Happier Holidays

Day: 134
High Temp: 29F (in St. Louis)

Don't Mess With Lindsey has been on an extended hiatus as Tom and I have been home in St. Louis to celebrate the holidays with our families. It has been an eventful week so far, with the chance to enjoy the company of many friends and family members who we rarely see. Homer took his first 12 hours car ride (not his favorite thing in the world) and he has also been enjoying that white stuff that tends to fall from the sky this time of year in the Midwest.

We have, indeed, had a small amount of snow here in St. Louis, including a dusting on Christmas morning. This allowed Tom to experience his first-ever white Christmas. He now can appreciate what all the hype is about. It is actually snowing again right now, with about an inch or two expected. It makes sitting inside very cozy.

Tom and I gave and received well this year, with many really neat homemade presents exchanged. Among my favorite we gave were mixed CD's inspired by the new music we have come to love since arriving in Austin, hand embroidered tea towels (visit Austin artist Jenny Hart's website here for some of the cool patterns I used) and homemade compost bins. We also made two types of jam (cranberry maple butter and cranberry orange marmalade.) The people who love us were also ridiculously generous and creative in their gift giving this season.

And my whole family received an early Christmas surprise when brother Andy and his wife Megan went for their first ultrasound last Wednesday morning. I knew something was up when instead of heading to work as she should have, my mom came back home with Andy and Megan following the appointment. We all crowded around the ultrasound print outs, and were all really excited to see the following shocking image:


















For those without a trained eye, there are indeed two little heads in this picture. We have twins on the way! They are fraternal (you can see the border between their individual placentas) which means they will not be identical. Here are a few more highlights from the visit!

Twin A: profile shot

















Twin B: front facing

Sudden Realization

Day: 122
High Temp: 49F

Today, I woke up around 9am. Not terribly late, but pretty much the norm for me in my recent, unemployed state. When I looked a the clock, I had a sudden realization: Three weeks from now, when I am officially at my new job, I will have already been at work for an hour. Yikes! I guess this is goodbye to 9 hours of sleep each night. I am sure I will be fine... right?

Merry Christmas To ME!!!

Day: 121
High Temp: 65F
Job Status: Employed!!!

You read that correctly. Employed. It only took 125 days...the longest 125 days of my life. And if you take into account that I was unemployed my last two weeks in Chicago in preparation for our big move, I have been out of work for 4 and a half months. Everyone kept telling me to enjoy the time while I had it, and I tried my best, but now I know that the next three weeks, and the upcoming holidays, are going to be the best ever.

The job is in the Development Department at the University of Texas School of Nursing. It is a 3 person department, and I am really excited. The department not only raises funds for the academic nursing programs at UT, but also for the two wellness centers that are affiliated with the school of nursing. Those clinics provide medical care to low-income and uninsured families and children. The job itself offers me the chance to use many of the skills I have from the performing arts sector, but will also allow me to gain experience in higher education and social services fundraising.

I am set to begin on January 4th. It really is the best Christmas present I could receive. Money has been very tight for Tom and I, and this new opportunity will represent the real start of my life here in Austin. I am letting out a huge sigh of relief, and preparing to celebrate!

Beeven Bietz

Day: 116
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed (and not receiving unemployment)

With the advent of Google Alerts, bloggers need to be careful about what they say, and who they say it about. I think this is a good thing. Anonymity is certainly still easy enough to preserve on a blog, but the fact that the person you are trashing might get an email alerting them to the fact that you have written something does hopefully make the blog owner more responsible for what he or she says. It is probably not such an issue if you want to blog about an A-list celebrity. Those people are written about so much that I doubt they/their managers/their agents really care what is being said about them. I mean, can you imagine if Brittney Spears set up a google alert for her name? A constant stream of inanity, to be sure.

So what does that have to do with Austin, or my subject line Beeven Bietz? Well, this posting is supposed to be about a certain American playwright that I have had the pleasure of meeting and socializing with. However, my own inability to give an enthusiastic and heartfelt compliment has made it awkward to write this blog for fear said playwright has a google alert set for his own name, and will therefore be alerted to my blog. Therefore, I have given this incredibly charming and well-respected artist a ridiculous, slightly distorted name: Beeven Bietz.

Many of my blog readers probably already know who I am talking about. For those that don't, here are a few more clues to help you with the google search. Beeven is a professor here at UT Austin, he spends his time between Austin and Seattle, and has been produced by my beloved TimeLine Theatre in Chicago. I have a google alert set up for "TimeLine Theatre" and will now likely get an alert about my own blog...

Anyhow, Beeven wrote a play that I love. It is, in fact, one of my favorite plays EVER. I think it is really freaking cool that he is Tom's mentor and professor. I think it is really freaking cool that I have met him, and I also think it is really freaking cool that last Friday night, I sat in his back yard, drinking wine and chatting with him and other UT theatre people around his fire pit. It's all so cool. But it feels so uncool to say it!

I am a mess!

Beeven and his wife are both playwrights. They live in a gorgeous old house a few blocks north of campus, and have converted the little coach house in back into a stunning writer's cottage. Being incredibly gracious hosts, Beeven and Allison insisted that everyone please feel free to explore the little cottage, and see where he (they) make(s) the magic happen.

When I entered, I immediately noticed the bookcase in the little foyer area. It is topped with photos of family, and friends, and other trinkets that have sentimental value to our hosts. Situated among the photos and trinkets is an old LP version of Eugene Ionesco's "The Chairs". It is an audio recording of the play that in many ways shaped and inspired the Bietz play much beloved by yours truly.

