DD and I took a drive south east to check out the area. We drove down to Morgan City and has some chicken BBQ. We then started back and detoured to the coast stopped at the Cypremort Point State Park and at Cypremort Point to see the ocean and watch the sky after the sunset. Then back home to hang out for DD's last night here.
I wanted DD to experience the French Quarter during the day and not packed with Mardi Gras people. I did manage to find the Gumbo Shop so DD could have some Creole food. We each got a different Creole dinner. DD got seafood Okra gumbo, chicken espagnole with rice with garlic mashed potatoes and hot bread budding for dessert. I got chicken andouille gumbo, the Creole combination platter which included shrimp creole, jambalaya, red beans and rice with macque choux corn and a chocolate brownie pie. It was very good.
We then walked around some more in the French Quarter. Lots of street musicians around. One group had a guitar, violin, a washboard and a bucket bass. It was pretty cool to see and they sounded good. We also took a walk down Bourbon Street. DD liked looking at all the people. I got a hand grenade and we hung out on one of the balconies just people watching. When we got tired of walking we went to the car and started home.
Taught my Friday Music Appreciation class and being that it is a Friday during lent we went to Tsunami and had sushi. That place has good sushi. Do not remember much else about the day. We probably went home and hung out.
I had to teach today and it was my long day. DD got to watch me teach my Music Appreciation and History of Jazz class. During my Pro Tools class, he helped me put some stuff into storage so the studio is a little cleaner.
We then went to Dwight's. There we got all appetizers so DD could sample all the Cajun food. We got fried alligator, boudin and crawfish cakes giving him the authentic Louisiana experience. DD still does not like boudin. It is too strong for him. He did like the alligator and crawfish cakes.
DD and I slept in really late so we missed the parades in Lafayette. We saw so many and it did rain a little bit so we really did not care. The problem was, not many places were open being that today was Mardi Gras. Which in this town and probably throughout Louisiana it is a state holiday were government offices and other places close. I am off Monday, today and tomorrow. Only some of the chains. So we went to Outback Steakhouse. DD and I have never been in one. DD got a steak and I got something with chicken.
We then went to Fresh Market and got some dessert and watched TV together and talked the rest of the night.
Lazy Day on Mardi Gras.
DD and I went back to Deano's. The same pizza place we went to on Friday and got the same pizza. DD really liked it and wanted it again. Then went to Office Depot to get him a bigger flash drive to put pictures on. We then parked and walked across the street to see the parade. I caught another stuffed animal. This time a colorful dog. It looked like something a little kid would have. So I found Malory, a cute little 2 year old near me, and gave it to her. She smiled and grabbed a hold of it real tight. I made her happy.
DD and I then went back to the Blue Moon Saloon for some more music and dancing. This time being a day before Mardi Gras, it was really crowed so very little dancing this time. I happened to sit next to an old woman who's husband of 47 years just passed away. She is out with her 2 sons having fun and celebrating life following his wishes. I also saw a former student there. That just might be the 1st time since I have lived here which is unusual for me. In Galveston I ran into my former and current students all the time around town. DD had fun there also.
Today we experienced some major weather. Lots of rain and wind. On the weather channel was a tornado warning. Found out later that there was a tornado in Rayne which is 30 minutes from where I live. After the storm passed, DD and I ate at Athena, a really good Greek place that happens to be at a gas station. We then went to a Lafayette Mardi Gras parade. This is my 3rd parade this year and I caught my 3rd stuff thing. This time a flower.
Then DD and I went to the Blue Moon. Good band and good Cajun music. DD and I danced with a lot of different girls and was really tired when we got home.
DD came in yesterday after a lot of delays, being put on stand by and almost be stranded in Houston. Went for Johnny Carino's for dinner.
Today DD came with me to school. I only had my 3 hour, 1 day a week Music Appreciation class. We then went to eat pizza at Deano's. We got a large pizza with black olives, fresh mushrooms and Louisiana smoked sausage (that they make fresh at the pizza place). It was so good with the sausage. DD and I talked about it all day. When home to drop some stuff off and then to downtown for the parade.
The parade was fun. Lots of nice floats and we caught beads. They still threw crap beads like the last parade and no great beads or even good beads as far as I could see and mostly the same kind of beads. After 2 parades it seems that Galveston parades through better and more variety of beads. I did get another stuffed animal. This time a dog. So that is 2 parade I have been to here and I have got a stuffed animal at both.
DD was hungry so we went to a burger place that opened in 1947. DD got a burger and I got a ham sandwich. My ham sandwich was really good. I love ham. Then home. More Mardi Gras fun awaits.
I just saw my 1st Mardi Gras parade in Lafayette, Louisiana (also known as Mardi Gras Central). Nice floats, lots of throws. Not as many variety of beads than the Galveston parades. It was still fun. I did catch a small stuffed alligator. It is so cute.
It all started because my monitor finally died Sunday night. It was a really good CTR Sony Triton flat screen monitor I had for over 8 years. 6 months ago it would go fuzzy than be back to normal. So George and I went looking at Best Buy to see what I will get when the monitor finally dies. So I was working on the computer Sunday night and then the screen when black and that was finally it.
So on Monday, I went to Best Buy and bought the monitor I picked out months ago. It is a Samsung PX2370 23" LED monitor. It looks amazing. It has 5,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio which is way over the LCD ones have.
So while I was there I took a look at "Heather" (the name I would call my future netbook which was originally going to be the MSI Wind last year but recently is the Toshiba). I figured since I have some money saved it was about time to get her. So I bought the Toshiba NB305-N442 Netbook in blue (which seems to becoming my 2nd favorite color with all the blue items I seem to be buying).
So introducing Heather.
Isn't she pretty? Also the keyboard is so responsive and with each key having substance unlike most laptops which are springy. It is like the difference between having a keyboard with weighted keys and having a keyboard that is not (which is springy and not like a real piano at all).
So if that was not enough I went to the AT&T store took a look at the Samsung Captivate Smartphone for another time. I have been wanting a new phone for a while and when the iphones came out I had thought of wanted something like that but I want it completely customizable and with apple stuff that is never the case. (Which is why I run Linux Mint. Totally customizable.) Then the Androids came out based on the Linux kernel and I when hum. So then the Samsung Captivate came out and read a ton of reviews which actually beat the iphone 4. When I went into the AT&T store last week to look at it, one of the employees said she has an iphone the the Captivate is way better.
Android Better Than iphone
So I left the store this time with the Samsung Captivate currently running Android 2.1 Eclair.
So a day of buying cool technology. Now to set it all up.
I just got a call from the Vice Chancellor and he offered me the music professor position at South Louisiana Community College. I have a job finally. Now I have to move quick in order to make it there before classes start. I guess I am going to live in Lafayette, Louisiana which is Cajun country.
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Today we relaxed. I took her to the old ship Elissa from the 1900's which still sails today. Mom thought it was very interesting and fascinating. We then walked around the strand. Mom then took me to eat at Yomatos for a Happy Birthday dinner. Thanks Mom.
We went through the 2 boxes under my bed and the boxed on top off my filing cabinets.
We are finally finished upstairs cleaning. Finally done around 8p.
We spent most of the day in the computer room. Just about all cleaned up. Showed Mom the movie the Illusionist while we ate a late dinner. Took a trip to Goodwill again.
We ate and watched episode of Eureka. I took pictures of my empty wine bottles (wines that I like) before throwing them out. Then on the way to the Houston Symphony we stopped at Freebirds and had a burrito. We then made it to the Houston Symphony to hear the Planets and some John Williams pieces. The concert began with Star Wars Suite and it is the same crappy one that everyone plays, that the main melody is played so many times you just want the piece to end. The next piece was the Close Encounters. Now that was incredible. Especially the heavy chromatic parts. The last of the Williams pieces in the 1st half was ET. It was the last 15 minutes of the movie which was continuous music. The 2nd half was The Planets. I always like to go hear the planets live. This time it was accompanied with real Hubble Telescope images. The piece itself was played to fast. You do not hear the nuances. They did play it much lighter which I liked and not too string heavy.
Thanks Mom for taking me to the Symphony. It was fun.
George came over and we ate lunch at Salsa's. Then we drove on 8 mile rode to the water. A nice view and wanted to show mom. I also took then on the Galveston-Bolivar Ferry. We saw some dolphins. I then drove then to Pelican Island. Then back home Mom relaxed in front of the TV while George and I played Diablo II.
Today we cleaned out the downstairs closet. More trash and more Goodwill. This is cool. We took a walk to Subway and brought sandwiches home. A college called mom. She has an interview on Wednesday the 28th.
Cleaned up the rest of the dining room area which was my office stuff and bookshelf area. Threw more stuff away and more for donation. I played some old videos to see if I wanted them or to toss them. Ate. Then went for a walk on the Seawall and came home. I then took here to Ron's to visit and have some wine. Mom had a nice time. I played the organ for Mom. A piece that I have been working on every time I go there.
We continued to clean more of the downstairs area. We went to Golden Chorale for dinner. Then drove to the end of the seawall and walked around. I also took me near the bay (next to the causeway) where I had taken some sunset pictures. Mom thought it had a very near the edge of the world feeling. Then Target, Randall's and home.
I took mom on the Duck Tours. It is a vehicle that also and go in the water. It was fun and informative. Then home to clean dining room area. We had a snack before hand - peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When we were hungry we had rice and salad. Watched some TV and then bed.
