Trust me, I'm a ... cat behaviorist.

I'm not a cat person, but as with any pet (okay, maybe not fish), if you made the committment to buying/adopting/conjuring one as your familiar, you need to step and take responsibility for raising it.

The same probably applies to kids. I dunno, they're my wife's problem.

Sometimes, however, the pet in question becomes a real handful. Enter your dog whisperers, your reptile wranglers, or your "cat behaviorists," offering that last line of defense before a frustrated family leaves Mittens by the side of the road. These are the tales behind My Cat from Hell.

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Photo by jgoge

Summer reading lists are everywhere. Your favorite bookstore has probably compiled one or ten, and everyone from the New York Times Book Review to NPR Books is busily compiling a list of literary companions for us to enjoy throughout the summer months. Here at the Houston Press we've published a couple of our own:

• Houston's Local Bookstore Recommendations
• Top Five Foodie Beach Reads

Naturally I had to get in on the action, and since summer reading should be three things--fun, frivolous, and fabulous--my list is heavily stocked with selections that include a fashion bent.

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Catherine Couturier Gallery

"Camargue (3FJ5072)" by Libbie J. Masterson

In the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, mizugiwa means the point where the water and plant meet. In English, that's better known as the shore or bank, but it doesn't seem nearly as poetic.

In "Water's Edge (Mizugiwa)" at Catherine Couturier Gallery, Houston artist Libbie J. Masterson explores this concept through a series of photographs taken all over the world -- though nowhere particularly distinguishable (these could be well-known bodies of water, or random springs -- it doesn't matter). This intersection has been an interest of Masterson's for years, before she even knew there was such a word for it, and it's easy to see why it has caught her eye. Her photographs are dramatic landscapes that have washed out most color in favor of blue tints and black and white contrasts that emphasize this dynamic.

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Janet Evanovich and Lee Greenberg

Author and TV producer Lee Goldberg (Monk series) and bestselling author Janet Evanovich (most famous for her Stephanie Plum series) met at a book signing about 18 years ago and have remained pals and of like minds ever since.

They got together about a year ago, started talking books and realized they both wanted to write the same one. The result is The Heist, which they hope will be the first of a new series of books.

"It's pure fun and something that Janet and I would read and we hope that enthusiasm comes through on the page," Goldberg says.

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Picture unrelated

You might have heard recently that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg lamented that the blockbuster was killing the movie industry, which is funny because they, you know, invented it. The two elder auteurs correctly pointed out that films seem to either be made for $1 million or $250 million, with the "middle class" of features slowly disappearing. Studios need that Avengers money to stay afloat, and just can't afford to work the middle because the middle rarely pays off overseas.

Lucas said, "We're talking Lincoln and Red Tails - we barely got them into theaters. You're talking about Steven Spielberg and George Lucas can't get their movie into a theater... The pathway to get into theaters is really getting smaller and smaller."

Let's set aside the fact that these two men, who I freely admit are responsible for some of my favorite moviegoing experiences, are sad because they're starting to get pushed out the way they themselves pushed less explodey films out over the last 30 years. I don't expect those on high to consider those down below, which makes it a pleasant surprise when it does occur.

Lucas and Spielberg predict that going to the movies will become a luxury experience akin to going to a play. Instead of paying $9 for a ticket to all movies, Avatar 2 or whatever will cost $25. Meanwhile you'll pay, say $7 for a flick like Lincoln when you go out.

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What He Does: The man they call Browncoat, or alternatively, DJ Twinkle-Toes, is a graphic artists and DJ here in Houston. His work is pop art at its finest, mixing almost photorealistic faces with cartoonish hair and clothing in his figures. It's a mixture of toy store packaging mixed with communist propaganda that instantly grabs the eye and doesn't let go. Much of his inspiration comes from his wife, and you can see her face peering out of many of pieces recreated with loving detail. He's been a regular gallery exhibitor for the last ten years, having worked with Talento Bilingual de Houston, War House Gallery, Summer Street, and his second home at East End Studio Gallery.

Browncoat started drawing in first grade. Eventually he got good enough to have other children pay him to draw them custom portraits of Super Mario. It was light work, but it helped him hone his skills as an artist. By junior high he was actively pursuing a future as an artist, even applying to HSPVA, but it was a biography of Vincent Van Gogh which brought him to tears that cemented his future in the arts.

Why He Likes It: Well, there is definitely the perk of being able to take pictures of naked women and then draw them, no one can deny that. All flirting aside, Browncoat like how art allows him to express himself without apology.

