There is a showing of Sergei Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky at Bass tomorrow and Saturday. The movie is accompanied by the Austin Symphony and should be quite the experience. I got us tickets for Friday, so this is going to be one busy and cultured weekend.

There is something to be said about Soviet-era choral music--it's like Carmina Burana on Eastern European steroids. And it probably helps if one doesn't understand the lyrics.

The Republicans are trying to take away Austin's voice at the House of Representatives by gerrymandering Travis County into three Republican-controlled districts. In their view Austin (capital of Texas!) no longer warrants to be in its own district. Nay, it's really part of San Antonio or a chunk of Hillcountry or maybe a suburb of Pflugerville.

This would conveniently get rid of that pesky Lloyd Doggett who dared questioning some of the motives behind the war and in general is not one of Tom Delay's and Bush's toadies.