Happy birthday to me

This was a whirlwind birthday weekend. Doug and I left about 4:30 Friday night, driving to the Ft. Worth area for the weekend. Doug bought a glass class for my birthday, which we took together, to learn about working with powders and "paint by light." Jody Walker, a nationally renown glass artist, taught the class. The two-day class was very intensive, and while we didn't come out with any finished pieces, we came out with about 19 test tiles and a new way to think about glass. Now I just need to find some time and get after it.

Last night we celebrated my birthday by first meeting my sister Chris and her husband Mark, for drinks. We actually had a great time chatting. It's the first time ever that I didn't feel like the little brat sister. Maybe because it was just two couples and not the family dynamic. I wish we could have stayed longer, but Doug and I had dinner reservations.

We went to Bob's Steak and Chop House. This has been named one of the top steak places in the nation and it didn't disappoint. Man, that was some of the best ribeye I've eaten. And for as good as the steak was, I was blown away by their carrots. I know it sounds weird, but that was a damn good carrot. The server said the carrots were marinated in cinnamon and orange juice. I believe it. I told Doug I thought it tasted like Christmas. To round out dinner, we had a Napa cab from one of my favorite wineries, Silver Oak. The dinner was outstanding!

The glass class finished about 2 p.m. today and we headed home, exhausted. After two days being the only guy in a class of eight women, Doug is out having a beer and getting some much needed testosterone time. I'm home, checking email and watching Gladiator on high-def. Tomorrow we'll be back in the grind.

Who's fault is the defaulting?

I'm watching a little bit of the Democratic debate last night, since it was in Austin. Obama is giving his opening remarks and mentions that he met with a couple in San Antonio whose house is getting foreclosed on because of predatory lending practices. WTF? "Did you hear that?" I asked Doug. He said he tuned out as soon as Hillary started her remarks. I replayed the comment. Predatory lenders.

Let me get this right. You have poor credit. You decide to buy a house that you can't really afford. You decide to take out an adjustable rate mortgage that is really low when you take it out, so you can make those house payments, but the rates will go up. Now that they have gone up, it's the lenders fault that you can't make the payments? Get real.

I know this is a rough situation. And yes, it is partially the fault of lender. They qualified risky applicants. They probably also did a huge sales job. Still, the borrower has responsibility in this as well.

Recently we were talking to some mortgage companies about refinancing our home loan. One of Doug's work friends recently refinanced his home and got a 5% rate; he thought we could do the same and it would cost us less than $1,000. Save 2% on mortgage, why not?

Calling around, the rates were up to 5.75%. And while it would only cost us $750 out of pocket, the rest of costs would be rolled up in our loan. The actual cost would have been about $2,500. Even with the monthly savings, it would take us 24 months to break even on this. We were hoping to move to a different house by then. We decided not to go forward and instead take the cost and put it straight to our principle. Any other savings, we'd use to fix up the place. The refi just didn't make financial sense.

Of course, the lenders made it sound good. Get a lower rate and pay only $750. This way you are paying less interest and more principle each month. They do try to sell it. They make it sound good and put a shine on it. But is that predatory lending?

It is up to the borrower to know what he/she is getting into. When we bought our house, they qualified us for way more than I would have expected. However, we opted to go with something much smaller, something we could afford on one income, and after the tech crash, that has served us well. I don't know if we could have kept a more expensive house. They also offered all sorts of mortgages that sounded great, but we weren't buying. No ARMs for us. We wanted a 30-year fixed. And we got what we wanted.

I call banks and lending institutions a lot of unflattering things, but predatory is not one of them. When it comes to your money, you have the say and you have the right to agree to the terms or walk away. Get smart when it comes to your money and don't fall into this victimization trap just because you won't take the time and effort to become educated on money. It's not predatory lending just because you didn't know what you were doing.

Head shot

I had a photo shoot today. I'm going to be one of forty women featured in a Go Red spread for the American Heart Association in the May issue of Austin Woman Magazine. In general, I hate getting my photo taken, and was dreading it. However, the photographer, Korey Howell, did an awesome job! She made me feel comfortable, helped me pick my outfits and made sure I looked my best. I was completely at ease and had fun. I would totally recommend her to anyone.


In addition to the Go Red photo, Korey also did a professional head shot for me. Doug said he prefers the red photo, but I like them both.

