This Must Be the Place

Jo's Coffee has the reputation of serving the finest coffee in Austin. Now, I'm no connoisseur of good java, but I was intrigued by the claims. The last two mornings I've spent having a cup of said coffee at this glorified stand on South Congress, and I'll admit, it's good stuff. The case below the walkup window containing baked goods ranging from kolaches to muffins looks like good stuff too, but I'm trying to change my eating habits after weeks of neglect. This is no small order in this land of queso.

For me, the real allure of Jo's is the clientele. From hippie slackers to corporate types, many people seem to make this place a daily morning stop. Several patrons seem to be on a first-name basis with each other and Moms with babies in strollers and songwriter types with bandana-sporting mutts have filtered in and out with equal regularity during the short time I've been there. Whatever the stereotype, the most popular sighting is the laptop user, and I'm happy to announce that Mac users outnumbered PC users 5 to 2 at one point this morning. This is also no small order in this land of Dell.

In other news, I'm home, and it has started to rain as I type this. It'll be the second time since we've been here, and it's almost startling.

Remembering the Alamo... and Shoal Creek

Jamye had already been with her parents the week before to see the Da Vinci Code at the South Lamar location, but I finally got to experience the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema late Saturday night.

Our visit was a packed showing of the third installment in the X-Men series, and we had to attend the 10:10 screening because when we arrived ten minutes early for the 7:35 show, we discovered there were only two seats available on opposite sides of the auditorium. They graciously let us exchange the tickets we purchased online for tickets to the later show for which we vowed to return early.

Suddenly, we had some free time on our hands. En route to The Tavern a little further north on Lamar, I made a last second decision to whip into the Shoal Creek Saloon a couple blocks south of our intended destination. In past visits to Austin I had noted the place mainly because of the gigantic New Orleans Saints helmet which graced its front awning. This time, I was intrigued by the sign touting catfish AND color T.V.


The catfish and hushpuppy snack we ordered hit the spot. I was also happy to discover that the televisions were, in fact, in color, but my favorite feature of this place besides the back deck which overlooked what I can only assume was the... um... Shoal Creek was that our beers were brought to the table in koozies. Next time we're looking for a place to land on a hot summer night in Austin, you can bet I'll remember that.

I wish I could say that the movie later that night was just as memorable, but it was lackluster. It had more action set pieces than you could shake a stick at, but it didn't have the heart of the previous movies. It was style over substance, which was a shame, because in more able hands, there was substance to spare. In fact, it made our order of cheese sticks at the beginning of the movie seem prescient.

Migas and Me

After I dropped Jamye off for her first day of work...


... I had to go see a man about a horse in San Marcos, TX.

Except substitute cordless phone for horse and Best Buy employee for man. The San Marcos part is true though.

San Marcos is the home of the Bobcats of Texas State University, so it wasn't quite the sleepy little town I had envisioned. I know, the Best Buy should have been my first clue.

Having arrived in town a good thirty minutes before said Best Buy was to open, I decided to go rustle me up some breakfast. I landed at the Allniter Diner on the main drag leading through downtown.

I scanned the menu and quickly settled on the Migas, but there was some verbose history of the building in the menu which I assumed I would be able to find online when I got home so I just scanned it and went about reading my newspaper. Alas, I haven't found much online, and all I remember was the name A.B. Rogers (it was his building) and the year 1906. Apparently he was an undertaker, and he sold coffins and furniture out of the building where I was drinking my coffee. I did find this, but that seemed to open up a whole new can of worms (the San Marcos Springs/Aquarena Center). Neat history there. I'll have to remember to look into it more thoroughly later.

That's Right, We're Now in Texas

I left Nashville on Saturday afternoon, May 13th to drive to Corsicana, Texas and stay with our friends, Fred and Rebecca. On Monday, Fred and I drove into Austin to pick up the keys to our new place and unload a carload full of stuff. On Tuesday, we left for the 2006 TRGA Classic golf tournament at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Mississippi. Fifteen guys (4 Texans and 11 Tennesseans) took part in this year's tournament. I pulled out a second place finish, which would have been sweeter if I hadn't been leading going into the final round on Saturday.

