The pic of all pics...

I don't think I've had a chance to post the pic of the year... well, friends, here it is. The most amazing live performance ever-- DMB at the ACL taping, FRONT ROW. For a passionate Dave fan, it just doesn't get better than this. EVER. I got two guitar pics and am all over the actual nationally released PBS video. Hugs.

The lovely ladies from left to right Ashley, Ivette and Jenni (the girl with the poster who changed it all).

The holidays are coming!

I'm rather excited for them to be here. :)

Gift box drawn by friend Dania

Tree and gifts

Catching up on food...

Same entry as below, but with a focus on food. I love food. You love food. It fuels us and some look really good at doing so. Check these out!

About to feast at the Melting Pot

Lali's home creation for her beau

Deliciously stuffed pepper made by moi

Soup at La Traviatta

One of the most ridiculously good tasting burgers from MooYah

Catching up...

So I haven's posted in a WHILE. I'll try to recap as best I can the most photographable moments of the last several months.

Hugs.

LOL Translation: "Baby come came Saul"

Having a little fun on a work trip. World of Coke Museum!

See the Harry Potter bottle above?

New coke bottles -- launching at clubs in the UK

El Paso wedding

Hook e'm Horns! My first time to have to use

stirrups(?) to get onto Oreo!

Buckhead Diner

I was in Atlanta last month, or whenever it was, on business and went to dinner at the Buckhead Diner. They actually serve this blue cheese chip appetizer that is just amazing!

The inside decor gives this little diner a more upscale feel to it than your normal diner.

The best part? Coke from a glass bottle - it is the headquarter city after all!

Quickie in an Airplane

Austin to El Paso in June of this year.

Indonesia in my House

I live with four great people, three dogs and one fish.. As you can imagine, we have a lot of "stuff." I have been wanting to purchase something that will give me extra storage in my kitchen. I have a lot of kitchen stuff, and my growing Le Creuset collection deserves a better place to dazzle than above my fridge. So, on a whim I went to Austin's Furniture Depot just a few blocks from the house.

It was love at first sight. I couldn't decide which glass kitchen cabinet I wanted to go with, so I consulted two of my favorite people on this planet, Lindsay and Emily, and we agreed the apothecary version was the most like "me."

It's an Indonesian piece. Idonesia is the 4th most populated country in the world, did you know? Check out my new addition to my home! It's simply fabulous!

Le Creuset

Several weeks ago, maybe about a month or two or three, I was in serious need of some retail therapy. I had been working from the San Antonio office, so on my way back to Austin, I stopped at the Tanger Outlets - Le Creuset and got myself this bad boy. It could be a bad girl, it probably is a girl. Anyway! The roasted tilapia was the first meal I cooked in it, and it was one of the most perfectly cooked cuts of fish I have ever eaten. 

The green beans are from my roommate's parents' garden in midwest Texas. These items were not part of the same meal. Fun fact: the flame color shown below was the first in the French collection!

My friends went to London and all I got was...

They were strolling on some fabulous London street and ran into my dominator, my supply, my challenger, aka-- my employer's London office.

They could not resist the temptation and snapped some pics for me. I told them I would be there in spirit- not sure if this is what I had in mind!

Thanks, @ccortes10!

Billboard Latin Awards- Part 1

I was offered the pleasure of attending the Billboard Latin Music Awards a la VIP with my company and one of our clients last week. While the actual experience  was pretty fantastic, the awards were well... "interesting" is putting it nicely. Here are some of "better" things at the awards... 

The stage was pretty cool as were our seats

Here is Carlos Santana in white, being recognized for his gee-tar skills. 

La Chica Dorada debuted her new single

Mana and Carlos performed together

Apparate to Santorini

Dear God make me a bird, so I can fly far far away from here... Sometimes I close my pretty little eyes and find myself back in this place...

View from hotel room

Ferry from Athens to Santorini

Sigh...

I really, really, miss you, college football. Please hurry back. 

A Dog's Tale

This blog is for Nikki, my wonderful pup. For nearly two years we've been battling the worst case ever of mange, ringworm and skin infections. I'm serious. He reeked and his skin was cracked, open sores, wounds, some bleeding. The poor little guy's spirits were so low, and he was so - how should I put this gently - unapproachable, that he was not getting any tender affection from anyone. Finally, we were reffered to Dr. Jenise Daigle over at the Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital and after another seven months of treatment, we got the heavenly call today that HE IS CURED! No mange, bacteria - nothing! All the hard work and dollars have paid off - glad to have you back, Nicksters!

