Viva los Mavs!

The Champs

The Happiest Fans in Houston

3 decades down, many more to go...

As promised, I have a few more pictures to share from the wonderful weekend that was my 30th birthday celebration....

With lots of friends and family to help celebrate, we had....

a cake graciously transported to Austin by Carol, commemorating my extreme nerdiness,



a strong, worthy opponent of a pinata...



and a day at the lake with more than a few beers to keep the good times flowing.
(Note the "shotgun" master preparing to blow me out of the water with his skills)

All in all, it was a great weekend that not only left me feeling more than a little bit loved by those around me, but also confident in the good times to come in the next few decades...

30 and still Keeping it Weird

That's right, this past weekend, I reached the big 3-0.  To celebrate, we headed to Austin for some fun in the sun and good times with the fam.  Turns out I am so popular that our usual crash pad (aka Kelly's house) was packed to the brim with out-of-town guests.  No worries on that front, as Jared had booked us a room at one of Austin's quirkiest institutions, the Austin Motel, smack dab in the middle of South Congress:



The infamously-shaped logo

Unusual signage to keep the guests in check

Although some rooms at the hotel allow pets, ours unfortunately did not.  Lucky for Zambezi, there was plenty of dog-action going on at Kelly's house, although I think that he might have been missing the luxuries of our apartment's central air conditioning as this is where he hung out for most of the visit:

Although the weekend was full of surprises and gifts for yours truly (another post to come), not having to do the 6am bathroom run with our little bundle of joy turned out to be one of the best presents of all...

Ocean Lounging

With a long holiday weekend and the summer heat upon us, it was time to pack up the car and head down to the Gulf Coast to introduce our new furry hellraiser to the sand & surf.  Galveston's Stewart Beach, with its sand parking lot, legions of kid-toting families, and dog-friendly ways was the destination of choice.  Despite eating a bunch of sand and getting dirtier than a little boy playing in shitpiles, everybody had a great time.

Crazy Cousin Ted

Everyone's got one (or in my case many): that crazy cousin that rolls in, hypes you up, drags you around, and leaves you exhausted from the non-stop party that was their weekend visit.  In lil Zambezi Ndeble Xhosa Nowitski Dralvin's (who you can just call Zambezi or Lil Beez) case, it is cousin Ted, a six month old, 60 lb black mouth cur looking to assert his dominance.  The video below is a sample of how things went down for 48 hours straight:

Looks exhausting, doesn't it?  Well I can tell you it was.  Between waking up at 6 am, trying to give the neighbors some relief from the high-pitched yipping from Zambezi, cleaning up all the inevitable "accidents"of a tiny bladder, and reassuring Ted that he was not on constant guard duty, Kelly and I were completely exhausted come Sunday morning.  Luckily, so were Zambezi and Ted, who are still sleeping off some of the weekend's excitement.

Faithful Hound

Meet the newest Texpatriate!  Although his name is still in testing phase, he is definitely already a part of the family. A great pyrenees/blue heeler mix with a noted oral fixation and fear of his reflection, this lil guy has already increased our sense of responsibility and "parenting" anxiety by 1000% in just a few days time.

On the his first night, we broke out a wine we had been saving for the occasion, "The Faithful Hound" by South African producer Mulderbosch.   Rated 4 stars by wine guru John Platter, it paired perfectly with our low brow pizza and helped us try to forget the wailing pup back at the apartment suffering from a bit of separation anxiety.

So bienvenidos to our new companero on the journey and feel free to send more good wine our way to help us cope with the joys of training our faithful hound...

Nerd Alert!

Those who know me well are aware that I have some, shall we call them, "less than cool" tendencies, especially when it comes to epic journeys across Middle Earth to defeat the forces of evil. 



Geeking out in full force on the LOTR tour in New Zealand

So needless to say, upon arrival in Houston, we promptly made a pilgrimage to the Hobbit Cafe, a Houston institution since 1972.  Apparently, there are some unenlightened Houstonians who frequent the cafe just for the food, but fellow "Ringers" out there will appreciate the LOTR themed menu (hungry for a Strider sandwich, anyone?) and 60's era paraphernalia lining the walls of the restaurant

So should your quest lead you across the Misty Mountains, through the forests of Isengard and beyond the eerie outskirts of chain restaurant infested greater Houston, plan to meet us at the Shire-on-Richmond and we will celebrate your arrival in proper hobbit fashion!

