I've spent most of this blog talking about my perceptions and experiences in Texas. But I wondered, how would I describe Bay Area folks to Texans. One question Texans often ask is, "Are they pretentious?" Well, yes. But I'd also describe Bay Area folks as people who genuinely live examined lives. They are some of the most socially aware, spiritually evolved, and reflective people I've ever met. Right now I'd say the true beauty of the Bay Area is the sheer number of people who are determined to live a life that does more than skim the superficial layers of existence.
The Eyes of Texas were definitely upon me today. When I boarded an elevator today, a woman with short, spiky hair sporting a "Texas pride" t-shirt got on with me. I've become so jaded about the way West Coasters perceive Texas, I immediately think this woman is either being ironic or making fun of my people. I had forgotten that Texans are never quite what they seem, it's part of the wonder and mystery of our state. Then I decide -- what the hell -- and give this spiky-haired woman wearing a Texas pride shirt the Longhorn sign.
Her eyes light up and she removes her iPod ear phones, and says "What year?!" She was 1999, I was 2002. But her father graduated from the Texas law school and "The Eyes of Texas" was the first song she ever learned as a kid. Of course, we muse for a few moments on where we grew up and our college days. Then she says, "Do you go to Texas Exes events? There's a lot of us out here, and Texas Exes is a place where we can just be as obnoxious as we want. Sometimes you just need that."
Or like me, you could just blog about being an obnoxious Texan.
Just moments after meeting this woman, I passed a jogger wearing a Longhorn t-shirt and then came home to find a letter from Texas Monthly sitting in my mailbox. Are the Texas land spirits beckoning me back to the homeland? Or is it a simple reassurance that the land spirits are with me, even so many hundred miles away?
I also stumbled upon this blog post by a another Texan transplanted to the West Coast. Here explains better than I :
As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, I grew up in Texas, and despite the unbearable summers that stretched through September and the fact that way, way too many of my friends and contemporaries liked to hunt, I loved living there. Since relocating to the West Coast, I've found myself ever more willing to sing the praises of the Lone Star State. There are a number of reasons for this, not least among them the whole "Nobody picks on my kid brother but me" mentality. But that's superseded by a desire to explain to people who've never been there just what the state is like. When I was a boy, the state sponsored an ad campaign with the slogan "Texas: It's like a whole other country." I knew back then they weren't going far enough, because Texas is a whole other country, a weird, sprawling land of extremists and moderates, where Minutemen patrol the border and U.T. students get blazed next to Dobie Mall, where rural farms and metropolitan cities dwell in unlikely proximity, and where tiny glimpses of the best and worst sides of humanity become writ large under an impossibly domineering Polaroid-blue sky.
It's that indefinable sense of purpose, of a life as frighteningly wide open as the endless plains of West Texas (and believe me, they are endless), that finds its way into even the most innocuous films set in the state. So many films function independently of their location, which is why most of them seem to be set in New York or Los Angeles, America's twin cities for living out a created identity in a sea of fellow happy pretenders. Yes, some filmmakers have the ability to tell a story that rises above the generic — I'm thinking mainly of Woody Allen, whose love for New York is its own character in his movies — and there are more than a few films that take place in Texas for no real reason. But there are some films set in Texas that fully embrace the state's mythos and become fused with a unique balance of slow movement and quick thinking, films that take place in a variety of times or cities or situations but that never stray far from car wheels on a gravel road. And it's those films that I'd like to pay tribute to here.
Slow moving, quick thinking. I don't think I've ever heard it summarized so well. Read the comments for more on why there is no other place quite like it. As John Steinbeck so aptly once said, "A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner."
Isn't there a saying, the heart wants what the heart wants. Here's my ongoing irrational love story with Houston. It's irrational because I love that if you get too drunk in Houston you have to hang out at the CVS and drink bottled waters and eat Snickers bars. Sure there is the House of Pies, but it's usually too packed since everyone has to sober up before making their drives home. I do realize this is like saying I find someone attractive because his bathroom is moldy and he still sleeps on a twin-size bed.
But my crush on the younger, hipper, better-looking Austin, Texas seems to have worn-off. I was there last week showing a fellow Texan around, and he asked me, "Could you live here?" And I said, "Sure, it's like San Francisco with a little Texas mixed in." But I was lying. When I saw the Houston skyline again, I knew my heart was east of the Brazos river.
