What's inside of the Lunar Module?

You may be wondering why I'm posting a video about the lunar module from the Apollo program.  Well, I've been reading One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon (by Charles Fishman).  I'm enjoying the book, and on the side I've been looking up a lot of information about NASA programs from the 1960's.  Thus, the following video which you may enjoy:

Virtual Fusebox Festival: Texas Monthly's Review

Check out what Texas Monthly has to say about the 2020 Virtual Fusebox Festival.

Energy Efficiency Tips

Here's are some energy saving tips from our friends at the Austin Board of Realtors:

I have a couple of additional thoughts on this one:

• If your house needs it, add insulation.  For example, if you live in an older house (like I do) then there may be some advances in insulation from which you can benefit.  We had more put in our attic this year, and now that Austin is warming up I can tell the difference.  After the virus situation abates, we'll probably have more put in under the house.
• If you've recently moved into an older house, check door seals and windows.  You may be losing cold air.
• Get you ducts checked and cleaned.  Also, check the condenser and make sure the coils are clean.
• If you are considering a smart thermostat or lighting system, read up on the company's data and privacy policies.  Also, look into how said company has handled support for older systems (is there a long tail, or do they tend to deactivate units?).  
• If you don't want the oven to heat up your kitchen, you don't have to resort to microwaving your food.  Toaster ovens are great, and I use mine year-round when I want to cook something too small to merit heating up the regular oven.   Also, you can always go outside and grill.   
• Investigate options for solar panels and available rebates.
• Investigate rebates for installing more energy efficient air conditioning units (e.g., Austin Energy has a rebate program).

In addition to my points above, visit Austin Energy to learn more about making your home more efficient.  

Virtual Fusebox Festival

Fusebox Fans:

It's almost here.  The Virtual Fusebox Festival is April 24th-26th.  http://virtual.fuseboxfestival.com/

Austin Real Estate: Buying and Selling Residences During COVID-19

Are you in Austin and thinking of buying or selling a residential property right now?  First, you may be surprised at how much activity is still going on in the Austin area real estate market.  Second, check out these FAQ pages from the Austin Board of Realtors:

For more information, visit ABOR.com/WorkSafe.

I'll put up a separate post with Austin's February and March residential statistics.   I can say anecdotally that the residential side of our brokerage is still busy and we have generally seen a lot of action in residential through our law firm/fee attorney office.   Thus, there is still action out in the Austin market in spite of the COVID-19 situation.  

If you are thinking of buying or selling, please contact us at Floyd Real Estate.   And, of course, we're here to help with general real estate advice.  

Welcome to Fusebox Virtual Edition!

The Fusebox Festival is going to be virtual this year.  It's scheduled for April 24-26.  Watch the video below for more information: 

How Does 2012 mac mini perform in 2020

It was interesting to watch this video about the virtues of the Late 2012 Mac Mini, as I have been using one since March of 2013.  And by using one, I mean this is my workhorse home office computer which gets used about 5-6 days per week.  It's been the best value I've ever obtained from a computer (I spent about $900 on it 7 years ago).  At this point, I plan to keep using it until it can't take any upgrades or it becomes obvious a new Mac Mini needs to be procured.

Anyway, watch keep going and watch the video if you are curious about Mac Mini longevity (or bored, because of COVID-19 related cabin fever):




Note on the differences between mine and the one in the video:

• Video Mac Mini: has Catalina (the latest OS), 8GB ram, a 256GB SSD hard drive, and an i5 dual core processor.
• My Mac Mini: older OS (but may go to Catalina soon), a 1TB conventional hard drive, and an i7 dual core processor.

Note on how mine is functioning:

• I have noticed, of late, that the MS Office 2016 apps are starting to act a little weird.  At some point I am going to upgrade to Catalina and Office 2019.  What I haven't assessed yet is which of my usual programs are 32 bit and won't function in the Catalina OS.   I imagine I will have to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud and pay for a few other upgrades after going to Catalina.  However, in general the computer works well and gets the business/personal/creative work jobs I need done.    

[Update: As of December 2020, the old Mac Mini was finally retired and replaced with the 2020 Mac Mini sporting the new M1 processor.]

