Whoop — first blog of 2016! I thought it would feel more weird writing that number, but I feel like I’ve had my eye on 2016 for awhile now. Perhaps it’s just because a majority of my 2015 totally sucked. But it’s a fresh year, and although I feel like I make New Years goals/resolutions […]
MoreOkay folks, it’s New Year’s Eve, and if you’ve been around The Bitter Lemon for a bit, you know I’m not too big on NYE festivities. I don’t exactly know why – I think the main thing that bothers me is that everyone is out to make it the #BestNightEver …and then it just ends […]
MoreLast week, I got into a bit of an argument with the guy I’m seeing. Okay, so we haven’t gotten into the logistics of our relationship yet, but we are basically seeing each other. He’s very easy going, and while I’d consider myself comfortable in that same category, I’ll admit it, I’m not quite as […]
MoreMy Pic of the Week is of me, and if you couldn’t guess from how similar we look, my beautiful mom! She flew to Austin from Indiana to visit me for the entire week of Christmas, and we really did a lot of fun things while she was here. I had to work on that […]
MoreHey gang! Anyone else back at work today? I am, and I can already tell it’s not going to be an easy few days before we get another long weekend (how spoiled do I sound right now?). Anyway, I feel like I’m being annoying and beating this course over your head, but this will be […]
MoreIt should come as NO surprise that the holiday season has got me thinking back (pretty sure I love to live in the past). But the interesting thing is that it was a little candle I got in the mail that really sent me down memory lane. A few weeks ago, there was a tea […]
MoreIs it just me, or has it been incredibly difficult to get into the holiday spirit this year? I feel really old when I say, “It’s crept up on me this year,” yet I keep saying it. I blame my Scrooge-like spirit partly on the weather, given that it’s going to be in the 70s […]
MoreI know I’ve mentioned a few times that it’s been difficult for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year — and hey, I’ll probably mention it at least once more before Friday. Deal with it. But, I think this happens to me every single year. Sometimes, I’ll go the entire season without feeling […]
MoreWhether you’re spending the holidays with family, friends, or both, the chances are likely you’ll need a cocktail to get through one more round of dominos with the grandparents or flip through that dusty photo album with your mother-in-law, for the 11th time. Or, maybe you’re like me, and looking for any excuse to get […]
MoreI KNOW there’s a ton of you out there who are SO amped it’s Friday — teachers, worker-folk, I’m sure you’re all ready for the 5 o’clock hour to strike so you can race out the door to not waste a MINUTE of your holiday break. And I don’t blame you one bit. I do […]
MoreTo Whom it May Concern: I’ve reached that stage in grief when you’re just disappointed. Call me the Charlie Browniest, but the Austin Police Department, particularly the Burglary Unit, is the source of such disappointment. Let me explain. Last Thursday night, I came out of my dance class off 183 South to find that my […]
MoreIn order to succeed in a serious relationship, you must tell lies. Wait… what? An article in The New York Times earlier this year by Clancy Martin claims that the only way love lasts is if we keep a few things to ourselves every once in awhile. But, research says the average person lies once […]
MoreSince moving, I’ve been anxious to get back on some sort of plan to tone up, and per usual, it hasn’t been easy. I joined a dance studio and have gotten into a pretty good routine of going to classes four times each week. And although that’s good (plus it’s a really fun way to […]
MoreThe holidays are here and that means one thing: DRINKS! Okay, so maybe it’s like that ALL year ’round, but let’s pretend like we’re not all functioning drunks, K? Delish.com has put together a list of wines that you’ll love, according to your zodiac sign. And, I’m not sure what the information is based off, […]
MoreI had every intention of posting a sexy little fiction piece today, but when I got out of my dance class (Twerk and Burn) last night, my passenger’s side window had been shattered. The bastard was after an old (very old) Coach laptop bag, and although inside the bag wasn’t a laptop (thank God), there […]
MoreA few weeks ago, we were #Blessed with the release of Justin Bieber’s latest album, “Purpose,” (his 6th number 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart) and I don’t know if y’all understand just HOW excited I was about it! I pre-ordered the album about a month before its release, and waited until midnight the […]
More“It’s only ever happened one time in my entire life.” My hip-hop dance instructor, Dimitrius, was trying to explain to me that he’s been in a serious relationship for most of his life. For the sake of this column, we’re going to assume that he was single at birth, but probably found another cute baby […]
MoreIs it just me, or is this holiday season just FLYING by? I feel like everything is coming up so fast and I’ve got so much to do before it’s over! Nonetheless, it all starts with putting up the Christmas tree, right? Yes. I think every year, that maybe THIS year, I won’t put up […]
