Artemis "Little Girl" Gray 2007-2026

Eighteen years is a pretty good lifespan for a housecat, and Little Girl was very healthy for most of it. She had been aging gracefully up until around Christmastime, when she began to go into steep decline; she had lost her appetite and was becoming increasingly frail. Two weeks ago, and with the concurrence of her veterinarian, Corinne and I made the difficult but necessary decision to euthanize her.

Lori and I got her along with her brother, Orion "Black Cat," in the fall of 2007. Although her real name was Artemis, Lori nicknamed her "Little Girl" as a kitten and that's the name that stuck, partly because it was easier for Kirby to say. I kept both cats after the divorce and they remained my faithful, if not demanding, companions over the subsequent years and through subsequent relationships. They even tolerated Michelle's and Corinne's dogs.

Little Girl was the quintessential lap cat: if you sat down on the couch, she would immediately come and sit on your lap. It didn't matter who you were because she never met a human she didn't like (although Corinne would eventually become her favorite human). She was always looking for affection, too; if your hand got anywhere near her, she would nudge it with her head it as a clear demand to be pet.

She had a beautiful coat of long hair, but she may end up being the last long-haired cat I get because they require a lot of maintenance. Little Girl needed to be constantly brushed; if not her fur would get matted and she'd leave clumps of hair all over the house. 

Now with all of the "Begging Bunch" - Piper, Black Cat and Little Girl - gone, Corinne and I are probably going to be pet-free for a little while. There will come a time when we adopt "Nextpuppy" and "Nextkitten" (preferably simultaneously), but we can use a short break from the responsibilities of pet ownership.

Thank you, Little Girl, for being such a sweet and loyal furry friend. You will be missed. 

UH Cougar Football: 2025 attendance and 2026 schedule

The Houston Cougars end the 2025 season with a 10-3 record, a #22 ranking in the final AP poll (they're #19 in the final Coaches poll), and a bowl win over an SEC blue blood. Pretty good for a season for which I struggled to predict six wins last August, and good enough to earn an end-of-season "A" grade from Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Incidentally, this is only the fourth time since 1990 (!) that the Cougars have ended the season with an AP top 25 ranking.

Another positive from last season was attendance: the Cougars averaged 32,215 fans per game over the 2025 season, an increase of 4,793 fans per game from 2024.

That being said, this was still the worst average attendance of the 16 schools in the Big 12. And these numbers got a boost by the large contingent of Texas Tech fans that helped sell out that game. Hopefully this year's on-field success will translate into more ticket sales in 2026. I also hope that the athletics department takes a hard look at the gameday experience at TDECU Stadium, which hasn't been great. Fewer 11 AM kickoffs would help, too, but that's not something UH can control. 

Speaking of 2026, the schedule was released earlier this week:

    Sat Sep 05      Oregon State
    Sat Sep 12      Southern
    Sat Sep 19      at Texas Tech
    Sat Sep 26      at Georgia Southern
    Sat Oct 03      Central Florida
    Sat Oct 10      at Kansas State
    Sat Oct 17      Oklahoma State
    Sat Oct 24      at Utah
    Sat Oct 31      (off)
    Sat Nov 07     Cincinnati
    Sat Nov 14     at Colorado
    Sat Nov 21     at West Virginia
    Sat Nov 28     Baylor

As of right now, these are all Saturday games. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see the networks flex at least a couple of these games to Friday. 

This schedule starts off great, with back-to-back home games against Oregon State and Southern. But it gets rough from there, with two sets of back-to-back road games, lots of long-distance travel (e.g. Salt Lake City, Utah; Morgantown, West Virginia), and only one bye week two-thirds of the way through the season. Those last three road trips may be played in winter conditions, as well. The home slate is manageable (although Oklahoma State will likely be improved), but Ryan calls the road schedule "daunting."

As for the on-field product, it's hard not to be optimistic about 2026; Willie Fritz and his staff clearly have momentum on their side, and have diligently worked the transfer portal to bring fresh talent into the program. How well this team does is likely going to come down to how it performs on the road.

The Cougars appear on "way-too-early" top 25 rankings from USA Today, CBS Sports, Yahoo, Athlon and Sporting News.

