Eins zwei g'suffa!

I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I would have ordinarily stayed far away from the book because of the Pray in the title (a survival response I learned early as a heathen child growing up in the Bible Belt), but my Jewish friend Laura and my hippie sister Lindsey assured me that it had nothing to do with the fire and brimstone kind of praying.  It was much closer to what they knew I was into: Buddhism and meditation. I couldn't put it down.  I really enjoyed reading it.

Now hold on, all of you who are wary of a religious post -- I'm not going to go into all of that here.

No, I want to talk about Austin, but first you need to read a section that got me thinking.  Here it is from Chapter 33.

I remember something that my friend’s husband, Giulio, said to me once. We were sitting in a cafe` and he asked me what I thought of Rome. I told him that I really loved the place, of course, but that I knew it was not my city. It was not where I would end up living for the rest of my life. There was something about Rome that didn’t quite belong to me, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Just as we were talking, a helpful visual aid walked by. It was the quintessential Roman woman – a fantastically maintained, jewellery-sodden forty-something dame, wearing four-inch heels, a tight skirt with a slit as long as my arm, and those sunglasses that look like race-cars! It was hard to imagine she had ever, even for 10 minutes of her life, NOT worn mascara! This woman was in every way the opposite of me! 

I pointed that woman out to Giulio and I said, “See Giulio, THAT is a Roman woman! Rome cannot be her city and my city too. Only one of us really belongs here.” 

Giulio said, “Maybe you and Rome just have different words.” 

“What do you mean?” 

He said, “The secret to understanding a city and its people, is to learn the WORD of that city.” 

He went on to explain that every city has a word that defines it, and it identifies most of the people that live there. If you could read people’s thoughts, you would see that most of the people within a city have the same thought at some point during the day. Whatever the “majority thought” is, then that is the word of the city! And if your personal word is not similar to the word of the city, then you do not really belong there. 

“What is Rome’s word?” I asked. 

“SEX” he announced. 

“But isn’t that a stereotype about Rome?” 

“No.” 

“But surely there are some people in Rome who think about things other than sex!”He insisted, “No. All of them at some point during the day will think about SEX.” 

“Even over at the Vatican?” I asked. 

“That is different. The Vatican is not a part of Rome. They have a different word. Their word is POWER.”\ 

“You’d think it would be FAITH. 

“Unfortunately, it’s POWER. Trust me. But here in Rome, our word is SEX.” 

Now according to Giulio, that little word SEX is part of the cobblestones underneath your feet in Rome. It runs through the fountains and fills the air like traffic noises. Roman people are thinking about it, dressing for it, seeking it, considering it, refusing it, making a game out of it………all of the time. And it started to make sense why Rome did not feel like my hometown. Because SEX was not my word.  

Giulio asked, “What is the word in New York?” 

I thought about it for a moment, and then decided “It’s a verb of course….ACHIEVE.”(Which is subtly different to the word in Los Angeles which is SUCCEED. Later I shared this theory with my Swedish friend Sophie and asked her what Stockholm’s word was. “CONFORM” she said, which depressed us both). 

I asked Giulio, “What is the word in Naples?” (where he was originally from). 

“FIGHT” he said.  

Then Giulio asked the next and most obvious question, “What is YOUR word? This word will tell you where you belong.” 

I've been wondering what Austin's word is, the majority thought of our fair city.  I think back to where I've lived in the past, too, and how I never felt like I fit in before.  Austin is the first time I feel like I'm home and can easily live here the rest of my life.  Austin's word and my word fit. 
 And all I can come up with for Austin's word seems overly simple and trite, but I can't help it: FUN.
Other words I came up with were more adjectives, not a driving force:  UNPRETENTIOUS,   CREATIVE, WHIMSICAL.

FUN seems to fit.  As a whole, we're all looking for fun.  We'd rather go out for beers and listen to live music than work 60 hours a week.  We'd rather go bike riding than do yard work (ok, maybe that's just me :) ). It's alright that we have to wait 2 hours in line to get Franklin BBQ, because it's the best in the country and if you take beers and a deck of cards with you, it's downright FUN.  

Side note -- that's just what my husband and I did this weekend.  Nary a grumpy person in sight.

We find it more fun to go to P.Terry's Burger Stand than McDonalds. Austin brought back a fun sport from the oblivion:  Roller Derby. We dress in a relaxed style and flip flops because it allows for easier access to fun.  
We have tons of fun festivals, which brings me to my last point.  WURSTFEST is in 2 weeks, y'all!  The most fun you could possibly have while celebrating sausage, beer and potato pancakes!  

Eins zwei g'suffa!

Updated school ratings

I've updated the schools state ratings from the last school year, 2010-2011 on my Google maps. If you have gotten access in the past, your URL link should still work.  If you haven't and are interested in seeing them, please visit this page.

Ten ways to beat the heat in Austin (with kids)

We've hit the dog days of summer, and it's taking a lot to motivate me to get out of the house with the kids. We went from being super busy on the weekends in the springtime to having nothing to do. This list is a reminder to myself that we don't have to sit in front of the TV watching Shaun the Sheep on Netflix Instant.

Disclaimer:  my kids are younger (2 and 5), so this list is geared towards them.

