Monthly Archives: May 2008

(Community Matters) Partisanship aside, doesn’t this here say it all? Isn’t this what we’ve been waiting for?

photo: NYTimes

by the way, I think there are plenty of white people

(Community Matters) Pull-up-the-rope-behind-himself, Attorney General Abbott should release information on the number of complaints and against whom, not just information on those voter fraud cases prosecuted. To not do so unnecessarily creates suspicion of partisanship which his already delicate reputation can hardly withstand. here

(Community Matters) Princeton Professor Larry Bartels writes about his and others’ research showing that both Republican and Democratic legislators are “utterly unresponsive” to the opinions of the American poor and considers this civic inequality a real threat to democracy. here

(Community Matters) Words of wisdom from Sand Hill Road:

Sequoia Capital’s Mike Moritz said he’s learned as an investor to listen carefully to entrepreneurs and only look at the facts, casting aside prejudice and opinion. “That stuff will preclude you in making a new investment in a new area that hasn’t hit the radar screen yet or is preposterous to other people,” he said.

John Doerr notes Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers trys to watch its language by eliminating the word “deal” from meetings with entrepreneurs. “If you’re an entrepreneur, do you want to walk into someone’s venture capital shop and be known as a “deal?” he said.

(Community Matters) Ever wondered where those cool Obama images came from? here

(Community Matters) Laura Sandefer & Frances Bennett know how to chair a gala. Add a few friendly host committee members: Christine Andersson, Amy Griffin, Greg Marchbanks, Steven Tomlinson & Susan Walker who also have tons of friends and appoint a blue ribbon auction committee who with Ken Stein (Paramount/State ED) playing auctioneer bring in over $180,000 in the live auction alone (with probably 600 items stretching a full city block twice) and find a hot Rhodes Scholar as the evening’s entertainment.

Last night’s Paramount/State Theatre Gala (92nd and 72nd respectively) was more than sold out. A full block of tents on Congress for the silent auction and another block for the sit down dinner – each following the Paramount performance of Kris Kristofferson.

Our guests were Amy & Kirk Rudy, Amy Evarhart & Ian Davis and Glenda & Matthew Hinsley.

Kris Kristoffferson

Idgy Vaughn

Laura Sandefer, Deborah Dobbs & Jeff Sandefer

Pete Winstead, Kirk Rudy, Ian Davis, Amy Evarhart

Kevin Mooney, Kevin’s sister & Jaston Williams
(Kevin & Jaston were recently married in Vancouver)

Matthew & Glenda Hinsley (Matthew is an extraordinary
classical guitarist and runs the Austin Classical Guitar Society)

Michael Barnes, Dennis Karbach & Robert Brown

Nona Niland, Carmen Tawil and Kim Murray

Ian Davis, Amy Evarhart & Amy Rudy
Ian & Amy are the currently hottest political couple in town. Ian featured
in the WSJ for providing Obama’s campaign with 20,000 volunteer names when
the campaign landed in Texas. Plus organized the first Auditorium Shores rally
& the Obama bookclub. Amy is equally as engaged in running campaigns.
She’s currently with Sierra Club

Staley & Jack Gray

Jennifer Vickers & Lee Walker

Art Houses’s 5×7 event was also underway on Congress Ave.

(Community Matters) Wow, lots of folks talk about it; few actually do it – leave a well-paying, established job to pursue a dream. In this case, writing. I can’t recall if it was first fiction, know it wasn’t poetry (though we all got unexpectedly excited reading his poems the second or third semester) and turns out the most compelling genre is playwrighting. Last night, friends celebrated Michael Mitchell’s graduation from UT playwrighting program.

Regret that we weren’t able to join Melissa Henderson, Drew Valcourt, Milinda Mitchell, Robert Torian, Stacey & Ryan, Carolyn Henderson, Larry Don Shaw, Janet Maykus, Mark Smith and Tana & Joe Christie to celebrate MM last night.

Discussions underway about producing his play, Highway Home, this fall!

(Community Matters) So, in between opening act and Kris Kristofferson, a live auction. It just closed after raising $180,000. On top of the $200k raised in sponsorships and tables – before the huge silent auction – it’ll be a big night. The headiness reminds me of the first Art Ball when everyone tripping over themselves to outbid for Susan Dell’s dress. posted from my Blackberry.

(Community Matters) I don’t understand what’s going on here but it’s interesting to watch.

(Community Matters) Pressure to wear the pin – not unlike to wear the ribbon.

(Community Matters) Attended Barbara Chisholm’s performance of When Something Wonderful Ends last night at the Rude Mechs‘ Off Center. Playwright Sherry Kramer and director Katie Pearl both in attendance – hmm, think they were even still both taking notes.

The play is obviously autobiographical – though to what extent I haven’t yet discussed with Sherry. She superimposes amusing Barbie-laden & touching family memories with questions about US involvement in the Middle East, especially Iran in the 20th Century and Iraq today.

Barbara gives an impressive one woman performance, a 90-minute monologue; It’s a single character piece. I was awed by her retention and then I learned she also self-produced (with support and co-production from the Rudes). Can’t imagine how one manages 1,000,001 logistics and 90 minutes of lines.

Sherry hosted an after party at the fun abode, Reagan Gammon’s cool guest house, she’s leased while a visiting professor at UT.

Sherry Kramer and filmmaker Paul Stekler

Katie Pearl & Barbara Chisholm

Katie, Michael Mitchell & UT playwriting student, Kyle John Schmidt

Barbara & hubby/theater critic/actor Robert Fairies

Robert is working on a promising new project which I think would be okay to mention but I better check first. Lots of other friends, theater folks, Michener scholars and UT theatre students at the party – including Carrie Fountain who marries another Rude, Kirk Lynn, next weekend. Kirk, Katie’s beau (playwright Steve Moore) and friends canoeing the Brazos this weekend as a bachelor party celebration.

Lynn McKee, Robert Torian and I snuck out near midnight, leaving MM still going strong.

(Community Matters) Very important endorsements – Bill Donaldson, Arthur Levitt, and David Ruder, three former Chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission who were appointed by Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, respectively – have all endorsed Senator Obama for President. posted from my Blackberry. Please forgive typos. Tiny little keys