Life goes on
Uneventfully.
And that is the basis for this discussion with no one but myself. My life is going on. I'm doing a better job of paying bills than I have recently, and hope to continue this trend. I'm working, making do, and for the foreseeable future have a job. So what now? How do I grow Mr. David S.? Hypothetically my time spent working is opening possibilities towards a new career, so why doesn't it feel like it?
My job is easy. I'm learning a lot, to be sure. I'm doing better, and improving and trying to succeed. So that's a good thing. But how am I going to make that step up? I've only been working here three weeks, so I assume it's something I shouldn't be worrying about. I should be worrying about just doing my job well, and not goofing around at work.
Well, that's enough about work, what about outside? I have made some friends with people I work with. Turns out we have similar interests, but it certainly isn't the crowd I got used to at the restaurant. I guess the service industry is its own breed of stupid, and I came to enjoy it. The group of familiar, regular but still nebulous drinking buddies was entertaining, and something I hope to find down here. I feel that group of people really helped me a lot to open up, and strangely now that I don't have them I'm feeling a little more closed in, a little more reclusive. I used to be louder and more boisterous, but I'm not as much.
But it's been three weeks. In all reality I'm probably just feeling a tiny bit homesick. I'll find something to do, somewhere to volunteer, some hobby to have. The Austin Chronicle is a seemingly endless list of places to go and crap to do. I guess I just have to get used to going out by myself. I have some people to go, but no one I'm terribly comfortable with at the moment. Oh well, those people are out there and I'll meet them. I guess for now I just need to make sure my head stays screwed on, my pocketbook stays closed tight and my bills get paid. I can worry about getting drunk and meeting strangers later. I know I won't feel so forlorn forever, I'll snap out after this bout of homesickness and kick the city in the metaphorical groin and enjoy myself.
Until I force myself to write again, I bid adieu
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
I'm Writing This To Form A Habit.
I'm going to be really honest here, there isn't a whole lot to say. Some more time went by, and I'm still living in Austin, working my new job and enjoying the whole of it. Money still sucks and is constantly ruining any chance of being in a good mood, and I'm still considering some alternate form of income short of illegal activities. So I'm writing this merely to form the habit, so that I don't let this blog get away from me. Please do not take this as some form of literary punishment for reading this, I just need to do this for my sake, so that when I do have something relevant to say, I will have formed the habits necessary to do so.
I spent last weekend in Dallas and Denton. My good friend whose wedding I will be one of the two best men at (the bride couldn't pick one maid of honor) This does mark the first time I went back home while living here and to be honest, it didn't have a great impact either way. I thought I would terribly long to be living there again, which I wasn't. I thought after going out Friday night with my claque I would miss them all. There is something to this, I miss my friends, but to play the cold hearted person for a moment, I'll make new ones. Hell I already am. This is not to say I will not miss my friends, I do dearly. I would love to see all of them all the time, and once I get really settled I will be doing all I can to regularly visit them, or if they come down here I will do whatever I can to see them. I do miss them, they will always be there and I will always be here for them. I can just make new friends, and have little trouble doing so.
I might have something with a girl up there though. It could be a haze of loneliness and alcohol, but there's a girl in Denton who I kind of dig, who I believe kind of digs me. She'll be moving to Houston in late July, which still puts her a hell of a long way away, but it's somehow nice just having the impression that she appreciates me.
So all of this having been said, things have been uneventful. It's akin to those slow news days where some reporter on the local news, obviously annoyed, has to report about the local chili cook off.
I'll be back next week at least, even if it is only to regale you with tales of what I've eaten.
