update

since i haven't made time for actual real postings, i'm going to update the things i've done since my last post with real quick pictures and anecdotes.

first, i finished #18: try ten new restaurants in austin with buenos aires cafe in south austin. extra yummy, and also one of the last times i had meat, although it was a small amount. i'll write more about the food in my next post.

over valentine's day weekend i drove out to marfa and ft. davis to visit the mcdonald observatory with jj (#31: visit three new cities in texas). even though it took about seven hours to drive out there, i swear it seemed quicker than driving to dallas, probably because i had company. marfa was the most interesting little town! i loved our hotel and getting to walk around the town at night. we met up with jj's friend who works at the judd foundation, and the next day we visited her bookstore that she owns with her boyfriend and had lunch at the cutest little restaurant. marfa was a weird dichotomy of really rural and really modern hispter folks, but i felt really comfortable there. i don't think i could live there permanently, but i'd like to visit again for longer, and also when it's warmer. because it was so cold we didn't end up going out to scope the marfa lights, which was a bummer, but i'm sure there'll be another visit soon. the cold also prevented us from using the telescopes the next night at the observatory; there was ice fog and the temperature was hovering around 16 degrees. not ideal star/planet gazing weather. oh well. we got up early in the morning to at least catch the sunrise (see picture), which was pretty incredible.

then: i went to vegas (#23: visit four new places in the united states) for nicole's 25th birthday. i was only there for a little over 24 hours, but i had a wonderful time with her, jessica and sara. i won $100 on the wheel of fortune slot machine, paid $42 for brunch at the wynn that included all you can drink mimosas, champagne, and bloody marys, and as a result was drunk by 4 o'clock in the afternoon on saturday. we also met some guys who were about to "drop and album" and if my memory (and camera) serves me correctly, we apparently went with them to their room on the 63rd floor of the wynn to listen to it. ha. i was hung over by the time we made it to dinner at margaritaville and saw cirque du soleil: beatles love. i woke up at 5 am on sunday morning to catch my early morning flight home, which sucked, but it was nice to get home and have time to relax (and nap) before gearing up for work the next day. i'd definitely like to go back to vegas when i have more time, but it is extremely expensive (no surprise there), which makes me less likely to go back.

now, i know i've already completed the ten restaurants, but since that lasted all of a month and a half, there are plenty more to try. so since completing the ten, i've also visited paggi house (during restaurant week at that, such a deal), beets cafe, and phil's icehouse. more about those and the food in the next post.

and, since i've become vegetarian, #87: don't eat meat for a week is one that i've obviously accomplished. i still haven't had any meat, although i did have a bite of jj's trout last night at green pastures and i don't feel guilty about that. oddly enough, the one meat item i'm craving the most is a turkey sandwich. a damn turkey sandwich! of all the meat options i could possibly crave, it's that. i'm nuts.

last sunday, while walking down soco with jessica and teresa (which helped me achieve #54: make time to walk up and down south congress at least once a month, preferably on a sunday afternoon with friends), we stopped at homeslice. i had already had a nice breakfast including queso at torchy's (i mean i love that place), but you can't not eat when you're at homeslice. for some reason i got the urge to get it with #83: eat a raw tomato. now, i didn't actually eat a whole, raw tomato, but i did order the margherita pizza, and i ate the whole slice: tomato chunks and all. it was tolerable, but not enjoyable. point is, i tried it and didn't throw up. at least that much is good.

this past week i also watched pulp fiction with jj (#51). that movie was nuts! i don't know what else to say besides that; obviously if you've seen it, you get it. if you haven't, then i suggest you see it, but get ready for some weird shit.

i've also made changes to my blog (#66: make this blog prettier, which will make me want to update it more). thanks to some googling and a woman named lena, my blog is now, in fact prettier.

now: on to things i'm currently working on:

#88: eat fruit every day for a month. started on march 1st and am still going strong. i'm assuming there will be lots of fruit options in the virgin islands, so shouldn't have any problems there.

#95: take vitamins every day for a month. i also started this on march 1st, mostly because now that i'm not eating meat i'm making sure to suppliment the lack of meat with vitamins and such. i used to take vitamins all the time, but i was never very consistent. i hope that my month of dedication will help me form a habit.

over spring break, jj and i will be going to the virgin islands (#43: take a vacation with my boyfriend). i know we techincally already did go on a vacation over valentine's weekend, but this will be a more legit vacation. our hotel is awesome, and to get to the island we're staying on (st. john's) we have to take a ferry. st. john's is essentially one giant national park, which i can't wait to explore. i'm going to pack my bag with a few books, bikinis and my chacos and i think i'll be set. here's to getting no bad tan lines.

okay: enough for now. ann told me to keep things short and sweet and while i technically did that with each separate entry, this one as a whole is looong. so, time to go!