What I've been up to

Somehow, after planning to be abroad on an internship which has yet materialize, I wound up turning what was supposed to be a brief visit to South Texas into a two month stay. While being unemployed and car-less and not knowing anyone here less than twice my age, it's hasn't been an absolute waste, it's just been mostly a waste.

Read:

• Maximum City (2004:Suketu Mehta)
• Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy - I'm halfway (1998:Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw)
• Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India - I'm halfway, I thought I was going to India for a while (1997:Gita Mehta)
  

Visited:

• The dentist (twice)
• The doctor (twice)
• My Brother

Activities:

• South Texas Museum of Art
• Texas State Aquarium
• Volunteering in Galveston after Hurricane Ike
• Wednesday night (sailboat) racing
• Sailing Cruising to Port Aransas
• Toured the Port of Corpus Christi
  
• Turkey Day Regatta
  
• Golfed (a few times)
  
• Went to the beach a few times
• Swam a few laps on an infrequent basis
• Got a Texas Driver's license because I lost my Pennsylvania one before I left
• Learned all about Greyhound Bus travel
  
• Wrote about politics and drew a new political map based on political, demographic, and cultural data
• Walked for Diabetes
• Took a bikeride
  
• Went to a Cowboy Breakfast/Rodeo thing on America's largest ranch (post soon)
  

Watched:

• Burn After Reading (2008:Cohen Brothers)
  
• Tropic Thunder (2008:Ben Stiller)
  
• Slacker (1991:Richard Linklater) free on Hulu
  
• Crawford (2008:David Modigliani) free on HULU!
  
• Bonfire of the Vanities (1990:Brian De Palma)
  
• Blade Runner - Director's Cut (1982:Ridley Scott)
• City of God (2002:Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund)
• Logan's Run (1976:Michael Anderson)
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004:Walter Salles)
• Split: A Divided America (2008:Kelly Nyks)
• Mad Men, both seasons
  
• Arrested Development, entire series, Free on HULU!

Acquired

• A new laptop, an Eee PC 1000H netbook
• Motorola S9 bluetooth Stereo headphones
• External Hard Drive case for my old laptop hard drive
• External DVD/writer drive
  
• a dozen books at excellent Texan used book store chain, Half Priced Books