My iPhone's top 20: End of 2025 edition

It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since I received an iPod Shuffle for Christmas. Over those two decades, as my music library has grown and has migrated from iPod to iPhone, I've periodically taken stock of the twenty most listened-to songs in my collection (see here for the 2010, 2015 and 2020 lists). In continuing my tradition, here are the twenty most listened-to songs on my iPhone, as of December 31, 2025 (2020 ranking in parentheses):

If this list looks very similar to the 2020 list, that's because it is: my top four most-listened songs are the same (#5 and #6 swapped places) and there are only three songs on this list that weren't on the 2020 list. The lack of change is at least partly due to the fact that I don't listen to music on my phone as much as I used to; for one thing, I don't need to use music to block out office noise because I spend so much time working from home now. Additionally, I lost some of my play history when I upgraded phones a couple of years ago.

1. Ride a White Horse - Goldfrapp (Supernature, 2006, Mute/Universal Music) (#1)
2. That Smiling Face - Camouflage (Voice and Images, 1988, Atlantic) (#2)
3. Home - Erasure (Chorus, 1991, Sire) (#3)
4. Burst Generator - The Chemical Brothers (We Are The Night, 2007, Australwerks/EMI) (#4)
5. Hysteria - Def Leppard (Hysteria, 1987, Mercury) (#6)

6. Sometimes [Erasure/Flood Two Ring Circus Remix] - Erasure (The Two Ring Circus, 1987, Sire) (#5)

7. Dissolve - The Chemical Brothers (Further, 2010, Australwerks) (#10)

8. Thank U - Alanis Morissette (Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, 1998, Maverick/Reprise) (#11)

9. Life Is Sweet - The Chemical Brothers (Exit Planet Dust, 1995, Australwerks) (#8)

10. Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung (Points on the Curve, 1982, Geffen) 

11. Looking at You - Sunscreem (Looking at You: Club Anthems, 1998, Centaur Entertainment) (#7)

12. Let Forever Be - The Chemical Brothers (Surrender, 1999, Australwerks) (#9)

13. A Moment's Shifting - Anything Box (Hope, 1993, Orangewerks) (#13)

14. Lightning Blue Eyes - Secret Machines (Ten Silver Drops, 2006, Reprise) (#14)

15. Dancing On My Own - Robyn (Body Talk, Pt. 1, 2010, Konichiwa) (#20)

16. Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron (Witching Hour, 2005, So Sweet) (#12)

17. Primary - The Cure (Faith, 1981, Elektra) (#17)

18. Save It For Later - The English Beat (Special Beat Service, 1982, Go-Feet)

19. A Modern Midnight Conversation - The Chemical Brothers (We Are The Night, 2007, Australwerks) (#15)

20. So Far Away - Dire Straits (Brothers In Arms, 1985, Vertigo)

Happy New Year!

Himeji Castle

Of all the cool, interesting or delightful sights I saw during my travels in 2025, I'd have to put Himeji Castle at the top of my list. Granted, everything we saw during our trip to Japan last summer was amazing, but the Shogun-era castle was truly unique in terms of its history and its beauty.  

Corinne and I took the Shinkansen from Osaka - it was her first experience riding the bullet train - to Himeji, and we then took a short bus ride from the train station to the entrance to the castle grounds. It was very hot the day we visited, so rules prohibiting drinks within the castle were waived (we were actually encouraged to bring water with us during our walk through the castle, which was a kind and thoughtful gesture on the part of the staff). The castle grounds were enormous, with many interactive exhibits in both Japanese and English. There was also a lot of climbing involved, both around the castle grounds and within interior spaces such as the Main Keep. The entrance fee of ¥1,050 per person (about $6.70) was a true bargain, given how much there was to see!

Himeji Castle dates back to 1333; the current structure largely built between 1581 and 1618. Although much of Himeji was reduced to rubble by American bombers during World War II, the castle itself was largely untouched. It has withstood frequent earthquakes over its centuries of existence as well.

While the castle structure is original, it underwent an extensive restoration between 2009 and 2016. The Main Keep (the largest and tallest part of the castle) was essentially dismantled and reassembled. The castle's roof was completely restored, its walls were re-plastered, and earthquake-resistant structural elements were added. 

A closer look at the castle's architecture. The castle had to be built with withstand both invaders and earthquakes; that this was accomplished with such beauty is remarkable.

The view from the top of the Main Keep, looking back at Himeji's train station. The top of the Main Keep reaches an elevation of 302 feet, providing spectaular views of the surrounding city. 