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So, Myspace is back. With a massive overhaul of content and a huge advertising campaign, plus backing from lots of "cool" people like Pharrell and Jimmy Kimmel, Myspace has relaunched and is trying to get back in the social networking game. What Myspace is not doing, thankfully, is trying to be another Facebook, which is something the world does not need. Rather, Myspace is going back to its "roots," as it has been screaming from the hilltops, and is promoting itself as a creative vessel rather than a medium for you to dump your daily grievances, excessive pictures of your ugly children and all the food you ate this week.

Wait, so what is Myspace good for then?

Myspace's first order of business is that of a music and photo sharing "mixtape" if you will. The new site, which launched this week, is quite sleek, albeit a bit too Windows 8 looking for me, but easy enough to use for its most prominent function. Users can create playlists and share them with others. Toss in a few photos for visual aesthetics and you've got yourself a snazzier version of Spotify. But, as of now, much of the content is being pushed out by artists (or their publicity people) and as I am not friends with Justin Timberlake on Spotify, listening to his "History of Rap III" playlist is something I suppose I can only get on Myspace (despite him having "Bust a Move" on there twice; I'll give it to him because it's a good song). Similar to Spotify, once you are in someone else's playlist you can share songs with your friends, put items in your own playlist and let people know how cool you are for listening to a specific track. Yeah, this really doesn't tell us all that much.

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Photo courtesy of Station Theater

Inspired improvisational bedlam is created by (l. to r., standing): Tandi Kone, Laura Helmers, Royal Millen, Amy Birkhead; and (kneeling) Antoine Culbreath.

The set-up:

Improvisational theater, usually shortened to "improv", is a theater performance where actors work without a prepared script, creating characters and situations spontaneously, often on themes suggested by the audience. The performances are almost always comedic, though some troupes use improv to create drama as well. Short-form improv consists of brief skits, while long-form improv seeks to spin out a theme into a more sustained story line. Houston is blessed with a number of improv theater troupes, and Station Theater is one, performing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The format varies by day, and we attended on a Friday, which features long-form improv.

The execution:

Improv is a bit like Nik Wallenda crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope, as he did in 2012, in that nerves of steel are required, intense concentration, and a boatload of courage. Station Theater encourages performers by offering on Fridays a free class in improv at 7:30, with those attending admitted free to the 8:30 show. The early part of the performance had audience members formed into three teams of about six or seven members, and performing in sequence.

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At least there's lots of fiber

I have always considered myself something of a movie buff. My father is a cinephile, and I was raised on a healthy dose of the classics and indie films. I went to school with a concentration in film, so I am even learned in the subject. If you describe something to me as "Fellinian," I actually know what you are talking about. Let's put it this way, I care about the Academy Awards for the movies not just the clothes. But it dawned on me the other day: I haven't seen any of the nominated movies from last year! I still haven't seen Silver Linings Playbook, and I think I am OK with that.

What have I been doing while not immersing myself in the world of film? It's not that I am doing something more productive with my life or maybe I have been; I have watched hours upon hours of television.

Lately, this affliction has me wondering if any of my movie-loving brethren have found themselves in the same boat and if this bothers them. Is television stealing a certain class of movie audiences and should we be feeling guilty about it? I don't.

I don't want to use the term "television's golden age" because it is completely played out at this point, but for lack of a buzzier phrase, I'll just remark that television has been doing something right and people are taking notice. Blogs upon blogs feel the need to comment on the state of television, recaps of popular shows are standard fare, and the "blockbuster television show" gets just as much news coverage, if not more, than the current blockbuster movie. More than 8 million people watched a Youtube video of reactions to people watching the "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones because it was highly covered by the media -- fewer than 6 million people watched the actual episode.

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Photo courtesy Flickr user mbg1122

Open Channel Flow

In the fall of 2009, a piece of installation artwork called Open Channel Flow was installed just west of the Jamail Skate Park and Sabine Street Bridge, along Buffalo Bayou. The sculpture, which made use of existing piping and blended in with the nearby Sabine Street Pump Station, included an old-fashioned handle that could be pumped to produce a shower of water from a spigot 30 feet above.

The sculpture, which was commissioned by the Houston Arts Alliance, was supposed to be operable 24 hours a day, and would be the only shower along the trails that traverse both sides of Buffalo Bayou. It was expected to be a huge hit with runners and skaters making use of the nearby facilities.

The only problem? After the first couple of months, it never did work correctly.

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