Rant

I work in the Lakeway area (for those of you not from Austin, it's a small affluent town on the lake) and am very accustomed to seeing parking lots full of SUVs with one passenger each, usually each being a young mom in workout attire and plenty of makeup. But this lady's Sequoia just struck a nerve with me.

I understand that some people want to drill our country away, but I don't understand the emphasis on "paying less" for gasoline because of it. If one wants to pay less for gasoline, there are so many other options that would be more effective. The most obvious one to me: buy a different car. One that is smaller and runs more efficiently. You'll save money on the actual car and the cost to make it run. And you'll save money immediately rather than twenty years down the line when we've built more plants to refine more oil. Just saying.

PS. Because of this young lady's Sequoia and the many others out there, our grandkids might not know what a sequoia is. Or a tundra or bronco for that matter.


I apologize for my rant. Sorry. :)

Popsicle, Anyone?

It's been really hot in Austin lately. I think today we reached 105 degrees and it's not expected to change anytime soon.

Did you know that Austin's per capita water usage is higher than that of both Dallas and Houston? I know - completely shameful (although it's quite possible that Lance Armstrong alone pushed us over the edge last year).

As your friendly Austin Water Utility employee, just sending a quick reminder to think about your water usage so we can get through the summer without maxing out our water and energy. Here's a list of 100 ways to conserve water. Many of them are not only easy, but also have many benefits beyond the actual water savings. Cheers!

Snapshots of France and England

Chris and I returned from France and England this afternoon with thousands of photos and videos to remember our fun two weeks. I made a pact with myself on the plane that I would not TOUCH my photos until I hand in my final term paper of graduate school, which is due next Monday (and is currently non-existent). I've already let myself down by playing with my photos today, but this is it -- now it's really down to business!

Here are some of the non tourist-standing-in-front-of-a-monument shots. Trust me, there are plenty of those to go around too. Enjoy! More to come in a few weeks.

Girl posing for the cover of Vogue magazine, Kensington Palace, London

Swing dancers, Kensington Palace, London

Breakdancing rollerbladers, Hyde Park, London

Local sweets, Salisbury, England

Lovers in Paris

Le Tour Eiffel, Paris

Hitching a ride, Paris

Composer in City Hall, Manchester

Boys in a limo, London

Lady Hare and cathedral, Bath

Main Street, Salisbury

The London Eye

Watching sunset from The Eye, London

A grand entrance, Paris

Momma and babies, Hyde Park, London