At an all-staff meeting during my first week of work, many of my new colleagues had brought their breakfasts to eat during the beginning of the meeting. The woman across the room opened up a dish of yogurt and granola. Next to me, a man opened up a cloth kitchen towel to reveal his yummy looking egg sandwich. As I scanned the room, I realized that I needed to invest in more reusable to-go dishes. I felt embarrassed that earlier in the week, I'd brought a sandwich in a Ziploc bag!
I've started becoming much more aware of what I'm throwing away. One of the first things I've embarked on in my efforts to become a more sustainable household is throwing away less trash that goes to the landfill. When I lived in Malawi, during my time in the Peace Corps, trash was an ever-present issue, probably because there weren't any landfills in the villages. When I would travel around the country, people were constantly throwing their little plastic food sacks out the window so the streets were always lined with blue and green plastic bags. We quickly learned that there were only two real options for trash - bury it or burn it. I experimented with both. I found that I didn't want to do either and it was helpful at times to try and reuse as many things as I could since my living stipend didn't allow me to purchase much more than necessities. Ziploc bags were precious and were washed and reused often. Toilet paper rolls could be used to start seedlings. A broken plate could be turned into a makeshift litter box for my kittens. It's helpful to remember these experiences now, even though throwing things away or recycling is so much easier here.
Since I've been cooking more at home since we moved to Austin, I've started realizing how many food scraps we throw away that could be composted instead. But I don't know much about composting and sometimes I think it's hard for me to get started with something like this if I'm not sure how to do it perfectly. We decided to give it a try anyway. I bought a five gallon bucket with a lid and put it next to our trash can in the kitchen. At a garden training I learned that all food scraps can be composted except for meat and dairy products. So, that's what we're doing. (We still can't figure out what to do about the egg shells... are they dairy? are they meat? It's a real chicken and egg kind of question.) Luckily, Austin is a very compost friendly city. There is a local group on the East side of town that will come pick up kitchen scraps for a small weekly fee but since I'm a part of a community garden, I've been taking it to the garden compost pile.
I've noticed that changing these little things in my life makes me much more aware of my actions. My husband, Eric and I, grabbed a quick bite one night before going to see a movie. We were in a mall so the food court was the only real option for our budget and time limitations. Unfortunately, the food court is filled with various fast foods which aren't great for healthy choices but we're still starting on this journey so we're going to have these little slip ups from time to time. Anyway, when we were finished with the meal, it was a little painful to throw away the trash and leftover food into the trashcan. It was clear to me in that moment that there was a lot of paper product that could have been recycled had there been bins for it and a lot of food that could be composted as well. Instead, our food scraps and paper products will end up being buried.
I've been talking a lot about food but we've also been thinking a lot about diapers. An estimated 18 million disposable diapers thrown into landfills each year. And, unless they are the "green" friendly type of diapers, they will most likely be there for many years since it takes so long for them to decompose. Certainly, cloth diapers take their toll on the environment as well, given the amount of energy used to wash them but this family is definitely going to give the cloth diapers a solid try. More on that in a few months!
As I delve deeper into this sustainability journey, I think one of the biggest lessons is in raising awareness and accountability. I may have never thought about the impact of using plastic baggies to carry my lunch but now I can't stop considering it because my work culture has helped me see the difference. No one even had to tell me to stop using plastic bags because their actions were enough to help me understand. If more of us made the switch, I think it would encourage others to join in and maybe we could change the way we see trash forever.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Test Your Food Literacy
Here is a great little food literacy quiz. I actually scored pretty high on this one!
http://www.foodday.org/food_literacy_quiz
http://www.foodday.org/food_literacy_quiz
Sunday, October 20, 2013
I'm Starting Over; Sustainability on a Budget
For the past couple of months, I've struggled with what this blog should be about. It turned into more of an online journal of my personal thoughts rather than a blog with a clear focus. While I think there could be a place for that, I don't think I'm interesting or funny enough to make that work. So I haven't been posting much as a result.
But, I had a pretty great day yesterday and because of it and the circumstances I face, I think I've finally figured out what I want to write about and share with whomever is out there reading...Hi, Mom!
