my mind's racing from chasing pirates...

at 03/12/10 8:20AM
We literally jumped for joy when we got these in the mail yesterday!
  • tgatzajr
    Hmmmm.... I'll trade you a Vidor Pirate's football game ticket for 'em....:-)
    by tgatzajr at 03/12/10 8:23AM
  • jenkegley
    That is so funny! I was just thinking about you Monday. I was driving home from the grocery store and heard her on the radio and when the song was over, the DJ said she will be performing in Houston. I thought - "Man, I bet Adam would want to go to that!" Y'all have fun!
    by jenkegley at 03/12/10 8:57AM
  • markroberts
    Norah Jones ... Norah Jones... isn't that a mid-level major on the bubble for the Big Dance along with George Mason?
    by markroberts at 03/12/10 9:38AM
  • cathymoore
    Yay for Norah tickets!
    by cathymoore at 03/12/10 9:42AM
  • AlanL
    Neat-o!
    by AlanL at 03/12/10 10:05AM
  • kailua
    Ohhhhhhhhh Mannnnnnn! You lucky, lucky, lucky people! Enjoy!
    by kailua at 03/12/10 10:26AM
  • skidget
    awesome!
    by skidget at 03/12/10 11:25AM
  • windham4life
    fun!
    by windham4life at 03/12/10 11:41AM
  • bah
    Oh Norah. Did you not name your car that? Congrats and you will have a blast!
    by bah at 03/12/10 12:18PM
  • dwatkins
    I am loving her latest album SO MUCH right now!
    by dwatkins at 03/12/10 12:39PM
  • rainout
    reminds me of your car...;) oh, just saw brett's comment!
    by rainout at 03/12/10 2:59PM
  • nickomundo
    Woot!
    by nickomundo at 03/15/10 8:30PM
  • adeline
    :]
    by adeline at 03/17/10 4:33PM
  • kimsisco
    wish i could go!
    by kimsisco at 03/20/10 9:23PM

Vermont WIN. Texas FAIL.

at 03/03/10 1:13PM
For Chris and Noreen...

...

Vermont ranked first, with 96.6 percent graduating [high school]. South Carolina ranked last with 55.2 percent; Washington, D.C., isn't included. The national rate of graduating students in 2009 was 69.3 percent.

Texas' graduation rate has been sliding. In 2001 the state ranked 35th, with 65 percent of students graduating from high school. In 2008, Texas ranked 42nd with 62.6 percent of students graduating.

Politifact.com
  • AlanL
    I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that nearly half of Texas students are from immigrant families whose culture doesn't yet highly value education. When your mom was teaching ESL students, she had parents tell her that learning was to be done at school, not at home. They objected to the 10 minutes of homework their 1st graders were being given. Perhaps over time this attitude will change. Typically people want to blame the politicians and the teachers and school administrators for failing their students, and the government itself thinks it can hold teachers accountable for these things. In some cases, teachers ought to be held accountable, but the fact is that without parental interest, this is inevitable.

    Unfortunately, what I have observed is that instead of education becoming a priority for those "immigrant" cultures, it's actually becoming less important to those who have traditionally valued it. Blame my generation for deciding that it's cool to be an uneducated hick.
    by AlanL at 03/03/10 2:07PM
  • cathymoore
    I can remember when Ash was in the 4th grade I volunteered at her school and helped her teacher grade papers. I could not believe my eyes when I saw some of the spelling tests from these children. The words that many of these children tried to spell were not even close to the correct spelling. I remember thinking then, what are the parents at home teaching these children? What are their conversations about? It was a sad situation.

    Your post and your dad's post reminded me that many times this happens in our children's spiritual lives. Parents are so busy these days (understandably so) that they expect their children to get their spiritual nourishment only from attending bible classes and hearing sermons. We heard a wonderful sermon last night about "why so many young people leave the faith".

