Sit, Billy.

Drafts

2012-01-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

I don’t consider myself a blogger, but I do have a blog, and it’s a new year—such a new year, in fact, that it’s still okay to send new year cards…right?—so why not start blogging again, even if it’s only every three months?

I began Sit, Billy in September 2007 and since then have accumulated a number of draft posts, some of which I thought I would share, so I can delete them, finally.

Untitled (Excerpts from a chat session with “Megan F.” at j2 Global online support) (2008)
{Megan F.} I am sorry to hear that you wish to cancel. Can you please provide me with your Fax number which you wish to cancel and PIN for verification?
{Megan F.} I am waiting for your response.
{Megan F.} Ann, are you online with me?
{Ann} Sorry!
{Ann} OK

{Ann} I cannot be credited at all?
{Megan F.} I am sorry as per the records there is no refund applicable.
{Ann} (Are you a robot?)
{Ann} OK please just cancel my account.
{Megan F.} As per your request I will cancel your account with us immediately.

Laughing Out Loud (2009)
Living alone has been great. Living sans roommate also means lots of firsts, such as laughing out loud—alone. Which, in my opinion, is one of the best feelings in the world. So what's making me laugh out loud these days? A few things.
Ronna and Bev

Three Months Later (2010)
Yesterday I drove east to Upland to visit my best friend, who is visiting her parents. I met my friend and her parents in Claremont for lunch at Walter's Restaurant, where I ordered "bolawnies"—ground beef, potatoes and onions stuffed in a thin dough, deep-fried and served with fresh yogurt sauce—and a salad of fresh red beets, goat cheese and toasted walnuts in a raspberry citrus vinaigrette, both of which were good.

Fall Resolutions (2010)
Go to the Santa Monica farmers' market
Have my right bicycle pedal repaired
Finish the books I started

This made me chuckle.

2011-09-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

Seems Whole Foods Venice has a secret copyeditor. Or could use a real one.

P.S. Avocado, milk, ice, and a pinch of sugar are all the ingredients you need for an avocado smoothie. No need for "Coconut water, Coconut nectar, Agave" if you ask me.

Staple Foods

2011-01-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Today, nearly 80 degrees and sunny, seemed like a good day to be outside (especially after reading about the hazards of the couch). So I finally went back to the Sunday Santa Monica Farmers' Market. I had been once before with my parents who were visiting for the first time since my move. The first time was of course novel and somewhat overwhelming. Surrounded by piles of watermelon radishes, fluffy omelets in the making and organic cotton onesies, I felt not unlike a tourist at a gift shop with an inexplicable need for a lighthouse or lobster magnet. This time, however, I had shed my tourist goggles and was able to amble more or less unaffected under the winter sun and leave with some staple foods, like fresh bread (a classic sourdough boule and French baguette from Ca’d’Oro Bakery) and chicken (two legs, two thighs). Which means one less trip to Whole Foods, which is always a good thing.

Some days...

2011-01-14T10:13:00.001-08:00

eating a microwaved Filet-O-Fish is okay.
you just want to untag yourself from Facebook photos.
Morning Becomes Eclectic is too eclectic.
you forget to mail your Netflix disc.
you remember to mail your Netflix but haven't updated your queue.
the computer screen is too bright.
time zones are hard.
all lowercase seems more appropriate.
you want to clean your Gmail inbox, which is impossible.
you just don't know.

Bacon can be very distracting

2010-09-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

For an easy and delicious breakfast try making this sandwich, inspired by one of my old Houston haunts, Brasil. Fry some bacon, fry an egg—in the bacon grease, naturally—and set aside. Cut a couple slices of sourdough bread; in this case I used a sourdough bâtard—a thicker, wider baguette—from Whole Foods. On the sourdough, slather as little or as much mayonnaise as you'd like. Top with a bed of arugula, the fried egg, the strips of bacon, and thinly sliced red onion. You're done. This sandwich goes well with black coffee (in this case, a cup of some kind of Venice blend from Groundwork Coffee Company) but then again I can't think of any Western breakfast foods off the top of my head that don't go well with coffee.

I'm already thinking about different takes on this sandwich. Instead of mayonnaise, aioli (mayonnaise seasoned with garlic)…instead of bacon, swordfish…

Phoenix

2010-09-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Bowl, September 18, 2o10

A flask for fall

2010-09-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Not only does my go-to liquor store have a great wine selection, it carries Recycle-A-Flask. It comes with a funnel. Here is the press release from the company's website, www.recycle-a-flask.com:

RECYCLE-A-FLASK IS MORE THAN JUST A FLASK WITH A TASK

Los Angeles, California – February 11, 2010 – Recycle-A-Flask takes the nation by storm and launches its recyclable flasks in stores across the country. The reaction so far – people love it!

Two things the consumer has been leaning towards over the last year – going green and saving money. Recycle-A-Flask achieves both goals. With its FDA-approved plastic, these flasks are safe to drink out of and are safe for the environment because it is recyclable.

With such a low price point, Recycle-A-Flask is very affordable for all types of consumers, whether a user is looking to fill it with alcohol, or even the hiker that needs a light, compact unit to tote juice or water.

Sure, it holds the same amount of liquid as does a metal flask and weighs slightly lighter, but if you lose this flask, it’s not such a big deal because it was so cheap and likely had no sentimental value attached to it. This is not a replacement for that metal flask with your initials engraved on it – well, it just may be if you got your metal flask confiscated – rather, Recycle-A-Flask is an affordable, usable, green-happy alternative.

Jarred Shiffman, President of Recycle-A-Flask and quickly becoming known in California blog communities as The Flask Man, says, “It’s just amazing – the feedback we’re getting from readers of blogs and magazines, store owners, even people I walk by on the street. People love to tell me their stories of how they use our flasks. It’s pretty exciting. Everyone from the college student going to a football game to a skier going up to Mammoth for the weekend – people are definitely imaginative and come up with an endless number of uses for their flasks.”

Recycle-A-Flask can be found at your local liquor store (and if not, it will be soon!) For a list of retailers who currently carry Recycle-A-Flask, check the company’s website at www.recycle-a-flask.com. Recycle-A-Flask, a division of 1966 Productions, LLC, is a California-based company.

I hope for your sake that your local liquor store starts carrying these soon.

Summer Show Wrap-up

2010-09-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Since Thursday is the first day of fall, I call this post the Summer Show Wrap-up. It is composed of poor quality concert footage taken with my not-so-smartphone for your viewing and/or listening pleasure. The first show I saw after moving to Los Angeles was Caribou, in May, at the El Rey Theatre, but I was too busy dancing to film it. So we begin with Night Gallery.

Night Gallery are my friend from high school, Adam Griffin, and his musical partner "Aaron-David." They were originally based in Chicago but Aaron-David has since moved to New York. While I don't write about music (I listen to it and recommend it and make the occasional mix CD) I will say that it has a heavy '80s feel and makes you want to wear thin, patterned shirts with shoulder pads and dance on your toes. Think The Knife, but released from the dungeon.

Dead Man's Bones is heartthrob (well that's what he is!) Ryan Gosling's band with Zach Shields. This show, officially called "A Special Evening with Ryan, Zach and the Kids" was one of the best shows I have ever seen. "The Kids," who, on this particular night, named themselves something like "A Warm Glass of Milk" are the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. The venue, the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock, was decorated like a high school dance, complete with streamers, balloons, and folding tables around the perimeter covered in baked goods, and popcorn and cotton candy machines. The audience was asked to be seated for the duration of the show, which included magicians and puppeteers and of course, Dead Man's Bones' spooky yet exhilarating tunes.

Then there was Leslie Feist on Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl, floating around on stage with her hands in her skirt pockets, singing "Two Weeks" with Grizzly Bear. This was followed by Phoenix, but like with Caribou, I was too busy dancing—on the bench—to film anything.

Night Gallery, Show Cave, June 20, 2010

"My Body's a Zombie for You," Dead Man's Bones, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, June 27, 2010

"Two Weeks," Grizzly Bear with a special appearance by Leslie Feist, Hollywood Bowl, September 18, 2010

Slow Eggs

2010-09-12T14:03:00.001-07:00

Until today, I'd always scrambled eggs in a hot skillet—fast. Today I loosely followed Mark Bittman's recipe for Best Scrambled Eggs and found that this (much) slower version—an estimated 40 minutes—over low heat, produces a much softer and creamier scramble. By the way, this recipe is from the original How to Cook Everything, or The Big Yellow Book. It has been rewritten and is now The Big Red Book.

I used to follow recipes religiously. If I didn't have all of the ingredients or equipment exactly as specified, I wouldn't do it. But one of my roommates, who makes cookies without an electric mixer and substitutes this for that has inspired me to be more flexible. For this recipe, because I was cooking for one, I used 3 eggs instead of 5, kosher salt because I love it, skipped the tarragon because I don't have it and used a tablespoon of milk instead of 2 tablespoons of cream because I don't have that either.

Best Scrambled Eggs
Makes 2 servings

2 to 4 tablespoons butter
5 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons cream

1. Place a medium skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the butter and swirl it around the plan. After the butter melts, but before it foams, turn the heat to low.
2. Beat the eggs with the remaining ingredients and pour into the skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. At first nothing will happen; after 10 minutes or so, the eggs will begin to form curds. Do not lose patience: Keep stirring, breaking up the curds as they form, until the mixture is a mass of soft curds. This will take 30 minutes or more. Serve immediately, with lots toast.

Did you misread "toast" as "roast" like I did? Mark Bittman's writing sounds like a friend in the kitchen: "At first nothing will happen," "Do not lose patience."

The time it takes for the eggs to form curds is good for pan frying a few slices of Trader Joe's organic polenta with some olive oil on a neighboring burner. 4-5 minutes on each side is sufficient. A dollop of sour cream goes well with both the polenta and the eggs, and a sprig of basil looks good in photos.

Summer Plans

2010-06-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ronna and Beverly with John Slattery and Justin Kirk

June 25

Dead Man's Bones
June 27

The Passage talk and signing
July 21

American Sport, Japanese Food

2010-06-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Place Yuu.

40 Hours in Houston

2010-06-12T22:12:00.006-07:00

I'm back in Houston for an old colleague and friend's wedding. Here's the lowdown, so far, à la The New York Times.

Saturday

6:30 a.m.

After a red-eye flight from LAX to IAH, I am met by my parents with a bottle of water and a banana. This is the second Saturday in a row that I am up so early. Last Saturday I was in San Diego watching the French Open men's singles final. I plan on sleeping in next Saturday. When my dad pulls into our driveway, I notice the lawn looks greener and healthier than it had when I left, which makes me happy. My mom says to me that only now do they feel like true empty nesters. In the kitchen, they point to some oatmeal on the stove. Sometimes, like today, my dad adds a beaten egg to the oatmeal, which I love. It could be called "egg drop oatmeal." I eat the egg drop oatmeal with soy milk and sugar and then catch up on some sleep in my old room, which is on the second floor of the house, which my parents keep at 80 degrees. Which I can barely stand until I fall asleep.

