AUSTIN, DAY 1.5

Apparently waking up at 4:45am, traveling all day and eating more food than you could ever imagine will tire you out so much that you'll fall asleep at 10pm (which, I may point out, is only an hour or so earlier than my usual bedtime.)

Our two plane rides were fairly uneventful. No babies kicking the seat or annoying throat-clearers (ok, besides me). In Dallas I got to take advantage of Brookstone's massage chairs during our layover. Let me tell you, there's nothing more frightening than getting a swedish massage from a robotic chair or having a "calf massager" squeeze your legs so tight that you think the muscles are going to pop out. For only $4000, you can feel like you're being relaxed to death.

We got into Austin in the afternoon and picked up our soccer-mom mini van, which has the coolest gadet ever, "Never Lost" which directs you to whatever address you tell it to. Although it failed during our first attempt to use it (by sending us to an abandoned grocery store, not an open one), we made it safely to our home away from home after relieving Albertsons of two cases of Shiner and all its Sparks (plus some food).

Our place is pretty damn great. Very clean and fancy with a leaf-filled pool in the backyard. I claimed the room with a daybed, which means I get to relive my childhood for the next week by sleeping in a near-cage.

We got dinner at Johnny somethingorother and ate more than I thought possible. All the carbs plus one gigantic frosty wine/sangria drink pretty much put me out while watching How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. mm sleeep.

I've been up since 6:30am, went for a run/walk (note to self: buy new running shoes), working, going into town later (I hope) to walk 6th street before the madness begins. sigh.