Articles for December, 2009
Jacquielynn Floyd Needs a B12 Shot
Poor Metro columnist J-Floyd. A couple hours ago, on the DMN’s Metro Columnists blog, she linked to a report that aired on Channel 8 last night. It’s about a guy who was mistakenly declared dead. J-Floyd calls it a “don’t that beat all” story and makes a joke about how this thing could have possibly happened. Problem is, the story shouldn’t be new to J-Floyd. It ran in the Metro section on Sunday.
I’m no expert. But I’m thinking a B12 shot once a month might keep J-Floyd more alert, so she wouldn’t miss such stuff. Too, I suppose she could have been on vacation and not read the paper that day. I know how that goes. You collect it from the front yard. It lies on your kitchen table all day. You keep intending to read it. But then you’ve got to run to the store. A football game starts. On your seventh beer, you realize your vision has become blurred, making it difficult to read the tiny newsprint.
(Note: I apologize to J-Floyd and her legion of fans for this snarky post. Really. I had my first B12 shot today, and I’m not feeling myself. Or, rather, I am feeling myself, and that’s what’s making me feel weird. Is that person staring at me? Why is he staring at me? I need more Funyons.)
Best Statler Hilton Option: Student Housing
We’ve wondered before in this space about what we need downtown, and my old online haunt once ran a piece with a similar mental exercise. It always struck me that many of the small ideas – bookshops, cafes, grocery stores, laundry – would follow if one big idea was brought into the downtown mix: a university. That’s why when the rumblings began last week that momentum may be building behind the Statler Hilton redo (emphasis on the maybe, via Wilonsky), the first idea that popped into my head was student housing. Here’s why: as I wrote in this D CEO piece some time back, one of the big obstacles facing a Statler redo is its inflexible floor plates and cramped room designs. Without massive interior demolition (which never makes it easier to pencil out a project – c.f. Lake Cliff Towers), you can’t easily pull off a condo / apartment / hotel project that fits today’s tastes – tall ceilings, large open living spaces. But with a UNT law school potentially opening cattycorner to the former hotel and UNT’s main offices moving into the building on the opposite side the park, perhaps the city should focus part of its efforts on encouraging one more university program downtown (an architecture school, anyone?) to help build a critical mass of students that could support the Statler – and the bookstore, laundry, and beer garden.
About That Henry S. Miller Commercial Property Auction This Week…
Sources are telling our real estate doyenne, Candy Evans, that the dirt won’t exactly be flying anytime soon.
Update: Silly me. I am Candy Evans and posting this for the first time on FrontBurner (!!!), so I guess I didn’t have to ID myself. Blonde moment.
The Tipping Point: Starbucks v. McDonald’s
Talking about tipping yesterday Candy Evans mentioned Starbucks, which raises a whole other can of worms. How come you’re expected to tip the help there–the big glass jars are a not-so-subtle hint–when you’re never asked to do the same at a Taco Bell or a McDonald’s? No offense, but my McDonald’s server (Irma from El Salvador) probably needs the dough a lot more than barista Biff from Hilton Head.
B12 Is the Drug of Choice at Local City Magazine
Maybe it’s because we recently moved our offices downtown. But now many people in our office are behaving like Hollywood actors. They’re all getting B12 shots. Awhile back, the announcement went out that every month someone would come to the office to dole out the vitamin (I pronounce it “vit-uh-min”) for $15 per prick. A guy in a white lab coat (so official!) occupies a conference room, and a steady stream of saleswomen parades in to see him (in sales, they can afford it).
So what’s the deal? Does your office do it, too? Should I tie off and put the spike in? Is it worth $15?
Update: I guess we’ll find out. I succumbed to peer pressure. I mean, if Zac is gonna do it, then I’m sure as hell not going to not do it. Question: should it worry me that the injector’s nametag identifies him as “director of business development”?
Update: This keyboard is the most amazing thing I’ve ever touched in my whole life. God, I want to touch it more! And these people I work with! Man, I LOVE them. [grinding teeth]
Fort Worth Opera Features Bad Singing
The Fort Worth Opera has launched a campaign against bad singing, so that blogs like ours will raise awareness for them and net some more donations. How many of the “local celebrities” in this video can you name?
(H/T: Art& Seek)
Mark Cuban Offers Advice to College Kid
Mark Cuban last night posted an e-mail he received from a local college student. Something about what the kid writes rings false. Isn’t sending a message like this to Cuban the equivalent of saying “My biggest weakness is that I’m too much of a perfectionist” during a job interview?
I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced addictive behavior before, but I’m sure you’ve got an idea of what it would be like. Now I want to specify that I’m not addicted to drugs or alcohol or any of that junk. I’m addicted to adventure. Of pushing physical boundaries and experiencing new things.
