Consternation

This morning, after running at the park and before returning to NoRO, I stopped at SBUX to get a Grande Iced Coffee with sugar-free vanilla. When I walked in, the baristas looked very concerned. I ordered my beverage and then the patron behind me ordered a Grande Coffee.

Bob, who was working the register said, "We don't have any hot water to make the coffee." WHAT?!

All they could do was make cold beverages and Americanos. Not a good day at the SBUX on Memorial Drive.

Sort of reminds me how my day started last Friday when I accidentally got dog poop on one of my fingers. Talk about consternation!

Music

I was out walking Calvin this evening and for whatever reason, I started humming this:


Which made me start humming this:


But I think what started it was I heard this song yesterday when I was visiting with friends at the BRB. Click here

Which always makes me think of my favorite Reba song (which is a Bobbie Gentry cover):

Death

This status was posted on Facebook: _________ doesn't understand why people feel sad when celebrities die? are you that lonely and needy?

There were several comments posted and some of them weren't very kind. And I'm sorry that the person who originally posted the status update has had to deal with death several times in his life. He was questioning the obsession with celebrities and this was posted in response to people being sad about Bea Arthur.

It got me to thinking though. Why does the death of a celebrity make me sad. In the case of Bea Arthur, she is someone that I first noticed when she was in Maude. This was back in the early '70s. Then of course, there was Golden Girls. Both shows made me laugh. Laughter brought into my life via the telly over the course of many years. And though I never met Bea, I admired her talent and that is talent that can no longer be shared (except in reruns!).

The untimely death of Princess Di really bothered me because we were about the same age. It is an event like that that is a reality check.

So, I just had to get that off of my chest. People mourn in different ways and that should be respected.

...anything but tranquilizing. Right on Maude!

In this Jan. 10, 2005 file photo, Broadway and television actress Bea Arthur performs during "A Celebration of Cy Coleman" at the Majestic theatre in New York. Family spokesman Dan Watt says the 86-year-old Arthur died at home early Saturday, April 25, 2009. He says Arthur had cancer, but declined to give further details.


Source: AP

XXX - Bunnies On The Bayou

It was Triple X fun on Sunday as Bunnies gathered from near and far to celebrate Easter. This was the 30th Anniversary of Bunnies On The Bayou.

The party was supposed to start at 1PM but it was raining bunnies and chickens cats and dogs. After the rain stopped, the skies cleared and the sun came out. The music started, the vodka flowed like manna from heaven, the shirts came off and XXX fun began!


I haven't worn this outfit in a few years. Ya gotta love having a closet full of costumes.

Boy Ginger invited Str8 Up With A Twist to be a part of his tent.

There was a foreign delegation of bunnies which goes to prove that Houston really IS an international city.

Fellow blogger Al was there with his posse...although none of his posse was around when I took the pic.

Here's a bunny enjoying the free flowing adult beverages and the sunshine.

For more photos, click here.

Scenes From A Saturday Night In Houston

Last night was Montrose Softball League's Pranksters. I had never been and I'm glad I went last night. It was fun! Good crowd! And your cost of admission got you complimentary vodka drinks for the night!!!!

I'm Peeing In My Pants...

...'cause I'm so excited! I was just on Facebook again for the first time today and FB Friend Mike posted a link to YouTube of Pet Shop Boys at the BRIT Awards. You see...

they were awarded Outstanding Contribution To Music.


Aficionados of Str8 Up With A Twist know that I am a HUGE fan of Pet Shop Boys...or as cool people like me call them, PSB. To top it off, Lady Gaga also performed with them. She has become my new favorite artist.

At the awards show, they did a medley of some of their many songs and of course they hit on some of my favorites.

Suburbia always reminds me of when Calvin lived with Stuart. When I would drive to Sugar Land (TX), to get Calvin or to return Calvin to Stuart, I would find myself humming Suburbia, especially, "Let's take a ride along with the dogs tonight, in suburbia..."

West End Girls takes me back to 1984 when I was driving north on I-35 from Waco (TX) back to Ft. Worth (TX). It was a beautiful Spring day and on the radio West End Girls was playing. There was a convertible traveling next to me and the occupants in the car were listening to same station and they were singing along and waving their hands in the air like you don't care. To me West End Girls is a timeless song.

What Have I Done To Deserve This? is one of my favorites because Dusty Springfield recorded the song with them. Dusty's voice was the perfect complement to the song. My favorite part of the lyrics: "Since you went away I've been hanging around I've been wondering why Im feeling down? You went away, it should make me feel better but I dont know, oh. How I'm gonna get through? How I'm gonna get through."

Another song in their medley is Being Boring. If I could pick one song that sums up how I feel about life and my friends, this is the song, "'cause we were never being boring. We had too much time to find for ourselves. And we were never being boring. We dressed up and fought, then thought: make amends. And we were never holding back or worried that time would come to an end. We were always hoping that, looking back you could always rely on a friend."

It's because of these songs and so many of their other songs that I can understand why and highly applaud the award they were given! Hey, Neil and Chris...if you're reading this, CONGRATULATIONS from this side of the pond!!! Well deserved.