Trailer Park & Eatery

This past weekend was beyond productive, I crossed off so many things from my to-do list. The act of crossing things off a list thrills the bajeebus out of me.

One of the things I crossed off was eating at the Trailer Park & Eatery. We drove down to South 1st yesterday and parked in the gravel parking lot that also contains Torchy’s Tacos and Lee-Dee-Dah. I have been dying to try Torchy’s for I dunno…six months and mamma mia was it worth the wait. Alex and I both ordered two of their tacos: I got the Carnitas Pulled Pork and Green Chile taco on a double corn tortilla and the Baja Shrimp on a flour tortilla. Alex got the Jamaican Jerk Chicken with mangoes and the Trailer Trash (with fried chicken), both on flour tortillas. Each taco was served with a lime wedge and an individual sauce paired appropriately with each taco variety. There were water coolers close by so one didn’t need to order a drink, when all was said and done we paid $11.95 for the both of us. If you live in or around Austin GO GO GO GO to this place. We dubbed them the best tacos we’ve had.

For dessert we skipped La-Dee-Dah to try Holy Cacao which I had heard about in Austin Monthly to sample a few of their famed cake balls. Sadly, they weren’t worth the hype and quite frankly, I’ve had better balls…cake balls that is. I had Holly’s Favorite and we both tried the Red Velvet which left a lot to be desired. The Red Velvet especially tasted as if it had been pre-made and then frozen. A no no in my book, especially when you just had a rave review in one of the city’s most popular publications.

We’ll be back to Torchy’s for sure, there are various other taco combos I must try, including their breakfast tacos.

Some firsts

This past three day long/holiday weekend was glorious. We were busy busy with a wedding, a birthday party, hanging out with friends, and lots of other stuff. It was also a weekend of firsts…

It was the first time I’d ever been to a Hindu wedding at an amazing temple called Barsana Dham.

The first time I went to a wine tasting.

and finally, the first time I actually enjoyed sushi. If you’re in Austin go try Imperia on Colorado St. Great rolls and lots of other yummy, non-sushi choices!

Acupuncture…friend or foe?

Friend! Definitely! But before I share my Eastern Alternative Medicine experience with you I’d like to tell all in need of a good laugh to go see Pineapple Express.

Since the flick involved a lot of the same actors and makers of Superbad (which we adore) we knew we’d really enjoy ourselves. We saw it at the famed Alamo Drafthouse where we were able to eat a meal while watching the movie, the food is nothing special, yet the concept rocks!

We laughed the entire time and I fell in love with Saul, Jame Franco’s lovable pothead character. Don’t go into the movie expecting it to make a lot of logistical sense…it doesn’t, but it makes you laugh really loud :-)

Ok…so acupuncture…yes?

Alex’s company recently held a silent auction where a donated $75 acupuncture session was up for bid. Knowing that I have been interested in the practice for awhile Alex bid on it for only $30 and won it! I called and made my appointment with Christine at Blue Heron Acupuncture and two weeks later there I was lying on a massage table in this woman’s home having her poke me with needles. Haha. Ok, it wasn’t as strange and creepy as I just made it out to be. Christine was incredibly welcoming and answered all my questions with ease and made sure that I had a relaxing and positive experience.

The session started with me filling out a form of my health history, you know the drill, and we spoke about my sleep, eating, and exercise habits. I was deemed healthy and already very relaxed, which she said is great but I may not be able to feel the full benefits of acupuncture as most her patients are high-strung individuals with stressful jobs and who have sadly forgotten what it feels like to relax!

I laid down on the table and relaxed as she lightly tapped the thin needles into certain pressure points, about 9 total.

Did it hurt, you ask?

No, but on a few of the needles I could feel a dull sting, in response she moved the needle a few millimeters from the current spot and re-tapped it in. Va bene.

