Catching up

Sometimes there's just too much going on and we don't have the time to keep y'all updated.  Mi dispiace :(

Sooo before going back to San Antonio for Thanksgiving (mmmm!), Brian and I enjoyed some last minute free fun.  The first one was the "Get Local! Shopping Guide to East Village Shops 3rd Edition Launch Party" at an awesome store called Sustainable NYC.  I personally love this place because for the first few weeks after moving to NYC I went here often to use their free wireless internet and eat lots of delicious baked goods from their cafe, Ciao For Now!  Everything is homemade and almost everything is organic, vegan and made using local ingredients.  So good!  (Even Brian thought it was yummy!)  The event they were hosting was a launch party for the East Village Shopping Guide which supports locally-owned businesses and encourages local and fair trade shopping!  (Very inspiring for the holiday gift buying I've haven't started...)  Reverend Billy was even there to give a Local Shopping Sermon!  Inttteerresttinnngg.  The vibe was lovely and the free food and wine was delicious, but one lady there was quite disturbing indeed.  She literally stood in front of the food table during the entire sermon and stuffed her face.  She was apparently really into the hummus because after about 10 minutes of eating it with vegetables, she decided to pick up a straw from the table and continue to scoop it into her mouth that way.  AND she had a plastic cup overflowing with bite-size pastries she was guarding creepily and saving up for dessert.  It was disgusting.  And she ended up with hummus all over the ground around her and hanging from her nose.  Um, gross.  But yes.  It was a nice event and I'm excited to put the shopping guide to use.  They even gave out 10% off coupons for Sustainable NYC (and other neighborhood stores) and I got a free tote bag and small notebook with my discounted purchase!  Here's a link to the online shopping guide.  Save paper!  Shop local! :)

And the night before I left for home, Brian and I spent a romantic FREE! evening at the Empire Hotel rooftop. 

There was some lovely live Jazz and lots of fancy people around to make you feel important.

And to keep the night cheap we got water instead of drinks.

The view and music was enough to make the night enjoyable!

So there you have it.  More good times from your friends Brian and Windnie.  Oh!  And if you are interested in the whole shopping local thing (you are!) here are some links to some great local holiday markets:
From Wined and Dined
From TimeOut New York
Brian and I stopped by Brooklyn Flea's Gifted today (check their hours!  They're open til Christmas!), which was pretty swell but we are hoping to go to a couple other markets tomorrow and discover more goodies.

Oh! and! Brian and I had Dallas BBQ today, which we are both IN.LOVE.WITH.  The prices are excellent and the portions are HUGE!  And you really can't get any better than their Early Bird Special! (Scroll down to the bottom.)  Although I will warn you... I got it one time and thought I was going to die afterwards because it was such an insane amount of food!

NOM!