But man, it’s killing me right now. I can’t focus on anything that I need to do. I’m a full-time undergrad and real estate agent (among other things), and this desperate search for adventure is not driving me toward my goals; it is crippling me. Before you had the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, how did you maintain focus on the things you needed to do?
Thing is, Cuban isn’t necessarily the same kind of thrill-seeker, “pushing physical boundaries,” that this student seems to think he is. The one time I watched Cuban’s failed reality show, The Benefactor, I remember him refusing to do some sort of bungee-jump-type thing over at the Speedzone when the contestants took him there.
(H/T: Pegasus)
State of the Arts at the DMA: A Recap
Last night was the second installment of the State of the Arts lecture series at the Dallas Museum of Art, a four-part series of conversations between local artists and art administrators, hosted by KERA’s Jeff Whittington. What is ingenious about the series is that it pairs guests from different spectrums of the arts scene and asks them the same questions. Part 2 featured Charles Santos, executive director of TITAS, which programs dance and music performances at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and jazz musician Arlington Jones. Some choice quotes from the discussion and a few thoughts can be found after the jump.
Tanker Explosion on George Bush Turnpike
Dude. I’m going to be real tense from now on whenever I drive past a tanker truck rolling down the highway:
Leading Off (12/18/09)
1. Security staff at Town East Mall in Mesquite swept in to protect the good people of Pleasant Grove, who were under assault by stupid T-shirts.
2. Dallas Can! Academy students love that chicken from Popeyes. But not as much, allegedly, as they love smoking pot in the bathroom.
3. The recession has hit Death Row. A report from an anti-capital punishment group shows that death sentences are down nationwide, including in Texas. And among the causes for the drop, they say, is the economic downturn, which has district attorneys declining to pursue the death penalty because of the added expenses involved.
Cupcake Car Demolishes David Letterman’s Set
During a segment on Christmas toys, David Letterman tore a path of destruction through the set of the Late Show tonight with one of Neiman Marcus’ $25,000 cupcake cars.
ShopTalk Has a New Format: Sales and Deals
Perhaps you’ve noticed that in the last few weeks, our shopping blog has come into focus. It’s now the daily destination for the Dallas deal seeker—which is especially handy for holiday shopping in these troubled times. In addition to sales, we’ve got solid info about affordable presents, so take a look. Speaking of gifts, you might want to browse our exclusive holiday gift guide for ideas for everyone on your list. Know a foodie? Then check out Todd Johnson’s piece in the current issue of D Home. If you’re looking for a dose of humor with your shopping inspiration, look no further than Laura Kostelny’s gift guide for her famous Dallas friends.
London Deal Closes, Bolstering Dallas’ e-Rewards
Hal Brierley of Dallas’ e-Rewards online-research company says he just added the “easiest $75 million in revenue” to his company ever without getting on a plane. He’s talking about e-Rewards’ acquisition of London-based Research Now plc, an outfit that’s in the same line of business, for $140 million. “The deal is done,” Brierley says, “and it has been celebrated.” After getting the green light from a London court on Monday, the acquisition takes the Dallas company from $105 million in annual revenue to $180 million–and from 350 employees to nearly 800. Brierley (pictured) had been chairman and CEO of e-Rewards, but he’s giving up the latter post in favor of Chris Havemann, previously the CEO at Research Now.
Super Bowl XLV Has 12 Million-Dollar Sponsors
That’s the latest count from the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, which has had a goal of securing 15 of these $1 million contributors. (Some are providing services or resources in kind rather than just cash.) Among the latest to join are Gene and Jerry Jones, who have pledged $1 million to fund the host committee’s portion of the NFL’s Youth Education Town.
There are two other big corporate sponsors that have not yet been announced officially. Should be made public early next year, and they are big names.
The Observer’s love letter to Roger Staubach this week says the Texas Rangers are a million-dollar sponsor. I’m told by the committee that the original intention was for the Rangers to be the name behind the money. But because of the limbo in which they exist pending their sale, it looks like it’s officially owner Tom Hicks’ contribution.
As for the economic impact figure for Super Bowl XLV that’s touted — $500 million — I was surprised to see that presented as a fact, and not coated with the Observer’s usual skepticism and desire to poke a stick into the eye of the man. (more…)
Annual Tipping Conundrum: Some Q’s and A’s
It’s that time of the year again to pause for a moment and reflect seriously on things. Things like, how much dough to tip the people who provide you with services all year. (KRLD’s got a poll up on tipping today.) So, for sure I know you’re supposed to give housekeepers an amount equal to the cost of one regular visit. But, how much do you tip your haircutter? And, do you still pony up if he or she owns the shop? And what about mail-delivery people and garbage collectors? If you work away from home, how do you get a tip into the garbage folks’ hands? Pinning something to your tied-off Hefty bag probably isn’t smart.
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