Evolution...

Prior to moving onto this weeks big report I once again need to give credit to the humble pickle. From its simple beginnings as a cucumber, to its time spent fermenting in vinegar, brine or ?? to become a household favourite in the US. Who could of thought life for a pickle and a pickle eater could get any better. But the next evolution has arrived!! Saving the consumer from getting pickled fingers, providing the grip you need to stop that slippery sucker from getting away, making consumption a sheer pleasure; its "the pickle on a stick".Could life be any better?

The Big Report - The average Texan Family Car 

For those of you who have traveled to the US you would of noticed that the car spaces in all the car parks are huge. You could fit 2 average European cars in each! Now there is a very simple reason for this phenomena, that is the average Texan family car. The Chevrolet started off as a basic pickup and served the generations for years but as all things Texan it was too small and simple to survive the Texans pride in being the biggest and best. Over the years the wheels got bigger, trays grew larger and were soon big enough to carry one of those toy like European cars with an engine big enough to tow a truck and rattle your bones as it passes. As with the pickles the next evolution of vehicles has emerged. The average (not even the biggest) Texan family car pictured below populates the streets. Should these vehicles become an Australian dream as well?

The Week Passed

The weekend started with dreary weather again and I started to wonder if we were really just weather jinxed! We bravely attempted a Saturday morning bike ride despite the temperature being around 10 degrees, a temperature we are not used to unless visiting family and friends outside of the Sunshine state. After 5kms we decided that it was best to turn around and head home, my ears were hurting, fingers were blue, it was that cold.

Sunday was not much better but we had planned to check out the Texas State Fair and thought the cooler conditions may actually make for a more favourable experience due to smaller crowds. The Texas State Fair is famous for displaying all things Texas. In particular for frying everything and anything, so we were both keen to see what there was to offer. On arrival  we were screened for any concealed weapons by two guards along with all the other patrons, it was pleasing to note that weapons were not allowed in to the fair. If carrying they could be checked in, you were given a ticket like we get in a cloak room and collect it upon departure. WOW that's different!

The fair grounds itself was BIG, you got a big welcome from the big cowboy and consisted of all the apparent best Texas has to offer, including a big car exhibit with all the national dealers, big sideshow alley, local producer exhibits and big deep fryers. My favourite experience was the only small thing we noticed all day. the miniature donkey show that we randomly stumbled across in the search for the longhorns, they were adorable and definitely not big. The highlight for A was seeing the famous Texas Longhorn, he was so excited! After enjoying the exhibits and checking out all the food options A settled on some Alligator for lunch and I had some fried chicken and waffle, washed down with fried chocolate cake for dessert. These were just some of the delights on offer, for those more adventurous there were things like chicken fried steak, fried watermelon, fried peach cobbler and a Fannie Flagg favourite "Fried Green Tomatoes". Our hearts did flutter with nerves of an sustaining a heart attack on entering this place.

The working week began with more induction for me and essay writing and job hunting for A. And how could I forget A's birthday! We had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant (no fried food).

Back to work talk I am not the only newby at the IEEM, meaning most people are needing to practice particular aspects of the testing we perform. Both A and I had the pleasure of doing VO2 max tests this week, A's first one and my first one with this system. As well as measuring your oxygen consumption during exercise we also measure cardiac output which is pretty cool (I think), but makes the test more challenging. The final measure of cardiac output is made at the end of the test, whilst you are still running meaning you need to have at least seven breaths to inhale some gas and then breath it out over seven breaths before the treadmill stops. It's also more technical for the person controlling the test (hence why we were practicing). I am guessing due to his brilliance that A performed significantly better then me in the test. His wedding vow promise to beat me one day is starting to become a reality :) unfortunately I missed his test due to more induction...

 The rest of the week was pretty stock standard. I worked, A cleaned the house, cooked the meals and met me at the train each afternoon to walk me home. We found a good way to ride to my work avoiding the crack houses and enjoyed an afternoon riding around the Art district and Uptown in the sun checking out all the trendy people and their dogs, whilst turning heads by riding bikes on the roads and wearing helmets. Happy Days!!!