After the needles were assembled she placed a heat lamp over my feet (as they cool down significantly during the process), a blanket over my torso, and a scented eye mask over my eyes. Ambient noises of waves crashing was turned on in the background and I was left to relax for 30 min. So basically…naptime. While she was gone I would move body parts around to re-stimulate the needles and would in turn feel a numbness and heaviness in my muscles…slightly euphoric I would say. But nothing ground breaking. I guess if I had an ailment such as a sprained ankle or chronic back pain acupuncture would definitely be the way to go.

For now I’ll stick to massages as I find them more rewarding.

Christine explained to us on our way out the benefits of Eastern medicine and how she uses it for EVERYTHING from headaches to the flu. She also mentioned that she hasn’t used antibiotics for the past 25 years…wow. I would love that type of independence from American healthcare…at least for the small stuff.

So along with my other new hobbies I’m wanting to educate myself more with Eastern medicine, I think it could really impact Alex and I in a very positive way!

With a little encouragement and some Olympic Inspiration…

I’ve decided to sign up for Masters swimming! I swam competitively throughout much of middle school and all of high school and am wanting to get back into the swing of things. Unlike 6 years ago when I was swimming doubles (two practices a day) each consisting of about 5500 yards (a little over three miles per practice) I will take in about 3-5 practices a week each consisting of a little over 2 miles.

A huge factor in me deciding to start masters is one of my old coaches Mike opened a great indoor swimming facility called Nitro Swimming just a 5 min. drive from where our new house is going to be. This will make getting in the pool a lot easier! Mike is one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around, he knows the first and last name of every kid in his pool (of all age groups) and makes everything his business. Beyond that he has to be one of the most positive people I’ve ever met!

Two years ago Mike came to me with his idea for opening a swim facility and asked for me to design the logo. Now I see the logo all over Austin as proud parents display it on their back wind shields and little kiddos run around in their swim team t-shirts!

This past Saturday I drove out to the Nitro Swim Club for the first time and was amazed at how beautiful the pool is. It’s huge and is accompanied by a smaller/shallower swim lesson pool. And along with swimming masters I’ll also have access to the fitness center which includes tread mills, free weights, weight machines, and much more!

I jumped in for a “pre” workout where I followed the Masters Workout that was drawn up on the pool deck. I really pushed myself, which was tough, being the first work out I’ve completed over 2.2 miles in 6 years! The water felt great but my muscles ached after the first 500 yards.

Upon completion I drove back home and very slowly made my way up the 3 flights of stairs to our apartment. Needless to say the next four hours were spent napping about and eating (swimming makes you soooo hungry)!

It’s been three days and my shoulders are still sore! Can’t wait to get back in though :-)

Olympic Fever…

…Have I explained to everyone before that I’m an olympic junkie. It’s quite nerdy of me….but whatever. I get so very hyped for both the Summer and Winter Games every two years and when they finally start I watch most all events for the next 17 days. If you ever have any Olympic-based questions…come to me for your answers!

So, pretty much that’s what Alex and I will be watching in HD for the next 2 1/2 weeks. So far they’ve been very exciting. And did anyone catch that monumental Opening Ceremony? If not, I urge you to hop over to youtube or some other source to watch some of the highlights! The sheer artistry, precision, and technology put to work were insane…Alex and I hosted a Chinese themed Opening Party and the 7 of us watched with wide eyes and mouths wide open!

My Weekend…..phlog!

I thought I’d give this “phlogging” thing a try. It seems to be a good alternative to just blogging when strapped for time or when just wanting to share multiple photos. So here goes:

Friday evening started off with Alex playing with Saci before we left for “B Scene.”

“B Scene” is held the first Friday of every month at The Blanton Museum of Art.

We were “seen” and enjoyed yummy appetizers, dessert bars, drinks, a new Japanese Block Art exhibit, and a poetry slam.

Afterwards I was inspired and took artsy pictures.

On the way back to the car we came upon a vintage Porche I imagined myself driving. Drove home and went to sleep.

Saturday I made a no bake cheesecake whose recipe I found here (and if you try this recipe and like your desserts to be on the sweet side, add a 1/2 C of sugar, despite the recipe not asking for it)!

