Fancy meal, Christmas with Cindy; Phone and Cousin Jer; Preparations; Trip to Waco; Waco day 2; Christmas Eve

12/18

Pretty sure I spent a good deal of time wrapping Christmas Presents that night. It's not something I'm good at, and my choice of cheap wrapping paper combined with my neurotic perfectionist tendencies made it difficult.

12/19

So one thing I wanted to do with all my extra money was to take Cindy somewhere nice for dinner. And what better way to express your love than through vast quantities of grilled meat? With that in mind, we went to Nelore .

Thomas and I have previously gone to Fogo de Chao on a couple occasions, and I was certainly a big fan. Great meat and lots of it; expensive but worth every penny. When I saw, a while back, a review in the Houston Press of this place, and that its owner was a former employee of Fogo, and that it was a good $15 cheaper per-plate I started looking for an excuse to go, and now I had one.

First, the service was great. Very professional. Free valet, too. The building was cute, definitely cozier and more romantic than Fogo. The salad bar was likable, being less about salad and more about antipasto sorts of things. There were some side dishes available there too, stew sorts of things that I couldn't quite figure out how they fit in with the meal.

Everything was fine so far. But when we flipped our little coasters over to the "bring us meat" sides, disappointment ultimately came. The meat was overcooked, dry, and underseasoned. I wanted very much to like the place, but next time I'll spend the extra money and go to Fogo. Shame, that.

We returned to my place. There may have been some dessert. We definitely exchanged presents. I had given up on the waffle iron, particularly in the face of mounting evidence that her parents had probably gotten her one, and what I really wanted to get her was a bit out of budget. Instead, I got her a TV antenna so she could finally experience the HD part of her HDTV; an FM transmitter for her iPod so she could listen to it in her car (and, hopefully, to keep me from having to listen to talk radio and the same damn 10 scratched CDs she keeps in her car although that doesn't seem to have quite worked out); one of Found Magazine's compiled books, which I noticed she spent quite a bit of time looking at when we were at Dome a few weeks before; and trash bags. Nice trash bags with the diamond-patterned reinforcements and built-in drawstrings. She'd been envious of mine for quite some time, and so I bought them for her, mainly as a joke, although I like to think she's enjoyed using them, to the extent that one can enjoy trash bags (that aren't filled with some kind of gaseous narcotic).

As for what she got me, well, here it is. It was a very thoughtful gift, and she spent way more on me than she should have, and it's really a cool piece of equipment: a compact, portable turntable that can be battery operated, fit in a record crate, has a built-in speaker, and also audio outs for hooking up to my stereo.

Except that, as we all know, I'm horribly, horribly picky about my audio equipment. I'd probaly eventually have gotten around to getting my own turntable, probably for around 5x what this cost. And so I was kind of left with something that I didn't really want.

But I was good. I was very excited and appreciative and all that. There was no sense in being a dick about it. And it has been fun to have, because, really, I probably wouldn't have gotten around to buying a nice turntable for a long time. And it was a really nifty, thoughtful gift. Now I just have to come up with a good plan for how I'm going to explain buying a new one in a year or two...

Anyway, all in all, it was a nice little "date night".

12/20

Cousin Jer was in town for a visit, so I figured I'd try to catch up with him. Also, my brand new phone finally arrived. I forestalled Cousin Jer time to get the phone set up, only to discover, upon removing it from its packaging, that a screw was missing. Which was very disappointing. It completely screwed up my plan of getting to try out the phone for a couple of days and get my number ported over before going to Waco. And I didn't know quite what to do. Try to find a screw? Call Amazon? Call T-mobile? It was complicated.

Anyway, I put that aside and had to deal with the inconvenience of going to pick Jer up from out in BFE, and brought him back out here, knowing I'd have to return him at some point. I was a bit put off by the situation, but we ended up having a good time. We went to check out Two Rows for dollar beer night (and I think ran into some people), and then, when it got to be closing time, headed to Woodrow's.

