Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Here are some pics that I snapped this morning at Hermann Park.

Recount

Last night was the HBO premiere of Recount. I missed the first 30 minutes because I was enjoying Dick again.

If you are a quasi-political junkie like me, you will thoroughy enjoy Recount .

from HBO:
Starring Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, and Tom Wilkinson, Recount brings viewers behind the scenes at the controversial Florida recount. This illuminating, hugely entertaining film pulls back the veil on the headlines to explore the human drama surrounding the most controversial presidential election in U.S. history.

Mixing news footage and verbatim dialogue into fictionalized re-creations, Recount examines the torturous process that culminated in the Supreme Court decision in Bush vs. Gore.

For more info, click here.

I had forgotten about everything that had transpired in Florida, Florida, Florida (ala Tim Russert). Regardless of your political party affilation, I think you will enjoy this movie. Check your local listings.

Mario Lopez Comes To The Bayou City

So. I was wondering if Mario Lopez would be coming to Houston to promote his book Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness. I figured he has a fairly busy schedule what with him being on Broadway in A Chorus Line. Imagine my glee when I read in The Houston Chronicle that he will be here this Tuesday (May 27, 2008)!

Mario will be at Borders (3025 Kirby) starting at 700p. That is only 2.22 miles from me and The Calvinator. Normally the big name authors go out to the westside of town to do book signings so this is way cool. (Maybe he'll want to stop by for a beverage when he is finished? Probably not. He has a sister who lives in the area so I'm sure they'll be spending some time together.)

According to the interview, he will also be posing for photographs. I wonder if he will lift his shirt and show those abs. He can show his 6-pack and I'll show my keg.

So. I was debating about going to the gym today and I guess I just got my inspiration. To get a body like that I guess ya gotta start somewhere, right?

With Mario flaunting his Hollywood smile and his 6-pack, I have started humming a showtune.

As Ulla sings in The Producers, "Ven you got it, flaunt it. Show your assets, let them know you're proud." BTW...if you watch this clip from The Producers, that is Uma Thurman and not Nicole Kidman (as stated on the page of the clip).

Hello

OK. Yes. I know. I've been a bit quiet. Not much to say about anything.

It's getting hotter here in H-town. It's so hot (how hot is it?), The Calvinator is cutting his walks short. Seriously. When he has had enough and is ready to turn around he just stops and digs in and won't move. It's sort of like trying to get a mule to budge.

I went running this morning a bit before 800a.m. and it was already in the low 80s. In fact, when we went for our morning stroll at 630a.m. it was already 83 degrees and the humidity was high. I'm one of those people who sweats like a whore in church (no comments please) and I just can't understand those lizard people who don't sweat.

This morning as I was finishing up my 5 mile jaunt at Memorial Park, I saw a familiar face...well, familiar from his blog. It was Active Runner. I had about 1/2 a mile to go and REALLY wanted to finish so I didn't stop to chat him up. I think I surprised him though.

So I showered and went and did some weights and worked up another sweat. And showered again.

Then later on I went to AttyHou and Everyday Italian's pool and was joined by Neighbor Michael. At this point the temperature was in the 90s. OY! I didn't last long because I was sweating like a whore at The Vatican. So yes, I showered...again.

I must ask. Is it normal to take three showers in one day? Am I bordering on OCD or am I OCD?

So that's what's on my mind tonight...well that and whole bunch of other stuff that you may or not may not be interested in, like:

1) I can't figure why gas is so high in Houston when the f_cking refineries are right down the road in Texas City, La Porte and Deer Park? I'm just saying.

2) Is it normal to have a job interview at 800a on Memorial Day? Is this some kind of test?

3) I finally had to look up the words to 4 Minutes and I still don't understand part of it and I'm laughing at myself for not incorrectly singing some of the lyrics. (Lyrics I don't understand: "Keep it up, keep it up, don't be a pri..")

4) I'm wondering if Candy Shop will be remixed?

5) I don't think Betty Suarez went to Tuscon (with Henry) or Rome (with Gio). If she was going to marry Henry, that would mean she has to leave Mode and there goes the whole show. Plus, she would want her family at the wedding. I think she is afraid of Gio because she knows she belongs with him. I think she went on a trip to Mexico to visit family and get her head together.

And while I'm on the subject of Ugly Betty, did anyone else LOL when Naomi Campbell pulled out her cell phone and everybody took cover? And poor Hilda. She gets a hunkalicious love interest only to find out he is still married.

6) Did anyone watch The Bachelorette? Deanna was in her own Candy Shop. My assumption is that they don't let the guys eat any food and then do a vodka drip so the alcohol can go directly into their bloodstream. And the guy who didn't get picked and was howling at the moon? Uh...LOL

I hope everyone is having a safe and fun holiday weekend!

The temperature is rising and so is the price of gasoline

A brief prologue covers the events preceding the original Mad Max (no backstory was offered in that movie). After uprisings and an extended war due to energy shortages proved to destabilize the country, marauding biker gangs began to terrorize the townspeople in the Australian desert. The crumbling remnants of the government created a tiny, underfunded group of special highway patrol officers to attempt a restoration of order in the outback. By contrast, Mad Max 2 features a much more pronounced breakdown of civilization. In the prologue, a narrator informs us that the world has "crumbled and...the cities have exploded"; life has become a "whirlwind of looting and a firestorm of fear, in which 'men began to feed on men.'" -from Wikipedia about Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

I'm beginning to think we are just a few steps away from this becoming a reality. I mean really.

