Scary Carrie

Proof of my massive naivete is that I used to think people who sang about wanting fast cars, cash, and lots of women were mostly being ironic- because wasn't it obvious those things didn't buy happiness? Turns out, no. No it's not, and there's a lot of people out there who are hollowed out, devoid of true desire and curiosity, desperate for enough money to go on a shopping spree so they can feel ensouled. They are like grackles who just want a shiny thing, and if you spend enough time with them you realize this core motivation has infected every part of their decision making apparatus.

@Bowtiedplayer It’s unaffordable, can be dangerous, twisted from the original intent to showcase musical talent from all around to some tech groupie crap that the original attendees don’t care about. It has been paved over. Just like Austin.

You don't hear as much about Austin's SXSW anymore. It was a lot of fun in the 2010s. Now apparently it's just 1 week instead of 2 and it's just kind of...there. I went on their website and it looks dated. Very millennial. Very 2015. Hasn't kept up with the times.

@WalkerATX @KUTnathan Funny. I just did street view from 2009 to remind myself we don’t have to live this way.

It's 2009 and you are creeping on the hike and bike trail in Austin.

It’s official voting day on Texas so if you haven’t yet, go out there and vote your values.

@erosbrousson Wait until you meet our grackles

I THOUGHT MEGA CHURCHES WERE THE CULT . I WAS WRONG . IT’S H-E-B 🍦🏪

I'll teach you how to turn a human being into a NPC. It's easy: Just take a child and teach them they don't exist. The child is constantly asking for attention. "Look. Hear this. See. Touch me," but what they're really doing is asking, "Am I real? Do I exist? And what are the contours and boundaries of my existence?" All you have to do is ignore them and they'll never learn they're real. You see it everywhere if you're looking for it: Glassy-eyed, unmoving children who no longer look, touch, explore, feel, collapsed inward, a ghost in their own body - chaperoned by equally glassy-eyed adults who have long forgotten the boundaries of self. NPCs creating NPCs. A universe of deadened machines.

What a fantastic author. ❤️

Some very good weekends, I’m more than happy to comply with the weather and just stay home and bake wonderful things.

There’s something meditative about cooking. Magic, too. You want a dish, you cook the dish.

I love it when I tell my kid “brownies downstairs” that I made and she gets so excited Nothing like that feeling

The Landeszeughaus in Graz holds one of the most impressive sets of full barding (horse armor) in history. The entire body is covered in plates, rigid and articulated ones.

Homemade brownies Blink and they disappear 😄

I never thought I’d enjoy anything as much as I enjoy feeding my family with something I made myself. To see them go get seconds is such an inexhaustible delight.

So this is why lower income people can’t own a house, especially in a large city. If the tax doesn’t bury them, the repairs will. The person must have a level head and reserve savings to make it through the “house poor” period that lasts 5-10 years after buying a house.

I rented all my adult life and capped it off with a house rental to see how it was in a house instead of an apartment or duplex. I learned about some of the things houses often need, at lesser risk to me because I wasn’t the owner.

I hear all this about younger people not being able to afford a house until 40. I was 45 when I was able to, and only with a housemate in addition to my family. Buying a house later is probably not a bad thing because by then you’re experienced in living and budgeting.

@_AustinAdvocate It’s like none of them understand how to run a city.

🚩BREAKING: The amended budget is out and is not a reflection of the defeat of Prop Q last week. City manager has proposed cuts to FIRE, EMS, PARKS while INCREASING funding to Homeless Service Office. Other items to note: 1. No change to a bloated $25m animal services budget 2. There is another $30m in bloated social service contracts to eliminate 3. Increasing staff for Homeless service office Here are the dates to be engaged: • Friday, November 7th – City Manager releases an updated proposed budget. • Thursday, November 13th – We will post for a budget work session. • Tuesday, November 18th – We will have a budget briefing/work session as part of the already scheduled work session. • Thursday, November 20th – We will post for potential adoption of the new budget.

Behold this glorious beast of a freezer