AUSTIN - Live Music Capital of The World

Graduation is a four-letter word for college seniors. The endless questions from anxious parents, praying hopefully that their 120k investment pays off for the kid…mostly in the way of a Ferrari and a New York City penthouse.

For masters’ graduates, the future has been swept under the rug for far longer. When their peers were scurrying, crying, and worrying about their interviews or faltering job prospects, these captains of industry (in their minds anyway) retreated into their books, thesis writing and nights of drinking. My graduating cousin, Cristiana, in turn, felt liberated. From Tulane to UT-Austin, non-stop, she’s actually relieved to find work and a new environment when she moves to Seattle in the fall. She asked me to come visit for the graduation weekend, arguably the busiest time for UT-Austin’s 50,000 students.  People graduate, people move out, people move in, the expiration of the last year reverberates through the town.

From the major delays prevalent in the US airline industry today, I unfortunately never even made the graduation ceremony.  Landing in Austin after missing a connection from Houston late in the evening, all I wanted to do was grab a slice and drink a brew.  But this is Texas, and they do things differently here.

The Parlor
I walked with the graduate (my cousin, Cristiana) to “The Parlor” for a late nite pie & brew with Boyfriend, her parents, her roommate’s parents…you get the picture. We ordered the Dejay & Pete’s, and while I loved their vegan options, no one would go in with me.

It is Tejas, after all. I’m a pizza baker’s daughter, and while this pizza - think crispy, thin crust and a mountain of toppings - did impress, I’m siding with my parents on this one.

1886 Café & Bakery

Staffed by the famous Tony Sansalone and Scott Halverson, the 1886 Café & Bakery simply has the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had.  I know I probably shouldn’t say that, but I don’t have the patience for indecisiveness and redundancy. So, I applied for one university early decision and visited two others in the event that I had failed so horrifically in high school that I didn’t get into my first choice. University of Texas-Austin was one of those schools and 1886 was a major deciding factor.

I went to Texas with my father some time before the applications were due.  We share an affinity for chocolate in the way monks love God. Hell, isn’t chocolate a religion anyway?

1886 is a classy, white tablecloth sort of place nudged inside the Driskill Hotel with a beautiful patio overlooking the pedestrians on Sixth Street, the main thoroughfare. Since vacation is no time for a diet, I proceed and order the “Hippy Hollow” skillet and the aforementioned chocolate cake.

My cousin gives me a knowing smirk as I tuck into my egg-and-potato skillet delight. What I don’t know and what comes to light later, the “Hippy Hollow”…might actually be an elderly nudie beach near Lake Travis.

Mean-Eyed Cat

In this badass, not-monkeying around hard-drinking establishment, Chris Marsh has made a shrine to Johnny Cash the likes of which have never been seen (outside of a private trailer park, that is). “Mean-Eyed Cat”, named after one of Cash’s classics, has been lauded by everyone from Conde Nast Traveler (my personal fave…well….I think we know why) to CMT News.

Salt Lick

Growing up in Maryland, we have loads of crabs, and crab-smashing parties. BBQ escapes me somewhat and I guess I can’t be called a real Southerner for that. Trying to make for my lack of eduation, it’s been my goal to (try, anyway) visit the best BBQ smokehouses in the country. At Syracuse, I always was a sucker for the Chicken Diablo platter (before I was a red-meat eater) at Dinosaur BBQ and haven’t been able to find a decent BBQ place (besides Dino) in the city since I graduated. Needless to say, Salt Lick was a delicious, delicious surprise.

Salt Lick is about 25 minutes outside Austin proper but it’s so worth it. Just look at this sausage! We pulled into a extremely large (think state-fair large) parking lot where, literally, the Po-lice was helping park cars. There were 18 of us in our party, sitting around huge platters of BBQ chicken, grilled sausage, coleslaw & brisket, savoring every last bite.

Ohh baby when I came back to Manhattan I was cravin’ some TEXAS bbq (the only BBQ in my opinion)…lucky for New Yawkers, we have our very own Salt Lick bbq stand, courtesy of Big Apple BBQ Block Party . Yes, I waited for 30 minutes to enjoy a delicious brisket & white bread sandwich. If you know what I’m talking about, who wouldn’t?

