THE FLU DOESN’T CARE

What’s a little known fact about you?

I own a velvet Elvis.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

Getting caught stealing Hot Wheels cars when I was a kid. I got caught red-handed and, to be honest, never did it again.

What would your career be if you could do it all over again without consequences? Small business owner — record store.

What makes you laugh out loud? Reading bad jokes and bears riding on bicycles.

What’s your most treasured possession? My record collection.

If you could only eat at one neighborhood restaurant for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Tony’s — it simply rules the (Italian) planet. What brings a smile to your face every time? When the house lights drop and a killer band takes the stage and just destroys us, the audience.

What item in your closet is most humiliating? Velvet unicorn paintings that were given to me as a birthday present.

What are some jobs you’ve held in the past? Camera store clerk, photographer assistant, library assistant.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“I’m just a happy kid, stuck with the heart of an old punk,” from Nada Surf’s “Happy Kid” on the “Let Go” album. Kinda fits my feeling of age these days.

What are you afraid of,rationally or irrationally?

Snakes, big or small, and yes, I know my fear is childish. I also really don’t like unicorns. If you could import the brain of any person, living or dead, into your own noggin, whose would it be? Elvis Presley.

Who is your hero and why?

Timothy Hutton. Back in 1981 he was in a movie called “A Long Way Home”, where he played a guy abandoned by his parents as a kid and his adult struggle to find his missing brother and sister.

Do you have any benign confessions to make?

I’m not on trial here, so no.

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“We cannot be held hostage by threats from students that if they cannot wear the clothes they want at school dances, then they will go make bad decisions at their own parties. Pandering to students like this is partially why they are such poor hires once they leave the high school and college. We are here to help them grow up, so let’s do that. Guess what, kids, part of being an adult is having to do some things you do not really want to do.”

—PHILLIP BURKE ON “HOMECOMING ATTIRE: AN UPDATE”

MEDIA KEY: WHERE TO FIND US ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

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Question Of The Month

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PUMPKIN DESSERT?

The pumpkin spice cake at Highlands Café is yummy, and they only have it this time of year!

—KRISTA COUCH CURNUTT

My wife makes an excellent pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling, but then she also adds some cranberry filling. It’s definitely appropriate for the season. —NATHAN VAUGHN

Pumpkin and spice oatmeal crisp!

—MEREDITH STEGALL

My mom made this wonderful pumpkin cheesecake pie. She would put pecan halves on the top and drizzle it with caramel ... simply scrumptious! —ANNETTE BOARDMAN

Pumpkin flan! —LEAANA DAVIS

Pumpkin milk or Doghead Fish Punkin Ale! —JADA HARDI

Marbled pumpkin and chocolate cheesecake. Time intensive but yummy! —ELIZABETH ARDANOWSKI

Pumpkin crème brulee. —TERRY CASNER

Most Popular Lake

HIGHLANDS BLOG POSTS:

1. BURGER SPOT CLOSED? Search: mural art // 2. RESTAURANT TALK: WHERE NOT TO EAT Search: inspection // 3. HOMECOMING ATTIRE AND THE UNFAIR AFFAIR Search: Tinkerbell // 4. LHHS TEACHER WRITES ABOUT BANISHING THE HATE MONSTER Search: vitriolic // 5. NEW LH FITNESS BUSINESS PROMISES ‘BETTER RESULTS’ Search: CrossFit

WEB EDITOR CHRISTY ROBINSON compiles the On Advocatemag.com section. If you have suggestions for this section or our website contact her at 214.635.2120 or crobinson@advocatemag.com.

Patient Quote Of The Month:

“Dr. Slate is a very skilled dentist. She provides high quality dentistry with an honest and caring spirit.”

You Are Not Alone

I’ve only read the first paragraph of your “Opening Remarks” column [October Advocate], but had to immediately stop and email you to say “Thanks!” You’ve given me the warm fuzzies by letting me know that I am not alone. At least once each day, I wonder how any member of my family could nonchalantly walk away from the overflowing garbage bins with lids that will no longer close. Thanks to you, I can now look at the situation and laugh, which is really good for my mental health.

—JANICE

BLOOM ALL WET?

Loved the article in the magazine (“Dallas’ Drinking Problem”, October Advocate). But your recent post on the blog (Wet/dry election: one month to go”, Advocate Back Talk blog Oct. 4) seems to lead people to think that a liquor store (Spec’s) will be opening in their neighborhood soon. If the retail issue of the wet/dry election passes, Spec’s would only be allowed to sell beer and wine, not liquor. The vote is for modified wet only, and Spec’s business model may not be possible without liquor sales, especially when they would be competing in the beer/wine market with every 7-11, grocery store and gas station in any community they would enter — keeping profits low on these sales. Big profits are inhard liquor. Thanks for your great writing.

—AMY SEVERSON

You needn’t have gone so far in answering your question, “Did Dallasites make moonshine?”

During Prohibition, a man named Mills planted lots of pecan trees on his property in Lake Highlands. At the southeast corner of Lanshire and Audelia, and northward, these trees gave cover to the stills he had there. The more quiet farm neighbors referred to him as a “gangster”. Quite a few of the pecan trees remain.

(From Marilynn McKnight, a history of Lake Highlands done by a Girl Scout troop in 1976 as a Bicentennial Project.)

—CHARLESMCKNIGHT

Lamenting The Loss Of Burger Spot

A lot of business is required to make a restaurant profitable. If we want to have eating options inLH, it’s going to be hard for the “little guys” and mom-and-pop restaurants to make it unless the patrons really come out on a regular basis. It’s location, location, location, and not enough people visit, much less frequent, the Tom Thumb/El Fenix shopping center where the Burger Spot is located.

We lease the space next to Burger Spot (LH Media Center) and are baffled by its demise. We watched people going and coming every day in a steady stream, families on the weekends and business people at lunch. All the fixings were in place for success. And in regard to location, we researched a long time before opening in Plaza Skillman and are thrilled with our decision (although disappointed about losing the Burger Spot traffic). We are surrounded by successful businesses, and are seeing new clients every day. We are looking forward to a long run here, and hope to get a restaurant back up and running next door soon.

—CINDY

LH’S NEWFITNESSSTUDIO

Don’t want to be a downer here — I love small business owners and people willing to take a risk and give something a shot (“New LH fitness business promises ‘better results’ ”, Advocate Back Talk blog Oct. 4). But I believe the limited hours of operation could be an issue. There’s a reason why LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, etc. are open seemingly all the time: people are busier than ever and need the convenience of time options. This is especially true in a family-centered area like LH in which most people have children.

We have alreadymodified our class times to meet need. My partners, myself and my wife have full-time jobs. Mark and I coach our kids’ soccer teams, baseball teams we are passionate about CrossFit and fitness and simply want to help our Lake Highlands neighbors achieve the best fitness possible I appreciate the statements questioning the business model, but does it always have to be about money and business? This is not a money-making deal for us. It is about doing something we love and helping people out.

—CHRIS

It’s hard to ignore such a positive attitude. Good luck with your gym. Attitude and passion is a huge factor in a successful business.

—ISC, VIA

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