Haiku

I LOVE them! Sorry!! I'm afraid you have to be the ones to suffer. Hey, you may actually like it!

Red, holidays, green.
lights, trees, all glow mightily.
Simply be merry!

Happy Christmas!

Life

Have you ever noticed that life gets in the way??? Well, it does! But don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about it. As a matter of fact, it is a great thing that it does! Yes, when it does, it keeps me from doing things I need to - clean my house, wash my car, keep up this blog... - but think of the alternative. What if you didn't have a life to get in your way? How sad would that be? Sure some days it is good to take a break from the hustle and bustle but if you never had any hustle and bustle? I can't imagine that.
Life should be full - full of friends, family, work (well that one is debatable - hahaha), music, fun, laughter, sorrow, shiny objects, dinner, movies, wine, sunrises, sunsets, flowers... I could go on but I think you get what I mean. Of course the amount of fullness varies to your personal liking. That is okay. No fullness is something I don't get. How do people get to that point? Do they just hide all the time? Do they not know how to open up just enough to let in 1 person? If you know someone like this, help them out, if they'll let you. Well at least try. I know it can be a futile effort sometimes but it might not be just one time. You may make someone's life.

Haiku

Flowers all abound
bright, fragrant, happy, fragile
buds for you alone.

Sticky business

I know...I'm a slacker. It has been forever but I've been busy. I'm going to try really hard to keep up - really. I mean it!!

You would think that in the 21st century, there would ONLY be stickers on products that can actually come off the product! I bought a new little container for my lunch, in an effort to try to eat better, and there was a sticker on the top to let me know there is a fork/spoon thingy under the lid. So I get my cute little container home and try to get the lid off and it just rips and won't come off. It is just shocking to me that in these times that all stickers can't come off products without leaving behind half the sticker. It is just ridiculous that this doesn't happen.
Sticker makers of the world - listen up! Make stickers that come off! Either that or just don't put them on! Thanks!!

To my few readers, have a great week and here's to more from me soon!

Haiku

I really enjoyed making my first Haiku so there will be more. Here's one.

Ball flies to the green
Heads, legs, colors, horns, beauty
Thank you O World Cup

What? Would you have rather had one about Twilight????

World Cup Update

Well, it has been a very interesting World Cup so far! The USA made it through the first round with 2 ties and a win. However, Ghana got the best of them in the round of 16. We got screwed out of a goal by a very inexperienced ref. But that was not the only bad call in all the games. No, there have been a lot of them. England got screwed out of a goal, Argentina got one they didn't deserve, and then there were some just bad calls w/ fouls called and missed as well as undeserved cards.
England got beat in the round of 16. France and Italy didn't make it out of the first round and the French team were seriously poor sports about it. Surprise, I know!
So after the US was out, I got to freely pull for Argentina. They were playing well through the first round and the round of 16 but then they played Germany. WOW! What a well oiled machine is the German team. I'm impressed by them. I also get to pull for The Netherlands. They are playing well too. They are in the semifinals and will play Uruguay tomorrow. It should be a great game. Germany takes on Spain Wednesday. I'll be watching the final in New Orleans on Sunday. I can't wait!!
I think the US team will have a good chance in 4 years. I look forward to that. In fact, I may just try to go.
Soccer rules!!

