June 25, 2005
Asta La Vista Houston
Well, the last full day of Houston living is upon us. One of the odder phases of moving is always the use-up-what's-left-in-the-fridge type meals towards the last days. To that end, here's a look at my Friday lunch, a big plate full of obscure beans that Sara bought (obviously) and a martini to help empty out the booze cabinet:
Later on that night, with the beans thankfully gone and with the tonic water sadly gone as well, we concocted the lime martini, which Sara refused to drink but I actually thought wasn't half bad:
After the lime martini was done, we were pretty much out of options. We decided that the pasta and olive oil martini or the orange popsicle martini, while tempting, might be more of a sign of a problem than efficient use of cabinet contents. So we just called it a night, dignity intact.
Posted by stan at 12:37 AM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2005
Summer of Frequent Flyer Miles
Well, the first day of summer is finally here and I've decided to dub this the Summer of Frequent Flyer Miles. My tenative schedule, courtesy of a consulting arrangement I've worked out with my soon to be ex-employer, between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox goes a little like this:
Fly to Boston; Fly to Houston; Fly to Boston; Drive to Chicago; Fly to Houston; Fly to Chicago; Fly to Houston; Fly to Chicago; Fly to Boston; Fly to Chicago; Fly to Houston; Fly to Chicago; Fly to Houston; Fly to Chicago
Then somewhere in there I've got to find a new job in Chicago.
On the up side, I expect that they'll be letting me fly the plane starting around mid-September, so that'll be fun.
Posted by stan at 03:12 PM
June 13, 2005
Martini & Manhattan
The one good part about moving (again)...cleaning out the liquor cabinet...
Posted by stan at 11:53 PM
June 10, 2005
Bratwurst
Posted by stan at 08:05 PM
June 09, 2005
Miscellaneous Meat
I like a bargain as much as the next guy, but this seems a little much for me...
Here's a nicer cut I think.
Posted by stan at 07:41 PM
May 22, 2005
Kidding Me?
Posted by stan at 12:00 PM
May 21, 2005
The Gingerman
Posted by stan at 11:58 AM
May 18, 2005
Peeping Tina
We stayed at the lovely Magnolia Hotel in Dallas last weekend, which was rather uneventful. Here is the view we had out our window of an apartment building across the street:
Wait, let's take a closer look using the miracle of Photoshop:
Yep, that's a peeping Tina with binoculars...
Posted by stan at 11:11 PM
May 17, 2005
Texas Sized Sam Houston
About the only thing in between Dallas and Houston is Huntsville, TX, which apparently was the birthplace or was the home of Sam Houston at some point. To prove it, they build a giant statue of him and placed it in an honored position...right next to Interstate 45.
In the woods behind the statue, they stashed this extra head, just in case the original got struck by lightning or something. They were really, ahem, thinking ahead.
From what I gather, they took donations in order to build the statue rather than use taxpayer money, something the rest of the country should take a cue from Texas on (if that is indeed true). In return for donations, you got a brick with your name on it around the statue (this is the same scheme used to fun the Babson College Class of '97 wall). So there were some names you expected to see on bricks, like the ones above...
...and there were some reading recommendations, which is nice...
...but most oddly, Mr. Solidarity himself chipped in a donation. Not sure I know the connection between Lech and Sam or Texas.
And please, no gun play around the statue.
Posted by stan at 08:15 PM
Cactus
Somewhere between Dallas & Houston...
Posted by stan at 12:16 AM
May 09, 2005
Melting
May friggin' 9th!
Posted by stan at 02:45 PM
May 04, 2005
Cycling For Jesus
As seen on the Senator Lloyd Bentsen Highway.
Posted by stan at 12:38 PM
May 03, 2005
Blurry Coffee
Posted by stan at 03:46 PM
April 25, 2005
Serene Stan
We are going on three work days now where I have not experienced one iota of job-related frustration. I think this might somehow be related to me tendering my resignation last Wednesday.
Posted by stan at 12:29 PM
April 23, 2005
Grocery Shopping
Yes, Sara being out of town had a significant impact on the above grocery haul being able to happen. Lets break it down by the numbers:
0 - Products purchased that are either whole-wheat or organic
1 - Number of old ladies that asked me where the kosher aisle was (i didn't know)
2 - Number of fruits & vegetables (2 apples)
3 - Pounds of Sausage
17 - Number of fruits & vegetables if you count the 15 fruit flavored popsicles
31 - Percent of final bill allocated to hops-based products
89 - Cents extra the fine folks at Red Baron Pizza charge for flat crust frozen pizzas (shouldn't it be the other way around? Thin crust = less dough used?)
150 - Number of times I've contemplated bacon-wrapped sausage for dinner tonight
Also, in the wierd product department, look at this:
How can there be a "Gourmet Award" for watermelon rind? The only thing I've seen that tops this is the cactus leaves that they sell a few aisles down.
Posted by stan at 05:29 PM | Comments (1)
April 22, 2005
Houston is Warm
Eighty-friggin-five percent humidity this morning!
Posted by stan at 09:55 AM
Copy Cat
You might find a remarkably similar picture here as well.
Posted by stan at 09:53 AM
April 19, 2005
Bird Guy
Bird Guy just opened a phone conversation with the salutation, "Ground control to major Tom, the cranes can be viewed from the ditch!"
