Craigslist Inc.

Not Bad for a 22-year-old

Homemade Tamales R Us

The question around town is: "Where can I get some homemade tamales?" For a great many Texans, tamales are a necessity of the holiday season. But the tamales you buy in the grocery store are usually disappointing. And while we all love the giant dollar a piece tamales at Doña Tere, they aren't th ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "The Art Guys: New Clichés," "Casual Encounters," "New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch"

The question around town is: "Where can I get some homemade tamales?" For a great many Texans, tamales are a necessity of the holiday season. But the tamales you buy in the grocery store are usually disappointing. And while we all love the giant dollar a piece tamales at Doña Tere, they aren't th ... More >>

From Té to Sauté World Bistro

The question around town is: "Where can I get some homemade tamales?" For a great many Texans, tamales are a necessity of the holiday season. But the tamales you buy in the grocery store are usually disappointing. And while we all love the giant dollar a piece tamales at Doña Tere, they aren't th ... More >>

Bayou Blow

Coke is the new weed

Craig Newmark speaks at victim's memorial in wake of Craigslist killings.

Coke is the new weed

Craigslist At A Crossroads

Criminals being dubbed the latest "Craigslist Killer" seem to be popping up everywhere.There was Michael Anderson in Minnesota, who lured to her death a woman answering an ad for a nanny; a 16-year-old S/M enthusiast who killed a New York City radio newsman who posted an ad; and a yuppie who used th ... More >>

Craigslist's Founder Speaks At Memorial Service For Victim Of A "Craigslist Murderer"

Over the weekend Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, spoke at the memorial service for Katherine Olson, the woman murdered after answering a false ad seeking a nanny.It was a culminiation of sorts of the intense pressure Craigslist finds itself under now, as publicity-hungry elected law-enforc ... More >>

Craigslist To Give Up "Erotic Services" Ads

Photo by Nick VlcekCraigslist -- which we recently described in a feature as being at a crossroads -- seems to have decided which road to take.Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the company will be dropping its "Erotic Services" ads.The ads have played a role in a series of recent murd ... More >>

Defending Bob Dylan and the Mac Guy

Photo by Nick VlcekCraigslist -- which we recently described in a feature as being at a crossroads -- seems to have decided which road to take.Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the company will be dropping its "Erotic Services" ads.The ads have played a role in a series of recent murd ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: Bryan Wheeler: The Souls of Texans Are In Jeopardy In Ways Not Common To Other Men, "Casual Encounters", Round 30: Home. Space. Place.

Photo by Nick VlcekCraigslist -- which we recently described in a feature as being at a crossroads -- seems to have decided which road to take.Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the company will be dropping its "Erotic Services" ads.The ads have played a role in a series of recent murd ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Casual Encounters," "Literally Figurative," "New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch"

Photo by Nick VlcekCraigslist -- which we recently described in a feature as being at a crossroads -- seems to have decided which road to take.Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the company will be dropping its "Erotic Services" ads.The ads have played a role in a series of recent murd ... More >>

In Honor of Michelle Obama and "Shortsgate," the Best Ass Songs of All Time

In a year when the biggest news stories aren't about war or the environment but a mentally unbalanced woman having a litter of children and the death of a creepy pop singer who hadn't put out a decent album in 25 years, it should come as no surprise that so many people would be up in arms ... More >>

The Dong Show

Here at Rocks Off, we do a lot of research for our wildly popular and intellectually enlightening album cover slideshows. As part of that research, we've found many of those albums to be highly concentrated on the male goinrular area. So at long last, and just in time for the weekend, we've compiled ... More >>

Tamale Time: A Hot Tamale Sandwich

​Forget the dollar menu at Taco Bell, the tamale torta at Doña Tere on Bissonnet is a full meal for $1.79. I got the chile beef tamale and doused the bolillo with salsa to lubricate the rather dry-looking combo of starch on starch. It tasted better than it looked. But next time, I think I'll ... More >>

Hole-A-Balloo, Kaneck Kaneck: Aggie Journalist Wonders Why A&M Is Riddled With Glory Holes

Screensave from 40scressports.com​When we struggled our way through J-school before finally dropping out in a PICA-pole induced snit, we never thought that the day would come when we would find ourselves on the Texas-Louisiana glory-hole beat for a blog called Hair Balls, but here we are...Shortly ... More >>

The Search for Christmas Tamales

​Fresh-cooked pork tamales are going for $7 a dozen at Gerardo's, and they're very good. After eating a sample dozen, I decided to get my Christmas tamales there this year. There is a sign on the front door warning customers to order their holiday tamales in advance. Gerardo's is expecting a r ... More >>

Yes, Anastasia, You Too Can Cyber Land a Job in a Recession

​Pardon us, but we're about to impart some useful, seasoned knowledge on you. Don't get too accustomed to it, however. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming of a wee bit of technology talk with a whole lot of intertwined innuendo in no time.But for today, we educate. Our topic? E ... More >>

Wanna Make $100? Kill This Guy's Drummer.

