Category: Houston

Blue Trees in Houston

April 8th, 2013 · · Houston, Travel 12 comments - Tags: ,

Social artist, Konstantin Dimopoulos has a series of installations that involve painting trees a vibrant blue (not with real paint but with a safe pigment that wears off in time). He hopes that these vibrantly hued trees will raise awareness of the global impact of deforestation. He has installations of Blue Trees in Vancouver, Seattle, and various other locations. You can find a listing of cities on his website. Houston and Galveston are a couple of the newest addictions to his series. Kim and I frolicked at the Houston location last weekend. To find more information on the Houston and Galveston installations, you can check out their website, http://bluetreestexas.org/. I highly recommend going soon before the pigment fades!








National Museum of Funeral History

January 28th, 2013 · · Houston, New Thing(s) of the Week, Travel 2 comments - Tags: , ,

415 Barren Springs Dr
Houston, TX 77090
(281) 876-3063
http://www.nmfh.org

I hadn’t seen my friend Cindy in way too long and I was especially excited to see how we would spend our day together over Christmas break. You see, Cindy and I have a penchant for the weird. For instance, we once ate at an allegedly haunted restaurant right before we saw actually reserved human remains as part of the Body Worlds Exhibit. That was exactly what I remembered when I asked Cindy if there was anything in Houston she has been meaning to check out and she told me, “the funeral museum!” I laughed and thought it was best suited for our lunch we had planned at Pho Binh by Night where they serve bone marrow pho. Bone marrow and funerals! It’s another themed date!

If you’ve been following along my blog or twitter long enough, you might gather I’m a sucker for novelty and wacky experiences. So I was super ecstatic about going to a funeral museum. However, I didn’t expect an awesomely curated museum. When someone says “want to check out a funeral museum?” The image that comes to mind is a run down house converted to a “museum” with a shabby collection of funeral programs and models.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the National Museum of Funeral History has an impressive amount of artifacts and originals. There is a heavy emphasis on presidential history with the original hearse that drove John F. Kennedy and Reagan. There is also a whole wing dedicated to the funeral ritual for popes, heavily emphasizing the death of Pope John Paul II. The papal wing even has an original pope mobile! You’ll also find original hearses from around the world and a section dedicated to the funeral and deaths of celebrities. I learned Walt Disney never had a funeral!

I highly recommend giving this place a visit if ever you find yourself in Houston. It’s ten dollars well spent and you’ll get a fascinating history lesson.


Japanese hearse


Eerily accurate model of Pope’s viewing


Custom three person casket


Question: What is your favorite unique local attraction to show your visiting friends?

2011 in Review

December 29th, 2011 · · Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America, Bob the Dog, Creative Endeavors, Holidays, Houston, Lists, Love, Memories, Misadventures, Movies, Photographs, the not so single life 29 comments - Tags: , , , , , , ,

I’ve posted yearly recaps since 2008. I’m a stickler for tradition so here’s my recap for 2011.

Previous years: 2008, 2009, 2010

I had a good year.

Note: All links open in a new window.

January

February

  • It snowed.
  • I didn’t see Alan often because of his work.
  • BDF (Best Dudie Friend) visited Austin! This ended up being the only time I saw him this year.
  • BDF surprised me with cookies. His note gets me Google search hits that make me a little sad.
  • Sent out Valentine cards and socks to my girlfriends.


    • Alan and I hanging out

March

  • Alan took me to my first NBA game, Heat vs. Spurs.
  • BFF had cake balls delivered to me at work.
  • My solemate (deliberate misspelling) visited Austin.
  • Went to Austin’s 2nd Annual Bacon Takedown.
  • Went to Sketchbook Project 2011 tour stop in Austin.
  • Hosted my first giveaway on the blog.
  • Attended a free screening and Q&A with director of Meaning of Tea, a fantastic documentary about tea. Really!
  • Alan and I had a two part dinner to celebrate our three year anniversary at Haddington’s and Uchiko (my favorite restaurant).
  • Attended Austin Food Blogger’s Alliance Launch Party and applied for membership.
  • March was a turning point in my life. I faced myself in therapy. I’m still reaping the benefits.


    • At Sketchbook Project event

April

May

  • I got bangs impulsively, changing my do for the first time in 5 years.
  • Took a canoe trip with coworkers, facing a handful of irrational fears very reluctantly. Obviously, I survived.
  • I participated in Leo’s Habit Course and developed a palate for vegetables by eating one serving a day for 30 days.
  • Flew to Boston to see BFF. We drove to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island, all three were states I’ve never visited.
  • Read 8 books this month.
  • Totes Awesome Channel was founded.


