Jay Lee 2.0

At our recent annual kick off event in Florida I started promoting Jay Lee 2.0, the kinder, gentler Jay Lee. This coincides with the recent update of my photo used at the Houston Chronicle.

Since I started writing for them nearly 7 years ago this has been the picture used in the paper and, more recently on the web site and blog.

Great picture, but not so accurate some seven years later.

Dwight started talking to me about going by The Chronicle building and getting a new head shot. I finally got down there a few weeks ago and Houston Chronicle staff photographer Smiley Pool did the honors.

Certainly not the most compelling photograph he’s ever taken in his journalistic career.

Here’s hoping it’ll last for another 7 years.

Disco Expressions (again)

Disco Expressions had their second “official” gig last Friday at the Continental Club this past Friday.
By all accounts, it was a huge success.

My best picture of Jim performing to date:

Disco Expressions
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Paul Beebe was a little bit frightening:

Disco Expressions

Random shots

Disco Expressions
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Disco Expressions
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Disco Expressions
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Disco Expressions
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Big Sandy and Los Straitjackets

Big Sandy joined forces with Los Straitjackets last week at the Continental Club.

Los Straitjackets did their usual thing with Big Sandy joining them a few times during the night to sing some songs.

There’s just something compelling about an instrumental band that plays surf music while wearing Mexican wrestling masks.

Los Straitjackets
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Los Straitjackets
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Los Straitjackets
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Click here for additional pics

Random

Last night, in the back room of the Continental Club, I was asked by Trisha to take a picture or her, her sister Becky and David Beebe. I pulled out the camera and popped the flash and shot one shot. I forgot I had it in program mode and set to black and white.

Here is the result:

The Colonel, The Dancing Sisters and Conn
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I like it.

The serious look on the face of The Colonel (David Beebe) is contrasted by the playful smiles of The Dancing Sisters and the whole picture is sent into a bit of a tailspin by the perpendicular “Where’s Waldo” cameo appearance of Conn in the lower right corner.

More pictures of the evening’s festivities coming soon.

The call of the Irish

These corporates sales events are chock-a-block full of information during the day and I am sure the sales staff is learning a lot. The night time is not so much about the learning as it is cutting loose a little during a work week.

Tonight was given over to letting the directors take their teams out for a big posh dinner. Since I am here in support of the event I had my choice of which team event I wanted to attend. I chose to go with the services group which contains the highest percentage of our Irish employees, most of whom are officed overseas with the exception of Owen (pictured to the right) who has moved over here. You might recall me mentioning him before.

The services team was having their dinner at Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Cafe. Overall it was a quiet affair with no one getting out of hand. After the meal some comments were made about how my blog featured a relative stranger and some lizards but failed to mention any of my co-workers. The comments were coming from one the Irish contingent who was also working in cahoots with Owen, trying to convince me to go to the bar and “have a few.” I knew this was a recipe for absolute disaster as I have to be up at 6:00 am to work the event.

I assume many of them are, even now, getting their groove on at some local drinking establishment. When they find their way back to the hotel and eventually cruise by this site I wanted to make sure there was something for them. I now present The Irish Contingent:

The photograph, not surprisingly, was taken at the hotel bar a few nights ago. They’re all stand up blokes (except for Sinead who is obviously not a bloke and should not be held responsible for the company she has to keep).

Part of me sort of regrets retiring early and missing out on the evening’s shenanigans, but it’s a small and very tired part that is about to go to sleep.