August 31, 2006

Mark your calendars, Jett-heads: Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Stubb's will have Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Eagles of Deathmetal, and the Riverboat Gamblers. Tickets are on sale now!

Today was my first day back as a graduate teaching assistant in two years. For some reason I remembered it as being not very labor-intensive; talk about rose-colored glasses or something. The professor who runs the class changed up his style a little and now has 5 short papers (multiplied by 104 students = 520 papers to grade), a fill-in-the-blank portion on exams (which means actually reading these answers as opposed to sending them to the testing center to be scanned), and occasional little in-class surveys that require me to go home and enter data and run frequencies. Yuk! I am already plotting how I can swing Spring semester financially without the TA gig.

My research fellowship is so far looking like it will be fun, interesting, and challenging. I'm going to have a cute office in the School of Public Affairs, a laptop, and opportunities to travel to conduct interviews and do archival research on a topic I have a professional stake in. I haven't really started yet though so I'm trying to ratchet it down to a cautious optimism.

August 28, 2006

Poopapalooza 06

Last week we found out from our esteemed developer-neighbor-dude that weeks ago during the demolition of the house next door to us, the sewer line was broken. So for the past few weeks we've been merrily using the facilities, as it were, without a care in the world, unknowingly contributing to a burgeoning cess pool down the hill. For the past week we were advised to "limit our usage," and every time I flushed I pictured the contents landing on the roof of some SUV speeding down Riverside Drive below. Luckily, esteemed developer-dude has temporarily moved into the other side of our duplex until some other dumb house of his is done, and the sewer backed up into his apartment (not ours, ha ha ha!). However, some white substance did bubble up a little out of a PVC pipe in our front yard. Gross! So tonight it finally got fixed, and we made him clean up our yard. Talk about environmental health hazard.

In other poopy news, about this same time over the weekend Frankie got a horrible case of the runs coupled with vomiting (she's okay now). The whole mess smelled like, well, gag-inducing poop. Also at this same general period in time, our backyard began to smell like hot dog poop baking in the sun, because esteemed developer-dude happens to have two big yellow labs who poop all over the damn place (big ones!) and he never picks up after them. They (the dogs that is) also strategically leave their "calling cards" right in front of our entrance gate about every other day.

Poop on you, developer-dude!

August 24, 2006

In an earlier post, I alluded to my disgust with the inherently misogynistic culture of the U.S. military. Robin Morgan recently wrote a short commentary in The Guardian that connects all this to the bigger picture.I do not believe the rape-murder of an Iraqi girl was an isolated incident. It seems almost weekly I read articles about yet more American servicewomen who have been assaulted by fellow soldiers (I actually know someone who this happened to), and it's common knowledge (isn't it?) that rape has routinely been used as a weapon in war. Also see Susan Brownmiller's excellent history of rape in the military in Against Our Will. Now, I'm going to have a drink.

Victory!

The political godbags at the FDA finally caved! Emergency contraception will be available without a prescription for women over 18. The sound of that sentence is just weird. It's like, am I really saying that in 2006? It's so 1960. I suppose now the battle will continue to focus on the whacko pharmacists who will try to either not stock Plan B or refuse to dispense it - as women will of course have to show I.D. before the pharmacy decides whether she can purchase it or not.

Thank you NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Dr. Susan Wood, and everyone else who worked so hard on this.

August 23, 2006

Just a few pictures from a week spent in south central Alaska...

A sight for sore eyes - mountains and water!


View from our train seat on the way to Seward


Aialik Glacier, in Kenai Fjords National Park (kayakers in foreground)


Alaskan sea lions


Humpback whale falling back to the water after breaching (you gotta enlarge this one to really see it)


M. freezing to death on a boat off the coast of the Kenai Penninsula


Back to Anchorage...


These are the "sound of music" hills I grew up with...the base of the Chugach mountain range




Going to the top of Alyeska, the ski resort 45 minutes south of Anchorage


This is classic - taken in Talkeetna, AK


The Pioneer Bar in downtown Anchorage - in the same location since 1917. Anything older than 1964 (when the earthquake hit) is old in Anchorage.

