Weekend Update

Friday March 5 Temp: 65

Hmm where do I begin? The weekend all sort of blended into one long day. Phone interview went very well, and sounds like I fit the bill for what they are looking for. Trying to get an interview set up for Tuesday but some of these blokes are pretty tough to get ahold of with their schedule so I will continue to badger them about it.

Went downtown today to check it out with my aussie buddy Broderick. We just sort of walked around and enjoyed the weather and eventually found a free trolly that runs along the uptown district just north of downtown. It's not the same as Minneapolis' hipster infested uptown area, instead it is a rather upscale area with high end shopping, street side cafes, and the ritz-carlton hotel. All in all though it is the best neighborhood around the city I've encountered due to its easy walkability and pedestrian minded design.

Hooked up the wii and played some mario brothers with the dutch contingent and showed them the ropes.

Saturday March 6 Temp: 68

Today was pretty solid, gave me a chance to settle down during the day and a break from applying to jobs. Carlos and I went out to a neat joint in Fort Worth and enjoyed an amazing creole cuisine at Papadeaux (pronounced papa doe), threw down a few beers with some of the people staying at the hostel, and nothing else super noteworthy to mention.

Sunday March 7 Temp: 72, rain

So since the start of the weekend I've met some interesting cats:

- 2 really cute German medical students, Maria and Sophia, staying in Dallas before they head to San Antonio for a big 3 day wedding.
- A 25 year old aussie, Alex that just got back from Canada snowboarding who is on his way to Mexico -> Cuba -> Belize -> Honduras. He's studying pharmacy but is not super serious about school from the sound of it
- A group of 4 more aussies, 3 dudes and a chick that are on their way to Guatemala to teach english even though they don't have a job lined up down there
- A super quiet Japanese girl who dresses like something out of a comic book
- A guy studying architecture at Oklahoma State from Washington state. He spent a night here to fly out of Dallas because he's going to Romania to design an orphanage for his senior design. He was delayed on the train because his train hit an 18 wheeler and split it in half and it dumped a whole bunch of expandable foam all over the tracks and they had to replace the train engine and didn't let anyone off. Then the truck driver ran away from the scene because he was an illegal alien without a license. Link to that news story if you don't believe it:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/18-wheeler-stuck-on-tracks-hit-by-train-in-Fort-Worth-86766782.html

- Another German girl Anne who is a nanny for a doctor family in Virginia.
- And I also met Tim, a black rasta looking dread-sporting dude from Miami who plays guitar very well, and studied archaeology at UW-Madison who is coming through Texas to go on a dig in an area where they are building a dam. They need to get in there before they build it and the whole area floods and artifacts are lost.

Soooo overall the people I have been meeting are all spectacular, have great stories and are quite inspiring.

On Sunday I went downtown with one of the aussies and the two german gals (who unfortunately both have boyfriends) and we spent the day walking around and enjoying some food and beers as well as having some very great conversation about anything and everything.
Came back to the hostel and watched the academy awards and had to explain all the jokes to the Germans which was quite amusing. Super stoked to see the hurt locker mop up with best picture and director woot!!

Monday March 8 Temp: 56, thunderstorms

Carlos treated me to lunch today at an upscale mexican joint. Spent part of the day badgering the company I had the phone interview with. I just got done beating 3 aussies at nintendo themed monopoly. Decided to pour a fine guinness draught and hit the blog since I've been MIA for a couple days. I have some cool videos to post but am having trouble due to some router config problems here at the hostel so I'm going to work on fixing that so I can upload.
I told the hostel owner he needed a new computer and recommended some stuff to him which he's going to buy, which is why I think Carlos treated me to lunch today.

Going to try to find a studio apartment to stay at for cheap and I think I'm super close to finally finding work. I'll take mom's advice and run down to the TXU (texas utilities) headquarters with suit and resume in hand and see if I can't walk in and get a face to face or something. I've applied for entry level engineering positions but doing it cold call seems difficult, so maybe this will give me an edge.

Peace out from Texas and thanks for reading the long post but it should at least put a smile on your face!