Ghost Face Killer

This past weekend, while celebrating the wedding of Michael "H-bomb" Henderson to Karen Sorenson with our old pals and favorite roomies Conor and Natalie, we encountered a spicy challenge like none the Dos Texpatriates had come across thus far: the Jolokia Ghost pepper. 

Originally found in India, the jolokia (or ghost pepper here in the US), was crowned the hottest chili pepper in the world in 1997 by the Guinness Book of World Records and is 3 times hotter than the spiciest habanero out there.

While contemplating the various menu options at the appetizingly-named Chunky's Burgers, we first noticed their signature menu item, the Four Horseman. This burger, featured on Man v Food, contains habaneros, serranos, jalapenos, and the ghost pepper.  The burger is so spicy, you have to sign a release and be over 18 to participate.  Our helpful waitress advised that pretty much everyone throws up and quite a few have to make a visit to the local ER.  Although we are not ones to back away from a challenge, we had a moment of maturity and remembered the wedding we were scheduled to attend that evening.  Instead, we opted for the Ghost burger, which only had the ghost peppers atop it, and seemed like a more reasonable option.

Jared definitely shouldered most of the challenge, but I was sure to crown my chicken sandwich with a few of the little devils as well.  And, wow!  They aren't joking around with the spiciness claim, although I have to say that the lasting after effects (best analogy: a laser fight in your stomach) were easily worse than the initial spiciness.

This was definitely a case of we Cowboys being seriously outmatched by those Indians.

Closet Case

Behold!  One of the joys of living in Texas: closet space!!

Now before you go thinking that the Texpatriates might need to join Clotheshorse Anonymous, please note that in San Francisco we were dealing with closets about half the size of an an airplane bathroom with the same amount, if not more, clothes inside.  So three cheers to the wide open spaces of Texas and the invention of the walk-in closet. 

Cultural Appropriation

As the Dos Texpatriates continue to zip code hop, we have picked up a few habits that linger along with us.   Here are a few things that haven't quite worn off:

1. Turning the tires toward the curb- despite finding ourselves once again in flat-as-a-board Texas, we still can't resist cranking the wheels inward toward the curb to prevent major catastrophe in the event of the car sliding away downhill.

2. Izzit? I am definitely more guilty of this one than my counterpart, but the South Africanism of replying with "izzit?" in place of "really?" when answering in semi-disbelief, simply hasn't worn off.   Example:

       TEXPATRIATE 1:  "So there is actually a huge South African wine section at the Specs downtown"

       TEXPATRIATE 2: "Izzit? That is exciting."

Note that when replying with "Izzit?" you are allowed to completely disregard normal grammar rules regulating tense and number.  Just give it a try, you will see.... its catchy.

3. Requiring that food be tear-inducing levels of spiciness in order to be considered tasty.  This one certainly hasn't worn off despite our exposure to less-enlightened food cultures.

 4. California Eco-mindedness  This one really came to fruition today as I pretended to take a casual stroll around the neighborhood while actually looking for a good place to bury the week's compost collection.  Aware that should my actions be discovered, it could result in some type of reprimand or citation, I prepared a spiel on the "urban fertilization program" I was spearheading in the neighborhood.  Luckily, I did not have to test the believe-ability of this plan...yet.

As time elapses, I am sure that we will discover additional cultural elements that continue along with us on our journey, but for now, I think this is a hella-good list. (kidding... the sufer-lingo never really took). 

Movin on up, out, and away!

Sorry faithful readers for our looong absence from the Dos Texpatriates blog.  Not only have we been more than a little bit busy with the transfer from SF to Houston, but the Dos Texpatriates have also been separated for the past two and a half weeks (tear).   As Jared blazes new trails in Houston, setting up our new nest with lovely rented furniture and startling Texans with his continued devotion to public transportation, I have been working non-stop to wrap things up on the Californian end.  And by wrap things up, I don't mean pack (which is what I should be doing right now), I mean try to delicately extract myself from the three roles I am filling in for at KBAS.  You can take a wild guess at how that is going....

