Texas v Nebraska

Last weekend the family and I traveled to Austin for the UT-Nebraska game. We've been season ticket holders for a few years, but I almost never take my camera. I remembered to take it this time, and went crazy taking my own brand of craptacular photos.

It was a beautiful day for football, with crystal clear skies, low humidity, and highs around 75F. Some friends went with us to the game, we had a few drinks before the game at the Goal Post Club, ate some stadium junk food, and just had an all-around great time. And the Horns won!

Silly Cornhuskers. Get Your Own Hand Signs. And Try to Win Next Time.

UT Band Walking to the Stadium

I'll Never Understand Why This Drum is so Special, Even if it is the Largest in the World.

Absolutely Clear, Blue Skies for the Game. And They're Adding on to the North End...

Horns Run Onto the Field. No Paper Signs were Broken.

This One's for You, IronGambit. Look at all that Huge Advertising...

McCoy to Finley for a 13 yd Gain. Wish I had an Optical Zoom...

Losers Parked Their Truck in a Tow Away Zone. Serious Human Traffic Barrier After the Game.

Tone Deaf

I've decided to try to tone up a little. My upper arms are starting to get some flappy fat, and it's gotta go. So I pulled out the old FitDeck, and am alternating this with training rides in the morning. Logistically, the gym is impossible for me, and I don't have room for any equipment in the house. The exercises in FitDeck require no equipment, but the workout is challenging. So it's a nice little product for me (not a paid endorsement; in fact, if they saw my body they'd probably ask me not to mention that I use their product).

I just started on Tuesday, and my legs are crazy sore today. I think what did it is "The Chair". You put your back against the wall, and lower your body until your quads are parallel to the floor. Hold until your eyes pop out of your head. Try it, you'll like it.

Crossing the Bridge

God bless the USA.....& Mexico! A few weeks ago, US Customs & Border Patrol, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, opened a SENTRI lane on the Hidalgo International Bridge. This means that instead of waiting in line for an hour (my worst case was 2.5 hours), I cross the bridge and make it through US Customs in about 5 minutes. This was a joint project with CAPUFE (Caminos y Puentes), the Mexican agency in charge of collecting highway and bridge tolls.

Nothing comes without a cost. The US government charged about $175 for fingerprints, background check, vehicle x-ray, RFID sticker, ID card, and so on. Additionally, SENTRI members must prepay the annual toll charge to CAPUFE (Caminos y Puentes), which is about $360. But it's worth it, as probably the single biggest drawback to working in Mexico is (was) the bridge crossing back to the USA. Life is getting better.