My (somewhat) Epic Weekend

Well readers, I'm going to stop making promises to the 5 of you, because I never seem to keep them.  Every time I tell you I’ll be better about writing, I actually get worse.  Which is just wrong.  I shouldn’t tease you like that.  So from now on, I'll just post when I get a chance and do my best to keep you updated.

That said, my apologies for taking so long to write another post.  But to tell you the truth, I haven't had much updating to do lately.  My life's been pretty boring the past few weeks...the roommates and I have been a little lame in our Austin excurstions.  The job search has continued to be soul sucking, and we've all had a few moments where we just haven't felt like doing much of anything.  So, I'm sorry for not keeping you up to speed on my every moment, but trust me, that would have been an insanely boring post.

I had a question from a lovely reader (shout out to Margot in France!) about the mouse situation, so here’s the update:  so far, we've had no more mouse sightings!  The sheet metal behind the refrigerator seems to be doing its job of keeping the mouse out of the apartment.  Do I miss our fourth roommate?  Not. At. All. I mean, would you miss something that left you chewed up carpet, half eaten bagels, and holes in your cabinets?  I didn't think so.

Now, I'm still hesitant to say that the mouse is gone for good - I seriously don't trust him - but so far, the coast is clear.  

As I've already said, the job search has been slow and uneventful, so we'll just breeze past that and move on.  It depresses me to talk about it, so I'd rather not, if that's ok with you.  And let me just say, if you have a job and haven't been through the job search thing in a while, I envy you.  A lot.

You may be wondering what the title of this post is referencing.  So far, I haven't mentioned anything about a weekend.  Well, like I was saying, we've been pretty boring lately.  Since we still have no cable, we've watched more movies than I've probably seen in the past year.  Including classics like Hocus Pocus and Casper (No, we're not eight years old.  Just reliving our childhood).  We also got a little crafty one evening and stenciled some bags (see below).  But after a somewhat rough week last week, we decided that this past weekend, we needed a little fun.  And some time outside of our apartment.

Sadly, this is about as crafty as I get, and that's a stencil

This past weekend also just happened to be my birthday (and yes, I am upset with those of you who didn't wish me happy birthday on my Facebook wall.  We'll exchange words later.), so it was a perfect opportunity for us to check out a little bit of the city.  Being the person that I am, I of course wanted to celebrate by exploring a new area we hadn’t seen before.  I know…typical Lucy, right? 

So on Saturday night, after watching Texas lose horribly to Oklahoma (let’s not even go there), we decided to brave the east side of Austin.  If you've never been to Austin, let me explain:  the east side (which means east of I-35) has a reputation for being the rougher part of Austin.  It's turning over, but it definitely has some patchy areas.  

But like all good grungy areas, there are some gems hidden in the mix.  And that’s what we wanted to discover – those places that not everyone knows about but that are filled with an eclectic mix of people, and where you can be sure you’re going to have some interesting conversations.

Now family members fear not:  we did not traverse the area alone.  Grey, who works in our leasing office, lives on the east side and graciously agreed to show us around the area.  We met up with him, where we proceeded to see an ample amount of plaid, cutoffs, and awesome mustaches (I’m talking about you, bouncer at Gypsy’s).  We went to bars with food trucks in the back, and we actually met people who don’t live in our apartment!  Don’t get me wrong – I love my roommates.  They are awesome, and they have made this Austin experience incredible.  At the same time, I think we’re all ready to meet some other people.  After a month of only each other’s company, we could use a little bit of change.  So it was awesome to hang out with Grey and meet his friends and experience a new side of Austin. 

Sunday was officially my birthday, and I spent it in about the most American way possible:  eating.  Seriously.  All day long, I basically did nothing but eat.  It was amazing.  And kind of like Thanksgiving. 

The roommates and I went to brunch at a place downtown called Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill.  They do a brunch buffet on Sundays, and it is incredible!  They have just about everything you can think of:  sweet potato casserole, French toast, broccoli casserole, eggs in like 6 different forms, bread pudding, salad, chicken fried steak…I could keep listing for days.  We actually got so full that we had to wait a good 20 minutes between plates 2 and 3 of our meal.  Yes, we had 3 plates of food.  Come on, it’s a buffet…go big or go home, right?  Plus, it was my birthday.  Oh, stop judging. 

