San Antonio night parade

Every April, San Antonio hosts a ten day extravaganza of TexMex culture called Fiesta San Antonio. The night parade draws more than 500,000 people to the 2.6 mile route winding through downtown. I found it interesting that there's no central ticketing authority. Different sections along the route are sold by different groups. Some Boy Scout chapter was selling tickets to the folding chairs set up along the street in our section.

The "People's Parade" is a perfect example of everything awesome about San Antonio. Public drinking, unhealthy street foods, few white people, crazy Christian evangelists, and best of all, people who just don't give a fuck. It's great because it's all real.

The parade starts just before dusk and runs for hours and hours, until about 11:30 p.m. This video is highlights. I suggest you crack open a nice cold one, maximize the HD video, and sit back for 15 minutes to imagine yourself on the streets of downtown SA.

Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas

Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco. The original recipe (sweetened with Imperial Sugar) is much more delicious than Dr. Pepper in can (sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup). When made by a soda jerk who works the fizz just right, it's downright fantastic!

Anti-tax rally in Austin

"Tax Day Tea Party" rallies were held across America today as part of a protest against the federal stimulus bill and the budget. Sometimes Austin feels a progressive bubble, but then you stumble across events like these and remember you're smack dab in the middle of Texas. I walked away wondering what Dee Snider thinks of them using We're Not Gonna Take It.

Sorry for the shaky video, but hopefully you get some sense of the event. I love the guy with the cigar towards the end of this one.



This was the view from the stage, kind of panoramic perspective.

Happy Easter 2009!

A friendly reminder of what Easter is all about: singing animals!