The "Accidental President" passes away

Gerald Ford will be remembered for a lot of things. He was the only President of the United States to hold office without being elected either as President or Vice-President (insert snide remark about the 2000 election here). He was the president who inherited a White House rocked by the Watergate Scandal and the abrupt resignation of Richard Nixon. He was the president who later pardoned Nixon,

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Former cop plans to sell "how-to" video to drug smugglers

A former police officer in the east Texas town of Tyler is preparing to sell a video which teaches people how to conceal drugs from police searches.Barry Cooper, who has worked for small police departments in East Texas, plans to launch a website next week where he will sell his video, "Never Get Busted Again," the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in its online edition Thursday.A promotional

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The New Orleans Bowl

Rice looks like a team that hasn't played in a bowl game for 45 years.Ugh.

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Happy Solstice, everyone!

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere (and the longest day of the year in the southern hemisphere). From here, the days will gradually get longer and the sun will gradually move higher in the sky; this process will culminate with the summer solstice on June 21, 2007.The solstices occur because the earth's axis is not perpendicular to its orbital

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A Christmas shipping scam

No, that's no misprint: this is not a "shopping" scam. It is a shipping scam, and a pretty clever one at that.Last Friday, I ordered a gift for Kirby from an online retailer that specializes in children's products. I specified that the item be shipped by ground, even though I recognized that, given the relatively short amount of time until Christmas, the gift might not be delivered in time (which

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Christmas Gift Angst

Yeah, yeah, I'm still here. I just haven't had anything to write about in the last week-and-a-half, especially now that college football season is over, and I really don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said by other local bloggers about Vince Young single-handedly defeating the same Texans team that decided not to draft him, or the Astros not re-signing Andy Pettite, or the push

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Yet another BCS controversy (and other bowl-related thoughts)

Okay, I promise that this will be my last post about college football until after the Liberty Bowl...Anyway, if it's early December, it must be time for another Bowl Championship Series controversy. UCLA's 13-9 upset over #2 USC in Los Angeles last Saturday, along with #4 Florida's victory over #8 Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game, resulted in Florida leapfrogging #3 Michigan to become the #2

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Coogs conquer Conference USA before 31,818 fans

The atmosphere in and around Robertson Stadium last Friday evening was electric. The weather was cold, the stadium was packed with a standing-room-only crowd of 31,818 (so much for the abysmal fan support, right, Dick and John?) and even Lori commented as we walked to the stadium that it felt so much different and so much more exciting than a typical University of Houston home game. That's

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Ecuador lurches to the left

Although an official annoucement isn't expected until sometime later today, it appears that Ecuador has a new president. Rafael Correa, a former government finance minster with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois, has apparently won Ecuador's presidential election, defeating right-wing "banana tycoon" Alvaro Naboa, reportedly Ecuador's weathliest citizen, in a run-off last

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UH attendance woes, again

The Coogs are hosting the Conference USA championship game on Friday, and there's concern that the game won't sell out. It would certainly be embarrassing for the University of Houston as well as Conference USA if the nationally-televised game, which is being played in the relatively small confines of Robertson Stadium, did not sell out, but such is the nature of the University of Houston and its

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Thanksgiving review

After spending the last three Thanksgivings with Lori's family at her aunt and uncle's place in Canyon Lake (west of New Braunfels), it was nice to stay at home for the holiday for a change. It's not that I mind traveling for Thanksgiving - I've done it many times before and I'm sure I'll do it many times again - but there's something to be said for not having to pack, not having to fight holiday

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College football: the final week

I was going to post my periodic review of the 2006 college season at the beginning of November, but I never got around to doing so until now. But that's okay; November has turned out to be a pretty fun month for college football fans.There's still a little bit of football to be played this weekend, but as of right now it looks as if Southern California and Ohio State will meet on January 8 to

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Sometimes all I can do is shake my head and sigh...

A homeowners' association in a southwestern Colorado town is demanding that a resident take down a Christmas wreath shaped like a peace symbol. The president of the homeowners' association claims that other residents are complaining that the decoration is a protest against the war in Iraq or a Satanic symbol, and is threatening to fine the resident $25 a day if the decoration is not removed.Some

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Rice goes bowling

By virtue of their 31-27 victory over SMU earlier today, the Rice Owls are assured of their first trip to a bowl game since 1961.My hat is off to Rice coach Todd Graham and his team.

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Cougars end regular season with 9-3 record

They won. They're 9-3. They're Western Division champions. That's all that matters.Yes, it was ugly. Memphis is one of the worst teams in all of Division I-A, and the Coogs did everything they could do to give the game away to the Tigers. The "Unholy Trinity" of penalties, turnovers and poor special teams play that has plagued the Cougars all season long was present once again. The Cougars

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Great...

Last weekend, an acquaintance of Lori's, her husband, and their two small children came to stay with us. Their oldest child is Kirby's age, about two years and three months.Their child introduced Kirby to the concept of squealing and screaming for no reason. Kirby has picked up on this concept rather enthusiastically.Ah, yes, the terrible twos...