1. Swimming. This is obvious. Personally I find Barton Springs too cold, so we hit up the neighborhood pools a lot, especially the one at Northwest Park. A few weeks ago we went to a great pool up in Pflugerville (Mentzer) that has a slide and a small lazy river, plus splash pads and a neat kiddie area.  It's a 30 minute drive, but it was worth it. We have tons of natural spring-fed places, too (like Hamilton Pool, Blue Hole, Krause Springs, Barton Creek) but with this drought I've been too afraid to make the hike out only to find the spring has run dry.
2. Picnic at the Capitol. There's something about the Capitol grounds that puts me at ease.  It's one of my favorite spots in the city.  With all of the trees and green space, it feels a good 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the city.  I like to go get tacos at Taco Deli, bring an old sheet to sit on, and try to remember to bring toys like frisbees to throw around.  My kids love running around on the grass lawn and chasing the squirrels and birds. After we finish lunch we always go inside the Capitol to cool off and to spin under the rotunda while looking up at the star. 
3. Austin Children's Museum. I've been here too many times, so I'll admit that I get sick of the exhibits. My son can stand at the train exhibit for literally 2 hours while I die of boredom.  But it's air conditioned, and to make an even bigger day of it we sometimes combine it with the next entry...
4. Take a bus downtown and back. If you can find a bus schedule and time it right, you can reduce your outdoor exposure before hopping onto the cooled bus.  Yes, there are crazies on there and yes, you want to bathe in hand sanitizer afterward, but your 4 year old will think it is the greatest thing that has ever happened to him.
5. Hill Country Flyer. We are going to do this for the first time in two weeks and I'm so excited!  You take a restored steam train out to the Hill Country and back. It's through Austin Steam Train and if you use the coupon code TWEET you get 15% off. 
6. Dave and Busters. This arcade is a giant air conditioned space that has lots of blinky flashing lights.  We can spend minimal dollars here because the kids just like to press buttons and stare at screens.  Big plus is that they have a full bar, so my husband and I can drink while we cool off.  My family has a tradition of going every August and taking a photo in one of those cheesy booths.  We've got one from the past 3 years that shows the kids growing, and it's about time for our 4th one.
7. Splash pads. Lots of public parks now have them, and they are a good way to let your kids run around while you sit in the shade and drink iced tea. Check out the City of Austin's website for all the available pools and pads. 
8. Indoor jumpy places. The one near my house is called Kidz N Play.  Granted, these get nuts on the weekends, but sometimes you need options.  One parent per child seems to be the best way to handle the stress.
9. Innerspace Caverns. It's underground, it's refreshingly cool, and it's got stalactites (and stalagmites!).  Plus you take a train down into the caverns, delighting any train-crazy kid you might have.
10. Scottish Rite Children's Theater. We took my kids to go see Peter Pan a few weeks ago when my inlaws were in town. It was really adorable, and just the right length of time to keep them entertained. 

the inner beauty of austin

I visited my sister and her two kids last month in Raleigh, NC and was struck by the beauty of the place.  I lived in North Carolina for 6 years when I was a teen and go back frequently to visit family, so it's not like I was unfamiliar with the landscape. It's just when you are coming from Central Texas the contrast smacks you in the face -- it's SO GREEN!  And there are so many tall trees!  And holy cow, everything looks landscaped!

Granted, she lives in the suburbs of Raleigh where HOA rules apply, but even driving inside the Beltway all the lawns look like people spend every waking moment watering, mowing and weeding.

It makes me want to bring up a point about Austin that makes me a bit uncomfortable to admit:  Austin just ain't so pretty. On the outside.  Inside, baby, we've got soul.  But it's quite possible that to those who are merely visiting for an extended weekend, Austin might not give the best first impression.

A couple years ago my sister came to visit with her then-husband, a born and bred North Carolinian.  It was his first visit to Austin and I'll never forget one of his first comments: "Do people here ever do yard-work?!"  Pretty much the exact opposite of what struck me about Raleigh. 

Austin sits at the edge of two types of landscapes; to the west we have the rugged hill country with lots of oak, cedar and brush, and to east are the flat plains.  The stuff that grows here under normal conditions looks pretty scrubby and weed-like, and since we're in a horrible drought, even that looks more harsh and brown. If something can grow and survive here, we let it. 

Another thing that I'll admit: Central, East and South Austin homes are kinda scrappy and small, and you have to be committed to the smaller urban lifestyle to want to settle into a 1200 to 1500 sq ft home that was built 60 years ago, back when people didn't mind showering in a coffin-sized stall (like the one in my "master" bathroom). We are lucky because we have a 2 car attached garage plus an office, but a lot of homes in our neighborhood don't. There are still lots of homes that need some TLC, because up until about 15 years ago Austin was a sleepy college town, with lots of student rentals and lower-income families. 

And finally, our urban core saw its main growth in the 50's - 70's, and there are quite frankly some ugly buildings out there. I can easily overlook them because I know how great the shops and restaurants are that are contained within, but I can imagine a visitor driving around and not being impressed. 

Yes, if you go into the suburbs you will see more manicured sights, and if that's your thing you will not be disappointed.  Austin has some nice looking suburbs. You'll still want to come into town to get a feel for the place, and so you'll need to steel yourself just as much as someone who wants to live closer in.

It's funny because I think Austin is gorgeous.  I love the greenbelts and the river going through town (even though it's technically a lake), I love all the scrappy old homes and I love all the oak and pecan trees. I love the hills to the west and the prairies to the east, I love the big skies with the gigantic white clouds.  

Austin is my home and I'm happy here, and if that gives me rose colored glasses, then c'est la vie en rose.