My favorite kind of days

Also

I want these, like, now.

September

I haven't updated in like two months because my laptop was killed. I can't believe I've gone this long without regular access to a computer. Thank god for smart phones.

Some news:
I started school about a month ago. I had to register on the very last day because I was waiting on finding some income before I started even thinking about paying for books and tuition but I talked myself into borrowing the money from my wonderfully helpful dad and managed to enroll for two classes, Mass Communications and Archaeology. Both are super cool classes and contain information I could certainly find a way to use in the future, especially if I end up pursuing this travel writer dream of mine.

I started a new job about two weeks ago. I'm working with Save the Children to put an end to child poverty in the United States and all around the world. I work with 7 or 8 other canvassers in Austin and we go to different areas of the UT campus, ACC Rio Grande, and Texas State spreading awareness and gaining support for disaster relief and our child sponsor programs. Its an amazingly rewarding job but it's also pretty difficult having to stand outside all day trying to convince poor college students why they should care. Luckily its a cause that's difficult to oppose and if people have the resources, they'll usually donate what they can.

I've been playing a million and one shows with MaryAnn and the Revival Band and they've all gone over great. We've been having such a blast. When October rolls around, we're going to play fewer shows and start recording some songs and come out with an EP or perhaps a full length album. I'm really looking forward to taking some time off to record and write new songs.

A week from Thursday, I'm driving up to Ames, Iowa to spend the weekend with Chip, one of my absolute best friends whom I met on the Disney College Program in the spring. It'll have been 5 months since we've seen each other and I cannot wait to have a nice vacation just kicking back and having a good time. Our mutual Disney friend Lauren just spent the weekend with me here in Austin for her birthday and it was amazing. Its so strange and wonderful how you can go without seeing someone for months but the second you're back in the same room together, things just fall right back into place.

Progress

Today I've felt more productive than I have in a long time. I made a mental list of a few things I need to do and just knocked them out. I filed for unemployment today. It was a bit complicated because my last employer was in Florida and it'll take a bit longer to receive my benefits but once they come, they'll back date to Monday and I'll get a nice check consisting of a few weeks pay to help me through this exhausting job application phase in my life.

I started writing my resume because even though I swore off going back to an office job, it seems like I'm just unqualified for any service jobs. Hopefully I can find a nice environment and it won't be as stressful and depressing as my office job before. I'm good at what I do, but the whole being in a cubicle for 8 hours, working with people at the very least 10 years older than me, doing work that is mentally unchallenging thing is not something I'm looking forward to returning to. I'm going to give it a shot though and hope it was a circumstantial situation and that a new environment won't just be a repeat. 

Bull Creek

Saturday afternoon, Brandon and I met up with my friend Ellie at her dad's house in Bull Creek for a barbecue and genuinely fun summer evening in the creek. We got there and filled a plate with her dad's brisket, sausage, and venison. I had never ever in my life ever had venison before but I was feeling particularly brave that day so I tried it. It was pretty good! Of course, the whole time my brain is like "hmm, this is pretty good", it's also saying "this is deer. this is deer. you're eating deer. this is deer." but overall, I'm glad I tried it. haha.

After we finished eating, Ellie came up to the house from the creek to get more beer to bring back down to everyone else and decided to drive the four wheeler down there so we could take more beer with us. She asked if I wanted to ride on it and of course I said hell yes. Having never been on a four wheeler before, I assumed I would sit in the back and hold on for dear life as she drove us through the woods, but she was fully confident in that I could drive it, without ever having been on it before. haha. But, after about a minute of explanation on how to switch gears and everything, we were on our way! I drove around the field past the horses, then into the woods we went! It was so fun flying over rocks and tree roots and trying not to slam into bushes. It was especially fun to drive through the creek and into the woods on the other side. We drove up to everyone at the creek, parked the ATV and waded into the creek. The weather was great and the water was even nicer.

Brandon had never been on a hammock before (weird, right?) and decided to attempt the feat. At first, he was alright, but after swinging slightly and losing his balance, he tumbled into the water. Fully clothed. Twice. Here are some action shots.

After it got too dark to swim, and after everyone had been soaked by Brandon's battle with the hammock, we walked back up to the house and played a few games of pool and finished off the beer. Overall, it was such a fun day/night. I really hope we're able to go back soon. Living life simply is so wonderful.

