On getting stuck...

Last week, I attended a conference in Austin, TX.  It was my first time in Austin and I loved it!  I stayed at the conference hotel, which made it easier to get to breakfast (provided by the conference), and go to morning yoga (before breakfast).  Plus, it was within walking distance of a lot of lovely restaurants or in one case, a food truck - The Jalopy.  Had a wonderful hummus sandwich.  Austin has some great food and a lot of it is vegetarian and/or vegan.  I got to try truffle tater tots.  I'm not a total vegetarian, but it was nice to have those options.  However, the picture I've included is not vegetarian.  We had dinner one night at Ranch 616 and I got the fried shrimp tacos.  Yum.  All in all, not a bad food experience in the time I was there.

And, I got an unscheduled extra day to sample food.  Because of the upcoming move to Georgia, I'd decided to come back Wednesday morning, missing the last half day of the conference, but giving me two full days at work my last week.  Yes, this past Friday was my last day of work in my current job.  And, if you haven't guessed, I had to fly back on Thursday rather than Wednesday due to the tornados that hit Dallas.  I was realizing all of this when the American Airlines automated message called to notify me of my new flight at 1:30 AM.  Yes, AM as in the morning.  At first I was all over the place upset.  Then I realized I couldn't do anything about it and decided to just roll with it.  I called and rescheduled the shuttle and called the front desk to make sure I could stay an extra day.  Then, I went back to sleep.  This was about 2:00 in the morning and I was still a bit keyed up.  To add to the excitement, the fire alarms went off not once, but twice, at 4:30 AM.  Followed by a message a little while later that it a false alarm and not to evacuate.  After this, I realized I wouldn't be doing yoga my last day.

I did enjoy the day's sessions and then spent a lovely afternoon walking around Austin with a friend/colleague. We had lunch at the 1886 Cafe and Bakery (some of the best pizza I've ever had) and I got to stop at the lomography camera store I'd seen online.  I knew the store was in Austin, but didn't think I'd get to it on the trip.

While I was upset when I realized I would be staying for an unplanned extra day, it actually turned out to be a great day.  Bumpiest flight in a long time on the way back, but I got back. Made it through my last day at my job (sorta sad) and am now furiously organizing for the movers who will come next Monday to pack.

I leave you with a photo of fried shrimp tacos...

Fried shrimp tacos from Ranch 616

Book Review: The Chase by Clive Cussler

The Chase by Clive Cussler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’ve enjoyed many of the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler.  Sahara is one of my favorite books.  The premise for this book - private investigator at the turn of the 20th century, new fangled gadgets (for that time), and a bad guy to catch are all good.  And, with Clive Cussler as the author how could it not be good.  Well, it wasn’t.  Good that it is.  It was disappointing and somewhat boring.  Yes, boring.  Not something I’d expect from this author at all.

First off, the name of the bandit, the Butcher Bandit, just never seemed right.  From the start we know who the bad guy is.  Not unusual (Columbo didn’t all the time).  However, the character development wasn’t there.  Basically we’re told the bad guy is well, a bad guy.   We’re told the main character, Isaac Bell, is a handsome dude who comes from money.  He has friendships with other detectives.  But, you never really see it.  The writing is probably sixth grade level at best.  As mentioned by a previous poster, there is too much detail from everything from the typewriter used by a secretary to the cars to the motorcycles to the guns.  Everything is described with a name and/or a brand. There is a scene where Bell is starting one of his cars and it goes on for paragraphs.  Paragraphs.  And, most people won’t have a clue what most of the detail means unless they are super familiar with cars as they were in the early 1900’s.

Have I mentioned the “romance?”  Yeah, there’s also a girl to be got.  Again, not well done.  High school level at best.  He does manage to make you want to root for the couple, but for the most part it just isn’t there.

I made it through half of the book, then skimmed through the earthquake and “the chase” and then read the wrap up at the end.

I gave it two stars because while it was boring, it wasn’t necessarily dreadful.  It should have been better.  In fact, I wondered if Clive Cussler actually wrote this book as I believe future books in this series have a co-author.  Doesn’t really matter as I won’t be reading any other books in this series.  I’d recommend this only to die hard Clive Cussler fans and even then it comes with a warning as this isn’t Dirk Pitt or even close.


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Moving... yet, again...

