The Stuff Dreams are Made Of

My sleep struggles are well documented.  And this week was awful.  My usually pitiful night-time routine was repeatedly disrupted and I suffered for it.

Last week I made a super quick 1-night trip to Birmingham to go to Fleetwood Mac concert with KJ.  Originally KJ, Dew and T-bone bought the tickets months and months ago with the intention of KJ driving in from Ox to spend the night with her sister in Birmingham.  Then, T-bone moved to Denver.  And KJ was bound and determined to go the BJCC solo.  And I really didn't want her to go to the concert by herself so I flew in Wednesday afternoon and flew back to Dallas Thursday. 

Fleetwood Mac was amazing and we had incredible floor seats.  There was no opening band, the group came out and played for over 2 hours and did a beautiful tribute to Tom Petty as one of their encores.  I'm not a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, more of a Stevie Nicks fan because, um, hello, it's Stevie Nicks and she's a goddess.  But Fleetwood Mac delivered one helluva show.  So by the time we got back to our hotel I was pretty wired and couldn't fall asleep.  And then I had a late flight back to DFW and didn't land until 9:30 PM and couldn't fall asleep when I got home.  I was soooo overtired. 

And then I had my very first MOD (Manager on Duty) weekend.  And I was a nervous wreck.  What if there's a guest emergency?  What if there's a problem with the building's mechanics (i.e., HVAC issues, pool filter, hot water heater, internet, etc?).  What if there are associate issues?  I worked myself into a tizzy.  I had to be at the hotel from 5 PM Friday to 12 noon on Sunday.  Cosmo had dinner with me Friday night but didn't stay at the hotel with me because he had been traveling all week and was suffering from a head cold.  He just wanted to be home in bed, not in another hotel room.  He was such a trooper and he accompanied me while I did my evening rounds that first night.  And then of course I couldn't fall asleep Friday night.  Because what if . . . .

So Saturday I checked in with all departments, did a few things in the Sales Office and had lunch.  I tried to take a nap in my room but just couldn't.  Because what if . . . .  Saturday night I feel asleep for a bit but didn't sleep long enough or fall into deep enough REM.  Because what if . . . .

By Sunday I was so freaking exhausted and it had really taken a toll on my psyche and my skin.  I had horrible bags under my eyes, I was terribly dehydrated and I looked like the damn crypt keeper. 

 



I was definitely on the struggle bus all week and last night I was able to finally give my skin some much needed attention.  Thank God I have a husband who understands my messed up sleep cycles because when I got home from work he had dinner ready and told me to go take a bath and try to relax.  Twist my arm.  You don't have to tell me twice. 

I've been hearing a lot about overnight face masks and at first I thought I wouldn't want anything too heavy on my face overnight that could clog pores. Burt's Bees has an "Hydrating Overnight Mask, Origin's has the "Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask with Avocado & Swiss Glacier Water" (sounds fancy!), Korean beauty brand Glow Recipe has the "Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask," and I really want to try Fresh's "Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask." 

One day while roaming around Target,  I found "Wake Up Beautiful Super Hydration Sleepover Mask" by Pacifica.  I've seen this brand at Target many times as well as Whole Foods but didn't really know much about it.  I did a quick but all important in-store smell test and threw the tube in my cart.  I.  Love.  This.  Stuff.  It's just right.  Not too thick or sticky, not thin.  Absorbs quickly, smells heavenly and leaves my skin soft and refreshed in the morning.  I look and feel well rested. 

 

 



Another awesome Target find is the Pixi brand of SkinTreats.  I've been using the Glow Peel Pads once or twice a week for a couple of years now and love how refreshed my skin feels after. 

 

Last night I also used the Overnight Glow Serum before I used the Pacifica Wake Up Beautiful  Super Hydration Sleepover Mask and I feel like I pushed the re-set button on my skin.  In addition to sleeping great last night (thank you Dr. Teal's Soothe & Sleep Pure Epsom Salt Soak with Lavender!), I woke up to fabulous skin! 



America's City (Part 5)

Day 5 of our romp through Dallas! 

 

Dallas has a thriving arts community with amazing murals and art installations scattered throughout the city. Here are just a few: 

 

 

 

 

Depending on which corner of the Dallas neighborhood you find yourself on you might catch a different chapter of the story of giant robot, The Traveling Man, be it his birth, his stroll or his rest. 

