Snorkel Dudes

John and Will snorkeling for the first time Grand Cayman style. We floated the current from our condo down to Cemetery Reef. We saw plenty of cool fish and an octopus. More later.

Model A Club

Brazos_Nights_2009-1434
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

We went down to Indian Spring park this Friday evening to see Ruthie Foster and Ray Wylie Hubbard perform. A Model A club was staying at the Hilton and had filled up the parking lot with their cars. Many of them looked factory fresh. John got a big kick out of sitting in one and honking the Aaoogah horn. the concert was great, too.

Did I mention I had breakfast with John Cleese?

John Cleese and Amy at breakfast
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Did i? So here's the story. John Cleese had performed for or convention's big gala event the night before. Amy and I were lucky enough to get rooms on the concierge level of the Boca Raton Resort and Club for the convention. We love free breakfast!

So Thursday morning, after getting packed to head home, we ran up to the Commodore Room for a final breakfast. I saw him the second we walked in, he is a very tall man. I walked over and grabbed a plate just as he was leaving the eggs. We exchanged "excuse me"'s and I said, "We saw your show last night and really enjoyed it." He replied, "Really, i thought you seemed quite tired." I laughed and explained that we had just sat through an hour of guys exchanging jackets and being presented with crystal gavels, got my eggs and moved on.

After filling my plate, I looked around for Amy and see she is sitting at the table with him! Apparently there were no empty tables and she asked if she could join him. His reply: "The English are not very good conversationalists in the morning, so if that doesn't bother you, please do."

I walked up and sat opposite him quietly eating my breakfast, twittering and texting about with whom I was eating. I got up to refill my coffee and snapped this with the blackberry. While he continued to eat his eggs, dring his coffee and honey, and peruse the New York Times.

As he was wrapping up his meal, he asked us if we were leaving today, to which we replied yes. He asked where we were from, when we replied Waco, he told us that his soon to be ex-wife used to live in Waco. She was married to a pro-golfer from here in the 70's, Dave Eichelberger. "Steve Martin was born in Waco too," he said. We agreed. I said that I was glad someone knew some better things about Waco. Amy asked him if he was going to stay in Florida, he replied, "I should hope not, this place is what my mother should refer too as Hell warmed up." He said that he was flying up to Newark spending the night then back to London. He said because of his height, he can't sleep on planes anymore, I mentioned that I had that problem due to my width and he chuckled, I'm sure.

We exchanged farewells, he thanked the concierge, and made his leave. Then Amy and I started giggling. He was the only reason I sat through that gala. I've been a Monty Python fan for as long as I can remember and Fawlty Towers is simply the best. So I was quite giddy and maybe still a little giddy almost a week later.

Meerkat!

Beasts_and_Blooms_CPZ2009-0631
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

We visited the zoo this Sunday. They were doing the Beasts and Blooms deal. The Blooms were not so much but we enjoyed checking out the animals again. It's a really nice zoo. Waco did a good thing.

Wii Will

Easter_2009-0177
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

I like the soft light and the monochromatic feel of this. This room looks like it will get some nice afternoon light.

10AM Firing People's Just the Icing on the Cake
IT manager: I wish I worked in HR, they're always either eating cake or firing people.

New York City, New York
via Overheard in the Office, Feb 19, 2009

Autorama 2009

IMG_4561_autorama2009-03
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

We took the kids to the Autorama this past weekend. It seems the "girls" get skankier every year, and the cars not quite as cool as they once were. I loved watching John though. He likes his cars. It took him 15 minutes to pick out some hot wheels to buy.

This was the year of the Gran Torino. Due to the movie of the same name. This Studebaker was just in the parking lot and one of the better sites of the day.

Clone Wars

IMG00297.jpg
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

You know that Good Times Video version of Pinnochio that was $4.99 at the Walmart cash register. The one your mom bought thinking it was the Disney version. I mean, Pinnochio and Giapetto are it's just nowhere near as good as the Disney one. That's pretty much the way I felt about the Clone Wars. The music sounded familiar but was no John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. They were decent imitations of the voices we became accustomed to over the last three movies.

We've also gotten to expect a certain level of realism in animation. This was something like a cut-scene from a video game from ten years ago. No facial expressions, the mouth movement was just wrong. Really disappointing.

So, I get over the music and the animation and start getting into the story a bit (the whole story line was a touch weak), but I finally start enjoying myself some and then comes the biggest wha-what EVER!

SPOILER ALERT:











A GAY HUTT, That's correct. Jabba the Hutt has a homosexual, strip-club owning, saxophone loving, fluorescent makeup, feather wearing, Truman Capote-esque uncle. Zero the Hutt. Absolutely insane. I found myself laughing out loud at this. "I always depend on the kindess of strangers."

All that said, my boys, 6 and 8, loved the movie and are ready for it to be on DVD. TV would have been a much better place for it.

Dwarfed

Dwarfed
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

No sir...not much of a blogger. A new post nearly a year later! Sweet.

John shows Amy and Kelly how to make fairy bread

John shows Amy and Kelly how to make fairy bread
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Fairy Bread - this is not a recipe

First you take some bread and tear, not cut, the crust off.
Next you spread butter on the bread
Then you dust the bread with sprinkles of your choice
Finally, you eat it.

and that's all.

Myrtle is frozen

Myrtle is frozen
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

We've had a couple of days of winter. Mostly ice. Stuck in the house. Lots of Lego's Star Wars on the PS2.

New York City

nbc
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Spent the week in NYC. Late nights, lots of drinking. I'm not much of a blogger.

100 Days

100 Days
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

I've bugged John now for 100 days, taking a picture of him every day since his 6th birthday, Only missed one. Pretty good.

Ugly but a win

Ugly but a win
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Baylor has a two game win streak if you reach back to their last Big 12 game last year game Big 12 against OSU. It's their first back to back Big 12 wins ever. Yeah...I'm grasping.

340_cropped

340_cropped
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

This is another simple one I enjoy. Plain. But the contrast and the bright colors. I like it.

power

power
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Something about this, I don't know what, I just keep coming back to it. It's simple. There's not much there. But I like it.

will mugs

will mugs
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Playing with the 50mm today. Took one of John but the focus didn't work out for some reason. Will was making a goofy face, I told him to stop. This is the result, a goofier face.

BU v TCU

BU v TCU
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Another season, another loss...to a mostly inferior team. They beat themselves. TCU had two good plays, unfortunately that was all it took. Baylor could not make the plays when it counted. Disappointing. TCU put a new quarterback in the second half. He should be their starter. If he didn't win the position last night, he got screwed.

waiting for dinner

waiting for dinner
Originally uploaded by cmiked.

Sat for a loooooong time waiting for the food. Way too long.

Found out today that I won nothing for my photos at the State Fair, not even a friggin honorable mention. I'm not bitter.

First time to enter. We'll try again sometime. Played golf this afternoon, not well, but got out of the office for the afternoon.