There is something magical about connecting to the things or places that have inspired art that you admire. I am sure many theatre lovers feel it when walking the streets of Stratford, England, or it may be a familiar feeling to sports fans who have had the chance to hold the bat, or touch the glove of a favorite player. That is what I felt standing in that little cottage, a little bit of unexpected theatrical magic. It was so cool. And it definitely could not have happened anywhere but Austin, Texas.

Is Austin Ready For This?

Day: 110
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed

I was just noticing that lately it seems like the High Temp and the Day counter have switched places. We are now safely over the 100 mark in terms of days spent living in Austin, and now the mercury is creeping slowly down towards that freezing mark. Indeed, today (December 3!) Tom and I finally turned on our heater.

When we left for Tahoe a little over a week ago, we left a city still experiencing an average high temp in the mid-70s. It was chilly at night, but sunny and comfortable during the day. Now, there is a distinct coldness that has settled upon us, and while most of the trees still refuse to turn and loose their leaves. We haven't hit below the freezing mark yet, but I couldn't help noticing tomorrow's weather forecast: High of 36F with a 70%chance of snow showers! Is Austin ready for this?

I mean, I certainly am. If 27 winters in the Midwest taught me anything, it is how to deal when expecting an inch of mixed precipitation. In fact, I am now the owner of an SUV, so driving in the snow should be safer than ever. But, it is not me I am worried about, its all these southern yahoos (no offense yahoos, but admit it, you don't have a reputation for handling well in the snow!)

I have a meeting, a lunch date and a party to attend, all tomorrow. This means I have to go out and brave the masses. Honestly, this is more daunting than black Friday at a suburban mall! The hourly breakdown from weather.com shows a forecast of possible snow from 9am through 6pm.

Now, nothing can get me more in the spirit of the holidays than a good early-December snowfall, but I fear that this snowfall will come at the price of the sanity of the masses. So hear me now Texans: please do me a favor and stay home tomorrow! Let me enjoy this uncommon expression of the season in peace and relative safety.

Thanksgiving

FaDay: 100
High Temp: 73F (Don't hate me, but it is gorgeous here!)
Status: Unemployed (and possibly soon to be receiving unemployment benefits!!!)

Sometimes I hesitate to even tell people about what my Thanksgiving is like, afraid of the overwhelming jealousy that it will cause. This year, however, there are so many of you loyally reading this silly blog that I have decided to try and describe just what the Horan Thanksgiving is all about.

First off, I have to say that spending my Thanksgiving with the Horans comes at a great cost, namely missing the holiday with my own family. Even though this will be my 6th Thanksgiving with the Horan clan, I still get a little twinge of sadness mixed in with my excitement when we book the plane tickets, knowing it is one more year I wont be with my family. I miss Aunt Sally's cranberries, my mom's sweet potato casserole, and the many pies my dad makes. I miss making the pies too, as many years I was sous for Chef Bob. And I miss the black Friday ladies lunch on the Hill (girls, have a slice of tiramisu and think of me).

The trade off is that Tom and I get to spend Christmas in St. Louis. And if you have to miss your own family's fete, you should definitely beg for an invitation to this one.

My first several Horan Thanksgivings were spent at a cute cabin near the Mount Shasta National Forest in far northern California. When our cabin benefactor decided to sell his fabulous vacation home, we spent a year at Nan's (Tom's mom's) house in the Bay Area, vowing to find a new location. That new location came in the most unexpected ways, with the entrance of Dr. Kim into the Horan family mix. He was brave (crazy?) enough to let the group borrow his beautiful ski cabin, and so last year we moved the trip to Truckee, CA (located just a stones throw from the north shore of Lake Tahoe). And we did so well that he has agreed to let us come back!

No matter where the festivities occur, the general goal of the holiday weekend remains the same, utter relaxation. We all travel to be there, and we all stay together. That means no one has to drive home after the pie course, and you don't have to get dressed to go watch the football game with your family either. Indeed, it is common to find a majority of the family in pajamas well into the afternoon, until someone suggests a hike, or a trip to town to pick up some forgotten ingredients for the evenings meal. Enthusiastic and rambunctious card games are liable to break out at any time, and there is always a fire in the fireplace. There are games, crafts, naps, puzzles and frequent visits to the hot tub on the back deck (have you ever been in a hot tub when it is snowing? It's the best!). There is also lots of food (and wine).

The Thanksgiving meal is the ultimate in tradition, and as new family members join, it has been fun to see what they add to the mix. I am not sure what the Horans were doing for pies and cranberries before I arrived... The pie recipes are my father's of course, built upon the pie crust that my Great Grandmother used. This year, I will do 3 different types, apple, raspberry cream and chocolate (two chocolates, actually). And someone else may even make a pumpkin one.

Tom and I leave Austin first thing tomorrow morning, and will be settled at the cabin by early afternoon. I plan to spend most of my time reading , cooking, eating, drinking, crocheting and embroidering Christmas presents and puzzling. I will make professional work out of lounging about and enjoying the mountain air. I will relish putting on my boots, and my big, down sleeping bag jacket and stomping in the already plentiful snow. I will talk wedding planning with my soon-to-be sister Erin, who is also getting married in 2010. I will forget that I am unemployed. I will catch up with my California family, and miss my family in St. Louis, Chicago and Madrid. I will joyously welcome the official start of the Christmas season, even if that means that all that is left of the big Thanksgiving meal is sandwiched between bread on Sean's and Colin's plates.

I hope you all have celebrations to look forward to as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend In Review

Day: 93
High Temp: 62F (it feels like fall!)
Job Status: Unemployed


I normally don't like to write these recap type blogs. You know, the ones that throw a bunch of "this is what I did"s into one post. But, this past weekend was the first that felt like a normal weekend, not just a continuation of a week of days that I spend playing with my dog, searching for and applying to jobs, and complaining about the weather. This weekend reminded me of weekends I would have in places where I actually live, which made me feel, finally, like I may actually live here in Austin. I want to document it.


