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Neighbors Man Up about HoustonJanuary 2013
The start of every New Year is a time for reflection, resolve and, of course, the making of lists. Instead of piling up boring resolutions, we asked men who read The Buzz to tell us their 13 favorite things about living in Houston. Art Cars – In a restless city dominated by cars, it makes sense that Houston re-imagined automobiles … 12-12-12: Happy Birthday, Miss RubyDecember 2012
With a turn of a key, the red riding mower roars to life. Backing slowly out of a small storage shed and into the sunlight, its driver emerges slowly into view. She’s a small woman who would be barely more than 5 feet tall if she were standing. She is wearing rather large eyeglasses, a black polo shirt, gray slacks … Midsection, Midlife and MotivationJanuary 2012
Midlife motivation to start exercising takes many shapes and burns at different intensities. For me, a looming 50th birthday was a powerful reason to whittle away at a waistline that had expanded without much notice from me – until I saw pictures on Facebook. I had been aware enough to realize that my energy levels were flagging and feeling good … A Bayou Runs Through ItJuly 2010
Tucked away in a place few would seek out, a retention pond near a Meyer Park shopping center is a small sanctuary for three local fishermen looking for a place to drop a quick line in the water and see what’s biting. They take a position along a curving bank and begin that soothing, rhythmic, tick-tock motion of the fly … Come Park and PartyOctober 2009
Just after 8 a.m. on any given Sunday, columns of smoke begin to rise from hundreds of barbecue pits dotting the vast parking lots that surround Reliant Stadium. Bottle tops pop, and cans crack open by the hundreds – sounds that say beer is being served for breakfast. A couple of rock bands tune up. Flat-screen televisions flicker to life.… A Knock at the DoorApril 2009
The knock on our back door came in the dark of night. The place was a little ranch-style house in Nashville. The year was 1971, and times were hard all over. Images of a foreign war flickered on our television sets. The economy was getting pounded by inflation and stagnant growth, a nasty combination we called stagflation. Many people were … Determination and a Flash of GeniusNovember 2008
Have you ever seen an old friend at the movies? Not in the theater, but on the screen. I had that pleasure while watching Flash of Genius, the true story of Bob Kearns, a college professor and inventor who created the first intermittent windshield wiper in the basement of his Detroit home. Kearns and I got to know each … Love Without BoundariesSeptember 2008
It was drizzling rain as a silver sedan edged up to the front door of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. A young man stepped forward and removed a blue, nylon case from the car. He turned purposefully and strode back inside, carrying his parcel past doctors, nurses, and patients—none of whom had a clue what was inside. When he reached … Family Road TripAugust 2008
If you made a list of things that are hopelessly out of step with the realities of mid-2008, you might consider: • A mullet and some parachute pants. With gasoline hovering at $4 a gallon, the Hassell … Mr. PeanutJune 2008
When the Astrodome was going through its swan song, one last year of baseball in the old Eighth Wonder, the Houston Astros lined up all the celebrities they could think of to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before each game. Local baseball veterans like Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard were natural choices. One night, a balding guy from Cleveland … Lone Star State of MindMay 2008
Every morning after walking my kids into their classrooms at elementary school, something happens that never fails to astonish me in some small way. The children cross their hearts and pledge allegiance to Texas: “Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.” In all my years growing up, my classmates … A Big Crowd, a Little Horse, and a Pink Cowboy HatApril 2008
It was the last compliment I ever wanted to hear spoken about my daughter. “She looks just like Paris Hilton!” I opened my mouth to protest, to complain, to say something to this stranger staring at my 7-year-old. But nothing came out. Because when I looked at Jamie, I realized the comment wasn’t so far off base. On this bright … A Day at the RacesMarch 2008
The average horse race takes somewhere around two minutes—120 seconds of thundering hooves, flashing silks, flying dirt, and heart-pounding excitement. That’s a sliver of time by most any standard, but compared to the long hours that go into any day at the races, it is but a nanosecond. To get a better view of life at the track, I spent … Animal CopsFebruary 2008
When you visit the Houston SPCA, you expect the shelter to have plenty of cats, dogs, and maybe a guinea pig or two. You may not know that the stables and pens out back have horses, chickens, roosters, and a bear. That’s because eight investigators at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals handle more than 12,000 calls annually … Beast of BourbonJanuary 2008
On the banks of the Kentucky River, there’s an old brick barn with 24,000 barrels sitting inside. Step inside the dark confines and you instantly begin to cool down, way down. The air inside is a nippy 52 degrees on this sunny autumn day. After adjusting to the chill and the dark, the next sensation that hits you is the … |
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