Spinning Wheels

Untitled

2010-07-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

Post testing still, ain't that cool? Yeah man, it really is. Blah, Blah sdffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

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This is a flyer.

2010-07-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

man this is a flyer, ain't that cool. I'm sick of this. don't feel like messing with it anymore.

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BHC Videos

2010-07-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

Youtube channel

CB

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BHC videos

2010-07-01T15:27:00.001-07:00

Yeah music vidoes!

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BHC videos II

2010-07-01T15:25:00.001-07:00

Yeah music videos!

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BHC videos II

2010-07-01T15:07:00.001-07:00

Yeah music videos!

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BHC youtube channel

2010-07-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

Clicke here for videos

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Test v

2010-07-01T10:54:00.001-07:00

Just wait a minute.

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Whoa!

2010-07-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

test iv - test iii failed

2010-07-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

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Test II

2010-07-01T10:06:00.001-07:00

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New poem/lyrics

2010-01-26T22:46:00.000-08:00

I felt like this was a pretty good effort at something that would work for an epic song, so I'm posting it. It's titled "Blood Brothers."

Brothers in blood and in hatred
Warriors raised in lives so savage
Empty throne awaits them now
As each one claims a rite of passage

They learned the ways of the father
How to fight and how to conquer
But the knowledge ingrained so deep
Took their king's life in his sleep

Blood brothers stand, eye to eye
Chained in fate that one shall die
Sharing stone blind ignorance
Earth to burn by their defiance

A growing mutual disdain
Lust and greed fill their hearts
A detriment to the innocents
Forced to obey and play their parts

The slaves below sing their sorrows
But the sons will heed no cries
They do not hear the elder's pleas
Nor any man down on his knees

Blood brothers stand, eye to eye
Chained in fate that one shall die
Sharing stone blind ignorance
Earth to burn by their defiance

A price to pay in bloody haste
While Mother's beauty is laid to waste
In favor of a mortal man
Who sees himself above the clan

Sibling rivalry breeds warfare
Brothers' thirst knows no bounds
Cries of anguish, the loss of life
Strewn across this hallowed ground

No resolution is close at hand
A shadow falls on the fate of man
The elder mourns death he foresaw
Of land and creature, one and all

Blood brothers stand, eye to eye
Chained in fate that one shall die
Sharing stone blind ignorance
Earth to burn by their defiance

Where am I?

2010-01-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hello again. I am choosing to restart this blog once again. Hopefully I will put more time into it and do something worthwhile this time. But for now I'm merely announcing the re-beginning, the re-imagining, of Spinning Wheels. The wheels are indeed still spinning and their my damn wheels so they mean something.

Quick update. Psyched about The Band. That's Black Hole Caravan, my band, of which I'm been a part since about Aug. 2009. We just had our first show, playing a 40-minute set Jan. 19 at Superhappyfunland near downtown Houston. Went very well, despite the absence of our bassist (stuck working that night on late notice) and a true singer. I say true because Sylvester, our lead guitarist and primary song writer, provided vocals on three of the sing songs we played; the others we performed as instrumentals. I was more than pleased with the outcome, especially for our first show and my first time behind the kit on stage since picking up drums in Aug. 2008. The going was slow for a while as far as practice and improvement, and I still need to practice more often, but suffice to say I can keep a steady beat now, playing both righty and lefty set-ups.

The other cool bit of info is that we have a second gig lined up already. Today Sly found that we'd be a part of the "We're all Doomed" fest at the White Swan. This he lined up through connections with a friend's band, also slated to play the March 20 event. I feel like this gives us plenty of time and a good chance to finally fill that singer position.

Not much else to report. No full-time teaching gig yet and subbing is going slow so I'm back to work for Ed A. Wilson, Inc. while still working p-t night shifts (and Saturdays) for CarMax.

Currents:

Listening: Violent Revolution by Kreator. Awesome through and through. Intelligent, poetic, scathing lyrics with expert songwriting. This is about as heavy as you can get and still be this damn catchy. My favorite track is "Replicas of Life," seven-and-half minutes of what I'd describe as "epic thrash metal." If I could play any style of music, this would be it. I'll be seeing these guys March 28 at The Meridian, I'm really looking forward to it.

Reading: "Don Quixote" by Cervantes - don't know if I'll finish this. Only two or three chapters in so far.

Recently read: "The Castle" by Franz Kafka. A twist ending to a book that doesn't really have an ending upped my opinion of this one, which I finally finished after starting three times and hadn't picked up since about Thanksgiving. Still, the metaphors used here are insightful in their application to daily life and the themes remain contemporary and universal. Not sure yet which I liked better out of this and "The Trial." After finishing "The Castle," I finally went back and read the tail end of "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus. The last part of this essay is an appendix concerning the absurd in the works of Kafka, so I held off on reading it until I'd read those two novels. The main body of "Sisyphus" is remarkable and something I connected with deeply. I highly recommend it.

Seems unfinished by whatever

2008-10-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Two-dollar-and-fifty-cent wine is $2.50 for a reason. Weird smells are emanating from my glass; I know it's a clean glass so don't start. Smells of old clothes, really. I don't know what else to use to describe it. Guess that's what I get for trying something new.

Been playing drums a lot lately. Not really playing, but practicing. I'm getting a huge kick out of it and (no pun intended) am kicking myself for not doing this sooner. I just wish the lessons were a bit more affordable ($25 for 30 minutes). But if they were more affordable (like this wine) maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing, given the "quality" of the aforementioned drink.

