get your hoops up

S ome people drink booze or pop anti-depressants in order to stave off the blues, but Jessica Bullock, who grew up in Oak Cliff, deals in another way. “I could never be in a bad mood while I’m hula-hooping,” she says. Bullock is a fan of String Cheese Incident, a jam band widely credited with spawning a modern day hooping craze among its followers. “My husband and I used to go to their shows 10 years ago, and I loved to watch the people in the hula hoop pits, but I never took part myself back then,” she says. Eventually she came around, though. At one of the shows, her hubby bought her a brightly colored hoop, and she immediately craved more. A few years ago, Bullock located some hula-hooping soul mates, and the group began holding monthly hoop sessions in Oak Cliff. Jennifer Barclay, a childhood friend of Bullock, is a regular hooper. “It’s a good core workout, and Jessica can teach anyone to hoop,” she says. “My daughter couldn’t hoop at all, and now she’s doing all kinds of tricks.” Barclay is training to become a certified hula-hoop instructor through hoopnotica.com. Instantaneous good moods are nice, but the groovy exercise has had unexpected perks. Bullock, a self-proclaimed “big girl” has toned up significantly by way of the core-strengthening hula movements. “I call it the accidental workout,” she says. “I’ve lost about 30 or so pounds without even paying attention.”

THe HULA-HoopiNg groUp meets at different locations in Oak Cliff every month. to find out about their next meeting, email: Jessica@texashoopfactory.com.

MHS2134-ACD.qxd:Layout 1 1/11/10 10:35 AM Page 1 on Follow These Steps for a Healthy Heart. g A number of concepts opened and closed in the space at 1001 W. Jefferson. That’s how it wound up on this list of the most-jinxed restaurant spaces in Dallas. Search: jinxed a free event for women’s heart health Saturday, February 13th 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Register now at 877-637-4297 or MethodistHealthSystem.org The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Health System

? Cars are always speeding down my street. How can i get road Humps installed to make them slow down?

The City of dallas has a program specifically designed to allow residents to petition for road humps (also known as road bumps) on a street, but it’s not a simple process, and depending on the average speed of cars on your street, it may cost you. if money is not a stop sign for you on the road to safer streets, here’s how it works: several requirements must be met for your street to be deemed eligible for the program, so first you need to see if yours qualifies. The four main criteria are that your street must:

214.670.4020. They will instigate a review of the location by dallas Firerescue to confirm eligibility.

2. if your street qualifies for the program, you must petition for signatures from two-thirds of the households on the proposed stretch of road in order to install road humps. once complete, the petition can be sent to: road Hump Coordinator, department of p ublic Works and Transportation, City Hall, Room L1/BN, Dallas, TX 75201.

3. a pproximately three weeks after the petition is received, the city will perform a traffic study to determine the average speed of vehicles on the street. This will determine how much of the total cost the residents must pay.

1.

• Be at least 1,000 feet long and provide access to “adjoining lowdensity residential properties” (meaning single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes — not apartment complexes)

• Have only one traffic lane in each direction

• Not be listed as an emergency response route by dallas Firerescue

• Have a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less

To find out if your street qualifies, contact the City of dallas p ublic Works and Transportation department at

4. Based on the findings, residents will have to decide whether they are willing to pay for their share of the road humps, each of which measure 12 feet long and 3 inches high, and cost $,1,100. If the city finds that traffic violators are traveling at an average speed of 35 mph, residents are responsible for 100 percent of the cost. An average speed of 36 mph, however, reduces residents’ share to 80 percent; 37 mph reduces it to 60 percent; 38 to 40 percent; and if violators are driving at average speeds of 39+ mph, the city will foot the entire bill.

For more information, contact the p ublic Works and Transportation Department at 214.670.4020.

—ELIZABETH ELLIOTT

Got a maze you can’t find your way throuGh? Email howitworks@advocatemag.com with your question.

02.06.10-02.07.10

Oak Cliff Mardi Gras

Last year’s Oak Cliff Mardi Gras was such a success that the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce named it the best local event of 2009. And it’s back this year even better than before. Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. is the OCarnivale masquerade ball, benefitting Bishop Arts District beautification. “It’s for all of the landscaping and sprinklers and things like that,” says event organizer Amy Wallace Cowan. “The tenants pay for all of that stuff out of their pockets.” The Rebel Alliance jazz band will perform at the party, held in a tent behind Eno’s. Tickets are $25 through Jan. 25, $35 up to the day of the event, and $40 at the door if any are left (there’s a 300-person limit). The big Mardi-Gras parade is on Sunday, Feb. 7. It starts at 2 p.m. at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and runs down Bishop to Davis. “We’ve got several new groups in the parade this year,” Cowan says. “Wynnewood North is participating for the first time. And there’s a group of friends called ‘Wild on Windomere’ that signed up. So it will be a lot of fun.” — R AC h EL S TONE

02.03 POSTER PARTY

FREE

Kevin Obregon and Vanessa Neil of the Cube Creative will unveil the new poster they created for the Bishop Arts District and the Tyler Davis Art District. It is the first in a series of marketing posters for the area. The party, at Eno’s, 407 N. Bishop, starts at 7 p.m.

02.06-02.07 BURLESQUE FEST $15

Last year’s Dallas Burlesque Festival at the Texas Theatre was a hit. So this year, there are two performances. Both start at 9 p.m., and they’re not that risqué — think 1950s Las Vegas show. But it’s not a show for kids. 231 W. Jefferson, dallasburlesquefestival.com

02.06 DASH FOR THE BEADS $15-$27

This year’s Oak Cliff Mardi Gras celebration includes 5k and 1-mile races. Dash for the Beads starts in the Bishop Arts District at 9 a.m. Registration for the 1-mile race is $15, and $27 for the 5k. Proceeds go to Light Up Bishop Arts, which pays for lighting along the rooftops and in the trees in the district. Costumes are encouraged, and pets are welcome. dashforthebeads.org

02.14 VALENTINE RIDE

FREE Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s “Love Your Lane” ride starts at Main Street Garden Park at 2 p.m. Cupid costumes, or any equally silly outfits, are encouraged, and there are prizes for the best ones.

02.27 LA REUNION OPEN HOUSE

FREE La Reunion TX is bringing back its tree-carving challenge this month. Artists have been selected to carve dead or dying trees into decomposing sculptures. The public is invited to see their work during an open house from 2-4 p.m. Donations are encouraged. 469.844.5789 or lareuniontx.org.

Freshly Baked Bliss

O NE MORNING , WHILE MOST OF THE CITY was asleep still and samantha Rush was baking in her kitchen as usual, she got a text message from a loyal customer. “it said, ‘your macaroons are as good as ladurée,’ and he was standing in ladurée eating the macaroons when he sent me the message,” she says. That’s a famous Parisian pastry shop that invented and cultivated French macaroons. These are not the dried-up coconut cookies that are American macaroons. They are “little hamburgers” whose “buns” are made from almond flour and meringue flavored with pistachio, passion fruit, raspberry or lemon, to name a few. And they’re filled with thin layers of things like butter crème, jam or fondant. Rush, a former accountant who went to pastry school in Paris and owns Rush Patisserie, is noted for her macaroons. But there is so much more to what she does. she makes any pastry you can think of, and she does them all in an authentic European style. in the morning, she offers muffins, croissants, Danishes and other pastries to oak cliff commuters. she makes assortments of little cakes and tarts for meetings, parties and weddings. And on Friday and saturday, she sells fresh baguettes.

—RAChel STone

The BE ST EAT S in our neighborhood