The Great Hawtas Tale, Part 1

It all started with a vacation idea. Earlier in the year, Hawtas and I were discussing our summer plans. My wife and I had vaguely discussed going to Gen*Con, or Dragon*Con. Perhaps camping (ugh, in the summer?), or a casino! It did not at all include meeting someone from The Keepers. Hawtas and I discussed it further, and chose the week after my birthday. He would crash on our couch for a few days, and then off to Austin for a few days of fun. He would arrive Monday, July 7th and leave Sunday, July 13th. The plan was in place, the hotels booked. We were ready to have some fun!

It. Took. Forever. To. Get. Here.

Monday afternoon finally arrived, and the wife and I drove to Hobby Airport to pick him up. We arrived about 20 minutes early, and only waited a short time before his plane landed. I noticed someone in the distance, who looked like him, but I wasn't sure. I had a cardboard sign that read, "Hawtas", but he walked right by me. I said his toon name, and he turned and smiled. We introduced ourselves, and talked for a while. He got his luggage, and we headed out into the SE Texas Summer Heat (tm and c).

We stopped by our favorite pizza joint, Star Pizza and had a couple of different pies. The Starburst (a bunch of meats with fresh tomatoes, and olives) and a Magahrita, which is a meatless thing with white sauce instead of tomato. It was quite tasty, and Hawtas seemed to enjoy it as well. From there, we headed to Nan's Comics and Games Too, a 30 year old comic/game store. We picked up the expansion pack for the 2-player Settlers of Catan card game, a pack of the new WoW TCG, as well as a clear plastic card box for my Fluxx and Zombie Fluxx. Hawtas picked up some WoW TCG, but neither of us got any in-game loot. Shame. From there, we went to The Magick Cauldron, a pagan shoppe where I got some powdered incense.

We headed back to my place, so that we could meet Rhianne there at 5:30. My wife had to work that night, so Rhianne, Hawtas and I headed off to anther Texas favorite, The Alamo Drafthouse. The Alamo is a first run movie theater, but it has a twist. Every other row of seats is taken out, and replaced with bar tables. From there they have a full menu of foodstuff, including burgers, pizzas, appetizers and the like. You can also order beer and wine, of which I had legion (Ok, so two). Its a great place to enjoy a beer and a flick.

We saw Hancock, which I liked for the most part. It works well as a superhero movie, without being tied down to an established property. That gave it the legs to be something great, but a terrible villain kind of brought it down a notch in my book.

After the movie, we headed back to my place and crashed out.

Tomorrow, Part 2 as our heroes struggle to find culture in Houston, and a meeting of friends turns sour.