Two years ago when I moved to Texas, Friday Night Lights was just a blip on my pop-culture radar. I had never seen an episode, and while I actually really enjoy watching sports, I couldn't imagine getting hooked on a TV series whose main objective was to examine high school football in a small Texas town. But once we got to Austin, it seemed like everyone was watching and LOVING this show. So we went ahead and gave it a try. And you know what? It turns out the show isn't really about football at all. Oh, and it is also excellent.
We watched the previous four seasons quickly enough to catch up and watch season 5 as it has aired this summer. Tomorrow night NBC will show the series finale, and I have to admit, I am feeling a little sad. The show, as I mentioned above, really is about so much more than just football (although no one can doubt the show makes a strong case that football is the glue that holds together most small Texas towns). What I really love about this show is that it is an honest and compelling portrayal of the working class in America. I also really love the Taylors. The marriage between Coach and Tami, which is really the central aspect of the show, is honest, loving and sweet.
And I will admit that there really is something special about watching it while living in Austin. There is a Mack Brown reference in the pilot episode that I can guarantee you would have been lost on me had I not already experienced my first UT football season. It's also fun to roll my eyes at how silly the show's earnest love of Texas is, because that is just such a real depiction of how people feel here. It is actually kind of hard to not buy into the whole romantic "Texas Forever" thing, especially if you have Tami Taylor as a role model.
So if you haven't seen it, watch it! And then when you come to visit me in Austin, we can take a FNL tour around the city, playing mini-golf at Peter Pan, drinking milk shakes in the parking lot of Frans, and learning to two step at the Broken Spoke.
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday, November 26, 2010
Welcome to Marble Falls
Day: 468
High Temp: 55F
The weekend before Halloween, Tom and I took a day trip out to a little town northwest of Austin called Marble Falls. The plan was to pick pumpkins, tackle the giant Texas-shaped corn maze and eat some pie at a famous diner in town.
First off, the pie. It was around 12:30 when we arrived to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, and there was a fairly impressive line waiting for us. Thankfully it moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were next in line for a table, standing in front of a large bulletin board plastered with locals and (Texas) celebrities who love the pie. Among these Blue Bonnet enthusiasts, I spied Dubbya and Rick Perry. Not very appetizing, but we persevered.
Thinking that it was too early in the day to just order pie, Tom and I shared an omelette and some biscuits and gravy before deciding on the pie we would eat. It is a tough decision, too, because Blue Bonnet offers at least a dozen options each day, many with a mile high mound of meringue. We stayed classic, though. Tom opted for the apple, while I got the cherry.
The verdict? It was okay. As a person who flatters myself to think I make a pretty damn good pie, it is kind of hard to impress me. The crust was okay, but both the apple and cherry fillings seemed to be from a can. Maybe I am not being fair to Blue Bonnet... perhaps one of us should have went for a meringue, but honestly, I don't love meringue. Ultimately I would rather have a slice of my own apple pie over the stuff at Blue Bonnet any day. That said, I would be happy to stop back by Blue Bonnet to try some of the tempting cream pies they have next time I am in Marble Falls.
Once we had our fill of diner food, we made our way just a few miles out of town to Sweet Berry Farm, where the Harvest of Fall Fun was in full effect. Tom and I perused a really great sample of different varieties of pumpkins before finally making a decision. I love to go for the bumpy, mottled looking pumpkins, and here they were to be found in abundance. Ultimately, we chose one big round classic Jack, two pimply, spotted Lunch Ladies, a small, smooth, ghostly white Lumina and a green stripy Caveman gourd.
With our pumpkins tucked safely in the back of Elly, we then traipsed over to the other side of the farm to partake in the legendary Texas Corn Maze (check out a birds eye view of the maze here- you have to click on Hay Field Maze 'Texas' because their website is a little odd and won't let me link directly to it.)
Each entrant is given a ticket with 12 locations that correspond to 12 check points check points hidden within the maze. The locations are actual spots in Texas, and are located roughly within the Tsxas maze where you would find them on an actual Texas map. the object is to find all 12 and punch your ticket with the little hole puncher waiting at the check point. Each station has a different shape, so the workers can tell if you actually completed the task. If you do, you win a can of pop. It was hotter than it should be at the end of October, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so Tom and I didn't complete the maze. But we did have a lot of fun trying.
High Temp: 55F
The weekend before Halloween, Tom and I took a day trip out to a little town northwest of Austin called Marble Falls. The plan was to pick pumpkins, tackle the giant Texas-shaped corn maze and eat some pie at a famous diner in town.
First off, the pie. It was around 12:30 when we arrived to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, and there was a fairly impressive line waiting for us. Thankfully it moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were next in line for a table, standing in front of a large bulletin board plastered with locals and (Texas) celebrities who love the pie. Among these Blue Bonnet enthusiasts, I spied Dubbya and Rick Perry. Not very appetizing, but we persevered.
 |
| This place is so retro chic. |
 |
| Warm pie. |
Once we had our fill of diner food, we made our way just a few miles out of town to Sweet Berry Farm, where the Harvest of Fall Fun was in full effect. Tom and I perused a really great sample of different varieties of pumpkins before finally making a decision. I love to go for the bumpy, mottled looking pumpkins, and here they were to be found in abundance. Ultimately, we chose one big round classic Jack, two pimply, spotted Lunch Ladies, a small, smooth, ghostly white Lumina and a green stripy Caveman gourd.
 |
| The bounty of the Harvest. We'll take one of each! |
With our pumpkins tucked safely in the back of Elly, we then traipsed over to the other side of the farm to partake in the legendary Texas Corn Maze (check out a birds eye view of the maze here- you have to click on Hay Field Maze 'Texas' because their website is a little odd and won't let me link directly to it.)
Each entrant is given a ticket with 12 locations that correspond to 12 check points check points hidden within the maze. The locations are actual spots in Texas, and are located roughly within the Tsxas maze where you would find them on an actual Texas map. the object is to find all 12 and punch your ticket with the little hole puncher waiting at the check point. Each station has a different shape, so the workers can tell if you actually completed the task. If you do, you win a can of pop. It was hotter than it should be at the end of October, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so Tom and I didn't complete the maze. But we did have a lot of fun trying.
 |
| Corn stalks... as high as a giraffe's eye at least, I would say. But then again, everything is bigger in Texas. |
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Exercising My Right
Day: 442
High Temp: 84F
I try to keep things pretty apolitical here at DMWL, but I wanted to let you all know that Friday afternoon I exercised my right to vote for the first time as a citizen of the (large, confusing and sometimes great) state of Texas. As a person who generally leans towards the liberal spectrum, I feel like my vote is even more important here than it was in Illinois, and I have to say that it felt really good to NOT vote for Rick Perry-I have had enough of wacky governors with full heads of dark hair, thankyouverymuch!
Despite having my heart broken early on in my voting life (I am sure you all remember Gore, then Kerry...) I always get a little thrill when I vote. Call me old fashioned, but I believe it is a really important thing to do.
So, do your community a favor and go out and VOTE on Tuesday! And if you aren't sure who to vote for, or who might be on your ballot, do a little research before you head to the polls. There are so many amazing resources for modern voters to take advantage of on the internet, there is no excuse for people nowadays to be uniformed.
High Temp: 84F
I try to keep things pretty apolitical here at DMWL, but I wanted to let you all know that Friday afternoon I exercised my right to vote for the first time as a citizen of the (large, confusing and sometimes great) state of Texas. As a person who generally leans towards the liberal spectrum, I feel like my vote is even more important here than it was in Illinois, and I have to say that it felt really good to NOT vote for Rick Perry-I have had enough of wacky governors with full heads of dark hair, thankyouverymuch!
Despite having my heart broken early on in my voting life (I am sure you all remember Gore, then Kerry...) I always get a little thrill when I vote. Call me old fashioned, but I believe it is a really important thing to do.
So, do your community a favor and go out and VOTE on Tuesday! And if you aren't sure who to vote for, or who might be on your ballot, do a little research before you head to the polls. There are so many amazing resources for modern voters to take advantage of on the internet, there is no excuse for people nowadays to be uniformed.
There's no basement at the Alamo!
Day: 442
High Temp: 84F
I mentioned in the garden blog that my parents came down to Austin just after our wedding to visit Tom and I, and bring us the load of wedding presents we had received in St Louis. We had a great time showing them some of our new favorite food spots (Hoover's and Juan in a Million were big hits), and they loved getting a chance to see Homer now that he is all grown up.
My parents were planning to stay until Tuesday morning, and as the weekend drew to a close, I started getting pressure from them to take a vacation day on Monday. The big plan was to drive down to San Antonio for the day. Bowing to the pressure, and at the mercy of my extremely flexible boss at UT, I was able to make Monday happen.
San Antonio really surprised me. I had always heard how amazing the River Walk was, and how disappointing the Alamo was. Truth is, both were very different from what I expected.
