As I See It - 01.11.16 - Let's dance

Sunday evening I fell asleep watching The Golden Globes. I awakened, turned off the telly and went to bed.

When I awakened on Monday morning, my newsfeed was filled with tributes to David Bowie. He died on Sunday evening after a bout with cancer. It was not publicly known that he was ill. And even more bizarre, on his birthday, January 8, he dropped a new album with a song titled Lazarus.

I only saw David Bowie perform once. It was in Dallas at Reunion Arena on October 10, 1987, when his Glass Spider Tour came to town. As expected it was a great show. Here is the set list from that evening.

One of my all time favorite lyrics is from Let's Dance. It is, "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues."

I heard someone on the telly talking about why we mourn people we've never met (in the context of artists, musicians, actors, etc.). And what they said made sense. It's because these people shared their talent and took us to another place. And such was the case with the incomparable, David Bowie.

A real Facebook friend of mine shared this on her page. I had never seen it. You'll love it!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 012613.1

This is too cute!

 

Swiss Miss
Tina Turner has announced that she is giving up her United States of America citizenship and will become a citizen of Switzerland. Tina and her longtime partner have been living in Switzerland for awhile. Speculation is that she is doing this for love and/or to avoid a higher tax rate in the U.S.A. which could be interpreted as love of money. Anywho, she is fabulous regardless of where she lives and which country she decides to claim as place of residence.

 

Together Again
I found out the other day that Manny Olivo passed away. I had not seen Manny in awhile but every time that I did he always had a big smile on his face.  Manny's death comes in the form of unexpected news and caught many of us by surprise.  He is one of several people who have recently left this world too soon.

Manny with Houston Mayor Annise Parker.

Manny had been very active in Houston. He helped raise money for various causes and will leave a void. I am a BIG Kylie Minogue fan but I think Manny is her biggest fan ever.  That is another thing I will always remember about him.

 A celebration of his life will take place on January 27, 2013 at Guava Lamp. Donations are being accepted to help offset the cost of his funeral. For more information, here is a link to the Facebook event.

Even though this isn't a Kylie song, it is a song I think about every time someone leaves us.

Jukebox Wednesday

Some bloggers post pics of themselves on HNT (Half Naked Thursday) and yes, they are HN. I can't imagine anyone wanting to see me HN on a Thursday, much less FN on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday!

So...I thought I would start Jukebox Wednesday. Once a week, on Wednesday, I will either post a video or the lyrics to a song that I really like.

With today's launch, I am posting a song by Tina Turner. Are you shocked that it isn't a Pet Shop Boys song? Knowing that my gentle readers would expect that I decided to throw you for a loop and make your day a bit caddywampus!

I saw Tina Turner perform this song live in May 1996 when she launched her Wildest Dreams Tour at The Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavillion in The Woodlands, Texas. And guess who was there that night? Oprah! That would be the first of two Oprah incidents in my life and it would be the first of two times I would see Tina Turner perform. I digress. So here is Tina Turner's Silent Wings.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 17.2

666
Yesterday's post about Ivana Trump post #666. I'm just sayin'.

Ike update
A month ago many of us were dealing with the aftermath of being bitch slapped by Ike. And like Tina Turner all we asked for was our electricity our name a new normal.

AttyHou and Everyday Italian have put up a new fence so I no longer have a room with a view a view of the swimming pool next door; just like old times. I don't see my neighbors very much anymore. For those few days, we were comrades in arms. ¡Viva la revolución! Misery loves company.

There is still debris in the streets. There are still people missing from Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula.

Instead of saying, "Hey! How are you?" the new greeting is, "How long were you without power?"

Instead of talking about plans for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas people are talking about what size generator they're going to buy in anticipation of Hurricane Season 2009.

I guess this is the new normal.

What's In A Name
John Culberson is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. This morning on the telly I heard one of his commercials. What got my attention is he referred to Hurricane Ike as the storm of the century. Uh...

Ike was a strong Category 2. This is only 2008. Katrina was in 2005. How can Ike be the storm of the century? Just askin'.

Have you ever...?
seen someone who looks like their dog?

Today on my way to LeFittes I was cutting through Midtown and I saw a guy from the gym walking his dog.

This guy is about 5'6" and is built like a brick house. He was walking some breed of bulldog. Definitely a pair.

I have been told that if I had blonde hair I would look like Calvin.

Once upon a time there was a tavern restaurant
My longtime friend Kanadian Ken from Kalgary is in town this week. I have not Kanadian Ken in a few years and it is always a pleasure to spend time with him. He is one of those friends that when we see each other we can pick up where we left off no matter how long it has been.

So last night Kanadian Ken from Kalgary gathered the usual suspects for dinner at Cafe A Do Me Adobe on Westheimer. I was at the office until 545P (CDT) and had three things to do before I could arrive at A Do Me Adobe.

I was a bit surprised when I arrived a few minutes late and was able to find parking and easily found my tablemates for the evening. It wasn't crowded at all.

This used to be the place to be seen on a Monday night in Houston. Dead as a door nail I tell ya!

