California to Texas

I had a great time in California even if it was such a short visit.

I got to go by North Hall and say 'hi' to folks. I snapped this picture of the bathroom to show the folks in Austin, at Lambda, how fabulous a bathroom can be. See?!

My subcompact wasn't available, so they upgraded me to a convertible PT Cruiser instead. Fine with me! I had a great time with the top down along the ocean. Although it was chilly.

Monterey was great (as usual). It was beautiful and I loved being at the ocean. I forgot how much I missed it. The greenery picture is right outside my room at the resort I stayed at in Monterey. It was a fun conference and I think my talk went well - or so folks said.

Traveling to California was super fun and I met some great folks. On my flicker site you can see pictures of crew I ran with while I was there. They were such a nice group of women and they went to some length to track me down to invite me to California. Gotta love those folks in Recovery. They are tenacious and willful when it can be a good thing!

There's a picture here of Poodle who I stopped to have lunch with on my way out of town. And, a picture of one of my new friends Jon aka Selena when we were out at a Taqueria the other night. I didn't get the name of that place but everything was uber cheap and it was so good! We'll have to go back there, for sure.

Also pictured here is Jerold, aka Jeroldine. It was so nice seeing him and Rita Lynn who were cutting up during the meeting and I was practically forced to ''shoosh''them! Who knew folks were having so much fun in Sacramento in my absence. :) I also got to see Marissa, and Willamina and a whole bunch of folks I love and miss. I stayed with the ever hospitable Bunny and Ginger. It was great!

Lastly, there's a picture in here of Eric, aka Jessica. He's in full laugh and it's a great picture I think. This too was at the taqueria. What was the name of that place!!??

Back In Austin; From Dallas

We were in Dallas this weekend.

This was the first time that either of us had been there. Of course, we've been through the airport many times as it seems like a hub to everywhere, but we've only seen it from the air.

We went to an 80s dance and it was great fun. There was a large group of us, and it was a very fun road trip!

I'm sure I'll have more pictures on here next visit, but wanted to do a quick update to let you know we're back.

The first picture though is of my Dad's truck. He had an accident last week. He was rear ended and pushed across the lanes of incoming traffic. He was very fortunate and it could have been much worse. This is someone's yard though, who received my dad's truck through their hedge and nearly into their house. He's recovering well and has some back-pain and his vertigo is bad, but he's home and not in the hospital - and resting.

These are the shoes of Princess Lala, aka Steve. Steve has more shoes than Imelda Marcos and these were his pink striped converse-style sneakers. At the dance, we all wore pink carnations so that folks would know our group was from Austin. Thanks Stewart (it was his idea). Of course, Miss Lala couldn't have a pin running through her blouse. So, he came up with the unique idea of wearing one on each shoe like cheerleader poms. Great fun.

And Sunday, I was so wiped out I just laid on the couch. All day. No, really. All day. We didn't get home from Dallas until like 3am (It's a 3 hour drive to Austin) and we were tired. Here's a snapshot of Uno - doing all he does these days - sleeping with me on the couch. It was gray and a little drizzilly outside so it was the perfect day to wrap up with the comforter and Uno and watch Oprah.

Hope your weekend was as fulfilling and relaxing!

Making the National News

Well, we weren't surprised to learn that Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. Or, that most of those transplants come from California. You can't spit your skoal out around here without hitting a Californian.

Of course, I hope all these Californians only add to the diversity and flavor of Texas otherwise, it may just turn into another version of California - with home prices to boot.

But for now, prices remain purdy darn low thank goodness. Here's some examples.

http://austinhomesearch.com/Search/Details.aspx?li=451686&or=1&cp=1

http://austinhomesearch.com/Search/Details.aspx?li=454384&or=1&cp=2#

http://austinhomesearch.com/Search/Details.aspx?li=473655&or=1&cp=3#

So home prices are still reasonable by California standards. I'm just glad we moved when we did. I don't know if they will hold out if everyone keeps coming.

Hope you're doing well! We'll hope to see you soon.

Quiet Weekend; Easter

Easter snuck up on us quieter than Peter Cottontail. Really. Someone said what are you doing for Easter, and I replied "I haven't thought that far ahead" And they said, "It's in two days". I was all. "Oh". I really had no idea it was so early this year. And, it was another reminder of this transition to Texas. We traditionally spend it with family hiding eggs and watching our nieces and nephews scramble to find the candy and eggs around the yard. It's annual admonishment day for me, since Rob reprimands me for putting my eggs too high or in too hard to find places. I sent out my Happy Easter text messages and received a funny response from one of my many athiest friends.

He reminded me it was "Zombie Jesus Day"

. So, for the remainder of the weekend we wished each other Happy ZJ Day.

There's a picture here of the serene little stream on the Whole Foods patio. I like going there on Sundays and hanging out with the birds. Although H.E.B. the major grocery chain here and the store with near-monopoly was closed. So because it was ZJ day, and few stores were open, Whole Foods was a zoo.

