Oh, fudge!

I saw this sign today at the Czech Stop (an I-35 ritual for many Texans in West, Texas...not to be confused with West Texas) tonight. In doing so I had two thoughts, neither if which I claim to be deep thoughts, but I'll share nonetheless.

(1) The items listed below don't at all go together and therefore it perplexed me as to why a kolache/strudel shop would also tout these items. How could one really be good at all those things?

-and-

(2) I have now determined that I don't like the word Fudge.

And that's all I have to say about that...at least for now.
LLE

Bring on the bronze

Spring is pretty much here in Central Texas and my skin is practically blue it's so white.  Hasn't seen the sun in many months.  I tried laying out white trash style in the front yard on a sunny day last week, but between Pumpkin the neighbor's f-ing cat and being scared to death by the mailman, I think that was the first and last time I'll be doing that. 

So I opted for my old pal Fake Bake.  Hadn't used it in years.  It's difficult to find in stores, but it's awesome.  Really the best self tanner I've ever used.  It doesn't smell and doesn't make you orange...leaves you a great bronze color.  Only trouble is, it's a smidge high-maintenance to use...have to do it at night then shower in the morning.  Gets on your sheets, etc.  Oh well, the price we pay for beauty. 

I had a couple of people comment today on my tan, so thought I'd share my secret.  Happy fake baking!

Back in Black

...or in my case white (as in a white shirt - - -and yes, I am wearing one today). For reasons I cannot explain, I decided to revisit the old blog again today. I am not here to make empty promises, but I just thought it was time to dust the cobwebs off and talk about me. After all, that is my favorite pastime.

So...what's new with me you ask? Well, technically you didn't ask...and since that's never stopped me before here's a quick update on what's been going on in Leigh Leigh Land.

• I left my old job at Mobile Loaves & Fishes at the end of February after having been there for almost 4.5 years. Non-profit years are like dog years, so really I was there for about 31.5...let's just say I was tired of the fundraising scene. On to the next chapter.
• I started my new job at Austin 360 Roofing on March 1st as their Business Development Manager. I'm basically the Sales opener. Need a new roof or a repair? I'm your girl. Commercial, residential, multi-family...you name it. Primarily Central Texas, but we'll go all over the state if the job is right. I sold my first roof last week and they are completing the job today. Shout out to Sara Bell for the lead! She got "Friend of the Day" because of it. Just give me a lead or buy a new roof if you'd like to nominate yourself for FOD. It's easy and the rewards are numerous.
• I saw Randy Rogers at the Austin Rodeo
• I saw Phantom of the Opera
• We've visited Ego's a few times...although not near as often as you'd think. I've taken to the stage with a few new faves: Madonna's Crazy For You (thanks to 80s Prom theme night), REO Speedwagon's Take It On The Run, and Billy Joel's Only The Good Die Young.
• Alicia, one of The Three Amigis (yes, intention type-o there), moved in next door to me at Lexington Place. LP is shaping up nicely. We've (and I mean she's) added some nice rocking chairs (with cup holders) and a fire-pit which you will hear lots of more about in the blogs to come.
• Been to New Orleans with the old gang from W&L. Enjoyed the food, the drink, the fellowship, and jumping on the Who Dat bandwagon.
• Had the Edgar family up from Dallas for Perry's first visit to Austin. And as Perry said to her mom..."Remember when we were in Austin?! We were so happy!"
• Of course, there was New Year's at the Ranch where Alicia and I paid up on bets lost and shot Hollywood (well practically).
• Christmas was in Dallas with the fam. A White Christmas at that.
• December was full of its usual holiday fetes. Old School Holiday Party, Silent Night? Not Tonight! Christmas Party, Sushi & Champagne Christmas Party, A College Christmas in the Fort, and more.
• The fall included Alicia's welcome to Austin aka "Terry Does Tarrytown", seeing Randy Rogers at Nutty Brown Cafe, Mock-Mock Thanksgiving in Austin, the Daters visiting from NOLA, and my birthday trip to Santa Fe with my momma.