We started cleaning some stuff near and in front of my fireplace that I have never used.
We through out some stuff and also gave some stuff away. I then too mom to the Spot for dinner for really good burgers. We then to a walk along the seawall, walked into San Luis Resort and looked around. Came home and played her some of my new pieces and showed her some resent pictures I have taken. Then bed time.
Went to pick up Mom at the airport. Mom has come here to visit and to help me really clean up my place for an eventual move to somewhere. On the way down to Galveston we had some major delays on the freeway because of construction. So we stopped at Sonic for vanilla milkshakes. When we got past Clear Lake we were hungry and of course we had to stop at BJ's Pizza. Then finally got to my place and watched some Stargate, looked on the computer and then to bed. Mom was very tired.
Here are some pictures of where and how big Hurricane Alex was.
So in the 6 years I have lived here I have gone through 4 hurricanes.
1st was Galveston's near miss but still felt it
Hurricane Rita his in September 2005.
Then 2nd, almost exactly 2 years later, in September 2007 was another near miss
Hurricane Humberto.
Almost exactly year later in September 2008 was the one that ended up hitting us.
Hurricane Ike.
So today Hurricane Alex is so big that the rim of it will reach here and throw down a lot of rain and wind. It is going to be a long night.
We had lunch at Salsas. We then walked on the Strand and browsing through stores. It was a relaxing New Years with Jennifer.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
Jennifer went to work and I did some emailing. Jennifer friend Amanda called and asked if could pick them up for lunch. We went to the Mediterranean restaurant Aladdin. I have been there before and the food is really good.
I picked Jennifer up from work and took her down to my place for New Years.
He bought some vegetable sushi rolls from Kroger. I made spaghetti which did not come out that well unfortunately. We did have our Riesling that we really like. We also ate some chocolate in a box Jennifer brought down. Those were good. Watched some channel that had the New York ball drop.
Goodbye crappy 2009.
I had lunch with George and Ron at the Mosquito Cafe. I of course had to get my Lemonade Dream Cake. Walked to Ron's house to see the progress he has made on restoring his 1st floor since the flooding of Ike. We then walked around his neighborhood which is filled with houses that were build before 1900. Then back home to work on my 2 mini lectures for another interview Monday.
The day started with lunch with George, Stephen and his friend Zane at the Sunflower Cafe with good food and conversation. Then George and I walked around downtown to see what businesses have come back. We then ran into Rob in his new car and met him at Mod to hang out and I had an Italian Soda. We then all 3 want to New York Pizzeria for dinner. Good pizza. Then said bye to Rob and George and I hung out at my place. A full day of food friends and conversation.
On this day, 4 years ago, I took my beautiful girlfriend Jennifer on our 1st date. It was a perfect evening that ended with an equally perfect kiss. Since then we have had some great adventures California, Canada and especially Spain. With our lives in really crappy places right now, the best we can do for each other is be there for each other. So far is has been great having her help and support and I really like being there for her. So I wanted to go on record, minus the crappy unstable world that we have inherited when moving to Houston, that this is the best relationship I could have ever imagined. I love you Quartz!
My friend George came over around noon. Soon after my friend Melanie called and George and I talked to her for over an hour. Then George bought me lunch at Salsas. (Thanks George.) While at Salsas DD called and talked for almost an hour. He is putting in double paned windows in his house. Yay DD. Then droved down seawall and took some pictures of the ocean. Then went to see my friend Ron at the church were he works. Tomorrow the organ reeds are being shipped to Hartford to be cleaned and repaired because of the water and humidity damage created by Ike. He gave George a tour of the pipes. Ron then improvises using the variety of the mixtures using the reed pipes. Then Ron and I improvised together. It was fun and it was a nice goodbye and send off to the pipes for awhile.
We then went to a coffee place were we ran into my friend Rob. I got a cherry and French vanilla Italian soda (It was quite good.) and hung out with Rob. We then got hungry and all 3 of us walked to New York Pizzeria and got a slice of pizza. (Remember that these are large slices.) and talked with him some more. By the time George and I got to my place it was 9:45p. Called Jennifer to say hi and here I am writing this lovely entry. The great part all this is that none of it other than George coming over was planned.
Now that is what I call an awesome and fun day!
Jennifer and I went to Ron's church for Easter. The sermon was good and Ron played well as always. We then went back to my place for Easter lunch. From the great mind of my girlfriend Jennifer, she cooked a great meal. We had 2 baked cornish hens with her blend of spices. I helped her make the mashed potatoes. Ron brought the salad, 2 white wines and 3 individual key lime pies from the Sunflower Bakery. It was a great lunch filled with good food and great conversation. What a great day.
Jennifer and I did not do much but eat at Salsas, sleep and relax.
Went up around noon to pick up Jennifer. We went to Oishii for lunch. We had salmon
Teriyaki. It is quite good. Then went to Central Market and a couple of other grocery stores for stuff to make Easter lunch with. Then down to Galveston. We had sushi at Sky Bar. The eel sushi is still good there Then to my friend Rob's barbecue party. He knows how to barbecue. We had grilled chicken, grilled vegetables and a little venison (deer). Good barbecue.
This week is spring break for me. My week off. I spent the 1st few days cleaning and just unwinding from the semester. Today I started working on composing a chamber ensemble piece. It is sounding pretty good. I then took a break to take a walk on the seawall and check out the spring breakers. Pretty crowded beach. Not SoCal crowded that one can barely find a space to put you blanket, but still lots of people. One thing about living on an island is that you run into people you know everywhere. I saw, said hi or talked with at least 6 current and former students I know. It was pretty cool. As I walked back to my place, ran into my next door neighbor (also a former student. Small island.) and talked about our chimney that fell during the hurricane. I got invited to Rob's a barbecue party. He knows how to barbecue. I made fajitas with the barbecue jalapenos sausage he cooked. It was really good. Also had some brownies baked with rum. Also very good. Then home to continue composing. A true spring break day.
Took DD to Sunflower Cafe for breakfast. Then took him to the airport. Thanks for coming DD. It was as always a lot of fun.
Today DD, Jennifer and I went to the Zkrewe balcony party. They served us an ok lunch of hamburger or hot dogs. Then threw some of our ok beads off the balcony to the begging crowd. We then walked around and watched the other krewes throw beads off their balconies. Then had dinner followed by watching the parade. We then threw out our good beads. He had light flashing beads and stuff animals we tied to beads. It was a massive crowd out there. There was barely anywhere for them to walk. DD and I got "something" from the cute girls for some of our good beads and stuffed animals we were throwing out. It was a fun day.
Today DD, Jennifer and I went to a Mardi Gras Ball at the Hilton on the seawall. It was presented by the Krewe of Who.. The ball was a lot of fun. The band sounded great. They played a mix of rock and blues. It started with dinner. Very good. Then dancing. Jennifer looked stunning in a little black dress and staleto heals. We also had fun slow dancing as well as swing dancing. What a great night.
DD came to work with me. He sat in my Music Appreciation class. He also sat in my History of Rock class. The topic today Rock class was folk rock. DD made many comments during class about the music and the artists being that he lived during that time period. It was fun having him in my class. My students also enjoyed having him and would contribute in the class discussion. It is an active and talkative class which makes it fun.
Then to lunch at Salsas with George. Got back and a group of students wanted to play the steel drums and play on the drum set. So I got the mallets and sticks. I was teaching Robert how to play the drums. I got on the drum set and played him some patterns while he played the piano. They were surprised I played them so well. Robert said I have been holding back on him not telling him I can play. Then I had him sit at the set and taught him the basic rock pattern. He caught on pretty quick so I improved on the piano. It was so much fun.
Then back to my office when my part timer Cindy came in and visited with DD, George and I until her lesson. After Stephen had finished teaching his class he came into my office and talked DD, George and I until 11p. Then DD and I came back to my place. DD said he really have fun today. Cool.
DD flew in to town to see me but also to experience Mardi Gras again. So picked up DD at the airport and then picked up Jennifer. We then went to Mai Thai for dinner. As always, great tasting food. Then back to my place. DD was so tired that we set up his airbed and he was gone. The fun is just beginning.
Today was the 1st weekend of Mardi Gras in Galveston. There are 3 parades during the 1st weekend. The Krewe of Aquarius at 12p, the firetruck parade at 3p and the Krewe of Gambrinus at 6p. They are all on the seawall. Jennifer and I went to the one at 12p. My apartment complex had a tent on the parade route and was serving the residents free barbecue chicken and ribs. So Jennifer and I had some. They were very good. I aslo had a pice of king cake. This year during the parades I was not really big on getting beads this year. This is my 5th Mardi Gras. I caught a few beads that came right at me but made no effort to go for any of the beads. Jennifer did as I did and just enjoyed the floats.
We did not see the one at 3p since is was raining during this time. So we walked to Salsas for dinner and margaritas. Ron joined us at Salsas. We then went to see the 6p parade. This krewe's floats are really big. Bigger than the 1st parades floats.
Then back to my place to hang out and talk.
I brought Jennifer down to Galveston for a quiet New Years. We had a snack-appetizer-1st dinner at the newly reopened Sky Bar. It is located on Postoffice Street in downtown where it flooded during the hurricane. Slowly places are getting ready to open again. Sky Bar was one of the firsts. We got our favorite roll there, the Dragonfly Roll. We each also got a piece of eel nagiri sushi which is the best of the places we have eaten in Houston and Galveston.
