Okay gadget geeks, so you obviously know that the iPhone is being released tomorrow (June 29th at 6pm). Perhaps you have no life and are already standing in line, which means you are most likely not reading this and I am very jealous of you.

Or perhaps you are sitting in front of your computer wistfully daydreaming about bringing home your own happy handheld – in which case, you should definitely keep an eye on this iPhone availability chart which will keep you posted as to what Houston Apple stores have iPhones.

You can also hook up with local iPhone workshops to learn how to get the most out of your new little iPhone friend. Sick of it all already? You can vent your iPhone fatigue with local tech guru Dwight Silverman on the Chronicle tech blog.

I hate moving – especially in Houston summer weather. One event that has MAJORLY eased the moving pains for our house this weekend was a quick trip to Justified Appliance (17455 FM 529).
They’ve got used and new (with dents/scratches) appliances for crazy-cheap. We replaced our gas dryer with a nice electric one for about $220 (+ delivery and tax). The best part = 3 year parts and labor warranty.
The Justified Appliance guys are friendly and helpful – even with crazed mid-move dryer needers like me. A definite recommend to all those who dream of faster spin cycles and larger capacity loads – in addition to Houston Craigslist and Freecycle.

“P@wn3d” by Chuck Ivy

I’ve currently got some of my photography hanging at copy.com on Westheimer two blocks west of Montrose as part of their “New Media Showcase.” My stuff is more or less straight photography mostly shot around Houston using a combination of digital and traditional techniques, but there’s also some digital art by Tim Chambers, and drawings and paintings by Jennifer Chen and Leesa Leva.

I think this show will only be up until the end of March, so check them out while you have a chance. (and most of the pieces are for sale as well, hint, hint.)

I would like to know where in Houston I can pick up a Blue Lacy puppy. No, I’m not talking about a blue lacy thing, I’m referring to the official state dog of Texas. I figured someone out there would know… like maybe Chris?… so I’m posting it here yo.

My relationship with my car is something like a father’s with an adolescent daughter. Please God just tell me everything’s great cause if it’s not I just don’t think I can handle it. So on this, the six-month or so anniversary of the ominous arrival of the check-engine light I’m ready to seek professional help. The thing is, who to turn to? I have no idea. So as an experiment who better to turn to than the collective power of the Metroblogging Houston crowd? Anyone? Anyone? I prefer to local mechanic somewhere in reasonable proximity to Rice Village area. The comments are open.

Get your shopping gear on cuz we have HUGE sales for this Friday, November 24th! I must be silly, but I’m kinda excited for this event. I’ve never been to one before, so I’m planning to go with the family to get some early Xmas shopping done. *Hints*

But I have heard some outrageous stories of how people waking up like 4 in the morning just to be the first in line and then scrabble and hustle toward the most coveted items they want to get before it’s all gone! Talk about survival of the fastest, or is it the most strategic?

Known as Black Friday, the origin of this holiday is unknown, or at least that’s what Wikipedia says. I didn’t know that there are this many stores participating.

You can check them out with these two links below:

http://www.blackfriday.info/
http://bfads.net/

Good luck with the rush of the shopping frenzy! I’m not sure if the crowd is too nice on this day. If you all see a 5-foot Asian girl hidden under a stampede of feet, yeah, that’ll be me… *winks*

From the ever-awesome Domy Bookstore, a garage sale this Saturday, November 18th from 7am – noon:

For all you foodies who love to cook – have you checked out Penzey’s Spices ( 516 W 19th St. ) yet? It is a homey and amazingly scented shop dedicated to nothing but herbs and spices for your cooking and consumption pleasure.

If you are already a fan of their catalog, you’ll love being able to actually smell the spices you are buying. I guess scratch-n-sniff tecnhnologies haven’t made it big yet in the spice world :)

Because I personally like to cheat when cooking my own curries, I went just for a bag of sweet curry powder (see spice wheel above) and barely escaped without a bagful of other spices. Soooo tempting. It’s worth a trip, especially as you know you’ve got that 2-year-old bottle of oregano that you’ve been meaning to replace.

Please try and remain calm, Houston Heights residents — but the new Target store (2580 Shearn St) is now open for your shopping pleasure.

We stumbled across a parking lot full of shoppers this weekend, as it had a ‘quiet opening’ before today’s grand opening. It was an exciting moment, as this means Target bliss is now only a moment’s drive away on I-10. Glorious!

You’ll notice a lot of construction near the new store – supposedly they are also putting up a Best Buy pretty soon and will have a Chick-Fil-A in the vicinity as well. I’m interested to see how the rest of the neighborhood responds to the appearance of these mega-stores (some parts have been not as positive, as noted here).

For some, being a part of the Apple community is like being in a cult. It’s fanatical and, at the very least, can lead to excessive purchases of Apple products.

If you fit in the above mentioned category, you’ll be happy to know that Apple is opening up another Apple store in Memorial City Mall. The grand opening is this Saturday, June 17 at 10 a.m.

The first 1,000 visitors will receive a free Apple t-shirt and you could also win a digital lifestyle collection which includes a new iMac, 4GB iPod nano, Canon digital camera, and more.

I think that this speaks volumes for the changes Memorial City Mall has undergone in the last few years. Apple stores are usually in high profile locations, and this is yet another indicator that the mall has improved for the better with plenty of new stores and an updated look.