From here on in, if days are missing on this trip blog, Uncle Jeremy is handing out tutorials in how to beat Super Mario Brothers on the Wii.

This afternoon I took a break from preparing my lecture on World 5 when I saw that the Texas Stars were playing tonight. They are the farm team for the NHL'S Dallas Stars, and since the stadium was 5 minutes away from my sister's home, I thought it would be a good idea if Sam and I went. After all, we hadn't seen each other since I dropped him off at his grandparents place.

Sam and his uncle came and picked me up, and it turns out that the Stars had a really nice stadium- too bad there weren't more people there.

One thing I thought was pretty awesome that the NHL teams don't have is cheerleaders. Now I've never seen cheerleaders at a hockey game, but now I'd like to see more.

HEB, a Texas area supermarket chain that was sponsoring tonight's game, had fans come down and play musical chairs with a giant bag of groceries.....a guy dressed up AS a giant bag of groceries- forgive me. The sight of that alone was funny, but then the grocery bag started cheating. He wasn't just moving chairs, he nearly body checked a person or two. I almost expected him to break out a hockey stick and start cutting people off at the knee. Well, when in Rome...

The Stars lost, but they got into a couple fights, and the game was all but decided by the time the third period started. So what did the three of us do? We heckled. We weren't even heckling the other team- we were equal opportunity hecklers. It got to the point that the families around us were staring at us and laughing- we were putting on a much better show than what was happening down on the ice.

I'm full of beer and jokes I never got out of my system- good night, everybody!

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 2- Tulsa, OK to Austin, TX

So we're scheduled to get to Austin today. There was a little rain in the first part of the drive, but outside of that, we had a pretty smooth morning. Then we hit Texas.

We decided that once we hit Dallas, we would grab lunch. Well, we hit Dallas...and passed it by. So we decided to get off at the next exit and get whatever local grub we could find.

Driving in Texas is both nice and terrible. The highways are a Chicagoan's wet dream- they're new, there's ample lanes, and it was just far too pleasant for it to not be a tollway. Then we hit the streets. On the main roads, there seems to be a hierarchy in Texas as far as allowing drivers to do whatever the hell they want. The larger your carbon footprint (SUVs, pickup trucks), the more leeway you get. If you drive a smart car or a hybrid, you're screwed. luckily, my car came out unscathed.

One of the really cool features of Windows Phone is the Local Scout- it basically brings up a list of restaurants closest to you, and you can whittle that list down based on what you have a taste for. Sam looked at the list and chose a random place- Smokey Joe's BBQ.  What we didn't know is that we'd have to pass through an pretty desolate area to get there- but then again, what dive isn't in a sketchy place?

Like expected, the place was a shack- crack may have been developed in this place, but no matter...the barbecue was delicious.

Sam didn't grow up around pork, but the Itis is about to hit.

THE ITIS STRIKES AGAIN!

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We both ended up getting a brisket and rib tip sandwich. The sandwich was wrapped in the obligatory cheap white bread that any self respecting barbecue joint uses. The bones were still in the rib tips, which would have made for an unpleasant sandwich if it was eaten that way. There was very little sauce because Texans pride themselves on the how the meat is grilled and prepared. The sauce, more often than not, is just a secondary thing.




A couple hours after the crack house, Sam's GPS took us off on an exit....and to this thing:

Starship Pegasus, as it was named, looks to have been a restaurant at one point, and looks like something that was pulled from Star Trek (and after research later, we found it was). Sam tried to climb it, but it was too slippery and he only got halfway up. I got about four feet off the ground before I gave up.

We hit Austin late tonight, and I dropped Sam off at his grandparents place- I met them last year when they came down for graduation, and they are the stereotypical grandparents you see in all the movies- these sweet old people who could make a story about homicide sound charming.

I got to my sister's place a half hour later and all bedlam broke loose. I was bombarded by three small children who are on Spring Break- meaning they have no bedtime while I'm here. I think I need to rest up.

Jeremy and Sam go to SXSW! Day 1- Springfield, IL to Tulsa, OK

Well, the first day went off without a hitch. Sam got out of class, packed an questionably light bag, and we were off.

Before we took off, we decided to split the trip into two days to make it easier. We were going along fine for a few hours, and had gone through about half of Missouri when I needed to get out of the car and stretch. We had made it to Rolla, MO- a town about halfway between Springfield MO and St. Louis. I got off the highway, turned into a gas station, and while Sam went in to get some jerky, I saw a fried chicken joint behind us. It beckoned me to come and try its offerings. I checked the place out on Foursquare, and someone wrote "Best $1.07 BBQ Chicken Sandwich ever!"

BBQ Chicken Sandwich? A buck-oh-seven? Count me in.

The place, Lee's Famous Recipe, is a Missouri thing. The server, Josh, took my order, and the poster on Foursquare was right- $1.07 to the penny. The sandwich reminded me of a Sloppy Joe, only thicker, and it was just enough to satisfy my hunger. Oh, and by the way? It was DELICIOUS. The sauce was perfect, there was more chicken than mash in the mixture, and for a buck and change, you can't beat that. Of course I could have just been hungry and delirious, but if that's the case, it was delicious anyway.

Sam and I were the only ones in the restaurant, so Josh decided to try and make friends and brought us water. We told him we were on out way down to Austin, and his eyes lit up? "You guys are going to South By Southwest? Awesome! You should so go see this band called Bad Brains. They're a punk reggae group and they are the best band ever!"

All I heard in that whole statement was "punk reggae"....I know the slogan for the City of Austin is Keep Austin Weird, but that's bordering somewhere on weird and insane.

Anyway, Josh talked to us about Bad Brains for a few more minutes before Sam and I decided it was best we go- Josh sounded high as a kite, and anyone who listens to punk reggae probably has lit up once or twice in his lifetime.

Tomorrow we hit Texas. Then we get the barbecue. Then we get the women.