20thStDad

Citykid, why did you create a new user name just to pitch movies?

Definitely. Avery Johnson lives there!

You mean way out on Cypress Creek Parkway. Come on now, ditch the 1960 already, that's not gonna sound chic enough to get the new grads and creative types moving here.

You kind of had me until the bolded part. Sorry, but in no way do your property rights extend beyond your property line. Wanting your surroundings to remain exactly they way they were when you bought is nothing more than a hope, it's certainly not a right.

In a project management class I suffered through once, they showed a video (from 1983 or something) of 2 crews racing to build an entire house in the shortest time (they did it in 6 hours, foundation included). They had a project plan down to the minute for everything to get done by different crews. Anyway, the point is to build the roof, they put the entire roof frame together on the ground while the walls were getting done, then they lifted it on top. That probably wouldn't work if it's a custom non-uniform roof, but who knows. A crane would be really helpful to speed up lots of things like a'c install and just about any supplies that go above level 1.

The more I read about it the more this feels like a really bass ackwards way to get around the lack of zoning.

The current district doesn't go north of 16th St. I didn't see a link to future/possible extended boundaries.

Sorry I'm vague lately - probably due to insufficient bourbon consumption. I meant I'm looking for any boundaries of proposed districts. I did take a decent read through, vegetation seems to be safe for now, I can plant or dig up whatever I want.

Audi makes some really slick looking cars. Does the performance match? Are they generally worth the price?

I didn't see the part that said they would/would not be targeting my house for having to submit an application and post a sign if I want to change the address number style on my house. Is that published yet?

I hereby dub this the general weather discussion thread. July is wet. In fact, maybe this week we'll set a new record for rainfall (at IAH) for July. Total as of yesterday was 12.1 inches, record is 14.8 inches. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/?n=climate_iah_top10_july Probably not at Hobby unless it's a really wet week (at 12.2 aiming for 17.26). http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/?n=climate_hou_top10_jul

Ok so fines and liens, that's what I figured. I'm assuming that if this passes they still can't force people to change what is already on their property, it would only affect new work. What does it accomplish then? If something gets built it has to be some kind of neo-craftsman? Meanwhile, the old codger who lets vegetation grow up to where you can't see how dilapidated his house has become continues to be a worse problem, IMO.

What true enforcement do they have? What if someone just says no, and also refuses to pay a fine or something?

If they were smart they would just get some self storage for them to hold all of the junk that was in the house for a few months so they could rummage and reclaim as needed. Then I'm assuming or hoping they give it all away. As for design preferences, I've never applied for the show but that should be a checklist as part of the application, but only at a high level. You will be happy with your free house dammit!

"Certificate of appropriateness" - what a joke. Too many people have this mythical notion of the Heights. It's too late for this to work the way the historic district freaks want it to. Something like this should have been put in place 75 years ago to have their desired effect, because at this point the definition of "appropriate" has a world of difference from one house to the next, not even one block to the next. Why don't they just open up a fascist hardware store and sell Heights-approved fencing, paint colors, and plants. I just don't understand the oxymoron, this is the utmost attempt at control, and when I think of Heights residents someone who responds well to that doesn't come to mind.

Fast food hot dog joint (is that repetitive?). How young to you have to be? I don't think I have that many years on lockmat but have had my share of Wienerschnitzel. They have at least one in Baton Rouge, when we were feeling really cheap back in college we would make it there. The only thing that annoyed me were the really small drinks. And I think they only had 1 size, it was maybe 10 ounces. The place we went do didn't even have a dine-in area, it was drive through and walk-up to eat on outside tables only.

Not to converse with myself, but I just had another thought that it would be interesting to see the stats by the food providers (Aramark, Centerplate, etc.) since they actually run the show. Any obvious trends could be newsworthy and worth a lot when the next stadium food contract is up for bid.

I found this interesting. The 3 major ones in Houston were in the 3% to 26% (of vendors in violation) range. http://sports.espn.g...diumconcessions Minute Maid Park: 3% of vendors in violation - "One location with a self-service buffet received a critical violation for not having sneeze guards in place." Toyota Center: 13% - "At one stand, knives were put back into a knife rack without being cleaned." Reliant Stadium: 26% - "In September 2009, inspectors responded to a complaint that a 3-year-old boy got food poisoning from a concession hot dog. They checked out the stand the next day and found no violations. They could not confirm the complaint." Wow, in Dallas things are way worse: American Airlines Center: 40% - "Expired milk, brown lettuce and employees caught drinking or eating while they were working in the stand accounted for some of the stadium's critical violations." Rangers Ballpark: 62% - "One pizza vendor incurred 12 critical violations, mostly for improper food temperatures and for not preventing possible contamination." ...and Texas' worst - Cowboys Stadium: 72% - "In its first season, Cowboys Stadium had a relatively high percentage of critical violations, including several for inadequate hand-washing facilities. At one kiosk, hot dogs were 71 degrees, almost half the required holding temperature of 135 degrees." All but 1 of the facilities in the 75-100% (vendors in violation) range are in Florida. The 2 sites with 100% of vendors in violation are Tropicana Field (Tampa Rays) and the Verizon Center (Washington Wizards).

I bet Spec's does have a good one, I like their deli. That's a good idea.

We went there once and haven't been back - maybe I phrased the question wrong due to scotch intake. I checked Big Mamou's website and their muffaletta is $9.50, and I think that's too much so I'm not going there.

Where can I get a good muffaletta around here (for less than $9.50 so not Big Mamou - self proclaimed cheap bastard)??? I've got a wicked hankerin for one and we're not going back to Baton Rouge for at least a month.

The only thing that surprises me is that people lend any thought or credence to blogs as if they were journalism or worth anyone's time. Then again, this is the same nation that loves to watch "real" idiots on TV in any manner they can get them, and views celebrity as an admirable accomplishment in and of itself. How am I supposed to start mellowing out in my old age if the general idiotic population keeps throwing gasoline on my fiery cynicism?

Based on a few high school experiences, parking garage ramps with speed bumps and shopping carts make an awesome combination. Bring a helmet.

Where did Man-U finish in the UEFA cup? I think they lost in the quarters. I want to see the all-stars against Inter-Milan or Bayern Munich. Otherwise what would a win prove? I know it's a "friendly" or exhibition, but you have to think both sides are going to be out to establish their place in the pecking order.

That reminds me of the fun, heated debate about the tackiness of public jumbo-trons in the Houston Pavilions thread. There was much disagreement. As far as I know, there are still no jumbo-trons at HP and there may never have been any plans for any. We tend to make things up and run with it in this wild west internet place.