When I saw Hillary Clinton's shortlisted song choices this summer, I was disappointed and slightly distraught. Ready to Run? Didn't some cheesy, 80s Journey song win? The Democrats clearly do not understand the impact of powerful music.
The Dixie Chick's song, "I Hope," penned to donate to money to the victims of Katrina, is a song that inspires. "Our children are watching us, they put their trust in us, they're going to be like us," -- a simple message but profoundly meaningful.
I've pasted a YouTube version of the song below that includes a slideshow -- I could not find the song on its own. Though the images included are powerful -- and disturbing -- I urge you to listen to the song for the first time without the visual.
It's too bad that the Democrats are too afraid to sucker-punch the American public with a theme song that is truly a call to action.
Perhaps it's bluegrass fever, but I'm getting in touch with my Beaumont roots. If you want to know what it's like to love a cowboy, Deana and Sara explain it below. But if cowgirls are more your style, George reveals much about this kind in this song.
It's actually a bland number with an anemic production style. But what I like is the song's surprisingly feminist turn -- especially at the end of the song.
I'm making a mixtape (by request) for a friend with some pretty groovy music tastes. So I've liked Dr. Dog's "The World Will Never Know" for sometime but I decided to check out their other stuff. It's pretty darn good. Check out some of their stuff here. I can't stop listening to their rendition of "Heart it Races" -- and no, it's not country (rock, rather). ;-)
My friends in Austin are rocking to cool kids like Dr. Dog and Kelly Willis this weekend because it's the Austin City Limits Music Festival! I know some folks from the Bay Area who are going, so naturally, I sent them with a list of my favorite spots in Austin. Writing this list reminded me why every dislocated Austinite promises to return there one day. So to alleviate this feeling, I went to a Texas Exes football game in the Marina.
The bar was packed in sea of burnt orange t-shirts and you could hear "Hook 'EM" grunts from hefty men at the bar. When UT fumbled one large, but very sweet, fellow says: "Man, that was retarded! Aw, shit, I forgot I'm in California - I don't think I'm allowed to say retarded here." The Texas fight song played over the speakers and the entire bar broke out (many times) into "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You" (also known as the Texas Stalker Song). When we finally won (but just barely) the crowd chanted our very classy unofficial song -- "Give 'em hell, give 'em hell, make 'em shit!"
I did not participate in any of these antics, but I suppose that it's good to know some things never change. As predicted the Longhorns I spoke to complained about the same old stuff: perpetual flakiness about West Coasters, "alternative lifestyle fatigue" (SF weirdness for its own sake, I think), and fantasizing about what their rent could buy them in Texas.
And perhaps also as expected, many spoke wistfully of those autumn Texas nights that have a certain magic. It's the way the stars seem to be putting on a show just for you in that big, black sky and that breeze that catches you just slightly off guard . It makes even the most cynical folks sit in wonder for a moment.
Speaking of music, this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival line-up has been announced. I'm glad Robert Earl Keen is on the list -- but where are Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, Billy Brag and Scott Miller?! I'm just wondering...
Friend or foe? I'm dying to find out but every time I start to read a spoiler, I chicken out. I'm on Book 4 now and I won't know until Book 7. Not sure if i can wait that long...
Sure, it's a retread of "The Good Stuff" but that one wears thin after just a few listens. This packs an emotional punch that "The Good Stuff" just couldn't muster.
Here's what I like about JasonBourne - he's the action hero for our times. James Bond -- and the like - are antiquated ideals of masculinity that draw too heavily upon gadgetry and womanizing. Ok, I don't believe Bourne can survive those car chases or even some of his hand-to-hand combat -- but I do think he's a bad ass. What does Bourne do when he needs to burn down a house? He sticks a magazine in a toaster. What does he do when an over-eager Nicky Parsons tries to make a move on him? He says back-off my girlfriend is dead. This is an action hero for the post-feminist, overly gadgetized generation.
For trailer of the latest Bourne film (including the best scene from the movie) , click here.
I've taken to the word muggle and its high cute factor. The word actually describes those who live without magic in their lives, which is more unfortunate than cute. Nonetheless it's an adorable word that deserves to be used -- and often.