A week ago I went to my first (judeo-christian) wedding! A true sign of age, I dare say. The happy couple are my (but mostly Alex’s) friends K & L, fabulous urban professionals in Westchester Co, but they married in Syracuse, NY, where they met and went to school (like me!). They are on their honeymoon in the Caribbean now so I thought I’d keep the happy feelings going on this here blog. Boyfriend was the Best Man (but not best enough to snag L, har har) and shipped off to CNY the wednesday before the wedding to enjoy the planning…i.e. the bachelor party (i know the details and give myself credit for the ideas).On Friday I arrived for the rehearsal dinner at Pascale Wine Bar:   

Tres classy, oui? I am definitely channeling some Carrie Bradshaw feelings and Boyfriend is looking wonderful with his eclectic tie choices!

Reception was at the Syracuse Sheraton. I don’t do this “catch the bouquet” thing, but L later told me “everybody was out there, I was shocked!” And I can tell, do you SEE anyone out there besides women? Also, good to know that it’s not a faux pas to use a fake bouquet to throw. When you spent upwards of $100 on yours, why throw that away?

 Another awful wedding “tradition” I hate, but L, classy as always, used a different approach. 

 And yes, we all did go to Chuck’s after. Everyone except K & L, that is. 

I didn’t want much consolation for this because I just…don’t do the attention thing. But now that it’s been a week, I am unbound and able to talk about the best thing that’s happened to my mother & I in the past few years. 

 I have never felt death before. My grandfather died when I was first born and nothing besides a few goldfish since — so you can see how this would be a pretty big deal. He made everyone happy and put a smile on everyone’s face every day he lived. We will miss you so much lil’ Caes! 

A good mix of scrambles to start the day. The trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been chucked into the UK web-sphere but landed on American ground as well (of course). After numerous failed attempts to read Harry Potter to the Boyfriend (he still asks me to read to him, I am slightly too tired), I think we’ll just have to stick to watching the films. So here goes:  

I am happy.   

Whatever it is, it is amazing. Just go to jibjab.com and you can make your own talking head. Make it dance, make it cry, make it zoom in on “your” breasts…you’re an internet celebrity. Live the dream.

Super exciting news I learned about just today, but has been out for nearly a week (oops). Seems like Barbie is getting another makeover - a supernaturally awesome makeover. In October, they are releasing “Black Canary Barbie” after the famous DC Comics superhero. They’ve done this before (enter Catwoman Barbie) so it’s not terribly new news, but again and again the religious right wants to come in and stomp out all the fun we liberals and our perverted minds want to have.

Everyone in the blogosphere is trying to say how trashy this new Barbie is and it’s really annoying how much people just read a couple of sentences about it and make a judgement. I grew up reading Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Daredevil and Black Canary (among others. I love comics!) and used my Barbie and Ken dolls to recreate the fight scenes from the comics. Of course, back in the 90’s there were no superhero costumes (just neon jumpsuit costumes!) and so I’d have to improvise. Or I’d get lazy, get the Barbies naked and use my imagination to fill in the rest. Justice League, anyone?

The part of the whole drama that perturbs me is that everyone takes a gander at Black Canary Barbie and judge her by today’s standards. Do they know that she was created in 1947 by male animators!? She’s a post-war symbol for female empowerment (I like to believe). Her fishnets are characteristic of her costume. Yes, costume. On Jezebel, they think she’s 80’s. On Perez, they think she is a street walker (except for one awesome commentator - heath - who delightfully retorts “Pants get in the way of fighting crime!)

So people, please. It’s a superhero. You don’t have to buy it if you don’t want to (I would if I had a daughter). But stop giving these stupid Christian conservatives ammunition - these are the people who thought Tinky Winky was gay, remember? And he still hasn’t come out!

Dreamworks has set up three websites to promote Ben Stiller and his movie “Tropic Thunder”, coming out this August. They are part of a viral marketing campaign to introduce “Tugg Speedman”, Ben Stiller’s character in “Tropic Thunder” to an unsuspecting audience, not unlike the famously fun “Why So Serious?” website to promote the new Batman installment “The Dark Knight”.

