Like many, my New Year’s resolution every January is to recommit to exercising regularly. Throughout the year, my dedication tends to fluctuate. But this past year, I ran into an acquaintance who shared that he had been walking daily and felt better overall. I tried it, too. I started walking six miles daily around the neighborhood. I too felt good. Until my knee started giving me pain. Arthritis, my doctor determined. Arthritis?! I said. Isn’t that an old-people problem?! Well, he said…. Turns out I qualify. It was around that same time that we were photographing the inspirational neighbors featured in this issue. These incredibly fit senior citizens –each of whom are a decade or two older than me – stay active through a variety of ways, including boxing, swimming, biking, yoga, and Pilates. I’m currently taking a break from my daily walks due to my knee, but maybe these impressive neighbors are just the motivation I need to try something new. michael@thebuzzmagazines.com
BELLAIRE
Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940
Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com
Editor-in-Chief Joni Hoffman
Publisher Michael Hoffman
Editor Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld
Editorial Assistant Caroline Siegfried Design Manager John Duboise
Staff Writers Tracy L. Barnett
Sharon Albert Brier
Cindy Burnett
Andria Frankfort Dilling
Angie Frederickson
Todd Freed
Cindy Gabriel
Cathy Gordon
Michelle Groogan
Dai Huynh
Cheryl Laird
Annie Blaylock McQueen
Jennifer Oakley
Pooja Salhotra
Cheryl Ursin
Contributing Writer Ben Portnoy
Account Managers Andrea Blitzer
Leslie Little Jo Rogers
On our cover: Mickey Rosenau, 92, stays active, including workouts at Pledge to Fitness. First thing every morning, he does several iterations of a forearm plank. Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com
The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2023 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.
I was thrilled to see some of our dearest friends, the Mir family, featured in the November magazine! The article titled A Multi-Cultural Thanksgiving [by Andria Frankfort Dilling] spotlighted a celebration of the family traditions and cuisine from their Afghan and Pakistani roots. They are the most generous, lovely family and, over the years, I have personally enjoyed getting to know their culture and food. I have been lucky enough to enjoy some of the amazing dishes featured in the article prepared by Seema Mir and her lovely mother, Amena Loynab. I can attest that they are delicious, and I am so glad the recipes were included so everyone can enjoy them.
I adored seeing my friend and neighbor included in the magazine! Thank you for helping us all learn a bit more about other cultural and family traditions during this special holiday season.
Alicia McIntoshAt a culturally-sensitive time when recognized differences can sometimes tend to be construed negatively, A Multi-Cultural Thanksgiving proves that it is the differences in our community that truly bring us all together. We have received so much love (and requests for more recipes and dinner parties) from our West University, Braes Heights, and Bellaire neighbors after the article published. This Thanksgiving, as we circle the table and share our thanks, The Buzz and its lovely group of writers, photographers, and editors is certainly on my list.
I am incredibly grateful for the beautifully written and photographed piece that perfectly captured the cornucopia of traditions, cultures, spices, and characters that make our family’s Thanksgiving unique.
Seema MirI always look forward to [the Burkharts’] Christmas tractor tradition [The Pull of Tractors: Van Burkhart shares his fascination by Cheryl Ursin, Dec. 2022]! It’s not Christmas without driving through Tanglewood and seeing it.
Vickie DriscollLoved your article, Becky [Luman, featured in our December 2022 Travel Buzz column: A Virgin Island Thanksgiving]! You may have lured another tourist to the area, who typically finds vacations of “just beach” in a resort too boring…. As this is now one more place for my bucket list! Did not accompany my spouse to a wedding at the “Bitter End Yacht” Resort, because it was too remote for a far along pregnant woman already considered “at high risk,” and don’t really care much for sunburn, sandflies, or admiring boats in marinas, which I thought was all one did in BVI.
Exploring some of the nature parks, trails, and snorkeling in unspoilt
environments sounds wonderful, especially if it is safe, and one has conveniences of the “first world” close-by.
Alexia Benavides
This is the whitest magazine I have seen. It’s even the blondest magazine. I think you need a subhead that says “The Magazine for White Privilege.” I live in College Court, and we have a wonderfully diverse bunch of people living here, both in terms of color and nationality, living in million-dollar-plus homes and driving BMWs. Why have they not appeared in your magazine? Please start including all of West U. This is the 21st century.
Linda Day
Editor’s note: Thank you for your feedback. We agree it’s important to be inclusive, and we aim to feature neighborhood residents from diverse backgrounds throughout our four magazines (West University, Bellaire, Memorial, and Tanglewood/River Oaks). We encourage our readers to reach out with story ideas spotlighting interesting neighbors and a variety of human-interest topics.
Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.
We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who:
• Know a buzzworthy neighbor to feature.
• Have a milestone life event to share.
• Have a favorite family recipe tradition.
• Have a unique passion or hobby.
• Have a compelling travel tale.
If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.
by Cindy Burnett, staff writer
Looking back at 2022, it was a banner year for books, and I read as many as I could. For this piece, I narrowed down my favorites across three categories. These novels resonated with me the most.
Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown – This book is a beautiful reflection on “found” family. Three sets of parents are tied together through the biological siblings that they adopt. In an effort to ensure that the siblings remain close, the parents create their own “family” for these kids, sharing Sunday dinners and celebrating holidays together.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Carrie Soto is one of those characters that takes a little while to warm up to, but once I did, I was rooting for her 100 percent. She is on a mission to remain the best tennis player in the world and won’t let anything get in her way. However, over time she begins to realize what her single-minded focus has cost her.
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz – Written in a unique format across 12 job-counseling sessions, this book is a quick but very compelling read. It is the just the right combination of humor, family drama, and a strong setting.
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley – When an incident on the London train makes Iona realize that she wants to learn more about her fellow riders, she begins to develop relationships with them as she commutes, inserting herself into their issues and helping solve their problems. Infused with heart and humor, this book demonstrates the importance of community and the ability of relationships to change people's lives.
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith – Following a public breakdown brought on by the sudden death of her mother, indie musician Greta James agrees to accompany her father on a cruise to Alaska. This stellar novel is a story about repairing relationships, finding your joy, and living life to the fullest.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys – This historical thriller is set during Romania’s 1989
revolution and the ousting of its charismatic but brutal leader, Nicolae Ceausescu. Sepetys vividly depicts life there during this time period, a period many will be unfamiliar with, and how one man managed to fool the world for far too long.
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay – Written in epistolary format and set in the 1960s, this stunning book tracks the friendship between two women, Imogen and Joan, as they get to know each other through letters.
The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman – Sara Glikman, a Jewish matchmaker ahead of her time in the early 20th century, begins matchmaking when she is 10. When she dies, she leaves her journals to her granddaughter Abby, a lonely divorce attorney who reads the journals and realizes she needs to make some changes. I highly recommend this delightful, feel-good book.
The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Davila Cardinal – Set in Puerto Rico, this book follows Isla Larsen Sanchez as she comes to terms with a strange family gift she inherits after her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. The novel is unique, lyrically written, and hard to put down.
The White Girl by Tony Birch – The White Girl is set in the 1960s fictional Australian town of Deane and focuses on Odette Brown and her fairskinned granddaughter Sissy. Birch vividly describes what it was like to live as an Aboriginal person then and the countless hardships they endured while also weaving in a tale of family and the lengths people will go to in order to protect each other.
All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers and Alex Kiester – A journalist returns home to Indiana and becomes focused on an unsolved murder from her childhood following the present-day disappearance of another young girl. The more she digs, the more she realizes that something is amiss. The chapters are short, and the story is fast-paced and incredibly engaging.
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna
Raybourn – Four women who have been employed by the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for many decades find themselves being targeted by someone within their company due to the work they have done for the organization over the years. The book effectively combines humor, reflections on what it means to age, and a clever mystery.
The Local by Joey Hartstone – The Local follows attorney James Euchre who serves as local counsel to the patent attorneys who file hundreds of cases a year in Marshall, Texas. When Amir Zawar, one of his patent clients, ends up charged with the murder of the local judge, the client demands that Euchre defend him. This unique and fast-paced legal thriller kept me on the edge of my seat.
Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr – After reporter Jules Roth talks her way into a job with Chicago’s preeminent investigative reporter, he assigns her to a top-secret story, locating “Woman on Fire,” a very valuable painting stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The novel contains fabulous twists and turns combined with a stellar plot and an intriguing cast of characters.
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister – As the book opens, Jen witnesses her 18-year-old son Todd murdering a complete stranger in the middle of the night right in front of their house. The following morning, Jen wakes up and finds herself not on the morning after the crime, but the morning before it happened. Wrong Place Wrong Time is an intelligent and compulsive read that kept me turning the pages through all sorts of twists and turns.
This year is set to bring us many fabulous reads, too. Happy New Year and happy reading!
Editor’s note: See more from Cindy Burnett in our Buzz Reads column and online at thebuzzmagazines.com.
by Ben Portnoy, contributing writer
There are a lot of things a person my age (78) remembers that have gone away with time and technology. Younger people have no idea what a slide rule is, and I would guess that they are only remotely aware of rotary dial telephones, manual typewriters, domeshaped hair dryers, or washing machines with wringer rollers attached. Some may even think a floppy disc is a type of spinal disease.
What is on my mind now is the fountain pen. My brother Joe was cleaning out his desk and came across an Esterbrook pen, the kind we all used in high school. He sent it to me with a bottle of black ink as a birthday gift. The truth is, I had the identical pen, but mine had a crack in the cap, and the one he sent is in perfect shape.
I filled the pen with the black ink by pulling and releasing the lever on the barrel that squeezes the ink bladder inside. I put pen to paper, and what a pleasure it was to glide the nib across a notepad and see the meaningless words I scribbled. I wrote Joe a thank-you note with the pen, and the address on the envelope looked fine. There is something about script written with a fountain pen that smacks of elegance. I almost used a return address sticker, but I stopped and wrote that with the pen.
We do not write much anymore. School kids are barely taught cursive writing. If we have something to write, it is usually typed on a computer or smartphone. A message may be an email or, faster yet, a text message. Who would write a handwritten letter on such outdated material as paper? At restaurants, when the check comes, the waiter better provide you with a pen. Nobody carries a pen any longer. In many restaurants, the check comes on an iPad. Just tap it and you are done. Writing by hand is certainly a thing of the past just like soda fountains.
I used a fountain pen for most of my career as a doctor. I enjoyed carefully recording my notes with a favorite pen, but now at least a dozen unused fountain pens are stored in a box in my desk. Electronic records have replaced handwritten notes in doctor’s offices and hospitals. And that ended my romance with handwritten notes
created with a fountain pen.
What about ballpoint pens? Oh, they get the job done, but they have no class. You can buy them cheaply or acquire them with advertising on the barrel from all sorts of businesses. I have a sack with over 100 unused ballpoints, but I have no use for them, and the ink in them has likely dried up. With a ballpoint pen, you do not have to earn the right to use them. You just remove a little cap that inevitably gets lost or click a button, and you are ready to write.
With a fountain pen, you must be committed and plan ahead. You decide whether to use blue or black ink, and then you must search for a store that sells ink. To fill the pen, you must dip the point in a bottle of ink unless you are using one that takes, heaven forbid, disposable ink cartridges. Once filled, you wipe the tip with something, hopefully a disposable tissue. Does any ink stain your desk or drip onto your clothes? Maybe. Did any ink get smeared on your fingers as you were writing? Probably, but the ink stain on your fingers is a mark of distinc-
tion in my mind. It shows how committed you are to writing. Of course, you may run out of ink during the day, and then you have to resort to a ballpoint pen.
I have a doctor friend who still writes with a fountain pen. He is likely the last doctor in the United States who still writes by hand with such a pen. When he retires, there will be no more fountain pen using doctors. That makes me sad, but he is a bit younger than me and unlikely to retire anytime soon. Small consolation.
In case you wondered, this story was typed on a computer. That certainly tells you something. I guess I will consider this story a sort of tombstone memorializing the wonderful fountain pen and me.
