We Are Not Alone! (NASCAR Fans in Austin)!

It ain't easy being a NASCAR fan in in the Capitol of the Lone Star State! Seems my beloved Utopia of a hometown has everything imaginable to offer, with one notable exception: NASCAR fans. I swear there are days when I believe I'm the only NASCAR junkie in town – no race gear and souvies at our local auto parts stores, no Schrader Lil' Debbie cutouts at our convenience stores, no drivers opening new car dealerships on our “motor mile.” Granted, the soda machine at my Home Depot DOES have Tony Stewart on it, but it's from an era when he was rail-skinny and too young to grow whiskers! Hell, our local Wally Martinez has had the same Ryan Newman action figure hanging on the same peg since 2005!

It's not that Austin is oblivious to sports! It's just that most of our local athletic heroes race on the UT gridiron or on 2 wheels under pedal power. We're a town of old hippies, young technoxecutives, dot commers, lawyers, & politicians – none of which seem to attend the Church of the Holy Oval on Sundays. Mention a Bologna Burger or a Martinsville Stain-the-Bun-Red Hotdog to a local, and they'll run screaming from the aisles at Whole Foods. Ask the college kid at the neighborhood Megamedia franchise for the latest copy of NASCAR Illustrated, and he's likely to ask you if it's a coloring book! Yup, being a NASCAR fan in Austin is a lonely task.

But lo and behold – thanks to our local Time Warner Cable team, the folks at Discount Tire, Texas Motor Speedway, the Speed Channel, ESPN, David McDavid Acura and a good old Texas honkey tonk – we FINALLY had a real live NASCAR fans' get together in Austin! And people came! Mostly looking as amazed as I that there were others like us in town! Held at Scholz Garten, the oldest continuously-operating business in Texas (ca. 1866), attendees got a chance to enjoy some of the Austin's finest BBQ and lament over the rainout of the Michigan race, while trading good-natured jabs at one another over racing rivalries. Curiously, it seems that Austin NASCAR fans are a diverse demographic, as I spotted a huge variety of driver “colors” and tees – everything from Sterling Marlin, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland, Carl Edwards, and one poor Gordon fan who took quite a bit of ribbing after winning TWO of the day's door prizes – I believe someone suggested they go through post-win inspection! Conspicuously absent were members of the Jr. Nation – I think I saw one #8 shirt and another fella flying a DEI logo (albeit a small one).

Speaking of “swag” - the prize giveaways were no slouch, either. In addition to cool freebs from TMS (who brought “Ricky Bobby's” show car), Speed, and ESPN; Discount Tire gave away two $500 gift certificates, TMS threw in a VIP ticket package for the upcoming November race, and the finale was a drawing by Time Warner's Channel 8 News staff for an all-expenses paid trip for two to the October Charlotte race. I guess I don't have to tell ya we didn't win – or else you'd be reading about our upcoming travel arrangements! Nonetheless, it was a breath of fresh air to finally meet up with other NASCAR folk, do a little EA video-racing, bust our diets with some good food, and enjoy Sunday's “almost-race” with other locals of our ilk! Can Corn Dogs and Funnel Cakes at organic co-op be far behind?
Mounds of thanks to the event sponsors and to the kind folks at Scholz Garten for a major treat – and here's hoping we can do it again – SOON!

Ugly Dishes, Uglier Weather & Some Damn Fine Music!

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I’m a “dish junkie.” Have been for too many years to count. I’m an obsessed collectaholic, married to another obsessed collectaholic, with a long line of ancestral collectaholics in the ‘ol family tree. In other words, I’m not looking to be cured of the addiction any time soon! I have; however, found a partial solution to make life bearable (and financially feasible) – I buy all the good, old dishes I can find (supports my addiction and need to “prowl”), and sell the stuff I don’t personally collect (yet) to fund more of same! Vicious cycle, I know, but a helluva lot of fun! That brings us to:

The World’s Ugliest Dishes

I have theories. When extraterrestrials arrive on the planet millennia from now, they’ll dig up the remains of the human race and find four things: 1) Nylon 6-Pack Rings; 2) Pampers; 3) Keith Richards; and 4) Royal China Co’s Dinnerware. Yup, transferware. The Holy Trinity of Transferware: Royal Currier & Ives, Colonial Homestead and Olde Curiosity Shoppe!

I am convinced that everyone in the known universe owns, or HAS owned a piece of Royal Transferware. Many refer to them as “Safeway Dishes,” as they were peddled at every grocery store in the free world back in the 60’s. Buy a dinner plate for .10 this week – and next week we’ll sell you the teapot for $1.00. Of course, the elusive teapots were always gone when the long awaited week rolled around, so you simply bought another .10 dinner plate.

