The Social Life

You take one down and pass it around........

2009-03-31T16:34:00Z

By Declan O'Reilly and Tracy MacBride
Technical Research by Jayson and Taylor, Photographs by Peckhammer

Beer, the awesome frontier, these are the voyages of the Austin Beer Meetup

PJ, 007 and Carlos, Organizers of the Austin Beer Meetup

To boldly go where no beer drinker has gone before.......Blue Flavor and 97 bottles want to take you there!

Seriously, beer is not a bevie that many "civilized" people drink. You think of beer and sweaty football fans at a game getting face down drunk, with the beer gut and all or stupid college kids at a frat party comes to mind. That's what I used to think before I made my trek over to Europe. To the people of the middle ages beer was the one thing they could drink that would not kill them because the water would. I spent time in the city of Ghent, Belgium to start my love affair with beer. Growing up in California I, like many of my pack drank Sierra Nevada or Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve both good beers in their own rights, easy to come by in either a keg (for those unexpected frat parties) case or 6-pack at a very reasonable cost. Like Shiner or Lone Star these beers were made popular by the collegiate of California and to this day (well Sierra Nevada more than Henry's) are the staples of many college kids.

Back to Belgium and the city of Ghent. Due to the fact that I only drank pale and pilsner beer I was not at all prepared for the complexity of Belgian beers and the alcohol level that these beers possessed. I had just finished culinary school and at the time was a huge wine snob (not that I had anything to snobby about) and just did not give beer a second glance. So when I came across beers like Chimay, Corsendonk, and Duvel I was so completely blown away by these that I knew that I would never just drink "regular" beer ever again! Upon my return to the US armed with several specimens for my friends to try I was met with much disdain and refusal to drink the beers. Questions like what does it compare to here? Why does it have stuff at the bottom? Where can I get something like that here? How much does it cost were presented and I had no answers for them! If only I had a site like 97 Bottles from the people of Blue Flavor I might have made some converts then!

Blue Flavor was at SX 2009 and I had a chance to sit down and talk to Kenny of Blue Flavor to find out what 97 bottles is doing about educating people about beer. Hosting one of the first happy hours of SX 2009 Interactive conference at the Gingerman

people were allowed to come there and drink beer on them providing that they had the special 97 button from a Blue Flavor team member acquired from the trade show center. Armed with the newly launched 97 Bottles website and a video camera Kenny went on his quest to find out what people liked and disliked about beer. He asked people questions like "why do you drink beer", "what is your favorite beer" and have you heard of 97 bottles. I have not seen any video footage but I am sure it will be on the blog sooner rather than later. When asked why start a site like this I was told that "We love Beer....friends + beer = good time! The site provided real descriptions of beers all over the world. After all if I had something like this when I came back from Europe people could had taken someone else's word instead of just mine. Once you create a profile and start reviewing beers a truly wonderful thing happens.....based upon what you have reviewed the site recommends other beers for you on your profile. We have used other sites like Beer Hunter, and About Beer to educate people about the intricacies of barley pop but when the Austin Socialites and Austin Beer Meet Up found out about 97 Bottles we found it to be not only a good tool to learn about beer it also gave us an outlet to socialize with other beer lovers all over the world. This is a good thing for one of our Socialites that is planning a move to the Seattle area in May, now she will be able to connect to other beer lovers in the area! For those of you with the ability to support apps on your phone, a mobile "97 Bottles to go" has just been launched so you can check out the beers before you plop down $6 bucks at the pub on a new beer!

A few notables for those of you who can't get yourself over to Europe to try some of the Belgians you might want to try:

Three Philosophers or Brother Thelonious from the North Coast Brewing company.

Beer + Friends = Good Time!

