Party Like They're Still Here...Because They Are

This Christmas, I want you all to party and celebrate and lose your little minds as though everyone you've ever lost is still here.

Dance and sing like dad is still playing DJ on the old stereo and smile like he's still in your face with that damn video camera.

Picture yourself having a highball with Grandma Ransonette, some chicken and dumplings with Granny and dancing a Cajun waltz with Grandpa Courville.  Have a third piece of pie in honor of Grandpa Ransonette and Uncle Wayne.

Chase the kids around the room like Uncle Marty, treat yourself to a beer with Alan and Ray and try to learn to speak Bulgarian like Melissa.

Party like they're all still here, like they're all still watching you, like they're all still enjoying the festivities, because they are.  I promise you, they are.

Merry Christmas Week, everyone!

Thomas Jefferson All Alumni (and friends) Monthly Gathering

Every month for the last couple of years alumni from my high school, Thomas Jefferson in Port Arthur, Texas, have gotten together the last Saturday (sometimes Friday) of the month to hang out and harass each other.  In the past, we've mostly had alumni from 1972-ish through 1980-ish, but everybody is invited and if you'd like to join us, don't be shy about bringing friends. 

This month, our gathering will be Saturday, January 29, 2011, at the Logon Cafe .  The Logon is at 3805 Calder Avenue (beside CVS and across the street from Kroger) in Beaumont.  The sound is great and they also have delicious food.  The band starts at 8:30 p.m., but some of us will be there by 7:30 p.m.

The band Saturday night will be Longneck Road, which is one of my favorite local bands.  Class of 1973 alumni Ron Arceneaux is in the band and I work with the talented founder/singer/musician/songwriter Dick LeMasters.

You can find more details on the TJ Alumni Happenings events tab on Facebook.

Painting With a Twist Party With Family and Friends

So much fun!  Click here for more information.

Now, that's some good looking senior citizens, right there

Six months ago, my 1974 graduating class of Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas decided to start getting together for lunch once a month.  This Saturday was our biggest gathering yet and we had a fabulous time, as always.

When I saw this picture that was posted on Facebook last night, I was struck by the fact that this year we will (or already have) hit that magical senior citizen discount threshold of being 55 years old.

Now, you tell me.  Do those people up there look like senior citizens to you? I think we need a new phrase for the discounts we baby boomers have so rightfully earned.  The phrase must not include the words senior, silver, golden or elderly.

How about a "Yeah, Baby!" discount?

"I would like to use my 'Yeah, Baby!' discount, please."

I like the sound of it.


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Aaagggh...my thumb!

Tonight I had dinner with an old friend at a new restaurant.  This was my second time at Major League Grill and I can officially recommend it.  The food is a bit pricey, but not unreasonably so considering that all of the entrees and appetizers my friends and I have ordered have been truly fantastic.

We had a few drinks (64 beers on tap Saturday, 36 beers on tap tonight...not sure what that was all about...and 100 beers bottled...or something).  I had a margarita and a bananananana colada which were both terrific.

My friend had a beer called a Delirium Tremens which according to some guy who came up to our table is the "Best Beer in the World."  I said, "How do you know that?"  He said, "It was written on the box."  I told him that anybody can write anything on a box and he went away.  Nevertheless, it was one helluva beer (8.5% alcohol content and amazingly tasty), so this discovery required a trip to Spec's.

At Spec's a/k/a The Most Funnest Liquor Store in the World, the Delirium Tremens shelf was of course empty, being the "Best Beer in the World" and all, so my friend special ordered some.  I'm going to be keeping my eye on that shelf. 

I also saw a container of $500 a bottle tequila, tequila in a gun bottle, tequila in a rifle bottle and a bottle of Crystal Head Vodka which I had totally forgotten has something to do with Dan Aykroyd.

