So, there are only a few days left (March 1st) before Google yanks Google Friend Connect from non-blogger hosted blogs.

So I'm Giving  bloglovin' a try

I'm a little late to this dance, but so far I'm lovin' it.

Pros:  Blogs can be categorized, you can use it to follow any blog, the dashboard is clean and super simple to use and view your favorite blogs, it automatically updates when a blogger posts new content so you don't miss out on anything, it's not connected to Google, Facebook, etc., and you can even set up your account to send you a daily email of the blogs you follow.

Cons:  You have to go to another site to view the blogs you follow.  But, remember you can have it emailed to you!

Here's What I'm Thinking

There are several non-blogger blogs I adore and follow through GCF. I DO NOT want to lose track of them after March 1st! 

So, I decided to add ALL the blogs I follow, even Blogger hosted because I'm totally living in fear that Google will take it away from us the in future too, to Bloglovin' (Linky Followers is totally another great option).  If miracle of miracles happens and the non-blogger blogs I follow still show up on my Google dashboard after March 1st, awesome.  If not, I've got them all set up somewhere else and am ready to roll without missing a beat.

PS I hate Google Reader. People work had on there graphics and templets and I wanna see them just not plain 'ol text! 

Of course you can still follow through a feed or sign up for an email subscription.  Those options can be found at the top right hand corner of my sidebar.

What are the neighbors saying about Big Rich Texas

Woodhaven Country Club Estates Homeowners Shocked By Style Network’s Big Rich Texas



Style Network’s absurd notion that Woodhaven Country Club in Fort Worth is the hotspot for Dallas socialites has Texans shaking their heads. But this morning I heard from a woman who lives in Woodhaven Country Club Estates and she said neighbors are laughing more than outsiders.

I read your story about the show Big Rich Texas. I don’t belong to the club but I’ve lived about a half mile from it for over 25 years. When the show came on I looked on the internet because I didn’t believe this was filmed down the street. I called my friend that is a member and she wasn’t watching the show so I told her to turn it on and she didn’t think they were talking about our Woodhaven either. When I convinced her we had a good long laugh. It’s not a bad place at all but even the people that belong there don’t think of it as a glamorous place. My friend said she’s going to get boa feathers and fancy shoes to sit by the pool.

Another reader, a Park Cities resident, said her parents belong to Woodhaven Country Club and while it’s a comfortable place for them to visit with friends in their neighborhood, they could not imagine why anyone from Dallas would travel for the facilities.

Anyway, if you liked the banquet hall where the episode 1 fight went down, the venue is open to non-member events like weddings.



Read more: Woodhaven Country Club Estates Homeowners Shocked By Style Network’s Big Rich Texas | Park Cities People http://www.parkcitiespeople.com/2011/07/20/woodhaven-country-club-estates-homeowners-shocked-by-style-networks-big-rich-texas/#ixzz1mehzUbPA

What! Not reality Tv?

Big Rich Texas



The style network is bringing Big Rich Texas back for season two!
And people, let's keep in mind as we watch this Season, that this is NOT a reality show. Style calls BRT a "docu-drama". I call it a soap opera where people use their real names but are not totally playing themselves...

From Wikipedia:
"In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction.
Contrary to docufiction, which basically is documentary, filmed in real time, “reality” in docudrama is filmed at a time ulterior to the events it portrays. It is based on narrative and fiction. Docudrama producers sometimes use as location for a realistic setting (fiction) a natural stage - see stage (theater) -, the place itself where the dramatised events are supposed to have occurred: it may mean a false documentary or journalistic narrative, like The War of the Worlds (radio drama), by Orson Wells."


The drama is bigger and so is the cast – with the addition of a NEW cast member!  Party planner, DeAynni, and her two teenage daughters, Shaye & Amber join the country club set and needless to say, not all the ladies are thrilled with her arrival and they are not afraid to show it. This season, the conflict between Pam and Leslie continues as Pam follows through on her mission to expose Leslie as a fraud, leaving Leslie’s relationships with best friend Bon and goddaughter Kalyn in jeopardy.

As Pam reigns at the top of Dallas’ social ladder, Leslie is more determined than ever to take revenge and destroy Pam once and for all. The drama doesn’t stop at the mothers…both Grace and Maddie are desperate for their independence and will do anything to get it, even if it means they have to lie and sneak around in the process. Whitney and Tyler return from Seattle after a painful breakup, and jealousy turns ugly when Tyler openly flirts with other girls, sending Whitney into a fury that has major consequences.




