PRIVATE SHUTTLE PRIVATE BATHROOMS
24 HOUR CLUBHOUSE RESORT STYLE POOL
3-6 BEDROOM UNITS SWIM UP CANTINA BAR
LEASING OFFICE: 326 N. LBJ DRIVE C APSTONE C OTTAGES O F SM. COM
512.754.3333
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5101 IH-35 South San Marcos, TX 78666 512-392-1999
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EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
| DECEMBER - JANUARY 2014 |
Sights and Sounds of Christmas
Since 1986, the holiday season in San Marcos has begun with the Sights & Sounds of Christmas. Join thousands of others for four full nights at the Sights & Sounds of Christmas in San Marcos Plaza Park. ADMISSION PRICING: Kids 12-andunder are free. Nightly Admission: $5 Presale, 4-Day Wristband: $6 December 4 to 7 @ San Marcos Plaza Park 206 North CM Allen Parkway
Official Ring Ceremony Texas State students are invited to purchase a ring upon completion of 75 hours and participate in the Official Ring Ceremony. During the ceremony, family and friends watch as students follow the tradition of dipping their rings in the waters of the San Marcos River, which flows in a fountain at the ceremony. December 6 @ Strahan Coliseum
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First Friday at Three Dudes Soup, dancing, or wine - what’s your favorite way to keep warm? Come out to Three Dudes Winery and try all three! Keep warm by dancing the night away to some live local music from Blue Water Highway Band and relax with a steaming cup of soup that will be available for purchase from Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich shop. December 6 @ Three Dudes Winery 125 Old Martindale Road, San Marcos
Jingle Bell Run 1K & 5K
The Central Texas Medical Center presents the Sights & Sounds of Christmas 5K and 1K Jingle Bell Run through downtown and historic San Marcos. December 7 @ San Marcos Plaza Park 206 North CM Allen Parkway
Art Unhitched Art Market The Hitch: A Mobile Eatery Come out to Art UnHitched on the second Saturday of each month. Browse booths where local artists will have their work for sale, enjoy live music and performance artist and dine on the culinary arts of the food trailers at The Hitch: A Mobile Eatery. December 14 @ The Hitch: A Mobile Eatery 312 East Hopkins Street
Residence Halls open for Freshmen
Its that time of the year like the salmon of capistrano, young men and women flock to San Marcos to start their new life off at Texas State. This is just fair warning to all the locals to watch out for kids driving up one way streets and asking you for directions. January 8 San Marcos
First Day of Class Fall 2013 Commencement Its time to head off in to the real world congratulations to all the new Bobcats that are graduating and going off to make this world a better place to live. December 14 @ Strahan Coliseum
Time to pick up your books, make the trek up the Alkek Library and get your learn on. January 10 @ Texas State Campus
Santa will land at CTMC Dec.4
This year’s Sights & Sounds of Christmas activities will unofficially kick off when Santa returns to Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) via a helicopter landing. CTMC invites area families and children of all ages to come enjoy this free event featuring hot chocolate, cookies, candy canes, musical entertainment, photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus and a free book for small children. December 4, 5pm @ CTMC helipad
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SMTX | INSIDE LOOK
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE San Marcos Mayor Daniel Guerrero gives us a peek at how he makes his office feel more like home.
Texas State University Diploma (Circa 2000)
Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication
While watching Blue October in town, a friend folded this star out of $1 bills as a good luck charm. The Mayor said it works! “A special Christmas gift from my Godfather. The boat reminds me to stay the course and enjoy the voyage.”
Kermit the Frog is a gift from the CTMC Hospice Store.
The Mayoral Chair “I honestly don’t sit in it often...I like to sit next to people and not allow the desk to be a barrier.”
Texas Skate board autographed by the owners who are alumni. “After my 2010 Mayoral Election, the students from the Phoenix Academy decorated my office door with dozens of paper hands with congratulatory messages.” TXST Hard Hat worn during the ground breaking ceremony for the new performing arts center, opening in January.
“Last fall I adopted a 40-pound tortoise from the SM Nature Center. A few months later I was able to reunite the tortoise with his original owner who had been eagerly searching for him for four months.”
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“I am a proud graduate of San Marcos High School! I bleed purple and white! Fang’em Rattlers!”
| Photos Eric Morales |
Walk right in.
No appointment needed. Open late and weekends.
512.353.6425
M-F 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sat/Sun 8 a.m. - Noon 1941 North IH35, Suite 101A on the frontage road at Wonder World Drive
The hands behind our da Vinci Robotic Successes belong to a dad, husband, golfer and wakeboarder
Now oering virtually scarless surgery through single-site da Vinci procedures.
Dr. Erik Anderson, General Surgeon, is now performing more successful single site procedures than any other physician in the Austin-SA region. Find out why more people choose da Vinci Robotic surgery at Central Texas Medical Center.
ctmc.org 12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 9
Pick, Pull and Pile Choose the items you’d like to take with you, place them all on your bed, couch or floor. Choose methodically, overpacking due to indecision is weak. Remember, unless you’re rich, you have to carry your own crap.
Jeans They can be worn more then once. And darker denim can be dressed up for a night out.
Underwear Always, always, always pack one extra pair. You never know what the local food will do to you.
Folding Arrange clothes neatly. Spending a little extra time here ensures you love yourself more when you only have time for fun stuff. Toiletry Bag A suitcase for essential grooming products and a protective barrier against leaks.
Choose Versatility This is important for everything. For example, pick one pair (two max, ladies) of shoes that can be worn with all your clothing options. Yes it is possible!
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| By Shaun Huberts |
THE FINER POINTS OF PACKING
By using the “Rockstar” method of packing you can sort through your clothes with ease, just like looking through a filing cabinet. No more searching; no more repacking and refolding the other items you’ve had to move in order to find that one shirt. With your clothes stacked vertically you can see everything in your bag from the moment you open it up.
Shoes Place them underneath a ‘row’ of clothes... just make sure the soles are clean or place them in a bag.
Rowing Place into pack vertically. This way you can see and get to items without pulling everything out.
Stacking Place larger items like a hoodie or jacket on top to lock or anchor down your pack. Now your clothes should be snug enough to allow for very little movement in any direction.
Learn more @ howtopacklikearockstar.com & buy the book by: Shaun Huberts
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COACH
KASPAR TXST MEN’S BASKETBALL
Coach Danny Kaspar is much like he describes his style of coaching: aggressive, intense, cerebral and detailed. His philosophy has led him to a career head coaching record of 465-194 (.706 as of print deadline) and a determination to lift up a down Bobcat Basketball program into the next level of competition. 12 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
“I welcome the challenge and look forward to it!”
Q: Why Texas State? What is it about the college and/or basketball program that prompted you to make this move? Texas State is a growing University with great leadership, growth potential, and location. It is in a higher profile league that gives my teams a greater chance of postseason play! These factors should help us recruit better. I am closer to family and friends, and of course, they made it financially attractable also! Q: What can Texas State basketball fans expect to see from your team at the defensive and offensive ends of the court? My teams will play an aggressive, tough man-to-man defense the vast majority of the time. We will make our opponents work hard to score points. On the offensive end, we will look to fast break. If that’s not available, we will work for a good shot! Q: What has been the most treasured moment of your own sports or coaching career? My most treasured moments in my playing and coaching career include my senior year in High School when our team made it to the State-semifinals. In my coaching career, I have had a lot of treasured moments! Probably winning the 2009 Southland Conference Title and getting an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament stands out the most! I get a big thrill every time one of my former players calls me or unexpectedly stops by!
Q: How would you describe your coaching style? Intense, cerebral, detailed, and aggressive. Q: As one of the most winning basketball coaches in Texas, do you think you can sustain that here at Texas State? I would not have taken the Texas State job if I didn’t think I could continue my winning ways of past years! Several things are involved, including good recruiting, great scheduling, and support from the administration and community. Good luck now and then helps. Q: What do you see as one of the biggest challenges in your first year here at Texas State? The biggest challenge in my 1st year is getting the players from the past to buy in to what I am selling. They were recruited to play “Run-n-Gun” basketball where defense is not a priority. That’s not my style. The players have to agree that a change is needed, and they need to adapt/ make some changes! Q: Are you looking forward to playing SFA this year in basketball? I would not have scheduled this game had I known I would be coaching at Texas State. It’s hard going up against your former players that you truly respect and care about! Lots of people are going to be watching the outcome of that game.
| Interviewed by Will Bowling Photos Eric Morales |
Q: Is there any different feeling for you this year heading into the season knowing that you’re starting a new conference? Going into a new league, there is a little anxiety about not knowing what to expect and never playing against some of the schools/coaches that are in this league. However I welcome the challenge and look forward to it! Q: What do you expect from your freshmen? I expect a couple of our freshmen to play a lot this year! We have also signed 2 Jr. College recruits who will see a lot of playing time! Q: What are realistic expectations for this team? A realistic expectation, barring injury or other calamity, is a Top 4/5 finish with maybe 18 wins. As I stated earlier, a lot depends on our injury situation and, of course, our attitude! Q: What is your favorite team to watch in college and/or NBA? and why? My favorite college teams to watch are Duke and Kansas. My favorite Pro team is the San Antonio Spurs! They get it done with quality people in their program. Greg Popovich is the best and that includes describing him as a high character person.
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SMTX | CHEWED AND BREWED | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014 |
Desserts
It’s the time of the year where all our belts get a little tighter. So why not punch another hole in that belt and enjoy these SMTX treats that will put a smile on your face.
Irish Coffee @ Sean Patrick’s With the cool bite of winter creeping in, enjoy a warm and cozy Irish coffee at Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub. Complete with fresh brewed Starbucks Coffee, Jameson Irish Whiskey and homemade Irish whipped cream, this classic take on the traditional winter drink is sure to please. So next time you feel that chill in the air, find yourself a seat and experience the luck of the Irish with a hot Irish coffee. 202 East San Antonio Street
The Good Grub Guide highlights the dishes and neighborhood favorites in the area’s food scene. They are reviewed and selected by the editorial staff.
