Podcasting is exploding and the call for Houston podcasters has gone out. Here is the low-down on how to get involved in this new media – with or without expertise.

What do you need to be a podcaster? Nothing more than a passion to get your voice heard. The best advice is to find something that excites you and “just do it.”

Want to produce your own show? A great place to start is HoustonPodcasting.org – there you will find all the top podcasters in the Houston area. Jump on the forums and get involved. You will find tons of podcasters willing to help you with everything from software/hardware configuration to editing and production.

Want to podcast, but just want to be the ‘talent”? This Week in Houston is still accepting citizen journalist podcasters. Check out the website to find out how you can file news reports via telephone voicemail or your own recorded segments.

Want to be a sports podcaster? Lone Star Gridiron is looking for high school football, college football, and pro football correspondents. The site will soon be expanding to provide coverage at all levels of football in Texas. In addition, their pro feeds are carried at iSportsCaster and they are currently looking for a Houston Texans podcaster.

Where can you go to find good podcasts? Of course you should start by supporting the Houston podcasters, but to really expand your listening head to such great directories as the Yahoo! Podcast Directory, Podcast Pickle, and many many more.

Hopefully by now you’ve moved your clocks an hour back. If not, this is a friendly reminder to do so now.

This change occured at 2am last night, making for an interesting additional hour of fun while out in downtown. Does anyone know if the daylight savings change always occurs the weekend before Halloween?

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!

I have the utmost respect for those that are disabled, which is why what I saw today seriously bothered me.

I just returned from Fry’s, and the parking lot was, as usual for a weekend, full. Fry’s has a large parking lot, so finding a space is not an issue. The problem is that you might have to walk a little bit, which is certainly fine for me considering that it’s a regular occurence when I’m looking for parking at UH.

However, other people seem to take advantage of the handicapped parking available at the front of the store. Almost all the handicapped spots were taken. To be fair, all of the vehicles I saw had a handicapped placard in their window. However, I walked around much of the store and didn’t see anyone that seemed to actually be in any way disabled. Granted, I understand that some people need these placards for disabilities that are not immediately recognizable. As I was leaving Fry’s though, I saw 2 young people that clearly did not need a handicapped placard sit in their vehicle that was parked in a handicapped spot and leave. This is not the first time that I’ve seen this happen.

The reason this is an issue to me is not because I would rather park closer; rather, it has to do with the fact that if a person that truly needs a closer handicapped spot comes to Fry’s and all the spots are full, they are inconvenienced into having to travel a longer distance. This is not fair, and I think that people that take advantage of these spots on a busy day should be ashamed of themselves.

So it’s a little late and not very consequential now, but I just ran across a list compiled by the Chicago Tribune staff entitled ’21 Things You Should Know About Houston’.

I knew pretty much all of them (and yes I realize that’s not that huge of an accomplishment) except for:

17. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, of Houston, reportedly once requested that a corridor in her Washington office building be closed off for eight hours so that she could meet privately with singer Michael Jackson.

19. One hundred years ago this month Houston commissioners began enforcing a city ordinance that forbids men “to make goo-goo-eyes” at ladies. Take that Ald. Natarus.

What would you add to this list?

Last night, we watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder is the coolest!) at the Miller Outdoor Theater. After shivering under our blanket and watching little kids run around eating movie snacks way past their collective bedtimes, we felt like Fall was finally with us. Chilly!!

The showing was part of the Young Audiences of Houston’s Starlight Cinema family-friendly movie series. Today they’ll be showing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at 8pm. Take your blankets!!

As Katya suggested, the Big Ass Halloween Bash is a great choice for your Saturday night fun.

I’ve been for the past two years. In 2003 I was Marge. Here’s a pic of me with Mo (my husband), Homer, comic book guy, and Patty and Selma behind us.

Last year I was Miss Butterface. That’s Houston Metblogs own Kymberlie next to me!

Another great last-minute excuse to wear your Halloween costume…

Fat City Bike Club’s Halloween Bike Ride
Tonight, Amy’s Ice Cream, 7:30pm, costumed folks on bicycles are going to take to the streets of Houston. Its FREE, its FUN, and is GOOD FOR YOU!!!

