Mad Macedonian

Faith, Furniture and Freakiness

OK, call me crazy, but I stopped by a Christian second hand store a mile from home and sitting outside was a beautiful 3 piece wood furniture set, received only two days ago and just put out today.

A day after going to church for the first time in a good long while, I decide to check out this store, which I discovered a few weeks back.

There were two end tables and a coffee table for a total of $55.

I hadn’t planned on buying anymore furniture, because of the cost, but could not pass this steal of a deal up and I know just how to use them in what space I have. :-D

I carried one end table home, and came back, twice more, with my dolly, to get the other two.

The Mad Houstonian Goes to Lakewood Church

Change the way you think about yourself.

The opinion you have of yourself is the most important opinion that you have.

To fulfill your destiny, stay true to your heart. Don't let anyone squeeze you into a mold.

Joel Osteen on Twitter the last 4 days

We strive to make a positive impact on the city of Houston - A place where all are welcome to grow and flourish in faith and discover God's plan for their life.

Lakewood Church

Lakewood Church is located a block from Richmond Ave., at Timmons and Southwest Frwy. and, doesn’t look like the home to one of America’s more popular Mega Churches and its pastor, Joel Osteen. It’s only once you get inside that you realize how the former Compaq Center was transformed from a sports venue into a large and welcoming, religious institution, home to a 53 year old Houston, multicultural, congregation, proud of its Christianity.

There is a lot going on here, every day, and the best way to learn about it all is to explore the website. Walking the hall, past several entry ways to the service venue, several themed info/merchandise tables and several conference rooms, today, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of people, friendly, upbeat, and welcoming to people they knew, as well as complete strangers.

The centerpiece of this vast hall is the Religious Book and Gift Store, one of the best, varied and well stocked Christian Stores I’ve been in and admittedly, I’ve only been in a few, and only one other run by a Televangelist/Mega Church. A major plus are its extensive child, young adult, and Hispanic, sections.

Yes, books and multi-media products by Joel and his wife, Victoria, are on prominent display, but they do not overwhelm the place and I give them credit for selling books by other famous evangelists and Christian thinkers, past and present, including other prominent Texas names, and even a few of those folks who are the latest, in America’s long religious history, to be pre-occupied with prophecy and “End Times” hand wringing. There are also many varieties of Bibles, & Bible study resources, adult, and young adult, fiction, of the religious, and historical/religious, genres.

The “Church” part of the complex is a huge, multi-level, bowl, with a huge stage positioned where the seating spreads out in front, and above it, with several huge TV screens that bring the stage into closer view for those who didn’t bring a pair of binoculars. :-D

Another reason to be grateful to God and Joel’s designers, for the TV’s, will be appreciated during the service if you prefer not to stand for an hour and bounce up and down, sway side to side &/or wave your hands toward the heavens. Unless you stand the screens are the only way, in some parts of the room, that you will be able to see the stage. :-D

Unpacking and Taking an Initial Look Around

On Sept. 25^th my relocube arrived. When I opened it my life in Houston almost came to an end.

The jostling of the long journey, from California, moved things around a bit and several containers threatened to fall on my head!

Bracing a few up, with my back and shoulders, I lowered others to the ground. Using my dolly, and the elevator in my building, it took just 2 days to unload. Only 3 items were left for the third day because some visitor ignored the sign I’d put on the cube door, asking people not to block it (There were plenty of other spaces to choose from).

A larger picture frame with copies of some of my proudest blogging efforts, was damaged and would need to be replaced (Done, though I need to re-print out my posts.)

I put a polite note on the miscreants driver door handle, asking them to next time please read the note. The next morning the car was closer to the cube, and I was not able to remove the last items until the cube was picked up later in the day.

I only learned later that I might have been able to position the cube in a different way and still remain in the parking space.

Dining Out With Mad 5: Cafe Pita+, My 1st Houston Review

Hello, Houston! I'm hungry, how about you? :-D

It's been over 3 years since I last wrote a post in a series I called "Dining Out With Mad". In August I shared an entertaining story about a dining experience at a fancy Hollywood establishment, in 2002, that didn't last all that long after my visit during its opening weeks. :-D

It wasn't my fault, honest!

So, Houston, it's your turn, now...Think you're up to having me chow down in your fine dining venues? :-D

I hadn’t planned on writing a review of anything experienced in Houston, for a while, much less spend so much money on a meal so soon, but my friend BJ told me, Sunday, about a Bosnian Café she recommended, and urged me to “have a Potato Burek for me!”.

Bosnia, being part of the former Yugoslavia, just as the homeland of my Father, Macedonia had been, how could I resist? And the place is within walking distance of where I live! :-D

Memories of the legendary Greek restaurant, Yanni’s, that my parents loved in the Claremont, Ca. of the 50’s (When they were courting) & 60’s (when I was a child), and was still run by the old man’s son when I last ate there over a decade ago, came back, as did the taste and smell of my Mom’s Stuffed Peppers.

Café Pita+ is located on Westheimer, at Walnut Bend, in the Westchase District of Houston.

Do Texans Take Voting Seriously, or What?

Earlier this month I, the Mad Houstonian, did what any newcommer to a new state would do, if he cared about the fate of his city, county, state, and nation...registered to vote.

On Friday the County Registrar of Voters sent me a letter telling me I didn't exist, and so they couldn't let me vote, so there!

Well, OK, not in those exact words, but you get the idea. :-D

How did they come to this conclusion?

It appears someone, in the process of transcribing my info into the system misspelled my last name.

Kundurazieff became Kindurazieff

Needless to say I made a phone call, Monday morning. :-D

They were all full of apologies, and said the error would be corrected within 4 days, and I would be in the system, and able to vote.