    Parents have huge responsibilities! The payoff is sooooo worth it! Love ya!
    by cathymoore at 03/03/10 2:20PM
  • adampual
    That is so true. The same attitudes affecting learning in schools have definitely affected Biblical learning and spiritual growth. Being a parent sounds scary!!
    by adampual at 03/03/10 3:45PM
  • kailua
    Ta-daaaaa - interesting, very interesting.
    LOL Adam you crack me up. :-)

    *You do not know how much I wanted to type an error in there!
    by kailua at 03/03/10 8:08PM
  • sparky
    And Texans just picked a Rep candidate that has no clue how to fix that.
    by sparky at 03/03/10 9:23PM
  • the_gaffer
    The dark ages needed ditch diggers too.
    by the_gaffer at 03/04/10 6:08AM
  • gslover
    Maybe they lowered the standard in Vermont? In California they all graduate! Nobody fails!
    by gslover at 03/04/10 10:20AM
  • gslover
    I have tremendous concerns for the educational system everywhere. Our son had a elementary principal that could not write complete sentences in her memos! Parental involvement is an absolute must for success!
    by gslover at 03/04/10 10:23AM
  • nycami
    yes, we just moved across the hall. sooooooo nice to be able to look out the windows. Bascially the same apartment, better updated kitchen and bath. Hope you are well!
    by nycami at 03/06/10 10:23PM
  • justjoey
    Yeah man, that would be great! So I guess the job didn't work out for ya? I'm sure it's all for the best, seeing as He knows what's best for us!
    by justjoey at 03/10/10 2:46PM

Cupcake wars!!

at 02/11/10 1:47PM
Hey Cupcake files trademark lawsuit against Indiana cupcake trailer
By Steven Kreytak | Thursday, February 11, 2010, 01:00 PM

Austin’s Hey Cupcake, an early comer to the burgeoning local trailer-food market, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that accuses a trailer cupcake business in Indiana of copying the visual appearance of its retail trailers.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Austin, said that The Cupcake Camper in Noblesville, Ind., operates out of an Airstream Trailer with a large, three-dimensional cupcake on the roof, similar to one copyrighted by Hey Cupcake owner Wes Hurt.

Austin’s Hey Cupcake located on South Congress Avenue.


The Cupcake Camper in Noblesville, Indiana.


“The level, extent and details of copying employed by the Cupcake Camper are facially apparent,” the lawsuit states. In addition to to being accused of copying the exterior appearance of the trailer, the suit accuses The Cupcake Camper of beginning to sell t-shirts that say “Real Men Eat Cupcakes” after Hey Cupcake began selling shirts that say “Real Men Love Cupcakes.”

Matthew Brereton, who according to the lawsuit is the manager and sole shareholder of The Cupcake Camper LLC, an Illinois corporation, could not be immediately reached for comment. According to The Cupcake Camper’s Web site, there are plans to open a Cupcake Camper in Chicago in the spring.

The lawsuit against Brereton and The Cupcake Camper LLC charges violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act as well as federal trademark and copyright laws.

It says that Hey Cupcake seeks more than $75,000 in damages, although the exact amount is not enumerated.
Hurt opened Hey Cupcake on West 24th Street in March 2007 and relocated it to the 1600 block of South Congress, shown above, later that year. Now, according to Hey Cupcake’s Website, the business has trailers in the Four Points area west of Austin, in Oak Hill and in Lakeway. In 2008, Hurt opened a fixed store location on Burnet Road.

