Austin Part Deux
So, like many people after 1/1/insert year here, I joined a gym. I really dig it, though. It's called Retro Fitness and what sold me besides the low price tag was the fact that they have a theatre in the back room where you can watch 80s movies while you work out. Hardcore.
I'm trying REALLY hard to not be a lazy slacker with my diet/exercise regime. I swear, it's like withdrawl from drugs stopping myself from eating at night and at work where all the homemade cookies and unwanted candy looms before me. It was VERY hard last night and today at work (especially considering it was SO slow so I was SO bored and all I ever seem to want to do when bored is eat or sleep), but tonight seems slightly better. I still crave food, especially when the smells of deliciousness that my roommates produce waft in from the kitchen, but I'm trying to preoccupy myself more. Like buying a heart rate monitor online. I was doing SO well with my savings but I caved after logging my exercise on My Fitness Pal yesterday only to discover that MFP determined I burned 600 calories while the gym machine said 450. The internet tells me that neither is accurate, and the best way to really know is to get a HRM, so I got one.
I'm currently uploading my Austin pictures on Facebook. I gave a couple glimpses on my last entry, but those were only the good ones. Hah. Most of them are blurry because of the bus tour I took, but I want to document every second of my life by electronic means otherwise I shall simply panic (note the sarcasm). Really it's another distraction technique from FOOD.
My first night in Austin was awesome. The lovely damnitnicole was kind enough to pick me up and show me around a bit. We ate at an awesome dining establishment where I got to taste REAL queso dip (I will never be able to accept the crap in PA now...and again, I'm writing about food to distract myself from eating it), then headed to a rockabilly show at a bar aptly named Hole in the Wall. The band was pretty fucking good and I definitely saw why Austin is called the live music capital of the world. I was tempted to get their CDs, but decided to wait for the new one since some of the radder songs they performed are going to be on that one. After that we went on a bike tour and Nicole pointed out all the different neighborhoods and the danger factor (or lack thereof) which was very helpful considering I might move there...or Portland. Jury's still out. Annnd we legit rode up to the steps of the Capitol. No way you can do that in DC haha. Or Philly.
Tuesday was kind of a tame day, spent it perusing the shopping district on South Congress street (And ate at a great place called Magnolia Cafe) then hung out with some of the other hostellers in the TV room at night while we watched crappy reality TV and discussed how Austin was better than all of our respective hometowns. I love hostels, and I've only been to two! But now I'll never go back to a hotel while traveling/on vacation. I love the experience of a hostel too much. Everyone is so friendly and EVERYONE has a great story to tell. Like the investment banker from london who quit his job to travel from hostel to hostel. Or the danish friends who went to Vermont and Colorado to visit their respective old exchange students then to Dallas, only to discover there was nowhere cheap to stay so they came down on a whim to Austin, then would move on to New Orleans the next day. Or the wife of the tattoo artist who's based in Philly who I got a business card from ;). Oh and another thing? Hostels give you FREE PANCAKES. True story. And they're super cheap to stay in.
Wednesday I had my awesome Guidehop.com tour, which you already know about from my last entry. Thursday I spent going to various free museums on the lent bike that Aaron gave me, and Friday I had to depart =(.
I definitely am craving to go back to both Portland and Austin, but the traveler bug in me just wants to visit more and more cities =) A friend of mine wants to go to LA but a part of me just likes traveling alone lol. I don't know why. It's freeing, I guess. I'm more myself. I don't censor myself as much. Sure I'm still a bit awkward around new people, but my smiles are genuine and I don't want to just be somewhere else, which is often the case hanging out with friends here after I've done a long work day. Something to think about I suppose!
I'm trying REALLY hard to not be a lazy slacker with my diet/exercise regime. I swear, it's like withdrawl from drugs stopping myself from eating at night and at work where all the homemade cookies and unwanted candy looms before me. It was VERY hard last night and today at work (especially considering it was SO slow so I was SO bored and all I ever seem to want to do when bored is eat or sleep), but tonight seems slightly better. I still crave food, especially when the smells of deliciousness that my roommates produce waft in from the kitchen, but I'm trying to preoccupy myself more. Like buying a heart rate monitor online. I was doing SO well with my savings but I caved after logging my exercise on My Fitness Pal yesterday only to discover that MFP determined I burned 600 calories while the gym machine said 450. The internet tells me that neither is accurate, and the best way to really know is to get a HRM, so I got one.
I'm currently uploading my Austin pictures on Facebook. I gave a couple glimpses on my last entry, but those were only the good ones. Hah. Most of them are blurry because of the bus tour I took, but I want to document every second of my life by electronic means otherwise I shall simply panic (note the sarcasm). Really it's another distraction technique from FOOD.
My first night in Austin was awesome. The lovely damnitnicole was kind enough to pick me up and show me around a bit. We ate at an awesome dining establishment where I got to taste REAL queso dip (I will never be able to accept the crap in PA now...and again, I'm writing about food to distract myself from eating it), then headed to a rockabilly show at a bar aptly named Hole in the Wall. The band was pretty fucking good and I definitely saw why Austin is called the live music capital of the world. I was tempted to get their CDs, but decided to wait for the new one since some of the radder songs they performed are going to be on that one. After that we went on a bike tour and Nicole pointed out all the different neighborhoods and the danger factor (or lack thereof) which was very helpful considering I might move there...or Portland. Jury's still out. Annnd we legit rode up to the steps of the Capitol. No way you can do that in DC haha. Or Philly.
Tuesday was kind of a tame day, spent it perusing the shopping district on South Congress street (And ate at a great place called Magnolia Cafe) then hung out with some of the other hostellers in the TV room at night while we watched crappy reality TV and discussed how Austin was better than all of our respective hometowns. I love hostels, and I've only been to two! But now I'll never go back to a hotel while traveling/on vacation. I love the experience of a hostel too much. Everyone is so friendly and EVERYONE has a great story to tell. Like the investment banker from london who quit his job to travel from hostel to hostel. Or the danish friends who went to Vermont and Colorado to visit their respective old exchange students then to Dallas, only to discover there was nowhere cheap to stay so they came down on a whim to Austin, then would move on to New Orleans the next day. Or the wife of the tattoo artist who's based in Philly who I got a business card from ;). Oh and another thing? Hostels give you FREE PANCAKES. True story. And they're super cheap to stay in.
Wednesday I had my awesome Guidehop.com tour, which you already know about from my last entry. Thursday I spent going to various free museums on the lent bike that Aaron gave me, and Friday I had to depart =(.
I definitely am craving to go back to both Portland and Austin, but the traveler bug in me just wants to visit more and more cities =) A friend of mine wants to go to LA but a part of me just likes traveling alone lol. I don't know why. It's freeing, I guess. I'm more myself. I don't censor myself as much. Sure I'm still a bit awkward around new people, but my smiles are genuine and I don't want to just be somewhere else, which is often the case hanging out with friends here after I've done a long work day. Something to think about I suppose!