I spent last weekend in Dallas and Denton. My good friend whose wedding I will be one of the two best men at (the bride couldn't pick one maid of honor) This does mark the first time I went back home while living here and to be honest, it didn't have a great impact either way. I thought I would terribly long to be living there again, which I wasn't. I thought after going out Friday night with my claque I would miss them all. There is something to this, I miss my friends, but to play the cold hearted person for a moment, I'll make new ones. Hell I already am. This is not to say I will not miss my friends, I do dearly. I would love to see all of them all the time, and once I get really settled I will be doing all I can to regularly visit them, or if they come down here I will do whatever I can to see them. I do miss them, they will always be there and I will always be here for them. I can just make new friends, and have little trouble doing so.
I might have something with a girl up there though. It could be a haze of loneliness and alcohol, but there's a girl in Denton who I kind of dig, who I believe kind of digs me. She'll be moving to Houston in late July, which still puts her a hell of a long way away, but it's somehow nice just having the impression that she appreciates me.
So all of this having been said, things have been uneventful. It's akin to those slow news days where some reporter on the local news, obviously annoyed, has to report about the local chili cook off.
I'll be back next week at least, even if it is only to regale you with tales of what I've eaten.
Friday, June 6, 2008
First Impressions
Today marks the first workweek of me being in Austin. I've done the nine-to-five gig for this week, and I guess in the interest of having a decent journal here, I'll give you an update.
I guess the first status update for me, I'm okay so far. Some of the bills have been paid, it's only the sixth of the month, and next week the (minimal) paychecks will start coming in. I am just worried that it will not be enough to sustain myself, but once again that is something that I entirely control. I bought groceries, they are still substantial and I came in at just over budget for those, but I had some initial purchases to cover. I might have a lead on a second job, a friend offered to try and get me a job as a door man for a nice bar downtown. Weekend work, 9pm-3am shifts, the same pay I make here but the hours work well enough for me to work both, and the way I see it, it will keep me out of trouble those days, as well as get me the social drinking that I would like to have.
And speaking of, I went to meet a friend on Wednesday. She is another Dallas transplant who works at the aforementioned bar downtown. She's nice if not a little crazy, she is with man, but that really isn't the point. I mean I wouldn't kick her out of bed, but our relationship as acquaintances more or less nullifies any possibility, which I like. It just alleviates the tension. Point in case I met her at her bar, and had some beers and a few smokes. It was a good time, and the people watching was interesting. This place caters to an older crowd, but an older crowd of more laid back socialites. Sure these people are someone's parents, teachers, bosses, but they're out to have a good time in the city. It was interesting to see, it was a far cry from the drunken-college-student scene in Denton. Admittedly they have that same scene here in droves, dwarfing my previous locale. The sixth street area we all know as the alcoholic's tourist attraction is still a nightly workshop in liver destruction, with a guest appearance from anonymous sexual encounters. But I digress, the point is the Wednesday night. This Irish pub has a local constituency of Irish regulars, with accents and drinking problems in tow. For whatever reason this particular night a supposed internationally popular Irish singer/songwriter was in town, drinking at this bar, guitar in hand. We all sat/stood around, drank our beers and listened to him and the locals play music. It was entertaining. Obviously I am no stranger to bands at bars, even the lowliest of cities has a music scene, but it was different, and I enjoyed it.
Then there was last night. My boss had some friends in town from California who were playing at a bar downtown. Myself and a couple co-workers (Which by the way, the video game industry, unsurprisingly, is full of people who really don't know how to go out to bars. Their social skills are lacking, but still they are good people) go to the place and get liquored up. The girl singer who warmed up for them http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=97374705 was nice, and went to school at Texas Women's, so not only was she a lesbian but from Denton. Needless to say I felt comfortable, and her taste in music to cover was nice. After her having done a good job of warming the crowd up, my friend's band, Sweetness http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=2146932 played a great set, had a good stage presence and it helps that the music was very enjoyable. I might have spent more than I wanted to, but it was within budget and I had a good time.
So tonight I write this on the brink of going home to get ready to, you guessed it, go out. My plan is to go out and minimize expenditure while maximizing the good times. In drunk talk this means I will be drinking before I leave and feeling happily replete until last call.