Food: Austin Take-Out During COVID-19

Grass fed, dry aged NY strip from ALC Steaks.

Eater Austin is maintaining a list of Austin restaurants open for take-out during the COVID-19 pandemic related business shutdown.  There are too many great options for me to list them all.

ALC Steaks (as featured in the photo) is open for take-out from both the restaurant and their food truck.  I added the photo above because it was the first food photo I found when looking for a visual aid to add to this post.  But, it was a lucky pick of the draw.  The above steak is the 44 Farms dry-aged, grass-fed ribeye about which I have waxed rhapsodic in past posts (and if you know me, in person).  The steak in the photo was served Oscar style, with chimichurri covered asparagus and flash fried spinach (probably not the healthiest spinach, but delicious).  Anyway, order a steak from ALC if you can: you're supporting a local business and treating yourself during this unpleasant time period.

Movies

First, The Bad News:

You can add Top Gun: Maverick (along with No Time to Die and many others) to the list of movies with release dates delayed owning to COVID-19.  At this time December 23, 2020 is the newly scheduled release date.


Now, Some Good News:

The 2020 SXSW Film Festival will stream this year's films through Amazon Prime.


More Good News:

Thanks to the 13 Days of James Bond marathons in the 90's, my studying for certain final exams took a hit (it's like the jerks at TBS knew I'd rather watch The Man With the Golden Gun than review my notes).   Well, now that I'm temporally distanced from college and we're all social distancing, it's a good thing multiple titles of old James Bond movies have been released on Amazon Prime this month.  There are some bad ones (I'm looking at you, Moonraker) on the list, but we also get From Russia With Love, Thunderball, and Goldfinger in the mix.

A View to a Kill is already on Amazon Prime (for free), and other Bond movies may be as well (you can look for yourself).  While certainly not the best movie in the Bond franchise, it does come with: Christopher Walken as the blimp-loving villain, Grace Jones as a bad Bond girl, and a great theme song from Duran Duran.  If you don't believe me about the theme song, just watch the video.

[note: it does appear these movies will no longer be free after 5/1]

Netflix Party Lets You Interact Over Movies While Social Distancing:

The Netflix Party browser extension lets you watch Netflix with friends (virtually).  You can chat, play/pause in sync, and so forth while drinking at home and maintaining your social distance.  The folks at CNET have an article which will instruct you on setting it up.


And Finally, a Movie Rec:

I have been watching more TV series than movies these days.  Last weekend, though, I watched Collateral (2004).  This movie stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.  It was directed by Micheal Mann (Miami Vice, Heat, Last of the Mohicans).  I hadn't seen this one since 2005, and I'm glad I took the time to watch it again.  Tom Cruise plays a very intense hitman who forces Jamie Foxx's cab driver to take him around Los Angeles while he kills his targets.  If you haven't seen it in a while, it's worth a return visit.

To Scale: The Solar System

Fusebox Trivia: Cancelled

In light of what's going on with the coronavirus (COVID-19) we're cancelling the Fusebox Festival trivia night scheduled for April 1st.  It will be rescheduled.  In the interim, I'll use some of my social distancing time to research more great questions.

Entertainment Recommendations

Maybe you're always on the lookout for book, TV, movie, and/or comedy recommendations, or maybe you're in need of some extra diversions these days while engaging in "social distancing".

Here are a few books I've read lately and enjoyed (enough to suggest to others, anyway):

• The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis
• The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization, by Vince Beiser
• Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky
• Into Thin Air, by Jon Karkauer
• The Attention Merchants, by Tim Wu   

I'm a fan of stand-up comedy.  Here are a couple of new specials on Netflix worth watching:

• Marc Maron's End Times Fun
• Tom Papa's Everything is Great

With TV, if you haven't watched The Expanse yet, now would be a good time.  Staying home to avoid the coronavirus still seems much preferable to hanging out in a spaceship while "on the float".  Better Call Saul is back for its fifth season and it's good.  Also, if you enjoy Marc Maron (and I do) he's fun to watch on GLOW and Maron.  

