All posts by tim

Sunstroke 5k #10 – 2010

Running

Troy ran with me. Very hot. Definitely in that point of summer when my time starts dropping off due to the heat. But apparently running with troy pushed me faster.

Race Time Min/Mile
2 26:45 8:34
6 26:44 8:34
10 26:17 8:21

SHARED: Liz Fisher's Austin

Shared from Reader
Liz Fisher.

I know, I know, it seems like I am forever going on about how over-the-top fantastic Austin's theater scene is. I am so lucky that I stumbled into the role of theater reviewer, one of the many writing hats I wear in Austin — a gig that allows me the chance to take in shows all the time. I don't have a TV and with so many great live performances happening any given weekend, I don't need one.

Of course no great theater scene could exist without great actors, directors, producers and writers, and toward this end, the talent pool in Austin can only be described as an embarrassment of riches. Among those who make the Austin theater experience so memorable is Liz Fisher, who writes, acts, and produces. In her day job, she’s the Program Coordinator for Shakespeare at Winedale, an annual tribute to the bard. By night, she takes to the stage, showcasing her astounding ability to become a character.

I'm not alone in my awe — Fisher has been nominated for countless awards. I particularly loved her work in Bombs in Your Mouth and Featuring Loretta, both of which played at the Hyde Park Theatre where she is a Core Company Member. Here, Fisher shares some of her favorite Austin haunts.

Describe a Perfect Day in Austin

  • Pick up an iced latte from Mozart’s on my way to Red Bud Isle with the pup and the hubby.
  • After a leisurely walk around the island (and enough fetch to tire the dog out), pancakes at Austin Java followed by whatever the juice doctors at Daily Juice recommend.
  • Quick lunch downtown so I can stop in at some of the amazing art galleries near the heart of the city and just east of 35 (big thanks to E.A.S.T for teaching me where the great art is hidden in this city).
  • Swing by BookPeople to grab the current staff picks.
  • Hanging out at Dolce Vita, either people watching, reading, or surfing the interwebs.
  • Drinks on the patio of Hotel San Jose.
  • Either catching the hot new play at one of the many incredible Austin theaters (Hyde Park Theater, Off Center, Salvage Vanguard, Blue, Austin Playhouse being some of my favorites) or heading over to Alamo Drafthouse. I’m so spoiled by Alamo I can’t go to a normal movie theater any more. How did I ever watch movies without beer and REAL popcorn?!

What Are Your Favorite Dishes Around Town?

Mmmm… this is a tough one. Austin's always adding to its list of delicious and affordable places to eat, so it's hard to pick just one. Here are some of my current favorites:

I could keep going like this for days….

What’s Your Best-Kept Austin Secret?

Learn the roads east of I-35 so you don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic.

Read the full article…

In which I learn something from Football

Running

Running is very pleasurable for me. Except that is, when I arrive at a corner. Being tall and not particularly light I tend to have a lot of momentum going. So I approach a corner and begin almost backpedaling. Then I do a sort of skip-step to start going in another direction, and then I have to get back up to speed, which expends a lot of energy. Running on city streets corners aren’t that easy to avoid.

I didn’t really realize how much energy this was taking until the one and only time I’ve fallen running. I tripped over some uneven pavement and I swear it took at least 30 seconds to actually hit the ground as my body flailed horizontally through space and I was painfully aware how slowly I was approaching the ground. I had a lot of time to think and not manage to right myself. You have to have a massive amount of momentum to avoid gravity for 30 seconds.

So, I occasionally watch football games and I’d noticed how a lot of quarterbacks run with the ball in one hand and their other arm stretched down or straight out to the side. It looks like they’re doing it to be cool, but it turns out that makes it really easy to change direction.

So now I approach corners full blast. Put my inside arm straight down or a little bit out and can sail around the corner at full tilt.

Thanks Football!

Bring on the Taxes

Politics

Great article from Salon on the fact that lower taxes have never been particularly good for our economy.

