June 18, 2008

Ginger beats Lou home

For New Years in 2006, Tony and I drove out to Las Vegas with the dogs so we could meet up with Julie to ring in 2007. While out there, I placed a couple of geocaching tags (search geocache on the site here for info.) I placed one each for Lou and Ginger imploring cachers to help them reach Houston.

Ginger beat Lou home - she needs to be picked up from a Houston geocache to complete her journey
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=82583 8219.1miles travelled

Lou is lagging behind and stuck in Oregon right now
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=76926 1381.8miles travelled

A year and a half later... Lou has already moved out of Houston. Hopefully his travel bug will make its way home soon.

Posted by CDogg at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2008

South Texas turnaround

Jim Croce refers to a "West Coast turnaround" in his song, "Speedball Tucker." The idea is that a truck driver heads to the West Coast, drops his payload, and without any pause, returns to the East Coast. I did a mini version of that yesterday - driving from San Marcos to Houston and back again - six hours behind the wheel. It doesn't come close to my personal record of driving from Houston to just outside of Philadelphia in 24 1/2 hours straight, but it was still a bit draining.

One high note was that Lou shared the ride. I never make stops when traveling by myself, but as he seems to enjoy these little pauses so much, we make at least one stop. The highlight of this break was finding some really cool boulders for Lou to climb on.

Good times.

Posted by CDogg at 07:59 AM | Comments (1)

February 25, 2008

Livin' the dream

Oh yeah... life is good. Check out my luxurious new digs in San Marcos. As Chief Operating Officer for Newstreamz.com, I am going to be spending a lot more time in San Marvelous.

Yeah, this little one-bedroom apartment isn't much to look at right now, but it is a stepping stone on my path to eventually relocate. I am sold on the area, the people, the air, and the lack of traffic.

Posted by CDogg at 02:58 PM | Comments (3)

February 15, 2008

Are people just happier in San Marcos?

Okay, so I have been coming back and forth to San Marcos regularly for months now and what I thought was an anomaly at first, has proven to be a recognizable trait. My impression has been that people here are just a little happier, a little nicer, and maybe just a little more pleased with their lives. The clincher has come in a series of walks Lou and I have taken around the city.

In Houston, Lou and I do our morning walk in the big blue room come rain or shine every morning. This walk takes us past lines and lines of commuters heading off to work. In the past few years, the closest things I have gotten to a reaction was maybe a smile a year by one of the slowly moving motorists. One a year!

I have walked Lou a couple dozen times in San Marvelous and every single time we get smiles. Not only that - most of the time we get waves from people, and twice I have had some sort of verbal interaction with someone on their morning drive. Yeah, they actually stopped the vehicle, rolled down the window, and said "Cute dog" or "Nice morning for a walk." I am not exaggerating.

Now, trust me - I know that Lou himself is the one spreading all that joy - afterall, "Everybody Loves Lou." But, Lou spreads happiness wherever he goes - here, it just seems to get returned.

Is my analysis scientific? Nope. Could I just be showing my own bias for being here? Sure. Am I going to surmise that people in San Marcos are happier despite this non-objective premise? Well, that is the purpose of this post. :)

Posted by CDogg at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2008

More pics

I found a couple of pics from the last trip to San Marcos and thought I would post them quick.

Ron spotted this sign in Luling...

Hey, they never claimed to be good spellers.

After picking up Lou from Tony & Julie's, he wasted no time in climbing up Mt. Ron and relaxing.

Not sure if I mentioned it yet, but this latest SM trip was easily the most productive. A lot of good things are happing there.

Posted by CDogg at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

Found: Good barbeque in San Marcos

First off, let me say: It's no City Market*, but it is the best BBQ I have found in San Marcos so far.

One of the most important things about any city is the cuisine. One of the most important styles of food is barbecue. After a bit of searching and a couple of suggestions from locals, I found Fuschak's.

Ron and I ate there yesterday and although I didn't sample much (I only had a sausage wrap,) it was very good.

I have been told that Lockhart is worth the trip if BBQ is my thing as there are dueling family restaurants that claim the best in the state. I will have to take a trip over there next time I am in the area.

* I just realized I never posted the photos from my trip with Tony D. to City Market in Luling, TX. I will remedy that later.

Posted by CDogg at 09:17 AM | Comments (2)

January 05, 2008

Photo update

Rather than a half dozen posts about a couple dozen events, I thought I would do some of it in pictures.

As usual, things are going extremely fast - Friday was a trip to Beaumont for the Drillers press conference. While I don't have the photos back from the Driller's photographer yet, I did manage to take some shots of my own while there Friday.

Where else but Beaumont, Texas can you find not only the new line of tractors on display in the center of the local mall, but the local TV station as well?

Another benefit of the mall trip was getting a puka shell necklace. Once all decked out in my coolness, I had to take a trip to where all the cool kids hang out - Abercrombie & Fitch for a photo op.

Now that I was oozing coolness, it was time to take in a Beaumont Wildcatters hockey game. This is the same arena where the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team will be playing. Fun stuff.

The day started before sunup and didn't end until the wee hours of Saturday. It was jam-packed with fun. Oh yeah, there are a few other photos from the day on my flickr page.

Posted by CDogg at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2007

Morning in San Marcos

Lou and I were up bright and early this morning and headed out for a walk with doggy bags and camera in tow. You can see a selection of this morning's photos on my Flickr site. (My shutterbug crush and #1 stalker Laanba already discovered them while I was uploading)

See how cleverly I got a picture of the town square and myself into the same shot? After our walk, we took a drive over to Wimberly to look around as well. I am liking this area of the country more and more.

Posted by CDogg at 10:12 AM | Comments (3)

December 27, 2007

Travels continue

I should get some sort of frequent driving miles for all the mileage I have rung up on the highway recently. Today, Ron and I headed over the Beaumont to capture some still and video shots. We are putting together a promotional video for the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team and needed some footage of the city.

I didn't think to snap any still photos of my own until the sun was starting to set.

Spindletop at sunset. Spindletop is the birthplace of the oil industry and there can be no more fitting icon for the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team video.

Posted by CDogg at 07:20 PM | Comments (2)

December 15, 2007

No rest for the weary

With just a few hours recovery from the New Mexico marathon, I headed off to College Station last night with my friend, "Mighty" Mike Wright. We were there for Lone Star Gridiron to cover the 4A Semifinal Playoff game between the Austin Lake Travis Cavaliers and the Dayton Broncos.

It was a lot of fun - you can go to the LSG link above to hear the show. It was good to do a game with Mike again as despite the fact that we have built this thing together for nearly four years, it is the first time in three weeks that we have done a show together. I have been running all over the state covering teams while he has been covering other games.

Next week brings another couple of trips - one to Beaumont, one to San Marcos and one that I can't remember right now.

Posted by CDogg at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2007

The trip - VIII

We are closing in on the end of the line. We are close to the San Antonio area and from there it is pretty much a straight shot back to Tim's house. I will try to do a wrapup sometime tomorrow as well as upload the rest of the photos.

Posted by CDogg at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - VII

We took a slightly different route heading back home and decided to swing by Hobbs, New Mexico.

Hobbs was much more of the traditional adobe buildings and sandy surroundings. It is a cool little town surrounded by cotton and peanut fields - a whole lot of agriculture goes on around there.

The agriculture of New Mexico doesn't hold a candle to Texas though as the cotton and peanut fields in the Lone Star State stretch for as far as the eye can see. The cotton gins are working around the clock with thousands of eighteen-wheeler sized bales stacked nearby awaiting processing.

We witnessed our second scene of carnage as a HUGE mule deer was struck by a Lincoln. The windshield of the car was shattered and the old couple in the car was clearly shaken - the deer didn't fare as well.

This guy weighed out easily at 300 pounds and dwarfs the deer around South Texas. A couple of locals were also stopped and they were talking about how hunters in the area have been after this buck for the last five years. It's a shame that he met his demise in such a senseless way after all those years of eluding hunters.

Posted by CDogg at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - VI

The coolest thing about the trip had to be the fact that upon walking into the church, I realized that all of the windows inside had been designed by me. I worked as an artist for my parents stained glass studio and drew windows for so many churches that I had lost track of them all.

These windows were installed in 1986 after I drew them up and my brother created them and installed them. It was really cool seeing my work in the middle of nowhere.

This is the main window behind the altar and the most visually stunning. Along each side of the chapel there are a series of windows depicting different biblical stories/ideas. I took photos of all of them with my little camera and will upload them to Flickr after I get back to Houston.

Posted by CDogg at 03:57 PM | Comments (2)

The trip - V

10:45 AM - A whole new world.

One of the big surprises was this huge sunflower farm. I guess all those little bags of seeds have to come from somewhere. The other huge surprise was how once we crossed the border into New Mexicothe roads turned to crap, had no shoulders, and were bumpy as hell. Texas cartainly has better roads.

12:01 PM - Going to the chapel..

When we arrived, they were finishing up a funeral so we went and partook of some of the local dining (gut bomb.) After that, the window install took just a few minutes.

Posted by CDogg at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - IV

10:20 AM God's Country

As you enter the town there is a big sign proclaiming "The Church of Christ Welcomes You." As you are leaving town, there is a sign that states "What part of 'Thou Shalt Not' don't you understand?" - God

The landscape here changes from one of just cotton to cotton fields dotted with oil pumps. It seems like a great way to get your oilfield an agricultural exemption.

Posted by CDogg at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

The trip - III

9:04 AM King Cotton

Scoot and Tim loading back up after a quick pit stop in Lamesa, Texas. Cotton is definitely king around hear as this tiny town is the only thing above two feet tall for thousands of acres. For as far as the eye can see its all about cotton.

Posted by CDogg at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

The trip - II

The sun is still down as of this entry, but it is getting closer.

2:32 AM Blood on the highway in SA

The rate of traffic accidents increases shortly after the bars close. It seems they party in San Antonio even on a Wednesday night.

4:36 AM The Junction Boys

We stopped off for gas in the city that was the setting for one of my all-time favorite sports books - The Junction Boys. Its a great read.

Posted by CDogg at 06:48 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2007

The trip begins

I am writing from the passenger seat of my brother's (Tim) rented van as we are embarking on a interstate trip. About 10pm I left Houston to meet Tim and Scoot (my nephew) in Victoria. From there we left around midnight with the goal of driving straight through to Portales, New Mexico.

We will be dropping off a stained glass window at a church in Portales, jumping right back in the van and coming straight back.

I will try to update you on the trip periodically after the sun comes up.

Posted by CDogg at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2007

Christmas in San Marcos

I was in San Marcos this weekend with Ron and really enjoyed checking out their annual "Sights and Sounds" street festival. Our host, Scott, was our guide and did a great job of giving us the official tour. We met a bunch of great San Marcians (thats the term I heard them refer to themselves as) including the organizer of the festival. They were all a bunch of great people and it really reminded me of the small town feel I had growing up. Santa Claus was in attendance, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was playing on the big screen, there was live music, and tons of great (but very unhealthy) foods.

I am really starting to like San Marcos more and more so I expect to be making the short trip West more often.

After San Marcos, Ron and I headed North to Moody, Texas where we caught the TAPPS Six Man Football State Championship games. The trip was part of our Lone Star Gridiron coverage and was a lot of fun. It was the first time I saw sixman football live and let me tell you, its a blast to watch. The whole small-town flavor of the weekend carried over into the games and made for a very relaxed time despite all the hard work and over 500 miles in the car.

Posted by CDogg at 05:40 PM | Comments (2)

November 13, 2007

Good trip

I took a quick little jaunt over to San Marcos today to meet with some pretty cool people. Thank you Erica O'Grady for the introduction. No trip out I-10 West would be complete without a stop by Buc-ee's and as per Russell's request, I had to snap a photo.

One of the great things about visiting small towns in Texas is that they often have a cool town square accompanied by some of the coolest courthouses. Here John "Jack" Hays strikes a heroic pose in front of the Hays County Courthouse.

I see some pretty cool things developing from this trip. Look for more news down the road.

Posted by CDogg at 06:47 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2007

Am I Blue?

Well, tomorrow I head back to Houston and thanks to the power of this whole social networking and new media phenomenon, I had a great final night off Broadway. Tom Shad (see previous entry) got me the hookup to go see the Blue Man Group.

(Tom is in the band that backs up the Blue Man Group)

They have groups playing regularly in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Berlin, Oberhausen, Orlando and a tour a couple years back called The Complex Tour. The ones in bold are the ones I have seen now and even though there are a lot of similarities between the cities, there is something new in every performance. It wouldn't matter to me if everything was identical because I absolutely love the show and the music gets me going every time I hear it.

Thank you Michael and Brian for being great hosts, thank you to all the people I met both business and casual, thank you Tom for the chance to reconnect and see my favorite show, and thank you to New York for showing this Texan a real good time.

Posted by CDogg at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)

New York's Finest

One of the things that surprised me was how young all the New York City police officers looked. Sure, there was an occasional grizzled veteran, but most of them appeared to be in their 20's. These two guys were assigned to Times Square where they posed for photos all night. What a country!

This is right before I started jumping around screaming, "ATTICA! ATTICA!" They they tasered me into submission and I continued on my way. :) (parts of that story may be untrue)

Posted by CDogg at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2007

The "new" Jersey Boys

How cool is that? I'm in NYC (actually staying in Jersey City, NJ) and I get a Skype message from someone I hadn't talked to in months and months. It was from Tom Shad, who composed the original score for A Podcast Christmas Carol. I had totally forgotten that he lives in New Jersey and it was just a weird coincidence that he picked now to say "Hello" again.

Next thing you know, Michael and I are heading to Hoboken for dinner with Tom. We went to a local spot he suggested called Arthur's Tavern.

The food was pretty good if a bit pricey, but the atmosphere was authentic Jersey and the company of course was great.

The three of us covered every topic imaginable as between us we have seen just about every bit of podcasting history. It was good to see Tom again, but it was somewhat surreal to think that the two of us from separate parts of the country actually met for the first time in North Carolina and were just casually eating steaks together a couple years later in Hoboken. (Adjacent to an alley that was used in a scene from On the Waterfront.) Small world - big people.

Posted by CDogg at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

The real New York Giant

I came, I saw, I conquered!

(click photo for link to all the trip photos from NYC)

Actually, New York has won me over a bit. It has been over a decade since I had been to the Big Apple and it was every bit as cool as I remember. I am working on a side-by-side comparison of New York and Houston - look for that post in the next day or so.

Posted by CDogg at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN' !

The photo below is a dramatization based on actual events. The names were not changed because I don't even know any of them.

While Michael and I were heading from his apartment to the light rail station a few blocks away we were startled to see a 13 or 14 year old black girl scream at the top of her lungs as she ran around a corner straight into our direction. (ala the example photo)

"F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN'," she screamed as she ran past us.

Running closely behind were a throng of similarly frightened children.

"THEY HE IS - right there!!!" one exclaimed. Surely, an axe-wielding crackhead or gun-toting murderer would be right behind.

Coming down the street with a look that only the oft-picked-on runt of the pack could have was a boy of about 8. He walked slowly in the direction of the screaming kids with an expression that explained it all. The kids were obviously staying away to kid him or because he had "cooties" or maybe he "dealt it." Whatever the reason, within a span of a few seconds we went from shock and fear of what was chasing the girl, to having a great one-liner we used the rest of the night.

"F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN' " !!!! (must be delivered with a look of terror and while striking a pose per above.)

Posted by CDogg at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2007

Victoria, Inez, Hillje and points beyond

I was in Victoria yesterday to see the family. The first thing I noticed was the final sign of the apocalypse has manifest in the middle of Victoria, Texas. There is a Starbucks smack dab in the middle of the main drag!

Come to find out, that is like the fourth one in town. When small town America is taken over by double-latte-crappacinos the end is near.

All was made better by the trip out to the Doelle Ranch. Macy, Maddie (sp?) and I kicked back and watched the horses graze from the front poor.

Macy (left) can hold her own now, but soon Maddie, a Great Pyrenees, will grow into her enormous feet and tower above.

The dog tour continued at Brian's house where I was introduced to Max and his amazing (if somewhat awkward looking) ability to ride a bike with Brian.

At first glance, you think pit bull when you see him, but he is actually a white boxer. His is unaware of his ability to wreak havoc with his size at times, but is a very gentle dog.

No trip to see the family would be complete without stopping off at Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse on the way home. I kid you not - this place has the best smoked meats in the state. You may be tempted to stop at one of the many other roadside options, but do yourself a favor and hold out until you reach Hillje. It's worth it.

Gassed up and loaded down with peppered turkey jerky - I am ready to head home... another good trip.

Dig that stylin' hat I got from my brother Tim. Suh-weeeet.

Posted by CDogg at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

August 14, 2007

Good eye, Ron

Being someone that drinks A LOT of water during the day, I have to thank Ron for noticing this on the television as soon as we checked into the Red Roof in Corpus Christi.