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Mattress Mac lashes out at UNT administration

I've been periodically providing updates about my other favorite college football team, the University of North Texas. The Mean Green Eagles are not having such a good time right now; the team has a 3-7 record and is headed towards their second consecutive losing season. Last week, the UNT administration decided that it was time for a change at the helm and fired head coach Darrell Dickey. Dickey

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Coogs clinch C-USA West title

Since I was up in Dallas for business late last week (where I am again for the first half of this week as well), I decided to stay through Saturday to catch the University of Houston's game against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus.Things weren't going well for the Coogs in the first half. They jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, but then the Unholy Trinity of University

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Congratulations Dynamo

Okay, so I've already expressed how I feel about the overwhelmingly defensive nature of soccer, which makes 0-0 or 1-1 ties commonplace, and the fact that these ties have to be broken by the peculiar mechanism of the penalty kick, a tiebreaking procedure that is unique to soccer. Yesterday's MLS Cup was yet another example of what I think is wrong with soccer and why soccer will never be anything

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Coogs defeat Tulsa, 27-10

Last Saturday's Conference USA matchup between the University of Houston Cougars and the University of Tulsa Hurricanes was supposed to be a pivotal battle to decide who would take the lead in the conference's western division. Instead, it turned out to be an easy victory for the Coogs, who all but shut down the Golden Hurricane offense (Tulsa's one touchdown was a result of an unfortunate

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Meanwhile, in Denton...

A follow-up to my screwy liquor laws post of a few months ago: Denton voters have overwhelmingly approved a local option election which extends beer and wine sales to all areas inside the city limits. Previously, beer and wine sales were limited to areas of Denton which were inside the city's 1977 municipal boundaries, when the city first approved a local option election. Opponents argued that "

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My take on the midterm elections

I don't devote a lot of time to politics on this blog; it's really not my favorite subject to discuss and there are other political blogs out there that do a much more thorough job, on both the local and national levels, than I ever could. However, I thought I'd at least say a few things about Tuesday's election.I am surprised by the results. I expected that the Democrats would take over the

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Say goodbye to Sadie

Our six-week stint as dog owners has come to an end. Last week, Lori and I sadly agreed that Sadie, as friendly as she was, was simply too big and too rough for Kirby and therefore had to go.We really did want to provide a good home for a stray dog. And we did understand that it was going to be a chore, especially for a dog as big and as hyperactive as she was. I didn't mind the digging and

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Looks like I'm about to get fatter

I always overestimate the number of trick-or-treaters that appear at my doorstep.Now I have a whole bucket of chocolate candy sitting in my living room and, well, you know, I can't just let all that food go to waste...

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UH's attendance problems, and why complaining won't solve them

Last Saturday I went to Robertson Stadium to watch the the University of Houston Cougars host Conference USA opponent Central Florida. The weather was great, the tailgating was excellent, and the game was exciting. The Cougar defense struggled mightily, giving up a whopping 530 yards to the Golden Knight offense, and the Cougars found themselves down by a score of 17-21 at halftime. But the Coogs

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And the travel will continue...

I just received an e-mail at work. The title says it all:Dubai wants you back.Like I said, there's a reason why my suitcases stay in the bedroom and not in the closet.Ugh.

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Reflections on a year of travel

One year ago today, I was hanging out with my brother in Japan, seeing and exploring places like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and Hiroshima.Since then, I've made three separate trips to the Middle East (and during one of those trips I even got to explore the Netherlands, if only for a couple of hours), a trip to the Nevada-California border to gamble and ski, a trip to New Orleans to survey

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Like a Tupperware party, but a lot more fun

I'd be remiss if I didn't offer a shameless plug for Lori's new side venture as a "wine tasting consultant" for the direct-marketing arm of online wine retailer 1800WineShop. The holiday season is coming up and Lori is looking for people who want to host their own in-home wine-tasting parties.The premise is simple: you invite a bunch of friends for a get-together, and Lori comes over with a

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Back from a week at sea...

Okay, sorry for the lengthy delay between posts. The cruise ended last Saturday, but I've been busy since then (it's amazing how many tasks pile up when you've been away from home for over a month) and haven't had the chance to write until now. (The fact that Blogger's servers have been down for maintenance for much of the past couple of days hasn't helped, either.)Anyway, our week aboard the

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In between travels...

Another long trip back from Dubai is complete. I have no problems or hassles to report this time; the security checkpoint at DXB flowed smoothly, the Emirates flight from DXB to JFK was not full and I had a whole row to myself (which meant that I got to stretch out a little bit and at least get some rest), the customs agents at JFK were quick and courteous, and JetBlue's in-flight DirecTV worked

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Goodbye, Dubai

Well, my work here is done. I'll be flying back to the United States in a few hours.I'm looking foward to going home and seeing Lori and Kirby again. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. And, I'm looking forward to the week-long cruise to Cozumel and Belize that Lori, Kirby, my parents and I are planning to go on this Saturday.Originally, the plan was for me to return here after

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Ugh.

That's all I can say about the Cougars' 31-28 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday.But, honestly, I'm not surprised. Angry? Certainly. Disappointed. Of course. But surprised, as in shocked, as in I never in my wildest dreams thought the Coogs could ever lose to ULL? Nope.To tell the truth, I was worried about this game from the start of the season. I knew that Rickey Bustle was beginning to

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Would you like some potatoes with your potatoes?

Tonight I went to the bustling Deira City Centre mall near my hotel to get something to eat.The sign in front of the La Gaufrette Cafe on the first level was advertising this evening's set menu as chicken, potato croquettes and a vegetable. It sounded good, so I took a seat and ordered the set menu.And what did the "vegetable" turn out to be?French fries.

