Author Archives: mathdreads
Earth Day Celebration: Great Hills Hike 2
The first time I hiked this area with my Meetup group, we had a pretty relaxed time although the temperature was much hotter. This time around, some people actually bailed for fear of rain. The forecast was “cloudy,” which I pointed out, but not “rain.” Nonetheless, those of us who still met enjoyed the temporary … Continue reading
Haiku Death Match
As part of the 25th Austin International Poetry Festival, I hosted my first ever haiku death match. In the beginning, I was only supposed to host my own spoken word and poetry show, The Austin Writers Roulette. Then, I accepted the offer to host and perform for as an opener for Bucolics Anonymous. Later, I agreed to … Continue reading
Capitalism Trumps the Handicapped
At the end of a shitty week, all I looked forward to was happy hour with a good friend at one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants. Cars had already filled the tiny parking lot. As I drove up to the handicapped parking spaces, my bad mood worsened. A long plastic table occupied a handicapped … Continue reading
Greenbelt Hike
Originally I’d planned to join other hikers/walkers from a Meetup group at the tail end of the Green belt. Then, out of nowhere, a filmmaker friend came along with the SXSW swell. Just so happen that the only mutual free time we had was the hours before my planned hike. Of course, I invited him … Continue reading
Staying on the Right Side of Natural Selection
It’s convenient to be an artist when you’re strapped for cash. Not to live up to the cliché of the poor, starving artist, but because it’s a bonus to be creative when dollars don’t stretch to the end of the month. Nothing gets me in hustle mode like nearly running out of money. Only people … Continue reading
Unbound & Reincarnated Opening reception
When I read the description of this art opening, I had to attend. Every single work of art was, in some shape or form, repurposed from the printed word. These portraits were printed upon book pages. Another artist had placed 256 words atop the head of nails and fixed them with resin, then bound the … Continue reading
Graffiti Park
I met other members of the Art Hikes Meetup at the HOPE (Helping Out People Everywhere) Outdoor Gallery AKA Graffiti Park. I’d seen pictures of this park and even footage of it in a participatory work at the Austin Short Film Festival a few years ago, but I had no idea it was merely a … Continue reading
2017 Austin People’s Gallery Reception
Being a part of the 2017 Austin People’s Gallery became real to me when I drove up to city hall and saw the line out of the building. I arrived 30 minutes late, or “on time,” according to some cultures, but I found two yoga friends already in line. The security check had created the … Continue reading
Stonehenge II
A 2/3 replica of Stonehenge exists a mere two hours outside of Austin. Yet, the first structure to greet our adventurous Meetup group was a Moai. We’d all piled into the organizer’s Honda Fit and rode comfortably to the location. For a group of strangers, we gelled quite well politically, which was good because the car was packed … Continue reading
Pill Making
Once I finally tired of putting turmeric in every smoothie to help remedy joint inflammation, I ordered a 1000 empty gel capsules to fill with the spice. I’m not quite sure why this size was considered “0,” but I was happy they weren’t “horse pill” sized. I’m not used to referring to nonelectrical devices as … Continue reading