Saturday, December 12, 2009

Winter in Texas

The past two weeks have been cold. Like 43 degrees right now cold. But the high on Sunday is 71 so go figure.
Last year we had 1/10th of an inch of snow. People talked about it for days afterwords. This year there was a point a week ago where the prediction was 1-2 inches and everybody began discussing plans about school closings.
It's a lot to get used to after living in Chicago. Chicago residents wear their winter misery like a purple heart. You are not able to talk about snow/winter/cold with anyone from Chicago without them feeling an immediate need to one up you. This is because Chicago winter starts in December and lasts until approximately May. The only way to rationalize living in a place with six months of hats+gloves+scarves every single day is to take some sort of sick pride in it.
I've adjusted to the parallel universe of Texas pretty quickly. I now get cold when it dips below 60. I feel thrilled when I have an opportunity to wear one of the 7 winter hats I collected from living "up north." And when it comes to missing my purple heart, I just look forward to summer. Last summer we had over 50 consecutive days of 100+ degree heat.

Friday, November 13, 2009

1 Hour for Kids

This United Way initiative has been my sole focus as an Americorps VISTA. My work days are 99% devoted to it (and 1% devoted to finding free food in the office kitchen). Check out this fantastic 10 minute video that explains why it's so important to mentor a middle school student.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

this is not my beautiful house

I'm having one of those "somehow I'm in Texas, about 900 miles from where I grew up, living in an apartment with my boyfriend of 8+ years and our dog, with a Masters degree, earning $909/month" kind of moments.

One thing that I've found, and I'm finding this is common among my friends, is that because I never set specific, achievable goals for myself I feel in this constant state of disbelief and uncertainty....disbelertainty. I never set out a plan beyond finishing college. It wasn't like:

1) 22 = finish college
2) 23 = land high-paying dream job making leather shoes that turn into gloves that turn into purses
3) 24 = get engaged
4) 25 = get married
5) 26 = get house
6) 27 = get pregnant

So now I'm wondering how I got exactly where I am, if this is satisfactory, and where I go next. Even now, on year 27, I'm uncomfortable setting a plan for myself into the next year. Is it because I think I'll fail or is it because I've done okay so far...why start planning now? I tend to go one or two days at a time. I have no idea what I'm doing next week unless I look at my Outlook calendar.
It's interesting that despite all of this I still attempt to compare myself to other people. I mean other people chart different plans for themselves, maybe even the year by year plan like the one I outlined above, so what's the sense in judging myself by their plan? I need to assess myself and figure out want I want. I need to take stock of where I am and where I've come from to figure out what makes sense for me going ahead.
The weird thing is that not only can't I look forward but I can't look back especially well either. Before I call my parents (on a weekly or every other weekly basis) I always think, "okay, what has happened that I can tell them" and I find it a little stressful.
I find myself feeling pretty out of control of my life. Things happen to me about 70% of the time and the other 30% I actually feel like I have some agency. So with these percentages I end up thinking, "Why set goals when ultimately most things I want are someone else's decision?"

Examples:
1) I want to get published.
-Editors decide this.
2) I want to work at a youth-focused nonprofit.
-Hiring managers decide this.
3) I want to own a house.
-I'm not even sure who decides this...banks? This is how far I am from even starting this goal.

I guess this rambling has left me pretty certain I should set goals but also pretty certain I'm not going to. So where does that leave me? Hmm...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Correction





Okay...this is NOT just a Texas thing (I particularly like the Michigan one).


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

"Did you know this about Texas?" Item two

Texas tattoos. They. Are. Everywhere. This isn't just for sports-crazed 300 pound men either. I personally have met one woman with a Texas tattoo who has no attachment to any Texas team. She just loves this state that much. I can't think of any other place in the US where this urge to get your state tattooed on you occurs. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

"Did you know this about Texas?" Item one


Everyone knows about Texas toast, but did you know what else this great state offers? H-E-B (our mega-grocery store chain) sells Texas-shaped chips. It took about year for this to not seem weird. Now I don't think about it until someone visits and I realize "Yeah, I guess it is strange to have a chip purposely shaped like your state." I don't imagine Missouri chips would sell all that well.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Austin City Limits 2009