I shared in an earlier blog that I recently got an amazing job with Sustainable Food Center as a Grant Writer. I'm so excited to be a part of this amazing organization and all the wonderful things they are doing right now but it has also helped me realize that I am not very sustainability-friendly. Sure, I've always recycled but after moving to Austin, I realized I wasn't even doing that to the fullest extent. I've always loved shopping at Farmers' Markets but when it didn't quite fit into my schedule to go to one, I wasn't buying local or organic. I've tinkered with having small kitchen gardens from time to time but with only limited success and I've given up easily.
So, I'm going to start making more of an effort. I've already started recycling more and more things to the point that our recycling bin is overflowing often.
There's another problem though. Eric and I are making about half of the money we're used to making, are newly married and have a baby on the way. We're taking advantage of WIC, a government food subsidy for pregnant moms and children up to the age of 5. We're also currently going through a budgeting course and trying to figure out how to spend less, save more and erase our debt. Let me tell you that this isn't easy. We've started Craigslist-ing everything and cut way back on buying new stuff. I've even just taken a second (not nearly as sustainable) job for the holiday season to try to work on our debt while I can before the baby is born. We are determined to get to a better place financially but it's going to take some time.
A lot of people think that living a more sustainable lifestyle is only for the wealthy or at least not for the poor. At times, I agree. At my work though, we try to make healthy, locally grown food available for everyone and we have some great ways of doing it. So, I want to give it a solid try. I know we're not as poor as many and Eric and I are very lucky to have family who won't let us fall, so we are different from a lot of low-income people who and this might not be the best test of living sustainable on a budget but it's a start.
I think time and energy will be another challenge to this test. Working two jobs while pregnant is going to wear me out. I'm tired after I get home from one job so I know that it will be worse with even more pressure on my time. I've been thinking a lot about why we've moved away from slow, organic cooking in the first place. Women, like my grandmother, were probably so excited to come home from working full-time, and be able to just open a can of food and fix dinner for her hungry boys. I recently told my grandmother that we were planning to use cloth diapers for our baby. She thought I was crazy! That's what she had to use. It makes sense that this would seem like a strange choice given that there is an easier way today. Maybe it will turn out to be an awful choice but I want to give it a try because there are so many disposable diapers sitting in the landfills right now. Which is more weird?
But I wonder if I'll have the energy and time to bake fresh bread each week or prepare healthy meals. Eric doesn't have the time given the pressures of graduate school. I've starting a plot in the community garden across the train tracks from my office. I'm so excited to get out there and start gardening. I just hope I have time to tend my garden.
So, I'm going to make an effort to chronicle my journey into becoming more sustainable on a tight budget over the upcoming months. I hope you'll follow my progress and offer suggestions or comments along the way.
Now, it's time to make the soup!
But, I had a pretty great day yesterday and because of it and the circumstances I face, I think I've finally figured out what I want to write about and share with whomever is out there reading...Hi, Mom!
I shared in an earlier blog that I recently got an amazing job with Sustainable Food Center as a Grant Writer. I'm so excited to be a part of this amazing organization and all the wonderful things they are doing right now but it has also helped me realize that I am not very sustainability-friendly. Sure, I've always recycled but after moving to Austin, I realized I wasn't even doing that to the fullest extent. I've always loved shopping at Farmers' Markets but when it didn't quite fit into my schedule to go to one, I wasn't buying local or organic. I've tinkered with having small kitchen gardens from time to time but with only limited success and I've given up easily.
So, I'm going to start making more of an effort. I've already started recycling more and more things to the point that our recycling bin is overflowing often.
There's another problem though. Eric and I are making about half of the money we're used to making, are newly married and have a baby on the way. We're taking advantage of WIC, a government food subsidy for pregnant moms and children up to the age of 5. We're also currently going through a budgeting course and trying to figure out how to spend less, save more and erase our debt. Let me tell you that this isn't easy. We've started Craigslist-ing everything and cut way back on buying new stuff. I've even just taken a second (not nearly as sustainable) job for the holiday season to try to work on our debt while I can before the baby is born. We are determined to get to a better place financially but it's going to take some time.
A lot of people think that living a more sustainable lifestyle is only for the wealthy or at least not for the poor. At times, I agree. At my work though, we try to make healthy, locally grown food available for everyone and we have some great ways of doing it. So, I want to give it a solid try. I know we're not as poor as many and Eric and I are very lucky to have family who won't let us fall, so we are different from a lot of low-income people who and this might not be the best test of living sustainable on a budget but it's a start.
