Another Successful I-Fest

First, on Saturday I saw the Low Rider Band, formerly known as War!
Bonus: while there I ran into my long-time and long-lost friend, Albert. I hadn't seen him in something like 3 years or so. It was great to see him and catch up a little and enjoy the Low Rider Band together, though I got mad when he said he had forgotten about the time we got so drunk on White Zinfandel we almost got thrown out of Billy Blues when we went to see A.J. Croce there! That was such a hilarious event in our history.

Closing the night was the Neville Brothers, who I have never before seen and it was well worth the wait. I was right up front, natch. My jaw dropped when Aaron Neville sang "Tell It Like It Is" and reminded us that it had been a hit in 1966. I couldn't believe I was watching Aaron Neville sing a song that was 42 years old and he was doing it right in front of me and he looked like a million bucks! I mean, look at him!!! God, nobody sounds like the Neville's when they harmonize and I guarantee it.

Sunday was the day that reunited me with my love, Taj Mahal!

I pulled my little "2:10 Train" trick again. [And I may have told this story on the blog before but I don't care!] About 6 or 7 years ago I was at Gruene Hall where Taj was playing and I was, uh, right up front, you think? Anyway, I yelled out at one point for him to play "2:10 Train", which is my favorite song off the Rising Sons album (the short-lived 1960's-era band he once had with Ry Cooder, et al, when they were just kids) and he stopped dead in his tracks and said, "Who said that?!?" I raised my hand and he looked at me, looked away, looked back, took off his glasses and, wide-eyed, said, "Nobody's asked me to play that song in 30 years." He was flabbergasted! He started to pick the first few notes of it, looked at me, and we both laughed. The audience was like, WTF? It was great!!!

So I did it again last night. He did the same thing, stopped and said, "Who said that?" and I waved my hand and blew him a kiss. He laughed again and seemed to have a momentary flashback from when I did that before! He told the audience, "Man, every now and then someone calls out for something from way back in the DAY!" He picked out the first few notes again for me and I just laughed. And again the audience was like, ok, she's hardcore. At the end of Taj's set I had to squeeze out a few tears, not knowing when I'd see him again! Damn, I've only seen him in concert like 7-8 times!
Taj ended his set with an African jam session with the African/Belizian musicians that had played the stage before him. God, how I love that man. Taj will cure whatever ails me, every time!

It's S's Birthday!!!

And for the next 12 days, he will only be 4 years younger than I!

So it's my annual S Honor Day on the blog. But what can I say that I didn't say last year? Well, the reason I'm posting a pic of him that's 3 years old is b/c he doesn't like having his picture taken. So I don't have too many recent ones of him to post! I did get a new one last night though, his class photo from the academy. As usual, he looks pained and uncomfortable in it. I still don't understand how someone who was approached to be a model due to his good looks takes such bad pictures! Anyway, I gave S his Heroes DVD last night and he was delighted. I also gave him an extra $20 today to buy himself a nice lunch and Starbucks today and tomorrow. And tonight we will dine at our favorite sushi restaurant, and he doesn't know it but I have invited some of our closest chums to meet us there, so he should be surprised when he sees them. Biggest of all, I'm getting off work a little early to go pick him up from school, at which time we will go to a local gun store and buy him this weapon since right now there's a rebate and extra sale on it! I hope the govmint appreciates us using our stimulus check to purchase firearms. It will be nice to get my gun, Esteban, back from S since right now we're sharing weapons. (And yes, my gun Esteban was named after S!)

More I-Fest this weekend for me, both days! Taj Mahal is the very medicine I need. Then again, he always is.

It's Birthday Season

The flurry of April-May birthdays has begun. Tito J.'s was Sunday. My dad's was Tuesday. S's is tomorrow. And mine is up and coming! Even L.'s is on May 17. Finally, we end with the baby's on May 31.