A view from inside the Main Keep, showing the centuries-old wood craftmanship. In order to protect the castle's wooden floors, and in keeping with Japanese tradition, you are required to take your shoes off before entering the Main Keep.

Another view of the Main Keep's interior, showing the castle's traditional wood architecture. The Main Keep has seven stories, including a basement. A small Shinto shrine is located at the keep's top level.

The Bizen Bailey (a fortified courtyard) in front of the Main Keep was the perfect place for Corinne and me to take a picture. Himeji Castle was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

A pathway leading to the Taiko (Drum) Tower just outside of the Bizen Bailey. Note the loopholes, where archers or gunmen could fire upon invaders, to the left. Himeji Castle's defenses are impressive, but it was never attacked.

After visiting the castle, we went next door to see the Koko-En Garden. The garden was built in 1992 to commemorate Himeji's 100th anniversary as a municipality and was delightfully serene and beautiful. 

Koko-En Garden is divided into separate sections with different landscaping themes. A tower along the castle's West Bailey wall can be seen peeking out above the trees to the right. 

The castle at twilight, as seen from Himeji's train station. After leaving the castle and adjacent garden, we walked back to the station, stopping at a small restaurant for amazingly delicious Tonkatsu, and then took the Shinkansen back to Osaka. All of our days in Japan were wonderful, but Corinne and I agree that the day we visited Himeji was our favorite. 

Even though my trip to Japan was months ago, I'll be able to enjoy Himeji Castle anytime I want. This is because Corinne got me the Himeji Castle LEGO set for Christmas!

2025 Kinder's Texas Bowl: Houston 38, LSU 35

My marriage may be ruined (such is the risk of marrying into an LSU Tiger family), but this was an amazingly fun game. Houston fell behind 0-14 early in the first quarter but rallied, took a ten-point lead, and then withstood a late Bayou Bengal rally of their own to beat the Tigers, 35-38, and win their first bowl game since 2022.

I don't know who made this graphic, but it's very cool

The Good: Houston's offense. All of the people who contributed to the Cougars' resurgent offense over the course of the season played major roles in this win. QB Conner Weigman accumulated 236 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, and threw 4 touchdown passes - a Texas Bowl record - while not being intercepted or sacked once. RB Dean Conners ran for 126 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown scramble. TE Tanner Koziol caught nine passes for 76 yards and a score, while WR Amare Thomas caught seven passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Once the Houston offense got hot, LSU's defense simply didn't have an answer for them. The Cougars ended the game with 437 total yards of offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cougars limited LSU to 77 yards rushing, while notching four sacks and seven tackles for loss. They also forced a key LSU fumble in the second quarter that kept the Tigers from regaining momentum after the Cougars tied things up.

The Tigers threaten to score

The Bad: Houston's pass defense. Playing in place of an injured Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB Michael Van Buren completed16 of 26 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars had a tough time containing Tiger TE Trey'Dez Green and WR Kyle Parker, who combined for 11 catches, 146 yards and three touchdowns. Watching the Cougars give up a 46-yard pass on LSU's final possession as they attempted a late rally was especially disheartening

The Ugly: Houston special teams. They began the game by giving up a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to LSU returner Barion Brown. Brown almost got away from the Cougars again on a slippery 43-yard return late in the first half. A Houston kickoff in the second half went out of bounds, drawing a penalty. Finally, LSU came terrifyingly close to recovering their own onside kick attempt late in the game; the Cougar "hands team" didn't seem to be positioned well and simply got lucky.

What It Means: Some LSU fans may discount this game because several key Tiger players sat out, including Nussmeier and former UH safety A. J. Haulcy. But SEC fans can't have it both ways; LSU's remaining talent was top notch, they had the Cougars on the ropes early, and came within a nearly-recovered onside kick of winning or going into overtime. This was a hard-fought, legitimate win for Houston.

The Cougar offense at work

The Coogs end the season with a bowl win over an SEC school, finish with double-digit wins for only the tenth time in program history, and (unless the AP sportswriters are completely out of their minds) should end the 2025 season with a top-25 ranking, If you had read the previous sentence to me back in August, I would have laughed in your face. 

The University of Houston Cougars and Louisiana State University Tigers are now 2-2 all-time, with the tiebreaker game to come at the beginning of the 2027 season. The Cougars' next game is at TDECU Stadium on September 5, 2026, when they host the Oregon State Beavers. 

Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews offers five thoughts about the Texas Bowl, while Mario Punete has some excellent pictures of the game action.