I think time and energy will be another challenge to this test. Working two jobs while pregnant is going to wear me out. I'm tired after I get home from one job so I know that it will be worse with even more pressure on my time. I've been thinking a lot about why we've moved away from slow, organic cooking in the first place. Women, like my grandmother, were probably so excited to come home from working full-time, and be able to just open a can of food and fix dinner for her hungry boys. I recently told my grandmother that we were planning to use cloth diapers for our baby. She thought I was crazy! That's what she had to use. It makes sense that this would seem like a strange choice given that there is an easier way today. Maybe it will turn out to be an awful choice but I want to give it a try because there are so many disposable diapers sitting in the landfills right now. Which is more weird?
But I wonder if I'll have the energy and time to bake fresh bread each week or prepare healthy meals. Eric doesn't have the time given the pressures of graduate school. I've starting a plot in the community garden across the train tracks from my office. I'm so excited to get out there and start gardening. I just hope I have time to tend my garden.
So, I'm going to make an effort to chronicle my journey into becoming more sustainable on a tight budget over the upcoming months. I hope you'll follow my progress and offer suggestions or comments along the way.
Now, it's time to make the soup!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Want to be friends?
Maybe you can tell from my lack of recent posts, but I got a job! I've been working for two weeks now and I feel in a lot of ways that this job is a "dream come true" for where I am in my life currently. I'm now the Grant Writer for Sustainable Food Center. www.sustainablefoodcenter.org It's a 25 hour/week gig but that is perfect since I stay plenty busy while I'm working, I'm exhausted when I get home and I have time to continue trying to make healthy meals in the evenings. It's also an incredible organization and I'm proud to be a part of it. Everyone I work with is super kind and they all try to live the mission in various ways. For instance, I've started feeling incredibly guilty when I bring my sandwich in plastic wrap. During my third day on the job, I realized that everyone uses reusable storage containers instead. And, I won't get into the story of how I have to hide my bananas from one of our Directors.
Anyway, the job has been great and it teaching me more about Austin and I'm hoping to make a few friends there. Although, over lunch the other day I was talking about how I have a friend who works for a photo booth. I was asked if we could contact them about getting a deal on one, and then my colleague realized that my photo booth friend probably wasn't in Austin. Thinking it was funny, I said, "no, I don't have any friends in Austin yet." I'm pretty sure that came off more like depression than humor.
But making friends is not easy as an adult. I remember that I had no problem making friends as a kid. I'd just go up and start talking with other kids and ask if they wanted to play. Now, I feel like I'm asking people on a first date if I want to hang out. Then, when we do go out with people, I'm constantly concerned about how it's going. We went out to eat this weekend with one of Eric's classmates. It was a great dinner and really fun but the whole time I felt anxious. I wanted to tell Eric to not talk his ear off. Did it look like I was showing off when I mentioned Peace Corps? What was his wife's name again? Appear interested but not overly so.
My good friend Natasha told me that soon after she moved to New York she went shopping with a girl she'd met in an attempt to make a friend. While shopping, they entered a store with a revolving door. Not wanting to stop the conversation, Natasha went through the revolving door at the same time as her "friend." This wasn't one of the big revolving doors either. It was awkward. Every time I use a revolving door I think of her story and it makes me giggle.
Overall, I think we had a good dinner with a possible new friend. Most of all, our meal was fantastic! We went to Lucy's Fried Chicken on Burnet. I'd learned of it from a coworker and wanted to try it out. I was told to order the bucket. I'm really glad we did but it was a ton of food. We also decide to try the fried deviled eggs. Everything was pretty amazing. Plus, we ended up with enough chicken to last for two more meals.
It is really fun to get to explore all these new places and we will never be at a loss for new restaurants to try out. We also have a growing list of activities to try. I'll share some of them with you next time.
Anyway, the job has been great and it teaching me more about Austin and I'm hoping to make a few friends there. Although, over lunch the other day I was talking about how I have a friend who works for a photo booth. I was asked if we could contact them about getting a deal on one, and then my colleague realized that my photo booth friend probably wasn't in Austin. Thinking it was funny, I said, "no, I don't have any friends in Austin yet." I'm pretty sure that came off more like depression than humor.
