Busy is Fun!!

Does anyone else enjoy staying busy as much as I do?? I'm not talking about with board meetings and soccer practice, I'm talking about chores: Good ole housework!
There's a certain excitement that washes over me on the days that I've actually made it out of the office on time and am headed home... it's like a Christmas morning gift: the hours that I know I have ahead of me to do all the things that have been put on hold because I've been at work.

I get home and immediately write down all the things I intend to do that evening, if I haven't already brainstormed in the shower before work. Always on the list: "work out". Never on the list: "relax". Mr. Boyfriend tells me I don't relax enough. But as I sit here writing this, I feel relaxed. This is my version of vegging out in front of the TV watching American Idol (a show which I choose to ignore, by the way).

Other things usually on the list: kitty litter/trash, water plants, vacuum, HEB, etc. Normal things that other people despise, I love! Call it what you want, some call it OCD; I call it neat and organized. I recently read about the behavior and symptoms associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder... I probably fall into the category of people that act compulsive (contantly making lists, arranging things so they're "just so", etc.) without having the actual disorder. So there! ;)

So next time you see me at HEB in my workout clothes, ask me what I'll be doing later. The answer probably won't be "nothing".

Not your normal work out videos...

If you like to find new ways to work out and you haven't discovered SparkPeople.com yet, you're in for a treat. You'll find dozens of videos to switch up the boring old routines! And for free!!

Forget waiting for the treadmill at the gym...
Just visit http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_videos.asp and voila! Almost too many to choose from! And you can do them at any time! Like right now- I just finished my set and it's 12:14am!

And if you like Lady Gaga as much as I do, you'll find her songs go perfectly with the kickboxing videos... here's my favorite:
Pair these two together- it might take a few times to memorize Coach Nicole's movements, but once you do it's so fun!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsClx87DaM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlX_Gy4HP2E

And seriously, if this doesn't make you sweat, I don't know what will. It's awesome after a long day of sitting on your ass at the office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YBnm2ZJNCM

You can thank me later.

Just For Fun: More than just a name.

For a while now a friend and I had been talking about renting a boat to take out to Lake Travis. The reason for delay? We couldn't bring ourselves to spend upwards of $600 (!!!!) for just one day of fun. So when Just For Fun Watercraft Rental offered half price Ski Boat rentals through the "Groupon Mini-Me" email giant, LivingSocial, we leaped at the opportunity.

We decided to use our 3 hours this past Saturday, May 15th, 12:30-3:30pm. About two weeks ago I called to make a reservation and noticed the lack of professionalism with which Brandon, the college-age-sounding guy on the other side of the phone, had while speaking to me. I brushed it off and felt excited that we were finally going out on the boat!!

Monday, May 10th rolled around and Mark Murray, my favorite weather man, was forecasting rain for our day on the lake! My pessimistic side thought "Of course it hasn't rained in three weeks and the day we need it to be sunny it's going to pour", but my optimistic side decided to put it on the back burner and wait until Friday to be upset. We all know Austin weather can change in an instant.

A humid and soggy Friday, May 14th arrived and I checked the updated hour-by-hour forecast for Saturday. The "60% chance of Thundestorms" had transformed into "mostly cloudy with 20% chance of showers". And we all know what 20% means... it looked like although it woudln't be a sunburned day we had wanted, at least we would be wet only from swimming in the lake.

About mid-morning I received an expected text from my girlfriend who was coming in town from Houston just to be on this boat we had reserved: "I looked up the weather and it should be less cloudy in the afternoon, so let's push our reservation back." I agreed.
I picked up the phone to adjust our time to 2-5pm. Lizzie, the person I was speaking to this time, informed me my reservation was no where to be found. And to make it worse, told me she wasn't surprised that it happened because I had spoken to Brandon. A moment of panic washed over me before I said with desperation "Well I hope there is still a boat available for us!". She assured me there was and confirmed that I would be booked for 2-5pm. I felt frustrated with my corrrect judgement of Brandon from 2 weeks before, but relieved that Lizzie sounded more confident and attentive. Only 24 hours until we'd be on the water!

Saturday, May 15th: Lake Day! I woke up at 11:30am and immediately rolled over to see if the light coming through the blinds was actual sunshine or just the oddly bright glare the overcast skies can sometimes shed... Bingo! The sun was out!! The Gods had listened and parted the clouds for us. Or so it seemed.

We arrived at Emerald Point Marina at about 1:45pm for check-in. The moment we entered the floating office I could tell it was a chaotic day for them. They were understaffed, the phones were ringing off the hook and there was a line out the door. I heard the manager mention "Everyone cancelled when it was gonna rain, then the sun comes out and all hell breaks loose." He was right. Just For Fun doesn't require reservations and walk-ins are welcome... a recipe for disaster if you ask me, but I'm a bit neurotic with my planning. My guess is that half of the 30 people in line didn't call ahead like I did (twice).