You know who always puts on a good show? The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O is basically a broadway star. She believes strongly in a great performance full of costume changes and dramatic movement. I saw Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Lollapalooza a few years back, but I must say that I think she outdid herself at ACL this year. When I go to see a concert I really value the performance aspect. It doesn't matter how artistically interesting the music is, if I'm at a show I want to see a show. This holds especially true when it's in a festival setting. At any given time you're weighing the option of seeing three different bands. If somebody is just going to stand up there and play something exactly as it sounds on your stereo, you're going to get tempted to leave. ACL was especially rough because the weather was crazy. Day one = sunny and 80 degrees, Day two = rain, rain, rain pretty much all but two hours of the day, and Day three = mud pit. I'd like to say that I surrendered to the festival spirit, stripped to my underwear, and rolled in the mud but I ultimately revealed myself as the true prude that I am and only dabbled in some barefoot strolling (because the mud kept sucking off my flip flops). I did hang in there like a trooper though and stayed ten hours in the rain on Saturday and six hours in the mud on Sunday. I saw Dr. Dog, The Knux, Prescott Curlywolf, Phoenix, Daniel Johnston, Them Crooked Vultures, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mos Def, Ghostland Observatory, Toadies, Dirty Projectors, Dead Weather, and heard some of Girl Talk and Pearl Jam from my volunteer shift. Yes, I volunteered. I don't know why more people don't do this. I signed up to volunteer for Fun Fun Fun Fest next month. I mean, how could I turn down a chance to see Danzig?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sundays mean...

-making coffee to give Zach the motivation to get out of bed before 11.
-taking Anna to the dog park
-making sun tea on the porch
-checking PostSecret
-cooking biscuits and gravy with Zach
-vacuum
-dishes
-laundry? (not this week)
-watching movies from the library (Man on Wire? Eagle vs Shark?)
-going to Newflower Market (spinach, bell peppers, cheese, walnuts, apples, meat, maybe some asparagus)
-choosing between chicken pasta or a pizza kit for dinner while watching cartoons (simpsons, family guy, etc)
-reading (The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud)
-asleep by 11:30

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Austin Celebrity Sighting!



Zach and I saw Matthew McConaughey today while taking our dog through the dog park down at Auditorium Shores. I always knew he was an Austin figure, having been a UT student when he was cast in his first movie: Dazed and Confused. Usually he's sighted at UT football games, flashing the longhorn sign and looking generally laid back.
Today, Zach and I were winding around Town Lake with our Anna dog, working our way to the 1st Street bridge when Anna wandered toward this little girl about toddler age walking barefoot next to two men. As the little girl bounded toward Anna, our exceptionally ferocious dog sidled away and as one of the men looked up I thought *gasp* thats Wooderson and his daughter! I said "Hi" and he said "Hi" and Zach, still not realizing this was Matthew McConaughey said, "She's terrified of children" to which McConaughey chuckled and kept walking. Once I alerted Zach to who he was just talking to, Zach was like "Oh yeahhh.." I was like, "You just made Matthew McConuaghey laugh." And he replied, "I'm a funny guy."

Thursday, August 27, 2009

some firsts

When it takes two months to post, a list becomes inevitable. Here are some firsts for me in this summer:

*Tubing/Canoeing: I did some tubing on the Comal river in New Braunfels and some canoeing on the King's River in Arkansas. Both were fun in different ways. I like the lazy luxury of tubing and the outdoorsy exercise of canoeing. Oh and beer+sun+river=pure delight.

*I gave my first power point presentation. Sure it was given to two people, but I'll treasure it always. My new job (see: www.1hourforkids.org) at United Way involves a lot of volunteer recruitment so I have to learn to do some shmoozing, some dog and pony showing, and some business carding. Oh and I have business cards now, that's also a first.

*I bought my first Mac. I had no alliances in the PC or Mac dispute, until my third PC laptop petered out. I wanted something that would last and Zach's positive experience with his 5 year old Mac (plus the current promotion on UT's campus that involves a free printer AND a free iPod touch with purchase) convinced me.

*I had my first fried avocado and my first piece of chicken-fried bacon.

*I missed my first Lollapalooza in 4 years. I plan to remedy this by volunteering at Austin City Limits in October and then hopefully Fun Fun Fun Fest in November.

*I went to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time for my first conference. Americorps requires a pre-service orientation, so I went there for four or five days and allowed myself to be fed and talked to on their dime. ABQ (as it is affectionately called) has one of the highest elevations of any US City and also has pretty mountains.


I had other firsts, but that's all I can think of now. Besides, I have to leave to pick up Zach from his first day of Thursday classes for the new school year!