The news reported something about amoebic meningitis in the water system, but the official word is that it is because of "low chlorine levels." The bottom line is that with the weeks and weeks of rain, sewer systems are backed up into the same pools as the public water supply. This intermingling of dirty and clean water has the public water supply unsafe.

Once again, thanks Ron for noticing that because I would have been downing quite a bit of the local water had I not seen that.

Posted by CDogg at 03:47 PM | Comments (1)

Couple of pics from the weekend

I literally have hundreds of shots from this past weekend, but these ones were still on my camera when I cleared it off so I thought I would toss them online.

This was after the Intense Bowl III finished up and the Swashbuckler's held a party to celebrate the season. I was minding my own business and the Miller Lite girls begged me to take a photo with them. ;)

And when I got back to Houston, there was one face I was happiest to see

Unfortunately for my buddy Lou, I am heading out in about 45 minutes to Corpus Christi for two days. I have been invited to the All-Star Game and owner meetings to enjoy some more football and talk to them about podcasting. No rest for the weary.

Posted by CDogg at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007

Oh yeah - everything is fine

I've had several people call to ask for more details about the hotel fire and how the trip to Lake Charles turned out. Everything went fine and the fire wasn't really a fire - it was someone smoking some of the holy herb in a non-smoking room.

The trip was very productive from a business standpoint as we are discussions with the league about doing some other work for them next season. I have a bunch of pictures, but still have so much work to do that I won't be posting them here anytime soon. You can check my Flickr site as some of them are already up there.

Posted by CDogg at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

Good food, good folks

Tony D. and I went out to eat tonight at Little Napoli Ristorante Italiano and Bar on Westheimer. It wasn't the first time I had been there, but last time I wasn't eating, so this was my first chance to try the food. I had the chicken alfredo pasta and it was pretty damn good.

Better than the food was the staff. Our waitress Allison (sp?) was very friendly, super helpful, and very attentive to our service. The service was so good that I thought I would give her some props.

If you get by the restaurant be sure to ask for Allison (and mention that you saw her on www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com.) Oh yeah, and give her a big tip too. Thanks Allison!

Posted by CDogg at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

Paris is out!! Paris is out!!

(groan) Get ready for this molehill to grow again.

I find it amusing as hell that Larry King didn't so much "score the big interview" with Paris as be the last horse in the race. It turns out that ABC and NBC dropped their offers. Kudos to them.

(Is it just me or does that look like a Paris impersonator? Wouldn't that be an interesting story if she either paid someone to do her time or at least scammed the paparrazi on her departure?)

Posted by CDogg at 01:02 AM | Comments (1)

June 16, 2007

Hot time in the old town

We arrived in Laredo around 7PM and after settling in at the hotel and getting the itinerary for Saturday, we headed across the border. We were going to pick up some cheap souvenirs, but it was past business hours so we just took in some of the local flavor. (i.e. grab a cerveza or two and meet the locals.)

As we walked through the "mean streets" of Nuevo Laredo, we weren't accosted by drug kingpins, hostage takers, or even roving gangs of ruffians. When these guys arrived to entertain us as we walked, I had to grab a picture.

They were really cool dudes and despite my mangled Spanish, we managed to have a pretty good conversation.

One of the coolest people we met was Rafael.

He is the 87-year old proprietor of a little corner bar. He has owned the bar for over 60 years and has never missed a day at work. He showed us a bunch of real old photos and explained who was who in them... it was an exceptional bit of cross-cultural interaction and one of the highlights of the trip thus far.

Today is all about football as team meetings begin in about two hours, the team lunch follows and then the trip over to the arena for pregame activities.

Right up until the last minute, I was thinking about not coming on the trip, but as it turns out, I am very glad I did.

Posted by CDogg at 10:05 AM | Comments (2)

June 09, 2007

The best restaurant in Inez, Texas

My brother Tim, sister-in-law Sandra, Mom, and myself had a fine dinner at KB's BBQ in Inez tonight. I snapped this as my brother was telling me that not only was this the absolute best restaurant in Inez, but it had the hottest waitresses.

It was then that I was informed it was the ONLY restaurant in Inez. Well, the food was good anyway.

Posted by CDogg at 08:17 PM | Comments (2)

May 29, 2007

The more I drive - the less miles I put on?

Oil change time for the gray goober:

As I was waiting for the oil change on the Focus, it dawned on me that it has been a year since I traded in the F-150 extended cab pickup for my little gray roller skate. I was also shocked to see just how few miles I drove in the past year.

In that year, I have only put on 21,000 miles despite two trips to the East Coast (North Carolina and back via Florida,) and one trip to Las Vegas and back. (Those three trips alone were roughly 10,000 miles.)

Now, 21,000 may sound like a lot of miles to you, but it is TINY for me. I am someone who lives in my vehicle. My first new car (a Dodge Colt) had 53,000 in ONE YEAR!! It has been typical for me to put 30,000 - 40,000 in a year throughout my car history. I can't even blame the drop in mileage on the move into the home office because I had the home office for two years with the F-150 and never put under 30,000 a year during that time.

Is it the price of gas? Maybe. I don't really know. I think it may be podcasting that accounts for the low mileage. For the first time since I've had wheels, my biggest hobby is done from home. There are no sports leagues to drive to, no meetings I have to attend, no distant destinations needing to be explored, it can all be done from home. Scratch that - there have been podcaster meetups, conventions, soundseeing tours, football games to cover... hmmm, I guess that isn't it afterall. Maybe I am really just turning into a homebody.

You tell me... has your driving increased or decreased in the last year? Am I just losing my mind? Does this post make any sense at all?

Posted by CDogg at 01:13 PM | Comments (1)

May 20, 2007

Back home - safe and sound

I reached Houston, dropped off Tony, and picked up Lou... all was right with the world once again as Lou rode home on my lap.

I have a ton to do but think I will spend a few minutes kickin' back with my bud before getting after it.

Posted by CDogg at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

Rather than repeat myself...

Well, I could repeat what I just wrote over at Houston MetBlogs about tonight's rodeo performance. I could try to be clever and come up with another angle. I guess I could just not even mention it.

What I decided to do instead is to set the scene and then point you to the already quippy entry I did at MetBlogs.

Tony D., Tony V. and I were at the house thinking about going out for a movie or something when I decided to clean up some email. I noticed that someone had Rockets tickets (2) they were giving away and another person was trying to give rodeo tickets (3). I dropped them each a line quick and said that I would take them because Tony V. hadn't been to either. The rodeo ticket giver responded first so I met her for the swap. By the time I returned, the Rockets ticket giver had responded, but I had to pass as our plans were already in motion for the evening.

We jumped in the car, went to Delmar for the park and ride (picture) and headed out to the show. For the story of the concert itself... click on this link to my Houston MetBlogs entry.

PS. As you can see, the full beard is gone as of today. :)

Posted by CDogg at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2007

Taking the capital by storm

What do you do when there is a lull in the sessions at SXSW, and someone left an unattended podium and speaker system on the front steps of the state capital building?

Why... you step up to the mic, tell your photographer to snap a photo, and tell the world to check out your podcast at www.podmusiccountdown.com. Good times!

Hey, how many of you have given a speech on the steps of the capital building with hundreds of people listening on?

Posted by CDogg at 04:10 PM | Comments (2)

March 11, 2007

Houston has better ribs

I just left Stubbs BBQ after eating the barbeque platter and I have to say that while it was good... Houston definitely does a better job in the manly beef meals.

So if the seminars are kinda lame and the food is subpar, what is the reason for being at SXSW? The conversations. This place is all about meeting people and thinking big. We have assembled in one place an amazing array of nerds and when you get that many nerds in one place - great geeky things happen.

Tomorrow I plan on meeting up with a friend that is going to college at UT and of course, talking a whole lot of Nerdlish. (I think I just coined a new term - heading to Urban Dictionary to submit.)

Posted by CDogg at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)

South by Southwest

I am in Austin for SXSW Interactive and just went through the trade show floor. I will of course be giving more detailed info in the next couple days, but for now I just wanted to start things off.

One of the booths was for a website called Lucky Oliver - a photo community that takes some of the coolness of a site like Flickr and adds commerce to the equation. (I promised them I would plug their site on my blog if they gave me a tshirt.)

Anyway, its time to go grab something to eat and head back out to be "interactive."

Oh, and just so you have a good idea of how many people attend something like this... these are the "goody bags" they hand out with registration.

Posted by CDogg at 01:10 PM | Comments (1)

February 13, 2007

These boots are made for scootin'

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a collection of six-foot tall painted boots have been placed around town. On my way back from a client today, I decided to snap a few.

Look for these and more on my Flickr page.

Posted by CDogg at 05:55 PM | Comments (5)

February 10, 2007

It's a hard knock life

Tim and I are at the Amp'd Mobile Supercross sitting high above the floor of Reliant Stadium in the press box after returning from our "work" at the Pit Party.

Geez, I really should take a break from working so hard...

Tim is sure to be hating this new gig...

Yes, the life of the media elite is tough. :)

We even ran into some of the common people (haha.) Royace and his family...

Posted by CDogg at 03:48 PM | Comments (1)

January 03, 2007

I'm baaaack!!

Yeah, the intense thunderstorms didn't stop me. Despite 15 straight hours of driving through the rain, including 3 of those in a fierce downpour that slowed traffic to 30 mph, Lou and I arrived home safe and sound around 11 pm.

The rain let up for about 15 minutes in Ft. Stockton and we took the opportunity to do the doggie-relief thing.

As "good times..." is one of my favorite sayings, Tony pointed out the name of the bar across the street.

One of the last stops before we made it home and as usual, Lou and I are waiting on Tony.

Well, I feel fortunate in that we survived dust storms in New Mexico, 65mph winds in Nevada, snow in El Paso and torrential downpours in Texas. All in all, it was a fun trip, but after 3,000 miles, countless hours of walking up and down the Vegas strip as well as the streets of Juarez, Mexico, and waaay too much bad roadside food, it is good to be home.

Posted by CDogg at 11:29 PM | Comments (3)

January 02, 2007

The trip continues

Yeah, Las Vegas is behind us... but the road goes ever onward.

We made it to El Paso and were surprised to awake to snow!

The snow didn't accumulate on the ground... but was still pretty cool

We headed across the border in the snow to find it was pretty much shut down.

I did pick up a cool hat for a couple bucks though.

The snow turned to water, but was still about 40 degrees out as the city of Juarez woke up.

I like the idea of people not being able to see my eyes. :)

Posted by CDogg at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

January 01, 2007

Yet more pics

Before I disconnect hte computer and pack for a very early depature in the morning, I thought I would post some of the latest pics. Eventually, I will post a bunch to my Flickr page, but for now, there are more here on the blog.

A self portrait taken outside our condo.

We were on the guest list for Tony n' Tina's Wedding

Despite a lot of drunkedness and other hijinx, the couple had a great sendoff.

Ms. Rio Rita asked if she could take a picture with me...

Well, that's the way I remember it.

I, of course, had to swing my Toby Keith's joint and pick something up for my mom.

She is a huge TK fan.

While inside, I had to pick up something for myself as well.

I promise, I didn't go see Celine Dion.

It wouldn't be a complete visit without at least one geocache.

I found this one not far off the strip.

After watching the Blue Man Group at the Venetian, they came out to pose with fans.

Like I said, there are more pics and eventually they will make it to the flickr page. For now, it is 15 minutes until 2007 and I need to head out on the strip once again.

btw Happy belated-New Year to all my friends and family back in the earlier time zones!

Posted by CDogg at 01:25 AM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2006

More fun in Sin City

Simon Cowell showing a decided lack of interest in my opinion...

...one of the many stars at the wax museum.

While looking out from the Venetian over the strip...

...all I could think of was how much money they have to take in to pay for all this opulence.

Guess who we are going to see on Sunday?

Yeah, we have to sit through a condo sales pitch, but we got tickets worth $129 each!

Posted by CDogg at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2006

Not so grand

Well, as I mentioned in my podcast, I am staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations. The property is two towers of timeshare condos. Apparently if you wanted to purchase an entire year here, it would run you around $3 million. It is certainly luxurious, but for that kind of money, you just knew I would be able to find some problems.

1 - the parking is not nearly adequate enough to handle a full house and because of the New Year's celebration, the place is packed. When you leave the parking lot in the morning, you may as well stay gone until around noon as there will be no spots until people start waking up and hitting the strip.

2 - they charge for everything. A printout in the business center costs a buck a page. A local phone call, a buck each. A piece of tinfoil... you guessed it - another buck. When you are charging the amounts you are for the rooms, you think something would be complimentary.

3 - a little hot water would be nice. Again, for the price... a warm shower on a cold morning shouldn't be too much to ask. I guess because the building is new, they are still working out the kinks - but hot water? That's a no-brainer.

Overall, it is a pretty nice place and I am enjoying my stay... but when Paris' daddy puts such a high price tag on his properties... its okay to get a little nit-picky.

Posted by CDogg at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2006

On the road again - Day 1

Once again, I have taken to the road in an attempt to travel to the far ends of the earth... okay, well at least the continent. 8 days in Las Vegas began with 2 days of driving. Tony and I set out 8AM on Christmas morning.

1 2
1 - Go West Young Man!!
2 - Out in West Texas, I saw the first 80mph speed limit sign I have ever seen.

3
3 - Of course, when travelling with dogs, rest areas are a welcome break for their little bladders.

4 5
4 - In no time at all, we were zipping along again at 90.
4 - Day one came to an end overlooking the US/Mexico border in a hotel room in El Paso.

The first day was very interesting from a geological and sociological standpoint. Texas continues to amaze me with the wide range of terrains and even climates. From the hill country around San Antonio to the high desert in deep West Texas - we have seen quite a bit of it on this trip.

The stop in El Paso was pretty cool. I was actually surprised to see that there is casino gambling in the city of El Paso. We are not talking a party boat in the gulf or even across the border into Mexico. There was a casino (with an excellent buffet) just a few blocks from the hotel. I plan to record some audio in there on the return trip.

Posted by CDogg at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2006

Its on like Donkey Kong!

Well, there was a little debate over whether or not I would be doing the Vegas trip, but all is settled now. I am heading out Monday (Christmas morning) and should be back around the 3rd.

Fear not though... what happens in Vegas is definitely NOT staying in Vegas on this trip. I will be podcasting daily (Doelle) from the trip and letting you know what is happening each step of the way. I will also try to post a bunch of pictures. Wish me luck and tons o' fun.

Posted by CDogg at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2006

Way to go Donald!

I have to say that most of the time, 'The Donald' seems to be talking out of his @ss... but I have to agree with him on the whole Rosie O'Donnell thing. Its high time someone put her in her place.

Posted by CDogg at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

VEGAS, BABY!!

That's right - I am hitting the road once again. I thought I was going to hang at the house for the next month, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. The respite from the road was short-lived as on Christmas day I will be heading to the "Jewel of the Desert" - the one and only "Lost Wages, Nevada."

As seems to be very common these days, another "on the cheap" opportunity came up. My friends Tony and Julie have a luxurious Hilton suite for 8 days and have invited me and Lou along - good times. I will, of course, be podcasting all along the way so if you like to get your virtual travel on... I will do my best to put out regular shows.

Geez... let me see... I have been logging some serious miles recently.

November - Atlanta, North Carolina, Savannah, New Orleans, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
December - Las Vegas (so far)

In advance I want to thank Dave and Mindy for their assistance in holding down the fort and taking care of things like Nardo and the mail.

Posted by CDogg at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)

Wolfgang YUCK!

I ate at Wolfgang Puck's the other day with Tony and BOY, was I disappointed. You walk into the place and it looks nice. I immediately assumed that it was going to be a very nice meal as the environment was certainly inviting. Once you glance behind the veneer a bit however, it was a big letdown.

The seating looked a lot better than it felt as it was pretty stark and uncomfortable. The pricing was certainly in line with my expectations as it was much more costly than fast food and not as much as a high-end restaurant. The value, on the other hand, was horrible.

WP's delivers food that is barely above fast food for a price that is way out of line with the quality. I had a chicken and garlic mashed potato meal and was shocked. The chicken as Boston Market is MUCH better, but the real crime was the mashed potatoes - they were made from instant freaking FLAKES! Uggghh.

This is easily the worst example of style over substance in the dining world.

And no - even though I met Wolfgang a few months back, I was not starstruck enough to let this culinary crime pass.

Posted by CDogg at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2006

Homeward Bound

In just a matter of hours, I will be touching down in Houston after a week in San Miguel de Allende. I had a great time and took a ton of pictures, but none of them can do justice to the coolness of this area of the world. My high school Spanish came in very handy as within a couple days I was communicating better than some of my gringo hosts who have been here for months.

