When they’re not putting the hurt on local musicians, Houston’s very own thin blue line is busy catching ghosts. Phenomena Police, a new series on Court TV features Houston police officers plying their trade in an effort to explain paranormal activity. The show premieres Tuesday October 31st (Halloween Night) on Court TV (that’s 71 to you Time Warner folks).

Harry and Lesli Zamora conceived of the Phenomena Police when they began experiencing strange unexplainable activity in the house they had just moved into. Harry, a veteran police officer, convinced some of his co-workers to help him figure out what was happening.

Artist Lane Montoya is offering Anime lessons on Fridays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The address is: 3200 FONDREN, SECOND FLOOR HOUSTON TX 77063 (map).

MATERIALS FOR THE COURSE:

Mechanical pencils, drawing pencils, sketchbook, markers, drafting pens.

WEEK 1 – An introduction: What makes the style so fascinating? Emphasize on the importance of shapes, lines, and a steady hand. It’s OK to draw stick figures.

WEEK 2 – Existing characters. What makes them so cool and rememberable?

WEEK 3 – Observe things from life. Outlining shapes from our stick figures into body parts. Who do you want your character to be?

WEEK 4 – Perspective, and why it’s important. Taking our sketch and moving it around the plane of view. Unfinished is OK!

WEEK 5 – Filling in the details. Anime eyes, hands, feet, and all the tricky details. Even his/her personality!

WEEK 6 – Character complete. Designing fashion for your new character, how it drapes, moves, and personifies your character.

WEEK 7 – Putting your character in a setting. Is your girl from outer space, or is she a regular school girl? Once again, development and perspective for setting.

WEEK 8 – Outlining and inking your new picture. Getting it ready to color. Tracing your own work is OK!

WEEK 9 – Character development after the concept: Stronger, better faster. Where do you see your characters story taking him? Just for fun coloring session.

WEEK 10 – How do the pros do it? An intro on how the pros use digital painting tools to aid them in their process. Rundown on the programs used (photoshop, painter, open canvas), including 3D Programs.

The classes actually started last night (oops, I’m a little late posting this). But there are still 9 weeks left. Send an e-mail to get more details.

Hey, everyone! BIG REMINDER! This is for those who don’t really want to be an hour late because we’re changing our clocks this Saturday!

If you’re interested in its history, check out this site: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html.

*Note: Photo courtesy of Richard Bartholomew.

Taken from my journal with a few edits:

I’ve never been so thankful in my whole entire life. This past Tuesday, my car spun around twice (taking up like 3 lanes which included the emergency lane) and my car almost fell off the freeway, and when my car finally stopped spinning, I was facing the oncoming traffic. I was like “Oh my God, please, don’t hit me.” Thank God for miracles like this. No car hit me, no scratch, just simply nothing. Except I’m quite shaken up a bit. I haven’t the slightest clue how I was so calm during that time. I didn’t even panic at all. My hands did all the work and I was able to control the car when it was spinning (desperate measures call for desperate times really).

And this was all because a car was about to hit the front fender near the driver’s side (like several inches away!).

(more…)

This year’s BikeHouston Moonlight Bicycle Ramble, is going down tomorrow, Sunday, October 29th at 2 AM CDT, or 1 AM CST (don’t forget about the time change!!).

The ride starts and finishes at the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida de las Americas) and should be gobs of fun. You can register onsite at 11PM tonight. Cost is $25 a person.

If you’re not already familiar with the BikeHouston group, check out some of their riding and safety events and learn more about local biking/transit issues here.

Thanks to Jason the Wacky Canadian for the heads up

Real World junkies (you know you’re out there) get a local boy to root for this season with the Real World Denver. His name is Alex and, according to From MTV.com, he:

‘…is the product of a recipe that includes a heap of cockiness, a dash of street smarts, tad bit of sensitivity and a whole lots of sex appeal. However, this loud-mouth, over confident, Texan flirt does not lack passion.’

If you’re like me and only really care to watch the show long enough to see the cool house they get to live in, you can visit this Real World Houses site for info and pics. The Denver house has a bright yellow jeep in it and maybe some plastic deer? I’m not impressed, but maybe Alex’s ‘heap of cockiness’ will make up for it.

Thanks to Mike McGuff for the heads up

So somewhere in my inbox is a mini-article about the rising trend of zombie walks throughout our fair nation. Fascinating business, especially after I’ve been in the mood to watch Shaun of the Dead for a while now…

After some Googling, I dug up an upcoming Houston Zombie Walk scheduled for March 10, 2007. But March 10 is totally not around The Day of the Dead or near Halloween – so what gives??

Anyone up for a more seasonally appropriate zombie march (aka: Fleshmob)??? Holla’ back at me any living impaired wannabes…

In the meantime, check out the LA Metblog for some good pointers for any of you potential zombie walkers and feel free to join the Austin Zombie Flash Mob this Friday, October 27th for some good brain-eating fun. Zombie walker photo thanks to Jason DeFillippo

Despite what you don’t read on the front page of Houston’s only remaining major newspaper, today is the start of early voting.

That’s right… in the fourth largest city in the nation, when the highest office in the state is up for reelection, it appears that someone thinks it is not very important. Apparently, immigration in Appalachia and selling trucks for Bill Heard is more important than who will be the next Governor, whether or not Houstonians vote to overturn spending caps that local politicians find too restrictive, or a myriad of other real issues.

Regardless of mainstream coverage, you can count on bloggers to cover the real issues, here at MetBlogs and elsewhere. Also, whether you agree with the right, the left, or independents like myself, you need to exercise your right to shape the state and country in which you live.

Go vote!

Screen capture from Chron.com

I am sure by now that everyone has heard of the supposed terrorist threats against seven NFL stadiums. Well, we can’t claim a winning record, but Reliant Stadium was one of seven stadiums reported to be on a list of sites where terrorists will set off “dirty” bombs.

The Department of Homeland Security is not giving much creedence to the threat for various reasons, but I know exactly why it isn’t a real threat. If you were going to cause some sort of mass terror, you’d want to do it against a team that can fill a stadium.

Oh man, I love airshows!!!! This weekend’s 22nd Annual Wings Over Houston (at Ellington Field) should be a good one with the USAF Thunderbirds as the main event (with a female pilot flying in formation for the first time). Also expect B-25, B1-B, P-51, helicopter and many many other fly-bys. Eardrum-blasting fun!!

There will be a Tora! Tora! WWII fighter plane re-enactment and various aerobatics shows – all of which are always a lot of fun, if not a bit breathtaking, to watch. Tickets are $15-$125 and you can buy them online here if you don’t feel standing in line.

Photo of B-17 prop thanks to happykatie (= me, heh)