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Auto-Aficionado
Car enthusiasts, collectors, and owners are some of the easiest people to buy gifts for. Fifty bucks in the car care section at Auto Zone can go a long way towards a bad-ass gift. Seriously! I’ve given car wash gift certificates as a gift for years, but something that is a great consideration for your other half, parent, or bestie is a full-on car detail. I do not mean the half-assed Genie car wash 1 hour job. I am referring to a craftsman’s detail. Someone who knows about paint detoxification, the cleaning of yellowed headlamp lenses, refurbishing plastics and seals and reconditioning seats. While not inexpensive, a heavy duty refurb can make an aging car look phenomenal. In the Austin area, I recommend Motoring Concierge. They can make a worn out vehicle look pretty damned good. You can look at their facebook feed to see examples.
Also, if your rims are all scratched from curb rash, they can be reconditioned to look like new in as little as a few hours. Call your car dealer for the inside scoop on who they use internally. Most of the time the body shop or used car manager knows a quality service provider.
Additionally, talk to your local body shop. If you have any scratches that are not so deep that they stop your fingernail when being dragged over it, they can be buffed out with compound. I have done this myself, but I would recommend a professional.
Lastly, if you have dings from doors, hail, or rocks, have them take out by a paintless dent repair specialist. I have used DDS for years. Call and ask for Charlie and tell him I sent you.
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Hintage; a hint of vintage.
On a whim, I recently bought a Ralph Lauren Polo knit tie at a resale shop and thought I would mix it into an outfit for a holiday party. My twenty-seven dollar investment turned out to be worth so much more in compliments alone! It was unexpected, classy, fun and ended up being quite the conversation starter.
It had me thinking about where else I could dig into to find some vintage items. My mother had given me a box of my dad’s jewelry when he passed and I simply put everything into a box and stashed it away. Turns out he had some really great turquoise items and I found a silver arrowhead that I put on a necklace and mixed into some RRL denim. It was a funky southwest accoutrement that got a lot of attention. So the theme of this post is….
1. Don’t underestimate what you have stuffed into a random drawer, and
2. A blast from the past can make a lot of noise in the present.Don’t be afraid to do something different.
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Austin Wedding Reception
I’m so humbled by the turnout for our wedding reception at our Austin home. Graydon and I have never had such a wonderful and eclectic group of guests in our home as we did for this reception. {OMG, keeping a list to 100 people was a huge challenge!}
We appreciate all the well-wishes and are looking forward to a wonderful life ahead.
Special thanks to David at Forever Young Photography for all the photos.
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Pride 2019
The month of June was chosen for LGBTQ+ Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June in 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the continuing fight for LGBTQ+ equality.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, when New Yorkers rioted in reaction to ongoing police harassment at LGBTQ+ community and social spaces.
Learn more:
- The LGBTQ Community is a Vital Part of American History
- A short history of trans people’s long fight for equality (~6 minute TED Talk)
- Did Marsha P. Johnson Start the 1969 Stonewall Riots? (~13 minute Video)
- How the Stonewall Riots Sparked a Movement (~4 minute video)
- Remembering 1969 Stonewall Rebellion participants Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson (~2 minute video)
- Gay and Proud (~12 minute video – Archival film of the first gay pride march in New York City, 1970)
- Remembering the Upstairs Lounge
- 2019 Lambda Literary Award Finalists
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Graydon & Scott, 6/21/19
Here are some photos of our wedding. Such a terrific event. It could not have gone more perfectly!
The Patio at Guerra 
April & Val at The Patio 
Mary and Graydon 
Graydon and Valerie 
Graydon, Wanda, Scott 
It is really official? 
Entering the courthouse 
The wedding party 
Megan, Scott, Valerie 
Best Divas 
Graydon & Mary 
Valerie and Scott 
The exchange 
The moms 
Reciting vows 
Ring exchange 
It is official 
The kiss and hug 
The Honorable Judge Eric Ramos, Brook County 
The wedding party 
The toast #1 
The toast #2 
House Wine, McAllen 
Murry Moore, April Humphreys, Graydon 
Lori, Scott, Robby, David 
Graydon, Mary, April, Scott, Mary 
Val, Cruz, Vicki, Scott 
The spread 
The fabulous vanilla/almond cake 
Only 2 left…. 
Leigh, Graydon, Scott, and Luke 
This was not easy! 
We’re really married!
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Finally, Some Interesting Architecture in ATX
So happy to see a little bit of style coming into the new architecture of Austin. All they have built in recent years are glass boxes and rectangles. Glass is great, but this use of brick is welcomed to the eye.
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Cotton Candy
When ectomorphs find clothes that fit well, it is a big deal. Clothes are generally not well fitted in retail stores, so I was quite pleased to find this product line called Mercantile by J Crew. They’re well fitting, stylish and athletic. My only complaint with their denim is that it transfers; all over my seat, unfortunately. So I give the shirts 5 stars, but aim on the cautious side regarding their jeans.
Dye transfer on seat 
The “Slim” fits well around arms and waist. 
Great color, but it transfers.
