Cheers to You, Captain Morgan

Last weekend, Kristen and I were hanging out at JBlacks, one of our favorite spots on west 6th street. As always, we were on the hunt for PF's. For those who don't speak acronym on a regular basis (Tara McDonald and Laura Young), I am referring to "Potential Friends". My family always has a good laugh remembering Nicole, my older sister, standing on the front porch when she was around 4 years old calling out "Friend.... friend..." to the kids walking home from the bus stop. It's not as funny these days, considering I am 26 and sometimes feel desperate enough to follow her lead. How does a girl pick up girlfriends? I met Kristen through Monica... and I met Monica while dancing the night away at Metro, a small bar in Richmond. I got her name (to facebook her, obviously), invited them to my guido birthday bash... and BOOM, insta-friends! Unfortunately, bars are not as small in Austin where you can't help but to bump into people while screaming "from the windowww to the wall"... but I have faith that someone out there will notice our high-energy performance of Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" and want to befriend us immediately.

While at JBlacks last Friday night, I realized what I might have to do to score insta-friends: dress up in costume. It worked for Captain Morgan. He had people taking pictures of him all night. Apparently he does this quite often... either he's incredibly sketchy or completely genius.

P.S. How excited is the guy on the right? And how scared is the guy next to me?

Cheerleaders in Chaps

That's right. The UT cheerleaders/dance team wore chaps for the second half of the basketball game. This place is amazing.

Since Kristen and I were "valentines" this year, she surprised me with tickets to the game! It was a blowout... UT slammed Nebraska. Go Longhorns! We were in the beyond-nosebleed section, which turned out to be awesome... even the chaps didn't provide as much entertainment as the boys in front of us. And by boys, I am referring to four six-year old boys. They were HYSTERICAL. Best line ever: "When we get home, we're going to eat so much cake and ice cream, we're gonna PUKE!!!!" Kristen and I were wondering why we haven't run into boys like them on 6th street... hopefully soon.

It was definitely a good first experience as a new UT fan... glad Mom convinced my to buy that orange sweater last Fall.

For the Love of Brisket

It takes a lot for me to whip out my camera at a restaurant and take a picture of my meal. But it was impossible not to at the Salt Lick. Three meats (brisket, ribs, and sausage), 2 sides, and bread. It should be illegal. I'm sure my love handles consider it a crime.


It was voted one of the top 10 tastiest places to chow down by the Travel Channel. I'd have to agree. And as you can see in the picture, it's BYOB. Seriously. Salt Lick, you are one of a kind... well, probably not in Texas, but you are to this VA gal.

Lonely Girl Sees Lovely Bones

I did it! I went to the movie theater all by myself and saw a movie without a friend on either side of me. I'm sure most people have done this before, but it was a first for me. It probably wasn't the best movie to see by myself considering I cried through the entire book, and the film did have some chilling scenes, but I made it through. I was a little nervous during the previews because there was an older man sitting in the row behind me breathing heavily and making strange noises, which made me a bit uncomfortable. I chalked it up to asthma, COPD, etc... take your pick. Lucky for me, a boy around my age entered the theater just as the movie started and sat in the same row as the heavy breather but directly behind me. This made me feel a bit safer... even though I felt bad for completely BUSTING him when he clearly thought he had escaped anyone finding out that he was moved by the previews for Lovely Bones and just had to see it. He might have taken a half-day at work just to catch an afternoon matinee. Very smooth. The movie was good. The book was better, as always. The movie definitely had a more imaginative/supernatural/psychedelic spin, but still very heart-wrenching. It made me very scared to have children, and it also helped me understand why my parents made me call them every time I arrived to where I was going... because there are crazy, disturbed, twisted people out there. And like the book, it made me value my family even more. I wouldn't recommend seeing this alone... because there were probably 14 instances where I wanted to turn to a friend and say "OH my gosh", "Oh no....", "WHAT?!", or "DON'T DO IT!!!!" I had the choice to hold it all in, turn to the boy my age who already felt awkward, or share my gasps with the heavy breather. Needless to say, I held it all in.


