Here's a New Post

There are a number of reasons why I have not had a new blog entry for several days. We have been looking to upgrade our in-home technology for a while. Carrie has wanted a new laptop, and I have wanted to replace our 19" TV with something from the modern era. With decisions like this, we almost always move at a glacial pace. The glacier melts during the summer, and we finally make some moves. While Carrie was working in Las Vegas, I bought the new TV, after much research and trips to three Target stores. She had already ordered the new Dell, and we were waiting on delivery.

These purchases were also timed to coincide with a visit from Scott, our tech support guru from Garland. Carrie and I can often muddle through with hooking up new equipment, but what takes us two hours to figure out, Scott can do better in 20 minutes. Scott, known in some quarters as "Scootie", or merely "Uncle", also repaired a broken A/C vent in our bedroom while he was here.
Pictured below are the old and new TVs. The new one is a 32", which shames the old one, while still fitting in our small living room. We are still using rabbit ears for reception, so we have not fully moved into the 1980's yet.

Getting hours of tech help from Scott means plenty of eating out in Austin. He is a creature of habit like us, so we had old favorites like the chicken fried steak from Hyde Park Bar and Grill, and breakfast tacos at Julio's. We mixed things up by taking Scott for a burger at The Counter Cafe ( very good, but I have not seen the cute waitress there in months) and Mexican food at El Chile. El Chile has always had good food, and the hipsters who used to frequent it have moved on, so our last few visits there have been even better. Good enchiladas and chorizo quesadillas.

Sadly, we were unable to see any live music with Scott, so he'll just have to come back. I'm sure we'll have more projects to tackle soon.

Peace,

Jay

Majestic X2

Back in March, Carrie and I attended a Ryan Adams concert in San Antonio, courtesy of a Christmas present from Carrie's and my brother-in-law, Keith. The concert was great, and a reminder of one of the many reasons I love to see live music. The sound was horrible for the first few songs of the show. At first, I thought that maybe the distorted vocals, bleeding through the fuzzy instruments, was an "artistic decision," but obviously a bad one. No, Mr. Adams was growing quietly perturbed, and then stopped the show, apologized and asked us to wait while they fixed the problem. Setting aside the question, "Pre-show sound check anyone?" we waited. The rest of the show was terrific, with Mr. Adams in a much better mood, funny even. He thanked the audience profusely for our patience and was totally at ease. Seeing how musicians deal with things that go wrong during a show is one of the "anything can happen" aspects that I enjoy about live music.

That show was our first visit to The Majetic Theater in San Antonio. The venue is breath-taking. The historical marker says it was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, but that, nor I, can do it justice with mere words. It is a venue that is value-added to any show that can be seen there, and I hate to say it, is so much cooler than The Paramount Theater in Austin.

While at that concert, we took note that the musical "Wicked" would be playing there in June. We decided that we would invite my Dad and his wife, Brenda, to come down to San Antonio to see the show with us. I like musicals, and I say that with an unblemished record of heterosexuality. There was a period when I saw several musicals that I did not enjoy, and I thought I might have soured on the experience. Then I realized the problem: Andrew Lloyd Webber. Maybe you liked "Cats" or "Phantom" but I would rather have a root canal than see another of his shows. He is to musicals, what "We Built This City" and "Say You, Say Me" are to 80's music.

"Wicked" was great. Carrie had seen it before, and I figured if she wanted to see it again, it must be good. I won't go into too much detail, because I know that some regular readers of this blog are planning to see it. The staging, sets, costumes, and performances were all first-rate, and made even better in the intimate setting of The Majestic. There were quite a few groups of women in the audience, who obviously were big fans of the show, with their matching, custom "Wicked" tee-shirts. Goofy, but no harm in them getting their Wicked on at the Saturday matinee. And who knew that a wicked witch could be such a sympathetic character?

Peace,

JS4

Tish and Polvos

Carrie and I went to see Tish Hinojosa at Waterloo on Wednesday. Tish is a sweet-voiced folk singer who bilingually crosses over into country, or adult contemporary, depending on the style of album she wants to make. She is one of the first songwriters that Carrie and I saw live after we moved to Austin. Tish has moved to Germany, and the small crowd at the show spoke to the fact that she has not been around to cultivate a following. Her current album is more of the country variety, and she and some of her old bandmates played a nice set with crystal clear vocals, and no annoying cliche country hooks.