There are also apparently redwinged-black birds.
Posted by stan at 12:21 PM
The Weekend
This past weekend we had a bit of a dilemma. Sara wanted to go to the beach, while I had a hankering to tour some large petro-chemical plants. However, we both agreed that we wanted the to option of driving our rental car straight into a large body of water if we so chose. Normally the above is a kind of hard to reconcile to-do list, but this is Texas baby! Where everything is possible!
We stopped by Dunkin' Donuts for some iced coffee then jumped on Rt. 288 headed south. Soon enough, were were driving through lovely burgs like Clute, TX: Population 3,100 people & 11 huge chemcial operations (perhaps you've heard of their Mosquito Festival?) We did some sightseeing around Clute and its neighbor Freeport, TX for as long as we could hold our breathe. Then, convienently, we drove another half mile down the road from the plants and arrived at Bryan Beach State Park.
We were thinking the same thing that you probably are, just how safe is it to go swimming less than a mile from 11 aging chemical operations? Well, judging from the number of people fishing it can't be that bad. Plus, when you went in the water the burning sensation only took 5 or 10 minutes to get use to.
So at that point we had toured the plants and been to the beach, but how about that option to drive the car right into the water? Well, luckly folks in Texas either really, really, really like there cars or really, really, really dislike the idea of walking to the beach from a parking lot. Take a look:
OK, so the police in the above picture are driving out to make these people get there cars off the beach and give them a ticket and a fine or something right? No, they were actually patroling and giving tickets to anyone they saw WALKING down the beach.
Here's another:
You have to give these folks credit though, there's no need to bring an umbrella with you when you can sit comfortably in the shade of your Ford F-350.
Posted by stan at 11:23 AM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2005
Weekend Margaritas
Houston does have some perks.
Posted by stan at 11:38 PM
Mr. Plum in the Study With a Candlestick
Corporate housing is officially out of control.
Posted by stan at 11:34 PM
April 11, 2005
Falcon Alert
Apparently there is a peregrine falcon circling around our building right now. I know this because the bird guy that sits in the next cube over from me is positively bursting. He is currently on the phone with some of his fellow birders giving a play-by-play.
Fun facts:
1. Peregrine Falcons winter in the Houston area, they don't stay full time - kind of like up.
2. The falcon outside right now is a "big ol' male"
3. The military has apparently studied how peregrin falcons dive, hoping to incorporate that into the air force somehow I guess.
4. They are "amazing flyers", which I think is a good thing since they are, you know, birds and all.
Posted by stan at 11:54 AM
April 10, 2005
Mystery Breakfast Food
Sara and I decided it would be a good idea to start the day with a Dunkin' Donut's iced coffee, so we drove on over to Bellaire this morning. While we were ordering our coffees and donuts, we noticed a sign for something called kalache (I'm not sure of the spelling here). It is apparently some type of breakfast dish, one that we've never seen before and suspect might be a Houston-only type thing.
Needless to say, I was intrigued (Sara was disgusted). I ordered one sausage and cheese kalache which the fine staff at DDs very helpfully warmed up in the microwave for me. It looked kind of like one of those butter cresent rolls that you pop in the oven for ten minutes and come out a nice golden brown.
Anyway, with quite a bit of anticipation I sunk my teeth into the kalache and inside, to my delight, there was a spicy little hot dog like sausage and the inside of the roll was coated with cheese! The best description we have been able to come up with is that it is like a mini pig-in-a-blanket, except the pig completely covered by the roll part. We have taken to calling it either a pig-in-a-tent or a pig-in-a-sleeping-bag.
Here are a couple of pictures; it will be interested to hear if any nohatnocattlers out there have had any experience with the kalache.
Posted by stan at 03:24 PM | Comments (2)
April 07, 2005
Baseball Tickets
I figured one of the nice things about Houston was going to be the relative availibility of baseball tickets as compared to trying to get a seat at Fenway. But check out this site & click on Tickets for the 4/10 game. They appear to be selling reserved PARKING spots accross from Minute Maid Field for $45 a pop!
Posted by stan at 11:45 AM
April 06, 2005
For The Birds
The guy in the cube next to me, last mentioned when he was overheard hoping to be reincarnated as a river otter, is also quite a fan of birding. In fact, he can be overheard having phone conversations with other birding aficianados three to four times a year. Apparently it is a pretty big deal with these birdies, they go out into the wilds of east Texas armed with nothing but binoculars and their trusty bird field guides hoping to spot the most species. There are contests and bird-related prizes (birdseed? Larry Bird DVDs?)
Maybe I'm a little bit jaded from all those years in Boston where the only birds I ever saw were pidgions and seagulls, but I think this is a pretty good indication of exactly how much there is to do in Houston.
"What should we do this weekend, Sara?""I don't know, throw our binoculars in the pickup truck and walk around looking for sparrows?"
I'm also a little uncomfortable with the insistance on using the word bird as a verb, but that's another story.
Posted by stan at 03:23 PM | Comments (3)
Houston Sunrise
The things you see when you're in the office at 6AM...
Posted by stan at 12:10 AM
March 28, 2005
True Story
The guy in the cube next to me is talking about his pet chickens. Rosie, Gurtrude and Isadora (she's sick). Same guy also mentioned earlier that he'd like to comeback in his next life as a river otter.