I know this is a silly thing to say, but for some reason, I expected the River Walk to be like the Arno in Florence. I expected a large, dominant river, lined on each side by wide side walks lined with old buildings houseing cafes, shops and the like. Lots of space and airy, all anchored by a large, wild river. The truth is, the River Walk is more reminiscent of Venice (are you rolling your eyes yet?) It is small, the river is fairly shallow and it is extremely engineered with perfect concrete walls along each bank. Seriously, it's not more than 12 feet across, and the sidewalks are very narrow. The overall affect was more man-made, more like Disneyland, than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, it is a very charming place, and walking below street level next to the water in the shade of the big cypress and oak trees is certainly a nice break from the heat, but it just wasn't what I expected. That said, I am excited to take Tom back to San Antonio around Christmas time, when the abundant trees, bridges and walkways are reportedly covered in lights. Sounds like the perfect setting for an evening river cruise with my sweetie and a thermos of spiked hot cocoa!
While in San Antone we also saw the Alamo, which was kind of awesome. I had been told that it wasn't as cool, or as big as you might expect, and so with my expectations sufficiently lowered, I thought it was great. It doesn't really look like it did in Pee Wee's big Adventure, at least not on the inside, but that did not stop me from proclaiming, many times, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" Thankfully, this was very amusing to my parents. But seriously, it's a big old building, with gorgeous gardens behind the barrack walls. There are also some cool artifacts, like Davey Crockett's rifle.
I also want to note that I actually heard someone call this fair city "San Antone"in all seriousness while we were there. We took a trolley tour to see a few of the old missions and some of the neighborhoods around the city, and this boisterous and entertaining pair of old ladies was on the bus with us. When one of them rudely answered her cellphone during the narrated tour, she proceeded to shout to her caller, "No, we are in San Antone!" Thankfully, our tour guide shamed her by saying he had learned it was rude to talk while others were talking. She got the point and hung up pretty quickly.
PS- I do have some pictures from this trip, but they are stuck on the throw away cameras we were trying to use up post-wedding... May come back and update the post if any turned out once I get them developed.
High Temp: 84F
I mentioned in the garden blog that my parents came down to Austin just after our wedding to visit Tom and I, and bring us the load of wedding presents we had received in St Louis. We had a great time showing them some of our new favorite food spots (Hoover's and Juan in a Million were big hits), and they loved getting a chance to see Homer now that he is all grown up.
My parents were planning to stay until Tuesday morning, and as the weekend drew to a close, I started getting pressure from them to take a vacation day on Monday. The big plan was to drive down to San Antonio for the day. Bowing to the pressure, and at the mercy of my extremely flexible boss at UT, I was able to make Monday happen.
San Antonio really surprised me. I had always heard how amazing the River Walk was, and how disappointing the Alamo was. Truth is, both were very different from what I expected.
I know this is a silly thing to say, but for some reason, I expected the River Walk to be like the Arno in Florence. I expected a large, dominant river, lined on each side by wide side walks lined with old buildings houseing cafes, shops and the like. Lots of space and airy, all anchored by a large, wild river. The truth is, the River Walk is more reminiscent of Venice (are you rolling your eyes yet?) It is small, the river is fairly shallow and it is extremely engineered with perfect concrete walls along each bank. Seriously, it's not more than 12 feet across, and the sidewalks are very narrow. The overall affect was more man-made, more like Disneyland, than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, it is a very charming place, and walking below street level next to the water in the shade of the big cypress and oak trees is certainly a nice break from the heat, but it just wasn't what I expected. That said, I am excited to take Tom back to San Antonio around Christmas time, when the abundant trees, bridges and walkways are reportedly covered in lights. Sounds like the perfect setting for an evening river cruise with my sweetie and a thermos of spiked hot cocoa!
While in San Antone we also saw the Alamo, which was kind of awesome. I had been told that it wasn't as cool, or as big as you might expect, and so with my expectations sufficiently lowered, I thought it was great. It doesn't really look like it did in Pee Wee's big Adventure, at least not on the inside, but that did not stop me from proclaiming, many times, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" Thankfully, this was very amusing to my parents. But seriously, it's a big old building, with gorgeous gardens behind the barrack walls. There are also some cool artifacts, like Davey Crockett's rifle.
I also want to note that I actually heard someone call this fair city "San Antone"in all seriousness while we were there. We took a trolley tour to see a few of the old missions and some of the neighborhoods around the city, and this boisterous and entertaining pair of old ladies was on the bus with us. When one of them rudely answered her cellphone during the narrated tour, she proceeded to shout to her caller, "No, we are in San Antone!" Thankfully, our tour guide shamed her by saying he had learned it was rude to talk while others were talking. She got the point and hung up pretty quickly.
PS- I do have some pictures from this trip, but they are stuck on the throw away cameras we were trying to use up post-wedding... May come back and update the post if any turned out once I get them developed.
Friday, October 22, 2010
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Day: 433
High Temp: 86F
My garden grows quite well, thank you very much!
On our second weekend at the Mint House, Tom and I planted a garden. There were already some raised beds in our side yard, so we went out and bought plants, seeds and lots of tools, and proceeded to break up the ground, fill the beds with compost and soil, and start planting. There were still boxes that needed unpacking, and pictures that needed hanging, but we were playing in the dirt.
That was 12 weeks ago, and now our garden is really starting to produce (hee hee)! From the very beginning, the serrano chili plant was producing (it was literally filled with serranos within two weeks). But it was just last weekend that some of our first plants in the ground started to bear veggies.
On Sunday, I harvested a big pile of green beans, and one large, beautiful yellow summer squash. These were veggies we grew from seeds, with absolutely no fertilizer except compost, and they are delicious. The green beans went into a shepard's pie for dinner, and my mom (who, along with my dad, was visiting us last weekend) sliced and fried up the squash for an appetizer.
Last night, we pulled two more monster squash out of the garden, and another large bunch of green beans. Tom also had a surprise for me... our cucumbers have started to come in! They have been wild, viney looking plants for weeks now, with pretty yellow cucumber flowers constantly blooming and withering by the dozens. I was convinced that, since we hadn't even seen the start of a cucumber, perhaps it was too hot, or too late or whatever to actually get cucumbers this year. To my utter delight, I was wrong. There are dozens of little cucumberlings out there now! I see homemade pickles and dilly beans in my future!
We were careful to follow the many charts that suggest what can be planted in August in Austin, and held back some cooler weather seeds which Tom has planted when appropriate in September and October. Mixed lettuces, winter squash, beets and carrots have all gone in the ground in the past few weeks, and are already starting to look good. I am not sure anyone can imagine how excited I am to make a roasted beet salad and serve it over my homegrown mixed baby greens!
Though I have been pulling my weight with watering, and harvesting, I have to give Tom a huge amount of credit for most of the planting, weeding and general TLC. He absolutely loves being in the garden, and I have to say, the only thing that makes me happier than our home grown veggies is the peace and joy he has been getting from that little plot of land.
High Temp: 86F
My garden grows quite well, thank you very much!
On our second weekend at the Mint House, Tom and I planted a garden. There were already some raised beds in our side yard, so we went out and bought plants, seeds and lots of tools, and proceeded to break up the ground, fill the beds with compost and soil, and start planting. There were still boxes that needed unpacking, and pictures that needed hanging, but we were playing in the dirt.
That was 12 weeks ago, and now our garden is really starting to produce (hee hee)! From the very beginning, the serrano chili plant was producing (it was literally filled with serranos within two weeks). But it was just last weekend that some of our first plants in the ground started to bear veggies.
 |
| Serranos ripening on the vine! |
On Sunday, I harvested a big pile of green beans, and one large, beautiful yellow summer squash. These were veggies we grew from seeds, with absolutely no fertilizer except compost, and they are delicious. The green beans went into a shepard's pie for dinner, and my mom (who, along with my dad, was visiting us last weekend) sliced and fried up the squash for an appetizer.
 |
| Our first big harvest. Summer squash and green beans displayed on our pretty new china. |
Last night, we pulled two more monster squash out of the garden, and another large bunch of green beans. Tom also had a surprise for me... our cucumbers have started to come in! They have been wild, viney looking plants for weeks now, with pretty yellow cucumber flowers constantly blooming and withering by the dozens. I was convinced that, since we hadn't even seen the start of a cucumber, perhaps it was too hot, or too late or whatever to actually get cucumbers this year. To my utter delight, I was wrong. There are dozens of little cucumberlings out there now! I see homemade pickles and dilly beans in my future!
 |
| One of many cucumberlings. |
We were careful to follow the many charts that suggest what can be planted in August in Austin, and held back some cooler weather seeds which Tom has planted when appropriate in September and October. Mixed lettuces, winter squash, beets and carrots have all gone in the ground in the past few weeks, and are already starting to look good. I am not sure anyone can imagine how excited I am to make a roasted beet salad and serve it over my homegrown mixed baby greens!
 |
| Many varieties of lettuce and greens coming in! |
Though I have been pulling my weight with watering, and harvesting, I have to give Tom a huge amount of credit for most of the planting, weeding and general TLC. He absolutely loves being in the garden, and I have to say, the only thing that makes me happier than our home grown veggies is the peace and joy he has been getting from that little plot of land.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Who we gonna root for? Round Rock Express!
