Jaminfrog

During our weekend trip to The OC (er, Orange County, California), we discovered that driving from Laguna Beach to Los Angeles wasn’t that difficult, thanks to some simple directions provided by Chel’s good friend, former roommate and current Angelino, Kristin:

“You basically just take the 405 N, to the 605 N, to the 5 N, to the 101 N…”

I was a little nervous about driving in LA traffic, given horror stories I had heard and the very epic nature of the roads themselves. After all, where else in the world do people put “the” in front of highway numbers? That little definite article somehow makes the roads more important…more worthy of me keeping my hands posted at 10 and 2 throughout the harrowing trip.

So I did just that, and with nary a glance at the radio or Chelsea or a billboard or my phone, we made it in one piece to see Kristin and her boyfriend Danny. They quickly became my heroes, because they took us to Universal Studios. For some strange reason, it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to go there. Kathryn promised when I was a little boy to take me there for the studio tour, but alas, we never made it.

But that’s ok, Kath. Now that I’m all grown up I came to see that it’s only a big expensive tourist trap like Six Flags, just with a movie theme. So all is forgiven!

While strolling around Universal, we came upon a street performer who was wrapping up his evening. He stopped packing up his equipment to share a few encouraging words with us about appreciating who we are and how we’re each unique. “And I don’t need anything,” he said. “Except a TV show and a CD contract, that would be nice!”

“No kidding, I’d like those too!” responded Kristin.

And the cool thing about LA, evident even during our brief time there, is the feeling of possibility. That TV show and CD might really come along for the performer, or for Kristin. Great cities like LA, New York and DC each have that kind of special energy. To be the best in business, you gotta be in New York. In politics, DC. And in entertainment, LA.

But for folks who can’t sing or get on TV like Chel and me, Laguna Beach was more our speed. We stayed Thursday and Friday night at a little hotel called the By the Sea Inn. The rooms were recently renovated and the staff was very nice, but the Most Valuable Player of that place has to be the photographer and whoever wrote the copy for their brochure and website.

When they said it was “steps from the beach,” we were thinking maybe 15 or 20 steps, tops. Instead, there was a whole neighborhood between our room and the sand. And when they told us our room would have an ocean view, we imagined a giant panoramic window with crystal blue water out to infinity. Instead, you had to step out on the balcony off the bathroom and squint really hard through the palm trees and rooftops, and then you could somewhat see a little square worth of ocean.

I ain’t complaining, though — it was a great hotel, and there is really nothing worth complaining about while you’re that close to the ocean. Indeed, life is just a little calmer, a little less stressful, when you’re wearing swim suits and flip flops and carrying beach towels and sunscreen.

But after a couple of restful days near the ocean, it’s always nice to be back home. When the plane landed, we couldn’t wait to get back on the 183 to the 35 to the 30. Back to what will always be The True OC to us — Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.

(Oh, and scratch those definite articles before our highway numbers. It just doesn’t fit down here.)

Hi there! It’s me — your son/brother/spouse/friend/co-worker/acquaintance who hasn’t written in a while. So to make up for it, here’s everything I really intended to tell you about for the past month, but didn’t, in an easier-to-read condensed version. It’s like those old school Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, but of my life.

I was an American Airlines statistic last week when I was supposed to fly to DC for an SMU alumni event, but the five flights I tried to get on to make it there in time all got canceled because of their impromptu safety inspections. You always see those shots on TV of people in airports laying on cots or standing in long lines. Lucky for me there was no laying on cots involved, but I did stand in a lot of lines. Some other SMU folks got stranded in DC for an extra day and had to put up with a day of sightseeing and staying at the Ritz-Carlton. The horror!

We’re moving into a new building at work in the next month or two, and I am obsessed with the fact that I will have an office. With a door. Not that I will close the door ever, but still! We’ve decided that now is the time for me to get rid of my Despair.com demotivational poster in my current cubicle and create a Grown Up Office. Chel was kind enough to give me a painting of a horned frog to serve as the centerpiece. Add to that a water wall (or maybe just a little desk-sized water fountain) and the theme will be Contemporary Zen Mascots. Now I just need to find a good painting of a mustang to ensure equal representation.

