So because the metadata conference I came to Texas for was scheduled the same time as Austin City Limits, I’m staying way the F out in the suburbs at an Aloft hotel. It’s right on a bus line, this rapid bus with limited stops, but still 40 – 50 minutes to get downtown. It’s also in a “lifestyle” mall – kind of like Greenway Station or Hilldale in Madison, but because it’s Texas, bigger. Instead of a Sundance cinema, it’s got an iPic Cimema. Bigger menu, more drinks. Full bar & pool tables & other games in the lobby. Leather seats with TV trays attached. Doesn’t reek of popcorn. In the previews just watched their chef (or a movie of their chef) preparing spicy fried chicken fingers with brioche toast, and now it’s their mixologist making a maple Margarita. And, oh, garnished with an orange twist & bacon. And you have time to order one before your movie. I’m closer than I like but it’s what was left.
I saw The Judge – kind of sappy, and a little too long, but the Roberts, Downy Jr. and Duvall, were good. And I just did one of those buzzfeed quizzes on what role were you born to play, and it came out Iron man, so I guess I was meant to go see Robert Downy Jr. I think everyone was playing a bit younger than they are, but maybe only 5ish years for Downy, instead of 10+ like Duvall.
I haven’t been doing so well at documenting the food this trip – I really haven’t taken any pics*. The rubber-chicken-conference dinner was actually the university dining hall version of Texas BBQ – there was chicken (that I didn’t have) and brisket in BBQ sauce – OK, but not really flavorful; corn muffins with a bit of red pepper in them – similar – a little dry, not bad but not terrific; veleveeta-y mac & cheese; potato salad (probably the best tasting). Good potatoes turned out to be a theme. The lunches were notable for the amount of vegetables – salad bar with kidney and garbanzo beans, potato salad made with good fingerling potatoes, roasted green beans, roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage cooked with apples – and the Swedish fish in the snacks. Oh, yeah and whole fruits and peanut butter – so on Friday I had a banana with peanut butter for breakfast and on Saturday, I had an apple, also with.
Backtracking to Friday night, I went on a quest for cheap Mexican with another librarian from LoC, and got to eat at Taco Joint (their website sucks, you can’t read the menu, obviously not done, lorem ipsum text, but at least they’re using Word Press). I had tried to go there the last time I was in Austin, but it was closed – it closes at 8:00PM. Between us we tried 3 tacos – the Wholey Mole – chicken with mole; El 4/20 (haha) beef carnitas with shoestring pepitas – no, I still don’t know what those are – little crunchy strip something’s; and the street taco – grilled sirloin (garlic & lime) with avocado. I rode the bus back to the Aloft, finished grading my information architecture students’ websites, watched a Sopranos, and I think I slept straight thru until 6:30AM Saturday. That never happens. I mighta got up, but I don’t remember.
Speaking of sleep, the Super Shuttle is getting me at 5:30AM Sunday, so I better head for bed.
Here’s how bad I really was at taking pictures – I took little camera, my Canon point & shoot, and when I got home, its memory card was still in my computer. <grin>
