Astrology Home Buoy
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5/31
Phoenix (or Tempe or Mesa or Chandler or wherever the heck it was) is a strange
place. "Look, this guy must be a Texan," exclaimed my host, "Ostrich
Jerky." Now, I did spend several years in college in this area, so the
next comment, a little later in the day, didn't surprise me as much, I asked
why my host was wearing long pants, "It's cloudy out, it won't get to hundred,
that's pretty cool." How easy I forget what the dessert air is like. I've
also started collecting various quotations from whatever the source, and Monday
morning, I was heard to say, "That's okay, you can uncurl your toes now."
Which was a comment that seemed to tickle my host. I think it was the sushi
in Tempe that did it all. Flying back to Austin was rather anti–climatic.
5/30
I keep waiting, I was hoping that there was going to be the monumental event
this weekend.... what with the full Moon and all. It wasn't the big deal I was
expecting. About the most exciting thing I heard yesterday came from the Leo
Cab driver, she was talking about her ex–boyfriends all being "water
soluble." "Huh?" I asked. "You know, you go to wash your
hands and they just fall apart and go down the drain: water soluble." I
can imagine that one real easy. I was also checking out the new airport. I figure
there's a little problem with the restaurant and food court stuff, the way it's
all laid out. Amy's comes before Salt Lick BBQ. While that's nice, I never got
a decent shot at the airport BBQ because I was, naturally, drawn to Amy's. Of
course, it's not like Austin is a big destination for layovers to begin with.
I'm going to miss the downtown, intimate, bus station quality of the old airport.
B.B. King's music was playing for breakfast.
5/29
Some friends rolled through town about the same time the thunderstorms rolled
through. We wound up sitting the Hula Hut, munching on chips with hot sauce
and watching certain birds feed on the chips without hot sauce. A steady rain
began again. There was a lone duck beneath the pier, begging scraps. As the
rain fell, I was able to see droplets of water collect on the duck's back. Like
water off a duck's back? Nope, that's not what happened. So there's another
cliché demystified. Doesn't really work that way. "It's all the
salt in the chips," observed one of the Gemini's. Off to the airport, Austin's
new airport, and I'm winging my way to AZ for the weekend. Going to go fishing
in the Salt River, it looks like. The full moon on Sagittarius promises many
things, good fishing is one, and it explains the recent plethora of Gemini's
floating around the trailer.
5/28
After business time, it was lunchtime with my family and the lawyer friend.
I was amazed — it was so typical of what I feel about Dallas — the
restaurant was named for a horse, [but not a Mustang.] And there was Gorgonzola
Cheese which, for the life of me, sounded like an old Pinball Machine. Lunch
with my family can be like a pinball game. Flipper or a ball just getting batted
around? Or does it all go right down the drain? Dessert was some kind of a pudding
— to my untrained eye, it looked like the pudding was made from croutons.
I guess that's how they do things in Big D. But the lawyer got her tire fixed,
the family is fine, and the drive home included all the fine sights and sites
on a most Texas Interstate. A billboard in Waco advertised a Gun Show at the
Convention Center. My favorite fortune from lunch table was a quote from Warren
G. Harding: "I have no trouble with my enemies. It's my friends ... they
are the ones that keep me walking the floor at night."
5/27
I had a bit of family business which required my presence in Dallas yesterday.
In fact, it required a lawyer, too, and she was willing to drive with me up
to Dallas. (Aquarius lawyer, just for the records.) And my Sister was winging
in, and it was like a night at, like a night in, the words escape me. The lawyer
and the sister and the parents all packed under one house. It was getting to
Dallas that was challenging — my legal Aquarius friend doesn't always pay
attention to details like tired, and the left rear tire developed a bad habit
of shedding tread right before we got into Big D. "You do know how to change
a tire, don't you Kramer?"