Friday night, Tom joined me at the Lustre Pearl, a really unique bar located just north of the river from us. It's an old house, which contains a bar in what I assume would have been the kitchen. It feels like a what might happened if someone through a really great party at an abandoned house. Anyhow, great atmosphere, and definitely a place I would go back to for a drink or two.


Following the Lustre Pearl, Tom had to head to work for a while, so me and my new friend Sara (yes, new friend! and NO, she does not attend UT!! sweet!) headed to Fado on 6th street downtown for a pint or two, and a double Jameson, and... well, you see where this is going. We had a great time, and she got me home early enough so that Homer wasn't too pissed off at having to be home alone.

Saturday we hosted a small gathering at our apartment for a reading of one of Tom's new plays. A group of his friends from UT came by, and it was generally fun to play hostess for a night. We made Cuba Libres and Dark and Stormys, and served appetizers. After the reading, we all headed to Doc's, a local bar for some food, and a few rounds of shuffle board.

On Sunday, we once again gathered with the UT crowd to head out to Driftwood, Texas for some of the best barbecue on earth at the Salt Lick. The Michner Center (fancy writing program) at UT invited all the creative writers at the Univeristy, and their families, out for a big banquet. Salt Lick serves these big, family style meals where they basically just keep bringing tons of food until you surrender. This was our second time at the Salt Lick, the first was when my parents were here--my dad's pick and as per usual, genius. I know most people would say the highlight of the meal is the meat (brisket, chicken, smoked sausage and pork ribs are all served), however my votes go to the amazing sauce (mustardy, a little spicy and a little sweet), the warm German-style potato salad, and the peach cobbler. Again, if any of you ever get off your lazy asses to come visit me, this place will be high on the agenda!

So, it was like a totally normal weekend, where we saw and hung out with friends, and had actual things to do. Now I am looking forward to my brand new Book Club on Tuesday night and the upcoming annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to California.

The Big News

Day: 87
High Temp: 78F
Status: Unemployed

So a few blogs ago I included a teaser about some very happy news that I had recently received. I have been given the go-ahead from the primarily involved parties, and am happy to let the world (or my dozen or so readers) know that come this July 2010 I will be an aunt! That is right, little brother Andy and his wife Megan are expecting a baby.

For those of you really in the know, you may also have heard that just about a week before the news of the pregnancy, we were informed that Andy and Megan's international adoption papers were accepted by the authorities of Ethiopia. Yes, that is right, not one, but two babies on the way... technically at least. It will be at least another year (or two) before Andy and Megan can travel to Ethiopia for the adoption, but two babies! Add that to the 3 dogs, and you have one very full house.

I am so thrilled for the two of them, and maybe most of all for my parents. Truth is, Bob and Mona have been ready for grandkids for a while now, and this definitly takes the pressure off of Tom and I, at least for the time being. And, I will be an Aunt again!!! (I have been honorary aunt to my friend Jenny's two beautiful babies (okay not babies anymore) all their lives, so I have lots of practice.)

So, yeah, when my wedding day rolls around next October, there will be a baby! Oh, and credit to Dan Nies, who after reading the teaser in the previous post emailed me to register his correct guess that Andy was having a baby. And a hearty laugh to all my crazy friends who, for a brief moment, were thinking I was the one with the bun in the oven.

nerdnite - Austin

Day: 84
High Temp: 79F
Job Status: Unemployed

Be there and be square. That is the motto given to nerdnite - Austin, a highly enjoyable monthly occurance at an unlikely spot on Austin's popular 6th street. 6th street is probably not the first place you would think of for a night of nerdy revelry, but on the first Thursday of every month, geeks from all over the city converge on Buffalo Billiards to hear their fellow dorks talk on subjects ranging from WWII era aircraft to the history and evolution of Guy Fawkes Night (the British holiday).

Tom and I attended our first nerdnite last Thursday and had a really great time. We had been to Buffalo Billiards before, to play shuffle board and drink beers when my parents were here a few months ago. Knowing how packed this place can get with lame frat boys and drunk co-eds on the weekend, I was curious to see how nerdnite would fit in with the atmosphere of this absolutely cavernous nightspot.

Good news, it works perfectly. BB has a large upstairs space that serves as a private room for the nerdnite festivities. There is a stage and some a/v set up at the back of the room, and the attending nerds are invited to pull up a chair and enjoy the festivities. The aforementioned festivities are simply a program of a few speakers who present mini-lectures on the topic of their expertise. While most of the experts come off as more of enthusiasts, than experts, it is a wonderful show case of all the weird and dorky things people are interested in learning about. And it is a guarantee that you will learn something odd, funny or downright enlightening. Throw in a special on domestic drafts, and plenty of beer breaks, and what you get is a hilarious and informative geeky gathering.

We met up at nerdnite with a large group of UT Theatre and Dance grad students who were all there to support of one of their fellow MFAs Steve Moulds, who was to present a discussion on "how directing plays taught me the ease of manipulating people." Steve was hilarious, and purposefully or not, his presentation actually ended up being one of the most incisive guides on how to manage difficult personalities in any work place (be it the stage or elsewhere). Other highlights of the evening included a middle-aged Texan who is the aforementioned WWII aircraft enthusiast. This gentleman presented a revisionists take on the infamous Spruce Goose, and managed to work in what is now my new favorite phrase "prettier than a punchbowl of titties." He brought the house down.

Truth be told, I cant wait to attend more of these nerdnite events. I heard there will be a talk next month about the history and evolution of marching bands... I love marching bands!

There are nerdnites starting to pop up all over the country, and abroad. Check out the nerdnite website for details.