June

  • Went home to Houston for Father’s Day.
  • Rolled down a hill inside of a ball.
  • I hit a boulder with my car. I always hit non-moving objects. Anyway, this was the start of a chain of bumper problems during the rest of the year.
  • I hemmed my first dress! As part of my new year’s resolutions, I wanted to do 10 learning tasks with sewing. This was my first major lesson.
  • Went to third Annual Cupcake Smackdown

July

  • Met Ashley D, Ashley, and Nicole of Totes Awesome Channel and recorded a vlog.
  • Celebrated my 28th birthday simply with a dinner with Alan and then a movie and drinks with friends.
  • Made my favorite video: 28 Life Lessons from 28 People (for my 28th birthday).
  • I caught up to 2007 and got my first smart phone!
  • My friend, Naz surprised me with a vlog from my dad.
  • I got really cozy with Tennessee Williams and his movies. Cat on Hot Tin Roof is excellent!


    • Celebrating my birthday

August

  • Successfully completed VEDA despite being out of town twice and moving!
  • Met up Hillary and Alex in Dallas for our second girls’ weekend of the year.
  • Moved in with Alan.
  • Used my passport for the first time since renewing it 2007. Alan and I took a vacation to Vancouver, Canada, my new favorite city.
  • Saw the bats in Austin for the first time.


    • In front of the Vancouver Aquarium

September

October

November

  • Posted a blog post every day in November.
  • Ran two blocks of a 5k for Race for the Cure and raised 460 dollars. Thanks to a lot of you!
  • Went to Texas Renaissance Festival with Brandi and Jessica. It was our third year going and we decided to only do new things. We threw knives, shot bow and arrows, and had our face painted. It was the first time I’ve ever had my face painted!
  • Had my second blogger date with Treavor.
  • Attended a We Are Girls conference with my little. It was incredibly insightful.
  • Had a Thanksgiving picnic with friends at the park. We threw a whole cooler’s worth of ice cubes into an enormous fountain, to create ripples, to help push a soccer ball to a sad toddler across the fountain. We were successful.
  • Had a progressive meal day with Kim, Thomas, and friends.
  • During breaks between eats, we made paper cranes for Kim’s tree.
  • My bumper nearly killed Kim and me and got us murdered in the woods.
  • Made our sparkly tattoos dance.


December

  • I decide to like Christmas. I discovered it took more energy disliking it than it does to give into the cheer.
  • Partcipated in Austin Food Blogger’s food swap.
  • I was without a car the whole time I was in Houston for Christmas (the bumper needed to be replaced) and was touched to have friends pick me up for dates.
  • Sewed couch pillows with help from mom.
  • Hosting a “Never Have We Ever” dinner party tonight. Post to come!


    • Bob hanging out with snowman

In writing this post, I realized this year was really sweet for relationships. It may have a lot to do with my prioritizing close friends over acquaintances and then learning to set boundaries. Recently, I’ve been in a funk about not having a life’s calling but I have to say, I’m really content with my tribe. Word on the street is that it’s the relationships that really matter.

Wishing you a terrific end of year celebration! Lots of love!


Question: What happened this year with you?

2010 in Review

December 30th, 2010 · · Austin, Birthdays, Holidays, Houston, Lists, Love, Memories, Misadventures, pursuit of happiness, Quotations, Resolutions 2010, The Grind, the not so single life, Travel 13 comments - Tags: , , , ,

It’s that time of year again! I share with you my personal recap of 2010. This year was much better than 2009 (which was much worse than my 2008). It was a year of recovery and regaining balance. I feel very fondly of 2010 but I’m ready to embrace 2011. Bring it!

Note: All links open in a new window.

January 2010


Celebrating New Year’s Eve

February 2010

Progressive Meal in Houston

March 2010


Crawfish Boil

April 2009


May 2010


The back of Conan

June 2010

If a June night could talk,
it would probably boast
it invented romance.
– Bern Williams

I touched Anthony Bourdain's tricep.

July 2010


Jon and Me at my Birthday Dinner

August 2010


Aishah’s 27th Birthday

September 2010


Me & Joe Rogan

October 2010

  • I planned and organized a regional conference for work.
  • My dude turned 26! We celebrated for over a week.
  • Tried my first absinthe.
  • My half sister whom I haven’t seen in over ten years found me on Facebook.
  • Dressed up as a cop for Halloween.
  • Auditioned for a travel reality TV show after receiving an email from a casting director. I took Neville as possible partner and he totally outshone me.
  • A close friend’s brother died unexpectedly. Being with her has been a top priority whenever I’m in Houston. I’ve grown deeper in love for and with her.
  • Tried out Breakfast Klub, a culinary highlight in 2010.

