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Lake Travis won its third straight high school football championship, Westlake lost a heartbreaker in overtime, and the Longhorn volleyball team comes up short in the NCAA finals. more ›

Chaotic Theatre Company could use some tips from Girl Talk. Their mashup of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" in the thematic wasteland of a mental institution is a cacophonous shambles of discordant storyline and one-note performances. more ›

The Statesman.com and Austin360.com website got a new look today. At the center of the redesign is a display that rotates throughout the top stories of the day and offers both photos and video. There are a few behind-the-scenes changes that should make the sites easier to use. Search functionality has been updated to include results from both Statesman.com and Austin360.com, and the commenting functions allow more options for social media, filtering and reporting abuse. more ›

It's not just the University of Texas football team that has a hold on Nebraska. The Longhorns' volleyball team became the first club in NCAA history to defeat the Cornhuskers three times in one season as they advanced to the national semifinals. more ›

Helpful parenting tip: take an interest in the boring crap your kid likes more ›

I keep trying to figure out how to best write about my friend Ed. It’s not that I have writer’s block. It’s more of a “where to begin?” sort of feeling, the same feeling that visited me when, a couple of months ago, I had the strange honor of helping to compose Ed’s obituary. I don’t totally go in for the whole ghosts-among-us bit, but as I sat to put together the information and memories I was handed about Ed, and add in my own thoughts, I’m not kidding when I say I could practically feel Ed standing behind me, laughing at the ridiculous task he had pressed upon me with his untimely passing. Before I tell you more about Ed, let me veer off down Tangent Highway and say that this past Saturday, which just so happened to be the Eve of Ed’s Memorial Service, I got into a great conversation about obituaries. The occasion for this discussion was an impromptu gathering to honor Andrea Burden, who died very suddenly last week, healthy on Monday, gone by Friday, leaving two young children behind (as had Ed). more ›

[In the glorious, time-honored tradition of the 'Format-Breaking Episode', I now present: a poem.] I saw the best minds of my generation walk past the window without contemplation. That's what it felt like at first, anyway, as I stood there listening inside the cafe. No Ginsberg, no Kerouac, not even Mark Strand- the first few readers really quite bland. And though I was tempted to leave, I held tight- at the local open mic poetry night. more ›

Austin-based Gowalla took a step toward the head of the pack of location-based service providers with an $8.4 million investment that featured some well-known backers: Kevin Rose (digg), Jason Calacanis (Mahalo) and Gary Vaynerchuk (Winelibrary TV). more ›

As you sit down to write your annual letter to Santa, consider taking a turn behind the sleigh's reigns by fulfilling someone's holiday wish. Many local non-profits have put together wish lists of items that would be particularly useful in helping fulfill their missions. Other groups are making your holiday shopping a little easier by suggesting gift ideas that also give back to the community. For other charity ideas check out our post about holiday volunteering and our roundup of organizations providing services to the area's most needy. As always, visit I Live Here, I Give Here for a comprehensive list of area non-profits. more ›

Yesterday we profiled some organizations that are providing services to our community's most needy who are looking for donations this holiday season. Today we're highlighting groups with volunteer opportunities that are just as helpful as cash donations. Although we might not have extra funds this year, many of us find ourselves underemployed with time to spare. We can't think of a better way to use up some of our free time, give back, feel useful, and gain some valuable experience. more ›

As we enter yet another recession-era holiday season, even more members of our community are looking for assistance and generosity. And, as we sit down to our computers on Monday to being our work week by reading our favorite local news and culture website, we're reminded of just how lucky we are. We can't claim to have endless bounty, but we do take great comfort from contributing charitably to great causes. Though out the week, the altruists at Austinist will be bringing you information about local organizations looking for donations, volunteers, and assistance this holiday season. We'll start things off by profiling a few groups that are providing services to some of the neediest members of our community. more ›

The Texas Longhorns will make their second appearance in five years in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game after a last-second win over Nebraska on Saturday. more ›

Dear Henry, I recently read Mary Karr’s latest memoir, Lit. She opens the book up with a letter to her son. Of course the letter isn’t really to her son. It’s to her audience. We call this sort of thing a literary device. Literary devices are what writers use to spice up their writing, engage their readers, and, in the case of including personal letters, let folks feel like they are getting an up close and personal view of the relationship between the writer and whomever she is writing to. Think of this particular literary device as a precursor to reality TV, which, of course, isn’t real at all. I actually know a lot about this particular letter-writing literary device, seeing as my first book, All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy (← that would be you) is sandwiched between and middles with three letters I wrote to you. Well, okay, I wrote to my audience. You get the idea. Today, I am sitting here, facing the prospect of writing my column for the Austinist. I love, love, love writing columns. But lately, the well of inspiration has been a little dry, which is why I’m resorting to a literary device in the form of a letter to you. Usually I have plenty to say, but frankly, I’m totally fucking burnt out after spending the better part of this year researching a massive history of quilts from around the world and throughout all of time and history. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. (Plus—here’s a lesson in another literary device: irony—isn’t it hilarious that I, shitty quilter that I am, am earning a reputation as a quasi-expert on textile arts?) more ›

Each week, we'll look at some reasons to taunt, belittle, and bully the Longhorns' football opponent. This week: the Nebraska Cornhuskers. more ›

Although most of us have probably never wanted to see Santa in a speedo, Saturday December 12, gives you the chance to do just that. If Santa decides to take part in this year's Fun Run at Zilker Park and join Team Santa Speedo. Otherwise you'll probably see some pleasantly fit folks strapped in red banana hammocks and bikinis running to raise funds and awareness for Out Youth, a non-profit that provides services to LGBT and questioning youth. more ›