But making friends is not easy as an adult. I remember that I had no problem making friends as a kid. I'd just go up and start talking with other kids and ask if they wanted to play. Now, I feel like I'm asking people on a first date if I want to hang out. Then, when we do go out with people, I'm constantly concerned about how it's going. We went out to eat this weekend with one of Eric's classmates. It was a great dinner and really fun but the whole time I felt anxious. I wanted to tell Eric to not talk his ear off. Did it look like I was showing off when I mentioned Peace Corps? What was his wife's name again? Appear interested but not overly so.
My good friend Natasha told me that soon after she moved to New York she went shopping with a girl she'd met in an attempt to make a friend. While shopping, they entered a store with a revolving door. Not wanting to stop the conversation, Natasha went through the revolving door at the same time as her "friend." This wasn't one of the big revolving doors either. It was awkward. Every time I use a revolving door I think of her story and it makes me giggle.
Overall, I think we had a good dinner with a possible new friend. Most of all, our meal was fantastic! We went to Lucy's Fried Chicken on Burnet. I'd learned of it from a coworker and wanted to try it out. I was told to order the bucket. I'm really glad we did but it was a ton of food. We also decide to try the fried deviled eggs. Everything was pretty amazing. Plus, we ended up with enough chicken to last for two more meals.
It is really fun to get to explore all these new places and we will never be at a loss for new restaurants to try out. We also have a growing list of activities to try. I'll share some of them with you next time.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Bat You'll Never Guess What We Did
A couple of nights ago, Eric and Peanut and I met some of his classmates to watch the bats. We were trying to have a fun family outing but Payaya said she ain't got time for bats so she stayed home and napped in the closet instead. Eric asked me earlier in the day if I wanted to go see the bats and for half the day I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn't talking about going to a baseball game since in Louisville, the team is called the Riverbats.
No, he was talking about real, live bats. Thousands of them. They live under the Congress Avenue Bridge and according to Wikipedia, there are more bats under that bridge than people living in Austin. In fact, it is the largest urban colony of bats in the world. In the summer, the all the bats leave the bridge at dusk to search for food. So there are thousands of bats flying off into the evening sky and it is quite a spectacular sight. It's amazing how it seems that nothing is happening and then, all of a sudden, they all leave at the same time. You can watch the stream of black wings going on for miles and the moon sat just above them in the sky for a picturesque experience.
Afterwards, we went to Amy's for a special ice cream treat. We both got Sundays with some unique toppings and the server was generous and friendly. I made a kind of s'mores Sunday with Mexican Vanilla ice cream, graham cracker crumbles and marshmallows mixed in and hot fudge on top. I've been trying not to go overboard with the sweets but I think that was my big indulgence for the week, maybe month. And it was totally worth it!
No, he was talking about real, live bats. Thousands of them. They live under the Congress Avenue Bridge and according to Wikipedia, there are more bats under that bridge than people living in Austin. In fact, it is the largest urban colony of bats in the world. In the summer, the all the bats leave the bridge at dusk to search for food. So there are thousands of bats flying off into the evening sky and it is quite a spectacular sight. It's amazing how it seems that nothing is happening and then, all of a sudden, they all leave at the same time. You can watch the stream of black wings going on for miles and the moon sat just above them in the sky for a picturesque experience.
Afterwards, we went to Amy's for a special ice cream treat. We both got Sundays with some unique toppings and the server was generous and friendly. I made a kind of s'mores Sunday with Mexican Vanilla ice cream, graham cracker crumbles and marshmallows mixed in and hot fudge on top. I've been trying not to go overboard with the sweets but I think that was my big indulgence for the week, maybe month. And it was totally worth it!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Dreams of Being a Chef
This weekend I took on some exciting cooking challenges. I'm still riding the wave of being a good stay-at-home mom for the time being and besides, I've always wanted to go to culinary school so I really enjoy having the time to cook new things. If I ever get rich, I'd have multiple awesome properties and switch careers to own a little B&B and spend my time welcoming strange and interesting people with delicious breakfasts, violets on their pillows, and sweets by the bed. I'm pretty sure there's a movie like this and the main character has a beautiful child and nothing ever goes wrong. Or maybe it's just the Gilmore Girls...ah, I miss Rory.
