The Houston Social Scene is Broken by Explosions in the Sky

What?? That sounds serious....well my friends, it is.

Rewind back to February, when I anxiously awaited seeing the musical mega masterpiece that is Broken Social Scene....I talked about it for months. Only to be taken down by half of a bottle of Sweet Tea Vodka as Kevin Drew took the stage....then woke up at 6 the next morning with a frantic, "What the hell happened???" I've been bummed out since the blackout, because I never do that for a show and also made the man friend bail with me....but really folks, he was the STV enabler.

Yeah...I barely remember this...

A half of a year has passed since the incident, I've become very experienced with the Sweet Tea Vodka, and Broken Social Scene are coming back to Houston on August 8th!!!! It's a two-day festival hosted by Free Press Houston on Buffalo Bayou near downtown...and the ticket prices are 10 measly bucks a day! Accompanying the Canadian supergroup for this weekend of awesomeness will be Of Montreal, The Octopus Project, What Made Milwakee Famous (I did!! ...jokes, jokes), and Austin's own Explosions in the Sky!


I highly recommend that you go, drink your Sweet Tea Vodka cautiously, and party your sweaty lil bayou butt off!



Tickets and info at: http://freepresssummerfest.com/

Did someone say PUB CRAWL??

I'll be Yelpin' it up at my very first Elite event on Friday, but if you're looking for something fun to do on a hot and muggy Houston evening, this could get your weekend started off right! Or it could lead to your Saturday not starting off so well, but that's just the price you pay for being awesome and fun. I have to opt out though, I'm kinda excited about the Yelp thing...many hours were wasted eating and drinking so I could write fun reviews.

Here's the info you need to get ya started with some crawling of the pubs:

http://houstonist.com/2009/03/05/light_rail_pub_crawl_departure_sche.php

Dining During a Depression: BYOB

With much free time on my hands and the pending Great Depression of our generation, I've decided to start a series of blogs dedicated to Recession Responsibility. It'll be a way to continue to support our local economy and have fun without causing you to file Chapter 11.

One of my favorite aspects of the Houston dining scene is the much-welcomed overabundance of BYOB restaurants and cafes....but I didn't realize there were so many that did not even charge a corkage fee! I've uncovered this hidden gem of a link with all of the BYOB restaurants, complete with the corkage fee: http://www.localwineevents.com/Houston-Wine/BYOB-restaurants.html

Some highlights upon first glance:

• Lucio's BYOB on Taft is just plain good (well plain is dull, and their food is anything but) with a corkage fee of $5 a bottle.
• Collina's is known by everyone to be the best Italian food for your hard-earned buck and the fee is $1/person.
• Houston's on Kirby has NO corkage fee. That's right...bring your own bottle of bargain bottles of vino and drink away.
• Dry Creek Cafe has a better menu than Onion Creek and you can bring your wine and enjoy their laid back patio for $2.50 a bottle. As much as I love the O.C., bringing my own $8 bottle, paying the $2.50 puts me at about $2.75 a glass....much cheaper than the $9 that you'll get charged per glass at the bar. Pssst...you can also bring your own brews!!!

Ike Ike Baby

Last week Houstonians and everyone else along the coast watched the approach of Ike and his cones of uncertainty. The path shifted from Houston, to Brownsville, and slowly creeped back towards the northern Texas Coast by Thursday. We all left work early to start stocking up on things, hoping that it was all for not. The hardcore Texans kept saying that we were overreacting and it wouldn't be more than a 'gust of wind' by the time it hit.

Thursday night everyone went out because of the day off of work on Friday...bars were packed and I even went to see Delta Spirit and Dr. Dog at Walter's on Washington, which was a terrific show. When they sang, "The Ark", it was especially eerie because we all knew what was coming. There was a glimpse of hope before I went to bed that night showing Ike as a Cat One at landfall...but four hours later while I was getting ready for my 12 mile run, Ike was forecasted back to a Cat 2 and maybe a 3.