After a meal like that, there was only one thing to do:  go home and nap.  So that’s exactly what we did.  The weather was perfect for that, too:  it was a little chilly and rainy, which Austin hasn’t seen in a long, long time.  I actually wore boots to brunch (which my sister proceeded to pick on me for because it was still like 75 to 80 degrees.  But I wasn’t the only one, Sarah…I saw several girls who couldn’t resist the urge to pull out the boots and tights). 

After our lazy afternoon, we trekked across the street to the Target that officially became a Super Target on my birthday (so glad they took my suggestion on that).  I love Target, so I was pretty stoked to go and explore the store and all of its amazing additions.  I even bought a movie, that 1990s classic Hook (hey Graybill grandchildren, did that just take you back to your childhood or what?).  Which we proceeded to watch when we got home.  Rufio!  Rufio! (For those familiar with the movie, feel free to chant now.)

Oh, and the eating wasn’t finished.  Not by a long shot.  We had my favorite, pot roast, along with Caitlin’s famous macaroni and cheese and some fried okra.  And for dessert, we had tiramisu.  Which I am proud to say, I made for the first time in my life!  See the photo below.

My tiramisu!

And that pretty much sums up my amazing weekend.  For some of you, that probably sounds totally lame.  And I get that.  It wasn’t crazy.  I didn’t go to a swanky party or some big concert.  But listen, I’m 24 now.  I’m getting old.  And I enjoy small bars, big meals, cool weather, and homemade dessert.  For me, it was pretty perfect.

If I disappointed this time, I’m sorry.  There were no scientifically engineered rodents.  No banana stands.  No festivals.  But if by some miracle you’re still interested in my adventures, keep checking back.  I’ll try to make it worth your while.

Bananagrams! (And Other Such Delights)

Hello lovely reader(s)!  I hope one day to be a bit more prompt and regular with these blog posts.  But hey, I'm new to this whole blog thing, so forgive me if it takes me a while to get into a rhythm.  I'll get there eventually, I'm sure.  I know you've been on the edge of your couch, wondering when my next post will be.  Because my life is so interesting that you can't possibly have anything better to do than wonder what I've been up to these past few days.  So here's your chance to live vicariously through me.

The last time we chatted, I was telling you about the mouse issue in our apartment (ah, living vicariously through me...aren't you glad you made that choice?).  I'll make this brief because, let's face it, no one really wants to read six paragraphs about the perils of three twenty-somethings and their unwanted rodent.

So here's the deal:  we think we have finally gotten rid of the mouse!  Last week, someone from the leasing office came with maintenance to look at the latest evidence of our "guest."  And let's just say he was pretty shocked at what he found.  The mouse had chewed a hole in the corner of the wall, behind our refrigerator.  There were literally bits of wall in a pile on the floor.  I'm telling you:  this is no ordinary mouse.  I'm convinced it's been scientifically engineered to torment humans.  And destroy homes.  A bit dramatic?  Perhaps, but you didn't see the evidence (unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. I'll work on that).

Anyway, maintenance nailed pieces of sheet metal to the wall behind the fridge (shout out to Ray!), and we haven't seen any more signs of our pet.  Now, considering the kind of brain that this mouse seems to have, as well as the tenacity its shown thus far, I refuse to say that he's gone for good.  But suffice it to say, he's at least taking a vacation from our apartment for a while.  And I haven't missed him.  Although I was looking forward to the fake owl they were going to put outside of our apartment in an attempt to scare him (how about that owl, Grey?).  Seriously, how cool would that be?  We could nonchalantly tell all of the friends we haven't made yet, "Which apartment is ours?  Oh, you know, the one with the owl outside."  Sweet.

Ok, so I'll keep the mouse debacle to three paragraphs and move on to the rest of my fabulous life.  In between job searching (seriously, kill me now), the roomies and I have managed to have a little fun.  Sometimes, you just need to take a break and get out.  Like when you try to drop your resume off at a few temp agencies, only to discover that the first one is no longer in business and the third one is for manual labor (perhaps the title, "Labor Ready" should have been a hint), which is a noble endeavor, but not quite my calling.

