me kissing Lady Hystereo

Jennifer Lady Hystereo Rodriguez was a coworker at a former job. She's still in retail and I sometimes drop in on her and see what's up. Today, she got some sugar.

When Jennifer isn't selling stuff, she's making music. She's even signed to an independent record label in England under the name Hystereo Death (hence "Lady Hystereo"). She's been known to fly across the pond to perform. As I like to say, "shes' big in Bath."

She's also quick-witted, quirky, and a little more knowledgeable about Star Trek than you may find comfortable. Or else you will have long conversations about the differences between Romulon and Federation phasers.

I had to kiss her several times to get picture that wasn't completely out of focus. After loading this onto the computer and looking at it full size, it's still a little blurry. Well, there's no rules about not doing a second photo somewhere down the road . . .

me kissing Jacquelyne

The history I share with Jacquelyne Jay Boe goes all the way back to last summer, when we were both in rehearsals for and filming Framing Bodies: LOVE ME, a dance film made by Frame Dance Productions. (See the connection/theme tonight?) She's in the Frame Dance company and so was performing tonight.

Other than she's danced with several companies around town (and beyond), I'm not sure what else to add about Jacquelyne except that you really should see her dance Really. Go over to the Frame Dance site and ask to be put on their mailing list so you don't miss the next opportunity.

me kissing Big Joe Dancer

Big Joe Dancer, as he likes to be called, is probably the person I know least well among the people I've kissed so far. But of course, I've seen him dance multiple times since I've moved to Houston.

He was at the Frame Dance showing tonight and Donna (who I kissed a couple of weeks ago) sort of set this up. I can tell that Donna is going to become my agent for this blog. Which is good, because, as I may have mentioned, I'm not too gregarious about this yet.

Anyway, the lighting was dim at the Photobooth (our setting for this picture) but there were candles. So I suggested we try a candlelit photo. Joe liked it so here it is. I certainly has a different mood from the other photos so far.

I should mention that Joe is dancing primarily with Hope Stone Dance these days, and works behind the scenes with their HopeWerks program.

me kissing Ashley

So Frame Dance Productions is having a series of what I guess you could say are "showings." They're working on their next full production and on the way, they're giving these complete-for-now showings of the work, as it progresses toward their May show. Tonight was one of them.

It may be noticeable that I'm kissing a lot of dancers. Well, I know a lot of dancers.Ashley Horn is dancing with Frame Dance and she actually asked me what she needed to do to get kissed. I just smiled and pulled my camera out of my pocket. I have to admit, I'm still not very gregarious about asking people if I can kiss them, so I'm more than a little delighted to be asked.

Click on her name above and explore her YouTube channel. She makes dance-for-film as well as dancing on stage. Explore her work. I especially love the whimsy she expresses in her film work.

But wait, there's more. This is only the first of three kisses I gave tonight . . . 

me kissing David

This was the first time I'd met David Greer, but I've known him for a couple of years.

David falls under that peculiar, 21st century category of "Facebook friend." He was introduced to me by a college classmate---someone I'd lost touch with until I found her again on Facebook, and I haven't seen her in more than a decade.

But when I started this blog and started posting the links to Facebook, David was among the first to say he wanted to participate. He doesn't live in Houston but comes to the city regularly, so it was just a matter of coordinating. We ended up having lunch at the Montrose Berry Hill, where I'm sure no one even noticed one man giving another a peck on the cheek.

This meeting came with a surprise, which I'm using as code for "blessing." I promote this blog with the tag line, "a little sugar makes the whole world sweeter"---as if I'm one to spread any sweetness. Today, the sweetness came to me. Without agenda or any evident premeditation, David brought me a word from the Lord (to use cliched language) and it's been . . . well, it made my day a little sweeter.

Funny how these things sneak up on you. From a doing theater with Mary Margaret 25 years ago to a Facebook introduction 2 or 3 years ago to blogging in a not terribly serious fashion . . . well, you gotta count it all joy . . .

me kissing jhon

It was a chance meeting after a long day at work. On the train, I looked up. Across the rush-hour crowd, our eyes met.

