Thursday Morning Update

Highlights from the week in Waco. Monday night was the annual welcome the graduate students to Baylor Party. Mike hosted it at his new house. The desserts were particularly impressive this year. Peach Pound cake, butterscotch pudding, and also one of those sugary coffee cakes made with refrigerator biscuit dough balls. Proust had his Madeleines... just think what Remembrance of Things Past might have been!!! Tuesday night I had dinner with Lenore, Henry and H.W. (now also referred to simply as H. Better choice than W. that's for sure!) Check out his recently updated web page www.babywrightcom. The beach pictures are fabulous.

After an excellent World Cultures I discussion of the Epic of Gilgamesh (Gilgamesh -hero or heel..) I headed down to Devon's class. Balance was the class theme. Which even included free balancing in full arm balance (in Iyengar Yoga Land of all things!) Dylan the dog was very happy to see me. We just got back from a great walk down to the lake.

So I'm off to write for awhile then meet Christina at some point before her class!

A great weekend.

even though I wasn't in Austin.

After my visit to Anusara land Thursday, I experienced the "class after class" and the Anusara Kula graciously allowed me to tag along with them to Trudy's. Trudy's, (another location, but still Trudy's) is actually the very first place I ever went to in Austin. My freshman year in college I came to some concert or another up here, and Susan Dobkins and I went to Trudy's. Funny, I remember the friend and the food, but not the concert. It might have been Sting, but you think I would remember that!!!!!! Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with Jessy, Pam, Ari, and Jenn. The drive up to Waco was not at all bad Friday morning.

Friday at work one of those Time turners would have come in handy. Most of the afternoon, I was supposed to be two places at once and for one 30 minute period I was supposed to be in three meetings simultaneously.

Friday night I went to a very fun place in Waco, the Elite Cafe, I35 prime is my favorite, but I really do like the Elite then I had book club. Marie picked me up and we went out on Nancy and Joe's boat. Perfect night to be on Lake Waco. I was feeling a tad guilty about not actually having read the book (My lack of reading fiction and attempts to overcome it will be a future blog post), but actually no one present read the whole book. (It turns out the book, Time Travelers wife, is most excellent and I read most of it last night). It was so calm mellow, and peaceful out there. A perfect end to the week. Saturday morning I drove up to Dallas for Laurie Blakeney's workshop (hello Newcomb's google alert). Totally fabulous workshop. It was great to see Laurie. She helped me a ton with my shoulder and also just gave a lot of useful advice/observations about how to integrate the whole Pune experience, not to mention, she was very patient listening to all my first timer processing... We also ate at three excellent places. Cafe Brazil, Curtis' favorite place for chorizo, Tin Star (upscale taco joint) and a Latin American Bakery Zagadun. Yummy.

It was really great seeing everyone in Dallas and really humbling to hear about other people reading the India blog and how much they enjoyed it/ benefited from it. Jenny, it is great to hear from you. I am definitely settling in. We miss you in Texas!!

Jeri, thanks so much for the coffee recommendations. I have been to Eastside Cafe before with my good friend Shannon, but I have not been to the other places. Just the sort of projects a new Austinite needs. I will definitely check out both.

Other Austin recommendations are more than welcome!!!!!!!!

Thursday in Austin

I'm drinking coffee Kelli's (and my) lovely dining room in Austin It is a great room and I'm optimistic that I'll write well in it. I drove down yesterday afternoon right after World Cultures I. My small group seems very enthusiastic about the discussion-based learning aspects of BIC. I went to Devon's 4:15 class (class was great, backward bends in honor of Devon's mother's birthday) and then Christina and Kelly met me there. We were supposed to go the Marcia Ball concert in Zilker but it was totally pouring rain when we headed there, so we opted for plan B. Central Market with live music and some shopping/browsing in Whole Earth and Bealls (for a new bathing suit for Christina) afterwards. Then I came home (loved the very short drive up Mopac) and I walked Dylan. In all, quite fun.

This morning I'll write and walk Dylan, meet Christina for Connie's Class and then take Christina's classes tonight, at least that's the plan. We'll see how it all unfolds.

