Unifying Pub Crawl for Democrats

The local gang in Austin which supports Barack Obama for President recently planned a grassroots unifying event for the Democratic Party.  Obama supporters started at one pub and Clinton's at another.  Unifying?  Still a showdown in ways.  Think Club de Ville offering Obama-rama Ritas and Barack Beers adjacent to Bull McCabes Irish Bar serving up Hillary Harp Pints and Irish Mules with a Clinton Kick.  Painting Austin's Red River Street "blue" was the event slogan, but the goal?  Get both camps a bit sauced and unity will follow.  Actually unity from the Clinton folks.  They're the ones who must unify, right? 

 

So now that the dust has settled and a Nominee has emerged from this sordid political mindscream, most Democrats can only imagine their kind in office.  With that said rallying HRC supporters seems a logical move.  So does capturing her 18 million votes.  To me it's a toss-up.  BO needs what HRC has.  Will Obama and Caroline Kennedy consider Clinton as his running mate or encourage her back to the Senate floor?  It's certainly not a crazy idea, but at what cost to Obama and the election?  He's new to politics, inspiring, and vows to make a difference.  He goes against the grain of the career political machine called Clinton and Washington D.C.  Should he bring the machine on to insure a win and in doing so compromise his own integrity?  Or does he really need the white working class vote and a bulldog in a running mate named Hil? Unless the Democratic Party truly unifies, Obama's association with Clinton might just make him lose.     

Fat Bastard

As we were driving to school on Monday morning, Sloan chirped up from the back seat after 5 minutes of silence. "Mom, can I ask you something?" "Of course," I responded. Innocent with tons of exuberance, Sloan shot out, "What does fat bastard mean?" My eyes opened up, lips parted and under my breath came a half laugh, half gasp. What 9 year old says fat bastard and where in the hell did she hear the phrase? In all of 5 seconds I thought of the cleverly named microbrew, a chubby son without a father and finally the unforgettable character in Austin Powers. Duh, Mom! Sloan recently revisited the Austin Powers trilogy with her friends Olivia, Esteban and Isaac and felt obliged to ask a question she had never before considered. Of course I gave my daughter an honest answer to her question, less the fat. So let's just say she appreciates the humor of Mike Myers, but won't be offending any fat bastards.

Surrender to Big Head Todd, Brownies, Mango Margaritas, Waterfights & Bob Schneider at the Lake

What a great weekend! Big Head Todd & the Monsters were in town this past Friday night, so I took my friend Lynda to see them live at Stubbs as a thank you for entertaining my daughter while I was out of town. I've been a BHT fan since the early 90's and believe it or not, this is the first time I've seen them up close and personal! No more discs!

What an absolutely memorable and breathtaking show. I think what struck me most was the sincere joy and natural talent of the lead singer and main man, Todd Park Mohr. He's obviously belted out these same tunes (Resignation Superman, Bittersweet, All the Love you Need, Please Don't Tell Her) and strummed on the same guitars for 20 years, but the joy never left his face. Although "Monsters" is a group, clearly Mr. Mohr's Big Head demands all the attention.

With great excitement, the gang will be in Texas again, just South of Austin in New Braunfels on July 12th. They'll be hangin' at the Whitewater Ampitheatre, which is a really cool venue. I'll be out of town, dammit, but should you feel the need for some of the best live music, go!

http://www.whitewaterrocks.com/

To download their new album "All the Love You Need" for free, visit their site and click on "Music".

http://www.bigheadtodd.com/


Saturday morning I awoke early to birds chirping and a delicious looking blue sky. Perfect for the little 9 year old Brownies. I hurriedly showered, poured my coffee and drove 10 minutes north to join Sloan for her bridging ceremony. Bridging ceremony meaning a passage of sorts from 4 years of Browniehood into the more mature Junior Girl Scout. (I think this is actually when I begged my Mom to quit) But not Sloan.


Later that evening I joined my friend Sarah for a low-key dinner celebration. There were six of us who convened at Z Tejas on W. 6th Street and broke the noise barrier with our chatting and singing. My ears are still ringing. Sarah picked the place not only because it was her 28th birthday, but because she had a lingering $50.00 gift certificate (which in the end we didn't let her use). Most of us had fish, but of course, mine was the best! I ordered this unbelievably tasty salmon topped with a sweet miso glaze that I could literally eat day in and out. Yum. Oh and if you're wondering about the best mango margarita in town...this is where you surrender to a few.


To wrap up the weekend Sloan and I headed out to Lakeway Resort & Spa on Lake Travis for the Live at the Lake summer series. (Completely kid friendly, btw) The kick off featured our favorite, the one and only Mr. Bob Schneider. We arrived just on time by way of a complimentary shuttle (parking was lame!) where a group of high school girls nabbed Sloan and took her under their wing for the 5 minute ride. I heard one of the 17 year olds ask

Sloan how old she was. When Sloan responded, they told her that 9 was the greatest year of single digits. The 9 year old was in heaven!

The weather was fantastic, nearly 100 degrees with sun kissed skies, a slight breeze off the pristine water and a ton of happy people in a variety of skimpy bathing suits. The four tiered pool was packed with dancing, hoots and all in view of Bob Schneider belting out "Metal and Steel", "Big Blue Sea", "Tarantula" and "Captain Kirk", among other favorites. At one point a massive waterfight broke out and Bob's response was, "you realize that 50% of this water has pee in it, right?!" A great weekend in Austin that I hope to repeat very soon.



http://www.bobschneidermusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bobschneider