Messing with Texas

2006-08-08T16:37:00.000-04:00

Plane tickets have been acquired. At 8:05 A.M. CST on Wednesday, August 16th, I'll be on my way home. I'm at the point now where I'm still enjoying being in Austin, but can't wait to see my friends and family, have a Black & Tan at Club 18, pet Sparky and Candy, and sleep on a mattress that's filled with something - anything - other than air. The above-the-clouds pictures Nicole just sent me from her recent flight to North Carolina have me excited to be flying again. And on top of all this, I think I'm returning to Schuylkill County with a deeper appreciation for what makes it unique; there were so many times I caught myself almost gushing over the place to coworkers, and Nicole and I got a little too excited talking about the Henry Clay monument last weekend. Still, be on the lookout for my whiny "I miss Texas" post around the 18th.

In only slightly less important ticket-purchasing news, I bought my advance pass to the Beatie Boys Rap-Along this Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse. Securing my attendance at the first Beasties show is almost enough to make up having to miss this by two days.

2006-08-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

The top three things I've learned about myself over the past two weeks:

1. I don't need my computer to live.

I've spent about half of my time here in Texas with a busted laptop and no internet access at home. Granted, I still have the luxury of browsing a few blogs and listening to Yahoo! Radio while at work, and I can always use Medha's computer if I need to look up a bus route or something. Still, the time I spend daily on the internerd has been drastically reduced when compared to my pre-Austin days. I've been reading more and heading downtown to my favorite bars and coffeeshops as a result; sometimes I go for a walk or listen to the instructional German language tapes I bought. One could possibly argue that my quality of life has been improved, and that my freedom from the need to be constantly connected should be celebrated. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I don't completely disagree with the notion that I've been more immersed in Austin that I'd have been otherwise. Anyway, all this rambling doesn't mean I didn't cry, drink way too much Shiner, and undercook my chicken the night the folks who were fixing my laptop told me that my best bet would be to sell it on Ebay for $150. And I may have been sick the next day, but not dead. Who'd have thunk it?

2. I'm not a very good dancer.

Medha, Rohan, Nicole, and I went to the Midnight Rodeo this past weekend; despite Rohan's brave attepmts at showing me a few steps, I was far from the Baby Houseman to his Johnny Castle. I keep telling myself that it was only because I wasn't drunk enough, but deep in my heart, I know the awful truth.

3. My love for the Smashing Pumpkins has elevated to a psychosomatic level.

I hadn't listened to the radio in a long time before I bought a cheap tape stereo to replace the mp3s and Napster to which cruel fate has denied me access. Sometimes I fall asleep with the dial tuned to my favorite Austin radio station, KROX. Three times over the past week or so, I've woken up in the middle of the night to hear Billy Corgan's voice serenading me through the darkness. I'd love to know if Pumpkins songs are played on the nights I don't wake up, or how to track my sleep cycles to see if the Power of the Pumpkins can rouse me from deep sleeps or only from periods of R.E.M. Scientists should study me. Oh, and please don't bother trying to offer rational explanations for this. This is my favorite balloon, and I'll hate you if you try to burst it.

2006-07-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Still laptopless, but Nicole just sent me some of the pictures that Jeremy took on our El Paso trip.

This is one is my favorite. Nicole had it captioned as "Our Album Cover," and that totally inspired me to make a mix cd of all the songs that remind me of my summer in Texas and print this picture on the CD label. I love how we managed to get all four of us in it (see Joe and the open road in the reflection of my super cool shades - $2.99 at the Goodwill, by the way).

Nicole is in the the United States and I'm in Mexico. The arrangement wasn't arbitrary; Nicole made it clear in the comments of an earlier post that she's not a fan of the North American land down under.

Here we are on the Wyler Aerial Tramway. I have some video of our ascent that I'll post on YouTube when (if?) I get my laptop back, but for now it will have to suffice to say that the view at the top is worth the nervewracking four minute ride 2,600 feet up in a quasi phone booth.

2006-07-25T15:39:00.000-04:00

My laptop has been in the shop for three weeks. I have a ton of pics I'd like to get off my camera and on Flickr, but until I get to do that, please enjoy this MS Paint masterpiece depicting me enjoying our awesome weekend in El Paso.