Day: 360
High Temp: 101F
Saturday night Tom and I joined our friends, the Mannings, for our first ever Minor League Baseball experience. We traveled just outside Austin to the Dell Diamond to see the Round Rock Express take on the Fresno Grizzlies. When we arrived at the Manning abode, little Fin (adorable five-year old superhero enthusiast) yelled, "who we gonna root for?" To which us grown-ups replied, "Round Rock Express!" We did this many times over the course of the night, much to Fin's delight.
I am not a fan of the Houston Astros, the club for which the Express serves as AAA affiliate. That said, it is amazing how willing to overlook this fact I was in order to join in the spirit and root-root-root for the home team. It was a great night, and a great game, with the Express beating the Grizzlies 4-1. I could literally write pages about how much fun we had, but here are the highlights:
-The stadium! The Dell Diamond is a gorgeous place to take in a game, and it's so intimate. Intimacy work well for art and sports, so it would seem. I am now a huge enthusiast of AAA ball for this reason alone.
-The beer! A 24 ounce Shiner was only 6.50. Nice!
-The nachos! Allowing for the standard ball park queso, there was a serve yourself tub of pickled jalapenos which put these nachos into a new class of yummy.
-The pitching! The Express pen was able to keep the Grizzlies to 1 run, and really, for both sides it was a tight game.
-Spike! Spike the Express mascot, is hound dog dressed up like an old school train engineer. Fin and his mom Courtney took a trip to the Express merchandise store around the 6th inning and brought back a miniature stuffed Spike. Fin and I spent the next two innings creating a super hero story that included Spike as the central good guy, but also featured his side-kick Needles, and his arch-nemesis Steelman!
-Kiss Cam! Yep, we were on it and that was funny.
-The Eyes of Texas? Yeah, so between innings... maybe 3 and 4... they played the UT fight song. I actually noticed that more people seemed to be wearing burnt orange than the Express' Navy and Red earlier in the game, but this was hilarious. With fingers in longhorn formation, thousands in the stands sang along to show their... longhorn pride I guess.
-An actual train! Giving the team it's name, the train runs really close to the field and we heard its whistle at two different points during the game. When this happens, they play the opening lines of "Folsom Prison Blues" over the stadium PA.
When Tom and I were first planning our move to Austin, I actually thought quite a bit about Austin's lack of professional sports. I spent the first 28 years of my life in St Louis and Chicago, two seriously baseball-loving cities. I wondered what I would do so far from a major league team. What I have now learned is that Minor League baseball is a great substitute for the Majors. I will no longer look down upon all those many small towns that are home to, and genuinely love, minor league teams.
High Temp: 101F
Saturday night Tom and I joined our friends, the Mannings, for our first ever Minor League Baseball experience. We traveled just outside Austin to the Dell Diamond to see the Round Rock Express take on the Fresno Grizzlies. When we arrived at the Manning abode, little Fin (adorable five-year old superhero enthusiast) yelled, "who we gonna root for?" To which us grown-ups replied, "Round Rock Express!" We did this many times over the course of the night, much to Fin's delight.
I am not a fan of the Houston Astros, the club for which the Express serves as AAA affiliate. That said, it is amazing how willing to overlook this fact I was in order to join in the spirit and root-root-root for the home team. It was a great night, and a great game, with the Express beating the Grizzlies 4-1. I could literally write pages about how much fun we had, but here are the highlights:
-The stadium! The Dell Diamond is a gorgeous place to take in a game, and it's so intimate. Intimacy work well for art and sports, so it would seem. I am now a huge enthusiast of AAA ball for this reason alone.
-The beer! A 24 ounce Shiner was only 6.50. Nice!
-The nachos! Allowing for the standard ball park queso, there was a serve yourself tub of pickled jalapenos which put these nachos into a new class of yummy.
-The pitching! The Express pen was able to keep the Grizzlies to 1 run, and really, for both sides it was a tight game.
-Spike! Spike the Express mascot, is hound dog dressed up like an old school train engineer. Fin and his mom Courtney took a trip to the Express merchandise store around the 6th inning and brought back a miniature stuffed Spike. Fin and I spent the next two innings creating a super hero story that included Spike as the central good guy, but also featured his side-kick Needles, and his arch-nemesis Steelman!
-Kiss Cam! Yep, we were on it and that was funny.
-The Eyes of Texas? Yeah, so between innings... maybe 3 and 4... they played the UT fight song. I actually noticed that more people seemed to be wearing burnt orange than the Express' Navy and Red earlier in the game, but this was hilarious. With fingers in longhorn formation, thousands in the stands sang along to show their... longhorn pride I guess.
-An actual train! Giving the team it's name, the train runs really close to the field and we heard its whistle at two different points during the game. When this happens, they play the opening lines of "Folsom Prison Blues" over the stadium PA.
When Tom and I were first planning our move to Austin, I actually thought quite a bit about Austin's lack of professional sports. I spent the first 28 years of my life in St Louis and Chicago, two seriously baseball-loving cities. I wondered what I would do so far from a major league team. What I have now learned is that Minor League baseball is a great substitute for the Majors. I will no longer look down upon all those many small towns that are home to, and genuinely love, minor league teams.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Austin Myth #1: It's Dry
Day: 299
High Temp: 89F
I feel like I should address a myth that is running rampant in our country. People think Texas is hot and dry. That is only half true, at least here in Austin. It is certainly hot. We have already experienced triple digit highs, and for the past few weeks it has consistently been hitting ninety degrees or higher each day. However, in my experience the fall, winter and spring are every bit as wet as they were in St. Louis (and more so than in Chicago). And in the fall and spring, it is also pretty damn humid.
The hill country may be an anomaly in Texas, but it is quite green, with huge live oaks, palm trees and lots of lush lawns mixed in with the expected prickly pears, cacti and succulents. And I am not just referring to the well-kept lawns of the middle and upper class. The wild landscape all around Austin is genuinely green. It is, indeed, the last bastion of flora before you hit the desolate and barely living landscape of West Texas, the part of the state which seems to have lent the rest of us it reputation for dry, dessert-like conditions.
It is true that by the time we get to the end of the summer we will get very little rain, and likely experience a drought. It will continue to be hot, and with the lack of rain, water bans will undoubtedly be put in place. Car washes will close their doors, business that fail to turn off and drain their fountains will be ticketed in violation of the water ban, and homeowners will only be able to water their lawns once a week (and by that point, it's not enough, so you might as well just give it up and let your lawn die.) It will be hot, and it will be dry, and we will pray for rain. This happened last summer, and when it finally did rain, there was a great celebration (see pics of that first blessed rain storm here). But this hot and dry weather really only seems to last for 2-3 months maximum. Slowly, as we inch towards October, and temperatures drop back into the eighties, it will become rainy and humid once more.
Of course, I am not sure any weather is ever typical here in Austin. I have been told that the spring was much more temperate than it normally is, that normally it would be genuinely and consistently HOT as early as April. I guess my point is that, in my short experience here, the majority of the weather in Austin is marked by rain and humidity. It just doesn't seem fair for all of you to think, "Sure, it's hot in Austin, but at least it's not as humid as it is here."
High Temp: 89F
I feel like I should address a myth that is running rampant in our country. People think Texas is hot and dry. That is only half true, at least here in Austin. It is certainly hot. We have already experienced triple digit highs, and for the past few weeks it has consistently been hitting ninety degrees or higher each day. However, in my experience the fall, winter and spring are every bit as wet as they were in St. Louis (and more so than in Chicago). And in the fall and spring, it is also pretty damn humid.
The hill country may be an anomaly in Texas, but it is quite green, with huge live oaks, palm trees and lots of lush lawns mixed in with the expected prickly pears, cacti and succulents. And I am not just referring to the well-kept lawns of the middle and upper class. The wild landscape all around Austin is genuinely green. It is, indeed, the last bastion of flora before you hit the desolate and barely living landscape of West Texas, the part of the state which seems to have lent the rest of us it reputation for dry, dessert-like conditions.
It is true that by the time we get to the end of the summer we will get very little rain, and likely experience a drought. It will continue to be hot, and with the lack of rain, water bans will undoubtedly be put in place. Car washes will close their doors, business that fail to turn off and drain their fountains will be ticketed in violation of the water ban, and homeowners will only be able to water their lawns once a week (and by that point, it's not enough, so you might as well just give it up and let your lawn die.) It will be hot, and it will be dry, and we will pray for rain. This happened last summer, and when it finally did rain, there was a great celebration (see pics of that first blessed rain storm here). But this hot and dry weather really only seems to last for 2-3 months maximum. Slowly, as we inch towards October, and temperatures drop back into the eighties, it will become rainy and humid once more.
