Simple America

Well yesterday was one of the most frightening days of my life. Scarier than Aliens, Halloween, and Friday the 13th combined. This was one of those days that a father dreads. No my little girl did no go on her first date. Though that is a scarey thought indeed.

So what happened on Monday.

It all started in the morning when the girl asked me for the car keys. That’s right. Yesterday my baby girl drove to school for the first time. The good news is she made it back home. With her brother no less.

See how scarey that is? But it is nice too. Now I can get to work at 8 instead of 9. This means I can leave work at 6:30 instead of 7:30. Yay!

But get this. When I was driving them just the week before I had to drag them out of bed. I set their alarm clocks for six o’clock. Yesterday, I could hear them moving around at 5:30 and they left the house at 6:15. An hour earlier than the week before. Silly kids. She cannot drop him off until 7:30 and they arrived at 7:00. Oh well. Today I had to wake em up as before. But they did leave at 6:45 which is good.

They are getting older. Me too. Soon they will be off to college and this old house is going to be more quiet. That is kind of scarey too.

My son mixed up his schedule. There was no LAN party this weekend. So the kitchen found its use only in preparing food. No chandalier was swung from. There are no movies of note at the theater either. But I did keep myself busy. Will post about it later on.

I cannot believe it. Both kids will be out of the house Saturday night. My daughter is helping with a Girl Scout backpacker’s orientation. My son is going to a LAN party to play X-Box. 

Quick somebody. What’s playing at the movies? Woo hoo!!!

Cannot believe that my daughter is sixteen years old now. Where has the time gone?

The big day was Monday, though we gave her a present on Sunday. Guitar Hero 3 went on sale that day and she loved Guitar Hero 2 so how could I not give the new game to her? The latest game comes with a wireless guitar too. So she can play upstairs while I am hooked by cord to the Xbox downstairs with my guitar. Because the new game has a coop campaign I could not take any pictures. I was much too busy rocking with her. I play the bass or rhythm guitar on most songs for those curious types. 

She wanted Indian food for her birthday dinner. We visited Cafe India in Sugar Land to meet her demand. No pictures because I was so hungry when we arrived. Photos were the last thing on my mind. Good food though. My favorites were the lamb and naan bread which was so good.

The missus took the girl to get her driver’s license on Monday. So now she can drive by herself once we get her added to the car insurance. Scarey thought ain’t it. But it will be nice that I can knock 20 miles off my morning commute. Plus we save money as her brother does not have to attend extended day program at his school. She will pick him up when she drives to school.

Monday evening was college day for Catholic High Schools. We went to the gym at the boys school next door to her high school. Representatives from over a hundred universities were in attendance. She enjoyed talking to the folks from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. That is her reach school, or the one you have to stretch to attend. Maybe dream choice would be a clearer explanation?

I enjoyed talking to the service academies. All of the military services were present. We talked a lot to the Air Force and Army reps. The Army reps were interesting folks as they were parents of current students or graduates. One fellow’s daughter graduated and his girl was selected by both the Army and the Air Force Academies. When she made her choice her selection was based on her campus visits. This young lady noticed that the Army had statues of people everywhere, while the Air Force displayed air planes and other technology. She felt the Army related to people based on those statues and picked West Point. Interesting don’t you think?

Oh well, I have no idea what school my daughter will apply for. My goal is to facilitate her and make sure she is prepared for whatever choice she might take. Right now her focus is preparing for the SAT early next year. Once those scores come back she will have a better idea which school to apply for.

The worst is to come. A week from Saturday she will have a sleep over. I can hear the screams and giggles already. I predict a closed door and World of Warcraft on my docket.

My son is so tired that my missus cannot wake him up. He stayed up most of the night working on a project. Something he probably should have done last weekend when he was playing World of Warcraft. So no scouts tonight and therefore no Malaysian food. Will go straight home. As straight as the road allows. Maybe next week I can get my Nasi Lamak fix.

