New Years Resolutions and Thank-you's.

Well I'm a little late out of the gate, but as long as I'm still accidentally writing "2009" on checks I figure the new year hasn't really kicked in, anyway.  So I'm going to try this resolutions business!

My resolutions are kind of a mix of New Years and Thanksgiving.  Some are serious and some are silly.  Do you have resolutions and/or thank-you's?  If so, you can toss them in too and we will be awesome together.

Here we go:

1. I am incredibly thankful for my husband.  This is the man who teaches little kids how to play Elvis and Hilary Duff songs, who recently made a Facebook page for our cat, Claudia, who melts the hearts of mothers and babies and makes me feel like the sexiest woman alive.  We were playing charades the other night with friends, and his HILARIOUS acting skills made me love him even more.  He even got his team to guess "ransom money!" 

2. I resolve to take more pictures.

These are two more I took in the bathroom at Bennu Coffee on Saturday, and also, R. gave me a Holga camera that I have been playing with.  I always thought I was a pretty terrible photographer and that was just that, but lately some friends have been showing me some tricks and I am a little more confident!  So, in 2010 I will keep having fun with photos.

3. I am thankful for human pyramids and the friends who like to make them with me.

4. I resolve to give more presents to people.

5. I am thankful for this blog.  When I started it two years ago I didn't know what I wanted to talk about, just this city in general because I was so excited to be living here again.  I didn't know it would help me learn how to plan a party, and I also didn't know that it would have readers besides R. and my parents.  If you are reading this I am extremely thrilled that you are here, and I hope you stick around.

While we're on that note, a special shout-out thank you is owed to Austin Eavesdropper's newest contributor, Gary.

Gary is the one who appears a total of three times in this single picture from New Years Eve; it represents how Gary is all-knowing and omniscient when it comes to cool stuff to do in Austin!

6. I resolve to learn the Thriller dance all the way through and perform it for Thrill the World.  Right now I know about 60% but for Michael (RIP) I'll learn the whole damn thing.

7. I am thankful for the fact that this year, I got my very first paid writing gigs for national places. That's been a personal dream for a long time and I still can't believe it happened.  Locally, I write the Informed Drinker column on Austinist and will keep doing it as long as they let me because I love that thing.  Reviewing cocktails, and interviewing bartenders!  What could be better.

8. I resolve to have more balance, less must-do-everything.  I, and I'm sure many of you, tend to fill up every free moment at night with go-go-go activity because, let's face it, if Austin were a pusher it's drug would be nightlife.  It's addictive and wonderful, but sometimes, you need to recharge and just pet your cat.  You know?   

9. I am thankful for my parents.  A Dad who dresses up as Carmen Miranda, a mom who is directly responsible for this blog?  (Seriously, I'm typing this on the laptop she gave me!) I won the parent lottery and, although I think they know they're my heroes, it doesn't hurt to remind them.  I love you guys.

10. I resolve to stop pulling my hair out at the base of my neck.  I'm sorry, I know that's slightly WTF?, but it's an anxiety thing and a bizarre habit. Since a lot of my friends quit smoking this year I figure this is my version of it.  I stopped for a while and my back hairs got long enough to pull it all up into a bun again, which is a small victory but seriously felt so great.  Last year I even got a tattoo on the back of my neck to motivate me and it's kind of working out.  I either need a new nervous tic or,  to simply learn how not to be nervous!

11. I am thankful to own this vacuum cleaner. When my parents gave it to R. and me, we pretty much FREAKED OUT as these pictures can attest.

12. I resolve to grow something and eat it this year.  Like an herb, or, a tomato.

13. I am thankful for dance parties and the people in my life who take the "dance like nobody's watching" expression to an entirely new level.

14. I always resolve to be more careful with my money.  This one's kind of boring but, do I really need a White Chocolate latte at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf?  No, I don't.  Instead I want to save that money and fly myself to Hawaii to visit my friend Beka, El Paso to see my friend Kathryn, Nashville to visit my friend Jill, or California to see a whole gang of folks. BOO-YA White Chocolate latte.

15. I am thankful for this city.  I often feel like Austin is a gift I just don't deserve.  Thank you, city, for letting me live here.  Thank you for being so good to me, and thank you for somehow managing to be both a hip, happening metroplex and a small town where everybody knows everbody.  I loved you this year, and I'll love you again in 2010.

NEW YEARS EVE 2009/2010 in AUSTIN

No chit-chat today, let's get this party started. Not comprehensive, just a few of my faves. Commentary below.

