Laughter Is The Best Medicine

While I'm in a blogging mood, I might as well tell you about another event I attended about a month or so ago. Better late than never, right?

A while back my roommate, Rani, mentioned a comedy night at a local hotel bar. The Midtown's newly rennovated Velvet Room hosts a comedy night every Thursday. The acts are reported to be nationally touring comedians from the likes of HBO, Comedy Central, etc.

We decided to check it out for ourselves one Thursday night, so we headed over to the Midtown Hotel. There was a little confusion on the start time, so we arrived to a comedy routine already in progress. The crowd was sparse and clearly drunk and the comedian's mic was WAY too loud, but those minor issues aside, the comedy was actually very funny. Now, I should take this opportunity to tell you that I consider myself a fairly tough critic when it comes to comedy. I don't normally laugh at the obvious jokes, as I prefer a more intelligent humor. And I definitely don't like vulgarity, but much to my surprise, this guy was both clean and hysterical. I quickly grew accustomed to the volume and found that I was laughing out loud with great frequency. In fact, he had me in such a good mood, that I didn't mind when he jokingly referred to my roommate and me as "lesbians". I mean, it was a joke, right?

After the show was over, the place cleared out pretty quickly. The DJ played some loud dance music in hopes to fill the dance floor, but it was clear that the people had come for one reason and one reason only. As Rani and I left, I wondered what the chances were that every Thursday night comedian would be that funny and that clean. My guess is slim to none. I do feel like I lucked out that night, but since I haven't been back since, I can't say for sure.

Amy's Overall Opinion: Great change of pace for a weeknight in Midland and not too pricey (less than $8, I believe)

Amy's Advice: Double check the time and maybe bring some earplugs, just in case!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

It's been a while since I've posted about "things to do in Midland" so I figured, why not tell you about the baseball game I went to last night.

The Midland Rockhounds is our local, minor league baseball team. Last night they faced off against Corpus Christi, so I joined my roommate and a few of her coworkers at the game. Let me begin by saying, of all the sports, baseball is not my favorite. In fact, next to golf, I think it's very boring to watch on tv. However, there is something to be said for viewing it live. I am beginning to understand how it is considered America's favorite pasttime. The cheering crowd, the crack of the bat, the anticipation of seeing a homerun (which we did) or even a GRAND SLAM! It's a lot more fun than I've given it credit for and, with the right company, makes for a VERY enjoyable way to spend your Monday Evening. And, it doesn't hurt that as usual, there's something about a man in uniform...even baseball and umpire uniforms!

Amy's Overall Opinion: Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks and we have a date!

Amy's Advice: Go on Monday night and mention "Basic Energy" at the ticket booth for $2.00 tickets. What a steal! (pun intended!)

2010 Challenge - Part 2

As part "Otter" personality, I am notorious for being a great starter but a lousy finisher. Actually, you already knew that. That's why I'm having to continue the 2010 challenge in 2011. But that makes me wonder...if something starts out lousy for me, is that an omen that it will end great?! If so, then this 2010 challenge (part 2) should be a homerun, because my first event for 2011 was a complete failure. I would like to point out, however, that the failure was not entirely my fault. Allow me to explain:

My first outing for the year was planned for this past weekend. I had noticed on the city's calendar of events that the Horseshoe Arena was hosting the West Texas Kennel Club Dog Show. I've never been to a dog show, but I thought, hey, that's something you don't see every weekend and the best part was the free admission. So, I promptly notified my dog-loving friend and possibly my only blog-reader, Amanda, and she agreed to accompany me to the dog show. The website had Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. listed as the show times, so I assumed it must be a come and go type event (althought the word "show" would suggest otherwise). That was my first mistake. Never assume.

About 3:30 in the afternoon, Amanda and I pull into the parking lot and I'm immediately concerned by the lack of cars, but we park and head inside anyway. Once inside, I notice a line of people leaving the bleacher section. Then I observe what appears to be vendors tearing down their stations. Finally, after walking around in a state of semi-bewilderment and confusion, Amanda prompts me to ask someone what's going on. So I turn to a lady with a red vest on (very official looking) and say, "Is it over?" Dumb question. Of course it was over....that's usually why people start putting things away. All that was left were a few slow-moving vendors, some tired dogs in crates and what appeared to be the winner of the show having his (or her?) picutre taken with his (or her?) owner.

