About AIDS
The next large social gathering for The OZ Parties will be on Saturday, May 15, from 3pm to 9pm in the wooded grove behind 2507 Mitchell Lane. This BYOB outdoor cookout event is for both single and attached HIV-positive people. Overnight camping is available for those who are interested — bring your own sleeping bag!…
Rock Around the Biological Clock
Sara Hickman, 36, first established herself as a singer-songwriter in Dallas before moving to Austin in the early Nineties. Her increasingly more frequent gigs please her myriad fans, passionate about Hickman’s thoughtful, pop- and rock-edged compositions. It was sweetly characteristic of her current priorities when Hickman asked if she could call back later, after her…
Coach’s Corner
After a 16-day so-journ to Italy, two ultra-Americanized Americans are uncertain how to assess their first overseas foray. Let’s see, I was cleanly stripped, within seconds upon arrival in Rome, of all cash and credit cards by a gypsy woman holding a fake baby. We set out one day on what everyone told us would…
Sitting in Limbo
Councilmember Willie Lewis’ office is preparing to bring forth the city’s first-ever Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), a Smart Growth-ish incentive tool passed by the council last year to encourage innovation in high-density developments. Lewis aide Dwight Burns said the negotiations for the TND, with a local developer to be named possibly next week, are going…
Day Trips
Great Texas Train Race pits bicyclists of all skill levels against the steam power of the Texas State Railroad, May 8. 903/597-8800. Texas 100 Invitational Art Show in Salado’s Pace Park features some of Texas’ best artists showing traditional and contemporary works in a variety of media, May 8-9. 254/947-5040. Cowboy Songs and Poetry brings…
The Ruling Party
Who was seen on election night socializing happily with young Republican extraordinaire Todd Baxter one minute and El Concilio activist Gavino Fernandez the next? That would be Chad Crow, who, even as the vote tallies rolled in signaling his defeat by Daryl Slusher, worked the room on behalf of the power coalition he hopes to…
Page Two
Not voting can be a form of voting. It can be a comment that the voter thinks the front-runners are going to win and that’s OK. Maybe they think the front-runners are going to win, but if they’re beaten, there’s no problem. Not voting can also indicate anything from outright apathy to ignorance. Some of…
That Figures
For this electoral go-round, the Chronicle number crunching team decided to focus on two variables: turnout, and the average margin of victory per box for the winning candidate. Here’s what we found: TURNOUT MAP The red boxes represent the higher turnouts, gray represents below average. Clearly, the Turnout Fairy was working west of Lamar Boulevard,…
Public Notice
One of the many works of the Children’s Photographic Collective Master of Your Domain Hey, Wanker! How’s it hangin’? Boy, were we titillated — as we’re sure you’re about to be — to learn that there is a National Masturbation Day. Don’t take that Maypole down just yet, ‘cuz the celebration gets off the ground…
Elementary Rights
According to Rolando Pi�a, president of GENA and longtime neighborhood activist, the group’s efforts are finally generating enough heat to warm the glacial pace of government bureaucracy. Both Sen. Phil Gramm and Rep. Lloyd Doggett have written to the INS voicing their concerns over the issue. Doggett has even gone so far as to ask…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Actor Karl Malden has found a way to say “Sekulavich ” (his real last name) in nearly every movie in which he’s appeared. In 1965, the “Fun With Dick and Jane” series again made history with the first multi-ethnic reader. Author Scott Foresman introduced characters Mike, Pam, and Penny, an African-American family who lived next…
On The Lege
Like the billboard says, “What part of ‘Thou shalt not …’ didn’t you understand?” It’s a question we can ask the House of Representatives as they prepare to consider the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (TRFRA), passed by the Senate back in March. The bill, authored by Sen. David Sibley (R-Waco), is a Lone Star…
Kids Review Restaurants
