pay it green

Last holiday season I actually asked for a paper shredder because I was feeling so inundated with mountains of paper in my home office. I have been resistant to electronic statements, fearing the loss of the moments I set aside to review financial transactions sent via snailmail. Even though I resent this pile of sensitive information constantly stacking up around me, changing my habits has been hard to accept as part of the problem. I am a definite candidate for the Pay It Green campaign which advocates switching to electronic billing, statements and payments.

Going paperless saves trees, reduces clutter, improves security and saves me time while helping to save the environment. On this site you learn about the positive impact of going paperless with tools like the Green Calculator which tallies your current financial paper footprint or the Pay It Green toolkit for businesses. These days I hardly write any checks, but never stopped to think about the route this piece of paper takes. After seeing The Life and Travels of a Paper Check, I'm even happier let my checkbook gather more dust.

swimming with the mino

I love my dSLR thank you very much, but own a Flip Ultra and it's loads of fun to have such a portable, easy-to-use video on hand at all times. Flip even includes software that makes it easy to get up and running online with YouTube so you can start sharing your videos with the world. The new Mino (4" x 2" and under 4 oz records for 60 min in HD!!!) is available for about $230. Another super cool feature: you can select from existing cover designs OR upload your own artwork to make a statement even before you start shooting any footage!

national day of listening

StoryCorps has announced this Friday 11/28/08 as the first National Day of Listening. On this holiday of over-eating and family time consider setting aside an hour to interview and record the story of someone close to you. What a wonderful way to start a new tradition and gather new insights on your loved ones' unexpected journeys. StoryCorp has tips on interview techniques and how to preserve/share each story.

These days, listening can be a bit of a dying art form, but storytelling seems to be quite in vogue! During December's endless string of holiday parties, how about reducing the mind-numbing chit-chat and tell a story yourself? Or perhaps check out a MOTH storySLAM...

the food issue is here!

One glance at this week's New Yorker and I knew it was Wayne Thiebaud cover. I've always loved his images of his plated cakes and pies, patiently waiting on the counter for a hungry customer. His subject matter may be just "every day," but I often find it very tempting.

loy krathong

Every November I think back to our honeymoon in Thailand, and in particular back to our first evening in Chiang Mai during the festival for Loy Krathong. Jet-lagged and slightly delirious, the firecrackers and crush of people downtown proved to be mind-boggling! On this night, full moon on the 12th month of the lunar calendar, the Thai launch small krathongs (little rafts made from banana leaves, flowers, candles etc) into the river in thanks to the goddess of water, who gives life to all things. Our guide Nikki led us down the embankment to the Ping River (no small feat), but I thought we both might be crushed into the water when we released our krathong. Luckily we managed to stay dry.

The other amazing spectacle takes place in the sky. Thousands of Khom Fai or hot-air balloons waft into the warm night air. This translation caused us some confusion, a more apt description may be hot-air lantern. These giant paper lanterns are said to release your troubles as they innundate the skies with white lights, either flaming out or eventually disappearing into the darkness above.

This was one of those unforgettable evenings you remember your entire life. We were told by many that Chiang Mai was the place to be for Loy Krathong, but next time I would like to expereience it in a smaller village for comparison.

il violino di vino

Once, long ago in a former life, I played the violin... for 17 years. I stopped after college and my violin hasn't seen the light of day in years. Last night we went to a wine tasting set up by the NHSO. My former teacher is their principal 2nd violinist and masterminded the idea of matching the timbres of 6 violins with the tannins of 6 wines (in an uncanny coincidence, check out this nytimes article published today). This tasting was set in the intimate second floor ballroom of Union League Cafe. The whites were paired with Strad provenance violins, the Guarneri with reds. My favorite sound came from a Vuillaume. I imagine my preference would have differed if I got to play them!

