First Family Cajun Christmas

Our First Family got together last night for our annual Christmas party. It was hosted by Jim and Dinah, and seeing as they're both from Louisiana it was advertised as a "Cajun Christmas." I was a little confused when we arrived because I thought it was supposed to be an "Asian Christmas" so I was expecting Chinese food. However, we instead were treated to turduckin, boudin, and the best ham I have ever tasted. On top of this, there was a whole table full of desserts. I was partial to the one Vicki made - a delicious concoction of whipped cream and chocolate pudding. I also had some coconut pie, which was also quite tasty.

After stuffing ourselves we played a few Christmas themed games that Jim came up with. The first involved matching the appropriate person with their "favorite childhood Christmas present" which each of us had submitted prior to last night's event. Some of these were pretty funny. Vicki went with her "little red spinning wheel" and I selected as my favorite a policeman's outfit that I got when I was seven years old. It was the same year that my brothers also each received some type of outfit - an Indian, a soldier, and a football player. When we all put on our new outfits (costumes?) we looked like the Village People, and that was about twenty years before there even were Village People. After the "name that gift" game we moved on to Christmas trivia, where we learned that Christmas was originally a pagan observance of the winter solstice, Santa Claus originated in The Netherlands, carolling got its start in England in the 14th century, and Santa's red suit was actually invented for a Coca-Cola ad back in 1931.

On the way home we drove around for awhile and looked at some outdoor Christmas lights. As I think I've mentioned, we didn't do any outside decorating this year because we'll be out of town during Christmas week, and I decided to take a break from ladder climbing until my knee was 100%. I realized this afternoon that this is the first time since 1978 that I haven't put up outdoor Christmas decorations. Vicki and I decided today that next year we're going to go all out and try to win the best decorated house in Greatwood. Vicki wants to go with a gingerbread house theme. We did that back in our Quail Valley days and got a third place award. It's kind of funny how exited Vicki got about the thought of winning next year. The other day she had decided that I should never climb a ladder again, and today she had visions of me on top of a thirty-six foot extension ladder putting up lights next year. All I can say is - I ain't scared of no ladder, and wait until next year.

I almost forgot. I promised a movie review on Invictus, the Morgan Freeman and Jason Bourne movie about the South African rugby team in the 1995 World Cup. After some considerable thought I've decided that this is probably the second best sports movie of all time, slightly behind Field of Dreams and slightly ahead of Hoosiers. Invictus is Latin for "unconquered" and also the title of an 1875 poem that the Nelson Mandela character quotes in the movie, especially the lines -

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

On a scale of 1-10 I give Invictus a 9.9. Mr. Freeman is a great actor, and he's great in this movie.

Sometimes Things Work Out Better Than You Expect

Okay, I was wrong. In spite of the fact that we really could have used a little more time and a few more rehearsals, Winter's Eve was a great show! Other than the few minor glitches that happen with any production - and which the audience doesn't even notice - this may have been the most entertaining Christmas show in the history of FCCC. Andy Pace did a fantastic job with the drama/comedy portion of the show (lead writer, director, and lead actor) and the FCCC chorus was absolutely amazing. I wasn't ready for them to stop singing. I had two segments in the show. First was my starring role - as Cowboy Dean Gunnard - in my very own commercial for Black Jack soda, which was aired on the big video screens. Second was my three minute live interview on the "radio." I just love the theater.

Yesterday I attended the retirement lunch for a lady I worked with for fourteen years at Global Marine, GlobalSantaFe and Transocean. It was kind of bittersweet go see so many people after being away for these last eight months. I certainly don't miss anything about Transocean, but I realized that I do miss a lot of the people there.

This has been a potentially promising week on the job seeking front. I got a call on Monday from a small drilling company located in Greenway Plaza. They informed me that they liked my resume and just had a few "pre-screening" questions they were asking candidates before having them in for interviews. I think I got all the questions right, but I haven't heard back from them yet to schedule an actual interview. I also heard from the South Texas Project, which those of you in Houston may know is the nuclear power plant near Bay City (actually the small town of Wadsworth). Once again, I had a brief phone interview with the news that I'd made the "top six" and real interviews would be scheduled shortly after the first of the year. This sounds like it would be a very interesting place to work, but I'm not sure about the 72 mile commute. However, I was assured that there is a van pool that leaves from Sugar Land, and they work four ten-hour days and are off every Friday. We'll see.

