December 29, 2011

Today was supposed to be spent doing laundry, packing for my trip, cleaning my apartment, and other mundane tasks.  But instead, life happened.  This afternoon, I found out my Dad was in the hospital, for the second time in two weeks, for complications of pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis.  There are so many open questions at this point, it is impossible to know what the immediate or not-so-immediate future holds.  While waiting for word from surgery today, my brother and I spent the afternoon with my Dad, catching up, welcoming a steady stream of visitors, and trying to make him as comfortable as possible for what looks to be a long haul of rest, pain, and frustration.  Again, we don't have a concrete idea of what we're facing, yet, but please keep my Dad in your thoughts, prayers, and hearts.

December 28, 2011

For my purposes, the college football season has come to a close.  As for the professional football season, I will be enjoying the last game of the regular season at Lambeau Field and thus, the regular professional football season also has come to a close.  With this comes the end of our weekly visits to The Tavern, the service at which has really fallen off recently, but that is a different conversation entirely.  Tonight we watched the Longhorns play California in the Holiday Bowl from the second-story patio.  Conveniently, the game was on every television in the restaurant, perfect for watching a stellar defense and an underwhelming offense finish the year with a 21-10 victory.  Thank you, Texas Longhorns, for a better season than last year!  And thank you, Tavern, for a warm place to watch this year's football games, semi-delicious bar food, and unpredictable service.

December 27, 2011

It has been months since I've gone to a yoga class and it definitely showed today.  During the forty-five minute sweaty yoga class at Black Swan's main location, I lost my balance, failed to sustain poses, and was absolutely inept at following directions.  I felt like a complete amateur, and I'm sure I looked the part, as well.  It was a good class, though.  When it comes to sweaty yoga classes, the more packed the room, the more intense the class, as everyone's body temperatures work to heat the room even warmer than originally planned; today's class was at capacity.  On top of this, the instructor had us in new poses, rare poses, and nearly all of them were incredibly consuming.  Hopefully the yogi in me adequately stretched my leg muscles for this evening's track workout, although I'm not sure much can prepare me for that experience.

December 26, 2011

A not-so-wise man once said:  "Take a look at what I'm wearing, people.  You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?  Forget about it!"  While Rex was talking about American flag-themed pants, I'm pretty sure the line was written for this particular pair of running shorts.  Not only are they the premiere way to tackle a run with any sort of zeal, they make people want to start running solely for the opportunity to wear a pair.  Further, they bring a smile to everyone's face.  On my run this afternoon, I saw no less than a dozen smiling faces admiring my Texas flag running shorts.  At least, I assume that's what they were admiring.  In short (pun intended), I feel like the Chuck Norris of female runners with these "bad boys."

December 25, 2011

December 24, 2011

For many people, Christmas Eve is spent preparing dishes in advance of Christmas Day, wrapping gifts, making last minute trips for forgotten ingredients, stocking stuffers, and a gift for the cousin who decided to join in the festivities after all.  We, on the other hand, decided to take advantage of the gorgeous 40-degree-but-feels-like-twenty temperature, mixed with freezing rain, for a long run around the city.  From a start at Steck and Mesa, we traveled down Steck to Shoal Creek.  Shoal Creek took us down to 38th, where we turned left toward Lamar.  We cursed the long stretch of Lamar down to Sixth Street as the rain began to come down harder.  After a left onto Congress, we greeted the Capitol building and ran on to San Jacinto.  San Jacinto took us through campus, past Darrell K. Royal Texas-Memorial Stadium, and into Hyde Park on Duval with memories of the 3M Half Marathon abound.  We turned off Duval, left onto 45th and back to Shoal Creek.  Although I'd planned on finishing the full 22 miles this morning, I stopped at about 16; my knees aren't used to such long road miles.  Fifty miles on the trails?  No problem.  Thankfully, we'd strategically placed the truck at Shoal Creek and 45th, so I peeled off my rain soaked jacket, gloves, shoes, and socks and drove home.  While disappointed I didn't finish the mileage I'd set out to, a 16 mile run in freezing rain is nothing to scoff at, I must remind myself.  With presents already wrapped and food already bought (save for one last minute stop at Wheatsville), we spent the rest of the day watching football from the couch.  A perfectly challenging and relaxing Christmas Eve in my book!

December 23, 2011

Two days before Christmas and two meals to plan, what some say are the most enticing parts of Christmas:  breakfast and dinner.  Well, the menus have been determined, but the food has yet to be purchased.  Today was spent going to a handful of different stores for four kinds of cheese, salmon, produce, champagne, wine, eggs, waffle accoutrements, and the like.  Specs was the place for wine, champagne, and cheese.  HEB supplied the lion's share of the rest of the food.  I'm sure we forgot a few things, of course, despite our meticulous shopping lists, which we crafted in an attempt to avoid having to brave the crowds again.  Just a few more days before we enjoy the fruits of our labor! 

