June 18, 2008

Ginger beats Lou home

For New Years in 2006, Tony and I drove out to Las Vegas with the dogs so we could meet up with Julie to ring in 2007. While out there, I placed a couple of geocaching tags (search geocache on the site here for info.) I placed one each for Lou and Ginger imploring cachers to help them reach Houston.

Ginger beat Lou home - she needs to be picked up from a Houston geocache to complete her journey
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=82583 8219.1miles travelled

Lou is lagging behind and stuck in Oregon right now
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=76926 1381.8miles travelled

A year and a half later... Lou has already moved out of Houston. Hopefully his travel bug will make its way home soon.

Posted by CDogg at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2008

South Texas turnaround

Jim Croce refers to a "West Coast turnaround" in his song, "Speedball Tucker." The idea is that a truck driver heads to the West Coast, drops his payload, and without any pause, returns to the East Coast. I did a mini version of that yesterday - driving from San Marcos to Houston and back again - six hours behind the wheel. It doesn't come close to my personal record of driving from Houston to just outside of Philadelphia in 24 1/2 hours straight, but it was still a bit draining.

One high note was that Lou shared the ride. I never make stops when traveling by myself, but as he seems to enjoy these little pauses so much, we make at least one stop. The highlight of this break was finding some really cool boulders for Lou to climb on.

Good times.

Posted by CDogg at 07:59 AM | Comments (1)

February 25, 2008

Livin' the dream

Oh yeah... life is good. Check out my luxurious new digs in San Marcos. As Chief Operating Officer for Newstreamz.com, I am going to be spending a lot more time in San Marvelous.

Yeah, this little one-bedroom apartment isn't much to look at right now, but it is a stepping stone on my path to eventually relocate. I am sold on the area, the people, the air, and the lack of traffic.

Posted by CDogg at 02:58 PM | Comments (3)

February 15, 2008

Are people just happier in San Marcos?

Okay, so I have been coming back and forth to San Marcos regularly for months now and what I thought was an anomaly at first, has proven to be a recognizable trait. My impression has been that people here are just a little happier, a little nicer, and maybe just a little more pleased with their lives. The clincher has come in a series of walks Lou and I have taken around the city.

In Houston, Lou and I do our morning walk in the big blue room come rain or shine every morning. This walk takes us past lines and lines of commuters heading off to work. In the past few years, the closest things I have gotten to a reaction was maybe a smile a year by one of the slowly moving motorists. One a year!

I have walked Lou a couple dozen times in San Marvelous and every single time we get smiles. Not only that - most of the time we get waves from people, and twice I have had some sort of verbal interaction with someone on their morning drive. Yeah, they actually stopped the vehicle, rolled down the window, and said "Cute dog" or "Nice morning for a walk." I am not exaggerating.

Now, trust me - I know that Lou himself is the one spreading all that joy - afterall, "Everybody Loves Lou." But, Lou spreads happiness wherever he goes - here, it just seems to get returned.

Is my analysis scientific? Nope. Could I just be showing my own bias for being here? Sure. Am I going to surmise that people in San Marcos are happier despite this non-objective premise? Well, that is the purpose of this post. :)

Posted by CDogg at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2008

More pics

I found a couple of pics from the last trip to San Marcos and thought I would post them quick.

Ron spotted this sign in Luling...

Hey, they never claimed to be good spellers.

After picking up Lou from Tony & Julie's, he wasted no time in climbing up Mt. Ron and relaxing.

Not sure if I mentioned it yet, but this latest SM trip was easily the most productive. A lot of good things are happing there.

Posted by CDogg at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

Found: Good barbeque in San Marcos

First off, let me say: It's no City Market*, but it is the best BBQ I have found in San Marcos so far.

One of the most important things about any city is the cuisine. One of the most important styles of food is barbecue. After a bit of searching and a couple of suggestions from locals, I found Fuschak's.

Ron and I ate there yesterday and although I didn't sample much (I only had a sausage wrap,) it was very good.

I have been told that Lockhart is worth the trip if BBQ is my thing as there are dueling family restaurants that claim the best in the state. I will have to take a trip over there next time I am in the area.

* I just realized I never posted the photos from my trip with Tony D. to City Market in Luling, TX. I will remedy that later.

Posted by CDogg at 09:17 AM | Comments (2)

January 05, 2008

Photo update

Rather than a half dozen posts about a couple dozen events, I thought I would do some of it in pictures.

As usual, things are going extremely fast - Friday was a trip to Beaumont for the Drillers press conference. While I don't have the photos back from the Driller's photographer yet, I did manage to take some shots of my own while there Friday.

Where else but Beaumont, Texas can you find not only the new line of tractors on display in the center of the local mall, but the local TV station as well?

Another benefit of the mall trip was getting a puka shell necklace. Once all decked out in my coolness, I had to take a trip to where all the cool kids hang out - Abercrombie & Fitch for a photo op.

Now that I was oozing coolness, it was time to take in a Beaumont Wildcatters hockey game. This is the same arena where the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team will be playing. Fun stuff.

The day started before sunup and didn't end until the wee hours of Saturday. It was jam-packed with fun. Oh yeah, there are a few other photos from the day on my flickr page.

Posted by CDogg at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2007

Morning in San Marcos

Lou and I were up bright and early this morning and headed out for a walk with doggy bags and camera in tow. You can see a selection of this morning's photos on my Flickr site. (My shutterbug crush and #1 stalker Laanba already discovered them while I was uploading)

See how cleverly I got a picture of the town square and myself into the same shot? After our walk, we took a drive over to Wimberly to look around as well. I am liking this area of the country more and more.

Posted by CDogg at 10:12 AM | Comments (3)

December 27, 2007

Travels continue

I should get some sort of frequent driving miles for all the mileage I have rung up on the highway recently. Today, Ron and I headed over the Beaumont to capture some still and video shots. We are putting together a promotional video for the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team and needed some footage of the city.

I didn't think to snap any still photos of my own until the sun was starting to set.

Spindletop at sunset. Spindletop is the birthplace of the oil industry and there can be no more fitting icon for the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team video.

Posted by CDogg at 07:20 PM | Comments (2)

December 15, 2007

No rest for the weary

With just a few hours recovery from the New Mexico marathon, I headed off to College Station last night with my friend, "Mighty" Mike Wright. We were there for Lone Star Gridiron to cover the 4A Semifinal Playoff game between the Austin Lake Travis Cavaliers and the Dayton Broncos.

It was a lot of fun - you can go to the LSG link above to hear the show. It was good to do a game with Mike again as despite the fact that we have built this thing together for nearly four years, it is the first time in three weeks that we have done a show together. I have been running all over the state covering teams while he has been covering other games.

Next week brings another couple of trips - one to Beaumont, one to San Marcos and one that I can't remember right now.

Posted by CDogg at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2007

The trip - VIII

We are closing in on the end of the line. We are close to the San Antonio area and from there it is pretty much a straight shot back to Tim's house. I will try to do a wrapup sometime tomorrow as well as upload the rest of the photos.

Posted by CDogg at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - VII

We took a slightly different route heading back home and decided to swing by Hobbs, New Mexico.

Hobbs was much more of the traditional adobe buildings and sandy surroundings. It is a cool little town surrounded by cotton and peanut fields - a whole lot of agriculture goes on around there.

The agriculture of New Mexico doesn't hold a candle to Texas though as the cotton and peanut fields in the Lone Star State stretch for as far as the eye can see. The cotton gins are working around the clock with thousands of eighteen-wheeler sized bales stacked nearby awaiting processing.

We witnessed our second scene of carnage as a HUGE mule deer was struck by a Lincoln. The windshield of the car was shattered and the old couple in the car was clearly shaken - the deer didn't fare as well.

This guy weighed out easily at 300 pounds and dwarfs the deer around South Texas. A couple of locals were also stopped and they were talking about how hunters in the area have been after this buck for the last five years. It's a shame that he met his demise in such a senseless way after all those years of eluding hunters.

Posted by CDogg at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - VI

The coolest thing about the trip had to be the fact that upon walking into the church, I realized that all of the windows inside had been designed by me. I worked as an artist for my parents stained glass studio and drew windows for so many churches that I had lost track of them all.