The online menu states that in addition to $2.50 cupcakes, Hey Cupcake sells refreshments, t-shirts and hats.
  • joc
    $2.50 a piece!!! For a cup cake??? That would be $30 for a dozen...TWELVE...cup cakes. Maybe we should join the cup cake war --- start baking and give them more competition.
    by joc at 02/11/10 2:08PM
  • gslover
    Hey I think I've seen that trailer before, only they had a "breakfast taco" up there.
    by gslover at 02/11/10 7:06PM
  • cmvermont
    lol
    by cmvermont at 02/11/10 9:23PM
  • bah
    I would pay 2.50 if they were the size of the one on the roof.
    by bah at 02/12/10 10:56AM
  • coffee_girl
    Interesting! I love Hey Cupcake...best $2.50 I've ever spent, for sure. :). Totally worth it. I think those haters up there need to try it...so...good...now I'm drooling.
    by coffee_girl at 02/12/10 7:57PM
  • tgatzajr
    Remember "Intel Inside"? These guys took to court a non profit Yoga website that tries to reach angry gang members and teach them how to control their anger. All because their website was "YogaInside." In America you can sue anybody for anything.
    by tgatzajr at 02/13/10 7:50AM
  • Lovemeforme
    hey! how have you been?
    by Lovemeforme at 02/14/10 2:26AM
  • adeline
    i love cupcakes!!!
    by adeline at 02/14/10 5:16PM
  • littlebitty624
    I don't even know what to say....
    by littlebitty624 at 02/15/10 3:11PM
  • spike427
    mmm cupcakes!
    by spike427 at 02/17/10 11:32AM
  • jenna
    lol
    by jenna at 02/19/10 10:07PM
  • markroberts
    pretty hard to imagine a company in Indiana is confusing Hey Cupcakes' customers in Austin... yes, you can sue anybody for anything in America but that doesn't mean you'll win!
    by markroberts at 02/21/10 7:52AM
  • kailua
    Funny, I guess there is no peace on Cupcake Lane today!
    by kailua at 02/25/10 1:16AM

LOST...

at 02/02/10 3:31PM
Sorry for leaving the sad post up so long.

A much happier note: LOST is back!!

I'm a little bummed that it's the final season, but I am excited to see how in the world the writers are going to tie up all the loose ends and answer dozens of questions. I don't think we'll be disappointed.

Peace!

-apl
  • bah
    We just started season 2...got a long way to go before we catch up. but it's exciting!
    by bah at 02/02/10 4:20PM
  • ashley
    i didn't see any of season 5 so i started that tonight. shouldn't take too long to catch up
    by ashley at 02/02/10 9:47PM
  • viarostultega
    I left work earlier than normal to catch it! W00t!
    by viarostultega at 02/02/10 10:26PM
  • rainout
    after last night -- I'm still confused! grrrrrrr...
    by rainout at 02/03/10 2:29PM
  • maucknot
    I was anticipating something very good and was very disappointed...didn't like that show at all.
    by maucknot at 02/03/10 3:43PM
  • laughing_eyes
    :)
    by laughing_eyes at 02/10/10 7:11PM

:(

at 01/08/10 7:41AM
For as long as I live, I'll have a recurring vision of Colt getting hit and not coming back. Bummer.
  • it_doesnt_matter
    Gilbert has great potential though. 26 total snaps(?) this season to get thrown into the national championship AND he (and others) brought his team within 3! I agree with you, Texas has another good QB to take Colt's spot.
    by it_doesnt_matter at 01/08/10 10:17AM
  • markroberts
    Texas made enough mistakes to last them a lifetime. They should've developed their second string QB in all those blow out wins where Colt was out there throwing frantically in the 4th quarter to improve his stats. Or maybe they'd want to work on a running game so if their passing game isn't working (because their receivers are dropping everything, for example). They also might want to bring a run defense next time - oh look, there goes Mark Ingram for nine yards now. If Bama hadn't put their offense in a shell in the third quarter (or Ingram cramped up) the score would've been 75-6. And what about that shovel pass before the half? Nice call coach.

    Texas fans will forever say "if Colt wasn't hurt we'd have won." That's like OU fans saying if Bradford hadn't been knocked out by Texas they would've won. Bama sure would have played differently if Colt was in there.

    In the end injuries are part of the game. To be the champs last night they needed to overcome that injury (and a bunch of other mistakes). You might do that against UCF, but it's not gonna happen against Bama and Nick Saban.
    by markroberts at 01/08/10 11:25AM
  • adeline
    :[ indeed!
    by adeline at 01/08/10 12:59PM
  • morethanjosh
    They should've developed their second string QB in all those blow out wins where Colt was out there throwing frantically in the 4th quarter to improve his stats

    ^^i've heard this argument quite a few times today, and while i don't disagree that the back up qb should have been played in those situations, it wouldn't have done squat for the kid getting thrown into the national championship game against a defense a billion times better than anything he would've seen in mop up/trash time. how the game would've gone with colt in there, obviously no one will ever know, and it doesn't matter because bama won. however, nick saban sure gives the outward appearance of a sorry person and i will enjoy it when the day comes that someone rubs his nose in a defeat.
    by morethanjosh at 01/08/10 1:45PM
  • buttermilk
    I don't really agree with much of that. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. No one can deny that Alabama beat the second best from Texas. If Colt had been in that game, yeah... both teams would have played differently, and I don't think either team can say for sure whether they would have won or lost. And honestly, all I've heard all day is Bama fans trying to justify their win because they know it could have turned out differently with McCoy in the game. I know I wouldn't want to win a championship that way.

