eggwards | Nov. 1st, 2004

Saturday really should have been Halloween. Parties were scheduled, the time change was in our favor, what else would you want? Sunday night is better served for winding down.

Big Ed had invited me to a party that he and his husband were throwing down in the Montrose. I was getting ready for that, knowing that the cubbies, Robert and Dave were coming in from College Station. They would be coming in later, but wanted to get dinner when they go to Houston.

So, I had gotten to sleep late the night before, and napped just a little, and trying to think of a costume that would allow me to a) not have to really have a costume, b) I could just go as me, doing some stupid voice, and not have to really do anything, and c) spend less than $25 (preferably $0), thereby not really doing much at all about a costume.

So what I did was put on a red shirt, my overalls and head off to the sporting good store looking for a hat. Oshman's Super sports wasn't that super, so I had to go to the Galleria to find it. Yep, a Boston Red Sox cap. My costume, I guess it could best be described as a crazed, redneck Red Sox Fan..."Do you mind if I paaaked my caaar on the yaaaard? Wicked Awesome!"

Lame, but under $25 as promised.

It was already 9 p.m. by the time I got to Big Ed's. He was at the door, dressed as a very tall (he's already 6'4") Grim Reaper, welcoming me as he first person from work to arrive. It was already huge, but it looked like they were expecting many more with a party tent, and ice block for shots, and 4 margarita machines, along with audio and video. It was big. I poured my self a frozen lemonade and vodka and Big Ed introduced me to his husband Mike, who was in a very scary Michael Jackson outfit. Yikes.

There were people from every walk of life. Straight, gay, from the neighborhood, from work, from San Antonio, where Ed and Mike are from, there were drag queens, a couple of leather boys, including one cub that I got brave enough to tell him he should take the wife beater off and show off the harness, but he mentioned that his boyfriend next to him was acting as his conscience for the evening, so it wasn't happening, at least not yet. That was too bad.

I get a call from the cubbies, and can't quite give them directions to Big Ed's, so I tell them to meet me at the Ripcord and we'll take it from there. I get to the Ripcord, after having to search the neighborhood for parking, and find Dave there. No, not cubbie Dave, but One Date Dave. he and some friends were out for the evening, as were a lot of others. Halloween brings a lot more people out to the bars, and the people watching was getting good. Dave introduced his friend Steve to me and I talked, and possibly flirted a bit.

The cubbies arrived, and we quickly moved back out the door as I was hungry. Eating at Chili's we ran into my friend Chris

bandchris, who still goes to all of the football games, and told me that Houston won, I think I didn't really care, they already have a losing record. Although I thought about detouring back to Big Ed's party, the cubbies were ready to go back to the Ripcord, so we got an even worse parking space and headed back into the crowded bar.

Again, the people watching was great. I saw Jerry (

goofycubb)early on, having spotted him and his friends out in the street as were were going to Chili's, and we kept moving in their circles. I'll apologize here that I forgot the names of the couple Jerry introduced me to, especially since one of them told me that he read my journal, so now I get to be all embarrassed that he'll read this and see I forgot his name. Other friends of Jerry's filled the night, as well as friends of One Date Dave, so I didn't feel alone.

It's interesting, some people had costumes, and some people just felt like cleaning out their fetish closets. Things they wouldn't have worn even to this bar on any other day of the year. Still, the guy who normally wears a dishtowel to the bar actually came in a fig leaf get up that covered more of him than his normal barwear does. There were dragqueens, and leather and rubber (much more rubber than we normally see) and lot's of gladiators and Alexander wannabes. It was a pretty good parade of costumes.

I watched as a few straight women filtered through. In most cases, there were no problems, even if the drew a stare. The woman who looked the part, and gave out spankings was widely welcomed, while the overweight one in a polo and chinos who had the look like she was there on a dare quickly cleared out a friskier-than-usual back patio, making many uncomfortable. All depends on your attitude.

As the evening wore on, people came and went, and we had the extra hour. One guy, who I found out was at Barnaby's, a local Houston diner last Sunday when I had dinner with Jerry, spotted me and came over. He had made his costume, a jumpsuit that he had threaded a fiber optic network through, and lit. It changed colors. With his hat, he looked a bit like Steven Spielburgh, but in a good way. He was nice, but definitely nervous. I had to admit I was flattered by that. He was showing off his handiwork, and had to show that he needed to wear a union shirt underneath the jumpsuit to protect his fuzzy chest from the fiber optic cabling that was running all over. So, as any flirty boy should, I reached in and rubbed his chest a bit and noticed that his lights had instantly changed from a cool blue to red.

I found out that his name was Dave. Yet another Dave. He was in town working on a long-term risk management project, but is actually from Tennessee. I told him I had responsibility of the cubbies tonight, and he told me he had a visitor from out of town too, the daddy bear in the well-padded Playboy bunny outfit with the 1960'd vintage Jackie Kennedy glasses. Still, a kiss managed to cause a bit of a control-rod reaction in Dave's jumper. Hee!

I left the Ripcord around 3:00. The new 3:00, after having had the second 2 with the whole fall back thing. I thought about going by Big Ed's party, which was still going, but I decided against it. The cubbies followed back to the house later.

So Sunday morning We woke up and went off to the Galleria. I was able to return the Boston Red Sox Hat that I wore for all of 2 hours. (sorry

robcelt, I just didn't need the hat, but I thought of you). The manager from the night before was there, so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do it. But they took it.

I had some awful pizza with the cubbies, then sent them on their way back home. I then took my camera out to work on my assignments for the photograph meme. I went downtown and started a long-desired photograph study, looking at how the shadows were playing off of the buildings and such.

I've been wanting to get around different parts of Houston and start taking photos, just to get some things down, in anticipation of moving.

As the sun went don, I went north to my parent's neighborhood. The new neighborhood, which we actually lived in a long time ago, is sort of middle-uppermiddle class. As I turned in, I noticed that a lot of cars from out of the neighborhood had parked, letting their kids off to canvas the area for candy. We're not just talking a few kids, here. we're talking trailers full of kids.

I saw one truck had 10 kids in it's bed. It's illegal to let kids ride in the back of a pickup, for one, and as someone who had a friend die, falling out of the back of one, I hate to see that.

I think the neighborhood should be closed off. It's sad that the people there should have to fund a forced bussing program for other peoples neighbors.

My parents were already out of candy at 7:00, and had turned their light out, still, the kids came. Dad is now the grumpy old man. We quickly went out to eat, finishing a the weekend.