hawk50

I was browsing through my flist for a bit (enjoying my coffee out of my new mug :-) and I was hit by something. No matter where you live, there are always places or things that are cool about your town, but visitors rarely ever know about them. So, tell us something (or several somethings) cool that the tourists never see or wouldn't know about. It could be about where you live now, or about where you're from (and may be visiting at this very moment) or even about some place you lived between your original hometown and now.

( Houston, Texas, USA )

I hope everyone's holiday is proceeding nicely, with a minimum of fuss and weather/health-related kerfluffle. :-)

My kid got invited to a performance of the Nutcracker this afternoon so she's out. She just texted me to ask if she could go to dinner with them (they're good friends) and I let her. Christmas Eve isn't a big deal for us and besides, maybe I can get my wrapping finished. :-)

Still haven't heard anything from Mom about tomorrow, but it's not a big deal. She's got one of those cool ovens that can cook a turkey straight from the freezer in just a few hours. Really makes this kind of up-in-the-air-ed-ness easier to handle. For my part, I've got a pot of Christmas chili on the stove for if we're going to be home tomorrow. There's nothing different about it from my regular chili, but when I asked the kid what she'd like to have for dinner if we're home, she asked for my chili. :-) Works for me. It's going to be cold tomorrow (cold for here, folks ;-) so it'll be nice.

This isn't unusual for our family. Now that the youngest kid is, well, my kid and she's spent her life doing two Christmases (one with us, one with her Dad's family), we don't always get together on the 25th.

Mom called tonight to tell me she had to put my Dad back in the hospital. He's in his 80s, so this is no real shocker. It's nothing particularly terrible, just him having a round of weakness and my Mom, in her late 70s, being unable to help him. They've had terrible trouble getting home nursing care (I told them they should have moved into the city instead of the crappy suburb they moved to) so she had to call an ambulance when he fell and couldn't help her get him on his feet. Fortunately, nothing broke and all his blood stayed inside where it belongs. She thinks he'll be home by the weekend, but she's also looking into care facilities. I don't think she knows what she wants to do (and she doesn't take advice well at all).

So, here we go. Nothing like a little family trama drama at Christmas.

Just saw an ad for White Collar (great show, btw) and once again, I'm struck by something. Matthew Bomer (Neal Caffery) could *easily* play Michael Shanks' younger brother.

I also just discovered he's from Spring, which is a northern suburb of Houston. Shoot, we used to play football against his high school (though some of that was before he was born and oh, man, how old I feel right now - I was a junior in high school when he was born ;-). Got his start at the Alley Theater here in Houston. Another local boy makes good story.

Man, they didn't grow 'em that pretty in the northern suburb *I* grew up in. :-)