Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Reverb10 #8

#8 Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

People think I'm funny. And, to be perfectly honest, I think I'm funny too. When I was younger, very often my humor wasn't fully appreciated. Even now, somethings are only funny in my head. But, my sarcasm and biting wit do produce laughs on a regular basis.

I have very little ability to hide what I really think of people. While this may be a drawback sometimes, it's also a plus because anyone I like knows that I really like them and I'm not just blowing smoke up their booty. Mostly because I'm almost totally incapable of doing that.

I have an appreciation and cultivation of Target products that surpasses a majority of the world's population.

I don't know how different these things make me but I think they make me pretty darn beautiful. In addition to my long, long lashes, of course ;)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Reverb10 #7

#7 Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

Planning our wedding I met some really great friends online and my friendships with some of them have blossomed in 2010. Before this, I had never made friends through online forums. Now, I'm so happy I have. They've been a huge support system, especially this past year with all the change going on.

Also, I've formed some really great friendships at my job.

I feel like as you leave school and get older it seems harder and harder to make new friends and develop new networks/communities. Given that (I've definitely experiences), I'm so thankful I've found these two new communities that pick me up on a daily basis.

Reverb10 #6

#6 Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

The last thing I made was Frito Pie for dinner last week. I used Fritos (clearly a necessity for the Frito Pit), canned chile, cheese and avocado.

I really want to make a snood AKA one of those scarves that are so trendy right now that just slip over your head. I could work on it while watching TV but I really need to learn how exactly to do it. I know how to do a basic knit stitch (which all of my loved ones were happy to discover a couple Christmases ago when they all received very simple scarves as presents) but I don't know how to purl or how to make something one continuous connected piece like you have to do for a snood.

I always think I'm going to take some knitting lessons but that's yet to happen. For now, I think my best bet for getting a snood is asking Santa.

P.S. This prompt came from Gretchen Rubin. She's the author of The Happiness Project. A.maz.ing book. Get it. Read it. Check out her blog.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Reverb10 #5

#5 Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I let go of my inability to quit something this year. I quit my old job. It was really hard for me because I've always seen everything through to the end (even law school, which I wasn't crazy about). It was tough for me to realize that as an adult (still not totally cool with being one of those), sometimes you will quit jobs and you will move on from things. And that, is OK. And it's totally necessary. And it doesn't make you a bad person.

I'm also trying to let go (or at least lessen) some of the high expectations I have for myself.

Reverb10 #4

#4 Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Honestly, I'm not sure.

The cat? I'm in constant wonderment at how she can be incredibly cute and snuggly looking and at the same time a total hellion.

Yeah, that's all I've got for this one. Maybe I should think of this and work on it in the new year.

Reverb10 #3

#3 Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

October 2nd
Uchiko
1st wedding anniversary dinner with Christian

I'm so happy we moved to Austin. Beyond happy.

But, the first six months were tough. I was adjusting to a new job. Christian was busy establishing himself with clients here in Austin, which was especially hard during the summer slow months. Money was tight. Stress was high.

Our 1st anniversary was the first time we got to go out for a really nice dinner since moving here. It was an amazing night. It was the start of a turnaround for us. It was a celebration of the best day of my life and the first year of being married to my favorite person in the world. And it all took place in a beautiful restaurant eating one of the best meals of my life and enjoying just enough yummy sake to highlight all the joy that night celebrated.

Reverb10 #2

OK, I totally fell off the wagon day 2 of Reverb10 due to a very late happy hour. Then, I went to visit Christian in east Texas. But, I'm back now and catching up.

#2 Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing -- and can you eliminate it?

I watch too much TV, especially reality TV. At this very moment, I'm watching Grey's Anatomy while writing my blog post. Watching TV and writing does not make for very well composed posts. And, even more often, I'm too distracted by the TV to even remember that I need to blog.

I don't think I could eliminate all TV. But, I should cut back. That'll allow more time for writing and for reading.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Reverb10 #1


I'm participating in Reverb10 this month. I don't think I'll do a good job explaining it, so definitely check out the link for more info. In a nutshell, every morning I get a prompt in my email and I've gotta blog about it. Seems like a good way to really dedicate myself to blogging this month (and keep me occupied while Christian is off in east Texas producing a new movie). My plan is to think about the prompt first thing in the morning and try to remember what my initial reactions were at the end of today. Today, that worked. We'll see how it goes going forward.

Now, onto the first day.

One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

2010: Change
This year had a lot of change. I changed the city I live in. I changed jobs. We changed our family size by adopting little Senior Kitty Paws. And, most recently, I've been working on changing my outlook so I'm more positive.

2011: Grow
Next year, I think will be a year of growth. Now that we're away from the high prices of Manhattan, I'm looking forward to growing our savings :) Now that I'm comfortable in my new job, I'm really looking forward to growing in it next year. I also want to grow as a person and continue on this new path toward positivity that I've started on. Clearly, SKP will keep growing.

One thing I don't want to grow in 2011 - my waistline, of course. Oh, but I do want my hair to grow. I love my pixie cut but I'm ready for a little something longer.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

iPad

I got an iPad today.

That's right.

Christian has a mograph job that requires shooting with an iPad so we had to get one.

For the first five hours, I was totally loving it.

But, I'm discovering that it doesn't work with some sites I visit a lot (including blogger, which is funky). So, now I'm a little on the fence. I was hoping the iPad could replace my laptop becuase I primarily use it for Internet-based activities anyway. Not sure if that's possible if it's not totally compatible with everywhere I want to go and interact on the web.

Anybody else have an iPad? What do you think?

Monday, November 1, 2010

I'm Ashamed...

That I got a little tiny bit excited when I saw this.

Yeah, we've already covered the fact that I have questionable taste in music. Now you know I also may have questionable taste in perfume.

For full disclosure, once upon a time I may have worn the Paris Hilton perfume for 6-9 months. I would like to blame it on youth, but I was at least 22 at the time.