Friday we gathered at Francis' for a hurricane party and to watch the feeder bands roll in. Water was rising in New Orleans and the power was out at my parents' home there...so they had to evac to downtown NOLA for some comfort. Francis and crew cooked up an amazing pre-hurricane meal...since we knew that we would be out of power for a while...complete with champagne, champagne of beers (High Life...that is), wine, pizza, duck, fried rice, guacamole, and an "Ike" cake...it was like a high-falootin' buffet! After the feast, I headed back to my place to get ready to 'hunker down'.

Speaking of 'hunkering'...I decided that it would be a good idea if every time someone said "hunker down" to drink. After champagne and hurricanes...and LOTS of mentioning of the h-word...I apparently passed out on my sofa around midnight. I woke up at 3am (on my sofa and wondering "WTF?") to loud whistling coming from the windows and front door....and no power, or water. I stayed up to watch the 100+mph winds blow through Houston...and I realized that I had never been through the eye of a storm before and that I would NEVER do it again.

The next day, once the wind had ceased around noon, the Daily Grind opened for business. Unbelievable! They were running off of a generator, providing hot coffee, good comfort food, and television to the weather weary. We ordered a couple of coffees and plates of whatever the chef decided to whip up, while chatting with others about the force of the winds and damage they had seen. It was so comforting...thank you Daily Grind, you saved my life :)

Dinner for the next couple of days consisted of grilled sandwiches, soup and Veuve champagne. I had been saving the bottle for about a year for a special occasion...this definitely was it!

Eventually Onion Creek opened back up, Memorial Park cleared the downed trees (which is pretty sad by the way) and I was able to go for a run, my power came back on, the bayous overflowed and receded, and now we are all trying to return to our blissful state of normalcy. Many friends are still without power and it is always amazing to see how people step up to take care of their loved ones in times like these. It shows that in the midst of chaos, there is a silver lining. Every report I have received from friends and family have been positive...minor damage, no power...but everyone is safe and has a home to return to. Thank goodness!

Other things to make you smile: Interstate traffic is non-existent for the time being, hot coffee and cold drinks, being forced to do nothing for a couple of days and slow down enough to spend time with friends, talking to random strangers about the storm and giving words of support, this beautiful weather that we have been seeing since Sunday...

Things will be back to normal before we know it! Until then, let me know if you need anything...

Here are some helpful post-Ike links:

Places that are open:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2008/09/weve_heard_these_places_are.php

Important phone numbers:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080912_mp_phone_numbers.6cd1e837.html

Gas Stations (stay patient and keep your cool...we are all going through the same thing):

http://www.khou.com/gasstation/

GEAUX GREEN

Well it looks like even the local New Orleans Original Daiquiri drive-thru is going green.  I saw this last weekend at near my parents' house and had to stop to take a picture.  It all starts here folks...go to the drive through, order your alcoholic beverage and sip it out of a refill mug while you're cruisin around the Crescent City!  

J-E-L-L-O

Goodbye Jello shots and HELLO Pudding shots!

I have to preface this with a shoutout to TB for introducing us to such a creation during Francis' fabulous limo bus party. Thanks TB!

So some friends decided to make the traditional Jello shots for the party...while watching the chefs do their work, Tommy B found some boxes of Jello pudding and thought, "Why not?"

I believe the spirit of choice for the spiking was peach schnapps...and I have to say, it wasn't bad. It was a good start to a genius idea. I love pudding, I love alcohol...sounds like a winning combination.

After some intense discussions on optimizing the Pudding Shot, we came up with Baileys, Kahlua, any flavored rum, just to name a few. If you are going to improvise, proceed with caution and keep in mind the combination of flavors. For example, chocolate pudding and Kahlua would work perfectly...but lemon pudding, not so much. You get the hint.

I also found some recipes on the major recipe websites for the Pudding Shot. So we're not crazy, we just need to help support the cause.

Here's a recipe to get ya started:

Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup Baileys (or Kahlua)
8 ounces Cool Whip
Lots of itty bitty Dixie cups or steal some ketchup cups from Wendys.

