Fave Five Food Deals - 3/25/11

Keep a tight lid on rising food prices with a few hits of Austin's finest supermarket deals.

1. Navel oranges, .49/lb. at Sprouts and Sun Harvest (through 3/30/11)

2. Texas 1015 yellow onions, .69/lb. at Whole Foods (through 3/30/11)

3. Green or red leaf lettuce, .88/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 3/30/11)

4. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1/lb. at El Rancho Supermercado (through 3/29/11)

5. Sun Harvest popcorn or kettle corn, .99/ea. at Sun Harvest (through 3/30/11)

Also, in a "spirited" attempt to mimic Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck, Sprouts is now carrying something called Broke Ass Wines for $5 a bottle. And if your ass is even broker than that, pick up sixer of Sierra Madre beer for just $3.99 at Sprouts this week. That's almost as cheap as Walgreens' Big Flats 1901!

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Hitler Longs for SXSW of Yore

I know the Hitler meme is rubbed in the ground, but this SXSW edition from UrgentGenius is pretty hilarious. Enjoy it now before producers throw down the inevitable cease and desist.

Fave Five Food Deals - 3/16/11

Welcome to the SXSW edition of Fave Five Food Deals. No badges or RSVPs required.

1. Navel oranges, .49/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 3/23/11)

2. Hill Country Fare split chicken breasts, $1/lb. at H-E-B (through 3/22/11)

3. Organic Braeburn apples, .88/lb. at H-E-B (through 3/22/11)

4. Green seedless grapes, .99/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 3/23/11)

5. White onions, 8 lbs. for $1 at El Rancho Supermercado (through 3/22/11)

Also, if you have to have corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, Randall's has corned beef brisket tips on sale for $1.99/lb. and green cabbage on sale for .39/lb. through tomorrow. You will need a Remarkable card to get these prices.

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

A Public Health Worker in SXSW Court

I always figured if I was ever asked to serve as a SXSW panelist, it would be for something having to do with music. So imagine my surprise when good ol' public health got me into SXSW Interactive for the first time.

On Sunday morning, I was on a panel to discuss the use of social media to eliminate health disparities among minority populations. Although my program's forays into social media for HIV/STD prevention have been limited and inconclusive at best, I felt like I was at least able to convey the (ahem) challenges one must face when attempting to implement something new and not especially predicable at a government agency. That doesn't mean you can't change things in a bureaucracy, but it does mean you'd better take a mighty long view of things if you don't want to lose your head. It was great to hear that experience reaffirmed by several others while learning about their work.

Aside from going slightly over my allotted time (next time I do a panel presentation, I'm going to have a timer right in front of me), my only regret about SXSW Interactive has been not getting to fully immerse myself in it due to time-sensitive projects at work, gearing up for SXSW Music, Kate's busy schedule, tax preparation and wanting to see my son for a couple of hours over the weekend. There's a lot of potential synergy between emerging technologies and public health in everything from disease management to patient advocacy to data management. Here's hoping SXSW Interactive's embrace of health continues in coming years.

Fave Five Food Deals - 3/9/11

Before SXSW hits with full force, take advantage of this week's bargain sustenance deals from your friendly local supermarkets.

1. Red potatoes or green cabbage, .49/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 3/17/11)

2. Braeburn apples, .69/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 3/17/11)

3. Asparagus, $1.49/lb. at Sunflower (through 3/17/11)

4. Air chilled whole chicken fryers, $1.99/lb. at Whole Foods (through 3/16/11)

5. Real Ale 6-packs, $6.27 ea. at H-E-B (through 3/16/11)

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Cloud Nothings "Should've Been"

I'm a sucker for heart-on-sleeve collegiate pop records like this one from Cleveland's Cloud Nothings, who'll be in Austin next week for SXSW. That goes double when it's accompanied by an infectiously cute-and-clever video I can easily appropriate for STD prevention work in my day job. This one is rife with choices and consequences. The rest of Cloud Nothings' self-titled debut is also pretty good if you like this sort of thing.