The people are friendly, the sights are amazing, the food is great and not once was I visited by Senor Montezuma despite eating regularly at the roadside stands. As I type this, there is a tiny finch outside the casita window literally looking me in the eye from less than 12 inches away. The rabbits are so numerous that you almost have to watch where you walk to avoid them. The flora comes in every shape and size including prickly pear cactus that stand 20 feet high with a woody bark similar to an oak tree.

I want to thank Dave, Mindy, and Tony for holding down the homefront, taking care of mail, computers, Nardo and Lou and I want to thank my hosts EJ and Fen for putting me up and showing me a good time.

Louper, daddy will be there soon! :)

Posted by CDogg at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2006

Its almost over

Yes, tomorrow I will be heading back to Houston. I view that with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am having a good time exploring things and learning about everything here, but on the other hand, I really want to get back home. I miss Lou something fierce, I miss my friends and family, and between this and the trip to the US east coast, I have only been home one week in the last month. There is something to be said about just sitting in your recliner in your home.

Today is the presidential inauguration in Mexico and all the cities have pretty much closed down. Because a large portion of the population feels that the election was stolen, widespread protests and violence is expected. Sounds like a fun podcast :)

This is from the El Mirador or "lookout." It offers a great view of the city.

This is from inside the Instituto de Allende. It offers a ton of art and cultural classes for locals. It is a gorgeous place and well worth the time to investigate.

You can click on either of the pictures to go to my flickr account. There are a bunch more photos there.

Posted by CDogg at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2006

More pics

The internet has been rather hit and miss, so I will just post a few pics.

Relaxing after a long, dry day. Otto joins me in watching the sun set.

Doesn't he look like a young revolutionary?

more later

Posted by CDogg at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2006

San Miguel de Allende - Day Two

Yeah, waking up in the middle of the Mexican wilderness was great. The temperature this morning was about 45 and the sunrise was brilliant. Last night we went to the town square and ate a great burger from a street vendor. I know, everyone has warned me against it, but I have also heard that things are much better here than in the border towns - plus I have a cast iron stomach. (Cross your fingers that Montezuma doesn't show up wanting some sort of revenge.)

My gracious host Fen (right) with her daughter, EJ's mom - Holly.

I have really enjoyed hanging out with Fen and the entire family, her house is amazing (all solar and self-sufficient) and she has an air of class about her while at the same time, maintaining a real earthiness.

EJ saying good morning to Otto at the guest house where we are staying.

I am really digging the whole area and promise to upload a bunch of pictures to my Flickr account - I have taken hundreds already of the buildings, the city, the people, the wilderness, everything.

I also have some soundseeing audio and local music so if my server stays running back in Houston and I can continue posting, look for that soon.

My flikr pics

Posted by CDogg at 11:40 AM | Comments (1)

November 26, 2006

I have arrived!!

I have made it to San Miguel de Allende and it ROCKS!!! I promise I will post some pictures later and tell you all about it, but for now, I have to watch the sun set over the mountains. Yeah, life is hard. :)

Posted by CDogg at 05:31 PM | Comments (1)

September 29, 2006

Its on, like Donkey Kong!!

That's right - its that time of year again... ...time to don your worst 16th century British accent, fill yer mugs with your favorite 21st century brew, and lace up your most comfortable walking shoes. The Texas Renaissance Festival is underway. One of the largest and most prestigious renfests in the nation, it will be running for the next eight weekends from 9AM to dusk.

Think we don't do it big here in Texas? Check out the Google Earth image of the layout:

We are talking 54 acres of permanent facilities on 250 total acres.

Whether you want to take in the comedy acts, all manner of food on a stick, juggling, magic shows, jousting, falconry, limitless shopping opportunities, or just get your drunk on, RenFest has something for everyone. Just be prepared to drop a serious dime on ye olde merriment.

Posted by CDogg at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2006

Quiz Time

Alright pop quiz - who owns those monster eyes next to me?

Posted by CDogg at 03:15 PM | Comments (2)

July 20, 2006

Crazy, the things you find hidden in the city

What the heck is it? Well, its the nose of a jet fighter (USAF Phantom) sitting in the parking lot of the American Legion Post #560. It was a geocache I did today after leaving a client. I saw on the map that it was real close to my appointment so I loaded it in the GPS and swung by after the meeting. Very nice.

This city has so many very cool things... I am still amazed every time I find one. Whether it is 30 foot tall presidential busts, a house made of beer cans, a museum dedicated to wacky cars, crazy statues, weird architecture, or just a little-known hideaway... if its out of the ordinary, I dig it.

Know of something cool in your area? Let me know about it and I will add it to my list of "must see" things.

I also found it on Google Earth

Posted by CDogg at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows!

Well, since I get in trouble over at Houston MetBlogs when I cross-post the same things on both sites, I will instead link you folks over the my MetBlogs entry on the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows.

I will be there covering the event and of course, look forward to a soundseeing tour as I interview some of the participants and generally give you a feel for what a great event this is.... GOOD TIMES!!

Posted by CDogg at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2006

Not a McAnything in sight

Tony D. turned me on to Pete's Fine Meats a few days back. It is not your traditional meat market nor is it your traditional lunch stop. Pete's has some great cuts of meat including exotics such as buffalo, bear, boar, snake, kangaroo, etc. In the same hole-in-the-wall building is a lunch counter that has some excellent burgers and barbeque.

I love the fact that it doesn't have plastic benches and it doesn't have a value meal. You can't supersize. There's no kids meals. Heck, they even trust you! That's right... you order your food from one spot - sit down and have your meal - and then when you are walking out, the (Mrs. Pete?) asks you what you ate. Total honor system and totally great.

Now, it meant nothing to me, but Tony insisted that I mention the fact that Pete's Fine Meats is reknowned for their deviled eggs. In fact, as we sat and ate our meal, there were dozens of people ordering and almost every single one ordered a side of regular or jalepeno deviled eggs.

If you're in Houston... it is worth the stop.

Pete's Fine Meats
5509 Richmond Ave.
Houston, TX 77056

Posted by CDogg at 10:53 AM | Comments (4)

April 26, 2006

Best Ice in Town

Okay, this may not seem important to you, but darn it - the people need to know. I have found the best fountain drink ice in the city. The restaurant Husky's has not only the best ice, but the coolest drink fountain.

First the ice. It comes out in those tiny little squares... small enough to quickly cool your drink, but not as small as crushed ice. It is the perfect combination of cube and crush and chills the drink instantly. I really dig this ice.

The ice comes from the very cool beverage fountain. What makes this one different is that not only can you order all the regular varieties such as Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc... but with any of the drinks you can add flavorings such as vanilla, cherry, or lemon. It is all built into the fountain. You fill the cup with ice - touch the flavors you want added and then the drink choice... a perfect cherry Coke or cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper. Hey, its the little things in life... :)

Posted by CDogg at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2006

Cop is Busted

The cop from the band the Village People was arrested. Victor Willis was nabbed for drug possession and giving fasle identification.

Apparently, the coppers have been after him for about five months. Willis was awaiting sentencing for cocaine possession when he jumped bail. I don't know why it took them five months to find him... they could have just looked at the Y-M-C-A. :)

Posted by CDogg at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2006

Paradise, Texas

Long time readers of my blog will remember this post. It concerned a cold night in December of 2004 when I worked on the set of a movie in which Meredith Baxter and Timothy Bottoms starred alongside my truck. Read the post - you'll see.

Anyway, the movie is finally coming out. I just go a notice via email:

We're very excited to announce that Paradise, Texas (formerly On The Rocks)has been selected as the opening night premiere movie for Worldfest, the Houston film festival, on April 21, 2006.

And that's not all...

Paradise, Texas will also be showing at the Angelika Film Center in downtown Houston starting Friday, April 28th for a one week limited engagement. We'll be sending out an email with show times. You may also check the Houston Chronicle or our website at www.ParadiseTexasTheMovie.com (under construction).

For a limited time only... I will be offering rides in my movie-star truck. You can see right where Meredith sat talking with me between takes :) haha

Posted by CDogg at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2006

Another great one gone

One of my favorite actors, Darren McGavin passed away. He was one of the most overlooked and underrated actors in the biz and he will be missed. I really dug him as Kolchak in The Night Stalker as well as numerous supporting roles.

Posted by CDogg at 12:13 PM | Comments (1)

January 06, 2006

Busy, busy, days along the east coast.

Well, I am sitting in Durham, North Carolina writing this entry after yet another jam-packed day. It started off cool enough... Julie went off the work, the kids went off to school, and I stayed around to put together RWTWD #70. After a few small server glitches, it was up and running.

I then headed into Havelock to Julie's office to meet the staff and do some computer work. I got a couple small things working on their system and ran into a wall on another issue. Her staff is really cool - and they really seemed to enjoy meeting Lou.

"Julie... this job doesn't seem so hard to me"

I then headed back to her house to drop off Lou, pack my stuff and make the three hour drive up to Durham. I timed it perfect so that right as I walked in - the new season of Battlestar Galactica was about to start. I then got a call from some of the podcasters that were having a get-together at a pizza place in Chapel Hill. It was a tough decision, but as I knew Gaactica was being TiVo'ed, I headed over to Chapel Hill for the meetup.

It was very cool meeting yet more podcasters. I setup some great meetings for tomorrow with yet more very cool folks, and just generally had a really good time meeting everyone. We wrapped it about 11:30pm and I headed back here... the cool thing is that in about 30 minutes - SciFi is going to repeat BS!!! (That was the sound of me having my cake and eating it too!)

Posted by CDogg at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2006

Here but not sure if I will be podcasting

Well, I made it to Montgomery, Alabama - but having some problems with the wireless access at the hotel... I am not sure it will stay up long enough to upload a whole show, but I will try.

If not, look for a couple tomorrow evening when I hit North Carolina.

Posted by CDogg at 02:31 PM | Comments (1)

November 21, 2005

Pics from RenFest

Here are a couple pics from RenFest

Me and my new girlfriend, the Princess of Spain

Dave hiding the gift he bought for his sweety.

Oh, how fickle I am - here I am with my TWO new girlfriends.

I shot this one from to hip to catch Dave off guard.

A happy reunion with Tatiana

Posted by CDogg at 11:30 PM | Comments (2)

Weekend Update

You guessed it - yet another jam-packed weekend. It really got started Friday night when Mike and I headed out to Galena Park to catch a SUPER second-round playoff game featuring two of the top 5 high school football teams in the state. Spring Westfield took on Galena Park North Shore and it was a whale of a game. Check out the Lone Star Gridiron podcast for an audio wrap-up.

As if a long night of football weren't enough, I had to complete the new Pod Music Countdown show before going to bed since I planned on being busy all Saturday. The PMC Top10 show is absolutely blowing up as more and more listeners are downloading it each week. (And this is ALL without being listed in iTunes.) I am not sure why I cannot get this show into iTunes, because it is configured exactly the same way as my other three shows and they are all listed. Anyway, I finished the show at around 4:30am and caught a few winks before my day began Saturday.

Dave showed up at the house around 9:00am and I was up but not really ready to go. After getting my butt in gear, we headed to the RenFest. It was the final weekend and would have been the first year in about a decade that I missed had we not went. The weather was excellent, the food was deadly (but very tasty) and it was a good time. We shot a lot of pictures (Dave shot most of them) and I will eventually put a selection on Flickr. We ran into Carlos and Tatiana, although we got split up somewhere around the jousting tournament. It was cool because I hadn't seen them in quite awhile. We got home a little after dark and I settled in to take care of some stuff around the house.

Within minutes Brian and Melissa showed up and invited me out to eat at Hooters. I am so weak, I knew I needed to do stuff around the house, but bolted with them anyway. We got to Hooters about an hour before the UFC 56 pay-per-view event so decided to stay and watch. It was pretty sweet as usual. One bout was horribly boring, but the others were very entertaining - including the final bout that featured a dramatic and brutal knockout... fun stuff.

After getting less than four hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours, I went ahead and crashed out. Seven hours later, I woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning and decided it was time to spend quality time with Lou. Lou and I went to the dog park and hung out with a whole bunch of cool canine friends. He ran like the wind with his new buddy Roscoe, sniffed every rear end that came near, and generally had a great time. We stayed there for about two hours and got home just in time to watch the Cowboys game.

The Cowboys put together a good game mainly because Detroit played so bad. (But, that is a subject for another post.)

I was then given tickets to the Texans-Chiefs game and discovered just what a LAME draw the Houston Texans have become. I talked to NINETEEN (19) different people to see if someone wanted to go to the game and nobody was interested in the game. The good news is that I had 19 people that I could call, the bad news is that the tickets went to waste because after talking to everyone, I was convinced it wasn't worth my time to go watch them play either - haha.

Well, it was a long weekend and as usual, I am glad to be back at work so I can relax.

Posted by CDogg at 12:11 PM | Comments (2)

November 15, 2005

Trip photos on Flickr

A selection of photos from the Portable Media Expo trip are now available online. I have not put everything up yet - just a representative selection.

Posted by CDogg at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2005

LA Final Day

The final day in the City of Angels and I decided to do a little sight-seeing. I first decided to run by Venice Beach and check out the haps... it was a bit early when I arrived so I skipped the boardwalk and headed down the beach for a walk. It was pretty cool out with a great breeze coming in off the Pacific so I walked a heck of a lot farther than I had intended. I took the shot on the pier by using the timer on the camera and wedging it into a cranny on the rail... very Batman-esque!

By the time I got back to Venice things were really kicking - there was a game of rugby on the beach - throng of tourists and locals along the boardwalk - and tons of sights, sounds, and even smells. There were hip-hop artists selling their CDs, pickup games of basketball ala White Men Can't Jump, pumped up behemoths at Muscle Beach, and every type of street artist and craftsman imaginable.

Does anyone else remember the movies this cat has been in? I seem to remember him in a few as he is a staple of Venice Beach. The name is Harry Perry.

And what would a trip to LA be without some gang tags? When you take the time to look at tagging as an art form, it is actually pretty cool stuff.

I rolled down Santa Monica Boulevard singing "All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun." It is amazing how many songs reference California locations, streets, neighborhoods etc...

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I topped off the day with a trip to Car's Jr. for a burger. I had seen them advertised on the Lakers' broadcasts and always wanted to try one... the recent Paris Hilton ad didn't hurt either.

It wasn't anything special.... uh, the burger.

Posted by CDogg at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2005

Podcasting Expo - Day 2

Day two of the Expo is over and it was another full day. I will attempt to list all the folks I met up with at the end of this post. I am sure I will miss a few and to those people, all I can say is "Ooops."

This picture is me with Podchick, otherwise known as KFC (I don't think its a chicken thing... but can't remember what it stands for.) Her and I met up at one of the NUMEROUS after-parties last night and discovered that not only do we have the same birthday - it is the exact same year and everything. I have never met anyone born on the same exact day as me before... so that was kind of cool. Today, everytime we saw each other heading to or from meetings etc., we would both say, "Happy Birthday tomorrow!" She invited me to join in her birthday activity tomorrow, but I didn't feel that my back was ready for skydiving.

Superstar podsafe artist, Bob Gentry came by for an interview. It was great to finally meet him in person after knowing him as an artist and blogger for the past few years.

Wendy from Gabberjaw got the whole, "This is Bob, spin his song "Upside Down" spiel a couple times."

A partial list of cool folks I hung with at the expo. In order of who I met first.

Russell Holliman - Treocast
The German Guys
Aaron - The Big Show
Adam Raimer - Madtown Aces Productions
P. Dilly - Podcast Pickle
Brother Love
Rob Safuto - Podcast NYC
Leo Laporte - This Week in Tech
Patrick Norton - This Week in Tech
Blair Garrou - DFJ Mercury
Brian Kalata
Matthew Holden - PodAsia.net
Podchick
Dan
Scott Fletcher - Podcheck Review
Jack B - Fosco & Jack's Kickass Podcast
Fosco - Fosco & Jack's Kickass Podcast
Nate - The Nate & Di Show
Di - The Nate & Di Show
Wendy - Gabberjaw
Yaz - Bibb & Yaz Take Over the World
Bibb - Bibb & Yaz Take Over the World
Bob Gentry
Rufus
Adrina Thorpe
El Nacho - Rambling Retard Rampage

Posted by CDogg at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

Podcasting Expo - Day 1

The trip to California is underway. I boarded the 737 at Houston's Intercontinental Airport enroute to Ontario, California. I snapped a shot out the window somewhere above the border between Arizona and California. I had a very interesting conversation with the guy sitting next to me on the airplane about podcasting. He had heard of it, but didn't really understand what it all meant. A few hours later, he is very interested in having me talk with his company about possible podcasting applications. Overall, the flight went smooth despite the in-fight movie - The Island.

Despite the fact that the expo began this morning, I didn't figure I would miss too much with my noon arrival. I was a bit surprised at the small footprint of the expo. I was expecting something much larger - not ComDex large, but certainly something that takes longer than ten minutes to traverse. It was a good thing that the expo was not really my reason for coming. The real value of something like this is not in the booths selling cases for your iPod, but in the conversations you have, the people you meet, the business connections you make and those after-hour meetings which germinate the best business plans.