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KEY
Delivery Happy Hour Outdoor Seating
$$$ Most Entrees over $20 $$ Most Entrees $10 - $20 $ Most Entrees under $10
| Dish Reviews By Katie Ogletree |
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| SMTX | GOOD GRUB GUIDE eyes. Choose from a large selection of sauces, wraps and toppings. Try the 420 roll. You won’t regret it! How Do You Roll is delicious, inexpensive and fun. 420 University Drive, San Marcos (512) 393-2221 $ Prik Nam Pla Thai Cuisine Prik Nam Pla has quickly become known for their traditional and mouthwatering curry dishes and lip-smacking fish cakes. The service is consistently accommodating and ultra friendly. Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat. 1917 Dutton Drive, Ste 104 San Marcos (512) 396-9919 $ BYOB
BARBECUE Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ Want to talk about amazing dry-rub barbeque? Head on over to Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ. The best time to go is during the weekend, where you can order their ever so succulent, off-the-bone pork chop. This chop is SO flavorful you wouldn’t even want the sauce. 1125 Texas 337 Loop New Braunfels (830) 627-0627 $$
Ice Cream @ Rhea’s If you scream for ice cream, then you better start screaming for Rhea’s Ice Cream right off The San Marcos Square. The ice cream here is completely homemade by Rhea herself. With flavors like Oatmeal Cream Pie and Circus Animal Cookie, there’s a flavor for everyone. And if you’re an ice cream dreamer, you can submit a flavor that you’d like to see in the cooler. If you come up with the most creative and most delectable, Rhea will add it to the menu for a month, and you’ll find yourself on their wall of fame. I scream, you scream. We all scream for Rhea’s! 318 North LBJ Drive
Cool Mint Café Just off campus is a slightly hidden 1920’s Arts and Crafts Bungalow style café. With fine dining in mind, Cool Mint chef serves only the freshest ingredients. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sat. 415 Burleson St, San Marcos (512) 396-2665 $$
Grins Grins is a true San Marcos icon that continues to be enjoyed by several generations of students and locals. Head on over and order a juicy burger or mouth-watering chicken fried steak. Don’t forget to grab a frosty margarita and dine on their outdoor patio. Lunch and dinner daily. 802 N LBJ, San Marcos (512) 392-4746 $
Gill’s Fried Chicken A San Marcos original, Gill’s serves up crisp, golden, and super juicy fried chicken. While you’re there, sink your teeth into the southern staple, fried okra. It truly is something to rave about. Lunch and dinner daily. 2550 Hunter Rd, #1112, San Marcos (512) 353-3113 $
Gristmill Located along the Guadalupe River in historic Gruene, this massive restaurant is perfect for a family outing. It has a cheerful and warm atmosphere, and as for the food--it’s just plain delicious. Be prepared though, there is usually a wait, but it’s well worth it. 1287 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels (830) 625-0684
AMERICAN
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$$
ASIAN A-Tan Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar This little Asian bistro has, simply put, the best darn sushi in New Braunfels. The food at A-Tan is consistent, fresh and inspired. Their most popular roll, the Guadalupe, is not only huge, but ultra delicious. Craving soup? Their egg drop is certainly one-of-a-kind. 1528 Common Street, New Braunfels (830) 620-1888 $$$ How Do You Roll? How Do You Roll is an interactive fusion sushi joint where you pick the ingredients for whatever taste you’re in. Each roll is made quickly from fresh ingredients, right before your
Hays County BBQ & Catering With excellent reviews across the board, and a TEXAS MONTHLY TOP 50 pick, this is pit BBQ done with true central Texas tradition. The house made cheddar & jalapeno sausage is simply amazing. Their slow smoked brisket, turkey, ribs and chops satisfy every time. Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat. 2601 Hunter Road, San Marcos (512) 392-6000 $ Milt’s Pit BBQ Located in the downtown district, it’s barbeque Kyle residents visit over and over again. They’re the ones with the finest sauce you never saw coming. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sun. cash only. 208 W Center Street, Kyle (512) 268-4734 $ BYOB
BREAKFAST & TACOS Lolita’s Café This taco stand is arguably the Mecca of San Marcos breakfast tacos. With their two drive-thru windows, and a walk up service area, it’s always easy
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| SMTX | GOOD GRUB GUIDE to grab and go. All of the ingredients are prepared fresh daily, bright and early every morning. You’ll never be disappointed. If you’re SUPER hungry, try their Burrito California, packed full of rice, beans, pico, lettuce and your choice of meat, but don’t forget to ask for extra napkins! 1501 Aquarena Springs, San Marcos (512) 392-3441 $ Pike Restaurant & Antiques Formerly an old Ford dealership, the atmosphere is both vintage and exciting. This place is fantastic for brunch. Their omelets are especially delicious. Breakfast and lunch daily. 386 W. San Antonio St, New Braunfels (830) 387-4594 $$
GLOBAL
Euro Café & Market Now here’s a local joint where you actually want to try something new every time you go back. The menu features authentic Mediterranean-style entrees, including Gyros, kebabs and delicious inspired specials. 350 North Guadalupe Street, San Marcos (512) 392-6044 $ Vodka Street Conveniently located on The Square, this classic bistro and bar serves up amazing tapas, burgers, and Sunday brunch. The food is beautifully presented and along side the more elevated and inventive dishes, they serve up old-fashioned favorites. Dinner daily. Sunday brunch. 202 North LBJ Drive, San Marcos (512) 396-4260 $
ITALIAN ilario’s This quaint little trip to Italy is great for any occasion. The menu features old style pizzas and an array of popular Italian dishes with delicious garlic bread at a reasonable price. They’re also serving up some local TX wine. Lunch and dinner daily. 5401 S. FM 1626, Kyle (512) 268-3300 $ Italian Garden With just a short walk from campus, this little restaurant has become a local staple. They’re serving up consistently delicious dishes that are easy on the pocketbook. Lunch and dinner daily. 415 North LBJ Drive, San Marcos
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Manske Roll @ Gil’s Broiler Manske Rolls are plump, buttery cinnamon rolls that have been featured at the San Marcos landmark, Gil’s Broiler, since 1949. These rolls are WAY better than your run of the mill cinnamon roll and have a really wonderful texture. The rolls are fresh, fluffy and gooey. They’re completely and wholly mind altering. Head on over to Gil’s and try one of these legendary desserts, also loved by names like President Lyndon Baines Johnson and George Strait. 328 North LBJ Drive (512) 392-8730 $
MEXICAN Chimy’s Cerveceria This is what you get when you blend a fun college bar with a mouth-watering Mexican food joint. Chimy’s is perfect for a quick bite or relaxing with a stiff margarita after a long day on the river. Come on by to watch the game while scarfing down ridiculously delicious fajita nachos. Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat. 217 E. Hopkins, San Marcos (512) 216-6175 $
Garcia’s Mexican Food Restaurant Garcia’s is Tex-Mex at its finest. Now with two locations in San Marcos, it’s easy for you to try their terrific chips and flavorful salsa. Dive into their terrific fajitas and cheesy enchiladas. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily 1917 Dutton Drive, San Marcos (512) 353-0099 $ Zookas Ultimate Burrito Can you guess what the most common response to hearing the word ‘Zookas’ is? “Obsessed!” Zookas puts other burrito chains to shame. Serving up endless combinations with unusual sauces and wrap flavors, this is truly the ultimate burrito shop.