I have nothing to add to these statements.
Posted by stan at 05:36 PM
March 22, 2005
Texas Oaks
Posted by stan at 01:15 PM
March 20, 2005
Lunch at the Ragin' Cajun's
Try the fried crawfish tails...James Carville himself would be impressed.
Posted by stan at 05:36 PM
Downtown
Posted by stan at 05:25 PM
March 18, 2005
Houston Architecture
"John thought beer cured everything," explained Mary, his wife...
Posted by stan at 09:52 AM | TrackBack
March 14, 2005
Texas Steak
Sara & I decided to sit by the pool yesterday and grill steaks, because the weather is nice and that is what you do here. Little did I know that everyone is so pro-Texas in these parts that even the grocery stores actually sell texas-shaped cuts of beef.
Take a look:
I'm was going to put that baby on ebay and see what I could get for it, but I was pretty hungry so I just ate it instead. East Texas was a little fatty, but I must say, what a tasty panhandle!
Posted by stan at 09:33 AM
March 10, 2005
Local News
Boy, for the 4th largest city in the country, the local news here sure is, well, local. Last night they had a story that featured multiple camera angles shooting from what was suppose to be the bottom of a shopping bag and had repetitive shots of people putting shoe boxes into shopping bags in a parking lot. The story? Potential credit card fraud.
That doesn't beat last week's endlessly teased feature. The story? That's right, Demon Hunters. I didn't watch it, but can only imagine that it included some really professional dramatizations.
Then there was this one.
Oh yeah, Dan Rather got his start on one of the local Houston stations. They had an interview with his brother Don last night.
Oh how I pine for Hank Phillipi Ryan.
Posted by stan at 10:39 AM | Comments (1)
February 26, 2005
Parades
The most recent parade in Houston.
The (second) most recent parade in Boston.
Posted by stan at 02:00 PM | Comments (1)
February 20, 2005
Gig 'Em Aggies
Let's go Aggies, Beat Starbucks U.!
Posted by stan at 07:50 PM
February 19, 2005
The Old Santa Fe
Posted by stan at 07:55 PM
February 17, 2005
Calvert, TX
Calvert is either quaint or rundown, you choose.
Posted by stan at 09:36 AM
February 14, 2005
Waco
On the same list: "Maybe we should check out Waco on our drive home."
For the record, no Branch Davidians were spotted, in fact pretty much no one at all was spotted. Not a lot going on in Waco on a Sunday afternoon.
Posted by stan at 09:31 AM
Dallas
Right near the top of my list of phrases I never expected to say: "So, maybe we should take a trip up to Dallas for Valentine's weekend."
Posted by stan at 08:27 AM | Comments (1)
February 10, 2005
Cougar Gang Signs
From the UH web site:
Cougar Hand Sign
In Texas, all of the major universities have adopted a hand sign which signifies to all other Texans where your loyalties lie. The Cougar Hand Sign is no different. Although the original hand sign was the "V" for Victory until 1965, events conspired and a new hand sign was adopted. The inaugural football game between University of Houston and University of Texas during the 1953 campaign witnessed the birth of a blood rivalry between the state's two largest universities at that time. However, it also led to the adoption of another Cougar Hand Sign. During her transport from Houston to Austin, one of the fingers on Shasta's paw was severed when the cage door was closed. As the University of Texas partisans and players caught wind of the accident, they mimicked the animal by bending their thumb over the ring finger against their palm. This gesture implied that the Cougars were invalids. The Cougars would go on to lose the game 28-7.
The cougar faithful, still mindful of the stinging defeat suffered 15 years earlier, never forgot the taunting that they received. The next time the two teams faced off (1968… a whole 15 years later), UH tied UT 20-20. At that point, the students thought there might be a bit of magic in that sign, and the hand sign was adopted replacing the "V".
In 1976, the Cougars first football season in the Southwest Conference, the Coogs & Horns met for the third time ever. The Coogs put a beating on the Longhorns that they have yet to forget 30-0 (a.k.a.the "Dad's Day Massacre") in front of the largest crowd to assemble in Memorial Stadium at that time. That victory ended the Longhorns famed winning streak, and the embarrassment also signaled the end of legendary UT Coach Darryl K. Royal's career. After that victory, the Cougar Hand Sign became firmly entrenched.
*Important Note: Only one hand is to be held aloft when making the Cougar Hand Sign.
Because if you held up two hands, then this would become silly.
Posted by stan at 02:30 PM
Can't Get Enough Of This Grilling
Posted by stan at 02:27 PM
February 09, 2005
MBAs for Dummies
Hi, I took a 50 question true/false & multiple choice exam in one of my graduate courses last night. It's not that I'm particularly looking to be challenged or anything, but how lazy does a professor have to be to be to waste people's time with crap like that?
Here's a good rule of thumb: if I take the exam and still get stuck in rush hour traffic on THE WAY HOME, you need to put a little more effort into preparing these things. What a racket this higher education thing is.
