My visit to the Harry Ransom Center was to see the Alice in Wonderland Exhibit. It was full of wonderful things. There was art, books, games, records, films, photos and other things of interest. They told the story from when Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) first dreamed up the concept, all the way to works of present day artists. The exhibit is there until July 6, so check it out if you get the opportunity.
For some reason, on the way to the Museum this afternoon, I decided to crawl around in the damp grass and take photos of the University of Texas Tower. 🙂

There is a new hotel that has sprung up on Congress Avenue, between Second and Third Streets.  It is the JW Marriott, and they have a cool concept called the Burger Bar.  Yep, you just walk right up and get yourself some grub.  I think this is their nod to the food trailers that used to be in the area before they decided to plop down a fancy new hotel.  I must say the lobby bar on the first floor, and the Starbucks on the second floor were quite nice.  I ordered the Bacon Burger tonight and it was awesome.  Here is how they make the Burger Bar sound just as yummy as it really is on their website.
I attended an event after work today at The Belmont, downtown on Sixth Street.  It is billed as a “state-of-the-art music venue and private event space”.  My event was relatively small, so I wandered around a bit and took some photos so you could get an idea of what the space looks like in case you have the inclination to see one of their upcoming concerts or maybe to attend a SXSW event there in March.  Cheers!
I purchased (with a discount) a new Contigo 24 oz. West Loop Stainless Travel Mug to use primarily at work.  It was still expensive, but my plan is twofold.  One – save money by drinking hot tea at work since the hot water is free and tea bags from the store are not too costly.  Two – drink less sugary drinks from the vending machines or the coffee shop.  This Mug worked like a charm today.  I filled it with hot water and a green tea bag just in time for a 2:00 pm meeting, thinking it might last me through the meeting at least.  Not only that, but the tea was still toasty warm and delicious at 5:30 pm when I decided to stop being a workaholic. I was impressed with my first go, and saved about $2.00 by using my own tea and not purchasing an afternoon drink.  The Mug will be paid for in no time.  Plus, the English dude from Lincolnshire in the UK, who sits nearby, highly recommends this contraption for the perfect tea time!  What could go wrong?
I present the Radio Edit and the MANIK Remix for your listening pleasure.
The cold, rainy weather has returned to the Austin area, so it was a good day for an indoor activity like “Once Upon a Cake” presented by the Capital Confectioners. This was their “11th Annual Sugar Art Show & Cake Competition”. The challenge was to create edible works of art pertaining to fairy tales, nursery rhymes, or fables. Imagine a sports complex full of decorated cakes. I could have shared a ton of photos, but here are a few of my favorites. The artists were truly exceptional!
I wasn’t a very good MAPJAM participant today. Too much stuff going on. KUT offered up 9 great bands in 4 awesome venues, and I only caught two bands. My favorite today was Rattletree Marimba – a super fun band that “plays high energy fully acoustic music from Zimbabwe on GIANT wooden xylophones.” If you see these people in your area, be sure to check them out!
I visited Chinatown Center in Austin to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It was super crowded as the weather was nice. The celebration included drums, strings of explosive firecrackers, red lanterns, food, drink, and the spectacular Lion Dances. According to Wikipedia, here is the mythology behind the New Year celebrations.
There are some nice sights along the trails of Great Hills Park. This is a special little known hiking spot near the Arboretum area in Austin.
earthrobert 