Vanessa

Image via Wikipedia

It’s funny to me how different the crowds are that flock to Austin for whatever event is in town.  And the way I get to see these different crowds is at our HEB.  I have a love/hate relationship with our HEB.  I like the super diverse crowd that shops at it.  It’s not all yuppies, college students, and professionals. Much of the clientele is Hispanic families and homeless people.  I do wish, though, that the milk refrigerators didn’t always smell rancid and I swear we get the leftover/blemished and bruised produce from other HEBs.  Anywho, this is what I have observed:

ACL – Lots of scantily clad people flood our HEB.  Guys in baggy cargo shorts and flip flops.  Girls in bikinis with see-through/meshy shirts to cover themselves while inside.  Immodesty abounds but they get their comeuppance when the next week everyone is a bright pink color and peeling.

The Biker Convention – There is lots of black leather, bandanas, and women with hair that is way too long for their age tied in braids.  I also see very interesting uses for leather in women’s tops.  Leather fringe, leather with studs, leather halter tops, leather tube tops.  Strangely enough the women usually look fake-baked tan and wear this almost glowing neon pink shade of nail polish.

SXSW – This week I have seen the people that SXSW brings.  Girls and guys is skin-tight skinny jeans with converse shoes, fedora hats, pale people mostly.  Guys with hair that looks deceptively unkempt but actually took them 30 mintues to fix in the morning.  It seemed their purchased item of choice was lots of beer and I observed a quite a few boxes of Franzia on the conveyor belts.  (Funny quote by someone recently: Life is too short to drink Franzia.)

I love that Austin attracts all these different people.  What I don’t love is the driving.  Austin visitors suck at driving.  They drive super slow because their trying to take a picture of the Capitol from their car while simultaneously swerving across lanes of traffic because they see an open parking spot.

Ausitn visitors – we’re glad you’re here.  We don’t even mind that you’re weird and wear inappropriate clothes, but if you make me miss another green light because you’re pointing out Hey Cupcake! I’m going to throw a cupcake at you and mess up your fauxhawk.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I’m not sure what was different but I thought this was one of the most memorable Academy Awards shows I have seen.  The actors and actresses just seemed really sincere and humble and gracious.  (And I thought the dresses were fabulous.)  This really struck me as very different from shows in the past.  All the memorable winners in the past have been people that have gone nuts when their names were called.  Cuba Gooding Jr.  Roberto Benigni.  They were running around, jumping, so excited. 

This is the opposite of how Monique and Sandra Bullock reacted when their names were called.  I’m not sure they even smiled but their words were gracious and seemed genuine.  With the look that Sandra Bullock had on her face, I actually thought she was going to refuse the award .  I don’t think it’s bad for actors/actresses to be happy and excited when they win but this change in the etiquette for winning an Oscar is kinda awesome. 

I thought Sandra’s speech was really touching.  I thought the way she talked about moms and her mom was really something that America needs to hear.  Too many parents want to be “cool” and want to be their kids’ “friend”.  You can’t do this.  You have to be their parents.  You don’t get good parent points when your 8 year old looks “hot” or when you let your kids do whatever they want because you want to be “down”.  I want to be the kind of mom that Helga B. was.  A good mom.

Here’s Sandra Bullock’s speech if you’re interested:

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“Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?  I would like to thank the Academy for
allowing me the last month to have the most incredible ride with rooms full of
artists that I see tonight, that I’ve worked with before and I hope to work
with in the future. Who inspire me; who blaze trails for us. 

Four of them that I have fallen deeply in love with, I share
this night with and this award with.  Gabby,
I love you so much.  You are exquisite.  You are beyond words to me.  Carey your grace and your elegance and your beauty
and your talent makes me sick.  Helen, I feel
like we are family, real family and I don’t have the words to express just what
I think of you.  Meryl, you know what I think
of you and you’re such a good kisser.  

I have so many people to thank for my good fortune in this
lifetime and this is a once in a lifetime experience, I know.  To the family that allowed me to play them,
the Tuohy family, who I know are in here.  You’ll probably hear her in a minute.  Maybe not.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to
play you.  To the family that made this
film that gave me the opportunity to do something different. [Listed people I don’t
know]  To everyone who showed me kindness
when it wasn’t fashionable I thank you.  To
everyone who was mean to me, George Clooney threw me in a pool years ago, I’m
still holding a grudge.

But there are so many people to thank but there’s not enough
time so I’d like to thank what this film was about to me which is the moms that
take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from.  Those moms and parents never get thanked.  I in particular failed to thank one.

If I can take this moment to thank Helga B. for
not letting me ride in cars with boys until I was 18 because she was right.  I would’ve done what she said I was gonna do.
For making me practice every day when I got home.  Piano, ballet, whatever it is I wanted to be.
She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day, and for reminding her
daughters that there’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color,
nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are
all deserving of love. So, to that trailblazer, who allowed me to have that.  And this.  And this. 
I thank you so much for this opportunity that I share with these extraordinary
women and my lover, Meryl Streep.“

The whole Meryl Streep lover thing was kinda weird but I’m all for actors and actresses using their celebrity to inspire America to be humble and good parents.