Austin Revisited

People keep telling me this is the hottest summer they've ever experienced in Austin. I realize they say it out of sympathy. Here, I am decidedly an ice lolly, a melting one.

A friend of mine told me to take a cab to a meeting, he underlined it. "Be sure to take a cab." "I will but why are you saying that?" I asked. He said, "Because I don't want you to arrive looking like you just got out of a swimming pool."

Yesterday, at the Italian Festival, I consumed a large strawberry-lemonade water-ice from Jim Jim's water ice, a large Italian soda and two large-ish bottles of water. I could have had more but people were staring.

Anyhow - it never stays in me very long, just comes pouring out of every pore.

I am a sieve.

And sievelike, I also continue to leak information, speak out when I should be silent and all that very interesting, supposedly dangerous stuff.

Here are a few of my observations about Austin at closer range:

Turtles do not like cameras.

Grackles will as happily poop on your head as take a chip from your hand. Charming as they may be, they have no manners whatsoever.

Breakfast tacos are God's gift to eating before noon.

Converted "Motor Inns" do not, contrary to popular belief, make dandy apartment complexes.

The amount of sunshine I can absorb and still be just delighted about it really is limitless.

People are quite baffled by a woman soaked with sweat who nevertheless claims to be having the time of her life. They make every effort to get said woman to admit to the contrary.

I wish people would stop trying to make me unhappy about things - I am perfectly able to make myself unhappy enough for two or more people, just read my posts about Victoria and you'll know that for sure.

Bacon and tacos don't mix.

A half hour walk before yoga is overly ambitious in 100 degree heat.

U2 is good anywhere - Radiohead, not so much.

Southern cooking is not all about the meat. Threadgills is bliss.

Velveeta can be snuck into food that I will eat without complaint. (shocking.)

Sometimes you really don't want to eat on the patio.

Bats smell funny.