Adam, Russell, Aaron, and the C-Dogg.

Posted by CDogg at 06:37 PM | Comments (1)

November 08, 2005

Looks like perfect weather for a trip

Well, it sure looks like the weather for my upcoming California trip is going to be wonderful. These are the temperatures for my destination in CA. It looks like shorts and light clothing for me! I might throw the suit in just in case - but for the most part I think it will be an all-casual weekend. Good times!

Posted by CDogg at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2005

An short selection of "bests"

Best Blog - Okay, I should be self-serving and pick mine... but come on, it is definitely Houston MetBlogs! (Wow, now I sound self-serving and a suck-up) haha

Best Community Theatre - Theatre Southwest (This group of folks doesn't have the best location and certainly do not have the largest budget, but they PUT OUT when its showtime!)

Best Movie Theatre - Landmark River Oaks (I think the Houston Press and I agreed on this one. The atmosphere is just hip enough without being so hip is sucks. And come on, the only theatre in town that competes with it for selection is the Landmark Greenway Plaza)

Best Photographer - Genesis Photographers (David Postma is a Houston institution and has photographed everything from Presidents to newborns. They provide excellent service and just about any party worth attending has someone from Genesis clicking away.)

Best Dog Park - Millie Bush Bark Park (This doggie wonderland is without comparison. It was voted the #1 dog park in the COUNTRY!! Fun place to take your furry friend.)

There you go... a few off-the-wall bests.

Posted by CDogg at 09:39 PM | Comments (5)

October 04, 2005

Apparently he really does...

That's right - my music podcast, the PMC Top10 was on Adam Curry's Daily Source Code today. He played the promo for the show and marvelled at how its starting to happen. We are changing the face of radio.

Speaking of podsafe music - the real breakout artist of this whole music movement is Brother Love. He has gotten a ton of play on my shows as well as all over the podcasting world. His latest hit, There She Goes rocketed right up the podsafe charts to the number one spot as the Brother became the first artist to have two #1 songs in the PMC Top10. I was talking with Brolo about doing a music video for his last #1 - Summertime, and we figured out how to make it happen. He is New York, and I am in Houston - but we are BOTH going to be in LA in November for the Portable Media Expo. I think we are going to adjust our schedules for a couple extra days and get the thing shot.

This is big stuff and we are all in on the ground floor... where everything is super exciting and the possibilities are endless. Stay tuned cause we are going to shake things up - or better yet, get involved.

Posted by CDogg at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2005

036 - Logan stops by and we talk about the hole in his head, lightning storms, Florida's weirdness and more!

A long-time friend drops by for the show, he chooses a new name for security reasons and we rap about all manner of strange things.

(Time: 23:57)

Sound Scientist by bill

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

Posted by CDogg at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

Save Money, Save Time, Save the Environment - whats not to love?

I had jury duty today and did something I have never before done - I took the bus to downtown. I saw on the summons that you can ride Metro free with your jury duty summons and thought I would give it a shot. Wow! Talk about fast. A drive that would normally have taken around an hour at that time of day, took no more than 15 minutes. I saved around an HOUR AND A HALF of my life by riding the bus. ...but wait - there's more!

I calculated how many gallons of gasoline I would have burned and its current cost had I taken my truck. It would have burned 3.2 gallons if I was moving at normal speeds the entire way - considering I would have been moving at roughly 1/4 normal speed, I figure it would have burned at least 6 gallons. That's a $15.00 savings... oh yeah add in the cost of parking at around $8.00 and we are looking at $23.00 saved by taking the bus. ...you knew there had to be more, right?

That is also 6 gallons of fossil fuel saved. A full Metro bus holds about 60 people - that is 360 gallons of gas saved! For ONE DAY on only ONE BUS! Just think - if one person who worked downtown switched to riding the bus, it would be roughly 1,700 gallons of gas saved... if 60 switched, it would be over 100,000 gallons! The money savings for that one person (even after you take out the cost of paying for a bus pass) is $4,200!! For someone working downtown and making $35,000 a year, it is like getting a 12% raise.

Ask yourself:

Would you take the bus to work in exchange for a trip to Europe every year?

For a new hottub or a flatscreen plasma TV with a surround sound system every year?

For $4,200 less debt every year?

What could you use $4,200 for?

I am not suggesting that we all sell our cars and rely on public transportation - Houston is really not built to handle that. What I am saying is that you can find little things within your power to save money, save time, reduce fossil fuel usage, and protect the environment all at once. I am going to start tracking my mileage and see if I can reduce my consumption of gasoline. That is the ONLY thing that will stop the rise in gas prices - reduced demand.

Posted by CDogg at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2005

New ad campaign

I created a new ad campaign for a podcasting banner exchange program... I thought it was pretty clever. Thanks to the Dark Diver - he gave me the idea for Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, and a few others that will be up soon.

NOTE: I didn't say they listen to my podcast - just that they listen. I plan to add about a dozen more and spread them all over the podosphere - worst case scenario, I get sued... oh yeah, with the publicity that would bring, I guess that is the best case scenario.

Posted by CDogg at 08:14 PM | Comments (1)

August 07, 2005

032 - Soundseeing - Lou at Bear Creek Park Pt.1

The soundseeing tour is back! In this show, Lou and I head through the woods at Bear Creek Park. We check out the wildlife, run into some spiders and generally have a good time.

Upside Down - Bob Gentry (get ya some!)

The creepy guys that were all over the woods...

(Time: 31:16)

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2005

March of the New Breed

With a horrible year for movie ticket sales - consistently 10% below last years poor performance - Hollywood is starting to figure it out... they are beginning to comprehend that the movie-consuming public is sick of traditional, formulaic movies. The tiny documentary, March of the Penguins is a perfect example.

March of the Penguins is getting a lot of attention in the media because of its surprising numbers, but is a $10m US total really that good? It is when you aren't spending blockbuster money to create the thing. Warner Brothers is also doing a good job of placing the story of the "surprising little film" throughout the media, hoping to further build its buzz value.

More and more, people are turning away from the over-hyped, over-produced, over-acted, under-written, blockbusters. Adults are just sick of the crap being offered up in theaters, in favor of the on-demand programming of DVRs and 900 channels. Sure, teenagers will still flock to the movie houses to hang out and catch the latest Hillary Duff movie, but even that crowd has many more options available. Their entertainment dollar is being courted by hundreds of other bidders, such as a chat at Starbucks with friends. This offers more interaction - with music, internet and the chance to talk without getting "shushed." (And even with their outrageous coffee prices - still cheaper that popcorn and a Coke.)

Does March of the Penguins signal a fundamental change in Hollywood? Yes and no. After all the well-placed media "surprise stories," the public will go to see the film and after watching it, will realize that there are a thousand shows just like it on satellite and cable. Long term, the film industry cannot compete without changing the cost structure fundamentally - we will no longer pay $8.00 for a ticket and $20 for popcorn and drink, just to see the same old stuff on a bigger screen. What we will continue to do however, is to see the epic films on the big screen.

Will the theater revenue model continue to work with ever-declining attendance numbers? Probably not. Corporate America does not know how to deal with decreasing revenue and because of that, there will be major shakeouts. Expect a leaner, smarter, cheaper, breed of theater to emerge - a theater that will play a leaner, smarter, cheaper, breed of film. Unless of course, that leaner, smarter, cheaper, system is already in place and we control it from our recliner.

Posted by CDogg at 04:46 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2005

023 - Music Man - Lord of the Rings - PMC Top10 and more!

Another soundseeing tour - this time I take my mom and her friend to see the TUTS presentation of The Music Man. We also went to the museum of Natural Science to see the Lord of the Rings exhibit. The show is bookended by two blistering songs by Brother Love.

Theatre Under the Stars
Houston Museum of Natural Science
PMC Top10
Brother Love!
featured songs: Push (buy album), Sick of Chicks (buy album)
(Time: 19:26)

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 09:18 PM | Comments (2)

July 22, 2005

Pod Music Countdown to Launch this Weekend!

This weekend will be the inaugural podcast of the Pod Music Countdown. Each week, host Chris Doelle (the C-Dogg) will count down the top 10 podsafe songs as well as interviews and information from the performers. PMC is your one-stop for the tops in pods!

Posted by CDogg at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)

Site Provides Info On Airline Pet Incidents

WCCO: Site Provides Info On Airline Pet Incidents

(WCCO) U.S. airlines are now being held responsible for what happens to lost animals on their flights, and it’s opened up a new way to inform consumers about airline pet care.

A new law now requires all airlines to report when something happens to an animal while traveling on a consumer flight.

This is a big change Pet safety advocate Lisa Weisbert said lost pets used to be treated like a lost piece of luggage: The pet owner would get a lost baggage claim form to fill out and could be given up to $1,500 for the animal’s replacement.

Now, when airlines report a lost or hurt animal, the incident goes into a report that can be viewed online.

At this point, there is only one month of data available, including information about how a dog was injured on a Northwest Airlines flight after it chewed through its cage, and how a cat was lost when its cage opened during a flight.

Every year, about 20,000 pets are lost, hurt or killed traveling on planes.

The reports are available at the Aviation Consumer Protection Web site.

Posted by CDogg at 07:58 AM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2005

022 - Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows

Come along to the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows as I interview a bunch of great folks!

Lone Star Ruffnecks Flyball Team
Harris County Veterinary Medical Association
Houston SPCA
The Barfer Shoppe
Hill's Science Diet *
Houston Humane Society
Three Dog Bakery *
My Dog & Me *
GloPet.com *
Mari Jon Filla Student Art Exhibit and photo contest *

(Time: 40:53)

* - Listen for special deals for podcast listeners!

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2005

019 - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Podcast

A little soundscape featuring one of my favorite musicals - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. (Time: 18:30)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (DVD)

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 01:22 AM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2005

Houston is going to the dogs - YES!!

This week is the 28th annual Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows. It is billed as America's premiere canine extravaganza and the largest event of its kind, with 12,000 dogs entered and 40,000 visitors and participants.

When…
Thursday, July 21 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday, July 22 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 23 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where...
duh - Reliant Park

If you are into dogs - whether you are deciding what breed to get at the "Meet the Breed" session, watching the amazing stunts and tricks of the "agility" or "canine frisbee" events, catching the blazing action of the "flyball" competition, or relaxing in the stands during the breed judging, this is the spot for dog lovers.

I will be recording a couple podcasts from the show as well as interviewing a few of the participants... look for more info to follow.

Posted by CDogg at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2005

Podcast #012 - 4th of July - Skype - Gamesters etc.

A ton of stuff going on with this podcast (Time: 17:56)

* An update on the Tour de France after Stage 3
* 4th of July idiocy
* Problems using Skype and Audacity together
* Just started Houston Podcasting
* Look ahead to Stage 4 of the TdF
* Still trying to get listed on iTunes
* Gaming with Houston Social Gamesters
----Snorta (game I couldn't remember)

Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 09:38 PM | Comments (2)

June 26, 2005

Another action packed weekend - Day 1

Tony and Allison came into town because Ally is bowling in a youth tournament. It's good to seem them as it has been quite a while.

The day started off with a trip to the dog park when Tony arrived. (Allison came in with her mom so we didn't see them until later in the day.) I didn't take any pictures because I figured I had plenty of recent dog park pics. As it turns out I wish I would have because we met a really cool little dog named Bentley. He was ball of activity and spunk.

After the dog park, we came back to the house and chilled for a bit. Tony and I caught up on "the haps," and then headed over to Katy Mills Mall to find a Dallas Cowboys hitch cover for my nephew, Nick. I still haven't found one. At the mall, we decided to grab a bite. There is something about when Tony and I get together that seems to make us do dumb things... like order an entire pizza at Sbarro's and split it instead of just a slice like normal. We also stopped by the chocolate store and bought a bar of dark chocolate (mmmm.... dark cholocate.)

It was time to head to the bowling alley and watch the tournament. Allison was a ton of fun as usual. We cut up and played around between frames. She did pretty good averaging more in her three games than normal.

It was then back to the house to relax a bit and screw around on the computers. Tony's PC is crashed so he got online and caught up on his email, games etc., while I logged on and played some World of Warcraft (Windrunner server). Time sorta got away from us and next thing we knew it was 10PM. We wanted to go catch Batman Begins so we had to settle for the 11:55 showing.

Before leaving, I let Lou outside to do his business and he got all fired up about something in the bushes. It was pitch black outside so I couldn't see what was up until I ran back in for my little pen flashlight. In the dim beam I spied what appeared to be a cat or maybe a large rat dodging him as he climbed into the shrubbery. When it ran across the path, I spied what looked like a HUGE rat! Being a country boy, I knew exactly what it was - a 'possum!

Lou tracked it down and pounced on it and, as they do when threatened, it rolled over and went rigid. Lou sniffed around and then looked to me as if to say, "see what I got? cool, huh?" I grabbed Lou, put him in the house and grabbed a towel to carry the opossum. It played dead right up until I lifted it by the tail. It then slowly opened its eyes but didn't get too excited as I took it into the front yard to release it. (Access to the bayou is much easier from there.)

With the excitement abated, we went to the movie. I will write up a full review of Batman Begins later, but let me say that it is without a doubt the BEST comic book movie with a DC character ever created. At the theater Tony offered to buy the drinks and proceeded to order us each a large soda. Have you seen these drinks? There must have been a gallon and a half in each one! I think he is trying to kill me... haha.

We made it in around 3:30AM and after being up until 4AM the night before, I was pretty bushed.

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3 4

5

1 - Tone "gettin after it"
2 - Ally scheming
3 - Allison's team
4 - Playin possum
5 - Relocation

Posted by CDogg at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2005

Lone Star Gridiron Launches!

Chris Doelle & business partner Dave Sneed just launched the Lone Star Gridiron Podcast. LSG is the first and ONLY podcast dedicated to high school football in the Lone Star State - Texas! Every week show hosts Chris Doelle and Mike Wright will highlight the top stories in Texas high school football and give a preview of the best upcoming matches.

Drop by the site, listen in to the first show (the audio is a bit rough while the new studio is being setup) and then tune in each week for the best in Texas high school football. Lone Star Gridiron is also up for consideration for the Podcast Awards and between now and June 30th, it needs all the nominations possible so that it can be considered for the balloting. Please click on the link and nominate Lone Star Gridiron under the sports category.

Posted by CDogg at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2005

Family Reunion - Day 2

Day two started off early as I awoke about 6:00am and took the bike for a spin around Hot Springs. It was pretty sweet flying through this otherwise traffic-clogged little burg with hardly anyone around. I did meet a cop who informed me that it is illegal to ride on the sidewalks as I cut across in front of the bathhouses. I only did about 8 miles, but they were a far cry from a little jaunt in Houston. The onlyelevation changes in Houston are the overpasses - here, even the areas that look flat are really long slow climbs.

After I got back, I hooked up with the Rich, Andrea and the Doelle clan for breakfast. (Thanks, Rich) We loaded up Julie's Yukon and headed out to Wal-Mart to process the photos from the day before. They planned to surprise everyone by giving out pictures from day 1 during our dinner. With pictures in hand we headed back downtown after only a couple side trips. Tim and I managed to run by and pick up a geocache while Julie and Sandra were doing some shopping.

Back at the hotel, it was time to gather for lunch and despite the good-natured ribbing about ham sandwhiches again, it was nice not to have to go out to eat. The goal of the reunion is to see people you haven't seen in awhile - this allows us more time to hang out and reconnect.

After lunch, several bunches headed out to various activities such as the alligator farm, the winery, the bath houses and more. I used the time to catch up on some business. By the time I was finished, I had scheduled a video shoot and photography session for Saturday as well as a client visit Monday. Dave seemed to have things well in hand despite the fact that he was dealing with a flat tire when I called.

Tim, Sandra and Julie returned from The Winery about that time and invited me to go along as they did some shopping downtown along the strip outside the hotel. As there is nothing I hate more in the world than shopping, I naturaly said "sure" and took off. It was pretty painless and in fact, entertaining.

We got back in time to cool down a bit and change clothes for the evening banquet. The centerpiece was a bunch of flowers surrounded by the framed pictures from day 1. The gang did a smashup job decorating the banquet room with enough candles to qualify as a three-alarm fire. Despite the fire-hazard, they pulled it off well.

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3 4

5 6

Prior to the actual meal, we held a chinese auction... it was a lot of fun as usual. The meal was another chance to chat with the extended family. After the meal, the kids went swimming and the rest of the gang headed out on the patio to toss back a few and shoot the shizzle. We were regaled with many of the old stories and one or two new ones, but the cool thing was how easily everyone fell back into old comfort levels. A lot of us have not spoken, written, or hardly thought of the others since our last reunion, four years ago, but you couldn't tell it by the cacophony of laughter.

