Saccharine Thoughts

After a tiring weekend of driving and lots of buttercream icing, I can mark one more thing off my list of things to accomplish before my birthday in November. My junior high pal Megan was married in Mineral Wells this weekend, and I had the privilege of playing an active part by making her wedding cake. Megan chose a Fall theme with lots of yellows and oranges and owls everywhere. When we met back in May to discuss the sugary details, she simply provided me with 5 pages of printed cake pictures, an invitation and a ribbon sample, saying "I trust you to make me something I'll love." Uh, pressure much? So I took the confidence she had in me and ran with it, creating the 4-flavor 5-tier 240-serving monster of a pastry you see here. In a turn of potential disaster the bottom layer (filled with lemon-cream cheese goodness) slid on the board, threatening a cake-toppling catastrophe. Dad and I *carefully* pulled it out of the back of their CRV and got it to the display table, t...

This is very much what our quest to choose a hotel in Toronto was like for the past 2 weeks.

credit Well friends, I feel it's time to fill you in on the big Fall vacation plans. In ten days' time I will be on a plane next to aforementioned Blue Eyed Boy on an 8-hour flight to Canada. Note: I have already been sufficiently shaken and reminded (thank you Jack ) that I am going out of the country with a guy who I met over a poker game 6 weeks ago. I also couldn't be happier about it. Why Canada, you ask? Well to start with we have been in Texas all summer where, up until last weekend, it has topped a hundred f'ing degrees every day. No joke. The deciding factor, however, is that BlueEyes and his brothers are set to perform at the Toronto Improv Festival , and I was invited to tag along. Pretty sweet deal huh? Ok, honestly it took about a week of batting around tentative travel plans for me to think so. As we started to talk about actual dates/times/places, my feet began to freeze. Yes, this girl got the jitters and came about this close to backing out, but thank...

credit Here, my friends, comes the next installment of Two Dozen Doozies, my quest to undertake 24 new things before I turn 24. This specific doozie came rather unexpectedly, and I was quite sure I didn't want to cross it off my list until I was much closer to my November deadline. I sat through the summer with arms crossed, obstinately and presumptuously thinking that I knew what was best. Yes, I thought, I'll wait a while. I have plenty to focus on. Heart has some healing to do. No dates for this busy little lady. The universe retorted, "Oh really?" And threw me a curve ball in the form of a boy with pretty blue eyes and all the right words. Dammit. So one fateful Wednesday in July from across the poker table, boy made eyes at me over his winning hand of cards. "Smooth-talking asshole" were the misinformed descriptors that came to mind, and I thus gave him little more than my name and the time of day until the following weekend. That weekend, date went as ...

Today is Miss Tuft's birthday! She celebrated on Monday with truckloads of barbecue, croquet in the park and the last show of the OOB Fest. I also made her, as promised, a triple-murder-by-darkest-chocolate Twilight cake because she is wonderful and I wanted to hear her squeal. Mission: accomplished. Tufts, you have quickly become one of my favorite people in the world and I wish you the best birthday the universe can muster.

Inside joke today. If you're not in , don't ask. Just giggle.

Today marks 6 months since my third ACL reconstruction . So close to recovery, I can almost breathe in the barefoot-and-chalk smell of the climbing gym. Gross, but awesome. While I admittedly haven't worked it as hard as I should, my knee is way stronger than it was even before this last blowout. The size difference between my right and left legs is laughable. There's at least an inch difference in the circumference of my thighs, but that's the result of 8 years of overcompensation for a faulty ligament and something that time and weights will eventually remedy. I've noticed better control, more power and way less pain in going up and down the stairs to my 3rd-floor apartment. I don't remember having used stairs without struggling since I was 16, so this little daily luxury is actually pretty monumental. I guess the surgeon can make all the difference in the world, and Dr. Brotzman apparently did a killer job in there as well as in keeping me on a steady track to r...

Is it a bad thing that my first instinct upon receiving my OOB Press Pass was to take it home and be-glitter the castle? Surely not. As much as I would like to reinstate Foodie Friday today, I'm just too damn busy with Out of Bounds this week. You can follow the festivities on Flickr or be more awesome and come to a few shows. So far the entertainment has been pretty stellar - last night's You're Not My Real Dad (ATX), Splendid Things (MIN) and 7-10 Split (LA) all had me cracking up behind my camera. If you're in Austin, there are still a few days left and the shows only get better from here. Might I suggest local troupes Girls Girls Girls, PGraph and Knuckleball Now, as well as FUCT (NYC) and Available Cupholders; or for a cheap thrill hit the $5 marathons at Coldtowne Theater tonight and tomorrow.

In the month or two that I've been so carelessly absent here, my living situation has been decidedly... undecided. The roommate with whom I signed a 14-month lease expressed interest in moving out back in May (lease ends October 19) and followed through on her whim to bail in June, leaving me with our ideal 2/2 apartment and double rent. Coincidentally, a friend fresh out of A&M thought he might take the spare room but has yet to find a job, so that fell through. I had plans of subletting a friend's apartment when he leaves for school in September and thought I would just tough out the double rent until then. That plan went ka-put as well, and probably for the better. I made the solid decision last week to re-sign the lease on my own. Yes, that is just how much I love this apartment, the location, the people... Vaulted ceilings, spacious layout, washer/dryer connections, colorful accent walls painted by yours truly, all this tucked away in Austin's Greenbelt with a bea...

Why, what's this? Well well, it looks like me. On a stage. With a mic in my hand. Yes indeed, last Friday I drug my semi-sick self out to fulfill #11 on my list of 24 Things to Do. This actually makes the 3rd time I've sang karaoke in the past month - the first two times were warm-ups at Ego's, where I assuredly dazzled with my renditions of Total Eclipse of the Heart and The Donna's Take It Off . This was a whole other playing field because, in case you didn't notice, there's a real live band behind me. Those are the Dead Motley Sex Maidens, who facilitate Austin karaoke enthusiasts in fulfilling their exhibitionist needs through live band karaoke. Somehow I convinced myself to play lead singer through Poison's Talk Dirty to Me . Can I get a holy crap please? In case anyone is wondering why this is such a big deal in my little head, it's because through most of my life I was more or less socially handicapped by paralyzing stage fright. We're not ta...

Hi. Remember me? Yeah, I once was the author of a neat little blog, but then my real life took over and the internet-me had to take a back seat. I am back in action now though, and will be doing my best to get up to pace with my posts and fill you in on all the wonderfully neat things that have pulled me away from my regular pandering here on Saccharine Thoughts. The first of September is upon us, which I think I can safely call Autumn even though it's still a hundred f'ing degrees here in Austin. Anyone who is anyone knows that the first of the month means it is time for a little check-in with the to-do list fairy. September promises to be a ridiculously busy month, so here is what lies ahead: The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival , which I highly suggest to anyone in Austin who remotely enjoys laughing. OOB consists of wonderfully talented comedy, sketch and improv groups from all over the country dogpiled into this awesome little city I call home. I will be shooting shows back-t...