No Thrift Shore, Junk Shop, or Flea Market in the US is without a token piece of Royal Transferware. That would be sacrilege! Why? Because you can’t sell the stuff for love nor money right now! It’s ugly! Back in the late 80’s, folks actually decided that this stuff was “collectible” for a while – of course, they were the same folks who liked Disco (tell you anything)? The trend died off quickly (thank God), and the offending dishes have now made their way back into the stream of commerce, clogging it up like a hairball in a drain. NOBODY wants these dishes. Don’t blame ‘em a bit.

So, if you are one of the incredibly rare individuals in the galaxy who has NEVER owned a piece of Royal Transferware, it is your solemn duty to go find a piece (and then get rid of it – if you can). Doing so will fulfill your destiny and give you the inalienable right to utter the immortal words: “Ewwwww! I had that stuff!” the next time you encounter a .10 dinner plate at a garage sale! You can always try to donate your unwanted transferware to the Pygmies in New Guinea, but I think they already have service for 40 and all they need is the teapot lid.

Hurricane Season – 2008

It’s that time of year again – Hurricane Season in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico! Texans react to hurricanes much like a flock of ground-sniffing pigeons to a car horn – they get up real close for a curious look-see and then explode in a feather-flying frenzy when frightened out of their wits – only to return again for another peek when things calm down.

I live in “central” Texas – a couple of hundred miles from the coast. We’ve had a record amount of rain in these parts recently, and flooding is no stranger to Austin. I don’t think; however, that we’ve had a major hurricane travel all the way up Congress Avenue any time in the past, so we’re fairly safe from worst that the Hurricane Gods dish out.

But you can’t convince us of that! Hurricane Dean is crouched at the entrance of the Gulf, promising to be a Category 4 or better when it enters our backyard kiddie pool of lukewarm water. Go try to buy a flashlight or a generator in the Lone Star State right now! Austinites are clearing the shelves of bottled water, batteries, gas cans and battery operated weather radios. Of course, no one in Austin will have use for any of this survival gear – and next Spring you’ll find weather radios, cheap flashlights, and slightly used generators for sale at your local flea market (right on top of the stacks of Royal Transferware). We’ll keep our fingers crossed for the best, though, for our friends further South. I can flush my toilet 3 times fast and flood half of Houston from here!

Moshing Flamingos & Some Great Blues!

I think I’ve found the perfect NASCAR post-race pastime! A free concert and an old movie at Videoranch - the brainchild of Texas’ own Michael Nesmith. Yes – THAT Mike Nesmith! He is remembered by many for his role in The Monkees, but his real claims to fame are the invention of the music video, the impetus for MTV, one of the first commercially successful “Southern” rockers, and his cutting-edge visions of music media which are lightyears ahead of the most savvy in the industry.

Based on the Second Life virtual world platform, Videoranch 3D is an online “resort” featuring live music events, discussion groups, book signings, movies, and more! Mike and Co. have built extremely lifelike and realistic cafés, lounges, saloons, amphitheaters, poolside retreats, drive-in theaters, and tropical islands; as well as some decidedly UN-lifelike fantasy features such as a giant floating Pie-in-the-Sky that can be visited and enjoyed via the avatar of your choice!

After Sunday’s slugfest at Watkins Glen, I found myself – like many racefans – with a surplus of adrenaline that left me wanting for SOMETHING else to do. I found it in spades at the Blue Horizon Amphitheater at Videoranch, where the “house band” Ranch Dressing were treating audiences to a live, streaming concert of incredible blues. In Videoranch, concerts are performed LIVE in the studio, and the band is actually visible live on the Blue Horizon stage. What’s more – the band can “see” the audience by virtue of screens in front of them, they are able to interact with the concert goers during breaks in their set, and avatars can “chat” with the band via keyboard. Sound quality is primo, and raucous classics by Jimmie Reed, John Mayall and Etta James are performed with gusto by an incredible group of musicians. There are no “bic lighters” at VR (yet) – so appreciation for the music is shown by turning oneself into a pink flamingo dancing a jig at the foot of the stage!

After the concert, avatars can “teleport” to the Drive-In theater, where classic movies, accompanied by chat, are a good way to kick back and relax with friends. Of course, during old “gangsta” flicks – users have a tendency to “chat” in the appropriate Cagney-esque lingo: “youse guys should check it out, see?”

I know many groups of NASCAR fans operate racetime “chats” during and after our Sunday roundy rounds, and hope you get a chance to visit Videoranch 3D and blow off post-race steam at this incredible venue! Who knows? If enough of us octane-sniffers haunt the resort – perhaps “Papa Nez” will build us a virtual track!? And wouldn’t an In The Attic podcast look great from the top of a Pie-In-The-Sky? (Yes, Pete & Rachel – it’s a hint!)

You can visit Videoranch 3D here and check out upcoming events!

http://www.videoranch.com/html/frhomepage.html