The bout was heavy as fuck from start to finish and my home girl Sacralicious from the Holy Rollers got nailed late in the second quarter and took a minute or two to get up... EMS came out to assist. Scary. She came back and later nearly knocked a Hellcat jammer over the rial, but more importantly straight into it, ribs first. Sweet, sweet Roller Derby vengeance. In the end the Holy Rollers took the game 18-14. Another highlight was Tim Murphy making a guest appearance in the announcer booth bringing back together the classic TXRD announcing team. I'm more of a TXRD fan than a roller derby fan in general so elements like that really add to the experience. It also appears that they have given The Mouth a wireless microphone so as well as acting as penalty wheel mistress she roams around the track adding her signature snarl to the over all soundtrack. It's fucking great and all the little kids love it.

At the after party I had to protect Mouth from some threatening guys at one point and when I got rid of them me and Mouth were talking and it was confirmed that she is still holding it down on local TV hosting "Up Late Austin" every week. Definitely check that out Monday nights on channel 16 and that's where you get all the derby dirt/news and all things having to do with The Mouth.

The party was at the Cucaracha bar in the back of Jackalope. I indulged first in a Chipotle bacon burger, and then a few million beers. If you haven't tried the food at Jackalope you have never eaten food or you are scared of punk rock. From there it's a blur of laughing, talking, shouting, getting punched. Later we hit up Creek Side and and then called it a night. Roller derby in Austin may not be the main reason I live here, but it's in the top 20. OK it's in the top 10.

Earlier this summer I took a spontaneous road trip to San Antonio because I wanted to clear my head from all the bullshit I was going through up here.  One day I packed up all my shit and drove down there-stupid move, but I learned from it.  Soon as I left Chicago I felt a big weight off my shoulders.  Yes, I was running away from my problems, but damn it felt good.  And I plan on running away from my problems again if shit doesn't work out up here.  Driving down to Texas was the best experience for me because I learned a lot. 

One of the first things I noticed when I left Illinois was that people in the west and south are so nice and friendly.  I was greeted all the time by strangers and asked how I was doing, how was my day.  People were telling me to have a blessed day, good luck in my future and it felt good to hear that.  And another thing, the men were hot, well, I have a thing for small town white guys with southern accents.  When I stopped for gas in Dallas a white guy in a suit started flirting with me, I nearly melted because his southern accent was so hot.  God, I regret not asking for his number.  The men in Chicago are too metrosexual for me whereas the men down in Texas are what you see is what you get and that's hot.

When I got to San Antonio I was surrounded by families and couples, which was depressing considering I'm single and my family and I aren't getting along right now.  I also saw a lot of hottie soldiers who are based in Lackland and Fort Sam Houston.  I love San Antonio, but where I'm at in my life it's not for me; it sucks for people who are single.  On my way back I stopped in Austin, which is supposedly a happening place for singles.  Yeah, I didn't like it-too small and grungy for me.  Dallas, though, I hear is a good place for singles and a place to meet rich men(I'm not a gold digger, but I am looking for security since I am having a hard time finding a job.  Plus, I came from a wealthy family so it's only natural that I keep the tradition going) 

I miss Texas and the south in general.  I drive around Chicago and all I see are Texas license plates.  Oh yeah, and it doesn't help that my uncles and aunts who live in San Antonio call and give us updates on what's going down there, especially when it's winter in Chicago.  My uncle who lives up here with me plans on taking a road trip to San Antonio maybe this month.  He invited me to go with him and since I don't have a job or anything holding me back I told him I would be up for it.  I can network down there and maybe make some connections in hopes to one day live down there-well not San Antonio, but Dallas.  I can't wait.  Texas here I come.

Maker Faire Austin is happening this weekend, October 18 & 19, 2008 at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin, TX. Maker Faire is a showcase of all things DIY. You'll see robots, sculptures, live performances, and other wonders including many of the projects we cover here every day. We enjoyed our time in San Mateo earlier this year and the show keeps getting better and better. You can see photos from previous events on Flickr. If you've got a chance to go, take it.

Next matchup: Tomorrow morning, 11 a.m. kickoff.