Frustration

Seems like I'm going through the same old stuff that I did last spring, whether there will be a teaching spot for me next year. Without going into all the details, let's just say it's not looking good and I'm just frustrated to the hilt. Yesterday, on the way home, I was wondering why I put myself through this again.

Then I remembered why -- the students. I've got a great group of students this semester. Actually, every semester I have a great students. I just have to remember to focus on that and forget about the rest of the b.s. Of course, that's easier said than done...

Democracy in action

Texans have spoken loud and clear. We have selected a winning license plate. According to the Statesman, the selection won't be official until later this week. I actually think this was the best design and voted for it myself.

Lights, Camera, Heart Ball!

Last night was the annual Heart Ball for the American Heart Association. The theme this year was the Hearts of Hollywood, with a 1940s supper club look and feel to the party. As communication chair, I developed the branding and positioning for the Ball. We've been working on the Ball since May, so everyone was glad it finally arrived and went well.

I didn't get the final count, so I don't know how much we raised. There was both a live and a silent auction, dinner and dancing. There were lots of things to bid on, so my bowl didn't go for much -- just $60 and a friend bought it. I think my highlight of the evening was watching a film a student made, and hearing everyone comment after. The student brought her mother from Port Arthur, Texas and you could tell how proud her mother was of her. Once of my friends said she thought I got a tv station to produce it. That made the student and her mother smile.

Below are photos of us as we were about to leave the house. Isn't Doug handsome in his tux?


Here's me in my dress. Isn't it great? I got a lot of compliments on it.


Amy, my hairdresser, did my hair in a 1940s style updo. I'm always afraid that my hair will fall, but Amy made sure it didn't.


Doug and I did get our photo taken together by a professional photographer, so if we like it, we'll buy it and post it. Some of my students were volunteers and they took photos as well. I hope at least one of Doug and I together looks good and I can post it.

Tidbits

I'm going to be covering SXSW (South by Southwest, for those who aren't in the know) this year. In exchange for writing about a half dozen stories for a Web site, I'll be receiving a press pass. I'm pretty excited. I had thought about buying a badge for the Interactive part of the festival, but was wondering if I could justify it. Now I can go to everything, including the film and music.

Tomorrow is the Heart Ball for the American Heart Association. We've been working on this since the summer, so I'm glad it's finally coming together. Doug picked up his tux yesterday. I didn't see it, but he said it looks sharp. I've got appointments to get my hair, nails and make-up done.

Busy week with school, but it's going well. I'm loving this 70-degree weather we're having.

Baby you can drive my car

We came out of Lone Star Kolache this morning, ready for a drive. Allegra was in the driver's seat and Dante was in the passenger's seat. Guess they thought they should drive and we should sit in the back.

I want belly rubs!

Allegra can't wait for Doug to return from Canada today. She wants him to give her belly rubs.

Latest fusing projects

My kiln has been busy since Christmas and I wanted to share a few of my latest pieces.

This first one is a commission piece, meaning my friend Pat bought the glass and asked me to make 10 plates for the American Heart Association (I donated my time). Needless to say, it took several weeks to make all 10.


For this next one, I fused iridized glass, face down, on a textured tile. I really like the crinkle effect.


This last piece is my favorite piece I've ever made. The photo doesn't do it justice. The green, aventurine, is darker, almost a forest green. I fired it on lava cloth so the bottom is textured. I originally made it to donate to the Heart Ball auction, but now I love it so much I don't want to depart with it. I guess I can always make another to keep.

I need to coat my kiln shelf now so I can make some more. I'm also looking into some advanced classes as I'm ready to go to the next level.

Book on Parade

Risa, the wife of Doug's cousin Tim, recently published a book, Cinescopes. It was mentioned in Parade Magazine today. Click here to read the review. Hurray for her!

Officer Cat

I love this story. I've heard of drug-sniffing dogs, but never kiddie porn finding kitties.

I hate being sick

This week both Doug and I have been waylaid by the stomach flu. Doug got it Monday (although he swears it is food poisoning) and I got it yesterday. Doug seems to think that food poisoning can be passed on through contact -- I say we both have stomach flu.

