The Galveston Wizard

First Anniversary Issue! Back Issues Online! Vol.. #7 Galveston Wizard TM G’Wiz www.galvestonwizard.com www.myspace.com/galvestonwizard TM You Are the Ruler of Your Realm “RAISING SPIRITS” Fantastic Voyage! Page 6 High Time For Disc Golf in Galveston Page 9 Separating Mice From Tin Page 19 TM More! 2 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Make reservations tonight at DiBella’s Italian Restaurant Tuesdays thru Thursdays, Sundays Doors open at 5, Close at 9:30 Fridays and Saturdays, Doors open at 5, Close at 10:30 Tuesdays thru Fridays Doors open at 11, Close at 2 “New And Don’t forget DiBella’s Daily Lunch Specials Wine List Comi ng S Call them today at 409.763.9036 Located at 31st and Ave P Reservations Preferred oon” Cash or Check Only Sales Installation Repairs Access Santa Fe Automatic Gates “B.I.O.” Telephone Systems Born in the Ozarks Security Controls Now Hiring: Competent Journeyman. Clean Driving Record, Advancement Opportunities. Email resume to: mikeworkstx@yahoo.com contact Mike Snyder @ 409.457.3988 www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 3 The clouds parted... ...and then there were none. A Wizard Is Nothing Without His Staff Editor In Chief David Torkelson Design/Layout David Torkelson Rick Bacon Hoy Polloi (cont) Publisher David Torkelson Contributors David Torkelson Linda Sivy Rick Bacon Hoi Polloi Captain Chinbeard David Stanowski Scoop Matty e Jason Gorham Jennifer Rowan Photography David Torkelson Rick Bacon Tianna Coykendall Kevin Johnson Sandy Advertising David Torkelson Linda Sivy Rick Bacon Chance Weatherly Arlessa Wise Steven Kelley Distribution David Torkelson Jason Gorham Rick Bacon Chance Weatherly Linda Sivy Web Wizards (ReAwakening soon) David Torkelson Isaac Almaguer Bryant Silkscreen Wizard Press Gorilla Steven Kelley Brave Rogues Steven Kelley Peter Frutiger Dirty Lopez Web site: www.galvestonwizard.com Email: thewiz@galvestonwizard.com Phone: 409.621.2864 Mail: P.O. Box 3467 Galveston Texas 77552-3467 WHAT IS IT YOU SEEK? 4 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Greetings From the Galveston Wizard, There is a storm on the way! A storm of opportunity, growth and possibility for all things “Galveston!” What’s even more awesome is that the winds of change that are blowing will be of your own creation! Helping others helps you! A whirlwind of teamwork, communication, understanding, and tolerance is our best defense against the hurricane of monotony, mediocrity, greed, self-absorption and misery. We have to realize that the successes and failures of our fellow Galvestonians are ultimately our own! Every kind word, helping hand, contribution or open mind you can lend someone in need surely will not go unnoticed by the powers that be. Center your focus on what it is you want to do with your life, what’s important to you. When you arrive at that (and it will not be easy), then start moving! Where do you want to be? What legacy, if any, will you leave behind? Will others will follow your example? We have much to learn from each other. As an island community and beyond! We must find our spiritual center, that which keeps us on course and in line. “To where?” you may ask. Well, my friend, where are we headed? -Galveston Wizard We touched on many subjects, and visited many realms in our 6th issue, “End of Ages.” We hoped to convey certain truths, or ideals related to the end of Ageism, organizing events and people and much more! The cool Buddha statue panel that we encouraged readers to discover has since been moved, not only that, but it was N 1/2, not S 1/2, sorry for the mix-up, but we trust that if you truly sought the buddha, you would eventually ﬁnd him. Things we hope to improve upon: Some things we just missed, while other things were out of of our control. A majority of the staff agreed that Marc Philllips’ “Ah, Rome” was Deadline (On Last Issue) SubmissionSept 10! Issue #8 the most inspired article from the last issue, harmonized masterfully with Hoy Polloi’s hillarious “Romericans” political cartoon. We apologize that we’ve still yet to return to Bolivar to see what busnesses we can tell Islanders and their guests about. Soon though! We ﬁxed your hours, Captain’s Table! Stew made it to the clean up day he organized. (phase 2 this issue) We meant no harm with the pic, Elisse. We’re on your side. Thanks for the Editorial StaffPower Meeting place, Gravity Bar. Who’s ready to sponsor a News Stand? Year two, and with it, phase two begins with this completely revamped issue number 7. And we honestly say it’s our best one yet. Cast your spell Submission Criteria and Guidelines Be legible. (Typed email submissions Give details. If you do provide a picture, only, please! Submissions may be edited be sure to include your name, contact, for content or readability.) 200-400 words for caption, and other pertinent information. Editorial Article Submissions, Little as one sentence for letter to wizard. Email submissions to us at: thewiz@ galvestonwizard.com (preferred) Be optimistic. If you present a problem, offer solutions. What’s going Sending Something snail mail? P.O. wrong, what’s going right? Box 3467, Galveston, Tx 77552-3467. Sending artwork? Make copies. Questions, Comments and Ideas Do not send originals as items will not be may also be directed to David Torkelson at returned. (email as high quality pdf) 409.621.2864 Back issues online at www.galvestonwizard.com Expires Oct 1st 2007 The Best Subs are at Ultimate Subs & Salads “Ultimate Steak Bomb” Bring in this ad and get a free can drink with your sub or salad purchase. Try the 706 Holiday Dr. (Behind Walgreens on 4th and Seawall) www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 5 Thoughts from Readers, Hey there great Oz reat r re I recently returned to ently e en Galveston Island after a 7 year la a and v ve sabbatical. I’ve attached a press bout b release/story about an adventure of mine, but there is oh so u ut much more to the story! 7 Years he h ago, my aunt, Jenna Ware and I enna en n C owned a Deli in Campeche Cove, t called “The Lost Dog Deli”. The foreshadowing is mind-blowing, s considering here I sit years later, engaged to a “nearly native” and early ea a having spent my time away helpnt my t ing lost dogs, well, get “un-lost”. ost dog , w g we et un-lost . I picked u your paper cke up ed e my second day back, because it intrigued me and I like to be intrigued. Let me know if you have any questions, want to chop the heck out of the release or need another other fascinating dogs stories for your very entertaining paper. Best Jennifer Rowan (See submission, page 30) HeyWiz, HeyW W I’m sitting in Gatwick Airport ne nestled in the english country e side but they call it “London”. at but u ut this mom it is 9:15 in the evemoment om ning and I don’t board my contid ﬂight nental ﬂig until 9:30 tomorrow i ig morning. So, lots of pictures, lots of stories. . My My two weeks in London, and Holland, a Germany was just needed to shake off that what I nee e ee around my neck. albatross from a ss s Now I can com back with a clear c come h d head focus, and motivation. I head, have some photos that you could use for the cover if you want or I’ve got some art as well. Let’s meet up when I get back to Galveston and we can do some brain storming. Looking forward to getting to work. -Thomas Hey, keith from up at murphys (with jumping the shark) My ﬂickr account is chefkeifus, wills is willthing. Just go to ﬂickr and search for them. I’m kind of new to it so I don’t know the exact addresses. Enjoy! -Keith Martin We look forward to hearing from our readers from the realm! Take the time to send us a note! We sure do appreciate all of the continued support and encouragements! thewiz@galvestonwizard.com Wizard, After reading the article on cleaning up 61st street; I would like to help at the time that the author had put in the paper. There was no mention of the place we are to meet though. Has he said where we are to meet? -gregory hadley (See Phase II page 24!) Hey Wizard, Just looked at your site. Cool! And very much thanks for putting me at the top...looks great! Love it that I can now click to get to the zazzle site. Is it possible for you to do the same with my cafepress and printfection sites? I’m glad you like my new ad. My son is a genius, if I do say so myself. Are you going to put the new ad online too?? Yeah, yeah! Please do. I know you’re busy...just my thoughts. I’ll be looking for the new Wizard (paper version)...maybe I’ll go to Dibellas to get one. Could use a good steak. Yum. Talk to you later, Giny Wiz, Where is the Island Pride? Why is it that people don’t honor each other? I’m a boy from Hawaii. In Hawaii we have “Kama-Ina” rates for all local people of the islands. Show your ID, prove that you are from the islands and you automatically get 50% off. This includes restaurants, ﬁne dining, clubs, and many special events. There, business men and women of the island and the people of the island work together in harmony. They don’t ﬁght each other, and they don’t take advantage of the local people. Here seems to be the complete opposite! No discounts for local people? Especially, in the winter months, when they really need our love, they just keep taking, and taking, and taking. Where is our island pride? -Mr. Ed Totat Fitness ON 49TH AND SEAWALL IS OFFERING A GALVESTON WIZARD EXCLUSIVE Warehouse 102 20th Street Art Gallery Furniture Glassware Between Strand and Harborside Peanut Butter 3 MONTHS FOR ONLY BRING IN OR MENTION THIS ADVERTISEMENT FOR DISCOUNT $99 Vintage Merchandise Dealer Consignment Shop Segway Rentals Business # 409.762.8358 Mon-Sun 10am to 6pm “A REAL FITNESS CENTER THAT OFFERS REAL PROFESSIONAL HELP THAT PRODUCS REAL RESULTS. Totat Fitness 409.763.5448 Nutty’s Crazy Peanut Butter Confections Coming Soon: 12 Flavors! www.PeanutButterWarehouse.com 6 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Fantastic Voyage! Who would we be if we did not “practice what we preach?” A professor we admire called such people “hypocrites.” He went on to say that every single one of us is a hypocrite on some level or another. A hypocrite (and don’t worry, we’re not talking about you) is a person that feigns or fakes beliefs, feelings, or virtues that they don’t hold or possess. They go around saying one thing, and then totally do another! Whether or not the person can admit to possessing at least some level of hypocrisy may directly relate to their actual hypocrisy levels! In our previous issue, we urged readers to “Take A Vacation.” Depart from any routines, dust cobwebs off of your travel toothbrush and get out there! As brave as we may sound in our quest for a brief Exodus from the normal routine, our travels came about in much the same way as most travel these days does. Obligation. (This is a good thing, in most cases!) People care about you all over the map, we’ll wager. They hold you in their hearts, and there are times when your presence is needed more elsewhere, at a higher signiﬁcance, than your “cause” here. (Your “Cause” as in what you are doing here, what difference you are making for yourself and others....you do have one, don’tcha?) The people you have met or are connected to on your way in life are “hopefully” doing great things in realms of their own, making lives for themselves, and important and exciting things are happening for them every day. Their realms are most likely very different from yours, and there is probably many exciting and unique things to check out, learn about, see, and do. (Much like our own island!) Weddings, Family Reunions, Emergency Emotional Support to miracle survivor loved ones, and more! Whatever takes you out of the realm you are in and drops you into another place (and time, depending on where you go!) ultimately presents to you an opportunity to sample or see how other cities, communities, and towns are doing things! What’s working for them? What are their hang-ups? What cool things can one learn, observe and take in in another place. Could we learn something about our own realm? Probably. Will we learn something about ourselves? Most likely. Be sure to bring back with you, besides the renewed vigor and enthusiasm, some pictures and ideas. Perhaps we can relate your travels, ideas and experiences to our readers! Dallas Our travels brought us to the Great City of Dallas. It’s Like Houston, but with crazier drivers. (if you can imagine) There was a lot to see around town. After a solid afternoon of driving we could