I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch of things out, but that's the Reader's Digest version. I plan (notice I didn't use the word "promise") to revisit some of the above in future blogs as there are great pics and great quotes to reminisces over. Consider yourselves warned.

PS: you can always catch up by visiting my Phanfare site.

Smokey The Bandit

Did you know that tomorrow, November 19th is the American Cancer Society's 34rd Great American Smokeout?!?!

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases.

So to all my friends who are still puffing away, maybe today should be the day.....that you call it quits.

From Out of Nowhere

I'm back again. From out of nowhere. I won't even bore you with the apologies and the ex cues, but I'll just say that this youtube video is the inspiration for my return to Leigh Leigh Land.

WARNING....it is totally inappropriate. Do not listen to this loudly at the office. But I just had to share. I particularly partial to the dance moves during the chorus and the "break dancing." I'm also pretty sure B-rett is singing the "What" part in the chorus!!!

Thanks to Lizzie for passing this on to me....who no doubt got it from her brother.

In and Out

I recently read an article in some magazine or another (I think it was Glamour) about what's "In and Out." At first glance I was afraid that the glass of champagne on the "Out" side of the page was telling me that champagne was losing it's fizz. Instead it was referring to "Bottle Service." I leap for joy at this.


Now when in Rome (Vegas, NYC, and the like) I can appreciate a good bottle service, but for the most part they make me crazy. From what I understand Dallas is infested with bottle service in bars and clubs everywhere you turn. Austin has even popped up with a few places offering bottle service. Bottle service has no place in Austin, Texas. Like I said the only places I can talk myself into it being "a good deal" is in Vegas and New York (and believe me I've talked myself into it my fair share of times), but on your average night in Austin???? Ridiculous.


But the article below offers hope. According to this little clip my dear foe Bottle Service is just plain OUT! And if you look closely you'll even find that Chicago has outlawed it. Thank you Chi Town.


I say cheers to what I hope is the end to this price gauging madness...well except for in Vegas where I'll take my overpriced bottle of Goose with my cordoned off VIP booth and personal bouncer - - - like I said...when in Rome!

And The Winner Is...

In honor of this Sunday's Academy Awards I was drawn to this quiz on my favorite quiz website....entitled What Would You Win An Oscar For?

Shockingly (insert sarcastic tone) I "won" for Best Actor/Actress. It actually is a little shocking since I do like to be behind the camera so much, but when I read the description it summed me up pretty darn well.

Best Actor/Actress

You are confident and talented.

When it's time for you to shine, you step up.

You have a strong personality.

You love attention, and you can command

an audience of any size.

You tend to be a bit obsessive.

You're the perfect person to immerse yourself in a big role.

You're both empathetic and expressive.

You understand and communicate well.

Wanna know which award you'd take home? Click here to take the quiz and let me know if I have any stiff competition.

Celebrating Greta's Birthday....sans Greta

Last night a few of us got together to have a belated celebration of Greta's birthday. Only problem was that Greta got sick and couldn't actually make it. Our plans were to go to Uchi and not even Greta being sick could talk us out of going. So Ash, Lizzie, Sara, Amanda, and I enjoyed a killer dinner filled with Shag Rolls and Prosecco.

Greta was never far from our thoughts though....we toasted her often and even took pictures spelling out her name (blame it on that prosecco).

"G" - interpreted by Elizabeth

"R" - interpreted by Ashley

"E" - interpreted by Sara

"T" - interpreted by Amanda

"A" - interpreted by me

Other events of note were Lizzie's sudden interest in grabbing the wait staff's bottoms and the "red shirt" guy at the table next to us was caught red handed making fun of my laugh.

After dinner we hit West 6th for a few more cocktails. Great night, but we'll just have to do again when Greta can actually attend.

Click here for more pics from our girls night out.

