Browsing Category

Austin

Austin

Goddamn, East Austin!

OK, gang.

The new blog is up and running.

The final verdict was “Goddamn, East Austin”.

I’m still test-driving the title. Most people and my raunchy self seem to like it, but the lady in me is saying, “What the fuck, Lauren? Do you seriously have to swear all the mother-fucking time?”

My first post is a review of the FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC! Salty Sow on Manor Road. Whooooweeee this place is good!

You can follow Goddamn East Austin’s Facebook page here.

And Twitter here.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo of Salty Sow’s Bananas Foster Beignets with nutmeg ice cream.

 

May 23, 2012 by
Austin

Help Me Pick Out A Title For My New Blog!

Hipstercrite isn’t going anywhere. I will be chained to this mo-fo for the rest of my f’ing life.

I decided to start a new blog though. One that I felt didn’t fit the confines of Hipstercrite.

It is a neighborhood blog about East Austin. Sort of in the same vein as Fucked in Park Slope. Except amongst the humor, there will be the occasional crime alert because I believe that stuff is important (i.e. I’m a paranoid crazy).

The blog will have new store/restaurant openings, events, stories, interviews, crime alerts, photos, news roundups and ramblings.

I have the blog all ready to go but I’m not sold on the title. This is where I want you to help me!

Currently the blog is titled “East of Austin”. It’s simple, to the point and references literature (I soundz smart!). However, I’m not sure if it’s too simple? I’d like something a little more unique, but without having a title that a “teenage girl would come up with”, says a friend (i.e. No “Dreaming in East Austin”).

This (more…)

May 21, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Music, Pop Culture

Explosions in the Sky’s “Postcards From 1952” Made Weep and Orgasm Simultaneously

Have you guys seen this redonk music video from Austin-based Explosions in the Sky yet?

It will cause you to instantly weep and orgasm at the same time.

The music video was created by the very talented Austin filmmakers Peter Simonite and Annie Gunn. This is the sort of artistic creation that makes you wonder what the hell you’re doing with your life.

 

May 17, 2012 by
Austin, Hipstercrite Life

Volunteering in Austin

When I lived in Los Angeles I avidly volunteered.

I began volunteering out of selfish reasons of being lonely and bored, but once I saw the deep impact volunteering had on all parties involved, I became hooked.

The organization I volunteered most frequently for was in a dilapidated house in the area between Echo Park and Downtown LA. I guess that area would still be considered Echo Park, but it’s not all the hipsters and bars that one thinks of with that area. It was a moderately dangerous neighborhood that once boasted beautiful houses and elegant businesses. Now the houses have bars on their windows and a smoky smog sheen covering the paint. Broken car window glass litters the street. When I pulled into a nearby convenient store to accurately locate the nonprofit house on my GPS, I watched a stream of rats run alongside my car. In LA, rats aren’t as common as in NYC.

The nonprofit I was going to temporarily houses children from Mexico and Central America who have crossed the (more…)

May 15, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

The Top Ten Best Taco Tattoos

I have a secret to share: I didn’t try Mexican food until I was in my 20s.

It’s not because I didn’t want to. I’m an adventurous eater and will try anything. I was born in a small town in Upstate New York which, for a long time, was about as ethnically diverse as Yanni concert. I grew up eating the food of first and second generation Italians and Greeks. We didn’t have options like Thai, Indian, Mexican or Ethiopian. My small hometown JUST got their first Mexican restaurant a few years ago and the majority of people who have never left said town are afraid to go in there out of fear that their taste buds will explode from tasting spice for the first time in their lives.

Even when living in Los Angeles, I didn’t eat Mexican food often. Unlike Austin, Mexican food is not as commonly celebrated in LA. It wasn’t on my radar because I was sidetracked by the exorbitant amount of sushi restaurants that city has.

When I moved to Austin, everything changed. As compared to Los Angeles, I (more…)

May 8, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Are You a Bobo?

In this week’s CultureMap article, “More than Trader Joe’s in store: Seaholm development targets ‘urban bohemians,'” managing partner of Seaholm LLC, John Rosato, used the titular term when describing the sort of clientele they want their future tenants to cater to. A lot of you thought the phrase “urban bohemian” sounded like the verbal equivalent of dragging your nails across a chalkboard, but I have news for you, it ain’t nothing new.

