The Window’s Open

    

   

Half of my Heart Charm

There’s something in life that is the best gift, the best privilege, a person could have. That is to be and have a best friend.

I have known G. Bean since she was born and we have been friends since she was born. We will be friends until we are born again. I am lucky that I do have a handful of wonderful people in my life. G. Bean is special. She is the only friend that has been true to this day, for so long. I love her and I always will.

Okay, mushy, gross! Today, I leave to go visit her in beautiful Burbank, CA! Oh yeah, baby. That’s right. It gon be craaaazy! We have everything from body-wrap spa day, to horseback riding, to a vampire bar in the mix! I have been so excited and the day is finally here! Now, just to pass the time until my flight!

Being that we live so far away now, we only see each other about once per year. But every time we meet, or every two months or so when we talk on the phone, we haven’t missed a beat. I cannot laugh harder with anyone else in this world. I cannot fully be myself with anyone else in this world. I cannot wait for my glimpse of me for the next four days.

This year, however, I visited her in February. She visited me in June. And now, this makes three times in a year! Oh happy, happy, joy, joy, JOOOY! (Thanks Ren and Stempy.) I will be posting (hopefully) from good ol’ Californ-I-A about food and fun we have. Stay tuned for a good time! Food! Events! Places! Oh, my!

         

To have a friend like this means to accept all of their flaws. You may give advice, but don’t be upset if it’s not taken. Allow each other to be who they are, deep inside, with no judgement. Say and do what you feel when you feel it. Then, the true, unaware self comes out and two people are able to enjoy each other for everything it is worth.

~Sarah

Dog Tied

I don’t know about having kids one day. Right now, my dogs are enough. I travel. I travel often. My dogs are my babies. Natty, the Beagle, is almost seven. I’ve been her mom for almost six years now and she’s a good dog. Nice manners. Loveable. Huggable. She’s calm and likes to sleep. Sasha, the Husky, on the other hand, is almost one. I’ve only been her mom for a little more than two months. She has no manners. She is not a good dog. (Well she is, but she’s a puppy and there’s only about 10 percent of the time that she can actually behave. I’m not complaining. She can’t help it. We’ll grow out of it. But, wow.) She is loveable and huggable but she’s rough and goes 1,000 miles per hour. Ahhhhh! I know how to handle them, though. They are great company. (Marla, the cat does not concur on this notion.) The problem is, who’s gonna help me when I go on my many trips? Oh my!

I am usually able to get someone to stop by and do the potty break thing. Thanks you people! And once, a brave and wonderful soul lived in my house to give them the next best thing to me being there while away. Thanks, CH! But there are some favors that get old really fast.

This is how I would tell you to take care of my dogs.

Thank you so much for taking care of my babies!
I owe you!

First, if you are here, play with and love them as much as you can!
They both need to go immediately outside every time you get to the house.
Sasha drinks a lot of water (keep the toilet lid down). (This also means she pees a lot. Keep that in mind.) Natty doesn’t drink very much water at all but sometimes she wants to but won’t because of Sasha’s slobber. Sometimes Sasha won’t because of Sasha’s slobber. Wash out the bowl and re-fill. Sasha gets 1 full cup of food. Natty gets 1/2 cup of food. Feed them early in the day.
Give them a few minutes after they are done eating and take them outside. They will both go #2. They may have to walk it out for a second.
Sasha can stay in her kennel 10 hours max! So if you leave, keep an eye on the clock.
They both will pee every chance they get so take them out as often as you feel.
BE CAREFUL! Sasha pulls HARD when she goes out- she WILL run away so be strong!
Always leash them, they’ll appreciate any kind of walk.
You can give them a treat whenever you feel like it. Make them work for it.
Sasha: sit, down , paw. Natty: sit, down, paw, roll over
Give them both a treat when you put Sasha in her kennel.
Sasha sleeps at the foot of the bed at night if you stay at the house. Natty sleeps under the covers but sometimes likes her space so she sleeps in her bed when she’s pissy. If not, Sasha in kennel and Natty out in house.
Sometimes Sasha will need to go in the middle of the night or morning if she wakes you up, she means it.
Natty sometimes gets a nervous stomach and pukes up stomach acid. It’s okay. Pat her back and help her get it out. Rush her outside before she does it if you can! Don’t get mad at her.
Natty will bark if she hears something. Sometimes it’s a false alarm though but at least check it out.
Don’t let Sasha eat the cat. The cat will hide the entire time. Just feed her a bowl in the morning. If you see her in her spot, pet her for a second. If Sasha is in her area, say, “NO, NO, NO…” until she stops. And a thump or whack on the tip of the nose is encouraged to get her attention.
Last, they will love you and follow you everywhere!