Lunch and dinner daily 312 University Drive Ste A San Marcos (512) 353-3913 $
PIZZERIA Brewster’s Pizza Take a drive through the Hill Country and stop for an amazing pizza and inventive house-brewed craft beer. The Omnivore Pie, complete with spinach, is a favorite. You can customize your pie with a wheat crust for a slight flavor twist. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sun. 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley (512) 847-3299 $$
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| SMTX | GOOD GRUB GUIDE Gumby’s Pizza & Buffet Gumby’s is a typical college pizza joint, but with a hot lunch buffet and a beautifully fresh salad bar. There are daily specials and who can forget the famous Stoner Pie. Gumby’s is perfect to soak up the booze after a night out on the town. Lunch buffet daily. 403 North Guadalupe Street San Marcos (512) 754-8629 $
PUB/SPORTS BAR Center Field Sports Bar & Grill This sports bar is both warm and inviting with its delicious array of spicy wings and juicy burgers. Watch out though, their huge portions of French fries are extremely addicting! You’ll have plenty to sit through an entire game. Lunch and dinner daily. 200 West Center Street, Kyle (512) 268-1400 $ Mozie’s Bar & Grill You’ll always find yourself standing in some true history when you’re in the cozy town of Gruene. Mozie’s Bar & Grill is part of that history. The space, while narrow and long, is a perfect setting to eat delicious food. You can’t go to Mozie’s and not get the amazing Shiner beer-battered onion rings and famous fish tacos! Lunch and dinner daily. 1601-A Hunter Road, New Braunfels (830) 515-1281 $$ Sean Patrick’s Located on The Square, this beautiful Tex-Irish pub features the largest tap beer selection in all of Hays County. From their delicious Guinness Burger to the more traditional Bangers & Mash, Sean Patrick’s has something for everyone to enjoy. Lunch and dinner daily 202 East San Antonio Street, San Marcos (512) 392-7310 $
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SANDWICHES Mochas and Javas A local favorite for studying, web surfing, or catching up with friends, this coffee shop serves a variety of heavenly panini sandwiches. Breakfast and lunch daily. 700 N LBJ Drive #103, San Marcos (512) 396-5282 $ Pedestrian Café Located in Mimi’s Trailer Park, this food truck combines an array of robust and fresh flavors to form an epic meal. Each dish is hearty with various sides to accompany whatever your heart desires. Lunch and dinner daily. 301 N Guadalupe St., San Marcos (512) 618-5411 $ Which Wich Sure, here’s one of your typical sub sandwich food chains, but they really do have a crispy style and distinct zest of their own. Which Wich is quick, close to campus and, of course, affordable on any budget. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 302 University, San Marcos (512) 396-4924 $ The Leaning Pear Venture out into the beautiful hill country and make sure to stop at The Leaning Pear. The chef has the gift of fusing flavors that will surpass your imagination. There isn’t a dish that will disappoint. Lunch daily, dinner Fri-Sat. Closed Tuesday. 111 River Rd, Wimberley (512) 847-7327 $ Naturally Featuring outstanding homemade quiche and yummy sandwiches, this place is great to take the edge off during your lunch break. The salads and smoothies are a great alternative for a healthy meal as well. Lunch Mon-Sat. 1102 N. Walnut, New Braunfels (830) 214-6300 $
STEAKS & SEAFOOD KOBE Steakhouse Hibachi grill for Steaks & Seafood, terrific sushi, happy hour and Asian cuisine all in one! KOBE serves up any combination you’re craving. Lunch and dinner daily. 515 Springtown Way, San Marcos (512) 396-7200 $$ McAdoo’s Seafood Company This Cajun style seafood restaurant and bar has wonderful food and impeccable service to go along with it. Have a drink at the bar while you wait to be seated, then enjoy fresh oysters, fish, or crawfish. Overall, it’s a great fine dining experience for a night out on the town. Lunch and dinner daily. 196 Castell, New Braunfels (830) 629-3474 $$$
Myron’s Prime Steak House Sophisticated and upscale, yet relaxed, this prime steakhouse offers succulent steaks and seafood. The menu is a-la-carte, so everyone can experience a little bit of everything. Dinner daily. 136 North Castell Avenue, New Braunfels. (830) 624-1024 $$$
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Happenings
People
Changes
trends
Predictions
of 2013 | Photos Eric Morales |
Key 7 Happenings 8 People 6 Changes 6 Trends 6 Predictions 12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 23
“If there’s something you want to do with your life, my first thought is why not start doing that now?” Austin Bryan San Marcos High School Senior | Accepted into Texas State | Looking to run for SMTX city council
Swinging for the Fence Developed his first three iPhone apps at the age of 15 Identifies most with Libertarian party politics Has yet to vote in any type of government election
W
hile most high school seniors are concerning themselves with who’s going to be their prom date or the ability to legally buy cigarettes for the first time, the root of deeper dispositions dawned on Austin Bryan at a younger age than most. In his mind, there’s a significant disconnect between the world as it is and the world as it should be—which bothers Bryan, sometimes to the point of keeping the 18-year-old up at night. As he says, “If there’s something you want to do with your life, my first thought is why not start doing that now?” But there are several aspects that set Bryan apart from his peers, especially
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when considering the “Ron Paul” bumper sticker on the back of his car: a political idol.
be free to do what they want as long as they aren’t hurting others,” he says.
That being said, the mindset of a devout liberal with interest towards running for public office in Texas was not the path his conservative upbringing found ideal.
With these epiphanies, Bryan began to form his own ideology in regards to the world, later sparking an interest in the realm of local politics and how he can help those same people he has grown up around. But due to the fact that in 2011 he was still only 16-years-old, Bryan was still not even of age to legally vote. So instead, he took to the next best thing and began making signs for Wayne Becak’s campaign for city office.
As a pastor’s son, Bryan has been a resident of San Marcos since the age of six. Which, until about the eighth grade, those same footsteps were ones he assumed to follow. Then, a shift of self-values seemed to happen. He began to lose a lifelong Christian mindset for one that was a little more diplomatic across the board. “To me, where morality stems from is causing harm to other people—people should By Xander Peters
That was where Bryan got his first taste of local politics—where before he had only thought of city officials to be in charge of negligible tasks,
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like renaming roads and declaring random holidays that no one would remember. However, it did not take long before he realized how politics is essentially the way that one individual can have the most impact on changing the world. “Politics to me, it’s what controls our lives more than people are willing to admit, even at a city level,” he says. Which is why Bryan claims he will be running for San Marcos public office in two years—at the age of 20—rather than opting towards a campaign on Texas State’s campus, where he was recently accepted as a student come Fall 2014.
“Well, the culture at CTMC encourages employees to pursue their passions to make a difference through mission work. ”
Two years is still a significant chronological distance away, though. In the mean time, he plans to continue building websites and cell phone apps for a development company he launched this past August in an effort to help pay for his own education. Because technology, outside of his political stance, has always been very near and dear to Bryan. Nevertheless, how does one youth with a recognizable amount of talent and such strong opinions avoid the tainted stereotype that plays into being a politician? Simply, he accepts the idea. “To be a politician, you have to be lying and corrupt,” Bryan says. “Now to be a good statesman, you need to have clear ideas, clear principles and clear objectives that you want to achieve. Essentially, a messenger for the people and their voices.” Only time will tell how serious the city of San Marcos will interpret Bryan’s master plans to change as much of the world as he seems fit. “I ultimately think that what people care about is ideas and ways to make their lives better,” he concludes. “I don’t think they care particularly who’s the bearer of that message as long as it’s a message they identify with.”
Pam Foster International and Local Missions | Educator & Surgical Nurse at CTMC (9 years)
Making a Difference
H
ow often do we hear people say, “I just want to make a difference,” only to watch them shrug, maybe pause to read a text, and then go on about their business? I mean, how many times have we done the exact same thing?
Pam Foster took a different path. When she said that she “wanted to make a difference, not just to live,” she didn’t pause, read her text, shrug and walk away. She instead got right to work making lives better for people across the globe. Ms. Foster literally was born into a life of service. With her father in the military, her family traveled to whatever corner of the world he was called. And he was called a lot; Brussels was her favorite stop. And as she experienced so many facets of humanity, Pam discovered her own passion to serve and to come to the aid of people and cultures anywhere there was a need. After joining Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) in San Marcos as a surgical nurse and clinical nurse educator, Pam was called to serve on board the Mercy Ship, a floating hospital city in Contonou, Benin, along Africa’s southwestern coastline. Together with an international team of medical personnel, she put her surgical nursing skills to work as they traveled port to port providing medical care to any seeking help. “On the [Mercy] ship, we were able to literally experience watching the
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By Katie Ogletree
blind see for the first time, and those who have never taken a step, walk. These simple surgeries that were performed by our international staff were able to release these people from their physical hindrances. It was just amazing.” The next year, she and a friend from Northpoint Church in New Braunfels hopped on a plane to Burundi, Africa, to join the effort to help a growing number of widows and orphans have homes, food and basic medical care. This work led her to Youth For Christ. She helped to build households and create loving families by joining widows wishing to care for the children with as many as eight orphans from across the various tribes in Burundi. She plans to return to Burundi in June 2014 to pick up where her team left off. But Pam’s mission field reaches into local areas as well. In her home turf of CTMC in San Marcos, she serves as Spiritual Ambassador and is excited about their efforts to help people who are home-bound and unable to get out in their wheelchairs to find new freedom and mobility with the addition of something as simple as wheelchair ramps. Projects like Wheelchair Ramp Builds are just some small things that lead to huge experiences. Another project she dedicates herself to is School Fuel, where she and some other CTMC ladies pack lunches and snacks for kids who truly depend on this food to carry them through the weekend. Basically, Pam does not go on missions; she actually lives the mission in her day to day life. The more she gives, the more she gets back. So, how does she do all this while also serving as surgical nurse and clinical nurse educator at CTMC? Well, the culture at CTMC encourages employees to pursue their passions to make a difference through mission work. Ms. Foster explains that “from the volunteer to the CEO, ‘extending the healing ministry of Christ’ is more than a slogan on the wall.” It’s what they practice every day in their own communities and across the globe. So next time someone asks you what you can do to make a difference, why not look to your own back yard? There’s a mission everywhere you look. You could even join Pam in one of her many ventures!
Local Charity Work Wheelchair Ramp Builds – Wheelchair Ramp Builds, originally started by the Kiwanis family in March of 2012, was passed on to CTMC . Since then, the group including Pam Foster has built 75 ramps, 3031 feet in total. The whole project involves volunteer labor from groups like Christian Students Association and Medical Explorer students at Texas State. Bob Gardner, a CTMC volunteer, heads this program up. Pam’s two daughters, Jennifer and Katelyn, join the volunteers building ramps on the weekends.
CREATION Health Garden – CTMC started it this year to provide fresh produce for the Food Bank. Jasmin Garcia heads up the group that tends the garden. Pam loved seeing how much vegetables the garden has produced. They also have staff who volunteer twice a month to help sort and distribute food with the food bank staff.
bSafeties on!
This past September enacted a new law for universities around Texas. After being passed in early May, students will be allowed to keep guns and ammunition on campuses as long as they are properly licensed and locked in the trunk or glove compartment of their car. However, Texas is not the first state to allowed concealed carry on campus. Many students have risen to the challenge when it comes to speaking about the bill, whether they are critics or supporters of the lawful ability to have firearms on college campuses.
bHome of the Rattlers
In the coming 2014 football season, the San Marcos High School Rattlers will have a new venue to play underneath those Friday night lights—an 8,000 seat stadium of their own. Following a series of scheduling conflicts, the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District opted to end their longtime rental agreement with Bobcat Stadium, which they have shared since being built in the early 1980s. The SMCISD felt it was time for them to step up with a project of their own as Texas State continues to grow its football program. After voters approved the bond and the school board unanimously awarded Austinbased Lee Lewis Construction to oversee the contract.
pWhat conference?
