Where I’m from, snowboarding and skiing weren’t chief pursuits. Growing up, my boys and I played football in the streets or pickup basketball wherever we could find a hoop–neither of which required an exorbitant lift-ticket fee. But now and again, when money was good, we’d skip school, leave Philly and…
The Spitfire Girl When Mesquite High School drama teacher Jennifer Green, 24, showed up at her first professional theater audition in October, her goal was simply a “call-back” for WaterTower Theatre’s production of the musical The Spitfire Grill (onstage through February 15). Instead, she landed the starring role of troubled…
Throw the Bums Out Fix the sidewalks or else: Jim Schutze’s recent article (“Jilted,” January 29) on the allocation of funds in the Owenwood neighborhood gives us an excellent example of how we can put democracy in action here in our very own city. The residents of this neighborhood were…
There’s no foie gras at El Primero, or manicured lawns. No Arab oil sheiks or international playboys loiter at the rail sipping vintage champagne. The glamorous world of European horse racing couldn’t seem farther away from this Thoroughbred training track and stables at the edge of Laredo. Here the lunchroom…
By Sunday afternoon, the merchandise remaining at NorthPark’s Lord & Taylor included the following: one red mink coat, smooth as sunshine; three Hi-Ho Santa cookie jars; one lonely silver chain, missing a pendant; a children’s floral swimsuit bottom; a dozen decorative pink balls emblazoned with “Christmas 2001” in silver glitter…
This is all Antawn Jamison ever wanted. He’s trying to explain that to me. Again. The look on his face is friendly, but it also conveys another message. Something along the lines of: This must be the 10th time we’ve had this talk. He’s happy here, even if I don’t…
Sweet Tees The world Erik Herskind is interested in doesn’t exist anymore. Actually, it never really did. B.A. Hobo Co. Makers, the clothing company he founded a few years ago, sells T-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with logos from long-dead supper clubs, bars, lounges and businesses, among other things. But they…
A while ago, Buzz came across a T-shirt stenciled with the words “Jesus loves you. Everybody else thinks you’re an asshole.” We didn’t buy it, but now we wish we had, because then we could wrap it up and send it off to the fine, morally upstanding pharmacists at the…
Sinister Minister The chickens shall roost: I read this article with rapt attention mainly because of its attention to Sandra Bridewell’s “change” and her ministry of late (“Return of the Black Widow,” by Glenna Whitley, January 22). It is with great disdain that people use the word of God and…
It was quiet on the practice court. Almost eerily so–like a wake without the dead men. But give it time on that score–by the end of the season, there will be plenty of corpses around here. Only a few of the scrubs remained when they let the media into practice–all…
Nervous Nellie Last week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban accused coach Don Nelson of being a “drama queen.” We weren’t sure we believed him until we found this note in the Mavs locker room, apparently meant for assistant coach Del Harris. One-Way Street To address the city’s homeless problem, Mayor…
It takes a real lifer to belly up to the bar at just past 9 on a foggy Wednesday morning, the kind of professional alcoholic who considers bourbon the breakfast of champions, a drinker who needs to head off his hangover at the pass. Brent Lewis certainly doesn’t fit the…
Curiosity–and not a little paranoia–pulled Jaie Benson to her condo’s spare bedroom. In the last two months her guest had lived with her, things weren’t adding up. Instead of answering questions about her past, the woman quoted scripture. Though she claimed to have three children, they never called. And instead…
First, the Dallas Observer’s own Zac Crain breaks the news that crime is a growing problem in Deep Ellum (“Cruising for a Bruising,” August 14). There is much wringing of hands. Next police use pepper spray to break up an unpermitted but otherwise nonviolent street party on New Year’s Eve…
Zeroes to Heroes Couldn’t stop: Thanks for an excellent article (“What’s Wrong With This Picture?” by Zac Crain, January 15). I intended to read the first couple of paragraphs to see if the article might be interesting, and I found I couldn’t stop reading. I was moved by Hal’s story…
It is the privilege of all dreamers to see hope and promise where others see gloom and rot, so Edward Harris will understand if you scoff at his plans for growing an urban paradise in this field of weeds and trash. The 56-year-old grew up in this very neighborhood; his…
There’s a reason Buzz slaves away every week in the journalism mines, sweating to produce the fine product you hold in your hands. The reason is that we are dumb. We know this because A) friends and family routinely tell us so, and B) as a media-type person we often…
Mind Your Manners Educating jackasses: I loved this article (“Hey, You. Yeah, YOU!” by Sarah Hepola, January 8). Thank you so much for making me smile. I’ve stopped going to shows in Dallas unless it’s someone I really love and would cry if I didn’t see them–all because of the…
1. I will stop referring to my porn addiction as “work-related.” 2. I will stop smoking (fine, I will stop smoking in restaurants). 3. I will stop trying to shut down topless bars. 4. I will get rid of these cornrows. 5. I will stop referring to my The Simple…
The people who live here call it their “pier-and-beam house.” They’ve lost a lot–all of their security, most of their sobriety, some of their sanity–but they still have a sense of humor. Or irony, at least. The “house” is the underbelly of a bridge on Northwest Highway, a slab of…
Even a 14-year-old can appreciate a swank dressing room: fruit basket, vase of flowers, even his own shower. Not to mention the sumptuous buffet in the “green room,” where guests cool their heels. Corbin Corona and his parents, Gary and Detta Corona, attacked it with gusto. “They treated us like…
Houston author Kathryn Casey thought there had to be a mistake when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice refused her request to interview inmate Celeste Johnson. Johnson and her lesbian lover, Tracey Tarlton, entered prison this year for the Austin murder of Johnson’s wealthy husband. Casey has a contract with…