These windows were installed in 1986 after I drew them up and my brother created them and installed them. It was really cool seeing my work in the middle of nowhere.

This is the main window behind the altar and the most visually stunning. Along each side of the chapel there are a series of windows depicting different biblical stories/ideas. I took photos of all of them with my little camera and will upload them to Flickr after I get back to Houston.

Posted by CDogg at 03:57 PM | Comments (2)

The trip - V

10:45 AM - A whole new world.

One of the big surprises was this huge sunflower farm. I guess all those little bags of seeds have to come from somewhere. The other huge surprise was how once we crossed the border into New Mexicothe roads turned to crap, had no shoulders, and were bumpy as hell. Texas cartainly has better roads.

12:01 PM - Going to the chapel..

When we arrived, they were finishing up a funeral so we went and partook of some of the local dining (gut bomb.) After that, the window install took just a few minutes.

Posted by CDogg at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)

The trip - IV

10:20 AM God's Country

As you enter the town there is a big sign proclaiming "The Church of Christ Welcomes You." As you are leaving town, there is a sign that states "What part of 'Thou Shalt Not' don't you understand?" - God

The landscape here changes from one of just cotton to cotton fields dotted with oil pumps. It seems like a great way to get your oilfield an agricultural exemption.

Posted by CDogg at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

The trip - III

9:04 AM King Cotton

Scoot and Tim loading back up after a quick pit stop in Lamesa, Texas. Cotton is definitely king around hear as this tiny town is the only thing above two feet tall for thousands of acres. For as far as the eye can see its all about cotton.

Posted by CDogg at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

The trip - II

The sun is still down as of this entry, but it is getting closer.

2:32 AM Blood on the highway in SA

The rate of traffic accidents increases shortly after the bars close. It seems they party in San Antonio even on a Wednesday night.

4:36 AM The Junction Boys

We stopped off for gas in the city that was the setting for one of my all-time favorite sports books - The Junction Boys. Its a great read.

Posted by CDogg at 06:48 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2007

The trip begins

I am writing from the passenger seat of my brother's (Tim) rented van as we are embarking on a interstate trip. About 10pm I left Houston to meet Tim and Scoot (my nephew) in Victoria. From there we left around midnight with the goal of driving straight through to Portales, New Mexico.

We will be dropping off a stained glass window at a church in Portales, jumping right back in the van and coming straight back.

I will try to update you on the trip periodically after the sun comes up.

Posted by CDogg at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2007

Christmas in San Marcos

I was in San Marcos this weekend with Ron and really enjoyed checking out their annual "Sights and Sounds" street festival. Our host, Scott, was our guide and did a great job of giving us the official tour. We met a bunch of great San Marcians (thats the term I heard them refer to themselves as) including the organizer of the festival. They were all a bunch of great people and it really reminded me of the small town feel I had growing up. Santa Claus was in attendance, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was playing on the big screen, there was live music, and tons of great (but very unhealthy) foods.

I am really starting to like San Marcos more and more so I expect to be making the short trip West more often.

After San Marcos, Ron and I headed North to Moody, Texas where we caught the TAPPS Six Man Football State Championship games. The trip was part of our Lone Star Gridiron coverage and was a lot of fun. It was the first time I saw sixman football live and let me tell you, its a blast to watch. The whole small-town flavor of the weekend carried over into the games and made for a very relaxed time despite all the hard work and over 500 miles in the car.

Posted by CDogg at 05:40 PM | Comments (2)

November 13, 2007

Good trip

I took a quick little jaunt over to San Marcos today to meet with some pretty cool people. Thank you Erica O'Grady for the introduction. No trip out I-10 West would be complete without a stop by Buc-ee's and as per Russell's request, I had to snap a photo.

One of the great things about visiting small towns in Texas is that they often have a cool town square accompanied by some of the coolest courthouses. Here John "Jack" Hays strikes a heroic pose in front of the Hays County Courthouse.

I see some pretty cool things developing from this trip. Look for more news down the road.

Posted by CDogg at 06:47 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2007

Am I Blue?

Well, tomorrow I head back to Houston and thanks to the power of this whole social networking and new media phenomenon, I had a great final night off Broadway. Tom Shad (see previous entry) got me the hookup to go see the Blue Man Group.

(Tom is in the band that backs up the Blue Man Group)

They have groups playing regularly in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Berlin, Oberhausen, Orlando and a tour a couple years back called The Complex Tour. The ones in bold are the ones I have seen now and even though there are a lot of similarities between the cities, there is something new in every performance. It wouldn't matter to me if everything was identical because I absolutely love the show and the music gets me going every time I hear it.

Thank you Michael and Brian for being great hosts, thank you to all the people I met both business and casual, thank you Tom for the chance to reconnect and see my favorite show, and thank you to New York for showing this Texan a real good time.

Posted by CDogg at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)

New York's Finest

One of the things that surprised me was how young all the New York City police officers looked. Sure, there was an occasional grizzled veteran, but most of them appeared to be in their 20's. These two guys were assigned to Times Square where they posed for photos all night. What a country!

This is right before I started jumping around screaming, "ATTICA! ATTICA!" They they tasered me into submission and I continued on my way. :) (parts of that story may be untrue)

Posted by CDogg at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2007

The "new" Jersey Boys

How cool is that? I'm in NYC (actually staying in Jersey City, NJ) and I get a Skype message from someone I hadn't talked to in months and months. It was from Tom Shad, who composed the original score for A Podcast Christmas Carol. I had totally forgotten that he lives in New Jersey and it was just a weird coincidence that he picked now to say "Hello" again.

Next thing you know, Michael and I are heading to Hoboken for dinner with Tom. We went to a local spot he suggested called Arthur's Tavern.

The food was pretty good if a bit pricey, but the atmosphere was authentic Jersey and the company of course was great.

The three of us covered every topic imaginable as between us we have seen just about every bit of podcasting history. It was good to see Tom again, but it was somewhat surreal to think that the two of us from separate parts of the country actually met for the first time in North Carolina and were just casually eating steaks together a couple years later in Hoboken. (Adjacent to an alley that was used in a scene from On the Waterfront.) Small world - big people.

Posted by CDogg at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

The real New York Giant

I came, I saw, I conquered!

(click photo for link to all the trip photos from NYC)

Actually, New York has won me over a bit. It has been over a decade since I had been to the Big Apple and it was every bit as cool as I remember. I am working on a side-by-side comparison of New York and Houston - look for that post in the next day or so.

Posted by CDogg at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN' !

The photo below is a dramatization based on actual events. The names were not changed because I don't even know any of them.

While Michael and I were heading from his apartment to the light rail station a few blocks away we were startled to see a 13 or 14 year old black girl scream at the top of her lungs as she ran around a corner straight into our direction. (ala the example photo)

"F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN'," she screamed as she ran past us.

Running closely behind were a throng of similarly frightened children.

"THEY HE IS - right there!!!" one exclaimed. Surely, an axe-wielding crackhead or gun-toting murderer would be right behind.

Coming down the street with a look that only the oft-picked-on runt of the pack could have was a boy of about 8. He walked slowly in the direction of the screaming kids with an expression that explained it all. The kids were obviously staying away to kid him or because he had "cooties" or maybe he "dealt it." Whatever the reason, within a span of a few seconds we went from shock and fear of what was chasing the girl, to having a great one-liner we used the rest of the night.

"F@CK YA'LL - HE COMIN' " !!!! (must be delivered with a look of terror and while striking a pose per above.)

Posted by CDogg at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2007

Victoria, Inez, Hillje and points beyond

I was in Victoria yesterday to see the family. The first thing I noticed was the final sign of the apocalypse has manifest in the middle of Victoria, Texas. There is a Starbucks smack dab in the middle of the main drag!

Come to find out, that is like the fourth one in town. When small town America is taken over by double-latte-crappacinos the end is near.

All was made better by the trip out to the Doelle Ranch. Macy, Maddie (sp?) and I kicked back and watched the horses graze from the front poor.

Macy (left) can hold her own now, but soon Maddie, a Great Pyrenees, will grow into her enormous feet and tower above.

The dog tour continued at Brian's house where I was introduced to Max and his amazing (if somewhat awkward looking) ability to ride a bike with Brian.

