wrapping my brain around SXSW.

I just made an embarrassingly large amount of spaghetti and then I ate it all.
Also, my cat keeps on peeing on my roommates' towels and blankets. Why! Lol.
anddd, I am drinking champagne vodka right now and it is y-u-m-m-y.

There's been tons of talk for SXSW lately. Both of my places of employment are hosting events so I'm quite excited. :)

Here are some of the things I am super excited for:


American Apparel Flea Market:
3/19-3/21 11am - 8pm
American Youthworks Building, 4th & San Jacinto

Expect merchandise starting at $1, unique samples, and vintage pieces, yay! You just might
see me there ringing you up so be sure to say hi. Also, live DJ sets, music by Viva Radio, and ICE CREAM!!! sweet.




IFC Crossroads Party: The Decemberists and Gomez
Details on the flyer.
It's FREE and it's OPEN BAR, but you have to get your ticket at Waterloo.
I love both these bands so I really want to go, fo sho!

---
Blackberry SXSW Showcase
Cedar Street, 208 W. 4th St.
Wristbands required or forking up a small dime and standing in line. :]

Thursday 3/19

8:30 Arkelis

9:30 Sam Roberts

10:30 Delta Spirit

11:30 Black Lips

12:30 Primal Scream

Friday 3/20

7:45 Pete and the Pirates

8:45 Beach House

9:45 Bedouin Soundclash

10:45 Peter Bjorn and John

11:45 Grizzly Bear

12:45 Dinosaur Jr.

I'm super super super excited about Friday's line-up.

---

Rose's Mojito & Rachel Ray's "the B Side"
3/21, 12 - 5 pm
Maggie Mae's, 6th St.
First come, first serve.

The Hold Steady
New York Dolls
The Airborne Toxic Event
Ra Ra Riot
Bob Schneider
The Cringe
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Semi Precious Weapons
The Thermals
John Pringle

um, do we get free food?

---

Village Voice Free SXSW Day Show
3/20, 12-5 pm
La Zona Rosa, 4th St.

M. Ward
Cursive
Gomez
Bear Hands
Crystal Antlers

omg... Cursive? no way.

---

Andrew Bird, Ben Harper, Gomez & Katy Perry
3/19, 7 - 2am
Stubb's

OMG ANDREW BIRDDDDDDDDD

---

SOUNDEXCHANGE/MusicFirst present:
3/20, 6 - 2am
Stubb's

Electric Touch
Parachute
White Lies
Razorlight
PJ Harvey
The Indigo Girls
Third Eye Blind

3eb!!!!!!! omg.

---

that's all I can wrap my head around for now. There are so may bands I want to see that my head wants to explode. Gravy Train!!! w/ MSTRKRFT @ Radio Room, Dead Prez @ Austin Music Hall, Yelle @ Emo's, Japan Nite, White Shoes & The Couples Company @ Submerged... my brain!!!

sigh.

x,

Frances

Your 3 Favorite Movies and a Praying Mantis

HEY. I've been so busy, I'm sorry. All work and no play, I'm serious. But then again work is play, hehe.

Currently, I'm listening to this ridiculous NPR recording for my advertising class. I have a test tomorrow. One thing I did learn in class is that... people like ads with animals. So, here's a picture of everybody's favorite cat, YEAH!


charlie is thinking about what he wants to make for dinner. tuna tartare? and maybe a cookie for dessert. okay this is getting creepy.

well you don't know creepy b/c what the fuck is this:


... but a praying mantis by La Tazza Fresca. duh. what else?


speaking of, they have yummy Tomato Basil Soup!

---

on the topic of food, i had my first "vegan" cake yesterday. ok it wasn't that big of a deal. vegans still eat funfetti, so it's all good. hehe. anyway it was super yummy. better than any cake i ever made.

i haven't felt like this in a long time. it's nice, i like it. :)

---

Sigh, so anyway the other half of the title of this blog... so if you do keep up with my posts, I'm really far behind on my movie-watching. I mean like everyone's favorite movies you know... if you think of one, I probably haven't seen it. What I have seen consists of like ... Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ... hm. SO, I'm asking you: WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVORITE MOVIES... So I can watch them... kthx!


picture from The River Flows East. it was cold.

"godzilla got kinda happy at some point... didn't he?" - my npr recording

x,

franny

Black Condoms, Viet Sandwiches and NEW Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

My roommate has a great internship. She comes home with surprises like these! LOL!