5/26
There's a local grocer [chain] who tried a new approach to the supermarket concept
and called it "Central Market." A supermarket and grocery store for
the new millennium, perchance? With the latest one opening, just about all my
friends have trooped through the new store's aisles and marveled at the selection,
the prices, the brands, the weird stuff, and so forth. Last night, it was my
turn, the Leo shows up in her truck, and off we go. I snagged a little pint
of organic carrot juice so that I looked like everyone else in there. The first
sampler we came to was "Tofu Hot-dogs" with expensive, fancy knock
off French mustard stuff. I'm not sure they appreciated my comments about "real
hot dogs need cheap, yellow mustard." Then came the bread samples. Then
there was the really good salami sample. Then cheeses, and I steered clear of
that awful funky smelling French stuff, but the goat cheese was pretty good.
Then there were those strange little Greek egg roll grape leaf things. "Then
we went to the ice cream, then we had to go back to the hot dogs to try the
different mustards," the Leo reminded me later. I figure we made three
passes through the samples, and I know I did four takes of the Tofu Hot Dogs.
I could never, ever endorse a tofu anything, but they had the hot dog flavor
right, except for the mustard, and the hot dog girl was the only sample person
glad to see us about that third time around. "Then we'd head for the check-out
aisle/ With a lemon and a bottle of beer/ Into the car got to make it on home/
'Cause supper time is gettin' near. (repeat chorus)" Peanut Butter Conspiracy
– Jimmy Buffett (A White Sport Coat & A Pink Crustacean, © Let There
Be Music, Inc.1973)
5/25
Monday deteriorated into a day when I knew I would get nothing truly useful
done. I did what I do best, after answering the morning mail bag, I went for
a long hike around the lake. I tucked all my hair up underneath my hat, slammed
down some aviator shades, and disappeared down the hike and bike trail —
it backs up onto the Shady Acres Trailer Park. When I got back, some hours later,
I stopped by neighbor's trailer to see what he was up to. As I bounced into
his single wide, he grabbed the remote and quickly shuffled the channel on the
TV to Truck Racing. But not before I had a chance to see what he was watching
— soaps. "Got to catch up on my stories, you know," he sheepishly
suggested. Monday evening was a another Virgo experience — I'm sensing
a pattern here — dinner at Guero's. I'm still searching for the connection
between Guero's and Virgo's; although, I believe further research is indicated.
I put the meal on one of my charge cards, and my Virgo friend gave me check
to pay for her portion. Now I'm embarrassed, I might never deposit this check.
Down in the memo section on the check where it says "For:" she printed
out "GOOD SEX." I'm not worried about the good sex comment, I'm worried
that the bank will think I'm cheap, it was only $20.
5/24
Movie time interrupted the normal update of the weekly scopes, and everything
went up a little early. Next weekend is a holiday, and who knows how that will
affect the scopes. Got a busy week coming up because there's an overnight to
Dallas for family business, a strictly leisure trip out west, and a few missed
clients in the last couple of days. My movie companion offered sage business
advice, "You check with your client to confirm, don't you?" I usually
just do via e-mail, it's easier for me. Sunday afternoon was interesting. Between
a hot day at the lake, and an afternoon stroll abandoned downtown streets, I
found myself in in a place I had been meaning to visit for a long time: Adventures
in Crime and Space on Sixth Street, a legendary bookstore. "You were looking
at Science Fiction so I was surprised when you bought that," Joe Fish,
the part time clerk said, indicating my selection, "and if you like that,
you'll enjoy this one, too," he continued, as he got another book out.