Monday, June 1, 2009

TXRD

































I recently discovered that I love roller derby. It came about suddenly, completely in response actually to watching Rollergirls. It was a 13 episode doc series on A&E (now on DVD) about the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls. I picked it up as a lark from the library once I saw that the show was based in Austin. It's interesting because the whole time I lived in Chicago I never did see any roller derby, even after the Chi*Town Sirens volunteered for Intonation and I spoke with the manager multiple times, I still assumed that it wouldn't be my kind of thing.
As Zach and I plowed through the season on Saturday I decided to check out the TXRD website and was delighted to find out that there was a bout on Sunday!
Now I'm not sure exactly what it is I love about this game (and I am keeping in mind what I'm temporarily calling the "frenzy effect"--that I tend to get very excited about something and then approximately a week after said excitement my enthusiasm peters out...since it has only been three days, I'm tentative about calling this my new love), but I do know a couple things that are drawing me in.
1- Names. These girls have fabulous super hero names. Punky Bruiser, Miss Conduct, Holly Peno, Heine Dancer, and Venis Envy are all monikers worth noting. I found it hard not to start trying to develop a name of my own. I like Miss Fit, but I find it a little derivative.
2- The Rollergirls show really emphasizes the sisterhood aspect. These are badass girls and they all seem to unite in the fact that they a)don't identify with girly girls and b)are unsatisfied with working a regular job and just going home afterwords to be regular.
3- The spectacle. Now I've never liked professional wrestling, but I'm willing to acknowledge there are similar dramatic elements between that and roller derby. There is fighting and screaming but for some reason, I guess because it's in pursuit of an unfixed victory, I see it as a necessary element.
Last night Zach and I went to the Convention center, bought some $5 beers and settled in to watch the Rhinestone Cowgirls take on the Putas Del Fuego. The Cowgirls came out in cowboy hats, shooting toy guns and the Putas came out in sombreros, many shaking maracas. When penalties were issued, a wheel was spun to decide if the offender and the victim had to arm wrestle, tug of war, race, or pillow fight. Prior to, and during half-time there's live music. Oh and one of the helpful things is that there were two announcers helping the audience keep track of the points and penalties. They are a very necessary component because the action is roller skate fast. The Putas (the team Zach and I were rooting for) lost miserably but they had so much spirit (read: readiness to fight) that they were crazy entertaining.
So if the "frenzy effect" doesn't wear off and I keep track of my calendar, I may be going again in July to see the Hellcats take on the Holy Rollers.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

festival season

I remember the thrill that came with warm weather in Chicago. It seemed that, starting around June, there would be some sort of neighborhood festival every weekend. I used to go to Market Days, Wicker Park festival, Lakeview art festival, 57th Street Art Fair, Printer's Row Book Fair, the outdoor films in Grant Park, Lollapalooza and anything else I stumbled across while walking to and from public transportation. So, you can imagine my glee when I realized that festival season has already started here.
Last weekend was Eeyore's Birthday and this weekend is the Pecan Street festival. I just got back with some incense, handmade soap, and locally-produced honey in my purse. It seems I'm pretty willing to go hippie when it comes to street fairs. The Pecan Street festival is an arts and crafts fair with live music and reasonably-priced cans of beer. Now, I won't give high marks to the arts and crafts present (it's like any other "art" fair in that there's only a few tents that have really impressive work to show) but I enjoyed walking around browsing with a TECATE in hand.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Eeyore's Part II


Eeyore's Birthday was pretty much exactly as described on the wikipedia page. But first, and most fabulous of all, I had my first confirmed Leslie siting. I was pretty sure I saw him at SXSW, but didn't have any sources to back me up. Yesterday, my friends confirmed that I was, in fact seeing, Austin's favorite mayoral candidate. Leslie has had three official bids for mayor, his most successful run in 2000 when he received almost 8% of the vote. He is so popular that you can now buy a magnet with his likeness here in Austin that comes with interchangeable magnetic outfits. He's known for flashing his thong at public events and generally bringing the party.

Anyway, back to Eeyore's. My first ten minutes set the tone. While waiting in line for drink tickets I stood behind two people who were smoking a joint. Then, two minutes later at the costume contest an old woman got on stage, wearing rabbit ears, a skirt and her boobs painted like Easter eggs tossed out condoms from her Easter basket. There was a lot of hula-hooping, a May pole, a large crowd of people attempting to double dutch, and people of unknown qualifications that had set up "free body painting" areas. It was pretty fabulous for an event just minutes from downtown.

