Tag: Austin

Friday 7 Quick Takes (vol 99)

July 20th, 2012 · · 7 Quick Takes (Fridays), Austin 7 comments - Tags: , ,


1.


We are talking about the things we love about our hometowns on Totes Awesome Channel this week!


Youtube Link


2.


Austin’s first Dishcrawl went well despite terrible weather!

To read the blog post on the company website, check here! Next Dishcrawl is planned for August 28!


3.

Tomorrow I’m going to see the new Batman movie at the IMAX for a friend’s birthday. No doubt, I will be thinking of the victims of the movie theatre shooting.


4.

If you’re in Austin, there’s a great charity event that’s happening, July 25th. Austin Food Bloggers Alliance is hosting a Cupcakes and Cocktails party benefitting Bake A Wish. Bake A Wish’s mission is to provide birthday cakes to abused, neglected, abandoned children and youth who would not otherwise receive one.

Tickets can be purchased here for 35 dollars and covers admission, cupcake samples, appetizers and small bites from Chef Josh Watkins, and two drink tickets. More drink tickets can be purchased at the event.

I hope you can come! I’ll be manning the auction table. Come say hi!


5.

My last post was an update on my resolutions for 2012. For my resolution regarding going to Marfa, I noted that there’s a chance we’ll be letting Marfa go to save for Paris in 2013. Days later, Southwest Airlines had a sale and Kim and I capitalized and booked our flights. We also booked a night in a trailer and a night in a teepee!

We get to sleep in a teepee!


6.

It’s funny how that works. A few days ago, I figured Marfa may not happen this year because of money but then I managed. Last year I resolved to leave the country and had my sights on Vancouver. Money grew tight and I updated either via my blog or Youtube channel that I’ll probably have to let go of Canada due to lack of money. A few months later, Alan had to go to Canada for work so I scrounged up the cash and made it up there with him!

I feel like there’s a lesson to be learned here.


7.

This week’s moments of bliss: ♥ happy hour with old coworkers ♥ Alan teaching me how to swim ♥ getting the gratitude journals Kim and I made in the mail ♥ jigsaw time with Alan ♥ jalapeno cheese croissants ♥ Kim and I booked our Marfa trip ♥ teepee! ♥ pasta ♥ realizing that I don’t feel so lost anymore ♥ morning cuddles with Bob ♥ finding pockets of time to journal ♥ Madam Mams


Question: What do you love most about your home?

2011 in Review

December 29th, 2011 · · Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America, Bob the Dog, Creative Endeavors, Holidays, Houston, Lists, Love, Memories, Misadventures, Movies, Photographs, the not so single life 29 comments - Tags: , , , , , , ,

I’ve posted yearly recaps since 2008. I’m a stickler for tradition so here’s my recap for 2011.

Previous years: 2008, 2009, 2010

I had a good year.

Note: All links open in a new window.

January

February

  • It snowed.
  • I didn’t see Alan often because of his work.
  • BDF (Best Dudie Friend) visited Austin! This ended up being the only time I saw him this year.
  • BDF surprised me with cookies. His note gets me Google search hits that make me a little sad.
  • Sent out Valentine cards and socks to my girlfriends.


    • Alan and I hanging out

March

  • Alan took me to my first NBA game, Heat vs. Spurs.
  • BFF had cake balls delivered to me at work.
  • My solemate (deliberate misspelling) visited Austin.
  • Went to Austin’s 2nd Annual Bacon Takedown.
  • Went to Sketchbook Project 2011 tour stop in Austin.
  • Hosted my first giveaway on the blog.
  • Attended a free screening and Q&A with director of Meaning of Tea, a fantastic documentary about tea. Really!
  • Alan and I had a two part dinner to celebrate our three year anniversary at Haddington’s and Uchiko (my favorite restaurant).
  • Attended Austin Food Blogger’s Alliance Launch Party and applied for membership.
  • March was a turning point in my life. I faced myself in therapy. I’m still reaping the benefits.


    • At Sketchbook Project event

April

May

  • I got bangs impulsively, changing my do for the first time in 5 years.
  • Took a canoe trip with coworkers, facing a handful of irrational fears very reluctantly. Obviously, I survived.
  • I participated in Leo’s Habit Course and developed a palate for vegetables by eating one serving a day for 30 days.
  • Flew to Boston to see BFF. We drove to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island, all three were states I’ve never visited.
  • Read 8 books this month.
  • Totes Awesome Channel was founded.