Obsession

Isn't it weird how some things just suck us in? And try though you might, you just can't get away from it? Well, I have one of those. I'll be brave and admit it. I'm obsessed with The Twilight Saga! I can not help myself. The story, the characters are all such drawing factors.
For those who are not familiar with the story, here is a brief synopsis: Bella moves to Forks, befriends Jacob, and falls in love w/ Edward; Edward is a vampire and later we discover that Jacob is a werewolf; both guys love her; bad vampires want to kill Bella in all the books; she wants to be a vampire but the boys don't want her to; fighting ensues; she chooses; she gets a new life w/ her choice. Essentially, we're looking at a fairly classic love triangle story but it is the joy of first love that turns into forever love. There are 4 books and they are well written for their target audience which isn't 40-something women. However, the stories have touched people of all ages...okay, women!
Most people who have read the books have chosen a team: Team Jacob or Team Edward. Me, I'm Team Edward ALL THE WAY!! But first, let's look at those who pull for Team Jacob. Jacob is young, he's hot (can't deny it), goes around books (and movies) 2-4 shirtless, is a great friend to Bella initially but he falls for her. He is pseudo-human, in the fact that he has a heartbeat but he does change into a werewolf when he wants to but also when he gets angry. The reason I'm not for Jacob is that his love for Bella seems like it is more out of competition and just youth than real deep love.
And then there is Edward. He became a vampire when Carlisle (his "adoptive" father) changed him when he was dying from Spanish influenza in 1918 (maybe it is just the infection control girl in me liking the flu thing - hahahaha). He is truly old fashioned, he lives off animals instead of people because he doesn't want to be a monster, and he tried to leave Bella alone because he felt he wasn't the right person for her. However, he just can't help himself. He is in love for the first time in his 100 years. He speaks so eloquently and will do anything in his power to save Bella. And he isn't hard on the eyes either. Part of the vampire thing is that he sparkles in the sun. It's a good thing! :)
Now as much as I hate to say it, Bella is whiner! And she is a bit wishy-washy. However, I have to remind myself that she is a teenager! What teenager isn't whiney or wishy-washy! Rosalie, one of Edward's adoptive siblings, is a bit of a pain too. Alice is great and so is Jasper. Emmett cracks me up as he is all testosterone! Carlisle is the moral fiber of the series. And Esme is the love. Charlie, Bella's dad, is a good backbone. He just wants the best for his daughter but isn't always sure what that might be or what might be involved in getting her there.
I have always been a pretty slow reader. I read the first 3 books of this series in 3 weeks! That is unheard of for me! I had to put off buying the last book, which just about drove me nuts, so I could get some work done on prepping my house for Christmas. I waited 2 weeks and then broke down. I have since read all of the books at least 3 more times. What is wrong with me!?!?!?! I feel that it is a serious lack of romance in my own life that I'm filling with a popular romance series. I have already seen Eclipse twice and it hasn't even been in theaters for a week yet. I will own it when it is released on DVD and I'll watch both installments of the last book whenever they come out and I'll buy them too.
Do I need an intervention?????? Maybe! Until someone cuts me off, I'll be enjoying being on Team Edward!

Haiku

I'm feeling like a Haiku! Here you go!

Lost on a highway
wandering aimlessly, yet
happy to just be

There you go!

It's Football Time, Baby!!

Yes, it is that time that fanatics of the beautiful game wait for. It is a long wait - 4 years! But is it ever worth it. WORLD CUP! A whole month of watching some of the most amazing athletes in the world play the world's game. Sure, I am an American football fan. And I like baseball, basketball, hockey, rugby, and many other sports but soccer is literally the universal game. Every country on every continent plays. AND it is the only sport where the teams have a pretty decent shot of being on equal terms.
I certainly don't know everything about the game but I do know some guys that know just about everything! I generally refer to them as my soccer boys or soccer buddies. They are really nice and I am learning a TON of stuff from them. They eat, sleep, and drink soccer. That is great because I don't!
I really started watching 2 world cups ago and got into it. Okay, I'll admit it - I started watching because of David Beckham. I'm not ashamed. At least it got me there. Last world cup, I was glued to the TV every chance I got. This year, I'll be watching a lot of the games w/ the soccer boys who, along w/ me, are members of the American Outlaws, the US Men's National Team supporter group. This should be entertaining and educational. I'm excited.
Who knows - maybe I'll actually go to the world cup one of these years. THAT would be fun.
If you want to watch games w/ me and the soccer boys, holler at me. I'm glad to let you know.
GO USA!!!!!

