As August hit, I hadn’t had the time to stop and think that my birthday was approaching. And not just any birthday, the big 3-0! A large group of my friends from college and high school had been planning a “Dirty Thirty Bash” in Vegas for Labor Day Weekend. So what else to concentrate on August than getting in shape?!
I went all out. Stopped drinking, started eating healthy, started working out again, and kept the social events to a minimum. I was very strict about it. I was determined to look great in front of 30 of my closest friends in a friggin’ bathing suit. Half of my friends have kids, and have better bodies than me. And it’s terrifying! So I worked my ass off. For an entire month. Even during a trip to the Big Easy for Katie’s Bachelorette party I was still good!
So imagine my surprise when after 4 weeks, I saw no results. I was crushed! frustrated. defeated! I went to the doctor nearly in tears. And sure enough, I had my answer! I had, just like my mom and sister, been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I was elated! Probably the most happy person to every find out they had a disease. I was just so excited to know that there was a reason for my inability to lose weight. I started on meds immediately and they seem to be working! Whew! Thus continued my year of bad health.
Vegas was a blast! With 30 of my closest friends, we closed out the 3rd decade of our lives together, and welcomed the next! I travel to Vegas quite a bit, but I’ll always remember this as the trip that trip that I learned to win at Blackjack! Thanks to Julia, (and to the casino for putting up with our drunk karaoke at 6am at the blackjack table.) | Full Vegas set here.
September: Stormy Weather
In September we experienced some unusually cool weather a few weekends, which always makes event hoping more bearable. One night in particular, as my first Christina was visiting from Florida, I was excited to show her a night in the life of me. We had not spend time together in years and years, so I dragged her from event to event to let her get a taste of Houston at it’s finest.
The Orange Show Foam Raiser, Image: Ed Schipul
We headed to the Orange Show’s Foam Raiser, sponsored by Saint Arnold where we tasted some yummy Lawnmower, and listened to some great music. Next up was the 80’s Movie Night at Caroline. She has heard me talk so much about Caroline int he past months, she was eager to see what it was all about. After a swing through the 80’s party with Erin, Carissa and the crew, we headed for the Museum of Fine Arts for one of my most favorite events in Houston, Mixed Media. We danced all night on the lawn of the MFAH, and I was so excited to share this night with my great, sweet friend. I’ll never forget it.
We had another visitor in September, who wasn’t quite as welcome. When the news that Ike was rolling in, many didn’t know what to believe. Fantastical news reports in the past, had jaded many of Houston’s citizens from taking refuge. I wasn’t about to risk it, and grabbed Michelle and Fayza and headed for my parents in Jersey Village. Dad had purchased a generator large enough to power the whole house and AC. We ended up with quite a crowd, as my mom’s best friend, my sister and her boyfriend, his 2 kids, their dog, his co-worker, wife, 2-year old, and their dog all piled in with me, mom, dad, Michelle and Fayza. Oh, and my parents’ 2 dogs, Patches and Harley. Thirteen in all, plus 4 dogs–who didn’t get along, so we had to keep them separated. It. was. a. zoo! But we were glad to all be together and safe.
The nervousness and exhaustion soon turned to hilarity, as we began broadcasting live from the eye of the storm, followed by a delirious video of how to wash your hair in a hurricane. Still not sure how we all made it out of there without killing each other. | Full Ike set here.
Image: Mark C. Austin
After the Ike madness calmed down, a few musically-inclined souls headed West for Austin’s Annual Austin City Limits Festival. A great lineup this year, with some excellent sets by Band of Horses and Jenny Lewis, and a chance for me to catch one of my all-time music idols, Robert Plant, during whose set, I called my mom, nearly in tears, “I’m watching Robert Plant!” I think she got a kick out of my freaking out about one of HER favorite bands. | View Mark C. Austin’s ACL full set here.
Well Ike took a hike, and we had his trash to clean up. Instead of crying over spilled city guts, Fresh Arts bucked up and decided to make lemonade.
Oct. 24, 2008 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Join the Houston community in a celebration of art and perseverance as we honor the winners and hold a silent auction with all the art you have submitted to the MADE FROM IKE art contest. All proceeds from the auction will go to Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief fund and William Graham Emergency Artist Fund that helps local arts service organizations rebuild the arts in their communities.
Artists will bring their MADE FROM IKE entry to the Caroline Collective Courtyard at 4820 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77004 from 5-6PM to submit to the silent auction. If you are an artist, business or community member who would like to donate other items to the silent auctions, please contact mandy@fresharts.org.
At 6PM, we open the doors of the courtyard and invite the community to celebrate the perseverance of our beloved art scene. Meet artists and organizations who have determination in the face of adversity, bid on some amazing home-grown art made from Ike´s remnants and enjoy a Saint Arnold among friends.
Posted by Monica Danna on Sep 19, 2008 in in the news
As many of you know, my father is a Deputy Constable with Harris County Precinct 1. He is one of their motorcycle patrol units, and often has the chance to escort city efforts. This week, he has been working with the Centerpoint crews, to help them navagate through traffic while restoring the city with power.
I asked him to share a few sentences about the expereince, as I know most of you are still waiting on these crews to arrive.