Taking Jer out in Houston is always fun, if for no other reason than that he's appreciative of the embarassment of riches we have in the way of attractive women. I guess living in the midwest does that to a man. There was one girl at Woodrow's, who had apparently been scammed into a double date with her friend's boyfriend's friend and was not at all happy with it, so she decided to hit on Jerry instead. First she asked for his number, and then wrote her number on a receipt after he bought her a drink. I never really get how he does it... Anyway, all in all it was a good time.

12/21

Jer stayed over and I ended up taking back home the next day. I gave up on my idea of leaving for Waco that day, as I hadn't packed and still had this whole phone issue to deal with. Instead, I made the long round trip of taking him home. While in the car, the girl from the previous night called him. They ended up going out a few times over the holiday, apparently. Susan and Uncle Jerry apparently liked the girl, though they were a bit disturbed knowing that they had met in a bar (apparently that's a foreign concept to them). Jerry ultimately couldn't commit to anything, living out of state as he does, and somehow this is all my fault (according to Susan), because they met because of me.

So anyway, back at the apartment, I did some packing and started making calls about my new phone. Amazon actually has really good phone service, once you find their number. They agreed to ship me one next day, and even rerouted it to Waco. Except it didn't ship out the same day, but instead on Friday, and then with the weekend and the holiday it didn't show up until the next week. But it turns out that T-mobile reception at the house in Waco is crap, so I ended up not activating the phone until I headed back to Houston the following week anyway.

I got a little Zelda time in that night and got to hang out with Cindy, too.

12/22

Got on the road to Waco early afternoon. The goal was to make it back to Waco in time for John Mark Hoffman's (friend of the family) surprise birthday party at Poppa Rollo's. Got there the same time as Dad, somehow. Spent good time with Mom and Dad. Ate pizza. Made awkward small talk with some of Mom and Dad's church friends from our First Methodist days. In retrospect, wished I had ordered a beer.

After that, home, Becca showed up, and we had some good family time.

12/23

Having a hard time remembering specifics. I don't think I caught up with the guys, as David wasn't in town yet and Thom was out at his parents' place in Groesbeck. Actually, I think the Hoffmans came over and exchanged presents with us. They very nicely got me both the Sufjan Stevens Christmas boxed set, and the import-only Okkervil River tour EP I'd been really wanting. Sweet.

12/24

Christmas Eve. We took some food and things out to our former maid's apartment, as we do every year. Went to church for Christmas Eve service. Dinner at Ninfa's, which has become a tradition. Had their great chicken breast/cheese/butter/rice/ham/white wine dish. Drove around looking at Christmas lights. Got a little sick later from too much rich food. Despite that, enjoyed my absolute favorite time of the year.

Counting Steady

I've been pretty convinced since I first heard them that the Hold Steady are the Counting Crows of the 2000s (albeit many times better).

In case the similarities weren't obvious enough, they've now released an accordion-ladened "unplugged", "VH-1 storytellers"-esque live EP. The resemblance is even stronger. Lots of things I could point out, but I'm too lazy to.

Similarities to horribly uncool bands aside (I live in fear of the day that they turn up on the soundtrack to the latest Shrek movie), they're my favorite discovery of the last year, which you'd all probably know if I'd bothered to write up my 2006 Best Of list. Which I still will do. Maybe even before the first half of 2007 is up!

The curse of popularity; also, why I haven't updated lately

This article from the Onion AV Club makes some nice points about why your favorite bands getting big (looking at you, Postal Service, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire) kind of sucks. And the difference between liking music and loving music. And the difference between liking anything and loving anything.

It incorporates several themes I've been meaning to write a little essay or essays on lately. So go read it and then pretend that I said all that stuff.

So I'll get an update done soon, I promise. The last month or so has been busy. Trips out of town, company in town, lots of school. I have a thesis committee meeting next week, which is always a big deal. Cindy got me addicted to 24 DVDs (currently on season 3, and, honestly, the addiction is starting to wane). My copy of Super Paper Mario arrived on Saturday and it too has been taking up a chunk of my time. And there's always stuff to read.

