bjalg's blog

Emily's Page

2007-12-11T00:58:00.001-08:00

My one friend and her fabulous sisters who actually update their blog!!
http://motherlessjonesgirls.blogspot.com/

Berry Hill Brunch!

2007-10-30T21:50:00.001-07:00

Fun times at La Strada!

2007-10-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Town Lake Village

2007-02-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

We are buying a house! The whole process started last Saturday when we looked at a less-desirable, but really inexpensive condo development. We decided to keep looking "just for fun" and found Town Lake Village.

Check out the website at:

www.townlakevillage.com

We are getting an end unit (#20), which uses floor plan B. It will be nice to be out of the burbs and closer to downtown, where we can enjoy the lake, walking, better restaurants, and the like.

******

On another note- I got a summer job offer! I will be working for Booz Allen Hamilton as a strategy consultant based out of their Dallas office. Things kick off in mid-May and I am looking forward to an exciting, travel-filled summer!

Costa Rica!

2007-02-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Check out my Costa Rica pics at my Google Page: http://benmanwaring.googlepages.com/costarica%21

The trip was incredible! Just a short flight from Houston and we were experiencing perfect beaches, warm water, and incredible scenery. Our favorite part of the trip was our adventure at Tabacon Hot Springs- absolutely one of the most perfect, relazing days of my life. Please enjoy!

My First Wine Reviews!

2006-10-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

I wrote these for the prominent publication Texas Business Weekly. Hope you enjoy!

Jacob’s Creek

2004 Shiraz Cabernet

$6-$8

Imagine walking into the sequel of your favorite film. You pay your five bucks (you’re a grad student- it’s the matinee) and settle in for the show. Lights down. Curtains up. The film begins. Within five minutes you realize that this film is about as much fun as a Think n’ Drink with L. Ron Hubbard.

Such were my sentiments while drinking the 2004 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet. Those of you who know wine will say, “Well that’s what you get when you buy your wine from the sale bin at HEB.” To you I would respond: 1) I bought it at Randall’s and 2) I have $120,000 in student loans, so back off! A few months ago I tasted the 2003 vintage and found it most charming. The 2004, on the other hand, reminded me of Jar-Jar Binks: painful, cheap, and in the end more than a little nauseating. This vintage has all the sweetness of pine needles and finishes like a shot of Listerine.

I like to think of wines in terms of the occasion for which they are best suited. The Jacob’s Creek 2004 Shiraz Cab is a perfect second-date-which-you-hope-is-your-last-because-you-can’t-really-date-someone-who-thinks-hernias-make-good-cocktail-conversation-wine. Enjoy!

Driftwood Vineyards

2005 Viognier

$20

I can imagine one of my tan, carb-free friends from California furling their Botox-injected brow and saying harshly, “No good wine comes out of Texas!” I might have tended to agree with them, until I tried this delightful wine.

Driftwood Vineyards- which you can visit on your way to or from an artery-clogging trip to the Salt Lick- has struck gold with this delicious bouquet. The first sniff reveals a nose of honeysuckle and apricot with a subtle suggestion of freshly-picked Asian pear. A sip confirms the fruity aroma and adds the complexity of lemon peel and sweet orange. This wine finishes smooth without lingering too long or too sweetly.

Best occasion for this magical brew: watching the sunset over Lake Austin while snuggling with your special someone.

Here is the first draft of the Jacob's Creek:

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet

Vintage 2004

Imagine walking into a movie sequel. You loved the original and read solid reviews of the current film. You pay your five bucks (you’re a grad student so you have to see the matinee) pull out the bag of peanut M&M’s that are melting in your pocket and settle in for the show. Lights down. Curtains up. The film begins. Within five minutes you realize you liked the first film but, that this film feel like a bad date and you spend the rest of the time asking yourself exactly what that sticky stuff under your seat is.

This is how I felt drinking the 2004 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet. Those of you who drink wine will surely say, “Well that’s what you get when you buy your wine from the sale bin at HEB.” To you I would respond twofold: 1) I bought it at Randall’s and 2) I have $120,000 in student loans, so back off! However, back to my analogy, the stunning prequel I spoke of is the 2003 vintage under the same label, which I tried a few months ago and found most charming. It had a tart and rich head with mellow sides and a perky yet lush finish. The 2004, on the other hand, reminded me of Jar-Jar Binks: painful, cheap, and in the end more than a little nauseating. The blueberry essence of the 2003 is replaced by something closer to pine needles and the finish tastes a little like Listerine.

www.myspace.com/tackstheboydisaster

2006-10-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/tackstheboydisaster

EVERYBODY!!!!

Check these guys out. Very talented. I promise you won't be disappointed.

mundane sounds: Interview: Tacks, The Boy Disaster

2006-09-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

mundane sounds: Interview: Tacks, The Boy Disaster

This band is absolutely incredible! I saw them friday night in Austin at the Parish room. Wow!!~! I bought their EP at the concert that night. It has been on replay since then and I can't get tracks one and seven out of my head. (Those two tracks are called Frozenfeet and Matilda and you can listen to them on their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/tackstheboydisaster.) Seriously, check them out!

