Happy New Year!

In case you haven't noticed, I went silent for awhile. Even though I was taking photos, I was having trouble keeping up. Work has been keeping me really busy so by the time I get home from work, I just want to chill.

Many people have been lamenting how tough 2016 was and they have kissed it goodbye. Many of them have been doing this because of the number of celebrities we lost. Prince. David Bowie. Debbie Reynolds. Carrie Fischer. Florence Henderson. And many more. However, one of the worst tragedies experienced on U.S. soil occurred in Orlando, FL in the wee hours of June 12. 49 people were murdered at Pulse nightclub.

Life is full of disappointments but my biggest disappointment of 2016 were the election results for the presidential election. When I realized that Donald Trump was going to win the Electoral College vote, I became sick to my stomach. Jerry Martin with KPRC Channel 2 said it best when talking about Trump. He said just because we're giving you a chance we're not giving you a pass. Time will tell.

So what did I do on the first day of the year? I went shopping. I was told by a friend that whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will be doing that the rest of the year.

As I See It - 03.01.16 - Super Tuesday

Back in the olden days, or back in my day, Texas held its Democrat and Republican primaries sometime in May. From I what I can tell, Texas joined Super Tuesday in 1988 because it wanted to be a player on the big stage and wanted to have an early voice in the selection of candidates.
And so, this year Super Tuesday was held on March 1. My girl Hillary won Texas and the evening! Here's hoping she makes all the way to The White House!. Oh, and if you want to see all of the results for the evening, click here.

As I See It - 02.10.16 - The Circus Continues

As I See It - 01.20.16 - She's baaaaaaack

I have nothing to say.

Pic Of The Day - 06.17.15 - Send In The Clown

So, this has to be one of the best headlines and front page photos I have ever seen. Tabloids can get away wit so much. They are my inside voice being projected outside and in print.

I don't quite understand Donald Trump. He didn't get where he is by driving the Volkswagon full of clowns. I don't always understand his business practices but I have learned some things from him that have been helpful. And if you listened to his speech, you would think he is some sort of of clown. It was something I just couldn't turn off because I didn't know what he would say next. "I just can't quit you."

And as a follow-up...

TS Bill made a trip up I-35 and dumped rain on the north Texas area. We received more rain on Wednesday than we did on Tuesday because of TS Bill's tail.

Pic Of The Day - 06.16.15 - Landfall

So...TS Bill finally made landfall at 11:45a.m. It went to the south of Houston and while we were on the dirty side of the storm, the torrential rainfalls predicted for Tuesday, never materialized.

In anticipation of the end of the world due to predictions of torrential rainfalls, my office was closed. And because of the predictions, normal programming was preempted. My go to station is CNN. Well, the punishment for getting a free day off from work, is that for 45 minutes, Donald Trump's announcement about entering the 2016 presidential race, took over CNN. UGH!

Pic Of The Day - 01.05.15 - Lessons Learned From Reality TV

I believe it was Sonja Morgan on Real Housewives of New York who said, "There are three sides to every story." I found myself making that statement a week ago when I met Tall Todd for wine and appetizers at Flemings. On Monday, I was presented with another situation that no matter how it is explained, it will be another situation with three sides to the story; a no win situation for anyone.

It was either fortunate or unfortunate, depending on which side of the table you seated on, that I also watched The Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday night. Love or hate Donald Trump, there are lessons to be learned from him. The one that I like best is that it is just business.

When it was all said and done, I needed a drink. Actually I needed two drinks and off to la griglia I went with two friends/co-workers. Needless to say, I slept well on Monday night.

It's been awhile since I've had a Kettle One Martini, straight up with a twist. And last night I was reminded of the scene in Monster-In-Law when Jane Fonda finally has a cocktail, looks at her Martini and says, "Hello old friend."

Ivana Trump at Legacy event

In yesterday's ramblings, I mentioned Ivana Trump would be coming to Houston for a Legacy event. So here's the scoop bois and gurrls.

On September 16, 2008, Legacy will be having its Stepping Stones Luncheon. Legacy is one of Houston's premier healthcare providers to those less fortunate. The luncheon is an ideal opportunity for key Houstonians to come together and learn more about the serious lack of quality healthcare for Houston's underserved, and how Legacy is striving to meet our city's needs.

This year our corporate honoree is Neiman-Marcus. The individual honoree is Monsour Taghdisi. Neiman-Marcus and Monsour have been big supporters of Legacy and it is a pleasure to give them this recognition. Chairperson for the event is Melissa Mithoff.

In addition to providing our guests with information about Legacy, international icon and businesswoman Ivana Trump has agreed to come and speak to our guests. This is a major coup for us.

