Spring is Sprung

Love is in the air - even the dogs are feeling it...

Memorial

I haven't been posting lately because this has been a trying month for me. I'd just like to take this space to memorialize a really great man, my stepdad. He lived life to the fullest, and never regretted a day he spent on this earth. He left behind a family that will miss him tremendously, but I'm so glad to have known him.

His Drag Racing Days...

Cool Night Cool Concert

Since the September concert was a bust due to Hurricane Rita, Coldplay made another trip back to H-Town to satisfy their fans, and it was worth the trip. Although I missed the VERY SHORT opening act by Fiona Apple, and they didn't take the stage until after 9:30, AND I was in nosebleed seats, it was worth the price to see this excellent band again. Nothing can top the first time I saw them at Verizon Theater standing a few feet from the stage, with Gwyneth in the balcony above, but they are true superstars now, and give a performance worthy of the lofty ticket price. I just wish so many scalpers weren't able to get the best seats, since I bought mine 5 minutes after they went on sale, but still had to squint to see the band. I really despise Ticketmaster sometimes...

Wabbit Season! Lawyer Season!

K-Fed, the Giant Douchebag

I could not contain my laughter at this crazy clip of Mr. Britney Spears jamming to his sad new single. I know it is all over the net by now, but I just had to add it here since it is the funniest thing I've seen all week.

Customer Service

Having ventured back into the wonderful world of retail, I have seen the best and worst of people lately and over the holiday season. I read this post yesterday and could absolutely relate. People, treat those in the service industries with kindness - karma can be a bitch when she wants to be.

Oh what a geek I am...

You know you've gone too far down the abyss of geekdom when your new cell phone is taking up most of your leisure time. I had the good fortune to lose my cell phone on NYE, and decided to replace it with one that had all the bells and whistles, and boy, does it whistle. I settled on the LG VX-8100 and now I have mobile web, a 1.3 megapixel camera, video, and an MP3 player. Now if I could get it to cook and clean, I'll be set.

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great holiday. I rang in my new year at M Bar downtown - it was fun, but these places really charge way too much for NYE cover.

E-Mail of the Day

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything that you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect ME to solve your problem. You're in EXACTLY the same position you were in before we met, but somehow now, it's MY fault!

The Mode Returns

One of my all-time favorite bands put on one hell of a show tonight, proving that they are not slowing down a bit - rather, it seems that they are picking up their pace. The songs from the new album sounded great, and they treated the long time fans with two encores featuring "Enjoy the Silence", "Somebody", and "Just Can't Get Enough". The opening band, The Bravery, was heavy on the synthesizers, but talented nonetheless. The show proved to be every bit as good as their last tour for Exciter (even if Dave Gahan has a bit of the Bono syndrome - he was heavy on the Jesus arms tonight).

Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn!!!!

Say it ain't so...

Greek Fest

I was able to take in the food at the annual Greek Festival this weekend. In case you missed it, the food was fabulous, when you could get it. They run out quick, so my advice if you plan to attend next year: go early. Don't wait until Sunday.

A New Day

Will miracles never cease? The heat wave is finally over, and all my relatives still have their homes. Not all intact mind you, but they all still stand. As evidenced from the picture above, there are very few trees left in my grandmother's yard, since most of them landed on her house. Thankfully, she, my mom, my stepdad, my brother and his wife were all here with me "hunkering down" for the storm. I was one of the (insert adjective here) ones who decided to stay in Houston and ride it out, avoiding getting caught sitting on the freeway for countless hours in 100 degree heat with no food, bathroom, water, or gas.

We are all now one big happy family in my not-so-large accomodations until they can restore power and allow the SE Texas residents back into their homes. My place is also currently home to 2 cats and 3 dogs. I am happy to have them here, and I'm so glad they didn't stay there during the storm. We are the lucky ones, however - they know their situation is temporary, and there will be insurance money to replace the holes in their ceilings, and for the most part, almost all their belongings were spared, not scattered to the winds or looted by soulless people. It is an eye-opener to experience the previous hurricane through those who aren't as lucky. Take a look: Operation Eden

Hurricane Rita Drinking Game

Most of my family is from the Beaumont area, so I can afford to joke about it. They all made it through okay, though we don't know how everyone's homes fared. I guess we'll see when they can all return home. Until then, we are having fun watching the footage and laughing at the anchormen.

Take a sip when:
1. Anyone loses a hat while standing in 50+ mph winds.
2. Anyone loses the feed and cuts to someone who has no idea they are on TV.
3. Anyone finds someone toothless to interview about "riding out the storm"

Take a big gulp when:
1. Anyone says "hunker down"
2. Anyone says "this place is like a ghost town"
3. Geraldo Rivera finally shows up on Fox News

We are all drunk now. Happy hurricaning!

Modern Day Atlantis

It puts things into perspective when you are going through a rough period in your own life and then something like Hurricane Katrina happens right in your own area - you become less focused on your own problems, and grateful for what you do have. It is heart-wrenching to see what has happened to these people, and I'm living with it every day because most of them have come here to my city. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you who have been affected by this tragedy, and I'm so glad to live in a city so full of people who are willing to go above and beyond to help others in need.

Ziggy's Sunday Brunch - not so nice

I will NOT be sampling the fare of Ziggy's "Healthy" Grill again. Whether this was the fault of new management, new cook, or a combination of the two, our experience on Sunday was not a pleasant one, and might have been ugly if we'd have stayed any longer. We had a party of about ten people, seated ourselves and then ordered our food at the counter after all our party arrived. Although we all ordered at about the same time, the three people who had salads and/or sandwiches got their food in about 20 minutes. I got my burger after waiting 40 minutes, and the rest of the group had to wait over an hour for their burgers. We tried to laugh it off and enjoy ourselves, but we also wanted the management to know about the inconvenience, so we reported it to our waiter and asked what he could do to remedy the situation. He gave us a list of excuses, the topmost one being that they have a new cook, and the best he can do is to tell him to hurry. This is when the agitation began. After a few more complaints, we asked to speak to the manager, at which we were told that the whiny little dude who was supposed to be our waiter was also the manager. He then proceeded to argue with our group and tell us he was putting his ass on the line for us. Wha???? Anyway, the scene began to get ugly as some of our group began demanding free desserts, and then refusing to eat them after the whiny pseudo-manager brought them out. (I was not about to eat one for fear of what was being done to them in the kitchen - nor did I ask for one.) Finally, the scene turned into an all-out argument, at which I could no longer hold my tongue, and I told the whiny dude rather loudly that he was only making it worse with his piss-poor attitude. At which I excused myself and left with a rather unsettled stomach. Final summary - too much trouble for cold food. I can eat healthy at home.

Fan falls at Yankee Stadium

No matter what kind of day I've had, it's good that I can always count on others to make me feel like less of a moron...

Whoopee cushion makes international news

It's pretty bad when they have us jumping so much that a common joke prop can make an international incident.

Sorry I haven't been posting lately - life is dealing me a bad hand right now.

LOTR Exhibit

Went to the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science this weekend - very cool stuff. The exhibit is full of actual drawings by the artists who worked on the films, as well as authentic costumes, props, miniatures, and much more. There are several videos by the cast and crew to elaborate at each station along the way, and a few interactive stations that show you how the movie magic was done. A few of the coolest points: one of the actual One Rings used in the movie, the costumes of the main actors (including Galadriel's white dress and Sauron's armor from the first movie), and the life-size model of the dead Boromir in the Elven boat.

Congrats Lance!!!