On a rainy Sunday morning, nothing can be more enjoyable than a large cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. While I was in Alameda, this was easily accomplished with a quick 2 block walk to my local Starbucks, nestled in the tiny community along the main drag. It had nothing to do with the brand of coffee, just the location and ease of access. Unfortunately, I am now stuck in the suburban sprawl of South Austin where you need to drive anywhere and everywhere, including the local coffee shop. So it’s no longer as easy as throwing on some clothes and walking down the street. I miss my local Starbucks.

It is very unfortunate that I don’t have a birthday coming up, for what better way to show you care than the gift of a Banana Guard.

Clicking through some news and links and landed on the Who Owns What web site. The Columbia Journalism Review has listed media companies and which networks they own. Growing up in Dallas, Belo was a major company with media outlets nationwide. Curious as to their current holdings, I noticed that they own dual TV stations in a couple of markets: Tuscon, Spokane, Phoenix. And the two that really caught my eye, the pair in Seattle.

KING and KONG

As I headed out the door at full stride, on the way to work, I had a crucial decision to make. Subway or Schlotzsky’s. What could I say, cold cuts or warm sandwich, long sub or round bun, build it yourself or accept the regular ingredients? After many, many seconds of consultation and a discussion with my brain trust, Subway was declared the winner.

Thrilled with my choice and waiting to pay, the cashier asked if I would like a cookie with my order. “No thanks, not today,” I responded. Click. A commercial I had seen, something about… And then she rebutted, “but it’s Free Cookie Day!” Of course it was, how could I forget free cookie day. So on the way to work, complements of Subway, I enjoyed a fantastic White Macadamia Nut cookie.

…no, no I mean Atlantic City. For those people who might have recieved the Trivial Pursuit question, “From what city did Monopoly get it’s property names?”, here’s your answer. Okay, probably a little more than most of you want to know, but play a little more Trivial Pursuit and this might just come in handy.

After years of some of the most moderate weather in the country, Texas is welcoming me back home. It feels like I’ve gone through more weather changes in the last three weeks than the last three years. Hot, cold, rain, wind, lightning, etc. It just keeps changing.

Don’t get me wrong, one of the things that I missed most about the weather was this exact phenomenon. On one of my first trips back from San Francisco, Ihad the opportunity to view a thunderstorm brew for several hours. You knew it was coming and you knew that you had better finish anything outdoors that you had to do, because it was about to poor. When the storm finally blew in, it was magnificent, if only due to the buildup.

This is just not a scene you are going to experience in the Bay Area. It might have rained 3 or 4 times while I live there. I mean real rain, actual drops, not the heavy mist that you might occasionaly get (more than occasionally out in the Avenues).

The microclimates treated me well, but I like the fact that I get to experience actual seasons now, even if I don’t necessarily like the weather they bring.

Now that the dust has settled (or rather been vacummed and swiffed away) my move to Austin is final. After almost 5 months of traveling and visiting with family and friends, I have a room that I can call my own. No more of my sister’s furniture or futon surfing. No more claiming my occupation of the moment as a nomad. I think I might even have more posessions in one room than will fit in my vehicle, a serious step in actually calling a new town my home.

I say new town, but in reality a part of me has maintained some residence in Austin for many years. It was the escape from San Marcos, a larger metropolis with unique focus on music and film and Texas. Everytime I flew in from San Francisco and they circled over downtown Austin for final approach, I felt the connection with the city. With the opportunity to return and experience the city as a resident instead of visitor, I am excited to not only have a bedroom but to have a city that resonates with my personality.