Memos and Mirth

Winter in Dallas is absolutely amazing.

The temperature is perfect – about 60 to 70 degrees every day.

iLume Park’s large dog park in Dallas, Texas.

Gunter at Ilume Park’s small dog park.

Perry Heights neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, in February.

The Harwood District of downtown Dallas, Texas

That is one of the reasons why I am not thrilled to go to Minnesota tomorrow.

Thomson Reuters is flying me back to Minnesota for an awards dinner and training.

It’s going to be cold as hell, but I get to see some of my friends and my company is putting me up in the Mall of America hotel, so things could be worse.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t miss the warmth…

I always thought my mother was dramatic about hating the cold (she still lives in Miami) but now I fully understand.

Brr.

Dallas

Dallas Mardi Gras

February 7, 2016

I made it to Dallas Mardi Gras, and it was hilarious!

Oak Cliff Mardi Gras 2016

Law

Adnan Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. His conviction mostly rested on the ever-changing testimony of an alleged co-conspirator and unreliable cellphone records.

I kept tracking Adnan’s case through the Undisclosed, a spinoff podcast hosted by Rabia Chaudry, an attorney who is also one of Adnan’s family friends.

Serial is an amazing example of true-crime storytelling, but Undisclosed gets into the legal weeds, which I love. This shouldn’t be surprising, since I was that kid who preferred the courtroom scenes of Law & Order…

movies / Oak Lawn

Tangerines in the Gayborhood

February 5, 2016

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t ignore movie recommendations.

It may take me a while to see a particular movie, but I inevitably do. (With the exception of Frozen, which I am boycotting.)

A few months ago, a friend recommended Tangerine to me, and I finally got around to watching it.

It’s sad and hilarious.

blog theory / Goodies

A Free Blog Content Calendar

February 4, 2016

Staying organized is one of the most common blogging challenges.

Whether you suffer from a lack of ideas or have way too many of them, a content calendar can help you organize your thoughts and stay on track.

Here is a free Microsoft Excel Blog Content Calendar to help organize your blog.

The file includes a blank template and a tab with a completed example:

Free Blog Content and Strategy Template.

Let me know whether it is useful!

Dallas / Tax

Taxing

February 3, 2016

It’s Friday night and instead of sipping on a cocktail at happy hour, I am sifting through tax regulations.

My volunteer gig for this spring is with the Dallas Community Tax Centers – a non-profit which provides free tax preparation services to low and moderate income individuals.

I worked with a similar VITA program in Minneapolis.

Taking advanced tax law classes at night after work was very draining. It made me rethink my perennial flirtation with getting a second degree.

Oak Lawn

A Different Vibe

February 2, 2016

The conversation about hiring security guards was one of the strangest things about last month’s epic apartment building meeting.
“I can give you a daily happy hour, or I can give you security guards,” the building president said. “But I am warning you, armed security guards are going to change the vibe around here.”
She was right.

Now I routinely run into packs of 2 to 4 security guards when I leave my building. Most of the security guards just glare at residents without saying anything, so it is highly awkward.

Dallas

Switching to Cash

February 1, 2016

Some friends from Minnesota were recently in town to experience the fabulousness that is Dallas. We are at one of the boutiques in the gayborhood when I receive a call from my bank.
Bank: “Hello, were you shopping at a Walmart in Frisco, Texas, recently?”

Me: “Um…no.”

Bank: “…well your debit card was!”
Apparently someone got a hold of my debit card information, created a fake card, and went on a shopping spree at Walmart.

My bank kicked off a refund and issued a new card, but my checking account was locked for the rest of the weekend.

That totally cramped my style.

Goodies

Moving Spreadsheet Template

January 18, 2016

A spreadsheet of cities that I may move to.

I’ve been in Dallas for about 6 months, and I am still thrilled with my decision.

Many of you remember that I made the decision to move using a spreadsheet. I figured out what was important to me in a city and simply ran the numbers.

