Did someone say PUB CRAWL??

I'll be Yelpin' it up at my very first Elite event on Friday, but if you're looking for something fun to do on a hot and muggy Houston evening, this could get your weekend started off right! Or it could lead to your Saturday not starting off so well, but that's just the price you pay for being awesome and fun. I have to opt out though, I'm kinda excited about the Yelp thing...many hours were wasted eating and drinking so I could write fun reviews.

Here's the info you need to get ya started with some crawling of the pubs:

http://houstonist.com/2009/03/05/light_rail_pub_crawl_departure_sche.php

Music Report

BAM people...here comes B*Dazzle's music report!

PASSION PIT: This group started as a little project by Michael Angelakos....he was making a Valentine's present for his girlfriend....which turned into their Chunk of Change EP. It had the catchy and dancey "Sleepyhead" tune which caught on and spread like a California wildfire. Their full length Manners is getting rave reviews, as it should. The tracks are fun and could be the beginning of pop music for people who love their tunes to be original.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart: I really didn't want to like this band...really. With a name like that and an album cover to match, I wasn't sold....until Pitchfork put their first single "Young Adult Friction" as a best new music track and added them to the P4K Fest lineup. One listen to the song was all I needed. It's happy and romantic indie music, which I'm a sucker for. Reminds me of Mates of State or The Magic Numbers.

Grizzly Bear: They've come a long way and are much more upbeat these days. The newest release has marvelous harmonies and showcases how talented these guys are....they have such wonderful voices that the instruments aren't even necessary. My favs are "Two Weeks" and "Cheerleader".

Camera Obscura: The new single "French Navy" makes me want to single along. It's very retro and catchy...I love the strings!! Their newly released album is "My Maudlin Career".

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Another one that I didn't want to like. I dig their old stuff and felt like they were selling out with the more electro-based release It's Blitz! But the more I heard "Zero" the more I liked it...and after giving the entire album a listen, here I am rec'ing it to you. Dammit YYYs....you got me! There are lots of remixes of "Zero" out there too.

Phoenix: They really can't put anything out that I don't like. They're French and their music is tres bon! The new EP (it seems like everyone is releasing EPs these days) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Yeah, the title is pretty questionable, but the tracks most definitely are not.

Born Ruffians: They shout, they clap, they rock. Nuff said. I need to see them in concert!! If you like Clap Your Hands, you'll like these kids. The whole album is good, but my fav is "Hummingbird".

Dan Deacon: I'm saving the best for last here. The dude is ridiculously talented and his latest album is beautiful!!!! It's great for working, working out, thinking about working, distracting yourself from things that involve work.... "Of the Mountains" made me fall in love with Bromst.

Adventure Dining in the Heights

If I told you that $20 got you a Saturday night dinner from 20 of Houston's delicious restaurants including wine, beer and margaritas....would you actually believe me?

This Saturday, May 16th is the Great Taste of the Heights in one of Houston's most historic little neighborhoods. The restaurants include Shade, all of the Creeks, Bedford, The Rainbow Lodge, and Max's Wine Dive. I've never been to this event, so I can't attest to the quality and abundance of the food and bevs, but it sounds like a pretty good deal.

For more info go to: http://www.greattasteoftheheights.com/index.php

Bon appetit!!

Lost in Translation?

There's no Sophia Copolla, Scarlett Johansson karaoke scenes or Bill Murray sipping scotch here...but the Engrish definitely does not translate in the way it was intended:

http://www.etre.com/blog/2008/08/the_restaurant_called_translate_server_error/

I got GOT!!

The thought never crossed my mind that I would come back from my relaxing Easter vacation and my apartment would be unlocked and completely ransacked. But, yes, I got GOT.

The door was unlocked (I'm super OCD about locking it, so that can be discounted as a root cause) and my lights were on, but it didn't even register at first. Then I saw my brand new flat screen was gone...panic starts...my bedroom drawers are open and things are thrown all over my bed...panic, tears, fear.

After a couple of terrific friends rushed over, I calmed down a bit to notice that my Wii and all of my sentimental jewelry was gone. Unbelievable. The cops didn't seem to care much, and since it was unforced entry they kept asking if someone had my key or was mad at me. Uh...no. No fingerprinting was done...no investigation until I had an HPD friend set me up with an investigator who has yet to do anything. Who was this that completely violated my personal sanctuary and where did they take my jewelry?

Unfortunately I don't think I will ever know who they were or how I could possibly get my class ring and other keepsakes back....but I'll always wonder. All I can say is thank goodness for Renters Insurance. The crazy thing is that I have not had it in over a year because I never thought I would need it, and JUST got it two weeks before the break-in. So at least I am getting reimbursed for my losses. If you are a renter, get it. Don't question it....it's only about $100 a year, you'll probably get a discount on your car insurance, and you won't have to worry about replacing your things if something unfortunate does happen to you.

I wanted to share my learnings with everyone so that you can be better prepared than I was.

• GET RENTER'S INSURANCE!!
• Document the serial number of all of your electronics and keep inventory, pictures, booklets, etc....in a safe place.
• Hide your jewelry
• If you can, set up an intrusion alarm. Even if it's not monitored, it could still deter burglars
• Make friends with your neighbors
• Don't live somewhere with closed hallways, check the surveillance camera situation
• Ask about the break-in history before moving into a complex

Turns out that there were multiple break-ins in my area that were identical to mine and some suspects were caught, but the wonderful HPD has not kept me informed on if they were tied to my case or not.