Category: Special Events

Periodically, the company I work for hosts a gathering, invites all its call center agents (CCAs) to change out of their pajamas, and leave the cozy confines of their homes to have fun and food. Obviously, I like free food, especially the crazy selection of delicious desserts we had at the end, but what I most looked forward to was crossing laser tag off my bucket list. I’d initially made a beeline to the upstairs of this family playground extravaganza to check it out. There was a long line, but I didn’t see another CCA in line; so I returned downstairs, thinking I should at least fulfill the whole “meet-and-greet” aspect and socialize first.

That plan worked out well since I met another CCA who also wanted to play laser tag. After eating a couple of pieces of pizza and talking, we entered the laser tag line. While waiting in that slow-moving line, I learned that her educational background was in archeology, she’d participated in several digs around the world, and she was also studying for that grueling insurance agent exam like I was.

During our conversation, one little kid, around the age of 8, kept dashing past us for some unknown reason. I said under my breath to my fellow CCA, “I’m going to enjoy shooting that little kid.” Never, outside of the context of laser tag or a water gun fight, would that ever be an acceptable thing to utter.

Once we were close to the entrance, we could see a screen that displayed the do’s and don’ts of laser tagging. Yet there was one image I couldn’t quite figure out what the rule was. A woman with breasts that were far too big for her frame or necessary for the point of conveying some rule stood in front of a kneeling man.
I tried to capture a good shot of this larger-than-life breasts phenomenon, but this was the best I could do. I still don’t know which rule was being depicted. Perhaps, “don’t poke anyone in the eye with your lethally-enhanced nipples”?

There was only one other adult in the arena with us and a bunch of kids. Not too much strategy needed, given who we were up against, especially since my only real competitor was on my team. Yet, I tagged the little kid who’d stepped on my foot in line several times, along with all the other kids. That’s all that really counts in such a mindless game.

For my latest costume endeavor, I set out to make Dorothy shoes after quickly discovering that most prefabricated glittery shoes were either gold or silver. I hit up a couple of thrift stores first. For some silly reason, I thought I needed to start off with a red pair of shoes, but in reality, they could have been any color since I’d planned to completely cover them in glitter.

Thanks to the six metal pins in my left ankle that foot is slightly bigger than the other; so I had to humanely stretch the left shoe with something other than my foot.  Of all the methods I’d read about, I liked the “plastic bag of water, placed in the shoe, then in the freezer” method the best. Not only does water expand, but it also molds itself into the proper shape. Apparently, my downfall was once I’d taken it out of the freezer, I’d let the water melt too much, staining the shoe. Not really a problem in the long run since glitter would cover it.

Painter’s tape covered the bottom and heels of the shoes since those parts didn’t need to be glued and glittered.

I’d set everything out on the balcony before I began. Unlike every other video I’d watched, I sprayed on adhesive rather than painting on a thick glue.

The plastic bowl captured most of the fallen glitter and the spoon helped re-sprinkle the shoes. Almost too late, I remembered to stuff the shoes with newspaper. Although not a perfect solution, stuffed shoes helped minimize the amount of loose glitter entering the shoe.

By the time I finished glueing, glittering and shellacking those shoes, my flip-flops were glued onto my feet! Another good reason NOT to use spray adhesive. At least the glitter stuck to the shoes with glossy acrylic finish to hold it in place.

A bag of these little gems were on sale. I never understood what drives a sale at a crafts store, but I’m not complaining about saving money. I hot glued them on for some additional flair.

They looked so beautiful, I feared they’d hurt my feet. That’s the women’s fashion industry at play. Anything that’s sexy for women has to hurt or cause discomfort. Yet, the only challenge to wearing those Dorothy shoes was tracking loose glitter everywhere.

 Once I had them on, I was free to follow the yellow brick road!

We met at the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue along Lady Bird Lake to take a night hike around 8:30.

This was late enough for the heat to subside, but there was still sunlight. As we walked eastward along the trail, I heard the sound of a crowd of people, smelled a familiar stench then came upon the famous South Congress bridge where somewhere upwards of 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats were heading out for their nightly feeding.

Of course my camera phone wasn’t fast enough to capture the bats. We dwelled at this spot for about 15 minutes before continuing on.

Here was another beautiful sight: Austin at night behind Lady Bird Lake. A view so gorgeous even my camera phone captured a lot of it.

Once again, showing the limitations of aforementioned camera phone, I snapped a picture of a guy pointing his phone to the heavens to identify stars and planets, thanks to an app.