At first glance, you think pit bull when you see him, but he is actually a white boxer. His is unaware of his ability to wreak havoc with his size at times, but is a very gentle dog.

No trip to see the family would be complete without stopping off at Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse on the way home. I kid you not - this place has the best smoked meats in the state. You may be tempted to stop at one of the many other roadside options, but do yourself a favor and hold out until you reach Hillje. It's worth it.

Gassed up and loaded down with peppered turkey jerky - I am ready to head home... another good trip.

Dig that stylin' hat I got from my brother Tim. Suh-weeeet.

Posted by CDogg at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

August 14, 2007

Good eye, Ron

Being someone that drinks A LOT of water during the day, I have to thank Ron for noticing this on the television as soon as we checked into the Red Roof in Corpus Christi.

The news reported something about amoebic meningitis in the water system, but the official word is that it is because of "low chlorine levels." The bottom line is that with the weeks and weeks of rain, sewer systems are backed up into the same pools as the public water supply. This intermingling of dirty and clean water has the public water supply unsafe.

Once again, thanks Ron for noticing that because I would have been downing quite a bit of the local water had I not seen that.

Posted by CDogg at 03:47 PM | Comments (1)

Couple of pics from the weekend

I literally have hundreds of shots from this past weekend, but these ones were still on my camera when I cleared it off so I thought I would toss them online.

This was after the Intense Bowl III finished up and the Swashbuckler's held a party to celebrate the season. I was minding my own business and the Miller Lite girls begged me to take a photo with them. ;)

And when I got back to Houston, there was one face I was happiest to see

Unfortunately for my buddy Lou, I am heading out in about 45 minutes to Corpus Christi for two days. I have been invited to the All-Star Game and owner meetings to enjoy some more football and talk to them about podcasting. No rest for the weary.

Posted by CDogg at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007

Oh yeah - everything is fine

I've had several people call to ask for more details about the hotel fire and how the trip to Lake Charles turned out. Everything went fine and the fire wasn't really a fire - it was someone smoking some of the holy herb in a non-smoking room.

The trip was very productive from a business standpoint as we are discussions with the league about doing some other work for them next season. I have a bunch of pictures, but still have so much work to do that I won't be posting them here anytime soon. You can check my Flickr site as some of them are already up there.

Posted by CDogg at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

Good food, good folks

Tony D. and I went out to eat tonight at Little Napoli Ristorante Italiano and Bar on Westheimer. It wasn't the first time I had been there, but last time I wasn't eating, so this was my first chance to try the food. I had the chicken alfredo pasta and it was pretty damn good.

Better than the food was the staff. Our waitress Allison (sp?) was very friendly, super helpful, and very attentive to our service. The service was so good that I thought I would give her some props.

If you get by the restaurant be sure to ask for Allison (and mention that you saw her on www.ridingwiththewindowdown.com.) Oh yeah, and give her a big tip too. Thanks Allison!

Posted by CDogg at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

Paris is out!! Paris is out!!

(groan) Get ready for this molehill to grow again.

I find it amusing as hell that Larry King didn't so much "score the big interview" with Paris as be the last horse in the race. It turns out that ABC and NBC dropped their offers. Kudos to them.

(Is it just me or does that look like a Paris impersonator? Wouldn't that be an interesting story if she either paid someone to do her time or at least scammed the paparrazi on her departure?)

Posted by CDogg at 01:02 AM | Comments (1)

June 16, 2007

Hot time in the old town

We arrived in Laredo around 7PM and after settling in at the hotel and getting the itinerary for Saturday, we headed across the border. We were going to pick up some cheap souvenirs, but it was past business hours so we just took in some of the local flavor. (i.e. grab a cerveza or two and meet the locals.)

As we walked through the "mean streets" of Nuevo Laredo, we weren't accosted by drug kingpins, hostage takers, or even roving gangs of ruffians. When these guys arrived to entertain us as we walked, I had to grab a picture.

They were really cool dudes and despite my mangled Spanish, we managed to have a pretty good conversation.

One of the coolest people we met was Rafael.

He is the 87-year old proprietor of a little corner bar. He has owned the bar for over 60 years and has never missed a day at work. He showed us a bunch of real old photos and explained who was who in them... it was an exceptional bit of cross-cultural interaction and one of the highlights of the trip thus far.

Today is all about football as team meetings begin in about two hours, the team lunch follows and then the trip over to the arena for pregame activities.

Right up until the last minute, I was thinking about not coming on the trip, but as it turns out, I am very glad I did.

Posted by CDogg at 10:05 AM | Comments (2)

June 09, 2007

The best restaurant in Inez, Texas

My brother Tim, sister-in-law Sandra, Mom, and myself had a fine dinner at KB's BBQ in Inez tonight. I snapped this as my brother was telling me that not only was this the absolute best restaurant in Inez, but it had the hottest waitresses.

It was then that I was informed it was the ONLY restaurant in Inez. Well, the food was good anyway.

Posted by CDogg at 08:17 PM | Comments (2)

May 29, 2007

The more I drive - the less miles I put on?

Oil change time for the gray goober:

As I was waiting for the oil change on the Focus, it dawned on me that it has been a year since I traded in the F-150 extended cab pickup for my little gray roller skate. I was also shocked to see just how few miles I drove in the past year.

In that year, I have only put on 21,000 miles despite two trips to the East Coast (North Carolina and back via Florida,) and one trip to Las Vegas and back. (Those three trips alone were roughly 10,000 miles.)

Now, 21,000 may sound like a lot of miles to you, but it is TINY for me. I am someone who lives in my vehicle. My first new car (a Dodge Colt) had 53,000 in ONE YEAR!! It has been typical for me to put 30,000 - 40,000 in a year throughout my car history. I can't even blame the drop in mileage on the move into the home office because I had the home office for two years with the F-150 and never put under 30,000 a year during that time.

Is it the price of gas? Maybe. I don't really know. I think it may be podcasting that accounts for the low mileage. For the first time since I've had wheels, my biggest hobby is done from home. There are no sports leagues to drive to, no meetings I have to attend, no distant destinations needing to be explored, it can all be done from home. Scratch that - there have been podcaster meetups, conventions, soundseeing tours, football games to cover... hmmm, I guess that isn't it afterall. Maybe I am really just turning into a homebody.

You tell me... has your driving increased or decreased in the last year? Am I just losing my mind? Does this post make any sense at all?

Posted by CDogg at 01:13 PM | Comments (1)

May 20, 2007

Back home - safe and sound

I reached Houston, dropped off Tony, and picked up Lou... all was right with the world once again as Lou rode home on my lap.

I have a ton to do but think I will spend a few minutes kickin' back with my bud before getting after it.

Posted by CDogg at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

Rather than repeat myself...

Well, I could repeat what I just wrote over at Houston MetBlogs about tonight's rodeo performance. I could try to be clever and come up with another angle. I guess I could just not even mention it.

What I decided to do instead is to set the scene and then point you to the already quippy entry I did at MetBlogs.

Tony D., Tony V. and I were at the house thinking about going out for a movie or something when I decided to clean up some email. I noticed that someone had Rockets tickets (2) they were giving away and another person was trying to give rodeo tickets (3). I dropped them each a line quick and said that I would take them because Tony V. hadn't been to either. The rodeo ticket giver responded first so I met her for the swap. By the time I returned, the Rockets ticket giver had responded, but I had to pass as our plans were already in motion for the evening.

We jumped in the car, went to Delmar for the park and ride (picture) and headed out to the show. For the story of the concert itself... click on this link to my Houston MetBlogs entry.

PS. As you can see, the full beard is gone as of today. :)

Posted by CDogg at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2007

Taking the capital by storm

What do you do when there is a lull in the sessions at SXSW, and someone left an unattended podium and speaker system on the front steps of the state capital building?

Why... you step up to the mic, tell your photographer to snap a photo, and tell the world to check out your podcast at www.podmusiccountdown.com. Good times!

Hey, how many of you have given a speech on the steps of the capital building with hundreds of people listening on?

Posted by CDogg at 04:10 PM | Comments (2)

March 11, 2007

Houston has better ribs

I just left Stubbs BBQ after eating the barbeque platter and I have to say that while it was good... Houston definitely does a better job in the manly beef meals.