Yeah, that's the problem on everyone's minds: the money doesn't roll in fast enough vs. how much you're spending. I'm pretty damn frugal and this still sucks. It's high time I get that second job I've been thinking about (pearl-diving) and get some spending cash. But whatever I do it's got to be worthwhile and enjoyable, hence the reason I've yet to get another part-time job: I'm being very picky this time around.

Blog Reloaded

2008-09-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well here's my next blog, four months later as expected. Since Hurricane Ike is on its way I guess I'm obligated to write something. My dad and I are staying put, while my bro fled Downtown and my mom drove to Austin to stay with Alex (who's going to UT).

We've got our affairs in order for the most part: generators, valuables off the floor, boarded windows, etc. The icing on the cake was getting my new car on a makeshift ramp and into our elevated garage. The only reason I was contemplating going to Hill Country was to save my car from possible flood damage and that shouldn't be a problem now. I figure once my stuff's been secured, driving for three-plus hours isn't going to accomplish much. Leaving isn't going to stop my house from getting flooded, and staying isn't going to kill me.

The major bummer was that I had my Graduate Record Exam canceled. It was scheduled for today at 11 a.m. at the University of Houston's testing center, which is closed until Monday.

As for the GRE, I've decided to go back to school for a master's in sociology, then either go straight into social work or look for a professor job at a community college (where a Ph.D is not necessary). The one thing I realized towards the end of my undergraduate was that I like the discussions we had in those classes (particularly Social Psychology, i.e. social behaviorism) and would like to open people's minds in the same way. Reporting sports got old, however obvious that sounds, and at this point there are other things I want to do outside of a job, which I don't feel are possible if really devoting myself to making it in journalism. It's not something I feel like sacrificing all other aspects of my life for anymore, and having accepted that is quite a feeling.

Not much else going on; just hunkering down in Houston before the storm. By the way, I don't want to here the phrase "hunker down" again during this storm, the news anchors need to retire that one. Just watching my dad flip endlessly through satellite channels (on top of that, it's too freaking loud because he can't here so well anymore). The hurricane hasn't been bad so far. Aside from some wind, the only really bad thing that's happened was when I accidentally erased my brother's entire music library from his iBook (the one I'm currently typing on). iTunes was open and the power cord came loose; for some reason that wiped out everything.

Hopefully I'll write more often from now on. Just haven't felt like putting down my thoughts for some time.

cool audio on a.d.h.d.

2008-05-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

found these audio interviews on ny times, different perspectives on ADHD and ways to live w/ it

Great show

2008-05-22T02:46:00.001-07:00

Just got back from seeing Iron Maiden in SA with Vidal. What a show; it was awesome to hear some of those songs live. Never in my life did I think I'd ever hear "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Revelations," "Wasted Years" and "Powerslave" at a Maiden show, but this Somewhere Back in Time Tour was a blast. Don't have photos though. I'll try to get some tonight at the Houston show.

Test clog

2008-05-15T15:34:00.001-07:00

test clog

What it this place?...Oh yeah, my blog.

2008-05-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

Jeez it's been a long time (since I've blogged). I've totally stopped updating 'accounts.' It just boiled down to work at H Texas, work at Carmax, then play video games/hang at Eric's/watch something. Now just waiting for the H Texas party to start. I'll be leaving (in my new Matrix, never mentioned that) for that in a while.

I should be getting some of my time back now that the internship's ending, but I'd rather just find a new job. Just applied to be a copy editor at the Chronicle. I'd like to think I could get that one. I know I'm good enough. My family always joked that I should be an inspector and in a way that's what editing copy is.

My Resume

2008-04-16T12:02:00.001-07:00

Click image to view

2008-04-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

Just waiting for people to wake up at my old apartment in san marcos. Had a great time at emily's art show/b-day party. Great to see old U. Star people.

cool article on 1up.com

2008-04-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

It's about the lamest, most useless "power-ups" in video games. Pretty funny.

-playing: TR: Legends (XBOX)
-reading: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka

first post

2008-04-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

Here's my CD review on Blogcritics. Obviously not a hard story to write, but it was the first one listed on Google. Eh? Eh? Cool, right?

Music Review

2008-04-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is my first article I wrote for Blogcritics.org. I signed up for that and they gave me 24 hours to turn a story in, so I decided to review a CD by Galloglass I recently got off Amazon. The site sounds cool and I can start writing different things I want to write, so we'll see how it goes. Anywho...

Galloglass
Legends from Now and Nevermore
2003, LMP

In the vein of Helloween, Gamma Ray and countless other European power metal bands, German act Galloglass is not breaking new ground. But despite this, the group’s debut album, Legends from Now and Nevermore, still manages to stick out among other double-bass-infused mania.

The songs are up-tempo, the vocal register is high and lyrics center on dragons and battles as per the genre, but Galloglass’ trump card and distinguishing feature is the violin, played by Hartmut Richter on the album. And while many insist there is no place for violins, keyboards, etc. in true metal, I’ve always enjoyed this more than the traditional rock approach. It makes the music more interesting and developed.

And Galloglass delivers in that aspect. The violin winds in and out of several songs and is never too intrusive, but is used enough to validate its inclusion rather than coming off as a gimmick. Richter plays off Norbert Geiseler’s and Kai Muhlenbruch’s classic NWOBHM-esque solos like a third guitar, as each musician picks up where the other left off. Picture adding a violin to Iron Maiden’s presentation with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith and you have a good idea of the Galloglass formula.

