August 19, 2010

Some things about Austin

1. There is no worse feeling than just missing a bus here and having to wait in the boiling sun for another 40 minutes.

2. Austin seems to be very disabled-friendly or maybe I'm just noticing more people with disabilities. There was a dwarf bartender at the bar we went to the other day. I've also seen quite a few blind people and many wheelchairs. I think it's really cool!

3. I have no idea who the homeless people are here because no one ever asks for money. Sometimes I see people that I think look homeless but I don't think they are. I think they are just hobo chic. But generally I think many homeless people and most of the weird people tend to congregate around the bus stops.

4. a. So far I am one of 3 people from Illinois that live in Austin and have a tattoo of corn. Yesterday I met the other 2. The first was Chris, who some guys on a bus last week told me about after asking if I knew him. Well now I do. The other is a guy Robert that works at a cafe I went in to. He is from Alton, IL and might know someone that knows someone that I know.
b. It seems as thought almost everyone I have met is from the Midwest. Aside from our roommate I don't know any Austinites.

5. Some people we knew from Chicago (who now live in LA) are on Food Networks new show The Great Food Truck Race. We watched the first episode on Sunday and saw that there was a team from Austin on the show. I had seen their food truck a few days before when we were out at a bar. We decided to stop by and say hi the other night. The guy who owns it was so nice and friendly and we ended up hanging out at a bar with him while he was on call for deliveries.

6. Ida and Schilling seem to be getting along better so I am happy.

August 7, 2010

We made it!

So we've been in Austin about a week, but it feels so much longer. Maybe it's the 100+ degree weather every day. It's hot, much hotter than I was prepared for but I think I'm slowly adjusting to it. And we have AC in our apartment and a pool in the complex. And we also live right by the Green Belt which has natural spring water to swim in.

For the first 3 days our roommate had his dog here. Ida and her seemed to be adjusting. But it seems like Ida doesn't like older dogs and ends up fighting them. It's been really stressful because they seem to be getting along really well then all of the sudden something snaps in both of them. I think they had finally adjusted alright and then a 3rd dog got thrown into the mix. Jesse (our roommate) was dog sitting for his girlfriend. Ida and that dog got along really well but it messed up the doggy dynamic and Ida and Schilling got into the biggest fight yet. Jesse got a small bite trying to break them up and then took the other two dogs to his mom's for the weekend. And since then Ida has gotten into a two more scuffles with geriatric dogs while walking around the complex. What gives Ida? Stop picking on the old dogs.

Aside from the stress of Ida, we've been having fun exploring the city. It's really weird to have so much free time but absolutely no idea what to do with it. I miss my friends and family, but I know I will feel better once we start making friends. I wish I was starting my job earlier because I'd love to have people to meet and things to do. Adam and I went to the UT campus the other day and I really liked it. I'm excited I will be working there.

We quickly realized that this is a city we need a car in. Our apartment isn't centrally located so we have to take at least a 30 minute bus ride to get anywhere or ride our bikes. And in the 100 degree weather bike riding isn't fun, especially with all these hills they have in Austin. I've been looking for a cheap car on Craigslist but haven't really found anything yet. I did find a guy who is selling a 87 Toyota Tercel Station Wagon. It's $600 and has a Buddha on a lily pad painted on the hood of it.

We're adjusting, slowly but surely.

 
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