rgr

the fcc is considering allowing cell phone use on flights.  the airlines wouldn't be required to allow it.  so really, it would just become a matter of how important talking on a cell phone would be to consumers or how important it would be not to allow cell phone use on planes.  I can't imagine a lot of people wouldn't have an opinion about this.  i'm just not sure how strong those opinions would be.

for someone who travels as much as I do, I think this would be annoying.  I have no problem with texting, however.  guess i'd just have to invest in some noise cancelling headphones.  one more thing in my carry on.

Not to stir this pot back up, but I just got confirmation that it is Walmart. However, my source did not know whether the deal was closed or not.

maybe it's the same little bird that told swamplot: http://swamplot.com/walmart-yes-walmart-is-ready-to-land-on-heights-blvd/2010-07-01/

foundation buys teas nursery to prevent redevelopment

http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-15-09-teas-nursery-land-sold-to-foundation/

sorry about that. didn't look well enough.

apparently the owner or owners of shade will be opening a new restaurant on montrose called canopy. good news for all their fans. the new restaurant will occupy the right corner space in the strip mall just north of dirks--formerly salud winery. pastries and coffee in the morning, table service at lunch and dinner. since i've been in houston, that space has had a higher turnover than the rest of the strip mall. hope this fares better.

so they've put up the thick plastic material held up by small wooden spikes that i frequently see at construction sites around this particular site. does this mean anything, or is it too early to tell?

Most of the "Hatch" green chiles are grown right here in my town of Deming. We have the largest Chile processing plant in all of NM. "Hatch" has become a label, is put on the cans right here in town. That said, Hatch does celebrate annually with it's chile festival (not chili). All the markets here in town have large chile roasters in their parking lots, including Walmart. We never freeze them until we have taken the skin off. Roast, skin, freeze!

Good stuff and they do freeze beautifully.

we always skin after freezing. maybe people just do it differently.

hmmmmm, hubbell & hudson has a big display about a hatch festival and tubs of peppers. didn't know what it's about. what would one do with pounds of these "hatch" peppers?

half of what i got is for my mother. she's on the east coast and only has access to the canned stuff. what you do is freeze it after roasting (or blistering) it for use throughout the rest of the year. most of the time,after freezing it, i just pull out a small amount, skin it, and sprinkle it with garlic salt and eat it like that on sandwiches or for breakfast with eggs and/or roasted potatoes. you can chop it up and eat it mixed with regetables or rice. as mentioned, green chili stew is really popular in new mexico. it's just a basic potato stew with lots of green chili. here in texas, you have a king ranch chicken that you can use it in. you can use it for chili rellenos (my father's favorite). use it wherever you want, really. just play, and mix the flavor with the flavors of other foods.

as for what it's about, i can see how it looks like it has sort of a cult following. i think it's just really a part of the identity of new mexicans. it's involved with so many memories and food is such a basic part of our lives. combine that with the fact that it's hard to get it anywhere outside of new mexico, and, therefore, you really associate it with that place. it may not be the best food on the planet, but i really like it, and if i can get it, i do. i lived on the east coast for years, and went without it (except when my aunts would sent it) so it's a real treat now that i can get it again.

i bought 20 lbs last week from central market, roasted them in the oven, steamed them and froze all but one bag. i grew up in new mexico, and we bought them every year. they would roast them on the side of the road, or my parents would put them on the grill, and we'd freeze them for the rest of the year. my father would eat them with almost everything, but green chili chicken enchilada casserole was one of my favorite ways of eating them as a child. have tried to make it myself, but it's just not as good as my mom's or my aunts'. now, i've turned into my father, and eat them with more and more things.

this time of year through fall is great in new mexico. don't know if you can do it anymore, but we used to go out with our paper bags, and collect pinons (can't remember if it was september or october). my mother would boil them in salt water and then roast them, and put them out for everyone to munch on.

carbs, of course, will fill you up the best, so cereals might work--choose ones that you can just pop in your mouth so you don't have to worry about milk. kashi go lean is one of my favorites (although eating it will create quite a bit of noise). craisins are also great, as are any dried fruit--just watch the added sugar. if you can get to trader joes, a lot of their dried fruit doesn't have added sugar, as i recall. (is there one in texas yet?) also, with a fridge at work, you can bring fiber-one's yogurt--if you're a yogurt snob, you may not like it, but it's got a lot of fiber. low fat popcorn is always great. and beef or pork or turkey jerky is great, as well. costco has a tasty pork jerky.

dirt has been moved on the east side of the fenced-in area since i last passed the property, maybe a week or so ago.

this is really big. i guess the main entrace would be facing woodrow st. with the rear of the building overlooking rt 59.

Anybody know if they gave up the naming rights to the building?

no, they haven't. from what i hear, it's still continental center.

according to someone at continental, the blue lighting was given up as a cost cutting measure. continental had to pay for it. the white lighting is paid for by the building owner.

doesn't seem to want to come up. here are excerpts.

The Nano World Headquarters, located in Houston, Texas, is also being spearheaded by Historic Real Estate. Nano World Headquarters is a $350 million project. It will serve as the leading center for scientific nanotechnology collaboration world-wide and as an accelerator for start-up companies, offering a centralized intellectual hub and a state-of-the-art shared equipment facility. The headquarters will be a point of intersection where private sector, government and academic institutions will come together to create new opportunities for high salaried, high tech jobs and increase the economic development throughout the region.

Specifically, Historic Real Estate's landmark projects include the WaterLights District, a $700 million, 1.9 million square foot mixed-use community in Pearland, Texas, just minutes from downtown Houston. The planned community will feature residential condos, brownstones, luxury apartments, office buildings, retail boutiques, a fresh market, restaurants and wine bars, three luxury hotels, a conference facility, a water wall and a public park along a Grand Canal waterway. WaterLights is strategically located near the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical and research center. Employment in the area is projected to grow by 30,000 within the next six years and the resulting demand for housing, retail, and other community amenities will be met predominantly by the WaterLights District.

astrodome studios now has a website

www.astrodomestudios.net

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5985207.html

Continental announced that it will begin charging for the first checked bag in October.

So, why don't we show the airline how silly this decision is by writing letters.

If that fails and October comes, do not check any bags for any reason on the airline. I would prefer that the airline raises ticket costs as opposed to tacking a fee on the passengers.

you can't raise fares. it is well known in the airline industry that people will choose the fare that is less, even if it is only by five dollars. so you end up with ridiculous charges, like this new one.

I have a question. If you bring a "carry-on" on wheels that ends up being slightly too big and they tag it at the gate, do you still have to pay? I'm taking a trip on US Air soon and I was just wondering, because they already have this policy.

i don't know about us air, but for continental, the answer is no.

a fence now surrounds the perimeter and tiny red flags dot the property. something's going on.