Still homesick.

I miss:
My family
My friends
Rain (real rain)
mountains
trees
the ocean
the sound of seagulls
crows
the wind coming off puget sound
trees (I know I already said that, but I really miss trees)

There are trees here, but they seem to all be oak trees and none of them are taller than maybe 15 feet. Everything is too low here. Low and spread out.

I miss the Space Needle
I miss being able to tell what direction I'm facing simply by looking at the horizon
I miss hills with a more than 10% grade

I like that there is live music at the grocery store and I like the Alamo Drafthouse and I get to see Wayne Coyne tonight and gas is under $3 a gallon and my roommate is cool and I have met some good people but I just don't feel like I want to live here.

Maybe I'll get a new job and all this will change. Hopefully.

Final thoughts for Sunday evening.

I realized that it's October and I can breathe through my nose... a big accomplishment for someone with allergies like mine. Maybe this Austin weather isn't so bad, after all.
On the other hand, maybe my allergies will get here when it actually starts to feel like fall.
But I'm going to stay optimistic.



And, Nick and Nora was an awesomely cute movie. I want the soundtrack. And I want to keep Michael Cera in my pocket and take him out when I feel blue. He plays the same character in everything, but I love him anyway.

Sundays are pretty good around here.

The past few Sunday mornings have consisted of huevos rancheros and bloody marys. I think that's pretty much the best way possible to start the week. The only thing that would make it better would be if someone else made them and then cleaned up, but I guess you can only have so much...
After my traditional breakfast of champions, I headed downtown for rehearsal of a kid's improv show I've been invited to be a part of. I'm pretty stoked to be doing improv here and even more excited that it's a show designed for kids. I'd love to get in a show for adults, too, but I guess I gotta take it one step at a time.
Tonight I'm going to see Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist at The Alamo. Because I never want to go to another movie theater. It just won't be the same.
Tomorrow, job interview!

Current homesick level: 6 out of 10. So it's pretty good today.

Right on....

I have a job interview on Monday and am applying for a job in Dallas, so I decided I needed some job interview clothes. Shoes I'm not allowed to buy because it's still cheaper to have my parents ship me the shoes I do have than it is to purchase new ones. But clothes are ok, since when I packed to move here I did not anticipate job interviews.
So I bought some clothes today.
But to back up a little, today was a shopping experience. I went to a outdoor flea market type thing in Sun City, a planned development golf-cart-community whatever thing north of Austin. I originally had plans to meet a family member there but she had things come up so I went myself, in the hopes of finding some good stuff. (I have a whole list of things I will need when I move out of this house in December and try to survive on my own. I don't own a can opener. Problem!) Unfortunately I overslept a bit and didn't make it as early as I had hoped, but I did score a brand new HP photosmart printer. Pretty cool.
Then I stopped at the outlet malls and tried on clothes that were still too expensive for me, even at outlet prices. And bought some knifes and glass food storage dishes (no plastic!)
Then, finally, Target. How I love Target. I probably shouldn't, it's probably no better than WalMart, but I like it.
I got interview clothes and new sheets for my bed and cards to send and, most importantly, I did not buy any Halloween decorations. That was hard. But I will be back the week before Halloween scooping up all the discounted stuff I can find. Especially things like this:











They also have shot glasses that match. Awesome.

good fences....

My neighbors are generally not noticeable, until they really are. I need to buy some earplugs.

Things are moving forward...

First off, I gotta say how much I love the new Genius Playlist in iTunes. You go, Apple. I'm listening to music I forgot I had.
And speaking of music, I bought the Fleet Foxes album today. Total impulse buy as I was buying coffee at Starbucks on my lunch break, but totally worth it. My iPod radio adapter doesn't work very well here (I'm thinking because it is so flat, so there is a lot of radio interference?), so I need CDs to listen to. Of course, since all my music is on my computer, I left all my CDs back home. So I need CDs in the car, otherwise it's listen to NPR talk about Sarah Palin or the bailout, both of which I'm sick and tired of hearing about.
Also, buy the Fleet Foxes album. It's amazing. Listen to the music on their myspace page, and tell me you can resist it.

I have a job interview on Monday - to be Assistant Manager of the box office at the Zach Scott Theatre here in Austin. I'm also currently (taking a break from working on) applying to the Dallas Theater Center, for an Education Associate position. It would be really cool, and something that fits right in with what I want to do with the rest of my life, but it would also be in Dallas, not Austin. I know I already moved 2300 miles so really, what is 200 more miles? But it's a scary thought to pull up what tiny new roots I've started planting here.
However, I'm still doing it, because I refuse to let the opportunity pass me by.
I really miss working in a theatre.
So cross your fingers/say a prayer/think happy thoughts for me on Monday at 5pm my time (that's 3pm for most of you)!

Tomorrow I'm going to a big outdoor garage-sale thing and trying to find a place to wash my car. You'd think after a month I would be able to find my way around this town but I'm still pretty much lost. Yet another reason to be terrified to move to Dallas. I'm sure it's just as not-like-Seattle as Austin is.

What's that in my hand, you ask?
Why, it's my very own Texas drivers license. With pretty much the best license picture ever taken. Thanks, tiny little Georgetown Department of Public Safety. You rock.
It also has my real signature, not the "I'm trying to make this legible" signature that was on my last license. And oh yeah, it's not all weird and vertical, because I am over 21, thankyouverymuch.