Catchin' Up

Editor's note: I actually started writing this on Sunday evening but got distracted and then passed out...uh, I mean fell asleep watching Desperate Housewives. I just ain't as young and energetic as I used to be!

So remember, when you're reading this I wrote it on Sunday.

It's been a busy few days. AttyHou, Everyday Italian and I have just returned from an afternoon party but before I give you the details about that I'll digress to Friday.

Friday

I'm not really sure where the day went to! Let me think. I overslept so I didn't make it to spin class at LeFittes. In fact, I haven't been making it to LeFittes like I should. I need to get back on track with that. NOTE TO SELF: Go to the gym.

I spent most of the morning doing stuff (i.e. buying soft drinks, mixers, working on the alcohol order) for Fais Do Do. I met up with Blaine and dropped off some ice chests and helped him move some stuff. Before I knew it, it was well after 200p and I hadn't eaten lunch which probably explains the headache.

Legacy was the beneficiary of an event at Design Within Each which was done in conjunction with Salon On Kirby. It was a fun party!

Cool stuff in the store. Take some champagne, wine and beer, add a few nibbly things, add a silent auction of some cool artwork and throw in some pretty people and well it was just a ton of fun!

A big thanx to Alden for doing that!

Saturday

I woke up at 504A and was congested and had a headache and just couldn't bear the thought of going running. I walked The Calvinator and then fell asleep in a fetal position on the couch. Eventually I woke up, brushed myself off and started all over again.

I had to be at Spec's at 1000A to pick up booze, beer and wine. I THOUGHT my order would be ready but they waited until I got there to pull the stuff. And then part of the order was wrong and part of it was missing. So at 1055A I was finally in The Cal Mobile making my way to Winter Street Studios. The Cal Mobile was loaded down.

Some Krewe members helped me unload the goods. After I left there I had some odds and ends to do before heading back to Winter Street Studios. Met up with Blaine and DJ Dan Meador. We got him situated and I had enough time to do a couple of things and get back. The ice man cometh on time. If you're in the Houston area and you need to order large amounts of ice, I highly recommend Ice Express. They called to confirm time and place and were right on time.

The Fais Do Do was fun. Winter Street Studios had ample space for the event. A special thank you to my bar bois who worked the shifts last night. And an extra special thank you to George Garcia and Tony Contreras for their extra effort yesterday!

I've posted some photos from last night. One of the guests was James Getzlaff from Boy Meets Boy. He was in town for an event sponsored by Pride Houston and he stopped by for some Jambalaya. James is the first reality TV star that I have met. Very nice guy.



While I was hovering over the bar, I spoke with AttyFrank. He is always fun to talk to. AttyFrank told me that he reads Str8UpWithATwist. It is always cool to find out who is reading Str8UpWithATwist. AttyFrank has been a long time supporter of the Krewe. A special thank you to AttyFrank and our other underwriters for helping us make things happen!



Part of the party was a raffle for a 40" flat screen tv and a silent auction. Artists Sands Stiefer and John Palmer displayed some of their work and guests could purchase the art work.

Some of the silent auction items.

I got home and had to unload The Liquor Mobile...uh, I mean The Cal Mobile. I didn't want to drive around the Bayou City looking like I was a drunk. (No comments please!)

Right now my dining room, kitchen and living room look like I'm gonna set up a liquor store. Hmmm. My next career choice? And I keep humming Amy Winehouse's Rehab.

Sunday

I slept in. No church. No gym. Just some time with The Calvinator and I made time to read the Sunday paper. While I was at the office, Montrose/Midtown David stopped by. He had just finished running and was going to the Texans game later.


Montrose/Midtown David is a good egg. He is intrigued by Kaye Sedilla. He missed her last performance because he was afraid Kaye Sedilla would serenade him.

And back to the no gym thing. I think I've hauled enough sh_t around the past few days and sweated more than I ever would lifting weights so in my mind I'm ahead.