We had a nice little dinner for my dad on Tuesday night at a local Thai restaurant. I had to order a Sake Bomb and couldn't believe my father had never had one, so he got one too. So much for his not drinking anymore, but all know that will never last. Anyway! My father announced to the entire table that I was his exact carbon copy. All kidding aside, in some ways, yes. Fortunately and most unfortunately.

I want to go see the great Steve Earle do an in-store performance tonight at Cactus Records!!! My dad and brother will be there. However he plays at 5:30 and I am stuck here at work until 6. However, Cactus is only about 15 minutes away. If I sneak out at 5:45 I can catch the last of it. However, then I still need to go to Job #2 to make some quick $, and I won't get to finish until late in the evening. But it will be so worth it!

I'm a little ticked off b/c here at Job #1 we had 9 bloody literature searches come in on Monday a.m. I did all 6 of the ones that got submitted to me--apparently it takes the 2 other librarians here in my dept. who are older and more experienced than I all week to do the other 3. Yet somehow I can do 6 on my own. Draw whatever conclusion you want about that, I don't think it makes them look good regardless. And they weren't very easy searches either, and required hours and hours of me staring at the computer screen, reading and analyzing citations for pertinence (in between goofing off). My eyes even got strained. We did hire a new librarian who started on Monday which is great b/c she will definitely take on some of this work load--once she gets trained.

I went to a nice luncheon on Tuesday at the J.W. Marriott in honor of Minority Cancer Awareness Week. The keynote speaker was Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, the former head of the Tx. Dept. of Health and Human Services. He talked about health disparities, and cited this great TV documentary. However, since I have read several books on the poor working class of America, I couldn't help but be a little outraged when he talked about the uninsured working class and how medical professionals should promote prevention of disease and do what we can to reach poor minorities, etc. etc. and I looked around the room at all the Mexican waitstaff. Then I thought of the Mexican women upstairs cleaning the rooms of the J.W. Marriott. All doubtlessly uninsured and underpaid!!! And I was sitting in a room filled with people with letters after their names like M.D. and PhD. and undoubtedly insured and certainly with 6-figure incomes and these lunch tickets cost $50 each! (The only reason I was there is I took advantage of a ticket that was donated to one of my organizations!) And I'm just thinking, ok, why don't you start with the people in this hotel, Dr. Sanchez. How about the woman that just refilled my ice tea? Let's see when the last time she had a mammogram was!

I left the luncheon feeling discouraged and frustrated. But at least what I do IS a free service to the people. I promote good health websites all over town and offer free consumer health reference assistance to anyone. However--you have to have access to a computer or know my phone # and have access to a phone or be able to get yourself to a public library at the very least. And who has time to do that when you're working and taking the bus and taking care of kids and just trying to stay alive??? Then again, most librarians and libraries have always had a problem reaching the poor and lower class. This is definitely nothing new.

I Was So Charmed

First of all, this past weekend was really great. It has been way too long since I saw some good live music and I-fest really scratched my itch, as it always does. Everyone is always in such a good mood at I-fest and I always see music-loving friends that I only see once a year there! But the highlight of my Saturday was these kids: the Carolina Chocolate Drops! Holy shit. Oh my God. They charmed the socks off of me, and that is not the easiest thing in the world to do, musically! Me and the baby planted ourselves right in front of the stage and loved every minute of it and it was just pure luck that we were even at that stage to begin with, b/c minutes before that I had just happened to be bored and reading the I-fest program while waiting for the baby to finish making some glitter lion masks in the Kids' area and I happened to read the description of the "Drops." Fiddles? Old-timey music? 3 young black kids? I'm there!!! I was amazed and astounded. Some other friends of mine were in the audience too, which is always a sign that I've chosen my music wisely. Right up front there were several little kids dancing and soon the baby joined them! The Drops even did "Jack of Diamonds", an old-timey song that I have never heard done live before and I was so tickled! They each took turns on fiddle, banjo, kazoo, jug, and their harmonies were dead-on. DAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNN... I had to give them a standing ovation when they were done. Later on they played at another stage and I dragged the baby over there so we could see them one more time. I was just sad that I had no $ to buy one of their CD's!!!

