Stephanie C., a local teacher and Dallas native, exclaims her distaste for the Deep Ellum disaster and its declining state.
Deep Ellum once considered a hub for bohemian art and culture is, as of late, better known for their assortment of parking woes rather than la vie boheme. Read More
Our newly-appointed Texas Historian, Light Cummins, spends everyday asking, “What is it about our myth, our mythology, what it is about ourselves that so compellingly makes the Texas experience historically unique? …The typical stereotype of Texas can be the cattle ranch and the cowboy, but how many Texans live on ranches today and how many Texans are cowboys?” he asked. “Today, most Texans are urban.”
I’ve lived in Texas most of my life, and I take it for granted everyday. I scoff at non-Texans when they ask about our horses and our ranch. We live in the city!
But I was fortunate enough to attend a very Texas wedding this weekend hosted by generous friends of the groom. They opened their beautiful ranch home to the couple and their guests, and they certainly opened my eyes.
Americans often dream of white, picket-fence houses, but Texans take it to a whole ‘nother level. Spanish-styled houses on 3-4 acres of land. Plenty of room out back for your boat, or horses if you wanted. Outdoor grills so elaborate, you’d never go inside. Most importantly, true Southern hospitality only Texans can give.
I love you, Texas. Please don’t ever change.
“Everything is bigger in Texas”…is the exact reason why MeVs visited Oklahoma this past weekend. Norman got something right. Who knew this small, Sooner dominating town had so much culture. Three hours on the road with minimal stops led to a great, fun-filled Saturday at the second annual Norman Music Festival. Read More
The following was a note posted via facebook by one Katherine Fan or Ming-Shing. Did I say that right?
So a few days ago, Texas representative Betty Brown gave minorities something exciting to buzz about.
“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.
Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”
I’m too lazy to watch the video, because I can’t hear her at all anyway… but here’s the visual context of the quote, live from Texas.
Are Asian Americans/Democrats/minori
ties/naysayers making a mountain out of a molehill? Yes and no.Of course, there are vast political motives for Democrats to oust her, and this slip-up is a great opportunity for them to do so. And yes, it does seem like “such a small thing to get upset about.” So then… why am I? Read More
Draft magazine described Amsterdam Bar as:
Not your average yuppie-filled pub, the Amsterdam is a low-key, TV-free zone where you can concentrate on the drinking menu full of beers (try the Live Oak Hefe Weizen brewed in Austin). Kick it inside the airy, high ceilinged bar, or out on the patio during that nice Texas weather–just watch out for beer-juggling bartenders.
Amsterdam Bar, located at 831 Exposition Avenue, is your neighborhood Cheers, where even Sheldon, one of the best bartenders in town knows your name. The atmosphere is always friendly and the girls are hipster-ishly cute. With very little pretentiousness if any at all, this place has been my Austin away from Austin for a couple months now. It lies in the struggling but regrowing area of Fair Park next to Victory Sport Taekwondo, and Rob’s Chop Shop and offers an array of draft choices served with a hat-trick and smile. Prices are very competitive, which makes it very difficult to try any of the other nearby establishments.
Bonus: Monday nights include free jazz from a handful of musicians. According to the Amsterdam blog, the lineup is based on the members of The Shelley Carrol quartet, but the lineup changes weekly as individuals take a night off and friends and guests sit in for a set or even for the entire evening.
Got the case of the Mondays? Come out and chill with the cool cats at Amsterdam. And if you’re feeling a little hesitant about the heavy drinking, try the ACE Pear Cider, described by one patron as “liquid candy”.
Once again, I was out of town this weekend this time attending SXSW goodness in Austin, TX. Coming back into town last night, I wanted to check out some last minute St. Patty’s Day action. So DeepupyourEllum and I set out to catch a glimpse of the festivities before it was too late.
We started out at Green Elephant, a local dive bar we stumbled upon serendipitously. Initially, a very chill place, huge real estate, and a great backyard complete with hammock and couch.
Reason why we left instantly: dedicated dj playing electronic music all night.
Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the occasional trance, house, even breakbeat, but I can assure you, this was no atmosphere for the club scene. A classic case of identity crises.
After that trial and error, we headed over to The Barley House for $2 pints. Anything on draft for $2. This would be the greatest beverage deal I’ve encountered in Dallas on a Tuesday save one thing, their beer shipment didn’t make it and they were out of 90% of their draft choices. Being a pub, this really hurts one’s choices. That combined with the “holiday” at hand and you have some pretty discontent, thirsty customers.
We made the best of the night, planned only to have some “research drinks” for MeVersus but ended up having a few more throughout the night just to wash the disappointment down.
Usually a decent place to unwind after a hard day’s work, The Barley House let me down last night when the pressure was on. As for Green Elephant, the jury’s still out. (Hammocks at a bar, you have me pulling for ya).
Texas is known to get excited about two things: football and capital punishment. 2009 has only just begun, and already, six executions were set for this month alone. Welcome to Criminal Justice 101.
Curtis Moore – Executed last week for the abduction and murder of three victims, in two different incidences. Moore and an accomplice bound Truevillen (20) and Hoyle (21), drove them to an undisclosed area, shot and doused them with gasoline to be set on fire. Hoyle somehow managed to escape and survived. Roderick Moore (24) and Boone (21) were later murdered in the same fashion (minus the fire.)
Frank Moore - Executed Jan. 21, 2009 for the double shooting of Boyd (23) and Clark (15) outside a San Antonio club. Moore claimed he only shot them in self-defense, and remained adamant in this conviction until the very end.
Reginald Perkins – Scheduled for execution today for strangling his stepmother, Gertie Perkins. Her body was found in the trunk of her Cadillac. Perkins had been convicted in Ohio for the raping of two 12-year-old girls, sentenced to prison, and released on parole after 4 years. He was suspected of killing two other women, but insubstantial evidence left him to roam freely to Texas.
Virgil Martinez – Charged for the murders of a Hispanic woman (27), her two children (3, 6), and a Hispanic male (18). Martinez admitted himself into a mental hospital after the fact, on the claims that he was hearing voices instructing him to kill. No evidence was accumulated to substantiate these claims. His execution is set for the 28th of January.
Ricardo Ortiz - Scheduled to die Jan. 29. Ortiz has a history of criminal activity and incarceration: robbery, burglary of a vehicle, 2 counts of aggravated robbery, possession of deadly weapon in a penal institution, and finally, the murder of an inmate by injection of a triple dose of heroin.
Surely, I believe in the integrity of our justice system. Capital punishment cases, in particular, get lengthy overviews and cost, on average, $2.3 million per case to ensure proper assessment. However, when cases are nebulous like that of Swearingen, I have to ask, is Texas getting a little overzealous?
If any of you have ever taken the trip from Dallas to Houston or vice versa, you can attest to the mental and physical toll it takes on your body. Luckily, Centerville, Texas holds a hidden jerked oasis. Stop by this authentic Texan market for anything jarred, pickled, and freshly jerked you can imagine. The chewing material will definitely kill some time while you hum tunes and lock your doors through Huntsville.
Maybe the situation is similar in all other Texas cities, but in my opinion, Dallas drivers lose all sense of reality and body coordination when temperatures drop below 32°. Please read up Dallas-onians. Dallasites? Rules of the road change when you’re in winter wonderland. In any case, nomenclature aside, I like being alive, especially with super holiday action coming. And unlike Mariocart, we don’t spin around 3 times and lose a balloon when we get into accidents. Be careful people. Hoping for some new extra padded socks this year. Like walking on clouds.
