Shopping for a Gym in B/CS

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I've been asked how it is I can enjoy food so very much and yet stay healthy.  I love to work out - it's a reward for a hard day's work, not punishment for anything.

Anyways, with graduation quickly approaching I'm shopping for a new gym.  Requirements: must be within a reasonable distance of home, have reasonable rates, and have the equipment I need.  Mostly I need a power rack or squat rack with spotting arms. Here's what I've learned from free 7 day trial memberships to the ones that fit that description.

Aggieland Fitness Dome

Pros: perfect location, not too busy, and the clientele involve very few of that species I refer to as "dudebro". Very clean and well-maintained. Nice locker room with free lockers. Unlimited use of most fitness classes come with the membership. Nice and professional staff. Generally supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere.

Cons: a bit expensive and bench press racks do not have spotting arms.

$55 initiation fee (for the no-personal-trainer option) and $40, $45, or $50 per month depending on 2 year, 1 year or month-to-month memberships.

Anytime Fitness

Pros: good location, never overly busy, very nice staff, 24/7 access, everything is brand new, very clean. 2 power cages and an olympic platform, as well as bumper plates.  The other clients are nice enough. No need for lockers because of close proximity to car.

Cons: direct sunlight if you workout during the busy time of ~5-8 pm.  It's very bright and consistently gave me a headache.  Additionally since they very recently opened they only have 2 barbells for the entire facility. The power cages are used for bench press (no bench press racks), squats, and deadlifts and people cannot work in because there are only 2 barbells. I was there on Monday and there was a log jam in the gym...with only a handful of people there.

$100 initiation fee (currently waived as part of a special) + $49 for an electronic key + $35 or $40 per month depending on 18-month or 12-month membership + $25 annual improvement fee. They plan on purchasing more equipment as time goes on.  And they have only been open since January 2013. I'm sure the facility will improve with time.

Gold's Gym

Pros: large, established gym with a wide variety of equipment.  Clean locker room. Lots of classes. Just installed some new equipment.

Cons: gets quite busy at the times when I want to work out. Only one shaky power cage. Sometimes the equipment is not well maintained, particularly cardio. Some of the members have a problem of not wiping up after themselves.  No one wants to bench after you've left a puddle of sweat and hair gel, brah.

Rates range depending on a number of different promotional offers. Average rates I've seen are $0-60 initiation and $30-45 a month.

TAMU Rec Center

Pros: the best equipment and facility in town. Inexpensive.

Cons: extremely crowded. I haven't been able to find a time of day when classes are in session that doesn't involve a wait to use equipment. I've waited as long as 10-20 minutes between exercises when classes have been in session.  Limited hours, especially during academic breaks.  Closes for two weeks to a month every December. Membership is limited to students, faculty, staff, and their families. Parking is a challenge.  Parts of the gym are often inaccessible due to various events.

$150 a semester, $375 a year, or $32 a month. Classes cost an extra $2 each.

How is any of this relevant to a foodie blog? You can't lift well if you don't eat well.
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TEDxAustin 2013

Greetings and salutations readers!

I've passed my defense (whoot!), my dissertation has been submitted to the graduate committee, and my peer reviewed manuscript is in a holding pattern for now, therefore I'm back to blogging!  [Along the way I became a fan of the Oxford comma and Dropbox...after figuring out how it works. And I had to replace the laptop after frying it - which meant learning Windows 8 two weeks before my defense. Ack!]

During my hiatus I attended not one, but two TEDx events in Texas.  The most recent was TEDxAustin, held at the Circuit of the Americas Formula One track just outside of Austin, Texas.  [I also attended TEDxSanAntonio, which will be the subject of another post.]

Just about anyone who spends any amount of time in academic circles and online is familiar with TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and hosts a high profile who's-who event in California every year.  TEDx events are independently organized events held around the world.  TEDx is far less expensive to attend and tend to focus on themes and speakers with topics of local interest. Attendees (livestreamed online for free or present in the auditorium) experience a variety of talks throughout an entire day of events and activities.  People who attend in person have additional hands-on experiences and a wonderful networking opportunity with other attendees and the speakers.

So other than the cool factor, what does a foodie blog have to do with TEDx or TEDxAustin? Lunch.  Just prior to lunch Elizabeth Andoh presented her TEDxAustin talk on Kansha and Washoku cooking.  Simply defined, kansha cooking is a philosophy that encourages preparing food in a way that minimizes waste and maximizes diner satisfaction. Washoku is a set of guidelines to follow in order to achieve nutritional and aesthetic harmony at the dinner table. I am, of course, oversimplifying.  Please watch her TEDxAustin talk here (I tried to embed the video but blogger wasn't having it).  After the talk we had lunch prepared by local chefs according to these principles.  When we registered for the event we selected from a list of food choices: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and FearLess.  I chose FearLess.

Dell donated these interesting biodegradable boxes for the event. 

We picked up lunch in the paddock area of the Circuit of the Americas. I know nothing about Formula One, but it's still cool.

We got to see a bit of the track on the way to lunch. 

Lunch was upstairs from the paddock.  This entire facility is less than a year old.

Lots of areas for networking or just hanging out.

Tables set for lunch.  That was water in the growlers, not beer. :-)   I met some really interesting people over lunch, including several primary school science teachers and a practicing shaman.

Steamed shrimp with a smoky gele.  I would love to figure out how to make that gel. It was quite fantastic.  The shrimp kind of reminded me of the steamed shrimp from back home.

A wonderfully pickled egg.  Subtle and not at all overpowering.

Surprisingly spicy seaweed with tofu stars. 