I went and did some research on Ivana and was reminded that:

• she was born in Czechoslovakia;
  
• she has a Masters Degree in Physical Education;


• she was a member of the Czechoslovakian Women’s Ski Team;


• she immigrated to Canada to pursue her skiing career and then became a model.

I remember how the divorce from The Donald was plastered all over the newspapers and tabloids. I also remember thinking that this is a strong woman with a sharp business acumen and she would be just fine even though people were wondering, "Who is Ivana without Donald?"

In addition to being a successful business woman and author, Ivana travels extensively on the international lecture circuit. She is an active member in community and charitable organizations including, New York City Ballet, American Cancer Society, United Cerebral Palsy, March of Dimes, and many organizations benefiting children living with HIV/AIDS.

This luncheon is by invitation only so if you are interested in attending, please contact me at absolutrunnr77007@yahoo.com and I will give you the details.

..........

Services Provided By Legacy

Healthcare For Men & Women: Legacy focuses on prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of common health issues unique to men and women including sexual health issues.

Heathcare For Children: Legacy works with the family to ensure that children get their regular checkup including vaccines and immunizations. Our goal is to keep children healthy.

Family Planning: These services are designed to improve reproductive health including affordable birth control methods and providing exams and education on sexually transmitted diseases.

Eye Care: Our physicians specialize in both optometry and ophthalmology services to promote healthy eyes and to maintain or improve vision. Glasses and contact lenses are also offered.

Mental Health Services: These services are for assessment, diagnosis, counseling and treatment of mental illness to improve quality of life. We treat both adults and children.

Health Promotion & Community Outreach: Legacy participates in health fairs and community outreach events to deliver health information and services directly to individuals to promote healthy behaviors and encourage early detection diseases.

Wellness Services: Providing nutritional counseling, physical therapy and massage allows Legacy to take a holistic approach to healthcare especially in patients with diabetes, high cholesterol, and HIV/AIDS.

Specialty Healthcare for HIV/AIDS: Legacy is nationally recognized for its comprehensive HIV/AIDS services including testing, counseling, treatment, social services, vision services, financial assistance and prevention education for those living with the disease.

Legacy Advocacy Project: Advocates at the city, state and federal government levels for fair and effective healthcare related policies.

Would you hurry up and lay that egg already!

Believe it or not I actually made it to LeFittes tonight to do some weights. It had been 7 days since I have been there (I keep a log of every time I walk The Calvinator, run, spin, and do weights) and I was surprised when I noticed that tonight.

Anywho. There were some new faces there. Another gym is a bit behind in making their move to a new location and their members are using other gyms in the interim.

So after I left the gym I decided to stop at JAX Grille to get a bite to eat. It wasn't crowded but there were people there and the televisions were tuned into different sporting events so my point is: there was noise.

At one long table it looked like some type of family birthday celebration was going on. Good time was being had by all. However, one lady was having too good of a time. She had a couple of beer bottles in front of her, which is fine. When she laughed you could hear it all over the restaurant and it was a cackle and it was frequent and it was annoying.

I really was waiting for her to lay an egg.

In other news:

RunnerOne was in my mailbox today; well sorta. He is the full page cover for the new edition of Inside Texas Running. His story about running in Death Valley this summer is the feature story. If you don't get a subscription to the magapaper, you check out his website and read the story.

A 135 mile run from 282 feet below sea level to 8360 feet above sea level. Crazy I tell you! :-)

Have you been outside tonight!!!!???? At 900P it was 77 degrees but the humidity is only 41%. I took The Calvinator out for his quick pee and the weather was wonderful! Let's hope it stays around for awhile. Maybe October really is here?

Anyone taking bets on how long Pamela Anderson will stay married? LOL Let's see. It is the third marriage for her and the third marriage for Rick Salomon.

So when people say that they want to pass a law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman and it is to protect the sanctity of marriage and defend it and blah, blah, blah...I look at people like Pamela & Rick or Elizabeth Taylor (married 8 times and OK, one of her husbands died) or Zsa Zsa Gabor (married 9 times with one annulment) or Donald Trump (married 3 times) or Britney Spears (married 2 times and let's see the first one lasted 55 hours and then was annulled because they didn't know what they were getting into, blah, blah, blah).

So if anything should be done to defend and protect the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman how about outlawing divorce? Once you're married you're married and that's it. HA! That will show you. :-)

And although Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may not be the poster children for marriage, Brad has said that they will get married when everyone can get married. I guess we know where they stand on the issue.

That's how I see it from 30,000 feet. At ground level I can see the intricacies and things that need to be worked through, etc. There's quite a bit more I could say about this subject but I'm getting way off track. :-) So back to my original question: How long will Pamela & Rick's marriage last?

I say 6 - 8 months.