This approach to moving had several benefits:

Dallas / Restaurants

The Fake German Restaurant

January 7, 2016

Bitburger Beer at downtown Dallas's Bier Garten

I dread going to German restaurants.

It is a reoccurring mistake – I see a German restaurant and get nostalgic for my grandmother’s cooking. So I waltz into the restaurant, get offended by the prices and cheesy decorations, and inevitably leave bitterly disappointed.

German cuisine is highly regional.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of German restaurants in America are Bavarian, (and I am from Rheinland.) It is like going to an “American Restaurant” in another country and finding out that it is Toby Keith’s or Hard Rock Café.

My mother and I recently went to Biergarten in Downtown Dallas.

It was a mess.

Oak Lawn

How My Mother Saved My Apartment Building

January 6, 2016

Visits from mom are great.

In addition to the joy of seeing family, and an excuse to do touristy things, visits from my mother also have very practical benefits – like preventing my apartment from burning down.

When my mother was in town, she noticed a very odd smell coming from my laundry closet.
“You know it’s not supposed to have a burning smell when you dry clothes, right?” she said. “There’s not supposed to be lint everywhere either.”

Life / Oak Lawn / Tax

Still Festive

January 5, 2016

Christmas lights in Perry Heights, Dallas, Texas

The holidays are over, but the lights are still up.

The busiest part of my winter is always after the holiday season ends – my clients are ready to start ambitious projects, we have an all-team meeting in Minnesota this coming February, and tax season is rearing its ugly head.

I’m volunteering with a community tax center again this year. That means that I am joining a hoard of accountants to provide free tax services to low-and-moderate income individuals in the Dallas area.

Fort Worth

The Fort Worth Stockyards

January 4, 2016

Visiting the Stockyards is one of the touristy things to do in the DFW area.

So when my mom was in town over the holidays, we made the journey across the Metroplex and got to experience some Texas realness.

The Fort Worth Stockyards area is a fun historic district with steakhouses, tourist shops, and a rodeo. The prices aren’t bad, although I don’t know if the drive is worth making the trip again.

It’s something you have to do once though, if only for the food.

And the pictures.

H3 Ranch near the Fort Worth, Texas, Stockyards

Finchers White Front Western Store

The Fort Worth Coliseum (a Rodeo)

The Fort Worth Rodeo Coliseum by the Stockyards

Leddy’s Boots & Saddlery in Fort Worth near the Stockyards

Texas Flag by the Fort Worth Stockyards

Oak Lawn

The Come to Jesus Meeting

January 3, 2016

My neighbors and I just had one of the most awkward meetings ever.

Apparently the mass tenant exodus, police drama, and middle-of-the-night fire alarms culminated in the building manager being fired.

The iLume Park management company then called a “member meeting” of all of the residents to announce the changes and clear the air.

It was a shit show.

The meeting was led by the management company president / general counsel (who coincidentally reminds me a lot of Donna Shalala). She gave a short speech about how things are going to change and a brief overview of her plans.

She also pointed out that the most recent 3 a.m. fire alarm was due to some drunkards who set off the hour-long alarm by hopping a fence and intentionally tampering with the fire equipment.

Then came tirade time.

Continue Reading

Dallas

Dallas World Aquarium

January 2, 2016

I finally made it to the Dallas World Aquarium!

My mother and I visited the Aquarium when she as in town because the weather was crappy and it was an indoor thing to do. The biggest surprise about the Dallas World Aquarium is that it’s not just fish – it’s actually a zoo, and very tropical.

Jungle waterfall at the Dallas World Aquarium.

A Panther at the Dallas World Aquarium

Pink Flamingos at the Dallas World Aquarium

Owls at the Dallas World Aquarium.

Fish at the Dallas World Aquarium

Life / Oak Lawn

A Quiet New Year’s Eve

January 1, 2016

Eating with neighbors at Dish Restaurant at iLume, Oak Lawn, Dallas

I was in bed well before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

I had a fabulous time going out with my neighbors the day before. We went to Dish, BJ’s, and Pegasus bar, among other places.

