Black Friday Morning

I debated partaking in my first Black Friday experience. One look at the parking lot prior to midnight helped me decide against it. It looked more like refugees fleeing a hurricane. Instead I went in the morning where I found mostly empty shelves and left behind trash.

The Hook Up

After the brief visit with my old Apache friend we wound up in one of the bars just outside of the boardwalk. I can't remember the name. I'm guessing this is considered packed for a Friday night. My companion pointed out this particular couple. The woman was clearly drunk already. She couldn't stand up straight. She was there looking for a hook up and found the man in the chair. We watched as she would get slightly out of reach forcing him to lean forward and wrap his arms around her. Whatever he whispered in her ear couldn't have been that funny because her drunk laugh topped the jukebox. Then came a slow, country ballad. Our hook up pair danced like pregnant mules right at the bar. We left soon after this so whether or they went home together is beyond me.

Meet the Gunship

While on a recent outing to Kemah I was surprised to see an old friend. I was face to face with an AH-64 Apache Gunship. In case you're wondering what a gunship is, just think of it as a heavily armed helicopter designed solely for combat. Back as a preteen one of my favorite computer games (on a Commodore 64, how's that for old school) was Microsoft's Gunship. It was a combat game where you flew one of these bad boys in your choice of Vietnam, Western Europe (again how's that for old school), and can't remember where else. I spent many happy hours playing this game and blowing sh** up! This bad boy has a 30mm cannon underneath that is aimed with a turn of the pilot's head. The wings can be equipped with air-to-ground missiles and air-to-air missiles. So I said hello to my old friend, took a picture of it, and went on. Great to see him again!

Watching a Game on Sunday

After a day at the Renaissance Festival my friend wanted to catch the Texans game. I'm not a sports fan but don't mind sports gatherings accompanied by food and beer. I can't remember how we decided but we wound up at Buffalo Wild Wings where we grabbed a spot by the bar. The memorable moment was the older couple at the table next to us. The woman left and returned with a magazine. She shouted at the waitress that Jessica Simpson was pregnant. The older woman was actually upset about it. Her husband (I'm assuming) sighed and shook his head. He could care less as did I (especially since neither of us had anything to do with her pregnancy). Yet she treated it as major news. Oh, and the Texans won!

MyBar

A couple of months ago I wound up at MyBar on Hwy 6. I've passed by this place hundreds of times but never stopped in until an after movie date brought me here. It was a slow night as evidenced by only a handful of people present. They were an older, more redneck type which brought to mind the legendary, rural, roadside juke where everyone knew everyone. That thought quickly disappeared when someone set the jukebox to play club and rap music then I remembered I was still in the middle of metropolis!

Renaissance Festival Videos

Welcome to the Texas Renaissance Festival

A Day at the Renaissance Festival

It's been 2 years since I was at the Renaissance Festival. I know it's a big tourist and commercial trap. That's not why I go. I enjoy the festive, laid back atmosphere. Not to mention it reinforces my theory that no matter how one gets, people still like to dress up and play. I prefer the Greek agora for the yummy gyro plates and I will have a glass or few of the mead wine. Fair warning if you buy a CD from the gypsy dancers make sure you have exact change. The girl promised me she would return with change yet she never did. Good thing I'm not going to make a fuss over $3! Regardless I enjoy a day out in the woods in such a festive atmosphere.

1976 Ammonia Spill

On May 11, 1976, a truck loaded with 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia was going too fast taking the curve from the West Loop onto the Southwest Frwy and hit a support rail. The truck overturned releasing the deadly substance into the atmosphere. As a result seven people died and nearly 200 suffered injuries. Take a trip back to 1976 to view this disaster. Read the story here.

Bomber Man Driving the South Sam

Here's the setting. I was coming home from an awesome night out. It was nearly 3 in the morning. I was listening to my old Ipod and Gary Numan's Bombers started playing. That accompanied by the chopped up moon and the virtual sole patronage of the South Sam Houston Tollroad I decided to record the moment.