Light This Shit Up

I read a great blog post from Fly Fish Chick that I couldn't resist sharing. I'm going through the same funk as she is...so it hits the nail right on the head. So...enjoy.

By the way...if you aren't reading her blog, you should be...it's a great one.

Let’s Light This Shit Up

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Mascul Out

I'd like to thank Elizabeth's nutty brother Andrew for sharing today's video with me. Too good not to share. And since you know who it's from...watch at your own risk.

P is for Parkour

Many of you have heard me reference Parkour....and a select few have even witnessed me doing Parkour. What is Parkour you ask?

Wikipedia defines it as

"an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment—from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls—and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs, or traceuses for females.

Founded by David Belle and a group of friends in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency."

Why do I bring up Parkour today? Well for two reasons.

(1) I'm just intrigued by it. I learned about Parkour last summer after watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover where a child from one of the made over homes practiced Parkour. And, as I usually do with odd things, I took to it. I tried it...in the safety, comfort, and humility of my own living room. Last August in Montana I even demonstrated it to Ashley and Alicia who can both vouch for my skills. Here's a video (thankfully not of me) demonstration of parkour.

(2) I feel as if I was cheated out of some points in a mean game of Scattegories on Saturday night. The Category (or Scategory if you will) was Sports and the letter was "P"....and I was denied....downright cheated out of any points. It was questioned whether or not Parkour is a true "sport." Oh, but ping pong is?!?!?! Puh-leeeeze! So yeah, I'm bitter.

But back to reason #1....just being intrigued by it. In my extensive research this afternoon I was pleased to find a list of "approved movements" for Parkour. Here are just a few

Tic tac: To step off a wall in order to overcome another obstacle or gain height to grab something.

Cat pass/jump, (king) kong vault, or monkey vault: The saut de chat involves diving forward over an obstacle so that the body becomes horizontal, pushing off with the hands and tucking the legs, such that the body is brought back to a vertical position, ready to land.

Reverse vault: A vault involving a 360° rotation such that the traceur's back faces forward as they pass the obstacle. The purpose of the rotation is ease of technique in the case of otherwise awkward body position or loss of momentum prior to the vault.

And what does one where while practicing parkour?

In case you want to practice yourself it is recommended that you wear....and I quote...

- Light upper body garment - such as T-Shirt, sleeveless shirt or crop top

- Light lower body garment - such as light trousers or light shorts

So my friends, let's put on those crop tops and hit the streets. And for more on Parkour visit the official website.

If The Drink Fits....

...drink it!

I took yet another fun time quiz today. This was was entitled "What Kind of Holiday Drink Are You?". Well, since I "like to consider myself a drinker" (as quoted from Mock Thanksgiving 2008), I thought this was the perfect quiz for me. And as it turns out....the answer was even more perfect.




Got me pretty good, huh?!?!
Celebratory...check
Love to drink...check check
Let loose....check check check

What holiday drink are you? Find out here.
Cheers!

Mock Thanksgiving 2008

The setting: Hidden Valley Ranch - Medina, Texas

The kill: 3 does, a spike, one pig, one coyote, and a raccoon



The players (listed in our determined porn star names):

Wally Worden aka Rex Bramblewood

Banning Collins aka Chelsea Potatopatch

Charlotte French aka Husky Mayberry

MC Gatzke aka Annie Genoa

Ashley Mooring aka Prissy Alchester

Kirk French aka Chivas Wedgewood

Ashley Amini aka Judith Stanlin

Leigh Edgar aka Birtha Stanford

Ben Gatzke aka Spike Finfrock

Alicia Hazlehurst aka Twizzler Legs
(since she can't remember her first pet or street)

The fun:

This past weekend was the 7th Annual (so we think) Mock Thanksgiving at Ashley's ranch. Each year we gather in the hill country the weekend before Thanksgiving to celebrate and give thanks with our friends. The weekend is always a blast and Ash's food is always delicious.....and this year was no exception.

