i walk the line....

I've been back in Central Texas for about 5 weeks and I've finally had some downtime at work.  Even though I had kept a house here, I have a few formalities to take care of before I'm considered a Texan again.  All of them will involve lines. I transferred car insurance to my old Austin insurance agent.  I had to sign on the line at the bottom of the form. I got my car inspected today (there's no inspection requirement in TN) and I was 3rd in line. On Monday, I'll stand in line to register my car in Texas.  After I get the car registered, I get to go to the DMV to get a Texas drivers license.  Line, line everywhere a line.  Lines on my face.  Who's line is it anyway?  giggle

not in middle tennessee anymore....

I moved from Austin around December 18, 2010 and began work in middle Tennessee.  It was culture shock at first but I quickly settled in.  I loved the job and I was learning new things.  I also grew to like Tennessee - especially Nashville.  I was 40 miles away and I visited almost every weekend.  Nashville reminded me of Austin but with parking spots.
The industry that I was in took a big turn down and it looked like layoffs were coming.  I was able to find a job in Austin so I am back.
I had been gone for 2 years and had only come back to visit twice.  I drove back and here a few impressions...
   - I was about 30 minutes inside the Texas state line and I saw a Shiner beer truck.  I knew I was home.
   - I think every mile between Dallas and Austin on I35 had some road work going on.  yikes
   - I literally didn't recognize the Austin skyline.  Was the Austonian there when I left?
   - I experienced sensory overload when I hit Georgetown (40 miles north of Austin).  It was noon, the interstate was full and everyone was going 80 mph.
   - I saw two runners on Riverside.  That's half of what I saw in 2 years in Tennessee!
It's good to be home....

hushpuppy and other 2012 faves....

It's the end of 2012 so I'm doing a best of year compilation...
I saw a bunch of good movies this year but my favorite was "Beasts of the Southern Wild".  There once was a Hushpuppy and she lived with her daddy in the Bathtub.  Other favorites were "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Searching for Sugarman".

I haven't gotten around to drinking moonshine yet but I did visit a couple of bourbon distilleries this year.  My favorite was the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, KY.  The drive there was great, the location is fabulous and the tour was top notch.  The samples were good too.  giggle.  We even got to dip our own bottle at the end.  

I did a few races this year.  There was a half marathon in Murfreesboro, TN and a 200 mile relay race from Chattanooga to Nashville with some friends from work.  These races were good but they can't compare with the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK.  The run was actually fun, Tulsa was nicer than I imagined and I got to run with 2 of my BFF's.  It was perfect.

Last but not least, I'm going with the Moon Pie as my favorite indulgence for 2012.  It was a close contest with Goo Goo Clusters but the Moon Pie contains 3 of my favorite food groups - chocolate, marshmallow and mystery cake.  Yum


Happy New Year

on your trail....

An alternative to road running is trail running.  Trails are typically a very narrow (2 feet) path that winds through the woods.  There is not any clearing involved.  As a result, there is a lot of zig zagging and short uphills and downhills.  All tree roots and rocks are left in place.  10 miles of road running is a piece of cake compared to 10 miles on a trail.  However - the scenery is incredible on the trail.
There is a National Recreation area near me called Land Between the Lakes.  It's not the most romantic name but that's basically what it is - a land mass between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake.  They have many trails and I checked it out yesterday.  There is an 11 mile trail loop that is typically used for mountain bikes.  It's a 70 mile drive but it was well worth it.  I left home around 6:30am and hit the trail around 8:00am.  The goal in trail running is to not trip on a root or a rock and to not hit your head on a low branch. I was successful on all counts.  yay

please pass the butter....

I read an article this weekend about butter churns and it made me wonder how butter is made.  I did a little research and it turns out to be relatively easy.  I didn't dash out and buy a churn but I did utilize my mixer.
Butter is basically whipped cream that's been whipped too long.  I started with 40 ounces of heavy cream and turned the mixer to high.  It thickened, went to hard peaks, became coarser, turned yellow and then started flinging liquid.  The liquid was buttermilk separating which signaled that it was done.  I poured the mixer bowl into a strainer and then kneaded the butter until it was smooth and all of the buttermilk was squeezed out.  From my 40 ounces of cream, I got 18 ounces of butter and 28 ounces of buttermilk.  It took about 10 minutes.
It's cheaper and less hassle to buy sticks of butter but I may stick with the homemade stuff for awhile.  There are no preservatives so I have about two weeks to make cookies, pancakes and such.  Wish me luck...

pudd'nhead ......

I'm pushing two years of solitary living in middle Tennessee.  I could point out some good things about living alone but it's really not much fun.  I do have less laundry and planning meals is much easier but it doesn't compensate for being an army of one.
There is, however, one good point and I say this with a selfish tongue in cheek.  I make chocolate pudding from scratch - milk, chocolate, corn starch and sugar.  It is really good and I don't have to share it with anybody. giggle.
I've never read Pudd'nhead Wilson but I've always liked the title.  A quick look at Wikipedia told me that Pudd'nhead is thought by the townspeople to be of low intelligence.  I've never interacted with townspeople here so they have no reason to believe that I'm not of low intelligence.  He's a bookkeeper and his hobby is collecting fingerprints.  I don't collect fingerprints but I sure do enjoy my pudding.  I'm a modern day pudd'nhead.

thanks for the support....

I ran a marathon last weekend in Tulsa OK with a couple of my best friends ever.  Clea turned 40 on Saturday and had suggested the Tulsa marathon many months ago as a fun way to celebrate.  Another one of our dear friends, Stephanie, also joined us for the trip.  The three of us have been running together for years so it was fun to get together again.  Tulsa is on Route 66 and that was the theme of the event.  I was there from Friday until Monday and I really enjoyed the trip.
This was my 18th marathon but it had been a couple of years since I had run one.  The newest craze for long distance runners are compression socks that run up to just below the knee.  I have dismissed them as a gimmick but Clea swears by them.  In appreciation for making the trip, she bought all of us matching pairs of red compression socks.  The marathon was the first time that I wore them.  They are really tight - they actually feel good.  This was the first marathon that I didn't cramp during the run and I wasn't sore at all the next day.  I'm a believer.  Thanks for the support.