What better time than the present?

It’s the holiday season again. How’d that happen? This whole past year seems like a blur. In fact, I don’t even know if it actually happened. Is this real life? Is this going to be forever? #davidafterthedentist

Anyway, holidays mean home time. I’m excited to do as little as possible for a few weeks, but in true Reagan fashion, I’m sick. My body probably knew that me doing nothing was unlikely, so it left me no choice. The illness seems to be on the homestretch, so hopefully I’ll be up to snuff in no time.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I’m still alive. Posts hopefully coming again sooner than later.

An irrational love of cupcakes (and dabbling in food review)

I don’t know when my love of cupcakes started. Actually, yes I do. It started with my love of cake. How can you go wrong with a mini cake? Oh yeah, you can’t.

Anyway. As you know, I spent the summer in New York, which I would probably consider the birthplace of the cupcake trend. In my time there, I made it my goal to try as many of the city’s cupcakes as I could. I found a little literature (I worked off of this list), and once I got there, got started.

In the end, I made it to seven places. Bear with me, because the reviews are 3 months late. (also, forgive the photographs. I’m a cupcake lover, not a photographer.) ((unless otherwise noted, I tried the chocolate with vanilla frosting.))

#7 Dessert Club, ChiKaLicious

Ranked number one on the list, this was my lowest ranked cupcake. I tried both the s’more (pictured) and red velvet and wasn’t wowed by either. The cake was moist, but the frosting on the red velvet was too creamy. I like a little shell on my frosting, and this… yeah. This one didn’t have that. They get points for innovation on the s’more (which had a marshmallow top and chocolate in the center), but not enough points to redeem them.

#6 Buttercup Bake Shop

Okay, admittedly, the rankings in the middle get a little bit blurry. I don’t remember a whole lot about this cupcake other than the frosting being REALLY SWEET. The cake was moist, and the frosting was REALLY SWEET. We’re talking sweet. And for me to say this is a lot. I went through more than one bottle of water to compensate. Granted, it was still tasty, and I wouldn’t deny another one, but it was still a bit much. Also, they were kind of small. “Reagan,” you say, “why would you want a bigger cupcake that you only thought was subpar?” Don’t question me.

#5 Crumb’s

Crumb’s was the only chain in my quest. I had heard people rave and rave about it, so I was excited when I stumbled across one on my walk home from the museum. However, that didn’t last. I mean, the cupcake is huge. And it was good, but not GREAT. Granted, hype probably played a serious part in my disappointment, but if you’re going to generate hype, you should be able to live up to it. I tried the standard chocolate vanilla, but this one had coconut on top. The cake was dry and a little bit coffee-y. The frosting was good but a little sweet, and the coconut was a little bit too dry. Not bad overall, and they were big, but not my favorite.

#4 Sugar Sweet Sunshine

I didn’t find these cupcakes – they found me. After my first week at work, they had a going away party for one of the booking assistants, and there were these cupcakes. Everyone raved about them (and they were on the list), so I was excited to try them. I’ll admit, the first one I had wasn’t stellar. But then it gets you… You may not love it, but you’ll start thinking about them. There’s something about the chocolate cake that’s like a sleeper craving… you’ll just randomly require one, and then with each one, you’ll like it more, and then you’re just sold. These cupcakes (conveniently located a couple of blocks from work) got me through more than one bad day. I stuck to the classic, but they’ve also got pistachio and pumpkin something-or-other that are supposed to be good.

#3 Cupcake Stop

I started following Cupcake Stop on Twitter after reading about them somewhere (maybe Time Out New York?), and then when I found out they were going to be in my neighborhood, I made a special effort to seek them out. They rotate their flavors every day, and on this particular day they had hummingbird, which is a fruit and nut cake with cream cheese frosting and ooooh myyy goooooosh. It was seriously delicious. They’re a little bit small, but oh so good. I’ve heard good things about their other flavors as well, but didn’t get a chance to try myself, but I’d go back just for the hummingbird cake.

#2 Butter Lane Cupcakes

The flavor on this cupcake was really great. They mix and match their frostings, so you can pick any number of cakes with whichever frostings they had rotating that day. When my roommate and I went, they also had samples of potential frostings that you could vote on (including an orange chocolate one that tasted like an orange Tootsie Pop). She mentioned that her cake wasn’t great, but she tried something crazy. That’s why sticking with the standard isn’t a bad thing. I got the chocolate cake with vanilla bean frosting and it was really good. Reminded me of my number one cupcake. The negatives? They were small and far too expensive, but I get it. It’s a storefront in the East Village. Gotta pay the rent…

#1 Two Little Red Hens

Let me preface this review by saying that I dream about these cupcakes. This cupcake was everything that a cupcake should be. Moist, dense, and huge. The frosting was sweet, but not too sweet, and there was just enough. It had just enough of a shell to create some resistance, but not so that it was crunchy. It was perfect. It’s one of two cupcakes on the list that I actually got more than once (Sugar Sweet Sunshine was the other, purely out of convenience), and that’s saying something. The shop is on the Upper East Side, and kind of an ordeal to get to. Three words, though: totally worth it.

So there, if you’re ever in New York and need a cupcake, those are my thoughts. But that brings me back to what got me thinking about this again: the abysmal cupcake I had today.

Cupcakes should NEVER be disappointing, especially when they’re beautiful. Enter: Quack’s.
I’ve heard great things about the baked good selection at Quack’s, so I planned a catch up meeting with a former roommate there. I was met by this:

Beautiful, right? And I love cupcakes, so multiply that by 10. And then I got it… It was dry, the frosting was too buttery. Totally disappointing. Granted, they probably just had an off day, but I mean, when there’s hype, go out of your way to live up to it. Also, don’t charge $2.99 for terrible cupcakes.