2006-07-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

The trip out to the West Texas town of El Paso this weekend is really going to happen. I was nervous for a while there; we had been discussing it for weeks, but renting a car turned out to be more difficult - and expensive - than we had originally anticipated. Four of us will embark Thursday night on the 576 mile journey, and we're hoping to hit up two countries, two U.S. states, and two time zones while we're out there. Wish us luck, and stay tuned for plenty of pictures of tumbleweed. Yes, I can't wait to see tumbleweed!

2006-07-07T20:24:00.000-04:00

I've been to the Alamo Drafthouse three times so far, and I've had such a great time at each show. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to belt out a tune, especially if alcohol is involved. Behold - the Alamo Drafthouse combines the two! My first time there was with Nicole for the R. Kelly Trapped in the Closet Sing-Along, and the second was with Joe for The Muppet Movie Sing-Along. Then, last night, I had my best Alamo experience yet. The show: Hanging Tough: The Boy Band Sing-Along. The verdict: beyond awesome.

After blowing off Quentin Tarantino in the lobby (true story - he and Fiona Apple were filming a Sundance Channel documentary), Nicole and I got into the soldout show on standby. We sat in the front row, ordered sangria and popcorn, and sang our little boy band-loving hearts out. The chemistry in the crowd was amazing. There was dancing in the aisles and on the stage in front of the screen, and a sense of camaraderie among all of the uncloseted boy band fans who didn't need the lyrics on the screen to belt out every word to "Bye, Bye, Bye." The finale, "Pop" and "Everybody (Backstreet's Back), prompted even us to get up and dance. You know that it's a special night when Nicole busts a move.

As we were exiting, the hosts announced the upcoming Beastie Boys rap-along. I'll be there.

2006-07-02T16:20:00.000-04:00

Joe, Nicole, and I embarked on an ill-fated journey to Port Aransas last Saturday. We were all excited about swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Some facts:

1. It is a long walk from the Port Aransas ferry to the beach. That's why everyone waits in line for an hour or two to cross it by car instead of having the bright idea to just park their vehicles along the road and take the ferry on foot.

2. The trolley that goes from the beach back to ferry stops running relatively early, and so one shouldn't count on being able to hitch a ride back.

3. It's relatively easy to find a local gentleman with a dirty pickup truck who, for $8, is willing to cart three exhausted kids to the ferry from the pizza shop where he drinks beer all afternoon.

After the beach fun, we boarded our casino boat. The cruise was long: we boarded around 5:30pm and didn't get back to shore until 1:45am or so. I'm proud of myself for not gambling away a lot of money. In fact, at one point, I was up almost $100 at the blackjack table. In the end, I walked away with $1 more than I started. Except for that one time I found $10 outside of Cousin Jim's apartment after a night in Atlantic City, this was my most lucrative gambling experience yet.

Exhausted and in desperate need of showers, we were on the road by 2am, making the 250 mile trek back to Austin. Around 3:15am, we hit a snag. Joe's car, or rather, Joe's timing belt, called it quits. Nicole and I instictively jumped out and pushed the car to a nearby gas station. By the time the tow truck got there, it was 5am. To make things even more interesting, AAA never told the tow truck guy that there were passengers in the car, resulting in one of the most uncomfortable car rides of our lives. Four of us - Joe, Nicole, myself, and the driver who seemed to stop for an energy drink at every other gas station - squeezed into the cab of a tow truck. We got to Austin around 9am, and I think it was about 10am until I finally got a shower and went to bed.

I'm really lucky that everyone was able to laugh at the situation, even while it was happening. I think it would've been unbearable otherwise. As things were, we got to stick our feet in the Gulf, gamble, and resolve to rent a car for our next road trip. Joe, for all his trouble, was treated to dinner at Casa de Luz by Nicole and myself. For all the things that went wrong, there was still a happy ending.

2006-06-26T23:51:00.000-04:00

A word to those who noticed that I haven't posted in a while:

The AC adapter for my laptop had a few wires sticking out of it. Apparently that's not conducive to it functioning properly. I was without my computer for a little over a week until a replacement arrived, and somehow, I survived. I have lots to write about, but for now, enjoy some pictures.

