Blog Posts

Dungeons & Dragons for Beginners

Remember the days when your imagination ran free and you relished in creative exercises like writing stories and creating characters? As you get older, the opportunity to do so may decrease, especially if you start working or going to school full-time. In this week’s Driscoll Place Blog, we’ve got a good pastime that incorporates the joys of creativity and storytelling: Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop roleplaying game that focuses on collaborative storytelling, so we hope you enjoy this short list of reasons why you should get into the game! Role Playing The game is labeled as a roleplaying game, as such, the game allows you to create and embody a character. Though there are many interpretations of this type of game, many choose to adopt the idea that you act as your character, speaking in first-person and acting as their character would according to their backstory. This aspect of the game can make people feel hesitant to start, as it would require a certain level of trust between friends and a willingness to get out of the comfort zone, but it can be one of the most rewarding parts of the game. Game Mechanics Aside from role playing, the game does have its own mechanics that involve a set of polyhedral dice. The dice are used to determine successes and failures in and out of battle. Though these dice rolls can mean some failures, it can be part of the fun! Learning how to lean into failures and enjoy the game as it happens can be rewarding and give you some great stories. Dungeons & Dragons is generally played using the theater of the mind, with the dungeon master narrating the game, however it’s not uncommon to have game miniatures and maps to help the players visualize battle settings. Role Distinctions The only roles in this game are dungeon master and player. The dungeon master is the one who narrates the game and creates a world in which the player resides. Players exist in the world and their actions have the potential to alter the landscape around them, either propelling the story forward or hitting a standstill. Invite some friends over to your Houston, TX apartment to play this game! Think about whether you’re going to be the one to dungeon master or find someone who could.

Host a Dinner Party

Do you need something to do on a weekend? Invite some of your friends to come over to your Houston, TX apartment for a dinner party! Dinner parties are a great way for you to catch up with your friends and to enjoy an evening of food and fun. In this week’s Driscoll Place Blog, we’ve got a few tips on how you can host a better party! Clean Your Home If you’re going to have guests over, make sure your home is clean. This means getting rid of any clutter that may be filling your public spaces, sweeping your floor and putting away any clothing laying about. Cleaning your home should always be a priority, but especially for when you have your friends over. Your apartment is meant to be shown off, so make sure it’s at peak cleanliness. Create a Menu Since it’s a dinner party, you’re going to want an awesome dinner! Plan a menu and consider the dietary needs of your guests. If you aren’t experienced in planning a menu, start by choosing a theme, then find suitable appetizers and entrees. Consider planning for a few entrees so that everyone gets a sizeable portion to eat. Make It a Potluck Regardless of if you have a menu or not, you can always make your dinner party a potluck. If you do have a theme, make sure your guests are well aware of the theme so they can bring a dish that complements the other dishes. Potlucks allow your guests to feel a little more invested in the event, plus it will help you save money rather than providing food for a large group of people. Don’t forget to provide drinks! Do you have any tips for hosting a dinner party? Let our Houston, TX apartment community know of them by leaving a comment for us! Thank you for reading.

Swimming Pool Games

Summer is in full force here in Texas and the heat has been bristling here in Houston. Luckily, one of our key amenities here at Driscoll Place is our fantastic and cool swimming pool. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon or a fun evening swim, our pool is accessible to all residents of our apartment community. This month we’ve decided to highlight our pool with some of our favorite pool games! Just remember to keep the pool rules in mind before you embark in some summer fun. Octopus This pool game is rather like Red Rover in that swimmers try to get from one side of the pool to the other side without being tagged by “it.” Once a swimmer is tagged, he or she joins hands with the other tagged players, thus becoming an “octopus” stretching across the pool who altogether attempts to tag all of the swimmers. Play until one swimmer is left, then start again with the last player becoming the new “it.” Dolphin Relay Race Each team (or two individual racers) receives a beach ball. At the starting signal, each player works to move the beachball across the pool — with just their nose. This game may be played as a relay race with two teams. Anyone who uses their hands has to return to the starting line! F-I-S-H It’s like the basketball game, H-O-R-S-E, but in the water. The objective is to copy the actions/moves of your opponent in the water. For example, player one does an underwater handstand for five seconds, player two has to match it or get a letter. The first player to spell out F-I-S-H loses. Note: You can do each action/move only once. Chicken Fight This classic pool game is one of our favorites. “A chicken fight in the pool is like double-decker wrestling. There are two teams consisting of two people each. Each team has a "bottom" and a "top." The "top" climbs onto the "bottom's" shoulders. The two "top" people are the only ones who actively fight. The object is to knock your opponent into the water, either by toppling just the "top" or both "top" and "bottom" together.” the goal of the game is to knock your opponent off of the shoulders of their teammate and into the water. Be sure to play safely.