Urban Exploring

One of my favorite things to do in a town is to find random neighborhoods and just explore, eat, shop, and take pictures. Austin is a great city for this because each neighborhood here has a distinct feel to it that separates it from the next few blocks down the road. One of my favorite people to explore around Austin with is my old co-worker, Mason.

He knows absolutely everything about this city. His list of weird and amazing restaurants and shops seems almost endless and he's very much a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy so we hop from place to place for hours. A few days ago we went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the Dobie Theatre on the UT campus (Amazing movie, btw). Most people would allow 3 hours for a movie excursion: drive time, snack bar time, preview time, movie time, drive time. We gave it 6 hours, with only the slight adventure of getting snow cones added to our itinerary, we were certain it would turn into a bigger exploration and we needed more time to allot.

First, we went to dinner at House Pizza. This restaurant was wonderful. Its casual but has a strong hint of elegance instilled in the details. The napkins were cloth and quite sturdy as opposed to silky, which who needs silk when wiping cheesy grease from your lips? Good thinking guys. Water is served to you in a chilled glass corked bottle, along side tiny toast glasses. The paint was bright and eye catching, alerting your senses and increasing your sensitivity to your surroundings and eventually, your food. The tables were a beautiful dark wood grain and the hanging lamps were cloth, providing little light but a great amount of mood setting. Mason and I ordered a Margarita Extra which is a Margarita pizza made with Mozzarella from water buffalo milk. I was intrigued and a bit terrified at the same time, but I enjoyed it a lot. With two Mexican Coca-Colas to compliment the pizza, the meal was terrific. 

  

    

After pizza, we walked around the corner to get snow cones. Following a mildly horrifying experience with a bee crawling across my stomach, I bolted towards the sidewalk where I smoked a cigarette and yelled my order across the short lawn to the woman behind the counter, apologizing and being riddled with anxiety. Mason kindly and bravely walked through the bee crossing between the order window and the sidewalk and brought me my tamarind snow cone. It was delicious, thank god, because I would have been upset if I went through that experience all to get a mediocre snow cone. But such was not the case. 

After snow cones, we walked around the neighborhood for a bit before it was time to head to campus to see the movie. In all the times I've walked past the Dobie Mall, I've never actually been in there before. It was kind of cool. Its not really much of a mall from what I could tell, but they did have a food court that smelled really good. haha. The movie theatre was really cool. There are only four theatres and they are each themed different. Our movie was apparently in the least favorite of the four, the Art Deco room. It wasn't really decorated hardly at all. I did catch a peek into the Egyptian room on my way to the bathroom though and it looked awesome. There is also apparently a library themed room and one with gargoyles? I'll definitely be heading back here to check out the other rooms and a few movies I'm looking forward to. Namely, The Killer Inside Me. Nothing like sexy Casey Affleck and psycho killers.

Tonight, I'm going to my friend Ellie's parents' ranch near Bull Creek for a barbecue. I think there will be a bonfire and we can pet the horses and ride around on the ATVs and drink. I'm quite looking forward to it! Pictures to follow.

Restless as Usual

I'm sitting in my living room playing around on the computer only to be doing something slightly different than what I've been doing for what seems like forever. This being playing on my computer in my bedroom... and watching the twenty-one recorded episodes of NCIS on my DVR or driving out to some swimming hole that will take up my last fourth-tank of gasoline. Being without a job was fun at first but now I'm growing incredibly tired of relaxing, if that makes any sense.

I have an interview tomorrow at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse and I hope I get the job. Primarily because I am growing desperate for funds but also because it seems like a really fun place to work. Its sleek and contemporary, but there will be a lot of wooing and gasping as the chefs make onion volcanoes erupt into flames or toss shrimp directly into guests' nervously opened mouths, despite how uncoordinated said guest may be. I think it could be fairly entertaining and fast paced, which is good. Being unemployed has made living life slowly become living life boringly, I'm afraid. Maybe just a few weeks with a new sort of schedule will help turn things around.

So now, I think I'm going to get up, turn on dance music and clean my kitchen. Then I can at least say I did something today, haha.