December is powered by sugar

December is always crazy packed with social obligations, non? We're all hurdling down the chute toward the end of the year, drinking and carousing our way to a fresh, clean slate. It's also the only time of year we get to drink spiked eggnog.

But in between the requisite office parties and drunken New Years, there's plenty of innocent, sugar-laced fun to be had. Rachel over at Austin Style Watch just did a couple of neat posts about Austin's love affair with the cupcake, which reminded me about a event happening this Wednesday: a Wine and Cupcake Happy Hour.

So this month, I got to do a story in Rare for The Cupcake Bar, who's hosting this fun little affair. The deal with The Cupcake Bar is that they bring a full-service, design-your-own-cupcake station and "bartender" to your party venue, and guests come up and design their own treats. You get to pick out your cake, frosting, topping, and my personal favorite feature....FILLING! It's like a high-class Hostess cake.

The Happy Hour this Wednesday will be at the newly-opened House Wine, which got an enthusiastic write-up on Austin Tidbits. For $12 Reader, all this can be yours:

Holiday Cupcake & Wine Happy Hour
Holiday Menu

1. Chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing
-Filled with caramel
-Topped with holiday sprinkles and holiday M&M's
-Paired with Hedges 'CMS' from Columbia Valley: Dark red fruit flavor, black currants and cherries with toasted oak aromas.

2. Red velvet cupcake with eggnog cream cheese icing (!)
-Filled with caramel
-Topped with crushed ginger snaps and walnuts
-Paired with Quady, Red Electra, Black Muscat: Tastes like a handful of freshly picked summer berries, sweet, succulent, luscious and lively.

3. Chocolate mint cupcake with chocolate icing
-Filled with chocolate whipped cream
-Topped with crushed candy cane and Sno Caps
-Paired with Yalumba 'Bush Vine' Grenache: Bright red fruits and spice flow on to a rich yet savoury palate.

I think I got a sugar high just typing that.

I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow! + Tribute to LEGOS

Y'all! Check it:

That Austin Girl will be on the "JB and Sandy Show" on 94.7 tomorrow morning!

I'm sliding in at 7am, and I don't know for how long or what we shall be discussing, but I'm sure our esteemed hosts will think of something great. And if not, my morning mimosa will.

JB and I met through Rare Magazine, and keep tabs on each other's blogs. He writes a monthly column for front-of-the-book, while I kind of write....whateva. For example, this week I am interviewing a cupcake caterer, the Radio City Rockettes, and composing a "think piece," if you will, on local hangover cures. (All, um, for the Holiday Issue).

Switching subjects dramatically. After some polite trash-talking about Legos this past week, I've come to realize that many of you are in fact quite enamored of those colored plastic interconnecting blocks. Legos are preferred by 15 out of 31 people who voted in our Favorite Toys poll, as a matter of fact!

(Which, it bears mentioning, is way more love than the comparatively high-tech and interactive Teddy Ruxpin got. Sorry Teddy: We so do NOT want to hear a story!).

So being a My Little Ponies / Barbies gal myself, I thought I'd metaphorically extend the olive branch with these impressive, sometimes disturbing, examples of Lego genius. Observe:



Below - Brad and Angelina (with babies!!) Thanks to Sissel for the fun tip!:

Starry Night:

Edward Hopper (I think?):


Yay Austin!!


Ok everyone, brace yourselves - you thought Brad and Angelina in Lego form was pretty good? Check this out:It's Amy Winehouse! Are you loving it??

Here's another serious piece of Lego art, by I believe the same artist as the yellow, chest-ripping open sculpture above:

Dude.....deep......

No I'm just kidding, this is pretty freaking cool, Lego artist man (whose name, I believe, is Nathan Sawaya). Interesting story: This artist left his job as an attorney last year to become a full-time Lego sculptor. In fact, his exhibit "The Art of the Brick" is touring museums in the US right now. Dare to dream, kids!)

So Legos people: I have to admit. You guys can make some rad creations after all. Besides, like, forts and stuff.

Now, off to perform some investigative research on hangover cures.

I heart Sarah Dean

So, I just interviewed Sarah Dean for Rare about 15 minutes ago. Sarah is a vintage stylist, and girlfriend does some kickass work. I was so enchanted by her company that I had to come tell you guys about her.







Pretty rad, right? I have to save the nitty gritty for the actual story in Rare's fashion issue (November), but I can tell you this: not only is Sarah a talented stylist with bang pow clothing taste, she shared an awesome idea while we were talking.  An idea I really hope materializes: wearing no new clothes for an entire year.