Now, quick, someone else admit something shameful and take the focus off me.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Weekend Activities in Austin

  • La Condesa will be hosting a Pumpkin Carving Fiesta from 3:00 to 5:00PM on Saturday. This event features three very important Ps: pumpkins, punch and piƱatas. All of which can be enjoyed on a very important fourth P: the patio. While we’re talking about La Condesa, have you been there yet? If you haven’t, you need to go. For brunch. And order the huevos chilangos. In case you haven't a short memory, I raved about them just this week here.
  • Don’t you love the Downtown Farmers Market? Having it in Republic Square Park really adds something that you don’t get at the markets in the parking lots at Barton Creek and Lakeline Malls. Well, this Saturday morning is your opportunity to say a little thanks for that beautiful setting. From 9:00 to 11:00AM you can volunteer, helping to weed and clean up the park. You might as well pitch in while you’re there picking up your veggies and such. If you miss it this Saturday, note that they do it alternate Saturdays. Plus, if you take a cooler with you to keep any perishables fresh, once you’re finished with your shopping and weeding, you can head the couple blocks over to La Condesa and have those amazing huevos chilangos. Doesn’t that sound like a fabulous Saturday morning?
  • If you scored like a good competition AND you think you have an awesome Halloween costume (please note, us competitive folk don’t generally like to enter contests we don’t think we’ll win so the second part of this equation is key), then Hotel San Jose is the place for you to be this weekend. They are having a costume contest both Saturday and Sunday nights (if you lose Saturday, my advice would be to get an even better costume together for Sunday). The drink specials will run from 5:00PM to 12:00AM each night, but the costume contest will kick things off.
  • If you don’t have a fantastic costume, but your pooch and/or kid does, you’ll want to go to Howl-o-ween at the Central Market on North Lamar on Sunday. There, the pressure will be off you to come in first place and instead you can live vicariously through your canine or offspring. Even if they don’t win (which really shouldn’t be an option), you’ll still have gone out and benefitted the Austin Humane Society so it won’t be a total waste of an afternoon.
  • Normally, we associate fireworks with July 4th and scary costumes with Halloween. If you’ve ever wished more holidays had a fireworks component, you’re in luck because there is actually a fireworks display Halloween night. Planet K will put on a fireworks show over on the East Side starting around 9:00PM.
  • Also, normally when you hear something like Tour de Fat, your first response isn’t “Sign me up!” But, that should be your response to New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat as it’s actually all about the bicycle as the best mode of transportation. Saturday at Fiesta Gardens will include a bike parade and costumes are encouraged. It is Halloween weekend, after all.
~ So, I’m going to the Worst Fest this weekend!
· Why on earth would you go to the Worst Fest? That sounds terrible.
~ Not the Worst Fest, silly, the Wurstfest.

Don’t you want to go to the Wurstfest, too? This is the 50th Annual Wurstfest and it promises to be the worst wurstest of them all. It’s running this evening through November 7th so there’s plenty of time for you to go celebrate German culture with music, the Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic, and other events like the Circle Arts Theatre staging of Harry Potwurst and the Order of the Opas (I’m pretty sure J.K. Rowling hasn’t given her blessing to that adaption but it’s all in good fun, right?).

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Nice

Today, two of my favorite blogs collided. Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom was interviewed by Gretchen Rubin on her blog The Happiness Project.

I finished Gretchen's book, of the same title as her blog, about a month ago and it made (and is still making) a huge impact on me. I need to devote a whole post to it once I can get the words right. I may need to read it again before I write a post. Which is kind of a big deal because I rarely re-read books.

For now, go check out those two blogs if you don't already have them on your daily reading list.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Aquariums? Really?

Today, my favorite little house feature in the New York Times includes a house in Austin.

A house with an aquarium in not just the master bedroom above the bed but also in...

Wait for it...

The kitchen.

That's weird, right? It's not just me who thinks it's weird to stick a couple aquariums in an otherwise gorgeous house.

Right?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Let's Talk Turkey Tuesday

For my birthday we tried two new restaurants.

First up, La Condesa for brunch.

I'm sure you gathered yesterday that the key word for my birthday is awesome. And La Condesa was awesome.

Christian and I both had the huevos chilangos because house-made wild boar chorizo with poached egg, arugula, quinoa croquette and avocado salsa sounded too darn good to pass up. If you live in Austin, go. Eat this. This Saturday. If there are two of you, just order one, though, because this thing is huge. The only thing I wish was different is that they would just sprinkle the arugula on top at the end so it would maintain the crispness and flavor. As it is now, it's in the middle of everything else and you don't really get to enjoy the wonderful fresh peppery arugulaness enough.

For my birthday dinner, we went to Parkside. This dinner was heartbreaking. Everything we ate - the garlic shrimp with smoked paprika (much spicier than you think it's going to be), the marrow bones, the pork jowls with polenta, the brussel sprouts and the fries - was awesome.

But, there was a little miscommunication in the kitchen about when everything was supposed to come out and we got the pork jowl entree at the same time as the huge marrow bone appetizer. A word of warning: trying to eat that much meat product in a very short amount of time so your food doesn't get cold (even though it's not your fault there's all this food on the table at one time) isn't a good idea. At all. It made us a little sick. So, we couldn't even finish the marrow bones, which was incredibly sad because marrow makes me happy. And, we didn't have dessert, also incredibly sad because I love dessert and they are supposed to make awesome sweet stuff.

Our waitress and the manager were very nice about the whole thing and took the marrow off our bill and gave us a gift card. We'll go back and give it another shot.

Image via the La Condesa website.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Awesome Birthday

Saturday was my 28th birthday. And it was freakin' awesome.

My awesome husband took me shopping for 8 hours. And bought me some awesome new clothes. And shoes. And jewelry. And fed me some awesome food (more about that tomorrow).

Here are some highlights of the awesome awesome clothes I got.

Wightwick Manor Dress from Anthropologie. Can't wait to wear this with my wide brown belt. I'm still undecided about whether boots will be too much with it. What shoes would you wear?

Tweedy Leaves Dress also from Anthropologie.
So cute. I can't wait until it's under 90 degrees here so i don't feel like a crazy person wearing something that has a wool skirt.

Hot hot pencil skirt from J. Crew (my name for it, not theirs). Isn't that color just awesome?

Some TOMS. I'm dying over how comfortable these shoes are.

