It's been awhile since I've been attacked by Tsetse flies. Not sure what is going on.

I think part of it has to do with being awakened at 630a on Sunday morning. You see...

I got to bed later than planned on Saturday night. Then around 620a The Calvinator started barking and barking and barking. So I got up to see what's going on (and I say, "hey, hey, hey..."). There are cars everywhere (that weren't there went I went to bed). One big ass pickup truck has blocked AttyHou's driveway. Behind it is a big ass Hummer that is almost blocking my driveway. Cars are parked on the opposite side of the street facing the wrong way.

So The Calvinator and I go for a walk to do some investigating. It seems that one of my neighbors was havibg an after hours party. I should have put on some cocktail attire and joined them.

I never took a nap to make up for my sleep deficiency and I fell asleep watching Brothers & Sisters. I'll have to watch it from the ABC website I guess. I wanted to see whatherface sing Believe by Cher.

Speaking of Believe...

Part of the lyrics are: Do you believe in life after love? Well...two bloggers that I don't personally know but I feel like I know broke up yesterday. I found that out first thing this morning. On the outside they seemed to have the perfect relationship plus they are both HOT! One of them broke the news this morning and the other one has password protected his blog.

So you see bois and gurrllls the blogosphere is the real world. I really hope they can work this out.

Anywho. I'll just add them to the list of people that I thought would never break up.

I know it's almost 600p CST but I think I need to go to bed. Well, The Calvinator needs to be walked first but maybe after that.

Ramblings Of A (Double) Caffeinated Mind 5.2

I'm sitting here at the office and I guess I look like I need another Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Latte because someone just handed me another one; complementary no less.

My alarm clock went off at 342A this morning. I hit the snooze once and when it went off again I knew that I had to get out of bed. You see, I was meeting runnerOne at 500A today for a jaunt around the park.

I have a Rubber Maid bin full of running shorts right next to my bed so pretty much what I do is roll out of bed, land on the bin and get a pair of shorts, crawl to the armoire and get a shirt and then start the morning routine.

The Calvinator was looking at me like "WTF is going on?" so he jumped on the bed and went back to sleep while I brushed my teeth. Eventually he realized this wasn't a joke and that we would be walking out the door for a walk.

Get this. At 416A when we started our walk, it was 77 degrees and 80% humidity. Once again, I must ask, "WTF?" Wasn't it just in the 60's a few days ago with low humidity? I was even humming Barry Manilow's When October Goes. Guess I need to change that tune to Summertime. I should have gotten a clue when I noticed the condensation on the inside (EDIT: I meant to say outside not inside) of the windows.

runnerOne was actually surprised to see me at 500A. I was right on time. We had a slow 3 mile run this morning. His legs were heavy and my right knee was bothering me. So picture two old, cripple men running in 80% humidity in the dark complaining about our ailments but yet talking about upcoming running/triathlon events. I'm not gonna complain about the slow run because I had a good 4 mile run yesterday morning and even made it to LeFittes later in the day to do some weights.

I was home before 600A and I was soaked from sweat. I awakened The Calvinator.

So what does a person do when you have an hour to kill? You putz around. You see, doggy daycare doesn't open until 700A and there wasn't any sense in going back to bed. So I cleaned up and putzed.

I have a lunch meeting today and I'll have to get a bit dressed up for it. Not sure that cargo shorts and knit shirt would be appropriate attire for the restaurant.

And speaking of meetings, I had another one of those warm-fuzzy feelings last night after a meeting. The group of us who are working on World AIDS Day Houston met last night and things are beginning to gel. We're going to meet our print deadline and one of the guys is getting ready to launch our website. Another guy has written an awesome press release.

What I like about this group is that you have a diverse group of people with a common interest working together to meet a goal. I am really glad that I am getting to know these people. Some of them I had never met prior to getting involved with this group. Others, I knew of them and only 2 or 3 I actually knew.

In other news:

It was brought to my attention that someone actually thought I had been attacked by tsetse flies. Rather than admit that I'm old and tired and I tend to sleep more than I used to I like to blame it on the tsetse fly.

So that's it for now bois and gurrrls. Need to scoot. That 2nd Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Latte just kicked in and I'm raring to go! I can't type fast enough.

Name Calling

I was at a cocktail party/fundraiser this evening for Equality Texas and I received a text message. I didn't look at it until I got home. Here is what it said: Wh_re!

That got me to thinking. In the past week, I have been called two new names. Tonight's wh_re isn't anything new. I've been called worse by better people. LOL

So you're probably wondering, "What were you called?" Well, a week ago Tuesday I was called a cesspool. That was a new one. And when the person said it, it really didn't register until Realtor Alan kind of gave me a look. Of all the names I've been called, that was a new one.