Of course, I am not sure any weather is ever typical here in Austin. I have been told that the spring was much more temperate than it normally is, that normally it would be genuinely and consistently HOT as early as April. I guess my point is that, in my short experience here, the majority of the weather in Austin is marked by rain and humidity. It just doesn't seem fair for all of you to think, "Sure, it's hot in Austin, but at least it's not as humid as it is here."
Monday, June 7, 2010
Toobin'
Day: 296
High Temp: 88F (with heat index of 96F)
This past weekend Tom and I were visited by one of our favorite people, Libby Ford, and her very funny beau Josef. The pair stayed with us all weekend, and despite me having to work all day Thursday and Friday we packed in many fun activities, many of which were designed to beat the heat. Libby and Josef even enjoyed their first Alamo Draft house experience (read more about my love affair with the Alamo here). We saw Exit Through the Gift Shop, a truly funny and interesting "street art disaster film" created by the extremely elusive artist Banksy. (Try not to spend all day admiring his work). Libby swears the Alamo has some of the best pizza she has ever eaten.
On Saturday, our only real day to hang out all together, we decided to head south and try what the locals call Toobin'. Toobin' is basically just "Tubing" to those living in less southern locales. You know, floating down the river in an inner-tube. It should be relaxing, fun and a great way to soak in the local scenery while leisurely floating down a pretty river. Not so on the Guadalupe River (pronounced Gwahd-ah-loop).
Now, a warning before I proceed. What I am about to write here nearly amounts to sacrilege to most Austinites, but I don't care. It's my blog and I'll say what I want to.
This was kind of a terrible experience. There were literally thousands of "toobers" on the river, outfitted by the dozens of ramshackle businesses that dot Farm-to-Market 306 in Central Texas. Oh, and most of them were totally shit-faced, and acting like assholes, despite the presence of other people, and more to the point, families with children. There was a dude launching water balloons from a huge catapult bolted to his deck, and there were many drunk douchebags who brought along water cannons and water guns, which they gleefully used to squirt those passing by.
Granted, floating down an ice-cold river was probably the only way I could have spent 4 straight hours in the hot Texas sun, but this whole experience just wasn't worth it to me. As opposed to being a way to relax and enjoy being outside, most of our cohorts on the river just seem to treat the experience as a novel way to get wasted. Lame.
Perhaps my own expectations were too high. I grew up "floating" most many weekends in Missouri. My family owns a bit of land in the Mark Twain National Forest off a small river in central Missouri, and my grandparents retired there, in the gorgeous little log cabin on the property. The setting is nothing less than idyllic, and even on the busiest weekends (the summer holidays, etc) there was never the crush of humanity that we experienced this weekend. You could sit on the bluff on one of the busiest weekend, and still only see one group pass by every 5 minutes or so. And sure, people get shit-faced on the rivers in Missouri, but from what I remember, there seemed to be equal emphasis on respecting your fellow floaters, and the river you are enjoying, as there was on getting drunk.
Thankfully, Libby and Josef, and even Tom, were able to put the ass-holes aside and enjoy the experience a lot. But me, I just couldn't see passed all those red-neck hicks, to really enjoy the gorgeous bluffs overlooking the Guadalupe.
High Temp: 88F (with heat index of 96F)
This past weekend Tom and I were visited by one of our favorite people, Libby Ford, and her very funny beau Josef. The pair stayed with us all weekend, and despite me having to work all day Thursday and Friday we packed in many fun activities, many of which were designed to beat the heat. Libby and Josef even enjoyed their first Alamo Draft house experience (read more about my love affair with the Alamo here). We saw Exit Through the Gift Shop, a truly funny and interesting "street art disaster film" created by the extremely elusive artist Banksy. (Try not to spend all day admiring his work). Libby swears the Alamo has some of the best pizza she has ever eaten.
On Saturday, our only real day to hang out all together, we decided to head south and try what the locals call Toobin'. Toobin' is basically just "Tubing" to those living in less southern locales. You know, floating down the river in an inner-tube. It should be relaxing, fun and a great way to soak in the local scenery while leisurely floating down a pretty river. Not so on the Guadalupe River (pronounced Gwahd-ah-loop).
Now, a warning before I proceed. What I am about to write here nearly amounts to sacrilege to most Austinites, but I don't care. It's my blog and I'll say what I want to.
This was kind of a terrible experience. There were literally thousands of "toobers" on the river, outfitted by the dozens of ramshackle businesses that dot Farm-to-Market 306 in Central Texas. Oh, and most of them were totally shit-faced, and acting like assholes, despite the presence of other people, and more to the point, families with children. There was a dude launching water balloons from a huge catapult bolted to his deck, and there were many drunk douchebags who brought along water cannons and water guns, which they gleefully used to squirt those passing by.
Granted, floating down an ice-cold river was probably the only way I could have spent 4 straight hours in the hot Texas sun, but this whole experience just wasn't worth it to me. As opposed to being a way to relax and enjoy being outside, most of our cohorts on the river just seem to treat the experience as a novel way to get wasted. Lame.
Perhaps my own expectations were too high. I grew up "floating" most many weekends in Missouri. My family owns a bit of land in the Mark Twain National Forest off a small river in central Missouri, and my grandparents retired there, in the gorgeous little log cabin on the property. The setting is nothing less than idyllic, and even on the busiest weekends (the summer holidays, etc) there was never the crush of humanity that we experienced this weekend. You could sit on the bluff on one of the busiest weekend, and still only see one group pass by every 5 minutes or so. And sure, people get shit-faced on the rivers in Missouri, but from what I remember, there seemed to be equal emphasis on respecting your fellow floaters, and the river you are enjoying, as there was on getting drunk.
Thankfully, Libby and Josef, and even Tom, were able to put the ass-holes aside and enjoy the experience a lot. But me, I just couldn't see passed all those red-neck hicks, to really enjoy the gorgeous bluffs overlooking the Guadalupe.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Pledging Allegiance to the Texas Flag
Day: 278
High Temp: 91F
Last friday morning at 7:45am, I found myself in a large room inside a temporary building, surrounded by a few hundred children all under the age of 10 pledging my allegiance to the Texas State flag. It was my first experience pledging my allegiance to Texas, and with all the ridiculousness going on right now in the debate on what text books in Texas should contain I was thinking to myself, "Maybe not allegiance to Texas, but Austin... okay, I feel good about pledging my allegiance to Austin."
In a state where you spend the entirety of your 4th grade social studies class learning Texas state history, it should be no surprise this is a rudimentary part of the morning at UT Elementary School, but I was a bit caught off guard, nonetheless.
This all came about as I was invited to a monthly breakfast and tour that UT Elementary School hosts for University staff, faculty and any other interested community members. It's a chance to hear from the principal about what the school is doing right, meet the crazy-smart, well behaved and articulate students, and get a peek at how UTES is working with other urban schools to improve education for the underserved. It was really cool.
The scene of my allegiance pledging was the morning school-wide assembly. It's just 5-10 minutes each morning where the school comes together as a community to pledge allegiance in English and in Spanish, (and not just to Texas, but to the US flag as well), sing their school song (with UTES appropriate lyrics set to "The Eyes of Texas"), recite their "peace code" and hear any school announcements. If it's your birthday, the whole school will sing to you at assembly (as happened for little Francisco the morning I visited). And if it's Friday you also get to hear a joke from one or two of the kids as a part of what they call "Friday Funnies".
The school is truly a model of how amazing urban education can be, if you just have a little money, and the luxury of small classroom sizes. Of course, so few urban schools have those luxuries, so it was good to see how dedicated this school is to working with teachers and administrators from other Austin public schools, and how they supplement the teaching degree programs here at UT with unparalleled hands-on opportunities in the classrooms.
With their emphasis on early interventions (physical, behavioral, psychological, etc) and a thing they call "Social and Emotional Learning", this school is doing so much right. You can see the proof in the respect the kids have for themselves, their teachers and their school. I was mightily impressed by these "Little Longhorns."
High Temp: 91F
Last friday morning at 7:45am, I found myself in a large room inside a temporary building, surrounded by a few hundred children all under the age of 10 pledging my allegiance to the Texas State flag. It was my first experience pledging my allegiance to Texas, and with all the ridiculousness going on right now in the debate on what text books in Texas should contain I was thinking to myself, "Maybe not allegiance to Texas, but Austin... okay, I feel good about pledging my allegiance to Austin."
In a state where you spend the entirety of your 4th grade social studies class learning Texas state history, it should be no surprise this is a rudimentary part of the morning at UT Elementary School, but I was a bit caught off guard, nonetheless.
This all came about as I was invited to a monthly breakfast and tour that UT Elementary School hosts for University staff, faculty and any other interested community members. It's a chance to hear from the principal about what the school is doing right, meet the crazy-smart, well behaved and articulate students, and get a peek at how UTES is working with other urban schools to improve education for the underserved. It was really cool.