I guess my job is something worth mentioning. I feel that after my first full week I am gaining the knowledge and respect to start being productive. This is the first step towards my hopefully budding career, and I think my past experience with proffessional work environments will help me out more than I imagined it would. Unfortunately, that positive comes with a few expected realizations. An office is an office, is an office. Bullshit politics, looking down upon contract workers, long hours and tough nights will be a part of the job. The realization is that it will always be a part of the job. There is no job without hard work, but so far I feel like this is something I enjoy. Of course time will tell, but I feel good about this.
So that's it, that's first impressions. I like Austin, I like my job, and I hope I can keep my wilder side in check enough to manage. Bills will be tough but with the prospect of another job and overtime I think I can do this. So wish me luck, I'll be back shortly
I guess the first status update for me, I'm okay so far. Some of the bills have been paid, it's only the sixth of the month, and next week the (minimal) paychecks will start coming in. I am just worried that it will not be enough to sustain myself, but once again that is something that I entirely control. I bought groceries, they are still substantial and I came in at just over budget for those, but I had some initial purchases to cover. I might have a lead on a second job, a friend offered to try and get me a job as a door man for a nice bar downtown. Weekend work, 9pm-3am shifts, the same pay I make here but the hours work well enough for me to work both, and the way I see it, it will keep me out of trouble those days, as well as get me the social drinking that I would like to have.
And speaking of, I went to meet a friend on Wednesday. She is another Dallas transplant who works at the aforementioned bar downtown. She's nice if not a little crazy, she is with man, but that really isn't the point. I mean I wouldn't kick her out of bed, but our relationship as acquaintances more or less nullifies any possibility, which I like. It just alleviates the tension. Point in case I met her at her bar, and had some beers and a few smokes. It was a good time, and the people watching was interesting. This place caters to an older crowd, but an older crowd of more laid back socialites. Sure these people are someone's parents, teachers, bosses, but they're out to have a good time in the city. It was interesting to see, it was a far cry from the drunken-college-student scene in Denton. Admittedly they have that same scene here in droves, dwarfing my previous locale. The sixth street area we all know as the alcoholic's tourist attraction is still a nightly workshop in liver destruction, with a guest appearance from anonymous sexual encounters. But I digress, the point is the Wednesday night. This Irish pub has a local constituency of Irish regulars, with accents and drinking problems in tow. For whatever reason this particular night a supposed internationally popular Irish singer/songwriter was in town, drinking at this bar, guitar in hand. We all sat/stood around, drank our beers and listened to him and the locals play music. It was entertaining. Obviously I am no stranger to bands at bars, even the lowliest of cities has a music scene, but it was different, and I enjoyed it.
Then there was last night. My boss had some friends in town from California who were playing at a bar downtown. Myself and a couple co-workers (Which by the way, the video game industry, unsurprisingly, is full of people who really don't know how to go out to bars. Their social skills are lacking, but still they are good people) go to the place and get liquored up. The girl singer who warmed up for them http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=97374705 was nice, and went to school at Texas Women's, so not only was she a lesbian but from Denton. Needless to say I felt comfortable, and her taste in music to cover was nice. After her having done a good job of warming the crowd up, my friend's band, Sweetness http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=2146932 played a great set, had a good stage presence and it helps that the music was very enjoyable. I might have spent more than I wanted to, but it was within budget and I had a good time.
So tonight I write this on the brink of going home to get ready to, you guessed it, go out. My plan is to go out and minimize expenditure while maximizing the good times. In drunk talk this means I will be drinking before I leave and feeling happily replete until last call.
I guess my job is something worth mentioning. I feel that after my first full week I am gaining the knowledge and respect to start being productive. This is the first step towards my hopefully budding career, and I think my past experience with proffessional work environments will help me out more than I imagined it would. Unfortunately, that positive comes with a few expected realizations. An office is an office, is an office. Bullshit politics, looking down upon contract workers, long hours and tough nights will be a part of the job. The realization is that it will always be a part of the job. There is no job without hard work, but so far I feel like this is something I enjoy. Of course time will tell, but I feel good about this.