7 8

9 10

11 12

After awhile, the girls (Andrea and Cheyenne) wanted to go ride go-karts and asked if I would join. One of the above-mentioned old stories by Tim involved me wanting to ride a go-kart just because Troy wanted to... I remember it differently, but in Tim's defense - it did make me want to ride some right then. Richard, Cheyenne, Andrea and I headed off to the go-kart track and had a really good time.

1 - Chinese auction
2 - Chinese auction
3 - Chinese auction
4 - Chinese auction
5 - Chinese auction
6 - Chow time!
7 - Dan & Ann
8 - Rich
9 - Mom & Julie
10 - Mom & Carol
11 - Ann & Dan
12 - Avis, Mom & Carol

The reason we are all here...

Posted by CDogg at 06:33 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2005

Family Reunion - Day 1

The day started off a little slow because I had to wait for Shiny to wake up. We finally said our goodbyes to Lou and headed out about 10am. (This will be the longest Lou has been without me since I got him... but I think he will do fine in Dave's hands as they are the best of chums.)

We rolled out of town listening to country music and blathering nonsensically about everything we saw. Somewhere around Nacogdoches, Cheyenne wanted to listen to her Avril Lavigne CD (so she could point out something about one song.) We ended up listening to the same CD OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND... well, you get the idea.

After only one or two harrowing near-misses going down winding mountain roads (she has this annoying habit of pushing my hat over my eyes just as I "really" needed to see,) we made it into Hot Springs.

(As we crossed into Arkansas, we stopped at the welcome center to commemorate the event - then stopping for gas in the midde of nowhere, came across some hillbilly attendants and this archaic pump)

It was good to connect with the part of the family tree that I rarely see. We gathered around and shot the bull for a couple hours while grabbing a snack. After that, the group headed down to the pool area to talk and/or swim. It is from there that I am writing this blog.

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3

4 5

6 7

8 9

10

1 - Julie, Madison & Tim
2 - Mike, Hannah, Carol & Madison
3 - Dan & Ann
4 - Ann & Andrea
5 - Troy & family
6 - Me
7 - Avis, Penny, Pam & Steve
8 - Carol & Mike
9 - Cheyenne & Andrea
10 - Sandra & Tim

Posted by CDogg at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)

Shiny Takes Over

Well Hurricane Shiny (my niece) rolled into Houston and proceeded to take over. She agreed to ride with me to Arkansas today so the folks dropped her off yesterday on the way. She waited patiently as I completed all my work-related duties and then unleashed her fury.

Okay, it wasn't really bad - we actually had an excellent evening. First, we went through some photos on my regular and my photo blogs. That got her inspired to shoot something so I handed over the Casio camera and she went to town in the backyard.

After that we went to Chili's for dinner where she proceeded to laugh so much she nearly choked to death. I told her that I am not really sure how to perform that new-fangled hiney-lick maneuver and that seemed to dislodge her chicken chunk.

1 2

3 4

5

1 - Cheyenne stalks the photographic world
2 - I took this shot of her taking a closeup shot of a lizard
3 - She caught a very nice shot of her new buddy - Lou
4 - Shiny was obsessed with trying to get a shot of me with food in my mouth (I will spare you the rest of them)
5 - Shiny learning that you can't eat and laugh at the same time

Posted by CDogg at 07:20 AM | Comments (4)

June 12, 2005

Weekly Dog Park Visit

Once again, the Saturday dog park visit was moved to Sunday. This time Clancy stayed home and Jeff came with Mindy and Kali.

We met a super sweet Great Dane and Kali found some cool brindle Boxers.

On the way home - Lou is tuckered out but still smiling.

I had a yellow lab that kept bringing his retriever dummy toy and dropping it at my feet. I guess I looked like the playful type because sure enough, I picked it up and whipped it off into the water. He would sprint to the pond full blast and then launch himself halfway to it, swim out, nab it, and return it back to my feet. Despite the heat, it was fun as usual.

Posted by CDogg at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2005

Everybodys working for the weekend...

Wow... I have said it many times and it still holds true - I need to get back to the work week just so I can relax. The Memorial Day weekend was a whirlwind of activity.

Saturday morning started off with a fun romp at the dog park with Lou. As usual, he met some new buds and we had a great time - I cannot recommend enough this sort of outing with your pet. After that was the meeting with Sharon, Kelly, Jennifer and Jaclyn - it was cool and it turned into dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. I met up with more of Dave and Sam's family and had a really good time.

Sunday, I got up - took Lou for a walk and started doing housework. I busted on it pretty hard in the morning and then kicked back to catch up on some shows I had TiVo'ed in the past weeks. I fell asleep in the recliner and woke up in time to rush downtown for the Houston Comets game. (see earlier post) It was a blast, but sitting on the basketball court for that long is quite uncomfortable. I got home in time to kick back a little bit before Manny called with an offer I couldn't refuse. He offered to not only pay for my dinner, but to pay for a movie as well. We went to see Layer Cake (post coming soon) and it rocked! It is one of those small English gangster films (ala Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) and I just love that stuff.

I woke up Monday, watched the final day of the Giro D'Italia. It was great as Paulo Salvodelli took home the first of the three grand tours for Team Discovery. Could this be the year of the sweep for Lance's newly formed team? Last year, US Postal won the Tour de France (Lance Armstrong) and the Tour of Spain (George Hincapie.) The team is the same, just a new sponsor and they have won the first of the three already.

After watching the Giro, I headed up to Conroe to hang with Dave & Sam's gang for the holiday. It was a really good time with great food to boot. I also took the opportunity to introduce the gang to geocaching and it was a hoot. We travelled around the Conroe area in the heat and then the drizzle, with two vehicles and a dozen people and it went well. We found three of the five caches we attempted and everyone seemed to enjoy their unique holiday.

I finally got home a little after midnight and went straight to bed.

And you thought I was joking when I said I needed a break from the weekend.

Posted by CDogg at 02:09 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2005

Podcast Episode 4 - Friday the 13th

The latest podcast was recorded over various times on Friday the 13th. It begins with a couple snippets from the filming gig we did and finishes with a rather lengthy discussion with a waitress at Hooters.

With my main computer dead, I had to jump through some pretty major hoops to make this cast happen, but it is finally up. Hopefully, Dave will get me up and running soon on my regular computer.

Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2005

How to unwind from a wild weekend...

Well, I made it through the marathon. I woke up Friday at 6:30AM and went to bed for good Sunday at 3AM... we shot the Red Bull Art Cart Buildoff and a wedding at Braeburn Country Club. So what do you do when you wake up Sunday at 8AM - just five hours later?

First thing you do is sit in your recliner and watch some TV and chill while petting your dog. Then you get up, load up the Camelbak, the doggie bags, the water bowl, and harness up the dog to head out to the Bark Park. Lou was ecstatic as I was putting on his harness because I haven't taken him anywhere all week.

We headed over to the Millie Bush Bark Park and decided it was time to give Lou some canine socialization time. He loved it! We went to the small dog section first because I was still a little leary about the big park after seeing a pit bull tear up a dog like Lou last time.
In the smaller park he met Cooper, Wilson, Abigail, and a couple others that I can't remember.

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3 4

1-Oh boy, you mean I can run free all I want?
2-The traditional 'hello' between Lou and Wilson
3-Abigail the Labradoodle
4-After a long day of running, Lou relaxes in front of the computer game I am trying to play

We did end up going to the main park and running with the big dogs, but I didn't get any shots because I was following Lou as he decided to make a complete circle of the entire thirteen acres and meet every single dog.

By the way, I read that the Millie Bush Bark Park was named the #1 dog park in the nation!! Didn't know we even have dog parks in Houston? Check out the Houston Dog Park Association to find out where they are, the right way to make doggie friends and more. There's even a cat park!!

PS. The Reliant Park World Series of Dogs is coming up soon! I will be there taking photos and reporting as a member of the working media!

Posted by CDogg at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2005

Art Cart Buildoff Underway

WOW!!! Here we go... the marathon weekend has kicked off and somehow I have even found time to post some pictures and record a podcast from the first day.

Dave, Manny and I headed out to Gallery 101 for the Orange Show Art Cart Buildoff. You can get the scoop by listening to the podcast, but in a nutshell, we are filming the three winning teams in the contest. Each won a monster go-cart from Yerf Dog Go Karts and a $500 budget to create their "art cart." They have 24 hours to complete the project and we are created a DVD about the event.

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5 6

[all photos by Davad Sneed, except #6 by me]

1-Settling in for a long shoot
2-Hanging with Isaac Cohen (car artist)
3-Kae from Red Bull
4-Manny gearing up for a long night
5-Manny and I discussing a shot
6-Dave and Manny interviewing teams

Posted by CDogg at 01:17 PM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2005

Pop Quiz

Pop quiz, hotshot... the following pictures are from the men's restroom of some location in Houston - what is the location?

Posted by CDogg at 03:44 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2005

BNA Goes Geo

Well, I was again the 'designated hitter' for my breakfast club - BNA. David Postma who is in charge of getting speakers this year pretty much knows that when he has a hole in his schedule, he can call on me to fill in. Today's subject was geocaching. When asked what geocaching was, David responded... "Well, its a.... it's a 'Chris thing."

You, my long time reading chums already know about geocaching as I have brought it up many times - this group however did not.

The talk went really well as there were a ton of questions and a lot of interest. After the meeting, I swung by a light pole on a residential street nearby and found a cache named (appropriately) "Light Pole cache."

At first blush, categorizing something as a "Chris thing" might seem to imply that it is weird, nutty, or offbeat... but I think I will take it as a compliment and more likely to mean well, weird, nutty, and offbeat... but in a good way.

Posted by CDogg at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2005

Aeros' season fades away

I won free passes to the Houston Aeros playoff hockey game when I called into the Steven Kay Show on AM 700 KSEV. Mike Wright agreed to go along and we headed out to the game. The situation: the Aeros were down in the best-of-seven series 3-1 to the Chicago Wolves. This was a must-win game. It was non-stop, crash-the-boards excitement as the Aeros rolled up an early 3-1 lead.

The hopes of the Aeros' faithful were dashed like their team against the boards as the Wolves proceeded to not only come back, but rolled to a 5-3 victory. The season ended on a sour note, but the event was fun throughout. From the national anthem performed by the ONLY school in the United States named after a child *, to the raucous fans screaming all manner of inane and often confusing comments toward the refs **, it was a blast. Thanks Steven, and thanks Aeros for a fine season.

*
I forgot the name of the school, but it was named after the Bubble Boy (made famous by the John Travolta movie.)

**
"Your mom is a hooker too" - when an opponent was guilty of hooking.
"Dumbest land mammal ever, the orange banded zebra" - in reference to the head referee wearing orange bands on his arms.

Posted by CDogg at 10:52 PM | Comments (2)

April 16, 2005

I think the Hell's Angels are Safe

Well, I found a little something to do... actually Brian came by with this micro bike that belongs to his girlfriend's son. I have seen these things around quite a bit and scoffed at how silly they are... but that doesn't mean I could resist trying it out. It was actually kinda fun. Not very useful, but definitely fun.

I was actually considering getting another motorcyle (real one) since the gas prices are so damn high. My last one was a Kawasaki Vulcan 500 and I really liked it, but rarely rode it in the summer since it was so damn hot. That was back when I had to wear a tie to work everyday too - so with my current lifestyle, it might be a little more convenient. There is the problem of hauling things, but I could get saddle bags to carry things like groceries and library books etc. It could probably knock out a lot of my normal neighborhood trips.

Posted by CDogg at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)

April 03, 2005

Astros lose the game, but gain my opinions.

I took a break from work Sunday when my neighbor Brett called saying he had two tickets to the Astros' last preseason game. I took him up on the deal - he provided the tickets, I provided the ride. Upon arrival I was immediately set upon by the local media (KTRH AM 740)... apparently because I am becoming a celebrity here in town.

Okay, I admit it - I saw this girl interviewing fans and circled her like four times until I was able to time it just right. I caught her ending an interview and "accidentally" stepped right in her way. As luck would have it - she was looking for fans to interview and I just happened to be standing in front of her.

The interview was the typical stuff, "Are you excited about the upcoming season? What do you think about them starting off the season against the Cardinals? What do you think about the new players? etc. etc." I responded with a barrage of cliches... "We've got a long season ahead of us.... If they can stay healthy... Its too early to talk about playoffs... yada yada yada." The Astros proceeded to get blown out by the Kansas City Royals... but it was a fun outing.

One cool thing was that out of the blue, I was having a conversation with this couple sitting near me and they brought up the subject of looking for a home-based business. I jumped onto my soapbox about anyone would be silly not to have a business - for the tax savings if nothing else. I pointed them to an article I wrote on taxes and mentioned my USANA business - they seemed really excited about it all. I got a call from them later that night and helped them get involved.

Posted by CDogg at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)

Astros lose the game, but gain my opinions.

I took a break from work Sunday when my neighbor Brett called saying he had two tickets to the Astros' last preseason game. I took him up on the deal - he provided the tickets, I provided the ride. Upon arrival I was immediately set upon by the local media (KTRH AM 740)... apparently because I am becoming a celebrity here in town.

Okay, I admit it - I saw this girl interviewing fans and circled her like four times until I was able to time it just right. I caught her ending an interview and "accidentally" stepped right in her way. As luck would have it - she was looking for fans to interview and I just happened to be standing in front of her.

The interview was the typical stuff, "Are you excited about the upcoming season? What do you think about them starting off the season against the Cardinals? What do you think about the new players? etc. etc." I responded with a barrage of cliches... "We've got a long season ahead of us.... If they can stay healthy... Its too early to talk about playoffs... yada yada yada." The Astros proceeded to get blown out by the Kansas City Royals... but it was a fun outing.

One cool thing was that out of the blue, I was having a conversation with this couple sitting near me and they brought up the subject of looking for a home-based business. I jumped onto my soapbox about anyone would be silly not to have a business - for the tax savings if nothing else. I pointed them to an article I wrote on taxes and mentioned my USANA business - they seemed really excited about it all. I got a call from them later that night and helped them get involved.

Posted by CDogg at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2005

Falling down on the job

I spent the day in Victoria yesterday and despite having my camera along, didn't get one picture. Geez, what a slacker. Actually, I was there to assist in tax returns for my brothers, mother and nephew. I think I am going to break my record of tax returns I work on this season. Last year, I did 12 returns and I should be right around there again this tax season.

It was a good visit because the taxes actually went pretty fast and then I got to relax with the family. Tim and I spent a lot of time talking while waiting for Sandra, who had an appointment in town. He has become an invaluable source of information on my plans to get a place in the country. He has got me considering the Victoria area as well as the range I had drawn up earlier. (I was assuming Austin was a longer drive from Victoria and didn't want to eliminate Austin from my range.)

I am really coming to appreciate Lou's size as I didn't have to make arrangements for someone to watch him. He is travel size. After the first ten miles or so of staring out the window, he settles down and relaxes. As usual, he loved his trip to the country because of all the smells and critters.

Posted by CDogg at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2005

Will it ever run out?

Posted by CDogg at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2005

The Dog Days....

Posted by CDogg at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2005

Another action-packed Saturday...

Saturday was all about business. Okay, it was some about business and then it turned into pleasure. It started off bright and early at the ball park shooting baseball and softball pics. Dave went with this time and it really made things easier. We swapped off shooting and after a few quick tips he was shooting like a pro. I think the sports shots are a natural as he has the instincts for the game required to anticipate the action. He got a couple shots that are pretty darn impressive - one of which was this one of me. He was in the field shooting and between innings, he spun around and shot me through the chain link fence. This is a very low-rez version of the shot, but the refelection in the shades shows the baseball field and the players.

The extra shooter allowed us to keep shooting without breaks. I am in the process of sorting and uploading the shots right now and we turned out about 50% more shots in the same amount of time as I did when I was by myself.

We shot until mid-afternoon, ran home, put our feet up for about fifteen minutes and then headed off to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Manny met us at the house and managed to be only about 15 minutes late, which in Manny time is early. A quick shuttle ride from DelMar stadium put us at the rodeo. We took in all the standard cowboy fare... and even some of the cowgirl stuff too. :) (Manny managed to control his gawking long enough to get this shot for me.)

Mike and Julie were waiting inside the stadium as the rodeo finals started. The only event that I really like is the calf scramble and once again, it didn't disappoint. The rest was all just a lot of cows, horses and cowboys killing time until the Clint Black concert.

The concert was pretty cool. It was the first time I have heard Clint Black in concert and I was impressed. He is one of those artists that sounds identical to his albums. I hate when you get to a concert and discover that either they cannot really sing at all (studio band) or decide to change the song up to "keep it fresh." I may be alone on this, but when I like a song - I like it played the same way. Once you get past the still-poor acoustics of Reliant Stadium, Clint put on a very nice show... nothing fancy... just good old fashioned country music.

Posted by CDogg at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2005

Daddy needs a new pair of shoes...