When I first heard of Eeyore's birthday I was pretty sure it would be little kids, mostly lame games, and a lot of store-bought Winnie the Pooh costumes. There were a lot of kids, but they were the breed of hippie kids that I like. Oh and the costumes were amazing. Here's one of my favorites:

Friday, April 24, 2009

Eeyore's Birthday

Reason #15763 you should live in Austin:

(from wikipedia) Eeyore's Birthday Party is a day-long festival taking place annually in Austin, Texas since 1963. It typically occurs on the last Saturday of April in Austin's Pease Park.[1] It includes live music, food and drink vending which benefit local non-profit organizations, attendees in colorful costumes, and very large drum circles. Although frequented by children and families, with specific events presented for them by the event organizers, Eeyore's Birthday Party is also known for its high incidence of recreational drug use.

It's happening tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

April Showers of Shows

Since SXSW I've been jonesing for more music and luckily spring time in Austin brings a lot of opportunity for music.

What I'm missing:

Austin Reggae Fest was today. Zach and I drove by it and saw white folk in droves wearing everything green, black, yellow, and red that they found in their closet. While the festival is cool in theory, and I'm a little tempted to see the one and only Skatalites, it looked a little douchapalooza to me. There seemed to be too many dudes wearing knitted hats.

May 7th: Flight of the Conchords. This broke my heart. Tickets went on sale back in February and I mistakenly waited a whole 10 minutes before trying to buy them. They sold out so fast that people were immediately on craigslist offering to pay $100 and up for two seats.

What I'm hoping to not miss:

Right now my Google calendar shows two events for the next three weeks: Lucero and Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down. These are both bands that I saw at SXSW, but at a festival you only get teased for 25 minutes...theres no encore and theres no leeway for which songs and how long they go. Thao is this Thursday, April 23rd and I'm desperately hoping that I can get myself together enough to go. This song won't leave my head and I'm convinced I'll just have to see it live again before I can rest. Then, a few weeks later is Lucero. After SXSW I bought Zach this documentary called Dreaming in America and it endeared me to Lucero in a whole new way. It's a good movie because it shows how they're successful by most peoples' standards (they've put out half a dozen albums and are able to survive on their music alone) but that with this success comes a back-breaking tour schedule that puts them on the road constantly (about 200 shows a year). Zach and I have talked about seeing this show to celebrate our 8-year anniversary. Yes, my readers, you all are really that old now.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

SXSW Recap

The pictures are on facebook, so I'll save you all the nonsense of posting them here. Instead, I'll recommend bands that I saw and enjoyed (with small teasers next to them in case you're the type to be interested in finding new music):

Lucero
Emily gave me and Zach the heads up on this band years ago. If you like alt country with a bluesy quality you'll like this band from Tennessee.

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down
I walked in late on this set, but this chick and her band are so wonderfully poppy. It's a little like Cibo Matto I think.

My Jerusalem
This New Orleans band put on an impressive show (which according to some googling was their first live performance), but I'm not sure their music would be as good without the live element. They were very rock and roll (plus effects pedals, a trumpet, a violinist (formerly from The Polyphonic Spree), and a man who only plays the tambourine). I found the lead singer describing the music online as varied "from acoustic to trashrock" but I'd say a close fit is The Arcade Fire. Their album was just released; I think they might become big.

The Bird And The Bee
This band is becoming pretty well known. I suggest just watching this video and this one. You'll fall in love. They remind me of Air and Nellie McKay if they combined. Also, they put on a beautifully choreographed and costumed live show (again, see my facebook pictures linked above).

The Thermals
Now, I'll admit that I saw them twice without really seeing them (once I caught halfway through and the second time I was pretty focused on drinking) but they're good, solid indie rock and according to wikipedia they've been working hard together since 2002. They're a Sub Pop artist and they stay true to the good old fashioned grunge quality you'd expect.

The Warlocks
I thought this was a very fascinating band. First off, they're the only band I saw that added a video element to their show. They projected carefully-selected old, bizarre film footage during each song on the tent above them. Wikipedia tells me they're defined as neo-psychedelia, but I see them as having enough rock to put them in the same arena with what I enjoy about Sonic Youth. You can see a video here (they're a little older now).

Heartless Bastards
Garage rock. I remember liking them when I saw them on the first day, but now, 5 days later, I can't remember anything stand out about it. It's possible that's because I was behind about 100 people and couldn't see them.