Midday injury report:

Sustained a sliced finger while attempting to force my way out of a jammed shower door.

I have been having problems with my glass shower door for some time now. Its alignment started screwing up about a month ago. It slid around a lot, making it difficult to close. I adjusted the nut on the door to tighten it in place, which worked for a week or so. Then it loosened up again, so I tightened it again. This time I accidentally tightened it with the door in the wrong position, so it wouldn't close all the way for yesterday's shower.

Today I couldn't get the nut to loosen, and I didn't want to shower with the door ajar about three inches, so I SLAMMED it shut. Well, in so doing, I managed to get the door completely misaligned and completely STUCK SHUT.

At a loss for how to get myself out, I figured the only thing to do was to take a shower and think about it for a few minutes. With my shower complete, I couldn't make any more excuses for hanging out in the stall, so I spent the next 25 minutes desperately trying to figure out how to force the door open (the nut I'd tightened is positioned between the doorframe and the door and is inaccessible when the door is closed).

As my wet hands attempted to loosen any screw I could find, I thought about what would happen if I couldn't get out. Barring the fact that the door is made of glass and therefore breakable somehow, perhaps at great loss of blood on my part, there really was no way to get help. The door is too tall to climb over. I don't have people within earshot of my house, especially not with the windows and doors closed. Luckily, the shower is a source of water, so at the least I'd have a couple days to figure something out, some way to unscrew the screws on the doorframe without the help of any tools ...

Well, I decided after all this wet grappling that the only way to get out was to use the force of my whole body against the door's edge to slam it open. I gripped the edge, and, taking care not to slam against the glass, bashed against the frame. Nothing. Once more, and nothing. Last time: Boom!

I tumbled out of the stall, and the momentum of my body was slower than that of the door, causing the metal edge of the handle to rip straight through my fingertip.

After lots of muttering under my breath and lots of bleeding, I wrapped my finger in a bandage and wrote a note to my landlord requesting that they do something ASAP about my door.

Hopefully something gets done, because if there's a rematch, something more than a fingertip's skin is bound to be broken. (Yes, shower, I'm talkin' to you!)

1. Understand and articulate a biblical-theological vision for the Arts.
2. Recognize local art forms that we can engage and contribute to.
3. Discern where the lines of truth, beauty and virtue begin and end within local art.
4. Identify artists and media used in our own church community.
5. Identify key artistic domains (music, photography, writing, etc.) that we can focus on.
6. Encourage Arts in general through theological reflection and discipleship of artists.
7. Dream of artist and city-renewing applications of our Arts vision.

Transcription:

Hi, this is Kenn Renner with AustinVideoBlog.com. Thank you once again for visiting. This is October 13th, 2008 once again. I got another email from Patrick and he's from Austin. He says:

Good day Kenn,

My financial portfolio has been down by 15%. Ouch!
Historically, the market will bounce back. Its all cyclical.
Anxious how America will vote November 4th.

Yes, Patrick, that is an interesting observation. Even though your stock portfolio is down, it's all the unsureness that's out there in the market. Which has people not sure who's going to be the new leader of the nation. The unsureness about their trust and faith in the stock market that they have their retirement accounts in. The good news is that you have a great house in a great area in Austin. And if you concentrate on paying that off, just making one extra payment per year on a 30 year mortgage, one extra principle interest payment per year will pay that mortgage off in 20 years. And you're a young guy, I've met you before, we've toured properties with your family. That's a comforting thing to know. You're in the medical industry as well and you understand that we're all going to get older. So take it from me, it's important to have a free and clear house. A nice one-story like yours, free and clear by the time you get too old to want to work in the hospital. Thanks for your comment and keep watching AustinVideoBlog.com.

The beautiful new Nissan 350Z.  Note the front.  And the grill.  And the license plate.  Wait — there's no place to put a license plate.  But Texas law requires you to display two license plates, one in the front and one in the rear.  I guess you can just throw it on the dashboard, though that might prove perilous in an accident.

i love this so much. i mean, you’d hope it wouldn’t be wet right…but i love walking in the rain and i almost never use an umbrella. rain does not make you get a cold. but a cold will give you the cold. as in “a cold” or whatever.

