What a Hot Mess: Waitstaff Walks Out on Chef and Local Restaurant

I knew that Ryan's birthday was coming up, and wanted to plan dinner for his birthday.  One of the three choices was The Rainforest Cafe, Dave & Busters or The Ruggles Grill.  

We had previously mentioned the Rainforest Cafe to our friends, but we hadn't told them of Ruggles as an option.  When it came down to having dinner at Dave & Busters or Ruggles, we decided on the latter.

So you can imagine my surprise when I came across this article on Facebook this morning.  The Ruggles Waitstaff Stages Walk-Out, Alleging Non-Payment of Tips.  What a Hot Mess!

According to the article, 

"This past Saturday night at Ruggles was a busy one. There were nearly 200 customers packing the restaurant at Westheimer and Montrose, with a skeleton crew of only five waiters out of a normal 10-man crew. And at 7 p.m., all five of those waiters -- as well as Ruggles's general manager -- walked out, closing the restaurant behind them."

"We told the customers there was a gas leak," said Jeremiah Villarreal, 28, a University of Houston sports medicine student who had been a waiter at Ruggles since June.

Lucky for us, we planned dinner for Sunday, because we couldn't make dinner on Saturday. And two, Dave & Busters ended up being the best choice.  We had a great time, and played some arcade games afterwards.

The article has since been udpated, with the owner/chef, admitting that he owes "about $14,000 to $15,000 to catch everybody up."

Source: Ruggles Grill

Mind-Boggling News: Man Faces 10 years in Prison and Up To a $10,000 Fine

So... I'm reading the Houston Chronicle this morning when I read the most mind-boggling news ever!  No, really.  

Long story short, a man got pulled over by a cop early Tuesday morning for having no headlights on (been there, done that), and he noticed the man's face was bloody.  He looked outside the vehicle, and noticed his front windshield was caved in.

I know what you're thinking... blah, blah, blah, we've heard that before.  Well, get this...

The cop also saw a body on the passenger seat, partially under the dashboard, along with a severed leg.  So you can just imagine the shock the cop must have felt, because I'm in shock just writing this.  Jesus.

According to the investigation, the man struck a 32-year old man whose ford explorer had broken down on the side of the road, and continued to drive 3 miles before he was pulled over.  The missing leg was later found at the site of the explorer.

Furthermore, the Police said the driver told the deputy he had hit something on the freeway and that he didn't know the victim was in the passenger seat beside him.

This is just horrible, our hearts and prayers go out to both families.

The driver now faces 10 years in prison, and up to a $10,000 fine.  Pretty steep, don't you think???

Gay Power! Houston's Very Own Kurt Hummel Stuns Judges on America's Got Talent

Ryan and I have been a fan of America's Got Talent since it's inception, and while we haven't necessarily agreed with the champions each season, we throughly enjoy the show.  The things some of these people do are crazy.  And it isn't any easier if they're auditioning in your state, much less your city.

Last night's auditions were in Houston, Texas, and one performer stuck with us the most.  The performance by 19-year-old, Daniel Joseph Baker from Katy, a suburb of Houston.  When Ryan and I saw him in the previews to the show, we immediately knew he was family (gay slang for "He's a member of the family. He's gay.").  Sure enough, he let it be known that he was.  He was as flamboyant as anyone could ever be - reminiscent of GLEE's Kurt in some ways.  But it wasn't his personality that surprised us the most, it was his voice that was beyond-belief amazing!  When he started belting out the song to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, the audience, and the judges went crazy.  They were all thrown off their rockers when they witnessed a young gay man taking it to town on his keyboard. He was "fierce!" (even more gay slang). Watch the outstanding performance from last night. He clearly puts American Idol's, Scotty to shame. Loved it!

Ryan and I were yelling, "Gay Power!" "Gay Power!", when he received a standing ovation from the audience.  This is something we usually do when we know there's "family" in reality shows.  This is our way of cheering for the few, and the proud.  We adore you Daniel, and we'll continuously cheer you on!

Is TV Too Gay?