The new concertmistress Ani Kavafian played the same opening of the bars of the Bruch violin concerto on all 6 instruments. This was the last concerto I studied with my college teacher Janet Lyman Hill. She passed away after I graduated, but she was one of my favorite professors at Smith. I'll never forget the day she let me play her Amati. That kind of generosity was the signature of her style.

charm school

I finally opened my alumnae quarterly for fall 08 and fell for these vintage-inspired accessories made by two Smithies. Actually, what caught my attention was this photo. Appears like it's straight out of an Antro catalog.

classic american style

costume designer janie bryant is bringing a lot of 1960's glamour back into 2008.

7 whole grains on a mission

I'm a fan of many Kashi brand foods already and their website is about much more than promoting their tasty whole grains, it's about acheiving a healthier lifestyle. What I especially like is their community space to challenge yourself with SMALL, and manageable tasks. Easier, less taxing changes to your daily routine are much easer to successfully complete. The site helps you track and manage your progress, gives you starter suggestions on modifying behaviors and allows helpful posts from others tackling the same challenge. Often we want to improve our lifestyle, but can be overwhelmed figuring out the best way to start. Here, you can find small ways to make daily changes in food choice, healthy living and fitness. You can also install a facebook application to keep tabs on daily challenges.

This week I did the bust your bottle habit and it's gotten me to bring my Sigg water bottle to work every day! What a great feeling for a Friday.

plate lunch

I often forget that Obama spent part of his childhood in Hawaii. I only spent my summers there, but I certainly remember trips for teri beef and a fruit punch at Rainbow Drive-In with my dad. Every Wednesday I head for the Dining Section of the NYtimes and when I read the article on plate lunch, I had a craving so fierce I knew no other option would measure up for today's lunch.

enough talk. let's fight

Every Thanksgiving we purchase a new dvd for our niece and nephew as a reward for sitting through a long day of football. This year's winner is Kung Fu Panda and the opening sequence is one of my favorite animations. I can relate to Po's fearless warrior dream, set in this arresting, inky style of chinese shadow puppetry. If you've never seen this hand-drawn, 2D animation before, I recommend watching in HD! "There is no charge for attractiveness...or awesomeness."

When you get a hold of the dvd, check out the extra feature, Mr Ping's Noodle House. Alton Brown of Iron Chef America is his usual campy self, but it is fascinating to see how these noodles are created by hand!

a question of balance

I bought my first copy of The Atlantic at the Austin airport. November is their first issue with the re-design by Pentagram. Great choice reverting back to a more stylish nameplate! It stands up well against instead noise on the rest of the cover. I found this a refreshing change, especially when you consider the cover just a month ago. Michael Beirut discusses the re-design this month.

demon barber of fleet street

Last night we watched the Sweeney Todd movie and I became obsessed with the font used in the opening credits. It's a modified Goldberg. Thankfully, it helped distract me a bit from all that blood! It was my first time hearing the Sondheim score and I was really surprised to enjoy Tim Burton's fantastical take on this musical. What great costumes in the "by the sea" number. I'm even more surprised I didn't have any dark, mad dreams last night.

the early bird arrives digitally

I look forward to my copy of the New Yorker that arrives in the mail every Wednesday or Thursday. I'm not sure what I think of this full digital edition (every page exactly as it appears in print) that's out on Mondays. On one hand, you can read everything sooner which is appealling with a weekly... but this magazine is so slim, I like carrying it around and keeping it on hand when for whenever I have a chance to log some quality reading time... I certaintly don't need to spend any extra time on the computer to read my favorite magazine.

I should get full digital access until early January 09. Perhaps this is one more instance where I'll rule out print (like I did with the nytimes). I doubt it. We'll see if I'm eating my words or cancelling my print subscription.

texas roundup

That about does it for our trip to Texas, the previous posts are a summary of our 4 days in Austin and surrounding Hill Country (including election day in the bluest spot in Texas). It was my first trip to this state and I had a wonderful time. Thanks to Burke for guiding us through the quintessential Austin experience... right down to KGSR and the Chronicle. And to Terry & Ryan who gave us the grand tour of UT athletics ( football, basketball and golf). We also gleaned some good advice from the slim volume of the the Kinkster's "walk" in austin : The Great Psychedelllic Armadillo Picnic.

