Too Good Not to Post

Beckperson, the Body Person?

When I grow up and get the job of my dreams, this would be it: Body Person for a winning presidential candidate. You have incredible access, you get to ride on Air Force I and spend your days either traveling the country or in the White House, and you literally watch history unfold before your very eyes. I enjoyed watching "The West Wing" and seeing President Bartlett and his guy, Charlie. But this story today, of Senator Obama and his guy made my day.

Is there an age limit on Body Person?

Check out the slide show of the two of them working hard, and working out.

New York Times picture by Doug Mills.

Ding Dong School

Back in the fall, I posted a story about volunteering to read to a student in the school district in which my office is located. As I mentioned then, I had dreams of having one of those moments of connection that lead to a Lifetime movie or a visit to Oprah.

Well, the school year finished last week and I'm able to report that none of the above happened. As I mentioned earlier, Nicole was hardly the inner city child yearning to breathe the fresh air of literature. Nor was she the socially awkward young person dying to have an adult's attention so she could grow into a butterfly.

Turns out she was a normal kid, smart enough to figure out how to game the system by participating in this lunchtime reading group. The only thing she suffered from was a serious lack of ability to sit down and listen to someone reading to her. Oh, that and a complete lack of table manners. Neither of which doom her to a life of crime, I suspect.

We never were able to finish a book that suited her age group, but we did speed through a couple of storybooks written for kids years younger than herself. Toward the end of the year, the program administrator embarrassed Nicole into selecting a book more appropriate for her age, and we got through several chapters of it before calling it quits when the program ended.

We did share one small moment of learning. The word "gekko" appeared in that last book we read and I stopped to ask her if she knew what a gekko was. She furrowed her brow, and in spite of her best efforts to hide it, had to admit she didn't. I asked if she remembered seeing Geico commercials? She brightened immediately and said "Oh, yes!" And then said, "Oh, I get it - Geico...Gekko!" So there. My work with Nicole paid off in one short sentence.

The question now is whether to sign up again next year? Part of me wants to spend another year with her just to see if we could get another moment or two like this. And, judging by her clothing, she's a serious Red Sox fan. The other part of me says it's not worth the aggravation. We'll have to figure it out in the fall.

Having a Hard Time With The News

Obama Nation

Holy shit! It's Woodstock revisited in Portland, Oregon, yesterday. Obama is speaking to roughly 75,000 people (according to the police, not the campaign). Thought this was a great display of where the country is going these days. Wonder if my brother and sister-in-law went? Somehow I doubt it.

By the way, Bob and Tara, happy anniversary! And happy birthday tomorrow, Tara! May you have many happy returns of both occasions.

Edwards for AG?

I've always been a fan of John Edwards. I like his style, his politics and his sense of outrage at injustice. If I were ever in need of an advocate, there's no one I'd rather have standing by my side. That's why I like this story. He very strongly says he doesn't want to run with Obama for VP, but seems to hold the door open for Attorney General. Imagine him coming in and cleaning house? Wow, there's nothing that would please me more.

And in Other News...

The Democrats have selected a nominee, and it is Barack Obama. Don't you just love that picture? The cover of Times says it all.

And now that the decision is made, many are turning to the next topic, which is "Who will be Obama's running mate?"

I like the idea of Jim Webb and some good arguments are made here. Many have speculated that Hillary would be a good vice presidential candidate. I agree with the person who said Obama would then need a food taster in the White House. Besides, she already served as VP back in the '90s. She wants the big job. And luckily for us, she can't have it this time.

It does appear that Obama needs help in the White Man department, so someone who has working class roots or military/security roots might be helpful. It will be fun to watch people lining up for the position in the coming weeks.

*****

We are still in recovery from the trip to Austin. Not in the sense of physical tiredness, but more like "Wow" we saw and did so much. I can definitely see us returning in the near future - Austin just has so much to offer. We were definitely impressed.

But this weekend will be devoted to recoverying from a tough work week, with more to come. Found out this week that I'll be traveling to Tokyo and Shanghai in July for work. Leaving July 5 and returning on July 17. Time to practice the chopsticks and bone up on my Asian culture.

******

The Sox are on fire. So much for their own supposed problems with traveling to the Far East. I like what I'm seeing on this team - they're just a professional, happy, well-rounded group of guys, and fun as hell to watch. Keep it coming!

Finally Home

At various times during this trip, my feet hurt (from walking), my ears hurt (from blaring music), my back hurt (from the bed of concrete at the hotel). However, it was one of the best trips we've ever taken. The weather was summery and borderline humid. The people were equally warm and quite friendly everywhere we went. And a big shout-out to the employees of HEB grocery who babysat my wallet overnight without incident.

