Endless Rain Into a Paper Cup

Thanks, Steve

2012-02-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Young & Beautiful, Aaron NevilleVuelvo Al Sur, Astor Piazzoll Is There Any Chance, Marty RobbinsBrooklyn, Avett BrothersJust Go, Boz ScaggsParadise, Bruce SpringsteenFather and Son, Cat StevensNina Simone, Tom RussellDirty Old Town, The PoguesA Baby Changes Everything, Faith Hill

Texas, Our Texas

2011-04-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship. ~ Benjamin FranklinTexas’ Republicans plan to gut three state offices that help average folks in disputes with big business, including the Office of the Public Interest Counsel at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which occasionally helps consumers in environmental and water matters against

The Gospel According to Paul's Grill

2011-03-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

“Why do you lie to me?” Simple question. Impossible to answer. If an answer exists, I don’t know what it is. “I thought you’d believe me,” I think. But I know better than to say it. So I just sit there, moping, sweating, melting. “You have nothing to say, young man? You’re just going to sit there?” So, I choose to commit hari-kari. “Well, Mom, there was a sign on the

The Aggies

2010-11-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Aggies may be misguided, but at least they’re Texans who stayed in Texas. For the better part, they come from small towns like Throckmorton and Eustace and Lytle and Snook where they served as class presidents and Boys State delegates and 4-H champions. They were all-district athletes and “Mr. Muenster High” and pink-cheeked grocery checkers at the local Pak ‘n Sak. They

The People Have Spoken

2010-11-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

The people of Texas have spoken, and this is what they said: We’re morons. We're mean and dumb, and if you think you’ve seen the worst of it, you’re kidding yourself. We’re just getting our knuckles dirty. Our Governor-For-Life Rick Perry is FED UP. All Texans except the hippie scum at the University of Austin are FED UP. We’re tired of government spending and deficits and

The Sooners

2010-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Why is the Texas-OU rivalry so special? First and foremost, the venom. It’s as lethal as a poison dart frog. Second, the site. The game is played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, equidistance between Austin and Norman, so half the stadium is drenched in burnt orange and white, and the other half is drenched in Brut and Tabu and Keystone Light. Third, it’s held during the State

A Different Kind of Class Struggle

2010-09-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm driving Highway 18 from Monahans to Fort Stockton, one of the most desolate 40-mile stretches of scrub brush, cactus and oilfield litter this side of Mercury, on my way to an in-service for the Region 18 Education Service Center. People out here love it, but I can’t understand why. “Live out here three years and you’ll love it too,” a teacher in Midland tells me. Not

Don't Worry 'Bout Me

2010-08-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve been on the road much of the summer with my dog-and-pony show and failed to jettison the spam that’s clogging my e-mail. Here's what I missed:Someone is trying to find me, and if I subscribe to MyLife.com or Classmates.com or some other pixelated clothesline for only $11.95 per month, I can find out who it is. I’m fairly confident it won’t be Debi Havins or Debbie

A world class flop

2010-07-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sixty-one minutes into the World Cup final. A guy is flopping on the ground, clutching his shin. He appears to be in great pain. Now, a pair of bald guys are hovering over him, jawing, like professional wrestlers before a Texas death match. Meanwhile, others mill around until the referee flips the ball to a guy in a blue jersey, who kicks it out of bounds, which allows everyone to mill around

The Sporting Views

2010-06-16T23:11:00.001-07:00

Elvis fans may disagree, but the popularity of World Cup soccer proves that 3 or 4 billion people can, in fact, be wrong.Who cares which conference UT plays in, so long as we regularly whip the Sooners and the Aggies and play for a national championship every four or five years?Did anyone realize that another pro hockey season just ended?How is it possible for Gov. Rick — who blamed up the BP oil

Been There. Done That.

2010-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I may skydive from a Cruise missile or backpack up to Machu Picchu in time for a llama brochette at the Indio Feliz. I may swim the English Channel with a killer whale and make sweet love to a panda in a Peking zoo while sipping a cocktail made of Irish rum, crushed fire ants and tiger milk. There are hundreds of things that I might add to my bucket list

Good night, Sabrina

2010-05-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Sabrina, died of a massive heart attack at or around 5 p.m. May 17. She was 54 years old. Jerry found her body on the floor of their bedroom bathroom apparently long after any attempt at resuscitation might have succeeded. My mother called me Monday evening with the news, and I — and everyone else — have been in shock since. I was honored to present one

Drawing on memories

2010-05-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

In his 40-year career with the University Interscholastic League, the organization that governs Texas high school extracurricular activities — mostly, football — Dr. Bailey Marshall collected enough plaques and framed certificates and honors to fill an “I love me” wall the size of a freeway billboard. He also collects Southwestern art and has crates of photos of his wife, his three daughters

A Pizza My Heart

2010-04-12T18:43:00.000-07:00