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Local sports musings

Last weekend was a busy weekend for the Houston sports scene. It started Saturday afternoon, when the Coogs traveled to the Orange Bowl to face a reeling but still potent Miami squad. The Coogs tried valiantly to score the upset win (they were two-touchdown underdogs) but came away with a disheartening 13-14 loss.Due to the time difference, I was unable to follow the game. When I woke up and saw

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Construction fatigue?

According to the Dubai Informer blog, the concrete skeleton of pyramid-shaped, 257-room Raffles Hotel near the Wafi City Mall has been completed and is on its way to its spring 2007 completion date. Since the Raffles hotel is near my office, I'm somewhat familiar with this project. This is what the Raffles hotel looks like right now; the concrete structure might be completed, but there's a long

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More Dubai pictures

Yesterday I took the Big Bus Tour of Dubai, which is a really good way to see the city:Dhows being unloaded at the Dhow Wharfage along the Deira side of Dubai Creek. These vessels carry goods to and from other parts of the Middle East as well as India and Pakistan. Larger vessels dock at Dubai's two main ports, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali. The smaller dhows continue to use the traditional

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A gripe about dining out in Dubai

As I've mentioned before, Dubai is a restaurant-goer's paradise. There's no shortage of dining options and cuisines in this city, and if you're like me and enjoy eating out, that's a good thing.But there's one thing that really bugs me about restaurants here: the inattentive waitstaff. It seems like this is a problem at virtually every restaurant I've been to; they don't pay much attention to you

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Continental should never merge with another airline

Recently, there have been rumors circulating about the possibility of Houston-based Continental Airlines merging with another domestic carrier. United Airlines is oftentimes the other carrier mentioned in these speculations.As Ben Mutzabaugh notes, aside from the general problems that airline mergers create, such as incompatable airline fleets and friction between two different management and

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College football: the first month

Now that the season is four weeks old, it's time to take a look at what's happened so far.Beginning with a sad note: Rice defensive back Dale Lloyd collapsed and died during a workout in Houston yesterday afternoon. Lloyd, who saw playing time against Houston at the season's beginning, was 19 years old. The cause of death remains a mystery and autopsy results are pending.Under new coach Todd

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Houston 34, Oklahoma State 25

The Cougars finally did something they haven't done since they joined Conference USA in 1996: beat a team from the Big XII. By defeating Oklahoma State in front of impressive crowd (by UH standards) of 28,260 at Robertson Stadium last Saturday, the University of Houston made a statement against a conference that until now had proven to be their nemesis.Now, this isn't the first time that the

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Meet Sadie

Okay, so now that I’ve been moved to a hotel with internet access (and “hot” water that’s actually hot, and a real restaurant, and a bathroom that doesn’t stink, and…well, you get the idea) hopefully I’ll be able to write entries on a more frequent basis.The short trip back to Houston was a whirlwind of activity for me and I simply didn’t have time to write about everything I wanted to. For

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JetBlue, Emirates and my return to Dubai

The good news is that I arrived safely in Dubai Monday evening. The bad news is that the place at which I am currently staying (I refuse to call it a "hotel") does not have internet access of any kind, which means that my ability to keep this blog up to date will be restricted. I really am not impressed with the place at which I am currently staying and have asked to be moved to a real hotel.

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Happy birthday to me...

It's September 17th, which means I'm now officially 33 years old. And I get to celebrate the occasion by sitting in an airplane all day as I make that 8,181-mile trek back to Dubai.I enjoyed my two-and-a-half weeks in Houston. It was great to be able to see the Coogs jump out to their first 3-0 start since 1990. It was wonderful do be able to attend my father's retirement luncheon at the

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Houston 42, Grambling 22

The game wasn't as close as the score suggests; Grambling scored the first touchdown of the game but the Cougars scored the next 42 points; the Tigers then scored 15 points against Houston's second-string defense after the game had been decided. UH quarterback Kevin Kolb had a good night, going 27-for-31 with 297 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Jackie Battle, who sat out last week's game

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Houston 45, Tulane 7, Fans 16,506

Last Saturday’s trip to Robertson Stadium to see the Cougars play their first actual home game of the year was a pleasant experience. Of course, there were some gray clouds in the sky that afternoon - it wouldn’t be a UH home game if it weren’t threatening to rain - but the rain itself never materialized. The weather stayed pleasant, if not humid, and the tailgating was excellent. Most

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The overnight business trip that really sucked

I was supposed to fly to Dallas Monday afternoon for a short overnight trip. I planned to attend a public meeting in Denton County Monday evening, stay in north Dallas overnight, stop by my company's offices in Addison for a couple of hours on Tuesday morning, and then fly back home. Simple enough, right?Not really. As it turned out, just about everything that could go wrong on that trip did. And

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The trip home, the Cougars and other thoughts

Sorry for the delay in posting, but between the flight back and the long holiday weekend I just haven't had a lot of time for blogging lately. I'm afraid blogging will be light this week as well.The voyage back from Dubai was long and boring but otherwise free of hassle. Remembering the long lines at the ticket counter and the security checkpoint that I endured the last time I flew out of Dubai,

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Half a world a way? Not quite...