Then back to my place where I made spaghetti and had the Italian wine Lambrusco for dinner. For dessert I made brownies. We then watched the ball drop, toasted to the New Year with champagne and had a nice new years kiss.
Happy New Year!
Around 10:30 this evening, it started to snow. I walked outside to have some of the snow fall on me. It was light snow and when it hit the ground it melted, but it actually snowed. I was giggling the whole time I was out there being cold and having it fall on me. Here are some pictures of what it looked like.
According to the official report at around 1p, between 65-70% of the students enrolled at the college returned today. That is pretty good. I heard that 75% returned in a Mississippi college after Katrina. There were students of mine that lost everything. They were also glad to be back at school. It gave them a sense of normalcy. They said it also gave them a break from cleaning their houses.
I found out today that there was another BOI professor stayed on the island during the storm. What is it with these Born On the Island people? Are they all nuts?
Since Wednesday is my short day, I when home to eat, clean my bathrooms and cleaned up my upstairs balcony. It still had water and other crap there. I cleaned up most of it. I will let is dry before I clean the little bit that is left.
After that I wanted to see downtown. When I got down there I was able to drive down the streets. Everything is gone. All the stores and restaurants have all been cleaned out and the dry wall taken out. Just the wood beams remain. Places like Sky Bar and Saltwater Grill gone. The downtown I liked to go to is like a ghost town. I started tearing up. It was just sad.
I then went to my friend Ron's house to see if he was still there working on cleaning up. He was still there (he has been living in Houston since his house has no power or gas). He had already cleaned up all the mud and had already thrown out his fridge, hot water heater, couch and other stuff. He was lucky. His dry wall is still fine unlike other people's houses.
We then went to Papa's Pizza and Ron knows the owners of Papa's. They also own Mario's on the seawall (it was their 1st place they owned), Saltwater Griill, Sky Bar and Yagas. They said they are working on getting them all back up and running. Yay. The owner told us that he had just took a cup that had the reopening of Yagas after Rita out of a cubbard. (During Rita, their wall to that restarunt fell.) He said that it would have been a 2nd annaverery in November of the reopening and it did not even get there.
It is just sad for all those people and some how I was very lucky.
It is just sad.
Just when I thought my B-Day was over I get a call from Jules who I have not talk to in months. She called to say Happy B-Day and we talked for over 3 hours. We both really like to talk.
Took Jennifer to New Your Pizza for a giant slice of Pizza. Then took her back to Houston. What a great B-Day week.
For me my B-Day continues since I consider Jennifer staying this weekend a B-Day present. We had Vietnamese at Pho 20. We later had dinner at Ron's. He made crab cakes, mashed potatoes and green beans. I brought over leftover Lemonade Dream cake. And we had a great conversation before, during and after dinner.
My day began with Jennifer and Indian lunch buffet at Madras Pavilion. Quite good. Then down to Galveston for my B-Day Party.
It began with dinner at Salas. My friends who attended were Jennifer (my beautiful girlfriend), Melanie, Mark (Melanie's Guy), George, Ron, Andy and Becky (Andy's girl). Melanie brought orange balloons (my favorite color) and a mylar balloon with Happy B-Day on it.
Then we went to Melanie's where she had more orange balloons and a cake. Not just any cake. The Mosquito Cafe's Lemonade Dream Cake. The greatest tasting cake ever. And she had it at my party. She had also written on it in orange Happy B-Day Eric. So we all had cake and then played a board game. It was a great party. Thanks Melanie for hosting my party.
My B-Day continues with Cindy and George at the Olympic Grill. Cindy bought the lunch for my B-Day.
Then my friend Beth called to say Happy B-Day and talked a bit.
I then went up to Jennifer's for some Thai.
My B-Day started out with lunch with Ron at Miller's. I had the fish lunch special. It is catfish cooked Cajun style with 2 sides. I had grilled broccoli and mashed potatoes with gravy. It was quite good.
Then Kimberly called to say Happy B-Day and talked for a bit.
Then DD called to say Happy B-Day and talked for a bit.
Then picked up Melanie and got me drinks at a bar in a hotel that Mark works. She got herself and I an Amaretto Sour drink and a Fuzzy Nipple shot. Both quite good.
When Mark got off, he and Melanie took me to Sky Bar for sushi. We got a Dragonfly Roll (my favorite there), a Cajun roll (which was quite good) and I got some nagiri sushi (salmon, eel, yellowtail and tofu).
It was really cool of them.
Then AD called to say Happy B-Day (both AD and JK sang to me at the same time).
Chrissy left a voice mail saying Happy B-Day.
Finally Jennifer said Happy B-Day to me on the phone.
What a great and friend filled B-Day. Thanks all of you.
Spend the day cleaning my place from the computer building as well general cleaning and laundry.
We woke at 8a so we could take AD and JK to the airport on time. I took them to the airport, said our goodbyes and they were on their way back home.
Jennifer and I went to Sweet Tomatoes for breakfast-lunch. Then back to her place for an afternoon nap.
It was really nice to hang out with AD and JK this weekend.
Now that the performances are done we got to just hang out, visit and do anything they wanted.
We went to the Mosquito Cafe which they liked. Then walked across the street to the Dragonfly store and antique shop. Both AD and I got a sphere that uses batteries to change color.
I then took them to the turtle research facility.
(See here for background)
JK really liked the baby turtles.
I then took them downtown to walk around and browse through the shops. We stopped at an ice cream shop. Jennifer got lemonade, I got a lemon custard sundae, AD got a vanilla shake and JK got some fudge.
We drove by the opera house and AD asked if there is any shows going in on the island since they have nothing back in Garden City. So we went back to my place and checked the internet. There was a show called 100 yeas of Broadway at the opera house. AD and JK went and Jennifer and I went to Yomato for more sushi. Yummy.
After sushi, Jennifer and I waited for AD and JK's show to end at the Cafe Madrid. When the show ended, from the cell phone, I directed AD down the street to Cafe Madrid for some drinks, jazz and tapas.
At around midnight we went back to my place, hung out for a bit and then to bed.
What a great and fun day.
After teaching classes and doing rehearsals for the day I did my final preparations for AD and JK coming tomorrow. Then left to Jennifer's to stay the night since she lives closer to the airport. Jennifer made some biscuits and gravy for dinner then went to bed. We have an early day tomorrow.
A few weeks ago I was again on the search for the hollow white chocolate bunny. I looked everywhere. Then while at Randalls I mentioned my quest for the hollow white chocolate bunny and one of the workers said she also likes them and to go to Family Dollar and they will be there. I had already got 2 regular chocolate bunnies so Jennifer and I could each have one on Easter. So I went to Family Dollar and there they were smiling. So I got 2. One to eat with Jennifer on Easter and one for later.
Happy Jesus Rising Day.
Ron and I went to the Fat Tuesday parade in the historic downtown Galveston. The tourists have left by now and mostly the locals [BOI's (Born on the Island) and LOI's (Live on the Island which is me)] are left to enjoy the parade. While we were waiting for the parade to begin Stephen and Zane happened to find us and stayed with us to watch the parade. We saw the parade on Postoffice Street (yes that is how it is spelled). Cool floats and lots of beads. Since the parade starts on Postoffice then curves around and goes down the Strand, after we finished seeing the parade on Postoffice, Ron and I walked to the Strand and saw the parade again and collected more beads. They people on the floats seemed to be slower in throwing beads and they were not throwing as many unique beads as they had in past years. After the parade we walked under the Strand balconies to see if there were any unique beads being thrown. I did get 2 unique ones. The 1st was a medallion type bead. The medallion was black and red with a bat on it. The other was a really cool bird bead. The birds head, tail and feet move. It might be the best bead I have ever caught. Then back to Ron's were made dinner. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. A good tasting bottle of a Napa Valley, CA Cabernet Sauvignon. And a lemon square for dessert. It was fun evening.
Got up. Made sure DD packed up everything. We then went to Chilli's near the airport for lunch. Then took DD to the airport. Thanks DD for visiting me. It was a lot of fun as always.
This is the 1st year DD has come here for the 2nd weekend. He has usually come to the 1st weekend where that is not as much of a crowd downtown. So this year he really wanted to come on the 2nd weekend. So the Z Krewe Zestival tickets we got this year was for a party that went longer that the 1st weekend. It goes from noon to midnight which also includes lunch and dinner. So we got there at noon and had lunch which was hot dogs, hamburger, salad and desert (brownies, cupcakes and cookies). I got a hot dog. We then watched the Z Krewe parade processional. We then started throwing our ok beads. I has a whole bag of them that I have collected over the years and finally decided to get rid of them. A nice crowd wanting to catch them.
DD continued to throw beads and Jennifer and I wanted to walk around downstairs for a bit. Since the theme this year was pirates there were some people dressed as a pirate.
Yarr!
We then brought out our special beats. We were bad. DD and I got a lot of cute girls to flash. This is the crowd we had to work with in the evening.
Now that is a crowd!
We also got to see the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade from the balcony. I always wanted to see a Mardi Gras parade from the balcony. Now I finally got to. Here are some pictures of the parade.
It was a lot of fun.
