A Sad Day for Houston Sports

I cannot believe it. The Comets, Houston's WNBA franchise, are being disbanded. Their wikipedia page has already been updated...geez, people, the body isn't even cold yet. ;)

This is just a shock to me. I was in the Compaq Center for their championship games...even drove from Austin to support my hometown team (and you're lucky I didn't say The Summit instead of Compaq Center because I saw my first concert there back in the early '80s). When my daughter was old enough, I wanted to show her yet another reason why she can be anything she wants to be.

This does not bode well for women's sports in general...let alone the perpetuation of the problems with Houston sports teams. What the hell is wrong with this place?

My Blog is More Entertaining Than I Am

Give your blog a personality test. My blog's personality:

ESFP - The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always at risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

I took a personality test at work a few months ago, and I was a Senser.

Sensers
Place a high value on action. They thrive on getting things done here and now, without unnecessary and time-consuming deliberations. They are direct, down-to-earth, and energetic.

Close, but geez...my blog is a little too touchy-feely for me.

I Could Be a Roadside Attraction

I am utterly appalled that Texas has only one huge being in the Gallery of Huge Beings. I know there has got to be more than one, although you couldn't ask for a finer specimen! This is Texas, dammit, and everything's bigger in Texas. At the very least, somebody should let those huge-being lovers in Minnesota know that.

Another Rodeo Plug

"God help us...not another post on the rodeo when she hasn't even told us about Sunday's bout!" I know that's what you're thinking, and I do apologize. I'm waiting to see tangible evidence before I continue ranting. And we lost...I hate talking about that.

Anyway, I get a lot of questions about what I do as a rodeo volunteer, and although this article doesn't tell you specifically what I do, it does give you a general idea of what it's like to be a rodeo volunteer. I'm halfway through my fifth year of volunteering, and I get to pay $5 for a pin that says so. Yeehaw.

What Do I Do All Day?

I'm actually going to talk about being a librarian. I felt it was necessary due to my supervisor confirming the fact that I'm an afterthought around here. Yesterday, he asked me to complete the manager's portion of my performance review, because he does not know what I do. Yes, you heard me. He actually said that, and then I did my own performance review. This is really the least of my worries in the dysfunctional place that I call work, and just another reason why it's hard for me to get up and go there every morning.

It did get me to thinking about a list of library director tasks I saw a while ago, and how at the time I thought I could adapt it to my daily tasks and maybe convince someone somewhere that I do have the skills and experience to do something other than just library work. The question is can I send something like this along with my resume for the people outside the library world that just don't get it?

Kevin Fowler Can Open My Rodeo Anytime!

OK, so he's not the opening act for Rodeo Houston 2008, but Kevin Fowler is my opening act. The complete 2008 lineup was announced earlier today, and now I know who I get to listen to this year while I'm running full bottles of alcohol out to the bars and empty bottles back to the storeroom in the East Club.

My favorite dirty Texas music boy, Kevin Fowler, starts my work schedule off on March 5th. Yeehaw! The rest of my schedule is as follows: Martina McBride on March 8th, Rascal Flatts on March 11th, Clay Walker on March 14th, Miranda Lambert on March 17th, and Dierks Bentley on March 20th. Much better than usual since my committee is now rotating work schedules...no Black Heritage or Tejano Day for me this year. Although those are usually very easy days to work, I don't find the music and/or the scenery as aesthetically pleasing as Kevin, Clay, Dierks or even Miranda. Meow...

The funniest thing about this year's schedule...I get Miranda and my husband gets Hannah Montana. He just better not come home that night telling me about some girl who thinks he has the finest ass in the whole rodeo. That really happened last year.

Serious Stuff

After an editorial appeared in the Houston Chronicle that painted the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) in an unfavorable light over their opposition to the current plan for redeveloping the Astrodome, HLSR officials sent a list of talking points about the issue to all committee volunteers. Most notable is the fact that HLSR will provide $15.6 million in scholarship money to the youth of Texas in 2008. Line that up next to Astrodome Redevelopment Corp. plans that anticipate 750,000 HLSR visitors entering the Dome during the rodeo and spending money inside. HLSR research shows that the average rodeo attendee spends $22.11 on food, beverage, merchandise, and amusements on each visit. That's $16 million that will go somewhere other than to support youth and education. If I were an HLSR official instead of just a lowly (but proud) volunteer, I would oppose those plans, too.

Opinions are Overrated Anyway

I've been thinking a lot about bloggers' rights since a bunch of people with whom I am very close decided that not everyone is entitled to his/her opinions. I have never been very keen on using del.icio.us. You may ask how those two sentences warrant an inclusion in the same paragraph? Because...I'm testing the use of del.icio.us link rolls and decided to include my bloggersrights link roll here. Wonder and wander away.