We did park ourselves at TGI Fridays to try and see the bats take flight at the Congress Street bridge, but apparently they have moved on to a warmer climate already? Smart- why didn't I think of that?

We had to try the bat hotline. 512-416-5700, ext 3636 This time of year it's just advertisements, so we hung up feeling like suckers!

Pinetop Perkins

I have always heard Austin is the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world, but I didn't quite get a feel for that staying on S Congress even though we were right across from the famed Continental Club.

When you crack open the weekly copy of The Chronicle you start to get the picture.
Unfortunately, we were not in town on the weekend, but *every* night of the week there is quite a selection. After our dinner at Threadgill's we continued on to Antone's, the home of blues and got to see 95 yr old Pinetop Perkins on the piano, with Willie "big eye" Smith on harmonica, who is no slouch either at 72! I was thrilled to get some photos in the low light of Antone's. Though we were enjoying the music, we eventually tired of standing in the audience. We moved on for a nightcap at the Driskill Hotel bar where we saw two other live performances. On the way back to our car we heard the music from countless others drifting out of nearby venues into the night air.

keeping austin weird on s congress

While I may have been a little grumpy about the noise at HSJ, I did love the independent shops on South Congress. There was the huge jackalope parked in front of Jo's coffee shop that was whisked away on election day and the largest costume shop I've ever seen!(Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds) I tried to convince my husband to get haircut in the retro barber shop.

In all of my favorite shops there was a sensory overload / purchase paralysis due to the overwhelming selection. It made for fascinating shopping and good retail therapy!!! While we are discussing great shops in Austin, I have to give a shout out to Toy Joy (thanks again Burke!) on Guadalupe. This was worth the drive over and if I had ever been in this shop as I kid, I would have easily hidden under a pile of toys so I would never have to leave.

encounter with enchanted rock

We headed out north of Fredericksburg to Enchanted Rock, a pink granite dome that rises 425' and covers 640 acres. It's a bit like scrambling on top of a pink planet with no vegetation. Much like the Grand Canyon or other natural beauties, the camera does it no justice, nor can it capture the sheer scale of this geological wonder. We went on a Wednesday so it wasn't crowded at all, but the wind was whipping up something fierce, I almost felt like I could lean into it and take off. Luckily the sun was tucked behind some clouds for the .6 mi hike to the summit because there is no shade to be had anywhere.

texas hill country

Since the easist way to get around Austin is in a car, we decided to really hit the open road and go west to Texas Hill Country.

During our trip west, we drove through Johnson City which had this eerie old mill (feed mill cafe) with lots of strange decor and past a good # of peach stands. We didn't have time for Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, but it came recommended by our innkeeper. We ended up in Fredericksburg which was settled in the 19th century by German immigrants. There is some different archtiecture and a sizeable stretch of shops on Main Street. We had a nice, shady lunch of german food at Altdorf Biergarten. I really wanted to try famous pie happy hour the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Hills, but we headed back to Austin instead.

austin eats

We were fortunate enough to get good sound dining advice for Austin. Of course we went to Threadgill's on N Lamar and had some chicken fried steak! We were urged to go here instead of the world headquarters location that was much closer to our hotel. Here are some other spots we tried:

• Uchi: Yes, good sushi in landlocked Austin! This will also sound bizarre for a Japanese restaurant, but I loved our dessert: jizake crème caramel with brown butter sorbet & ginger consommé. I especially recommend this place if someone else is picking up the tab!


• El Meson Taqueria: We went in search of good mexican at breakfast. This spot is out near the airport and trust me, if we are ever back in Austin, I will be back for lunch. The menu is cheap and delicious! If you want to hydrate like the rest of the patrons at breakfast, grab a glass bottle of coke to wash down your meal...
  
• Saltlick: We got family style "all you can eat" bbq. Delicious! I'll never forget the smell as I got out of the car in what seemed like the middle of nowhere (driftwood).
  