The usual suspects were there with a few devastating exceptions....since Keri and Brett had to stay behind this year. Boo. This year Banning joined us and Alicia even made an appearance all the way from Virginia.

So the weekend started early on Thursday with Wally, Ben, Ash and Banning arriving in time for an afternoon hunt. Alicia flew in Thursday from Richmond and headed out to the ranch with me after lunch...and along the way we picked up Charlotte and Kirk at the Kerrville Airport. The four of us arrived at the ranch in time to see the evenings kill and for Ash's yummy dinner. After dinner we took to the driveway for a little tailgating and dancing. Sadly the wind was ferocious and prevented us from lighting a fire that night, but we didn't let that get in the way of our fun....which lasted well into the wee hours of Friday morning.

I have no idea how they do it, but Friday morning the hunters were up early as most of the late nighters slept the morning away. After we all were up and at em...some of us headed out for an afternoon jeep ride while the hunters took to their blinds once again.

Friday night was the official Mock Thanksgiving meal and Ash once again did not let us down. We "dressed" for dinner in our traditional garb (mostly found in closets around the ranch and supplemented with my hats, wigs, and sunglasses) and enjoyed a Tuscan Thanksgiving meal that was fabulous. After dinner, and a few costume changes, we took to the porch to solve the worlds problems. I'm not sure if it was the tryptophan or the late night before, but we called it a semi-early night on Friday.


Saturday saw more of the same....morning hunting, jeep rides, etc. We also headed to the house at Antelope Ridge for the traditional skeet shoot. The afternoon hunt cut into our skeet shooting time, so the non-hunters took back to the Lodge where we determined the wind was finally still enough for us to have a fire. After a yummy dinner, we continued the party (some more than others) around the fire pit with singing, dancing, and dishing.




The hunters were able to squeeze in one last hunt early Sunday morning, but those big bucks remained elusive as ever. We departed the ranch about noon and the group headed out on our separate ways after lunch at Hondo's in Fredericksburg.

So that's this year's Mock Thanksgiving in a nut shell...the good, the bad, and the ugly....with a little here and there left to the imagination to protect the not so innocent. A giant thanks to Ash who was, as always, the hostess with the mostess. It was great that Banning and Alicia were able to join in on the fun, but it just wasn't the same without Kerquita and Sugar Boy!!!!

And of course, last but not least, I leave you with a little of what what overheard at Mock Thanksgiving 2008...