Pickles and daikon.  The rice had a sweet and umami character to it.

Beef tataki and shredded onions.  I know what you're saying "but aren't you intolerant to onions?"  Yes I am, and I just ate around them. 

Another shot of one of the dining rooms.

The ingredients were locally sourced.

So there you have it. TEDxAustin was surprisingly a foodie event. I learned some concepts about Buddhist and Japanese philosophy I hadn't even heard about previously and met some wonderful people while trying something new. Way cool.  Now, how's about some images of the rest of the conference?  Enjoy!  If you want to watch the rest of the videos go here.  If you're interested in attending next year's conference, follow them on facebook or on twitter at @TEDxAustin.

The living wall.

Detail of the living wall.

This cube was a really interesting set piece and backdrop.  It changed throughout the conference. 

The set as seen from the audience.

Book sale to raise money for TEDxYouth in Austin. This also featured books authored by the speakers.

An interesting interactive wall from Microsoft.  The squares are bar codes that can be read by the smart phone app for the conference and lead to supplemental material.

Networking galore. 

Entrance to the set or "the adult playground". It had a surreal feel to it.

More of the "adult playground"

One of the art installations around the set featured art in progress, including this really cool Formula One painting.

This playground even had a swing.

Another installation.

Many thanks to MisoHungry and WindAddict for a heads-up on TEDxAustin and for a place to stay.  Y'all are the best!

FYI

This blog isn't abandoned, I swear.  I got a [real!] job and am still finishing up my dissertation.  It'll be another couple of months.  Then I'll return to regular posts. Promise!

Up-coming Events

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Starting this weekend, October 6th and 7th, and running through November 25th, the Texas Renaissance Festival will bring you all the lords, ladies, galliwomps and wenches of years past to the fairgrounds just outside of Plantersville, Texas. Bring your appetites as I've been told that food selections have expanded significantly this year. My favorite selections include the prime rib sandwich and fish and chips at the Prince of Wales Pub, the Polish Food Sampler in the Polish section (I *heart* that they have a Polish section), the wonderful apple dumplings ala mode found throughout the festival, and absolutely delightful fudge and pastries at the cappuccino shop whose name I can never remember. The festival, of course, also has all the standard fare you'd expect at a Ren Fest, including everything on a stick. Come ready to imbibe as well as there is always a nice selection of national and international brand beers as well as craft beers.  And for the last 2 years there has also been a working brewery on-site known as Brigadoon Brewery.  They also have rootbeer for teatotallers.  I have many friends who work as merchants at Texas Renaissance Festival, so please support them all with your business!  [Merchants, send me your URLs and I'll post a link when I feature TRF in its own separate post.]

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Friday and Saturday October 12th and 13th bring the Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival to Bryan, Texas. Come and sample wines from across the region.  When you're ready for a break from the sipping sample steaks from some of the best steak grilling teams across Texas.  The festival was originally in June but was moved to October because of the oppressive heat in Texas in June.  The quickest, easiest parking can be found at Blinn College and a free shuttle will take you to the festival. Admission for the entire day is $5. Drink tickets, glasses and food are all extra.  And there are many other vendors if wine and steak aren't your thing.  All downtown restaurants will be open. There are plenty of awesome ones from which to choose. There will also be activities throughout the day, a kids' play area, and live music and performances from some of the regions best-known performers.

Tito's Vodka wants to bring someone to Austin!

Tito's Vodka, made in Texas, is having a contest via Wine Enthusiast.  Winners get a trip to Austin for two (airfare wouldn't be that much for me and The Lovely Spouse) as well as other awesome benefits.  And I like my 6 readers so much I'll even include the url so that you all can enter too.  [I heard about this from the ever-awesome Cookie Madness.]

The fine print states that this post has to be a minimum of 100 characters and say something about Tito's.  How's about I tell you all the recipe I usually make with Tito's?  It's simple and refreshing for when the weather gets unbearably hot here in Texas.  The vodka is pretty darned good so we usually keep it on hand.

Key Lime Vodka Tonic

1. Fill a pint glass 3/4 the way full with cubed ice.  None of that shaved or crushed stuff for us (and it'll mess up the measurements).
2. Fill about half way full with Tito's Vodka. Available at Spec's.
3. Add a splash or two of key lime juice, available at the grocery store.
4. Fill the rest of the way with tonic water. We use the diet version.
5. Stir and enjoy!

So there you go, Tito's!  Choose me and I guarantee I'll blog about it.  Beside, can't you help a girl out who's finishing up her PhD?

Pleeeeeeeeeease?

I promise we'll have fun with it.

We'll be right back after these short messages...

Stolen from a facebook meme.

I'm taking a break from regular blogging for a couple months.  I need to finish my research project and dissertation and have a pretty tight deadline.  In the meantime I'll post quick news bits from the food world.  Then will return with the normal...stuff...you're used to seeing in this space.  

Cheers!

PS - If you haven't already done so, check out my friends' kickstarter campaign.  Give them money to help them expand their business and they'll send you really cool stuff in return. Everybody wins!

Great people making great beer

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The good folks at New Republic Brewery are doing what they can to expand the business of making great beer in the town of College Station, Texas.  To assist in this effort they have launched a KickStarter campaign to raise the funds necessary to complete their expansion. Check out the video (blogger will not allow me to embed a non-youtube video for some reason, so please click the link) and kickstarter site, and please consider donating to help some really good people make even more great beer. Minimum donation is only $1. Donations of $12 will be rewarded with swag, such as pint glasses, stickers, laptop skins, t-shirts, and much more.

Support your local independent brewery!