The first Saturday in September was really hectic. People running left, running right. Which for me means I was chaffeuring celebreties my daughter to SAT prep and then to my sister-in-law #4’s house to clean the pool. I took my laptop and fiddled with tax stuff, while she worked on the pool. When she finished we sped home and cleaned up for the evening. Threw on jean’s and polo only to be criticised, “You’re wearing that.” So I stepped into a nearby phonebooth and came out looking like this. 

No more criticism. So, what do you think? Why the zoot suit on a Saturday night?

Because we were off to listen to the music from the James Bond movies. The Houston Symphony put on a pops performance. And dang if we were not late. I expected to have to stand in the lobby until the intermission. I dropped off the missus and kids at Jones Hall entrance. Then I drove to the parking lot and rushed to the hall. We had tickets for the balcony so I had to walk up a thousand steps.

The ushers were really nice making sure I got up to the nose bleed lobby as quickly as possible. I panicked as I am walking along and I could not remember how to turn off my mobile phone. I could hear the music from Goldfinger playing as I finally made it to the balcony. Finally, turned my phone off and the usher sat me down in an empty seat in between songs.

I missed the first two songs which were from Bond films. Then they changed to some other movie themes, which have heroic characters. First up was Batman Returns. That is quite an impressive tune and I would not mind to purchase this sound track. It is much better than the lame Superman Returns theme song the orchestra played next. The program recovered with the Spiderman movie theme. After listening, if I had the choice to only have one song to listen to over and over, I would pick Batman Returns.

Intermission came after that tune. So I found my missus and the kids. Waved at the kids as they sat in a different section and then went to find our seats. This is how it looked from where we sat.

If you squint real hard you can see the stage from up here. To make the remainder of the evening more delightful, the man sitting next to me reeked so much of garlic that I thought he was Korean. Really funky. I hope his date likes that. If I had not lived in Korea and developed a taste for Korean food I might have passed out.

When the program resumed, the conductor introduced the orchestra’s new assistant concertmaster. I could not find the program so I cannot provide her name, I just remember she came from Bulgaria. They got off topic for her introduction to Houston and played some gypsey tunes, which featured her on violin. I cannot recall the composer either, just recall that he was a violin virtuoso, who composed music that allowed him to show off. And this lady was up to the task, and I am uncertain what was hotter, her little red dress or the strings on her violin?

Then next section of the program consisted of Henry Mancini tunes. The first pair came from some ancient TV shows and they called it Mr. Lucky meets Peter Gun. You could tell the trombones were having a good time on this tune. After that they performed the Inspector Cleauseau tune, another Mancini piece, and because the conductor said he liked us, he led the orchestra in the Pink Panter theme. At this time I will admit my ignorance, I never realized there were two songs from that movie before.

After that the program finally returned to James Bond tunes. And the orchestra played a really nice medley from the basic Bond theme, Live or Let Die, Your Eyes Only and a few others. Really sounded nice, despite the couple chatting next to my wife, and the woman humming behind me. I need to make more money so I can afford a box.

Then they finised the set and the conductor walked off. He returned for an encore and they played Mission Impossible. That is an awesome song live. So much energy. Makes you want to get in your car and drive 200 miles per hour. And then it was done. Before I forget, Oceanskies, they had five double bass performing with the orchestra on this evening. As we exited the balcony, I looked down to see entry foyer below.

We really enjoyed the concert. Except my son. My daughter kept waking him up. I think the smile on my missus face shows how happy she felt at the end of the show.

Still wish I had wore my polo shirt. I actually saw a dude there wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Probably some rock n roll disc jockey, as his hair was down to his waist too.

My phone’s camera has made me dangerous. Why do I suggest that?

See what happens to my passengers. Fall asleep and you too can be a star on my blog.

Now when I get bored at work. *snap*

Even I am not safe from me. What to do?