Soul Clapping on Wall Street

My old guitarist-turned-DJ pal Jonathan Toubin got written up in The Wall Street Journal a couple weeks back for his ever-popular Soul Clap 45 RPM dance parties, which are happening everywhere from Brooklyn to the Bahamas these days. He'll be bringing the Clap to Austin during SXSW, too.

Reporter Andy Beta got most everything right, but there was one curious passage I took issue with.

"I used to DJ records, CDs, mp3s and it never sounded good," Mr. Toubin, who is 39, said a few days after the party, his Texas drawl just breaking his otherwise speedy diction.

Folks, the only way anyone would think they heard a Texas drawl in the banter of Jonathan Toubin is if he spoke with a deliberately affected accent or if he told you he was from Texas and you imagined it.

Photo by Julie Paterson

Here Comes the Chronthlology

In conjunction with the Chron's 30th anniversary this year, UT Press is publishing The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology. This hulking, 314-page ride through Austin music history officially hits the streets a week from today with a big release party at Antone's. Chron music columnist Austin Powell, who co-edited the book with Austin Sound founder Doug Freeman, will reveal the full musical line-up for the party in weekly Off the Record column tomorrow.

UPDATE (3/3/11): The line-up includes Standing Waves, the Skunks, Kathy McCarty, the Gourds, the Crack Pipes, Poi Twang (featuring Twang Twang Shock-a-Boom's David Garza and Poi Dog Pondering's Frank Orrall) and special guest Daniel Johnston. Tickets here.

I'm jazzed about having a smattering of my work in the book. I didn't choose what stuff of mine went in, but I'm glad Austin and Doug used my oral history of Scratch Acid, my 1998 live review of Dale Watson at Ginny's Little Longhorn and my review of the Motards compilation, Stardom, among other things.

Although my opinion is obviously biased, I think Austin and Doug did a remarkably good job with this book. The photography is amazing throughout and the pre-online archive selections from the 80s and early 90s read like opening a window into Austin's past. The late Jeff Whittington's writing is some of the best music writing you'll ever read in Austin or anyplace else. And no one could do hilarious, spot-on snark like Michael Corcoran during his mid-80s run as music columnist.

In pulling together three decades of next week's bird cage liners, Austin and Doug wisely avoided a "definitive history" rubric, instead remaining steadfast to the rambling, tangent-prone vibe that - for better or worse - has traditionally defined the Chron's music coverage. It's a unique way to tell the story - and a very Austin one at that.

Fave Five Food Deals - 3/2/11

After an unscheduled week off, we're declaring Texas independence from high prices with another round of Austin's top supermarket deals.

1. Organic Fuji apples, .77/lb. at H-E-B (through 3/8/11)

2. Cantaloupes, .77/ea. at Sun Harvest (through 3/9/11)

3. Strawberries, $1.29/lb. at Sprouts (through 3/9/11)

4. Red, orange or gold bell peppers; Roma tomatoes, .77/lb. at Sprouts (through 3/9/11)

5. Chicken tenders, $1.97/lb. at Sprouts (through 3/9/11)

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Out of the Fog

Owing to both a welcome batch of pre-SXSW writing assignments and an unwelcome kid sickness, I've been mired in blog silence all week. There's plenty to write about, but no time to write.

Alex's 1st birthday weekend was a lot of fun until his bronchitis morphed into a feverish ear infection. Most of my undershirts are now specked with tell-tale pink amoxicillin stains. The boy hasn't been himself all week, but I think he's slowly emerging from the fog.

As long as the supermarket grocery circulars go out on time, Fave Five Food Deals will return next week.

Happy Birthday, Alex!

A year ago at this time, Kate and I were slowly walking up and down our street in the chilly drizzle as contractions were becoming more and more frequent. The baby boy we'd nicknamed "Nubbin" wouldn't emerge until close to midnight, but he did manage to be born on February 19th, which puts him one day closer to 21.