DD and I just hung out and has peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We then picked up George on the way up to pick up Jennifer. We then all went to Oishii for sushi. DD and George got a Bento Box and Jennifer and I got our usual array of sushi such as ell roll, Philadelphia roll, radish roll, cucumber and avocado roll, yellowtail roll, and some salmon nigiri sushi, and super white tuna nigiri sushi. It was a great dinner. We then went to downtown Galveston to walk around and catch bead off the the balconies. Which is something we will be doing tomorrow.
DD came to work with me and sat in my Music Appreciation and History of Rock class. It was great having DD in the Rock class. It was like having a guest lecturer and the students really liked him. We then ate at Salsas. Then back to the college for my steel drum rehearsal. We then went to Little Caesar's and got pizza and went to home to watch a DVD of Oceans 13 which DD had not seen before. A pretty fun day.
Jennifer and I picked up DD at the airport and ate dinner at Freebirds. Dropped Jennifer off and took DD down to Galveston to stay at my place to begin his Mardi Gras Island Vacation.
There were 2 Mardi Gras Parades today. The 1st was the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius 21st Annual Mardi Gras Kick-off Parade at 12:00 noon. This will be my 4th year that I have seen this parade. It is still a unique sight watching a Mardi Gras parade with all the decorated floats and people throwing beads with the ocean in the background. I invited my friend George to join Jennifer and I in parade watching.
The next parade was Krewe of Gambrinus "Beads and Make Believe" Parade at 6:00pm which included a nice fireworks display over the water.
Today begins the 1st weekend of Mardi Gras on the island. To celebrate it Jennifer and I went to the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius's Barn Bash. An OK buffet of fajitas with a lot of stuff to put in the tortillas. There was also free beer and wine. There was a pretty good band that played covers. Jennifer and I did some dancing. He is a really good dancer. This it also the place where the Kwere stores their floats. So the Krewe stood in the floats throwing beads to the guest of the party. It was quite crowded and though I probably would not go again, it was a really cool experience and I did have a lot of fun.
For New Years, I took her down to my place and I made a romantic candlelight dinner for Jennifer.
Appetizer:
Salmon Nigiri Sushi and Philadelphia Rolls from Kroger.
Main Course:
Tortellini
Side Dish:
Broccoli and cheese.
Wine:
A late harvest Riesling.
Dessert:
I made brownies.
Instead of watching the loud countdown on TV, we opened up this for a nice quiet countdown. Our own private New Year countdown.
Happy New Year!
Here is a cute New Years Countdown.
Happy New Year!
Today we mainly just hung around my apartment. I cleaned and she read her books. When I am at her place she usually cooks. She is a really good cook. But since we were at my place I wanted to cook for her. So for lunch I made her quesadillas for lunch. I also made pasta for dinner. It was fun and romantic. I even made brownies for dessert. Ok everyone say it. Awwwwww.
The last day of what has become my Birthday Week. Tonight my friend Ron made dinner at his house. It was quite good.
For my actual Birthday, I was taken out to dinner to Casey's by my friend Melanie.
Today was lunch at Salsas with Jennifer and my friends George and Ron.
My Birthday Weekend Continues with my beautiful girlfriend Jennifer taking me out to dinner at Yomatos. We had sushi which included some special rolls. It was a great evening.
My Birthday weekend begins with Cindy taking me out to lunch at the Mosquito Cafe. I had the salmon followed by the lovely and amazing tasting Lemonade Dream Cake. Thanks Cindy.
We went to lunch at Olympia Grill. It was really cool watching Jennifer and Kimberly talk since they have the same views on many subjects. We then took a nice walk on the jetty. We then went back to my place so they all could pack and get ready to go back home. I took them to the airport, said our goodbyes and then drove Jennifer home. It was really fun having Kimberly here and she said she really enjoyed the trip.
Today, Jennifer, Kimberly, David and I went Salsas for lunch. Then back home. Jennifer and David watched Arrested Development on DVD, Kimberly and I went upstairs to my studio to talk about music. I think it was successful, especially since she knows how I use to compose and how I thought of music years ago. After a few hours of that we all went to Yomatos for dinner. I introduced Kimberly and David to new kinds of sushi which they really liked. We then went downtown to Cafe Madrid for some Tapas and live jazz. I was a fun night on the town.
For lunch Kimberly, David and I went to the Mosquito Cafe. I had the fish of the day which is always good and Kimberly and I each got a piece of the lemonade dream cake. It is sooooooo good. Then went the the college for some music making. When I lived in California, we would find songs to do, Kimberly would sing and I would play the piano. Now whenever I am in town or she comes to visit, we would get together and make music. This time was no exception. We pulled out the songs we usually go through and played though them. We did this for at least a couple of hours. It was then time for dinner. So we picked up Jennifer and went to Goode Company for a real barbeque dinner. Then back to my place to hang out, talk and sleep.
Kimberly is someone who I dated 10 years ago. We had a volatile relationship in which we broke up and got back together many times. After 2 years of this we called it quits. Knowing we still had a major connection, but also knowing that we do not work in a romantic relationship, decided to become close friends. We have ever since. We are closer then most people friendships because we had dated. We have seen the best and the worst in each other and we call each other on it when we are doing something wrong or having an emotional crisis. Lately I have been on a creative crisis when it comes to composing. So sometime during this trip we will have a serious talk about what is happening with the lack of my creativity.
So this evening, I went to pick her and her guy David at the airport with my friend George coming along for the ride. We then picked my girlfriend Jennifer and all ate at Thai restaurant Mai Thai. We all ordered something different so we could all share the variety of food. The food is always good there and it was great being able to have such a variety of it. Then we were all in the mood for a pie. Specifically, a key lime pie. So were all went to the House of Pies and 4 of us each had a key lime pie. Then dropped Jennifer home and then George and then home. What a fun evening.
We had lunch at Pancake House again. I then to Mom and DD to the airport. It nice having them here and it was really nice having them here for my concert.
I then went to see Jennifer since I was in the area. I took her to her weekly card game with some friends of hers. We then watched headlines together and I headed back home.
It was a great visit with Mom and DD.
We had lunch at Olympia Grill before taking Mom and DD to Houston to show them downtown and Rice University.
We then had dinner at Hobbit Cafe. Took Jennifer home and DD, Mom and I went back down to my place. We then visited some more.
We slept in and got lunch at Pancake House. We then visited and Mom helped me clean up my apartment.
We then all got dressed up and I took them to Yomatos.
My parents arrived today to so they can come to my concert on Friday. My friend George picked them up at the airport while I finished the last rehearsal with the steel drum band.
We then picked up Jennifer and at dinner at Freebirds before going down to my place.
They wanted Italian again so we went back Mario's but this time for just lunch, not the buffet. And then took them to the airport. They said they really enjoyed Mardi Gras and were surprised they got so many beads. It was nice to visit with my brother and I am glad they came down.
AD and JK really wanted to party and do stuff so we, along with Jennifer, went downtown again and saw the Z Krewe 11th Z Processional at 1p. We then ate at Yaga's. Then listened to the bands and walked around catching beads. I would get a lot of complements on my king hat. One band on the balcony somehow dropped a cardboard letter 'N' over the balcony onto the street before we got there. The singer noticed me and my hat and asked me to pick it up and go in and take it to him. AD and JK got a picture of it and the singer gave me a CD of him and his band. We then watched the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade at 6:30p. (More like 7:30p by the time it got downtown from the seawall). A good parade, good beads and we were really cold. So I took them to the Sky Bar. Jennifer and I got somosas and sushi. Then back to my place to talk a bit before going to bed.
For brunch, I took AD and JK to Mario's for the buffet. It includes salads, pasta, fish and pizza. I drove them down the seawall to the east end. I then took them to see Galveston College and show them around. I showed them my office, the steel drums and the stage. AD and I did some improv. AD played the piano and I played the drums. Then we had an improv on 2 pianos. It was really fun. We then when to Houston to pick up Jennifer and then down to Galveston to meet George to eat at Salsas. We the all when downtown to experience Mardi Gras and to catch beads. I did catch some unique ones.
I picked up my brother (AD) and his wife (JK) from the airport. It was a late flight in and they wanted dessert. So I picked up Jennifer and ate at the House of Pies which has really good pies. I really like their key lime pie. Then dropped Jennifer off and took AD and JK down to Galveston to stay at my place. It is great to have them here.
We had breakfast at the Sunflower Cafe. I got a chocolate chip pancake and it was pretty good. Then took DD to the airport. Thanks DD and it was a lot of fun.
We headed to the seawall for the 1st parade of Mardi Gras. The Mystic Krewe of Aquarius Mardi Gras Kickoff Parade at 12p. It was a fun parade but it was cold. So we went to the Olympia Grill to get some soup and warm up. And to eat lunch. We went to Academy Sports & Outdoors to get some gloves and they ran out. Brilliant. We then went to see the fire truck parade at 3p. It was ok but noisy. We then went to Target to get some gloves and they ran out. So DD mentioned Home Depot. I was like ok why not. And they had some. Garden ones but they did work and kept our hands warm.
Then we went to the Krewe of Gambrinus "The Spirit of New Orleans" Parade at 6:30p. Nice parade with cool floats and of course caught beads. We then went to the Z Krewe party for dinner and threw beads off the balcony. It was not as cold as last year and we brought better beads. It was a lot of fun.