On Tuesday night Vicki and I ventured forth into the world of outdoor home Christmas decorating judging. We were one of several teams that judged Best Decorated House, Honorable Mention Decorated House, and Best Decorated Street in the various neighborhoods of Greatwood. All in all we enjoyed the experience, although after awhile it's difficult to make distinctions between the entertainment and aesthetic values of candy canes, snowmen, and Santa Claus motifs. We were especially tickled by the couple who won Best Decorated House in one of our neighborhoods. When I knocked on his door in the dark, clipboard in hand, the homeowner wasn't too anxious to open the door, choosing instead to peek through the side window on his door and shout suspiciously - "Exactly what to you want?" I answered "Your house won." It took a second, but when he realized what I was talking about he flung open the door and literally pulled me into the house while joyfully screaming to his wife and daughter "We won, we won, we WON!!!!!!!!!" His five year old daughter came running out in her Christmas pajamas, jumping up and down, clapping her hands. His wife came around the corner in her robe, also jumping up and down. I really hate to use these words, but the entire scene was just "so cute." The happy family then proceeded to show me around the inside of their house, which was also decorated to the max. I finally led them to their front yard, where Vicki was busy pounding in the sign announcing their victory. More jumping up and down. I told them that if they didn't settle down I would have to call 9-1-1. As we drove away they were literally dancing up their driveway, arm-in-arm, laughing. Ah, life's simple pleasures.

We are now in full countdown mode for our trip to Costa Rica. I just finished making the arrangements for our final excursion while we're at the raft trip jungle lodge - canyoneering. This will involve hiking and six rappels - one of which is a 90 foot rappel down a sheer rock canyon wall. I can't wait to get pictures of Kayla and Vicki's faces. I anticipate some squeamishness.

We might go see the movie Invictus today. If we go I'll be sure go give you one of my on-target movie reviews.

Winter's Eve Update

Maybe I was a little too pessimistic about FCCC's Winter's Eve production. As usual, things just seem to come together really quickly at the end. After last night's marathon dress rehearsal - almost four hours - the show is actually looking pretty good. Last night was the first rehearsal that included the musical acts - which had been rehearsing on their own, and which were great. I especially liked the I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas number. The drama/comedy/play part of the show that we've been rehearsing is really just filler between the music talent, although I'm pleased with the potential entertainment value of my character - Cowboy Dean Gunnard. I'm not saying the Cowboy Dean video will be the hit of the show, but I do think it's pretty funny, especially the part where I draw my trusty six-shooter and blast the bottle cap off a genuine Black Jack soda (you have to show up to understand). Also, last night was the first time we got to see the total set and auditorium decorations, and taken together they are quite festive.

So, please don't let the misgivings in my prior blog posts deter you from taking in Winter's Eve. Two shows, this Saturday and Sunday evenings, show time 7:00 pm both nights. And did I mention that there will be a gigantic variety of gourmet Christmas treats available of consumption by the audience both nights? If this year is like past years, the goodies alone will be worth the price of admission.

Countdown to Vacation

Well, we're now counting down the days until our vacation trip to Costa Rica. Now that my knee is all fixed I don't really have much to talk about, other than to tell people that I'm about 98% back to normal. I am continuing my therapy, trying to make sure that I'll be good to go for our action adventures in Costa Rica. I think my rehab experience is giving me an idea of what it's like to have a personal trainer. You pay someone to make you work hard, to feel the burn, to stay focused, etc. Hmmm.

Tonight is dress rehearsal for Winter's Eve - First Colony Church of Christ's annual holiday extravaganza. Call me a pessimist, but I don't have high hopes for the success of this show. Too few rehearsals, difficulty finding willing participants, marginally cheesy scripts . . . But, as I've said before, these things usually end up coming off much better than expected. Let's hope so. My character - a cowboy - has exactly five lines and is on stage for about three minutes about half way into the show, which means that I won't have to stick around past about 7:30 each night. Show time is 7:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday evenings. Good seats still available.

This has been a very encouraging week on the job hunting front. I came across two pretty good leads for jobs that I'd actually be interested in taking. Both of them are in Greenway Plaza. One is in the building next door to my old employer Transocean. I also received a call this week from someone at a company in the Greenspoint area inquiring as to whether or not I might be interested in discussing a contract job that could turn into permanent. I gave it some thought, but then decided that an hour plus commute twice a day isn't something I'm ready to accept just yet.

Yesterday at Second Mile an Eagle Scout candidate brought in about 50 bicycles that he refurbished for his service project. Some of the these bikes looked almost brand new. They'll be distributed to the kids of some of the families that Second Mile serves. These was one interesting incident involving these bikes. When they were being brought in one of the guys who works in the warehouse noticed that one of the bikes belonged to his son. It had been stolen several months ago. That was the bad news. The good news was that the bike was in better condition that when it was stolen.

That's really about if for now. Not much going on.

The 2009 Parade of Snowmen

It happened. It actually happened. The weatherman predicted snow on Friday and . . . it actually snowed. I was certain that with all the hype that this would be just another trumped up weather story meant to get everybody all stirred up over nothing. When they predicted that one to two inches of snow was "probable" and that two to four inches was "possible" I figured that if was probable that it was possible that we might have light flurries for about fifteen minutes. But, for a change what Gene Norman said would happen, happened. It started snowing in Greatwood at about 7:30 in the morning and it didn't stop until 4:00 in the afternoon. It started off mixed with rain but it wasn't long before snowflakes the size of dessert plates were falling at the rate of about three million flakes per second. It was such a winter wonderland that I expected Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney to step out from behind a bush at any second and start singing White Christmas.


