Showing posts with label Ella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ella. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Lone Star


Some old business to take care of: Here's one of a ba-zillion examples of homage being paid to the newest Chicago-kid taking the world by storm. This is on the side of a gyro hut on Halsted, north of Fullerton.

On to Austin, Texas: featuring presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush


WELCOME TO AUSTIN, TEXAS! The best feature of the airport was the rental car lot was directly across from the terminal. In a state with very limited mass transit, it's a very necessary feature. I was in town for the Convio Summit Conference. For those who don't know, Convio is a database company that specializes in software for nonprofits.


Here's my hotel and the place of the conference. It's the Renaissance Hotel in the far northwest section of Austin at highways 1, 360, and 183. Just as a side note, I've never seen so many stoplights on multiple lane limited access highways before...


When did I start traveling in style?


Look at this bathroom. It's four times larger than my current apartment's bathroom. Then again, the room costs $140 more per day than my place. And that's with the discount...


Here's the atrium where many of the activities took place. They also had some stuff down the stairs. The most important thing downstairs though was the pool. Still only 4' deep, but...


"Oh, so how is it back in Chicago? 40 degrees you say... Well, it's alright down here in Austin. I mean, it's mid-November and it's 80 degrees."


Texas State Capitol. It's a massive state capitol. They really do everything bigger in Tah-has.




The odd thing is, everything says "Texas," "The Lone Star State," "Don't Mess With Texas," or "Texas Pride" in Texas. Everything except the capitol building. It might have said it on the sidewalk, but that was covered with cheap plastic mats...


Cool post-modern building downtown. They had lots of great old buildings too, but very difficult to take pictures of in the dark. Two oddities about downtown Austin: 1) they have a lot of loud nocturnal birds; 2) between the capitol building and the University of Texas are several blocks in every direction of 2-to-3 story parking garages. It's a vast wasteland from a future only Robocop could imagine...


Construction site downtown


Some kind of student gathering at U of T that appeared to rate six year olds wearing costumes. I didn't get it. I must be getting too old...




University of Texas-Austin's Main Building


One of main old Victorian homes downtown converted into a business and surrounded by skyscrapers.


That cool post-modern building again as seen through the alley of bars and live music joints.


ELLA! As many of you may know, my cousin Nick lives in Austin as well. So, while I had some time away from the conference, I visited him, his wife Kate, and his daughter Ella. She likes Care Bears and Little Mermaid.




Here's Ella giving her "pretty pose" in her Little Mermaid dress for the camera with Nick in the background.


Ella also made a very demanding and honorable request that I visit her house.


Back at the airport looking at strange artwork. "Keep Austin Weird..." I learned a lot and had a good time.

PS-Anyone have any idea why 7600 people have visited my blog since Sunday? Is it because the Kansas City Wizards player stole my name or the handball player from Germany? Are one of you a stalker that just can't get enough pics and banter? Just curious on my recent popularity...

Thursday, August 11, 2005

"I'll Get You Fucked Up. I'll Get You Crack, Her'on, Exstasy, Whatever." THE RETURN OF PHOTOS!

It's a Girl


I'd like to start off by welcoming a new baby girl to the Kraus family. Nick and Kayt gave birth to Ella Cameo Kraus, I believe that is the name, yesterday morning. I haven't heard too many details other than she was 7 lbs, 1 oz., and both mother and child are doing fine. Congrats!!!

On another joyous note: I got my pics back. I didn't do shit. AOL just decided to stop being a little bitch. Go figure...



Here's pics from the Vous from about a week ago. Pretty stale, huh? I'll have some fresh from the garden pics soon. I promise.

Hung out with Alice a little bit at Turtle House. She gave me Blue Moon and I found a new way to pick up girls using a cell phone. It's amazing!

Went to the Blue Note. It was seeing random ass people night there. As soon as I walked in I saw Kristie Weston (Vandersomething). She's a friend and former roommate from Grand Rapids. She was in Muskegon for some party for her friend and I got to meet her husband. It was good seeing her again and I guess I might see her again soon at her housewarming party. There were tons of other people too. Love 'em all.

Finished the night off at the Vous. Totally got into a fight with Tania. I think she learned her lesson. That was followed up with coffee and a half an order of a Sheep Herder Omlette that Hasan couldn't finish.

So, what's with the questions and hard decisions lately? Man, I'm unemployed (other than the music thing), don't really have too many possessions, or much else going on. You would think a dirty hippie like me wouldn't have much to worry about. Man, I feel like I'm at a press conference much of the time trying to answer the media about my life. I will tell you this... I don't know. And, if I did know it doesn't mean anything because it really isn't my decision in the end. That about sums up everything right now (jobs, living situation, etc.). It's really passive, but most people know where I stand on things and they just need to figure out where they stand. And, I do the same shit too. I try to be upfront and avoid the drama. Maybe I just need to let you, the reader, make decisions for me so I know what I am doing wrong.

Enough of that... Don't know what is going on tonight. I have to mail out a rock and/or roll package today. That's about it. If anyone knows what is going on, give me a call.

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