So we'll just skip past all the tedium and move swiftly along to the in-between.  Last Wednesday was Joanna's birthday, so we decided to paint the town red, if you will, and continue our exploration of downtown.  We began at a bar called The Ginger Man, which has an insane amount of beers on tap.  It has a great vibe - dark wood indoors, and a nice patio area in the back with tables and benches.  We sat on the patio with our brews and chatted a bit before making our way to Sixth Street.  We decided to hit up the Blind Pig, a bar on Dirty Sixth with a rooftop patio.  This is where we were introduced to the amazing live musical stylings of Ben Cina.  

Let me tell you why I like Ben.  Those of you who were in middle or high school in the 90s, listen up:  do you remember those lovely R&B classics, such as Sweet Lady, All My Life, and Killing Me Softly (Fugees style)?  For those of you who missed these gems, bear with me:  I'll move along in a sec.  Well, Mr. Cina put his own spin on these tunes, revamping them with the help of his guitar and his drummer.  It was like traveling back in time, but remembering things a little differently.

We certainly enjoyed ourselves at the Blind Pig, but not as much as the lady in front of us did when Ben started playing Cee lo Green.  There's nothing like a lady in Birkenstocks shaking her head and wagging her finger to make my night.

This past weekend, we had what may have been our most "Austin" day yet.  On Saturday, we attended the Pecan Street Festival, which basically consisted of tons of local artisans and vendors setting up tents on Sixth Street, selling their crafts.  We walked around, looking at jewelry, rocking chairs, and even a petting zoo, where Joanna laughed harder at two goats butting heads than any of the children around us.  It was awesome.

Equally awesome was the musical duo that performed in marching band uniforms.  I'm not sure how they managed to make it through their entire set without passing out, since it was literally 100 degrees.  Now that's dedication to your work.

Next came Bananarchy, the absolutely amazing banana stand on South Lamar.  Let me tell you:  if you've never had a frozen banana dipped in chocolate and rolled in peanuts, you are missing out.  It. Is. Amazing.  A taste of heaven might sound a bit extreme, but you wouldn't be saying that if you actually tried one.  Oh, and the Arrested Development theme of the stand (the Gob, Afternoon Delight) only added to my affinity for this establishment (I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the obscene amount of AD jokes that are going to be littered throughout this blog).  As did the Bananagrams.  Please see below.

 There's always money in the banana stand

Bananagrams! (with some lovely letter improvisation by Joanna) 

We ended our night by going to Baker Street Pub, where local band Dysfunkshun Junkshun was playing (the English major in me just died a little while typing that).  The band was great:  I mean, how can you go wrong with a saxophonist in plaid pants and a singer with an afro wig?  But as the evening wore on, and we realized that the bar patrons were getting older and older, we decided it was time to call it a night.

Alright, I've been rambling on for long enough, so I'll sum up by giving you a rundown of yesterday. We spent the afternoon in what is undoubtedly my favorite corner in Austin.  And where my entire paycheck (once I get one) will probably go.  Imagine having a bookstore, a record store, an amazing clothing store, and a massive upscale grocery store all in one place.  Sounds too good to be true, right?  Not so, my friend.  In this wonderfully designed town, it is a reality.  Book People.  Waterloo Records.  Anthropologie.  Whole Foods.  For a book/music/fashion/food junkie like me, this is basically everything I could want in one place.  If only Bananarchy would set up a satellite location here, then I'd be set.

It's everything I can do not to just run around blindly, grabbing things off of the shelves and pushing people out of the aisles if they dare step in my way.

It's also one of the most depressing corners in Austin because I have to remind myself that I indeed cannot afford to take entire shelves of merchandise and shove them in my Volvo.  Oh irony, you cruelest of sirens!

Well, once again, this blog post is quite long (too long), so I'll shut up now.  If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me.  You sure know how to make a girl feel special.

Like I said, I'll try not to wait so long between posts next time.  Who knows, maybe I won't write a novel.  But I wouldn't bet on it.

My Journey to the Blogosphere (By way of Georgia, and Alabama, and Louisiana...)

Dear family, friends, and any randoms who may have stumbled upon this website,

I have officially bitten the bullet.  I’ve joined the blogosphere.  It’s something that’s been recommended to me for a while, and I’ve been meaning to sit down and actually create one of these things.  But you know how it goes:  you make this perpetual “To Do” list that just sits there, and you somehow seem to add things to it constantly without ever actually crossing anything off.  It just grows and grows, and all of a sudden you look down and you have three years of tasks that you’ve never completed, which only serves to overwhelm you more, and you end up shoving the whole list back in your desk drawer, hoping you won’t discover it again for quite some time.  Or maybe never.

