W. 37th St. Christmas Lights

Last Week of Classes is Dreadful

Austin is lacking personality this week. What is everyone doing? Studying! All professors conveniently assign final papers, projects, tests, quizzes, you name it this week. And FedEx Office on Medical Arts isn’t open after 11pm to support us… Bill Bowman? Do you have an answer for this?

Since none of my busy friends were able to come out with me for one school-related reason or another, I decided they needed a place to vent – my digital camera! Mostly my prompt was “so what kinds of assignments do you have due this week?” Some are drama queens, some are nerds, and some will make you feel happy you are not in their shoes. Most feigned happiness for the camera. I think all of us can agree… the last week of the semester brings out the stressed-out demon in us all.

FroYo

At 10:45pm tonight (Sunday) I still hadn’t eaten dinner, and skipping meals doesn’t cut it for me. So as I was driving down MLK looking for an open restaurant, I noticed the heavenly TCBY had a big neon sign that read Drive-Thru OPEN. Heaven forbid I go through the drive-thru, though, because a driver can never eat ice cream while driving. So, I went inside to friendly faces despite the fact they were cleaning up and closing shop.

By the way, for those of you who have always wondered… TCBY stands for “The Country’s Best Yogurt.”

Freshman and sophomore year, TCBY was at least a bi-weekly event. However, since all these other frozen yogurt places have popped up, my loyalty has significantly waned. The first of these new yogurt joints in Austin? To my knowledge it was YogoBerry on South Congress which has now closed. The next of its kind: Yogurt Planet at The Triangle. About 16 flavors of soft-serve ice cream including the plain flavor that Pinkberry made so popular, and many, many toppings. And after “Planet” came Yogurt Spot on Guadalupe, then Swirll on the drag, and many more places are opening soon. One on 24th on top of Starbucks called JuicyTart!

Check out this map and let me know which froyo places I missed!

View Larger Map

Hex Rally 2009

Once it hit me that I wasn’t going to attend a college football game for a long time, I couldn’t resist not attending the Hex Rally! It was my first time to go, and I suggest that every UT student experience the Torchlight Parade and/or the Hex Rally at least once. It was only about an hour long (the players have to get up for their 6am workouts!), and it’s non-stop energy and pride!

The rivalry between UT and A&M is one of the longest university rivalries in the country. The Longhorn-Aggie football game usually takes place on Thanksgiving day, and this past Monday UT held its annual Hex Rally on the South Mall. The goal of the rally? To put a hex on A&M. How do we do that? By singing the Eyes of Texas three times in a row. Many different campus organization performed: Texas Cheer, Texas Pom, Ransom Notes, Longhorn Band, and more. Coach Mack Brown, Colt McCoy and Mad Dog pumped up the crowd!

If you missed out on the rally, check out the videos below!

Lasts

UT vs. Kansas this weekend was my last home football game and tailgate of my college career.

Sad senior

I may not have attended every home game or even close to every. In fact, this year was my fist time to sit/stand through an entire game from beginning to end. Who knew they light the tower on the big screen after every win?

But I sure attended my last home game because I’m a sucker for “lasts;” I have a hard time letting go of my past.

This year I’m forced to say goodbye every step of the way. Last college game day, Eyes of Texas, week-long celebration of Halloween, 4-day weekend, Thanksgiving/summer/holiday breaks, 8 am class (yay!), and the last class perhaps for the rest of my  life.

Hook 'em

When did college change from a destination to a fleeting moment in the past?

Pasadena in January and graduate school down the road… here I come.

Pheast with Phis

The perfect post-downtown event! Join in on the fun and help out a great cause!

This Thursday, AEPhi is hosting its 11th annual Pheast with Phis, a late-night all-you-can-eat buffet that raises money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. It’s only $6 to get in, and your stomach won’t have anything left to crave when you leave. Hop in a taxi (to 2500 Rio Grande) or the E-bus (to 26th and Rio Grande). You surely won’t regret it!

The details:

What: AEPhi’s annual philanthropy event. A late night (12am-3am) all-you-can-eat buffet to raise money for the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Where: The Phi house. 2500 Rio Grande, the corner of 25th and Rio Grande

When: This Thursday, November 19

Price: $6 for all the pizza, cupcakes, sandwiches, cookies, chips, soda, Mexican food, etc. you could ask for!

The beauty of a packed house

Sharing a bathroom with 3 people, labeling your food with your initials, and asking for rent from 7 other people can be a real pain. That’s what apartment life in Austin is all about. But I urge college students to use your 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom, 8-person house to your advantage this holiday season and have a potluck dinner!

