What are the pros and cons of living in Houston, TX?
I live in my native Kentucky and don't enjoy it. People are closed-minded and cliquish. I don't like Keeneland, the Ky. Derby, U. of Ky. athletics, the horse industry, hot browns, Ky. accents, and country music crap (it's okay to not know what they are.) So, I have literally been told and made to feel like I'm not accepted for most of my life.
TEXAS, on the other hand, is great! I have a "Misplaced Texan" bumper sticker on my car, which has incurred hook 'em horns signs from passers-by. I love Lyle Lovett, the Astros, Texas' geographical diversity, corn nuggets, U. of Tx. Longhorns, even Marvin Zindler...oh, and all those pretty women. I get along so well w/ most Texans I meet, especially Houstonians.
Houston is booming, period. Kentucky is still just meeting status quo; it is in the bottom 20% in job growth, employment, income, and education. I want to be an urban planner. I know how to party in a sophisticated manner, yet just be friendly and laid-back.
Is Houston my match?
I think Jeanne B must be huffing spraypaint. Sidewalks have to be three feet wide at a minimum, not 18". That's a state law. She must not get outside her neighborhood much, either.
Dude, it is a BUYER'S market right now. If you have enough for a downpayment, buy. Of course, you'll need a job first.
The cons of living in Houston. I'll go through them first: It is hot here, and it is humid. We have summer days that will make you melt. Fortunately we have air conditioning everywhere. Unless you're a golfer or cyclist, you won't have to experience the heat unless you're going between your car and a building.
Traffic can be bad, but so is every major city. What we have are some bad drivers. They aren't the worst, but they are poorly trained. The left lane is for passing and slower traffic must keep right, but you always get the bunghole who plants himself in the left lane at a certain speed and thinks he's going fast enough for everyone (nearly always in a Prius). You also get the jerk with his/her cruise control on who desides to pass the guy in front of him as you're approaching from behind, so he pulls out in front of you, and passes in a leisurely fashion not noticing you hit the brakes. It is easy to get a license here. Oh, and there is the ever-present pickup pulling a trailer full of lawnmowers. They refuse to leave the left lane because they hate the more successful types trying to pass. Oh, the pickup is full of illegals. Once you get past that you're fine. While a Texan will give you the shirt off his back, cut him off in traffic and he'll ride your bumper all the way to your exit... flashing his lights and honking.
Yes, we have no zoning here, but you really don't see new upscale development next to old ratty crackerboxes. We don't have trash strewn everywhere.
Oh, forget the University of Texas. Texas A&M University is the school to watch. We may not have the best coached football team, but it is a school of many proud traditions with friendly people.
The pros of living in Houston. First of all, there are people from everywhere here. Every nation on Earth is represented here, and their emigrants have probably opened a restaurant. Speaking of that, DINING. While we do have plenty of the chains here, most restaurants are family owned and have a great variety. My wife and I had dinner at this great Ethiopian place last Friday where you eat from a communal platter using native bread as your dinnerware.
Housing is cheap here, renting or owning. Compared to the rest of the country, Houston is the cheapest major city (followed closely by Fort Worth). Check out this website: http://www.har.com and look for a home in an area you'll like.
I mentioned people from all over? For the most part, they're friendly too.
I could go on and on, but I need to hit the showers. Welcome to Houston!
We've all done it, ruined a perfect scrapbooking page layout. Globs of glue in the wrong place, crooked stickers or typos are just a few common mistakes made on scrapbook pages. Before you waste your paper and supplies by throwing out a page gone wrong, you may be able to salvage that layout with these scrapbooking ideas.
Accept Mistakes
Before you even try to fix your mistakes, take a close look at it. Is it really that bad? Scrapbook layouts don't have to be perfect. In fact, they are more endearing to our families when they aren't. Accept that you will make mistakes, and be able to let them go. Do you really need to fix that mistake at all?
Scrapbooking Ideas for Glue Mistakes
Try to prevent excessive glue by using the appropriate adhesive for your project. Textured page elements like fabric or ribbon work well with glue dots, and large items like photos and frames can be attached quickly with tape runners. Tiny accents may only need a dab of glue. Try using a glue pen for these.
A rubber eraser is a great scrapbooking tool to have on hand whenever you are working with glue. Let the glue dry completely, and then carefully rub the area with the rubber eraser. It should lift the glue right off the paper. If that doesn't work, shop your local scrapbooking store for adhesive remover. Dab a little on a cotton swab and rub gently. Of course, you also can cover the glue with another page accent. A sticker can cover a wide variety of mistakes.
Scrapbooking Ideas for Typos
Typos can be the most annoying scrapbooking mistakes. Once you notice it, it's the first thing you see on the page. Remember that others may not even notice it. Sometimes you can correct the misspelling easily by changing a letter. If the error is in a title or journaling block, cut a piece of cardstock the size of the area, and try again. You've also added a framed page element to your page in the process.
Scrapbooking Ideas for Misplaced Stickers
If you find a sticker in the wrong place quickly enough, sometimes you can gently lift it from the page. If it's already stuck to your paper and you risk tearing the page if you remove it, there are special adhesive removers that can lift it from your page. Be sure to always have some on hand whenever you are working with stickers.
If a misplaced sticker is making the page off balance, you can always add more stickers to the page to even out the page. Make the sticker blend into the page by adding more focus to your focal point photo. If it's just the wrong sticker, create a mat to go over it and apply the correct sticker to the mat.
Scrapbooking is all about creativity. Stretch your imagination and look at your mistakes as challenges. How can you work your mistake into the layout? I'm sure you'll come up with many ideas to correct your scrapbooking errors.
About the Author
Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas
and diy.net scrapbooking techniques
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