 

The three large installations in the neighborhood are the work of artist Brad Oldham who created the figures in order to replace a previous bunch of murals that were once seen as the welcoming symbol of the neighborhood. Once the murals had to be taken down due to construction of a light rail system, The Traveling Man statues were born. Each of the figures is built of polished metal sheets held together with rivets, all meant to evoke the railway history of the neighborhood of Deep Ellum.  

 

Moving from one statue to another the story of the Traveling Man proceeds from birth to life. The first statue, called Awakening, features just a portion of the Traveling Man’s head and one of his clamps emerging from a pit of gravel as one of his songbird pals looks on. According to the story devised by the planners of the robot mascot The Traveling Man began life as a regular locomotive buried beneath an elm tree, but when a splash of gin was spilled on the roots of the tree, the weird folktale transformer emerged from the ground. 

 

Continuing down Good Latimer Street, you next find the huge robot reclining against a piece of debris salvaged from one of Deep Ellum’s old rail tunnels. This time The Traveling Man is represented in full with a smile and a guitar as he sits with his legs leisurely crossed in a piece known as Waiting on the Train.    

 

Finally The Traveling Man lives up to his name in the last, and tallest piece of the three. In Walking Tall The Traveling Man is seen taking a jaunty stroll with his avian sidekicks on his arm and around his feet. 

 

The Traveling Man, in all of his forms, are located not far from the Deep Ellum light rail station making him the ambassador for the area, reminding visitors and locals alike not only of the neighborhood’s history with trains but also its more recent history as a cradle for the arts.

Good Latimer between Swiss Ave. and Miranda
Dallas, Texas, 75204

 

@thetravelingtacos
The Blue Walkway
Location:  Dallas Museum of Art



 

 

@agirlfromtx
Dallas Love Mural
Location:  The Great American Hero in Oak Lawn

 



@agirlfromtx
Love Equation Mural
Location:  Pier 247 in Bishop Arts District

 

@christenstrang

Bishop Arts Wings

Location:  Bishop Avenue and Melba Street Intersection

 

@adventureswithasha

Rise Above Mural
Location:  Trinity Groves Restaurants
 

 

@nickievu

West Village Color Blocked
Location:  Parking lot behind LOFT in Uptown

 

@twinkiiex3

Good Morning Dallas
Location:  Dallas Contemporary near Design District

 

@agirlfromtx

Like to Know it Hearts
Location:  Standard Pour in Uptown

 

@kaseygoedeker

I love Tacos So Much
Location:  Urban Taco in Uptown

https://www.visitdallas.com/things-to-do/dallas-now/2017/06/deep-ellums-most-instaworthy-murals.html 

America's City (Part 4)

Dallas is filled with many iconic images (think Book Depository, Dealy Plaza, Reunion Tower, Dallas Cowboys) but one of my favorites is the Pegasus, the mythical winged horse.  I think it brings out the 10-year old little girl in me who was obsessed with unicorns.   

PEGASUS

For some strange reason, Dallas loves Pegasus. 

It's on Deep Ellum murals and downtown street signs. Its name is used for local shops and parks and even craft beers. From the top of the Magnolia Hotel, it shines as a symbol of the city. 

But what's the deal with this winged horse, an oil company's old logo, as Dallas' unofficial mascot? 

 In 1934, a brilliant neon Pegasus icon was placed on top of the headquarters of the Magnolia Oil Co. It was the tallest building in Dallas for years, and even pilots in Waco said they could see the red beacon in the north. 

Magnolia was folded into Mobil in 1959, and Mobil adopted the red Pegasus logo. Even today, the city of Dallas has an agreement with Exxon Mobil to continue to use the image as a symbol for the city.

 Others who try to adopt it have been confronted with legal action from the corporation.
 

The red Pegasus stayed lit atop the old Magnolia building until 1999, when the rusty symbol was removed and replaced with a shiny new version that was lit on Jan. 1, 2000.

 

The original Pegasus, however,  was hidden away in a storage shed until 2015, when it was renovated and placed in front of the Omni Dallas Hotel downtown. That street-level location makes it more visible up close than the high-flying horse on the roof of the Magnolia Hotel.                    

                            

That's the myth of Dallas, anyway. It's an oft-repeated origin story: No one knows why Dallas is named Dallas, and although its position on the Trinity River made it an important crossing at one time, it was by no means created as an inland port. Dallas has defied odds since its inception, just like the mythic winged horse.

