Archive for September, 2011
2011
09.30
Tags: How to Cook Everything, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, iPod cooking apps, Mark Bittman, Richardson Farms tour, Slow Food USA
Posted in Food, Steals and Deals | 2 Comments »
This Foodie Friday we’ve got a super important question for y’all: do you like your food slow?
Slow Food USA stands for real food, grown by real people. They’re a great organization that sponsors all kinds of events to raise the bar for organic and sustainably produced food, and to educate consumers on the choices they make every time they pick up their forks (like the upcoming Richardson Farms tour here in Austin). Slow Food is all about real food — not the kind that comes in a box. But they’re also about supporting the farms and farmers that grow your fruits, veggies and even your meats.
In short, their motto is “supporting good, clean and fair food.”
For the month of September, they’ve dropped their usual membership fees of $60 down to a “pay what you can” system, in order to add more voices to their advocacy group. If you can afford to donate $30 or more, you’ll receive a farmers’ market tote made of sustainably-sourced cotton. But even if you can only afford a $1 donation, you can still join!
I just donated a buck myself, to support their good work. Because while living on a Shoestring doesn’t have to suck, it also doesn’t have to mean eating sub-par food.
If you’ve got a buck to spare, I strongly suggest taking advantage of this temporary fee waiver (which ends today!) and joining the Slow Food network. As an added incentive, the first 60 people to donate will receive a free Mark Bittman iPod or iPad app. You can choose from How to Cook Everything (reviewed on our site here) or How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
Join the Slow Food movement and stand up for your right to clean, healthy food!
2011
09.29
Tags: Blow-Out Bar, Cardinal Cool & the Nuns of Justice, Dave Lowell, DJ Catwalk, DJ Charlie, Ejede, Eric Timmerman, Free Coffee Day, free manicures, freebies, Good Ghost Bill, hipster-approved glasses, Indstry Print Shop, Jade Mandrake, Jason Ice, Krispy Kreme, Ladies' Night at Beauty Bar, live graffiti, Luis Banuelos, Lupe Valadez, martinis, Niz, Our Eyes Need Art, Sarah Slam, slam poetry, Spider House, Spruce Aveda Salon, Supreme Pizza Cats, Tara Carr, Tortoise and Blonde, Tyler Booker, Wake, Zachary Caballero, Zuzu Perkal
Posted in Events, Freebies, Frugal Fashion, Music | No Comments »
How’d we miss this? Today is FREE COFFEE DAY and no one told us! Clearly, we’re not getting enough caffeine in our systems. So while you’ve already missed the free 7-11 cuppa joe, you can still snag a freebie from that venerable donut institution, Krispy Kreme, until 10 PM! No purchase necessary, yo. Two locations in Austin at 701 E. Stassney Lane and 12586 Research Boulevard for your dunking pleasure.
In other freebies, enjoy the “Blow-Out Bar” with start-to-finish hair styling at Spruce Aveda Salon from 3 to 6 PM. Add a cut-out of some of the sweet frames from Tortoise & Blonde to your “before” and “after” iPhone shots and you could win a pair of hipster-approved glasses, too!
Once you’re all dolled up, get someplace to go! Tonight is Ladies’ Night at Beauty Bar, with $5 martinis & free manicures starting at 10 PM. “Lonely Man Lonestars” are just $2 for the gents, for equal opportunity drinking.
If cheap drinks aren’t quite enough to whet your whistle, get artsy with Our Eyes Need Art at Spider House for just $5 (or hit the link for a chance to win free tix from Do512). Feast your eyes on artwork from Jade Mandrake, Supreme Pizza Cats, Tara Carr, Zuzu Perkal, Dave Lowell, Niz, Sarah Slam, Eric Timmerman, Lupe Valadez, Tyler Booker, Wake and Jason Ice while watching live graffiti created by Niz, Wake, Jason Ice and Dave Lowell and enjoying the slam poetry stylings of Good Ghost Bill and Zachary Caballero. Rock out with live music by Luis Banuelos, Ejede, DJ Catwalk, Cardinal Cool & the Nuns of Justice and DJ Charlie, or grab some custom t-shirts screen printed by Industry Print Shop.
Free mothalovin’ coffee day! Time to re-fuel.