June

  • Went home to Houston for Father’s Day.
  • Rolled down a hill inside of a ball.
  • I hit a boulder with my car. I always hit non-moving objects. Anyway, this was the start of a chain of bumper problems during the rest of the year.
  • I hemmed my first dress! As part of my new year’s resolutions, I wanted to do 10 learning tasks with sewing. This was my first major lesson.
  • Went to third Annual Cupcake Smackdown

July

  • Met Ashley D, Ashley, and Nicole of Totes Awesome Channel and recorded a vlog.
  • Celebrated my 28th birthday simply with a dinner with Alan and then a movie and drinks with friends.
  • Made my favorite video: 28 Life Lessons from 28 People (for my 28th birthday).
  • I caught up to 2007 and got my first smart phone!
  • My friend, Naz surprised me with a vlog from my dad.
  • I got really cozy with Tennessee Williams and his movies. Cat on Hot Tin Roof is excellent!


    • Celebrating my birthday

August

  • Successfully completed VEDA despite being out of town twice and moving!
  • Met up Hillary and Alex in Dallas for our second girls’ weekend of the year.
  • Moved in with Alan.
  • Used my passport for the first time since renewing it 2007. Alan and I took a vacation to Vancouver, Canada, my new favorite city.
  • Saw the bats in Austin for the first time.


    • In front of the Vancouver Aquarium

September

October

November

  • Posted a blog post every day in November.
  • Ran two blocks of a 5k for Race for the Cure and raised 460 dollars. Thanks to a lot of you!
  • Went to Texas Renaissance Festival with Brandi and Jessica. It was our third year going and we decided to only do new things. We threw knives, shot bow and arrows, and had our face painted. It was the first time I’ve ever had my face painted!
  • Had my second blogger date with Treavor.
  • Attended a We Are Girls conference with my little. It was incredibly insightful.
  • Had a Thanksgiving picnic with friends at the park. We threw a whole cooler’s worth of ice cubes into an enormous fountain, to create ripples, to help push a soccer ball to a sad toddler across the fountain. We were successful.
  • Had a progressive meal day with Kim, Thomas, and friends.
  • During breaks between eats, we made paper cranes for Kim’s tree.
  • My bumper nearly killed Kim and me and got us murdered in the woods.
  • Made our sparkly tattoos dance.


December

  • I decide to like Christmas. I discovered it took more energy disliking it than it does to give into the cheer.
  • Partcipated in Austin Food Blogger’s food swap.
  • I was without a car the whole time I was in Houston for Christmas (the bumper needed to be replaced) and was touched to have friends pick me up for dates.
  • Sewed couch pillows with help from mom.
  • Hosting a “Never Have We Ever” dinner party tonight. Post to come!


    • Bob hanging out with snowman

In writing this post, I realized this year was really sweet for relationships. It may have a lot to do with my prioritizing close friends over acquaintances and then learning to set boundaries. Recently, I’ve been in a funk about not having a life’s calling but I have to say, I’m really content with my tribe. Word on the street is that it’s the relationships that really matter.

Wishing you a terrific end of year celebration! Lots of love!


Question: What happened this year with you?

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween Dog Costumes

October 26th, 2011 · · Photographs 19 comments - Tags: , , ,

For more Wordless Wednesdays from others, click here.

Travel Notes on Vancouver

September 6th, 2011 · · Austin, New Thing(s) of the Week, Travel 28 comments - Tags: ,

  1. Vancouver is now my favorite city. It used to be New York for all its glorious nooks and crannies. Then I temporarily gave the number one spot to San Francisco. Only temporarily because I figured, I will grow tired of SF and that’s something I couldn’t foresee doing with New York. It is now Vancouver and I cannot wait to go back.

  2. Hailing from Texas and freezing at anything lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I didn’t think I was an outdoorsy person. In Vancouver, I loved being outside. The weather was cool and the scenery is perfect.

  3. I was gawking at the gorgeous views of blue and green in Colorado from photos of a friend’s recent vacation but knew in my heart, I love urban living too much to ever be passionate about the pretty lakes and greenery. Vancouver is the compromise between my need for skyscrapers and city lights and fanciful desires to admire natural landscapes. A city nestled amongst ocean and mountains.

  4. The sushi here is phenomenal. And much cheaper than in Austin, Houston, and Dallas Texas.

  5. I walked around downtown at night and sometimes by myself and never felt like I should be running to my destination with my phone pre-dialed to 911 or a key ready to gouge out eyes.

  6. Regarding chains: Surprised to see a Dairy Queen in Vancouver! Also had my first Fatburger experience. There’s tons of Starbucks. I usually look for an H&M when I travel in the states but didn’t do that for Vancouver. Was giddy with joy when I found our hotel was 2 blocks away from an H&M.

  7. Alan could not get up for the early morning departures for neighboring cities, like Victoria. So this only means, I have to go back to Vancouver and see it on my own while he does his thing for a day or go with a few girlfriends. Maybe, I’ll do it when I go to Seattle!