navigate the area with relative ease. Downtown was impressive, and there was deﬁnitely signs of growth and progress! (And they have Taco Bueno’s there...mmmm, “Muchaco’s.”) It was great hanging out with our friends at night. Catching up, seeing where everyone is and where they are going! We were sad to leave this budding city and we learned much in our travels there! Our friend Lowell is StreetZine Vendor #Z-401 in Dallas. The publication is funded by advertisers and the vendors sell hard copies for a dollar and get to keep 75 cents of the proﬁts. (They buy them for a quarter apiece! Self employed!) The publication is quite good, tackling issues on homelessness, offering resources and more! Also, there were contributions such as poetry, artwork and more, giving the reader much food for thought. They’re not asking for change, they’re offering it for only one buck. Maybe with the help of organizations such as the United Way and Salvation Army, we at the Galveston Wizard could...I mean we pretty much.... More on that later! Minneapolis Ate heartily with our Mom’s Sister and her amazing family. The next day we slept in (as one does on vacation) and spent the remainder of the day driving around and thru downtown and it’s surrounding areas. Almost lost the map out the window. Got to see where the Minnesota Vikings reign supreme, along with the University of Minnesota campus....Campuses always get us itching to learn! Don’t forget about our own Galveston College here! Also A&M Galveston, University of Texas Medical Branch, or the good old fashioned Galveston Island School of Hard Knocks. Just don’t skip out on class, if you know what we mean. We drove across several towering bridges. The Twin Cities, are called so, we believe, because the cities are split by lakes. It got us thinking about our own Causeway...actually it had us knocking on wood about our Causeway. Oh, and we ate Arby’s and saw a badass waterfall. glug, glug, glug. Brought to your table and everything! Completely-naked stone women were laying all around one ofﬁce building. They were wise to make them much larger than life to help deter childish and immature posings, we reasoned. We had no idea, but quickly found out that our cousins are actually Guitar Hero’s too! It’s like the real thing, but without the pesky groupies, fanbase and wads of cash! Impressive to watch, though! “ahhhh.” Now it’s on you to tell us what where you went and what you saw! Tell us of your travels! What did you see? What did you learn? What can you teach us? thewiz@galvestonwizard.com www.galvestonwiza d.com www.galvestonwizard.com stonwizar Raising Spirits Raising Spirits i 7 Come Beat the Heat at Island Bowl Shoes - $2.25 SPECIALS Monday - Friday until 5:00 pm Rent a Lane for an hour $15.00 Monday & Thursday after 6:00 pm $2.25 per person / per game 3424 Seawall Blvd. Galveston Texas 77550 (Off 35th and Seawall) (409) 763-0655 RATES Family and Friend Fun Before 6:00 pm - Children - $2.75, Adult - $3.00 After 6:00 pm $3.25 All Prices are Per Person/Per Game HOURS Monday - Friday 11:00 am - Midnite Saturday and Sunday - Noon - Midnite Full Service Lounge “Best Cheeseburgers in Town!” First Bite. Sweet. Thanks for the tip Belly full of McInstant Soy Combo Meal (phase 1 budget) , we made our way throught the storm. Torrents of Rain crashing upon our transport, we pulled in front of the next business we patronize regularly We grabbed our binders and made for the refuge the front door offered. Attempted lunges over puddles give way to the realization that it is all one enormous puddle. Gotta keep these issues dry for these decision makers! Which last quest thru the realm to ﬁnd out which trend-setting community leaders we could ﬁnd to help us help them get to our readers. As we understand it, everyone is out there trying to make things work, both for themselves and for the community in which they thrive. We want the opportunity to be able to bring our readers to businesses that we ourselves patronize! Help us do our job! As we directly distributed a few of the remaining copies to the Olympia Grill, we were greeted heartily by the staff and management. Turns out they were in “pre game” mode for a large event they were putting on that night. We were told we should come back for a drink later on and check it out. We thanked them for their time and were back on the streets. Time to go upstairs and see how we can help Total Fitness get more people “thinking ﬁt.” We left the tower again to check out Greek Night. We were treated to a Greek Beer Sampling while the evening got underway. Good times! It was fun to see the culture and climate of what we assumend to be a pretty authentic shindig. (Elderly man picking up table in his mouth and all). The belly dancers were amazing, being showered with money as they performed. The band had the crowd at it’s mercy, and a surprise latecomer stole the show as the event began it’s wind-down (And as the bellies of non-dancers reached maximum capacity.) We hope to be able to continue bringing our readers to cool events and happenings and look forward to seeing you there, loyal readers! “Opah!” ($) Itch-soothing device, 99 cents at Hick’s. “ahhhhhhhhh.” Hick’s “We Sell Boxes!” G’Wiz T-Shirts $10.00. 8428 Teichman Rd. Galveston, Texas Automotive Inspections Junk Sale Remote-Controlled Cars Available on All Vehicles Getting your back scratched, Perfume Priceless. “Hick’s U-Haul literally makes delivery of the Galveston Wizard possible! Be sure to show them you support them (and all of our advertisers) for their support of us! And tell them we sent you!” 8 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Before we get started, take a deep breath. Inhale thru your nose, using your diaphram to draw in a large amount of air. Exhale slowly until all of the air is out. Relax. Now do it again, and this time, try to clear your mind of all thoughts. Close your eyes and do it one more time. Pretty relaxing, huh? It’s called “Breathing!” Meditate and reﬂect with us on your own quality of life. Are you at peace? Are you fully focused, aware, and active in the world that surrounds you? Certian people, like our friend Edward, always seems to see the sunny side of things. Someone could make a huge mess at his job and he’d be there in a second with a smile on his face, saying “At least now I have a reason to mop.” he’d say with crippling joy as he sprang into action. We envy him that spirit...that positivity. Oftentimes, we get so caught up in our “gripes,” “aches,” and “pains,” that we begin to lose sight of the joys of being. Enjoy Being! Waking up and grumbling thru your day is no way to live. (We’re working on it too!) Whatever situations or circumstances that weigh on you, be they social, individual, work, or family related, can only control you if you let them. These “distractions” can often take root in us we begin to let little things start to get to us that at one time had no such negative effect. The child-like joy that we once knew has faded in some of us. But what is keeping our attention? What is wrestling our focus from Raising Spirits us and driving us apart from one another, individually and on a community and business level? Have we forgotten why we are doing what we are doing? Why are we doing what we do? Self-government, brotherly love, mutual respect for one another, and an overall desire to what is right for one and all are cornerstones for a full and happy existence for yourself and everyone around you! Worn, jaded and callous-many of us need to reach from that pit of despair we’ve found ourselves in and grab onto something... anything...while we still can. Where do you ﬁnd your motivation? What inspires you? Perhaps an inquisitive look into the philosophies, religions and cultures of your world might generate some insights? There are many sound instructions, meditations, prayers, poems, parables, and advice throughout most of the worlds religions. An open mind and heart while investigating a religion outside one’s own “known” may know may yield surprising results and similarities! Try on different philosophies, ideals, and observations of the great thinkers of humanity for an added layer of understanding to what it is to be human, who we are, and how we interact with the world around us. Ultimately, happiness can only come from within. You are the ruler of your realm. Your levels of effort and involvement in bringing yourself to a more peaceful and harmonious place, will have a huge effect on your world around you. If we can manage to bring such things forth from ourselves, exhuding love and compassion for one another, we can help raise the overall spirit, quality, and gratification of both ourselves and our fellow man and woman. As tensions lift, and spirits rise, we can continue to encourage, support and grow. Spiritually, we can become more at one with ourselves. At this point you become a living example. Others will take note of your demeanor, vigor, and love for life. This is not the time to start forcing your particular path to nirvana onto others. Rather, let them consider the working progress of such a spiritual journey. Offer others a shoulder to lean or cry on, and a helping hand as often as you can. It could be you needing it someday. Be eager to help those who stumble, however it is ultimately up to them to ﬁnd their own balance. Keep your spirits up! Great StylesHair Salon Call today to set up an appointment! $ Virginia (409)795-0302 ANY HAIRCUT WITH THIS COUPON Haircut • Perms • Highlights • Color • Styling Call for appt. or walk-ins welcome (Coupon Valid with Virginia and Jovie only) 2 OFF 00 Jovie (409)256-1682 www.galvestonwizard.co www.galvestonwizard.com www.galvestonwizard.com ww Raising Spirits Raising Spirits 9 High Time for Disc Golf In Galveston by Rick Bacon Galveston, I really think we need a disc golf course. “What is disc golf?“ You might ask. It is a sport that is nearly identical to golf (except clubs, balls, and green fees). The object is simple; throw a frisbee from the tee box to the basket that’s anywhere from 80 to 800 feet away. Scoring is the same as golf and all variations of golf can be played in disc golf as well. There are now around 150 courses in Texas and not a single one is on the island. I believe that our location would make our course unique and thereby an attractive place to hold many events throughout the year. We have the advantage when it comes to lodging and entertainment for participants and spectators alike. If the course met some simple standards on course design, eventually we could hold some really big national tournaments. T h r o u g h some loose investigation on my part, I estimate that the cost to build a course would be $10,000 to $20,000. (That doesn’t include the cost of the real estate, mind you.) I based those costs on PDGA Tour standard tee boxes, signs and baskets. I can see it now…ﬁrst a new course…then everyone checks it out…local business’s start carrying discs, and other accessories…Someone gets motivated to start a local disc golf club…Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings become disc-golf days for many Galvestionians…PDGA events come through our course, bringing in more money to the community, more reasons to bring the whole family…Who knows, in 10 years, we could all be planning on going to the United States Disc Golf Championships right here on the island. I love it. In the meantime, the closest course I could ﬁnd was in Hitchcock. It is located in Jack Brooks Park. For a really good online resources, I recommend http://www.discgolf.com or http:// www.pdga.com . You can ﬁnd maps, vendors, rules, forums or anything you need to start playing before everyone else has. More information online from Disc Golf Houston at www.dghou.com Jack Brooks Park in Hitchcock. Contact: Jake Walsdorf Home: (281) 648-1870 Work: (979) 273-4990 photo credit: Tianna Coykendall www.thelunchboxcafegalveston.com thelunchboxcafegalveston@yahoo.com 21stGalveston, Texas and Strand 409.770.0044 Try one of our delicious “life affirming September limeades” Flavor of the Month Coconut! Enjoy Limitless Flavor Daya and Laura look forward to meeting you! Stop by and check it out! Combinations! Tuesday-Saturday 10am Closed Mon, Sun - 4pm 10 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard We’ll Get You Next Time, Bicycle Day! by Young Rodney II We saw the ﬂier. (Susanah with T.F. Hippie’s on 24th and Mechanic actually gave us a ﬂier). “Galveston Island Bicycle Day?” We were excited! Why would