Friday was the start of a very busy weekend. As usual, I am looking forward to Monday so I can catch a break. The weekend began with Casino Night at Theatre Southwest. It was a great fundraiser put on by the folks and TSW. Originally, Dave and I were just going to go to support the theatre and have some fun - but Dave, being the master business mind of the operation suggested that we shoot photos while there.

We shot a few hundred pics and put them online for folks to order with the understanding that a good portion of the proceeds will go towards furthering TSW's fundraising efforts.

In addition to getting to do some shooting, having a great time playing blackjack, and noticing in the pics of me that not only do I need to lose some weight - I need a hiarcut too, I also had a heck of a lot of fun. What else can you say about tossing down a $1,000 bet all on one hand and getting a blackjack? (Numerous times!!)

Sydney and Malinda were my gambling buddies and between us we nearly broke the bank!

The pictures are available online at www.vipshots.com - email me for the password if you are interested.

Posted by CDogg at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2005

Lou gets find #1

Another full weekend... hence the numerous posts. Lou and I have been going for a lunchtime walk each day for the past week and both are really enjoying the exercise. Always one to try to combine things (like brushing my teeth and showering etc.) I figured we could get our walks in while catching up on my geocaching. This tough little terrier just loves the outdoors so I knew he would take to geocaching right away. I was right.

Today, I loaded up the GPS with some new location codes, hitched Lou to his halter and headed out. At our first stop, Lou was right at home as he practically lead the way right to the find. (Maybe he was tracking the last cacher that visited)

As if by fate, inside the cache was a dog tag! The tag is a trademark item left by one of the Houston area caches and it is inscribed with the Latin phrase, 'neutiquam erro' which can be translated as "I am not lost," a fitting saying for us cachers. I am sure that to onlookers (muggles) it appears that we are often wandering aimlessly. This tag is now a permanent fixture on his caching collar - how cool!

One of the cool things about geocaching is that it introduces you to some amazing locations (often right under your nose) that you never would have noticed. One such find was this spot - a tiny federal wetlands reserve right in the middle of Jersey Village.

It doesn't look like much from just this picture, but it is pretty darn cool. Pick up a cheap GPS receiver, register at Geocaching.com and I'll send you the link.

Posted by CDogg at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2005

That was pretty painless...

Another great photo op was below "put your backside in and shake it all about..." Man, its a hard life.

Posted by CDogg at 06:26 PM | Comments (0)

February 28, 2005

Going to the dogs...and that's fine by me

Any day with dogs is a good day.

Today was the Brazoria County Kennel Club dog show held at the Houston Farm & Ranch Club on Hwy 6. It was an excellent event... and it was FREE! How cool is that? You get to spend the day surrounded by hundreds of amazing animals and not spend a penny.

I mean - just take a look at these gorgeous pups... and these are just a couple. How can you see a crazy-eyed Australian Shepherd like the one on the left and not want to head over and give it a hug? Those eyes (both colors) just scream, "Hey, let's be friends!" and have you ever seen such a big smile on a dog's face?

This show had it all - I got to talk with fellow dog lovers and share tales of our passion for "man's best friend." I got to see an amazing variety of dog breeds all under one roof - from the Great Dane to the Chihuahua. And what a happy place... everyone there was smiling. It didn't matter if their dog didn't win - they were out having fun with their buddies. A lady walked by while I was talking to a groomer and was asked how she did. She responded excitedly, "I got SIXTH!!" She paused for a moment and laughed, "There were only six dogs, but we had fun," while kneeling down to hug her Golden Retriever. How can you top that?

There were a GREAT bunch of Newfoundlands. (I was too busy petting and hugging them to take pictures.) They really made me miss by 'big dog," Sam. And then I wandered over to the "Westies" (West Highland Terriers - the breed he seems most like,) and immediately wanted to head home and hug Lou. A few minutes later, it was a pair of Beagles that made me want to give Littlefoot a "big ol' hug."

Look at that face...

Now, stop reading, and go hug your dog!

Posted by CDogg at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2005

Go Texan!

Its that time of year! RODEO TIME! And it all kicks off with what Houstonians call Go Texan Day! To kick off the rodeo season, Houston celebrates the spirit of the West by encouraging citizens to dress in their cowboy gear and round up some rodeo fever.

The 2005 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo will once again feature a star-studded lineup of performers like Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson , Alicia Keys, Pat Green, Clint Black, Steve Miller Band, Clay Walker, and YES - Maroon5. There are more - but those are just some of the notables I pulled out of the list.

In addition to the crowd of performers - there will be the usual display of cowboys abusing farm animals. :) But don't let that damper your spirits - grab your cowboy hat, throw on your chaps and spurs and boot-scoot to work in your best country gear...

This time of year is also marked by INSANE traffic as the trail riders enter the city from all sides. Talk about fun! I mean for the riders - not the people in cars waiting for the mile long line of riders to clear an intersection. The trail riders from cities all over Texas will converge on Memorial Park in preparation for tomorrow's Rodeo Parade.

I for one, intend to get out there with my camera and get some good trail riders shots... and yes, I'll be wearing my cowboy boots.

Posted by CDogg at 12:16 AM | Comments (0)

The Trail Riders have Arrived!

The trail riders arrived en masse at Memorial Park today and I was onhand to capture it in pictures. This was the first time I watched them arrive despite being in town for the past 15 years. I have to say that it was pretty cool.

The coolest thing about them arriving was of course, all the amazing horses. There were some seriously beautiful mounts of every shape, color and size. I don't know about you, but I'm getting kinda fired up about going to the livestock show. I am not a huge rodeo fan, but there are so many great animals at the show, that it is always fun wandering through.

Following closely behind the horses in terms of coolness would have to be the kids. I mean, how cool would it be to get to saddle up your horse and ride a week or more across the state, complete with covered wagons, wearing your best cowboy duds? I am sure that riding with all the old-timers makes this a moving Texas history lesson as well. Just seeing those flags standing tall at the head of the line of riders makes you proud to be in the Lone Star State.

In addition to the kids, there were authentic looking (except for the shirt - haha) old cowhands...

...and those of you who follow football will recognize the name of one of Texas' biggest proponents and founder of the Dallas Cowboys' Fan Club - "Cowboy" Bill Lamza Jr. I talked with Bill for about 30 minutes before we exchanged names and I realized who had been swapping Texas tales with me. He is a Lone Star institution as his card notes: Founding Member of the Cowboy Heritage Association * Associate Texas Ranger * Lifetime Member of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo * Salt Grass Trail Rider * Rattlesnake Hunter * Marathoner * Recognized by Pope John Paul II and of course... Champion of Truth, Justice & the Cowboy Way!! ... and not too shabby at self-promotion! (Finally, I think I may have met someone with a larger ego than me)

I also met a very nice lady named Scotty (sp?) who is a fellow shutterbug. We walked around taking shots and swapping photography stories, techniques, insights etc. It was really cool to find another enthusiast shooting the same thing... I look forward to seeing how our shots differ in terms of shot selection.

Posted by CDogg at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2005

Where have I been?

I came across another useless tool - your very own visited states map. You click on the list of states and it colors in the ones you've visited.

Looks like I have some travelling to do!

create your own visited states map

Posted by CDogg at 06:30 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2005

Lou's Big Day!

Lou went to Inez! We took a trip to visit the folks and it was definitely a big day for Lou. First off, we went to Mom's house where he proceeded to sniff out every corner - this was a very cool new adventure.

"Hey, will you check this out? She sure keeps things cleaner than at our house."

Next up, we headed over to Tim's and he really got to bust loose. He ran around, chased the chickens, horses, cats - you name it.

"Look at all this space! Look at all these animals! SUH-WEEEET"

And then the dreaded Mexican Chihuahua Gang discovered he was there...

"Aye Gringo.. we are going to cut you man!"

Brian was a huge help when Lou decided to explore the nearby woods...

"Lou, get back here... dammit, STOP!"

Half a mile later... I caught up to Brian teaching Lou about not running off...

"Yeah, yeah, yeah - does that mean we're going for another run now?"

And as if awaiting the final cue... I said goodbye to the family and Lou ran to the largest pile of horse poo he could find and rolled in it!

"If I smell bad, he won't make me go home."

I got him cleaned up and we headed back to the big city. We had a ton of fun. Lou's first trip to the country was a blast. As I write this, he has been asleep on the couch for the last two hours - dreaming of being a country dog to be sure.

Posted by CDogg at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2005

I changed my mind...

This give me a very wide range of areas from which to choose. I am determined to be outside of the city even if it is a small city such as Brenham, LaGrange or the like. I want a place where I can go mountain biking on my own property - a place where my dogs can run - a place to sit on the porch and relax. Right now, it doesn't look like it will happen anytime real soon, but it is a goal and with a goal, I can make and measure progress.

Posted by CDogg at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2005

The Boys of Summer are Early

It all started as a casual day at home. I was doing some paperwork and catching up on some TV when Mike called. He wanted to know if I would like to attend the Minute Maid Park 2005 College Classic - a six-team tournament featuring some of the top 25 teams in college baseball. Baylor, Tennessee, UH, Rice, A&M and Oklahoma State made up the teams. The event started yesterday and finished up today.

Overall, it is a pretty darn good entertainment value as you pay $12 to get in and watch all of the games of the day. There were three games today and we got there in time for the start of the second one featuring Rice vs. Baylor. Both teams were undefeated in the tournament so this turned out to be for the championship. The first game saw some pretty great action although Rice was unable to turn hits into runs. Baylor took the win and their fans were overjoyed as this marks a major step for their baseball program.

In the second game, it was the University of Houston against Texas A&M. The Aggies definitely had the edge in terms of spirit for most of the game, but like Rice, left most of their hitters stranded. In the end, as UH's lead grew, the noise level from their side of the park did as well. I brought the camera and took nearly 300 pictures. I was experimenting with speed versus light settings to try and get the best action shots possible. I have some pretty decent results, but it would have been much easier if the game were played in full sun. I will be posting some of the shots on www.vipshots.com and notifying the teams involved that they are available... who knows - maybe I will recoup some of the cost of going to the games through picture sales.

Whether I make any sales or not really wasn't the point of the outing... it was a lot of fun regardless. There is just something about the college atmosphere that makes the games more electric. Mike pointed out and I agreed that these guys just seem to care more about the game than the pros. At the end of the innings... the guys in the outfield 'sprint' back to the dugout. We're not talking about jogging in like the pros - these guys look like the game is riding on how fast they get on and off the field. Also, the fans are sooo much different. Mike suggested it was a 'different class of fans' and to an extent I believe it. These folks are not the blue-collar-come-to-the-game-to-get-wasted-and-shout-obscenities crowd. They are there to support their children, their college and their community. It does make for a very different atmosphere. The bottom line is that if you want to enjoy sports - go to a college game... forget about the spoiled millionaires in the pro games.

Posted by CDogg at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2005

Three for one...

Manny and I met up with members of Houston Metblogs at the monthly meetup. We gathered at Brasil's on Dunlavy. We had a really cool time - met some really cool people. (Nick & Katie are pictured here) It was really cool putting real faces with the names (handles) of people from the blogosphere. I look forward to attending more of them in the future.

After the meetup, we headed downtown to take some shots. I completely forgot what I had planned to do today, but oh well. I was selected for a car commercial that was being shot downtown. They were looking for men and women who looked European to be in this commercial. I sent them the latest photo of me in a suit and they asked me to shoot. When I heard it was about a 15 hour shoot and I had to wear my suit all day, I thanked them for the offer and begged out. Anyway, long story short - I was going to go by the shoot and get some pictures on the set but completely forgot that it was happening today.

We grabbed the metrorail down at Hermann Park and rode to downtown. We did get a ton of cool shots downtown (look for a few of them to appear on my photoblog "ShutterDog" over the next few days or weeks) I will have to head back down there and spend the day shooting because there are just so many great subjects.

We walked down to the Spaghetti Warehouse thinking we could grab a bite before we headed back to Hermann Park, but the waiting list was over an hour.

After leaving downtown we swung by Buffalo Wild Wings on Gray for some wings and trivia. The last time we went I won all three games and Manny was set on getting revenge. We were greeted by Dana who remembered us from the last time we were there. (I'm not sure if that is a good sign or a bad one... haha) She gave us the hookup with the wings and we commenced to doing battle with the rest of the bar.

In the first game... I missed first place by just a few points when someone named CUTTER took the win. We fought it out over the next couple games but by the end each of us had our share of fame as we bested the other 9 competitors . My handle BIGDOG and Manny's RENTON each graced the screen after our wins. I had to congratulate Manny on that victory because his first victory was an impressive one. If you have no idea of which I speak... go to www.ntn.com and sign up for an account. You can play without one, but having one will allow you to play at any location and continue to earn points towards free stuff.

Overall, it was a pretty full day - Brasil's started at 3pm - I have no clue how long we spent downtown - and not really sure how long we were at BWW. All I know is that amazingly enough we did three "outings" in the same day - each of which would have rated as a good time. In the end though, I guess its a testament to my philosophy on life... "Have fun!"

Posted by CDogg at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)

February 05, 2005

Homeland is Secure in Downtown Houston

I was downtown the other day when I spotted a little hidden-away park I had never seen. Being the opportunist, I circled the block - found an open parking meter - grabbed my camera - and headed to take some shots.

While waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street to the park, I decided to check the settings on my camera. I did this by taking a shot of a nearby building and then adjusting the settings. Well, I had just snapped my second picture and was changing the settings when a non-descript black SUV cut across three lanes of traffic and pulled in front of me. The tinted window slid down smoothly to reveal a man holding a badge in my direction asking, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Well, with a pretty high pucker factor, I said, "Sure."

The man asked, "What are you taking pictures of?"

"Nothing yet... I am going across the street to that park to take some shots."

"We get a little nervous when we see someone taking pictures of buildings," he stated and asked for my ID.

I handed him my license and he quizzed me as to its contents... "Are you from Texas?"

"Uh, yeah.... Houston," I responded wondering if this really ever catches bad guys in a lie.

Posted by CDogg at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2005

Where I should be?

According to Find Your Spot, these are the top 24 cities in order that would be the best places for me to live. It uses a wide range of criteria to narrow down those that fit your wants/needs most. Interesting results...

1 - Jacksonville, Florida Florida’s First Coast
Here in Florida’s “youngest city” the median age is just 32…
2 - Charleston, South Carolina Cosmopolitan Southern City
Fort Sumter, the scene of the first shots of the Civil War, overlooks this city's harbor...
3 - Knoxville, Tennessee Gateway to the Smoky Mountains
In the shadow of the Great Smoky and Cumberland Mountains, this spot served as Tennessee's capital from 1796 to 1812…
4 - San Antonio, Texas Three Centuries of Culture
Cobblestone walkways wind past restaurants and shops along this city's famous Paseo del Rio, or RiverWalk…
5 - Bryan-College Station, Texas The Heart of Texas
Home to a major university, this spot claims to have the friendliest residents in the world…
6 - Tucson, Arizona Sonoran Desert Oasis
Bicycling magazine ranked this Arizona city among the top three cities in North America for cycling…
7 - Phoenix, Arizona Valley of the Sun
This spot in the Sonoran Desert is the sixth largest city in the U.S. and boasts the largest (20,000 acres) municipal park in the world
8 - Carlisle, Pennsylvania The Waterfront Capital
The Rockville Bridge near this Pennsylvania town was built in 1901 and is still the longest stone arch bridge in the world…
9 - Houston, Texas City of Excitement
Texas won its independence from Mexico at a battle fought here in 1836; the city became the capital of the Republic of Texas...
10- Memphis, Tennessee Home of the Delta Blues
This city's famous Beale Street gave birth to Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and legends such as BB King and Elvis Presley…
11- Cincinnati, Ohio The Queen City
This big Ohio city with the small-town feel is home to baseball's first professional team: the Reds started in 1869…
12- Jackson, Mississippi Old Capital of the South
This historic Mississippi city is the home of the largest planetarium in the Southeast…
13- El Paso, Texas Where the Sun Always Shines
This ultimate "Old Southwest" city actually has a minor-league ice hockey team, the Buzzards…
14- Athens, Georgia The Classic City
The world's only double-barreled cannon rests in this Georgia town; it was "a spectacular failure" in tests in 1864...
15- Tuscaloosa, Alabama The Big Apple of the South
This important city on Alabama's Black Warrior river is home to Stillman College and the University of Alabama...
16- Hickory, North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountain Home
This area in North Carolina is known as the nation's furniture manufacturing capital…
17- Orlando, Florida Florida’s Entertainment Capital
In this entertainment mecca, you can wrestle alligators at Gatorland or have lunch with Mickey Mouse…
18- Austin, Texas City of the Violet Crown
This "Hill Country" capital boasts 12,000 acres of greenbelt and undeveloped land used for recreation…
19- Gainesville, Florida The Heart of Florida
Consistently ranked as one of America's best spots, this city is surrounding by undeveloped forests, lakes, and wetlands…
20- Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi The Sparkling Gulf Coast
This city started as a French settlement in 1699; its name means "First People"…
21- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Big City on the Plains
Located in the heart of America, visitors to this town can use water taxis to visit restaurants and shops in the famous Bricktown
22- Salt Lake City, Utah This is the Place
In 2002, this spot became the largest city ever to host the Winter Olympics…
23- Fort Worth, Texas Where the West Begins
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opened in this town on April 18, 1934 with four machines…
24- Louisville, Kentucky Home of the Kentucky Derby
This beautiful river city was home to Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken…

The first thing that jumps out from the list is the fact that there are six Texas cities... guess that means I like where I am somewhat. There are also a couple surprises. Maybe it is because I don't know enough about the places, but I never would have guess anything in Mississippi would make it into the list or Florida for that matter as I not much of a beach person. Also, I have been to both El Paso and Austin and there is no way I would place Austin below. In fact, I would think that Austin would be one of the top spots in Texas.