Spring Lineup for 512 Brewing

2009-03-27T18:16:00Z

By Declan O'Reilly

407 Radam, F200

Austin, TX 78745

www.512brewing.com

Kevin, you have outdone yourself really! 512 Brewing company Austin's newest craft brewing company has really given the people of Austin something to think about when it comes to beer choices. Opening up in August of 2008 they hit the ground running with the IPA, WIT and Pale. All beers good in their own rights and are being served in many of Austin's finest around town. So when it came time for the Austin Happy Hour group to be invited to the Fall Open House back in December we were not sure they could top what was already in place. Then BOOM, the Pecan Porter hit us like a ton of bricks. For anyone that appreciates a good stout, you will like this. For anyone that thinks that beer with creative properties is a good thing, wait for beer gods to sit with you for happy hour. People that love a good porter, will be in heaven! The Pecan Porter takes all the creativity of the porter, the earthiness of nuts (duh pecans, right) without it being overly sweet like a pancake syrup and all of this without being heavy in the tummy. All in all I have to say that the people of Austin Happy Hour group give the Pecan Porter two enthusiastic thumbs up Bob. We order it all over the place now!

So that brings me to the Spring Open House that occurred on 3.21.09 and the ALT Beer. Hummmmm. Good beer for those of you who want something lighter on the palate this is a great beer for you. We have been trying all of the spring line up from all the local places in town and I have to tell you that if you like a blonde you will like this beer, as it is a great beer for those not looking for something complex like the Wit, IPA or Pecan Porter. No the ALT is a good beer for kicking it on the patio, BBQ or chilling at the lake.

If you have not had a chance to check out the line up of the 512 Brewing Company at your favorite bar or restaurant, do yourself a favor and ask for one.

You will not be disappointed!

What's all the Fluff About?!?

2009-03-26T20:08:04Z

By Declan O'Reilly Technical Research by Anna and Jayson

SXSW brought an influx of people from all over the world to Austin. As we reported earlier this week; we saw, did and walked away with so much information and as promised we are sharing it with you.

The interactive portion of SXSW seems to grow bigger and bigger every year. Companies like Moontoast launched at SX, Microsoft BizSpark sponsored part of it and many start up companies took aim at the Austin festival to check out the scene, vibe and general lay of the land to see how they stack up to Austin. One of those companies was Techfluff.TV from London. I happened upon this company while I was at the Frog Design party helping them celebrate 40 years of design and concept. Frog Design, based in San Francisco, CA with offices all over the world including Austin. Techfluff.TV is the brain child of Hermione Way, a young entrepreneur who also presents the show and was funded in part Stewart Townsend at Sun Microsystems. Techfluff.TV was started by a trio of do it yourselfers (Way, Sam Tipper and Josh March) who had no previous experience in running an internet show. This is getting bigger and better, so hopefully it represents some kind of example to others who want to do their own thing. While I did not have a chance to sit down and talk to Ms. Way, I did have a chance to talk to Sam Tipper who runs studiome in London and is the Creative Director and camera man behind Techfluff.TV. When asked why Techfluff.TV chose SX 2009 he simply said "Because it's the biggest!" I couldn't agree more! Just as with SX this type of spirit does not happen over night. Sam indicated to me in our online interview that we need to take advantage of social media. Free sites like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Digg and Techfluff.TV are cropping up all over the place, "it's free, so use it! But don't expect to reap the rewards if you don't put the effort in to engage the community and build up a following."

What isTechfluff.TV? Simply: "European Internet culture delivered with a wink!" And I thought Austin was cheeky! Really Techfluff.TV goes to places that most of the "techie" world leaves alone. Most people (including me at times and I am a closet geek) roll their eyes and start to fall asleep when someone starts talking about the Flash from Adobe that will soon be available for the Android platform and how is will make theG1 phone better, more powerful than the Iphone. If I had to sit down and talk to the people that run Android Community I might just fall off my chair asleep like the girls from The Big Bang Theory! Let's face it technology is boring but we can't live without our little gadgets! During SX, I had to pick up a "on the go" charger from the Energizer people that ran on batteries just so I could stay connected! Have I sat down and read the manual for my G1 phone? Not, too boring! But if I pop that baby out and other G1 users are around we get all animated and start talking about the latest downloads, and boom I have learned something new for my phone! That is Techfluff.TV! It is the way they present things to the people that get them interested in technology!

Techfluff.TV is the type of thing we should have here in Austin, we are the start up capital of the world are we not? Perhaps we need to team up with Leslie, Mayor Wynn (when he leaves office) the people at the Alamo Rollingshow and the craft brewers of Austin and start something up! Who knows maybe the people of Austin can convince theTechfluff.TV people to come back for SX 2010 and show us how it is done!

