10 Random Austin Noticings

1. Austin parking spots are all way too small. It makes no sense because there are ALWAYS plenty of spots open regardless of the capacity level of wherever you are visiting.
2. There are very few "average" cars in Austin (Honda, Toyota, etc.) The vast majority of people in Austin driver either: A. Oversized SUV/Truck or B. Luxury vehicle. Unfortunately, this just aggravates problem #1 above because said drivers abuse parking spots by taking up too much/too many spots.
3. Bugs in Austin are HUGE! I should not be able to see distinct body parts on a spider in the middle of the road as I drive by it in my car.
4. There is no good pizza in Austin. None. Zero. Zilch. With all the startup companies and the entrepreneurial spirit of this city, it's amazing that no one has stepped in to fill this void.
5. In the Pacific Northwest, Starbucks is considered "bad/cheap/cop-out" In Austin, Starbucks is one of the best tasting sources of coffee.
6. BBQ in the Pacific Northwest is called "Grilling" in Austin. PNW natives have NO idea what real BBQ is.
7. People in Austin that complain about bad traffic have NO IDEA what they are talking about and have obviously never been to SF, Seattle, NY, etc. Heck, even Portland has far worse traffic than Austin.
8. While many people might comment on the "hospitality" of Texans, in many of the female gender, the undeniable politeness is tinged with a horrid sense of entitlement.
9. In November, if the weather dips below freezing for a couple of hours in the middle of the night, it will lead off the evening news cast.
10. Despite having three NBA teams, 2 MLB teams and 1 NHL team within 2-3 hours driving distance, the only sport anyone has ever heard of in Austin is UT football.

Holiday Rant

Rant warning. Read no further with sensitive eyes. You have been warned.

So the last two days on my drive to work (only 8 minutes!) I have heard Christmas music on the radio. The first day I was willing to consider it a fluke. The second day, I had no doubt what was going on. What is wrong with this country?!? When I went to Target BEFORE Halloween a few weeks ago, they were putting out Christmas tress, ornaments, etc. When I gave the clerk a hard time about it, she said it's time to start planning for Christmas. WHAT? There are still at least two major holidays between October 18th and December 25th. This angers me on so many levels. At the risk of sounding like a bad Charles Schultz social commentary, I offer the following observation: If we are now at a point where Christmas is not something you celebrate but rather something you begin making preparations for in the middle of October, we have become a flawed society. We are now a people who can take a holiday that should encompass a feeling of connectedness and care and thought about our fellow humankind and turn it into a three month stress-fest. Now I know that there are the obvious observations about consumerism, but for me those aspects pale with the realization that I am now forced to begin freaking out about Christmas before I have even enjoyed eating/stealing my children's Halloween candy spoils after they've gone to bed. Quite frankly, it's enough to make me want to run off into the desert until March. I guess that's not such a great idea either; by the time I got back I would have already missed two months of prime firework buying time before the fourth!

Gasoline Firesale Continues!!!

I witnessed gas today being sold at $1.97/gallon. Crikey!

TAG is for the Mentally Challenged

Tonight I sat through an hour of a parent's information meeting for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at Lucy's school. In general, I'm not sure I agree with TAG programs for K-3, but as a concerned parent went anyway to get the facts. I was mostly wondering what the testing was like, how Lucy's school day would change, and generally whether or not it would be worth the time and stress. The other parents that had questions were apparently more worried with:
1. If their fourth grader doesn't get into the program, how will it affect their AP classes in high school?
2. What if their kid get kicked out of the program?
3. If the child doesn't make it through the screening process, how is that fair? Some kids just don't test well!
4. What percentage of kids are in the program?
5. If their first grader doesn't get into the program, how will it affect their AP classes in high school?

I am dead serious that these questions were all asked. In fact, I'm not really doing the meeting justice. These parents were INSANE!
And on a totally unrelated note, the demographics were roughly comprised of:
1. 20% Caucasian (50% male, 50% female)
2. 25% Indian (90% male, 10% female)
3. 50% South Asian (80% female, 20% male)
4. 5% Hispanic (100% male)

What a weird, weird world. I left after an hour. I have no idea they kept going for. Tiffany and I are still not sure if we want to have Lucy test for it. The only thing I know for sure is that a lot of the parents of TAG children are mentally retarded.

Political Commentary From Lucy

Well, I'm sure you know by now that Obama has just won the election for President. However, I am writing to inform all 4 of the people that read my blog that tonight when we told our daughter Lucy, she said "Poor people are going to be so happy!"

Gasoline Firesale in Austin

I just filled my car up with gas. What's so crazy about that? It was only $2.19/gallon!!! I did a little web searching and gas hasn't been that low since late 2003. I called Tiffany and told her to fill her car up, too. Wish I had some big barrels to fill up and set in the garage...