2:00 p.m.

My parents drop me off at a big Catholic church in Sugar Land. According to Wikipedia, Sugar Land is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas and, in 2008, was selected by Forbes.com as one of the three Houston-area "Top Suburbs To Live Well." I am greeted by a Puerto Rican girl with whom I once accidentally bought four kilos of ground pork. The wedding is not too long and not too short. My friend looks beautiful in her dress that we've seen before but only on the computer screen. She looks like she is made of wax, in a good way.

3:30 p.m.

After the ceremony I am starving and convince my parents to have a snack. We end up at Cafe 101, which, offers over a hundred kinds of beverages and Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. They call their decor "contemporary." I call it "confused." Our waiter looks like an anime character and has the personality of a university DJ. One of the waitresses might have adult braces. But the food is passable. And I'm ready for another nap before the reception.

7:30 p.m.

After getting lost in downtown, my parents drop me off at Kim Son for the wedding reception. My parents go see Prince of Persia, which none of us know is based on a videogame until later when I look it up online. "Mom, the lead is Jake Gyllenhaal!" "Who's Jake?" "He was in Brokeback Mountain!" "Oh, him?? How come he's so fat?" The reception is replete with a dragon dance and a nine course meal. Highlights include shark fin and crab meat soup, Peking duck and rice buns and Kim Son steak with fresh asparagus. My friend changes outfits twice and, making the rounds in her red qi pao, looks like she stepped out of In the Mood for Love.

11:00 p.m.

Back at home, my mom begins preparing one of my favorite dishes for tomorrow: pork with dried cabbage. I think you know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Ann Roommate

2010-06-03T22:12:00.008-07:00

About a month ago I moved 1,382 miles west to Venice, California. I live in a three-bedroom, two-bath apartment not two miles from the beach. I live with two women — an architect, who has me listed as "Ann Roommate" in her cell phone, and an aspiring director. When I moved in, the architect had a dog named Trouble, but he fell ill and was put to sleep a week ago. Occasionally I find his hairs in my room.

Those who know me or at least think they know me, might be surprised that I watched a basketball game at a sports bar tonight — and enjoyed it. My colleague introduced me to Sports Harbour, which seems to have a MySpace page but not a website. Gnawing on chicken wings and potato skins and sipping on Heffeweizen while watching the Lakers kick the Celtics' ass was not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening. On a side note, where do you think the celery and chicken wing pairing originates?

Signing off,
Ann Roommate

2010-02-08T19:35:00.014-08:00

This, of course, is the ad that Google aired during the Superbowl. Apparently it had already been online for a couple of months. It's a great ad for a number of reasons. Low production costs, the fact that it silenced a room full of people, the accompanying music and sounds (the door chime at the chocolate store, the Allo on the phone. It has its flaws – "he" (yes, it could be a "she") probably wouldn't have known the accent in très, in part because he misspelled Louvre, which I loved. But why did they end it with the crib? There was something nice about leaving the timeline open to interpretation. I mean, what, did he knock her up? I know, I know. But still. It crossed my mind. Otherwise, nice work, Google. I also really like your Google Docs one.

Anthropologie, You Shouldn't Have

2010-02-08T19:09:00.013-08:00

Anthropologie sends saccharine birthday coupons so you can pay $255 for a $300 dress.

Cracker Bag

2010-01-20T20:39:00.005-08:00

A friend shared this short film with me. If you have 14 minutes and 26 seconds to spare, watch it.

A Modern Gingerbread House

2009-12-04T16:32:00.015-08:00

Hometta is giving away free modern gingerbread house plans for Draft House, one of a dozen small modern house designs available at Hometta.com. Draft House is the product of Minneapolis and Houston-based studio HouMinn Practice.

The plans for the 'Gingerbread Draft House,' which include detailed instructions on how to build this contemporary confection, can be downloaded at Hometta.com until the end of the year. As a bonus, Hometta members are automatically entered to win a Gingerbread Draft House Kit that includes all of the supplies needed to construct the little guy. The winner will be announced December 15, 2009.

When Hometta is not giving away free gingerbread house plans, the company offers an array of modern home plans under 2,500 square feet. Additionally, the designs are by award-winning studios from around the world. Considering the fees for the services of any respected architect, the plans go for a very reasonable price. Plans range from $1195 to $3195 and are purchased directly from the website.

For a low $9 monthly membership fee (or $49 for a year), those looking to build a small modern home can virtually view – with potential local builders via up to five guest memberships – the entire set of construction documents for their favorite Hometta house. And that's not all.

I personally prefer the more savory treats of the holidays. But I admit, the "snow"-covered gumdrops are very pleasing to my eyes.

Bless Google

2009-11-24T17:54:00.007-08:00

Having traveled a fair amount for work this year (Los Angeles in June, San Francisco in September and Boston in October, it is strange to be traveling for myself. Just me and my belongings – a mess of sweaters, cables and cords and the November and December issues of Martha Stewart Living. No business cards (aside from the nine I always carry in my wallet), brochures or the business casual skirt or dress. But I digress. When I traveled for work I often logged into Boingo at the airport to catch up on work emails and would love to catch up on personal emails this time around and browse my friends' Facebook statuses (how's this one: "my return from x-mas plane ticket confirmation code is NOWYOU") but didn't feel like shelling out the seven dollars or whatever it is. So while I'm flirting with idea of logging in, lo and behold I see a promotion from Google and Boingo – free airport Wi-Fi for the holidays!!

From Boingo:

This holiday season, Boingo and Google have cooked up a little something to take the edge off your travel excursions: the gift of airport Wi-Fi. That’s right: from November 10th to January 15th, you can access complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi at select airports in the U.S. (see list below). This limited time offer is brought to you by Google, a premier sponsor of Boingo’s Sponsored Wi-Fi Access program. Our sponsorship program benefits everyone involved by allowing:

See participating airports here. I'm off to Seattle for the first time ever. Stay tuned.

Divine Is Good

2009-11-22T17:23:00.011-08:00

Last week I wrote about local brewery Saint Arnold's latest brew: Divine Reserve #9. A week later, I have tasted it. And it's good. A lot like what The Houston Press described. You, too, can try this Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale. But not until December 1, when it hits shelves. Herewith, the brewer and his creation:

Flannel Pajamas: Didn't Like It

2009-11-20T11:42:00.010-08:00

VIA CINECULTIST
I like to rate what I watch on Netflix and recently gave Flannel Pajamas two stars, which, on Netflix, is equivalent to not liking it. Did you like it?

Flannel Pajamas stars Justin Kirk (Andy of Weeds) and the pale, freckly Julianne Nicholson. A quick summary: psychologist introduces two of her patients (unethical!), so man meets woman, man and woman date, man doesn’t like her best friend or large dysfunctional family, for that matter, in part because woman is too into said large dysfunctional family. Man and woman get married, woman wants a baby, man wants one but not yet. I’ll stop there.

Nicholson’s character, Nicole, annoys me. She seems like a difficult girlfriend, then fiancé, then wife. She is selectively bothered and Stuart comes off pathetic, paying off her loans, buying their apartment, helping her start a catering business. His love for her, which he professes over and over again, isn’t believable. And the film's title comes from something in the film that seems like an afterthought, just like Nicole’s mother being a painter, Stuart being Jewish.

All in all, not a very good indie romance. Flannel Pajamas, which could also be called Dress Pants from The Limited, is available instantly on Netflix.

Pecha Kucha Night in Houston

2009-11-16T15:08:00.006-08:00

Pronounced "peh-cha-cu-cha'', a mix of show-and-tell, open-mike night and happy hour, Pecha Kucha has become the forum for ideas on design, culture and a lot else that has swept the world in just four years now having taken place in over 200 cities globally.

Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes, 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to present.

RDA has been instrumental in helping organize and support Houston's inaugural Pecha Kucha presentation, so we hope you will come out in support of this fun event. RDA Board Member and Cite Editorial Chair, Christof Spieler will be one of the main presenters!

Doors open at 6pm for drinks and chit chat. Talks start at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public. Cash bar. Space is limited so get there early.

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Location: Domy Books | 1709 Westheimer Rd, Houston TX (Near Brazil Coffee House)

- via Rice Design Alliance

Saint Arnold, Hometta

2009-11-15T21:05:00.012-08:00

Some news. Apparently my friend Nik (pictured above) has created Saint Arnold's latest brew: Divine Reserve #9, an Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale. It will be on the shelves December 1. Katharine Shilcutt writes in the Houston Press:

The #9 has a strong initial scent of nutmeg and cinnamon -- unsurprising, as Harris told us they used pumpkin pie spice in the recipe -- but that spiciness fades quickly and pleasantly upon drinking. Despite the fact that there quite literally is an entire pumpkin (canned pumpkin, at least) in every single keg, the pumpkin flavor isn't at all overwhelming. In fact, the tastes of caramel and chocolate are at least as strong as the pumpkin, owing in part to the dark malts that were used in the recipe. The result is a dark, creamy, strong, rich beer -- completely unlike any other pumpkin beers we've tasted (which tend to be mild, lighter and almost fruity).

Sounds delicious, right? I get to try it tomorrow. Stay tuned for the report.

In other news, Welcome Hometta: Boston has been extended for a week. Go see the exhibit at pinkcomma gallery through Friday, November 20.

Not Just Any Baby

2009-11-14T14:11:00.008-08:00

Other people's babies are cute, sure. But your own nephew – is cute. Isaac, named after his paternal great-grandfather Ira, will be one month on Monday.

Isaac arrived early in the morning on October 16, 2009, weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. According to his mother, "He already cries fluently in English, French, Flemish and Mandarin. He says he is eager to meet you all, and that the food in Belgium makes up for the weather - which is not so bad after all."

I wouldn't mind having an Obama baby myself (as in, having a baby under Obama's administration, not having a baby with the president), but in case I don't (I have seven years), I'll at least have an Obama nephew.

My sister is doing well and looks great on Skype. While it's apparent a lot has changed in my sister and brother-in-law's life, not much has changed for me since becoming an aunt (they call me Aunt Ann). Except for the wallpaper on my BlackBerry (Isaac) and an increased interest in tiny clothes. And, if in a blue funk, I am cheered up by the mere thought of the little man.

We will finally meet in December – at his paternal great-grandparents' in Boston – after his first transatlantic flight. Needless to say, I cannot wait.

Our Pies Are Out Of This World

2009-11-12T15:34:00.006-08:00

Here is a photo of my colleague Quyen and me holding our respective pies. School numbs my buns!

What Twin Peaks will do to you

2009-11-12T12:23:00.009-08:00

Sadly, I am fast approaching the last disc of the second and final season of Twin Peaks. This week my craving for cherry pie came to a head (huckleberry is too obscure). Until this morning, my search had only yielded a $14.99 pie at Whole Foods and nary a parking space at House of Pies. I am happy to share that, thanks to my colleague, I have found a pie – the Flying Saucer Pie Company’s cherry pie.

