Hanging in Austin

So I am loving Austin so far. It is a great city if you take advantage of it. So much great outdoors things to do. One thing that has been hard for me to get used to (especially transitioning from Phoenix, and even Tucson) is the general lack of the big box store. I mean this from everything from Best Buy to Barnes and Noble to chain restaurants. And not that they don't have them here, just that most of them are concentrated in one area that is far from me. I think its not necessarily a bad thing, it just takes some getting used to.

Miriam came out for the weekend this past week and we were busy! She got in on Thursday afternoon and I kept her running around the whole time. We started with a tour of LIVESTRONG which was fun and she got to meet some of my coworkers. We then went home quickly and headed off to Uchi (www.uchiaustin.com) which many say is the best restaurant in town. Miriam didn't love it but I thought it was good but unfortunately was not feeling that good. We then went over to a food truck called CoolHaus where they make ice cream sandwhices where you pick your own flavor cookie and ice cream and they make it right there...pretty good. We then headed downtown to the Congress bridge where we waited to see the bats come out from under the bridge. It really is a pretty amazing thing to see. They come out just before sunset and it takes them about 30 minutes to all come out. In total there are about 750,000 bats that travel the same path each year up from Mexico in the summer.

The next day we were up early and headed 80 miles south the San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. If you have never been to the Alamo before, it is much smaller than you would expect. But still kind of cool to see. We walked around the Riverwalk for a while then got back in the car and drove halfway back to a city called San Marcos where they have a great outlet mall. Miriam looked as if she was on speed naming off all of the stores she wanted to go to. She even made a list on her phone to make sure she did not miss any. There were some sit down restaurants there but Miriam insisted on Subway so we could get to the shopping (I even had to convince her to have Subway with me and not just meet up with me after...) In fairness, it was a great outlet mall with everything from Gucci, Prada, Lacoste and Ferragamo to Banana Republic, Gap, Under Armor, Old Navy and hundreds more. We were able to do some damage...

We headed back to the house after about four hours of shopping just in time to go online and buy movie tickets for Super 8. We then went quickly to a food truck called Torchys Tacos (www.torchystacos.com) for dinner...it was AWESOME. They have the best tacos and its in this little area called the trailer park with 3 food trailers and plenty of outdoor seating.
Upon getting to the theatre I got into a spirited debate with the manager about the fact that he would not let me bring my water bottle into the theatre. Stronger letter to follow. I thought the movie it was pretty good, despite my pathetic tiny cup of tap water.

Saturday was a little bit more laid back. Miriam and I picked up a friend from work, Kira, and her roommate and we went down to Lady Bird Lake for some stand up paddle boarding. It was awesome as you paddle with downtown Austin as your backdrop. We went a little too far out and it got hot and we had to get back. The sprint back was a little tiring, but Miriam did awesome for her first time out. The four of us went back to Torchys for lunch then Miriam and I went home and took a NAP.

We woke up a little late and went downtown to walk around. We did not realize that there was a big motorcycle rally and downtown was covered in bikers. We walked around a bit but for some reason, it was not really our scene. We ducked into Starbucks and I ordered an iced tea and Miriam a green tea frapachino. The lady told her if she did not like it they would make her something different. They ended up making mine with too much water (which I really did not care about) and they guy made me a new drink and gave me a free drink certificate. Miriam did not like hers and asked the lady for something else which they made for her and also gave her a free drink certificate. I plan on going to that Starbucks more often. You order something you don't like, they make you a new one free and give you a free drink on your next visit. No wonder their drinks are six bucks each.

Sunday was again, a little more laid back. We started off with brunch at Stubbs 

(stubbsaustin.com‎) for a gospel brunch where they have a live gospel group singing while you eat. It was a fun time and cool to go to such an iconic spot. We then followed up with a little history at the LBJ presidential library which some enjoyed more than others (no names mentioned). Back home for another nap then we were invited over to some people's house from LIVESTRONG to watch game six of the NBA finals. We stopped at a local sandwich shop to pick up dinner. The guy working could not have been more friendly. He could also not have been more of a pothead and it literally took him 30 minutes to make 4 sandwiches. They were good though and we got a free cookie...can't complain with that.