Yes, she was still on speaking terms with me after the game. 

2025 American Conference Championship: North Texas 21, Tulane 34

Last weekend, the North Texas Mean Green traveled to New Orleans for the American Conference Championship: beat Tulane, and they were all but guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff. Alas, everything that could have gone wrong for North Texas did go wrong. Consider:

• Mean Green RB Caleb Hawkins, a significant part of UNT's offensive attack, was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with an injury. Hawkins led the nation with 23 rushing touchdowns this season; his presence was clearly missed as the game wore on.

• North Texas turned the ball over five times. One fumble occurred on the same play where Hawkins was injured, and a second fumble occurred as a result of a muffed punt. UNT QB Drew Mestemaker, who  threw only four interceptions all season, threw three in this game alone. 

• Adding insult to injury, one of Mestemaker's interceptions was returned for a touchdown on a controversial call - it looked like the Tulane player lost control of the ball right before he crossed the goal line, but the touchdown call was upheld after review.

• UNT's defense had no answer for Tulane's offense. Green Wave QB Jake Retzlaff passed for 145 yards and ran for another 49 yards and two scores. He was not intercepted or sacked. The Tulane rushing offense, as a whole, rushed for almost 200 yards. Tulane scored 21 points off UNT turnovers and did not have any turnovers of their own.

• The Mean Green, who entered the game ranked first in the nation in scoring offense at 46.8 points per game, could only manage 21 points, 14 of which came in the second half when the game's outcome was essentially decided. Tulane's defense kept Mestemaker out of his rhythm for most of the evening; in addition to his three turnovers, he was sacked five times.

The 2025 season was perhaps the best in North Texas football history. Their 11 wins are the most ever in a single season, and they were ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 1959. A conference championship and CFP appearance would have been the crowning achievement to a great year, but it just wasn't meant to be. They now go on to play San Diego State in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. 

Tulane, meanwhile, plays Ole Miss in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

RIP Frank Gehry

Another iconic architect has gone the way of all flesh:

Frank Gehry, who designed some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. He was 96.

Gehry died Friday in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP.

Gehry’s fascination with modern pop art led to the creation of distinctive, striking buildings. Among his many masterpieces are the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Berlin’s DZ Bank Building.

He also designed an expansion of Facebook’s Northern California headquarters at the insistence of the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

Gehry was awarded every major prize architecture has to offer, including the field’s top honor, the Pritzker Prize, for what has been described as “refreshingly original and totally American” work.

Other honors include the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal, the Americans for the Arts lifetime achievement award, and his native country’s highest honor, the Companion of the Order of Canada.

Gehry, who took advantage of new technologies and building materials to design seemingly heretofore-impossible forms, was already a star within the architectural world before designs such as the Bilbao Guggenheim made him notable to the broader public. As a student at the University of Houston College of Architecture in the early 1990s, I studied his earlier works extensively. One year for the college Halloween party we held a "Very Scary Frank Gehry Pumpkin Carving Contest," whereby students submitted pumpkins carved in all manner of unconventional and deconstructionist designs that mimicked his style. 

His vision did have its share of detractors, however: 

Not everyone was a fan of Gehry’s work. Some naysayers dismissed it as not much more than gigantic, lopsided reincarnations of the little scrap-wood cities he said he spent hours building when he was growing up in the mining town of Timmins, Ontario.

Princeton art critic Hal Foster dismissed many of his later efforts as “oppressive,” arguing they were designed primarily to be tourist attractions. Some denounced the Disney Hall as looking like a collection of cardboard boxes that had been left out in the rain.

Still other critics included Dwight D. Eisenhower’s family, who objected to Gehry’s bold proposal for a memorial to honor the nation’s 34th president. Although the family said it wanted a simple memorial and not the one Gehry had proposed, with its multiple statues and billowing metal tapestries depicting Eisenhower’s life, the architect declined to change his design significantly. 

You don't get to be one of the world's most famous architects by being unprovocative, and to be sure, even I thought that some of his designs were more successful than others. Gehry described architecture as being inherently sculptural; his buildings, with their kaleidoscopic materials and complex geometries, reflect that philosophy, for better or for worse. They will remain here for us to enjoy, even though he himself is now gone.

Time's Belinda Luscombe explores the charming mischievousness of Gehry's work, while The Atlantic's Carolina Miranda argues that Gehry's best works were not his flashiest.

