Randomness

So much stuff happens in my life that never gets written down here. A shame, considering I like to go back into the archives every once in a while and relive my past. Playing catchup....:

The other night I took the buses to town and back rather than bicycle, because the blisters on my feet were killing me. I got off of one bus around midnight and sat there waiting for the next. A car pulled up and the lady inside asked, "You know the buses don't run this late, right?" She gave me a ride right to my door. It reminded me of all the nice people I met while biking cross country. Awwww...

I've sat down at BookPeople and read so many books cover to cover, that I'm quickly running out of interesting new material. The latest book was Freakanomics. And a book on QuirkyAlone.

Another time at BookPeople, I ran into a guy I had first met at the hostel here in Austin my first time through. He filled me in on the juicy gossip concerning the other hostelers. About half of the fellow travellers had stayed on in Austin and found a place to live/a job. This city has a way of sucking people in...

For the past couple of suppers, I've gone to Whole Foods. I pick out a loaf of bread, then go to the cheese guy and have him choose a selection of cheeses that go with it. What a cool way to be introduced to new and yummy cheese! (When I checked out, the cashier loved my selections and recomended a type of bread she thought I'd like, based on what I was buying.) I'll be trying it out next time I go...and visiting the cheese guy to see what he recomends I pair it with. I also have to go back because last time, he gave me a tub filled with a very yummy (and expensive) type of cheese as a sample, providing I come back and tell him how I liked it. Gladly!

I'm such a dairy fiend. For being lactose intolerant, I sure eat a lot of it. Right now there's 1/4 of a 3 pound block of Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar sitting in the fridge. I've gone through about 6 pounds of butter since I've been here...most of it in making chocolate chip cookies. (1/2 pound of butter per batch.)

I bicycle 14-17 miles a day. The most I've done around here in Austin is about 60. I've grown to love bicycling home at night! It's usually 72 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect! Except for last night on the Congress street bridge, when I looked up to see if the helicopter overhead was news or hospital, and crashed into the curb. Oops! I'm scraped up a little bit.

There hasn't been any work scheduled for the past 8 days. I'm going crazy! I need something to occupy my time. And money. I need some of that... Perhaps I'll get a 2 week job at Taco Bell. :-)