Directions:
1. Mix pudding and milk until well blended.
2. Add vodka and Baileys, mix well.
3. Fold in Cool Whip
4. Pour into Dixie cups or "borrowed" Wendys cups.
5. Keep in freezer
6. After pudding is set...cheers!

Let me know of your own creations. I'll be enjoying these at the beach next week...

For My Fellow Friends of the Bottle

The first quarter of 2008 was full of binge drinking for me: New Years, LSU's National Championship Victory, Post Houston Marathon Party, Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Sunday Funday's, kickball rainouts, PARIS, any event involving the video game Rockband, relationship drama and other forms of unnecessary stress.

So 2Q08 is off to a new start for me....I started yoga and I love it (www.joyyogacenter.com Joy is the owner and an ex-engineer who promotes fitness, wellbeing, and living stressfree..fantastic), I'm going to cutback on the binge drinking considerably (no worries Jazz Fest companions...I said considerably, not completely), and I'll start my marathon training in the next couple of months!

I did find this article for those of us who find ourselves sitting around the table on Saturday/Sunday afternoons saying one or more of the following:

• "Gawd, my head is pounding"
• "Bloody Mary please"
• "I'm never drinking that much AGAIN...and I mean it this time"
• "Should I get a burger, pizza, or fried chicken fingers to settle my stomach?"
• "Ugh"
• "How did I get that wine stain all over my shorts?"
• "I can feel my pulse in my toes"
• "Who's idea was it to buy those shots?"
• "I can't believe I was dancing with that Rastaman! He was diiiiiiiirty!"

This article is for you friends: http://www.slate.com/id/2187387

My personal remedy for the hangovers-from-hell are a BC Headache powder, bloody mary, sleep, and lots of carbs and grease! Works like a charm...EVERY time. Things that don't work include water and driving from New Orleans to Houston.

Please feel free to share your personal remedies!

Photoblog of Paris

I decided that it would be way too much to type about everything that happened in Paris and think that a photoblog would be much more entertaining. Enjoy!

Maggie standing outside of our fabulous hotel suite upon arrival!

Confections at "Lenotre", a ridiculously priced and delicious patisserie around the corner from our hotel. The cakes were upwards of 35 Euros! I'd pay it though.

Maggie and I couldn't believe that the upside down pyramid was so easy to find...silly Da Vinci Code. I had to go along with the Asian tourists and take goofy pictures.

Maggie posing with one of the sculptures outside of the Louvre. I will have you know that there were multiple people taking much less tasteful pictures with these statues.

So apparently my hair was 'tres grande' in Paris...the combination of their water and the weather made for perfect hair days. I think I'm being a little sassier than the statue...aaah oui!

My artsy pic of the Louvre. A place that I will most likely never go again...The Louvre was my least favorite of everything that we did. Too many crazy people and kids...it was like Disney World times five! We did meet this sweet little old Frenchman just after taking this. He didn't speak much English and surprisingly I could understand that he was telling us what we should see and that we should come back in the summer. After a 15 minute convo, I attempted to tell him that "We need to leave now"...instead I said "You go!" Whoops...thank goodness he understood though.

This is Cafe AND Restaurant Voltaire. Maggie and I stopped here based on a rec from a friend. We intended to go to CAFE Voltaire and instead stepped into RESTAURANT Voltaire. We saw white tablecloths and people who clearly had much more money than the two of us. After looking at the menu and seeing the cheapest app was 35Euro...we told the waiter there was a mistake. He said..."Oh you want a snack". Yes sir we did...and our 'snack' was quite yummy! We met a college kid from NJ and the waitress tried to play matchmaker...aw how cute!

Oh the Pompidou...it was as strange and impressive as I had remembered from the pics in my high school French book. Lots of performance artists in the plaza too...it reminded me of Jackson Square in New Olreans. The museum was very interesting as well...I think it would've been better if I weren't completely hungover at the time..ugh, roughest day in Paris.