The album kicks off with a subtle spoken passage in “Dragons Revenge” before exploding forth with crunchy riffs and a high-pitched wail from singer Carsten Frank. It’s a good indication of the solo-heavy attack that is to come.

Frank holds his own as well, sounding a bit like Fabio Lione from Rhapsody of Fire. The vocals aren’t as high as most in the field, which is a good thing here. Galloglass next serves up “Ancient Times,” one the of album’s standout tracks. This is mostly due to Muhlenbruch’s ability to get the most out of a slow and heartfelt solo during the bridge. Midway through is the title track, a heavier rocker that intros with punctuated notes and follows with a catchy chorus and backing vocals.

Other highlights include “The Conjuring” and “The Quest.” The former changes rhythms throughout the song, while the latter sounds like an acoustic folk tune from the Middle Ages. In all Legends from Now and Nevermore is a very good album, above-average power metal that will appeal to those who already enjoy this music. The drumming doesn’t stand out for the most part, relying too heavily on simple double-bass 16th notes. But it’s still a quality release, and makes me excited about what the band will do in the future (which hopefully includes a tour in the Unites States).

Latest 'H' article

2008-04-03T08:40:00.001-07:00

My latest article appears in the May issue of H Texas magazine. It's about professional sports charity foundations in Houston. Logically, it will appear in the 'Charity' section of the mag.

Foundations on the Home Front
By Chris Boehm
Top photo courtesy Houston Rockets
Backe photo courtesy Stephen O'Brien

Brandon Backe is not a magician or master of mysterious arts. However, he and other local athletes still manage to better the lives of Houstonians.

Through the Astros in Action foundation, the pitcher and some teammates visited a comatose teenager in a hospital; two weeks later the child awoke in good health. The attending nurses said they had never seen such a response.

“He never saw us come. I don’t know what happened and I’m not going to say I’m a witch doctor,” says Backe, who provided the boy and his grandparents a trip to a ballgame, autographs and time in the locker room. “I don’t look at myself as different, but for others to look up to me feels pretty good.”

The Astros, Rockets, Texans and Dyanmo have foundations providing for needy Houstonians. “Many of our players come from similar backgrounds and didn’t live privileged lives,” says Sarah Joseph, Rockets director of community services. “We’ve always had a good group of guys. That’s just the culture of the Rockets.”

Joseph works with the Clutch City Foundation, established by Rockets owner Les Alexander in 1995. The foundation has raised $8 million since its inception and supports, court refurbishment, education and the Sunshine Kids, a program assisting cancer-stricken children.

The Clutch City Foundation partners with players’ individual efforts, such as Steve Francis’ scholarship donations to the Boys & Girls Club and Tracy McGrady’s softball tournaments to assist HISD school renovations. “Our players are very involved,” Joseph says. “We have the resources, and we view it as a responsibility.”

The Astros take this responsibility to heart. Backe, a Galveston native, is the spokesperson for Grand Slam for Youth Baseball and participates in Astros in Action. “It’s a good feeling personally to create goodness around your own community,” Backe says. “[Being from the area] helps tremendously; I’m always readily available for the team.”

Each year the Astros provide scholarships, refurbish baseball fields and raise money for youth leagues to revitalize the game in inner cities. “I think with inner city kids, baseball is being overridden by basketball and football,” Backe says. “This is because it’s easier; you just buy a basketball [or football], whereas to field a baseball team, you need nine players, nine different gloves. In that way baseball has gotten away from the inner city kids.”

The Houston Texans Foundation has raised $1.4 million since 2001, and the franchise is the United Way of Greater Houston’s top per capita supporter, having raised $500,000 for the organization in 2007. The foundation partners with the NFL and assists other charities. Efforts include Tackling Prostate Cancer, fitness programs and work with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “That helps out the whole Gulf Coast region,” says Nicole Streeter, the Texans director of community development. “We want to help anyone we can that is a fan, could be or should be a fan.”

The strong focus on local involvement has done much for Houstonians’ relationship with the team. “Children and even grownups come up to me just because I play football,” says offensive lineman Chester Pitts. “I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for them so anytime I can help I’m all for it.”

Pitts, an original Texans member, has teamed with the Houston Texans Foundation to support the Family Services of Greater Houston, Junior Player Development Program and “Teach for America,” where players read the elementary classes. “If you’re in a position to inspire and share with people what you’ve learned along the way, why not do it?” he says. “At the end of the day it doesn’t hurt you, and you’re doing a great service.”

The Dynamo, already a two-time Major League Soccer champion, has also come to Houston’s aid. Dynamo Charities provides programs to encourage reading at schools, as well as host food and soccer equipment drives.

The soccer team gives Houston two major franchises with league championships. And while the baseball diamond and gridiron have yet to be conquered, all four teams have found their greatest triumphs off the field.

SIDEBAR

In March the Rockets held their annual Tux & Tennies Gala. Proceeds went to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to help build Phase II of the Biamba Maria Mutombo Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the second time the event has benefited Mutombo’s foundation; the Rockets’ focus is primarily on local service but an exception was made for the team’s center. “You only have to meet Dikembe to know why [the Rockets are helping him],” Joseph says. “He believes he was born to build that hospital. He believes that’s why he was given the opportunity to play basketball. When you see a player invest that much into it, you know it’s going to be built, and we wanted to be a part of that.”

The End of an Era

2008-04-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

This is a shout-out to cheeseheaddx@yahoo.com, which no longer exists in the Internet world as of 9:59 US Central Time.

