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Friday, September 30, 2011

do cry for me, austintina




A few Friday mornings a year I manage to take a solo walk around the Lady Bird Lake, formerly known as Town Lake, or, in the case of most longtime Austinites, stubbornly referred to as Town Lake.

This morning I walked (highlighted in yellow, above) from the south side of the pedestrian bridge at Lamar Boulevard (PFLUGER Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge), crossing onto Congress Avenue Bridge (aka Bat Bridge), up into the Shoal Creek Trail and back down across the pedestrian bridge. A little over two miles total.

Best thing about today's walk, I remembered to take my camera.

First stop, the Women in Construction Pavilion, located on the south shore of the lake, right next to the South 1st Street Bridge. I didn't know it was called WiCP until I Googled it just now.

By the way, the Google blogger's spell check doesn't recognize "Googled" as a word. You'd think blogger would have corrected this glitch by now.

The pavilion is usually one of my favorite stops. But this morning? It made me cry.



Below is what the pavilion looked like when I walked with my girls in summer of 2009:




Political graffiti under the pedestrian bridge, Texas' latest, but far from greatest, presidential contender:




I thought it was important to post both vantage points of Governor Perry Goodhair (so dubbed by Austin's own Molly Ivins).

More graffiti under the pedestrian bridge, this time with a romantic twist:

On the trail that runs on the north side of the lake, along Cesar Chavez Street, a longhorn that even an Aggie can appreciate:



Artist: Nichelle Notabartolo.


It's part of the Cow Parade Austin 2011. This is probably one of the least creative of the cows located all around town. I saw this one too, at the south entrance of the pedestrian bridge, but was too lazy to walk up to get a decent picture (pathetic blogger, yes):



Artist: Angi Gahler

I did not see this, the cleverest cow, below. I'm pretty pissed off that I missed it because I'm sure I walked almost directly under it. (If it's hanging on the Austin Statesman side of the bridge. Anyone know?) Had I known it was there I think I could have found the effort to look up and snap a picture of Bat Cow hanging from Congress Avenue Bridge:


Artist: D.J. Stout and Faith Schexnnayder


Back to my walk and pictures:



Written on these steps that take you from the ground on Cesar Chavez up to the pedestrian bridge, "100 Year Flood Plain June 2001." I don't think water reached that high in 2001 but it sure makes me wish Mother Nature would see this and cry her rain tears.








Last stop, atop the pedestrian bridge at Lamar Boulevard, one of Austin's Ghost Bikes:




I did not take the above photograph. Thank you Jon Pratt for taking a picture the way it's meant to be taken, i.e., where the subject is visible. As opposed to the picture I took this morning:



I do think, however, my picture captures the "ghost" aspect of this Ghost Bike.


Sunday, September 18, 2011

shame on Tennessee



Shame on the Tennessee Department of Revenue, Taxpayer and Vehicle Services for denying their citizen, Ms. Whitney Calk's personalized license request because they jumped to the conclusion that she intended something "vulgar."

Leave it to a red state, pork barbecue eating, bible belt bureaucrat to miss the wholesome, health promoting, true intent of a vegetarian enthusiast.

Redeem yourself, Tennessee. Get your collective minds out of the gutter. Reach into the depths of your government issued desk drawers and find the rubber stamp that says


and give Ms. Calk the freedom of expression our American forefathers intended. Just like you did for this upstanding Tennessee citizen:

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

somebody please put a sock in her mouth


Sally Kern
Oklahoma State Representative
House District 84



"...every day our young people... are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean... that it’s more dangerous, and yes I think that it’s also more dangerous because it will tear down the moral fiber of this nation."




Preferably a very colorful sock:



previously worn by one of these proud gentlemen:





You can to listen to Sally Kernaphobic for yourself, here.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

oatmeal sex

A potential solution slash compromise to the sad and dangerous state of the state of Texas as vented loudly upon previously:





Thanks to The Oatmeal for solving the riddle sucky ass Texas Education Code's* bogus answer to the sex ed problem.

*Section 28.004

Friday, September 02, 2011

state of the state of texas

I'm none too happy with the state of Texas right about now. And I'm not talking about our current drought or the record setting heat wave. Did somebody say 23 days of 105 or hotter? I only thought it was hot two years ago.

No, what I'm p*ssed off about is man made. Woman made. Ignoramus made.

I ranted before about how Texas' public school kids are getting lousy information when it comes to pregnancy prevention. This time it's more serious.

Here's the conversation between my son and Daring Daughter (DD). We were in the kitchen. I was cooking dinner. The kids were getting a snack. I can't remember how it started but eventually they got to arguing about safe sex.

Older and Wiser Son: Condoms prevent AIDS.

DD: No they don't. Nothing prevents AIDS.

O&WSon: Um, you're wrong. Condoms work. They work really well! Go look it up!

DD: I don't need to look it up. Nothing protects against AIDS except abstinence. That's what they taught us at school!



O&WSon: (Fanning me as I lie on the kitchen floor.) That's right, Mom. That's what they teach in school. You know, abstinence education?

How can this be happening? How can the powers that be, the State Board of Education and their mutant cronies, be allowed to perpetuate, to legislate, to TEACH to our CHILDREN information that is clearly a lie? A lie that kills?

And why are we all just lying down taking it? Do we need to wait for the next wave of HIV epidemic before we put a stop to this dangerous policy?