As always, more pictures can be seen at my Flickr page.

2006-06-13T00:33:00.000-04:00

Nicole and I slept in on Sunday morning, and then spent most of the early afternoon lounging around and just generally being lazy. Rohan and Medha popped their heads into my room around 1:30. "You should come with us," they said. They were going to San Antonio. No arm twisting was involved.

It's a nice drive from Austin to San Antonio. I say "nice" because I can't think of a better adjective, but it works. There's San Marcos near the halfway point, with lots of outlet shopping and restaurants and such. We patronized the Cracker Barrel that particular Sunday.

When we finally arrived, I was more than thrilled at the sight of the Alamo. A little because of American and Texan history blah blah blah, and a lot because of Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

It was closed because we got there relatively late on a Sunday, but Medha and I had a good time walking around and pointing out the bullet holes in the outer walls. I wished I was wearing a coonskin cap.

Other higlights of San Antonio include the Riverwalk, the store where I bought my cowboy hat and "Don't Mess with Texas" t-shirt, and the Casa Rio waiter who made fun of me for requesting barbecue sauce at a Mexican restaurant.

2006-06-10T03:47:00.000-04:00

I'm a picky eater. There's no denying it; I've been extremely vocal in regard to my vehement anti-vegetable stance my entire life, and most of you have been with me at a restaurant when I've exhibited just how stubborn and fussy I can be. Consider, for example, all the times I've chosen to skip lunch entirely rather than eat the sandwhich that unexpectedly came slathered in mayo. Any of you who were ever curious enough to check out the links on the left, specifically the link to my 43 Things page, know that I'm trying to change my finicky ways. I've gotten a little better over the past year, most notably by opting for healthier versions of foods I already ate, like switching to brown rice, whole grain bread, and soy milk. Beyond that, I've even experimented with squash and cantaloupe, individually, of course. But tonight I took my biggest step yet. I am now comfortable totally dropping the "try," and outright declaring that I am changing. Tonight, I ate sushi. Still not a fan of lettuce, watermelon, or mustard, but I munched on seaweed, dammit. That's progress.

(Thanks, Joe, for refusing to leave the table until I ate it. If not for your adamant disregard of my protests, I might have nothing to brag about tonight.)

2006-06-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

I'm lonely today. Not homesick, mind you, but lonely. There's a big difference.

2006-06-05T22:34:00.000-04:00

The dress code at my internship is the bane of my Texan existence. I need to complain about it for a moment.

Maybe it’s my fault for assuming that a nursing home wouldn’t be so, well, fancy. I did my pre-departure clothes shopping with the idea stuck in the back of my head that I might even be able to wear jeans on Fridays. I was wrong. Oh, was I wrong. The shirts I brought to Austin are dressy for me, which, now that I look at them, really isn’t all that dressy. Both pairs of dress shoes I brought made a bloody mess of my feet, as did the pair that felt comfy enough in Payless last week but then had my heels raw in no time when I wore them out on the weekend. I was totally unprepared. A shopping trip was in order.

Joe, Nicole and I went to the Arboretum on Sunday. I managed to get two more pairs of shoes and a few nicer tops. (Kelly’s Shopping Tip of the Day: the very first item you find that fits should be purchased in every color available. Then get the hell out of there.) The shoes were particularly difficult, as my feet are particularly large, and I was relieved when Nicole and I managed to scavenge not one, but two pairs in not-that-ugly styles that actually fit. And then there was pantyhose - the only article of clothing I hate more than shoes that aren’t sneakers! I need to wear pantyhose to work, and knowing how I tend to shred the things effortlessly, I thought ahead and bought four pairs.

Monday morning I get up for work. I get dressed. There were difficulties. I managed to put runs in two - TWO! - pairs of pantyhose before I even had either of them completely on. A third pair would meet its doom by the end of the day, but that’s incidental. My workplace fashion woes get much worse than tattered hosiery. Imagine my shock as I sit in my preceptor’s office this morning and she tells me that my skirt is too short. Too-short enough that she was going to have to send me home to change!? Luckily, I managed to pull it down far enough that it would pass as acceptable, and my shirt was long enough to conceal the fact that my skirt was pulled down around my hips instead of my waist. Luckily, my preceptor is great - I could tell she felt bad and took no pleasure in having to talk to me about it - and she's been patient with my prolonged adjustment to the dress code.