Posted by stan at 03:33 PM
February 04, 2005
Fired Up Guy
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but there is a guy a cube over from me that loves the phrase "I'm fired up." "I'm fired up for that meeting," or "I'm fired up for lunch," or "I'm fired up for the Super Bowl," etc. Anyway, I overheard him leaving a long, detailed voicemail for someone today, about a very serious topic, I don't know the specifics, but it was someone that felt betrayed about something, either a business deal that the company was working on or possibly an applicant for a job with the company. Anyway, he was very serious, and very business like about it. So how did he end the voicemail? "If you would like to talk about this more, I'll be leaving the office today at 2:30 because I'm going to the circus, so give me a call on Monday."
Posted by stan at 06:39 PM
UH Sunsets
Posted by stan at 02:11 PM
The Least Hip Brothers (and Sisters) on Campus?
I took this picture right after I had walked by the UH Drop-In Expression Zone, I was in a bit of a nervous politically correct college campus mode and took it very quickly (thus the blurriness) after making sure no one was looking about 12 or 13 times, as for all I know it is grounds for expulsion by some we-must-not-acknowedge-race-unless-we-are-expounding-on-the-affirming-value-of-diversity code of ethics. Though I have to give UH some credit, this is the first (of three now) college I've been to that has a serious minority population, so at least they are walking the walk...
Posted by stan at 07:48 AM
February 02, 2005
Old Signs
Some old signs we ran across in Galvaston last weekend. Extra points if you can find another picture taker below.
Posted by stan at 10:53 AM
January 31, 2005
Port Cranes
Posted by stan at 09:29 AM
January 29, 2005
Dunkin' Reunion
This morning (and last weekend) Sara & I made a pilgramage to one of the two Houston area Dunkin' Donuts. The excitement level in the car jumped considerably as we rolled towards Bellaire Ave. and could see the top of the DD sign over the top of a couple buildings.
There were some small differences, a regular coffee is apparently black in this neck of the woods, but in the important areas, like slow service and uneven quality, it was just like home.
As a bonus, on our way out last weekend a woman actually backed into a guy walking in the parking lot with her giant SUV! Luckily, it was just a tap and the guy was too shocked that he just been hit by a giant SUV to get very angry. And no, the woman didn't even get down out of her giant SUV, but she did roll down the window to see if he was OK. As she insisted, "I was looking back! I looked back!"
Posted by stan at 01:49 PM
January 28, 2005
Martini
Posted by stan at 10:59 PM
Yet More Port Of Houston Pictures
I like to call this little series "Reflections on the Port of Houston," but it should probably more properly be know as "We Get The Picture, There Is A Lot Of Industry Here, Is This Boat Tour Almost Over? I'm Getting Bored, Maybe I'll Take A Picture Of This Reflective Window. Go Sox."
Also, for your benefit I've cropped the cuddling couple at the front of the boat out of these pictures. I suppose they can't be blamed, they're young, in love, on a romantic boat ride past the world's largest grain elevator...
Posted by stan at 09:05 AM
Port Of Houston
If you ever have the chance and you have a pretty sturdy immune system, you should definitely take the Port of Houston boat tour.
Here are some more pictures via a more talented photographer.
Posted by stan at 09:01 AM
January 27, 2005
Galvaston Alley
Say what you will about Texas, but they've got some awful nice alleys. Palm trees!
Posted by stan at 12:57 PM
January 26, 2005
College Campuses
This is the kind of thing I'd expect to see back at home more than down here in this bright red state. I was shocked, shocked I say to walk by this sign on campus the other day. Apparently, UH and all those firmly entrenched in the ivory towers here (though in truth, they are more like large boxy rectangular towers on this campus) are big fans of that freedom of speech stuff, provided your speech is expressed exactly how they specify it in University of Houston Freedom of Expression if you Express it Properly Policy. Also, please don't leave the designated free speech area, make that speech too loud, too early in the morning, or write anything on a sign anyone can see. This all brought to you by the same folks that are all in a tizzy about the Patriot Act.
Yep, it's a little bit of home right here in the Lone Star State!
Of course, it can't be as bad as the last free speech pen I saw.
Posted by stan at 10:47 PM
Houston SUVs
I realize people down here in Houston like the big SUVs a little bit more than those back home in Boston, but I think it might be getting a little bit out of hand...
Posted by stan at 10:25 PM
January 22, 2005
Girl In Boots
Posted by stan at 06:06 PM
January 21, 2005
Things You Didn't Hear At Boston College
From last night's class at the University of Houston:
Professor: So, what can you tell me about Southwest Airlines business model?
Student: All I know is that they don't fly to Laredo.
Posted by stan at 09:57 AM
January 17, 2005
Crazy Marvin Zindler
This crazy guy does a daily commentary segment on one of the local news . Tonight, he did a hard hitting story on having to undergo couseling before getting married at the 2nd Baptist Church of Houston. Apparently, a young couple he knew wanted to get married there, but thought the wouldn't be able to since the guy had been divorced before. Turns out the could get married there, what a story!
He is best known for lowering the boom on the Chicken Ranch in LaGrange, TX. This later led to us being subjected to Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton a singin' and a dancin' in the dreadful Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
And what does he get for punishing his audience over and over this way? That's right, the TV station signed him to a lifelong contract!
Oh how I underappreciated you when you were in my life, Hank Phillipi Ryan.
Posted by stan at 11:27 PM | TrackBack
January 13, 2005
Grill
Sara grills a burger.