If you also find yourself in Houston with a craving for pie, I recommend going to the aforementioned Flying Saucer, where the pies “are out of this world.” The pies range in price from $8.75 to $10.75. They use only fresh eggs, all vegetable shortening, whipped topping (not on my cherry pie) and fresh fruit whenever possible; the pies contain no preservatives. And they claim to be the oldest pie shop in Houston operating out of the same location since 1975. I can only hope it’s as good as that of the Double R Diner.

The Middle East Fits My Mood

2009-10-25T14:46:00.011-07:00

Look for The Recordings of The Middle East by the Australian band The Middle East. If you're a sucker for soft haunting melodies (and beautiful album covers and simple album and band names), you should listen to "Blood" and "The Darkest Side" and probably the rest of the band's oeuvre when it is released (10/27/2009, according to the Lala). The band's appeal has more to do with their sound that is reminiscent of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes (and Arcade Fire, when the girls chime in) than their vampiric song titles. As for ever seeing The Middle East live, KEXP makes a good point, "The problem with falling for an Australian band: they are always playing Australia."

Stimulus Brownie

2009-08-30T17:45:00.003-07:00

HOUSTON – In my last post I failed to mention that I was at both coffeeshops in one day, hence the “hop.” So is the Wireless-less life. After a weekend of hanging out with a small white dog, I'm back at Antidote to share some great news with dessert lovers, chocoholics, et al. While I prefer savory to sweet, Barnaby’s brownie is one thing I generally don’t pass on.

The great news is that until the Dow hits 11,000, Barnaby’s in Houston is offering the Stimulus Brownie for $1. This bite-size delight is approximately a quarter of the size of the usual brownie à la mode – with an equally recession-sized scoop of that thick buttery Mexican vanilla ice cream that a even salt-lover like me can’t resist.

Coffee Shop Hop

2009-08-23T18:25:00.006-07:00

This time last month I was in Brussels visiting my sister and her husband. My ten days in Europe are worth a separate post. Today I'm writing about coffee shops in Houston. In this post I'm not so much interested in the coffee as I am in its usefulness. When it comes to coffee shops, besides the obvious things, I only need two things: outlets, and free Wi-Fi. Agora and Antidote fit the bill.

Agora (1712 Westheimer Rd) is a Greek-owned shop as hidden as a building can be on busy Westheimer. The ground floor of this former house is furnished with large tables surrounded by director's chairs and a couple of couches. The upper level, accessible only by a set of seriously steep stairs, is packed with a motley assortment of small tables and chairs. There is outdoor seating both downstairs and upstairs – a haven for smokers. There's almost always something playing on the jukebox, and it is surprisingly good for the most part. Right now, Jeff Buckley. The clientele is mixed. All different types of people – possibly a decent cross section of Houston. Parking isn't great, but I live in walking distance, so. I personally avoid Wednesday nights like the plague; it is (or at least used to be) belly dancing night.

Antidote (729 Studewood St) is further north in the Heights. Parking is in front of the shop or on E 8th St. It is much smaller than Agora but I have generally found a place to sit, whether it's at one of the small lacquered wood tables, the colorful round tables outside, or on one of their vintage-looking couches. There's less world music here compared to Agora, so think The Rolling Stones, a classical track, followed by your favorite Belle and Sebastian song…you know, if you have one. Which brings us to the clientele. It's younger, hipper, and teeming with young parents and their newborns on weekend mornings. If you like Antidote too, you can vote for them here.

Both coffee shops serve beer and wine, and food that I rarely ever feel compelled to eat. What I love about both of these places is that you could sit there all day doing what it is you do on your laptop, and they won't bat an eye. Which is nice.

Scary Skype

2009-08-13T10:11:00.003-07:00

Was this upgrade inspired by The Ring?

Blue Period

2009-07-15T18:15:00.011-07:00

BREAKFAST AT THE STANDARD HOTEL.

Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary of working at Hometta. This time last year, prospects of working at Kiehl's and Gabellini Sheppard—and a career in New York—had sadly fallen through. A year later, though, I have to say I can't complain. Great things are happening all around me.

For those of you unfamiliar with Hometta, it's a new modern home plan company selling small modern home plans online. Architecture studios contribute plans to us, and we sell them. Builder Magazine's Jenny Sullivan explains it pretty well:

Many considered it a brilliant move when Target began selling goods by famous designers such as Michael Graves and Isaac Mizrahi, thereby bringing high design to the masses. Now a consortium of award-winning architects, designers and builders is seeking to do the same thing with house plans--minus the big box store.

Along with our Web launch (which happened just in time for our first public appearance at Dwell on Design in L.A.), we have curated a multi-city exhibition entitled Welcome Hometta to introduce the first 24 designs and the studios that designed them. The exhibitions begin here, in Houston, tomorrow night at the New World Museum with an opening reception. The event will be catered by Armandos, which means there will be a beautiful red taco truck serving free tacos and margaritas. Welcome Hometta: Houston is on view through August 2, Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.

Across the Atlantic, my big sister and her husband are awaiting both my arrival (in less than week) and a special arrival of their own—a baby boy. Apparently I am more emotional about this than my sister is; at the sight of her belly via Skype, I started bawling inexplicably. What will happen when I actually touch the belly? Or if I feel a kick! In any case, this time next week I will be in Brussels, probably drinking a Belgium beer.

Meanwhile, in China, my boss has adopted a beautiful new daughter. I have been religiously following my boss's wife's personal blog, as well as her contributions to Motherlode. And you should, too. I can't wait to meet Rosemary, to say the least.

I'm just…

2009-06-17T10:32:00.003-07:00

PHOTO VIA DANNY JONES DESIGN + PAINTING

Summer Hours

2009-05-22T22:36:00.001-07:00

I’m feeling rather unsophisticated at the moment, having read A.O. Scott’s review of Summer Hours upon returning from the theatre feeling only lukewarm about the film. This happens sometimes; I watch a film, feel unsure about it, then read a review by a respected source and realize it was better than I thought it was. I suppose that happens when you learn about a piece of art in art history class. Upon first glance it’s just whatever you see. Then your professor talks about it while gesturing at it on a screen in an almost dark room, and perhaps you even feel moved to join in on the discussion. And then you see it—the actual piece—in person one summer and you feel close to it, because you read about it, studied it, and feel like you know it. So rather than sum the film up in two words: Antiques Roadshow, you have more to say about it than you thought you would while you were cringing over the characters saying words like “Colorado” and “pretzel” en anglais.

Lala - Where Elvis Perkins plays

2009-05-13T18:38:00.013-07:00

At work, because my computer has the best speakers, I am in charge of playing music. Which is hard, when one employee (your boss) likes Bob Mould, newer Bright Eyes, Journey…and another employee likes Lady Gaga ("P-p-p"), Lily Allen ("Fuck You"), and the Darjeeling Limited soundtrack, over and over again. When our iTunes libraries got stale, we tried playing a mix of stations on Pandora. Currently, I am on Lala, which I really like. From what I understand, you can listen to everything once, then, the tracks play as 30-second samples. You can download them as mp3s for cheap, or buy them to listen to exclusively on Lala for cheaper, which uses a player not unlike your iTunes setup. So I immediately "added" (bought to listen on Lala) the newest Elvis Perkins album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, because I just can't get enough of it. In fact, that's where I'm headed very soon, to Walter's to see him live. We share the same birthday, by the way.

Will clarify what "cheap" and "cheaper" means and all that—later.

Indie Book Festival This Sunday

2009-05-07T10:42:00.014-07:00

PHOTO VIA DOMY
This Sunday, I plan to visit Domy—a 0.1-mile walk from my apartment—for the Houston Indie Book Festival after I accompany my mother to church for Mother's Day. If I didn't go, my father would have to pin a flower on her. Which would break my heart. And would also be a bit like Parent Day without a parent. It's also possible that, in light of the recession, the church has cut their carnation budget. Will let you know!

According to the Gulf Coast Web site, the book fest will include R2, which my college writingmates and I helped found, with the author of the highly-anticipated vampire trilogy, Justin Cronin.

SOAP&SKIN

2009-04-25T17:03:00.011-07:00

PHOTO VIA MYSPACE
Listen to Austrian band SOAP&SKIN. Visiting its website is like being at an uncomfortable gallery. But the music is worth a listen.

Hey, this reminds me of…

2009-04-25T16:07:00.011-07:00

Sometimes I listen to The Hype Machine. Sometimes, like now, I will listen to the "latest" songs, some of which are unbearable, and I will hit "next" at the bottom right of the screen. In any case, here's a song called Perfect Fit, by a band called Clue, that reminds me a little bit of Islands.

2009-04-19T17:59:00.019-07:00

I have been loving the April showers in Houston but am sad to say that, according to my Mac OS X Dashboard weather Widget, we’re to expect sun all next week. On days like today—73 degrees, fair—I find myself saying, “It’s beautiful out,” or “I love this weather,” when actually I prefer dark clouds and an impending storm. Does that depress you?…In an attempt at learning How to Enjoy Sunday, I installed myself at Antidote Coffee (729 Studewood) for several hours, where I enjoyed a double soy latté a piece of moist zucchini bread, the company of my friend F, and the surprising convenience of a power outlet under my seat. How often does that happen at a coffee shop, on a weekend? Also, the folks at Antidote will let you use their scissors if you ask.

After finishing The Wire I did not return that hallowed Netflix disc for quite some time. (Speaking of Netflix, you can watch the premiere episode of The Tudors: Season 3 instantly through April 20—tomorrow!) Some might say I was in mourning. Since realizing there might be life after The Wire, I have watched the following movies, in order: Friends with Money (2006), Shopgirl (2005), The Machinist (2004), and Badlands (1973). Coincidentally, the first three are set in LA, although The Machinist was shot in Barcelona. The first one I loved and will not write about. The second one, well, don’t go off of your antidepressants, kids! You will go through a Blue Period! And I warn, Claire Danes cries, which is one of my least favorite things to watch. It is brief, though.

The Machinist was probably the best in that I’ll probably add it to my small yet selective DVD collection. Or at least add it to my Amazon Wish List (ahem). For those who haven’t seen it, the film is about a machinist—you know, an industrial worker—who hasn’t slept in a year (I know, how is that possible?), which is really painful to watch. I really tried to imagine how the main character Trevor Reznik, played by Christian Bale, was feeling. So I tried to remember, in college, how it felt to operate my car after working in [architecture] studio for however many hours—shit-ty. That’s as much empathy as I could conjure. In any case, The Machinist confirms that Christian Bale is crazy and one of the best actors of our time. (The supporting roles of Jones and Jackson are played by actors in The Wire!)

As for Badlands, my friend L in Austin is working on Terrence Malick’s latest film Tree of Life (starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, wow!) and I figured I’d study up on “Terry’s” (that’s what L calls him) earlier films before watching Tree of Life when it comes out in 2010, according to IMDb. I haven’t finished watching Badlands but I’ll let you know if I have any other thoughts than, “What the f--- is wrong with you, Holly??”…In other news, Gossip Girl is rocking my world. Is it rocking yours?