Despite that, I’m still kind of flabbergasted. One can say a lot of things about my sense of style, or apparent lack thereof, but indecency isn’t in my fashion vernacular. Or at least it wasn’t until today. I retreated to my desk with a strange mix of embarrassment and confusion floating around in my head. But then I logged into Yahoo! Radio on my computer and checked my email. The first song played was "Tonight, Tonight," and my first email was Nicole sending me my daily horoscope from Lifetimetv.com. And so my day wasn’t all that bad.

2006-05-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

Trite list of things I've done so far:

Saw the city from Mt. Bonnell. The highest point within Austin city limits can be accessed via a relatively short hike. And the view is spectacular.
Experienced the bats. One and a half million bats live in the Congress Bridge in Austin, and every summer sundown they emerge to eat 30,000 pounds of insects. It's really an awesome thing to see. Check out my video.
Moved into my summer apartment. Though two suitcases and a few bags of groceries wasn't much of a move. My room is basically empty. A desk, left here for me by the girl who just moved out, an air mattress, and a stool that I borrowed from the living room to use as a nightstand. In lieu of a dresser, one of my suitcases will be serving as my underwear drawer for the next two months. But I couldn't have asked for a nicer roommate than Medha. She didn't even care that I broke the closet door within five minutes of entering the apartment.
Started my internship. The dress code is stricter than I had anticipated, and so some clothes shopping is in order. This is not cause for celebration; anyone who knows me knows that I loathe shopping. I also loathe missing the bus, which incidentally happened when I transferred lines on the morning of my first day at my internship. Grrrr.

2006-05-29T18:57:00.000-04:00

Maybe You Had To Be There
(A Short Play)

A dark porch spans the entire front of a small one floor home. Four wide steps come down from the left side. A 1975 Oldsmobile Royale sits in a driveway that leads from the porch to a dead end road. The time is 2 A.M.; a breeze is blowing, and the neighborhood is uncharacteristically quiet. NICOLE sits on the second step, and drinks from a bottle of beer. Seated two steps above her is KELLY, who is holding a bottle of beer and glancing around at the nearby houses. The two girls, dressed in t-shirts, mesh shorts, and bare feet, sit quietly, enjoying each other's company and the relief from the heat that the late night has brought. A distant buzzing noise interrupts the silence. The girls exchange puzzled glances as they try to determine the source of the buzzing, which seems to be increasing in volume and headed their way. To their surprise, a few seconds later, a lone go-kart putts down the dark, empty road in front of them. Amused by the absurdity of the situation, the girls erupt in laughter. Before the guffawing even begins to subside, the lone driver passes the porch again, this time angrily pushing his apparent clunker of a go-kart in the opposite direction.

NICOLE: You have to put this in your blog.

KELLY: I know.

THE END

2006-05-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I spent my first Saturday night in Austin playing bingo. What of it?

2006-05-26T17:43:00.004-04:00

After spending my first 24 hours in Texas, I've some things to share:

It's hot here. Like, really.
Chuy's restaurant, while not willing to accommodate the alcoholic wants of Jenna Bush, was willing to throw together a chicken-and-cheese-only quesadilla that suited my picky eating habits.
Roosters crow a lot. And not only in the morning. For some reason, Nicole's neighbors have lots of them, or at least that's how it sounds at 5AM. The stray cats and shoeless immigrant children that run the streets don't seem to mind.
Whole Foods Market's biggest store in the world - 80,000 square feet! - is in Austin. Someday I'd like to try some of the hippie cusine they serve, but the hunger pangs that drove me there last night necessitated that I not take any chances and instead stick to the tried and true: pizza.
Texas thinks it knows cheesesteaks. The first chance I get, I'll be stopping by Texadelphia and letting you all know if Pat & Geno need be concerned.