Awwwstin

After a harrowing drive through western Texas, where they apparently don't expect many visitors, given that there are literally 5 gas stations between the New Mexico border and Fredericksburg, I finally made it to Austin, home of my brother Michael. When I called Mike on my way into town, he suggested I go straight over to his girlfriend Jacqueline's place, because guess what she just got a new puppy named Lucy. As if I need another reason to speed.

Mike mentioned Lucy was really cute, but he neglected to tell me that she is actually the most adorable puppy ever to walk this earth. And that's not an exaggeration, I promise. She's a West Highland terrier, white with pointed ears and a wise face, "all whiskers and eyebrows," to use PG Wodehouse's apt description of a terrier. Jacqueline and I took her all over town, and we couldn't go anywhere without causing a scene. Lucy is a very bold little dog, and she is not afraid of people or other dogs, even Atlas, the neighbor's Bouvier who outweighs her by about 200 lbs. The three of us debated whether she needed a tougher name—"Killer" was tossed around more than once—but as it turns out, that name came along by itself. Being a puppy, she's still got a bit of training to do, and once after witnessing an accident, I half-groaned, half-yelled, "Oh, Lucifer!" So now her name is Lucy, short for Lucifer.

I guess I should stop talking about Lucy and say something about spending time with my brother...Michael and I got along quite well, and I don't mean to brag, but it turns out we're kind of the dynamic duo when it comes to taking care of a house. I like to clean, and Mike likes to cook, so I cleaned his apartment top to bottom and bought him a vacuum (I won't say how long he'd been there without vacuuming...) while he made gourmet meals for me and Jacqueline. (Of course, separately, we're kind of pathetic and helpless. Sorry, Mom.) It was actually very relaxing and satisfying to clean, since I haven't had to do that at all in the last couple months, and cleaning Mike's apartment was my favorite kind of cleaning—the kind where you can see the results :)

I was busy with interviews during the week, which went very well, and then my friend Carolyn flew into town to hang out for the weekend. Between Carolyn, Jacqueline, and my interviewees, I got to see a lot of Austin and go to some great restaurants while Mike had to work.

Austin of course is known for its music scene and quaint downtown, and both of those delivered, but what they don't tell you about is the traffic. Apparently, Austin has just about doubled in population in the last 10 years, and its roads are a little behind. In addition, the collective commitment of the people of Austin to going under the speed limit is unlike anything I'd ever seen. Carolyn can be my witness: Even when there were only a few cars on the road, everyone was going 55 in a 60 mph zone. If harnessed for the good, such dedication and teamwork could end poverty worldwide. Unfortunately, in this case, it meant that a 15-minute drive on a Saturday afternoon to find a hiking trail turned into a frustrating mini-road trip, one for which neither of us was really prepared. I guess a lot of people were out having a nice little Saturday at the Home Depot. Somehow we ended up finding the beginning of a trail behind a Toys 'R' Us (anyone know how to make a backwards R?), which turned out to be quite muddy and enjoyable. And then we got back in the car and drove another hour back to Mike's.

On Saturday night, we went downtown to a little jazz club my brother loves (with good reason—great music, ideal atmosphere), and we were surprised at how many families were out on a Saturday night. Turns out it was opening night of the Nutcracker and the lighting of the tree at the State House. The next day, Carolyn and I decided to explore downtown a little more, and we took our own little tour of the State House, where we were surprised to find what I would have to say is the most pathetic Christmas tree I've ever seen at a public building. This was a tree of Charlie Brown proportions, without any of the cuteness or charm. Surely, we thought, this could not be the tree everyone came out to see, but it was. How sad for the children of Texas. The upside is that the State House itself is beautiful, and anyone who goes to Austin should check it out, if only to see the paintings of the grandchildren of the Texas Congressmen, who serve as the government's "mascots."