Xavierism

2009 Fiesta Bowl

I am thrilled to state that I witnessed the Texas Longhorns defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-21 in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. For years and years I've been waiting for the Longhorns to return to this bowl. I would have preferred that they had played for the BCS National Championship game but this was bittersweet. We were worried that we didn't have great seats. Luckily, we had great seats. We sat to the side of The Longhorn Band. It's an incredible feeling to be seated with fellow die hard Longhorn fans at a post season bowl. A team's whole season rests on one final game.

Rodan isn't much for sports but since he's had to put up with this Sports whore, it only seemed fitting that he be a part of this great event. I woke up early yesterday morning. I couldn't sleep due to excitement. The College Football's Greatest Party, prior to the game was fun. Tickets included a meal, a drink, and Tostitos Chips and Salsa. We mingled and chatted with various fans from Texas. 

The Fiesta Bowl has rich tradition. I can remember being a little boy and watching the games with my parents and sister. So being at this game and watching the Longhorns was simply a great evening. College football comes to an end on Thursday evening. After that, I adjust to other sports. As much as I love other sports, there's nothing quite like LONGHORN football. I'm ready to do it all over again in September. 

Hook 'em HORNS!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! on 12seconds.tv

It's been such a great day. I woke up early and meditated for a about an hour. I gave thanks for this day and asked God, The Virgin Mary, Angels & Patron Saints for strength and guidance throughout this year. It's a new year and a new day. I'm blessed to love and be loved.

May each of you remember to give thanks for the little things throughout the New Year. Even during hard times, we can always count the number of blessings in our life.

I'm ready for a fabulous weekend! Bring on the Fiesta Bowl & The Texas LONGHORNS!

Happy New Year!

PodCamp AZ 2008

I love the intro & beat to Duffy's Mercy. I could jam to this song over and over. Notice the many Ladies in Waiting (Adele, Duffy, Sharleen Spiteri, Joss Stone and others) are nippin' at the heels of Queen Amy? Don't get me wrong...I love all these Divas.

Thanks to Stephanie , I am registered for this weekend's PodCamp AZ 2008. What is a PodCamp? According to their site, 'Podcamp is a FREE BarCamp-style community UnConference for podcasters and listeners, bloggers and readers, and anyone interested in New Media.' For small business owners such as myself, it's all about social networking and using all the media tools to compete in today's market. I look forward to learning and networking.

Texas vs Texas Tech game. The events of Saturday's camp will end just as the Texas Longhorns continue their chase to the BCS Championship. Red Raiders are going down!

It's late. I'm excited. I'm sleepy. It's all good.

***Stephanie, did you notice your Burnt Orange link? OU Still Sucks!

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Duffy's Mercy
Current Mood: Excited & Sleepy

Longhorns #1 in Polls!

Last Saturday, I joined friends to watch The UT/ou game at The Tilted Kilt in Tempe. Turns out, this is the regular football watch for OU Exes and fans. There were a total of about 10 Longhorns fans in the joint. It was great to be on the winning side! Texas played a smart game and won 45-35. Not only did they beat the number one team, they replace the Sooners as the #1 team in the country.

The Phoenix Greek Festival took place this past weekend as well. I joined friends yesterday afternoon for a bit of Greek food & fun. I will definitely need to work out today after eating so many desserts. OPA! Overall, I had a great weekend.

This was a rough week and weekend but I'm thankful that I was surrounded by incredible friends. Thanks Stephanie for sharing these great pics. I look forward to sharing more moments with you & the gang.

By the way, The Penguins are back! I've missed my little buddies: The Penguin Cam.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Duffy's Hanging On Too Long
Current Mood: Hungry

Pieces To My Puzzle

The Beautiful Blossom from My Little Cactus.

***Random Play
*Corrinne May: Beautiful Seed
*Duffy: Rockferry
*Sharleen Spiteri: Melody
*Adele: 19
*Sandi Thom: Smile...It Confuses People
*Tracey Thorn: Out Of The Woods

I love my time alone. I learn so much about myself simply from the quiet moments. Other times, it can be such a curse. When certain questions need to be answered, you hear the inner voice asking over and over. There's no getting away from it. I know that many us refuse to deal and answer such questions, but this past week, I've allowed myself to be frank and answer things that will help me get to the next step. Much of this focuses around my career. I'm at a point where I have to decide what I really want. I work so many differ angles with a variety of clients that I feel as though I'm not able to accentuate the areas of strength. To kick things off, I've been engaging in deep conversations with a close friend and Life coach. Amazing that this friend and I have been friends for almost 8 years and it's only now that I see how truly amazing he is.