Speaking of Harry Potter, I just finished the "Chamber of Secrets" and the "Prisoner of Azkaban" is on its way. How the rest of the world waited upwards of two years for a book, I'll never understand. This wait of two weeks has made me eagerly check the mailbox everyday - promptly at noon -- just to see if it's here yet. Rowling has a compelling narrative style. The first, say, third of the book is set-up. If you're not interested in exposition or character development it can seem dull.
But I do I find her characters -- and the world she has created --- so engaging that I really enjoy the "setting the scene" chapters. Then a little more than half-way through the books hit a climax where the story turns into a suspenseful page-turner. Rowling suddenly ties unexpected segments of the book together for a thrilling conclusion. She is a masterful storyteller.
What Harry Potter character are you? I'll start with the main three and then add others as I get to know them better. Enjoy finding yourself in these three:
HARRY: You have a deep attachment to your parents and idealize a childhood that could have been. You take your destiny and life's purpose very seriously and often feel isolated in your quest to find your destiny. You are resourceful and willing to disregard rules if it serves a higher goal. Folks older than you like you and sense that you have a deep understanding of the world. You love your friends but sometimes feel they cannot understand your life's journey. RON: You are good-natured and humorous. You are able to easily laugh at yourself, but also know when to be serious. You are not a good student and sometimes slack off. But you make up for this in your genuine eagerness to help others and to be a good friend. You are grounded and come from a solid family.
HERMIONE: You are a bookish and can be a bit of a show-off -- but your best traits are far deeper than that. You are good-hearted, forgiving and loyal. You are careful and clear-headed but are willing to take risks for those you love. You are hugely generous with your time and love. Underneath that bookish smirk is a warm person with good-natured intentions.
I spent last week in New York City, a city that I love and have always felt connected to. This was my first trip there in many years without seeing Donna, but it was still a trip filled with old friends and family - just how good vacations should be. And what is a good vacation with out heaps of gourmet chocolate and freshly baked cookies? This trip had plenty of both.
Oh how I still dream about those chocolate chips cookies. I'm quite particular about my chocolate chips cookies. When living in the U.K. -- where for some reason they prefer the offensive milk chocolate chip cookies -- I regularly quizzed bakers about chips in question. A typical exchange went like this:
Me: But are they semi-sweet?
Baker: Yes, the cookies are sweet.
Me: No, but the chocolate chips -- are they semi-sweet or milk?
Baker: Oh, yes the cookies are great with milk.
One baker convinced me that the cookies were made with semi-sweet. Oh, the horror when I bit into the cookie and proclaimed, "But it's milk!"
Most cookies -- even those made with semi-sweet chips, even most of the batches made by me -- don't meet my standard. But the cookies at One Girl sure did --not too sweet, with chips that melt even if you have them the next day. And that's not all - One Girl makes a delicious Whoopee pie that is (thankfully) not as rich as it looks, but still tastes like a dreamy indulgence. Extra points for the inviting decor and very nice gal behind the counter. The bakery is near Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, and I have to say that it's one of the best neighborhoods I've ever visited.
Now here's the question: they ship, but are the cookies worth $18 in shipping? Unless I can find a spot that's comparable in San Francisco, I may do it. Hats off to Melissa for suggesting we forgo dessert at Westville and pop in here instead.
Vosges Chocolate shop (Soho)
It was fitting that I visit the Vosges shop with the same friend who introduced me to these chocolate bars. For a long time my favorite was the Naga bar that combined sweet Indian curry powder and coconut flakes in deep milk chocolate. I still dig this bar, but it's never tasted the same to me since my brother tried and it said, "It tastes like chocolate that was left too long in a suitcase to India." If you've never had food that started to taste differently after being packed in a suitcase to India - pay no attention. All others? You know what I'm talking about.
But on this trip I was on a mission to try Mo's Bacon Bar. Yes, it is deep milk chocolate with Alder smoked salt and applewood smoked bacon. It's a good bar -- satisfyingly salty and in just about every taste you bite into something that tastes like a Bacon Bit. Definitely a solid contender and it's on my top three. But I left there with an unexpected favorite - the Barcelona Bar. This is the company's best seller , probably because it does a few simple ingredients just right -- hickory smoked almonds, fleur de sel gray sea salt and deep milk chocolate. It has the same effect as the Bacon Bar, and I can offer it to my vegetarian friends.