After only one season in the crumbling Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Texas State Athletics became a member of the Sun Belt Conference this past year. It marks the third consecutive year with a different conference. Stability should be on the side of the Bobcats continuing to prosper in the Sun Belt Conference from this point on, unless of course, the athletic department gets a call from the SEC or Big XII. You never know?
j Pardon our filth
No doubt Alvin Ord’s has a strong history in San Marcos. Many locals and Bobcats alike have sharpie’d their thoughts along the wall of wooden booths. Ord’s might not be as famous as their Austin counterpart, Schlotzsky’s (cool story if you ever want to look it up), but they do their part in inking their own place in San Marcos culture. However, for their own sake, we predict that someone will write “clean me” with 409 alongside the bathroom wall next year, and management takes their advice. Please oh please sweet Jesus! 12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 27
“A bunch of people all over Twitter were saying ‘It looks like Rachael Ray has a new competitor with quick meals.’”
Cooking in the FAst Lane
Brandon Scawthorn Winner of Food Network’s “Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off” | Host of “Cooking In The Fast Lane”
food network chef on the rise
T
he day before a Los Angeles-based Food Network producer was scheduled to meet with 11-year-old Kyle resident about his future on the network’s new series “Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off” Scawthorn broke his right thumb.
After about a year of correspondence with Food Network representatives, it was now time for Scawthorn to cook his staple dish, Macho Tacos, for the producer, who would inevitably decide whether he became a contestant on the show. “First thing (Scawthorn) did was grab a tomato and knife, and he started to chop,” said Yelena Scawthorn,
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Brandon’s mom. “He says, ‘Momma, I can do it.’ It’s not gonna stop him.” And it didn’t stop Brandon Scawthorn. A few months later, thumb healed, Scawthorn became the youngest of eight kid chef contestants on the four part miniseries, “Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off,” which aired in September. “I did it, I did it, I did it; I’m gonna be on TV,” Scawthorn said of his reaction to being selected. He had a similar reaction to winning the contest and hosting his own Food Network Web series in New York City. Scawthorn and his mom, who had entered him into
By Jordan Gass-Poore
the contest after finding an ambiguous posting on a modeling website, flew to L.A. for two weeks last summer for the show’s production. “Guy and Rachael are, like, really great people; fun to be with, very encouraging about kids cooking,” said Scawthorn, adding that he’s still in contact with Food Network representatives and fellow contestant Jack Witherspoon. “I’m glad they were our mentors.” Cooking has been a mom-son bonding activity since Scawthorn was three years old. It began with stirring the bowl, then adding and measuring ingredients. Yelena Scawthorn, from Ukraine, said she was raised in a society where it was normal for children to cook. Even before Brandon Scawthorn began helping Yelena in the kitchen he was inventing dishes with fake fruits and vegetables, clad in an apron and chef’s hat, in a child’s size plastic replica, she said. “It was all natural; it wasn’t something I was pushing him to do,” Yelena Scawthorn said. Although Brandon Scawthorn said he can’t remember what dish he made first, he enjoys cooking Kobe beef, Korean ribs with fried rice and recently kimchee, which he made on the show. The experience on the show and his prize Web series provided Scawthorn with opportunities to make and eat new kinds of foods, like $15 chocolate truffles from New York City’s Chelsea Market. “It was really exciting, a great experience,” Scawthorn said. Chelsea Market was the setting for Scawthorn’s first Web series episode, shot about two weeks after the contest, where he got to cook for “Chopped” judge Scott Conant. Scawthorn also got to cook 20-minute meals for people attending Food Network’s New York City Wine & Food Festival and those walking the city’s streets. Food Network may have picked the Web series’ locations, but Scawthorn said he chose the food, like salmon and fried rice.
zBurritos,Love&Tragedy According to the arrest warrant, in the early hours of October 17, Daniel Brewster Stillwell heaved a brick through the sliding glass door of his ex-girlfriend Hailey Nicholls’ apartment. But his course of actions were more destructive than any maintenance crew were prepared to fix. After finding her and Jesse Robledo in the townhouse apartment, Stillwell shot and killed both of his former Chipotle co-workers with a gun he had stolen from his roommate. From there, Stillwell phoned that same roommate in one last hope of owning up to the gruesome decision, who immediately alerted the police. But by the time authorities reached the young man behind the double homicide, he had already driven his car off a cliff— the Devil’s Backbone.
z River documentary
Yakona, which means “rising water” in the native Tonkawa language, is a documentary about the San Marcos River by Paul Collins and his collaborators at Texas State. The film walks us through the visceral experience of the river, inspiring the historical aspects we may not have realized in the past. Yakona’s concept began when Collins originally came to school in 2000 and has been in the process of shooting since September 2010. After a screening earlier this year and an online contribution fund to help with making the film festively suiting, the people behind this locally made documentary hope to see success from the Sundance Film Festival come January.
bClean Air Ordinance
As of June 2014, you’ll have to put those cigarettes out for good. In a 6-1 vote a few months ago, the San Marcos City Council decided to move forward when regulating a stricter smoking ordinance. The ordinance will ban smoking in bars, restaurants, park space and on grounds operated by the City. This is the first time the city council has revisited the clean air ordinance since its establishment in 1995. The revisions will be similar to those of Austin and San Antonio—and will allow for businesses that don’t have outdoor seating to move forward with building a patio and be smoke-free inside by January 2015.
pGrowth
A dirty word to some, but like it or not, the latest U.S. Census Bureau report named San Marcos the nation’s fastest growing city, citing a 4.9 percent population increase between July 2011 and July 2012. Many question the validity of the numbers but the increase in population growth in Central Texas is definitely genuine. The real trend most city council members would love to get a handle on is how to grow the city’s middle class.
j Ghost Pub
Once upon a time there sat an old pub nestled alongside a dashing river. Alright, it really wasn’t that long ago, but the River Pub closed its doors to their San Marcos faithful and has yet to reopen them since their promised reopening in September. It’s now December and locals are still waiting. In the spirit of The Little Engine That Could, we predict they reopen their doors by this time next year. I think I can, I think I can!
pLadies love them some Texas State
The Texas State female freshman population saw a slight increase this year, having surpassed their male counterparts for the third consecutive year. It seems males just can’t commit. Male retention rates at Texas State have steadily dropped, reflecting a statewide trend, although numbers from universities across the state have lower female percentages than Texas State. Academic programs at the university have been created to combat this problem like Student Affairs’ “First Friday” meetings that allow male students to meet and have discussions.
“A bunch of people all over Twitter were saying ‘It looks like Rachael Ray has a new competitor with quick meals,’” Scawthorn said. 12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 29
Understanding of municipal law is important in decision making, said Fulkerson, who has used his experiences with the San Marcos Ethics Review Commission to educate and empower others.
“I belong to this place; in a way I protect it. I wanna leave something here for people in the future, opportunities.”
“That’s the one beautiful thing – I taught a bunch of people how to do it, a lot of naysayers have gone, ‘Wow, it does make a difference what you can do if you set your mind to it and if you’re humble enough and you listen’ … you can learn the law, you can use these mechanisms that are already out there,” Fulkerson said. The Austin native moved to San Marcos in 1980 to attend Texas State University, formerly Southwest Texas State University, even though he had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He said it was his dad’s decision that he attend Texas State instead, a move that would change his life. After receiving a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1995, Fulkerson said he briefly left San Marcos for a job opportunity, but when he returned, he noticed the city was beginning to grow. It steadily has grown, now becoming the fastest growing city in the nation.
Forrest Fulkerson Texas State Graduate | Spent time working as a chemist in Qatar (Middle East)
Ethics and the City: San Marcos Resident Aims to Educate and Empower
P
roposed development on the local Sessom Creek watershed prompted resident and chemist Forrest Fulkerson to spend years researching municipal and state laws, a project that eventually led to an investigation into the ethical practices of the city’s Planning and Zoning Vice Chair Carter Morris.
development near Sessom Creek.
“When we started Sessom Creek I started noticing, ‘Okay, these guys have a lot more access to our city government than we do, it seems like,’” said Fulkerson of what he believes to be the unequal access to city government that developers and realtors have in San Marcos.
Eventually, the complaint led to Morris being issued a conflict of interest warning in September for violating several statutes of a government ethics ordinance.
Fulkerson said he filed a complaint against Morris with the San Marcos Ethics Review Commission because of a meeting Morris had with City Councilman John Thomaides, Place 3, at Café on the Square while the city council was deciding whether to approve a large
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The meeting was a conflict of interest, said Fulkerson, because Morris represented Darren Casey, the developer of the proposed Sessom Creek project, as a real estate agent at the time.
This year has been trying on Fulkerson’s conscious and patience, as he’s learned that government change is not instantaneous. Neither is changing the minds of San Marcos residents, who Fulkerson believed should ultimately determine the rate and type of development in the city.
By Jordan Gass-Poore
It’s not the growth of San Marcos that Fulkerson is afraid of; it’s how the city grows that he believes to be critical to the safety and well-being of residents and the environment. “(Developers and realtors are) determining things that are gonna be there forever and ever and ever,” said Fulkerson. “The headwaters are really nice, and we want to keep them that way.” Fulkerson remembered a San Marcos almost entirely free of traffic congestion, a walkable city where residents lived without concerns about how housing development would affect its natural resources, like the San Marcos River. “I belong to this place,” said Fulkerson. “In a way, I protect it. I wanna leave something here for people in the future, opportunities.”
Flip over for more 78666
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Flip over to BobcatFans
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| CONTENTS | THE ANNUAL 78666 ISSUE | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014 |
26
28
12
BOBCATFANS Magazine
SMTX Magazine
10 SO LONG 2013 12 BOWLING PINS 14 KABOMBA! 18 THE BEST A/V GUY
06 HAPPENINGS 08 MAYOR’S OFFICE 10 ROCKSTAR PACKING 12 DESSERTS THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE OF 78666 Plus Trends, Happenings, Changes and 2014 Predictions
24 @BIGNEECHI 26 THE BEAST 29 NOT A DJ 30 J.J. ABRAMS’ AUTHOR
24 CITY HALL AMBITION 26 NURSE ON A MISSION 28 NEXT CELEBRITY CHEF 30 MR. TRANSPARENCY
@bobcatfans
/bobcatfans
ABOUT THE COVERS This is the third installment of our annual 78666 issue where we look for the 7 biggest happenings, 8 most interesting people, 6 major changes and 6 undeniable trends of 2013. And lastly our 6 bold predictions for 2014.
