As I’ve said many times before, this column is similar to what Jerry Seinfeld always said about his hilarious 1990s sitcom: It’s about nothing.
This week it’s about several bits of nothing.
•So how ’bout this December weather?
Sure beats last year when a bunch of snow fell to start things off, then the temperature stayed pretty dang cold we rarely saw the nearby star the rest of the way.
I guess the meteorological term is “mild.” I’ll take mild all winter long, thanks.
•No, the outcome of the latest drawing conducted by Darin’s Body Shop in Houston was not fixed.
You’ll see an ad in this week’s Messenger that depicts the local “Share Your Christmas” campaign as this month’s winner in Darin Walker’s monthly drawing for $500. While it might be easy to draw a negative conclusion, it really is totally coincidence – I know first-hand that Darin runs his ongoing giveaway to a local non-profit organization as a tight ship, and the fact that “Share” won is legitimate.
They entered, their name was pulled out of the hat among a whole bunch of other entries, and that’s that. What are the odds?
•Houston’s restaurant landscape is going to go through some very cool changes in the near future.
While details about one or two more will be shared when the time comes, I can mention one now: A place called Dooley’s Sports Grill is going to open in early January in the space on Steffens Street most recently occupied by the Sidestreet Grill.
I’ll be getting together this week with owners Tommy “Dooley” Gale and his wife, Mandy, to do a full-on article for next week’s paper. But I’ll say now that anybody who set foot inside the building before will have a hard time recognizing it when they see what’s going on with Dooley’s.
I have a feeling it should be pretty awesome – and Gale said the food served up will be really good. Stay tuned for more.
•Speaking of changes in downtown Houston, there are several stores that are either altogether new or have new ownership.
We’ll produce an article in early January that lists all the action, to the best of our ability.
•My wife, Wendy, and I recently signed up for Netflix, and we’re still enjoying searching through the vast selection the service offers.
I’m not one to do a lot of recommending of movies, but we’ve watched two that are wonderful despite pretty much going unnoticed: “Unconditional” and “Life of a King.”
Coincidentally, both flicks are based on true stories of men who cared about – and for – inner-city youth. “Unconditional” (2012) chronicles Joe Bradford, who did wonders with kids in a low-income portion of Nashville.
“Life of a King” (2013) is about Eugene Brown, an ex-con who starts a chess club in Washington, D.C. It’s worth noting that the movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr., who does an award-worthy job of portraying Brown’s struggles, triumphs and passion in his quest to improve the situations of young people within his reach.
There’s nothing in either of these flicks that could be called vial or offensive. They’re both just great stories about cool people made with fine acting.
Enjoy.
•Have you seen the U.S. Navy’s new “stealth” destroyer? Probably not, because mainstream media outlets typically choose not to share much information like that, and instead concentrate on promoting an agenda that very often doesn’t match up with most Americans’ interests or beliefs.
Anyway, Google “USS Zumwalt” and be amazed. The thing looks like it’s from a science fiction movie.
And how cool is it that its captain’s name is James Kirk? You can’t make this stuff up.
•Look for a re-boot of my column series involving a traveling dog who likes to discuss experiences and is not afraid to offer opinions.
I’ve been in negotiations with Gertie (the Permapup) for quite a while now, and I think we’ve reached a point where she’s ready to agree to terms and put paw to paper.
The series will be called “Gone with Gertie: The adventures of a Corgi and her friend.” I’m not yet sure when the first installment will appear, but Gertie’s about ready, and we’ll hear from her soon enough.