The Rise of Uber House

My brother is building a house. Not just any house, but the kind of house that makes you hear the theme from 2001 a Space Odyssey as you walk up to it. He sat down with an architect and helped design exactly what he wants in his new home. From the pictures you can clearly see that what he wants is more space. No, not just more space... he wants more space and lots of windows. He wants more than that... more space, lots of windows and a large deck. There's something else... he wants more space, lots of windows, a large deck and a waterfall. That just about sums it up. Nicely done, Dave!

Bible Bumps

I want to apologize to everyone I ever told to hit their bumps with a Bible. While I still believe that the basic theory behind curing "Bible bumps" is soundly based in mountain folk remedy, I accept that whacking errant bumps with large books may be a poor substitute for so called "medical treatment." To recap: bumps should be tended by doctors and Bibles should be read, or used to prop open large doors - your choice.

Unrequited

Hesitation by Stephen Lamb

I checked my e-mail and found a letter that was either meant for someone else, or it is some kind of phishing/scamming thing. It was addressed to someone with the same first and last name as mine, but with a different middle initial. Also, I don't know anyone named Kurt, and I am not old enough to have been in a relationship with someone 30 years ago. I took out the identifying info, but here it is:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 01:11:30 -0800
Subject: Just some thought on our relationship

Dear Karen;

As you know I have spending a lot of time pondering this relationship that has developed between us.

I'm still trying to figure out where all these emotions came from and why I have such strong feelings for you especially after 30 years of being a part. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I might be able to explain it if I was all alone and I had a deep longing for some companionship or if I was trying to fill some big void in my life. But that's just not the case, I am happily married, it's not a perfect marriage but from what I have seen of others it's pretty damn good one. I actually feel very fortunate that I have a wife like Ann. I have two kids still at home and that certainly fills up your life. So its not like I'm out looking for someone to fill a void in my life.

I think most people want similar things out of a relationship:

Physical intimacy is probably the strongest attraction between two people. To be able to touch, feel the warmth of a kiss, and share the ecstasy of making love are overwhelming desires that bring two people together.

People also are looking for someone to build a life with. Someone that you can share simple day-to-day activities and to be there for those special moments. Someone you can come home to and be there when you need a hug. Someone to plan your future and have a family with.

I think we all need a sense of feeling needed and wanted. Having that sense of security from having some one that will be there by your side no matter how bad things might get.

(Those are some pretty profound thoughts coming from someone that spent so long running from relationships. Sometimes I read what I type to you and think "did I really say that" )

Then I look at our online relationship and it has none of that. All those things that draw two people in to a relationship are either completely missing or greatly diminished from what you experience in a face-to-face relationship. So why is this so compelling. What has drawn us together with such incredible force?

This has gone far beyond two old friends just catching up on old times. There is a deep bond between us that has survived to 30 years of separation. I've discovered feelings for you that I didn't know existed; I have a deep and ever lasting love for you. There are many time I want to be with you so bad that it hurts.

I Love you

Kurt

My gut instinct tells me that this message is too polished and too rehearsed to have so many spelling and grammar errors. I can't help picturing a prisoner sitting in his cell whiling away his long, lonely hours trying to work out all of the things he thinks a woman wants to hear, in an attempt to lure women who will be so impressed by his ardor, that she will want to get to know him on line. On the other hand, it could be totally legit, and there is some poor schlub out there trying to figure out why he didn't get a response after all the hard work he put into pouring his heart out. Either way, it is sad and a little creepy.

TRIO Gone!

I noticed a couple of weeks ago that one of my favorite channels, TRIO, started showing mystery and police shows at night. I thought it was more of TRIO's Brilliant But Cancelled Series, but it turns out that the channel no longer exists and has been replaced by Sleuth, a mystery channel. This is the message I found on the TRIO website:
They had really great programming, so I am glad they are going on to a new incarnation as a Web channel, but I will miss having the TV channel to fall back on when there is nothing but crap on TV.

As much as I already miss TRIO, I think Sleuth will be an interesting channel. Without even realizing it, I started watching Sleuth a couple of weeks ago when I noticed they were running old episodes of Miami Vice. It is really weird to see the fashion, hair and music of that era, having lived it. You find yourself smiling and cringing all at once. I guess it must be the same way our parents feel when they see reruns of Laugh In or That Girl. They have a full line-up of 80's action crime shows including: Simon & Simon, The Equalizer, The A-Team, and Knight Rider. The 90's line-up includes: Homicide; Life on the Streets, Deadline, EZ Streets, Karen Cisco, and LA Dragnet. I think they should hit up the 70's archives and show: MacMillan and Wife, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Kolchek: Night Stalker, Police Story, S.W.A.T., and maybe Baretta thrown in for good measure. Since the shows are coming from the "vaults of NBC Universal," most of these shows will probably never make it into the Sleuth line-up, but at least they are bringing back some of the great ones, like Homicide: Life on the Streets.

Pastry Daredevils

I usually hate commercials, so I flip channels during the commercial breaks, which leads me to the oddest/coolest things. Last week while flipping channels and I found something I've never seen before on The Food Network. A show called Challenge: Food Network Pastry Daredevils. OMG!!


Don't get me wrong, these are not sculptures you would want sitting in your living room - they would be incredibly tacky in that setting. As the centerpiece of a party though, they are stunning fantasy pieces. For me they bring to mind a 1920's Art Nouveau feel.

As if seeing the pastry chefs racing to beat the clock while creating their spun sugar masterpieces wasn't suspenseful enough, they are then required to carry these delicate sculptures up a small staircase, across a platform, then down another staircase.

The jostling the sculptures endure is enough to cause them to shatter without impact. It is wrenching to see the hard work lying in shards on the floor. The winner gets a check and the honor of being known as the best, and the audience gets the rare opportunity to see a work of art from inception to exhibition in less than an hour. Very cool show.

