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livingdebAustin entered the developed world today and now has a city train. Excuse me, "commuter rail." (That means that it runs only during rush hour.)
They're using a pre-existing set of railroad tracks, thus saving us lots of taxpayer dollars. (Or not.) Which is why it doesn't quite go downtown and it doesn't quite go to campus (and it doesn't quite go to my neighborhood). And so they decided to add shuttle buses between some of the train stops and some of the employers.
Today I was waiting for the bus and saw one of these shuttle buses and remembered that one of the train stops is right at the (dying) mall where we go walking, and so I got on the bus. Then I rode deep into East Austin. This was a great ride because everyone was talking about their experiences on the train that morning.
One person had been left behind because the train was already full and had to wait for the next one. One person said that most of the people riding had been Capital Metro employees and reporters. Two people talked about having bought houses in (one particular point in) the middle of nowhere (Leander) just because of this train. One person talked about how his friend had warned him that this train would never actually happen; he called that friend from the train this morning. Some people knew people who were holding off on trying out the train until they heard how things went.
Also, the bus was brand new and was the kind that had a little cushioning on the seats instead of just hard metal seats disguised with fabric to look like there would be cushioning.
So, the train station is big and clean and pretty and actually has signs like in London saying when the next train would be coming. Well, the next southbound train anyway. And there were a bunch of Capital Metro people walking around talking to people, talking on walkie-talkies, and counting people so they knew at all times how many people were on the train. They assured us there would be room for us all. They said that since this week is free, there were a lot of "joy riders" today. Each train officially has room for 200 people, but it turns out you can fit more than that on.
The northbound train arrived three minutes before the scheduled southbound train. It had only two cars. Lots of folks with bicycles got off. There was, indeed, room for all of us, though the seats were all taken. Though there were only two preceding stops, many of the folks in the seats had their laptops out and were all comfy and settled in as if they were in their own living rooms.
As we left, the southbound train arrived as advertised. A voice told us what the next stop would be; apparently Austinites are hard of hearing because it was quite loud. The train was smooth and quiet except for all the dinging noises we made every time we approached an intersection. It most reminded me of the trains in Las Vegas (even though this is not a monorail). Only one intersection was backed up badly, which made me happy. The rails aren't even, so the car rocked back and forth, giving me some good exercise while I stood. The train still had plenty of Capital Metro employees and a guy with a large, expensive looking camera.
My stop was the very next stop. I waited a while at the light at Airport, crossed the street, and commenced with the mall walking. I got there in about the same amount of time as it usually takes me to get there. So, for me, it was a success. Even though it's a silly train with a silly route and a silly name (the red line, as if there's more than one line).
More About Grains
* hot toast - one thing I learned at summer camp is how much I love hot toast and how cold toast just doesn't compare. The best thing for me is to just butter the toast as it comes out of the toaster and eat it immediately. I will even go so far as to make only one piece of toast at a time to maximize the yumminess of hot toast.
If that is not possible, I like the idea of at least spreading the butter on the toast while it is still hot. Melted butter is somehow yummier than unmelted butter.
* hot pancakes - my aunt used to make us silver dollar pancakes and as each batch was finished, she'd bring the plate of pancakes to the table for us to grab while they were still hot. I still feel this is the proper way to serve pancakes, French toast, and waffles. However, I have also heard that you can stack these in a warm oven so that all the food can be served at the same time with proper manners.
* hot rolls - JA puts hot rolls in a basket with a cloth wrapped around them. This really can keep the rolls warm long enough that when they get to after going around a long table, they are still warm. They are sometimes even still warm when I go for seconds. And thirds. And he doesn't even have the kind with a pocket for a rice packet that you can heat in the microwave to exude heat.
* hot bread loaves - There is nothing like hot bread fresh out of the oven. Except there almost is. My mom bakes three loaves of challah at once and freezes two, then brings out one loaf a week. She wraps the frozen bread in tin foil and warms it in the oven somehow so that it regains its fresh-baked magic.
I can't believe I forgot the whole category about how to make hot breads last.
* separable pasta - some people like to add oil either to the boiling water or just to the drained pasta to keep it from sticking. I prefer just mixing it with the sauce or not worrying about the sticking at all. (Well, you do have to stir it a couple of times while it's boiling to keep it separated while cooking, but after that I stop worrying about stickiness.)
