Pic(s) Of The Day - 12.18.15 - Scenes From A Mall

I finally made it back to The Galleria to continue with my Christmas shopping. Traffic was a bitch getting there and once I arrived, I decided I was going to valet at Nordstrom because it's just what the doctor ordered.
I made my annual pilgrimage to the tree in the ice skating rink and it wasn't lit!

Usually there is one or two displays that will catch my attention and this year the award goes to Coach!

And so, I was minding my own business and I thought, "Hmmm. I haven't been on the 2nd level of the Nordstrom wing. Let's go that way." So I did and THEN I saw THIS:

The store is closing! At some point it will reopen but not in The Galleria. My bet is that it will re-open in River Oaks District.

And yes, I purchased some more shoes. Can you blame me? It was 70% the last marked price. #MerryChristmasToMe

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!

Pic Of The Day - 05.16.14 - My Life On The B List

And this year, being on the B List is a good thing because I'm referring the list of celebrities I've met who names begin with the letter B!

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Betty Buckley.  And then, at the end of April I met another legend...Bette Midler.

You'll recall me posting some photos of the evening that didn't include Bette. Even though the photo below was taken on April 29, 2014, I'm including it as my Pic Of The Day because I didn't receive it until Friday and this is my blog and I can make my own rules. :-)

I've posted the photo on my Facebook page and have received several comments...mostly about my shoes, the fact that we are coordinated and she hanging onto me.  Isn't THAT what BFF do?  Just askin'.

So who is next on the B list?  Hmmm.  Maybe I'll bump into Beyonce when she is in H-town?

Bette Midler - 04.29.14

So...it's not very often that one has the opportunity to have dinner with Bette Midler.  In this case, that one is me!  You see...

Brilliant Lecture Series brought The Divine Miss to H-town as part of the series.  After the interview, a limited number of tickets were available to have dinner with Bette at the Houston Club.  I was fortunate enough to be given one of the tickets.

The interview was OK.  Roula from KRBE did the interview and in my opinion, it was little bit too much about Roula and not enough probing questions for Bette.  I didn't want a Barbara Walters type interview where she made would be crying but I was hoping for some more intriguing questions.

I was surprised to learn that Bette turned down the lead role in Sister Act.  It was also interesting to hear how she was ostracized in school because she was of Hawaiian descent.

I will say this, she look fabulous!

So...after the show we went to the Houston Club and had an adult beverage.  I noticed that people were in a queue to go into the other room.  Well, a lady walked up to my posse and told us to get in line to have our picture taken with Bette, so we did.

It was like an assembly line and we were not allowed to use our own cameras.  When I was with Bette I think I let out a big nelly scream and said something like, "Oh my gosh it's you!"  She laughed, hugged me, I saw the strobe of the camera and then I heard "Next!"  I stopped and gave her a message from my mother and she laughed and that was my encounter with Bette.

I have yet to see the photo but I'm sure I have more chins than a Chinese phone book.  Two of our hosts for the evening were Marcus Sloan and Shannon Hall of Sloan/Hall.  In the photo below, they were allowed to pose.

Marcus Sloan, Bette Midler & Shannon Hall

We were then ushered in to the dining room.  There were less than 100 of us in the room.  Bette did make a few comments during dinner and she was very gracious.  And once again, I will say, she looked FABULOUS!

And because we were not allowed to take photos during the interview, this all I have to show you plus my one artistic photo of lighting outside of One Shell Place.

The pre-interview crowd inside The Wortham Center

The program to prove I was there.

Lights outside of One Shell Place

For Your Laughing Pleasure (NSFW)

Do you ever go through those periods in your life when you just wish something would go in your favor and you really just need a good laugh?

Well today I watched the opening episode of Kathy Griffin My Life On The D-List. The first part of this cracks me up! She is on stage with Bette Midler and repeats her classic line from New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper. The other part that cracks me up is her commentary on Toni Basil.


In this next clip, the best exchange is around the 2:11 mark:
Bette: "You have merchandise?"
Kathy: "I have t-shirts that say, 'Suck It'"
Bette: "Kathy. What are you going to wear when you're burning in Hell?"
Kathy: "I don't know but I'll pick something. I'll have a good gay pick out something red and fabulous."

I have no idea why this cracks me up? Maybe because next to Kathy, Bette looks like a saint.