DD and I went to pick up Jennifer and we went to Osaka for sushi. (Here are a couple more websites of the restaurant - Here and here.) We got all kinds of sushi: eel roll, philadelphia roll, crazy roll, fish eggs roll, crunch roll yellowtail roll and salmon nigiri. It was fun having sushi with DD. We then headed down to Galveston and went downtown for Mardi Gras caught beads. It is nice having DD here for Mardi Gras again.
I taught my 2 classes, George came by the college and I picked up DD and ate at Salsas.
Came back to the college and DD listened to my steel band rehearse. We had dinner at the Olympia Grill. Went back to my place and Melanie and Mark stopped by to hang out. It was a nice day.
Jennifer and I picked up DD at the airport and ate dinner at Star Pizza. Dropped Jennifer off and took DD down to Galveston to stay at my place.
I had to head down to the island to unpack and check my apartment and came down with me to keep me company and to eat at Salsas. Packed for the urban retreat New Years weekend and then headed up.
This weekend Jennifer came down for an island retreat. Today we went to see sea turtles. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle. They are caught when they hatch on the beach and are in the facility until they are 2 years old. Then they are released.
A bunch of little turtles.
A baby turtle.
A medium size turtle.
A 2 year old turtle.
We then took the ferry to see the Bolivar Lighthouse.
On the way back to Galveston we saw dolphins. It was a great sight.
We also had some of the usual passengers.
What a great day.
One day every year around the full moon in October, there is a sailboat race.
A couple of weeks ago Jennifer and I went to get a small table and chairs at Ikea. Jennifer had gotten up before me and put together the table and chairs before I woke up. That was so cool of her. I have the best girlfriend.
I brought Jennifer down for an Island Retreat during Labor Day Weekend. We stopped by George's new apartment in Lake Jackson since he has a new gig at Brazosport College. Ate at Johnny Carrino's which is really good Italian that includes great Italian sodas. Then took the coast drive to Galveston and looked at the houses on stilts.
This year my B-Day was not as big of a deal as previous years. Probably because of the trip I am taking with my family tomorrow. I had my B-Day lunch with my friends at the Mosquito Cafe. It is a cool place and the food is always really good. I go to eat lunch there with Cindy regularly and I always get the Lemonade Dream Cake. It is so good. Today I ordered it and since it is my B-Day, they gave it to me free. Yay!
I took Jennifer to the airport and she is on her way to see her family in Canada. Have Fun! Then my friend Ron took me to the M & M for my B-Day. It is a really nice restaurant. Thanks Ron.
Jennifer wanted a change of scenery and away from distractions so she can start writing a review that will be published. So I went up and brought her down to the island. We had lunch at Salsas, which she likes to eat at, and then put her on my computer upstairs and she started working.
For dinner we went to the Sky Bar. They had Nigiri Sushi for a dollar and a roll for $1.25. For Nigiri Sushi we had salmon, sea bass, red snapper and yellowtail tuna. For rolls we had Philadelphia, Roll on Fire and our favorite Dragon Fly. They were really good.
Today I took Jennifer to the Moody Garden Pyramids for the 1st time. I took her to the Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramid. She really enjoyed them. We then went to the art walk. It was nice having Jennifer at my place for a couple of days.
George is going to move to Brazosport and wanted to check out the place and look at some apartments and since it is a place I have not been to, I went. Brazosport is an hour west of me. While there, we ate at Johnny Carino's which is a great Italian restaurant. Also here are pictures of actual signs in the city.
Since Jennifer is on the island today, I decided to use my free tickets and take her to some of the Historical Homes in Galveston. The 1st was Ashton Villa. What a great house. I had seen it before with Mom when I 1st moved here but it is still incredible to see. It was the 1st time Jennifer had seen the house. The advantage about this tour is that we got to walk into the rooms and see the pictures and furniture up close.
Another Ashton Villa Link.
Next was Samuel May Williams Home. A smaller house but one of the oldest in Galveston.
Another Samuel May Williams Home Link.
The last was the Texas Seaport Museum and the tall ship Elissa. What an amazing ship. We walked on the ship and also got to see the captain and crews' quarters.
Another Elissa and Museum Link.
We then got a drink at Fisherman's Wharf. What a great day.
Today my friend Cindy came into my office and asked me to close my eyes. When I opened them, in front of me, was a cute hollow white chocolate Easter bunny. It was so cool of her. I was jumping up and down like a kid when I saw it. Thanks Cindy.
I went to the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius "Fat Tuesday" Parade with George, Rob and Ron. This is an all Krewe parade that celebrates the final hours of Mardi Gras. This parade is were you get the best beads. I caught a lot of beads. I got one with horses on it and I will give to Jennifer on the weekend. I also got some glowy stuff. What a fun evening.
I took Jennifer and Beth to the The Knights of Momus parade during the 2nd weekend of Mardi Gras. It was fun with some really nice lighted floats and of course lots of beads.
Here are pictures of the some of the floats.
Took DD to the airport today. It was fun seeing him and I am glad he had fun and got to really experience Mardi Gras. Then Jennifer and I took some Star Pizza home for some alone time after a crowd filled weekend. Thanks DD for a great time.
We all got up and dressed for the Mardi Gras. DD had a jester hat which matched his shirt, vest and bowtie. Jennifer wore a feather mask and dresses in the long brown fake suede skirt. She looked really pretty. I wore a king hat and dressed in a kilt. Ya you read correctly. It was a kilt DD had bought which is the actual color and design for the Sharp clan. DD, Jennifer and I walked to the Pancake House for breakfast. We then walked to the seawall and watched the parade. They both had a lot of fun. Jennifer had a lot of fun catching the beads. Then we made an appearance at Mark and Melanie's wedding shower. We then went downtown to catch some beads. Then the Trumpet building where we had tickets to the Zkrewe Zestival party. We had a pasta dinner and cake for dessert. We then threw beads over the balcony to the people on the street below. Between throwing beads, Jennifer and I had fun dancing to the live band. DD was doing what DD does, makes friends and dances with a lot of different women. Of course there were cute girls flashing for beads. There were also two girls making out for beads. There was also a throwing contest between the two balconies, ours and the one across the street. It is a far distance and they somehow were able to get a couple to our balcony. It was a lot of fun and all 3 of us had a great time. Happy Mardi Gras.
People catching beads under the balcony on the other side of the street at around 6p.
The big trumpet on the building where the party was.
The group who hosted the party.
The balcony where Jennifer, DD and I threw beads to people below.
The people below.
The Mardi Gras Arch.
Today DD and I ate at Mario's with Ron. We then went up to Houston to pick up Jennifer for the Mardi Gras weekend. We picked her up at school and then went to eat at Goode Company for real Texas Barbeque. Then headed down to Galveston.
DD came to work with me and sat in my Music Appreciation and History of Rock class. It was great having DD in the Rock class. It was like having a guest lecture and the students really liked him. We then went to eat as Salsas with George, Melanie and Mark. I wanted DD to meet Melanie. Later that evening, DD and I went to the dinner at the Olympia Grill with Beth. DD did not meet her when I 1st moved here. It was great listening to them since they are both artists.
DD flew in from California this evening. I picked him up and went to pick up Jennifer so DD could meet her. We then went to Freebirds. I filled up my card and got a free t-shirt which I ended up giving to DD. He likes t-shirts and he has something to remember this weekend with.
This evening Jennifer, George and I went for dinner at Yomato Japanese Restaurant. Jennifer really likes sushi so that's what she got. I got the philidelphia roll sushi and a salmon steak which was very good. I like the place because they cook the food right in front of you and to all those fancy tricks. We then went to the art walk. The Buchanan Gallery was presenting the work of Margaret Smithers-Crump. Really nice work.
Spend the day unpacking and doing as little as possible. Just relaxing and recovering from the trip home.
This year the college Christmas party for the faculty and staff was at the Fish Tails restaurant. I of course had to bring my girlfriend Jennifer. I wanted to bring her to have some nice company and, ok, to also show her off. She said when I asked her to come "So I am your ornament for the evening." I would say a very shinny ornament. She looked very pretty and wore a long, soft, suede looking skirt. Everyone seemed to like her. Even the president said she looked lovely.
The evening itself was ok. The food was buffet with ham and beef but not fish. I was surprised. This is a fish place. There were 2 rooms people were in and they all had to bunch into one room during the announcement of the door prizes. I won one of the door prizes, a poinsettia which I gave to Jennifer. It was still a fun evening.
This year the choir Christmas party was at the old Purity Ice Cream store. It is now a house owned by the parents of one of my choir members. Her mom is a caterer and still uses original big kitchen. Her dad makes margarita in a bag with his company Lt. Blender. It was a great party with lots of desserts.
Today Jennifer and I went to my friend Cindy and her husband Eric's (ya I know that is funny) house for Thanksgiving. Cindy is one of my part timers who teaches woodwinds at Galveston College. She is also someone who I have lunch with every Tuesday. She has a nice house and a large property. We had Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner. They made everything from turkey, stuffing, bean salad, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie and some other stuff. It was so nice of them to invite us. We then played Taboo which was fun. I then took Jennifer down to Galveston for a night to give her a little island retreat. So we ended the day relaxing in my apartment's Jacuzzi.
Happy Turkey Day!
