Jason's a restless individual who can't decide what he wants to be when he grows up so he's currently working for "The Man" while entertaining entertaining job offers. He's received an actual paycheck from 22 different jobs but has only once been fired for cause. A semi-professional racecar driver on the 610 circuit, Jason is pretty much video games at boiling crawfish, mixing White Russians, teaching little kids to be scared of The Claw and talking stressed-out friends off of ledges. He sucks at not spilling drinks, painting his living room and Monopoly. Should a meaningful career remain just out of reach, his fallback plan is to return to spooning for breakfast if his career in full-contact origami does not pan out.

Jim was born and raised in Baytown, but doesn’t reek of chemicals or glow in the dark (most of the time) — and now, after seeing how normal the rest of the country seems, he appreciates Houston more and more. When he's not busy being fascinated by useless trivia online, Jim spends his time writing, finding new music, seeking the perfect slice of pizza and supporting his beloved underdog Houston sports teams.

Michelle grew up in and around Houston and has never managed to leave except for short stints in Dela-where and Austin. Vintage clothing and thrift store shopping are her obsessions, and you will often catch her donning wacky remixed ensembles where pink gingham and leopard print collide. A self-proclaimed music junkie, Michelle has a long running spot during the afternoon drive time on KTRU. She's a true Houstonian through and through, running around barefooted in the summer, singing all the words to old George Strait songs and eating Blue Bell ice cream straight from the container, just like any other kid from her block would.

A native Houstonian from the wilds of FM 1960, Hector spends much of his time making lists (all sorts), eating sandwiches (Vietnamese), executing small adventures (not especially daring) and putting off writing (until the last minute possible). The rest of his time is spent cursing mornings and the offensively chipper people who thrive in them.

A born and bred Houstonian, Monica has often been referred to by friends as an ITL snob — a title she proudly embraces. A self-proclaimed map junkie, Monica can successfully get anyone anywhere inside the Loop in less than 15 minutes. There are very few social events that slip past her. Early onset Carpal Tunnel Syndrome caused by excessive text messaging has yet to slow her down. Monica's mission is showing the rest of the planet what a kick-ass metropolis lies within Loop 610. You can find her at a random music venue at least three nights out of the week, but if ever you catch her "OTL," please alert the authorities ... she's obviously lost.

Sometime in her middle school years, Marianne was transplanted to Houston, where she has since resided. Her internet roots can be traced back to the age of thirteen, when she first dabbled with HTML and built a Radiohead fan site on Geocities. Though long gone, she proudly remembers this as her Best Achievement Ever. She listens to almost every Astros game on AM 740, and spends her free time reading, watching movies and failing to convince her family to eat something other than Vietnamese food, no matter how awesome it may be.

Relatively new to Houston, Ned is constantly amazed by the "sheer number of creeping, crawling things!" in this town. A passion for art, architecture, bikes and rodeo keep Ned healthily sleep-deprived — and honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. Ned has "rather extreme views" about sustainable living and had been known to get more than slightly excited about the structural properties of corrugated cardboard, Tillandsia usneoides and oysters.

Amol grew up in the mean streets of Cypress and currently finds himself a stone's throw from the Galleria. From Houston to Florida to Malaysia to Austin and back, he has seen the world (and then some) and realized that there really was "no place like home." Amol's likes include recalling all two pleasant memories of the Houston Oilers, margaritas, fast cars and faster women. His dislikes include country music, slow drivers in the left lane and everything associated with Dallas.

Aside from four ravenous years spent in the remote plains of Waco, Katharine has lived in Houston all her life. Hailing from the Memorial area, she is proud to remind people that there is life outside the Loop. When she's not busy writing for Houstonist, you can find her blogging about food at she eats. or analyzing spreadsheets at her day job. Her interests include etymology, French New Wave cinema, listening to weird music, The Engines of Our Ingenuity and eating anything and everything you set in front of her.

Rob grew up on the mean streets of Memorial, where he was occasionally recognized as the bastard son of Charlie Kerfeld. After a brief stint in the mean pastures of College Station, he returned to Houston, whereupon he was stunned to learn that there was already one Dr. Red Duke, and that his degree in Red Nobility Studies was worthless. He currently lives in Montrose — or, as his dad calls it, “north of the Medical Center." You can often find him at the Flying Saucer downtown, admiring his own reflection in a pint glass.

A semi-Luddite who really enjoys the Internet, Crystal has led a conflicted life ever since her birth in Houston, lo those many years ago. ("Lo" is short for long, by the way.) Crystal can belabor a point to the extent that it moves beyond labor, past college and well into middle age. She writes grants for a living and writes plays for fun.

Katie (aka: happykatie) is a geeky, camera-wielding music junkie with a penchant for buying more books than is healthy and shamelessly staring at the cool kids' Vespas. Armed with a punk rawk baby and a hippie husband, Katie can be found obsessing over your website by day and scouring the hot streets of Houston for decent graffiti and the perfect bowl of Thai curry by night.

After growing up in Kingwood and attending college out of state, Ross can't imagine living anywhere else than the Montrose area. His friends constantly try to convince him that bars do exist, even if they are not located on West Gray or Westheimer. He has yet to believe them. As a wanna-be psychologist, he is always trying to find out what other people are thinking and what makes them tick. He's a full fledged sports addict who is always anxiously awaiting the next Texans game.

