…because the building’s on fire!!!!!

Yesterday evening was interesting to say the least. I came home from work a little early through the back gate of my complex…like I do everyday. I was running late to my monthly volunteer duty, so I quickly changed clothes and ran out the door about 5:05 pm. But, I ran out my door to witness the beginnings of a ’situation’ in the building next door, right next to the back gate I entered minutes prior.

I saw several people standing out in front of the building, heard the fire alarm going off, and saw people moving cars. Next thing, I saw smoke coming from the third floor at the far side of the building by the gate. I thought…”Holy crap! This can’t be happening…the building’s on freaking fire!”

I saw a woman watching and asked her if she knew what was going on. She lived in the apartment on the 2nd floor, under the one where the fire appeared to have started. She smelled smoke, thought the neighbors upstairs were bbq-ing (which they sometimes did - against the ‘rules’ of course), but it just got more intense. She looked out her window and saw smoke everywhere. She grabbed her daughter, ran out and called 911. Not a couple minutes after I walked out my door, there were fire trucks and emergency vehicles everywhere. There was about 7 around my building and the one on fire. There were at least 2 more on the street outside the gate. EMS showed up and several cops, as well…blocking off our section of the complex and parking right behind my car. There was no escape for me after that.

The smoke got darker, there was more of it and the wind was blowing it right on us. It was everywhere. My neighbor Kristen came out and found me and we just stood there dumbfounded. We were all covering our faces with our shirts or tissues. It was awful. Firefighters started going in with axes and hoses. I never saw any flames from my vantage point, but I suppose the full gravity of the situation didn’t hit me until they started busting out windows in the 2nd floor apartment and everything was just black.

My heart just ached for the woman I had talked to when it all started…knowing that her home was being destroyed right before her very eyes. Meanwhile the guys who lived in the apartment of origin were just hanging out like it was a picnic.

So, eventually the fire was contained and put out…probably took almost an hour or so, but things didn’t calm down until about 7:40…that’s when a lot of trucks finally left. The fire department was conducting their investigation, walking on top of the roof, searching the other units in the building, etc. Management took all of the building residents to the office to figure out arrangements and such. It was just so sad. When the excitement died down, as I went back to my apartment, I couldn’t help thinking how lucky I was that I wasn’t one of them.

Being curious, I went back outside at about 8:30 and there was still one truck left and someone wearing what looked like a Red Cross vest. There were clean up vans already there. They were escorting that woman and her family into their apartment to salvage things they needed. It was heartbreaking. I also saw the guys from the 3rd floor bring stuff down, too.

I felt guilty for wanting to blame those guys for what happened. They were young, looked kind of grunge and/or goth. I heard they were in a band together or something, and I heard more than once that neighbors were not surprised it started in their apartment. I was disappointed with myself for stereotyping and being judgemental…assuming from outward appearance that they would do something irresponsible to cause an accident like this to happen. ‘Meth lab’ went through my head at least once, but I didn’t hear an explosion, so I dismissed that theory. See…I’m an awful person!

I watched the news at 9:00pm and there was the story…finally, some information! Apparently, the cause was cigarettes…from the guy’s 3rd floor apartment. Investigators theorize that cigarettes were left on the balcony of the apartment on the 3rd floor and they fell onto the overhang right below. So, in the heat and sun, they ignited and caused the fire. Carelessness. I know accidents happen, but it’s careless to leave out flammables in the hot Texas summer sun. Carelessness caused a reported initial 200K in structural damage and an estimated 80K in property damage. Out of 12 units, 8 had fire, smoke or water damage. So, carelessness has forced 12 families out of their homes for who knows how long. Remember kids, only you can prevent forest (and apartment) fires!

Ok, I’m off my soapbox now. The best thing of all is that no one was hurt…no residents and no pets. A fireman ended up with a minor cut, but was treated on scene, according to the news report. I tend to search for lessons, good things or humor in bad situations. I was in luck…there were a few things amusing about this experience.