December 22, 2011

Something has happened over the past few weeks.  It all started with my whining about how utterly slow of a runner I am.  Really?  At twenty-four I run anywhere from an eleven and twelve minute mile?  Ridiculous.  But I was at a loss of how to change it; every time I ran, I felt as if I were giving it my all, but I looked more like an asthmatic with a sprained ankle.  Then something happened.  One day I just started running faster.  At first, it was only by thirty second per mile, a feat in and of itself by some standards; by the end of the week, however, the change had increased to two minutes.  After a lethargic post-finals week, I expected this odd change to have dissipated as a fathom of my memory.  But I was wrong:  today, I ran 8 miles at a solid nine minute pace, and it was easy, relaxing, and refreshing.  I'm still at a loss, but I'll take it while I can get it!

December 21, 2011

Over the past few years, Austin has had an off-again, on-again relationship with the Trail of Lights, a walk-through holiday light show, of sorts, through Zilker Park.  Unfortunately, the Trail of Lights has fallen victim to the economy and smaller budgets.  However, the Zilker Tree remains.  From Mopac and various points throughout the city, the Zilker Tree seems all-seeing, giant, and a picture of the holiday season.  As we parked the car and walked up to the tree, I was mildly disappointed by its less-than-overwhelming size.  Various food vendors surrounded the base of the tree and the void in the center was full of middle school aged children, horsing around, and some families.  After a little people watching, we bought a cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows of course, cut our losses, and sought a warmer place to spend the rest of the evening.  Perhaps I expected something closer to the Trail of Lights, which is unfair considering the extent of the City's previous holiday decorations, but underwhelming it was.  Despite this, we were able to appreciate the Tree's charm and let it act as a precious cap on our evening of a Diner 24 dinner and a sweet movie.  

December 20, 2011

It isn't Christmas without at least one viewing of "Love Actually," my favorite Christmas movie of all time.  In fact, last Christmas, Kyle, Brittany, and I watched it twice in a row on Christmas Eve; it's just that good.  As "Love Actually" finally came in on Netflix today, we watched it over fajitas and cookie-brownies.  I'm not sure what it is about this movie that I love so much.  Maybe it is the English accents, the outlandish love stories, or maybe the fact that Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are both in the same movie.  Regardless, tonight marked the official beginning of the holiday season, for me at least.  One of these days I'll buy the movie and it will be the holidays all year long!

December 19, 2011

My kind of holiday dinner party:  salad, pizza from Home Slice, wine, and sugar cookies.  Tonight we spent some time with Kate and Kevin to catch up, relax, and see each other before our holiday travels.  After dinner, and while the sugar cookies were baking, we watched Home Alone.  It was so interesting to watch and remember the parts of the movie I always disliked as a kid, the parts that scared me, and the parts I loved.  The movie is a bit ridiculous, but it went well with the evening!  Happiest of holidays to Kate and Kevin!  Thank you both for hosting our relaxing holiday dinner!  

December 18, 2011

Oh Austin, you're so cute:  an Armadillo Christmas Bazaar to showcase the best of Austin's creative talents just in time for holiday shopping.  We dropped in on the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar today to find unique Austin gifts.  Instead of walking out with arms full of goodies, however, I walked out with a list of vendors for future reference.  I was so overwhelmed with the offerings, I couldn't choose between one thing or another.  Instead, I will wait until I move out of this god awful apartment and into something more permanent, so I can develop a decorating style.  The Bazaar offered everything from photo coasters (Fleur de Stone), to wood working (Wolf Sittler), to hand-drawn maps of Texas (Christopher Alan Smith).  All of the booths were so inspirational, I could barely fall asleep as my mind was swirling with decorating ideas for every room in my future house.

December 17, 2011

I haven't been out on the trails since my 50 mile race at the end of October.  With the colder weather, odder hours, and studying for finals, I just haven't been able to get out to the Greenbelt, or any of the other trail systems Austin has to offer.  With finals behind me and a month of relaxation ahead of me, I set out for fifteen miles at the Greenbelt this morning.  As I slide past the "Trail Closed.  No Entry." sign at the Zilker Trailhead, I knew it would be a good, albeit challenging, first run back because the cyclists would be discouraged by the sign I presumed couldn't possibly apply to me.  As I began a warmup trot down the familiar path, the excitement began to bubble.  With the recent rains, I came across plenty of huge puddles, large mud patches, and the like.  With my dearth of trail runs, I also experienced some nearly twisted ankles and had to teach myself how to run trails again.  Running through a nearly deserted Greenbelt was worth it all, however, as I felt as though I was out in the middle of nowhere with no obligations, no appointments to keep, and no deadlines to meet.  This was the kind of Saturday morning I have been missing for weeks.  