Transcription:

Hi, this is Kenn Renner again with AustinVideoBlog.com and I have another email from Telenna:

Thanks for the insight and the calm voice of reason. I have a few customers now that are not so calm.

I have been watching both economic reports and the political events. It’s a rather entertaining time right now politically and economically a time to buy stocks. Sure it is a bit scary right now, but I tend to be an optimist.

Thank you Telenna, I appreciate the comment. You know, it is a scary time, a time when we see stock markets and portfolios cut 40%. But one thing is rest assured is that the value of real estate has not gone down over night by 40% over the last couple of weeks. And in the long haul, real estate will always have the tendency to increase over time. The idea is not to buy more than you can afford and to make sure that you live below your means so that you can save and invest the difference. So thanks, Telenna for your comment.

Transcription:

Hi, this is Kenn Renner with AustinVideoBlog.com and I have a comment from Carol in California. It says:

Kenn, I think California people are scared stiff.

Well, they probably should be, for good reason. It looks to me like, according to DQ News (Data Quick News) the values in many areas have dropped across the state, 25 to 30% in the last year. And what I'm seeing is that has continued in certain areas like the higher price ranges in California have dropped as much as 45 to 50%. Areas out in the valley, San Bernardino area have also experienced substantial declines. Until there's an availability for people to be able to afford the price of housing where the value of the house and the cost of the mortgage get back in line to where they should have been around the 2000 and 2002 level, you're going to see continued struggle in that market. The crisis in regards to the sub prime market really drove the prices way out of line for what the affordability factor is. So understand that we're still at about 12% affordability in California. Now, as opposed to that in Texas, we have 50% affordability, so for those that have moved from California to Texas like myself, we're just glad to be here.

Transcription:

Hi, welcome to AustinVideoBlog.com. This is Monday the 13th. I just sent out a huge email to 5,000 of my clients that posed the question "What are your thoughts regarding the bail out?" We had a question from Don from California, it says:

Thanks for the update on the Austin market, what you are saying is good to hear. Also, thanks for the service on existing homes owned. Look forward to receiving the info.

What Don is talking about is Market Snapshot. You can go to my website, BuyAustin.com and you'll get automatic updates regarding your particular property anywhere in the Austin area. It'll send to you monthly and plus, it gives you all kinds of cool stuff like bird's eye views, market statistics, sold statistics and things like that. So I highly recommend it. Ok, thanks Don!

Transcription:

Hi, this is Kenn Renner and thank you for visiting AustinVideoBlog.com. I'm a real estate expert located in the Austin area. We're going to be talking to a lot of different clients of mine and customers and experts regarding the Austin real estate market as well as the national trends in real estate and some other exciting things going on in regards to the Austin area. My normal website is BuyAustin.Com. You'll find this video blog on there and you'll find all kinds of great postings as we go along here. This is my first attempt at doing a video blog, so thank you and have patience with me!

Here's some video from the 2008 Maker Faire in San Mateo, California

Tune in at 107.1 KGSR “Radio Austin” or listen online at www.kgsr.com at 2:00pm CST to hear Ryan, Brad & Neal from the Cardinals perform live.

Longhorn band, unnecessary amount of dance teams, and dog growls pretty much sum up the night.

The Torchlight Rally is held before every Red River Shootout, our famous rivalry game with OU (sucks). The first rally was held in 1914 but it did not become a tradition until 1941.

Cops shut down most of Guadalupe, and everyone around campus seemed to be in the spirit. Even the Castilian blacked out some their windows to spell "BEAT OU."

The rally started off with the Longhorn band, and everyone clapping and singing along to the music. (Texaaaaaas FIGHT!) Torches were carried by various campus organizations to "lead the way." As the huge Texas state flag passed down the drag everyone moved toward South Mall.

There was a huge banner hanging from the tower, that unfortunately started to fall five minutes into the rally. Dance group 1, the Roustabouts danced and then everyone chanted "Texas! Fight!" and "OU Sucks!" Dance group 2, Texas Pom gave everyone a performance. The band played the Eyes of Texas and the canon went off to introduce our beloved football team. Mack Brown, our sacred head coach put it best:

"Whats the number one greatest thing about Texas? Our football program." hmm...

