6 posts tagged “qotd”
Who's the coolest culinary celebrity?
Julia Child, the mother of them all.
Why do you live where you live?
Submitted by memtony.
I am originally from San Francisco, CA. It is one of the best places for culture and climate,but there's a $300,000 premium on property to live there. And no place to park.
About fifteen years ago, I began looking for an alternative. I visited Denver, Boulder, Anchorage, Tucson, Flagstaff, Ashland, Portland, Seattle, Bellingham and Vancouver, BC, looking for a place with a good economy, moderate cost of living, a university, culture, restaurants, good people. I enjoyed my time in these places, but something was always amiss: too hot, too cold, too wet, or too many other disgruntled Californians had already planted their roots. I had one last hope: Austin, TX.
I have been hearing good things about Austin for years--mainly in terms of it being a great place to party and the SXSW music/film/interactive festival. But when I had my first look-see in 2004, I knew Austin was the place where I wanted to be. The "Keep Austin Weird" signs posted in locally owned businesses showed me that Austin is different from the rest of Texas. I knew I had found "my people" in this little spot of blue in the vast sea of red Bush country.
Austin proclaims to be the live music capital of the world. Per capita, the population is the most educated and computer literate; it boasts the highest book sales, and the largest number of restaurants (someone suggested to me, however, that that number would include fast food chains) in the country. One of the best places to eat and drink is the Alamo Drafthouse which offers full meal service while you watch feature films. I'm also impressed that Austin is home to the country's largest university, the Whole Foods store, Silk soy products, my favorite little band The Derailers, and everyone's favorite knitster Vickie Howell. There's several funky neighborhoods to explore with their unique assortment of cafes, vintage clothing stores, antiques, and tattoo shops. These neighborhoods are separate from the many "big box" stores along the highways of which there's a strong community resistance. If you saw Rollergirls on tv, you may have noted the vintage trailer parks within walking distance or a Metro ride to downtown (Matthew McConaughey' kicks back in his Airstream(s) at one of them when he's in town.) The landscape around Austin green with gentle rolling hills and you can find much to do outdoors around Town Lake and Lake Austin. Admittedly, Southcentral Texas is extremely hot most of the year, and I still dread the summer heat, but I'm glad I made the move. I'm just beginning to know this wonderful town.
If a waiter stopped by right now to take your order, what cocktail or drink are you having?
Ace or Wyder's pear cider. It's a girly drink but I'm always pleased with its refreshing flavor and the sweet-sour taste goes with just about any food.
What's a saying or phrase that's never made sense to you?
Beggars can't be choosers...especially when it's adopted as one's philosophy of life.
It's Graduation time. What superlatives would you give to your Vox neighbors?
Create. Explore. Make mistakes. Let your heart sing. Be kind. You're never done learning.
Which band or artist which is no longer performing or alive would you have loved to have seen?
Submitted by Rev Stan.
1. Beatles: I'm just old enough to remember their landmark appearance on Ed Sullivan. At 4 years of age, George was my cute one. Then later it would be Paul. But after seeing John and Yoko on the Mike Douglas show, John will forever be my favorite. He had a great wit and interesting perspective.
2. Queen/Freddy Mercury
3. Bette Midler in her gay bathhouse days: I remember her appearances on The Tonight Show and loved her style and talent. So vibrant and raunchy. The makeup trend at the time was very 1920s, and she shared that she shaved her eyebrows and then penciled them in to match her mood.
I spent a lot of my childhood in front of the tv. Still do.
....later thought: I should add The Nerves, my half-brother's pop band the mid-70s. The Nerves (Jack Lee, Peter Case and Paul Collins) were big in LA then Europe and were cohorts of Blondie and The Ramones (two more bands I should've seen). Listen to The Nerves tunes on myspace.
