Drive-by

I was subject to a drive-by statue dressing yesterday. The horror of having your statue defaced in such an inappropriate manner is just too traumatic to discuss. The only way to explain the horror that I experienced is to post a picture.

Thanks friends! My poor statue is even more confused about his sexuality than he ever was before!

Ready to break free!

I haven't had much of an opportunity to go anywhere in Austin lately. I moved two weeks ago and then last weekend I went out of town. Next week is spring break, so I need something fun to do. I would love suggestions from anyone that would like to share. I'm going to be on my own a lot, since Mike has to work, so I need thing to keep me busy. If anyone wants to volunteer to help keep me occupied with things to do, give me a shout out! :)

My Life Issues

It's funny how one minute you can be panicky and think that everything is crashing around you and then the next you can feel really great about the direction that things are taking. I think because of my recent home purchase, I started obsessing on the fact that everything could all fall apart and we would be unable to make ends meet. I guess I just had to put everything in perspective and realize that something could happen, but it will all work out in the end.

My sister said I was panicking because I've never had to work too hard for anything and I have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. I really don't think that is the case. I work on making things happen for myself. Some things come easier than others, but they all come because of things I put into place. I have had several let-downs, but looking back, they have almost all been in my best interest. Sometimes it takes a long time to realize that!

I've been self-obsessing for a while now. It's time for me to move on to obsessions about other things. I just don't really know what I should focus on right now. I should really obsess about unpacking, but I'm just plain tired of it! Maybe I should obsess about getting my weight under control! Oops! I think I'm back on self-absorption again.

It's my life!

I've been trying to come up with some new ideas of what to blog about. Lately, I haven't gone anywhere new in Austin. (And, now that we are buying a house, we will be too broke to actually go anywhere anyways!) I got one suggestion in a comment to write about them, but since they are anonymous, I don't know who they are! LOL!

This week is really a stressful week for me. Today was TAKS, tomorrow I am closing on my house, we're moving, and this weekend I'm supposed to take some kind of assessment for the doctoral program. Why does everything have to happen at once? It never fails!

The moving would not really be so bad if you didn't have to get all new utilities services every time. I'm beginning to be a pro at this since this will be my third (and hopefully) final move in one year. It's crazy that even though I haven't moved more than 20 miles each time, there have been completely different utility companies at all three places. This means new deposits each move. (I was very lucky in my old house to get to just assume the payments on the utilities that were already there, so I never had to go through this until a year ago!)

New House

My new house is almost liveable! It looks like they have already done the majority of the work. They mostly have touch-up things to do to get it ready for us. We are supposed to close mid-February! I can't wait!!!!

Purple Uggs

For those of you that read my myspace blog, sorry for the repeat. I'm bored!

Last summer, I found some purple Uggs at Marshalls for $18.00. How exciting. Uggs normally cost around $100 or more. All the stars wear Uggs. I need these Uggs, I said. So I bought them. My husband laughed at me and said they were the ugliest shoes ever. It never gets cold in Texas, so they serve no purpose! UNTIL this week! I remembered my Uggs this weekend and wore them out to eat at the Driskill. My feet felt warm, and I laughed when I saw several children running around barefoot. Maybe I was overexaggerating the chilliness as usual. But, I was wearing my new Uggs!

Today, I took my dogs out and decided to unscrape the ice off my car. I put my Uggs back on and proceeded to walk across the apartment complex! How empowering it was to walk around with warm feet amongst all the ice. Now that my car was de-iced, I felt like it was a great time to venture out of my apartment complex, that I had barely left since the ice began.

I made my way up to the closest Starbucks and sat there for about an hour drinking coffee, studying and wearing my Uggs! I even felt comfortable enough to take off my jacket, since my feet were still warm. I'm sure that everyone was jealous.

Now I'm back to the warmth of my apartment, bored to tears, writing about shoes and wishing that I could find somewhere else to go wearing my purple Uggs!

Snow Day

How did you spend your snow day? I stayed home and watched movies all day. Did anyone do anything productive or interesting?

Chopsticks Wednesday!

I feel compelled to remind everyone that tomorrow is Chopsticks Wednesday! What will you be eating with your chopsticks? I will probably be figuring out a way to eat a Lean Cuisine with mine!