Pins and Needles

I have been going long enough now that I feel comfortable writing about my acupuncture experiences. I'll tell you that I am a believer. I'm not sure what kind of voodoo it is but it sure does work. This is how it works: you go in for you initial visit and you meet your acupuncture doctor. You have to fill out a number of papers with all sorts of info including what you are thinking you want them to work on. They can work on more than 1 thing at a time which is pretty cool. I didn't know that! So I gave my list of issues over to my doctor and laid down. Based on where you have your problems, they stick needles in appropriate places to deal with those.
Let's start w/ my old 44 year old knees. Yep, I abused my knees starting in high school w/ marching band. Add to that being overweight and the knees have had some abuse. I had a MRI last year to figure out what kind of cyst I had in my knee (ganglion, by the way), I also found out I have a little bit of arthritis there. Again, add it up - knees that hurt on occasion. The first visit and my knees feel great. Sure there is still a little twinge here and there but nothing like they used to feel. Especially when exercising or just walking longer periods of time. Then take last week, my calves were just knots after my training visit. I told my doctor about it and they were really tight when I got there. When I left, they were so loose and relaxed that they didn't hurt me any more. It was awesome! The last thing I'll tell you about is how acupuncture has helped my lungs. A few years ago, I had bronchitis 3 times in the year. Since then, with any exertion I would have tightness in my chest and cough for up to 1/2 an hour afterwards. I get some relief from using an inhaler I got from my allergy doctor (who has also worked some miracles) but it still didn't fully take it away. So after the first session, I went to a ballgame and had to walk a few blocks and go up stairs. I didn't use my inhaler and I was okay. Normally that would have been enough exertion to cause my breathing issue but it didn't this time. The only thing I could think of as a reason was my acupuncture. I have since then gone to the gym and had a full workout without using the inhaler and done very well.
I am a believer in acupuncture. It is really working well for me. Luckily, my insurance covers 20 visits per year at just a co-pay price. That certainly helps being able to go. I would say to those interested, there are ways around the expense of it by going to the acupuncture school and to the student clinic. It is all supervised so there is nothing to worry about. I highly enourage going. If you want any more info, please contact me.

The Torture Chamber

Yes, you know what it is! The Gym! Okay, I know it really isn't a torture chamber but it certainly could be if you don't know what you're doing. Me, I stick with the easy stuff that I know how to use. If I don't know how to do it, I ask someone. I use the treadmill and the bike and then some of the machines. The worst thing in there - the elliptical! It literally kills me to use that damn thing! In less than a minute, I'm a swirling ball of sweat. The swirling comes from not being able to breathe and getting dizzy! I finally got to where I could do it relatively slow for 5 minutes and then the swirling ball of sweat had returned. I did start using the rowing machine and I liked that. Want to know why???? Because when you use it, it has a fan that blows on you from the wheel! Coolness - literally! The best thing about the gym is it is indoors and air conditioned! No A/C, No LB!! hahaha!
One exercise I do like is yoga. Granted at the moment, I can't do some of the moves because too many "things" are in the way but it is fun and there is some serious sweating being done and muscles being used. But there is one thing I will NEVER understand! Why on earth would anyone want to workout in a hot room on purpose? I don't get that. I would throw up!! Seriously, I would be in the corner barfing my guts up! Sure it may get your muscles warmer and I'm sure there are probably other good things it does but NO! Sweating while working out is inevitable but there is no need to make it a river!
No, I'll just take the plain ol' gym and sweat from normal working out. I won't be going to the sweat box torture chamber! No thanks!

Doesn't apply to me

Why is it that some people think the rules that apply to us really don't apply to them? The one I'm referring to this time is the yield sign. Yield signs mean you have to slow down OR possibly stop if the traffic that has the right-of-way is actually coming. The people with the right-of-way should not have to slow down because you're an idiot and can't figure out that YOU are the one that has to stop! I had to slam on my brakes the other day because this twit just kept right on coming through his yield sign. No "oops I screwed up" gesture or any kind of gesture for that matter. Just cutting right on in front of me.
People need to learn to LOVE the yield sign - appreciate it - worship it! It will save you from getting honked at, flipped off, or worse yet causing an accident!

