What sound does the peacock make?

Austin Zoo Entrance So, two Novembers ago, I was down in Texas for Thanksgiving. Craig, my SIL Kris and their then-onliest-child Sydney and I went to the Austin Zoo. Now, bear in mind, I was accustomed to the Washington, D.C. zoo, and the Bronx Zoo. They were enormous metropolitan monstrosities with attendance to match, particularly…

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Home again, home again

Better than one At left, the latest in the continuing selection of "Two Heads Together" photos. This is what happens: SXSW is such a huge, overwhelming event with so much going on at all hours that the idea of blogging it is just insane. Some people appear to have more than 24 hours in a…

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Thanks and giving, and giving, and giving….

Chef Combo First, there were nachos and cheese and crackers. Then there was ham and turkey breast and stuffing and corn (with a whole stick of butter!) and gravy and cranberry and pickles and rolls and mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and I think that's the whole schmear but I could have forgotten something.…

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NYC – Austin, 5:35 flight

Brokeback celeb, first class w/ iPod. I'm Not There, I'm Here Post Flight Update: In case you're wondering who you should be looking at, it's the blond dude with the little pony tail in first class. Only person in first class. The flight attendant came over to my seat later (the one next to me…

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Brush with airborne greatness

Made it home. House intact. Losses: One Tupperware container, easily replaced. I am the Queen of Packing, I have to say: In one medium-sized rolly cart, one smallish backpack and a handled-paper sack I managed to transport all of my clothes and living materials for five days, plus a sleeping bag and sleeping bag pad,…

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Hand to hand combat

On the one hand …. Stubb's was closed. On the other …. Rudy's was not. So…. I had ribs. Yay! Burp! On the one hand … I dreamed about a young Michael Caine, and we made plans for a dinner date. On the other hand … He didn't make it into the real world, so,…

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The family way

Still trying to process much of the weekend. Still down in Austin. Are we done yet? For years I've heard of friends talk about their crazy families and how they drive them crazy even though they still (in theory) love one another, and how glad they are to get back home. I've always been sympathetic,…

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Deep inna heart of….

Well, after last night's airport debacle, I finally made it to Austin. At 1:30 in the morning. From a flight scheulded (originally) to leave at 6:55. The craziness went like this: 1) Huge unmoving line at Terminal 3 security. Why? We think — we think — two guys rushed the security gates. And they couldn't…

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So far away … yet so near

Stuck at Jfk … Delta blows! Update: A 6:45 pm flight to Austin boards … around 7. Sits on tarmac. Diesel spills everywhere. Cleanup crews with whirly orange lights are called. Cleanup begins. We de-board (never a good sign) around 7:30. We sit. And we sit. And we sit. And around 9:30, the news comes:…

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Over a barrel about pork

In honor of my impending trip back to Austin — twice in a month is some kind of record for me, of a visit to any state, much less Texas — I am taking up my good buddy and all over wise woman Lynda's request and writing a blog entry about something I like about…

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