Clear Lake Chess Tournament and Kemah

Clear Lake Tournament Skittles by Finijo

Connor had his second chess tournament today. This tournament was in Clear Lake, Texas. If you recall, he won only one of five rounds in his first tournament, and his win was due to forfeit by the player who did not show up to play him. He was quite discouraged, but his Coach Nguyen gave him words of encouragement and he edged closer to a win today with another win by forfeit and a draw at 120 moves. Connor wasn't happy, but he understands that a draw is better than losing. At this rate he could win one in the next few tournaments.


Morning Sun on the Gulf by Finijo

Marilyn and I learned during Connor's first tournament that it does not pay for us to be there for a couple of reasons. The first is that Connor is extremely self conscious and our being present while he plays throws his concentration off - a lot! The other reason it does not pay for us to stay at his tournament is that they run about 8 - 9 hours long and it is incredibly dull and irritating to sit and wait for that long in a noisy room full of kids who alternate between focusing on practicing chess and running around like wild banshees. So we went a few exits down the freeway to Kemah to hang out at the Kemah Boardwalk for the day.


Mini Boat Races by Finijo

Coming into the Kemah Boardwalk we passed the mini boat races. There is a statue of liberty in the background.


Boat Trouble by Finijo

This little boat was having a rough time of it trying to get out of the inlet and into the gulf. The waves were choppy and they were having some engine difficulty so they couldn't stay on course very well.


Big Boat Trouble by Finijo

They narrowly escaped running into this larger boat. It was a little intense until they finally got their engine going properly.


Gulls Making a Pass by Finijo

Marilyn fed the ducks and other birds with kibble you can purchase from machines on the Boardwalk. As soon as the gulls realize you are feeding the ducks they decide to get in on the action.


Seagull Curiosity by Finijo

We didn't notice the "Do Not Feed Gulls" sign until after we were done feeding the gulls. We ate lunch at the Flying Dutchman and talked about it with the waitress there. She said the gulls get aggressive when they are fed kibble, so they start diving on the tourists and the waitresses when they are serving food on the Boardwalk. She told us of when she was attacked and everyone just laughed at her. We apologized for feeding the gulls that morning and cited our excuse of ignorance. I did get some pretty good shots of the gulls, though.

Kibble Gull by Finijo

Proof of our guilty deed - this gull actually has the offending kibble in its mouth.

Ebay Treasure

Godawful!

Tonight I looked at about 1000 things on Ebay and most of it was complete crap. This dress however is a treasure, because it made me laugh out loud. Not only is it one of the ugliest pieces of apparel I have ever laid my eyes upon, the description is priceless.

Hello and welcome to my auction. I have an absolutely beautiful and romantic dress up for bid. This dress is made by Germaine Astor and is new. Don't settle for a costume grade dress when you can have a well made designer dress!! This dress would make a fun Saloon, Can Can or even a Gothic Witch. It will be great for the up coming holidays as well! This dress has a very classy and sexy allure to it. It is very flattering on so you are sure to draw attention were ever you haunt! It really will show off your curves!! This dress comes from a smoke free home. If you have not found your costume yet, this could be the one!! Here are its measurements: Bust 40", Waist 34", Hips 44" and dress length is 42". Costume will be shipped with in 24 hours of payment!! Good Luck and Happy Bidding!!! Be sure to check out all my fun costumes!!!!

Godawful From Behind

As hard as it may be to believe, this is a dress, not a costume. It my still have the tags on it, but it is from the 1980's, not the 1880's. The seller has clearly never seen the Can-Can, or she would not mention that dance and this dress in the same breath. No Goth queen would be caught dead (or undead) wearing or standing next to this polyester nightmare. This dress has nothing to do with anything remotely related to saloons, unless of course it was worn by a coke whore at the Palladium in the 1980's.

I surmise that if a coke whore did don this dress, she likely gazed dreamily upon her reflection through the coke glaze that coated her bleary eyes, smiled to herself and thought, "I look just like Alexis on Dynasty." Of course, she then woke the next afternoon hung over lying next to a short, balding, pudgy, and middle-aged man she didn't recognize. Upon seeing the heap of puckered, flammable polyester she wore the night before crumpled at the foot of her bed, she stoically walked to the bathroom and slit her wrists.

