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 - 01.01.16 - Happy New Year

I've decided to stop calling it Pic Of The Day. Why? Well, when I take a photo, what I see in the viewfinder is what I see and how I see it. Or...when I screen capture something (a quote, a photo, etc.), I may be seeing someone's opinion that I share. I'll still label pic of the day but will do away with pics of the day labels.

So...what did I see on January 1? I saw a bundle of balloons at Kroger on Studemont. It screamed Happy New Year!

Kroger was just one of many stops for the day: FIT; Fiesta; H-E-B; a New Year Day's brunch; DSW; and Sports Authority. I so needed to do laundry because I was heading back to Ft. Worth on Sunday but I just-didn't-have-the-energy after I made a batch of Jambalaya and Posole. the crib smelled really good

I think I have determined that I really enjoy spending New Year Day with friends more than I ever enjoyed spending New Year's Eve out and about. There is some sort of faux expectation that accompanies New Year's Eve. I have a hard time explaining it. Plus, it's never fun starting the new year with a hangover.

Pic Of The Day - 01.03.15 - The Mothership

There's something about Nordstrom that makes me feel good. Some of their merchandise is out of my price range  (like the $2300 Burberry trench cost) but I still enjoy going there.

One of my post-Christmas/New Year tradition is to shop their sale merchandise. And, this venture to the mothership didn't disappoint.

Pic Of The Day - 01.01.15 - And We're Off!

So...if you read yesterday's post, you will recall that my inspiration for this Pic Of The Day project was inspired by Carly Simon. For 2014, I was about 98% successful in documenting the year. And, I'm going to it another shot.

So...this is the first Pic Of The Day for 2015.

This is a pot of jambalaya. It's a tradition that I started a few years ago on the first day of the year; make a pot of jambalaya. I tried making posole but I've never been able to nail the consistency of the broth and the spices like my dad and paternal grandmother could make. I've nailed the jambalaya so in the spirit of stick with what you know, I'm sticking with the jambalaya.

I didn't spend all day in the apartment. I did get out and go to Starbucks, Walmart, HEB and to an afternoon party. I still have plenty of unpacking to do and a bunch of laundry, so guess what I'll be doing this weekend!

Welcome 2015!

There are many ways to welcome in a new year. Sydney lights up the Sydney Harbor Bridge with fireworks. Paris, London, Shanghai and New York City all light up icons within their respective cities. And then there is Key West and Bourbon St. Pub.

Sushi appears at Bourbon St. Pub and does the shoe drop. It is unique and is something I would like to attend one day.

AP Photo/The Key West Citizen, Rob O'Neal) MIAMI HERALD OUT

Whether you dropped a shoe, a clam or a crystal bar, I hope you had a safe evening. I stayed in with The Calvinator and was quite content to be here with him.

Everybody wonders what will happen in the new year; it's difficult to predict. We do know that there will be highs and lows and hopefully we will all weather the storms and enjoy the bright moments.

When 2014 started I had no idea that I would meet Betty Buckley and Bette Midler. I also didn't know that at the end of the year, I would be vacating the residence I had occupied for almost 9 years. As I said, highs and lows. And, most of these were documented right here on the blog. I once read a quote that stated, "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." There were many times, especially in the last quarter of 2014, that I had to remind myself of this quote.

So, speaking of the blog...how did I do?

My goal for 2014 was to take at least one photo a day. It didn't necessarily have to reflect the day but it needed to document the day. I was inspired by something that I read several years ago about Carly Simon. She would take one Polaroid photo a day.

Looking back, it appears that I missed about 6+ days of not taking a photo and most of those days occurred in the last quarter. Yes, I did fudge a few times and use screen shots or create a jpeg to reflect the day. Considering that I last tried this in 2010 and only made it through the month of March, I think I did really well! So...

Let's give it another try in 2015. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog.

Wishing all you the best in the new year!

2015 Comes In Down Under

I always enjoy viewing the fireworks photographs from Sydney as they usher in the new year. This one was taken by Wolter Peeters.

If anyone in Australia is reading this post, it is 4:02 p.m. in Houston on 12/31/14. How does the new year look?

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you the very best in 2014!

One of the best things I heard about resolutions is that they really should be called intenions.  I have a few things that I intend to do.   A few of them I started before today.

And one thing to remember,  everyday is a new opportunity.

The End Of The Year Begins With...

the beginning of the year in Sydney.

It was a fluke that I was able to watch the fireworks from Sydney as the Aussies rang in 2014.  You see...

I woke up at 4:15AM after sleeping on the couch for no apparent reason.  I woke up The Calvinator to give him his pill and walk him and decided to head the gym.  Well, I got there and they were closed.  I remembered they were closing early today but didn't realize they were opening late.  So, I went home and streamed the fireworks from Sydney.  7:00AM is 12:00AM there.

I saw an interview about the cost of the display.  $6M (AUS) was spent and for the first time in 10 years the iconic Sydney Opera House was aglow with pyrotechnics.  2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the Opera House which was controversial when it was built.

My love affair with Sydney continues.  It was rather fitting that my the beginning of the last day of 2013 was started with fireworks from The Land Down Under.

