Lately, my favorite part of each day is that one brief moment when I emerge, groggy, from a night’s sleep that likely was disrupted numerous times by one nightmare or another. Nightmares don’t, as a rule, plague me often. But times like these, when Monkey Mind is my constant companion, there seems to be no escaping the rat wheel of my own brain. For much large and stinky shit has been hitting my fan of late, and as it happens, someone left the fan on high, and I can’t reach the pull cord to slow it down. So it’s just shit shit shit all over the place. Now, I am not a complete idiot—on some level I understand that while the grief that has been accompanying all this shit can, at times, feel overwhelming, in the long run, I’m going to be just fine. Some little part of my mind really does understand that the only constant is change. And the voice of experience, whispering way far in the background, may be faint, but at least it exists, and it reminds me of a couple of things. First, this too shall pass. And second, while grief is certainly not a competition, my own mound of doo-doo is, compared to that of so many others, actually quite small and manageable, or at least will be once I get my feet on the ground. more ›

Photo from SpikeG.com Spike Gillespie presents Quilty As ChargedTuesday, November 6BookPeople (603 N. Lamar)7pm, Free[info]Local raconteur Spike Gillespie has been a favorite of ours for a long time. Easily the hardest writing writer in Austin, the moxie-mad Gillespie stole our hearts with the annual Kick Ass Awards ceremony she holds on her birthday. She isn't one to hold anything back or censor herself. Her "dot-novel", a completely free book, opens with the phrase "donkey-cock," and... more ›

While gathering in the conference room to watch DVDs about your esteemed corporate founder or practicing falling off of chairs and into each other's arms as part of a trust exercise have always been a great way to spend an hour or two not surfing the internets at work away from your cubicle, the Writers' League of Texas has introduced a new program that will make you not dread the email from Human Resources,... more ›

Tired of “reality” reruns and box-office bombs? BookPeople offers an eclectic selection of alternatives. Thursday, June 22: Austin memoirist Spike Gillespie reads from her latest, Pissed Off: On Women and Anger. Publisher’s Weekly describes Pissed Off as an engaging and honest account that “transcends self-pity . . . as Gillespie progresses to talking about the nature of forgiveness and her increasingly calmer approach to life.” 7:00 p.m. (details) Friday, June 23: Amy Simmons of Amy’s... more ›

MONDAY [19] [film] Tickets on Sale Now for Superman Returns, opening June 27th @ Alamo at Alamo South (Multiple Shows, $8) (more) [sports] World Cup Matches at Alamo Village (Daily, Various) (more) [film] State vs. Reed (funds from screening benefit Rodney Reed's family) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (more) [film] Casino at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (more) [film] The Fearless Freaks at Café Mundi (8pm, FREE) (more) [film] Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon at Alamo... more ›