My Old Kentucky Blog

2006-08-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

My Old Kentucky Blog: "I figure since we were just talking about Sub Pop, I should mention that Oxford Collapse have new record, Remember The Night Parties, that will be out in October on the label. Oxford Collapse are three Brooklynites that create raw, nervous jangle pop that's dripping with teenage restlessness and raucous dance-punk energy. Their music might, in blog terms, may be best described as YANP after three beers.

Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks

Hear older Oxford Collapse works here.

Oxford Collapse plays the sounds of the suburbs, the blueprint of early summer, hopped up on candy scarfed down at bar mitzvah blowouts, at the batting cages, sneaking around all day at the multiplex, then turfing the neighbor’s lawn on a riding mower for good measure. They flip over big flat rocks and gaze fascinated at the insects living a private life beneath. They know that the devils and the details don’t need one another to get by, and demonstrate that with some of the wildest manic pop abandon heard in years. "

SUB POP RECORDS

2006-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

SUB POP RECORDS Great site for music!

The Shins - New Slang (Version 2)

2006-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00


Originally downloaded from m3 online, Top 65 Music Videos of 2005.

Untitled Document

2006-08-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Read this article about an Arab man who was asked to shcnage his shirt on Jet Blue because it had Arabic script. This is ridiculous.

Untitled Document

CivicArts : Eric Kuhne & Associates

2006-08-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

CivicArts : Eric Kuhne & Associates

Everyone has to check out this incredible new city being planned in Kuwait. Wow!

Black People Love Us!

2006-08-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

Black People Love Us!

I forgot how much I LOVE this site. Seriously! Especially the testimonials!

The Lovers, by Rene Magritte

2006-08-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite paintings, which I saw at the MOMA!

Murder!

2006-08-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Stacie prepares her torture implements! Seriously, though, she had a lot of fun with her first lobster! And I had a lot of fun with her in Jeremy in NYC!

It was just water...I promise!

2006-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Clearly, Stacie is enjoying her lemonade...and Jeremy is having a great conversation with... what is Jeremy doing?

Hmmm...

2006-08-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Is Chris concerned? And what is going on in Alys's head? Mysterious questions. Krysten, at least, is blissfully ignorant of the emotional drama playing out around her.

Preparing for the wedding!

2006-08-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Isn't Lisa a great photographer?! Well...she did have a great model. :)

Krysten, the Beautiful (and her beautiful bridesmaids)!

2006-08-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at Krysten and Chris's wedding in Baltimore this weekend. They both were incredible! And the Belmont is an amazing location.

Texas Spiritual Retreat Texas Couples Retreat Texas Personal Retreat Texas Group Retreat Texas Nature Retreats

2006-08-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or is there something wrong about the quote below by Bill Mollison?

Texas Spiritual Retreat Texas Couples Retreat Texas Personal Retreat Texas Group Retreat Texas Nature Retreats: "Vision and Values for Rainbow Hearth
Vision
MARIAH WENTWORTH has held to a vision for Rainbow Hearth as a retreat, teaching and healing center since 1981. Using Permaculture and other holistic land management principles, the land at Rainbow Hearth has been restored to vitality and productivity. Mariah and her life partner, Richard Gerstner, have slowly and carefully created the infrastructure for Rainbow Hearth to come into reality.

Many teachers have influenced her - not the least being the land, itself. Her Permaculture teacher, Bill Mollison, founder of the visionary system known as Permaculture, has proposed a global nation as follows:
'..... clustered not around territorial boundaries, but rather around three common values: care for the Earth, care for all beings, and the ability to provide a sustainable return on investment. '"

Hot-lanta!

2006-06-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

I found these wonderful pics from Atlanta two years ago! Two comments: Giselle and I were (are) the cutest friends ever! and: Teaching has aged me like twenty years! (Not to mention erasing my amazing tan!) :)

The craziest pic!

2006-06-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

And, yes, I took these! Lynwood, CA May 31, 2006. Morgan Spurlock only wishes he were here for this! Are you kidding me?! How lazy ARE people?

Image:LasKetchup2006.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-05-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Image:LasKetchup2006.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which one of these things is not like the other?

Las Ketchup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-05-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Las Ketchup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

These girls are the coolest! Heehee. I guess I missed their release in 02, but just saw them on MTV Hits. Too funny.

My Homepage!

2006-05-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

I admit that I haven't done much with this recently. I have been crazy busy with work and school (I graduate this week!). I was also accepted to UT Austin for the MBA program. I am crazy excited! Anyway, check out my homepage for pictures of my Eurotrip and other fun things:

bmanwaring.googlepages.com

I love Google Pages!

Other Great Blogs!