That's only a small percentage of all the stuff I scored. I had some major coupons, we found some great sales and my closet is looking a lot fuller.

Awesome birthday.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Weekend Activities in Austin

  • There are a couple very important birthdays happening this Saturday (MINE MINE MINE), including the Draught House’s 42nd. Their party is an all day affair running from 1:00PM to 10:00PM with plenty of beer, food and music. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs! Seriously, don’t forget them. There are sure to be a ton of people at this thing and you don’t want to be stuck sitting on the payment.
  • Now, to stick with the beer-related activities, Austin Beer Week starts on Sunday. Beer Week will feature 30 happy hours, 9 dinners, 19 beer and food pairings and a whole lot more. There will be 107 events total in this week of hops and barley. You can even head back to the Draught House on Sunday for the 1st Annual Beer Olympics. Don’t forget your lawn chairs!
  • We’re just a little over a week away from the best candy night of the year so it’s time to start ramping up the Halloween activities. First up, the Halloween Children’s Concert put on by the Austin Symphony at the Long Center on Sunday. In addition to the spooky music, everyone is encouraged to wear their costumes. And you know your kids are just dying to wear their costumes already. And, let’s face it, you are too.
  • To really get in the Halloween spirit (hehe, spirit), you’ll need a pumpkin. So, head out to Evergreen Farms for their Pumpkin Hunt. Not only can you get a great pumpkin to take home and carve into the Star Wars character/death star of your choice, but they also have a real pumpkin hunt where you can take a wagon ride into the Christmas tree fields to search for mini pumpkins that are hidden in the trees. There are also activities like a pumpkin launcher, pumpkin golf and pumpkin spinner. I have no idea what any of those are, but they sound fun, right?
  • Want something spooky? Pioneer Farms has a Haunted Trail that includes a walking tour with fortune tellers, ghost stories around a campfire, and even headless horsemen. The trail is only open this Saturday and next Friday and Saturday from 7:00 to 10:00PM. The scarecrows were already all booked up the other nights with Jazzercize and underwater basket weaving classes.
  • Arthouse at the Jones Center is having an extravaganza of reopening events this weekend. That’s right, construction is complete and they are ready to show off their new space, which sounds amazing. There’s a super fancy (with corresponding super expensive ticket price) celebration tonight, but I’m looking forward to the Public Reopening Party on Sunday. That one offers free admission, plus part of Congress right by Arthouse will be closed that day and there’ll be some yummy trailers on hand.
  • You'll notice that I'm a little obsessed with all the home tours that go on in Austin. My obsession perpetuates because I always forget about a home tour I heard about and want to attend until I’m writing my Friday Thoughts and realize I’ve already scheduled something that I can’t get out of so I’m missing yet another one. So, yes, I’m talking about another home tour. Sunday is the 7th Annual Downtown Living Tour. This tour is a chance to see some of those fancy downtown condo and loft buildings. Sadly, it does not include the Austonian. Or an explanation of why that building is named the Austonian since Austinites don’t refer to themselves that way. Also, sadly, I will miss this one because we're meeting my mom for a birthday lunch.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Let's Talk Turkey Tuesday

We're not actually going to talk about turkey. One of my 30 Before 30 resolutions is to try 30 new (to me) restaurants or trailers and I love food, so I'm now dubbing Tuesdays "Let's Talk Turkey Tuesdays" AKA let's talk about food I've eaten recently.

Since I made my 30 Before 30 resolution, I've tried one new restaurant: Foreign & Domestic.

I'd been wanting to try it ever since it opened but we just hadn't made it down there. I'm super happy we finally did - it's good stuff.

We had the gruyere popovers, the lardo and I had the mac and cheese for my entree (they had a fancy name for it "ditali and cheddar").

The only part of the meal I was a little disappointed in was the lardo. I had it really built up in my mind, which I totally blame Anthony Bourdain for given his constant praising of lardo. I thought it was going to taste like the best bacon fat I'd ever had in my life, but it didn't. It was still good, and it was still really rich, but just not the scrumptiousness I dreamed about.

The ditali and cheddar, on the other hand, was totally amazing. They use a mild white cheddar (always the way to go), put in oxtails and top the whole thing with a soft egg. Pure heaven. If you get it, don't look at the portion size and scoff as I did. It's plenty.

Sadly, we didn't get to try dessert, which was disappointing because they had a bacon root beer thing that sounded right up my alley. But, we'll save room next time. Clearly, we're totally going back.

Added bonuses: great service, cool space and decor, yummy drinks.

(Image via Foreign & Domestic website)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Do You Want to Live Until You're 100?

Then check out this article in the New York Times today: Secrets of Centenarians.

Something that really stood out to me - studies show that optimists live longer than pessimists. Yet another reason to strive to live a happier life (which I'm currently working on). Of course, if you're going to live until you're 100, it'd be much more fun to be happy for most of those 100 years than downtrodden, right?

A lot of the comments were very harsh. But, I can't agree with them. I don't see anything wrong with reading a story in the Times (every once in a while) that reminds us all to live full lives and to live them positively.

I'm sounding a little Pollyanna right now, huh? What can I say, I had a good day and reading about a 100 year old woman who still does yoga in the morning and corresponds with all her grandkids fits my mood.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Anniversary Traditions (update)

I just realized that I never updated how Christian and I did on executing the traditional anniversary gifts: paper for the 1st year.

Well, I think we did pretty darn good.

I got Christian four cookbooks: Momofuku (we had our first real date at Momofuku Noodle Bar), Chanterelle and Staff Meals from Chanterelle (we had our six month dating anniversary there; sadly it's now closed), and The Foods of the Greek Islands (our honeymoon was in Lindos, Rhodes).

I gotta say, before the day, I was totally impressed with myself. Christian loves to cook, loves new cookbooks and those cookbooks all have great meaning for us. He was totally thrilled with them but I feel like his presents blew mine out of the water.

My "card" was actually a beautiful album he made for me on blurb.com, which made me cry like a baby. (My cards for him were from Target, btw.) And he got me the beautiful Frank Gehry heart pendant necklace from Tiffany seen above. Currently, it's off getting the chain lengthened because it was a little too short. I can't wait to wear it once it's back. What a show off.

