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A warm belly on a sleepy cat, proffered for ruffling while you read.
This house belongs to us. And we, of course, belong to FHA now, as do all our assets and every paycheck until we die.
The house needs some work (starting with that dumb porch roof, which isn't the right pitch for bungalow style), but the work it needs is all cosmetic, and it has brand-new plumbing and lots of electrical upgrades. It's also, hallelujah, in the city, not a suburban monstrosity, and comes with a mortgage we can afford.
I'm a homeowner! I was starting to think it would never happen. Kudos to our very patient realtor and our fantastic mortgage guy, and if you need either of these items in Houston, let me know, because I can hook you up.
And it has a front porch. Expect a swing and some margaritas to happen on said front porch, pronto.
Software (like iTunes) wouldn't ask you if you wanted to upgrade at the beginning, when you opened the software up. You opened the software because you want to use it right away, and upgrading takes time.
Instead, the software should ask when you've closed it down, or after a long period of time when it's been open but idle, not being used. At those times, you're not actively engaged with the software and might not mind running the updater in the background.
Instead, the software should ask when you've closed it down, or after a long period of time when it's been open but idle, not being used. At those times, you're not actively engaged with the software and might not mind running the updater in the background.
1. Yes, I cried during the acceptance speech.
2. I feel patriotic for the first time in eight years.
3. It wasn't until Obama gave his speech that I felt how really relieved I was, and how much eight years of fascism and anti-intellectualism and bigotry and reckless government had exhausted me and weighed me down.
4. I can't wait to see the First Puppy.
2. I feel patriotic for the first time in eight years.
3. It wasn't until Obama gave his speech that I felt how really relieved I was, and how much eight years of fascism and anti-intellectualism and bigotry and reckless government had exhausted me and weighed me down.
4. I can't wait to see the First Puppy.
Link to full story
Elke Wisbey's brain damage prevents her from speaking, walking, or feeding herself. Her community raised the £17,000 necessary to buy her a MyTobii Smartbox machine, which uses lasers to detect which phrase her eyes have focused on and then electronically speaks that phrase for her. So at six, she can talk for the first time. She's mastering the equipment much more quickly than her family, and uses it to talk to them, play games, and browse the internet.
This story obviously warms the cockles of our hearts, but it also makes me wonder why technology like this isn't automatically covered for people who are disabled in the area of producing speech. Isn't speech more or less a human right? It seems to me as necessary as breathing, almost. What's glossed over in this story is that for six years, Elke Wisbey could understand what was being said to her, but had no way to make her own desires known, or even show the outside world what was going on in her head.
I know that for people with speech issues, it's often frustrating to try and prove to the non-disabled world that they really have cognition, that they feel and think, and it seems like barriers like this are part of the problem. In fact, even when they get access to speech enablers, there are people who question whether they are "really" speaking (I've already seen comments across the net to this effect about Elke Wisbey, although it's obvious from the article that she is in fact using the technology in a purposeful way).
I'm thrilled Elke can speak now -- I would just like to see everyone similarly situated also enabled in a similar manner, preferably through government funding.
Your thoughts?
Elke Wisbey's brain damage prevents her from speaking, walking, or feeding herself. Her community raised the £17,000 necessary to buy her a MyTobii Smartbox machine, which uses lasers to detect which phrase her eyes have focused on and then electronically speaks that phrase for her. So at six, she can talk for the first time. She's mastering the equipment much more quickly than her family, and uses it to talk to them, play games, and browse the internet.
This story obviously warms the cockles of our hearts, but it also makes me wonder why technology like this isn't automatically covered for people who are disabled in the area of producing speech. Isn't speech more or less a human right? It seems to me as necessary as breathing, almost. What's glossed over in this story is that for six years, Elke Wisbey could understand what was being said to her, but had no way to make her own desires known, or even show the outside world what was going on in her head.
