Pic(s) Of The Day - 05.05.15 - What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar...Or Some Attention?

So...Monday night was the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala that raises funds for the Costume Institute. Anna Wintour chairs the event and because it raises money for that institute, guests are allowed to go over the top. This year's theme was China: Through The Looking Glass. Many of the guests' attire had an Asian flare.

The two most talked about celebrities were Rihanna and Sara Jessica Parker:

Few photos from Page Six here and here.

And of course by yesterday, the memes had started. I captured this screenshot for my Pic Of The Day.

blogging Hurricane Ike (part XV)

One of our hangouts in NoRO is Cyclone Anayas (Mexican food). Good Margaritas and good food can always be had there. So it was a bit sad to drive by the other day and see that the roof had been ripped off by Ike. The surprise was that the restaurant was open on Friday night!

It turns out that the staff (managers, waiters and busboys) worked feverishly over the past few days to reopen the restaurant. Yes, the ceiling needs to be reworked but it was good to see familiar faces on Friday night.

There were five of us who gathered for Friday’s meal. One person evacuated to Austin and was stunned when he drove back into Houston and saw the damage. One person still doesn’t have power at his house. The other three (including me) spent most of the past week spending quite a bit of time drinking expensive wine together in the ‘hood.

It was nice to be able to sit down, enjoy a hot meal and frozen adult beverages and relive the madness of Hurricane Ike. The respite is just what I needed.
I began to get a bit sentimental (adult beverages will do that to me) and last night before I passed out fell into a deep slumber on the couch I started humming Umbrella.



For the second night in a row, I have had a post-hurricane dream; not quite a nightmare. The weirdest thing happened though and it wasn’t part of a dream.

Remember I said that I passed out fell into a deep slumber? I was asleep on the couch and woke up around 3:00a.m. When I woke up, KHOU was doing a recap of some Hurricane Ike footage from last week. They were showing reporters in the storm reporting from various locations around Houston. It took me a minute to realize that this was NOT live. THEN, the cable box went dead and the telly didn’t have anything on it! I looked outside to make sure another hurricane wasn’t approaching. Within a few seconds the cable box reset itself and broadcasting resumed. Those few minutes were from The Twilight Zone.

Are hurricane dreams part of the new normal? I hope not.

50 Is The New 30

I have had some unusual coincidences within the past of couple of weeks. Another one happened this morning.

I arrived at Memorial Park for my Saturday run. Wasn't quite sure if I was up to a run. Not the best thing to do after a full Mexican dinner at Cyclone Anayas (with frozen Margarita-Sangria Swirls) from the night before. I was in my WWMPD?* mood.

So I turned on the iPod nano and wasn't really paying attention to the playlist. The first song that played was Madonna's Give It To Me. The coincidence? Today is her birthday! Once again, the nano spoke to me through music.

Birthday greetings go out to Madge, Mo, The Material Girl, Madonna!


Madonna is celebrating her 50th birthday today. I have a few more years before I hit the Big 5-0 so I have bought into the idea of 50 being the new 30. In fact, last week I was told by someone that he thought I was in my thirties.

Her Madgesty is often the target of criticism; some of it from Kaye Sedilla. In spite of that, she is still raking in the dough and adopting kids. Last year I did a brief tribute to Madonna. She is a business woman that knows how to keep us entertained and she knows how to reinvent herself.

One of the things I forgot to mention last year was an interview that was done on the 10th Anniversary of MTV. The president of MTV was asked, "Where would Madonna be without MTV?" He replied, "Where would MTV be without Madonna?" Definitely a symbiotic relationship.

Mo, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! In the words of ABBA, "Thank you for the music..." and in the words of Rihanna, "Please don't stop the music..."

OVERHEARD AFTER DINNER:
Person #1: "I wouldn't pay $20 to see a Madonna concert."
Person #2: "Oh? Hmmm....but you paid $250 to see Kaye Sedilla!"

*What Would Michael Phelps Do?

"-ella, -ella, -ella"

I just remembered an odd dream or maybe it was a combination of dreams from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. This is what I remember.

Neighbor Ryan was looking to buy a new house so I went with him to go house hunting. We ended up in Haltom City, Texas in Aunt LuLu's neighborhood. The neighborhood was going through a revitalization so there were plenty of houses to pick from.

The most interesting house was a two story house that had a guest house and a pool but it was on a very small lot. What was odd was that there weren't any stairs to get to the second floor so you had to climb a ladder. I could see hay falling through the opening where the ladder reached the second floor. Neighbor Ryan said it was unusual.

The next thing I know I am waiting for the light rail at a Houston Metro Station. I am with Legacy Alaina and we need to get into the gift shop of a very nice hospital. So we take the train and we get into the Medical Center but then we have to transfer to a bus and go through the tunnels and I keep saying there has to be a better way and someone says that there is a better and tells me what we should have done. I take notes.

The gift shop is closed. However, I know one of the guards and he grants us access but we have to enter through the ceiling of the store by using a ladder. As we are descending into the store, we have to climb through some clouds.

So Legacy Alaina and I have run of the store and everyone in the lobby of the hospital can see us. We get what we need and need to pay but guess, what? The store is closed and we can't pay so we leave without paying. And to leave we have to climb down another ladder into some clouds.

The next thing I know I am back at a Houston Metro Station and this time there are several people with me and a choreographer. We are holding big fake palm trees and the choreographer is playing Rihanna's Umbrella. Rather than dance with umbrellas like they do in the video or on Shut Up and Dance (really known as Step It Up and Dance) we are doing the routine with the palm trees.

I am front and center so I am the lead palm tree and the choreographer keeps telling me that I am overextending my palm tree and it is going to get hit by the train.

We get on the train with the palm trees and Rihanna is still singing. We are heading to the Medical Center (again). We get into the Medical Center and everyone but us palm tree people get off of the train because I HAVE directions.

The dream ends with us palm tree people arriving at Univ. of Texas/Houston Health Science Center. Rihanna is still singing Umbrella.

and I wake up singing Umbrella.

In case you missed Rihanna last night

Life imitating art or....?

Conflicting reports about Amy Winehouse are circulating about whether or not she is in rehab. Did she overdose? Why has she been cancelling concert appearances? Is she in rehab? Is she locked up in a hotel room? Is she just weird?

I must say that her song Rehab is one of my favorite songs of 2007. Included in this group: Rihanna's Umbrella and Shut Up And Drive; and Pink's U+UR Hand.

They tried to make me go to rehab but I said 'no, no, no'

Yes I've been black but when I come back you'll know know know

I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine

He's tried to make me go to rehab but I won't go go go