Monday Meanderings - 3.10.14

Springing forward and falling backwards are now my primary means of exercise. That, and leaping to conclusions. Maybe that's why I celebrated Fat Tuesday this past week.  And Fat Wednesday and Fat Thursday and...

Not that we needed it, but here's confirmation of Austin's terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad traffic problem. According to a study by the National Traffic Scoreboard, Austin is ranked as  the fourth-worst city in the nation for traffic. And look who is fifth. 

1. Los Angeles
2. Honolulu
3. San Francisco
4. Austin
5. New York City

According to the study, gridlocked commuters in Austin waste 41 hours annually, up 3 hours from 2012. I knew that. 

And speaking of traffic, last Monday afternoon, a note from Google popped up on my iPad to let me know that the drive time to Chuy's was 6 minutes in "light traffic." And later in the week, Google sent me a note about traffic conditions for my commute to "work" - the Learning Ally studio that I visit twice a week. I'm not sure Google is that smart, however. It has said nothing about my daily commute to Silver's Gym, and Rob pointed out that it ought to know that I am aware of the drive time to any of the Chuy's locations at any time.

Barb and I went to the final Lady Longhorn basketball game of the regular season. Now that we get the Longhorn Network, we have been able to watch a number of games on TV, but a friend passed on a great incentive to actually go to a game in person - her primo parking pass, right next to the Erwin Center.

This was our first time in the Center since a big refurbishing; all the seats are new - and closer together. Like the airlines, they found a way to squeeze in an extra 660 seats, much to our wide-bodied dismay. The national anthem was already on "At the twilight's first gleaming" before I could free myself from the armrests in my ribs and stand up.

UT has begun selling beer at most sporting events, which, at $8 a cup should fund the athletic department quite nicely. The Lady Longhorn game we attended was among the first events with beer available. Barb stopped to get a bottled water and the concessionaire told her if she bought a beer it would be the very first one sold at a LL game. Barb asked if she would get a special commemorative cup for the occasion but he only had plain plastic cups.For $8 she should get a crystal glass.

Woke up Tuesday morning to a covering of ice on everything. By afternoon, we were walking around in our shirtsleeves. What a long, strange trip this has been.