So that's it, that's first impressions. I like Austin, I like my job, and I hope I can keep my wilder side in check enough to manage. Bills will be tough but with the prospect of another job and overtime I think I can do this. So wish me luck, I'll be back shortly
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Change Can Be Good
It finally happened.
I got off my ass, got a (sort of) real job and moved to another city.
It all happened real quick, and I'm still not really comfortable with it. I was just getting settled. I moved from Denton back home to Richardson, got all set up to spend a summer with the parents, paying off debts, preparing to get my life in order. I looked forward to teaching myself some discipline within the safe confines of my old bedroom of fourteen years, and re-establishing myself in the world. But I guess someone had different plans.
I'm on vacation, Port O'Connor Texas, going saltwater bay fishing with some good friends. I have my phone turned off to avoid running the battery, not to mention the silence is relaxing. I wasn't worrying about anyone back home, my only concern was watching out for jellyfish, and trying to find a bite on my line. Friends, girls, family, all quiet, save for the sound of a few swearing while casting line in to the salty water. It was fun, I caught a couple trout. Sunburned, exhausted, and ready for a mid-afternoon nap I check my voicemail expecting the usual cavalcade of collectors and nonsense, but instead I hear someone pleading for me to call them regarding employment. I thought I didn't get this job, they were all filled. I had taken solace in the disappointment and prepared to work towards the future; but it was Saturday, and I could not make this call until Tuesday at best.
While I was exhausted from the road trips (little did I know it would be the least of it) I made the phone call on Tuesday. I had the job. I was going to be working on video games, and getting paid. They wanted me to start Wednesday, which was of course too little time, I would require at least 24 hours to move to a new city and start a new job, duh.
Well my plans were shot. There was an attractive girl in Denton I think had a thing for me, not to mention some lost contacts re-acquainted in Dallas. I was going to be able to save money while not paying rent and things would be good. What the hell was I going to do now? This job would pay less than my server job I was training for, how could I, two dimes away from bankruptcy, move to a new city and start a job?
Thanks to a friend I had a couch to sleep on. Sure it was uncomfortable, I was harassed by cats all night and the place had a stench like someone trying to emulate the african wild in their house, but I was working the next day, I had to be there. The workday felt, well, like a workday that didn't suck. Sure I worked ten hours my first day, but I was not exhausted the day after. I did not have the sense of dread about coming in the next day as I did with my office job. Even now, typing this at work off the clock (hooray for not having internet at the apartment for a week) I do not mind being here. I feel surrounded by peers, in an environment I'm comfortable with. Will this last? I don't know. Even my job by definition is temporary, but this is a simple bagatelle compared to the possibility of finding something I truly love to do.
I have an apartment, at least for two months. By the grace of the gods my friend was leaving town and looking to sublet his apartment the same week I was moving to Austin. It is slightly strange living there, as if I'm surrounded by the shadow of someone I've known so long. Every odd quirk about his apartment makes sense to me. Everything I see smells of him and his obsessiveness and secrecy, but it could be worse. Having to clean out and relocate the undergarments drawer of someone I don't know could be more disconcerting, but I hopefully won't ever know. It is home, however, if only for the time being. And from my parking space I can see the tower of the University of Texas at Austin.
So this blog is no longer a place for me to vent when depressed, or angry, or whatever the case can be. This blog is now a record of my Austin experiment, where I hope to achieve the goals I set out and succeed. Will I be able to live on a budget? Will I be able to show the discipline to not drink myself to oblivion daily? Can I stop smoking? Am I correct in thinking I'd love to travel and live in new places? Am I as liberal as I think, or is that just Dallas wearing on me? Well that one I sorted out. While I consider myself progressive and free-thinking, these people in Austin are radicals. It is just two sides of the same coin, but I think I like living with tails a little better than heads. Regardless, it is of little concern. Does my life begin here, or is this just another speed bump on the road of eventual failure? Am I at the wheel driving, or am I simply bitching at the wind while the car crashes?