November 2010


Brittany & Me at Race for the Cure

December 2010

  • Participated in Reverb10.
  • Road trip to Oklahoma! Why Oklahoma? To cross off another state.
  • Attended annual Christmas Party for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America with my little and her cousin. This is our third year in attendance!
  • Had hot pot on Christmas day twice. Lunch with Mary Ellen and her mom and her brother, and dinner with my own family. I did exactly this last year for Christmas!
  • Tomorrow’s plan is to party on a rooftop downtown in celebration of a new and fresh year. A stretch Hummer may have been rented.


Annual Christmas Party with my Little

That was my year! I’m happy to have shared it with you and have your support, comments, and readership. It means an awful lot to me. Thank you!


Question: What are five highlights from your 2010?

What Says Home to You?

November 24th, 2010 · · Holidays, Houston, Love, National Blog Posting Month '10 8 comments - Tags: , , ,


Hillary, Alex, and me last Thanksgiving

I’ve been so homesick I could cry. I’ve been craving my friends in Houston. I’ve been wanting to check in my friend who lost her brother last month. I haven’t seen Ms. Kimmy in a while. I can’t wait for our girly date. I can’t wait for tonight, and having a cup of the best hot chocolate of my life (Chocolate Bar in Houston, trust me) with Hillary and Alex. And then again on Friday with Sarah. I can’t wait to see my parents and eat momma food. I’m excited about dim sum with my family on Sunday. I’m looking forward to listening to my dad talk over glasses of Scotch. I’m crawling out of my skin excited!

There’s something magical about picking up where you left things with your oldest friends. Friends who know where you came from and are coming from. We’ve all cultivated separate grown-up lives and reunions kind of bring us back to the roots of ourselves. At least for me they do.

Back in college, my roommate of three years and I had a running inside joke at her expense. She had this cheesy writing class and the last line in one of her essays she wrote, “It says home to me.” And her teacher ate it up despite how cheesy we thought it was. So even now, when something makes us feel so at home and at peace, we’ll half jokingly and half seriously say, “It says home to me.” Then we follow it with giggles, or if it was me who said it, she’ll curse at me for making fun of her. I tell you this because all the things I’m looking forward to about going to Houston, “say home to me.”

Houston, I’ll see you tonight! Insallah. (God willing in Arabic. I say “Insallah” a lot in real life.)


Question: What says home to you?

Why I Dislike Christmas

November 14th, 2010 · · Holidays, Houston, Love, Memories, National Blog Posting Month '10 10 comments - Tags: , ,

Growing up, I’ve always hated Christmas. As long as I can remember, my parents worked Christmas Day and they still do. As I matured, I’ve come to really love and appreciate them for working every day of the year. I understand they did it for us and for the family. However, it makes the actual day of Christmas quite lonely. Last Christmas wasn’t so bad because I met up with Bestie (who visits from New England for the holidays) for some hot pot. This year, it looks like we’re doing it again, which is wonderful. It makes the holiday less lonely.


Bestie and Me, Christmas Day 2009

Generally, I love October through February. October, marks the beginning of the holidays. Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday because I really love celebrating gratitude. Also pumpkin makes an appearance in comfort cuisine in the fall. Mmm pumpkin. Mostly, what really makes October through December so wonderful is the people. Most of my closest friends have moved out of state or are in Houston. The out of towners come to Houston for the holidays since their parents are still rooted. I come home to Houston more to see the parents and it feels wonderful to be physically surrounded by your friends. As we grow older and start popping out babies, I know these friends will fly home to Houston less. :(

Finally, the euphoria lasts through February because February houses my favorite holiday. Valentine’s day!

P.S. This blog post was inspired by Stephany’s 11th confession on her latest blog entry.


Question: What is your favorite family Christmas tradition?

VEDA – Hobbies

August 8th, 2010 · · Houston, VEDA, videos 6 comments - Tags: ,

Three hours shy of midnight, I’ve uploaded a VEDA vlog, filmed in Houston! I skipped Saturday but managed to do one today. Topic is hobbies. Cindy joined me. I’m sorry to blog and run, but I’m running late. Going over to Alan’s to watch True Blood! Apologies for the background restaurant noise.


Youtube Link


Question: What are your hobbies?

Friday 7 Quick Little Takes (vol 11)

July 9th, 2010 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), Houston, Lists, pursuit of happiness, Quotations 10 comments - Tags:

Brenda if you’re reading this and haven’t yet received my letter, don’t read take No. 7.


