Austin, anyone?

[Mermaid]

Hiya!
I am thinking of relocating to the Austin area and would like to check out the market in the optical field.
Any input????

[mikeh]

Austin is a fantastic city. It's verdant, the lakes and hills are beautiful. Not too hot, not too cold. Plenty of culture and lots to do because of the University.

Unfortunately, as Optical markets go, it doesn't do as well. Now before all you Texicans start screamin' (I know Austin is an eastern suburb of San Angelo) let me say that state capitals as a rule don't seem to really "hop" as optical markets. I don;t know if it has to do with the amount of government workers or wha, but in general, state capital populations have relatively low per capita spending on eyewear.

But Austin is a great town so who cares. When LBJ was in office he managed to swing some rather large Federal Offices into the Austin area (a large IRS facilility and another for the Veterans Administr5ation). Before that, in the early 60's the town was rather bucolic. Now it hops!

[Pete Hanlin]

I don't know about Austin, but Mike makes some interesting points about state capitals... Having worked in two of them (Harrisburg and Tallahassee), I can opine that you should probably be prepared to deal with a lot of patients with vision insurance (state workers usually have pretty comprehensive health benefits). However, the "plus" side of a capital is financial stability (the job market and local economy generally stay pretty stable).

Pete "is it 'capitol' or 'capital' " Hanlin

[shanbaum]

Originally posted by Pete Hanlin:

Pete "is it 'capitol' or 'capital' " Hanlin

"Capitol" refers specifically to the buildings in which the U.S. Congress, and the various state legislatures, meet. I'm not sure if all states' legislative assemblies meet in a "capitol".

For all other uses, the homonymous "capital" is spelled with an "a".

So, it's "capital city", "capitol building".

[Bob Rihl]

Originally posted by Mermaid:
Hiya!
I am thinking of relocating to the Austin area and would like to check out the market in the optical field.
Any input????

Mermaid:
I don't know anything about the optical market in the capitAl of Texas, but my daughter just moved to nearby San Antonio to begin her residency in OB/GYN (she had enough sense not to go into Ophthalmology) and my son-in-law will be going to seminary in Austin. They love San Antonio and claim that their older but swinging Dad will like visiting Austin even more. Lots of things to do, night life, great live musical entertainment,etc.(son-in-law is sort of boring). I'm going out to see them in September. Hope to get down to Nuevo Laredo, just across into Mexico, too. Understand there are a lot of "cultural activities" I'd be interested in down there. Have been offered a job in Mexico, but not in the optical business. All I have to do is fly an old Beechcraft Bonanza over the border into Texas a couple of times a week, low and at night, and drop some packages in the middle of some guy's ranch, and I get $ 1000 a trip. The trick is going to be in not hitting any cows.
BOB in Jaw-juh, Future Mexican Pilot

------------------

[Darris Chambless]

Hello Bob,

I don't know if you got my e-mail or not about the New Orleans trip, but I will start by saying that I apologize for not having gotten in touch with you while we were there. The only excuse I have is that we were drunk the majority of the time and so curtousey and cognative thinking did not enter the mix.

If you are going to Austin let me know when and where you'll be and I'll try to hook up with you then. Most of the people I grew up with live in Austin and San Marcus at present. I also have some in-laws that live there not to mention one of my best friends in the whole world that lives in San Antonio.

Let me know and I'll talk to you later,

Darris Chambless, in Texas.

[Bob Rihl]

Originally posted by Darris Chambless:
Hello Bob,

I don't know if you got my e-mail or not about the New Orleans trip, but I will start by saying that I apologize for not having gotten in touch with you while we were there. The only excuse I have is that we were drunk the majority of the time and so curtousey and cognative thinking did not enter the mix.

If you are going to Austin let me know when and where you'll be and I'll try to hook up with you then. Most of the people I grew up with live in Austin and San Marcus at present. I also have some in-laws that live there not to mention one of my best friends in the whole world that lives in San Antonio.

Let me know and I'll talk to you later,

Darris Chambless, in Texas.

Darris:
Sorry I missed you, too. I stayed at the Fairmont with my wife, but I think my finance' was staying at your hotel, because it was right across the street. We're getting married as soon as she graduates. I had a good time, but got my pocket picked on Bourbon Street. I didn't have any money or credit cards in it, though. A few days ago, I got a certified package fom the New Orleans police department that contained my drivers licence, Opticians licence, concealed weapon permit, notary public card, AAA card and some miscelaneous stuff. The perpetrator kept my real expensive Neiman and Marcus billfold. I'm also missing a few old pictures. They said they found the stuff under the mattress at The Bangkok Health Spa when they raided it. Have no idea how it could have gotten there. Other than that, I had a good time. I'll let you know when I'm in San Antonio. I want to go down to Nuevo Laredo. I understand there is a lot of cultural activity down there. I also heard that they have a Boystown there. I have donated to their main place in the mid-west and would like to make some donations to their sub-station in Mexico. Maybe I'll find an orphan that could become my apprentice. I saw a post, I think from Chad, that said he was looking for a New Yorker. I have a 1960 Imperial, as you know. He can borrow that. It's even nicer than a New Yorker. I'd come out and see you while in Texas, but you're west of the Pecos.......ain't no LAW out there. BOB

------------------