It's more than just wearing her old, pre-existing duds.  Like, I have to save money, so I won't go shopping for a year and I'll keep doggedly wearing these 2006 skinny jeans the whole time dammit. It's much cooler than that, because actually, she can still go shopping - however, all purchased items must have previously belonged to different owners. So for one twelve-month period, her body shall don only second-hand, be it vintage Dior or Salvation Army girl scout uniforms.

Isn't that a cool idea? She wants to document it too, through a blog or website. In addition to being a "vintage" effort, it's a green one too, which just makes the whole thing that much more Austin-fabulous.  So Sarah: do it, lady!

Switching subjects - sort of, since this actually ties into Sarah too - have you guys ever heard of this book?



Garlic and Sapphires was probably the best book I read last year. It's written by Ruth Reichl, former food critic for the New York Times, who documents the way she conducted her restaurant reviews - in disguise.  

See, clever Ruth knew that every restaurant she visited would put on this big production if the Food Critic for the New. York. Times was in attendance, so she visited each restaurant one time as herself, and one time dressed up as somebody completely different.

Anyway, one of Ruth's favorite disguises for herself was a character she invented named Brenda. "Brenda" had bright red hair, dressed in loud, colorful clothes, wore a big smile and laughed at everything.  Ruth describes her as the "best possible version" of herself.  And you know, that's exactly who Sarah reminded me of: Brenda.  Right down to the red hair.  

If you guys met Sarah, I think you would agree that she's the best possible version of somebody, too: funny and self-deprecating, open and kind.  I wrote down everything she said, because she was so effortlessly quotable (a rare luxury, truthfully, in any interview.  Instead of having to tease clever, quippy sentences out, I couldn't keep up with the great stuff she said.  "The first time I saw a vintage Barbie as a kid, I knew I wanted to dress like a cupcake every day."  "I never met a floral pattern I didn't like." - Love?) 

Anyway, when I told Sarah she reminded me of Brenda, Brenda who was Ruth's favorite disguise, outgoing in her personality and clothes, Sarah had a great response.  "Well, why didn't she dress like that every day?"

All my friends are cooler than me

It's true.

Almost everyone I roll with is either in a band, teaches young children, or is an amazing artist/dancer/fashionista of some sort. I can't even stick with a blog for Christ's sake!!

But, I'm here now, so I might as well tell you what went down last night.

So, K and I and a gang of others are headed out to this bar crawl I'm covering for Rare. The amazingly talented Cory Ryan is in tow, snapping pics, setting up her tripod, and in general creating beautifulness out of our drunkeness. My fave stop of the night? By far Rio Rita on E. 6th: to-die-for vintage furniture, pretty colored walls, yummy cocktails and edibles...it was like a little island of hip. I told the owner Randall I want him to come decorate my house. It's probably a little more estrogen-influenced that R can handle - but oh so pretty!

Our last stop was G&S Lounge, and by this point, Cory and I are thrilled to just be finished with this assignment. Which, if you've never done a 7-stop bar crawl before, is akin to eating your favorite, gooiest, ooziest dessert. Fun at first, but diminishing returns, you know what I mean? A gal can only take so many apple-tinis / signature shots / Austin's-best-margarita blah blah blah. But it would have been worth it if G&S was a chill place to be, with a good vibe and fun crowd. And as it turned out, it was all of those things.

Except the owner is a total d**k.

Not to mince words or anything. But as soon as K and I plopped down, it was attitude right and left from this guy! I introduced myself, told him thanks for letting us come in and do our thang - take pictures, take notes, etc. - and out of nowhere, he starts barking commands at us. Telling us where to sit. Asking why I'm not more drunk. Not in a fun, happy "hey babe, you don't look drunk enough yet! Wink!" way, but more like: "You're not drunk. You must not be doing your job. Screw your story." Glare.

Yikes!

If there's one thing K can do really well - and I mean expertly well - it's pulling out her Jersey when the time is right. So she asks this guy where he's from. "Austin," he says. "But you're an asshole?" She says, in genuine inquiry. He laughs and says, "I like you!"

From then on out, this guy is like our BFF. Especially to K. But at the very least he stopped yelling at me (which, for our relationship, was excellent progress). Somehow we start talking about pets. You know what he did? Pulls his dead dogs' keepsake boxes off a shelf, and shows us their pictures! And old collars! And...ashes. Yes! Ashes!

It's amazing what happens when naturally defensive, and I presume lonely, people let down their guard a little. Ol' Asshole Owner guy is actually kinda nice. His mom died (in addition to his dogs). He is divorced (it lasted 10 months). He works every single day. No wonder he's a little abrasive at first: where do you go chill out when you work in a bar every single day? This guy never gets a break!

One parting thought before I wrap up my visit to G&S, and K's heroic salvaging of the situation. Remember Big? Young Tom Hanks? And Zoltar? They totally have Zoltar at G&S!!