we not be excited to attend to an informal showcase and gathering of bikers in Galveston from near or far? These “Masters of the Two Wheel Motion” declared to hit downtown at Sangerfest Park for a day of bikedness in the sun. It happened Saturday July 21, in case you missed it. And it was the ﬁrst of it’s kind! Organization! We Efﬁn Love it. Meet other people that like bikes! See cool customizations by cutting edge bicycle sculptors like Brett with BRF Bikes! (281.381.3388). Word has it he has ties with a thrillseeking bicycle group called “The Black Widows.” Cutting edge coordination by local businesses actually generated community wide interest in their “business,” wrapped it around a day of fun, sprinkled on generous donations to the Galveston County Health Department EMS Bike Team to provide bike helmets for kids in need, then they served it up to you! Enjoy. I admit. I couldn’t make it. My bike wasn’t ready. I need a new seat, handlebars, and an out of the attic cleaning from Island Cycle Repar. (See ad below) You’ll see me at the next one in full force. We hope to see you there too! New group called the E Street EZ riders. We have about seven active members and we are looking for more! We ride every Tues night starting off at the MOD around 7:30 Go downtown to UTMB and cruise ship docks, seawall just all over town only requirement is for night riding is lights, front and rear and a helmet. contact Robert Taylor at rtaylor@ gc.edu for more information. The Original Island Bicycle Shop in Downtown Galveston Island Cycle Repair is a full service bicycle shop. We ﬁx all makes, models & types and carry a full line of new parts, accessories and Bikes. We also sell a few used bikes. We are dedicated to the local cyclist from commuter to elite racer. Don’t give the big oil companies your hard earned money. RIDE YOUR BIKE!! Come by and say hello. We have FREE AIR!! Mention the Wizard for 15% off repairs. 2505 Market St. Galveston TX 7755o Next to Maceo’s 409 766 7878 myspace.com/islandcyclerepair www.galvestonwizard.com The Noshers Review: by Robert Taylor and Tim Thompson Raising Spirits 11 The Noshers recently tried Saxton’s Cafe, located at 611 37th, on the north side of Broadway. Saxton’s is an informal place, which offers good ole, downhome cookin’: burgers, chicken wings, sandwiches, a hearty country-style breakfast, and dinner plates, including ﬁsh, chicken fried steak, pork chops and fried chicken. Vegetarians won’t ﬁnd much to interest them here! One of us had a cheeseburger and fries, both of which were quite good, the other had his favorite, fried chicken wings, which he swears are some of the best in town. But their specialty is what they call the “junkburger”, and it’s a monster: two beef patties, a fried egg, ham, bacon, cheese, and of course the usual lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. That song by the Black Eyed Peas comes to mind: “What you gon’ do with all that junk? All that junk inside that trunk?” Not for the faint at heart, it even says on the menu “Is your cholesterol low? Let us perk you up!” The folks that run it are quite friendly. The owner, Percy Saxton, has been cooking on the island for over 45 years. Listening to him talk about where he has cooked is like taking a stroll down memory lane: the Schooner, Angelo’s, Wayne’s Drive-in, etc. Check it out! The Noshers . . . who ARE these guys?! “But you can’t have mine! Go get your own!” is all about boards. Surf, Skate or Skim, they have what you are looking for. With a wide variety of surfboards and skateboards made “in house”, you won’t ﬁnd another shop like it anywhere. As people walk through the door, they are greeted with a feeling of nostalgia. The walls are decorated with surfboards and skateboards from the 60’s and 70’s. People come from all over Texas to check out the “skate history“ display. With over ﬁfteen years of skating and surﬁng experience, they can help you with whatever you need . So swing by to get yourself a new stick, be it your ﬁrst one or just another addition to your collection. Don’t forget to check out the core surf and skate apparel only Riptide has to offer. Stop by today. And tell them that the Galveston Wizard sent ya! 27th and Broadway To reserve surf lessons, call 832-236-5484 12 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard How Can We Make Our Bus System More Efﬁcient? by Chance Weatherly First of all, thank you so much for the new buses, Island Transit! Now I can actually look down the street and think to myself with pride, “Now that’s a Bus.” These sweet new ones less remind us of a resort shuttle bus. They make me think of Galveston in the bigger picture. Wow, a City Bus. Great name, by the way. Also, thanks for the covered waiting areas. Great for beating the heat! We could add a few of them to the Seawall as well. “Seawall” you ask? Where can we be more efﬁcient with our routes? How about taking a route from the Arlan’s on 6th, straight down the Seawall, all the way to the movies, with speciﬁc stops along the SeaWall. This is one optional route we could offer you. It would also be a nice ride. Allowing us to get tourists on them as opposed to shuttles, thereby beeﬁng up the coffers allowing a big budget to help maintain and modernize our transit system. In addition, how about more CLEARLY deﬁned stops so an individual that has waited up to an hour just to get onboard won’t get passed right by. A few bright signs or something might help a lot. A route map should be posted at all times at certain bus stops as well. Why not, when it would save the city on map costs from handing them out? Check next issue for more solutions in much greater detail. (even) In the shadow of the American National Building lies the bus terminal at 20th and Ave D. Ask a driver for your schedule! The Slippery Slope Not ready to quit the whole thing? Not Try Why ELIMINATE The Smoking Diet See if you have the resolve to quit one “serving” The Morning Smoke The Social Smoke The After-Breakfast Smoke The Morning Commute Smoke The Cigarette Break Smoke The “I’m bored” smoke The After-Lunch Smoke The 2pm Cigarette Smoke The Quiet, Reﬂective Smoke The Gossip Circle Smoke The Evening Commute Smoke The “Saw Someone Else Smoking” Smoke The Post-Dinner Smoke The Post-Coitus Smoke (If you’re lucky) The Before-Bed Smoke Cigarettes jumped up a dollar after January 1st of this year. Smokers might look back fondly on this era as it was the injustice of this act that had many of us ready to quit...if only to prove that we could quit and redirect all of that money to other things. Instead of a pack of cigarettes, we could “Load up on Gums, bring your tall beverage with chewable ice and toothpicks, friend.” But hell low, how low never happened. Quitting wasn’t that hard. It was staying quiting that seems to be the problem. Whatever the stresses, trigger, needs or cravings that drove us back to our tobacco paciﬁers, we are back. We tried quitting smoking, but we enjoy/need/want them too much right now. Let’s face it, smokers are a dying breed. But what if we could slip our way back out of smoking the same way we slipped back in. When “Can I bum one?” became “Only when I drink.” became “Let me buy you a pack!” ﬁnally came full circle to where you now “Need to buy another pack.” We suggest, and hope to encourage a cigarette diet. Treat them like an event, not a necessity. You only have ten phalanges, why waste two of them holding a cigarette. www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 13 Victory Ave. Public Service Announcement: Don’t drink if you are underage. Never drink and drive. Paid for by G’Wiz Enterprises 14 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Street-Level Interview by Scoop Scoop here and im sitting in here with a fellow galvestonian. This man came from another country for god sakes to pursue the american dream only to brought down the deathstar we call the galveston city ofﬁcal. ricardo tovar is a artist as many people in galveston are and he has been strip of his right as that pursuit. What kind of message are we sending when a man is not allowed to pursue a dream, and lets face it we all dream. Question 1 how long have you been doing art in galveston. His reply 2 years in galveston and same amount of time on the strand. Question 2 what kind of art do you do. His reply protrait artist. Well all you tourist no more protraits for you! What a shame. Question 3 how did they appraoch you. His reply a city ofﬁcal came and told he was no longer allowed to do art on the strand. He asked why it wasnt allowedto draw on the side walk. That was it ! One word comes to mind. Communist democracy! First its no one is allowed to draw, a god-given gift, on a PUBLIC SIDEWALK! FINAL QUESTION Has this affected your income? He replied that it has indeed, and his next quote sickened and astonished me. “WELCOME TO MCDONALDS! Another great artist lost to the beaurocratic BS of our fair city! So the next question is “Who’s next?”! It could be any one of us! Welcome to the rock! This is Scoop saying Wake up Galveston. It’s real and it’s happening! If we don’t band together now, we are in for a world of hurt! SCOOP SIGING OFF! PEACE LOVE SOUL! Give the Galveston Wizard the opportunity to Promote your Events! (See prime example page 31!) We want to make sure that our readers Help us help you. What are you doing? How much room do you need? Email us at thewiz@galvestonwizard.com or call us at (409) 621-2864 know exactly “Where it’s At!” Hotties Tanning Salon 409-737-2020 1-888-737-5185 409.621.HOTT WHAT TAN LINES ? Located in the shopping center behind Academy www.galvestonwizard.com Dragonfly Gallery 701 14th Street Galveston, TX 77550 Rai Raising Spirits 15 409.770.9560 Vintage Jewelry Galveston Artwork Showcased Collectibles from Countries Worldwide Candles, Conversation Pieces, and More! c. 1920 Yellow Wicker Couch and Chair T-Shirts Magnets Stickers Coffee Mugs Home Decor & More Giny Hogan Collection “Original Watercolor Designs by Island Artist ” www.zazzle.com/ginyhogan www.cafepress.com/ginyhogan www.printfection.com/ginyhogan We don’t know what we think is cooler... Rob himself, or the sign hanging from the wall behind him offering a trade out of a computer for tattoos. Pay attention. Opportunity surrounds you! $2 OFF “Ya’ Mon!” These drummers were beating out cool rhythms for SeaWall Passers-by...or was it for themselves? Expression, in all of it’s forms add immensely to our island’s unique character. Let us continue to encourage gifted people to do what they love unobstructed by “the man”! We’re serious! a Regular or Large Combo at with this coupon. Hrs: Mon-Fri 11:00 to 8:00 pm, Sat and Sun 11-3:00pm. One coupon per customer per visit. Valid only at 2221 Market St. Galveston 16 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard GALVESTON.COM, GALVESTON.ORG, & GALVESTONCRUISES.COM Galveston.com Finalist 2007 Consumer Entertainment/Information Galveston.com Finalist 2007 Public Information Galveston.com Finalist 2007 Marketing “May 14, 2007 – Galveston.com & Company was named a Finalist in three interactive multimedia categories - Consumer Entertainment/Information, Public Information, and Marketing - in The 2007 American Business Awards for its entry, “Second Life Galveston Island.” The company was a winner in the Best Website Design category in the 2006 awards.” Discover Digital Galveston with Incredible Hi-Def Photo Gallery Second Life Thousands of Images Shot by V adim Troshkin (and of course, Galveston.com & Company) “Through Second Life, Galveston.com & Company is educating thousands of potential visitors and tourists about Galveston Island. In the same way Galveston.com broke through the clutter of conformity with its ﬁrst-of-its-kind audio and video podcasts, its proprietary DestinationNext reservation module, tourism-related RSS feeds, continuously-updated AccuWeather, and islandwide webcams, it will raise the bar once again in Second Life, offering rentable penthouses and seaside homes, a full-range of online shopping, energetic social centers and beach volleyball, and more. Quite simply, if one can’t visit real life Galveston Island, then Second Life Galveston Island will be the next best thing.” CRUISE RESERVATIONS GALVESTONCRUISES.COM: 888-304-8678 HOTEL, PARKING, AIRPORT TRANSFERS: 888-939-8680 www.galvestonwizard.com Galveston.com & Company presents: Raising Spirits 17 Galveston Island 2007 Fall Preview School is back in session, and that means fall is just around the corner. Whether you’re