Maggie and I seriously need one of these in the states! MONOP was a little shop across the plaza from the Pompidou with premade lunches, salads, sandwiches, desserts...along with the wines and all kinds of super cute things that we really wanted to spend our money on. But instead we got salads and a baguette and sat in the plaza trying to make our hangovers go away. Tom was approached by a crazy Frenchman, who asked him, "Do you like question marks?" (Note: Sounds much funnier with a French accent...try it) Tom's reply was something along the lines of, "Question Marks? Uh...yeah man, I like 'em. I use them in questions and they're a great form of punctuation!" Bizarre...

The view from the top floor of the Musee D'Orsay. I couldn't stop staring...Sacre Coeur is the highest point in Paris and is a spectacular church. It's in Montmartre, which was very unspactacular and it was the only time I feared for my life.

Sacre Coeur much closer! Maggie and I were brought to tears..but she thinks now that it was from climbing all of those stairs in the cold rain and finally reaching our dry destination. Either way, we were moved.

Thanksgiving was a sight for sore eyes!! The sign on the right says "Cuisine de Louisianne" and this was right around our hotel in The Marais. Of course we went inside, and the shop owner was delighted to meet some people from New Orleans. He said he loved the city and couldn't wait to go back again. The place was streaming Zydeco and the shelves were stocked with Zatarain's, Tony Chachere's, and Abita Beer!!! How cool?? All Louisianians who visit Paris, should stop by and tell this gentleman hello.

If anyone knows what this place is a cover-up for, please let me know! Nespresso is on the Champs-Elysees and was the creepiest place I've ever set foot in. There were people getting consultations on coffee, crazy little espresso accessories, candles.....just weird. We would've taken a picture of the inside, but were a little scared. There was even a "Gold Card Member" section with posh seats and desks to speak with associates....it was like being in a Porsche dealership. I'm still creeped out.

Gotta love modern art. Excited little Mickey Mouse was in the Palais de Tokyo. Don't really know what else to say...

I'm squishing you with my fingers! I have definitely left a lot out...like the time I asked the lady for an umbrella and then realized that I asked her if she WAS an umbrella...or the time I fell at the Bastille, in the middle of the street...Tout va bien!

I can't WAIT to go back!!! A bientot Paris!

13.1 Miles: Half the pain, twice the fun

Last weekend I went home to New Orleans to run the Mardi Gras Half-Marathon on Sunday 2/24. I love going home...the older I get, the more I miss New Orleans. Sigh.

So on Friday, my brother and I went to the Hilton to pick up my race packet from the expo. Past experience with expos is that they are huge...there are vendors from many various health food companies and athletic outfitters. I always stock up on discounted energy gels and bars, as well as peruse the workout gear. Not at this expo....I was actually embarrassed that this was my hometown's representation of an expo. There wasn't even a protien bar to be found, I had to stop at GNC on the way home. Other runners were just as dissappointed. People were walking around saying, "Is this really it?" Unacceptable.


Saturday I was forced to turn down a family crawfish boil (if you know me, you know that this was an extremely difficult task....). Consuming a week's worth of sodium the day before running 13.1 miles might lead to a painful run down St. Charles Avenue....and possibly death. So instead my parents were gracious enough to treat me to the uptown Louisiana Pizza Kitchen (LPK to us regulars). It's nothing like Cali's CPK...so much better! I got my carb load on, and stayed true to my healthy diet, with the Rosemary Chicken with pesto whole wheat pasta. It was delich!! Knowing that I was going to run most of it off the next day made it even more enjoyable. Mom got a yummy kitchen sink pizza and dad got this calzone with some bad ass sausage.


The next morning, I was up and at 'em for 4:45am for the race! The weather was absolutely perfect. About 55 degrees, overcast, a little humidity (but not too much)...optimal weather for the avid runner. This race was the first that I did not have a running partner, so I opted to bring the iPod along with a super sweet playlist. (Thank you Hey Willpower, Chemical Brothers, Postal Service, The Bravery, and Lupe Fiasco...just to name a few) I wished some friends good luck, stretched, the sun came up and we were off!


