Chris Bell is the only candidate for governor who signed the NARAL Pro-choice Texas Prevention First Pledge, which says that if elected he will "work toward the common-ground goals of supporting access to family-planning services, making birth control, including the “morning-after” pill, more affordable and accessible, and teaching our young people honest, realistic sex-education."
This makes my decision pretty clear.
Friday
Wednesday
Friday
October 20, 2006
Celebrity Sighting at South Congress Cafe
Yesterday M. was craving crab cakes so we went there for lunch around 1:00. There was one of those signs on the door indicating that if we went inside we were granting permission to be filmed for an upcoming episode for a new show to be tentatively called "Giada's Weekend Getaways." We look at each other quizically, say "huh?" and then M. looks in the window and proclaims, "there she is!"
So we went in to wait for a table. They end up seating us right next to her table, though out of camera shot. The tables that were within the camera angle were filled with extras!! I thought that was pretty weak. But M. thought maybe they had to do that so the people sitting around her on camera wouldn't constantly be turning to look at her. Like we were.
She was tasting the carrotcake french toast. The funniest part was when they were done shooting, the sound operator guy sauntered around to her half-eaten plate and helped himself to a bite. Hee hee! A quick search reveals the series will premiere on Jan. 12.
And yes, her head really is that big in real life.
Yesterday M. was craving crab cakes so we went there for lunch around 1:00. There was one of those signs on the door indicating that if we went inside we were granting permission to be filmed for an upcoming episode for a new show to be tentatively called "Giada's Weekend Getaways." We look at each other quizically, say "huh?" and then M. looks in the window and proclaims, "there she is!"
So we went in to wait for a table. They end up seating us right next to her table, though out of camera shot. The tables that were within the camera angle were filled with extras!! I thought that was pretty weak. But M. thought maybe they had to do that so the people sitting around her on camera wouldn't constantly be turning to look at her. Like we were.
She was tasting the carrotcake french toast. The funniest part was when they were done shooting, the sound operator guy sauntered around to her half-eaten plate and helped himself to a bite. Hee hee! A quick search reveals the series will premiere on Jan. 12.
And yes, her head really is that big in real life.
Thursday
October 5, 2006
How come no one ever told me about Chango's? Motivated by a glowing review in the Fearless Critic, I decided to check them out last week and have been back twice. Chango's is to Manuel's what El Chilito is to El Chile, so it's quality stuff. I have had the del mar taco, which has marinated & grilled mahi mahi (you can request shrimp too), but my favorite is the al pastor. Holy macatoli! Served simply with lime, cilantro, onion and pineapple, it doesn't need any hot sauce. Everything is fresh, healthy, and the best thing: self-serve aguas frescas with apparently free refills.
There's nothing in the restaurant that explicitly says you can have free refills, but I read about it in the Fearless Critic review so I tried it and was not tackled by an employee (unlike the time I tried to sneak some free ice tea at taco bell in the Texas Union building four years ago). And oh the selection! Canteloupe, Watermelon, Coconut for god's sake, Honeydew, and of course Horchata.
Chango's is locally owned and has two locations in Austin. And note to Silver Zephyr: according to their website, "Chango's" roughly translated means "little monkeys."
There's nothing in the restaurant that explicitly says you can have free refills, but I read about it in the Fearless Critic review so I tried it and was not tackled by an employee (unlike the time I tried to sneak some free ice tea at taco bell in the Texas Union building four years ago). And oh the selection! Canteloupe, Watermelon, Coconut for god's sake, Honeydew, and of course Horchata.
Chango's is locally owned and has two locations in Austin. And note to Silver Zephyr: according to their website, "Chango's" roughly translated means "little monkeys."
Monday
October 2, 2006
The recent barrage of girl-hating has my stomach lurching and me just generally feeling helpless and angry and ultimately depressed.
There was the woman dragged to death by her husband in Colorado, the girls singled out, sexually assaulted, and one executed at a Colorado high school, and the girls singled out and three executed at a Pennsylvania school today. These sacks of shit seem to always kill themselves afterward.
And, in other news, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would make it a federal crime to evade one state's parental consent laws by taking a minor to another state for an abortion. The Senate passed the similar "Teen Endangerment Act" in July, so all that's left now is to work out the final version for the president to sign. Yippee.
