Talking to Strangers
March 27, 2003

We call them Dragworms, the homeless guys who sit along the campus strip asking for spare change. Sometimes you pass the same guy every day, and if he's nice enough, maybe you strike up a friendship. That's what happened with... more

A Walk in Hyde Park
March 26, 2003

Today is one of those perfect days in Austin. You just want to fall in love with everything. Look at the adorable house with the Christmas lights and the porch swing. Look at that squirrel with an apple core in... more

And All That Jazz
March 24, 2003

In the all-female apartment where I watched the Oscars, Gael Garcia Bernal got the most cheers. Not his gentle anti-war sentiments - "If Frida Kahlo were alive today, she would be with us, against the war" - but just him,... more

The Protest
March 21, 2003

It was 4:30pm at the State Capitol, and about a thousand people stood in the streets. It didn't feel much different from an outdoor concert or street fair - dogs running about, kids seated on their parents' shoulders, a drum... more

American Idle
March 19, 2003

Last night I watched American Idol. Sometimes, when I'm watching entertainment programs that begin with the word "American," I like to scramble them all up. Like I pretend that "American Pie" is the scathing suburan satire beloved by critics and... more

The Corrections
March 18, 2003

It has been brought to our attention that the word "blog" is already in the OED. It has been brought to our attention that no one -- ever -- liked the word. But has it been brought to your attention... more

Roadtrip, Revisited
March 14, 2003

For those of you who haven't had it UP TO HERE with stories of Corn Palaces and freeway weariness, I wrote a new photo-driven piece about my roadtrip on today's Morning News.... more

Blog, Blogger, Bloggiest
March 13, 2003

I hate the word blog. It sounds vulgar, too onomatopoetic - blerg, bloog, blurp, blog. A blog sounds likely something terrible and unbecoming, like a poop or a toot. "Do you blog?" Yes, but we don't have to talk about... more

SXSH
March 11, 2003

Although the SXSW Music Festival doesn't begin till tomorrow evening, the Film and Interactive festivals began last Friday. A few years ago when I was an associate editor, crazyglued to my phone and my deadlines while writers called me from... more