MoreAlmost 100 days ago, many of you sent your well wishes my way when I announced I was starting a new job (again, thank you). And last Wednesday, I completed my “Capstone presentation” at said job — meaning I’ve completed all of my SEO training and am in this gig for good (or at least […]
MoreNope, not talking about the Adele song (dare I say it, but I don’t think it’s that great…). Now that I’ve chased off all the readers, it’s freaking Friday, and I feel like Christmas is right around the corner, and I put up my Christmas tree last night, and even hung the stockings with care. […]
MoreThat’s right, I’ve got cellulite. While it has an oddly nice ring to it, I freaking haaaaate it! I’ll be honest here, I’ve really never had body issues until the last year or so. Part of it came from being a gym rat, and getting obsessive over what I ate and how often I hit […]
MoreI was going to write about lies — how often we lie and why we do it, and of course, how it affects our relationships. But as I type this, I’ve locked myself into my bedroom and am impatiently waiting to hear a victorious “snap!” of a mousetrap. Let me explain. I am expecting company […]
MoreThe fact that Thanksgiving is over and it’s the official holiday season has me feeling kind of anxious — I feel like time is just FLYING by! I truly hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, as my weekend was such a fun one thanks to my friend Sheena for driving across the country to come […]
MoreRemember last week? Last week, when I was so excited to join Operation Turkey (the North Austin branch) and hundreds of volunteers to serve thousands of homeless people? Well, the actual experience completely blew. Here’s what happened… After I signed my friend and I up for the volunteer job (for which I signed us up […]
MoreThanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the fall weather, a few days off from work, and of course, the food. I love to cook (especially for a guy), I really like to eat, and the fact that pigging out is perfectly acceptable for this holiday is just the whipped topping on my pumpkin pie. […]
MoreYES! Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow! I went shopping for my feast last night and I’m SO excited about all the delicious food I’ll be chowing down on Thursday. Below is the menu… and don’t let me fool you, I pretty much bought everything already prepared. Turkey breast & drumsticks Cornbread stuffing Green beans […]
MoreWe are just a few days away from Thanksgiving and I’m so, so excited! Thanksgiving means the official start of the holiday season, and of course lots of food and drink, but I’m also looking forward to donating my time Thanksgiving morning. On Thursday morning, my best friend Sheena is joining me to help Operation […]
MoreY’all… it’s FRIDAY!! The exciting thing about THIS Friday is that for most of us, next week is a short week, then we get a looooong weekend. I cannot really explain how happy this makes me. I’ve felt so stressed this week; stressed over things that are out of my control (isn’t that the worst), […]
MoreA few weeks ago, my favorite radio show, “Johnjay and Rich,” got to talking about red flags in dating. Now, red flags are nothing new, but a lot of the red flags they were talking about were silly — like, don’t date a guy if he wears cargo pants. If wearing cargo pants is the […]
MoreEvery time a new piece of technology, or a new social app, is introduced into our world, I try to find a way to wiggle it into my routine. Unless it’s not worth it, of course. I downloaded SnapChat (@OrangeJulius7) around six months ago, at the suggestion of a younger friend. “All the cool kids […]
MoreI seriously spent this ENTIRE weekend adulting. On Thursday, I woke up to the reality that Thanksgiving was just TWO weeks away — and between now and then, I’ve got a TON of shit to do, from work tasks, things around the apartment, and just general LIFE shit. I felt incredibly overwhelmed, so I decided […]
MoreThis has nothing to do with cups. It doesn’t even have anything to do with what’s inside the cups. Let me start by telling you just how much I used to love Starbucks. It was a lot. As I type this, I’m sipping coffee from a Starbucks mug. In fact, when I made my coffee […]
MoreToday is the day that Beliebers and One Directioners can rejoice — as Justin Bieber AND One Direction released their NEW albums at midnight! Today may as well be Christmas, because we’ve (and by me, I mean all of us) been waiting for this day FOR-EV-ER. And okay, so there may be a little friendly […]
MoreIf you were ever worried that I’d run out of celebrity crushes, fear not my friends. Lately, I’ve noticed that I go through crushes pretty quick. My crushes in real life never like me back, so it leaves me to the only alternative: loading up on celeb crushes and hoping one day ONE of these […]
MoreWell, I realize that for a ‘Pic of the Week,’ this is a pretty subpar photo. I was too lazy to get on the ladder, and to be honest, I’m terrified of that damn ladder. But! I’m pretty proud of this little project I accomplished, so there it is. Assembled shelves that are now home […]
MoreFor some reason, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of hiding the fact that I’m a TV junkie… not sure HOW I was able to hide it (hell, maybe I haven’t), but I’m here to assure you, it’s true. I’m a TV junkie. I’d love to tell you that hey, it’s fall, […]
MoreHowdy! Whew, I’m SO happy it’s Friday! It’s been a crazy-busy week all around, and it flew by. It’s supposed to rain (again) in Austin this weekend, so if you’re following me on SnapChat (OrangeJulius7), be prepped for lots of couch-lounging-DVR-CSI-snaps, K? I officially joined Dance Austin this week, so I can attempt to whip […]