planning on only visiting Galveston Island for the day or you plan to make this your weekend getaway, there’s a list of fun and exciting things to do. September To help smooth the transition between summer and fall, September begins with the Icons of Rock Tour during Labor Day Weekend. What would if have been like to have the Beatles and Stones live on stage at the same venue the same night? Over Labor Day weekend, Moody Gardens is paying tribute to the two British Invasion Icon Bands that set to tone for popular music for generations to come with performances by Revolution (The Beatles) and Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones). David Buford, Jr. is an emotional wreck after the recent death of his father until a ghost informs him of the evil plans being carried out by his no-good Uncle Dick. Now Junior must avenge his father||s death -- but is he crazy enough to do it? Find out during Strand Theatre’s production of Buford, September 7th thru 30th. Next, head over to The Strand and Saengerfest Park for the monthly Historic Downtown Galveston Farmers’ Market, coming Saturday, September 8th. The event is free, and is held from 8am to noon. Also September 8th, kids won’t wanna miss Family Day at The Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum. Step aboard the Ocean Star and ﬁnd out about the different kinds of offshore structures, what they do, and who works on them. Learn what you would look like as an offshore oil worker. Try on safety gear, explore the control room and participate in a scavenger hunt during your visit. The Ocean Star is located just off Harborside Drive at Pier 20. Thursday, September 13th, Moody Gardens will host a Star Party. Led by the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society, the event will feature a variety of large, powerful telescopes perfect for gazing at the heavens from the Oleander Bowl. Admission to the Star Party is free. The event starts at dusk and ends at approximately 10pm. For more information, call Moody Gardens at (800)582-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org. A new season of theatrical fun kicks off at island e.t.c. September 21st with Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. This black comedy/drama continues thru October 13th, with performances Thursday thru Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm. Saturday, September 22nd, don’t miss Art in the Park, when dozens of artists will set their masterpieces out for all to see at Sangerfest Park (23rd and Strand). This event is free to the public and whether you’re an art enthusiast or not, it is a great chance to see some unique artwork by local Galvestonians. Saturday, September 22nd at 8pm, kick off the new season at The Grand 1894 Opera House with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Ticket prices range from $39 to $98. The next weekend, don’t miss world-class country music singer, songwriter, and producer Clint Black as he takes center stage on September 28th and 29th. Recognized world-wide as one of the most popular and inﬂuential artists in the history of country music, Black is currently said to be “at his country best!” And ﬁnally, September closes with a very special performance by The Galveston Symphony Orchestra on September 30th. For information about this and other performances scheduled, contact The Grand’s box ofﬁce at (800)821-1894, or visit The Grand’s website at thegrand. com. Aug. 31 - Sept. 2 8pm Icons of Rock Tour @ Moody Gardens. For tickets, call (888)939-8680. Sept. 8 8am - Noon Downtown Farmers’ Market @ Saengerfest Park (23rd & Strand). For more information, call (409)763-7080. Sept. 7-30 Fri & Sat 8pm Sun. 2:30pm Buford @ Strand Theatre. For information, call (409)763-4591. Sept. 8 10am - 3pm Family Day @ Ocean Star Drilling Rig & Museum. For information, call (409)76-STAR. Sept. 13 Dusk to 10pm Star Party@ Moody Gardens. For information, call (800)582-4673. Sept. 22 10am - 6pm Art in the Park @ Saengerfest Park. For information, call (888)GAL-ISLE. Sept. 21 - Oct. 13 Thurs - Sat 8pm Sun 2:30pm The Pillowman @ island etc. For tickets, call (409)762-3556. Sept. 22 8pm Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis @ The Grand 1894 Opera House. For tickets, call (800)821-1894. Sept. 28-29 8pm Clint Black @ The Grand 1894 Opera House. For tickets, call (800)8211894. Sept. 30 7pm Galveston Symphony Orchestra @ The Grand 1894 Opera House. For tickets, call (800)821-1894. Extras September 8 Birding 101 Presented by Moody Gardens(r) and Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, Birding 101 is a series of free classes designed to educate and excite people about the tremendous variety of bird life routinely seen around Galveston Island. Classes are from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and meet at the Aquarium Pyramid lobby. September 15 Star Party Astronomers of the past set the foundation for today’s astronomy and we have come along way since Galileo’s ﬁrst telescope. Stargazers of all ages are invited on a journey through outer space as Moody Gardens hosts its Star Party from dusk until 10:00 pm. This event is free. September 15 Birding 201 Birding 201 classes will allow participants, led by an instructor, to visit areas on the island and spy some of the tremendous variety of birds here. Classes are held from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Participants should meet in the aquarium lobby. The cost for the class is $5.00. Moody Gardens(r) will provide the transportation and soft drinks. Birding 201 classes will be offered the third Saturday of each month. To reserve a spot, please call 683-4105 no later than the Wednesday prior to the Saturday class. October 28 Ghostly Gardens Children will enjoy free trick-ortreating at various locations throughout the complex, “Creepy Crafts” and a costume contest. Mary Beth Bassett Moody Gardens Public Relations Coordinator mbassett@moodygardens.com October As we head deeper into fall, and into October, Galveston welcomes everyone to enjoy the beach, the ambiance of Downtown Galveston, the many attractions here on the island, and a chance to rediscover several popular events that take every year. Daily through the month of October, Ashton Villa will host “Are We Haunted? Tours” at the top of the hour from noon to 4pm. Is Ashton Villa haunted by the spirit of Miss Bettie, the daughter of the house’s ﬁrst owner, James Moreau Brown? Maybe. Maybe not. See for yourself during these hauntingly-enjoyable tours. The Rosenberg Library Used Book Sale returns October 5th thru 7th, classic and contemporary ﬁction, current best sellers, cooking, gardening, wildlife, medicine, reference, science, art, religion, travel, mystery, and romance - with special rooms dedicated to children’s selections, Texana, rare books, and much more. Once a year, Galveston opens its doors to some of the ﬁnest lofts imaginable for the public to see. On October 6th & 7th, the Galveston Historic Downtown Partnership will present the 10th Annual Downtown Lofts Tour. Take a peek at 19th century commercial buildings that have been restored and renovated into private residences. These lofts can only be viewed by the public once a year, and this is your chance. That same weekend on October 7th, The Grand 1894 Opera House presents a chronicle of the life of Eva Peron - Argentina’s most complex and powerful ﬁgure - in the award winning production of Evita. Performances will be at 3pm and 8pm. Next, beginning October 8th and continuing the the 14th, Strand Theatre will participate in the largest theater collaboration in U.S. History, Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays. In November 2002, Pulitzer prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks sat down and committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days. You can see seven of them during this exciting week of performances at The Strand Theatre. Next, immerse yourself into the Island’s expansive Greek culture during Galveston Island’s Annual Greek Festival, October 12th thru 14th. Presented by the Galveston Greek Community this festival includes everything from traditional Greek dancing; to gyros and souvlakia; to arts and crafts not usually found in the U.S. A musical change of pace is in store when the world-renown, timeless quartet The Spinners - of “Working My Way Back to You” fame - appears for the ﬁrst time ever at The Grand the weekend of October 12th and 13th. Showtimes are 8pm. Next, head over to The Strand and Saengerfest Park for the monthly Historic Downtown Galveston Farmers’ Market, coming Saturday, October 13th. The event is free, and is held from 8am to noon. Also October 13th, kids won’t wanna miss Family Day at The Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum. Come learn about the 10 different energy sources and how each source is important to everyday life. Create your own “energy wheel” as you discover why renewable and non-renewable energy affects your life, and where petroleum ﬁts in. The Ocean Star is located just off Harborside Drive at Pier 20. Next, take a stroll along Postofﬁce Street and catch a glimpse of some of the ﬁnest art created by Galveston’s very own. On the evening of Saturday, October 13th druing ArtWalk, commercial galleries, non-proﬁt spaces, retail stores, and restaurants will stay open late and open their doors to viewers. This is your chance to view art unique to island and enjoy complimentary refreshments along the way. ArtWalk takes place throughout the year, but each time, you’ll have a different experience. For more details, a list of dates, and a complete list of participants, visit the Galveston Art Center’s website at www. galvestonartscenter.org. Oct. 1-31 Noon to 4pm Are We Haunted? Tours @Ashton Villa. For information, call (409)762-3933. Oct. 5-7 Fri. 5 - 7:30pm Sat. 10am - 5pm Sun. Noon - 3pm @Rosenberg Library Used Book Sale 2310 Sealy. For more in- formation, call (409)763-8854. Oct. 6-7 10am - 5pm Lofts Tour Downtown. For tickets, call (888)9398680. Oct. 7 3pm & 8pm Evita The Grand 1894 Opera House. For tickets, call (800)821- 1894. Oct. 8-14 365 Days/365 Plays @ Strand Theatre. For information, call (409)763-4591. Oct. 12-14 Fri. 5pm - 10pm Sat. 11am - 10pm Sun. Noon - 7pm Greek Festival @ 19th & Ball. For information, call (409)762-3930. Oct. 12-13 8pm The Spinners @ The Grand 1894 Opera House. For tickets, call (800)821-1894. Oct. 13 8am - Noon Downtown Farmers’ Market @ Saengerfest Park (23rd & Strand). For more information, call (409)7637080. Oct. 13 10am - 3pm Family Day @ Ocean Star Drilling Rig & Museum. For information, call (409)766STAR. Oct. 13 6pm - 9pm ArtWalk Galleries throughout the city. For information, call (409)763-2403. Your Complete Resource for Visitor Information, Where to Stay, What To Do, or Getting Around 18 Raising Spirits Poco Loco Brings Down House by David Torkelson Yet another chance encounter on u w ardly ath; we Yet another chance encounter on our wizardly path; we othe o met P k met Pokey at Island Music whilst hand-delivering the most slan Music whil n l nd-del vering the most d-deli recen o ume f recent volume of the Wizard. Twenty minutes and two cent i ard. went minut and two ard ty minu nute complimentary event tickets later, two Staffers were on the omplimentar even tick t l er, wo taffe were the me k ffer scene. Turns out Pokey was a major organizer of the Poco c ne. urns ut ok y s urn ajor rganiz or ga izer the Poco L c omed Event, eld a ary’ Place of o Twenty Loco Comedy Event, held at Mary’s Place off of Twenty y’s y’ Fift and Me hanic Fifth and Mechanic. fth Poke MC’d the vent, wh c k k d Pokey MC’d the event, which kicked off around 8:30, feakey C he t arou 8 30, fea roun turing m dians aw e ou hee, arolyn, and Edd turing comedians Shawnee, Touchee, Carolyn, and Eddie ing n e, arol C uz. Cruz. Staffer Rick porte “Nea Spleen pturi g Staffer Rick reported “Near Spleen Rupturing” as Eddie a ck ar Sple n e ur ddie Cruz as nishin up he how. Cruz was ﬁnishing up the show. r z hn w We loo o ward We look forward oo to September 14th, o epte b 14t temb 4 when h when the Poco c Loco rumored Loco is rumored o mo t turn t to return to Mary’s ary’ y’ “Hey thanks for coming to the show Galveston Wizard G’Wiz: friday night. We at Poco Loco Comedy hope that you enjoyed yourself. Also thanks for ﬁll out our form. Your name and birthday has been added to our list, and you will be notiﬁed of up coming comedy shows and you will be call for your gifts on your birthday month.” Thanks