The Blonde Diaries

Ok so maybe he isn’t coming to Houston per se but he is coming with his best friends to Galveston, Texas for a little relaxation and fun. Today sources leaked the information that will be discussed in luncheon and presentation tomorrow morning here in Houston. Beginning in September 2012 the Disney Cruise Line will begin sailing the Disney Magic from the Galveston port! It was first reported on Local Station KHOU and their website.

This is fairly exciting news because Houston is a rather large city but our cruise choices have been limited to Royal Caribbean (not complaining here) and Carnival. Now with a third cruise line hanging out here we should see some price decreases and new sailing options. Plus maybe it will get the kids off of my beloved Royal Caribbean boat. Even if it doesn’t change who is sailing on which boat, it is exciting to have Disney characters and the Disney feeling so close to home. I’ve never even thought about sailing on the Disney Cruise Line because the cruise itself is fairly overpriced and I’d have to factor in excursions and airfare. Now with it just 45 minutes away it might be worth it to give it a try once. I’m interested in hearing the full announcement tomorrow to learn which ports the ship will be visiting. I’m sure it will be the usual Western Caribbean spots but I’m hoping for a different one or two – add in some variety.

Yes you read that right. A group of women in Houston gather once a month at a local exercise studio specializing in pole dance workouts and they pole dance to Christian music.  The class is free if you bring in your church’s bulletin for the week.  I first heard about this Sunday night on the local Fox station and it seems to have started blowing up on the internet since then.

I have no problem exercising in a manner that makes it enjoyable and fun. Whether you are participating in Zumba, Strip Tease, or Pole Dancing I don’t really care. What I don’t quite like about this is the justification that these women use to take this class.  Pole dancing is bad unless you are doing it once a month at an exercise studio and listening to Christian rock music.  It seems hypocritical don’t you think?

I appreciate that this is allowing women of similar interests gather once a month. I also appreciate that this class is giving women more confidence in themselves and their body.  What I don’t like is that they are dragging Jesus into this. Why not just call it Christian Pole Dancing and do your routines to Christian music? It isn’t quite as offensive sounding but maybe people would look down on them if they used more generic terms.

Here is the original story on Fox.

Trapped! I am sitting here in the airport waiting and hoping I can get on a plane tonight. The hurricane is making its way through Houston right now and the airports are closed. Just my luck! This was just suppose to be a quick trip over – less than 8 hours but it might turn out to be much longer. Only problem is that I didn’t bring a bag and the Essence festival is this weekend so there probably aren’t any hotel rooms.

Trying to stay positive. I got my book and I’ve hunkered down. I just wish this darn airport had WIFI. WTF right?!

Had you offered me lamb 2 years ago I would have ran away. I just couldn’t imagine eating poor little Lamb Chop though it is only a sock puppet. Curiosity got the best of me though and I haven’t looked back since. I just love lamb as it is very similar to beef but so much more tender. Unfortunately, most restaurants charge $30 or more for an entree. Not very affordable if you want to enjoy it on a regular basis. :’(

This week that changed. My mother was in town and we went to meet her friend for lunch at Fadi’s Mediterranean Buffet here in Houston and it was lamb day (no lamb on Thursdays and Saturdays)! What makes it even sweeter is that it is an option on the 1 meat, 1 side plate so I had a huge plate filled with lentil salad (yum!) and then lamb shank with more vegetables all for under $10. I was not planning on gorging myself on lamb and vegetables but I did and oh it was so good.

I think this is going to quickly become a Sunday afternoon destination for Mike and myself after we hit the gym and the treadmill. Even though there are lots of veggies, the gravy, the pitas, and the hummus will tack on calories fast and lord knows I don’t need any more calories in my life unless I decide to try out the Mediterranean diet which might not be a bad idea if I can eat fabulous foods like this day in and day out.

Yes, I am a nerd who watches the news at least once a day.  I try to stay informed with current events and local happenings.  Unfortunately, I have come to realize that the news often reports things after they happen not before. My beef is mainly related to social happenings and fun things to do around town that people would want to know about so they could attend.  Some things that come to mind: the Lunar New Year celebration, the Greek Festival, oh and Pauly D spinning at a club here in Houston.  Yes some people will probably be glad they don’t hear about these things but I would have loved to go just to see Pauly D in person and to see the fist pump in action.  And I love Greek food and to have fairly authentic food at the Greek Festival held at the Greek Orthodox church would be awesome.  I totally understand that I can use google to find out some things but to try and google every little thing that you might possibly be interested in is a tad ridiculous.  Plus you might not even think about things that are about to happen.  So I will end with my plea for anyone in the media to consider highlighting items of interest to viewers/readers before they happen not just after they happen.