We pondered why this was the situation and none of us could come up with a good answer. The economy? Post-Ike depression? People have a new place to be seen on a Monday and I didn't get the memo? Who knows?

So that is about it bois and gurls. Catch up with you soon!

Pictures post-Ike

Thought you might enjoy looking at some pics. I'll have a few more later but these are a few that I got ready just you!

So...when I purchased The Cal Mobile the intent was to get something that could be loaded up with some of my belongings and it wouldn't be low to the ground and I could evacuate before or after a hurricane. Well, I listened to the city and county officials and didn't evacuate. And even if I wanted to leave after the storm I couldn't because I had a FENCE ON THE CAL MOBILE!!!!

The power went out a bit after 9:00 p.m. on September 12. Here I am on Sunday, September 14 around 4:00 p.m. I was a prisoner of CenterPoint Energy. And yes, that is Cakebread Chardonnay in the glass. I was a prisoner with class and good taste.

On September 21, AttyHou, some neighbors and I decided we needed to finish cleaning up his yard and my yard. I thought it would take a couple of hours. Uh...it took a bit over 5 hours. I had not eaten lunch and I was delirious and started channeling Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Michael Kors AND Nina Garcia.

The challenge was to use the debris from Ike and make a couture dress. This is what I came up with.


I want to be on the cover of ELLE Magazine dammit!

My mom told me that she saw a story on the telly about how Houstonians were helping Houstonians post-Ike. Neighbors and strangers reaching out and helping each other. Calvin decided to do his part and join in the recovery and cleanup of Houston.

Calvin opened up a small Bed & Rawhide and invited over Baxter & Tanner who were without power.

They were all a bit pooped out from playing. Here they are relaxing.

And you know how I have a song for everything. While Ike was beating us up this song popped into my head. Yes, even while the house was shaking due to the sustained hurricane winds, rain not falling from the sky but hitting the house sideways, transformers popping outside and wondering if the insanity would ever stop, I thought of Ike and Tina Turner.


It's getting late. I'll have a few more pics for you soon.

blogging Hurricane Ike (part IX)

Latest happenings from The Bayou City. Interspersed through all of this are phone calls to and from friends who stayed.

3:30p CDT - Some lady named Vivian on MSNBC says, "Residents of Houston stare down the storm."

3:31p CDT - Based on what Vivian said, I think of that scene from What's Love Got To Do With It when Tina tells Ike she is sick and can't perform and I think he smacks her...maybe I put that in myself...and makes her go out and perform. She goes out and does a great job and the song is appropriate for the scene. Watch the clip.



4:15p CDT - I'm in the other room and hear an annoying voice on the telly and realize it is Steven Dean on Channel 2: Your Education Station.

4:53p CDT - MSNBC is interviewing the Chief Information Officer for the City of Galveston. She says that 40% of the residents didn't evacuate. I think, "WTF!" Don't they know about the storm in 1900 that killed 6,000 people. It is still the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. She also says the City of Galveston personnel are housed at The San Luis Resort. It is a nice hotel.

5:15p CDT - Receive a phone call that Anderson Cooper is downtown. Speculation arises about where he is staying. Hilton Americas? Four Seasons? Hyatt Regency? Based on the damage from Alicia in 1983, Anderson will have good stories to report if Ike keeps on this path. Calvin and I are less than three miles from downtown. Should we drive downtown and go for his evening walk?

5:25p CDT - Decide to take Calvin for his walk in the neighborhood. Cops are already patrolling the 'hood. Saw 2 cop cars. Wind is picking up and clouds are getting darker. Neighborhood parties have already started or are getting started. Also, it is as if there is a dog parade going on. Everyone is out walking their dogs one last time.

6:20p CDT - First bands of Ike hit Galveston even though flooding has already started on Galveston Island.

6:28p CDT - Frank Billingsley reports that Ike is picking up speed and gaining strength.

6:29p CDT - I'm making Calvin nervous so I pour my first Hurricane.

6:32p CDT - Locate my slicker and Salomon Pro Amphib shoes. Calvin thinks we're going for a walk.

6:55p CDT - Calvin realizes we're not going for a walk and passes out (again).

Comment: Miss Ginger Grant...thank you for the offer of the ice. I have plenty.

Question: Can someone tell me why my bathtub is full of water? Seriously. I'm not going to drink it. I have enough water for me and Calvin to last for a LONG time.

Comment: Yesterday, someone told me that I needed to wear maroon and purple today and put an eggplant in my front yard to ward off the storm. I don't have anything maroon. I don't have an eggplant. Should I have bought some baked eggplant from Luby's and put THAT in the front yard? Just askin'.

Stay safe everyone.

EDIT @ 7:36p: Received a phone call from Boston Greg and he was singing part of the lyrics from Tina Turner's Better Be Good To Me
AND I REALLY DON`T SEE
WHY IT`S SO HARD TO BE
GOOD TO ME
AND I DON`T UNDERSTAND
WHAT`S YOUR PLAN
THAT YOU CAN`T
BE GOOD TO ME

Rather appropriate for Ike's approach on Galveston-Houston!

...proud mary keep on burnin'

It seems that last night's performance by Beyonce and Tina Turner inspired Viv to find a video of her performance of Proud Mary. She did it nice and rough.