But that's another story. It just so happened that jhon r. stronks got on the same train I was on. We chatted, asked what each other was doing, and then I had a brilliant idea. Asked him which was his stop. I asked if I could follow him off the train, find a lighted spot (it was already dark out, of course) and give him a peck on the cheek. Sensing my desperation and the potential for an ugly scene, he agreed. Right there, in front of the Ensemble Theater, I gave him a little sugar.

I should say, jhon is a choreographer and dancer whose career I've been following for a few years. All silliness aside, I do think he's one of the best modern dance choreographers in Houston (or Atlanta, or wherever he happens to be---he's a bit on the nomadic side). And besides all that, he's a super swell guy. 

It certainly was an after work pick-me-up to run into him.

me kissing Bridget

Well, it was a bit of an adventure, really.

Bridget Lois Jenson had asked me earlier in the week if I wanted to join her for some art event this evening. Sure. I'm always excited when someone else has the idea to go to an art event. (I'm usually the one scouting around for a companion to these things.) But of course, being Houstonians, neither of us thought to make reservations---and they were sold out. So we decided to see if there was a movie at the new Sundance Cinema we have downtown. There were a couple of movies we would have seen except they started later than we wanted to stay up. (I have to get up early in the morning.) We saw something was going on at a nearby performance venue and we had time to maybe get in there if it was something we wanted to do. It wasn't.

So our evening out was really just parking and going from venue to venue, seeing what we could get into and ended up getting into nothing.

But Bridget is a good friend and we had fun laughing at ourselves. And in the end, I gave her a kiss in the underground parking garage. I've had much worse evenings.

me kissing Lura

So I realized that today was my last chance to see the current show at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and I hadn't seen it yet. Well, I wish I'd seen it earlier because I would have told other people and tried to get some to go. It closes tomorrow, go see it if you can.

But this isn't a blog about seeing art, it's about spreading a little love. My good friend Lura Groen joined me at the CAMH and then we went to Inversion Coffee House to drink tea and wax theological. (I mostly discovered that some thoughts I'm thinking lately are not thought out. Do you ever think in idioms that don't translate easily into language?)

Anyway, as we were leaving, I said, "Hey, I need to kiss you!" And she said something like, "That's right! You do!" So in the Inversion parking lot, I gave her a theologically sound smooch.

I should note that Lura is the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church. Hence the theological talk. I've never actually been to a Sunday morning service at Grace (we agree we don't want to muddy our friendship with adding a pastor/parishioner dimension to the relationship), but I may visit sometime sooner than later. And if you live in the Montrose area of Houston, you might give them a looksee if you you're looking for a church. I wouldn't immediately assume that Lura will let you kiss her, but I'm pretty sure you'll find a warm welcome all the same.

me kissing Mr. & Mrs. H.

 This is my first chance to kiss a married couple. They were great sports to participate in this way. Now I want to find a family, arrange them in a family portrait, and go through kissing each one . . .


This is one of those cases where many people in my circle will know who these people are, so this isn't exactly "anonymous." But it is harder to Google and we agreed that it might be better, professionally, for one of them if this wasn't the first thing that popped up when someone plugged the name into Google. So, you see, there are many ways to participate.

How can I go about kissing people and not be sensitive to their needs?

me kissing Donna

Ran into Donna tonight at a dance event. She let me kiss her. She's a friend and dancer and choreographer and colleague. We're cooking something up for later this year. But for now, I just get to kiss her.

me kissing Michelle and Susan

 Stopped by the MFAH today. I worked there at a temp employee last spring in the gift shop, where I met very cool and interesting people. Two consented to letting me kiss them, with (the important part!) documentation.

This second entry in this new blog highlights two things: You can make faces as I kiss you. I won't be offended and will actually be delighted by it. Also, you don't have to be identified by your full name if you don't want to. I realize not everyone wants their name searchable on the internet so I give my victims, er, my kissees the option of how they wish to be identified. I'll even leave your name off entirely, if you prefer.

So, the top photo is Michelle Turner. The bottom picture is the semi-mysterious Susan @ the Museum. I love both their faces as I plant one on 'em. I love their faces anyway, but you know what I mean.

And, two days in, I'm loving this project!