 

I took Miriam to the airport the next morning at 6:00 for her flight and she went back home to the pups. It was a great weekend and I am glad she came out now because I just got a new roommate so it was nice to have the place to ourselves.

 

If anyone wants to come out and visit Austin this summer, I got a couch for you to crash on. Its a great city and I would be glad to show you around. I am barely even using my GPS anymore.

 

Ahhhh I cant get it to un italicize itself. sorry

I've been everywhere man

Although it is not what I am up to now, I found this list I compiled about a year ago. When I used to travel for a living, these are some of the cool places I got to go and some of the cool stuff I got to do:

Traveled to:

Oklahoma City

Tulsa

Kansas City

Lawrence

Dallas

Houston

Austin

San Antonio

Little Rock

St. Louis

Chicago

Milwaukee

Philadelphia

Boston

Salem

Portland

Cape Cod

Toronto

Montreal

Providence

Burlington

Brattleboro

Manchester

Cleveland

Washington DC

New York City

Martha's Vineyard

Here is what I did in those places:

Sang Take me out to the ballgame in the 7^th, Sweet Caroline in the 8^th, and Love That Dirty Water after a walk off single in the 12^th at Fenway

Sat in the bleachers and sang Go Cubs Go after a win at Wrigley

Watched the Bills beat the Texans on a last second J.P. Lossman touchdown pass at Reliant Stadium in Houston

Saw the displaced New Orleans Hornets team play a home game in OKC

Saw an NBA game at TD Garden in Boston, Ford Center in OKC, AT&T Center in San Antonio, Toyota Center in Houston, United Center in Chicago, and Wachcovia Center in Philadelphia

Saw an MLB game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway in Boston, Busch Stadium in St. Louis

Saw a Blackhawks game at United Center in Chicago

Saw NFL games where the Bills beat the Texans at Reliant Stadium in Houston, The Eagles beet the Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and sat outside for the coldest experience of my life when the Bears beat the Saints in overtime in mid-December at Solider Field (my soda froze walking from the concession stand to my seat)

Saw BJ Penn, Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, Kenny Florian, Thales Leites, Kurt Pellegrino, Kendall Grove, Amir Sadollah, Johny Hendrics, Shane Nelson and John Howard fight at UFC 101 in Philadelphia

Saw Vince Vaugn and Brian Urlacher at the premier of Fred Clause in Chicago

Met Mike & Mike at a book signing in Boston

Met Bobby Flay at the premier of his restaurant in Philadelphia, Bobby’s Burger Palace

Met and got to tour the kitchen with top chef Jennifer Carrol at Eric Ripert’s 10 Arts

Ate at 3 Iron Chef’s restaurants (Flay, Garces, Morimoto)

Met chefs Bobby Flay, Jennifer Carrol, Steven Starr, Rick Bayless, Barbara Lynch

Watched the filming of the movies Public Enemies and Transformers 3 in Chicago and Bride Wars in Boston

Toured Martha’s vineyard on a vespa

Went to five restaurants from Diners Drive In’s and Dives

Went to hell night at East Coast Grill in Boston

Been on the campuses of Kansas University, Oklahoma University, University of Texas, Harvard, MIT, Penn, Drexel, Southern Methodist University, Baylor, Rice, Northwestern, DePaul

Toured the OKC bombing memorial, the book depository and grassy knoll in Dallas, the JFK presidential library, the Clinton presidential library, Central High School in Little Rock, went up the Arch in St. Louis, Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall in Philadelphia, the Freedom Trail in Boston, the Alamo, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, MIT museum of Science and Technology, Holocaust museum in Cleveland, Port Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, ME, Faneuil Hall, Boston

Took the behind the scenes tour of the Anheiser Busch Factory in St Louis

Crossed the Boston Marathon Finish line they day after the runners (my run was only a block)

Millennium Park, Boston Commons, Central Park

Saw Dave Matthews play Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ and Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI

Ate fresh lobster on the pier of Gloucester, MA, Portland, ME and Hyannis, MA

Taken the L in Chicago, The T in Boston, and SEPTA in Philly

Was stuck in one of Philadelphia’s worst snow storms of this century

Toured the Walgreen's corporate headquarters in Illinois

Had Cheesesteaks at Jims and Pats in south Philly

Took a driving tour through Vermont stopping at many a local cheese farm as well as Ben & Jerry’s corporate

Spun out and crashed through a horse fence in a Lincoln Town Car Rental in Little Rock Arkansas (damage was $15 thousand)

Seen the river turn green three times in Chicago for St. Patty’s Day

Traveled the Country by Car: OKC to Dallas, Austin to Houston, OKC to Tulsa, Austin to San Antonio, Philadelphia to New York City, Philadelphia to Washington DC, Boston to Cape Cod, Boston to Maine, Montreal to Boston, Boston to New York City

Watched the Patriots lose the Superbowl to the Giants at a bar at Fenway

Was in Chicago when the Blagovich story broke in Dallas when the T.O. suicide story broke

Whale watching cruise on Cape Cod

High Tea at the Drake in Chicago

Kayaked the Connecticut River in Vermont

Visited a working maple syrup factory in Vermont

While there is more I cant remember, I think these are the highlights...

And using all the miles I accumulated on these trips, went on a two week trip flying business class to London and Paris, and went on a cruise to the Bahamas.

First week stuff

Finished my first week at LIVESTRONG. It has been great so far. One thing that I was unfortunatly wrong about is that Lance does not actually work there, he should be in a couple times this summer though so hopefully I will get to meet him. Also, word on the street is that Sanjay Gupta pops in every now and again so that would be cool also.

This week I got to do some cool stuff as far as work goes.  Most of what I was working on this week was contracts. Anything from a contract for a prize that they are giving out to a top performer to a block of rooms they are booking for an event. The interesting part is that the lawyer gives them to me to review and change, and then submit. She does not even ask to see most of them before I submit them. AHHH. Hope I am doing it all right. It has been cool to catch some stuff for people that needs to get fixed. And on the hotel contract, I told the lady they were trying to gouge us on some stuff and she agreed and thanked me for finding it. All the people at LIVESTRONG treat me like I am a lawyer and I know more than them. The funny part is, everyone there is there by choice and there pedigrees are like Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Berkley etc. I really just want to tell them all that I know nothing and they shouldn't listen to me or trust me.

Another cool project I worked on was looking at all the new Nike designs. They are developing next years clothing line and had to make sure all the clothes fell into our regs for copyright and such. Let me just tell you this, there are some really awesome LIVESTRONG nike clothes coming out, can't wait for those and it will be fun to see them in the stores in about a year. I will tell people "I okayed that." hahaha. Next week on Tuesday the whole of LIVESTRONG is taking a half day for a bbq in the park. Its tough but someone has to do this internship.

I learned about a donut shop here called Gordough's (www.gourdoughs.com). OMG. Look at the menu. Uh yeah I will be going there. Looks awesome.

Today I went paddle boarding for the first time. Very Austin/Matthew McConaughey of me if I should say so myself. It was hard to get the hang of at first but then I was getting better toward the end. It didn't help that the two people I went with didn't fall in the water once when I fell in about every five minutes. I made it my goal to paddle after them and try to knock them in. But the faster I tried to go, the more I fell in. It was a tough spot I was in. I then spent some time jumping from the dock on to my board like I was surfing. I think my longest ride was about .75 of a second, it was a good one.

It was an awesome place we went. It belongs to a gym and its a quarry out behind the gym. You can swim, Kayak and Paddle Board in it. The water was actually perfect and the weather stayed cool enough. It was great!

Austin has been fun so far. I am not one for humidity and I think it has been making me tired. But other than that, things are going fine so far. Might go see the new X-Men tonight or who knows what else. Hate to say it but I am glad I am not with my wife today. She is moving the house today and if there is one thing I hate its moving. I guess I should say I wish I was with my wife, just not in Tucson/Phoenix. Thanks to everyone that is helping with the big move.