This weekend Jennifer is co-hosting the
2005 CMB/SCBMB Annual Research Conference and Retreat. Jennifer is part of the cellular and molecular biology section. During the poster session I crashed the retreat to see her in action and to be there to support her. What they are studying are way over my head so a Jennifer put it I came and said hey science here I am. Dinner followed the poster session and I of course joined. It was a buffet and a pretty good one. The conversation at my table of about 10 people was whacked and reminded me of when I went to composition conferences how whacked we were. After dinner Jennifer, her friend Amanda and I went to escape to my apartment to watch the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which was a good movie.
Jennifer came down a day early so she can be there ready the next morning and of course to see me :) We had dinner at Salsas with her friends and mine which made 7. It was a cool evening.
The afternoon started with dinner at Salsas with George and then Melanie called and came and joined up. Ron called and invited him. Then Mark came by. We decided to rent a video and went to my place to watch it on my surround sound system. It was good to have my friends hanging out and watching a video. I finally got use out of my new couch.
This evening I took Jennifer and George to Salsas. She had not been to Salsas before and she liked the place. Jennifer, George and I then went on the art walk. There were some nice pieces this time. My favorite was pieces by Nic Noblique. I really liked the curves and fluid motion of his pieces which are made of steel. I even got to sit on one of the pieces which is a chair. It was surprisingly comfortable.
Today I went up to my Honda dealer to get my license plates for my new car. I got Texas license plates before for my old car so I already went through the shock of being sucked up into Texas world. After they put my plates on, George took me to BJ's for by birthday.
On Wednesday, I took Jennifer to Fung's Kitchen for her Birthday, since her birthday is on Saturday and I will be in California then. That is still a really good Chinese food restaurant with a great atmosphere.
On Thursday, Ron took me to the nice Italian restaurant Luigi's.
I like multi celebrations of my birthday.
Slept in late (ya I know what's new) and started my way back to Houston to take Jennifer back home. On our way we ate at BJ's. She had never experienced BJ's pizzas. She really liked the pizza like everyone else who I have taken there. It is nice to have a piece of California in Texas.
I got up late and took Jennifer to lunch at Mario's. We then went downtown to the galleries to see the new art that was put up during the last art walk. There was some good mixed media pieces. Then back to my apartment and got the ice cream for my party and Jennifer put on a cute dress.
I had everyone meet at the Mosquito Cafe at 6:30p. My friends who came were: Steven, Beth, Ron, George, Melanie and her guy Mark, Elly and her guy, Andy with his girl Brittany. Had a good dinner and great conversation. We then walked across the street to Ron's for ice cream, cake and champagne. The cake was very good with homemade icing made by George's mom. We even got Ron to play the organ for everyone showing his great pedal work. It was great that I had that many of my friends come. It was a great party.
Now that my place is officially clean and I now have a couch, my apartment is ready for some company. I went up to Houston to pick up Jennifer who is "taking a weekend vacation from her busy world in Houston for some Island pleasure." She is the really cute and sweet girl I am currently dating and is the cute girl I met at the Melody Ballroom a month ago. (Click here to see that entry). We ate at Pancake House and gave her a tour of my new cleaned apartment.
When I had ordered the couch and recliner a few weeks ago, my friend Melanie said she would bring guys over to help pick it up and carry it into my apartment. Well this morning they showed up. It was Andy (a good friend of hers that she as known for years), Andy's friend Dave, Melanie's brother John and my friend George. We went to Big Lots to pick up the couch and recliner, came home and carried them upstairs. They then helped me put together the coffee table and the end tables. It all looks really cool and the couch and recliner are so comfortable.
They left and George and I went to eat at Salsa's. While there, we ran into George's former student that "plays on the other team." She sat and talked to us for a bit then left. Then Melanie, Andy and Dave showed up at Salsa's. We all then left and I saw a group of teenagers washing cars. I have not had my car washed in awhile to it was an excuse to get it washed. It was a drill team from Weis Middle School. It was so cute watching them get so excited and have so much energy when washing the car. Did I have that much energy when I was that age? Of course all my friends would probably say that I still have that much energy.
George and I went back to my place and my friend Ron called and came by. We then went to the grocery store and got ice cream and champagne for my B-Day party on Saturday. Then Ron left and I picked up Melanie from work. George left at midnight and Melanie stayed until 2a helping me go though my papers that have been scattered on the floor since the car accident. It was a day packed full of friends. It was also nice to know people who are willing take time out of their day to help me.
Ron and I took Kimberly to Yamoto. A really good Japanieze restaurant. It was her last evening here. It was fun having her here and it was also fun showing one of my friends from So Cal "The Island in the Sun."
George and I took Kimberly to Queens for some real southern barbecue. I usually get chopped beef on a po-boy bun.
Click here to see the menu.
We then sat on the beach and watched the 25 minute fireworks show over the ocean. It was a really cool experience. Since this is not the Pacific Ocean is was not so cold. It was quite nice.
HAPPY FIREWORKS DAY!!!!!!
Click here to create your own fireworks show.
This morning I made Kimberly a cheese omelet with Tillamook Cheese. Now it is important to have Tillamook Cheese in the omelet because the cheese is incredible tasting. When I visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory a few years ago with my Mom they also made ice cream. It was incredible. We then took a trip off the island to the Bay Brook area and went to Borders. I got a new songwriters market book to motivate myself to start sending out my pieces. When we came back to the island I took her to Mario's. A really good Italian Restaurant.
I took Kimberly to The Original Mexican Restaurant or as the locals call it "The Original." I then picked up my friend Ron to show her around the incredible church he works at which is the Trinity Episcopal Church. A church built before the 1900's. He also demonstrated the power and diverse colors of the organ. He had asked me to write him a couple of melodies to improvise a piece for her. I had written the melodies the day before. It was amazing what he made out of my melodies. We then went back to his house where he had made dinner for us. It was salmon with green beans and wine followed by ice cream topped with some fruit. It was all very good. After dinner I played the piece on Ron's home organ that I always play when I come over. I am getting better playing the pedals. It was a nice evening.
Today lunch was at Casey's with my friends Melanie and George. A really good seafood restaurant. I got a grilled catfish and shrimp. It is very good.
I finally ordered a couch and a recliner at Big Lots. They are really nice and very comfortable. It is fake suede. It looks like suede but it is really easy to clean.
Kimberly then wanted to swim on in the ocean (the Gulf) to feel the warm water which is different than the Pacific Ocean. She went out and had fun but the problem of living where there are big storms is the stuff they carry the beach. So there was kelp on the beach and floating in the water which makes it difficult to swim around without the kelp tangling up around your legs.
Then Kimberly, George and I went to each dinner at the Mosquito Cafe. I also invited my friend Ron since he lives across the street from it. The interior of the place reminds me of the restaurants in Huntington Beach or Laguna in California. I know the owner of the restaurant so whenever he is there he always comes by and says hi.
I then took Kimberly to 21. A cool bar with nice oversized couches. There is a really good band that plays there on Thursdays. They play mostly covers and they play them well. We danced some West Coast swing, free style and just being silly.
There are restaurants on the island that I go to regularly. Since they are not chains the food tends to be really good. So while Kimberly was here I wanted to take her to them. This also give me a chance to go through them so you know them also. Today we had lunch at one of my regular restaurants which is Salsas. A really good Mexican restaurant. Kimberly and I then went to the college and did music together. She sang and I played the piano which lasted for about 3 hours. We then had dinner at the Golden Corral buffet. (I know this one is sort of a chain but it is a good buffet).
I went to the airport to pick up one of my close friends Kimberly. I took her to the really good Chinese Restaurant, Fung's Kitchen. I then took her to the Melody Ballroom. Tonight was ballroom dancing such as foxtrot, waltz, cha cha and 2 step. And also some east and west coast swing. It was a lot of fun.
This is the 2nd Sunday that I went to the Melody Ballroom for the swing night. It is always a lot of fun and I have danced with some good dancers. The dance floor is huge and they play a nice variety of swing tunes.
Ron, George and I went to see the art walk downtown. It was pretty good. The art this time was more muted in color and I am big on color. As always, I ran into lots of people I know.
Today I bought my new car. I still miss my old Saturn so if I was going to get a new car I wanted a really cool car with all kind of new stuff in it. So I got an Eternal Blue Pearl Honda Accord EX 4 door with leather seats and a V6 engine. It has leather-trimmed seats, steering wheel and door-panel inserts, a power sunroof with tilt feature, premium interior trim, AM/FM/6-disc in-dash CD changer with 6 speakers, a dual-zone automatic climate control system, a 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, a front passenger's seat with 4-way power adjustment, heated front seats, ambient console lighting, an exterior temperature indicator and 16-inch alloy wheels.
The sunroof is the coolest part of the car. I am always looking up at the sky through it. Here are some pictures of the car I bought. I will take some pictures of my car and post them here soon.
Today I went on the 31st Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour with my friend Ron and friend of his. We saw almost all of the 12 the island's architecturally and historically significant private homes on the tour this year. They ranged from the wildly extravagant and romantic 1887 Landes Castle to a recent elaboration built around a vernacular 1928 rental cottage, with a range of age and opulence represented in between.
The homes on the 2005 Tour were:
1602 Postoffice: 1887 Henry A. Landes House (Landes Castle), D. A. Helmich, architect
Victorians loved the exotic and the extravagant. This East End landmark is the superlative of both. Festooned with terracotta, stained and etched glass, ornate carved wood, patterned slate and one of the most spectacular cast-iron double galleries in the city, this house is truly one of a kind. Cotton created immense fortunes on the Island, and enabled a privileged class to build their wildest dreams with brick and mortar.