And don't worry, I'm not actually lonely as the title of this post leads you to believe. My Mom made this comment after I called post-movie, and we had a good laugh about it. Yes, it would be nice to have more than one friend to invite to the movies here in Austin, but that will come with time.... it better come with time.

Marry me, Ryan Bingham

The title of this blog is bold, I know. But I am under strict orders by my friend and musical soulmate, Amanda Jobe, to find him, hook him, and marry him. Thanks to Jobe, my world of music has been rocked. No pun intended. He is good.

I recommend "The Weary Kind", "Tell My Mother I Miss Her So", and "Country Roads". All of his songs are good though... great driving music. "The Weary Kind" was featured in the film "The Crazy Heart", and won the Golden Globe for best song! Go hubby, go.

Disclaimer: I'm not claiming to have any music expertise, but I know what I like, and I like Ryan Bingham.

We Met the Statue of Liberty

Kristen and I ventured out in the rain last night for our weekly tradition of Wednesday night trivia at the Ginger Man. I can call it a tradition now that we've been three times, right? We have met some interesting people the last couple times we played, but George from last night takes the cake. I actually left the bar and told Kristen "I have GOT to blog about that guy." That might make me incredibly lame, don't judge. We struggled through the first round of trivia (just warming up, of course) and on Kristen's way back from turning in our sheet, George (stunned by Kristen's beauty) stopped her and asked if we would join him at his side of the bar and he would play on our team. And so we did. We figured hey, we're new in town, another friend would be nice.


We introduced ourselves, shook hands. Normal. When I asked where he liked to hang out, he told me that he's a "free spirit", that he's "like the Statue of Liberty". Not normal. First off, do true free spirits actually label themselves as that? Isn't that something that other people perceive one to be? Secondly, how is one like the Statue of Liberty? I can't imagine the Statue of Liberty in human form playing trivia and drinking beer at a bar in Austin. He went on to say that he believes America has room for EVERYBODY, that we shouldn't turn a single person away because of all the land we have to offer. I asked if he'd ever been to Southern California. More specifically, a high school in Southern California. Don't get me wrong, I believe in all the good that America has to offer and I support helping those that are committed to working hard to make a living for him or herself. But let's be honest, room for EVERYBODY? This was clearly his shtick that he uses on groups of girls to impress them with his kindness and goodwill toward others. Sorry George... we were more into the 80's television category than we were to your noble qualities. When I offered him Kristen's number before leaving the bar (just to be polite), he informed us that he's more connected through the social media world. I'm pretty sure the Statue of Liberty doesn't have facebook. He handed Kristen his card, and we were on our way.


Another eventful night at the Ginger Man... only this particular Wednesday was much more memorable. Thanks, George.

All Play and No Work Makes Jac(lyn) a Restless Girl

...restless, yes. But in all honesty, it's also been extremely relaxing. And fun! Over the last three weeks, I've had the opportunity to explore Austin, stir up a little adventure with my roommate Kristen, reintroduce myself to SoapNet (who doesn't love an afternoon of the OC, One Tree Hill, and 90210?), and sleep in. But the time has come for my bank account to get a little lovin'. Perfect timing too... I was offered a job last Thursday!!! I will be working at a brand new rehabilitative and health care facility as the Director of Recreation Therapy. I do love those elderly folks. One of the best perks is that it's only 5 miles from my apartment! A 10-minute drive is a whole lot better than the commute I was anticipating since moving to a big city. I start the job next Monday and I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. I may regret that statement in a few weeks, but as of right now, I'm ready.

For those who haven't seen pictures of my new place, here's a quick glance!

The Courtyard in the center of our apartment complex

The outside of the apartment

The inside... and the dog is real. That's Darcy, Kristen's schnoodle. She's a character!

Kristen enjoying spicy edamame at a sushi happy hour in Austin!