Wow. So after all that, I still haven't ever seen a dog show. But some people did and I'm sure they'd tell you it was fun. Here's what I'll tell you - don't trust the Horseshoe website.

Amy's Final Opinion: At least the afternoon wasn't a total loss. I still got the oh-so-classy picture below (the sign says "Select Bitch")

Amy's Advice: Go with your gut. When in doubt of show times, always call first. (Yeah, I know it's sideways, but if you look close, you'll see that it does indeed say 7 to 7!)

Week 5 - For the CHILD in all of us

The nice thing about this personal challenge to find 52 different things to do in Midland/Odessa in 2010 is that I didn't give myself very many parameters (aside from "no restaurants" and "no repeating events"). Since I never specified that they had to be "adult" events, this week I decided to take a trip to The Museum of the Southwest's CHILDREN MUSEUM! And just to feel justified, I took my sister and 2 nieces along. =)

My first impression was a great one because on Sunday afternoon's the Children's Museum is free of charge. But even at $3.00 a person on weekdays, it would have been worth the money. We started our tour in the grocery store. This room was a little nostalgic for me in a way. Not because I went there as a child, but because I have very fond memories of playing "grocery store" with my Mima when I was a little girl. She used to pull all of her canned goods out of the cabinets and set them up on "aisles". Then she would give me a purse with some money and I would shop for groceries. Mima of course, would act as cashier when I was ready to check out. Well, no offense to Mima, but her store was like a 7-11 compared to this grocery playland.

After Maia & Josie had finished their shopping, we headed to the Veterinary clinic. This is where the laughter began. I honestly couldn't tell you what Marleah and I found so funny, but we laughed all the way from the Vet to the Burger King upstairs. I think it was just fun seeing the joy on the girl's faces and acting a little like kids again ourselves. Unfortunately, our fun was cut short because it was closing time. (In fact, my one complaint of this event would be that they actually closed a little early, but then Marleah figured if we get in for free, we probably shouldn't complain...and I agreed.)

Overall, regardless if you have children or are just a big kid yourself, this is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon...especially if the funds are a little low.

Amy's Opinion on The Children's Museum: No child (actual or at heart) should be left behind!

Amy's Advice: Don't forget your camera like we did because there's guaranteed to be some precious moments!

Week 4 - Everyone loves a Mini-Retreat!

For the 4th week event, I decided to count the Ladies Mini-Retreat at my church, Kelview Heights Baptist. The Mini-Retreat featured numerous workshops, breakfast, lunch, shopping (one of my all-time favorite things) and a keynote speaker. It went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from what I could tell had a wonderful turnout. I attended workshops ranging in topic from reaching your weight loss/fitness goals to letting go of the painful pieces of your past. I also was privileged to co-teach a workshop with my sister (I use the term "teach" loosely) called "Be Wise, Accessorize!" Sounds appropriate, right? I can't be sure that we offered a lot of useful information that the ladies didn't already know, but I can be sure that I had fun in the process. Accessorizing is one of those topics that I can speak on for hours! The event was wrapped up by the keynote speaker who did a wonderful job of challenging us to make 2010 not only a great year, but a godly year. All in all, it was a great event and a great Saturday. We all need a little gal-pal time and a little time refocusing on the important issues in our lives.

Amy's Final Opinion: Well, obviously it's biased, but I'd give it two thumbs up!

Amy's advice (to herself): Start saving now for next year's event so you can buy that $239.00 necklace you were just dying to have!

Week 2 - This ain't my first RODEO

Last night, Rani, Kristen (my step-sister from Cali) and I attended the SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo held at the Ector County Coliseum. As the title suggests, this was not my first time at a rodeo, but it was my first time in a long time. I've always really enjoyed the bull-riding event and what's not to love about a bunch of Cowboys in hats and tight jeans?!

