2009-11-30/12-06 Weekly LOVIEE

posted 2009-11-30T11:30 last mod. 2009-12-10T22:10

If you’re anything like me, you’re finishing off the Thanksgiving leftovers and noticing it’s finally cold for a change. This is the last weekly LOVIEE to have a (2009) November date in it, as the year rapidly comes to a close. I did the best I could to find a few interesting things going on, but yes, this is mainly stuff carried over from the monthly LOVIEE, which admittedly was a bit more heavily weighted towards the beginning of the month this time. I’ve even linked back to the monthly LOVIEE to avoid repeating the same verbiage too many times, something you’ll probably see me do a lot more of in the weeks and months to come.

All week

The Ice at Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney. $10 including tax and skate rental, see Web site for detailed hours and group discount information. More details in the monthly LOVIEE. 09/10-IADG 09-W49-1 posted in error

Wednesday 12-02

Life is Happy and Sad preview party, DiverseWorks Theater, 1117 East Freeway. $50, tickets available online or by phone at 713-522-2723. More details in the Monthly LOVIEE. 09-M12-1/PV

Thursday 12-03 through Saturday 12-05

Life is Happy and Sad, DiverseWorks Theater, 1117 East Freeway. Pay-what-you-want (suggested $20), tickets available online or by phone at 713-522-2723. More details in the Monthly LOVIEE. 09-M12-1

Thursday 12-03 through Sunday 12-06

Alley Theatre presents A Christmas Carol. 615 Texas Avenue, 2:30pm and/or 7:30pm depending on day (see Web site for details), $21-100. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens which tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey with three ghostly spirits that haunt him on Christmas Eve. Performances continue through Sunday December 27. 09-M12-7

Thursday 12-03

Houston Single Source presents The 3rd Annual Candy Lane & Kisses Party, Americas, 1800 Post Oak Blvd., 6-10pm. $15, or free for HSS members. The twinkle of holiday lights sets the tone for mixing, mingling, dancing, and prancing. Complimentary h’ors d’ourves and a cash bar will be available. Suggested dress code: cocktail attire. 09-W49-2 Houston Aeros vs. San Antonio Rampage, Toyota Center, 11:05am, $13-68 in advance, $15-70 day of game. The Aeros (12-10-1-1, second in the division standings) have yet to lose to the Rampage (7-10-2-1, last in the division standings) this season. Not that past performance guarantees future results, but this looks like a great excuse to take the day off of work or skip school if you like hockey and want to see a highly probable hometown win. 09-W49-3

Friday 12-04

POSTPONED due to weather. Be The Ball, Hermann Park Golf Course clubhouse, 2155 North MacGregor Dr. (at Almeda), 8-11pm (underwriters’ preview at 7pm), $100. Tickets available online at Glasstire or by calling 713-850-0939. Featuring 80s music from Molly & the Ringwalds and an art auction with work from several top Texas artists, as well as the usual adult beverages (provided by Savvy Vodka, The Tasting Room, Max’s Wine Dive, and Saint Arnold Brewery) and snacks. 09-M12-2

Saturday 12-05

A Decade of Dissent: VBB’s 10-Year Anniversary, Houston Institute of Culture, 708-B Telephone Road, 7pm, free admission. Featuring film and photography by Laura Harrison, Eric Hester, Paul Hester, Burnell McCray, Sehba Sarwar, and Faroukh Virani. 09-M12-3 Information Superhighway, Caroline Collective, 4820 Caroline, 7-11pm. Featured attractions DIY brewing tips from Houston home brewers, live silk screening, live graffiti, and video and interactive demos, as well as the usual snack foods and drinks (sponsored by DoubleDave’s Pizza, Famous Vodka, Saint Arnold, and Cuisine Charlemagne Houston). Come join me, it’s going to be a blast! 09-M12-4

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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2009-12-01/31 Monthly LOVIEE

posted 2009-11-26T16:00 last mod. 2009-12-18T01:25

And here we are, the last monthly LOVIEE of 2009. This features the first-ever month-long event on a monthly LOVIEE! Dare I say it, that’s cause for celebration in and of itself. This feels a bit light, but two events span multiple days. With this bit of Quinn’s Big City history comes some changes. I will discuss those in a post sometime in the next few days.