Sunday we dragged ourselves and Saci out for a hike on a day where it reached 105 degrees!

Where we found a heart shaped pebble…and just barely escaped heat exhaustion.

Happy 3-day Weekend to us!!!

Aren’t long weekends fantastic?!?! Thanks to our country’s Independence we’re still enjoying it :-) Thursday evening we went back to one of our favorite Indian restaurants in Austin, Sarovar, which boasts authentic southern Indian cuisine! Even in the parking lot you can breathe in the spices. Needless to say it was the spiciest Indian food experience I’ve ever been a part of. I was melting into my food, it was so delicious I just couldn’t stop eating my vegetable dumplings in curry sauce as well as my other assortment of soups and sauces since we opted for the Thali. My fav part of the evening was laughing hysterically with Alex everytime the lady filling our glasses would call him “ma’am!”

Friday (the 4th) we meticulously cleaned and waxed both our cars. I love when things are clean, I could be Monica’s best friend on “Friends!” That evening our neighbors had us over for some barbecue and then we ventured downtown for Austin’s annual Auditorium Shores Firework Show. It takes place on a huge lawn overlooking Lady Bird Lake behind the new Long Center and Palmer Events Center.

The city’s skyline takes centerstage as fireworks are set off, the Austin Symphony always plays along :-) I just love the sound fireworks make with the loud booms and sharp fizzling noises….takes me right back to childhood!

Saturday (yesterday) we had somewhat of a lazy day as we watched more episodes of “Arrested Development.” We’ve made it to season 3 and are excited since we hear it’s the “best” (aka most ridiculous) but are also really sad since we only have 12 new episodes left :-( Luckily the movie will come out soon enough to satisfy our “bizarre comedy” palates!

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping and preparing food for dinner guests. We invited our friends Eddie and Eric over for pan fried tilapia with an olive/artichoke tapenade, a peso pasta salad with pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, and sauteed mushrooms, and then for dessert I prepared a citrus semifreddo. Everything tasted yummy but the dessert was my fav. I yoinked the recipe from Giada de Laurentiis (“Everyday Italian” on the FoodNetwork). It was so tart and the amaretti cookie crust was so sweet and delicious. I recommend giving it a shot. But be sure to allow at least 8 hours for the semifreddo to freeze/set completely!

Today will be spent relaxing and enjoying the last moments of such a great weekend.

I’ve been meaning to write about an album I recently purchased on iTunes by Priscilla Ahn. I had heard her one night on Jay Leno performing the album’s single, “Dream” and commented, “wow that song is so pretty!” The next day I was given a starbucks iTunes single free download card and she just happened to be the featured artist. After listening to a few other songs on the album entitled “A Good Day” I impulsively bought it and now peacefully sway to her whimsical tunes very reminiscent of Amy Mann……or at least I think so! But go check her out, she’s great and the CD art from the album is soooo pretty :-)

Out of Town Guests

We had five out of town guests recently. Alex’s best friends (family rather) from the Midwest made the trip down to Austin. The first four came on June 21st while the last of the five came on June 26th. They all left this past Sunday, back to Ohio, Michigan, and Chicago.

Unfortunately Alex was only able to take two full days off to spend with them where I was only able to take off one. However, they were very self-sufficient guests and had driven their own Toyota Prius down. So with an eco-friendly automobile and plenty of maps they explored Austin on their own during the weekdays and spent the evenings with us.

We took them all around Austin, highlights included; Casa de Luz, Barton Springs, South Congress, Congress bridge to see the bats fly, San Antonio, Mayfield Park, and Mt. Bonnell. 

Since moving here Alex has become a very proud Austinite so it was a lot of fun for him showing his friends “how cool” Austin is. We ate a lot of great ethnic foods and of course Tex Mex and Barbecue! The weather was great while they were here, albeit, insanely hot (especially for Northerners). But they were able to adapt and not wilt like delicate flowers TOO much :-)

In the end they all had a great time and promised to come back soon as they loved it so much here.