wow…all you can say.

I guess it’s this time of year that makes me appreciate the ballet because I have always loved The Nutcracker. It has been a tradition with my mom and older sister to see Ballet Austin’s performance of this classic Christmas tale almost every year since we were young girls and dreamed of growing up to be a prima ballerina. 

Not to focus on Austin’s fine arts, but if you’re reading this and are an Austinite, please don’t take for granted how blessed we are to have a really premiere ballet company, local symphony and opera. Not every city can claim that and although we’re not one of the world’s top in these fields, we have amazingly talented performers all around us. 

If you are fortunate enough to travel to New York, San Francisco, Boston, Paris and other cities with internationally renown ballets, symphonies and orchestras, you should take advantage of that and dress up, put on your sophisticated and worldly hat and attend a performance. Even if it it doesn’t end up being your most favorite type of performance, you won’t regret the experience.

I’ll leave you with a clip from one of the greats – maybe the greatest opera singer ever – Luciano Pavarotti and his famous (and last ever) performance of “Nessum Dorma,” which you will all most likely recognize.

If that doesn’t move you and give you goosebumps, well then I don’t know what does…

In case you didn’t enjoy my freestyle, check out my choreography! 

Video by Jeff Dieta, UT Spirit Program Coordinator. 

Yep, it used to be an old church! Courtesy: myspace.com/littlelonghornsaloon

When I say “dive bar”, I mean your hole-in-the-wall, only serves beer and the lead singer of the band is pushin’ 80 kind of bar! It’s always a good time to hit up the trendy places like 6th street, especially the West 6th area, but every now and then being able to go to a place where you can enjoy a beer and laugh at the fact that the bartender looks like your grandma is definitely a good time, too!

A couple of weekends ago, we decided to try Burnet Road where we visited Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon and Lala’s. First of all, Ginny’s is a small honky tonk bar at 5434 Burnet Road and was owned by a husband a wife team. Don Kalmbach passed away in September 2002, according to their website, leaving the little bar to be run by the witty Ginny herself.  There’s never a cover here and they have Domino Night on Mondays. You can hear all kinds of country/ southern rock artists at the saloon most nights starting around 9, except for Sundays where bands play from 4-8pm.

Ginny Kalmbach, bar owner Courtesy: ginnyslittlelonghorn.com

One of Ginny’s most well-known traditions is Chicken Sh*t Sundays! They have a chicken in a coup in the middle of the joint where the ground has drawn numbers on it. If the chicken “relieves itself” on your number, Ginny will pick up your tab! I haven’t been apart of this event, but definitely plan to!

After getting a feel for the old church-turned honky tonk, we decided to make a stop at Lala’s which was just right up the street and it’s specialty is that it’s “Christmas all year-round”!

My roommates and me at Lala

It’s true, Lala’s is another dive bar on Burnet Road which is decorated rather lavishly for the holiday season! I’m thinking they are a little lazy to take the decorations down, but decided to make it their “thing”. The Bloody Mary’s here are great and yuo can head right across the street for a late night tamale run at Taqueria Arandas.

So if you and your friends are sitting around thinking of something to do but don’t want to get all snazzy, hit up an hold dive bar! You’re definitely in for a cheap drink and some friendly old folks!

See ya at the Saloon,

My favorite seasoning: cilantro. Photo by Michael Lehet under Creative Commons License.

A garden with tomatoes, onions, celery, cilantro, parsley, cucumbers, beets, zucchini, and rice is all I ask for. With strawberries, apples, oranges and bananas, that can’t be too difficult right? Perhaps they might be a little too much, but these or any other fruits and vegetables would suffice, as long as I could in fact live off the fat of the land.

I’m worried about the future wars with water and the possible scarcity of food. I might not live long enough to see it get to extreme stages, but there’s already been water wars in Bolivia, and hunger is still a world-wide problem.

So to supplant my little grain of sand I would love to have a little bit of Earth to grow a few plants that could feed myself and my close ones, ideally while at the same time living in the city and carrying on with my ordinary life as I know it.

My roommate teaching an out-of-towner to Two-Step

This is one of those dances that I think every true Texan, or visitor to Texas, should try at least once to say that they did it. And you have to get the full effect of going to a honky tonk bar with lots of smoke and you must have a beer, I’d recommend Bud Light! (My beer of choice.)

I already did a blog about two-stepping for an earlier class project because I am just a big supporter! I know a lot of people do not know how, but it’s really pretty easy. Keep reading to watch a video I found a while back to help teach the basic two-step.

Here’s a video that’s a little more advanced and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do!