The conversation quickly turned to BBQ, and we had a lively discussion about
the best places to find BBQ in the hinterland south and east of Austin. The
BBQ trail is livening up this summer. "Deep in every angler's soul is a
secret confidence in his own special prowess that impels him to keep fishing
in the face of common sense, basic science, financial ruin, and even natural
disasters." (Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen. NY: Time Warner Books,
1987. p. 295)
5/23
It happened in the years of 332 and 333 AD, 392, 411, 452, 511, (in the century
of 1000, it was in both Capricorn and Aries), 1186, 1246, 1306, (in the late
1600s and 1700s it was exclusively in the fire signs), and it didn't happen
in Libra again until 1980 and 1981. I was working late last night at a "Project
Graduation" as hired entertainment, drill out about 50 charts in an hour
or two, and give a quick synopsis. As an astrologer, I've been looking at over
all trends because there's a big deal coming up in the year 2000, and part of
this big deal is going to be the same planet alignment that occurred on those
other dates. Then there's always a question about when this happened before
because the charts I looked at all seemed like unusually bright people. This
is by no means a definitive answer, but it looks like there's a pattern here,
only I don't see all the details just yet. But those are the dates when there
was a Saturn – Jupiter conjunction in Libra, more or less.
5/22
I had a near perfect afternoon in paradise on Friday. I'd call it perfect, but
I'm not sure that everyone would agree with my definition of temperatures under
a hundred degrees, humidity nearly the same, alternately broiling sun and scudding
low clouds, being footloose in East Austin during the day, or my definition
of the ultimate taco: Angie's. The tacos drip grease. I bite into the "soft"
tacos which looks more like a Taco Bell taco than anything else, and grease
squirts out and runs down my arm to the drip off my elbow and back onto the
next taco. It's my bit for recycling, you know. The soft corn tortillas are
home made — thick, almost pancake like and taste heavenly. From there,
it's a quick trip up legendary Sixth Street, which looks a lot different in
the daylight, toward the other side of town, and I picked up a Ruta Maya Ice
Cream Espresso Shake. "These are pretty good?" the counter girl asked
me. "The best in the world," I answered, "the best in the world."
Amy's Ice Cream and Ruta Maya coffee?
5/21
I was ruminating on the return trip from Magnolia, one more time... about a
year ago, I was doing exactly the same thing, walking in the same neighborhood,
probably on the same street, heading up to Magnolia for a reading, and it's
all the same. A Thursday afternoon in late May. Some things haven't changed
that much. Give it a year, and I'm still in the same place. The neighborhoods
are alive with green stuff growing everywhere, a dense and lush tropical growth.
Bugs are skittering around, and there seem to be a lot of lazy cats, napping
on doorsteps. There's something infectious about this, it's both lazy and invigorating
at the same time. Then the cell phone chirps. And the Mexican Fog isn't here
this year. My lungs are glad about that. Musical notation for the day: "Across
the alley from the Alamo...." (Joe Green)
5/20
It started out as an innocuous day, a day without too much on the books, I was
supposed to have a few readings, but everyone bailed, so I hiked around the
lake, and just as I was getting home, a car pulls over to hassle me. Movie man!
The Aries who's written me into a screenplay. Maybe it isn't exactly me, but
there's a supporting character who is an astrologer, and quotes Shakespeare,
and there are some other similarities. A quick feast at Magnolia, shop for cell
phones, and then the Virgo rings me up and I'm off running with her, all over
town. She's house shopping in a tight market. Then another Virgo joins us, and
it's Tequila time for those two at another Mexican restaurant. "Margaritas
are lotion for a tired, chapped mind." Darn Virgo's — Tequila doesn't
dull their senses enough.
5/19
I always hope that some week, some time, I'll get a little respite. My morning
reverie was interrupted by a frantic Gemini, a Gemini with nothing but time
on her hands. It's my lot in life, I have to suffer at her hands when they are
idle. It could be worse, she is blond, but she did sell the cute red convertible.
"With that Neptune influence, I don't trust my judgment...." she said.
I tried to point out that merely heightened her judgment, and I was the best
option for the morning. I had to settle for Apple Fritters instead, at least
it was pastry that went with my coffee. No country music, but a famous piano
player was exiting the restaurant as I was heading in to meet another Gemini
for lunch. Answer to the question of the day? "First six 'Asleep at the
Wheel' albums."
5/18
"Bring it on down to my house honey, ain't no one home but me...."