So if the seminars are kinda lame and the food is subpar, what is the reason for being at SXSW? The conversations. This place is all about meeting people and thinking big. We have assembled in one place an amazing array of nerds and when you get that many nerds in one place - great geeky things happen.

Tomorrow I plan on meeting up with a friend that is going to college at UT and of course, talking a whole lot of Nerdlish. (I think I just coined a new term - heading to Urban Dictionary to submit.)

Posted by CDogg at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)

South by Southwest

I am in Austin for SXSW Interactive and just went through the trade show floor. I will of course be giving more detailed info in the next couple days, but for now I just wanted to start things off.

One of the booths was for a website called Lucky Oliver - a photo community that takes some of the coolness of a site like Flickr and adds commerce to the equation. (I promised them I would plug their site on my blog if they gave me a tshirt.)

Anyway, its time to go grab something to eat and head back out to be "interactive."

Oh, and just so you have a good idea of how many people attend something like this... these are the "goody bags" they hand out with registration.

Posted by CDogg at 01:10 PM | Comments (1)

February 13, 2007

These boots are made for scootin'

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a collection of six-foot tall painted boots have been placed around town. On my way back from a client today, I decided to snap a few.

Look for these and more on my Flickr page.

Posted by CDogg at 05:55 PM | Comments (5)

February 10, 2007

It's a hard knock life

Tim and I are at the Amp'd Mobile Supercross sitting high above the floor of Reliant Stadium in the press box after returning from our "work" at the Pit Party.

Geez, I really should take a break from working so hard...

Tim is sure to be hating this new gig...

Yes, the life of the media elite is tough. :)

We even ran into some of the common people (haha.) Royace and his family...

Posted by CDogg at 03:48 PM | Comments (1)

January 03, 2007

I'm baaaack!!

Yeah, the intense thunderstorms didn't stop me. Despite 15 straight hours of driving through the rain, including 3 of those in a fierce downpour that slowed traffic to 30 mph, Lou and I arrived home safe and sound around 11 pm.

The rain let up for about 15 minutes in Ft. Stockton and we took the opportunity to do the doggie-relief thing.

As "good times..." is one of my favorite sayings, Tony pointed out the name of the bar across the street.

One of the last stops before we made it home and as usual, Lou and I are waiting on Tony.

Well, I feel fortunate in that we survived dust storms in New Mexico, 65mph winds in Nevada, snow in El Paso and torrential downpours in Texas. All in all, it was a fun trip, but after 3,000 miles, countless hours of walking up and down the Vegas strip as well as the streets of Juarez, Mexico, and waaay too much bad roadside food, it is good to be home.

Posted by CDogg at 11:29 PM | Comments (3)

January 02, 2007

The trip continues

Yeah, Las Vegas is behind us... but the road goes ever onward.

We made it to El Paso and were surprised to awake to snow!

The snow didn't accumulate on the ground... but was still pretty cool

We headed across the border in the snow to find it was pretty much shut down.

I did pick up a cool hat for a couple bucks though.

The snow turned to water, but was still about 40 degrees out as the city of Juarez woke up.

I like the idea of people not being able to see my eyes. :)

Posted by CDogg at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

January 01, 2007

Yet more pics

Before I disconnect hte computer and pack for a very early depature in the morning, I thought I would post some of the latest pics. Eventually, I will post a bunch to my Flickr page, but for now, there are more here on the blog.

A self portrait taken outside our condo.

We were on the guest list for Tony n' Tina's Wedding

Despite a lot of drunkedness and other hijinx, the couple had a great sendoff.

Ms. Rio Rita asked if she could take a picture with me...

Well, that's the way I remember it.

I, of course, had to swing my Toby Keith's joint and pick something up for my mom.

She is a huge TK fan.

While inside, I had to pick up something for myself as well.

I promise, I didn't go see Celine Dion.

It wouldn't be a complete visit without at least one geocache.

I found this one not far off the strip.

After watching the Blue Man Group at the Venetian, they came out to pose with fans.

Like I said, there are more pics and eventually they will make it to the flickr page. For now, it is 15 minutes until 2007 and I need to head out on the strip once again.

btw Happy belated-New Year to all my friends and family back in the earlier time zones!

Posted by CDogg at 01:25 AM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2006

More fun in Sin City

Simon Cowell showing a decided lack of interest in my opinion...

...one of the many stars at the wax museum.

While looking out from the Venetian over the strip...

...all I could think of was how much money they have to take in to pay for all this opulence.

Guess who we are going to see on Sunday?

Yeah, we have to sit through a condo sales pitch, but we got tickets worth $129 each!

Posted by CDogg at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2006

Not so grand

Well, as I mentioned in my podcast, I am staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations. The property is two towers of timeshare condos. Apparently if you wanted to purchase an entire year here, it would run you around $3 million. It is certainly luxurious, but for that kind of money, you just knew I would be able to find some problems.

1 - the parking is not nearly adequate enough to handle a full house and because of the New Year's celebration, the place is packed. When you leave the parking lot in the morning, you may as well stay gone until around noon as there will be no spots until people start waking up and hitting the strip.

2 - they charge for everything. A printout in the business center costs a buck a page. A local phone call, a buck each. A piece of tinfoil... you guessed it - another buck. When you are charging the amounts you are for the rooms, you think something would be complimentary.

3 - a little hot water would be nice. Again, for the price... a warm shower on a cold morning shouldn't be too much to ask. I guess because the building is new, they are still working out the kinks - but hot water? That's a no-brainer.

Overall, it is a pretty nice place and I am enjoying my stay... but when Paris' daddy puts such a high price tag on his properties... its okay to get a little nit-picky.

Posted by CDogg at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2006

On the road again - Day 1

Once again, I have taken to the road in an attempt to travel to the far ends of the earth... okay, well at least the continent. 8 days in Las Vegas began with 2 days of driving. Tony and I set out 8AM on Christmas morning.

1 2
1 - Go West Young Man!!
2 - Out in West Texas, I saw the first 80mph speed limit sign I have ever seen.

3
3 - Of course, when travelling with dogs, rest areas are a welcome break for their little bladders.

4 5
4 - In no time at all, we were zipping along again at 90.
4 - Day one came to an end overlooking the US/Mexico border in a hotel room in El Paso.

The first day was very interesting from a geological and sociological standpoint. Texas continues to amaze me with the wide range of terrains and even climates. From the hill country around San Antonio to the high desert in deep West Texas - we have seen quite a bit of it on this trip.

The stop in El Paso was pretty cool. I was actually surprised to see that there is casino gambling in the city of El Paso. We are not talking a party boat in the gulf or even across the border into Mexico. There was a casino (with an excellent buffet) just a few blocks from the hotel. I plan to record some audio in there on the return trip.

Posted by CDogg at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2006

Its on like Donkey Kong!

Well, there was a little debate over whether or not I would be doing the Vegas trip, but all is settled now. I am heading out Monday (Christmas morning) and should be back around the 3rd.

Fear not though... what happens in Vegas is definitely NOT staying in Vegas on this trip. I will be podcasting daily (Doelle) from the trip and letting you know what is happening each step of the way. I will also try to post a bunch of pictures. Wish me luck and tons o' fun.

Posted by CDogg at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2006

Way to go Donald!

I have to say that most of the time, 'The Donald' seems to be talking out of his @ss... but I have to agree with him on the whole Rosie O'Donnell thing. Its high time someone put her in her place.

Posted by CDogg at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

VEGAS, BABY!!

That's right - I am hitting the road once again. I thought I was going to hang at the house for the next month, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. The respite from the road was short-lived as on Christmas day I will be heading to the "Jewel of the Desert" - the one and only "Lost Wages, Nevada."

As seems to be very common these days, another "on the cheap" opportunity came up. My friends Tony and Julie have a luxurious Hilton suite for 8 days and have invited me and Lou along - good times. I will, of course, be podcasting all along the way so if you like to get your virtual travel on... I will do my best to put out regular shows.

Geez... let me see... I have been logging some serious miles recently.

