Out and About

I've been trying to widen my social circle lately, actively pursuing situations, places and people I wouldn't usually come in contact with. I like the friends I have, but I don't want to waste an opportunity in this place to feel like I'm a part of the community, not just living here but being of the place. Walking down the street or going to the park and seeing someone I recognize is so gratifying. My natural inertia and need for my own space and time is absolutely necessary to my sanity, but I won't allow it to keep me from doing new things. My mantra right now is that I probably won't regret doing ____, but chances are I'll regret not doing it. That's been true for everything I've tried so far here. I've pushed myself out of my element, surprised myself a number of times by doing things completely unnatural to me, but I wouldn't have changed or traded those times for anything. I guess it started with bootcamp, then the soccer team full of people I didn't meet until 5 minutes before the first game; the pick-up games at Zilker that I hope to keep up indefinitely; random social events I've tripped into and then last night with the 'Drinkstrong' pub-crawl on bikes. My friend J. Danger sent me a link to a guy's posting on Craigslist, opening his and his friends' monthly tradition to the public, and I couldn't NOT reply. It was a bit of a dare, a 'hell, why not' moment, but as the date neared I wondered at the reality of the plan-I would ride my bike to a pub to meet up with people I've never met, never spoken to, never seen, to sit around and drink beer, then ride with them to another place to do the same, 5 times total. What are they about? I wondered. Are they hard-core road riders, intent on pushing themselves and competing wherever possible? Or are they more the 'stick it to the man' types, defying automobile convention and sticking their noses up at anything square? Something in between? I didn't even know which bike to ride. But, screw it, I thought. The first bar's not far away, I can scope them out, sit with them awhile, and make an excuse or just shade between bar 1 and 2 if it came to it. Be brave, little one! Go out in the world and be part of a story! So I did. I hopped on my bike with my new, gnarly lock slung over the bars and took off the three whole blocks to the meeting place. I was nervous, didn't know how I'd find anyone, and the bar staff hadn't heard of it (thought it was a great idea, though-I may have gotten my first recruit before I even met the group). I found them eventually and they were pretty much as the posting described: 20-30 somethings, musicians for the most part with supplemental jobs that were looking to widen their social circle and spread the joy of hanging out and riding. The musician thing was intimidating-I think they were a little too cool for me there, but they invited me back and I really think they meant it. A couple of the guys kept mentioning that I must think they were so lame, and were imagining what horrible things I would say to my friends when I got out of there. I didn't understand that, and told them as much-wondering why they thought I was a huge snob, and asked if I had a completely bored, snotty look on my face. Sure, I didn't know the people, but hanging out is hanging out-it's universally casual, no? I hope they got the message that it was a new, good experience-because it was.

So...Austin

I had the perfect Austin night last night-a local radio station put on a show called "Blues on the Green" (I mean, come on, it's Austin-you know live music was involved) at Zilker Park, and it was an ideal night for it. The day started with a threat of rain but cleared as it wore on, with a slight cool breeze and just a few puffy clouds. By the time we got there it was high 80's or so-beautiful! The stars came out and so did the best of Austin. Families, preppies, hippies, women with too much plastic surgery and kids with too much weed and angst. It's sad that it's so unique in my experience to go to events in a city where there is such diversity involved. It lends a sense of community and peace to this place, though, which I relish.

The music was great, of course-I forgot to find out what band was playing but they did funky, toe-tapping blues, Little Richard covers and everything in between, seemingly flawlessly. I always forget, as a white girl, how relateable and great Blues can be. Everybody's got the Blues once in a while...

TIme Flies

I've been in Austin for over six months, now. It's become pretty familiar, I don't have to google everything before leaving the house for addresses and directions, and I've hit almost every place that are 'must-dos' for visitors and residents thanks to some great tour guides (you know who you are *wink*). No Duck Tour yet, but I'll take some tourists the next time I have visitors (ahem). I've never doubted moving down here-not for a moment. Through the job-search, the moments of loneliness, some crazy weather, a car wreck, and an almost-stolen bicycle I've always known this is the place I'm supposed to be right now.
I've had a pretty eventful 6 mos, really-not only negatives, but good things, as well-I've got a good-paying job that isn't retail, isn't awful and allows for weekends and pays for my great little apartment right downtown; I've made some great friends and continue to do so while keeping in touch with great old ones; I've done a month of boot camp, 6 weeks of soccer, 3 weeks of Spinning so far and countless runs and rides all around the city with many including a nice moment of sitting in a local park or on a bench in the city, absorbing the beautiful, unique scenery. Last weekend I rode down a new (to me) trail just off Town Lake and stumbled upon the public pool I've heard so much about which is actually just an enclosed section of the stream, with people in- and outside the fence sunbathing, playing, wading and generally enjoying a hot Austin day. It was a very Austin scene, actually-dozens of kids in underwear, preppies sunbathing and flirting, hippies getting stoned-all in a 100-foot length of stream.

One thing that's been interesting to me is navigating in this new place. I've always had a great sense of direction, but it's hard to understand what cues even your own brain is using to get you around. Sometimes it's landmarks-going back to NYC in 2002 was disorienting because there were no twin towers to lead you South from all points in Manhattan. Sometimes it's just a feeling-your brain has tracked the turns you've made, or from which direction you've come, and you just feel your orientation to certain things whether you're inside or out. What I've noticed here, though, that I didn't expect, is how much general weather patterns have to do with it. In the Midwest weather moved from NW to SE. Period. Here, though, clouds run due North from the Gulf, and my brain specifically tagged that as strange. Just after moving everything was foreign, like being on vacation. My territory was only a mile or so in diameter, and I knew not to try to absorb much outside of that for a while, or I'd forget things. As that became mundane, I've spread out and now know how to get to nearly every area of town by major thoroughfares, and basically what they'll look like when I get there. The weather systems were just one of those categories of things that I had to systematically get used to. It's still so strange to hear that the city is preparing for Edouard, the tropical storm/hurricane coming in from the Gulf. Oh, and all you folks up there living in the mugginess that is the Midwest-you're right-it's NOT the heat, it is the humidity. I never adapted to summer up there, but here I'm out at all times of the day slightly sweaty, but not miserable. You can actually feel the breeze when the air's not saturated with 95-degree water!