Costume Party - YES!!!!

I really love costume parties. I always have. This can range from a simple toga party to a no holds barred, all out, Halloween costume contest.

This love affair began in college, and those were the years when my affair was the most consistent and the most intense. If we were having or attending a theme party, we would prepare costumes. Of course, we had a toga event or two or ten—who didn’t, and a disco theme event every now and them. We dressed up for them all. Every Halloween we would be dressed up for at least one party, sometimes two.

The best part was making up the costumes. Generally, I found it lame to simply buy a $50 plastic and paper piece of junk from a costume shop. For one thing, we did not like to spend much money on such things, but more importantly, much of the fun was the creativity in thinking through an idea and making it mostly from scratch. For example, when Braveheart came out, a group of us dressed up as Scottish warriors. Kilts were made up starting from plaid skirts we purchased from a thrift shop. Swords and shields and other weapons were made from wood, cardboard, broom handles, whatever, along with paint. We purchased face paint from a costume store (it’s not like we were going to mix up our own pigment—purchasing supplies is entirely acceptable).

I think a homemade costume is generally more appreciated and accepted to the viewing audience. It does not have to be perfect, just get the idea across.

[On a side note: why buy kids these plastic swords? I remember when we were kids we made our swords, and they were a lot better than a piece of plastic. Wood, paint, and duck tape can go a long way to making one heck of a toy weapon.]

Another thing while I am on a rant: the slutty [FILL IN ANY SUBJECT] look costumes are passé, in my opinion; but they are not passé to most of society. It’s not original any more.

One year I dressed up as a co-worker who was pregnant (I am a guy—yes, I did buy a cheap wig). Another recent year a colleague and I were Miami Vice.

This year I have a plan: Rorschach. Total cost: zero$, other than an old white t-shirt which will become my mask.

“There is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this.” - Rorschach

“For my own part, regret nothing. Have lived life, free from compromises, and step into the shadow now without complaint.” - Rorschach

Happy Place Video

I guess I need to start blogging again. What happened? Ehhh….. Many of my thoughts have been political lately, and I have not been in the mood to post about it.

In the mean time, please enjoy a very funny wedding entrance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

This is a classic, a close second to the Dancing Cadet.

The “Jake Blues” [i.e., John Belushi, for you under-35 readers] look-alike is great to watch, but I also enjoy the participants who are not good dancers getting into the spirit of the idea.

Heads Up! Texas Senate Race About to Drop

The Texas Governor position is up for election in 2010. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison intends to challenge Governor Perry. At some time, we do not know when, Senator Hutchinson will resign from her Senate seat. I do not want to get into when she may resign, or what the precise consequences will be, because it’s too complicated for a blog post. However, the simple answer is that at some time we will have an election to replace her.

Several politicians have already started campaigns for a future Senate race. On the Demo side, the only serious candidate is current Houston Mayor White, a very wealthy and slick politician.

On the Republican side, there are several candidates trying to make a stake. My favorite is Commissioner Michael Williams. He gave a short speech at the Austin Tea Party on April 15, and at his campaign site is a video of it.

http://www.williamsfortexas.com/

Please take a quick look!

If I Could go Back in Time

Snow skiing is my favorite vacation activity. I love it. Many will enjoy skiing on a good mountain, during pleasant weather and tolerable conditions. I am the type who will enjoy skiing whenever and wherever—and my family can testify to that.

The problem is that I live no where near the slopes. During a good year, I maybe get a short week of skiing. Oh well; that’s life. I am blessed to be able to ski when I can; and I am more blessed that my family seems to enjoy it also. One day a year of skiing bliss is more than I deserve.

What does this have to do with time travel? A lot. It’s all about time travel. It’s about a decision made in 1850 that irks me every day.

I can’t blame those who made the decision because it seemed perfectly logical at the time. You see, Texas became an independent country, the Republic of Texas, in 1836. Most of the population of Texas centered around the primary rivers in central Texas and followed the paths of those rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. This land is very fertile [good for farming and ranching], and the rivers provided highways for the movement of goods for trade. West and North Texas were mostly empty. The land was not very hospitable to travel during the 19th Century pre-rail era.

So, Texas putters along as an independent country until late 1845, very early 1846 [depending on how one counts these things], when Texas joined the United States. I used the word “putter” because Texas carried significant debt from its days as the Republic of Texas. Therefore, in order to get this debt paid off, Texas exchanged a bunch of land to the United States, and the United States agreed to assume [and therefore, pay] Texas’ debt. Seemed like a good idea, especially when we look at the land Texas transferred to the US.

Texas’ boundaries were in some dispute from 1936 until 1948, but by 1948 it became generally established that Texas had rights to all land East/North of the Rio Grande, all the way to the beginning of the Rio Grande [which is much farther North than one may think], and a slip of land extending North from the start of the Rio Grande. As a practical matter, I wonder whether any Texans even knew in 1848 that much of the northern portions of this land was part of Texas. It’s not like one could visit very easily, unless one enjoyed long treks across dry, flat land without roads, water, food, and occupied by increasingly hostile Indians. The Texas Wiki page has a handy map of what Texas looked like prior to 1850. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas

So…to the average Texas politician the exchange seemed like a great idea. Get the US to assume Texas’ lingering debt, and hand over a bunch of land that no one has ever seen. Texans don’t go there; and if any did, they are on their own because Texas law enforcement is not going to visit.

The problem is that when we look at the land today it includes many of the best ski resorts in the US, including, I kid you not, just off the top of my head, Taos, Vail, Snowmass, Beaver Creek, Aspen, Crested Butte, and Powderhorn.

Now you see why I get frustrated. If Texas had held off on the sale, or if they had at least kept the mountain areas, I could go skiing without ever leaving the State. Texas would be a "ski State," with some of the best slopes in the world, and I would qualify for discounted ski lift tickets for local state residents.

Ugggg!!!!!