Weather, Models, Gossip, and Karma

2009-03-11T16:30:00.017-07:00

It's been warm in Houston, and as a fan of cold weather, I'm looking forward to the cooler temperatures we're expecting over the course of the next few days. But my new colleague and I feel this will be the last of it, which is too bad…Am looking forward to the second episode of America's Next Top Model tonight (MAKEOVERS). They are looking for girls 5'-7" and under for the next cycle, and I seriously considered applying because, you know, there industry really needs a 5'-6" 140-lb twenty-five-year-old model on the runway (ha ha ha!), but I realized I already have a job…Gossip Girl finally returns with "The Age of Dissonance" on Monday, March 16 (Daily Intel's reality index!) As for the actual episode, according to Wikipedia:

The Constance Billard and St. Jude seniors put on a production of "The Age of Innocence" and find their personal lives mirroring conflicts in the play. Serena develops a crush on the play’s director, Julian, and enlists Vanessa’s knowledge of theater to help her get the otherwise uninterested guy’s attention. Blair receives devastating news about her future that leads her on a witch-hunt for the person responsible. Dan and Rachel agree to stay away from each other in the aftermath of being discovered as more than teacher and student, but find it impossible to keep that promise. Chuck enlists help from an unlikely source to win over Blair, his nemesis Carter Baizen.

I lost my "Gossip Girlfriend" to Atlanta so I'm accepting applications for that position…Also, a word on exercising at the gym. Don't make fun of the squat Asian guy on the elliptical next to you, because somehow your earphones will fall out of your ears and to the ground, taking the iPod and you with it.

Please Keep Reading

2009-03-10T20:45:00.015-07:00

PHOTO VIA NYTIMES

Never have I craved a book as much as Lush Life. And by that I mean, after a day at work, I actually want to read a book rather than sit in front of an episode of The Tudors like some historical fiction-obsessed zombie. I made the mistake of not buying it after last night's reading, and, tonight, my neighorhood half-price bookstore did not have a copy, or anything by Richard Price, if I looked in the right places. Having stopped in on my way home from the gym, I decided I was too grossly sweat-stained to look for it at Borders. I imagine the local bookstore gods are pleased, as I will probably go to Brazos tomorrow to satisfy this most unexpected craving.

Last night Richard Price read to a large crowd at the Alley Theatre in downtown Houston. Having read—with difficulty—in the Fall 2007 issue of The Paris Review (N0. 182) the Lush Life excerpt "Night Fishing on Delancey," I anticipated the reading mostly out of love for The Wire, for which he wrote screenplays during his hiatus from novel writing.

How can I describe the reading to you? Richard Price has curly hair and is wearing jeans and brown shoes. He steps onto the beautiful stage, the stage set for "The Man Who Came to Dinner," stands behind the podium, wood. Lots of dark wood, Oriental rugs, appropriately, or oxymoronically scholarly. He gets right to it—tells us what we need to know to be able to, you know, get into what he's going to read—three escalating interviews conducted by a couple of detectives trying to solve a murder that takes place on the Lower East Side of Manhattan—Matty (Irish) and Yolanda (Puerto Rican). I imagine The Wire's McNulty and Greggs the whole time, of course. So does my good friend who sits to my right.

Richard Price does voices, sort of. Listening to Richard Price read—granted, his own dialogue—was a little bit like riding on the back of an old boyfriend's blue bicycle (you know, standing up, fingers and toes holding on tight) through the dark streets of Kensington, Brooklyn, late at night. You're sure you're gonna lose hold, fall off, but you don't. With Price, you're sure you're gonna get lost in the dialogue any second, but somehow you're able to hang on, and part of you wants him to go on for a little while longer than you know he's gonna go. When it's over, part of you thinks, He practically read the entire book. But you know he didn't. And now you want to read what he didn't read and what he did read—all of it. Originally you thought you'd like it because it's set in your old neighborhood (of a year), because Berkman's is totally Schiller's. But those details are nothing next to this reading that might be the best one so far in your twenty-five years. It surprises you. (You did love the Congee Village nod, where you, too, have had something comparable to a mojito. You also loved the part about real versus fake absinthe, because you've had that conversation enough times that it's become one of those annoying things that people talk about and can everyone please just shut up. And the part about a summer program—weren't you there, too? RISD Pre-College Summer 2001?) P.S. Richard Price hates people your age (and "hipsters"), or anyone younger than him, for that matter.

Afterward, when Richard Price is asked about the difficulty of writing dialogue (not difficult at all, Price says), he refers to the dialogue he writes as a "heightened reality," which, yeah, it is. It's what I live for.

Recession for Men

2009-03-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

A Day Spent

2009-03-03T18:25:00.009-08:00

After a few days' hiatus because of, I don't know, other plans (and car troubles), I go back to my fancy ass gym, where I continue to feel uncomfortable until I am too exhausted to feel anything. Although for the most part I try to avert my eyes, I think that every man I "notice" is gay. The fact that they are often with another man taking turns on one machine might cause one to think so. Not that I want to meet my future husband at the gym . . . This morning, in line at Brasil, I overhear two women talking about wild salmon, which apparently is good for your skin and twice as expensive as farmed salmon. The scones at Brasil are pretty good, by the way . . . I've been working on my impersonations of The Wire characters, which include Bubbles, Kima Greggs, Lieutenant Daniels, Marlo Stanfield, Namond's moms, Snoop, Tommy Carcetti, and the crooked politician, whose name I can't remember . . . Am still getting to know my Blackberry Storm, which also means blocking my peripheral vision in the presence of iPhones.

Calling All Hot Chicks

2009-02-26T07:22:00.018-08:00

My downstairs neighbor asked me to bring hot chicks to the premiere screening of his sketch comedy troupe's movie, Deadbeat TV. So if you're a hot chick in Houston, join me at the premiere screening tonight at River Oaks Theatre. If you're not a hot chick, you can watch some of it here.

Caught Snacking

2009-02-22T22:12:00.009-08:00

PHOTO VIA KHOU.com

Last night I got to go to the Spacetaker Gala thanks to Jessie Mann of Freeway Films. Spacetaker, to my understanding, is a resource for artists operating out of Winter Street Studios. Highlights included almost winning the "original designer mid-century modern Italian four arm brass light" courtesy of Metro Modern with the encouragement of these two, meeting author and fellow Rice alum David Eagleman, the Travesty Dance Group performance, and snacking, apparently.

New Fiction

2009-02-17T19:12:00.031-08:00

Tonight I attended a reading/talk by David Eagleman, author of the seven-day-old Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives at Brazos Bookstore. Last night, I saw Ha Jin, author of A Free Life, at Zilkha Hall, part of the Inprint Reading Series (Richard Price on March 9!). The events were similar in that I had expected more reading than talk, but, in retrospect, I didn't mind that they were what they were. As for questions from the audience, they almost always put me ill at ease, and I wish they would be eliminated altogether, but maybe one day I'll have a burning question (as a turquoise jewelry-wearing, salt-and-pepper-haired readingsgoer) and will be glad they're still taking questions from the audience.

Sum is about possibilities. Possibilities of the afterlife, of our inevitable, unknown end (or is it?). Eagleman playfully presents these musings of what-might-happen-when-we-die in forty short vignettes. Which, because they were published—and I am curious if anyone agrees—makes him, the author of the work, somewhat less human. The short "tales" of the afterlife, which are funny and poignant, remind us of the value of our present lives, and maybe, even if for a moment, enable us to abandon our worry, our existential angst concerning what may or may not become of us. Because we don't know (and by "we" I mean "I"), we probably won't ever know, and it's okay that we don't.

Eagleman claims not to be agnostic, or anything, really, other than possiblist, I think he called it. For the sake of tonight's talk and future talks, that is all good and fine. But I rarely want too much of an explanation behind a piece of writing, or art. For Sum, Eagleman doesn't need it, because the make-believe stories activate my mind, make me laugh and lament all the same, and wonder. Which is enough, I think. Some members of the audience, however, wanted to compare notes with this newfound "religion," which was annoying and a waste of time, in my opinion. Anyway, I look forward to reading the rest of the tales and may post some excerpts if you're lucky.

Say It Ain't So

2009-01-28T19:56:00.018-08:00

Over the holiday I went for a routine eye exam that turned out to be anything but routine. Standing in for my family optometrist was a greasy substitute who, within minutes of sitting me down, commented on how good my English was, with a look of utter amazement. I explained that I was born in Austin—a minor detail. Thus began a torturous eye exam that went from racial to sexual harassment, a story for another time.

Based on more recent events, the eye exam wasn't a singular, anachronistic encounter (far from). Rather, the compliment on my English was foreshadowing—for the childish jokes about my ancestral cuisine, for the fingers pointing at me and the "china" I hear from the day laborers just south of I-10.

To those of you who just don't get it, the year is 2009. Act like it, please. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to snack on your pet!

Yelp Reviews

2009-01-21T08:48:00.010-08:00

After trying the sliced beef from Hickory Hollow I decided it was time to join Yelp. Herewith, my reviews thus far.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T12:58:00.001-08:00

You might know Jorma Taccone from Jizz in My Pants. Enjoy!

Jorm dances to Arcade Fire

The Holidays Can Be Hectic

2008-12-22T21:48:00.002-08:00

Cheap, Good Malbec

2008-12-16T21:31:00.008-08:00

PHOTO VIA WINE.COM
Because I don't know anything about wine (and probably never will, truly), I have been lookin' at Malbecs because I heard it was, you know, "in." I know. Who cares. But I "discovered" a tasty Malbec at Spec's. So next time you're stuck in the wine aisle, give Alamos Malbec Mendoza Seleccion 2007 a try. $9.02 after tax.

Chatting with a Robot

2008-12-16T21:17:00.006-08:00

PHOTO VIA FLICKRER BANALITIES

I recently canceled my eFax account, with a robot. Herewith my J2Global Chat Session with Megan F.:

The session has been accepted.

{Ann}

Hello

{Megan F.}

Hello, Ann. Welcome to j2 Global online support. I am Megan, your online Live Support Representative. How may I assist you?

{Ann}

A couple of things. First, I need to cancel my account.

{Megan F.}

I am sorry to hear that you wish to cancel. Can you please provide me with your Fax number which you wish to cancel and PIN for verification?

{Megan F.}

I am waiting for your response.

{Megan F.}

Ann, are you online with me?

{Ann}

Sorry!

{Ann}

{Megan F.}

Can you please provide me with your Fax number which you wish to cancel and PIN for verification?

