...seen 4th of July fireworks from Auditorium Shores

Fireworks are neat

The orchestra was cool too.

4th of July. Yay!

...attended SXSW

Of the eight years that I've lived in Austin, I've never really attempted South by Southwest.  But this year, I decided to brave the crowds and enjoy a 'practice' year so that next year I can do it right.

Since SXSW can be overwhelming, I only planned to attend the few concerts and events that I knew I wanted to see (aka. events that I had some connection to).  Other than that, I just rode the bus downtown and followed the crowds.  I ended up having a blast and got to see some great shows.

Here are the highlights in pictures:

The Groupon Recovery Breakfast to kick off the week and San Francisco's Stone Foxes

Andrew's film is screened with the Texas Film's and I'm on the big screen!

From hipsters to cowboys, I even made it to the Austin Rodeo to see my oldest friend, Jessica.

Flush at Guero's to end the weekend.

...been to Spencer's Corner

Last time I was in Cowtown, I headed over to Spencer's Corner with a friend.  To set the stage, Spencer's Corner is in a building that used to be called Coconuts Night Club.  To say the least, I didn't have high expectations but was willing to try it out because my friend was insistent.

To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised by this live music venue.  It was the closest thing I've found in Fort Worth that begins to compare to my favorite places in Austin.  There was live music, dancing, billiards, air hockey, shuffleboard and even a photo booth.  If there had been an outdoor area and if Fort Worth had the indoor smoking ban that Austin has adopted, the night would have been perfect.

Overall, we had a great time, ran into some old friends and I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit to Spencer's Corner.

...been to a sing-along at the Alamo Drafthouse

Every time the previews play before a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, I will turn to my friends and ask if we can go to the next Sing-Along.  Whether it is Ladies of the 80s or Love Bites: The Power Ballad Sing-Along, I have always wanted to attend one of these signature events.

So, we finally made our move and hit up Jiggy Crunk:  The 90s Pop-Rap Sing-Along.  The night was complete with costumes, dancing on stage, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, glow necklaces, a smoke machine and oh yea, Andy Roddick was there.

Finally, here is a little treat for you.  A video of MC Hammer's - Hammer Time Dance

...been to a Punchline stand-up comedy show

Last weekend I had an old friend in town and I was introducing her to all that Austin has to offer.

On Friday night, we decided to go watch on of my fellow AmeriCorps members in a stand-up comedy show.  The show, Punchline, is hosted each Friday night at ColdTowne Theater.  It is an open-mic night and features 10 amateur comics who get four minutes each.  ColdTowne Theater offers a lot of free shows, but at only $5, Punchline is a great option for affordable entertainment.

...mingled with singles

On Thursday, a college friend and I decided to attend The Bobby Bones Show Singles Mingle benefiting Safe Place.  Never have I ever considered going to this type of event but we decided to throw caution to the wind and jump in feet first.

When we walked in, we were handed a name tag bearing the name of one half of a famous couple.  We chose Cher and Kelly Kapowski and headed straight to the bar.  Not two minutes later, "Tiger" came up to us and started making his move.  Let's just say Tiger looked like he was about 15, but for kicks we wanted to see what he had to offer and quickly double checked that he was sporting an over 21 wristband.  Here is a quick highlight from our conversation.

Tiger - "So, how do you guys know each other?"
Us - "Well, we were in the same sorority in college"
Tiger - "Oh really?  Which one?"
Us - "Chi O"
Tiger - "Cool, well I'm a Sigma Chi"
Us - "Like...right now?"
Tiger - "Well yea. (Blank/disapproving stares from us)  What?!?  When did you guys graduate?"
Us - "2006"
Tiger - "Ohhhh, so you're like cougars."

As you can imagine, our conversation quickly ended and we enjoyed watching Tiger pounce on every other lady in the bar for the rest of the evening.

I've always been curious about who would attend a singles mixer and in true Austin fashion, every type of person was definitely represented.  There were about 30 girls for every guy and the clothing ranged from people who came straight from work to those gals who got their hair and make up done and pulled out their bedazzled cocktail dress.

I think next time I'm going all out complete with glitter eye shadow, an up-do and my high school prom dress.

...sung karaokee at Ego's

Sunday night we headed down to Ego's for a wild night of karaoke. This very well may be my new favorite bar in Austin.

Everyone at Ego's is there to have a good time and although there are some heavy hitters on the mic, the crowd welcomes everyone to the stage. Regardless of ability.