COMMENT OF THE DAY: SO WE CAN LIVE MORE COMFORTABLY IN SMALLER HOMES “The self-storage industry in this country is worth over $20 Billion a year in revenues . . . there are over 46,500 facilities in existence with a total combined area of 2.21 Billion sq.ft. Self-storage is almost entirely a US phenomenon. There are only 12,000 facilities elsewhere in the world and 3,000 of those are in Canada. This all begs the question, ‘Why on earth do we store so much more crap than anyone else?'” [Jimbo, commenting on Comment of the Day: Follow the Mini Storage]
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COMMENT OF THE DAY: FOLLOW THE MINI STORAGE “Mini Storage facilities are almost always limited partnerships designed to last 7-10 years and put on strategically poised land the developers/LLP’s have determined will increase in value. The facilities are generally inexpensive to build and maintain and are easy to demo once the property has gained enough value to where it is sold for development. The area all along 34th street is just not ready for redevelopment yet. It’s currently a dump. Additional years of creeping development from the Northern Heights will be required to eventually turn the 34th St. blight into the redevelopment gem many hope for.” [CK, commenting on What They’re Doing to Food Land on Ella]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: PUSHING DAISIES “The Greenbriar house is on a 11,500 sq ft lot just a stones throw from the Med Center. I bet the new construction will be something modest, leaving most of the grounds for a beautiful garden.” [Old school, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: All Together Now]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: IT’S ALL HAPPENING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON! “. . . You do realize that over the last two years, UH has opened up over 2,000 NEW rooms on campus, right? There’s a two year old graduate level loft building and a brand new all freshman dorm. Additionally, the Moody Towers will be getting a much needed rehab soon. The dining facility there has already been turned into a ‘fresh cooking’ concept that is getting rave reviews. AND, in the best news of all category, the Cougar Place apartments are in the process of getting razed right now and will be replaced with new housing. On the academic side, UH has added new space for the Honors College, MD Anderson Library, a new Cemo Hall, a Social Work Bldg rehab, expansion for the theatre school, architecture school improvements, a new home for PBS and the communications department, a new science bldg, and the school is currently building a massive bioscience/health science facility that will house a free eye clinic through the optometry school. This doesn’t even begin to mention the plans for the old Schlumberger property!” [doofus, commenting on UH: Fundraising for Robertson Stadium Replacement Halfway There]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: IN THE CLEAR WATERS OF THE GULF “I take my kids there every couple of weeks all summer and we are in and out of the water all day. I don’t know what it used to be like in the 80s but when we go to Stewart beach now the water is clear, we see dolphins almost every visit and fish literally swim between your toes periodically. I didn’t go down there for a couple of years after moving out here because of the horror stories I heard. They were nonsense then and they’re still nonsense now.” [Jimbo, commenting on Galveston’s Flagship Hotel Fades into the Sunset, Leaves a Few Big Chunks in the Gulf]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: LOOK WHO’S READING SWAMPLOT NOW! “But for Swamplot’s prestigious Neighborhood of the Year award, Idylwood would have maintained its quiet anonymity and escaped the notice of these blood thirsty parasites.” [Mel, commenting on Shocking Documentary Photos from the Idylwood Bedbug Invasion]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE SLICE OF HOUSTON WHERE NOBODY’S HOME “I did NRFU (Non Response Followup) surveys for the census in the wedge between 45 and the Ship Channel and this doesn’t suprise me at all. LOTS of people don’t answer the door. Lots more told me of one, two, or three residents when in fact an evening visit’s observations yielded six or eight.” [Some d00d, commenting on Houston to Census Bureau: Count Again]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHERE WAS ALL THAT BOOZE WHEN WE NEEDED IT? “Yep, I won’t be doing any drinking in that building. Attended too many funerals