I know that for people with speech issues, it's often frustrating to try and prove to the non-disabled world that they really have cognition, that they feel and think, and it seems like barriers like this are part of the problem. In fact, even when they get access to speech enablers, there are people who question whether they are "really" speaking (I've already seen comments across the net to this effect about Elke Wisbey, although it's obvious from the article that she is in fact using the technology in a purposeful way).
I'm thrilled Elke can speak now -- I would just like to see everyone similarly situated also enabled in a similar manner, preferably through government funding.
Your thoughts?
- Don't just list (Town) as the location of your stuff. (Town) is inevitably a big place. People do not want to drive all the way across (Town) to buy your stuff, maybe. Or maybe they're right next door, and they'll be excited to learn you live in (Specific Neighborhood, Town), just like them, and they'll rush out and buy your stuff right away and for full price.
- Put up a good picture, or better, several. If there is no picture, a huge percentage of people will never even click on your ad. Seriously, they don't care how well you describe it. Your deathless prose? They will not read it. No one wants to drive somewhere to look at something they've never seen. If you don't put a photo, be prepared to have only the most annoying and/or crazy people respond to your ad.
- Take three seconds and type up your ad in a program with spell check. It is not a "dinning table." You do not own a "chest of draws" or worse, a "chester drawers." I assure you, an "armwar"? You do not have one. When you write this stuff, the buyer thinks that you're the kind of person who might not disclose that time the dog puked on the sofa. Also, you are contributing to the death spiral of our culture, so there's that to worry about.
- Don't list how much you paid for the item originally. No one cares, and if you list a high dollar figure, people will just assume you're lying.
- It doesn't matter if you've only had that Ikea couch for six months, no one is going to pay close to retail for it. Ikea furniture is made of termite chewings and Elmer's glue. Six months is practically the entire lifetime of many pieces of Ikea furniture. Accept that pieces of furniture, like cars, lose a huge chunk of their value the second you take them home.
- Don't lie. Don't call MDF furniture "solid wood," don't call your Eames knockoff an "Eames original," and don't call your antique reproduction "antique." When people see your item in person, they will be able to tell you were lying, and they are strangers from the internet who now know where you live. Think about that for a second. Yeah.
...And that says it all. I have a Mystery Itchiness on my legs from the knee down, dating from when I shaved them. This doesn't usually happen. WTF? Anyone had this? Any advice? Cort-Aid doesn't seem to help.
- Mood:itchy
I forgot to update and say that I'm fine. First I had a scorching depressive episode, though. I really think my hormones may be out of whack. Wonder if I should go on the pill, or what? I guess it's time to go to the gyno, although I'd rather just shove bamboo under my fingernails.
I'm working on an essay right now (for a given value of "working") and Stick the cat is perched on my shoulder like a bony, neurotic parrot. Occasionally he sticks his freezing, wet nose in my ear, which is shivery and oddly endearing. He's purring and sounds like a lawnmower, this close.
Does anyone else get oddly cheerful in the face of tremendous overwork? Sometimes I think I'm at my best on the edge of catastrophe. There's a weird calm there: all you can do is focus on the next thing, then the next thing, then the next thing.
I'm working on an essay right now (for a given value of "working") and Stick the cat is perched on my shoulder like a bony, neurotic parrot. Occasionally he sticks his freezing, wet nose in my ear, which is shivery and oddly endearing. He's purring and sounds like a lawnmower, this close.
Does anyone else get oddly cheerful in the face of tremendous overwork? Sometimes I think I'm at my best on the edge of catastrophe. There's a weird calm there: all you can do is focus on the next thing, then the next thing, then the next thing.
- Mood:
energetic
Yesterday, I got an unsolicited and unfair zit. Today, I am in a really, really terrible mood, and I've had to work really hard not to bite someone's head off or just throw all my work on the floor and crawl into bed for a week.
In conclusion, I think I might be getting ready to have an extra period. FUCK. I'm going to have to go to the gynecologist if that happens, because it will be the second time in three months, which means I can't ignore it and say "it's probably stress."
Dear ovaries: shape up or I am going to cut you right out of my body. Thanks.