It's Slower in the South

Day: 79
High Temp: 71F
Job Status: Unemployed

I haven't been writing much lately, as there hasn't been a whole lot to report. I am feeling like I am in a bit of a holding pattern, actually. I have officially been unemployed for 3 months now. I really can't believe it has taken so long. But, I have learned that things move much slower in the south. So, on top of searching and applying for jobs and taking Homer out to the park, there hasn't been a whole lot going on.

I did get a call on Friday for a phone interview, for a job that I applied to six weeks ago. SIX WEEKS AGO! My experience in Chicago was if you didn't hear in 2-3 weeks, you could just forget about it. But that said, I am thankful for another interview opportunity. This will be my third interview since arriving here. I am still waiting to hear about possible second interviews for the first two positions I interviewed for. In each case, I felt like the interviews went pretty well, but you know, things move much slower in the south.

What hasn't moved slow here is the onslaught of "holiday" advertising. It seems as though all these places were just waiting for Halloween to be over before starting to run their joy filled adverts. Although I must call out Crayola, who has been showing this commercial for a few weeks now that alludes generally to "gifts" and seems non-holiday until the very end when the viewer is treated to the subtle last 9 notes of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I recognize you for what you are Crayola ad! I mean, I LOVE Christmas, and the whole holiday season. It is the absolute best time of the year. But come on, I think two full months are enough.

I am, though, happy to report that my some of my holiday catalogues have already found their way to me, and all the way down here in Texas. I am already dog-earring pages filled with items much too expensive to buy for my friends and family this year (sorry guys, looks like 2009 will be an all-homemade Christmas...)

I did get one bit of amazing news last week that had me crying tears of joy. I am not sure how public this news is yet, but rest assured I will let the stork out of the bag just as soon as I am given the go ahead. Stay tuned...After all, if there is one lesson that I hope to learn here in Texas, it is that some things are worth waiting for.

The Dog Park

Day: 69
High Temp: 72F
Job Status: Unemployed (went to two networking events this week though!)


We took Homer to the dog park for the first time today. Tom has been asking me to take him for weeks, but I have been too nervous to go it alone. He is a very friendly dog, who will run off to say hello to anyone he sees. I could just imagine him getting excited by a dog running by, and me never being able to catch him again.

Tom and I were finally able to go together this afternoon, and it was Homer's first public off-leash experience. The park we went to has a nice fenced in area, so no matter how far or fast he ran, we would, in theory, be able to catch up. It turns out, he is a total rock star, and our training has paid off. Not only would he check back in with us occasionally of his own volition, but he almost always came back when we called him.

Dog parks are brilliant because you can just sit around while your dog goes crazy chasing other dogs, or being chased. And at the end of the night, after a hard afternoon of playing, you end up with this:













Needless to say, there are many dog park visits in Homer's future.

Remember the Alamo (Drafthouse)

Day: 62
High Temp: 74F
Job Status: Still Unemployed (but I had an actual interview on Monday!)


I want to apologize for the long lapse in blog posts during October. Tom and I have spent the past few weeks preparing to move again (more in a later blog), and so that has been taking up much of my free time this week.

But, today's post is not about moving and hard work, but about one of the absolute coolest thing anyone can do when they visit Austin, and that is go see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. I have been to the Alamo twice, and it is quite an experience. What you need to know about Alamo is that it is a combination movie theatre and full service restaurant. They have removed every other row of seats to put in high tables, and you can order anything from burgers and fries to classic movie fare like Sno-Caps and popcorn. They also serve beer and wine and dessert. You just write what you want, and your waiter brings it to you. Amazing.

The Alamo mainly shows first run movies, but they do lots of fun stuff like a Dirty Dancing "quote along" viewing, and an MJ Thriller screening and dance party. And, the previews aren't like normal theatres where you have to sit through ads for Coke and lame trivia questions. Here they play videos, commercials and TV clips relating to the era or theme of the movie you are there to see. They do also show a few upcoming attractions right before the movie starts.

When my mom was here visiting for a week just after we arrived, I had my first Alamo experience when we went to see Julie & Julia. The movie itself was alright. I love food, and Julia Child, but parts of the story were a bit slow. Unfortunately, the stuff they showed before the movie upstaged the actual feature. The majority of the pre-movie viewing was clips from Julia's iconic PBS cooking show The French Chef. They were almost worth the price of admission on their own. And the food was pretty good too. I had baked mac 'n cheese with green chilies a beer.

After our first experience, Tom and I were eager to return. He had snagged some free coupons for weeknight tickets, so last week he took me to see The Informant!. Tom's comment that it is odd to eat dinner in the dark was spot on, so this time we opted to just go for milk shakes and a shared basket of fries. And no offense to my love, Bobtail, but the shakes at the Alamo are the best milk shakes I have EVER had. I opted for the plain chocolate, while Tom ordered the indulgent chocolate peanut butter cup. Seriously, these things taste amazing and have such a luxurious, creamy texture. They taste like smooth, melting ice cream that hasn't been diluted by extra milk to achieve the right consistency.

Oh, the movie? It was alright. It started out good for me, pretty funny, but I think it's just a bit too long and rambling. However, parts of it are shot in Chicago, which made me both happy and extremely wistful for home. And, once again, the pre-feature clips managed upstaged the movie a bit. This time, we were treated to late 80's, early 90's era music videos like Pat Benetar's Anxiety (Get Nervous), and Alice Cooper's Identity Crisis ("sometimes I'm slashin the face..." seriously, watch it). And then there was the PSA style message from the American Association of Bakers (or something like that) that detailed both the wonders of the modern mechanized baking process and the nutritional virtues of bread.

It's just so kitschy and fun to see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. And if you ever get off your butt to come visit me, we will definitely have to take in a movie there.

