Storyville – “Wear Your Story”

There is an awesome little t-shirt shop on the corner of one of the most famous streets in all of Austin (Guadalupe), and it is called Storyville. Boutiques like Storyville give Austin a very distinct style, which is something I LOVE.

Storyville Tee, designed by UT student Jennifer Mitchell.

Particularly wonderful about Storyville, they strive to be more Austin-oriented. Storyville’s only other location in the country is near LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the designs there are typically more Louisiana-oriented.

Iconic Austin tees inclue the “Hi, How are You” frog design by Daniel Johnston, and a UT tower graphic tee.

You can choose from a myriad of awesome pre-designed shirts, or you can even design your own. Storyville will charge $25 for your own special tee, and you can pick from tons of fonts, colors and graphics. They print on American Apparel t-shirts, which are sweatshop free! [I am not linking to American Apparel, because I do love that they are sweatshop free, but I don't love their exploitation of women.]

The store itself is worth visiting, if only to see the incredible artwork on the walls. One of the employees has painted tons of great themes, including a Muppets-themed room and an Alice in Wonderland theme. He has also written fantastic quotes on the ceiling of the Muppets room; they are hilarious!

Storyville is one of the coolest t-shirt boutiques in Austin.  The employees are super friendly, the vibe is really artistic, and they give you an opportunity to “wear your story,” as they say. Check it out!

-Caitlin

Walkin’ on Sunshine

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, folks! It’s a little hard to believe that we’re less than a week away from December already. Is it just me, or does it feel like we just finished sweeping up from the “Happy 2008″ New Year’s parties?

A beautiful West Texas sunset, as provided by espanol.wunderground.com.

Like many people, we’re coming up on my favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday–you get the family part, like Christmas, but without all the glitz and glamor. Living in Austin these past four years has been an odd adjustment though. Namely, where are all the clouds?

For starters, Texas is one of the country’s top 5 “sun states.” Oh sure, Florida claims to be the “Sunshine State,” but anyone who’s been there knows it rains at about 2 p.m. every day. Growing up in Pennsylvania, cold temperatures arrived toward the end of September, and along with them came the gray clouds of winter. The sun makes its next appearance in mid-March. This may sound like a ridiculous hyperbole, and of course I’m exaggerating, but if you’ve lived there, you know what I mean. Austin, on the other hand, averages about 300 days of sun each year. I’m no mathematician, (hence the journalism major,) but that’s a high percentage. [Editor's note: So I was torn between what I wrote above or "I'm no mathematician, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and that seems like a high percentage." Preference?]

Anyway, I know the majority of native-Texans go about their daily lives without ever giving this any thought. But move north and find out what Joni Mitchell (or these people) is (are) singing about—you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone. So, bottom line… be thankful.

-Jeff

To the guy who broke into my apartment:

Thank you.

No, seriously, thank you.

I’m writing this on my girlfriend’s laptop because you currently have mine. Also, both of my roommates’. You walked into an (unlocked) house bursting with expensive goods-video games, game equipment, musical instruments-and walked out with the least valuable of them. Seriously, those computers? Probably worth $200 a piece. Maybe. There was video game equipment in one of the bedrooms worth more than all of them combined.

But, GWBIMA, I assume you knew that, because you took all of our computers out of our respective rooms. Why you missed out on larger chances for fun and profit is, I must confess, beyond me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I would have burgled my place differently. But I guess if I had stolen my laptop, I’d still have it.

Now, GWBIMA, I assume as you’re reading this, toggling periodically between this page and the eBay auction on which you are, even now, fencing my HP DV2000, you’re wondering what in the name of God any of this has to do with Austin. “Does Saul,” you perhaps wonder, “think that I am sufficiently representative of this town to symbolize something he loves/hates about it?”

Well, GWBIMA, to answer your question, yes and no. Yes, I love Austin for being the kind of place where my roommates and I were able to leave our door unlocked for almost a semester without incident, where we were able to feel like our neighborhood was totally welcoming and safe. It was something that always struck me about this place, that though there are 800,000 here it always feels like a small town. Every time I walked away from my place and didn’t lock the door, I was reminded of that. I kind of liked it.

But, GWBIMA, I guess what I’m trying to say is, that wasn’t reality, was it? No matter where you go, there will be people who are going to do shitty things, and you have to protect yourself. My romantic view of Austin was a fantasy, a dream. And thanks to you, I guess I realize that.

So thanks. Enjoy my laptop.

Shmuck.