Alright. Time to stop procrastinating.

It’s a long way to go before we can rest, but it’s all for the best…

So this past week was killer. We’re talking axe murdifying, Freddy vs. Jason, everyone dies killer. My first major project for the semester was due, and for as much as we tried to convince ourselves that it wouldn’t take too long to get it finished, it took about twenty times longer than expected.

…it was awful. But, optimistic Amy over here, it’s over. Thank God.

But everything hitting the fan last week made me realize that it’s the chaotic middle of the semester, to be followed so very quickly by the more chaotic end of the semester, followed by breathing, and then my last semester of college. Ever. (No grad school, you say? No. No grad school.) It’s weird, but exciting.

I went to my first networking…thing on Tuesday. I worry sometimes because networking is such a huge part of the work world these days, but I think I did alright. Surprisingly enough, I’m able to tone back the awkward in situations such as those. Hoping for an advertising internship in the Spring. We’ll see.

Alas, it’s fast approaching bedtime and I have sketches to do, but I did want to check in.

Back for the attack

I’ve probably used that as a title for more things than I can count, but hey – I listened to the Impossibles a lot in my formative years. I’m not ashamed.

So since I’ve last written (forever ago, I know. I’m sorry), I’ve moved back to Texas. For better or worse, I’m here. It was weird coming back to a place that you no longer feel any real physical connection to. I have my family and my friends, and that is what is keeping me sane at the moment (although the cooler weather over the last couple days is certainly helping), but as far as Texas… I’m just not feeling it anymore.

I’ve had to describe my feelings multiple times in recounting my adventures over the summer, and when it comes to leaving both Texas and New York, respectively, I’ve found how to describe it: When I left Texas at the beginning of the summer, I was upset about leaving my family and friends. When I left New York at the end, it felt like I was leaving a love. And that sounds lame, to be in love with a place like that, but it was a similar feeling I had when leaving Texas, but instead of people keeping me there, it was the place itself. Maybe one day I’ll be able to combine my family and friends with a place that I love.

And let me clarify, it’s not that I don’t love home. Texas will always be Home (capital H intentional). I see myself eventually coming back, but I’ve got to get out there for a while. Yes. There.

Anyway, I digress.

I’m going to try to do better about keeping this up. Robert inspired me (/stirred my competitive side). Here’s to making my blog moderately successful.

#BlogFail

So, I started a fancy new blog with the intention of keeping people updated during the summer. Woops.

It’s been nine weeks since my last post. That seems like such a short time. It is a short time, but at the front end of it it felt like forever. I feel like I’ve done well for spending my summer in the city. I’ve managed to keep a healthy balance of touristy things and what it would be like to actually live here. It’s safe to say I want to come back. I’ve felt at home here. The first time I came (March 2008), I described the feeling of getting off the plane as breathing for the first time. I feel comfortable here, at ease here. More in my element than anywhere I’ve been up to this point. It’s a nice change. I’m learning that “home” is such an elastic term, and  that’s good. I mean, Texas will always be my home, but I think New York will eventually be A home. I’m hopeful of the possibility. These are exciting times.

All that being said, the next year holds a lot of things for me. The past nine weeks have passed in a blink of an eye, and I can only imagine the next nine months will do the same. For better or worse, that’s the way it is.

Here’s to my last week in the city that never sleeps (for now).

Moving to New York by the numbers

So, in the past five days I’ve packed everything I could possibly need over the next

• (2) months into
• (2) suitcases and
• (1) backpack. I traveled approximately
• (1600) miles in
• (2) planes. I had lunch at
• (1) Wendy’s which was
• (1) Wendy’s too many. Upon arriving in the city, I took
• (1) cab and thought I was going to die
• (234) times and it cost me
• ($60) even. I got out of the cab at two streets that total
• (14) and was met by about
• (7) raindrops. I schlepped my stuff up to an apartment on floor number
• (3) that I share with 3 other girls and we’re from
• (4) different states and have
• (6) universities between us. The past two days I’ve walked
• (1) mile to and from work at an office on the
• (5) floor. The first day I received
• (7) text messages while at work, and today I only received
• (1) Wtf? All in all, it looks like it will be a gr
• (8) summer.

Okay. I admit it. That last bit was lame.

Sue me.

A guide to courteous driving.

I’ve made the drive between home and Austin three times over the past few days. I’ve grown to despise I-35, but accept it as a necessary evil. Ideally, I’d teleport home, but that’s not really an option. I digress…

I consider myself a courteous driver. A driver by the golden rule, if you will. However, I’m quickly learning that not everyone feels the same way. Therefore, when I’m driving, I do what I can to attempt to teach them some highway manners.

A bit about how I drive:

1. I use my blinker. Religiously.

2. I courtesy wave. If you let me over, you get a wave. If you begrudgingly let me over, you still get a wave. If I have to cut you off and squeeze myself in against your will, you will still get a wave (and I’ll still use my blinker, for that matter.)

3. If you use your blinker and I see you, I will do what I can to let you do what you need to do. That being said, if you don’t use your blinker, I will do whatever it takes to keep you from doing what you need to do.

4. If you tailgate me, I will brake check you.

5. If you continue to tailgate me, I will drive 5-10 miles slower than I was before, and watch your blinkers so that I can stay in front of you as long as possible.

6. I don’t honk unless something drastic is about to happen, and I’m annoyed when you do.

7. Seatbelts. Always.
So mayyybe bits of that are extreme. I know I should just take it and keep driving, but I can’t. I may just be one person, but I am one person who can ruin (or at least delay a little…) a bad drivers day. My days of being bullied on the highway are over.

Also, a bit of a relic from the past. I believe I made this after my first couple of drives to Austin on my own. Enjoy.

A handy car companion