Next year will be cotton. A little less than 50 weeks to figure that one out.

P.S. We also had an out of this world dinner at Uchiko here in Austin. That place probably deserves its own post.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Weekend Activities in Austin

  • This weekend is the Texas Book Festival at the Capitol. There will be more than 200 authors on hand and it’s free for you to get up close and personal with them. If you’re really excited about a particular session, be sure to arrive early as it is first-come, first-served and you may not be the only one who wants to hear, for example, Joseph O'Neill. I also would like to hear him as Netherland was really interesting. By the way, his session is at 10:30AM tomorrow morning. Or is it? Maybe I’m just trying to throw you off track so you’re one less person I have to fight for a seat. How will you ever know? Oh right, I gave you the link to the schedule.
  • If running a marathon isn’t really your thing (too long and running shoes are so not fetch, after all), then the Stiletto Stampede for the Cure taking place tomorrow at the Hill Country Galleria might be more your cup of tea. The race starts at 10:00AM, it’s 100 yards and 2.5 inch or taller heels are required. This isn’t just an event for the ladies; guys, you can also run too. The 2.5 inch heel requirement still stands, though.
  • I was saying earlier this week that there are few things I will run for – like that last cute top in my size, if someone’s chasing me, etc. But, I would run to this next event, if necessary. The 7th Annual Lexington Chocolate Lover’s Festival is taking place this Saturday and will be held in the Lexington Town Square. Admission is free but there are fees for some of the tastings. Random activity also taking place at the Festival is the opportunity for your kids to “have a go” at milking a cow. There are also more run-of-the-mill activities for the kids like plinko and a bounce house (probably best to send them to the bounce house before they partake in all the chocolate tastings).
  • Don’t consume too much chocolate on Saturday because that night is a really cool dinner you won’t want to miss. Amanda Hesser, author of The Essential New York Times Cookbook, Edible Austin, & Farmhouse Delivery will be hosting a picnic, potluck style tasting as Austin Chefs prepare their favorite recipes from Hesser’s new cookbook. The list of participating restaurants/chefs is quite impressive and includes Eastside CafĆ©, Perla’s (their French toast is to die for, by the way), Paggi House and Takoba. Tickets are $35 each, the dinner will be out at Rain Lily Farm and you’ll need to bring your own blankets and chairs. All of it benefits the Sustainable Food Center.
  • On Sunday, Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop is celebrating its 2nd birthday. They’ll be providing the free cupcakes (big surprise) and Tito’s and St. Germain will be providing the free cocktails. Like any good birthday party, there will also be ice cream, music, face painting and prizes. There’s also talk of a cupcake cannon but I’ve yet to figure out what exactly that is. But, I’m pretty sure I would like to have one of my own. If anyone’s familiar with cupcake cannons, please enlighten me.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

We're all grown up and shizzle

Christian and I moved to Austin just over six months ago. Because we moved from Manhattan, we didn't move with much furniture. So, we've been adding necessary pieces as time's gone by. Dressers, a couch and a desk for Christian were the first priorities because I wasn't keen on having our clothes on the floor, sitting on the floor to watch TV, or having poor Christian work on the floor.

As I mentioned before, our dining room has basically been Senor's playland all this time. Well, that finally came to an end on Sunday. That's right, we actually got a dining room table and chairs! And Christian took some pics of them with his iPhone and his Hipstamatic app thingymajig.

The table is the Bjursta from Ikea (a little tricky to put together because it's expandable), we found the chairs at the Crate & Barrel outlet (where I almost had a minor breakdown when the clerk mistakenly told us they didn't have four), the rug is from my favorite place in the whole entire world, Target, we got the bowl on our honeymoon in Greece, and the pitcher is from Anthropologie and was a wedding present from my best friend.

I'm ecstatic over this. We've already had three dinners and a breakfast at this table. All of them were wonderful. Plus, this means when we have friends over for dinner, which we like to do a lot, everyone can actually sit in real chairs instead of sprawled out on the couch and floor cushions.

Surprisingly, The Paws is handling the eviction pretty well. She's very excited about the new placement of her tunnel, which gives her optimal opportunity to attack Christian and me as we walk by.

Monday, October 11, 2010

30 Before 30

I'm turning 28 on October 23 (less than two weeks away - still plenty of time to shop!). With only two more years before I turn 30 (whoa), I thought I would make a 30 Before 30 list. I've seen these on other blogs before and always thought it was a cool idea. So, here's the full list. Some of these are stretch goals, some not as much.

  1. Learn Photoshop
  2. Turn my interest in photography into a real hobby
  3. Make our wedding photo album
  4. Get new pro photos taken of Christian and me (maybe a trash the dress session for me)
  5. Take a rock climbing class (I've already started on this one)
  6. Go kayaking
  7. Establish an exercise routine
  8. Beat Christian at Trivial Pursuit
  9. Cook a Thomas Keller recipe
  10. Eat at the French Laundry or Per Se
  11. Try 30 new (to me) trailers or restaurants
  12. Go on a picnic
  13. Go on the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory tour
  14. Go to Las Vegas
  15. Travel outside the U.S. at least once
  16. Go to Santa Fe Fiestas
  17. Take a roadtrip
  18. Go see at least one Ballet Austin performance
  19. Read 130 books
  20. Take a class - jewelry, language, something
  21. Figure out my 401(k)
  22. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (this may turn into volunteer for the Austin Public Library because my home improvement skills have been sucking as of late)
  23. Re-learn how to make my Grandma's taffy
  24. Get our apartment in order and get rid of excess stuff
  25. Keep a houseplant alive
  26. Pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru
  27. Learn how to knit something other than a basic scarf
  28. Get a tattoo
  29. Get a dog
  30. Make a career plan (3 year)

Friday, October 1, 2010

Anniversary Traditions


I've talked before about how much Christian and I love establishing new traditions.