You were there for me from the beginning, Deluxe Cheesehead, but it was time for me to move on. I'll never forget all the times we shared, though: Paypal confirmations, answered questions regarding eBay items, saved sent items with school projects and countless spam I never opened (but it still touched us all in some way). I'm eternally grateful for your services in these regards.

But as I grew older I felt we grew apart. Yes, I'm still a Cheesehead and Packer fan through and through; that will never leave me. But I started to realize I didn't need to scream it to the world (or the receiver of my message) every time I had a question regarding an item. There comes a time when a little more professionalism is needed.

So it is with a bittersweet heart I announce the culmination of your technological lifespan and introduce the world to crb1238@yahoo.com. This new address will honor you while upholding the standard you left us. I have already revamped my Gmail account (deleting hundreds of e-mails) as part of this new approach and, sadly, your demise was merely the next logical step.

But your legacy lives on. In addition to residing on the same Web site, memorable e-mails such as "mc 2374," "SA pics," "proj in pdf" and "must read this money tipper" were forwarded to crb1238 just before your termination. You were giving right until the very end; I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less, really.

It's only been a few minutes and already I miss you. This new crb1238 comes complete with weather updates, news feeds, advertisements and even custom colorization. But it feels hallow compared to your no-nonsense presentation of my inbox. I guess I'll accept it eventually, maybe even learn to love it. I'll try, because I know you'd want me to.

And now I say goodbye for the last time, cheeseheaddx. May you find the happiness in the Internet afterlife that you deserve.

Update for all who care

2008-03-28T00:26:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm feeling down, just a title that pays homage to something I wrote a long time ago, can't really remember what. You, know...inside jokes, man. Been really busy lately, that's why I haven't blogged about anything; nothing interesting is happening. I work 55+ hours a week between the internship and Carmax, so when I'm off I don't always feeling like doing anything cool (unless you count video games as cool).

Should be getting an AircheckTexas voucher any day now. I completed my paperwork and faxed it in Monday. They said it takes four days. And then its goodbye Maxima. I like that car, but it's time is up and I can't wait to get a new car. It'll be the first I've ever financed, so it's a cool feeling (the part about being able to pay for a car, not giving money away). The best part is that with a sweet new ride I can take a trip to San Marcos to see my pals and not have to worry about my car's transmission giving up on me. I like being back in Houston but sometimes I feel like this really isn't my place anymore and I'd be more at home in SM. There's just not much going on for me here, and why would there be after spending almost five years somewhere else?

I'll be leaving for New Orleans tomorrow, hitching a ride with my former prof, Sue Weill, for the Society of Professional Journalist convention. I'm going to be part of a presentation that shows why the Doctors Without Borders exhibit in downtown Houston prepared me to cover a crisis zone. I'll try to have fun with that. Hopefully I can get some downtime, because I'm tired of taking on one thing after another and would like to just zone out for a while. But it'll be a few more weeks until the internship is over, and then I'll go back to just 40 hours. That's sounds good. Not that I don't like working with the people at H Texas, because they are all cool, from the designers, ed staff, advertising, everyone. We've gone out after work a couple times and it's been fun. But I have too many things I want to do outside of a daily job to be investing almost 60 hours a week to work-related stuff.

new article

2008-03-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is a piece on Recipe for Success, an organization improving the diet and nutrition of Houston-area children through elementary school education. It will appear in the H Texas April edition. Photos courtesy of Recipe for Success.

By Chris Boehm

Forget the three Rs. For Houston elementary students, it could soon be four: reading, writing, (a)rithmetic and rotisserie.

Recipe for Success is in its second academic year serving five pilot HISD elementary schools: Briscoe, Gross, MacGregor, NQ Henderson and Sylvan Rodriguez. The program fights child obesity by instilling positive and healthy eating habits. “I was concerned with the level of junk food marketed toward children. It’s still alarming,” says organization founder and chairman Gracie Cavnar, who began developments 12 years ago. In Texas, 75 percent of adults could be overweight (excess amount of body weight) or obese (excess amount of body fat) by 2040. In 2005, 29 percent of high school students were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Recipe for Success includes after-school cooking lessons, gardening and a dinner club. But the flagship service is Chefs in Schools, a program made possible through Cavnar’s connections with top culinary artists in Houston, including Chef Monica Pope of T’afia. The two would often discuss how to fight childhood obesity. “I used to joke [that] a lot of people talk,” Pope says. “But five years later [Cavnar] said ‘OK, I’m ready.’” Pope jumped on board immediately.

Last year Cavnar and Pope, the latter a co-chief chef on the organization’s advisory board, recruited top chefs from the city to start Recipe for Success. This year there are more than 40 chefs working in the program, including 24 teaching culinary classes to more than 450 fourth-graders. Chefs such as Robert Del Grande, Lance Fegen, Andrea Lazar and Randy Evans stress the idea that food comes from somewhere besides a box or can, and format easy-to-follow, practical recipes. Some dishes have just five ingredients.

Recipes include pumpkin soup, baked chicken nuggets with homemade ketchup and whole grain pasta. In all, more than 120 recipes have been developed during the program’s two years. “Last year, I did more cooking in front of them,” Pope says. She also encourages students to help prepare the recipes. “We’ve done a lot of salads where they try different types of lettuce. We had them make their own dressing to understand proper proportion of acid to oil. And normally they wouldn’t be exposed to other types of dressings besides ranch. It’s just [about] better choices.”