I answered the phone with that chorus from Bob Wills and the girl with the red
hair was wondering what I was doing. Hey, it was on the CD at the moment. Synchronisity?
No, just Bob Wills and Ray Benson. I've got to remember that working for several
hours at a time can wear me out, and after I get in from a road trip, I'm beat.
I need a day off. That didn't stop me from computer shopping with a friend of
mine, though. She wanted a purple computer so we finally got her one. "Grape"
is the correct term, I think. I was surprised when she did call me later —
"This thing is FAST!" My surprise was that she took a break from the
machine long enough to call. I didn't manage to get out the door of the computer
store myself without a few techno baubles of my own, the smallest of offerings
for the odd deities that rule the land of the silicon chip. Got to keep them
critters happy.
5/17
I was a little surprised
that the flight from Midland wasn't too crowded. It was hectic trip getting
out of the show room, and there's always that last minute reading. I just wish
I could figure out how to do reading and strike camp. I got a late call from
one of my lawyers, and I was trying to balance the books, upload a page and
chat with the lawyer about an upcoming road trip all at the same time. It ain't
an easy life, and times like that I wish I had more Gemini. I slipped a disc
into the CD player, just one more for the road, or from the road, as the case
may be, and I was listening to Asleep at the Wheel's tribute to Bob Wills. And
to think that the folks last night wondered why I new so much about Country
music. I know I didn't have a hat on, but I know a thing or two about classic
music. Classic country, that is.
5/16
Variations on a theme, Saturday's readings all centered on one, repetitive message
because every chart had a planet or more at a similar degree of Aquarius, and
under the influence of Neptune. "Okay, so it's bad (period of time) to
consider two hobbies: bass fishing and heroin." "Huh?" "Both
are addictive. Both cost a lot of money...." The great thing about a journal
is I can try and make sense of seemingly disconnected events. I was cruising
through the TV channels last night, and I got hung up on the Country Music channel.
The Derailers were playing, and the video had several clips that are real familiar
to me, the state capitol from S. Congress, an intersection I pass on foot numerous
times in a week. The Continental Club, a little further south on the same street,
then along came a Junior Brown video, and the last time I rode in Jimmy's cab,
he handed me a newspaper clipping of him playing horn with the Texas Tornados.
In the same clipping, Junior Brown was at the Continental Club that night (clipping
was about a year old). What else did I notice on the Country Video channel?
Bad haircuts and great cars. Them old country stars need new hairdressers, but
they do have the coolest old cars.
5/15
"TAX IMPORTED OIL" read a bumpersticker I noticed as I walked to breakfast.
Afterwards, I slipped on by a convenience store to pick up some bottled water,
and while I was cutting across the desert sands, I could detect the faint aroma
of something sweet, something like a lilac smell, maybe something else, I wasn't
sure just what it was. I was too busy stepping between
the mesquite and the prickly pear, keeping an eye for the big fire ants to be
too concerned with what smelled so good. There's a new airport terminal, and
suddenly, the old building's long gone. Bit of a shock. To be sure, it's a nice
building, but I'm not sure why they built a new terminal out here. The last
time I commented on the new terminal building, though, I got a deluge of mail
assure me that 1] it was needed and 2] it was a political thing. I was watching
a little TV last night in the hotel room — the TV set was broken because
it would only get Springer. That's got to be my worst nightmare, an invitation
to be on Springer....
5/14
I'm off to what used to be one of my favorite stops on the Psychic Fair circus
route. I think it still is, one of my favorite "hit and run" places
to go: Permian Basin. SouthWest Airlines no longer offers its Saturday morning
flight which put me in early enough so I could buzz in on Saturday morning,
and buzz out Sunday night. So I get an extra night, and the added expense thereof,
for two nights in a motel out yonder. To be sure, I've been there for a time
or two, and it was Midland where I earned the nickname of "Delicate."