But I'll get around to it. It'd just be nice if all this could be magically taken care of. It's much more fun writing about things that just happened than things that happened 4 months ago. I guess a partial solution is to start writing some posts in real-time so that they're ready to go when I catch up to the here and now...

Joanna Newsom; Thai; Car Bullshit; Bars; Jim's Birthday

12/11

The Prole, probably.

12/12

Pitchfork liked Joanna Newsom's first album of harp-based folk, but I didn't. I can only recall making it through the thing once, and I'm pretty sure I compared her vocals to a "retarded chipmunk", and not even favorably. So when her new album came out, I was prepared to pass it up, but for three little words/one big name: "Van Dyke Parks". The man apparently orchestrated Joanna's latest, and, knowing what he did for Brian Wilson's Smile, I gave it a chance on those grounds alone.

I wasn't convinced. It had potential, but I didn't exactly like it. But Cindy caught wind of her coming show in Houston and suggested we go, and as it was at the fabled Orange Show, which I had heard of three years previously when Dan, Kristin, Toni et al went to see Bonnie Prince Billy there and spoke of the place in hushed tones. It also helped that they're associated with such Houston ventures as the beer can house and the art car parade.

We arrived at the Orange Show, which was located off I-45, a little east of the U of H camps, a part of the city which I'd only been near to a) go to a law school party and b) collect my car after it had been towed. The neighborhood seemed nice enough; in Waco parlance I might draw comparisons to certain Hewitt neighborhoods. I wondered how the residents felt about having such an attraction taking up all their street parking.

There were people. Lots of 'em. The show had sold out; thankfully Cindy had been committed enough to the show to buy tickets for us and her friends Tyson and Louisa. We gave them their tickets and ventured in.

The venue gave an impression that was equal parts circus/carnival and paddle-wheel dixie-land boat. Inside was quite maze-like, with hallways carved out of the space between different buildings, stairs going off in every which direction to balconies overlooking the performance space, two bars, a screen and projector in a separate seating area, and benches immediately surrounding the performance area.

The "stage" itself looked like it might have been a fountain at some point. There was a circular wall a foot or two high around it, and the band's equipment was set up inside this circle.

We got some beer and then decided to stake out a position, settling on the smallest of several balconies (well, really a roof top) with no seating unlike the rest of them.

All in all, the venue was incredible. I guess the capacity is relatively low, so people don't play there often, but man, I wish that weren't the case. The whimsical architecture was flat out fun, and on a crisp December night it was wonderful to be sitting on top of a roof, drinking beer, spending times with friends, and listening to a concert.

Bill Callahan of Smog opened. His music, at least on first listen, was nondescript folk, but it was very serious, he had a nice voice, and maybe some good songwriting chops as well. Apparently the lucky bastard is dating the beautiful Ms. Newsom, this after previously dating Chan "Cat Power" Marshall. Nice pull, man.

Joanna came out and playe da few songs off her first record solo, some of which she usually opens with and some of which normally comprise her encore, which couldn't happen, presumably due to noise issues (and you know how we handle noise complaints in Houston). She requested that we restrict picture-taking to the first song, which seemed reasonable.

Then the band came out. One guy playing a Bulgarian tambura (think loot), which added some nice flourishes; another on accordion, which covered a surprisingly large amount of the backdrop that the orchestra provides; another on banjo/guitar; a drummer, who played percussion that was more orchestral in nature than the typical trap set and also sang harmony; and finally, a girl whose job must have been a bit boring, with some very occasional vocals and mallets.

As much as I liked what Van Dyke Parks did with the arrangements on the album, this bad fit the music much better. It was a little more folky and country; more live-action and less Disney animation. If we're lucky, she'll release a live album; the performance was nothing short of brililant. I was sold.

Jeff absolutely hates this album, and I can see why. But I can't imagine anybody that was there could have come away from the show not sold on it. I wish I could relive that night. And I hope I get to see more shows that brilliant at the Orange Show.

