Author Archives: Steve

Happy Fifth Anniversary Philippe & Sonia

Posted on January 3, 2009 by Steve

The first new Austin-based friend I made married her boyfriend of many years in a wonderful ceremony in Houston. Almost a decade after we met, how fitting. The wedding was like seeing a kid sister having her big day; it’s … Continue reading →

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2003: The Last Day of Christmas II, Houston redux

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Steve

So I’m ending the annual tradition of reminiscing about Christmas Break a couple days later than last year. Sorry, I didn’t expect 1988/San Diego to be an overwhelming mess I should’ve written up sooner; it’s much like that tumultuous year … Continue reading →

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1998: The Fifth Day of Christmas II

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Steve

My first Christmas back in Austin was a rather lonely affair, reminiscent of 1994. Instead of moping about it, I took the opportunity to work at Apple versus staying home, going to Katz’s for dinner or pulling a holiday shift … Continue reading →

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Rockin’ in the New Year with The PoPCY

Posted on December 31, 2008 by Steve

I failed on my deadline to post the Fifth Day of Christmas II but hey, I am fudging the rules since the Twelve Days of Christmas run from the December 26th (Boxing Day) until January 6th (Epiphany or Three Kings … Continue reading →

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Rio on Classic Albums

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Steve

Back when we had Dish TV with VH-1 Classic, I got hooked on Classic Albums because I’m a sucker to hear the story behind the creation of certain landmark albums. Even if I didn’t like the artists, the program still left … Continue reading →

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1993: The Fourth Day of Christmas II, Movie Day 3

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Steve

If Christmas 1992 was when my life hit rock bottom (grammatical errors and all with the link), then the following year defined what one unit from “zero” equalled. Turns out that my deep-seated problems of living in Central Illinois weren’t … Continue reading →

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1988: The Third Day of Christmas II, San Diego Part Two

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Steve

So with Disneyland completed, Christmas Break 1988 was off to an awesome recovery, canceling out the unpleasant beginning known as The Drive. Christmas preparations resumed in San Diego by Mom taking us to the closest mall in Poway (the ‘burb … Continue reading →

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1988: The Third Day of Christmas II, San Diego Part One

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Steve

It took me two Christmas Breaks in college to finally realize that a month off was probably a couple weeks too long. For my friends, I figured their experiences were more pleasant. Most of them were returning to their homes, … Continue reading →

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1983: The Second Day of Christmas II, Houston II

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Steve

My first Christmas in Houston was predominantly dreadful. Other than my grand-parents visiting, everything else sucked. I didn’t like the private high school I was attending. I didn’t have any friends who lived close by. My grades were mediocre. I … Continue reading →

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1978: The First Day of Christmas II

Posted on December 26, 2008 by Steve

Last year I kicked off my holiday (or was it holidaily?) series The Six Days of Christmas as a personal exercise in reminiscing. It received one positive response and zero complaints, so by the very spurious logic of the NeoCon movement, … Continue reading →

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RIP Eartha Kitt

Posted on December 26, 2008 by Steve

Most obituaries will obviously start off with her stint as Catwoman from the Sixties which is how I was introduced to her during my childhood (Batman was syndicated then, I’m not that old). The casting of another actress for the … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday Paul

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Steve

Here’s to the first long-term friend I made at Marquette! After 22 years Paul still speaks to me despite “ruining” his life for introducing him to his wife Helen. Actually, his parents would blame me for this in all probability. … Continue reading →

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Face/Off “reality” happens in the US

Posted on December 17, 2008 by Steve

Although the French succeeded before America did, I’m hoping the recipient was a more sympathetic candidate than France’s first. My friend Bryant, who lived there for a few years, gave me the details the news stories didn’t bother to state; … Continue reading →

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Winter returns to Austin

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Steve

OK, last week, I shot off my mouth and spoke too soon about Winter being effectively “over” down in Texas. Yesterday was another great day with nice weather. We drove downtown to drop off a bunch of materials for the … Continue reading →

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Quantum of Solace

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Steve

Of all the franchise reboots Hollywood has executed, Bond is so far the best one. Batman is a far second because Batman Begins didn’t have many expectations to exceed after Burton and Schumacher’s celluloid guano. In the long run, Heath … Continue reading →

Posted in In Theaters, Movies | Leave a comment