Posted by stan at 08:00 AM
January 11, 2005
Lone Star Telephone Company
If you do a search for "Lone Star" in Texas on yellowpages.com, you get 1798 listing, which seems a drastic understatement. I'd say it's more like 1798 companies that do not incorporate "Lone Star" into their name in one fashion or another. My favorites so far:
-Lone Star Anesthesiology Consultants
-Lone Star Karaoke
-Lone Star Pain Medicine
-SWEET ADELINES LONE STAR CHORUS
-
Posted by stan at 09:45 AM
January 09, 2005
The Texas Rose
We stopped by the delightful if not slightly sketchy Texas Rose Restaurant in Kirbyville for lunch. We didn't stick out like sore thumbs at all. Despite reminding me of eating in someone's living room, the food was good and the service Texas friendly (seriously, kids under 8 eat free? An 8-year-old can't get a free ride on the T back in Boston). Bonus points for the Kenny Rogers clock, which I was tempted to steal off the wall, as well as the fact that we could actually hear cows mooing as we ate (there was some sort of cattle depot out back). Points deducted for the impossibly small bathroom and the fact that further research has uncovered the previous name of The Texas Rose - "The Cow Paddy".
You gotta know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and, apparently, know what time it is.
What are you talking about? I'm not scared right now, I swear.
Posted by stan at 05:42 PM
Bridge To Texas
We took a quick 350-mile or so sojourn into east Texas yesterday, which culminated in a very brief trip into a rather rough part of Louisiana, Burr Ferry to be exact. We were happy to seen this bridge over the Sabine River back into Texas, where we continued to "Drive Friendly - The Texas Way."
Posted by stan at 04:30 PM
Texas Stuff
We get it, we're in Texas, it's big and is the Lone Star State. Enough already.
Posted by stan at 12:40 PM
January 06, 2005
Peep
Posted by stan at 01:32 PM
Mexican
We officially arrived in Houston this past weekend, with our first sampling of real Mexican food at El Pueblito Place on Richmond Ave. Sure was better than Boston Mexican, that's for sure.
Posted by stan at 11:34 AM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2005
Cement As Far As The Eye Can See
Posted by stan at 09:30 PM
Just A Shame
Winter weather advisory: The snowstorm hitting southern New England will taper off to flurries this afternoon before getting stronger again tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Expect accumulations of 3 to 7 inches, followed by sleet and freezing rain.
Posted by stan at 02:07 PM
January 01, 2005
Longhorns
If you're like me, you rang in the new year by busting open you 2005 Longhorn calendar. That's right, 16 full color, high quality stills of future steaks and hamburgers to take you right through to 2006.
Posted by stan at 11:29 AM
December 30, 2004
Recommendation
Another recommendation I have for anyone interested is to live directly across the street from where you work. It takes me 1 minute and 23 seconds from the front door of our building to my desk at work. It varies with traffic, but still.
The last two days I've around lunch time I've just gotten up, crossed the street and had lunch at home. Besides the money I'll be saving by doing this each day, I'll be able to take lunchtime swims on warm days, lunchtime naps are year-round possibilities, and I could even do lunchtime laundry if I so choose.
Too bad I don't have a pet to take on a lunchtime walk.
Posted by stan at 04:42 PM
Love Is In The Air
I've entered into a new relationship which I expect will ask for the remainder of my days. Through good times and bad, sickness and health, tamales and I will be together forever.
Sara and I had some today at lunch, she bought them from a man standing randomly in the supermarket with a cooler full of them. Delightful. I'm looking forward to trying Berryhill Hot Tamales on Post Oak Blvd. soon, just around the corner from our temporary home. The fine folks at Berryhill have been providing tamales to a greatful public since 1928. And yes, you can order them online, this isn't just a treat for us Houstonians.
Posted by stan at 04:34 PM
December 29, 2004
Whoops
Seems the gentleman in the next cube is actually an ornithology buff.
Yes, I am embarrassed to have jumped to a stereotypical conclusion.
My penance? Directing you to this site. We will not discuss this again.
Posted by stan at 04:44 PM
Hooters
OK, the guy in the next cube just had a 5 minute conversation about shooting owls? Either he was talking about the Rice University basketball team or I am confused. Do people go owl hunting?
Posted by stan at 04:19 PM | Comments (1)
My Funny Fiancee
Sara has the makings of a comedy dynamo now that she's in Houston. She has already strapped on her backpack to walk to the grocery store and then the CVS. No "when in Rome..." for this girl.
And in a delightful bit of role-reversal, she has already begun to react snarkily to the prevailing political climate of Texas. Her response to my amusing comment about the delightfully named town of Sugar Land? To grimly state that that the district that Tom Delay represents. Coincidently, I made the same comment at Logan yesterday when Ted Kennedy came over the PA system to thank me for choosing Logan airport.
It's a good thing there are plam trees in front of our building to soothe her.
Posted by stan at 12:41 PM
No Exaggerations In This Post
I here. For 6 months. In Houston. Houston, Texas. Where they apparently fly the state flag at the same height as the national one. This makes a point, I suppose.
I'm here, it's 70 degrees, a marked increase from the 9 degrees I left in Boston. Also, much less snow. Also, in a cube. A cube. A cube. I started missing my old big office, my big ol' office, as soon as the guy in the cube next to me mentioned on the phone that he was "fired up" about something for the 17th time. That was 9:30. I'm not exaggerating. Then the 45 minute discussion of fishing lures. Again, not exaggerating. I use to like fishing too.