2011
09.23
Tags: Austin's Martha Stewart, breakfast tacos, foodie Friday, Hilah Cooking, Hilah Johnson, Learn To Cook
Posted in Books & Lit, Recipes | No Comments »
Okay, guys and dolls, it’s Foodie Friday and guess what? Another awesome local has written a super-cool book that you need to get your hands on, stat. It’s called Learn To Cook, and it’s by Hilah Cooking‘s one and only Hilah Johnson.
For those who don’t busy themselves with all things Austin and food-related because they’ve got day jobs or whatevs, Hilah is basically Austin’s version of Martha Stewart, all jacked up on sweet tea and Breakfast Tacos. Coincidentally, breakfast tacos are also the subject of her first book, which you can get FOR FREE by clicking that link. The girl knows her breakfast tacos, and will explain exactly why breakfast burritos are not, remotely, the same thing.
After writing about all things breakfast taco-y, and presenting tons of weekly episodes of her online cooking show, Hilah decided to go for the hot sauce and write a book that would help everyone learn how to cook. That’s right, EVERYONE. That includes even the most clueless peeps who’ve never been in a kitchen in their lives, and those of you that can burn water. (True fact: an ex-boyfriend of mine once admitted his mother was able to do this; please do not try it at home, as it involves leaving a full pot of water on the stove for so long that it entirely evaporates and ruins the bottom of your pot. Bad idea.)
If you, too, have been wondering how to get started in the kitchen without burning the house down or feeling stupid because you don’t know what directions like “fold in gently” or “saute” or “julienne” mean, check out Hilah’s website and buy a copy of Learn To Cook. The best thing about this book is that there’s a totally free 17-page sample you can try before you buy, and if you totally hate it (which you won’t), she’ll even give you your money back. There’s also a super-cool option to get bonus videos with the book, so you can watch Hilah cook everything step-by-step. Sweet, right?
So screw going out on Friday night and wasting your dough on expensive meals and drinks that you can totally make at home. Hilah will teach you how to do it up right, whether you’re looking to impress a guy or gal, or just feed your own dang self. Enjoy!
2011
09.19
Tags: Austin Writers Anthology, Black Heart Magazine, Black Heart seeks cover art, Brian Roe, Ronda Pattison, The NOIR Issue, visual art
Posted in Books & Lit, Contests | No Comments »
Calling all visual artists! Our friends at Black Heart Magazine are in search of some kick-ass cover art for their latest digital anthology, a collection of local writers on the city of Austin. Whether you draw, paint, sculpt, pound metal into outrageous shapes, take photos, create collages, stain glass or spin garbage into gold, they want YOU to show ‘em what you’ve got.
The Vibe: Austin, in all its weirdness + a literary/artistic element
Submit your best take on Austin as a literary city via their Submishmash system (in JPG or GIF formats) by September 30, 2011 and your artwork could be the next cover.
Possible Inspiration: See the cover of their NOIR Anthology by artists Brian Roe and Ronda Pattison to kickstart your creative engines.
For more info on Black Heart, check out their website at http://blackheartmagazine.com.
2011
09.17
Tags: Austin area wildfires, Austin Bakes for Bastrop, bake sale, benefit, Central Texas Wildfire Fund
Posted in Events, Volunteering | No Comments »
If you’ve been wondering how you can help the Bastrop residents who have recently lost their houses to wildfires, and you’re the type who thinks pie (or cake or cookies) really DOES solve all problems, then look no further! The same group who brought their baking and pastry skills to benefit victims of the Japanese tsunami are back for another round of fundraising with Austin Bakes for Bastrop.
Start your ovens and mark your calendar for the October 1 event! For a delicious way to get involved, and to donate tasty pastries of your own, hit up http://austinbakes.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/austin-bakes-for-bastrop/ for full details.
If you prefer to send monetary donations to the families affected, please check out the Central Texas Wildfire Fund to give generously.
2011
09.13
Tags: Airport Boulevard mobility study, bike lanes, Fed Man Walking, Mike Sutter, Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church, The Food of Airport Boulevard
Posted in News, Politics | No Comments »
If you live, work or drive on Airport Boulevard on a regular basis, don’t miss your chance to air your grievances and share your vision for the NEW face of this oft-overlooked Austin artery!
Hey, it could be worse: at least Airport's got bike lanes! (photo via AirportBoulevard.com)
Tonight from 5 to 9 PM at Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church (1320 East 51st Street), let your city councillors know exactly what you dream of seeing on Airport Boulevard. Join them for a Mobility Kickoff Session (one is from 5 to 6, the other from 8 to 9) where you’ll learn about the Corridor Mobility Study and how you can get involved.