This party that we went to makes me want to become bulimic. I hate pretty people. I have to ask myself: Are they really happy? How hard do they have to work to be pretty?

Well considering that I absolutely hate to vomit, I guess bulemia is out of the question. And since I love to eat, anorexia is also out of the question. Well sh_t. I guess I have to keep running and spinning.

Many of the usual suspects were at the BCBC event. And I wish that I had taken my camera. You would not believe this house. And it wasn't so much the house as it was the pool area. OMG. I had no idea that something like that was in Montrose. I almost felt like I was in South Beach or Beverly Hills.

Unfortunately I have a new vice now. UV Vodka/Lemonade. At first I couldn't figure out why so many bois were drinking pink drinks. Then I saw a vodka bottle at one of the bar stations and I thought, "Hmmm. I'll try that with some tonic." Next thing I know, AttyHou, Everyday Italian and I are slamming them down.




It really is a Summer drink but considering that Houston only has two seasons, it was OK to drink it. (Remember, those two seasons are Summer and August so according to my calendar we are back into Summer.)

So that catches me up, sorta. I'll try not to stay away for so long.

I have quite a bit on my mind (i.e. Marion Jones, Chicago Marathon) but I'll save that for another day.

Fais Do Do (Oct. 6)

I hope you're planning on joining us this Saturday night for some music, homemade Cajun food, adult beverages and lots of fun.

Blaine and I spent today making groceries. Other Krewe members picked up the ingredients this evening to make Jambalaya, Etouffee, Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice and Bread Pudding. Does it get much better than that?

I'm picking up the liquor and beer on Saturday so I hope y'all will be thirsty!

$25 will get you food and a free drink. A cash bar will be available for additional adult beverages and soft drinks.

The party takes place on Saturday, October 6 from 700p - 1100p at Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter Street, Houston, TX 77007). This is south of I-10 and north of Washington (by the railroad tracks) and in the vicinity of the Target near downtown.

And before I forget, there will also be a Silent Auction and a raffle for a 40" flat screen television.
Proceeds from the event go to the Krewe and its designated charities.

For more information, click here.

1, 2 Step + Bayou City Vice

I feel like I've been doing a f____ing Cha-Cha the past few days. In fact today, when I pulled back into the parking lot to meet with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission I started humming 1, 2 Step by Ciarra with Missy Elliott because this is where it all started on Monday.
OK. Just the word Alcoholic probably put some of you on alert! Some of you may have started laughing when you read TABC and thought kid in the candy store. Let me 'splain.

Krewe of Olympus is having a Fais Do Do on Saturday and I'm in charge of the bar. (I can hear the chuckling right now.) Because we're selling adult beverages we need a liquor license and well guess who got nominated? Yes, moi: The Betty Ford Clinic dropout.

The TABC doesn't make it easy on anybody to get a license...not even a one day, non-profit license. To begin with the form isn't on their website so you have to go get it from them BUT you can't complete it while you're there because everybody and their uncle has to sign a form and one form has to be completed 4 times (no copies) and each of the 4 forms has to be notarized.

In order to get the license you have to make sure that you have all of the documents signed, along with Articles of Incorporation, a Cashier's Check, and other stuff. So it's like doing the Cha-Cha. If you don't follow every step, then Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli won't let you advance to next round and you don't get your liquor license.

One of the forms requires that you have to go the Houston Police Dept.-Vice Squad. LOL Yes. Me sitting in the Vice Squad Office today. Oh if they only knew...

I was sorta hoping that I'd sit there and get a good look at all of the cops so that I could out them later but well that didn't happen.

The receptionist took the form from me and brought it back signed. One cop did come out into the reception area and he looked a little surprised that I was sitting there. He made a quick exit.

So I did get the license. There were two minor hiccups but I quickly took care of them (and those things were NOT in the instructions!).

