Howdy from Houston

I was in Houston this past weekend, just hanging out. I'm working about 100 miles north for a few weeks but came to Houston to sight see. Also, I seem to recall there's a Panera Bread somewheres near here! And there's contra dancing. :) I attended a play downtown in the theater district (at the Alley Theatre) one night: Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. It was all right. Of the 10 or so cast members, only one was really good: watchable, energetic and believable. (The one who played Jacqueline.)

I'm staying at the Omni Hotel, which is really sort of ritzy. But I find it a little user unfriendly. You have to tip for everything, there are people everywhere who want to help you with stuff -- front desk, concierge, door openers, bell boys. It's almost too much. They charge $3.50 for room service (plus the $14 the sandwich costs), and don't even offer free WiFi in the rooms. I am down in the lobby taking advantage of the free WiFi there. And if you want close parking, you have to pay $10 a day. I walk a bit farther to the free garage. I'm such a cheapskate. :) They did redeem themselves with breakfast. My room rate is 109 plus breakfast, and it was huge: yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, bagels, croissants, cheese, omelette. Also nice is the hotel is one mile from a huge green park called Memorial Park, where I can walk. My room view is pretty decent too.

Anyway. So here I am. Texas. It's quite a pretty state. Very green -- it reminds me a lot of Florida. Just after sunset, it cools down a bit, and the night bugs start to play their song. I am surprised to find myself really liking Texas. Once this trip is over, I'll have spent 7 weeks here this year.

That's all the news.

Been cheating

All right. I will not be as lazy as I've been with posting and come up with something original. It is the eve of the anniversary of our country's birth, and I am in the middle of a drought here in Salt Lake City. Most residents are forbidden to light fireworks, but there are those who have smuggled in the contraband from Wyoming and other places. I've seen -- and heard -- some fuchsia lights echoing in the sky tonight.

I've had the week off work, and I've been puttering around here and there, and I've also been spending time with my cousin's kids. My new favorite place in town is Liberty Park (or is it Freedom Park?). It's great for walking or skating or just hanging out under a tree with a journal. It draws an eclectic crowd, and there are lots of activities: an aviary, volleyball court, open fields, picnic areas, a pool, tennis courts, and jogging and bike paths.

Some of my recent reading: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. It's ascerbic and fun. Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus. Rich and full of ah-hah moments. Desert Soliatire by Edward Abbey. This library book has been in my possession for about three months now; each paragraph is a poem. Just cracked open Are We Rome? by Cullen Murphy. Just finished The Stranger by Albert Camus, for my book club. This is a late existentialist book, and I found the main player hard to warm up to (I suppose this is the point?). According to a guest on the Diane Rehm show, existentialism has three major questions:

1. Can we trust reason?
2. What are we responsible for, if anything, as humans?
3. Is there a meaning that transcends history?

I am not prepared to answer any of those questions tonight. Frankly, I don't ponder them all that much. I hope to have something more interesting to say when I post about this book on my club's site!

Happy Independence Day to all, and to all a good night.