Editor’s note: Retired physician Dr. Ben Portnoy contributed to two recent features with Buzz writer Cindy Gabriel, Bow Ties: Retired doc still keeps old ties, May 2022 and A Simple Act of Kindness: A baseball story that’s about more than baseball, June 2022. See thebuzzmagazines.com.
by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer
It wasn’t a typical morning. I must have been no more than four years old, standing in the yard, holding my mother’s hand, while Dad started the car. It did not explode, so we got inside. I had no way of comprehending that Dad was taking on local organized crime in his own 26-year-old way, resulting in threats on his life.
From there, I assume we resumed our normal day. I would be delivered into the care of Mamie, my great-grandmother, so Mama and Daddy could go to the family-owned newspaper, The Fort Bend Reporter. “I want to go to work with you!” I screamed inside my head, where I did most of my talking.
If allowing your kids to get bored is a good thing, I’m the poster child. Mamie, the one always home, winced when she walked. Her confinement was my confinement, inside a small white A-frame house she shared with Ikey, my great-grandfather and Aunt Jessie, Mamie’s sister, who both worked at the newspaper.
I couldn’t go into the yard. But I could go into her bedroom to fetch things, like her big round magnifying glass for reading the newspaper, then her Bible. Mamie just seemed to be making it through the day, bracing herself on furniture that barely fit into the house, as if it had once been in a larger place.
I knew there was a world out there, where my parents were, where Mamie’s furniture once was, beyond the sound of the train whistle. I also knew there were other children like me, but I didn’t know any. I didn’t find out until first grade that I was one of the few who didn’t attend something called kindergarten. It cost money, so I didn’t go.
But sometimes things would actually come to me, like the Sears Roebuck Catalog, sent to every house in town, at the end of August. I was handed Mamie’s catalog and a pair of scissors and told to cut out the people for paper dolls. It was like putting a world into my lap. I got to cut out adults who got to do anything they wanted.
While I was deep in paper doll world, every day at noon, the fire station siren let us know that it was time for lunch, or dinner as it was called at Mamie’s house, an actual event. Every morning around 10, Joyce, the family cook, would slip in
the back screen door and start the noon meal for the day. It was a varied feast of some roasted, fried, or baked main dish with plenty of vegetables, potatoes, and biscuits. Nothing came from a box.
Joyce looked pretty in her white uniform, with an apron that showed off her small waist. Her tall dark silhouette was topped by a French twist, though I doubt she called it that. Only her white nurse-looking shoes looked scuffed and worn down. Joyce walked everywhere she went. Actually, so did Ikey. He never learned to drive. Rosenberg was a rightsized town for that.
That noon siren was my signal to set the table with the sterling silver from the box next to the long dining table that barely fit inside the kitchen. To this day, I cannot automatically tell my left from my right. I need to look at a ring on my hand, to prompt me. Joyce put the napkins on the left so I would know where to put the forks, then the knives and spoons on the other side. There were six settings, for me, Mamie, Ikey, Aunt Jessie, my mom and dad.
I, of course, was most excited to see my mom, though she kept her game face on so I wouldn’t cling and beg to go with her. It was Aunt Jessie who really saw me.
For the most part, the conversation wasn’t meant for me, unless I was told to eat a vegetable or to stop putting a half-inch of sugar in my tea. I didn’t mind.
It gave me time to notice Joyce slipping a
plate of food through the back screen door, when her husband Jake, arrived with a smile. “Come on in, Jake,” my father would say. Even at four, I realized Jake would refuse. He stayed on those back doorsteps, sopping up every last bit with his biscuit. Joyce ate near us, at a new invention called a TV tray, ready to jump up for anyone who wanted more.
Like Mamie and her bad foot, Joyce and Jake were getting through the day in their own way. People kept their places, like forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right. Four-year-olds see more than you think.
Next month: Here Comes Aunt Jessie – the series continues.
Iremember the first time I saw a person jogging down the street for exercise. I was a child (this was about 50 years ago) and happened to be with my grandmother at the time. “What is that man doing?!” she said in dismay.
Although there have always been athletes, of course, there was a time when people, like my grandmother, considered physical exertion to be something you avoided, particularly as you became older.
Then the fitness boom of the ’70s came along. The word “aerobics” was coined in 1968, Jazzercise was invented in 1969, Richard Simmons opened his original exercise studio in 1974, Jim Fixx wrote The Complete Book of Running in 1977, and Jane Fonda came out with her workout videos in 1982. Meanwhile, medical researchers continued to study the effects of exercise on human health.
Now we know unequivocally that physical activity is good for us, including when we get older. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says on its website, “Being physically active is one of the most important actions that people of all ages can take to improve their health.”
Not that we exercise as much as we should. According to the CDC, less than a quarter of all American adults meet its “Physical Activity Guidelines.”
The results can be striking when we do, however.
Cyvia Wolff, 87, works out four times a week at The Houstonian Club with trainers, Bob Talamini, with whom Cyvia has been working for almost 30 years, and Gracen Gailey, who works with her on Pilates. Cyvia also makes sure to walk two miles a day. Usually she walks around her neighborhood, but if she can’t get outside, “I’ll walk around the house in circles,” she says. “My friends think I’m crazy.”
Cyvia makes a point of climbing up and down the two flights of stairs in her house nine times twice a day, “no matter how late I come home,” she says. For those doing the math, that’s up and down 36 flights of stairs every day. Vivacious Cyvia says the time flies as she climbs because she is usually on the phone.
On a recent trip to London, where she was the oldest traveler in her group, Cyvia was also the only one to use the stairs at the hotel. Her room was on the eighth floor. (Easy-peasy for someone used to 36.)
At least, she was the only one at first. “Everyone was telling me to come use the elevator, but eventually they all started taking the stairs, too,” she says proudly. When traveling, Cyvia carries her own luggage, always takes the stairs and never the escalator at the airport, and the only reason she can’t get her bag into the overhead bin on a plane herself is that “I’m too short.”
day at an LA Fitness pool. The Covid shutdown didn’t stop her. She swam her daily mile and a quarter in her neighbors’ pool.
Rosenau and Ellen Gritz also love to travel and find that their dedication to physical fitness makes their trips more enjoyable. They have always been active. In fact, they first met, in 1975, on a singles canoeing trip. They were active scuba divers for over 40 years – Ellen introduced Mickey to the sport – and have completed 1,200 dives each. Mickey, who turns 92 this month, only quit scuba diving about six years ago, at age 86, when he decided he might find himself in a dangerous situation if he couldn’t handle the currents.
These days, Mickey works out twice a week with trainer Andres Loperena, owner and founder of Pledge to Fitness in Bellaire. Most other days, he works out on a treadmill at home, purchased during the Covid shutdown. And to keep an old back injury in check, first thing every morning, he gets down on the floor and does several iterations of a forearm plank – holding himself up on his forearms in a push-up position – for 30 seconds each.
Ellen, 78, swims a mile and a quarter every
Ellen has also done a daily yoga routine for the last 12 years. Although she now does this routine at home, she originally learned it from M.T. Mazzarella, who taught yoga classes for employees at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Ellen was professor and chair of the department of behavioral science.
M.T. herself (M.T. stands for Maria Theresia) still teaches two yoga classes a day at age 83. She thinks physical activity can be so much more than what we usually envision when we think of exercise. “It’s not push this body part here and shove that body part there while wearing ear buds in a honky-tonk place,” she says. “It’s being aware of your body, which is a huge difference.”
Others also point out that, though physical strength and endurance are important, the benefits of physical activity go beyond those. Mickey Rosenau points out that going to a gym or an exercise class regularly becomes a source of social interaction.
Note to gym owners: He
also points out that playing loud music at a gym wreaks havoc with people’s hearing aids. Also, he and Ellen are not impressed by the music – Mickey calls it that “loud, obnoxious, supposed music” that plays on an endless loop in many gyms. “I’d beg for a gym that played classical music,” says Ellen.
Maureen Beck, a gerontological nurse practitioner with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and co-director of the UT Physicians Center for Healthy Aging, says, “We know that physical activity helps your brain because of better circulation, and it releases endorphins which helps mood. Improving your balance can help reduce the risk of falls, while core and leg strength can help you respond if you do start to fall.”
She points out that recent developments have made physical activity more accessible. For instance, apps on our phones can track our steps and our heart rates. Even Covid has a silver lining: Many gyms, exercise studios, and trainers continue to offer online classes for exercising at home.
Perhaps there’s no clearer evidence of the benefits of physical exercise than the discovery of its benefits for people with Parkinson’s dis-
ease. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, “a mix of high-intensity aerobics and balance, strengthening and stretching exercises” can delay or sometimes even prevent or reverse symptoms of this incurable disease.
Ragna Case, 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about five years ago.
“One of the first things the neurologist says, after giving you that diagnosis, telling you that it’s degenerative and that there is no cure, that they have some medications that mitigate symptoms for a while, is that exercise will do that too,” says Ragna. “Whether or not you were interested in exercise before, you get interested.”
Ragna started with Rock Steady, a boxing class for people with Parkinson’s, taught at Legends Boxing here in Houston. (Rock Steady is an international program and Legends trainers have undergone specialized training in order to teach it.) “A one-hour boxing class goes by very, very fast,” says Ragna. “I love that. You are totally engaged, mind and body.” Rock Steady participants get a cognitive workout as well, listening as the trainers call out a series of numbers, each one a different kind of punch or evasive move, while putting that sequence into action at their punching bags. A group cheer at the end of class
helps participants exercise vocally to combat the tendency for Parkinson’s to affect a person’s ability to speak loudly enough to be heard.
According to Rock Steady Boxing, a noncontact boxing workout is rigorous, works on gross-motor movement as well as hand-eye coordination, and helps with posture, gait, flexibility, and range of motion. Other exercise programs for people with Parkinson’s involve activities including dance, swimming, yoga, and tai chi. The Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS) offers a number of such classes.
Ragna was doing so well in Rock Steady that she moved to a regular boxing class because she wanted something more intense. Some of her classmates there are in their 20s and say they wish their mothers and grandmothers boxed like Ragna.
“I really feel it when they compare me to their grandmoms, not that they’re wrong exactly,” she jokes.
Incidentally, Ragna, who has two children and two grandchildren, ages 12 and 16, arranged to have a private boxing class for her whole family. It was a big hit, pardon the pun.
Before her diagnosis, Ragna was like many of us when it came to exer-
cise. “I took classes at the Y and worked with a personal trainer for a while, but if anything came up on my calendar, I’d put it off,” she says, “but now exercise is my priority.”
All told, Ragna exercises 2 ½ hours per day five days a week. She does her one-hour boxing class three days a week and an aerobics class at her local Y the other two. She also
walks three miles every day and stretches for 30 minutes every morning. Aside from the slight tremor in her right hand that led her to the neurologist in the first place, her disease has not progressed in five years. “You wouldn’t know I have it,” she says.
Ragna says the Rock Steady class offers other important benefits. “There was the camaraderie of the group. We were all dealing with the same
issues and could talk to each other, ‘Here’s what worked for me,’ “I recommend this doctor,’” she says. “And it gives you, as a person with this disease, a lot of hope. It’s important to have something you can do.”
Perhaps the best advice for becoming physically active comes from Mickey Rosenau: “Enjoy it,” he says. There
are nearly endless ways of being physically active to choose from and almost all of them can be modified as needed.
You don’t have to do exercise you don’t like to be fit. As M.T., who does not like running, put it with a laugh, “I do not run, but I can run
if I have to.”
Maureen Beck of the Center for Healthy Aging advises talking to your healthcare provider before starting. Health conditions you have might affect what form of exercise you choose to do. She also advises to start slow and
to start where you are. Someone might exercise while seated, using a pedal exerciser for legs or light weights for arms, for example.
When it comes to aging, Cyvia Wolff says, “Don’t stop living. Get out and be with people of all ages. You’ve got to keep moving.”
by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer
Happy New Year! We are betting there’s a lot of no-drinking, Whole 30-ing virtuousness about to happen in response to last month’s free-for-all. At least we would like to think we are not alone.
We would also like to think there is a way to be clean-living without going completely dark on flavor. To prove our point, we went through some past January recipes on “Back Porch Table,” the weekly online cooking column at thebuzzmagazines.com. And we found some very yummy options that will fit right in with our new workout routine.
Not only is this salad beautiful, but it’s easy to put together and super delicious. It uses seasonal citrus – a big grapefruit and a juicy orange – in concert with creamy avocado and crunchy fennel and walnuts. Light but substantial, rich even, thanks to the avocado and walnuts. A friend described it as refreshing.