This is the question posed by our local Fox News channel during a commercial break last night as we watched the ever-popular television show, GLEE.  Ryan and I were overcome with astonishment that he set the DVR to record the news immediately afterwards.  And sure enough, Bryan Fischer from the American Family Association was there to spread his message of hate. Oh by the way, he's the director of "Issues Analysis" (Go Figure).  But for those unfamiliar with him, he's a despicable human being who condemns everything you can possibly think of - he's almost as crazy as Fred Phelps.  He can't stand Gays, Hispanics, Muslims or Blacks.

So after watching the fabulous cast sing Lady Gaga's, "Born This Way" as a condemnation towards the bullying and hatred in our schools, we watched the news segment.

I felt small droplets of water fall onto my hand as I turned around and saw Ryan dripping with sweat - all I could see was red in his eyes. As he grunted and moaned, it was evident he had become agitated over this particular issue.  Unlike myself, I'm able to hold it in a little longer, but then I'll let it all out - a day or two later.  Like now...

Mr Fischer starts out by saying,  “…What these television programs are doing is glamorizing homosexual behavior, glamorizing homosexual conduct. This is conduct that carries enormous psychological and physical risks to those who engage in it. It’s just not a lifestyle, it’s not behavior that ought to be glamorized or presented in a way that makes it idealistic.”

Here is a man who thinks gay relationships are like "drug use," and furthermore, believes placing the show in a 7 PM slot the "relationships" would be viewed as "product placements".  You know - kinda like show me a Coke or a Pepsi, and I'll buy it.  Because straight people are going to jump at the chance of being gay.  I can already hear my straight brothers and sisters saying, "Oh I want to be one of those."  

Sorry to burst your bubble, but we were born this way, Mr. Fischer, Sir!

Later the news anchor asks him,"So what about the time slot? It comes on at 7 o’clock, is that a little bit too early or is that right on time?"  He responds, “I think its terrible timing. As you pointed out advertisers purchase time on television programs because they know that what people see on television influences their behavior and influences their choices. We know from the Centers for Disease Control that 91% of the males who have been diagnosed with HIV-AIDS since the epidemic began contracted it through having sex with other men man or through injection drug abuse. That means that homosexual behavior is just as risky and just as dangerous as injection drug use and we should not glamorize it anymore than we would glamorize intravenous drug use.”

Really?  Really?  I'm not even going to bring up the statistics he mentioned or how AIDS is spread; everyone should be intelligent enough to know the facts.  

A fellow blogger wrote, "were Fischer and his clan up in arms when the first season was dedicated to teenage pregnancy, where the “virginia” cheerleader tricked the clueless football player into believing that he was the actual father? Where is that discussion?  That issue showed lack of birth control, lying, deceit – whereas the story involving homosexuality is about the character being true to himself and finding love along the way. After all, homosexuals are surrounded by heterosexual stories all day long when it comes to television programming – it is about time that we get in on that spotlight as well."

When I was looking for the news video to post on my blog, I was happy to see all the gracious comments on myfoxhouston.com, including the one below from a loving mother,

My son is Gay and its not a choice!!!! Could anyone wake up and say I want to be gay today? I can promise you if you watch TV you wont turn Gay. Everyone has the right to be who they are, this is America. Don't judge that's God's job.

And another,

Too Gay!? Are you kidding me? It's not even close to being as inclusive as it should be. There are hundreds and hundreds of shows on TV that feature a straight-only cast and only a handful of shows nowadays that feature gay characters. Glee is probably the only primetime TV show that give its gay characters equal treatment as its straight ones. This is nothing. This barely graze the surface of how television should be.

Having gay characters on TV is important. It's empowering to gay kids and teens in a time when that is desperately needed. Just like seeing courageous, powerful women on TV is empowering to women, or seeing strong, successful black characters on TV is empowering to Black Americans... gay Americans deserve equal representation. There are a lot of gay people in our society, and they need a face on primetime TV...not just as a comedic sidekick, not as some psychotic murderer, not as some tragic figure who ends up dying broken and alone...but a regular happy, healthy individual surrounded by loving friends and family, who triumphs over adversity and finds love in the end. Kids need to see this. It teaches an important lesson about bullying and offers hope to kids who are going through similar situations.

