Houston: Dynamic Dynamo

Well Houston, you did it again. You left me even more impressed than last time. True, it doesn't hurt having close friends and family there. But there's just something dynamic about the town!The plan was to center a weekend around a Houston Dynamo game while crashing at Pad de Piper.I pulled in to town on a Saturday via Megabus. Few things warm my heart like cheap public transportation and drop-off locations in saloon parking lots. The Houston drop-off point is at the Lone Star, so I had a beer waiting for Travis when he came to pick me up. That pretty much set the tone for the weekend. After the Lone Star, we slowly toured the city's bars, which included country fried bacon burgers and far too many beers. Three in the morning came far too quickly. Eleven the next morning came even faster.Early start (it's all relative), as we met my parents for a pre-match lunch at the Original Mama Ninfa's! Lunch was great, as expected, but the time spent together was even better. I've recently realized how few of my friends my parents actually know. That's at no fault other than to distance. It's still almost alarming how little they truly know some of these people who have played such a major role in my life.After lunch, we met Sean and Clint at the Moon Tower Inn (dig it!). Then, despite my urging, we strolled over to the stadium. We found our seats at around the five minute mark, which unfortunately was about four minutes and 53 seconds too late. Tim Cahill scored the fastest goal in MLS history, putting the Red Bulls up 1:0. They went on to win 3:0. Was I happy? Of course! How could you not be?! It was a picturesque afternoon spent with amazing friends! Ohh, but you mean the football part? Look, I like the Dynamo. I like them more and more after each game. But still, the Red Bulls, they were my first team. And for this season, they'll be continue to be my first team. But to be totally honest, I just don't let it bother me any more. I just want to watch a good game with good friends.We had a few more drinks to follow up the match, then Clint took me to the Lone Star parking lot, where we waited for my bus to arrive. After about a beers worth of conversation, I was looking forward to finding a comfortable spot to sleep on the bus and finish out the night in my own bed. Then... I realized I had bought the wrong bus ticket. Unfortunately, that was the last ride of the evening. "See you tomorrow morning at 7:30," the bus guy said. Yeah... bummer.I called up Clint. I could crash at his place, no problems. On our way back, we grabbed a pizza. While we waited for the pizza to cook, we grabbed an Abita next door at The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club. The Big Easy... Houston's premier blues and zydeco bar. This is the spot Mr. Shults (junior year history teacher) took Clint and me to way back in high school when he absolutely had to introduce us to the band Luther and the Healers. The spot still rank of authenticity with black and white and poor and rich swaying to the Zydeco on the stage.I didn't want to leave, but I really wanted that pizza, so we picked up and carried on back to his place. We settled in to Sunday Night Football. Don't ask us how the game ended, because we were both well asleep by that point. Bed, finally, at some point. Then a six am wake-up call, only to find that the Megabus back to Austin was sold out! Arghhh!!! There was really, only one solution by this point. I walked down do the Hertz place, threw down my credit card, grabbed a Red Bull, and got moving down I-10. A comedy of errors on multiple levels, yet only my wallet was laughing.I made it back to Austin exhausted and broke, yet invigorated. Like I said... something about that town. Thanks again Houston!