What does all this have to do with my thumb?  When I got home, I was very excited to find that my 3D glasses had come in.  Yes.  I actually ordered and paid for 3D glasses.  I'm tired of searching my entire house for the 3D glasses that I know are here somewhere, but I can never find during Super Bowls and MTV Movie awards and things like that, when they suddenly spring 3D events on me and I don't have the appropriate eyewear.

As I was opening the box of my 3D glasses treasures with my box cutter, I cut the sh*t out of my thumb.  Luckily, a margarita, bananananananan colada and part of a Delirum Tremens beer has dulled the pain and I seem to have stopped the bleeding.

Tomorrow is another day, Scarlet.  I'll worry about that thumb tomorrow.

Things You Should Do

You should go to Major League Grill in Beaumont.
(4430 Dowlen Road - near Steinmart, 409-898-7500)

You should go to The Hub on Crockett Street.
(My friend Andrew is now the manager.)

You should see Shawn Pittman if he is playing anywhere near you.

You should have friends like Patty and Doug and Art and Richard and family like mom and Terry and Dan and Bonnie and Katie and Chloe and Steve to hang out with.

You should be very jealous of me.

Terry and Chloe

Terry and Katie

Terry and Dan

Bonnie

Shawn Pittman

Laurie and Richard

Laurie and Art

By Carly (with an 11th Demandment from me)

THE 10 DEMANDMENTS OF CHIT-CHATTING WITH PREGNANT WOMEN (plus one)

Demandment 1
THOU SHALT NOT comment how big a pregnant woman looks. We (pregnant women) are bigger than normal. We know this. We see ourselves everyday and notice how our wardrobe dwindles until all we can wear are huge sweatshirts, our husband's pajama bottoms, and flip-flops. We do not need anyone else informing us of how big we are. Exclamations such as "Damn!", "Good Lawd!", and "You look like you're gonna pop!" do not help the situation. This especially goes for persons commenting on the appearance of a pregnant woman that you have never even met.

Demandment 2
THOU SHALT NOT ask how many babies a pregnant woman is having. This pretty much goes in line with "Demandment 1." Asking how many babies we are having is just as bad as shouting "You are freakishly huge!" It doesn't make for a pleasant day. If we are having multiples we will let you know, otherwise, assume we are having one.

Demandment 3
THOU SHALT NOT call a pregnant woman "Little Momma" every time you see her. You may think you're being cute, but just realize that you are not the only one calling us this. As soon as you pass us and shout out "Hi Little Momma", someone is right behind you saying the exact same thing. When we pregnant women hear this 7-8 times a day, everyday, it tends to wear on our nerves. If you must say something, say "Good morning" or "Hi", like you did before we were afflicted with pregnancy.

Demandment 4
THOU SHALT NOT comment on the "cuteness" of a pregnant woman's "belly." This goes hand in hand with "Demandment 3." You are not the only one clever enough to call a woman's pregnant physique "cute." Everyone says it every day. You are not clever. "Cute" went out the window when we first noticed that our jeans were a little snug and had to buy our first pair of maternity pants. By the sixth month we are not cute, do not feel cute, and hate all cute people.

Demandment 5
THOU SHALT NOT hold meaningless conversation about pregnancy with a pregnant woman. For co-workers and acquaintances: If you could not hold a conversation with us before because you couldn't think of anything to talk about, then please do not use our pregnancy as a topic for the next 9 months. Yes, it's fun for us to talk about the pregnancy at first, but during the last trimester we're talked out. We just want our precious little parasite to be ripped from our bodies so we can get back to normal. We do not have time to hash out details of the pregnancy to everyone. If we weren't best friends then, we won't be now.

Demandment 6
THOU SHALT NOT touch a pregnant woman's stomach without permission. This is a biggie. Just because something is growing inside of us causing our mid-section to protrude does not give you justification to touch it. We're sorry our bellies may be in your personal space while waiting in a line or in a crowded area. We can not help it. If we have not known you for more than 5 years, or do not talk to you on a daily basis about something other than our future child, than hands off. If you touch our stomachs, we're touching your crotch, so be ready.

