Re: Huckabee in Town

Since Huckabee’s in town tomorrow, that’s enough of a Dallas connection to warrant posting a link to this commentary from Christopher Hitchens. Money quote:

…what Article VI [of the Constitution] does not do, and was never intended to do, is deny me the right to say, as loudly as I may choose, that I will on no account vote for a smirking hick like Mike Huckabee, who is an unusually stupid primate but who does not have the elementary intelligence to recognize the fact that this is what he is.

FrontBurner’s Newest Siblings

Hurray and huzzah. D’s blogging family just got a little bit bigger. If you were typing random URLs into your Web browser last week, you may have discovered these two new blogs already: SideDish and DallasDirt. The former is about local food and all that that entails — restaurants and chefs and recipes and wine and sandwiches and the like. (You’ll likely run across many of the same bloggers there as you see here.) The latter is about Dallas residential real estate, including but not limited to hip pocket listings, hot neighborhoods, changing trends, and a fun game called What Will Candy Evans Come Up With Next. (Again, some FrontBurnerers will be pulling double duty on that site.) The look and tone will be familiar to FrontBurner readers, but the content will be more targeted. It’s all about hyper-local, people.

Go check ‘em out. I think (and hope) you’ll like ‘em.

Huckabee Has Interesting Friends in Dallas

The high-flying former Baptist minister is dropping by town tomorrow night for a little $2300-per-person reception at the home of Roxanne and Gene Phillips. Gene, you might recall, sued Google in June because it posts articles about him that he’d rather you not know about. Perhaps Huckabee is too busy to have read them.

Lake Highlands Grad Gets Geared Up for Sundance

A patient FrontBurnervian passed along news last week that a friend of her from Lake Highlands has made a short movie that has garnered much acclaim. John Magary (LHHS ‘96) recently got an MFA from Columbia University, where his film The Second Line took top honors at a recent film festival. Not only that, Magary’s other project Blood Abundance, or The Half-Life of Antoinetteis one of 13 works chosen for the Screenwriters Lab at Sundance. That makes Magary kind of a big deal. Good luck to him.

Irving Is New U.S. HQ For BlackBerry Maker

Major economic news this morning out of Irving, a city that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said it’s selected to be the site of its U.S. headquarters, beating out at least two other unnamed cities. Two big reasons for Irving’s win: Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, and this area’s proximity to Mexico. The Waterloo, Ontario-based wireless company also said it would hire as many as 1,000 new employees here over the next five years in the likes of R&D, business operations and administration.

Josh Venable is L.A. Bound

I can’t tell you exactly where, since I’m not sure the person about to be replaced has been made aware of the situation yet. But in early January, Josh Venable — former KDGE DJ, host of The Adventure Club, and, on a less newsworthy note, my best friend — will take over a shift for a station in Los Angeles. There was a sort-of going-away shindig last night at Barley House, where Josh has been DJing on and off on Sundays for a bit. Am I tired this morning? I am.

If you weren’t there, you can say your goodbyes on December 30, when Josh’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street tribute band (born as Nightmare on E Street for a couple of Halloween gigs, and known for this show as Miracle on E Street) plays Barley House, along with a Guided by Voices cover band featuring members of American Werewolf Academy and Peter Schmidt. And the answer is yes, you can buy me a drink.

DMN Finally Figures out Fake Ticket Scheme

Well, well, well. The last horse finally crosses the finish line and demands a blue ribbon. Those who care to can jump:

(more…)

Jessica “The Cooler” Simpson Settles In

For Cowboys fans hoping that Jessica Simpson would be turned off by Tony Romo’s dreadful performance against the Eagles (22.2 QB rating yesterday, down from 107) and skedaddle back to L.A., think again. Not only did she anger the football gods by bastardizing ToRo’s No. 9 jersey, we also have confirmation that she has rented a home for an extended stay in an upscale near-North Dallas neighborhood.

Comments are so on …

Re: Disconnected at Cafe R&D

I’m taking a cue from the Bubble People and starting a movement to outlaw all behaviors and habits I don’t approve of. First up: From now on (and with thanks to a wag on Fox News Channel), no one will be allowed to have a tattoo unless they’re a sailor or an ex-convict. Meanwhile, on the no-cellphone front, an accomplished FrontBurnervian recounts a similar unpleasant experience at Cafe R&D in Preston Center:

Don’t wear a ball cap there either on a Sunday afternoon. That’s verboten too, along with cell phones, reasonably priced meals and a fresh dining concept. (How much more like a Houston’s can that place be?)

(The cap was brand-new from the Four Seasons in Austin.)

I took it off at the request of the greeter, held it in my hand for about two seconds, and then said, “Ah, screw it. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Which we did.

Harrumph.

The Monday Morning Haiku

It’s the 5-7-5 answer to the question “How was your weekend?” Me, I have two stress zits from collaborating with my 8-year-old on a project. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Third-grade science fair
Super 77
Still in my arm hair

It’s Officially Goldfinch Season!

This morning at 8:23 I spied the first goldfinch on my feeder located in Midway Hollow, a Treasure to Keep. I’ve heard them high in the trees for days, but this morning they’re attached to my thistle tube. Here’s a picture of Adacus, the alpha male of the flock.

Slow Food Roams Freely On The Web

A blogroll please: Our good friends at Slow Foods now have a blog where you’ll find sources for grass-fed beef, chicken, and lamb for the holidays. I’m not sure what “holidays” they are referring to, although I have noticed a lot of lights lately. Could be fun.

Leading Off

1) Travolta comes out…of the “Dallas” movie cast. (Hooray). Stiller is in. (Murmur.)

2) There really are no good excuses for yesterday. None.

3) Be careful out there, people.