From: keyser72@mac.com Subject: Date: April 21, 2005 3:53:51 PM CDT Hankblog

Monday, March 07, 2005

I love this town

Recently, I've come into contact with a blog called Mouse Words, done by another opinionated lefty Austinite (cause, you know, we've got no shortage of those here ;-)). Recently, she had up this post about why she loves Texas. A few thoughts of my own in conjunction with hers:

The word "y'all" and the phrase "fixin' ta". All other Americans suffer from the lack of these phrases and struggle to address groups of people or express the idea that something will happen in the indeterminate but decidedly near future.
I also like the flexibility of y'all (correct me if I'm wrong, but the plural is y'alls, no?). The only word I've come across in any other region that had the same kind of feel to it was when I was involved in the Virtual Baseball League, and was introduced to the largely northeastern term of "chooch", which is sort of a gentler version of "asshole" or "jackass" if I remember my etymology correctly. For the record, "cheech" is the plural, and "chmod" the feminine (short for "change mode").

Texans are better looking than everyone else. It's a proven, indisputable fact. Austin betters most of the state, 'cause we drink wheatgrass here, too.

Don't know about the wheatgrass part, but there is no doubt from my experience that Texan women are the most beautiful in the country that I've seen. I've been particularly blessed to know so many gorgeous women personally in my lifetime ;-).

Cowboy boots and cowboy hats. However, you have to live here a set amount of time before you can pull it off.
Sadly, I've lived here all 32+ years I've been alive, and doubt I could pull the cowboy hat thing off, though I may be giving it a shot in a couple of years, as there's a custom job I am thinking of getting for when I play poker. Pictures promised if that does happen.

Austin voted for Kerry.
Cause dammit, we got common sense here.

The city has a vibrant downtown that is easy to find, and is not spread out like Houston or confusing like Dallas/Ft. Worth.
This I have to object to slightly, as downtown Ft Worth I think has a lot to offer in the Sundance Square area, although it's not as good as Austin, and isn't the same since Caravan of Dreams was closed and turned into a restaurant.

Austin probably has the best music scene in the country and we have a burgeoning film geek scene that is a sight to behold.
Amen and hallelujah on both counts.

My own personal contributions on the excellence that is Austin above all other Texas cities:

There's nothing better after a night out drinking than stumbling into Katz's for some matzah ball soup, or a good reuben at 3am. And I gotta tell ya, Katz's never closes. Rather some pancakes or queso? Kerbey Lane has you covered. For that matter, so does Magnolia Cafe.

Alamo Drafthouse has to be the coolest movie theater concept EVER! I understand there's a close approximation in Ft Worth called The Tavern, but it can't possibly hold a candle to Alamo. Only in Austin could you suck down some beers while catching Bruce Campbell in all his Elvis like glory with Bubba Ho-Tep or take in a midnight screening downtown with the ridiculously campy Flesh for Frankenstein with the one and only Udo Keir there to introduce the film, take questions, and remind us once again that he was "born a vampire". Pretty sure he was already three sheets to the wind before things even started to boot.

Because you haven't really seen Greater Tuna until you've seen it at The Paramount Theater.

Because even if we've lost five in a row to the SOBs, OU STILL SUCKS!

Borrowing some lyrics from a song by a former Austin band called Hair of the Dog, who later became Pubcrawler. Lyrics may date the song a bit, but it still applies:
Dallas got them Cowboys Houston's got Hakeem Austin's got them vampires and that all night music scene And I love a Shiner longneck And I love a Sixth Street binge And sobering up at Kerbey Lane so we can do it all again...


God bless Austin, and God bless Texas. And for my non native friends out there, to borrow from Lyle Lovett, that's right, you're not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway.

Leave your favorite things about Texas and Austin in the comments.

posted by Hankblog @ 3/07/2005 02:20:00 PM   |