Well, tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary (has it already been a year since the best day of my life?), so we're starting to establish some anniversary traditions.
  1. Our welcome dinner (we didn't need to rehearse anything since we got married at City Hall) was at a pizza place below our old NYC apartment. So, each year the night before our anniversary we're going to have pizza for dinner. I think this tradition will be a big hit with the kids (once we have them and they're old enough to eat pizza, of course). Tonight, Christian's making the pizza which is very exciting because I love love love his pizza.
  2. Every year we'll also watch our amazing wedding video as well as this awesome video Christian's best friend made with footage he shot of us answering Newlywed Game-style questions.
  3. We'll take pictures. That's a given.
  4. We're also trying to follow the traditional or modern interpretation of the traditional wedding gifts for at least part of our presents to each other. The first anniversary is paper (traditional) or a watch (modern). Tomorrow morning, which is the designated present time, we'll see how we did.

Weekend Activities in Austin

  • The American Institute of Architects Austin is having its 24th Annual Homes Tour this Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 6:00pm each day. You can look all you want at the 12 houses but be sure to leave your camera at home; any photo taking will get you booted.
  • Yes, it is officially October, which means Fredericksburg is having its 30th Anniversary Oktoberfest this weekend. Key events, in addition to all the eating and drinking, include the parade around MarktPlatz today at 5:25pm, the chicken dance block party around the square on Saturday at 9:45am (sharp!, according the site), and a 42 Tournament on Sunday (if you’re like me and have never heard of a 42 tournament, it looks like from my intensive 30 second Google search that it’s a dominos tournament). Additionally, I will neither confirm nor deny reports that I started doing the chicken dance on my treadmill yesterday afternoon when I heard about Saturday’s activity.
Wait, did you just click that link thinking it was going to be video of me doing the chicken dance?
  • The 2nd Annual Austin Teen Book Festival is this Saturday and it sounds really cool. Like, you should definitely go. Especially if you have a teen who likes to read. The main goal of the day is to connect teens with authors of books written for teens. You and/or your teen can get books signed as well as attend all the free panels with various authors. Since this is an event for teens, seating preference will be given to teens at those sessions. There’ll also be Amy’s Ice Cream (we all know I love any event involving Amy’s), a photo booth (also love me a photo booth, especially when it’s free like this one is) and live music.
  • OK, only one more festival, I promise. I can’t leave this one out because it sounds like it involves really yummy food. Tonight and tomorrow night head over to 408 East 11th Street for the Saint Elias Mediterranean Festival. Stop on your way over at the Twin Liquors to pick up the $5 tickets so you won’t have to wait in line at the gate. Austin Chronicle ranks this as one of Central Texas’ Top 10 Food Festivals so be sure to bring your appetite. You’ll be treated to Lebanese, Palestinian, Greek, Eritrean and Romanian food as well as music and dancing. Don’t stay too late, though. Remember, you need to be up early tomorrow to get to the chicken dance in Fredericksburg at 9:45am.
  • ColdTowne Theater is raising money for a new space and their latest effort to bring in the funds is a 24 Hour Sketch Brawl. Tonight, they’ll be giving 8 teams a string of suggestions and guidelines for their improv shows and tomorrow night those teams will all take the stage and battle it out to see who created the funniest routine in a mere 24 hours. If you like comedy or improv, this sounds like a cool way to spend a Saturday night.
  • Now, have you ever wanted to own your own pub or brewery? I know you’re nodding yes (and probably doing the chicken dance). Well, now’s your chance. You can become an owner of the Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery. This new co-op is located at the intersection of Lamar and Airport (that new Midtown Commons) and is now open. While you don’t have to be a member/owner of the co-op to eat and drink there, it’s probably the most economical way to fulfill any fantasies you might have of being a restaurateur (AKA the hardest word to spell EVER – why does the poor ‘n’ just disappear?).
  • Oh, and I think there’s something big happening in Dallas this weekend. Cross your fingers Horns fans. And your toes. And your kids’ fingers and toes. And if you see a stranger who doesn’t have their fingers and toes crossed, cross theirs for them too.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Weekend Activities in Austin

So, every Friday I send out "Friday Thoughts from Julie", which are a compilation of activities going on around Austin and the surrounding areas to everyone at work. They seem to be pretty popular so I thought I'd post them up here as well.

  • Do Friday afternoons bring the realization that you need activities to keep your child/children occupied for the weekend? If so, check out the Fall Nature Nights at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Once a month, for only $1, your kids can be occupied for 3 whole hours and learn cool stuff. Tonight’s session is on Plants & People and will give you a chance to make your own recycled paper.
  • That magical time of year is upon us. The time of year when you can do more damage to your heart, arteries and any diet plan than all the winter holidays combined. That’s right, the State Fair of Texas starts today. In addition to enjoying anything fried you could think of, I’ve heard there are also lifestock shows, midway rides and music. Whatever. All I know is this year’s Most Creative food (?) prize went to fried beer.
  • It’s also time for the fall edition of The Pecan Street Festival. Saturday and Sunday head down to 6th Street for the largest art festival in Central Texas. Tons of artisans from all over the U.S. will be on hand as well as five stages of music and plenty of food. But, Julie, you’re not addressing my most important question: will there be fried beer? Sadly, I don’t think so. You should still go, though.
  • Once you’ve eaten all that yummy fried food, you really should do something active. Or, better yet, go watch someone else be active. Ballet Austin’s season starts this weekend at the Long Center. That sounds like a good place to go watch other people burn calories. If these current pieces, Carmina Burana & Kai aren’t quite your cup of ballet tea, note that they also already have tickets on sale for The Nutcracker.
  • The new Visual Arts Center at U.T. is having its grand opening celebration this weekend. From noon to 9:00pm on Sunday there will be plenty of tours, conversations and performances to introduce everyone to this new space. The Center is free and open to the public except Saturdays when U.T. is playing at home. Yes, that’s right, football trumps the arts once again.
  • If you or someone you know loves horror, fantasy, sci-fi, or action movies, then you have to check out “the geek Telluride” (Variety’s words, not mine) AKA Fantastic Fest, which started yesterday and runs through the 30th. In addition to classics like Spaceballs (which includes a quote-a-long), there will be exciting premieres like Sharktopus. Don’t even try and tell me you haven’t been waiting to see Sharktopus for months now. I know you all better than that.
  • If your movie tastes are more traditional, you could always go see The Town (unless you don’t like Boston accents). That’s what I did last night and it’s a darn good movie with a really impressive cast.
  • Some former lawyers get jobs at cool foundations (that’d be me) while others start their own delicious sounding food trucks featuring a fusion of Tex-Mex and Vietnamese (that’d be Eric Silverstein). His truck, The Peached Tortilla, rolls into Austin this weekend. Saturday, the first night of business, Eric will be in front of Star Bar starting at 9:00pm and he’ll have complimentary tastings. After that, he’ll be roving the city so check out the website for location updates.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Honey?