MEXICO DF in SFO

For all of you who like Mexican food (and since most of my readers are in Texas, I know I am writing to all of  you) check out MEXICO DF in San Francisco. It is perfect for a special occasion, business dinner, or just a vacation dinner with friends. First off, they have a tamarindo margarita. That's right. Super rare and super tasty. We ordered their guacamole with chipotle salsa and (drumroll please...) mango - and it was superb! The guacamole softened the spicy kick from the chipotle pepper. My wonderful friend Orlando ordered the "pescado veracruzano" and it was nothing short of perfection. I ordered their vegetarian tamales (I know, but I had been eating all day and had to order something on the lighter side) and HOT DAMN they were delicious! Seriously, amiguitos, I highly recommend this place. Thank you, fabulous Lorenzo, for taking me there!

their place settings were absolutely colorful

guacamole con salsa chipotle y mango

pescado veracruzano

tamales riquisimos de queso

Dazzling Zebra

This blog entry is dedicated to Meghan at Ham I am. You see, Meghan and I were super college besties, and she was then completely infatuated with the zebra print. We're talking photo frames, bed sheets and bed spread, shoes, belts, shirts, earrings, the list goes on and on. I'm pretty sure we had zebra print plates as well. But don't fret, my pets - Meghan has exceptional taste and none of this was ever tacky. Anyway, on my last trip to Fredericksburg, I went into one of many ranch-style home decor stores and was greeted by this sassy, shiny, zebra. Come on, who wouldn't want to buy this?

Athens - Go!

I strongly advise everyone to visit Athens at least once in their lifetime. It's amazing, and not just from History's perspective - the people, food, even liquor... Well, not really becase I am not a fan of their Ouzo, but it definitely had its kick. It's liquorish infused, and I am not a fan -- just as I am not a fan of absinthe. Below are some pictures from my Athens trip.

At the Acropolis

View of Athens from Acropolis

Tres tragitos de Ouzo

Star Bagel - San Francisco

One of my all-time favorite "meals" is the sandwich, mainly due to its versatility. A sandwich can be hot, cold, beef, veggie, bbq, Italian, the list goes, on and on and on. And we haven't even gotten into the cheeses or breads. We arrived in San Francisco on an empty stomach and abut 40 minutes before the start of our three hour awesome city tour. So, we wandered around  Nob Hill, where out hotel was, to find some grub. We ran into Star Bagel - a local favorite spot. It was early in West Coast time, and while we were craving lunch, most were still ordering bagels and cream cheese. Their cream cheese spread was pretty extensive: 

We still ordered lunch, even after being tempted by the cream cheese factory. The result? A very well orchestrated turkey bagel sandwich on a jalapeño bagel. The best part was the great service - it really was a most gentle kick off to our trip!

Fisherman's Wharf Part Deux

In my last post I referenced the amazing crab chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin Bakery. So good. I was in San Francisco during their Dungeness Crab week. I'm not sure if the sea food stands (think puestesitos or taco stands) are up on the wharf year round, regardless my traveling partner and I went for it. We took full advantage of the fresh sea food by digging into some on-the-street eateries and munched on some fresh calamari and crab. 

 

Crab Chowder in Bread Bowl

Let's talk about this, please. At the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco lies the Boudin Bakery. Their specialty? Sourdough bread. They serve this delicious, fresh dungeness crab chowder in something more than just a bowl, a sourdough bread bowl. Yum. Good enough to scrape whatever bread is left in the bread bowl with your spoon.

Michael Jordan

Is there anyone out there who really doesn't know who Michael Jordan is? Well, except maybe Lehf, because she was still in diapers when he was hot stuff. And all the babies that followed... Ok, well, this man is so admirable the way he handled that court time after time was inspiring. I only wished I could have seen him play live. At least I got to see Brazil play the Netherlands in the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA. Remember the logo?

Anyway, I digress. MJ. Yes. Statue in Chicago... done and done. Check out my pics!

World Cup USA logo source.