SXSW, Lubbock, the Bible, and Songs.

This week was supposed to be a non-stop SXSW blog, with further adventures from San Antonio and Houston. A family emergency brought us back to Lubbock, however, and so prepare yourself for Stories from Lubbock: Part Four. We were bummed to leave Austin after only one game of frisbee and one meal at Polvos, but it's kind of nice to be around the family again.

Friend-with-a-Broken-Truck and I have been cooking for everyone. It's kind of fun because we both love to cook, but it's also great because of my little "condition" known as vegetarianism. I get sick to my stomach thinking that everyone's wondering what there is for the freaky vegetarian to eat, so it's nice to just cook a meal for everyone. We made Indian food last night, despite every grocery store in town trying to prevent us from doing so -- garam masala doesn't exist in Lubbock, so I had to make my own with a coffee grinder and 7 different other spices. After only mild frustration, a Xanax, and a margarita, things went much smoother. Dinner was fun, and there were only a few comments about ribs and cheeseburgers. I like to cook, and I like it when people discover that meals can be satisfying without including a steak.

I'm learning a lot about the bible. For example, apparently it's okay to highlight in the bible. Somehow, this seemed wrong to me, but maybe that's my own hangup with writing in books.

It also occurs to me that I have not read the New Testament. But every time I hear a verse from it, it just reminds me of a song I like. "Love one another," from Colassions or something that sounds like Cassius Clay, reminds me of Tim Krekel more than it does Jesus. The message is all the same, whether it's a song lyric or a bible verse.

So I don't feel so guilty about not having read the New Testament -- neither that Catholic nor that Jewish guilt I inherited. I just like that I listen to song lyrics. I think maybe you can learn just as much from songs as from church.

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