According to this interesting tool on an Indonesian tourism website, the straight-line distance between Houston, Texas and Dubai, United Arab Emirates is 8,181 miles.So, when I told people in Houston before I left that I would be traveling halfway around the world for business, I wasn't being completely accurate.The earth's average circumference is about 24,881.3 miles (I say "average" because

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Army invited to a bowl - before the season even begins!

One last preseason college football note: what if your team was invited to a postseason bowl game before the season even began?That's exactly what's happened to Army. The new Poinsetta Bowl, in San Diego, has invited the Black Knights to participate in their game should they end the season with at least six wins.It won't be easy for Army. They went 4-7 last season and have road games against

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2006 football outlook: the University of Houston

A month and a half ago, I reported that I was trying not to get excited about the upcoming Cougar football season. Well, those days are over. Football season is my favorite time of year and it's only a few days (and a very long, two-legged plane ride; damn you, Emirates, for not flying non-stop to Houston yet!) away, and I am officially excited. I am counting the hours until the 8 pm kickoff at

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Speaking of hurricanes...

Well, it looks like I won't have to worry about Ernesto disrupting my flight home (or, for that matter, the start of football season) after all.Can't say the same thing for the people of Florida, however. They need another hurricane like Dubai needs more cars.(Sorry for the cheesy analogy, but I couldn't help it. My taxi ride back to the hotel this afternoon took over thirty minutes, even though

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Katrina plus one year

As everybody who doesn't live under a rock knows by now, today is the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall. News stories and TV specials will run all day long recounting the horror of that day one year ago: when 80 percent of New Orleans flooded, coastal communities of Louisiana and Mississippi were devastated, and 1,700 people lost their lives. For hundreds of thousands of other

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Oh, great.

Say hello to Ernesto.Look where Ernesto might be headed. Notice where he might be towards the end of next week, when I'm supposed to fly back into Houston.And just in time for the start of football season, too. It figures...

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Dubai Picture Time!

I guess it's time to share a few of the pictures I've taken so far.Here's a view looking south towards Dubai Creek from my hotel. Traffic is uncharacteristically light on Al Garhoud Road (Emirates Highway 11) headed towards the bridge. In the distance you can see construction well underway on a pair of large towers at Festival City as well as a much-needed third bridge over Dubai Creek. I took

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Blood on the highway

We are approaching the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. 3,000 people lost their lives on that horrible day. Could you imagine what it would be like if the United States suffered a September 11th - like event every 25 days or so?In terms of the number of lives lost, that is exactly what is happening on our nation's highways every year. According to the National Highway

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Happy Birthday, Kirby!

It’s hard to believe, but our son turns two years old today.Unfortunately, I can’t be there for his big day today, or for the small party he’ll have with Lori, my parents, Lori’s family and his great-grandparents this weekend. I hope he’ll forgive me one of these days.I’d send him a card and a present, but shipping parcels from here to the United States is expensive and I don’t know if a card

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2006 football outlook: the University of North Texas

Speaking of North Texas, I really guess I should acknowledge the other half of the title of this blog and make some predictions about the Mean Green’s upcoming season.Last year was a rough year for the Darrell Dickey’s squad, whose streak of four consecutive conference championships (and New Orleans Bowl appearances) ended with a disappointing 2-9 record.So how will they do this year? Some

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College football 2006: the top and the bottom

Being here in Dubai has not caused me to forget that my favorite time of year – college football season – is now less than two weeks away. Here’s my take on the coming football season, looking at both the top and the bottom of Division I-A.Both the AP sportswriters’ and the USA Today coaches’ preseason polls are out. Ohio State, coming off last year’s 10-2 season, is the preseason favorite in

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A Dubai dining deal

One thing I have been doing a lot of while I’m here is eating. Not that my fat ass really needs to eat, mind you, but, given the cosmopolitan, tourist-oriented nature of this city, there’s no shortage of dining options and it’s hard to resist the urge to enjoy a nice meal in the evening. Restaurants are everywhere and just about every cuisine is available: Middle Eastern, Chinese, Thai, Indian,

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My first week in Dubai

So, I’ve been here just over a week. What fun and exciting things have I seen and done so far?Well, truthfully, not much. This is a business trip, after all; it’s not a vacation. I’m here to work, and so far that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing. I expect to be working six days a week while I’m here, and even on my day off (which is Friday in the Islamic world) I’ll at least spend part of my

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The Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador

The popular tourist town of Baños is one of my favorite places to visit in Ecuador. Baños is famous for its waterfalls and mineral baths and marks the beginning of an amazingly picturesque drive along the Pastaza River to the Amazonian rainforest.Unfortunately, the town might be in trouble. It is located on the northeasteastern slopes of Tungurahua, an active volcano located in south-central

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Houston's panhandling problem

Is Houston finally going to begin cracking down on its rampant panhandling problem? I'll believe it when I see it, but news like this gives me hope: a TV and radio campaign featuring the mayor urging people to help the homeless by giving to local charities instead of giving panhandlers spare change.Of course, things won't drastically change until the police finally begin enforcing Houston's

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What urban rail systems have you used?

