crab, crawfish, & an aggie win

Unless you're currently stuck in a deep hole--someplace far, far away--you're undoubtedly aware that March Madness has begun. As much as I love watching the obscenely long docket of games currently available for sports fanatics such as myself to feast upon, I've found the wait time leading up to "my games" to be interminable.

So yesterday I was in Houston, waiting to watch Texas A&M in its first-round glory, when we decided the best way to kill a few hours prior to tip-off was to ice-down the beer, boil a large pot of water, and pop-in some delicious sea-going critters. The result: the perfect salve for my frazzled nerves. Oh yeah ... a Texas Aggie victory also ensued.

It was a close-to-perfect day, filled with much-needed down-time from school/work, quality moments with my family, gorgeous spring weather in The Great State, gastronomic bliss, and good memories--from sun-up to sun-down.


Great win, Ags. Now beat the hell outta Purdue.

(I'm thinking a vigorous round of baking is in my near future)


My nephew, Aidan, watching the crawfish, prior to their "swim." According to Aidan, "Some of them are fighting with their friends."

tailgating toys

Have I mentioned that the official countdown to college football season has commenced (kick-off is two weeks and counting, from today)? I'm thinking our small group of pre-game partiers needs to fancy things up a little this year.

Premium Margaritaville Trio Frozen Concoction Maker (Williams-Sonoma):

*Note ... not a clue what the hors d'oeuvres on the plate are, but they look equally tasty!



hot dog cast iron grill topper (the actual topper is correctly printed backwards; this one was reversed for photo purposes. No Aggie jokes necessary):

The grill topper is a portable ceramic coated cast iron grill rack that turns ordinary grilled meat into works of art by searing your choice of team logos onto the surface of your meat. Simply set the grill topper on your existing grill rack and pre-heat. Place your hot dog directly on the team logo, searing the image onto the meat as it cooks.

burgers:
I'm torn between the following two coolers. Each has its perks.

Rolling cooler:
or Motorized Cooler Scooter (cracks my sheet up):

I especially love the description:

Why walk when you can ride?! Our new rideable cooler's 400 Watt electric motor propels you and up to 24 of your favorite 12 oz. beverages (and ice!) around the lot, beach, or neighborhood at up to 13 MPH. With a range of up to 15 miles per charge, you can take a load off while distributing beverages to friends and neighbors.

Ring bottle opener (pretty classy, huh?):Magnetic koozies (tip: make sure to remove these before packing up and heading home):




Beat the hell outta New Mexico!

directv devastation

DirecTV is in the process of upgrading its digital receivers--something to do with providing HD broadcasts of local channels. So about a month ago I received a phone call from a pleasant woman wanting to schedule an installation date for the replacement of my TV receivers/DVR. Today was the day.

The gentleman who arrived was very nice. He even took care of a long-standing DVR problem about which I hadn't previously gotten off of my ass to address. He was appreciative of the icy bottles of water I gave him (triple digit temps can be especially brutal when a large part of your job occurs outside), telling me I could call him in the future if I ever have TV problems.

Then "it" happened.

When the technician had finished, he was showing me the bells and whistles on my new receiver when I noticed ALL OF MY DVRd PROGRAMS WERE GONE. Nooooooooooooooooo! As if the crushing news of John Hughes' death wasn't enough . . . .

You're probably thinking: "So what, Beverly. Get over it!' Uh-uh. No wuh-ay. I had the most perfectly assembled DVR library. Often when I cook or make a new cocktail I'll refer to one of my gazillion Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa episodes (including several from her new Back to Basics programming). And when it comes to appetizers, no one beats Giada de Laurentiis's Everyday Italian and Giada at Home for fantastic ideas.

Then there was my stockpile of every single Ghost Hunters episode. Gone like yesterday. Also now history: numerous note-worthy and highly significant Aggie sports events, along with a few interviews from my favorite sports writer(s). And the movies. Oh, the movies. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, I hardly knew ye.

I'll undoubtedly pick up the pieces of my shattered small screen existence; but things will never be the same. And now I shall now go attempt to ease some of my pain by re-creating my "programs to record list." Sad clown. :(