If you haven't joined the group yet, you can find the invite in my previous posts about Chopsticks Wednesday! Join today, it's not too late!

Rules of Austin

I have run across this before and laughed. Saw it again today and thought it would be appropriate here. (And if the third one is true to anyone, it stands for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad that runs down the middle.)

Rules of Austin

~First, it's pronounced AWS-TUN. It doesn't matter how they say it in other places.

~Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Austin has its own set of traffic rules. There's no book about them. All you can do is get in your car and hope you survive to learn them.

~All directions start with "Go down Mopac...'cause you don't want to get on I-35." No one knows for sure what 'Mopac' means.~Burnet Road, Braker Lane, and Lamar Blvd. have no beginning and no end.

~It is impossible to go around a block and wind up on the same street that you started on. The Chamber of Commerce calls this a scenic drive.

~ The 8:00am rush hour is from 6:30am to 9:30am. The 5:00pm rush hour is from 3:30p to 7:15pm. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.

~If you actually stop at a yellow light, then you cannot be from Austin. You may only apply your brakes when the end of a yellow light and thebeginning of the red light create a burnt-orange hue. This is Longhorn Country, after all.

~If you like being an individual, don't even think of working for Dell. You'll be branded like cattle and made to walk all over town with your DellTag around your neck or clipped on to your belt loop. Ninety-eight percent of the people within a 200 mile radius work for Dell. When someone says "Michael Dell", Dell employees are trained to face Round Rock, hit their knees, put their face to the ground, weep, and rock back and forth.

~Just remember that Mopac IS Loop 1, 1325, and Burnet Rd; Capital of Texas Hwy IS 360; U.S.183 IS Research Blvd and North/South Bell Blvd Anderson Lane, Ed Bluestein Blvd. and OldBastrop Hwy; Ben White IS 290 and HWY 71; 2222 IS Northland Dr. or Allendale Rd. or Koenig Lane. Don't try to figure it out. Just accept it. If you question the intelligence behind this naming convention, people will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you.

~If moisture is determined to be rain, and not sweat, all traffic must immediately come to a screeching halt; ditto for daylight savings time,a female UT student applying eye-shadow across the street, or a flat tire three lanes over.

~DO NOT attempt to access any road after an apocalyptic event like snow or SXSW (South by Southwest Music Convention). Construction on I-35 AND U.S. 183 is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. Get used to it!

~Attn: All telephone solicitors...DO NOT correct my pronunciation when I say I live in Manchaca, TX. It's pronounced MAN-shack (just like aman living in shack). Also realize that the city of Manchaca (MANshack) is in Hays and Travis Counties, and there is also a very long street inAustin named Manchaca (MANshack)! The city of Manor and Manor Rd. are pronounced 'MAY-ner'. We don't like corrections on that either. And, for God's sake, DON'T pronounce the 'E' at the end of Guadalupe. It's Gwada-LOOP and we like it that way!

~Burnet Road is pronounced BURN-it, not Bur-NET. Koenig Lane is pronounced KAE-nig not KOE-nig. The old airport (Robert Mueller) ispronounced Robert Miller and is on Airport Boulevard. The new airport (Austin-Bergstrom) is no where near Airport Boulevard. It's in the cityof Del Valle pronounced Dell Valley!

~Keep in mind that the sloppily dressed 'hippie' in worn-out sandals and earrings is probably the latest IPO millionaire around here.

~Stay away from the Congress Ave. bridge at sundown if you do not like the thought of being in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. (Largest MexicanFree Tail Bat Population in the US)

~And, yes, we all know that there's a man in a teddy and a tiara on Congress Ave. It's Leslie and he probably makes more money than you do. (Surely, you have a homeless, celebrity drag queen that likes to run for Mayor where you live, too, right

**And you wonder why there are so many bumper stickers that say 'Keep Austin Weird'!**

Central Market and tea

Central Market has to be the most fantastic grocery store in the world. We finally went to the one in Austin on Lamar. I have only been to the ones in Dallas in the past and I truly enjoyed the experience there, but I have to admit, that I like the Austin one so much better. Their restaurant is nicer and the store has a more small grocery store feel than the other ones I've been to, even though it's probably just as large.

