skating

i was so in my element at the skating rink! i was surrounded by little ones. they played happy kid music and classic rock. there was also a birthday party. they were giving away extra cupcakes chocolate or vanilla. they had so much whipped cream frosting they turned our teeth and tongues green.

we got to wear our own roller blades which is nice. the woman running the place was wearing a t shirt that said it's all about the children. i couldn't agree with her more.

jimi hendrix tribute band

they started their set playing blues, fabulous thunderbirds, etc. then they took a break got dressed in their afro wigs and 60's clothes. the music was good.

other's art

they really mix up the variety at fort worth community art center. of course the weekend before we saw museum art at the amon carter in fort worth of african-american art:works on paper with docent guided tour. we also saw art at the meadows in dallas of cubist work focusing on diego rivera,but no photos were allowed in either. so this is what you get to look at instead, lucky you.

jack's mannequin & the fray

i love jack's mannequin, but we missed most of their set. of course since they opened it wasn't the way i want to see them anyway. the fray put on a good show especially light displays etc. the audience was mostly teen jailbait girls with their mommies. it reminded me of n' sync or jonas brothers concert. with much better music.

cosmic cafe

an indian inspired vegetarian restaurant with unusual spices and dishes. did i love it? no, but j did ;)

J's shots

thought i'd showcase some more of j's everyday shots.

sonic youth

Last nite was a good time, Awesome Color opened and I was near the front. Someone had a gas problem that was toxic. It was short lived cause when that person left I took my rightful spot in the front row directly before the guitar player of Sonic Youth. Thank you very much!

my mountains

yeah everyone says you don't know what you got til it's gone. that's how it is with those mountains i love. i'll be thrilled when i get to see them again, in just a couple of months.

missin u

i spent more alone time with my mom than i had in years. i'm thinking since age three before nick was born. she got so tired of me singing to the radio. she said how do you know all the words? well i didn't, cause i totally messed up one song which is now a new joke for us. then i forgot to take pix of her dogs! oops. i did manage to get a few shots of my bro's demon dog gracie. my brother is a funny guy. his new house is huge. so sorry i couldn't help him move into it (ha!) and i miss u guys, but that goes without saying doesn't it?

D's 30th B-day

My cousin only turns 30 once, and I was not going to miss it. Since I was in town. Super glad I got to spend time with my family.

corpus christi

In Corpus there was the beach and street art! We had some tasty Greek veggie pizza, but my fav place was called Hester’s café. It was a coffee shop with all homemade food, and desserts. J ordered a chai caramel tea that tasted like pumpkin pie with a Portobello sandwich on ciabiatta bread. I had spinach and tomato quiche with swiss, and the best homemade tomato soup of my life with parmesan and black pepper! They had every kind of dessert you can possibly imagine. There was chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake, caramel cheesecake, pecan pie, all kinds of cookies, and muffins. We actually tried the blueberry cheesecake that had pieces of fresh blueberries on homemade graham cracker crust. We ate a yummy lemon scookie that tasted like crispy shortbread scone. The chocolate muffin was very chocolatey. The best dessert was the chess or buttermilk pie that tasted like a cross between caramelized sugar custard and flan.

Now Corpus is fun to visit, but I would be bored stiff if I lived there. Their House of Rock was a joke. I was bored at a heavy metal show! We left early. I had an epiphany that just because people can play their instruments well does not mean their music is any good.

dredg concert

So I go to a lot of concerts right? Cause I love them, but not this one. The opening band Rx Bandits were okay, but the venue was so crowded I couldn’t see. I felt like no matter where I went I was in someone else’s way, and I don’t ever feel that way. Then it was all hot, muggy, and dizzying. We ended up sitting upstairs, but we were so far away from the stage I felt disconnected. Truth is I felt that way the whole show anyway. I love Dredg, but not this venue. The vocal mike went out. The sound was fading and weird. This is my 2nd bad experience here. So I’m thinking the next show I want to see is a no go, but I’m not making any promises. ;)

New Orleans

This was our 2nd trip to New Orleans, but the first time after the hurricane. This is a city that celebrates: music, art, and food. I got to stand in front of art by some of my favorite artists: Chagall, Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, and Peter Max. My jaw dropping at the Peter Max. Then the local artists or artist unique to specific galleries. I discovered Max Papart, Martin Laborde, William Hemmerling, Mark T. Smith, and Francoise Gilot (Picasso’s lover). We went to the Contemporary Arts Center where we saw a sculptural wall made of 600 found drawers collected after the destruction of the hurricane. We listened to an interview of a woman telling her story. Then we walked upstairs to see the dichotomy of happy jazz photographs. Both important parts to linking the city together.