November - Atlanta, North Carolina, Savannah, New Orleans, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
December - Las Vegas (so far)

In advance I want to thank Dave and Mindy for their assistance in holding down the fort and taking care of things like Nardo and the mail.

Posted by CDogg at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)

Wolfgang YUCK!

I ate at Wolfgang Puck's the other day with Tony and BOY, was I disappointed. You walk into the place and it looks nice. I immediately assumed that it was going to be a very nice meal as the environment was certainly inviting. Once you glance behind the veneer a bit however, it was a big letdown.

The seating looked a lot better than it felt as it was pretty stark and uncomfortable. The pricing was certainly in line with my expectations as it was much more costly than fast food and not as much as a high-end restaurant. The value, on the other hand, was horrible.

WP's delivers food that is barely above fast food for a price that is way out of line with the quality. I had a chicken and garlic mashed potato meal and was shocked. The chicken as Boston Market is MUCH better, but the real crime was the mashed potatoes - they were made from instant freaking FLAKES! Uggghh.

This is easily the worst example of style over substance in the dining world.

And no - even though I met Wolfgang a few months back, I was not starstruck enough to let this culinary crime pass.

Posted by CDogg at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2006

Homeward Bound

In just a matter of hours, I will be touching down in Houston after a week in San Miguel de Allende. I had a great time and took a ton of pictures, but none of them can do justice to the coolness of this area of the world. My high school Spanish came in very handy as within a couple days I was communicating better than some of my gringo hosts who have been here for months.

The people are friendly, the sights are amazing, the food is great and not once was I visited by Senor Montezuma despite eating regularly at the roadside stands. As I type this, there is a tiny finch outside the casita window literally looking me in the eye from less than 12 inches away. The rabbits are so numerous that you almost have to watch where you walk to avoid them. The flora comes in every shape and size including prickly pear cactus that stand 20 feet high with a woody bark similar to an oak tree.

I want to thank Dave, Mindy, and Tony for holding down the homefront, taking care of mail, computers, Nardo and Lou and I want to thank my hosts EJ and Fen for putting me up and showing me a good time.

Louper, daddy will be there soon! :)

Posted by CDogg at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2006

Its almost over

Yes, tomorrow I will be heading back to Houston. I view that with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am having a good time exploring things and learning about everything here, but on the other hand, I really want to get back home. I miss Lou something fierce, I miss my friends and family, and between this and the trip to the US east coast, I have only been home one week in the last month. There is something to be said about just sitting in your recliner in your home.

Today is the presidential inauguration in Mexico and all the cities have pretty much closed down. Because a large portion of the population feels that the election was stolen, widespread protests and violence is expected. Sounds like a fun podcast :)

This is from the El Mirador or "lookout." It offers a great view of the city.

This is from inside the Instituto de Allende. It offers a ton of art and cultural classes for locals. It is a gorgeous place and well worth the time to investigate.

You can click on either of the pictures to go to my flickr account. There are a bunch more photos there.

Posted by CDogg at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2006

More pics

The internet has been rather hit and miss, so I will just post a few pics.

Relaxing after a long, dry day. Otto joins me in watching the sun set.

Doesn't he look like a young revolutionary?

more later

Posted by CDogg at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2006

San Miguel de Allende - Day Two

Yeah, waking up in the middle of the Mexican wilderness was great. The temperature this morning was about 45 and the sunrise was brilliant. Last night we went to the town square and ate a great burger from a street vendor. I know, everyone has warned me against it, but I have also heard that things are much better here than in the border towns - plus I have a cast iron stomach. (Cross your fingers that Montezuma doesn't show up wanting some sort of revenge.)

My gracious host Fen (right) with her daughter, EJ's mom - Holly.

I have really enjoyed hanging out with Fen and the entire family, her house is amazing (all solar and self-sufficient) and she has an air of class about her while at the same time, maintaining a real earthiness.

EJ saying good morning to Otto at the guest house where we are staying.

I am really digging the whole area and promise to upload a bunch of pictures to my Flickr account - I have taken hundreds already of the buildings, the city, the people, the wilderness, everything.

I also have some soundseeing audio and local music so if my server stays running back in Houston and I can continue posting, look for that soon.

My flikr pics

Posted by CDogg at 11:40 AM | Comments (1)

November 26, 2006

I have arrived!!

I have made it to San Miguel de Allende and it ROCKS!!! I promise I will post some pictures later and tell you all about it, but for now, I have to watch the sun set over the mountains. Yeah, life is hard. :)

Posted by CDogg at 05:31 PM | Comments (1)

September 29, 2006

Its on, like Donkey Kong!!

That's right - its that time of year again... ...time to don your worst 16th century British accent, fill yer mugs with your favorite 21st century brew, and lace up your most comfortable walking shoes. The Texas Renaissance Festival is underway. One of the largest and most prestigious renfests in the nation, it will be running for the next eight weekends from 9AM to dusk.

Think we don't do it big here in Texas? Check out the Google Earth image of the layout:

We are talking 54 acres of permanent facilities on 250 total acres.

Whether you want to take in the comedy acts, all manner of food on a stick, juggling, magic shows, jousting, falconry, limitless shopping opportunities, or just get your drunk on, RenFest has something for everyone. Just be prepared to drop a serious dime on ye olde merriment.

Posted by CDogg at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2006

Quiz Time

Alright pop quiz - who owns those monster eyes next to me?

Posted by CDogg at 03:15 PM | Comments (2)

July 20, 2006

Crazy, the things you find hidden in the city

What the heck is it? Well, its the nose of a jet fighter (USAF Phantom) sitting in the parking lot of the American Legion Post #560. It was a geocache I did today after leaving a client. I saw on the map that it was real close to my appointment so I loaded it in the GPS and swung by after the meeting. Very nice.

This city has so many very cool things... I am still amazed every time I find one. Whether it is 30 foot tall presidential busts, a house made of beer cans, a museum dedicated to wacky cars, crazy statues, weird architecture, or just a little-known hideaway... if its out of the ordinary, I dig it.

Know of something cool in your area? Let me know about it and I will add it to my list of "must see" things.

I also found it on Google Earth

Posted by CDogg at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows!

Well, since I get in trouble over at Houston MetBlogs when I cross-post the same things on both sites, I will instead link you folks over the my MetBlogs entry on the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows.

I will be there covering the event and of course, look forward to a soundseeing tour as I interview some of the participants and generally give you a feel for what a great event this is.... GOOD TIMES!!

Posted by CDogg at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2006

Not a McAnything in sight

Tony D. turned me on to Pete's Fine Meats a few days back. It is not your traditional meat market nor is it your traditional lunch stop. Pete's has some great cuts of meat including exotics such as buffalo, bear, boar, snake, kangaroo, etc. In the same hole-in-the-wall building is a lunch counter that has some excellent burgers and barbeque.

I love the fact that it doesn't have plastic benches and it doesn't have a value meal. You can't supersize. There's no kids meals. Heck, they even trust you! That's right... you order your food from one spot - sit down and have your meal - and then when you are walking out, the (Mrs. Pete?) asks you what you ate. Total honor system and totally great.

Now, it meant nothing to me, but Tony insisted that I mention the fact that Pete's Fine Meats is reknowned for their deviled eggs. In fact, as we sat and ate our meal, there were dozens of people ordering and almost every single one ordered a side of regular or jalepeno deviled eggs.

If you're in Houston... it is worth the stop.

Pete's Fine Meats
5509 Richmond Ave.
Houston, TX 77056

Posted by CDogg at 10:53 AM | Comments (4)

April 26, 2006

Best Ice in Town

Okay, this may not seem important to you, but darn it - the people need to know. I have found the best fountain drink ice in the city. The restaurant Husky's has not only the best ice, but the coolest drink fountain.

First the ice. It comes out in those tiny little squares... small enough to quickly cool your drink, but not as small as crushed ice. It is the perfect combination of cube and crush and chills the drink instantly. I really dig this ice.

The ice comes from the very cool beverage fountain. What makes this one different is that not only can you order all the regular varieties such as Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc... but with any of the drinks you can add flavorings such as vanilla, cherry, or lemon. It is all built into the fountain. You fill the cup with ice - touch the flavors you want added and then the drink choice... a perfect cherry Coke or cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper. Hey, its the little things in life... :)

Posted by CDogg at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2006

Cop is Busted

The cop from the band the Village People was arrested. Victor Willis was nabbed for drug possession and giving fasle identification.