Dance team number 3 also made an appearance. Some coach came out and got the team and the audience all riled up and then everyone dispersed.

The rally made me wish I was in Dallas eating a fried Oreo and watching Texas beat OU...

****UPDATE****

It's Monday, 10/13/08 and OU still sucks. Texas is #1

Austin City Limits - Where the Music World Comes Together
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ki_Gray]Ki Gray

Every year, during the sweltering late summer months, bands from across the country converge on Austin, Texas for one weekend of music, food and hot, sweaty fun. Thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, flock to Austin each year for the massive music event that is the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Some of the biggest names in music show up every year. The festival's eight stages, spread out across Zilker Park, host more than 100 bands over the course of the weekend, each playing for sold out crowds. In recent years, music legends such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Flaming Lips, Beck, The Foo Fighters, N.E.R.D., Gnarls Barkley and many others have graced the ACL stages.

Ideally situated in downtown Austin, Zilker Park closes down each year for the massive three-day event, and the music can be heard throughout downtown. But ACL isn't just about music. A local artisan village is set up each year to allow Austin's local businesses and artists to showcase their work to the thousands of attendees, who hail from across the nation. Likewise, many of Austin's top local restaurants have booths set up selling menu favorites at the expansive food court on site. With the coveted three-day passes selling often selling out six months before the festival, ACL poses a prime opportunity for Austin businesses of all kinds to showcase their products and reach new (and substantial) audiences.

But, really, it's all about the music. With a wide range of genres represented, including country, bluegrass, rock, hip hop, folk, and pretty much anything else you can think of, ACL truly offers something for everyone. There is even a dedicated children's stage. Attendees of all ages, races, and musical interests can be found here, making it one of the most unifying music festivals in the country.

• Ben 10 Toys
• Ben 10 Toys USA
• Amazon Kindle
• Full HD TV
• Full HDTV
• Full HDTVs
• FUll HD TVs
• Online Shopping Blog
• Online Shopping Forums

And it's not just the biggest names in music that grace the stages at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In fact, many ACL provides many up and coming groups a break out opportunity. It's the holy grail of every struggling Austin musician's career, which adds one more reason Austin thrives as the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world. Competition for a spot in the lineup is cut-throat, yet each year the array of artists manages to remain strikingly varied and comprehensive. From funky bands like G. Love and the Special Sauce and breakout stars like Vampire Weekend, to old school legends Asleep at the Wheel and gospel groups like the River City Christianettes, ACL is quite literally a melting pot of musical talent and expression (and the 100 + degree heat makes the analogy all the more appropriate).

In 2008, Austin City Limits is being held on the weekend of September 26-28. Three day passes have been sold out for months, but stragglers can purchase single day passes on the festival web site for $80 apiece. With almost 50 bands playing daily, starting at 11:00 am and running until the headlining show wraps up at 10:00 pm, Austin City Limits is the place to be in Austin, Texas, (and many would assert, the entire country) for one raging weekend each year.

Escape Realty is a Austin company the works in the [http://www.escapesomewhere.com]Austin real estate market. Their internet site has a tool that graphs mortgage interest rates along with a search for [http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html]Austin Homes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ki_Gray http://EzineArticles.com/?Austin-City-Limits---Where-the-Music-World-Comes-Together&id=1458223

Segourney Weaver says "Someday hopefully it won't be necessary to allocate a special evening to celebrate where we are and how far we've come," Weaver said. "Someday women writers, producers and crew members will be so commonplace, and roles and salaries for actresses will outstrip those for men, and pigs will fly."

Peace Love and all that good ishhh..
AJP

Q. Do you think this is an experience more people should have? If so, how would that help with your mission?

Alan: We have been doing these for 5 years now. It is the most powerful retreat experience I have ever had and others echo that sentiment. Just understanding the plight of the homeless and working poor in real time is of benefit to what we do.