After a year-and-a-half with the fourth grade classes, it’s clear the program makes a difference. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports during the 2004-2005 academic year, 42 percent of fourth-graders were overweight or at risk of being overweight. But Cavnar says a Baylor College of Medicine study completed in December showed a reversal of trend in connection with Recipe for Success. Data was collected from area elementary students, including those in Cavnar’s pilot program. The schools with Recipe for Success were the only ones not to show an increase in overweight elementary students from year to year. “The data was so jaw-dropping that the researchers had to double check their findings,” Cavnar says. “It’s not rocket science. If you engage children in experimenting and learning, they will try to assimilate it into their everyday behavior. All moms know that.”

Other schools have requested Cavnar’s service, but Recipe for Success has strived to keep the program, which costs approximately $100,000 per location, at five pilot schools to iron out wrinkles. “It means a lot (to be a part of the pilot program),” says MacGregor principal Patricia Allen. “It puts us a step above the other schools with nutrition. It’d be great to get it into middle schools. They have home economics classes, but this is way more intense.”

Next year Recipe for Success will sell bound curriculum to schools and plans to train nutrition professionals to teach the material. Cavnar says the program will look to create “a la carte” packages that will serve as lessons for the classes. Plans also include a downtown Nutritional Education Center, which is about 18 months away from completion and will serve more than 27,000 children once completed.

After making headway in the kitchen, Cavnar plans to carry her message to the living room. Recipe for Success is working with PBS and The Discovery Channel to produce a television show hosted by Evans and children. With guest chefs and experts, the broadcast will include field trips to grocery stores and restaurants to encourage healthy eating habits. The show is in pre-production and doesn’t have a title. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to name a show,” Cavnar jokes. “But it’s going to be national so we have to be careful what we name it.”

The demographic of the show will be ages 6 to 11. Data shows children who develop good eating habits by age 11 can avoid a lifetime of diet and weight problems. “We’re catching them at a time when we they can learn and absorb,” Pope says. “It may not change their life right now but [it could] down the road when they’re 18 or 21.” In addition to a potential lifetime of heart and health problems, studies also link diets high in sugar and fat to poor academics. Recipe for Success attempts to combat this trend with a “seed-to-plate” curriculum – more fascinating than the “seed-to-plant” education taught in most science classes. “From what I see, it does have an effect,” Allen says. “In science class there’s always something where you plant a seed and you see the bean grow. With [seed-to-plate], you see a real interest because they don’t just have a bean, but something they can eat.”

The key to the Recipe for Success model, says Cavnar, is implementation. “What I discovered was there was a lot of research on the shelf – teaching material and data – but not much data for implementation,” she says. “That’s where it falls down and where we decided to pick up the gauntlet: at the school level, mentoring and teaching in-school personnel how to go about this."

Recipe for Success’ level of implementation varies by school. At Sylvan Rodriguez Cavnar operates a full ancillary program, which provides 20 hours of instruction during the year to all 1,050 students at the school. And daily after-school classes are available for all grade levels at MacGregor, where Allen says the program has been more popular than older pre-established ones. Gardening classes are also available for all grade levels at all five schools.

The Recipe for Success Foundation
1401 McKinney, Ste. 925
Houston, TX 77010
713-307-7005
www.recipe4success.org

Goodbye Sam

2008-02-17T18:02:00.001-08:00

So we had Sam put to sleep this evening. We went to an emergency clinic after he started gagging and moaning in my room. It was a sign that it was time. It feels like this isn't really my life right now, because the life I know is one where he's alive and looking out the window as I pull into the driveway.

Mom brought his collar out to bury with him. It was weird, because that jangly sound it made when she carried it was his sound, heard for the last time. I put a milk cap ring in there, something he was always finding on the floor and playing with.

Sam, I love you very much and am forever thankful you wandered into my life. You were a member of the family and a good friend, and I'll always remember you. I don't think we'll ever know what happened and I'm sorry you were in pain and I couldn't help. We probably should have done this earlier but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I guess I wasn't strong enough to make that decision.

We buried him right outside the wall of Alex's room. I picked it because he was always standing by the window of that wall, watching outside in the front yard. We didn't let him out much because we were afraid something might happen to him or he could get lost after living at another house for the earlier years of his life. At least he's finally outside that window, where he always longed for.

RIP Samuel Kratt Cat

Sam's not looking so good

2008-02-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

I'd say he only has a few days left, and I almost expect him to pass any minute now. I don't know. I've never had to deal with anyone (human or not) slowly dying from a disease. But the way he doesn't meow and the way he does lets me know he's not feeling good at all. I think we'll be putting him down Monday. I wish we didn't have to wait. He's almost non-responsive to anyone, other than a meak tail swish or head turn.

I know Sam's had a good life and we loved him, but I'm indifferent now as to whether or not I'll ever get any more pets. It does get an animal off the street, but I really hate having to deal with this, let alone doing it another time.

I know...I'm a terrible blogger

2008-02-06T05:50:00.001-08:00

I just haven't felt like writing lately. I've even been bad at keeping up with my 'Accounts,' and that's just a few quick lines about every-day boring stuff. I've been so busy with the internship/work I haven't had much time to do anything out of the ordinary. But I don't really mind. I need experience and money. Plus this keeps me busy so I don't have to try to make up things to do.

Just found out Sam might have liver cancer. From what I'm told, if that's the case then there's nothing we can do for him. We have to hope it's merely inflammation and that the medicine and IV start working. The thing that upsets me the most is that I want to tie this to something; I want to find where we went wrong, so that it at least makes sense. To think that it's just out of our control is infinitely aggravating.