2006-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Lara: http://laramq.blogspot.com/ (My sister's ground-breaking new blog!)
John: http://whackthebastard.blogspot.com/ (Mmhmm)

Books I Read Last Year (2005)

2006-02-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
A Wild Sheep Chase by Hakuri Murakami
What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
The Best Little Boy in the World by Andrew Tobias
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Great Divorce by CS Lewis
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
To America by Stephen E. Ambrose
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Daimond
First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
Looking for Alaska by Peter Jenkins
When the Dram Club is Not Enough by Jeff Perrotti and Kim Westheimer
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Rare Earth by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee
The Road to Wealth by Suze Orman
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
The Greatest Management Principle in the World by Michael LeBeouf
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Are Telling Them by Al Franken
The Spirit to Serve by JW Marriot Jr.
How to Profit from the Coming Real Estate Bust by John Rubino
The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Asphalt Nation by Jane Holtz Kay
The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke by Suze Orman
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

More pictures of my kids!

2006-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Top: Period 2
Middle 1: Period 6
Middle2: Period 1
Bottom: Period 3

My Classes!

2006-02-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

Aren't they great?! The top picture is of Period 3 and the bottom is Period 7.

Books I want to read

2006-01-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

Suggestions?

Book's I Have Read (or am currently reading) This Year

2006-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan. A very nice book about a young gril's experience moving to the United States with her mother after losing her father. The first view pages have some unintentional double entendre- a very erotic scene between Esperanza and the ground. Highly recommend it.
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Loved it! Made me wish I were applying to graduate school to study Econ!
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Finally (!!!!) finished this book. Absolutely amazing and totally unexpected ending. Beautiful writing. Love Stegner.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (In process). I liked the movie a lot, so I thought I would give the book a go. It is opening my mind to more understanding of the expectations parents have for their children.
Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. Again, wish I were studying economics. Learned so much from this book
The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman. Very much enjoyed this book. Great thgouths on balancing globalization and social issues.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling. Rather enjoyed this one. Still shocked about Dumbledore and Snape. Harry's sudden boldness caught me off-guard. Overall, I liked it!
Nerds 2.0.1: A brief history of the internet by Stephen Segaller. The book that sprang out of the PBS series of the same name. Really well-written. Interviews with every major CEO, techie, whatever involved in the creation and advancement of the Internet and the Web. Really liked this one, though I think it seals my own dork status that I would stay in on a Friday night to read it.
The Case against the Global Economy by Jerry Mander (In Process). What a funny name combination! :) Thought I should balance all the pro-global stuff I have read. We'll see how it goes!
A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel. Very cool investing book. Been around for thirty years.
The Little Prince by Antonie de Saint Exupery. Read this one with the kids, but think I need to read it on my own so I can really process it.
Some accounting textbook. Actually kind of liked this one. I am a nerd. More of a nerd.
Reengineering the Corporation. Michael Hammer and James Champy. LOVED this! I never knew operations could be so interesting.
Crossing the Chasm. Geoffrey A. Moore. A book about selling (advanced) tech products to mainstream markets. Really interesting.
Grocery Revolution. Barbara Kahn and Leigh McAllister. Very thorough investigation into the marketing tactics of grocery stores. Not my cup of tea.
Kotler on Marketing. Philip Kotler. Let's just say that marketing has not yet caught me.
Information Rules. Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian. A guide to selling, buying, etc. in a networked, information-based economy. (In Process).

Lara's Health Wisdom

2006-01-31T07:46:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2006
Newest Post! Adult Onset Diabetes

Adult onset diabetes (or diabeetiss if you're Wilford Brimley) is out of fashion; it is now called type II diabetes. This is different from type I where the body does not even produce insulin. With type II the cells of the body decide they just do not want to deal with insulin anymore, which is a problem because insulin helps our cells to take in sugar, but our cells need sugar (screw you Dr. Atkins!) to do whatever the particular cells are supposed to do. If you do not want to get type II diabetes just use common sense, exercise, eat healthy foods most of the time (eating healthy foods all of the time is kind of boring) because even though it can run in families, about 90% of people with it are... well... fat.

Hopefully this can be an on-going contribution!

In Response to the Question: "Sodium. Why is it bad?"

Too much is bad because water follows sodium so the more salt you have the more water your body will retain. And the more water you retain the higher your blood pressure. And the higher your blood pressure the more likely you are to damage your kidneys and the lining of your blood vessels which can cause irregularities on the lining which makes it easier for cholesterol to build up on your vessel walls which can either completely block up and give you a heart attack or with continuing high blood pressure can dislodge and give you a stroke. Either way you are dead meat. Salty, dead meat. Like bacon or beef jerky.

Love,

Lara

One Year!

2006-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

Harold and I celebrated one year of knowing each other at Ruth's Chris in Beverly Hills. it was wonderful! The pic was taken with the camera he gave me. How sweet!

My First Blog!

2006-01-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! I feel so special. I don't expect taht anyone will read this but myself, however quite nice to have a second brain. My normal one is rather full recently. Also, I am beginning to abhore all things paper, so a nice digital storage bins suits me right now.