What have been up to since I last wrote?
Erik and I settled nicely into a lovely apartment in a historic neighborhood in Houston. The streets looked like this:
Mostly we stayed in and worked, but we did get out occasionally. We had breakfast with Alison and her sweet little boy, Arthur. We ate BBQ from a tiny place that was sold out of almost everything before 5 PM on a Saturday, because a man ahead of us was ordering for a crowd of 65 (“I’ll take 15 pounds of ribs… what else ya got?”).
We enjoyed saying “y’all” (such a useful way to refer to people in the plural).
We went to my best friend Jackie’s nursing school graduation, and celebrated the happy event with her family and local friends. I am incredibly proud of her, and not just because she can stick in IVs and things like that. She is one of the sweetest, most caring, and most capable people I am honored to call friend — except I don’t call her that, I call her family.
And she’s beautiful outside as well as in. π
I made her this card:
I had a birthday, which makes me now 32. I got a massage, and we had two meals with Jackie — a very good day. Here’s my birthday brunch at the popular Breakfast Klub, where the line was out the door at 9:30 on a Thursday morning, but the staff were friendly as can be. I was pleased to see a grits alternative to the usual chicken and waffles. I love grits.
(No, I did not eat that all in one sitting. Not even in two.)
Longtime readers might recall I did not love Houston the last time we visited, but this time it started to grow on me. We liked our neighborhood and our AirBnB hosts, and everyone we met — from Jackie’s friends to the employees in shops — seemed so nice. There’s a very strong feeling of Texas culture, but the city itself is diverse. And the landscape is a strange mix of gracious architecture (much of it very new), sprawling industry, ad-hoc rural-ish structures, and the kind of massive urban-commercial skyline that calls to mindΒ MetropolisΒ orΒ Blade Runner. On overcast days, it felt as if the smokestacks had consumed the sky, and maybe there was no more blue-and-green world out there beyond the city.
During my birthday massage, the therapist, who has lived in Houston since coming here from Mexico with her family as a teenager, said, “People don’t come to Houston because it’s so beautiful. They come for the jobs.” I still don’t love the city, but I could visit again, and in fact, I hope I will.
A dubiously well-stocked convenient store near the airport:
On Monday we arrived back to my parents’ home in San Jose. I had to take a couple of days to make my bedroom livable again, but it’s now tidy and comfortable once more.
As soon as I could, I set to trying to get my big daily paintingsΒ — the ones from Boston — out of the plastic carrying tube into which I’d crammed them (actually, Erik and I had done it jointly; it was not a one-person job). That 300-pound watercolor paper does not mess around. It had fought back when we tried to roll it up, and now the roll had expanded inside the tube and did not want to come out. Tugging did nothing, and neither did shaking. In the end, we had to destroy the tube.
Here I am holding the tube in the airport, ready to leave Boston:
Scenes of destruction (alas, poor tube!):
Once freed, the paper resisted again when I tried to unroll it. Just for fun, I wrapped it around myself, and it stayed there, like a giant cuff bracelet.
Amazingly, the paintings have suffered very little damage from being rolled up and stored that way for more than a week. They’re now resting on my desk, under stacks of my heaviest Β books.
I baked cookies last night, and today my sisters are coming home. Commence holidays!
The family all together: let the fun begin!! So glad your paintings survived the tube…..Question: where did you learn to like grits? Most non-southern people are not too impressed with them. My favorite way to eat them is will lots of cheddar cheese stirred in while they are hot. Yum! Also, shrimp and grits are mighty good…..Can’t wait to see what your next adventure/non-adventure will be. Have a wonderful Christmas!
I don’t remember where I had my first grits, but you’re totally right, they’re not very popular in most of the country! In fact… oh darn, I forgot, I was going to buy some stone-ground grits from a specialty store near us in Houston, before we left. I haven’t seen good grits for sale here, just whatever instant things you can find in the supermarket hot-cereal aisle. I’m sure I can find some online though. I can’t remember now whether I liked grits the first time I tried them, or whether it took a couple of tries, but I am a huge fan now — and so are Jackie and Erik. π And actually my mom too, and probably other members of my family!
Wonderful Christmas to you too. π I’m back in the Mitford series (as you noticed on Goodreads) after not having had my hands on the books for awhile, and they are the perfect holidaytime reading. π
I like your positive take on Houston, glad to know you like it, on behalf of all the people I know who live there! π
The card is so pretty! Love the colours. Also your orange chapeau:) And oh! Happy birthdayyyyy! Hope you have another really wonderful year, and more immediately, wonderful holidays with your loved ones! You and your daily paintings are whacko! π Can’t believe you had to break the tube.
Oh, I wonder if I unknowingly crossed paths with any of your Houston folks! π Fun thought. Thank you for the birthday and holiday wishes! π
I can’t believe we had to break the tube either, though as soon as we got the first painting in it, we suspected the moment would come. π The whole experience has me thinking about tubes in a whole different way — I was just thinking of yoga mat carriers today, and the importance of all tubes not being too small relative to their contents. ;b
I hope you are well!
It’s very common in Singapore to refer to a group of people with “you all”. It think it is the Singlish take / translation of δ½ δ»¬ ! The photos of you with the painting wrapped around you are a hoot : )
Ooh, happy belated birthday to you! I turned 33 earlier this month so am also a Sagittarius like you π
Oh how curious! I can’t remember now whether I encountered that usage while we were in Singapore. Makes me want to go back just to listen for it. π And to eat. π We went to a local Singaporean restaurant the other day (called Merlion!) and had chili crab and roti prata and Hainan chicken rice. Nowhere near Singapore quality of course, but it made me happy.
Happy birthday to a fellow Sagittarius! π I don’t have many Sagittarian friends for whatever reason. How exciting that you are one. π
I would love to have some spicy Singapore food now. Actually, I was thinking of making chicken curry today (using premixed curry paste, nothing complicated). Would be great to have some hot spicy curry on a cold winter day π
I don’t really remember birthdays too well and often forget the order of the zodiac between Pisces and Scorpio (which is the majority)!
Happy New Year in advance!
Happy New Year to you too! Hope the curry turned out well, if you made it. π
I added some chilli powder, and it was nicely spicy and not too greasy. Just the way I wanted it to be.
Excellent! π
HappyHolidays !!! see you in the new year!
Carla
Best and most festive 2014 to you, Carla! π
Happy Holidays, Lisa!
Congratulations, Nurse Jackie!
Thank you much, Empress, and the same to you! π Joyous wishes for 2014!
No wonder you are traveling! You are a Sagittarius ! Love what you are doing. Thanks for being around for me too. although I’m not so active on WP as you.
hugs
Carla
Hugs to you too! We’ve just signed a lease on a place in Oakland, so we’ll soon be back in the Bay Area (just going to go to Tampa first)!