Anyway, I spent most of Saturday trying to be an extreme couponer but I think I only used one coupon all day. I went to the nearby Farmers' Market and got a ton of amazing veggies. Then I decided to try a new-to-me grocery, Sprouts. It was pretty nice, with lots of organic veggies and good quality meats, all at pretty good prices. It reminds me of Trader Joe's but I must say that I still miss Trader Joe's. Then, I finished out my shopping at HEB, a standard grocery store where I picked up cheap basics.
On Saturday night I baked bread and used our new dehydrator to dry figs (I love wedding presents!). The bread is a dill bread that my Mom makes and it's super light and fluffy with a mild dill flavor. It makes two loaves but after only two days, we have nearly finished a whole loaf. Yesterday, I slow-cooked a roast for about six hours and served it with mashed potatoes for dinner. It turned out so well and I don't think I've ever made a roast before. It was falling apart when I took it out to serve.
I also made my own granola bars yesterday. I first did this when I was in the Peace Corps and wanted something easy to take with me on long trips to visit friends. I must say it's a ton easier to make these in an oven instead of over a fire! These are also a great pregnancy food because I was able to mix the ingredients so I could load them with things that I need. My parents got me a book for my birthday called, 100 Best Foods for Pregnancy by Charlotte Watts. I love it because for every food it mentions, there is also a recipe and a photo of the dish. Under the Sunflower Seeds page, the is a recipe for Apricot, oat and sunflower seed bars. I could have used this but I wanted to include some other flavors so I went to a granola bar recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. The main thing I did differently was rather than use a whole cup of chopped nuts like the recipe called for, I used 1/4 cup nuts, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup coconut flakes and 1/4 cup flax seed. They turned out great. The only problem is that I want to eat them all right now!
The nice thing is that I now have a lot of great options for foods that are easy on my stomach. The bad news is that I can't tell if I ate too much or if I'm starting to get a belly bump!
Anyway, I spent most of Saturday trying to be an extreme couponer but I think I only used one coupon all day. I went to the nearby Farmers' Market and got a ton of amazing veggies. Then I decided to try a new-to-me grocery, Sprouts. It was pretty nice, with lots of organic veggies and good quality meats, all at pretty good prices. It reminds me of Trader Joe's but I must say that I still miss Trader Joe's. Then, I finished out my shopping at HEB, a standard grocery store where I picked up cheap basics.
On Saturday night I baked bread and used our new dehydrator to dry figs (I love wedding presents!). The bread is a dill bread that my Mom makes and it's super light and fluffy with a mild dill flavor. It makes two loaves but after only two days, we have nearly finished a whole loaf. Yesterday, I slow-cooked a roast for about six hours and served it with mashed potatoes for dinner. It turned out so well and I don't think I've ever made a roast before. It was falling apart when I took it out to serve.
I also made my own granola bars yesterday. I first did this when I was in the Peace Corps and wanted something easy to take with me on long trips to visit friends. I must say it's a ton easier to make these in an oven instead of over a fire! These are also a great pregnancy food because I was able to mix the ingredients so I could load them with things that I need. My parents got me a book for my birthday called, 100 Best Foods for Pregnancy by Charlotte Watts. I love it because for every food it mentions, there is also a recipe and a photo of the dish. Under the Sunflower Seeds page, the is a recipe for Apricot, oat and sunflower seed bars. I could have used this but I wanted to include some other flavors so I went to a granola bar recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. The main thing I did differently was rather than use a whole cup of chopped nuts like the recipe called for, I used 1/4 cup nuts, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup coconut flakes and 1/4 cup flax seed. They turned out great. The only problem is that I want to eat them all right now!