BOBCATFANS Cover & SMTX Cover
Photographs by Eric Morales, Illustrated by Will Bowling
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PUBLISHER
Rick Koch @rickkoch ART DIRECTOR
Will Bowling @wbcreative PHOTO EDITOR
Eric Morales @ericmphotoTX EVENTS
Johnell Huebner @johnellhuebner DEVELOPMENT
Steve Huskey @wizardofgoogle CONTRIBUTORS
Katie Ogletree Chris Pike Hilda Helsing Tiffany Matthews Jordan Gass-Poore Pam Bowen Danny Kaspar Xander Peters Jordan Regas Daniel Guerrero ADVERTISING
361.236.5624 rick@bobcatfans.com FEEDBACK
@bobcatfans bobcatfans@gmail.com
Copyright 2013, BOBCATFANS LLC 139 E. Hopkins Suite B San Marcos, TX 78666. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. BOBCATFANS | SMTX Magazine is a private company and is not affiliated with Texas State University.
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SMTX | PIKE’S PLACE 10 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
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BOBCATFANS | INTERESTING OBJECT
BRUNSWICK A2 PINSETTER
The Brunswick A-2 Pinsetter has been the workhorse of the bowling industry ever since it was introduced in the late 1950s. Sunset Lanes in San Marcos uses a Brunswick pinsetter which is a long way from when kids were used for picking up and setting pins before its creation.
NOTES | KNOCK’EM DOWN
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Watch and see how it works
| Photos Eric Morales |
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SMTX | BACK STAGE “I think we always wanted to do the party shows...Watching a kid in the back of a cop car dressed up as the Pope was pretty entertaining.”
KABOMBA!
kabombamusic.com | reverbnation.com/kabombamusic | facebook/kabomba
Kabomba! stems from a play on the word “cabomba,” a unique underwater plant that grows and blooms at the bottom of the San Marcos River. Supposedly, it’s the only North American flower that blossoms in that very manner. Throughout the past four years, since the band’s original formation, there have been more good times to remember than the bad for the seven-piece group. Sure, some members have come and gone. But still, the direction of these funk, punk and indie musicians has remained unexploited and headstrong in the direction for the music they were brought together to make. However, some of their most entertaining moments have not been the brightest. Saxophonist Nick Steger recalls a Halloween party the band played in a barn a couple years back. Just as the shindig began to lose control, where people were swinging from the rafters like animals at a zoo, a couple of police officers walked through the door with their own brand of confidence for bringing the party to a close. However, their parade was soon rained on as well when a guest dressed-up as a rock climber self-propelled out of the roof and hit the cops as soon as they stepped through the doorway. But the most entertaining part was watching another one of the party’s attendees, who was caught drinking underage while dressed in his best sacrilegious gear, get arrested and put into the back of the cop car. “So watching a kid in the back of a cop car dressed as the Pope was pretty entertaining,” Steger laughs.
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To this day, those are the parties Kabomba! prefers to play–the ones where the norm hits the fan, and the crowds are small and intimate. However, some of their fondest memories still don’t come from the shows themselves. Steger went on to remember another time when the band played a benefit show at an elementary school one morning. “I remember watching Matt (Schuster) walking through the playground of this school, smoking a cigarette while carrying all of his gear,” he jeered at his bandmate. “I was really hungover…” Schuster, one of the band’s vocalist, admits. “I didn’t know exactly what we were doing. Had I known it was a benefit for an elementary school, I probably would have splashed some water on my face and looked a little more respectable.” These are the moments they remember when asked about some of the fondest, though. Because—well—some of the others have gotten a little fuzzy over time. Still, these are the ones that have stuck. “I think we always wanted to do the party shows,” Steger says. “There has always been a kind of upbeat, party atmosphere to our music. We honed that aspect, and our music became a little heavier party, perhaps, a little more energetic. It’s always like distilling the energy down to the most energetic sound.”
Schuster went on to agree by saying, “Which is weird, you think as you get older, you start settling down. But it seems as if we just keep ramping up.” And the momentum they have collected speaks for itself. In mid-November, Kabomba!, in accompaniment with Jericho, Funkatron and Henry + The Invisibles, performed in light of the band’s second full album release at Empire Control Room in Austin. From there, they are pushing for a promotional campaign at college radio stations across the country to better highlight their potential listening audience. “I think that’s where a lot of people who would really enjoy our music spend time listening or finding new artists,” Schuster says. “We’d definitely like to use the album as a springboard to do more tours and take it out of Texas a little bit over the next year or so.” That being said, with new member Annie Linders—a trumpet player—now on board and still yet to write a song to contribute to either of the band’s albums, Kabomba! is still avidly composing their own brand of music while gearing up for what South by Southwest has to offer this coming spring. “As far as the music goes, I think that’s what’s stayed the same,” Schuster says. “We still love playing together.” Performing Live December 15 @ The MARC w/ Henry + The Invisibles (Free Show)
| By Xander Peters & Photos Eric Morales |
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SUBWAY | TRAIN HARD. EAT FRESH.
Walker Cagle Profiles
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No Helmet, No Pads, No Fear; Rugby Is In This Renegade’s Blood The sheen of sweat and the rosy tint of exertion still lingered on Texas State senior Walker Cagle’s face just minutes after a Renegade rugby practice that concluded in the chilly dark.
Money made from the logo’s use goes into the foundation for team travel expenses and alumni events, Cagle said.
Some Old Greys remain actively involved with the team and attend Cagle’s blond hair poked out from the annual alumni match, the first underneath a maroon beanie hat, game of the year, on Texas State’s and he was clad in shorts and West Campus Fields. his dad’s former rugby jersey that hung loosely off his slight frame Cagle said although next as he discussed his foray into the semester is his last on the team, compact sport. he plans to continue to play rugby, a sport that, despite causing a He joined an Austin area rugby few bruised ribs and a sprained team about nine years ago as a wrist, is in his blood. freshman. After he graduated high school, Cagle said although he His dad played rugby in college knew no one at Texas State, he and taught the sport to a high knew the university had a rugby school All American team in the team. He had attended a Texas early 1990s, passing down advice State Renegade’s game with his to his children to avoid injuries twin brother when they were high while tackling – it’s all about school seniors while visiting a placing the facial cheek to the friend who attended the university. buttock cheek when wrapping around the other player’s waist. Now president of the Texas State Renegades, Cagle and the 44 Cagle said his dad was also other players have earned the adamant that anyone, regardless club team state and national of shape and size, can play rugby. recognition, despite not being associated with the university’s “It’s usually that kind of big, burly athletic department. guy; that tall, beefy guy, and stuff like that,” said Cagle, who hasn’t “We would love for that, but it’s let his size get in the way of him kinda hard for them to accept it playing fly-half, similar to a football and us as well,” Cagle said. quarterback, and scrum-half, similar to a basketball point guard, Blame it on the team’s rebellious for the Texas State Renegades. spirit. The mascot for the Texas State Renegades is not a bobcat, Even Cagle’s twin brother played and the team’s official colors are rugby at Stephen F. Austin maroon and gray. University and their older brother played the sport in high school When the Texas State Renegade too. Rugby was founded in 1983, Cagle said Texas State would not When Cagle was in fifth grade, he even have the team associate remembered attending a rugby themselves with the university, match between South Africa and hence the name. the U.S. in Houston. He said he received a souvenir mini-rugby Some of the team’s alumni, ball and used it to play football on colloquially known as “Old Greys,” the playground. have continued to push Texas State boundaries. “My big thing is, everyone that starts playing, not everybody, Scot Courtney, Hays but most people immediately fall County lawyer and Texas in love with it just because, you State Renegade’s alumnus, know, you realize you’re not made trademarked the “TXST” logo, of glass, and it’s fun to go out said Cagle, and was in a legal there and make it out of a game battle with Texas State over alive, hopefully, and have a beer its use in university athletic with your friends afterward.” department events and marketing because the team’s Old Grey Foundation owns the rights.
| By Jordan Gass-Poore Photo Eric Morales |
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Behind the Screens with Design Electronics By Katie Ogletree
Mike Smith Has been inNovating A/V systems for nearly two decades.
components controlling the 360 degree tv @ The Porch
Systems made nice and easy running through Ipad Mini tablets
“Watching people get wowed, that keeps me going, That keeps me researching and doing the next greatest thing.�
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I
t’s Friday night, and after a stressful week of work or exams you head out to your favorite San Marcos watering hole to let off some steam and join up with your BFF’s. Unless you’re an audiovisual geek you probably never stopped to think about how bars with multitudes of TVs execute what is obviously a complicated set up. And why would you? You are there to enjoy the atmosphere, the glow of pixels and perfectly tuned audio is usually only noticed when absent. Then there’s that breakthrough job, though, that ONE job that takes an audiovisual company from good to great by making eyes focus not on what’s being broadcast on the screen, but on the set up itself.
From the beginning, The Porch conceptualized featuring a round bar, and when Smith heard this, he immediately thought to himself, “ROUND TV!” So after extensive research, trial and error and some special software, Smith had everything that it would take to build the first fully functional 360-degree TV outside of Las Vegas. He took it a step further and completely upped the ante with a fully integrated and revolutionary drop-down sound system with pendant speakers. This specific kind of sound system allows music or TV sound to be heard above the roar of the bar crowd without being overbearing. What’s more is that the TVs, the computers, the sound and lights are all controlled by an iPad Mini. That’s right. EVERYTHING at The Porch can easily be manipulated, controlled, changed and tweaked by the highly sophisticated automation from one simple device.