Thank you SO SO much for watching them! See you later!

Love, Sarah

It’s a tough job. They are a lot of work. But they are my babies. I’ll be going on a few long trips coming up. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know one thing, I won’t be asking favors because I don’t want to lose all of my friends!

Anyone want to watch my dogs? Anyone want my dogs… hahah… NOT REALLY! Any recommendations for a house-call dog sitter? Thanks!

   

Sarah

ACL Lense-view

  

  

   

My ’10 ACL

My not-so-musical reviews of ACL. Read on and let me give you the feel and the reaction from the music… I’ll let some other guy talk about the guitar tones and reverb.

Overall, the experience was unforgettable. I got to see 38 bands and bits of a few more. I ate wonderful food that wasn’t fried beer or cotton candy. I had a Hot and Crunchy Chicken and Avocado Cone from Mighty Cone, Semolina Crusted Artichoke Hears and Fish and Chips form Bess Bistro, a Beef Morita Burrito from Garrido’s Burritos… all wonderful.

I walked amongst 75,000 other music lovers in harmony. Day one and three I was accompanied by my viewing partner, the person who’s musical opinion I respect more than any other. We appreciated and watched together, not saying much, just taking it in. Day two I attended alone, not speaking a word out loud all day. I was able to see 13 bands in 5 hours by darting in and out and under the crowds to make it to my next stage destination.

For my viewing pleasure:

 The Soft Pack, Those Darlins, **The Mountain Goats, Chief, Miike Snow, **The Black Keys, **Beach House, **Spoon, **Sonic Youth, **Manchester Orchestra, **Broken Bells, **Silversun Pickups, Dan Black, **Local Natives, The Temper Trap, The xx, Monsters of Folk, **LCK Soundsystem, **David Bazan, **Deadmau5, **Matt and Kim, M.I.A., Muse, **TV Torso, **Warpaint, **White Rabbits, **FOALS, Dawes, Gayngs, **The Morning Benders, The Constellations, **Yeasayer, **Midlake, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, **Band of Horses, **The Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, The National 

