Puppy and Kitty

As you may or may not know, Tania and I have nicknames for each other:  Puppy (me) and Kitty (Tania).  There are many cute (and probably annoying) reasons why we call each other these names, but the most basic reason is that each of us have similar characteristics to the animal that describes us.  And what are those characteristics?  Instead of spouting adjectives and verbs, take a look at this, which perfectly describes who we are, and how different we are about certain mindsets.

The Dog's Diary

  8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
  9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
  9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
  1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
  3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
  5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
  7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
  8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary

Day 983 of My Captivity

    My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

    The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!

    There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

    Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

    I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...

Learn how to talk Austin-like

If you're going to hold conversations with folks and try not to always sound like the newbie, you're going to have to give into some quirky wording and pronounciations in order to fit in.  Doing so will require you to lose some pride and your own personal background, but trust us, it's worth it, because unless you use the following advice, you'll be shunned from becoming a true Austinite.

Guadalupe - pronounced Guad-a-loop - A street running N/S above the lake

The Drag - A strip of Guadalupe that connects ends of campus, comprised of a large amount of shops, restaurants, and trailers.

Burnet - pronounced Burn-it - A road running N/S that branches off from Lamar up around 45th st.

Manor - pronounced May-ner - A road running E/W that juts from campus across the 35 into the eastside

The Hill Country - The lush country side west of Austin. Head out on the 290/71W and enjoy great biking trails, wine vineyards, and cute German-influenced towns.

MoPac - Short for Missouri Pacific, the train line that runs along the 1 highway. Now the nickname for the 1 highway.

Town Lake - The river-looking body of water in the heart of downtown Austin, properly known as Lady Bird Lake.  The trail that runs along both edges of the lake offer a beautiful way to walk, run, or bike amongst the exercising Austinites.

SoCo - South Congress area, between Town Lake and Oltorf.  Great shopping, eating, and drinking.

Kolache - pronounced Ka-la-chee - An Eastern European influenced pastry with stuffings ranging from sausage, cheese, fruit, and various combinations of it all.

I'm sure there's much more than that, but those should get you going to sounding like a local real quick.

Are you going to be driving a car?

If so, here's what you need to know...

There are several specific things you need to do in order to register your car and to obtain a TX driver's license.  

Car Insurance - This is standard fare, so either contact your current insurance provider and switch the coverage to TX, or get a new policy from one of the friendly insurance companies that occupy commercial TV time just as much as the beer, car, or movie makers. 

Oh, and speaking of beer and driving, the BAC limit in TX is .08%, so be careful out there.  Here's the number of a taxi company that can pick you up real quick like.  Yellow Cab  (512) 452-9999


Vehicle Inspection - Before you can register your car, you need to get it inspected at an official location.  They're everywhere, including the neighborhood gas station, so it shouldn't be an issue in finding something close to your house.  There will be an official sign out front signifying that it's an official inspection spot.  Oh, and make sure you keep the paperwork they give you in a safe place because if it's folded, creased, or imperfect in any way, the DMV won't accept it. 


Registering your car - Must be done within 30 days of moving into the state.  You'll need to go to one of the government offices and wait in line for your number to be called like most DMV's across the country.  Here's what you'll need to bring with you:

• inspection certification
• proof of liability insurance
• the vehicle's odometer reading if it is less than 10 years old
• an original out-of-state title, proof of registration, proof of sales tax payment or current foreign/military ownership document
• completed Form 130-U
• the following fees:
  • registration fee
  • title application fee of $28 or $33, depending on the county
  • new resident tax of $90

Getting your TX drivers license - Must be done within 90 days of moving into the state.  There are specific offices that only focus on drivers' licenses, so the crowds get pretty big, so make sure you go with plenty of time on your hands.  Here are a couple Driver's License offices:

Austin South

4719 South Congress Avenue
AUSTIN, TX 78745-2302
(512) 444-5241 

North Lamar

6121 North Lamar
AUSTIN, TX 78752
(512) 424-2076

If you have a VALID out-of-state license in your possession, please bring it to the driver license office to surrender. The written and driving examinations will be waived, but you must still pass a vision exam.  