A dear friend/singer-songwriter in LA is going through similar changes in her life. It seems that our journeys in life parallel one another so we're able to identify and support each other. Since she's going the much of the same motions, I love that I'm able to share my progress. At certain times it doesn't feel like progress...but I feel it within.

Originally I was planning to write a huge political rant. After much thought I decided against it. Although I still can't believe how many people are so far up Obama's ass! He's not getting my vote. Simple as that. Let's move on.

Tomorrow will be Father's first birthday since he passed away. Time. It goes, goes, and goes. Every day I think about him. There are days I cry out of anger that he's gone. I miss his wisdom, advice, and perspective on Life. Mother says that his wisdom lives within me so I should simply go forth and follow my heart. I had a CD-Rom which contained about 60 pictures of Father and family during the last two years of his life. I wanted to go back and view the pics a few nights ago. Ugh. I can't find it. I've searched all over the house. I hope I didn't throw it away. I never gave copies to Mother and Sis...so I've been upset at myself. There were amazing moments captured. I plan to search through the house again during the weekend.

Tomorrow is the big game: ou/UT game! I'll be sharing this with other UT/ou exes and fans. This is gonna be a great game. HOOK 'EM HORNS!

All in all, things are going well. I can see core of the Bigger Picture. Slowly but shurely, I will complete the pieces to my puzzle.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Adele's Right As Rain
Current Mood: Contemplative, Anxious, Loved

Little Reminders

Charlotte Martin's Cover of Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

***Random Play
*Celia Chavez: Sailor's Daughter
*Mozella: I Will
*Brandon Schott: Golden State
*Nadine Zahr: Underneath The Everyday
*Melissa Polinar: Sound Vault Sessions
*Terra Naomi: Under The Influence

Damn Aggies!

I delivered hot meals on Thanksgiving Day. Whatever pity parties I was soaked in, all went away on Thursday. I have no reason to complain. I was reminded that Life is Beautiful.

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Terra Naomi's Say It's Possible
Current Mood: Content & Chilled

"Hell NO!"

A friend called and woke my ass up at 3:30am to ask if I'd like to join her on a shopping frenzy. She plans to wait in line at a local department store no later than 6am. That Bitch is crazy! I told her I was going to send her a bill for wasting moments of my life that I'll never have back.

I'm going back to bed. I need all my strength for the Texas vs Texas A&M game!

HOOK 'EM HORNS!

Easy Grooves

Kylie watching the sprinkler water the yard.

***Random Play
*Joni Mitchell: Shine
*Laura Marie: Drawn
*Mozella: I Will
*Colbie Caillat: Coco
*Annie Lennox: Songs of Mass Destruction
*Sacha Sacket: Lovers & Leaders

***Music Recommendations:
*Annie Lennox: Songs of Mass Destruction: I believe this is one of Annie's best CDs. She uses more of her beautiful upper range and allows the songs to flow from track to track. This CD is a journey filled with beautiful lyrics and productions. Love is Blind track is about the harshness of life. She tugs the heart strings yet the listener feels the anger.  Sing is about the HIV awareness in Africa. At the end of her last track, Fingernail, I'm left with a sense of Hope concerning the matters in this present day world. A perfect CD for your collection.

*Joni Mitchell: Shine:  It's JONI MITCHELL! Beautiful arrangements and passionate lyrics to  Joni's voice and style. No collection is complete without Joni Mitchell.

Early Sunday morning. Cool air surrounded me.  City sounds. Wind Chimes whispers. Bird chirps. Early Sunday morning are best.

Glad to see that the Texas LONGHORNS rebounded from two consecutive losses and easily defeated the hicks from Iowa State.  Gotta rest up my energy and voice for the  Diamondbacks & Rockies game this afternoon.

Rodan and I were excited to see  Elizabeth, The Golden Age. I loved the cinematography but didn't think that the movie flowed quite as well as the first one. I was hoping to see Cate really sink herself into the character but other than a few scenes, I didn't feel it was grand. I do believe she should receive an Oscar nomination for this role. In my opinion, she was robbed of the Oscar from her performance in Elizabeth.   

I'm gaining ground. Steady ground.  I'm must remember that I'm responsible for my own happiness. I can't blame others and things. It's all up to me. God, my faith, my angels and saints continue to guide me. Time to head to the gym!   

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: Annie Lennox's Fingernail
Current Mood: Relaxed, Easy, & Loving

Super Bowl Sunday

***Random Play
*Amy Roberts: It Is
*Brian Vander Ark: Resurrection
*Raina Rose: The Prophet, The Panhandler, & The Moon
*Morley: Days Like These
*Matt Jones: The Segue EP
*Amanda Kaletsky: Between You & Me EP

*Blog of The Day: I love Jann Arden's latest blog entry. Take a moment to enjoy Jann's words & thoughts.

