Ah, East Austin....

Tonight I got home from work and let Buster out, fed him, played for a bit and then hit the road again to go to the grocery store.

As I'm pulling out of my driveway and safely looking back to the right toward the street behind me, I see my neighbor two doors up kneeling in his front driveway.

I craned my neck a bit to see what he was doing. Apparently he wasn't happy with that.

Suddenly he stands up and gives me the finger. Emphatically. Over and over again.

I decided not to get out of my car and ask why, but as I drove away, I could see him flipping me off in my rear view mirror.

Why? I have no idea. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

I have never talked to him. Never interacted with him. And, that I know of, never offended him.

But I also never drive up that part of the street so who knows what's going on with him.

Once I got over the shock I was cracking up in my car. Welcome to the diversity of east Austin.

Still no major housing updates although I met with my colleague's husband this past weekend to get a quote for my patio build out. As the summer gets hotter and hotter, I'm mostly avoiding being outside, but I am pleasantly surprised with how much shade my yard and house get and how green my grass still is. This is virtually unheard of in Austin. It makes for higher lawn maintenance bills but it looks darn good. I even have some flowers blooming that were planted last year before I moved in. So, despite my lack of attention to my yard (or knowledge for that matter) it's looking pretty.

I'm happy that I'll be able to enjoy it for a few weeks. Sadly, I had to cancel my upcoming trip to DC. I was planning to see friends and family but work has been so hectic lately and I've been traveling so much that I made the decision to cancel my trip. I am bummed not to see people I love but it was the right decision for now.

On that note, check out Parade magazine this weekend. There's an article on Lance, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and an ad directing people to call the program I manage (LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare) - hence (one of) the reasons I'm not leaving town now.