SXSW and how it Accelerated me to grab a piece of Toast

2009-03-25T05:19:24Z

Reported by Declan O'Reilly

SXSW, a 10 day long festival of film, interactive and music 2009 is over. I have been to SX before as a participant and yes I spent the $1000+ dollars on the platinum badge but this year when it came time to ask my boss for the now $1145 for the precious badge I was told that I would have to foot this bill myself if I wanted to attend. Rather than get into a long drawn out to do about the whole thing I struck a deal. I would report from the festival and they would give 2 weeks off (paid) to do what I needed to do as volunteer to get a platinum badge.

Not many people realize that the life of an Austinite is changed and turned upside by the influx of people from all over the world that come here to Austin to attend SX. I spent most of my volunteer time at the Interactive portion of the conference. It was here that I witnessed the launch of a new event for SX; Accelerator.

This event showcased some of the web's most exciting new innovations, enabling the entrepreneurial visionaries behind these new products to demo their creations in front of a live audience of industry professionals and technology trend-settters. It was divided into four categories that approximate the various strengths of SX: online video, online audio, social networking and innovative web applications. Finalists in the social networking and web application categories demonstrated their product or service during the first part of the day, while the video and audio finalists showcased their works in the afternoon portion of the event. Winners of the various categories were announced at the end of day.

It was during this event I witnessed the launch of a new company called Moontoast. An online destination where the world comes together, a place where we can find and share our knowledge by actually talking to each other face-to-face and this was by far the most interesting part of Accelerator for me because it actually brought to light a new way to disseminate information in real time. For companies that do business some times things are lost in translation and nuances are lost when we just read text. Case and point; I have a personal friend that writes for travel blog and while I know him to be a lively guy sometimes people reading his blog, (I know I have personally given several people his information because I know he know his adventure travels like the back of his hand) just don't feel the passion in his stories. But what if they could schedule some time with him via web cam and talk to him face to face and learn what he knows in the comfort of their living room, office, etc half way across the world? Maybe they want to plan a trip to hike Kilimanjaro and knew that he (an average guy) had been there, done that and wants to do it again? Expert information like that...what would that be worth to a company? Your company? As I spent time talking to the people of this company and learning more about their launch that they were planning during Accelerator I was asked to be one of their "experts" on the Moontoast site about what I do for a living. I was not sure what I had to offer a company in terms of advice but I am going to give it a go and see where my toast takes me. Check out Moontoast and see if what you do is in need to others around the world!

Taking it to the Mattress, beer style

2009-03-16T20:47:00Z

And now a word from .........................................007

Many of you know that I gave up beer for Lent this year. While many of you thought I was crazy for giving up something that I find truly refreshing at the end of long day or enjoying at one of the many Austin Socialite happy hours, it has given me a little clarity into a plight that has been plaguing Texas microbreweries for years. Currently there is a ban on microbreweries here in Texas that produce less than 250,000 barrels a year to sell or promote their beer at tours and let the general public know about how and when about promotional beers. But that all may change soon as State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, introduced a bill this week allowing small brewers to sell up to 5,000 barrels’ worth of beer annually at their breweries. If this bill is passed you could be visiting places like Independence Brewery, 512Brewery, Saint Arnolds and the like here in Texas and after your tour take home a six pack of your favorite barley pop.

Farrar, introduced a similar bill two years ago but for some reason it never came out of committee. The distributor's lobby did not want to comment but they really do not want to see anything change with regards to the current law because perhaps that might hurt their sells to retail locations. As I see it, this would not only help the ever growing problem with the economy it would also help raise the awareness of Texas breweries at bars and restaurants all over the state and help boost sales for both entities. Ms. Farrar has already run into opposition from the distributors and noted Thursday, March 12, 2009 they feel "that if you crack the door, you’ll open a Pandora’s box,” she said. All bitterness aside this is about helping out local small business and not taking business away from the big guys that distribute at retail locations.

Brock Wagner, the Saint Arnold founder, said allowing small breweries to sell on site would build brand awareness and could actually increase sales at groceries, liquor stores and bars. “We are not trying to compete with the retailers or our distributors,” he said. If you could take a six-pack home, people would be more likely to remember the style they liked the next time they go to the store. Or they could share with a friend, who might also then buy the beer. Also As it is now, when the tour is over, the brewery can’t legally sell anything stronger than root beer. Imagine touring Becker or Flatcreek Vineyards and being told you couldn’t take home one of the bottles you liked. Farrar agreed that a law change would boost tourism. “Having this allows a visitor to the brewery to have a more complete experience,” she said.