I should have also bought the peanut butter truffle. The owner of my neighborhood candy shop, Miette, recently told me how she was floored by it. Jake, thanks for trying to talk me into it -- I should have listened to you. Also very cool to spot Peter Dinklage in Soho on our way to the shop.
I also highly recommend Union Square's Saturday morning Farmer's Market for a good walk, good fruit and good art. In fact, three newly bought pieces are now decorating my walls.
Say it isn't so. The Italians are revolting against garlic. They say the "stinking rose" overwhelms more delicate flavors. I say, delicate = bland flavors. I recently cooked a lasagna (see below) and added no garlic. Usually I'll shred fresh garlic on just about anything I cook, but something inside told me to skip it this time. I served the dish with garlic bread and, admittedly, didn't need garlic in the filling. I did learn that garlic isn't necessary on everything (even everything Italian). But eliminating it all together? Why not just go vegan while you're at it.
This delicious -- yet simple -- menu can be prepared in less than an hour.
Spinach & Strawberry Salad
Use the fresh, organic spinach that is sold in boxes. The packaged variety is often limp and damp. For extra flavor, add some avocados and sprinkle with a light raspberry vinaigrette (I recommend Paul Newman's dressing).
Garlic Bread
Let the garlic do the work. Buy a baguette and slice it so that it's open-faced. Spread olive oil on the bread and then top with freshly shredded garlic. You can sprinkle some salt, garlic powder, pepper and parmesan cheese, but remember to let the fresh garlic be the star.
Spinach & Mushroom Cream Cheese Lasagne
Skip the 'pre-boiled' noodles -- they will always turn out too crunchy. For the filling, I use fresh and frozen spinach, ricotta cheese, onion & chives cream cheese, fresh onions, fresh mushrooms and marina sauce. I top the dish with mozzarella cheese and sauce. It's my favorite way to make this comfort-food dish.
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
I suggest adding sour cream and pudding mix to any chocolate cake recipe. These extras add a creaminess that cannot be replicated with just butter, oil and eggs.
I've started an herb garden on my wind sill. I'm growing organic mint, lemon grass and basil. I'm surprised how much I enjoy tending to the plants. It's great to have the herbs around to add some extra spice to, say, pizza, pasta or chai.
Here is what I've learned in my first week as a gardener:
- Over-watering is the number one reason plants perish. I sprinkle just a tad of water on the plants everyday. But I noticed the basil plant starts to get droopy with just sprinkles, so I adjusted to give it more water. The mint and lemon grass do fine with just a few sprinkles a day.
- The lemon grass plant looked weak, and more water wasn't solving the problem. I suspected the mint plant (which looks really great) was getting more direct sunlight. So I had the two plants trade places and, amazingly, the lemon grass completely perked up. I've now started rotating the plants every day.
If you have any more pointers, please leave me a comment.
Ways to Pass Time when you don't really want to drink or eat.
10. Bake something. Anything that smells good will do.
9. Take photographs of each other. Everyone likes photos of themselves and it is fun to capture the essence of a pal on film.
8. Create stories about people. Sit in a cafe, watch people and develop the narrative of their lives. Extra points if one of you engages in a real conversation with the subject.
7. Play Board Games - the more social-friendly the better. I recommend Taboo, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit, Balderdash or Cranium.
6. Ask a question and respond with a story. Then the other person (or persons) has to decide if the story is real or not. Perhaps a new twist on truth or dare.
5. Kick a ball around a field. Walgreens sells rounded balls for $3. Before sure to ask the clerk if he has "a rounded ball."
4. Read scenes from a script. There are plenty at the bookstore or available online. It's a fun way for you and your friends to pretend to be other people for awhile.
3. Force the other person to watch movies/televisions that would help them to understand you better.
California is about going the distance. This is where the most pioneering people of this nation hit the land's end, where they could not push any farther. That culture still floats around this state and those who live here take great pride in pushing, reinventing, redefining every tradition - no matter how revered or loathed. With this sense of progress is also an ease of loss. Look at the little fireworks that emerging tech companies create, only to fizzle out into the ethers of dot.com oblivion. But the salty Pacific air and the chilling Bay Area fog swirl together and create an atmosphere that feels downright magical sometimes but also explains the state's reputation as superficial and shallow.
