Land as big as Texas

Howdy from Texas! I've only covered a tiny, tiny drop of land in this big state! I flew in on Monday evening to Austin, TX. Took an Uber to the hotel - which turned out to be the worst Marriott I've ever stayed at. (I know, first world problems.) But I'm telling you whoever decorated/designed this place was high as a kite. And they were still renovating. I had to dodge paint drops and duck around ladders every time I got out of the elevator! LOL! The restaurant was located in a small, partitioned area of a conference room. Some jerk from D.C. tried to cut the food line to the bar. I had already missed lunch, and it was 8:30. Don't mess with a hangry Carolina girl! I had to back him up! 😂😂😂😂😂 Actually, he apologized and we joked about it. See hotel photos below. Fair warning, the video may give you motion sickness. I constantly felt drunk and disoriented just navigating the hall to my room. The bathroom looked horrible and was painted dark brown with very little light. (All the women reading will understand how bad that is.) One of the lights near the shower flickered and went out (strobe shower, anyone?😂) and the toilet handle was hanging off the side. Folks this room cost $203/night with the corporate discount. It felt like I was in the twilight zone.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/8200d4_2b3452762cc54e09b144a34c8101eb9b/360p/mp4/file.mp4

The next day, I met up with the colleague I was shadowing for the week and drove to Georgetown on the edge of Austin. Another Marriott. This one was normal. Whew! I got the chance to eat at a famous Austin Barbecue joint (Terry Blacks Barbecue). The brisket melted in my mouth. The beef ribs could feed 4 people! Everything is bigger in Texas! I'm definitely ruined for East coast barbecue now. Here's a few pics including one of the worst pictures of me - can't believe I'm posting this. That's what you get when you ask a colleague to snap a quick photo! 😂😂🙄

The next day we drove 5+ hours to Odessa, Texas - famous for the book and movie, "Friday Night Lights". I watched the hills and trees near Austin give way to scrub and desert. Flat brown land for miles. This is way further south than the 6666's ranch of Yellowstone series fame. There's not much to do in Odessa. I snapped a few pics, had some good tacos and guacamole at Torchy's, and learned a lot from my colleague. It's fascinating to see how different Medical systems are run and to meet really genuine, nice folks.

So I'm writing this in the small Midlands airport (close to Odessa). My time in Texas is coming to an end. I'll need to come back and explore because it's way to big to have seen much on a work trip. For the next two weeks, I'll be in San Diego / La Jolla, California at a Structural Heart Conference and a training class for work. They're getting hit right now with another Pineapple Express storm and flooding. So that should make an interesting trip. More on that later...

As always, thanks for reading!

Jules