Apparently, the coppers have been after him for about five months. Willis was awaiting sentencing for cocaine possession when he jumped bail. I don't know why it took them five months to find him... they could have just looked at the Y-M-C-A. :)

Posted by CDogg at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2006

Paradise, Texas

Long time readers of my blog will remember this post. It concerned a cold night in December of 2004 when I worked on the set of a movie in which Meredith Baxter and Timothy Bottoms starred alongside my truck. Read the post - you'll see.

Anyway, the movie is finally coming out. I just go a notice via email:

We're very excited to announce that Paradise, Texas (formerly On The Rocks)has been selected as the opening night premiere movie for Worldfest, the Houston film festival, on April 21, 2006.

And that's not all...

Paradise, Texas will also be showing at the Angelika Film Center in downtown Houston starting Friday, April 28th for a one week limited engagement. We'll be sending out an email with show times. You may also check the Houston Chronicle or our website at www.ParadiseTexasTheMovie.com (under construction).

For a limited time only... I will be offering rides in my movie-star truck. You can see right where Meredith sat talking with me between takes :) haha

Posted by CDogg at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2006

Another great one gone

One of my favorite actors, Darren McGavin passed away. He was one of the most overlooked and underrated actors in the biz and he will be missed. I really dug him as Kolchak in The Night Stalker as well as numerous supporting roles.

Posted by CDogg at 12:13 PM | Comments (1)

January 06, 2006

Busy, busy, days along the east coast.

Well, I am sitting in Durham, North Carolina writing this entry after yet another jam-packed day. It started off cool enough... Julie went off the work, the kids went off to school, and I stayed around to put together RWTWD #70. After a few small server glitches, it was up and running.

I then headed into Havelock to Julie's office to meet the staff and do some computer work. I got a couple small things working on their system and ran into a wall on another issue. Her staff is really cool - and they really seemed to enjoy meeting Lou.

"Julie... this job doesn't seem so hard to me"

I then headed back to her house to drop off Lou, pack my stuff and make the three hour drive up to Durham. I timed it perfect so that right as I walked in - the new season of Battlestar Galactica was about to start. I then got a call from some of the podcasters that were having a get-together at a pizza place in Chapel Hill. It was a tough decision, but as I knew Gaactica was being TiVo'ed, I headed over to Chapel Hill for the meetup.

It was very cool meeting yet more podcasters. I setup some great meetings for tomorrow with yet more very cool folks, and just generally had a really good time meeting everyone. We wrapped it about 11:30pm and I headed back here... the cool thing is that in about 30 minutes - SciFi is going to repeat BS!!! (That was the sound of me having my cake and eating it too!)

Posted by CDogg at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2006

Here but not sure if I will be podcasting

Well, I made it to Montgomery, Alabama - but having some problems with the wireless access at the hotel... I am not sure it will stay up long enough to upload a whole show, but I will try.

If not, look for a couple tomorrow evening when I hit North Carolina.

Posted by CDogg at 02:31 PM | Comments (1)

November 21, 2005

Pics from RenFest

Here are a couple pics from RenFest

Me and my new girlfriend, the Princess of Spain

Dave hiding the gift he bought for his sweety.

Oh, how fickle I am - here I am with my TWO new girlfriends.

I shot this one from to hip to catch Dave off guard.

A happy reunion with Tatiana

Posted by CDogg at 11:30 PM | Comments (2)

Weekend Update

You guessed it - yet another jam-packed weekend. It really got started Friday night when Mike and I headed out to Galena Park to catch a SUPER second-round playoff game featuring two of the top 5 high school football teams in the state. Spring Westfield took on Galena Park North Shore and it was a whale of a game. Check out the Lone Star Gridiron podcast for an audio wrap-up.

As if a long night of football weren't enough, I had to complete the new Pod Music Countdown show before going to bed since I planned on being busy all Saturday. The PMC Top10 show is absolutely blowing up as more and more listeners are downloading it each week. (And this is ALL without being listed in iTunes.) I am not sure why I cannot get this show into iTunes, because it is configured exactly the same way as my other three shows and they are all listed. Anyway, I finished the show at around 4:30am and caught a few winks before my day began Saturday.

Dave showed up at the house around 9:00am and I was up but not really ready to go. After getting my butt in gear, we headed to the RenFest. It was the final weekend and would have been the first year in about a decade that I missed had we not went. The weather was excellent, the food was deadly (but very tasty) and it was a good time. We shot a lot of pictures (Dave shot most of them) and I will eventually put a selection on Flickr. We ran into Carlos and Tatiana, although we got split up somewhere around the jousting tournament. It was cool because I hadn't seen them in quite awhile. We got home a little after dark and I settled in to take care of some stuff around the house.

Within minutes Brian and Melissa showed up and invited me out to eat at Hooters. I am so weak, I knew I needed to do stuff around the house, but bolted with them anyway. We got to Hooters about an hour before the UFC 56 pay-per-view event so decided to stay and watch. It was pretty sweet as usual. One bout was horribly boring, but the others were very entertaining - including the final bout that featured a dramatic and brutal knockout... fun stuff.

After getting less than four hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours, I went ahead and crashed out. Seven hours later, I woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning and decided it was time to spend quality time with Lou. Lou and I went to the dog park and hung out with a whole bunch of cool canine friends. He ran like the wind with his new buddy Roscoe, sniffed every rear end that came near, and generally had a great time. We stayed there for about two hours and got home just in time to watch the Cowboys game.

The Cowboys put together a good game mainly because Detroit played so bad. (But, that is a subject for another post.)

I was then given tickets to the Texans-Chiefs game and discovered just what a LAME draw the Houston Texans have become. I talked to NINETEEN (19) different people to see if someone wanted to go to the game and nobody was interested in the game. The good news is that I had 19 people that I could call, the bad news is that the tickets went to waste because after talking to everyone, I was convinced it wasn't worth my time to go watch them play either - haha.

Well, it was a long weekend and as usual, I am glad to be back at work so I can relax.

Posted by CDogg at 12:11 PM | Comments (2)

November 15, 2005

Trip photos on Flickr

A selection of photos from the Portable Media Expo trip are now available online. I have not put everything up yet - just a representative selection.

Posted by CDogg at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2005

LA Final Day

The final day in the City of Angels and I decided to do a little sight-seeing. I first decided to run by Venice Beach and check out the haps... it was a bit early when I arrived so I skipped the boardwalk and headed down the beach for a walk. It was pretty cool out with a great breeze coming in off the Pacific so I walked a heck of a lot farther than I had intended. I took the shot on the pier by using the timer on the camera and wedging it into a cranny on the rail... very Batman-esque!

By the time I got back to Venice things were really kicking - there was a game of rugby on the beach - throng of tourists and locals along the boardwalk - and tons of sights, sounds, and even smells. There were hip-hop artists selling their CDs, pickup games of basketball ala White Men Can't Jump, pumped up behemoths at Muscle Beach, and every type of street artist and craftsman imaginable.

Does anyone else remember the movies this cat has been in? I seem to remember him in a few as he is a staple of Venice Beach. The name is Harry Perry.

And what would a trip to LA be without some gang tags? When you take the time to look at tagging as an art form, it is actually pretty cool stuff.

I rolled down Santa Monica Boulevard singing "All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun." It is amazing how many songs reference California locations, streets, neighborhoods etc...

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I topped off the day with a trip to Car's Jr. for a burger. I had seen them advertised on the Lakers' broadcasts and always wanted to try one... the recent Paris Hilton ad didn't hurt either.

It wasn't anything special.... uh, the burger.

Posted by CDogg at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2005

Podcasting Expo - Day 2

Day two of the Expo is over and it was another full day. I will attempt to list all the folks I met up with at the end of this post. I am sure I will miss a few and to those people, all I can say is "Ooops."

