Looking for a great day trip outside of Austin this weekend? You’re in luck. Buda is only a 20 minute drive from Austin and this Saturday and Sunday the Buda Lions Club is hosting the 11th Annual Buda Wiener Dog Races. This year’s theme — Nacho Wiener.

The races are a part of the club’s annual Country Fair and Cookoff but it seems as if the races are the main attraction. The event begins Saturday morning at 9 AM at the Buda City Park with a pet parade. The dressed wiener dog contest is at 9:45 AM and the races follow starting at 10 AM.

The fair also features a BBQ cook-off, a chili cook-off, arts & craft booths, live music, and activities for the kids. Saturday night there will be a free dance and fireworks. Sunday there will be a bake-off. The dog racing aspect, to no surprise, is getting all the buzz.

The races attract dogs and owners from all over the nation and it is expected that around 600 dogs will enter. Winners, announced Sunday at 4:30, win $500 and a huge statue. All I can say, is I’m definitely going. And I’m taking my wiener dog with me. Check out the footage from last year’s event.

I’m super busy studying for a test and doing a million other things BUT if you like TV (who doesn’t) and you like laughing (again, why not?) you should check out Television Without Pity. Basically they do a play-by-play of all of your favorite TV shows but in a very funny way.

So if you miss your show, you can read exactly what happened! Just go check it out. They also have forums where users can play trivia games and talk about their favorite TV shows. There’s tons of cool stuff on there! Enjoy!

Interesting ‘about me’ fact — I usually read while I walk to class. You know that really nerdy girl in high school or middle school that just could not seem to put down her copy of The Grapes of Wrath between Calculus and History class? That’s me.

Anyway, this morning I was reading the latest edition of OK! magazine and amidst tips on how to loose weight like Britney and a blurb about Lindsay Lohan getting rejected by Kanye I found an advertisement for Propel’s newest “water.” Propel, famous for it’s low calorie, flavored water for the active athlete has apparently taken it’s “water” one step further and added “a touch of caffeine,” or 20 mg per 8 oz.

Your average 8 oz. of coffee has a lot more, at about 100 mg per 8 oz. while tea has about the same amount as Propel Invigorating Water. I really do not understand why companies feel the need to “energize” their products by adding caffeine. That is what soda, coffee or tea is for.

I guess it is just getting harder and harder to stay awake and alert these days. When you go get your exciting new “water” at the 7-11 be sure and pick up a Snickers Charged for an extra 60 mg to get you through your day!

I realize it is a little late notice but if you happen to see this soon, head on over to the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (aka The Ritz) for their weekly Music Monday series. Each Monday they play a music film for only $2. Pretty great deal if you ask me.

Tonight is not just an ordinary ‘Music Monday’ though. Tonight at 10 pm they are playing “Sigur Ros – HEIMA.” The Drafthouse despriction says HEIMA is“a breathtaking documentary/concert film [chronicling] their tour around their home country in 2006 where they preformed a series of free, unannounced concerts in rural areas. There is no actual narrative or plot in the film, in fact it’s like going to a Sigur Ros concert.

Let’s pause there and realize that going to a Sigur Ros concert would be an undoubtedly beautiful experience. A chance to come close to experiencing that is very promising. The film consists of interviews, concert footage, and music done only for the film.

The site also says the film is “an experience, a beautiful, poetic and intense experience that captures the audience and keeps them focused on the subject.”

Did I mention you can get this promised experience for only TWO dollars? But wait, there is icing on the cake. If the music isn’t enough, the Drafthouse offers Music Monday Specials on food and drinks. Tonight you get a free large popcorn if you buy a bucket of beer. And if popcorn isn’t your thing, they also offer a free large soda or $2 Alamo Ale with the purchase of a pizza!

There is no reason not to rush downtown immediately! Check out the trailer before you go.

This photograph was taken for a photography class I was in. It is a portrait of my friend David. Nothing too fancy I just put him in front of a black sheet in my apartment and had my friend move the lighting around until I got the shot I wanted.

Another photograph for photography class. The assignment was to disturb the frame and take an unconventional shot. I used candles to light and had my roommate turn over her tarot cards. Again, very simple.

Same photography class but this was a proximity assignment. The idea was to get close to your subject. The picture is of my friend Andy. We were on a trip to Acuna, Mexico and we stopped to get gas at Wal-Mart. I just snapped this photo and liked the way it turned out.

As I was crossing across Whitis street on campus today I was for some reason drawn to the flashing “expired” sign on several parking meters. I very rarely have to park at a meter. This is mainly because I don’t drive anywhere unless it’s late at night, when the meters are free and also because I am horrible at parallel parking. So I was really surprised by how little time a quarter gets you at a meter around Austin. I asked around and it seems like the price for time on campus (a quarter gets you a whopping 15 minutes) is pretty true around the city. For residents of Austin or Houston, this may seem insignificant, but I come from a town where a quarter gets you an HOUR and 15 minutes.

That’s right ladies and gentleman. In the town of Corpus Christi, TX you can park for over two hours for less than fifty cents. Jealous? You should be. I attempted to look up how much it cost to get 15 minutes at a meter in New York City and cities of comparable population but I couldn’t find any information. So if you know, please enlighten me. I did however find some cool stuff about the kind of meters in New York City. Apparently they have solar-powered meters which look kind of outer-spacey, which is pretty awesome.