August 19, 2006

Some highlights from four days in Seattle

Our first night in town, leaving The Funhouse (sort of like Seattle's Beerland) where we visited with friends and listened to weird bands.



Mt. Rainier hovers over Seahawk Stadium and Safeco Field (where the Mariners play) in the distance...taken from Victor Steinbrueck park by Pike Place Market, where I used to eat my lunch in the old days.



Documenting our visit to Cupcake Royale in Ballard. I had the lavender frosting and M. had the orange. Legalize Frostitution!



My favorite dog in Seattle, Eve, with whom I used to live. Here she hangs with us at the Lava Lounge on Second Ave.



Rachel Flotard and Ben Hooker, Visqueen, playing on the Vera Stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party Friday July 28.



Ms. Led wows the rag-tag crowd of old hippies, families, crazy people, elderly Scandinavians, and Block Party escapees at the Ballard Seafood Fest, Saturday July 29. The next night we met Lesli and Matt for a drink at the Whiskey Bar in Belltown.



The crazed throng gathered to see the one-time-only reunion of the Murder City Devils, Capitol Hill Block Party Saturday July 29.



Good-bye Seattle! The view from Elliott Bay

August 11, 2006

I am still organizing all the photos from our trip, but wanted to put this one up first. This is my godson/psuedo-nephew, 7 months old, of whom I am a huge fan. The picture was taken in Talkeetna, Alaska with Mt. McKinley a.k.a. Denali shrouded in clouds behind us.

August 3, 2006

Greetings from Alaska - once again I forgot to bring the card reader to upload pictures, but here's a quick update:

-M. is ready to pick up and move to Seattle (loves it).
-M. got sunburned in Seattle (ironic).
-Yesterday we rode the Alaska Railroad to Seward, and on a 6-hour ocean tour we saw sea otters floating on their backs, some shy seals, scads of sea lions, Aililik Glacier which is a humongous tidewater glacier that is calving huge chunks of ice into the bay, and three humpback whales, one of which breached (jumped out of the water) not once, but twice - super rare to see that. Also saw tufted and horned Puffins, and several eagles.

We miss our kitties and puppy and our friends, but not the 99 degrees. It's like 60 here today.

Carry on!

July 26, 2006

Missoula gets the Rolling Stones, too

This is the biggest thing to happen to Missoula, MT since...since...I think ever. Pearl Jam played a secret show there in 1993, and kicked off their tour there in 1998 (one of their members attended University of Montana), and Jesse Jackson came to town once to lead a labor march...nope - biggest thing ever.

July 24, 2006

Wrapping up things at the job this week so I can go on vacation with a clear head and looking towards the future. Upon my return, I just have to go in for one more day to do some human resources paperwork, and then I am cut loose. I don't know if I will write more about my many trying experiences there, because I am really ready to move on and forget that most of it happened. I did take away some useful lessons, though, which I may need to put into words to help me process and truly learn from it. But on to the vacation!!

In three days we're off to the northwest, with the kitty-monsters left in the capable hands of Reluctant Texan, and Frankie moving in with Watson over at "Camp Brushpile." A few things on our itinerary:

+The Moore Hotel, a low-budget vintage (as in old, not the hip new kind) hotel in Belltown, my old work neighborhood. It's the kind of place where you bring your own soap;

+The Capitol Hill Block Party, where some of this year's bands include the Murder City Devils, Band of Horses, Silversun Pickups, Smoosh, Visqueen, Schoolyard Heroes, Sera Cahoone, The Divorce, and The Emergency;

+Fremont, my old neighborhood, and the Ballard Seafood Fest, where we will see our friends Ms. Led perform;

+ Kenai Fjords National Park, where we hope to see sea otters and Puffins, Beautiful Downtown Talkeetna, where we will unfortunately miss the annual Moose Dropping Festival, and of course my stalwart hometown, Anchorage.

