Author Archives: mathdreads
Surprised Visit
After 7 years of producing my monthly spoken word and storytelling show, The Austin Writers Roulette, I was ready to call it quits. Yet, Austin’s unofficial mayor of poetry sweet talked and flattered me into producing it for an 8th year. I split the difference and made this year bimonthly, thinking I may continue for … Continue reading
Where to Begin
Unlike other children, I never actually had an imaginary friend. I had an imaginary talk show! Conveniently enough, showtime coincided with bath time, which, like every other enthralling prime time show, lasted at least an hour. Mind you, this live show took place when my family of five lived on an Air Force base in … Continue reading
Testing Out the Microphones
This past July, I signed up to sell CBD even before I’d tried this particular formulation. When I attended the Zilis business presentation, I jumped at the opportunity to make residual income since I had grown tired of trading time for money. The compensation program appealed to me. Plus, I figured with the rising popularity … Continue reading
Las Morenas con Negro
A few years ago, I aged out of training capoeira on a regular basis. I’d lost motivation to move that fast just to exercise. I knew the risk I took. Inaction leads to negative results. Doubling up on yoga proved to not to be strenuous enough. Working out in the fitness room on my own, … Continue reading
Writers’ Group Curse
“What would you recommend if you’re already having a bad day?” “A curried margarita.” So began the latest meeting of this writing group. Me drinking alone an hour early before the meeting at an Indian restaurant because it was too much trouble to go home. My chiropractic appointment was unexpectedly canceled. Of course it was … Continue reading
Winter Is Here
Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, the ones that follow to close out the rest of the year are just a strain on time and money. Yes, I enjoy getting together with family and friends to share a yearly meal of thanksgiving, but I’ve become more of a Scrooge when it comes to bought gifts. … Continue reading
Halloween 2019
The last time I took a tango lesson was during this year’s free day of dance. Since Halloween fell on a Thursday, I revisited my old tango school for their regular tango lineup: beginners, intermediate, followed by a practice milonga. The original plan was to do all 3, but since I’d gone to my usual … Continue reading
Chicks with Clicks
When one of my friends confessed to having a gun phobia, other friends and I rallied to support her. Only one of us had actually grown up around guns since her stepfather had taught her how to hunt since age 8. The rest of us just believed, since we were all very cerebral academics, that … Continue reading
Sound Bouquet
I never suffered from allergies until I moved to Austin at age 39. Apparently, The Live Music Capital of the World affects many newcomers the same way. For years, my inexpensive go-to strategies for dealing with my newfound allergy involved using a neti pot, attending regular Bikram yoga classes, and gobbling the cheapest brand of … Continue reading
The Book Cure
On its surface, my wildest dream seems rather tame. Curing all of society’s ills through books. But it’s not merely one of my nerdy pursuits. When I hear someone say something uninformed, my impulse is to say, “Oh, you should read such and such book” as if, magically, by having read such and such book, … Continue reading