Category Archives: weekend

2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

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If you’re a fan at all of live music, this is the weekend you have to go out. . . on Sunday!

The Houston Press Music Awards Showcase is the best bang-for-your-buck on music anywhere in Texas! I’ve been to many a SXSW, this year it cost me $130. I’ve avoided many an ACL Fest – they’re overcrowded and underserved. Houston Press Music Award 2007 alien mascotAt $10 (2 for $15 if you buy early), the HPMAS is a 6-hour, 13-venue juggernaut. It provides a great cross section of the huge variety of music that can be found week-in week-out in this city, but here you don’t have to go looking for it. If you miss this one, you lose all authority to whine about Austin getting good music festivals come Labor Day.

Here’s a map I made – couldn’t find one on the Press’ site.

A quick reading of the one paragraph descriptions of bands should help you on your way. Or, you can hit your old favorites. I guarantee that at least one act/venue won’t be what you want, so be ready to exit and hit the second one on your list. Or know where all the venues are and go to the next closest one. See a random band. You might just like it.

The Houston Press has once again shown an inability to grasp that the grid is the ideal layout for a festival lineup. I sent them a nasty email last year. I guess they sent that to the bucket.

Oh, and if this alien mascot is on the t-shirt for this year, I’m gonna hafta get one.

From their site: “Band names, venues & times subject to change”. Be warned, the bands’ names are subject to change!

Different Groups of Friends

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Bob Sarah Manuel @ Bob’s 40thQuite a few interesting groups of people this weekend. First Bob’s 40th in Austin. I got to see Manuel, it’s been a while, and got to meet his wife Sarah. Some fun hanging out at Lake Travis and in Austin.

Monday night I went to Niece #2’s birthday party. A mostly parent-free zone with fifteen nine (or so) year olds. A pool. Karaoke. I think I lost some high-frequency hearing.

Tuesday I had lunch with some other high school friends: Diane, Wendy, Suzanne, and Allen (who was two years younger and I don’t think I’ve seen in forever!)

Then Tuesday night I stopped by Privé because Tracey was trying to bartend – many other friends-of-Tracey were there as well.

Rain, Indonesia, and the Kitchen Sink

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After three marathon weeks of rain, rain, rain, we’ve finally had two days off from precipitation. It looks like the puddle on my sidewalk may dry up completely today, indonesiaand I may be able to walk across the lawn in a few more days – if it continues to hold off.

Started the first day of clear skies mostly indoors. At a tea shop in Montrose. We played a monster of an obscure (but good) board game: Indonesia. Tracey, James, Onion, Tricia, and myself. I think it lasted a good five hours. After ravaging Tricia position, she still won the game. But I managed a close second.

Ended it off with Doneraki and then a few more games at home.

A few days before that I began the project of ripping out the kitchen sink, replacing the fawcet, installing a disposal, and reinstalling all the drains. About a $200 project. One small drip on the drain I still need to fix, but other than that it’s almost done. I need to reinstall the cabinet door, as well.

La Strada, Rain, Frog

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Had Sunday brunch at La Strada with friends. I haven’t been there since it burned and was rebuilt. We were on the patio upstairs and the weather was quite nice for a July 1st. We then went to Under the Volcano, the Gingerman, and Onion Creek, making a full day of it. And like most days in the past month, we saw more rain before it was over.

As we got out of the car and walked across the sidewalk there was a fat toad in the puddles. “Look, a toad,” I said, pointing. Then noticing, “and a worm right there, too.” At that moment there was a convulsion, the toad’s mouth opened, it’s tongue snapped forth, the worm disappeared instantly. Then a few more lurches as he got it into his stomach. Mmmm, dinner.

Biggio 3000

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So, where where you when Biggio hit 3000? Yeah, I don’t really care, either except that I’m sure his three hits helped in the Astros win. Yah, the Astros win!

Biggio 3000

Mary O called me tonight, and has been planning her whole weekend around when Biggio might hit 3K. She didn’t want to miss it. I know she was at Sam’s Pub tonight, and I’m sure it was on tv there. But now she can get back to planning her weekend!

Me? I was actually watching a third season episode of Millennium. I just checked the web to see if he’d hit any tonight, and lo he had.

Colleyville and Arlington

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I was heading for a “weekend in Dallas”. We call it that, or “DFW”. But no one up there thinks of it as one city like Houston/Clear Lake/Sugar Land/Katy/Cypress/Conroe/The Woodlands/Waller/Humble/Kingwood/ad infinitum does. It’s two or three cities depending on who you’re talking to: Dallas, Fort Worth, and the “Mid Cities”.

Friday I got out of town finally about 2pm, braved the traffic of I-45 North to head for my good friend Jen in Colleyville, Texas. I arrive to a gated street: got past it. I arrive to a locked door: note, key under mat. I call the troop who just left for Mexican food: JohnMarsha, Conn, and Jen. Continue reading →