They're using a pre-existing set of railroad tracks, thus saving us lots of taxpayer dollars. (Or not.) Which is why it doesn't quite go downtown and it doesn't quite go to campus (and it doesn't quite go to my neighborhood). And so they decided to add shuttle buses between some of the train stops and some of the employers.
Today I was waiting for the bus and saw one of these shuttle buses and remembered that one of the train stops is right at the (dying) mall where we go walking, and so I got on the bus. Then I rode deep into East Austin. This was a great ride because everyone was talking about their experiences on the train that morning.
One person had been left behind because the train was already full and had to wait for the next one. One person said that most of the people riding had been Capital Metro employees and reporters. Two people talked about having bought houses in (one particular point in) the middle of nowhere (Leander) just because of this train. One person talked about how his friend had warned him that this train would never actually happen; he called that friend from the train this morning. Some people knew people who were holding off on trying out the train until they heard how things went.
Also, the bus was brand new and was the kind that had a little cushioning on the seats instead of just hard metal seats disguised with fabric to look like there would be cushioning.
So, the train station is big and clean and pretty and actually has signs like in London saying when the next train would be coming. Well, the next southbound train anyway. And there were a bunch of Capital Metro people walking around talking to people, talking on walkie-talkies, and counting people so they knew at all times how many people were on the train. They assured us there would be room for us all. They said that since this week is free, there were a lot of "joy riders" today. Each train officially has room for 200 people, but it turns out you can fit more than that on.
The northbound train arrived three minutes before the scheduled southbound train. It had only two cars. Lots of folks with bicycles got off. There was, indeed, room for all of us, though the seats were all taken. Though there were only two preceding stops, many of the folks in the seats had their laptops out and were all comfy and settled in as if they were in their own living rooms.
As we left, the southbound train arrived as advertised. A voice told us what the next stop would be; apparently Austinites are hard of hearing because it was quite loud. The train was smooth and quiet except for all the dinging noises we made every time we approached an intersection. It most reminded me of the trains in Las Vegas (even though this is not a monorail). Only one intersection was backed up badly, which made me happy. The rails aren't even, so the car rocked back and forth, giving me some good exercise while I stood. The train still had plenty of Capital Metro employees and a guy with a large, expensive looking camera.
My stop was the very next stop. I waited a while at the light at Airport, crossed the street, and commenced with the mall walking. I got there in about the same amount of time as it usually takes me to get there. So, for me, it was a success. Even though it's a silly train with a silly route and a silly name (the red line, as if there's more than one line).
More About Grains
* hot toast - one thing I learned at summer camp is how much I love hot toast and how cold toast just doesn't compare. The best thing for me is to just butter the toast as it comes out of the toaster and eat it immediately. I will even go so far as to make only one piece of toast at a time to maximize the yumminess of hot toast.
If that is not possible, I like the idea of at least spreading the butter on the toast while it is still hot. Melted butter is somehow yummier than unmelted butter.
* hot pancakes - my aunt used to make us silver dollar pancakes and as each batch was finished, she'd bring the plate of pancakes to the table for us to grab while they were still hot. I still feel this is the proper way to serve pancakes, French toast, and waffles. However, I have also heard that you can stack these in a warm oven so that all the food can be served at the same time with proper manners.
* hot rolls - JA puts hot rolls in a basket with a cloth wrapped around them. This really can keep the rolls warm long enough that when they get to after going around a long table, they are still warm. They are sometimes even still warm when I go for seconds. And thirds. And he doesn't even have the kind with a pocket for a rice packet that you can heat in the microwave to exude heat.
* hot bread loaves - There is nothing like hot bread fresh out of the oven. Except there almost is. My mom bakes three loaves of challah at once and freezes two, then brings out one loaf a week. She wraps the frozen bread in tin foil and warms it in the oven somehow so that it regains its fresh-baked magic.
I can't believe I forgot the whole category about how to make hot breads last.
* separable pasta - some people like to add oil either to the boiling water or just to the drained pasta to keep it from sticking. I prefer just mixing it with the sauce or not worrying about the sticking at all. (Well, you do have to stir it a couple of times while it's boiling to keep it separated while cooking, but after that I stop worrying about stickiness.)
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no subject
on 2010-03-23 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
on 2010-03-23 03:57 am (UTC)The train (and connector buses to campus and downtown) are free this week. After that, it gets complicated (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz2J1lNiG_o).