Arts & Culture

I don’t know how to skateboard at all, but I’m really good at saying things like “sick,” “killer” and “wicked air, brah.” See? It’s amazing how realistic that was, right? Guess what? Even I am invited to the Texas Skateboarding Event of the Skate-century. (Don’t call it that or you’ll…

Our music section here at the Observer tends to ignore (if not openly mock) cover bands, aside from enjoying the semi-ironic tribute acts that crop up every Halloween. But really, is yet another terrible “original” band that’s a blatant rip-off of, say, Radiohead or Wilco more inherently valuable than an…

Do you love your hair? Do you love it less au naturale? That attitude is an uphill battle that could leave your treasured tresses most distressed. Ulta teaches you to not just work with what you’ve got, but embrace it during its special series on hair care. Love Your Hair…

The inner workings of the workplace have long been skewered in popular culture, much to the delight of us worker drones. Nearly all of us experience some level of boredom with our daily tasks or occasional frustration at the futility of our efforts. And we’ve pretty much all been the…

For awkward teens, the thought of playing volleyball triggers horrifying flashbacks of a ball sailing toward one’s face during middle school gym class. For armchair athletes, it evokes pristine beach courts populated by fluid, golden-bodied Olympians like Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. They make the whole kill and dig thing…

It is unfortunate that Memorial Day has become more synonymous with barbecues and boat rides than it does the military. It is also unfortunate that some people cannot even tell you what the day commemorates other than a long weekend. But for those of you who do know and remember…

In this modern age, two things seem to constantly be in the forefront of our minds, the media, everything: comedy and war. The laugh of the day versus violence in some part of the world. Strange, that pair. They fit together better than one would expect based on definitions alone…

It’s your day off, but instead of spending the evening on the couch, watching those daytime soaps that have been sitting in your DVR for weeks, head to Buttons Restaurant, 15207 Addison Road, for a buffet worthy of an extra day off. The restaurant is serving a barbecue dinner with…

Part steamy small-town jamboree, part honest-to-God Czech cultural celebration, the National Polka Festival in Ennis is one of your best chances all year to escape the mess of the city and remind yourself what you love about living in Texas. Wash down your barbecue, klobase or pork roast with a…

Indulging in your senses is good for the soul. Senses send impulses throughout your body; they fill your veins with pleasure and joy. Your fingers tingle and a sense of contentment moves from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. You smell the spices in the…

The passion of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth’s life was motion study: determining whether a process- from shaving to assembling a rifle- could be done more efficiently through fewer motions. In light of their 12 children, you have to wonder if the couple was also conducting experiments on the most efficient…

If you’ve ever been made to sing or listen to “The Eyes of Texas,” you probably immediately realized two things. First, the arrangement is highly reminiscent of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” Second, the lyrics primarily consist of creepy messages that seem even creepier if you replace the word…

While Chinese-born, U.S.-based contemporary artist Xiaoze Xie’s works possess clearly political undertones, the figures and depictions in most of his works are reduced to abstract forms highlighting the transitory nature of time and its effects on memory and history—collective and individual. He’s known for photo-realistic paintings of stacked newspapers and…

We like to think everybody who gets stranded in an airport indulges in fantasies of some gorgeous guy you used to know showing up carrying a Statue of Liberty-sized torch for you. Steven Dietz’s play Shooting Star, about former lovers who find themselves and each other while snowed in at…

If origami had a human form, it would be yoga. Everything from the warrior pose to the chaturonga involves the flexibility of a pretzel. The moves may look easy, but oh boy, yoga is a tough workout to master. Not only does it involve continuous twists and turns, it also…

The Bernie Madoff case hovers over Ponzi, the new play by Elaine Romero getting its world premiere as the mainstage production in the New Works Festival at Kitchen Dog Theater. A mysterious investment genius named Jack guarantees high returns on the millions entrusted to him. It takes at least $6…

Is it porn or is it art? is always a question that gets debated with people’s nekkid parts show up on the walls of galleries, homes and museums. Collectors and appreciators of vintage porn are a special breed, regarding the images not so much as a source of entertainment or…

Ancient Greek and Roman nymphaeums were grottoes built up around naturally occurring grottoes traditionally thought to house water nymphs. Originally the nymphaeums sprung up near naturally occurring springs and streams, later the monuments were filled with flowers and greenery and decorated with mosaics, sculptures, painting and fountains. These ornate spaces…