If someone told me that I had been blogging everyday and writing about the small nuances of each day while swearing off sweets at the same time, I'd tell them that they were crazier than horse shit.
The day before entering my first string of entries I watched the movie Contagion where a character said blogging is just graffiti with comas and periods. The statement could be a discouraging statement. However, for me, graffiti is a honorable art form. So, anything that I could do to add of the urban cyber art, I am all for it.
Sunday morning . . . I woke up from a deep slumber earlier than expected after staying up well past a reasonable time.
I felt refreshed and a bit enthusiastic. Almost immediately I knew what was the greatest priority for me: Visiting the historical spots in East Austin with my kids. My only concern was whether the kids would be willing to appease me for a moment.
Although most occasions as a parent, I am not so much concerned about having my kids buy-in. Let's not confuse this situation with them having a choice in the matter. Rather, I would like that they enjoyed this planned excursion instead of being a couple of grumpy bugs passively and aggressively ignoring my efforts to teach and expose them to something.
We had breakfast and made our way to a few historical spots, starting with Robertson Hill, Olive Street School, Curve, Lydia, and Waller Streets. We followed up with Oakwood Cemetery and the Swede Hill neighborhood. With tired feet and weighed down attention spans, I tried to ask more questions and less lecturing to them. On occasion, I checked in with them to ensure some of what was being said stuck in their expanding brains.
By the time we finished our Black History Tour del East End, the excursion was a limited success. It was also great to see these sites during the day with full sun shining. The early morning darkness before made it difficult to see everything well.
For some reason, I still felt like a tourist, distant and a bit removed after the tour. It wasn't like I was going to go door to door, conduct interviews for a qualitative investigation into the cultural mores of the local townspeople. Of course, it is possible. I've participated in at least two or three graduate student based investigations on the East Austin community.
On a whim, I took the kids with me to Sam's BBQ. Since I do not eat red meat, barbeque generally has not been a big priority for me. I'd seen Sam's innumerable times over the years. Never have I had the inclination to stop and see what it was like. Impulsively, I've gone to Pokey Joe's and had Ruby's Barbeque at department get togethers in the past .
Truthfully, I thought they were lame as hell. Tasteless, one time the chicken was cold, and the sauce was more like spicy sweet ketchup. And, I do not like ketchup. So, any suggestion to drive out thirty or more minutes to Lockhardt, Lulling, or West Hell, Texas, to eat at Salt Lick was totally out of the question.
For today, Sam's seemed to be the best opportunity to experience East Austin, talk to real people, and eat some good food. All the reviews about Sam's were positive. All the photos I saw reminded me of any whole-in-the-wall place I'd grown up with in anywhere across the South.
The kids and I arrived and I could not remember what took me so long to visit the spot. I felt a bit embarrassed that I had not been there earlier. I tried to read the menu, but Willie Mays, Sam's BBQ owner, asked me to tell him what I wanted. I ordered and . . . BAM! Mr. Mays served me my whole chicken, hot, a side of potato salad, and four slices of wheat bread.
I laughed inside as my son asked me what the bread was for. As we ate, Willie sat during a slow period to chat me up as he watched my reaction to eating his food. The small, friendly spot reminded me of a small town genuineness not oftentimes found in a large city. The great thing about East Austin has been the ability of people to keep to their roots as much of the city seems to change around them.
I do not want to suggest that East Austinites are stuck in the past. I'm reminded that not every part of Austin is a recovering hippie enclave or WASP retreat primarily concerned with the latest IPad innovations, downloaded apps, the latest bar tips found on Foursquare, loyalties to a local indie band, and online Facebook gossip. There is nothing wrong with these things in themselves, but there is more in the world.
It's hard to describe how it felt to go to Sam's with my kids. My kids probably did not care. However, I was glad to be there with them. Maybe it felt familiar to me because it reminded me of the many times my mother took me out on "country drives" through Oakland, California, or Fort Worth, Texas, when visiting friends or family. It was like she'd search for the smallest, rankest spot on the map, stop to smell the air, and know we'd come to the right place to break bread and dine with kings.
After finishing some chores, touring East Austin, and lounging, I accomplished my intended goal to stay on track, drank my water, stayed sufficiently distracted from eating sweets, and spent quality time with the kiddos. Not a bad day.
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