Non Walmart ways in Waco

Jerri, my faithful blog comment poster, Walmart is the least of my various dissatisfactions with Waco.

But actually I had a good first day back in Waco. I'm teaching the class that teaches our graduate students how to teach and I have a group of students who seem really super committed to pedagogy. I'm also teaching World Cultures I and the students were attentive and inquistive. I had a really lovely coffee with a student Adam early this morning (we commiserated about the loathing that emerges with respect to scholarly tasks) and later another coffee later in the day (well I had club soda and waffle fries) with Lenore, my best friend. There's all the first day of school fun. Everyone is really excited to be back and there's no actual real work to do yet..that is the great thing about academia, always a clean slate, right around the corner.

I also taught my first yoga class since the return from India. (more on that on theyogaplacewaco.blogspot.com)

and then my good friend Gabrielle and I went to dinner at 135 prime, by far my favorite place to hang out in waco. I had a great side of squash and cilantro rice...

and new tile in the hacienda bathroom floor ... what more could one want in a day...?

Sunday Morning in Austin (and San Marcos)

George's workshop was fabulous. It was great to see him. The mini-van came in handy for the lunch time field trip to Whole Foods. It was also so great just to have somewhere besides a hotel room to hang out between classes. Devon and I went to eat at a very mellow Italian place, Cippolini's Grill. It has a very European feel. Devon used to live in this area so she drove me around a bit after dinner, showed me some cool houses. I came home and walked Dylan. This morning I went to the neighborhood Starbucks (still haven't managed to buy a coffee maker). I'm going to write a bit, go to Devon's yoga prop sale and then go down further south to practice with Christina and Jessica in San Marcos. Then I'll head back upto Waco. School Starts tomorrow.....

I really just love everything about this arrangement so far.

Friday Night

Well, I had another great day in Austin. I really think I'm going to be happy down here. I feel much more relaxed. There are just so many cool things to do, that's part of it, there are a lot of parts to it. But mostly, it feels easier to just be me. Today, I wanted to go to Devon's class but I wanted to get the cable working more, so Kelli and I waited for the Time Warner guy to arrive. I bought some new sheets, decided to hold of on the coffee maker and then went to Gioconda's yoga class at Castle Hill. I want to survey the yoga scene down here. Anyway, it was a good class, very practice based, (we just had free time for inversions of various sorts) some clear Anusara influence. I talked with her about getting on the sub list there, so that is cool. It is a nice facility. Then I went to whole foods for dinner and bought two new CDS at Waterloo. Totally Austin thing to do. I bought two employee recommendations, the first one, I like a lot. Chuck Ragan, Feast of Famine. The blurb described him as what you are looking for if you are looking for this generation's Dylan... well. Dylan is still Dylan, but this guy is really good. I'll report on the next CD tomorrow.

Tomorrow is George Purvis' one day extravaganza.

Off to walk Dylan the Dog.

Settling In

Well, I now have internet access from the house! Yesterday, Christina and I went to Connie's Yoga class at Austin Yoga. It turns out Beth was subbing. She did a great job. I'd never taken a class from her before and was happy to have the opportunity. Then, we went to Mr. Natural for lunch and I showed her my new housing situation.

What is my new housing situation? I am sharing a house with Kelli. She has a lovely home off Enfield Road west of Mopac. An added bonus, Dylan the dog, lives here along with two cats, Alley and Bailey. Alley is a tortoise shell cat just like Jade (one of my three cats in Waco).

Then I visited Anusara Yoga land and took Christina's fun filled yoga classes at Yoga Yoga. I met several friendly people there. It is quite the social scene there. Then we met Jessica at Whole Foods for Dinner. In all, a great first day in Austin!!!

This morning I actually got some writing done and am off to buy various things.

New Beginnings

Hi Everyone,

I've decided to start another blog! This one will chronicle my life as a dual citizen of Austin and Waco.

I spent my first night as an official resident of Austin last night. I've been coming to Austin for years but I really did feel differently about the city as I was driving down here. Wow. I live here now.

Right now I'm in Dominican Joe's and getting ready to meet Christina for Connie's yoga class.