Jamye left Nashville on Tuesday, trailed by her parents, to drive to Austin and greet the movers who were set to arrive on Thursday morning. Jamye and I were finally reunited in Austin at The Shady Grove on Sunday night. Her parents left Monday morning to drive home to Kentucky.

So, here we are in Austin, and that's us in front of the terra cotta(-ish) garage doors of our rental house and Jamye's purple Sunfire. My maroon Pathfinder doesn't clash with the doors as much, so it'll stay in the driveway for awhile, but I guess the more compelling reason why I'm in the driveway is the nine million boxes that remain unpacked in garage.

And just for nostalgia's sake, here's one last look at our old living room in Nashville...
and the view from our old deck.

WWDTD?

What WOULD Dan Tanna Do? I guess he'd have to go buy an earbud or a bluetooth compatible phone to use in his Ford Thunderbird if there were laws like this being pushed through his city of Las Vegas. Go read the Tennessean article in the preceding link and then come back, 'k? I'll wait.
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Here's why this chaps my hide: If they're gonna try to pass a law regarding cell phone usage in your car, then why stop there? The tow truck operator in the Tennessean story has it right. Here's a list of other car distractions for Nashville's Metro Council to consider along with proposed fines.
- Combing hair while driving: $25
- Eating while driving: $25
- Operating iPod while driving: $25
- Smoking while driving: $25 (fine doubles if witnessed lighting cigarette while car is in motion)
- Shaving while driving: $50
- Reading while driving: $100
- Watching television or a video on DVD while driving: $250
- Applying makeup while driving: $500

In general, people don't pay attention, and all the legislation in the world won't make them. No one can convince me that using a cell phone in traffic is any more distracting than having a conversation with someone riding in the car with you (especially if it's a heated one). Like Bill Murray said to the kidnapped groundhog that sat in his lap as he sped toward a gaping ravine in the film Groundhog Day, "Don't drive angry!" While we're at it, let's get rid of billboards and other signage that takes citizens eyes off the road, and here's another opportunity to levy fines on verbose bumper stickers.

Nashville's Metro Council needs to get its priorities straight and not worry about stuff like this, but apparently they're just going with the flow. I mean, if it's banned everywhere else in the world, then it must be dangerous, right? I would have thought that Israel had bigger worries than legislating cell phone use, but what do I know?

As for the U.S. of A., it looks like Dan Tanna's carphone is safe in Nevada for the foreseeable future.

BATS!!!!

These pictures are from the Congress Street Bridge in Austin on Sunday, April 23rd. Jamye and I stood in the bat observation area adjacent to the Austin Statesman newspaper's parking lot with several other onlookers. The bridge was jam packed on the east side to watch the exodus of over 1 million Mexican free-tailed bats. I manipulated some of the pictures in Photoshop because the lighting at dusk was obviously not ideal. Click on the pics to see them a little bigger.

The banner hanging on the southside of the bridge touting the World's Largest Urban Bat Colony

Those black streaks? Bats.

Used the flash here to bounce off the underside of the bridge and some bat bellies (white shapes on the right). Remember those black streaks? Fast bats.

SUMMER MOVIES!!!!

I'll be watching both of those at one of these.

The 2006 NFL Draft

Saturday is one of the most exciting days in professional sports. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until this year. Perhaps it was because, as they say, I didn't have a dog in that hunt, but this year, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler is my dog. I can see him going to the Arizona Cardinals as the tenth pick in the first round. Actually, I'd be fine with him going to several different teams, but please, Lord, don't let him end up in Baltimore, Oakland or Detroit.

Also, the Titans are picking third, and since McNair looks to be on his way out, they'll almost assuredly be taking Vince Young or Matt Leinart. I think they want Vince, but here's another scenario. The Titans give up their third pick for a couple of extra picks, say, in a trade with Arizona. Then, the Titans could take Cutler and get another offensive lineman or inside linebacker. Who knows? All I know is my DVR is set because we're going to be in Corsicana, TX this weekend, but I'll be out at the Corsicana Country Club to watch the first couple of hours before Fred and I tee off that afternoon. I'm kinda hoping we get rained out. Then I can sit, play cards and watch the draft. We can always play golf on Sunday.