There's also a picture of my spoons that I'm supposed to be eating with. For those of you who don't know, I'm scheduled to have surgery in May. It's all tentative since the insurance company hasn't given final approval, but they've initially said it's OK and at least have helped with all my pre-surgery appointments.

So, in theory, I'm supposed to have the lap-band surgery. I'm looking forward to this since my weight is something I've struggled with over the last several years (over ten years now). It's recently gotten worse as I was called fatty by a group of kids the other day at a street corner. Not that it isn't true, but that hadn't happen to me before. And, the sober-stalker I've accumulated has been sending us mean text messages commenting on the weight. It's not that I've been in denial about it, it's that I feel helpless in this regard.

But, I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it as I'm sure there will be a long string of upcoming blogs related to my progress in this area. My family and others are very happy that I'll be having this procedure, and I'll blog my progress so that those I love in California will be able to keep up with how I'm doing.

There's a fun picture of split-faced Rob on here. And the last picture is of my friend Mike from Blanco. We were traveling to Obama headquarters here in Austin and it was so funny because I was following him and suddenly he stops in the middle of traffic. He ran around to the rear of the car and scraped the bumper. Mike was a huge Bill Richardson supporter but didn't want to show up at O.H. with a Bill Richardson sticker on his car. So funny.

Transition from Winter to Spring

Here we are in that space in Texas where it's cold some mornings - with grey skies, and then some that are bright and sunny and leaning towards hot. It's pretty dramatic the difference between the two.

I've been conflicted this whole primary season. I've always thought it would be great to have a woman president and to that end - I've been a Hillary supporter. But of course Barak is a breath of fresh air from traditional career politicians. Sigh. Then there's the whole experience question. Which, of course - some downplay. But with the state of affairs in the world - particularly the goodwill this administration has squandered internationally - I don't think the experience factor can be completely discounted. However it pans out (my hopes for Hillary are actually only slim - I think she's near concession), I'll support whomever the Democratic nominee is.

Here's some pics. Here's Johnny clean shaven. I was trying to get a snapshot of him with his sporty-goatee. Which I think he had for a day. But, ya gotta be quick I guess.

I went to the Barak headquarters doing some volunteer work. Yes, I know I just said I supported Hillary - but I'm surrounded by Barak-stars and they dragged me down there. Like I said, I don't dislike Barak at all! So, it was nice to be in the headquarters here in Austin and see the enthusiasm - and all the young people! They seem to be fanatical supporters. Nice to see. This was a pink poster there that I liked.

Yet another shot of Uno, the most photographed cat in the feline history of the species. He's just so darn cute and never shys from the camera, so what are you gonna do. Today, he turns 17! So, happy Birthday Uno.

Revolution motors will be new best friend. It's where Bono the mechanic resides and while BMW's are overall reliable cars, because you have to take them to a specialist the wait for service can be long and difficult. You can take it to the dealership sure.. for something like $125 an hour labor charge. So Bono was very nice when he did the initial inspection of my car. He works at Revolution where everyone there speaks with a different accent. I hope we become close, but not too close!!

And here's a friend John. We went to Eric's (Aka Jessica) house for an evening of the video game Rock Band. Wow, was that fun! Like Guitar Hero, Rob's favorite game, you add vocals, drums and a bass guitar. It's way more fun than just GH.

Lastly, Mike the roommate moved out. He has moved on to his own place with new friends - and although he stayed just a short time, we'll miss him. However there's a new face on the horizon. We have Eric moving in with us after the first of the month. He's currently in South America doing an intensive Spanish language course/experience. He seems very outgoing and with a great sense of humor so I think we'll get along great! He's also a coffee lover and appears a pretty happy dude - it'll be nice to add him to the Austin Homestead.

Rob is in Detroit this last weekend. He's speaking at his first recovery conference. Of course, I'm so proud of him and I know he did great - and can't wait to hear the CD. This is a picture of our nephew Grady who looks like he's doubled in size just since we saw him at Christmas!

Oh, and I've been listening to Pandora (pandora.com). I love this site. It's got my favorite music and if you haven't used it - go there. I heard about it a while ago I must admit from Mark, former roommate in Sacramento and I was all "yah, yah - that's nice - a music site". But, now I'm hooked.

I'm traveling to California the first week of April and can't wait. Going to the conference in Monterey and going to stop and visit family and friends in Sac. Hopefully, if you're from there, and you're reading this - be on the look out! I'll be at North Hall the first Thursday in April. Hope to see you there.

Until later....

March Madness - The Texas Primaries

Well... who knew? The whole voting thing in Texas is different than California. It's like a Texas Two-step. There's the voting and the caucus, and they are the same day, which essentially means you vote - twice.

I know.

