ROCK IT, SWAP IT!

Today is the day!  RAD CITY!

A few important things to note before you get your swap on tonight, Austinites:

1. Some of you have asked whether this event is all ages.  Major major sad face, but Beauty Bar is 21+ only!  We tried kids, but the law's the law.  Don't worry, Sarah and I are already brainstorming more swaps and we shall definitely get an all ages one going, since as it turns out, I know a pretty fair amount of ridiculously stylish high schoolers. 

2. HOW IT WILL WORK.  First of all, definitely bring your clothes in a bag!  You will drop your clothes off right at the entrance, and we will whisk them away for you.  Then hang onto that bag, because...

3. We are earthy-lovin' kinda gals so we won't be providing bags.  

4. At the door, you will receive 10 tickets - WHETHER YOU BRING 10 ITEMS OF CLOTHING OR $5.  Both methods get you tickets!  You will use these tickets to swap for the items you want.

5. When you arrive, you will notice that there will be separate tables for stuff.  Tops / bottoms / dresses / shoes / etc. Each will be manned by one of our fabulous crew members, and each table will also have a bucket, so when you see an item you like just drop your ticket in the bucket, and nab it. 

6. BRING EXTRA FOLDIN' MONEY if you'd like to score the sweet stuff provided by our pop-up shops!  If you forget, there is an ATM right outside of Beauty Bar. 

7. Enjoy a cupcake, enjoy rum, enjoy Laurie Gallardo's rad playlist! 

It's just that easy.  In the spirit of second-hand, I'm going to wear this ensemble today, which is about 75% thrifted:

I was telling someone earlier that I call this my "teacher dress," as when I originally got it, it came down to my mid-calf.  Then I got it tailored to be a mini, so now I guess it's "sexy teacher."  (At least that is the goal.)

FINALLY, after you rock it, swap it tonight, head on out to South Side Sanctuary for a night of fashionable awesomeness there!  It lasts until 2:00am:

Between this, the Rock & Swap, and Le Garage Sale today / tomorrow, this is going to be one well-dressed city come Monday.

I was a messed up nine-year-old.

Since quite a few of you seemed to enjoy my whiny childhood camp letters/love letter to my cat, I thought you might enjoy this item, too.

Below is an entry from my second diary that I ever kept, from roughly age eight - age eleven.  I started the first one when I was six, and it contains such enthralling entries as: "MY NAME IS TLOYLY.  I AM SXI SIX." Pretty juicy.

My entries from this second diary were fairly boring, too: "Dear Diary. Today I went to Rachel's house. I got to level 3 on Super Mario Brothers. Signed, Tolly." They mostly chronicle my wild adventures attending school and after-school care. However....

Flipping through the pages last weekend, I did come across ONE ENTRY that was a little suspect.  I wrote it when I was nine.  It is below.

Pause.  "Yesterday, I mooned a dog."

WTF?

At least I had the good sense to write "YUCK!" in lovely cursive.

Our modern condition.

Tomorrow is the Austin Modern Home Tour, and I so wish I was going.

While I've always had an affection for quirky Victorians, like the brightly colored bungalows of my Hyde Park, I drool a little bit whenever I flip through Dwell.  I think many of us equate "modern" with a cold, metallic feel, angular lines and white everything, but while working at my first magazine job in California I came to a different understanding.  Especially since many modern architects there (and here) are so eco-conscious. Now, whenever I see a "modern" home, it is more likely than not wooden and cozy-looking, and very much in dialogue with its natural environment. (I hope that sounded smrt).

Anyway, the Austin Modern Home Tour is a 16-home stretch, and advance tickets are just $10 ($20 day of).  It also includes a cocktail reception at Trulucks. If you're slightly masochistic like me, you may also be interested in knowing the home prices of some of these digs.  The most expensive?  $3.5 mil. But the least? Just under $280,000.

(Note: all images above have been adjusted by me! To see the original pictures and even more homes on the tour, click here).

Items I have rocked, and now I'm going to swap.

So the Rock & Swap is on Saturday, and though I recently did a closet apocalypse job on my own clothing stash, I managed to find a few more items that - having been rocked - are now ready to swap. 

Printed silk scarf, circa 2005. I bought this in a boutique on the Champs-Élysées in Paris with my dad.  It is so lovely and dear to me, and I have worn it for five years.  But now, I think it's ready for a new home, on some other damsel's neck.

