I live on 51st, a few blocks from Flightpath in north Hyde Park. I let my dog into our yard at around 11 and returned at 3 to discover that she was gone and the gate was standing partially open. Either someone opened it and took her (highly unlikely), it was left open (unlikely) or she opened it herself, which we discovered today just might have been possible.

This is doubly difficult because she's my guide dog. We've been together for about 5.5 years, and I love the little beast dearly.

If you've seen a 7-year-old-looking chubby yellow lab named Babbs, weighing in at around 70 pounds with a pink nose, chain collar (only one tag, she's adept at removing them and I'm bad about finding and re-attaching them once they're gone) and wearing a blue bandanna, please let me know. I'm posting a recent pic here, as well as a link to several older shots. We've contacted Town Lake Animal Shelter, filed reports with APD (and attempted to do so with UTPD), called nearby pet stores and several vets, but to no avail. She's also tagged with an Avent(SP?) microchip (ID only, unfortunately) and I've filed a lost dog report, so hopefully she'll surface at a shelter that scans. We've posted info at Flightpath, and will be assembling/distributing fliers soon. We may also contact newspapers and radio/TV stations as well.

If you've seen or currently have Babbs, please get in touch with me. Not only do I need her to function well, but she's an incredibly awesome dog and good friend.

Here is a recent picture:



Other pics are here.

Babbs, come home.

So...what's the best strip club in town?

Hey guys, I was wondering if there was a good fondue place in Austin, sort of like Simply Fondue in Dallas- I've been dying for some!

What's the best bike shop in Austin?

I know someone asked about a good bike store, but I'm actually looking for a good used bike store; do any of you know of any around the area, preferably south austin?

Just an update on my earlier post:

My dog was found. See my most recent journal entry for the sparse details. I just wanted to post an update letting everyone know that it's a non-issue now. :)

Apparently it's perfectly legal in the state of Texas for insurance companies to add other family members to one's auto policy and lay the burden of proof upon the consumer to prove them wrong.

My younger sister purchased an auto policy through All State recently. They somehow decided to add me to her policy, indicating their information showed she had an older sister who lives at home and could be driving her car. When pressed, they would not admit where they obtained this information. (Which really, is rather out of date as I have not lived at my mother's home in four years, I'm married and have my own car & insurance through USAA.)

Apparently, the burden of proving them wrong rests with my sister and mother who must now jump through hoops to have my name removed and the rates returned to normal. My mother contacted the state insurance board today to question the legality of this company's actions and was assured it's all above board. However, this smacks of deceit and greed to me. I would encourage you to be wary when choosing your auto insurance.

I've been a member of this Photoshoip Meetup thing for a while now, and we still have less than the requitsite 5 people needed to make it happen.

Anyone else here interested in this sort of thing? Please say yes ;)

Is there anywhere in Austin that I can buy Sweetleaf tea in bulk? I'm addicted and I only see it at convenient stores.

I'm going to be graduating in May and I'm giving lots of consideration to teaching English abroad for a while. Obviously, this is not a decision to be made lightly.

Thus, I was wondering if there are any places in Austin where I could volunteer or observe what goes on in English classes for immigrants. Unfortunately, I'm taking 18 hours of class this semester, so I'm very busy and probably couldn't manage a very regular schedule of volunteering, but I'd very much like to have a better, more hands-on idea of what actually goes on in such classes.

Thanks in advance.

I'm going to go do the early voting thing on Thursday, but I need to decide who to vote for (in some areas) but I am new to Austin and therefore don't know about the constable, comptroller, sherrif, etc. and who I want to support...is there a website that breaks it down and lets you know who is running and what they stand for?

As I was going through the undergraduate catalog for 2002-2004 I flipped through to the college of education section, and under the graduation requirements it says:
1. The University requires that the student complete at least two long session semesters, or an equivalent period, in residence. To receive a degree from the College of Education, the student must have been registered in the college for at least two long session semesters or the equivalent.
Okay, so here goes my questions… do they require you to stay in the dorms at a certain time or do you get to determine which semester is best for you? I do not plan on staying in the dorms my freshmen year, so I am somewhat worried. Also, what are two long session semesters? So, what I get from this is that while registered in this college, you have to stay in the dorms. Perhaps someone else can analyze this for me, I’m lost.