** Denotes outstanding performance.

Those Darlins- Listen to it while you drink lemonade on the patio or paint your nails with your girlfriend.
The Mountain Goats- This guy has a personality. The music is honest. He’s barefoot and friendly. Not knowing much of his music, I watched with ease. You would, too.
Miike Snow- I couldn’t stick around and watch as I was headed to another stage for a good viewing spot for The Black Keys, but Miike Snow was the jam. The sea of people were flowing, waving all together and bouncing in sync. I would jump on tickets to a show if I had the chance… he made me want to dance!
The Black Keys- Could two people do any better? Nope. They had a few guests on Stage but mostly the two of them alone blew my mind. Dan Auerbach has the talent to make you float in the air. All the favorite songs were played and anyone was guaranteed to walk away with a smile and feeling a little like a badass.
Beach House- So sweet. So I-wanna-lean-on-your-shoulder-for-this-lover sweet. Please look them up and listen to it five times through right away. You’ll never look back.
Spoon- Even though I spent most of it in line for food and searching for my ACL partner, I walked around confused with a perfect soundtrack. Spoon has their Cheerios together. They are quality.
Sonic Youth- raaaaaaawr! Yeah they are good. You will nod your head. You will sick a fist in the air and let hair stick to your face as you nod your head. They’ve been around a while but they’ve got it.
Manchester Orchestra- Fantastic, on-point. Loud guitar- nice. Raw/real vocals. Heartfelt.
Broken Bells- Could not have been more impressed. Rocked. Smoothly rocked. Sounded perfect. Most coveted show of the early afternoon…. Enormous crowd- and well deserved. Wish I could have been closer. I will put them on every playlist I create from now until the end of time.
Local Natives- Sounded just like the album. Great to watch. Fun and solid. They are a perfect team of musical instruments and human limbs.
Silversun Pickups- Wow. Crowd was great- everyone appreciated the music. Very interactive. Extremely animated (singer/guitar and drummer) great drummer. Held the crowd the entire time. They suggested xx and LCD sound system. Rock on ssp-ups.
The xx- wish I could say it was perfect… Perhaps I was just too far away to get into it? It didn’t seem loud enough. It seemed as though it was dragging a little. I stuck around for four songs and then left to catch some of…
Monsters of Folk- I liked them… I couldn’t get into it in this setting… You know, the people running into you/stepping on you setting. But they were surely a huge pile of folk… Rocking folk. I’d listen to this around the house or if some people came over for a cookout. There’s just enough songs in the mix that pick up the pace and rock kinda hard to keep you interested.
Oh wait… The xx… I caught the end of you. You redeemed yourself. Still though… The music is pretty ‘hug your lover’ not ‘sweat with your neighbor.’ Maybe if it were a more intimate show?
LCD Soundsystem- Oh. My. God. Thank you. I couldn’t contain myself they were so frigging energetic. “Excuse the sunglasses. There’s a midsize star over there and it’s f*king me up. Sorry for the rude behavior.” Wow. This guy has some kind of voice. Clear. Loud. Solid. It’s magic. It’s 80s today magic. I didn’t realize my love for LCD Soundsystem until this live performance.
David Bazan- Sweet. Feel-good music. I’d listen to this the day after I had a bad night while taking a drive through the country to make myself feel better. The lyrics make you think and tell a story. There’s a meaning in all of his songs for everyone to find. A little country, little soft rock? I’m bad with genres but he’s full of talent.
Matt & Kim- “Kim, you ready to take care of business? I’m ready to take care of business!!” And they did. I smiled the entire time. Fun energy. The crowd was impeccable and stuck around until the end.
Deadmau5- If I were at a rave, it’d be heaven. He did go into Muse’s time just a bit. A little tacky but oh well. I think he may have a ‘big head.’ But he’s got the beat. Period.
Muse- Great. Quite a production. Read someone else’s review.
TV Torso- Thanks to living in Austin, I’ve seen them before a few times. They’ve mixed things up since the first time I was introduced, new people, an additional instrument, but they are so thick you will want to get a straw out and suck up every last drop.
Warpaint- Oh, Warpaint. A girl band that made my day three start with a bang. I want to be them. All of them at once. They all rocked so hard they could put any guy to shame. And they have the talent to back it up. It’s fun rock, a little garage, a little beach-y. I will buy their stuff. I must say, the bass player and drummer kicked so hard. Their presence was inspirational.
White Rabbits- Big crowd. The band hasn’t been around too long but they’ve got the sound that, in only a few years, put them on one of the biggest stages. I had never heard them before but want more from them. I didn’t hear a mistake, not one wrong direction. Good taste.
FOALS- I don’t know the words to explain my feelings of passion for FOALS. They’re from Oxford. They’re fantastic and addictive. I didn’t miss a second. I wouldn’t dare. You shouldn’t either. Check them out and love them.
Edward Sharpe- They are cult magic. I love them. I thought that they had one of the biggest day crowds on Sunday. I couldn’t even get close enough to see the screen clearly. I’ve been impressed by them before and this continues on. I believe their success has skyrocketed in the past few months. Everyone I stood by only knew a song or two from a commercial. I don’t like that but I do like that they are doing well. When you watch them, they look like crazy people. I think they very well may be. But they’ll make you crazy, too. And you’ll like it.
The Flaming Lips- This show was simultaneous with Band of Horses. My viewing partner and I chose The Flaming Lips because I think I’ll have the chance to go to another Band of Horses show sometime (I did catch the end… great, of course.) and didn’t want to miss out on the craziness of the orange brigade on the AMD stage. Everything, from outfits to equipment, was orange. People in front of me were taking hits of acid. There was a cloud of funny smoke hovering over the crowd. Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, other) was wild. He began by warning the crowd of his first act, getting inside a huge bubble to be passed over the crowd. It went well, he made it back to stage and burst out of the bubble. Then a bear came out and he got on the bear’s shoulders for a song all the while shooting streamers and orange fog on stage and out into the audience. There were dancers, there were theatrics, there was a strange naked woman on the backdrop dancing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the show.
Band of Horses- I’ll catch you next time. But thanks for the last two songs. 