It's Super Bowl weekend. I'm not a huge fan of The Bears or Colts so we'll probably watch the game from home. A Sunday evening at home with Rodan & the feathered angels sounds like a perfect evening.

Jill & I enjoyed First Friday at our fave places. It was great catching up with her. I remember during our first few minutes of conversation, she said, "Wait a minute. I can't believe you've lost so much weight!" I have the most amazing fruit flies. I'll be spending time with Jill on Tuesday evening at the Justin King & Ten Dollar Outfit gig...Sweet!
 
I've now lost 58 pounds. Five more pounds and I'll be at goal.  I still can't believe that I have lost the weight. I hope to never have countless pity parties over weight issues. I must remember this is not about a diet alone...it's about a lifestyle change. I have a new personal trainer...Jeff. Oh man...he's one handsome stud. I had my first workout with him on Friday. I look forward to our sessions. I'm happy to report that during my last runs, my right ankle hasn't been a problem. I'm taking my time with the longer runs and concentrating on merely getting used to running three/two times a week.

The Pursuit of Happyness. Last night, Rodan and I decided to take in a movie. We have so many movies to see & review before The Oscars. I'm glad we decided to see Will Smith's latest flick. This movie is warm hearted. It was such a joy to see Will co star with his own son, Jaden Smith. From the opening scene, each person can identify with the main character, Christopher Gardner. From beginning to end, you're wishing and hoping for a happy ending. I highly recommend this movie.

Time to enjoy Sunday. Take care & Enjoy the moment!

*****CHEERS!*****

Current Music: BRIAN VANDER ARK's A Million Things
Current Mood: Relaxed & Happy

Far From Hollywood Scripts...

***Random Play
*Genevieve: This Little Thing Called Life
*Sade: The Best of Sade
*Edie Carey: Another Kind of Fire
*Brett Dennen: Self Titled CD
*Sarah McLachlan: Surfacing
*Judith Owen: Here

I've been overwhelmed with work. As an outside consultant, I am blessed to be able to say and write such a thing.  This past week was supposed to be rather easy. Instead, I left a trail of my brains scattered every which way. Luckily, I was able to regroup myself over the weekend.

Last Friday evening, a group of friends and myself met up at Cafe Boa. We shared great good, conversation, fabulous music, and good times. Ten Dollar Outfit provided the entertainment for the night. It was a perfect way to end a hectic work week.

College Football! Let's discuss. First of all, I can't believe The Sooners didn't show up for The Fiesta Bowl. When they did finally show up, it was too late.  Those Hicks from Boise State escaped with a win. I applaud The Broncos for the daring play that captured the win. The BCS Bowl. I HATE Ohio State & Florida so I didn't really care which team won. I was hoping for a Buckeye win but that didn't happen. With all the upsets, I am happy that The Longhorns escaped with a win in The Alamo Bowl.

The Dallas Cowboys. I felt so confident about The Cowboys chances for an upset heading into their play game against the Seattle Seahawks. I'll admit that when Romo fumbled snap on the field goal kick sent me into a little binge. Minutes later, I could have cared less about my diet & proper eating habits. It just so happen that Rodan was in the kitchen making delicious chocolate chip cookies. I think I had about a dozen. YUMMERS!

The Democrats. I'm glad to see the Democrats finally take command of Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the gang kicked off their 100 hour deadline to pass six major pieces of legislation. Oh... Sofia home, now. Sofia home. Things is gonna be changin' around here. Pass me them peas, boy!

Anyway, I'm happy to say that as of today, I've lost 52 pounds. I'm down to 178 pounds. Not bad, eh? I've enjoyed wearing and trying on all my clothes. My work outs and running regiments are going well. My ankle hurts when I run more than 4 miles. It's been hurting more and more. My doctor feels I should sit this half marathon out and wait till it's better before I try such a task. I plan to make a final decision during my run tomorrow. There is a half marathon run in Prescott that takes place during the first weekend of May. So that's something to consider.

The excitement of sports. Good or bad...it's what makes us feel alive during those exciting moment. The long wait for the first games of the next college football season seems such a long, long time. Of course, September will be here in no time. Until then, there's basketball, hockey, and tennis...I won't be down for too long.

Life. So many stories and plots are unfolding in the lives of close friends. I know that each friend is strong enough to get through the hurdles. My angels and I are praying & hoping for each of you...

Time to tackle a few projects and make a few phone calls. 2007...it's been such a great start. Time to make things happen! Enjoy the moment! 

*****CHEERS!*****

CURRENT MUSIC: Judith Owen's I'll Watch You
CURRENT MOOD: Productive