Canary yellow heels, circa 2006. I bought these during one of those, "a gal's gotta SPARKLE!" phases you sometimes go through....prompted by multiple viewings of Sex & The City.  I actually still love these chirpy little pumps, and believe I got them at Strut on S. Congress.  But alas, they are too big.  I know, because I tripped and fell in them during a boat party once.  But, I was also drunk.  So there you go.

Rockabilly bead necklace, circa ? But I bought them in 2005 from Buffalo Exchange, just after moving back to Austin.  Aren't they '50s and feminine?  If I weren't so attached to extraneously long necklaces, I would still try to rock these.  Nice for someone with a tidy style.

Ok: This photo isn't the greatest.  You're just going to have to trust me here when I say this sweater is BROWN. Preppy, circa 2003, from Express.  Oh how I've tried (and failed) to do the preppy chic thing.  I cannot, but I know some of you can.  I've worn this professor sweater with dresses, girly skirts, grandma brooches and slouchy hats.  A Blair Waldorf I am not, but future owner, I know you will make this sweater proud.

Gap denim jacket, CIRCA 1996. Yes!  It is fourteen years old!!  I bought it my freshman year in high school, and two Halloweens ago, it was part of my Hannah Montana ensemble.  It has since been shredded a little at the opening, where buttons used to go, and...I'm not sure what prompted me to do this.  One year in college, I went through this "no t-shirt collars" thing, and cut off the collars on every single tee I owned. This jacket probably got caught up in the madness.  Though, paradoxically, I left the collar.

Summery rouge blouse tee, Strut, circa 2007. Have you ever bought something that looked good on you, but wasn't quite your style? That's what happened with this shirt, worn exactly once. I just can't make it work with the rest of my clothes, wooden bead detail on the collar and all.  But it clings in all the right places, so ladies, steal her before she's gone.

Mini-cardigans, circa 2008.  I got into this trend, big time.  All told, I think I own roughly 4-5 mini-cardigans. And style experts were right: they were too trendy. But flattering! And they'll come back again, I am sure. These two are high-fiving each other because they are excited about their future owner.

Tan polka dot skirt, circa 2006. You all might remember this one from a certain Target GO fashion line? I know. Exclusive.

Black and white sundress, circa 2005. Purchased at some Express store, in California, hours before an outdoor faculty luncheon thing for new grad school students.  I wore it with a clutch and heels. The heels sank into the grass. I met a man who would eventually drop out of grad school with me two years later. This man is now in Tennessee, and he is one of the most wonderful teachers I have ever known. If you're out there, Man from Tennessee, I hope you're still teaching somewhere.

(RSVP to the Rock & Swap here).

Thursday night: Happy Birthday, Ultra8201!

Hooray! One of my favorite music blogs in town - nay, anywhere - turns four this week!

To celebrate, the guys at Ultra8201 are throwing a dance party for us.

new roman times

photo credit: kevin n. murphy

the authors

photo credit: valerie fremin

politics

(I know it's hard to make out the actual band members in that picture, but it was too pretty not to post!)

Doors are at 9, and the bands go on at 10. Don't forget to visit the Do512 page for the event so you can win win ticket tickets!

As my friend Katie remarked the other day, it definitely feels like Austinites are back to being their party-every-night selves.  Me, I kind of lerve the downtime between December-early January.  But when things heat up again, it's nice to put on your game face and say: "WHATCHU GOT, AUSTIN." 

My 'hood.

Oh, Hyde Park.  You are too lovely a muse!  Quaint and walkable, historic and hip.  You were the site of my very first all-by-myself apartment.  You have provided me countless TLT's from Mother's.  You housed my future husband, and then you housed me.  You were the neighborhood where concerned motorists stopped on the road to explain that I had a head injury, and you are almost home to the endlessly entertaining parade that is Hancock Center 24 Hour Fitness.

But ah, Hyde Park.  You are not without your controversy.

"The neighborhood was originally developed by Monroe Martin Shipe in 1891 as a 'White Only' streetcar suburb."  --The Daily Texan, via (natch) Wikipedia

Interesting, no?  But given the times, perhaps not surprising.

You've come a long way, little Hyde Park (and as far as diversity is concerned maybe you've still got a ways to go).  Flaws and all, I'm thankful you let me be your resident.

(That's my evil looking - but squeezable! - cat Claudia down at the bottom, and right below her, moi).