Was it worth the $200 3-day pass? Well, 200 divided by 38 is about $5 per show if you spread it out and I don’t think I see 38 shows in one year combined… so yes, well worth it. It took a lot out of me, and to you drinkers out there, how did you do it? Will I go again, depends on the music. But most likely, yes. Thank you, ACL for a wonderful three days.

Sarah

Sagra

Yes. Yes-oh-friggin-yes, Sagra is a delight! I have been eating here, let’s say, at least once a month for the past year or so. It is a cute little restaurant in a cute little house on the corner of 17th and San Antonio in the middle of Austin. When you walk in you feel like you are 100 miles away in a small little town… happy children running around… horses grazing in a field… in a valley. A valley where vineyards and gardens and farms are plentiful and all of your ingredients come from this said valley to flavor your life for the duration of your meal. They will also flavor your mind until the next time you return.

What is attractive to me about Sagra, is that they use locally grown foods when possible… and it’s mostly always possible. You won’t get pre-made foods here. The ingredients are fresh and they have their own wood-burning oven where they cook their pizzas… homemade pizzas! Oh, girl… Sagra refers to it as ‘True Neopolitan’ style. The mozzarella is made in-house and is very mozzarrella-y. hehe. No really, you can tell. Also, all of their pasta is made in-house daily. It’s so fresh! So, so fresh! (and so clean-clean? Okay, back to food.)

The menu is an adapted Italian cuisine. I have only ever been there for lunch, because it’s right by my office, but I have tasted so much of the menu. They bring out a nice warm sliced white bread with a kalamata olive spread. I could survive on this for the rest of my life. mm-hmm. I’ve had their appetizers (Antipasti) and I’ve had their pizzas (Pizza Classica and Pizza Sagra). I’ve had their salads (Insalate) and their pastas (Le Pasta). Don’t forget about the soup. ALL of them are superb. ALL of them are so creamy. ALL of them will make you smile. You really can’t go wrong. I love that they have exotic specialty items sometimes, too. Wild boar, rabbit, etc. It’s such a surprise!

Now to my favorite. Note the word ‘tasted’ above. I always taste bites and more bites of my company’s dish, but I can’t go there without ordering my favorite panini. It’s just too good to pass up.If you go for lunch, get a panini. First, you can’t beat the price. 8$ for a sandwich the size of a frisbee and a nice salad to go with it.

The flavors! I always go for the Caprese Panino: Fresh tomato, pesto and mozzarella served grilled on a house-made ciabatta. It is hurt-the-roof-of-your-happy-mouth good. I really cannot order anything else. (Kinda like I am with Thai places and Pad Thai… but that’s another story.) The Braised Pork Panino: braised pork, pickles, chianti mustardo, gorgonzola on house made ciabatta, is beautiful. Slap my butt and call me full (thanks, dad). Also, ladies, I’m telling you, a full panini is managable, but a half is more than generous. The sandwich is easily large enough to split. And they will. Just tell them you’d like to split a panini and each have a side salad. It comes out perfect every time. And then it’s only $4 per person! Whoa!

For dinner time, call me, let’s go. I’d love to try it. haha. Sagra always has some kind of special event coming up or an exclusive tasting or dinner/fashion show. Their brunch, I hear, is unbeatable. Join their mailing list. You get a coupon for buy one get one when you do so and also lots of insider info. on upcoming events so you can get a table first. Check it out. http://sagraaustin.net/index.html Again, and again, and again, and again…

Sarah

Shotgun

No, no… not the shotgun you are thinking. Beer shotgun is what you should be thinking. What is shotgunning a beer, you may ask? (sorry, mom)

When someone says, let’s do a ‘shotgun,’ that means: let’s down a beer as fast as that person possibly can. This is an age-old party trick that I like to partake in. This is usually not done alone, unless you are very sad or known for being a show-off. Back in college things usually went down a little smoother. However, every once-in-a-while I am able to suck it up and pull one from the hat and down it in 3.2 seconds! (I don’t know how long it takes really… but it’s fast.) And boyyy is it lady-like. mm-hmm.

And to those of you who have never tried it… don’t knock it just for that reason. Some people can’t handle it, some people don’t want to even try, just don’t judge the ones who do choose to down it. To each their own. However, you may want to take the shotgunner’s keys.

So what do you do? How does one ‘shotgun’ a beer?