Via The Third Rail: how many metro systems have you ridden in your lifetime? Go to this site and make a list. Here's mine:From the top: Berlin U-bahn, Berlin S-bahn, Dallas, Guadalajara, Hanover, Kobe, Kyoto, London, New York City, Osaka, Prague, Dusseldorf Rhein/Ruhr, Tokyo TOEI, Tokyo Metropolitan, Vienna and Denver. I guess it's a start.The list isn't exhaustive; they don't have a logo for

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City of Cranes

Dubai's historic importance as a center for gold trade - a legacy that endures to this day in the city's shimmering Gold Souk - is the reason why the city has adopted its "City of Gold" moniker. But this Emirate's official nickname really should be "City of Cranes.” Nothing represents this city better than a construction crane, for this is, quite literally, a city under construction.Depending on

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Made it...

I'm now at my hotel in Dubai, where it is about 12:30 in the morning local time. The trip was long and exhausting, but it wasn't horrible by any means. The added security measures in the United States meant that lines at the ticket counters were longer (because everybody was checking items they used to be able to carry on such as make-up and toothpaste) but the security screening lines were

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Back to the Emirates

Yep, it's official. Tomorrow afternoon I am once again making the journey halfway around the world to my company's offices in Dubai. That rapidly-growing city is in the process of constructing an urban rail network, and I've been called over to assist in station planning efforts. This will require me to be in Dubai for most of the next three months, although I have planned short trips back to

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¡Felíz Diez de Agosto!

Today, August 10th, is Ecuador's independence day.To be technical about this holiday, Ecuador did not officially gain its independence from Spain (or Gran Colombia, for that matter) on August 10th. On that date in 1809, a group of nobles in Quito, a colonial city that served as the seat of an administrative district (audiencia real) essentially encompassing what is now Ecuador, apparently became

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Website finally back up

It took me much longer than I had anticipated, and there are still several changes and updates I want to make that I haven't yet done, but the entire content of my website is back online. There isn't any one "big" change to my website, but rather lots of smaller ones. I've added content to some pages, reformatted others, and also retired a handful of pages which had become dated. More

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You want me where? When?

My company's Dubai office would like for me to come out there for a project meeting.This Saturday. At 1:30 pm local time.And I need to be back in Dallas by 9:30 am CDT next Tuesday.This ought to be interesting...

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The Richmond rail squabble

Anybody who lives in Houston is by now pretty familiar with the "rail on Richmond" debate (if not, there's an extremely lengthy discussion about it over on the Houston Architectural Information Forum). In a nutshell, METRO would like to construct an east-west light rail line (called the "University Corridor") to complement its existing north-south rail line along Main Street (known as the "Red

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I hate August

Today marks the beginning of August.I hate August.During August, the oppressive Houston summer is at its worst. The heat and humidity combine to create a climate that is truly unbearable. August is also when hurricane activity begins to pick up; in fact, some of the nation's most devastating hurricanes appear in August, including Andrew in 1992 and Katrina last year. There's something brewing out

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Update on my missing website

My entire website is still down. I originally planned to put everything back up yesterday or today, but now it's looking like it's not going to happen until this weekend at the earliest.Thank you for your patience.

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Texas and its screwy liquor laws

Every time a visitor from another state comes to Texas, I invariably find myself having to explain the state's liquor laws to them. This is because people who live outside of Texas ususally find them to be rather bizarre. Unlike in many other states, for example, hard liquor cannot be sold in grocery stores, but rather in special liquor stores. And those liquor stores have to close at 9 pm every

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No 2016 Olympics for Houston

The United States Olympic Committee still hasn't formally decided if it wants to submit a bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics at all, but if they do, it won't be Houston. Earlier today the USOC eliminated Houston, along with Philadelphia, as candidate cities. Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco remain in the running.As I predicted a couple of months ago, Houston wouldn't make the cut mainly

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Let's check in on the 'Stros...

Things aren't looking good for the hometown team right now. The Astros have lost ten out of their last fourteen games and are six games below .500. Although Roger Clemens has been pitching well since he re-joined the team last month, he's not getting any run support. The recent acqusition of Aubrey Huff from Tampa Bay hasn't had much of an impact. While the bullpen is also a concern - closer Brad

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Self-improvement introspection for the day

Early today, I did something that I regret. The details aren't important; I simply allowed my emotions to get the better of me and did something foolish.I need to learn not to allow other people (even people I strongly dislike) or events to bring out the worst in me.

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Website notice

I am in the process of making some changes to my website, so I've temporarily taken the whole thing down. I should have everything back up again within a few days.I apologize for any inconvenience.

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"This turbulence is making me queasy!"

"Quick! Pass me the barf bag... sponsored by Hertz Rent-a-Car?!?!"Advertising agencies will not rest until they've finally found a way to sell ad space on everything. US Airways is going to start printing advertisements on its barf bags."Having an advertisement for a barf bag, especially if it's for something like Dramamine, now that's brilliant," says aviation consultant Michael Boyd.Maybe. But

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45 days and counting...