Black Joe Lewis has a new marketing scheme. Teehehee...

"Just... Want.. to get it open!!!" - Charlie dirty-wanna-be-black-cat Lin.

---

So I drove this baby up to Bee Caves when I was at work the other day to get an estimate. Yeah, no rear-view mirror. Plush seats. I looked pretty smooth, might I add. Not to mention someone's mix cd was left in there that included the likes of Britney Spears, Ghostland Observatory, and Cupid's "The Cupid Shuffle"... yup.

---


So I've been promising you vietnamese sandwiches for a long time. We finally went to LuLu B's on South Lamar across from Bird's Barbershop! We'd been missing it because they had a family death and also they are open at annoyingly inconvenient hours, but whatever! It was yummy. I got the Lemongrass Pork sandwich garnished with daikon, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and chili. It was pretty filling for just $4.50 and with some Sriracha sauce, it was muy sabroso. Definitely check it out if you're in the South Lamar area. There's another vietnamese sandwich place up on North Lamar at Chinatown... that I want to try as well. Yum Yum!

---

Finally,
new Yeah Yeah Yeah's has leaked.
Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Heads Will Roll

---

Pictures from this weekend will be up later. Tootles.

x,

Franny

Plastic Bag Bras and Snuggie Pub Crawls

At my internship, I've been looking up "green tips"... ways to live sustainably, I suppose. Anyway I have come across some rather environmentally creative ways to be green!! Giggle.

For example: how to make a plastic bag bra!


I found this on the BBC's website after some good google sifting. It was actually written in 2000. So wow, imagine how many plastic bag bras there are now. I would totally write out the instructions for you but for some reason ... it seemed complicated to me ha ha. So here, if you're curious... this is the link and there are pictures like the great one above as well. YAY! haha.

---

I also found this in regards to recycling mattresses:

How long should a mattress life span? Well, here is their suggestion:

A mattress should last about ten years. That's the same lifespan as a pet rabbit. You can buy a rabbit and a mattress at the same time and when the rabbit dies, you'll know that it is time for a new mattress.

The rabbit can be turned into a rich stew. But what do you do with your old mattress? Many landfills are charging high fees for allowing someone to drop off their mattress or they are denying entrance all together. Those landfill people are sure getting snooty.

---


SNUGGIE PUB CRAWL omg
so, I got my roommie a Snuggie for her birthday. They sell them at H-E-B for $15! Omg, so amazing. I especially loved the creepy mannequin just standing there wearing a Snuggie. Like it's a normal thing to do to just go out in public in a Snuggie and not look like a Jedi in blue fleece... or something. Anyway.

---

I leave you with cute pictures from last night... Lykke Li was amazing. Party was ok.



x,

Frances

Crickets at La Condesa.

The lovely Rachel Myhill treated some friends and I to a complimentary friends & family dinner at La Condesa, a Mexican restaurant opening Thursday on 2nd & Guadalupe right next to Lambert's. According to the Austin Business Journal, the 26-year-old chef/owner, Larry McGuire, of Lambert's is playing a large part in the opening of this restaurant... so I'm sure it will become a well-known Austin establishment in the near future. Anyway, there's a Dallas location in the snazzy Victory Park, but apparently this one's better. Well, I know I had a fabulous time... I love trying new things! And boy did I try new things, lol.

ANYWAY, this is what you really want to see/hear/taste I guess:



Chips & Salsa with Chipotle & Roasted Almond Guacamole
So yummy. I didn't taste the roasted almond, but I definitely felt the chipotle. The salsa isn't pictured but they had 3 different kinds. My favorite was the salsa verde. I think we all had a different favorite. So they all must be good.


Bebidas! The watermelon martini was yummy in my tummy. Good margaritas too.


I don't remember the names to these. The one on the left is Carnitas I believe. Very tender pork belly. It reminded me of this tender pork that us Asians eat and put in between soft buns. The one on the right is some kind of pork ribs. Realllly yummy. I loved the plaintains. They were good and spicy.


Crickets!! In a corn tortilla!! Covered in guacamole!! Ahh!!!


Before and after. Well more like during and after. Honest truth, it wasn't my favorite thing in the world. I mean, it didn't taste bad. I really have a serious mental block toward odd meats. Even duck freaks me out. IDK! But it was worth trying. I would try it if you have the chance! Nothing like some cricket legs floating around your mouth, mmm. Karinne's face is awesome, btw.