1 grapefruit, supremed*
1 orange, supremed* (sumo citrus is super juicy and works great here)
½ avocado, chopped
½ bulb fennel
½ small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or instead of the balsamic vinegar, use Texas Hill Country Olive Co.’s Mandarin Balsamic)
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head butter lettuce
¼ cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Place the grapefruit, orange segments, and the avocado in a small bowl. Toss gently with your hands, just to coat the avocado in the citrus juice.
Cut the fronds (green stalks) off the fennel bulb and save them for a garnish. Cut the fennel bulb in half and set one half aside for another use. Cut the core out of the fennel and chop. Add the chopped fennel to the bowl of fruit and avocado.
To make the dressing, put the shallots in a
small bowl, and pour the apple cider vinegar over. Let this sit for about 10 minutes to mellow the shallots. Then, whisk in the balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Pour the dressing over the fruit, avocado, and fennel, and toss gently with your hands.
Arrange lettuce leaves on two plates. Spoon the dressed citrus-avocado mixture on top. Season with a little more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and a few chopped fennel fronds (just the feathery parts, not the stalks).
*To supreme citrus, trim the ends off the fruit. Stand it up on one end, then cut the peel and pith off in segments, cutting in a curve close to the contour of the fruit. Cut the segments out by slicing between them and the membranes to release the fruit. Place the segments in a bowl and squeeze the membranes over to collect the juice.
This soup is simple and healthy, and it commands cravings. This is an adaptation of Hetty McKinnon’s recipe for Food & Wine; we omit noodles and add chicken meatballs spiked with cilantro. Ginger, turmeric, and a light broth make this a feel-good, comfy, craveable soup.
It is worth pulling out your food processor to make the Ginger Turmeric Curry Paste. And, you will have leftovers, which means you can make a second batch of soup for next week, which you will want.
For the Ginger and Turmeric Curry Paste
2 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 medium shallots, roughly sliced
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
2 serrano chiles, stems removed, roughly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons coconut oil
For the Chicken Meatballs
1 pound ground chicken breast ¼ cup minced cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, roughly chopped
Garnish
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Make the ginger and turmeric curry paste: Combine garlic, shallots, ginger, chiles, lime juice, cumin, turmeric, and coriander in a blender or food processor, and pulse until ingredients are finely chopped. Add the coconut oil and pulse until the ingredients form a smooth paste. Keep any unused paste in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 7 days, or freeze in an airtight container.
Make the chicken meatballs: In a small bowl using your hands, gently mix the chicken, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Form golf ball-sized meatballs (you will have about 10), and set aside in the bowl.
Make the soup: Heat a deep, high-sided skillet over medium-high and drizzle with olive oil. Add ½ cup Ginger and Turmeric Curry Paste. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in vegetable stock and coconut milk. Gently drop the chicken meatballs into the soup, and simmer about 20 minutes. Season broth with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the Swiss chard. To serve, top with scallions and cilantro, and squeeze a little lime over top.
Virtue does not preclude satisfaction in this restaurant-worthy dinner. Fresh herbs make a hummus that is unexpectedly bright and flavorful, and you will want to have lemon-tahini sauce in the fridge at all times, ready for carrots or cucumbers or whatever other raw veggies you are snacking on. This is the kind of dinner that makes January resolutions doable.
1 ½ pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions 1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Edamame Herb Hummus (recipe below)
Lemon-Tahini Sauce (recipe below) 1 chopped scallion, green part only
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Heat an iron skillet (or another oven-proof skillet) over medium-high heat. Rinse the salmon and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the olive oil over and under the salmon, and season generously with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon: Place the salmon skin side up in the skillet, and let it cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Flip so that the skin side is down, and let cook for another 2 minutes. Place the salmon in the skillet in the oven, and let it cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let the salmon rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the Edamame Herb Hummus between 4 bowls or plates. Top with a piece of salmon. Drizzle the salmon and the hummus with the Lemon-Tahini Sauce. Sprinkle chopped mint, dill, parsley, and scallions over the top.
Edamame Herb Hummus
½ pound frozen, shelled edamame
¼ cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small clove of garlic, chopped ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until the hummus is smooth.
Lemon-Tahini Sauce ¼ cup tahini ¼ cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
Using a fork, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
Spaghetti Squash (or Spaghetti) with Meat Sauce, Italian Sausage, and Ricotta
If it’s chilly outside and you are craving something super warm, Spaghetti Squash (or Spaghetti) with Meat Sauce, Italian Sausage, and Ricotta will do the trick. The meat sauce is very simple: some ground beef and sausage with a doctored-up jar of marinara. What makes it special is the big pieces of Italian sausage (hot or sweet, however you like it) that add both flavor and heft. Not much to do, and not many ingredients. The ricotta is the creamy addition that might seem odd but really just adds another special element to a simple dish. If you’re someone who might say, “Ugh – why would you ruin a good meat sauce with veggies?” don’t even think about it, and use whatever pasta you like.
1 pound lean ground beef
2 links Italian sausage (hot or sweet), cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 24-ounce jar marinara (use your favorite; we like Rao’s)
½ cup basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1 spaghetti squash (if you prefer traditional
spaghetti, use it) ½ cup ricotta
Brown the meat and sausage in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. To do this, add the meat to the pot and break it up with a wooden spoon. Then add the sausage. Let everything cook for about 5 minutes without touching it. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, stir, and let it sit again. Do this until the meat browns in spots. Scoop any excess fat out of the pot with a ladle, tilting the pot to make it easier.
Turn the heat to low, add the onion and garlic, and season with another ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook another 7 minutes or so, until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Pour the marinara into the pot, then fill the jar halfway with water, and add that. Tear the ½ cup basil over the pot and add it, then stir. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour.
To cook the spaghetti squash, first cut it in half, lengthwise: Place the squash on a kitchen towel to stabilize it, then slice it from the stem to the bottom. The squash is hard to cut, so cut through one side to the middle, then the other. With both hands, pull the two halves apart. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Place the squash cut-side down in a glass baking dish and fill with about ¾ of an inch of water. Microwave on high for 20 minutes. When it is done, you will be able to poke a fork easily into the skin of the squash. Transfer the squash halves to the kitchen towel (again, to stabilize), and scrape the strands out of each side with a fork. Place the “spaghetti” in a colander set over a bowl to drain. You can press down gently on the squash to remove extra water.
Serve the spaghetti squash topped with meat sauce and a dollop of ricotta. Garnish with basil leaves.
It’s in his DNA, he figures. The man is built for moving.
Even as a kid, Joe Sexton, now 80, was a perpetual motion machine, forsaking rides on a bumpy school bus to, instead, race the lumbering yellow tank the two and a half miles to his Austin home. Okay, he didn’t leap over hedges or fences. But the visual is reminiscent of the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where Ferris sprints to beat his parents home after an epic day of playing hooky.
“It was fun,” says Joe, who completed his homework during free period in junior high, so he’d be hands-free for the run. But that’s where the comparison to Ferris ends, for Joe was a conscientious student, not a skipper of school.
“I wasn’t totally hands-free. I ran with my clarinet case,” he explains. “At 5 o’clock I’d take off when the busses were loading up, and I’d get home pretty much about the time the bus would’ve gotten me there.”
Clarinets are somewhat light, unlike saxophones, trombones, and, well, a tuba, he acknowledges. “But I probably would’ve made better time with a piccolo.”
That’s Joe, say those who know him. He doesn’t lollygag. He doesn’t know what it is to be left behind. You’ll never wait on Joe. In his eighth decade of life, he’s still going strong with the momentum and verve of some men half his age.
These days, he’s one of a core group of Houston cyclists known as the West U Crew, a fun, safety-conscious, cohesive bunch of guys from a myriad of professions – doctors, lawyers, cardiologists, engineers, anesthesiologists, you name it – who saddle up every Tuesday and Thursday evening for a 25-mile ride, then on weekends for longer excursions (60-70 miles on Saturday, 40-50 on Sunday), gobbling up urban scenery in large, meaty chunks.
Joe, “by far the oldest” of the cyclists, he says, is a mentor to fellow riders who marvel at his passion and athletic ability. He plans their routes, dispersing the information digitally for download on cyclists’ bike computers. They meet in his driveway to start their weeknight
rides and convene at Sunset and Kirby for the weekend routes.
Sometimes he checks out the routes beforehand in his little white smart car, checking for construction and other hazards, such as too much traffic.
“Joe is as strong or stronger than a lot of the riders. He’s 20 years plus older than me, but when we go for long stretches at a high pace, he can keep up and I struggle,” says allergist Anthony Weido, 59, a neighbor and fellow West U Crew cyclist. “He’s a super gentle and relaxed guy. He never gets hot-headed. I’ve never known him to curse in anger at something that happens on the road, like a car getting too close.”
WONDER ON WHEELS Joe Sexton doesn’t sit still much. The 80-year-old is the oldest cyclist (“by far,” he says) in the West U Crew, a group that takes in the urban scenery of Houston and surrounding areas several days a week from the saddle of their bikes. The retired engineer plans their routes.
But he can whip out a sharp, dry sense of humor, playfully jabbing at fellow cyclists.
“He loves to tell the guys who have a little bit of belly that they’re fat. And he doesn’t say it just once. He will say it every ride,” Anthony says, laughing. “Or, if we go get beer and tacos after a ride, he will say, ‘Maybe just get one taco. Because you’re fat.’ I’m the one telling him to keep his mouth shut because it just makes them mad and wanting to ride harder and I can’t keep up. It’s like, ‘Hey Joe! Don’t poke the bear!’”
Biking wasn’t always Joe’s main mode of exercise and entertainment. That kid who raced the bus maintained his love of running through adulthood, partaking in all sorts of competitions, a myriad of triathlons and marathons in Houston, Dallas, and Boston. Yes, the 1983 Boston Marathon, where he clocked in at 3:09. Running was his thing. Until it wasn’t.
Life comes with hard knocks and his knee took a big hit. “It was a pickup football game in college,” he explains. “A guy hit me. I was blocking for somebody, and he dove into me and took my knee out. There’s quite a history to that injury and I had several procedures before I got a replacement.”
That knee replacement in 2007 came with a caveat from the doctor: You can continue to run but you will cut the lifetime of that knee in half. Not what Joe wanted to hear. But he understood the vicissitudes of life and rolled with it. “I’m a realist.”
And roll with it, he has, taking in the urban glory of the nation’s fourth largest city from the seat of his bike.
Tuesdays, the group heads south to Braeswood, east toward MacGregor Park, then north toward Interstate 45 to downtown, out Allen Parkway through River Oaks, then north on Weslayan to home. Thursdays take a different route, a bit longer.
The Saturday and Sunday rides depend on the wind. With southeast winds, they head toward Manvel. If it’s west, sometimes toward the San Jacinto Monument, or Baytown or
toward NASA. Northeast finds them spinning toward Lake Houston. North means toward Cypress, northwest towards Bear Creek Park and beyond. Southwest and they’re heading to Sugar Land.
“We go out against the wind and come back with the wind,” Joe explains. “It’s fun.”
“Anyone can see that Joe is having a good time,” says civil litigation lawyer Paul Elliott, 58, also with the West U Crew. “He’s such a gifted athlete, an unbelievable athlete to not only cycle at this age, but to do so at a very high level. He’s faster than I am, which I’m embarrassed to admit, but it’s true. He’s just super strong and has the ability to go long distances at fast speeds for a long time.”
He seems to have a photographic mind of all the roads in Houston, adds Paul. “Houston isn’t the best cycling city in the world and can be a bit hazardous when you’re trying to figure out routes. Joe is the guy who knows the roads.”
Joe has a theory about that. Growing up in Austin, his dad owned a mattress factory and rug cleaning company. His father knew Austin like the back of his hand, before the days of Google and GPS navigation. Joe, who helped with the rug cleaning, learned from the best during pickups and deliveries, mapping out routes in his head.
His dad, he says, was super short. “He used to joke that he wore the seat of his pants out when he stepped off curbs.” Joe penned a poem about him for his funeral, regaling a father who doted on his children, playing with them in nearly every sport, always patient and kind. A man who never rode a bike.
Indeed, Joe has that covered.