Culture is good

Day: 48

High Temp: 82F

Job Status: Unemployed

As part of the fabulous going away gifts from my good friends at TimeLine Theatre I received a year-long membership to the Austin Museum of Art. It is hard to say that the memebership was my favorite going away gift (after all, I received a play written for me, presented by the uber talented Chicago actors Janet Ulrich Brooks, and Juliet Hart), but let me just say that this is an EXCELLENT going away gift for a person who is 1. and art lover, 2. unemployed, and 3. without friends in a new city.

The membership gives us free access to both AMOA locations, discounts on their extensive catalogue of art classes and also invitations to the members opening parties for all exhibits. Unfortunately, we were just getting into town the week that the Chuck Close exhibit opened, so we missed that party. However, on Tuesday night, they opened a new exhibit at their stunning Laguna Gloria location, and Tom and I were able to attend. The exhibit was called Art and Nature.

First off, it was refreshing to actually have something to do in Austin that felt special, but didn't cost any money. I cant tell you the last time Tom and I splurged on a dinner out, or even a movie...And Laguna Gloria is stunning. It is an early 1900's Italian-style villa right on the banks of the Texas Colorado river. The setting is utterly serene, and an inspired location for an art exhibition designed to explore the relationship between nature and art. The ground is dotted with grand live oaks, outdoor art studios and some beautiful outdoor art, not to mention the villa itself which is a gorgeous building. Truly, if our friends and family lived anywhere near Austin, Tom and I would definitely get married here. As it is, I believe we may have found the location for our engagement pictures! Now if we could only find a free photographer...

The exhibit itself was quite small, as there are only so many spaces to hang art in the villa, but we really enjoyed looking at the selected pieces within the context of each other (all so different!) and the theme of art + nature. Generally I love curated shows for those reasons. The permanent collections at my favorite museums are always nice (they allow me to visit pieces I love multiple times, seeing them in new contexts as I grow older and move on to different stages in my life), but there is something special about curated shows that makes you think of art in a new way. The brilliant, art-loving minds behind curated exhibits show you a piece of art that is beautiful or provocative on it's own, and are able to tell a story, or create a new way to view the piece by illustrating the relationship between it and the other selected pieces in the exhibit. It's a process that is pretty ubiquitous in the world of visual art, but can also be used to great affect in other art forms (think of theatre festivals, or even your own playlists on iTunes.)

Ultimately, it was a wonderful introduction to the AMOA, as well as Austin's visual arts scene. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that they will curate an exhibit on outsider art sometime soon. It's my favorite genre of modern art, and would seem to fit perfectly in this truly an eclectic and anything-goes kind of town that is home to one of the most iconic pieces of public outsider art in America, Hi, How Are You by Daniel Johnston.

Reunion Reminiscing

Day: 44
High Temp: 91F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied To: 6 (still no interviews... wtf?)

And so, I was home this weekend to attend my 10 year high school reunion. There were many highlights of the weekend, most of which revolve around the friends I have actually managed to keep for these many years since we graduated. I was thrilled to have a chance to see them all, and really enjoyed catching up. I have to say, that while we all had a really good time with each other, the scene at the reunion was intensely weird. For anyone who has gone to one of these you know what I mean, for those who haven't, it is just about as bad as you are imagining.

The shock literally never wears off, no matter how many glasses of wine you consume. Every time you look around you are stunned by the sight of yet another person you had forgotten existed. The most unfair truth about the reunion is that everyone, whether whispered to their friends, or silently to themselves, is categorizing everyone else they see. There are two categories: better than in high school, or worse. There was a lot of better, which was nice to see. And I have to say that the women seem to be faring better than the men... sorry fellas.

My reunion group was made up of Jenny and Steve (Jenny and Steve actually met in high school. Jenny was in my class, and Steve was 2 years ahead of us- we all met through theatre), Jenna and Ben (Jenna was in my class, and we also became friends through theatre. Ben is her fabulous husband who is not only a lot of fun, but is also a brilliant doctor.), Mollie and Gavin (I cannot exactly recall how Mollie and I became friends, but the match is so perfect. She is everything I hope people think I am, hillarious, ireverent and very smart. This weekend was my first time meeting Gavin, who is a very sweet east coast boy. Gavin and Mollie were married earlier this summer), and Kendra and Tom (Kendra and I had many classes together, and Kendra, like Mollie, is amazingly smart and so funny. This was my first time meeting her fella, Tom, who was very nice, and very brave for agreeing to attend even though no wedding vows dictated he must.) and Rissi, who pretty much was my date, as we were both solo for the evening.

The above group met up before hand to grab some drinks at the illustrious Eureka Wine Bar, where we of course ran into a few alums who had the same idea as us... the Wine Bar, is actually owned by an alum's parents, so that was no huge suprise. We had decided that a pre-reunion glass of wine would be a good idea, and this was a brilliant plan, which I would highly recommend to anyone making plans for their own reunion. After a few drinks, and feeling very social, we loaded up, and headed to a country club just down the road for the reunion. We stayed there until we were unceremoniously kicked out, and proceeded to go to (oh god) JP's in Eureka. This place is the epitome of Eureka, and not at all how I wanted to end my night. So, after sitting there for, oh, 10 minutes, Rissi and I bid adieu to our old HS buddies, and made our escape down the highway to Denny's, where we proceeded to feast upon grand slam breakfasts and do some real catching up.

After our midnight meal, I drove home feeling really happy that I had come home for the reunion. As I said, it was intensly surreal, but ultimately totally worth it!

Am I ready for this?

Day: 39
High Temp: 65F (apparently we do get a little fall after all! at least for today)
Job Status: Market Research Rookie (a.k.a. unemployed)

Saturday is my 10 year high school reunion. Am I ready for this? Most of the people I wanted to keep in touch with I have. Actually, there is a fairly large group of us that still talk regularly and see each other every Christmas. That said, it looks like most of them are attending, so it will be nice to see them sometime other than Christmas when every one is crazy trying to meet family obligations.