What does that mean for us Austinites and the rest of Texas? This would be a huge win for the ‘little guys if this passes and hopefully a better way for our favorite breweries to tell us what is going on when they release a new beer and where to get it! Until this law changes please continue to ask for Live Oak, Independence , Saint Arnolds and 512Brewery at your favorite bar and restaurant. Also give your rep a call and let them know that you are in favor of HB 2094 and you want him/her to say step off to the distributor's lobbyists! For more information on the bill please visit www.legis.state.tx.us.com and search for HB 2094.

WE SHOULD BE DEAD is coming to Austin

2009-02-20T16:44:00Z

Dart Music International-Bridging the Cultural Divide
By Declan O'Reilly

Once again, Dart Music International will present a cutting-edge showcase of international bands deep in the heart of Texas. This year we will be showcasing bands from around the world from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina to Ireland, England, and Canada - all under one roof!   DMI proudly presents International Night at Friends on Sixth Street in Austin at Friends Bar on 6th Street on Tuesday, March 17th 2009. This event will feature 6 bands from countries around the world and will be digitally recorded for live CDs. Admission is free.

The bands Showcased at this international event will be The Golden Dogs from Toronto, Canada; Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle from Liverpool, UK; the Parlotones from Johannesburg, South Africa. We Should Be Dead from Limerick, Ireland; Bang Bang Eche from Christchurch, New Zealand; and Zona Tango from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We Should Be Dead are a two girl/two boy pop 4-piece tour de force from Limerick, Ireland, who have mastered the art of crafting catchy, hook-laden songs about love & betrayal, outer space, current affairs and anything else that captures their vivid imagination. Just imagine, songs that stick to you like glue, from the first listen!... What a concept!

We Should Be Dead working with Dart Music International is on a mini-tour of New Mexico and Texas as they trek their way from the International Pop Overthrow in Phoenix on March 8 to and from their appearances in Austin at International Night at Friends on Sixth Street, International Day at Agave on Sixth Street, and SXSW.

Event Details:
Date: Monday, March 9, 2009
Time: 9:00pm
Location: Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place, Santa Fe, NM 87507
Phone: (5...

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Time: 11:30pm
Location: Burt's Tiki Lounge, 313 Gold Ave. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone:   (5...

Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 (Tentative)
Time: 9:00pm
Location: Hurricane Alley, 1490 Missouri Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88001
Phone: (575) 532-9358

Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Time: 9:00pm
Location: Railroad Blues, 504 W. Holland Ave., Alpine, TX 79830
Phone:   (4...

Austin Dates!

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Time: 11:00pm
Dart Music International presents International Night at Friends on Sixth Street
Location: Friends Bar, 208 East 6th St., Austin, TX 78701
Phone:   (5...

Date: Friday, March 20, 2009
Time: 9:00pm
Dart Music International presents International Day at Agave on Sixth Street
Location: Agave, 415 East 6th St., Austin, TX 78701
Phone:   (5...

Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Time: 11:00pm
SXSW Showcase presented by Music From Ireland
Location: Soho Lounge, 217 East 6th St., Austin, TX 78701
Phone:   (5...

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Time: 6:00pm
Location: George's, 601 University Drive - LBJ Student Center Room 4-4.1, San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone:   (5...

The focus and driving force behind Dart Music International is people. Our talented Artists are some of the most talented performers anywhere. We are blessed with generous Donors who provide financial support for our valuable educational mission. The talented Partner Organizations we work with make it possible to enrich the lives of people in the U.S. and throughout the world. Our staff, volunteers, and the members of the Dart Music International Board of Directors and Advisory Board of Directors bring a wide range of skills and expertise that make all this work. And the wonderful audiences we are able to educate and entertain are who we do all of this for.

Want to be a part of Dart Music International? Come out to our Events if you are in our area or follow along through our Social Networks. Our Annual Artist Membership is open to talented international musicians who wish to share their art and culture beyond their own borders. And we welcome everyone who wishes to participate in this great adventure to become a Supporter of Dart Music International.

Social Policy, in hospitality does it matter?