December 16, 2011

Tonight was reserved for the true celebration of the end of the semester.  I met up with a handful of friends at TNT, Tacos and Tequila, for some tacos and unique margaritas.  Because I filled upon chips, I settled on a salad for dinner, but had my share of Asian pear margaritas to make the evening sufficiently celebratory.  However, with a long run looming tomorrow morning, I decided to call it a night after dinner.  Little did I know, it was only 9:30 p.m., which I found out only once I got home.  Regardless of my not-so-life of my own party shenanigans, it was a great evening as I was able to see and catch up with my dearest friends.  

December 15, 2011

There is no better way to end finals than with wine, pizza, and gelato.  After deciding an evening out was in order, we consulted my "Restaurants to Try" list and chose Asti Trattoria, a small Italian restaurant in Hyde Park.  It has been on my list for quite some time, so I was excited to check it out.  We were not disappointed in the least.  The waitress helped me pick the perfect wine to go with my tomato soup and margherita pizza.  The soup was fantastic, with dynamic and fresh flavors.  The pizza had a thin, charred crust, and resisted the temptation to become soggy from the moisture of the mozzarella, as margherita pizzas are wont to do.  Although I didn't try Ben's Italian sausage pasta, I took him at his word that it was fantastic.  Dinner was followed by a round of gelato at Dolce Vita, and a longing look into the window of Antonelli's Cheese Shop, all of which made for an evening successful in decompressing the mounted stress from the past few weeks.  Tres bien!  

December 14, 2011

The past three years have flown by.  I remember working on law school applications, deciding between schools, and filing my declaration of intent, among the countless lectures, readings, and finals.  Today, finally, I completed one of the final steps in this whole process:  applying for admission tot he bar of Texas, which otherwise means registering to take the Texas Bar Exam in July of next year.  With the slightest trepidation, I printed the final copy of the application, attached a photo and check, and slipped the application in the mail.  Incredibly, now all that lay ahead of me is a round of spring finals and the dreaded bar exam.  

December 13, 2011

Tabs are an amazing invention.  They point you in the right direction and they soothe the seemingly unassailable stress experienced by law students across the nation.  If you see a law student bent over his or her book and a stack of multi-colored tabs, know that this is a form of therapy of sorts.  When no other avenues of study are available, law students often taking to "tabbing" their books for open-book exams.  Today, I came to such a spot in my studying for Texas Civil Procedure and thus, tabbed "DISC" (discovery), "PLEN PWR" (plenary power), "AMEND PLDG" (pleading amendments), and the like.  At the very least, it required me to read through the rules, yet again, and note important exceptions, requirements, and burden shifts.  There is one risk with tabbing, however:  over-tabbing, to the point when the tabs simply are overwhelming rather than helpful.  Here's to hoping I didn't over-tab this time around.

December 12, 2011

From a quick look at the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, I can tell practice in Texas is going to be a barrel of monkeys it will be so much fun.  It's as if a group of people met in a room, threw a variety of rule options up in the air, then whatever they grabbed before it landed on the floor made its way into the rule book.  In short, it's a mess.  Regardless, here I sit with my Texas Courts book sifting through it all, trying to make sense of it.  On the list of topics are how to get around default judgments, interlocutory review, pleadings, joinder, venue, discovery, privileges, summary judgment, sufficiency of the evidence, all things "jury," verdicts, judgments, motions for new trials, appeals and plenary power, and, finally, complex litigation.  See?   A barrel of monkeys.  Just a few more days and life will resume, I swear.

December 11, 2011

This is what my life has become these days:  editing, editing, editing.  Over the last few weeks of the semester, we put in quite a few hours getting the last articles of our first issue through the final editing stage, table read, so we can get the issue to publication over the break.  Now, with finals and end-of-semester deadlines approaching, I've been editing my seminar paper.  Having not read it for about two months, I was pretty alarmed to read what I had written.  I'm thinking I was trying to fill up 30+ pages so I wrote with a heavier style than usual.  Over the course of six or seven hours today, I shaved about three to four pages off of the final product by reducing redundant phrases, the use of passive voice, and compacting prepositional phrases.  A scintillating Sunday, if you ask me.  

December 10, 2011

This is similar to the look on my face after I sign up for another ridiculous race.  This look says:  "Uh, what did I get myself into?"  Thankfully, this look wasn't on my face today, just on my brother's face.  After a stellar performance at Rocky Raccoon, my brother qualified for the Western States 100.  Entry into the race, however, is by lottery and Kyle determined he had about a ten percent chance of getting chosen.  When his name appeared on the list, his was his reaction; my reaction, on the other hand, was shrieking and clapping.  Unfortunately, his friend, Brian, wasn't picked up in the lottery, so he likely will be Kyle's pacer for a large portion of the race.  Hopefully I will be able to join the two in California to crew, encourage, and soak up the experience of one of the most well-known endurance races in the country.