You can listen to one of her songs from from 1990 here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=talSh23RN2E

I headed to South Austin for lunch yesterday at Polvos on S. 1st. It was early, not to hot yet, so I sat on the big covered patio. Polvos goes against the grain, and charges for chips and salsa. They are quite proud of their salsa bar, which means you have to pay, and go inside to get your salsa yourself. I turned off the cheap part of my brain (not an easy task) and went along with the system. I ordered the chili relleno al nopal, with pork and a pecan cream sauce. Wow! The spices and the meat blended perfectly, with just the right amount of heat. Some might think the sauce to be a little too sweet, but that is the only criticism I can imagine. The portion was huge, and I packed up a box of leftovers that I ate today. And the salsas were great, by the way.

It rains so infrequently these days that last night's storm rates a mention. We were ready to round up the pets in case it turned severe. Instead, we were treated to the kind of rain that moves us to sit on the porch swing, watch the storm swirl around us, and wave to the neighbors across the street, who also savor such weather from their front porch. A summer gift from the weather gods.

Have a good weekend, all.

Peace,

JS4

Check Out the Pictures

No, not in this blog post.

I got some pictures uploaded onto the posts from the previous two entries.
I'm getting closer to figuring out the secrets of blogspot.

Check back tomorrow for a new, full post.

JS4

More of the Summer

These pictures are from the Gomez in-store from Monday. I finally got them uploaded, but not where I wanted them. Close enough.
This guy in the band was playing this instrument that I could only describe as "black box with a tube that you blow through." Anybody know what this is?

I thought I was going to try an eastside place for lunch that had been written up in the Chronicle recently. Rio Rita looked a little too sketchy as I drove by it, a few blocks east of the interstate on 6th Street. Outward appearances rarely put me off, but it didn't didn't say "lunch" to me; more like "late night crime scene." Sorry, no picture.
A bit down the road I spotted a fixed up place called Buenos Aires Cafe.

It had a nice Bistro feel, with wood floors and leather chairs. I got a table by the window, looking out at the non-gentrified buildings across the street. We had dinner in this building a few years ago when it was a home cookin' kind of place. I don't miss the old place, and this new establishment speaks to attempts to upscale this part of town.
I considered the Mayonesa de Ave, which was a blend of chicken, vegetables, and mayonnaise. I asked the waiter how mayonnaisy this dish was, and he warned me off, saying it was extremely mayonnaisy. Good to ask in advance. I opted for a less adventurous breaded cutlet sandwich, served on a bagette. It had an adventurous name (Milanesa), but a sandwich is still a sandwich. It came with a nice mixed green salad, and was about $10.00. The place was not packed, but the three servers seemed overwhelmed, and my water glass sat empty for several minutes. The waiter had earned all the goodwill he needed by steering me away from the mayo. I might go back for the Empanadas, but there was not much else on the menu that sounded all that enticing.

On Monday, there was an in-store with Gomez, an adult, indie-pop band from the UK. They have had one minor radio hit, and I read in the Dallas paper that their songs have been featured on TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. They were terrific, though they played only 25 minutes. You could tell that they knew how to craft and arrange songs, and three different guys sang lead on just five songs that they played. Listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKJJRnuCwF4 "See the World"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-NWJ9OykJs "Airstream Driver."
If you listen, you will hear the distortion in the lyrics on this song, as part of the studio production. I don't know how, but they were able to reproduce this sound in the record store, for just this one song. I just chalk it up to the idea that these guys really know what they are doing.

There is another in-store that starts in 30 minutes.

Peace,

JS4

A Full Weekend

Okay, I got these pictures uploaded. I just could not position them in the text as I wanted.

This picture is from our day in Cuero, visiting with long-time friends.
In the background is the garage of the Netardus' house. When Brad and Dina's daughter Maddie walked into the garage, which is filled with bikes, toys, and the riding lawn mower, she exclaimed with the wonder of a three-year-old, "Wow! What is this place?"

These pictures are from "Card Night" with Tara and John. Since Tara is drinking red wine, I guess this is her "Bloods" gang sign.

This pic is from our first day's lunch at Trudy's.

