want the really good stuff… why does everyone feel the need to stick to Casa Rio and Mi Tierra?  Oh well… perhaps someone other than my fellow San Antonio Natives will read this and see the light.  I always order a #11 with gravy (sans chili) with a chili con queso on the side… heaven on a plate.

What else will we do?  Drive by my old house… maybe speak to our neighbor if she is home… visit Saint Gregory’s Catholic School and walk around despite classes being out for the summer… probably head to North Star Mall or LaCantera for some shopping and maybe to the Witte for the Fiesta Exhibit should we choose to get some South Texas culture while we are there… wish we could see the rolling Butterkrust Bakery sign at San Pedro and Hildebrand but alas it does not exist anymore… Olmos Pharmacy, anyone?  I think so!  Possibly coffee at Cappy’s on Broadway and, of course, grab some bunuelos from Los Cocos (also located on West Avenue)… heaven in a white paper bag. 

We will also be meeting up with my best friend Chrissy and hopefully with Becca’s best friend Stephani… photos to follow!

Among the many things listed in my previous blog which there is never enough time to do, reading is at the top of my list… although I would probably say in my case it is lack of energy as opposed to a lack of time.  Reading is a very active sport and never a good thing to do in bed… I either read the same paragraph/passage/page multiple times in a droopy-eyed daze or fall instantly asleep and never make it past the first line… so, when Chris’ family leaves on WednesdayI am going to make a conscious effort to read during the day… and hopefully make my Twelve Book Goal by the time staff development begins, despite being about three weeks behind schedule.

Where will I begin?  Must finish The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency first…

Then moving on to Brooklyn: A Novel (which I stole from my parent’s house to return upon completion)…

Followed by Sammy’s House…

And then I must deal with the pesky A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court…

… I am never going to finish this book!  Debating whether I should keep in on my “Currently Reading” list on GoodReads or face the fact I will never finish reading it and move what I have read along to the “Read” list… hmm… decisions, decisions, decisions.

… when you title more than one entry “Long Time” and discuss how long it has been since you have blogged… I mean, really?  I am SO bad at this… ha!  I realized today I had not blogged since December of last year… nuts (although the NKOTB blog was fancy enough to stand alone for a while)…!  There is not enough time to keep up with everything which needs to be caught up with… work, Facebook, laundry, mindless television viewing, reading, bike riding, phone calls, emails, letters… and a million other things… plus blogging… SO… it has fallen by the wayside but I will try and post a few things this summer… I have loads of fun photos from our early summer adventures (check out Our Family Page along the sidebar), my summer reading list, and I am sure I can come up with a few other things… summer is not over yet (!) so check back soon… you may be surprised and delighted at what I get up to doing during these lazy days.  (I do feel the need to add a festive photo here but do not have one at the moment…)

2008… a year of many firsts, many amazing moments, many changes in our lives… and the year of the New Kids on the Block reunion!  I had heard rumor the five guys from Boston were going to make a comeback and was thrilled when they made their first appearance on the Today Show early in the summer — it was like being ten years old again, only this time not actually BEING ten, which is so much better (welll…).  For my birthday, Becca purchased tickets for The Block Reunion Tour… so, on October 19 , Becca, Brooke, and I headed to the American Airlines Center to relive our childhood (dressed appropriatly just in case we were presented with the chance to, as Becca put it, “bag a New Kid”… ha!)

Thank you, Becca!

We got to the stadium REALLY early, unintentionally, of course, but it allowed us the privilege of an excellent parking spot, an opportunity to check out what everyone else was wearing (a huge variety from 80s retro to trampy… gals who probably thought they might really bag a New Kid, even from the third deck), and a chance to send in our text message to try and win backstage passes!  Ours made it to the Jumbo Tron (VERY exciting) but, sadly, Joe did NOT come up to bring us free tickets to the after party.

"Bri, Brooke and Becca in 327 NEED backstage passes!"

Our seats were in section 327, very high up, but thankfully I have an amazing zoom on my camera!  Here is the stage from where we were sitting:

Bird's Eye View... getting front row tickets next time!

The concert was very enjoyable with a combination of old school stuff and songs off their new album.  Most of the photos I took were of Joe (hmmm) but I will save everyone from having to view ALL those and only posting the best ones here… a few of Joe included, of course. 

YAY!

"The Hardest Working Kids in Show Business"

"Single" from The Block

Just had to throw this one in... I love him

"Dirty Dancing" from The Block

They are so cute! (See... 10 years old)

"I'll Be Loving You"... everyone was singing along!

Just like the Magic Summer Tour Circa 1990

FINALE!

… since I have posted a blog!  August?  Really?  What have I even been doing since August which was worth neglecting my blog?  Oh, yeah… I forget… working… and studying… and laundry… blah!  It will all be over soon!  Well — aside from the laundry, which will continue forever.  I will try and do better on my blogging… but no promises!  This way, no one will be disappointed if my next entry does not come for another six months.  For now, I hope everyone enjoys this photo of a baby flamingo taken on our girl trip to the Fort Worth Zoo earlier this fall.  It looks fluffy and snuggly and was sitting on astroturf… exciting.

The Fourth Bear

Just finished The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde — it was odd, engaging, humorous, and clever — everyone should read this twist on the classic crime novel.  Jack Spratt, chief inspector of the Nursery Crime Division in Reading, England, investigates the murder of Goldilocks, where the idea that porridge poured at the same time could be different temperatures is ridiculous and the question becomes: was there a fourth bear?  Numerous characters from favorite nursery rhymes and fairy tales are present including Red Riding Hood, Granny, and the Wolf, Punch & Judy, Jack Horner, Rumpelstiltskin, and the psychotic Gingerbreadman, who is the center of a very important debate as to whether he is a cookie or a cake.

This Side of Paradise

I finished This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald — a semi-autobiographical story following the privileged life of leading man Amory Blaine from childhood to Princeton and during his first career years in New York City.  It was one of those books which was started and abandoned and started again and finally I just kept reading until I was finished.  It was a fine book — not as captivating as The Great Gatsby but quite good for a first novel.  Certain chapters were eloquent, poetic, and quotable — and in classic Fitzgerald style provided insight into American society life during the early 20th century.  The main character was superficial and arrogant  but I knew in the end his self-realization would allow him to be alright — so I hope he was and I am moving on to the next book on my list.

So many books — so little time — until summer vacation!

I set a goal of reading fifteen books this summer before I return to work — I am only on book ten which leaves a long way to go for the final week and a half of vacation — but it can still be done since I have nothing else to do during the day!

Here are the books I have already read and I will continue to add them as I finish:

• The Moviegoer — by Walker Percy
• Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of Nihm — by Robert O’Brien
• A Monstrous Regiment of Women — by Laurie R. King
• Winnie-the-Pooh — by A.A. Milne
• Sammy’s Hill — by Kristin Gore
• The House at Pooh Corner — by A.A. Milne
• Shopgirl — by Steve Martin
• A History of American Education — by Joseph Watras
• Designing the School Curriculum — by Peter Hlebowtish
• This Side of Paradise — F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Fourth Bear — Jasper Fforde

Howdy!  I am trying something different and signed up for WordPress.  I currently have a Blogger account but rarely update the page so I am going to try one here — fingers crossed but no promises!