He brings up a particular ride he did solo years ago on a custom bike, built to perfection. It was a doozy, he says, a beauty in orange. He pedaled it all the way to northeast Tennessee to visit his wife Waynel’s sister, using a Subway gift card for meals along the way. Fourteen days, 1400 miles, wheels spinning 100 miles per day.
“He planned meticulously for that trip,” says Waynel, who has learned to not get stressed over his bike excursions. “I’m so used to it now, I had to release the nervousness, because he was going to do it, no matter what.”
There were a couple of glitches during that trip. Day four hit a snag. High water on the Mississippi River prevented a ferry from docking. So, no ferry to take him across. He convinced a kind person at the bed and breakfast where he stayed to get him across via bridge. From there, he ventured from Louisiana up toward Natchez, Mississippi, his destination for that day.
And he hadn’t planned for passage through a two-mile stretch of tunnel at Cumberland Gap that courses through mountains between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Bikers and tunnels don’t mix.
Lucky for him, there are transportation employees to take pedestrians and bikers
through by truck. “I went to the entrance and this truck whips around. He throws my bike in the back and we’re in business.”
“He’s very childlike in his exuberance,” says cyclist Kevin Malone, 49, a cybersecurity consultant. “He just has this excitement for cycling. It’s motivational to all the guys. He has great endurance and is always in good spirits. A good guy to ride with.
“There’s a saying in cycling. It’s not a matter of if you’re going to crash, but when,” he adds.
“Most everybody has had some level of accident, including Joe.”
Yes, acknowledges Joe. There’s that.
The West U Crew was formed after breaking off from larger biking groups where too many accidents were occurring. Too many aggressive riders. “You don’t want to be in those situations,” says Joe, who, like most avid cyclists, has had his share of incidents.
He’s broken his arm in (continued on
two cycling accidents. And he had his hip replaced after falling when his tire lodged in a crack during a nighttime outing, causing him to lose control of the bike. In 2014, cycling home after a group ride, he was struck by a car on Bissonnet. “I had a lot of injuries with that one. Broken bones, surgeries,” he says, lifting his pant leg to reveal a large indentation that required a skin graft.
“I think probably that’s the best thing about Joe,” says his wife. “He doesn’t get dissuaded, and he is very persistent about recovery. That’s a great lesson to me.”
He was back in the saddle immediately once the doctor gave the green light after his hip replacement, say his friends.
“He doesn’t let things stop him,” says Waynel, an educator. The two met at the University of Texas where she was majoring in English, with a minor in math. Joe was working toward his master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was her math tutor. “She was real cute,” he says.
Joe, she suspects, pursued his master’s as an excuse to enjoy intramural sports. “He never finished his master’s degree but had a lot of hours toward it. I’m convinced he used graduate school to just play handball, racquetball, golf, all the intramurals he did,” she quips.
They married in 1969 after she graduated. He was 25, she was 21. It’s been a fun, supportive marriage, each pursuing their passions. He had a lifelong career as an electrical engineer at Texas Instruments. Waynel worked for the Houston Independent School District (HISD) for decades as an instructor and administrator, teaching in the Third Ward. She was HISD Teacher of the Year in 1989. She taught three years at The Rice School and was an assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center where she created staff development materials for teachers around the state to help them teach children to read.
The couple do not have children. “Or, we had 25 a year,” says Joe of Waynel’s students who frequently visited their home.
The couple reflects on their ex-pat assignment with Texas Instruments living in the South of France from 1989-1990. Joe biked with mountains and the Mediterranean Sea as scenery, like cycling through a painting. “Hardship duty,” he deadpans.
He also traveled to see the Tour de France several times, meeting up with cycling friends to watch participants in the men’s multi-stage bicycle race. “We would bike to an area and watch them. We would go ahead of them and watch them go by. And then we would ride and do some of the climbs that they were going to do.”
“As a cyclist, Joe is just amazing,” says restaurant owner Kopi Vogiatzis, 52, who has ridden plenty with the West U Crew. He recently took a break to pursue mountain biking. “He just cycles in such a strong way. He’s the example of age not defining your movement. I’m an active guy, but I look at Joe and think there’s still a lot
to do, a lot of boxes to check. He’s got a spirit of adventure that looms large.”
True, says Waynel, who sees this in her husband daily. “He doesn’t just talk, he does.”
Years ago, Joe took master swimming classes to improve his technique and time in triathlons. At the urging of a friend, he’s now a Little League umpire, working with children in Cypress and Sugar Land. He once read a book called Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain and signed up for classes by the author’s son in California. He came home with a self-portrait, among other drawings.
“If you want to do something, just do it,” says
Joe, whose favorite thing to do, of course, is on two wheels.
He reflects again on that solo Tennessee trip, and the trusty orange custom bike that carried him 1400 miles. At the trip’s end, he flew home, shipping his bike back. It made it as far as Texas, but never made it home.
“I kept track of it, and it was traced to Stafford,” he says. So, he went to the UPS distribution center there hoping to find it. “Poof. They didn’t know where it was. It was gone.
“It’s in somebody’s garage,” Joe says, with a pfft. “That’s what I think.”
Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones. Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 8.
With a new year here (hello, 2023), it’s a good time to clear out the nolonger-needed baby and kid gear. This month, we decided to compile a list of places that will take gently used baby and kid items for families in need (there are too many in Houston to list them all, but we hope this will be a helpful start).
Buzz mom-of-two Brandi Stanton calls herself a “minimalist” when it comes to keeping items. She has inspired many in her community by connecting parents with places in need of donations.
Brandi’s understanding of parents’ needs started when she became a mom. She and her husband Michael have two boys, ages 5 and 6. After their second child was born, Brandi says they felt their family was complete and, therefore, it was time to purge all the baby items she had so desperately needed in those early days. “Soon enough I had piles upon piles of things we no longer needed, but that was far from being trash,” said Brandi. So, she began to look for ways to pass it on. She scoured the Internet and came up with a list of Houston organizations. Not all places will accept larger baby items such as strollers, so it is handy to know where to take them.
Brandi has organized initiatives such as babygear drives and Facebook campaigns to help connect local parents and newly arrived refugees with ways to donate unused kid stuff. First, she recommends offering items to your child’s teachers at school, daycare, and Mother’s Day Out. “Teachers love being able to add new toys, books, and crafts to their rooms,” said Brandi. Cleaning out the gear can also be a great way to teach your child about giving back to others. “My kids are developing their servants’ hearts as well,” said Brandi. Their family has adjusted to a living room full of pending donations from families that she collects. She says when a parent has items to donate but does not know where to take them, she offers to take them herself.
“I know she is working for others when bags
and boxes begin to fill the entryway and the dining room,” said Michael.
Some Houston organizations that accept baby and kid donations include:
REUSE AND RECYCLE Mom-of-two Brandi Stanton helps families in need by collecting gently used baby gear from friends and neighbors to donate to local charities. Pictured are her sons Samuel and Benjamin in 2017.
The Source thesource.org 8153 Long Point Rd., 713-637-4141
The Source is a full-service women’s health clinic. It has two Houston locations, one in Spring Branch and one in the Medical Center. The Spring Branch location accepts items for babies and kids through age 5. Additionally, parents seeking pregnancy and parenting care and education through The Source are eligible to shop at the Baby Boutique. The Source accepts clothes, books, toys, feeding items, baby carriers, and other smaller items in great condition. Typical drop-off times are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call to ask if they have space to take bigger items.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Bellaire Resale Shop
svdphouston.org 5236 Cedar St., 713-669-9410
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides assistance to individuals in the local community who are in need. Drive-through donations can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Donate gently used baby clothing, books, and toys. Cribs, strollers, playpens are not accepted.
The Gabriel Project saintcecilia.org/gabriel-project 911 Bunker Hill Rd., 713-225-5826
The Gabriel Project, through St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, helps pregnant women with emotional support, guidance, transportation, housing, financial aid, medical care, and baby necessities. They accept good, used-condition items for
babies through age 6 months including clothes, bibs, bottles, feeding supplies, formula, pack-nplays, small toys, diapers, and breast pumps.
Memorial Assistance Ministries (MAM) Resale Store mam-resale.myshopify.com 1625 Blalock Rd., 713-491-4330
MAM provides programs and stability to underserved families and accepts new and gently used items for families in need. They do not accept baby cribs. Donations are accepted Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Oak Forest Foster Closet oakforestfostercloset.org 1216 Bethlehem St.
A nonprofit ministry of Sojourn Oak Forest Church, this organization provides needed items to foster, kinship, and adoptive families. Families are invited to shop in the closet for items they need. Items specifically needed are listed in their Facebook group or you can post your items in the group, and families can claim the items directly from you. This is a great way to pass along bigger items such as cribs, rocking chairs, high chairs, or play yards.
Foster Village Houston fostervillagehouston.org
Foster Village Houston’s Resource Center is located in Old Katy. Similar to Oak Forest Foster Closet, Foster Village Houston uses its Facebook group to allow people to give items in great condition to foster families.
Editor’s note: Know of other ways to donate baby gear? Comment on this story at thebuzzmagazines.com or email info@thebuzzmagazines.com.
Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.
ADeath in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino (mystery/thriller) – This tightly-crafted and atmospheric tale is set in the central Tokyo district of Nihonbashi and stars inspector Kyoichiro Kaga, a former teacher who has begun a second career as a homicide detective. As the book opens, a man has stayed alive long enough to drag himself to the famous Nihonbashi Bridge, where he then dies at the foot of the statues of mythological kirin that decorate it. Kaga is one of the officers assigned to the crime and finds himself at odds with his superiors when he believes that they have the wrong man in custody for the crime. Chock full of twists and turns, A Death in Tokyo is both a solid police procedural as well as a fascinating glimpse into Japanese culture and society in the 21st century.
Exiles by Jane Harper (mystery/thriller) –Jane Harper returns with her third book in the Aaron Falk series following The Dry and Force of Nature Exiles can easily be read as a standalone, and readers will not feel lost in the story if they have not read the first two. With her signature style and evocative writing, Harper brings South Australia wine country to life when Aaron Falk arrives to serve as godfather to his closest friend’s baby son. While there for the christening, Falk, who is a federal investigator, finds himself drawn into both the case of a woman who went missing a year ago during the town’s annual wine festival, abandoning her child in the parking lot, and a years-old unsolved murder. As he works to solve both cases, Falk also begins to re-evaluate his own life choices. Harper is my favorite mystery writer, and Exiles’ compelling story and vividly drawn setting permanently cement her first-place position for me.
Foster by Claire Keegan (fiction) – This brief book (it is only 92 pages) packs a big punch. Foster examines the importance of connection and community in a lonely child’s life. A young girl who is starved for affection spends the summer with her childless aunt and uncle and gains an understanding of what a caring household
looks like compared to her regular existence with parents who don't provide any kind of stability and are not suited for parenting. Foster was published in the United Kingdom in 2010, but was just recently published in its entirety in the United States. Foster is both heartbreaking and uplifting, and is the perfect example of why the importance of community and close relationships is a theme that is really resonating with me.
Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks (historical fiction) – Alice Young accidentally stumbles across New Jessup, Alabama in 1957 after fleeing her hometown. New Jessup is an all-Black town created by individuals who want no part of integration and believe that Black people will fare better by remaining together and rejecting desegregation. There are no “whites only” signs, no restrictions where Blacks may go, and no white people living there at all. In New Jessup, Alice begins a relationship with Raymond, an organizer whose activities could lead to their removal from their town. As turmoil grows within New Jessup as well as in the rest of the country, Alice must contend with balancing work and homelife, her search for her missing sister, and how to protect her daughter from the world at large. This glimpse into a less well-known aspect of history with which I was completely unfamiliar was both fascinating and compelling.
The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck (historical fiction) – Employed by the Swiss Red Cross, nurse Rösli Näf runs the colony of Château de la Hille, a dilapidated castle in Southern France, serving as the caretaker to over 100
refugee children who have fled the Nazis. When the Nazis invade that area of France, the children are once again in peril – especially the older ones, who once they reach 18 face deportation and ultimately death. Rösli and volunteer Anne-Marie Piguet come to realize that the only way to save the teenagers is to ferry them out of France through Nazi-occupied territory. Using a mixture of real and fictional characters, Beck chronicles the trials and tribulations the women faced as they worked to smuggle the teens out of France to safety in neighboring countries. The Winter Orphans brings to life the courage and bravery of everyday people during World War II.
Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the Thoughts from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston literary event series Conversations from the Page, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.
Dr. Vikram Jayanty and his wife Terry have traveled widely, but two countries in particular have called them back time and again: India, where Vikram’s family is from, and Italy, since Terry’s grandparents are from Sicily. When their six children (including a set of triplets!) were small, they made it a point to take them traveling to learn about their heritage, once driving all the way from Milan in the north to Sicily, where they met Terry’s greataunt. And now that the kids are grown, they keep going back.
This September, it was their love of good wine, good friends, and fine cuisine – and their membership in a group called the Knights of the Vine – that returned them to a city they’d been years before with their children, but never really got their fill of it: Turin, or Torino, in Italian.
Having been “knighted” by the group after the initiation of passing a simple taste test, the couple joined this merry fraternity, which has roots going back to the 13th century. And so when they heard through the Knights of the Vine that there would be a tour of Turin and the nearby wine country, the Jayantys were in.
Turin was Italy’s first capital, before it was moved to Rome, and the grandeur of its architecture shows it. The city has an ancient history, founded by Julius Caesar in 38 BC as Taurinorum. Its strategic location in the piedmont of the Alps has made it a desirable location for millennia, serving as the capital of the Duchy of Savoy and then Sardinia before finally becoming the capital of the new unified Kingdom of Italy under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1861.
All that history makes for a fascinating culture, not to mention some fabulous architecture, food, and drink. Vikram spent a year helping with the preparations, together with his friend and fellow physician, Dr. Pasquale Pingitore, to create an itinerary of the best the region had to offer. Pasquale, who formerly practiced family medicine in Houston, is also a Knight of the Vine, having risen to the ranks of international emissary and commander of San Francisco Bay, where he now lives.
A TASTE OF TURIN Vikram, left, and Terry Jayanty, right, enjoying a bicerin, a specialty drink that has three distinct layers – espresso, chocolate, and cream – and is served with a biscotti. Turin is known as the European capital of chocolate.
So for nine days in late September and early October, Vikram and Terry, together with Pingitore and his wife Linda, and two more friends, Lise and Vincent Ciolino, set off for Turin. Terry grew up much more familiar with southern Italy because of her Sicilian roots, and is enchanted with the regional differences in the North: the food, the dialect, the styles. In particular, she likes Turin’s special blend.
“It’s a very low key, very provincial, very Italian, very sophisticated, very welcoming, easy city to travel around,” said Terry. “There are a lot of beautiful palaces. There’s amazing museums. The food is exceptional. It just has a great vibe.”
Like other Northern Italians, Torinos are fastpaced, observed Terry.
“They always seem to be in a hurry, walking around wherever they need to go. But they take their time – from men to women, to young people to old people – to take pride in what they call the bella figura, which is to present yourself in a sophisticated manner when you leave your house. That’s Milan. That’s Rome. That’s Torino.”
Often referred to as the “Detroit of Italy,”
Turin is the home of Fiat and Lavazza, and has been an industrial and technological leader since its early days. But a big part of its charm is its location in the rural Piedmont, where The Alps rise in the distance. The fresh, high-quality produce inspires the region’s rich and varied cuisine, as does its proximity to France and Switzerland. Among the Piedmont region’s restaurants are at least 46 that have earned Michelin stars of excellence.
One of the region’s most unique offerings is the white truffle, which grows in abundance around the town of Alba and is found almost nowhere else. So part of the group’s time would be spent there. But first, they would enjoy the very best of Turin.
They stayed at the historic Turin Palace Hotel and enjoyed a guided walking tour of the city, with its grand piazzas, Baroque architecture, and nearly 10 miles of its legendary arcades. Two kilometers of the arcades were built by King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy from the royal palace to the Piazza Vittorio Veneto, so that the royalty could walk to the Po River without get-
ting wet when it rained.
Also impressive are the city’s imposing 16thcentury Palazzo Real – the royal palace that has stood as a symbol of power for centuries – and the first Italian Parliament building, which now houses the Museum of the Risorgimento, the movement that led to the unification of Italy.
Vikram enjoyed the grandeur of Porta Nuova, the circa 1864 Turin Train Station, which he compared to New York’s Grand Central Station. But perhaps the most impressive attraction for both was the Egyptian Museum – better curated and displayed than the one in Cairo, according to Vikram and Terry.
The museum houses one of the largest and oldest collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world. Dating back to the 1750s, it was founded by King Emmanuel III, who funded the expedition of Italian archaeologist Vitaliano Donati. Donati returned with 300 artifacts from Karnak, and since then, the collection has grown to more than 30,000 pieces, representing all periods of Egyptian civilization.
“There are an incredible number of sarcopha-
gi – all the mummies, beautiful jewelry,” said Vikram.
From the moment one enters the building, flanked by two imposing lion-headed Sekhmet goddesses, on up through the four floors of the museum, the exhibits just get better and better, he said. “You go on these escalators, and along the escalators on the wall, the Nile is painted. So you go from the upper cataract, which is the lower part of Egypt, to the middle and lower cataract, where it joins the Mediterranean Sea. So the design is absolutely beautiful.”
Terry recommended leaving plenty of time to see it all. “We planned on going for an hour and ended up spending four,” she said.
The tour included a lineup of wine pairings and tasting menus at some of the city’s finest restaurants. Terry enjoyed the flavors of Northern Italy, so different from what she grew up with.
“It's not the food I’m familiar with ... I’m Sicilian, so we eat a lot of fish, we eat a lot of pasta, we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “But the northerners eat a lot of meat, arborio rice and risottos, and polenta with heavy
boar meat – because they have a lot of wild boar in the region.”
Turin also boasts of being the European capital of chocolate, since cacao arrived in 1585, and its expertise as a chocolatier city has grown ever since. The couple especially enjoyed a specialty drink called bicerin. The drink has three distinct layers: espresso, chocolate, and cream.
“They serve this with a little biscotti, and it’s just like a meal in itself,” said Terry. “You can skip breakfast and if you want to have a little something you just go and have a bicerin. You’re not supposed to stir it with a spoon; you're supposed to just drink it so that you get all the flavors and the cold versus the hot coming down your throat. And it’s wonderful.”
Now it was time for something completely different: truffle hunting and exploring the small-town beauty of Alba, a UNESCO Heritage Site and the capital of the rolling hill country region of Langhe. Besides its unique Alba white truffles, it is famous for its wine production, so the Knights of (continued on page 34)
the Vine had a dual purpose in heading for the hills.
Alba, too, has its own history with chocolate, being the home of Ferrero Rocher, Nutella and its predecessor, the hazelnut-chocolate blend known as gianduja.
Known as the city of a hundred medieval towers, the old town is beautifully preserved, and with just 30,000 residents, a culinary destination in itself, home to three Michelin-starred restaurants.
Alba lies in the Barolo region known for the famous wine of the same name, made from the thick-skinned Nebbiolo grape, rich in tannins that contribute to its robust flavor.
Highlights of the Alba area included a visit to Grinzane Cavour Castle, a UNESCO Site that dates to at least the 1300s; tastings and tours at wine cellars like the Cantina Contratto, with 150 years of history and one of the first Italian winemakers to produce a sparkling wine; Malvirá, a three-generation family business specializing in top-quality Roero wines; and Castello di Neive, a winery with a castle and a surrounding 150-acre estate.
But the real highlight of Alba was their nocturnal truffle-hunting foray. Alba is one of the few places in the world where the rare white truffle can be found. Unlike black truffles, which can be cultivated, these fungi can fetch up to
$4,000 a pound, and Vikram heard of one that was auctioned off for $90,000. They are hunted with special, terrier-like dogs called Lagotto Romagnolo that are trained for years (pigs are used in some areas but tend to eat the truffles, so they’ve been banned in Italy).
“Truffle hunters are very secretive,” said Vikram. “They usually go in the middle of the night and they try to find these truffles without anybody knowing. It’s like a fishing hole; you don’t want anybody to know your favorite fishing hole. So they took us there in the evening with the dogs and used flashlights, and these dogs would smell.”
When a dog would hone in on something, the truffle hunter would use a small spade to pick up the soil, layer by layer, careful not to damage the truffle. The group found three white truffles and two black ones, and when they got home, they shaved a bit from one of the white ones, which are eaten raw, and served it on a very fine pasta like angel hair.
“They have an incredible flavor and aroma,” said Vikram. “If you puncture a white truffle, the whole room fills with the truffle bouquet.”
The whole experience of the Piedmont region was unforgettable, and they still carry the taste with them. Terry wishes they had had a little more time – a couple more days to
explore Turin would have been perfect, she said – but the trip left them with an abundance of memories.
Terry offered a bit of advice on travel in the Piedmont and in Italy in general.
“Don’t rush from one city to the next; take your time. Italy is a place of magic and you can immerse yourself. Take your time, savor it, and really look at what you see. Every time I go back, I take a step back and appreciate that I have time – in America, I don’t get that.”
Also, she reflected, “We’ve been very lucky that we’ve been able to travel through our life.”
As administrator at Vikram’s gastroenterology practice, she observed: “So many of our patients get sick or something happens tragically to so many of them. We see that they’ve worked so hard and now they’re faced with cancer, they’re faced with heart disease, and they can’t make those trips that they thought they would do when they retire. We were so lucky we were able to do this throughout our life. So we just say thank you.”
Editor’s note: Buzz travel columnist Tracy L. Barnett is a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award winner and longtime travel and environmental writer. Email her at info@thebuzzmagazines.com to share your own travel tales.
This morning, I followed the advice of Pondicheri chef-owner Anita Jaisinghani. I dropped a single green cardamom pod into a ceramic mug and poured a cup of boiling hot water. “Now, walk away for 10 or 15 minutes,” she instructed. “When you come back, it’ll be the most fragrant water you’ll ever drink.”
While the tea steeped, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, combed my hair, and dressed for the day. Then, rather than rushing out the door with my usual black coffee, I sat at my kitchen table and sipped warm aromatic cardamom tisane. Its warmth coursed through my body. Its bergamot-like tang and earthy perfume teased my nostrils.
I didn’t linger for long. Weekdays are busy. And an hour later, I had my cup of coffee for the jolt. But easing into the early morning with warm water helped me to be more mindful of my actions and well-being. This simple act helped to set a measured tone for the day.
“You want your body to have something warm in the morning,” Anita said. “And if your body is constipated, it helps lubricate it. I have no problem with bowel movements. But if you do, it will help fix that. You want to start the day with elimination, not with eating. That is the biggest thing you can do for yourself, and then you can exercise or have coffee. Having coffee isn’t bad. But coffee is very acidic in the body, and that isn’t the first thing you want to put in your body.”
This is when many people declare their New Year’s resolutions to live healthier. I’ve spent most of my life writing about food and restaurants for newspapers, travel publications, and since 2009, for The Buzz Magazines. But that has yet to translate into a healthy lifestyle. Just the opposite. Then, last month, I had my aha moment.
Anita sat at a table at her restaurant, Pondicheri, in the mixed-used chic development at 2800 Kirby Drive. I met her in 2001 when the North Indian of Sindhi descent blazed onto the scene with Indika restaurant. Back then, I knew little about Anita, only that she was a former housewife who walked into one of Houston's top restaurants and asked for a job. Even more impressive, Café Annie let her work
for free until she proved herself. A month later, the pastry chef hired her.
Fast-forward two years, and her boss, James Beard Awardwinning chef Robert Del Grande, invited himself and his staff to dinner and was so impressed afterward he said, “You should open a restaurant. How can I help?”
CHEF JAISINGHANI In her new cookbook, Pondicheri chef-owner Anita Jaisinghani walks readers through the history of Indian cooking and shares her tricks and tips, including why “popping” spices in oil imparts the most flavor while you cook. She devoted a chapter to “Food as Medicine,” which has “changed the way I look at food and cook,” she said.
In 2015, Anita left Indika, and it closed in 2019. But by 2011, Anita had already moved on emotionally with Pondicheri, followed by the Bake Lab + Shop in 2014. Located above Pondicheri, the lab is a catchall – a dessert gallery, spice shop, deli, barista bar, gift store, and where Anita teaches her cooking classes.
