I love me my chili peppers. I love that exciting sweat that breaks out when I've been eating jalapeños. It always starts at my hairline, the the back of my neck, and then the lovely and addictive discomfort of the heat warms my whole body. Mmmm. And not only am I enjoying the bliss of pepper overload, apparently. I'm getting quite a few health benefits. ... [Read more...]

A lot of music fans are excited about the opening of the new Backyard at Bee Cave. It's the enlarged and improved version of the old amphitheater that first opened in 1993. The new Backyard is not far from the old site, but with improved parking and a larger amphitheater. But Backyard management promises it is just as beautiful and remains committed to... [Read more...]

Today being Earth Day, I got to thinking about simple, healthy living, and healthy eating. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Luckily, The Remington is near an excellent farmers market, which will go a long way to helping you eat a healthy diet. I love visiting markets. Seeing and smelling all the fresh... [Read more...]

Google has been the search engine of choice for some ten years or so. It has an amazing ability to turn up astonishingly relevant results. But most folks use only a fraction of its abilities. I saw on the New York Times website a list of ten underused Google search tricks. I had heard of and used some of these. But most are new to me. They are: Use the... [Read more...]

It was in 1973 that the idea that plants might have emotions, and perhaps even thoughts, became popular. The writers of the book The Secret Life of Plants hooked plants up to polygraph machines, and elicited more or less appropriate responses from the plants when they spoke soothingly or threatened the plants with scissors. Or something like that. I don't... [Read more...]

You can look at a car two ways: it's either a utilitarian device used for personal transportation, or it's an objet d'art, a reflection of the human spirit. To tell the truth, I'm more the former than the latter. There's nothing very remarkable about my car (other than its old age), and other than comfort and reliability, I'm not looking for much. But,... [Read more...]

We're just a few days away from an Austin tradition that I think really shows you what a cool place this city is. It's the annual Clean Sweep organized by Keep Austin Beautiful.  It happens on Saturday, April 10. Literally thousands of people turn out to put in a couple of hours cleaning up public spaces that need some sprucing up. It could be a neighborhood... [Read more...]

I know most folks revere spring. I admit it's nice for a little warm weather, especially after the severe winter we had this year. But for me spring means allergies and and weather that will soon be hotter than... than... than what I prefer. But I do love me some wildflowers. This is very good year for bluebonnets, and this weekend is going to be the peak.... [Read more...]