2010 Jan 10 | Shankz



Trying to find just a normal button to use for the one that came off my pants. Of course, that just doesn't exist; every single button here is some sort of novelty one. I finally found a Wal-Mart that had some I think might work, though.



That's a big pipe.



One really nice thing about where I live is I can look at I-45 from here, and if traffic is jammed up, I can do a U-turn and take the local roads. The highway usually takes 15 minutes and the locals 20, but if traffic isn't moving at all on the highway, I like the option to avoid it.



This new air freshener was just put in the waiting room at the University Eye Clinic. It smells like cake, though, so I hate it because it always makes me hungry when I walk by.



We had 45 minutes before our evening class, so we went to The Den for a beer. They usually have snacks and don't let you bring in outside food, but they didn't tonight, so we grabbed a pizza from next door.



Dr. Onofrey put up all the answers for the first exam. Although then he said, "You just have to put them in the right order."



Daktronics made the timer signs in the Rec Center at UH. I don't like running inside, but it's better than running in 30-degree weather.



Aw, this poor guy is freezing even though he has lots of clothes on under there; I'm sure he's really mad about the cold weather.



I wanted a headband to run, but not for $20.



OK, $10 isn't quite as bad, but this is a really crummy headband. Time to call up mom and ask her to mail one.



Why is everyone going the speed limit on the highway when usually even the slowest car on the road is going at least 5mph over? Oh, that's why. Actually, I think having a cop slowing everyone down might even cause more accidents because everyone gets angry and antsy.



I wonder what the cops think about that.



My favorite contact lens cases are these Walgreens ones, but I hate the yellow color. Oh, what luck; every single package has a yellow one.



I needed some new black shoes, so I was shopping around. Most stores didn't have anything I liked or they were too expensive, but DWS has this wondeful clearance section in the back. I was really excited, too, because the ones I liked had a blue tag, which I thought meant 30% of the original price. It was actually 30% off the original price (what a difference an "f" makes), though, so instead of getting the biggest discount, I got the smallest. Oh well; they were still cheaper.



This pair was $200. I tried them on, and they were pretty uncomfortable. Maybe the brand name is special or something.



Ooh, just like the spongy animals that grow in water when we were kids, except this one even has an egg it breaks out of.



At Buca di Beppo. We ordered the small platters, and we got these monstrous sized meals. We double checked that they were in fact the smalls, and the waitress said they were. Honestly, four people could have easily split one of these.



I'd had Shankz black-light goofy-golf course on my list of things to do in Houston for over a year because it just sounded cool, but nobody I asked wanted to drive all the way up there because it was in the Woodlands, which is around a 45-minute trip one way. However, I remembered Jenny lives up there, so it was right there for her.



It was really neat; the course had a shark and dinosaur theme.



Although the best strategy in almost every hole was to hit the ball around the animal platform rather than through it.



With a flash.



And without. I think this one is cooler, even if you really can't see us.



The last whole was crazy, though. Every time we tried to hit the ball in, it came right back out. Which obviously happens to everybody because there's a little hole at the top that which you're supposed to drop your ball into if you don't get it in by hitting it within three tries.



They also had a game called Ballaster, which had four air cannons you could put soft little balls into and shoot. You were supposed to shoot the balls into the mouths above the other cannons to score points, but we ended up doing what the woman working there said everyone does: just shoot at each other.



A video of the last whole and Ballaster.



They even had a TV with the game on, although with a score of 7 to 27, it wasn't worth watching.



Afterwards we went to a comedian at the Improv because I could get free tickets. We actually got to sit front row center because the table was still open for some reason. There was a woman to our right who was extremely talkative and everyone in the audience was actually attacking each other a lot (calling other people liars and such), which only added to the entertainment.



Well, actually, you could make a B&W print on that, although I you'd probably have to pay "color" price. And black and white are colors.



I had my 800-page boards review book rebound into smaller sections so it would be easier to take with me and study if I have some free time.



I-45 to I-59 to Westchase: free. I-45 to I-59 to Westpark Tollway: $1.30; time saved: 5 minutes. I-45 to Beltway 8 to Westchase: $4.90; time saved: 5-10 minutes (although more variable). How much is a minute worth? Not that much, I think.



The 170-foot cross at Sagemont church along the Tollway and I-45.



Chess at La Madeleine.