Getting My Initial Bearings

My first few days in Houston were a busy time.

I soon realized that a Q-Card was a necessity for navigating the transit system as cheaply as possible for a person who, like me, uses it almost daily. Regular fair being $1.25, and there being no transfers, the card allows a person unlimited rides for 3 hrs.  under certain conditions, and 5 free rides after every 50 uses. After a month of use it appears to me that I will have to put $60 – 70 on the card a month. Quite different than a $55, a month pass like in the OC.

Unlike many agencies in SoCal, bus schedules come in individual pamphlets, not an all-in-1 book for a $1 and the system can be a bit confusing for anyone not familiar with it.

On my first major excursion into the wilds of urban Houston to try to get my state ID (turns out I had to wait a month, I guess to see if living here would be agreeable to my, and Houston’s, digestive systems) I asked one driver directions when I needed to transfer to another bus and ended up going the wrong way, getting a 3 hour tour of a part of town, thus learning where 2 universities, and a huge bike trail were. :-D

The Coming of the Mad Houstonian

Harris County, he is among you!

The Mad Houstonian...

Some say that he arrived among us...from California, at the crack of dawn one september day... possibly after riding his bicycle all the way non-stop.

 

or was it one rainy afternoon, as thunder boomed, lightening lit up the darkened sky, and water poured from the heavens in amounts rarely seen in these parts that time of year...

 

 

Some say that he and his companions are agents of more advanced beings...sent to Earth to observe us and prepare the way for 1st Contact.

Yoo, Hoo, Houston, I'm Heeere....Day 1

Musings of a brand new Houstonian...

The morning of Sept. 2oth...

Once we left the airport we were the only passengers on the Super Shuttle ride to our apartment and I got my first ground level look at Houston, even though the ride was mostly on a freeway.

A combination of open spaces, business parks, corner shopping centers, huge malls, and residential areas, barely scratches the surface of what Houston is all about.

The open spaces, including the bayous and parks, and the amount of trees, especially in residential areas, as well as the amount of traffic on the freeway and busy streets, were what stood out most to me, initially.

Upon arrival at our new home I met the complex staff and filled out paperwork, made payments and was shown a few things and given my keys.

Then it was time to meet our new digs.

The complex is big and we walked across a good part of it to my building which, with stairs and an elevator, will make reaching my second floor apartment, in a 3 floor building, easy.

While the complex has been around a while and the pavement, in places, shows its age, the buildings and grounds looked nice.

Getting Comfortable in My New Home, Adding Chairs and Bookcases

Since taking this photo I put to use my wireless keyboard and mous, and am now more at ease using the laptop. :-D

This past week I bought 4 butterfly chairs on sale at Target. and 2 Billy Bookcases at Ikea.

I had planned to get just 2 chairs, since the ad said they were $29.99, but when I got to my local Target I found just a red one on sale for $14.98.

When I asked if other stores had any, I was told where, and so went to see what I could find.

I found 3 blue on sale, but for $20.98.

It took 3 employees for me to find one authorized to do what I wanted.

I waved the red one at her saying I'd love to buy the 3 blue at the lower price, and she agreed! :-D

This is my "Wall of Inspiration".

In addition to the photos and inspirational plaques (including the Desiderata), there are "38 Thoughts to Start the Day", my "Creative Writer's Prayer, a Wordplayer's Manifesto, The Lord's Prayer and 23rd Psalm, Rudyard Kipling's poem "If", some inspirational thoughts by Robert Lee Brewer, 20 Things I Would Like to Have Manifest in My Life of a Material, Spiritual, Intellectual, and Creative Nature (3 1/2 checked off so far!), the LinkedIn Recommendation from my friend Randy Eady, and my friend Amanda Socci's urging to me to "Exercise your balls!" and other thoughts about my future personally and creatively. :-D

One more thing will be added in the space next to the flags, just above my computer, once I get another frame, and print the relevant items out again.

PYTW 41: Framing Myself as a Way to Inspire My Hopes and Dreams

I may get a larger frame and add a few things, it depemds.

Good-Bye California! Houston, Here We Come!

Here's the story of a sassy lady who was living with two very handsome guys. One of them was human, the other a cat like her.

Here's the story of a man named Kiril, who was living in the state where he had grown. He and 2 cats, living all together, in Santa Ana, California, all alone.

Till one day when the man had an idea, after 2 years unemployment, and much thought, he had a hunch, that his creative and personal lives needed change. That's the way these 3 ended up in Texas, Houston, Texas.

That's the way this creative writer ended up in Texas, Houston, Texas! :-D

So let’s begin on the evening of Sept. 19^th:

I fed the cats, gave them their sedative, put them in their harnesses, and carriers and then turned out the lights and closed the door, on my life of 52 years and 6 months, in California.

The Super Shuttle ride was uneventful and we got to LAX at 1015pm. Over the next hour I checked in, filled out paperwork for the cats, then took Nikita to pet baggage where I attached the leash and took him out of his carrier so they could inspect it.

Since they attached cables to further secure the doors I knew it was safe to take him out of the harness for the rest of the journey. I held him and talked to him as he calmly looked around and then said good-bye as they took him away.

Elvira and I then went through TSA and I put the leash on her as I carried her through the x-ray. She was as much a lady as Nikita was a gentleman, as she looked around, eyes wide in curiosity. :-D

I asked if I should keep her in harness and since they were not sure of the Dallas airport layout they recommended I do so.

Having to go to the restroom, I told Elvira to avert her eyes and sallied forth! I got a few odd looks as I entered and announced, “Just so ya know, lady in the cat bag!” :-D

On the trip to Dallas Elvira was quiet and well behaved, stuffed under the seat in front of me.