And while I find the landscape frightfully boring, I find the the denizens frightfully
interesting. It's either part of the Edward's Plateau, or at the very edge of
the "Llano Estacado" [Staked Plains in Spanish]. The town names, Midland,
Odessa, Big Spring, Sweetwater, Stanton, Crane, Monahans, San Angelo, all seem
to ring with some forgotten history when the West was wild. It's all east of
the Pecos, as the legend suggests. It's the thin edge of the of the Great Plains,
looking at a map, it seems that this "great plains" color scheme seems
to stretch from Alaska all the way to Mexico. I'm just heading into the southern
tail end. I remember reading someplace, not exactly tourist literature, that
the Permian Basin is the northern extreme of the Sonora Desert. Yeah, great.
I was having BBQ Chicken Tacos at the Hula Hut on the lake last night.
5/13
I live in a small town in Texas. I know it because I've been welcomed home several
times today. I was heading out to meet Bubba for some lunch, got detained and
side tracked, and I next found myself cruising up S. Congress Avenue, and right
as I passed the patio at Guero's, a jovial fellow gives me a "hello."
And he's sitting with one of our favorite Virgo's, too. I sit a spell, shoot
the breeze, and then as they leave, I see a shadow over my head, and it's face
I can barely recognize because of all the hair falling down around her face.
"Remember me?" Ah yes, the Cancer who didn't appear on schedule last
Thursday... "The
trooper looked exasperated. 'White people's music, I swear to God. Sinatra's
all right, but you can keep the rest of it.'" [Native Tongue by
Carl Hiaason. NY: Ballantine, 1992. p. 298.] To
make the whole day that much better, as I was strolling along, I found a single
marble. I think I might be starting to collect some the marbles I've lost.
5/12
Sneak previews are fun. Better yet, getting into a sneak preview and sitting
the press section — that's a lot of fun. Better than all of that, though,
is getting to see a version of Midsummer's Night's Dream while sitting
the press section. To make it even more exciting, and to add to the recent trip
I had to AZ, the Daily Texan staff was there... Now that's a thing I
remember, and it wasn't too long ago. I reviewed something like 60 movies each
semester for a while, and I recalled sitting there in the press section, feeling
like a big shot member of the media. I worked at a paper that was similar in
size and circulation to the Daily Texan.
I was going to write a review, but when I got home, I found that I missed several points, right from the very start. I was sure that I had the dates of the play better fixed in my head than the flak who introduced the movie. And I was sure that some of the lines were mangled, a few of my favorite lines. To its credit, the movie is wonderful. It's certainly worth a few bucks to see. I'm not too terribly fond of many of the "period" interpretations of Shakespeare's work, but the movie makers all have to have something to work with, and this one was better than most. The actor playing Oberon has some classical training, as does the guy who played Bottom. And that must have been one of the most choice parts in the play, Bottom. And Puck himself was delightfully done.
There's something that classically trained Shakespearean actors, usually folks trained in England, all seem to have. When speaking the prose, the lines, the classically trained theater people all seem to understand the feeling behind the lines, and the words roll off their tongues. There's none of the "declaiming" stuff, none of the stilted delivery, the hesitancy as they work their way through the verse. The natural rhythm and cadence isn't delivered in a sing song, except when it's called for, and that makes all the difference. In the last few weeks, I've gotten e-mail that was intended for someone else, and I've been quoting back part of Puck's concluding speech. So by the end of the movie, I'm doing the words with Puck — and that actor deserves a special note of appreciation for the levity he brings to the part. The rest of it? I don't know, I didn't get a press kit.
But I do have to see the movie again. I guess that means it's a good one.
5/11
Yes, yesterday was long day for riding in airplanes, riding around in cars,
and spending a few remaining moments with friends in AZ. It is a strange time
we live in. I had a few people worried that I was watching Good Morning America
on TV, but the only reason I was doing that was because 1] my host had a huge
screen TV in the living room 2] I wasn't
fully awake 3] the show was taped in Austin.
