How was your holiday weekend? Mine was filled with musings about odd gym habits, a Precious movie, and how party crashing never goes out of style – even at the highest levels.

BlackBerry in the sauna

Not many gyms are open on Thanksgiving Day, so the 24-Hour Fitness at Richmond and the 610 Loop is always crowded. It usually closes at 2 p.m. on the holiday, so members rush to get their workouts finished so they’ll feel less guilty about taking second helpings at dinner.

The health club recently moved to plush new quarters a couple of doors down in the strip mall. They added a pool and a coed sauna, steam room and whirlpool. That means members have to wear clothes in the wet areas – and the results are surprising.

After a brisk workout, I entered the sauna clad in swim trunks. A couple was already in there. The man was in a bathing suit — no surprise — but his girlfriend was wearing street clothes — jeans, a trendy T-shirt and so much gold jewelry that she couldn’t pass through a metal detector unscathed.

While he sweated buckets, she only had a mild glow as they chatted. If that wasn’t strange enough, a woman in jogging shorts and a top entered the sauna. She sat on the bench, whipped out her BlackBerry and typed away for the next 10 minutes.

As I sat there stunned, a man also clad in gym clothes — and an iPod — walked in and sat down.

I felt terribly underdressed.

Next time I plan to bring my laptop.

At the movies

Recently all the twentysomethings in my office had a good laugh when I told them I look at a daily newspaper to check movie times. They couldn’t believe I would do something so archaic. For them, it’s all about the Internet.

But when I decided to see Precious over the holiday weekend, I clung to my newspaper. In choosing a theater, I worry way more about the parking situation than the method of finding out when the movie starts.

The Edwards Greenway Palace theater has great screens, but I cringe at the thought of paying $3 to park there. This is Houston, after all, where free parking is an inalienable right. So I headed downtown to the Angelika, where the $7 parking charge is deducted from the ticket price.

Precious is dark but powerful, and there’s no doubt that Mo’Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe will be front row fixtures at all the awards shows, including the Oscars. (Another interesting part of the movie: Spotting Mariah Carey with no makeup and a slight mustache, The View’s Sherry Shepherd (virtually unrecognizable as a school receptionist ) and Lenny Kravitz — all in supporting roles.)

Houston designer Gayla Bentley, who specializes in flattering clothing for full-figured women, outfitted Sidibe for an appearance on The David Letterman Show, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed the actress chooses Bentley designs for the awards circuit. Even though a majority of American women wear a size 14 dress, there is precious little stylish clothing out there for them to choose from. The sad truth is many American designers would rather not be linked with full-figured women.

When Rosie O’Donnell recently complimented Eileen Fisher for being a plus-sized woman’s best friend, the designer reportedly responded, “Well, it’s just not the image we’re going for. That’s not really our demographic.”

The quote caused a firestorm in the blogosphere after O’Donnell reported the exchange on her Sirus XM radio show. Fisher said her quote was taken out of context.

Women’s Wear Daily examined the issue and concluded that more often than not, fashion focuses on creating an aspirational and often unobtainable image rather than concentrate on the realities of size or age.

“Not everybody is Kate Moss,” Andrew Gn, a favorite of Houston’s social set, told the newspaper. “Everyone has the right to look great. I’d love to dress (plus-size singer) Beth Ditto. When I see someone wearing my clothes, I am proud, often. Puzzled, sometimes. Horrified, never.”

How to be a party crasher

One of my friends has the amazing ability to crash just about any event she wants to attend. Her secret: She looks the part and acts like she belongs there. “It’s all about your attitude,” she once explained.

I thought of her when I followed the amazing chutzpah of the Virginia couple who crashed the White House dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Handsome and dashing, Tareq and Michaele Salahi certainly looked the part. She was even crafty enough to wear a sari.

While most commentators are wringing their hands over the serious breach of security, I find the whole affair refreshing. Never underestimate the ambitions of a serious social climber.

Overshadowed in the party crasher brouhaha was Michelle Obama’s pitch perfect gown for the evening — a one-of-a-kind handmade gold strapless gown with sterling silver paillettes by Naeem Khan, another Houston society favorite.

I don’t always like the first lady’s fashion choices — I thought the black dress with a big bow she wore to Ted Kennedy’s funeral was inappropriate — but the Khan gown, worn with dozens of bangles on her arm, was just right for the occasion.

Khan told the Wall Street Journal it took 40 people more than four weeks to make the gown. His gowns range in price from $5,000 to $15,000, but he calls this one “priceless.”