One: A cautionary tale this is and a lesson learned…this is a ‘good’ born of tragedy. I had no idea how many people do not think to get renter’s insurance. I heard more than once, “I’m calling tomorrow to get some.”. To me, having renter’s insurance is a no-brainer. I had mine lined up when I moved in over 3 years ago. I don’t know…it’s a risk living in a building with x number of people. You don’t know if they are smokers, forgetful and leave candles burning (which yes, I’m guilty of myself ), or don’t have irons with an auto shut off feature. Not to mention, just damage from weather, water leaks, fautly wiring, etc. So, I’m sure some insurance agents around town will be happy today, signing up new policies.

Two: I’m a freak who gets star-struck by any kind of celebrity. Even the celebrity of the local reporter variety. I don’t have cable and as a result, end up watching a lot of FOX, which includes broadcasts of FOX News Austin. It’s my local news source of choice. Well, who comes walking up to me and some of the other spectators, but one of the ‘in the field’ reporters. He asked us if we had any pictures or video of the fire while it was in progress. Unfortunately I didn’t…and I told him my camera was broken. Then, I tell him…”I love your broadcast. I watch it everyday.”. Yeah, I’m a fruitcake. He walks off and I say to Kristen…”Did I really just say that?”. Embarrassement prevents any further explanation.

Three: Irony…how ironic is it to watch people light up and have a smoke while watching firefighters battle a blaze in their very own building? I love blatent examples of irony. They amuse me and make me smile.

So, this is what I get for saying that I will start blogging about the mundane events of my life. Again…irony.

The little things I’ve experienced lately, like an expensive and unexpected car repair, a broken cell phone, or not getting a sought after job, all pale in comparison to something as devastating as a house fire. I’ll take these minor inconveniences or disappointments any day over what I saw last night. I feel very grateful today.

Next on my agenda…getting a safe deposit box!

I’ve decided to expand upon the original premise of my blog. Yes, I have this wanderlust, however, my life is not nearly as interesting and busy as I would have you believe! Can’t you see that from my frequent postings?!

Anywho, as is the case, I’d like to write more, so now the content of my posts will be more about the general and mundane things that happen in my life. Sounds riveting, huh? Well, hopefully with practice, I’ll get this blogging thing down and maybe increase my readership to more than 3 people.

I suppose a recap of the past month is in order. Hmmm…if only I can remember what I’ve been doing for the past month. Oh, yeah…well, we went to the Scarborough Faire Ren Fest a few weeks back. It was fun, but all the ren fests I’ve been to are now melding into one big ren fest experience…so, now I can’t remember what acts I saw where or when. Regardless, it’s all still entertaining…good times with friends, ‘fair’ food, and a freak show all combined into one. Can’t get much better than that!

I’ve seen a couple movies the past few weeks as well. Iron Man was much better than I expected. I really had no desire to see it at first, so I passed on the chance to see it opening night with James. So, after all the hype, he decided to see it again with me. I thought it was better than Indiana Jones. As for Indiana Jones, I love Harrison Ford…however, I didn’t like the whole supernatural otherworldly thing about the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Aliens freak me out…no idea why they disturb me. Yeah, I’m weird that way. Talk about an irrational phobia! Anyhow, the $5 dollar milkshake I had while watching it at the Alamo made me feel better. Next up is the Sex and the City movie. I’m going to see that with the girls. I’d hate for James to give up his man card and ask him to see it with me. It’s more conducive to a girl’s night out experience anyway.

That’s it for now…must get to work. All this typing gives the appearance that I’m being productive, but at some point, I will have to show proof of actual work.

Another month…another post! Yeah, so not much has been happening lately. James went on his Vegas work trip several weeks ago, but I stayed here due to some changes in his travel plans.

Just been laying low for a while. But, this weekend, we had some company. James’s buddy Beau came down from Oklahoma City. We had dinner at the Oasis Friday night. It was nice, but to me, the food has never been anything to write home about. It was a beautiful sunset, as usual, though.