Tickets, please!

Remember that commercial with Bob Uecker where he says "Must be in the front row"? Well, I think a lot people remember it and think it applies to them. At the UT baseball game last night, there were a lot of Uecker's there.
It started when we (Jennifer and I) got there and some guy was sitting in one of our seats. I told him it was ours and he was going to have to move. He did...directly to the row in front of us. A little bit later, a group of people came in and there were people in there seats too. I literally lost count at how many people had to move because other people were in their seats. Yes, we were in the very last section of the stands but the seats are reserved. You have to ask for them and pay for them. All of these people had general admission tickets that were for the grass area on the 3rd base line. But oh no, that apparently was beneath them. The man sitting next to me was just as shocked as I was. And it wasn't just young people. There were people that were someone's grandparents! They should totally know better. The 2 worst situations were just appalling. One was this girl who was asked by the usher to move. She gave him this look of complete disbelief that she was going to have to move. Wake up honey! These aren't your seats. The other situation took me by surprise as to how ballsy these folks were. The people who were supposed to be sitting in the seats came up and showed their tickets to the people in the seat and they wouldn't move. They just sat there for a few minutes. The "official seat" people just kept showing them their tickets and they finally got up.
If you want a seat, buy one! That is what the rest of us did! Now, if the game is more than 2/3rd's over and there are empty seats, I don't have a problem with folks moving to them. It is obvious that the people either left early or didn't show up. But you just don't do that at the beginning of the game! I would really hate for it to have to get to the point where an usher has to check your ticket at the entrance to the seating section but if it stops this nonsense, maybe it should happen. It was disruptive for all the people around and it is just rude!

Rockin' Cuban food

For all you folks out there looking for a culinary treat, let me introduce you to Habana. It is a fabulous Cuban restaurant in Austin (2 locations - 6th St. and S. Congress near St. Ed's). I first went there for the first time a number of years ago with a coworker who grew up in Miami and eating Cuban food. The best thing there can be summed up in 1 word - PORK! Yowsah! Lechon asada...it is fork tender perfectly seasoned pork heaven! In pork heaven also is there Cuban sandwich - ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles all between Cuban bread and squished to heat. I personally don't like pickles so I get mine without but it is fantastic. Moving into the beef portion of the show, ropa vieja! It's delicious! Again, perfectly seasonsed and very tender. They also have great appetizers. The best one is mariquitas served w/ mojo sauce. Mariquitas are very thinly sliced plantain chips that are fried. The sauce, mojo, is crack! Okay, not really but it is so addicting that it might as well be. It is a thick, pork seasonsed w/ some tomato and seasoning sauce that is seriously incredible. To help get the food down, they have great drinks. Mojitos and Cuban martinis (black cherry rum, cane sugar, and lime)are the best. To finish off the night, they have my favorite tres leches in town. It has cinnamon on the top and just the right amount of "leches" so it isn't too wet or too dry. It's perfect.
Should you ever want to go and can't find anyone brave enough to go with you, just give me a call. I'll be very happy to accompany you!
Let me know what you think of this restaurant or any of the others I've reviewed. Let me know if I steered you right!