The first two miles consisted of running down Bourbon and Toulouse Streets. Bad idea. Sure, in theory you think, "How entertaining!" Not so much. When you're trying to pace yourself for either the full or half race, seeing vomit and smelling that wonderful Bourbon St. stench doesn't really help. Besides that, the street slopes down from the center and there are cars parked along the narrow street, which makes for shin splints and lots of obsticals. Me and some others decided to take to the sidewalks and dodge the drunkards. It felt like I was on American Gladiator!


The rest of the race was along St. Charles, around Audubon Park, and back to the dome. I was hoping that since uptown is highly populated, especially post-Katrina, that there would be a lot of spectators along the course. Not the case. There were a few people lined up, but most were only cheering for their loved ones. A bit of advice from a runner: if you're there to spectate, cheer for everyone! We need it...it keeps us going....and most of us will return the gesture with a greatful, "Thank you!" Sorry...enough ranting, on to more uplifting topics!


As I ran past every timekeeper, I noticed that my pace kept picking up. At mile 8 I knew that I was going to beat my 2:10 goal considerably....so I pushed myself harder. My parents were at the turn before the finish line where I was about to give out (thank goodness for Bloc Party at that point) and my dad took this beautiful candid (and why are those people standing in the middle of the street behind me?):

A few seconds later, I made the turn to the dome and saw the finish line and race clock. 2:02!! Oh my goodness...I would have never thought that I would be able to finish with a pace faster than 9:30 minute/mile. Unbelievable....I'm still in shock actually.

After downing lots of water and pigging out on bananas and king cake (mmmm!), I drank my celebratory beer at 9:30am...on a Sunday! Most people are just getting up and going to church...I was already drinking a beer. Fantastic.

Next race....Crescent City Classic 10K 3 weeks and counting...

OBAMApalooza

This past Saturday, I happened to be fortunate enough to get a ticket to Barack Obama's rally at the Toyota Center. I knew it was going to be a big deal and that I was super excited about it...within 15 minutes I had purchased Radiohead tickets and obtained my free pass to hear 'the man' himself speak. I was completely beside myself and almost started doing laps around my living room. But really...I had no idea how huge this event was actually going to be.

Monday I started getting my Obama-mail about how people were going to get there super early to stand in line (of course it was general admission) which made me start to get slightly paranoid. So my work day was slow and I made a game-time decision to take a couple of vacation hours to hold my spot in line. Luckily, my friend Jordan managed to get a ticket from a very gracious person...so not only did I have someone to go with, but Jordan LOVES Barack and is extremely fun. I knew that good times were ahead...

I pulled up to the Toyota Center about 4 and yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes, smell ya later!" Okay, so I'm not the Fresh Prince...but I did decide to cab it for sanity purposes and the place was ridiculous. It was like the Superbowl...every media truck was lined up outside, helicopters were circling, tents were set up for radio stations, food vendors, THOUSANDS of people....madness. The demographic was all over the board...every color and age...there were hippies sitting next to young professionals in suits. I was fortunate to be towards the front of the ticket holder line and had the pleasure of standing by the Praise 92.1 tent for 2 whole hours. When Jordan texted me to find out where I was, I replied "Just follow the soulful sounds of DJ Revelation"...his reply "I'll bring booze!"

So we entered and I'll spare the details, but two hugs from J to random event volunteers and a couple of little white lies later, we were sitting in the VIP section! We decided to forego the crazy food lines and go straight to the bar, where we obtained our libations of choice...doubles of course. I have to say, the pre-rally events were not at all what I expected. There was a band playing with the most fabulous costumes I've ever seen...they were covered in sequins and played the best KC & The Sunshine Band hits. So for over two hours, we danced, made some friends and found out that Obama had won Wisconsin! (Thanks Francis!!) Then...it was show-time!

Once Will.I.Am's "Yes We Can" video started playing and the lights dimmed, we definitely got FIRED UP! Then he took the stage. Barack's speech was as eloquent as ever and I'll spare the details and my opinions, because no one really cares what I think and you can watch for yourself on CNN.com. I will say that he was so passionate that I damn near yelled out an "Amen", but perhaps that was just the Praise 92.1 talking.