Months ago, when talk of a “kids’ issue” circulated among the Chronicle staff, I knew I wanted some kids to review their favorite restaurants, to share the inside story on kid-friendly joints with their peers. I wasn’t deterred by the fact that only one member of the Chronicle food staff has any actual children (and…
Naked City
Warning! The terrazzo floor map in the baggage claim area of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is not intended as a guide to visitors bent on negotiating the streets of downtown. The reason? Most of the street names are misspelled — some intentionally, and some, well, those were honest bloopers. “We wanted to stay true to…
Food-o-File
Now that the swing and cocktail eras are back in vogue, you may do all your shopping for those college graduates and brides-to-be at Reuben’s Emporium (11637 Research, 345-2866), the impressive flagship store of the large local wine and spirits retailer. Browse some of the attractive shopping areas: a gifts and glassware room with leather-bound…
King of the Hillbillies
Jesco White in Dancing Outlaw There’s something oxymoronic about a documentary subject crossing over to Hollywood — as in being asked to guest star on Roseanne. So no one was more surprised than West Virginia filmmaker Jacob Young when Tom Arnold called to talk about bringing Jesco White, the white trash, Elvis-impersonating, clogging star of…
Pizza-Based Life Forms
What on earth was I thinking?”Sure,” I said, “Sure Virginia, I’ll take Michael and Zack to GattiTown again. And I’ll take ’em to a few other of those type of pizza/arcade joints to do a ‘play & compare’ survey.” It will be fun. What was I thinking? Overstimulation? Hah! Nothing new to these kids!Best friends…
Scanlines
D: Griffin Dunne (1998) with Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Quinn, Chloe Webb. Preview trailers had most audiences thinking they were about to see a witchy woman film. In a sense, this film is that, but it’s a lot of other things too. For one, it’s a jumbled mess. Which is…
Articulations
Whenever the words Austinite and Sundance appear together in print, you can bank on the subject having to do with film, right? Sorry, no. Local residents and the famous artistic institute also enjoy a connection through the stage, and it’s being reinforced again this summer with the selection of Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre artistic director Vicky…
One Dish, Two Dish, Red Dish, Blue Dish
The Chronicle Kid Food Squad in Mystery Diner Mode. photograph by John Anderson Tien Hong 8301 Burnet, 458-2263 Dim Sum: Sat & Sun, 11am-2:30pm My earliest memory of Dim Sum is sponge cake. I remember sitting at our restaurant’s big round table with the Lazy Susan, or spinning plate, sitting in the middle and being…
Short Cuts
This week’s episode of the Independent Film Channel show Split Screen hosted by John Pierson features a segment produced and directed by Austin filmmaker Tommy Pallotta (“Roadhead”) and Texas ex George Ratliff (Plutonium Circus). The segment is devoted to the filmmakers’ chat with Seth Warshavsky, Seattle’s CEO of the Internet Entertainment Group, which was responsible…
Exhibitionism
The Vortex (formerly Planet Theatre), through May 8 Running Time: 2 hrs, 30 min If you’ve never read a column or story or review by Chronicle Arts editor Robert Faires, then, for one thing, one wonders how you strayed into this section of the paper. But if you have read any of his writings, you…
Pizza Quest
Michael and Zack photograph by John Anderson This is one for the kids. Being a kid, I know that kids (including myself) like pizza and video games. And so, for the sake of fun and writing an article, me and my friend Michael set out for three restaurants where the main thing that they made…
All Grown Up
Images of Mom range from the saintly Madonna figure to the on-the-go career mom juggling the demands of work and kids. Some of my most lasting lessons learned from mom were in the kitchen. So I was tickled when the Food Network (cable channel 67) was offering up a Mother’s Day lineup called “Sweet on…
Performing in the Moment
Diana Prechter and Mike Arnold Maybe you were there that time when darkness came so quick. And I reached again inside it and found everything that was hidden there. And I found you that time. Remember? –Bill Jeffers It was just another sunny afternoon in downtown Austin, but this particular afternoon was different for the…
Breaking News