In conclusion, I think I might be getting ready to have an extra period. FUCK. I'm going to have to go to the gynecologist if that happens, because it will be the second time in three months, which means I can't ignore it and say "it's probably stress."
Dear ovaries: shape up or I am going to cut you right out of my body. Thanks.
01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
Yes
02) What was your dream growing up?
To have my own house and dogs -- still working on it.
03) What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I were a really fantastic dancer.
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
Screwdriver, or a really dry chardonnay.
05) Favorite vegetable?
Tie between asparagus and artichoke.
06) What was the last book you read?
Hard Times, by Charles Dickens.
07) What zodiac sign are you?
Scorpio.
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
Just ears. I'd like to get a couple more.
09) Worst Habit?
Procrastination and--not unconnected--staying up too late. Why do you think I'm doing this meme?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
Honestly, not unless I knew you.
11) What is your favorite sport?
Figure skating.
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
I'm an optimist who tries to control her optimism by talking a good pessimistic game.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
Play "would you rather" and, if all else failed, hangman.
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
I got pregnant at sixteen and it changed my relationship with my parents forever. Not in a good way.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
I love it when people play with my hair.
16) Do you have any pets?
Three evil cats.
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
I'd die of horror when you saw the amount of cat hair on the sofa.
18) What was your first impression of me?
That you were worth getting to know, and that getting to know you would take time.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
Neither, but if I had to choose just one, then scary.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
I wouldn't turn down perkier boobs.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
Partner in crime, unless I thought what you were doing was seriously ethically wrong.
22) What color eyes do you have?
Green.
23) Ever been arrested?
No, but I was taken home once in the back of a police car.
24) Bottle or can soda?
Can. Bottle soda tastes like plastic.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
Pay off credit card debt.
27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?
The coffee place nearest my house. I like to pretend I live there.
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
It depends on whether you ask me in the middle of the night.
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Read, poke around the internet, and make plans for the future.
30) Do you swear a lot?
Fucking A.
31) Biggest pet peeve?
People who are really invested in their own coolness.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Reflective.
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
Not really. It's nice in theory, but it tends to boil down to cliches. If someone did something unusual and surprising and thoughtful, I would think that was romantic. A dozen roses, though, meh.
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
Favorite: for junk food, chocolate, and for healthy food, asparagus. Least favorite: is horseradish a "food"? Because I think it's really gross.
35) Do you believe in God?
I am taking God under consideration.
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
Yes
02) What was your dream growing up?
To have my own house and dogs -- still working on it.
03) What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I were a really fantastic dancer.
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
Screwdriver, or a really dry chardonnay.
05) Favorite vegetable?
Tie between asparagus and artichoke.
06) What was the last book you read?
Hard Times, by Charles Dickens.
07) What zodiac sign are you?
Scorpio.
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
Just ears. I'd like to get a couple more.
09) Worst Habit?
Procrastination and--not unconnected--staying up too late. Why do you think I'm doing this meme?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
Honestly, not unless I knew you.
11) What is your favorite sport?
Figure skating.
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
I'm an optimist who tries to control her optimism by talking a good pessimistic game.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
Play "would you rather" and, if all else failed, hangman.
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
I got pregnant at sixteen and it changed my relationship with my parents forever. Not in a good way.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
I love it when people play with my hair.
16) Do you have any pets?
Three evil cats.
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
I'd die of horror when you saw the amount of cat hair on the sofa.
18) What was your first impression of me?
That you were worth getting to know, and that getting to know you would take time.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
Neither, but if I had to choose just one, then scary.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
I wouldn't turn down perkier boobs.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
Partner in crime, unless I thought what you were doing was seriously ethically wrong.
22) What color eyes do you have?
Green.
23) Ever been arrested?
No, but I was taken home once in the back of a police car.
24) Bottle or can soda?
Can. Bottle soda tastes like plastic.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
Pay off credit card debt.
27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?
The coffee place nearest my house. I like to pretend I live there.