From this view, Joe’s Crab Shack actually looks inviting–not some place that’ll give you five different fried things on a plate with no vegetables!

We concluded our hike around 10:30. Three of us went to Whataburger, which turned out to be Whatabadidea! The service was exceptionally slow for a FAST food joint and the average customer at that time of night was 20-something and inebriated. I swore digesting that poor-quality food made me feverish around 3 AM.  Some older yogi friends assured me it was a hot flash.  (Yeah, a hot flash triggered by barely edible poison! But at my age, hot flashes are on the not-so-distant horizon.)

Nonetheless, that little excursion satisfied both my needs for a hike for a while and for fast food for the rest of my life!

For a third year in a row, I participated in the Carver Museum’s 100% Fundraiser. We local artists pick up art supplies from the museum, decorate the canvas however we please, then return them for a silent auction.

Every time I see my submission, all I remember is how I had the flu while doing it.  I marvel it looks this good!

For some reason, my painting, which I titled, “She Sees Her Target,” was given the lackluster title of “untitled.”

Yet, the real point of this whole endeavor isn’t to placate my ego, but to raise money for the museum’s educational program.
I’m happy to report that at least one person, my supervisor, bid on my painting; so at least my feverish efforts weren’t in vain.

One of my cousin’s roommates had the ultimate birthday party, mixing a crowd of capoeiristas, samba dancers and musicians, and pagode musicians and singers. I had the perfect gag gift: a partially-filled canister of pillow packs of lubricant. Every February, I get a donation of adult goodies from La Rouge for the Austin Writers Roulette. I’d given away all the vibrating cock rings and genitalia-shaped chocolates; so this was the perfect opportunity to off load the rest. Besides, since three bachelors live together, I figure, if nothing else, they could upgrade their self-serve.

My cousin, in the middle, suggested we take this dreadlock-centric picture. How often do a group of people purposely turn their backs to the camera to show the beauty of their natural hair rather than smiling faces?

We were all still reeling from the untimely death of Prince. I’m glad this woman paid tribute to His Royal Badness. 

Another charismatic friend, who’d just gotten off from work and had no chance to change, took the time to pose!

I’d hoped the Blackzilians (Black Brazilians) group were based in Austin, but they’re located somewhere in Florida. At least this capoeira teacher lives here!

As expected, toward the end of the night, the birthday boy gathered his pagode group for a live performance.

Although I’d attended many opening receptions at Art on 5th, I’d always appreciated their Dr. Seuss collection. Now, I had the opportunity to celebrate the man himself.

This event highlighted the “taxidermy” collection, most of which has been a part of the gallery since I’d been visiting years ago.

Even The Grinch looked pleased with how well things turned out.

The Knotty Problem of Capitol Hill.  I liked this piece since the bureaucrats have mad math going on.

Booby Trap. The simplicity of this message is genius. 

Cuddle Fish. Even anthropomorphic animals easily conveyed universal emotion.

Controversy was another aspect of Dr. Seuss’ work.  I’m not sure if this illustration was meant to depict the “Great White Hunter” since I was far more captivated by the this character:

Was this supposed to be a black man or just another anthropomorphic animal?

As many people who filed past and lingered at this “taxidermy” collection, I felt like a patient hunter, waiting to shoot–my camera, that is.

I vied through the crowd, smiled and gently persuaded other people out of my shot.

Unlike real preserved animals, these fictitious animals had both charm and smiles.

At one point, I was so taken in by them, I had to remind myself that no animals had actually been harmed.

Yet, luring in the observer with features that seem so lifelike was definitely part of the artist’s intention.

These animals looked as if they could have existed. Or they could have been some extinct predecessor that gave rise to a more biologically successful species.

Yet, there was a distinct lack of fantastical plants and insects, two of the most biologically successful organisms.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into the Dr. Seuss-inspired taxidermic collection of mammals, birds and fish.

Thanks to another niece’s birthday, I gathered supplies to make a gift. Since she’s a freshman in college, I researched some DIY ideas and chose to make designer bulletin boards. For the first time ever, I used a spray adhesive and bought four 12″ x 18″ pieces of colorful fabric for less than $2 each. To make this little project even more convenient, I bought a four-pack of 6″ x 6″ cork boards.

Using my trusty piece of chalk, I outlined a simple pattern to cover the boards. Fortunately the day was warm since I wouldn’t dare use spray adhesive inside. I covered the surface of my portable metal drawer, which I keep outside, with newspaper and sprayed each board and its fabric, flipped the board and pressed down the edges of fabric as smoothly and quickly as possible. I set each one on the edge of a flower pot; so they dried in the sunlight.