Shots at Pegasus Bar in Dallas, Texas

After partying it up on December 30th, I decided to decline the New Year’s Eve invites.

I spent my day working while eyeing loops of the Dubai hotel fire on CBS News. I then gave my apartment the deep clean which I should have done before my mother came to town for the holidays.

Dallas / dogs / LGBT / Life / memories / Minneapolis-St. Paul / Thomson Reuters

From Minnesota to Texas: 2015 in Review

December 31, 2015

The Dallas Skyline as seen from Reunion Tower

I celebrated last New Year’s Eve in Minnesota and now I am ending the year as an official Texan.

2015 was wonderful, but exhausting.

James Sanna and Aaron Kraemer getting married in Boston.

A bloody Mary and the New Yorker Magazine at the Washington DC airport.

Alyssa Edwards at the Dallas Gay Pride iLume block party.

Dancers at the iLume block party.

A dramatically lit mansion in Highland Park.

dogs / Oak Lawn

Night Party

December 22, 2015

We all walked the dogs at 3 a.m.

I’ve alternatively described my apartment building as a dog-friendly residential hotel, Melrose Place, and an adult dorm.

In true dorm fashion, my neighbors occasionally trigger the fire alarm in the middle of the night. This happened today at 3 a.m.

Dallas / dogs / Life / Oak Lawn

Becoming Texan

December 21, 2015

It’s Christmas time in Dallas.

There are leaves on the ground, but the temperature still hits the low 70s almost every day.

Although it is not quite tropical Christmas experience that I had in Miami, it is still way more pleasant than Minnesota. At least I can still trot around in shorts!

Life has been very full lately with work, sprawling dog walks, dates, holiday parties, and marathons of The Good Wife.

My cup runneth over again.

Elaborate Christmas decorations in Highland Park, Dallas.

Gunter’s leather doggy jacket.

music

My December Hits

December 4, 2015

1. Florence + The Machine – Delilah (The Odyssey – Chapter 6)

What hasn’t been said about Florence + The Machine? Her new album is everything.

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful got me through my last breakup and the long road to Dallas.

There are so many great tracks on the album, but Delilah is definitely one of my favorites.

I didn’t know what to expect from this video, but a trip to a Los Angeles meth motel wasn’t one of them.

The song is chaotic, shrill, and a perfect way to start a wild evening. (I also really want to learn those dance moves!)

2. Kaleena Zanders – Hit the Dance Floor

I first heard of Kaleena Zanders after seeing her on a Madeaux track earlier this year.

This Teairra Mari lookalike has some serious pipes, which are perfect for the type of house music she typically performs.

“Hit the Dance Floor” is basically on repeat when I’m getting ready to go out on the weekends.

Winter in Dallas is absolutely amazing.

That is one of the reasons why I am not thrilled to go to Minnesota tomorrow.

Like the rest the country, I first came across Adnan Syed’s case by listening to the Serial podcast.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t ignore movie recommendations.

Staying organized is one of the most common blogging challenges.

I’ve been in Dallas for about 6 months, and I am still thrilled with my decision.

I dread going to German restaurants.

German cuisine is highly regional.

Visits from mom are great.

The holidays are over, but the lights are still up.

Visiting the Stockyards is one of the touristy things to do in the DFW area.

My neighbors and I just had one of the most awkward meetings ever.

Then came tirade time. Continue Reading

I finally made it to the Dallas World Aquarium!

I was in bed well before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

After partying it up on December 30th, I decided to decline the New Year’s Eve invites.

We all walked the dogs at 3 a.m.

It’s Christmas time in Dallas.

1. Florence + The Machine – Delilah (The Odyssey – Chapter 6)

2. Kaleena Zanders – Hit the Dance Floor

Then came tirade time.

Continue Reading