Goodbye Friend...A Story About Stu

When I was studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain, in the fall of 1999, my parents came to visit and observe all of the studying I was doing.  One night during their visit, we stumbled upon a Tex Mex bar that I had totally never been to before, and we got my dad drunk for the first time in years.  During that completely coherent conversation, we raised the topic of getting a new dog because our current yellow lab, Herkimer (aka Herkie), was getting old and probably wouldn't be around for too much longer.  Once the argument between the dog lover and the dog caretaker settled, we started talking about a name.  Since it had always been a running joke in our family that a baby named "Askim" would be funny (say it out loud to yourself), the dog lover who never drinks (or curses) blurted out, "I'm going be so sick and tired of people asking me what his name is, I'm going to say his name is Shut The Fuck Up And Stop Asking Me."  Me, the lover of random acronyms, figured that the shortened name for this unfortunately titled pup would be STFUASAM, which obviously wouldn't work, so we quickly shortened it to STUFAM.  After the drunken haze settled, we then realized that name wouldn't even work, so we shortened it to Stu.  Fast forward a year to me pulling up to my parent's driveway in Phoenix with a 3 month old yellow lab puppy, the dog lover is crying out of excitement and the dog caretaker has a scowl on her face that would burn a hole in the sun.  Fast forward again 9 years to today, and we are saying goodbye to the best friend a family could ever have.  Stu was pure love and affection, and added a joy to that household that could never be described.  Stu was a friend to the umpteenth degree, even to those who never wanted him around (who also raised him better than anyone could have, Thanks Ma).  Sadly, Stu is being put down this morning because a battle with cancer is making his body too difficult for his soul to maintain.  He'll be in a happier place later today, and we will be left here to reminisce on all the good times we had with him.  The pulling and yelping while on walks to Squaw Peak mountain.  The morning run to grab the paper.  The endless moments of unwarranted licks.  And the never ending love that we shared with him.  Thank you Stu for being the best member of our family that we could have ever wished to have.  Safe travels, and we love you.

Where should you live?

Even though Austin is on the smaller side of things (especially compared to our last city, LA), it has a ton of neighborhood options to choose from.  You can choose between yuppie downtown lofts/condos, college-town houses, quiet residential homes, and so on.  You can choose to live within walking distance to a ton of bars, restaurants, and shops, or you can nestle into a wooded area far from any popular commercial districts.  You can find almost any type of area, except for maybe beachfront or mountain terrain.

We initially focused our search on the 78704 South Congress (SoCo) area because we heard it was the up and coming social area.  And since we were going to rent for the first year while we became familiar with the city and decided where to buy, we wanted to be within walking distance to plenty of fun places to eat, drink, and be merry.  We jumped in a car and drove around SoCo and its surrounding areas, including Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek, and found plenty of houses that would do the trick.  We refreshed Craigslist pages every 5 minutes waiting for new places to pop up.  But it wasn't until we had a real estate agent drive us around Clarksville did we find the area that was right for us.  It provided quiet neighborhoods with spacious housing and a decent back yard, along with great restaurants, a grocery store (that has an amazing beer selection, btw), cafes and even a soda shop/drug store that was ripped right out of 1955 and serves the damn best burger and shake I've had in a long time.

So we chose Clarksville, but it may not be the right choice for you, so below is a quick recap of some neighborhoods that might tickle your fancy:

• SoCo (South Congress) - Sount of the river on Congress, you'll have the trendiest of neighborhoods on the block.  You'll be able to stumble to/from popular restaurants like Guerro's and trendy spots like the Hotel San Jose's pool.
• Downtown - Grab one of the trendy lofts while you can so you can stumble to and from the trendy bars downtown and on West 6th
• Hyde Park - Join the UT kids and get a decently sized house in a decently located neighborhood and enjoy a decently convenient commute to anything in the city
• Clarksville - Just a short drive/long walk to downtown, it's a quiet option that still has an old-school town feel with quaint options for shopping and eating
• Barton Creek - Apparently the new, fancy spot, it's a reach from any night life, but filled with beautiful homes and terrain.
• Travis Heights - Just east of SoCo, this is a quiet woodsy neighborhood  with only parks to walk to.  You do have easy access to the 35 and SoCo, and the houses are beautiful, so get in here if you can.
• South Lamar - The area most symbolizes what old Austin is like.  The north is known as yuppieville while the south is keeping it real.  There is plenty to do, eat and drink down here.
• The East Side - If you're looking for cheap land/housing and strong Hispanic influence, then hop over the 35 and get the prices low while you can.  There are pockets of social life, but more or less, it's the cheap housing that brings people over here.

That's just a quick look at the different areas to live in, so be sure to talk to your friends and Realtors about other possible options.  No matter what though, look at them all because you're bound to fall in love with one of them.

 

We may not be from here, but...

We'll be using this space to teach people little lessons we've learned since moving to Austin.  There's a lot to talk about because even though things are much bigger here in Texas, there are a lot of those little things you'll need to know.  So, let's start with something that's not necessarily a lesson, but instead a bumper sticker that caught our eye, and made us feel right at home.  

A Memorial Day Surprise

So Tania and I have been back in the States for two months now, and we've filled our time with family, friends, memories, and planning for the next phase in our life together.  We've spent countless hours with our 14 month old nephew Ian and seen him start walking and almost start talking, all the while seen his personality blossom into the most unbelievable little boy around.  We've visited our friends in LA for a bachelor party (Matt DeVille's), to visit friends, to dance our asses off at Coachella, and to celebrate our friends Luke and Thu at their wedding in San Diego.  We joined thousands of people down at the state capital to protest the SB 1070 law.  We've climbed 6 of the 7 summits in Phoenix (your ours next time South Mountain!).  We rooted on the Suns as they beat the Spurs and fought hard but eventually losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.  We've eaten at amazing restaurants and visited beautiful parks like the Botanical Gardens.  And we've spent as much time with the Palumbos as possible knowing that we'd be moving on to the east with the Shershins soon enough.

Our last weekend in Arizona was spent with Tony, Anna Marie, Scott, Emily, Ian, and plenty of family friends playing golf, poker, Scattergories, and barbecuing together in the incredibly gorgeous setting of Forest Highlands.  It was the perfect way to spend quality time with Craig's family before heading onto a fun cross-country trip starting the Tuesday after Memorial Day. 

All in all, the two months after we got back from Asia were filled with family and friends, allowing us to ease back into the pace that only this country can provide.  And we were reminded of all the reasons we love this country so.  But one story from this weekend reminded us of our time in Vietnam, and of why we all get a day off during this national holiday of Memorial Day.

Today, I played the first 9 holes at the Canyon course of Forest Highlands just with my father, Tony, and his brother Mike.  After 9, Mike walked back to his house and a member of the group behind us asked to join Tony and me in our 2some.  Of course we accepted and he tee'd off with us at 10 while introducing ourselves.  When he heard our last name, he asked whether we were related to the kicker from Notre Dame 10 or so years ago.  When we told him Scott was indeed our brother/son and that Ton had attended ND law school, conversation progressed to uncover that both this new member of our group, John, and Tony had been in Vinh Long, Vietnam, in 1969.  Then after much more astonishing discussion about this coincidence, they realized that John's company was moving into the same floor of Tony's building on Central Blvd in Phoenix.  This definition of "it's a small world" blew us away along with the cloudless and windless skies above the Canyon course, a site to be seen by itself.  Yet with this random occurrence happening in the middle of our round together, it was a story to be told as soon as we got off the course.

Any way, this memory of taking Tony back to Vinh Long for the first time since he was there 40 years ago reminded us not only of the incredible time we had with him and my mother there, but of how small of a world it is that we live.  We're grateful of the service they provided, ironically on this Memorial Day weekend, and grateful of the ability we have to relate to the land in which they served so long ago. 

Thought you'd want to hear that story.  We're off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow, then onto the cross-country trip on Tuesday.  Check-in with you soon.