As Tex says, it's not a southern city at all, but a western city with a big heart that has cornered the market on individual stars.



Yeah, Austin is a liberal oasis in a traditionally conservative state, but it surprised me that the tour guide at the state capital made it a point to say that Lyndon Johnson is the ONLY truly Texan president. I found it telling that he went out of his way to note that neither of the Bush presidents were born in the state.

Here's just a few more favorite pictures before I move back to reality tomorrow:

A great picture of Donna:



The dancers at Chicken Shit Sunday were an interesting lot. But the guy facing to the right with the light on his face looked like the guy who played "My Favorite Martian" on TV.



And just because I like this one:



And this one, also at the Broken Spoke:



For some reason, the photos I took at the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue on Town Lake didn't survive (so far, at least), so here's one of Bob's:



And then we waved goodbye:



No doubt we'll be visiting again.

*I finally added all the images to the previous Texas posts below.

Ending with a Bang (of The Gourd)

Friday was a good way to end the Texas sojourn. We rested up a bit and got ourselves organized so that we could enjoy the last night. The trip down I-35 took us to Gruene (pronounced "Green" for those of you non-native Texans), which is a little bit of tourism, a little bit of history, and a whole lotta fun.

Smack in the heart of the little village are two important places: the Grist Mill, where we enjoyed dinner, and Gruene Hall, where we saw "The Gourds," billed as the oldest Dance Hall in Texas.

First, the restaurant:



Then Gruene Hall:



A couple of artsy pics from the iPhone before the show started. Turns out I drank a fair amount of Shiner's this trip.





And on the way to the ladies room, you could pass close to the band, who were having the times of their lives and entertaining us quite well:



You can listen to the band here:

No, We Can't Be Winding Down!

It may just be my imagination, but even when it's not hot in central Texas, it LOOKS hot. Perhaps it's the angle of the sun, or the fact that there was often not a cloud in the sky. Whatever it is, on Thursday we began to get a small sense of what summer in Austin is like. There was a touch of humidity in the air as the temps rose to the mid-80s.

After a late start at Austin Java, we crossed the River into downtown Austin and visited two small, but interesting art museums: the Austin Museum of Art, and the Mexic-Arte Museum, both located on Congress Street. While not large in size, both of these museums pack a lot in.





After this bit of culture, we were off to meet Tex for an early dinner at Guero's, prior to First Thursday, a celebration of the South Congress Street district. As if Austin needs an excuse, there was even more live music spread out along the street for the evening. They included a band full of 15-year-olds playing everything from Canned Heat to the Doors and other old-timer music (pretty well, too, at least until their mothers came to pick them up); to a band of local country types called Lonesome Heroes. The stores stay open late on First Thursday, while tables of vendors selling jewelry and crafts. I bought a little tie-dyed onesie for our soon-to-be-born great-nephew.

One of the truly Texan shops along South Congress:



Tex is drinking coffee, people:



When our feet gave out, the party moved to "The Mean-Eyed Cat" for a drink or two. The bar is dedicated to all things Johnny Cash, and featured yet another musician playing in the backyard: Matthew Ballard.



The number of possibilities for a musician in Austin are seemingly endless. Restaurants, bars, saloons, nightclubs, all feature live music of some type or other. Lucky for us, the music we enjoy most was featured most often where we visited. We've seen so many musicians and heard so many songs we haven't had a minute to process any of it. Luckily, the internets (and the notes I've taken here this week) will allow us to go back and revisit some of it. Where possible, we picked up CDs, and I expect we'll be downloading more when we get home.

Today will be relatively quiet (at least this afternoon) and we'll be starting to get organized for the trip home tomorrow. We haven't bought an enormous amount of souvenirs, but it never fails that it's harder to get everything back in the suitcase when it's time to go home.

For our final taste of local music, we're seeing "The Gourds" tonight in Gruene, Texas, just 30 minutes or so south of here.

Just Another Wednesday

Yesterday was fairly quiet in Paloozaville. If you call a quiet day shopping most of the afternoon, having the best frappacino ever, eating deeeeelightful BBq at The Salt Lick, going to the Mother Church of Texas Music (aka "The Broken Spoke") and topping it off with another set at the Continental Club to see Jon Dee Graham.
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South Congress Street has some great shops, selling anything from Mexican tchotchkes, to Texas boots to glass art, and everything in between. We meandered up and down the street a bit for our afternoon stroll in the +80-degree sunshine. When Tex finished her workday, we were off to The Salt Lick, just a wee bit west of Austin. They serve great food family style, which means all the ribs you can stuff in your mouth for a mere $18.95.