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
There was a Brooklyn Vegan show my first day at my volunteer spot (Club De Ville) and this was one of the most exciting bands that night. The lead singer has a lot of energy and I tend to rally behind any lady that can control an audience. I found this description at rcdlbl.com: grinding
blues, sleazy jazz, and disturbing rock tied together with pop and punk sensibilities; the result sounding something like a vulgar Ella Fitzgerald crooning in front of a wall of distortion and thunderous, pounding rhythms
. I don't imagine I could say it better than that.

Blind Pilot
A Portland indie folky band that I may be looking into after seeing them at Club De Ville. They gave an NPR interview where they said, while working on their debut album they were, "listening to a whole lot of Neutral Milk Hotel and Joanna Newsom." Yes.

Ponytail
A Baltimore art rock band that won me over completely when they busted a pinata mid-show and threw out the candy. The lead singer tends to emit strange noises from her throat (think Bjork-y) throughout the fierce experimental music. Their first couple songs didn't get me, but after they played for a while I was kind of getting into it. They were very energetic; Pitchfork calls their performances like a "sugar rush." The crowd went nuts for it and it seemed like the pavement became a trampoline. I'm usually only into music with lyrics, but I couldn't deny the frenzy that was Ponytail.

So there you go, get to youtubing/googling. I've always wanted my friends to hip me to new music and I've been lucky to have a lot of friends with amazing taste. Hopefully, one of these bands will return the favor to one of you.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

SXSW!


Back in Chicago I learned this trick to get into expensive festivals for free: vol-un-teer.

Benefits:
1) You always get a t-shirt.
2) You always get in free.

Usually you need to get on the event website several months in advance, but after turning over your contact info you can just sit around until the month before when they get in touch with you. I have used this trick to get into Lollapalooza 2005-2008 and this year I'm using it to get into South By Southwest here in Austin. I picked up my gear today (TWO t-shirts and a fancy music badge) to get me in to see any of the 1,800 artists I want.

Pitfalls:
1) You will always have to work in a location that keeps you from seeing some of the bands you want. Usually the event staff will let you pick an area you want to work, but inevitably you will end up missing out on somebody somewhere.
2) Often you have to do labor that will leave you pretty exhausted and/or sunburned at the end of the day.

At Lollapalooza, Zach and I usually do a lot of walking and a lot of time in the August heat. But Lolla requires zero commitment prior to the event and the shifts are usually only 4 hours. This SXSW volunteer gig is definitely more demanding than Lollapalooza (it has required one orientation, one mandatory evening of grunt work prior and then three nights of long 6pm-2am shifts during the festival). However, the value of this SXSW music badge that I get is $695 so it's hard to complain too much about the demands. Also, a lot of the bands play for free during the day to get maximum exposure so I'll be seeing mucho music anyway. I'll be working at Club de Ville and it sounds like my biggest duty will be to lug equipment on and off stage in between sets. I'll let you know how it goes and try to keep track of everybody I get to see this week.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

What I Could Have Been (a potential two part series)

So I was watching Biggest Loser last night (big ups...I don't care if only fat people watch you...I will stay true for your inspirational triumphs) and I got an idea for a post. See, the chubbos (as I affectionately call them) were at a food bank and it reminded me, hey I almost worked at a food bank. Then I thought of all the things I've almost done and it seemed worth listing. Below is a list of many of the professions that I almost tapdanced my way into.

1- Volunteer Coordinator at a food bank in Chicago - I went through two interviews there. The second one involved a tour where I was asked if I was passionate about feeding the hungry. I, of course, said that I was, but I think it was apparent that it was a new passion pretty relative to the fact that I had an interview. It's okay. It was in an industrial area and the commute involved a train and a bus and took over an hour.

2 - A part-time administrative assistant in the Alumni department at DePaul in downtown Chicago. The guy that interviewed me was very aggressive. When I told him my biggest weakness he said, "Well that's not really a weakness, is it?" Of course not! You're never supposed to give an actual weakness! Then he asked me if I were to answer the phone right now for them, how would I do it? I awkwardly stumbled through something, realizing that it takes zero skill and would be no indicator of how good I would be at the position. I think my distaste for him showed.

3 - Some sort of assistant at Bacon's Information - On the way to the interview I get North and South Michigan Ave. mixed up. I have to walk five very long blocks. I show up sweaty and frazzled. They give me an editing test. There are supposed to be 12 errors and I can only find 10. I am doomed.

