Listen to Grandma, she’s much wiser than you think.
This is how beer should be bought.
For all my newly employed friends, this article is for you and your first office holiday party. May it be merry and only mildly awkward.
These guys can dance, well at least better than the average calendar.
Imagine this is the “free hugs” guy from your college campus grown up and with a video camera and internet connection.

Hudson – Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

I love to travel. Let me clarify… I love to travel by airplane.

I love airports, layovers, and the Admiral’s Club. I love quick meals from some kiosk in terminal D and sodas from the clunky beverage cart. I love overpriced magazines charged at the watered-down version of Barnes and Noble and reading the Safety Cards placed in the back-pocket of every plane seat. I even don’t hate standing in security check-point lines (noticed I said “don’t hate” – that’s a far cry from love). I know, I know… I’m the perfect traveler.

But lately, I’ve started to let disappointment creep into my travel experience. And I blame you. 

Every Sunday night I sit on my couch and, like a true American, turn on my tv.  Since the beginning of Fall my nine to ten P.M. tv slot has been filled by your hit new Fall show, Pan Am. I fantasize about having Colette’s French accent, laugh at Maggie’s spunk and yell at Kate for being so annoying (I mean, if the CIA gives you a sweet job, stop complaining and start acting like a bad-ass). And between all of the characters, story lines and plot twists, I essentially watch a show that details the perfect air travel experience.

Needless to say, week by week I am learning this is an experience the lovely men and women of present day airline’s like Southwest, Delta, and American do not provide me.

Oh, you would like specifics? Well here you go.

The help.

ABC’s flight attendants provide their Pan Am passengers with first class service. They learn their names, escort them to their seats, and even take them on dates once the plane’s wheels have successfully touched down. Now that’s commitment to keeping the passenger happy. When flying home for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago I watched a scenario that was the antithesis of this. A little old woman was struggling to tuck her bag into the overhead compartment and turned to ask the flight attendant standing one seat away for “a bit of help please.” The flight attendant turned to face her and said with a deadpan face and voice, “No.” Another passenger then pushed the flight attendant out of the way to help the 75 year old woman. A stewardess from Pan Am would have been a knight in shining armor in that situation no doubt. I’m not asking for a date, I’m just asking for a “let me help you with that.”

The look.

The writers of Pan Am have made sure to drive home the point that being a Pan Am employee meant looking the part. Yup, I watched the episode where they all had to weigh-in before starting their around-the-world trip. ABC makes being a Pan Am stewardess look a lot like being a modern day Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader (stay with me here). Hair, nails, physique – it’s all part of a package deal. Pan Am was trying to portray a certain brand image and the image of its stewardesses had to match. I’m not saying this is something modern airlines should be doing… I’m all for feminism and whatnot, I’m just pointing out a difference. When was the last time you had a flight attendant under the age of 40. Seriously? Is it just me or is every flight attendant working routes between Dallas, St. Louis and New York (my stomping grounds) hoping to land in time to catch the early bird special? Maybe it’s the fact I take a lot of flights with Midwest based crews…

The goods.

ABC’s Pan Am makes a mean cocktail. Those stewardesses hand out more whisky cokes to their Pan Am passengers than the former fraternity boys drink at my company’s holiday parties. Pan Am makes it seem like getting drunk on a plane was a requirement in the 1960s. If you try to get drunk on a plane today, you either need to be willing to tap into your savings account or have a blatant disregard for the company credit card’s spending limit. Trust me on this one.

The clientele.

Please give my regards to the costume crew of Pan Am, they are truly doing a great job. The style of the 1960s is fantastic, everyone dresses to impress. After watching the show I’ve found myself consciously dressing better to get on a plane than I do to come into the office somedays. Unfortunately no other passengers on my flight are doing the same. Seriously, wearing a pink valor track suit should be screened and classified as a safety threat by TSA. Save that outfit for grocery shopping in suburbia. More times than not I’ve sat next to someone who looked (and smelled) homeless and not like a person who could afford that $500 ticket to visit his parents on Thanksgiving Day.

The odds.

The world of Pan Am air travel is perfect. There are no flight delays, no mechanical errors and no cancelled flights. Even when there are severe weather issues (ie that one episode where they flew through a hurricane) everything works out well in the end. A few bumps from severe air turbulence didn’t scare pilot Dean and co-pilot Ted or slow the plane down. Do I even need to point out the difference between this Pan Am world and the one we really travel in? In the past 4 years every flight I have taken in, out, or through Kansas City has been cancelled. Every. Single. One. I mean, come one, what are the chances of that? Probably just as good as my plane being able to safely fly through a hurricane.

Mr. and Mrs. ABC executive, I know your busy so I will cut the specifics short here. I simply wanted to write to you to let you know you’ve ruined me as the perfect traveller. I can no longer claim the title. I’ll now be tweeting complaints and griping in the security line like everyone else. And while I’ll be complaining about my friends at Southwest, Delta and American, it is really you I have a problem with. The people who once again proved to me television is much better than real life.

Sincerely,

The girl who writes this blog

P.S. You may be off the hook, I just realized Catch Me if You Can actually had this whole Pan Am glamour scam going on first. Just blame my disenchantment on those studio execs.

Well I feel the need to go do a good deed, explore Europe, invent the next big thing or save a life now. How about you? Thank you to Holstee for making your print manifesto come to life.

railer, cart, truck, silver bullet, wagon, we got em’ all. Austin loves our Food Carts and they seem to be growing by the day. I don’t mind exploring the city to hunt all the new motor-restaurants down, but last weekend I let them all come to me at the Austin Gypsy Picnic.

Next time I come to Austin, I’m going to eat my way across town, until they find me in a semiconcious heap somewhere with mustard-stained fingers, wondering , “What the hell happened?” – Anthony Bourdain

Mr. Bourdain, no need to crawl across town. You should have just chosen the right weekend to come to town. The Gypsy Picnic had everything from frozen toffee bananas on a stick to BBQ that rivals the best in Kansas City (yup, I’m a bit partial to my Missourian roots). The result of all the chow, a lovely Saturday afternoon food coma.

And my Austin Adventures continue. This weekend I braved the heat (102 degrees on September 24th, seriously?) and explored Austin’s Pecan Street Festival. Twice a year 6th Street cleans up it’s act for an afternoon or two and gives arts-and-crafts priority over beer. The show features artisans from all over the United States who display and sell homemade work. Festival goers can find paintings, sculpture, woodwork, candles, jewelry, cowboy hats, home decor, games and other useful and (often whimsical/eccentric/weird) household items.

My find for the festival? A “arrange-it-yourself” vase of wooden roses and bamboo shoots. Look how found a new accessory for her desk at work…

MAX100: The Book Project from Jewell&Ginnie on Vimeo.

‘ve loved these Nike redesigns since the first time I saw one… really I have, I even tweeted it. When I stumbled across this video on Kickstarter the other day I was hooked all over again. Not that this project needs any more money (it has raised $40,000 +), but I would donate a few dollars just to get a high res PDF to put on my computer like the one below. Yup, I’m that hooked (and I like my Nikes that much).

Sub City New York from Redglass Pictures on Vimeo

This video is about that moment in New York when you emerge from the subway and find yourself in a new and sometimes unexpected world. Nothing is better…

Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called “walking.” – George W. Bush

I’ve been working two blocks from the Texas Capitol building for the past two months and had yet to do anything but stare at it through the office window… until yesterday. Clearly a field trip was necessary.