Happy New Year

So...it occurred to me that the Droid I've had for 11 months or so is probably compatible with Blogger and guess what...it is? There's even an app!

I've actually missed blogging. Facebook has actually replaced my blog posts. It's a new year so maybe I'll give this another try.

I hope 2013 is a great year for all of us.

God bless us everyone.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Happy New Year from Houston, Texas! Let's make 2010 a great year!!!!

Ramblings of A Caffeinated Mind 8.0

Festivities
So here is brief recap of what has transpired over the past few days.

Saturday night, AttyHou, Everyday Italian and I loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly...uh, I mean, loaded up The Cal Mobile and headed toward the south loop. You see...Barry was having a post-Christmas/pre-New Year party.

When I first moved to Houston and joined EPAH (Executive & Professional Association of Houston), I met Barry and he would throw fun pre-bar run parties. At that time he was living behind the old Briar Patch (in the Med Ctr) so it was real convenient to go to his place and then go to the Briar Patch.

I liked the Briar Patch because:

• it was a piano bar
• for a buck the piano player would play a show tune
• when I walked in I WAS the pretty one

I'm digressing here. So anywho...Barry moved about a year ago (I didn't know that) and he threw a party so we went. It was fun. Cool house but the guest house was even more cool.

Sunday, I met up with Joe & Eric for Mexian food at Los Cucos. I was tempted to partake of a Margarita but considering that I haven't been running as much (and not burning enough calories), I chose not to partake of the beverage. We sat there and laughed and talked about dogs. It was fun.

Monday night I was invited to a couple of parties and chose to go to one. I've never been a big fan of the New Year's Eve hoopla. There have been a few years that I was actually in bed before the stroke of midnight. I think the phrase from The Perfect Year sums it up for me: It's New Year's Eve and hopes are high..." And I think people have high expectations for something magical happening at the stroke of midnight.

So anywho...I went to Mike & PC's fête. It was a crowded; a good crowd nonetheless and many friends were there. It was fun. So at the stroke of midnight we all sang to a dance version of Auld Lang Syne, drank some champagne, exchanged hugs & kisses, expressed salutations and hallucinations and then I went home. I walked in at 12:33a and The Calvinator was waiting for me.

The party was so crowded that I was never able to sit down which as it turns out will bring me good luck. You see...according to London Preppy, it is a Greek tradition to stand up at the stroke of midnight. It will bring you good luck. And that explains 2007!

You see...when 2006 transitioned to 2007, I was already home AND sitting on the couch with The Calvinator.

Tuesday's calendar had a party scheduled for the evening. Once again, I loaded up The Cal Mobile with AttyHou and Everyday Italian and went to a New Year evening party. Mike and Ray always throw a nice soiree.

The house was decorated to the nines. I'm sure that as they were decorating Ray was playing the role of Auntie Mame and singing We Need A Little Christmas.

This party is always fun because it brings together many different circles of friends. They always have wonderful food. They serve an interesting dish...it is made with biscuit dough, jalapenos, cheese and black-eye peas. I HATE black-eye peas but I like them when they are served this way.

In addition to seeing many of my friends, Elaine & Brandon (from Tropical Depression #46) were helping with the party.

Seeing everybody last night was a good way to start the new year!

Running/Weights
I did a weight workout in yesterday afternoon. I was surprised that the gym wasn't crowded. It was actually nice to not have a bunch of people there.

This morning it was cold so I went to LeFittes for a treadmill run. Worked up a really good sweat.

Project Runway
Just a reminder. A new episode of PR premieres tonight. I can feed my addiction.



I found this picture on Pink Is The New Blog. Thought it was funny.




Banished Words List
The wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University are giving back to English speakers everywhere with their 33rd annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.

On Dec. 31, 1975, former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and his colleagues cooked up an idea to banish overused words and phrases and issue a list on New Year's Day. Much to the delight of language enthusiasts everywhere, the list has stayed the course into a fourth decade.

This year's list derives from more than 2,000 nominations received through the university's website, www.lssu.edu/banished. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, education, technology, advertising, politics, sports and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December. The list is released on New Year's Day.


the years, some copycat lists have made an appearance, but LSSU's list was first.

This year, in a gesture of humanitarian relief, the committee restores "truthiness," banned on last year's list, to formal use. This comes after comedians and late-night hosts were thrown under the bus and rendered speechless by a nationwide professional writers' strike. The silence is deafening.


In this spirit, LSSU presents its 2008 list, a perfect storm of overused and abused words and phrases that pops organic, to a post-9/11 world decimated by webinars.

It is what it is.


Here is the list:

• Perfect Storm


• Webinar


• Waterboarding


• Organic


• Wordsmith/Wordsmithing


• Author/Authored


• Post 9/11


• Surge


• Give back


• 'BLANK' is the new 'BLANK' or 'X' is the new 'Y'


• Black Friday


• Back in the day


• Random


• Sweet


• Decimate


• Emotional


• Pop


• It is what it is


• Under the bus

For defintions, look at the university's website: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

I am a frequent user of It is what it is because...it is.