My wife and I attended a meeting of the Board of Directors Great Northwest Community Improvement Association (GNWCIA) at the Lodge of the Great Northwest Thursday evening, and I am pleased to provide you with a brief but insightful (or inciteful if you prefer) report on the event.
Lots of routine stuff, those in attendance stood for the pledge, and even the audience members were in pleasant moods.
- The board members got us a new insurance company - better coverage, 48K less a year. Good job!
- DRACO reports that a house that has been under construction for at least a year that I know of but has been basically abandoned has been ordered to shape up or be demolished at cost to the owner.
- Director Mifflin inquired as to the possibility of DRACO providing some sort of listing of complaints they work on so that homeowners could better appreciate that the GNWCIA is working to address complaints
- Some guy got liquored up and plowed into several houses and parked cars on Cliff Briar. When he attempted to run, irate neighbors tackled him and subdued him until authorities could haul him away. (I fully expected to read about this in Strange in San Antonio, but not as of press time.)
- The staff of GNW met with homeowners to offer assistance.
- RecDec Stephanie updated us on kiddie pool covers and some rust colored water caused by possibly damaged pipes
- Spring Fling is scheduled for probably the end of March
- Easter Egg hunt to be held the Saturday prior to Easter Sunday
- Bastards at Ridge Creek Park nearly got caught doing graffiti by Security staff. We now know who some of the punks are and where they live. As do the SAFFE officers.
- The board gave KUDOS to Mike Yager and the A-Team for continued efforts to revitalize the group
- Several teenagers asked how they could volunteer to join the A-Team and help with the graffiti problem.
- Perhaps we can start by giving them the address of the little bastards who live in Northwest Crossing and are coming into our hood to tag
- Just kidding. Don't write your Councilwoman
- The guy who was giving us a bid on the purchase and installation of a surveillance system withdrew his bid
The board tabled discussion on policy regarding political signs within the GNW. They also decided to hold off on discussing policy on alcohol at GNW sponsored event since Director Long was not at the session, and she was the person wanting to argue about it.
There were a few minor changes to proposed By Law Amendments to be put forth to residents. Notably, Director Mifflin advised fellow directors that they were not qualified to amend the proposed by laws, after all, a parliamentarian had been paid to guide them in the correct writing of them.
That's his opinion but I found it somewhat offensive that, prior to saying they weren't qualified, he went around the table describing each director by their job title. I suppose with that logic, all homeowners who are not brain surgeons should stay at home on voting day, right? Or perhaps I misunderstood Director Mifflin's intent.
If you want to see what both properly trained By Law writers and inadequately equipped board directors came up with, stop by the Lodge to look at the documents. But you may not be able to comprehend them; dumbass!
And with that, my wife and I left so we could go rewind and watch Lost!
Here is proof positive that sometimes, even when you go to a place you like, you can have a less than tasty treat. It happens. You might recall my recent drooling all over the Rib House and their lip-smackingly good ribs. But at the time, I had this hankering for fish that just wouldn’t go away.
Today, a co-worker and I needed to make a quick trip out of the office and I suggested we make the short drive over to the Rib House. We did, and I have to tell you in all honesty, my lunch was mediocre at best. I only even bring it up because I would hate for you to take it on my word that this place is “all that”, and have you come back and give me the raised eyebrow signifying WTF?
My friend smartly ordered the beef ribs with yams and some fried okra. How can you go wrong with that?. I have to tell you that I looked at his plate several times during lunch as the meat fell off the bones and he seemed to passionately inhale the perfectly prepared ribs. We all know that I have immediate regrets as soon as I order something, and when our plates arrived, appearances alone convinced me I would have been better off with the ribs.
My fish was not bad – please don’t let me give you that impression, because by any standard, it was not something I would complain about had I been in a Luby’s or someplace. But I guess I had built it up in my mind that it was going to be really, really, good, and frankly, it was just, okay. And from there, it went downhill.
You get two sides with your plate, so I went with the hushpuppies (a must when you order fish) and the Cole slaw – another must when you order fish (unless onion rings are an option). Appearances alone would have resulted in an “Eeee-yuk” from my wife, had she been there to witness it. The hushpuppies were small and not real good. The Cole slaw looked like it had a coat of milk film or something on it, and again, I thought about not tasting it at all. In fairness, the taste was good and in fact, the taste was really good, but unfortunately, the visual of the runny, filmy like coating over the top was a deal breaker for me, and after two or three well intended forkfuls, I had to simply let it go.
In the end, I paid my nearly $11.00 plus another buck for the tip jar and left thinking that I’d just let it go. I mean, if I go through the drive thru at McDonald’s (believe me – a rare occasion) and purchase a Hot & Spicy McChicken and a double cheeseburger from the dollar menu, I don’t make a big deal of it if my sandwich is in full disarray when I open it up from the wrapper; I just eat it and move on. But then I thought to myself, it comes from the dollar menu. $12.00 for some lunch is a different story. It needs to be good for that price.
