February events

Horticultural Skin Art

Carnivorous plant DVDs on the way
I could note that the horticulturally inclined have all sorts of holiday gift-giving options. For instance, I could note that Dallas Bonsai Garden has a very good list of bonsai tools and accessories listed by price, for instance, and I know I'll get a lot more in the intervening weeks. However, I'd like to note that Jacob Farin and Jeff Dallas of Sarracenia Northwest once again come through with treats above and beyond the call of duty, particularly with their Grow Carnivorous Plants! Volume 2 DVD, featuring sundew and butterwort ca

"Hi! I'm Johnny Knoxville..."
Every year at about this time, I get at least one person who asks me if I'm going "home" for the holidays. For the last 23 years, ever since I moved back to Texas, I've told them straight-up "I am home." Then it becomes "No, are you going home to see your family?" Again, it doesn't compute, because "home" and "where my parents live" are two completely different places. Some of these queries haven't quite degenerated into yelling "Why don't you Yankees go back to where you came from?", but at times I start to wonder. Others really mean well, but they don't understand or don't want to understand I'm perfectly happy staying right here for the holiday season. I know where everythin

On books for a moment
Regular readers may note that I've stopped the usual Borders Deathwatch updates and events, and that's partly because it's not fun any more. Mostly, though, I've been thinking less along the lines of how badly an incompetently run bookstore chain is going to implode and more on ways to bypass the current big-store mess, and ways that work out best for writers, readers, and small bookstore owners. It's really easy to talk about big grandiose ways to "save publishing", but a lot of those are ego massages that only help one small component of the entire distribution chain, and most don't even come close to a real solution.I will say that the current panic about

Things To Avoid In Dallas When You're Dead
I have to admit that the idea of guerrilla drive-in theaters is sounding particularly good right about now, especially since I'd love to get together with friends for a midnight movie. Considering that the Inwood Theater here in Dallas seems to be determined to see how many times per year its manager can schedule midnight screenings of The Goonies before its patrons set fire to every last stinking hipster in the place, that's not an option.

At least I have my pumpkin seeds, whoa-oh...
In a strange way, the best part of Halloween for me is the aftermath. This isn't just a matter of taking advantage of the discount candy sales at the grocery store to keep my co-workers suitably wired. (I'm not allowed to have any candy at work. It makes me hyper.) It's not a matter of visiting the local Target store and stocking up on clearance decorations to make the rest of the year tolerable. It's not even giving the Czarina incredible amounts of grief, such as when she suggests going out next year as Dr. Girlfriend from the animated series The Venture Brothers and I respond "You can't play her. Your voice is too deep." For me, it's all about the pumpkins.What