Taste of Texas

Edgar and I speak often of how much we will miss Richmond and London when we move back to Texas. But, at the same time, we get excited at the prospect of seeing all of our friends and family any time we want and also visiting all the old haunts that made life there so special and fulfilling. We find ourselves dreaming of what our first few days fresh off the airplane will be like. Apart from the obvious vision of descending the airport escalator and seeing all of our loved ones waiting with flowers, banners, and full marching band, we're also dreaming of the food. Yes, we've got it all planned out. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It goes like this:

Day one
Breakfast-breakfast from a taco cart parked in a gas station parking lot, where the chorizo is authentic and the coffee comes from a thermos.
Lunch-Tortilla soup from Romero's, our old, local favorite Mexican food joint in Cypress.
Dinner-Beef fajitas from Lupe Tortillas near Edgar's office.

Day two
Breakfast-We head back to Romero's for huevos rancheros or migas with a bowl of their warm salsa dumped on top.
Lunch-We'll probably still be full from breakfast and bloated from yesterday's food fiesta. Maybe we'll just drink some water.
Dinner-With TexMex out of our system, we head to Texas Roadhouse for real beef and those glorious rolls...can't forget the sweet tea. I think I've forgotten what it tastes like.

Day three
Brunch-Yeah, still bloated. We'll sleep in and head to some cool downtown location for brunch with the young folks.
Dinner-Get some Gulf of Mexico shrimp from HEB and invite Johnny Allen (my cousin) over to make his garlic shrimp that we love.

This will probably be all we can handle for awhile. It's a good start for our Taste of Texas tour. Think I'll start burning calories right now so I can be fully ready and enjoy every bite.

The Best Ride I've Had All Day

My driving instructor is not very good with small talk. He takes his job very seriously and I've relinquished all attempts at cracking jokes because he just doesn't get it. And I don't think it's a cultural barrier, he's just not a jokester. With that being said, I don't think he realizes when HE is being funny.

During one of my first driving lessons, we passed his former student's house. She was a former student because she was lucky enough to pass the test and no longer has to endure 2 hours of nit-picky driving instruction (that fortunate girl). As we passed the house, this is the conversation that ensued:

Driving Instructor: "One of my former students lives there, an American lady in fact, and was really good. She just took her test a few weeks ago and passed with very little faults. Her examiner told me "it was the best ride I've had all day. I just got to sit back and enjoy it".

Vonda: " "

Yes, my quotes are empty because I was afraid to open my mouth for fear of spewing spit in his face in a fit of laughter. The best part is that he never even realized how that whole little thing sounded. He said it with a perfectly straight face and with complete seriousness. When I told Edgar about it that night we laughed so hard. The rolling around kind of laughter where you can't catch your breath and your stomach hurts the next day.

I can only hope that I will be some examiner's best ride in a few weeks. I really hope he is able to sit back and enjoy it.

Driving Test Date

Well I've returned from another fascinating driving lesson. What a pain. I just decided to quit defending my actions, listen to what he says with a nod and smile on my face, and know that I AM a good driver, and also that just because I didn't turn left at exactly the angle he would have preferred doesn't mean I am a bad driver. This could turn into a real self esteem issue. One thing that is really starting to bug me is the lack of STOP signs. They just put these white lines in the road, which are very easy to miss, especially when it has been raining or they haven't been painted in ages. But I'm certain that should STOP signs begin to appear, someone from a neighborhood association would begin a petition in protest of the "loss of visual amenity" of the area and demand they be taken down at once. Safety or Beauty...oh the dilemma.

On the same note, I have a date for the official "practical test", which is the one I am so nervous about. It will be Tuesday, May 6 at 9:17am. So I have one more full lesson next week, and then an hour and half lesson right before the test. He suggested that I might try to squeeze in one more lesson, but considering he told me I would need 4-5 lessons, and that will be my 5th lesson, I may take my chances and not schedule another one. I may change my mind, but I think I am doing well. I'm just not going to think about it or it will drive me crazy.

I PASSED!

I passed my test! Now I just have to pass the driving portion and I'll be legal again. I'm not sure when that will take place, but should be within the next few weeks.

Driving Test Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow I take the computer-based portion of my driving test. The one where they ask you what the street signs mean and what you should do if you approach a horse in the road (ANSWER: Stay well back as animals can be unpredictable). There are 50 questions and I have to get 44 right...I feel pretty good about it, but will still study a little more tonight. The other portion of the test is "Hazard Perception Awareness". They flash different scenarios on the screen as if I am driving down the road and I have to push the button as soon as I see a potential hazard. Hopefully after driving since the age of 16, I will have some sort of automatic response. Luckily for me, the driving instruction company who has been giving me my driving lessons publishes a book with every possible test question and a CD-rom with a practice hazard perception awareness test. I'll post my results as soon as I can.