Interesting stuff and like any of these "click your best answer" matrixes, it is fraught with guesswork... it is enough to make me look into these cities as potential vacation (RV) destinations.

Posted by CDogg at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2005

Dog Park Social

Saturday began with an early-morning walk to the neighborhood park. The 1st annual Dog Park Social was being held in the 'hood and I walked up there with Lou. Mindy and Alison brought Clancy and Kali as well. There was a photographer there doing a free photo so Lou and I posed for this one.

The event was pretty cool overall... there were a TON of dogs there. This mastiff's name is Vladimir... he was a monster... but downright loveable.

As you can see, Lou had the upper hand in their new relationship...

Ali and Kali watched the frisbee dogs while Lou was busy showing all the other dogs that he was the boss...

Posted by CDogg at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)

Mardi Gras Season Kicks Off

Who knew that Mardi Gras was a year-long thing? I didn't. Apparently, joining a "krewe" not only gets you a lot of fun and countless beads during the big parade weekend, it also means parties throughout the year. As part of an arrangement to do some photography/video work for the Krewe of Gambrinus this year, I headed to Galveston for the first big kickoff party of the year. The new King and Queen arrived by horse-drawn carriage, there was beer and food aplently and all the music and fun you can handle. It seems like a pretty cool bunch of people that really just like to get together and have fun. I think I am going to like my first experience with Mardi Gras.

Posted by CDogg at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2005

Big doins...

I think I have used that title for a blog entry before but what the heck... I think it applies.

Tomorrow is a full day. First off, the neighborhood will be having their first annuaul Dog Park Social. It is being billed as a day of fun and frolic for residents and their dogs. There will be a parade, costume party, free dog treats and lots of cool dogs from the 'hood.

I will only be able to stay an hour or so because I have to scoot off to Galveston for a photo shoot. I will be covering the Krewe of Gambrinus' first event of the year. I also plan on taking advantage of being in Galveston to get some other good shots.

Then, just as I get back - it will be time to rush near downtown to the 2005 Horror Dance. It will be an indy film festival featuring horror films made by local filmmakers. It should be a pretty long day, but I expect to have a ton of pics.

Speaking of pics... I submitted a photo to the Mirror Project that was accepted. They accept submissions of any photo in which the photographer and camera are shown in the reflection of something. Check it out to see some really creative shots. You can see my submission here. I plan on getting more creative with it eventually, but wanted to get something on the site.

Posted by CDogg at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2004

On the Rocks shoot

Tomorrow night I will be spending all night long working as an extra on the production of "On the Rocks." I and my truck will be in a drive-in scene. It should be interesting, but cold as all get out. I am hoping I get to sit in my truck most of the night... I will bring a blanket since I doubt they will let me run the heater.

Posted by CDogg at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)

December 03, 2004

Gettin' the "Big Head!"

Is Houston not the coolest? Where else can you drive through a run-down section of town, glance over, and see a 20ft bust of President Ronald Reagan staring down at you? ...well, other than President's Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota?

(The Manster and me hanging with Ron)

Apparently, David Adickes, a Houston sculptor created the heads for the park. (Actually, there is a long history of the busts moving all over the country as people did everything from fight to keep them in their towns to despise them enough to want them gone.) There also appears to be a President's Park in Williamsburg, VA. with duplicates by the same artist. I don't know if the ones here in town are duplicates, rejects or simply copies kept around for marketing. Who knows - who cares... we got 'em and I for one - dig 'em.

Want to find them?

(first posted to Houston MetroBlog - sorry for the duplication, I have some readers that only read this one.)

Posted by CDogg at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2004

San Antonio Day Two

The second day of our mini-getaway was pretty cool. It started off with a bang.... sort of. During the night I heard sirens and thought little of it. When we woke, we were watching CNN Headline News and they busted in with a story of a bank that was robbed in San Antonio. A few minutes later while looking out the window at our brilliant view of downtown, Pennie looked down and said, "That's the bank that was robbed!" It was right outside our window. Sure enough, closer inspection revealed police crime tape still on the building and parking garage.

We then set out to do a little geocaching. Our first stop was a virtual geocache (i.e. there is not a cache to find, but a point of interest to discover.) We discovered the Arneson Theatre on the Riverwalk and took a break there. The seating of the ampitheatre is stone with grass for the seating area... very cool. I wish there had been a show.

Over my shoulder to the right you will see a sign "La Villita." It was another great accidental discovery. La Villita is a sort of artist community type area with a great many shops and music on seemingly every corner.

Here is the Regency Jazz Band (playing as a trio today.) They were exceptional. I could have sat their all day and listened to the music. George Prado is on bass and Aaron Prado is on keyboard... I did not get the other gentleman's name. Aaron is the Music Director and Producer at KRTU FM 91.7. If the station is half as good as their playing... this is a MUST-LISTEN station when in the San Antonio area.

A little while into the jazz set, they call over Alice Knight to "croon" a bit. She jumped right in and started belting out the tunes...

She seemed to enjoy her music so much, I just had to meet her. Pennie took a shot of the two of us and Alice led us to her arts & crafts shop just across the square. There she gave me the wonderful gift of her latest CD. It is a VERY fun CD.

If you get by San Antonio... be sure to check out La Villita and see Alice at her shop:

Alice Knight
La Villita #17
305 1/2 S. Alamo
San Antonio, TX 78205

Tell her that Chris (the blog guy) and Pennie said hello!

A little further along in the center, we got our first doggie fix of the day, when we met Dusty and his mom from Portland. (I think I remember that right...) They were very gracious in allowing Pennie and I to say hello and spend some quality time with Dusty.

A little later, we came upon Smokey and his mom. (I didn't get her name either... I am not too good with human names - haha) Smokey was a very friendly and we enjoyed our visit with him too.

We did a few more geocaches before heading back to the riverwalk. There we sat down for a good dinner (we worked up quite an appetite with all the miles of walking) at our standby spot overlooking the water. Our waitress, Cynthia snapped this pic for us.

Wow, what a weekend... heck, it wasn't even a full weekend - but we did more than some folks do in a month of Sundays. (yeah, I said it... does that mean I am old because I used that saying?) haha.

Posted by CDogg at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2004

Hola from San Antonio!

Pennie and I are maxin' and relaxin' in San Antonio. We went by the Alamo to complete a virtual geocache. It is the shizzle...

Here we are in front of the Alamo. I called Dave and he did a capture off the web as we looked toward a webcam that always faces the site.

Then we headed over to Pat O'Briens to use up a coupon for a couple free meal that we got last time we were in town. To make a long story short, we got the coupon because the meal and the service was so bad last time - this time, even though it was free... it didn't feel worth the money. haha

After that we were surprised to discover that tonight was a night of ceremony for the city. First the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the Alamo - the pic of the tree didn't look too good, but this one is pretty cool...

...and then the River Walk lighting and parade. It featured a bunch of floats (literally) all jamming various holiday music and sporting smiles and waving people. It was pretty cool. The pics didn't turn out that great because it was so dark... oh well.

Posted by CDogg at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2004

DirecTV actually did something right...

I called DirecTV today to cancel my service. My reasoning was that I just don't watch much television - sure, it is on all the time, but that is more for noise than anything else. Well, after finally reaching a human, I made my plan known and was asked, "Can you tell me why you are cancelling?"

"I don't watch it that much," was my response.

After she dug a bit deeper, and I revealed that on top of all that, I was really pissed that new customers get more receivers installed as well as a free Tivo service, she said, "Oh, I can help you with that."

Long story short, I am not only getting a dual receiver delivered and installed free tomorrow, I am getting Tivo installed for free as well. Well, the Tivo is actually costing me $4.99 a month, but she lowered my base bill by $15.00 a month also without taking away any channels.

Sure, it is more than I would pay if I had cancelled, but with Tivo, I will actually be able to watch the things I want and no longer be subject to the network's programming schedule. I know, I know - I sold out and didn't stick to my guns... but I did get a heck of a lot more and am paying a heck of a lot less each month than before I called.

Moral: Call your satellite service and threaten to quit, you too will probably get a sweeter deal.

Posted by CDogg at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2004

Are you ready for some geocaching?

Okay, by now you have seen several references to geocaching in my blog and maybe even taken the time to click on the link to the site to see what it is... well, let me give you a quick lesson: Geocaching 101.

Geocaching is an adventure game played by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world using a techie gagdet called a global positioning system (GPS) - those nifty devices that use satellites to triangulate where you are in the world. Onboard navigation in cars is now the most frequent use for this technology although like most whiz-bang things, it was invented by the military to conduct warfare more efficiently. As one geocacher put it... geocaching: the most fun you can have with 12 billion dollars in military hardware (without getting to blow things up.)

People all over the world (200 countries and counting) hide little "caches" of treasure all over the "geo"graphy and log the GPS coordinates to the website so that other geocachers can go locate them. They are usually in out of the way areas so that non-players "muggles" won't happen upon them accidentally and destroy or raid them. Often they are hidden in interesting, strange and sometimes even scary places. Where a cache is hidden usually plays a large part in how enjoyable it is for the finders.

The rules when finding a cache are simple:

1. Take something from the cache
2. Leave something in the cache
3. Write about it in the logbook

I have been geocaching for over two years now and in that time have found a few dozen of them across Texas... don't worry, there are thousands... a quick search on the website with my zipcode as the starting point lists over 100 within ten miles!!

I hid my first one June 5th of this year and it has been found 11 times with about 6 failed attempts. The feedback I have received from the finders has introduced an entirely new level of fun in the creating and hiding of a cache. To that end, I am about to create my second one...

Here I am at the Army Surplus store picking up ammo cans. (They make great containers for caches because they are easily hid in underbrush and their rubber seal prevents the contents from getting wet in bad weather.) Thank you again to the military for providing our entertainment.

I was running errands to the music store while we were filming today and it is right next door to the surplus store... These cans will become brilliant hidden caches... if I can just think of a cool place to hide them...

Posted by CDogg at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2004

Austin, Night #2

I am going to take this a little at a time as I have a ton of pictures and info to relay, but my back is hurting me and I want to take breaks away from the chair...

The day started with me geared up for the convention center... note that smooth media pass!

We then headed to the convention center where the bulk of the days activities took place. We had to park at the very top of the parking garage (and it was a big one) because there were so many people.

Once inside, we checked out the TONS of booths and information...

It was a freakin' madhouse as there were thousands of people there and acres of trade show. I was ready for a rest after we finished the packet pickup. We missed Bobke (Bob Roll,) but did get to see Chris Carmichael (Lance's trainer and namesake for CTS - Carmichael Training Systems.)

After our first go-round at the convention center, we went for a bike ride. Here is Tony on top of the garage before we took off...

Here I am on a small bridge crossing the river a couple miles down the hike/bike trail ...

We picked up a geocache while we were riding... there are TONs hidden around this area, but we really didn't have time to do much hunting. We discovered another cool park area - Barton Springs while finding the cache. After the find, we grabbed a USANA bar for lunch and headed back to the convention center.

PART II

Okay... back at the convention center one of the highlights was signing a banner that was being presented to Lance Armstrong. As you can see in the upper left corner, I signed it in memory of Pops (my dad) and Sam. I also wore a memorium sign during the ride listing the same thing.

As the day turned toward evening, Tony and I went to check out the state capital building... here we are screwing around...

The building itself is amazing. Completed December 8, 1888, it stands taller than the US capital building by seven feet (this was by design.) I have some great shots of the building, I will only put a couple here for space reasons.

That pretty much ended day two.

Posted by CDogg at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2004

Finally, real blogging on the go.

Tony and I are checked in at the hotel and we actually have high speed internet access in the room. That means, I can blog as I go! Sweet!

Well, on the way to Austin, we passed through Brenham and figured since tonight we didn't have a lot planned, we would take the tour of the Blue Bell ice cream plant.

We took a picture with their first delivery truck.

Ooh boy... we are having fun now...

We were disappointed to find out that although normall tours run all the time, they were cancelled today. Oh well... we needed to get back on the road anyway.

Posted by CDogg at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2004

Rainaissance Festival

It wouldn't be RenFest without a little rain - luckily, that is all we had... a little rain. The festival held a little something for everyone...

There were pretty maids...

... buxom midgets...

...village idiots...

... and even some of Carlos' good friends.

Here Pennie and Dave listen as a Scotsman plays bagpipes with an ear-wrenching lack of skill.

My back was feeling rotten so I had to cut my day short. I feel bad for putting a damper on the fun - hopefully, I wasn't too big a pain to everyone else. We do plan on going again and hopefully this time my back won't ruin things. I still haven't made it all the way to the fireworks - although the rest of the gang did.

Posted by CDogg at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2004

A Fest-ing We Will Go

Well tomorrow is the opening of the Texas Renaissance Festival just north of Houston. We try to go a couple times each year and relax a bit. I will be sure to bring my camera and try to catch some of the better moments.

Scheduled to appear are, Dave, Pennie, Jenni B, Chris, Mari, Tatiana, Carlos, Manny and one or two more... it should be a lot of fun. I predict one or two adult beverages will be consumed, an occasional stupid joke will be told, and a dumb idea or two will be acted upon.

Posted by CDogg at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2004

Fun time was had by all...

Saturday, Pennie, Tatiana, Carlos and I took a jaunt down to Clear Lake for the meeting of the Houston-Social-Gamesters. It was a really good time. It is a gathering of good folks who just like to get together and play games... board games, trivia games, tile games, card games - you name it. There was never a lull in the evening as there were always different games starting up in various groups.

We played Cranium, dominoes, Scene-It, Flexx, Spite & Malice, heck, I can't remember the rest... if you are looking for a group that you can join and play games with in the Houston area - join the Yahoo Group using the link above. Here are some pictures from the event...

Carlos is is showing Denise how to use her camera, while Pennie is concentrating on winning...

One of my new friends... Frodo.

I am not even going to attempt to get everyone's names right, but here is about a third of the group all playing Cranium... it is a great game.

My teammate, Brandi scoring big with her silent charade of "Demolition Derby"

Part of the gang playing Scene-It. This is a cool movie trivia game that uses clips on a DVD... very cool.

As you can see... it was a lot of fun. I look forward to getting together with them in the future.

Posted by CDogg at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2004

Cool Blue

Pennie and I went to see the Blue Man Group and it was AWESOME!! It was without a doubt the BEST concert I have ever attended. Yeah, it was THAT good! To try to describe them would be nearly impossible. Let me just say that if you get the opportunity - you should go see them perform.

Here it is!! Actual concert footage shot bootleg-style with my little camera!

Posted by CDogg at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)

Rain - Shmain...

After a Saturday that saw both Pennie and I working most of the day, I got up Sunday and really wanted to get out on my bike. It was raining and the forecast showed that it was going to do so on and off all day, but that was of no concern to me.

I called Pennie and she said she was housecleaning and planned on doing a thorough all-day job on it. About 45 minutes later, I was on my way up to the Woodlands with the bikes in the back and she changed her plans to a quick clean up instead.

I had no plan, just a general idea... but because she is the coolest girlfriend on the planet, she was willing to take her chances that whatever we came up with would be fun.

We headed up to Sam Houston State Park to check out their mountain biking trails. A short drive north from her house and in no time we were deep in old growth forests.

Pennie brushed aside the rain and mud, determined to have a good time.

The trails are very easy in terms of difficulty, but because of the 8 miles of beautiful scenery, it is a mountain biking "must-do" destination.

The real coolness is found in the hidden treasures deep within the forest, like this wooden bridge...

... or this cool boardwalk across the marsh area. (The deep bassoon-croak of the bullfrogs here was awesome.)

Later, we even stood on a pier and watched an alligator stalk a crane.. (he didn't get him.) The gator was too far away to get a clear picture, but it was very cool to watch a real live Discovery Channel segment as the 12-foot monster slid up to where the crane was standing in the reeds. A short flight took Crane K-Bob off the menu and the gator slid silently back out to choose another target.