[Thanks to our buddy, former Meridian talent buyer John Escamilla, for posting this on Facebook.] ​ The New Year's Eve gig must not have gone well at all. Twenty minutes into 2010, a La Porte man posted a Craigslist invitation to kill his drummer for the low, low bounty of $100. Applicants need no ... More >>

Craigslist Prank Leads To Felony Charge For Disgruntled Friendswood Woman

​Police in Friendswood allege that 33-year-old Amanda Anderson got even with her former employer the new-fashioned way: via Craigslist.They allege that she took out what must have been a very generous help-wanted ad for various contractors. Once it hit the 'net, Anderson's old boss was swamped wit ... More >>

Sarahmania Hits Houston

What did we learn?

Best. Roommate. Ever.

​If were weren't already comfortably ensconced in a house, with no particular need for a roommate other than the stray cat that comes begging for food every day, we'd have already fired off an e-mail to Chris Smink, the author of what might be the greatest Craigslist roommate posting ever, for ... More >>

Quickest Way To Become A Local Celebrity? Have Your Stuff Ripped Off

They say any press is good press, but Marc Brubaker might beg to differ. The Rocks Off photographer, Houstonist editor and Prairie Cadets front man who recently lost several thousand dollars in computer equipment in a burglary - but recovered his desktop the next day after tracking it down on Craig ... More >>

Will You Be This Guy's Date To Kenny G?

​"Would anyone like to listen to the rich, one-of-a-kind tapestry of samba and salsa, ballads and bossa nova with a well-dressed man?" All right, the Kenny G show at the Arena Theatre is in less than five hours or so, and this guy needs a date. Not us, because we are probably going solo since our ... More >>

Jonathan Akinola, Secret Shopper Scams: Everyone's Warning About Them

Let's be smart out there, people​What gig could be better than a "secret shopper"? Go spend someone else's money and get back at the useless sales staff who don't immediately bow to your every whim. (This is assuming, of course, that the entire idea of shopping doesn't sound like the freshest kind ... More >>

For Sale: One Guitar, Slightly Peed On

​Here's a lovely way to start off the week. Naturally, it comes to us from Craigslist. Just in time for summer vacation, in case any of you recent grads are thinking about starting a band, or a summer tour if you're already in one, a local musician posting under the name "Dean Vendetta" - which we ... More >>

Ashka's East Meets West

​Here's a lovely way to start off the week. Naturally, it comes to us from Craigslist. Just in time for summer vacation, in case any of you recent grads are thinking about starting a band, or a summer tour if you're already in one, a local musician posting under the name "Dean Vendetta" - which we ... More >>

Craigslist Prank Turns Sour For Katy Woman Who Didn't Want To See A Whole Bunch Of Penises

The "anal" was a nice touch​If you have a falling out with a friend or a significant other, there are a number of responses. You can hold your head high, wish the other party the best, and move on with your life; you can shoot up a Luby's; or, as a girl we'll call Paula learned lately, you can pos ... More >>

Book 'em, Danno

Constables go after HISD students' unreturned books

Craigslist's Houston Missed Connections: Highlights, Including Leia Doing Han Solo In His Car

Occasionally we take a look at Craigslist's "Missed Connections" for Houston, an ephemeral limning of the psyche of our town in these desperate days. Five recent highlights:1. I am looking for the kind of person who leaves their kid sweltering in a hot car.​

Saturday Night: Weird Al Yankovic At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jason Wolter​Weird Al Yankovic Verizon Wireless Theater July 17, 2010 Aftermath is probably not going to write very many, and you're probably going to read even fewer, concert reviews that begin by delineating the finer points of parody and satire. But this is Weird Al Yankovic we'r ... More >>

Wanted: "Reason-Filled" Musicians For Atheist Band

​Rocks Off often trolls through Craigslist looking for the very beginnings of some of Houston's next wave of notable musicians. Extremely prevalent throughout the Web site are requests for devout Christians to join together in a mission to glorify the love and word of God through the devil of ... More >>

Wangcaster Rules: Rocks Off's Top 10 Stories Of 2010

Insert "wanking" joke here.​It's been a wild and crazy year. And while we're still wrapping up some of our personal favorite stories of 2010, Rocks Off throughout we'd take a look at the Top 10 most-read stories of the most recent solar rotation. Relive the magic with our links below... 10. N ... More >>

The Seven Most Entertaining Rappers On Twitter

​Monday, Slim Thug tweeted about his ad in the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist. Thugga is known for being notoriously entertaining on Twitter, as evinced by his Houston Press Music award for Best Twitter Personality. But he's hardly the only funny rapper on Twitter. We found six more. ... More >>

Houston: Least-Generous City (When it Comes to Free Stuff on Craigslist)

These kids are obviously not from Houston​Houston is many things, but one thing it apparently isn't is one of those hippie, commune-type places where people dig the vibe of being generous with things they no longer want. In short, we are not Portland or Seattle. Or Detroit, for that matter. ... More >>

Effeminate Synthpop Band Death Metal Singer = ???