He finds the need to touch me often. Alicia
Sometimes when I laugh it feels like I'm going to have aneurysm.....is that bad? Leigh
You haven't heard about my stick? LLE
I would love for you to be my aunt. Ash
I'm not good...I'm great! Kirk
I know how to work my own equipment. Ash
You're gonna have sore thumbs by the end of the night. Ben
I feel like I'm on Everest...I'm fuh-reezing. Kirk
I've been right more often than not. Wally
Take my bungee out of your mouth. Wally
I'm craving cheese. Wally
I went to Highland Park. Leigh
Every now and then I like to rub my pelvic region. Kirk
What's your favorite gear? Leigh
I like to consider myself a drinker. Leigh
What did I say that was so funny? Leigh
Do you want me with my meat? Char
I don't like the way suck that. Leigh
It’s just a crotch. Kirk
And I was pulling on it like a burr. MC Whoa...are we measuring penises? Leigh
I definitely f'ed up. Kirk
If you and Kirk were married you'd be f'ed. Char
You know I'm tired if I don't even want to be negative. Wally
Dude....I don't have Lupus. Kirk
You're gonna blow a lip out. Wally
Lay on your back and let your legs fall open. Leigh
You just nuzzled your breasts on me. Leigh
Wally...don't be a bitch. Ash
Way down in your colon....you like Nickleback. Kirk
I can't keep it in my mouth that long. Ash
Crunchy, crunchy. Ash
How are your balls? Leigh
I've gone both ways....I used to live in Miami. Waly
I feel like he's got a lot of crabs going on down there. Kirk
Man....all of a sudden I got drunk as hell last night. Kirk
If you were bigger that would make me feel better. Char
Are we gonna save enough for me to get my boobs fixed? MC …..Why would you fix something that isn't broke? Ben
You're looking at 2 second basemen right here. Wally
Man...getting hit in the face sucks. Kirk
I coulda been a cougar. Kirk
If you had any less action you'd be in a monastery. Kirk
Go at it from this end. Alicia
You're all bloody and you can't touch yourself. Kirk
Is this thing on? Wally
Give or take. Kirk
Do you have big ole gorilla nuts? Kirk
I am NOT touching your lumpy penis squash. Ash
Why WOULD you use your teeth? Char
If it wasn't for Young and The Restless I would have blown my brains out. Char
Let's DO this! Wally
I can back a trailer....drive a stick....and build a fire, bitches. Char (aka Terry)
I don't even like myself....why would I be a french maid. Char
I mean....he puts his hands in your mouth. Wally
Why are you grabbing your balls so aggressively? Wally
Man….I'm the Bon Jovi of going down town. Kirk
Spread my legs and take it in the nads. Ben
Why am I still talking? Kirk
Where are the stirrups when I need em? Ben
If you thought you were drunk before...wait till you taste this mother f'er. Kirk
If this were 09 you'd be talking to a statue. Kirk
My extremities are tingling. Char
If we get divorced or you die....I'm totally gonna climb Everest. Kirk
I do want to be mounted....that's for sure. Ash
Do you have a minute? Alicia
Here's the deal....we grow squash....I go down on everyone. Kirk.
I'm in.....Ash I'm not above takin a little cash. Leigh
The last time I looked at the clock it was 6:45 and I had a good buzz going. Mooring
Video? What is video? Mooring
Stop singing that song and touching me. Ash
I'm scrappier than you think....I was on the offensive line in powder puff. Leigh
You're the camp trampoline......hold the "oline". Wally
I look like a special needs child. Char
I abuse him. Ash

Click here for more pictures from Mock Thanksgiving 2008.

The Bucket List

Leave it to my pal Jenn to come up with yet another great blog entry on The Virginia Monologues. It was so good that I decided to blatantly copy it.

Looks like she came across a "Bucket List" and the premise is to see how you compare....to see what you've crossed off your list. So here's the list and I've highlighted the ones I've done in red...with commentary (what did you expect).

Have you...

Bought everyone in the bar a drink (wish I could...seriously I do)
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside a Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (no, but it was closed when I was there, so not my fault)
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne (maybe I should bold this one)
Given more than you can afford to charity

Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

Had a food fight

Bet on a winning horse

Asked out a stranger

Had a snowball fight

Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

Held a lamb

Seen a total eclipse

Ridden a rollercoaster

Hit a home run (don't laugh...I have)

Danced like a fool, not caring who watched (if I had a nickle...)

Adopted an accent for an entire day (not the entire day, but for an evening, so that counts in my world)

Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment

Visited all 50 states

Taken care of someone who was too drunk

Had amazing Friends

Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country

Watched wild whales

Stolen a sign

Hitchhiked in Europe

Taken a road-trip (my fave)

Gone rock climbing

Midnight walk on the beach

Gone sky diving

Visited Ireland

Been heartbroken longer than you were in love

Sat at a stranger’s table in a restaurant and ate with them

Visited Japan

Milked a cow

Alphabetized your CDs (wow....was this put in especially for you)

Pretended to be a superhero

Sung karaoke (if you only knew)

Lounged around in bed all day (I'm the best at it)

Gone scuba diving (does the swimming pool at Camp Longhorn count)
Kissed in the rain

Played in the mud

Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Toured ancient sites

Taken a martial arts class

Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight

Gotten married

Been in a movie

Crashed a party (yep....and, as Jenn also has, crashed a wedding - thanks, Kirk and Charlotte!)Gotten divorced