One Love Pokey Simmons Touchee Pokey Carolyn Eddie Cruz Shawnee Hurricane Season is underway... ...are you prepared? A ramco OUTSIDE BLINDS 5105 BROADWAY, Galveston, TX (409)762.9652 Toll Free 1-888-6-ARAMCO (1-888-627-2626) Owned & Operated Since 1938 By The Milan Family “Enhance Your Tan With A Brighter Smile!” Several Bleaching Options Available Call Today to Schedule a Consultation! Kenneth S. Gluski, D.D.S., P.C FAMILY DENTISTRY * ORTHODONTICS * BLEACHING (409)765-9190 1025 Rosenberg (25th anmd K) www.galvestonwizard.com www.galvestonwizard.com ww.galve tonwizard.com .ga Raising Spirits 19 Raising Spirits 19 Separating Mice From Tin Ok, so it’s a corny title, but our intentions are good. Guess what? Most people try to do the right thing. However, it’s been estimated that only about 15% of Galveston Residents are Recycling! Hasn’t anyone ever thought where all of that stuff goes? “If everybody would do the right thing...their part, we could do twice as much with the same staff.” reported Allan. Sure, it could always be easier (Tie it in with Garbage Day?), but until then, we urge our fellow Galvestonian to do thier part in the reducing, reusing, and recycling of all of the garbage we seem to generate! They have read all of our back issues as well. Some readers accidentally ﬁled their collector’s item with the newspaper recycling pile! (Oops!)That means there are less This stuff puts money in your copies of that issue, city’s pocket! Help them help your collectible issue’s you help the planet! We’re Nice and easy drive-thru stock just went up! such hippies! style! Keep it up, Team! Allan Poe and Juan Sanchez are two friendly and fun guys. How’s about making their jobs easier by separating out your stuff! No food or containers please! Working Titles for Pic: “Is the person that designed this wall a stoner?” “Up against the wall? Ask Arlessa!” “All in all your just another...no, wait.” Little potential hang-ups in life, like locking your keys in the car, are best taken in stride. It’s ok to ask for help! Be sure to lend a helping hand if someone does! Thanks for the help, ofﬁcer. “Smash yo’ head against the punk rawk!” Got a pic worth 1,000 words? Email us at thewiz@galvestonwizard.com Don’t let your newspapers pile up if you’re going on vacation! Donate it to a classroom for the time you are away with their Newspapers in Education program! Call 409-683-5260 for more information! 20 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard performed Do you remember your ﬁrst venture into entreprenuership and self-employment? Helping out your mom with a saturday morning rumage sale or setting up a lemonade stand on the corner are both excellent examples of the young, budding business men and women of the future. These simple and nostalgic experiments in capitalism gave you a ﬁrst taste of the difﬁculties that any vendor, salesman or businessman experience. You might have noticed that some kids could sell a cup of lemonade to anyone; That kid who had to send his/her sister into the house every hour for reﬁlls or more cups. You might have had the better lemonade, or the better prices, or bigger cups, but did you have the same kind of drive that your competition possessed? As you grew older, did you attain or strengthen any of those tenatious traits? There is one true constant in the business world... NEVER GIVE UP! “Thanks for the photo Jennifer! And thanks for the lemonade, guys!” www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 21 This one is going to be rough. Buckle up. We’re talking total dating ﬁasco. Go ahead and grab it, load it, point and shoot. Sex and Non-dating. My life in a nutshell. One thing I’ve always found amazing is the guy or the gal who can successfully and without guilt pull off dating two, three, even more people at the same time. Apparently, this is perfectly acceptable behavior. The word ‘dating’ in and of itself implies an open-ended relationship of sorts, a testdrive, if you will. I’ve known people who have major hangups about cheating who see nothing wrong going out with Ted on Thursday night, Fred on Friday night and experimenting with Sally on Saturday night... as long as it’s only dating. And, typically, as long as these people live in different zip codes or area codes. I’m sure you’ve all heard a variation of that bit. Rule of law says if you are in the midst of test-driving more than one person, it’s best for reasons of sanity and simplicity, that those people live in a different area code. Hard thing to accomplish back in Arizona, a breeze here in the Houston area. Not so oddly, the fact that people do this seems to suggest that even the folks who are okay with dating around realize there’s something not quite kosher about dating around. Me? I can’t do it. Try as I might, I can’t do it. Don’t get me wrong. If I’m catting about, if I’m in one of my “runningass” cycles, I’ve got no problem with sleeping around with different people. But as with most of life, sleeping around and dating around are two entirely different things. And dating around is really difficult for me. On second thought, dating in general is really difficult for me for two reasons. The first is that typically, I’m a romantic sort of fool who puts all of his little dating eggs in one little dating basket. When I crush, I crush hard and I’ve got little interest in some other girl. By the end of the ﬁrst date, I’m planning both the wedding and the divorce, but until then, I’ve got very little interest in other chikadees. The second is, simply, the fear of getting busted. Sure, maybe I can have an understanding with the other person, and maybe I can sit there and say “We’re free to date other people.” But let’s be real, there is no chance I would feel comfortable in any such conversation and one party assumes he or she still has a grace period, that since it’s dating it’s not an exclusive relationship. From my own personal experience, I have tried the ‘open dating’ gig. I ended up thinking it’s all ﬁne and dandy that I could cat around, but honestly the thought of the other person possibly ﬁnding pleasure in someone else’s company, while a completely rational thought, bugs the shit out of me. And, because that bugs the shit out of me, I assume it would bug the shit out of her as well. Call it my nice guy rhetoric, but I’d rather err on the side of caution and play it straight. In today’s world of dating that means ﬂying solo instead of sleeping with problems. A little bit of dirt, a little water and you get mud. It’s all sticky, gets everywhere and is a pain in the ass to get off. Here’s to buying a hose. -matty e Check it out! Enjoy Outdoor Dining under the Palapa & Indoor Dining, Both with Full-Service Bars. 11126 FM 3005 (On theWest End, 1/2 A Mile From Where The SeaWall Ends) Open Daily From 4 to 10pm Check out www.galvestonwizard.com/captainstable for more information 22 22 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Protecting Yourself During a Real Estate Decline by David Stanowski So, what can you do now if you didn’t sell your residential real estate near the top in 2005-2006, and it’s too late to get the price you wanted? In California, many neighborhoods have already seen prices drop over 20%, and it’s a long way from the bottom. What if you believe in the buy-and-hold strategy, or just don’t want to sell a certain property? If you don’t want to suffer through a white knuckle ﬂight, for the next few years; you hedge! Hedging Hedging is the process of transferring some, or all, of your risk to another party. It is a form of insurance. The futures markets were developed hundreds of years ago to allow farmers to hedge the risk on their crops. Over the years, futures contracts have been developed in many other markets. Thanks to the efforts of Professor Robert Schiller, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange now has futures and options contracts on residential real estate! Short Hedge - Producers If a farmer is growing 50,000 bushels of wheat, and the current price is $4.00/bushel, how can he make sure that he gets $4.00 at harvest? He sells (goes short) 10, 5,000bushel wheat contracts. He only needs to put up a small deposit (margin) to do so. At harvest time, if wheat is selling for $2.00/bushel, he receives $100,000 less than he wanted, but his futures contracts show a proﬁt of $100,000; so by hedging, he has locked in his price! If the price was above $4.00, he would make more on his crop, and lose on his futures contracts, but the result is the same. more than $4.00? They buy (go long) 10, 5,000-bushel wheat contracts. They only need to put up a small deposit (margin) to do so. When they need to buy the wheat, if wheat is selling for $6.00/bushel, they pay $100,000 more than they wanted, but their futures contracts show a proﬁt of $100,000; so by hedging, they have locked in their price! If the price was below $4.00, they would pay less for the wheat, and lose on their futures contracts, but the result is the same. Perfect Hedges Both of these hedges were “perfect hedges” (50,000 bushels of wheat hedging 50,000 bushels of wheat), because once they are put on, the outcome is guaranteed no matter what prices do. All risk has been eliminated by forfeiting the option to speculate that prices MIGHT move in your favor. However, most hedges can not be this exact. Imperfect Hedges Many airlines have ﬁnally learned that they need to hedge their jet fuel costs against rising prices. However, since there are no jet fuel futures contracts, they have to use heating oil contracts as a proxy. Heating oil does track jet fuel pretty closely, but this is an imperfect hedge. There is still some risk that the difference between heating oil and jet fuel prices might deviate more than expected. Real Estate Hedges Currently, the CME trades futures and options contracts on residential real estate price indexes in 10 major cities, and for the U.S. as a whole. This means that none of these contracts can precisely track any one property. Using these products will be an imperfect hedge. In addition, since they are new, they are still thinly traded. However, they certainly have the potential to be very useful in lowering the risk of holding real estate!! CME: Real Estate Contract Specs perfect hedging method would be (http://www.cme.com/trading/prd/ to sell short funds holding homere/housing_FCS.html) building stocks, such as XHB and ITB. These can only be margined For example: Let’s consider the up to 50%, so more money is recase of someone who bought a con- quired, and the correlation is going do, last year, for $400,000, in Bro- to be more imprecise, than with fuward County Florida. This ﬂipper tures, and options. hoped to sell it this year for a big The XHB topped in March 2006 proﬁt, but just learned that there is and has declined 35%, so far, duran 84 month supply of inventory in ing a rising stock market; so it apBroward, and prices are dropping pears to be working as a general fast. He sees the high probability hedge against a declining real esof selling at a very big loss, or even tate market. The ITB only began losing the condo in a foreclosure. trading in May 2006, but it has declined 40%, so far! Our ﬂipper decides that prices in Miami should correlate fairly well Know How with Broward, so the Miami con- Unlike the simple buy-and-hold tract should be the best one for him strategy, of investing in real esto use as a hedge. He calls his bro- tate, used by many people, hedgker, and ﬁnds out that Miami resi- ing properly does require an actual dential real estate futures are trad- market forecast, and a rigorous ing at 270, or $67,500 per contract. analysis of all the options. He sells short 6 contracts $67,500 x 6 = $405,000. The required margin 1. The investor needs to search out per contract is about $1,000-2,000; and analyze all the current market so he needs $6,000-$12,000 in data to decide whether a 20-50% capital to put on the hedge. Margin decline in the price of his property is just a performance bond, and it is likely during the current cycle. is returned when the positions are closed, after the P/L of the position 2. If the need for a hedge seems is settled. likely, the investor should ﬁnd a knowledgeable futures broker to In late 2007, our lucky ﬂipper sells help him examine his hedging ophis condo, for $225,000, and takes tions; including all the risks of an a $175,000 loss. However, he also imperfect hedge. covers his short Miami futures contracts, which have gone down 3. The investor needs to make sure almost as much. The proﬁt on that he has sufﬁcient capital to ride his futures contracts is $160,000! out a rise in the market while he is Now, his total hit is only $15,000; holding a short hedge. not $175,000! Realtors This is why the big guys are always hedging their investments in The creation of futures and options, a whole range of markets!! on residential real estate indexes, has created a golden opportunity See New Way to Bet on Real Estate for Realtors to form partnerships by CNN Money (http://money.cnn. with futures brokers who can help com/2006/03/22/real_estate/play- them create hedging solutions for ing_the_home_price_market/) their clients. A Realtor who can help their clients hedge, until a Other techniques property is sold, is going to have a very unique and valuable service, There are also techniques where that few others can offer. Can you options on these real estate futures imagine what it would mean if you can be used to achieve protection are the only Realtor, in your area, from price declines. Another im- who can do this? Long Hedge - Consumers If a bread company needs to buy 50,000 bushels of wheat, in two months, and the current price is CME: Info on Real Estate Futures $4.00/bushel, how can they make (http://www.cme.com/trading/prd/ sure that they don’t have to pay re/housing_FR.html) DISCLOSURE: The author is the Managing Partner in a Limited Partnership that currently holds short positions in the stocks of home-building companies. He may be reached via email at dstanowski@comcast.net. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE! As a matter of law, INVESTMENT ADVICE may only emanate from members of the government-created monopoly of federally-registered brokers and investment advisers. In contrast, what you just read is simply INFORMATION, that was obtained from what are believed to be reliable sources, which is being offered to those few brave souls who are self-reliant and independent enough to make their own decisions, regarding their ﬁnances and investments, after considering ALL of the INFORMATION available to them. Everyone should do their own DUE DILIGENCE regarding ANYTHING that may affect their ﬁnancial well being. www.galvestonwizard.com Do you need...? Logos Custom Silkscreened Raising Spirits 23 T-Shirts Design Graphic Photography & Videography Promos More! 409.621.2864 thewiz@galvestonwizard.com “Anything you can dream up, we can help make a reality.” The GBE Team is here to help! PROMOTE Your business? (people gotta see you!) Looking for a cool way to Posters*Banners*Signs GBE AUTOMOTIVE 3502 Broadway • (409) 762-7551 (Bring this page in for a special discount!) Open: M-F 8:00-5:30 Sat 8:00-1:00 Closed Sunday Save 5% with this ad! Galveston Island Graphics 4502 Ave S * 409.770.9996 Your one-stop shop for every car or truck out there. Looking to customize your pickup or S.U.V? No problem. offering A.C. Repair, Tune-Ups, Brake Problems, Diesel High-Performance work. Truck Accessories, Parts, More! 24 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Cleaning For Company Cleaning For Company* *implying that all the Labor Day tourists are the company and Galveston is a house and we are a family I set my alarm to wake me up at 5:40 a.m. and strangely I woke up naturally at 5:48. I laid there in shock at how early and dark it was and watched my alarm ﬂip to 5:49 then to 5:50. No alarm. It’s a strange chance that I woke up, but I did. I made some coffee and made it to the store for some trash bags, then to the street in need: 61st . The sun was just rising, there was no trafﬁc and my I-pod was spitting at me the perfect selection of songs on the shufﬂe mode. It really was a beautiful moment. As I ﬁlled the trashbags I made a few observations. For example: -Yes, a person would throw a gas can full of gas into the ocean. -What is the choice of beer for the average polluter? Miller High Life. -Even when motorists can see that you are picking up trash they do not slow down and in fact speed up and hug the lane tightly as if to remind you that grandpa’s truck is bigger than you. The day did bring a little disappointment though. Sadly, no dead babies were found in the clean up process. Maybe next time. One more realization: There is a lot more trash there than I realized. I ﬁlled up ten bags easily over the course of an hour. They didn’t and later when I did a drive-by to see how much cleaner it looked came the biggest disappointment I could have expected. After ten huge black trash bags were full, the average motorist can’t tell that I did anything out there at all. There is so much trash there, and still is! So we must do it again! This time better planning and better organizing! Which starts with this sentence: I NEED YOUR HELP! Anyone interested in participating in Phase II? Please email me at S2Dotoo@yahoo.com To discuss times and dates. Would it be better to clean up before or after our guests visit? We trust that our fellow islanders and visitors are doing their part to reduce litter on our beloved beaches! Capt Chinbeard? He would love to hear from ye! That’s What You Get For Running With Scissors by toniwo $ 11.95 (Fiction) My beloved friend and collaborator, Taj Wood, drew near me in my tower and endowed me with this book. He beckoned I should “check it out, my lady”. I ﬂipped the book over and felt it. Then, it magically happened as though a spell was cast. I read “driven by lust and control,”… on its back. I beamed. We, at The Galveston Wizard, have decided to share with our readers some of our most memorable reads. We, (me) had the pleasure of reading That’s What You Get For Running With Scissors, Volume I, A collection of short stories written by toniwo . My mother, the queen, has often told me to never run with scissors. I knew of jousts and such, but, not of what one would get with scissors. Not only did I have the pleasure of reading this lovely medially of relationship farewells, I found myself dreaming in her nightmares of familiar under goings. toniwo takes you through her “truly fabricated distortions of choices women can make in relationships with other people” with a mouthful of soulfulness and colors of flavor. toniwo boldly fonts, on her back cover, PARTICULARLY MEN, (WOMEN), NOT VICTIMS, NASTY WOMEN, no MALE BASHING, NO and CAN, which enticed me to read what causes the illusion of love. toniwo has succeeded with facilitating me to feel what she was feeling. Each short story was written with clarity, humor and heartache for both, men and women. The cover artwork is masterful. After this read, I truly felt I could possibly kiss a minority of laconic frogs, if given the wish. Want more (Rare Captain self-portrait) Send your ettiquette advice requests to the captain himself at chinbeard@gmail.com You can ﬁnd toniwo at www.toniwo.com and www.amazon.com Book review by the lady in the tower @ www.galvestonwizard.com www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 25 Pathways to Success In the early stages of creating the Galveston Wizard, we paid a visit to the ofﬁce of the Work Source, located in the Community Center at 4700 Broadway. The Work Source is an organization that offers a wide assortment of services free to the public. These services include help locating employment, ﬁnancial assistance for training in ﬁelds that are in demand in today’s labor market, as well as child care and other services. During one of our many visits to the Work Source, we interviewed a man there named Charles McVey. He shared a detailed description of what the Work Source was and how he had also beneﬁted from this great program. His story, we thought, inspirational. He told us that he was BOI. (That is local speak for “Born On Island.” Well! Maybe someone didn’t know!) He spoke of his family and how he was taught the values of life including learning that through hard work he would achieve great results. He mentioned that at 15 he found his mother dead in her bed. He said he turned to the streets instead of turning to the family that loved him so dearly. Six months after his mother’s death, he was introduced to a substance that took away all of his pain and loneliness-heroin. He spoke of how he went from being the boy next door, to becoming a hard-core heroin addict and alcoholic for the next 35 years. His addictions led him to a life of crime and he became a habitual criminal, spending 25 years locked up in the Texas prison system in Huntsville, Texas. The next part of his story consisted of what he was doing with his life today. Charles said he was released from prison in November 1998. He returned to work in the paint and body business for a friend, Arthur (Tudy) Lozano. He said after being home for nine months he made the decision to go back to school. He said, “David, I walked right into this very room where we are now standing and asked to see someone about training.” He said he was directed to the Financial Aid department, and after receiving orientation and testing, started taking classes at Galveston Community College as a work force development student (which was a non-credit course plan.) What this did, he said, was inspire him to further his education and enroll in a degree plan. Charles said he earned ofﬁce assistant and administrative professional certiﬁcates, and an Associate of Applied Science in ofﬁce administration. He said he is ﬁnalizing the last semester needed to graduate with an Associate of Arts in business administration. He was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at Galveston College in October 2004, and that after three months, was sworn in as the vice president of Fellowship, which he held for eight months, and then stepped up to assume the president seat. In 2005 he was elected the ambassador for the Environmental Awareness Club at Galveston College and drew and designed a coloring book addressing conservation and recycling. The book was a project for the Clean Galveston organization and was entitled “Galveston Gives Trash the Boot.” The coloring books were distributed to local elementary schools. This opened up a door for him to be invited to join the Board of Directors for the Clean Galveston organization, though his membership was short lived due to school scheduling. In closing, Charles spoke of a program being offered through the Galveston Housing Authority entitled “Creating Pathways to Success.” The Work Source is assisting with the testing, orientation and placement for the people who are interested. The program is designed to help people upgrade their skills and education. Before ﬁnishing our conversation he said, “I just shared a real story of a person who was once so lost that he was given up for dead, and then one day, this person stepped out of a hell that he created for himself, and became the president of an International Honor Society called Phi Theta Kappa.” Departing with a smile, Charles looked at us and said, “Just think how many success stories can come out of programs such as this if a person is willing to change his or her situation and to make a commitment to make it work.” ON THE FRI DGE (Hujenko): Something’s out of the ordinary here! (ALL THREE TAKE AS (Ninja): HALT! My master seeks a word with you. (Master):Greetings brave warriors. You have come far... BATTLE-STANCE NINJA APPEARS) (Master:) But you must work together if you are to get thru the Arctic Freezer! The fun never ends when you use your imagination! Forget how? Stop by T.F. Hippies 26 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard by Linda Sivy “PURE ELATION” Pure elation is the two words I’d choose to describe my monthly adventures in obtaining ads for The Galveston Wizard. Pure - it reminds me of maple syrup. Elation – because I’ve experimented with elations in the 80’s. That, itself, is interesting. After realizing I was in need of an on-line refresher course on Marketing 101, I located some valuable Google’s information. Advertising is consistently bombarded by criticism. Accusations of encouraging materialism and consumption, of stereotyping, of causing us to purchase items for which we have no need, of manipulating our behavior, of taking advantage of children, using sex to sell, and generally contributing to the downfall of our social system. Critics of advertising abound. Barely a week goes by without some advertisement or campaign, or the ad industry, being the focal point of some controversy. This was all I needed to set forth. The negativity and something about ‘controversy’ made my curiosity peak