Throughout December

The Ice at Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney. $10 including tax and skate rental, see Web site for detailed hours and group discount information. Yes, it’s back, an outdoor ice rink in Houston! The model boat basin portion of Kinder Lake (the part directly behind the Anheuser-Busch stage) will be frozen over using renewable energy and transformed into an ice skating rink. If you’ve moved from up north and lack of outdoor ice skating makes you homesick, here’s your chance for some relief; if you just want an ice skating fix, hey, still a great reason to avoid Galleria mall traffic and crowds. Grab your $10 bill (or $20 bill if you’ve got a partner) and come skate! 09/10-IADG

Alley Theatre presents A Christmas Carol. 615 Texas Avenue, 2:30pm and/or 7:30pm depending on day (see Web site for details), $21-100. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens which tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey with three ghostly spirits that haunt him on Christmas Eve. Performances continue through Sunday December 27. 09-M12-7

Wednesdays through Saturdays 12-02 through 12-19

Life is Happy and Sad, Diverseworks Theater, 1117 East Freeway. Pay-what-you-can (except Wednesday 12-02 which is a $50 special preview party), tickets available online, by phone at 713-522-2723, or maybe at the door. The Catastrophic Theatre presents the long-awaited sequel to Daniel Johnston’s Speeding Motorcycle. This play chronicles Johnston’s early years in Austin. The band Roky Moon and Bolt perform live, and band members also double in other roles during the play. This looks to be an exciting show, and do you know why I say maybe for tickets at the door? Speeding Motorcycle sold out two runs in Houston. My advice: buy your tickets in advance, don’t risk being left out in the cold (literally). 09-M12-1

Friday 12-04

POSTPONED due to weather. Be The Ball, Hermann Park Golf Course clubhouse, 2155 North MacGregor Dr. (at Almeda), 8-11pm (underwriters’ preview at 7pm), $100. Tickets available online at Glasstire or by calling 713-850-0939. Featuring 80s music from Molly & the Ringwalds and an art auction with work from several top Texas artists, as well as the usual adult beverages (provided by Savvy Vodka, The Tasting Room, Max’s Wine Dive, and Saint Arnold Brewery) and snacks. 09-M12-2

Saturday 12-05

A Decade of Dissent: VBB’s 10-Year Anniversary, Houston Institute of Culture, 708-B Telephone Road, 7pm, free admission. Featuring film and photography by Laura Harrison, Eric Hester, Paul Hester, Burnell McCray, Sehba Sarwar, and Faroukh Virani. 09-M12-3

Information Superhighway, Caroline Collective, 4820 Caroline, 7-11pm. Featured attractions DIY brewing tips from Houston home brewers, live silk screening, live graffiti, and video and interactive demos, as well as the usual snack foods and drinks (sponsored by DoubleDave’s Pizza, Famous Vodka, Saint Arnold, and Cuisine Charlemagne Houston). Come join me, it’s going to be a blast! 09-M12-4

Friday 12-11

Graffiti Party and Music Night, Walter’s on Washington, 4215 Washington. Doors 8pm, show 9pm, $8. Music from Wild Moccasins, Buxton, and Giant Princess. Free hot dogs from Ray’s Franks and giveaways from Movies! The Store. Wear a white shirt you wouldn’t mind getting dirty. 09-M12-6

Saturday 12-12

The Best of the New York Children’s Film Fest, Spacetaker (Winter Street Studios), 2101 Winter Street, 4pm, free admission. Co-presented by Spacetaker and Aurora Picture Show, this is an hour-long program recommended for children ages 3 and up showcasing some of the very best children’s films. If you wish to make it a longer afternoon with the kid(s), there is a kid’s art workshop starting at 2pm. 09-M12-5

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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Recap: HEB Holiday Parade (09-W48-2)

posted 2009-11-26T14:00 last mod. 2009-11-28T11:56

A Kid’s Dream in the 1980’s

I remember quite fondly watching the Thanksgiving parades on television when I was a kid, and asking my grandparents (who I was living with at the time) for a chance to see the parade live one year (this would have been either 1983, 1984, or 1985). Surprisingly, instead of obliging, I got a nice lecture about how I didn’t want do that, I’d get squashed by the crowds. Through my middle and high school years I lived much farther away from downtown and our family usually had Thanksgiving “dinner” closer to lunchtime.

