Music for the City Happy Hour - Dogwood on 6th

Music For The City is a movement of artists and Austinites bringing together music and charity to aid the helpless, sick, and the poor.

The last Tuesday of each month, Music for the City is hosting happy hour at The Dogwood on 6th Street in downtown Austin from 6-9pm.

Various artists come out each month to volunteer their time, entertain Austinites and raise money for local charities.

Miranda Dodson, pictured here, posed for a shot just before starting her set. You can also see a couple of group shots taken on the outdoor patio. It's a fun night of music, community and beer...oh, and usually some excellent free grub. Last night was Macaroni Grill!

UT Campus Shooting

According to sources, the bizarre shooting at the University of Texas at Austin campus began at 8am CST on Tuesday, September 28, 2010. The suspect, now identified as a lone student, began firing an assault rifle as he ran through the campus. He then ran into the library where he made his way to the sixth floor before turning the gun on himself. He was pronounced dead by police.

A friend of mine inside the chaos said there were policemen, dogs, swat teams and tanks as they evacuated all 50,000 people on campus into the health building. She was scared and all were told they could not leave. Police from all over Austin came to aide in the search for a possible second gunman. The "all clear" was given by police just before 2pm CST.

There are no other reported injuries in this shooting and police have not released the name of the gunman nor any possible motives for the situation. A shooting of this nature has not occurred on the UT campus since 1966.

Angelina Jolie is Evelyn Salt

My first glimpse of Angelina Jolie was in an unknown little film made while she went back to NYU called Playing By Heart. I remember calling my best friend and telling her she had to see this film because this actress was going to be famous. Her stunning beauty and ballsy attitude were tangible even then.

Film after film, Angie proves me right. People finally noticed her after her sexy, yet bad-ass portrayal of video game legend Lara Croft. Since then every role Angie has landed carries with it the essence of her.

In Salt, that is ever accurate as she allows her body to be thrown, shot, beaten, water tortured and gassed all the while never losing her mysteriously enchanting female-ness.

Throwing a guy off his motorcycle, Salt elegantly rides through opposing traffic and loses the caravan of military intelligence following her. Twists and turns keep you guessing, but it's the look in Angie's eyes that you never can trust. It's Angie's mystery that gets to you. You don't trust her but adore her in the same breath. I kept thinking there is just no other actress that could play this role besides Angie. It's too complex, too curious, too clever, too much fun.

If you're a fan of hers, you will never want this movie to end!

Fashion Don't

Alright, so I have pretty much always enjoyed laughing at other peoples' expense while out and about. This precious jem of a picture I snapped at the local library yesterday. That looks like a handmade purse/bag. What you can almost make out (sorry, my cell phone doesn't have the best camera) is that the side of it is a photo of Burt Lancaster. Seriously?

DON'T!!!

Jet Blue vs. US Airways

Due to a recent family emergency, I had to jump on a flight to California last minute on 9/11. I was fortunate to find a Jet Blue flight available just hours later and made it to the airport with time to spare, thanks to a good friend. I really was reminded of why I love Jet Blue not on that flight, but on the flights home. I found a flight home on US Airways from Long Beach back to Austin a few days before my return home. There was a layover in Phoenix, but the flight was cheap so I decided to book it.

When you ride on Jet Blue, you are met with an almost Disney Like friendly staff, fun designs, soothing colors and comfy seats with plenty of leg room. The flight is direct from ATX to LGB and the storage areas on the plane are normal sized which allow you to keep your carry on luggage with you on your flight without it being under your feet. The snacks and drinks offered are free of charge except for Alcohol and longer flights offer meal options for purchase in case you forgot to grab something at the airport. Even those are comparably priced to any food-on-the-go meals.

My experience on US Airways was not so accommodating. The staff were generically friendly, spoke too fast to understand over the PA and didn't bother to greet you on entry nor thank you on exit. The flights were both on commuter planes which meant that carry on luggage either had to be left before the gangway to be "gate checked" or put under your feet, as the storage compartments are big enough for perhaps a glorified brief case. In addition to that, the legroom is laughable, which makes the idea of luggage further taking up non-existent space a nightmare. There are a few drinks offered, two snacks available for purchase and nothing else.

It isn't common that one gets to fly on two different airlines in such a short amount of time, and this really amplified the difference. While I was grateful to get a flight on short notice that didn't cost a ton, I was stunned that planes like this are still in existence. There was a weird clicking noise under my seat at various times, the "fasten seat belt" sign was only turned on after turbulence started, and I really felt like everyone just didn't like their jobs.