Easy like Sunday morning: 24 Diner.

Hello, friends.  It's Sunday morning, and here in Austin, Texas, the weather is a tap-dancing transvestite of AWESOME.  Sun is shining!  Blue sky above!  The kind of day where you better have your jazz hands ready to shake, if you know what I mean.

That being the case then, conditions are perfect for a brunch on a big, beautiful patio.  Or at the very least, brunch in a setting with lots and lots of windows.  (And if you don't like brunch, well then I just feel sorry for you).

So I'd like to humbly suggest 24 Diner for your brunch, friends.

Ross (R.) and I ate at 24 Diner for brunch about a week ago, after I had read several local food bloggers in town go bananas over it (including cute Poco Cocoa), and also after I had helped judge that chili cook-off, which 24 Diner won.  So Ross, being the steel-stomached individual he is, ordered the CHILI and the brown sugar/roasted banana MILKSHAKE, for BREAKFAST.  Hopefully you can see from caplocks in this sentence that I think that is an insane idea, and wouldn't suggest it to the average diner.

Anyway, my own breakfast was slightly more modest: roasted brussel sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, and these beet-heavy, moist veggie patty sausages. Now friends: I love brussel sprouts. Nay, worship. That is because my mother makes incredible brussel sprouts herself, and can convert  even the most heart-hardened brussel sprout hater with her recipe.

Well. 24 Diner's brussel sprouts were, if you can even imagine this, just as good as my mother's.  An idle endorsement, this is not.

My sweet potatoes were a tad on the rich and buttery side, but then I am one of those odd people who ate sweet potatoes, naked, for roughly one year.  What, you don't know any other people who did that? We're out there. Trust. 

Back to Ross and his chili/milkshake brunch.  He is sitting a few feet away from me now Reader, and had this to say about his meal:

"The milkshake defies description. Something you just have to experience.  And the chili was very, very rich.  Not to be taken lightly."

Heh. I would say so.

The last thing I want to say about 24 Diner, besides the fact that Ross and I ate there again for dinner a few nights ago, and that their dinner was just as eyes-rolled-back inducing as brunch, is that their food is sourced from local and regional farms.  I know this because my buddy Dan works for Austin Farm to Table, and 24 Diner is one of their clients.  And that, I think, is 24 Diner's standout characteristic: That in addition to the hip, retro diner atmosphere, the nostalgic decor, the tasteful menu and well-crafted dishes, there's a consciousness here that benefits both the environment and the eater. As it turns out, things taste a lot better when they've been plucked just a few miles away.

I'll show you mine, if you show me yours: GARY! gives you the weekend haps

Well bless Patsy, it's Friday!

But. Before you blaze off into the weekend, why not let Austin Eavesdropper's better half give you the inside scoop? Below, GARY! reveals his weekend agenda, and invites you to share your plans in the comments section below.  GARY!, take it away:

Well Reader, we made it.  One more work week has passed us by and we have survived to live work another day.  My intention in writing to you today isn’t to get you down on the fact that in 48 hours we will once again pass go, collect our $200, maybe buy some real estate, and possibly (for some) end up in jail.  Now I know what you are thinking: Did Gary just do a Monopoly™ metaphor for life? Yes. Yes I did.  You see today is Friday.  That means for the next 48 hours we all get to be our own bosses.  We get to do what we want, when we want.  So this begs the question, “What are YOU going to do with YOUR 48 hours?” 

Now it’s sometimes nice to have one of those quiet weekends where you get centered, but this friend, is NOT one of those weekends.   Why you say?  Well for starters have you seen the weather forecast?  This is the kind of weekend to get out there and actually LIVE IN AUSTIN.  And yes I know you already live here, but how often do you experience everything that makes this one of the damn sexiest cities in the US?  I want you to use Austin.  I want you to take advantage of her (yes I’ve decided that Austin is a girl. Deal with it). Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

The following takes place between Friday 5:00pm and Sunday 12:00am.
The events occur in real time.

Friday: A Town Called Panic & The Learning Secrets Birthday Blowout

8:00pm

Now I'm going to mount the old soapbox here for a second to give you some advice.  It’s no secret that I have mad LOVE for the Alamo Drafthouse.  Without a doubt it is definitely one of the coolest places I’ve ever been.  When people from outside of Austin hear about it they rarely understand how anyone could love a movie theater this much.  They say things like, well yeah it’s cool that they serve beer and food, but it’s just a movie theater.  When I hear that phrase, I just want to load a tube sock up with a bunch of quarters and starting swinging it over my head like Lucy Lawless in Xena: The Warrior Princess.  JUST A MOVIE THEATER?  How dare you!   