Other highlights, I've spent 45 minutes waiting for my computer to process because most of our servers are still in Boston. I wish I was a server. Another hour trying to get in touch with people in the Boston office. I wish I was people in the Boston office. Again, I'd like to stress how these are not exaggerations.
On the bright side, our apartment is wicked nice. I've always wanted to invite 20 people over to watch a movie in our private movie theater. Now, that dream is a reality. There are some problems though, the free gourmet cooking lessons are a little later in the evening than I thought, and our free welcome dinner did not come with appetizers. Also, only the main pool has wifi, so the other 5 are pretty useless. And the felt on the pool table is a little worn.
But we will persevere.
Posted by stan at 12:29 PM
December 21, 2004
Movin' Up The Food Chain
Just got back from taking my last final exam at BC. It was a little anti-climatic, campus was completely empty and Securities Regulation exams only offer so much excitement. My time as a Beaver was up long ago and now my time as an Eagle has ended. In a couple weeks I'll begin my short tenure as a Cougar, happily I'm moving the right way up the food chain.
Posted by stan at 10:09 PM
The State Where We'll Live
"As we kept standing out there, people kept yelling, 'Beat the hell out of the list-eater,'" student Micah Gertson told KBTX-TV of Bryan and College Station, Texas. "As she's up there talking, people started throwing doughnuts at her."
Aggie football fans regularly urge the team to "beat the hell out of" its opponents.
Posted by stan at 01:15 PM
December 18, 2004
Canyon Cafe
Friday's lunch spot.
Posted by stan at 04:10 PM
Bumper Sticker
Hey, it's the guy who voted for Kerry!
Posted by stan at 04:08 PM
Sara's New Favorite
Looks like the Gap is about to get bumped to #2 on Sara's list of favorites.
Posted by stan at 04:04 PM
Perks
I guess this is actually a pretty good reward in Houston.
Posted by stan at 04:02 PM
Crosswalks
They've got these giant silver arches over Post Oak Blvd. to indicate where all the crosswalks are located. From what I can tell, they made them so big so to alert drivers that they don't need to slow down one iota.
Posted by stan at 03:59 PM
Gas N' Porn
You say you like gas? You say you also like the porn? Well, Houston in the place for you. But do they really think a FRENCH porn store is going to fly in this town?
Posted by stan at 03:57 PM
Clouds
Posted by stan at 03:54 PM | Comments (1)
On The Positive Side...
...one of the nice things about Houston is the prevalance of a certain favorite pepper flavored drink.
No word yet if they carry this old North Carolina favorite though.
Posted by stan at 03:49 PM
Lone Star State
Posted by stan at 03:06 PM
December 17, 2004
Heading Home
OK, that's enough Houston for one week, I'm leaving to catch my flight home. Final score:
Cowboy Hats - 7
Strip Joints - 4
The hats pulled it out at the buzzer today at lunch, with not one but four of 'em having atop the patrons in the booth across from mine.
Until later, Hook'em Horns.
Posted by stan at 04:35 PM
Is She Wierd?
The kitchen in the office down here has a copier, printer and fax machine in it as well as the normal accoutrements. Is that odd?
Posted by stan at 03:29 PM
New Digs
Just ran over for a quick tour of our new place at lunch today. It seems pretty nice, though I'd say they should stop advertising kitchens with electric stoves as "chef's kitchens". Isn't this Texas, natural gas being pumped right up out of the ground and all? Is a gas stove too much to ask? I guess I'll have to console myself by spending time in one of our six pools.
Also, I asked what the occupancy rate of the building was, the tour girl said 37% without even cracking a smile or laughing or anything like that. Houstonians.
Posted by stan at 03:15 PM
Another Wierd Thing
The other odd thing is that, while there are tons and tons of cars going here or there, you don't really see too many people outside of the cars. I did about an hour of walking last night and didn't pass more than 10 people on the sidewalks.
Where's everyone going? The Grand Lux?
Note: I should mention all these obervations are based on about a 5 square block area of the city. Those are big blocks though.
Posted by stan at 10:25 AM | Comments (1)
Everything's Bigger in Texas
It's really true, everything does seem bigger in Texas. Not that much different, just bigger. For instance, there are a lot of SUVs in Boston, but there seem to be many more here. What's more, they are pretty much all the biggest SUVs around here, tons of Escalades, Expeditions, Suburbans, Ford F350s etc.
Another example, delis. In Boston, most Delis could be crammed into a shoebox, couple hundred square feet, maybe seating for 6-8. Here, they're all 4000 sq. ft. with giant neon signs. It's mostly empty space too, you just have 30 feet you need to walk to the counter.
It's weird.
Posted by stan at 10:19 AM
Not So Grand Lux Cafe
So I was going to go to the Grand Lux Cafe for dinner last night but couldn't do it. First off, the place is so big you could herd sheep in it, if it doesn't seat 400-500 I'd be surprised. Second, it looked a little trendier than I first thought, and I was alone wearing dirty pants, not a good fit. But what made me turn away were the three (three!) women that walked in the door wearing fur coats as I was approaching. I've got nothing against wearing fur, but it was 50 degrees for Christ's sake. I guess if you have a fur and live in Houston you can't be too picky about your opportunities to wear it, but still, it made me hot just looking at them.