My boyfriend and I made it to the front of the line and presented my name for our 2:00pm booking. "I don't see it here..." she said. Then the girl she was working with pointed to my name, which was written at 12:30-3:30pm. Once again, panic washed over me- except this time it was mixed with pure shock. How on earth could two separate people, on two separate occasions, fuck up my reservation?? That's when I decided that Just For Fun wasn't only the name of the business, it was the work ethic of Brandon and Lizzie.

If I could offer any piece of advice for anyone that ever makes a reservation, no matter how big or small, GET THEIR NAME. It's a good thing I did because I was able to firmly say who I had spoken with both times I called and it got us on a boat. Although they didn't seem interested in making sure we would be coming back (we asked for a free tube worth $5/hr and they said no), at least they were willing to offer us a boat that would have been otherwise unavailable at that time. I would now like to apologize to whomever didn't get on the water yesterday because of Brandon and Lizzie's mistakes.

Our 3 hours flew by as we thought it would, but it turned out to be a perfect mini-expedition. The boat was nice, the sun never hid and the water was just right. We tubed, wakeboarded, went to see Mansfield Dam and The Oasis from the water side view... and our beloved Iguana Grille, a spot from which I've gazed at the lake dozens of times, now I was gazing at it's brightly colored umbrellas from down below. If only I could have had a yummy melon margarita like I would be if I were sitting up there...

My overall one word rating for the day: Pleasant
Overall rating for Just For Fun: Disappointing

Although I'm sitting here wishing I would have bought more than just one deal... maybe I'm more forgiving than I thought...

Fino: I want to love it.

I recently visited Fino on a perfect April Saturday evening... the not-humid-yet breeze was blowing and we had just visited the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to take pictures of the amazing blooms all this wonderful rain had produced. Of course I was in the mood for some yummy dinner and drinks; not to mention I had a trusty $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate that I had purchased for only $2. That's right. Two dollars.

We arrived just before sunset and were seated on the patio... a larger table than I would have preferred for two, but nonetheless we snagged the last outdoor spot. I was relishing in the fact that we were out to dinner on a Saturday evening, something we rarely get to enjoy. Happy as can be, we ordered our drinks. Although an avid white wine drinker, I decided on the cocktail special of the evening: The Garden Party: Paula's Texas Lemon with strained Poteet Strawberries and fresh basil, muddled and strained, shaken with Gin...Presented beautifully in a martini glass with a fresh basil leave floating on top like a toy sail boat in the bathtub...Even at $14, it was delicious!

Our small plates arrived: Fried Goat Cheese with Red Onion Jam and Honey. (my choice) One word: Heaven! and Fried Calamari (his choice) One word: Mediocre. We gobbled them up as we decided to share an entree, the Market Fish, which was Halibut that evening... very light and refreshing. They even went the trouble of splitting it for us so we could each have our own delicate sample. Understated yet sophisticated. I was impressed.

Until I tried to order my second drink. Up to this point our server had been attentive yet elusive. A great combination, if you ask me. She's there when you need her but doesn't want to talk your ear off about how she's from Nebraska and can't believe how hot it is already. Coming from working within the restaurant industry a while, I've experienced my share of the good, the bad, and the talkative, if you know what I mean.

I enjoyed my Garden Party Cocktail; however my recent love affair with Sparkling Wine would lead me to a request that would apparently offend the bartender. I thought it would be over-the-top amazing if I could substitute the gin in my cocktail for the Prosecco they had on their 'By The Glass' menu. I knew it wasn't such a far fetched request, however here is the lackluster response I received:
Waitress: "Ummm... the bartender doesn't really like to change his recipes."
Me: "Really???"

Momentarily, I thought she was joking. I paused, immediately requested that she check with him, and then the overall disappointment flooded in:
Waitress: "Ya... he said he can't shake the prosecco in the shaker tin, so we can't do it."
My Boyfriend (who coincidentally bartended for 15 years): "You can't just muddle everything and top it with the Prosecco? You really don't have to shake it."

Still no relief. It came down to me ordering a $12 glass of Prosecco and topping it with the last little sip of the pink strawberry-basil bliss I had just enjoyed. So there! That wasn't that hard, was it? I mean, if the roles were reversed, I would have told that damn bartender to get over himself and think about what you're doing... saying no to a customer. And what am I doing now?? Blogging about how disappointing it was.

They're lucky they have that quaint patio or I might not want to come back. Fino: I want to love it...
http://www.astiaustin.com/fino/