Houston CBD

This is a shot of Houston Downtown from Heritage Park near the bayou. Years ago, I made a very similar shot and it was interesting to compare the two photographs and see how things have changed.

I haven't taken too many pictures lately but I did get a few this weekend. I also bought a new graphics tablet that allows me to use Photoshop a little more efficiently on my computer. It has a stylus that acts more like a pen or pencil instead of a clumsy mouse. I am still getting use to it though.

When I went to buy the tablet the girl at checkout asked me "what is that?" A graphics tablet I told her. "What do you use that for?" she asked me. I told her. "Oh" she said, "I should have known that. My generation is all about computers."

Hmmm, I thought. I was writing computer code before this girl was born. From what I've seen, most of these kids are pretty good at Guitar Hero, but I don't consider that to be particularly tech savvy. Kids...

School Tax Holiday

Today's picture has nothing to do with the topic. I just thought it was an interesting shot of Brisbane CBD with nice clouds.

Every year in Texas they declare a tax holiday just before school starts on clothing. As long as the clothing costs less than $100 per item (discourages designer stuff), you don't pay any tax. And of course the stores tend to have a big sale to entice people and it is a good time to upgrade the wardrobe. So, that is what I did.

I got 5 dress shirts, 3 new pairs of slacks, new socks, underwear, and a belt for less than $300. Then I bought a new pair of dress shoes and some blue jeans. I can get rid of my worn out stuff and still have enough clothing to go two weeks without washing which is my criteria for sufficient clothing. So, I'm all prepared for another year at work.

When I get new clothing it just has to meet a couple of requirements:

• has to be machine washable
• has to be perma press and not require ironing
• pants must be less than $40 max, and dress shirts less than $30
• pants must be black or dark navy and not have pleats or cuffs
• shirts have to be white or blue oxford with button collar
• shoes and socks have to be black

This makes it very easy to keep things clean and dress myself in the dark. No need to match stuff. I suppose if I wanted to be fashionable, I'd wear a tie to dress it up. But I don't like ties and don't wear them unless I have to. I often wear collared golf shirts when I am in an engineering office or in the field. I have enough project shirts with logos to last at least another 20 years...

Small Box

I received this small wooden box as a gift from an Indian woman named Sony who was my secretary in Doha. Inside the little trunk is a small metal toy that looks like Aladin's magic lamp. With the gift was a note that said "May all your dreams come true".

I wish I was that good at selecting gifts and communicating nice things to others. I think I need to try harder instead of wishing to achieve those sorts of goals though....

Tres Chicas de Porter

Estas tres chicas de Porter fueron en una fiesta en Kingwood. No informe por lo general estas cosas pero no hay muchas noticias esta semana.

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