Question. Do you think it purely coincidental that BP will reimburse us for 5 driving lessons and my driving instructor says I will need at least 5 lessons "to have a reasonable chance of passing"? Hmmm....

Carmen was Amazing!

From the moment I stepped out of the train at Waterloo, the evening was perfect. The walk to the theater, the Royal Opera House, Carmen, the beautifully sparkling cityscape on the walk back to the station...couldn't have asked for a better date night.

Edgar discovered, and I can't believe he knew something about this city that I didn't know, that Covent Garden (where the Royal Opera House is located) is just over the Waterloo Bridge. So, instead of groundhogging it all the way to the Covent Garden tube stop, we both met up at Waterloo Station and walked over the bridge to our destination. It's a beautiful walk...the London Eye and Big Ben's Clock Tower on the left and St. Paul's Cathedral on the right, all spanning a lively River Thames at the end of a work day.

The ROH is a beautiful building, gleaming white with stunning Greek architecture. After retrieving our pre-paid tickets from the very efficient box office, we checked our coats and made our way to the Orchestra Stalls right. As we rounded the corner to enter the staircase, we both stopped and took a little gasp of air upon first glimpsing the truly extraordinary interior. Golden guild covered intricate carvings and details around the stage, the seating levels and the beautiful pale blue ceiling. I always wondered how the conductor can get an entire orchestra AND singing cast coordinated, and then I noticed very discreet TV monitors in various locations around the theater broadcasting the conductor...so that's how they do it! We were seated about 15 rows from the stage, so in addition to hearing the great music and voices, we were to able to really see the facial expressions of the cast and witness the emotion they put into the performance.

The orchestra began playing the prelude (the video above), which includes two of the three more famous pieces, and the fun began. Carmen has probably some of the most recognizable numbers out of all the operas. The very first song in the prelude may be familiar to some of you...it's the very fast classical piece featured in the "Beef-It's What's for Dinner" ad campaigns. You know the one...it sounds like the music is swirling around and you can't imagine that anyone can move their fingers fast enough to keep up with it. The two other pieces are Toreador , the bullfighter's song (also included in the prelude), and Habanera, which Carmen sings.

The setting of Carmen is Spain and it's sung in French, which is quite a contrast! Good thing they have English subtitles on a monitor over the stage so you can keep up. This is a brief summary, in my own words, of the major elements of Carmen. Don Jose, while studying to become a priest, has fled the country and joined the Army after killing someone, leaving his dying mother and fiance behind. Carmen is a flirtatious gypsy who wins the affections of Don Jose and promises her unabiding love to him. He leaves the Army to join Carmen and her gypsy gang, making him somewhat of an outlaw. After a little fight, Carmen decides she does not love him anymore and falls for the Toreador (bullfighter). Don Jose becomes a little obsessive, does not take the rejection very well, and kills Carmen. Amongst the love and anguish are wonderful costumes, flamenco dancing, great voices, and all the drama you can imagine.

Seeing an opera in person is much different than just listening to it on CD or the radio. The talent of everyone involved is truly amazing and admirable and something I think you should do at least once in your life. Trust me, you will want to sing all of your conversations in the most dramatic way possible for at least the next week! Thanks for checking in...I'm off to decide on something for dinner. For some reason, I'm inspired to eat beef. Ciao!

Our first Opera!!!

Edgar is a big fan of opera. I can appreciate the amazing talent that is opera singing and I love the theater of it all. I guess it wouldn't be fair for me to judge my like or dislike as I've never even been to an opera. That will all change tonight. We are going to attend our first opera this evening at 7pm. The place: London's famed Royal Opera House. The title: Carmen. We splurged on good seats, not the nosebleeds. I can't wait! I think I may even drink a $20 glass of champagne during intermission. Hey, if your going to do it, you may as well do it right, right?

Some background info:The Spanish heat and gypsy passion of Carmen take to the stage as The Royal Opera presents the first revival of Francesca Zambello’s vibrant production with Tanya McCallin’s richly coloured designs. It’s a great stage recreation of the sun-drenched and sultry world of 19th-century Spain, with its ranks of soldiers and crowds of peasants, its gypsies and bullfighters, its spectacle and its deadly, white-hot emotions. Spanish-born Nancy Fabiola Herrera has been greatly acclaimed as the fickle temptress of the title, while star tenor Marcelo Álvarez is Don José, the soldier she forces to murderous jealousy over her new affair with the bullfighter Escamillo, played by Kyle Ketelsen. It’s a perfect cast to bring alive the sexy solos, rousing choruses, impassioned arias and Spanish dances of one of the most famously tuneful of all operas and one of the most enduringly popular works in the entire repertory.

I'm pretty sure you will recognize one of its most famous musical pieces. Click here to watch a trailer.