Now that we’re in Houston until at least June the quantity of adventuring that we’ll be doing is going to decrease a bit. The traveling plan has shifted but that’s just fine because Houston is great so far and we’re really enjoying it. We’ll continue to bring you stories about the cool things we do here and the adventures that we do go on but we realize there’s only so much we can talk about Houston before the people who don’t live here get bored. So, in the interest of continuing to provide value to everyone who reads this blog we’re going to broaden the focus a bit. We’ve got some cool ideas coming down the pipe and intend to do more writing about things that we think are awesome and want to share. To kick off that theme, I want to highlight a few things that we think are sweet. Check them out, you might dig them too.
Live Events
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Ira Glass: great radio journalist and storyteller
Ira Glass Live – Ira Glass is the host and producer of the NPR show ‘This American Life’ and he gave a live performance last week in downtown Houston at Jones Hall, the Houston equivalent to the Kennedy Center. ‘This American Life’ is an amazing radio show that is poignant and well-presented. In his live show Ira Glass spoke at length about how the show is structured, the process of making the show, and many stories from his 20+ years in public radio. He was humorous, educational, and inspiring; if he comes to a city near you I can’t recommend it enough. Also, if you’ve never listened to ‘This American Life’ then check it out online or at iTunes.
- Blitzen Trapper – We caught Blitzen Trapper live at the Houston House of Blues earlier this week. The band is an interesting blend that I would classify as indie folk-rock. Their live show was great and they brought the house down. They didn’t just go through the motions of reproducing the music they’ve put out on their records and their skill as musicians really showed through. Check out their music and tour at the Blitzen Trapper website. I don’t have the same glowing words for the Houston House of Blues which featured a pathetically small crowd and frigid temperatures that had me regretting the decision to wear shorts. We are thinking that all future music shows will have to be seen in Austin.
Blogs
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Laura tackles mussels in a recent post
in widening circles – Amanda’s close friend from Marquette, Laura, recently started this food-focused blog. She also covers a variety of other cool things and on any given day you may find a new homemade recipe or a song recommendation. Her writing style does a great job of conveying her effervescent personality. If you like to cook or just enjoy reading about food then check it out.
- Cerveza Clara – Clare is also a friend of Amanda’s from her Marquette days. A writer by trade, her blog is well-written, features great pictures and covers a variety of topics including her recent 17-day road trip across the U.S. Her post about New Orleans features some of the most excellent writing that I’ve seen in a long time.
- Bald, Fat, and Crazy – This is the first-person tale of a woman who found out, in the span of three days, that she had breast cancer and was pregnant. Three years later she is blogging her inspirational story of perseverance and recovery. If you’re facing something in your life that you feel is impossible to accomplish then read this blog and realize that anything is possible.
Applications
- Read It Later – This application isn’t new but it’s still excellent. If you’re anything like me then you’ve got about fifteen different tabs open at any time in your browser with articles to read or videos to watch at some point. Most of them sit there for weeks before being read or sometimes closed with the realization that my interest has departed. Enter Read It Later, an application that allows you to quickly save pages from your computer or smart phone into a list that can then be read at any time without requiring an internet connection. There are also mobile versions of the application for the iPhone/iPad and just about every other smart phone out there that allow you to clip pages and read your list from anywhere. If your computer time is limited and you’ve got information overload then give it a spin.
- Plants vs. Zombies (iPhone/iPad) - I’m a huge gamer so I’d be remiss if I didn’t toss out my all-time favorite game application for the iPhone. Again, this isn’t new but it’s amazing so if you’ve never played it and you have an iPhone jump on it. Be warned: you will have immense quantities of fun and will not want to stop. This is the greatest way to kill a subway/bus/plane ride or any other short wait.