• Step 1. Hold the can horizontally with the mouthpiece on the end at 12 o’clock. I face the can so that the natural top of the beer is on the right, because I’m right-handed. Ya see? (This will be handy in step 5.)
• Step 2. Poke a hole in the can on the side, in line with the mouthpiece. (I usually have keys or a knife lying around… whatever works. The hole should be about as big as a nickel.) So, as you hold the can horizontally in your hands, the hole will be on top of the can, staring at you in the face. Be careful of sharp edges! Push those down into the can. Don’t cut your pretty lips!
• Step 3. Position yourself so that you won’t make a mess on the carpet or something. You will drip some beer drops. Guaranteed.
• Step 4. Lean over and place your mouth on the hole you poked. Have a bystander say, ‘GO!’
• Step 5. In one motion, pop open the tab, tilt your head back and to the side so that the natural top of the can with the real mouthpiece is facing to the sky and DRINK! FAST!
• Step 6. Swallow at your own pace. I say the faster the better. Make it hurt. That’s the point.
• Step 7. When all the beer is gone, throw the can down and put your arms straight in the air in victory!
• Step 8. Watch your friends finish and gloat.
• Step 9. Be a little drunker. Yay!

   

  

*remember kids, legal drinking age is 21. tell your friends.

Callie

   

       

    

French Bread

A Sunday afternoon with not much to do? Well bake some bread. No bread machine? Come on… you don’t need a bread machine. And you don’t need many ingredients, either! There are several steps… but you won’t regret it. Nor will you only make it once!

What you need: 5-6 cups of flour. A little more than one teaspoon of yeast. A little more than one teaspoon of salt. 2 cups of warm water (not burn your finger, but not bath water). Egg white. Three hours. (but you can clean, do laundry, watch tv, read a book, go for a walk, go to the store, take a shower, and/or sit and stare while you wait).

First, mix 2 cups of flour, yeast and salt with a wooden spoon. Then add the warm water and mix it, mix it, mix it on high-speed for just long enough (30 seconds – 1 minute).

Then pour the flour in and mix with a wooden spoon… as much as you can mix in without it making your arm sore. Transport the sticky dough onto a floured surface and knead, baby knead. As you knead, you will add as much of the remaining flour as possible. Sprinkle a little flour on, knead, sprinkle flour, knead, sprinkle flour, knead (8ish minutes? It will get un-sticky. Promise!). You need to knead the dough until smooth and slightly pull-able without tearing. Roll the dough up into a ball and move to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for an hour or so… in a nice, warm, happy place… until the dough ball is double the size. Go do something for a little while. Multitask.

When the time is right, sucker punch the expanded dough ball and remove from the bowl. Separate into two balls for two big loaves, one big ball and two little balls for one big and two small loaves, or four little balls for four small loaves.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that is smaller than the cookie sheet you will bake it on, about a centimeter thick. Lightly grease your baking sheets (and sprinkle with cornmeal - optional). Place the dough loaves on the prepared sheets and make diagonal slices in the tops with a knife about one-half inch (liiiitle less) deep. Cover and let the dough double in size again – about 30-45 minutes? Go do something else for a little while, finish folding that load of clothes or watching that movie.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In the mean-time, separate the white of the egg from the yolk in a small bowl and mix the egg white with a tablespoon of water or milk. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, remove from oven and brush with egg-white mixture. This makes it have a nice gloss to the bread! Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. The loaves should feel hard when knocked on (like a door). Remove from oven and let cool.

You can brush with butter when it comes out of the oven and even sprinkle garlic salt or another seasoning on top of the melted butter. And if you go back to the mixing in the rest of the flour part, you can add basil, parsley, or garlic in this step to let the flavor absorb into the bread. You can add fresh or dried herbs.

Last, pick how you want to serve it and enjoy! Bruschetta, sliced with dipping oil, or with butter, honey, and an assortment of cheese and fruit!

Enjoy!

Sarah

Indoor Seating. Outside?

When in need of more outdoor seating, one may go indoors for ideas. Some seating found in the house may not be appropriate for all outside terrain.

For instance, a kitchen chair. Some chairs have thin legs. When this is the case and said chair is brought outdoors, they are prone to sink (once sat in) into ground that is not solid.

What to do? No rocks? No concrete blocks? Fashion yourself a chair snowshoe. A wide base will prevent any sinkage. In this instance, bark from a tree did the trick.

Use your head, we don’t want anyone looking down on you.

Sarah