Mostly homemade potluck dinner

My friends and I decided to each prepare one dish for our pre-Thanksgiving meal, and it turned out fabulous! The best chefs/best future wives of the bunch made fabulous casseroles, mac and cheese, pies, stuffing, salad, desserts…

Mac n cheese, Sweet potatoes, and squash

Spinach, and more veggie casseroles

Salad

The desserts

and of course turkey!

Turkey

And those of us who can’t cook got someone else to prepare two dishes or picked up a dish at a restaurant or grocery store (like me!)

Everyone played a vital role, even the roommate who purchased all the disposable kitchenware. The meal started at 5pm and didn’t end until everyone had finished at least 3 plate fulls. As this will probably be our meal for the next week, you would think that this spoiled Nov. 26. But no, we’re all looking forward to mama’s cookin’!

More than just Mrs. Johnson’s counterpart

This is a Grant-inspired post. I had to expose Ken’s Donuts, what he referred to as “Mrs. Johnson’s counterpart.”

Storefront

Here’s an interview I had with Lauren “I Keep Ken’s in Business.” I figured she’d do it justice:

Lauren "I Keep Ken's in Bizz"

What is your favorite kind of donut?

A warm glazed. The warm part is key. I found out that they make them starting at 10:30 at every hour and so I like to plan my night around that because I like my donuts warm.

Do you ever change it up?

Yes, sometimes I need something sweeter and opt for the white, iced sprinkled.

How frequently do you go to Ken’s?

I used to frequent the shop up to 3 times a week, but I’ve limited myself to a donut outing about once a month. My friends think I’m crazy. They think it’s an addiction.

Why Ken’s?

Because it is close to where I live and convenient and open 24 hours and the owners are so friendly.

What’s the craziest hour you’ve been to Ken’s?

Probably 2 am. The owners are always there whenever I go. I have no idea when they rest.

What do you think about the male owner?

I think he is witty and playful and customer-friendly. He says his name is Ken, but I don’t buy it because he likes to joke with the customers. One time I went in there, and I was so upset that I had missed the new, warm batch of glazed, and “Ken” had me wait until he made a fresh batch.

"Ken"

Best experience?

They all sort of blend together. Normally I go after a long night of studying. I like to reward myself with something sweet.

What makes Ken’s unique?
They call their donut holes centers and they also sell Blue Bell ice cream and samosas.

Donut centers

Why do they call them centers instead of donut holes?

Because it’s the center of the donut and a hole can be any part of the donut.

Donuts

How do you spell donut?

D-o-n-u-t because that’s how Ken’s spells it.

When all else fails… Cranium!

When Wurstfest was too far of a drive, the Union bowling alley had a 45 min wait for a lane, and Peter Pan mini-golf was cash-only, we headed home to play CRANIUM!

It’s a team game where one partner has to depict what’s on their card through humming a tune,

playing charades,

sketching a drawing, or solving a word problem for his/her partner to guess. The first team to get land on the brain in the middle of the board and complete one task from each of the four categories WINS!

Elyse and Oren celebrated their victory over the other two teams, and everyone had a great time making fools out of themselves!

photos from: http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/Products_DetailView.htm?AC=B&BR=866&ID=21402&TP=AB

Cookie Delivery? Think Again, Tiff’s Treats!

Let’s face it… we’ve all given into Tiff’s convenient and delicious service at some point or another during our time at UT. Whatever the occasion – a night of cramming for your physics exam, a thank-you, an invitation to a formal, a sweet tooth craving, your friend’s birthday, your own “birthday” (with a note on the box signed “Love, Mom and Dad”), or a normal Wednesday – we call or place our order online for cookies that come straight to our door, hot and fresh.

I’ll admit the Snickerdoodle and M&M cookies are pretty darn good. If they’re out, I’ll take a bite. But there’s a little known secret about Tiff’s…

It’s all about the BROWNIES. Moist, gooey, rich chocolate with melted chocolate chips nestled in the flaky top… you will never go back to ordering cookies once you try these gems.

3, formerly 4 brownies in a Tiff's box

These brownies don't lie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So next time you find an excuse to order Tiff’s for yourself, celebrate with a box of warm brownies, perhaps a la mode. And the next time you’re looking for a simple way to express your gratitude, congratulations, remorse, or affection, jump on the brownie wagon. He or she (and his/her friends) will love you forever.