We then had plans to go to Amy’s ice cream for dessert, but due to an apparent unforseen demand for ice cream, after seeing the long line at Amy’s, we decided to pop on into the Cheesecake Factory.

Hmmmm…cheesecake. Out of the 4 types of cheesecake ordered, the best was of the banana cream variety. It was light, not too sweet…perfection!

That was the first time I sabotaged myself and my weightloss goals this weekend.

The second episode of sabotage included a trip to Hut’s Hamburgers. I’d never been there before, so I was really looking forward to it. I had a cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, and a chocolate shake. Granted, the fries/onion rings/shake were shared…oh, and I didn’t get mayo on my burger. Looking back on it now, not like it would have made much difference with or without it! The meal canceled out my morning walk around Town Lake…probably many of my morning walks on the trail.

Episode three included a trip to the Sirloin Stockade breakfast buffet this morning. I’m not one for buffets now adays. So, it wasn’t my first choice for breakfast, but I went along with it anyway. Let’s just say I was uncomfortably full when I left. Bad, Jenn!!!!

On another note, we went to Cap City Comedy Club last night and saw Tracey Ashley. She was really funny and I enjoyed her set.

So, that brings this weekend to a close. A fun and food-filled weekend…time to go for a walk!

I’m having one of those weeks when every day I ask…’What day is it?’. It is Wednesday, so Friday is right around the corner. Yay! Oh, how I love my weekends! So, what have I been up to in the past few weeks you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

A few weeks ago, we went with some friends out to Walburg to eat dinner at the creatively named ‘Walburg Restaurant’. It was good. We decided to get the buffet. I can’t really tell you now some of the things we had, but it was mostly German food. HA! They had a live band playing and it was crowded. An interesting place.

http://www.walburgrestaurant.com/

I’m a huge fan of Michael Buble. He came to town about 3 weeks ago, so James and I went down to the Erwin Center for the concert. Of course, being the cost conscious girl that I am, I got the cheapest tickets I could get. BIG MISTAKE! We were at the very top row. He put on an absolutely awesome show. He is funny and witty…just a great entertainer, and of course, I loved the music. If he comes back, I’ll shell out the extra money for better tickets. It’s definitely worth it.

http://www.michaelbuble.com/

Two weeks ago, I hopped a plane to New Orleans for a family reunion. Now, when I say New Orleans, I mean I flew into the New Orleans airport. I visited some family in Ponchatoula and then went to Belle Chasse, south of the city for the reunion event. It was nice seeing everyone, since I haven’t been down there in a couple of years. But, it’s also sometimes disturbing to see who your relatives are. I got to spend lots of time with my baby nephew, who is the most precious thing on this earth. I haven’t seen him in 2 months, and he’s changed so much in that time. It’s amazing! I’m just sad that I won’t see him again until his birthday in July. If he changed so much in 2 months, I can’t imagine how much he’ll have changed in 5 months. The only bummer of the weekend was that my brother and sis-in-law couldn’t make it. Their flight from Seattle was canceled due to weather in their layover destination of Dallas.

Speaking of travel plans, sadly, Vegas is a no go for me. James will get to go, and while I’m very disappointed I can’t join him out there, I’m excited that he’ll have a chance to go. We’re also starting to look at flights for our trip out to Atlanta in early June. Yeah…no such thing as an affordable flight from Austin to Atlanta.

Just this past Sunday, we went to the Alamo downtown for the Master Pancake Theatre presentation of ‘Back to the Future’. It was very entertaining. You can read a review by James at wetwired.

www.wetwired.org

So, that about does it for me. Until, next time!

This weekend, my good friend Adam came to visit from Lake Charles, LA. It is one of my goals to convince him that moving here would be one of the best decisions he could ever make.

It was for me…it was for James. It was for many other people I know. How could he go wrong in taking the chance?

So, in my quest this weekend to show him some of the sites and how awesome this town is, I fell in love with Austin all over again…from the scenery, the interesting and offbeat things to do, the food, and the feel of the town.