While I was there last night, I decided I was going to become a tea drinker! I bought some Mighty Leaf Tea to start out my new drinking regime. I was so excited about it, that I even dreamt about how good the tea was going to taste. I thought about it all through my morning routine. Then when it was time to eat, I decided that I would wait until I got to work, so I could show off that I was a tea drinker. I got to work this morning and realized that I had forgotten the tea at home. No tea today. I guess tomorrow I will start the tea drinking!

Chopsticks Wednesday

I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is Chopsticks Wednesday. In case you don't remember, you only eat with your chopsticks on Chopsticks Wednesdays. Makes sense, right?

If you want to make this fun, you can post what you ate with your chopsticks in the comments section of this blog. You can also join the group of chopsticks fanatics through this link.


Click to join chopstix

Barton Creek Mall

We went to see a movie yesterday at Barton Creek Mall. We went there about two hours early so we could eat first. There are only two sit down restaurants at that mall. I'm used to running out to North Park in Dallas, where there's a restaurant on just about any corner. Well, there are two at Barton Creek. You have your choice between California Pizza and Nordstrums Bistro. Both of them were crowded, but we opted for the pizza. While we waited, we did a little mall walking. It was fun.

After eating we went to see the movie at the theater in the mall. It's an AMC theater, which is probably my favorite. They have good seats at the AMC's and they are stadium-style seating. We saw The Good Shepherd, with just about every star imaginable. Even with all that star power, it really wasn't that great of a movie. It could have been. It just has a weak story-line.

Either way, I had a great time wasting the day away with my husband. We don't get many opportunities like that. Usually, we're both on the go!

Backyards

We spent the better part of yesterday going through model homes to get ideas for backyard landscaping. My husband really wants to have a nice patio in our new backyard. My in-laws gave us money to either do a patio or get something else that is needed. (I think we need a kitchen table, but what do I know!) We saw some nice yards, but I don't think any of them really go with our backyard. If we have to have some kind of deck, I prefer the ones made out of large stone or slate though.

Exercise!

It's getting really close to New Year's, so that means it's time to start planning our Resolutions! As usual, my plan is to lose weight. I went out and bought an exercise ball. I went to a trainer that had me do some exercises with an exercise ball that were not too hard to do. I found a whole set with a ball, band and some waist belt thing at TJ Maxx while I was in Dallas.

Yesterday seemed like a great time to get it out and blow it up. I spent a whole lot of time blowing it up and when I took the pump out, the air went out with it. For some reason, they forgot to pack the plug in there. So, we went to the TJ Maxx on Great Hills and exchanged it for a good one.

I got the thing blown up now, so I guess I should use it.

Blog Features

I have been updating some of my blog features. I'm still in the learning stages of blogging. The newest feature is that you can subscribe to get my blog postings directly to your email. You can do this by subscribing to my blog through feedblitz. The location of the subscribe button is on the right of my blog where it has a space to put your email address and then hit subscribe me. This way you don't have to go to the feeds just to read the blog. Of course, there are several feeds you can continue to subscribe to as well.

I have really enjoyed blogging. If anyone has any suggestion for blog ideas or anything else that is helpful, make sure to comment! :)

Chopstix Wednesday

Tomorrow is Chopstix Wednesday. My friend "Natalia" invented this weekly holiday. The gist of Chopstix Wednesday is that you only eat with chopsticks on Wednesdays, (hmm, pretty self explanatory)! The exception to using chopsticks is that you can eat with your hands if that is the normal way of eating the food, i.e. tacos. You can also use a spoon. You are just not allowed to eat with a fork or any other utensil with tines.

I like the idea of Chopstix Wednesday, because it slows down the food consumption and you eat less. I am extra excited about this week's experience, because my sister bought me new chopsticks for Christmas! YAY!

UPDATE:
"Natalia" created a new group to help keep Chopstick Wednesday alive! Feel free to join and leave your mark on the group site. If you are the first person to comment, email your address and she'll ship you a brand new pair of chopsticks! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chopstix
Come and join the fun!

Avalon's

One of the most traumatic parts of moving to a new town is trying to figure out where to get your hair cut. I was very lucky that I found the right place to go the first time out! I had been driving by Avalon hair salon all the time when I first moved to Austin. I actually tried to go to another place as a walk-in and they couldn't take me. I remembered Avalon and walked over there and they said that Anna had a spot later in the day! The first time around I decided to play it safe and just get my hair trimmed. She did a really good job, so when I went yesterday, I decided I could be a little more bold, since I now trusted her. She takes her time and is not upset if you ask her to trim a little more after she is done. She cut my hair just the way I wanted it! I would highly recommend Avalon and especially Anna!