The nice thing is that I now have a lot of great options for foods that are easy on my stomach. The bad news is that I can't tell if I ate too much or if I'm starting to get a belly bump!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Not-so-extreme Couponing
Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I'm talking about taking care of my babies, Pnut Rose and Papaya, I have a lot more time on my hands. I've been spending a good amount of it watching random stuff on Netflix. One of my recent favorites is "Extreme Couponing." I can't decide if these women are slightly crazy hoarders or just geniuses. Their stockpiles of coupon-purchases overflow throughout their homes as a kind of general store with beds squeezed in between the aisles. One kids room had so much toilet paper under the bed that it looks like a strange version of the princess and the pea. However, everything they buy is either severely reduced or free. I saw an episode where a woman purchased over $500 worth of stuff but paid about $5!!! Who cares that there were 80 tubs of yogurt that will go bad in a week? She's my hero!
I can't get out of a grocery store without spending about $100, and that's when I use coupons. I'm pretty sure that using the coupons makes my trip to the store more expensive because I'm completely drawn in thinking I'm getting a great deal with the $1 off 5 items when I probably would never have purchased those 5 boxes of $4 cereal in the first place. I rarely even eat cereal!
Except now that I'm pregnant, I'm eating all kinds of random things that I wouldn't always eat. I'm 13.5 weeks pregnant and the all-day sickness just keeps coming. Pregnancy really is such a beautiful time, isn't it? My husband thinks I'm gorgeous when I'm throwing up into a ziplock in the car (this has happened more than I'd like to admit). So, my diet consists mostly of whole wheat frozen waffles, boxed Mac n cheese, and whatever I can throw together for dinner. Man, if I could find a coupon deal for free Mac n cheese, I'd be in heaven. I thought I'd gain weight during pregnancy but instead I'm down to my lowest weight since high school, not that I'm skinny by any means. One night after reading a book about pregnancy where the woman ate a whole pan of Rice Krispies treats, I started craving them and proceeded to do the same thing she had. One pan down in three days and still no weight gain. I guess I should be pleased about this but I'm constantly worried that without realizing it, I'm going to start putting on the pregnancy weight and then overdo it. But, I guess for now that cereal coupon is coming in handy.
I can't get out of a grocery store without spending about $100, and that's when I use coupons. I'm pretty sure that using the coupons makes my trip to the store more expensive because I'm completely drawn in thinking I'm getting a great deal with the $1 off 5 items when I probably would never have purchased those 5 boxes of $4 cereal in the first place. I rarely even eat cereal!
Except now that I'm pregnant, I'm eating all kinds of random things that I wouldn't always eat. I'm 13.5 weeks pregnant and the all-day sickness just keeps coming. Pregnancy really is such a beautiful time, isn't it? My husband thinks I'm gorgeous when I'm throwing up into a ziplock in the car (this has happened more than I'd like to admit). So, my diet consists mostly of whole wheat frozen waffles, boxed Mac n cheese, and whatever I can throw together for dinner. Man, if I could find a coupon deal for free Mac n cheese, I'd be in heaven. I thought I'd gain weight during pregnancy but instead I'm down to my lowest weight since high school, not that I'm skinny by any means. One night after reading a book about pregnancy where the woman ate a whole pan of Rice Krispies treats, I started craving them and proceeded to do the same thing she had. One pan down in three days and still no weight gain. I guess I should be pleased about this but I'm constantly worried that without realizing it, I'm going to start putting on the pregnancy weight and then overdo it. But, I guess for now that cereal coupon is coming in handy.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Nothing Brightens a Day Like a Kevin Bacon Fan
My husband Eric and I have been living in our apartment in Austin for about three weeks now. It was a whirlwind getting here and trying to get settled before Eric had to jump into school mode. He's starting his MBA at the University of Texas. When I started my MA program, I may have had a couple of hours to meet with my advisor and schedule classes. Eric, on the other hand, has been in pre-classes and networking events since we arrived. The weekends have already been filled with homework and classes haven't even officially started yet! I think this means he's going to get a great education and he's already working really hard.
I have been busy trying not to rip all my nails out from fretting about how I still have not found a job. In my first week things looked pretty positive and I had a callback after one interview and an interview with another organization lined up. The interviews went smoothly but as the days and weeks pass, I've slowly accepted that I didn't get these jobs and I'm going to have to keep going with this painful and stressful process. In the meantime, Facebook has kindly informed me that a former co-worker from my days as a barista at Highland Coffee, has just become the winner of her own TV show on the Food Network! http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130811/SCENE/308110065/Louisville-chef-Damaris-Phillips-wins-Food-Network-Star-?nclick_check=1My feelings about this range from true joy for Damaris, overwhelming jealousy (when will I finally get my own show?), and despair over the fact that I just applied for a job at Godiva (I at least get to eat the chocolate, right?) while my peers are moving on to such heights. I'm going to chalk up these rapidly changing emotions to the pregnancy hormones for the time-being. Oh, did I mention that I'm also pregnant?