Demandment 7
THOU SHALT NOT discuss your prior pregnancy woes unless asked. We do not want to hear about how awful your pregnancy was, unless we have specifically inquired about it. We don't care how swollen your feet were. We only care about the fact that our feet are the size of an elephant's and we no longer have ankles. You whining about your swollen feet does not help our situation. Do not tell us to prop our feet up. It doesn't help. Nothing does. It's hopeless.

Demandment 8
THOU SHALT NOT discuss how bad your delivery was. For those of us having our first child, we have no idea what to expect. No book or video in the world is going to prepare us for child birth. Hearing you talk about how arduous your delivery was and how you were "ripped from top to bottom" does not help in any way (and I, personally, cannot believe you would actually tell someone, anyone, that). Regardless of how bad your delivery went, if asked by a pregnant woman how it was, lie.

Demandment 9
THOU SHALT NOT tell a pregnant woman how miserable she looks. We are pregnant...not fat...and therefore, not jolly. Although we may look "cute", we don't always feel like showing it. There is something inside of us kicking our innards every minute, we have to go to the bathroom 100 times a day and our backs hurt. We're sorry that, at times, we can't suck it up and put on a happy face. You telling us we look miserable just reinforces the fact that we're unhappy and are failing miserably at trying to hide it.

Demandment 10
THOU SHALT NOT inquire as to our plan after childbirth and then pass judgment. Do not act shocked if we decide to go back to work after our child is born. What is this, the 1950s? Women do not have to go back to work only in times of war any more. Some of us are the breadwinners and have no choice. I, personally, have bills to pay, such as cell phones, cable, groceries, daycare, etc. Now you may say to yourself, "You wouldn't have those daycare bills if you stayed home with that precious bundle of joy." Even if I did stay home, if you think I'm going to spend more than 5 hours a day with this screechy "bundle of joy," you are sadly mistaken. Mommy needs her "Me" time. Besides, who's going to love and nurture my child if they're home with me all day?

An extra Demandment from me for after the baby is born...
THOU SHALT NOT speak of being tired in the presence of the parents of a newborn.  My baby is 29 years old and I still remember wanting to strangle anyone who said the words "I'm tired" to me in the first three weeks after he was born.  You're tired?  You can take a nap...whenever you want.  You can sleep more than two hours in a row.  You don't have to make bottles, wash baby clothes or try to comfort a crying baby all on five hours sleep in the last twenty-four hours.  There is no tired like newborn parent tired.


Below is the best grandma present I received. If you have a baby or if you're going to have a baby, you need one of these. My grandbaby is almost three years old and we still use this every day...

New Orleans March 2010

I highly recommend this book which is set in New Orleans...

Cleaning out my camera

My Christmas present to the Grand-Fabulous Ava


The Grand-Fabulous Ava cooking something for Oakley


My friend Jen is expecting a baby next month. We had her shower today.

This is the lovely (and delicious) cake.

Jen holding Becca's beautiful baby boy

(Click here for more pictures and videos.)

Cool Venue,..Cool Bands...You're Cool, too...Right?

Friday, December 18th, at The Barking Dog (downtown Beaumont) - Josh Langston Band with special guests Longneck Road. This will be great.

Success!

Saturday, we held a benefit for an ill classmate and made almost $8,000 selling raffle tickets, baked goods, barbeque links and smoked boudain links. Pictures below.

Did you know that when the sausage links are being grilled, they sometimes split open? Did you also know that those split sausages go into a separate "junk" pan and cannot be sold as a "link on a bun?" And, did you know that those split sausage links are delicious little gifts from the gods and that tasting one will make you want to slap your momma? I am now obsessed with juicy, split, "junk" sausage links. Just what I need...another food obsession.

Note to all 1974 graduates of Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas: we're looking for you. Click on the flier below for information on how to contact Karin Shepherd with your information.

