Yesterday was officially my final day of unemployment, so Vicki and I thought we'd do something fun to celebrate. We started off the day going to The Breakfast Klub, which is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Travis near downtown. As the name suggests, breakfast is their specialty. I've blogged about "The Klub" before (we previously visited there last summer). It's a little pricey - $9.95 for French toast, eggs and bacon - but the food is really good and the atmosphere is friendly. As I mentioned last summer, be prepared for a healthy dose of Obama worship if you go.
After breakfast we headed down to the Houston Auto Show at Reliant Arena. We'd never been to an auto show before and didn't quite know what to expect, although we assumed - correctly as it turned out - that we'd probably walk around and look at a lot of cars. That might sound a little boring to some people, but we agreed that adults looking at hundreds of shiny brand new cars is a lot like a kid going to Toys-R-Us. The new car smell was everywhere, and it was exciting to sit in them and inhale. Vicki is now very excited about the Buick Enclave, which is a "crossover" (crossovers are really big this year). I think this is what Tiger Woods was driving when his wife chased him out of the house with a two iron. One of the highlights of the show was the "Toyota Girls" singing a song - microphones and everything - about the Toyota Prius. We also saw a $180,000 Corvette, which the host - who is also a salesman at Davis Chevrolet - told me he could probably sell me for around $160,000 after discounts. He also has a new 2009 that I could have for around $89,000. I guess he heard I have a new job.
We were perplexed at first when we noted that many of the cars were missing the knobs on their radios, their cup holders, and the knobs on their gear shifts. It was a little surprising to hear that these items had been removed to prevent them from being stolen! What loser would steal the knob off a radio? We also learned that the hosts and hostesses (there were lots more hostesses that hosts) who work for each car company travel around the country with the auto show. We heard from them that Detroit and New York were the worst places to work, especially in New York during "Gang Night" which is the night of the show when all the gangs get together and show up at the same time. We heard tales of people stuffing paper into the cars' tailpipes, slashed seats, and - our favorite - hiding raw meat in various places in the cars. Raw meat?
Last night I watched the Republican candidates for Texas governor debate on Channel 11. I don't usually watch debates, but this one was actually very entertaining, and I think it provided some pretty good insight into the personalities of the candidates. It was also amusing to watch all of the candidates skillfully side step giving direct answers to very specific questions, even "yes" and "no" questions. Rick Perry was pretty good at this, but Kay Bailey Hutchinson was masterful. There were a few memorable moments, including -
1) When Rick Perry was asked whether, if re-elected, he would serve out his full term, his answer was "Lord willing". When the commentator asked him to elaborate if that meant yes or no, Perry replied "If I don't die in office, then yes."
2) Kay Bailey Hutchinson's answer to the question "Who was the first governor of Texas." After a moment of panic, Mrs. Hutchinson's stammering reply was "Burleson". The correct answer - as of course we all know - is J. Pinckney Henderson. Rufus C. Burleson was never governor of Texas. He was, however, the first president of Baylor University and a noted Baptist preacher in Houston in the mid-1800's. He is most famous for baptizing Sam Houston.
Today I plan to straighten up the garage. Not as exciting as an auto show or a Kay Baily history lesson, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
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