Guess who I saw walkin' at Town Lake?

Ole' Barry Obama himself! I was just chillin' at the lake on a rock and we walked right by me. Yea!

What's left out of my story:
I was driving to a work event and I saw the secret service cars watching the lake and I figured it was a good bet that either Hilary or Barry was walking so I did a U-turn and parked and walked briskly toward the lake. Saw Barry and crossed his path far in front of him leaving myself enough time to look unimpressed when he walked past me.
I'm cool like Coltrane.

What to do in Wimberley

I lived in Wimberley from '80 'till '87 and my mother lives there now.

Here are my insider tips:

The easiest way to get there from Austin is to take 290 West to Dripping Springs then turn left onto Rance Road 12. You know you're nearing RR 12 cuz you'll see a Dairy Queen on the right. (PS this DQ sucks. wait 'till you get to Wimberley)

Quick story: The DQ was the first place to have a tall, plastic sign in Wimberley (this is '86) and the sign was shot three times and replaced three times in the first months it was up.

The Cypress Creek Cafe on the square is the better of the cafes. "The Cafe" has a nice bucolic feel at night when they open the bar in the back and have rootsy/bluesy/country type tunes. They have a big fire pit thing in the back which I like.
INOZ is on the square too and has a better view but it's sports bar food. Maybe have a drink at INOZ for the view and enjoy the access to the river bank.

There's a wine bar called Clifford's on RR12 on your way from "Dripping". It's got a nice patio area surrounded by oaks and is pretty private.

I LOVE Pioneer Town but you have to bring your sense of humor and irony. They have these great (read:terrible) set ups of mannequins playing cards and other household activities and an 8 foot stuffed "jackalope". There's never anyone there since the liability insurance forced the closure of the fort and the train so it's really desolate and rad. There's also an arcade and an ice cream parlor. Did I mention that it had it's heyday in the 60's?

There is a coffee shop across the street from the grocery store.

Bella Vista is the Olive grove. It's not TERRIBLY exciting but it's pretty cool to see. I like Wimberley Glass Works and the Bonsai museum. This last one sounds dull but it's pretty cool.

The Old Mill store next to the Cypress Creek Cafe has the best candy.

This link has a map to Old Baldy which is a "Texas mountain" with a great view. A great place to picnic or just get away.

Recipe to try

My new years resolution *last year* was to learn to cook tofu so here I am, a year and 2 months later, making plans to make my first tofu-based meal.

"Scrambled Tofu
Submitted by Isa
prep time: 5 minutes | cooking time: 30 minutes | makes 4-ish
Tofu was meant to be scrambled. I think I'll make a t-shirt that says that because it's so darn true. I make many variations on this but this is the one I made this morning. The most important thing is that you get the texture right, you want it to be crumbled but chunky, because as you cook it it will crumble more, so just give it a squeeze and crumble through your fingers right into the pan when you're ready to cook it.
Equipment:
Skillet, I prefer cast iron but use what you've got
Firm wooden spatula

Ingredients
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 carrot (this is optional, I grate it in at the end, mostly for color)

spice blend:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes more. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scrapingthe bottom to get all the garlic and spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Don't crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around. You want it to remain chunky. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking. Add lime juice. Add nutritional yeast and mix it up. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

Grate the carrot into it and fold. Serve with guacamole and salsa and potatoes and toast and tempeh bacon. Then rub your tummy till well into the afternoon."

What to do in Austin for the eclipse?

Public Lecture: The Possibility of Life Elsewhere in the Universe
Chris Chyba, Professor of astrophysical sciences and international affairs at Princeton University, will deliver the lecture "The Possibility of Life Elsewhere in the Universe," Wednesday, February 20 at 7:30PM in room 2.224 of Welch Hall (map). The talk is free and open to the public. Like his mentor, Carl Sagan, Dr. Chyba was long associated with the SETI Institute, which searches for intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe. Weather permitting, public viewing of the evening's total lunar eclipse will follow, on the 17th floor of RLM (map). Totality begins at 9:00PM.

or

Enjoy a spectacular view of the full moon rise and the lunar eclipse from the overlook of Wild Basin. Learn about the different moon phases, science, legends, and lore with the knowledgeable volunteers of the Austin Astronomical Society. You may want to bring a small flashlight, water, and a cushion. $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and ages 5-12. Reservations required.

or

There's always Mount Bonnell or the overlook at the 360 bridge.

Women’s Sexual Assault Prevention Seminar

"Learning Self-Defense begins with not thinking of yourself as a victim. Looking strong, alert, confident and healthy is the first line of defense against a violent or sexual assault. But if the unthinkable happens, recent events have PROVEN that fighting back WORKS! If it comes down to it, learn the system Law Enforcement agencies use to protect their Officers, that system is Krav Maga.

Come participate in this valuable three-hour class at our Penn Field location March 15, from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The class is $29, a small price to feel confident in your ability to defend yourself.

Get the tools that you need. To sign up or for more information, call 441-KRAV or visit www.fitandfearless.com."

Bas Rutten

I took a class on a mixed martial arts that's new to me called Bas Rutten. This guy:
It kicked my ass. We started with punching and ducking which is all good. Then we were to head-butt our partner and grab them from behind the knees, dropping them to the ground. Then we were to pin them and more or less lie on them. When you're falling backward you have to stretch out your arms at a 45 degree angle from your body with hands flat to disperse your weight. You can't put them out too early, though, or you'll end up bracing yourself with your wrists which is a very, very bad thing to do.

I got robbed in the office!

Some guy came in while I was visiting my coworker's office and stole $13 out of my purse. Turns out he pushed a lady next door down and took her whole purse so I got off pretty easy! And the cops came -- at least 10 or 15 of them -- and they searched all the rooms in the building. And they pulled out their guns one time. And one of them had an iPhone.