2009-02-09T19:47:28Z

This week we will celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin on February 12th http://tinyurl.com/jsp4g
In Austin the Board of Education sat in a heated debate about vernacular that needs to be used when teaching the Evolution theory tinyurl.com/d3vvxa. Not something that was new but what was being attacked was the perhaps that intelligent design might sneak in and we would get away from the separation of church and state. Evolution stayed the course and yes it will continue to be taught in the proper manner.

So what does that have to do with a restaurant review? Well according to the email on my computer everything! I sat looking at the email from a prospective client that indicated that they had some "stuff" that was not selling and they wanted to know how they could get rid of it. As most of you know things are not looking good for many industries and one the hardest hit is the food and beverage industry with many of us cutting back on things like morning coffee, eating out and planning parties. So what can a bar or restaurant do to entice people to come and check them out? First market, market and market some more. See where people are willing and not willing to go. Chances are they are going to the places where they can get some really great deals without suffering with bad service. Second employ the services of people/firms/companies that can help guide you through these tough times so you can go on with your business. Third never turn away groups of people just because what they stand for does not mirror your own because you never know you could start your own fan base!

OK, back to the subject that I started with. Darwin's birthday. As a birth of a theory our company wanted to host an event that was bringing forth a new concept that would change the way people saw this restaurant and spark a possible debate about the evolution of hospitality in general. As most of you know the concept of marketing is not new but the way we at Stock It Now get people to locations is. We utilize people in a totally different manner in an effort to maximize both exposure and design of the entity. It is through the setting up of fan bases to drive people to events that link people to others and in doing so creates a buzz. Would you go to a party (as a religious person) that has Darwin in the theme given that you could get really great specials on food and drink? As I posed it to this now ex-client, why would you turn people away just because they felt differently than you? They responded with they would not want the gay community there because they are religious in nature and would not support their cause. HOLY COW came to mind, because if that were the case we would all be out of business because everyone has an opinion on everything!

People hospitality is about being hospitable to others. Just because one person does not see things your way mean that they are your enemy. Look at it this way; it is an opportunity to change their point of view and in doing so you just may create your own social policy.

17th Annual Great Guinness Toast

2009-02-03T18:47:00Z

Dart Music International

Austin Socialites

Stock It Now

Presents

The 17th Annual Great Guinness Toast
Friday Febuary 20, 2009 9pm
Fiddler's Hearth 301 Barton Springs Road
(the corner of Riverside and Barton Springs)
www.atxstockitnow.com to RSVP

Need a little more of Glory Days?

2009-02-03T15:54:00Z

By Tracy and Anna

Bruce rocked the Superbowl and we at Stock It Now decided it was time to relive our own Glory Days with the Boss! Our team is hitting the road with the Boss this year. Austin, Texas is our first stop on April 5, Denver, CO on the April 10th, Atlanta, GA on April 29th Manchester, TN on June 12th Dublin, IRE on July 11th. Complete tour at http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html Springsteen has been gracing our ears for decades and during the Superbowl he reminded us what it means to be talking about Glory Days! His latest release "Working on a Dream" is available at www.amazon.com or iTunes Store. Get a FREE limited edition lyric book with purchase of "Working on a Dream" exclusively at your local independent record store. Visit www.recordstoreday.com to locate a participating retailer near you. Supplies are limited, check store for availability.

One of the places that is on the list is Manchester, TN where it will be the site of the Bonnaroo Festival www.bonnaroo.com. This year the festival is doing something a little different for people that can't afford to plop down the general admission of $250 all at once. They are offering a payment plan for those of you can't afford to miss bands like David Bryne, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg and Wilco. Check out this link to Bonnaroo on how to set up a payment plan http://tinyurl.com/bkkjn7. There are some up and comers playing the festival this year like the Ting Tings, Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley lead singer and sometimes backup for the Postal Service) and The Decemberists. For those of you who have not had a chance to check them out try to get yourself down, up, over or yonder to Austin, Texas where on March 18th at Stubbs they will be playing as part of the SXSW showcase http://www.decemberists.com/news.aspx. It is kick off night of the SXSW Film, Music and Interactive conference (www.swsx.com) and with every year this thing gets bigger and better. We have our girl in Austin who will be apart of the action as part of the High Beam Event crew and she will be tweeting about where all the great parties will be during the festival and any other things we need to know about for SXSW. If you happen to be in Austin during SXSW make sure to sign for that Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/atxsocialites.