Houston to Rome, nonstop

Si, per favore!

ITA Airways is expanding its transatlantic route network by introducing new flights from Rome Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), marking the first-ever direct route between the two cities. With the addition of Houston, the airline’s network will expand to nine North American destinations.

The Italian flag carrier has already opened ticket sales, with the inaugural flight set for May 1, 2026. The aircraft operating this route will be the carrier’s youngest widebody type, the Airbus A330-900 from the A330neo family.

The seasonal service will begin with three nonstops per week, ramping up to five nonstops per week on June 1st - just in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The service will operate through at least October 24th. 

Simple Flying, which first reported that this service was a possibility last June, explains the logic behind it:

The new FCO-IAH route will improve connectivity not only for passengers traveling directly to Houston, but also for those connecting onward to destinations across the US or Canada. To support these connections, ITA has recently launched codeshare agreements with United Airlines and Air Canada, which are both members of the  Star Alliance. It is also worth noting that the Italian flag carrier is in the process of joining Star Alliance, following its integration into the Lufthansa Group.

I'm always happy when Houston adds more nonstop flights to international destinations, and as somebody who spent a few days in Rome three years ago and wants to go back, I can see myself making use of this service. Hopefully it will be successful enough to warrant year-round, rather than seasonal, service.

One Mile at a Time and KHOU have more.

Houston 31, Baylor 24

The Cougars end the regular season with a road win against an in-state foe. 

The Good: QB Connor Weigman accounted for 322 of Houston's 417 total yards of offense and 21 of their 31 points, passing for 201 yards and a touchdown (a beautiful 27-yard strike to Amare Thomas on the game's first series) and rushing for another 121 yards and two scores. RB Dean Connors added another 51 yards and a score: a 1-yard run with 1:57 left to put the Coogs up for good. Houston DB Mark Stampley II intercepted a tipped Baylor pass in the endzone, and the Cougar defense forced a Baylor fumble late in the 1st.

The Bad: Houston took a 24-9 lead in the 3rd quarter, but Baylor quickly scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter (including a 31-yard touchdown pass from QB Sawyer Robertson to Josh Cameron on - ugh! - 4th and 9) to tie things up. 

The Scary: Baylor RB Caden Knighten had to be carted off the field after a nasty on-field collision. For what seemed like an eternity he lay on the field, apparently unable to move, but he was later reported to be alert and able to move all his extremities at the hospital.

What It Means: The Cougars end the 2025 regular season with a 9-3 record, including a perfect 6-0 record in road games. One wonders where this team would be now if they hadn't blown winnable home games against West Virginia and TCU. 

The Cougars now wait to find out which bowl they're going to and who they'll be playing.

Brad Towns discusses how the Cougars took a huge step forward in 2025.

#25 Houston 14, TCU 17

For the second time in as many home games, the Cougars play bad, boring football and lose to a team they probably should have beaten.

The Good: The Houston defense forced four TCU turnovers, three of which (two interceptions and a forced fumble) were caused by defensive back Will James. Late in the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs had an opportunity to put the game away but were stopped cold by UH linebacker Latreveon McCutchin on 4th-and-1. If you had told me before the game that the Cougars would hold TCU to 17 points and end up +3 in turnover margin, I would have expected a win. However...

The Bad: ...the UH offense sputtered the entire game and only managed to put 14 points of their own the board. QB Connor Weigman was a mediocre 15 of 29 for 161 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and the offense only converted four third downs in 17 tries (five UH drives ended in three-and-outs). The playcalling was unimaginative and at times baffling. TE Tanner Koziol, who has been one of Houston's most effective offensive weapons this season, was absent for much of the game.

The Ugly: Kicker Ethan Sanchez has been pretty reliable this season, but he was 0 for 2 on field goal attempts last Saturday, including a 38-yarder late in the fourth quarter that would have likely sent the game into overtime.

What It Means: Any remote hopes the Cougars had of making the Big XII Conference Championship Game ended with this loss. I still have faith in Willie Fritz and I want him to succeed, but I'm beginning to have some questions. Why does his team come out so flat after bye weeks? Why is his offense so conservative? Why has Connor Weigman appeared to have taken a step backwards over the last several weeks?

This game was such a disappointment that afterwards I had to go over to Rice Stadium to watch North Texas beat the Owls just to get the shit taste out of my mouth.

The Cougars end the regular season with a trip to Waco to play Baylor this Saturday.