June 27, 2006 pt. 2

No more Sleater-Kinney, my friends.

This just in:

"After eleven years as a band, Sleater-Kinney have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. The upcoming summer shows will be our last. As of now, there are no plans for future tours or recordings. We feel lucky to have had the support of many wonderful people over the years. We want to thank everyone who has worked with us, written kind words about us, performed with us, and inspired us. But mostly we want to extend our gratitude to our amazing fans. You have been a part of our story from the beginning. We could not have made our music without your enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the entire journey worthwhile.

With love and thanks,
Sleater-Kinney"

Their last show appears to be Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer.

UPDATE: I have it from a reliable source that their publicist says they are trying to schedule a Northwest show before the summer's out (none of their final shows were in the Northwest). I doubt they wanted freaking Lollapalooza to be their last show. Not that any of us will be able to go, but you know. It's still nice news.

UPDATE: Last show will be at the Crystal Ballroom, in Portland on August 11. A much more fitting departure. I will have just returned from the NW four days before that - booo.

June 27, 2006

So, it didn't take long for the so-called "Boy Crisis," which was widely touted by various media outlets and crack-pot post-feminists, to be de-bunked by actual longitudinal research on test scores, college readiness, and graduation rates.

From the Washington Post:

A study to be released today looking at long-term trends in test scores and academic success argues that widespread reports of U.S. boys being in crisis are greatly overstated and that young males in school are in many ways doing better than ever.

Any disparities have more to do with race and class than they do with sex differences, and much of the ballyhoo is familiar to those of us who came of age during the Backlash era of the late 80s/early 90s. The Washington Post article comments that indeed, the media backlash may be partly in response to Title IX reforms of the last 30 years - the benefits of which we're seeing now.

The Post article continues: [The report] concludes that much of the pessimism about young males seems to derive from inadequate research, sloppy analysis and discomfort with the fact that although the average boy is doing better, the average girl has gotten ahead of him.

June 24, 2006

Good news in the world of orcas: "K" and "L" pods have arrived in Puget Sound with two young 'uns. There are only 89 Puget Sound orca whales in existence right now (the two new babies are #88 and #89). Hooray!

In more self-involved news, M. and I roasted a red pepper for the first time last night. I held it over the gas flame with tongs til it got all black and charred, and then M. did the peeling. It always looked so complicated and messy on TV, but it really was quite fast and so much better than the jar kind. We added it to some chopped zuchinni (cooked until just tender), fresh basil and chives, garlic, olive oil, and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

June 22, 2006

Lately I have been weighing the pros and cons of staying in Austin or moving elsewhere, preferably closer to my aging parents and my best friend and her 6-month old kid. And mountains. And green forests. And 75 degree summers. It is the looming deadline of my graduation that has me up nights staring at the ceiling fan. It's less than a year away, and never mind that half my dissertation isn't written yet (I don't even have results yet), but good grief! What do I do now? Nothing really sounds appealing. Lots of things sound unappealing. Like academic jobs (though I've always known that one), or super-hoity toity research firm jobs where your salary is dependent on going out and finding clients and securing grants. The thing I like best, which is independent consulting, is economically infeasible without a second salary to back me up while building a client base. The biggest joke of all appears to be on me after all this PhD business: I left the best job I'll ever have four years ago, and now I fear I will spend the rest of my life trying to find something as good. Since I am afflicted with the ole "grass is greener" mentality, I can't see how this could have happened any other way though.

More and more, a certain feature of Austin living leads me in the direction of leaving town - the god damn mosquitoes. I swear. It is enough to drive me yelling and swatting right on out of this apparently swampy mosquito hole of central texas. And I refuse to invest hundreds of dollars in dry landscaping and propane-electric CO2 mosquito traps that *might* work. Alaska supposedly is famous for its bad mosquitoes, but at least there you have a fighting chance - they are so huge, you can feel them land on you, so before they start biting you can swish them away. Down here, they're so tiny and fast you have no idea they are even there until it's too late and about twelve of them have already had their way with you. My arms and legs are covered in little scabs because I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to itching. Anyway. I am so indecisive and non-committal that it might take something as inocuous as flying insects to help me make up my mind.

P.S. I am weary of thinking of pithy little titles for my entries, so I am going back to how diary entries always have been. Just the date.

It's the longest day of the year, you say?

Here are the winners of the Real Hot 100 - there are a few Austin ladies in the mix.

Speaking of hot, Happy Summer Solstice! Always a big deal for someone who grew up in Alaska. Though it wasn't hot per se, it was very bright. They have parades, a midnight sun marathon, a midnight softball game (played without the use of lights, of course), and people dress up in crazy costumes.

And finally, a Hot Tip for breakfast sandwich afficionados: P & K Grocery at S. 5th and Mary makes a great one. They use cast-iron pans to create a lovely english muffin-fried egg-cheese-peppered bacon sandwich. My only complaint would be the American Cheese (godawful stuff-why do chefs think this is ok to use?), but there's not enough of it to bother me that much.

Random information I've been storing up

Best new brunch spot: Zax Pints and Plates on the corner of Riverside and Barton Springs.

Best waffles: Progress Coffee on weekends (they're heart-shaped!)

Best dessert: FINO! For M.'s birthday, we tried out this sister restaurant to Asti. My dessert ruled - a Madjool fig beignet with turkish coffee ice cream and coffee syrup.

Weirdest window display that no one ever mentioned: Your Living Room furniture store on the corner of S. Congress and Barton Springs. Male and female mannequins couple sitting in a bed with no clothes on, welcoming a third mannequin (female), who is standing at the foot of the bed (with no clothes on).

Wildlife sighting: We have three sparrow eggs in an unused mailbox by our front door.

Most unexpected outcome of a domestic animal spat: Our Frankie kicked Angus the cat's butt while staying at Angus' house while we were at Schlitterbahn. No one kicks Angus' butt! Until, now, that is! No word yet on whether Frankie is invited back.

Favorite newish album: Band of Horses, Seattle USA (check them out June 25th at the Parish)

Best band news: What Made Milwaukee Famous just signed to Barsuk, which makes them labelmates with Smoosh; Team Dresch may be getting back together; Smoosh released their second album this week; Murder City Devils are headlining the Capitol Hill Block Party for a one-time-only reunion, on July 29 in Seattle - I'll be there!

Best detail in the utopian world of the West Wing: During the series finale, the chief justice of the supreme court (swearing in Jimmy Smits, no less) was a woman. Sigh.

Latest TV series epiphany: The end of season 4 of Angel is a metaphor for the difference between people whose feminist consciousness is raised, and those who remain under the spell of blissful ignorance. It even showed how when the spell is broken, you get depressed. I don't really think the writers meant it this way, it was more of an Are you better off being unhappy with free will vs. happy without free will thing, but it totally works.