Alex is coming home this weekend for a visit so that's cool. Haven't seen him since he went back to UT for the start of the spring semester. Maybe I can switch Friday shifts with somebody before it's too late of notice; I'd like to have the afternoon and evening off when he gets into town. And we'll actually be able to do something on Sunday now that the football season is over...who watches the Pro Bowl?

What a waste

2008-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Oh man, what a game! The Packers really came ready to play...not really. This is rediculous. I have no idea why they never got it together. The game was just one mistake after another. The Packers really could have caught a break late in the 4th after a short punt by Ryan, but man did Jared Bush screw up. Why would he try to pick up R.W. McQuarters' fumble when the ball is as hard to control as it is once it's rolling on the ground? You have to fall on it - end of story.

Another big bungle was Nick Collins' late hit penalty on 3rd down. Led to a Giants TD. These are just two examples in a Packers' effort that included wayward passes, no committment to the running game, penalties and phantom flags courtesy of the officials.

The worst thing about this: As young and talented as Green Bay is, it's no sure thing the Packers will get this close again, with this group of players. So what a fantastic end to a great opportunity. This loss makes me the least excited to watch the Super Bowl as I can ever remember, b/c its just a reminder of today's failings.

back to Lambeau

2008-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

This morning before the football games I read Bill Simmons' column on ESPN regarding his picks for the week. It was a day old but it also included a mini-rant on pre-game shows on TV these days. And I'm glad others feel the way I do. The quality is definitely not there, and when I do turn to the show, it's out of habit, not that I think I'll really see something interesting or informative. And I couldn't agree more about the number of former players that shuffle through the stations. Just too many talking heads these days. Many don't bring anything to production. There are other good points too, and it's pretty funny. I'd recommend it.

So it looks like the Packers won't have to travel to Dallas for the NFC championship; they get to host the Giants after NY beat the Cowboys. That's good but I'd have liked Favre to go out with a win (finally) in Dallas. Oh well. I think the Pack's quick, short passing game will match-up well against the Giants' defensive pressure.

Back to work tomorrow, and my first day (orientation) at Carmax. Looking forward to it.

A few days late

2008-01-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Time for my New Years resolutions, or whatever they're really called now that its Jan. 5. Anyways these aren't really for the new year per say, but now's as good a time as any. In no particular order (and by no means a complete list):

1. give up caffeine entirely
2. eat at a restaurant no more than twice a week
3. learn to play guitar
4. get a job helping people
5. exercise at least three times a week
6. buy no video games until I've played or sold the ones I have
7. #6 applied to books as well

Thank you. Now are you ready for some football?

Back in the saddle

2007-12-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Got back from Wisconsin this morning. Nice X-mas vacation with the relatives: good food as always, a day in Chicago, and always cool to see my aunts and uncles. After getting a few hours of sleep I got up and saw Juno. It had the kid from Arrested Development and I'd heard it was good, but it surpassed my expectations. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments for the audience that were well-mixed with the serious tones as well. I really can't do the film justice with my words.

Got a few pictures from the trip. That's it for now:

Obviously not from the trip; a grad pic with my dad.

Eric playing '500' with my uncle Tom.

It was actually a winter wonderland for a change.

The view outside the pizzeria in Lake Geneva, Wisc.

Hacky sack in Chicago.

In Chicago there was this memorial for servicemen; it ended up being a pigeon-warmer.

I got to try tapas for the first time. They were pretty good.
I just liked the way this one turned out at the tapas bar, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Took this one while Eric was yelling at me to give him the camera.

Alex and Uncle Bob at it in chess.

Good times on DVD

2007-12-21T07:12:00.001-08:00

So I've been watching Metalocalypse lately on DVD...a friend got it for my birthday/dethday. Anyways it's pretty good, just wish it was a bit funnier consistently. The music on the other hand, is always good. I got the album on sale (now I'm wishing I would have bought the special edition) and it's a great metal album. The drums rock, the bass rocks and the guitars...the guitars rock! No, for real, its damn good metal. My favorite episode so far has to be the one where they awaken the Finnish troll. I love that they are forced to play acoustical instruments.

Anyways, in the episode where Pickles reunites with his former band, Snakes n' Barrels, isn't the guy that gives them the "liquid snake" the guy that, in fact, voiced Liquid Snake in the Metal Gear series? I thought so, but I couldn't find his credits anywhere on IMDB.

Revelations

2007-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I drove home to H-town. Not a bad drive - three hours down an empty interstate most of the way. What I've realized is that these drives home from college are way cool in the fact that they allow me to think more clearly than any other point in my day. What else is there to do while driving down a lonely interstate than contemplate any and all things? And I've been doing of that a lot now that I've graduated - what has passed, what is to come, what should be the next step, and those I've met along the way that have played some part in this journey.

Oftentimes if I try to force the issue no answer ever comes, but the free-thinking mode I get in during long drives is almost like a phenomenon. Answers to my questions come when they won't any other times, and problems are put in perspective as I tear across the vast open road. It's hard to explain but I've really come to enjoy these solitary drives.

I start the internship tomorrow, and hopefully will get some sort of schedule in place. I've still got to make time to get back to San Marcos and get the rest of my stuff cleared out.

Fun times

2007-12-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was my birthday and today I walked across the stage for graduation. A pretty good two days - got to hang with my brothers and some friends yesterday, then met up with my parents for the graduation. The party was a lot of fun. I really appreciate everyone stopping by.

I'm glad my mom could make it to the commencement; she wasn't so sure yesterday, because our cat got really sick and she wanted to take him to the vet. Luckily they got a friend to do it and she made it.