My old professor was more gracious than ever, but he was complaining about certain body parts that don't function as well as other pieces. And he was using a cane to help navigate his way around, although, to some extent, I think the cane is more a prop than anything else. And he is still loading me up with homework, so to speak. I had been traveling relatively light, and the manuscript he loaded me up with doubled the weight of my baggage. "Here, you need some light reading, I helped them on this one, it's just perfect airport reading for you, just action – adventure stuff...."
I did some shopping in what used to be a great bookstore in Tempe, a nifty place called "Changing Hands Books." I tried the new location, and I'm afraid the old cooperative, mostly used books — sort of feeling is gone. I mean, it's a nice place and all, with an adjacent lunch place and coffee shop. I did manage to find a few copies of a Zen text I've been looking for, and I considered that a great find. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
5/10
I spent part of last night arguing with on of my old professors about the Internet.
He was gently chiding me about the work I do. And in the same breath, he was
telling me about how he had finally unplugged his computer... that is, how he
is completely unhooked from a phone line and he refuses to even accept something
as simple as e-mail. I like the idea. "One of my former students is calling
me a Luddite, and e-mailing people, telling them to call me up and get me hooked
up to e-mail again. I told him to write me a real letter, put some postage on
it...."
Even better, as I was waking up and drinking coffee, I discovered that "Good Morning America" was being filmed in my hometown. Hey, looks like we got some rain. And the students are still protesting. And the future president is still taking that hard and firm middle line. After spending time in Tempe where the dominate colors are yellow and maroon, I'd almost forgotten that Burnt Orange is the most important college color. I wondered if anyone realized that the state capitol building, featured on GMA was so close to my trailer? Less than one linear mile.... Airplanes, taxi cabs, airports, this afternoon will be a blur, and the end of darn long day, too. I wonder if pink frozen yogurt qualifies as a full meal deal at the airport, and if it's a justifiable business expense.
5/9
It was a grand party in the sun, out yonder in Phoenix, Saturday afternoon.
That's about all I can say. Renewing old acquaintances has almost brought me
to tears at time, folks thought I had forsaken them a long time ago, friends
might be gone, but they are never forgotten. Tempe, Arizona has changed a lot
in the last few years, and so has my immediate circle. There's a lot more gray
hair, and a few more pounds in places, but otherwise, it was just good to see
old familiar faces. At least one former love has a lot more gray in her hair
these days, and she's always been a few years older than me, so that makes her,
let me do the math real quick, about 35 now. She hair is streaked with gray
right now, and I'm afraid my age is beginning to show because that gray streaking
looks really sexy.
5/8
I spent part of last night with a dear friend who is convalescing, a Sagittarius
woman, someone I hadn't seen or heard from in a long time. And it was a good
reunion, of sorts. See, when she opened the door of her trailer, I was sure
she had put on a special T-shirt, or a bow tie or something. She was really
in a strange neck brace, and she's just recovering (in fine style, nonetheless)
from a bizarre emergency surgery and I didn't get all the details about the
injury — it's another one of those freak things that's getting to all the
Sagittarius I know. Now, I'm a big one for astrological research, and when she
asked if I could run her to the store, I happily agreed. K-Mart shopping at
a late hour, sound evidence for how a Sagittarius shops.... Only, this time,
it looked bad. Here I was with a woman with a neck brace on, and she was pushing
the shopping cart. Because it was a spinal injury, my Sag friend needed support
when she walked. So there I was — roaming the store with a woman in neck
brace, but she insisted on pushing the cart. How could I be so thoughtless?
I'm sure folks were talking. Look: she wouldn't let me push the cart, it was
a doctor ordered thing. But it did make for an amusing scenario which only served
to emphasize my redoubtable, non-noble nature.
5/7
The flight westward offers a unique panoramic view of the oil patch — the
hardened earth, the sand swept hills, and once the plane gets out over the oil
and gas fields of west Texas proper, it looks like some sort of under developed
subdivision, the streets are laid out, and there's a little circle where a well
is, ever so often, but there's still nothing out there. Strange, too, it's a
clear day when I feel like I can see for forever.