4- Program Manager for Entrepreneur's Foundation in Austin - It's my first interview in Austin. I show up and immediately they ask, "How do you understand our business model and how would you describe it?" Then, "Explain our Equity model." My hour on the website did not prepare me for this. I blow it and do not get a second interview.

5 - Sales Assistant at I.B. Nuts and Fruit Too - I thought I'd jump back to part-time jobs in Columbia, MO while I was in college. Two women ask me about my interest in making deliveries. I don't remember much else other than being a little relieved that I don't have to tell people that I work at a place called "I.B. Nuts."

6- Sales Assistant at the Disney Store - Creepy. Me, Emily, and six other people sit in a circle. We all talk about our favorite Disney characters. They tell us that they never schedule anyone for longer than four hour shifts because the amount of enthusiasm they expect cannot be maintained for longer than that. We meet a zombie that works there and talks about how he takes advantage of the Disney World trip every year and loves it enough to accept $6.25/hour. Emily and I shudder.

7- Assistant Program Manager at a local Austin nonprofit - I'm leaving out the name because this happened within the past three months and kind of broke my heart. I have a long, passionate phone interview that happens to take place until 10 pm at night. This woman rescheduled because I had been in Oklahoma when she initially called. We gab about the rewards of nonprofit work, our enthusiasm for working with youth, our experiences in cold weather cities. She dazzles me with her respect for my level of education and intellect. I get a second interview. I go in and talk with the staff. They are all equally respectful. Weeks later I get the best rejection letter I've ever gotten, assuring me that they expect great things in my future and that she looks forward to our paths crossing and hearing about my future successes. I resist the urge to die a little inside.

8 - Admissions position at a college - I'm not naming the school for similar reasons to #7. Needless to say, I interviewed for this job twice in three months. The first time I meet a committee, they go around the table and take turns asking me questions, one after the other. I don't get the position, even though this position is remarkably similar to the one I had in Columbia, MO. Then, the position is open again a month later. I apply again. They call me in for an interview, again. I think, wow they must want to hire me. I meet a similar committee. They ask me the exact same questions as the first committee. I still do not get the job.

9 - Editorial positon at a PR company - They tell me that they can offer approx. 30 hours now, but that it may decrease as the work diminishes. They tell me they can't provide benefits. They tell me it will involve a lot of data entry. I eagerly tell them I like data entry, but am obviously discouraged by the lack of hours and benefits. I don't really like data entry. Nobody likes data entry. The woman basically tells me how terrible the job will be and that I am overqualified. I don't get the job.

This is just a smattering of the interviews I have had. I am suddenly concerned that future employers will find this and think I'm pathetic. I am not. I am just open to many exciting career opportunities. I am still looking for the right fit. I believe I have learned from these interviews and each one has made me a more composed, mature individual. Oh and I love data entry.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

It begins...


I bought boots! I just won these Lucchese vintage 70s leather cowboy boots off ebay for $39 ($50 with shipping). This is a huge discount for shoes that tend to cost anywhere from $200-$300 at stores here. I'm pretty excited. It seems everybody in Austin has dress-up boots (what Converse are to Chicago hipsters are what boots are to 20-something Austinites). It's a trend I like to call western chic. I was highly influenced by the fad (which probably can't be called a fad as it has existed for decades) and couldn't resist any longer. I'm already working my head through the skirts and jeans I can wear with them.
This seems to be a sign that I've assimilated. So, for all you doubters out there that are pretty sure that you would never take to Texas....give it about 5 months.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Newflower Market

If you can't get excited about grocery stores you might not want to read this post. However, before you make up your mind, let me provide you with some teasers about Newflower Market:

- They use both sides of the receipt paper to print your receipt.
- They give you 10 cents off for every reusable bag you bring.
- This week I got a 5 lb bag of potatoes on sale for .99 cents.

Now, if none of those three things did anything for your excitement level, please proceed to your next blog (I suggest this one).

Newflower Market is brand new to Austin. I saw a little story about it on the news and was instantly intrigued. I'm always interested in buying locally grown food, but I hate spending more money on something that I can get for generic prices at a large chain. Lately, Zach and I have been spending beaucoup money at HEB, more than we have ever spent on groceries before. So when I went to the Newflower website and saw their motto: "Better-than-supermarket quality at better-than-supermarket prices" I decided to go check it out.
Oh. god. I am only sorry for my readers that don't live in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, or Texas. There are similarities between it and other stores. It's sort of like Trader Joes, but their sales are more drool-worthy. The original owners of Wild Oats organic grocery chain (now owned by the unstoppable Whole Foods) opened these up and they are promising 50 stores 5 years from now. The company's farmer's market format is based on Henry's Market in California which makes it a little less glitzy than a Whole Foods and you feel more like you're just going to a grocery store, not a food museum.