The bbq sauce was all sorts of tangy, without being sweet. The cole slaw and potato salad were simple and not overly fussy and full of mayo. When we finished the first plate of meat, which included ribs, beef brisket and sausage, a second one was delivered and we promptly buzzed through that one. Bob and Tex also enjoyed blackberry cobbler, with Blue Bell ice cream. Somehow I managed a few bites of cobbler, but I'm not really sure how.

Dinner was followed by a visit to The Broken Spoke, the Mother Church of honky tonk music. There was so much history at this place, they actually had an entire room full of relics. Everything from cowboy hats to record covers (and I do mean LPs) to photographs of the famous and near-famous who have visited. The dance hall featured Traci Lynn, a local singer who provided all the accompaniment needed for a range of swing dancers. They varied in age from early twenties to middle aged, and they swung along the floor easily and comfortably. I surely wish I could dance like that. This was certainly no place for a tourist, but rather a place where locals go on a normal Wednesday night to dance up a storm.

Our next stop was a return to the Continental Club, which featured Jon Dee Graham. While I'm not familar with him, Bob tells me he also played in the band with Alejandro Escavedo, the guy we saw there Tuesday night. While he had a bit of country in him, Jon Dee put me in mind of Tom Waits, a bit snarly, a bit poetic, a bit ornery.

Here's a sample:



Not bad for one day, eh? Tonight it's Guero's for Mexican food, First Thursday on South Congress and perhaps a cupcake from an RV, then Seth Walker music and the Mean-eyed Cat. Another jam-packed day.

**more pictures to come when I get them sorted out. It's really hard to use someone else's computer - I can't find anything I'm looking for.

The Texas Kaleidescope

Took an opportunity to take a drive through the Texas Hill Country west of Austin yesterday. It is surprisingly non-flat (duh!) and green, although we were not able to find any bluebonnets. The locals say it is because of a lack of rain, and it does appear to be a bit dry out there.



Our drive took us about an hour away, just beyond Johnson City, where we toured the LBJ Ranch on the Pedernales River. LBJ was born, died and is buried all within the space of less than a half-mile. His home is in a beautiful spot on the river, surrounded by thousands of acres that have been in his family, off and on, since the mid 1800s when his great-grandfather (I think) emigrated to Texas from Georgia.



And the view from the house:



We were reminded, yet again, of what being a President is supposed to be. Setting aside (for a moment) the Viet Nam debacle, LBJ oversaw the passage of an amazing amount of legislation: Civil Rights, education, consumer protection, anti-poverty...and more. This, I suppose, is what is meant by activism - something that today's politicians seem to disdain.

Yes, it's hard to forgive LBJ for Viet Nam. He inherited a mess and mishandled it several times on his own. But the domestic programs are second to none, in my book. And Mrs. Johnson has made her mark on the country with her conservation programs. Growing up, it was hard to miss the "Keep America Beautiful" programs, for which she was responsible. Good for her - she just died this past July at the wonderful age of 94.

Switching gears, last night we went to see Alejandro Escovedo, and if you haven't heard of him, you're not alone. He put on a helluva show at the Continental Club here in Austin. He's sort of a favorite son, and is about to release a new record and go touring so this was his last local show for a while. It was out of this world good. This video gives a good representation of the show we saw, on one of his classic tunes. Enjoy:



Our friend, Tex, comes home to Austin tonight! More palooooza'ing to ensue.

History Daze

Monday's drive to San Antonio included a deep immersion into colorful and heroic Texas history. Yes, we visited the Alamo and finally are beginning to put the pieces together toward understanding the Republic of Texas. For whatever reason, I always got this part of American historyconfused - between the Spanish-American War and the Mexican War and all the different players (as I mentioned the other day) I never really understood it. (Or, call me a xenophobe, if you like.)



Anyway, after seeing a couple of video presentations, hearing a live presentation by an Alamo docent, and walking through the hallowed grounds, it's starting to make more sense. If someone had asked me before visiting Texas when the Battle at the Alamo actually happened, I'm not sure what I would have responded, probably something like early 1800s. But it has been etched forever in that it took place in March of 1836, after the Battle at Goliad and before the 18-minute Battle of San Jacinto. Below you'll see the six flags of Texas:



In the midst of all of this some Texan leaders declared their independence from Mexico. It lasted for almost a decade before Texas decided to join the US as a state in 1845, and became embroiled in the Civil War as a slave state.

There are a lot of people who don't live in Texas who I know shake their heads at the pride these folks feel in their 'country.' After visiting and hearing the stories of the heroes, and knowing that Texas history isn't taught all that much outside the state, I can understand their feeling of being special.