So it was a beautiful day out there, a perfect I-Fest day. The baby was a real trouper and beginning at around 6:30pm, only asked me about 5 times when we were going home. But I told her that I still had to see one more music concert, Buddy Guy at 8:30, and I distracted her successfully with frozen strawberry drinks, dipping our feet in a rock fountain, petting rescue dogs, and the duck pond. (As always, pic's as soon as my lazy ass gets 'em off the digcam.) This one guy said, "You're taking your daughter to see Buddy Guy? You know he cusses a lot!" But I replied that my parents dragged me around to stuff like that so if it was good enough for me then it was good enough for her. We only saw a song-and-a-half of Buddy Guy anyway b/c by that time I really was tired, though really happy!!! And the baby was too.

Next weekend at I-Fest: the Neville Brothers and Taj Mahal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God Bless Chris Gaffney

The quintessential Country Soul Singer. I didn't get to see him in concert nearly enough or get enough kisses on the cheek from him. RIP, I love you.

OK, Point Taken

Was talking to P. in VA today and told him of my "do-nothing" weekend and how great it was to do for once in my life. He said that's how he remembers me living my life all through college. He never lets me forget that I used to schedule my classes based on what floor they were on in a building. First floor classrooms were mandatory for me b/c I was always running late and had no time for stairs. (And yet, I still shined brightly as a scholar, making the Dean's List several times. So there!)

Gave blood today. Ate a huge chocolate sundae afterwards--they always have sundaes when you donate across the street at the hospital which is why I like to go there. My phlebotomist said my arm with the so-called scar tissue and the good vein is just fine and I can use it to donate all I want. I wonder if any of them know what they're talking about, ever. And how come 90% of phlebotomists are black, anyway? What is UP with that?

Although the Shel Silverstein bio I just read was a big letdown, there was one quote from him that stuck with me. Someone asked him what he thought about going to therapy and he asked why would he waste his time with that? He said something like, "If I was hung up on goats, why I'd just go find myself the prettiest, cleanest, nicest goat in the whole world!"

Point taken.

Wednesday Night Off

Well, it looks like they ran S pretty hard at the academy today, doing all kinds of nasty stair drills and such, so he is exhausted and we are not going to go shooting tonight after all. Meaning: I have a Wednesday night off! I can't freakin' believe it. This means I have time to run by the local county library to pick up my next book to read and also I'm going to take S to get dinner at Chick-Fil-A b/c the one by our house is finally going to reopen tonight after being closed for awhile for renovations. (And I have a stackful of coupons in my purse that the nice lady at Payless Shoes gave me last weekend, all b/c I was in the right place at the right time. I also was nice right back and bought 2 pairs of summer sandals there, on sale!) Plus we need to finally watch Walk Hard which we rented on Monday and still have not yet had time to watch.

I ordered b-day presents for me and S that are coming in the mail. His is Heroes, Season 1. He's only been wanting it since Xmas! Mine is this CD that I owned as a tape many years ago and decided I needed again! I was lucky enough to meet the great David Bromberg once. It was at the Art Car Ball and my mom was the one that spotted him, just walking around. (His wife is a big art car notable.) I walked up and said hi and that I was a fan and I hopefully only gushed a little bit. Oooh-wee!

The Devil Wears Prada

I almost forgot to post about this movie, which I saw this past weekend! It was creepy. My library director is just like the Meryl Streep character. I squirmed, watching her. "Get me the unpublished Harry Potter manuscript or don't bother coming back to work." I have been there, metaphorically speaking, baby! But I laughed out loud when Stanley Tucci told Anne Hathaway that size 6 is the new size 14. It is so true! (And I'm a size 6 these days, so I can relate!) Anyway, it was a fun movie, even if it did hit a little too close to home.