Alex is a strapping 1-year-old today. The baby features are slowly but surely giving way to those of a little boy. Even so, he'll always be our baby.

Tired Old Dogs

This week, I found out I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot. The plantar fascia is the connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot. When this tissue gets inflamed, your heel really lets you know about it in a bad way.

The first line of treatment for plantar fasciitis is foot exercises that get the plantar fascia stretched before you get out of bed to take your first step. From there, it's on to more expensive shoes with better arch support, insoles, heel cups and whatever else might do the trick.

In the grand scheme of things, plantar fasciitis is hardly the worst thing that could happen to a body of my vintage. It still pisses me off, though. Anything that threatens my ability to take a daily health walk is threatening my ability to stay sane and fight the belly tire.

Most of all, it's a minor-but-irrefutable reminder of critical parts wearing down that pops up every time I take a step.

Fave Five Food Deals - 2/16/11

As a bulwark against rising food prices, here are five Austin supermarket deals that clock in at a buck or under.

1. Navel oranges, Rio Red grapefruit or mangos, .49/lb. at Sprouts (through 2/23/11)

2. Anjou pears, .77/lb. at H-E-B (through 2/22/11)

3. Organic Braeburn or Fuji apples, .99/lb. at Sprouts (through 2/23/11)

4. Broccoli crowns or cauliflower, .88/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 2/23/11)

5. Split chicken breasts, $1/lb. at H-E-B (through 2/22/11)

H-E-B thinks so highly of its store brand these days that they're willing to give it away. This week, they offer you a free box of H-E-B Frosted Shredded Wheat with the purchase of Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats and/or a free loaf of H-E-B Bake Shop 100% Whole Wheat Bread with the purchase of Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread.

Fave Five Food Deals - 2/9/11

There's nothing sexier than that special someone who'll whisper the week's hottest weekly supermarket deals in your ear. Here are the sweetest next-to-nothings we could find for Valentine's Day.

1. Boneless ribeye steak, $4.97/lb. or coldwater lobster tails, $4.97/ea. at H-E-B (through 2/15/11)

2. Organic broccoli or cauliflower, .88/lb. at Sunflower (through 2/16/11)

3. Navel oranges or cantaloupes, 3 lbs. for $1 at Sun Harvest (through 2/16/11)

4. Organic Cameo apples (word up!), .88/lb. at Sprouts (through 2/16/11)

5. H-E-B Pure Cane Sugar Soft Drinks, 12-pack, $1.99* (through 2/15/11)

*with in-store coupon

Also at H-E-B this week, buy a 100- to 160-pack of H-E-B Baby diapers and get a free Cosco umbrella stroller with an in-store coupon. I can't vouch for Cosco strollers, but we've had pretty good luck with H-E-B Baby diapers. And they've got Clifford the Big Red Dog on 'em!

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Texas Airports Add International Flights

Texas will finally get a nonstop flight to Australia this May when Qantas starts flying between Dallas/Fort Worth and Sydney four times weekly. Qantas is OneWorld partners with American, so the latter airline’s fortress hub at DFW should provide plenty of connecting traffic. This is a big shot in the arm to DFW’s relatively new International Terminal, which continues to lag behind Houston in terms of drawing new international flights.

Whenever Boeing gets around to delivering the 787, Continental/United plans to start nonstop service between Houston Bush Intercontinental and Auckland, New Zealand. Between that and Continental/United’s Houston-Lagos nonstop scheduled to launch in November, Houston will join Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg as one of only four airports in the world with scheduled nonstop passenger air service to all six inhabited continents so long as you count the region of Australasia as a pseudo-continent.

Meanwhile, here in Austin, our international passenger service continues to be anemic. We’re barely able to sustain service to Cancun on an ongoing basis.