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
It depends on whether you ask me in the middle of the night.
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Read, poke around the internet, and make plans for the future.
30) Do you swear a lot?
Fucking A.
31) Biggest pet peeve?
People who are really invested in their own coolness.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Reflective.
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
Not really. It's nice in theory, but it tends to boil down to cliches. If someone did something unusual and surprising and thoughtful, I would think that was romantic. A dozen roses, though, meh.
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
Favorite: for junk food, chocolate, and for healthy food, asparagus. Least favorite: is horseradish a "food"? Because I think it's really gross.
35) Do you believe in God?
I am taking God under consideration.
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
I'm running in place lately and feel sort of pleased about it, although it also means I hardly hold still enough to really notice anything.
Done in the last week:
Done in the last week:
- A sonnet, a blank verse poem, first drafts of two "regular" poems, two revisions.
- A big swath of grading and two smaller chunks of grading.
- Started another book of poems: Ellen Bryant Voigt's Messenger: New & Selected Poems. I'm trying to get more poetry reading done by viewing it less as a sort of vatic experience and more as something that will sometimes be pleasurable and sometimes just be hard but will always be necessary to my life as a writer. We'll see how this works.
- Cleaned the bathroom.
- Swept the living room floor.
- Replaced some of the things the hurricane killed, like salad dressing, ketchup, and so on. The little-known casualty of a hurricane is every single condiment in your refrigerator.
- Made a new budget.
- A villanelle, another form poem, a revision of the manuscript.
- Blog posts for the class I'm TA-ing -- I'm behind on these.
- A paper in a class due in the next two weeks.
- Track down a hard-to-find and expensive book for one of my classes.
To the right (and down a bit) are my goals for the next three-ish years. I don't expect to accomplish all of them (lose all that weight? probably not -- same with pay off all credit card debt), but I'm hoping to get through quite a few. A lot of them are actually "fun" goals, things I always mean to do and then never get around to. Some of them are a reflection more of the instant in which I made the list than my real personality -- note all the cooking goals. I'd like to like cooking, but honestly, I don't. Still, I'm going to try to cross them off. Why not? It won't kill me, and maybe I'll like it better than I think I will. Also, I'm tired of eating the same six meals over and over.
Here's what I've managed so far.
Spend the weekend in Austin: did it, loved it, will do it again, blogged it already.
Ride bike to coffee shop 25 times: did it once, need to get my tires checked so I can do it some more.
Find one new favorite non-caffeinated, sugar-free drink: Crystal Light fruit punch, baby. It's like kool-aid, only a little better. This is an oddly important one, because I really hate the water here, and I need some kind of hydration system that doesn't involve straight water or (my preference, but unforch bad for me) straight Diet Coke. I'm not sure this is totally sugar-free, actually, but it has very little sugar, or maybe it's all Splenda, and in any case, close enough.
Go to an arts festival: Eh, did it in Austin, remember why I don't do these as much anymore: overpriced jewelry, mediocre pottery, mediocre art. Still, it's a fun way to spend an afternoon if you keep your expectations low. Am I a huge snob?
Read 10 memoirs: Have read three: Something I've forgotten already (must not have been that good), Plan B: Further Thoughts On Faith by Anne Lamott, and Dog Years by Mark Doty. Plan B was fun; Dog Years is amazing, and everyone should read it.
Read 100 new books of poetry: Have read one: an early book of James Wright's poems. This is a hard one for me because I almost never read a book of poems all the way through and thus "finish" it. Although actually, I've finished Source by Mark Doty, so I should add that to th list. Only 98 more to go! Uh.
Things I would like to get done soon: publish a poem or two, get a better couch, fix up the bike. So those may be next.
Here's what I've managed so far.
Spend the weekend in Austin: did it, loved it, will do it again, blogged it already.
Ride bike to coffee shop 25 times: did it once, need to get my tires checked so I can do it some more.