Saturday morning, we stopped at Rudy’s for some breakfast tacos. I don’t know why it is, but I absolutely LOVE the coffee at Rudy’s…even more than…dare I say…Starbucks! Anyhow, he was a fan of the breakfast taco. Of course, he had the same reaction a lot of non-Texans do…”Tacos? For breakfast?”. So, he beheld the breakfast taco and it was good.

We then headed down to Town Lake…I mean Lady Bird Lake. I don’t think I can get used to calling it that, but anyway. It was a beautiful day…a perfect day. And, since Adam loves running, I thought that would be a big draw for him. Breakfast tacos before a walk/run is not the best idea, but we all survived.

So, then we went to the downtown farmers’ market, but just walked through quickly…they were all packing up. Apparently, they take it down at 1:00. But, James and I have been down there on a few occasions. It’s always interesting.

We went to Whole Foods next. I LOVE just looking at the breads, chocolates, and cakes. They are way to beautiful to eat…they’re like art. Now, I say that of course because they are off limits to me now…my Lenten sacrifice. *sigh* I miss chocolate. The parking garage was murder though…I think it took us almost 30 minutes to park. It wasn’t that there weren’t any spaces, it was that people trying to get out were trapped by people trying to get in and those waiting for people leaving to pull out of spaces, etc. What a mess! Note to self…stay away from there on Saturdays.

We also went to The Domain. I really have nothing to say about the Domain. Not that I have anything against the Domain, but I’m distracted by watching the Oscars while I’m writing this.

Saturday night, we went to see a local improv comedy group called Coldtowne. It was funny…very entertaining. They were doing this thing called Stool Pigeon where they have a local celebrity come in and tell short stories about their lives, and then the troupe performs some skits based on the stories. So, an Austin blogger called ‘Mean Rachel’ was the guest. I read her blog (www.meanrachel.com), and it wasn’t quite what I expected. Although, at the end of the performance, she did make a political endorsement of a local candidate, but I did not expect to see almost every post be political in nature.

We took Adam to Chuy’s last night and thanks to spilling half my margarita at dinner and getting a replacement, I was d-r-u-n-k by the time we got home. You’d think by age 31, I could hold my liquor, but I’ll always be a cheap date. Yeah, I don’t remember anything after that.

This morning, we went to Kirby Lane on 183 and had some yummy pancakes. We drove out on 360 and 2222 and went up to Mount Bonnell to check out some views. We also took Adam to Mansfield Dam. We did make a trip out to IKEA and the outlet mall as well.

Still, with all we did this weekend, I only dropped 70 bucks. Not bad! I’m not sure if we have Adam 100% convinced he should move here, but I know we did make our case.

Hey, kids!

Time for another post. Hmmm…haven’t really traveled anywhere recently, but have had a few things going on. Today, I actually just filed my taxes…so, good feeling. Especially since I’ll be getting a nice refund. Something to finance my future travels with.

We went to a new restaurant a couple of weekends ago…Mighty Fine. Burgers, Fries and Shakes. Y-U-M-M-Y!!!!! Yes, I love burgers…more than I should.

http://www.mightyfineburgers.com/

For those of you local to Austin, this place is owned by the same folks as Rudy’s barbecue. It has the same kind of layout, picnic table stye, and friendly, outgoing servers behind the counter. I give it 4 and a half stars! The fries are really good, but one order is definitely enough for two. The chocolate shake was scrumptious. And, of course the burger (cheeseburger, of course) was D-LICIOUS.

A Steak and Shake is going up near the outlet mall in Round Rock and we’ll be going there once it opens. I’ve never been to one of those, but James has and likes it.

I also was in a friend’s wedding a few weeks ago at Mercury Hall, just south of downtown. It was a quaint little place. Older place, wooden floors…was a very nice setting for a small wedding. It’s in a little wooded area and you would never tell it’s like a mile south of downtown.