MoreFall is slowly starting to creep in, and no matter what the season, I’m always looking for fun ways to try new things, without hurting my wallet. While I love wine, I think it’d be really fun to host a beer tasting at your home this season (or during any season, really)! It’s super easy, […]
MoreTruth be told, I almost didn’t post a pic this week, because… well, because I didn’t take many pictures, and it started off as a shitty week. Last week, I was feeling rather gloomy for either all kinds of reasons at once, or for reasons I have yet to pinpoint. And in my world, this […]
MoreA few weeks ago, a coworker headed to Vegas for the weekend to see Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood. I was SO jealous…and couldn’t wait to hear all about it come Monday. Since Britney debuted with “Baby One More Time,” I’ve been a huge fan. When she took over MTV in her school girl uniform, […]
MoreThe following is an original piece, written by Holly A. Phillips in 2007. It’s a story based on her favorite hockey player, Sean Avery. Read previous sections of this story here, here, here, here, and here (okay, so it’s kind of long). Walking usually cleared my mind, but it was still buzzing when I reached […]
MoreIt sounds a little weird that I’m giving you a tour inside my bathroom, but hey, when I say I’ll let you in my home, I mean it! Click on the video to get the visuals on my bathroom (which is attached to my bedroom and has a separate entrance in the hallway) and my […]
MoreI’m finally going to admit it: I hate Halloween. As a kid, I loved it (duh, free candy), and in college, it was the perfect excuse to wear fishnets and do keg stands. But, I’m older now, and truthfully, a lot of things that didn’t scare me before, terrify me now. I’m particularly terrified of […]
MoreLast week, my office decided to have a costume contest this Friday. Otherwise, let’s be CLEAR: I would not have done anything associated with Halloween. But, I’m down for a contest. I tried to think of costumes that would be easy to assemble, comfortable to wear to work, creative, and easy on the wallet. I […]
MoreHere we are, at the start of another week. And, I’m excited to say that I’m starting a new series here on the blog: “Dirty 30.” Dirty 30 is going to focus on all of the shitty things that happen once you turn 30. What a joy, right? The first Dirty 30 installment is on […]
MoreThe following is an original piece, written by Holly A. Phillips in 2007. It’s a story based on her favorite hockey player, Sean Avery. Read previous sections of this story here, here, here, and here (okay, so it’s kind of long). “You can sit down,” she said. I took her word and sat on the […]
MoreThe competition is on! I’m lucky enough to live in a city that’s full of different food joints, and don’t worry, I’ve got a list of the ones I want to try (and it’s getting longer by the day). Of course, I’ll be right here to report all of my findings with you. So, the […]
MoreSaying that fashion has a part in dating sounds really superficial, but it truly does. When I think of fashion, I think of celebrities and red carpets, but the pieces on runways trickle down to the stores we know and love, right in Baton Rouge. And when it comes time for that first date, or […]
MoreLast Thursday night, I did something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time – years, even. I took a dance class! On the surface, I know it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but I’ll explain. I started taking dance in 7th grade, at a small athletic club. It was a […]
MoreNothing like a Robert Palmer reference to jump start your Monday, right? A few weeks ago, a fabulous friend pointed me toward a Modern Love article from the New York Times, “Overcoming Love Addiction: One Apple Martini at a Time.” The title intrigued me, but the author said things I could really identify with. My […]
MoreThe following is an original short story, written by Holly A. Phillips in 2007, inspired by her favorite NHL player, Sean Avery. Read part one, two, and three, if you’re interested… “Bro, damn, where you going?” 12 asked. “Out there…you know,” I said. “Haven’t seen you head that way in… Well, ever,” he said. “Uh […]
MoreY’ALL. Where has this week gone? It completely flew by, and I’m pretty sure it’s because I kicked things off by making this pumpkin coffee cake for my coworkers. Originally, this recipe called for sweet potato puree instead of pumpkin, but I wanted to jump on the pumpkin craze, plus, it’s way easier to buy […]
MoreWhen I was 16, I had my palm read. The psychic told me I would end up with a guy who was tall and blonde, and he may even have the initials “J” and “S” (in any order). In the last 14 years of dating, a majority of the guys I’ve fallen for have been […]
MoreAs I mentioned yesterday, I spent my weekend getting a ton of stuff done. On one hand, it was really nice to go into a new week having all of my “chores” done, but on the other hand, I wish I would have relaxed a little. Truth be told, I’m not sure if I know […]
MoreHappy Monday, y’all! After the weekend I had, I feel like I need another few days just to rest, what about you? I did a ton of cooking and baking (look for a new recipe right here on Thursday) over the last few weeks, and as promised, I told you I’d invite you into my […]
