H-Town Run Tourist

Bored from being home alone? Start your own podcast or blog today

Bored from being home alone? Start your own podcast or blog today
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Jovan Abernathy is an international marathoner and owner of Houston Tourism Gym. Check out her new blog, HTown Run Tourist. Follow her on Twitter @jovanabernathy. Instagram @HTownRunTourist. Facebook @jovanabernathy

There will be a comeback for blogs and podcasts through the pandemic. Because we have to practice social distancing, many of us are bored, very bored and we miss each other. We miss human connection and we miss the variety of being with different people. One way to overcome this challenge and the challenge of going out of your mind is to start your own podcast or blog. Before you object, I'm going to give you my reasons why its a great idea.

You get to share your passion with others.

Once you know what that passion is, you will never run out of things to say. In fact, you can't talk about it. Also, you will find out that many people feel the same way that you do.

While you are sharing your passion, you get to connect with yourself.

When you have to share your thoughts, you have to present them like a tasty meal. Before you do that, you have to know exactly what you know on the topic and how you feel. It is a confidence booster. Because you have time to prepare, you really come off looking like the expert that you are.

You will have fun brainstorming, networking, and creating.

This is an understatement. I personally feel that humans are meant to be creative. When a person is in the state of learning and creation, they are usually at their best and most beautiful. When you have been through this process, you have an appreciation for creativity everywhere and are least likely to be critical of others.

Analyzing your analytics is addictive.

It is so exhilarating to see your page views jump from 0 to 100 to 200 to 1000 to 10,000 and more. It shows you what topics really matter and what people really care about. I also love seeing how well my campaigns are working.

Those are only a few reasons to start your blog or podcast. But, how do you get started? It is much easier than you think. Because we live in 2020, we have so many resources to create a quality blog or podcast that looks professional.

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Squarespace

In the past, if you wanted to create a blog or website, you would have to get a web hosting account and create your website on Wordpress, and write your own code. That was back then. Now, we have Squarespace.

You can create an amazing website for selling products, for membership websites, or showcasing your talents. Squarespace makes it super simple. It is as easy as cutting and pasting. You can add music and video. You can also choose stock photos directly from the Squarespace website. These websites are so simple to set up, you can also take payment on your website. Because of COVID19, you now have all the time in the world to set up your website. I created both of my websites on Squarespace. I did Houston Tourism Gym during Hurricane Harvey and H-Town Run Tourist during COVID19.

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Anchor

Podcasting sounds like it would be really difficult and really expensive. That is until Anchor came along. Because, I do not have a podcast, I asked my friend, Taylor Schepps, who recently started a podcast called Tizz Talk. Think, business and current events in a panel discussion for potheads who day trade. Taylor produces hour long episodes from his living room. He does solo shows where it is just him talking to his audience or he invites his friends to talk about current events. The cool thing about podcasts is that your voice connects you with your audience on a deeper level. You can add video of your shows so they can tell what you look like as well.

Anchor makes all of this easy and cost effective. When you create your podcast on Anchor, you can put it on the different platforms like iTunes or spotify with a click of a button. They will also help you find sponsors to monetize your podcast.

So, if you are bored, write down some things that you are interested in and start creating. We can't wait to see your work.

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The Texans made some big upgrades to the offense! Composite Getty Image.

The Texans made their first splash of the 2025 NFL Draft by trading back from pick No. 25 to No. 34 overall, landing Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins early in the second round. The move down with the Giants gave Houston flexibility—and still brought them a potential weapon with rare physical tools.

Higgins comes in at 6'4", 214 pounds, with a 4.47 forty and a 39-inch vertical. That size-speed combo makes him a strong candidate for an X receiver role or a power slot option, where he could carve out a significant target share. While he can win from the boundary, the mismatch potential inside might unlock more of his upside.

Fantasy Pros analyst Derek Brown sees Higgins as a developing player in the mold of former Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. Higgins ranked 20th in yards per route run vs. man coverage, showing he can create separation against NFL-style looks. He’s forced 25 missed tackles over the past two years, though he’s not exactly a YAC monster—averaging 4.5 yards after catch per reception. For comparison, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan posted 5.5 YAC per catch for his career and had more missed tackles forced in 2024 alone than Higgins managed across two seasons.

Still, Higgins’ physicality and potential as a power slot make him a fascinating fit for Houston’s offense. If he had played at a higher-profile program, some scouts believe he might have cracked the first round. He’ll need to improve his release off the line and consistently play to his size, but the traits are all there. With Jaylin Noel as his teammate at Iowa State, Higgins didn't always have the spotlight—but in Houston, he might just grow into it. He possesses similar traits to Nico Collins, which could come in handy considering Collins tends to miss time due to injury every season.

Here's what NFL.com's Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein thinks about Higgins via NFL.com:

Big inside/outside wideout with modest athletic attributes but outstanding ball skills that make him a projectable NFL prospect. Higgins needs a more limited route tree but can operate on all three levels in the right scheme. He’s smooth but physical in his routes and does a nice job of creating pockets of separation with force and strength. He has mismatch qualities from the slot with body control and a catch radius that make him a menace on jump balls downfield. He won’t outrun cornerbacks and is nothing special after the catch, but his size, ball skills and competitiveness create a profile of production as a future contributor in three-wide sets.

With their second pick in Round 2, the Texans traded up to No. 48 to select Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, sending picks No. 58 and 99 in the deal.

Ersery, a 6'6", 331-pound tackle from Minnesota, was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year after a standout college career. A three-year starter at left tackle, Ersery consistently anchored the Gophers’ line and proved his talent by holding his own against top competition, including the top pass rusher in the 2025 Draft, Abdul Carter. Off the field, he's a gamer who enjoys Madden and Call of Duty.

Here's what Zierlein had to say about the Texans' new offensive lineman via NFL.com:

Three-year starter at left tackle with good power. Ersery is not a natural bender, which creates disadvantages with leverage and when attempting to mirror moving fronts. He’s well-versed in Minnesota’s outside zone attack, but might be more consistent in power, inside zone and hat-on-hat matchups. He’s huge, but he sets with good quickness to the rush, using his length and hand strength to gather it or lock it out. His anchor is derived from his upper half, which opens him to hand counters. Ersery has the potential to become an average starting tackle on the right side, but his success will be tied to matchups across from him.

Be sure to watch the video below as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts to the picks live on YouTube!

*ChatGPT assisted.

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