{Ann}

######

{Ann}

PIN is ####

{Megan F.}

Thank you for providing your information. Please give me a moment while I go through your records. In the meantime, please type the number corresponding to your reason for cancellation:

1) Moving to another provider
2) Bought a fax machine
3) Business or role changed
4) Short term project completed
5) Financial reasons
6) Problems with faxing or billing
7) Dissatisfied with quality of service
8) Too costly

{Ann}

{Megan F.}

Ann , I understand that currently you do not need the service. In the current situation, we will waive off the monthly fee for two months. This way you will be able to keep your account, which will enable you to send and receive faxes. You will also be able to use all of our services and re-evaluate it for your faxing needs. During this period, you will not be charged any monthly fee. We are suggesting this so that you can give it a second thought, as you will not be paying $11.00 for the next 2 billing cycles.

{Megan F.}

Your eFax account will be credited with EUR$22.00 so that you may utilize our services without being billed our monthly fee for the next two billing cycles. During this 2 months period you will only be charged for sending faxes.

{Megan F.}

Since you will not be charged any monthly fee for the next two billing cycles you could keep the number till then. If at all you find that you need our services during this period, then you will still have the account. If however, you still feel that you do not have any use for our services by the end of this two months credit period, then you can always contact us back anytime. Would you like that?

{Ann}

I don't need the service :)

{Megan F.}

I completely understand your wish to discontinue, since you have already paid for the month, we do not want you to lose out on the money. I suggest you to retain this number at least till the end of two months credit offer as you will not be charged any monthly fee for the two months. As a good will gesture to continue our association we will offer you an additional gift balance of EUR$10 along with the monthly credit which will enable to send some additional fax pages free of cost.

{Megan F.}

During this two months credit period, you can keep this service active and if you use it once in these two months we will be more than happy that we were able to serve you. During this period only usage charges would be applicable for any faxes sent.

{Megan F.}

If you do not wish to continue beyond this waiver period, then there is no obligation to continue. There are no contracts. All you would need to do is, contact us just once, anytime during this credit period to re-confirm your decision. We are at your service, round the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

{Megan F.}

You can reevaluate your faxing needs during this period.

{Ann}

In fact, I opened an account to send one fax and am not sure it even worked.

{Megan F.}

Ann, did you go through my above set of response?

{Ann}

Yes.

{Megan F.}

Just to confirm do you wish to accept the above offer?

{Ann}

I would like to cancel now and hopefully be reimbursed for at least the past month.

{Ann}

No.

{Megan F.}

I am sorry as per the records there is no refund applicable.

{Megan F.}

Okay, I understand and respect your decision for cancellation. I will cancel your account with us immediately.

{Megan F.}

Is there anything else, I can assist you with?

{Ann}

I cannot be credited at all?

{Megan F.}

I am sorry as per the records there is no refund applicable.

{Ann}

(Are you a robot?)

{Ann}

OK please just cancel my account.

{Megan F.}

As per your request I will cancel your account with us immediately .

{Megan F.}

Is there anything else, I can assist you with?

{Ann}

No, thank you.

{Ann}

Will I receive a confirmation email?

{Megan F.}

We are sorry that you have decided to leave eFax, but if your faxing needs do change in the future, we would be more than happy to have you back.

{Megan F.}

Thank you for contacting j2 Global online support. Goodbye and take care.

{Megan F.}

Yes, you will get an e-mail confirmation regarding cancellation of your account at your registered e-mail address after ending this chat session.

The user has ended the session.

Best Facebook Message Ever

2008-12-16T21:09:00.005-08:00

--------------------
Subject: Facebook question

Do you handle your Facebook business in a certain order? For example, let's say you log in tomorrow and have a photo comment, a message, and a friend request. Do you have a particular order for handling this? Is there are a reason behind it?

Answer this question, and I'll tell you why I'm asking.
--------------------

Hell shit, I'll answer this question. I hope it wasn't a mass message!

Right, Right

2008-12-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

From Daily Intel:

Dan has gotten a lot twitchier lately, a little more awkward. The whole apricot-muffin situation was kind of over-the-top. Jenny notices, too: "You still have feelings for her, right?" she says, adding slowly: "Do you think you could put them into words and say them out loud?" Plus 3.

Until Next Year, Gossip Girl

2008-12-09T07:51:00.028-08:00

PHOTO VIA E! ONLINE

As far as Gossip Girl goes, reading anything other than Daily Intel's weekly reality index is like watching Beta Chuck and New Blair.

Last night's episode was good, for several reasons. Ed Westwick acts (a bit too hoarsely but who cares), and I laughed out loud a couple times, once when Jenny says to Dan, "OK, so can you put those feelings into words and say it out loud?" or something like that.

I really thought the episode ended when Blair and Chuck hold each other. GAWD. Shows how much I care about Lily's big secret, which turns out to be an abortion, after which she goes to a mental (?) hospital in France?? Pourquoi??

Other notables:

No Vanessa this week. Do people (in this case, Nate) not bring dates to funerals?
Good casting for Cece! I know we've seen her before, but this episode I thought, good casting, she could be Lily's mother!
Blair looks really pretty at Eleanor and Cyrus's wedding. Love that she covers her eyes when they kiss.
Serena. She always sounds like she's drowsy as hell/about to die.

About This Time Last Year

2008-12-08T19:30:00.018-08:00

C punched me, twice. As much as holidays depress me, I enjoy looking back and remembering the year.

After throwing an unforgettable holiday party with my roommate (there was a champagne room), I went to Paris, where I finished school and received my B. Arch. When I returned I managed to find a job in Houston, of all places. In the past year I've grown closer with old friends and have made new ones as well.

I didn't intend for this to be a year in review sort of thing, but here are some highlights of 2008:

A
peeling avocados

B
barbacoa tacos
Belgian for Beginners
Boom Boom Room
brisket, sometimes from Goode Co., sometimes from Lockhart, Texas

C
first camping experience
"Canadian Girl" live at Walter's
Jack in the Box Cheesy Macaroni Bites
my couch

D
Daily Intel's weekly Gossip Girl reality index
Dear Old Love

E
El Rey
my external hard drive

F
"Foolproof" by Ron Sexsmith
fresh tulips, sometimes

G
Gmail video chat
the color grey
my gym

H
a lot of hot dogs
Hypem
J. Crew cords

I
IKEA GRÖNÖ lamps

J

K
KFC and Gossip Girl

L
Laredo Taqueria
Last.fm

M
Mad Men
Mission Burrito

N

O
President-elect Obama

P
Patricia Waller
Pink's Pizza
the Poison Girl tamale guy

Q

R
remixes

S
the return of SNL

T
The Heights
The Wire

U

V
Subway Veggie Delite

W
the original Barnaby's Waffle Fries with Blue Cheese Fondue
Warren's Inn

X

Y
yoga class on Sunday

Z

Much Better

2008-11-26T01:24:00.000-08:00

PHOTO VIA GOOGLE

2008-11-24T16:21:00.023-08:00

Today I returned to the ad hell that is MySpace. Iconic Head Cabbage (left) is a placeholder for the "About me" section until I figure out what it is about me I want you to know, other than that I'm cooler than the other side of your pillow (taken by Diplo).

You'll find that my favorite books, movies, music, and TV shows are pretty consistent across both social networking sites. What you won't find on Facebook, however, is an album of ridonkulously self-indulgent "self-portraits," or photos taken with Photo Booth, poorly disguised as, you know, photography. God, I love to waste your time.

Speaking of wasting time, if you've ever liked someone, take a look at this here Dear Old Love. It's a collection of "short notes to people we've loved (or at least liked). Requited or unrequited." You email your note(s) to an Andy Selsberg who throws 'em up. Andy titles them, even if you include a clever subject that should obviously be the title. Here's mine.

And may God's love be with you.

2008-11-20T19:43:00.013-08:00

This commercial for Lincoln (wtf) has been around for a while. I've even seen it before previews at the movie theater. The point is, I still can't get enough of this Cat Power cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity. I want to hear the whole song, damn it.

Google Continues to Amaze

2008-11-20T18:12:00.012-08:00

PHOTO VIA SKYPE
Why anyone would continue using Skype now that Google has come out with Voice and video chat is beyond me.

On Quitting

2008-11-11T11:29:00.005-08:00

VIA FLICKRER MICROTURBIAN

I found this letter to the editor from my senior year of college about preserving the student-run Coffeehouse. Thankfully, Starbucks did not make it to campus.

I didn't go to Starbucks on Election Day. Did you?

Gossip Girl: My Points

2008-11-04T16:00:00.009-08:00

Every Tuesday I read Daily Intel's delicious Gossip Girl reality points-based recap. Readers are asked to add points in the comments, which are tallied at the end of the week. Here are mine this week:

"More Realistic Than Karl Lagerfeld Inviting a Rich 17-Year-Old to His Birthday Party"

Jenny buys her fabric at Mood. This is annoying as the first reference of the hour. But she lives in New York, so I guess she can do that. And for not showing her actually buying the fabric à la Project Runway, plus 1.
Jenny's eye makeup (a reference to Halloween?). With this new bravado, she would. Plus 1.
Serena: "You have to admit, the licorice ring was sweet." Like a real girl obsessing about a new boy who'll be history in about a week! Plus 5.
Dan: "That's a one [dollar bill]." Because Rufus would—maybe—do that. Plus 1.
Chuck: "Humbert Humbert's name is…" If Chuck has read a book, it's Lolita. Plus 3.
Jenny Humphrey's logo is Ralph Lauren meets Juicy or mini Tory Burch—totally. Plus 5.
Lily Bass does a little Mom dance at the guerrilla fashion show. Plus 4.
Bro's before ho's for Jenny—totally. Plus 5.
Chuck knows Gossip Girl—show milestone. (Uh, did we know that already?) And of course he does. Plus 5.
Emma really does think it's about Muffy, and not her negligent mother issues. Plus 3.
Emma says to Blair, "But you're perfect." To which Blair quickly responds, "True!" Plus 2.
Serena cares about Dan after the girl answered Aaron's phone. I'd care, too. Plus 5.

"Faker Than Nate Mailing Jenny a Letter"

Emma is still reading Harry Potter. Actually, she would be reading Twilight. Minus 2.
Emma's reference to [The] Beatrice [Inn]. Would they let Emma in? Minus 1.
Dan says Nate is taller and easier to spot. Isn't Jenny/Taylor Momsen supposed to be TALL? Minus 2.
Is Blair off her meds? She's a bedtime regimen kind of girl; she wouldn't forget or be too lazy to take a pill. Minus 2.
Polaroids. Aren't they like not making them anymore? Minus 4.
B and S looking at an undergraduate course catalog? Yeah right. They'd be at brunch, or something. Minus 2.
Jenny's nowhere to be found? She's obviously going to live with Agnes!! Minus 1.

Best Google Graphic Ever

2008-11-04T07:37:00.004-08:00

VIA GOOGLE

This and That

2008-11-01T20:50:00.021-07:00

I just saw this commercial during SNL. After you vote on Tuesday, get a free cup of joe (haha), on Starbucks. (Also, who is David Cook?)

Voters simply need to cast a vote, then tell the barista at their local Starbucks and they’ll receive a tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee at no charge (limit one per customer). In the best tradition of democracy, we’re using the honor system for proof of voting.