So here it begins. My Great Austin Experiment.
I got off my ass, got a (sort of) real job and moved to another city.
It all happened real quick, and I'm still not really comfortable with it. I was just getting settled. I moved from Denton back home to Richardson, got all set up to spend a summer with the parents, paying off debts, preparing to get my life in order. I looked forward to teaching myself some discipline within the safe confines of my old bedroom of fourteen years, and re-establishing myself in the world. But I guess someone had different plans.
I'm on vacation, Port O'Connor Texas, going saltwater bay fishing with some good friends. I have my phone turned off to avoid running the battery, not to mention the silence is relaxing. I wasn't worrying about anyone back home, my only concern was watching out for jellyfish, and trying to find a bite on my line. Friends, girls, family, all quiet, save for the sound of a few swearing while casting line in to the salty water. It was fun, I caught a couple trout. Sunburned, exhausted, and ready for a mid-afternoon nap I check my voicemail expecting the usual cavalcade of collectors and nonsense, but instead I hear someone pleading for me to call them regarding employment. I thought I didn't get this job, they were all filled. I had taken solace in the disappointment and prepared to work towards the future; but it was Saturday, and I could not make this call until Tuesday at best.
While I was exhausted from the road trips (little did I know it would be the least of it) I made the phone call on Tuesday. I had the job. I was going to be working on video games, and getting paid. They wanted me to start Wednesday, which was of course too little time, I would require at least 24 hours to move to a new city and start a new job, duh.
Well my plans were shot. There was an attractive girl in Denton I think had a thing for me, not to mention some lost contacts re-acquainted in Dallas. I was going to be able to save money while not paying rent and things would be good. What the hell was I going to do now? This job would pay less than my server job I was training for, how could I, two dimes away from bankruptcy, move to a new city and start a job?
Thanks to a friend I had a couch to sleep on. Sure it was uncomfortable, I was harassed by cats all night and the place had a stench like someone trying to emulate the african wild in their house, but I was working the next day, I had to be there. The workday felt, well, like a workday that didn't suck. Sure I worked ten hours my first day, but I was not exhausted the day after. I did not have the sense of dread about coming in the next day as I did with my office job. Even now, typing this at work off the clock (hooray for not having internet at the apartment for a week) I do not mind being here. I feel surrounded by peers, in an environment I'm comfortable with. Will this last? I don't know. Even my job by definition is temporary, but this is a simple bagatelle compared to the possibility of finding something I truly love to do.
I have an apartment, at least for two months. By the grace of the gods my friend was leaving town and looking to sublet his apartment the same week I was moving to Austin. It is slightly strange living there, as if I'm surrounded by the shadow of someone I've known so long. Every odd quirk about his apartment makes sense to me. Everything I see smells of him and his obsessiveness and secrecy, but it could be worse. Having to clean out and relocate the undergarments drawer of someone I don't know could be more disconcerting, but I hopefully won't ever know. It is home, however, if only for the time being. And from my parking space I can see the tower of the University of Texas at Austin.
So this blog is no longer a place for me to vent when depressed, or angry, or whatever the case can be. This blog is now a record of my Austin experiment, where I hope to achieve the goals I set out and succeed. Will I be able to live on a budget? Will I be able to show the discipline to not drink myself to oblivion daily? Can I stop smoking? Am I correct in thinking I'd love to travel and live in new places? Am I as liberal as I think, or is that just Dallas wearing on me? Well that one I sorted out. While I consider myself progressive and free-thinking, these people in Austin are radicals. It is just two sides of the same coin, but I think I like living with tails a little better than heads. Regardless, it is of little concern. Does my life begin here, or is this just another speed bump on the road of eventual failure? Am I at the wheel driving, or am I simply bitching at the wind while the car crashes?
So here it begins. My Great Austin Experiment.
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