This blog has been dead lately, and it makes me feel guilty, but I was having too good of a weekend to get in front of the computer and post:
Thursday, I hit the annual Labor Day sale at Austin Books. I walked away with 3 Eddie Campbell books, 3 of the Complete Peanuts books, and Ivan Brunetti’s anthology — all 50% off.
Saturday was my first experience of the Alamo Drafthouse. A Shiner on tap, basket of french fries (done just the way I like them: seasoned and crispy), and the last Bourne movie: I was in heaven.
Last night we watched the documentary You’re Gonna Miss Me about Roky Erickson, the legendary singer for the 13th Floor Elevators. It wasn’t as great as I thought it was gonna be — if you want to watch a movie about a whacko genius musician from Texas, watch The Devil and Daniel Johnson instead. But the music was incredible…that electric jug! (Watch the Elevators.) I’d love to see someone release a Roky Erickson “unplugged” with just him singing and playing acoustic guitar. There was a great quote where Roky was talking about being in church and hearing “O Holy Night!” and it knocking him out. Come to think about it, go ahead and Netflix it if you’re an Elevators fan…
Today we went to see Superbad with friends. Absolutely hilarious. Worth the money in gut laughs. Afterwards, we went to the famous Hut’s Hamburgers and had burgers and shakes. More thumbs up.
On the way home, I stopped at BookPeople on a whim to see whether they had the new George Saunders collection of non-fiction, The Braindead Megaphone. They did! So now I have something to read on the bus this week.
What a great city.
Well, you are truly an Austinite now, Austin, what with Hut’s and Alamo Drafthouse under yr belt. Be sure to attend the latter’s viewing of audience-participation “Mommie Dearest” (they hand out wire clotheshangers at the door) or the Paramount’s Sing-Along Wizard of Oz (we have a genuine Munchkin living in Round Rock who shows up in his soldier costume and marches stiffly — in his elderly way — up the aisle). For more authentic eats, have the 3 or 5 veggie plate at Threadgills, late night doughnuts at Ken’s, breakfast tacos at Taco Xpress, flautas or sopa de caldo at El Sol y La Luna, or the gingerbread pancakes at Kerbey Lane. Sign up for bicycle-delivered, homemade organic quarts of soup from the Soup Peddlar, or have chicken korma at the Clay Pit. Best of all, groove on over to Hoover’s and get the catfish with greens and mashed potatoes. I’m making myself hungry, will have to stop.
Okay, one more: If you don’t have time for a sit-down burger, check out Hill-Berts (on Lamar near 34th and also one off Cameron Road). Their shakes, made to order, are so thick you can’t suck ’em through a straw.
What Maggie said!