Doug is back at work today, but only because he was behind before he got sick and is heading to Canada on Saturday for a week and needs to have everything prepared. I canceled classes today.
I think from all the "common" illnesses, stomach flu has to be one of the worst. Even if you felt like eating, you can't keep it down. Your abdomen muscles hurt from all the vomiting, your body aches and you just can't get comfortable. Then you have to worry about accidents from what my mother-in-law calls the "big D." I haven't had anything to eat (that I've been able to keep down) since Tuesday night. I have, however, been drinking a mixture of Pedilyte and water so I don't get too dehydrated.

Worst thing, I think, is tv. There is nothing on. Funny thing is, when I actually find something somewhat interesting, I fall asleep. Unfortunately, I can only sleep for an hour at a time.

I think it's hard when both of us are sick because neither Doug nor I feel like being nice to one another. I want to be babied and he doesn't want to do it. About the only one giving me any attention is Dexter.

Restaurant review: El Greco

Admittedly, Doug and I are foodies and Greek/Middle Eastern is one of our favorite cuisines. Until the last few years, good Greek/Middle Eastern restaurants in Austin have been few and far between, so when we hear about a new one, we're there.

A few weeks ago we heard about El Greco, a new Greek restaurant on Guadalupe, so we tried it out--twice. The service was so bad that I doubt we'll go back.

Our first trip was two weeks ago, Saturday night. It's small, but was packed. You order at the counter and they bring your food. Doug ordered the Chicken Souvlaki, which he thought was okay. I ordered the Beeftekee, chopped steak stuffed with feta. It had a lot of flavor. Doug liked his potatoes, but my sides were a bit bland. Compared to other similar types of restaurants, I thought the portion sizes were small for the price. It was like $3 for about three tablespoons of hummus and the hummus wasn't that special.

The thing that got me, however, was the service. It was 15 minutes after we ordered that I got my wine. We asked the server about it when he brought the hummus and the reply was, "I can't serve that to you." I understand being under age, but he could have responded better. It took another 5 minutes after I got my wine for Doug to get his beer. They were out of water at the drink station and I had to get the server to fill it up. And it wasn't just us, the table next to us got their appetizers after their entrees. You could just look around and tell everyone was getting frustrated at the service.

Still, it's a new restaurant and it has to work out its kinks. We decided to give it a few months before we went back for dinner. However, they do serve breakfast. Saturday I was in the mood to try one of their feta breakfast pockets, so I convinced Doug to go. They open at 10; we got there 5 minutes early so we walked across the street to Wheatsville Co-op to kill time. By the time we got back to the restaurant, it was 10:10.

We walk in and we're not even sure if it's open. The kitchen is open to the restaurant and one of the guys in the kitchen was singing something about bitches at the top of his lungs. Not a great first impression. The owner was at the cash register and Doug asked if they were open. The owner said they were running late and it would be another 20 minutes. Then he said something about not having all the breakfast items and what would we want. We got the feeling that us just being there was an annoyance to the owner. Doug politely said we would come back another time.

Of course, Doug was lying. He vowed never to go back. It wasn't that they weren't ready, it was the whole attitude. It's one thing not to have the flow down. And I know it wasn't just us, I've read other comments about El Greco's service. But that could be forgiven, assuming that it gets better. It won't get better, however, if the owner doesn't care, lets his staff sing about bitches, and comes across rude himself.

Thank goodness, there is Sarah's Market, which I'll have to tell you about another time.

Semester has started

But I'm sure you can tell, given the frequency of posts. Classes started last week. I'm teaching four classes, or three courses. One course is new to me, so there is a lot more prep. Plus, the beginning of PR Campaigns always takes a lot, trying to find client projects for the students to work on. So far, so good with the classes. Nothing else really new to report. No news always means good news with us.

The Secret works!

You may have seen the book, the movie or even the Oprah show about The Secrete, aka The Law of Attraction. Used to be called the Power of Positive Thinking. Whatever you want to call it, it works. Case in point, the selling of my car.

In August we bought a new (used) car. Since then, my piece o'crap 1997 Chevy Cavalier has been in our driveway. The idea was to clean it up, do a few things to it and then sell it. Unfortunately, we (the royal we, meaning Doug, who had been driving it for the last two years) had not gotten around to doing that. Additionally, there were certain times that "we" (meaning me) would not have time to deal with the email inquiries, so I didn't push.