So I walked down Westheimer (heretofore known as Gray Ghost Blvd) for about 20 minutes, didn't pass a single person walking, and found an Italian restaurant with a band playing and the such, it was ok, skimpy beer list, Sorrento's was the name I think. I watched a Mexican soap opera with the bartender and had the manocotti.
Posted by stan at 10:06 AM
December 16, 2004
More Hats
By the way, for those of you scoring at home:
Strip Joints 4
Cowboy Hats 3
It's gonna be a squeaker!
Posted by stan at 06:30 PM | Comments (2)
Tonight
ok, I think I'm going to try Cafe Lux tonight. It is a giant, orange monstrosity of a building, so they should at least have a big bar. I'd go to Morton's, but apparently I have a cap on reimbursable meals expense now, what a screw.
Posted by stan at 06:27 PM | Comments (1)
What's The Hurry?
Boy, the pace sure is s....l....o.....w down here. It's kind of nice because it feels like you're on vacation in a way. But why does it take everyone 30 seconds to pick an elevator button or 4 minutes to order a hamburger here? This place is beginning to feel like a giant CVS, the pharmacy where time does not exist.
Posted by stan at 05:14 PM
Authentic Thai Cuisine
So I took a look around the new neighborhood last night, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to describe it. I guess I'd say that its like a series of really, really nice strip malls, but strip malls nonetheless. I only walked down a couple of streets on account of it takes about 12 minutes to cross the street at each intersection, I was hoping to find the future local bar, but no luck. I did find a pretty good Thai place, Erawan, that was, well, in a shopping center next to the grocery store. Very good service, pretty good food, very few customers. I'm hoping its around at least as long as we are.
Posted by stan at 10:55 AM
December 15, 2004
Red-State Moment
Alright, now things are rolling. In the bathroom a few minutes ago a couple of guys were making fun of the inflexible labor markets in Germany and France and one mentioned how France was "only good for wine and strippers." Nevermind that we work for a French company and this statement neglects France's contributions in the cheese department, or that I could set my friend Chas off on this subject this weekend at his house outside Boston and hear much worse, I think this qualifies as my first bonafide Red-State Moment! I'm glad they're letting me get up to speed on this stuff gradually though.
Posted by stan at 06:30 PM
Houston The Hatless
I guess the one main thing that I've noticed so far from my 5 hours in houston is the conspicuous lack of people in cowboy hats. Isn't this suppose to be Texas? There are so few cowboy hats so far that I'm beginning to think that the would be no repercussions if I decided to Mess with this state. 1 cowboy hat siting so far!
Things I've seen more of than cowboy hats:
Car accidents (2)
Mini-Golf courses (2)
Soda machines in the office that charge you money to get a drink! (2)
Billboards for cemeteries (2)
Adult entertainment establishments (3)
The heretofore unknown phrase "Eastex" (East Texas, I guess) (6 or 7)
Posted by stan at 05:16 PM | Comments (2)
The Arrival
Well, I've landed. A mere hour cab ride from George W. Bush International in traffic snarled streets and I am in my horrible cube on the 16th floor, with scenic views of downtown and Reliant Stadium. I can also see a large patch of trees nearby, which may indicate a park of some kind. Other than that it is a bunch of traffic and chain retail stores so far. I think Sara may have sensory overload from all the options.
Just keep a positive attitude, like me.
Posted by stan at 03:45 PM
December 14, 2004
Houston: It's Hot
I read a while back that the city of Houston was trying to make a pretty big PR push to improve its image and come up with its own "I Love NY" catch phrase. One of the suggestions was Houston: It's Hot, which I guess hasn't caught on, though that is the most oft mentioned perk of the big move.
Well, we'll see. I'm on the 7:40 flight tomorrow morning and will be doing some reconissance for the rest of the week. I've been instructed to fill the little 16MB memory card on my camera with as many low res pictures as possible and canvass the new neighborhood to determine as best I can if Houston is, in fact, hot. According to Accuweather at least, it's going to be more mild than anything else.
Posted by stan at 03:53 PM
December 12, 2004
More Moving...
The moving continues, Sara and I took too more trips up to our now overflowing storage space and put some more stuff in her father's basement. So, if you're scoring at home, our affects are now stored at 4 seperate places in the Greater New England area.
It's getting serious now, my computer is gone (though we still have Sara's two), we only have two plates left and are officially using plastic utensils and cups.
All that and the apartment is STILL unbearably small.
Posted by stan at 05:34 PM
December 10, 2004
Sounds Like A Normal Town To Me
I've had some people mention that crime in Houston is a bit bigger problem than in Boston, but I didn't realize it was this serious. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I was involved in a somewhat similar incident back during my more excitable college years at the KFC on Walnut Street in Newton. Thankfully, the authorities were not involved.
Posted by stan at 04:02 PM
December 06, 2004
Slightly Dispiriting
Sara forwards me this exchange from craigslist:
houston neighborhoods < galia > 09/20 15:05:04
i'm moving to houston from NY and need some advice on what are the liveliest areas to live in.
Sorry, but there are none < jimmy_t > 09/20 17:57:41
Houstonians certainly love their city, but kind of in the manner that a close family might defend some lackluster child. Secretly, they know it's not up to snuff, but they love it anyway, and challenge any outsider to say something negative.