Tons more details online at http://airportboulevard.com and http://www.austinstrategicmobility.com/corridors, so be sure to check out this Open House tonight!
P.S. If you’ve been wondering what on earth there is to eat on Airport Boulevard (and yes, this is actually a fair question, given the area’s general state of disrepair), don’t miss The Food of Airport Boulevard series (in parts 1, 2 and 3) by Mike Sutter over at Fed Man Walking.
2011
09.12
Tags: 13 Little Blue Envelopes, 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, Aimee Lee Ball, Amazon Kindle, Bruce Willis, Capital Metro SUCKS, Charles Bukowski, Cybill Disobedience, Cybill Shepherd, ebooks, Elvis, hipsters, Hollywood, Lendle.me, Linda Wisdom, Make the Devil Fumble His Wine, Maureen Johnson, Outcast, Robert Bruce, Thomas Myer
Posted in Books & Lit, Freebies, Steals and Deals | No Comments »
I’ve got a Kindle (a much-loved birthday present from my husband, who knows how I tear through books), which never ceases to attract attention on the bus—both for its technological wow-factor and for the sheer fact that I’m the weird girl who is reading on the bus. (Seriously, we are a rare breed.) Being a broke-ass frugal type, I tend not to frivolously toss down a ten-spot for digital books, so I regularly troll the free section of Amazon’s Kindle store, in search of titles that are actually worth downloading.
Trust me: I’ve been through quite a few that, despite their totally free price-tag, weren’t even worth my time. (And lord, do I have time for reading, as my average commute takes an hour each way. Thanks, CapMetro!)
In short, I’ve made a list of the top 5 books I’ve managed to acquire for free (or cheap) through Amazon which are actually worth reading. Check it out!
Cybill Disobedience by Cybill Shepherd and Aimee Lee Ball – With a subtitle like “How I survived beauty pageants, Elvis, sex, Bruce Willis, lies, marriage, motherhood, Hollywood, and the irrepressible urge to say what I think,” this book is pretty damn cheeky. Granted, it’s a celebrity memoir, and thus a bit flakily organized, but I give it 3 stars for guts. Ms. Shepherd dishes the dirt on her many and various lovers, the misogynistic boys club of Hollywood, and her quest for equal rights for all. I’d like to see more of this last bit in the future, cus there’s nothing like a loudmouthed blonde crusading for justice. HOT.- 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – Yes, this is a Young Adult book, and shut up. It was actually really enjoyable, despite the main character’s persistent need to run away from the action of the book, and it made me long for a crazy artist aunt of my own who might send me on a whirlwind journey across Europe with nothing but a backpack and 13 envelopes directing me to my next destination. 4 stars; read it in an afternoon with a cup of coffee and dream of Paris. (NOTE: I was able to download a free version of this book as part of a promotion by the publisher, but the Kindle version currently available costs $7.99.)
- 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom – If you dig the supernatural and you’re been craving a mystery involving witches, vampires and possessed bunny slippers, then here is your next read. I’m only 14% into this book so far, but I’m already recommending it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for puns, and the vamps who inspire ‘em. (NOTE: This one was also free for a limited time, but currently costs $4.61.)
Outcast by Thomas Myer – Full disclosure: Tom is a writer friend of mine, so I am slightly biased. But even so, for $2.99 this little NaNoWriMo exercise-turned-novel is worth the price, and highly enjoyable. I was kind of peeved about his ending, but I still enjoyed the rest of the journey, so I only demoted him one star for this offense. And since his usual writing territory is the vast and largely soporific world of tech guides, I’d call this a welcome departure from the rest of his catalog. (Put that on your next book’s jacket, Tom, I dare you!)- Make the Devil Fumble His Wine by Robert Bruce – A book of poetry that doesn’t suck? On your Kindle? WTF, right? I originally downloaded this for free from Robert’s website, and now that it’s available on Amazon, it’s only $2.99 (the magic price) and highly recommended. I particularly enjoyed “Four Foolproof Ways to Create Staggering Wealth in This World.” Check this one out, even if you hate poetry. I promise you will dig it, the way hipsters dig Bukowski.
Got any free or cheap ebooks you’d recommend?