In November I had the idea that during the Christmas break I would go ahead and take photos and post them on Craigslist, with the idea that if someone wanted to look at the car, "we" would be motivated into fixing it up. Then with the rush of the end of semester and the holidays, this plan slipped my mind until last week.

On Thursday, I pulled into our driveway, looked at the green car and thought about grabbing the camera and posting the photos on the Web. Then I remembered Doug was going to be traveling quite a bit for business and I that he should probably be here for the selling of the car. Friday, I come home from a massage and looked again at the green car and thought, "I don't need Doug to sell this car. I can do it myself -- after all, I bought it myself." Then I realized I really didn't want strangers coming to the house when Doug was away. I knew I needed to just get rid of it.

A couple of hours later my door rings. There are three Hispanic guys, maybe in their 20s, and they asked if we were selling the Cavalier. I told them yes. I asked how they knew (since there were no signs, no ads, no nothing) and they said because we hadn't moved the car in awhile. Okay, this freaked me out a bit. I let them look at the car and they asked what we were selling it for and I told them, jacking it up a bit. They asked if we it was in good condition and I said yes (neglecting all the problems with the air conditioning, etc.). I suggested that if they wanted to know more they should call Doug after 6 p.m. and gave his cell number.

Later that afternoon I'm running some errands and get home a bit after 6. I know Doug is on his way. As I'm parking, this van stops in front of the house. It's dark out and I see it's the guys. I'm more than a little freaked -- after all, they knew enough that the car hadn't moved. Were they casing the joint? They want to know about Doug and I say he's on his way, hightailing it into the house. I call Doug on the cell and no answer. The guys are still outside. I call Doug again and yet again and no answer. I think -- who can I call? With the dogs, I was safe inside, but still... I call my friend Gary, hoping he was working late at Dell and could swing by on his way home. Of course, he was already at dinner. Gary could tell by my voice I was worried and it didn't help when we got disconnected. He finally called back and I told him what was up, but said it would be okay. Finally, Doug arrived and Gary hangs up.

Of course, this was my overactive imagination, but still, it was suspicious.

Doug talked to the guys, told them what all was wrong with the car, cleaned it out for them and let them test drive it and made a deal with them. The price was less than what I quoted, but more than what we thought it would actually sell for. They paid cash, signed the paperwork and drove off with the car, heading, they said, back home to Brownsville. The car has finally been sold.

I'm still a bit freaked to think someone watched the house enough to know we weren't driving the car, but I'm more amazed with how easily the car was sold. I decided it was finally time that the car was gotten rid of and suddenly it's gone. Think it and it will happen.

Weird news of the week

Here's a story out of Houston that reminds me of the old journalism school adage about what is news -- Dog Bites Man is not news, but Man Bites Dog is. Maybe that's why the Dog Shoots Man headline caught my attention.

So excited!

This weekend we are moving to the world of HD. We did the day-after-Christmas sale at Fry's electronics and bought this Sony Bravia for a really great deal. Tonight we are going to buy the stand/mount we have picked out, tomorrow the tv arrives and Sunday the DirecTV folks are going to upgrade our system. The tv has been a long time coming, doing research and patiently waiting for the right time, system and bargain. The conversion to HD is partly our Christmas present to each other, along with a gift from both both of our parents (thanks, folks!). I can't wait until Sunday when I can try out all the channels.

Cool gifts

I got the neatest Christmas gift from my sister Chris yesterday. It's a photo book with family pictures throughout the year. It's printed, hardbound and even has captions. It's a really cool idea for a gift.

This year, we decided to get digital photo frames for both sets of parents. The ones from Kodak were the best. What made it real cool, at least in our mind, is that we pre-loaded the frames with photos. I need to make a flash slide show and post it for folks to see.

I also got mom laser etching of the photo below. Mom is the baby, sitting on my grandmother's lap, with my great grandmother and great great grandmother on either side. We found this place in Georgetown that can laser etch photos into framed tiles, glass and wood. Unfortunately, we found it after we sent the Christmas package to Doug's parents, or we would have done something for them as well.

Latest projects

Below are some of my latest fusing projects. The first two are Christmas gifts for my sisters, the next two are candle holders (Christmas gifts as well). The last two are just because I found a couple of cool slumpers when I was in Ft. Worth. More of my fusing work can be found on my Web site; I will add these photos to the gallery later this week.