Finally, I'll throw in a curve ball of a movie rec: if you've never seen it, check out the cult classic Repo Man.  This 1984 sci-fi comedy stars Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez, plus it has a great soundtrack featuring 80's punk music.  I'm warning you now that Repo Man is a strange movie;  however, if you like at all you'll probably like it a lot. 

Coronavirus

Austin residents:

The City of Austin has a web page dedicated to local coronavirus 2019 (aka COVID-19) information:  http://austintexas.gov/COVID19

Also, a couple of local headlines:

• Travis County Evictions Put On Hold, Austin Energy Will Not Shutoff Utilities Amid COVID-19 Outbreak 
• Austin ISD Offers Curbside Lunches For Students After Schools Are Cancelled Due To COVID-19

Stay informed, minimize touching, and wash those hands.

Trivia: Creative Fund (now cancelled)

Another trivia fundraiser for The Creative Fund is in the works, and it will be on April 9th at Uncle Nicky's in the Hyde Park neigbborhood.  Stay tuned for the date and then new venue.  In the mean time, join me for the Fusebox Festival trivia fundraiser on April 1st.

The Creative fund helps performing artists afford venue rental fees in Austin.  I'm on the board, and I'm one of the co-founders.

3/15/20 Update: Trivia will not be held on April 9th because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.   Stay tuned and I will let you know when it is rescheduled.  

Fusebox 2020 Preview

Last week, I posted about the upcoming trivia fundraiser for the Fusebox Festival.  Check out the video if you'd like to know more about what's in store for the festival this year:

Trivia: Fusebox Festival Fundraiser on April 1st (now cancelled)

No, this is not an April Fools prank.  Yes, I am hosting a trivia fundraiser for the Fusebox Festival on April 1st at the Native Hostel in Austin.  It will be the usual format: 5 live rounds and 1 puzzle/matching/etc round.  There will be prizes as well (I don't yet know what they are).  Check out the Facebook event page for more information (also, please RSVP there).

Here are some main points to consider:

• The Native Hostel is a cool venue.  You'll have a good time there.  Their old fashioneds and other cocktails are great.  They even introduced my wife to the concept of orange cider with bitters (she was impressed).   
• The Fusebox Festival* is awesome.  Here's a description of Fusebox:  "a global hub for live performance. Fusebox Festival presents a variety of work from local and international artists, helping to move this art form forward by supporting some of the most innovative artists of our time."
• Fusebox is free to attend.  Fundraisers like FuseBash and our upcoming trivia night make this possible.

I'll attempt to post more about Fusebox as the festival itself approaches.

As for trivia:  I hosted 11 trivia fundraisers last year.  This year, we're off to a good start having held trivia nights this year for Kids in a New Groove and for the Sobering Center.  Both of these events were held at Lavaca Street Bar (downtown) and were lots of fun.   

*I am on the Fusebox Festival board of directors.


UPDATE on 3/16/20:  This event is cancelled because of coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.  We will reschedule the event for a time when it is safe to hold.

Food: Crawfish

Crawfish boil season is upon us.  Here's a list of 7 places you can go for boils:  http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/02-27-20-best-crawfish-boils-austin-texas-restaurants-events-crawdads

Of the places on this list, Shoal Creek Saloon has been the one I typically visit if I feel the need to peel and eat crawfish tails.  Otherwise, I typically enjoy my crawfish tails pre-peeled and delivered in the form of étouffée.   Shoal Creek Saloon's étouffée is good, and I'd certainly recommend it.  Also, I recently had the snapper smothered in crawfish étouffée at Deckhand Oyster Bar (on South Lamar) and enjoyed it.

Speaking of crawfish not served via étouffée: Sushi Zushi's cajun rolls are tasty.

Food: Salt Traders

The Nashville Hot Shrimp Po'Boy

Last week I met a friend at Salt Traders Zilker location.  There are a few food items I've been meaning to recommend, but the above pictured sandwich was the actual catalyst for me writing the instant post.  If you know me personally, then you are probably already aware that I love Nashville hot chicken (enough to go to the home of hot chicken) and New Orleans style food (which encompasses the po'boy sandwich).  Thus, while I had rolled into Salt Traders planning to get grilled redfish I couldn't say no to the Nashville Hot Shrimp Po'Boy lunch special.