  8. I love Canadian hospitality and accent, eh!

  9. The Asian population in Vancouver is astounding.

  10. I’ve never seen so many parks just walking about in a city. It seems every 2-3 blocks there’s a darling park with inviting art, benches, fountains, interesting seating, just beckoning passersby to lounge.


Question: What’s your favorite city and why?

Post Update: I scheduled this post to publish early on the weekend but must update you on my hometown. Vancouver may be my favorite city to visit, but Austin is where my heart is. Central Texas is burning, the biggest fire being in Bastrop, TX, just 30 minutes away from Austin. If you can spare a few dollars to donate to the Red Cross, it can help go a long way. Last I checked, the biggest fire is 6 miles by 16 miles big. 250,000 acres have been charred. Here’s a facebook image of Austin’s capitol building for some perspective.

Austin, Texas Has Bats [Video]

August 20th, 2011 · · Austin, VEDA, videos 4 comments - Tags: ,

Today’s VEDA (Vlog Every Day in August) topic is to vlog something neat from your hometown.

Well, I find it mighty awesome that Austin, Texas has bats.


Youtube Link


Question: What’s awesome about your hometown?

Rain in Austin: A Compilation of Tweets

June 22nd, 2011 · · Austin 20 comments - Tags:

It’s a happy day in Austin, Texas. We have been so dry and dying for rain that yesterday’s late night storm was received by joyous tweets. I tweeted that I loved that rain was building community in our town. And it really has. Here’s just a small sample of Austinites tweeting about the happiness that is rain.


photo credit

@Hipstercrite: i dreamt that it rained last night. i also dreamt that gene wilder gave me ice cream. at least one of these dreams came true. :(

@statesman: Extra! Extra! Rain falls in Austin! Citizens surprised & confused! Dead lawns get water!

@Mutinybikes: Rain in Austin? Weird.

@stetted: The thunder scared me awake last night because I forgot what it was.

@lindaeatsworld: @stetted Love how being deprived of rain has made the prospect of rain& rain itself noteworthy. It’s almost like it’s building community.

@stetted: @lindaeatsworld I think rain has been taking marketing lessons from Steve Jobs.

@atexastwist: AM truly thankful for the rain. Not so much for the power outage, subsequent surges, and the not going back to sleep that followed. Ugh.

@gardens123: I stayed up to see the glorious rain. So sleepy, but I don’t even care.

@FranishNonspeak: Whoot! Woke up to rain drops clinging to the windows. Looks like we got a decent soaking overnight.

@jkru: rain… it’s like a free lawn watering service.

@caeseroct: How do I know it’s raining outside? Because it’s raining inside my apartment too. #leakage

@foodiethenew40: RAIN!!!!

@julieboolietran: I love the rain. Now I can sleep in peace.

@julieboolietran: Loud car outside? Nope… Just loud thunder lol

@robertbanh: RAIN!!

@MisoHungry: I see lighting. Can rain be following soon? #Austin

@racheldaneman: LIGHTENING AND THUNDERRR @themarissagreen your rain dance worked!!! Ahhhh rain is coming!!!! We’re saved!!! (not really…)

@gardens123: Wow, rain is so close. Please, pretty please?

@lisaiscooking: running was slightly less horrible tonight. still, wish I’d been running in rain.

@alm1969: 74 degrees in Austin, Texas this morning. Rain changes everything.

@brandflair: Finally, rain last night in #Austin. My garden is now full of #happytrees. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!


Question: What is making the locals happy in your neck of the woods?

Austin’s Gypsy Picnic

November 6th, 2010 · · Austin, Girl Eats World, National Blog Posting Month '10, Photographs 4 comments - Tags: , , ,

I just came back from Austin’s first Gypsy Picnic, a Trailer Food Festival. Austin’s really big on the trailer food scene and the concept of Gypsy Picnic is fantastic but it was WAY too crowded with lines averaging 45 minutes long and vendors running out of food. I ended up discouraging friends who hadn’t left yet into coming. But here are pictures! In honor of National Blog Posting Month – Day 6!

Hope you guys are having a lovely weekend so far! See you tomorrow for Day 7!

Notes on Joe Rogan’s Standup

September 15th, 2010 · · In Passing, Lists 8 comments - Tags: , ,

Yesterday I had date night with my dude which comprised of a nice one on one sushi feast downtown, then a triple date at the local comedy club to watch Joe Rogan. Outside Rogan hosting Fear Factor and now UFC fights, I don’t know much about this guy and have definitely no preconceived notions about his comedy. Alan’s seen him live before and all he’s told me was that he’s crass which is standard in comedy. I had a lot of fun and would like to share a few notes.

