Chris and Ken’s Weblog

She’s Chris, I’m Ken. We met in August, 2000, bought a condo in Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood in August, 2003, and were married on May 22, 2004.

In the summer of 2008, we decided to damn the real estate torpedoes, sold our condo and bought a mid-century modern money pit townhouse just a couple of blocks away. Designed in 1971 by renowned Texas architect Frank Welch, the townhouse is the recipient of a new roof, electricity, kitchen, deck, and a host of other repairs and improvements in the few months we’ve called it home. The only thing we miss about our condo is the spectacular downtown view it offered in the winter months. That and the larger checking account balance.

The photo you see here was taken in October, 2005, in Buenos Aires, Argentina by our good friend Larry Hallman. Although somewhat dated, it’s one of the few photos of the two of us where I managed to keep my eyes open with a flash firing, while at the same time (and more importantly) it’s received quality clearance from the flight deck (a.k.a. Mrs. MartiniMan). “It doesn’t matter, though. We still look just as young,” she says.

I would be remiss (in fact, it has already been brought to my attention) if I did not mention Chris’ two kids, Ian and Vanessa. Ian earned his masters degree in computer science in the spring of 2008, and is set to begin work towards a doctorate this fall. Until then, he’s biding his time workin’ for The Man. Vanessa works in the virology department at Cambridge University in England, where her husband Will, a great guy from the Washington, D.C. area, is working towards his doctorate degree in theology.

When we’re not working or doting on Lizzie, our 8-year old schnauzer/terrier/Heinz-57, we’re hanging out, studying foreign languages (Chris: Spanish & Italian, Ken: French), or otherwise entertaining ourselves in our self-proclaimed “bubble,” the area of Dallas bordered on the north by Northwest Highway, the east by Central Expressway, the west by Inwood Road, and on the south by downtown, which we rarely leave except for work or our more extensive travels.

Bordering the posh hamlet of Highland Park to the west and just north of the burgeoning urban hotspot of Victory Park, our neighborhood is, if nothing else, dog-friendly, consisting mostly of low-rise condos, retail, and restaurants galore. In all honesty, everything we like and need is here, and there just aren’t enough compelling reasons to venture elsewhere on most occasions.

We just wish there were a “drunk gay men crossing” sign on the street around the corner, since pedestrians of that demographic dart across the avenue late at night like arcade game figures with astounding regularity, either to enter or having just left that oh-so-aptly-named watering hole, Zippers. Safety first.

The photo of “La Princessa” at the left is more recent, having been taken at Dallas’ White Rock Lake in the late summer of 2007, mere days before she caught her very first squirrel. Much to my surprise and dismay, I might add, since she was on her leash and walking with me at the time. All the years she’s invested and calories she’s burned in the noble pursuit of squirrel chasing, and her moment of glory couldn’t have lasted more than a second or two. Thankfully, the little critter fell from her mouth and scurried away after a swift tug of her leash by yours truly.

Hope you enjoyed your little end-zone dance, sweetie. It ain’t gonna happen again for a long, long time. Not on my watch.