December 9, 2011

I'm a sucker for romantic movies; I need not going into an explanation of why for most people to understand that reality.  Through the marvel of a well-produced preview, I was convinced I needed to see "Like Crazy," a movie about two students, one American and one from the UK, who fall in love and grapple with the difficulties of a long-term relationship.  Unfortunately, the previews may have been better than the movie itself.  There was little development as to how they actually fell in love.  There were countless questions as to why one did this, or the other didn't do that, and why on earth one character in the movie stuck around?  The ending of the movie was equally unfulfilling.  I'd recommend avoiding this particular movie if you can help it. 

December 8, 2011

So this was a fun exam.  While some professors write very casual exams in that you are able to work through the exam at your own discretion, some professors detail how much time you should, and must, spend on a given task or question.  This was one of the latter exams.  For the first hour and twenty minutes of the exam, we were not allowed to write or type any answers to the questions.  Rather, this was "thinking" and "outlining" time.  I appreciate the necessity of thinking through a question prior to answering it, but this front loading of all of the thinking, rather than working, and writing, question-by-question, was difficult for me to handle.  Once I think through a question, resolve it, and move on to another issue, it is difficult for me to return to the prior question again.  With a twelve essay exam and a further two hours and forty minutes of "writing" time, this proved especially cumbersome today.  I suppose we'll see how the cards fall in a few weeks, but I'm hoping not to have another similarly written exam in the future.  

December 7, 2011

Watching lawyer movies and shows is just the same as studying, right?  in line with my usual finals strategy, I studied until about mid-afternoon today, then took the rest of the day to get caught up on the rest of my life:  groceries, laundry, cleaning, and the like.  To cap off the evening, we watched The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Texas' own Matthew McConaughey.  Besides spending the movie convincing myself McConaughey could walk into any court in Texas and win himself a verdict, just based on his charm and lawyer experience in acting, I also tried to convince myself the time was well spent in light of my impending conflict of laws exam.  I think it may have been a better attempt had the impending exam been one in evidence (An acquittal based on hearsay? Really?).  Regardless, not a bad way to relax the evening before a four-hour, early morning exam on one of the most confusing topics in law.  Thank you Mr. McConaughey; it is much appreciated.

December 6, 2011

Conflict of laws was the hardest course of the semester.  It's intricate, intimidating, and we were held to a high standard by our professor.  Believing my professor would likely best know how to prepare for his own exam, I took his advice and studied by working through his past exams, most recent first.  So, today I made my way through a handful of conflict of law exams, grappling with interest analysis, territorial jurisdiction, the effect of the Defense of Marriage Act on the states' Full Faith and Credit obligation, among other topics.  One day into going through these exams, I can see why the advice would be well taken:  if you do each exam, it is incredibly easy to predict the exact questions that will be asked on the final exam.  As prepared as I might be for the exam, though, I am pretty burnt out on conflict of laws already.  One more day until the exam, one more day of studying.  Onward . . . 

December 5, 2011

Every single year, when it comes time to order the next year's planner, I get caught up in the new editions, new planner styles, and all of the color and size options.  Perhaps it is the excitement of ordering a new planner (Dorkville, Population: me), but I can never content myself with deciding on the tried-and-true black, large, hardback, horizontal weekly planner.  After about half an hour or so of perusing, however, I did decide on my go-to and ordered it just in time for the new year.  As 2012 will be an interesting and busy year, my planner can't get here soon enough; I already have plenty of dates to note:  graduation, the bar exam, my bar trip (fingers crossed, of course), the start of work, bar results, and, pending those bar results, the swearing in ceremony, among plenty of other celebrations, birthdays, and family gatherings unmarred by the stress of final exams.  2012, I welcome you with open arms! 

December 4, 2011

Poor planning led to me running for two hours, twenty four minutes, and six seconds in varying levels of rain in 40 degree weather this morning.  Had I run yesterday, like I normally would, the rain would have remained, but the temperatures would have been twenty degrees warmer.  Regardless, I had 13.1 miles planned and I intended to complete them.  During the first few miles, I kept questioning my sanity and whether I had the resolve to follow through with this plan.  I kept running; it kept raining; the temperature fell.  As I completed the big loop of the two I'd planned, I started to question whether continuing would put me at risk for a cold or pneumonia or institutionalization.  I decided to keep running, it wasn't so bad.  With my feet sloshing around my shoes, water dripping from my hat, and my fingers turning into popsicles inside my gloves, I made the final turn on my route.  I also glanced at my watch:  believe it or not, despite being tired and running in rain and ridiculously cold temperatures, I was going to best my half marathon personal record by about twenty minutes!  I'm not sure how I did it, but the cold, rain, and cold rain was worth the sense of accomplishment this morning!