First you go down and stand for an hour and a half in a line. The only good thing about this is gives you a chance to catch up on your cell phone calls but of course with one finger in an ear, because everyone else is catching up too. Or, you can spend a minute to get acquainted with of your neighbors. That's nice.

Voting was a new experience. Here they caucus and vote on the same day with the delegates that your candidate gets being divided up between vote cast in the voting booth, and vote cast at the caucus. So, if you want your vote to 'really' count - you need to attend both.

I have the sniffles. That's ok, I'll just go down to the H.E.B. and get me some cold medicine - not so fast.

You may be asking what does smog have to do with cold medicine!?
Well, I'll tell you. You can't buy cold medicine with out a Texas Drivers License. Yes, I'm over 18 (barely). And yes, I have a drivers license. BUT - I don't have a Texas Drivers License. So, stuffed up head? - too bad.

And, I couldn't get my drivers license until I had a registration on my truck. And, I couldn't get my registration on my truck until I had my smog - and once you have that, and you go to two different offices (one for registration, one for drivers licenses - see?) THEN you can buy cold medicine.Sigh.

We got a new car, one that will get better gas mileage than that truck! So, now we have the truck smogged it can get covered and go in the garage until someday when gas is less than a month's salary per gallon and drive it again.

There's a picture here too of Rob sitting on the back porch. We (insert royal version here) cleaned up the backyard of leaves and now Rob loves sitting out there under the trees and watching the (grey) skies. Also here, a picture of Uno who at 17 years old, this week - still doesn't like the vacuum. You'd think he'd have gotten used to it by now! :)

Also a picture here of roommate Johnny and I at the movies. He works nights so - like a vampire we never see him in the daylight. I thought I'd snap a picture to prove he's a day-walker and not a creature soley of the night.

February in Austin - Kinda Grey

Well, I'm sure that the weather will improve soon - but lately just grey, grey, grey.

Uno is aging and seems to move around slower these days, unless there's ice cream involved. Then he's just a grey-striped flash of fur. He still is playful and likes to still attack from time to time, but more and more he's just curled up asleep on the pillow with his nose tucked under his tail. Sometimes I think I want to come back in my next life as Uno. On grey days like this, curling up on the bed and occasionally someone to call me to the dining room for ice cream, doesn't sound half bad!

Time to go - Bye Bye

Dear Mayor Kilpatrick,

This is an open letter requesting.. no - encouraging.. no - imploring you to resign. You have had a career of bringing disgrace on the City of Detroit and the people there deserve better. But, not only have you exercised poor character and judgement - now your lies and missteps are causing a financial hardship on the city.

Please consider the economic condition of the city, look yourself in the mirror and ask if you are contributing to the betterment of your constituency. Sure - you've been noted to bring new development and investment - but at what cost. Surely no one could take an honest assessment and believe your costs don't outweigh your benefits.

For the sake of your employees, residents, friends - your family (especially your wife, hasn't she been through enough?) please do the one RIGHT thing in your mayorship and step down. Leave the city in peace.

What Are We Coming To?

If there was a quicker path to socialized medicine it's the medical industries latest push to formulate a method for determining a patient's ability to pay.

The project, dubbed “MedFICO” in some early press reports, will aid hospitals in assessing a patient’s ability to pay their medical bills. But privacy advocates are worried that the notorious errors that have caused frequent criticism of the credit system will also cause trouble with any attempt to create a health-related risk score. They also fear that a low score might impact the quality of the health care that patients receive.

Is it that big a reach to think medical insurance companies won't use this system to score a patient's worthiness from a profit perspective. There's so much wrong with our countries health system, one knows barely where to begin. I think the basic bones are there and I can't say that I'm an advocate of socialized medicine. However, when I read stories like this (click the link in the title) on MSNBC it makes me wonder if it isn't going to take something as radically as completely taking health care away from the insurance companies to put us back on track.

The whole notion of a Medical Fico score speaks to the industries concern with profits over providing quality health care. Something that should be a 'right' of every human being - not just the wealthy.

Getting It Back This Week

My Truck Is Almost Done... and so we'll have to get an alarm. I don't think our new neighborhood is a problem, but more for when we're driving around out in town.

Unfortunately, I'm on a budget. What does one do when you can't afford an alarm, but can't afford to replace this top and stereo one more damn time?

Answer: Give rob an official license to nag.

With this not built-in feature I can be reminded every time I walk away from the vehicle without removing the faceplate or the Ipod from the car. If I do, there will be an alert in a grating voice that will ask "did you bring in the faceplate and ipod!?!". It will run continuously, and without interruption until I do so - so therein lies the motivation to go back and remove them at once!

I know it's not the same as having an actual alarm - but maybe later in the summer I can scrape the pennies together for this.

Besides, in the meantime - it's far cheaper, much louder, more annoying than a car alarm and you don't have to have bulky 'booper' in your pocket. Hell - I may put off getting an alarm indefinitely!