Tag Archive: austin
Every time (and I am not exaggerating — I mean every single time) I tell a current or former California resident (whether they’re from the bay area or socal) that I’m thinking of moving to California, I am immediately greeted with the exact same response:
Don’t.
It’s so expensive to live here. Taxes are crippling. Basic living is unaffordable. State/local services are bankrupt. You would be smart to stay in Austin where it’s cheap and easy to live. It’s too HARD to live here.
Can anyone out there convince me otherwise?
Photo of Sapling Creek from iPhone 4S
I like that the Alamo Drafthouse serves alcohol. Not because I drink alcohol (I don’t), but because this keeps out the children under 21 years old. I like that Alamo seriously enforces its No Talking and No Texting rules. I love that Alamo management actually kicked a woman out of the theater in June 2011 for texting during a movie. I wish this were done at every theater in Austin. I like that the Drafthouse Village has digital 4K projection and sound systems – movies look and sound amazing. The food and drinks are more expensive than what you’d find at a typical casual restaurant in Austin, but I think the price is worth it considering the overall atmosphere and experience.
What I learned from Uncyclopedia:
The Sharktopus is proficient in southern mantis-style kung fu.
Fact: My martial arts school in Austin teaches northern mantis-style kung fu. I crap you negative.
What I learned from Wikipedia:
The original Piranha was directed by Joe Dante, written by John Sayles, and produced by Roger Corman. It was filmed in and around Aquarena Springs, an erstwhile amusement park in San Marcos, a small town about 30 minutes south of Austin. The park was built around the San Marcos Springs, a collection of natural springs that discharge water from an ancient artesian aquifer, which is kind of like an underground prehistoric lake, which is what the piranhas swim out of following an earthquake in Piranha 3D!
Piranha 3D was directed, co-written and co-produced by Alexandre Aja. One man’s obsession yields beauty and Truth for the entire world.
Sharktopus — shockingly — does not have a Wikipedia entry.
What I learned from IMDB:
Sharktopus was produced by Roger Corman, stars Eric Roberts and is scheduled to debut on the SyFy Channel September 25, 2010. Just when you thought Eric Roberts had reached bottom, he swims deeper into a prehistoric underground lake and pulls out an ace like Sharktopus.
Other facts:
Aquarena Springs was built in the 1950′s and included a “Submarine Theater” – a large, submersible, glass-fronted enclosure where patrons could watch “mermaids” and Ralph the Famous Swimming Pig, who performed “swine” dives and frolicked under water. There was also an Alpine sky-cable ride and a 220-foot rotating observation tower. My parents took me and my sister Laura to the park in 1981, shortly after we moved to Austin. Alas, Ralph and the mermaids are no more. The amusement park is now defunct except for glass-bottom boat rides. The property is now owned by Texas State University, which is in the process of converting the park to an ecology research center and ecotourism/edutainment destination. The thing I remember most bout my trip to Aquarena Springs is the rotating Spiral Tower. We were 220 feet above ground and my sister and I were fighting (as usual). My father, having reached his breaking point, shouted “HEY!” at us so loudly that his voice echoed around the metal observation area for what seemed like minutes, and everyone else on the ride (and in the park, probably) was shocked into numb silence. And that is why to this day I am terrified of shark-octopus hybrids.