Yes, dear?

This is actually a post about using honey to combat my acne. But, when I did a Google image search for "honey" I came up with the movie poster from that awesome (oops, I mean) terrible Jessica Alba movie and I had to use it. I'll admit, I never saw the movie but I feel comfortable standing by my assessment.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I read online about six weeks ago about using honey to combat acne. This is one of the sites I read. Well, I've tried just about everything under the sun to get rid of my acne with not a lot of luck so I figured slathering honey on my face is cheap and easy enough to try.

Surprisingly (at least to me), I've had good results. For about the first two weeks, I washed my face every night, spread honey all over it (you're supposed to go for the unprocessed honey), let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then washed it off. Since those first two weeks, I've continued doing the routine as many nights a week as I can (and remember!).

Before I started the honey, I was breaking out constantly. Not just little breakouts either, huge breakouts all over my face, especially on my cheek.

Now, I'm breaking out almost not at all. I have a small pimple today but that's the first one I've had in a while.

So, honey = good.

Unless it involves Jessica Alba.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

I've Got Bad Taste in Music

I fully admit that I have bad taste in music. I crank Britney Spears with abandon. I think I actually have more Britney albums on my iPhone than any other artist. Occasionally I listen to some worthwhile music that doesn't provoke scorn in those around me (see, for example, my obsession with A Fine Frenzy's Bomb in a Birdcage album) but, for the most part, I have the same musical interests I did as a 15 year old girl.

Currently, I'm beyond happy when this song comes on the radio. I'm also a fan of the version with Eminem (who, as it happens, I used to have a HUGE crush on when I was younger). Oh, and to be clear, I really like the melody, not so much the rapping by B.o.B.

I have resisted the urge to buy it on iTunes so at least that's something. Right?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Things I'm Currently Coveting

It's been a few months since I did one of these and I certainly haven't stopped coveting things so let's go.

First up, how cute would this dress be for work? Especially with my pixie cut (which currently is in major, major need of a trim). Vestiges from Anthropologie - I covet you. Hard.


I have no idea where I'd wear this next dress but I just love it so so so much. So much. I used to have a couple great black/white polka dot articles of clothing (a great dress, skirt, etc.) and now my wardrobe is totally lacking in that department. This Pebble Seraphina from J Crew would totally remedy that hole in my closet.

Costco: A Love Story

I'm not really sure how I got through the first 27+ years of my life without Costco but I hope I have one near me for the next 70 because it's the awesome.

There's so much good stuff. And in such massive quantities. Like huge bags of delicious Babybel cheese, a lifetime supply of microwave popcorn and the biggest bottles of olive oil I've ever seen.

Thank God our Austin apartment is two-three times the size of our Manhattan apartment because there's no way we could fit all these wonderful goods inside our place otherwise.

As an added bonus, we get boxes to add to The Paws ever growing collection of boxes in our still defunct dining room. I swear one day we'll have a table and chairs in there.

What about you? Do you find joy in buying six tubes of toothpaste at a time?

Monday, July 19, 2010

Further Proof...

That Real Simple is my magazine soul mate. Article in the most recent issue: Napping, A Love Story.

I'm a big napper (just wanted to iterate that in case it wasn't clear from the title of my blog). I generally can't get through the weekend without at least one nap. My love of sleeping, in general, and napping, in particular, is totally at odds with my personality. I tend towards the over-achiever end of the spectrum. So, my favorite line in this essay is a good reminder that naps are a wonderful thing, even if you're not getting anything accomplished by sleeping during the day.

"...not everything has to be useful, not everything has to lead to something more—that sometimes, for no reason and with no purpose, you can just curl up on the couch, feel the soft breeze, and drift into a soft, delicious sleep that leads to nowhere in particular, and back again."

And, since we're talking about sleeping, above we have a gorgeous bedding set from Anthropologie that A) I don't need, B) I can't afford and C) Christian probably wouldn't go for even if A and B weren't true. Why do I continue to torture myself with their bedding section?

Devil Spawn

Ok, so you know that adorable kitten we adopted? If you need a refresher, she's just a little further down the page in all her furry glory.

Well, she's about 5 months old now, the super cute fuzziness has faded and it turns out we may have adopted the Spawn of Satan.

I know, I know, you're looking at her photo and she still looks totally adorable and sweet. Looks can be deceiving. I'll admit that she is a really cute cat. But she's a really cute cat that bites. And scratches. And has left me scarred. I'm thinking of trying out for the next Mederma commercial spot to bring in some extra money. Last night, we got into a bit of a skirmish and I now have deep scratch marks on the side of 4 of my toes. (Thankfully, the pinky was spared).

It's not like she's lashing out because she's neglected or anything. Our entire dining room is basically dedicated to toys and activities for this cat. Seriously. There's a tunnel, one of those nice scratching posts with a perch on top, the blinds are open, she has 2 boxes to play with, and another half dozen other toys and things to keep her occupied. Plus, she has a totally fashionable collar.

Unfortunately, even all that doesn't seem to calm the devil inside her.

Everyone keeps telling us that she'll calm down as she gets older. Boy, oh boy, do I hope that's true. Otherwise, has anyone heard of a Cat Whisperer? Or, would Cesar Millan take on this special case?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

*Abashed face*

Um, so you know how I had a New Year's resolution to read Atlas Shrugged this year? Well, I struggled like 1/6th of the way through it (and it took me 5 months to get that far) and then I kinda sorta gave up. I know, my bad. I'll read it some day. Having the same book on my nightstand for 5 months was really getting on my nerves.