Near the displays of laddu cookies and chai pie bites are stacks of her new book, Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices. Through the years, I must have asked countless times, “Anita, are you done with that book?” Finally, after a decade of research, her love letter to India arrived. Condé Nast Traveler once said Anita Jaisinghani is dedicated to educating diners about Indian cuisine. She started with Indika, introducing Houstonians to fresh, farm-to-table Indian creations found in the homes rather than the typical rotation of cream and ghee-laden dishes such as chicken tikka masala and saag paneer plated in Indian restaurants across Houston and North America. These often heavy, rich dishes were standards for hotels in Mumbai and Delhi, and for foreign visitors, they represented Indian food. But they were just a glimpse, not the whole picture, Anita said.
Thanks to determined chefs like Anita, many Houstonians learned that Indian cooking is vast, with infinite creativity and nuances beyond redstained tandoori chicken. And that curry isn’t a spice, but a sauce used in tandem with various types of meat and vegetables. There are endless variations of curries.
In her 295-page tome, the self-taught chef walks
through the history of this iconic, storied fare. The James Beard Award semifinalist also delves into how to source and store spices. She admitted that the most challenging part of writing this book was deciding what would go into the volume, so she relied on friends, families, and her students.
“I've been teaching cooking classes for so long that I would see how people react to the information I give them,” she said. “There were things that people didn’t know that I thought were obvious. For instance, people couldn’t identify cumin. They hadn’t seen mace before. They had seen nutmeg but not mace. Even something as common as black pepper. People would buy pre-ground black pepper, and that is such a no-no in the restaurant world. At least it should be. Café Annie had a special grinder for black pepper; when they ran out of black pepper, they would grind more. Home cooks were buying ground black pepper. But it loses its essential oils so quickly that you shouldn’t do that.”
Anita eagerly shares her secret ingredients and techniques with the hope that readers will churn out dishes that are as good or even better than the ones in her book. She arms them with a bevy of tips.
There is a step-by-step chart on how to layer flavors. Anita also tells you how to save time by mincing two cups of peeled garlic cloves in the food processor and then storing the minced garlic in an airtight container with ¼ cup olive oil to prevent the garlic from spoiling and losing flavor. The garlic will keep for a month. I don’t know about you. But not having to chop and mince garlic for a few weeks makes me happy.
Another go-to is a caramelized onion puree to elevate sauces, soups, and stews.
But before diving into recipes for red beet soup, smoked eggplant, and seafood mulligatawny, Anita devoted a chapter to “Food as Medicine,” which has “changed the way I look at food and cook,” said the proponent of integrating ancient practices, like Ayurveda, with modern medicine.
Anita worked with a lawyer and Ayurvedic expert to approach this complex topic. Anita realized how people could be turned off by the idea of following a strict diet according to their body types or doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Ayurveda practitioners typically pushed this idea. That wasn’t for Anita. The body needs all three doshas.
Instead, Anita stresses balance and moderation. She shares uncomplicated, updated ideas that people can incorporate into their daily routines. It’s no different than her sneaking a mound of antioxidant-rich sauerkraut onto a lunch bowl at Pondicheri or folding grated carrots into roti dough.
Also, no food is forbidden. This chapter, chock full of information, encourages baby steps in pursuing a healthier lifestyle through food. There is no guilt in not giving up sugar, caffeine, flour, butter, etc. As Anita pointed out, “no food in careful moderation is intrinsically good or bad for us.” So, continue to enjoy all of it – in limited amounts. This approach has made me appreciate food in a way that I haven’t in a long time. I pay closer attention to flavors, chew slower, taking time to feel the food’s effect. I’m reminded of Anita’s passage: Food speaks to all of us – we just need to learn to listen.
Here is Anita’s recipe for Seafood Mulligatawny. Mulligatawny soup emerged
from the new hybrid cuisine that local cooks developed in India to please the British. This version from Anita has a velvety consistency that is hearty with vegetables. The soup can also be made with chicken or just vegetables. Serve it with plain rice or warm crusty bread. The broth keeps in the freezer for up to three months.
Seafood Mulligatawny
1/4 cup toor dal
One 3-to 4-inch piece fresh turmeric 2 cups cauliflower florets
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch cubes
One 3-to-4-inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
1 or 2 whole serrano chiles
2 teaspoons sea salt
One (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1/4 cup ghee
Generous pinch of asafetida
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
20 kari (curry) leaves
2 large celery stalks, cut diagonal into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces French green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound fresh mussels or clams
1 teaspoon garam masala (See recipe below)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Rinse the dal two or three times in several changes of water, add water to cover by a couple of inches, and soak for 5 to 6 hours. Drain.
In a large saucepan, combine the drained dal with 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Discard any scum that may arise – scum contains impurities that can make lentils hard
to digest. Alternatively, drain the dal, through a colander or strainer if needed, into the sink, add 4 fresh cups water, and bring to a boil again. Add the turmeric, cauliflower, carrot, ginger, chiles, and salt and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the dal is dissolved to a mushy consistency and the vegetables are cooked through. Turn the heat off and let the soup rest. Puree in a blender, in batches if needed, until smooth and pour soup back into the pot. Add the coconut milk, and if the soup is too thick, add ½ to 1 cup water.
Heat the ghee in a small frying pan over high heat. Pop the asafetida and mustard seeds (see note below). Add the kari leaves, and immediately scrape them into the soup. Stir in the celery and green beans, then add the shrimp and mussels and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables are still bright green and the seafood is almost cooked through; it will continue to cook in the hot soup. Add garam masala, lemon juice, and cilantro and serve. Serves 4-6.
Note: To “pop” whole spices such as asafetida, mustard seeds, cumin, or fenugreek seeds, heat ghee or oil in a shallow frying pan over high heat. When the oil shines and simmers, just shy of smoking, add the spices. Spices will make sizzling and popping sounds.
Indian cooks jealously guard their garam masala recipe. It is a kitchen must-have, and recipes vary wildly. Some contain coriander and cumin, but Anita prefers a blend of aromatic spices, like those here, which adds a delicious heady finish to a myriad of dishes.
½ cup green cardamom pods
6 large cinnamon sticks
5 black cardamom pods
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4 whole mace flowers
1 whole nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Spread them on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool and grind in a coffee grinder to a powder. Makes 1 cup.
This recipe is inspired by Punjabi baingan bharta, or “spiced eggplant hash.” Enjoy warm as main course with roasted vegetables or as a dip, spread, or side dish. Eat it with steamed rice or roti. Anita spreads it on warm toast the next morning for breakfast, and you can even throw it on a poached or fried egg.
2 large purple eggplants
2 unpeeled ripe plantains (optional)
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup minced white onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ginger puree
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
Lightly oil the eggplants and place them directly over two burners of your stove over high heat. If your burners are electric, you will need some kind of grate or rack to place the eggplant on. You can also cook the eggplant on an outdoor gas or electric grill. Char the eggplants on all sides, turning them with tongs. They will blacken and crackle on the outside and soften and smoke on the inside. To ensure that the eggplants are cooked all the way through, do not rush this part – the flesh should feel soft when prodded with a fork or table knife. Let the eggplants rest for 2 to 3
minutes, then discard the burnt skin by pulling it off in strips. If some parts are resistant, use a paring knife to cut them out. Mash or chop the inside pulp with a knife and set aside. While the eggplants are smoking, if using the plantain, char it until the peel is black on all sides. Set it aside separately.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat and pop the cumin seeds, then immediately add the onion and cook until sweaty. Lower the heat and cook until the onions soften and caramelize slightly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add the mashed eggplant, turmeric, red chili powder, black pepper, ginger puree, and salt. Cover and simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes for the flavors to meld. Remove the plantain pulp, fold it in along with the garam masala, turn the heat off, and serve. Serves 4.
note:
Anita sprinkles tips and suggestions throughout her book on incorporating spices into your daily routine. For example, turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. But instead of taking turmeric pills, she suggests adding a slice of fresh turmeric root to a pitcher of water. It will slowly infuse throughout the day. Your body will absorb it better, consuming this way, she said. Here are other ideas:
• Add a pinch of ground turmeric to scrambled eggs or omelets.
• Add whole cumin seeds to vegetables before roasting them.
• Crush coriander seeds with a rolling pin and add to raw meatball mixtures.
• Add freshly crushed black pepper to brewed coffee.
• Sprinkle chili powder to chocolate cake batter or cookie dough.
• Soak a few fenugreek seeds in water overnight, strain, and drink water in the morning to soothe upset stomach.
• Add whole cardamom pods to a pot of rice or quinoa at the start of cooking.
• Add a stick of cinnamon to iced tea while brewing it.
With a thrilling 2-1 victory over The Kinkaid School, the St. John’s Mavericks capped off a sensational season by capturing this year’s SPC field hockey championship. In addition to the SPC title, the Mavericks finished fifth in the nation in the MAX Field Hockey national rankings.
“We had an incredibly skilled and talented group of players,” said Mavericks field hockey coach Rebecca Elliott. “Our team chemistry and positivity both on and off the field was also pretty special.” St. John’s posted a lofty 18-2 record while outscoring opponents by a 134-6 margin. The victory total included an early season win over West Essex, New Jersey, which owned a number five national ranking at the time. The victory took place at the prestigious MAX Field Hockey National High School Invitational.
For the season, the Mavericks held opponents scoreless in 16 of its 20 games. Leading the way defensively was junior goalie Juliana Boon, who was one of four Mavericks named to the NFHCA West All-Region Team along with midfielder Maddie Kim, forward Kristina Johnson, and midfielder Kaitlyn Chang. For her part, Kim will play collegiate field hockey next season for Columbia University, while fellow senior and captain Frances Moriniere will play at Brown University and senior forward Abby Golub will suit up for Kenyon College in Ohio.
“Along with those three seniors, several of our underclassmen will most likely play college field hockey,” said Elliott. “Another player who played great for us all season was senior captain Anna Kate Black. Anna played varsity for three years and was a huge part of our success.”
It was a runaway victory for the Episcopal Knights girls cross country team, which captured the SPC championship by a hefty 43point margin over second-place St. John’s. The victory also marked back-to-back championships for Episcopal in girls cross country. “Our girls definitely exceeded expectations,” said Knights girls cross country coach Julius Michael. “We went into the meet as an underdog to Hockaday, but we ended with all five of
our runners finishing in the top twenty.”
The Knights were led by the first-place finish from sophomore Madison Morgan , who won the individual SPC championship in a time of 18:55:40 over the 5K course. The Knights then made it a one-two finish with Morgan’s teammate Lucy Holden taking second place in a time of 19:04:00. In addition to all that, Episcopal’s Georgia “Gigi” Bass finished seventh while teammates Asher Luengas and Shepherd Gregg came in 15th and 17th respectively.
“Our girls overcame big obstacles to win the championship,” added Michael. “The night before the SPC meet Asher was battling a 100degree fever, but still managed to compete and run hard. We couldn’t have done it without her. Also, before the season even started, we lost one of our top runners (Julia Newman) to a knee injury suffered in the track and field season.”
freshmen who also provide a nice scoring punch so offensively we can be pretty dominant,” said Mustangs head coach Jyusef Larry
The Mustangs offensive firepower includes leading scorer Nicki Polocheck, who averaged 15 points per game while earning all-district honors as just a sophomore last season. Polocheck is also the first Memorial player selected to the all-region team in the 13 years Coach Larry has been with the Mustangs program. In addition, the Mustangs also return district offensive player of the year Riley McCloskey, first team all-district selection Abigail Tomaski as well as second team all-district player Kendall Lyons.
the return of six players from the winningest team in school history, it has all the makings of a big season ahead for the Memorial Mustangs girls basketball team. Memorial is coming off a season in which it posted a 27-5 record while advancing to the second round of the playoffs for just the second time since 2005. “We’re bringing back our top four scorers from last year, plus we’ve added two
Sophomores Helen Rieke and Emily Clanton round out the six returnees, while freshmen Draden Moss and Ivy Oliver are already making a big impact for the Mustangs. “If we continue to improve and maximize our talents, this team is definitely capable of a making a really nice playoff run,” added Larry.
Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.
to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.