I had the best of intentions to get a lot done yesterday. There was much to do, but the best of intentions some how got waylaid by the incredible weather and a lot of West Texas in the air. As I passed a sleek, black sports car which had been sitting in a nearby parking lot, I noticed a thin film of heavy dust and pollen on it. Which accounts for the sneezing, sniffling, and weird pressure in my head. Maybe AZ will give me a chance to to get my sinuses cleared. I did "do a meeting" with a Virgo and her big red truck as we traipsed all over town. Of course, she spurned my every offer; however, she did get me set up with some delightful "trash" reading for the trip. "Oh, you'll like this author — it's Anne Richard's (former governor) favorite." Takes a Virgo to know a Virgo, I always say.
I had also planned on catching Three Penny Opera and Soul Hat at Steamboat last night, but one thing lead to another, and I missed my connection. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings" (Cassius in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar).
5/6
There's music in the air, dancing in the streets, and I spent last night in
front of a computer, doing my weekly online chat with AOL's AstroNet. Not much
fun — especially when I can hear the music wafting down river from me with
the notes carried on the evening breeze. I've got a big trip out west planned
for this coming weekend. I just hope I've got all my bases covered. Time is
kind of tight, and there's a little too much to do in AZ. It's a reunion of
sorts, for me. And on my lunch break, I was returning from the usual six mile
hike around the lake, while I was standing in line at the illustrious South
Austin Sub Shop, I see familiar face bubbling through the door. She was the
sole exception in an other wise Leo day. I was just glad I had nice shirt with
me — I always hate meeting business folks when I'm just in from a workout.
So the Virgo had a Sag day, and I had a Leo day. The day wrapped into night,
and the night finished up with David Byrne and the late Selena doing a duet
on the radio.
5/5
Balm not withstanding, getting home a day late is always a little weird. And
it's Cinco de Mayo today, too. One outside observer noticed that folks in Austin
have tip jars up just about everywhere. While I was at the bank, I discovered
a check which I had fished out of my mail box wasn't signed. The teller kicked
the check back to me and probably saved me five bucks in processing fees. In
keeping with the apparent Austin tradition, I figured I should have laid a dollar
on the counter for her. When I mentioned that, though, I don't think she quite
caught the heartfelt sentiment and sincere gratitude leaking through my sarcastic
wit.
Just a little bit east of the trailer park, there's a new "Mexican" restaurant called "Dos Salsas." The last time I was in that location, it was an Italian place, and not much has changed except for very minor cosmetic coloring and a new menu. Any good? I'm just a day back from New Mexico, the land where chili is a way of life, There were some problems with my meal at "Dos Salsas." The food was over priced. The tortillas are too small, look machine made, and not very remarkable. The ice tea glass is way too small. The food was called "Mexican" but it is, at best, merely Tex-Mex. There was one saving grace at the table, the name for the place is Two Sauces, and they serve two hot sauces with the meal, the traditional Red Sauce and then this creamy and hot Green Sauce. Of course, just getting back in from Albuquerque, even the Green Sauce isn't that hot. By comparison, the hot Tex-Mex green is milder than the mild New Mexico Red. This is a welcome addition in the neighborhood, but I'm afraid they are going to find that the competition is a little tough.
5/4
The soft air in Austin is full of humidity, wet with moisture that acts like
a balm on my soul. I love the desert mountains. I love the arid landscape resplendent
with its various subtle shades of brown, ochre and rust, the faintest purple
tinge to the mountains in the sunset. But there is something about being home
that is a happy time. Of course, after visiting with other people's cats all
weekend, it's nice to see mine, too. Robin has the most amusing fellow living
with him right now, a long haired Tom with the strangest little quirk: the cat's
ears flatten out every time he meows. And, of course, my pampered girl cat is
both glad to see me, and a bit disturbed by the other cat smells on my luggage
and jeans. She's just sure that I've been sleeping around. I've had to assure
her it just isn't so. There was a kitten biting my toes the other evening, but
my cat has nothing to worry about in her sedate, matronly splendor.