Afterwards, the best way to conclude such a perfect night was to grab a good dinner and some beer at Rudz. The only thing is that the Rudz burgers aren't quite what they used to be, as Eatzi's, which used to supply their delectable buns, is no longer in business. But to compensate for that, Sabrina, fresh from finishing finals, joined us for a couple rounds.

An absolutely great night. I'll add pictures later.

12/13

One of Cindy's friends had the unfortunate luck of being hit by a car while crossing a street in the med center. She'd been out of the hospital for a while, but was going back in for more surgery, and wanted a "last meal", so Cindy and I joined her and other assorted BCMers for some Thai at Nit Noi.

12/14

For some reason I drove my car in on Thursday. I left a little early with the goal of doing a little bit of Christmas shopping, in particular looking for a waffle maker for Cindy, and looking into a new cell phone for myself.

But it was not my day. The decision to drive into work and then drive straight from work to go shopping and then to take 59 to get where I was going ended up screwing me over. There was some debris on the highway, and in the dark it was hard to see. As soon as I hit it I thought I had blown a tire. I took the first exit I could, pulled off on the first side street I could, and called my roadside assistance to come change the tire for me (hey, I pay for it, you can be damned sure I'm going to use it when the opportunity presents itself). During that time I saw no less than 5 cars pull onto the same street I was on and change tires, and one guy told me he had seen ten more on the highway. Whatever I hit, it was bad, and, apparently I'm not a complete idiot.

I got the tire changed and went home, frustrated. The rim was bent. The tires are fucking expensive. It looked bad...

I think Cindy came over after that and we went for beer. I won't deny it, that helped.

12/15

Deteremined to get my car back to normal as quickly as possible, I started at Sam's Club and worked my way north, not finding any partiuclarly good deals on tires, nor good news about the rim. Eventually I ended up at Discount Tire (which isn't all that discount). They pointed me towards a place that could reshape the rim. Without driving on the highway (compact spare), it was a long drive, but I got there. Somewhere along the way, though, I had the brilliant idea to call the nice hispanic people at Rollo's Racing to see if they had a used rim they could give me. In the end, I decided it was safer to just replace the rim rather than risk having one that wasn't perfectly shaped. No sense having my year-old car not performing up to its potential.

So I went by. First they too offered to reshape the rim, but told me it woudln't be perfect, as I suspected. It turned out it wasn't quite the right rim, aesthetically, but they could get me the right one, and were even willing to loan me the non-matching one to drive around on for the rest of the day. Not only that, but the tire wasn't in fact blown; it just lost air when the rim bent. It wasn't even flat. I'm still a little paranoid that the steel belting was weakened when I hit whatever it was, but I'm trying to keep an eye on it.

So, my car fully functional if not quite matching, I finally got to stop by and look at the cell phone I wanted, confirmed that they didn't want my business enough to match Amazon's free price (and mand did they give me some bullshit about why), and then went in to work for a little while before going to get my new wheel once Rollo's got it in.

Later that night, Cindy and I met Will, Char and Angela at Little Woodrow's for some much-needed beer.

12/16

After visiting my aunt and uncle, I did some quick shopping for Cindy at Barnes & Noble and Target.

Once I got home and hid the stuff, Cindy came by and we met up with the Dan crew for some beers at the Harp. Darts were thrown as well.

12/17

Jeff and Jim had been wanting to throw a party at their swank new place ever since they had moved in a month before. The occasion was Jim's birthday, so Cindy and I grabbed some beer and went over for some drinking and socializing. Good times. Awesome townhouse.

Cindy ended up a bit drunk, so we came back to my place, I got her put to bed, and then got some good Zelda time in before taking the plunge and ordering the phone from Amazon.

I'd never been entirely satisfied with my Motorola that I'd bought in February of '05. The form factor wasn't particularly impressive, the features weren't compelling, and the interface was complete crap. A smart phone seemed to be the only way to get something that was actually useful. Palm's ran on an OS that was essentially 10 years old. Others ran Windows Mobile, and I'm pretty sure daily use of that would end with a loss of sanity or happiness. That left Blackberry, and their new Pearl was the first smart phone in a compelling form factor that I had seen. So, I went for it. More on that later...