Ah, Zoning

I have been trying to negotiate with everyone about the parking lot next door to my house. I went to the North University neighborhood meeting on Monday, where we discovered that if we allow a zoning change which would legally permit parking there, it would also open the door to a 60 foot high office building. So we decided to try to get it landscaped and a wall put up which would reduce the noise level, without involving the owner at all. (Trudy's isn't the owner; their patrons have just habitually parked there for years.) I'm trying to figure out how much more financial, landscaping and or food & drink-type consideration I can/should ask for. This is all very exciting, I know.

Gilbert & Sullivan & St. Paul

Well, my mom showed up unexpectedly on Saturday night, thwarting my plans to drape myself across a bar stool at the Sardine Rouge and trawl for millionaires, ha ha, and stayed through Monday morning. We ended up doing some stuff around the house, and then going to see Topsy Turvy together Sunday night.

The film was very well made, but as someone who has been in most of their shows, I don't think it displayed the genius and thrillingness of Gilbert and Sullivan oeuvre to the uninitiated. None of their best songs were performed, with the exception of "Three Little Maids from School," and the tone was rather mordant, considering it was about two men who made their living creating comic operettas. Reminded me of "Chaplin" in that respect. A tragedy about comedy.

My mom and I also went to All Saints' Episcopal on Sunday, and the epistle reading was from one of Paul's letters to the Colossians or the Ephesians or some such, and his attitude made me mad. It was about pretending to be all these different people so he could convert them. Seemed dishonest and underhanded. Maybe no worse than any politician. "Ah feel yo pain - try my religion."

I really like the Native American prayer my friend John B. sent me. Very simple and humble; dovetails exactly with my belief regarding the purpose of religion--namely to recognize our own smallness and insignificance in the great scope of things, to realize we are our own worst enemies, and to appreciate the everyday beauty and blessings we are given. I think I'll post it on my office door.

LET ME WALK IN BEAUTY

O Great Spirit

Whose voice speaks in the winds, and in the trees
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
Listen to Your creature!
Hear me!
I am small and weak.
I need Your power.
I need Your wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty,
And let my eyes be glad beholding the red and purple dawn.
Make my hands touch all things You have made with love,
And help my ears to hear Your voice in everything.
Make me wise that I may understand the sacred teachings You have taught;
Help me learn the lessons hidden in every leaf and every stone.
O Wakan-Tanka,
I need power not to be greater than my relations
But to conquer the enemy in myself.
Make me ready to come to You always
with a pure heart and with clear eyes,
So when the time comes for my life to fade away, as the sunset fades,
So may my spirit come to You with honor and without shame.

How I Spent the Turn of the Millenium

My holidays were rather topsy turvy this year. I was crazy busy at work the week before Christmas trying to complete our 10K report; I missed most of a friend's wedding reception because I had to work on the weekend, and my mom was here, also, so I didn't get to do much with her, either. I did almost 40 hrs. of work just in the first three days of the week, but I didn't get paid overtime for any of it because of the holiday (we got Thursday and Friday off). It was nice having those days off, but by that time, I had a million last-minute holiday preparations and shopping that I hadn't gotten to do because I was working the week before, so it wasn't very relaxing. And I woke up Christmas Eve with horrible bright pink puffy poison-ivy-like stripes under my eyes, which I spent all day trying to find a doctor to diagnose. (It wasn't pink eye, which was one suggestion, but some kind of allergic reaction requiring hydrocortisone cream, my initial self-diagnosis!) I didn't start actually wrapping presents until 8 pm Xmas Eve, and was up until 2:30 or 3 a.m. At times like that it sucks to be a perfectionist, but they sure looked nice when I was done. I gave my brother lots of clothes, so I had lots of big boxes to wrap. Afterwards he actually said "I don't know what to wear!" Never heard that from him before! Because my dad is in no condition to argue, we completely deviated from our usual Christmas menu, and instead of our long time tradition of repeating Thanksgiving turkey, etc., we had roast beef with red wine, mashed potatoes and a "Southwestern" relish on the side, papaya black bean salsa. We brought my grandmother from the nursing home and got my dad up to join us. Not sure if he knew it was Christmas, although we showed him the tree and all the special old, old ornaments he had as a child.

I didn't get the flu until Boxing Day, when I woke up feeling achy and tired all over, and really had to push myself to drive home. I actually went to work on Monday, but was up coughing all night; not even the narcotic cough syrup knocked me out enough to sleep. Tuesday, I went to the doctor, and he gave me lots more medicine. I had nominated myself to throw a New Year's party for all my friends, so I had a lot to do last week to get ready, like wash glassware, put up lights and clean out/organize the dreaded Back Room. Luckily, I had a lot of help from friends, and my mom managed to get away. She came up for the party and helped out a lot with preparations, so the house looked really nice. I was still getting dressed at 8 p.m., but most people arrived after that, and the whole shindig went very well, after all. I was afraid that since we got a keg, the party would attract buffaloes who would crash around, behaving badly and breaking things. But everyone was very respectful, perhaps because my mom was there, and it was my house, not just some rented dumpy place. One guy brought sparklers and Roman candles, which we fired off at midnight over the park/ creek in front of the house. Kinda risky, being only a block from the fire station, but even though they drove by, no tickets were issued, and no fires started.

