Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Snow

Since we went to Houston for Christmas, we missed the blanketing of white that Dallas got. Chris saved a snowball in the freezer for us but that was all we got. So I got so excited that it was supposed to snow all day yesterday and last night. Well it snowed for about 2 hours in the evening but it never could seem to drop below 34 degrees. So we were left with a light dusting that was mostly gone by midnight. Very sad..

I had an interesting memory yesterday. Growing up on Orchard street, I had a friend that lived a couple of streets over on 5th. Her name was Leah Wilsey and she was awesome. We used to hang out alot because we lived so close together and because we got on quite well. Although she was a year younger than me, we were very tight til I graduated and left. Actually, the summer after my freshman year in college, she was up at KU moving in for her freshman year and I went and spent the day with her. That was the last time I saw her as I moved down to Dallas a few weeks later. I believe she is living in Kansas City now, I'm sure she is doing great. Ok, that's enough background.

So I must have been in 8th or 9th.. maybe 10th or 11th grade, I cant remember. It was over the Christmas holiday break because I remember that all the college kids were gone and the town was empty the way that it gets. you get used to that growing up in a small town that is home to a large university... during the summer and christmas breaks, you can drive half way across town without seeing another vehicle. Anyway, it was a normal day, nothing special except that it had been snowing for a couple of days straight so the town was under a bunch of snow. It was piled up everywhere. I had been hanging out at Leah's... she had a great house, both of her parents were doctors. I don't remember what we were doing, probably just talking. Anyway, it was probably around 10-11 at night and I was walking back to my house through our neighborhood. Our neightborhood had been there for 70-100 years so the houses were old but nice and there are huge mature trees everywhere. I remember walking and enjoying the cold weather and the quiet as there were no cars or pedestrians the whole way back. It was just the most odd thing. I remember turning the a corner and seeing a snow covered silent street and I was filled with an enormous sense of loneliness. It was like nothing I have ever felt before or sense. Everything was just lonely. I kept walking and it passed as I strode up my front steps. It must have been pretty powerful for me to remember it so well. Anyway, that's all- end of story.

Yeah so, SMU Mustangs... puttin' the hurt on Nevada and dominating the Hawaii Bowl. Well done gentlemen. And for all the Mustang faithful out there, it's been 25 years... cheers.





Laters,
jth

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Slacker

Good song


Yes I am. I have completely neglected this blog for over a week. In my defense, however, I have had absolutely nothing to write about. Work has been crazy with everyone trying to get set up for the 1st quarter of next year before they leave for the holidays. We have been working out in the garage... oh yeah, we had the boat winterized and took it out to Richard's uncle's warehouse to store for the winter.
We are going to Houston for the weekend to see my parents, sister and aunt/uncle. It appears that it is going to be a mild Christmas as it is 67 degrees outside right now. Look at this.. I am talking about nothing. Ok well sorry nothing is going on. I will take some pics this weekend so there might be something somewhat interesting to look at next week. Merry Christmas to all and to all, Laters.

jth
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Friday, December 11, 2009

Gray Friday


I am about to leave the office.. it is gray and cold outside. I don't want to go out there but I have to in order to get home. What am I listening to? Thanks for asking: its Take a Picture by Filter. Good song. This weekend will be mellow. Tonight just hanging and Saturday night, dinner then Sarah's bday party at Barcadia. Sweet. Oh yeah, the song at the top there is from John Mayer's new album. Chris got me listening to it and it is greatness.

I am ready for summer already. I guess I can just dream of warm evenings on the lake for now. It won't be long...

Have a good weekend and holler at me if you want to hang

Laters,
jth
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Setup

It has been cold around here lately. It even got below freezing a couple of nights this week. I know that may sound silly to some, but when you live in Texas, you spend most of the year sweating not freezing. However, there is one great thing about cold weather,,, it brings Christmas. Christmas is AWESOME!Last night was the annual setup at the Hughes/Byrd compound. So out to the garage we went to get all the boxes off the shelves that had been there all summer. Sure they were a little dusty but in the time it took me to go get the camera, Chris and Celia had them open and it looked like a Christmas tree had vomited in our living room. Moseley was supervising.Naturally there was a problem with the lights. We could only get them to come on in sections and sometimes if you could get one section to turn on, another one would go out. Oh wait, did I mention that there was Christmas music blaring through the house? Well that’s kind of important because that shows the level of commitment that was established. That and my Christmas hat… that was pure commitment as well.The tree takes the longest… you see, when you fold a fake tree up in a box and leave it there for 11 months, the boughs tend to get a little squished. If you want the tree to look authentic, you have to fluff the boughs,, so to speak. Plus you have to get all the branches evened out so that there are no gaps in the tree. This is not an easy job and I usually end up doing it because I am somewhat psychotic about it. If you are going to do something, DO IT RIGHT!!!So we finished putting all the ornaments on the tree and arranging the Nativity scene in time to catch “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” on tv. All in all, great success.

Have a great week.