Although those two things remained true, the rest of the evening was not as....eventful...as I was thinking it would be. Granted, part of that could be because I'm an old lady these days and at 8:00 on a Friday night I'm already thinking about bed. I don't mean to say that I didn't have fun because I did, but on a scale from Boring to The Best fun ever, I would say this rated around "enjoyable" not "a blast". We saw events from calf roping, team roping and barrel racing to the bull riding, bronco riding, and the one that made me laugh the most...the calf scramble where a bunch of kids have to try to "catch" a calf and bring it into a circle in the middle of the arena.

Amy's final opinion on Odessa's Rodeo Scene: At $11 for the "cheap seats" it's better with a big group or if you know someone in the Rodeo. (If you just want to see someone ride a bull, rent the movie 8 Seconds.)

Amy's advice: If, like me, you like a good-lookin' cowboy who isn't afraid to ride a bull, spend the extra money on front row seats and one just might end up in your lap!!!!!

Week 1 - And BINGO was his name-o!

For my first "event" of the year, I decided to take a couple of friends with me to check out the local bingo barn. (That's really what it's called!)

Let me start by saying, my expectations were all sorts of wrong. I envisioned Bingo Night as a crowded but friendly room full of blue-haired ladies all patiently waiting to hear the next number called and trying their best to get five in a row on the Bingo card. I guess I was thinking of the Hollywood version??

Here's the way it really works...and it ain't pretty. (Funny, but not pretty!)

The room was far from crowded. The guests were far from Blue-haired ladies...or patient. The "bingo board" was anything but a simple card, and five in a row? HA! If only it were that easy.

Upon entering, we promptly purchased our paper bingo "sheets" which are basically 9 bingo boards in one. We were then informed that if we didn't have a "dauber" (which I assumed was a cross between a "doo-hickey" and a "thing-a-ma-bob") that we could purchase them at the next table over. The blue-haired lady at that next table (okay, so there were a FEW of them) asked what color dauber we wanted; all the while I'm trying to figure out what the beep a dauber is! I got yellow though - my favorite color - then we proceeded to find a place to sit.

Once seated, the real fun began. The "caller" (if that's even the right term) began talking on the microphone at the front of the room...something about horse-races, pool-somethin'-or-another...who knows?! I guess it was clear that the three of us were confused because some lady walking by said, "He hasn't started Bingo yet. He'll tell ya when he's gonna."

Uhm. Okay. So we played with our daubers until then.

Finally, Bingo starts and it's like some sort of alien bingo. I thought five in a row was standard for the game, but apparently there are all manners of configurations you can have. I finally figure out which squares I'm trying to get and the game is off and running. Trying to find B4 on NINE different cards is not as easy as it sounds. (My friends can attest to this, as I was not the only slow one). You know how in college it's always easy to spot the freshmen because they're wandering around like lost foreigners? Well we were the equivalent of freshmen bingo-goers and it was very obvious. One guy walked by our table and said, "Man, I've never seen such serious bingo players." That sent us into a fit of laughter and probably caused us to miss a few numbers. I can only imagine how goofy we must have looked with our heads down as we seriously and quietly scoured our bingo sheets for the winning numbers. The funniest part is that while WE were frantically searching our sheets, the veterans in the crowd were impatiently tapping their daubers. Apparently that's bingo-code for "hurry up caller"!

Well, speaking of winning numbers, we did not win. Not only did we not win, we didn't even come close. After a winner is declared, the caller will give you the "crying numbers" which we found out were the next two numbers that would have been called. You know you're doing poorly when even the crying numbers wouldn't have put you even remotely close to winning. BUT...although we didn't know what we were doing and even though we didn't win, we DID have a blast!

So...

Amy's final opinion on Midland's Bingo Scene: Fun with friends and pretty darn cheap ($6.25 for one session, and that's if you don't already own a dauber.)

Amy's advice (or in this case, what to look our for): Find the non-smoking room unless you enjoy sitting in and smelling like an ashtray.