We’ve been going over our calendars for the year, and it’s looking pretty busy. Looks like we’ll be taking a trip up to Oklahoma City in a couple weekends. I also have a family reunion coming up in the beginning of March in New Orleans. And…the marquee event of the spring…a trip to Las Vegas the first weekend of April.

I haven’t been to Vegas in 4 years, and that was the last in a string of work trips. James has never been and this is actually a work trip for him, but I’m flying out to spend the weekend. I’m excited! It will be great to go there for recreation for once (at least for me)!

Wow…I knew it had been a while since I posted last, but didn’t realize it had been 2 months!

I’ll not bore you with excuses, but it’s been a busy couple of months.

James and I went to New Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve never been to New Mexico, so I can now add that to my visited ’state count’.

We spent Thanksgiving in Clovis visiting his family and then headed out to Ruidoso for some R and R. It snowed some on Thanksgiving in Clovis, but was pretty dry by the time we arrived in Ruidoso. We drove up onto the mountain and got some really nice pictures. I’ll post them soon (they’re all on James’s laptop).

It really is beautiful up there. I’ve always considered myself more of a beach girl, but there’s something really special about the mountains. It did snow while we were there, but not enough to open the slopes. So, no skiing for me this time. Ruidoso is such a cute, quaint little town. There were some really interesting shops…my favorites were one of the candy shoppes and a Christmas ornament store. I found several cute things to bring home for Christmas gifts.

We stayed in a cute little cabin. It was teeny tiny and very cold, but it was perfect. I think I’d weigh 300 pounds if I lived in the mountains. For one, you can wear lots of baggy clothes so you don’t have to worry about looking fat…you can’t tell with all the layers. And secondly, I felt like all we did was eat.

I also went home to Mississippi for Christmas. Christmas at home is always great…very comforting, but at the same time more bittersweet the older I get. Things have gotten much different over the past couple of years…my siblings are married and have to divide time with their in-laws or alternate Christmas with the families. Also, we now have a baby in the family with my nephew’s arrival this year. Well, we all know that the only constant is change.

Improvements and tweaks to the site have been ongoing, and thanks to James, it’s looking great.

In the meantime, I’ve been out and about, here and there.

A few weeks ago, I went with the girls to Mandola’s winery in Driftwood. We had lunch at the restraunt and had a bottle of their wine with our meal. It was excellent. It was a beautiful day and we were seated on the patio. When we went to the wine tasting area after lunch, all they had was one wine, which is what we had with our lunch. They were sold out of everything else.

We decided we’d definitely have to go back at some point. I’ll get some pictures posted.

http://www.mandolawines.com/

Just this past weekend, we drove down to Plantersville to the Texas Renaissance Festival. It was interesting as usual. Lots of folks in costume…from Roman soldiers, Greeks in togas, gypsies and belly dancers, fairies, goth get ups, and actual renaissance period costumes. I just went as me, but I did get a garland for my hair. The food was okay, but the best thing I had was a regular old chocolate ice cream waffle cone. The food in the Greek section was the best, though. I’ll forgo the chicken on a stick next time and go with a gyro. It was a fun day…maybe next year, I’ll get a palm reading!

http://www.texrenfest.com/

This past Sunday, we drove down to Gruene to have lunch at the Gristmill. We took advantage of the beautiful day and nice temperature. We were seated inside, but the window were all open, so it actually felt like we were outside. We walked around some, and went to The Grapevine for some wine tasting. James bought some spice wine for the holidays. We also went to some eclectic shops and antique stores. I’m as graceful as a bull in a china shop, so antique shops freak me out. I’m always scared of breaking something pricey!

http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/

On the way home, we stopped at Cabella’s and bought way too much fudge in the general store. It was buy 4 pieces, get 2 free…so we did. I LOVE their peanut butter and chocolate fudge…soooo yummy!

So, that sums up some of the places I’ve gone and things I’ve done since my last post. Ciao!

