Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/753315
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY Now that Austin's cluster of fall festivals is out of the way, we can finally get some work done around here. Right? Well, no. Because nobody's at work. Ping a contact via e-mail, and an out-of-office reply immedi- ately pops into your inbox. Phone calls zip straight to voicemail. Nobody works in December in Austin. The University of Texas is on break starting early in the month, and state govern- ment offices are mostly closed. Then, factor in the public school closings in mid-December and stack it all against the holiday break, and suddenly a good chunk of the city is off ice skating at Whole Foods or spinning around under the lights of the Zilker Tree. So much for any infini- tesimal hope of even a planarian-sized particle of productivity during the first two weeks of December. And once January arrives, we are too weary from New Year's revelry (nobody revels like an Austinite) to go back to work quickly, so nobody answers e-mails then, either. Not until the Legislature convenes January 10. In fact, our state legisla- tors, who meet only for five months every other year (barring the dreaded special session), have probably influenced our approach to work more than any other group: You work hard, work quickly, eat a lot of steak, attend fabulous parties, and then take off more than a year to recover. That sounds about right. So really, there's only one thing this time of the year is good for: holiday parties. Have one. And invite your boss. Rest assured, she's not getting any work done, either. . OUT OF OFFICE WITH THE HOLIDAYS UPON US, AUSTIN IS ALL PLAY AND NO WORK UNTIL THE LEGISLATURE MEETS IN JANUARY. BY HELEN ANDERS AND FINALLY 136 AUSTINWAY.COM