Since then, I have been trying to shake off the lingering effects of the flu. Tuesday, I thought I would take a short nap and then get up and watch "Will & Grace." Nope, just slept straight on through. Guess I must have needed it. I get sick so rarely, but when I do, it really hits me hard. It seems that this is the year of the universal flu, though. Just about everyone I know, all over the country, has been sick, so it's not a sign of weakness.

I just got the new Victoria's Secret "Catalogue" and I noted the striking resemblance my friend Caroline bears to übersexmodel Heidi Klum.

Well, this ended up being very long and chatty, since I just kept adding to it for two days whenever I had a minute. I'll go back and read it years later, and it'll be a nice record of how I spent my holidays at the turn of the millenium.

New House Drama

So, I closed on the house on Monday, and got the keys. 'Twas pouring with rain, so I didn't attempt entry Monday. Went over last night, and took a few boxes with me. The seller's real estate agent, Lazan, had said that when she went over to clear out the last of the old mail and stuff, she found a man sleeping in the back bedroom, and was so startled, she began screaming and couldn't stop, except finally to tell him to clear out and never come back. He was just as scared as she, and took off in a hurry. So, last night, I found all this stuff that he had apparently left behind: towels, a bag of food, a cushion and some mats, a few books, and curiously enough, paint, and a roller tray—at least I guess it was his. I feel really bad that he didn't get to take all his stuff; I certainly can't use any of it, but I'm sure it was valuable to him. I think I'll try to put some signs up on the Drag so I can give it back. Lazan said she usually makes a charitable donation after every closing, and because of that experience, was going to donate to HOBO, or one of the other homeless organizations, which makes me feel a little better.

Anyway, there is much to be done in the way of little repairs and such, besides the big painting/ leveling jobs, so I'm trying to line up some people to come out and take care of it. My mom volunteered to come tomorrow or Friday to be there and supervise.

Heart of Texas Festival

It's Austin Heart of Texas Film Festival week again here in warm, sunny Austin, and we have a whole raft of film notables in town to promote or retrospect their work. (Is that a word? Well, it is now!) I saw a beautiful print of "Nashville" on Saturday--with Robert Altman and Karen Black in attendance to introduce and do a Q&A. Altman has a pretty biting sense of humor--just what you'd expect. Ms. Black is a pretty wacky gal, but despite being 54, doesn't look much over 34! She told the story of her audition for the movie, and sang a few bars of the song she wrote. Great voice! She's in town to promote "Charades," a movie she co-wrote and acts in. Lyle Lovett, Rick Linklater, and Steven Soderbergh were also at the screening. Soderbergh is here for the Austin premiere of his new film, "The Limey," and James L. Brooks is here for a retrospective of his work. Other actors and writers skulking about are Matthew McConaughey, Rachel Hunter, Buck Henry ("The Graduate"), Callie Khouri ("Thelma & Louise"), Larry Karaszewski ("The People v. Larry Flynt") Joe Stefano ("Psycho" 1960), Scott Frank ("Out of Sight"), and Ted Tally ("Silence of the Lambs"). I've got a pass for the whole week, so I'm going to try to see as many films as I can. "Winding Roads," which I saw last night, was OK--former model (and Rod Stewart spouse) Rachel Hunter stars, and does a decent job. Afterwards, I started watching a movie called "Junked," which was an incomprehensible, violent, derivative piece of junk about lost L.A. junkies, hustlers, and punks. It was so abysmally bad I walked out. Somehow the writer/director (if you could call him that) forgot that violence and profanity alone do not make a film into the next Pulp Fiction.

Could This Be My New House?

I went by and looked at the house last night (MLS# 518080). It's right across 30th Street from Trudy's Central, and overlooks Shoal Creek. Although I didn't get to go inside, I peered in all the windows, and really liked what I saw. The rooms are very large, and the second family room (with fireplace) could easily be another bedroom, and the bedrooms have their own doors. One thing which wasn't even mentioned in the on-line description is the garden in the back, with flagstone paths and a terrace, even a goldfish pond with a fountain! The exterior needs some paint, and the roof gables seem to need some of the wood replaced, but it seems to be in good move-in condition. Perhaps a repair allowance could be arranged. Anyway, I'd really like to get a better look at the inside. I slept on my thoughts, and I'm still excited about it, so that's a good omen.