Go, Joyce, Go header image 1

The center of the universe

October 7th, 2009 · 3 Comments

That’s what I call it, this neighborhood of ours, only slightly tongue in cheek.  Universities, libraries, parks, museums, grocery stores, cozy cafes, green boulevards and our favorite restaurants are all just a hop, skip, or jump away.  Our walk score is 86; needing groceries doesn’t necessarily mean we need to bother pulling the car out of the garage.  If downtown is Houston’s energy-economy brain, Montrose is its adventurous, generous heart. 

So I was naturally happy to read this morning that the American Planning Association identified Montrose as one of their Great Places in America. I was even downright proud, and ready to say so.

But the day you don’t take a shower first thing in the morning, and you’re wearing your fat pants (my belly is still tender and cranky from surgery 12 days ago) and your husband’s t-shirt (needed something baggy to go with the fat pants) is the day you wind up on television.  Everything I said is true, though.

(The video should be embedded here, but it may not appear on your browser.)

 

(The whole KTRK story is here.)

Decades ago a newsperson knocked on my grandmother’s door and interviewed her about something. I think someone had died, but I don’t remember who. I think my Aunt Zelda was a baby, and cried the whole interview. I bet Mamo looked cute. She maybe even had a little lipstick.

I only regret (in addition to the fact that I hadn’t showered) was that I didn’t bother spelling my name out. We were in the middle of violin lesson and I needed to run back inside. I feared it would take forever and get misspelled, anyway. But I should have, though, just for fun. It would have taken up the whole line at the bottom of the screen.

I called Matt after the violin lesson and told him I might be on television. Carmen and David heard and asked, "What’s television?"


~
Right after we spoke, Matt watched a KTRK truck pull into the Fluor parking lot. He was almost famous, too, but for less happy reasons.

Tags: Bigger Pictures

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Evelyn M Almaguer // Oct 7, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Wow! on TV! and not ready! That’s the world of a Mommy.
    When you were about Carmen’s age, Mamo took you to Aunt Zelda’s school to visit for a special ceremony in honor of JFKennedy. Mamo spoke to the reporters present about how she had kept many newspaper clippings on JFK for her daughter, Zelda to have for the future. And now, here she was attending the high school named after him. The reporters told Mamo they would come to visit to see the clippings. She went home to prepare. They came to the house. Of course, it was during the day and no one knew. Later, right after 6PM, as we were finishing supper, a neighbor called and told Mamo they had seen her on TV! with “Baby Joyce” at her side. They showed the interview and you were crying the whole time, the neighbors said. It was the world news and- none of us saw it!!!!!
    Glad we caught this one!!!

    love it,
    Mom

  • 2 J. // Oct 7, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Mom, thanks, I knew you’d set that story straight. *I* was the one who was crying? Well, at least I didn’t do that this time around. (Do you remember who did the interviewing?)

  • 3 Sarah Hazel // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:53 am

    I thought that you looked great and were very well spoken. I especially like your mom’s commentary about Mamo’s (and your) world news fame, too. :)

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