at least they're not Andes mints

these look about as good as they taste. blech!

what's worse? the green ones with chocolate flavoring in them...DOUBLE BLECH!!

for not being worth my time, and for being a poor substitute for the classic red starlight mints, GREEN starlight mints get a THUMBS DOWN!!

for those with teeth and hoo-has

Dr. Sandra Haldeman is the most patient and interesting doctor i've ever had. she only does gynecology, but has many many contacts in obstetrics.

her story is interesting...after a career as a RN and midwife, at 50 years old she decided to become a doctor. in addition to medical school, she first had to take her prerequisites! she is a testament to following your dreams and doing what you love, no matter the age.



(no picture) Dr. Sue Ellen Richardson is just a damn good dentist. and i have been to pretty much all of them in Houston, and they all suck.

for being kickass doctors, Dr. Haldeman and Dr. Richardson both get a THUMBS UP!!!

the shins will change your life

at least that's what zach braff thinks.


i think so too maybe.



i've been listening to their latest album "wincing the night away" and i just can't believe how good it is. it's solid gold.

overall, these guys rock...i mean look at that picture? how can you not love them???

for (a) being a great live band, (b) being cute, awkward guys, and (c) producing innovative, beautiful music, the Shins get a THUMBS UP!!

mmmm....iced coffeeeee...

kristy donated a crapload of money to kuhf/npr this past year, so the bonus for ME since i'm actually in houston during the week is that i get the free pound of coffee she gets every month as a thank you gift.


i have to go pick it up at House of Coffee Beans on Bissonnet, and every time they are so friendly and they offer everyone a free taste of coffee - either a hot selection or an iced selection. holy crap. their iced coffee rocks...it's milky, sweet, coffee-licious goodness.

for being nice, serving coffee (which in and of itself rocks), and for free nips of delicious iced coffee, House of Coffee Beans gets a gubernatorial THUMBS UP!

whether it be oohing and aahing over Jin & Sun, rolling my eyes at stupid-ass Jack's temper tantrums, or gritting my teeth at Michael's whining about Walt, i cannot get enough of this show.

this is solid tv. it's totally wacky and tests your patience...and man do they ever love to kill off main characters. but that's why i love it. it's totally creative and the plot twists are endless.

for being so shocking that i contine to jump up and scream "holy crap!", and for being totally addictive, LOST gets a THUMBS UP!

so kristy, tina, mark, and i went to Spanish Flowers on Main a few weekends ago. this place is typically decent but not great. the things it has going for it are (1) fresh tortillas, (2) really good salsa, and (3) it's like 5 blocks from our house. everything else is "ok" and sometimes the service kinda sucks.


that will be my last trip to this establishment. why, you ask? because what i can only think was the chili con carne made me sicker than a shithouse donkey. i mean coming out both ends SICK!


thank god for mama ninfa's.

for making me pray to the porcelain god for 13 hours, and for making me hate mexican food for a few days (which i swore i could never do), Spanish Flowers gets a THUMBS DOWN!!!

HORCHATA - AY YAY YAY YAY!!

robert, carmen, and tina all LOVE horchata. for those that don't know, this is a typical drink from Mexico that tastes like sweet, cinnamony, ricey milk. it's pretty darn good, but typically only enjoyed at mexican restaurants. robert said he's tried virtually every horchata on the market, most of which are mixes or powders, and they're all sick.

that is, until he found Kern's. i can only find this stuff at Target (which blows my mind), but i've been drinking it every night as a sweet dessert. i love it over ice. unfortunately, it doesn't do much for those lactose intolerant (or those of us who are lactose somewhat-tolerant, like me - just ask corine!)

i love how the writing on the carton is all "there's a fiesta! it's called HORCHATA!" so every time i drink it, i have to go "HORCHATA - AY YAY YAY YAY!!!" in my most crazy Sabado Gigante voice ever.

for being crazy fun like that, and for being a sweet treat ANY time of day, Kern's Horchata gets a THUMBS UP!

too bad they don't make "snack size"

so one day we were at john and allison's house and before going out to dinner they decided that we should have drinks and snacks. they made fresh guacamole (delicious!) and busted out some of these Julio's Tortilla Chips. if you read about them, you can see that they have a light dusting of flavors on them. sorta tastes like salsa and lime, but it's not overpowering at all! plus these chips are light, so they don't weigh you down!

here's the rub...i can't find them anywhere in Houston! so for now, i have to keep bugging Kristy to go to the HEB in college station (BCS for those in the know) to get them.

for being delicious all on their own (as well as with fresh guacamole), Julio's Tortilla Chips (made in Texas bizatch!) get a THUMBS UP!

it's BETTER, but maybe not BEST

this one's for kristy and mama. they are freakishly in love with this pen. kristy for sure favors a black ink pen.

it's gotten to the point that whenever they see them in the store (which is seldom), they buy out the store.

so for my mom and kristy (and i like them too), Pilot's BETTER Retractable ball point pens (fine point) get a THUMBS UP!

it's no Mai's!

if you like watery noodles that taste only like beef broth, then you'll love Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro on 11th street at Shepherd.

por moi, however, Dragon Bowl gets a THUMBS DOWN!!

giant poodles are scary

i recently had to board Elsie Marie Pants and found a place up in Spring (about 15 minutes from IAH) that's pretty decent. plus, it's not totally booked like every other place! they have the outrageous options of doggie b-day celebrations and "VIP suites". of course, Ms. Pants gets a VIP suite anytime she stays!

for their courtesy, fun options, and crazy 10-foot poodle out front, ABC Pet Resort gets a THUMBS UP!

mama ninfa lives

we went to eat at Ninfa's on Navigation last night and although the Ninfa's everywhere else in this world totally blow, the one on Navigation rocks! strong margaritas, unbelievable food. one waitress we had was a beeyotch, but mostly we've had good service. go early cuz it gets crowded!

the original Mama Ninfa's on Navigation gets a THUMBS UP!

ipod fu

for fixing my ipod, i used this site to buy the parts:



the parts guys were very helpful when i almost couldn't get something working.


I used this site to learn how to fix the pod:



their GUIDES are awesome.

these 2 sites get a THUMBS UP!

new site (sorta)

so i've been having trouble accessing my website from work, where i seem to do all my updating. now i've decided to try using this blog as a way to more frequently update. i will still host stuff on my old site, but the main updating will be here (until this doesn't work anymore!).


i also think i might like to take a "here's what christa hates and loves" type of angle to this blog...we shall see.