And special it was.  I easiest could have devoured another one.  The seasoning was spot on, reminding me of the hot chicken sandwich I enjoy from Tumble 22.  It was a perfect addition to the fried shrimp.

While the Nashville Hot Shrimp Po'Boy is officially a lunch special item, the waiter told me that it's often available.  He also said that it will probably find it's way to the permanent menu.  I hope so, as writing this post is already making me crave another one.

Also, writing this post has reminded me that I still need to post about my trip to Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville and my last New Orleans trip.

[pro-tip for the Zilker location of Salt Traders: get a reservation, and get one a little early as the parking lot tends to fill up.]

[pro-tip if your closing is at Capstone Title*:  go celebrate your sale or purchase at Salt Trader's.  Just don't order a Rum Around if you're driving.]

*I am a lawyer with The Foskitt Law Office- Fee Attorney for Capstone Title.

 

January 2020 Austin Housing Market Statistics

Infographics courtesy of Austin Board of REALTORS®.  Visit https://www.abor.com/statsjan2020/ for more information.  And, of course, contact Floyd Real Estate if you want to buy or sell property in the Austin area.

Food: Nau's Is Serving Food Again

As a long-time Austin resident, it makes me happy to know that Nau's Enfield Drug is now serving food again.  If you haven't been there before, stop by for their burgers and shakes.  Actually, according to Eater, that's all you can get at this time; however, the expanded menu (including breakfast) will return soon. 

Pro tip: parking isn't easy.  It's likely you'll end up in parking in the neighborhood.  Also, grab any clothes which need extra help from a dry cleaner and throw them in the car.  Anthony's is next door, and in my experience they are great at getting out tough stains from shirts.     

Events: The Creative Fund's Karaoke Night Fundraiser

Do you want to support the arts whilst enjoying the lively art of karaoke?  If so, then join us for The Creative Fund's upcoming karaoke night fundraiser on 2/25 at Osyeo.  Proceeds go towards The Creative Fund's mission of helping performing artists afford venue rental fees here in Austin.  Tickets are currently on sale on Eventbrite.

If you come, you may see my rendition of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" (I've done this many places, from The Highball on South Lamar to the Cat's Meow on Bourbon Street).  Also, the food at Oseyo is delicious.

Note:  I am a cofounder, board member, and former chair of The Creative Fund.

Austin Real Estate: Multifamily

Here's a non-food related post.  I was at the CREW Austin Summit on Wednesday morning, wherein I watched three different presentations related to commercial real estate.  Here's an interesting fact about apartments which stood out:

• 50% of Austin's apartment units have been built since 2000.
• Of those, 30% have been built in the past 10 years.  

On top of this, from 2010-2018 Austin was the fourth fastest growing city in the country for people ages 20-34 (people who happen to be in the prime age of apartment renting).  And, as of Wednesday there were about 16,000 units under construction in Austin.   From 2010-2019, about 64,000 units were built in Austin (6th most for a city in the US, with Dallas and Houston coming in at first and third respectively.*  

Interesting information to have along with what we know about the city's population growth, rental rates, and rental availability.  With more premium employers moving here, you can expect population to continue growing at historic rates.  Whether we can provide enough market-rate housing remains to be seen.  

*all of this data was provided by CoStar

Food: Easy Tiger Coming to South Lamar

Happy Valentines Day (for people in 78704 who love beer and/or bread):

At this point you may think I only crack open the laptop to write posts when I'm hungry.  Maybe that's true today.  I was already thinking about buying more bread when I saw the news that Easy Tiger is opening a new location on South Lamar (in the location of the former Red's Porch).  Previously, I had been buying their breads at Whole Foods (the whole wheat sourdough is my favorite).  I am happy to see that they will have a new store (and, of course, adjacent beer garden) more accessible to the 78704 area.  I do, however, suggest taking a rideshare, the 803 Metro Rapid, or carpooling to this new Easy Tiger at peak times.  The parking lot at Red's could be difficult.

