Been a long time and work is slow, so I thought I'd give this another go.  For those of you that have been (loudly) asking , for a update, you can kindly leave me alone now.

I just got back from visiting Bryan in Austin.  Good times had by all.  We hit the Austin City Limits music festival 3 days in a row.  Each day included sun, ridiculous heat, ridiculous amounts of beer and gorging on far too much food.  Luckily, my metabolism hit an all time high due to the fact that I was sweating out everything I put in, even while sleeping. 

The first day there included a trip to the largest liquor store I've ever had the pleasure to be overwhelmed by and seeing Brandon perform with his band, Low Expectations.  They F-ing rocked!

The next 3 days went like this: wake up, get brunch complete w/ drinks, back to Bryan's to drink some more, go to ACL to sweat, drink, and listen to bands.  And sweat some more.  On a musical note (HA!), Muse stole the show.  One of the best shows I've ever seen.  Biggest disappointment was sadly, Bob Dylan.  Usually hard to understand, this time damn impossible.  About half the audience left within the first 3 songs.

Day 5 consisted of floating the Comal River while, you guessed it, drinking beer.  Tried for the Guadalupe River, but it was running too high and fast.  Afterward, we gorged ourselves on all-you-can-eat bbq at the Salt Lick and followed up with a trip to the Alamo Drafthouse where you can see a movie and order beer by the bucket.

Many other things have happened in the past few months.  The doctors were able to re-attach my thumbs without any major complications and this sentence you are reading is a complete lie.  But seriously, I will list the highlights below, in no particular order:

- We did finally get the new couches and they are extremely comfortable.  They are surprisingly resistant to ass-grooves thus far, but I have not given up.  With all the extra food I've been eating, I'm almost certain I will triumph.

- A couple months ago I replaced my broken Canon SD400 with a new SD1000.  This time I opted for the replacement plan so if anyone hurls it to the ground or runs over it, I can get a free replacement.  The camera itself produces far better photos while managing to keep the simplicity and style of my prior model.  Pics coming soon.

- Cupcakes: Another fattening cornerstone of my life.  Trophy Cupcakes is now in competition with Cupcake Royale and this is one fight I hope will never be won.  I could actually hear myself getting fatter if my ears weren't filled with delicious frosting.

- Fremont Solstice Parade:  Beer.  Bands.  Bare asses on bikes.  Need I say more?

- Wedding plans are proceeding slowly but surely.  Church and reception are both secured and I still have a wonderful bride-to-be!  I'd say things are looking good.

- Pictures: I've managed to take a lot of pictures over the last months.  To see them, visit my archive.  With every outing, I get better and have managed some pretty decent shots as of late.  I will be eventually adding more "social" pictures to this space, hopefully within the next week or so.  Stay tuned.

- I installed a brand new garbage disposal without aid of a plumber.  Our condo had a really crappy one in there along with a complete mess of pipes.  I ended up having to re-plumb part of the system and get creative with glue, tape and washers to make everything fit.  In the end, I prevailed.  It's like we have a whole new sink.  "Hey Mr. Plumber!  Suck my P-trap!"

- Bacon: The pig is truly a magical animal.  Some bacon-related items that were consumed by me include (1) a burger stuffed with bacon, cheese and chorizo, (2) a Bacon Chocolate Bar, (3) bacon toothpicks and (4) bacon fried, microwaved, and even grilled.  The wild pig that lives in my arteries is having seizures.

- I paid off my car!  Now if only I drove it more often...

- Home repair project number 2 was replacing our bathroom faucet.  Overall should have been a piece of cake but ended up being harder than the garbage disposal.  This was largely because I decided to tackle the entire drain assembly.  Again, none of the pipes provided lined up and after hours of tragedy, I had to call in the cavalry.  Mark B. came to the rescue and after purchasing and sawing, gluing and clamping, we were able to get everything in order without needing to call the plumber.  Money saved between projects - roughly $300.  Stealing a plumber's work: $Priceless.

- Booked a trip to La Paz, Mexico:  $1 tacos, here I come! 

- Spent Labor Day weekend at Lake Wenatchee at the "House of Gluttony and Sloth".  Full days of drinking, eating, tubing on the lake, and eating.  In a joint effort of epic proportions, an 8 lb pork butt was smoked and devoured.  And no, that is not innuendo. 

- The new job is still going great (almost 1 year already!) and continues to stir up excitement in the photo industry.  The people I work with and the environment I work in make it the place to be.  I am always learning something new and get to be a part of something I believe in.  We have a hell of a team and I'm proud to be a part of it.  I can't imagine ever leaving unless they kick me out!

- And lastly, I'd like to share 4 of the most brilliant words ever spoken to me, "La Carta de Oaxaca".  Seriously, anyone that has not eaten there owes it to themselves to go stand in line, put your name in, whatever it takes, and eat yourself retarded.  It's well worth the wait and the weight.  They also have outstanding margaritas. 

If I could live there, I totally would.  I'd sleep on a bed of warm tortillas and rinse my contact lenses in salsa.  I'd scrub the floors for a tasty taco and bathe in sweet mole' sauce.  I'd brush my teeth with margaritas and...well, you get it.  Just do yourself a favor and go there.  Now.

-JW