Nonsensor.

Say what you will about high fructose corn syrup, that potentially evil sludge that's even now flowing in a dark river through a pipeline in Matt Heerema's backyard. But my fear and distaste have kept me away from [insert preferred word for sweetened carbonated beverages here] for quite some time, and I'm no doubt better off for it.

But to a degree, sugar is sugar, and it's bad for you. It rots your teeth, it makes you fat, and if you think "real" sugar, cane juice, or some other more natural form of sweetening is going to make everything better, you're destined for a big ol' ring around the belt.



So Austin, with its abundance of sugary choices - from old-school recipes like Mexican Coke and Dublin Dr. Pepper to the proliferation of natural fruit sodas and micro-brewed root beers - has really wrecked my beverage abstinence plan.

Add to that the local craft beers on tap pretty much everywhere, including the deli, the tacqueria, the coffee shop, and probably the gas station and vacuum repair shop, and I'd better be glad I'm living in an apartment complex with a gym.

People have been asking me that question a lot lately, of course. And the easy answer is, it's awesome: I'm happy to be in warm weather, happy to be somewhere I can walk around, happy to have a city instead of a collection of suburbs, and most of all, happy to be in Texas. For all its (numerous) faults, it's where I come from.



Texas may be home to some people I wouldn't care to associate with, but most of them were born elsewhere (the Bushes, Lee Harvey Oswald, Karl Rove... it's all good), and as my Illinois-born brother will dourly tell you, you have to be born here to be one. Besides, Willie Nelson offsets all those.

The long answer is that Austin is a complicated situation that feels like it's teetering on the edge of something, and what happens when we pass through that threshold is currently being decided. Austin can either retain the qualities that make it great, or turn into another reasonably cool but personality-devoid city.

Austinites are an odd bunch. They're friendly as only Texans can be, but they're also openly bitter about the influx of outsiders, whether Yankees or Houstonians, and always grumbling about how this place used to be cool or too bad that place closed down.

In fact, there's a joke: How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb? Doesn't matter, they're all going to sit around bitching about how the old light bulb was so much better.

I'm not saying they don't have a legitimate issue. Far from it. We need to listen to these folks, because the Austin they love is the Austin that the rest of us came here to love, and it's our job to protect it too. But on the other hand, the conflict between old and new is also another facet of what makes Austin decent in the first place: it's corporate and hippie, it's liberal and conservative. Not to mention, the whole thing is a microcosm of America, and representative of a lot of cities. Austin is doing far better than many other places that gentrified too fast, and no matter how bad it looks, remember, this is capitalism. The little guy will not win. Tough. Enjoy it while you can, then come back to your corner bar of choice to bitch about it with the old folks. And remember that our Craigslist is an awesome Craigslist.

(Hope this kind of topic doesn't bore my friends, because you're gonna probably be hearing quite a bit more of it.)

It's that time of year again. Time to hit some warmer weather and hang out with a town full of geeks off the leash. It should be crazy, fun, and yes, even edifying. Maybe I'll blog my thoughts on some panels, but time can get away from you around there.

If you see me and the Blogsmith crew, stop by and we'll hoist a nerdy beer for Gary Gygax.