I left Houston a long time ago, and I'm glad I did.
To answer your specific question: ha. There ARE no nabes. Just one uniformly nondescript city that got annexed by Houston/Harris County along the way after another. Neighborhoods are for walking around. Houston's for driving your SUV around.
Good luck...
I'm not sure if I believe this, the website for our new apartment promises us both "urban sophistication" and "international style."
Posted by stan at 10:38 AM | Comments (2)
November 30, 2004
Reprieve
Looks like my first trip down to Houston scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled, due to the crappy cubes not being assembled in the properly crappy manner. What a shame.
Posted by stan at 12:05 PM
Frustrating Meeting
One of the worst parts of this whole transfer business is that a couple of people I work with are losing their jobs. I just got out of a horrible meeting with HR about what those people are suppose to be doing over the last two months with the company now that they have transferred over almost all of their work responsibilities. Needless to say, the company's professed concern in helping these people transition to new jobs as left a little to be desired. Basically, they are going to make them keep coming into the office even though they have absolutely nothing to do.
HR suggested that they could be helpful doing some cleaning around the office. My suggestions that we could get them to do our laundry as well was met with frowns.
Posted by stan at 11:22 AM
November 29, 2004
Those Packing Day Blues
A sad time has come, I officially started packing up most everything in my big, private office with a nice view so it can be sent down to the small, ugly cube in houston with an undetermined view out of the window I had to fight tooth and nail to be located near. The movers are coming to get everything tomorrow morning at 8:15.
Even though I won't be working full-time down there until after Christmas (though everyone else who's transferring is officially gone on Wednesday), this is yet another one of those "it's really going to happen" moments. I still have to travel down there this week, in an apparent attempt to sap yet another day from the calendar that is already overloaded with more things than can possibly be done by the end of the year. And that's just work, it doesn't include Sara and I packing away the rest of our junk and fitting it into storage, 3 papers/exams due at school or the small matter of helping plan this whole wedding (though Sara does most of this, as should be the case). Hard to believe with all that going on I found 5 hours to sit around in my underpants watching TV yesterday.
Posted by stan at 01:31 PM | Comments (1)
November 16, 2004
Office Present
I just walked back into my office from a meeting and sitting on my chair were two envelopes, with tickets for Sara and I to fly down to good old George Bush International in Houston.
One way tickets.
Posted by stan at 10:26 AM
November 10, 2004
Movin' On Up
Finally got approval on our corporate housing in Houston, lets just say we're going to have to be careful not to get use to living this high on the hog. Here are some of the amenities:
Distinguished Post Oak Boulevard Address
This doesn't mean much to me besides that it's walking distance to work
Three Outdoor Fireplace Terraces
Just what you need in Houston, where it is 86 degrees today on NOVEMBER 10.
Six Outdoor Grill Areas
Getting better, but wondering why they need to specify "outdoor", maybe indoor barbecue is a big thing in Houston?
Pedestrian-Friendly Lifestyle Unique in Houston
So it's like Boston kind of?
Billiard Room & HD TV Center
Nice.
Internet Cafe & Coffee Bar with High-Speed DSL, Gourmet Kitchen with Cooking Classes WiFi, Plasma TV's and Digital Scrolling News Ticker
Just like Time Square!
24-Hour Executive Fitness Center
The one thing I've heard most about Houston was that, well, it's a big city in more than one way if you catch my drift. Guess we won't have to worry about that with our 24-Hour Executive Fitness Center. This is perfect since I only like to work my delts after 3AM.
Theater with Stadium Seating & Surround-Sound
Guessing they won't be showing Farhenheit 911 there.
Spinning Room
This is why everyone I've met from the Houston Office seems dizzy.
Six Resort-Style Pools
Seriously, if we don't like Houston I think we can just stay inside for 6 months and be perfectly happy.
Posted by stan at 03:38 PM
November 08, 2004
Beware Intense Cumulus Cloud Formations
Looks like there's going to be a priority placed on rubber-soled shoes once we get down to Houston. Every time I hear about this pollution I think less and less about it.
Posted by stan at 10:46 AM
October 26, 2004
Reality Interrupts Baseball
While this may look like an all-day-all-night red sox site, it actually was created with a different purpose; to periodically chronicle Sara and my impending move from Boston, the bluest of blue states, where we've both lived for most of our lives, to the reddest of red that is Houston. Note that this isn't particularly a move of our choice, but I'm getting transferred for work, Sara can continue with her job offsite and a host of other reasons has made it in our best interest to give it a shot, at least for 6 months. While this was pleasantly interrupted by the sox run for the series, the reality of the whole thing is starting to set in.
As of today, we have a firm date of when we need to be down there, two days after Christmas. We've also been in touch with the corporate housing people and are awaiting floorplans and the like to decide where we'll stay the first 6 months (one place includes the promise of "European charm in the heart of Houston", which is a little much, but most places seem pretty nice so far). We've also arranged for our contractually required intermediate-sized rental car, I've sent off my application to finish up my MBA at UH and I just booked by two pre-move trips down to Houston. Sara has even started the process of trading in her giant iMac for a laptop.
I feel cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.
--------
Posted by stan at 11:23 AM