Also, anyone who thinks "family values" conflict with homosexuality has clearly never watch Kurt Hummel and his father interact on Glee. These two characters are the epitome of what family should be...loving, supportive, and accepting of each other no matter what. Parents everywhere should take lesson from Burt Hummel. Unless, of course, "family values" for you translates to rejecting and kicking your gay son out of the house because of his sexuality. In that case, America doesn't need your kind of "family values" reflected on TV.

So now let's watch the Glee cast sing "Born This Way"

Houston Shut Out

The news of the day was directed at our hometown of Houston all day yesterday.  Why, you ask?  Because our city, as diverse as it is, got snubbed, spit, kicked in the groin, told to eat shit, and die.  It may not have come out that way, but it sure felt like it.

Here is the fourth largest city in the country, who plays host to millions of visitors every year, many of who specifically come to visit the Johnson Space Center.  A city which has been at the forefront of space development and exploration for over 50 years, 

'In fact, the most famous and the most infamous words ever spoken in the vacuum of space by humans - "Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed," and "Houston, we have a problem" - were directed at the JSC here in Houston.' - The Houston Chronicle

But the most important topic of the conversation, was the blame game that came immediately afterward.  And like with everything else, why not blame Obama.  Republicans and conservatives cried foul yesterday blaming Obama for the decision, when in fact it was Charles Bolden's decision.  While I feel that no one should have disregarded the rich history and contribution our city has made, our local planning committee was really late in fighting for one of the shuttles.  All the cities had three years to make their bid, Houston didn't join until last year, and even so, I feel we shouldn't have been snubbed.  But to blame Obama for this is ludicrous at best.  Let us not forget 20 other cities were snubbed as well.

10 Yr. Old Boy from The Woodlands Takes a Joy Ride

Courtesy of blogger Michael K and MSNBC, I bring you this crazy adventure starring 10-year-old Zilan Fitch out of The Woodlands, TX, a town 2 seconds from where Ryan and I live.  Imagine how much we laughed when watched the video (down below) and read this story...

When Zilan's mom, Christi Sanders, punished him last Wednesday morning, he did what any self-respecting bad little shit would do: he jumped in her SUV and drove away. Christie immediately got in her other car and chased after Speed Zilan through the streets of their neighborhood. Proving that he's a better driver than most, Zilan stayed in his lane and even used his signal before turning.

Christie called the police and they want after Zilan too, but their asses couldn't keep up. Even after another car hit Zilan from behind, he put the bitch to the metal and kept driving as though he could see Mexico ahead and Thelma was screaming "DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE!" into his little ears. The chase eventually ended when Zilan pulled into a doughnut shop parking lot. The cops arrested his little ass and took him down to juvie. Zilan was released and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

When the local news asked Zilan what he learned from this, he answered, "Sitting in jail, we had to sleep on a metal bed."

That's it?! Zilan could've crashed into that store and murdered dozens of doughnuts and that's all he has to say?! He might as well have said, "I don't give a fudge." (Zilan will lose his sleeveless jersey wearing privileges for a whole week if he says the F word). It's official. The 2011 reincarnation of Latarian Milton has been born.

Little Creatures at The Houston Zoo Love Their Kiddie Pool

As temperatures rise in our area, not only will it affect us, but our little creature friends as well.  Over the past few days, Baylor and Tupelo have been cooling off in their kiddie pool; But Baylor at 1000 pounds and Tupelo at 600, it doesn't seem like its going to last very long.  According to the Houston Zoo website, the small inflatable kiddie pools do not last longer than 5 minutes without getting popped.  The two calves are now up to a family size one which will last them through 5 uses.  I guess water bombing is not a good idea, but these babies love 'em.

Giffords @ Houston's Medical Center

I just learned a short while ago that Congress- woman Gabrielle Giffords was brought in to Houston to undergo rehabilitation. She will be at Memorial Hermann, one of the nation's best hospitals.  I think it's amazing that she is doing so well after the horrible tragedy in Tuscon, Arizona three weeks ago. I read on CNN that she was having excellent movement on the left side of her body, but that her right


side was weak and parylitic in nature.

We send prayers to her and family as she recovers in our hometown and our state.

Read the article here: CNN