Afternoon Delight

Sunday, The Husband and I had grand plans to float the Guadalupe since A. it was 90 degrees in September and we’re Ohioans. B. it only requires a tube and a beer and we are low maintenance.

Guess what? Texans ALSO believe Labor Day weekend is the end of summer. When we floated back in July, it was a hot, packed mess of people and tubes and way too many cowboy hats for my taste. Sunday there was … well, I think I saw one person meandering downstream.

People … in OHIO summer activities end because it is, indeed, too cold for summer activities. It was partly cloudy and 90 degrees on Sunday – a perfect summerlike day.

Or perhaps they were all home watching football?

So we took our cooler and flip flops to Jacob’s Creek park at Canyon Lake where we sponged music off of the picnickers on the next table over and drank beer and watched the water. It’s really a beautiful area and, if we were prepared, we would have totally set up shop there for the day. Unfortunately, The Husband gets cranky when hungry and goldfish crackers were not satiating, so we left after an hour.

My question is … what the hell do South Texans DO in the fall? There are no leaves to rake, it’s too hot for corn mazes and hot cider and high school football is on Fridays (It’s SO Friday Night Lights down here). Please advise.

Homeward Bound

The Husband and I hit up the beach at Port Aransas this weekend. That’s one of my favorite parts about living in San Antonio – I am a mere two hours from the Gulf Coast. I like that while my Ohio friends are shivering in 60-degree, cloudy weather, I was drinking a Miller Lite and happily giving my skin sun damage in my beach chair. Life is good.

I do get to experience those below-normal Cleveland temps in a few short days! I’m coming back to Cleveland for a friend’s wedding and I am probably more excited than anyone visiting Ohio should be. I can’t wait to drink some Great Lakes beer and eat pomme frites from Bar Cento.

It’s weird, I am starting to meet people here but I doubt they’ll ever replace my friends back home. I can’t wait to see Jen “Peanut Butter Crackers” McMullen-Clements, Beth “I must point to something in every photo I take” Stallings and Shrill Lyndsey! I love you girls.

Here are the top 10 things I cannot live without in San Antonio:

[Editor's Note: OK I stole this idea from a fellow blogging San Antonio newcomer who actually gets HER blogs posted on the San Antonio New Express Web site. She moved here two months before we did…stealing my dream job of blogging about San Anton with a purpose (read: pay check)! But I enjoy her blogs anyway and we actually have a lot in common…]

1.Chips and salsa. I'm not sure I've been to a restaurant that doesn't serve these up upon arrival YET. So far our fav is the salsa at Guajillo's (which I can never write without googling the proper spelling...sigh).

2. Bodies of water. I am just NOT accustomed to months-long stretches of 100+ degree days.... At least we can escape by tubing or kayaking on the Guadalupe and Comal, lounging at Canyon Lake (if it hasn’t dried up yet from lack of rain) or a day-trip to the ocean! In Cleveland we had the mighty banks of … Lake Erie. Which, more often than not, was not suitable for swimming due to high levels of bacteria. Yes, they do have this issue here…but that just means you go to another lake, or river, or the ocean …they’re all within a day’s drive!

3. The pool at Fort Sam. probably should be shuffled in with bodies of water, but I like having access to a pool (it’s on base) because it allows me to interact with people while The Husband is at work. I feel like a part of a community – even though, while I’m there I usually just plow through books and magazines, only stopping every 20 min. or so to jump in the water.

4. The Quarry Market (or “The Quarry” as the locals call it). It has the same vibe as Crocker Park but it also meets all of my shopping needs in one place: Whole Foods (it’s my Trader Joe’s substitute since there are NO TJ’s in the entire state of Texas – WTF?), Borders and … Old Navy. Normally, I despise this store because it’s usually filled with ill-fitting clothing made by 8-year-olds in Guam and crying babies. But when you need a collection of sundresses and tank tops to get you through a San Antonio summer, well, the ON and its annoying talking mannequins have won me over with their cheap prices. And? Every first day of the month military members get a 10% discount! Which brings me to …

5. My military ID. I get a mad discount everywhere with this baby! Not only can I buy non-taxed clothes, shoes (I got new Nike Shox for $70!), liquor (tequila is dirt cheap at the Class Six) and groceries from the PX, I saved money on my rental car (for when I am back in Cleveland next month), hotels, books, Old Navy, you name it. I look morbidly obese in the photo, but most people never look at it.