1.

I’ve been getting a little soft around my belly. I’m not complaining. I know if I get big, it’s A. my own doing and B. been a long time coming. I hate working out. I used to have a 3-5 times a week work out buddy that made working out tolerable. If you throw in socializing and someone to share the misery with, I’m all about it! Yesterday, I stuffed my face at a churrascaria and a few hours later, had a midnight phone date with my college roommate while I ate warm chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies at midnight.

I need to put on my big girl pants and start working out regularly again. Even if I have to do it without a buddy. (The horror!)


2.

That midnight phone date was wonderful. With the majority of my closest friends being long distance, I try to schedule at least quarterly phone dates with them. It rejuvenates me to catch up with a friend who lives in a different city. Grounds me. I love that we’re off busy in our own life and daily routines, and yet they can recognize that I’m still essentially the same person they met 10 years ago and I can see they too are essentially the same. So comforting to know that despite time, growing pains, life’s dramas, we are basically still who we are. That’s some good shit.


3.

Facebook has been suggesting friends I might know on the sidebar when I log in. Under the name of suggested possible friend is a tally of how many mutual friends we have. It tickles me when they suggest people with greater than 10 mutual acquaintances/friends. Right now I have Erica and Stephanie suggested to me and we have 23 and 20 mutual acquaintances. 23 and 20! I wonder if I ever rubbed elbows with some of these people and not know it. I love stumbling /finding these kind of coincidences on my own without the help of Facebook.

For instance, I once had a class buddy in college in my Medical Terminology class. We sat next to each other for almost a full semester before somehow figuring out that we literally sat by each other at a dinner party 2 years prior. Then there’s the story of Cindy. We didn’t meet til 2005. It wasn’t til maybe a year or two ago when it clicked that she was the lucky bitch who sat way on the other side of the auditorium of a class who got flowers delivered to her on Valentine’s day in 2002 while class was going on. Within in the last couple of years, I had a flashback to a time when we hadn’t even met, of her surprised face and flowers being delivered to her. Oi. Crazy!

Doesn’t it make you wonder how many times the people in your life have crossed paths with you before establishing significant presences? Do you have any relevant stories to share?

Blows my mind.


4.

Another thing that blows my mind is this flower about to bloom in Houston. It’s called a corpse flower and only 28 have been known to bloom in the United States. Houston is about to give way to the 29th bloom. From my understanding, it stands at 10 ft tall, is in bloom for 12 hours? and finally, it smells like rotting flesh! If I didn’t have plans in Austin, I’d totally make a drive down to Houston and drag a Houston friend to go see it with me. Cindy? Kim? Go anyway? Here’s the link.


5.


I love me some cheesy jokes. I have about 20 jokes I cycle through for years now. All stolen from friends (Thanks Cindy! Thanks Kim!). Well, I’ve run out of new people to share the same tired jokes and my amigos literally want to crawl into a hole when they see that I’m about to share a joke they’ve heard from me at least 10 times already. This means, I need more material to share. Will you tell me a joke? You can leave it as a voicemail. I’ve recorded one of my favorite jokes to greet you when you call in. It’s a trade! My friends will appreciate the new material. Use the widget below to leave a voicemail.

You need a phone. Google gives you an option to be anonymous. So go ahead. It’s safe. Tell me a joke.

Also, if you’re reading in a reader you won’t see the widget. :)


6.

Life is good. I am happy.


7.

I sent a letter out to France this week. Brenda‘ s off traveling Europe and I’m in Texas envious. It’s been over ten years since I’ve been overseas. Here’s a cellphone picture of the quote I scribbled on the back of the envelope.

quotation on Travel

7 Quick Takes Friday (vol 4)

March 19th, 2010 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), Austin, Houston, In Passing, Personal Finance, The Grind, Travel 7 comments


1.


Last week, a huge dust bunny appeared in our stairwell at work. A few days later, a sign went up.

RIP dust bunny

RIP DUST BUNNY

This tickled me so greatly, I thought I’d share. Also, it’s now almost been two weeks and both sign and dust bunny are still there.


2.

A few days ago at my night job, someone was chatting us girls up when he interrupted himself and said, “There’s a cow in the parking lot.” None of us believed him. I know I live in Texas ya’ll but
really I haven’t seen any cows up close and personal except for in the first grade on a field trip. I spot them from far away when I drive from Austin to Houston but no cows have I seen in either city. The dude was right though. There was a cow in our parking lot! I snuck out there and got as close as I could muster and snapped a picture for you. It didn’t happen unless I have a picture to prove it.

