Not Everyone in Hollywood is a Democrat

One of HP’s own is voting McCain.

Starbucks on Hillcrest = Drastic Changes

About a year ago at the Starbucks on Hillcrest in Snider Plaza my four year old started standing on a chair near the production line so he could see how each drink was made. He started guessing what kind of drink it was before the order was yelled out for pick up. Early on he could only guess mochas and lattes. Once the employees became accustomed to the game, now called “Mocha or Latte”, they started teaching him hints to guess other drinks. For example, half foam is cappuccino and the drizzle on top of a certain colored concoction is likely a macchiato.

Well, I ran into the same Starbucks this morning and discovered that they had installed a plastic, opaque half wall blocking all sight of drink preparation. No more “Mocha or Latte.” I don’t know how I’ll break this news to my son. And for the record, this drastic change has impacted the staff too. They report significant anxiety and feelings of being confined and boxed in. Our morning beverages are sure to suffer.

Re: Bussing (or is it Busing?) in the Park Cities

I knew nothing about this absurd new law until my daughter got in the car today. It’s not just grown ups that think it’s insane. My six year old was terrified but took breaks in the telling of the nightmarish bus explosion possibility to say things like, “Why would they teach us that?”

We saw a school bus on the way home, which is odd, and my daughter flipped out. She was asking about fires on busses and in cars and asking if we’d die. Thanks, crazy lawmakers.

I Laughed Out Loud at Merritt’s Column

I just had a chance to read Merritt’s column for this week. (Again, our paper isn’t posted online for this weeks yet.) I literally laughed out loud at this one. Here’s my favorite part, as a tease:

I asked one of my daughters what she thought about the cell phone ban. She said, “the president and City Hall know what’s right for us. This is a free country, but we have to be safe.”

Bussing (or is it Busing?) in the Park Cities

Merritt just sent me the following e-mail:

My first grader got in the car today and was freaking out  saying, “We had to learn today in P.E. about getting off a bus when it blows up. We have to practice on a real bus in a few weeks.”

Anyone who cares to know what her child was talking about needs to read our story on the front page of this week’s Park Cities People (not yet online, but hitting subscribers’ lawns soon), as well as our editorial board’s take on the matter. Good stuff.

A New Ronald McDonald House

And it’s going to be a doozy. The new Ronald McDonald House of Dallas will be 60,000 square feet and is located within a mile-and-a-half of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and Children’s Medical Center. The groundbreaking will be March 7; so far the campaign for the new house has raised $18.7 million of the $21.5 million goal.

First Grade Profanity in HPISD

You thought this was bad? My six year old came home with huge scoop yesterday: “Two boys got in a big argument at school and one of them said the ’s’ word and I don’t mean stupid.”

Then she came closer to whisper the word, “stinky.”

Bassmaster Classic Stud is a Scot?

A Highland Park High School Grad is the 2008 Bassmaster Classic champ. And you thought we only bred millionaires and pro golfers.