Photo Eric Morales
His love and passion for all things audio and visual came with him to the home of the Bobcats, where he started Design Electronics, a company specializing in custom, new, novel and fresh takes on entertainment. But how does one go from installing car audio before even having a license, to creating some of the most creative and novel entertainment systems? “The first time I completed an installation with a custom remote control, where by pressing just one button everything would turn on, that was the moment that I knew that this is what I wanted to do,” reflects Mike. “The wow factor my client received from that install cemented my passion for electronics and automation. I love taking the extremely complicated and making it extremely simple.” Mike “TeaVee’s” first huge job in town that cemented Design Electronics as the “go-to” company for exciting and fresh takes on electronics was the extensive remodel of Marc, formerly Texas Music Theatre. Design Electronics created and installed all of the video projection. But that’s not all. Design Electronics was responsible for introducing The Taproom to HD televisions and a unified control system, bringing Harper’s their 17 HD TVs, and the entire entertainment system at Vodka St., Treff’s Tavern and The Vault. Design Electronics doesn’t just improve the quality of patrons viewing experiences at bars and restaurants. The one-man company has also broken into large-scale retail and government sites as well, such as the new Chuck Nash car
dealership, San Marcos Police Department, and the Guadalupe County Justice of the Peace. He’s also responsible for countless custom home jobs, where he brings sleek and interesting concepts to homes where you’d be thrilled to get a Superbowl party invite. Taking the seemingly impossible and making it not only possible but also tangible and accessible is Design Electronics speciality. “Watching people get wowed, that’s what keeps me going, that keeps me researching and doing the next greatest thing.” Mike believes the best part about designing and constructing the wow factors here in the 78666 is having the opportunity to really do something special, something that doesn’t just come out of a box, and isn’t going to be like everyone else. “I have a genuine interest in what I do, and the town that I live in,” said Smith. “I just want to make sure that my client is absolutely overwhelmed by the time I’m done.” NOTES | LOTS OF WIRES
After raising curiosities with an inventive project at Louie’s Beer Garden where video is projected onto clear glass garage doors due to lack of space for TVs, the project that took Mike “TeaVee’s” Smith and his company Design Electronics to a new level of WOW is the attention grabbing 360 degree TV at the new San Marcos hot spot, The Porch.
In 1996, the Destin, Florida native and audio-visual wiz visited his sister in San Marcos and soon made 78666 his home. He fell in love with the laid back attitude. “You can have 3 or 4 people from all walks of life - I mean all VERY different - all sitting together at a bar, and if they’re not already friends, they will be. They’re all helping each other, buying beers, telling jokes. That’s why I love San Marcos,” he says with a smile.
Design Electronics Resume Harpers 17+ HDTVs, an area bar record Treff’s Tavern Expansion and remodel The Porch Only 3600 television outside Vegas, w/ iPad Mini control system Louie’s Oyster Bar & Beer Garden Projected TV on glass garage doors Taproom HDTV w/ unified control system Chuck Nash Car Dealership Video & data setup and many more at... The Vault Vodka Street Bistro Texas Music Theater / The MARC San Marcos Police Department Guadalupe County Justice of the Peace & Countless Custom Homes Phone: 512-787-4355 Email: mike@txaudiovideo.com
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SMTX | HAPPY HOUR
NOTES | THE GLOBAL HANGOUT
VODKA STREET
Specializing in food from around the world, it’s a joint that blends kicked up pub grub with classic cocktails. Try the appetizers during happy hour for half price from 3-7 M-F. Their homemade potato chips with melted Maytag blue cheese are stellar. (pictured on right) 202 North LBJ San Marcos, Texas 78666
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RESTAURANTS Bobcat Nation
Gumby’s
Sean Patrick’s
$.50 Wings $2 Wells $2 Budlights, Miller Lites & Coors Lights Mon-Fri @ 3pm – 7pm 700 N LBJ (512) 667-6393
$1.50 Ziegenbock Daily 403 N. Guadalupe St. (512) 754-8629
Half Price Appetizers 50¢ Wings $1 Off ALL 100 Drafts $1 Off Specialty Drinks $3 Off All Pitchers Mon-Fri @ 3pm - 7pm 202 E. San Antonio St. (512) 392-7310
Chimys Cerveceria $.99 Crispy Tacos Wells & Margarita Specials Mon–Fri @ 4pm – 7pm 217 E Hopkins (512) 216-6175
Louie’s Oyster House & Beer Garden $3.99 Street Tacos $2 Domestic Bottles $2.50 Wells $3 Infused Liquors Daily @ 4pm – 7pm 119 E. Hutchison St. (512) 878-8862
Los Cucos
Grin’s
$1.99 Margaritas 99¢ Domestic Pints Mon-Tues all day Wed-Fri ‘til 7pm 1617 Aquarena Springs Dr. (512) 805-2444
Food Specials $.99 Margaritas $5 Baby Beer Buckets Mon-Th @ 2pm - 10pm 802 N. LBJ Dr. (512) 392-4746
Tres Hermanas $2 Drafts, $2.50 Wells $7.50 Pitchers Mon-Fri @ 4pm - 7pm 2550 Hunter Rd. (512) 878-2405
Vodka St. Half Price Appetizers $3 Wells, $1 Off Drafts Mon-Fri @ 3pm - 7pm 202 N LBJ Dr. (512) 396-4260
Palmer’s $3 and $5 specials Mon-Fri @ 3pm - 6pm 218 Moore St. (512) 353-3500
BARS Black Rabbit Saloon $1 Off Everything $2 Off Specials
Mon-Fri @ 5pm – 8pm
127 E. Hopkins St (512) 667-6313
Harper’s Pub
Showdown
Triple Crown
$2 Wells & Dom Bottles
Happy Minutes Specials
$1.75 Shiner & XX $2.50 Big Bark & Guinness $1.75 Wells
3pm – 7pm Daily
139 E. Hopkins St. (512) 878-2448
Barfish Lounge
Jack’s Roadhouse
$3 Kamikaze Shots $3 Red Snapper Shots
Mon-Fri til 7pm
All Day, Everyday
141 E. Hopkins (512) 558-7399
Gray Horse Saloon $2–$5 Specials All day, Everyday
1904 Ranch Road 12 (512) 878-8080
$2 or less Specials 1625 Hunter Rd. (512) 392-3340
Riley’s Tavern Various Specials
3-3:15pm, 5-5:15pm, Daily
207 E. Hutchison St. (512) 392-7282
Taxi’s Piano Bar $1 Jello Shots $2 Wells
Mon-Fri @ 6pm - 8pm
202 N. LBJ Dr. (512) 392-3031
Daily
Treff’s Tavern
8894 FM 1102 Hunter TX (512) 392-3132
Daily @ 1pm – 8pm
Mon-Fri @ 5pm - 8pm
206 N. Edward Gary St. (512) 396-2236
Zelicks Various Specials
Mon-Fri @ 3pm - 7pm
336 W. Hopkins St. (512) 757-8787
$1.75–$3 Specials 804 Chestnut St. (512) 353-1594
12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 21
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22 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
Changes Happenings People
Predictions
trends
The 78666 of 2013 The Most Interesting People and Events of the Year
| Photos Eric Morales |
Key 7 Happenings 8 People 6 Changes 6 Trends 6 Predictions
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“For people who don’t know me and have something to say about me – I never care about it, it doesn’t faze me. I know they have no idea who they’re talking about – they don’t even know my real name.”
Also Known As: Neech Big Neech Big Neechi The Neech God Max Bench Press: 500 lbs+ Max Squat: 700 lbs+ Max Daily Tweets: 1,000+
Where’s The PartY?
S
hawn Onyechi stands atop a ledge outside Barfish tossing shiny, plastic beads out to onlookers celebrating the 2013 Mardi on the Square event. “Big’Neech, what’s up!” yells one happy party goer as he reaches out for a string of oncoming pearls. The scene is glorious – lights and music pour out on the Square past dancers occupying window sills. Yet, something feels off. Shawn is still covered in a long sleeve button up and vest, but, in the spirit of Mardi Gras, it’s not long before Shawn is standing shirtless in front of his fans.
