Bar patio smoking ban

It's come to this.

Austin is mulling whether or not to ban outdoor smoking at bars and restaurants. Fine. Ban it at restaurants. I could care less.

I was listening to KUT this morning and the joker who wants this thing to pass says banning outdoor smoking is for child safety. That's a valid point at restaurants. It's not at bars.

First step to strengthening child safety: don't bring your kids to bars.

Nobody walks into a bar thinking I am going to be super healthy here. 

What happens inside a bar? Drinking. No smoking. What happens on the bar's patio? Drinking and smoking. You don't like smoke, be an adult and go inside or go home. Don't legislate legal behavior out of existence.

Those same restaurants that you want to be healthier? Tell them to stop serving kids platefuls of french fries and to stop encouraging unlimited refills on soda.

I don't mind businesses choosing whether or not they want to allow outdoor smoking on their premises. That's within their rights. But to send a law like this from on high is idiotic.

Ban it at restaurants. Don't ban it where adults congregate under the dubious claim that it's to protect "the children."

I bet you these people wear Livestrong bracelets, too.

The Circuit of the Americas and Oltorf

Welcome to Austin, TX to the disgustingly rich of the world! We beg on bloodied knees for your spending money so that we can build more condos to kick out poor people who have lived here their entire lives.

Tiniest Bar? You've been there for awhile but we're going to enforce the most ridiculous building codes on you so we can invite more New Yorkers and Californians to live in the comfort of a city that looks exactly like the cities they left. 

Have you heard of Irvine, CA? It is the pinnacle city made of concrete parking structures, office buildings, and ridiculous condos. I deem it the blandest city in America. You can't 'keep Austin weird' by Irvinizing it. You either move here because you appreciate the local culture or you move here to change it and drive up the prices of everything to chase all the undesirable working class out.

It took under 2 years to build the Circuit of the Americas racetrack. Oltorf construction has taken, what, 22 months? This is a road people that live here use every day. Once the racers and the rich of the world are done with their game, the race track won't be used for anything. It'll sit there in decline making no money on sales tax while Oltorf drivers pray a pot hole doesn't ruin their tires and bikers pray that they won't be run over by a rich European driving on the wrong side of the road. 

I'm a transplant myself. I don't have shame saying it. I've been in Texas for about 3 years but I don't think I came here to change the direction of the city. I don't have enough money to change the direction of the city and if I did have the money, I wouldn't. If I had enough money, I'd buy the nearest newly developed condo and tear it down.

On another whiny note, my car was towed and I'm pissed.

EDIT:

For Austinites wanting to know how the hell to get around your city click here for a nearly unintelligible map.

Two days of no water

When I got back from California on Monday night there was a piece of paper posted to my door.

IMPORTANT UPDATE
TOMORROW! WATER WILL BE OFF BUT WILL BE TURNED ON AGAIN AT NIGHT.
MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR SHOWERS BEFORE 7:30 IN THE MORNING
FILL UP CUPS WITH WATER SO YOU CAN FLUSH YOUR TOILET

It said something like that. First thing in the morning, around 7:45, I had to relieve my bowels. I completely forgot about the note left on my door as I was delirious and you don't remember things when you have to use the potty.

I tried to flush and realized there was no water.

I searched "water off" and I got this image of God knows what. 

All fine and good. The landlord warned us at least. The last 3 times they shut off the water, there was no warning. The first time it happened I was all set to pickle eggs. I threw a lot of unboiled eggs at the wall and said, "Fuck."

The water was turned back on at night and we were able to flush that toilet. The next day, the water was off again. All day. From 7am to 7pm. And then shut off again at 7:30pm until midnight.

Mind you, it's 105 degrees in Austin. I went out to my 'balcony' and called the landlord's office to complain. I had a very measured but obviously pissed off tone. I looked around and saw nobody else was as pissed as I was. There were people playing basketball in 105 degree weather.

About five minutes after my call to the office, our neighbor comes out yelling and screaming. She was probably getting into a fight with her girlfriend again. Nope. She was on the phone.

"Fuck y'all, this shit is unbelievable. The water's been like this for two fucking days and you got god damned Roto Rooter breaking more than they can fix. Fuck this shit!"

Repeat this for another five minutes.

Thank God for people that blow up when you're too afraid to.