So, yes, I'm moving. To another state. For hopefully the last time. It's exciting and a nerve wracking at the same time. I was contacted about a potential job that is a promotion to department head. I wasn't sure and maybe a little leery about moving again, but after the interview process and seeing the college and meeting the people (who seem just wonderful), I know this is the right move. It's to Georgia and a city that I'm planning on settling down in. Cause, honestly, I'm ready to not move anymore, unless I'm buying a house, and I'm ready to just settle in somewhere. And, this moving around was much easier when I was a few years younger. So, Georgia, here I come. 

I'm moving mid-April. At the beginning of April, I'll head to a conference, where I'm part of a panel. There is a lot do with moving and I'm going a million directions at once it seems, so I gave up a house hunting trip. I've been scrutinizing apartments online and hopefully will be able to pick one within a couple of days of arrival. Honestly, that doesn't really bother me. I'm just hoping they're not all dumps in person. So far, I've been blessed with the apartments I've rented, so I'm hoping that streak continues.

However, this means I'm moving without an address. The solution seemed easy. Get a post office box. You can do it online. Well, not really. You can fill out the application online. You can pay online. What you can't do is prove you are you online and they won't give you a box number until you do. You have to go to your local post office to do that. Easy, right. Not really. I gave that a go tonight. My local post office had no idea what I was talking about. So, I called the Georgia post office where I was going to get the box. They said they couldn't give a box number until they verified my identity. Circles. Both post offices were very friendly and both suggested I just put a hold on my mail. If I put a hold on the mail and I get an apartment within a couple of days, why do I need a PO Box? I cancelled the box.

I'm actually a fan of the USPS. It's processes like this, though, that are hurting them. I would have gotten the box for a year. Not a ton of revenue, but it's still some. As it is, I more than likely will not get one upon arrival. I'm left wondering why they couldn't have assigned the box and then verify identity before giving me the keys. It's not that different and would allow people who are moving to easily get an address in their new city and many will probably do six months to a year for the rental and may keep the box even after that. As it is, I've now been told I can just put a hold on my mail and when I put in the forwarding address it will end the hold. No need for a box and they lose the revenue. While I understand security in this day and age and why they want to verify identity, I'm also puzzled by a process that willing foregoes revenue by an organization that is losing money.

Try a new recipe challenge Round-up

Over the past couple of weeks, I've tried several new recipes, mostly with success.  The one that basically failed, I'm fairly sure was my fault due to substitutions.  I have a rule for no modifications the first time I do a recipe for a reason; too bad I didn't stick to that rule.

At any rate, here's the round up of the new recipes I've tried in the last couple of weeks:

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes: Another recipe from Joy the Baker. Simply wonderful.  These are probably the fluffiest pancakes I have ever made.  I did halve the recipe and even put half in the refrigerator for use another day and was pleased with how the batter held up (I did bring it to room temperature before cooking).

Vegan Red Beans & Rice for 2

Vegan Red Beans and Rice for 2:  This is a slow cooker recipe from Healthy Slow Cooking.  I'm not really a vegan or a vegetarian, but I eat very little beef and I like beans.  This recipe basically cooks all night and then all day.  I did it in a Rival Crockette, which I don't think they make anymore.  I had kidney beans, so I did boil them for a little over 10 minutes before putting them in the crockette (so as not to poison myself).  I found that I didn't really need 3 cups of water which I think is because they had been boiled.  It turned out tasty and made me want to try it with either true red beans or white beans.

Breakfast patties

Breakfast Patties from the Taste of Home Comfort Food diet Cookbook.  I don't know why making my own never occurred to me before.  Mine don't look like the picture in the cookbook, but they turned out very good and will likely become a staple for my freezer.  No more store bought "sausage" for me.

And, last, but not least Quinoa Pilaf with Spinach, Apples and Walnuts from the Quick-fix vegetarian cookbook by Robin Robertson.   This is only my second recipe using quinoa, so I wasn't really sure.  Turns out, it's quite tasty.  And, it makes a lot.  I'm one person, so I'll definitely halve it when I do it again.  While the recipe says four servings, I used a cup for a serving (which is plenty) and found that I got more like 6 servings.  A "serving" of quinoa is two ounces so if one goes with the four servings that would be three ounces of quinoa plus the additions per serving.  I did calculate calories and it's not what I'd call low calorie, but it's not outrageous.  Of course, some of those calories come from the oil used for the scallions and walnuts and apples.  Still, I'm enjoying the leftovers (as did a friend) and will more than likely cook this recipe again.

Spinach, walnuts & apple

cooked quinoa

Quinoa pilaf with spinach, apples, & walnuts