I'm off...

Hard to believe that it's already end of July. This summer has so far been productive at work, getting some image/data analyses done. We've also been exploring some Austin restaurants these days - mostly Tex-Mex and burger joints - which I hope to write about in the coming weeks. For now, I'm off to Utah for a few days -- will be back with some photos...

Back again

Well, it's been a while since my last post. We've kept ourselves pretty busy for the last several months, getting married, getting a new job (for Johanna), getting new projects up to speed (for me), etc., etc. Austin is getting warmer and warmer everyday - it's been around 90F for the last two weeks, and we definitely need more rain. I know Johanna wouldn't mind dry weather so much, but having lived in humid places for most of life, I feel the need for summer like you can feel the air as you walk through it.

It's almost nine months since we moved to Austin. No, we haven't picked up any of the west Texas accent, not yet at least, but it's been rather easy to adjust to the life here in Austin. Not entirely sure why, though. Maybe it's the traffic (or lack thereof), the city's compact size, or the weather for that matter. Or maybe it's just that I feel happier with my current job than the previous one.

Anyhow, now that we've got our wedding out or the way (many thanks to our friends and family who utterly overwhelmed us with their love and support), we can spend more time exploring Austin and tackling some summer projects (organizing one of the closets, for one thing...). And hopefully I'll get around to sharing bits of our life with you here...

Happy World Philosophy Day!!

Today is World Philosophy Day, and if you are in a mood for contemplation, here are some questions you can think about...

There's no place like Austin...

It's almost been a month since we moved to Austin. We are pretty much done unpacking at this point, and started exploring around the town.






This weekend, we went to Town Lake (just south of downtown) for a walk along the trail. This is a view of the lake from north, looking over Barton Creek.










Here's another view of the lake with Lamar Street bridge (and a guy standing on a longboard rowing along).










This was taken from an ad for a real estate agency in "2008 Austin Newcomer Guide"

South by Southwest

I know it's been more than two weeks since we moved to Austin, but we've been pretty busy since then. I've already got my hands full with my new job, and Johanna has been keeping herself busy with new a tutoring job etc., etc. Anyway, as I promised before, here are some photos that we took during our road trip from Laurel, MD, along with some smart-alec comments...

09/20/2008



1030 EDT (mile 0) - One last look at our place in Laurel, MD. The place has been great for this past year that we lived in it, but it's time to go...

We have a full tank of gas, five apples in a ziploc bag, it's sunny outside, and we are wearing sunscreen and sunglasses.






Leaving Salt Lake City... I mean, Washington, DC. The DC Mormon temple is a big traffic landmark that we'll never forget. I-495 (outer loop) just North of DC.













Introducing our enthusiastic passengers (aka hot chili peppers) sitting cosily in a box. They are looking forward to better weather in Austin.



1145 (mile?) - Lunch at Subway in Marshall, VA. Masa also buys extra battery for the camera.



1345 (mile 169) - Rest stop in Mt. Sidney, VA.



Driving though Shenandoah Valley along I-81. Shenandoah Mountains on the right, Blue Ridge Mountains on the left. Cows, small towns, and quite a few liberal arts colleges.

1530 (mile 265) - Gas stop just outside of Roanoke, VA.


Emory, VA - Home of Emory & Henry College.


















1730 (mile 380) - Our first stop in Meadowview, VA, where one of Johanna's friends lives. We were rather surprised to find a local restaurant that serves organic, locally raised food (in picture: The Harvest Table Restaurant and Meadowview Farmers' Guild).

09/21/2008

0900 - Start the second day of driving.










Yes, we are in the middle of the Bible belt. Victory Baptist Church close to VA-TN border.
















mile 404 - "Tennessee Welcomes You"

1245 (mile 550) - Gas/lunch stop outside of Knoxville, TN. Next to the gas station/Subway we stopped at was a big fireworks shop.

1220 CDT (mile 593) - Rest stop near Crab Orchard, TN.

And then a bit of rain came while driving though Putnam County, TN.

1540 (mile 714) - Nashville, TN is our stop today. Kevin, Masa's friend, was kind (or crazy?) enough to put us up for the night. We also got a chance to get together with Liz and Mike, also friends of Masa's. Apparently we were too tired to take pictures this day - but then again, it's not like we were driving through downtown Nashville anyway...


09/22/2008

Left Nashville after breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, which is supposed to be one of the best places in town for breakfast.


Bucksnort, TN is a short drive west of Nashville. No further comment.

1030 (mile 840) - Gas stop in Jackson, TN



Fort Pillow - I'm not so into the civil war, so I didn't know that this is actually a historically significant site. Just thought that it was a funny name for a military installation.



There was a bit of traffic jam near Exit 42 caused by a burnt trailer tractor.



1230 (mile 911) - Memphis, TN - Johanna's first Stake 'n Shake experience. Yes, this was more important than trying some local BBQ.







Driving through Memphis.....









....and crossing Mississippi River into Arkansas.










A public service announcement of sorts (with local flavor)...









... and here's another one. Who are they targeting anyway?





1530 (mile 1069) - Arriving in Little Rock, AR. This is actually the view from our hotel room. The building in the center is the Clinton Library.











After so much driving, it really was nice to walk around downtown Little Rock. Not that they have a lot to see, mind you.










A good place for fried seafood.



















Sun sets over the Arkansas River.







09/23/2008

0935 - Start driving for how many days now?


1015 (mile 1113) - Malvern, AR - Gas stop.


Passing through Hope, AR, birthplace of Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee.





We had lunch at a Subway in Texarkana, AR-TX. This is the US courthouse and post office in town, which actually straddles the TX-AR border. The gentleman in the picture coming out of the right-side door is one of the city board members (who made sure to introduce himself to us and welcome us to Texarkana).










Driving through Detroit, TX, along US82.











US82 runs through South of Red River, and this is pretty typical of what you'd see. Nothing special, but vast (and I'm sure beautiful to some) exapance of farmland.







1430 (mile 1314) - Tea stop in Paris, TX. Yes, we actually talked about eloping in Paris (TX, of course). The downtown area actually has some nice buildings, but it's just in the middle of rebirth, I think.

1600 (mile 1391) - Arriving in Sherman, TX. We stayed at my aunt's house for this night.

09/24/2008

0955 - Starting the last leg of the trip.


And passing through downtown Dallas














Going South on I-35. This is a big truck repair shop somewhere before Waco.









Passing through Waco, TX. In the background is the campus of Baylor University. Incidentally, Crawford (aka Western White House) is just outside of Waco.












And we got caught in a big storm seen ahead in this photo.
















Almost there...



We arrived at our new apartment safely, and cerebrated the long trip with some margaritas at a Tex-Mex cafe acress the street from our place. There's still a lot more to explore in Austin (and around), so I'll be reporting about things new/weird/etc here in the coming days...

We are in Austin, TX!

We safely arrived in Austin today! Travel photos and stories coming up soon...

Last Supper (in Maryland)

So this is our last supper in Maryland: 2 pieces of home-made whole wheat bread; fresh tomato; stir fry with cabbage, mushroom, and tofu; parmesan cheese; mushroom risotto, etc., etc.














Masa takes the last piece of cheesecake with a cup of tea.