  • I’m thankful I do not have a nasal, painful laugh. Every now and again I may let out a cackle that my friends will be quick to tease me about, but if they could hear the girl we sat next to… Dang. Slow, drawn out, nasal, “neyahh, neyahh, neyaah.” We were thankful she didn’t find the show THAT funny.
  • Don’t be that guy who tries to film the whole thing to put on youtube. Don’t be that guy who the comedian has to ask to stop distracting him with your camera. Don’t be that guy who has to be asked twice.
  • I think Rogan turned off all the men against watching child birth. He may have used the word “explosion” to mentally paint a picture.
  • I was surprised how many UFC fighters I knew whenever he name dropped. Brock Lesnar. Robert Huerta. BJ Penn. Seriously, I felt a little proud. I guess I have Alan to thank for that. P.S. Brock Lesnar is the huge (even for MMA standards) dude with the penis shaped tattoo on his chest. I think it’s supposed to be a sword, but it looks extremely phallic.
  • I think the only sweet moment was when he relayed to us that he knew he loved his daughter (she’s 2) more than himself when he gave her the good banana. She loves bananas and there were two bananas up for grabs. The beautiful ripe one and the ugly brown one. He gave her the beautiful ripe banana. He cited her the only person in his life he’d do that for.

That’s about all I’m comfortable sharing. I think I laughed hysterically about 70 percent of the time and the other 30 I shook my head in disbelief. Worried that if I laughed, I’d go to hell. He is a great and generous comedian, entertaining us for about 2 solid hours. After the show, he remained accessible, friendly and hung out at the club afterward. Which made it possible for me to grabbed a picture with him!

Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan and me!

Joe Rogan
Dude & me

Pre Show: Joe Rogan
1/3 of our triple date


Question: Who are your favorite comedians?

Happy Hour at Cru

February 9th, 2010 · · Austin, Girl Eats World, New Thing(s) of the Week 7 comments - Tags: , , , , , ,

11410 Century Oaks Terrace
Suite #104
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 339-9463
www.cruawinebar.com

Yesterday, I met up Jamie and Lily, old coworkers and dear friends of mine at Cru Wine Bar for happy hour. They’ve both been but I have never. Happy hour ends at 6 which I think accounts for us having the whole place to ourselves with exception to one table next to us. I’m sure if they extend to 7pm they’ll have more patrons. Not that I’m complaining, it was really nice and dare I say romantic even, to have such a cozy and beautiful place to ourselves. The interior is just gorgeous.

We all ordered wine. Jamie got the white wine and Lily and I both got a Shiraz. I loved my wine. Smooth and not too heavy. Through the years, I’m surprised to say I’ve actually aquired a taste for wine.


The waitress is holding the bottle for me to snap a picture of. She got that fantastic bracelet as a birthday gift last Friday.


Jamie and her white wine.

The Food

Now for the fun part. Our food tastings!


Chicken and Shrimp Potstickers

These potstickers were unlike any I’ve ever had. Pretty unique flavor and delicious. The crispy wontons were good to nibble on as well. The sauce tasted similar to oyster sauce. I’m not certain on whether it is or not though.


Three Cheese Fondue with Truffled Oil

I normally don’t eat veggies but if you give me this fondue recipe to dip in, you’ll find me happily munching on those snap peas and carrots. I was surprised on how taken I am with veggies if you just let me have cheese with them!


Steamed Mussels

These steamed mussels were SO good we ordered a second. It came with a little garlic bread that was good to dip in the sauce. Sauce tasted like a thin white wine sauce. I’d come back to Cru again and again just for these mussels.


Tuna

Tuna. Tasty. I admit, compared to the rest of our menu, I was least impressed by the tuna.


A fresh tomato and mozzarella salad.

I was quite pleased with this wine bar and know this is now on my personal list of great happy hours in Austin. If you can managed to come here early for their happy hour, I highly recommend it. Can’t wait to come back.


Happy Girls. (Sans Lily, she’s camera shy.)

Gourdoughs Round Deux

January 20th, 2010 · · Austin, Girl Eats World, Photographs 4 comments - Tags: , , , , , ,

1219 South Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704

One of my close friends, Cindy came up for a visit (first visit to Austin in a very very long time) this weekend. I met her up at Madam Mams for lunch on Saturday and then for a delightful second trip to Gourdoughs on Sunday. She was enamoured with the pictures posted from my first visit and insisted we go. How can I deny my friend?

I got to add 2 more donuts to my list of donuts (now at 9!) tried at Gourdoughs. I’m moving on up their menu.


Cindy, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s brother.


Bromance! That’s Cindy’s best friend, Vince and his old roommate, Daniel. I’ve recruited them to be my food buddies.


Mm. Black Out Donut – Brownie batter, chocolate icing, and chocolate covered brownie bites. It was so fricking rich. Pictured next to Son of a Peach.


Bring the Heath: cream cheese icing and Heath chips


I look extra chinky squinting at the sun….