But Apparently, Texas Wants Us Anyway!

Break out your Belt Buckles and dust off your Stetsons!! As many of you may already know, I've accepted a job at the University of Texas at Austin in a Pharmacology lab studying breast cancer. We're too excited! Not to mention overwhelmed with details of moving...as well as a few pangs of nostalgia and moments of sheer panic. Alas, we are still convinced it's the right thing for us right now. More details to come.

For now, we hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! bock, bock! (the following video may not be suitable to young, Easter bunny loving children).

Your move, Mr. Gates.

"Apple Opens Doors To Windows" @ Forbes.com

"Apple gives its blessing to Windows on Macs" @ Macworld.com

Apple's Official Press Release @ Apple.com

Steve Jobs breaks the news to Bill Gates:

"Have you been reading my blog, Miss West?"

Losing the Local Flavor?

Well, duh.

Texas Expatriates

I had several errands to run this morning, and as I drove around Nashville, I decided to write about something that I notice during my morning and afternoon drive times: lots of Texas license plates. On average, I'd say I see about half a dozen daily. Compound that with Texas flag stickers, Texas Longhorn emblems, Texas neon signs in bars and Texas bumper stickers of every stripe, and you've got a gen-you-ine Texas subculture brewing right here in the verdant hills of Middle Tennessee.

Now, loyal reader, I ask you this: with all this Texas swagger and pride, why are all these people living in my Tennessee town? To put it more bluntly, if the great state of Texas is, in point of fact, so great, why have all these people left? I know there's a lot of reasons for people to leave home and hearth so I really don't expect an answer to that, but there really seems to be a disproportionate amount of eau de Texas wafting through the corridors of the Capital City.

I used to see a lot of Michigan tags during my college years, and they are still abundant, but the Texas plates outnumber them at least two to one, even on the streets surrounding Vanderbilt University, where in a given week or so you can see just about every license plate from the lower 48 if you are paying attention.

We know a lot of people from and living in Texas, and they all seem to be very proud of their home state. State pride is a nice thing, I suppose, but seeing as how I have none to speak of, I can only guess as to what it is about Texas that pulls the heartstrings of its former and current residents and often causes them to wax poetic about the big and bright stars at night. Is it the flat prairies for as far as the eye can see? Is it the cowboy persona? Is it the American made truck in every other driveway and/or front lawn? Is it the sheer size of the place? Is it the Lone Star beer?

Maybe we'll find out soon, but until then we'll have to remain in the dark on what makes these folks so gosh durn happy about living in a state with over 22 million other people spread out over 260,000 square miles. By the way, that's over 7.5 acres per person. Californians only get a measely 3 acres. As for us Tennesseans, we have a respectable 4.5 acres per person. I know you can get better odds in places like Alaska (a whopping 640 acres or 1 square mile a person), Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho and Wyoming, but whoever heard of "Don't mess with South Dakota"?

10 Things I Would Miss About Nashville

Things is the key word here... as in inanimate objects... i.e. not people. That's not to say there aren't people we'll miss. That would be silly.

Honorable Mention: Blue Moon Waterfront Cafe. I'd miss it if it were still around to be missed.

10. Krystal's Combo #2 with one of Jamye's Chiks (Currently none in Austin)
9. The Blue Bar at The Gold Rush
8. Hot Diggity Dog's charred Texas Dog and fries
7. The Ryman: The best-sounding concert venue in Nashville, and maybe anywhere
6. Monterey Clubs served by Lee, B.A. and Maria at Dalt's
5. Sir Pizza: Good to the very edge!
4. The Tennessee Titans: Through thick and (currently) thin... like a Sir Pizza
3. Cajun Burgers and fries at Edgefield Sports Bar and Grill
2. Harpeth Hills Golf Course: Site of my best and worst rounds ever
1. Vandy Football: The tailgating, the intimate confines of Dudley Field, and the accompanying heartbreak

Spring is here...

...and so far, I am unimpressed. Cold. Cloudy. Windy. Rainy. Altogether dreary. No sun. No shorts. No sandals. No golf. No fun. Pbbbttthhhhh.

