It was, as best I can recall, January 26, 1996, when I arrived in Austin with my Ford Escort packed to the gills with all the earthly possessions I could fit in it. I left boxes of stuff behind in L.A. that are still unclaimed. Perhaps they’ve been given to the Salvation Army by now. But I digress! I’m here with Part II of my little waltz down memory lane.

Top 10 Things I Love About Austin

10. Daniel Johnston Mural. Pictured above, this is a longtime fixture of the Drag and was recently in danger of becoming part of my previous list. Sound Exchange, the record store that hosted the mural, is no more and its space is being taken over by…some taco chain or another, I forget. They were planning to get rid of this landmark, but the citizenry protested and the weird frog-alien guy lives! Which brings me to…

9. “Keep Austin Weird.” Come on, what other city would have a slogan like that? “Keep Shreveport Weird”? Give me a break. It’s the spirit of keeping Austin weird that buoys such oddball events as…

8. Spamarama/Eeyore’s Birthday. What’s weirder – an annual festival devoted to an inedible potted meat product or an annual festival devoted to a fictional donkey’s birthday? Doesn’t matter – we’ve got ‘em both here. If drum circles and fragrant hippies are your thing, Eeyore’s is the place to be, while if your pastimes include cramming pinkish squares of processed pork into your mouth, you might be better off at Spamarama. But if you just enjoy the spectacle, the outdoors, the music and the beer, why not do both?

7. The Book People/Whole Foods/Waterloo Records & Video Confluence. The Keep Austin Weird contingent also managed to stomp out a proposed super-Borders across the street from the valued collection of local shoppes. (Okay, Whole Foods is a bit beyond ‘local’ at this point, granted.)

6. White Trash Wednesdays! This is a judgment call, because it’s sorta still around and sorta belongs on the now-defunct list. Used to was, the city put on free shows at Town Lake on Wednesdays in the spring and early summer, and every trailer park for 15 miles around would disgorge its population onto Auditorium Shores. The bands were usually not so great, but they were beside the point – it was all about people-watching and drinking Red Dog tallboys. Now they’ve moved it to Waterloo Park, and the music seems to be a little better, but the crowds just aren’t the same.

5. Barton Springs, Hike and Bike Trail, Dog Parks. This is just sort of a round-up of outdoorsy Austin. It gets powerful hot here in the summer as you may have heard, but Barton Springs is cool all year round. The Hike and Bike Trail is scenic in more ways than one, and thanks to my boy Maury I’ve now discovered the hidden society of Austin dog parks and the fascinating social order thereof.

4. The Food! Okay, that’s a broad generalization, but I’m thinking specifically of: the migas at the Magnolia, the breakfast tacos and bagels at Jumbo Bagel, the tacos and chips at Guero’s, the chicken fajita salad at Kerby Lane, the Sergio Leone pizza at Frank and Angie’s, the turkey plate at Stubb’s BBQ, the fries at Hyde Park Grill, the chicken vindaloo at the Clay Pit…lordy, I should be dead by now.

3. The Dog and Duck/Lovejoys/Casino El Camino/The Carousel/Ginny’s Little Longhorn. Come on, I can’t be expected to pick just one favorite drinkery. Too many good times associated with all of the above (and honorable mentions to the Hole in the Wall and the Driskill Hotel Bar). The Dog and Duck and Lovejoys are best for the casual meet-me-for-a-beer, the Casino has the best jukebox and some good people-watching, the Carousel has the creepy-cool circus vibe and the eclectic mix of townies and hipsters, and Ginny’s has chickenshit bingo on Sunday afternoons. I’ve left live music out of the equation because…

2. The Live Music Capitol of the World! Well, maybe, maybe not. The city government surely doesn’t go out of their way to help the live music scene, much as they love to cash in on the nickname, and it seems clubs are closing left and right. But I still can’t imagine another place with such a variety of great local bands and venues. And with SXSW in the spring and now the Austin City Limits festival in the fall, music-loving Austinites are guaranteed a couple long weekends a year of total sensory overload.

1. My Peeps. Not to be a Corny Cornball about it, but none of this stuff would mean much without the good people of Austin, from my close friends to the local weirdos I enjoy observing from a distance. Otherwise I’d just be like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, and who wants that? Special shout-outs to the Thursday night Survivor crew, the TDS crowd and my cohorts from the ol’ indie film days.

If I forgot anything, that only means there’s much more than 10 things to love. (Like the Alamo Drafthouse! I meant to mention that somewhere.) Here’s to the next eight years.