Find one new favorite non-caffeinated, sugar-free drink: Crystal Light fruit punch, baby. It's like kool-aid, only a little better. This is an oddly important one, because I really hate the water here, and I need some kind of hydration system that doesn't involve straight water or (my preference, but unforch bad for me) straight Diet Coke. I'm not sure this is totally sugar-free, actually, but it has very little sugar, or maybe it's all Splenda, and in any case, close enough.
Go to an arts festival: Eh, did it in Austin, remember why I don't do these as much anymore: overpriced jewelry, mediocre pottery, mediocre art. Still, it's a fun way to spend an afternoon if you keep your expectations low. Am I a huge snob?
Read 10 memoirs: Have read three: Something I've forgotten already (must not have been that good), Plan B: Further Thoughts On Faith by Anne Lamott, and Dog Years by Mark Doty. Plan B was fun; Dog Years is amazing, and everyone should read it.
Read 100 new books of poetry: Have read one: an early book of James Wright's poems. This is a hard one for me because I almost never read a book of poems all the way through and thus "finish" it. Although actually, I've finished Source by Mark Doty, so I should add that to th list. Only 98 more to go! Uh.
Things I would like to get done soon: publish a poem or two, get a better couch, fix up the bike. So those may be next.
- Got caught up on Fringe via Hulu, and decided it's not quite as good as the X Files, but pretty good (but omg, they have to stop using those floating bubble letters to announce the locations -- so distracting and annoying!).
- Saw Eagle Eye with a friend (his choice -- I wanted to see Appaloosa, and still do). I recommend waiting and renting Eagle Eye. It's the kind of movie that's not bad to watch as you're making earrings or something, but not good enough to pay $20 to see in the theater.
- Tried a new Indian food place. Verdict: too expensive, but mmm, good curry.
- Had leisurely lunch on Sunday with Cthulu at one of our favorite cafes and basked in the perfect weather and lovely fall sunlight.
- Cleaned the living room.
- Completely ignored my email.
- Mood:
content
Jezebel came up with a list of 75 must-read books (mostly by women). I thought it might be fun to see which ones I've read (ones I've read are crossed out). Feel free to copy if you're in the mood for another book meme.
The Lottery (and Other Stories), Shirley Jackson- To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
- The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
- White Teeth, Zadie Smith
- The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion- Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
The Bell Jar, Sylvia PlathWide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys- The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
- Beloved, Toni Morrison
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert- Like Life, Lorrie Moore
Pride and Prejudice, Jane AustenJane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë- The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
- A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
A Good Man Is Hard To Find (and Other Stories), Flannery O'ConnorThe Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx- You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker
- Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee- Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
- Earthly Paradise, Colette
- Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
- Property, Valerie Martin
- Middlemarch, George Eliot
Annie John, Jamaica KincaidThe Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir- Runaway, Alice Munro
- The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston- Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
- You Must Remember This, Joyce Carol Oates
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott- Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill
The Liars' Club, Mary KarrI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya AngelouA Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith- And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison- The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley- The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
- The Group, Mary McCarthy
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi- The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne FrankFrankenstein, Mary Shelley- Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag
- In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
- The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
- Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
- Three Junes, Julia Glass
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft- Sophie's Choice, William Styron
- Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
- Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
Gone with the Wind, Margaret MitchellThe Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin- The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
- The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn
My Antonia, Willa Cather- Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The Harsh Voice, Rebecca West
- Spending, Mary Gordon
- The Lover, Marguerite Duras
- The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
- Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen
- Nightwood, Djuna Barnes
- Three Lives, Gertrude Stein
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons- I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Possession, A.S. Byatt
So Cthulu and I went to Austin for part of the weekend in order to escape our normal responsibilities and dirty house we don't feel like cleaning and all that, and to do that whole "romantic getaway" thing couples are supposed to do, although I'm not sure other couples define "romantic getaway" as "eating crepes and Mexican food and going to the art festival" but whatever, YMMV.
Here are the things we did, and my thoughts on them.