Before the summer of 2006, Torie Ludwin couldn't locate Houston on a map of Texas. Since her move, she's discovered plenty of reasons to stay: Inprint, the Menil, the Alley, Da Camera, Central City Co-op, Camphouse BBQ, T'afia's Farmer's Market, and all that signage around town from the 1950s. She hasn't yet taken to country music or cowboy boots, but it's only a matter of time.

Amanda is a lifelong Houstonian who was originally from the armpit of Highway 290 and the Beltway, but now resides in the Montrose area. An Astros fan since the womb, Amanda is programmed to endure sports-related disappointment (the least fairweather of all fans!). She is a self-proclaimed punk rocker with a square office job and an undying love for all things crafty. Amanda enjoys living inside the 610 loop, the Menil Collection, naps, dining at Ziggy's (or any new restaurant), crochet, trips to the Juice Box (a.k.a. Minute Maid Park) and the Muppets.

Lauren enjoys gardening, bowling, geocaching, road-tripping, and defending Houston's older buildings. She can also be found wandering around the Houston area (with camera in hand) gathering material for her pet project, www.arch-ive.org.

Adam P. Newton is a writer who aspires to actually make a career out of his words. He enjoys music, literature, cinema, theology, politics, whiskey, beer and his friends. He's a born and raised Texan who doesn't think or sound like he's from Texas. In order to pay the bills, he works as a technical writer for an eyelash extension company in North Houston and a barista for Taft Street Coffee in Montrose. In addition to contributing to Houstonist, Adam writes for ENVY Magazine, Amplifier Magazine, HM and Burnside Writers Collective. He can be found at www.dryvetymeonlyne.com.

Mary Jane was born in Houston and raised way out in the Hill Country, where eating out involved “going to town.” She moved to Houston to attend college and promptly fell in love with the city, vowing never to live anywhere else, ever. Growing up in a home where gravy is a beverage, she developed an addiction to fried chicken and bacon cheeseburgers, but has expanded (literally and figuratively) into a devoted fan of many different cuisines. In her spare time, MJ cooks, gardens, engages in home remodeling, loves live music, karaokes at every opportunity, reads, swills beer and wine (normally with a group of friends, of course), searches out new restaurants, vacations off the beaten path, collects old stuff of all varieties (read: crap and antiques), bravely attempts to play guitar and follows local sports, especially roller derby and football.

Adriana roots for the Astros despite the fact that people in other cities keep throwing beer at her head for doing so. A Rice University alum, she preaches the church of Houston everywhere she travels and tries to live in the Space City at least five months of the year. Adri is pursuing a graduate degree in creative nonfiction, reading all things Latin America and writing a book about violence in Colombia. She loves Topo Chico, limes and cheap Mexican food.

Adrienne grew up in Houston and recently returned after several years living somewhere else, where she single-handedly proved that vegetarians aren't just "people who don't like food." A firm believer that one should never eat on an empty stomach, she enjoys baking miniature cupcakes and other cute dessert products. Adrienne often amuses herself by napping, sewing or folding hyperbolic planes out of paper.

Born and raised in the small Republic of Texas town of El Campo, Ignacio proudly claims his Texas nationality and doesn't hesitate to call anyone a Yankee who was born outside her borders. While recovering from his hoarse voice, Ignacio can be found out and about with his "Richmond (Ave.) Crew" throughout the city attending any and every major event. Ignacio is a diehard Astros fan, and on occasion — even if sober — he can be found sleeping at Minute Maid Park's doorstep the night before a game.

A self-professed computer geek and Internet junkie, Eric can be found online most of the time sucking up bandwidth that makes most Internet providers cringe. During the few random days of a Houston winter, the heat from his computers keeps his home warm. He is also part of the Technology Bytes radio show, where he screens calls for the show from 8 to 10 p.m. every Wednesday on KPFT.

Brittanie lives in the Montrose and loves every minute of it. She's in a running club that sometimes requires her to swim across bayous (true), and she often has poison ivy. She prefers two wheels to four, beer in a bottle and Coca-Cola in a can. She is addicted to Blistex Herbal Answer, which is becoming increasingly more difficult to find. She keeps a blog. From May 2005 to November 2007 she lived in Korea and is extremely happy to be back in H-Town. Her favorite thing about Houston is the summers (also true).

Originally from Venezuela, Chester moved to Houston at the tender age of 5. At some point between fourth and fifth grade, he preemptively decided to forgo a stable income as an adult and be a writer ("No, father. I don't want to go to law school."). Chester was able to find solace in music while living in the West Side wasteland — a love affair that, he is proud to announce, is stronger than ever. Having recently taken residence in the Montrose, you can find him straggling around the intersection of Westheimer and Dunlavy, circumstantially close to Poison Girl.

Eric grew up in the 'burbs of Houston, but he's now a Houstonian, just seconds away from being an inner Looper. He is a marketing guru by trade but a music enthusiast by nature (and was probably the only 9-year-old with a Billboard subscription). You can often find him running at Memorial Park or hanging with friends at various pubs around town, being quizzed on useless music trivia.

Publisher and co-founder: Jake Dobkin