Even other drivers are subject to this camera. Though I am trying to show my readers a real low rider. Got to figure out how to use the zoom feature. Can you tell that truck’s undercarriage is only a short distance above the ground.

After a tough day of taking pictures I go home and my missus says there is no food in the ice box. So she just thossed something together.

See how I suffer on these kind of days?

The next day I returned to the Malay Bistro. My son had Boy Scouts, so I took advantage to visit this restaurant for the third time in as many weeks. This time I ordered asam laksa, roti canai, and teh tarik.

I had tried asam laksa twice before at another Malaysian restaurant and it was prepared a lot different there. I remember the other restaurant used a glutinous noodle and the broth had a yellowish tint. This laksa has rice flour noodles chopped to a very short length. It included some small fish akin to mackeral and a pair of nice sized shrimp. They had chopped up bitter gourd, purple onion, and cilantro into very fine thin strips. And the broth looked to be brown and I am uncertain what they used for a base. There was some chili hiding in the bottom of the bowl, which gave it a nice bite. But overall I did not like this laksa and shall not order it here. I do not like how they prepare the asam laksa at all. My tummy rumbled the rest of the evening, and it takes a lot to make me feel this kind of discomfort.

Also I noted the dhal sauce was not as spicey this time. My eyes did not tear once while eating my roti canai. Very dissappointing.

I had my first teh tarik during this meal. They served it in a tall teacup and it was sweet, but just right for my taste. I expected the tea to be bitter and was delighted that it was not. The menu says that the tea is pulled. I do not know what that means.

I need a Malaysian to come visit me so I can get some idea on the quality of these foods. Who wants to volunteer? If you get here I have a guest room with internet access. Even has a PC if you don’t bring a laptop.

Chinnee tagged me a few days ago. At first I thought she wanted to know more about my missus. But then I looked at her post and I see that this meme’s subject is my mom.

1. When my mom became pregnant with me, she moved to Phoenix to avoid embarassment for the family. I eventually was born there in St. Joseph’s Hospital. The result is I am quite fond of the desert and mountain scenery. Really miss the view, expecially since I live in a flat swampy plain today.
2. My mother did not learn how to drive a car until after I was born. Her first car was a Volkswagen Bug. Beep! Beep!
3. Before she left Houston, my mother never had to cook. My grandmother cooked everything for her. Mom had to learn once she got to Phoenix. Truth be told she was never a great cook. We ate a lot of canned goods and TV dinners. But she did her best.
4. When my mom first married my stepfather she lived like a stay at home mom. Those are some fond early memories for me. I recall her cleaning the house and taking me around Phoenix. Later when we moved to Houston, she would have to work and I would not live in a clean environment again, until I joined the army. Really kind of disgusting in retrospect.
5. My mom had quite a sweet tooth and I inherited it from her. We could hardly ever leave the grocery store without buying candy or ice cream. When I was in the army she often mailed me care packages full of goodies.
6. Wendy’s was one of my mother’s favorite places to eat. She always ordered a frosty to go with whatever else she ate.
7. On the last day of the school year, mom would pull me out early. Then she would take me and her boss’ daughter to the old Alley Theater on South Main Street to see a play about Winnie the Pooh. I remember when we attended at the end of my First Grade year, Winnie the Pooh actually sat in the chair next to me for a minute. I was so happy. Always wondered what happened to that little girl that went with us. Think her dad paid for the tickets.
8. Mom loved going to the movies. On Sundays when my stepfather drank too much, she would take my sister and I to the movies. It would make for a full day. We go to church, and eat at a cafeteria for lunch. Then off to the cinema and during this time you could see two or three movies for one entrance. Then we would go home and wait to go back to church again in the evening.

Saturday was very busy for me. My daughter sat for a practice SAT (scholastic aptitude test used for entrance into US universities), while I looked at updating my will and other legal papers. Long overdo for this stuff.