Life

Some days do you just wonder if life is the way it should be? I don't mean anything bad but just curiosity. Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing? Am I where I'm supposed to be? I don't know. Don't get me wrong. I like my life. A lot! But some days, I just wonder. I guess this was brought on by a couple of things. A friend I've known for a very long time just lost her dad. It is such a sad thing. I know. I still miss my mom so much - every day! And it just brings forward the inevitability of things.
I think about what my life would have been like if I would have been born closer in time to my brothers. What would I have done for a living? Would I have been married? Would I have had kids? Yikes! I'm not so sure how that would have been. I guess it would have been okay because it would have been the only life I would have known. But since I know that could have been with my current life, I get to ponder it. Not too seriously, though.
Then I think of what would have happened if I would have stuck with my original plan of just being back in Austin for a few years after I moved back in 1991. Where would I have gone? Would I have stayed there? I guess my answer to that question is I'll never know because I didn't do it. Why didn't I? Lots of reasons...very good ones. Family - friends - comfort.
So I guess all this wacky pondering just has me at the fact that I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to do, and being the me I'm am. I don't know about you but I feel better now. It's good to think these things out! Thanks for listening...well, reading! It might be good for you to try should you start pondering wacky things too!

Get over yourself!

Sorry for the rather rude title but it is very fitting for this blog topic. I have a little rant for the drivers that feel they need to cut in line. Seriously, who do you think you are? Do you think you are more important than me and all the other people waiting in line like we're supposed to? Do you think you're special? Let me just give you a clue...YOU AREN'T! What you ARE is a jackass! A really big one! Get over yourself and your false sense of self-importance and sit in line! And if you think you're going to get in front of me, you're wrong! mwah,ha,ha,ha!!!! Consider that the evil laugh of the day!
I'm sure you can't wait to see what the next dumb driver is going to do so you can read about it here!
Happy Monday! ;)

More on Mexican food

As most of you know, Austin has a plethora of restuarants and a lot of them are Mexican food. Most people have different favorite places for different favorite foods. In my last blog, I told you about my favorite place for fajitas. Well, my favorite place to go in Round Rock is Morelia Grill. It is a little mom and pop place that makes some seriously fantastic food. Everything I've tried is wonderful. Carne asada, carnitas tacos, chipotle chicken, queso flameado w/ chorizo, homemade tortillas. YUM city! They also have great red and green salsas. One thing I haven't had yet is the fried avocado stuffed with chicken, beef, or shrimp. I keep saying I'm going to have it but keep finding other things to try. I WILL try it, though.
They also have really good margaritas. They are $3 all the time! You can get fruity ones for a little more. One of the other cool things about the place is that they have live music. During the dinner hours, they have some quiet background music but recently, after 9pm, they have bands play. They move tables and make a little dance floor. I hope they keep that up because it was a lot of fun.
Remember Morelia Grill when you are up in the north reaches of the area. It is definitely worth the trip!

Delicious Mexican Food

I am very sorry for not posting since last week. It's been a busy but I'll try to be better!
So today I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants. I would normally keep this a secret but the cat's already out of the bag. Has been for a while.
Enchiladas Y Mas is a fantastic Mexican food restaurant. They have the BEST and I do mean BEST fajitas in town! They rock! The beef ones are the best but the chicken ones are pretty darn good too! They also have this little dish called enchiladas con queso that are cheese enchiladas covered in chili and chili con queso! Can you say heart attack on a plate???? I knew you could! They have tasty margaritas and of course beer. They also have a great salsa that is generally a little on the warm side. They are open Tues-Sat 7am-9pm and Sunday only until 2pm. They usually close for a week during the summer for vacation (usually in July) so keep that in mind if you are going around then.
Check it out and let me know what you think! You won't be disappointed!

Attire

It's official. I've become my mother! Well, at least on part of one subject - attire.
There are days I don't want to dress up. Lots of them. There are some days I don't. However, some days you need to. Today, I went to a conference. Granted, it was at the university and it was for students mainly. I'm not saying you need to wear a suit or wear your Sunday best. But are shorts really appropriate? There were graduate school reps from many big schools in addition to Doctors without Borders, US Public Health service, CDC, etc. at the exhibit hall for people to talk to about jobs or more schooling. Don't you think that you need to have on pants at the very least? Or at least nice shorts, like ones made of something other than material you see in the gym! I tell you, it was my mother's voice in my head. Scary, though it was, it was there! Yikes!
I think enough said!
LB out!