One excellent thing that will come of the reunion is my chance to see Rissi, an old friend that I haven't seen in person since our freshman year of college. Rissi and I both ended up at DePaul in the same dorm room, and we spend a lot of time together freshman year. However, as the end of the year approached, Rissi made the huge decision to leave college to pursue her music career. She is gorgeous, has a brilliant voice, and has done really well for herself. And I constantly marvel at the ballsy way she threw caution to the wind and went after (and attained) her dreams. Anyhow, the plan is for us to get together for a drink before the reunion so we can really catch up. I can't wait! Oh, and if you don't know Rissi, you should definitely check her out on iTunes or here.

I am kind of nervous though, about the reunion. Tom isn't coming with me, which means I am flying solo for the night. That's a pretty rare occurrence, and not really preferable to me, especially when concerning my reunion. Besides, you all know how adorable and charming Tom is. It would be nice to show him off a bit!

But what about you all? Anyone had a high school reunion yet? Did you go? How was it? While I am sure the new top from Anthropologie will help bolster my excitement for the big reunion, your reunion stories would definitely help too.

What is really going on?

Day: 37
High Temp: 95F feels like 101F (seriously, it is the first day of fall for pete's sake!)
Job Status: Unemployed, participating in market research study tomorrow
Jobs Applied To: 4

Okay, so this is the blog I have been trying to avoid writing. But, in doing so, it has slowed down my ablity to blog about anything else. Trust me, I have dozens of hillarious blogs floating about my mind, like the how horrible it is to drive in Austin, or the many mispronounced Spanish words in a state so close to Mexico, or the crazy antics of the now almost-completely-potty-trained Homer and so forth, but I gotta get this off my chest before any of those will come out. So here goes.

This is the hardest thing I have ever done. EVER. Being here, in Austin, is so hard. It is mentally and emotionally draining, and every day really does seem like an eternity. There are a few reasons it has been so hard.

1. The only friends or family within a thousand miles, are Tom and Homer. I love those two guys more than anything, but it puts a lot of pressure on a relationship when it is the only one you have. And, the other truth is that Homer and Tom would be just as fun and entertaining anywhere else on earth. It's not something special to Texas. Also, Tom has a lot of work to do, even when he is home, and Homer sleeps most of the day, and also doesnt speak English, so that's hard.

2. Another aspect that makes this hard is my lack of job. True, I am doing some freelance work for TimeLine, which is keeping me sane, and I did book my first market research study for tomorrow ($125 cash!), but I can't think of a time ever that I have had this much free time on my hands. Not to mention the lack (or at least drip) of cash flow coming in. For about the past 3 years I have been saving up for a down payment on a house/condo. At this point in my Austin adventure, about 1/2 of that nest egg is gone. Between moving expenses, rental cars and deposits, not to mention our first and second months of living expenses, it went really fast. Things have started to level out, but it's depressing to see my savings go towards, what in the end seems like nothing. I have about 3 more months of living expense in the bank, if I continue to budget carefully, but that doesnt include tickets to Tahoe for Thanksgiving, or any unforseen expenses.

3. And finally, the variable that is most up in the air, but that is also making me probably the most miserable, is our apartment. Tom and I live at The State House, which is an other wise nicely kept, clean and safe complex. However, there are two problems. One is that we can hear our neighbor's music (or more specifically the bass line of his music) whenver he listens to it. And he listens to it ALL THE TIME. And sometimes with his patio door open, which makes it even easier to hear. I know this isnt the apartment managment's problem or fault. I mean, it's an apartment, you are bound to hear some noise from your neighbors. Curiously, we hear NOTHING from the neighbors on the other side. We have talked to the music lover and the apartment managers, and we have sent notes, and finally last night, we called security on him. I mean, you know we can hear your lame top 40 music, it's midnight on Sunday night, turn that crap off.

And then there is the pool. On the weekends, it is basically a non-stop frat party, and at least twice a week, each week we have been here, we have been awaken by people splashing and screaming in the middle of the night. I feel like such an idiot. I mean, how did I not know that living by the pool would be such a pain in the ass? Well, I have spent my entire adult life in Chicago, where mega apartment complexes are rare at best, and pools in apartments are even more rare. I didn't know people would be playing beerpong in the pool, and that the closing time is just arbitrary as there is no one to enforce it. This, I feel is totally the management's problem, but they are doing little to regulate or enforce the pool rules.

Okay, so that is the shit I am dealing with. I am doing my best to cope, but breakdowns are frequent, and I fear it will only get harder before it gets easier. I know, it will still take months to meet people. Getting a job will help. I have been networking the best I can, given I know no one, and I am applying to every job that is posted that fits my abilities and experience. And of course, getting a job will also ease the financial pressure. How am I supposed to make friends (or keep friends) if I can't afford to go out for a beer every once in a while?

And, on the apartment front, we have registered formal complaints, and are in the slow process of working through this with the complex manager. Not sure we will ever come to a resolution that makes Tom and I happy, but best case scenario, we will be able to convince them to move us to a unit that is not poolside, and then we will only have to contend with loud neighbors, if there happen to be any. In the mean time, I am experimenting with lunesta to help me fall, and stay asleep (works like a charm so far.. but the samples are dwindling and I have no medical insurance!) and we are employing a white noise machine and earplugs with regularity. Worst case scenario, we have to stay here, and we can move out to a house that doesnt have a public pool or shared walls next summer. I just have to get through the next 11 months...

