Blogs

Hair Balls introduces a new regular feature: Blog on Blog. Each week we'll interview other area e-writers and explore what they're writing about, why they write about it and why you should read what they write about. Starting things off is Off the Kuff's Charles Kuffner, who we gave Best Blog in our Best of Houston 2007 issue. Texas Monthly also recognized him as one of the 35 People Who Will Shape Our Future. Reader's can't help but notice the sheer volume of Kuffner's blog posts - impressive considering it's a one-man-show. Kuffner covers local news with an emphasis on politics, but doesn't hesitate to add occasional notes about the Astros or his two girls.

Name: Charles Kuffner
Blog: www.offthekuff.com
Started: 2002
Typical Topics: Local news and politics
Day Job: My secret identity? I'm an IT consultant, I do Blackberry-related stuff.

Hair Balls: How did Off the Kuff enter the blogosphere?
Charles Kuffner: The short story is that I happened to stumble across a blog written by a friend of mine and it looked really cool and the next time I saw her I asked "how do I do that?" My deeper motivation was that I had done some writing in college - I wrote a sports column for my college paper that was called, oddly enough, Off the Kuff - and I missed having a forum for writing. It was kind of combination of this is something I'd wanted to for awhile and the medium had come along.

Raise your hand if, at any point in your drinking career, you have sat at the bar of La Carafe, set your wineglass down and, in a knowledgeable tone, said, “You know, this is the oldest bar in Houston.” You would not be alone, and you would not blamed. That bar just screams, “I’m ancient.” But its reputation isn’t founded, according to James Glassman’s Amnesia Houston, an organization started to preserve our city’s history. La Carafe is old, yes, but it’s not the city’s oldest.

There’s been an unfortunate oversight in this week’s Press celebrating all-things Houston. Somehow, we failed to include the category Best Fountain That Appears To Be Bubbling Liquid Poop. The winner: Bob and Vivian Smith Fountain at Polk and Smith.

Did anybody else see this today? Ich. – Todd Spivak

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Why does this year's Best Of Houston® feature a category for Best Regular Public Speaker at City Council Meetings? Well, do you know of any other city where council members are attacked with eggs?

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Back in the oil-boom days, the joke used to be that the building crane was the official bird of Houston. (Yeah, it was a shitty joke, but how good do real-estate jokes ever get?)

The crane is making a comeback in the city, thanks in part to outrageous oil-company profits. Our town is littered with empty lots that are being transformed into what developers promise will be hip, trendy places.

Which developer shows the most promise, at least as far as “artist’s renderings” go? What will be the hot new destination for Houstonians when the cranes finish their work?

Check out the Best of Houston™ to find out.

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Picking the Best Restaurant in Houston is no easy chore. Just to be fair, we try to consider every single taco truck, hot dog stand and Whataburger within the city limits. And then we start drinking our way through taverns that serve microwave pizzas. In the end, we usually give the honors to the place where we find ourselves when the deadline hits. This year, it was a joint right down the street from our favorite tattoo parlor. (Got ink?)

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Don't expect a quaint B&B or hoity-toity cafe inside Houston's Best Renovation. In fact, you're more likely to score a payday loan.

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Where's Houston's Best Bingo Night? Let's just say it involves condoms, high-heels and men wearing thongs.

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

The Best Route into the City slashes through many of its most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods. Pupusas, anyone?

Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect.

Gone are the days when you had to run from store to store to find a vibrating flexidong and a space-age cock-and-ball harness. Now it's one-stop shopping -- and you'll know where to go once you discover our pick for Best Novelty Store.