Because Doth This Was My Week

I had a pretty decent week, aside from returning to work after my short escape to Dallas.  Work has been crazy busy the past couple of days because (1) we had to run software updates yesterday which caused our system to be completely down for most of the day and (2) Reggae/Marley Fest is this weekend which brings in quite the crowd.  Last year, Ziggy and Damien Marley actually stayed at the hotel I work at!  I haven't seen them this year however.  Anyway, aside from work chaos, I've been feelin' pretty good the past few days.  Tuesday night Jason and I had a little date night.  We went to Alamo Slaughter Lane to see Cabin in the Woods (excellent horror flick) and indulged in some cocktails at 400 Rabbits.  I had all day Wednesday off so I ventured out for some frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti and tried out a yummy sushi place down the street. Last night I made tuna melts for dinner, and this afternoon my friend Stella and I munched on crawfish and sipped some margaritas lakeside at Joe's Crab Shack.  Afterward we ran over to Sugar Mama's Bakeshop to satisfy our sweet tooth, and I, of course, brought home a red velvet cupcake for Jason.  Whatever this past week had in store for you, I hope you were able to find at least a few minutes of relaxation.  Cheers!

We Are Alone.

Good morning, ladies & gents.  At least, it's morning right now as I type this...it may not be to you now as you read.  Anyway, there are just a few things I felt like chatting about on this gloomy day.  (It's about to start raining at any moment here in Austin.)

First of all, the new Alamo Drafthouse location on Slaughter Lane is in the process of training their new servers so, this week, they're showing films that are almost out of theaters or about to be available on DVD and Blu-ray for just $2!  Yesterday afternoon Jason and I went to see Melancholia and check out the new location.  When you first walk inside the building, your eyes are immediately attracted to the awesome 'Alamo' sign above the ticket counter/box office.  It's made to look like it's cracked in half and the top is falling off to the side, sort of how the Titanic looked in vertical position as it was beginning to sink and people were sliding down it.  But the coolest parts of the sign are these eel-like green monsters coming out of the wall behind the sign.  These monsters are actually coming out of all of the walls in the main lobby area of the theater.  Pretty schweet.  However, that's pretty much the coolest part of the lobby area.  Other than that, it resembles your run-of-the-mill Cinemark or Tinseltown unfortunately.  It just doesn't have that Alamo Drafthouse character that you get at the other locations.  Inside of the actual theater where you watch the film looks pretty much the same though, except for one change of design.  Instead of long, counter-like tables that barricade everyone in which is sucky if you suddenly have to pee because you have to crawl under the table/counter (bad for dresses, skirts, tall people and/or those who do not like touching a dirty cinema floor), they decided to go with individual tables per every two seats.  This is much better because now there's a gap through which to exit when you feel you've completely filled your bladder with whatever beer was on the "Badass Tap" that night.

The menu is the same as the one at South Lamar, aside from a few different beverage options.  I tried the Circle Brewing Texas Hefe, a safe choice because I'll drink any Hefeweizen.  Jason ordered a pint of the Jester King rotating, but was sorely disappointed when he was served a barley wine, Old Guardian.  We brushed it off though since it was just the third day of training for the new hires.  We were both pretty happy with the large popcorn we shared, drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with parmesan and romano cheeses.  Yum!

Photo credit: magpictures.com/melancholia

About the film, Melancholia.  I absolutely loved it.  It is by far one of the most emotional, as well as
one of the most beautiful, films I've ever seen.  It focuses on Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and their not-so-great relationship, mostly due to Justine's manic depression.  The severity of Justine's disease parallels the threat to life on Earth as the small, blue planet Melancholia moves closer and closer to our atmosphere.  My only complaints are that it is a little slow-moving at times, and I feel some things aren't explained quite as well as they could be.  However, it is breathtaking, though-provoking and extremely powerful, especially in the final moments.

Photo credit:  magpictures.com/melancholia

Happy Love Day

happy valentine's day, lovebirds.

So happy I have the day off from work so I can spend ALL day primping and prepping to look my absolute best for my special date tonight with my best friend/lover/inspiration.  We have tickets to the Alamo Drafthouse Valentine's Day Feast.  They're showing The Princess Bride while serving a four course meal with wine pairings.  I am so excited!  We've been to one before a couple of years ago for New Year's Eve, and it was spectacularly unforgettable so we couldn't wait to attend another!  I still haven't decided what I'm going to wear, but I'm thinking red lipstick is a must.  (he he!)

I am just absolutely giddy on this day- a day I used to despise.  It's funny how it works like that.  Although, I don't believe this day is just for romantic couples.  It can be for all types of relationships.  My parents always give me Valentine's gifts, and it's tradition for Nana to send me a card with a little somethin' inside.

In honor of this lovely little day, here's just a handful of some of my favorite love songs:

Small Update!

I'm on the last leg of my relaxing three days off from work!  Wednesday I took care of some much needed errands: bought a new shower curtain liner because ours was disgusting, new bed sheets because ours were literally ripping at the seams, bought two new pairs of flats at Payless and did some healthy browsing at Central Market.

Yesterday Jason was off work too so we got to spend the entire day together, which is super rare these days.  We kicked off our day with a much-needed workout at the gym.  After freshening up, we went out for lunch at Jalisco's, an authentic Mexican place.  It wasn't the best I've ever had, but it was Groupon-worthy I suppose.  :)  Once our food was mostly digested, we decided to venture downtown and check out Tacos & Tequila for happy hour.  The place was fabulously designed and decorated, including a great bar that actually hanged from the ceiling.  We each indulged in three margaritas.  They offer a lot of really original signature margaritas that we were interested to try out.  I got a Pink Hibiscus (delicious!) and Jason tried the Agave Pear, which he wasn't too happy with.  We'll definitely be back though- I hear they have a killer brunch for $18, but that includes BOTTOMLESS mimosas!  Just think of the possibilities, ha!

Anyway, after happy hour we were exhausted, but I had been dying to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D, as that was one of my favorites as a child, so we went over to the Cinemark at Southpark Meadows, and I got to relive my childhood.  It was absolutely splendid.

So, I think today I'll just relax at home with my little loves, maybe do some reading.

Cheers.