The Best BBQ Joints in Houston

Welcome back to the Driscoll Place Blog! It’s no secret that the state of Texas is well-known for its great barbecue. Living here in Houston, we are lucky enough to have several great barbecue joints in the area. Enjoy a night off from cooking dinner and head to one of these highly rated bbq joints! We’ve included a brief description of each restaurant below and the drive time from our apartment community. Burns Original BBQ It may not look like much, but this longtime family restaurant offers smoked ribs, bricket, housemade sausage, and all your classic barbecue favorites. Visit their Facebook page to see their menu. Burns is about an 18-minute drive away from our apartment community. Jackson Street BBQ Painted bright red to mimic a red barn, this brick building is home to award-winning smoked meats including venison, brisket, German-style pork sausage, and so much more. They also have all the traditional sides including cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, cream corn, and collard greens. Jackson Street BBQ is about a 24-minute drive away from our apartment community. CorkScrew BBQ CorkScrew offers traditional barbecue plates and sandwiches plus bbq tacos and fully loaded potatoes! Fresh green salads are also available, if you are looking for a healthier option. You’ll find something for everyone at this casual dining barbecue joint. CorkScrew is a 16-minute drive away from our apartment community. Pinkerton’s Barbecue Enjoy barbecue as it should be at Pinkerton’s. Their wood-smoked meats are slow cooked to perfection using their special blend of aged post oak and sun dried mesquite in old school wood burning pits. You will be able to taste the difference as you sink your teeth into their prime brisket, beef or pork ribs, or other delicious barbecued meats. Be sure to try their Jalapeno Cheese Rice or one of their many other delectable sides. Pinkerton’s is an 18-minute drive from our apartment community. Thanks for reading our post! We hope you get the chance to enjoy some delicious barbecue this month!

DIY Honey & Vanilla Bubble Bath

Today, the Driscoll Place Blog invites you to indulge in something hot and bubbly — we’ll be sharing one of our favorite bubble bath recipes for you to enjoy in your Houston, TX apartment. Run the hot water and slip into a relaxing afternoon here at Driscoll Place! Honey & Vanilla Bubble Bath One of our favorite bubble bath recipes is made using honey and vanilla. The key to getting this bubble bath just right is the egg white. We know what you must be thinking: honey, eggs, vanilla — who’s cooking what? This recipe smells great, is simple to make, and is a great place to begin if it’s your first time making a bubble bath. Hello Glow shared a great recipe with these ingredients. All you’ll need is ½ cup of light almond oil, ¼ cup of honey, ½ cup of mild liquid or body soap, 1 egg white, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Simply combine the ingredients together and then pour ¼ to ½ cup under running water. Keep the rest in the refrigerator for your next soaking. Here’s what Stephanie Gerber at Hello Glow had to say about this recipe: “My first attempt at making bubble bath a couple of years ago was a total bomb. The secret is the egg white! It helps create bigger bubbles that last longer. But you still won’t get huge bubbles. Agitate the water to activate the soap and enjoy.” Whilst relaxing, add some more fun to your bath by bringing candles into the picture. We recommend looking for flameless tea lights, which flicker like a real flame without actually burning anything. When relaxing, it’s best to be safe — you don’t want to be worrying about open flames, especially if you have a lot of them. Making your own bubble bath will turn bath time into something even more special (and who doesn’t want that?). A homemade bubble bath is more than a great thing for you— it’s also a great gift to give away for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and other celebrations.

Highly Anticipated Movie Releases

There are some great movies coming out this month! Are you excited for the new Spider-Man movie yet? What about the brand new horror movie from Ari Aster? In addition to these movies, here is our list of most anticipated movie releases for July. The following movie titles and descriptions were found on IMDB.com . Spider-Man: Far From Home — July 2nd “Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.” Endgame was, let’s face it, a game changer for superhero movies. We can’t wait to see what Marvel has in store for us next. Midsommar — July 3rd “A young woman reluctantly joins her boyfriend on a summer trip to a Swedish festival where things quickly go awry.” A daylight horror movie from the director and writer of last year’s terrifying mystery Hereditary? Yes, please! The Lion King — July 19th “After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.” If you love the Disney animated classic, this one looks like it might be just as great! Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood — July 26th “A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.” Quentin Tarantino’s next film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, and many more talented individuals. We can’t wait for this one! Take time out of your busy schedule to head to a local theater in Houston, TX with a friend or two. Everyone needs a break outside of their apartment at some point. Plan your small getaway to the theater today! Thanks for visiting the Driscoll Place Blog.