The scene of my allegiance pledging was the morning school-wide assembly. It's just 5-10 minutes each morning where the school comes together as a community to pledge allegiance in English and in Spanish, (and not just to Texas, but to the US flag as well), sing their school song (with UTES appropriate lyrics set to "The Eyes of Texas"), recite their "peace code" and hear any school announcements. If it's your birthday, the whole school will sing to you at assembly (as happened for little Francisco the morning I visited). And if it's Friday you also get to hear a joke from one or two of the kids as a part of what they call "Friday Funnies".
The school is truly a model of how amazing urban education can be, if you just have a little money, and the luxury of small classroom sizes. Of course, so few urban schools have those luxuries, so it was good to see how dedicated this school is to working with teachers and administrators from other Austin public schools, and how they supplement the teaching degree programs here at UT with unparalleled hands-on opportunities in the classrooms.
With their emphasis on early interventions (physical, behavioral, psychological, etc) and a thing they call "Social and Emotional Learning", this school is doing so much right. You can see the proof in the respect the kids have for themselves, their teachers and their school. I was mightily impressed by these "Little Longhorns."
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Happy Independence Day!
Day: 199
High Temp: 59F
Texas Independence day, that is. I have never lived anywhere that celebrated an independence other than July 4th, and to be honest, the fanfare is rather lacking.
That said, I would like to direct your attention to a website kept by a man who truly understands the important place that UT and Texas as a whole have in this world. Jim Nicar is an employee over at Texas Exes- the university alumni association, and is sort of the unofficial historian of UT. He always has some pretty awesome and entertaining stories to tell, including this one sent in a campus-wide email this morning, detailing the Independence Day celebrations of 1996 and 1997. Enjoy!
For the proudest of Texans, it’s the most important day of the year. It’s a holiday that no other state can claim. March 2 is Texas Independence Day, and it’s observance on the University of Texas campus began with a missed class, a visit to Scholz’ Beer Garden, and a spiked cannon.
In the spring of 1896, the fledgling University was confined to a forty-acre campus, with a white-washed wooden fence around the perimeter to keep out the town cows. A Victorian-Gothic Main Building, only two-thirds complete, commanded the hill in the center. It was flanked by the Chemistry Lab Building to the northwest, and B. Hall, a men’s dorm, down the hill to the east.
The University’s 482 students were divided into two departments: Academic and Law. The Academic Department encompassed studies comparable to today’s Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences, and the “Academs” pursued their classes for the usual four years, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Law students, though, needed only two years to complete an LL.B. - a Bachelor of Laws and Letters - and a previous undergraduate degree was not required for admission. Junior Laws were first-year law students, while Senior Laws were completing their final year.
On the cloudy, warm and humid morning of March 2, 1896, the Junior Laws were waiting for their next lecture in criminal law, taught by Judge Robert Batts, when one student bemoaned the fact that the day was Texas Independence Day, a legal holiday for Texans, except, apparently, for UT students.
For years, students had regularly petitioned the faculty for a break on March 2nd, but had always been refused. “Our faculty is afraid to grant us holiday, even on such occasions,“ complained the Alcalde, a weekly student newspaper that pre-dated The Daily Texan (and not to be confused with the present alumni magazine). “They fear that some 2 x 4 politician, or still smaller newspaper, will accuse them of not earning their money. That is the real cause of their reluctance to grant a cessation of routine grinds, to allow our Texan bosoms an inflation of truly patriotic atmosphere.”
After serious discussion, the Junior Laws decided they would honor such an auspicious day by avoiding class altogether, and invited Judge Batts to join them. The diplomatic Batts responded with an eloquent speech, espousing all of the dire things that might happen to Junior Laws who skipped lectures. The students listened, cheered, and promptly ignored Batts’ pleas, choosing instead to spend the day at Scholz’ Beer Garden just south of the campus, where they were reportedly “very gemuethlick.”
One year later, in 1897, the now senior law class was determined to include the entire campus community in a celebration of “the natal day of Texas Independence,” and again petitioned the faculty for a holiday. But the Board of Regents had recently appointed George T. Winston (photo at left) as the new University President. A native of North Carolina and an alumnus of both the Naval Academy and Cornell, Winston neither understood nor shared the affinity Texans had for March 2nd. Winston recognized only one Independence Day, and that was on July 4th.
Undaunted, the Senior Laws pressed ahead with their plans, hoping to impress upon President Winston the importance of the second day of March. Working with the Texas Attorney General, four of the students signed a bond in order to borrow one of the two brass cannons that stood guard in front of the State Capitol. It took most of the afternoon of March 1st to roll the cannon to the Forty Acres, where the Laws planned to use it for a 21-gun salute to Texas at dawn following day.
Just before sunrise on March 2, 1897, the Senior Laws arrived for their celebration, only to find the cannon had been spiked. A large nail had been driven in to the ignition hole, and it took some time, persistence and the employment of several pocket knives to remove the offending item. By then, President Winston had arrived on the scene, and was rather unhappily resigned to the fact that the students were going to celebrate, whether or not the faculty approved. Hoping to minimize the damage to the class day, Winston asked the Laws to move the cannon away from the Main Building, down the hill to the University’s athletic field (where Taylor Hall and the ACES Building now stand). Or, they could wait until after noon to have their fun. As it turned out, the students did both.
Boom! Starting at 9:30am, an otherwise peaceful March morning was harshly interrupted by a series of cannon blasts from the athletic field. The entire Law Department attended, including Professors Robert Batts and John Townes, and following the cannon fire, each person present gave a short but sincere patriotic speech. The talks by Batts and Townes were greeted with particularly loud cheers from the students.
Meanwhile, a distracted Academic Department continued to hold classes as best as it could, some of the faculty hoping the Laws would tire of their efforts, while other professors were no doubt wishing they could join in the fun. The Laws, though, weren’t going to allow Texas Independence Day to pass without including the rest of the University.
At 1pm, a fresh supply of gun powder was secured, and the cannon was dragged up the hill and positioned directly in front of the Main Building, facing the Capitol. The first blast “threatened to break every window in the building.” In a flurry, the Academs vacated their classrooms and joined the Laws outside, and the scene of the morning was repeated, with more speeches from students and professors.
Midway through the afternoon, it was discovered that President Winston had quietly made his escape home just north of the campus, to which a large and boisterous committee of students promptly followed. Refusing to take no for an answer, Winston was persuaded to return and make a speech of his own. He opened with the remark:
The University’s 482 students were divided into two departments: Academic and Law. The Academic Department encompassed studies comparable to today’s Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences, and the “Academs” pursued their classes for the usual four years, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Law students, though, needed only two years to complete an LL.B. - a Bachelor of Laws and Letters - and a previous undergraduate degree was not required for admission. Junior Laws were first-year law students, while Senior Laws were completing their final year.
On the cloudy, warm and humid morning of March 2, 1896, the Junior Laws were waiting for their next lecture in criminal law, taught by Judge Robert Batts, when one student bemoaned the fact that the day was Texas Independence Day, a legal holiday for Texans, except, apparently, for UT students.
For years, students had regularly petitioned the faculty for a break on March 2nd, but had always been refused. “Our faculty is afraid to grant us holiday, even on such occasions,“ complained the Alcalde, a weekly student newspaper that pre-dated The Daily Texan (and not to be confused with the present alumni magazine). “They fear that some 2 x 4 politician, or still smaller newspaper, will accuse them of not earning their money. That is the real cause of their reluctance to grant a cessation of routine grinds, to allow our Texan bosoms an inflation of truly patriotic atmosphere.”
After serious discussion, the Junior Laws decided they would honor such an auspicious day by avoiding class altogether, and invited Judge Batts to join them. The diplomatic Batts responded with an eloquent speech, espousing all of the dire things that might happen to Junior Laws who skipped lectures. The students listened, cheered, and promptly ignored Batts’ pleas, choosing instead to spend the day at Scholz’ Beer Garden just south of the campus, where they were reportedly “very gemuethlick.”
One year later, in 1897, the now senior law class was determined to include the entire campus community in a celebration of “the natal day of Texas Independence,” and again petitioned the faculty for a holiday. But the Board of Regents had recently appointed George T. Winston (photo at left) as the new University President. A native of North Carolina and an alumnus of both the Naval Academy and Cornell, Winston neither understood nor shared the affinity Texans had for March 2nd. Winston recognized only one Independence Day, and that was on July 4th.
Undaunted, the Senior Laws pressed ahead with their plans, hoping to impress upon President Winston the importance of the second day of March. Working with the Texas Attorney General, four of the students signed a bond in order to borrow one of the two brass cannons that stood guard in front of the State Capitol. It took most of the afternoon of March 1st to roll the cannon to the Forty Acres, where the Laws planned to use it for a 21-gun salute to Texas at dawn following day.
Just before sunrise on March 2, 1897, the Senior Laws arrived for their celebration, only to find the cannon had been spiked. A large nail had been driven in to the ignition hole, and it took some time, persistence and the employment of several pocket knives to remove the offending item. By then, President Winston had arrived on the scene, and was rather unhappily resigned to the fact that the students were going to celebrate, whether or not the faculty approved. Hoping to minimize the damage to the class day, Winston asked the Laws to move the cannon away from the Main Building, down the hill to the University’s athletic field (where Taylor Hall and the ACES Building now stand). Or, they could wait until after noon to have their fun. As it turned out, the students did both.