This picture is me with Podchick, otherwise known as KFC (I don't think its a chicken thing... but can't remember what it stands for.) Her and I met up at one of the NUMEROUS after-parties last night and discovered that not only do we have the same birthday - it is the exact same year and everything. I have never met anyone born on the same exact day as me before... so that was kind of cool. Today, everytime we saw each other heading to or from meetings etc., we would both say, "Happy Birthday tomorrow!" She invited me to join in her birthday activity tomorrow, but I didn't feel that my back was ready for skydiving.

Superstar podsafe artist, Bob Gentry came by for an interview. It was great to finally meet him in person after knowing him as an artist and blogger for the past few years.

Wendy from Gabberjaw got the whole, "This is Bob, spin his song "Upside Down" spiel a couple times."

A partial list of cool folks I hung with at the expo. In order of who I met first.

Russell Holliman - Treocast
The German Guys
Aaron - The Big Show
Adam Raimer - Madtown Aces Productions
P. Dilly - Podcast Pickle
Brother Love
Rob Safuto - Podcast NYC
Leo Laporte - This Week in Tech
Patrick Norton - This Week in Tech
Blair Garrou - DFJ Mercury
Brian Kalata
Matthew Holden - PodAsia.net
Podchick
Dan
Scott Fletcher - Podcheck Review
Jack B - Fosco & Jack's Kickass Podcast
Fosco - Fosco & Jack's Kickass Podcast
Nate - The Nate & Di Show
Di - The Nate & Di Show
Wendy - Gabberjaw
Yaz - Bibb & Yaz Take Over the World
Bibb - Bibb & Yaz Take Over the World
Bob Gentry
Rufus
Adrina Thorpe
El Nacho - Rambling Retard Rampage

Posted by CDogg at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

Podcasting Expo - Day 1

The trip to California is underway. I boarded the 737 at Houston's Intercontinental Airport enroute to Ontario, California. I snapped a shot out the window somewhere above the border between Arizona and California. I had a very interesting conversation with the guy sitting next to me on the airplane about podcasting. He had heard of it, but didn't really understand what it all meant. A few hours later, he is very interested in having me talk with his company about possible podcasting applications. Overall, the flight went smooth despite the in-fight movie - The Island.

Despite the fact that the expo began this morning, I didn't figure I would miss too much with my noon arrival. I was a bit surprised at the small footprint of the expo. I was expecting something much larger - not ComDex large, but certainly something that takes longer than ten minutes to traverse. It was a good thing that the expo was not really my reason for coming. The real value of something like this is not in the booths selling cases for your iPod, but in the conversations you have, the people you meet, the business connections you make and those after-hour meetings which germinate the best business plans.

Adam, Russell, Aaron, and the C-Dogg.

Posted by CDogg at 06:37 PM | Comments (1)

November 08, 2005

Looks like perfect weather for a trip

Well, it sure looks like the weather for my upcoming California trip is going to be wonderful. These are the temperatures for my destination in CA. It looks like shorts and light clothing for me! I might throw the suit in just in case - but for the most part I think it will be an all-casual weekend. Good times!

Posted by CDogg at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2005

An short selection of "bests"

Best Blog - Okay, I should be self-serving and pick mine... but come on, it is definitely Houston MetBlogs! (Wow, now I sound self-serving and a suck-up) haha

Best Community Theatre - Theatre Southwest (This group of folks doesn't have the best location and certainly do not have the largest budget, but they PUT OUT when its showtime!)

Best Movie Theatre - Landmark River Oaks (I think the Houston Press and I agreed on this one. The atmosphere is just hip enough without being so hip is sucks. And come on, the only theatre in town that competes with it for selection is the Landmark Greenway Plaza)

Best Photographer - Genesis Photographers (David Postma is a Houston institution and has photographed everything from Presidents to newborns. They provide excellent service and just about any party worth attending has someone from Genesis clicking away.)

Best Dog Park - Millie Bush Bark Park (This doggie wonderland is without comparison. It was voted the #1 dog park in the COUNTRY!! Fun place to take your furry friend.)

There you go... a few off-the-wall bests.

Posted by CDogg at 09:39 PM | Comments (5)

October 04, 2005

Apparently he really does...

That's right - my music podcast, the PMC Top10 was on Adam Curry's Daily Source Code today. He played the promo for the show and marvelled at how its starting to happen. We are changing the face of radio.

Speaking of podsafe music - the real breakout artist of this whole music movement is Brother Love. He has gotten a ton of play on my shows as well as all over the podcasting world. His latest hit, There She Goes rocketed right up the podsafe charts to the number one spot as the Brother became the first artist to have two #1 songs in the PMC Top10. I was talking with Brolo about doing a music video for his last #1 - Summertime, and we figured out how to make it happen. He is New York, and I am in Houston - but we are BOTH going to be in LA in November for the Portable Media Expo. I think we are going to adjust our schedules for a couple extra days and get the thing shot.

This is big stuff and we are all in on the ground floor... where everything is super exciting and the possibilities are endless. Stay tuned cause we are going to shake things up - or better yet, get involved.

Posted by CDogg at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2005

036 - Logan stops by and we talk about the hole in his head, lightning storms, Florida's weirdness and more!

A long-time friend drops by for the show, he chooses a new name for security reasons and we rap about all manner of strange things.

(Time: 23:57)

Sound Scientist by bill

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

Posted by CDogg at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

Save Money, Save Time, Save the Environment - whats not to love?

I had jury duty today and did something I have never before done - I took the bus to downtown. I saw on the summons that you can ride Metro free with your jury duty summons and thought I would give it a shot. Wow! Talk about fast. A drive that would normally have taken around an hour at that time of day, took no more than 15 minutes. I saved around an HOUR AND A HALF of my life by riding the bus. ...but wait - there's more!

I calculated how many gallons of gasoline I would have burned and its current cost had I taken my truck. It would have burned 3.2 gallons if I was moving at normal speeds the entire way - considering I would have been moving at roughly 1/4 normal speed, I figure it would have burned at least 6 gallons. That's a $15.00 savings... oh yeah add in the cost of parking at around $8.00 and we are looking at $23.00 saved by taking the bus. ...you knew there had to be more, right?

That is also 6 gallons of fossil fuel saved. A full Metro bus holds about 60 people - that is 360 gallons of gas saved! For ONE DAY on only ONE BUS! Just think - if one person who worked downtown switched to riding the bus, it would be roughly 1,700 gallons of gas saved... if 60 switched, it would be over 100,000 gallons! The money savings for that one person (even after you take out the cost of paying for a bus pass) is $4,200!! For someone working downtown and making $35,000 a year, it is like getting a 12% raise.

Ask yourself:

Would you take the bus to work in exchange for a trip to Europe every year?

For a new hottub or a flatscreen plasma TV with a surround sound system every year?

For $4,200 less debt every year?

What could you use $4,200 for?

I am not suggesting that we all sell our cars and rely on public transportation - Houston is really not built to handle that. What I am saying is that you can find little things within your power to save money, save time, reduce fossil fuel usage, and protect the environment all at once. I am going to start tracking my mileage and see if I can reduce my consumption of gasoline. That is the ONLY thing that will stop the rise in gas prices - reduced demand.

Posted by CDogg at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2005

New ad campaign

I created a new ad campaign for a podcasting banner exchange program... I thought it was pretty clever. Thanks to the Dark Diver - he gave me the idea for Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, and a few others that will be up soon.

NOTE: I didn't say they listen to my podcast - just that they listen. I plan to add about a dozen more and spread them all over the podosphere - worst case scenario, I get sued... oh yeah, with the publicity that would bring, I guess that is the best case scenario.

Posted by CDogg at 08:14 PM | Comments (1)

August 07, 2005

032 - Soundseeing - Lou at Bear Creek Park Pt.1

The soundseeing tour is back! In this show, Lou and I head through the woods at Bear Creek Park. We check out the wildlife, run into some spiders and generally have a good time.

Upside Down - Bob Gentry (get ya some!)

The creepy guys that were all over the woods...

(Time: 31:16)

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2005

March of the New Breed

With a horrible year for movie ticket sales - consistently 10% below last years poor performance - Hollywood is starting to figure it out... they are beginning to comprehend that the movie-consuming public is sick of traditional, formulaic movies. The tiny documentary, March of the Penguins is a perfect example.