That's what the dress says to me, anyway.

Pimped Out Headlines

I walked out of my office today after work and something caught my eye in the bank of newspaper stands just past the valet parking service - the headline of the African-American. I laughed out loud. So loud in fact, that some people turned to stare. I didn't care, I just walked up and grabbed a copy of what I know will turn out to be a very well written and even fair and balanced newspaper. I may grow to love the African-American even more USA TODAY News and The Globe.

Chess Tournament

Con and Mr. Nguyen by MEG

Connor participated in his first chess tournament today. It was a new and interesting experience for all of us. We thought it would be over in a couple of hours (how long can people actually play chess, anyway?). We found out early this morning that the tourney would run all day and end around 5:00 PM. We knew we couldn't take that much chess in one day so we stayed for two hours, left and then came back again in the afternoon.


Con Receives Chess Tips by Finijo

Connor was disappointed that the only game he won in five rounds was the one he won by forfeit when his opponent failed to show up. He had a lot of fun running around between rounds. He met a lot of people and even a tiny girl named Ariel, who chased him around the school grounds, as tiny girls are known to do. It looks like we will be going to roughly a tournament a month for the remainder of the school year. I am waffling between being thrilled that Connor has found his niche and dreading the hours of sitting and waiting for these events to end.


Geek Squad with Napoleon dynamite by Finijo

This is part of his 32 student chess team. Note the Nordic looking young man sporting the insane mane of golden hair. No picture can do it justice, and no words can adequately describe power that his locks holds over those in its thrall.

Congratulations Connor!

Tileburst by Finijo

Report cards are in and for the first time in a year, Connor earned TV, Gameboy, and computer internet time. He gets an hour a week for every A, 30 minutes for every B, 15 minutes for every C, nothing for every D, and he loses an hour for every F. He actually ended up owing us time for the last year, which we collected by giving him extra study work. He has gone from owing us time to earning a whopping 5 hours a week! His amazing accomplishment included 4-A's, 1-B, and yes - even 2-D's. We are so thrilled that we gave him 30 minutes for the "P" he got in a pass/fail class (he'll get an hour for it in the future, if he can bring up the D's). He is proud of himself, and rightly so since he had abysmal grades at mid-term. If he can keep up the good work and bring up the D's, he has the possibility of getting a PSP for Christmas. Cross your fingers for him.

Connor joined the chess team as school and he has his first chess tournament tomorrow. He has a geek chic uniform that includes a white long sleeved t-shirt and a red sweater vest. It's adorable! Stay tuned for chess tournament results tomorrow.

Flightplan

Flightplan

Marilyn, Connor, and I saw Flightplan last weekend, but just now got around to writing about it. The film was suspenseful and even haunting in parts, but the ending was trite - both the dialogue and the visuals. The snowy footage shot in Germany was beautiful, but not so beautiful that it's worth paying full price at a theater to see the film. As always, Jodie Foster gives a riveting performance as she plays every emotion a distressed mother could possibly feel across her face to perfection. In fact, her acting is the highlight of the film. The writing on the other hand, is less than stellar. I think of Flightplan as "Panic Room at 30,000 feet." Flightplan looks like the commercial film a movie star does, in exchange for the opportunity to make a film they really want to do. This one is definitely a rental.

The Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride

Mike and I went to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride tonight. We enjoyed it, but both felt it wasn't as good as Nightmare Before Christmas. The animation is great, but the story is predictable. I know I shouldn't expect much from an animated movie, but Nightmare Before Christmas was really original, so I couldn't help but expect something equally as fabulous. The music is wonderful, and Danny Elfman sings the catchiest tune, "Remains of the Day" as the voice of Bonejangles. When they played the song again while the credits rolled, a little kid sitting behind us said, "I LOVE that song!" I think Corpse Bride is worth seeing on the big screen, because it is a gorgeous film. Corpse Bride is a fun film, too, but I think it will be more enjoyable if you lower your expectations just a little.