the whole human race

(photos from austinist.com)

sorry about the lamo thing using another site's pix for this entry, its just 1) i did see some signage downtown when we were registering up under one of the tents that no cameras or video or whatev would be allowed at the race---????--- that's what we thought, and 2) since i still have this concussion thing i knew that even though i wouldnt be dashing heavy off the startline that i still didnt want to have to keep track of my little digi since i hate carrying anything at all walking around. otherwise i wouldve brought it just to discuss one of my goddamn amendments with the nazis when they asked for my papers. man! no smoking in outdoor queus, no taking pix of public events (tiananmen sq or what?), etc etc. damn. however,

austin came in second for average running time worldwide--how groovy is that ;) not that i was in a hurry--ive got this little recovery thing on with my concussion and spine etc so i walked the event and came in at the tail end with the official cop cars trailing us in. it was a gorgeous evening in austin even though apparently the gustav storm was worrying folks along the gulf. there was a moment given to friends there, at the start. apparently the governor was due to turn up and then didnt because of preparation for the effects of the storm. and lance armstrong whose org livestrong was on the list of groups to run for was supposedly somewhere among us; i didnt see him. but apparently he came in at 5 minutes under the best time at 34-something. i was at 2:10'05" ;) not exactly yer five-minute mile. there was a blackout on picture-taking too or i might have some shots...how odd is that? a blackout on a public event. or was it a media/sponser promo (nike, champion, etc?)

it was a river of runners and we were all there ostensibly to support one charity or research organization or another. i dont believe much in charities or most medical research organizations. i try to make sure to have charity as often as possible. sometimes i suppose i fail but i try not to wait for a major holiday or to make a donation -- mostly just respond to people around me when they cross my path. which is why i loved the name of the event so much and being in that group felt.. well, just like joining the human race. there was a rendition of the national anthem (which maybe we need to rethink?) which i was confused about, supposedly sung for friends along the gulf. i am as uncomfortable with organized patriotism as i am with organized religion, ive seen and heard about the abuse of the format enough to be mighty circumspect. but getting to stand in a large crowd of people lending human concern? smiling and jostling and looking a little serious and getting ready for a collective activity? --so much better than war! so much better than pro sports! but of course a great idea! maybe we need to congregate-- i do! and to stand together. sure is nice. not against something, for something. running towards it, in fact.

30 degrees, 16' north, 97 degrees, 45" west, 541 ft above sea level.....

;)

so anyway. blah blah blah. the perseids. tomorrow night. be there.

monster's ball

xtra noyse

more from the scoot by raf. finally getting to my mail and came across a very funny bad review. ;) funny. so, if youre in the mood, come over here and enjoy my spanking by a reviewer over at 1340Mag.com; i promised to include the bad.   cant imagine why people think im doing folk. must be cause im a girl or something, and not covered in tats. whatever.  thunder this am. just to shake things up.

scoot inn & shakespeares pub

photos above by raf

playing with me are jhon bellizia on bass, adam temple on lead and victoria hammill on electric violin.



photo by duggan



this one by maurice

and finally,

"i heard somebody say
today is the day
a big ole hurricane
she's headed our way
knocking over the buildings
open your eyes boy
we made it through the night
 i think we are safe....
.. and i raised my voice to the air
and we were blessed.
it's hard to give,
it's hard to get,
but everybody needs
a little forgiveness"
          ---patty griffin


so, there was: chopped basil, shoyu, scallions chopped, sesame oil, rosemary, diced portobello and whole wild french mushrooms, all soaked together, and then sauteed and the egg added and the slices of fresh mozzarella to melt into, and the sun dried tomatoes on top, all on top of a tortilla. new year's eve.

the fireworks are going off in every direction: green, blue, red, white. the kids across the street have been setting their own off for days, excited and restless.

and tomorrow is tuesday.

opus

my sister sent us red roses this week and they sit on the kitchen table, opening. there are tall stalks of white somethingorother, the stalk-y kind of flower ive forgotten the name of, but they perfectly offset the color and the quiet exuberance of roses. it's a great pairing.





on christmas day, we made christmas quesadillas for breakfast on yellow corn tortillas: chilis, gruyere and parmesan, scallions and rosemary, cooked in with little scraps of bacon. it's not all that important, but we enjoyed it, and washed it all down with fresh-juice mimosas.





for lunch, or "christmas dinner" i pulled out the tuna and we had seared tuna tartare with just a hint of wasabi and ginger and a mean butter lettuce salad. the bread board and cheeses rounded it out...why am i telling you about our food? food is good. i like food. it's one of the few objective things i can talk about without launching headfirst into some diatribe, im trying to get us there gently! ;) (uhoh, you say?)





more objective news: there are a pile of rome apples in the kitchen still that we havent gotten used up. today they will become a compote or a crumble, depending on who wins. im betting on the compote. would it be terrible to throw some basil in? i know mint would be better, but basil might just knock us into the new so completely that we like it.







in the neighborhood yesterday, i could swear i heard the bleating of lambs. im not crazy, and im not living in farm country so its worth mentioning. serious! urban sheep, man! or something resembling their sound. i will not even discuss the rooster, which i am now certain is my karma to always be in the vicinity of--just cant escape the fuckers. (pardon me if youre a rooster)







this morning my daughter woke up and asked for coffee, which wasnt very hot anymore cause it was late, and said"mom, i hate to burst your bubble, but you're not dying." (we had a funny night and woke up in the middle of it. the moon was still strong and interruptive and had me saying things you say at night, even to the wrong person.) sounds funny now but she may be right.







the thing about cataloging a year, and looking into the next one is, i remember every detail about where i was, how it felt, all the full-frame life events that came to bear on it.





over the holiday, juliet has read flaubert and wharton, just hangin out. i took a shower. and changed the bulbs. and hung a mirror. and took the trash out and got the mail. and swept, of course. i cant seem to read right now. or write.