Today, they celebrate 10 years of taking millions of meals to homeless people, not just in Austin, but also in San Antonio, New Orleans, Providence, and Nashville, not to mention they're after-hurricane relief efforts to the coast.

Here's how to celebrate MLF today:

Go to the donations page and send them $10 or $100 or $1000. (I'm going for the whole "10" thing, see?)

OR stop by St. John Neumann church on Loop 360 between Lost Creek and Las Cimas. Say hi, say thanks, leave a check.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?q=903+S+Capital+of+Texas+Hwy,+Austin,+Travis,+Texas+78746,+United+States&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&cd=1&geocode=Fa0qzgEdgUUr-g&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&ll=30.299686,-97.82321&spn=0.006948,0.013905&t=h&z=14&output=embed&s=AARTsJrLyPNK1jLcTBQAQlYesEI1X7J--w&w=425&h=350]

Anyway, here are the details:

5 Bedrooms

3.5 Baths

3086 Sq. Ft (per taxes)

Huge Downstairs Master Suite Boasts: High Ceiling, Ceiling Fan, and French Window Seat overlooking the Sparkling Pool!

Spacious Tiled Master Bath Boasts: His and Her Vanities, High Ceiling, Separate Tile Shower, Garden Tub & Extra Large Walk-in Closet

Gorgeous Family Room Offers: Floor to Ceiling Brick Gas Fireplace with Mantle and Art Niche, Wet Bar and Views of the Pool

Kitchen Includes: Tile Floors, Crown Moulding, Breakfast Bar, Lazy Susan Cabinet, Built-in Cookbook Holder, and Tiled Breakfast Area with Fabulous Views & French Windows!

Dynamic Frosted Glass Front Door Opens into Tiled Foyer with Soaring Two-Story Ceiling

Elegant Formal Dining Room with Crown Moulding

Upstairs Game Room with Vaulted Ceiling

Office with Glass Pocket Doors

Four Bedrooms Upstairs - All with Vaulted Ceilings and Ceiling Fans

Huge 4^th Bedroom would make a great second Master Suite

Private Backyard is Paradise!!  Expansive Wood Decking and Garden Style Trellises lead to the Sparkling Swimming Pool!  Pool is self-cleaning and boasts Volleyball Net Cups.  There is also a Grass Play Yard that is lined with Mature Shade Trees!

Crown Molding, Security System, Solar Screens, Vaulted & High Ceilings Throughout!

Large Downstairs Utility Room with Built-in Shelving & Tile Flooring

Two-Car Garage with Automatic Openers and Workbench

Within the last year: Newer Roof, Water Heater and Furnace

Minutes to Downtown!

Within Walking Distance to the City Pool, Tennis Courts and 2 Hiking Trails.

MLS #6761955

We just got back from our weekend trip to Austin to see our friends Alexis and Rey get married. Lovely people. Lovely time. And some more details and pictures to follow. Just wanted to share this postcard view of state capitol building and its beautiful grounds.

Here's what I like about it:

• The merchants aren't donating a portion of sales to the charity; this means no one's asking you to spend more in order to donate more.
• The list of merchants includes big chains like the Gap and Brookstone, and also locally owned shops like Breed & Co and By George, plus businesses like Ace Tailoring, Dirty Dog, and Dart Bowl.
• You get a week and two weekends to shop and receive the discounts.
• 100% of the sales of the gift card go to the charity, in this case the American Cancer Society.

So how do you get these discounts? Just buy the American Cancer Society Holiday Shoppping Card for $60. Then, between Friday Oct 24 and Sunday Nov 2, go to any participating store, get the details about what is and is not included in the program, and shop. Then just present your Holiday Shopping Card at the time of purchase.

About 130 retailers will offer a 20% discount with the Card, and that includes - I should mention - what looks like all the retailers at The Domain.

(Sidenote on The Domain: I have to admit, The Domain kind of gives me the creeps. It just seems like this icky little island of excess. Don't get me wrong, I have my material weaknesses, it's just that it seems so isolated and unaware. There are better words for saying this. The point is, this is the second "shop for charity" event The Domain has participated in, so the guilt must get to them, at least.)

ANYWAY, get all the info - and buy a card! - here.