All she needed was me in the back with a bra on my head.

In case you missed Tina Turner last night

Sentimental Sunday

Former Houstonian & Now Bostonian Greg has been in town with Sean. The Fabulous Miss Jolie Shay (TFMJS) had a small dinner party on Friday night so that some of us could spend some time with the boys.

I took them to IAH this morning for their return flight to BOS. It was a beautiful day to be outside so I loaded up The Cal Mobile with The Calvinator and off we went. I changed out the cds in The Cal Mobile and put in some compilations that I made. They are a part of The Contessa Collection.

• Contessa Without A Country
• Cocktails For Two: The Contessa Has A Guest
• The Contessa Needs Another Cocktail

This whole collection was inspired after spending a few days with Calgary Ken in Calgary. You see...

Several years ago when I went to visit Calgary Ken, Calgary Ken made a wonderful dinner for a few of us. The plan was to go out after dinner and visit a few clubs. Well...one bottle of wine lead to another and then we each started going through his cd collection and playing one song that we liked and one song lead to another and well...

I remember waking up under the dining room table and Ken was next to me. Brian and Joe had gone to bed at some point. Ken was out of wine; his cd collection was a mess.

So I listened to these songs today while driving around and taking The Calvinator to Memorial Park. There are a few songs that I just really *heart* that are a part of The Contessa Collection.

The first one is You're So Vain by Carly Simon. I did change the words one night for AttyHou. Instead of You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavot... I changed it to You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself go by... because he did. He actually had two eyes in the mirror as he flexed in the mirror of a hotel foyer.


Then there is The Way Of Love. Kaye Sedilla keeps saying that if she ever does a cabaret show full of torch songs this will definitely be on the bill. In this video, Cher looks flawless and she really shows her range.

There are too many songs to list but others include: Being Boring; Something Stupid; When October Goes; Kissing A Fool; Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters. Quite an eclectic collection of music.

While I'm on the subject of music...

Did you see Tina Turner with Beyonce on The Grammy Awards? Of course they were introduced by Cher! Does it get any better than that? Beyonce and Tina performed Proud Mary. Tina wasn't moving as fast as she normally does but that's ok. She was still in her stiletto heels!

The last time I saw Tina perform live was in October of 2000. She performed at the place that is now Lakewood Church formerly known as Compaq Center. She did an outstanding performance. That night Joe Cocker was her opening act. No one around me knew anything about Joe Cocker so I finally said, "Do you remember the opening song from Wonder Years? That was him!" Young ones I tell ya!

OK. Back to Sentimental Sunday. I reconnected with a couple of West Coast friends this past week. We had lost touch for awhile. If the writer's strike ever ends, one of them will be back on the telly.

Also ran into Midtown/Montrose David at Memorial Park on Saturday. So it was a good week to catch up with friends.

Big wheel keep on turnin'...

Thursday’s spin class at LeFittes was taught by substitute teacher Troy. This is the guy that I have nicknamed Drill Instructor Troy (DIT). DIT knows how to make a person sweat and he makes you “feel the burn.”

When DIT started the last song of the class, I started to grin because from the first three notes of the introduction, I knew it was Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary. DIT looked at me and said, “I had to play this song.” As I’m spinning to the “big wheel keep on turnin'…”, I had a:

FLASHBACK

Picture this. New Orleans. August 25, 2001. 3:00A. Clover Grill on Bourbon Street. It is my last trip to The Big Easy before I turn 40 and Jim has joined me for my weekend get-away. We have walked every inch of The Quarter and are trying to make our way back to the apartment on Ursuline.

We stop at Clover Grill for a Cadillac Hubcap Cheeseburger and a Geaux Girl Waffle. Oh…did I mention we were over-served with adult beverages? We have to sit at the counter. I’m on the end, Jim is to my left and to his left is a man with no “teef.” Behind us is a table with two girls and a guy.

I notice that one of the girls is taking off her bra without taking off her dress. Jim is still talking to the man with no “teef.”
And then it happens. The opening notes to Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary starts to play on the jukebox. I love the way Tina says, “Ya know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy…”

Well, at some point during the intro, I have the bra on my head. Jim happens to turn to his right and just stares at me. Mr. Toothless doesn’t seem phased.

OK. So now the song is picking up. You know when the trumpets start to play and Tina lets loose. At that point Braless Girl assumes the role of Tina Turner, her friends jump up and I jump off the stool and we are now the Ikettes (me with the bra on my head.)

We are doing our best imitation of Tina & The Ikettes when I look out the window. There is a guy and girl looking in and he has the video camera rolling. Funny thing is…he doesn’t have the audio of what is happening inside. LOL The song ends and life goes on at Clover Grill.

I have romanticized what happened with the videotape. The couple looked German so I figure it ended up on some German tv show: Americans Do The Funniest Things or some bar in Berln figured out it was Proud Mary, added the audio and 6 years later is still showing it on comedy night.

I do remember Jim looking at me and laughing and saying, “I can’t believe you’re going to be 40.”

See what happens when my mind wanders during spin class?!