Gone without food for 5 days

Posed nude in front of strangers

Made cookies from scratch

Won first prize in a costume contest

Ridden a gondola in Venice

Gotten a tattoo

Rafted the Snake River

Been on television news program as an “expert”
Gotten flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage (duh....life is a cabaret)

Been to Las Vegas

Recorded Music

Eaten shark

Had a one-night stand

Gone to Thailand

Bought a house

Been in a combat zone

Buried one/both of your parents

Been on a cruise ship

Spoken more than one language fluently (I wish)

Raised children

Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

Picked up and moved to another city

Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge

Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have

Wrote articles for a large publication

Lost over 100 lbs

Held someone while they were having a flashback

Piloted an airplane

Petted a stingray

Broken someone’s heart (not that I know of)

Helped an animal give birth

Won money on a TV game show

Broken a bone

Gone on an African safari

Had a body part below the neck pierced

Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol

Ridden a horse

Had major surgery

Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours (this is a definite maybe)
Visited more foreign countries than US States

Visited all 7 continents

Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (why would you?)

Eaten Kangaroo meat

Eaten sushi

Had your picture in the paper

Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

Gone back to school (again...why would you?)

Parasailed

Petted a cockroach

Eaten fried green tomatoes

Read the Illiad (do the Cliff's Notes count?)

Selected one important author who you missed in school to read (not yet...but it's on the list)

Killed and prepared an animal for eating (well...I've supervised)

Skipped all of your school reunions

Been elected to public office

Written your own computer language

Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

Had to put someone you love in hospice care

Build your own PC from parts

Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours

Dyed your hair

Been a DJ

Shaved your head

Caused a car accident

Saved someone’s life

I'll make for a long comment, but I'd love to know what all you have done! For a change....let's talk about YOU!

Remembering Ruprecht

Saturday night we were all very tickled by Winn in the mini rocking chair at the dinner table flanked by Mike and Ted. Winn reminded us all of Ruprecht from the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and this particular scene. Thought I'd share this classic movie scene.

Party On

A week ago today I turned 33 and this weekend I am really feeling my age....I'm exhasted and am moving a little slower today.

The party filled weekend all started on Thursday night with our monthly Sushi & Champagne. Ashley hosted and cooked an amazing dinner of pork tenderloin and pumpkin soup. Very festive. You might be asking yourself if there was actually sushi at this Sushi & Champagne...and the answer is no. Since this month we were hosting a diaper shower for two of our preggies....Christy and Mary Miles....we opted to do something more special. As always it was a fun filled night. Click here for more pics from the fun.

Friday night it was time to "celebrate" Wendy's new job and move to Fort Worth. Wendy has accepted a three month contract job in The Fort, so she'll be leaving all us Austinites for a bit. A group of us gathered for dinner and drinks at Ranch 616....one of our usual haunts. After a yummy dinner we headed to J. Black's for drinks. Since J. Black's isn't really my scene a few of us decided to head to Ego's to feed our karaoke itch. Here are pics from our fun-filled Friday.


Now on to Saturday night....where Ash had us over again for a pot luck dinner party in celebration of Fall, the great weather, and they threw in my bday for good measure. It was a feast with all the trimmings....Mike fried a turkey, Ash made stuffing, Ford made twice baked potatoes, Mary Miles made green beans, Greta made mini pumpkin cheesecakes, and Jordan and Sara made apps. Everything was delisch and the company was even better. We watched football, caught up with everyone, and a few of us "bebopped"danced and sang well into the wee hours of the morning. Thanks for a super fun party everyone!!! Click here to see more pics and videos from Saturday night. Believe me Ted's rendition of Edelweiss is reason enough to check them out.

So needless to say I'm exhausted from all that partying. It sure was a fun-filled weekend, but i need a weekend to recover from my weekend.