Here's What I Did This Weekend:

Nothing. Lord, was it nice. I sat on my ass at home except for when I went to the gym. I caught up on my reading, sort of. (There's always plenty more to read. My Good Reads queue has something like 16 titles in the To Read category.) I couldn't even bring myself to go on patrol. It's like in the movie Animal House when Katy pleads with Boone not to go to the toga party and offers to write him a note saying he's "too well" to attend! Yeah! I was too well to go on patrol!!! Also reminds me of a Peanuts comic strip where Peppermint Patty knocks on Marcie's door and very excitedly says something like, "Let's go spend the day doing absolutely nothing and regret it for the rest of our lives!" then in the next panel you see them relaxing under a tree, eyes closed, smiles on their faces.

My new favorite thing in the world is Milk of Magnesia. I know I mentioned it before but I found out this weekend it has another handy purpose. It also works as deodorant! Shit, I ain't spending any more money on dermatology drugs OR Lady Speed Stick!!! I'm also very intrigued to read this book as well. I've become very anti-prescription drug lately. That said, I do recognize that some pharmaceuticals can be helpful. As much as Valium and Vicodin annoy me, boy do they work. Well, maybe I'm just becoming more skeptical through the years. Was it Confucius or Mark Twain who said that education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty?

S's birthday is coming up on April 25. I already gave him one of his gifts, a Starbucks gift card with what I consider to be a lot of $ on it. Though I do not approve I know he is needing his coffee lately due to school and I knew the card would make him happy. And it didn't cost me anything since it was a credit card rebate. Now I just need to get him one more gift. Our b-day's are going to be low-key this year due to his schooling, my working, and the bulk of our "fun" finances going towards our South Padre vacation. I don't even know what I want for my b-day this year! Well, I think I do want to eat at Goode Co. Seafood and I saw this chocolate cake at La Mad. that looked like it wanted to come home with me...

Ok, back to work and my literature search on how cyclosporine can cause blindness and vision problems. :-(

Dinner

The dinner last night was a'ight. Unfortunately I had to sit next to the 2 biggest work jerks but they were pleasant and the food was awesome. The waiters kept bringing out huge plates for the table's lazy susan. There were at least 6-7 courses! And at the end, after everyone started sneaking out I waited and the waiters brought out the styrofoam trays for doggie bags and I scooped up the rest of the food, of which there was lots, for me and S. He ate some of his when I got home last night and we still have dinner for tonight!

This will be my last relaxing weekend for awhile, meaning there's nothing scheduled. Well, I suppose I am going to have to work one patrol shift, I just haven't decided when that will be exactly. But otherwise I am going to relax around the house, go to the gym, catch up on my reading, watch The Devil Wears Prada as soon as Netflix sends it, and generally chill. My next weekends after this one are booked solid, all the way through May 24, no fucking joke! Sure, they're booked solid with fun activities like IFest, birthdays and vacation, but still, fun can be work in its own way too. To quote the Cat in the Hat: "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how."

Go Fly a Kite

So fly we did, last Sunday at the church picnic. The baby picked out a yellow butterfly kite for us to buy her, of course. This has been one busy-ass week. Then again, all my weeks are busy-ass! Yesterday I was at an all-day health fair, but it was nice and low-key and they fed us lunch. This a.m. I had a mammogram, after which they gave me a pink carnation which I thought was a lovely touch. Tonight after work finds me deep in SW Houston at one of the more famous local Vietnamese restaurants for a dinner gala honoring the folks whom I partner with on one of my many work projects. I don't want to go. But I have to. I don't want to go, though. Unfortunately, this week I'm experiencing bad-attitude vibes again due to dealing with higher-up, unreasonable work jerks again. (S: "What you are experiencing happens at all jobs.") And unfortunately, I just found out the head jerk is also going to be at the gala. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find the table farthest away at which to sit and stuff my face!