1. Hawthorn Suites Ltd., Airport
This is where we stayed. The cool hip hotels were all sold out, which is fine, actually, because I kind of like anonymous, quiet hotels. Downside of this place: they are remodeling right now, so the lobby area, while functional, is obviously under construction. Upsides: $100/night, really nice sheets, pillows and blankets, very clean, very quiet, and has a little living room, plus microwave and tiny fridge. Oh, and free wireless. It's criminal that some hotels charge extra for wireless. Finally, this place is not on the main drag, but it's very easy to find the main drag from here, and it's not far away. So, yay Hawthorn Suites. We liked you! We will come back.
2. Curra's Grill
We got in Saturday night and used the free! wireless! at our hotel to find a place to eat. Citysearch recommended Curra's, and they were right. Curra's is very affordable Tex-Mex (lots of dishes are $7 or so) with great queso and salsa, warm chips, and a wonderful patio. It's very low-key and not at all fancy. Its food is not high-end or anything, but it was a nice place to relax outside after our drive. We went back the next day to grab some dinner before we left town because we were wearing our swimsuits still (more on that later) and knew that we wouldn't feel too underdressed here. If you want to try their specialty, order the Cochinita Pibil, which is basically very spicy barbecue pork with fried plantains. Delish.
3. Magnolia Cafe
We went here late Saturday night because the Internets strongly recommended it and I wanted some mimosas. Cthulu had a root beer float and I had mimosas and one gingerbread pancake with blueberries. Verdict: meh. There was a long wait, and I'm not sure why. The interior was supposed to come off as "funky" but instead just looked sorta disjointed. The mimosas didn't have great orange juice in them. The root beer float was average. And the gingerbread pancake, which I thought sounded really yummy, was in fact dry and kind of gross and not at all sweet. The gingerbread pancake might have been better if it was served with whipped cream and powdered sugar instead of butter and regular pancake syrup. Maybe we just ordered the wrong things, but we weren't impressed.
4. Old Pecan Street Cafe
I already knew I loved this place, because we ate here the last time we came to Austin. Still love it. This is where we ate lunch on Sunday. C. had the fettuccine, I had the grilled salmon. Both were delicious, as was the steaming hot bread they serve with the salads. We ended with strawberry crepes. I can't emphasize strongly enough how perfect the crepes are at Old Pecan Street Cafe. I've been there twice now, and each time, the crepes have left me speechless. They have just the right cold/hot, tangy/sweet combinations. We ate one, and then, to our surprise, ordered a second one and ate it up completely too. This is on my "do not miss" list for Austin.
5. Old Pecan Street Festival
It was hot as hell outside, but this festival, which is mainly an arts festival, was still fun. I never wind up buying anything at an arts festival, but it's entertaining to look, and I wind up talking cameras with all the photographers ("how did you shoot that? oh, I had a Fuji once too!"). This was fun for people-watching and dog-watching. I took a lot of dog pictures. The food also smelled delicious, but we were too stuffed with crepes to eat any of it.
6. Barton Springs Pool
After a couple of hours at the festival, we were hot, sticky, and sick of art. So we went to this very cool natural pool in the middle of Austin. The spring that feeds the pool keeps fresh water pumping in and maintains the (huge) pool's 68-degree temperature. This means that you have to choose a temperature-adjustment method. Cthulu, who is a "rip the band-aid off" type, threw himself in all at once and nearly suffered a heart attack. I am a "remove the band-aid one centimeter at a time" person, so I went down the pebbly steps one at a time, suppressing shrieks as I went. After we got in, the water was heavenly, and the hot sun kept it from being too cold. This was the perfect way to spend a hot afternoon. A+.
Here are the things we did, and my thoughts on them.
1. Hawthorn Suites Ltd., Airport
This is where we stayed. The cool hip hotels were all sold out, which is fine, actually, because I kind of like anonymous, quiet hotels. Downside of this place: they are remodeling right now, so the lobby area, while functional, is obviously under construction. Upsides: $100/night, really nice sheets, pillows and blankets, very clean, very quiet, and has a little living room, plus microwave and tiny fridge. Oh, and free wireless. It's criminal that some hotels charge extra for wireless. Finally, this place is not on the main drag, but it's very easy to find the main drag from here, and it's not far away. So, yay Hawthorn Suites. We liked you! We will come back.
