I have been trying to find The Perfect Sofa Table for a long time. Years.
What a total pain in the a$$, y’all.
I had my heart set on working with RecycledBrooklyn.
They make beautiful furniture from reclaimed wood. I wanted to support local business while also avoiding shipping costs. Alas, they were unresponsive, something that is apparently typical.
I eventually found what I wanted on Etsy via Happy. Home. Austin.
And it’s here! I love it.
I’m nesting, but I am not pregnant. Got that? Blame January.
The only thing I’m expecting is a sofa table which I purchased after two years of looking and which has just shipped from Austin. CANNOT WAIT.
But now I want everything. I want my apartment to look nice. Complete.
Recently my focus is on the walls. I had to take down the Dubois mirrors which were propped-versus-hung in my bedroom. More pics from my apartment here and here and here.
I have followed @SmithWit for a long time but until I asked her to be in the Twitter Spotlight, I don’t think I knew her real name. Nuts, right?
I know her name now as well as some more factoids. Debbie is a hilarious, Austin-dwelling former NFL cheerleader with a Masters in Theology who now does stand-up. Oh! And Ellen Degeneres gave her $1000.
You should follow her on Twitter if you don’t already.
OneChicklette: Your favorite qualities in a love interest
@SmithWit: I like my man to be considerate, receptive and charming, yet with an unmatched zest for life and an overall fun personality.
OneChicklette: Your chief characteristic (one word)
@SmithWit: Resilient.
I went to see Bon Iver tape Austin City Limits TV. It was everything I hoped it would be.
My company for the event was the wonderful @eimski. She and I met through Twitter and got acquainted when she visited NYC. Without Twitter I’m not sure what would have brought together a girl from Northern Ireland living in Houston with lil ol’ me. I’m so grateful.
E looks nice. Me? Not so much. That’s life.
We treated ourselves to a stay in a luxe hotel and lounged by the pool until it became too hot. Eimski and I are both fair-skinned so we didn’t last long.
The jury is still out but I may have to go gluten-free in the near future. You can guess how I feel about that possibility.
Yeah.
In the meantime, I’m doing some research.
So far, it’s breakfast that concerns me the most. I love French toast, and regular toast, and pancakes. Breakfast would appear to require the most sacrifice.
Desserts worry me too, although if Scranton-area bakeries are even offering gluten-free treats, I might be OK.
I found an amazing list of restaurants with good gluten-free offerings in Austin via ATX Gluten Free.
NYC is a good place to live if you have to be gluten-free.
Are you gluten-free? What’s your biggest challenge?
Many months after moving into Williamsburg, I *finally* made it to Fette Sau. LOVED it.
My neighbor friend, her daughter and I went on a whim, ordering barbecued meat by the pound and beer served in mason jars (well, the two adults had beer; the three-year old stuck with water). As twilight fell, we ate at a shared picnic bench and chatted with the young couple next to us.
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If you like to talk about food (ingredients, restaurants, anything), check out donrockwell.com. It began as a DC-centric food discussion site, but has expanded with time.
I made some great friends through the site, and I still post – just usually about NYC spots now.
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I love Joanna Goddard’s post about her family’s trip to Austin. Can’t wait to get back there in a few weeks.
Michelada at Hotel San Jose
The michelada is my favorite drink.
Maybe you’re not familiar with it. Also known as “cerveza preparada,” it is a beer cocktail of sorts.
Imagine a spicy bloody Mary with lots of lime juice, but replace the vodka with beer. Recipes vary but that’s the beauty of it: there are several ways to get to the same essential beverage.
Here’s one I like.
Or you could let someone else do the heavy lifting. I have had some terrific micheladas at these spots:
Have you tried a michelada? What did you think?
I went to Texas for work. It was trip #2 of this young year.
This was my chariot (aka rental car). Yep, a black Crown Vic.
I enjoyed another [awesome] michelada in the [lovely] courtyard at the [super cool] Hotel San Jose. I revisited my cowboy boot lust.
I dined with a colleague at Bess Bistro. Yep, Sandra Bullock’s Austin restaurant.
I saw the Grillists near Fort Hood. Somehow I resisted.
BTW, if you ever want to pawn something, Killeen is the spot for you.
At Fort Hood, I learned about Fisher House Foundation (which does amazing, much-needed work for military families).
And then I flew home (for two days, but still) before I went to South Beach.
I’m not going to say I’m obsessed with cowboy boots. That phrase…I just don’t like it.
OneChicklette 