Dirty Martin's Place

Today I met my friend and fellow food enthusiast Chelsea out for dinner. We decided to try Dirty Martin's Place on Guadalupe. We chose to eat on the front porch and enjoy what might be one of our last days of mild weather here in ATX. They had fresh squeezed lemonade and limeade! I went for the lemonade not realizing they had both. It was enjoyable non the less.

We started with the fried pickle chips and ranch. I feel like there was more grease than pickle or breading. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, pickle spears are the way to go. Chips just don't have enough of the actual pickle to get that full flavor. I didn't really feel like the batter they used for these was terribly amazing either.

The burger was average, but again incredibly greasy. The fries were meh at best, and I was really glad I'd asked to add cheese to them, because I don't think I'd have eaten them otherwise. I mean, really, cheese makes everything better. Unless it's fake nacho cheese, which was what they offered when I asked for cheese fries. I was really happy my waitress specified so I could opt for shredded cheddar instead. I didn't finish the fries or the burger, they were just too greasy. The prices were reasonable and the burger and sides are ordered as separate items.

For a place with "dirty" in the name and clearly a dive bar, I did appreciate that the bathroom was decently clean. All in all, I don't think I'll be going back. There are just too many places to get a great burger in Austin to ever settle for less.

Hillside Farmacy

http://hillsidefarmacy.com

Finding new restaurants can be such an enjoyable thing. Good company and conversation, excellent food never before tried, and a change in scenery.

This week I had the pleasure of trying Hillside Farmacy with a dear friend. The restaurant was charming inside - I have a thing for pretty bottles. We chose to appreciate the fresh air on their herb lined patio.

The drinks were creative and delicious. I had the hibiscus lemonade, and my friend had the rosewood hand crafted soda. I'm planning on trying the pickpocket next visit.

After some time with the menu we settled on splitting the "thank you" sandwich and the mac & cheese with a broccoli addition. Both proved to be excellent choices. The mac & cheese was creamy with large broccoli florets. The sandwich was a fantastic combination of rosted chicken, mozzarella, sprouts, and strawberry jam. Each bite was better than the last. 

All in all in looking to returning to test out more of their menu soon.

What is Intelligence?

According to "the Googles" it is  the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. This seems pretty simple and straight forward. At the same time it isn't necessarily how people tend to evaluate someone's intelligence. I know I question my intelligence on a regular basis, but why? For one thing, I can't spell correctly without great effort. Do I not have the ability to acquire and apply the knowledge of how to spell words in the English language? Perhaps it is that I rely on the use of autocorrect, which could be considered a modern skill. It could also be considered lazy.

Laziness, now that is something I tend to suffer from. It seems to be brought on, mostly, by depression. Something I inwardly struggle with, and have for most of my life. I find that the less lazy I am the less depressed I am, which I think is true for most people. So is that the issue, intellectual laziness? I think that has a great deal to do with it. I find that when I'm depressed it is easier to immerse myself in the physical rather than intellectual pursuits. Forcing my body into physical labor pushes me to keep going even when my emotional state is less than fully healthy.

This is not to say that I do not still think heavily on things while I am doing physical things like planting a garden, or installing hardware into a custom door, or building a chalk board from scratch. I ponder things at great length. I think about art, societal norms and why they have come to be, parenting, food and cultures of others, religious practices and forms of prayer and meditation, the meaning of life for different groups of people and how that effects their sense of being, and many other topics.

I can spend hours thinking about these things and listening to other people discuss them. More recently than not I have been thinking about why it is that I don't join into these discussions, even when I have valid points to contribute. Some of this is a lack of validity. I do not have multiple degrees and I am not well read (though I am working on the later). I fear misspeaking and looking juvenile in the face of wiser, kinder people. There is also another element that came to me in an epiphany in the shower. One of the best places to ponder things, I think. I was raised with the mentality that you should gather, but never volunteer information. This idea that everything is military and tactical. If you know more from a conversation, but the person you've just conversed with has no further information about you or your stance, then you've gained a leg up. This does not work in intellectual conversations, if you truly yearn to gain more from the experience.

The work I have to do to become a better person, conversationalist, participant in the richness of life, is never ending. This step, however, makes me feel like I've moved forward on this path, even if ever so slightly, and it pleases me greatly. I ache to be a part of  intellectual conversations that force me to question everything I know.

Marriage

Marriage is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. I have always though that I wanted to get married some day, but expected that I never would. I came out as a lesbian when I was 15 years old. I've lived almost my entire life in Texas, and I thought I would die before same sex marriage was ever a legally recognized practice.

When I was 17 I met a wonderful woman who I fell in love with. We agreed that we would marry (a ceremony minus the legalities that were not an option to us) if we made it to our fifth year anniversary. We dated for twelve and a half years, wore matching rings, but never had a ceramony. I never called her my wife, we never shared last names, and we never had children together. When we broke up I realized that we could have gone through the motions, but something kept me from ever doing that. Was it the money we lacked in order to have a large beautiful wedding? Was it the family support we lacked to have a small gathering with those we loved witnessing our vows to one another? Perhaps it was just not meant to be.

So where does that leave me now? Now I am with someone new, and we have been dating for a year and seven months. A drop in the bucket compared to almost 13 years, and at the same time it is that point where you begin to question the chance of a future with someone. In all reality I know plenty of couples who marry sooner than two years in, but I digress. Why do we get married at all now a days?

Is it what we feel like the next step should be?

Is it a sign of commitment and/or love?

Is it a legal agreement to make a partnership easier in certain terms?

Is it the true start to a life and family together?

It can be, for some people, any or all of these things. What I have come to realize, though, is that I do not need a ceremony. I do not need a wedding at all. I just need to love and be loved in return, and know that it is going to make us happy to live our lives with one another on a day by day basis. I would still love to share a last name some day, especially if we add another child to her family together. I would also love to share a home (with spaces for us each to have our own time and thoughts to ourselves). Most of all, I would love to be able to continue to share my thoughts and feelings as they grow and evolve. I am a happier person for having realized these things about myself.

And then there is this show...

http://youtu.be/pEpl1-yDQOQ

Love at first site is a reality show that boasts a scientific process that helps singles find their perfect match. In return they marry the person, just as they show says, on first site. It seems like a cross between a dating website algorithm and being betrothed. 

Food - Specifically fried pickles

Ya know, if I had a bit of a more adventurous pallet, I would enjoy being a food critic. I love eating. It makes me happy when I'm depressed, comforted when I'm ill, and loved when someone prepares a meal just for me.

More and more I've come to understand just how important food is in my life. I've been trying new things, and reevaluating old favorites. One thing I can say with certainty, fried pickles are amazing in spear form. Fried pickle slices, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired.