Not Afraid to Be An…

Since 1964

Good Day Y’all,

This week I offer a roundup of photos and a pair of videos. I’m continuing to pay close attention to beauty and to relish any joy that comes my way in these Dark Times. I did a decent job of it last week.

NOT AFRAID

Let’s start with the opening photo. I had the wonderful random memory of a time long ago when one of my writing students said in her very quiet, sweet voice, “You know what I love about you, Spike? I love that you’re not afraid to be an asshole.” I was so chuffed with this proclamation that I made myself business cards.

GO EAGLES

Something a lot of people don’t know about me is that I LOVE FOOTBALL. I don’t watch it regularly anymore, but I usually watch the Super Bowl. In high school I was the statistician for our football team (and, very briefly, I was the school mascot—a big blue alligator with a dented styrofoam head and a tail that leaked stuffing). I know football is violent and fans can be assholes. I still love it, surely in part for nostalgic reasons. Super Bowl 2025 was extra fun for me since I grew up in South Jersey, just outside of Philly, so I had some skin in this game. It was also fun because I knew that—despite our vast and many differences and conflicts— the majority of my family-of-origin was tuned in and we were texting from coast to coast every time the Eagles scored. A rare moment of unity that truly lifted my spirits. I also think we were all pleased that my dying brother got to catch one last game where “his” team dominated. This photo is actually a screenshot from a video I made of myself cheering a touchdown.

SHIT IN A POT

On Monday I made Shit in a Pot, my signature dish that involves grabbing whatever I can find, tossing it in a pot, and hoping for the best. I’ve been doing this for nearly forty years now, so more often than not it’s a hit, not a miss. The latest batch was minestrone adjacent. I also made some beer bread because I found beer left in the fridge of the Silver Fox, the airstream my tenant bailed on. (I still need a new tenant. Hook me up people.) The recipe called for rolled oats but I only had steel cut oats so the texture was pretty interesting. The recipe also called for way too much sugar, which I should have realized before obeying the instructions, so really this bread was more like cake. I love peasant food—a reminder that even when groceries are so expensive I can whip up a decent meal for a lot of people for around twenty bucks.

PRACTICE

On Tuesdays I attend “church.” I do a pre-dawn online yoga class led by my friend Susan. The dogs “help” me in my practice. I love not just the class but the commitment. I’m not the boss of you, so you have to decide for yourself if you want to buy into this. But I’m telling you—having regularly scheduled positive activities is really helping me to keep calm and carry on as best as I can.

ONIGIRI

One of my coworkers recently turned me on to the great news that onigiri is available in Austin! It’s a treat I first had in Japan way back in 2001 and it is delicious—seaweed, rice, and a tasty stuffing (examples: shishito peppers, pickled plums.) If you’re in Austin, I encourage you to check out Asahi, a great little Japanese grocery store that serves these treats up fresh daily. DELICIOUS.

SHIT ELBOW

I quit Amazon a month ago after HEAVILY relying on it for things I need to run the ranch and also tons of crap I never needed in the first place. Here to report that the breakup has been painless. Joy inducing even. It feels SO GREAT not to support Bezos. So great. I still need stuff now and then, but guess what? There are plenty of other places to shop. This here is a Shit Elbow I got from CAMCO. It connects the Airstream poop tube to the septic tank. Yes, it’s weird that the elbow is see-through, allowing one to observe the shit making its journey. I also ordered from EBay (which I’m sure is also evil) a bobbin case for the Singer Featherweight sewing machine I inherited from my friend Elise. Had I gotten the elbow or the bobbin case off of Amazon, I also would have ordered a hundred dollars worth of crap.

GOOD TROUBLE

I continue to enjoy my Thursday early morning shifts feeding the Unhoused Neighbors in downtown Austin. This is my friend, Trouble, who used to give me a lot of trouble. So I gave him some trouble back. And then, somehow, we got past our differences and now we are BFFs. (If you have donations of adult clothing, eyeglasses, shoes, or bedding message me! Glad to take that stuff off your hands and redistribute it). As with my yoga class, I love this weekly appointment to be of service. Volunteering is a great way to experience community and we all need community now more than ever.

CROISSANTS FOR PASCAL

I recently wrote about my friend Pascal’s horrible diagnosis. Pascal is a chef, a very gifted baker who has taught countless Austin kids how to bake. She can’t use the left side of her body now, so I have stepped in to satisfy her sweet tooth. Making croissants is so stupidly labor intensive that I don’t even understand how or why someone invented the technique. On the other hand, holy shit there is nothing like a homemade croissant. Also, working with dough always, always, always improves my mood. I know I spend a good bit of time analyzing my childhood trauma. But baking? Baking is something I started doing when I was very little and it always brought me joy. Still does. When I am baking these days, I am connecting with some rare happy childhood memories, which is very nice. I also made some pains au chocolat.

FUCK MUSK

I had the great joy of seeing a cyber truck with a parking ticket on it—most likely a ticket doled out by the overzealous Officer Murray. Way to go Officer Murray! And later I had the great joy of seeing some RESISTANCE GRAFFITI. Keep up the good work!

VALENTINE’S DAY

I don’t actually celebrate Valentine’s Day but that didn’t stop a chef friend from making me a stunning dinner including this corn cake with fresh whipped cream and blueberry lemon curd. Then, since it was a Friday, I did what I always do on Friday nights. I tuned into Rick McNulty’s (aka Rick Daddy’s) show, Left of the Dial, on KUTX.org. It was a whole show of love songs, including lots of the Scorched Earth of Love’s Aftermath Variety. When he played a Tom Waits song, it reminded me of a guy I dated for about three weeks in 1987 who used to sing TW songs for me. We stayed in touch until we didn’t. It had been maybe ten years since we last talked. Inspired by the song and the memories, I tracked down his email address (I somehow lost both email and phone contact for him). I sent the briefest of notes and he responded immediately. It was a short, sweet trip down memory lane that included him sending me an audiophile of him singing Steve Earle’s Valentine’s Day for me. Made me weepy. Caused me to reflect on the many, many good men in my life. (That’s a screenshot of the audio file.)

BRUNCH WITH LAWRENCE

Speaking of great men in my life—Lawrence is 91 years young. He was my next door neighbor in East Austin for ten years. I love Lawrence so much. Two years ago, I got to perform the wedding of his daughter Beth to her groom Thom in the chapel on the campus of Huston Tillston University, where Lawrence once was a professor of chemistry. We all had a huge and leisurely Mexican brunch. Lawrence has seen a lot of shit go down in his day—we talked about his experience in segregated schools and his early university career in the Deep South—and he said the way he’s dealing with the current shit show is through prayer and fasting.

COMMUNITY CHOIR

Ellen, my sister from another mister—Bob’s only daughter—performed as part of a community choir event at the Natural History Museum on UT campus. There must’ve been a hundred of them singing. I was reminded for the ten millionth time that as much as I hate leaving the house, it’s really good to leave the house sometimes and be around people working to uplift us. Thank you Ellen and co.!

RANCH VIDS

And finally, I offer you two videos shot at the ranch. One is by me—Baby Ethan continues to thrive. This week she invented a game for herself:

The other is a music video that just dropped featuring an incredibly talented young Irish artist, Colm R. McGuinness, and directed by the equally talented Clayton King. I sure love how many music videos have been shot here.

What joy and beauty have you been experiencing? I want to hear about it.

NOTES:

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My next FREE Writing Workshop at Hampton Branch Library is Tuesday February 18, 5:30-7:30 pm. It always fills up so if you want to join us please REGISTER HERE.