This could be your new bandmate.​Rocks Off likes to troll the musicians section of Craigslist in an effort to catch interesting acts at their very inception. Usually we get the same old thing day in and day out: Need FOC (Friend of Christ) bass player for worship band. Must have ride. 18 SER ... More >>

Women's Funding Network sex trafficking study is junk science

Schapiro Group data wasn't questioned by mainstream media.

Benjamin Childress: High School Orchestra Director Busted for Soliciting Underage Boy

Manvel PDBenjamin Childress: Says he answered a Craigslist ad.​The orchestra director at Pasadena's Dobie High School has been arrested for online solicitation of a 15-year-old boy, police in Pearland say. Benjamin Clark Childress, 26, met the boy through a Craigslist ad and was found drunk i ... More >>

David Beauchemin: Fugitive Louisiana Snake Farmer Busted Again In East Texas

Wood County JailDavid Beauchemin: High End Herps is a great company name​Authorities from several law enforcement agencies and a handful of private-sector reptile experts raided the snake farm of David Beauchemin yesterday in Wood County. Before the day was done, the deputies, game wardens and ... More >>

Avoid Cheap Fog Machines: Building A Better Stage Show

Erica O'BrienProvision​If Rocks Off could talk to ourselves from six years ago, the advice we would give that young aspiring rock star would be to not bother with any gigs for the first year playing with the band, and instead have everyone save up as much money as possible to fund a truly magn ... More >>

CNN Won't Answer Questions About Its Child-Sex Trafficking Crusade

​CNN reporter Amber Lyon has made a crusade out of trumpeting the "fact" that "100,000 to 300,000" children are enslaved into sex trafficking each year. As our sister paper the Village Voice pointed out, in a piece we ran in the print edition, those numbers are almost certainly a gross exagge ... More >>

Thieves Suck: How to Protect Yourself When Your Stuff Is Stolen

​Sunday evening while I was out for a jog, my car was broken into and my purse was stolen. By some miracle of paranoia, I happened to have both my cell phone and wallet with me on the run, not for fear of them getting jacked, but because I'm always worried I might get lost, or need my ID if I ... More >>

Where to Meet a Houston Millionaire

An evening at the Petroleum Club.​Of all the cities in all the countries in all the world, Houston is attracting the most millionaires. Houston's millionaire population swelled 9.6% in just one year, according to Forbes. There are now 96,700 millionaires living in our city. Of course, the maj ... More >>

Songs About Houses, Castles, Mansions, Shacks, And Apartments (And Yurts)

​In Rocks Off's seemingly never-ending quest to live alone, we have been looking at Craigslist listings (so, that's where you got the idea for that blog!), getting help from a realtor friend, and driving aimlessly around the neighborhoods surrounding our office. We have even thought of buying ... More >>

Libra Soul: The Singing Voice Of The 99 Percent

Photos courtesy of Aiton Extea/Libra Soul​Around this time last year, Rocks Off told you about a man named Aiton Etxea and his quest to find "reason-filled musicians" for the purposes of forming a band. His use of the term "reason-filled" caught our attention because we were regular trollers o ... More >>

If the Wikipedia Boycott of SOPA Spread: Seven Examples of Horror

​With Wikipedia boycotting the Stop Online Piracy Act today by shutting itself down for 24 hours, the powers that be at the crowdsourced information giant hope we all get freaked out enough by their absence that we tell Congress we think SOPA should not be passed. If you don't know what SOPA i ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 2: Roberto Castre of Latin Bites Cafe, On Opening His Restaurant After Kidney Donation Surgery

Photos by Mai PhamExecutive Chef Roberto Castre of Latin Bites Cafe​Yesterday, we talked to Latin Bites' Executive Chef and Owner Roberto Castre about his long and winding road to settling in Houston. Today, he tells us the story of how Latin Bites came into being. EOW: You, your sister Rita ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Kevin Naderi of Roost

Photos by Mai PhamChef/Owner Kevin Naderi of Roost​It's not often that a small restaurant becomes an instant hit, but from what I could see on a busy Tuesday night with a small line forming at the door, neighborhood eatery Roost possesses everything it needs to make it -- a small, cozy space; ... More >>