Tugg Speedman has his own website and websites for his movies “Simple Jack” and “Scorcher 6″ which chronicle Tugg Speedman’s life as an action star - the ins and outs of the fickle martial arts film industry, his failed turn as a serious actor in the aptly titled “Simple Jack” and his future plans of starring in “Scorcher 6″, part six of a six part movie. “Scorcher 6″ reveals what “Zoolander” and “Meet the Parents” already explained to us about Ben Stiller: he is amazingly clever at playing dumb people. So here are two conversations I believe could happen if these websites were for real:

Two dudes walk out of Tugg Speedman’s new film “Simple Jack”

Dude: Dude. That was just wrong, yo. I don’t care who you is, that Rebecca chick was mad hot and so should have jumped on Jack. Who does she think she is? Yo, she is retarded for not mackin’ on Tugg. And did you see him with that horse? That was magical, dude. Whoa! Is that Tugg Speedman?

Tugg Speedman: Yes. It is Tugg Speedman and I’ve come here personally to tell you this movie does not suck. Sure, it’s about a retard and a sexually under satisfied woman, but it’s got puppies.

Two dudes win a contest to meet Tugg Speedman and talk about his new film

Dude 2: Where’s Tugg? Yo, he said he’d be here. Oh, there he is. Hey dude!

TS: What’s up dudes.

Dude 1: Hey man! How’s the world treatin’ you?

TS: It’s good, it’s good man. Tropic Thunder is comin’ out in August and that’s really big for me.

Dude 2: Ya, especially after that “Simple Jack” drama.

TS: Yes, well sometimes you want to step away from the ass-kickin’ once in a while. I stepped, and well, sometimes you just don’t make it. I tripped, big time, dudes. I had to though; those kung-fu nuts back in China were killing me.

Dude 1: So what can you promise us from “Tropic Thunder”..your new flick?

TS: I can promise you…a lot of blowin’ shit up. Crazy atomic, I mean, nuclear, no, wait, submachine gun weapons. And ass-kickin.

Dudes: Ya! Ass-kickin’!

It’s summer again, so it’s off to Europe I go. Having the majority of my family in Romania makes for some pretty interesting tales - like, hopping a jet, zipping into a bridesmaid’s dress for my cousin’s beach wedding.

So I just booked my tickets for Berlin for Aug 13 - 28th. This will be the third time I’ve been to Germany, but I have this major major desire to creep into the capital of East German socialist nostalgia.

Maybe it’s because I went to the Statue Park in Budapest two years ago.

Many American airline operators are cryin’ about high oil prices. By August, there will be hundreds of cut flights and you’ll be lucky if an airline even circles Topeka. Once again, flying may the dominion of the rich and wealthy and that means we’re all stuck here, hitchhiking to the border.

But don’t count AirAsia in on all that fun. CEO Tony Fernandes is brushing his shoulders off and thinks this is all some fun ‘n’ games. He says:

“We are comfortable even with oil at US$200 (a barrel). There is a silver lining. We have taken a very different approach in that we will market ourselves out of this problem. We think that just putting your head in the sand and crying about oil and cutting routes is not the solution.”

I tend to agree. It’s business! Things come up, you have to figure a way out. Charging everyone $15 is just going to get people mad at you. What if everyone just up and said “what’s this talking picture business? Silent films are great!” Airlines: change happens! Adapt!

As East Coasters know, the weather has been, well, unseasonably warm. 90+ degrees in May? Thunderstorms? Humidity reaching 90%? Being forced to leave my air conditioning unit has me kicking and screaming, but also scratching my head when it comes to outfitting.

This slideshow from the New York Times would have benefited me two weeks ago and since. Aside from picking up some nosegays to protect my delicate olfactory sensors from the pungent aromas of garbage dumpsters, the only way I seem to figure out how to beat back my sweat glands is to revert to wearing a dress.

I love a good dress. The weight, the color, the length. Everything about it screams “easy chic”, which is what I strive for (but rarely achieve, it seems). The trick to a dress is garnering the right accessories. A cute belt, cute shoes, a bracelet or two, boho earrings.

While I love a dress, I never experiment and get the perfect outcome. It’s always missing something. That’s why the women in the slideshow make me so happy (especially Ms. Trump, from who I will soon gather inspiration!). They are simpe, not laden down with anything heavy, obtuse or ornate, just easy chic. And that’s how summer should be. So I shouldn’t have a heart attack when I’m getting dressed in the morning. I’ll slip on my havaianas, throw on some gold eyeshadow & be out the door in 5 minutes flat. When there are busted fire hydrants outside your apartment, you run!