 

According to ancient mythology, a natural spring would bubble up on every spot of ground that Pegasus touched. That symbol makes sense for an exploratory oil company, and is easily applied to a city that prides itself on making something out of nothing.
Dallas, as a city, sees itself as exceeding expectations while building a shining city on the prairie where none should be.

Finding Pegasus in Dallas is like a massive game of "I spy." Just look around and you're bound to spot the winged horse nearby. It's on street signs downtown and murals in Deep Ellum. It's the mascot of the Dallas Wings WNBA team, as well as the mascot for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. 

The Pegasus iconography also can be found in the North Texas beer scene, like Pegasus City Brewery in the Design District. Deep Ellum Brewing Co. also has used an inverted Pegasus to symbolize rebellion from the Dallas way.

You can go to a play from the Pegasus Theatre company. You can fly an unofficial city flag featuring the red horse. You can grab lunch downtown at Pegasus Plaza, next to the Magnolia Hotel. 

America's City (Part 3)

Today's blog post is dedicated to some of the beautiful parks located in Dallas.  Some of these parks are located in urban areas, some are in suburban settings.  Either way, Dallas has lots of spots to relax and recharge. 

ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

 

 

 The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre botanical garden located at 8525 Garland Road in East Dallas, Dallas, Texas, on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was founded upon the dreams of a few visionaries with a passion for preserving both history and nature. Though the gardens themselves are comparatively young, the work that went into creating the current gardens began long ago.

 

KLYDE WARREN PARK

I always think of Klyde Warren Park as being a mini Central Park.  On one side of the park you can head over to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher sculpture gardens, on the other side is the Perot Museum. 
 

Located in the heart of the city, Klyde Warren Park is an urban, five acre green space built over the old Woodall Rogers Freeway in downtown Dallas. Bustling with activity, this park provides entertainment for families, young adults, and even pets. The children’s park provides playgrounds, a small amphitheater, interactive fountains, and a storytelling tree for creative and educational fun, plus there are reading and game rooms. This park also has several daily activities, such as a Dallas skyline tour, zumba and yoga, and a variety of food trucks. There are various opportunities to see live performances, which vary from music concerts to theater performances to dance recitals in the Muse Family Performance Pavilion. For the furry family members, the My Best Friend’s Park area provides a safe, fenced space that allows the opportunity for off leash activities and socializing, as well as fountains to cool down on warm summer days. With daily activities and dining options, Klyde Warren Park is a great spot for people of all ages to spend a nice day out in downtown Dallas.

Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

REVERCHON PARK

Established in 1914, this 41 acre, 100-year-old park is a great space for every Dallas resident or visitor to enjoy. Reverchon Park runs alongside Turtle Creek and the Katy Sports Trail, making it a perfect spot to go for a walk, run, or bike ride. The park features baseball fields, tennis courts, an outdoor basketball court, and a sand volleyball court. Each of these sports areas are well kept, and some are open for athletic leagues, like the North Texas Amateur Baseball League. Reverchon Park also has a playground and recreation center for the younger park-goers to enjoy. In addition, there are several garden areas, pavilions, seating and picnic areas, and grills available for public use, plus the park offers a twist on the traditional yoga class with their Hiking Yoga along the Katy Trail. The park is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic or cookout, casual sports games, and recreational activities for Dallas residents and visitors of every age.

Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX, USA

 

DRAGON PARK
I have not visited Dragon Park yet but it's on my list due to it's "quirky" factor! 

While this may not be an ‘official’ Dallas park, Dragon Park is a small attraction hidden in the Uptown neighborhood, with the main entrance at Cedar Springs Road and Hood. The entrance can be easy to miss if you don’t look closely, but the park itself is home to a rather strange group of statues, such as dragons, fairies, gargoyles, Buddha heads, angels, and griffins. Dragon Park is not very well known to all Dallas residents, but it has been known as a quiet and tranquil place for yoga and meditation. It offers a terraced area with benches, perfect for a short picnic, or just a place to sit and take in the unique characteristics of the statues. Although small and somewhat concealed, Dragon Park is a different type of park that still offers a calm and beautiful scene for any Dallas resident or visitor.

 

Tucked away at the corner of Cedar Springs Road and Hood Street, Dragon Park is privately-owned secret garden in Dallas’s Oak Lawn neighborhood, and offers a quiet reprieve from a city often mired in traffic. The entrance is shrouded in thick green trees that largely obscure it from the sidewalk and at a casual glance, the park looks like nothing more than the very overgrown front yard of an eccentric home (an impression further reinforced by the two Chinese guardian lions which sit watchfully along either side of the stairs, greeting visitors with a fierce cordiality).