Born in Houston and raised in Deer Park, TX, Shawn owes much of who he is to his mother, Esther and brother, Jay. “My dad was never in my life, so my brother was more of a dad to me, and my mom’s amazing. She did the job of two parents in one; she taught me how to be a people person and to get along with people, to be humble and understand people,” says Shawn. It wasn’t long before Shawn’s acquired people skills began to pay off. By the time he reached the 8th grade, he had already amassed 20,000 Twitter followers and a couple thousand Facebook friends. “My brother and I have always been great with social media…my brother was actually the one who taught me,” says Shawn. Social Media wasn’t the only path Shawn followed his brother down. At the early age of twelve, Little’Neech first stepped into a weight
24 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
By Jordan Regas
room, and the transformation began. After a devastating injury in high school, Shawn still pursued his dream of being a collegiate athlete and went on to play football at Arkansas Tech. His teammates bestowed on him the title of “Big’Neech” after crushing weight room records, but he was young and far from family. He needed a place he could feel at home. Shawn arrived at Texas State with hopes of using his determination to win games on the football field. After things didn’t go as planned, he realized there was another way he could help the Bobcats. “I knew that the school spirit needed to grow. I knew that I had an asset in my twitter account. People were always asking me for help, so everything I started posting began trending in the Austin area and U.S.,” says Shawn. His social media activity quickly became a hub for TXST pride, a popular source for local culture and a special mix of @ BigNeechi personality. After years of giving to his college and community, Shawn is finally beginning to reap the rewards. Back in July, Shawn, with the help of Claudio Mayen and Joshua Corley, formed Endless Entertainment (@ TXSTENDLESS). Shawn says that Endless is all about making Texas State and San Marcos a hot choice for future students. Their signature events, such as 2K13 River Rage Fest and 2K13 Homecoming Halloween, which filled The Marc to capacity in October, are all about their fans. Recently, the university reached out to Endless Entertainmnet to help fill Bobcat Stadium for the season’s final home stand. Along with starting the new business, Shawn is now sponsored by alphasportsupplements.com. Shawn credits his biggest achievement of 2013 as finally being “employed,” but really what he has done is find a way to monetize what he has worked hard to achieve. With a crowd of nearly 40,000 Twitter followers, a maxed out Facebook at 5,000 friends and an Instagram following of 5,000 and growing, it appears that there are a large amount of people waiting to see what’s next from Big’Neech. The sky’s the limit according to Shawn. He says, “All of my work ethic and everything I achieved physically – I’m going to apply that same determination and drive into anything I do. I’m going to put my work ethic into it…I’m not just going to do it halfway.” By whatever name you know him as, Shawn Onyechi’s character is greater than the sum of his tweets. If anyone questions that, they might have missed his defense of Aaryn Gries during a TMZ interview on September 4. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, but Shawn’s real friends know him as a humble person with a big heart who can get along with anyone. “For people who don’t know me and have something to say about me or anything – I never care about it, it doesn’t faze me. I know they have no idea who they’re talking about – they don’t even know my real name,” says Shawn. There is one thing that everyone knows about Big’Neech: that he’s big, and he’s only getting bigger.
zFran’s 200th Win
In front of the second largest crowd in school history, Head Coach Dennis Franchione capped off his 200th career win against Wyoming this past September. However, the win didn’t come easy when a lightning storm brought the game to a halt in the second quarter with the score still 7-7—causing a three hour delay, the longest in college football history. Of the 22,015 in attendance that evening at Bobcat Stadium, an estimated 500 held tight to their seats as Franchione became the 73rd head football coach to reach this particular milestone, and the Bobcats walked off the field with a 42-21 victory.
pBars moving up and out
A number of local bars and restaurants are movin’ on up. The vertical design trend allows customers with the option to chug a few beers while watching the game or heading up to the roof to sip cocktails under the stars. Outdoor patios like the one at Louie’s Beer Garden provide opportunities to perfect hand-eye coordination while getting back in tune with nature – bug swatting at its finest. Makes sense in a town where everyone likes to be outside anyways, except of course when the temp drops below a frigid 59 degrees.
jThe Sac Will Pac
For the last fifty years, Sac-N-Pac has proudly served our community, but word is out that they might be handing over their keys soon. There is a new wave of convenience stores spreading across Texas and buying out their competition. Stripes Stores and the Laredo Taco Company, founded in Corpus Christi, TX, have evolved the typical “gas station” experience into a fast and affordable way to grab a really delicious breakfast taco or enchilada plate while filling up your tank. In 2014, we predict that San Marcos will earn its Stripes one way or another.
bStreet Construction
It seems as though every road around downtown San Marcos has been in pieces throughout the past year. The Downtown Improvements Project, a $10 million project that is a part of the Downtown Master Plan, has been underway for a little over a year now. But more notably, a series of local businesses have felt the impact of construction on surrounding roads, including a side of Hutchison Street that has been closed for months now. Customer complaints, lack of revenue and a severe damper when it comes to parking are all some of the problems they have encountered throughout this process, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
jBobcat Bahamas Bowl
In only their second season at the FBS level, the Bobcats won enough games to reach bowl eligibility! Chances are the Bobcats will not be heading to a bowl game this season, but we are willing to prognosticate that a Bobcat bowl game is inevitable next season. On top of that, the Sun Belt Conference is getting a facelift in its bowl affiliations. Joining the New Orleans Bowl and Go Daddy. com Bowl will be the Camellia Bowl, the Miami Beach Bowl and the Bahamas Bowl. Tailgate in the Bahamas?
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The Beast of Reality TV
B
efore the fifteenth season of Big Brother even started, the online bio for contestant Aaryn Gries stated in one of the closing remarks, “Finish this sentence: My life’s motto is…”
Her answer, “what you think about, you bring about.” Ironic, considering the flack Gries began to catch while still in the Big Brother house over several racial and homophobic slurs made towards fellow cast mates in front of a national audience. But, the Texas State student turned reality television star will even say it herself, she’s always been one to learn lessons the hard way. That’s what has driven Gries down the road she’s on today—sorting out the show’s aftermath and righting her wrongs—when only a year ago she was like most students walking around the University’s campus, with far less than 45,000 followers on Twitter.
“I’m not very compassionate because of the way I grew up. I expect other people to have thick skin, like I do. But most people don’t.”
Realities of a Reality TV Star: Her comments increased Big Brother’s viewership by 500% Plans to write a book about both her positive and negative experiences The record holder for Big Brother competition wins, given the nickname “The Beast”
Life for Gries hasn’t always consisted of popculture fame or social media fan pages and interviews with TMZ though. Long before penthouse suites were being lent to her for a Jay-Z concert, before strangers would buy bottle service while out on the town and waiters insisting that her meal be on the house, the Texas-native was growing up between her mother’s home in Colorado and her father’s ranch back in San Angelo after their divorce when Gries was only four years old. She had a comfortable adolescence—if not ideal—as a varsity cheerleader and dance team member in high school. Still, even as she alternated between the self-proclaimed “Daddy’s girl” on the ranch and Momma’s “perfect princess” in the beauty pageants, the only child found herself growing up underneath her own wing. “I kinda raised myself. My mom was there for me financially. But, other than that, she had her own stuff going on. And my dad was so far away,” Gries says. “(Mom) would always get on to me in high school when I wasn’t at a perfect weight, because I was a pageant girl. She just wanted me to be like the cookiecutter, Stepford Housewives girl. And I never have been.” With the help of these implications
26 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
By Xander Peters
12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 27
and her daddy’s lack of beating around the bush with his blunt language for love, the young pageant queen found herself becoming desensitized when it comes to her emotional filter. “That’s actually one of the things (Big Brother) taught me—that I need to be more sensitive to people,” Gries says. “I’m not very compassionate because of the way I grew up. I expect other people to have thick skin, like I do. But most people don’t.” As high school came to a close, Gries found herself coming home to the Lone Star as a student at Texas State, her daddy’s alumnus, by “bribe” of his dollar. From there, she carried her dance experience into being a member of the Strutters—which only lasted a year. Then, it was the Greek life as a Zeta Tau Alpha that caught her attention before it was lost, again, a year later. These short exhibitions would only contribute to Gries’ realization that she distrusted organized structure, further prompting her to pursue a job as a professional cheerleader with the Texas Stars and later picked up by a modeling agency. Gries’ inclination for her freshly acquired personal attributes would only gain momentum when it came to her mind wandering endlessly towards a dream beyond college. Then came the opportunity as applicant finalist between CBS’s Big Brother and MTV’s The Real World. She chose the former—which brings us back to life today, where her role as the Southern sweetheart stereotype on a hit reality show went terribly, terribly wrong. Sure, fingers can be pointed in Gries’ direction and among others—unfair televised editing, the lack of reality for 70 days in a house with 15 other conniving people, competing for half a million dollars—but what position does the fact that her intro-video was set up of her sitting on a four-wheeler in front of a Texas flag already insinuate? Or more so, set the trap for the possibility of a temperamental mistake to come? “They turned the entire thing into me being a crossburning bitch,” Gries says about the negative publicity she’s seen from her comments previously made. Finally, the avalanche of misfortune—a disastrous exit interview with Julie Chen, lackluster petitions to expel Gries from college, losing her modeling contract. “Oh, you lost your job? Shocker. Oh, Texas State wants to kick you out? Shocker,” she vents. “At that point, I was just like put it on my tab.” Now, with her hopes still set on a career in the entertainment industry, the reality television star hopes to extend these 15 minutes long enough to get her foot in the door, while also rebranding her image to its less criticizable origins. Luckily, Gries seems to cast a wide net, and there has always been bites somewhere. “There’s no way for me to really let people into my brain or into my heart. All I can do is focus on bettering myself,” she hopes. “But if they don’t believe me, then I can’t concentrate on them. Because I can’t change what people think.” 28 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
pTheboomBobcat
Texas State enrollment passes 35,000 for the first time, driven largely by this year’s record-setting and most racially diverse freshman class of more than 5,000. The class of 2017 reflects the shift in the state’s demographics. But it’s more than just a numbers game. Texas State is attracting highercaliber students, academically speaking, and in fields identified by higher education representatives as critical growth areas. Nearly half of all incoming freshman were in the top 25 percent of their high school classes, and the university’s Ingram School of Engineering reported a 21 percent increase from the previous year. Texas State enrollment is on course to reach 40,000+ quickly with additional increases in majors related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
pLet’s Vap
With e-cigarettes, there’s no smoke and mirrors, literally. The health effects of this federally-unregulated product aren’t known, but it’s touted as a healthier and more socially acceptable way to get a nicotine fix because it produces a vapor, not smoke, from a thin electronic device that resembles the look of a cigarette. A number of “vaping” shops, as e-cigarette smoking is known in the industry, have opened in San Marcos this year like AHH Vapors and Vapor Essentials. As a reminder, this product was included in the citywide indoor smoking ban, which goes into effect in June.
zA Twitillatiing Flirtation
Three years ago, the math seemed to add up when Texas State student and former bikini model Victoria Brink became aware that a man her mother had a past relationship with was actually her biological father—U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat. Then, what had seemed like one of those long-lost father-daughter miracles came to a halt as the two exchanged almost affectionate tweets during President Obama’s State of the Union address this past February, which stirred up the media immediately, including Texas Monthly, at what was assumed to be more on the salacious side than the innocent. But it only became stranger from there when Cohen and Brink voluntarily agreed with CNN to participate in a paternity test that later proved John Brink, the man who had been her father since day one, was still her biological parent—leaving Cohen yet again childless. Thanks Obama!
bJim Nuse taps his ruby slippers
For the past 30 years, Jim Nuse has made a living in city government. But as of June, he decided the time was right for a change of pace—announcing he would be leaving the post he has held since December 2010 as San Marcos City Manager. In the course of his time in our city, Nuse served in many capacities, including the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency and the Greater San Marcos Partnership. However our favorite contribution was comparing the city to that of OZ. As of our print deadline the city has announced a list of five finalists ready to take his position. They’re not in Kansas anymore!
zWe’re streaking
thru the quad
Summertime weather calls for board-shorts, bikinis and open-toed shoes. However, in the case of Guadalupe County resident James Robert Thomas, his idea of this past summer was the lack of clothing altogether. On August 7, Thomas was reprimanded by San Marcos authorities after engaging in a week-long exhibition of exposing himself from a passing car to women while they casually strolled around campus. But after pushing his luck with a third strike in a no-tolerance game, Thomas’ license plate was identified, which only connected the dots between the authorities and the front steps of his home. Now coined the “summer streaker,” Thomas was charged with one count of indecent exposure on what had previously been a clean criminal record.
