Pic(s) Of The Day - 12.13.15 - A Wet Day In H-town

And when I say, "Wet" I mean WET!

However, that didn't stop me from going to CultureMap's Holiday Pop Up Shop. I did purchase a few things and I may or may not have enjoyed a Mimosa or two.

Later in the day, I decided to add some holiday decor to the interior of the crib.

Pic Of The Day - 03.23.14

I was invited to a wedding reception for Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Kathy Hubbard.  They were recently married in a small, private ceremony in California.

The original plan was to have a small dinner at the home of John and Becca Cason Thrash but when the RSVP number started to swell, the party was moved to The Corinthian.

This is photo I snapped of them dancing to Etta James' At Last.  You can read more about in Shelby's column here.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind - 01.03.14

Congratulations to Annise Parker who was sworn in yesterday for her third term as Mayor of the United States' 3rd 4th Largest City, Houston, Texas!  Due to term limits, this will be Annise's final term.

source: OutSmart Magazine

According to The Houston Chronicle,

"...Parker called for coastal hurricane protections and, again, an end to chronic homelessness. She drew applause for saying “real progress” in street and drainage improvements will soon be visible and for promising to pass a comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinance that includes sexual orientation and gender identity."  

You can read the full story here and read coverage of her inauguration celebration via CultureMap here.

So...I ran across a couple of things that made me giggle.

The first one is from the Today Show.  There is a guy who has recreated some iconic scenes from movies using his dog.  For instance, here is his interpretation from The Graduate:

You can view the other photos here.  AND The Calvinator should be glad I haven't made him do this. Just sayin'.

Remember the Cabbage Patch Kids?

 Well today on my Facebook feed someone posted this:

You can learn more about the hats here.

World AIDS Day 2013

Legacy Community Health Services-Montrose World AIDS Day 2013

Today is World AIDS Day. A global day to bring awareness about a disease that affects children, women and men.

When people were first infected with HIV in the early '80s, Montrose Clinic (now Legacy Community Health Services) went from being an STD clinic for gay men to one of the first responders to the pandemic in Houston. Legacy went from teaching people how to die from HIV/AIDS to teaching people how to live with HIV/AIDS. Treatments have changed over the years and people are living longer. The face of HIV/AIDS has changed. It went from being a gay man's disease to a disease that affects everyone but one thing hasn't changed: the stigma attached to being HIV+

I was getting ready to head over to a holiday party and visit with friends but before I headed out for the day, I did want to take a moment and acknowledge this day. You might say that the above photo says it all but it is too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend and forget about today.

The photo above was taken last night after I arrived back in town. Katy Caldwell, (Executive Director at Legacy) Gary Archer (from Bright Star Productions) and I had been trying to think of a way to illuminate Legacy's Montrose location for World AIDS Day. Katy suggested a red ribbon. I suggested a string of red ribbons on the white tile. And well then, we left it up to Gary.

from Gary:
I thought it should be multiple ribbons all the way across, some larger, some smaller, different shades of reds, bold, shadows, etc. I visualized this as each of us standing side by side honoring those friends &family who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. That’s my take on this…my concept. On a personal level, I see many friends up there and therefore, I see myself.

So folks there is the story behind the building being lit. And there is also an obscure part of the story that not many people know about.

Back in 1997, I became involved in a committee to raise awareness for World AIDS Day and Illumination Project. Jane Weiner was in charge of the project and I had never met her. I was warned not to drink her Kool-Aid but I did. In one of the meetings, Jane wanted to know why a building or buildings in Houston weren't decorated with the red ribbon. Well, six years later we have one building lit; maybe more will follow.

I hope that you will take a minute to remember everyone who has died from HIV/AIDS, everyone living with HIV/AIDS and everyone who is helping fight the battle. You don't have to light up a building but you can light up your heart.

POSTSCRIPT:

For more photos, visit Legacy's Facebook page.

To read CultureMap's story, click here.

Golden Globes Red Carpet

So everyone has an opinion on last night's red carpet at the Golden Globes. Here is one set of critics:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And to see more of the fashion, visit Salon.com here.

However, when it comes to fashion, there is no better fashionista than The Fabulous Miss Ginger Grant herself! Read her take on the red carpet here.

Update (01.15.13): Here is another review of the red carpet.  It was written by Clifford Pugh at Culturemap.

Update (01.16.13): This made me giggle.