Sure, we got soaked... Sure, we got muddy... but we end the day with a boatload of new memories and unforgettable experiences. It sure beats another mindless day in front of the TV.

Oh yeah... it cost us a grand total of $6.00 for the outing.

Posted by CDogg at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

August 07, 2004

Good Times, Good Friends, Great Idea

Pennie, Carlos, Tatiana and I went to the Astros game Friday night and saw them beat the Expos. Pennie got some club level tickets so we hung out in the air conditioning and still had an excellent view of the game.

While we were there, Junction Jack, the mascot stopped by...

more Jack...

The real fun of the evening came when I unveiled a brand new invention. Carlos later named it Phokus. It is essentially a wadded up ball of napkin. I found while holding it and turning it slightly, that everyone who walked by would do a double-take to see what it was. Well, one thing led to another - Carlos suggested adding a forward and back motion to the mix and it soon became a laugh riot. Okay, maybe not everyone thought it was funny, but the shit cracked me up.

We discussed marketing the idea and you know what? It could actually sell. I mean afterall - I am wearing a plastic yellow wristband that is the latest craze and stranger things have sold.

Posted by CDogg at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2004

A weekend of overrated & commercial with some hidden fun!

Friday night Pennie and I headed out of town after she got off work and drove to Austin. Austin - home of 6th street, the live music capital of the US, the seat of Texas government, the Congress avenue bats, heck, even the UT tower shooter. Austin - the most overrated Texas destination spot!

Early on Saturday morning, we headed up to Cedar Park to ride the Hill Country Flyer - a train the tours the scenic hill country. I have been wanting to take a train ride for quite some time. Okay, that is off the to-do list - NEXT. It was okay, but we were expecting more 'touring' and less riding alongside the highway. We saw more of the hill country Sunday on the drive to Fredericksburg. (And it didn't cost us $30 for the priveledge of seeing it without air conditioning.)

Nice day for a train ride...


The conductor after turning the train around at the stopover...

After the train ride, we headed back to downtown Austin where we were staying and geared up to go touring the city on bicycle. THIS was fun stuff. We rode through a park right on the river and up to 6th street. Touring the street via bicycle is the way to go - it is a fun ride with losts of small hills and cool brick sidewalks that made lots of cool noises while we rode. We toured 6th street and after deciding we had seen everything worth seeing, headed back toward the river. On the way, Pennie spotted a little park area near the Radison and we walked down in the secluded and nicely shaded area to kick back a while... very cool.

(copyright Pennie)

While she was in Hard Rock, I was playing around trying to get an artistic shot of myself...

We reached the river after the cool respite and discovered a network of hike/bike trails that are seemingly endless along both sides of the river. We rode down one side, over a very cool bike/hike bridge and back down the other side. Under the Congress avenue bridge, we could hear the hundreds of thousands of bats squeeking in the crevices.

Here we found hundreds of turtles under a bridge...

(copyright Pennie)

We were pretty beat when we returned to the hotel so we chilled there a bit to wait for the bats. We were told to show up about a half hour before sunset to get the best view of them. Let's just say that the bats were a total disappointment. Apparently, it was too windy and there were not enough mosquitos around for them bother coming out. We sat there for a couple hours and left underwhelmed.

It was very late by the time we gave up on the bats and most of the restaurants were closed so we had a hard time finding something open. Let me just say for the record right now - Austin has TERRIBLE highways. I get the impression that it is a small town that has outgrown its infrastucture and is struggle to piece together a working transportation system. (If you have ever played Sim City, you know exactly how this happens.) Their freeways were nice - it was a little odd that almost all of the freeways are set waaaaay up on columns, looming way above the roofs of all the businesses. The problem was they did not have exits. Really - you could drive for miles without an exit. If you saw a place ahead that you wanted to go to, it was tough luck, because by the time you found an exit, you were on another freeway and the side roads did not connect very well. It is the WORST city I have ever been in for driving. (And I have been in a ton)

We got to bed pretty darn late after finally finding our way to a restaurant and were up bright and early Sunday to head to Fredericksburg. Dave has been giving FBurg props for years as him and Laura like to go there. We figured, what they heck and headed there. On the way there we saw some great scenery... I am consistently amazed at the diverse land features across Texas - the hill country is indeed some of the most beatiful stuff in the state.

We stopped off at the LBJ State Park and found one of those rare gems that made the trip extraordinary. They have in the park and working farm circa 1800-something. Volunteer couples stay at the farm and work it as it was worked back then. We met a very cool guy named Walt who is a full-time RVer. He and his wife are volunteering at the park for a few months in exchange for a free campsite. We talked at length about what it takes to RV full time as we hope to be doing it in a couple years. He was a really nice person and we were able to glean a ton of useful information.

Here I am gleaning....

(copyright Pennie)

Saying goodbye and thanking him for his help. I hope to hear more from him.

(copyright Pennie)

We took some great shots of this excellent farm.

(copyright Pennie)


(copyright Pennie)

After the park, we swung by Wildseed Farms - it was an awesome setup. We are talking acres and acres of flowers, a nice little gift and seed shop and a large commercial nursery. It was a lot of fun and we were able to check out a lot of cool plants. We then rolled into Frederickburg proper and were immediately smacked in the face with the commercialism of the area. Right away, I knew this was not my kind of area. There is nothing quant about the area - it is a strip of commerce, crowds, and drinking... not my idea of a good time. We had lunch at Wheeler's on the strip and inquired about how to find the herb farm.

Butterflies having a buffet on the one of the many display plants at Wildseed Farms.

(copyright Pennie)

The herb farm was excellent. I was expecting a much bigger place as we had the flower place for comparison, but it was pretty darn cool too. They had English lavender and as I have been trying to find some ever since mine died back about five years ago, I went ahead a bought a couple seedlings. As with every stop, we took a ton of pictures.

One of the cool things at the herb farm was this plaque... looks like a motto I can promote!

We left the herb farm and headed to Enchanted Rock... a huge dome of granite rising out of the valley about 20 miles north of Frederickburg. It was extremely cool. Okay, it wasn't cool - actually, it was 90-something degrees and 4 in the afteroon when we decided to make the climb. You have to go there to understand just how big this thing is and just what a journey it is to hike to the top.

Here Pennie is about 1/4 of the way up and you can see the building we started at if you look up and to the left of her fist. The little red roof is a pagoda which marks the starting point of the climb.

Here I am a few yards ahead... we are talking over 400 feet of this type of climbing.

(copyright Pennie)

At the top, it clouded up, cooled down and we got this great shot before heading back down. There is a depression in the rock at the top that must have collected enough dust and rainwater for this tiny ecosystem to grow. The camera is sitting on the rock in front of this nice circle of wild grasses. Everything else as far as you can see up top is just bald rock.

(copyright Pennie)

See what I mean?

(copyright Pennie)

Posted by CDogg at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2004

This is living

What a day! Talk about experiences vs. objects... this day was all about experiences. Saturday was torrential thunderstorms which put a damper on any plans for the day, but Sunday was storybook weather with a storybook adventure.

Pennie & I loaded the bikes into the truck and headed downtown in the morning. We had an inkling of a plan for the day - simply, to check out the changes being made to the downtown tourist areas on bicycle and have an adventure. It turned out better than we could have imagined. And if you take away the costs of food (which we would have had not matter where we were) we spent a grand total of FOUR DOLLARS!

We rode around downtown and I have to say the changes to the landscape there are impressive. Just a few years ago, downtown Houston was scary in the middle of the day - now it was clean, full of activity and extremely attractive. We rode our bike up to the University of Houston, Downtown Campus which is the northernmost point of of the light rail system. I have to say that I was a big opponent of this rail system because of the way it was marketed to the public. It was sold as a way to decrease traffic congestion, but was designed without commuters needs at all. I see now the plan behind the design. It was created 100% for tourism. The line makes a lot of sense when you look at it as further development of tourism in downtown Houston. And for that task, it is a 100% winner.

We got on the rail and were surprised that they let us bring our bikes with us. We had planned on locking them up at UH and touring on foot. This is where our "big" expense for the day came in... we bought two day passes on the rail system for $2 each. We got off at the Hermann Park exit to go cruise around the park... and it was here we discovered yet another amazing surprise.

First, we rode around the nice new trails surrounding the area and came upon a huge reflecting pool. It was a stunning jewel in a park landscape that I thought I knew completely. We recruited a very nice lady on a park bench to snap this picture. Did I tell you this was a great day?

Further into the park, to our amazement, we discovered the Japanese Gardens. We were shocked to learn that this hidden piece of paradise has been here OVER TWENTY YEARS!! Isn't that crazy? We seem to continually find hidden treasures within our own city. We met a really nice couple and they said they come to the gardens almost every day. It is odd to have been in this city for a decade and never known it was here. He took this picture of the two of us on one of the many little bridges spanning all the water features.

Amid all the oriental plants, shaded greenery and scenic pagoda seating, we came across this duck and her day old ducklings. Did I tell you this day was great?

We rode around Hermann Park and just had a great time. We met a couple of nice Basset hounds and humorously enough, spent all our time trying to get a picture of Maisy here who is camera shy and the one we took of her bud Kirby didn't turn out - haha. Look at those eyes! Did I tell you this was a great day?

After all the discovery overload, we hopped back on the rail and road to the medical center to find something to eat. We grabbed a couple quick sandwiches at Subway and continued our adventure. Deciding that we wanted to get back to downtown, we once again hopped aboard the rail and rode into the heart of the tourist area.

I had heard that the Comets were have an open-house practice and season kickoff event at the Toyota Center and they invited all the fans to come out for free, so we decided to swing by. After some great help from the officials there in finding a place to lock up the bikes, we headed into the Toyota Center to watch some basketball. I am big fan of women's basketball probably because while at SFA, our women were ranked #3 in the nation and always dominated. Dave & I never missed a Ladyjack homegame and thoroughly loved letting the refs hear it when something was called wrong on "our girls." I took that love of the women's game into being a fan of the Comets once the WNBA started... them winning the first four championships of the league's history has just added to my affection toward this more team-oriented version of Mr. Naismith's game. It was cool to watch them practice, as they did it in the form of a team scrimmage, complete with officials and scorekeeping etc.

At the half, the Houston Energy Dancers came out and did their shake-yo-booty thing and then started throwing T-shirts to the crowd. One came right near me and I brick-handed it as it bounced off into the row in front. I thought it was all over as you don't really get too many shots at those things when one plopped down right behind Pennie and I out-quicked the three other arms scrambling for it! Did I tell you this was a great day?

After the Comets finished doing their thing, we hopped back on the bikes and rode to the other side of downtown once again, this time to the Spaghetti Warehouse. I really love this restaurant and haven't been there since I worked at the YMCA downtown nearly 15 years ago. It was Pennie's first time and we had an absolutely great meal. Pennie was so impressed with the service and hustle of the staff, that she flagged down the manager to compliment her on everything and we each got coupons for a FREE MEAL on the next visit! Did I tell you this was a great day?

We rode back to the truck, loaded up the bikes and decided that we needed to top off the day with something sweet. We went to Cold Stone Creamery in the Rice Village area because we like the atmosphere that location. It is right next to the Baker's Street Pub and some other outdoor venues so we can sit outside, enjoy the weather, the music and people watch. A couple of excellent ice cream dishes was the perfect finishing touch to a .... well, you know - a great day!!

Posted by CDogg at 06:53 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2004

A night at the theatre

Pennie and I went to Theatre Southwest to see the play Tributaries. It was an excellent play that examined the varied relationships between father and son. You will be moved by the depth of passion and the heights of hilarity. See this play! You still have time to catch this run, as it runs through March 13th. I highly recommend the production. Do not be fooled by the appearance of the theater as it is in a small strip center. There is nothing small or stripped down about the talent of the players.

Posted by CDogg at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2004

Home on wheels?

I went to the RV Show at Reliant Center today with Mike to get some information on motor homes. Pennie and I have a goal right now of traveling the country full time in roughly two years. By that time, the plan is to have enough money to rely on residual income and travel full time. Our USANA businesses are growing little by little each month and should be enough to cover expenses while still building our balance sheet by that time. We want to travel the country staying as long or as short as the mood strikes in any area that interests us.

We have really just started the research into what RV we will take on those journeys, but have already got a pretty good idea of what will serve our needs. We have ruled out 5th wheels, Class C's and any sort of hybrid - which leaves us with the Class A coaches. There is a huge range of prices and options available in this class. We have seen prices ranging from about $75,000 to well over a million dollars. Right now, it seems like something in the $100,000 - $200,000 will be where we end up. Those have a good mix of comfort and functionality .

At the RV show Mike and I sat and talked to Vic & Dee Lucas for nearly an hour - they have been full-timing for right at four years and were just full of great information. I picked their brains with the questions I knew to ask and was delighted with the information volunteered by the couple. We swapped emails. I plan on keeping in touch with them as our quest for a motor coach progresses. It will be pretty cool to chart where they travel in the next couple years and hopefully hook up with them at some fun camping site in a couple years.

We looked pretty heavily at the Country Coach line.. impressive huh?

Did I mention that this entire coach and all our travels will be tax exempt? That's right - this baby is going to be a rolling tax deduction for my USANA business. What better way to spread the word about how USANA is changing peoples financial futures than by rolling around the country with residual income paying for it all?

Posted by CDogg at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2003

More SA

After the game, we headed to the Riverwalk. We had been there on Saturday night, but most of the pictures were too dark so we decided to head back in the daylight to get a few shots.

Just after entering the Riverwalk, I spotted a duck preening itself just past a bridge and took this shot between two bridge supports.

It looks much better blown up at full resolution. I really like this shot I took a few minutes later of Pennie and the Riverwalk.

We also discovered that if you volunteer to take photos for people (so they can all be in the shot,) they are more than happy to do the same. This is actually inside the Hilton right on the river.

What would a trip to SA be without the Alamo? Here it is...

And what would a photo essay of any trip be without a local zealot. This guy was spouting on and on about some of the craziest stuff you can imagine. As I walked up he said, "You think you're a good ol' boy? You think you are in hell? You think this is hell?" Uh actually, no, no and no! Haha - crackpots make the world go round.

Despite the occasional nutcase - it was a great trip. We met some great people, had a lot of fun and oh yeah - IT WAS ALL TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!! Thanks to my USANA business!!

Posted by CDogg at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)

SA

San Antonio!!!

Pennie and I had a great time in SA. The day started off with a trolley ride to Hemisfair Tower. The Trolley driver, Chris was a great host as we talked the entire time. He told us all about various aspects of San Antonio as well as his business plans. (I won't give them away just in case there are some potential competitors out there.) Needless to say however, he has a clear vision of where he is headed and I think he will get there.

We also talked about USANA and I think if he gets involved, he will do GREAT things. With his personality combined with the fact that he is a people-person, he cannot help but succeed. And just look at his current job - he meets hundreds of people a day! I look forward to helping him succeed in this business.

When he saw I was a shutterbug, he even suggested that I get behind the wheel of the trolley and get a photo... thanks again, Chris.

We were having such a good conversation that we almost drove right past Hemisfair Tower, but he dropped us off and we went to enjoy the view. This is from some of the dramatic water features that surround the tower.

Once up in the tower, I took this shot of Chris' trolley back at the station.... It is a long way down, but you can see the trolley there.

Here it is zoomed in a bit more...

While we were up there - a storm cloud rolled in and proceeded to rain below us.

I took a bunch more shots down around the waterfalls, but the light always seemed to be in the wrong place and most of the exposures didn't turn out that great. Pennie got this shot of a couple girls before taking a photo for their folks so they could all be in the picture.

We then went to Hooters to watch the Cowboys game. (See next post)]

Posted by CDogg at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2003

Fun in the sun

Hey - I just have to give props to my girlfriend, Pennie! How many gf's do you know that would not only let you take pictures with two hot beach babes, but would be willing to TAKE THE PICTURE FOR YOU!!? Not many. This is from the Sand Castle contest down in Galveston last weekend. Pennie's company was in the competition and my company was one of the sponsors... it was a pretty fun time.

Posted by CDogg at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2003

Weekend

Well, it is about time to hit the sack. Today started off with some work on some web pages that are due early next week. I then went on to do some accounting stuff and some laundry. I had a mystery shop this morning for breakfast and came back and chilled for a bit until Pennie showed up around 10am. We then headed to Victoria to see a play with my mom at the Victoria Theater. We saw "Hay Fever" by Noel Coward. The cast did a really good job and the play was a quick-paced fun piece. Here we are at the play...

We stopped by the house and chatted with Tim & Sandra a bit before heading back. We made it home pretty early for a Victoria trip (10:30pm) and then I set about to do some work. I caught up on some things in the BigDog Basketball League and now I think I will chill a bit and watch Insomniac with Dave Atell before heading to bed to do some reading...

Posted by CDogg at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)