December 3, 2011

One of my tried and true techniques in studying for a final exam is to go through the professor's prior exams for the course.  The concepts tend to stay the same, as does the professor's testing style.  One risk of this approach, however, is that one cannot be certain that the professor covered the same material, with the same emphasize or time dedicated to a particular topic, as he or she did for your semester.  As a result, I'm left with this question:  I circled "30 acres" and "Cold Springs," ending up with a question mark and nothing else.  Why these two phrases were important, I have no clue.  Chalking it up to a changed syllabus, I cut my losses and moved on . . . to yet another seemingly nonsensical question. 

December 2, 2011

Partly because scheduling wouldn't allow, and partly because I took up our entire birthday buddy weekend, Kevin decided to postpone his birthday celebrations and gatherings until this evening.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend all of the festivities but, as Kate astutely pointed out, a girl has to eat.  Conveniently, Kevin's chosen restaurant for dinner was right around the corner from my study spot so later in the evening, I took a break and we joined the belated birthday gentleman for some Tex-Mex and great conversation.  Moments like this remind me that this time next year, I won't be secluded from the rest of society for weeks at a time due to finals.  It's a sweet thought!  But, more importantly:  happy belated birthday, Kevin Kozak! 

December 1, 2011

As so it begins:  another round of finals for another semester of law school.  First up on the list is my oil and gas final.  Contrary to what I expected, I've found that I like this course quite a bit.  That being said, 3L-itis struck early in the semester and now I'm playing a bit of catch up.  I've set up shop away from my distracting apartment, my distracting office, and all distracting coffee shops.  I have all of my books, notes, outlines, any prior exams, a cup of water, a cup of hot tea, and am still looking for that motivation I mentioned.  As best I can, I've spent today powering through prior exam after prior exam, trying to wrap my head around the intricacies of the law I didn't notice as I wandered around in my post-graduation daydreams.  Any well wishes for this finals season are more than welcome. 

November 30, 2011

One of my least favorite times of the year:  buying textbooks.  One of my most favorite times of the year:  selling textbooks back to the Co-op.  Unfortunately, I get a negative return on my initial investment, but at least the funds can buy me lunch for the two weeks of finals.  I was only able to sell back two books today, as I still need the others for studying, but I did get quite the chunk of change.  Hopefully I won't spend all of the money in just a few lunch spots this finals, perhaps branching out from Torchy's, Taco Deli, and Freebirds.  Perhaps, but unlikely.

November 29, 2011

So, you know when you've run about five miles in late afternoon and haven't eaten lunch and all you want is a decent meal of some protein and carbohydrates?  Have you ever experienced the disappointment of a not so decent meal in this situation?  If not, take my word that it is irritating, frustrating, and has the capacity to ruin the evening.  After my run this afternoon, I decided to try Phil's Ice House for the first time.  Their menu seemed interesting so, why not?  Here's why not:  they drench the buns in what must be a pound of butter or oil or something similar; they don't cook your meal to order (although I did like the cheddar more than I thought I might); it's impossible to taste any one part of the burger with all of the grease; and, finally, by the time you get through the burger, you are too full of said grease to enjoy rather decent and unique fries.  Maybe on another day when I wouldn't have been quite so hungry, Phil's Ice House may have been a hit, but not today.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure they'll be getting a second chance.

November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving leftovers:  one of the best aspects of the Thanksgiving celebrations.  Unfortunately, because I am a vegetarian, I can't take advantage of this part of Thanksgiving as I was once able.  However, leftovers remain and they must be taken advantage of.  So, what is a vegetarian to do with a leftover turkey leg?  Give it to her cat, who will relish it in place of stale, likely cardboard-like kibble.  Olivia doesn't take much interest in people food, save for an ice cold beer; Elliot, on the other hand, will inhale any meat anywhere in the apartment.  Pepperoni, sausage, chicken, turkey, he'll eat it all.  Perhaps he is making up for all of the meat I refuse to eat.  In any event, Elliot feasted on a leftover turkey leg for dinner this evening.  I'm hoping his appetite persists until the turkey leg is eaten in its entirety as Elliot could use some fattening up.  

