Sunday Seven (spit and post)
1) Rain Redux
2) Clancy
3) Little City Coffee
4) The (new) Cedar Door
5) Texas Chili Parlor
6) The Cowboys vs. The Texans
7) Pisces
Had about enough of {{popup cam9802.jpg cam9802 320×240}}this. Got the dreaded 5 AM phone call, “Heavy showers at the lake, maybe later in the week or next weekend, okay?” Bummer, man. I wanted to fish. But not in the rain. Thunder boomers overhead a little later in the morning suggested that the idea to scrap the fishing for the day wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
I finally finished reading Clancy’s \\The Bear and the Dragon\\. I’m not sure what’s a better tale, and since I haven’t read any of the previous books, I’m not sure I can comment on them. I did do a movie review about \\Hunt for Read October\\ way back when, and I’m sure I gave it a good review – anything with Sean Connery – Virgo – is a usually pretty good. Then there was Affleck who never did a lot for me, but he did do a good Ryan in the film (and who stars in a lot of the better Kevin Smith films, too). The story is, my buddy loaned me his fine, first edition, hardback copy, and I found the physical novel too heavy to comfortably read while I was supine on the couch, trying to adjust the newly acquired reading glasses and balance the heavy volume. Didn’t work for me. So, in Austin, then El Paso, then Austin again, then Denver, Aspen, Amarillo, Austin, I kept looking for the paperback version of the book. I didn’t manage to find it until I hit the 6th or 7th book kiosk in SeaTac. At that point, I was about halfway through the novel, and I wanted to finish it because it was just getting good. Took a good 400 pages, but by the end, I wanted to know what was going to happen, and the fact that I went out and paid retail for paperback copy ($7.95) in an airport suggests that the story – especially the details plus some very interesting overtones – was good enough to drag me into it.
So the afternoon’s trip was to the Little City Coffee for a meeting of the Journal Writers’ Group. Coffee, tech points, and I suppose I owe one an apology as I pulled a typical Sagittarius stunt, “Wow, it’s the makeup,” having never seen that particular Pisces all done up before. In hindsight, the comment was prompted by the fact that she’s already got devastating eyes, and the eyeliner just further accentuated that. I’m sure it’s something that most males miss.
With a Scorpio and a Pisces in tow, we graduated from Little City to the new Cedar Door’s location. Just as \\the\\ football game was coming on, that Pisces, after a Mexican Martini or two, tried to draw a line in the sand. I just chimed in with the usual musical references, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore come to mind immediately as songwriters who make mention of Dallas. I just pointed out that I might not really be a Cowboy’s fan. Two of them, one of me, they had the tequila, what would you do? Go Texans! I do tend to side with the underdogs in all contests. All I saw of the beginning of the game was a touchdown in the first minute or so. Then we went back to business. Tequila and women from Southeast Texas is a dangerous combination. Maybe that’s just females and tequila, more research was called for.
And food. So we hopped in a car and teetered up to the Chili Parlor, sat in the back and watched some more of the game. Never mind that unfortunate incident with the parallel parking that didn’t work. By the time I was halfway through a bowl of the Three X chili, the Pisces really started to make my night. I’m an aficionado of accents. Being raised, my guess, in or around Houston, the inherent Southern charm, the thick accent began to ooze out. Just made my night. Quick repartee, charming accent, perfect mannerisms. Excellent political mind, as well. She did switch to some kind of vanilla vodka thing and coke, as well, “I was raised in a small town in Texas, after school, you went to Sonic and got a vanilla coke.” Whatever works.
I left the trio at the Chili Parlor and struck out for the south side of the river, angling through the post office to check for a check. The recent rain made everything damp and dewy, Houston-like. I had to return a couple of quick cell calls while I was rolling down the hill, then I got a sudden urge, and I called up my old neighbor, a die-hard Cowboys fan. Yes, the lad does bleed blue and silver.
I watched the last portion of the game at his new apartment, seeing as how he’s moved up from his humble origins. Game was over, Texans beat the odds, and probably started a great big Texas-sized rivalry going. It’s going to get ugly.
Sometimes I try to figure a flavor for an afternoon. Too many Pisces not to call it that. Personally, “was just mortified,” to quote one of those Pisces.
