“An Austin Ramble”
I made the drive down to Austin on Monday, arriving at the hotel in time to check in and relax a bit before the Bob Schneider concert at the Saxon Pub. Denny and Anne had made a last minute plan to join me in Austin for a few days, and they arrived just in time to catch some of the concert.
These Lonelyland concerts are always such a treat. You never know what kind of music is coming next and the band is excellent. Schneider always brings his own special brand of humour.
After the show, we walked around the corner to the excellent Tiki Tatsu-Ya. We enjoyed some snacks (spam sliders and taro tots anyone?) and fancy Tiki drinks.
It was a short walk downhill to the Carpenter Hotel and the week was off to a good start.
After work on Tuesday, I met Denny and Anne downtown for appetizers at Peche (Diana’s favourite Austin restaurant).
Tuesday was HAAM (Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians) day, with bands playing all over town throughout the day. One of my very favourite charities, started by the lovely Marcia Ball. Denny and Anne had enjoyed a bike ride 
around the river trail and some music during the day. Researching bands, Denny selected C-Boys Heart and Soul as our first stop. There was confusion on the band scheduling and the rockabilly band expected was in fact a 1950s lounge style band. We didn’t stay long – opting to walk down to Guero’s and see Jonathan Tyler perform in the Oak garden. Tyler put on a good show after he warmed up a bit. We listened for a while and then enjoyed some tacos at the restaurant next door.
Anne was intent on catching the last band at the Yeti flagship store, but apparently Denny and I didn’t walk quickly enough and they had just finished. I did find a new colour of coolers that I knew Diana would like.
Having been stymied at Yeti, we walked across to Ego’s, where karaoke was in full force. We spent a fun couple of hours being greatly entertained by a very diverse group of performers. Highly recommended.
A quick stop at Barton Springs Saloon and another excellent rambling adventure through South Austin was complete.
Denny and Anne decided to attend the Austin FC soccer match on Wednesday evening. I had a Board meeting early on Thursday and so decided to have a quiet evening. I did meet up with the New Orleanians at June’s All Day for a snack before they left.
And as is typical – just one more quick stop. They talked me into dropping them (and joining) at the Half Step on Rainey before catching the light rail service out to the soccer arena.
Austin FC is really a big deal locally, with all the games selling out.
Denny and Anne reported having a great time at the game. And I had an excellent meal at the Carpenter restaurant – shaved zucchini salad and wild boar ragu – both really tasty.
The Board meeting on Thursday morning was very smooth, gaining approval for all that we needed. I met a colleague for lunch in North Austin, enjoying the wonderful seafood at Salt Traders, and then made the drive home in the afternoon.
I got both my flu and new COVID booster shots on Friday afternoon. No effects on Saturday, but a light flu feeling on Sunday morning. Friday and Saturday were quiet days at home – good to relax after all the excitement in Austin.
I met Finn for a Thai lunch today. He’s in great spirits, having received much praise from the store manager about his new truck unloading process. He also hired the final member of his team – finally at full strength after many months. The spicy Thai curry seems to have cleared up some of my flu symptoms.
I’m currently watching the Cowboys play the Cincinnati Bengals. The much maligned Cooper Rush (backup QB) is playing very well with the score at 14-3 Cowboys. As usual, we are experiencing multiple silly penalties that let the Bengals stay in the game. I’m pleased that it’s at least a competitive game so far.
My book this week is “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin. With the travel and adventures this week, I’m only a bit less than half way through this novel, and am really enjoying it. I was quite skeptical given the online gaming backdrop, but am very pleasantly surprised with how well the story is flowing. Here’s the summary:
“In this exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry two friends–often in love, but never lovers–come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.”
I’ll have a lot more to say about this book next week – and I suspect some very positive commentary.
I’ve been trying some ambient music to quieten down my brain at night and let me drift peacefully off to sleep. I really enjoy this one:
There’s a new Miles Davis collection out that I’ve been loving. Check out this live cover of Cyndi Lauper:
Finally, I heard this song on the radio in Austin and thought it was really different and creative:
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!