Their system is un-fricken believable. It is amazing how they organize such a massive endeavor and get it done as fast as they do. Everybody has a sheets and sheets of Orders. They include “Grids’ that are interrupted and off they go. I took about 15 trucks to Cunningham Rd. very close to Jersey Village, huge transformers all over the roadway…………they had them repaired in about 2 hours and it was off to another Grid.
The workers have been on the road for 18 days. They just left Louisiana after some storm there and about to return to home when they were called and advised Houston was in desperate need for their expertise, so they turned around and here they are.
They all loved my Harley, some have motorcycles back home. Everyone I escorted was from out of State. They came down with Yellow Vest and they almost were hit by drivers because the drivers in Texas think Yellow marker are CONES………….they traded them in for the National standard vests color of Light Green………….too funny.
Posted by Monica Danna on Sep 18, 2008 in in the news
Looking for ways to help out in the aftermath of Ike? Here are a few ways to pitch in.
Feed a family
The Houston Food Bank is accepting much-needed donations between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. They also need volunteers in their warehouse from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. to help pack disaster relief boxes for families affected by Ike. (map)
Nurture the animals
The Houston SPCA is asking for items off their wish list. You can make a drop-off from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. While you’re there, find out how you can help. Volunteers are needed to feed baby squirrels and load up animals displaced by the hurricane. (map)
Hug a tree
The city’s green spaces were ravished by Ike. Put the pretty back in the parks by helping to clean debris at Hermann Park from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., or join the Green Work Party at Memorial Park on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Other clean-ups.
Send a text
You can donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund – which is crucial in helping local families devastated by the storm – by text messaging GIVE to 2HELP. (The charge will show up on your bill). Or, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcross.org to make a larger donation by credit card.
Lego sandwiches, Mardi Gras Beads, rising bayous, and overturned umbrellas. All will be in my memories of “hunkering down” for Hurricane Ike.
Thanks to Fayza and Michelle for keeping me entertained. To Dad for keeping the generator running, to Matt and Danny for the BEER, to Jill and Heather for cooking, to Pam for the peach cobbler cooked on the BBQ pit! And to mom for putting up with all of us under one roof for 3 days. and 4 dogs!! Getting nervous again just thinking about it!Note: Mom and Dad got power back yesterday morning!
We’re working on it, Houston. Every day we see more hints of normalcy.
If i haven’t been in touch with you, I hope you and your loved ones fared well during Ike’s smack down on the Gulf Coast. I was one of the very lucky ones to never lose power. Got water back Sunday night. Was never so excited to wash dishes in my life.
I know this may be the last thing on some of your minds, but if you can try and get out this week or weekend, visit a museum, attend an event that’s still scheduled. I promise, it will help. I’ve complied a list here of events that are canceled, postponed, or still going on.
A few thoughts, pictures to share:
My Flickr Photo Set:
I took these while “hunkering down” at mom and dad’s in Jersey Village with a house full of adults, kiddos, and dogs. Thank God for Dad’s last minute generator purchase. Power blew about 6am Saturday.
I would like to commend on outstanding news source that has stood above the rest in this time of information mongering. Our Houston Chronicle online has done an OUTSTANDING job of keeping us informed, up to date with accurate, updated, UNBIASED information before, during, and ongoing through this disaster. From answering readers urgent questions, to letting us know who’s serving cold beer. I’m proud and honored to call this my local paper. People I am honored to call my friends such as Dwight Silverman, David Herrold, and Rob Hays (and many many more) have spent days upon days of doing nothing but consuming and reporting on information that continues to comfort Houston’s citizens. Thanks will never be enough, but know that you have made a difference.
God Bless our fine Mayor Bill White, County Judge Ed Emmett, Centerpoint representative Floyd LeBlanc, the tireless men and women in the Media, our Godsent Police Force (including my father), and thousands of volunteers who have left their homes and families for the greater good of this community, and who, in my opinion, have done an OUTSTANDING job of keeping control, safety, communication, and hope alive in the Coastal communities.
I understand people are still without water, power, food, gas, homes. I continue to think about and pray for these people, for what seems like every second of the day. Tough times push people to the edge, and despite this edge we are hanging on to, I feel these TEXANS have continued to hold steadfast our trust in our city leaders and trust in our neighbors to pull us through this. We’ll get though this. One day at a time.
If you are reading this, I’m assuming you have power or some short term access to it. Please know that my home is open to anyone who needs a warm shower, a cell phone charge, or a blast of AC. Please let me know if you are in need.
I would love to hear from all of you, and how you are doing. Please drop me a commet to let me know you are ok.
Love and big sweaty hugs to all of you! Hang in there!
As August hit, I hadn’t had the time to stop and think that my birthday was approaching. And not just any birthday, the big 3-0! A large group of my friends from college and high school had been planning a “Dirty Thirty Bash” in Vegas for Labor Day Weekend. So what else to concentrate on August than getting in shape?!
| View Mark C. Austin’s ACL full set here.
Join the Houston community in a celebration of art and perseverance as we honor the winners and hold a silent auction with all the art you have submitted to the MADE FROM IKE art contest. All proceeds from the auction will go to Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief fund and William Graham Emergency Artist Fund that helps local arts service organizations rebuild the arts in their communities.
