Bethany Better Than Google: When the Nasher Waters Its Lawn

So earlier this week, a FrontBurnervian e-mailed me to ask why he saw the Nasher watering its lawn in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, when the rest of us would get a love note from the city if we did the same thing.

I did not know the answer to that. So I e-mailed Kristin Gibbins in media relations, and asked her.

The answer? Completely boring! No controversy. But anyway, “The Nasher Sculpture Center has a variance with the city that allows us to water the grass based on certain time limits per irrigation zone with a maximum watering of three times per day during the no watering period.  We also water during normal watering schedule between 6 pm to 10 am,”  Gibbins said.

So there you go.  Who’s next?

Marvin Hamlisch Taps Booker T Student for Tonight’s DSO Show

Cool story on FrontRow about how Marvin Hamlisch, the Dallas Symphony’s principal pops conductor, went to hear some kids at Booker T. Washington and was so impressed that he asked one of the students, a senior, to perform with him tonight.

Job Opening at D Magazine

D Magazine has an immediate opening for an assistant editor. The job entails writing pithy descriptions and reviews of restaurants and bars across North Texas, using a web CMS to wrangle the large database of listings that feeds our online offerings and our iPhone app. The successful candidate (hereinafter called the “SC” to avoid that thorny “he or she” gender issue) needs to be unafraid of computers and telephones. The SC needs to give a damn about the local dining and bar scene. The SC needs to be of legal drinking age. The SC might not have any journalism experience but might just perhaps already have a blog on which the SC writes about food and/or drink. The SC will be meticulous, because in this brave, new digital world, copy editing and fact checking aren’t going to be done by anyone other than the SC in most cases. The SC, in other words, will know the difference between “everyday” and “every day” — and, while we’re at it, that “whipped chick peas” on a fancy menu really just means hummus. The SC might be able to tell us who cooked at Aurora without having to resort to Google. And, finally, the SC will be happy to work long hours for short money. Just being honest here.

Send a cover letter, résumé, and a 200-word description of your favorite bar or restaurant to editjob_at_dmagazine_dot_com.

Leading Off (8/27/10)

1. Rangers second baseman Andres Blanco’s dad came all the way from Venezuela to watch his son play a series against the Twins. And then Cliff Lee totally mailed it in all over it.

2. It’s Ramadan for Muslims, which means fasting. Which can be problematic if you’re a high school football player. At Richardson Berkner, the handful of Muslim athletes that are on the team sit on the sidelines, watching drills. At Irving MacArthur, the two students there continue to practice. I do have to wonder – what about the liability issues? If you’re a coach, do you err on the side of caution and bench them til after Ramadan, or do you let the student decide?

3. Several couples who ponied up $8,000 deposits to have their wedding reception at Aija Restaurant and Banquet in the Trammel Crow Building. Only the restaurant is now shuttered, and they won’t be getting their deposits back.

4. When Dallas County DA Craig Watkins took office, he didn’t cotton to the death penalty, saying he personally opposed it on religious and moral grounds. Now? There are just people that need killin’.

5. Yes, I know it’s Friday. For real. Tuesday, I thought for sure the next day was Friday — It was not. But the week was that long. But, hello weekend. Where have you been my whole life?