Collar search

My dog needs a new collar. The last one I bought was from the Pet Boutique on Garland Rd. in Dallas. It is black with small diamonds all around it. The collar has lost most of the diamonds and it is time to replace it.

Where do you go to find specialty items for dogs in Austin? I still haven't figured it out. I went online and found Bark 'n Purr on Burnet, so I drove over there to find the perfect collar for my little precious one. I looked at the store optimistically as I drove up since it had a Best of Austin sign in the window. I was sadly disappointed when I went inside and found your typical dog stuff inside. I asked the guy if he knew where I could find some specialty items for dogs. He was kind of rude and said that was it. I pushed a little and he directed me down the street.

I went up Burnet a little further to the Camp 4 Paws. I wasn't really sure if it was open, but I got out of my car to check anyway! Luckily, the store was open!! This is the cutest little place. They have really cool clothes and some really nice collars. Unfortunately, they didn't have exactly what I was looking for, but I will go back another time when I want to buy clothes. I talked to the nicest lady and she told me that she had seen a dog store in Davenport Village over on Capital of Texas Hwy. She wasn't sure if it was open or not, but that was her best guess.

I went to Davenport Village next. I saw a great sign announcing the Yuppie Puppie! Yea! I'm sure at this point that they will have exactly what I'm looking for. Sadly, as I got closer, I found that the store was closed. :( I didn't find my collar today.

I will be in Dallas this weekend, so I hope I will get the opportunity to go to the Pet Boutique and find a new collar. If anyone knows of any good pet boutiques in Austin, please let me know!!

Free At Last

I'm finally on holiday for the Christmas break! Where does the time go?? I plan to use the free time to shop, try new things and visit family and friends. I will be going to Dallas for the part of the holiday, so I may have to do some Dallas blogs to keep things moving. (I'm sure there is somewhere I haven't been in Dallas). Then I plan to go to McAllen, Tx for New Years. There are definitely places there that I haven't been!

I'm thinking about using some of my free time to watch movies. If you haven't gotten Netflix yet, I highly recommend it. I am on the unlimited two movies at a time plan. I love it. The movies come directly to your house, you never have late fees, and I'm rarely without a movie. I work it out so that I watch one movie, mail it in and by the time I watch another one, I have a new movie in the mail. I have about 70 movies in my queue and I'm constantly adding more. Another bonus is that you can rent whole series. I've watched Veronica Mars Series one and two, Lost season one and two and Da Ali G show season one and two. It's a great way to get caught up on some of those shows that build on the one before so you can start watching the series in real time! If I was renting from the video store, I wouldn't watch them because I would feel guilty about spending the money. Since I'm unlimited on the number of dvd's, I don't feel guilty!! There is usually about a two day turn around on movies.

Home

Front View
Backyard
Fireplace
Master Bath

I never thought that I would be the type of person that would live in a planned community. I've always been the one looking down my nose at the people that live in those type neighborhoods. I always get confused because the houses all look alike. Plus, I never wanted to live in a suburb.

Well, here I am in Austin buying a home in one of the quirkiest towns in Texas in a planned community in a suburb.

Actually, we looked all around Austin for several months trying to find a house with good square footage with an affordable price tag. The best we could find was about 1700 sq. ft. in our price range. The houses were tiny and the neighborhoods looked like the ones your mother always warned you about. So, we decided to look in one of "those" neighborhoods.

Well, I was really suprised. I could build a pretty big house without going broke. Plus, I get the opportunity to pick the things that I want in a house. We got to pick a floor plan, the color brick, the tile, the countertops, the paint...just about EVERYTHING!! It has been really exciting.

One of the drawbacks to doing this is that you begin to question your taste. It's hard to tell what the whole house is going to look like by one brick, but so far, I've been really pleased with how it's all coming together. The only other thing that I've found to be a problem, is the amount of time that it takes. It's really not so bad, but I really am not into the apartment life.

If you ever have the opportunity to do this, I highly recommend it! It's the one opportunity I have to have a house just the way I want it!! I can't wait to move in!