 

Dotted with sculptures, the space indeed has a cool, innate serenity about it and feels like the sort of place the wise, old, witchy character from a novel might retreat to, to cast spells or mull over the protagonist’s journey. Though the space is small and the hustle of civilization buzzes on all four sides, a protective aura permeates the plot of land, as if it is insulated by some mystic charm too ancient and transcendental for us to understand it (perhaps it is the effect of the Chinese guardian lions).

But that’s not to say it has a completely unapproachable and alienating atmosphere– Dragon Park is designed for impromptu selfies of people halfway through their morning run and engagement photos alike (if the unofficial Facebook page is any indication). Dragon Park very much has the character of a neighborhood spot, where anyone of any age might find a tranquil moment to collect their thoughts, read a book, or play some Pokémon Go (allegedly, Dragon Park is a Dratini spawn spot). For anyone in Dallas in need of some soothing green surroundings (and maybe just a little magic),

Dragon Park, 3520 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

 

 

LAKESIDE PARK

Quirky and cute overload at Lakeside Park.  How can you have a bad day walking around sculptures of giant Teddy Bears???

Beautiful Lakeside Park sits on over 14 acres of exceptionally landscaped grounds along Turtle Creek, located between Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway at 4601 Lakeside Drive.

The walking paths and numerous benches along the way are the perfect place for a leisurely stroll.  Enjoy the scenic views from the bridge atop the Turtle Creek Dam, the whimsy of the Teddy Bear statues, and the tranquility of the Read Memorial.

 

America's City (Part 2)

Day 2 of my multi-part series about Dallas, our home for the last four years!   Today I'm focusing on Fair Park and, of course, Big Tex! 

 

FAIR PARK

We've only been to the State Fair once and I was blown away by the beautiful art deco buildings and the lush landscaping (I'm used to state parks being on fairgrounds, not in a permanent setting).  And, of course, I love quirky Big Tex! 

 As the host of the annual Texas State Fair since 1886, Fair Park is a site full of history, art, and culture. The park includes the Dallas Children’s Aquarium, several different museums, the Fair Park Music Hall, and the Texas Discovery Garden. The aquarium is open seven days a week, with different feeding demonstrations each day, as well as options for birthday parties, field trips, and even overnight stays. The museums in and around Fair Park include the African-American Museum, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Hall of State. The Fair Park Music Hall offers a year round source of live performance entertainment, including children’s musicals such as Peppa Pig Live; family musicals like The Little Mermaid; Broadway shows like Wicked; and features Dallas Summer Musicals, which provides students interested in performance the opportunity to audition for and act in Broadway musicals. The Texas Discovery Garden is a 7.5-acre botanical garden featuring different native and adapted plants and insects all year round. The garden also offers several specials such as free admission days, gardening workshops, family festivals, and the Earthkeepers student education program. Fair Park is also home to the largest collection of Art Deco Architecture in the U.S., which can be seen along the many landscaped walking paths. With all of the attractions in the area, Fair Park is a major provider of live performance, education, and entertainment for those in Dallas.

Fair Park, 1300 Robert B Cullum Blvd, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

BIG TEX

Big Tex is a 55-foot (16.75m) tall statue and marketing icon of the annual State Fair of Texas held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The figure has become a cultural icon of Dallas and Texas. Since 1952 Big Tex has served as a cultural ambassador to visitors, and the statue's prime location in the fairgrounds serves as a traditional meeting point.

 

On October 19, 2012, the last weekend of the 2012 State Fair of Texas, Big Tex was destroyed by an electrical fire that started in the right boot and worked its way up the structure, first becoming visible from the neck area. After the fire, a new Big Tex was created by SRO Associates and Texas Scenic Co. This rendition made its first public appearance on September 26, 2013.

 

Kerens, Texas is known as the "Birthplace of Big Tex", although his original incarnation was as a 49-foot (15 m) tall Santa Claus constructed from iron drill casing, papier mache, and unraveled rope in 1949.  The statue was an idea of Howell Brister, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, to encourage holiday sales in the town, and the "World's Largest Santa Claus" (a claim later disputed) stood over Colket Avenue for two holiday seasons — drawing press attention from as far away as Iran and Australia. Modeled after Kerens residents Ottis Franklin Spurlock and Hardy Mayo, the figure was built by members of the community who welded the frame, fabricated the body and sewed the clothing.