I'm Intellectually Challenged

As if my online life isn't cluttered enough, I go and create a Google page for myself. Does anything scream "I need a new job!" more than this? I guess if I keep playing around on the tubes, I may be forced to find a new job fast.

Get yourself one here.

She's Got the Jack

I've been trying to decide whether or not I like 103.7's new format, Jack FM. Listening to San Antonio's Jack this past weekend was awesome...I was river drunk, and they played Men at Work's Be Good Johnny. I hadn't heard that song in years! Then, I get back to the daily grind, and the Houston station plays the same two songs at the same time two days in a row, and I'm like...whoa, not so awesome. Déjà vu totally freaks me out. Now, I flip to it this morning at the same time I did Tuesday and Wednesday, and they are playing Squeeze's Tempted. I'm tempted to tune all my pre-sets to 103.7, because I am so over that 80's station that plays way too much 70's and 90's.

Strange Maps

I added this blog to my feed reader awhile ago, and anyone who has been inside my house would instantly know why. I am fascinated by maps and globes, and I collect functional objects featuring maps or in the shape of globes, such as watches with map faces or a pencil sharpener globe. So I'm sure you're all thinking, "Great! I know what to get Catazon for her birthday/Christmas/thanks for being wonderful", but really, it's not necessary, because I probably already have it. Now back to the Strange Map blog...

Yesterday, "A Texan's Map of the United States" was posted. Those who know me well enough to know about my map and globe fetish also know that I'm very proud to be a Texan. I can vouch for the accuracy of this map, and I think I've even convinced a Yankee or two.

"I've been sent to spread the message, God blessed Texas!" ~ Little Texas

Anybody Wanna Go to Mexico City?

Today is the 100-year anniversary of the birth of my favorite artist, Frida Kahlo.

I have wanted to visit the Casa Azul, Kahlo's family home in Mexico City, since I first discovered her tormented paintings at an exhibition held at SMU way back in my year spent as an art major at UNT (1989). Now I have an even bigger reason to do that since 22,105 documents, 5,387 photos, 179 pieces of clothing, and more than 6,000 magazines and books found in the house a few years ago are now on display there. Also, through the end of August, the Museo de Palacio de Bellas Artes is holding one of the most extensive exhibitions of her art as part of the commemoration.

Put me on the next flight to Mexico City. Wait...can I borrow $300?

Looks Like Wednesday is Talk About My Family Day

The Kitten thinks the things that make noise in hula hoops are roly-polies. She gets mad when I call them doodlebugs. I never knew their real name until I looked them up today.

LOL80s!

Love the Lolcats, but this...pure genius!

Random Library Facts

I don't write too much about my profession (I'm a tad burnt out over it at the moment), but every once in a while, I come across tidbits relating to libraries that actually impress me. Servers for the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, store 20tb of data. Servers for the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series stored 103tb of data. Do the math...more than five Libraries of Congress. Wow!

My New Logo

I love it so much I put it on some t-shirts, a button, and a sticker in a cafepress store. There is now a button on this website that says "Buy Catazon Stuff." Click on it!

2007 Rodeo Lineup

was released this morning. I'm working George Strait, Natalie Cole & KEM, Josh Turner, Alan Jackson, Pesado & Emilio, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, and ZZ Top. Just for the hell of it, I'll probably stop by a couple more performances, such as Dierks Bentley or Sheryl Crow. If you see my husband, just laugh...because he has to work Beyonce.

Texas State Railroad

This weekend, I finally fulfilled my promise to The Kitten to take her on a train ride. We journeyed into East Texas to ride the Texas State Railroad that travels between Rusk and Palestine. I know she looks like she hated it...


but she was thoroughly enthralled...



While we were there, I signed the petition to save our Texas state parks. There are currently not enough funds to keep these trains going, and it's a shame. Texas' parks serve not only as a glimpse into the history of this magnificent state but as affordable vacation spots for families. Sign the petition, then get out and see the state!

Not That This Will Make a Difference...

since hardly anybody reads this blog anyway...but go to the Hunger Site and click the yellow button. Then go to Jenny at Mama Drama's post about the Hunger Site and leave her a comment saying that you clicked the yellow button. Jenny usually gets a ton of comments on all her posts (because they're HILARIOUS so bookmark her, too!), but she's never gotten a hundred and if she does hit that milestone on the Hunger Site post by Saturday, it'll make for another outrageous post. Thanks!

National Feral Cat Day

To stop myself from posting something that would reveal even more of the total upheaval within my soul, I decided to post my recognition of National Feral Cat Day.  Appropriate, don't you think?