Editorial note: In the interim between infrequent posts, we actually have had several blogworthy events to report on here in the capitol city, namely, our visitors from California and Jackson, TN, our Oscar party, the news (or lack thereof) on the Austin front, a day in court testifying about (drumroll, please) my stolen license plate, and most importantly, Jamye's 30th birthday. So, should we press on or look back? That's the question I'll be mulling over before tonight's sure-to-be-action-packed post.

This May Be the Coolest Commercial Ever

It Ain't Over Yet... but Do They Care?

Vanderbilt's basketball team beat Kentucky twice this season. It's the first time that's happened in my lifetime. Now, here we are on the eve of the SEC tournament, and Vanderbilt stands at a disappointing 16-11. The season that started with such promise looks like a bust, unless they can get at least two wins in the tournament. Even then, they probably won't make it into the NCAA tournament.

Sure, Vandy's taken their share of tough losses this season, including five in the heart of the SEC season by a total of 18 points (with two losses in overtime by a total of 5), but I've also watched them wilt under defensive pressure after leading opponents at halftime on several occassions. So what's the deal? Is it the coach? Is it lack of oncourt leadership (read: Mario Moore)? Is it just tough competition in the SEC? Who knows? The difference between good teams and bad is so razor thin for most schools that there are just a few plays that separate a successful season from a disappointing season.

Regardless of Vandy's performance in the SEC tournament, they're still gonna be my team, and I'd love to see them put on a run and make people take notice. Unfortunately, the 'Dores still seem to be looking for answers to some basic questions, questions that successful teams shouldn't be asking themselves this late in the season. They might be content to go back to the drawing board for next year.

Another One Bites the Dust

Vandyland, the 75-year-old West End diner, is set to close its doors on May 31st. I only went there once and had a damn fine milkshake, if I recall correctly. Sentimentally speaking, this is no skin off my nose, but it still sort of chaps my hide.
Read more about it here.

This is a test.

Here's something I'm excited about.

It's a Phillip K. Dick novel adapted for the screen by a guy named Richard Linklater, a filmmaker who lives and works in this place called Austin, Texas. Linklater has been around for awhile and has an impressive resume of moderately successful and quirky films. This one uses the rotoscoping animation technique that Linklater introduced in 2001's Waking Life, and his Detour Filmproduction company in association with Flat Black Films have completed the film using the technology pioneered by software guru Bob Sabiston. It should be in theaters this summer. No date has been set for the release, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.

Click on the banner at the top to see the newest trailer for A Scanner Darkly, and yeah, I know it's got Keanu in it, but I'm excited about it anyway.

Us and Hem

I wasn't as enthusiastic as Jamye about going to last night's Hem show at Exit/In. In fact, I teased her about going home to watch the Olympics right up until the moment we walked into the venue. It was a small crowd, but as the handful of tables were all occupied, we headed for the end of the bar closest to the stage.

After suffering through a Tom Waits/Robert Earl Keene/John Prine knockoff from Minnesota named Ben Weaver, the four piece band we had paid to see ambled onto the stage. After two songs, the band's frontwoman, Sally Elyson (who sounds like Joan Baez without the corncob) implored the crowd to pull their tables and chairs closer to the stage as there was a ridiculous (although typical for the Exit/In) gulf between the stage and the first landing where the tables had been set up. With the kind of quick efficiency that should be reserved for fire drills, most of the crowd complied.

I must say, it was an excellent set that had the crowd rapt. Despite the one or two moronic girls shouting requests at the stage, our failure to get out of another concert without someone yelling "Freebird," and making us wait until the encore to hear our favorite songs, we left the Exit/In satisfied that we had heard a show where the band had enough faith in their talents to not comprimise their sound for more popularity. Actually, it was quite a shame that a band that so effortlessly fuses folk, country and pop stylings couldn't draw a larger crowd here in Music City, U.S.A. It just shows to go ya.

Postscript: Before I log off here, I do need to mention their cover of a classic old tune that I believe is still in the pantheon of my Dad's favorite songs. He (and anybody else) can download a live version of it by clicking here. Also, you can check out their albums and a brief bio on iTunes. Just figured out how to make those links. Cool, huh?