I leave the decision of money vs. comfort and safety up to you, I just thought it was an interesting contrast. And I didn't even mention the Direct TV for every seat on Jet Blue. Need I say what wasn't available on US Airways?

Yoga at Ruta Maya

Driving up to Ruta Maya is a breeze. It is located in the Penn Field shopping center off S. Congress, just behind Opal Divine's. As I parked and walked in, I passed people on laptops and others drinking cappuccino. Entering into the coffee shop, one immediately notices the difference. There is a stage area, a large empty area with yoga mats and tons of people wandering around getting ready. I find a yoga mat easily and locate my spot. The yoga is free with purchase and the nice guy behind the counter says I am welcome to make the purchase after the yoga session.

When I sit on my mat and put my stuff out of the way, I can hear whispers of conversations around me. As Pam, the yogi, begins to talk, everyone quiets down and she goes through the instructions. Many of the people are clearly regulars and quickly get into our first pose. It has been a year since my last yoga class, so I play catch up for the first couple of stretches but find it all come back to me. The pace of the class is just right and I can feel my body heating up and loosening up nicely. As we move into the deeper stretches, I can feel my body remembering the moves and I find my breath easy to follow.

The class is an hour and at the end we had a nice quiet moment to settle into a long stretch and relax. When the class ended, many of us went over to purchase our drinks and snack and I found a spot along the bar to use the free wifi while I enjoyed my Iced Soy Chai and Pear Empenada.

I will be a regular for this yoga session from now on!

Enjoy!

Ghost Room - Miranda Dodson

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the show of a good friend of mine, Miranda Dodson. She played at The Ghost Room on 4th street and rocked the house. The Ghost Room is a friendly venue, offering various types of seating with an outdoor area as well. They have several local as well as international beers on tap and a nightly drink special.

Miranda Dodson is an Austin local. If you've never heard Miranda sing, you are in for a treat. The sultry sound of her voice matches the poetic phrasing in her music at just the right pace. Her song King is my personal favorite, but there is something for everyone on her new album Change A Thing, available now at Waterloo Records.

In addition to all of her friends in attendance, Miranda got to reach some new ears and I saw more than a few people jump up to buy her record the moment she got off stage.

Enjoy!

West Side

If you have never been to Upper Crust Bakery, you are missing out. They have wifi, seating, parking, friendly staff, excellent grub and every bakery item you can imagine. Today I had an avocado sandwich on Honfleur (a country bread that is white and wheat mixed together) with balsamic vinaigrette. Yummy. I washed it down with a Maine Root Beer and followed it all with a fresh baked chocolate chip & walnut cookie.

The ambiance is different at Upper Crust than at a coffee shop. While I do love my time at a local coffee shop like Thunderbird or Flight Path, I sometimes want a place with a larger lunch menu and more seating. Upper Crust deserves its place in your top 5 local hangout list.

Enjoy!

Yoga

My search for affordable yoga may be over!! While conversing with my friend Maggie tonight about plans for our kiddos tomorrow (we are both nannies), she came across Ruta Maya. Apparently they offer various community classes free of charge with any purchase! I will check this out on Saturday and let y'all know what it's like, but I think free is going to make me smile. And the fact that it just HAS to also include a Soy Chai is merely icing on my yoga cake :)

Austin Storms

As anyone near a television knows, Austin got to dance with tropical storm Hermine over the last few days. We had up to 13 inches of rain in some parts of the city, a house went off the road (yes I said that correctly), a tornado warning was in effect, severe flood warnings were running on every channel all day and the sheets of water cascading down from the sky went in every direction due to the high winds.

I'm a California girl, so when I hear about things like this on the news, it freaks me out. Living in Austin though, I could see that just like the wild fires in California are only bad if you're under them, severe weather is only bad if you're ill-prepared and under it. From the window overlooking Camp Mabry, which backs up to my bosses' house, I saw a lot of water. That's all. Nothing scary, nothing torrential, nothing that made me long for LA traffic. Just a whole lotta rain. Rain that we needed. Rain that cooled us down for a spell. Rain that will mean a beautiful fall.

I wish I had pictures of the house, which Sarah and I did have the pleasure of seeing; the rain, which made everything look new; or either of us drenched, which we were at one point. Alas I do not, outside of my brain. I can tell you I loved it, and that's good enough for me!