Roger Sellers is not a DJ
“M
y dreams have already come true,” Roger Sellers has said on many occasions. “I never imagined getting this far, and who knows where this will go? It doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m just so grateful to be doing this now.” You might remember a little piece on Roger Sellers from a couple of months back. Well, he’s been busy since the last time we heard from him. And, there is no telling where Roger will go. His musical career is taking off, and each new opportunity and choice that Roger makes will shape that future path. People are listening, and loving what they are hearing. Roger’s music is a brilliant mixture of folk and electronic music. His album “Moments” is probably the best representation of how he mixes folky music with dreamy ambient sounds. “8 Songs” is a little heavier on the electronic sounds, if that’s your preference. You can’t go wrong with either. Texas State Alumni, Roger Sellers, began playing shows for less than 100 people at Tantra, Triple Crown and house parties 4-5 years ago. By the summer of 2012, he was opening for Ghostland Observatory at Whitewater Amphitheater with a sold out crowd of 5,000. Several years of perseverance, talent and hard work led to Roger’s face being plastered on giant Red Bull SoundSelect-sponsored posters all over Austin in the weeks leading up to Fun Fun Fun Fest (FFF) this past November. In fact, Roger Sellers played FFF twice! He was selected as an opening act for the FFF kick off event at Mohawk, with Kurt Vile headlining.
“I never imagined getting this far, and who knows where this will go? It doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m just so grateful to be doing this now.”
In conversations with Roger, he admits that he doesn’t know what to do next, but he is starting to meet people who can advise him on future career decisions. People like Josh Siebert (pictured on left), who manages Austin’s number one live-music venue, The Mohawk, has been a great moral supporter.
By Eric Morales
12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 29
“I like getting people involved. The life of a novelist, you spend a lot of time in a room alone.”
a Collaboration with J.J. Abrams Teaches writing at Texas State University Three-time “Jeopardy!” winner and competed in the game show’s Tournament of Champions in 2008 Hemingway Foundation PEN Award Other books “The Surf Guru” and “Alive In Necropolis”
T
he cryptically titled “S.” is literally wrapped in an aura of mystery. Inside the novel’s black slipcase there appears to be a stolen library book called “Ship of Theseus.”
Readers ride the plot’s rocky waves using the postcard, letter, and newspaper article, among other archival materials, that cling inside the novel-within-a-novel as guides. “There’s been a good deal of pushback from librarians,” said Doug Dorst, Texas State University assistant English professor. “There are so many loose pieces.” Patrons of Texas State’s Alkek Library can check out a copy of “S.” Dorst collaborated with director-producer J.J. Abrams on the multilayered, interactive novel that was released on Oct. 29.
dougdorst.com
Fans of Abrams’ television series “Lost” may be on familiar ground. “S.” incorporates various codes and puzzles to solve, as well as metaphysical concepts. The title “Ship
30 BOBCATFANS | SMTX | 12.13
of Theseus” refers to Plutarch’s paradox -- would a ship remain the same if it was entirely replaced piece by piece? The plot lines of “Ship of Theseus” and the overarching “S.” unfold simultaneously and intersect. In “S.,” college students Eric and Jennifer scribble long annotations in the margins of “Ship of Theseus,” exchanging thoughts and replacing the book back on the shelf of a library for the other to read. The amateur sleuths try to unravel the truth about the enigmatic author of “Ship of Theseus,” V.M. Straka. Straka may be fictitious but Dorst’s sometimes sleepdeprived juggle to complete “S.” was not. The novel’s impending release was stressful for Dorst, who made allusions to how his caffeine intake may have resulted in minor negative health problems. But since its debut and inclusion on a number of best-seller lists, including The New York Times, Dorst’s life is slowly returning to normal… for now.
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12.13 | SMTX | BOBCATFANS 31
However challenging the writing process of “S.” may have been, Dorst said his collaboration with Abrams was easy. This collaboration began in February 2009, when Dorst said he received an “entirely out-of-theblue” phone call from his literary agent, asking him if he would be interested in putting together a book proposal for publishers. “It’s really not every day that you can conceivably work with J.J. (Abrams),” said Dorst, a fan of Abrams’ former television series “Alias.” The award-winning author was recommended to write what would become “S.” by Lindsey Weber with Abrams’s production company Bad Robot, after Weber read Dorst’s debut novel “Alive in Necropolis.” Although Dorst is uncertain as to whether or not Abrams has read his previous work, he spent a year talking about “S.” with the “Star Wars Episode 7” director and wrote the novel’s forward and first chapter that was shipped to publishers. “(Abrams is) not the kind of guy who takes shortcuts,” Dorst said. Little Brown and Company decided to publish “S.” after going through Dorst’s 80-page pitch document. From there, Dorst said he stayed in close contact with Weber, who functioned in a similar fashion to a movie producer, sending her chapters of “S.” to pass along to Abrams. Dorst said he and Abrams mainly communicated by phone and email but met last fall during one of Dorst’s trips to Los Angeles. “I like getting people involved,” said Dorst of his previous experiences collaborating on artistic work. “The life of a novelist, you spend a lot of time in a room alone.” Abrams may have had the original vision for “S.” – a love story in which two characters get to know each other in the margins of the book – but Dorst said he is the sole author. The Iowa Writers Workshop alumnus said Abrams did not expect or need to be a part of the writing process, but, instead, provided him with “some structure, intelligent notes and lots of encouragement.” “The guy (Abrams) understands story,” said Dorst, adding that Abrams has been good about keeping the line between author and creator really clear.
“S.” by J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst (472 Pages, October 29, 2013)
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zTo Protect and severely hurt
On May 29, when Alexis Alpha, a marketing student at Texas State, questioned Corporal James Palermo’s good mood—he didn’t take it lightly. The altercation began just after 1 a.m. outside of a local bar when she walked between Palermo’s squad car and a vehicle in the process of being ticketed. After exchanging a few words in the street, Palermo decided her tone of voice was enough to take action and resorted to seizing Alpha by slamming her into the concrete, causing a concussion and severely damaging her teeth. Luckily enough, bystanders witnessed the treatment as Alpha was ticketed for obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and public intoxication. The charges were later dropped when it was proven that Palermo had taken unnecessary action, which further instigated himself to be charged with aggravated assault and suspended indefinitely.
jStarted at the Bottom, now we’re Here
We predict that the Texas State basketball squad will end up somewhere outside of the bottom 10 this season. The 2013 season did not fare so well for the Bobcat faithful, but ‘13 is just not our lucky number. With the hiring of new coach Danny Kaspar (read his Q&A on SMTX page 12), who holds a striking resemblance to a young Albert Einstein, the right equation might be in place for a team looking for any sort of relative success.
zband of Drummers
Usually, as far as pop-culture interprets, the stereotype behind college hazing amongst student organizations usually rests in the realm of Greek life. This year that was proven to not always be the case with 13 members of the university’s marching band drum-line now facing hazing and other misdemeanor crimes after an investigation confirmed they forcibly supplied freshman students with alcohol for initiation purposes. According to reports, a few of the underclassmen felt pressured to partake in the boozing, which took place at a fellow member’s apartment after each freshman was blindfolded and led there. Following their arrest and booking, all 13 individuals were suspended from the marching band. We don’t even want to know what happens to new members of the flute section.
bDropsSen. SanDonnaMarcos Campbell
It’s a tradition for freshman lawmakers to undergo a bit of hazing in the Texas Legislature. New Braunfels Republican Donna Campbell proposed the seventh name change—dropping the “San Marcos” from the university’s main campus—in our school’s 110 year history. Out of the obscure questions, Campbell was quizzed about Lamar University’s mascot and pried to sing Texas State’s fight song on the Senate floor— among others. On that same day of the 83rd Legislature, the House officially commemorated the 10th anniversary of our school’s last name change from “Southwest” to “Texas State University San Marcos” in 2003. The name offically changed to “Texas State University” this summer.
j
Bobcat Deport In 2014 the university only allows BOBCATFANS Magazine to handle local press coverage for Bobcat Athletics due to some local and not-so-local reporters racing to break the next big juicy story, where there was no story at all. In 2013 the negligence of self proclaimed “Bobcat Recruiting Experts“ false reports resulted in ALL media being banned from the football team practices. Coach Fran, in an effort to protect players, felt compelled to restrict all media after erroneous reports surfaced that certain quarterbacks had quit the team. On that note, we would like to report that Johnny Manziel will forego the NFL Draft with plans to transfer to TXST next year. You heard it here first!
Flip over for more 78666
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