Unexpected pleasures

We live fairly close to the Central Market on West Gate, and tend to head over there maybe once a week for lunch or dinner in the cafe. We went after the gym tonight because neither of us felt like cooking (Rob never feels like cooking, for the record, but he makes a mean omelet when I can guilt him into it). I always forget that there is live music on Wednesdays in the Central Market Cafe, so I'm always pleasantly surprised when we show up for dinner on the right night. It's usually a small country or blues band that sets up in one corner. Tonight was a blues band that sounded fantastic! I tend to get a bit overwhelmed by the music scene in Austin. I am paralyzed by the multitude of options and tend to either luck into things or miss them altogether. Hitting Central Market on the right night to enjoy tasty food AND great local musicians is one of my favorite little things about where I live. Plus, I now have half and half for tomorrow's coffee. Bonus. 

A serious vampire kick

I've been reading a lot lately and thought I'd throw out some titles in case you're in need of some recommendations. But first, a suggestion, do not tell people about the vampire-themed book you're reading unless you really want to hear about some other vampire book you ought to be reading. I'm just saying. It's gotten me into a bit of a rut.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer (The first movie is out next month so you better get on it)

Sookie Stackhouse series - starting with Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (The True Blood HBO series is based on these. The tv show is ok, but a tad melodramatic. The books are awesome.)

Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson (I haven't actually read this yet, but see my suggestion above for a hint as to how it got into my collection)

Now for a few non-vampire books.

Marley & Me by John Grogan (Another soon to be a movie - very sweet)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Again soon to be a movie - one of my very favorite books)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (This is my favorite book ever)

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (The very best Bill Bryson book - hilarious!)

Deep down, I'm still 16

How else to explain why I am so ridiculously excited by the fact that the final trailer for Twilight is out? The movie comes out one week before my birthday. The proximity may come in handy when I'm badgering Rob to accompany me to a midnight show. 

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

Nike+ pics from Brook

My friend, Brook, brought her camera along for our speedy stroll through Austin as we took part in the Nike Human Race a while back. As promised, here's evidence from her camera:

How did I get here?

"I fell in love with Austin while I was a student at UT." That's a very summary explanation of what many people tell me when I ask why they decided to settle in Austin. It all makes perfect sense to me, since it's my story too. I took a detour through Southern California after graduation, but I never got over Austin. I'll always be grateful to the University of Texas for giving me my first opportunity to discover this town. I mean, I could have left Texas thinking the best thing a university town had to offer was College Station. That would have just been sad. (Just kidding Kelly... sort of)

One thing I more recently adore about UT is the advertising campaign. I've seen what some other universities use, and they really need a better advertising budget. Narrated by Walter Cronkite (hey, if you had him as an alumnus, you'd be giving him a call too), these ads are a mix of inspiring and amusing. I highly recommend following this link to watch a few of the spots. My favorites are "Soul", "Horns Up", and "Breakfast Tacos". 

 You could also just watch a UT football game, since the ads run during the commercials then. Besides, who doesn't want to watch "Colt McCoy"? I defy you to tell me that isn't the best name ever  for a football player from Texas. Second best goes to "Major Applewhite". I think there is some kind of screening process for these things. 

Do you want to be responsible for this?

I'm just going to let the Austin Chronicle say it for me. Texas deadline is today people!

ACL is great... I imagine

For the last two years I've followed a simple set of steps regarding the Austin City Limits Festival:

Step 1- Tickets become available and I tell myself I'll wait to see who signs on to the lineup.

Step 2- Tickets start to rise in price and/or run out and I convince myself that there won't be enough bands of interest to me to justify the cost.

Step 3- The full lineup is announced and I stick my head in the sand so that I won't be tempted to pay the now highest price for tickets.

Step 4- ACL weekend arrives (last weekend to be exact) and I hear about the ridiculous number of bands I would LOVE to see and I proceed to kick myself for not buying tickets in the first place.

I'm going next year... seriously.