A Few of my Favorite Things (shows, that is)

The following excerpt is from Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, which is quickly getting churned into a “major motion picture” that although looks really cute, will nonetheless ruin the beauty of the novel. Worth the read.

“Sally has never dated a boy for more than six months. This is a state of affairs that cuts both ways. Sometimes she’ll present us with a flurry of boys all at once: Cuban food with one on Wednesday, a Ben Stiller movie with another on Friday, brunch on Sunday with a third. She’ll have a cheerful, leering glint in her eye, and when the boy gets up to use the restroom, she’ll lean across the table with a grin and whisper, ‘What do you think? He’s cute, isn’t he?’ These periodic springtimes of Sally’s erotic lifestyle can sometimes knock me for a loop…But then some high school friend gets pregnant, or Sally’s mother gives her insufferably well-adjusted little sister who’s getting married a homemade family cookbook of well-loved recipes, then refuses to give one to Sally because ‘It’s only for the wives of the family.’ Then Sally starts bringing only one boy around…and this time there’s a slightly desperate appeal in her eye, and when she asks ‘He’s cute, isn’t he?’ it’s more like a plea for reassurance than a prideful acknowledgement of her catch.”

iShooting

Think Apple should cut you a check for the amount of time you spend tapping away on the iPhone’s pristine little screen (covered in fingerprints nonetheless) while shamelessly promoting the beauty of its existence? Well, perhaps you should swing by cool contemporary photographer David Brown’s 20/40 exhibit which features pics snapped in their entirety by the infamous iPhone. Perhaps the sheer impressive quality of his shots haven’t dawned on you yet, but up close, Brown has captured the essence of H-town almost singularly on his phone through photos of sights us Houstonians pass by without a glance daily. They feature the highways, shops and strangers that make this town so beautiful to look through with any lens, including one as primitive (I say this comparatively speaking to a photographer’s traditional equipment) as the camera of a phone. So if you think you should be mailing off a demand letter to Apple, perhaps we should let Brown should take a shot first.
(Exhibit featured at Catalina Coffee; 2201 Washington Avenue; Visit www.dabfoto.com)

Food, Inc.

This documentary exposes the seedy underbelly of America’s food industry and digs deep into industry corporations (with the approval of agencies like the FDA and USDA) which control an enormous amount of our nation’s food supply and favor profits over health. Filmmaker Robert Kenner puts it this way, “We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.” You might wanna reconsider that cheeseburger after watching this…

Texts From Last Night

Much like the phenomenon website FML, textsfromlastnight.com is yet another reason to escape your otherwise bland workday. Visitors are encouraged to add the incredibly stupid and mostly drunk comments and happenings from the night before. So many posts from Austin, ahhhh those were the days. See excerpts below…

(713): Tell Heather sorry for burning her hair. Also for anything else that I may have done that warrants and apology. Anything after about 10pm is kind of hazy.

(631): You went to the wrong car, tried to open the locked door, and started crying because you thought we were playing a mean trick. Then the owner came...

(325): I bet farrah fawcett is having words with michael jackson in heaven for stealing her thunder

"This One's Gonna Be a Scorcher"

Oh how posts dwindle during the sticky and humid Houston summer. Well, after a long standing hiatus, here I am to remind Houstonians of old ways to cool off and new things to indulge in. Topping the old list is snow ice from Bellaire's best (a.k.a Chinatown) which remains my sisters' go-to treat and nicely satisfies my sweet tooth. Other old standby's include fried ice cream (Cafe Japon) or fried banana spring rolls at P.F. Changs. (Option C: chasing down the hard to find ice cream truck on Hillcroft for Lucas pops.)

New summer faves include “nightclub cardio” classes at Pravada where ladies can strut their sexy stuff while also getting a full body workout inspired by contemporary tunage and an atmosphere that clearly surpasses that of your local gym. And what better way to cool off in style than to lay out by the decadently accessorized pool (read: models) at the Four Seasons? My personal favorite trick to beating Houston heat? Get out of town.

Tales from The Village

Recently hit up Rice Village where a new wave of cute boutiques has cropped up. High Society, Hot Pink Sugar, and the new Chocolate Bar were just a few of the places we checked out. The store I miss the most, which was quickly replaced by upscale chain boutique Soho, is Get With It, an Adult/Tween/Baby contemporary boutique which helped me build my wardrobe with beautiful pieces by Betsey Johnson, 7 and Marcus. Regardless of this devastating hiccup (and the closing of the Cold Stone on Morningside), The Village is still one of my favorite places to shop, eat and peruse in H-town.