Spring Break

Unlike most first jobs out of college, I get a week off for Spring Break. A number of individuals from our team are going to Florida, but a select few of us decided to travel internationally.

Tomorrow we leave for Guatemala. I am going with Caitlin (one of my team members who has traveled extensively) and Jeff, my former partner. We will be spending most of our time in Antigua, which is located just outside of Guatemala City. Anigua is a smaller, colonial city which has the typical squares and parks, as well as a historic section. The city is in a valley and within sight is the Agua Volcano, as well as two other volcanoes.

I am certain our trip will be filled with adventures!

SXSW

South by Southwest

SXSW is an annual music and film festival in Austin. Bands and mobs of people take over the big, little city. Concerts pop up all over. Tonight was the opening of the music portion of the festival, so I got to experience a taste of the craziness. One of the concerts I attended featured a band from Sweden. All of the excitement and energy made me consider joining a band. :)

http://sxsw.com/

Amigas Pay a Visit

A True Texan Experience

Yeeeee-haaaw! I have been working at the Austin Rodeo all weekend. I have been thrust into the true Texan Experience. Austin likes to think of itself as separate from the rest of Texas, but the rodeo is on the outskirts of town and attracts the die-hard Texan fans. I have seen more cowboy hats, flashy belt buckles, and boots than I ever imagined possible. After a while I started to feel a bit self-conscience about my gym shoes. Texas state flags are flying all over the fair grounds. The smell of barbecue overwhelms the air.

Besides looking at the pigs, cattle, and steers, an obvious highlight of the rodeo is Whiplash. Whiplash is a collie-riding monkey. What next?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3716656868007810218

Media Clip

http://newsok.com/article/3212335/1204781838

OKC

Oklahoma City. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to visit the capital of Oklahoma. Having spent almost a week here, I officially consider myself an expert on the area. Several friends from IWU came to visit me this weekend and we were able to do quite a bit of sight seeing. The main tourist attraction is the Oklahoma Memorial. It is located only a couple of blocks from my hotel.

Perhaps the most unusual sight in downtown is the statues of bison. Similar to the Chicago Cows, Oklahoma City has decided to distribute artistic bison throughout the city. In one particular area, however, they fenced in a "field" of about 20 different bison statues. It is a quite humorous thing to happen upon in the midst of the city.

Oklahoma is home to the filming of the movie "Twister." Very fittingly, the other night when I was dining with my friends, the waitress at the restaurant came to our table to inform us that there were 5 tornadoes in the area. She escorted us through the kitchen, across an alley, and down a cellar to the basement of the restaurant. We waited out the storm on some sacs of flour in the basement. Apparently 3 tornadoes touched down nearby. Welcome to Oklahoma!

Media Clip

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/2/29/oscar-mayer-recruit-mu/