Kevo Invades Dallas

Well, the invasion has begun. The return of Kevo to Dallas usually marks the beginning of a very long weekend, filled with numerous bars from old times and countless stories of the infamous character himself. My adventures with Kevo have been lacking here on the blog and most readers might not even know who he is. This is because he decided to pack up and head to San Francisco to pursue his career. But don't worry - whenever he comes back to town it is truly an invasion and thus multiple stories will have to be told.

Night #1:

In usual Kevo fashion, he lands at DFW and promptly makes happy hour plans at Chuy's on Knox/Henderson. A few of his high school/college friends show up as well as a couple of colleagues from his internship here in Dallas. Ms. Fabulous, who did not ever get to work in the presence of the master, was of course there. She had to come see the legend himself, as stories about his greatness still echo in the halls of the hospital. Kevo is exactly how I remembered him from a few months earlier with one exception - he now speaks faster than anyone else I know. He even commented himself on his new pressured speech, and chalked it up to going out the night before. Un huh, sure! We all drank Texas Martinis while enjoying the conversation and the fun.

The next stop of the evening was our old table at The Gingerman, where we partook in some beers from around the world. Someone at the table wanted to order a domestic something or other, but leave it Kevo to make everyone order a unique and potent selection. I, of course, was able to stick to the ol' hefe weitzens. We discussed past relationships (Kevo is one of the few people I know that has a story about an ex that is right up there with mine), coming out of the closet stories, and the lives of every colorful character we know in Dallas. I must say his new life in San Francisco is exciting, though it sounds like he has settled down a bit. This is the guy who went out almost every night during our hospital call week and played "catch-up" on his sleep during his 30+ hour shifts at the hospital. For the rest of us, the cycle was reversed! I learned tonight about the secret to the schedule.....he took Excedrin and 12-hour Sudafed! He has acquired quite refined tastes living in The City (I thought that was reserved to NYC but apparently not!). Soon, I will be enjoying his company in the wine country when I go visit him for a long weekend. He has also gotten into obscure music, and promises to send me some group names I need to check out (I am constantly expanding the music collection!) But, all in all, he's still the old Kevo that I remember with the exception of being a bit more obnoxious now!

My quote for the evening: "You are SO Desoto!" This was my way of telling Kevo he hadn't changed since leaving for San Francisco.

Night #2

The invasion continues. Ms. Fabulous and I decided to go to Berryhill Baja Grill on Lemmon for a little dinner. If you haven't been here yet, then you need to check it out. This is one of Ms. Kung-Fu's favorite spots in Houston. We partook in the some great Tex-Mex vegetarian cuisine and Ms. Fabulous discovered a new concoction called the Ruby Slipper. Apparently this drink was featured in an episode of Sex and the City when Carrie was dating Aidan (you know how much we love that series!). I love how Ms. Fabulous discovers wonderful cocktails - she goes up to the bartender and asks, "What do I want tonight?" They proceed to tell her exactly the type of cocktail she needs that evening and that is exactly what she has.

Then we moved on the The Grapevine (which we all call GV), a wonderful little dive on Maple filled with all sorts of interesting characters. Gay, straight, bi - they welcome all! We were met by Roger Hayes, who loves the GV because he can drink rum and Coke for a whopping $2.50. I distinctly remember the last time I had set foot in Grapevine, as I decided the jukebox choice of the evening was going to be Beastie Boys. Karate Man did not appreciate the music selection, which should have been a huge warning signal to me.

The drink of the evening was the Tangarita, a margarita made with Tang. I haven't had Tang since I was 5 years old! I am crowd watching on the patio, when I see what can only be described as a Panama Jack type character making his way up to the establishment. I then realize it is Lerxst, clad in tropical attire and flipflops, who has just arrived from Phoenix.

Kevo and his posse arrived shortly thereafter, making their way from bartender to bartender saying hello to all their friends. I love going to the GV with Kevo, because he practically lived there the last year and knows almost every person that frequents the bar. We proceed to have a few more tangaritas, and become instantly intrigued by a Harry Potter look alike sitting at a table near us. Was he gay or straight became the hot topic. I guess Kevo has a thing for the Harry Potter look and he is never going to live that one down! The other topic of conversation came when Kevo and I discovered the reason as to why we are still single. As it turns out, instead of going out and meeting men, we sit around all day and watch ridiculously awful reality TV programs. Our favorite: My Super Sweet 16 on MTV. We apparently have seen every episode, know all the parties, and are fascinated by the exorbitant lengths parents go to please their bratty children, all the while wishing we were one of them! We are convinced that Ms. Fabulous was the Arabian nights girl on the series who had the college polo team carry her in on a chez lounge. She adamantly denied the claim, but we introduced her as that character all evening! It's fun having famous friends.

Lerxst quickly parted from the group as he found two Texas Tech girls who piqued his curiosity. He ended up buying them drinks all night, though he claims he wasn't looking for anything in return. Roger Hayes was rather quiet throughout the evening, probably plotting his next business venture.

The evening was long but, all in all, still a lot of fun. There is nothing better than spending a Friday night in the company of your best friends, whom you adore and love, who may live miles from here but who are always ever-present in your life to celebrate all the good times and the bad.