So then on Tuesday night, the name was changed from cesspool to kiosk. LOL I was told it sounded much better than cesspool and it was more Russian sounding. LOL

And speaking of wh_re...one time when I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras I was covered in beads. Someone walked up to me and said, "Bead wh_re!" To which I replied, "At least I have the word bead before wh_re rather than just being a wh_re like you!"

Maybe one day I'll come up with a whole list of names I've been called throughout my life. It may take awhile to compose it; I've been around for awhile.

In other news...

One more comment about Trash Disco.

On September 1st, the City of Houston enacted a No Smoking policy in bars. I hadn't been into a bar since the policy went into effect and let me tell you, it makes a HUGE difference.

When I walked into the Cha-Cha Palace...I mean Rich's...on Sunday, it didn't smell like it usually does. And get this: I didn't have to come home and throw my clothes in the washer and jump in the shower to get the smell of smoke off of me. It reminded me of going to bars in California and getting back to the hotel not smelling like you had been at a bar.

I know. I know. I know. The smokers don't like the policy because it infringes upon their rights, etc. Well folks, I can't take up for you on this one. You can always go outside and puff.

Attack of the Tsetse flies (again)

I was with Blaine yesterday at the Krewe's storage unit and there must have tsetse flies out there because by 1000p last night I was fast asleep on the couch. At some point, I made it to the bedroom and The Calvinator was fast asleep. I guess I didn't set the alarm because I didn't wake up until 700A. Which means I didn't go running.

HOWEVER, I thought I'd be smart and go at noon. After all, there were rain clouds in the area and I figured it would rain and cool off a bit. WRONG!

What was I thinking? It had to be around 90 degrees and the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. That was one of the hardest 3 miles I have run in a long time. I do have to look at it this way though, at least I got three miles in today.

Fais Do Do (from Wikipedia):

Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey's notes from the Roots n' Blues CD "Cajun Dance Party - Fais Do-Do", the parties were named for "...the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants." He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."

'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English "beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.

More about this in an upcoming post!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.6

Attack of the Killer Tsetse Flies

I'm not sure what happened last night. I was sitting on the couch watching The George Lopez Show and sometime after 800P I fell asleep. I woke up around 1100P or so and The Calvinator was sitting there staring at me. So we went to bed. (It had to have been tsetse flies that caused the early slumber.)

As with all things, there is yin and yang. I woke up at 400A this morning! UGH.

I putzed around for a little while and The Calvinator finally woke up. So here we are at 445A out for our morning stroll.

We came back and I putzed around some more and then made my way to Memorial Park.

Running

I wasn't sure if I was going to do 6 or 7 miles this morning so I thought I'd give it a whirl and just take it one step at a time.

After the first 4 miles I was thinking maybe I should do 8. I had just about convinced myself to do 8 but then my stomach started feeling a bit odd. Wasn't sure if it was Runners' Runs or what so I opted to do 7. Just as I finished 7 the stomach was fine. Hmmm.

There were a gazillion people at the park this morning. Large gangs...I mean packs of people running. One group was running 4 abreast and almost knocked me into Memorial Drive. So much for courtesy.

I cleaned up there at the park and then joined the festivities for Party In The Park. HARRA was sponsoring the event. I belong to the group so I figured why not check it out.





Lots of people were enjoying the food (I had a biscuit stuffed with egg and bacon), ice cream, music, camaraderie and beer. In keeping with "It's 500P somewhere" I enjoyed a beverage from Saint Arnold's Brewery. Who cares if it was only 815A?

That is my thumb.

I chatted a bit with Triathlete Lee. He wasn't having a good run this morning. Which just goes to prove that some days it is your day for a good run and some days it isn't your day.

This what my shoes look like after 7 miles.

The Office

After I left the park, I headed over to the office. There were 1/2 a gazillion people there! I had no place to sit and enjoy my Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Latte and read the paper.

I'm sure there is some correlation between the number of people at the park on the weekends and the sales figures at the office, Kolache Factory and Smoothie King. All of them were busy this morning. I had to sit at a closed outdoor cafe and get my daily dose of the news.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

Birthday greetings go out to Romeo. Happy Birthday Romeo!

Romeo, Stuart and Randall

Romeo is a long time resident of Houston. He has been very active within the community and has many friends and admirers. I met Romeo through Sugar Land Stuart. Romeo is the only person that I know who went to high school with Janis Joplin.

I called Romeo today rather than yesterday because I've never been quite clear about the true date of his birth. His birth certificate says August 24, 19___ but his mother said he was born on August 25, 19___. Guess I should have called him at 1159P yesterday and conversed with him until 1201A today? :-) (PS There's no way I'll reveal his age 'cause paybacks are h#ll.)