Though the Reagan zeitgeist created the illusion that taxes stunt economic growth, the numbers prove that higher marginal tax rates generate more resources for the job-creating, wage-generating public investments (roads, bridges, broadband, etc.) that sustain an economy. They also create economic incentives for economy-sustaining capital investment. Indeed, the easiest way wealthy business owners can avoid high-bracket tax rates is by plowing their profits back into their businesses and taking the corresponding write-off rather than simply pocketing the excess cash and paying an IRS levy.

Let’s jack them up. I had a stupidly low effective tax rate last year. And while we’re at it let’s talk about the wisdom of having a Fed that has said they’re never going to raise interest rates. How is that going to get the economy going? Telling business owners they’ll have free money available in perpetuity is going to do what? Make business owner postpone investing and hiring in perpetuity. Got to give them a reason to jump Fed!

Of course, we’re talking about religious beliefs here. You’re not going to be able to convince most people that they could have more and better roads if we raised taxes. No matter how stupidly obvious that is.

Trickle down is a myth. It doesn’t work. It hasn’t worked. The only reason it’s even pretended to work is because we had two major bubbles created by fraud that made it appear that our economy was still growing. Give up the dream.

Lance Armstrong and the Myth of America

Ramblings

We have a myth in America that anyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become rich, powerful, and successful. Lance Armstrong supposedly embodied that. He was just that talented. Just that dedicated. To a level no one had been before.

Then he had this season, and it brings to mind the fact that even though Armstrong is extremely athletic, the thing he has been even more is super-humanly lucky. And perhaps many of the people at the top aren’t there because of skill, but because of luck. It’s not something people like to hear. But it does explain all the equally (or more) competent people at the bottom.

Sunstroke 5k #6 – 2010

Running

Woot! Shaved a minute off this time. Which is fantastic because it was HOT! Plus there were a bunch of people unloading boats and a car driving on the trail as I was coming into the finish line so I couldn’t push it. That was a weird race.

But Stella ran a lot that day. And she’s fast. Not as fast as me yet, but I think her grandmother was a little shocked to see her a couple feet behind her at the finish line.

Race Time Min/Mile
2 26:45 8:34
6 26:44 8:34

Round Rock Freeloadin’

Public Transportation

So according to this story, Round Rock has developed an express bus service. But not any express bus service, this one takes riders from downtown Round Rock to the CapMetro park and ride facility at Tech Ridge.

For those not in the know. Round Rock has declined to be part of Capital Metro. This is why they don’t have bus service in Round Rock.

So rather than have an express ride into downtown Austin you get an express ride to pickup another express bus almost completely subsidized by Austin citizens!

They’re also talking about building rail to take their residents from downtown Round Rock to one of the Red Line stops. In other words, they get public transportation for their citizens almost completely subsidized by the citizens of neighboring cities!

This would be less obnoxious if Round Rock wasn’t ridiculously rich thanks to the tax receipts it collects for every Dell Computer sold in the state of Texas.

We don’t need a border wall in the valley. We need one along Howard and McNiel.

No. But I am.

Stella

Last night Stella, Etta, and I were eating at McDonalds. It was the one with the playground on Riverside. We’d driven the extra 5 minutes since the McDonalds around the corner from us doesn’t have a playground.

As we were eating we were having a nice conversation. Then out of the blue Stella asked, “Dad, am I dumb?”. She had the most pathetic look on her face. Immediately all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. “Who said that?” I asked. She looked at me puzzled. I thought about the fact that we’re trying not to just tell Stella she’s smart, but praise her for the things she’s actually done. Had this backfired? Did we go too far? Had we destroyed her self-confidence? Had some kid been calling her dumb because of her clothes? Did we not bathe her enough? Was it because we didn’t let her watch princess movies?

“Dad,” she asked again, “am I done?

Done.

Done. Not Dumb. Done.

“Yes Stella, you’re done. You can go play.”