Ava's Valentine's Day

I'm having trouble uploading videos tonight. So, to see all of the pictures plus videos, click here.

Blowing bubbles with paw-paw...















Waiting for mommy and daddy to get back from their Valentine's Day movie date.

(The rocker Ava is sitting in was my rocker when I was her age. My mom and dad reupholstered it and repainted it for the Grand-Fabulous-Ava.)

And you thought I couldn't do it

A week or so ago, I did this post and there were doubters (Steve) who thought I wouldn't be able to conquer such an intensive schedule of events. With the exception of "The Rat Pack" which Mary Beth and I never got around to and Mardi Gras and the February alumni gathering which haven't happened, yet, I rocked them all.

All of Dick's bands (Badfaith, Longneck Road, Madison Monroe) were terrific, as usual. Ray Wylie Hubbard was great in the newly remodeled Courville's. Check out the Courville's schedule for upcoming shows.

As fantastic as all of that was, the highlight of my week was the discovery of the band I saw tonight. Evidently, they've been around a couple of years, but I had never seen them before. The band is called Simple Logic and the lead singer is the best I've ever seen locally and I've seen lots and lots and lots of incredible local talent in my day.

His covers of Maroon 5, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton, Train, Dishwalla, Matchbox 20 and so many others that I can't even remember were perfection. Then, as if all that weren't enough, to top it all off, he did Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

Upcoming: Kinky Friedman at Courville's and Simple Logic opening for Billy Bob Thornton's band at Whiskey River. I'll keep you posted.

Also: Thank you, Beaumont, for being non-smoking. Four bars in four nights would not have been nearly as enjoyable drenched in smoke.

Bar/Club/Cafe recommendation: You should check out the Logon Cafe. Good food, nice people, interesting beer and wine selection. Ever had a Hoegardden beer or a Tercos Malbec wine? You can get both at the Logon and I highly recommend the turkey melt.

Happy Singles Awareness Day to Mii

They were out of the Wii Fit, but this will get me started.

Up in Smoke: Seth Myers and Saturday Night Live on Kelloggs and Michael Phelps

Good luck to you, sir

I heard a commercial today for some jewelry store that said, "You only have one day out of the year to show her how you really feel."

Only one day? Really?

If you're only showing her how you feel one day out of the year, I assure you she already knows how you really feel.

I don't usually floss there

Sometimes inspiration for a new purchase comes from an unexpected source. This morning as I was walking the dog, he stopped to take his regular morning poop. Instead of finishing, however, he started to do the butt-scoot-boogie across the grass. Upon further inspection, I realized the mint flavored dental floss he had evidently eaten out of my bathroom waste basket wasn’t going to come out on its own.



As I was pulling the crap encrusted dental floss out of Oakley’s ass, I thought, “You know what you need, Laurie? A covered waste basket for the bathroom.”

My latest purchase. Money well spent.

Good Chocolate

Chocolate Eclair

Chocolate Praline

Fudge!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Chocolate Covered Pecans

Chocolate and Caramel

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate Icing on Glazed Donuts

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Bad Chocolate

Chocolate Pearls
Do people really like these?



Chocolate Lip Gloss
Not as yummy as it sounds.



Chocolate Candle
Also, not as yummy as it sounds.


Chocolate Mint
I don't like chocolate and mint together. Blech.


Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate
How could anything called bittersweet possibly be a good thing?


Dark Chocolate...and Mint
No, no, no.




Orange and Chocolate
No, no, no, no.



Orange and Chocolate and Mint
No, no, no, no, no.




Chocolate Bubblegum
I can't even imagine who thought this up.

Chocolate Mint Bubblegum
Not no, but hell no.

Bits and Pieces

One day last week, I kept passing by a co-worker's desk and seeing the above bubble wrap with a hammer on it. How bad has your day been when you have to take a hammer to the bubble wrap?
As I was preparing my healthy lunch of sausage biscuit, potato chips and Dr. Pepper, I noticed my supposedly unopened box of six sausage biscuits was two sausage biscuits short. What the hell? Jimmy Dean owes me some sausage. Upon further inspection, I found that some pot heads had opened the bottom of the box and snaked two sausage biscuits. A pot head owes me some sausage.


We have a new cable channel called "Chiller." At first, I was excited. After perusing the channel guide, however, I find the station carries a lot of slasher type stuff, which I'm not crazy about unless zombies are involved. On the other hand, there's going to be a Twin Peaks marathon all day Tuesday. I feel a sick day coming on.

The Kind of Post That Makes George B. Jealous (not George Bush)

Saturday, February 7 - Aunt Hazel 65th Birthday Party!

