Community Blog

Enter the amazing world of SOUND as ART with the famed BLUE MAN GROUP at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in September!

Formed in 1987, The Blue Man Group has wow’d audiences the world over with their signature 3 performers, dressed in black and covered in blue grease paint. With a unique mixture of instruments The Blue Man Group offers the audience more than a show … they offer an adventure in percussion unlike any other.

You’ll tap your feet, clap your hands and laugh as The Blue Man Group takes you on a rhythmic journey of sound. Each layer of percussion builds upon another, creating a luxurious music experience using PVC pipe, stringed instruments, drums, Cimbaloms and more.

Take a journey with The Blue Man Group as they discover the magic of sound. One performance will make you a fan!

Get Your Tickets Today!

Image by alexbfree via Flickr

I’m overwhelmed with the GO GREEN movement! I’ll admit it! I am absolutely a conscientious consumer BUT I sometimes feel bombarded by the words, Global warming, carbon footprint, reducing, recycling, reusing … REWIND!!! Where do I start?!

I’m no fan of guilt. Rather than feel guilty for being human, I prefer to accept the fact that I WILL make a mark on the planet. What I’m NOT willing to do is stop short of taking proper care and caution to LIMIT my waste and the damage I do.

There are many measures being taken to help RESTORE what we have damaged and it’s up to each individual to play a part. It’s not up to each individual to save the entire planet but it is up to us to care for the space around us, make environmentally aware purchasing decisions and take steps (however small) in a GREEN direction.

Taken in small chunks, it’s not so overwhelming and on top of that, many GREEN solutions can save you money!

This list of 10 very simple ways to go green by Earth911.com makes GOING GREEN easy! By picking even just one or two things from the list and committing to them, you’ll be making a difference right where you live.

How about it? Are you going in a GREEN direction?

For some people, Back-to-School time requires a re-introduction to mornings. Over the summer, a whole host of folks didn’t see the sun until closer to noon! Ahh … the joys of the season!

Here we are … getting re-acquainted with the sunrise, the morning dew and the early classes. Making the adjustment to a more regimented week day can be tough! And if you’re NOT a morning person in the first place, it’s easy to greet the day with one big, UGH!

Well, pull the blanket off your head and take a look at these easy tips for making your mornings EASIER! All it takes is a little planning the night before to have you bounding out the door each day a little less stressed out. Let’s start with the most important element of this entire equation, shall we? COFFEE.

COFFEE: If you’ve not yet discovered the joy of Single Cup Brewers, then wake up and smell the coffee pods! These amazing little brewers cut your java juice wait time by more than half! Just pop in a pod and BLAM! You’ll be sipping a lovely cup-of-Joe before you’re even awake! If you’re still brewing the old fashioned way, do yourself a favor by setting the whole thing up the night before and set the timer so the pot brews while you’re in the shower. Having the coffee waiting for you is like saying to yourself, “Self… I love you! Here! Have a cup of coffee!”

SHOWER: Have your towel, robe and slippers out and waiting. It’s a total bummer to get out of the shower and have to dry off with yesterday’s T-shirt. Don’t act like you haven’t done it!

CLOTHING: For the love of all things wrinkled, lay out your clothes the night BEFORE! Do your ironing or steaming or begging and pleading before you go to bed. Don’t face any more wrinkles in the morning than you have to! That’s my motto.

LUNCH: If you take a sack lunch or pack lunches for others in your apartment … you know what I’m about to say. Say it with me. DO IT THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Anything and everything that CAN be done the night before SHOULD be done the night before. You will fall all over yourself in gratitude for your preparedness come sunrise.

What do you do to make your mornings a little easier?

We apartment dwellers understand the value of our limited real estate. It’s essential to be creative in our smaller spaces, especially if we love gardening. Without a backyard … we have to be clever and come up with inventive ways to create a reasonable substitute.

For many of us, the answer can be found in one big pot! Herbs are particularly easy to grow together and for those of us lucky enough to get substantial sun in our apartments, herbs are the way to go.

A One Pot Indoor Herb Garden is perfect for growing herbs like thyme, basil and sage. Not only are they easy to grow, but it beats the heck out of paying good money for extensive packets of ALMOST fresh herbs. Growing your own means they are always fresh, pesticide free and inexpensive, too.

You don’t have to have a green thumb, either! If you don’t feel especially gifted in the ways of gardening, then a One Pot Indoor Garden is perfect for you! The step-by-step instructions at the link above will walk you through the steps to create a great little garden all your own.

I’m one tough cookie when it comes to savvy grocery shopping. And speaking of cookies …

It’s the smell of cookies that make savvy grocery shopping so difficult! Cookies … and bread … and cake and all the other deliciously naughty confections in the Bakery Department. Why don’t they just pelt us with donut holes the minute we cross the threshold and put us out of our misery? It takes all the moxie we can muster to stand against such temptation.

The thing is, there’s a sneaky science behind a grocery store set-up and the delicious aroma snaking its way from the bakery is just one element! Target placement of certain high priced items is a powerful strategy. By placing the most expensive brands at eye level and the lower priced similar items on the bottom shelves, consumers will often grab for convenience without taking the time to compare prices. That’s what they are counting on! Not surprisingly, there can be a big difference in cost from one shelf to another.