and motivated me. But, I had to be sure where I was going with this. I had to go ﬁnd Rachel. Rachel Vallejo works at The Golden Mermaid on the corner of 21st and Strand. While loving Rachel as a family member, I knew she would not lie to me. After I parked my car, fed the mounted machine change eater and displayed my validity, I located my secret source of knowledge ﬁlled with the unanswered. I asked her if she thought advertisement is consistently bombarded by criticism ? If sex sells ? If our advertisers would be contributing to the downfall of our social system ? And do they cause us to purchase items for which we have no need ? Do they actually manipulate our behavior ? Do accusations of encouraging materialism and consumption cause focal controversy ? Well ? Well ? Her answer was this. YES, Linda. Duh. She then asked me if I’d been surﬁng the internet again. I thanked her and left with an idea. I surveyed the questions by calling 6 potential advertisers. My conversations were intriguing. My questions were rehearsed and luring. They were as follows: Q) If your establishment could proﬁt more by selling sex, would you allow it to assist you in paying your monthly mortgage ? Result: Sold. Q) If advertising your product bombarded your store with criticism, could you expect to see a proﬁt ? Result: Sold Q) Would you like to contribute to the downfall of our social system for a few extra bucks to take your family on vacation ? Result: Not sold. Q) Do you feel accusations of encouraging materialism and consumption is a bad thing ? Result: Sold. Q) If you could manipulate ones behavior to purchase your product, would you do it to pay for the braces your child needs ? Result : Sold. Q) How would you like to have a week of focal controversy circling your establishment regarding something you’ve advertised ? Result: Pending. (Wants more information.) Again, I’ll mention The Galveston Wizard eagerly pursues ongoing relationships with potential advertisers and sponsors to help educate and inform its readership of the products and services available in Galveston, as well as the island itself. I’m bound and determined to ﬁnd those relationships and I thank those who have made the decision to make a commitment to their business and families by advertising with all spectrums of readers. We want to get your business to the next level. On line rate sheets available at: www.galvestonwizard.com or call (409) 621-2864 “get with the” 2007 Ball High Tornado Football Schedule Aug. 25 Aug. 3 1 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Baytown Lee (Scimmage) Home Aldine MacArthur Home LaMarque Away Houston BTW Home Channelview Away 10:00A.M 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. ARE YOU A HOME BASED BUSINESS OWNER OR CONTRACTOR? Looking to make the phone ring? I CAN BRING NEW CUSTOMERS FOR CHEAP. FOR REAL. Brought to you by the athletic supporters at the Galveston Wizard. Show your support! Tell them you saw it in the Galveston Wizard! We’ve got to help them build them more ad revenue! Hey kids! School for children and adults of all ages is about to begin! Let’s treat everyone with respect and let unity and harmony reign this year! Call Meredith 281-638-2672 www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 27 Be st tw oo ut of thr “Fun” Funny! What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? Did you hear about the Pirate that ate a light bulb? How did the beans affect Johnny’s intestines? What game do zombies play in the school yard? Why does Tigger smell so bad? What do you call a pig that can climb the side of a building? What do you do if you ﬁnd a snake in your toilet? Spider ham. Because he plays with Pooh. Swallow the leader. They rectum. He threw it up and now he’s delighted. A nervous wreck T.F. Hippie’s Puts The In ee . (with this coupon!) Free Gift! Because a Cab Fare Is Cheaper than a “What are you working towards?” D.U.I. Tropical Taxi Clean, Full-Sized Cars and 7 Passenger Vans! 409.621.4000 24-hour service on or off the Island! You wait until it’s ﬁnished. Check out their Web site at www.tfhippies.com www.dietpatchworks.info BUY ONE GET ONE ABSOLUTELY RISK FREE Order online or call Limited time 281-638-2672 28 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard Server Underground with Dracorth Firewrath Imagine working hard at a job for several years. Not only do you do an outstanding job objectively, (i.e. numbers, sales etc.), but also the customers who you serve frequently leave positive feedback with your boss. One day, a completely unreasonable customer is dissatisﬁed with the service of your establishment. This customer enters the store ﬁve minutes after it closes and is dismayed that employees are preparing to leave. Instead of politely informing this person that your establishment is closed, your manager decides to make an exception and allow this guest to enter anyway. You clean around this guest, careful not to disturb them, and largely do your utmost to provide them with exceptional service. Unfortunately, other members of the business are not as generous and neglect the guest. Rational contemplation of the situation would lead level-headed individuals to the conclusion that management mishandled the event and that blame should be leveled squarely at the store. Instead of accepting responsibility, the manager makes a deal with the unhappy customer. In exchange for the customer’s word that he or she will not bad mouth the business, your manager offers to ﬁre you to make amends. Imagine, you have never been ofﬁcially reprimanded, never been written up, have always showed up on time, and have trained the vast majority of the current staff, but in this one instant, you become completely, absolutely, irreversibly expendable; simply a tool that has outlived its usefulness. Most people don’t realize what it means to work in at At Will state. It means that you have no job security; no legitimate, safe, legal route to express dissatisfaction; and no way to ﬁght back against the major employers. Depending on your job, this may not be much of an issue. It can be hard to ﬁnd competent researchers, good managers, or strong real estate salespeople. However, servers are not looked at the same way. Despite the fact that some local communities currently have many fewer trained servers than needed, local businesses continue to treat their loyal employees poorly. The example provided above is not merely an abstract possibility, it happened to one of my closest friends. It’s time we as servers bring to bear our political inﬂuence to rectify the injustices heaped upon us. It is extremely important that we recognize we have a voice, that, with effort, we can effect change. It’s time to shout at the top of our lungs. Got an article idea? Powerful insights or observations for your fellow Server. Pst. Send it to us at thewiz@galvestonwizard.com Hey there My fellow Galvestonians here on the Island! Through this advice column,I hope to provide an opinion worth something to someone who might need it. Thanks for your support and keep reading and sending in those questions.few who just can’t resist the tempting act of sending in quite random and crazy questions. With those people already in thought, I am looking forward to the real questions from you. It’s nice to meet yall and always remember, if all else fails... Ask A rlessa! Also, check her out at www .myspace.com/askarrr Q: I’ve been hanging out with this girl who happens to be a really good friend of mine and also my best friend’s Exgirlfriend. We all hang out in the same group and they’ve been over for over a year now. I’ve become close to her and really want to take it further than friends. Remember, she is my best friend’s Ex-girlfriend. How should I go about this without hurting anyone or stepping on toes!? Sincerely, Confused A: This is a tough one! When you are dealing with the opposite sex, it can get very confusing. Especially when your friends with the person and they also happen to be your best friend’s Ex. If you really are positive that you do want something more than friends, I would deﬁnitely go to your best friend and talk to him if you really respect the friendship. Make sure you make your friend feel like you are putting your friendship with him a priority. Then, if you handle it that way, when you go to the girl, you will be respecting your friend and the situation as well as going after what you want.Good Luck!! Q: I met this guy right when I moved to Galveston Island and after a few months of “keeping each other company”, things haven’t Arlessa! gone anywhere with us, just stagnant. I ﬁnally told him that I didn’t want to continue the friendship (to be honest this is the third time, but three times a charm, right?). Needless to say, I’m sticking to my guns this time. The problem is that I hang out with mutual friends and we’re both in the bar scene. I see him more now than when we were involved. I still have feelings for him but still made my choice and sticking to it. He continues to make references and it’s very tempting. How do I stay strong? Sincerely, Tempted A: Jeez! If anyone knows where you are coming from, it’s me Girl! So here is my two cents…. Sure, it’s tempting and your going to go back and forth asking yourself if you should or shouldn’t. Look, its fun at the time, but the aftermath will just become more and more difﬁcult to deal with because whether we like to admit it or not, women eventually always get their emotions involved. If the other person isn’t on the same level, then nothing is going to change. Be strong for yourself. If you’re not happy with the way things are or aren’t going, then what makes you think giving in at any point for any moment will change anything? Good Luck! Arrr Want to send Arlessa a question? Show your support and send her a question! She’s here to help! Email her at askarrr74@yahoo.com www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 29 Buying time. There never seems to be enough of it, does there? And we’ve got so many obligations! So many people count on us every day to help themselves (and you) get thru the day. Ultimately, investments of time, in the right direction and capacity, yield fantastic results! But the sands of time contunue to fall. What are you investing your time in? We don’t remember exactly who said “Time is money, and you can’t get a second back.” but isn’t that what we all want money for...to buy more time? (got a sec?) “pfffffffffffffffffffffff...” What if you were to analyze your average day? What do you spend your time on? Is it a worthwile investment? Are you learning, evolving, growing, sharing, caring, loving.... then just what you are spending your time on? We humans are amazing, we get better at everything with time. Make sure you aren’t wasting it. On “Time,” Will Rogers (US humorist & showman) once said ”Half our life is spent trying to ﬁnd something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save. “ From the hip. We saw a woman taking pictures of the band “Fiel” kicking off a tour from the Gravity Bar recently.(See Below for info) “Send us some of those pictures!” ...and guess what?... Hello Galveston Wizard, ...we brieﬂy spoke last night at Gravity’s and I said I would send you some pics of the show.... it was hard to pick the best ones so I am sending a series of emails for you to decide... Hey James and Kevin...we really enjoyed the show...the energy was great...have a safe and fruitful trip..... Warmest regards, Sandy GravityBar Friday www.myspace.com/gravitybar On 2120 Strand Galvatraz, Texas 409-762-4004 Free Salsa Lessons from 8:30 til 10 Followed by Live Latin Bands! Upcoming Shows Sept. 8 - Shark Attack Sept. 29 - Fiel (see above pics!) Oct. 13 - Shark Attack Oct. 27 - Fiel Marc Twyman every Sunday HAPPY HOUR M-TH 4 to 8 FRI 4 to 10 Saturday Live Bands At 6 PM! (see above) Sunday One-Man Band Marc Twyman Open Mic @ 8 PM & @ 2 PM Gravity makes the world go ‘round. 