It was hot, but 10-12 degrees cooler than Texas. I remember it used to smell like cajun spices, and seafood. Some areas still do, but now it also smells like vomit. The street perfomers peddling for money, and Burbon Street alive with partying, music and no cover charges. It’s okay to flit from one location to another if you don’t like one show walk on to the next one. There were jazz, blues, soul, funk, rap, and rock bands. Which do you think we mostly listened to?

After dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant I noticed we had a flat tire. My car parked right in front of two homeless drugged out looking guys sitting on the ground drinking beer. My instinct was oh no! I am so staying in the car. The scrawny young one says “I can help I’m not doing anything“. Don’t ask me why there was no lug wrench in my trunk. Young guy walks over to my window, sticks out his hand and says, “I’m Chris, and you…?“ (I should have said jerk off. Cause that’s what I was for judging someone without knowing them). Then he goes walking down the street and brings back two different lug wrenches. He borrowed from friends. Unfortunately they didn’t fit, but I keep fix a flat in the car. Which we used until we could get a new tire the next day. So there was another life lesson for me. I like to think I’m open minded, but not as much as I could be.

lunches w/ em

it's fitting that em and i would go to lunch together since that's what we always did in high school. back then it was burritos from taco maker or crazy bread from little caesars. this time it was quizno's and taco time. oh, and i hope we don't ever lose her son in the store again. what a nightmare that was! yes we found him, ok.

that car almost backed into us, and i'm honking the horn. we were laughing about all my driving mishaps as a teen. it was good being together. it reminded me why we are still friends.

skating w/ L

i wanted to go roller skating and no one would go with me, except L! she's so happy go lucky and up for anything. she even wore her own roller skates (which look very similar to the first pair my grandma bought me as a child). we made waffles with her homemade strawberry jam, from their strawberries outside. we visited with the rest of fam while we played tridominoes and scrabble. skating is one of my favorite things to do. sweet that i got to create that memory with her!

concert w/ K

i had to go to a concert while in utah, and who better to go with than K? the girl who, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, took me to my first concert. she bought me my first tape (bon jovi: slippery when wet). she introduced me to heavy metal (iron maiden, judas priest, & dio), and i've been trying to repay her by introducing her to new bands. i fought my way to the front row, (the way she taught me how). it was my third time seeing 10 yrs and the best, cause i've never been so close before. hello, we even got to meet the band!

however i was a little disappointed in the bass player cause he didn't run around the stage and rock out like normal. not sure if it was cause the stage was too small or he lost his cool when he whacked off all his hair! he was kinda a jerk in person too. i mean dude i tell you that you're my fav bass player. which means something cause I go to a lot of concerts, and you act like uh huh, NEXT autograph! the rest of the band was nice though, especially the bald guitar player.

t n t

i am grateful for all the hours we spent together. hadn't seen tel in years. i got to be there for j's and c's birthdays. it's been hard being away. crazy how c is as tall as i am now. i made t homemade carrot cake cupcakes, and she listened as i rambled, like she always does.

k's boys

i can't believe in all the time i spent with my girl K we didn't get one photo of us together! i did get some of her boys, something they rarely let me do. I also got them smiling, which is a rarity too!

i made K homemade choc cake with cream cheese frosting. she made me all kinds of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. yes, they are rockin, just like she is!

my andy weekend

I got to spend all weekend with Andy. She invited me into her life, and I had a blast! We washed and vacuumed her car. We washed up her dog Mable. I got to meet and hang with her best friends C and A. I met all her roommates and crashed at her house. We went hiking, we rented dvds, we cooked, ate out, we did strut your mutt, hung out on the porch, and we went to a party. I also got to see my cuz E whom I hadn't seen since her bro's wedding. Which was in Sept of 2007.

Good times, I love SLC!

with ra

I loved just hanging out with my friend and her girls. She showed me the progress of her garden, and we chatted for hours.

vegas trip n may

So we went on a road trip to Vegas to see Cher in concert. Not my first choice, but a lifetime chance to spend time with my oldest friend. I'm so glad we went. Cher was unlike any show I've ever been to. First they took all cameras hostage, so sorry no pix. Cher came in on some kind of wire chair thing flying through the air with this massive headdress. There was lots of dancing on those vertical wires, singing, major fancy costume changes, and old clips of her and sonny. I cried. I laughed. I sang along. However the band was mostly off to the side in the dark, and I could barely see the guitar player which bummed me out.

My first time in Vegas and at the risk of offending people, I have to say it's not for me. It's too flashy and trashy. The place is all about stealing your money. It's not my scene at all! I came, I saw, I went. Will I ever go again? Who knows?