MoreThe following is an original piece of fiction written by Holly A. Phillips in 2007. The story was inspired by her favorite hockey player, Sean Avery. Catch up by reading part one and part two. We practiced in a smaller rink right outside the city. Practice began at nine and after warm-ups, drills, and weights; […]
MoreTuesday night, I smudged my apartment. “Smudging” is another way of describing a cleanse, often performed in a home or a building in effort to rid the presence of negative energy. A proper smudging ceremony can be done in many different ways, but they’re often performed while burning herbs (often bundles of sage) and repeating […]
More“You should write about the art of sexting.” It was a message I got a few weeks ago from a married guy friend of mine. “Wait, people still do that?” I asked him. “Yes,” he said. “Doesn’t everyone?” Then it was just awkward because I felt like a clueless prude and he’d just admitted what […]
MoreIt’s quite possible I’m still coming off a high from such an incredible weekend. I took my first paid-vacation day at the new job on Friday to travel to Kansas City, Missouri. A little random? Kind of. My reasoning was, I got invited to a wedding there. The groom has been a longtime blog reader, turned […]
MoreAs some of you may know, I only joined the iPhone clan in March. I have yet to fully understand the obsession with these things (I really, really loved my Blackberry), and with the rollout of iOs 9 that completely fucked up my phone, I’m less than impressed. But, there’s a few apps I’m loving […]
MoreWe played the Wolverines in the Square three days after we killed the Flyers. I had just walked into the locker room when the usual pre-game banter sparked. “Who you gonna piss off tonight man?” 58 asked. “I heard Carmen was pretty irritable. I bet I can shake a fucker up,” I told him. “Dude […]
MoreLast weekend, my fantastic and beautiful hair stylist (and friend) Lydia (she’s at the Garrett Neal Studio, you should call her!), reminded me that the BEST way to meet someone special is through mutual friends. I do think it’s a smart move, but there are even studies behind it, saying that it’s statistically how most […]
MoreA month ago, I downloaded a new dating app called “Coffee Meets Bagel.” I’ll admit I downloaded it on a rather lonely night, as I was watching “Nightline”. The app’s founders were on the show, after they’d turned down $30 million from an episode of “Shark Tank” — the largest bid in “Shark Tank” […]
MoreAs I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I spent my weekend in Baton Rouge, mainly for a great friend’s birthday celebration. In years passed, I’ve made this same girlfriend a dessert of her choice to celebrate. I’ve made her angel food cake with homemade frosting (covered in neon sprinkles), and toasted matzah with chocolate and chopped […]
MoreOver the weekend, I drove back to Baton Rouge to get a ton of things done. It was one of my best friend’s birthday weekends, plus I needed to see my CASA boys, get my hair done (very important), and I needed to get any remaining things out of my apartment, clean the place, and […]
MoreThe following is an original fiction piece, written by Holly A. Phillips in 2007, with great inspiration form her favorite hockey player, Sean Avery. I had 30 seconds left in the penalty box. From my bench, I could see the rows of puck fucks in the lower sections. “Once we go Black…” one sign read; […]
MoreI’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, I just found out a few days ago that Elijah Wood lives in Austin! According to my coworker, he lives downtown and frequents the Whole Foods at least twice a week to… and here’s the bad news… get flowers for his girlfriend. WAMP WAMP. […]
MoreLast year, I decided to embark on a sexual adventure when I got involved with a f*ck buddy (FB). I use the term “involve” loosely, as it was purely a sex thing (and I’m not just saying that). Together, we agreed that it was a relationship only meant to — as Tove Lo sings — […]
MoreHola! I wanted to offer a quick apology for my lack of posts last week — it’s been a crazy few weeks with the move and all. I was really struggling to function, let alone get my five blog posts in. But I’m back in action and ready to roll! So, life in Austin means […]
MoreI learned yesterday that one of my favorite writers, an inspiration, Jackie Collins lost her very private battle with breast cancer after nearly seven years. A woman as fabulous as Jackie was never defined by age, and so we’ll not mention how young she was, but we’ll just say, she’s left us too soon. What […]
MoreThree weeks ago, I started a new job. It’s a full-time career with benefits and a salary, and it’s pretty awesome. It’s my dream job! Starting a new job is always exciting, but a little stressful, too. You’re trying to learn new things, get adjusted to the culture, and meeting all kinds of new people […]
MoreI moved on Saturday! I’ve spent the last few weeks packing everything I own (well, minus the things I got rid of) and prepping for a move. Now, I know moving — the physical act of doing so — is possibly the worst thing we can do to ourselves as humans. It completely sucks. Because […]
MoreI’ve been living in Austin for two weeks now, and of course, I don’t know where ANYTHING is. I have to rely completely on Siri to get me anywhere. At first, I was really thankful for Siri. What would I do without her? Use MapQuest? No. So yes, at first, I was so thankful for […]
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