Monthly Archives: July 2009

(Community Matters) Love that Kate and Pedro met in a bar in Spain, the summer before Pedro was moving to Austin. Even more that they met the summer she was visiting the Miro-Rivera clan in Madrid; I think Rosa’s mom was even with Kate when they met. I remember the summer and Lynn, Tommy, Rosa, Juan, Steven and I wishing we could all visit.

@ St. Teresa’s lighting a candle

Beautiful ceremony – including a full mass and a wonderful string ensemble.

the Four Season’s San Jacinto ballroom

The Four Seasons was transformed by David Kurio & Victoria Hentrich into a dark paneled den, luxurious club rooms, a magnificent ballroom and a foyer of deep-pile white carpet. Steven and I zipped over from the church to the reception, so most of my wide-eyed reception pics were even before others arrived.

a lounge are in the main ballroom

The bride and her attendants exquisite. Mother of the bride, simply wow. Tommy with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen – and big smiles are his usual way of being. Lots of friends and family from all over the world. Many Austinites in the middle of summers on a coast who flew back in for the wedding.

one of the bars in the main ballroom

Can’t remember the band’s name but they were excellent. It was great, three main spaces where you could mingle, and even though lots of guests, plenty of room including quiet.

first dance as a married couple

Kate & Pedro Andrade live in San Jose – she teaches elementary and he’s in treasury at Apple. Best wishes to the newlyweds.

(Community Matters) Another instance of police action against a gay couple for a pda – kissing on the cheek. This is ludicrous. Maybe, maybe, maybe somewhere where without a doubt a straight couple would be harassed for the same thing would it be okay to harass a same-sex couple for kissing publicly. Otherwise, get over it!

(Community Matters) Just read draft first act of Michael Mitchell’s new play. It’s intoxicatingly powerful. Congrats, MM

(Community Matters) Cover of this week’s Economist: America’s future: California v Texas

California ranked the worst state to do business in by Chief Executive; Texas ranked the best. Texas – small government, no state capital-gain or income tax, a business-friendly and immigrant-tolerant attitude. But, under investing in education resulting in a “lost generation” of mostly Hispanic Texans with insufficient skills for the demands of our economy. Both states have a lot to learn from each other. Never count CA out. story

(Community Matters) Well, the rhizome barrier is in place against the south and east boundaries of the back yard. I had no idea the root system would continue to live on once physically cut from the 3 ft wall of bamboo left in place as the south and east walls.

Well, they do live on, big time – continue to travel underground in search of new territory to colonize.

Dan holding up a rhizome he’s just dug up. It had sprouted a 3″ cane looking for sunlight

last week’s dug up rhizomes (roots)

In the courtyard, we have three different types of bamboo. Thank gosh those are “clumping variety.” In the back yard, it’s a running variety which always took a lot of time & energy to manage – especially during the spring and fall, thus our decision to create the barrier limiting the bamboo to a 3 foot wall.

Turns out, the rhizomes themselves are living organisms with stored energy. They’ve created a complex network just underground and will shoot up canes throughout the landscape hoping to gain energy from photosynthesis. It’s impractical to dig up the entire network of rhizomes in the back yard – it’s nearly 1/4 acre and will break our backs. Think we’ll go with the recommendation to simply cut new canes at ground level every couple of days – for at least a couple of seasons – until the rhizomes die out.

Figs coming in too, though the squirrels always beat me to them. hmm, I’d love to get rid of the squirrels. They also dug up all the poblanos.

(Community Matters) We’ve started a new blog for the Entrepreneurs Foundation – A New Office Space. Soon, it’ll feed into the Austin Entrepreneurs Network’s blog.

Office Space, a Mike Judge movie, is a tech community classic about the very worst corporate environment, very worst boss and some really messed up workers – the opposite of a successful corporate culture.

(Community Matters) Steven and I had a blast last night at Nancy Graves’ surprise birthday party. Can’t believe I forgot my camera. I’ve poached a picture ST posted off Nancy’s (uncompleted) Facebook site.

One of those rare surprise parties where they’re actually, honestly surprised – her hubbie, Keith’s attention to detail. We parked across 290 (they’re near Dripping Springs) and a friend ferried guests to their urban ranch. Folks roasted Nancy – Margaret Keys & Janine Sagert currently in San Miguel – sent their recorded comments via ST. Loved that the celebration included children of their friends, Max’s & Emma’s (their twin children) friends – who expressed their affections as well, most in poem. They and many friends in the community of Austin Waldorf School.

Hubby Keith is a successful graphic artist and musician. I knew he illustrated & wrote childrens books, just didn’t realize he also wrote novels. his site

(Community Matters) Not to be confused with the Entrepreneurs Foundation, the Entrepreneurs Organization is a peer group for entrepreneurs running businesses with at least $1mm in revenues. Thom Singer interviews Jeffrey Stukuls, CEO of Medwing. Jeffrey is chairing EO’s Accelerator program.

(Community Matters) Wow, I hadn’t planned to see Bruno until reading that some Far Right movie review site was asking local governments to seek court injunctions banning the movie.

Movieguide® has sent a letter asking local government officials throughout the U.S. to consider stopping the screening of the controversial movie “Brüno” starring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Movieguide® Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr announced today. In the letter, Movieguide® asks officials to get an injunction against screening the movie on Friday until officials can look at the movie and determine whether it should be banned because it does not fit the “community standards” in their area, as defined by U.S. Supreme Court rulings on obscenity and pornography. “This movie has been cut to get an R rating,” Dr. Baehr said, “but it still contains much pornographic, offensive content.” Among the “pornographic” content in the movie, according to Movieguide® and Dr. Baehr, are “extremely graphic” sex scenes, including depicted intercourse, depicted homosexual sodomy, a depicted orgy, and depicted oral sex (including anal licking); explicit shots, including extensive close-ups, of full male and female nudity; and, “obscene” language about sex acts. “The movie also contains scenes mocking Jews, African Americans and Christian evangelicals,” Dr. Baehr said.

It’s at the Alamo Drafthouse Village

(Community Matters) Having to endure an dinner while a GOP Senator placed his hand on David’s inner thigh the entire time

(Community Matters) A blogger in Alaska writes

On a hunch, I reviewed online lists of all the men and women who’ve been elected governor of their state since the year 1900. Pored over them for a few hours. Over 1200 politicians have taken that first-term oath of office. Some soon died in office. Many resigned to accept other positions in government, including Spiro Agnew who was “tapped” by Nixon after being the Governor of Maryland for about five minutes. On a handful of occasions, a first-termer was dragged off to the slammer or impeached. One was incapacitated by a nervous breakdown and one left just as impeachment came knocking on his door. So—how many out of over 1200 just up and quit before the end of their term?

Three: Jim McGreevy, Eliot Spitzer and Sarah Palin.

(Community Matters) Wow, she is the likely next Young Republican President?