Since admitting defeat in the face of 1,200+ very dense pages, I've been on a total reading binge. Some highlights (and one lowlight):

Such a Pretty Fat - motivated me to do that 30 Day Shred for 2 days. How does that woman make exercising sound fun? I tried it. It's not.

Netherland - made me sad for part of it and also made me miss New York.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - I know everyone says this book only has one joke but I found that one joke pretty amusing. Plus, I just love Pride & Prejudice, so it was like getting to read one of my favs with a little funny bonus thrown in.

The Tipping Point - totally worth it just for all the info about Sesame Street. I didn't watch Sesame Street as a kid (shocking, I know!) and I'm kinda fascinated with it now.

And I "read" the Victoria Beckham book. Shh, don't tell anyone.


Now, I'm reading Bonfire of the Vanities for the first time. It's such an interesting book to read right now. It's also much more of a page turner than I thought it was going to be. I will admit that "Master of the Universe" turns my stomach every time I read it.

Oh, and lest you think I've forgotten that I also made a New Year's resolution that I would be a better blogger, I haven't. Settling into Austin has been much more stressful and time consuming than I thought it would be and I haven't been making the time to blog. Sadly, reality TV and reading that book that shall not be named have taken higher priority. I'm going to try to be better.

Friday, April 30, 2010

KITTEN!

May I introduce the latest edition to our family...

Senor Kitty Paws!

We adopted this adorable little 8 week old female kitten last Saturday. Yes, Senor is a girl. People can stop telling us that her name should be Senora/Senorita Kitty Paws. Christian and I both have basic Spanish knowledge. It's funny, people.

Anyway, gender confusion aside, SKP is just the best kitten ever. Sadly, she's a little sick right now (common with shelter kitties, I've read) but hopefully she'll be back to her bouncy self soon.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

House Perusing

One of my favorite features to look through on the nytimes.com is when they compare 3 houses in different parts of the country that are all selling for the same price.

Of course, I can never remember what day this goes up so I often miss it. Today, though, was a lucky day and not only did I find it, but they included a house in Austin. Sadly, $975,000 won't be in our budget anytime soon, unless we win the lottery. But, it's still fun to see what's out there in our new city.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Etsy Love

Once upon a time several years ago, I heard about this really cool website called Etsy. So, I went on not knowing what to expect and I quickly became totally overwhelmed and clicked right out of there. I'm a girl who avoids department stores like the plague because there are just too many things so stumbling upon Etsy without a thought in my head of what I was looking for was simply too much for me to handle.

Fast forward to the wonderful days of wedding planning. I started seeing items from Etsy sellers listed on blogs and message boards and I slowly crept back in. This time, I had a purpose and things to look for -- veils and fascinators and clutches and cake toppers and every form of wedding accoutrement. With this foray, I found a ton of great stuff, including our amazing custom cake topper from melabo.

After the wedding was over, once again I found myself a little adrift in Etsy world. Well, clearly, I found my way to the purses as evidenced in this post. Although, to be fair, I had a little bit of a headstart on the purse section since I bought clutches for my bridesmaids from a couple Etsy sellers.

Now, I'm starting to look at fun things with which to decorate our huge new apartment. In our NYC apartment, Christian and I had a huge picture wall with tons of photos that we'd taken of ourselves, our friends and our travels. In our new place, we'll have even more wall space and I really want to mix in photographs by other people along with our work. I've already fallen in love with the work of curioush (seriously must have this and just about everything else in her store) and triinity (how adorable would this be in the kitchen or dining room?).

I know I've only scratched a tiny, tiny bit of the surface of artwork available on Etsy and I can't wait to find even more gorgeous stuff.

Do you have a favorite seller on Etsy? Or something you're always searching for on the site? How much do you love those polaroids?

Monday, March 22, 2010

Waiting, uncertainty...

And a Guinness chocolate shake from Amy's Ice Cream. Most delicious thing ever. I just polished one off while waiting for my flight at the Austin Airport.

Now, on to the less delicious things that are going on right now.

There are few things in life that I am worse at than (patiently) waiting and facing uncertainty.

I am very much a Type A, loves to be in control person. So, waiting for that moment when uncertainty becomes a certainty is well beyond my typical comfort zone.

Today, I had final interviews for the job of my dreams in Austin. First, I had to wait for 3 weeks between the first round of interviews and today. I barely made it through that will all my hair in tact and I'm only exaggerating a little bit. Now, I'll be waiting until (hopefully only) Thursday to hear whether or not I've got the job. I know 3 days shouldn't seem like a long time but right now I'm really wondering if I can continue putting one foot in front of the other while I'm plagued by this uncertainty.

I'm trying to learn that uncertainty isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing. It means there are possibilities. It means different things can happen. It means things can change.

That's all well in good in my head. Sometimes. But, really, all I want to know is whether I can continue decorating our new apartment in my mind with all sorts of adorable things or if the only thing that will be in there is some ramen.

How do you cope with uncertainty?

Oh, I forgot, there is one certainty from today. If I have too many more of those shakes from Amy's I'm definitely going to need to buy some new pants :)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Things I'm Currently Coveting

I really want some new clothes. Really want. Forgive me for repeating myself. I know you've heard this all before :)

I'm hoping that after the move, once we're a little settled and the apartment is furnished enough to live in that I will get to finally go on a shopping spree. It's been too long.

In addition to new clothes and shoes, I also really want a new purse. Do I need new clothes and shoes? Yeah. Do I need a new purse? No way! I have so many already. But, they are my weakness. Okay, I'll be honest, ONE of my weaknesses.

Here are some beauties I would love to bring home.
Bisbee satchel from J Crew


I'm torn between the regular and mini truffle from Etsy seller Morelle. I'm also torn on what color to get but, since this isn't happening for at least a little while, for now, I'm digging the yellow. Nice and springy.

Finally, I think the Foliage Unfolded bag from Anthropologie just screams lounging around South Congress on a Saturday. Don't you? And that's what I plan on doing a lot of soon so I'm gonna need a bag to carry. Right? Right.

