Update

Since my last post, I have:

- gone with the boy to storytime at BookPeople (the theme: robots)

- spent a relaxing morning thrift shopping (and scored a vintage green Izod shirt in perfect condition and exactly my size - for $2!)

- made a giant pan of beef and cheese enchiladas with verde sauce, cilantro, and sour cream, with a side of tomato and avocado salad

- sketched landscape designs for a friend's backyard

The Week

Last week I managed to:

- drink beer with friends at Opal Devine's South

- watch Star Wars with my son (who was seeing it for the first time)

- sip some wine in my backyard at night while listening to Elliot Smith and basking in the glow of my new garden lights

- visit the new Blanton Museum of Art, which needs some improvements to become a world-class art museum, but has some really nice pieces (mostly the abstract art in the America:Americas exhibit). Some suggestions for improvement:
(1) get rid of the reproduction sculptures, statues, and busts, which are everywhere; either get some originals or don't put them so prominently on display.
(2) edit down the size of the European collection (which is mostly second-rate religious paintings) and use that extra space for more contemporary American art.
(3) unlike some others, I actually like the large, open atrium entrance of the museum, but it would be more dramatic if there weren't the cheap-looking arches on the first floor or the reproduction busts and friezes strewn about.
(4) it's too late now, but it's really a shame that the original, more daring proposal for the building's exterior architecture was rejected in favor of more stone and stucco and orange terra cotta. I think an art museum should look more provocative and less like the campus Economics Department building.

The Last Week

Since my last post, I have done the following:

- removed overgrown bushes from my lawn and replaced them with a fresh new planting bed

- stayed up late drinking wine with friends and playing "what if.."

- started a new book (The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy), which deals with the search to escape the ordinary; I've read this twice since college, and it's great

- saw my friends' band, The Heirs, do a live show

Steaks, Beer, Friends

We saw friends we don't see often enough, and they were kind enough to grill steaks and have cold beer on hand.

Theatre

Saturday night we saw American Fiesta, and it was great. The play itself was great, but it was also nice to be at the theatre, something I don't do enough. I'll be making more of an effort over the next few months to go to more museums and theatre.

Outdoors

Wednesday, we spent twilight in the backyard, grilling some food, drinking some rose ("ros-ay") wine, and rocking in our old school metal lawn furniture. Hot out, but still pretty nice.

Television

We finished up the first disc of season one of Showtime's comedy, Weeds. Not a bad show. Certainly better than the junk on network TV and non-premium cable. It is with great pride that I realized my household does not watch a single sitcom or drama series on network television. Only HBO and a few reality shows for us. Aren't we SO great?

Big Mexican Dinner

Mexican Martini with Jimador tequila. Also chicken fajitas. And queso.