Something to read

I bought this book because the description made me laugh!


Emma Brockes didn't always love musicals. In fact, she hated them. One of her earliest (and most painful) memories is of her mother singing "The Hills Are Alive" while young Emma crossed the street to go to her babysitting gig. According to her mother, the music would keep muggers at bay. According to Emma, it warded off friends, a social life, and any chance of being normal. As she grew older, however, these same songs continued to resonate in her head, first like a broken record and then as a fond reminder of her mother's love.

Some people would slice off their arm with a plastic knife before they'd sit through Fiddler on the Roof or The Sound of Music. But musicals are everywhere, and it's about time someone asked why. From An American in Paris to Oklahoma!, Brockes explores the history, art, and politics of musicals, and how they have become an indelible part of our popular culture. Smartly written and incredibly witty, this is a book for people who understand that there are few situations in which the question "What would Barbra do?" doesn't have relevance, in a world much better lived to a soundtrack of show tunes. At the heart of What Would Barbra Do? is a touching story about a daughter, a mother, and how musicals kept them together. Part memoir, part musical history tour, it will keep you laughing and singing all at once.

I get in these moods sometimes where I have a song for everything and typically it is a showtune. This should make for some good reading!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.4

The Headache Continues

OK. It hasn't been a constant headache since Saturday but this afternoon it started coming back. Barometric pressure? Need to have my eyes checked? The heat? I don't know.

All I know is that a swarm of tsetse flies must have attacked me because I took a 1.5 hour nap today and I'm getting sleepy and I have a tinge of a headache. UGH!

I had every intention of getting to Memorial Park early this morning. I went to bed last night at 900P but didn't wake up until 645A this morning. I never sleep this much!

Tsetse flies I tell ya!

Hurricane Update

OK. Hurricane Dean will strike south of the U.S. border. This was a good drill. As mentioned in a previous post, we are approaching the peak of the season. And to prove it here is a graph of when things peak. As you can see, we won't be out of the woods until some time in October.

Here is a satellite image of Hurricane Dean taken earlier today:

OK bois and gurrls...The Calvinator needs to go for a quick pee and then I need to get to bed. I'm meeting RunnerOne in the morning at the park. Let's hope I wake up!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.1

Ask Marilyn

Where did the word “blog” originate?—Alice Sherman, Redington Shores, Fla.

The word “blog” is short for “Web log,” a site one establishes for the purpose of putting one’s thoughts online for the edification or amusement of visitors, who may leave pieces of their own minds before departing.

Star Jones-Reynolds

I'm not posting anything that hasn't already been said so she can't get me for libel.

Anywho. A few years ago when Star Jones had a severe weight loss she declined to say how she did it. In fact, I think she said it was exercise or Pilates or something along that line. OK folks. I run. I exercise. I don't drop weight like that!

So then Rosie calls her out on it and Star gets p!ssed. So then Star starts to say it was a medical intervention.

So after all of this time (I believe it was last week), Star comes out and says she had gastric bypass surgery in 2003 and has lost 160lbs. OK. First of all good for you Star. Seriously. If you weighed 307lbs. then yes, you needed to do something.

HOWEVER, she also stated that she didn't want to talk about herself and reveal to everyone how she lost the weight. EXCUSE ME? Uh....this is the woman who on The View was always sitting there with her all about me attitude? This is the woman who pimped out her wedding? I don't get it. I really don't.

And I know this is all about timing. She's getting ready to go back on the telly with a new show.

Thanx Lee

Lee Hazlewood who wrote and produced These Boots Are Made For Walkin' passed away.

The recording by Nancy Sinatra was released in February 1966 and hit #1 in the U.S. and United Kingdom. Believe it or not, I remember hearing that song on the radio and remember my parents have the the vinyl 45rpm.

Thanx Lee for giving us that song. It is STILL one of my favorites.

Running & Sleeping

OK. I'm still having some wild dreams at night. Black clouds. A friend's car needing repair. Being in Ciudad Juarez. Seeing a flying saucer car driving down the streets of Juarez (as someone said that could be classified as a true illegal alien).

I got up early on Monday and went to the park and did a 3 mile run. Did some weights yesterday. Went to bed early. Couldn't get up early this morning to go running. Tsetse fly again? Not sure.

To Catch An iJacker

Once again, I think I got bit by a tsetse fly because I sure was sleepy last night. Before I fell asleep around 930P I was watching Chris Hansen do an investigative report about people who intentionally steal iPods. This is known as iJacking.

What kind of got under my skin is that Apple has the technology to catch iJackers and won't do anything about it. You see...I was iJacked in December and was feeling like I had lost an appendage.