July 17, 2006

My week in Ann Arbor

I vacillated between "oh my god, i will never be able to do this (meaning my dissertation analysis)" and "i can totally do this." I kept hearing from the top sociological criminologist in the country that these data are very complex, and that it took him and his colleagues a year just to figure out one type of analytic approach. All of a sudden, I didn't feel so bad that I had stalled out a bit due to the intimidating nature of the data (said data being a 7-year survey of 6,000 Chicago youth ages 0 to 18 and their primary caregivers). The take home message: simplify. Got it.

My home for the week: Ann Arbor Bed & Breakfast, where every morning Pat had a feast of fresh fruit, assorted breads, yogurt, coffee, orange juice, and either an omelette or scramble of some sort complete with fresh herbs from the garden. Sigh. I have always been a breakfast person.

This bear was my constant companion, and watched Rockstar: Supernova with me. He agrees that Zayra is embarassing to watch.

On the left is University of Michigan's tower. I think it might even be less aesthetically pleasing than the UT Tower. Next to that is the very dramatic Michigan Union building, which seemed very old on the inside.

My daily walk to class (the red brick building below, which houses Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research) took me down this street, University of Michigan's version of the Drag. Only this actually had shops and restaurants on it.

The Detroit airport sucks. I think this picture captures the utterly soul-killing space I had to occupy for over two and a half hours.

Almost home! Somewhere over north Texas.

July 10, 2006

So far Ann Arbor is neato (getting to Ann Arbor from the Detroit airport is an expensive hassle though). The vibe reminds me a little of Missoula, with a little Austin mixed in. A cute laid back college town with lots of trees and historic houses. I sat out on my little balcony this evening, in perfect 80 degree weather with no mosquitoes. Oh the luxury! Unfortunately I forgot my gadget to upload pictures to my laptop, so I can't post pictures. There are about 6 people from Sweden staying at the bed and breakfast, who mostly ignore me and talk to each other in Swedish, and the proprieter is a little crazy in a good way. I'm gone from 8:15am to about 7pm each day at the workshop, about a 15 minute walk away. The other people in the workshop are really nice and I've already made friends with some cool women. People are actually interested in my dissertation research. Oh and I sat at a table with Rob Sampson and Felton Earls this afternoon. I was too tired by that time to ask any coherent questions though. That's my report for now!

P.S. Happy 72nd Birthday to my Dad, who doesn't read this blog.

July 7, 2006

Egads I was actually avoiding my own blog because I didn't want to look at that dude's mug anymore. And the nerve of him degrading the memory of Johnny Cash by wearing that tee shirt.

I think I've found my summer reality show - I'm having fun following Austin's own Patrice Pike on the show "Rockstar: SuperNova." Though I cannot for the life of me understand why she would actually want to be in a band with Tommy Lee. She won't win (if they pick a woman to front their band, they'll go for someone more "dirty"), but it is probably a good career move in terms of getting on national TV.

Sunday I go to Ann Arbor for a 5-day workshop having to do with my dissertation research. I'll have the whole thing done when I get back, right? Nah, I'm just hoping for some direction and motivation. I think I'm realizing how easy I have it as a doctoral candidate - why would I want to go mess up my cushy life by finishing?

July 3, 2006

Rapist and Murderer

What a fitting event to mark our annual holiday celebrating freedom and patriotism. This is exactly why I loathe the military. I'm willing to accept that we need a military, given the state of global relations, but please don't tell me to respect the military or hold them up on some sort of moral pedastal. My father, now 72, was an officer in the military for 30 years (most of those years as a reservist), and as a product of the 1940s and 1950s believes that the military (well, at least the Navy) is a bastion of high moral standards. It makes me sad that he clings to this notion of what the military should be or aspires to be, but can never attain. I don't know how he would explain this utter debasement of human life and dignity without acknowledging that it is a direct effect of the misogynistic culture of the military. Premeditated rape and murder is not "collateral damage."

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.