  Up in Connecticut you don't see breakfast tacos... but we came across plenty of them on our trip. If you are departing on a morning flight out of Austin, there is a Saltlick outpost at the airport and you can design your own breakast taco before you hit the jetway.
  
• Hula Hut: This is mexican meets polynesian fare on the shores of Lake Austin. I think the decor is more polynesian than the food! There sure is a lot of eye candy inside and out and I'd love to go back for happy hour. For a Monday we couldn't believe the amt of business lunching going on at this zany outdoor spot! We never did make it to chuy's or shady grove. They're on my list for next time
  
• The Woodland: We didn't eat here, but we scored some fine cocktails and empanadas at the bar. This cool hipster spot is of course on S Congress and I loved the pies on display at the counter. I got a throwback vibe from the moody ligthing, like being in an Edward Hopper diner, but without the loneliness.


• Jo's Coffee: This outdoor spot was right next to our hotel always seemed to be buzzing with locals getting their caffeine fix. I got my daily scone and coffee and retreated back to the HSJ courtyard which is further from the street and much quieter. Your people watching factor is greatly reduced though...
  
• Vivo's: I went here with my cousin who works at UT, so I will confess, I thought we were going to Bevo's for Mexican! The outdoor patio looked very lush and inviting, but A/C was beckoning on this hot day. I had their puffy taco which may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it's still was better than any mexican you can get in CT! Before leaving we were sure to check out the bathroom sinks, generously stocked with ice cubes and rose petals. We drove back to campus, roses by our side and passed El Chile, which is on my list for next time.

I never did try or Amy's Ice Cream or get to Central Market.
We still have a lot to try when we return to Austin!

burnt orange

Anyone who knows me knows I love orange, so even though I'm not a big sports fan, I felt right at home in austin where you can always find someone who supports the longhorns. my cousin is an athletic trainer on campus, so we toured the athletic facilities (for football and basketball) and they were quite impressive, especially the trophy room for football. Unfortunately, we were not in town over the weekend, so I didn't get to see the team beat Baylor alongside 90k other fans.

too cool for school

Since this was our first trip to austin we decided to stay on south congress (more about that later) and we had a hard time deciding between Hotel San Jose and Austin Motel... In the end we went for hipness and this hotel doesn't disappoint, but next time I would probably stay somewhere else. The walls are very thin and even though we paid to stay in the back of the property away from the road we constantly found our room noisy.

I am curious about Hotel Saint Cecilia also by Liz Lambert and set to open later this year. It's near S Congress, but actually around the corner on Academy Drive. Maybe this spot will be quieter? Our last morning HSJ, it didn't help that American Apparel's alarm went off at 5 am and the Austin's finest finally came to investigate out about 8:30. We were all too happy to leave for the airport.

For the price we paid, there was nothing wrong with HSJ *just* being a hipster's glorified motel room. And for the record we were in room 46, just a grand standard. It was a great location though, right across from the continental club and down the street from some cool shops and restaurants.

I'll never forget spending election night in the what may be the bluest spot in Texas, with Obama's voice booming through the HSJ courtyard and beyond.

inn above onion creek

After our wedding marathon we flew into Austin and stayed at the Inn Above Onion Creek. I took this first photo at dawn from The Nance Suite on the third floor. It was amazing with the mist, like waking up with the vast serengeti spread before your eyes. We got up early and took our coffee out on a walk along the property trail with Nigel the gray cat as our guide.

While staying in this area, I was surprised to discover the Texas Wine trail, we only tried out Driftwood Vineyards which was humbler low-key relief after finding the tuscan villa shuttered for the morning at Mandola.

Friends gave us a wedding gift certificate to the Select Registry, which was a great way to get us to add a getaway at this beautiful property in Kyle, Texas. It was only a short ride down I35 and miles away from city life in Austin!

wedding 3 of 3

Our wedding marathon ended in chicago. I didn't really shoot with my own camera. Decisions decisions... this time you had to pick the perfect cupcake!