Boom! Starting at 9:30am, an otherwise peaceful March morning was harshly interrupted by a series of cannon blasts from the athletic field. The entire Law Department attended, including Professors Robert Batts and John Townes, and following the cannon fire, each person present gave a short but sincere patriotic speech. The talks by Batts and Townes were greeted with particularly loud cheers from the students.
Meanwhile, a distracted Academic Department continued to hold classes as best as it could, some of the faculty hoping the Laws would tire of their efforts, while other professors were no doubt wishing they could join in the fun. The Laws, though, weren’t going to allow Texas Independence Day to pass without including the rest of the University.
At 1pm, a fresh supply of gun powder was secured, and the cannon was dragged up the hill and positioned directly in front of the Main Building, facing the Capitol. The first blast “threatened to break every window in the building.” In a flurry, the Academs vacated their classrooms and joined the Laws outside, and the scene of the morning was repeated, with more speeches from students and professors.
Midway through the afternoon, it was discovered that President Winston had quietly made his escape home just north of the campus, to which a large and boisterous committee of students promptly followed. Refusing to take no for an answer, Winston was persuaded to return and make a speech of his own. He opened with the remark:
“I was born in the land of liberty, rocked in the cradle of liberty, nursed on the bottle of liberty, and I’ve had liberty preached to me all my life, but Texas University students take more liberty than anyone I’ve ever come in contact with.”
The students responded with their loudest cheers of the day, and gave President Winston a rousing rendition of the University of Texas yell:
The students responded with their loudest cheers of the day, and gave President Winston a rousing rendition of the University of Texas yell:
Hullabaloo! Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
Hullabaloo! Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
Varsity! Varsity! U. T. A.!
Since then, UT students and Texas Exes have recognized March 2nd as a time to celebrate both the Lone Star State and the University of Texas. In 1900, the Ex-Students Association adopted a resolution which states: “Whenever two Texas Exes shall meet on March 2, they all shall sit and break bread and pay tribute to the institution that made their education possible.”Hullabaloo! Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
Varsity! Varsity! U. T. A.!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
We REALLY Love Football
Day: 145
High Temp: 39F (unfortunately, its only 30F right now)
The love of football by Texans is a cliche of epic proportions. While I am not saying every cliche is true, this one most definitely is. Here in Austin, the state capital of the second largest state in the land, we have no professional athletic teams. That's okay, though. We content ourselves with athletic teams of the collegiate variety, especially of the college football variety. Literally the entire city, and surrounding areas, root for the Longhorns. Add to that the fact that UT graduates somewhere in the realm of 10,000 students every year and you gotta figure that UT fans number well into the millions.
As you may have heard, the Longhorns are playing in the BCS Championship tonight, and as I have already established, college football is a BIG deal here. Just how big? Well the dean of the nursing school (a brilliant woman who has a PhD and is a Fellow of the American Association of Nursing - an elite group) was wearing her burnt orange today. They are selling burnt orange sourdough boules and baguettes at the local HEB. The anchor woman on News 8 Austin last night was wearing a burnt orange blazer AND had one of those little metal long horn charms hanging from her necklace. Not to mention the Burger King special featuring "Burnt Orange Sauce"...
I like football, a lot. And am this year, for the first time ever, starting to appreciate how fun it is to root for a college football team (I have, of course, for years understood the joy of being a Chicago Bears fan). I am happy to have a chance to witness the end of bowl season mayhem. It scares me a little, but it's fun to get into the spirit of things. And I know that a season like this one might not come around again for the Longhorns while I am here. Hook 'em horns!
High Temp: 39F (unfortunately, its only 30F right now)
The love of football by Texans is a cliche of epic proportions. While I am not saying every cliche is true, this one most definitely is. Here in Austin, the state capital of the second largest state in the land, we have no professional athletic teams. That's okay, though. We content ourselves with athletic teams of the collegiate variety, especially of the college football variety. Literally the entire city, and surrounding areas, root for the Longhorns. Add to that the fact that UT graduates somewhere in the realm of 10,000 students every year and you gotta figure that UT fans number well into the millions.
As you may have heard, the Longhorns are playing in the BCS Championship tonight, and as I have already established, college football is a BIG deal here. Just how big? Well the dean of the nursing school (a brilliant woman who has a PhD and is a Fellow of the American Association of Nursing - an elite group) was wearing her burnt orange today. They are selling burnt orange sourdough boules and baguettes at the local HEB. The anchor woman on News 8 Austin last night was wearing a burnt orange blazer AND had one of those little metal long horn charms hanging from her necklace. Not to mention the Burger King special featuring "Burnt Orange Sauce"...
I like football, a lot. And am this year, for the first time ever, starting to appreciate how fun it is to root for a college football team (I have, of course, for years understood the joy of being a Chicago Bears fan). I am happy to have a chance to witness the end of bowl season mayhem. It scares me a little, but it's fun to get into the spirit of things. And I know that a season like this one might not come around again for the Longhorns while I am here. Hook 'em horns!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Is Austin Ready For This?
Day: 110
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed
I was just noticing that lately it seems like the High Temp and the Day counter have switched places. We are now safely over the 100 mark in terms of days spent living in Austin, and now the mercury is creeping slowly down towards that freezing mark. Indeed, today (December 3!) Tom and I finally turned on our heater.
When we left for Tahoe a little over a week ago, we left a city still experiencing an average high temp in the mid-70s. It was chilly at night, but sunny and comfortable during the day. Now, there is a distinct coldness that has settled upon us, and while most of the trees still refuse to turn and loose their leaves. We haven't hit below the freezing mark yet, but I couldn't help noticing tomorrow's weather forecast: High of 36F with a 70%chance of snow showers! Is Austin ready for this?
I mean, I certainly am. If 27 winters in the Midwest taught me anything, it is how to deal when expecting an inch of mixed precipitation. In fact, I am now the owner of an SUV, so driving in the snow should be safer than ever. But, it is not me I am worried about, its all these southern yahoos (no offense yahoos, but admit it, you don't have a reputation for handling well in the snow!)
I have a meeting, a lunch date and a party to attend, all tomorrow. This means I have to go out and brave the masses. Honestly, this is more daunting than black Friday at a suburban mall! The hourly breakdown from weather.com shows a forecast of possible snow from 9am through 6pm.
Now, nothing can get me more in the spirit of the holidays than a good early-December snowfall, but I fear that this snowfall will come at the price of the sanity of the masses. So hear me now Texans: please do me a favor and stay home tomorrow! Let me enjoy this uncommon expression of the season in peace and relative safety.
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed
I was just noticing that lately it seems like the High Temp and the Day counter have switched places. We are now safely over the 100 mark in terms of days spent living in Austin, and now the mercury is creeping slowly down towards that freezing mark. Indeed, today (December 3!) Tom and I finally turned on our heater.
When we left for Tahoe a little over a week ago, we left a city still experiencing an average high temp in the mid-70s. It was chilly at night, but sunny and comfortable during the day. Now, there is a distinct coldness that has settled upon us, and while most of the trees still refuse to turn and loose their leaves. We haven't hit below the freezing mark yet, but I couldn't help noticing tomorrow's weather forecast: High of 36F with a 70%chance of snow showers! Is Austin ready for this?
I mean, I certainly am. If 27 winters in the Midwest taught me anything, it is how to deal when expecting an inch of mixed precipitation. In fact, I am now the owner of an SUV, so driving in the snow should be safer than ever. But, it is not me I am worried about, its all these southern yahoos (no offense yahoos, but admit it, you don't have a reputation for handling well in the snow!)
I have a meeting, a lunch date and a party to attend, all tomorrow. This means I have to go out and brave the masses. Honestly, this is more daunting than black Friday at a suburban mall! The hourly breakdown from weather.com shows a forecast of possible snow from 9am through 6pm.
Now, nothing can get me more in the spirit of the holidays than a good early-December snowfall, but I fear that this snowfall will come at the price of the sanity of the masses. So hear me now Texans: please do me a favor and stay home tomorrow! Let me enjoy this uncommon expression of the season in peace and relative safety.
Monday, November 2, 2009
It's Slower in the South
Day: 79
High Temp: 71F
Job Status: Unemployed
I haven't been writing much lately, as there hasn't been a whole lot to report. I am feeling like I am in a bit of a holding pattern, actually. I have officially been unemployed for 3 months now. I really can't believe it has taken so long. But, I have learned that things move much slower in the south. So, on top of searching and applying for jobs and taking Homer out to the park, there hasn't been a whole lot going on.
I did get a call on Friday for a phone interview, for a job that I applied to six weeks ago. SIX WEEKS AGO! My experience in Chicago was if you didn't hear in 2-3 weeks, you could just forget about it. But that said, I am thankful for another interview opportunity. This will be my third interview since arriving here. I am still waiting to hear about possible second interviews for the first two positions I interviewed for. In each case, I felt like the interviews went pretty well, but you know, things move much slower in the south.