Laters,

jth

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Hill Country Holiday

Thanksgiving is a tasty, tasty occasion. This year was no exception as family and friends gathered just outside of Dripping Springs, TX for the 4-day holiday. Of course half the fun is getting there… Chris, Genevieve, Celia and I loaded up in the Tahoe Wednesday afternoon for the 3-4 hour drive south. Of course as soon as we hit the intersection of I-35 east and west just south of Dallas, the traffic was epic. So we hopped off the interstate at Hillsboro and decided to take the blue highways. This makes for a slower pace, but much better scenery. Plus there are always fun and interesting things to see in small towns. This started with the Hill County courthouse and then a magical downtown Christmas display.































We arrived at the house later that evening and settled in. Of course, getting used to being out of cell phone range took awhile but I am glad that I didn’t hear phones ringing. Daylight brought lots of exploring as the property is fantastic. Wide open fields below hills, plenty of woods, and a creek/river that runs directly through the middle of it all. The water is perfectly clear making the rock bottom easy to see. There was also a small waterfall. Mom cooked up an awesome Thanksgiving dinner as she always does with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and rolls. Greatness.

Of course the main event every night was the fire. We made some good ones too. Storytelling and reliving the youth at night by a fire… a time honored tradition. And what is the deal with fire? Why is it so great to just sit and stare into one?

Every afternoon we went for a hike which yielded some scenic views and sore calves. There are some steep hills but the property owners seem to know right where one would get tired and strategically place picnic tables to on which to rest. We were sad to leave but I think everyone felt recharged. We took the backroads once again on the way home and stopped to get some of the world’s best beef jerky in Marble Falls. Moseley was really excited to see us as we left him home while we were gone. Although we paid a service to come by and feed him, he was still extremely overjoyed when we walked in the front door.




































Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Headin' South

That's right compadres, we are rolling out of Dallas shortly. Dripping Springs, TX is our destination for a 4-day weekend. We have rented a small ranch in the heart of Texas hill country for our Thanksgiving celebration. At present, it looks like it is going to be mom, dad, sister, Genevieve, Chris, Celia and myself. Moseley the wonder dog is going to stay behind and guard the house.. we have someone who is going to stop in and feed/check on him. I am excited as it has been awhile since i have had a few days off.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. My mom is one of the world's finest cooks so there will be eating and napping. Plus the property that we have leased is heavily wooded with rivers and creeks running throughout. I will make sure and take lots of pics.

Travel safely everyone and Happy Thanksgiving,

jth







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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

My Wife







Is pretty sweet. When I say sweet, I don't mean she's sweet like caramel, I mean she is sweet like she will dominate you in the conference room, on the wakeboard, and in pretty much every other aspect of your life. Like when you are talking about a Bugatti Veyron and you say, man that is sweet, that means you are kind of afraid of it.
- Great wakeboarder
- SMU MBA grad
- Division I college rower
- US National Rowing Championship Silver Medalist
- Managing Director at a Mergers and Acquisition firm
- decent cook
- Ok driver (She killed Spud McKenzie with her Infiniti G35 Coupe)
- Good boat driver (for those of you who ride a wakeboard, you know how important this is)

So you're probably asking yourself, what she is doing with me... I can't figure it out either! I'm just gonna ride it til it throws me.

Thank you to David Elmore for changing the battery in my truck today. You are a gentleman and a scholar. I hope lunch at Zense suffices. Btw, Ferrari I got you some Pad Ke Mow and tom Yum soup. Be happy! I will drop it off tonight. Tomorrow we leave for the Texas Hill Country to celebrate Thanksgiving. Right now it looks like it will be my family + Celia, Chris and Genevieve. I will update before I take off.










Laters,
jth

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Friday, November 20, 2009

Leavin' on a Jetplane

(Scroll down to the bottom of this entry and play the Matt Wertz song as you read. That makes it nice)


Yep, I just dropped Celia off at DFW so she can fly to Chicago. Jim is getting married and Celia and her sisters are throwing a shower. Good times all around.

So what do I do this weekend? Well, I have wood to chop and maybe I will change the battery in my truck. Mine is getting low and I should do it before it is too late. Ferrari has to get back surgery again on monday... bummer. Maybe I will grab Diablo and Lolo and head over to his house tonight and have a few beers with him. We got to get him better so he can do this again next spring.




It is cold and rainy here today. I want to take the boat out for a drive this weekend since we haven't run it in a few weeks. Soon it will be time to winterize and put it away to sleep the winter away. Have a good weekend, I will be with the boys since the girl is out of town. Holler if you want to play.









Laters,
jth
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Monday, November 16, 2009

My 10 Favorite Rivalries +1

10. SMU/TCU


Ok so maybe this won't make too many top rivalry lists but it is close to my heart has I experienced this one personally. These 2 schools are so close in location and culture, it is difficult to tell them apart. The trophy is the "Iron Skillet" and its origins are unknown although lore dictates the following: "No one knows the original names to the story of the Iron Skillet, but it has been rumored that TCU and SMU fans originated this tradition back in the 1950s. During a pre game festivity a SMU fan was frying up some frog legs as a joke before the game. A TCU fan, seeing this desecration of the "frog", went over and told him that eating the frog legs was going well beyond the rivalry and that they should let the game decide who would get the skillet and the frog legs. TCU ended up winning the game and the skillet and the frog legs went to TCU. The tradition eventually spilled over into the actual game and the Iron Skillet is now passed to the winner between TCU and SMU." - Wikipedia
TCU currently leads the all-time series, 41-39-7... grrrr.