The price of gasoline is the highest it has ever been. I remember when I was a kid and gas stations would have price wars to see who could sell a gallon of gas for the lowest price. I remember competing stations getting it down to $00.28. And then I remember the day it went up to $00.33 and it never went down. It has only gone up.

I also remember the year of the fuel shortage. Long lines at the gas stations. Also, there was a system for how often you could get gas. You just couldn't pull up and get some. You were only allowed to get gas on certain days of the week unless your vehicle was for commercial purposes.

Then there was the fuel shortage along the Gulf Coast during the Hurricane Rita evacuation. I think that was the most frightened I have ever been about running out of gas. And not only gas but drinking water.

Everytime The Calvinator does something to upset me, I have to remember that he was a real trooper for staying in the car (well, he did try to jump out once) with me for 27 hours. I'm not sure who was more relieved when I accidentally found the vending machine outside of a closed convenience store in the middle of nowhere. It was ice cold and water never tasted better.

It was pure luck that I found gasoline when I did. Just about the time I would start to panic about the gauge getting low, I'd find a station that had fuel.

I've been taking people to the airport for their extended Memorial Day getaways. In the olden days I would never have accepted money for doing that. Now I'm accepting Euros (LOL) to put gas back into The Cal Mobile for the jaunts back and forth to the airport. Speaking of Euros...

The other night at Todd, Marc & Gordon's cocktail party, somebody dropped something into the pool. We couldn't figure out what it was but a person was being very dilligent about trying to retrieve it. Nobody in my circle of partygoers could figure it out so I started a rumor that it was a Euro. LOL I wanted to see if people would jump into the pool. (I crack myself up sometimes.)

OK. So why did I even discuss this? While I was watching the 10:00 evening news on Wednesday night, Neighbor Ryan Korsgard at KPRC Channel 2 did a story about how much it is costing the City of Houston to gas up vehicles and ambulances and fire trucks, etc. Then there was another story someone who stole about 500 gallons (edit: 1000 gallons) of diesel fuel.

Hey. I need to stop this rambling and get going. I think I just saw Mel Gibson walking through NoRO.

Bloggers' Night Out + 1

Awhile back, Running My Mass Off and I'm Not Fit To Run suggested that we do a night at the theatre. Do you know how difficult it is to coordinate something like this? My hat is off to the other two for pulling this off and to I'm Not Fit To Run for getting the tickets. I met up with the two of them plus the spouse of Running My Mass Off. We went to see The Drowsy Chaperone.

I was somewhat familiar with the story but not really and I'm sorta glad I walked in a bit blind. OMG I have never laughed so hard during a musical. Yes, I laughed during The Producers and Hairspray and even a few chuckles during Mamma Mia. This one had me LOL too many times.

What's great about it is that it is only 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission and it is full of comedy. Yes, it is on the silly side but one of the things that I like about musical theatre is that you can escape from your life if even for a short time. And laughter is good for the soul. Not sure how many calories you burn when you laugh but I'm sure I walked out a bit thinner than when I walked in.

If you are not familiar with The Drowsy Chaperone, here is some information from Broadway.com:

The Drowsy Chaperone begins when a die-hard musical-theatre fan plays his favorite cast album, and the musical magically bursts to life! We are instantly immersed in the hilarious tale of a glamorous bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the heavens.

Everyone in the cast did a great job. The standouts in the performance are Jonathan Crombie (Man In Chair), Andrea Chamberlain (Janet Van De Graaff) and Nancy Opel (The Drowsy Chaperone). I can so relate to Man In Chair and The Drowsy Chaperone. I think the best lyric from the evening, as sung by The Drowsy Chaperone is:

But you musn't let it lick you
this planet oh so bland.
Keep your eyeball on the highball
in your hand.





The surprise of the evening was seeing Georgia Engel! I remember Georgia when she was on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Georgia has made a career of being a character actress and she shines through in her role as Mrs. Tottendale.

Here is a clip from the Tony Awards. The song is Show Off and it had me cackling! I'm sure the people around me thought I was going to lay an egg.



And here is The Drowsy Chaperone singing another favorite from the show, As We Stumble Along.



The one song I couldn't find a real clip of is Bride's Lament which I had incorrectly searched for Monkey. You would need to listen to the song to understand my confusion. It was another that had me laughing.

Theater Under The Stars (TUTS) is presenting The Drowsy Chaperone through June 1, 2008 at The Hobby Center. If you want to escape the real world and laugh for an hour and forty-five minutes, go see The Drowsy Chaperone.

BTW...drowsy is a word that was used to describe someone who is tipsy.

Near Death Experience

This morning when I went running the iPod nano was acting odd toward the end of my run. It kept skipping back to the beginning of Rappers Delight.

I didn't think much of it until later in the day when I decided to recharge it.

IT WOULD NOT TURN ON! IT WOULD NOT RECHARGE! IT WOULD NOT RESET!

I toggled the Hold switch. I pressed on the Menu button for more than 10 seconds. And still nothing. I went to website for help and did everything it told me to do. And still nothing. I repeated all of the instructions.

I can't afford to spend $250 on another iPod (red) nano! Without my nano I'd have to talk to people at the gym! I can't have THAT happen.

So I was trying to decide if I should back up everything (since I haven't done that in awhile). If I should just give it a rest and worry about it later or what? The Calvinator knew something was wrong because he was just staring at me.

So I picked up the nano. Said a little prayer to it. Toggled the Hold switch. Pressed on the Menu button and...

It WORKED! Who knew there was a patron saint or guardian angels for iPod nanos?