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Central Texas Community Thread of Heat, BBQ, Heat, Hail, Heat, and Heat

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F

firebricks3

Member
SomewhatGroovy said:
Fucking A. I work off 620 and passed by four accidents this morning. This town and rain do not mix together very well.

I'm thinking my house first weekend of November. I'll update you guys.
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I live on 2222 and I live 2 miles from my work and it takes freakin 20 minutes to drive there because of all the accidents/car fires/terribly timed stop lights along the way. It's insane. I also have no idea why people drive like morons on 620, there's nothing really tricky about it.
 
Sub_Level

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
Sub_Level said:
Is $11k and a paid off car enough to move to Austin and get a start there?
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So months later this is still a consideration for me lol. My mom and I worked on a more comprehensive and realistic budget. The way we figured it the cost of living alone might be around $35k/year give or take a couple thousand maybe although given my grandparents' savings (of which I would only use maybe 25% of, the rest into savings) it would be closer to $32k/year. So given a $20k job lined up (shooting low) I would need to save close to the $12k (from scratch) difference of that before I would consider moving. The first month alone might be close to $5k.

Other than the obvious food, utilities, internet, phone bill, rent, clothes, cleaning supplies, washing/drying, gas, the actual initial trip of getting there, basic car maintenance, toiletries, haircuts, contact lenses, applied 0.8% sales tax to some of the previous items, car insurance, health insurance (which I would not pay in full but a portion of; still a few years before not dependent) we also considered healthy stuff like gym membership, supplements, 10% income savings for medical emergencies/major vehicle maintenance and of course the creature comforts of videogames, movies, weekend stuff, and gifts in addition to building credit at a limited but consistent rate with CC spending-and-paying-off.

For fun I did a mock budget if I were to move out of my house but stay in hell paso and unsurprisingly it was significantly lower; maybe $25k/year. If a friend moves in and help pays rent it becomes even lower. So I dunno, it all depends on where and if I can find work :D </babby's first budget>
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Also Hopdoddy's, Home Slice, etc. Really depends on what kind of date.

If you had a $50 I'd also suggest Sway.

Sometimes I get ideas here and/or yelp/google+.
 
E

Etrian Oddity

Member
Snack Bar is great for a lunch date. You can people watch on South Congress, have a drink while you're there, and enjoy pretty good food.

It's a somewhat small menu and a little pricey, but come now. :p
 
T

Team Filler

Member
I've lived here for 12 years, and after two long months of waiting after placing an order, I am finally having Franklin's Barbecue for the first time.

EziNmyo.jpg
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This is so good, wish I hadn't ignored it for so long.
 
T

Team Filler

Member
Zoe said:
2 months? I heard there was a wait for orders, but shit.
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Yeah, they let you place a take-out order via email, but their calender was full all the way until today back when I ordered on september 3rd.

Line outside for people just getting lunch was ridiculous, too.
 
S

Sydle

Member
Mister Saturn said:
I've lived here for 12 years, and after two long months of waiting after placing an order, I am finally having Franklin's Barbecue for the first time.



This is so good, wish I hadn't ignored it for so long.
Click to expand...

Franklin brisket is godly. I'd put La Barbecue, located off of south 1st right up there. The line is still reasonable (20-30mins) M-F, not so great on the weekend.
 
K

kodecraft

Member
Mister Saturn said:
I've lived here for 12 years, and after two long months of waiting after placing an order, I am finally having Franklin's Barbecue for the first time.



This is so good, wish I hadn't ignored it for so long.
Click to expand...



Paco said:
Franklin brisket is godly. I'd put La Barbecue, located off of south 1st right up there. The line is still reasonable (20-30mins) M-F, not so great on the weekend.
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Ok, I got to try these places out!
 
M

Meier

Member
Count Dookkake said:
Anyone going to the Housecore Horror Fest?
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A friend from school flew here from Tallahassee to go. I hadn't even heard of it and it didn't appeal to me but she was in heaven. Looked like some really neat stuff went down.

As far as SoCo, bring her to Hey Cupcake afterwards. She'll probably appreciate that Even though I am not a huge fan of their cakes, it's a nice gesture and a lot of people love them. Sugar Mama's on 1st is amazing by comparison.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
Meier said:
Never heard of it, but it's near where we work so I'll have to bring my wife one day. Definitely try Sugar Mama's if you haven't been -- it's amazing. It has a 4.6 versus a 4.1 on Google.

www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com
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They're a dollar off from 5-8:00 on Tuesdays ;)

I've heard of Sugar Mama's before, but they're far for me (at least moreso than Polkadots). I'll think of them next time I'm in the area though.
 
C

cr_blah_blah

Member
Paco said:
Franklin brisket is godly. I'd put La Barbecue, located off of south 1st right up there. The line is still reasonable (20-30mins) M-F, not so great on the weekend.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure ex-Franklin's pit master is now La Barbecue's pit master too. (well now that it's La Barbecue and no longer J Mueller's) So that bodes well for it as well.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
I'm heading up to Austin from SA with a group of my friends this coming Monday. Nerd trip to Frys, Arcade UFO, Pinballz, Game Over, and lunch or dinner at Daruma Ramen. Should be fun!
 