9. MacGyver/Murdoc
Sure laugh if you want but if you didn't like Macgyver when you were a kid, then you are probably communist. These two masterminds battled it out week in and week out. It was great that it wasn't just a physical battle, they day had to be won by the mind. And with Penny Parker (Teri Hatcher) on the line, battle they did! Many a modern day nerd owes his confidence to this brillian rivalry.

8. Liono/Mum-Ra
If you have no idea who these two characters are, then I am not going to explain it to you. Needless to say, you are missing out on the greatest cartoon in the world.


7. USA / USSR

Awesome. Not only did we win, so many great machines and movies were made without a single shot fired. One word... WOLVERINES!!!!









6. Robin Hood /Prince John

I am talking about the Disney cartoon made in the 70's. ONe of my tob 5 favorite movies of all time. I can hear it in my head now, "Robin Hood and Little John go walking through the forest..."


5. Maverick /Iceman

Forget the 5"2 Maverick and the bird-chested Iceman squaring off in the locker room in towels.. and forget the fact that a young, hot fighter pilot is chasing a quasi-cougar that is twice his age and looks it... no really, forget it. The magic was in the skies over southern California where they were taught, and I quote: "ACM, air combat maneuvering" (Thanks Jester). Just remember, the trophy for 2nd place is in the ladies room.



4. Barry Sanders / The Lions' offensive line

My favorite player of all time spent as much time dodging his supposed blockers as he did defenders. If only he had played for another team, he would hold every record in the book.


3. Me / The screaming lady from "So You Think You Can Dance"

She doesn't know it yet, but I am her biggest rival. She literally causes me to make faces like I am in pain when she screams,,, it's involuntary I swear! I would like to put her on a hot tamale train into the side of a building. And yes I do watch that show,,, shut up.


2. Swiss Family Robinson / The Pirates

Oh Pirates why are you so stupid, everyone knows you don't attack up a steep hill. Especially when there are Swiss folks up there. Switzerland is practically Germany and you know how clever they are. Oh and while I am giving war advice, you should never go in against a Sicilian, WHEN DEATH IS ON THE LINE! HAHAHAHAHA!! (which leads me to #1)


1. Inigo Montoya / Count Rugen

Here's the deal Count, his name is Inigo Montoya, you killed his father, prepare to die. really a short lived rivalry for the Count as he didn't really know that Montoya was looking for him until the last 20 minutes of his life. But those were the most rivalrous 20 minutes of all times.








Runner up:
Oklahoma State / Texas A&M

Both Aggie schools, both in the Big XXII both second best football teams in their states,, always. So there is some disdain, a healthy amount anyway. But that disdain took a small break this weekend when 2 people put their school pride aside and decided to get married. Congrats Julie and Kyle. All the best.



Laters,
jth
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Halloween Delight

The annual Halloween party at the Hughes/Byrd compound was fantastic as usual. The weather was cool but we got to try out the outdoor firepit that we got back in March. It was awesome. Chris did a great job of getting the fire going and maintaining it until we finally called it a night around 5 am. We have some Ferrari video but I don't think I can put it on here.

All was well as the Bacchanalia came to a close and everyone made it home safely/stayed at our house. Ferrari did not even fight too hard this time when we loaded him up into the car so Sarah could drive them home. Sarah, you are a keeper..

p.s. If you have never eaten cheese sticks from Sam's Club at 3 am, you haven't lived!!!

Laters,
jth

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

2 Funny Videos

Happy Thursday everyone. This is going to be brief as I am busy but I wanted to throw these 2 videos at you. Bothy dorky and funny. Chris sent me the first one.

I don't know where I got this one, I am sure someone sent it to me.

Tomorrow I will have halloween pics. See you then.

Laters,
jth
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Monday, October 26, 2009

Weekendend

Good afternoon chaps.

The weekend is over... that's no good. What happened? well several things. Lets' start with my board. Dr. Tom gave me some hot pink Ronix stickers to put on my board... because it's funny. And since my bindings look like they were designed by Ronald McDonald, it is just sort of the natural progression to make the board look ridiculous as well.

I thought I would go crazy and put them all over, but after look at them, I decided to go with 2 stickers,,, one big at the bottom of the board, and then the number 1 under the number 1 that was already on the board. You can see the difference. I am definitley not finished though... I need some different stickers. Oh yeah, Celia and I went wakebording on saturday afternoon. Wetsuits were donned as the water temp is getting down in the 60's. It was fun but muscles tighten up very quickly in water that cold.













Sunday I made chili and we watched the Dallas Cowboys dominate on the gridiron. Everyone was pumped except for Moseley. He slept on the couch completely uninterested in the game. He kind of reminded me of someone else who is prone to end up on the couch...
















Good day friends,

jth

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