fly-by austin with a "spicy" intro

i woke up this morning in someone else's bed. [this statement is kind of funny, seeing how i don't actually have a bed of my own. i guess i wake up every morning in someone else's bed.] what a spicy way to start a post, right? too bad it wasn't a very spicy night. ahh well, there's always next time. now that i have your attention... austin texas gets added to my list of towns i would visit, hang out in for a while, but never call home. people aren't far off the mark when they say that austin reminds them of portland. there are record stores, co-ops, bicycles, bands, tattoos, and thrift stores. there are really great coffee shops: it's not stumptown coffee, but it aint shit either. i've lounged, done the x-word, played scrabble and saw an inspiring "under 21" slam poetry contest at these coffee shops. there is hope for the future. last night i had the good luck to be drinking at a lovely dive bar with a decent juke box and a monday night special of $1 lone star-shiner bock [not bad] and $2 everything else [really not bad]. this sounds like heaven on earth [barwise]- and it could have been if it weren't for the fact that the bar was like a freakin' ghost town. i don't care what night of the week it is in portland, give us a $1-2 beer special and we will be there, feeding the juke box and drinking like it's our job. i miss this in the austin bar culture. they may have mardi gras year round on 6th street, but the living-room mentality of pdx bars just isn't here. the influential factor here is- the university. these people bring a whole new meaning to the term "school spirit." holy shit, if i see one more burnt orange_____ [fill in any noun]. not only is there the orange, orange, orange, [sorry, burnt orange], but there are College Students everywhere. notice the capitals. i have no problems with higher learning, or the university of texas. it's that bizarre state college culture. the girls gone wild, halter top, tribal tattoo, macho, jello shots, losing all self respect after a few beast light, college culture. it's the classic case of life mimicking media. tune in to a little mtv spring break, blind date, "real world," flip through a cosmo or a fhm and you know how to be a hip and swinging state college student. i know there are some rad, free thinking people living in austin and going to school here- they've shared my scrabble games and drank dollar beers with me. unfortunately the College Students are loud and they are proud and sometimes it hard to see the city for the orange.