Scenes From A Saturday Night In Houston

It was a B-U-S-Y weekend and it kind of snuck up on me. It's all good though. Friday night was with friends at dinner and then went to a show at George Bar. ERSICSS did a show with some of the proceeds benefiting Legacy.

Saturday was going to be a busy night so I planned on laying low during the day. Went for a run and putzed around until a friend called and me invited me over to hangout by the pool at his apartment complex. There were four of us and it was fun.

So, I cleaned up, took care of The Calvinator and headed out for the evening. This was my itinerary for the evening:
1. Bering & James
2. Blossom Street Gallery
3. Quadra - The Birthday Party
4. Meteor (to see the Meteor Showers)
5. House of Pies (OK...technically that was Sunday morning).

Sunday was also busy but I don't have any pics because I forgot my camera. I hope you enjoy the pics and if you want see more, go to my Facebook page and look at my photo albums.

Jukebox Wednesday

This past week has been a rollercoaster of a ride. Some highs and some lows. Some good times and some sad times.

I was with my sister to celebrate her 50th Birthday. Also used the time to celebrate Fathers Day. While it was a time for celebrating there was also some sadness. A cousin unexpectedly died. Mixed in with all this are the day-to-day issues that arise not only for me but for my family and friends. Wouldn't it be nice if things never went wrong? Is that so wrong? Just askin'.

For today's Jukebox Wednesday, I have selected one of my favorite Ray Charles songs. Enjoy!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 14.1

Upcoming Anniversary
July 31, 2008 will mark the 16th year of my arrival in Houston. The past 16 years have been eventful. There have been more ups than downs. Along the way I have been a ton of wonderful people and a handful of not so wonderful people.

I know today is the the 28th but I'm at that point in my life where if I don't write it down immediately, I forget. Old age? Hmmmm.

Anywho. Just wanted to thank everyone for 16 fun years in the Bayou City. Let's hope there are many more to come.

And somewhere in my boxes of memories (really, there are boxes stuffed with photos, etc.) is a photo of my friend Robb who drove the Ryder truck for me. I took a picture of this little white boi in a big yellow truck at a truck stop off of I-45. (Remember in Jumpin Jack Flash when Whoopi Goldberg is using the pay phone to call the cops and she says, "I'm a little black lady in a big silver box. You can't miss me.")

In case you missed...
Amy Winehouse as a scarecrow. To read the story, click here.

Kaye's Kommunique
The other night I arrived at Quadra (at Status) a bit late. The crowd was thinning out but I still had the opportunity to see a few folks.

Someone that I did not expect to meet was Toma(s) Tillo! Toma(s) Tillo is a long lost brother of Kaye Sedilla. Toma(s) and Kaye found each other earlier this year when she was doing her lounge act in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He didn't know he had a sister, much less a sister who is an international star, but when he walked into the lounge at Hotel Casa Linda he knew they were related. You see...

Kaye and Toma(s) both have big red hair with dark roots. Toma(s) would not let me take a photo of him but let me just say the resemblance IS THERE and that is how I knew he must be related to Kaye Sedilla.

Although communication with clients at The Betty Ford Center is limited, Toma(s) Tillo was able to speak briefly with Kaye Sedilla...well, let's just say she thinks she is Sopa Pilla. Toma(s) said that until Kaye/Sopa gets over her amnesia they will not be able to deal with her other issues.

Kaye/Sopa thinks she is going to be there for a long, long, time. Her spirits are high, just like her hair. Liz and Liza both sent Kaye/Sopa a message of hope and that really lifted her spirits.

Kaye/Sopa can't remember much about what happened on July 20 but she is sure that she was fabulous and wants to thank everyone who showed up.

If I hear anything else from Toma(s) or Cha Lupe (Kaye's 1/2-sister from the wrong side of the tracks), I will let you know.

Heat Wave
It is hotter than Hades here in Houston. These temps are almost like the temps I lived with in Ft. Worth! OY! At least the humidity is low. And yes, I'm sweating.

Church
Yesterday was my first day to assist with Communion during the 5:00 p.m. at St. Anne's. As a child & teenager, I was an altar boy (acolyte) for many, many years. So this was almost second nature to me but I still got nervous. You see...

There are steps that lead up to the altar at St. Anne's and they are made of marble. The last thing I wanted to do was fall down and drop the chalice. It is standing room only at the 5:00 p.m. Mass and in this day of YouTube, I so didn't want to be featured on YouTube. When the wine is consecrated you just can't wipe it up and get on with your life, there is a ritual that needs to be performed. There is a reason for my fear. You see...

Many years ago I was at the 12:00 noon Mass at St. George's in Ft. Worth. I wanted to sing in the choir that day but they needed an altar boy and my mother insisted that I be the altar boy. So I go to the sacristy to get dressed and the cassock that I select has an unraveled hem. I'm running out of time so I put it on anyway.

