It seems very possible thatSugar Land may become the future location for Houston Dynamo games. While the games are currently being held at Robertson Stadium at UH, the Dynamo are considering having a stadium built in the Sugar Land area, supposedly by the UH Sugar Land location. Having been in that area before, I can attest to the fact that there’s plenty of open space, making an ideal spot for a large sports venue.

However, I don’t think the current traffic situation can handle Dynamo games. After the Sweetwater exit on 59, the lanes cut down considerably, and I can only imagine the mess that would ensue on game days. I believe the lanes will be expanded soon, but even then I don’t think it makes sense to have people drive out that far to go to a game. I would expect the location to be within the city of Houston, not one of the four surrounding areas.

This would help out Sugar Land’s economy though. With the Houston Museum of Natural Science recently considering building a satellite location in the area, it looks like Sugar Land still has much untapped potential.

I’m not clear on what’s “fun” about freezing rain, but it seemed like everyone was preparing for the worst last night. In Sugar Land, for example, trucks dropped sand on the main roads, and commuters hurried home so that they could be someplace safe when the storm hit. I stayed awake most of the night waiting for the sound of rain, but nothing came.

UH may possibly be closed tomorrow depending on the weather, and I’m sure other colleges may follow suit. Although I didn’t hear about any district closings, many private schools were closed today. A day off never hurt anyone, right?

Congratulations Cougars! A great second half! It’s good to know that UH, the school I’ve been at for the last 4 years of my life, has won such an important championship. The win is even more enjoyable because it was on home turf.

I was amazed at how many people were parking to see the game today. As I was leaving campus, someone took my parking spot because the parking lot was full. Where I was parked was all the way on the other side of campus (Bauer), so I can only imagine the situation right now around Robertson Stadium.

The Cougars go on to the Autozone Liberty Bowl where they will play on Dec. 29.

More about the game on the UH site.

Last week marked the closing of the Westheimer location of Diedrich Coffee. A popular hangout for many students (such as some of my colleagues), the coffee shop had a loyal (and I mean LOYAL) following. If you were to walk in on any given day, you would recognize at least a few of the people who practically lived there.

Personally, I never frequented Diedrich to the extent that some people I know did, but I will say that the people at Diedrich know how to make coffee alot better than most of the coffee shops out there. I also found the free WiFi an added bonus, but that’s become fairly common place now. In fact, I’m at another coffee shop closer to my house that I’ve grown quite attached to.

Although some may contest that the outing of Diedrich was masterminded by their neighbors at Upper Hand, the Chronicle article attempts to explain the reasoning from the perspective of the land lord. Whether or not it’s a convincing argument is a choice that I’ll leave to the reader.

I’m sure I speak for many when I say this: after 10 years of service, Diedrich’s on Westheimer will be greatly missed.

For those of you that have never been to an after hours place similar to Eden, the scenario usually goes something like this: get to the door and either know the door guy or convince him that you are friends with someone inside. Proceed to pay a cover, and go inside a dark room, where electronic dance music pulsates away until early morning. There’s energy drinks, water, and other refreshments to keep you hydrated.

According to allegations, that’s not all that goes on during after hours. Recently, drugs have poisoned much of Houston club culture, leading many to openly and freely consume whatever they please without fear of gettng in trouble (anyone that has been out recently can attest to this). The recent sting will likely be a wake up call for many: not only were the bartenders arrested, but people that were on the property and were in possession of any drugs were taken into custody as well.

It’s unclear what lies for Eden; hopefully it can still survive after the effects of the sting. It would be nice to assume that there can be a place where people can go after the regular clubs close, sit back, and listen to some good music. I guess that isn’t an attractive idea to most people, which is why this happened. Will it happen again, with some other club, at some other place? For sure. Illegal drugs and after hours drinking are part of the Houston scene, and it’s something that we have to accept. I’m certainly a little shocked to hear about this, but I knew it was coming sooner or later. I expected the “sting” to involve the police rushing in and just closing the place down. I didn’t know they could arrest customers as well. For now, many people are freaked out and I’m sure that some of them will be taking it easy for a while.

So what do YOU think about the recent sting, and after hours clubs in general? Good, bad?

The Chronicle’s reporting that a cold front will be coming through on Thursday. Although initially there might be some thunderstorms and strong winds, the cold front will stay until the weekend (with another one possibly coming next week - oh joy!).

It’s always amusing to see other cities up north worrying about reaching the 30s and 40s and here we are with a high of 86 today. I always wonder who’s better off - us with our light winters and humid summers, or them with their lighter summers and freezing winters.

This reminds me of a post I made last year around this time regarding the same issue - maybe I’m obsessed with cooler weather?

Not be outdone by DJ Tiesto’s recent set at Warehouse Live on a Wednesday, Paul Van Dyk, who was voted #1 DJ in the world for 2005, will be performing this Wednesday (that’s the day after tomorrow!) at Warehouse Live.

Those of you that are familiar with his sound know that he’s been in the business for a long time, and has graced the top 10 list of DJs since 1998. Expect a night filled with German style trance, with the occasional melodic tune in between.

General admission is $25, and VIP is $40. Doors open at 9pm. Click the image above to view the flyer.

Although Adrian briefly mentioned this, I thought I’d elaborate a bit more, being a Sugar Land-ian (is that a word?)…

Having already been considered as one of the Best Communities for Young People and as one of the Best Places to Raise Your Family , Money Magazine and CNN/Money have chosen Sugar Land as one of the best places to live in America. Reasons cited for this ranking include the low cost of living, the diversity, and the number of job opportunities. Last year, Sugar Land was chosen as number 46.

I’m not surprised that Sugar Land ranked so highly. I’ve lived in the area for the last 14 years, and have seen a great deal of development. I can still remember when Highway 6 was practically empty on both sides, and now its full of businesses and restaurants. I personally consider Sugar Land to be an amazing city, filled with the modern conveniences of larger cities while maintaining that small town charm.

You can see signs all over the city celebrating this award…congratulations Sugar Land, you deserve it!

One thing that is a bit alarming is that the article mentions that in Houston, evacuees are blamed for overcrowding and a rise in crime. While crowding did seem an issue for a few weeks after Katrina hit, I see little evidence of it now. Either I’m used to it or Newsweek may be exaggerating the issue. They went so far as to say that “Evacuees feel so stigmatized that they often hide their identity when applying for jobs or social services”.

Is this true? Is it that bad here in Houston? I certainly hope not…

Although I would like to eventually see Houston host the Olympic games, I don’t want to be anywhere in the area when it happens. Inevitably, there will be a massive influx of visitors that will make traffic conditions unbearable. Also, I’m not sure how many of the athletes will be able to cope with the heat. Summers here (especially July) are difficult even for those of us that are used to the weather.

But then again, it’s not like we can host the Winter Olympics. Unless the Olympic Committee is willing to bring in fake snow…