Although I grew up in Ohio, I naturally gravitate to the stories of the American Revolution - and am awestruck by the important events that happened in my adopted home state of Massachusetts. People who grow up in Texas feel the same way about the events that happened here. I don't think this diminishes the love they have for the United States, it's just an added attraction for them. I admire this sense of home that they have - it's certainly not what I feel about being from Ohio.

One of the most interesting things is that the Alamo Shrine is treated, not just as a historic location, but as hallowed ground. When we visited, it was the day after the annual week-long San Antonio "Fiesta," and there were wreaths of flowers from all the states that existed at the time of the Alamo and the home countries of many who died (like Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, England), making the site more the hallowed ground of a battlefield than just another tourist trap.

After the Alamo, we took a stroll along San Antonio's Riverwalk, which by all appearances is about all there is to show for the city. It was nice, but a bit of a manufactured tourist trap. But, the weather was gorgeous and it proved to be worth the trip.

And Then There's Kyle

By popular demand, I need to go back and tell the Saturday story of arriving at the airport with a certain tall curly-haired Texan.

Let me begin where it all started. The airport van pulled up to a jam-packed JetBlue terminal early on Saturday morning and we barely had room to unload the suitcases. In fact, the back doors of the van were blocking the crosswalk, causing everyone to walk around them. I noticed as we awaited the retrieval of our suitcases that a bunch of well-dressed young men pulling carry-on bags kept coming around. It was somewhat frustrating because they kept getting in the way of the van driver. Eventually, we were able to make our way into the terminal, with the crowd of men surrounding us. As we walked to the kiosk to pick up our boarding passes, Bob turns to me and says, "That guy looks like Kyle Snyder." I looked up, thinking to myself: "It won't be Kyle Snyder, Bob doesn't even know what Kyle Snyder looks like." But, as the group of men moved beyond us, I saw this particularly tall guy ahead, towering above the others.

"Hey, that IS Kyle Snyder!" By this point, I was standing in front of the kiosk with my credit card in my hand. I quickly rooted through my purse to find my phone so I could take his picture, not caring whether I dropped my wallet (yes, a recurring theme) or blocked anyone else from getting their boarding passes. Bob probably thought I was nuts, but I KNEW that if I didn't get this picture, a certain bunch of friends would never forgive me.

So, do you think Kyle knew I was taking his picture?



I got another one of the back of his head - perhaps any of you eagle-eyed people might recognize other members of the Pawtucket Red Sox?



Then there is this one of Kyle when he walked by the Starbucks counter where we enjoyed a muffin and coffee pre-flight:



And, once the excitement of seeing Kyle wore off, I managed to get Craig Hansen, who looks WAY better in a business suit than a baseball uniform:



And then there's Craig buying his Vitamin Water:



So, that is my brush with fame early on a Saturday morning in April. Ta dah!

From Boston to Austin, and All Points In Between...

We're about 36 hours into the Texas sojourn and so far, we're crazy about Austin. After our friend, Tex, greeted with a Guinness (in celebration of our SG Sisterhood) and some chocolate covered strawberries (in honor of Bob and my anniversary), we launched ourselves into the local scene.

Our first stop was dinner yesterday at Evangeline's Cafe, about as authentic a Cajun restaurant as you could ask for this side of the Louisiana border. Since Tex herself is a native Cajun, Evangeline's had to live up to some rather exacting standards, and we were pleased to be with her on her maiden voyage to this unexpectedly wonderful restaurant.



Luckily for all of us, the crawfish boil passed inspection, and the three of us were soon up to our elbows (or so it seemed) in crawfish juice and spices. For Bob this was a true test of his willingness to be all in on this vacation as he NEVER eats finger foods. But soon he was ripping the heads off the suckers with the best of 'em. While we licked our fingers and ordered more beers, a nice Cajun band played:



After this great start, we went down to Town Lake and walked along looking at the Austin skyline, and came upon the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue right on the water. It was a beautiful night, but since we had woken up at around 4 am to catch our flight from Boston we made it an early evening. Before we settled in, Bob and I made a quick run to the grocery, where -- unbeknownst to me -- I decided to let my wallet spend the night. Aren't I thoughtful?

It wasn't till this morning's visit to Austin Java for breakfast that I discovered my missing wallet, of course. After scouring the hotel room, the rental car, I called the grocery. Lucky for me (damn lucky for me), they had found the wallet and it soon was retrieved. Nothing like a heart palpitations to start off a vacation, eh?

