Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Monday: Hit the Houston Boat show tonight at Reliant Center (8400 Kirby Dr.) to find the yacht of your dreams - or perhaps to find the man/woman of your dreams that can actually afford such nautical pleasures (did that sound dirty?). With tickets under......

Good morning, Houston. One thing about the holiday season: You hear Christmas music everywhere you go (and if you haven't been hearing it, just tune in to Sunny 99.1 — you'll catch up quickly). With that in mind, we were interested to check out ASCAP's list of the most-played holiday songs this year. It was released on Dec. 4, but by that time, the group reported that 1,562 different holiday songs had already been......

San Antonio rock band Girl in a Coma is set to play a show with The Cliks tomorrow night at Fitzgerald’s. The young band [pictured] has had a pretty charmed life thus far; legendary rocker Joan Jett signed the Girl(s) to her Blackheart Record Label, and the ladies have been tapped to go on tour early next year with their idol, Morrissey. It’s easy to see the reason for the band’s good fortunes. Lead singer......

Good morning, Houston. Time to flex your democratic muscle again: Early voting begins today for the Nov. 6 election. You can check out a map of early voting locations here and get more information on where and how to vote from the Harris County elections website — so now, you can't say you haven't been informed. See you at the polls! >> For some, a flood of bad news: If you're a property owner......

Mother Nature has been teasing us – toying with us even. Here it is, late October and nary a sweater touched, a wool sock adorned, a scarf wrapped. The hair is still frizzy and the a/c continues to crank. But, by golly, the optimist in us has gone into full-fledged autumn-mode: dining al fresco. Every year, about this time of year, Houstonist wills the weather to get cooler by changing our dining strategy to all-al-fresco-all-the-time.......

::Danielle Reich Trio at King Biscuit:: We saw this and we couldn't remember the last time we stopped by Height's area neighborhood pub & grub, King Biscuit. So we decided to swing back by tonight to see jazz artist, Danielle Reich. It's been too long. They probably miss us. Right? Riiiiiight. A regular at The Black Swan in the Omni Hotel, Danielle plays weekly with a trio at King Biscuit in The Heights. A veteran......

Houston's Heavy Hitter's Club will be premiering their first CD at Fitzgerald's, Saturday night -it will be on sale for $5, but, ONLY at this party! So, what is Houston's Heavy Hitter's Club? It is what happens when you ask 30 different rock musicians to come over, hang out and write some songs. Seriously, this was pulled off in three recording sessions - not a small task, even if you have people who are accustomed......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Monday: Strut your inner rock star at Guitar Hero Mondays at Fitzgerald's (2706 White Oak Dr.) where you can air guitar your way to everlasting glory. Just think of the pick up lines you'll have for the bar next weekend - chicks dig faux-musicians......

No, it's not a new adult film premiering at Aurora, its White Linen Night in the Heights, and it's back for it's 2nd coming. "Small town cool, in the center of the big city." This Saturday, Heights residents, and curious visitors from all across the city, descend upon one of Houston's fastest-growing art scenes for a celebration of culture and community. The annual event, now in its second year, focuses on art, galleries, retail, outdoor......

Here's a tip: If you ever fall into a life of crime, make sure you don't fall into a bayou when the cops catch up with you. It's a lesson one man probably should have learned before he jumped into White Oak Bayou downtown during a chase Wednesday. According to Harris County sheriff's deputies, the man was posing as a parking attendant in a parking lot on Travis Street near Franklin, collecting $5 from......

If you haven't been to one of the Houston Filmakers Organization's First Monday Mixers, we would suggest popping your cork tonight, in honor of filmmaker-turned-winery-owner Francis Ford Coppola. This Monday, the HFO will be exploring one of the greatest living directors in the making of his most daring project. Find out why Francis Ford Coppola was the ORIGINAL GUERRILLA FILMMAKER! The fine people from the STUDIO MOVIE GRILL will be on hand with a special......

You might not have heard of Olivewood Cemetery, a black graveyard founded in the 1870s on land where freed slaves were once buried. Olivewood is still with us today, at 1300 Court St. (behind the Grocers Supply warehouse at Studemont and Hicks), but it's largely overgrown and forgotten — though it won't be for long if two groups vying to become its caretaker have their way. The question now, though, is which group will win......