More drool-worthy sales:

broccoli: 47 cents/lb
whole raw almonds: 2.99/lb
hummus: 3.26/lb
hot house tomatoes: I got two big tomaters for 41 cents
extra lean ground beef: 1.99/lb

What it comes down to is that I got a week's worth of groceries for $26. Zach and I have lately been spending over three times that at HEB. Oh and what sealed it: my current fav cheap red wine: Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon was on sale for only $4.99 a bottle. It took a lot of strength not to buy a case.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Rachel Recommends: The Library



This post is going to be the first in a "Rachel Recommends" series that will promote free activities as opposed to spending lots of money for fun (although if you are going to spend money, I recommend Coraline in 3D). This first post will whet your free whistle with an activity that you can find in any city near you: the library. My readers familiar with the Columbia Public Library are already fans of this mecca of sharing, but to those of you that don't know: you can get movies at the library. Good movies. I remember as a kid it seemed that all libraries had were educational films about the railroad and former presidents, but in Columbia, MO I discovered that there are some hip alternatives to checking out videos on James Monroe. In Columbia, not only was their music selection vast, but they had a DVD selection to make any movie bum quiver. You could find cult TV shows like Freaks and Geeks and The Office (the BBC version ) or fab documentaries (oh god the 7Up series). At the Austin Public Library I have gobbled up even more surprising finds: dvds that have no educational or cult value at all. There are a lot of movies and shows that I've wanted to see over the years, but I wasn't optimistic enough about them to invest money in obtaining them. The library has solved this problem for me and because of this Zach and I have spent zero money on movie rentals since we've moved here. For example, my trip to the library today produced: a season of Garfield and Friends (unlike Columbia, in Austin you can check out an entire season and it only counts as one item), The Aristocrats, Jesus is Magic, and George Romero's Diary of the Dead. All of these were free. All of them are mine for 7 days (unless I want to renew, which I can one time).
So please love the library. It is in your best interest. I know I do. And so does she.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

And now I wanna be your dog

For about a month now Zach and I have been dog owners. This means that:
1) I have taken approximately 20 pictures of the dog. (Only half of which are objectively cute)
2) There is dog hair present in every room on every floor.
3) I have discovered what a pleasant place Austin is for dogs.

First of all, there is this: http://www.austinspetdirectory.com/ (thanks Dana). There are over a dozen dog parks and seven dog bakeries. We've only hit up one dog park but we go there every weekend. It has a nice ratio of dogs to water/trees.
I've never been a dog owner before. My family always preferred the low-maintenance cat lifestyle. Whiskers, Maya, Squeakers, and Luna were/are all fabulous representatives of the cat species. I have NOT and will never denounce cats. I think sometimes people like to section themselves off into being either a dog or cat person. But comparing the two animals isn't fair. Though they are both common pets, they are completely different beings. I like that most cats aren't as destructive as dogs. I like that they can sleep comfortably next to you and rarely smell bad. I like that I can take a dog outdoors to run and play. I like that if I raise my voice to a high-pitched squeal a dog will instantly get excited, even though it has no idea what is about to happen.
Anyway, meet Anna:

She's about 11 months old and appears to be some sort of retriever mix. Zach's mom rescued her back in October from the side of a road in Arkansas. Her and her sister were only 6 pounds and covered with mange. Zach's mom did all of the hard work in raising her and nursing her back to health. Now she's a happy 30 lb. city dog (the pictures tend to make her look large, but actually she only comes up to our knees). She loves to eat bones and tear apart her toys like all dogs, but due to her tough life as a puppy she's not quite familiar with playing. She won't do tug of war (if we try to grab something from her she surrenders it immediately) and when we throw something she just looks at it. Also, she's an affection addict. If you're petting her, expect to be there for a while. If you stop she will promptly put her paw on your leg/arm and look at you sadly. Only when she's decided she's had enough will she leave your side.
So yes, now I'm rambling about my dog. It's happened to me. I'm one of those people. But it is important to note that:
1) I have not, nor plan to buy any clothes for my dog.
2) You will not receive emails, cards, or letters with Anna's name signed to the bottom.
3) If you call me you will not have to talk to Anna and I will not make Anna say hello.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Live Well, Dream Small (Job search: month 5)


Texas unemployment rate shoots up to 6 percent

AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate jumped to 6.0 percent in December and the state lost jobs for the third time in four months, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

The unemployment rate was a sharp jump from 5.7 percent in November and 4.2 percent a year ago. It was the first time the state's jobless rate hit 6 percent since 2004, said commission labor representative Ronny Congleton.