There was the woman dragged to death by her husband in Colorado, the girls singled out, sexually assaulted, and one executed at a Colorado high school, and the girls singled out and three executed at a Pennsylvania school today. These sacks of shit seem to always kill themselves afterward.
And, in other news, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would make it a federal crime to evade one state's parental consent laws by taking a minor to another state for an abortion. The Senate passed the similar "Teen Endangerment Act" in July, so all that's left now is to work out the final version for the president to sign. Yippee.
Wednesday
September 27, 2006
Always wanted to know what your ecological footprint is? I have. I have tried to live my life by one basic mantra: to somehow justify or at least modify the space and resources I am taking up on the planet (by being a middle class white person living in the United States) by contributing something back to the world and being conscious of the waste that I create. Some may call it white liberal guilt, I call it rational. What that something is, is heretofore unidentified, unless little things count, but that's another subject (that I really don't want to talk about anyway).
This nice website will tell you what your ecological footprint is in the world. Apparently the average for people in the U.S. is "24" or "25." Mine was a "9," but I think I fudged on my car's gas mileage. My footprint is much more to my liking now that I don't commute 60 miles roundtrip, and I ride the bus twice a week. Anyway, try it out if you want!
This nice website will tell you what your ecological footprint is in the world. Apparently the average for people in the U.S. is "24" or "25." Mine was a "9," but I think I fudged on my car's gas mileage. My footprint is much more to my liking now that I don't commute 60 miles roundtrip, and I ride the bus twice a week. Anyway, try it out if you want!
September 6, 2006
My 35th birthday fell on Labor Day this year, marking the traditional end of summer as well as my youth, as I dryly and somewhat morosely put it to a colleague yesterday. The end of one’s youth being a completely arbitrary point, of course. And I don’t really think of my youth as over, but the rest of society seems to. One of the most depressing-yet-strangely-liberating realities of turning 35 is that I am no longer in the coveted target demographic for marketers, 18 – 34. It is this growing irrelevancy to the mass market that depresses me, because I’ve always liked the fact that as a 20-something and early-30-something the world kind of revolves around you. Once the mid-30’s hit, it becomes abundantly clear that there is a whole crop of young up-and-comers behind you, who are probably smarter, more creative, and have more energy than you. Of course I’ve been on the other end of this tension and still am to a large degree because everyone in my field is 5 to 25 years older than me, and when I started out as a 25-year old with a master’s degree, well, I struggled to be taken seriously and was constantly asked by consulting clients if I was “in school.” Ten years later, I still don’t seem to be “old enough” to garner any sort of credibility with senior colleagues. But I digress.
Aging out of the target demographic should be freeing! Free to be me! A certain power comes with not being in the crosshairs of the marketing machine. Similar to my experience ducking the patriarchy in my early 20s by not shaving my legs, not wearing makeup, and cropping off all my hair. That sudden invisibility to men was both scary and exciting. I also take heart by looking to women I know who are pushing 40 and 50, and swear they feel like they’re 18 on the inside – though this also means the aging process doesn’t get any less weird-feeling the older you get. And as my mom said, there are plenty of cool, happenin’ women in their 80s to whom I am but a mere baby.
P.S. I highly recommend the black pepper sorbet with strawberries at Uchi.
Aging out of the target demographic should be freeing! Free to be me! A certain power comes with not being in the crosshairs of the marketing machine. Similar to my experience ducking the patriarchy in my early 20s by not shaving my legs, not wearing makeup, and cropping off all my hair. That sudden invisibility to men was both scary and exciting. I also take heart by looking to women I know who are pushing 40 and 50, and swear they feel like they’re 18 on the inside – though this also means the aging process doesn’t get any less weird-feeling the older you get. And as my mom said, there are plenty of cool, happenin’ women in their 80s to whom I am but a mere baby.
P.S. I highly recommend the black pepper sorbet with strawberries at Uchi.
Thursday
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.
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.
Monday
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!
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!
Thursday
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.
Thank you NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Dr. Susan Wood, and everyone else who worked so hard on this.
Wednesday
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.
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.
Saturday
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
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
Friday
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.
Thursday
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!
-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!
Wednesday
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.
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.
Monday
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.
P.S. Happy 72nd Birthday to my Dad, who doesn't read this blog.
Friday
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?
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?
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