Got to get packed up and make it down to H-town for my internship; I start Monday. So if anyone needs a place to stay over the spring semester or knows someone who might let me know. I've got my lease here in San Marcos through mid-May.

already tired of it

2007-12-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

So yesterday Mike Vick got sentenced: 23 months. A dark day indeed, but am I the only one already tired of this issue? It seems every other discussion on ESPN is about Vick, just orchestrated by a different talking head. If they were bringing up genuinely new topics and points it'd be okay. But it's the same story every time: Will he get a second chance to play? And the answer, no matter whose mouth it's coming out of is 'yes, some team will take a chance on this kid.'"

That's a problem across the board with ESPN. They don't have enough content to warrant all the different outlets they have these days, so the next best (and easiest) thing besides finding new stories is to let a line of experts, critics, former pros, etc. sound off on the same topic. I used to watch Pardon the Interruption all the time; but these days I usually catch Around the Horn first, which makes PTI irrelevant. Why? They have the same basic run-down of stories. There are better uses of my time than getting ten different views (which oftentimes overlap) on one subject...

So I'll find out if I got the internship tomorrow. Good time turnaround. Gives me a chance to list my apartment for sub-lease should I get the job. It'll be unpaid, though. I guessed it would though; a lot of fall/spring internships aren't. But at the same time I'd be able to do night and weekend work for my dad (construction) so it should work out fine. The experience will make it well-worth it.

Here we go

2007-12-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Just burning some time while I wait to leave for an interview. It's for a spring internship at H Texas Magazine, a regional mag for Houston. Here's hoping I get it. Unlike everyone who isn't from Houston, I actually like the place, so it'd be pretty cool if I could work there from the get-go. I'll update when it's over.

Canyon bows out of tournament with close loss

2007-12-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Final day ends with Judson as River City Classic champs

By Chris Boehm
The Herald-Zeitung

Like a broken record, Canyon’s final action in the River City Classic transpired in much the same way it began.
The Cougars (2-8) lost 49-36 to Lee (8-6) in their opening game Saturday, after the first half ended tied at 22 points apiece. Canyon closed out the day with a 38-30 loss to Judson (12-4), the eventual tournament champion after the team finished 4-0 during the weekend.
In the fourth quarter against Judson, Canyon failed to capitalize on free throws by Dustin Foerster that brought the Cougars within two points, a day after falling short against Boerne Friday night.
“We feel like we’re right there,” coach Kenny Rotzler said after the loss to Judson (RECORD). “We played well in spurts. We just weren’t able to put a complete game together.”
Foerster entered the game early in the fourth quarter with the Rockets up 26-21. The senior quickly produced, hitting three of four free throws in a span of 27 seconds.
The first two free throw attempts came after he grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back by Judson’s Chris Wacker, who is listed at 6-foot-6.
“He’s a strong kid and he did great against a bigger guy,” Rotzler said. “He also did a good job running through (Judson’s) screen on the defensive end.”
But after Foerster’s free throws Judson ran away with the game, going on a 9-3 run in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Judson pushed the lead to 10, with 2:14 left in the game, following a fast break field goal that started with a turnover by Canyon’s Sean Dailey.
Canyon managed to stay close despite zero points from Dailey, who led the team with 18 Friday night. The senior scored eight against Lee but could not find his shot in the second game Saturday.
“I think he’s legs might have been a little tired,” Rotzler said. “We don’t have a really consistent scorer right now. We’re missing that guy that averages 18 or 20 a game and that’s part of being an inexperienced team.”
Junior Chris Kues scored a team-high 11 points to go with one steal and a rebound. Junior Ryan Mead added seven points and nine rebounds.
Canyon recorded 13 turnovers against heavy pressure from the Judson full-court attack, just a night after giving up 19 against Boerne.
Rotzler said he thought the turnover total was the lowest of the season.
“We’re just going to get better,” he said. “Our guards don’t have a lot of experience against the pressure and teams know that. And we don’t have a great press ourselves, so it’s hard to duplicate that in practice.”
Canyon got its last points on a three-pointer by junior Michael Berry, who hit an off-balance shot in an attempt to draw a foul for a four-point play. The loss ended up being the Cougars’ closest of the tournament, after winning the River City Classic a year ago.
Only two players remain from that varsity squad, and Rotzler said the 0-3 mark at the tourney didn’t reflect his opinions on the new group.
“You always want wins instead of losses but regardless, I felt we took steps forward,” he said. “And these aren’t the games that matter. It’s the one’s in (District) 26-4A that count.”
The Cougars have two games left before starting district play Dec. 18 at Steele: Monday versus Lanier and Friday against San Antonio Southwest.
“We’re doing some things well, but there’s still things we need to improve on,” Rotzler said.