They turned out beautifully. Now that she has two part-time jobs, my niece will have four stylish spots to post her schedules and all other important notes…providing she cares to be ol’ school!

Perhaps the highlight of tutoring math at a local middle school was the day I chaperoned the 6th graders on their field trip to the Austin Nature & Science Center and Zilker Park.

One of the special ed teachers and I had a dirty dozen of students to keep track of while we toured ANSC. We sat on some logs, listened to our guide, who solicited a list from the students, of living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things that made up the surrounding ecology.

Then, she gave every student a net and asked them to capture some biotic things. Students loosely paired up, swinging those nets more wildly than the native fauna warranted. The guide incorporated some big finds into a jar. At the conclusion of the netting activity, students released whatever they had captured and returned their nets. Our guide talked about the animals, mostly insects and spiders, contained in the jar.

In between activities, we waited near a relaxing pool of water that had a waterfall. How wonderful it was to witness students’ attention captured by nature rather than an electronic device.

We then entered a circular room, sat on a carpet and discussed the difference between a food chain and a food web. We reviewed the ultimate source of energy, which is the sun. Producers, such as plants, capture solar energy and consumers obtain energy through eating producers and/or other consumers.

The first consumers introduced were Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which some adventurous students petted.  I opted to feel my own fingernails since they were made from the same keratin as cockroach exoskeletons.

Next, a frog, who was stereotypically jumpy, was passed around while remaining confined in his cage.

The turtle appeared comfortable enough to stay out of his shell as students touched it.

The quail remained caged although I would’ve loved watching its attempt to fly to freedom.

The last time I saw crawfish they were served up on a plate. At this point, I could’ve embedded myself into the food web.

As soon as the ferret was taken out of its cage, I smelled its signature musk.

This beautiful milk snake had a protective pillowcase that matched its rich burgundy color. Talk about fashionable accessories!

After reviewing what eats what in the food web, we entered the nature hike area. I loved how these 6th graders looked so at home in nature, which seemed to have a calming effect on them.

Imagine stopping to literally smell flowers rather than check an electronic device.

At one point, we visited an aquatic habitat and some students captured tadpoles.

One student caught this dragonfly larvae.

Most, however, simply mucked around the perimeter.

For the second half of the field trip, we ate lunch at Zilker Park.  

Many of the trees had kites stuck in them from the kite day celebration the day before.

Many students played soccer–or at least ran around kicking a soccer ball.

Others amused themselves jumping around on the rocky outcropping.

A few tried their hand at sand volleyball.

As much as we all enjoyed the outing, it’s a shame field trips such as these are rarities.

Unexpectedly, one of my friends treated me to a night out–Carnaval 2016: Texas! A Horse Opera. As soon as we approached the front door to the venue, I saw my “cousin” and former capoeira teacher.

Fortunately, a third of my closet is dedicated to costumes. We both went as the entrepreneurial women from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”

For once, I was fully able to enjoy the samba school performance since I wasn’t working security as part of the capoeira group I used to train with.

So, I danced samba to my heart’s content, recognizing the breaks, the rhythms and some of the footwork.

At some point, an inebriated woman took me by the wrist and led me to the first inner samba circle.

The music and choreography blurred by wonderfully.

I was so happy to see familiar faces.

Another big draw to attending carnaval was to appreciate other people’s costumes.

The sheer imagination just blew me away.

Then again, since the theme did have the word “Texas” in it, some revelers didn’t have to work too hard on their costuming.

We came across another capoeira teacher, wearing his usual carnaval attire.

This magnificent headpiece was designed from a lampshade.

Through the throng of people, another friend managed to find us.  

Of course, I had to text him a picture of what we looked like.

Here was another capoeirista, who drove up from Houston, just to be a part of the celebration.

Not quite sure how this costume fit the theme, but I’m so glad she wore it.

This guy, wearing the horse-head thong, definitely won the unofficial bare bottom contest. All the other virtually bottomless guys needed to find their pants.

Another carnaval highlight was watching our group play capoeira. Not too many joined the roda, but I enjoyed seeing them play.

 During a lull in the game, I convinced my friend to play. We were the only costumed capoeiristas.

I’d seen these jackalopes from across the way earlier in the night. I’m so happy they migrated closer by the end of the night. So many terrific costumes. It was like Halloween again.