5/3
I suppose it should've been a sign, and I suppose that sign should have been
really obvious to me, I mean, the full moon is over, the interplay of planetary
action is lessening, and I had a lecture which was populated by three Gemini's
to start with. I guess I should have also allowed for the weather in Albuquerque,
too, but I didn't. I was hoping to pull on shorts as I left town, but Sunday
night, I noticed through the host's window, there was still snow in the shaded
portions of the Sandia Mountains. To be sure, I'm a few pounds heavier for my
adventures, and it's been a weird slide down the mountain of a trip. From charts
that were all one way to charts that were all over the place is a polite way
to put it. Unlike Austin, Cinco de Mayo is an important holiday, and it isn't
treated quite the same way as I'm used to. But it is certainly an important
date. I had a chance to catch a little bit of real New Mexico cuisine before
heading to the airport, and remember, "Help stamp out Gringo food."
I sat next to Leo guy flying from Albuquerque to El Paso, and then a quick layover and another flight on into Austin. Now what was so interesting is that we shared many of the same Austin experiences, and he's a neighbor to some of my friends, here in South Austin. And he's working on a project that I was told in confidence, and all I can say is that I'm looking forward to going to Albuquerque again.
5/2
On our way to the restaurant last night, I felt so relaxed as we cruised through
Albuquerque's University District, I saw a guy with a black leather biker jacket
on, and shorts. For some reason it just made me fell at home. We had Greek food
last night, and to cap it all off, I ordered a cup of "Greek Coffee"
which was cooked up and served just like traditional Turkish Coffee, "We
take teaspoon of coffee, heaping teaspoon, pulverized coffe, and a teaspoon
of sugar and boil it," the one of the owner's suggested while she poured
the bubbling black mass into a demitasse, "and serve it." After the
coffee was drained, my host Robin proceeded to upend the cup and turn it over
on its saucer, and then he read the coffee grounds. In case I was wondering,
I'm moving trailers, maybe. And I might have something good happening soon.
I wondered, out loud, why more people didn't flock to this town, sharing in
myawe of the beautful landscape, "What industry do we have? Art? Green
Chile? What else?" The conversation switched to politics, and Robin had
some astute observations, "Of course the local government is corrupt, but
we're nothing compared to Texas, we haven't learned how to steal with both hands
yet."
Sunday morning we had breakfast at perhaps one of the finer places to eat, just a little east of Albuquerque's Old Town, Garcia's. "Help stamp out Gringo food." What a fine slogan for a New Mexico restaurant, and I'll leave the piquant flavor to one's imaginations, hot, spicy, delicious.
5/1
Setting up for the
show on Saturday morning, I was greeting another reader as he pulled on a pair
of latex gloves. He was handling some paint, making a last minute repair to
a piece of equipment, he caught my eye, snapped the glove on, and said, "Look:
a new kind of reading...."
There seemed to be a theme again this weekend, it was only three signs that I mostly saw, starting with Virgo, then Libra and finally Scorpio. Those familiar with astrology will realize that this is all from one little slice of the sky, all right next to each other.
After reading Shaman Winter, and with the really interesting Full Moon next to Mars in the sky, I was interested in finding a symbol which properly evokes my spirit. Friday morning, before I left town, I took my customary stroll along the banks of the lake. I was thinking a serpent might be an interesting animal to call upon, and there is was, a huge watersnake — I've seen its offspring before, red with a diamond pattern in a rust color, perhaps a shade of blue just to make it an interesting critter. He (she?) was floating the morning sun, still as a stick, and I watched it until it darted off to the depth of the lake. I know more than one person will agree that I do, at times, resemble a cold blooded reptile, able to shed my skin.