I officially became an Apple Fanboy after I had a slight problem with my iPhone where a little swath of pixels on the screen was dimmer than the rest. I took it to my friendly neighborhood Apple store, and one of their “Geniuses” (isn’t that a better name than “Technical Support Person”?) agreed that I needed a replacement phone. So he gave me one, for free. I suppose I should be annoyed that my first phone weirded out, but instead I’m just amazed at Apple’s great customer service.

We still haven’t resolved the automobile situation following Chelsea’s accident. We asked GM to take a look at the car because we were concerned the accident was caused by the rear differential locking up. They finally sent an inspector out, and we’re waiting for the final report from Detroit. We just want to make sure the car is safe before we sell it, and alert GM if they’re doing something wrong in their recall service. For now we’re carpooling it to work, which is actually nice because Chel and I get to spend Commute Time together.

We’re going back to Padre over Memorial Day Weekend! This time, instead of pulling an all-nighter to drive the 13 hours from Dallas, we’re going to fly. I’m really looking forward to some beach bumming after finals are over and before work gets really crazy this summer.

And speaking of finals…I’m really not looking forward to them this semester. I’ve got some major catching-up to do over the next couple of weeks so I can be prepared. I wish Reader’s Digest made Condensed Books of all the cases I still need to read.

So this is what I would have written about over the past month. What’s up with you, my friendly reader?

It was back to beautiful Galveston last week for a long 4-day weekend of sun and surf with Chel, Little Mom, Marcy, Addy and Yoshi. This time we rented a condo right along Seawall Boulevard. The condo was great because it had a full kitchen, a little back porch where we could sit and watch the waves while the dogs sniffed around outside, and we didn’t have to deal with hotel policies and attack mosquitoes.

Since we’re Galveston veterans now, we’re even learning the best places to eat. The Donut Palace on Broadway Street is the bomb; we went there for breakfast every day. I think I probably gained five pounds just standing at the counter looking at their amazing selection and another five eating all the apple fritters and ham, egg and cheese croissants that I did.

At dinner on Saturday night, I took out the iPhone to show Chel some of the photos we had taken at the beach. (I’ve posted them in this little gallery.) She noticed a couple at the next table staring at us and the iPhone, and invited them to join us in our booth. After they got to see the iPhone we hit it off talking about other stuff, and they invited us to go out on their boat the next morning before we headed home.

On the way back to the condo we went through all the possible scenarios — maybe they’re going to get us on their boat and kill us! After a brief Googling of our suspects we decided we were safe. (Just in case, though, we left our new friend’s business card on the coffee table of the condo with a note that he had taken us out on his boat.)

The boat ride turned out great — we took our new friends Steve and Cynthia breakfast from the Donut Palace, and we saw a family of dolphins swimming around the bay. Our new friends are probably going to meet us for drinks the next time they’re in Dallas.

This was possibly the best Galveston trip ever, and it was a great way to send Marcy off to grad school in Boston. Now if I can just work off some of those pounds I packed on at the Palace before school starts!

We’re spending the weekend in South Padre with our friend Jen at her family’s beautiful beach house, and Jen was nice enough to let Addy come along for the ride. (I think Addy may actually be Jen’s favorite member of our family. And Jen is definitely one of Addy’s all-time favorite people.)

So today was Addy’s first time to ever go to the beach. Here’s a little clip of her initial dip in the Gulf!

I’ve posted some pics of our first couple days here and I’ll write more later, but Addy and I are pretty tuckered out so I think I will join her for a nap!

We got back last night from our cruise to Cozumel and had a great time! The sun was out, the boat was very nice (although decorated with a tad too much neon), the food was plentiful and yummy, and it was a wonderful way to celebrate our second anniversary and the end of my first semester back in school.

Click here to check out the pics of our trip!