COW!


3.

The ladies at my night job and I are doing a potluck Monday night and the theme is Italian night. I work a full time day job so it’ll be best to do something that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. I was thinking desserts… Hmm. I would love ideas if you have any.


4.

Sunday, Jamie and I have a cooking date. We’re going to tackle making fried dumplings! The recipe will be from a cookbook I won from SteamyKitchen.com at TECHmunch, the food blogging workshop I mentioned last week for 7 Quick Takes.


5.

My layout at GirlEatsWorld.curious-notions.net is generating a lot of overhead. I don’t know what that means other than it spits out an internal error and I have to contact our domain host to “optimize” it. This means I’m now in the market for another layout which makes me sad because I really enjoy the layout that I have. Go ahead and take a peek at it before it goes away… That blog has become my baby.


6.

I miss Houston. I’m going for a weekend in a couple of weeks for my Daddy’s birthday. I cannot wait to see some Houston friends, eat some Houston foods, eat Momma food, and take my dad out to a birthday brunch at my most favorite restaurant.


7.

I’ve reached my saving’s goal for a year’s worth of emergency fund. Now I need to make a few more new goals. I’m thinking I might try to dabble in stocks which is a daunting task for me. I own a total of one stock. And that is Google. That’s the extent of my experience. Ha! Also, am waiting for my free 2,500 Continental miles to kick in from doing a buddy a favor and opening a Chase bank account. I wanna see a little bit more of the world, please.

Straits: Third Stop of Progressive Lunch

February 11th, 2010 · · Girl Eats World, Houston, New Thing(s) of the Week 5 comments - Tags: , ,

A progressive meal is where you go to more than one place for one meal. Some people like to do it by course: an appetizer at one eatery, the main course at another, dessert at a last place. My friends and I do it by what the restaurant is known for. This entry is the third (out of four) progressive stop of a lunch we had in Houston. If you missed the other entries here is a chronological list:

1. First stop: Niko Nikos
2. Second stop: Asia Market
3. Third stop: Straits

Photos used in this blog entry were taken by Thomas.

Straits

800 W Sam Houston Pkwy N
Ste 940
Houston, TX 77024

(713) 365-9922
www.straitsrestaurants.com/

If you click on their website, you’ll see that Straits also has a location in San Francisco, in Atlanta, and in San Jose. I’ve been to Straits before for drinks but have never thought to try their restaurant. Willis, a Houston foodie, recommended that we tried Straits because everything he’s had there he’s enjoyed. Specializing in Asian fusion, the restaurant certainly has a trendy and modern flair in both their cuisine and their atmosphere.

The Food

Our group of four ordered the Roti Prata, a pulled duck sandwich, and Indian street noodles.

Roti is a crisp griddled Indian Flatbread. It came with the a curry dipping sauce. My three eating buddies LOVED it. I thought it was good. It’s like eating puff pastry with a delicious dip and really, that’s hard to go wrong with. I like my carbs.

Pictured above is the slow roasted pulled duck sandwich that comes with a dipping sauce. Seriously, out of all the dishes we’ve tried that day (I’m also including a dinner that is not included in this lunch), if I could only have one thing over again it will be this pulled duck sandwich. It was heavenly. The Asian Slaw and Shiitake Au Jus with the pulled tender hearty duck, dipped into that sauce was such a powerful fusion. You could taste everything! All the flavors and textures contrasted in such a harmonious way that it’s STUNNING. Shit. I’m not kidding when I say of all the delicious food I had that day, if I could only have a repeat of one, it’ll be this sandwich. The fries, dusted with garlic and Parmesan, were a nice complement.


Our last tasting from Straits was the Indian Street Noodles (“Mee Goreng”), wok fried spicy egg noodles,
fried with cabbage, tofu, prawns, tomatoes. This was pretty decent. It sounds perfect after a night out drinking. I guess it was overshadowed by the fabulous pulled duck sandwich. The prawns and tomatoes were especially satisfying.

The Bathroom

One quality I realize I cherish in my friends is their ability to have fun (almost shamelessly). Thomas left us girls to use the bathroom and came back reporting that the bathroom was “awesome.” So we three girls left Thomas to check it out. To our utter childlike amusement, we were delighted that in addition to the hot pink lighting, the bathroom was also a UNISEX. Party in the bathroom! So we came back and fetched our boy, Thomas and proceeded to have a photo shoot.

All in all, I’m pretty impressed by Straits and cannot wait for my next opportunity to come back. (Again, for that pulled duck sandwich!)

Next up and last for this progressive series, dessert at Juicebox!