Well, the blog has kind of been that way for me.  As an English major, I kind of feel like I’m supposed to have a blog.  I mean, I majored in writing, for goodness sake…isn’t it like a requirement or something in 2011 for all recent English majors to have one?  But alas, I’ve been putting this off, for one reason or another.  It just seemed like so much pressure.  What should I write about?  What do I have to say?  What if it’s boring?  Oh God, am I going to bore my readers?

And then I thought, Seriously, Lucy.  What kind of a blog do you think this is going to be?  I mean honestly, how many people do you think are going to read this?

Now, I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer over here or anything, with this self-deprecating thinking.  It’s just that I realized that this is just a blog.  One of the thousands or millions on the Internet.  It’s not like they’re going to publish an article about it on CNN or do a story about it on NPR.  It’s just the thoughts and experiences of a 20-something-year-old in America.

And so, with this move to Austin, I’ve realized that the easiest way to keep up with everyone from home is probably going to be through a blog.  Instead of trying to call or e-mail everybody I know and update them about my adventures in the capital city of Texas, I can write it all down and share it at once.  Much simpler.  Much faster.  And a whole lot less hassle for me, if I’m being honest.

Ok, now that I’ve given you a history about my reasons for starting this thing, I’ll try to be brief about my stay so far.  Now, for those of you who know me, being brief in my writing is not my strong suit.  So I make no promises .

Most of my time has been spent job searching.  Ugh.  I hate it.  Cover letters, resumes, job search websites, applications…it’s such a process.  And it can take forever.  Sometimes you just need a break (I’m actually writing this post as a respite from my job searching).

But it’s all part of the joyous moving process.  I’d love for someone to walk up to me on the street and hand me a job, or for something to fall from the sky saying, “Congratulations, Lucy!  Your search is over!  Here’s the perfect job for you!”  Now, so far, that hasn’t happened, but if it does, you can believe that I’ll be blogging about it.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the move so far has been the addition of a fourth roommate.  For those of you who don’t know, I moved to Austin with Joanna, one of my best friends from high school, and Caitlin, one of my best friends from college.  We found an apartment in a great location, just south of downtown.  When we moved in, we thought it would be just the three of us.  We soon discovered, though, that our apartment already had an inhabitant.  In the shape of a mouse.

Awesome.  Less than a week after we moved, we found a box of English muffins partially eaten through.  We set out traps, called maintenance, and had a pest control worker come check things out.  But our little friend just won’t leave.  In the past two and a half weeks, we’ve found chewed up bagels, gnawed up carpet, half-eaten bread, and holes underneath the cabinet in my bathroom with teeth marks.

 Delightful.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to be sharing my bathroom with a mouse.  As the only roommate with her own bedroom, I was missing a bit of companionship.  Clearly, the mouse picked up on this.

Maintenance came in yesterday and placed boards over the holes that the mouse had eaten under the cabinets, and they’ve caulked other holes that were found in the apartment.  So hopefully, we won’t see him again.

Aside from the mouse, we’ve just been exploring the city a bit.  There’s so much to see and do that I know we’ve barely scratched the surface.  We did have a great time doing some Austin City Limits people watching last weekend, though.  That festival certainly brings a diverse group of people to the city.  Nothing beats sitting in a bar, watching hoards of people walk down Sixth Street (affectionately dubbed Dirty Sixth) after they’ve consumed a few drinks.  Except maybe participating in a Monty Python quote-along (complete with inflatable swords and coconuts).

So that pretty much sums up our first few weeks.  We’ve seen a little, spent way too much time in front of our computers, and dealt with our first unwanted guest. 

And so begins our journey in this wonderful new city.  What’s next?  Watching the bats from the Congress Avenue Bridge?  Stopping by the frozen banana stand (there’s always money in the banana stand)?  Celebrating Eeyore’s birthday (wait, that’s not until April)?  Honestly, I have no idea, but I’ll do my best to keep this updated. 

So welcome to my blog, and thanks for making it through to the end.  And if by some miracle you enjoy reading my thoughts, I’ll do my best to keep it interesting.