The Great Thanksgiving Morning Adventure of 2009

So fast forward to 2009. I’m grown up, and the only thing that might stop me from actually going is the overbearing urge to sleep in. Or, maybe not; last night, I said, I’m doing this, and I set my alarm clock for an insanely early time (just before 6am). So here I am, dashing out the door at 7:28am on Thanksgiving Day, to watch the parade.

I arrive downtown at approximately 8:01am at the corner of Milam and Texas (after convincing the bus driver that yes, that corner is his route’s stop), and proceed eastward toward the parade route. Three errant drivers had parked on Texas in clear defiance of the “no parking” signs; at least two tow truck drivers had no problem taking care of that problem.

The crowds were not the mob scene my late grandfather would have convinced me they were, at least not this year. However, finding a good spot even with most of an hour prior to the parade proved rather difficult. I brought my camera (I’m finally getting back into taking pictures) so I wanted a spot where I could get at least decent pictures. I finally found that spot at the southeast corner of Texas and San Jacinto, with about a half-hour to go until the scheduled parade start time of 9am.

The lead of the parade passes by us at maybe 8:51am or thereabouts; some in the crowd speculated that was for TV and/or due to inevitable pauses for performances by marching bands, drill teams, etc.

I can now say from experience: it’s just not the same sitting at home watching it on TV. Yes, it’s much colder than it would be in one’s living room, but to me, that’s also part of the excitement and experience. I had on my Via Colori T-shirt, but my jacket was fully zipped up the whole time, so nobody would have known what was under it.

I did have to take a couple of breaks during a lull in the action and shake out my right hand so I could actually continue feeling things with it, including but obviously not limited to the shutter button on the camera. And yes, I have pictures of most everything that passed by, which will get uploaded soon after the Via Colori pictures. (Incidentally, as of this writing, about half of those are on Flickr now, just not publicly viewable.)

Appearances included (and this is a long list
that’s still not complete):

  • Houston Police Department color guard
  • Harris County Sheriff’s Department
  • Mayor Bill White
  • Representative Shiela Jackson Lee
  • several fire department vehicles: Camp David, Plymouth Rock, and Houston (the with banners encouraging participation in the 2010 Census)
  • three vehicles from Yellow Cab
  • HPD Mounted Patrol
  • Sunny 99.1
  • Willowridge High School
  • Elsie’s Little Red Express from Borden
  • two groups of Shriners, one with small go-karts, one on motorcycles
  • X-Treme Dance, dance/cheerleading school from Humble
  • Wells Fargo
  • 93.7 The Arrow
  • MacArthur High School band, cheerleaders, and drill team
  • Houston Chronicle (star-on-wheels and balloon)
  • a mobile disco bus sponsored by Carnes Funeral Home
  • HEB (two floats, vegetable costume characters, plus a shopping cart brigade, plus several banners)
  • “The Sound Of Music” float from Theatre Under The Stars
  • Radio Disney AM 1590
  • Houston Rockets float with Clutch
  • Falun Dafa
  • Atrich (?) cake balloon
  • Budweiser with horse-drawn carriage
  • Star Wars characters from the 501st Legion
  • Pink Panther balloon
  • Booker T. Washington Senior High band and drill team
  • a Blues Brothers tribute (someone buy these guys a new speaker for next year)
  • Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico
  • roller skaters, possibly representing Houston Roller Derby (can someone confirm?)
  • Trinity Valley Community College band and drill team
  • Miss Piggy float
  • Salvation Army float
  • Clowns, sponsorship unknown
  • McDonald’s (giant red shoe float with Ronald McDonald inside)
  • Houston Aeros (with mascot)
  • KHOU-TV Channel 11 float
  • Pancho Claus

Closing Thoughts

In retrospect I should have put this on the monthly LOVIEE, at least. That’s a slip-up that I won’t repeat in future years. If you’ve never seen a parade like this live, make plans to attend next year. Consider using public transit (either METRORail or the buses). The pedestrian traffic was enough to fight through on the way out; I saw several cars queued up on Main Street while I whizzed by inside the train.