Rachel eating the crickets. Why is she so composed?


Dessert. On the left, a goat cheese cheesecake that had a much fancier name. On the right, a molten flourless chocolate cake topped with caramelized bananas and ice cream... that also had a fancier name. The chocolate was my favorite. The cheesecake was too cheesy for my taste.

I also didn't snap a good picture of the tostadas that we tried. There were two different versions, but I only tried one of them. It was a Tuna Tostada ... crispy tostadas topped with yellowfin tuna, pickled cucumber, crispy leek, and chipotle mayo. Mmm, I love chipotle mayo. Especially on a Mopac sandwich...

SIGH, ok. I love free food.

Anyway, I think I am finally going to try those vietnamese sandwiches this weekend. Very excited.

And also, if you still haven't seen Kittens Inspired by Kittens what are you waiting for?! God, best thing ever.

I'm going to start doing hw now... because I'm in school... ?!
Oxymoron.

x,

Frances

Circle One: Yes or No

yes or no?!



Should Blake and Dov be BFF?
Circle One: Yes or No

Okay maybe not. Since the founder of TOMS (Blake ... not "tom") is probably ... well he IS 1000x more ethical than American Apparel. But on the topic of company comparisons, both companies make a point to publicize how their employees receive more than a fair wage. And I would say their target markets are pretty much the same crowd. Both Blake and Dov have curly hair and live in or near LA. He he? Not to mention the shirt I'm wearing is Tri-Blend American Apparel. Anyway, it was a fun time Saturday... working at the Clinton Global Initiative and giving away hundreds of free shoes for a good cause. Besides the fact that my car got towed and cost me near $200 and being late to my roommate's 21st birthday dinner. SUCKKK.



Andrew Bird, will you marry me?
Circle one: Yes or No.

Maybe one of the best artists to traipse across my path. His whistling melted my heart until it was no longer a heart but an empty place that wanted to be filled. Is that what his music does to you? Make you ache? I guess that's why I like it. I am okay with having Andrew Bird be the reason of my heartache.




Does P.Terry's give you a heart attack whilst being pooped on by birds?
Circle One: Yes or No

Well, I know the answer actually. It's YES. Except I wasn't pooped on by birds. I fully enjoyed my cheaper-than-mcdonalds hamburger while my friends were pooped on by birds, hehe.



Would you use my cat to kill the ubiquitous gecko running around your house?
Circle One: Yes or No

Well I didn't even know there was such an ubiquitous gecko running around my house. I actually stumbled upon my cat playing with this gecko, who I'm guessing (and hoping) he killed ... what a beast. I'm not saying I don't like lizards. I love lizards. I wanted one for a really long time. But I'm really proud of my cat seeing how he is the biggest scared-y cat ever. I pretty much decided he has downs syndrome this past weekend. Sad story. :[

---

My song: The Kinks - Strangers
hmm. :[


x,

frances

FOTOS! AQUI!

yay!





Dance-a-thon, Birthdays, Charlie, the usual fisheyes

More pictures on my flickr.

Andrew Bird and more food next up.

YUH!

x,

franny

MC vs. FML

So, I've been an avid Missed Connections reader for the past few months, let me tell you. And just recently, I've been informed about a comic book called I Saw You... that illustrates these silly situations! It's so funny, cuz the Daily Texan was looking for comic artists and I thought that would be a really cool thing to do... and turns out someone has already done it. Well, maybe I can be a poser. ANYWAY. My friend Charlene informed me about another website, F*** My Life - FML and it is pretty darn awesome. So ... I guess this is a showdown? Maybe you'll see why I love these things so much...

Missed Connections:

Girl in marketing with the glorious Heiny
(i only hoped this MC was about me, since I am a Marketing major... sigh... hahaha)