What hasn't moved slow here is the onslaught of "holiday" advertising. It seems as though all these places were just waiting for Halloween to be over before starting to run their joy filled adverts. Although I must call out Crayola, who has been showing this commercial for a few weeks now that alludes generally to "gifts" and seems non-holiday until the very end when the viewer is treated to the subtle last 9 notes of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I recognize you for what you are Crayola ad! I mean, I LOVE Christmas, and the whole holiday season. It is the absolute best time of the year. But come on, I think two full months are enough.
I am, though, happy to report that my some of my holiday catalogues have already found their way to me, and all the way down here in Texas. I am already dog-earring pages filled with items much too expensive to buy for my friends and family this year (sorry guys, looks like 2009 will be an all-homemade Christmas...)
I did get one bit of amazing news last week that had me crying tears of joy. I am not sure how public this news is yet, but rest assured I will let the stork out of the bag just as soon as I am given the go ahead. Stay tuned...After all, if there is one lesson that I hope to learn here in Texas, it is that some things are worth waiting for.
High Temp: 71F
Job Status: Unemployed
I haven't been writing much lately, as there hasn't been a whole lot to report. I am feeling like I am in a bit of a holding pattern, actually. I have officially been unemployed for 3 months now. I really can't believe it has taken so long. But, I have learned that things move much slower in the south. So, on top of searching and applying for jobs and taking Homer out to the park, there hasn't been a whole lot going on.
I did get a call on Friday for a phone interview, for a job that I applied to six weeks ago. SIX WEEKS AGO! My experience in Chicago was if you didn't hear in 2-3 weeks, you could just forget about it. But that said, I am thankful for another interview opportunity. This will be my third interview since arriving here. I am still waiting to hear about possible second interviews for the first two positions I interviewed for. In each case, I felt like the interviews went pretty well, but you know, things move much slower in the south.
What hasn't moved slow here is the onslaught of "holiday" advertising. It seems as though all these places were just waiting for Halloween to be over before starting to run their joy filled adverts. Although I must call out Crayola, who has been showing this commercial for a few weeks now that alludes generally to "gifts" and seems non-holiday until the very end when the viewer is treated to the subtle last 9 notes of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I recognize you for what you are Crayola ad! I mean, I LOVE Christmas, and the whole holiday season. It is the absolute best time of the year. But come on, I think two full months are enough.
I am, though, happy to report that my some of my holiday catalogues have already found their way to me, and all the way down here in Texas. I am already dog-earring pages filled with items much too expensive to buy for my friends and family this year (sorry guys, looks like 2009 will be an all-homemade Christmas...)
I did get one bit of amazing news last week that had me crying tears of joy. I am not sure how public this news is yet, but rest assured I will let the stork out of the bag just as soon as I am given the go ahead. Stay tuned...After all, if there is one lesson that I hope to learn here in Texas, it is that some things are worth waiting for.
Monday, September 21, 2009
What is really going on?
Day: 37
High Temp: 95F feels like 101F (seriously, it is the first day of fall for pete's sake!)
Job Status: Unemployed, participating in market research study tomorrow
Jobs Applied To: 4
Okay, so this is the blog I have been trying to avoid writing. But, in doing so, it has slowed down my ablity to blog about anything else. Trust me, I have dozens of hillarious blogs floating about my mind, like the how horrible it is to drive in Austin, or the many mispronounced Spanish words in a state so close to Mexico, or the crazy antics of the now almost-completely-potty-trained Homer and so forth, but I gotta get this off my chest before any of those will come out. So here goes.
This is the hardest thing I have ever done. EVER. Being here, in Austin, is so hard. It is mentally and emotionally draining, and every day really does seem like an eternity. There are a few reasons it has been so hard.
1. The only friends or family within a thousand miles, are Tom and Homer. I love those two guys more than anything, but it puts a lot of pressure on a relationship when it is the only one you have. And, the other truth is that Homer and Tom would be just as fun and entertaining anywhere else on earth. It's not something special to Texas. Also, Tom has a lot of work to do, even when he is home, and Homer sleeps most of the day, and also doesnt speak English, so that's hard.
2. Another aspect that makes this hard is my lack of job. True, I am doing some freelance work for TimeLine, which is keeping me sane, and I did book my first market research study for tomorrow ($125 cash!), but I can't think of a time ever that I have had this much free time on my hands. Not to mention the lack (or at least drip) of cash flow coming in. For about the past 3 years I have been saving up for a down payment on a house/condo. At this point in my Austin adventure, about 1/2 of that nest egg is gone. Between moving expenses, rental cars and deposits, not to mention our first and second months of living expenses, it went really fast. Things have started to level out, but it's depressing to see my savings go towards, what in the end seems like nothing. I have about 3 more months of living expense in the bank, if I continue to budget carefully, but that doesnt include tickets to Tahoe for Thanksgiving, or any unforseen expenses.
3. And finally, the variable that is most up in the air, but that is also making me probably the most miserable, is our apartment. Tom and I live at The State House, which is an other wise nicely kept, clean and safe complex. However, there are two problems. One is that we can hear our neighbor's music (or more specifically the bass line of his music) whenver he listens to it. And he listens to it ALL THE TIME. And sometimes with his patio door open, which makes it even easier to hear. I know this isnt the apartment managment's problem or fault. I mean, it's an apartment, you are bound to hear some noise from your neighbors. Curiously, we hear NOTHING from the neighbors on the other side. We have talked to the music lover and the apartment managers, and we have sent notes, and finally last night, we called security on him. I mean, you know we can hear your lame top 40 music, it's midnight on Sunday night, turn that crap off.
And then there is the pool. On the weekends, it is basically a non-stop frat party, and at least twice a week, each week we have been here, we have been awaken by people splashing and screaming in the middle of the night. I feel like such an idiot. I mean, how did I not know that living by the pool would be such a pain in the ass? Well, I have spent my entire adult life in Chicago, where mega apartment complexes are rare at best, and pools in apartments are even more rare. I didn't know people would be playing beerpong in the pool, and that the closing time is just arbitrary as there is no one to enforce it. This, I feel is totally the management's problem, but they are doing little to regulate or enforce the pool rules.
Okay, so that is the shit I am dealing with. I am doing my best to cope, but breakdowns are frequent, and I fear it will only get harder before it gets easier. I know, it will still take months to meet people. Getting a job will help. I have been networking the best I can, given I know no one, and I am applying to every job that is posted that fits my abilities and experience. And of course, getting a job will also ease the financial pressure. How am I supposed to make friends (or keep friends) if I can't afford to go out for a beer every once in a while?
And, on the apartment front, we have registered formal complaints, and are in the slow process of working through this with the complex manager. Not sure we will ever come to a resolution that makes Tom and I happy, but best case scenario, we will be able to convince them to move us to a unit that is not poolside, and then we will only have to contend with loud neighbors, if there happen to be any. In the mean time, I am experimenting with lunesta to help me fall, and stay asleep (works like a charm so far.. but the samples are dwindling and I have no medical insurance!) and we are employing a white noise machine and earplugs with regularity. Worst case scenario, we have to stay here, and we can move out to a house that doesnt have a public pool or shared walls next summer. I just have to get through the next 11 months...
I am trying to keep my sense of humor about it, but it is a pretty depressing place to be right now. I am focused on not blaming Tom, and not taking it out on him. It's not his fauly, and I think I am doing a really good job of not directing my frustrations at him. But, if you are feeling sorry for me by now, you shouldn't. Feel bad for Tom, who has to deal with my breakdowns and is really doing a saintly job. Just send me your positive thoughts, and any tips on how to block out unwanted sound.
Okay, so it's all out there now. Very cathartic. Let the healing process begin.
High Temp: 95F feels like 101F (seriously, it is the first day of fall for pete's sake!)
Job Status: Unemployed, participating in market research study tomorrow
Jobs Applied To: 4
Okay, so this is the blog I have been trying to avoid writing. But, in doing so, it has slowed down my ablity to blog about anything else. Trust me, I have dozens of hillarious blogs floating about my mind, like the how horrible it is to drive in Austin, or the many mispronounced Spanish words in a state so close to Mexico, or the crazy antics of the now almost-completely-potty-trained Homer and so forth, but I gotta get this off my chest before any of those will come out. So here goes.
This is the hardest thing I have ever done. EVER. Being here, in Austin, is so hard. It is mentally and emotionally draining, and every day really does seem like an eternity. There are a few reasons it has been so hard.
1. The only friends or family within a thousand miles, are Tom and Homer. I love those two guys more than anything, but it puts a lot of pressure on a relationship when it is the only one you have. And, the other truth is that Homer and Tom would be just as fun and entertaining anywhere else on earth. It's not something special to Texas. Also, Tom has a lot of work to do, even when he is home, and Homer sleeps most of the day, and also doesnt speak English, so that's hard.