Trust me. This ain't over yet. Now I get to ORDER the liquor! (I'm starting to salivate.) It's 5:00 somewhere, isn't it? ;-)

Before doing my 1, 2 Step Cha-Cha today I did get a quick jaunt in at Memorial Park. Also got a run in yesterday AND a weight workout at LeFittes. MAYBE, just MAYBE I'll do a spin class tomorrow. I think I overdosed on spinning this past summer.

The good thing about being in the car for a good portion of the day is that I had the opportunity to listen Annie Lennox's new cd Songs Of Mass Destruction. I enjoyed it the first time I listened to it. After a few more times of listening to it I'm sure I'll have more of an opinion.

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!

Mark Your Calendars

OK. Everyone who got caught in the rain this morning while you were running, raise your hand.

Believe it or not I did 7 1/2 miles. I did stop after 3 1/2 because there was some thunder and lightning and you know I have this fear of getting struck my lightning...especially with an iPod in my hand! I waited out that part of the storm and then started up again. At one point, I looked down and I could see water oozing out of my shoes.

I was having a good run prior to the lightning and thunder and I wasn't gonna let anything rain on my parade (note to self: put Funny Girl Soundtrack on the iPod.)

Running in the downpour reminded me of the New Balance ad from a view years ago. It was a picture of a lone runner on a road heading toward a thunder cloud. The headline was: When does a jogger become a runner? On days like today.

Just want to pass a few things along to you that I think you might be interested in...so mark your calendar.

Saturday, September 8

"Despite the ruin still prevalent in New Orleans, digital artist anddesigner, James Clawson dreams the city reborn in collages ofmourning, hope, and fantasy. All I can say is, "Stunning!" His eye fordesign, art and photography will mesmerize you on 36" x 36" works of aPost-Katrina New Orleans. This show is as breathtaking as it isproactive. One of the Crescent City's finest designers and artists,Mr. Clawson's works will debut in Houston here at Galerie Blu onSeptember 8, 2007 7PM to 10PM."

411: Galerie Blu

September 9-22

Whistle Down The Wind

"Direct from London, discover what critics have proclaimed "Andrew Lloyd Webber's best show since Phantom of the Opera." Whistle Down the Wind is an uplifting musical about a young Louisiana girl who finds a mysterious stranger hiding in her barn. While the townspeople are determined to find the escaped felon, she vows to protect him from the outside world. The American premiere production partners renowned top rock lyricist Jim Steinman (Meatloaf's classic album "Bat Out of Hell) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats, Evita and Joseph.) to create a score inspired by the indigenous sounds of the American South - blues, gospel, country and rock 'n' roll. Directed and produced by Bill Kenwright, Whistle Down the Wind combines award-winning songs including the Boyzone smash hit "No Matter What," and epic storytelling for an extraordinary tale about the transformative power of love."

411: Theater Under The Stars

Monday, September 10

Neiman Marcus turns 100 years old. Stop by Neiman's and get a free cookie. It's the stuff that urban legends are made of...and they'll give you the recipe on the website!

411: Neiman Marcus

Friday, September 14

Linda Eder performs for one night only presented by Brilliant Lectures.

411: Brilliant Lectures

Sunday, September 23

Dust off your tambourine! Polish your whistle! Prepare to shake your groove thing and get down tonight!

Krewe of Olympus-Texas, Inc. presents Trash Disco. From 400P-700P you can relive your youth and dance the afternoon away. Relive your memories and bring your friends. A $5 donation gets you past the velvet rope.

411: Krewe of Olympus

Tuesday, September 25 - Sunday, September 30

Mamma Mia! returns to Houston for a 6 day engagement.

411: Broadway Across America

Coming up in October:

• Thursday-Sunday, October 4-7: Greek Festival


• Saturday, October 6: Fais Do Do presented by Krewe of Olympus-Texas, Inc.


• Saturday & Sunday, October 13 & 14: Bayou City Arts Festival