Excellent dermatology note: Milk of Magnesia is my new wonder drug! No, not for that, I said dermatology!!!!!!!!!!! Man, spread it on your face and see what happens. No more pores for you, no more oil for you! No more need for Mary Kay oil control lotion--no more zits??? We'll see about that last one, but so far I am amazed and astounded. (After I spent $85 on prescription dermatology drugs, that don't even seem to work very well and one which made me sick as a dawg!) For reals. And it lasts all day too and remember, I work 13-hour days!!!

I-Fest note: I am getting geared up for I-Fest. My beloved Taj will be there!!! Also Buddy Guy and the Neville Bros. I'm so excited. Taj will be there!!! And I'll take the baby out there too for one of the days. Unfortunately it'll just be us 2 b/c S has another couple of academy Saturdays, but she and I will have a good time just like last year. I'll break out the radio flyer so I can drag her around! S will be there with me for Taj, though. I CANNOT WAIT. Taj loves me, you know!

Australopithecus Afarensis

I saw Lucy today! It was fascinating. Her skeleton was in a dark room with a uniformed armed Houston Police officer seated mere feet away. I don't blame the museum for putting him there as these bones are completely irreplaceable. I felt so incredibly lucky to be able to go on my lunch hour just a mile away to the science museum to see Lucy, and for free too since I had won the tickets on the radio! I am also now fascinated a little with Ethiopia. It sounds like a very cool place to visit!

Wild, wacky weekend coming up. Tonight S will go pick up the baby while I go fit in a couple of hours at Job #2, then on to an event this evening that my father and the Right Reverend Laszlo Murdock Esq.--who may or may not actually be the same person--is throwing. From the press release:

It is a benefit; the tickets are $10 and you will get to see films on the subject of sin and salvation, redemption, armageddon, etc. This is a lot of entertainment for $10 and you will be able to tell all of your friends that you are a supporter of local independent filmmaking.
The Right Reverend Laszlo Murdock, Esq. will be one of the featured Masters of Ceremony for the night's events.
I know that many of you have been asking about the recent activities of the Right Reverend and he will make a rare personal appearance to answer for himself. He has been traveling the world spreading the good news of the gospel and of course taking side bets with his good friend, associate and bookie, Stinky. He recently made ecumenical history by meeting with the Pope, and on the same day he was seen bicycling around St. Peter's Square with a couple of 'nuns'. He has also been seen in Las Vegas shooting craps with the Dalai Lama. He is also in pre-production on a documentary film about his life starring La Llorona, the Cucoy and the Chupacabra, all three of them in a carpool.

Tomorrow I am very excited as the whole family almost will be trekking down to Galveston for an outdoor chirren's festival at which the great Brave Combo will be playing--2 sets! Sunday will find us doing the church thing, then doing the church picnic/kite flying thing after that. We even have a personal invitation from the youth pastor who is also our neighbor.

Finally, I am going to spend some time figuring out how I can scrape together some $ to send to one of my most beloved musicians of modern times, Chris Gaffney, in his time of need.

Weeds

Weeds is my new favorite show. Besides being hilarious, it has the best music I have heard on a tv show in a long ass time. They use songs from everyone from Don Walser to Angelique Kidjo to Ozomatli and all kinds of hip shit. But since it's on Showtime I am DVD'ing the episodes, of course. Yay, Netflix.

Decent weekend. Worked at Job #2 on Saturday morning, went to the gym, saw 21 the Movie that night (it was just ok). Sunday helped J. move and therefore had a sore back yesterday. When moving boxes and furniture there are just some awkward moves that can't be avoided. It helped that we had a candidate interview yesterday at work and took her to eat at the fancy restaurant on campus and I grubbed seriously AND ordered dessert on the company's dime.

S only has 1 more month of the academy. Wow! Light at the end of the tunnel.