I now understand why all of those people are so excited for rallies. When everyone is sitting around basically "tailgating" for hours before the actual speech, you tend to be a little more excited than usual. Hey...it works for sporting events!

Houston + Beautiful Weather = Patio Dining

The weather in Houston on Friday and Saturday was by all means, less than desirable. Rainy, disgusting, depressing...the kind of weather that makes you want to stay inside and watch movies. Mallory the Pup is not a fan of rain, so she was going stir crazy and I had the feeling that the two of us had probably spent too much quality time together. So on Sunday morning around 7am, when she was tapping her tail impatiently on the kennel floor, I was beyond irritated. I got up and reluctantly took her for a walk. I'm so glad I did...the weather was absolutely GORGEOUS! The view looked a little something like this (although this picture was taken from my apartment on a similar day a couple of months ago).

I already had plans to have lunch with a couple of girlfriends, so during my lengthy ten-mile training run I kept thinking about where we could go. Being that the weather was amazing, it would have been completely unacceptable to sit inside for lunch. Houston has so many wonderful patio cafes...Onion Creek, Brasil, Empire Cafe, LaFendee, Dry Creek, Teala's, Grappino Di Nino...I could go on. I've already been to all of those places, numerous times, and wanted to try something new. Then it hit me...during the Houston marathon, we ran past the King Biscuit Cafe. Cute, outdoor dining, Heights...and the fact that 'biscuit' is in the name just makes my mouth water. Mmmmm!

The King Biscuit is a very laidback establishment and make sure you're not in a hurry, because the wait staff definitely isn't. The menu had a wide-variety of selections, but the $3 Bloody Mary caught my eye. Although there were no olives, limes, beans, or celery (all things that are essential to a BM) it was very spicy and it WAS only $3. The ten-mile run had me in the mood to devour something of substance...my usual wimpy salad was not going to cut it. My girlfriend and I went for the California Eggs Benedict...fresh english muffin, turkey, avocado, w/ creamy hollandaise...served with hash browns and fruit. It hit the spot and was quite tasty! The prices there are very reasonable and there was no way I could finish all of the food....and I pigged out.

I'll definitely be back there...but I will have to bring Mallory, since the four-legged friends are allowed. I love this time of year in Houston...get out and enjoy a patio, the park, or a friend's backyard before the heat wave comes!

Brew Ha Ha

Last Friday me and some fellow beer drinkers (well except Ed...his libation of choice was whiskey on the rocks) attended the St. Arnold's pub crawl in the Heights. For those of you who are unfamiliar with St. Arnold's, they are the local brewery in Houston. The Abita of Houston, if you will. Yes...I did go there...they put out some pretty delicious brews and their tours are fun, although they will never even come close to a Purple Haze or Restoration Ale. Sorry guys, it's just not gonna happen.

Back to the pub crawl. It was madness. These pubs in the Heights just are not well-equipped for so many people at once. They're excellent places to chill, but one bathroom stall and two bar tenders are unacceptable for an influx of 400+ people. Maybe next time some port-o-potties, a few extra helping hands, perhaps a crossing guard to protect the intoxicated jaywalkers. Just a few suggestions...

It started at 5:30, so I was left with the dilemma of whether to eat before or enjoy the beers as a delicious liquid sustenance for the evening. I opted for the latter....bad move. Whoops! The Spring Bock, which was spectacular, is higher in alcohol content..natch. By the time we were to meet at Onion Creek for the 9pm collection of our free pint glass...I was way too drunk off of 3 beers. With my tolerance, that's unacceptable...

In serious need of food and a place to sober up before I drove home..I hobbled back to The Shack (Christy & Tommy's super sweet place) to play Rock Band and munch on Chex Mix for 4 straight hours. If you have not been introduced to the crack of the video gaming world...find a friend who has Rock Band. There should be personals: "SWF drummer seeks a Rock Band" If this doesn't work, Lucky's Pub in the Warehouse district has Rock Band nights (in lieu of Karaoke) on Wednesday nights. I haven't been yet, but if you have....let me know how it is!

Seriously...I think I am addicted. I may need to join a 12-step program...