When I picked the girl up at two o’clock we had to go and buy her some tennis shoes for gym. School started today and the shoes she wore were literally falling apart. We went to Kohl’s in Rosenberg and spent an hour looking for a shoe that she liked. The pair she selected seemed to be misplaced, thus I was uncertain of the price. I did not want to spend more than $49. Somehow I knew this shoe would list much higher and we would be back to walking up and down the shoe aisle. We located a scanner and I almost fainted. The shoes only cost $20. Hooray! We also found a nice pair of brown dress flats (also $20 on sale) she could wear on formal uniform days.

Then I looked for school uniform pants and shirts for my son, who went to San Antonio with his buddy. Found nothing that fit him in my price range. He is grown to that awkward age where it is hard to find clothes for him. Not a boy, not a man.

My daughter needed jeans and we found an awesome deal. She grabbed a couple of pairs and tried them on to see how well they fit. She liked how they looked on her. I scanned the pants to verify the price and they did not match the sales sign. I found a manager who said the sign was old and it should have been taken down. But he proved to be a super retailer and told me that since they made a mistake they would extend that sales price to me. My daughter is so happy that she got two new pairs of jeans and I’m happy that I spent less than $80 at Kohl’s.

Felt great so we went to Best Buy and picked up Season One of Supernatural. Next stop was Target also in Rosenberg. There I found a two pairs of pants that should fit the lad. But there are no suitable shirts for school. Crud. Oh well, he has a few shirts and sad to say he has a tendancy to keep wearing the same thing if you don’t nag him to change. Boys can be so gross. The girl and I had fun browsing the toy department too. So much fun stuff, so little money, and, uh, time.

This morning we all squeezed into the truck cab and drove in for the first day of school. They were both in high spirits. The boy read Harry Potter and the girl yakked a bit about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Caught her watching episodes after midnight last night. Kids.

But the nicest thing about the drive is the feichai (fat guy) did not squeeze the other people into the opposite side of the cab. I have lost 29 pounds (13 kg) now. The weight is falling off a little slower now, but I am also gaining muscle from regular trips to the gym. There I am mixing weights with walking on treadmills to lose weight. Somedays when I am on a tight schedule I hit a machine for a set, then sit on a bike for a couple of minutes before hitting another machine for a set and then back to the bike. That is a super way my PT taught me to keep the cardio high while pumping iron. And I enjoy Fridays and Saturdays when I sit in the steam room and sauna with the missus.

Saturday morning turned out to be busy. Went to the bank and opened up CDs for the kids. Good. Now they can have a better interest rate. Then I went to the gym. My kids and I had a good time exercising together. It is fun to hang out with them like this. Hope it can be a happy memory for them in the future.

After the gym I took the boy to his school. The annual school supply sale was on and he needed some items. Most school supplies we buy ourselves, as we can get them cheaper. But I needed to pay tuition and purchase new gym clothes for him. After that we went to cut our hair. I made all of the ladies laugh in the hair salon when I called my son a leng chai (handsome guy) after he got his hair cut. The hair dresser said I am too, but I corrected her and said I am fei chai (fat guy) and they laughed about that. So here is the new hair cut. How is it?

After the hair cut I went to look for some movies. The missus wanted Vanity Fair, but I could not find that flick. However, I did find Aeon Flux and Firewall. Since the price is so cheap and I have not seen these flicks I picked ‘em up.

Got home and my daughter was excited because she had a new pack for school. The girl did not want her picture taken for some reason.

You see why I have this gray hair now?

My wife then made a nice salad and chopped up some leftover t-bone steaks. She gave the big dawg the bone. And those grape tomatoes are so sweet now.

Since my missus friend visited us, we brewed some coffee after lunch. I served the ladies, which really tickled her chum.

Care to join us?

The rest of the weekend is boring. Paying bills. Writing. Staring at the computer wanting to write. Nodding off in the chair in front of the computer. Wipe off drool. Watch movies. Restful. But never enough rest.