1503 Church: 1928 Paul Chuschoff Tenant Cottage
This high-raised cottage is emblematic of the simple, vernacular rental housing that was built throughout Galveston's 19th century neighborhoods. The ubiquitous porch and shuttered windows were standard components of houses here. Shaded by two large oaks, the pergola and side yard create a verdant outdoor living space.
1409 Avenue M: 1898 Josephine Drouet House
Saved from demolition by Galveston Historical Foundation, this large L-front Queen Anne style house was moved to Avenue M in 2004 and awaits a discerning buyer to complete its rehabilitation. The facade features walk-through windows onto a three-bay inset porch that retains its original detailing. The dormer window punching through the high-pitched roof signals that a second floor is tucked into the giant attic. Restoration in progress.
1801 Avenue M: 1888 Julia L. Spalding Cottage
The gabled entry porch, with its fanciful x-patterned fretwork and unusual balustrade, of this quintessentially Galveston three-bay cottage beckons visitors to come in. Shuttered two-over-two windows frame the symmetrical facade. Around the side is a shuttered porch, once common on the island though few remain today.
1828 Avenue M: 1891 Sallie L. Shearer House
Like many of its neighbors in the Lost Bayou Historic District, this fine home has a full-width double gallery embellished with turned wood posts, fretwork and a patterned stick balustrade. Even the side entry porch is replete with detailing. The two-story house sits high on brick piers, immediately connoting its Island location.
2024 Avenue M: ca.1907 Herman H. Gold House
Set behind a prim wood picket fence, this is a classic example of the L-front Queen Anne style, the asymmetrical facade includes a projecting faceted bay with a windowed gable above and an inset three-bay porch with delicate balustrade spindles and fretwork. The horizontal proportions and one-over-one windows in the front bay, give clues to its late construction date.
1322 Rosenberg: 1903 Jacob Predecki House (see above)
3017 Avenue O: 1897 R. Waverly Smith Investment Property
This big Queen Anne style house was built as a rental property by one of Galveston's prominent figures of the late 19th century. Set high on a brick basement the grand Victorian house has multiple projecting bays and a corner turret accentuated with a steeply pitched roof. The loping arcuated lintels of the wrap-around porch imbue the house with a lively rhythmic quality.
3121 Avenue O: 1872 B. F. Hutches House
The austere yet elegant facade of this house, and the six-over-six windows, give a clue to its age. Before the Victorian era, the side-halled three-bay wide southern town house form reigned supreme in Galveston. The entry door, with sidelights, transom, and shouldered Greek architrave above are hallmark details of early Island architecture.
This evening I went to my friend Melanie's graduation. It is in the same place that my college will have their graduation ceremony next week. After the graduation, a bunch of us when to Yamato, a Japanese restaurant. It is a real Japanese restaurant complete with cooking right in front of you. I had a Japanese Sprite which was really good. The food there was also very good. There was 10 of us including me sitting at one table/grill. It was really cool hanging out with that many people. I have not had a chance to have that happen here as much but it happen many times when I lived in SoCal. Maybe this a sign of things to come. Well it was a fun evening.
Today I was asked to sing for an Easter Mass at the Trinity Church. I then went with Ron to have an Easter Lunch at The Tremont House. I had mimosa (champagne and orange juice) which was quite good. I also had salmon, rice, and a chocolate cake with a soft chocolate filling. It was a very good well prepared lunch.
Happy Brightly Decorated Egg Day.
I am in the process of calling and catching up with all my friends in California. Yesterday I talked to my friend Karla who always puts me in a good mood whenever I talk to her. Talked to my friend Sabrina, Jules and David (he is actually in Oregon). Today I got a call from my friend Lauri in Marin County. We had a terrific walk around Angel Island while I lived there. It was an incredible view.
George and I decided to hangout downtown. We had dinner at The Original and then walked around downtown checking out the cute girls. Every time I go downtown I run into people. This evening was no exception. It was a fun evening.
I went up to Houston to go dancing with my friend Diana. We first ate dinner at Fadi (which is a Mediterranean Restaurant). It was good. We then went swing dancing at the Melody Club Ballroom. I danced with a lot of girls. I even got asked to dance few times. It was nice to finally talk and dance with social dance people.
George and I went to eat at the Original Mexican Restaurant. It is Saturday night and spring break so besides my enchiladas I also had the Blue Margarita and the Tres Leches cake. We then went downtown to see if there are any cute girls around. There were a lot of cute girls downtown. We also ran into people we knew from the college. One of George's former students and her friend (both play on the other team) were also checking out the girls. I found out later that her friend said I was hot looking :)
Kind of a trip. All four of us making our own opinions of the girls that walk by. It was a fun evening.
George and I went to meet my friend Melanie, her friend Andy and his friend Seth at the Baybrook Mall which is north of Galveston but before you hit Houston. She wanted some opinions about shoes she wanted to get for the symphony tomorrow. I also got my haircut. Jenn, the hairstylist (ya she was kind of cute) used a razor instead of scissors, She did such a great job on my hair that when Melanie looked at me her eyes got big and said I looked so much younger. I guess I looked good. We all then went to the Olive Garden and joined Melanie's friend Elly and her friend Monica. (A lot of friends huh.) It was great hanging out and having fun with a large group of people.
Carissa came by my apartment at about 3p and asked for my help to get her place ready for her birthday party. She had never planned and set up a party herself let alone a birthday party. I have planned my big birthday parties in the park when I was still in California. They were definitely fun and kid like parties, especially my big 30th birthday party. So I helped her set up. She had a good crowd.
I took my friend Carissa out this evening for her birthday. I took her to the Original Mexican Restaurant for dinner. During dinner, the movie Amelie came up in conversation and she had not seen it. So we came back to my place and watched it. She really enjoyed the movie. I then took her home and helped her plan for her birthday party tomorrow.
This evening I went to Java's to play in a drum circle. There were good players who really know how to play West African Djembe drumming. After the drum circle I noticed Kristy, the tutor director at the college, was having coffee there and went to talk to her for a bit. At about 10p, I went to my car and heard a band playing at Yaga's. So I dropped off my drum and when to check it out. It was Russell's band (he was my student worker last semester at the college which I called him my slave). So I went in. There were a bunch of really cute girls there. The band was really good. I was going to leave after a few songs when I got there but during the break Russell asked me to stay and hear some of the songs in the next set. So I ended up staying until they finished. Then there was DJ dance music. I had to stay to dance with the cute girls. The DJ music stopped at a little after 2a and ended up talking to the members of Russell's band. I got home at about 3a. (Ya I know how can I write about today if I did not get home until tomorrow? I like to set my entries to be on the day the event happened instead of when I write it if it happens to be the next day.) I just seem to be hanging out in downtown this weekend.
I went on my 1st date here in Galveston. It takes a few months to get settled into a place especially if your job is very busy like mine. The girl I went out with is very pretty. So for our 1st date I took her to Yaga's and had a great conversation with her during dinner. We then went to a place called Gravity for Salsa dancing. This place is usually crowded but for some reason this time is was not. No big. We danced Salsa and Merengue. It was a lot of fun. The evening ended with a couple of little kisses. What a great 1st date.
A few weeks ago I was asked to help conduct the Galveston Island Children's Chorus. It is an auditioned group with an age range from 4th to 8th grade. They are a fun and good group of kids. Another conductor and I are sharing the conducting duties. The rehearsals are every Thursday. It is nice to be out rehearsing kids again.
This evening I went to a free concert at UTMB. It was a Mezzo Soprano and piano. It was a good concert. I am not a big fan of solo voice. I like hearing a choir than a solo voice. She does have a great voice and performed well. The 1st half of the concert was both voice and piano. The 2nd half of the concert was the just the pianist performing.
The program:
Pres des ramparts de Seville (from Carman) - Bizet
Mon Pauvre Coeur - Debe
Le Serment de L'Arabe - Debe
Sous Sa Fenetre - Snaer
Ave Maria - Schubert
Must the Winter Come So Soon (from Vanessa) - Barber
Moritat Vom Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife from The Tree Penny Opera - Weill
Give Me Jesus (American Spiritual) - arr. Hogan
Intermission
A piece by Liszt (I do not remember the title since there was a program change)
Scherzo in B Minor, Op. 20 - Chopin
Sonata in Eb Minor, Op. 26 - Barber
The last movement of the Barber sonata is the well known among musicians. It is in a form of a Fugue.
It was a good concert. Nothing spectacular but it did force me to hear some music performed by very good musicians.
George and I went to the Fat Tuesday parade in the historic downtown Galveston. I was told that this parade has the best beads. Also most of the tourists have left by now and mostly the locals [BOI's (Born on the Island) and LOI's (Live on the Island which is me)] are left to enjoy the parade. We saw the parade on Postoffice Street (yes that is how it is spelled). It was fun. Cool floats and marching bands. We ended up with a lot of beads. Since the parade starts on Postoffice then curves around and goes down the Strand, after we finished seeing the parade on Postoffice we walked to the Strand and saw the parade again and collected more beads. They threw out so many that we did not realize how many we had until the end of the parade. We looked like Mr. T. We caught some cool and unusual beads. Some I had not seen the past 2 weekends. A cool bead was small dice which I got in blue and green. Another was an orange bead. Very unique. We then went to Pancake House and compared beads like kids comparing what candy they got during Halloween. A fun evening.