2011
09.08
Tags: Alamo Drafthouse, Andrea Beleno Harrington, Banned Burned Seized and Censored, Blanton Museum of Art, Capital Area Food Bank, City of Austin, copyright, Cultural Arts Division Offices, DIVE!, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Harry Ransom Center, Hungry in America panel discussion, Legal Assistance to Microenterprises Project, patents, Protecting Your Work: Intellectual Property Basics for Artists and Creative Types, reading list, Rolling Roadshow, Take it to the Next Level free workshops for creatives, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, trade secrets, trademark
Posted in Books & Lit, Classes, Events, Movies | No Comments »
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Graphic identity for Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored exhibition (image courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center)
The “Banned, Burned, Seized, and Censored” exhibit is on now until January 22, 2012 at the Harry Ransom Center. Entry to the Center is always free on Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours until 7 PM on Thursdays, and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 PM. The opening gala is tomorrow night (September 9) from 6 to 8 PM. Tickets are $20 at the door, or free for members of the Center. And don’t miss their reading list of banned and censored books, most of which you can find at your local library!
- The City of Austin is offering “Take it to the Next Level” free workshops for creatives, including today’s class, “Protecting Your Work: Intellectual Property Basics for Artists and Creative Types” from 3 to 5:30 PM at the Cultural Arts Division Offices (201 E. 2nd Street). Topics to be covered include legal issues of trademark, copyright, trade secrets and patents; how to enforces your right to protected work; and a guided tour of state and federal trademark applications and copyright registration. Presenter Andrea Beleno Harrington is an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Legal Assistance to Microenterprises Project (LAMP). Check out the rest of their scheduled classes for 2011 at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/redevelopment/nextlevel_schedule.htm.
The Alamo Drafthouse’s Rolling Roadshow presents a free screening of our favorite 80′s movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this Sunday, September 11 at 7:30 PM. There’s a $5 suggested donation for entry to the pre-show street party, and lawnchairs are recommended. Movie starts at 9 PM.- A free screening of the award-winning documentary DIVE! will be played at the Blanton Museum of Art as part of the Hungry in America panel discussion presented by the Capital Area Food Bank on Thursday, September 15 at 6 PM. The museum is located at 200 E. MLK Blvd. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned foods for the CAFB food drive to receive $1 off regular admission to the museum. Check out the film’s trailer online here.
2011
09.07
Tags: $50 Visa gift card, contest, deals gone wild, Dealuv, free vouchers, local businesses
Posted in Contests | No Comments »
A couple of weeks ago we talked about a new deals website called Dealuv, which offers FREE vouchers for deals from a variety of local businesses. This week they’re holding a contest for a $50 Visa gift card, and YOU could win!
Here’s what you have to do to enter:
- Sign up for deal updates on www.dealuv.com
- Download any free Dealuv voucher from the current promotions
Easy, right?
You can enter the contest anytime between now and September 23. One winner will be selected from the eligible entries, and must have a mailing address in the greater Austin area to qualify.
For more info about Dealuv, check out our “Deals gone wild” post, or head straight to Dealuv.com to enter the contest today!
2011
09.02
Tags: 6-month payment plans, Austin Energy, Austin Energy = not total douchebags, payment assistance for electrical bills, record heat, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip
Posted in News | No Comments »
After we bitched and complained to everyone we got on the phone at Austin Energy, wrote an open letter to the city of Austin, and emailed Austin Energy about the terrible customer service we received from countless reps, the City of Austin has apparently realized that you can’t, in fact, squeeze blood from a turnip. In other words: if you’re behind on your electricity bills, thanks to this summer’s outrageous and relentlessly record-breaking heat, you can now sign up for a 6-month payment plan!
Austin Energy: Not total douchebags
It’s about freaking time. Paying nearly $200 a month just for your current bill (i.e. not factoring in past-due fees), all because you had the audacity to run your air conditioner during the hottest part of the year, is pretty much the opposite of a good time being had by all. My budget certainly wasn’t set up with these kinds of fees in mind, and I bet yours wasn’t either. So this is some very good news indeed, though I suspect many will still find it difficult to meet the payment plan’s fees, since this heat keeps on battering the city with no end in sight.
If you need to set up a 6-month plan, you’ve got until September 28 to do so. According to the Austin Energy’s website, “The offer is available to any customer – regardless of their payment history (customers involved in meter tampering are not eligible).” Sucks to be you, meter tamperers!
For more info on payment assistance when it comes to outrageous energy bills, please see http://www.austinenergy.com/Customer%20Care/Billing/Payment%20Assistance/index.htm or call 512-494-9400. Questions and requests may also be emailed to myaccount@coautilities.com.