We didn’t take many pictures on our recent trip to Galveston, but we couldn’t pass this sign by without getting a shot of it. Unfortunately we were in a hurry to get back to our bed & breakfast, so we weren’t able to stop in to receive the welcome that they advertised. (Click the picture to see it full-size.)

Ah, the Sandpiper Motel. The only motel actually on the beach (not on the seawall) in beautiful Galveston. Looks nice enough in this picture, right? Chel and I thought so, and we booked a room for our little weekend vacation with Ben and Emily.

When we got there around noon, the front desk clerk said we couldn’t check in for another three hours, so we grabbed some lunch at a (highly-recommended) burger joint, The Spot. We came back to change into our swimsuits in the Sandpiper’s lobby bathroom and head to the beach.

Between the Sandpiper and the beach is an innocent-looking unmowed grassy area, home to millions of blood-crazed kamakaze mosquitos! We each had about 30 trying to attack us as we frantically ran for the sand.

The beach time was nice, and we headed back through Mosquitoville to check into our room. When we got there, there was quite a crowd in the lobby waiting to be served, and a woman was busy arguing with the front desk clerk.

WOMAN: $195? I talked to Fred and he said our room would be $115 because we would get the family discount!

CLERK: Well, Fred’s not here, and I don’t know what he told you, but this is the rate.

WOMAN: (raising her voice) I am not happy about this! I’ll pay for it, but I am not happy and I need to voice my opinion.

CLERK: (raising his voice) That’s not our policy! It’s not our policy that you can voice your opinion in a public place. If you want to voice your opinion, you can do it privately.

About that time, I started looking around at all the posted policies. $5 deposit required to receive a room key and another $5 deposit required to get your television remote.

And the best one: No refunds after 15 minutes.

The irate woman paid and left, and the next couple came up to ask for their refund. Apparently the air conditioner in their room almost fell on the man’s head and the woman noticed the bed was broken.

Next! We were called to the counter.

CHELSEA: I think we’d like to see our room before we check in.

CLERK: That’s not our policy. If you can find a housekeeper out on the property, then maybe one of them will let you in. But that’s not our policy to let you see the room before you pay.

That’s all Chel had to hear. She found a housekeeper, who kindly let us in to room 242. (Maybe she didn’t know about the policy.)

And room 242 was fabulous, except for the puddle of water in front of the door from the air conditioner mounted above it, the wet carpet from the leaky air conditioner, and a hole in the door that looked like it had been caused by someone trying to kick it in.

Oh, and when we opened the window to the balcony, there were a few more kamikaze mosquitos just daring us to step outside and enjoy the view.

We found another place to stay. Staying at the Sandpiper just wasn’t our policy.

Chel and I made it back from Galveston, where we spent four days with our friends Ben and Emily. We caught some rays, went to the aquarium, ate some good food and just generally vegged out before the rest of the summer gets crazy with the start of school for me and everything Chelsea has to do with her new job. I’ll post some pics and beach stories a little later!

I’m a sucker for a interesting font, well-used. So traveling with my sister-in-law Marcy — who is undoubtedly our family’s resident typography expert, as she holds an art degree from one of the top design schools in the country — is an exercise in font-watching.

Austin may be the Live Music Capitol of the World, but I would say it’s also the Fun Typography Capitol of the World. Case in point: The Hotel San Jose and South Congress Avenue, where the Hudson ladies and I stayed on Saturday for a cousin’s wedding. The hotel and the businesses on the street are covered with great, picture-worthy signage. (Unfortunately I’m not so good at actually using my camera.) Continue Reading »

We spent Saturday driving to Austin for the wedding of one of Chel’s cousins. It was one of those weddings where you really see the love that the couple has for each other.

The ceremony was held outdoors, followed by a nice barbecue dinner and live music — as any Austin event should have.

There’s a vibe in Austin that no other place in Texas has. Maybe it’s the music, the eclectic mix of people, the history.

Austin is just cool. So last night we were wondering — are we cool enough for Austin? We love Austin. But will Austin love us back?