Dear girl who sits in front of me in marketing class,

Let me start off by explaining my situation as this will no doubt help you to sympathize with where I am coming from. This marketing class is not my first attempt at passing this course. It has caused me much stress and many sleepless nights...3 times.....at 2 different universities. That being said I would very much like this to be the semester that I finally master this difficult subject.
Now on to the subject of your heiny. It is a wonderful heiny. It is the kind of beautiful bottom that poets write songs about (e.x. Laffy Taffy by DL4). Today I spent the entire period just admiring it.
Unfortunately this is just the problem. Your gorgeous behind, peeking half way out of those trendy tight jeans, has once again kept me from taking the adequate amount of notes that I so desperately need.
Maybe we can come to sort of compromise though. In this settlement, during class time you would agree to keep your exceptional bottom hidden from my sight. I have a few suggestions, possibly a belt? Maybe a fancy dress? Also you could not sit in the front of the class. At the very least, a pair of underwear?
In return for this concession I would be willing to take any other time out of my day so that you could personally display your bottom to me at the place of your choosing. In fact, I would not find it objectionable to view any other body parts that you feel this desperate need to display. I hope that this post is not to demanding and that we can come to some sort of amicable agreement. Thank you so very much.

Sincerely,
Distracted guy in marketing class

The Wiener of the Karaoke Contest - 69 (The Real Hot Dog King)
(LOL)

You: Unzipped singer flashing sausage.

Us: Horrified yet transfixed onlookers. Can't.stop.staring.at.da.wang.

Lesson: If your pants are malfunctioning, do have the decency to don underwear beneath your trousers.

I looked at your socks today in class. - w4m - 20
(cute. sigh!)

I like your socks.
I like your hair, too because
it does its own thing.
Turn around and
say hi to me sometime.
We can compare socks and
talk about books and music.

F*** my life

Today, I heard my sister masturbating in her room. I took the dog around the block to get out of the house, and I came back to see her exiting her room....my electric tothbrush in her hand. FML

Today, I was tutoring kids at an elementary school. One kid messed up my hair. I said, "Why'd you do that??" He said, "I have lice, now you have lice too!" FML

Today, I was having sex with my girlfriend. Mid-thrust she says "I love you, Jeremy." Then in rapid succession, she fires off 2 other names. None of the names were mine. FML

Today, I went looking for a childhood doll - I remembered that my mum kept her in her bedside cabinet. I could see the doll at the back, but there was stuff in the way, so I reached in and took some of it out, only to find I was holding one of my mum's toys... a big black rubber cock. FML

Today, I had a meeting at work. My boss was there as well as her boss, and a few other managers and directors. We started discussing politics in the context of our latest project. I tried to say "erratic election". I almost succeeded. FML

---

Hope you enjoyed them hehehe.

x,

Frances

Move. Get out of here.

This entry is in sequences.

So,



Yeah.

---


Fish tacos, Wahoo's on 6th.
I like mini corn tortillas. Cabbage instead of lettuce was an interesting choice. The rice was refreshing and different. Preettty good.


Dessert selection, Mandola's at The Triangle.
I tried the gelato on the first row in the middle. It was coffee-flavored with something. Damn good.

Also went to the Loxsly, Oh No Oh My! show at Emo's on Thursday.
The most memorable thing was Loxsly's visuals. They were pretty awesome.
I commend whoever did them... I think it might have been a band member?
My favorite were the walking tweezers... or whatever.

Fashion Freakout! at Mohawk last night, as well.
We've started selling tie-dye tights and I hate them.
Well. Laced with Romance seems to think they were cool.
I still don't think they are.
There were a couple nip slips and butt cheeks hanging out, but overall I enjoyed the show.
I loved New Bohemia's elephant necklace. ohh my goddd, how do I get that?!

Sigh.

I'm done.

x,

Frances

Explosive. POW!

My lobster is going nuts.


Anyway, I've been purchasing quite a few necklaces. Here are a couple that I have picked up recently at Le Garage Sale and the vintage blog sale I talked about in an earlier post. I can't say which one is my favorite. The koi is pretty sweet. I remember my sister had a keychain of that when I was little. And it was ME that had the keychain collection, so you can imagine how badly I wanted to steal it... yeah.


Oh hey!!! I put up my keyboard, yay! :) I finally got rid of my ugly red futon and put up a much more useful object in its place! Fun fact: I used to be really damn fucking good at piano! Haha! Anyhow, if you want me to join your band, let me know. I also own a tambourine. YUP. :) P.S. aren't my decorations awesome? Rhetorical question.

I thought I would post this on here... because after evaluating myself today ... this is an honest representation of me... I think I do this a lot. Why?! I can't explain myself. I am simply an enigma. Mmm.

Finally, I leave you with this visual explosion.



I intend to return next entry with new fisheyes and a vietnamese sandwich review. The end.

Ace of Base - The Sign

x,

Frances