Tag: houston

100 Happy Days: 54

There are some days full of such disturbing or sad news that an attempt to post about something happy seems like folly, or at the very least, insensitive. News stories from the Middle East, and closer to home, from St. Louis–and then to hear that someone else lost an argument with the lying bastard that is depression and ended his life…

I remind myself that yes, bad things, terrible things happen every day–and so do wondrous things. There’s a line from the musical Rent that always rang true for me: “The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation!”

So today, what made me happy is this. Murder By The Book put together an event for mystery writer Spencer Quinn’s new book Paw and Order, making the rescue I volunteer with the beneficiary of a percentage of the night’s sales. Quinn’s series features PI Bernie Little and his partner, Chet, who happens to be a dog. It’s the dog angle that makes the matchup between Spencer Quinn and the rescue group a good one. And as I talked with some of our volunteers and met new book fans and a new-to-me author, I was reminded that these are ways we affirm ourselves: gathering, sharing, talking, creating, laughing with one another. Turning to community. We’re all in this together, and I’m glad I share the planet with so many people who create–a true act of hope–and who do for and give to others, including our voiceless friends: homeless, neglected, and abused dogs and cats.

Spencer Quinn entertains a full house.

100 Happy Days: 51

There’s a wide median running the length of Heights Boulevard, and it currently features a number of sculptures as part of a public art installation called “True North.” Of course it’s no surprise which of the sculptures appealed to me. These are not so great cell phone photos, but I think you’ll get the picture.


Does he look like a cute little dog? He’s probably over six feet tall and eight feet long. Try walking that on a leash.


He’s made of fabric and paper and fur and I don’t know what else–a great representation of a “Heinz 57,” or mutt.


And he’s got great pointing stance as he directs us north. The sculpture is titled “Pointing North,” in fact, and the artist is Carter Ernst. She has a lot of other public and community art throughout Houston–and at least one more giant dog as well as a giant chicken.

100 Happy Days: 46

Somewhere in my online perusal of young adult fiction, I saw descriptions of The Young World, a post-apocalyptic novel set in Manhattan after an illness has claimed the lives worldwide of adults and young children. Teens have banded into tribes to fight for survival–and maybe to find a cure. The premise sounded interesting (even to someone who doesn’t typically read dystopian fiction–me!), but what I never noticed is that the author is Chris Weitz. I’ve talked about him on my blog before as someone whose work and general all-round attitude I admire.

I was on Murder By The Book’s web site early Sunday trying to choose new titles to order through them for my Nook when I saw that the store had set up a Q&A between Weitz and moderator Mandy Curtis, along with a book signing and a discussion of the influence of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome on Weitz’s work (as well as a screening of the movie, because all of this took place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema).

Though I’ve been on an extended break from Mel Gibson and his movies, an opportunity to meet and get a book signed by Chris Weitz was irresistible–and a definite source of a happiness on a Sunday evening.

Tiny People

Yesterday when I posted a photo of my wee customized rescue van and said I needed to find some tiny people to go along with it, it made me think of a work of art I saw last year with Tim and Jim. Houston’s Lawndale Art Center does a juried exhibit each summer called “The Big Show,” with the intention of featuring little-known or unknown local artists. Since Jim usually comes to visit in July, we make it a point to go by Lawndale. He wasn’t able to visit this summer, so I haven’t been to the 2014 exhibit yet, but I figured he’d enjoy remembering this piece from last year.

One of the things I love about looking at art with Jim is how we respond to creations that have a…shall I say, subtly sinister appeal. His reaction is usually to get what I call his Jim look–a lowered head, a raised eyebrow, and an otherwise inscrutable expression until he catches my eye and I start laughing–a kind of nervously appreciative laughter because I don’t know whether I want to curl up and shiver or run away–except I can’t seem to stop staring at the art.

Such was the case when we walked up to this tiny diorama called “End of the Road” by artist Leo Medrano. Tim, Jim, and I all had a kind of eek reaction to what I thought we saw: a man, possibly a hunter, with a big gun confronting a couple in the woods. We liked it; it scared us; I snapped a photo; and after a time, we walked on to the next work.

Except you have to understand, this piece is TINY. The dome it’s under is only eleven inches high, and the people are 1/32nd scale. I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so it wasn’t until I uploaded the photo to my computer that I saw how much more was going on than I first thought. Not one gun, but two. Two bad guys? One bad guy, one potential rescuer? And how much more disturbing that they’re all under glass, caught for all time for us to stare at and wonder about. What should be a bucolic scene–a chance meeting in a natural setting–and who doesn’t smile at a shiny Volkswagen?–teeters on the edge of violence–all for us to view. It’s not just The Hunger Games that questions where our fixation on “reality” entertainment may lead.

I love art.

100 Happy Days: 30

Today the Internet sent me on a wild goose chase for a piece of art I wanted to photograph. I think I may be able to see it in the middle of August, so I’ll put that on hold. But thinking about geese prompted me to visit Hermann Park to look at the ducks.

I saw ducks and many other wonderful sights, but my favorite photo is this one. I’m no expert, but I think these are Shaolin Buddhist Monks. Because of them, I’ve been smiling all day.

100 Happy Days: 18

I became aware of the Little Free Library project when a nine-year-old boy in Kansas was ordered to remove his from his front lawn because the city called it an “illegal structure.” Yeah, you don’t want people to encourage reading or to share books–that shit leads to thinking! And thinking…who knows where that might lead?

Check out the link above to learn more about the Little Free Library program. Recently, while driving through one of Houston’s neighborhoods, I spotted my first Little Free Library. I think it’s a wonderful idea, especially in areas with a lot of kids and foot traffic. (Except for those places where someone will run outside brandishing a cane and yelling, “You! Kids! Off my lawn!” Or where five overwrought dogs don’t exactly make the best welcome committee, not that I know anything about that personally.)

Today I managed to get a photo of the LFL with my cell phone, and that made me happy.