what it looks like around these parts

Last week, while I was braving below-freezing temperatures in Utah, Houston was having unseasonably warm weather -- so warm, in fact, the plants were fooled into thinking it was springtime again.  Last night, the weather dipped back to near-freezing temps, but yesterday was cool and crisp.

I went for a walk, and since it was such a perfect day and I had my camera with me, I decided on a whim to try to make one of those time capsules that Xanthe is so good at.   This is my first real attempt, but since video is something I said I'd like to try to do a bit more of, I figured what the heck.

Here's what my walk yesterday looked like.  For those of you who are snowed in where you are, maybe this will give you a bit of hope that spring isn't as far away as you think.

Actually, watching this video reminds me:  recently, I caught a glimpse of an online discussion about Texas, where one person was saying that she wouldn't be caught dead living in this state.  While I must admit that there are certain aspects of the state I've been known to complain about, the truth is that Houston is a pretty awesome place to live, and far more cosmopolitan that most of the rest of the country gives it credit for.  In fact, Forbes has been singing Houston's praises for a few years now (most recently topping its list of coolest cities to live in America), but honestly, it's this truly stellar Texas Monthly article that I think most accurately captures what's awesome about Houston: 

"Then there’s our sheer cultural heft. More than two million people avail themselves yearly of ballet, Broadway shows, opera, plays, and symphonic music at the nine arts venues downtown. Taken together, the seventeen-square-block theater district has more concentrated seating for arts events than any place besides Broadway. Seven million people a year stroll through Houston’s nineteen museum district attractions; last year the Houston Museum of Natural Science almost doubled in size with a 115,000-square-foot expansion that includes the gobsmacking, Smithsonian-level Morian Hall of Paleontology. And need I mention NASA, or that 'Houston' was the first word spoken on the moon?"

For those of you who remain skeptical, it's definitely worth a look.  It's an article I'll keep close at hand, so that in July, when I'm withering under the diabolical heat and humidity, I'll be reminded there's a lot of Houston awesome to be grateful for.

(And if you'd like some more fun stuff to read, over at Style United I'm sharing my top 10 secrets to inner beauty, and on Babble I'm talking about celebrating Valentine's Day a whole new way.  Because here's to finding joy, no matter where in the world we are.)

Song:  Love on top by Beyoncé -- a native Houstonian, by the way.