30 Raising Spirits G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard The “Tail” of Max’s Family Reunion hurricane animals they had brought to the shelter. He had been placed inside for safety sake as there had been a pit bull stolen from the outside tent. This meant he had already been at the shelter for over a month. He was calmer, cooler and more collected than I was. Often, in the days that followed, I would go visit him and take him for walks to re-collect my strength when I was experiencing my own version of kennel stress. He became my proof of calm during the aftermath of the storm. Three weeks later, I received a phone call from a young woman named Blanca, a student at Mississippi State, who had been extensively searching for her dog since Katrina had struck in August. After detailed research, we ascertained that indeed, we had her dog. And, it was my very own Mr. Calm. Exactly one month after my arrival, and my fated meeting of Max – we ﬁnally learned his name was, his two-legged grandmother, aunt and cousin departed their temporary home in Mississippi to make the 7-hour trek to Alabama to pick him up. We moved Max into a more accessible location and I agreed to meet them at the shelter at 7pm. When I pulled up, Blanca’s family was waiting and we went into the shelter. Max’s crate had a blanket covering the top so he wouldn’t endure any further stress from human, canine or feline trafﬁc. I lifted the blanket and opened the crate. He stepped out rather tentatively after being curled up napping in peace, blinked his eyes several times and looked at me as if to say “is this REALLY them? Am I dreaming or is this really, truly my family?” His twolegged grandmother was on the phone with his human soul mate Blanca and the tears began to ﬂow all around, the only dry eyes in the room being Max’s. He wandered around between all of us trying to comfort us, thinking we were sad. We were as far from sad as we could be. Max had lost a great deal of weight since they’d seen him last, so we discussed the stress levels the animal survivors had endured since the storms, but also that are common in a shelter environment. Ever the soother, he kept nudging me to pet him, so they were assured he had been well loved during his stay in Alabama. They were so grateful to all for caring for him and all During this season of family reunions, don’t forget your fourlegged friends! July 30, 2007, Galveston Island, Texas. With family reunions on her mind and concerned about complacency, , an animal welfare consultant, has begun a nationwide campaign to remind people to include their pets when it comes to any type of disaster planning. “Though hurricane season last year was not as severe as experts predicted, that does not mean this year’s will not be and other natural disasters occur every day across the United States causing people to be separated from their beloved animals.” Rowan states, “It is my hope that as the nation gathers hosting family reunions of their own, that some consideration will go into how important pets are to the basic fabric of the American family.” She tells the following story: “It was 5 in the morning my very ﬁrst day in Alabama in October 2005, as I slowly toured the main shelter building. I wanted to see the animals ﬁrsthand; I had toured many shelters in Florida after the storms struck in 2004 and still recall the dazed look upon the animals’ faces. It was painful to see and feel; it was as though their souls had been emptied out by the winds of the storms. I was hoping not to see the same emptiness. As I rounded the corner to the next row, I spotted one dog, one very regal dog, just sitting, looking at me. He was presenting himself so elegantly in the midst of chaos; I immediately fell in love with his sleek good looks and endearing personality. A pit bull mix with long legs and light crème and beige coloring, and while his look attracted me it was his spirit that stole my heart. I could sense he was waiting for his family to return and it was as though he was reassuring me that he would do his best to remain unstressed until that time, no matter what. When I went and found the shelter manager later that morning to ask her about the animals in the middle room, she shared that most were local area strays and surrenders. When I asked about him, already smitten, it turned out he was one of the ﬁrst the other lost animals. I tried to explain to them how he helped me keep my focus so many times; to ﬁnd the appropriate words to thank them for allowing us the privilege of caring for him. As they drove off, in a full sized pick-up truck with Max on his Aunt’s lap (no easy feat with him weighing in at 70 pounds), I sat on the curb and cried. I was beyond thrilled for Max, yet I was sad for all the other animals still waiting for their families. It was an overwhelming moment of half peace and half despair that was life changing for me; my determination to reunite other families with their pets was renewed with Max having left me in the wake of a profound lesson as his parting gift of love to me.” While that story had a happy ending, thousands did not. Rowan recommends contacting your Veterinarian to have your animals micro-chipped and registering the chips. The registration goes into a national database and if you and your pet are separated, most animal care organizations and veterinary clinics in the nation have scanners that would allow them to re-connect you with your missing pet. But she stresses, preparing a comprehensive plan in case of disaster is the best idea. About Jennifer Rowan: Jennifer Rowan has been active in animal disaster relief since 2004 when she resided in Florida. A few of Jennifer’s accomplishments include: managing a temporary staging area in Dothan, Alabama that took in 923 hurricane voiceless victims, handling every aspect of media relations garnering international coverage, and coordinating the airlift transport of nearly 3,000 animals, even assuming the ever glamorous role of “canine/feline ﬂight attendant”. For more on Jennifer’s animal adventures please visit: http://www.naiaonline. org/library/Season_of_Angels.htm.Having just relocated to Galveston Island, Texas, she is documenting her animal adventures while providing consulting services to various animal care organizations across the nation including; public relations, marketing, standard operating procedures, resource networking, air & ground transport coordination, management of volunteers and outreach programs. For more information, please contact Jennifer at jennljr@gmail. com or 409-762-5348. DeClassiﬁed: Got something to sell, say, surprise, thank, chastise, or shout out? Donate $20 to the cause and we’ll put it in print. Contact Rick Bacon at the Tower at 409.621.2864 or email him at gwizbacon@yahoo.com. NEW SECTION! FOR SALE/WILLBUY FOR SALE:Winter and Company Piano. Needs interior work. Near mint shape. Keys good. Possible 1900 ﬂood survivor? Serious inquiries only. 409.621.2864 ANNOUNCEMENTS Dear Jamie Steichen, May your sails be full in all that you do, We all wish you well in every endevor. From the entire G’wiz Staff. Good luck at college Lauren and Josh. We already miss you! Your friends at the Wild Wing Cafe. SERVICES Matt Argo Professional Carpet Cleaning 409-370-3066 C & J Construction Handyman Services Chuck (409) 939-4010 or Jason (409) 996-3176. IN MEMORY Mervyn Edward “Merv” Grifﬁn, Jr. King of TV passes at the age of 82. Thanks for all the Edutainment. WHAT DOYOU SEEK? EMAIL: gwizbacon@yahoo.com www.galvestonwizard.com Raising Spirits 31 Pay attention as you read! People put on events and organize gatherings for your beneﬁt! That’s right! They take absurd amounts of time planning and organizing to make sure that you can have a good time. But you still have to actually go to the event to get the maximum enjoyment! (Which is way more fun than just reading or hearing about how much fun it was later... trust us.) So mark your calendars and make an effort. “How Else May We Be Of Service?” ...you can plug in bams myspace its www.myspace.com/bamm99 or the arsonist page at www.myspace.com/ arsonistproductions409 you can let readers know that we do beats and graphics as well. If they are looking for beats they can go to www. myspace.com/romiebeats Table of Contents for This Issue (We’re paying attention to how you read!) It’s fun for us to watch how people read their Galveston Wizards. A person’s first introduction to an issue is often the most intriguing to watch. As they timidly take the periodical into their hands, they instinctively mutter things like “What’s in it?” or “What’s this about?” They undo the fold and look at the cover. The Galveston Wizard, huh? And no, we’re not at all attempting to relate ourselves to organizations that ruin sheets by cutting eye holes in them, looking to draw lines of distinction. Quite the opposite, we are modeling ourselves after the Climate of Galveston. We offer our humble wizard guide thru the realm as a wizard would in times of old. A wizard is defined as a sorcerer or magician, or as we like to call it, a brilliantly skillful person. And Guess What? The Galveston Wizard is you! You have been through much, and seen many things. You have many tales, quests and adventures that you have been through. Wizards are everywhere, and are called so because of their proficiency, knowledge, and wisdom. A wizard has many faces, and we want your involvement. You must help us guide our readers through your realm. Relay your experiences, feelings, advice, and suggestions to your fellow man and all of our understanding, tolerance, wisdom, and awareness will increase! We trust you will enjoy your issue, and we look forward to hearing from you. Whatever your quests may be, may this Edutainment Periodical prove as a worthy guide to the people, places, things, and ideas that make Galveston an island unto itself. MARS ATTACKS! The 27th of August is a day the Whole World is waiting for. Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will culminate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again. Watch Get back to nature... Get back with your friends... and Monday 2:00 AM City Council & Special Meetings Tuesday Community News & Announcements Wednesday Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk Park Board Meetings Thursday Park Board Meetings FridaySunday City Council & Special Meetings Learn! We know you like Channel 16 for it’s informative qualities, but now you can take the guesswork out of when your favorites will be on! The Galveston Wizard is currently working with Tech Wizards towards developing an island public access channel. We look forward to delivering content to you through that avenue in the near future. Are you ready? 6:00 AM City Council & Special Meetings Community News & Announcements Park Board Meetings City Council & Special Meetings 10:00 AM City Council & Special Meetings Community News & Announcements Park Board Meetings City Council & Special Meetings 2:00 PM City Council & Special Meetings Community News & Announcements Park Board Meetings 5:00 PM Live City Council Meeting Begins City Council & Special Meetings 6:00 PM Community News & Announcements Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk Wharves Board Meetings alternating with City Talk City Council & Special Meetings City Council & Special Meetings Park Board Meetings City Council & Special Meetings City Council & Special Meetings 10:00 PM Community News & Announcements Get back to living life fully! This broadcasting guide is subject to change from time to time due to changes in programming schedules. Community News and announcements will complete each 4-hour scheduling block. Questions? Please contact the Office of Public Information by calling (409) 797-3546. 32 Raising Spirits Join Us At G’Wiz: Galveston Wizard “We want to thank everyone for their support this past year! We are learning the ways of Galveston! Thanks for coming and we look forward to seeing you again soon!” Experience Working Women’s Wednesdays 5 o’clock! How many in YOUR party? @ $5 Appetizers Drink Specials 500 Seawall Boulevard #220 Galveston, Tx 409-750-8973 Good Times! http://www.chicos-paradise.com/ photo by Kevin Johnson Rock Solid esults! R • Prudential.com__ Yahoo! The NUMBER 1 visited website in the world. “WE CAN WEATHER IT!” The Mayor’s Citizens Response Team is registering any island resident in the event a mandatory evacuation is called. Citizens can call (409) 7973723 or the City’s EOC (409) 765-3710 to register. The city encourages people to call in now and register in advance of a storm approaching the island. Additional hurricane preparedness information is available on the city’s Web site at www.cityofgalveston.org, or by contacting Alicia Cahill, Public Information Ofﬁcer at 409.797.3546, or at her new email address at cahillali@cityofgalveston.org + • Multi-Media Area Wide Campaign. Driving home buyers to view your home. • 20 Years Marketing Background. Hands on agent, working hard to meet your goals. Jan McGovern Jan McGovern 409-419-0784 The Power of the Rock!