Follow the blog as we set out to rock it out with the Boss!

Superbowl Blunder

2009-02-02T16:09:00Z

By Padraig Herring with commentary by Declan, Aiden and our Socialites.

Last week we saw a new President talk to us about the change that will sweep our nation and how we as Americans have much to look forward to. I for one am hoping that Mr. Prez is going to make good on his promise of Obamanosing the BCS and getting us some much needed college playoffs. We also witnessed the impact that the economy is having on us because going into the Superbowl frenzy last week there were still ad space left for people that wanted to advertise during the superbowl. Our team all over the US decided that we were going to use all forms of free communication to keep in touch with each other during the game and so things like Skpe (www.skpe.com), Twitter (www.twitter.com) Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Digg (www.digg.com) were used as our way to talk smack about the game, send photos and chime in on what we thought were going to be some great Superbowl commercials. While our team in Chicago were made up of Steeler fans, our team in Atlanta really did not have an opinion. Our loan wolf out in Austin had a different opinion as she is from the west and hoped for a huge Kurt Warner comeback and Seattle Socialites were just hoping for a really great game.

We did not see some real fireworks until the last quarter of the game when the Cardinals decided that enough was enough and came on with a vengeance. The reaction from people online to the Non-Review of the alleged fumble by Kurt Warner in the last few seconds of the game was fast and furious in the chat rooms, Twitter feeds and by all of us sitting at the places where we were watching the game. Immediate review was what we thought we were going to get, but when it did not happen we were stunned and I am not the only one that thought the night was marred by bad refereeing and was the field level at this point? Chris Chase of Sunday Showdown in an article from yesterday indicates that "the 11 penalties whistled on Arizona included a preposterous roughing the passer penalty on a play that wouldn't have been uncommon in touch football. That came on a drive that saw two personal foul penalties on the Cards, one of which gave the Steelers another chance to score from the goal line. For the evening, 18 penalties were called, the third-most in Super Bowl history. A missed call may have proven enormous also. After Santonio Holmes' game-winning touchdown catch he did an imitation of LeBron James' chalk move. Using the ball as a prop is an automatic 15-yard penalty on the kickoff." http://tinyurl.com/cqdd22. The people of www.fannation.com were talking up a storm about how in the world on how that play was not reviewed http://tinyurl.com/cojclc. and our people in Seattle were shaking their heads all last night while we here in Atlanta were stunned by the bad calls. Our girl (Declan) out in Austin sent us a link to the local paper http://tinyurl.com/cgttkq that does not even talk about the blunders of the game at all! She was not happy about the call and was later lamenting that those refs might be part-timers for the BCS because the VP of the NFL did not look at the play until after the game! Anthony Salter from www.scoresreport in his post this morning http://tinyurl.com/cruvyv that came across the Austin feed this morning reported on just that fact.

Whether it was bad calls, poor playing or just bad time management on the part of everyone it is time that we have a clear and consise plan of attack when it comes to reviews! We just do not need another snafu like you saw with the BCS prompting our President to call for a playoff system because what is in place is not working!

How to Earn the Right By Anna

2009-02-01T17:47:00Z

I have been traveling all over the country trying to get things working right and I have come across so many people that believe that their time on the earth is somehow their right. Due to the mitigating factors of my life I now live and work each and every day with the the attitude that every day I have on this earth is a gift from God. Now don't get me wrong I am not going to throw the good book at you, but if you are going to hang out, get to know or possibly start something with me, please know this; Earn the Right to be here.

Earning the Right does not mean that I am going to put you through a litmus test on your psycho-physical traits, but what I am going to do is ask you to hold your self to some high pretty standards that enable you to be the best person that you think you can be. Your standards and mine might be different so please don't think I am asking you to be a god or something, but more over just being the best possible friend, father, mother, brother sister or lover you can be. I will give as good as I get and if things go south and we need to part ways, I will always treat you with the same dignity and respect as you treated me with. Also if you really feel the need to be a complete and total ass, then know this: in the end I will not be upset with you, but will hope that someday you realize just how much you hurt me, call me up and tell me that you are sorry.

