This week, after bidding farewell to Lauren for a couple more weeks, I attempted to keep things pretty low-key and try getting some much-needed exercise in the process. Tuesday and Wednesday nights I went for exploratory runs/walks around the neighborhood. One thing that struck me as odd was how many churches there were along one particular street. It was church after church after church for almost a mile on Duval. I still despise working out; I much prefer getting my exercise by way of organized athletic event, but I always feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

Yesterday I skipped the whole workout thing. At work, our marketing team of 10 was rewarded for a record-breaking July by going out for bowling and drinks in the afternoon. In three games, I bowled a 144, 103, and 171. My 144 was the high score in the first game, surprisingly. My 171 in the third game won me $40 for largest improvement from the previous game, but wasn’t the high score in that round. We all had much fun and I carried the fun over to The Hideout afterwards where I met up with the locals who do in fact know my name now. I began to get really drowsy around 8:00 and went home, and after a call home to Lauren I was out cold by 9:00.

Every weekend so far I have been out exploring, but this weekend I think I am going to be content with staying in and relaxing for the most part, though I do need to do some shopping. I want to try getting one of those windshield visor thingies to see if I can keep the heat out of my car a little during the day. Some people here use them. With the temps nearing 110 and no sign of relief in sight, I’m trying everything to stay cool. If you were me and had a free weekend in Austin, what would you do? I may go back to Barton Springs for a swim, but that was really more fun with Lauren along.

We have discussed at great length how we will go about moving the stuff from our apartment. With Dad and Alex, and Uncle Stuart on the case, I’m sure we’ll find a cost-effective solution! We will not be paying U-Haul $2000 + gas, that’s for sure. So we have moved on to looking at cheap used cargo vans on Craigslist that we would buy for a one-time use and then presumably sell again. Of course I’m in Texas and can’t go look at the vans, so I will have to find someone to do that for me. I’ve already booked my one-way flight back to Minnesota on the evening of August 17, which will include a brief layover in Charlotte, NC, bringing my states-visited total to 33.

No pictures again… go to glanzer.tumblr.com for the daily photo project.