Weekend Roundup

Buy some art, have a bite and samba dance with our top 5 event picks for the weekend

Winter is over! Who cares about groundhogs or traditional seasons? This is Texas! Sweating and believing deceptive iPhone weather apps are two things we know how to do well. So get up, get out and see some art, eat some good food, party hard, hang out with your kids and watch the Big Game with our picks for the weekend's top events.

Confluence at the Russell Collection Fine Arts Gallery

Bare witness to two formidable up-and-coming artists: Michael Kessler and Matt Devine will have a small smattering of their work on display (and for sale) at the Russell Fine Arts Gallery. Both artists will be on location for an opening reception being held Saturday at 6 p.m. Their work, as carefully curated by the artists and the gallery owner, is transfixing. Kessler’s vibrant paintings juxtapose (but also feel like an extensive of) Devine’s textured sculptures.

The Food Lab at UT's Food and the City Conference

Out of UT’s Center for Sustainable Development is The Food Lab, whose study food issues and systems culminates in the second annual Food and the City Conference. Lots of foodies talking very seriously about food, but most importantly: There will be really good food. Registration ends today! It’s 60 bucks, but the meal being served tonight at 8 p.m. on the UT campus sounds worth it: goat and beef roast, plenty of high falutin salsas and libations.

Carnaval Brasileiro

You think you know how to party? Wrong. This ode to a Brazilian celebration combining “samba, costumes and wild abandon,” is possibly the biggest and wildest party that has ever been thrown. I wish I was being hyperbolic — but I’m not. Look at the photos. $40 to get in Saturday night at the Palmer Events Center, it will be wild, and there will not be very much clothing. Have at it.

Think.Do.Make at the Austin Children’s Museum

As one of the museum’s final exhibits before moving to its new building in Mueller, the Austin Children’s Museum has Think.Do.Make, designed to compel kids (and their inquisitive, Carnaval Brasileiro-hungover parents) to “ask questions, test ideas and discover new connections.” The exhibit is broken down into three portions: microscopic science, nature’s architectural renderings and mastering the construction of flying contraptions. The exhibit opens at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Super Bowl Watch Parties

There’s plenty to see Sunday: the Ravens and the 49ers, the unloading of thousands of commercials, Beyoncé’s half-time show. And there’s also plenty to eat (and drink). All the aforementioned is pre-programmed, but choosing the right venue is key. How big do you want your big screen? How does 25 feet of HD sound? That’s happening at The North Door.

Would you prefer all-you-can-eat crawdads over chicken wings? Brew Exchange. We’ve rounded up those and a few other places to watch the big game here. Choose at your leisure. Just don’t watch Elementary afterward. It’s not that good.

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Worker Bee News

Amazon wants to hire 1,000 seasonal employees in Austin for holiday

Photo by Wallstplaybook.com

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As the 2024 holiday shopping season approaches, Amazon is doing its annual round of holiday hiring, seeking to fill 250,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal roles across the U.S., including 18,000 positions in Texas — including 1,000 openings in Austin.

The bulk of the open positions in Texas are in Dallas-Fort Worth, but they're also hiring in Houston and San Antonio.

Seasonal Amazon jobs offer competitive pay, flexible schedules, and, as a release so eloquently puts it, "the opportunity to be part of the bustling retail industry during its busiest time of year." LOL. Many of these seasonal roles also come with the potential to transition into regular, full-time employment after the holidays.

The release does not specify which positions are open but one can assume packing and delivering boxes are involved.

Interested applicants can go to amazon.com/localjobs or text NEWJOB to 31432 to sign up for job alerts. Open roles are posted throughout the holiday season.

Pay and Benefits
All seasonal employees earn at least $18 per hour, and have access to comprehensive benefits like health care coverage from their first day of employment.

Approximately one-third of seasonal employees stay on year after year.

Seasonal employees who stay at the company can see an average pay increase of 15 percent over their first three years.

Amazon perks include career advancement opportunities; access to earned pay at any time; health, vision, and dental insurance from the first day on the job; a 401(k) with company match; and up to 20 weeks of paid pregnancy/parental leave for birth parents (six weeks for eligible supporting parents).

They also get Amazon Prime employee discount, and Amazon’s Resources for Living program, a free benefit offering mental health and financial services and support for employees, their families, and their households.