2. Another aspect that makes this hard is my lack of job. True, I am doing some freelance work for TimeLine, which is keeping me sane, and I did book my first market research study for tomorrow ($125 cash!), but I can't think of a time ever that I have had this much free time on my hands. Not to mention the lack (or at least drip) of cash flow coming in. For about the past 3 years I have been saving up for a down payment on a house/condo. At this point in my Austin adventure, about 1/2 of that nest egg is gone. Between moving expenses, rental cars and deposits, not to mention our first and second months of living expenses, it went really fast. Things have started to level out, but it's depressing to see my savings go towards, what in the end seems like nothing. I have about 3 more months of living expense in the bank, if I continue to budget carefully, but that doesnt include tickets to Tahoe for Thanksgiving, or any unforseen expenses.
3. And finally, the variable that is most up in the air, but that is also making me probably the most miserable, is our apartment. Tom and I live at The State House, which is an other wise nicely kept, clean and safe complex. However, there are two problems. One is that we can hear our neighbor's music (or more specifically the bass line of his music) whenver he listens to it. And he listens to it ALL THE TIME. And sometimes with his patio door open, which makes it even easier to hear. I know this isnt the apartment managment's problem or fault. I mean, it's an apartment, you are bound to hear some noise from your neighbors. Curiously, we hear NOTHING from the neighbors on the other side. We have talked to the music lover and the apartment managers, and we have sent notes, and finally last night, we called security on him. I mean, you know we can hear your lame top 40 music, it's midnight on Sunday night, turn that crap off.
And then there is the pool. On the weekends, it is basically a non-stop frat party, and at least twice a week, each week we have been here, we have been awaken by people splashing and screaming in the middle of the night. I feel like such an idiot. I mean, how did I not know that living by the pool would be such a pain in the ass? Well, I have spent my entire adult life in Chicago, where mega apartment complexes are rare at best, and pools in apartments are even more rare. I didn't know people would be playing beerpong in the pool, and that the closing time is just arbitrary as there is no one to enforce it. This, I feel is totally the management's problem, but they are doing little to regulate or enforce the pool rules.
Okay, so that is the shit I am dealing with. I am doing my best to cope, but breakdowns are frequent, and I fear it will only get harder before it gets easier. I know, it will still take months to meet people. Getting a job will help. I have been networking the best I can, given I know no one, and I am applying to every job that is posted that fits my abilities and experience. And of course, getting a job will also ease the financial pressure. How am I supposed to make friends (or keep friends) if I can't afford to go out for a beer every once in a while?
And, on the apartment front, we have registered formal complaints, and are in the slow process of working through this with the complex manager. Not sure we will ever come to a resolution that makes Tom and I happy, but best case scenario, we will be able to convince them to move us to a unit that is not poolside, and then we will only have to contend with loud neighbors, if there happen to be any. In the mean time, I am experimenting with lunesta to help me fall, and stay asleep (works like a charm so far.. but the samples are dwindling and I have no medical insurance!) and we are employing a white noise machine and earplugs with regularity. Worst case scenario, we have to stay here, and we can move out to a house that doesnt have a public pool or shared walls next summer. I just have to get through the next 11 months...
I am trying to keep my sense of humor about it, but it is a pretty depressing place to be right now. I am focused on not blaming Tom, and not taking it out on him. It's not his fauly, and I think I am doing a really good job of not directing my frustrations at him. But, if you are feeling sorry for me by now, you shouldn't. Feel bad for Tom, who has to deal with my breakdowns and is really doing a saintly job. Just send me your positive thoughts, and any tips on how to block out unwanted sound.
Okay, so it's all out there now. Very cathartic. Let the healing process begin.
Friday, September 18, 2009
When do you become a Texan?
Day: 34
High Temp: 86F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied to: 4
We have officially surpassed the month anniversary of our arrival in Texas. To tell you the truth, I cant believe it has been that long. We have had Homer for 3 weeks now, and are starting slowly to accept the annoying quirks of living in a huge apartment community. Having reached this milestone, I began to wonder when, if ever, I would feel like I had become a Texan.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Texans make a huge deal about the pride feel for their state. I am definitely not there yet. I mean, I still think it's a very nice state, but honestly, I've seen better. So, are you not really a Texan until you feel that sense of pride? Until you are happy to boast on vacations and family gatherings about how you are from Texas? I actually find it kind of embarrassing.
My cute Mazda, Elly, has Texas license plates. Does that make me a Texas? They are bright and bold, and have the shape of the state and the lone star prominently displayed. Texas plates... does that make me a Texan? We are thinking about getting one of the ubiquitous Longhorn decals that everyone has on the back of thier car. Will that make us Texans?
Technically, I know I am a Texan, as my address tells me so. But as "fall" creeps closer here in the great state of Texas, and the high temps continue to reach the mid 80's or higher, I am just not sure I can ever really feel at home here. I walked out the door the other morning around 10am to take Homer for his morning walk, and thought it felt much more like the beginning of summer, than the onset of fall. The leaves aren't really changing, and I am not sure they ever will. And even though it has definitely been cooling down, there is certainly no crisp, distinct chill in the air. I am not sure I can ever feel truly at home in a place that doesn't have seasons.
It is also worth mentioning that since returning to Texas from my visit to St. Louis last week, I have been feeling really homesick. The odd thing is, I am not sure if I am missing St. Louis or Chicago. I had the most depressed feeling as my parents drove me to the airport, and I tried to accept the fact that flying "home" meant flying to Austin, and not Chicago. The only comfort there was that I was flying back to Tom, and truth be told, he is really the main factor in my definition of home.
So, Texan or not, it is here that I will try to make my home, at least for the next 3 years. Hopefully, at some point, it will feel like where I belong.
High Temp: 86F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied to: 4
We have officially surpassed the month anniversary of our arrival in Texas. To tell you the truth, I cant believe it has been that long. We have had Homer for 3 weeks now, and are starting slowly to accept the annoying quirks of living in a huge apartment community. Having reached this milestone, I began to wonder when, if ever, I would feel like I had become a Texan.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Texans make a huge deal about the pride feel for their state. I am definitely not there yet. I mean, I still think it's a very nice state, but honestly, I've seen better. So, are you not really a Texan until you feel that sense of pride? Until you are happy to boast on vacations and family gatherings about how you are from Texas? I actually find it kind of embarrassing.
My cute Mazda, Elly, has Texas license plates. Does that make me a Texas? They are bright and bold, and have the shape of the state and the lone star prominently displayed. Texas plates... does that make me a Texan? We are thinking about getting one of the ubiquitous Longhorn decals that everyone has on the back of thier car. Will that make us Texans?
Technically, I know I am a Texan, as my address tells me so. But as "fall" creeps closer here in the great state of Texas, and the high temps continue to reach the mid 80's or higher, I am just not sure I can ever really feel at home here. I walked out the door the other morning around 10am to take Homer for his morning walk, and thought it felt much more like the beginning of summer, than the onset of fall. The leaves aren't really changing, and I am not sure they ever will. And even though it has definitely been cooling down, there is certainly no crisp, distinct chill in the air. I am not sure I can ever feel truly at home in a place that doesn't have seasons.
It is also worth mentioning that since returning to Texas from my visit to St. Louis last week, I have been feeling really homesick. The odd thing is, I am not sure if I am missing St. Louis or Chicago. I had the most depressed feeling as my parents drove me to the airport, and I tried to accept the fact that flying "home" meant flying to Austin, and not Chicago. The only comfort there was that I was flying back to Tom, and truth be told, he is really the main factor in my definition of home.
So, Texan or not, it is here that I will try to make my home, at least for the next 3 years. Hopefully, at some point, it will feel like where I belong.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Don't Mess With Texas
Day: 5
High Temp: 102F
Job Status: Unemployed
The popular slogan "Don't Mess With Texas" was actually created for (and is still used by) an anti-litter campaign organized by the Texas Department of Transportation. It has been co-opted by organizations and people all over Texas to communicate not only their tough attitudes but also their immense pride for their state. And the reality is even those people who don't want to seced from the union think that Texas is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Well, I think Texas is pretty great too, so far. But it is hot, and the people carry guns (yes, even in Austin) and the meat section of the grocery store is at least twice as big as the produce section. So, this blog is my attempt to communicate not only my adventures in this strange land, but also to keep my sanity. I am a midwestern girl, after all, and this place is mighty weird.
High Temp: 102F
Job Status: Unemployed
The popular slogan "Don't Mess With Texas" was actually created for (and is still used by) an anti-litter campaign organized by the Texas Department of Transportation. It has been co-opted by organizations and people all over Texas to communicate not only their tough attitudes but also their immense pride for their state. And the reality is even those people who don't want to seced from the union think that Texas is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Well, I think Texas is pretty great too, so far. But it is hot, and the people carry guns (yes, even in Austin) and the meat section of the grocery store is at least twice as big as the produce section. So, this blog is my attempt to communicate not only my adventures in this strange land, but also to keep my sanity. I am a midwestern girl, after all, and this place is mighty weird.
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