I left my iPod nano at LeFittes on December 30, 2006 in the locker room. That's what I get for being a Chatty Cathy and not paying attention. When I realized what I had done I immediately called and sure enough it wasn't in the Lost and Found. I know for a fact that people turn stuff in at LeFittes and it gets returned to its rightful owner so I was hoping that my iPod nano would be waiting for me. WRONG!

I ended up buying a new iPod nano but it still irks me that no one turned it in.

I had a large selection of showtunes loaded on that iPod and all I could hope for is that the person who iJacked me hates showtunes and that's all it will play. Let's start with Ethel Merman singing There's No Business Like Show Business or Andrea McArdle singing Tomorrow or Liza singing Caberet. HA! That'll show you.

SIDEBAR: And yes, I had another wild dream last night. Won't go into the details but it was about being in New Orleans, a Mardi Gras parade, Canal Street being flooded, friends arguing, buying some cool art in the CBD, having a Krewe meeting and a Mystery & Fantasy Ball meeting on the same day at the same time at Texas Wesleyan University. Talk about a dream that wore me out!

One ringy dingy. Two ringy dingy.

Today was a full day of running errands and being on the phone. And then at some point I got bit by another tsetse fly and had to take nap. OR...it could be that I went running yesterday and then spinning and then running again this morning...oh and throw in some weights in there. Speaking of spinning...there's talk on the street that The Spin Doctor is leaving The Bayou City and heading to America's Finest City.

The Calvinator went to doggy daycare. When he is away, I try to get as much done so that I don't have to keep running back and forth to walk him.

After my 3 mile run this morning and on my way to the office, JLo from the RDU called. We had not talked in awhile. She works at my former place of employment and we love to dish about the Gayken. (Have you noticed that he looks like Reba McIntire? Sorta like that Michael Jackson-Diana Ross thing.)

Later on I talked with Eric from Barefoot Wine . They're donating wine for the Krewe's event on Saturday evening. Which then prompted some followup phone calls to Blaine in the 008.

Got a phone call from Cowtown Robb but the call dropped so that was the end of the conversation. :-( That was followed by Sugar Land Stuart calling me asking if I had watched Singing Bee (which I'm watching right now)? I think I received a backhanded compliment when he said that if was showtunes, I would win. Hmmmm.
In between all of this I was helping Kaye Sedilla get things together for Sunday's Miss Mint Julep which is a benefit for Legacy Community Health Services. I'm sure glad she only comes to town once a year.

Frozen Crack for dogs

First of all, I'm now convinced that The Calvinator didn't slip me a Mickey. I'm now convinced that a tsetse fly bit me and I have a sleeping disease. Not sure why I'm feeling so rundown & sleepy. It took everything in me to churn out 4 miles this morning. I really wanted to do a 6 mile run but as Louis Armstrong said one time, "Ya can't blow it out if ya ain't got it in ya."

This weather isn't helping matters any. We've had three days of gully washers. The sea breeze mixes with the hot air which has something to do with a low pressure system over central/ north Texas and well, we get thunder, lightning, rain and high winds.

Before my two hour nap this afternoon, I watched one of my favorite movies, Moonstruck. I'm sitting here watching another favorite movie, The Usual Suspects. The Calvinator is eating a Frosty Paw.

A couple of years ago San Francisco Steve told me about a frozen dog treat, Frosty Paws. I searched high and low and finally found them. Little did I know, Calvin would become addicted. Seriously. He will mope around and pout and give me sad eyes until I give him his nightly fix.

Frosty Paws are difficult to find because they have to share shelf space with human ice cream treats in the Frozen Food Department. AND not every grocery store sells them. I was hoping that when Purina purchased the company the distribution of the product would improve but it hasn't. Trust me. I've written an e-mail to Purina about the situation.

One day I drove around Houston trying to track down the frozen treats. I couldn't find them anywhere in Houston. I had this fear of Calvin "going Whitney Houston" on me and me being mauled in my sleep.

I finally tracked down a recipe that I use when I can't find the real thing. It's all about keeping The Calvinator happy. (And now I'm humming Amy Winehouse's Rehab to myself.) Calvin knows that the Frosty Paws are kept in the freezer. In fact, I have to speak in code so that he doesn't go ape wild on me. So if you ever hear me say, "FP" that is code for Frosty Paws.

One last thing...you know how humans get brain freezes from eating ice cold food too fast? The same thing happens to Calvin. And ya'd think that he would figure it out. Au contraire! Every night he gets a brain freeze, comes into the living room, drags his head on the floor, shakes his head several times, sneezes and then stares at me.

I swear..."FPs are frozen crack" for dogs!