Try on this word for size: Bobo. Bourgeois bohemian. Does that make you want to throw up a little in your mouth, too?

“Bobo” was coined by David Brooks in his 2000 social commentary, Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. The book describes the rise of upper middle class and their penchant for spending big bucks on organic food, brand new electric cars and all-American clothing.

They are a hybrid of the “liberal idealism of the 1960s and the self-interest of the 1980s” a.k.a. hipsters with money. Bobos are essentially (more…)

May 5, 2012 by
Austin, Writing

Bloggers Are The Best: Blogging From BlogathonATX!

I am writing this from BlogathonATX.

I just finished speaking about branding yourself online and I was super nervous (ssshhh).

Thoughts kept running through my head- What if I sound like a tool? What if I have no idea what I’m talking about? What if torrents of sweat run from my armpits? Everyone asked wonderful questions and they told me I sounded like I knew what I was talking about, so that is good. I won’t have to drink myself to sleep later tonight.

I’m excited to check out later sessions including Long Term Blog Maintenance with Crystal Edwards and Blogging for Business with Ellie Scarborough. I’m also looking forward to free sushi courtesy of Roll On Sushi. I might want to roll around on the sushi myself, so Cathy over at Slave to Fashion is going to have to stop me from doing that.

Check out the live stream of BlogathonATX here.

 

Ilene Haddad (the mastermind behind BlogathonATX) and I! photo by Jake Wengroff

Cathy from Slave to Fashion!

Ilene (more…)

April 28, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Top Ten Reasons I’m Excited Trader Joe’s is Coming to Austin

Hallelujah! Trader Joe’s is coming to Austin!

Here are the top ten reasons I just pissed my pants.

1.) I can finally try whatever the hell this gift from God is:

It tastes like gingerbread AND crushed biscuits! (pic by Chrissie!)


2.) I can pretend that I know a lot about wine because the walls of my house will be lined with Two Buck Chuck.

3.) I will no longer have to overdose on Xanax to fight the hordes of college students while getting lost at HEB Hancock.

4.) When I need a Chinese Orange Chicken fix, I no longer have to drive all the way to Panda Express with the look of a crack addict fighting withdrawal. I can buy this:

5.) I can stop crying on a nightly basis.

6.) I can pretend that I know how to cook because Trader Joe’s has THE MOST AMAZING GOURMET FREEZER FOOD ON THE PLANET!!!!!

7.) I can pull my Hawaiian shirt out of the closet and wear it proudly because a Trader Joe’s style trend will catch like wildfire in Austin.

8.) I can stick my face in this:

 9.) (more…)

April 18, 2012 by
Austin, Writing

Justice for Cisco: Dog Killed by Austin Police

Last night I noticed a Facebook page spreading like wildfire amongst my Austin friends. The page’s name is Justice for Cisco and it tells the story of a man’s dog who was was senselessly shot and killed by an Austin police officer on April 14th. According to the dog’s owner, Michael Paxton, the police officer was responding to a domestic violence call and came to Paxton’s address by mistake. The officer drew his gun on Paxton, who was standing in his driveway. Paxton’s Blue Heeler, Cisco, came from the backyard and started barking at the police officer. Unable to move due to having a gun pointed at him, Paxton could not restrain his dog. Paxton told the police officer that Cisco would not bite, but the officer shot Cisco in the chest and killed him right in front of his owner.

According to a message by Paxton’s friend, Candace Michele, on the “Justice for Cisco” page, “Nothing will likely happen to Officer Griffin for any of this, as his supervisor arrived after everything took place, (more…)

April 16, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Chaos Reigns in Austin

A couple of weeks ago, I posted Joe Nicolosi’s hysterical SXSW bumper that starred Geoff as a douchey Angeleno-turned-Austinite (“Have You Been to Austin? I Can’t Tell if the Locals are Rednecks or Junkies”). SXSW has since posted one of the SXSW bumpers that Geoff and I co-wrote/produced and Geoff directed about some more douchey Angelenos using their platinum badges for evil. They get their comeuppance in the end in the form of angry furries beating the shit out of them.

The bumpers star the very talented and funny actors John Merriman, Chris Doubek and Julie Holland. We had a blast shooting the bumpers and appreciate SXSW for giving us the opportunity.

The video got broken up into two separate bumpers, so just imagine you’re watching both as one piece!

 

April 7, 2012 by