George and I with our bead collection.
It is the 2nd week of Mardi Gras and downtown is packed.
I went to 25th and Seawall to see the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade. It was fun. Cool looking floats, marching bands and lots of bead throwing. Now being an islander, this being my 3rd parade and having a nice collection of beads, I would watch other people (tourist) go nuts trying to catch the beads during the parade. I tried getting the unusual ones but did not make a big effort to get them. They throw out so many of them that you have to catch them before they hit you.
("Ya over there, get the unusual one" from Earth to the Moon.)
I did get a few different ones. I also watched people trying to catch beads that were being thrown off the balcony. It was quite amusing to watch.
Laissez les bon temps roulez!
Mardi Gras on the island began yesterday. Today there were two parades along the seawall a block away from my apartment. The 1st parade began at 1p. The theme this year is "Mardi Gras! Galveston: Red, White, and Blue." The 2nd parade was at 7p. My friends Belinda and Debbie joined me for the 2nd parade. Both parades were a lot of fun.
Here are pictures from the 1st parade.
Waiting for the parade to begin.
Now that is a tank.
Now catch the beads.
Wonder Twin powers, Activate!
Land Ho!
Dude!
Ms Liberty.
My bead collection after the two parades.
This evening one of my choir members had a choir Christmas party at her house. It was a nice house. It is one of the beginning of the 20th century 3 bedroom Victorian style houses. I had great conversations with my choir members. Many of them are BOI's (Born on the Island) so they know a lot of the musical history of the island and of the college. It was also cool talking to 2 other choir directors Ron (my accompanist and choir director of Trinity Episcopal Church) and Leo (a member of my choir and the choir director for the Sacred Heart Church).
I was asked, by my supervisor, a few days ago if I would play music on the piano while slides of art were being shown. She is a faculty advisor to Phi Theta Kappa which is a 2 year college honor society. Today they were having a workshop on the PTK national competitions they will be competing in. It was fun and they really enjoyed my playing. I also got free food which was Lasagna and cookies.
I then went to Dickens on the Strand. This takes place in the Historic Downtown Galveston. They close off the street, have Dickens type booths and people dress in Dickens clothes. It was kind of neat. They had a performance of a bagpipe band which consisted of 2 bagpipe players and 2 percussionists (one playing the boudran and the other switching between the boudran and the snare drum). There were children's choirs singing along the street dressed in Dickens and sounding pretty good. I even saw a guy playing the glass harmonica (which is drinking glasses set up like a keyboard and the player rubs his finger around the top of the glass to produce a sound). I heard him play Jeus, Joy of Man's Desiring of Bach and Carol of the Bells.
I then went to the Pipe Organ Extravaganza at Galveston Trinity Episcopal Church. The concert started with the Houston Children's Chorus singing the Ceremony of Carols by Britten accompanied by the harp. Then Ron began his organ concert. He is an incredible player playing a great sounding organ. After the concert was a reception. More free food. Ron then invited me to a private party in a condo at the Galvestonain hosted by his cousin. Now that is a packed day.
Today is my brother's birthday. He is pretty much the best brother anyone can have. He is one of my best friends and we have been able to talk about anything. He tells me his opinion straight out if I am not being true to myself and will always be there if I ever need him.
I am also very proud of him for making a name for himself as a musician. His music from his 2 cds Drifters and azure rising are being heard from Phoenix, Arizona to Japan.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!
I dragged my friend George to an art walk since he had not experienced one before. The art walk is in the Historic Downtown Galveston. It is where galleries stay open late to present new art work. Galleries also provide free food and drinks. This is also were you tend to run into people you know. I saw some people from my choir and also talked to some faculty and staff from the college. And of course there were a lot of cute girls walking around. Definitely a good evening.
These 4 days are Thanksgiving vacation which means do nothing work related. So today that is exactly what I did. I pretty much just hung around the apartment and ate at the Rainforest Cafe with George. Just simply avoiding any kind of work.
Hey, How is it going? Hope you had a great Turkey Day. I had two "dinners" today.
First was with my friend Ron. We went to the Pelican Club for Thanksgiving lunch. The Pelican Club is a members only restaurant. The food was really good along with good conversation.
I then went to Conrad (also a new faculty at the college) and his wife's apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. It was really nice of them and they had the traditional stuff like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. It also tasted really good. For desert was pumpkin pie. We then talked for hours after dinner.
It was a good day of good food and great conversation.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I went to the ARToberfest. It is a fine arts festival featuring visual arts and booths showcasing established and new artists. This takes place in the historic downtown on Postoffice Street. There were a great variety of art from painting, sculpture, photography and handmade jewelry. I also saw some of my students and choir members there.
I then went to the Galveston Chamber Music Society. It is a group that meets about 4 times a year to perform music for each other. Most of them are music teachers and some have non music day jobs but still like to perform. So this is their chance to work on a piece a perform it. There are some good musicians that performed today playing a variety of instruments. They included a piano trio (violin, viola and piano), a clarinet and piano, solo pianists and a piano duo. Many in this group have connections to other people on the island as well as performing groups such as the Galveston Children's Choir and the Galveston Symphony Orchestra. What an art filled day.
Ron and I ate at the Mosquito Cafe for lunch and then went on to continue the Lofts Tour to see the ones we miss yesterday. One had steep stairs in the lobby which are sort of dangerous. If I lived there I would take the stairs. In steep, I mean that the steps were taller than normal stairs. The area where the staircase is located is small so the stairs had to be steep to make it to the next level. Here is my question, why not make them circular or back and forth instead of just straight up?
Another had tall windows. So tall that it would be very expensive to put curtain up so they covered them with a film that cuts out 90% of the outside light. It was fun looking at the lofts for the last 2 days and seeing how other people decorate their home.
Today Ron (who is my accompanist for the college choir) called me and asked if I wanted to join him on the Lofts Tour in the downtown Strand District.
I met him at the Trinity Episcopal Church where he is the music director and organist.
It is an amazing looking church.
Pictures
The church was build in 1857 and is one of the two oldest churches in Galveston.
The 69-rank Austin organ sounds incredible, especially with Ron playing. The organ has a large dynamic range and has 4,086 pipes.
We then went on the Loft Tour. This is when people open their homes on the history downtown in Galveston so people can explore people homes see the variety between each of the lofts. They were all unique. Some lofts had hardly any closets. One was like a big room with an inside balcony. On the balcony is the bedroom and TV room. In many of the lofts you can see pipes on the ceiling going though the loft. They were all interesting to see but I personally would not want to live in any of them. I am fine living were I am now.
We did not get to see all of them before it ended so we will come see the rest tomorrow. So we then went to the art walk. This is also in downtown Galveston. It is where galleries stay open late to present new art work. Galleries also provide free food and drinks. I liked some of the art. They inspired me to start composing some new pieces.
We then ate at the Mosquito Cafe (I know, what a name). Ron knows the owner and he recommended the Macaroni and cheese. This was not your Kraft special. Everything on the plate was fresh. It was very good. It came with vegetables which also tasted good.
Since my office is just down the hall from the gym, I can hear events that take place there when there are no or very few classes taking place. (Interesting sentence) For the past few weeks between 4 and 5, I usually take a short break and walk around. While taking a walk, I have caught the girls volleyball team practicing. Ya I know what you are thinking and yes they are cute but they also play well. So this evening I watched them play against Laredo Community College. It was a good game and we won, 3 matches to 0.
I went dancing at the Allegro Ballroom. I go dancing there at least a couple times a month. This time I invited a friend. I took the hustle lesson and she took the tango lesson which were taught in separate rooms. I learned some cool new hustle steps which I used when the ballroom dancing began. She already new some salsa so I showed her some basic foxtrot and hustle steps. Then she was off dancing with other dancers. There was not as many people as last week by I still danced a lot and got free cake. Yummy.
Yesterday I went to the Allegro Ballroom in Emeryville, in East Bay. I had so much fun. There were two rooms for dancing. The big room was for true ballroom dancing. The dances included Waltz, Tango, Nightclub Two Step, Hustle, Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, Cha Cha, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Foxtrot, Jive and Quickstep. Besides the Jive and Quickstep, I danced all the others. The smaller room was just for West Coast Swing dancing. I danced the whole evening asking many girls to dance without being turned down. I even got asked to dance many times. Not to sound shallow but I even got asked to dance by a really pretty girl in the West Coast Swing room. I danced with some girls who I had met the last time I went to the Allegro Ballroom. They were nice enough to let me try some new steps, especially with West Coast Swing and Nightclub Two Step. My two strongest dances are still East Coast Swing and Salsa.
Hey the date today is triple 4 (4/4/04). How cool is that?
Last night I took my 1st big social adventure and went dancing at the Allegro Ballroom in Emeryville, in East Bay. It was a lot of fun. It was true ballroom dancing with a variety of dances like Waltz, Tango, Nightclub Two Step, Hustle, Salsa, Rumba, Merengue, Cha Cha, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Foxtrot, Jive and Quickstep. Besides the Jive and Quickstep, I danced all the others. The people there were very friendly. I was never turned down and I even got asked to dance a few times. There were some really good dancers there and I even took some time to sit and watch other dancers in order to learn some new steps.