As anybody who knows me can attest, my favorite time of year is college football season. And, with a month and a half left until kickoff, I feel myself eagerly awaiting the beginning of another fall of University of Houston Cougar football.It's hard not to get excited about the Coogs. They're coming off of their second bowl season in three years. They return a ton of starters on offense and

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A sad week for the University of Houston

Last week, the University of Houston community lost three of its most irreplacable members.Associate athletics director Roland Sparks passed away on Saturday July 8th after a long battle with colon cancer. Sparks was an employee of the UH athletics department for eighteen years, which is something of an accomplishment given the university's constant turnover of athletics directors.On Tuesday,

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Belated soccer thoughts

I apologize for the lack of posts; the past week has been a rather busy one for me.Anyway, I've been watching a lot of soccer this year. This is at least partially due to the just-finished 2006 FIFA World Cup as well as the relocation of a Major League Soccer team to a stadium within walking distance of my house. Even back in January, well before the start of the MLS season or the World Cup, I

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Political turmoil in Mexico

The apparent loser of last week's hotly-contested presidential election in Mexico, Manuel Lopez Obrador, is going to court to present what he says is evidence of voter fraud and other ballot irregularities which he believes cost him the election. According to official returns, Lopez Obrador's opponent, Felipe Calderon, won the election by 244,000 votes out of 41 million cast: a margin of victory

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The two-day work week

Monday and Tuesday were company holidays. Tomorrow is my usual Friday off, since our company's 9/80 work schedule gives me a Friday off every other week.Thus, my work week consisted of yesterday and today. Pretty slick...

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Ken Lay shoves off this mortal coil

Enron founder Ken Lay, who six weeks ago was found guilty of a variety of federal charges relating to that company's demise, including conspiracy and fraud, has died of a massive heart attack. Lay was 64.I don't have much to say about Lay's passing that hasn't already been said elsewhere. And I know that various "alternate" theories regarding Lay's death - that it was a suicide or a homicide or

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My Fourth of July: beer, barbecue and soccer

For the Independence Day holiday, I drank a lot of beer, grilled steaks and watched soccer.First, it was the World Cup semifinal featuring Italy and Germany. Italy won 2-0 in extra time. Later, my brother and I walked over to Robertson Stadium to watch the Houston Dynamo fight the Columbus Crew to a 1 - 1 draw.During the day, I also watched the Space Shuttle liftoff as well as the annual hot dog

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The Interstate turns 50

On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act into law with the hope of improving the mobility of people, goods and services (military as well as civilian) in rapidly-growing postwar America. Perhaps he could not have imagined at the time that his massive roadbuilding project would not merely make travel within the United States easier, but would instead come

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Houston bowl game survives

A couple of months ago I noted that things didn't look good for the cash-strapped Houston Bowl. However, a new management group associated with the Houston Texans has jumped in to secure approval from the NCAA for a local bowl game, thus assuring that there will be a postseason college football game in Houston this December.Technically, the NCAA did not actually recertify the Houston Bowl, but

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That's nice, Britney, but...

I know you're desperately trying to generate some positive buzz, but somehow, the thought of a pregnant, has-been redneck posing nude on the cover of Harper's Bazaar just doesn't do it for me.Thanks for trying, though.

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The world's most (and least) expensive cities

Every year, Mercer Consulting compares the cost of items such as housing, food, transportation and the like in over 140 cities worldwide and issues a list of the most expensive (and least expensive) cities in the world. Usually, Tokyo is at the top of the list, which is no surprise to anybody who's ever been there (my credit card is still smouldering from the dinner my brother and I had at that

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JetBlue to begin flying to Houston

I had a feeling that this was going to happen sooner or later: JetBlue has announced that it will begin flying between Houston's Hobby Airport and New York's JFK Airport in September.JetBlue appears to be a popular airline, and it's good to see that they've finally decided to being their services to Houston. More flights between New York City and Hobby Airport are also a good thing. To be sure,

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New Orleans, ten months later

Two weeks ago, Lori, Kirby and I went to New Orleans. My parents were going to check on their timeshare, and we decided to stay with them for a few days to get out of town and to see for ourselves what the city was like post-Katrina.If somebody with no knowledge of last summer's catastrophe were magically transported to the historical heart of the city, Jackson Square, they would have no idea

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Diet Coke and Mentos

You may have seen, and even tried, the "Diet Coke and Mentos" experiment. If you've never heard of it, it's basically a foamy geyser that is created by dropping a handful of Mentos candies into a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke.Most people who try this experiment are content to use one bottle of Diet Coke and one roll of Mentos. But these two guys decided to go a little further, and the result is

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A bad day for sports

Thursday was a crappy day for sports, nationally as well as locally.First, the United States lost to Ghana, 2-1, in the final first-round game of the 2006 World Cup, and are eliminated from the knockout stage.I don't really have anything to say about this that hasn't already been said elsewhere: it's disappointing, especially coming on the heels of such a successful run in 2002, but the writing

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The Flood of 2006

The early part of this week has been a wet one in Houston. It rained heavily all weekend, and on Monday the city received its worst drenching since Tropical Storm Allison, as some parts of the city recieved well over ten inches of rain and flooding occurred in several areas around town. Although it wasn't quite as intense as Allison - some areas experienced over two feet of rainfall during that

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Dear Dallas:

In case you were wondering, this is what it feels like when your sports teams choke in the playoffs.Sincerely,Houston

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Dear Democrats:

If you guys are stupid enough to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton to be your presidential candidate in 2008, you will deserve every bit of the ass-kicking your candidate will invariably receive that November. It doesn't matter who she runs against, be it John McCain, Bill Frist, Rudy Guilani, Condi Rice, Jeb Bush, or anyone else. She will lose because too many people in this country already

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A compromise to the Wright Amendment

Having lived in the Metroplex for a few years, and now having a job that ususally requires me to fly into Dallas once or twice a month, on average, I've been following the whole Wright Amendment controversy with a bit of interest. I've always thought of the ongoing debate over flight restrictions out of Dallas's Love Field, which has raged for over a quarter of a century, as a snapshot of a

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I thought that name sounded familiar

Justin Furstenfeld, the lead singer for the group Blue October, was a freshman at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts the same year I was a senior there (1990-91). Like me, he was a theatre major.By the way, Hate Me is one of the best singles of 2006 so far.