I assume early voters count. Since my university Coffeehouse days and the closing of Diedrich on Westheimer, I've gradually returned to Starbucks. But I feel bad about it every time. So I'm thinking I might go get that free cup of coffee and say bye-bye.

There was also a commercial for The Renaissance Festival. Which made me realize I've been blogging for more than a year now. Since the first post of Sit, Billy I've traveled to South America and Europe and back. Where will I go next, I wonder.

As I wrote once before, I don't like to change my Facebook profile too often. So here is the exclusive update:

Activities: drinking, quitting smoking

Interests: Nintendo, vampires

Favorite Music: "Troubled the Waters" (Black Kold Madina)

Favorite TV Shows: 30 Rock, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, SNL, The Office

Favorite Movies: really liked Stranger Than Fiction; may go see Rachel Getting Married even though I said I wouldn't; want to see, in alphabetical order, Fear(s) of the Dark, Milk, Trouble the Water

Favorite Books: am reading The Emperor's Children (Messud) and do not like any of the characters; am excited to read Twilight (Meyer) so I can watch the movie when it comes out

About Me: lethargic, ready for winter, anxious about Election Day

David Cook sucks. He's like the football player from high school who found a "voice" and a vest and ran with it.

Shake Yo' Boooty

2008-10-28T22:43:00.006-07:00

Happy Halloween from Humpty Hump aka Pumpty Pump, left, and Shuffle.

Survey Says

2008-10-24T15:42:00.002-07:00

After seeing a small man behind the wheel of a big minivan, I decided to take a survey. When asked if they would feel emasculated behind the wheel of a minivan, guys said:

Guy 1: Not at all. Would you?

Guy 2: Hmm…not really.

Guy 3: Ha! Hmm. Maybe a little. Trying to think of a car I would feel emasculated in. Volkswagen Cabriolet is pretty emasculating, but they don't make 'em anymore.

Guy 4: Hm. Not if it were old or beat up enough that I felt it was silly…I wouldn't really feel emasculated anyway. I think maybe in a VW Beetle or a Mini.

Guy 5: Interesting question. I learned on a minivan and I hated it. It was less the fact that it was a "minivan" but more that it handled like ass and was big. I mean there was an emasculating aspect to it but that wasn't the main reason I hated it. The first time I was in a car was that Windstar and I remember driving down our back road with my mom teaching me and some seniors from my school drove up behind me so I was in the big slow moving thing that I didn't know how to control and these three guys came up behind me, got irritated, honked and passed me, so I was a little embarrassed to say the least.

Guy 6: A little.

Heads-up

2008-10-23T09:38:00.001-07:00

New Hometta video. Look for the back of my head.

2008-10-19T10:16:00.007-07:00

In the kitchen, to avoid fruit flies and the stench of garbage (which is worse?), freeze the organic stuff in a freezable container. Just toss out the food à la Miles Monroe when it's time to take out the trash. The air in your apartment or house will be much more palatable.

Snoop Dogg, Meet Akshay Kumar

2008-10-16T13:16:00.014-07:00

Photo via npr.org

Lately I've been listening to NPR on my drive home from work—a mere nine minutes. Yesterday on All Things Considered I heard this story on Snoop Dogg's latest single "Singh Is King" on which he collaborated with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, above (not Ben Stiller).

Because I find both Snoop Dogg and South Asian music incredibly sexy, I am naturally drawn to this breed of music. The story mentions the British artist M.I.A., or Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, who I also find incredibly sexy (remember the video for "Galang?") and is a good example of this unlikely breed of music.

The story evoked memories of my university's strangely titillating South Asian Society shows, scenes from Bend It Like Beckham and The Namesake, and being in the UK—real and imagined. NPR and my own associations delivered a story that gave me chills—the good kind, of course.

IKEA NORDEN Dining Table

2008-10-07T15:10:00.005-07:00

Photo: IKEA

If you're not in Houston or Seattle, there's a $199 NORDEN Dining Table, with your name on it, at IKEA.

You Betcha I'm Bloggin' for a Livin'!

2008-10-07T11:02:00.009-07:00

In anticipation of my company's launch, I invite you to take a sneak peek at our blog, Hometta Live.

In my debut article, Like Robot, Like HouMinn, award-winning Hometta architect Blair Satterfield talks about the divergent collaboration that makes their projects possible, including the house that will be for sale at Hometta.com later this year.

And while you're already distracted, join our Facebook group, Hometta, Inc.

Project Sunday

2008-09-28T19:10:00.006-07:00

As if I don't watch enough TV, I'm back to being hooked on Project Runway. While living in New York, watching PR at my sister and brother-in-law's apartment with a box of Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcakes sort of became a tradition. I miss that. But I'm in Houston now, and they're in Brussels.

Earlier today something possessed me to search for PR online, and I easily found full episodes on YouTube. I'm almost through episode 4, "Rings of Glory," where the designers are asked to create an outfit for the US female athlete to wear in the Summer Olympics opening ceremony. In other words, it's been PR marathon up in here. So far I haven't been wowed by anyone's designs. The most exciting thing thus far has been Natalie Portman's surprise appearance. And can we throw out the biker chick already? If I have to look at her skull face and listen to her bitch about anything-that-isn't-leather one more time… shh, don't tell me! Episode 12, "Nature Calls," airs Wednesday.

Turns out there was no Mad Men last Sunday. An advisory would have been nice.

Obama Says Debate Should Go Ahead

2008-09-24T18:37:00.007-07:00

To me, this photo from Vanity Fair says, "Bring it on, McCain."

"It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once," says Obama. Watch as Obama turns down McCain's invitation to join him in Washington to help with the financial bailout rather than participate in the first of the presidential debates currently still slated for Friday. I don't know much, but I don't understand why Washington would need the help of McCain. Isn't Bush still in charge? Hehe.

Whether McCain is buying time or not (and whereabouts is Palin these days?), the bailout doesn't seem reason enough to put off a presidential debate, that's for sure.

Season Pass My Ass

2008-09-24T18:15:00.009-07:00

Photo: Starpulse

I was about to write a review of Mad Men on iTunes, or rather an "Amen" to a fellow iTunes user nicknamed Dallas, Texas Chiming In, who is "very unhappy with the season pass," but decided against doing so when I realized the title of my review would be considered profane. Here are a couple tips from iTunes for writing a great review:

Take the time to copy edit your work so that you avoid embarrassing typos or grammatical errors.

Do not use profanity or overtly sexual language.

Dallas, Texas Chiming In continues, "It is Monday night and I still haven't received Sunday's show, which we are supposed to receive from iTunes within hours after it airs. DON'T BUY THE SEASON PASS!"

Now, it's Wednesday. So WTF, iTunes? Take me back to New York 1962, for goodness' sake. Inquiring minds want to know what kind of shit's hitting the fan in the Draper household!

-Houston, Texas Chiming In

Prada Model Down

2008-09-24T11:19:00.010-07:00

Photo: Houston Chronicle

A nondescript model eats it on the Prada runway printed with a dance step diagram-like school of fish.

Mad about Mad Men

2008-09-21T23:11:00.007-07:00

Photo: TV Guide.

The above still is from the Lutèce* scene, where comedian Jimmy Barrett apologizes to Mrs. Schilling for making fat jokes at her, after which he turns and bites down on his fist when she says, "I know that’s what you do, I guess I just don’t have the stomach for it." Great scene.

But what's with the table lamps? The table lamps bothered me ten years ago in restaurant scenes on Felicity, and they bother me now, in restaurant scenes on Mad Men. I'd like to think the show is too good for crap props.

With Felicity, the dumb table lamps appeared in the nice-restaurant-scenes (Mr. and Mrs. Porter are in town, Noel takes Felicity on a real date, etc.). I have not gone as far as counting the restaurants/bars on Mad Men in which there are lamps perched awkwardly, stupidly on the tables. But there are several, and it makes me wonder if the restaurant table lamp is a status symbol of which I'm unaware? My memories from New York restaurants do not include table lamps whatsoever. And thus, I have always found the nice-restaurant-scene-little-table-lamps really annoying, in the same way that I find phone numbers that start with 555 annoying.

I think Requiem for a Dream is the only movie or TV show I have ever seen use a non-555 number—the number the guy at the end gives to Marion. Yeah, that guy.

Somebody please explain the lamps.

*"Though it has been more than a decade since Lutèce was in its glory days, the restaurant played a crucial role in the culinary development of the United States almost from the moment it opened its doors in 1961." Read more about Lutèce.

30%

2008-09-21T21:10:00.007-07:00

Courtesy of TV Guide. Click on photo for more.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Although I still prefer Steve Carell, Alec Baldwin's acceptance did not annoy me. But the five-person opener did. WTF was that?

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Who is Bryan Cranston?

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Tina Fey, 30 Rock. That's right.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
FX? Really?

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Not Amy Poehler, too bad. She's kind of hot in a weird pregnant way, right?

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Still not interested.

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives won; don't care.

Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
Does anyone care about David Letterman anymore?

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock, because The Office just isn't as good as it used to be. You were right, Ann. You were totally right.

Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men. Ann, you must be clairvoyant. Like Don Draper's new secretary… Apparently, MM made history as the first basic-cable show to win a top series award at the Emmys. Glad I have an iTunes Season Pass, Suckers.

In Honor of the Emmys

2008-09-21T14:29:00.013-07:00

I love television. Currently I keep up with eight shows: 30 Rock (NBC), America's Next Top Model (CW), Big Love (HBO), Dexter (Showtime), Gossip Girl (CW), Mad Men (AMC), The Office (NBC), and Weeds (Showtime). And when you watch this much TV, there's bound to be some actor crossover.

Hopefully you recognize Maulik Pancholy, or protective Jonathan, from 30 Rock as Sangay, I mean Sanjay, in Weeds. Or vice versa, whichever you watched first. And then there's Audrey Wasilewski who plays Peggy Olson's sister Anita in Mad Men and tepid neighbor Pam Martin in Big Love.

Michael C. Hall went from tight-lipped funeral director David Fisher in HBO's Six Feet Under to forensics expert by day, serial killer by night in Dexter. David Fisher is gay; Dexter is asexual (and avoids getting any action, except for when it falls in his lap in the form of his fragile girlfriend dressed as Tomb Raider). David drains blood in the basement of Fisher & Sons, and Dexter analyzes it for work and collects a drop from each victim—from the cheek—on glass slides for leisure. I am curious what's next for Hall as far as fictional characters go. Will the character be straight? Will there be blood?

Tonight, on the annual show showcasing shows, Hall is up against Mad Men's Jon Hamm, among others, for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series in the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, something in which I never had much interest. But this year I want to see what the cast of Mad Men looks like in "real life."

Dexter and Mad Men are also in the running for Outstanding Drama Series, along with Boston Legal, Damages, House, and Lost, all of which I don't watch. I imagine there are a lot of Lost fans out there… My experience with Lost is: I watched the first episode, thought What is this, Jurassic Park? and never cared to follow up.