I can’t think of much else I would have done differently other than get grandstand tickets. I’ll have to make that a priority for next year’s holiday budget. I did have a great experience viewing from the street but it was not without disadvantages.

There really is nothing like actually being there. I can now say it from experience.

Congratulations to HEB and everyone who was a part of the parade for a job well done! If you are in Houston the parade will re-air on KHOU-TV Channel 11 at the following times:

  • November 29 at 4pm
  • December 13 at noon
  • December 19 at noon
posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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2009-11-23/29 Weekly LOVIEE

posted 2009-11-23T10:21 last mod. 2009-11-26T22:33

This being Thanksgiving week, things are a bit light. I did my best. I’m not separating Thanksgiving-themed events out, as there aren’t very many.

Happy Thanksgiving, and get ready for an exciting December as we close out 2009!

Continuing Monday 11-23 through Wednesday 11-25

Stenciling Power, Rice University Media Center, Visual and Dramatic Arts Main Gallery, 6100 Main. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. A set of multimedia works by Michael Adair-Kriz inspired by two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Santiago, Chile. Exhibit continues through 2009 December 15. (I am in the process of confirming whether or not this exhibit will also be open Thursday and Friday this week; I am assuming it isn’t for the moment due to the holidays.) 09-SPMAK

Wednesday 11-25

Band of Heathens at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk. Two sets: 7pm and 9:30pm. $20. Austin-based band, country with a touch of blues, as recently featured on Austin City Limits. 09-W48-1

Daily Beginning Thursday 11-26

The Ice at Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney. $10 including tax and skate rental, see Web site for detailed hours and group discount information. Yes, it’s back, an outdoor ice rink in Houston! The model boat basin portion of Kinder Lake (the part directly behind the Anheuser-Busch stage) will be frozen over using renewable energy and transformed into an ice skating rink. If you’ve moved from up north and lack of outdoor ice skating makes you homesick, here’s your chance for some relief; if you just want an ice skating fix, hey, still a great reason to avoid Galleria mall traffic and crowds. Grab your $10 bill (or $20 bill if you’ve got a partner) and come skate! 09/10-IADG

Thursday 11-26

HEB Holiday Parade, 9am, downtown Houston. General admission free, grandstand seats $22, turkey seats $14, VIP opportunity available (details on Web site). Parade route: Hamilton @ Texas, west on Texas to Fannin, south to Dallas, east to La Branch, east to Rusk, ending at Crawford (PDF map). 09-W48-2

Friday 11-27

Your Amsterdam at Mezzanine Lounge, 9pm, no cover. Another Houston hard rock/metal legend in the making. Come on out and get a copy of their recently completed EP. 09-W48-3

Saturday 11-28

Gloworama, George R. Brown Convention Center area, 7-10pm. Free street-side parade viewing, $150 for VIP balcony. After the parade there is an “Afterglow party” with a cash bar plus live music from Rich and Available (formerly the Rich Latimer Band) for $25 in advance or $35 at the door. 09-W48-4

Continental Club, 3700 Main St. Two shows: Ragged Hearts at 9pm, Chase Hamblin at 11pm. 09-W48-5

GI Joes & Army Hos, Mezzanine Lounge, 2200 Southwest Freeway #150, 8pm-2am. Extreme karaoke starts at 10pm. $3.50 Three Olives drink menu with proceeds benefitting the familes of the Fort Hood victims. Great cause, great times, great venue! 09-W48-6

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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