Moving on, I am back in the city that I thought I hated only to realize that I am happy for the time that I had here and look forward to some new memories!! Good to be back!

Friday the 13th, your luck has run out!

2009-02-01T17:37:00Z

Our sinners want you to take stock in travel

2009-01-30T17:21:00Z

Our friends at Trip Advisor just released the 2009 "Best of the Best" on where to stay when you want to play! The list is divided into different sections so it makes it very easy to navigate. My favorite section of the whole list is "Best Bargains" as it has bargains from all over the world not to mention they offer reviews, photos and best of all direct links to the places that are featured in the guide.

This guide was instrumental for our next assignment to the Mediterranean where we will be exploring the Greek Isles on board the National Geographic ship The Explorer. Always wanting to see the Red Sea and do some novice exploring of the Islands of Greece this 20 day long adventure starts us off in Cairo, the birth place of history before we set out on an adventure that takes us through 7 counties in 3 weeks. http://tinyurl.com/bzs3ua.

Check out "Hidden Gems" and fall in love with one of my favorite places Killarney, IRE. With breath taking views the Kerry Mountains and Lake Killarney you are sure to find something there that will keep you coming back for more. You will be up close and personal with one of the best kept secrets in the town (not to mention one of my favorite places to stay when I want to get away from the relatives) Loch Lein Country House. I became fast friends with the owners of the place and now I can't think about being in Killarney without making a stop in to see Annette and Paul. http://tinyurl.com/afz5pr

Check out the Golden Well in Prague where you will come face to face with a city (and believe me you when I type this) that is steeped in history, adventure and elegance. This quaint place that has been host to our people in the past and continues to blow me away. The renovations to the place make it one of the best kept secrets (hopefully not for long) in the city of Prague. http://tinyurl.com/cphm8g.

So whether your style is bargain, romance, cruise, adventure or exploring I can assure you that our friends at Trip Advisor can help you find exactly what you are looking for when it comes time to stay, play and get away. Click on the link below to stock your mind with travel dreams!

Your S.IN. Explorers

http://cdn.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/tca/TravelersChoiceAwards2009.pdf

Un-Valentine's Day Unveiled

2009-01-21T21:06:00Z

Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar-Walnut Creek, CA review

2009-01-17T15:15:00Z

www.va-de-vi-bistro.com

Categories: Wine Bars, Tapas Bars

4 star rating

I had not been to this part of town since college but last summer I actually went back to some old stomping grounds and this was on my list of places to take in. It is always good when you find a place that they always know how to treat you right. I met a few old (and I mean really old friends) for happy hour and we just poured into the wine menu as it is just out of sight. I think we may have gotten a little buzzed after the 5th or 6th glass of wine but we had no problem at all transitioning over to a little something to tide us over until our cab arrived. We the va de vi burger, the ahi tempura roll and finished off with the Lava Cake. Everything was so good and I think that we wanted more but the ride arrived and we paid the bill and decided that when I am in town that we shall make this place our spot.

The price point for this place is great as we did not break the bank and had some great wine and food. The server that we had was excellent and even told us about a few other "new" places that we needed to try in the neighborhood. The wine selection was amazing! I had the three wonders of the world along with the tickled pink as my six wines and I was not let down by any of them. I think I needed to even have a 2nd glass of the Innocent Bystander and the cork master was happy to share with me!

All in all I will tell anyone in the east bay if you are looking for a super duper place to chill, relax, take a date to or even sit out and people watch that this is your next stop!

House Wine.....here to stay?

2009-01-17T15:06:00Z

House Wine - Ausitn

408 Josephine St
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 322-5210

Category: Wine Bars

4 star rating

What a quaint place to go for a glass of wine! I went there recently on a date and ended up being apart of a event that was going on and had a blast! The happy hour menu was good with plenty of selections of many different styles of wine. I had the Riesling that was crisp, heavy on the fruit aspects of the wine and complimented the cheese plate rather well. So the stemless glasses is not a good choice for white wine and I hope that they change that aspect about the place.

The parking issue needs to be addressed and hopefully when they get together a website they can alert people to good places to park because they only have 5 spots in the back and with this being at the corner of Barton Springs and Lamar your parking choices are limited.

The place is cozy with many different sitting areas and the front porch is great for any type of entertaining that is going on.

