You lived in Wallis? That is amazing. My grandparents had a place in Valley Lodge and I spent an awful lot of time out there when I was a kid. What in the hell were you doing there? The only thing I remember was a feed store there on the main road.

Did you look at the complex on Newcastle and Pin Oak? I don't know anything about it but it looks pretty nice just driving by. A number of years ago a cousin of mine lived in the complex on the other side of Westpark along Wild Indigo. And you know what, it was OK. It may look a little down at the heels and maybe it is but I don't remember any problems and the apartments themselves were pretty roomy as I recall. And an uncle lived in a perfectly nice complex on Wesleyan just south of Westpark. I don't know why the hell I'm telling you this since you found a place in Sugarland. What does your parrot do when you go to work? Does she know that you've left and just chill out or does she fret until you get home? Or do you know?

I don't think there's anything racist about wanting to live in a safe, nice place. You don't see me living on Chimney Rock and Westpark, do you? But since we're talking about it and since you brought up taquerias I will give all of you a free dining tip from good old chuck. The supermarket just south of the corner in question, Teloloapan - while worth going to simply as a supermarket/source of general weirdness - has a BAD ASS taco counter. If your idea of Mexican food does not encompass Escalante's or Pappasito's (or even if it does) (especially if it does) do yourself a favor and stop by this place and get yourself a plate of tacos. These people do not joke around, no sir. When you're in the area, after, say, a gang initiation ritual or a trip to Sam's Club over on Rice Ave (I think a trip to Sam's Club would be more terrifying than a gang initiation) make a point of visiting and let me know what you think.

You want to stay as far away from the Hilcroft/Westpark/Chimney Rock area as you can these days. That is, unless you're looking for a hooker, crack cocaine, beaten for all your money, or a slug of lead in your head (or maybe all of the above). Our office is in that area and I feel like I need to pack a pistol just to safely walk from our parking garage to the office building.

I lived in Wallis because my first job was in Bellville and there were no apartments available in Sealy or Bellville when I graduated. I ate a lot of Wolf's chili and Dinty Moore stew out of the can back then because it was all I could afford.

Turning back to the present, I seriously considered the Marquis at Pin Oak in Houston because I could then walk to work which would negate some of the rental cost ($900+) but what ultimately stopped me were the all-wood floors and the knowledge there was nothing open except on the top floor. The floor plan would have worked for Angel but I don't know if uncarpeted apartments would lead to too much foot noise.

Angel has abandonment anxiety, just like a lot of pets and small children. After a few minutes of knowing her protests won't work, she pipes down and generally waits for me to come home. My niece left one of her one-year-old twins with me for about 20 minutes today while she went to the store and the kid was crying and carrying on for about two minutes until he realized Mommy was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. Then he decided that Angel, along with Sesame Street in Yiddish, were interesting enough that he didn't miss Mommy much.

Pop, thanks for the vote of confidence. I don't know if I worry too much about crime or if I'm showing common sense. Since I'm a single guy with one vehicle, I just really hate the thought of coming back to my vehicle and seeing it stripped or missing.

And the tolerance for property crime continues to escalate. In Britain, homeowners are now told to take down chicken wire around their windows because the thieves were getting injured trying to break in. That's their government telling them this. I think a society has successfully deteriorated beyond saving when government cares more about the welfare of the crooks than they do the honest citizens.

Sesame Street in Yiddish? That's a curveball I never saw coming.

My wife and I lived off West Belford just inside the Loop in a sub-division named Glenshire in the Late 80s before moving to Clear Lake. It was starting to get a little marginal way back then, but these days wow ! I saw on last nights news some guy got beat to death with a baseball bat in the parking lot of a bar @ Belford & the 610 Loop. I haven't touched a gun since being in the service (long time ago), but I'd have one in the house if I was still in that neighborhood. Keep your head on a swivel over there Bob.

It's Bellfort, and West Bellfort does not intersect the loop. The crime you mention happened at West Bellfort and 59 which is quite different from, say, Stella Link and 610.

Thanks Chuck, I definitely got the Loop & 59 confused, but meant 59 as we did live on West Bellfort just inside 59 back in the day.

Sad that this is the only active thread while we're this close to the draft.

Lockout blues or just tired of seeing the Texans whiff on their opportunities?

For me, both. I'm pissed about the lockout and ambivalent about the team and the team hasn't had a decent draft in the Rick Smith era. Turns out Sly was right about that all along I guess.

Both for me, plus no one is responding to the any post in the draft area.

I forgot about Sly. What a breath of fresh air he was. :rolleyes:

Made my final trip to Austin to close out the apartment and, for old times sake, drove 36 from Brenham to Wallis. The drive from Brenham to Bellville is still very nice and I did not see any sign of the old radio station where I worked in 1979.

Between Bellville and Sealy was all road construction and from Sealy to Wallis appeared almost unchanged since then.

I used to take FM 1093 into Houston and it was a nice quiet drive until you got to Hwy 6 and it became Westheimer but now that is all houses all the way out to Fulshear. Not surprising since 99 didn't exist back then nor did the Westpark Tollway which starts way out there to service folks south of Katy.