I am trying to keep my sense of humor about it, but it is a pretty depressing place to be right now. I am focused on not blaming Tom, and not taking it out on him. It's not his fauly, and I think I am doing a really good job of not directing my frustrations at him. But, if you are feeling sorry for me by now, you shouldn't. Feel bad for Tom, who has to deal with my breakdowns and is really doing a saintly job. Just send me your positive thoughts, and any tips on how to block out unwanted sound.

Okay, so it's all out there now. Very cathartic. Let the healing process begin.

When do you become a Texan?

Day: 34
High Temp: 86F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied to: 4

We have officially surpassed the month anniversary of our arrival in Texas. To tell you the truth, I cant believe it has been that long. We have had Homer for 3 weeks now, and are starting slowly to accept the annoying quirks of living in a huge apartment community. Having reached this milestone, I began to wonder when, if ever, I would feel like I had become a Texan.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Texans make a huge deal about the pride feel for their state. I am definitely not there yet. I mean, I still think it's a very nice state, but honestly, I've seen better. So, are you not really a Texan until you feel that sense of pride? Until you are happy to boast on vacations and family gatherings about how you are from Texas? I actually find it kind of embarrassing.

My cute Mazda, Elly, has Texas license plates. Does that make me a Texas? They are bright and bold, and have the shape of the state and the lone star prominently displayed. Texas plates... does that make me a Texan? We are thinking about getting one of the ubiquitous Longhorn decals that everyone has on the back of thier car. Will that make us Texans?

Technically, I know I am a Texan, as my address tells me so. But as "fall" creeps closer here in the great state of Texas, and the high temps continue to reach the mid 80's or higher, I am just not sure I can ever really feel at home here. I walked out the door the other morning around 10am to take Homer for his morning walk, and thought it felt much more like the beginning of summer, than the onset of fall. The leaves aren't really changing, and I am not sure they ever will. And even though it has definitely been cooling down, there is certainly no crisp, distinct chill in the air. I am not sure I can ever feel truly at home in a place that doesn't have seasons.

It is also worth mentioning that since returning to Texas from my visit to St. Louis last week, I have been feeling really homesick. The odd thing is, I am not sure if I am missing St. Louis or Chicago. I had the most depressed feeling as my parents drove me to the airport, and I tried to accept the fact that flying "home" meant flying to Austin, and not Chicago. The only comfort there was that I was flying back to Tom, and truth be told, he is really the main factor in my definition of home.

So, Texan or not, it is here that I will try to make my home, at least for the next 3 years. Hopefully, at some point, it will feel like where I belong.

Day: 30
High Temp: 78F!!!
Job Status: Unemployed

I returned to Austin on Saturday night, after spending a week in St. Louis to mourn the passing, and celebrate the life of my grandmother. She has been battling cancer for many years now, with good results, however, when we got news that the cancer had spread to her liver in the past year, she began to prepare for the inevitable end of her fight. She was ready to go, and was at peace with what was to come. For my part, I am happy to say that Tom and I had a chance to see her twice this summer, once over the 4th of July weekend, and once in mid-August when we were in the midst of our move to Austin. We knew the end was near when we saw her a few weeks ago, and are both very happy to have had a chance to say goodbye while she was still feeling good.

Nothing is real about my life in Austin yet, so to say returning here was getting back to normal is just not true. I dont yet have a job, and spend my days while Tom is at school and work looking for and applying to jobs, and playing with my puppy. Being in St. Louis was so nice, as I had family around, and had a chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice to be there for my mom, and help her sort out some of the legal papers too (my mom and I are the executors on my grandmother's estate).

Getting back here isrough. There isn't too much to focus on, except when the puppy had last gone out for a potty break. Being back in Austin made me realize that I am not quickly settling in here, and that while I really do like this city, there is still a long time ahead of me before Austin will feel like home. Indeed, it was really sad to realize that flying home from St. Louis meant flying to Austin, not Chicago.

But, there are two more jobs posted today that I want to apply for, so I will focus on that for today, and a little bit of work I have promised TimeLine still needs to be done too. And I promise to update the blog more often now that I am back in Austin. After all, what else is there to do?

Hiatus

I just wanted to let everyone that my grandmother passed away on Saturday night, and I have been in St. Louis for the past few days helping with arrangements and preparing for the funeral. Give this turn of events, I wont likely have regular access to the internet, and won't be able to update you all about the mundane goings on in Austin, TX.

For those in town, the visitation will be held at Schrader's funeral home on Manchester Road on Tuesday from 4pm - 8pm. She will be buried the following day at Jefferson Barracks Nat. Cemetery. If you need more information, feel free to contact me or my parents.

Homer

Day: 16
High Temp: 91F
Job Status: Unemployed

For weeks leading up to our move to Austin, Tom and I discussed getting a dog. It is something I had wanted for a long time, but we had always found Chicago very unfriendly to dogs. It is hard to find an apartment that will let you have one, and those brutal, 6 month-long winters don't make middle of the night potty training any easier.

We found a great little lab-mix named Clive last week, but when Tom got home from class, and we went to go see him, he had been adopted by someone else. Tom was a little crushed, which was the first time I realized that he wanted a dog just as much as I did. After missing the opportunity to make Clive our own, we started looking at all the adoption websites, and came upon a little 2 month old Aussie mix. I fell in love with his pic immediately, and so began the process to get approved by that particular rescue organziation so we could meet him. Thursday afternoon I got word that we were approved, and so we set up an apporintment to see the little guy for the next afternoon. We were told that if he was the right fit for us, we could take him home that day.

We met him at the rescue center, and fell in love immediately. He is very cute, but also suprisingly calm. He is sweet, inquisitive and not at all aggressive. He is also not very vocal, which we thought might be good, as we are living in an apartment. Knowing that his mother was an Australian cattle dog, we did expect him to have a lot of energy, and need a lot of excercise, but he hasn't really been that demanding. Indeed, it's hard to get him to play much when he is inside, and he is reluctant to go on walks, although he seems to really enjoy himself once he is moving.