NEW YEARS: FOR FOODIES


New Years Day BBQ at Franklin's
Featuring French Toast Casserole, Black Eyed Peas, Cream Sausage Gravy, Grits, Buttermilk Biscuits, and (if all goes well) Chicken Fried Brisket
Tickets (TBD) and more info here


Parkside 2010 New Years Eve Party
Featuring: DJ's, open bar, champagne toast, photo booth, hors d'oeuvres and sweets
Tickets ($100) here
(This photo is of Parkside ceviche because I could not find a big enough poster JPEG; check out informative poster here)

NEW YEARS: FOR DANCE PARTY PEOPLE


2010: A Dance Odyssey
Tickets ($18 pre, $24 day of) here


New Years Eve Sock Hop
Tickets ($10) at door


Mad Classy WITH Irresponsible Voltron
Tickets ($10) here


New Years Eve at Beauty Bar
Tickets ($5 with RSVP, $10 at door): beautybaraustin(at)gmail.com


New Years Eve with DJ Crown
Tickets ($50 pre, $60 at the door) here

NEW YEARS: FOR LIVE MUSIC JUNKIES

Live at Seaholm

Featuring Flosstradamus, DJ Car Stereo (Wars) and SHIV
Tickets ($99) here


Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears WITH Hard Proof Afrobeat
Tickets ($32) here

NYE Mohawk
Featuring: Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, and Peligrosa All-Stars
Tickets ($20 pre, $25 day of) here


New Years Eve at Emo's with Scott Biram
Tickets ($12 pre, $15 day of) here

NEW YEARS: MISCELLANEOUS


First Night Austin
Featuring: Fireworks (!!)
Tickets (FREE except for events at Long Center): Info here


Metallagher (with stABBA and more) at Red 7
Tickets ($10) here


NYE Rock N' Roll Party
Featuring: Stooges cover band, '60s cover band, comedy, DJ's, more
Tickets (FREE for Spider House, $10 for USAA bands): Info here


Juan Pelota's 1st New Year's Day Ride
Tickets (FREE and there will also be free coffee: Info here

Ok so, CLEARLY, there's a loooot going on in this town on New Year's Eve. Austin Eavesdropper will be hitting up two house parties, but if I weren't doing that, I would:

• Probably go to Second Sunday Sock Hop, because you can dress up in a big poofy skirt and dance 'til you're red and sweaty. Is like heaven for me!
• If not that, it's a toss-up between The Parish, Stubb's (Black Joe Lewis and Hard Proof Afrobeat), and Red 7. "stABBA," if you're not familiar, is a metal ABBA cover band. RIGHT. Awesome.
• I feel like every Austinite (and everyone who gets the chance) should see Scott Biram once in their lives. He's a crazy one-man rock, punk, and blues show. Also, R. told me that he survived being hit by a truck once. I'm pretty sure this is true.
• I have always wanted to go to First Night, which is like a big citywide art party. Someday I will. My artistic, magic fairy-like friend Sarah went the first year, and said it was amazing. Sarah, unlike me, is not given to hyperbole and mad exaggeration so when she says "amazing" I believe her. I need to tell you guys about Sarah sometime.

I love East Side Show Room, even when you have to wait.

It's true. You do have to wait a while to get your food, or even your drink, at East Side Show Room.

But I don't care. I love it anyway.

Last night, I joined a handful of friends at ESSR while R. stayed home and practiced drums. Have I told you about R. and his drum zen state? I don't think I have. Well, this man can play drums for hours, which is equal parts unfathomable and astounding to a person like me, a person with the attention span/memory of a goldfish. I have always hoped that by marrying him some of his super hobby powers will rub off on me, and I think it's working because, guess what? This blog just had it's two-year-old birthday! Good job, blog.

Anyway, Kerissa - cute short black bob below - made it into a lot of these pictures, as well she should. She's a teacher and she works for Filter! Talk about hip. You'll also see friends Andrew, Marty, and Frank.

Marty and Frank are on the bottom right, and don't you love the quizzical look Frank is giving him? Especially since Marty is grinning madly. Almost like he's UP to something.

More very adorable people, Chris and Ashley. You may remember Ashley from when we were talking about red lips a while ago, and she inspired me to try out red lips too. I think we are on the verge of a tidier street style here in Austin, and red lips are just the beginning.

Also, you would have loved this so much Reader. There was a jug band playing at ESSR, and while I'm not certain of this I'm going to venture a guess and say they were No Prospects. ESSR's website calendar doesn't say for sure but judging by the band's description this sounds about right. Anyway, a while back, you know how The Gourds did a cover of "Gin & Juice" and essentially blew everyone's mind? Well....

That is a picture of No Prospects covering Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy!" It was GENIUS and very much a crowd sing-along. (It's a little embarrassing to open your mouth and realize you know every word to that dirty, filthy song.)

Finally, we made a New Year's Resolution list. This was a collective effort made by all of the lovely people here who I did and did not get pictures of, as well as a second group I like to call "The Gang," i.e. a stack of postcards with pictures of 70's catalogue men that I carry around for laughs. The Gang was featured on my wedding invitations and now they are helping turn New Year's Resolutions into reality. I'll show them to you sometime as truly, there's not much The Gang can't do. Except look bad in tidy whities.

I'm afraid to tell you that my resolution for 2010 is frightfully vague - "BALANCE" - but, oh well. I'm thinking it'll be more like a mantra as that is what I need sometimes.