Fighting the status quo ironically is the status quo. So, what can one do but go with the flow?

When I first moved to Austin some 22 years ago, my first impression was "Gosh, but it's hot." But my second impression was, "Austinites sure do like a good battle."

I don't know if that impression comes from the fact that this is a capitol city, or if it just comes in the water. Save Our Springs, Light Rail, the Golden Cheeked Warbler, not to mention the fact that we're a liberal knot-hole swathed in a cuddly plank of conservativism ("watch out luv, it's mighty splintery").

But it's not so much that we're contrarians; more like we're just comfortable with paradox. You could just say we like to get our tao on. I mean, only in Austin could the movie Slacker be filmed by pretty much just walking around with a loose script. But here's the paradox again, that's not how it was filmed. Richard Linklater is both a slacker, and a mover and a shaker.

Austinites are fiercely independent, and yet eager to get all collaborative. Somebody from Houston, or Dallas, or New York City (!) could really set their teeth on edge trying to get something done here.

After you settle in to flow a bit, you can really start to feel the heart, the vision, pulsing beneath this apparantly calm exterior. Yesiree Bob, I think something might just be ready to hatch. Better keep your eyes peeled though. Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be big. Even so, it'll almost certainly sneak up on you if your not looking. Remember, Woody Allen said 80% of life is just showing up. The other 20% can best be summed up by, "If you run into a person who seems too much like a prickly pear, go ahead and give 'em a hug. Those prickles are probably just for show."