Long story short, I’m glad I can’t parallel park. I save tons of money walking.

So I am already an inconsistent blogger but these next few weeks are going to be tough. Basically I’m taking a break from the madness to give a quick warning in advance that I may not be consistent. But I will do my very best to keep you updated with fun stuff as much as possible. Only because I love you.

So instead of cool websites, today I’ll give you a cool video. Check out Bjorks Wanderlust video. It is totally awesome.

I don’t know what it is about today, but it seems like I should start with a site that I don’t like instead of a cool and interesting one. Maybe it’s the fact that I have seen an over abundance of cat pictures today. Maybe it’s because our two cats spilled a giant cup of water over all of my school books and computer cords today. But maybe I just really hate this web site. You take your pick.

Actually, it is not even a formal web site, it is a blog. But people put the pictures from it all over their web sites which in turn annoys me. LOLcatz is by far the worst idea I have ever seen. I don’t find it funny, I don’t find it cute, I don’t even find it fairly amusing.

Take this picture for example — not funny to me.

Okay I guess that is enough ranting and raving. And I don’t want to leave everything on a sour note so I’ll leave you with a few web sites that I recently came across that I think are pretty cool.

UT for Dummies is a new site started by some UT students and is basically a survival guide to UT life. The posts are super entertaining and really informative at the same time!

Also check out the videos on Zune Arts. Basically artists and musicians come together and share their work. The videos are incredible though, check out this one with zombie puppets!

And one last thing, check out the article on the DTWeekend site about Mixtapes! I knew they would start making a come back!

So I am a HUGE fan of Mediterranean food but often times it comes at a high price.  The cost is an issue for me, considering I’m a college student that is currently employed for a whopping $15 a day.  Therefore, I am constantly searching for high quality inexpensive food to eat so I can get a break from tuna salad and cereal.  Tom’s Tabooley is totally a wonderful find!

First off, everything I have had at Tom’s is incredibly delicious.  Second, all of their meals are under $7.  That’s right, their most expensive item is the Mediterranean Platter which happens to be a ton of food.  For a mere $6.99 you get a sample plate of tabooley, hummus, dolma, falafels, kalamata olives, feta cheese, pepperoncinis (aka bannana peppers), pita bread, and taratoor.  Almost overwhelming right?

Before I go any further, I want to make sure everyone is on the same page about what all this food actually is.  When you go to Tom’s they have, on the menu, a “Tabooley Tutorial,” that perfectly explains the confusing aspects of Mediterranean food.  I’ll go ahead and repost it here so you don’t get confused.

Tabooley Tutorial:

Hummus – A classic Mediterranean dip or spread made from a creamy blend of garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic and spices. Try all our flavours: traditional, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, kalamata and spicy southwest.

Baba Ganoush – A dip or spread made from roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and spices.

Tabooley – A wheat garden salad tossed with parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice, mint and extra virgin olive oil.

Dolmas – Hand rolled grape leaves stuffed with a delicious combination of brown rice, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and spices in a tomato marinara. Chose from our many flavours: traditional, rosemary, dill mint, curry, jalapeno or habanero.

Falafel – Street food at its best, these crunchy croquettes are made with ground chickpeas, herbs and 7 spices. Normally they are tucked in pita bread with scoops of tomatoes, lettuce, onion and tarootar. These savory sandwiches are enjoyed throughout Europe.

Gyro – A hot and hearty blend of beef and lamb served on a pita with tomato, onion, lettuce and tzatziki.

Okay now that we’re on the same page, I’ll talk about my favorite dishes. The Dolmas are incredible and come in six different flavors: traditional, curry, habanero, jalapeno, dill mint, and rosemary. I have tried all but the habanero and jalapeno (I’m a little weary of the spicy stuff). They come with tzatziki dipping sauce which is creamy and compliments the Dolmas perfectly. Another favorite is the Thai Bowl with Falafels. Not entirely Mediterranean, but delicious anyway and super inexpensive. Just a warning though, it can get a little spicy and I have gotten it one time that it was WAY too salty.

I always want to try something new and I will, but my favorites are so good I have a hard time not getting them when I go! So go check out Tom’s Tabooley. If you’re a UT student, it’s right by campus! Tom’s Tabooley also sells several of their products at The Green Muse, HEB Hancock, HEB Central Market, Wheatsville Deli, and Whole Foods Gateway and Lamar.

So this is a little last minute but I figure a mixtape of what I listen to at work has the potential to be mildly entertaining and might just give you some insight into what I’m all about. Enjoy…

1. Dashboard Confessional – Don’t Wait
2. Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Drug
3. Enrique Iglesias – Do You Know
4. Lovage – Sex (I’m A)
5. Everlast – Black Jesus
6. The Sounds – Rock N Roll
7. Damien Rice – The Blowers Daughter
8. Cam’ron – What Means the World to You
9. Kings of Leon – Charmer
10. Scott Simons – Umbrella
11. Sublime – Badfish
12. The Spill Canvas – All Hail the Hearbreaker
13. Slightly Stoopid – Mellow Mood

On another note, if anyone knows how to embed mp3s into a blog, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it!