Because it was supposed to start freezing in the early afternoon the schools all let out early, which meant that every kid in the neighborhood was soon busy rolling out their first snowman. I noticed one across the street so I decided to drive around and check out the burgeoning snowman population. There were kids and snowmen everywhere. A few of the local white guys are shown below.



The hoodlums in the above picture posed after they bombarded my car with snowballs. I was going to complain to their parents until I noticed several parents were participants in the attack. I then looked for grandparents, but I couldn't find any, so we made a truce and I took everyone's picture.


More participants in the Greatwood Parade of Snowmen - 2009.

Just in case you can't tell, this one is actually a "snow bunny" as I was informed by the eight year old artist who created it.

In non-snow related news I am continuing with my wounded knee rehabilitation. The rehab exercises are getting harder and harder, but at the same time my knee is getting stronger and stronger. I'd say right now that it's about 95% back to normal, but I plan to continue to stay serious about my rehab because I want to make sure that I'm ready for Costa Rica at the end of this month.

Speaking of this month, my birthday was this past Thursday. I am know officially 57 years old, which I must admit is really kind of old. When turned 40 I convinced myself that 40 wasn't all that old. I did the same thing when I turned 50. But 57! Whoa! I realize that it's time to stop kidding myself. I guess it beats the alternative. For my birthday Vicki took me out to a gourmet breakfast at Bob's Taco Station (she drove). During breakfast she presented me with a Bob's Taco Station T-shirt. She said it was a special limited edition. I can't wait to wear it.

Bethany and Cody came to town on Saturday afternoon for a short visit (they left this afternoon). Bethany came for a Christmas party with some of her college girlfriends and Cody came along for the ride. We all went to church together this morning, then out to lunch for some Chinese food. I was then absent for most of the afternoon due to rehearsal for the FCCC Christmas extravaganza, which we call Winter's Eve. I'll give you some more interesting details about that in a future post.

Snow? In Houston?

I heard the long range forecast this morning, and believe it or not it calls for the possibility of snow this Friday. That seemed almost unheard of until in the same forecast it noted that it snowed in Houston last year on December 10th. It must have been the lightest snowfall ever, because I sure don't remember anything about it.

My knee is coming along really well. As a matter of fact, unless I bend it in just the right way it doesn't even hurt anymore. I've been getting really serious about my rehab regimen, which I do twice a day. I'm also now riding a recumbent exercise bike 20 minutes a day and taking walks (I'm up to a mile and a half). I borrowed the bike from a friend at church. I put a notice on the FCCC Market Place (the church classified), asking anyone who had a bike they weren't using to let me know if I could borrow it. The response was overwhelming. It seems that just about everyone has an exercise bike gathering dust. I go in tomorrow afternoon for another session with my physical therapist, and she says that she'll be kicking things up a notch. After my workouts I put my leg into a "cryogenic sleeve" that has just come out of the freezer, which I pump up with a small pump. I think Michael Jackson slept in one of these things for awhile. I leave the knee in for twenty minutes, which just about freezes it.

This morning I made my first visit to the Jobs Ministry Southwest meeting, which is hosted by Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land. I signed up about two months ago, but today was the first time I actually went. They offer workshops on resume writing, interviewing skills, networking, etc. All the stuff you're supposed to master in order to find just the right job. They also sponsor a job bank, for which I registered online when I got home. And, they have a speaker every week. The guy today talked about defining what you're good at, what you love to do, and then selling yourself. It was supposed to be motivational, and I suppose it was for some of the people there, but I left feeling a little depressed about the whole job-seeking experience. It's now been almost eight months and all I have to show in the way of progress is one 45-minute telephone interview for a job I wasn't interested in. I'm going to two - yes two - professional events tomorrow. The first one is downtown at 7:30 AM. It'll be good to drive in some serious rush hour traffic again. I don't want to lose my edge. Maybe it'll be raining, which will make the experience even more memorable.

Speaking of the holidays, we decorated the house yesterday for Christmas. "Decorated" may be a strong word for this year's effort. As I may have mentioned ten or twelve times, we're taking the entire fam on our Costa Rican "trip of a lifetime" this Christmas. In light of the fact that Kayla and Bethany and the sons-in-law won't be showing up until December 23rd, and that we won't be home the last week of December, we went minimal on the decorating this year.

As I read this post it strikes me that it is without a doubt the least entertaining and biggest downer I've ever subjected people to. I'll try to do better next time.

Wait! I almost forgot . . . We went to see the movie The Blind Side this past Saturday night. We arrived about 30 minutes before show time and were surprised to find that there was actually a line of about 100 people waiting to get into this movie. I haven't waited in line for a movie since Forrest Gump. The theater ended up being packed to capacity, with people orbiting around looking for seats right up until the movie started. Sandra Bullock was really fantastic in this movie, but overall I was a little disappointed - maybe because I read the book and my expectations were too high. That being said, however, everyone else seemed to really love the movie (Vicki included). I give it an eight. It's a great true story - definitely worth seeing.