Anthony Mason, Knicks' "best kept secret" from the '90s glory days, dies

Anthony Mason, a fan favorite and solid contributor for the strong New York Knicks teams of the mid-1990s, died too young early today.  I was born in the early 1970s and lived outside of New York for most of the next 35 years, and watched a lot of NBA basketball, particularly during that time, which is widely viewed as a peak for the league's popularity.  Michael Jordan was at his peak, as were other big-time stars like Patrick Ewing.  Ewing's Knicks and Jordan's Bulls played many good games, fighting with the Pacers, Heat and others for top dog in the Eastern Conference.  Mason played a key role on those Knicks teams.  He never had a ton of skill, and definitely didn't have the pedigree, but he fought his way up through the lesser leagues and eventually earned the respect of Knicks coach Pat Riley and a spot in the Knicks rotation, providing muscle, rebounding, second-chance points and a little intimidation and swagger.  I mean, Jordan was in a Michael Jackson video.  Mason?  Nah, his style was more fitting for legendary New York City hip-hop producer Diamond D, who released a classic LP in 1992 and put Mase front and center in this video for his song, Best Kept Secret.  And that was a good description for Mason.  If your team was playing against the Knicks, you'd think of Ewing or Starks or Oakley or Allan Houston, and then Mason would go for 16 and 12 with 2 steals and they'd beat you 80-78.  When I heard about his passing today, for some reason, it didn't take me long for my mind to drift to this somewhat goofy vid.

Here's Diamond's late golden age classic in full.

Another Short Post About the Blues in Honor of Booker White

Booker White (or "Bukka" in some circles) died 38 years ago today.  Seems like a good time for you (not me, you) to go back and read this here old post of ours about Booker.  Yes, our blog is pretty old.  While you're it, catch this:

First gay couple is legally married in Texas, and Texas Republican leaders freak out!

Congratulations, Suzanne Bryant and Sarah Goodfriend!

Yesterday morning, two women from Austin tied the not, becoming the first gay couple to be legally married in Texas.  The story is pretty heartwarming (I hate that word, but it is what comes to mind).  A state court judge ordered that the Travis County Clerk issue the couple a marriage license.  The judge, David Wahlberg, recognizing that one of the two women had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, found that the state law against same-sex marriage was causing irreparable harm and waived the 72-hour waiting period to perform a wedding.  The couple got the license and pounced.

That was probably a wise move.  Immediately fearing the major threat to humanity the marriage of these two women (who have been together for 31 years by the way) will cause, Texas Republican leaders sprang into action.  Attorney General Ken Paxton got the ball rolling by petitioning the Texas Supreme Court, which issued an "ambiguous afternoon order" purportedly blocking the ruling by Wahlberg.  Of course, the couple had already wed at that point, so despite possible arguments to the contrary, the more reasonable view would appear to be that the couple is indeed legally married.  Other top Republican leaders pledged to save non-gay Texans from suffering the wrath of married gay people.  Governor Greg Abbott pointed to the Texas Constitution, which was amended by voter approval in 2005 to define marriage as consisting only of the union of one man and one woman.  Said Abbott, "I am committed to ensuring that the Texas Constitution is upheld and that the rule of law is maintained in the state of Texas."  Added Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, "The rule of law must be upheld," he said.

In other words, "For the sake of humanity, we cannot let the nice lady marry her cancer-stricken companion of 31 years and live together happily.  We can't!"

They just do not get it.  The Texas Constitution can state anything, but if something is held to be in violation of the United States Constitution, it means squat.  So if Texans approved an amendment by 110 percent of voters to define marriage as "only the union of one non-handicapped person and another non-handicapped person," it would only stay on the books until a court could rule that the clause violated the equal protection clause of U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on gay marriage, but plans to issue a ruling this summer after hearing four cases in April.  I am putting my money on gay marriage.  It seems that the Brown v. Board of Education moment is coming for non-hetero people.  What side of history do you want to be on?

From Boston to Austin ... looks like we're not alone

Here's an interesting map of U.S. state-to-state migration from July 2013 to July 2014.  Our old home state of Connecticut lost about 0.73% of its population.  Texas?  Up 0.58%.  But what's the story with all those people moving to North Dakota?

Learn About Tableau

The Year in Music 2014, From an Austin, Texas Perspective

These days, I do not have nearly as much time as I would like to spend following the music scene, let alone write about it in this here little blog. It mostly has to do with working a full time job and helping to raise twins, but I do not care for excuses. Lucky for me and other music lovers that are in similar boots, there are a lot of great sources putting out "best of 2014" lists around this time of year. I use some of these lists as guides to explore music that is new to me. While no two people have exactly the same taste, I have found ways to zero in on people and publications that veer closer to my POV. There are always things like Acclaimed Music and Metacritic if you are interested in finding out what a very wide demographic thinks, or Pitchfork and the like for the hipster perspective. But honestly, you probably will not find all that many smaller, overlooked artists even there.

Instead, I focused on the Austin Chronicle's Best of 2014 lists this year, and in particular, those that focused on local Austin music. After listening to a bunch of songs from the Chronicle's many top ten lists, I think it was a pretty darn good year for Austin music. Check out some Austin music from 2014 on this list we made. You will find some familiar names like Spoon and Willie Nelson in there, but I promise there are a bunch of musicians you have never before heard of.

Backyard Foraging: Pecan Season

We picked up two quarts of pecans in our backyard yesterday.  We will likely get another bucket or two before the end of the season.  What should I make?  I was thinking about just toasting and spicing them,  On the other hand, I could make this German Chocolate Pie that has gotten raves every time I have made it in the past.

German Chocolate Pie

ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa

1 heaping tablespoon self-rising flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

1/3 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup coconut

1 unbaked 8-inch pie shell (make your own, dammit!)

preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sugar, baking cocoa, and flour in a bowl, mixing well. Add beaten egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in pecans and coconut. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until set.