That's me in the front in the red coat. I was initially kneeling down and it took about five of those people to help me up. My 54 year old knees, cold weather, twenty extra pounds and three layers of clothes conspired with gravity to hold me down. One of the beautiful things about hanging out with people who are exactly the same age as you is that everyone could relate to my dilemma and they were proud of my courage for attempting to kneel down in the first place.

Me, Duane and Megan laughing at god knows what. We laughed all day.



Favorite stories of the day:

Differences between mothers and fathers
Randy told us that he's always had a hard time convincing his children that he was "hot" in high school. That's what dads do. They try to convince their kids they used to be "hot."

Moms on the other hand work hard trying to convince their kids that they absolutely, positively did not "make out" with anybody under the football stands and certainly didn't speak to the people who smoked dope in the empty field across the street from the school. Moms also never snuck into bars, drank alcohol while under age or made illegal u-turns while cruising "the drag."

Making money while "working the street"
Occasionally while holding their signs (see picture above) and trying to lure people to our tasty goods, drivers would stop and hand money to our sign holders. Margaret was very excited about the $3 someone handed her from a car window. Shortly after Margaret's wonderful $3 moment though, Randy came up to us flashing a five dollar bill.

Margaret still isn't buying it. She maintains that he paid somebody $10 to give him $5. "So, it's a wash," she says. That's her story and she's sticking to it. Nobody works the street like the women of the Class of '74. Especially not the MEN of the Class of '74.

Even we have more sense than that
Shortly after two of our classmates took the signs and headed to the street, they started walking back toward the tents.

"HEY! No way," I said. "Get back out there. It's not that cold, you bunch of old timers."

"Well," one of them said, "We decided it wasn't a good idea to hold our signs up and shout at the funeral procession."

I looked at the street just in time to see the hearse pass by.

Yep, Class of '74. We're a class act.

Jen and her dad

My beautiful friend Jen and the lovely Brian are expecting their first baby. I think this picture of Jen and her dad comparing bellies is just adorable. The look on dad's face is so touching and full of love it makes my heart feel all warm and mushy.

Click here for a story about how I fought the law to make it to Jen's wedding on time.

Longneck Road CD Release Party

CD Release Party
My friends Longneck Road will be having a CD release party this Friday, November 27th. The party will be at The Pacesetter here in Beaumont. About the show from the Longneck Road website:

Friday, November 27, at The Pacesetter Lounge in Beaumont! Longneck Road's CD Release Party for its debut album "Texas Rock" will be held at The Pacesetter Lounge the Day After Thanksgiving! The music starts at 8:30 p.m.! Longneck Road will hold drawings to give away band T-Shirts, CD's, and stickers. In addition, at the end of the night, the band will give away a guitar that was autographed by Charlie Daniels on November 5, 2009, when Longneck Road opened for The Charlie Daniels Band at the "Hats Off To Industry" event held in Winnie, Texas. Come out and help Longneck Road celebrate the release of "Texas Rock"!

Traveling with Longneck Road - Longneck Road World Tour!
Click here for a fabulous slideshow of the Longneck Road Texas Rock World Tour. Buy your copy of the Texas Rock CD, take it with you on vacation, take a picture and forward it to the band. It shall be the biggest "World Tour" of all time!

You can buy the CD on CD Baby (click here) or at the Logon Cafe in Beaumont. You can also download the individual tracks from CD Baby, if that's how you roll.

Video: "The Way She Walks"


Don't forget to go to Radio Free Texas to request Longneck Road songs to keep them #1 on the charts!

Tutu to you

I bought a hot pink tutu to wear with my Halloween costume this year and I love it. It's so girly and fluffy and pretty and fun that I wish I could wear it every day all day long.

Yesterday, my friend Jennifer asked, "Don't you have a tutu?"

"Yes, I do," I said.

"May I borrow it?" she asked.

"Of course," I said.