Art House Surprise

While driving down the street I saw a flash of color outside my side window. I circled back around and decided that I would have to go back and capture the image with my camera.
The once (and probably still) squalid 4-plex is now adorned with the vibrant paintings of an obviously starving artist longing for recognition. This set brings to mind the recent hurricanes that hit the gulf coast. One of the paintings is actually hung on the outside of the building.
It looks like the anonymous artist has set up his indoor/outdoor art gallery in the midst of the urban landscape. I love the contrast between the color vibrant color and the rotting building, like hope is alive.
Springing up in what looks like an abandoned building, the burst of color and form are quite stunning. This one is tucked around the side of the building.

A Meme By Any Other Name...

I was sent a meme by Stranger than Fiction, so I looked up the term "meme" to find out what it meant. From the memes that I've seen circulate in blogs, I thought it was called a "me-me." You know, cause they are all about the author, and they silently scream "ME! ME!" I was wrong. Here's one definition (there are many others):

meme: (pron. 'meem') A contagious idea that replicates like a virus, passed on from mind to mind. Memes function the same way genes and viruses do, propagating through communication networks and face-to-face contact between people. The root of the word "memetics," a field of study which postulates that the meme is the basic unit of cultural evolution. Examples of memes include melodies, icons, fashion statements and phrases.

Here's my meme:

Four jobs you've had in your life:
I’ve had so many it’s hard to choose, but I’ll go with antique restorer, waiter, litigation assistant, and counselor

Four movies you could watch over and over:
Blade Runner, Toy Soldier, Harold and Maude, and Clerks

Four places you've lived:
Texas, Virginia, Arkansas – that’s it.

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Nip/Tuck, Daily Show, Stargate (1 or Atlantis, it doesn’t matter), Mile High or Footballer’s Wives

Four places you've been on vacation:
Buffalo River, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando

Four websites you visit daily:
My own blog (narcissistic, but true), Ramblin’ Educat, A Life in Wales, and Yahoo News

Four of your favorite foods:
Tabouli, Beef Musmun, seafood gumbo, deviled eggs

Four places you'd rather be:
There are a lot of places I’d like to visit, but none where I would really rather be.

Four albums you can't live without:
Crowded House – Recurring Dream, Squeeze – Greatest Hits (or Singles 45 and Under), Don McLean – American Pie, and Nina Simone – any of her greatest hits albums.

Four vehicles I've owned:
78 Cutlass Supreme, 88 Buick Regal, Toyota Echo (I’ve only owned 3 cars)

Pop-Up Book of Nightmares - Well, duh!

My friend Amanda sent me a Christmas gift that I picked up at the post office yesterday. When I opened the package, I was surprised to find the Pop-Up Book of Nightmares. My first thought was, "How did she know I have been thinking about buying this book?" It turns out that I am an idiot. Somehow I missed that a "wish list" at Amazon.com is something that everyone can see. I have a habit of going to sites to look at what they have to offer and "window shopping." I put things in the shopping cart and then change my mind about buying, so I end up shopping carts and wish lists all over the net, never thinking that anyone but me would see them. It's neurotic in a way, but I have buyer's remorse before I buy. I have a little eccentricity, but at least I'm not a spendthrift.














After receiving the book and calling Amanda, I took a look at what I had on the Amazon wish list and realized that there were 14 children's books, twelve of which are pop-up books. I was embarrassed that I didn't have anything more cerebral on my wish list, until it occurred to me that I should be relieved that I hadn't filled it with weird sex books or serial killer tomes.

The Redwalls

I found a new band that I really like, The Redwalls. They look like Blondie ca. 1979 (minus Debbie Harry) and they sound a bit like The Beatles, Tom Petty and David Bowie, which is to say, they sound different than any other band out right now. I first heard The Redwalls singing "Thank You" on TRIO a few weeks ago, so we ordered the CD, de nova. It arrived today and Marilyn and I both think it's great. TRIO only plays a music video or two between shows, but the music videos they play are unique, so from my perspective, one video on TRIO is better than a week's worth of programming on MTV. Check out The Redwalls.

Morbid Curiosity

On the second day of the new year I have done nothing of note. Connor went to school this morning. I slept in until 11:00 AM. It is almost 4:00 PM and I am still in my pajamas surfing and blogging. A relaxing and admittedly misspent day. Marilyn was watching reruns of Roseanne this morning and I commented that I hadn't seen the actor that played Mark Healey in anything in a long time. So I went to the trusty Internet Movie Database (IMDB) to see what he was up to and found that he has been dead since 2002. Even though we really liked the show when it was on, and Marilyn still watches it religiously now that it is cancelled, neither of us caught the news that Glenn Quinn died of a drug overdose in 2002. Looking for more info, I stumbled upon a wicked little site, findadeath.com.

Outside of porn, this is just about the most voyeuristic site I can imagine. No good reason to visit beyond pure morbid curiosity. The deceased listed range from A-list celebrities to people who are famous because of circumstances connected with their deaths. There are details of the coroner's reports and people post little tidbits about the deceased they have heard or witnessed. I have been parked on this site perusing the directory entries since about 1:00 PM today. Sad, but true.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It was 81 degrees today in Houston and a gorgeous, balmy day. Weird in January, but nice.














I took Connor to the Nature Discovery Center today because it was so beautiful and it seemed like a great way to start off the new year.



















The Nature Discovery Center was actually closed, but we got to walk through the park and check out the squirrels.















The dried leaves smelled like Autumn, but the weather was totally screaming Spring.















Connor loves the aviary, but he says it "smells funny." I reminded him that it smells like bird poo, and he said, "Oh, yeah."




















All in all, it was a wonderful laid back day, and a great start to the new year.