What makes the Drafthouse more than your average AMC/Cinemark are the people behind the scenes.  People like Tim League, Henri Mazza, Lars Nilsen, and Zack Carlson who program some of the coolest things most people outside of LA and NY never get a chance to see.  So when you see them recommend something, you should heed their advice and buy a ticket.  This is exactly what I did when I heard they were bringing A Town Called Panic to Austin.  This film that won the Fantastic Fest Audience Award, and if you visited the Drafthouse in the past two months, then you have surely seen the bizarre stop motion animation trailer featuring a mischievous Cowboy,  his friend Indian, and a Talking Horse. 

According to their website, Panic was never even supposed to play in Austin, and is currently only scheduled for a one week run at the Alamo Ritz. Not sure how long this one is going to be playing, so if you’re interested I would probably go sooner than later. (Tickets here.) Oh and if you are interested in following the Alamo crew on Twitter, you can find them all here.

9:30pm

After the movie it is a short jaunt down the street to Beauty Bar (location location location!) to meet up with those purveyors of fun, Learning Secrets.  Tolly did a post on this party last week that you can find here.  There should still be time to RSVP, but if you are coming, hurry up and get on it.  We ain’t got no time for jibba jabba!

Saturday: Bike Rides, Greenbelts, Beer, and Hip Hop

11:00am

If the forecast is to be believed, it is going to be freaking nice this outside.  Next to Portland we probably have one of the best cities for outdoor activities, so make sure you get out there and take full advantage of the awesomeness by going for a bike ride, a run around Town Lake, or hit up the Greenbelt.  Check out these pics of Cambell’s Hole I took last weekend, and tell me you don’t want to go adventuring on the Greenbelt.

7:00pm

But Gary, what happens when the sun goes down?  I’m glad you asked, because hip hop happens, that’s what.  We have 2 shows to choose from on Saturday.  Aesop Rock is playing at Mohawk.  I love this guy and this is where I will be for sure.  The last time I checked tickets were still available for $20, but I'm told that it is very close to selling out. 

The second show is actually a local act called BetaPlayer.  Show starts at 9:45 over at The Independent, and you can find more info on that show over at Do512.

Sunday: The Lord’s Day

1:00pm

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!  Simply put, find the best damn patio that serves brunch and park yourself there until they kick you out.  Brunch is THE sacred meal.  It is the meal where Jesus turns water into mimosas, and is basically the equivalent of eating a communion wafer that’s been dipped in queso and salsa. YUMMO!  The thing I love about brunch is that depending on the weekend you had,  it also  serves as a quasi therapy session.  It’s when you and your friends get together over some food and drinks to reassemble the puzzle pieces of the last 48 hours. 

My suggestion is to roll up into El Chile Café or Zocalo for some of the best damn Chilaquiles you’ll ever have in your entire life.  If you end up at El Chile try the Chilango Margarita, and if you end up at Zocalo their frozen Sangria is a treat.  

After brunch, it’s up to you because after all, you’re still your own boss for another 12 hours or so.

Hit us up in the comments to let us know what you’ve got up your sleeves this weekend.  After all, I showed you mine, so it’s only right to show us yours.  As they said in the Legend of Billie Jean, Fair is Fair!”  Gosh I really do love Pat Benatar.

That’s all I got,

g.

A little eye candy, a little ear candy: It is Friday.

So let's celebrate!

I'm getting 2 rolls of Holga film developed this weekend, so to whet my appetite, I pulled gems from my favorite Flickr photographers.  Most of these are Holga pics, but some are not.

mariczka

hey azi

jean marc crocfort

This next photographer is very, very special. Her name is Pamela Klaffke, and I kind of stalk her site. A bit. Here is why.

Isn't that magical? I wish I could make my camera do those things.

Also, for your ears: Here's a delicious treat from the ol' YouTube. I pulled it specifically because Classixx is playing tonight for Learning Secrets' birthday show at Beauty Bar. If you like Phoenix, you might dig this too.  And, I can pretty much guarantee you'll get a kick out of the video.


Happy Friday, everybody!