Although we planned to go to see the Alamo today, the weather wasn't as cooperative. So instead we went to the Texas State House for the tour, followed by a visit to the Texas History Museum. I'm literally seeing stars, one lone star at a time, after this afternoon's trek. All the Texas history I knew before today came from watching Davy Crockett on TV as a kid, but after this afternoon's immersion, I'm fairly certain that I know the difference between Santa Ana and San Jacinto, between Stephen Austin and Sam Houston, and more.





After our history lesson, we rested our tired feet at El Arroyo's, chowing down on some great Mexican food.

Next stop...the infamous Chicken Shit Sunday at Ginny's Little Longhorn Cafe:



This is one of the places you'd NEVER find without knowing a local Austin-ite. It was a small cinderblock bar with a small band, led by James Intveld, a cross between Elvis and Willie Nelson. The place was packed wall-to-wall, finding room to dance where there was hardly any.

But the real draw, of course, is the raffle. Every hour or so, nearly the entire bar lines up to buy a $2 ticket, guessing where a chicken will drop its...well, shit. The red chicken looks rather well-fed, and is placed into its coop where a grid of numbers is painted on the floor. Everyone crowds around, taking pictures and coaxing the chicken to do its business on the proper number.



Unfortunately, we didn't win, but we still were able to enjoy the rest of the show:





Next up...San Antonio! Remember the Alamo?

Goin' to Texas

Seriously, never thought we'd pay money to go to Texas. But here we are...today's the day. In honor of that, I give you a favorite son of Texas, Mr. Stevie Ray Vaughn:




Oh, and Happy Anniversary to my sweetie-pie. Good Lord, 28 years? How could that possibly be? It's been fun, hasn't it...and I still like trippin' with you.

I love you with all my heart...still.

The One Where Obama Explains Hip Hop Music

As a kid, we think about the president as an old, white guy who is intelligent, worldly and wise. He (and it always was a he, of course) hung out with boring bankers and diplomats and came from a stodgy, Ivy League background. No doubt his family was wealthy and somewhat conservative in that they were usually keepers of the status quo. Let's face it, even the Democrats that have been elected are typically from the ruling class.

One of the most stunning things about Senator Obama, for me, is his age. If elected, this will be the first president who is younger than me. I have no problem with this, of course, as I'm getting to the part of my life where a LOT of people actually are younger than me. I'm used to it.

But do you want to know what I really appreciate about the good Senator? Today, I found a clip where he explains hip hop music. I've never been a fan of rap, don't listen to much of it because the sound mostly annoys me. Yeah, I'm not exactly the demographic they're going after, but I might have to try some after watching this clip. (Although the fact that he also mentions Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and the Temptations at the same time, does warm the cockles of my heart.)



Imagine a president who actually can talk about pop culture? I'm liking this idea.

Dusting Off the Place

Alright, stop looking at me like that. I've been busy at work. I was sick for two weeks. I have been engrossed in baseball games. I've been 'palooza-ing.

Besides, I haven't had anything earth-shattering to say. Yes, the Clinton-Obama saga continues unabated. She's still clinging to hope. He's still rising above it all. At long last, the Pennsylvania primary is less than a week away. If Hillary gains more than 10 votes out of the deal, I'll eat my...Red Sox hat. Yeah, that's it.

And it's now 10 days until our vacation. Yes, indeed, we's goin' to Texas. Cannot wait for the good times, good music, good friends, good weather, and more. I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing time, sleeping late and going to 10:00 pm shows. Wahooo.

And for those who care, the Texas Music Series continues...



Texas wants us anyway??? Wooooooot!!!!

Texas Music Series: Alejandro Escovedo (new music!)

Breakfast with the Champions

The day we've been waiting for all this long winter finally arrived! And I'm having a hard time figuring out which aspect of today's events was the most bizarre. Waking up at 5 am to watch the pre-game show? How about the "opening ceremonies" featuring young Japanese girls dancing across the field in traditional costumes? How about the gigantic flower bouquets presented to each manager at home plate? All of those were fairly odd, certainly, and I assume won't be duplicated any time soon.

In spite of the unusual beginning to baseball season, it was good to see that there also were a lot of similarities to last year's championship season:

• Matsuzaka threw entrirely too many pitches causing me to yell at the car radio by the second inning
• the bullpen pitched very well, except for a minor blip from Paps
• the rookies all played their hearts out, especially Brandon Moss, the happiest man on earth
• Manny was...well, Manny
• Best of all...the Sox won the game in an exciting, come-from-behind, extra-innings game!

So. We're undefeated. It's spring. All is right with the world.


*Picture by Barry Chin, courtesy of Boston.com.