6. Sunscreen. Because jesus on a pogo stick do I burn easy this close to the equator!

7. Skirts. Because … did I mention it’s hot in Texas? It's like built-in wardrobe air conditioning. I haven’t worn pants since May. In fact, I tried on a pair of pants the other day and they were way too big! I guess I am losing some weight (likely due to all the sweating in the heat. It's hot here) … which brings me to …

8. My Gold’s Gym membership. I’m not sure you could call me an exercise addict because I’d have to be stick thin to qualify, no? But I am at this place - which is a scant 2 miles from my house - EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES TWICE. I’m not bragging by any means. It’s my outlet for stress, sadness, loneliness and anger. Plus, I found several classes that I just love: BodyJam is sort of like training to be a Britney backup singer or in an R&B music video. I’ve learned a lot of crazy dances and moves. Granted, that rhythm and skill I don’t have in Zumba? Yeah, it applies here too. But it’s way fun to groove to “Party Like a Rock Star” and “Turnin Me On” By Keri Hilson/Lil Wayne. Then there’s BodyAttack which is hard to describe. It’s like boot camp – you run in place and do calisthenics and jumping jacks until you pass out. I love it. Plus, the instructors are really fun and the people in the classes are not tan, anorexic cougars like back home....they're real people.

9. Facebook. True to its advertising, it’s my connection to my friends and family. And when you’re often alone for 8-hour stretches, it’s vital to my sanity.

10. The Husband. Aw, I know, sap. But he is my rock here. My best friend and … the only one I know in this city other than my Aveda Institiute hair stylist – and that’s only because it took about three and a half hours to make me a blonde yesterday, so we had some time to chat.

Keeping Austin Wierd

I’m a little bit in love with Austin.

No offense, San Anton.

It was a rough week for me so The Husband and I decided to get away for the weekend. Thanks to Marriott rewards, we stayed at a fabu hotel a block away from Austin’s famous Sixth Street. The area is completely dead during the day, save a few panhandlers who try to trick you into believing they’re not ACTUALLY panhandlers, but people providing you with vital information. One tried to explain to The Husband about debit card vs. credit card fees. Except he was way wrong and way drunk.

Oddly, we’ve been in Texas for almost two months and have YET to go to a barbeque place. Probably out of fear I will become morbidly obese after one bite of brisket. That’s one thing I noticed…everyone has their favorite barbeque place here. And they all claim to be “true barbeque – very rustic.” What does this mean, exactly? I like frills like actual tables and napkins and sanitary cooking conditions…

So, we ventured to “world famous” (because every BBQ joint is, you know) Stubb’s. I have to say … it is on my top list of favorite BBQ joints … but probably because I’ve only been to a handful in my life, and one of them is Famous Dave’s.

We walked around the UT campus because I thought I would get to be a Longhorn this fall since I am taking classes at University of Texas at San Antonio. But I was wrong…apparently UTSA is NOT an extension of UT at Austin. The school even has its own athletic department. So, this fall I will be a UTSA … wait for it … Roadrunner. (mee meep)
Oh well…I bought a UT t-shirt anyway…even if it IS going against Buckeye law

My favorite neighborhood in Austin has to be SoCo where the best candy store resides: Big Top. You can buy scorpion and grub suckers and every candy you can think of from every country. I opted for gummy worms because I am all about the chewy gooey.

And, while I am getting used to Texas heat, after four hours outside on a 103 degree day, I was showing signs of heat exhaustion (read: I was complaining) so we went back to the hotel to glam it up for our night on Sixth Street.

Note: Nothing happens on Sixth Street until after 8 p.m.

We realized this at 6 p.m. while sitting in an empty Thirsty Nickel listening to a band ... set up.

Sigh.

So we searched for a place to eat a semi-healthy meal. I know, right? But I had already exceeded my caloric intake for the day at Stubb’s so we ended up at Parkside – which stuck out like a sore thumb among the Tex Mex joints on this road. The outside advertised the best hamburgers in Texas but was actually more of an oyster and raw bar. Huh? I had an awesome fig and steak salad and wondered if you are actually supposed to eat the entire fig or just the inside – anyone?

After dinner we mosey-ed (heh) to Maggie Mae's for blues on the patio and then hit the roof top bar. It was so fun. I remember when Cleveland had this kind of entertainment (the Basement – I miss you).

Also, a note: You know you’ve acclimated to Texas when you’re wearing jeans and it’s 97 degrees out. Because…you have to wear your jeans and boots on Sixth Street. Except for me, espadrilles were substituted for boots. Sorry, I am just not there yet.

Sunday we headed to Lake Austin, which I thought would be awesome for relaxing in the sun. Um, no. I’m sure it’s a nice area, just not what I had in mind for a relaxing day on the beach. So we headed to the Hula Hut for lunch and mai tais (yes, we drink a lot on the weekends…) It was right on the water and you sort of forget you’re in Texas for awhile (until someone comes in wearing a cowboy hat). It really did remind us of Waikiki – kitsch and all. Hawaii I miss you!

All in all…a great weekend, but I wish it would have been a tad cooler. Maybe in November…

Such a tease

An update soon about my weekend that included Honky Tonk and floating on a river with a case of beer. I'm not even kidding. This is what I did: http://www.shantytubes.com/