So if you get a chance to hit some hardwood floors, I recommend Midnight Rodeo on Ben White, the Broken Spoke on South Lamar, Dallas Night Club on Burnet Road or the legendary Gruene Hall in New Braunfels. Most of these places have nightly drink specials and most even offer two-stepping lessons earlier in the evening, but completely worth it for when you want to get out there later on! (After a few of the $1.75 wells settle in though, of course!)

Chase that Neon Rainbow,

View of the sunset at a friend's ranch near Gatesville

You all know the sayings, “stop and smell the roses” and “enjoy the simple things in life.” Well, even though our blog has had many suggestions of adventurous and extreme activities, some of the most enjoyable and essential things in life are the simple things. When was the last time you just sat and watched the sunrise or sunset? If it’s been awhile, take advantage of the autumnal skies to soak in a beautiful sunrise (if you’re an early riser) or sunset.

Best places in and around Austin to watch the sunrise/sunset:

- Mt. Bonnell

- Spot on Scenic Drive in Tarrytown that overlooks Lake Austin (where Scenic and Stevenson Avenue intersect)

- pretty much anywhere in the Hill Country

- The Congress Avenue Bridge

- Downtown office window

- The Oasis

Spring sunset from The Oasis on Lake Travis

Summer sunset from a ranch in Blanco, Texas

Fall sunset from The Bank of America Building downtown

Our frozen yogurt we ate tonight. Mine is the one on the right (cheesecake with strawberries.)

Frozen yogurt in the winter sounds crazy, but go to Yogurt Planet and realize it’s the furthest thing from crazy.  This place off of 45th and Lamar is a little piece of heaven on earth for yogurt lovers.  My roommate and I went there tonight and it was so good!

The whole concept of this place is pretty cool, literally.  You can fill your bowl with any combination of yogurt flavors you like.  Then, head on over to the topping bar where you can put the finishing touches on your frozen treat with everything from strawberries, blueberries and pineapples to brownies, heath and cookie dough.  When you finish making your yogurt creation, go set your bowl on the scale and pay up (by the ounce.)  But, don’t worry, it’s worth every penny.

The self-serve topping bar.

My roommate getting her cookies & cream yogurt.

So go fill your bowl full of yummy yogurt and any topping your heart desires.  And, after you get over your brain freeze be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Eating my delicious frozen yogurt! YUM!

Man and woman sustaining the tree pose. Photo by myyogaonline under Creative Commons License.

I’ve been meaning to go to yoga since the start of the semester. People commonly associate yoga with relaxation, but yoga is much more powerful than that. It helps your mind, body and spirit unite in many ways. Controlled breathing, meditation, elasticity, better circulation, a detachment from your troubles are all benefits that you achieve.

The word yoga can’t be translated into one word. It comes from India, and like its benefits, the word has many meanings: ”to unite,” “to control, “to join”.

Yoga is about balancing opposite energies inside yourself. Let’s say there’s a yin and a yang force in your body, and each is pulling into different directions without a focus. Yoga channels these forces, focuses them, directs them to return to our natural balance that is often interrupted by the fast-paced jittery lives we lead.

Free yoga class at Ruta Maya. Image taken off Ruta Maya's website.

Ruta Maya offers classes there for free as long as you make a purchase (a bottle of water, an apple, whatever). I had never practiced yoga like I practiced it there. The setting is extraordinary. Tables and chairs are pushed to the sides so yogis and yoginis can accommodate themselves in the middle of the shop. During the practice they hear coffee machines whirring, beans blending, glasses tinkling and people carrying on conversations. This, my friends, is the real yoga challenge. Placed in such a setting you’re really forced to zone out the sounds of your surroundings to be in the moment. Studios don’t offer that. They’re designed to foster a quiet atmosphere with incense and Indian chants. But when you’re placed in an urban setting with all the noises of daily life you can really see how a yoga practice can be beneficial.

There are other places in Austin to practice yoga, like Bodhi Yoga, Yoga Yoga, Dharma Yoga, and the UT RecSports Center offers classes as well.

Zilker Park Christmas Tree, Austin, Texas

Nothing kicks off the holiday season like spinning underneath the Zilker Park Christmas Tree until you feel nauseated and fall over, and drinking a cup of hot chocolate before strolling through the Trail of Lights.

If you’re not an Austinite, you might not know what I’m talking about, but this Christmas display and celebration is well-known beyond the Austin city limits – it’s worth making a trip to the capitol city to check it out.

If you are an Austinite and haven’t ever enjoyed this holiday experience, you’re in luck because the lighting of the tree is Sunday, Dec. 7th and the Trail of Lights opens the following Sunday.

This beauty (pun intended) of this Austin site is what an easy, fun, cheap and all ages friendly environment it is. This seasonal display only comes around once a year, so don’t let it get away from you this holiday. 

Hope for cold weather and head down to Austin’s beautiful Zilker Park with friends, family, children or make it a romantic rendezvous with your significant other.