People I'll Miss: Our Fantastic NYC Friends

Saturday night, Christian and I hosted a little going away party for ourselves and it was a ton of fun. We had yummy appetizers, good booze (including some Tito's Vodka), and a sparkling clean apartment. The weather, on the other hand, was ridiculous. Some people couldn't even make it to our apartment because of all the power outages and downed trees. But, most people did, and it meant so much to us to have so many people we love come out to say good bye.

It showed me that the main thing I will most miss when we leave NYC are the amazing friends I've made here.

Unfortunately, I'm not always the best friend over long distances. I love face-to-face interactions and loathe talking on the phone. But, hopefully, I can turn over a new leaf this year and become better because I really don't want to lose all these wonderful people who help destress me, make me laugh and just improve my life.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Things I'll Miss: Salt

Photo by Jimmy Ryan

I can't say enough good things about Salt. Not just the greatest spice ever but also an amazing restaurant in SoHo.

It's the first place Christian got drunk and said we should start dating (I declined and made him work for it for a couple more months).

We've had dozens of romantic dinners and yummy brunches there.

And, maybe most importantly, it's where we held our wedding reception dinner.

Recently, we went for our final dinner there while we're still living in the city. The cauliflower soup (my absolute favorite) was supremely delicious and I realized just how much I'm going to miss it. When we leave the restaurant, we are always stuffed to the brim because everything from the bread to the dessert to the wine is so good that we just can't stop eating. Even when we know we should!
I will miss Salt. I will miss the food. I will miss all the friendly people there who have become like friends to us. And I will miss getting to visit the place where so much happiness has occurred whenever I want.
The good thing is they gave us a great new cookbook and it has the recipe for that delicious cauliflower soup. Can't wait until Christian makes it!

Monday, February 15, 2010

I've Got a Great Husband

For Valentine's Day he not only made me a delicious dinner of duck, but he bought me some new treats from J Crew.

I have been lusting after this skirt. Now, I can't wait for it to warm up enough for me to wear it.

He also got me this adorable cardigan, which I've already worn twice! Boy, do I love me a good cardigan.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Lost

You may have noticed that I'm a Jack/Kate fan. Sure, Sawyer/Kate are hot together, but I'm a sucker for Jack and if who he wants is Kate, then I think he should get her.

So, I may go a wee bit crazy whenever Kate goes after Sawyer on the show or does something to hurt Jack (like yell just a little at the TV. Just a little. I promise).

And, to mock me for this, Christian sent me that ^ today.

Poor Jack. I just want him to be happy. And keep his hair short.

In other Lost news I've decided to just sit and watch this season. I'm not even going to try and figure out what's happening or try to guess what will happen next. I think this is the zen way to approach it. We'll see how long it lasts.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Real Simple: March Issue

One of my favorite days of every month is the day my Real Simple arrives. I love Real Simple because it has the right mix of fashion, home/organizing/life tips and interesting articles for me. Plus, I love the cover designs. The one at left is from way back in August 2006.

Some of my magazines, like Vogue, take me days or weeks to get through. Not Real Simple. I usually sit right down and devour it as soon as it arrives. Part of the devouring involves tearing out any recipes that look good and adding them to our ever growing recipe binder (previously discussed here). This month, there were quite a few, including a yummy looking fettuccine with lima beans, peas and leeks.

Today, I started a new binder for home decor tips and ideas! Up until now, I haven't bothered saving that stuff because our apartment in Manhattan was pretty well set, we weren't going to make any major changes, and I wasn't going to buy any new stuff until we were in a new place. Now that we're moving to Austin, where we'll have a ton more room, another bedroom and the prospect of a real house in the next couple years, I can finally start planning some new decor (like my dream dining room -- note: I don't think this dream will be coming true anytime soon unless we find a money tree somewhere).

I also ordered a subscription to Elle Decor. I've never subscribed to it before (or read it much), but I had a good trial offer, and figured why not. I'm impatiently waiting for my first issue to arrive. And, yes, I know magazines aren't the most environmentally friendly things but I love them and I just can't get used to reading them online. I've tried. I need to hold it in my hand and be able to rip things out of it.

I almost forgot my favorite little tip from the March Real Simple: www.filleritem.com. Say you're a couple bucks away from free shipping on Amazon (happens to me all the time), just go on that site, type in the amount you're short, and it'll show you items that are that amount or a little more so you can add one to your cart and reach the magical free shipping number. Can't wait to try this next time I'm ordering a DVD or book or kitchen gadget for Christian.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Things I'll Miss: Tia Pol

Right now, one of my favorite bloggers (Maggie of The Freckled Citizen) is moving from Dallas to D.C. In anticipation of her move she did a series on things she would miss in Dallas. One of her posts was about Central Market (amazing, amazing grocery store that is also in Austin) and when I read it I was like Score! I'll to be able to go to Central Market again in addition to the greatest Whole Foods ever.

But, awesome Austin grocery stores aside, her posts got me thinking about what I'm going to miss here in New York City.

Paying a TON of money for a one bedroom apartment where I'm constantly rearranging every thing to try to accommodate all our stuff? Not so much.

The bitter, bitter cold? Nope.
Cranky people on the subway, people who think it's smart to walk 4 across on the sidewalk, or the guy always handing out cards for $6 eyebrow threading by our apartment? None of those either.
I will miss Tia Pol. Tia Pol is the greatest tapas restaurant I've ever been to in my life (so far). It's only 2 blocks from our apartment. By NYC standards, it's totally affordable. The waitstaff is super nice and they remember us when we come in (they should since we're there a lot). Which makes it the perfect restaurant.

So, I will be missing the patatas bravas (the only time I eat aioli), the chorizo and chocolate, the fried chickpeas, the bone marrow, the artichoke salad and I will miss the blistered green peppers (almost the only time I eat green peppers).

If you're ever in New York, go eat here. Don't believe people when they tell you Boqueria is the place to go for tapas in the Chelsea/Flat iron area. It's not. Tia Pol is so far beyond Boqueria it's not even funny (especially not funny when you're used to the amazingness that is Tia Pol and you pop in to Boqueria one starving Sunday afternoon only to pay more and leave less fulfilled than you ever do at Tia Pol).
P.S. Keep in mind it's a small place, you can make reservations up to 5 days in advance and the earlier you go, the shorter the wait time.