2. Curra's Grill
We got in Saturday night and used the free! wireless! at our hotel to find a place to eat. Citysearch recommended Curra's, and they were right. Curra's is very affordable Tex-Mex (lots of dishes are $7 or so) with great queso and salsa, warm chips, and a wonderful patio. It's very low-key and not at all fancy. Its food is not high-end or anything, but it was a nice place to relax outside after our drive. We went back the next day to grab some dinner before we left town because we were wearing our swimsuits still (more on that later) and knew that we wouldn't feel too underdressed here. If you want to try their specialty, order the Cochinita Pibil, which is basically very spicy barbecue pork with fried plantains. Delish.
3. Magnolia Cafe
We went here late Saturday night because the Internets strongly recommended it and I wanted some mimosas. Cthulu had a root beer float and I had mimosas and one gingerbread pancake with blueberries. Verdict: meh. There was a long wait, and I'm not sure why. The interior was supposed to come off as "funky" but instead just looked sorta disjointed. The mimosas didn't have great orange juice in them. The root beer float was average. And the gingerbread pancake, which I thought sounded really yummy, was in fact dry and kind of gross and not at all sweet. The gingerbread pancake might have been better if it was served with whipped cream and powdered sugar instead of butter and regular pancake syrup. Maybe we just ordered the wrong things, but we weren't impressed.
4. Old Pecan Street Cafe
I already knew I loved this place, because we ate here the last time we came to Austin. Still love it. This is where we ate lunch on Sunday. C. had the fettuccine, I had the grilled salmon. Both were delicious, as was the steaming hot bread they serve with the salads. We ended with strawberry crepes. I can't emphasize strongly enough how perfect the crepes are at Old Pecan Street Cafe. I've been there twice now, and each time, the crepes have left me speechless. They have just the right cold/hot, tangy/sweet combinations. We ate one, and then, to our surprise, ordered a second one and ate it up completely too. This is on my "do not miss" list for Austin.
5. Old Pecan Street Festival
It was hot as hell outside, but this festival, which is mainly an arts festival, was still fun. I never wind up buying anything at an arts festival, but it's entertaining to look, and I wind up talking cameras with all the photographers ("how did you shoot that? oh, I had a Fuji once too!"). This was fun for people-watching and dog-watching. I took a lot of dog pictures. The food also smelled delicious, but we were too stuffed with crepes to eat any of it.
6. Barton Springs Pool
After a couple of hours at the festival, we were hot, sticky, and sick of art. So we went to this very cool natural pool in the middle of Austin. The spring that feeds the pool keeps fresh water pumping in and maintains the (huge) pool's 68-degree temperature. This means that you have to choose a temperature-adjustment method. Cthulu, who is a "rip the band-aid off" type, threw himself in all at once and nearly suffered a heart attack. I am a "remove the band-aid one centimeter at a time" person, so I went down the pebbly steps one at a time, suppressing shrieks as I went. After we got in, the water was heavenly, and the hot sun kept it from being too cold. This was the perfect way to spend a hot afternoon. A+.
So we have both electricity and cable now, and it's as if I've re-entered the 21st century. For a while, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. The answer arrived soon, of course: watch hours and hours of a) crime procedurals and b) trashy reality TV.
Between that and obsessive Facebooking, I almost feel back to normal.
Here's what I've discovered from my time away from the internet and electric appliances: I would make a lousy pioneer. Also, candlelight is awesome and romantic only if you can turn on electric lights any time you want. Have you ever tried to floss your teeth by candlelight? Find your cat? I don't recommend it. I guess the pioneers did this shit during the daylight hours, but whatever. I'm just glad the lights are back on.
If we ever have some worldwide catastrophe and descend into a pre-industrial state, I am so fucked.
