House of Spa

that’s right people! nothing like how Debbie Did Dallas (classsssssssyyyyyy) but indeed, Sunny and I spent the weekend in Dallas. i’ve uploaded the pics from Sen’s Texas Adventure so you can all check those out and see what we were up to … as a quick rundown, Dallas is a fairly typical US city, scummy in some parts, spread out and totally impractical to get around unless you have a car (thank god for Snowball!) however, i was overall quite impressed with Dallas. the nightlife was buzzing, the restaurant(s) all seemed quite classy and well appointed, and the Dallas locals certainly knew how to dress classy … maybe it was just the area we happened to be in, but it could have easily passed as a part of Sydney in some areas … very trendy, high class, etc etc …

so, to start our Saturday night, we ate at none other than Hooters … yep … we’re in Dallas … we’re doing the boys things … Hooters is was. this was actually the first Hooters i’d ever been to, so i didn’t really know what to expect. turns out Hooters is almost a family establishment here … there were young kids and the like sprawled all through the place eating with their families! simply put, it’s a diner with bust requirements for the waitstaff. i ate fish and was impressed with the meal, and of course the service! next up, on the recommendations of local waitstaff at Hooters, we took a drive to just north of downtown houston and found a nice classy open style bar called Fireside Pies. this place was very nicely appointed, had a great atmosphere, and some very nice select beers which Sunny and I shared. we began chatting to the staff (again) on recommendations to go after (eg:  club / nightclub / etc) and the General Manager (Scott Mitchell) graciously offered to walk us around to the hottest new private members only club The Candleroom. this was most certainly Sydney-esque. very classy, very well appointed, good tunes, classy folk, fast service at the bar, and prices to match … twas a quality evening and thoroughly enjoyed my quick venture to Dallas, and of course Sunny’s fantastic company …

your ads here (468x60) - after 1st post.

apologise for the lack of updates! has been a busy week! as you may know, Big Sen is in town and i’ve been off work since wednesday … relaxing to say the least! it’s been good having one of the boys over, about as close to home as i’ve felt since i left almost 12 months ago! wednesday night we went to a country / western bar known as Wild West, this place was amazing, everything you could think about country western was here … line dancing, 2 step, cowboy hats, boots, and big belt buckles … i thoroughly enjoyed it, although found myself completey out of my element! the following day we went to the NASA Space Centre where the infamous “Houston, we have a problem” words were uttered decades ago … this was more of a kids place so although Sunny and i had fun being childish and the likes, it wasn’t all that worthwhile … plus the weather has been pretty crappy, overcast and rainy (but still in the 30’s). we then went out to a bar called Sammy’s, which has a live cover band (80’s) that plays there every thursday … enjoyable night with classic tunes and a good crowd. friday we were meant to head to Austin, but since we didn’t get moving till about 2pm we decided to skip Austin entirely and headed straight to Dallas, which is where we are now. last night we managed to get into see The Simpsons Movie, which i have to say i was pleasantly suprised with. good story and some classic moments definately worth seeing for those Simpsons fans! today we’re again running behind, it’s 12:21pm and we’re still in the hotel … not sure whats on the agenda for today but we’ll work something out. i have pictures, which i will upload tomorrow or the next …! stay tuned!!

yep, i went boot shopping over the weekend and settled on the most outrageous pair of geniune Texas Cowboy boots i could find … of course these were the aligator backed, Texas star embroided handcrafted (in El Paso) boots …

 

 

 

there was also a pair of very nice Ostrich boots, as well as some black and white python boots … i can see myself returning home to Australia with very likely 3 pairs of these things! haha … now all i need is my big belt buckle, cowboy hat, and my gun (jokes) … yeeeeeeehhhhaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!!

yep! thats right people, being an official Texan these days requires me to make frequent visits to the shooting range to partake in a true Texan (and American) tradition … that be firing off a few rounds of as big a gun you can get your hands on … in Pennsylvania it was Ken’s .44 Magnum … in Texas it could be nothing less than Dave’s Desert Eagle .50AE …

thoroughly enjoyable squeezing off rounds in this totally over the top hand gun … definately something you could only do in the USA (well, unless you’re in a warzone - which this gun would be no good in either!) the gun belongs to my boss, who is new to Texas as well although has owned the gun prior to moving here … I guess he was always a Texan-at-heart!

I uploaded some pics as well, you’ll see some pretty big / cool muzzle flashes …

In other news, Big Sen arrives on Tuesday evening next week for a 5 night stint. i’ve managed to take some time off work and we’ll probably try to get to Austin and / or Dallas, as well as see a Houston Astro’s baseball game (already got the tickets!). will be good to catchup with someone from home, it’s been a while! that’s all for now, i’m sure i’ll have updates next week with the Big Sen in town!

oh, and for those who think i’m going gun crazy … I’M NOT! i’m here to experience all that the USA has to offer, and gun culture is a huge part of the USA. don’t worry, i won’t be going postal in this lifetime!

well, i’m really just putting some text down to let everyone know i’m still here and alive … i haven’t been shot, whipped, arrested, assaulted, or otherwise! i did, however, cross into the east-side of Houston … within one block the place turned into a ghetto … and one block later i quickly ripped a u-turn and headed back to the west-side! point to remember for next time … don’t go east Houston, ever!

otherwise not much to tell … temps here are rising and we’re sitting at around 95-98F (35-36C) daily with showers easing over the past few days so the humidity isn’t quite as bad as what it was for the first week or so i was here. still making good use of the gym at the apartment, very impressed with the facilities. in other news Big Sen will be heading over this way in under 2 weeks for a 5 night stay at Rancho de Spaski which should prove to be an enjoyable week … Austin, Galveston, and Dallas here we come! plus, i’ve managed to secure some tickets to an Astros vs Dodgers (baseball) game, not that I really follow the baseball!

thats all for now ladies and gents …! stay tuned!!

my first 4th of Julyin the USA and well, it’s raining solidly here in Houston, TX and not entirely inviting to go outside. celebrating independance from the rule of the Britain back in 1776, i would liken this celebration to Australia Dayback home. i hear there are big celebrations downtown although with the weather i’m not sure if i could really be bothered. so here i am sitting on my lovesac in the living room contemplating whether or not to finish unpacking and clean up a little. i’ve still not packed my clothes away or my desk area (which is a MESS). i also realised i have barely any food in the place so i really should go shopping as well. whether i actually do any of this today is another question.

in other news, i’ve been fairly consistent in the gym which is a good thing. it’s also come to my attention that not living on the top floor, and hence allowing others to live above you in an apartment complex, is noiser. i’m not sure how much this bothers me but i will definately be keeping an eye out for a similar apartment on the top floor of this complex and possibly move … worst case scenario of course!

thats about all for now, for those american friends of mine i wish you a happy 4th of july!

thats right people, i rudely discovered just now that a milky way, in the USA (ooo that rhymes?!), is not in fact a milky way … it’s a MARS BAR! thats right, i bit into this delicious piece of confectionary expecting a smooth non-caramel layered nougat and here i am thinking i’m biting into a Mars Bar! now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a Mars Bar … actually i’d probably prefer it over a Milky Way … but the fact remains that the USA Milky Way and the Australian Milky Way have somehow crossed channels and produced something that shouldn’t be! anyway, as evidence i snapped a quick photo with my phone (not the best quality) but you get the picture!

In the words of Rove McManus “what the …?!”