Mini-vactions with friends in Texas and family 'back home'

In my first week traveling since last May I've already packed in some fun times partying down from Texas to good old Minneapolis. On Thursday night I got to spend some good times in Arlington, TX eating Tex-Mex and drinking the authentic Texan double-whammy: a beer and a shot of tequila. Old Aaron Bale picked me up at my hotel with his friend Rusty (or Kyle) and we drove across the freeway to Mariano's, the "birthplace of the frozen margarita," where we met the wonderful Anita, who served us up some extra-hot salsa that she whipped up custom made after Aaron requested it in perfect Spanish:

Rusty, Anita, myself and Aaron Bale enjoying frozen Margaritas at Mariono's

After some amazing fajitas and margaritas we made our way to TJ's, an authentic dive bar, where we smoked cigarettes (indoors!) and drank shots of tequila as we watched Game Five of the ALCS, where the Boston Red Sox rallied in the 7th inning, beating Tampa Bay in the ninth. I also sang my trademark 'In the Ghetto' by Elvis on the karaoke stage, toning down the atmosphere of the night for everyone else who belted out hits from Garth Brooks and 50 Cent...whoops!

The next day after an easy flight to Minneapolis, I met up with my folks for a weekend in Burnsville. Saturday was spent moving a bunch of my little sister's furniture into a storage space, along with a bunch of my boxes, the contents of which cluttered a few closets and the basement with junk I've accrued since college. There was also the dog, who is supposedly in his "teenage years" and the rebellion shows.

Misbehaving Murphy during the big move