Yeah, pretty much.

Professor Ramblings #1

I'm taking a summer class on "quantitative methods" and despite my reservations about anything math-related, I think this class is going to be good. The professor is AWESOME. Smart as a whip, funny, confident, and he knows how to teach. He strikes the perfect balance of being invested in our success, holding us to high standards, and presenting us with a reasonably challenging regimen. Score.

He also cracks me up about five times per class. So, I present Professor Ramblings #1:

"You'll need to write a one page memo at the end of each problem set that would explain to someone with no particular mathematical faculties what you discovered. Like your grandma... or Joe Biden. Ask yourself: 'If I were Joe Biden, could I understand this?'"

"You grew up thinking that asking for help was cheating. Well, get that out of your system. You're not longer 'cheating' by asking for help, you're 'consulting.'"

"It's a good lesson to learn: if it makes you feel smart, you're probably on the wrong track."

On the quadratic formula: "Fairly often my intellectual powers fail me and you need to use something that will always, always work. It's not elegant, but it's easier."

"Okay, that's a BIG ASS number. Let's see if this works."

This week in Austin...

Road ride from Mellow Johnny's.

HB 1 Budget Battle in the Texas House. Legislators filed over 300 amendments and were in session well past midnight.

Texas Capitol dome in the late afternoon...

A little Sunday afternoon dirt worship in the greenbelt.

Fall is here!

And I was ready for it to arrive. Summer was hot. Humid. And six months long. By mid-October, I was practically begging for a cold front to whoosh through Texas.

Wish granted.

The air is finally cool, and I get to trade in my summer dresses for leggings, scarves, and jackets. But even with the changing weather, one of the best things about Austin is that -- no matter the season -- there is always plenty to see and do. A quick digest from October and early November...


Mountain biking. Austin and the hill country are great places to ride some amazing trails.



ELECTION DAY. (Which, in retrospect, could have been renamed "Demogeddon" or "Democralypse" this year. I'll refrain from further commentary and point you here instead for all the details on the Texas midterm results.)

For the first time in my voting life, I was compelled to phone bank for the Democrats. This isn't California, folks, and winning back those blue seats was not something we could even come close to counting on.


A few photos from the Travis County Democratic Party HQ in Austin. I called 75 voters to remind them to vote, and to encourage them to vote for all the Dems on the ballot. People were super nice! Even a few conservatives pledged to vote for Bill White for Governor (sadly, he lost... and Texas is even redder than before).



And finally, the Gypsy Picnic! Austin is famous for serving food out of a trailer (there are over 1,000 such businesses in the city limits alone). So what better way to celebrate this food culture than by bringing together over 30 food trailers and serving up $3 sample sizes of all these dishes!

The lines were crazy long (and usually I can find many of these trailers are in my neighborhood), so I passed on this delicious fare and just browsed the event and enjoyed the live music... but rest assured you can find me at Gordoughs, Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, or Torchy's on a nice evening.



Happy Fall!