Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)–No, It’s Not Really Mexican Halloween

Some people think that El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is something like Halloween because it falls so near that holiday that was brought to America by European immigrants.
From what I’ve learned, it has more in common with Memorial Day than Halloween.  I suppose the connection between these two “dark” holidays comes [...]

Sunday Morning Musings: “Traipsing” with the Laundry and “Gosh All Fishhooks”

I gathered up my laundry and traipsed it over to the laundromat, with my head full of all the changes that are coming with the move.  Yep, it’s almost most a done deal, with the closing less than two weeks away now.
For many, I suppose, there’d be no question about the choice between living in [...]

What’s Matthew Mitcham Up To These Days?

 
The hits on here indicate that a lot of people are still very into Matthew Mitcham, the Olympic gold-medal diver from Australia.  It seems like he’s been a very busy guy since winning the diving championship last year in Beijing.
According to an interview done by afterelton.com: “A year after shooting to worldwide fame, Mitcham isn’t [...]

Grandma’s House and A One-of-a-Kind Photo Collection

For a kid, my grandma’s house wasn’t the most fun place to visit, especially if you went there almost every day. It was pleasant enough on summertime evenings, when the grown-ups sat on the front porch and we kids sat on the “stoop” or ran down into the ravine (which wasn’t really a ravine, but [...]

Another Lesson: Getting the Most for Your Money at the All-You-Can Eat Buffet, Or How To Hide a Gun

This is not my usual type of post, but I couldn’t resist passing this along. It’s one of those stories that makes you think, “Now has that ever happened before?”
Here in Houston, when someone is arrested they are usually taken to the Houston Municipal Jail, and then if they are not let loose or [...]

New Gallup Poll Just Out Shows a Preference for Blue Over Red When It Comes to Political Party Choices

An interesting surprise from tonight’s Rachel Maddow Show is a new poll out from Gallup, which is based on people from each state and their political party identification. I’m not going to paraphrase or quote, because if you’re really interested in the relatively short article explaining the poll and its results, just click over [...]

Nathan Adrian’s Swim Helps the U.S. 4X100 Relay Team Earn Gold in the World Swimming Championships

Sunday TV usually doesn’t have much. I never have the stamina to get into “Meet the Press”. Otherwise, until later in the evening it’s just old movie re-runs and infomercials.
By chance though today, I turned on NBC in time to watch part of the World Swimming Championships taking place in Rome. The [...]

A Glimpse of Galveston 10 Months After Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike hit on September 13, 2008, just a little more than 10 months ago. Preparing for the storm to come through Houston, going through the dramatic ordeal first-hand, and waiting for life to return to normal afterward are experiences I won’t forget.
But in these past 10 months, I haven’t gone to the coast, where [...]

Houston METRORail Holds Ground-Breaking Ceremonies for Two New Lines

Ground-breaking ceremonies were held to inaugarate the beginning of construction of two new light-rail lines in Houston.  Work will be starting on the Southeast Corridor Line and the Northline Corridor Line.
Both of these will connect more commuters to downtown and the present line, which goes from the University of Houston Downtown on the north to [...]

Vicuña, Chile–One of Those “Magical” Places

I was sorting through the box of photos that I have, both tonight and last night, remembering old friendships and re-visiting past trips.
It makes me wonder, in these digital days, whether in the future people will be able to enjoy this kind of collection–either in the hodgepodge of envelopes still from the developer like I [...]