Table Seven

wordless - wine sipping sunset. west columbia, tx

 

wordless - NOLA street performer

 

wordless - old oak tree at dusk, houston

 

wordless - silver lining

 

Why Would You Do This?

As of today (Saturday, really) I am implementing a new segment on this blog called 'Why Would You Do This?'  There are many times when it is me and the camera that I sleathly (& some not so stealth) capture amazing and amazing ridiculousness.  I figure I should share my findings with you. Although what this category might encompass is still loose at best, I would like to start with this:

     

I was on East Beach in Galveston Saturday at a sand castle competition.  And I saw him...  Why would you do this?  Seriously. I am so very fascinated by the fact that this guy chose to do this to his back and it is staying there forever.  Forever!  

If you look closely - which I have a cropped view that will click large to the left  & disregard his racer back tank top tan lines... (different story, different day) - it's Jesus with the crown of thorns on the right and Skeletor on fire on the left.  It could be an apparition of the two little voices inside him that sit on his shoulders.  I am not sure.   

Chances are that the exact definition and/or reason of what this is will evolve with age and time.  This is not something you can blame on a drunken tattoo parlor visit.  This is body art.  The tattoo artist had to draw this out and get approval and I imagine it was a several visit work of art.  Perhaps it starts with the angel/devil on each shoulder helping to make decisions.  Evolves into where he was in his younger years vs what he is striving to achieve in later life.  Moving from left to right on the road of life.  

Whatever the reason, I am amazed.  Truly.  And that is why this tatt is the first installment of Why Would You Do This?  Because really?  Why would you do this?! 

** And just for fun, here is my favorite sand castle creation - it's Alan (Zach Galifianakis) & baby Carlos from The Hangover.  Awesomeness. Ridiculous and awesome.  

My Monday Nights

I finally got the nerve/grew the kahunas/wanted to check something off my list, whatever you want to categorize it as and signed up to take an improv class.  10 strangers + 1 teacher + 2 who silently (except when they laugh) watch from the back of the room = my Monday nights.  

It is way harder than I ever imagined and challenges me and what I think to be funny and/or quick witted.  I try to jump the why-didn't-I-think-of-that-hurdle constantly.  We are an ensemble made up of a teacher, a doctor, a couple of engineers, two marketers, a lawyer, an artist, an audio/visual guru, a patient, club promoting MD Anderson man and an indian chief -- kidding about the Indian chief.  We all have varied backgrounds as well as varied reasons for taking the class in the first place and It. Is. Awesome.

When I was in college, I took a class called 'the art of acting' - I don't remember much from the class. It was second semester senior year and I need an extra elective to get me to 12 hours for that final semester - I went out a lot that semester, hell, that whole year - I never gained the freshman fifteen, and although I never made note of it, I might have gained the senior twenty.  Gross, I digress -- the things I do remember from that class is that you were supposed to leave your 'cool & pre-conceived ideas at the door' That is hard in college, personally I wasn't old enough, or secure enough in my own self, or willing to be my authentic self in a class of my peers who I might not have really known all that well.  And that hurt.  It hurt me in my 'acting' and it hurt me in being true.  

Now, we still have to leave our 'cool & pre-conceived ideas at the door' and just do whatever hits you to do, whatever comes to the frontal lobe first - spit it out, use less "um" and more description, be honest, be open and willing, be your true self - even when you are a character that has nothing to do with your authentic self.   That just got way more serious than it should have been.  Anyway, I love it because I am scared to death almost the whole time.  I jump up to role play or take on the task at hand, scared I won't be quick enough and unsure of what the hell is going to come out of my mouth, and I have to think quickly on my feet, and juggle whatever gets thrown at me and it's some of the most fun I have had in a long while.

I heart Rogue Improv and I am pretty sure that my Monday night kicks your Monday night's ass.  