Everything was fine until...

Communion was over and I had to clear the altar. I was almost finished and I pick up the chalice with the consecrated hosts. I needed to set it on a small side table that was was at the bottom of the steps (4 of them) I take a step and my foot gets caught in the hem of the cassock. I go flying forward and never step foot on any of the steps (btw...the steps and floor were covered in carpet).

I land on my knees. I am holding the chalice with my right hand and my left hand is covering the top of it and get this...it is upright and I didn't spill anything other than my pride. I so wanted to cry.

When Mass was over we processed down the center aisle and I felt like everyone was staring at me and laughing. My mother comes to the back of the church to get me and I was so embarrassed and mad. She says she doesn't know what is going on. I told her what happened and she said that she was sure nobody noticed because they were all singing and looking in their hymnals.

As we are leaving the church, an elderly gentleman walks up to me and says, "Good catch there!" I burst into tears.

A few months later we were at a restaurant and a lady walks up to us and is talking and then she looks at me and says, "Aren't you the boy who fell off of the altar?"

Hence my fear of falling down yesterday. It CAN happen.

Travel Tips

The Inconspicuous Tourist
Wearing a fanny pack? Don't do it if you want to stay safe and blend in
by Richard P. Carpenter
Boston Globe

Money isn't the only thing you should try to save while traveling abroad. You also want to save your possessions, and perhaps your neck. One way to do that is not to look like a tourist. Mobal Communications recently surveyed its phone subscribers and came up with some suggestions:

Ditch the white athletic shoes
There perhaps is no surer way to announce, "Look at me! I'm an American tourist!"

Editor's note: OK. So in 1994 I made my one and only trip to Europe. The former friend I was traveling with was/is a control freak.

I had some trendy black shoes that I was going to wear and he told me they were too clunky and no one in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam wears those type of shoes. An argument ensued and I left the shoes behind.

We get to Paris (after missing our connection at DFW, getting routed to London, landing at DeGaulle instead of Orly, and no luggage) and after being there a few hours he says, "You should have brought your black shoes. Everyone is wearing them." UGH! I did have my white athletic shoes though!

Ditch the fanny pack
"I've never seen a non-American wearing a fanny pack," writes a Mobal contributor.

Editor's note: So. It's 2002 and I'm in Sydney. The two friends that I met there had left for a few days and I was on my own. I was really needing some type of murse/man purse/fanny pack or something because my backpack was a bit too big.

So. I'm having dinner with Sydney Mark (friend of a friend) and I tell him that I'm looking for a fanny pack. Food came flying out of his mouth! He said, "What?" and I said, "I'm looking for a fanny pack." He says, "Shhhh." I start laughing 'cause I can't figure out why I have to lower my voice.

It seems that the correct term in Australia is waist belt or something like that. You see...

fanny is slang for vagina and he couldn't figure out why I needed a vagina pack and besides what is a vagina pack?

I never purchased a fanny pack/murse/man purse

Wear black
As one observer notes, "Folks in Paris, London and other European capitals tend to wear lots of black, and as a tourist you tend to blend in if you're wearing it, too."

Editor's note: I stood out like a sore thumb on my first trip to San Francisco. I know. It's not in Europe but my point is, do your homework before you leave home. I was walking around San Francisco in bright colours and the residents were in black, brown, gray, taupe, etc.

Put on a few local accessories
Wearing a scarf in Europe, for instance, helps women blend in.

Use hotel concierge services
Having a good idea where you are going prevents you from looking like a lost soul.

Don't forget the basics
These almost go without saying:
Avoid piling on the jewelry;
Wearing shorts & t-shirts in cities;
Studying maps in public;
Wearing your camera around your neck.

Editor's note: So. On one of my many trips to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with AttyHou we're sitting in a restaurant/bar in the French Quarter waiting for our food and adult beverages.

A group of high falutin' people from Memphis (of all places) come in and sit next to us. As it turns out, this was their first trip to Mardi Gras and New Orleans. The women were dripping in gold and jewels and the men had on nice watches and big rings.

Being a good citizen, AttyHou told them they all needed to go back to the hotel and but glitz & glitter in a safe. They looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. Well, he was speaking English and they were from Memphis so...

So then I chimed in and told them they were setting themselves up to get mugged. They finally got a clue.

When we saw them later in the day, they were naked. Not really but you know what I mean.

And yes, I know. New Orleans isn't in a foreign country but it is still an applicable rule.

Learn a few words of the language
This won't camouflage your tourist identity, but it may be appreciated by the people you deal with and even get you better service in restaurants.

Editor's note: Una cerveza por favor is all you need to know.