Sunday, February 8 - Benefit for my cousins (see post below)

Tuesday, February 10 - "The Rat Pack" @ Julie Rogers Theater

Wednesday, February 11 - Badfaith (*) @ The West Bar & Grill

Thursday, February 12 - Ray Wylie Hubbard @ Courville's

Friday, February 13 - Southern Embers and Longneck Road @ Logon Cafe (*)

Saturday, February 14, Simple Logic with Madison Monroe @ Logon Cafe (*)

February 20, 21 and 22 - Mardi Gras Port Arthur (*)

Tuesday, February 24 - Mardi Gras @ The Star Bar on Crockett Street

Saturday, February 28 - Monthly TJ Alumni Gathering @ The Star Bar on Crockett Street

(*) My friend Dick is in all these bands.

Benefit for My Cousins

My cousins Alan and David (they're brothers) have both been recently diagnosed with cancer. David's son and some former classmates are putting on a benefit for them this Sunday. They were both big skateboarders and surfers back in the day, so it's really cool that the organizers have even put together a skateboard contest.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with this and I look forward to seeing everyone there. Details below...

February 8, 2009 from 1pm to 5pm
Fast Freddy's Barbeque (click here for map)
Corner of Highway 366 and 32nd St.
Groves, Texas
Contact Info: 409-351-1155
Organized By: Dylan Hebert

Live music and skateboard contest. Links and drinks $3.00. Come join us at Fast Freddies to raise money for David and Alan, brothers who have been diagnosed with cancer. There will also be an antique sale. All money raised will help with medical expenses. Donations would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a donation please contact Ken LaGrappe at 409-351-1155 or Connie Nicholas LaGrappe at 409-727-3286.

Want to See Something Scary Cool?

A few years ago, Google added "Street View" to its Google Maps. At the time, it was mostly limited to large metropolitan areas. Not anymore.

1. Go to Google
2. Click on the maps tab
3. Type an address into the search bar
4. Click on the little man (where the red arrow is pointing to the red circle) and drag him onto the map.



You might have to play around with it a bit to get used to it, but it's very cool. I "drove" all over Port Arthur last night.

The scary part? I typed in my parents' address and not only did their house pop up, but my dad's name popped up also. I assume this will happen for anyone who is listed in the telephone book, but still. Weird.

Giant Squid Kisses and Octopus Hugs

This past Saturday night was our monthly all-alumni high school gathering which I began insisting people attend about three months ago and which has become a rousing success. If you're fortunate enough to have friends you've known for over 30 years (and in some cases, your whole life), you know that the standards for acceptable behavior are very low when you're all together, especially if alcohol is involved.

Saturday I was standing around minding my own business, when I was waved over to a group of people to have my picture taken. Looking back, I remember them having unusually big grins on their faces, but I just thought they were really, really happy to have me join them in a picture. Did I mention I was drinking?

When I got to the group, they said, "Stand by, Jay." I stood by Jay, posed for the picture with my lovliest smile and Jay kissed me on the cheek. I started to walk away and he said, "Let's take another one. You're supposed to kiss me." The request for a second picture should have tipped me off to a possible setup, especially since the grins of the people behind the photographer (*) were growing even larger, but it didn't. Did I mention I was drinking? I did?


I posed once again with my lovliest smile and was kissed again my Jay...with an overwhelming amount of tongue and wetness. Everybody laughed their asses off. It was, as I had not suspected, a setup. I did mention I had been drinking, right?

I did my best to keep my lovely smile on my face and not freak out like Lucy when Snoopy would kiss her. For hours after the smooch sneak attack, I visualized Jay's tongue as something akin to the giant squid I had recently seen on the National Geographic Channel.

I walked back over to my friend, Brent, and said, "I just got French kissed by Jay. It was very wet. They took a picture. Now, I'm going to have to pay Luke for that picture. I need to wipe my face. They took a picture. There's a picture."

"Don't worry," Brent said. "The picture will only cost you about two bucks."

"Yeah." I said.

"Of course, the negative is probably going to cost about fifty."

(*) The photographer is our classmate Luke who takes pictures at clubs and sells them back to us. Clever bastard.

Let's Save Some Money

You know how when you're checking out your merchandise and the cashier asks you, "Do you have a [fill in the blank] card?" your first reaction is, "Just check out my groceries and let me get the hell out of here."?

Next time they ask you that question at a Hallmark store, CVS or Kroger, think twice before saying no. You can actually save money with these cards.

I occasionally get coupons in the mail from Hallmark for anywhere from $5 to $10 off my next purchase as well as all kinds of other special offers. If you have a CVS card, be sure to watch your receipts. Your "Extra Care Dollars" are at the bottom of your receipt and you will sometimes get them through e-mail. With your Kroger card, you not only save money on groceries, you can also save money on gas.

These are the only three cards I use regularly. If you have others you like, let us know in the comments.