When volunteering is scary
The 14-foot spider in the garage was a sign that Halloween had spun out of control. In early July, my husband started building “Charlotte” as a prop for this year’s Haunted Trails at the...
Author: Anna
Helping the evacuees, one family at a time
Sitting in the front seat of Felecia Williams’s ex-husband’s truck on a warm September morning in Austin’s Rosedale neighborhood, I can safely say that three weeks ago, neither of us expected to be there....
Meet Mr. Duke
Many men dream of going out with a supermodel. A long-legged, blond-haired, jaw-dropping, traffic-stopping, stare-inducing, beauty who won the genetic lottery. I go out with a 120 lb. supermodel everyday, and frankly sometimes it’s...
Al Franken in Austin: A Broadcast from Out of the Past
Cameraphone pic of Al Franken and Paul Sicard! When my husband was the only person in town to win tickets* to the live broadcast of the Al Franken Show, I was so excited. I would...
The burnt orange gates
With South by Southwest upon us, our city is awash in recording industry executives with multiple digital devices, layers of flunkies and hot and cold running bar tabs. We are surrounded by college students...
…Men Are From the Hot Wheels Aisle, Women Are From the Barbie Aisle.
Getting a Valentine’s gift for your significant other can be as tricky as making a tactical error on The Apprentice. One mistake and you’ll be painfully backpedaling for weeks. Thus the question lurks in...
The Time I took my Father to Structure House
For those who have asked, here is an article about the time I took my dad for an Intervention at Structure House in 2004. It originally appeared in an Austin, Texas print-only publication called...
Don’t Fall in Love with a Dead Man: Looking at the Movie “School of Rock”
They say you always remember your first love. And sometimes, you run into him in the most unlikely places. I just saw mine on DVD, in Richard Linklatter’s School of Rock. My first love...
Why we love to see big names brought down to size; It’s all about the love, envy and gossip, experts say
Martha Stewart was in the headlines most of last year for alleged insider trading. Winona Ryder’s legal troubles were covered with more enthusiasm than the recent midterm elections. And most of us knew about...
When rosy is not so jolly; The famously pink cheeks and cherry-red nose. Is it possible Santa’s suffering from rosacea?
You’d recognize him anywhere, that Jolly old Saint Nick. He’s visible a mile away in that crimson suit with the fetching fur trim. And, of course, there are those poinsettia-pink cheeks. His florid face...