Houston Filmmakers Organization's First Monday Mixer Sure, Houston may not be the first town that comes to mind when one thinks of the film industry (aside from Jenna Jameson's appearance last month at Rich's---no, not that kind of film), but filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, James Brooks, and Houston native Mel House, have helped have helped put Houston on the map, er, screen. Every first Monday of the month, the Houston Filmmaker Organization gathers at......

When choosing a lunch option, Houstonist usually listens to our food cravings. However, the weather has been in fine form recently so we headed to the great outdoors….err, at least as al fresco as we could get in Houston. So off to Onion Creek Coffee House we went. Located on White Oak Drive between Heights Boulevard and Studewood, this neighborhood café offers some laid-back personality to fit in with the personable Heights neighborhood. If you’re......

Call us inspired by this week's arrival of the MET's French Masterpieces exhibit at the MFA, but this week we sought out some of the many art & theather events, performances, and exhibitions going on in the city. Hey, we're hip! Monday, Feb 5 MFA's Hitchock's Blondes Film Series: To Catch a Theif This film series complements the Alley Theatre´s production of Hitchcock Blonde (February 23—March 18), a cinematic mystery that combines theater and......

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. In a city that favors tearing down and rebuilding rather than refurbishing and reusing, the Houston Heights has always stood as a community with a lot of old school flavor. Though less than five miles from downtown, the Heights feels like its own little town (actually, the Heights was its own municipality until 1919).......

Via Off the Kuff, Christof at Intermodality offers an overview of information from Metro's Environmental Assessment of the proposed new intermodal terminal near North Main and Burnett on the north edge of downtown. We've been watching this unfold since early this year, and Christof points out some interesting things about what the finished product may be like. • The terminal won't be as busy as transfer hub as you might imagine. The north side BRT......

A man was arrested today after a six-hour standoff at a southwest Houston convenience store The average price of a gallon of gas in Houston dropped to $2.02 this week, marking the 11th straight week of price drops Ronald Williams, a 19-year-old cadet at A&M, claims he's been the victim of racial harassment from fellow cadets Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California called on the Justice Department to appeal the decision to overturn ex-Enron Chairman Ken......

Finally, cooler, drier weather! Luckily, there are several areas of town that we can enjoy some good drinks and food — all in walking distance. One is near the intersection of Studewood and White Oak in the Heights. Heights Sports & Social Lounge Just east of Studewood on the north side of White Oak Street, this bar has quietly catered to sports and cigar enthusiasts for years. With its humidor and array of TV’s, we......

TxDOT has dropped plans to build 30-foot-high elevated frontage roads along the Katy Freeway between Washington and T.C. Jester, a move apparently driven by concerns from nearby residents about noise, pollution and aesthetic harm the elevated roads could bring. The proposed new feeder roads were part of TxDOT's $40 million proposal to create continuous frontage roads between Washington Avenue and Taylor Street — there are now gaps between Taylor and Studemont, Yale and Patterson......

And the water keeps coming: The Chronicle is now reporting that as much as 10.5 inches of rain has fallen on parts of the Houston area today, and there's more on the way. Among the hardest-hit areas is the east side, where the Red Cross has opened shelters at Channelview High School and Denver Harbor Community Center (6402 Market St.) and is looking at opening others. Near Hobby Airport and Pasadena, 6 inches of rain......

So here's a Houston quiz: Do you know what and where Allen's Landing is? Houstonist wagers most Houstonians don't know what it is — or that, if they do, they've never been there. But the fact is, Allen's Landing is Houston's Plymouth Rock, the spot where those lovable real estate shysters Augustus and John Kirby Allen decided to build a town. Allen's Landing sits at the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak bayous, which form......

Air pollution levels at 11 spots in the Houston area are so high they can make residents sick, a study shows City Council has banned "curbstoning," the practice of selling cars on the side of the road without a dealer license Montgomery County officials are asking for the public's help as they try to determine whether a series of fires in The Woodlands are linked A drop in the number of tickets from HPD officers......

Though firefighters have been able to battle grass fires in North Texas and Oklahoma, continued dry, windy weather is putting more areas at risk Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has ties to Tom DeLay, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion In the Heights, a nude man walking around a strip-center parking lot was Tasered after beating up a police officer The Texans will begin interviewing candidates for head coach Wednesday Lines......