March of the Penguins is getting a lot of attention in the media because of its surprising numbers, but is a $10m US total really that good? It is when you aren't spending blockbuster money to create the thing. Warner Brothers is also doing a good job of placing the story of the "surprising little film" throughout the media, hoping to further build its buzz value.

More and more, people are turning away from the over-hyped, over-produced, over-acted, under-written, blockbusters. Adults are just sick of the crap being offered up in theaters, in favor of the on-demand programming of DVRs and 900 channels. Sure, teenagers will still flock to the movie houses to hang out and catch the latest Hillary Duff movie, but even that crowd has many more options available. Their entertainment dollar is being courted by hundreds of other bidders, such as a chat at Starbucks with friends. This offers more interaction - with music, internet and the chance to talk without getting "shushed." (And even with their outrageous coffee prices - still cheaper that popcorn and a Coke.)

Does March of the Penguins signal a fundamental change in Hollywood? Yes and no. After all the well-placed media "surprise stories," the public will go to see the film and after watching it, will realize that there are a thousand shows just like it on satellite and cable. Long term, the film industry cannot compete without changing the cost structure fundamentally - we will no longer pay $8.00 for a ticket and $20 for popcorn and drink, just to see the same old stuff on a bigger screen. What we will continue to do however, is to see the epic films on the big screen.

Will the theater revenue model continue to work with ever-declining attendance numbers? Probably not. Corporate America does not know how to deal with decreasing revenue and because of that, there will be major shakeouts. Expect a leaner, smarter, cheaper, breed of theater to emerge - a theater that will play a leaner, smarter, cheaper, breed of film. Unless of course, that leaner, smarter, cheaper, system is already in place and we control it from our recliner.

Posted by CDogg at 04:46 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2005

023 - Music Man - Lord of the Rings - PMC Top10 and more!

Another soundseeing tour - this time I take my mom and her friend to see the TUTS presentation of The Music Man. We also went to the museum of Natural Science to see the Lord of the Rings exhibit. The show is bookended by two blistering songs by Brother Love.

Theatre Under the Stars
Houston Museum of Natural Science
PMC Top10
Brother Love!
featured songs: Push (buy album), Sick of Chicks (buy album)
(Time: 19:26)

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 09:18 PM | Comments (2)

July 22, 2005

Pod Music Countdown to Launch this Weekend!

This weekend will be the inaugural podcast of the Pod Music Countdown. Each week, host Chris Doelle (the C-Dogg) will count down the top 10 podsafe songs as well as interviews and information from the performers. PMC is your one-stop for the tops in pods!

Posted by CDogg at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)

Site Provides Info On Airline Pet Incidents

WCCO: Site Provides Info On Airline Pet Incidents

(WCCO) U.S. airlines are now being held responsible for what happens to lost animals on their flights, and it’s opened up a new way to inform consumers about airline pet care.

A new law now requires all airlines to report when something happens to an animal while traveling on a consumer flight.

This is a big change Pet safety advocate Lisa Weisbert said lost pets used to be treated like a lost piece of luggage: The pet owner would get a lost baggage claim form to fill out and could be given up to $1,500 for the animal’s replacement.

Now, when airlines report a lost or hurt animal, the incident goes into a report that can be viewed online.

At this point, there is only one month of data available, including information about how a dog was injured on a Northwest Airlines flight after it chewed through its cage, and how a cat was lost when its cage opened during a flight.

Every year, about 20,000 pets are lost, hurt or killed traveling on planes.

The reports are available at the Aviation Consumer Protection Web site.

Posted by CDogg at 07:58 AM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2005

022 - Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows

Come along to the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows as I interview a bunch of great folks!

Lone Star Ruffnecks Flyball Team
Harris County Veterinary Medical Association
Houston SPCA
The Barfer Shoppe
Hill's Science Diet *
Houston Humane Society
Three Dog Bakery *
My Dog & Me *
GloPet.com *
Mari Jon Filla Student Art Exhibit and photo contest *

(Time: 40:53)

* - Listen for special deals for podcast listeners!

Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2005

019 - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Podcast

A little soundscape featuring one of my favorite musicals - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. (Time: 18:30)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (DVD)

HEY HELP OUT!!
Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 01:22 AM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2005

Houston is going to the dogs - YES!!

This week is the 28th annual Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows. It is billed as America's premiere canine extravaganza and the largest event of its kind, with 12,000 dogs entered and 40,000 visitors and participants.

When…
Thursday, July 21 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday, July 22 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 23 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where...
duh - Reliant Park

If you are into dogs - whether you are deciding what breed to get at the "Meet the Breed" session, watching the amazing stunts and tricks of the "agility" or "canine frisbee" events, catching the blazing action of the "flyball" competition, or relaxing in the stands during the breed judging, this is the spot for dog lovers.

I will be recording a couple podcasts from the show as well as interviewing a few of the participants... look for more info to follow.

Posted by CDogg at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2005

Podcast #012 - 4th of July - Skype - Gamesters etc.

A ton of stuff going on with this podcast (Time: 17:56)

* An update on the Tour de France after Stage 3
* 4th of July idiocy
* Problems using Skype and Audacity together
* Just started Houston Podcasting
* Look ahead to Stage 4 of the TdF
* Still trying to get listed on iTunes
* Gaming with Houston Social Gamesters
----Snorta (game I couldn't remember)

Please take a moment to vote for this podcast at Podcast Alley.

Posted by CDogg at 09:38 PM | Comments (2)

June 26, 2005

Another action packed weekend - Day 1

Tony and Allison came into town because Ally is bowling in a youth tournament. It's good to seem them as it has been quite a while.

The day started off with a trip to the dog park when Tony arrived. (Allison came in with her mom so we didn't see them until later in the day.) I didn't take any pictures because I figured I had plenty of recent dog park pics. As it turns out I wish I would have because we met a really cool little dog named Bentley. He was ball of activity and spunk.

After the dog park, we came back to the house and chilled for a bit. Tony and I caught up on "the haps," and then headed over to Katy Mills Mall to find a Dallas Cowboys hitch cover for my nephew, Nick. I still haven't found one. At the mall, we decided to grab a bite. There is something about when Tony and I get together that seems to make us do dumb things... like order an entire pizza at Sbarro's and split it instead of just a slice like normal. We also stopped by the chocolate store and bought a bar of dark chocolate (mmmm.... dark cholocate.)

It was time to head to the bowling alley and watch the tournament. Allison was a ton of fun as usual. We cut up and played around between frames. She did pretty good averaging more in her three games than normal.

It was then back to the house to relax a bit and screw around on the computers. Tony's PC is crashed so he got online and caught up on his email, games etc., while I logged on and played some World of Warcraft (Windrunner server). Time sorta got away from us and next thing we knew it was 10PM. We wanted to go catch Batman Begins so we had to settle for the 11:55 showing.

Before leaving, I let Lou outside to do his business and he got all fired up about something in the bushes. It was pitch black outside so I couldn't see what was up until I ran back in for my little pen flashlight. In the dim beam I spied what appeared to be a cat or maybe a large rat dodging him as he climbed into the shrubbery. When it ran across the path, I spied what looked like a HUGE rat! Being a country boy, I knew exactly what it was - a 'possum!

Lou tracked it down and pounced on it and, as they do when threatened, it rolled over and went rigid. Lou sniffed around and then looked to me as if to say, "see what I got? cool, huh?" I grabbed Lou, put him in the house and grabbed a towel to carry the opossum. It played dead right up until I lifted it by the tail. It then slowly opened its eyes but didn't get too excited as I took it into the front yard to release it. (Access to the bayou is much easier from there.)

With the excitement abated, we went to the movie. I will write up a full review of Batman Begins later, but let me say that it is without a doubt the BEST comic book movie with a DC character ever created. At the theater Tony offered to buy the drinks and proceeded to order us each a large soda. Have you seen these drinks? There must have been a gallon and a half in each one! I think he is trying to kill me... haha.

We made it in around 3:30AM and after being up until 4AM the night before, I was pretty bushed.

1 2

3 4

5

1 - Tone "gettin after it"
2 - Ally scheming
3 - Allison's team
4 - Playin possum
5 - Relocation

Posted by CDogg at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2005

Lone Star Gridiron Launches!