B

Bulk_Rate

Member
SomewhatGroovy said:
Random thought: there's this property on old McNeil called kiddie acres. It's like a small carnival type park for kids with four or five rides that are seemingly 30 years old but still functioning. There's a pony that looks like it's miserable as Hell (4 tickets to ride btw).

Anyway, I step on the grounds to buy a snow cone and cotton candy and then leave.

In another side note, I got stuck on 620 for an hour thanks to a single accident.

Enjoy the rain, fellow austinites.
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You went to Kiddie acres sans kids? Surprised APD didn't show up ;)
 
E

ExitPlanetDust

Member
Haven't heard back from Game Over about Nov 24th. I will sent another inquiry tomorrow. Would be nice to set up the DC, Saturn, and PS1 to play some shmups with you guys.

RoryDropkick said:
I'm heading up to Austin from SA with a group of my friends this coming Monday. Nerd trip to Frys, Arcade UFO, Pinballz, Game Over, and lunch or dinner at Daruma Ramen. Should be fun!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good time. I haven't planned that far ahead but I might be down for Game Over and Pinballz.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
ExitPlanetDust said:
Haven't heard back from Game Over about Nov 24th. I will sent another inquiry tomorrow. Would be nice to set up the DC, Saturn, and PS1 to play some shmups with you guys.



Sounds like a good time. I haven't planned that far ahead but I might be down for Game Over and Pinballz.
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PM Me, we can make arrangements. I'll be up there with 2 other GAF peoples, Hikarutilmitt and graywords, and a 3rd who is along for the ride because he wants to play Tricoro at UFO.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
SomewhatGroovy said:
Not sure rorydrop was inviting us, guys. Ha ha.

Anyways Rory, we'll all see you there. From a distance. But still within view.



Yeah and I do it while my 4 year old keeps watch at home.
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Hey, anyone's welcome! PM me and we can hammer things out. Trying to hit UFO last since it opens at 6, and maybe Pinballz during the day
 
E

ExitPlanetDust

Member
Sent another email to Game Over. Cross your fingers.

RoryDropkick said:
PM Me, we can make arrangements. I'll be up there with 2 other GAF peoples, Hikarutilmitt and graywords, and a 3rd who is along for the ride because he wants to play Tricoro at UFO.
Click to expand...
Will do. I should know my availability closer to Monday.
 
M

Meier

Member
Zoe said:
They're a dollar off from 5-8:00 on Tuesdays ;)

I've heard of Sugar Mama's before, but they're far for me (at least moreso than Polkadots). I'll think of them next time I'm in the area though.
Click to expand...

Turns out my favorite taco place in Austin, Cabo Bob's, has just opened a new store right nearby! It's at 29th and Rio Grande. Highly recommended to everyone -- good prices and a local chain. They're closer to a Chipotle (you go down the line) than a Torchy's but it's absolutely fantastic. 4 different tortilla types you can select from. I usually get tacos but they also sell burritos.
 
T

Team Filler

Member
Meier said:
Turns out my favorite taco place in Austin, Cabo Bob's, has just opened a new store right nearby! It's at 29th and Rio Grande. Highly recommended to everyone -- good prices and a local chain. They're closer to a Chipotle (you go down the line) than a Torchy's but it's absolutely fantastic. 4 different tortilla types you can select from. I usually get tacos but they also sell burritos.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Cabo Bob's is damn good, better variety of stuff to put in your burrito/bowl, and they have Doppelganger soda (Dublin Dr Pepper formula) at their fountain! We sometimes order from that at work, since they have a location that's a short drive down on Ben White. That location suffers from Chick-Fil-A syndrome, though, by being closed on Sundays.
 
M

Meier

Member
Mister Saturn said:
Yeah, Cabo Bob's is damn good, better variety of stuff to put in your burrito/bowl, and they have Doppelganger soda (Dublin Dr Pepper formula) at their fountain! We sometimes order from that at work, since they have a location that's a short drive down on Ben White. That location suffers from Chick-Fil-A syndrome, though, by being closed on Sundays.
Click to expand...
Yeah that one down on Ben White was their only location until last week! The new one opened on 10/22 apparently. I assume it will be closed Sunday as well.

I always get the ancho chili tortillas. Yum. Had it last night and preordered the Zelda 3DS at the GameStop a few doors down. If I were single, GameStop employee Shayla would have been my dream woman. Even my wife commented on how cute she was.

SomewhatGroovy said:
Welcome back, Meier! Was hoping I didn't have to wait for your sequel to release in 2013 or year after :p
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Hah, thanks! Thought my post was totally innocuous but the mods are on edge I guess.
 
E

ExitPlanetDust

Member
OK, so the meet up at Game Over on the 24th is going to be SHMUP themed.