So who am I rooting for tonight, in some of the "key categories?"

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Because Alec Baldwin annoys me, Steve Carell as Michael Scott.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, because I'm more addicted to Mad Men than I am to Dexter. Maybe it's because Don Draper is constantly surrounded by all those boys—Ken Cosgrove, for one.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Sorry Mary Louise Parker, love your big brown eyes and the way you drink out of those straws, but Weeds just isn't as funny as 30 Rock. Not even close, actually. So, Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, take it home.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
John Slattery as Roger Sterling. John Slattery is one of those actors who looks totally familiar, but for some reason you just keep forgetting to look him up on IMDb.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Amy Poehler as Performer. It's hard to compete with Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin (of course her name has a h), but she still manages to make me laugh.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Not interested. But if I watched Brothers and Sisters, I'd probably root for Rachel Griffiths, since she comes from the Six Feet Under family.

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Edie Falco as Celeste “C.C.” Cunningham. Adorable.

Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
David Letterman, Host. Because I love David Letterman. Always have. Always had a crush. Always hated Jay Leno. Sorry, Tina Fey.

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock, because The Office just isn't as good as it used to be.

Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men, again.

I guess the CW isn't eligible to win awards?

2008-09-20T21:37:00.003-07:00

For those of you who were bored out of your gourd watching the last video, here's something probably more up your alley. Credit goes to H for showing me this one.

2008-09-20T20:12:00.004-07:00

This video was taken from one of my east-facing windows after the brunt of the storm.

Why I'm for Tina Fey

2008-09-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Pow-urgh.

2008-09-17T20:00:00.004-07:00

As of 8 PM CST tonight, there were still 2.26 million CenterPoint Energy customers without power. The energy company is providing outage and restoration updates on their web site. According to the latest schedule of outages by zip code, 93 percent of my zip code (77019) remains without power. That's luck. That also means I have two vacancies, in the form of one couch and one sleeping bag lined with a striped pattern à la Bert and Ernie, for anyone who doesn't have power and doesn't mind me typing the night away, or listening to Bon Iver on repeat. I have air conditioning, hot water, a slow-draining tub, and plenty of week-old sugar cookies and fresh Dunkin' Donuts coffee (I miss you, New York). You have two hours—midnight curfew, y'all!

This is an uprooted tree.

2008-09-17T16:08:00.010-07:00

This is nothin', really. But I was stopped at one of the few working traffic lights and had my cell phone camera handy. For those of you who are familiar with Houston, this is at the intersection of Waugh and Washington.

These uprooted trees are spectacular to look at and certainly a distraction for drivers like myself. The bigger, the more magical. Like something out of Pan's Labyrinth or Big Fish or…you get the idea. Wish you were here to see it in person.

After Ike

2008-09-17T10:27:00.009-07:00

Well, I lost power around 3 AM Saturday morning. Lucky me, I woke up to the rumble and chill of my A/C late Sunday morning. Many friends who live nearby are still without power, which resulted in a couple nights of girl slumber partying to the heart-wrenching music of Bon Iver, who is playing now, unless your volume is off.

I emerged from the hurricane with one leaky ceiling and an addiction to AMC's Mad Men, a show about the "ad men" (ad as in advertising) of Madison Avenue in 1960s New York. Part of the appeal, for me, is that three of the characters remind me of boys I know. It ranks nowhere near my all-time favorite Six Feet Under, but at the least I want to know what happens next. Mad Men is on Sundays at 10/9c, and it's available on iTunes, where I bought my copy.

I'm writing from the office where there is power again, as well as working Internet, which has become a hot commodity these days. Some video footage of swaying trees forthcoming. I have never seen so many trees uprooted.

Live hurricane reports from Houston!

2008-09-11T16:48:00.040-07:00

A has decided to "hunker down" and weather hurricane Ike. Read what happens.

Saturday, September 13, 2008
2:48 AM. Power just went out for a bit but came back on. It was perfectly black. I can hear things moving around outside. You're just waiting for it to hit a window.

2:42 AM. Light just flickered.

2:20 AM. Just turned on the television. Apparently 1.3 million customers without power. But for those of us with power, we have yet to deal with the edge of the eye and the back of the storm. As Liz Lemon would say, BLURG. I confess the news reporters are lovely company. They're informative, etc., etc. Watched some Mad Men. I'm not in love, but I'll watch it.

On the news: footage of reporter Wayne Dolcefino being blown around. A tree snapped at the base in The Heights. I do not want to see that happen here. The sportscaster is reporting from Baytown. It's like when your high school football coach also teaches English.

2:13 AM. It sounds like there is an ocean outside. Will most likely be sleeping with one eye open.

Friday, September 12, 2008
10:38 PM. I moved my mattress away from my bedroom windows to a more central spot in my apartment. It feels like I'm at the fifth grade lock-in again, except it's just me. Earlier, a news reporter described how a broken window can send shards of glass across a room. Which would suck. I filled my bathtub with water for what, I'm not entirely sure. For flushing the toilet? Not for drinking, I hope. Anyway, I plan to camp out like this until Ike blows over. Ha, ha. I recently downloaded the first season of Mad Men, so I guess you know what I'll be doing until the power goes out, or until my MacBook battery dies, rather. I have a such a headache. 415,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power right now. Another 32,500 from another power company.

9:53 PM. 315,000 CenterPoint Energy customers are without power. I still have power here in 77019.

9:12 PM. I've exhausted my Netflix disc of The Office (Season 4: Disc 1). Earlier, I moved my furniture away from the windows. I also filled up several water bottles. Now, when I'm on my couch, I face Park St, as if I'm waiting for a show to begin. After inhaling macaroni and cheese and some leftover steak, I'm tired again but not about to fall asleep, only to wake up face to face with Ike. The wind in the trees is so loud, I feel like it's a matter of time before a window breaks. Also, when do the news anchors and reporters throw down their pencils?

7:44 PM. It's darker out now. I've got box macaroni and cheese on the stove, and I'm listening to the drone of the news reporter and the trees moving outside. It's not raining yet, but I imagine it will get a bit scary when it does. Earlier, from my living room window, I saw a few neighbors in and out of their houses, with a cigarette in hand, or a drink, or a dog. My mind is intermittently flooded by images of my car getting picked up by the wind or a tree crashing through the windows. Galveston Island is without power.

6:03 PM. Need a laugh? Hurricane Bound For Texas Slowed By Large Land Mass To The South.

5:30 PM. Passed out after watching an episode of The Office. Just woke up and wondering why I'm so tired. Turned the TV back on; I like the company. WHOA, just saw a live image of Houston's downtown. A blanket of gray clouds over those iconic buildings. 1900 marines are coming our way!! If this were a pregnancy, I think we are in the hospital. Oh my…

11:41 AM. I'm stayin'.

10:48 AM. Just woke up to a voicemail from H, who broke and took off, to Austin. H says I should be with people. Do I go to my parents, who live thirty minutes away? Do I drive to a friend's nearby? Or do I stay here, at my apartment? I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do. In Houston, the trees are moving a bit. Predicted 25-35 winds by noon. In Galveston, they're enforcing an 8 PM curfew. "The wind field is extremely broad," they say.

1:25 AM. Had a homestyle dinner with H and M at Buffalo Grille, then beers at Rud's. Just heated up some old pepperoni pizza to eat while I watch The Office until I pass out. Also plan to go to the grocery store first thing tomorrow. The news channels love this web site. Can currently anticipate 69 mph winds!

Thursday, September 11, 2008
6:59 PM. I just woke up from a couch nap and am wondering if I have enough food and water for the weekend. Why do I need food and water? Because of flooding and crazy winds, I could be stranded at my house for a couple days. My friend MDM makes a good point: "Wine and cheese does not count."

Not Yer

2008-09-02T18:42:00.005-07:00

I need to credit a fellow Blogger blog, Carolina Eclectic, for my previous post of the Pantone stairs. Carolina herself, a Houston-based designer/blogger, stopped by the office recently to gather material for a triple feature post (Not Your Average Contemporary Homes.) on , the bungalow that is my office, Brett Zamore's two kit homes next door, and Hometta's publisher/editor couple's aptly eclectic home.

OMG Pantone stairs

2008-08-22T14:36:00.001-07:00

courtesy of Apartment Therapy Los Angeles

2008-08-18T05:29:00.009-07:00

An email about Yogyakarta, which he much prefers to Jakarta, this photo from Design Observer. A phone call about Come to Seattle we can have a coffee and Come to my wedding party in France next summer. A phone call about Come to Brussels more than once. All of these things I want to be anywhere but where I am, or is it just something I got used to saying.

2008-08-12T19:55:00.003-07:00

Secret Passwords

2008-08-12T19:41:00.008-07:00

I WAS JUST GOOGLING AROUND to find if the word "than" in "No One Belongs Here More than You" should be capitalized (it should), and I stumbled upon this. I'm annoyed by and in love with it, not unlike my feelings about the actual stories so far. If you have the time, be sure to visit Miranda July's web site.

In my post-Olympics depression, I will probably steal a dry erase marker from work and draw or write (or both!) all over my stove unit.

What's your password?

Why Dexter isn't bad

2008-08-12T19:39:00.009-07:00

Dexter's opening credit sequence

SOMETIMES I START A POST and don't finish. Because I leave my computer to use the toilet or to peer into my refrigerator. "Why Dexter isn't bad" is one of these posts that was autosaved. Thanks, Blogger. But right now I'm not really in the mood to get into why Dexter isn't bad. Because I want to get back to watching the Olympics. Duh.

Lines like If I had a heart, it might be breaking.

Commitment, sharing, driving people to the airport.

The State of Texas Vs. Me

2008-08-10T09:48:00.008-07:00

A WHILE AGO I got a ticket for not wearing my lap belt. Lucky me—I was riding in a friend's old Corolla, in which the passenger seat has separate lap and sash belts. The unjust part of the whole affair is that, while we were parked at a red light, the policeman walked over to us from a nearby gas station, from where he could not have seen that I was not wearing my lap belt. Initially he asked for my friend's license, but upon realizing that she was all buckled up, he asked for my license.

As much as I complain about it, I don't mind defensive driving. I'm taking the American Safety Council's Texas Safe Motorist Course, an online course. Not only does it dismiss my ticket, it also makes me snicker. Here are just a couple reasons why.

Imagine running as fast as you can - into a wall. You'd expect to get pretty banged up. Do you think you could stop yourself if the wall suddenly loomed up when you were two feet away from it? This is exactly the situation you face when the front of your car hits something at only 15 miles an hour.

Children can manipulate their pliable little bodies out of car seats and, emulating adults as they love to do, shift the vehicle out of PARK.

Fish tacos and horchata

2008-07-18T19:28:00.034-07:00

I APOLOGIZE FOR MY NEGLECT. I recently joined Hometta—part modern home plan company, part architecture magazine, part resources library.