November 27, 2011

Louisiana is a weird state.  On our way through earlier this week, we concluded all the state has to offer are casinos, strip clubs, and Waffle Houses.  On our way out, the strangeness was amplified.  Perhaps we were road weary or even hallucinating from hunger, considering we'd ran long and foolishly had decided to wait until we were on the other side of Baton Rouge to stop for breakfast.  Hallucinations aside, we were unsure how to handle this intersection.  Is the right lane ambivalent to the intentions of its users?  Are drivers at risk if they choose to turn left from the right lane?  Perhaps another lane deems it "OK" to turn right from the left lane and these left-turn drivers are at risk for their casual decision.  We made it through the intersection with little difficulty, but the fact remains: Louisiana is a weird state. 

November 26, 2011

What do runners do when it's raining too much for a long run?  They go to a running store or two and buy new shoes, an IT band strap, and new running threads.  Well, at least that's what we did today.  With a long run planned for this morning, another jaunt around the lakes of Baton Rouge, we were disappointed to wake to a cold drizzle, which quickly turned into downpours throughout the day.  We first visited Varsity Sports, a local running shop.  After hemming and hawing over whether I should buy some new road running shoes, I finally caved and got a new pair of Brooks PureFlow for my 3M half marathon training and more frequent road runs.  After a stop at the Louisiana Science Museum, we made our way to the outlets for a spin around the Nike Factory Store, where I bought a new pair of long running pants for the upcoming cold.  While all of the new gear made the lack of running today just that much more irritating, it also upped the excitement for a long Sunday run. 

November 25, 2011

In an effort to avoid the Black Friday madness, we opted to explore the city of Baton Rouge today.  Our first stop was the Louisiana State Capitol building, which happens to be the tallest capitol building in the country, much to my dismay.  Although tall, the small building houses both the House and Senate chambers, as well as senator, representative, and staff offices.  After a few minutes of exploring, we made our way to the top of the tour for a breathtaking view of the city, the Mississippi River, and the nearby refineries.  After a failed attempt to visit the former state capitol building and a relaxing lunch at an open air cafe, we made out way to the Houmas Planation about half an hour outside of Baton Rouge.  After an admittedly disappointing tour of the plantation, we made our way back for dinner, a friendly game or two of euchre, and a movie.  A perfectly relaxing Friday in my book.

November 24, 2011

Nearly everyone has a Thanksgiving tradition, whether it be traveling to a new part of the world, splitting into teams for a family game of touch football post-feast, or sleeping off the tryptophan with the chatter of football commentators in the background.  For me, the only real tradition that has survived over the past six or seven years is the annual UT-A&M football game, which conveniently has a kick-off shortly after everyone's Thanksgiving indulgence.  This year's game was bittersweet.  These two fantastic football programs have met for the past 119 years on Thanksgiving for a storied and sharp rivalry game.  A great deal of lore, superstition, and tradition surrounds the entire game, including the Aggie's yell practice and the Longhorn's hex rally.  This year, however, was the last of all of this for the foreseeable future as Texas A&M will be joining the Southeastern Conference starting the 2012 season.  With a winning record for this game under its belt, the Longhorns still wanted to send off the Aggies with a stinging defeat, but the capacity to do so was dubious with inexperienced quarterbacks, an inconsistent offensive line, and the loss of Fozzy Whittaker.  Somehow, however, the Longhorns closed on the Aggies early lead and, with three seconds left in the game, kicked a game-winning field goal to settle the score between the schools.  With a 76-37-5 record, the Texas Longhorns left the rivarly behind in College Station with a defeated Aggie team in its dust:  enjoy the SEC Ags.

November 23, 2011

After about an hour of driving today, we arrived in the heart of New Orleans: the French Quarter.  Considering I had expected ceaseless parades and music through the streets thanks to my overactive imagination, I wasn't too surprised to find an incredible amount of activity, music, and dancing on nearly every corner in the more well-traveled parts of the French Quarter.  We walked Bourbon Street, witnessing the best New Orleans has to offer, it seems, explored the St. Louis Cathedral, and relaxed over beignets and cafe aut lait at the historic and famous Cafe du Monde.  After filling up on the powdered sugar-dusted French donuts, we made our way to Magazine Street, a charming neighborhood with shops of the variety akin to South Congress' in Austin.  We strolled up and down the street, stopping in at the few shops that had yet to close for the Thanksgiving holiday.  To cap off the trip, we stopped at Theo's Neighborhood Pizza for wine, chicken pesto pizza, and, for me, the most incredible pesto veggie sandwich I've ever had.  With the aid of a lazy Wednesday at our disposal, New Orleans made for a wonderful day trip with wonderful company!  

