Emily Watson Visits Pearland

Compilation collage representing Emily's visit.  We had a good time with other family and friends.  It makes me so happy inside to see the wonderful woman she has become.

Flickr: The British Library's Photostream

Flickr: The British Library's Photostream:  The British Library uploaded more than one million images to Flickr for public use.  What a very neat thing.  I started to peruse the collection and soon lost myself in art, drawings, and sketches from books.

'via Blog this'

Bird Flocking

They coalesce on the lines above the street, then fly off and resettle.  Reminds me of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  Why do they suddenly fly up in a could and redistribute themselves on the lines?  I always try to get a picture of these birds at an intersection along Broadway in Pearland.  They are there at different times of day, but in greater numbers early in the morning.  All year long they are there maybe not as numerous but there all the same.  Perhaps they are sitting up there analyzing traffic flow or trying to guess what I am thinking as I drive under them.

Christmas Ambassador Cheer

Friday evening was Christmas celebration day.  I started the evening with the Pearland Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.  What a great group of people!  Every time I sit down with them I appreciate anew the diversity of Pearland.  They represent different business types in Pearland, come from different parts of Pearland and they all have an outgoing friendly outlook.  I sat down next to an ambassador that I have known for years and learned new things about her.  Talking is becoming a lost art.  We don't have as many face to face interactions as we used to.  Sitting and drinking coffee, a beer a cocktail at a bar...or in someone's home...it just doesn't happen any more.  We catch up with people's lives on Facebook, Instagram and follow them on Twitter.  We feel like we are connected but are we really?  I really need to be around people periodically... The laughter and spontaneity of a large group of your friends, there is nothing quite like it!

Sweet Voices

Every year children from Silverlake Elementary School come visit our building and bring us sounds of the holiday season. The sweet voices and holiday music help to set the tone for the rest of the day. Thanks for sharing your talent and holiday spirit with is again!

Cyber Monday 2013

The buying frenzy started last week and continues today with the traditional day that most people spend a lot of time shopping online.  Most of the "talk" about Cyber Monday is about lost productivity.  I would like to address a different issue.  The issue of buying something because it is a bargain and not thinking about the long term consequences of each purchase.  Before you buy the next sale item that you see think about its ultimate fate.  How much packaging is going to be wasted? Will this item really be used by someone?  Is it even a reasonable purchase?  Will it be reusable?  Is it recyclable?  AND is there a safe and responsible way to dispose of the item at the end of its life?  IT was become very American to irresponsibly waste our resources.  Consider carefully before making that next purchase. Think about sustainability and resources.  You might save some time and even more money than you thought you would save just by saying no to a bargain!

The Smell of Brownies

There is something so very satisfying about the smell of dark chocolate baking in the oven.  The smell slowly diffuses throughout the building.  Sweet, rich chocolate and so distinctive, the nose knows the difference between chocolate chip, chocolate cake and brownies.  Tied to childhood memories these scents become more to us than we realize.  Flashbacks to warm childhood memories.  Baking at your grandmother's house or an early memory of baking with your mom or dad.  My dad was the baker when it came to traditional white people foods.  My mom filled the house with delightful aromas associated with Filipino desserts.  The two that made the best impression: the sweet rice dish with coconut milk based caramel sauce called biko or the delightful sweet rice flour cake called bibingka each baked in a pan lined with banana leaf.  All it takes is the first smells of the wonderful scents as the chocolate and pecan flavors fuse together and I am transported back in time to a place that now only exists in my memory.