Salumi vs. Salami

A dear friend read my blog the first day. She nicely pointed out that I had misspelled 2 words. Well, I did misspell one but not the other. I thought about it and realized that lots of people, especially Americans, don't know the word SALUMI. So today we are going to learn what that is.
No, I didn't misspell salami. I really mean salumi. The word "SALUMI" is an Italian word that describes meat products that are usually cured and mainly pork. Meats that fall under the salumi category are salami, prosciutto, salsiccia, bresaola, ham, mortadella, capicola, pancetta to name a few. In Italy, to buy these things you go to the salumeria.
Now you can impress people with your new knowledge of cured meats! This is a very good thing to know! Get out there and check out the salumi section in the store nearest you!

License check, please!

Before I get to the subject of this post, I have to say 2 other things. First, I'm sorry that I haven't been on here in 2 days. I've had really long days and just didn't have it in me to get here. Second, a friend reminded me that I forgot a very important part of the review I gave in the first post. I forgot about the pretzels. Now soft pretzels aren't usually one of my favorite things, but the ones at Flying Saucer are fantastic! They have a great flavor and I really enjoyed it.

Okay, now onto the subject of the day. I will apologize in advance because this is just the first in what I'm sure will be a LOT of venting about people and their lack of driving skills.
Today, it is a vent about people not understanding how to merge onto a highway. When you are getting onto a highway, you need to accelerate. Push the long, skinny pedal and GO! Now the exception to this rule is if there is so much traffic that you have no way in. Then you are allowed to go slow and slowly merge in. But when there is NO one there, move! I got behind this person the other night who was going 40mph getting onto I-35. 40? Seriously? That isn't going to cut it! And then they had the nerve to give me a dirty look when I passed them going the actual speed limit! ARRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!! Maybe it is my not-so-secret desire to go fast but still - you are getting onto a highway with traffic moving much faster than 40! You are going to get yourself killed as well as others! So lesson of the day - MOVE when merging onto the highway!

Rant of the day is done! Enjoy it! It looks gorgeous outside. I'll know for sure in a few minutes.

What is a BYOUF?

I have a had a couple of people ask "What's Byouf?". Well, the easiest answer is, it's me! The last name, Buford, has been with me for a long time and friends have shortened it to the first few letters as a nickname. However, if you take "BUF" and just say it, not knowing the right way to pronounce the last name, you are more than likely going to end up saying "buff". For years, I didn't know how to actually write it where you would know what I was saying. Then my lovely niece graduated from college. When the prep was being done, they asked her how to say her last name. She wrote it for them "b-you-ford". When she told me that the lightbulb went off. I have been using byouf ever since.
Now don't get me wrong, people still don't get it and that's okay. I know what it is and that is all that matters! But I am glad to now have a forum to share it with you all.
I thought about some other names for this blog but I really wanted one to encompass all the things I wanted to use it for. Laura's world was boring and I'm sure there are probably many of them out there in cyberspace. But I seriously doubt there's another Byouf's world! So you'll read about stuff in my world from the biggest thought of the word world and from my own little world (beware, that's the scary one!).
Happy Wednesday!!

Here it is!

Well, some of you asked for it so here it is! My blog! I hope that you will like it and I hope that I can think of clever things to say on a fairly routine basis.
One of the things I was asked to do was to give reviews of bars, restaurants, movies, and other things. I will also give my opinion on other things in life. Sorry but that is one of the perks of a blog!!
I'll start with my views on The Flying Saucer Pub in The Triangle. I had a great time there! Good amount of seating inside and out. They also had a great happy hour. They have a "fire sale" every day with a different beer on special. They also have 23oz beers for the price of a pint. Now THAT's a deal! I also have to compliment their munchies! One of my favorite things is the you-pick-it-platter. You can choose up to 5 different choices of cheese and meat (salumi). You get chunks of cheese instead of just a few slices. It also comes with almonds and apple slices. A great thing to share.
That is it for today. I need to do some work on the look of the blog site so it will be appealing!
Later!
L