So, my guess is I just hit it on a bad day. My co-worker was more than pleased with his ribs and he tells me that the time he had a fish sandwich it was worth the price. But I’m not one to get over things like this easy. There is a reason they call it the Rib House, and for me, that is all it will be.; ribs or nothing.
On a routine visit to the dry-cleaners to pick up some laundry, I witnessed in a matter of seconds, proof that we are experiencing a total breakdown in the societal norms which allow us to be able to live together without clubbing one another over our heads. Because I keep my camera handy for moments such as this, I can provide the evidence you need.
First, this is the sort of thing that you simply shake your head at. An inconsiderate person simply pulls into an available parking space without any notion that the lines were nicely drawn so as to assist him or her in the decision process on how best to situate the vehicle to best accommodate other vehicles whose owners may wish to park similarly. Here, good society has gone out of its way to help guide individuals into what can reasonably be agreed upon as the best use of space for everyone. Instead, our friend here parks in front of the Dry Cleaning Station taking two spaces.
Of course, you say, if they are just running in and out of the cleaners to pick up the laundry, how long could it possibly take? Well, if the person who parked in front of the cleaners had actually gone in to the cleaners, perhaps only a few seconds. But in this case, when I walked into the cleaners myself, they were not there. Probably a good thing to. Though I am the calm one who simply takes pictures, my wife let loose with a verbal thrashing of the inconsiderate person for all to hear.
But poor parking is mere child's play.
What kind of impatient bastard takes a dump in the middle of a parking lot?
As I delicately stepped out the door of my vehicle, I spotted the foul evidence and loudly proclaimed, Oh! My! God! Eager to learn what I was OMG'ing about, my wife came to my side of the van to investigate what I had witnessed. In short order, she assed this to be Rottweiler poo and not the result of some poorly placed human defecation. WTF? Am I living in Animal Planet and is my wife suddenly an expert on the scat habits of large breed vicious dogs? Don't e-mail, I know Rottweilers are all friendly, it's just the owners that are bad.
Look, I've seen a Rottweiler take a dump on a street once while we were visiting my sister-in-law in Rockport; The beast just wandered down the middle of the street and looked at us and left about a foot long steamer that resembled an 8 day old banana. He actually looked at us and smiled when he did it. Now I know this might lead one to believe that it is a normal habit for a Rottweiler to crap on asphalt, but having viewed the aforementioned "business" and compared it to what someone left in the parking lot in front of the dry cleaners, I'm not so sure this wasn't the result of either a homeless guy or perhaps a young child being held up by a parent eager to avoid an accident in the pants.
Either way, like the truck driver who couldn't be bothered with parking between the lines, the person who left this little deposit has no respect for the people - the society that they live among.
And let's just say that maybe it was a Rottweiler, shouldn't that thing be on a leash?
Oh, and in case you are wondering, no, the sty that I had in my eye a while back did not come from watching that dog in Rockport poop on the street.
Attention PETA: No animals were harmed in providing proof of the total breakdown of society.
Up until the last quarter - or even the last five minutes of the last quarter, there wasn't a whole lot of excitement in this years Super Bowl. Not even the highly anticipated commercials were that good. Though, we did get a chuckle out of that Doritos one where the guy sets a mouse trap and sits back, listening to some opera or something and waits for the mouse to get whacked. Then, as soon as he eats a Dorito, a guy in a mouse suit (there was no attempt to make it appear like a big mouse - clearly a guy in a poorly fitted mouse suit) jumps out of the wall and tackles him. Pure genius. Well, compared to most of the others.
So call me a guy looking for a spoiler. I know Tom Brady and the Patriots are a phenomenal team and deserve much credit for their great season. But Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! I could not have been happier to see them get smacked. Dolphins fans and old players everywhere can rejoice.
We had family over to watch the spectacle and partake of my well-enjoyed pork ribs that I have adapted from a secret recipe I got from the husband of one of my wife's friends. DeeeeLicious. 
During half time, we drove down the street to the Lodge of the Great Northwest to check out the festivities at the lodge. Don't tell the NFL, but they put up the game on the huge screen and it looked great! Is it me, or does Tom Petty look like he is about 80? Maybe it was the beard.
Some folks from the neighborhood, the Diaz, who own a restaurant and catering service, Taqueria El Nortenito over off of Castroville and 34th provided a free spread for the event. Though we had eaten in the first quarter, my wife and I grabbed some tostadas and let me tell you, the homemade shells and the salsa were great. Turns out, El Nortenito isn't that far from work, so I may have to slip out for lunch and give the full menu a look see.