 

After two seasons the excitement over the statue faded, and Kerens offered it up for sale. In 1951, State Fair president R. L. Thornton purchased Santa's components for $750 and had artist Jack Bridges transform them into a cowboy, giving birth to "Big Tex".

 

Big Tex made his debut at the 1952 fair, a 52-foot cowboy dressed in denim jeans and a plaid shirt donated by the H. D. Lee Company of Shawnee Mission, Kansas.  Artist Jack Bridges used a photograph of his own face, a photograph of rancher Doc Simmons and a photograph of Will Rogers to create the new look.   After the fair, his appearance was slightly altered to straighten his nose and correct an odd wink. It was in 1953 that Big Tex also began speaking. Using a custom-built recipromotor and a 75-watt speaker system housed in the figure's head, Jack Bridges devised a way to create the illusion of natural speech with a swinging jaw.  Tex also attended a convention in Minneapolis that year with the Dallas Jaycees.

 

In 1955 Big Tex received his first new change of clothes, again fabricated by the H. D. Lee Company. After that year's fair, he traveled to West Texas to participate in Abilene Christian College's 50th annual homecoming celebration. A 12-foot-tall, 19-foot long plastic model of a Hereford steer (called "The Champ") accompanied Big Tex for the 1956 fair, but Big Tex was primarily displayed alone. During the 1950s Big Tex underwent further re-design, replacing the papier mache "skin" with fiberglass. The original head was put into storage and later sold at auction in 1993 to a Dallas collector.

 

The State Fair of Texas announced the construction of a permanent, year-round statue of Big Tex in 1961, but the figure remained a seasonal feature appearing only during the fair. Instead, the Big Tex Circle display area was redesigned in 1966 with a larger mound.

 

Big Tex traveled to his hometown of Kerens, Texas in 1981 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city.  The figure continued to travel to various promotional events until the mid-1980s.

In 1997, Big Tex was given a skeletal makeover consisting of 4,200 feet of steel rods weighing 6,000 pounds. The new skeleton adjusted the posture and allowed for a new hand that waved to passersby, but kept the original head.  Three years later his neck was animated, allowing it to turn; his mechanical mouth was also upgraded with a new system.

Big Tex celebrated his 50th birthday in 2002, receiving a giant birthday cake and an AARP card. Shades of gray were added to the hair and wrinkles were added the figure's hands and face as Big Tex continued to "age".  In 2012 the State Fair of Texas celebrated Big Tex's 60th birthday.

 

Big Tex generally receives a new shirt and jeans every 3 seasons, currently designed and fabricated by the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company. His clothing will next be replaced in 2019.

Prior to 2013, Big Tex wore size 70 boots, a 75-gallon hat, a size 100 180/181 shirt made from nylon awning fabric and 284W/185L XXXXXL pair of Dickies jeans. The pants alone required 72 yards (66 m) of denim and weigh in at 65 pounds (29 kg). Over the years the outfit was accessorized with other articles associated with that year's State Fair of Texas theme. Big Tex has suffered a few garment mishaps over the years. In 1961, Hurricane Carla's winds tore his clothes. In 1970, his huge shirt was stolen from a pickup truck and received much publicity.

 

The recreated structure for Big Tex that appeared in 2013 required new clothing and larger sizes. The new Dickie shirt features a 14-foot collar, 23 foot sleeves and weighs 130 pounds (59 kg). The shirt is made from 150 yards (140 m) of awning material. The new Dickie jeans features a 27-foot waist, 22 foot inseam and weighs 100 pounds (45 kg). The jeans are made from 100 yards (91 m) of denim material.

  

 

 

America's City (Part 1)

I cannot believe we're coming up on 4 years in Dallas!  We love living here and there's always something to do . . . sporting events, art museums, botanical gardens, roller coasters, street festivals.  We've not even scratched the surface of all that Dallas has to offer. 

I think one of the things about Dallas that stands out to me is just how cosmopolitan of a city it is!  I was pleasantly surprised on one of our first house-hunting trips to discover a beautiful, sophisticated, cultivated, diverse city. 