November 22, 2011

After my afternoon classes and a not-so-quick stop at Whole Foods for lunch and road snacks, we were off for our Thanksgiving vacation.  We made our way to Highway 290 and started on our way to Houston for a turn at Interstate 10, headed east toward Baton Rouge.  The drive was fairly uneventful, save for a lovely bit of traffic through Houston, but that was to be expected.  A few stops along the way in Winnie (for gas), in Beaumont (for dinner), and somewhere on the other side of the Texas-Louisiana state line (for drinks).  Probably the most exciting stop, however, was at the Texas-Louisiana state line for a harrowing mid-road trip photo shoot to commemorate my first driving across state lines.  Perhaps less than mature, but I was genuinely and unexpectedly excited for my first trip across state lines as the driver.  It's the little things in life, right?  

November 21, 2011

With at least sixteen hours of driving ahead of us, I figured it might be good to get my oil changed and have Brutus checked out.  Further, my "Check Brake" light was still pinging on every few miles.  I hadn't the chance to have it re-rechecked since my last visit with Midas, so I rolled the two visits into one.  My estimated hour wait, however, turned into somewhere between five and six hours, as I was told they hadn't done their job the first time around and now were waiting on parts delivery from their storage.  Although the mechanic had told me Midas would cover the cost of a replacement sensor the last time I popped in on the shop, he attempted to charge me for the replacement sensor this time around.  Not one for shenanigans of this sort, I explained to him what he had promised me a few weeks earlier.  With some finagling, he agreed to not charge for labor and take a percentage off the cost of the sensor.  I still think I shouldn't have been charged at all, but at least I won't be driving to Louisiana with the incessant pinging!  

November 20, 2011

I'm a very lucky person.  While I don't take advantage of all of them being in the same city often enough, I am blessed to continue to have my core group of friends from high school still be a significant part of my life.  We have added a few more friends in the years since graduation, which makes the group just that much more incredible.  Today we got together for a pre-Thanksgiving feast at Alice and Dustin's house.  Loving each of our previous "family" pictures from gatherings past, we decided to continue the tradition yet again.  Unfortunately, not everyone was able to come and thus, the picture is a bit incomplete, but the heart of the moment remains. 

November 19, 2011

I was never a fan of beer until my time in Moscow.  In fact, I took pride in my defiance of the concept of drinking a beer.  Recognizing the potential of a delicious beer upon drinking Russia's version of a Bud Light, I instantly changed my tune.  Eventually, I developed a preference for particular beers, opting for less-hop fused brews like Shiner Bock, Ziegenbock, and Live Oak Hefewiesen.  Conveniently, the Live Oak Brewery, my absolute favor brew, is just outside of downtown Austin.  After trying to plan a weekend trip for months now, I finally found the perfect brewery tour weekend:  the weekend of my birthday.  So, at noon today, half a dozen or so of my closest and dearest joined me at the Live Oak Brewery in East Austin to taste some delicious brews and listen to the brewery's German brew master talk about each beer we were tasting.  The best part?  Being reminded that Live Oak soon will be bottling their beer so I don't have to find one of the few bars in Austin that continually offers their Hefe on tap!  Happy birthday to me!

November 18, 2011

Birthdays have evolved into an interesting event for me.  Ten years ago, I was jealous of others' birthdays and wouldn't shut up about my own; these days, I am more excited about someone else's birthday, and would rather skip my own entirely.  Rather than elaborate plans and parties for my birthday, I looked forward to a relaxing evening over dinner and a trip to the Long Center to see what the Austin Symphony has to offer.  We had an incredible meal of calamari, crab cakes, trout, mac 'n cheese, and martinis at Truluck's, followed by a sleep-inducing, yet beautiful, concert by Anton Nel and the Austin Symphony.  The evening made for a perfectly relaxing birthday, if I do say so and a perfect way to ring in my twenty fourth year.

November 17, 2011

Over the past two years I always expected this particular moment to be more full of pomp and circumstance, I suppose.  Then again, from what I've learned in this short lifetime of mine, life is more ordinary and blunt than the movies and popular culture may lead you to believe.  Rather than a well planned and carefully chosen moment, I accepted my first job over a burrito bowl at Chipotle on Congress today, amidst chattering about the Texas football program and running shoes.  With six months ahead of me before I finally graduate from law school, I'm looking forward to getting to work once and for all. 

November 16, 2011

If it is not in my planner, it is not happening.  It's a terrible personality flaw to have, but it is what it is.  For as long as I can remember, I've maintained at least two calendars at a time, but anywhere up to four or five.  At the moment, I have three calendars:  one on my iPhone, which is synced with iCal, and then my Moleskin planner for the day-to-day tasks.  My iPhone and iCal calendars keep track of work and Journal deadlines and upcoming projects.  Unfortunately, my reliance on three separate calendars also means I trust they include everything I have on my agenda at any given moment throughout the day.  Thus, I was surprised to receive a text message letting me know I was expected at the Journal office negative two hours ago as I was doing my hair and watching Dr. Phil this afternoon.  For someone who is a stickler for deadlines and being on time, these moments when my litany of calendars fails to keep me apprised of my responsibilities are especially embarrassing.