We went back to the house to finish the game and do some clean-up action and as much as I fully expected the Patriots to simply score a few times and pull ahead, it just didn't work out for them. Again, I simply offer this: Ha Ha!
I can't explain why I find things funny when other people don't seem to get it, but today, my wife and I saw some goofy scenes caught on camera as we were on our way to and from HEB.
First, if you ever needed a poster for the difference in the health benefits of riding a bicycle versus a motorcycle, here you go.
Second, this nice little lady was just minding her own business walking down the sidewalk, but her floppy hat on a windy day just gave us both a giggle.
Have you ever had someone with whom you normally have similar tastes recommend a movie that you find to be a stinker and they just flat out loved? It happens. And I suppose the same can be said about restaurants. My wife and I are usually pretty much on track with one another when we hit a new restaurant and we both either love it, hate it, or we both find it acceptable, but rarely do we look at one another and say, "You gotta be kiddin'!
I got off work today and my wife was eager to beat the Friday evening rush at local restaurants, so we hopped into the truck and headed out of our beloved Silver Creek on the way to the Chili's at 1604 & Culebra for a quick bite. Just then, the phone rang and it was my son suggesting that we meet him at Tiagos Cabo Grill over off of Loop 410 and Highway 151. So, why not try something new?
Thankfully, we did not have any wait at all due to the fact that my son got on the list before he called us (those of you who don't phone ahead for dining just amaze me), so I only had to stand in the awkward waiting area for just a few seconds. Like most restaurants, the waiting area is pretty much the entrance, but places like Chili's and Texas Road House have a way of partitioning things so the hungry people waiting don't get drool all over the happy people eating already. I definitely did not like this open, stare at the eater's type arrangement.
The rest of the place is very open and certainly has a distinctive Cabo feel to it. Sadly, I have no idea what a "cabo" feel is. But ignore all that; the smell of the place is good. Also, they have an awesome looking exterior patio set-up that my son (who dines at this place often) says is most often full. The chilly weather was probably the main reason so many people chose to stand in the foyer waiting for an inside table.
Moving along. As soon as we were seated, we were served a basket of chips and two types of salsa. Good deal! 
The bad news was, and this is no fault of Tiagos, we were seated next to two couples who seemed slightly over-served if you get my drift, and at least one of the gentlemen could not complete a sentence without expressing fornication desires with his mother. While this type of language doesn't bother me in the least, I'd just as soon not dine with MF this and MF that every third or fourth word coming from a conversation I'm not part of. Thankfully, they seemed to tone it down when they saw the bill; it seemed to take their breath away.
My son and I both ordered fajitas and my wife decided to simply eat off of our plates. The fajitas come served with white rice and refried beans, and three flour tortillas. In spite of the packed seating area, the wait for our food was not long at all.
Here is where things go wrong. My wife was extremely upset about the guacamole she ordered being served brown. I on the other hand, grabbed a chip, scooped up the brown part on top of the bowl, ate it and said it tasted fine.
Then, when our plates arrived, the tortillas were some sort of store-bought, thin, crepe-like things that she deemed UNSAT. Again, though not what we are used to, they seemed fine to me once I slathered a bunch of sour cream, (brown) guacamole and onions and stuff all over them.
The fajitas, both chicken and beef were cut differently than we expected, but the taste was great and they were tender and delicious. But by now, (and coupled with the aforementioned MF this and MF that) my wife was not as excited about Tiagos as my son and I were.
So, I'll tell you this. I did not like the atmosphere of the place; the layout, especially the fact that the people waiting to eat are literally hanging over the three foot retaining wall to get at your table as quick as you might abandon it. But I get the style and suspect that at slower hours, the place probably makes an enjoyable setting, especially if you have the luxury of being seated in a booth and not near a group of liquored-up profane people. I just don't think this should go as a strike against the place at all.
I have zero complaints about the food I ordered and if I were to eat at Tiagos, I'd have no problem ordering up the fajitas again. The chips and two salsa's were good, (though I do prefer Chili's chips when they are fresh, not stale), and they were quick to bring them.
Tiagos is pricey compared to Chili's, but not by enough to avoid it. So, bottom-line; you are not going to get an Eeee-Yum from my wife on this, but I'll give the fajitas a Tasty Treat. Call ahead and ask to be seated outside or in a booth. And please don't cuss just because you've had 4 or 5 of their potent Margaritas, you bastard!
That's his opinion but I found it somewhat offensive that, prior to saying they weren't qualified, he went around the table describing each director by their job title. I suppose with that logic, all homeowners who are not brain surgeons should stay at home on voting day, right? Or perhaps I misunderstood Director Mifflin's intent.