So what are you doing this Halloween weekend? Dressing up? Eating sugar? Getting plastered on goblin juice?

Here are some ideas:

* The Houston Press is sponsoring their 2nd Annual Halloween Parade this Saturday, October 29th downtown. There will be a parade (starting at 8pm along Main St.), a costume contest with crazy-huge prizes and a KISS tribute band concert (8:45 at Market Square Park).

Make sure you use the Downtown Entertainment District’s validated parking program

* Downtown Ghost Walk Tour – We’ve posted about this before, but I have yet to check it out – PLUS! they’re handing out trick or treat bags with good food and drink coupons for the downtown area. Fun!

* Absolut Big Ass Halloween Bash – $20 tickets gets you free beer, jello shots and ‘witches brew’ at BUS (1800 Texas Ave). They too will have a costume contest with an interesting sticker vote method.

* Houston Haunts is a great website for haunted house reviews, tickets and local costume shop links.

Okay…

In the past week, I’ve had a plethora of comments come across my e-mail regarding my “open letter” entry (29 comments), and my entry on the state of radio in Houston (52 comments). (Post authors receive each comment via e-mail.) The vast majority of them have been about Roula and Ryan’s dismissal from KHMX. To avoid having tons of additional comments, all with the same things, being posted, here’s the latest details.

• Roula and Ryan are still gone from KHMX and radio (perhaps they should apply at KIOL?).
• There is an online petition calling for a boycott of Clear Channel Radio (and KHMX), and the bringing back of Roula and Ryan to the Houston airwaves.
• Roula and Ryan have a website with continued updates regarding their out of work status. How long they’ll continue to update is anyone’s guess. Presumably until they get a new show. Currently, it appears, they want to stay in Houston; but, as with any talent, they may end up going where the money is.
• Readers (and listeners) have been trashing KHMX, Sam Malone, et al, as well as calling for boycott’s of everything from the KHMX morning show, to all of KHMX’s programming, to all of Clear Channel’s stations, to the advertisers on KHMX.
• There have been calls to e-mail (check above entries for addresses) Clear Channel and KHMX management with letters express distaste at the handling of the situation (please, be reasonable. No out and out “hate” mail).
• People are generally expressing displeasure. We have yet to hear from a single Sam Malone supporter, excepting this author (and even I am not pleased with the way the hirings/firings were handled).

There you have it, the latest information in the ongoing Roula and Ryan saga. How it will turn out is anyone’s game, but I’m betting equally one two possible outcomes. 1) Roula and Ryan will leave Houston for a morning show in another city or state. 2) Roula and Ryan will be hired by a Coxen station (Cox Communications), or by Houston’s Rock Station, KIOL, although not for the morning show (perhaps afternoon drive time).

Before I even get asked, I will end this entry with an update on Michelle Fischer. Michelle expressed her reason for leaving was to be a stay-at-home mother to her child. Thus far, no information has surfaced as to her return to any Houston area station. She appears to be doing the stay-at-home routine (and who can blame her. Children raised with one parent as a stay-at-home have shown to be better adjusted and have better development than children raised where both parents work (nothing against dual-working families. I’m just relating study results)).

(edited to correct facts)

The Houston Astros, today, lost the World Series to the Chicago White Sox in a four game sweep.  I’d like to take a few minutes to point out some important facts to all of the Houston dissenters.

• The last time Chicago went to a world series was 1917.
• Chicago players conspired to purposefully throw the series (1919).
• Houston did, in 43 years what it took Chicago 88 years to accomplish.
• Houston stayed right with the Sox in terms of scoring, never ending a game more than two points behind.
• No team has ever overcome a three game deficit,

Okay, some facts were mistaken.  That’s what I get for not taking an hour and deep researching at mlb.com.  Ah well.  Houston still made it back to a series faster than Chicago (so to speak.  We got to our first series, faster than Chicago made it back to one).

and the most important fact?  Houston made it to their first series.  Who CARES whether they won, or not!  They’ve proved they can do it, and with some proper correction (hopefully, including some coaching changes), they’ll soon go all. the. way!

GO HOUSTON!!!

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