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Salve, O Patria

Congratulations are in order for Ecuador, who punched their ticket to the second round of the 2006 World Cup after slaughtering Costa Rica, 3-0, earlier today.Not too many people gave Ecuador, playing in its second World Cup, much of a chance of getting out of the first round; one prognosticator compared Ecuador to one of those first-round-and-out teams in the NCAA basketball tournament. The team

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My weird sister-in-law

Don't ask me why she did this to herself, but more pictures are available at her myspace.com page...

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Busy week

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. A lot has been going on: Kirby began day care on Monday, I was in Dallas Wednesday and Thursday, and later this afternoon the three of us are going to New Orleans a long weekend. I'm interested in seeing how things are going, nine months after Katrina, and we think Kirby will get a kick out of the Aquarium of the Americas, which recently re-opened.I'll

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My latest creation

The latest issue of As The World (Wide Web) Turns - Cougar Edition is now up at coogfun.com. It's long, and it might not make a lot of sense to anyone who isn't a regular reader of the various University of Houston fan forums. But I enjoy writing it, and apparently a lot of Coog fans enjoy reading it, so I thought I'd mention it here as well.

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Can Roger Clemens save the Astros?

Remember last April, when we were all expressing concern about closer Brad Lidge even as the Astros sat atop the NL Central? Well, those days are over. The Astros are now sitting at .500, a good 7.5 games behind division-leading St. Louis. They have lost eighteen out of their last twenty-six games. May, indeed, has not been a kind month for the local team.Now, legendary pitcher Roger Clemens has

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Chestthumping

This week, the Denton County Transit Authority began express bus service from Denton and Lewisville to downtown Dallas.It's good to see something I helped create come to fruition.

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Idiots with guns

Late last night, I was standing in my front yard. In the distance behind me, I heard a gunshot. I didn't immediately think much about it, because gunfire isn't exactly a rare occurence in southeast Houston.About twenty seconds later, however, I heard sharp cracking sound in the street in front of my neighbor's house, and then the "clink-clink-clink" of some metallic object bouncing down the

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Basilblogging

Lori and I recently planted an herb garden, and while the mint, thyme, lavender and rosemary all seem to be doing well, the basil is absolutely thriving in the Houston heat. We don't have basil plants anymore; we have a big basil bush!If you live near the University of Houston and need fresh basil for your pesto or bruschetta, let me know...

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More about Elektra

Lori and I have gone several days without Elektra, and we miss her. It's difficult to get used to her not rubbing our legs or sleeping at the foot of our bed anymore.In retrospect, it's reasonable to ask why we allowed our cats to roam freely outdoors in the first place. Had we kept them inside, after all, Elektra wouldn't have been run over because she never would have been out in the street.

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The Enron Verdict

As everybody knows by now, a federal court here in Houston has found former Enron CEOs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling guilty of a variety of counts, including conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud. The jurors decided that the two repeatedly lied in order to conceal accounting gimmicks and business failures that led to the 2001 collapse of the energy company, which at one time was the

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Elektra 1997 - 2006

To the careless driver (who probably lives in my neighborhood) who ran over Elektra late Saturday afternoon: thanks a lot for killing my favorite cat, asshole.Lori and I adopted Elektra along with her sister, Athena, as kittens shortly after we moved into an apartment complex in Austin in 1997. They've both been with us ever since; we've taken them all over Texas with us, from Austin to

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My website is a medical training resource

Of all the e-mail I've received about my website - be it from angry rabbit lovers, Super 8 film enthusiasts, travelers to Ecuador, people asking how they can make their city's freeways look prettier, even economics students interested in dollarization - I never, ever thought I would receive the following message:Thank you for sharing Kirby's photos. In one photograph you've allowed much

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Southwest to reconsider its open seating policy

Earlier this week, it was reported that Southwest Airlines is considering assigned seating on its flights. Southwest, of course, is currently the only major airline in the United States that does not assign seats to flyers. Instead, seating on the plane is provided on a first-come, first-served basis: the sooner you get your boarding pass and get to the gate, the better your pick of seats will be

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Just a thought...

Iranian Presdient Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be a religious lunatic who wants to acquire nuclear arms and wipe Israel off the map.But he's not the craziest person in the world.In fact, as long as Michael Jackson is living in Bahrain, he's not even the craziest person in the Middle East...

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Barry Bonds bores me

For all of the Astros' current problems - they've lost eight out of their last eleven games, and once-dominant, now-struggling closer Brad Lidge has been demoted - the local media seems more interested in San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, who is in town for a three-game series against the Astros.I know it's a great storyline for the media: here is one of baseball's most dominant players,

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Denton's new mayor

Continuing my coverage of the goings-on in Denton, Texas: congratulations are in order for Perry McNeill, a professor of engineering at the University of North Texas who has emerged victorious in a three-way race to replace term-limited Euline Brock as mayor of the rapidly-growing city.McNeill was appointed to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission shortly after I began working there in 1999.

