Hey Everyone,
Dave, great picture of Meeko. Real cute pup.
Gina, I never told you about my trip to Austin, TX in late August, 2007. IRS sent me as part of a team of four men and two women to its center at 1800 Directors Blvd in South Austin, from August 20-31, 2007. I had to change planes (American Airlines all the way) in Dallas; there are no direct flights into Austin from outside Texas. We compared the 2006 tax forms and schedules with the 2007 drafts of those forms and schedules, and recommended changes to the worksheets contained in a program we customer service representatives use in our jobs. I've never met a Texan I didn't like. I've found even the ones with whom I've spoken on the phone to be warm and friendly. I and my team got along well. The man and woman who led the project, are both from the Austin area (I think she's from Bastrop). The rest of the team consisted of a man from Seattle, WA; a woman from Salem, NH who works in the Andover center; and a man from Normal, IL (hey, Al and wdw!) who works in the Saint Louis office. But our time there in the Texas heat (93-97°F/34-36°C during the day and 71-78°F/21.5-25.5°C at night) wasn't all work and no play.
We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott on IH-35, one to each suite. This is a very nice hotel (it should be, with a rack rate of $179.00/night; but as Federal employees on official business, we paid only $85.00/night; and we each filled out a Texas lodging tax exemption form, so we didn't have to pay the 9% Austin tax or the 6% Texas tax). The Spring Hill Suites offers a free continental breakfast each morning, so we went out for lunch and dinner each day. I'm a big eater (just ask anyone with whom I've shared a meal), and Jeff (the Illinoisan) tagged me with an unofficial nickname, Eating Machine. Some of the places at which we ate included Hills Cafe, Steak n Shake, Sonic, The Oasis overlooking Lake Travis, Texas Roadhouse, Whataburger, Cracker Barrel, and KFC. We also went to a couple Mexican restaurants and to two barbecue joints.
We shopped at the Tangier Outlets in San Marcos, where I went into a Christian bookstore and bought a mens devotional; and into the
Disney Store Outlet and bought a Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End (a movie I have yet to see) t-shirt for $4.99 plus .41 tax for a total of $5.40 (a sales tax rate of 8.25%, which I think is high because Texas has to make up for its not having an income tax requirement). We also went to Allen's Boot City in Austin for cowboy hats. On Monday, August 27, we went to Round Rock to see, at the Dell Diamond, a Pacific Coast League game between the Albuquerque Isotopes (I don't think there's any other team named the Isotopes in any sport) and Nolan and Mike Ryan's Round Rock Express. Albuquerque was fourteen games ahead of Round Rock in the league standings, but one of the best games I ever saw was scoreless for 9 1/2 innings before Round Rock's Tim Raines, Jr homered in the bottom of the tenth to win it. More later, gotta go.
Jim.
I know I don't fit the mold demographically, but I'm a bigtime gamer girl. 
to this thread.
for my Disney Prince or Pirate