Elevation: 430′

Population: 1.341 million (2017)

Metro population: 7,233,323 (4th)

Did you know: Dallas is the ninth-largest United States city by population (1,341,075)Average annual snow days: 1.3Average rain days: 81 days  The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington MSA consists of 12 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise and has a population of 6,954,330. The Dallas-Plano-Irving MD (metropolitan division) is slightly smaller with a population of 4,604,097and is composed of 8 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall.

Dallas is located in the Central Time Zone in North Central Texas, 35 miles east of Fort Worth, 245 miles north, northwest of Houston and 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

24.9 million annual visitors to the City of Dallas, with 48.9 million visiting the Metro area.  There are more than 30,000 hotel rooms in the city of Dallas with over 78,000 available throughout the area. 

Dallas is centrally located and within a four-hour flight from most North American destinations. It is served by two airports; Dallas/Ft. Worth International and Dallas Love Field that combined provide more than 2,200 flights daily. AMTRAK also provides daily service to Dallas via Union Station.

The Dallas area is home to 21 Fortune 500 companies including Exxon Mobil, JC Penney, AT&T, Texas Instruments, and others. 

Dallas is home to five professional sports teams: The Dallas Cowboys (NFL); Dallas Stars (NHL); Dallas Mavericks (NBA); Dallas Wings (WNBA); FC Dallas (MLS) and the Texas Rangers (MLB) plus NASCAR and Indy racing. The area is also home to more than 200 golf courses.

Dallas Fun Facts

• The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas
• The integrated circuit computer chip (which became the microchip) was invented in Dallas in 1958
• The 52 foot 'Big Tex' statue that greets visitors at the annual State Fair of Texas is the tallest cowboy in Texas.
• With the roof enclosed, the entire Statue of Liberty could fit into the Cowboys Stadium.
• During the winter holiday season, the Galleria Dallas is home to the country's tallest indoor Christmas tree.
• The largest permanent model train exhibit in the country is on display in the lobby of Dallas Children's Medical Center.
• The Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States.
• The Trinity River Corridor Project, when completed, will be more than 10 times the size of New York's Central Park.
• Highland Park Village Shopping Center, developed in 1931 has the distinction of being the first planned shopping center in America.
• The first convenience store, 7-eleven, got its start in Dallas and the corporation is headquartered there today.
• Lamar Hunt, founder of the American Football League and son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, was a noted Dallas resident when he coined the phrase 'Super Bowl'.
• A few celebrities from the area: Angie Harmon, Luke and Owen Wilson, Nastia Luikin, Lee Trevino, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Jessica Simpson
• A few of the movies/TV series filmed in the area: Dallas; Silkwood; Places in the Heart; RoboCop; Born on the Fourth of July; Walker, Texas Ranger; Prison Break (more listed at http://www.dallasfilmcommission.com/)
• The Dallas area is the largest metropolitan area in the nation not on a navigable body of water.
• The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington Metroplex is the No. 1 visitor and leisure destination in Texas.
• The Dallas Public Library permanently displays one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed on July 4, 1776, and the First Folio of William Shakespeare's "Comedies, Histories & Tragedies."
• The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to 23 of the richest Americans. 

 

Dallas is a clean, walkable city with several great parks, botanical gardens and plenty of green space and lots of hidden gems.  So, over the next couple of days I've decided to highlight some of the wonderful attractions Dallas has to offer. 

 

THE GIANT EYEBALL

I love weird quirky attractions and the Giant Eyeball is one of my favorites! 
 

The eyeball popped-up in August 2013 on a cleared vacant lot in between Main and Elm Streets, across the street from the Joule Hotel. Since then Tony Tasset’s sculpture, a massively enlarged replication of his very own eyeball, has been the focal point of plenty of conversation. Mayor Mike Rawlings praised it as an indicator of the kinds of things that could help boost energy downtown. Dallas's Glenn Hunter aptly made the comparison to the glaring, ever-fixed gaze of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg in The Great Gatsby, an advertisement that functions as a kind of ambiguous symbol of a moral universe, ante-uping Pascal’s Wager, so to speak. And in the wake of the NSA surveillance revelations, they eye could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek reference to an ever-watching Big Brother.

But not so, says artist Tony Tasset in this interview with Interview Magazine in which he discusses the piece at length. The eye, he argues, is just an eye:

“People have been so conditioned to not understand art that when something’s obvious they feel like they’re missing something,” Tasset says. “It’s a big eyeball.”

