Deep in the heart of Texas

I think I have a shin splint. I discovered this while running in San Antonio day before yesterday. That occasional shooting pain on my shin suddenly got much worse after running two miles downtown, so I'm takin it easy for the next few days. I'm going to continue my weight training per Caligula and cross-train on bike or elliptical machine. But I was really hoping to try and run for another hour plus this weekend, but not gonna happen. So I'm kinda grouchy. Plus, I missed my big Pee Wee re-enactment opportunity. I did see the Alamo, but I didn't get to streak by as planned.

San Antonio was nice- had a good time despite splinty shin, ate delicious black and white soup with a prickly pear maragarita (to dull the pain!) at Boudro's on the Riverwalk, which was kinda cool, a little more touristy than I was expecting, but nice all the same. My favorite though, was El Mercado, right across from my hotel.

It was like stepping across the border and shopping in Mexico. Lots of inexpensive, colorful mexican crafts, piled up everywhere. I even ate at the supposed most touristy ticky tacky tex-mex place there- Mi Tierra a 24-hour restaurant that has decor that looks like mariachi band of christmas trees exploded all over the walls and ceiling (see pic above).

But I loved it.

The cab driver who took me to the airport later groaned when I told him I went there. He said, "don't you know there are much better places to eat tex-mex?". Yeah, but they're not near as sparkely as Mi Tierra.

Now I gotta figure out what to do with the 5 pounds of red chard I got in my produce delivery. Has anyone ever cooked with chard before? I need some ideas.