Considering the importance of video arcade entertainment to young consumers, we felt it was important to include this news item with the reviews of local pizza/entertainment operations. In response to the recent tragedy in Colorado, Mr. Gatti’s made a corporate decision to remove all video games depicting the shooting and killing of human beings from…
Camp Concentration
illustration by Jason Stout Picture the scene: The beautiful Catskill Mountains rolling into the distance resplendent with thick green succulent foliage as far as the eye could see. A cool breeze and the bright June sunshine combining in such perfect harmony that shorts and a T-shirt are the only clothes necessary. One hundred or so…
Mothers Who Think: Tales of Real-Life Parenthood
Edited by Camille Peri and Kate Moses Random House, $22.95 hard Right this moment, right close by, mothers are … cuddling, coaxing, listening, laughing, starving themselves in protest, hiding, sleeping, waking up to crying, crying, rocking, yelling, leaving, calling, feeding, changing, working, teaching, learning, hoping, mourning. And writing. Starting two years ago, some of their…
Mighty Conan’s
One night, my mom and I were driving home from fun on the the Drag and we saw a sign for Conan’s. It said 25� per game, so we decided to check it out. We drove up and went inside. I was amazed at how cool the games are for a regular restaurant. Conan’s has…
Kids’ Summer Fun Guide
ART FUN CAMP Who is Art Fun? Find out at this great camp. Kids learn all about painting, drawing, sculpting, and cartooning in a fun and festive atmosphere. The four-day camps meet for three hours each day; snacks and supplies included in tuition. Sessions held in northwest Austin Jun 7-10, Jun 14-17, and Jun 21-24.…
Off The Bookshelf
The True Story of Two Friends Separated (For a Year) by an Ocean by Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery Vintage, $11 paper This delightful book contains the correspondence of college roommates and best friends Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery, during the year Kate and her newlywed husband Dave spent in Kenya with the Peace Corps.…
Dancing About Architecture
Things are going great guns for Dav�d Garza these days, thanks in no small part to the Best Buy “Find ’em First” ad campaign, which also includes Mary Cutrufello, Kelly Willis, and others, and for which Garza was chosen to lead the charge. Currently touring solo as part of an MTV-sponsored tour with Sugar Ray…
Austin Parks and Recreation
The Austin PARD offers a wide range of activities, programs, and summer camps for area youth at their various recreation center locations. Programs include youth classes in gymnastics, tennis, swimming, youth basketball leagues, martial arts, and much more. This is where it’s all at this summer. Please call your neighborhood center for information about their…
Postscripts
Friday, May 7: UT Press’ annual book sale, I-35 and Manor. 10am-6pm Booksigning with Chuck Meyer, author of Twelve Smooth Stones, at Book People. 7pm Reception for Young Texas Writers & Teddy Children’s Book Awards at Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, 1120 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. 5:30pm Saturday, May 8: UT Press’ annual book sale,…
Live Shots
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 24-May 2 R.L.Burnside at La Zona Rosa May 2 photograph by John Carrico You will be pardoned if you felt a little numb. It’s a long damn haul, after all, this yearly patch of excess known as Jazz Fest — an 11-stage, seven-day, 500-band Louisiana par-tay that mounts a full-bore assault…
Oil’s Well That Ends Well
Chocolate Lizards: A Novel by Cole Thompson St. Martin’s Press, $23 hard The mythos of the braggadocious Texas oil man resonates from Odessa to London and from Australia to Japan. The world that spawned that mythos provides the backdrop for Cole Thompson’s first novel, Chocolate Lizards, a big-hearted, fun-loving romp. Into this world of roughnecks…
Mothers of Invention
Annie Melvin (l) with Gus and Exene, and Julia Austin with Noah and Eryl photograph by John Carrico To some dime-store pundits, successfully marrying the rock & roll lifestyle with traditional motherhood is a diametric proposition right up there with Johnny Rotten and Debbie Boone shacking up. After all, isn’t rock & roll supposed to…
