Other: January 2010 Archives

Rarely at a loss for ideas, there are times I must wait for inspiration to hit. Yesterday, I was struck, quite literally. First came the screech, followed by that split second when my brain registered that the sound came from the car behind me. Then my brain’s near-instant command to hit my brakes. Then, the sound I dreaded. Thud. My airbag did not deploy—we were going too slowly for that. Sensing damage would be minimal I shifted from that scared the crap out of me to feeling annoyed. I did not want to waste time on an otherwise glorious day calling the cops, taking the other driver’s information, and beginning an unwanted relationship with her insurance company. I walked back and asked the driver— a pretty young twentysomething blonde thing -- “Were you on your cell phone?” more ›

This past weekend, I managed to deeply offend a woman I’d met just the day before. The initial meeting went well—we were at a conference that encompassed all facets of a shared passion. Day two, when we bumped into each other again, she mentioned she was from New Jersey, which is where I spent my first eighteen years before escaping as fast and far as I could. As I recall the conversation of great offense, I see now I was talking out of both sides of my mouth, concurring with her that the state holds some real natural beauty (it does) but not making any secret out of my overall disdain for the place. Based on her response—which was swift, angry, and conversation stopping—I’m going to say that to her ears, I said one thing and one thing only: “New Jersey is a shithole.” Never mind that I didn’t actually ever say the word “shithole.” I could tell that whatever professional relationship we might’ve formed was gone in an instant. more ›

Your iPhone can help you find a local restaurant or bar, so why can't it let you pay your tab at the end of the night? Local software firm ATX Innovation proves that it can with TabbedOut. more ›

'Okay, Wendy, you've rehearsed this. You are Sam. Sam Johnson. Samantha. You're here to learn the fine art of picking up women. You're curious. You're a fan. You saw him on YouTube.' I was limping to the Driskill in the rain giving myself a pep talk. My broken foot and frizzy hair were throwing a wrench in my feigned persona. I'd signed up online for Adam Lyons' Free Pick-Up Artist Boot Camp online, and I had figured I'd use a gender-neutral name and make up my story later. But it was crunch time. The doorman gave me directions to the room without even asking for a secret handshake. more ›

Some of Austin's leaders in the high-tech community take the stage tonight for a series of rapid-fire presentations as part of the initial Ignite Austin event. more ›

This coming weekend, whether you have Monday off or not, consider spending some time serving the community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. This year, the United Way Capital Area's volunteer action program, Hands On Central Texas, has coordinated with local non-profits, parks, and schools to provide service opportunities for Saturday, January 16th. Prospective do-gooders can review and select projects from a list that includes park beautification projects, school garden clean ups, landscape restoration at the French Legation Museum, and remodeling a garage at Out Youth to transform it into a library space. Nationwide volunteer opportunities can be found at MLKDay.gov and include Central Texas projects taking place on Saturday and Monday. Volunteers who need a more flexible schedule, or better yet, are looking for longer-term opportunities can learn about area non-profits at I Live Here I Give Here and browse ongoing projects from Hand On Central Texas. more ›

Last month, my young hot domestic partner, Warren, took me to France. Part of the deal was this: he would pay for my plane ticket if I would promise him one thing—I would not attempt to speak Spanish to the natives. To Warren’s chagrin as well as the ongoing disdain and mortification of my son, I am in the habit of attempting Spanish, a language I admittedly don’t really speak, at any opportunity. Warren knew that, given my French is even worse than my Spanish (to the point it is entirely non-existent), I would try to communicate with foreigners with the only foreign language I pretend to understand, and the results would be disastrous. And it went without saying, (or so he thought), that under no circumstances would I utter more than a simple bon jour, au revoir, or merci in actual French. Behind Warren’s back, I acquired an audiobook that promised to teach me all the French I’d need to know to get by on my vacation and that this program would take a mere 57 minutes. A similar claim had been made by another language audiobook I once attempted to get through—this one assuring me that, also in less than an hour, I could master Hebrew. That time around, realizing it takes about 300 syllables to count to ten, and that these syllables involve a sound that results in lots of inadvertent spitting, I quit trying to learn because my interior windshield was so spittle-smeared I could not see enough to safely drive. I had a choice then—learn Hebrew or literally risk die trying. more ›

After being tackled on Texas' fifth play of last night's national championship game, quarterback Colt McCoy signaled to the sidelines that he needed to come out as his right arm dangled at his side. That motion was the equivalent of a boxer's trainers throwing in the towel. Less than five minutes into the first quarter and the contest was effectively over. more ›

Although the holiday season has passed, L Style G Style would like to remind you that it's nice to give all year round. Which is why the magazine is donating a portion of the proceeds from its January/February issue launch party to AIDS Services of Austin and the Capital Area Food Bank. They also invite you to bring in canned foods to benefit ASA's Helping Hands Food Bank. more ›

Each week, we'll look at some reasons to taunt, belittle, and bully the Longhorns' football opponent. This week it's for the national championship: the Alabama Crimson Tide. more ›

The iPhone app of 2010 is like the website of the late 1990s: every entity worth its salt has one. As of today, count the University of Texas among those joining the iPhone app ranks. more ›