After much discussion, we decided to name him Homer. For years now, Tom and I have had a make believe dog named Homer (it's a long story), and after meeting this guy, we knew he embodied all the wonderful traits and wisdom of our pretend dog, and that it was the perfect fit. Our real Homer sleeps a lot, and likes to chew, and be petted. He has itchy skin (we think from residue protein from old flea bites still irritating his skin) so he is constantly scratching. We have put him on Benadryl, which makes him even more sleepy than he already was.

And he is slowly getting the hang of the potty training thing, which is more work than I remember. Tom and I still have many more weeks of waking up once or twice a night to take him out, but we think he is worth it! We are planning on driving to St. Louis for Christmas this year, so those of you in that area will have a chance to meet him then. Fingers crossed that by that time he is sleeping through the night, and not having accidents on the carpet!

We're setting records

Day: 11

High Temp: 104F

Job Status: Unemployed

Today we officially celebrated our 66th day topping 100 degrees in 2009. This makes 2009 the second hottest summer on record in Austin. If we make it to 69 days, we will take the top spot from the summer of 1925. Welcome to Austin.

Now of course, Tom and I have been luck to spend a majority of our summer in the tempreate great lakes region, but it is worth noting that each day since we arrived has bee 100 or hotter. Most of you know it is hot here in Texas, and I am sure many of you have heard that this area of the country has been hit by a pretty big drought. Water restrictions are in effect, and many local crops are on the brink.

This explains why yesterday evening's brief afternoon rain was greeted with such joy. It lasted no longer than 15 minutes, but it was a storm welcomed unlike any storm I have ever seen before. Tom and I had walked up to the lovely local organic grocery spot, Farm to Market, to grab a jar of salsa and an avocado to round out the evening's dinner and were taking our time walking back, stopping in a few local stores on our way home. We were in a really excellent antique/junk shop called Uncommon Objects when the store keeper shouted, "Hey everyone! It's raining!" Reacting to our cue, everyone dropped what they were doing to rush outside and revel in the falling drops.

Having baked and boiled ourselves for the past several days, we too enjoyed the rain, and strolled leisurely towards home. I have never seen people so happy for rain. Those walking on the sidewalks seemed to slow down, in an effort to let as many of the drops as possible hit them. Everyone looked at each other with these huge smiles, as if saying, "Look at that, it's raining! How great!"

About halfway there, it really started to pick up, and we ran the rest of the way home, excited to get to the overhang of our balcony to observe the rain as it fell on the live oaks in our courtyard (see pics below). Many of our neighbors joined us out on the balconies to witness the deluge, one guy commenting that he would be okay with two straight weeks of rain.

It was a serious, if brief, summer rain storm, but what came after was perhaps even more miraculous. Instead of the hot, humid conditions that often follow summer rain in the

The New Digs and Wheels

Day: 8 (we made it one week!)
High Temp: 102F
Job Status: Unemployed


Tom and I have moved into a place called the State House. It's one of those huge, suburban style apartment buildings that are incredibly common in Austin. Its a really well-kept complex, and has nice amenities like a fitness center and a pool.

Here is a pic of our diningroom, and another of the living room area. It's nice and open and a pretty great layout. You can see the kitchen a little through the cut out/bar in the diningroom.
















Our apartment is a pool-view unit. We thought this sounded excellent, until we actually moved in... As it turns out, pool-view is like living in a 4 star resort for 50% of the time (see pic taken from our balcony), and the other 50% is like overlooking a frat party. I was told by an insistent stranger at the last TimeLine company BBQ that it would be WAY too hot to use the pool, and that no one would EVER go in. In fact, it is quite the opposite. People are in the pool all the time. They even go in the heated whirlpool! It's insane.

Even in the middle of the night, it seems, people are in the pool. It is supposed to close at 10pm, and there is supposed to be a community patrol that comes around a few times a night, but we were definitely awoken twice last week in the middle of the night... I talked with the management person, and she gave me the number of the community patrol, and said they will respond immediately to any noise complaints. Yep, I am going to have to be the neighborhood bitch that calls the cops on my those having fun in the pool after hours, but Tom and I are embracing our status as total strangers in this city and will relish the opportunity to tell the drunk ex-frat boys to shut the hell up!


And, as you pretty much cannot live in Austin without an automobile, Tom and I have purchased one. And, as you cannot really be a Texan with out a truck, we decided to go ahead at get one for ourselves (sort of). It's a Mazda Tribute, a small SUV. Not sure either of us ever thought we would own an SUV, but after driving a rental car in the city, and realizing that every parking lot has a gigantic dip between it and the street that is guaranteed to scrape the hell out of the bottom of your vehicle, we looked for something that was a bit taller, and found Elly (short for Elephant in honor of her size and color.) I realize a Mazda Tribute is not exactly the largest coche on the camino, but it sure is a big change from our little Toyota Celica we drove in Chicago.

Don't Mess With Texas

Day: 5
High Temp: 102F
Job Status: Unemployed

The popular slogan "Don't Mess With Texas" was actually created for (and is still used by) an anti-litter campaign organized by the Texas Department of Transportation. It has been co-opted by organizations and people all over Texas to communicate not only their tough attitudes but also their immense pride for their state. And the reality is even those people who don't want to seced from the union think that Texas is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Well, I think Texas is pretty great too, so far. But it is hot, and the people carry guns (yes, even in Austin) and the meat section of the grocery store is at least twice as big as the produce section. So, this blog is my attempt to communicate not only my adventures in this strange land, but also to keep my sanity. I am a midwestern girl, after all, and this place is mighty weird.