So I did not have time to get new tires, and make it to the in-store on Thursday. During any Summer of Jay, this creates no dilemma, as fun trumps responsibility. I blew off getting tires, picked up Carrie, and headed down to Waterloo to see Ryan Bingham. He's been getting some radio play, his sound is good, and there is an added bonus that I am an acquaintance of his guitar player. Corby Schaub is the son of Craig, who worked with Brad at the Perdenales Electric Co-op. I have floated the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers with them, and we have all embarrassed ourselves to some degree on these trips. Given that much alcohol was consumed on these floats, making memories a bit fuzzy, and that many years have passed since I last saw Corby, it is no wonder that he did not really remember me when he happened by me before the show. Still, he was nice enough to visit for a couple of minutes before they took the stage.

Bingham and the band played an acoustic 45 minute set, which put a premium on how well they played. Corby had a mandolin solo that was so precise, at one point it was like he was playing a piano. They both play a mean guitar, and Bingham has a raspy, kerosene voice that sounds like a rockin' chicken-fried Tom Waits. Good stuff. I'm posting a link to youtube of a song off their previous album. I hope that works, so you can listen for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmXdWOG0dTw

Friday, Carrie and I spent the first full day of the summer just like we have the last several "first days." Sleeping in, she took the day off. I did get those tires replaced, which I hope does not become an annual tradition. We went to Trudy's for margaritas and nachos, sitting on the deck. I don't think I've been there in a year, but it's always where I want to start the summer. We are usually among the oldest people there, and the loud music they play on the deck is a reminder that we are just a few years beyond their target customers.

On Saturday night, we played cards with Tara and John, which was noteworthy because of the great company, the awesome ginger shrimp that Carrie made, and one weird hand of Spades, wherein Carrie and I took all 13 tricks. I must humbly report that John and Tara soundly defeated us. No rematch is scheduled.

The busy weekend continued on Sunday with a trip to Cuero, to see Jennifer and Anthony, with Brad and Dina and their two kids coming from San Antonio. We had not seen Jen and Anthony and their FOUR KIDS! in over two years, so it was great to catch up and see their new (to them) house. The kids swam, we all ate burgers and leftover cupcakes and had a swell time, vowing not to wait so long before getting together again.

Some of the gaps in this post are where photos were supposed to be inserted. I'll try to fix this soon. Once again, technology gets the best of me. But if that youtube thing works...

Peace,

JS4

The Blog is Back.

For the first time since August, I just clicked on "New Post," jumping back into the pool of technology and communication. This is the Summer of Jay 5, being the summer break after my 5th year of teaching. Don't let the blog title fool you.

A few minutes ago, my boss announced that everyone could leave when we wanted, since this is the last day. I stayed to write this first entry from work because the high speed internet connection is so cool, unlike the dial-up at home. Everyone else has either gone home or to lunch, so the place is eerily quiet.

Many people have asked, "Are you going to do the blog again this summer?"
Some asked in obvious anticipation, looking forward to reading about my exploits and thrilling days of leisure. Others who asked, did so with a bit of a cringe, the sub-text being more along the lines of, "You're not going to do that again are you?"

Well, the obvious answer is yes, I'm going to write as often as I can, while still finding time to eat out, see live music, catch up on delayed projects, run, relax, and travel. I'll write several days a week about all the excitement that is my life, which I hope will include seeing many of you during the next 10 weeks. Since it has been so long since I wrote here, I also plan to do some kind of flashback entries, recalling some of the events that occurred during the school year. In true blog dork fashion, I have compiled a list of notes which will remind me of the topics that at some point I thought worthy of writing about months after they happened.

I'm glad you are reading, and I hope you will return regularly. Save this site on your favorites; it can't be too much worse than some of that other crap to which you quickly link.

One of the first things I'll do this summer - really as soon as I leave work - is buy new tires for the car. See, the fun goes from 0-60 around here, just like that. If all goes well, I'll make it down to Waterloo for an in-store, the first live music of the Summer of Jay.

Today, June 4th is a significant day, for at least two reasons.
The first reason is that it is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!
I hope the card got there in time.

Today is also the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The following iconic photo is in honor those who stood up for rights, progress, and freedom. May the survivors, and those killed, someday be seen as heroes in their own country.

Peace,

JS4