(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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Yesterday evening, James and I went to happy hour.  It was a local place that a co-worker told him about.  I’m always up to going new places, so I was looking forward to it. 

We went to Austin Land & Cattle Company on the corner of 12th and Lamar. 

http://www.austinlandandcattlecompany.com/

I think it can be somewhat of a challenge to get really good food at a reasonable price, unless of course, you consider the McDonald’s dollar menu as really good food.  We went for happy hour specifically for that reason.  Their happy hour consists of dollar off drinks and half off items on the bar menu. 

The hostess was friendly when we entered.  The atmosphere was dark and elegant.  There was a lit candle at our table.  I thought it was kind of a romantic place and atmosphere.  The bar area was full, but I didn’t find it noisy,  nor the activity around the bar distracting.  It was easy to make conversation without talking loudly or not being able to hear your companion. 

I had a dirty vodka (Absolut) martini.  I’ve had better, but it got the job done…I was wobbly when we left and much more relaxed!  It wasn’t as dirty as I like, but olives soaked in vodka are yummy.  :-) If I remember correctly, James had a Vodka Collins, but I don’t remember hearing him give his opinion on it. 

So, for our bar menu dinner, I had a Black and Blue Salad.  The salad was pretty good.  On the menu, it’s described as “Crisp Romain lettuce tossed with homemade blue cheese dressing, tomatoes, red onions, and blackend filet tips”.  The steak tips were seared rare.  I rarely have rare steak (hahaha), but decided to go with it this time.  The waiter did let me know it’s served as such, so that was nice to know beforehand.  I liked the blue cheese dressing, but it doesn’t compare with the blue cheese dressing from Sullivan’s Steakhouse.  There was more steak on the salad than I had expected, so that was a nice surpise as well.  I think it had to be at least 6 oz.  Not the BEST salad I’ve ever had, but better than any other black and blue salad I’ve had in the past (typically at chain restarants).

James had the Steak Sampler, which is described as “2 oz. each of Ribeye, Sirloin and Filet Mignon with one choice of our homemade sauces”.  It was served it with both sauces, both of which were pretty tasty.  One had some sort of creamy base (not sure what), and the other was some kind of barbeque-y whiskey burbon sauce.  He liked it so much, he almost ordered a 2nd serving. 

When the check came, the side salad had been comp’ed becuase it came out late, even though there was nary a complaint about it from us.  So, for 2 drinks, and both dishes, our bill came out to roughly 26 dollars before tip. 

Not bad for a tasty and filling steak dinner.  We’ll definitely go back again.

We also went for gelato after dinner.  We went to the central location of Teo on 38th Street across from Seton Medical Center.  We have been there before, and it’s always been good.  James had pumpkin pie flavored gelato and enjoyed it immensely.  It was pretty good.  Usually, I stick to basics like Chocolate, but I was adventurous this time and got an order half cookies ‘n cream and half latte.  LOL…not so adventurous I know, but at least I’m branching out from chocolate!  It’s lighter than ice cream and leaves me feeling a little less guilty for having had some. 

http://www.caffeteo.com/

Last week, I went to Dolce Vita on Duval Street and had some pistachio gelato…that was excellent and I’ll be sure to sample that if they ever have it out at Teo. 

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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won’t you come on in?

Hi, I’m Jenn and I’m an…Oh, wait!  

Silly me, this isn’t my 12 step meeting!!!  

So, this is my first post of my first official blog.  Most everyone seems to have a blog these days, so why not me? Of course, by that same line of reasoning, my mother would ask, “if everyone was jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?”.  So, in doing this, my assumption is that blogging is much safer and less scary than a head first plunge into the East River.

This site has been in the planning stages for quite some time, so it’s nice to see it finally come to fruition.  Things are still under construction, but I promise a great improvement in the near future.  I’m excited about how it’s coming together.  

So, stay tuned for a new format and graphics, as well as some posts about the events and road trips I’ll be taking in the next few months.   

(2 votes, average: 2.5 out of 5)
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