Artsy Heartsy

Over Valentine's Day weekend, Adam came to town. We had a pretty low-key weekend filled with boardgames, crossword puzzles, and Scene It. We both enjoyed watching Colin Firth shine in The King's Speech and can see why he's an Oscar favorite.We crafted an adventure in Houston's art scene, which included a couple stops in the Museum District. We walked through the Cullen Sculpture Garden (above) before crossing the street to the Contemporary Arts Museum. John Wood and Paul Harrison's quirky video installations were unforgettable. Their fun experiments and ridiculous videos left me laughing, intrigued, and wanting more. They reminded me a bit of Ok Go (check out this, this, and/or this).
We also stopped at the Rice Gallery. Mary Temple's installation "Northwest Corner, Southeast Light" was very subtle but quite striking. She painted light to create fixed shadows on the floors and walls. The work successfully evoked questions about the transience of shadows, the permanence of paint, and the perception of light and dark.Adam humored me and tagged along on a tour of the Rienzi, a house museum maintained by the Museum of Fine Arts. The docents led us through the decorated rooms of the River Oaks home, educating us on the furniture, artwork, and fine china. After a full day of fine arts, we enjoyed a nice fondue dinner at home.Our final outing occurred on Valentine's Day with a dinner at Hearsay. We got all gussied up and enjoyed some fine dining including surf and turf. Before I knew it, I was driving Adam to the airport and bidding him adieu. Though the weekend was short, it was sure nice to take a mini vacation in Houston with one of my favorite people.

Ice, Ice Baby

On Monday, January 31, the Houston Symphony hosted a Most Valuable Patrons (MVP) Party at La Colombe d'Or, a boutique hotel and restaurant on Montrose. Even though Brandi and Peter could not make it for the champagne and appetizers, I had a lovely time catching up with Sarah. Later in the evening Sarah instigated the most excitement of the night by raising my hand when the patrons were asked, "Who of our young subscribers just had a birthday?" My face turned beet red as I was acknowledged as the winner of dinner with the conductor of my choice. What fun! Look forward to a post on that maybe around May.The end of January and beginning of February brought a bit of a cold wave for Houston. My one living plant succumbed to the freezing temperatures. Houston practically shut down for a day as icy roads led to hundreds of accidents throughout the city. Thanks to my prepared parents and a freebie from their CPA, I was equipped with an ice scraper and was able to beef up my visibility. I haven't had to deal with that sort of weather since high school! Brrrr. 7+ years of Texas weather have made me weak!

The Best is Yet to Come

As a continuation of my birthday celebration, Brandi, Peter, and I went out to dinner before our latest Symphony date. We dined at the Hard Rock Cafe then headed over to Jones Hall for the show. Matt Dusk performed the music of Frank Sinatra with the Houston Symphony. We toe-tapped along to his smooth, swanky crooning from our spray-zone seats in the front row. For the first time in concert-going history, the main performer recognized us after the show! While signing a copy of his CD, he joked about how we had an up-close-and-personal view of his crotch (yes, Matt, we did... but hey, That's Life).