Since I'm not able to drink and Eric has valiantly decided to surrender alcohol in solidarity, we haven't been exploring much of the exciting nightlife in Austin so far. Also, did I mention that I don't yet have a job? That also has a limiting effect on our social life for the time-being. But, I turned 33 last week. I almost forgot about it until I was setting up an appointment to get a food subsidy for my unborn baby and the kind woman on the phone reminded me that it was only two days away. Birthdays are kind of a big deal in my family so I immediately started looking for something we could do that wouldn't cost too much and would be fun even without a margarita. Luckily, the Alamo Drafthouse happened to have a Footloose Dance-Along going on that night! The Drafthouse is known for its quirky movie choices and action packed evenings. They also apparently have really great food. The menu was diverse and not what you'd expect from a movie theater but I can only comment on the deliciousness of the chocolate chip cookie milkshake I devoured. Anyway, upon arrival everyone was issued Kevin Bacon fans, balloons and confetti poppers to use at various points in the movie. Before the movie started, there was a chicken dance contest that I competed in because I was one of three ladies there celebrating my birthday. I really tried to mix up the chicken dance but the other girls got more applause for their dances....you can just do so much more on your 22nd birthday than your 33rd. Actually, I think they just had more friends in the audience. The movie was pretty great and was actually a combo sing-along, quote-along and dance-along. So, my first real "Austin" experience was a hit and I'm hoping to find more of these experiences as I get to know the city.
drafthouse.com/austin
I have been busy trying not to rip all my nails out from fretting about how I still have not found a job. In my first week things looked pretty positive and I had a callback after one interview and an interview with another organization lined up. The interviews went smoothly but as the days and weeks pass, I've slowly accepted that I didn't get these jobs and I'm going to have to keep going with this painful and stressful process. In the meantime, Facebook has kindly informed me that a former co-worker from my days as a barista at Highland Coffee, has just become the winner of her own TV show on the Food Network! http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130811/SCENE/308110065/Louisville-chef-Damaris-Phillips-wins-Food-Network-Star-?nclick_check=1My feelings about this range from true joy for Damaris, overwhelming jealousy (when will I finally get my own show?), and despair over the fact that I just applied for a job at Godiva (I at least get to eat the chocolate, right?) while my peers are moving on to such heights. I'm going to chalk up these rapidly changing emotions to the pregnancy hormones for the time-being. Oh, did I mention that I'm also pregnant?
Since I'm not able to drink and Eric has valiantly decided to surrender alcohol in solidarity, we haven't been exploring much of the exciting nightlife in Austin so far. Also, did I mention that I don't yet have a job? That also has a limiting effect on our social life for the time-being. But, I turned 33 last week. I almost forgot about it until I was setting up an appointment to get a food subsidy for my unborn baby and the kind woman on the phone reminded me that it was only two days away. Birthdays are kind of a big deal in my family so I immediately started looking for something we could do that wouldn't cost too much and would be fun even without a margarita. Luckily, the Alamo Drafthouse happened to have a Footloose Dance-Along going on that night! The Drafthouse is known for its quirky movie choices and action packed evenings. They also apparently have really great food. The menu was diverse and not what you'd expect from a movie theater but I can only comment on the deliciousness of the chocolate chip cookie milkshake I devoured. Anyway, upon arrival everyone was issued Kevin Bacon fans, balloons and confetti poppers to use at various points in the movie. Before the movie started, there was a chicken dance contest that I competed in because I was one of three ladies there celebrating my birthday. I really tried to mix up the chicken dance but the other girls got more applause for their dances....you can just do so much more on your 22nd birthday than your 33rd. Actually, I think they just had more friends in the audience. The movie was pretty great and was actually a combo sing-along, quote-along and dance-along. So, my first real "Austin" experience was a hit and I'm hoping to find more of these experiences as I get to know the city.
drafthouse.com/austin
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