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We found yams. They were all secured to kegs on casters, using ratcheting straps. This seems to be a theme here at the Contemporary as the previous exhibit also featured household items secured with ratcheting straps. It was open bar, so we didn't dwell too long on the yam of it all.
These two made quite a ruckus with their broken tiles....
This was the final arrangement. We all applauded.
It was a fun event shared with friends.
Another birthday at Plucker's!
He saved money for a long while to buy his own Virtual Reality.
He hosted his own birthday party. He made the invite, planned activities and selected his cake.
He tasked me with providing chicken wings for the event.
And there he goes.... he's no longer that interested in our actual Reality.
Kat and I both tried it. I'll admit, it's pretty cool
March is a great month to be born! So many fun people have birthdays in March. We attended a party for our friend Holly (far right) who was also fortunate to have arrived in March.
(photo credit for the pic above goes to Joelle Schulze)
If you've ever heard me suggest there was nothing in Shreveport worth stopping for... Today is the day I backtrack on that statement. I greatly enjoyed my stop at Great Raft Brewing.
Kevin Brown gave us a fun and informative behind the scenes tour.
We were happy.
We had a great pizza and Ghost in the Machine on tap at Pizza Rev. I also enjoyed that place.
Before we moved to Austin, I had nine cars. My neighbors in Santa Cruz weren't too happy about it. We sold some before the move. And sold some later to fund the house construction. We had a nice pair of early (long hood) Porshe 911.
My favorite was the last Porsche to be sold. I think we got $16k for it. The same Porsche would have a value of around $80-100k today. Mine was a mild RS tribute or 911 Porsche hotrod project. I had lightened and enhanced the car wherever I could.
I don't think I'll ever have another early 911 in my garage. That brings us to the 951 (944 turbo). These cars are starting to appreciate as the early 911 have done.
I contacted a mechanic that works on them, and posts videos to YouTube. I was in the process of acquiring a broke 951, and hiring him to fix it. He got back to me with news of a nice example in NC, at a fair price. I dismissed the option as Kat had requested "NOT RED!". But the bright Guards Red paint problem became less of an obstacle as we learned more about the car. I made a deal with the seller. Had my brother in NC go see it in person (late 2018) and put a deposit down for me. My mechanic later trailered the car to his shop (yard) and fixed a bunch of small issues and performed the Front Of Engine service. These cars have a rubber timing belt that should be changed every 30k miles or risk major engine failure. The age of the belts on this car were unknown. Edredas (mechanic) finished the car mid March 2019.
The week after SXSW, I boarded an early flight to NC. I was scooped up at the airport in the car, I was travelling south moments later. I didn't have any time to get acquainted with the new car, I had miles to consume!
First day was ATX to Houston and on to Charlotte (via plane). Then I drove from Charlotte to Atlanta. I got 24.5 MPG, and a good bit of that was stop and go urban Atlanta traffic.
I had my first real look at the car when I arrived at my hotel in Atlanta. NICE! The red is growing on me.
The drive across Alabama was really nice. Brent/Edredas had said "this is the fastest 951 I've ever driven. When that turbo kicks in, if feels more like a 930". This car has a long list of performance updgrades. I learned real quickly that any acceleration can get out of hand real quickly. You could sneeze and that needle will jump from 60 to ### (number redacted on advice from my attorney). I did well maintaining a reasonable speed of 75 MPH most of the trip. The car drove wonderfully. It features a new suspension with adjustable Koni shocks.
Day two had me leave GA, cross Alabama, Mississippi, and most of Louisiana.
I spent the night in Shreveport Louisiana with friends.
I even drove by one of the homes I used to live in... decades ago... My fondest memory in that home... I saw the Talking Heads on SNL.
I made it home on the third day of travel. I was explaining to a friend "this car is scary fast. It's no grocery getter!"
The next morning, I suggested Kat should drive the car. We went to the Asian grocery....
I shuffled the stable and it fits nicely into the garage.
Edredas posted a video featuring the service of this car. It adds to the provenance.
I keep making it to my birthday, even though I don't always deserve another one.
I was very thankful for family and friends that made a special effort to be great to me.
CMoore spent some Mardi Gras events with Stormy Daniels. She also has a March birthday. She had a really nice chocolate cake.
It was a big cake. CMoore brought me the leftover.
Connie and my Mom took me to lunch at Loro.
Another fun connection from this past week...
I lived in Shreveport Louisiana in the 80's. Around 86... I think, I started to hear about this band The Picket Line Coyote. I went to High School with one of the guys, and I went to see their show. I even convinced them I could probably sing a song, if they could mimic the speedpunk sound of MDC. I told them my song was Dead Dog in the Street, a play on the MDC song Dick for Brains. It never happened, not sure if that was a good thing (I'm often confused about what is good/bad).
In the 90's, my friend CMoore owned a night club, where the Picket Line Coyotes played. The news print clipping is related to the event. Kevin Russell (Shinyribs) can be seen at the back left. CMoore chatted with him after his SXSW gig at Lucy's this weekend. He was a bit surprised we had brought some history with us.
Right before we moved away from Sant Cruz, we found Kay-So in a cardboard box near the Costco entrance. I was against taking her home, but I gave in. They told us she was born on March 17th. I gave her some fresh salmon for her birthday.
I picked up a used bike trailer to haul goods from HEB now that the sidewalks are officially open! That's a bag of potatoes in there!
Today is Black Monday... the heavy burden of reality and all.
But I did get to see some amazing live shows this SXSW. It takes a toll, but I did survive (barely).
Another great time during SXSW is spending time with friends.
and then on the last day, I was coming in late... I tripped getting out of an uber that had dropped me in the street in front of the house (not in the driveway). I tripped on the new steep driveway and fell on my face. It's not pretty, but maybe it never was. Stay tuned, another big adventure is coming up this week. I'm packing my bags now.
For years we talked about hosting a SXSW event at the house. This is the year we did it. Quiet Company played AMH SXSW
We took the kids to explore some Virtual Reality at SXSW,
He was pretty happy about his high score...
He's been saving his money for his own PS VR set and this game, Beat Saber. This has cemented his decision to dive head first into Virtual Reality. Leaving the rest of us behind to deal with actual reality. Have I mentioned he watches The Matrix.... over and over again.
Kat and I checked out a few bands at Hotel Vegas, 42 bands with three stages.
Darkbird surprised us. I'd go see them again for sure.
Quiet Company put on a LOUD and energetic show.
We closed the night at Suerte. We were surprised at how much we loved it there.
Kat and I attended the VOX Media party on Friday night. Our first SXSW 2019 Queue.
Free fancy cocktails, food and bands.... not too many people. It was a good time.
I'm nearly finished with another custom stereo cabinet.
It was good to have Cory and Alicia back to AMH with A.K,A. Mixology jello shot.... Kat's not sure about jello shots....
We attended Explore UT where we observed the Steam Roller Print Press in action.
This empty industrial space was transformed into a giant Bulleit Boubon party for the weekend.
The bar was 3D printed.
The DJ played so much fun music. They had as much fun as any of us.
Sweet Spirit played an energetic show.
Lana (lanaloveswhiskey) whisked us away into her secret VIP bar where we enjoyed her company, her heater, and a tasting of some of the upscale variety of Bulleit.
The drink robot was fun. But I don't see it replacing a human.