Between that and obsessive Facebooking, I almost feel back to normal.
Here's what I've discovered from my time away from the internet and electric appliances: I would make a lousy pioneer. Also, candlelight is awesome and romantic only if you can turn on electric lights any time you want. Have you ever tried to floss your teeth by candlelight? Find your cat? I don't recommend it. I guess the pioneers did this shit during the daylight hours, but whatever. I'm just glad the lights are back on.
If we ever have some worldwide catastrophe and descend into a pre-industrial state, I am so fucked.
So, I survived Ike, although we haven't had power since about midnight the night the storm started. We lost power before a drop of rain fell. Then our street and front lawn turned into a lake.
The lake drained, but still no air conditioning, internet, cable tv, refrigeration, or laundry. H-town is under some weird curfew for no apparent reason, so even getting errands done after work (like finding an open laundromat) is a huge challenge.
I had no idea how inconvenient going through a hurricane would be. So far? Very.
The lake drained, but still no air conditioning, internet, cable tv, refrigeration, or laundry. H-town is under some weird curfew for no apparent reason, so even getting errands done after work (like finding an open laundromat) is a huge challenge.
I had no idea how inconvenient going through a hurricane would be. So far? Very.
We got a bunch of supplies for Hurricane Ike, so naturally I am now eating the granola bars 24 hours ahead of the hurricane's actual landfall. For dinner!
48 hours from now, it may be like the movie Doomsday in our apartment.
48 hours from now, it may be like the movie Doomsday in our apartment.
So I've been sick for, like, five days or something now, the kind of sick where you stay in bed all day and STILL feel exhausted at the end of the day.
That's the downside. The upside is the enforced boredom has made me work on my mansucript, organize email, deal with all kinds of boring teaching crap, catch up on a freelance project, and otherwise do all the work you can do from a computer.
Not too shabby, for a person with the kind of fever where you have crazy dreams that you're remodeling old homes with vampires. (Too many commercials for TrueBlood and too many episodes of Property Virgin, obvs.)
I think I'm probably going to miss tomorrow, because I'm still fevery, achy, and phlegmily disgusting to be around, but I'm starting to feel a little better. Soon I'll be back to my old unproductive ways. Bring on the cable TV, bitches, because I am tired of being in bed. Thank you.
Pssst -- but being virtuous feels sorta good.
That's the downside. The upside is the enforced boredom has made me work on my mansucript, organize email, deal with all kinds of boring teaching crap, catch up on a freelance project, and otherwise do all the work you can do from a computer.
Not too shabby, for a person with the kind of fever where you have crazy dreams that you're remodeling old homes with vampires. (Too many commercials for TrueBlood and too many episodes of Property Virgin, obvs.)
I think I'm probably going to miss tomorrow, because I'm still fevery, achy, and phlegmily disgusting to be around, but I'm starting to feel a little better. Soon I'll be back to my old unproductive ways. Bring on the cable TV, bitches, because I am tired of being in bed. Thank you.
Pssst -- but being virtuous feels sorta good.
One of the movie channels is showing a smorgasbord of disaster movies tonight:
Twister
Volcano
Dante's Peak
The only way it could get better is if they topped it off with Day After Tomorrow.
What is it that I love so much about magma explosions, tidal waves, capsizing boats, animal stampedes, and people hopelessly trapped in submarines? I dunno. But something about total, violent destruction makes me positively cheery.
Needless to say, I'll be staying in tonight, and not just because I have a nasty cold. No, I'll be staying in to cheer on the lava.
Twister
Volcano
Dante's Peak
The only way it could get better is if they topped it off with Day After Tomorrow.
What is it that I love so much about magma explosions, tidal waves, capsizing boats, animal stampedes, and people hopelessly trapped in submarines? I dunno. But something about total, violent destruction makes me positively cheery.
Needless to say, I'll be staying in tonight, and not just because I have a nasty cold. No, I'll be staying in to cheer on the lava.
