It’s cold. It’s been inconsiderately cold for four days. That’s ok, though, because it’s been a really good week for TV (White Lotus and Yellowjackets!) with more on the way. I was also out of town for two days and made the airport run, but oddly I accomplished a lot of walking around Austin this week. I’m aiming for 12,500 steps a day, slowly ramping up because the weather has been so awful, but on Sunday, before I left town, I went for a five-mile exploration walk that culminated in a coffee experience that was just meh, so I’m not writing about it here.

This week Michael Urie and Becki Newton launched their podcast Still Ugly, which deserves its own blog post later, so that gave me the inspo to get out and stay out for a long walk on Thursday. I did a funny twist on my Chronicle Day, dropping into Russell’s Bakery to buy a cup of Genuine Joe’s and pick up an impulse-buy bag of Barrett’s beans…which inadvertently coordinated with The Chronicle cover this week. That’s three local coffee shops in one, if we’re counting, which more than makes up for the meh one.

I also cut through Northcross and watched the skaters, since I’m on a bit of a hockey kick, what with the 4 Nations and Icebreaker and Shoresy promos. Also, I think a house full of Stars players resides on my block, just across the street from the suspected Verde soccer house. More updates as this develops.

Saturday’s big event was the screening of Shaking It Up at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It was cold and miserable, but I had a great visit to Neighbor coffee truck first (I got to pet a dog!), and I did climb the tower and also went for a walk along the research trail. I got slightly lost, but a chivalrous young man on the swings offered to let me borrow his compass (he was four and adorable). The detour turned out to be a blessing, as I encountered a fairy ring of trees, the Hall of Texas Heroes: Descendants of Famous Oaks. It was exquisite and deserves its own visit/post when I am not cold and in a hurry. Truly made my day.

Shaking It Up is about Liz Carpenter, co-directed and presented today by her daughter Christy. The film premiered at SXSW last year and has been making the festival rounds (PS: the SXSW gear-up this year is already daunting); it will screen on all eleven PBS stations in Texas this March. Liz Carpenter was born on the Robertson plantation in Salado and was on Air Force One as Lady Bird’s chief of staff when LBJ was sworn in as president. Her daughter has accomplished a lot as well, including sitting on boards for PBS and UT Press.

Finally, I made myself go out for National Margarita Day, if only so I could finally go inside High 5, site of the Mexican restaurant that inspired “Margaritaville.” I caught the end of The Texas Tide’s set and had a non-alcoholic concoction to help me hang on.

Those frown lines are new and really starting to bother me…time to do something about that.

And by something, I mean find a reason to smile more.