By the way, I do suggest visiting their location on East 6th.  They have a delightful beer garden on a sublevel next to Waller Creek (it may in fact be the nicest thing on Waller Creek, with the UT Alumni Center coming in at #2).

Speaking of Red's Porch:  I did enjoy their Voodoo Pork Chop (it had some kind of soy sauce) and their Cajun burger (while it lasted on the menu).  I'm not sure where to replicate the former, but the latter can be approximated by the Hopdoddy Buffalo Bill burger.

[note: one day, photos will return]

Food on Barton Springs Road

Yesterday, when I turned on to Barton Springs Road, I noticed something new on the sight of the former Darcy's Donkey and Austin Java.  A Ski Shores Café is being built in the space.   As resident in the Zilker neighborhood, I'm glad to see another dining/bar option slated to open within walking distance.

Next door, in the space once occupied by Uncle Billy's, we have an Austin Eastciders tasting room going in.

Not on Barton Springs (but close enough) is Carpenter's Hall.  I've been there several times for drinks and I like it.  Once I sample the food (I always seem to be there at the wrong time to eat) I'll share more about it.

Food: Lil'Doddy

About a year ago I posted about the delicious Buffalo Bill burger one can find at Hopdoddy (and paused to mourn the loss of the Terlingua burger).  I like Hopdoddy, but the two locations most convenient to me are typically packed with long lines at lunch.   Thus, today when I headed out for lunch I left with two questions:

1. Will the line be ridiculous?
2. How different is this place from a regular Hopdoddy? 

And here are your answers:

1. No.  In fact, we were seated immediately and offered table service.  Score and score for a person who does not like lining up for food, let alone long lines. 
2. As Eater Austin described Lil'Doddy, it is a "streamlined" version of the regular restaurant.  Differences I noted were a lack of bison patties and the presence of a drive-through.  The former was not a big deal and the latter seemed cool for people in the area neighborhoods.  You still get a nice selection of burgers and other items (including an ahi tuna burger, which looked great).  Also, there is plenty of beer on tap.

I also found the staff to be accommodating.   The menu offered a version of the Buffalo Bill with a chicken breast.  Normally I would have wanted this, but I have been eating a lot of chicken and turkey products this week.  Also, I woke up thinking about beef burgers.   It turns out, getting me a Buffalo Bill with beef (all natural Angus) was not a problem.  In fact, having a second patty added for good measure was not a problem either (I'm hitting the weights today, so of course I need more protein).  

The upshot is that lunch at Lil'Doddy was delicious and the time provided no problems for us vis a vis crowds.   

Now that I've shared about burgers, at some point I plan to discuss my last couple of trips to Hank's Austin.  That point is probably sometime next week.  Plus, there are a few trivia updates I've been meaning to write.  Stay tuned.

Food: Closed on Mondays

I go out to lunch often.  Every once and awhile I'm caught of guard by an Austin restaurant being closed on a Monday.   So, as a PSA, here are a couple in my rotation which are closed on Monday:

• El Dorado Cafe
• Stiles Switch BBQ 

Not in my rotation (yet, but I almost scheduled a Monday happy hour there):

• Better Half

I'm sure there are more; however, the above are restaurants which have resulted in changed plans for me.   

More food observations to come.  This has been an unusually (in a great way) busy month for our real estate brokerage and our law firm.



[3/6/20 update:]

• Hestia

Jeopardy Archive

It should surprise none of you that I enjoy the TV game show Jeopardy.  Well, it turns out that there is an online archive of Jeopardy games.  Visit the site and play along.  The answers are hidden until you scroll over the dollar amounts (and, sometimes there is commentary from the show).

Also, from my end as a trivia host/quiz master:  we had a great trivia fundraiser last Wednesday at Lavaca Street Bar, and I have more in the works.  Stay tuned for more details.

December 2019 Austin Housing Market Statistics

Infographics courtesy of Austin Board of REALTORS®.  Visit https://www.abor.com/statsdec19/ for more information.  And, of course, contact Floyd Real Estate if you want to buy or sell property in the Austin area.

BoJack Horseman | Season 6 Final Trailer | Netflix

Austin Tourism Promo Video from 1987 - Classic ATX Access TV