So until the Dos Texpatriates are reunited, we ask you, faithful readers to hold tight!  As a gesture of apology for this absence, we offer these gems from the 2011 Galvin family calendar:

The first reader to guess the theme from each picture wins free lodging at the Dos Texpatriates newest abode!

Moving to Dallas!

We know that our dear readers have been waiting in suspense after our recent post regarding our upcoming move. Where is it this time?!  Well here it is.....we are moving to DALLAS!  No, not our hometown of Dallas, Texas, but rather Dallas Street in downtown Houston (Rotation Location Destination #3), an entirely new city for the Dos Texpatriates.

Since our placement in Houston is only considered temporary, we will be moving into a lovely, if a bit generic apartment just blocks away from our Houston buds, Chris & Sarah. We discovered that our Houston apartment is more than 100 years newer than our SF unit.  It is likely to have less personal touches than our lovely parkside dwelling but honestly, we are super-pumped about a modern heating system.  As much as we love our place in SF, the Victorian icebox effect has definitely worn our its welcome (apparently insulation wasn't a la

mode 100 years ago).

So cheers to sun! And sweat! And swimming!

One Man Band

Weeknight entertainment in SF: solo trumpet player on the sidewalk below our apartment. Perfect time to turn off the TV, open up the windows and doors, and enjoy the sweet sounds.  If only it wasn't cold and raining outside, we'd have the perfect in-house concert...

Rotation Location Desitination- Round 3

That's right... your favorite traveling Texans are on the move again!  That means you've got about 4-6 weeks to head out west before our sweet apartment has to be handed over to new tenants who are sure to be less appreciative of the forbidden roof views. 

More to details to come on the upcoming placement, but be sure that the SF uniform of fleece and jeans will get a much needed rest.  Bring on the breathable fabric because its about to get sweaty!

Punxsutawney Phil Knows Best

Hangin' tight, flexin' our flow, and chillin' out max with visitors galore here in sunny SF.  That's right--sunny SF.  Frequent blog readers will know how I feel about San Francisco weather (supershittycalifradulent). Nevertheless, I have to say that I am definitely seeing the upside of not having seasons- no summer, but hey, no winter!  As the rest of the country wallowed in snow and ice for the past week, we have had some of the sunniest weather we have seen in the city thus far.  Punxsutawney Phil must know what he is doing because it has been rather spring-like here in Fog City.

Not one to waste a sunny day, I dragged our weekend visitors Christie and Adam outside as often as possible.  Planning our day?  Let's discuss in the park.  Where should we watch the Superbowl?  Let's think about it in the park. Tired? Hey, I have a blanket we can bring to the park...

Sunday, we ensured that that the entire day would be spent outside by purchasing a brand spanking new hillbilly golf set (yes, we understand that this makes our set very drugstore cowboy, but honestly, I didn't quite have the wherewithal to saw and measure PVC pipes on that particular Sunday morning) and a few tasty libations.  As we took up a disproportionate amount of space and explained our foreign sport to other park goers, we realized that life isn't so bad here in SF. 

So if you are currently buried in snow, dreary weather, and/or the winter blues- book a trip out west because you know that we always keep it classy here in San Francisco...

Move over Dou Liamond

Well as you all probably know, the California Independent Film Festival held its final night of screenings last night in Moraga and being only a quick jaunt over the bay and across the unscrupulous hills of Oakland we felt it was a no-brainer decision to attend. 

Now I know you may be thinking "well golly that is mighty interesting, but I didn't know they were that big of film buffs".  Well you are somewhat mistaken and as soon as the much anticipated Part 2 of our Tour de New Zealand makes it to print we will be able to offer you visual proof.  But you are also somewhat correct.  It turns out that this year's California film festival was putting a spotlight on Texas in Language of a Broken Heart, a film co-produced by our good friend from South Africa, Luke Coffee.  Luke is actually from Dallas, but lived and worked on films in ZA for a few months before being deported on Christmas.  Since returning to Dallas, he has jumped headfirst into the blossoming Texas film biz, getting tough guy parts in both Chase and Friday Night Lights, before landing a role as co-producer and supporting actor in Language of a Broken Heart. 

