Turkey Trot

It was Thanksgiving morning and as I was turning to the parade on my TV I realized I agreed to run the turkey trot with my siblings. In past years I ran and enjoyed the turkey trot but since college life has been a bit more busy than high school I have not ran as much as usual. Plus the city of Austin or whoever came up with the turkey trot decided to make it a 5 mile run instead of a 5k (almost a 2 mile difference). I like the idea of the turkey trot more than I actually like it. Basically you are burning the massive amount of calories that you are going to eat up later in advance. If you have never been to the Thundercloud turkey trot it is a sight to see. No where else can you find a group of people dressed up as indians yelling and chasing a person dressed up in a turkey costume. About three miles into the race I was feeling very fatigued, I was seconds away from stopping when I saw a little girl skipping in front of me like it didn't even faze her. I had to keep going, I was not going to let a little girl embarrass me like that. After the 4 mile mark I started to notice dogs passing me and that was the point where I gave up, I had to stop running. All in all I had a great time with my siblings plus 18,000 of my fellow Austinites. Next year if you are in town for Thanksgiving I strongly encourage you to make your way to downtown Austin to participate in the turkey trot.

The Intimidator

All the hype, all the glory

to his kind it was the big event

all who fear him knows his story

the Intimidator came and went

to die by your name is just right

for all your fans to see

going up against you was such a fight

you will be forever remembered as #3

spectating will never be as fun

so many laps you led

your prodigy is not done

we will miss the black and red

Second Chances?

A couple of years ago there was a big debate on whether or not an NFL team should give Michael Vick a second chance at playing football. After watching Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles so far this year, it shows you that people headed down the wrong path can come back and be remarkable. As everyone knows Vick had the dog fighting accident, which is safe to say a terrible immoral thing to do. For whatever reason Vick was involving himself with these cruel activities but he paid his price, swallowed his pride, went to jail, and has come back a completely changed person. People forget that these professional athletes are still very young which most likely contributed to his poor decisions. Andy Reid, coach of the Eagles thought Vick deserved a second chance when no one thought he did. Vick has prevailed this year and is producing NFL MVP numbers. After tonight Vick and the Eagles are 8-4 and are at the top of the NFC East.

TIPS

There are so many things in this world that never get noticed. And I don’t mean people. I don’t mean those quiet, weird people that sniff or cough a lot and never wash their hands. I mean the books in high school libraries; I mean the stained white tee shirt in the lost and found. Things. Things no one wants or cares for or even acknowledges. I was at a coffee shop, drinking coffee - which was pissing me off in the first place, because it was just another reminder of the lack of originality in this world – when I noticed a tip jar. The loneliest thing in the whole place. Lonelier than the old man in the corner on his lap top, with no ring on his finger, and no hair on his head. Probably lonelier than me, even, which was saying a lot. Someone had taped an index card to the glass jar and written in a bold black marker, probably Sharpie, TIPS. At first, I thought, maybe, it was a donation jar for some kind of organization. Maybe… Totalitarianism in Perfect Synchronization? Or The Irate Persons of Syphilis? Or Typical Interest in Pirating your Salary? The last one seemed more likely. I’ve always been wary of giving my money away to organizations because I saw this documentary once about a Satanist cult that posed as an organization for sick puppies or kids or something. Not that it matters that it was a Satanist cult; it’s just the fact that you never know where your money is going. Your five dollars could have been intended for a dying cocker spaniel and instead it’s funding the construction of an Anton LaVey memorial.


And I must have sat there for three cups of coffee – because eventually everyone will tell time by how much they’ve consumed –before I realized it was a tip jar. I was an idiot for not realizing TIPS was literal, not some secret organization pining for my cash, but merely working individuals of the establishment pining for my cash. Which wasn’t any less worse, really.

Another good book to read: EAT, PRAY, LOVE

This book was all about making the reader want to do something in live, no matter how crazy the idea is. The book focuses on the author's trip around three different countries of the world after she discovers that her life is just miserable and chaotic. During her visit to all the countries she meets new people that helps her grow as a person and become someone better. In every place she visited she learned something new about her self. We as humans normally focus on doing everything in a certain way, or not eating certain things (because we can gain weight), we stress out about small things that really do not matter; this book shows us how we need to live life to its fullest, because we only live once, even when we feel that life is falling apart. During her year of traveling her main focus is to find peace in herself by praying, eating and loving. It is an awesome book and I would recommend it to anyone.

Santa Rita

If you’re fan of Mexican food and don’t intend on spending a lot of money Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina might just be the place for you. With two locations, one downtown and one in south Austin, it is hard to say that the restaurant is difficult to find. Glorified in the Austin Chronicle multiple times and even a mention every now and then in other media show that this Mexican food style restaurant isn’t quite a hidden gem. Although the prices are a little above that of an average Mexican restaurant, Santa Rita provides an atmosphere and customer service that is top notch in its part of its industry.

With great happy hour prices it is easy to see why margaritas are popular there but Santa Rita often receives praise for its beef and chicken fajitas. Another popular item is their enchiladas with several different fillings and sauces all around for $10. In a recent visit I decided to order an American Style meal and wasn’t quite satisfied which leads me to believe that if I’m eating at a Mexican Restaurant I should probably stick with Mexican food. When I visit the restaurant with friends or family I always recommend getting queso which is apparently made fresh daily. Walking into either restaurant the customer sees multi-diverse decorations as well as paintings that really give both locations color. The lights might be dim but the color of the walls alone brings the restaurants to life. Bright, fluorescent colors become inviting and the customer can’t help but develop a sense of comfort.

This restaurant is quite popular with the locals and its two locations allow customers to visit each of them and discover their different atmospheres. I would recommend this establishment to anyone who is looking for decent food at a decent price. Although it isn’t quite a fancy restaurant it is impressive when it comes to taking care of the customer. Let it also be known that Santa Rita thrives on its “regulars” and that the restaurants tend to do plenty of promotions to keep people coming back.

Pull the World

This is a poem I started from some of the exercises in class, I based it off of a rather frightening dream I had once.

I changed it around a bit to make it a statement about the violence happening on the Mex-Am border.



“Pull the word, pull the world”
The Girl in White smiles and plays
The red follows closely behind;
Tied to her wrist, a forced friend

“Pull the world, pull the world”
The Girl in White has a cloud of hair
She lets little bugs bite
And little birds bathe

“Pull the world, pull the world”
Blue pours into her open skin;
Her happy mouth, her laughing sigh
Her red friend floats

“Pull the world, pull the world”
The Girl in White falls;
Feathers crust, cripple in cracking clay
Mud on knees, on chin, on pale neck

“Pull the world, pull the world”
The Red Balloon bursts;
Red rain drops, dotting crimson
The smell, the smell, the familiar smell

“Pull the world, pull the world”
The Girl in White cries creamy and thick
And her friend drowns in its redness
As the pool forms, hot, around her bare feet