Don’t Mess With Texas

 

Welcome to Texas

Last week, I attended a conference for work that was held in Austin, Texas. This was my first time being in Texas – well, more than the airport, that is, as I’d gone through Texas a few times coming back from Europe. Sadly, I woke up with a sore throat the day we flew out, but I picked up cough drops on the way. 

Once there, my colleague and I caught the shuttle to the hotel, where we took time to clean ourselves up a bit. We decided to take a walk outside the hotel, as it was a lovely 70 degrees Farenheight (21 C). This was a nice change from the 20’s and 30’s F we had been experiencing in Salt Lake City. On our walk, we came across this sign that said “Hike and Bike Trail for Tenant Use Only – All Others Will Be Electrocuted.” Considering this was Texas, we didn’t risk it, but did get a good picture of the sign. 

That night, we had awesome and spicy Mongolian beef at the hotel, which was part of the free buffet. I had one half glass of white wine, Texas style, in a classy plastic cup, to top off an excellent dinner. Later on, we sat outside on the patio, which is something we had not been able to do for several months back home, and enjoyed the evening. I ventured down to the building next to us and got a picture of some interesting abstract art.

 

The next day, Thursday, was the conference. I woke up feeling like hell, but I was there on business and had to drag myself out of bed. For anybody who thinks that going out of town for a work conference is all fun and games – they’ve never been to one! We had to be at the venue at promptly 8 a.m. After asking around, I called and arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 6:45 a.m. CST, which felt beyond early, as I am used to MST, which is one hour behind. We got to the venue thirty minutes early, but I would rather be thirty minutes early than thirty minutes late. 

The conference was more than I expected, and I ended up taking 25 pages of notes, which I am still typing up. Once that is all done, I will present it to my company’s executives. Hopefully, that goes well and I can add some more cool things to my resume.

The conference ended, and then it was off to dinner at Z’Tejas on Austin’s famous 6th Street. The dinner was superb and did not dissapoint! It was my first time trying catfish, and I found I actually enjoyed it. After the appetizers came a real Texas steak. I’m not typically a beef fan, but I made the exception in this case. I highly recommend the strip steak. 

Friday, it was time to head home. By this time, I was having trouble breathing properly and could not wait to get home and see a doctor. We took some pictures of the landscape, checked-out of the hotel and caught the shuttle to the airport. We were quite early, so we took the time to get lunch, which consisted of bbq beef, and do some shopping.
 

The flights went smoothly, and we finally made it home. After some much needed sleep, I saw the doctor. I was a bit worried as I had pneumonia this time last year, but the doctor found nothing. So, the culprit of my ills was a virus and possibly asthma. I have an inhalor, which has helped immensely, and I will be visiting a doctor soon to confirm the asthma problem. 

Would I visit Texas again? Definitely! The people are very hospitable and the place is gorgeous. I just wish I would’ve had more time to enjoy it all.