But even if we accept the artist’s insistence that there is no symbolic or metaphoric intention with placing a giant eye in downtown Dallas, that hasn’t stopped the eye from instigating a range of peculiar reactions:

Tasset’s focus is in pinpointing objects that are widely recognizable, easily construed by anyone. As far as spurring reactions, Eye seems to be working: On one end, a homeless man wrote an enraged screed proclaiming the Eye was a false god; on the other, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne shared the pithier sentiment “…fuck yeah!!!” in an Instagram of the still-under-construction sphere. “I was quite honored,” admits the artist.

That’s where Tasset’s eye becomes interesting.  Where it occupies this space between intentionality and interpretation, a sculptural positioning achieved merely by utilizing objects that can’t help but carry allusive qualities. Similarly to Claus Oldenburg, who re-positioned our apprehension of consumer products by monumentalizing mundane or toss-away items, Tasset’s piece is about exploring the inclination of the perceptive mind to extrapolate meaning from a thing, subtracting intent so as to reveal any particular interpretation of the object as a projection of meaning by the perceiving viewer. The eye, then, as the dominant sensory tool of perception, is an appropriate symbolic tool. And like Oldenburg’s work, it’s a form that carries both symbolic weight and surrealist humor.

 

“So, you put in a 30-foot eyeball and it turns the downtown into this surreal, funky set, and it makes you, the viewer, a participant in this weird stage set,” Tasset says. “An eyeball is just a classic. I try to make work that kind of keys into things that are already familiar. They know what an eye is like. There’s no mystery to it. Still people ask, ‘What’s it mean?'” 

 

 

I love this section of the city because it's super close to everything . . . the Majestic Theater, The Joule with it's amazing cantilevered pool, Dallas Chop House, Main Street Garden Park, Iron Cactus Mexican Restaurant and Margarita Bar, Pegasus Plaza, Belo Garden, Neiman Marcus, The Adolphus Hotel and the Statler.  A short walk down Elm and you're at the Grassy Knoll and the Sixth Floor Museum. 

 

 

I am no longer a Virgin

Yes, it's true.  I am no longer a virgin.  A "Bachelor" virgin that is! 

While the rest of the world was watching Alabama shit the bed against Clemson (one of my husband's favorite phrases, not mine), I broke down this week and watched my first episode ever of the Bachelor.  I will admit, I'm intrigued. 

I have poo-poo'd this show since the beginning.  I never understood the fascination with this show (and subsequent franchises) and quite honestly thought finding true love in 6-weeks on reality TV was ludicrous.  Now I'll admit, I had kept up on social media with who's who over the years (kinda hard to avoid when that whole Arie thing was all over the internet and these contestants usually end up hawking some kind of food supplements or on Dancing with the Stars).  I mean, I knew who Trista & Ryan were, I think Jo-Jo Fletcher is absolutely adorable and I knew Rachel was from Dallas.  I knew who Juan Pablo and Andi Dorfman were, too.  I knew who Melissa Rycroft was because I watch the Dallas Cheerleaders show.  I never liked that Emily Maynard and I knew who Jesse Palmer was (duh).  Oh, and I think Josh Murray is pretty nice looking! 

So having said all that, why would I, a staunch critic of the show, decide to start watching this particular season?  Well, there's a couple of reasons actually: 

#1 Colton Underwood
He's adorable.  I mean, like really cute!  Very boy next door.  He seems pretty sincere and comes across as a nice guy.  And let's face it.  The whole virgin thing is intriguing.  Not that I care about this guy's sexual history (or lack thereof) but I do admire him for putting that info out there and not being ashamed of it.  It's kind of sweet.  It doesn't sound like it's a religious choice, it's more of a "I haven't found the right person yet" kind of thing. Very refreshing to see a 26-year old virgin rather than a 26-year old man-whore.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Underwood

#2 Bri
Twitter was a-buzz prior to the season premiere about the girl with the strange Australian accent and whether or not she lied about it.  I thought it was pretty brilliant.  I get it.  She's trying to stand out among 30 contestants.  But how will this all play out when Colton discovers she's not exactly Australian???

