Recently in life Category
The Wheels of Love are on the road by now. The early start feels brutal at the time, but is well worth it to get ahead of the crowds. As long as you don't have three flats in the first ten miles, that is.
Colby had a great post about what the weekend (and cycling) are all about. I'll revisit this post later today and share more of what it means to me.
Since I won't be on the bike and all.
is problematic for me. Twice a year, everyone but me puts stuff out on the curb for the city to pick up. Since I don't participate, the odds that I will come home with more items than I put out are very high.
This year I avoided scrounging for yard tools, broken appliances, and dated A/V equipement. Instead, I am now the proud owner of very used copies of The Odyssey, The Iliad, Euripides I, and Anne Frank's diary (not the original, unfortunately). We have just as much room on the bookshelf as we do in the shed.
It's a little strange to spend my 30th birthday studying for finals. The inclement weather has voided my plans for a lunch beer and burger at the Crown and Anchor. But I'm going to the Rose Bowl in a month with my wonderful wife, some great friends, and my loving family. That trumps two more days of school and some freezing rain.
There's no conveniently-named Gin Blossoms song like last year, making this music selection a little tougher. This year, I've got a long way to get before I get back home.
Subject: Urgent: Students touching bats near EPS
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
If you touched a bat near E.P. Schoch (EPS) on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, you need to immediately contact the Austin/Travis Country Health Services at ###-6055 or The Texas Department of State Health Services at ###-###-6744. If your phone contact is outside normal working hours, please leave a message and phone number. State "you were exposed to a bat Tuesday at UT-Austin and were advised to contact them." These messages are monitored and calls returned every few hours.
If you wish to talk to someone at UT Austin, please page ###-0911.
Contact information redacted
And you'd think I'd know better...
Been a damn fine birthday so far and it's only going to get better. Picked up some breakfast tacos at Garibaldi's on the way into work, enjoyed a Dixie Hot at Texicalli Grille courtesy of Tim and Brian, and in about two minutes I'm leaving work for Opal Divine's to meet Mary Alice and many friends and family for however long we can stand to have a good time.
Thanks mom, dad, and bro for the calls and everyone else (scally, Colby, Randy, Lisa, Brian, Omar, the list goes on and on) for the birthday wishes. Followups will be posted here whenever I can see again.
Today I managed to go for a ride that was shorter than the time I spent preparing for it. I haven't patched the leak in my back tire yet, but I aired it up last night and it still seemed to be relatively firm today. I topped it off and headed up the hills. After about six blocks I decided to check and make sure it was still retaining air.
I'm new at this and all, but I'm pretty sure stuff isn't supposed to bubble through the sidewalls of my tires.
I headed back home and logged a ride for the record books.
you can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
Actually, I bought it. And it doesn't have a basket, and all of the things to make it look good are on order from nashbar. But you can borrow it if you want, as long as you study up on how to not get hit by cars first.
I've been getting spammed out the wazoo, and I need to implement some countermeasures. Like stabbing people through the internet.
Until I figure out how to do so, comments will be unavailable. Nobody (including me) has been saying anything recently, so I guess it's no big deal.
Recently I've renewed my search for the perfect chicken fried steak. I've had some good ones around town, but the best come from places that are on a highway (but not an interstate) and aren't afraid to put cream gravy on anything (including the gravy). The glorious piece of battered beef should arrive on a green plastic cafeteria-style plate, but you should not discover this until you're done eating. A proper CFS will cover the edges.
One of my nearby favorites is at Springhill Restaurant on Hwy 71 at RR 620. They definitely have their frying technique down pat. The breading is not exactly the style I like, but it's close. I wish I knew how to describe it, but I can tell before I take a bite if it's up to my standards.
Last Saturday Mary Alice and I took a trip out to the Hill Country Cupboard in Johnson City. I've been wanting to drive out there for years. They were still busy at 2:00 in the afternoon, which I took as a good sign. My anticipation grew as I saw other diner's plates arrive. Beautiful gravy slathered dishes abounded. I was a little disappointed by my serving size when our order was delivered; I'm fairly sure I received a small instead of a large serving. Despite the mixup, the entree was perfect. Floured and fried just right, with no pockets of breading devoid of steak. If the sides had been up to the same standard, I would have declared my search over. Unfortunately, the fries needed about another thirty seconds of cooking, and the green beans a little more flavor.
The next places on my list are Royer's Cafe in Round Top (before the ownership changes) and a return trip to Cafe 290 in Manor. Someday I hope to return to Goodson's Cafe in Tomball, which I believe is where my whole obsession started when I was about ten years old. My mom also reports a one-pounder at Lambert's in Missouri. That may take more than a day trip, though.
I first read this in the letters to the editor of the Austin Chronicle, of all places.
I'll keep it in mind as I enjoy my three day weekend.
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.”