Game Over has a rather large WEGA set up in front of a couch. I would like to bring along another 20" - 27" CRT if possible. My goal is to have a Saturn and Dreamcast set up on Game Over's WEGA and then a dedicated TATE CRT, hooked up to another Saturn and a Dreamcast.

If you have a CRT you don't mind dragging to Game Over, PM me.

If you have a Dreamcast or Saturn (preferably Japanese) you can bring, PM me.

I will update the OP in a bit to include the details so far.

I am concentrating on the Saturn and Dreamcast, but anything SHMUP related is welcome. Arcade boards? Arcade sticks? Other systems? Games? J360 + all of the CAVE releases? Let me know.
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
Hm, I think I need to replace my TV furniture to make room for PS4/Xbone. Where around town should I shop? Ikea?
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
SomewhatGroovy said:
Broken record: budget?

You could look at thrift stores for good deals. Hell. Pop into a goodwill and you'll be surprised.

Havertys has good deals too if you have $500 for an entertainment center.

I'm in the same boat as you are. I need to get a new receiver too.

My last idea is to check this place out. This would be my personal go to.


http://www.austinfurnituredepot.com/new-tv-stands.html
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Nice. See multiple things I like.
 
E

ExitPlanetDust

Member
Brilliant Disaster said:
I have my DC I can bring. I have my dell IPS monitor and a hanzo scanliner. I will bring that over along with giga wing 2.
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Sounds good. Bring it all... And my old Trinitron, if you manage to get ahold of it by then.

SomewhatGroovy said:
I CAN bring an additional dreamcast ntsc if need be. I CAN bring some extra controllers.

I wish I still had my heavy ass one ton Sony crt. :(

Anyways I'll be there. Thanks, EPD

Also, our fellow austibite, Count Dook, made a short and posted about it in this thread
.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=708115

Congrats, Dook!

Quick reminder on my end, I'm having a game themed get together at my place on 11/09. PM if you'd like to attend. A couple of you reached out to me. All are welcome. I'll have my plasma hooked up for current gen and an older tv for ps2, dreamcast, and GameCube
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Hah, congrats to Dook.

Maybe bring that Dreamcast just in case.

I will plan to drop by your place around 6:30 when I get off work on the 9th. I will have at least my iPad and 3DS in tow.

teh_pwn said:
Hm, I think I need to replace my TV furniture to make room for PS4/Xbone. Where around town should I shop? Ikea?
Click to expand...
IKEA is always the right answer.

Actually, I need to pick something up from there. I will be there when they open.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
What is Game Over? Sounds like it might be way too serious gaming for me, though I do want to get out and meet some people.
 
H

Hazmat

Member
Servbot24 said:
What is Game Over? Sounds like it might be way too serious gaming for me, though I do want to get out and meet some people.
Click to expand...

I'm a long-term Austin gaffer that's kind of in the same boat. I'd love to come to game with you guys if you need another dork.
 
J

Jenga

Banned
Anyone check out that vegan restaurant near Guadalupe? Any good? Name escapes me but it has VEGAN on its side in big green letters, so might be recognizable.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
ExitPlanetDust said:
OK, so the meet up at Game Over on the 24th is going to be SHMUP themed.

Game Over has a rather large WEGA set up in front of a couch. I would like to bring along another 20" - 27" CRT if possible. My goal is to have a Saturn and Dreamcast set up on Game Over's WEGA and then a dedicated TATE CRT, hooked up to another Saturn and a Dreamcast.

If you have a CRT you don't mind dragging to Game Over, PM me.

If you have a Dreamcast or Saturn (preferably Japanese) you can bring, PM me.

I will update the OP in a bit to include the details so far.

I am concentrating on the Saturn and Dreamcast, but anything SHMUP related is welcome. Arcade boards? Arcade sticks? Other systems? Games? J360 + all of the CAVE releases? Let me know.
Click to expand...

This sounds fantastic, I would want to go but sadly I will most likely be working at the store in SA that day *lol* One of the disadvantages of being a weekend employee there. I hope you have a good turnout though. Also things are still a go for tomorrow, my friends and I are waking up bright and early to go up.
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
ExitPlanetDust said:
IKEA is always the right answer.

Actually, I need to pick something up from there. I will be there when they open.
Click to expand...

They have some nice stuff, but unfortunately my apartment decided to put a fireplace in case there's a nuclear Winter. So I'm very limited in width.

I think I'm just going to wait until I replace my plasma next year. By then top end 1080p LED TVs will be $700. Should be really light, easy to mount. Doesn't require spending $100-200 on furniture and throwing out what i have now.

One of the consoles will go in front of the fireplace int he meantime.

Count Dookkake said:
Thank you, but I am merely a Tulsan. I aim to be an Austonian soon.
Click to expand...

Austinite. Austonian is a building. Ich bin ein berliner.

My advice is to live right next to where you work. Austin's infrastructure is becoming increasingly mega-fucked. Like you have to hop on access roads/highways to get milk, and so is everyone else, so full stop traffic on I-35 on Saturday morning when you should be going 70 mph.

Also most apartments have no insulation, so consider that when thinking about how cool your AC will keep your place in August.
 
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