The Pershing Middle School football team finished their season with an undefeated 6-0 record and were named HISD District Champions for the fourth consecutive year. The team included Kamron Riley, Hudson Cozart, Braylon Holmes, Emmanuel Kirby, Seth Lim, Kaden Sullender, Cameron McNulty, Rodrick Brown, Alim Garipov, Elijah Hebert, Karmello McKenzie, Avery Jelks, Jayden Smith, Jayvion Palmer, Corian Jacobs, Philemon Narcisse, Drew Evans, Kaleb Slack, Messiah Andrews, Regdrik Jackson, Ray Blair, Anthony Tale, Marcus Williams, Cameron Johnson, Kyle Behan, Daniel Hernandez, Xavier Moore, Daniel Pruneda, Brian Gable, Chase Sloan, Barrett Houck, Joshua Meredith, Ben Fitzpatrick, Kobe Miles, and Aras Okeke-Ziburkus. Coaches were David Burgan, Sam Hinman, Dexter Harmon, and Michael Wood
The West University Softball Association 10U Wave went undefeated and won the Open division in Baytown. In the semifinal and final games, Addie Olson and Natalie Lane each threw a complete game with no hitters, combining for 16 Ks, 1 BB, and 0 runs as the Wave won each game 10-0. In other news, WUSA wrapped up the 2022 Fall Ball season with a record 557 girls. The league recently completed much-anticipated renovations on the pavilion and a large increase in the size of the facility restroom. Enrollment for the spring season wrapped up in December and the countdown to the spring season has started.
The 2030 (expected graduation year) Iron Horse Houston Lacrosse Team won the Adrenaline Texas Thrive Tournament held in San Antonio. The lacrosse boys from Houston beat an 8-team field comprised of both 2029 and 2030 teams. The team went 2-1 in pool play before winning a sudden-death overtime game in the semifinals by a score of 4-3. Iron Horse Houston won the championship game by a score of 3-0. The team was paced all weekend with strong goaltending, controlling the faceoffs, tenacious defense, and balanced scoring. The team was coached by Al Christopher and David Cohn (pictured, back row, from left). Iron Horse Houston 2030 Team played in the Blackjack Classic in December, just outside of Las Vegas against a highly competitive field of Mountain and Pacific Coast lacrosse teams. Pictured (from left) are Ory Barton, Grant Summers, Henry Hamner, Gray Johnson, Coleman Hill, Knox Barron, Dylan Bellinger-Spivey, Zach Peters, Winn Pritchard, Everett Berg, Jacoby Hobbs, George Jamail, John Page, Ford Prescott, Aidan Reed, Zach Wellins, and Finley Cook.
Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.
“It’s better to give than to receive” conjures up thoughts of exchanging gifts with friends and family during the holiday season. I believe that this notion is also true when it comes to giving your time and talents. Throughout my life, I’ve had numerous opportunities to do service projects and truly make a difference in people’s lives.
My community service started when I was nine years old with my mother taking me and my older brother to her alma mater, Notre Dame, for the university’s Alumni Family Volunteer Camp. We did projects with other alumni families at soup kitchens, retirement centers, food banks, and community gardens. Because we enjoyed helping these Indiana nonprofits so much, we participated in the weeklong camp three more times. I credit involvement in these camps for
making service a regular part of my life.
In 2019, my family took it up a notch and decided to do some volunteering while on vacation in London and Rome. It took persistence, but we found a way to help the local communities by sorting donations at a nonprofit thrift shop in London and serving lunch at a soup kitchen in Rome. We met many interesting volunteers and recipients whom we would have never encountered during a vacation of sightseeing and shopping.
During the summers of 2020 and 2021, my brother and I started an outreach program for elderly Strake Jesuit alumni. We connected with graduates from the school’s first classes in the 1960s to help them cope with the isolation of the pandemic lockdown. It’s still hard to believe how many hour-long conversations I had with
complete strangers and how much I enjoyed learning about their lives and perspectives
This past spring break, I decided to stretch myself with a weeklong trip to the US-Mexico border, which was an eye-opening experience. I worked at the migrant center in Eagle Pass, building a roof for a local home alongside a group of Strake Jesuit and Cristo Rey Jesuit students.
Serving has shaped me in countless ways for which I am thankful. All in all, I believe my experiences have proven that giving can be more rewarding than receiving.
Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.
- Don Herrold
Photographing new beginnings for over 20 years
A Portrait Remembers 713.523.4916 nikky@lawellphoto.com www.lawellphoto.com
Every weekday morning, enjoy your coffee + the buzz in your inbox. Our e-newsletter, Morning Buzz, features buzzworthy stories about neighbors every day, Monday-Friday.
Sign up to find out what we’re buzzing about at thebuzzmagazines.com/morning-buzz.
“Babies are such a nice way to start people.”DIGGING DEEPER Strake Jesuit senior Carter McKenna has found special meaning in spending time engaging in community service, like this volunteering trip at Notre Dame.
There are many tax breaks for college. Spenders: read IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education. Savers: read on.
The best break is a 529 savings plan. It shields college money from the income tax, and so rewards parents who begin saving early. Texas has no state income tax or deduction, but over 30 other states offer a tax deduction or credit for contributions (tell Grandma in New Jersey!).
Texans can choose from one hundred or so 529 plans nationwide and use them to fund postsecondary education wherever federal student aid is accepted. The American University of Paris qualifies; the Sorbonne does not. To confirm, check the current Federal School Code List of Participating Schools.
The plans are similar: contributions are not deductible, but qualified withdrawals are tax-free. Nonqualified withdrawals are subject to income tax plus a 10% penalty. The gift tax annual exclusion applies ($17,000 in 2023). Contributions reduce the donor’s estate tax base. $85,000 contributions, free of any transfer tax, are available if the donor makes the election on a gift tax return and survives five years.
The maximum contribution varies per plan. Some allow as much as $550,000 per beneficiary. Beneficiaries can be changed from one family member to another. Age and time limits may apply, e.g., spend the account within 30 years of high school graduation.
When established by a parent, up to 5.64% of plan assets are counted towards the federal financial aid Expected Family Contribution. 529 plans from grandparents are no longer counted against the student.
529 assets receive such favorable treatment that it can make sense to transfer a student’s own assets, e.g., from a Uniform Gift/Transfer to Minor’s Account, to a 529 plan. A transfer can trigger a capital gains tax when securities are sold, so stop and think before liquidating the UGMA mutual funds.
For college, qualified education expenses include tuition and mandatory fees, required books, supplies, equipment, and services for a beneficiary with special needs. Computers, software, and internet access qualify if used primarily for school. Room and board qualify if the student is enrolled at least half time.
Qualified educational expenses are adjusted by any other tax-free assistance, e.g., scholarships, Pell grants, and employer-provided assistance. Sorry, you can’t pocket a grant and replace it with a 529 distribution.
Distributions require some planning. Will you have to sell securities in a down market? Is Mom or Dad paying the bill and requesting reimbursement? Will the student handle the money? Will payment be made directly to the school? Start planning distributions six to twelve months before the first bill comes due.
We write wills and go to probate court. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.
Russell W. Hall, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Board Certified – Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 6750 West Loop South, Suite 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog
281-884-9191
Hi, I’m Molly, short for Tamale. My name used to be Taco Cat, but my new mom didn’t like that, so she tried another food-based name. I’m what you could call a “spicy tamale” – I like to knock things off shelves and tables. My mom has all sorts of knick-knacks that make a satisfying “clunk!” when they hit the ground. When my mom first took me home, I hid under her bed for months. I let people play with me – they just had to use my favorite long feather toy. I might be a little shy, but I talk a lot. My favorite word is “mrow” (which means lots of different things). I have a few hobbies. When I hear something printing, I will run so I can be next to the printer. I also like to smell shoes (where have you been? I am suspicious!) and curl up in baskets. My mom says I am the world’s most beautiful cat.
Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.
Recently, I suggested to one of our long-time clients that he take a weekend off from caring for his wife. He retired four years ago, but he hasn’t taken a break from being his wife’s caregiver during that time. Now, he’s close to burning out.
I told him to give me a week’s notice that he wants to take a weekend, and we’ll ensure there’s sufficient coverage for his wife to feel comfortable without him.
He hasn’t given me notice yet.
At S. Gerber & Associates, we understand when you want to be your loved ones’ primary caregiver. But no one can provide care 365 days a year. We all need breaks to indulge in our hobbies and social interactions. Abstaining from these things is detrimental to your mental and physical health and leads to caregiver exhaustion.
Many people fear leaving their loved one because the care that person will receive when they’re gone won’t be the same – and that’s true. But sometimes, it’s refreshing for the loved one to see a new face. They might need a break as much as you do.
If you’ve done your research and you’re confident you’ve found a competent caregiver you’re comfortable with (preferably through an agency that has carefully vetted that caregiver), you can get away to recharge, mentally and physically. When you return, you’ll be an even better caregiver.
S. Gerber & Associates, 3730 Kirby Dr., Suite 1200, Houston, TX 77098, 713.857.3227, sid@personalcaregiving.com
“Woof.”
- Newton, on his reaction to the overwhelming fan support.
Congratulations to Newton, The Buzz Magazines 2022 Pet of the Year! And a big paws-up to Bandit, our second-place winner, and Chester, our third-place winner.
Buzz readers cast 14,000 votes in this year’s contest – although we only had three winners, all our furry, feathered, and scaled friends are champions to us. Cheers to a tail-wagging 2023!
info@thebuzzmagazines.com
A long time ago, okay, just 40 years ago, we thought patients allergic to penicillin would also have a similar bad reaction to cephalosporins (a family of antibiotics that kill bacteria in a similar way as penicillin does). Generations of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists were taught that if a patient were allergic to penicillin, they could not be given a cephalosporin either.
Meanwhile, research over the ensuing decades proved otherwise and explained where the misconception came from. (One explanation includes penicillin contamination with early preparations of cephalosporin antibiotics.) Nonetheless, it still permeates medical practice (in large part also due to hightech electronic health records with built-in warnings for penicillin-allergic patients to not be prescribed an antibiotic from the cephalosporin family).
Recent publications in the Journal of American Medical Association Network and The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology: In Practice highlighted the problem of an electronic-chart warning and showed the results of removing such a warning. When the warning was removed, the subsequent utilization of inexpensive, safe cephalosporins increased. This led to less use of more aggressive and more expensive broader spectrum antibiotics (think of a shotgun approach to blasting many different bacteria instead of a targeted rifle attack on a more limited group of bacteria). The results showed no increased reaction to cephalosporins in the patients with penicillin allergy (confirmed or unconfirmed). Additionally, it decreased severe reactions to the more aggressive antibiotics, such as potentially life-threatening diarrhea. Additionally, it was financially more advantageous to use the less expensive cephalosporins.
We now know penicillin-allergic patients can safely receive antibiotics
like cefdinir/Omnicef, cefuroxime/Ceftin, and cefaclor/Ceclor, with an extremely low risk of having a serious allergic reaction. Taking a cephalosporin instead of a more aggressive antibiotic means a less-negative impact on the microbiome (the admixture of all the helping/healthful microorganisms in our bodies) and/or escalation of antibiotic resistance. With very few new antibiotics in the developmental pipeline, we need to be very cautious with the limited agents we have currently.
If you are uncertain of a penicillin allergy or it has been 10 years since having a reaction, you may be able to safely take penicillin again (with an easy allergy test to confirm such, readily available at The Allergy Clinic). Either way, cephalosporins are, in fact, a safe alternative. We can help explain this and communicate with your doctor. Clarity on your safest antibiotic and alternatives is always in your best interest.
No one nose allergies like we do.™
Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.
Anthony J. Weido, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 1400, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic
Simon,
Nina Hendee addressed the crowd and recognized the breast-cancer survivors in the room. The highlight of the day was enjoying Knight’s performance of three favorite hits, “Best Thing That Ever Happened,” “Neither One of Us,” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
Andrew and Dawn Koenig (pictured, from left) were among the 450 wine aficionados who enjoyed sampling wines selected by some of Houston’s top sommeliers at the Periwinkle Foundation’s Iron Sommelier 2022. The wine tasting and competition, held at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown, raised more than $420,000 to support Periwinkle’s camps and survivor programs for children, teens, and their families challenged by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. This year’s event was chaired by Periwinkle board member Sean Beck and featured 12 sommeliers. Each Iron Sommelier contestant brought three wines and were rated on wine choice, presentation, creativity, and knowledge of their wine selections. Judges Brandon Kerne, Melissa Monosoff, and Leah Moorhead crowned Adele Corrigan Wade from 13 celsius Wine Bar as the event’s big winner.