Even though the odds are stacked against us, we CAN make smart and healthy shopping choices by creating a game-plan and sticking with it. Consider the following to get you started:

One: Make a list. Don’t add to it unless it’s legit. You know what I’m talking about … do you really NEED the aforementioned cookies?

Two: Shop in a big circle first. The healthiest items are found around the periphery with the more processed products in the middle.

Three: Do not, Not, NOT shop when you’re hungry! It’s a disaster in the making every single time. Next thing you know, you’re up to your eyeballs in Twinkies and Ding-Dongs and you’ve spent double what you intended.

Four: Allow yourself one or two utterly frivolous treats. But stick to your limit and don’t cheat. You KNOW who you are!

Five: Brave the trip alone! If at all possible, don’t take the kids with you. It’s easier to stick with the game-plan if you’re not distracted by the pleading and bargaining that kids so often do. If you MUST shop with your children in tow, lay down the rules of engagement before you leave your apartment. My rule used to be that each kid could pick ONE item they don’t have to share and one to share with the family.

How about YOU? Have any savvy grocery shopping tips to share?

Cyndi Lauper is scheduled to grace the HOUSE OF BLUES this Wednesday, August 11th!

I became a fan in the early Lauper days with her recording, Girls Just Want to Have Fun.  Her version of True Colors continues to be my favorite barely edging out Phil Collins for top spot in my book.

Born in 1953 in New York, Lauper began playing guitar and writing songs at an early age.  She found herself a pop front-runner with the release of her album She’s So Unusual in 1983.  As the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album, Lauper enjoyed 65 weeks on Billboards top 40 list and remained on the charts for 172 weeks with that release.

Her newest release, Memphis Blues, is topping out the Billboard Blues Chart for 6 weeks in a row!

Don’t miss Cyndi at the HOB! You’re just 30 minutes away from a great night of music! Get your TICKETS today!

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Try going without meat this Monday. Mercy For Animals is celebrating Meat-Free Monday at Bliss Raw café in Dallas. Did you know the average person eats about 35 farmed animals per year, adding up to thousands in a lifetime? Take a break from meat if you aren’t already and come out and enjoy some healthy raw organic vegan food on this Monday. You will also be helping save the lives of farm animals. On Monday, August 9^th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m mention “Meat-Free Monday” or “MFL” to your server and Mercy For Animals receives 15% of the total check at both Bliss Raw Cafe locations.

Location – Park Lane (6855 Greenville Ave.) or at Preston Center (6005 Berkshire Ln.)

Contact Eddie Garza for more information – 214-609-4066

Don’t miss this chance to eat delicious food and help animals out at the same time.

Bliss Raw Cafe Reviews –

“If you’ve never experienced Raw Food Cuisine, please don’t be shy. You must try this place.”

“I had the Chocolate Bliss elixir and it was pure chocolate-y goodness.”

“Raw foodies out there – this is the place to go if you’re in Dallas or nearby.  From their noodles, sandwiches, and pizzas to “bliss-ful” desserts everything is raw, vegan, and organic.  Even if you’re just looking for something new to try in Dallas, this is a place to go.”

Come visit The Dallas Farmers Market! There is always something going on at the Dallas Farmers Market! Join a cooking class, learn something new at a workshop or come hang out at one of their festivals. Do you want to plan your own event? You can even stage your own cooking or food event at this market.

The Dallas Farmers Market Friends, the local chapter of the American Institute of Wine and the Dallas Farmers Market sponsors fun and educational Chef cooking classes. Local renowned chef help cooking students explore new and creative ways to prepare fresh foods available at the market.

Classes are held every Saturdays in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Resource Building.

Register Today! Call 214-653-8088 for more information.

Location – 1010 S Pearl Expy Dallas, TX 75201 -  Direction.

Next Cooking Class Session!

Saturday, August 7, 2010 – Farmers Market Chefs Cooking Classes

Image by Carly & Art via Flickr

Are you ready to hit a beach somewhere?

It just won’t be right if you went the whole summer without taking a vacation. I look traveling to new places every year. There is so much to see and learn! If you could go to anywhere, where would you go?

If you didn’t have to worry about money or time, what beach would you want to go to this summer?

Share with us on our poll! We want to know where your dream beach spot is.

Check Out This Beautiful beach and resort…

There’s something exciting about getting up close and personal with exotic animals from all over the world. The Dallas Zoo is the best place in Texas to do so. What’s more fun than going to the Zoo? There are so many different types of animals in the world, why wouldn’t you want to take a trip to a local safari?

The Dallas Zoo is an outstanding center of education, entertainment and wildlife conservation. With 95 acres to explore, thousands of animals to visit, and a huge variety of family activities, the Dallas Zoo is enormously entertaining! Come have an exciting adventure today! You and your family can learn about interesting wildlife, engage in interactive fun, and support worldwide conservation and research to protect and preserve endangered species.

Location: 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35E), Dallas, TX 75203.
The Zoo is located three miles south of downtown Dallas, on I-35E at the Marsalis exit.

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

Admission: $12.00 Adults (age 12-64), $9.00 Children (age 3-11), $9.00 Seniors (age 65 up), FREE Children (age 2 and under)

Up and Coming Dallas Zoo Event! Twilight Safaris

This zoo event is a family after-hours tour of ZooNorth. You and your family get the opportunity to see some of the zoo’s education animals up-close. Numerous families may register for each scheduled date.

Photo From Flickr.com and not Dallas Zoo.

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