The South and maybe even the Eastern regions of this country are about depth. The ultimate goal is not stretching limits but forging roots that go so deep into the ground that it becomes impossible to separate the terrain from the people. Solid footing, and a deep connection to place, home and family breed folks who honor old-fashioned, warm ideas of home and stability but are also fearful of any risk that would dislodge those carefully planted roots.
I'm afraid that Houston might be a city that cannot recognize a good thing when it's right before its eyes. The entrepreneurial spirit in this city inspires people to build their dreams but the masses still flock to the ordinary chains. Here are examples:
The Cotton Exchange Bar & Lounge
This is one of the most elegant bars in town, and is housed in the historic Cotton Exchange building. I've been to a lot of lounges that mistake class for Las Vegas-style glitz. This place is gracefully decorated with Tiffany lamps, a marble bar, and wood floors. The color scheme is subtle but stylish. I went there for Happy Hour on Thursday and my party of four were the only ones in the bar from 6:30 until maybe 9 p.m. When we left just after 10 p.m. - there were three others at the bar. Granted this place is difficult to find and is housed in a building that looks closed -- folks should be willing to venture outwards for a little character. To my dismay, I learned that the Dave & Buster's had a full house that night.
Number of Visits: 1
The Mint Cafe
In a city that boasts the highest number of restaurants per capita in the world -- it's easy for many good places to get lost in the shuffle. But on too many Saturday nights, I see full parking lots in front of the Chilli's, Applebee's or Logan's Steakhouse yet places like this are completely empty. This is a new eatery just across from the Galleria that is owned by a very friendly and helpful young Lebanese man. It really strikes me as a labor of love. His parents are often seen in the back helping out and he takes so much pride in the home-style Mediterranean food he serves. The food is delicious and healthy and awesome with the garlic sauce. I totally support the The Mint Cafe Special Dessert -- it's a biscuit topped with mint ice cream, pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce. Definitely worth the Galleria-area traffic.
Number of Visits: 2
Franklin Street Cafe
This is most charming cafe I've encountered in Houston yet. It's located - conveniently - just across from The Cotton Exchange on, well, Franklin Street. It's a two-story cafe that has such a lived-in feeling to it that one would think it's been around town for decades. While the building is really historic, the cafe opened about a year ago. But the owner adds to the old-fashioned feeling of the building by decorating the place with antiques, plush couches and an old-time chandelier.
Number of Visits: 2
The most disappointing thing is that all of these places have been empty or nearly empty on my visits. Yet the chains in Houston often have waits rolls that extend for hours and generic pubs and bars have crowds that would make teetotaler blush. Here's to hoping Houston finally starts appreciating the unconventional, and the ultimately more satisfying.
In Texas the way to engage in political debate is to do it with your car. You just slap a bumper sticker on your car's rear and let the world know where you stand. Where is the debate part of this, you ask? Simple. If you disagree, then you just slap a response on your car and there you have the spinning wheels of democracy. What could be more American than cars talking to cars in sound-bite slogans?
Here are some of the bumper stickers I've seen lately:
You CANNOT be Catholic AND Pro-choice (Sugar Land)
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys: Bush 2004 (Houston)
One Nation Under + GOD + (Sugar Land)
Truth fish eats Darwin fish (Sugar Land)
What if you stopped to think and then forgot to start again? (Houston)
M. Moron (A mockery of the W. bumper sticker -- Houston)
Support the Troops, Not the War (Houston)
Bring Them Home. (Houston)
I have to say that I appreciate the sentiment behind, "What if you stopped to think and then forgot to start again?" -- but the structure of the sentence is all wrong. I think the sticker intended to remind people to think, but it actually sort of advocates the opposite. It reminds me of a more effective one I saw in Austin a few years ago.
Don't Believe Everything You Think (Austin)
Here is a mean-spirited but clever Austin bumper sticker:
Don't Pray In Our School & I Won't Think In Your Church (Austin)
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