November 15, 2011

You never know what to expect with pets.  One day you may come home to a de-stuffed couch at the paws of a teething, or otherwise insane, puppy.  Similarly, Olivia loves to tear up rolls of toilet paper if I happen to leave the bathroom door open all day.  Today, however, I had an especially unexpected find.  I woke up to find sweet Elliot with a scratched nose this morning.  I'm assuming he and Olivia got into another vicious fight, as they're wont to do, and his nose took a beating.  Over the course of a few hours it has gone from an open wound to a bright red scab, so I'm assuming it is healing well.  Elliot is such the trooper though, and has let me clean it, even though I know it stings.  Hopefully his strange wound continues to heal well so he doesn't need to go see his favorite veterinarian!

November 14, 2011

I don't understand why a doctor will schedule me for one time, yet not show up to the appointment until nearly an hour after the agreed upon time.  Perhaps they are doing important doctor things, but then why schedule an appointment you won't be able to make?  Or why not tell me, "We're scheduled for 2:40 p.m., but I won't be there until 3:20 p.m., just for your information."  I plan my time Monday through Friday with a bit of detail and the last thing I want to be doing is spending any of that time in a waiting room with old copies of random magazines.  What adds to the confusion is when the appointment itself lasts no longer than fifteen minutes; what on earth is holding these doctors up?

November 13, 2011

I can't think of a better way to end such a relaxing weekend than with a sunset picnic on the top of Mount Bonnell.  With the standard picnic fare (ciabatta rolls, guacamole, hummus, cheese, some sort of deli meat, and pita chips), we made the seemingly endless trek to the top of Mount Bonnell about a quarter of an hour before the sun set over Lake Austin.  To see the view from Mount Bonnell is to be reminded of how blessed I am to call this city and this state my home.  Tonight's sunset was especially incredible:  with a perfectly cool temperature, a slight breeze, and low humidity, we comfortably watched the sky change colors as the sun descended under the horizon, with a splash of people watching and eavesdropping for good measure.  Such a wonderful Sunday evening is bittersweet this time of year:  I know we're lucky to have such a beautiful, cool evening, but I also know those evenings will soon turn unreasonably cold for this native Texan.  This being said, I'll take full advantage while I can.  

November 12, 2011

So, over the years I've learned that two cats a cat lady makes, apparently.  I suppose my falling to this moniker was inevitable:  my first stuffed animal, given to me the day I was born, is a small white kitten; I would always cry for and defend the terrible attitude of our cats growing up; and, of course, I now find myself the owner of two cats.  Alright, I'll embrace the classification, but I am not going to embrace the crazy.  With the classification, however, comes a great deal of poking fun at the expense of my family.  Every time an occasion calls for a card, I guarantee one of those cards will be feline-themed.  For example, the birthday card I received from Gene for my birthday this evening had this adorable kitten on the cover, which opened to reveal a feline disco party of sorts on the inside of the card.  As much as I've resisted the "cat lady" label for years, I must admit I find each and every one of these cards simply adorable.  I mean, who doesn't love a kitten in a party hat? 

November 11, 2011

Contrary to its seeming simplicity, queso is not always easy to make.  When you make a slight change in one part of the recipe, liquid ratios go wonky and things can get a bit sticky.  As part of a fajita feast tonight, I decided to make queso, going by the family recipe consisting of a delicious brick of Velveeta, a can of Rotel, and a splash of milk.  With just the two of us, I got a smaller brick of "cheese," but didn't get the revised liquid ratio quite correct.  While the flavor was by no means lacking, we had to wait a bit for it to resemble dip-able queso.  By the end of the evening, however, once the left over queso had sat in the fridge for a while, we again had a brick of "cheese."  Horribly unappetizing once you realize that is now sitting in your stomach, yet still so very delicious!

November 10, 2011

Hey, remember that time with the story?  You know, the story where I went on and on about seemingly disjointed events and people, without letting on where any of my rambling was going?  And do you remember the ending of the story when I had to say "that's the end of the story" because I was such a horrible storyteller and didn't make my point clear?  Yeah, well, I found twenty dollars.  Actually, I found twenty five dollars.  After watching a mid-week college football game, on my way back to the car from the Tavern, I spotted something on the ground.  As I took a closer look, I realized it was a money, laying on the ground without a possible owner in sight.  I'm supposing this random find is to make up for all of the ridiculous stories I've told over the years and, perhaps, to give me a better story to tell instead.  But, having read over this again, I don't think this story has hit its mark.  Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to stumble across another chunk of change again.