Big Rich Texas was the network’s second most-watched new series ever after Tia & Tamera, and ranked as one of 2011’s fastest growing new series across all cable networks, increasing +74% from premiere to finale among Total Viewers.

The email read:

I'm trying to track down lavish, high-profile families in the South for a new reality series, which is a mix between "The Real Housewives" and "Dallas."  I am casting nationwide for a successful, high-end family for a new Reality Series for a Major Cable Network. 

We are looking for charismatic, high-profile and elite families who live lavish lifestyles, have outspoken personalities, and who employ housing staff such as: nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, ranch hands, pool men, drivers, personal assistants, massage therapists, personal trainers and dog walkers, etc.  This fun Docu-Series (NOTE: this means it is NOT reality TV) will chronicle their fabulous lives and give the viewers a peak into how the "other half" lives.

Cast of Dallas

A Major Cable Network and Emmy award-winning producers are looking for dynamic, outgoing, high-profile and elite families with housing staff and lots of personality!!

• Do you live on an equestrian horse or bull ranch, a sprawling estate, historic or plantation home, or in a beautiful mansion?
• Does your busy lifestyle require you to have nannies, maids, gardeners, drivers, assistants, or ranch hands?
• Are you and your family full of personality? Would America want to watch a show about you?!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY!

To submit, please email: chamutoff@asylument.com with:

~ Photos
~ Names
~ Ages and number of children in your family
~ City you live in
~ Contact numbers and e-mail
~ A paragraph about what makes you and your family charismatic, fun and original!!!

Of course, you realize the problem with a casting call like this, is that no one who really fits this bill would be gauche enough to actually participate in a show like this. After all, it's not like they need the money! Unless they just want to piss their family off or have an ego the size of Texas. Which is possible...

Who do I know that fits the mold? 

What Valentines Candy Hearts should say

Tomorrow is the day to post something sweet... BUT you know me let's bond over what I think Valentines candy hearts really should say...

Watch here

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xvr68CUBGzc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Napkin Notes

Texas shoe debut

It's about time Texas is know for something other than boots!

In a trend-obsessed fashion industry, high-quality craftsmanship can be overshadowed by mass production. Luckily, Texas-based designer Angela Scott makes her shoes the old-fashioned way: Each shapely boot and offbeat heel in her eponymous debut line is cut, hammered and sewn by a single cobbler, without an assembly line in sight. Inspired by her furniture-maker grandfather, Scott's shoes combine masculine silhouettes with edgy, feminine twists (think cherry-colored oxfords, high-heeled saddle shoes and burgundy lace-up boots). We love the Miss Wright ($695), a coral oxford with a durable, leather-stacked heel; the Miss Louis ($575), a rugged, shearling bootie; and the Mrs. Smith ($575), a straightforward pump with wool-and-brushed-patent-leather details. The bench-made shoes are more practical than some saucy, sky-high counterparts, but their ingenuity (brogue ornamentation, serrated details and comfy cork insoles) makes them far more appealing--not to mention easy to walk in. You won't find Scott's shoes everywhere--currently they're only sold on her e-boutique (which officially launches February 3) and at a handful of independent merchants--but she prefers the authenticity and quality of small production. And with a new pair of kicks that are built to last a lifetime, so do we.

miss real letter? Me to!

Remember a time when you used the mail for more than just holiday cards and wedding RSVPs? So do we...vaguely. Here to bring back the lost art of letter writing is literary blog The Rumpus, which has just launched a very cool epistolary service: For $5, subscribers are mailed three or four real letters a month, each from a famous author, poet, comedian or otherwise notable person. The Rumpus--which is helmed by Adderall Diaries memoirist Stephen Elliott--is no stranger to the by-mail subscription. Last year the site launched a book club ($25 a month), whereby readers receive advance copies of forthcoming titles and convene online for intelligent discussions. The new letter-writing endeavor is less by the rules. While the first missive came from Elliott himself and was traditional in its form and structure, future letters could be anything from stories to poems to cartoons. Indeed, forthcoming contributors include memoirist Nick Flynn, novelist Janet Fitch, funny-woman Margaret Cho, artist Wendy MacNaughton and all-around creative guy Dave Eggers. Plus, while each letter is photocopied and sent to all subscribers, most will include a return address--meaning you can (and are encouraged to) write back and strike up a conversation, should the spirit move you.