A world without walls. Literally

Livestrong is by far the coolest place I will ever work (building wise anyway.) It is in south Austin in an old paper factory. It is a "green" building and I will post some pictures as soon as I can.
There are zero offices. Not one in the whole place. It is a huge open space with cubicles. Everyone from the chief counsel to the CEO and CFO (see how I put counsel first there) work in cubicles.
The conference rooms are these tall structures placed throughout the office. They do not go all the way to the ceiling so they are not separate rooms, more like little shacks spread throughout the office. They are all made of wood. The wood that was taken from the ceiling when they did the remodel of the building. None of the conference rooms have all four walls (or if they do, at least one of the wall are comprised completely of glass.) There is zero privacy here, if you get fired, I guess everyone knows. Even the bathroom stalls have glass walls. Kinda weird.
The place is covered in interesting art. Everything from originals from Shepard Fairey as well as some other well known artists. There are huge canvas paintings all over the office as well as sculptures. There are also these seven yellow jerseys from some bike race that are signed and framed, not sure what that is about. People come in daily to take tours of the place. No one dresses up. A tucked in polo is about the nicest I have seen around here.
There is a yoga studio, spinning bikes, a gym, a full locker room etc. There is a full kitchen which they keep stocked with fresh coffee and free energy drinks from Lance's sponsors. They get fresh fruit deliveries twice a week. The largest open area in the place (which serves as a place for large gatherings, small meetings, the lunch room and more) is called the dock. It is the old dock from when it was a paper mill. It is lowered from the rest of the building by about 4 feet and you have to go down stairs to get in the "room." All the wood including benches is from the original mill.
I am sure my description does not do is justice but that is all for now. Pictures to come. No matter what you want to say about Lance, they are doing good work here.

I vow to share great stuff like this

I have been trying to break into this but its hard, you kind of have to know someone. Anyway, here is one of the true masters. Enjoy

http://www.wimp.com/freestylecanoeing/

Second Thing Is Second

A little about me and what is going on these days...

To catch anyone up, here is my life lately in a nutty shell.

High School-Graduated from Tucson High in '99 go Badgers
College-Graduated from NAU in '03 go Lumberjacks

After college I moved back to Tucson and bought a house. I spent the next two and a half years working at American Online which pretty much sucked except getting to spend a few months working in Israel to open a call center in Jerusalem which pretty much made up for it all.
I then went on to work for Cottonwood de Tucson for just about five years. Cottonwood is a drug, alcohol and behavioral health rehab center in Tucson for the, how-you-say, people who can afford $1000 a day. I did marketing for them which pretty much meant traveling across the country trying to get people to refer us patients. For a while it was really cool. I have spent extensive time in Dallas, Chicago, Boston and Philly as well as time in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Maine, etc. etc. (At one point I wrote down my experiences...will have to try and dig that out.)
While working at Cottonwood I met and married my wife Miriam. When I met her, she was in undergraduate at the U of A and has just recently finished medical school and become a doctor. Smart kid!
As for me, I just finished my first year of law school. I went to Phoenix School of Law, but will be transferring to the U of A next year to FINALLY be a Wildcat (and a few other reasons.)
I have had tons of good times and so not so good times recently. Going forward, I will try to share most of the good times on here.
For the most part (other than reading for law school) I can't complain about my life. Have a great wife, two great kids (my dogs Dreidel and Billy) and live near my family. This summer I am working at a great internship in Austin, Texas at the LiveSTRONG foundation.
That should pretty much get you up to speed.

First thing is first

So a couple of ground rules on here:

1) The reason for this blog is that I am not always (read ever) good at telling people things about my life. My parents, even my wife are always begging for information. This is for people like them who are interested. At times I may try to make it funny or tell a good story etc. etc. but I promise nothing!
2) Sometimes, some interesting stuff goes and I will try to share it. Other times, nothing is going on so I may not post. If you don't expect to much from me you might not be let down.
3) After I take time writing a post, I usually don't want to take the time to seriously edit it or look for spelling mistakes. If this bothers you, I am sory.
4) Sometimes I have strong opinions about things. If you don't agree with me feel free to share, I am always interested in other perspectives.
5) Thanks for visiting and come back soon, or whenever.