NEW BRAUNFELS

New Braunfels coach Chris Dial had a different take on his team’s 0-3 outing at the River City Classic.
The Unicorns closed out the tournament with a pair of losses: a 68-50 decision against Boerne before falling Saturday night 62-42 against San Antonio Lee (8-6).
“At 0-3 we could have played a lot better,” Dial said. “We’ve just got to learn from our mistakes and get better.”
New Braunfels now gets ready to host San Marcos Tuesday before starting the Harlandale Tournament Thursday.
The two dates mark the team’s last preparation before District 26-4A play starts Dec. 18 against Clemens at home, and Dial’s goal before that time is simple.
“We need to get healthy,” the coach said.
The Unicorns missed the play of junior Reese Dahse in games three through four of the River City Classic, after the guard went down with a high ankle sprain against Judson Thursday.
Dahse led the team with 10 points in that game, and in his absence Saturday the Unicorns were paced by post Ryan Grote (12) against Boerne and guard Will Henry (16) in the Lee game.
“He’ll probably be out at least until district starts,” Dial said of Dahse. “That’s a big blow. But we’ve got guys that can step up and play well and they’re going to have to do that.”
New Braunfels pulled within six points late in the third quarter before Lee ran away with the game on the play of sophomore Paul Garnica, who scored 34 points and shot 5-of-9 from the three-point line.
“We made a good run but we put ourselves in too big of a hole in the first half,” Dial said. “If we played better in the first half and made that run, we’re up by 10 instead of down by six.”
Early in the third quarter New Braunfels trailed 35-21, but went on a 12-4 run that started with a lay-up by junior Joel Dyer. The Unicorns got the score to 39-33 after free throws by Henry, but Martin Schmidt hit a two and Josh Santiago nailed a three-pointer to put Lee up 43-33 at the end of the third quarter.

Canyon Cougars boys' basketball

2007-12-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start posting my newspaper and whatever else articles in my blog. Here is the first: a recap of Canyon High School boys' basketball tonight, which will run in tomorrow's Herald-Zeitung.

By Chris Boehm
The Herald-Zeitung

NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS - The Canyon Cougars may not have come away with a win Friday night, but it sure felt like it.
The Cougars (2-6) led early in the second quarter against Boerne, and stayed within striking distance most of the night before falling 58-48 in their first game of the River City Classic.
Canyon coach Kenny Rotzler was proud of the team’s effort coming off a 19-point loss to Austin High Tuesday night.
“This was the best we’ve played so far,” Rotzler said. “I felt we took a step forward.”
The Cougars trailed 36-48 with 6:10 left in the game, but put together a 9-0 run to get within three points.
Junior forward Chris Kues hit a pair of free throws after being fouled on drive to start the rally at the 5:52 mark. Canyon stole the Greyhounds’ inbound pass moments later, and Kues hit a wide-open inside shot off a quick pass from senior post Dustin Foerster.
Ryan Mead added a lay-up off another steal to make it 48-42, then senior forward Sean Dailey nailed a three-pointer from the corner with 4:05 left in the game. Dailey hit multiple key threes in the game, and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist.
“He did really well shooting for us,” Rotzler said. “I feel he can become our go-to guy.”
Dailey said he was comfortable shooting Friday night and felt the team as whole played well offensively.
Canyon picks up tournament action today against Lee (7-5) at 10 a.m. and Judson (10-4) at 2:30 p.m.
“We need to do the same thing on offense,” Dailey said of the upcoming games. “We moved the ball around and didn’t take stupid shots (Friday).”
Mead finished second offensively for the Cougars, totaling 11 points, two assists and one steal. Kues notched 10 points and two blocks.
Turnovers against Boerne’s full-court press did Canyon in; the team gave the ball up 19 times on the night.
“We did a better job against the pressure but we still turned it over too many times and they know that,” Rotzler said. “You can’t give up 20 offensive possessions and expect to beat teams.”
The Greyhounds were led by senior Robert Moore, who scored a game-high 27 points despite being held to eight in the first half. The Cougars’ zone defense was successful most of the night at frustrating Moore, who missed his only shot from the outside.
“We did a pretty good job against him,” Rotzler said. “He has great body control and knows how to make contact and get old-fashioned three-point plays.”
The three-point deficit was the closest Canyon would get in the fourth quarter. Following Dailey’s three, Moore hit a pair of free throws, the first of nine straight points he scored for the Greyhounds.
“In the fourth quarter we had to stretch our defense and (Moore) got some good looks and made some great plays,” Rotzler said.
Canyon led early in the game, after two Mead steals led to quick baskets. Boerne tied the game at eight points apiece on three-pointer from Isaac Evans, which Dailey responded to with his own three.
“Getting the early lead was important,” Rotzler said. “After that our guys could say ‘hey, we can play against this team.’”
Boerne led 14-11 after one quarter, but Canyon tied the score once again to open the period, on a three by junior Wes Rhodes. Boerne would go on to build a six-point lead before Canyon closed it to 22-24 on a three by Kues. A Daniel Rogers three-pointer put Boerne back up by five, with the first half ending on a one-armed, full-court heave by Dailey that almost went in as the buzzer sounded.

I'm done!

2007-12-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my last projects were due, and I just finished up editing a story for my Advanced Reporting class. Whew! I'm finally done, not just with this semester but my bachelor's degree as well. All that's left is to walk Dec. 14, a day after my birthday, no less!

Wrapped up a pretty cool semester. I learned a lot in my multimedia and web design classes. If you get a chance check out the Multimedia Journalism class's work at Bobcat Living.

It's going to be a hectic week. Interview for a Houston magazine spring internship Monday, last day at work for the Zeitung Wednesday, birthday and then graduation. Probably attend a couple parties as well, including my own. On top of that my bro's best friend is coming home from Iraq Dec. 13; he and I share the same b-day so that's a pretty big day all around.

Everything's going good. I even cleaned my apartment today. All kinds of productive, I know.

Got a basketball game in to cover tonight, then a couple tomorrow. Looking forward to watching the Packers on Sunday with the family in Houston. I think it'll be the first Green Bay game I've gotten to see in about three weeks.

Welcome

2007-11-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Chris' blog. I figure as a media student at Texas State I should finally get going with blogging. That's about all for now. Going to speak with Associated Student Government senators tonight for Writing for Electronic Media.