More than 400 young writers graced the red carpet at the Hilton Americas-Houston to celebrate being published authors and winners of a
Guinness world record. Author Madison Dedman (pictured) attended the event where she took photos and signed autographs for family and friends to commemorate her accomplishment. The iWRITE organization, in collaboration with the Bryan Museum, published I Am Texas, the largest published book in the world. Guinness judge Michael Empric joined authors and guests to officially measure the seven-foottall book and designate its record-breaking status. I Am Texas is a collection of entries written by young Texans in grades three through 12 from more than 80 school districts across the state. Students shared their perspectives on what the Lone Star State means to them.
Memorial Hermann’s annual Razzle Dazzle luncheon raised more than $1 million for breast cancer early detection and outreach programs, including funding 1,000 mammograms for local women. Anne Neeson and Erin Asprec (pictured, from left) were among the supporters who enjoyed an afternoon with the Grammy awardwinning “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight. More than 600 attendees filled the ballroom of the Post Oak Hotel for the event chaired by Caroline and Will Brown and Lisa and Jerry
Anglophile Prissy Roosth (pictured, second from left with Cathy Roosth Kuper, “King Charles,” “Camilla, Queen Consort,” and Ann Roosth Melamed) hosted a perfect tea party to commemorate a milestone birthday she celebrated earlier last year. Prissy loves all things British, including books about royalty and English country homes and antiques, and she even taught classes about the English monarchs and the Romanovs. Fifty guests at Prissy’s home enjoyed high tea with scones, tea sandwiches, shrimp, and a buffet of desserts while a harp player entertained, and then left with crownand teapot-shaped cookies as party favors.
Students from Condit Elementary School participated in the first HISD
elementary University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition. More than 200 students from 10 schools competed in spelling, writing, impromptu speaking, and number sense. The Condit team won 33 individual medals, two team trophies, and an overall first-place Team Sweepstakes award. Competition participants are (bottom row, from left): Saisha Bhardwaj, Lakshmi Rajan, Maryam Kharisova, Reva Pawaskar, Hrisha Jagushte; (second row, from left): Emaan Khalid, Olivia Salmoan, Jory Palmer, Eddie Li, Dylan Doucet, Evan Makarov, Evan Chow, Vikram Hariharan, and Joseph Hassid; (third row, from left): Connor Crow, Avery Beth Crow, Aiden Bhardwaj, Ellie Roth, Maddy Melville, Logan Chang, Layla Chang, Eli Nguyen, William Erickson, Henry Miles, Sanjay Nagamani, and Sebastian Sitton; (fourth row, from left): Zoe Yu, Doug Skalak, Parker Cheng, Nicholas Kadavil, Ari Spelkin, Ashvin Ghanta, Kush Kalra, Landry Long, and Jaeron Mathew; (fifth row, from left): Krish Beniwal, Sathya Korivi, Jay Korivi, Avighna Ghanta, William Vaughan, Rayan Bhardwaj, Michael Kadavil, Sajan Mathew, Nikhil Kadia, Rani Rajan, Charlie Skalak,
Eliana Munro, Savannah Beinart, and Zoe Cheng. Not pictured: Arda Cepni, Noah Lazard, Ben Lee, Taijus Mathew, Yuelian Wang, and Logan Wienert.
Several hundred Mandola family members gathered at the Bayou City Event Center for a festive family reunion. Planning committee members Maryann Palermo Bankston, Michael B. Patronella, Marilyn Gentempo Walden, Margaret Gentempo Bader, and Teresa “Tee” Palermo (pictured, from left) worked tirelessly to put together a fun event for the family known for its popular restaurants including Carrabba’s, Ciro’s, Ragin Cajun, and Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen. The first Mandola family reunion was held in 1986, and they have gathered together seven times since then to enjoy each other’s company. More than 1,000 Mandola family members are descendants of Sam and Marguerite Mandala (later changed to Mandola), with the majority living in the Greater Houston area. The oldest-living Mandola today is 93 years old, while the youngest was just two weeks old at the time of the reunion.
72 for the Anne Frank Hadassah Fun Raiser
medical research, as part of Hadassah’s mission of supporting health and well-being. Diane Gelman (pictured) singlehandedly made all of the delicious desserts for the event, including an apple strudel log that was devoured before dinner started. Among the 90 guests who enjoyed a festive evening with dinner and a silent auction were Wilbur the Pig, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the Grim Reaper, and a pregnant nun and rabbi.
Students from the Meyerland Performing & Visual Arts Middle School (MPVA) earned second place at HISD’s UIL Theater One Act Play competition held at Pershing Middle School. The competition is a combination of a theatertech challenge and an acting challenge. MPVA performed “Men on Boats” by Jaclyn Backhaus, which is the true(ish) story of the 1869 Powell expedition of the Grand Canyon and the mapping of the Green and Colorado Rivers. In addition to their second-place overall finish, three MPVA cast members received individual distinctions at the UIL finals, including Nia Lewis (All Star Cast Award), Nyala Solomon (All Star Cast Honorable Mention Award), and stage manager Eliana Weiner (Best Tech Crew member for MPVA). Pictured are (bottom row, from left): Stella Williams and Nia Lewis; (top row, from left): Zillion Cade, Nyala Solomon, Sophia Sorena, and Maggie Houge.
Horn Elementary School’s chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) participated in the Autism
Speaks Walk to support and raise money for Autism awareness. The team raised more than $2,000, which was double the donation goal. Enthusiastic walkers included: Alex Alcaraz, Emma Arnett, Richa Chatur, Aadhya Dacha, Umut Dalyan, Ilsa Erickson, Ivanna Farias, Anariel Flores, Robert Goodwin, Julia Hardy, Anaya Hashmi, Tyler Henkel, Colton Jones, Irem Kartaltepe, Khamauri Keelen, Alex Kim, Amari Lancelin, Lilli Lee, Lauren Lee, Ariella Levine, Ariel Li, Mira Magid, Emilia Marx, Hudson McPhail, Elliot Miller, Rebekah Mummert, Preet Nagi, Nicole O’Driscoll, Myles Peskin, Safa Rahman, Samika Shukla, Adriana Tran, Lottie Turner, Avni Vachani, Alex Wang, and Jeremiah Yuan.
The evening program began with a welcome from Houston media icon and longtime Crime Stoppers supporter Dave Ward. Gala co-chair Sheridan Williams then joined Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner on stage to honor three police officers recently involved in a shoot-out, and also honored supporters including former Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell, United States Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Jim McIngvale (aka Mattress Mack).
Last January marked a big milestone here at The Buzz Magazines: our 20th anniversary. We were looking forward to toasting the special occasion at last year’s holiday party but then Covid surged, and we postponed the celebration. So it was especially exciting to be together – in person – this year to toast to 21 incredible years. (It’s fitting that The Buzz could now legally get out those champagne glasses.) Cheers! Pictured at our 2022 holiday party, held at Evelyn’s Park are (front row, from left) writer Dai Huynh, account manager Andy Blitzer, editor Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, editor-in-chief Joni
Hoffman, publisher Michael Hoffman, writer Sharon Brier, writer Jennifer Oakley, writer Cindy Gabriel, writer Karen Vine Fuller; (second row, from left) writer Michelle Groogan, writer Claudia Feldman, writer Cheryl Ursin, design manager John Duboise, writer Russell Weil, editorial assistant Caroline Siegfried, account manager Jo Rogers, writer Angie Frederickson, accounting and contract administrator Leslie Little, writer Cathy Gordon, writer Annie McQueen; (back row, from left) writer Todd Freed, writer Don Mason, photographer Michael Hart, illustrator James Arturo, photographer Nikky LaWell, and writer Pooja Salhotra Not pictured: Writers Tracy Barnett, Cindy Burnett, Andria Frankfort Dilling, Cheryl Laird, and photographer Dylan Aguilar (behind the camera). For more party pics, search “Twenty-One Years Later: A Buzzworthy Celebration” at thebuzzmagazines.com.
Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.
Supporters of Crime Stoppers of Houston gathered at Minute Maid Park for the annual gala. Chaired by Sheridan and John Eddie Williams, the event raised more than $1,355,000 for crime-prevention programs and victim services. Guests including Ramy Mankarious, Crime Stoppers of Houston chief executive officer Rania Mankarious, Dror Zadok, Vivian King, and Helene Zadok (pictured, from left) enjoyed a World Series Championship video and had the opportunity to take a photo with the World Series trophy.
What will you wait in line for? Your favorite barbecue? Entrance to the big Texas-OU game? A Tickle Me Elmo, or whatever today’s “it” holiday gift is for little people? What’s worth the wait?
Just before Thanksgiving, a whole lot of people thought waiting in virtual lines for Taylor Swift’s 2023 The Eras Tour tickets would be worth it.
Suzi Weinstock, the event rental coordinator at Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, was one of them. “My daughter’s a ‘Swiftie,’” Suzi says. “And my husband also. They totally bond over Taylor Swift. She listens to it 24-7, and he listens to it in the OR.” Daughter Raya is a freshman at The Emery/Weiner School, and husband Etan is a head and neck surgeon. “Then I got jealous after they went to the last concert together, so now we’re all Swifties.”
Suzi had registered with Ticketmaster to be a Swift “Verified Fan.” The status would give her access to ticket presales the day before tickets went on sale to the general public. “We did all the things to get ahead in the line,” Suzi says.
The day of the presale, she says, “You could log on as early as 9:30, so I logged on at 9:30. At 10, it told me there were over 2,000 people ahead of me in line, but it didn’t tell me how many. At 11:30, it said there was a stop in the system, but I shouldn’t close my computer. I needed to go to work, but there I was sitting on my couch.”
At the same time, Cathy Burch, a volunteer and mother of two kids in their 20s, was waiting on her computer. “Allison is in law school at SMU,” Cathy says. “She wanted tickets, and what are you going to tell a law school professor, I can’t come to class because I have to get Taylor Swift tickets? So I was doing it. I had done it before and we got exactly the seats we wanted. The longest I waited was for the Rolling Stones, maybe an hour and a half.”
At 12:15, Cathy had a lunch to go to, so she left her computer open under her husband’s watch (Peyton works from home). “I came home, nothing had happened,” she says. “I was doing my stuff around the house. Then the screen went blank.”
That’s when Cathy took to Facebook: When I finally got into the supposed verified fan presale it
showed “No listings.” What does that even mean? I waited from 10 a.m. until 7:45 and nothing.
She wasn’t the only frustrated one. Nancy Sirgo responded: Audrey said it took 4 of them working together to get tickets. They ended up in Denver.
Then Cristina Farrell: Maddie was in the “waiting room” for 7 hours and it kept crashing every time she tried to buy tickets. Was successful on the third try but didn’t get the seats she originally had…
And Mary Clark Granberry: Right there with you…maddening (angry emoji).
Stephen Friedlander oversees Texans suite sales. He posted on his personal Facebook: To anyone wanting a suite to the Taylor Swift concerts (there have been a lot of you), we (the Texans) are not in charge of this event and are not able to sell suites. You need to go through NRG Park…and they’ll direct you to the correct contact. Good luck and leave me alone! (laugh/cry emoji)
CNBC reported that the problem was there were only supposed to be 1.5 million Verified Fans allowed into presales, but 14 million people and bots crashed the system. There’s now a lawsuit
against Ticketmaster, an investigation into whether the company is operating as a monopoly, and some are calling the debacle a publicity conspiracy.
At 4:15, having worked from her couch all day, Suzi snagged four tickets. Raya says she cried “tears of joy.” Suzi says, “You know, my husband and I stood in line for Pearl Jam tickets years ago. But the new line is sitting on the couch and not losing your wifi connection.”
Cathy never did get tickets. “I’m not complaining, this is a first-world problem,” she says. But still.
What would cause a mother – millions of them – to spend an entire day tethered to her computer trying to buy her daughter concert tickets? “She’s a great role model,” Suzi says of Swift. “Her message is about empowerment for the girls, and she admits her imperfections. You really don’t learn from somebody who’s going to only share perfection.
“This is the only time my daughter would say to me please mom, please,” Suzi says. “For that, I’m all in.”
