TSA is silly

So, Rich had a couple of old Indian arrowheads in his backpack, that he found on my parents property in Missouri. Nothing big, just some little ancient stone arrowheads.

We had a smooth drive from Missouri to Texas, spent the night outside Houston, and this morning, after a necessary last refuel at Chuy's to stock up on proper Mexican food for the next 6 months, we headed to IAH airport to catch our flight home.

TSA confiscated Rich's arrowheads. Said they were too pointy.

Not, mind you, that they were potentially valuable historical artifacts. Not, of course, that they were of archeological significance.

Nope. Pointy. Too.

Because, you know, if *I* were going to take over a plane and kill people, I would DEFINITELY do it with an arrowhead found in a mud-ridden, tick-filled field in rural Missouri. Nothing like some home grown, hand carved terrorism to really get the old juices flowing and make me feel alive.

Imagine the fear in their eyes as I brandish all 1 1/2 inches of pure carved ancient Indian stone at helpless people all around me. Whooping and hollering in my Cherokee accent, I take over the plane wearing my best feathers and war paint. YES! I OWN this plane!! Me and my arrowhead! My evil, pointy, scary found on the ground arrowhead!

Which is why I have given Rich his Indian name.

Flies With Pointy Rocks.

As close as I got

As close as I got, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Me and the royal peeps. Note my huge hands.

Last Tex MEX

Last Tex MEX, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Chuy's!

66

66, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Route 66

Well THAT'S a bummer

I got a Kindle EReader just the other day. I thought it might be a fun way to keep up with books as they come out Stateside, and see what was new, and save on shipping costs. Also our book club reads somewhat hard to find titles sometimes, and this might save time in ordering books, just 'poof' there they are on the Kindle!

And so for my first book purchase I wanted the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning, which comes out May 3rd, when I will be back in Norway, having just missed the release date in the US.

WTF? They are charging more for the Kindle version than the hardback on Amazon!!!!!!!!!

That's just EVIL. Apparently that is the publisher's doing, no Amazon's. Seriously? $16 for a book in a digital format? Highway robbery. No paper, no delivery costs, nothing. MORE than the hardback!!!!

Bastards.

Travels, bullet post

• Cities visited since April 14th: London, Houston, Navasota, Washington-On-Brazos, Brenham, Giddings, Bastrop, San Antonio, Blanco, Fredericksburg, Johnson City, Austin, San Marcos, Waco, Waxahachee, Dallas, Muskogee, Joplin, Springfield.
• Number of times it rained in Texas: 0
• Number of times I managed to lay in the sun by the pool: 2
• Approximate wind speed as I lay by the pool: 25 mph
  
• Amount of rain after Texas: Started raining as we drove through Oklahoma at around 1pm, and has not stopped since arrival in Missouri at 9pm last night. Still raining now.
  
• Number of times I wished the rain would just GO TO TEXAS: 500
  
• Number of miles put on rent car: 1400 so far
• Number of times we had to stop to add air to a leaky tire on rent car: 1 (in the rain)
• Number of times I mis-ordered a beer at BlackStar Coop called "Recalcitrant Dockhand" by calling it "Recalcitrant Dickhead": once, but then the joke stuck and I kept doing it.
• Number of Lucchese boots I bought: 1 pair (to replace my black cherry classics with the exact same thing)
  
• Number of times I had BBQ: 5 (once a year is my usual, so I am good for a while)
  
• How much I love my friends in Austin: 1 jiggity jillion times

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Peep peeps!

Downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Straight thru Dallas

Easter morning, Austin

Easter morning, Austin, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Good morning!

Fredericksburg Tx

Fredericksburg Tx, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Chicken fried chicken and Franziskaner dunkel weissen. German Texan at its finest!

Mmmm

Mmmm, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Mmmmm

San Antonio

San Antonio, originally uploaded by karlakp.

On the river walk.

Y'all come back!

Y'all come back!, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Bbq joint and old cars on the road outside. It's a gorgeous day.

Ah Texas

Ah Texas, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Bbq in my homeland.

Room at the Inn

Room at the Inn, originally uploaded by karlakp.

The room at the b&b we are in this weekend. Zowie!

funniest video descirbing Norway EVER

OH so true.

ugly 60s house.jpg

ugly 60s house.jpg, originally uploaded by karlakp.

I went wandering around in the lovely weather today. I love to putter around our neighborhood as there are gorgeous old farmhouses and grand old apartment buildings from the 19th century (and a very few 18th century!). Such elegant architecture with such grace and charm.
Which made coming upon this monstrosity all that much more jarring. This is a private home, not the American embassy or a doctor's office. What really kills me is the thought of the house they probably knocked down to build this crappy place! The 60's were not a good time for architecture in Oslo.

Why I haven't been that eager to move home. Right here.

I don't know why the GOP thinks it's ok to wage war on women, or why they are so afraid of anything of a reproductive nature. Hey Republicans! Uterus! Fallopian tubes! VAGINA!!!! Menstrual cycles! Pap smears! Labias! EEEEEEE!!!!!! Scary woman stuff! Planned Parenthood deals in SCARY WOMAN STUFF! They help women take control of their lives and their SCARY FEMALE BODIES! We can't allow that!

Hey Republicans, really, what are you so afraid of? Why don't you go focus on something important, like, oh, I dunno, the economy and the fact that the US has lost all respect in the world and is no longer a relevant super power?

Random photos from Barcelona and Rome

Umbrellas outside the Vatican, Rome. We went to Rome last May (has it almost been a year already?) and I loved loved loved Rome and so want to go back. I will, however, avoid the Vatican next time. Once is enough. WAY too crowded. It was also raining like a motherfucker when we went, and I have never stood outside in rain for that long, ever.

The Grim Reaper outside the Castello in Rome. I tried not to take it as an omen. Anyhow, I'm still here..... so far so good. His plastic kiddy pitchfork didn't exactly instill fear.

Play of light on the organ pipes at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The colors were so beautiful they way they played off the metal and the windows.

Some joker thought it would be cool to carve the Texas A&M logo on a pillar at the Coliseum, Rome. Seriously? Jeez. That pillar has been there thousands of years, seen untold history and horrors and joys, and some yutz had to add the AGGIE symbol to the marks of yore?
THAT'S what you want to have carved into history?