As I carried my lovely pink tutu into work this morning, I wondered which of the following is more strange:

• that someone needs to borrow a hot pink tutu,
• that a 54 year old woman has her very own hot pink tutu, or
• that someone who needs to borrow a hot pink tutu actually works with someone who owns her very own hot pink tutu?
  

Longneck Road Meets Charlie Daniels...and vice versa

My friends in Longneck Road opened for Charlie Daniels last night and had a great time playing their music for a huge crowd. Longneck Road is Dick LeMasters, Robert Arena, Miles Sykes and Ron Arceneaux.

You can request their music, and I wish you would, on Radio Free Texas (www.radiofreetexas.org).

You can also buy their CD or download their songs individually by going to CD Baby (click here).

Their next show will be Friday, November 27, 2009 at The Pacesetter here in Beaumont for their CD release party. You should go. In fact, I insist.

The Pacesetter
6358 Phelan Blvd
Beaumont, Texas 77706-6159
(409) 866-2100

Where I'll be Halloween night...

The Nature of Bubbles

For those of you who don’t know, our family has lost two dear cousins and my dad this year. My dad passed away only two weeks ago. People ask how we’re doing and it’s a difficult question to ask and a difficult question to answer. We have a large extended family who are all sharing the same emotions right now which helps. We also all have wonderful networks of friends and co-workers who are always nearby for love and support.

The exhaustion and worry our whole family experienced over the past year with Ray, Alan and my dad’s illnesses, are now replaced not only by sadness for those who are no longer with us, but also with a new closeness to our loved ones. We were already a tight knit clan…cousins, aunts, uncles, lifelong friends, new friends...yet somehow we're even closer, now.

The sadness, however, frequently gives way to outrageous bouts of laughter and highly inappropriate remarks which I will share with you one day in the distant future. Very distant. There is no need for you to know the true depths of our depravity. You just aren’t ready for that. Trust me.

As we move forward, feel free to keep asking about us and about our mom and about our aunt and about our cousins. Don’t worry that a particular question will be inappropriate or might make us cry, because here’s the thing: there is no predicting what topic might make a person cry.

Yesterday, I spoke to someone about the flowers at my dad’s funeral for ten minutes without a hint of sadness or sentimentality. Thirty minutes later, I had to leave the room because someone mentioned Easter.

I explained to a friend that although we’re doing well, our emotions are always bubbling very near the surface and that, like bubbles, they suddenly appear and then *poof* they’re gone. You needn’t worry or feel uncomfortable around our occasional distant stares or teary eyes. It’s just the nature of bubbles.

Friday Night

My friends' bands will be playing at the Log On Cafe Friday night. Cover charge is $5 and the bands start at 8:30 p.m. Join us, won't you?

Log On Cafe
3805 Calder Avenue
Beaumont, Texas
(409) 832-1529

Things I've Been Doing Lately...

(Click links under pictures for slideshows.)

Spindletop Spin Rest Stop Commander and Fearless Leader

My Niece Katie's Graduation

Co-Commander in Chief of 35 Year Class Reunion

Can't Take It With You

Busy weekend and I'll have pictures later...Spindletop Spin, Katie and Chloe graduation, movie with friends. We saw "The Hangover" and it was hilarious.

We went to Cheddar's tonight for dinner and I found out the hard way that you can't take the little plastic shaker margarita glass with you like you can from Chili's, Joe's Crabshack, Bubba Gump's, Landry's.......

The little host guy and hostess girl thought it was hilarious that they had to chase me down and tell me, "Ma'am!!! You can't leave with that!!" They laughed their asses off. I gave them a good story to tell: "Some old lady tried to steal a margarita shaker and didn't even try to hide it in her purse!" They were laughing like I had tried to flash the restaurant or something. Now, that would have been worthy of their hysteria.

Word to the wise, don't assume that the cheap PLASTIC drinkware is take-home. Do they really wash and reuse those? I guess that is the "green" thing to do. If they throw them away though, that's not so "green."