How to Make Out

In the wake of Junior Senior's demise following their compelling but largely unheralded 2007 sophomore album, Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (Rykodisc), vocalist Jesper Mortensen migrated from his native Denmark to New York and started Make Out with Leah Hennessey, who just so happens to be David Johansen's step-daughter.

Here's a little herky-jerk bubblegum punk blast called "What U Doing Later" from their debut EP, How To, due Feb. 22 (via PopMatters).

Warm Up with a Hot Bowl of Huey

Apathy Trend, the electrified version of a 90s-era Austin music zine by the same name that could usually be found near the front door of Sound Exchange, posted a short Q&A with the New Drugs today. Many thanks to Chuck Trend for the virtual ink.

We're revving up the Huey Lewis love machine again this Saturday at Ruta Maya alongside Boosy Cray, Serious Tracers and Ichi Ni San Shi, three fine local bands who still play songs they wrote themselves. Doors open at 8 and the good times start rolling at 9.

Fave Five Food Deals - 2/2/11

If you can stand the frigid wind chill, there are plenty of pre-Super Bowl deals to be had at Austin supermarkets this week.

1. Chicken sausage (all varieties), $1.99/lb. at Sunflower (through 2/9/11)

2. Haas avocados or beefsteak tomatoes, .49/lb. at Sunflower (through 2/9/11)

3. Rio red grapefruit, .25/ea. at Sprouts (through 2/9/11)

4. Small navel oranges, 10 for $1 at H-E-B (through 2/8/11)

5. Cuties clementine mandarins, 3 lb. bag, $3.99 at Sun Harvest (through 2/9/11)

This Friday at Randall's, get select varieties of Nabisco snack crackers for just 99 cents (limit 2 with Remarkable card). If you like Triscuits, this is an even better deal than Hill Country Fare Woven Wheats (which always taste a little stale compared to the real thing).

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

The Return of Bubble Puppy

I'm excited to hear that Bubble Puppy - 3/4 of the classic line-up, anyway - is reuniting at this year's Austin Music Awards. Although their legacy has long been in the shadows of fellow International Artists like the 13th Floor Elevators and the Red Krayola, "Hot Smoke and Sasafrass" was actually the Houston-based label's best-charting single, clocking in at #14 on the Billboard chart in 1969. Their sole album, A Gathering of Promises, is also worth seeking out.

Back in 2004, I interviewed Bubble Puppy guitarist Todd Potter and drummer David Fore on the occasion of Fuel 2000's rerelease of Promises. Their description of the band's up-and-down history was the stuff of movies. While writing the story, I actually drove over to Riverside Farms Road with Promises on the disc deck and tried to imagine what it was like in 1967, when the band lived and practiced in an old house on that street. To hear Potter and Fore describe it was positively idyllic.

One quick note about that story - the Municipal Auditorium where Bubble Puppy opened for the Who was in San Antonio, not Austin.

And finally, here is a very rare video of the band performing "Hot Smoke and Sasafrass" at an undated reunion show. I'm guessing it's from their mid-80s reunion, but it could be older.

Fave Five Food Deals - 1/26/10

While super-steals are in short supply in this week's round-up of Austin supermarket circulars, you can still keep a little change in your pocket with the following five sale items.

1. Asparagus, $1.49/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 2/2/11)

2. Organic Braeburn apples, .88/lb. at H-E-B (through 2/1/11)

3. Boneless pork loin roast, $1.97/lb. at Sprouts (through 2/2/11)

4. Wild caught mahi mahi, $2.97/lb. at Sunflower (through 2/2/11)

5. Sun Harvest veggie chips, 2 for $3 at Sun Harvest (through 2/2/11)

From Jan. 28 through 31, there are also some sweet deals to be had at Sun Harvest's 72-hour sale, including 6 oz. of blueberries for .97, Dirty Chips potato chips for .99 and half gallons of Blue Bell ice cream for $3.99.

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Sunflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market