 

RIP Blanche Devereaux

Sad news today -- Golden Girl, Rue McClanahan "Blanche Devereaux" died this morning.  She was the original Samantha Jones.  She loved men, she exuded confidence and whole heartedly believed it when she said in her slight twang "oh, honey, I look fabulous..."  To this day I wish I had half of her confidence, cool and sluttiness.  She was happy and her authentic self -- even if her authentic self was a made-up character -- I wish I had more of Blanche in my authentic self. 

Cheers to you, Blanche, you made my Saturday nights going up so much more fun! Even when I didn't understand half of your innuendoes, I knew you were cool.  We will miss you. 

reason to worry

So on Halloween I went to a party dressed as Cruella de Vil. I am not so sure that I loved my outfit or my overall costume persona, but I committed to it with hair paint, spray and glitter (because all costumes need a little bit of glitter).  The party was equipped with a fortune teller.

Before we started, while she shuffled the deck and made small talk and maybe this was the beginning of the end, but I wanted to know --  'So are you a for real, see visions sort of fortune teller or a BS fortune teller who works parties.'  At the time, it seemed like a logical question; she said she was the real deal.  Has been having visions since she was a young girl and her grandmother (who passed away when she was 21, totally irrelevant but part of the bio) also had 'the gift - a blessing and a curse'

She hands me the deck of cards and says shuffle til you feel good about the deck and 'think about what you want to get out of this.  Think about what you need to know and want to explore.' I say do I think about one thing or several things? She says, we have only a brief amount of time so I should stick to just one, but in life sometimes all things are combined, so that should make me feel a little better.

Anyway, so I think and shuffle.  Pull 10 cards.  And that's when the spiral started.  Rats on major cards, a jack of hearts (which is evidently sucky in comparison to the queen of hearts), a seven of spades, a nine of clubs, a 3 of clubs, a jack of diamonds (I havent a clue what that any of those mean) Anyway, basically she starts in and asks if I have a lot on my mind - Sure I do... I am at a crossroads career/job wise (let's just call it a crossroads), I have goals that I made for 09, and truth is they may not get done in the next 60 days. I am sitting alone in a pasture as far as romantic relationships go and I would like to ideally be married before 40.  And I worry.  About ridiculous things, vital things, silly things, serious things.  Granted I didn't tell her all this, I am telling you (all 15 of you).  I simply answered 'sure'

She lays into me about how I worry so much about life and love and work and things that are in my control and things that are out of my control and I really need to relax.  And how I am lucky and I have the world at my fingertips and if I could just give up the worry the rest would fall into my lap.  But I have to stop worrying and relax.

Seriously?? It was a bit of a Halloween beating and just when you think it couldn't get any worse after her mini lecture on not worrying, she hands me a second deck of cards and says to pull three.  The first was a single waterfall (joy  was the word on the bottom of the image), the last was a garden of flowers with the word grandmother (this is the truth) and the middle card was of several waterfalls and like 9 buckets filled with water and in the center, a lone girl with long black hair and the word passion. A girl alone. I thought Cruella was going to lose it. And then Cruella does get a little weepy.  Seriously, it's a party and this is a fortune teller.  

And then fortune teller, Meri, says - 'you are filled with joy, you are passionate and you are nurturing' -- and she looks up at me and smiles, 'that is what the grandmother card means.' I was waiting for her to tell me I needed to get a bigger place to live and buy a handful of cats.  And then she hits me.  '... But you are lonely and you are fighting through so much.  You need to really stop and focus on what makes you happy and what you hope for yourself and what you want from your everyday.  [*really, no shit, Sherlock] And let go of the worry or you will be alone for a long while.  And neither of us want that for you...'

I had tears rolling down my face.  I thought that party fortune tellers were supposed be uplifting and fun and make you feel good about yourself.  Oy vey.  Reason to worry, indeed.  But at least she pointed me in the right direction or at least steered away from the direction I was heading...

wordless - they mean business, nyc