    While it stinks to miss out on the championship, nothing beats the class of Colt McCoy. Texas gained a lot of fans last night. "I always give God all the glory. I don't ever question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life and I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the rock." Wow. And don't feel bad for too long... I think Gilbert showed a glimpse of a bright future for the Longhorns.
    by buttermilk at 01/08/10 1:57PM
  • markroberts
    ^^^^ "I know I wouldn't want to win a championship that way." REALLY? Do tell!

    So I guess you were unhappy that Texas beat OU by knocking out Sam Bradford? You didn't like winning the Big 12 South doing that and feel it taints your Big 12 championship? Do you wish you hadn't been in the BCS game last night because with Bradford OU might have beat Texas and then Texas wouldn't have even been in the BCS Championship at all? Tell us more about how you wouldn't want to win a championship "that way." Oh wait ... that's different because it was Texas knocking out a QB, not the Texas QB getting knocked out. I understand now!

    and would Texas have said "we beat Bama's second best" if they won, since Ingram didn't play two quarters with cramps? and he was hurting badly at the end (when Texas couldn't stop him anyway)?

    Logic and Longhorns. they go together like Rush Limbaugh and Nancy Pelosi.
    by markroberts at 01/08/10 3:09PM
  • cmvermont
    i believe the point was that it doesn't taste as sweet winning that way. winning is winning, but the game's not the same. that much you admitted yourself, when you referenced how the game changed when ingram was out. if he had left the game around the same time colt left, who knows how the game would have ended.

    it's not logic and longhorns that go don't get along. it's logic and dogmatism.
    by cmvermont at 01/08/10 6:38PM
  • laughing_eyes
    :( it was sad!
    by laughing_eyes at 01/08/10 8:58PM
  • larry
    Good call.
    by larry at 01/08/10 11:10PM
  • rachel_jeanne
    AMEN!!!!
    by rachel_jeanne at 01/09/10 12:18PM
  • buttermilk
    He pretty much made my point, and I'm not going to flood Adam's page with my long response. :)
    by buttermilk at 01/09/10 4:37PM
  • gslover
    I know how you feel. 1975 - No. 2 Aggies beat Arkansas and they will play for a National Championship. We lost! Ughh! I was in Little Rock for the whole, cold debacle.
    by gslover at 01/09/10 10:25PM
  • AlanL
    Amazing how much discussion is going on here, and all Adam said was "bummer".
    by AlanL at 01/11/10 10:14AM
  • littlebitty624
    That was sad! Poor guy!
    by littlebitty624 at 01/11/10 12:57PM
  • musicaljill
    Hi! I thought about you when we were watching the Championship game. Sorry it turned out that way, but looks like you've got a good QB for this coming year! Hope you and Ashley are doing great in TX! Michael and I are looking to move, whether it's by job transfer or a new company. We'll see where that leads us. Thinking Nashville, Raleigh, maybe even Texas.
    by musicaljill at 01/12/10 3:01PM
  • smallville24
    Hook 'Em Horns!!!!!
    by smallville24 at 01/12/10 10:29PM
  • buttermilk
    True.
    by buttermilk at 01/13/10 4:26PM
  • the_gaffer
    Do you know if Sarah Sanford Lyon is still on line somewhere?
    by the_gaffer at 01/13/10 6:24PM
  • jhunt21
    Hey man, I would be glad to take you to see Golden-cheeked warblers! We'll have to set up a weekend sometime this spring to do that!
    by jhunt21 at 01/18/10 2:52PM
  • nycami
    Yes, Edwin is here. We're really enjoying him personally, and looking forward to his lessons tomorrow and Sunday. Wish you were here to hear!
    by nycami at 01/22/10 10:07PM