What do you like about your job? In addition to the job itself, I also like my lunch options. What about it? Everything. For those of you in Houston who seek the perfect taco, I suggest El Rey. My first day of work I was introduced to the El Rey Taco and Cuban Taco from the Shepherd location. The El Rey Taco, a grilled fish taco with "a touch of habanero mayo") was so good I couldn't stop thinking about it and simply had to order it the next day. You might be wondering why I didn't order the Cuban Taco. Probably because I couldn't decide between beef or chicken. The Cuban Taco is a beef or chicken fajita taco with black beans, plantains, and "a touch of sour cream"—an excellent combination.

A Mexican restaurant scores serious points if they have horchata on the menu, which El Rey does. And even more serious points if it's good horchata, which it is. I'm not saying El Rey serves the perfect taco in Houston, but it's hands-down delicious.

All this to say, I'm back in the hot town, cool city of Houston.

Matthew Wilson

2008-07-11T22:25:00.001-07:00

Berkeley police share details about contents of missing student's car

College Station, 1975

2008-07-08T11:00:00.011-07:00

"WHAT'S MORE INTERNATIONAL than the union of two Chinese grad students from Taiwan who met at a Texas A&M honky-tonk?" asks my sister.

Although I'm not sure about the honky-tonk part, the rest is true. On March 15, 1975, Chengwei Sun and Chenyuan Chou were married in College Station. You didn't really think their names were Wei and Robert, did you?

Weddings Around the World

2008-07-07T15:56:00.015-07:00

I'VE ALWAYS LIKED ABC's World News with Charles Gibson. I've always found it educational, tasteful, and far, far better than the local news—Live at Five—that precedes it.

Today I caught the first part of Small World, a four-part series "that takes a global look at universal rituals including weddings, the family dinner, birthdays and vacations." I love stuff like this. For someone without cable television, this is the closest I get to National Geographic Channel and the like.

In case you missed Small World, here are photos from Weddings Around the World.

Also, don't miss The Bachelorette tonight. Who will DeAnna BLINKS-A-LOT Pappas pick? Jesse, the snowboarder with the label maker, or Jason, the guy with the kid?

-2 days

2008-07-07T12:17:00.029-07:00

Fourth of July fireworks electrify the Houston sky.

I WAS INVITED TO STAY with Emily and her bridesmaids at a hotel the night before the wedding. Hence my dangling countdown.

The wedding weekend began Friday, with a luncheon hosted by Emily's mother honoring Emily and her bridal party. Later that afternoon, friends and family of the bride and groom convened at First Evangelical Lutheran Church for the ceremony rehearsal. As a hostess who would be greeting guests, asking them to sign the guest book, and handing out programs, I mostly sat and watched the rehearsal from a back pew.

"Keep your eyes on your bride at all times," the pastor advised the groom. "Do not look at the bridesmaids."

The pastor explained that someone in the back of the church would somehow notice the groom looking at someone other than his bride, and would bring it up at a cocktail party years later. Which I suppose could be scandalous considering three of the five bridesmaids were technically bridesmatrons.

The ceremony rehearsal was followed by a dinner at the ambiguously Mediterranean Chatter's Cafe & Bistro, where we later installed ourselves—in chairs on a parking lot facing a typical apartment complex—to watch the somewhat lackluster Fourth of July fireworks. Apparently while watching the fireworks, some of which were big, ugly smiley faces, Emily's niece exclaimed, "I just don't know how they do it." And even though fireworks kind of bore me, I don't know how they do it either.

The next day—the big day—we accompanied Emily to her hair and makeup appointment at Norris of Houston Salon and Day Spa, which, aesthetically, evokes a Bombay Company stock room, in which Miss Havisham lives, on crack. Nonetheless, we left the salon with a beautiful, happy bride, which was obviously more important.

Back at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, a modest-sized church with a Northern California feel, the bridesmaids helped Emily into her gown. When she made it inside the gown, joyful shouts erupted. Of course, I had my back turned to them and missed this apparently monumental moment.

Fortunately, I did capture some other great moments. Click on the photo above for some of my favorite shots.

On a last note, I did not catch the bouquet (the bride's sister did). I have a feeling, to my chagrin, that my mother was hoping I would, and wishing I had.

2 days

2008-07-03T11:22:00.010-07:00

IN THE PREMIER ISSUE of Fingertips, there is a two page spread on bridal footwear. I have a feeling there was supposed to be more than what was "printed." But it is wedding-related nonetheless and therefore appropriate for my countdown.

At eleven years old, I envisioned the modern bride—on a budget. There is no mention of the wreaths on the brides' heads, but it's possible they were inspired by the Renaissance Festival.

3 days

2008-07-02T09:49:00.030-07:00

ALTHOUGH NOT A HUGE FAN OF COUNTDOWNS, I have decided to count down to my friend Emily's wedding, at which I will be a hostess. I will count down to her "big day"—she hates this phrase—with wedding-related media.

Before the official countdown begins, you can view a selection of photos from Emily's recent lingerie shower, hosted by our mutual longtime friend Tiffany, at her and her husband's home in Spring, to which I happily carpooled. The bride-to-be's older sister promptly left after one too many sumptuous bustiers emerged from their Victoria's Secret and Frederick's boxes. The future sister-in-law gave Emily a Victoria's Secret gift card, for obvious reasons.

One of my favorite pastimes when I'm at my parents' house is to look at old photo albums. I often find myself, sitting Indian style on the carpet, hunched over piles of mismatched photo albums. Some of the albums' pages have yellowed considerably. Some have completely come unbound. Yet, the photos remain carefully arranged underneath the sheets of thin plastic.

In my sister's baby album, fortunes on small white paper rectangles from long eaten fortune cookies whimsically adorn the margins. The rounded edged photos, now tawny in color, slide off the pages on which they once adhered.

Somewhere in the pile of photo albums lives the wedding photo above of my paternal grandparents, taken in 1943, in the city of Yong'an in Fujian. Three years later, my father was born in Shanghai. Another son and three girls followed.

If you turn the photo over, you see it is actually a postcard, which I imagine they had made and sent to a number of people with a message of the "Just Married" variety. In fact, having a small wedding (though, according to my father, his parents' wedding was a rather large celebration) followed by mailing out wedding photo-postcards sounds kind of nice.

For whatever reason, this particular wedding photo-postcard was never sent and, sixty-five years later, ended up in the hands of their granddaughter.

Aunt Linda, meet Mom

2008-07-01T22:24:00.017-07:00

Kristen Wiig on SNL Weekend Update as Aunt Linda.

For those of you who still watch Saturday Night Live, you may know of Aunt Linda. She is a cultural correspondent of Weekend Update, and anchor Amy Poehler's aunt. I have an Aunt Linda as well—my mom. While Aunt Linda reviews movies out in theaters, Mom reviews movies out on DVD. And while Aunt Linda is kind of mean, Mom is kind of cute. Here is what Mom has to say (and wants to know) about Becoming Jane starring (the delicious) James McAvoy and (the kind of boring) Anne Hathaway.

Me: [referring to Anne Hathaway] She was one of the wives in Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada.
Mom: She was Ledger's wife?
Me: No, Heath Ledger's wife was Michelle Williams from Dawson's Creek.

Mom: Are they speaking British?

Mom: [referring to James Cromwell] I've seen that man before.
Me: He was on Six Feet Under.

Mom: Is that…Redgrave?
Me: Actually, that's Maggie Smith. She's looked like that forever.

Mom: [referring to Tom and Jane] Are they gonna get together?
Me: I don't know…

Mom: [referring to John Warren during the cricket game] He's not dressed right for this.

Mom: [referring to James McAvoy] He's too small.
Me: But you're small.
Mom: That's why I don't like small men.
Me: Fair enough. He's starring in a new movie with Angelina Jolie, you know.
Mom: Really?
Me: Yes.
Mom: But he's so small.

Me: Would you marry for money?
Mom: No.

Mom: I think Jane is a little bit stupid.
Me: For not running away with Tom?
Mom: Yes.
Me: But what if you ran away with Dad and he couldn't give money to his brother and sisters anymore?
Mom: Tom said he could earn money. But then Jane said they would live a hard life and have no love.

Mom on Becoming Jane.

Matthew Wilson's car found in California

2008-07-01T11:22:00.009-07:00

More than six months later, Rice University student Matthew Wilson's car has been found, in West Berkeley. Which confirms that I was mistaken the handful of times I thought I saw him in the Paris underground. The boy himself is still missing. You can read "the full story" in the Rice News and The Berkeley Daily Planet.

Moderation 101

2008-06-24T21:10:00.019-07:00

MY FAMILY RARELY DINES OUT—in part, because my father can cook. Of course, birthdays, homecomings, and even Sundays after church warrant a lunch or dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants in Houston. True to form, when I returned from Paris, my parents and I stopped for Vietnamese halfway home from the airport. Having had more pho in the four months I lived in Paris's Chinatown than I'd had in my entire life, I was adverse to my father's suggestion of Vietnamese rice-noodle soup at Pho (insert number). But it was delicious, half the price of pho on Avenue de Choisy, and, in retrospect, a nice transition.

For me, ordering at a restaurant can be a bit of an ordeal. Maybe it's because I'm on a budget, or I'm easily seduced by adjectives like "pole-caught" (tuna). Or my sister, my favorite dining companion, has a tendency to order for us in the style of Owen Wilson's Francis L. Whitman in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Which is fine, because she and I like the same things. Or I'm torn among panini that each contain one irresistible ingredient. Prosciutto di parma, aged ricotta, mozzarella, artichoke hearts.

When I'm faced with this, I remind myself, "Everything in moderation," "This is not your last meal." And it's usually at this point when I realize again that every day we make decisions based on others' words and our associations with these words, our knowledge and memory of what something tastes like. Why the hell does pole-caught tuna sound good to me? It just does.

When I'm in the East Village, I like to go to Tarallucci e Vino (163 First Ave. at 10th St.) for coffee or lunch. For dinner, Moustache.

For breakfast, Tarallucci has a decent "French" Croissant. It is buttery, pleasantly crusty and flaky on the outside, airy on the inside. I don't know much about coffee, but I know that their latté is good, hot or cold. Sit closer to First Ave. and you might be lucky enough to catch some Wi-Fi waves.

For lunch, I recommend the salad of mesclun, fennel, tuna, cherry tomatoes, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil dressing. The cherry tomatoes are sweet and tart from the lemon and go nicely with the bitter mesclun. Drizzled with olive oil, the fennel is so thinly sliced it is translucent white. The tuna is the least impressive part. I'm guessing because it's not pole-caught. For something heavier, I recommend the "Stella" panino—filet of tuna, artichoke hearts, and mayonnaise. Just make sure you specify that you want the sandwich, not a Stella Artois.

From Moustache (269 E. 10th St. nr. First Ave.), an order of the baba ganoush and a leg of lamb sandwich is perfect for a night in, as long as you have cash handy. They may warn you that the lamb sandwich is served cold. Tell them you know, you like it that way.