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Fry Street redevelopment in Denton

As some of you might remember, I worked for and lived in the City of Denton between 1999 and 2002. More recently, as a consultant for the Denton County Transit Authority, I have been assisting with modifications to the rapidly-growing city's bus network. I've also been involved in studies related to a commuter rail line that will one day link Denton to Dallas.(Denton, Texas is like my own,

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The march of the seasons

Wednesday's cold front brought pleasant late-spring weather to Houston today, with clear skies, low humidity and moderate temperatures (into the 50s overnight). We should see the same weather Friday and perhaps Saturday.I'm enjoying it, because I know that this is probably it as far as pleasant weather is concerned, at least until October (and I'm not the only person who believes this, either).

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A new park for downtown Houston

Hey, I think this 12-acre park, which will be built on land currently occupied by surface parking in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, is a good idea.But I've gotta be honest: when I hear the phrase "downtown Houston park," the first thing that comes to my mind are a bunch of homeless people sleeping under trees, digging through garbage cans, relieving themselves in public and

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Houston's Olympic Dreams

Yesterday United States Olympic Committee members visited Houston as part of a week-long trip to five potential host cities for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The USOC will also be visiting Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco before deciding whether to submit an American bid to the International Olympic Committee. New York, the USOC's failed 2012 entrant, is not on the list this time

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The weekend in sports

Good news: the Houston Cougars swept the UCF Golden Knights at Cougar Field. The nationally-ranked Houston Cougar baseball team is now 37-14 overall and 17-4 in conference going into the big showdown against crosstown rival Rice this weekend.Bad news: the Houston Astros got swept by the Colorado Rockies in Denver. The Astros have lost six out of their last ten games.Oh, and a tip to the FC Dallas

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No martyrdom for wanna-be terrorist

Have fun spending the rest of your natural life in a concrete cell, scumbag.

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Website Update

I've updated my page of aerial photos to include pictures of the Hoover Dam and Humphreys Peak that I took while flying back from Vegas a couple of years ago.I'll be in Dallas for the rest of this week. Look for new postings when I return this weekend.

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The Houston Texans and their first round draft pick

Unlike just about everyone else who lives in Houston and has an internet connection (or so it seems, at least), I just can't get myself too riled up about the Houston Texans' decision to use their first round draft pick on North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, as opposed to USC running back Reggie Bush or Texas quarterback (and hometown favorite) Vince Young.For one thing, I'm just

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US gas prices since 1945

This CNN graphic tracks American gasoline prices, adjusted for inflation, since the end of World War II. As you may expect, gas is as expensive today as it's ever been. And, if the Energy Secretary is to be believed, motorists aren't going to see any relief for several years.This is when I am thankful that a) I don't live or work in the distant suburbs, and b) I don't own an SUV.

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Analyzing your daily commute

Via Planetizen: I found this sort of interesting: a guy who lives and works on the northwest side of Houston performed a statistical analysis of his daily commute to work to see what variables affect his daily commute and how, if at all, he can minimize the time he spends in his car on his way to and from work everyday.He discovers that two of the most relevant variables in his daily travel time

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Astros: panic time yet?

The Houston Astros are sitting atop the NL Central with a 13-6 record, which is tied for the best record in the majors. However, after last night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park, there seems to be a hint of panic in the air.For those of you who missed it: with a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth inning, the 'Stros ace reliever, Brad Lidge, took the mound to try to earn

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I'm, like, all over the internet and stuff...

I've finally penned the latest episode of my semi-regular series about the University of Houston Cougars and their Faithful Supporters with Internet Connections. Check out episode five of As The World (Wide Web) Turns - Cougar Edition over on CoogFun. Previous issues are there as well, but you have to scroll back several pages to find them.And, check out the maps of the Dubai and Kyoto rail

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The college rankings game

I've always been critical of US News and World Report's annual college and graduate school rankings; in fact, I denounced them in a Daily Cougar column almost a decade ago. And I'm not the only one who feels like these rankings are controversial, flawed, biased and, ultimately, useless.These rankings are generated not by any peer-reviewed academic or education journal but rather by a

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The Houston Bowl gets flushed?

The six-year-old Houston Bowl's odds of survival are very slim. Unless a title sponsor rides in at the last minute to save the day, which isn't likely, the cash-strapped college football game will go the way of the Bluebonnet Bowl before it and shut down.On one hand, it's unfortunate. Reliant Stadium is a great venue for a post-season bowl and Houston should be large enough to support one. I went

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The Rockets' season comes to a merciful end

Last night, the Houston Rockets ended their miserable season with an 87-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center. The injury-plagued Rockets finish the season with a 34-48 record - a big step backwards from their 51-win campaign of a year ago. Their home record of 15-26 is tied for worst in the NBA.So what to the Rockets do now? Well, they'll obviously see what kind of talent they

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Okay, time to get this things started

It's been a while since I've done anything with this site, but that is going to change in the coming weeks as I finally begin to shift all my rantings, writings and updates off my current "blog" and onto this site. In the meantime, I will be posting the same comments on both sites.Over the coming weeks, I'll also be tweaking this page's layout, adding links, and the like. Check back often as the

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