All in all I think House Wine is a great unpretentious place that I hope makes it here in Austin!

Time to put Cupid in his place, no more bows in the arse for Austinites

2009-01-16T18:47:00Z

The legend of St. Valentine is so varied and while it is used to celebrate with your sweetheart but what if you don't have one? Stock It Now has the answer!

Working with the Austin Socialites, Austin Happy Hour we will be hosting the 2nd Annual Un-Valentine's Day celebrations. We will be celebrating from two different locations; Cissi's Wine Bar on So. Congress and Viva La Chocolata at the Domain.

Please stay tuned for the event listings as they will be available very soon.

Dec, Chad, Tracy and Katie

Stock It Now Relating on Dart Music International

2009-01-15T17:40:00Z

Dart Music International (DMI) a 501(c) (3) based in Austin, Texas proudly announces their alliance with the PR firm of Stock It Now (www.ATXstockitnow.com) to handle media and relations as of January 1, 2009. With SXSW coming up we feel that this is the perfect opportunity to showcase bands and performers across the world and introduce Austin to things that we need to dream about. What we have planned for 2009 will do just that. Leading the team is Declan O'Reilly and in a recent statement indicated "that this is exactly what Austin, the state of Texas and the surrounding region need to BRIDGE THE CULTURAL DIVIDE."

The primary mission of DMI is to promote international awareness and cross-cultural understanding through music. Our organization working in concert with local promoters, grant agencies, fundraisers and lovers of the arts minimizes the costs and time associated with coming to our area for up-and-coming international bands and helps guide these performers through the process of getting their music to our region. Visas, transportation, logistics, and other expenses can cost tens of thousands of dollars without people to guide them through the process. Our efforts transform an expensive vacation into an investment in their career for these bands while striking down stereotypes and making their culture a little less foreign for people here. Executive Director Dave Dart was recently featured in Austin American Statesman as someone presenting an innovative approach to the music scene. The complete story can be found at http://tinyurl.com/austin360dart Mr. Dart will also be featured in Rare Magazine in the February issue, look for it at www.rareaustin.com.

For more information on Dart Music International visit www.dartmusicinternational.org. Any questions about DMI, up and coming bands, events or how you can get involved in fundraising, volunteering and internships can be directed to Ms. O'Reilly at declan@dartmusicinternational.org. For more information on Stock it Now go to www.ATXstockitnow.com.

What to do in the ATX

2009-01-15T02:46:00Z

Well as a Austin Socialite it is sometimes easy for us to find places to go, but for others it is not so easy so this space is designed to bring people and places together. We can maintain a space on Facebook, Meetup and Twitter as a means to bring people and places together. By signing up on this space you can get the latest on the social scene here in Austin!

Email us if you want to us to check a place out and let you know what we think about it. We will post the review here on the blog and you can comment on it at your leisure!

Thanks,

Dec, Katie, Rick, Chad and Tracy

The Tavern Review

2008-12-16T05:00:00Z

www.austintavern.com

Category: Sports Bars
Neighborhood: Downtown

4 star rating

Went there last night with a friend. Never been there before but I knew I was going to like the place because when I was walking up to the door there was a sign right above it that read" OU Sucks." Good omen for me because I can't stand OU.

Anyway the waitress was very friendly and responsive to our needs and when we had no idea what to order and asked what the special was her response was pretty basic. Roast Beef Sandwich. Yes it was.

We instead concentrated on the Burgers. I was told that I needed more veggies in my diet so I ordered the California that had lettuce, tomato, sprouts and avocado. I like having a mini salad on my burger, makes me feel like I have done something good for myself. It was awesome. The bun was like from a bakery all buttery and sweet and the meat was fab. I said that I thought Casino El Camino was a good burger, well you can count The Tavern in that mix. I don't really remember what my friend had (we were talking about his up and coming trip to Peru and how he was going to eat funky for two weeks.)

All in all good staff, good place for Monday Night Football (sorry to those people that I yelled at for getting in my way, but it was the end of the second half and Cleveland had just intercepted in the end zone and was in the process of trying to run it back and I missed it.) The prices were reasonable and I did not have to wait 30-40 minutes to get my burger!

Check it out for game day and in the spring they have a pretty neat patio!