Oh, poor blog, how I have ignored you. There has been so much going on since we last spoke! I’ve just finished a batch of writing for Venus and Bitch, so I have a little room to breathe and bury myself back into the Sears Baby Book (i.e. instruction manual). You really have to cut that kind of reading with other stuff because after about ten pages on diaper rash, your attention does wander.

Last Saturday, Rene and I held a pre-wedding celebration for Sarah. We went to the Austin Diner for breakfast (delicious!), to the salon, then to dinner @ Vivo, Thoroughly Modern Millie (which is in reality, not so modern!) and Longbranch Inn. During the break, Dave and I bought a car. The night before, we had to walk out on a dealer who was screwing us around. I did a lot of research on this car – the features, the pricing, financing – and made of study of evil sales tactics. I felt very prepared, but it was far worse than I expected. It was almost as if the guy who I dealt with was following the official car salesperson manual, so closely did he follow every single “trick” I had read about. It would have been laughable if it also weren’t so uncomfortable and annoying. First of all, I think it bothered him greatly to deal with me, not Dave. They moved from being nice to bullying tactics towards the end and gave me their final offer. Anyway, we walked out. Of course, who called at 9am the next morning (and all day long) to tell me they would accept my offer? We ended up at another dealer and bought a car with some miles on it and a little damage that they are now fixing for free for less than I expected to pay and gave us twice as much for Dave’s car. So, it all worked out. But Jesus, it was stressful. Oh yeah, we bought a Subaru Outback (at Austin Infiniti Subaru, not Gillman, home of the evilness).

Changing subjects…last night was the Happy Hour for Nancy Keenan, the new NARAL president, hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. It was held at AMS Studios, a Disneyland of a workplace with googly eyes staring from the bathroom fixtures, strange and mesmerizing murals on the walls, a “Fantasia” room and all kinds of kitschy touches. Nancy was a wonderful speaker and just went up and introduced herself to random people there, which I thought was cool. In the best part of her speech, she talked about exposing the hypocrisy of the GOP on women’s healthcare, and that Republicans support children “from conception to birth.”