Now as you may have guessed from the title, it is somewhat of a Romantic Comedy (aka romcom), but  for all of those romcomsarecrappyandalwaysfeaturedouchebagslikeHughGrant-style haters, don't let that deter you.  It was actually a solid story, well acted, and overall a great flick.  Following the show, we made our way out to the boisterous lobby and rubbed shoulders with silver screen legends, but the best part was having dinner and drinks with the director, writer/lead actor, and Luke afterwards.  Very cool experience that I wish was more common following a movie.   Overall, the viewing was a great success, and we weren't the only ones that thought so as Language of a Broken Heart took home Best Picture.  Now that the hype has been set, your job is to keep your head on a swivel and an eye out for the award winner in a theater near you...

Oh yeah, that is who you think it is.  Hollywood Legend, and 2011 Maverick Award winner Dou Liamond Phillips:

Laugh it up Dou, but no Best Picture for you tough guy...

Just don't call us Betty...

For many, the ramping up in intensity of the football season should lead to a corresponding step up when it comes to gameday snacks, peaking with the Superbowl Sunday food fest.  Considering that Jared and Jordan enjoyed a feast of $1 oysters and lamb belly sandwiches last weekend during the NFL quarterfinals at Hog and Rocks, our oft blogged about non-sports bar sports bar, we had quite a challenge ahead of ourselves for Sunday's semi-final games.

Nevertheless, the stars were aligned as we had the rare combination of non-achy heads on a Sunday morning with our new DINK status (acronym for: "Dual Income No Kids," and frequently heard in budgetary conversations of late: "who cares, its no big deal, we are totally DINKing it now").   After heading over to the most awesome beer store, Healthy Spirits, and stocking up on the finest, we decided to blow it out of the water with some phenomenal duck nachos.

Enter Jared's home-made salsa and an impromptu guac: 

Sprinkle in some cojita cheese, black beans refried in-house, an utterly delicious roast duck breast and... VOILA!:

Crack open a crisp and refreshing cerveza accompaniment:

And you get some very happy football fans....

Back in the Saddle Again

 



PERFORMANCE METRIC DASHBOARD*

Yes, its true- I have managed to gain meaningful employment! Although the exact parameters of the job are to be determined, I will once again be working with the Bay Area office of the KIPP charter schools and no longer have to try to think of crafty wording on my cover letter that might peak the interest of a potential employer.  So here's to a slam dunk in at least one category of the performance metric dashboard, which is really too bad because soon it will be Friday and I will in fact have sh*t to do....

*graphic supplied by Microsoft Clip Art and text art courtesy of Microsoft Paint 




Escape to LA

My lovely hosts

Only two weeks back in SF and a week into the new job (more to come on that one...) and I was already ready for a serious vacation!  Luckily, Whitney, Nicole and their posse are only a short plane ride away and MLK was a great man deserving of a national holiday.  Enter a 3-day weekend of fun in the sun and corresponding wardrobe makeover courtesy of my pint-sized friend (SF uniform of hoodie and jeans just wouldn't do on the Venice boardwalk).

 LA might be a lot of things, but no one ever called it dreary...

Enjoying memorable food & conversation at Gjelina



J'Adore Paris!

That's right folks, that's me, in the shadow of one of the most famous buildings in the world, shivering, with frozen toes and a steely reserve not to wait in line to ascend to the top of the tower to gaze upon the snow covered city below.

My week-long trip to Paris to visit Michelle and Joseph, students of the French language and tour guides extraordinaries, was too short to say the least. Despite Michelle's ability to keep me awake for longer than I had ever thought possible, I still feel as though I barely scratched the surface of the culture-packed French capital.  Visits to major museums, shows, excellent restaurants, cathedrals, monuments, and innumerable wine bars only left me with the feeling that I must come back.  And that I must learn a bit more French before doing so. 

Here are a few photo highlights from the trip:

Les amoureux at the Arc de Triomphe

The IM Pei pyramid at the Louvre

Checking in with some of the 6 million residents in the Paris catacombs

Running on pure adrenaline (and a bit of champagne) after lots of traveling and little sleeping

Too hungover for more champagne the next morning at Moet & Chandon?

Never!

Le Moulin Rouge

Feeling the love in the City of Lights