#3 The Entrances
Again, newbie here so I had no idea what to expect from the limo entrances and found it interesting how I immediately "liked" or "disliked" a contestant just from those edited, initial few moments of interaction. Meeting someone for the first time is hella awkward as it is. And the girl who brought the balloon?  Yikes!  I liked the butterfly girl (and how cute was Colton when he put one of those butterflies in his pocket???!!!), thought the girl who gave him nuts was hysterical (especially after the Cinderella entrance -- she turned to the other girls, with a full glass of wine in hand, and said something like "I probably should have done more than give him a bag of nuts!" hahahahaha  My kind of girl.  We could be friends.).  Oh, and BTW . . . when I saw Cinderella girl my immediate thought was "Run Colton Run!  She's too high maintenance!).  Spoiler Alert -- she did not get a rose.  Did not care too much for the girl who handed over her dog (she then went on to sabotage other contestant's time with Colton.  Not cool.).  The South?/North? Carolina pageant girl was cheesy and comes across as someone who's used to getting what she wants.  And let's just say Sloth Girl was weird.  Spoiler Alert -- she did not get a rose.  Hannah B from Tuscaloosa seems pretty chill and I also liked Nicole from Miami who spoke Spanish. She seems a little unsure of herself but I'd like to see her gain some confidence and find her worth.  Didn't care too much for the girl who showed up in a squad car and claimed she was Fashion Police. 

#4 Hannah G. 
a girl from Hoover is on the show!  Hannah is a year or two younger than T so naturally I wanted to check her out!  T said she is/was a genuinely nice person in high school.  Not being a Bachelor veteran, I had no idea what a big deal it was that she received the first rose!  https://www.eonline.com/news/1002862/meet-the-bachelor-contestant-who-won-colton-underwood-s-first-impression-rose

So there you have it!  I will be watching The Bachelor.  This season at least! 

It's Cool

Possible rain showers today across North Texas and I couldn't be happier!  My poor plants desperately need rain!  Although we water regularly, our plants and flowers are so burnt from the excessive sun and heat.  We had 11 straight days of triple digits, temps dropped for a few days (when I say dropped, I mean they dipped under 100), and then they were back up into triple digits.  This week we should be in the low- to mid-90's and it seems like everyone is over the heat and ready for football season.  I think I read somewhere that as of the other day, we had 5 Saturday's to go for college kick-off. 

We've finished season three of Last Chance U on Netflix.  Loved the first two seasons, season three was just as good despite a different state, different JuCo team, new coach, new players and, as one of the coaches states, "a whole new set of knuckleheads."  BTW, "knuckleheads" has been Coach's go-to phrase for years.  We first noticed him saying it when he coached high school but basically, everyone's a knucklehead -- the guy driving in front of him, someone at work, the person at the grocery store who leaves their shopping cart in the parking lot rather than walking it back to the store, etc. 

We had such a nice relaxed weekend.  Friday we grabbed a bite to seat, I had a hair appointment Saturday and that night we saw the new "Mission Impossible" movie.  Say what you want about Tom Cruise and his Scientology beliefs, the guy just doesn't make a bad movie (with the exception of "Vanilla Sky" and that weird movie he made with then wife Nicole Kidman).  "Mission Impossible" was kind of long (over 2 hours) but it had a great story line and, of course, it was action packed!  Tom Cruise is 56 and does most of his own stunts and if he's had plastic surgery, it's been subtle.  He looks fabulous.  And I was surprised to see Vanessa Kirby (she played Princess Margaret in Netflix's "The Crown") as the White Widow and Rebecca Ferguson as Ethan Hunt's love interest (she's from "The White Queen" on Starz -- she portrayed Elizabeth Woodville who eventually became Queen Elizabeth).  Oh!  And Henry Cavill (aka Super Man).  He's so good looking but had a horribly cheesy mustache in the movie.  I love it when my Hollywood worlds collide! 

I was also very happy to watch the trailers for two new Claire Foy movies:  "The First Man" (Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong, Claire Foy his wife) https://www.firstman.com/ and "The Girl in the Spider's Web" https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/girl-spiders-web-trailer-claire-foy-plays-lisbeth-salander-1117969  A far cry from her role as Queen Elizabeth in "The Crown." 

Sunday afternoon we watched some videos from KJ's childhood as a little walk down memory lane before she heads off to school.  Holy cow.  She was freaking adorable.  She had that accident falling off a friend's swing and lost her front teeth way too early.  So she was even cuter.  We watched some video from Prince of Peace pre-school holiday programs, Halloween at the pumpkin patch, a couple of Christmas's in NY and PA, sledding, shooting guns, bears walking around, visiting Santa, fireworks, getting our puppy Buddy, my beautiful nephew Brandon as a baby (he was a GORGEOUS baby!), t-ball, soccer, cheer and princess camp @ the local My Gym.