The state lost 25,700 nonagricultural jobs in December, the second consecutive monthly drop after the commission revised November figures from a gain of 7,300 jobs to a loss of 11,300. The monthly job loss in September was the first in more than a year, according to the commission.

"Our state's economy has been fairly resilient during these months of economic uncertainty, but the national economic storm has reached Texas," commission chairman Tom Pauken said. "The challenge we face now is to minimize the impact of the national trends by continuing to promote our strong business climate and address the skills needs of Texas employers."

The job losses hit nearly every sector, with the biggest drops coming in trade, transportation and utilities (8,100 jobs) and manufacturing (8,000). The falling prices of oil and natural gas appeared to hit natural resources and mining, which lost 5,100 jobs. Construction dropped 3,300 jobs.

The only sector to gain jobs was leisure and hospitality, with a jump of 3,800. The catchall category — other services — gained 1,600 jobs.

Despite the widespread job losses, Texas still compared favorably to the national numbers. The unemployment rate remained below the U.S. average of 7.2 percent. According to commission figures, Texas has a net gain of 153,600 jobs over the past year compared with losses of 2.6 million jobs nationwide.

"Our state leaders have laid a strong foundation for Texas as a business-friendly state with low taxes and less regulation, and that foundation will be crucial in the months ahead," said Andres Alcantar, the commission's public representative.

The commission estimated that 711,800 people were actively looking for work in December, up from 676,000 in November.

Unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market.

Without the seasonal adjustment, the Texas unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent in December from 5.6 percent in November and 4.3 percent a year ago.

Following are the preliminary December jobless rates for local areas in Texas, with revised November numbers in parentheses. The local figures are not seasonally adjusted.

Austin-Round Rock 5.2 (5.0)

___

January 23, 2009 - 11:46 a.m. Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


Damn. Austin is a city where 36% of the people have a Bachelor's degree or higher. A little quick math says that if roughly 712,000 people are looking for work that about 256,000 of them have college degrees. That said, it's time for America's brightest to dream small. Yesterday I had lunch with my friend Dana and we talked at length about how hard it is to find a job that harnesses your potential. When I look for work now, I apply for entry-level positions that almost always pay less than 30,000. These openings are mostly clerical positions that only "prefer" a degree. Now I know that it's possible that when I don't get these jobs it's not necessarily because there's something wrong with my resume. It means that one of the other 250,000 people that applied "fit their needs" a little better. My generation seems to be the generation of dreaming big what with our Obamarama and our iPods, but with this economy it's not unusual to see people like me with advanced degrees earning $8.25/hour working low stakes part-time jobs. While jobs like this can be fulfilling, it's unlikely that they lead to careers. Perhaps all of this strife will lead to a surging force of entrepreneurs. Maybe people with greater aspirations than myself will turn this economy around through their own gumption and innovative spirit. But it's hard not to feel that the odds are stacked against you when the competition is in the hundreds of thousands.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Visible City

I don't really have anything to say so I went to Austinist and found links to some great pictures of my city of almost exactly 5 months.

My current favorite yarn store in Austin (Hill Country Weavers):












Went to a UT basketball game yesterday. It was a little like this. Very fun, very Texas.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Some Thoughts on 2008

It's 2009. Zach and I celebrated New Years Eve with the following:

1) Gin + tonic + $4 champagne.

2) Buffalo wings from Wing Zone.

3) Getting hopelessly lost for an hour in the hills of Austin in order to skirt First Night going on downtown.

We comforted ourselves from our venture with season one of 30 Rock on dvd and five minutes of New Years Rockin' Eve in which Dick Clark reminded us all that he had been victim to a stroke in 2004. Thank you Mr. Clark for making my last moments of 2008 incredibly depressing with your countdown.
I'd say, all in all, it was fun. I think it was my first party-free year in a long time. I've found that moving to a new city with only a handful of work friends will make one a hermit. But it does wonders for your overall appreciation for all things comfy. I was in a sweatshirt and slippers by 11 and asleep before 1 a.m. I refuse to think that this tame start reveals anything about my upcoming year.