there; which would have been helped by an open bar.” [miss_msry, commenting on Heavy Drinking in the Old Funeral Home: Kirby’s Settegast Kopf Going Multi-Bar]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: I CAN GET THEM FOR YOU RETAIL “I picked up quite a few of the terra cotta soldiers (a small army actually) and if anyone didnt get a chance to buy one, id sell a few of them. Im located inside the loop, so you dont have to drive all the way to katy! email me at adam@newliving.net” [adam brackman, commenting on Comment of the Day: What You Missed at the Great Forbidden Gardens One-Third-Scale Qin Dynasty Sell-Off]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: NAMING RIGHTS “. . . How ironic that the Astrodome is now called ‘Reliant Astrodome’ and suffers from an ‘electrical fire.’ Lame.” [David Beebe, commenting on The Short History of the Astrodome]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHAT YOU MISSED AT THE GREAT FORBIDDEN GARDENS ONE-THIRD-SCALE QIN DYNASTY SELL-OFF 
“I was there on Sunday, came home w/ 2 soldiers, 1 horse and 3 small figurines. The soldiers are FANTASTIC and I wish I had bought more, but for 100 ea it was a little steep to get a whole army of them. I have a bit of buyer’s remorse about the horse, b/c its in pretty bad shape, and is not long for the world. But it was only 25$. There were many people there, but it was by no means crowded, took 45 minutes to get in the gates.
The woman who rang me up, told me that a salvager was going to come by on Monday (yesterday) so I imagine the remaining men who were [intact] (there were still 100s left at noon on Sunday) will start turning up in thrift shops around.
What else? I am glad I got to see the gardens one time before it was destroyed. It was a lovely ground and I wish I had known about it. (I sort of knew about it, but never went.)
Apparently they were going to sell all the cherry trees as well, so they may still be on the market.” [anon, commenting on The 6,000 Garden Gnomes of Emperor Qin: Let the Great Houston Grave Ransacking Begin] Photo: Candace Garcia
COMMENT OF THE DAY: LOST TOMB OF THE GRAND PARKWAY “The bulldozed-over ones will make for some serious headscratching in the 23rd century when they are dug up and ‘discovered.’ Maybe the Asiatic Proconsul will use it as propaganda/proof [that] Global Manifest Destiny was already in the making in the early 21st century.” [SL, commenting on The 6,000 Garden Gnomes of Emperor Qin: Let the Great Houston Grave Ransacking Begin]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: CONTEMPLATING THE MYSTERIES OF MEYER PARK “[I] drive by meyerpark twice a day going to and from work and i have no idea of exactly what the heck is going on in that massive construction site. In this day and age you would think the developer would have a website, a billboard, a flyer or something that provides the general public with more information about what’s going on. They’[ve] completely demolished several of the buildings but they left the tower in place. That leads me to believe they are going to some how use it as part of the new design. In addition to the Luby’s we need another restaurant like a Cheddar’s with Good food for a low price. I just think this area has so much potential for growth and [its] location is ideal.” [Joe_lsu, commenting on The New Smash Hits at the Meyer Park AMC 16 Theater]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THIS IS THE LAND OF MY ANCESTORS “The lot is two 3,000 sq ft lots. The old house sat right in the middle on the West side of the property, so it would not have permitted construction of another building unless it was moved to the back of the lot. That’s not really economic use of the property. By the time the building was moved and renovated, costs would have been very high. There was a carport attached on one side as well, which didn’t help. In any case, the structure was gone when I drove by at 5 [yesterday] evening. . . . that’s the way it goes sometimes. Almost every home my ancestors lived in is gone. None of my Mom’s childhood homes exist any more – they are all open fields.” [Ross, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: Waterfall Fall]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE HOT NEW SALES DEVICE THAT WILL HELP YOU SELL HIGHER AND FASTER “I notice that the 2nd listing is for $1,000 MORE than the original listing. When I put my home up for sale, I’m definitely putting one of those in my bath!” [Dave, commenting on Relief in Alief: The Condo Hard Sell Gets Results]