After a long hiatus, I am finally writing a new post! This semester has been perhaps the busiest time of my life... and that's really saying something when I think back to first semester of 2L year, which was quite horrendous. Ok, maybe that semester was worse, lol.
But, now, my first year of grad school is behind me, and I thought it would be good to write a reflection of sorts on the past year and this huge transition in my life.
For the most part, things have really fallen into place in just the way I had hoped they would. Steve moved down here in October, and he had a job secured by February... and not just any job, a job in a field he likes! It was such a weight off my shoulders to know that this move worked out for Steve, as well. The only true hesitation I felt in going back to school and moving us across the country was that it would hurt Steve's chances at pursuing his own dreams... but I think he is very much in a position to follow his own, as well. And, that gives me such a sense of relief. I know how much sacrifice will be involved in being an academic's spouse in the future, and I will be forever grateful to his willingness to "come along for the ride"... wherever that takes us.
After Steve got a job... we got a house! We haven't moved in yet, but it is really, truly, our perfect Texas home. Just like with our last house, I think we kind of "just knew" when we walked in that this was a place where we would feel at home. I can't wait to sit on our deck enjoying warm evenings and hang a hammock in the trees. Knowing that we will be here for at least 4 more years will allow me to really "nest" and make this place somewhere we can be happy to call home for as long as we have it. Plus, my parents are planning to spend a couple months each winter with us, which I am thrilled about! It really makes the distance from my family more bearable.
And, the crux of my new life here... school! Truly, things have gone better than I ever could have hoped. I feel like I am adjusting very well, and I don't know how the first year could have gone much better. All of my worries about how I would do in this new field are slowly evaporating. Sure, every now and then, I really feel that gap of knowledge between me and others, but the gap is shrinking each day... and I'm finding my own background to be of more use than I had anticipated. I feel like I have a real plan for the next 4-5 years of my life, and I can see it as much more "real" now. I come home excited to discuss what I did each day... which is a nice contrast to the complaining I did when I used to get home from work. I am sure Steve enjoys the change, as well :)
And, the best part is - I have never regretted or questioned my decision for even one moment over the past year, not once. It took me longer than some (though not as long as others!) to find what I feel that I am meant to do with my life, but I am so glad that I decided to "go for it" and not be complacent with a good job that didn't make me happy. I know that this is what I want to do, and I am lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband who can see how much better this is for me, and in turn, for us.
Is it still incredibly terrifying when I stop and think about what I actually did to get here? Yes. Do I still worry about my future? Of course I do. But, I never regret my decision. This choice was a gamble, and it still is... but it is one that I hope will pay off in the long run and one that I won't regret, no matter the outcome. I can look myself in the mirror each day and know that I have done everything in my power to give myself the life I want and that I did not shy away from the hard choices and sacrifice necessary to do that. I know not everyone is in a position to follow their dreams, and I am so thankful that I was... and am.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
I Don't Wanna Play Anymore... :(
Saturday, two days after our first cancelled flight, we finally got in touch with someone at the Austin airport who told us that our bags had been flown back to Chicago. Hooray! So, Steve headed to Midway baggage claim... where over 1500 bags were sitting, which had either missed connections or whose owners never arrived in Chicago. He looked through them, and he was able to find one of our bags (my bag, actually)... but he couldn't find the other. So, he gave up, and we decided we'll just put in a lost bag claim and get it back eventually. Oh well.
At this point on Saturday, it had already started to snow again... as another winter storm was on its way. Our flight was supposed to go out Sunday afternoon... and Chicago was supposed to get a foot of snow before then. We were not hopeful, to say the least.
Sunday morning, I woke up and checked our flight status first thing. Cancelled. Ugh. But, at least we knew before we went to the airport. We cancelled our car, and we rebooked yet another flight. I contacted my friend to feed our cat again. This time, our flight was rebooked for Tuesday afternoon. And, no snow left in the forecast. Huzzah!
But...it turns out, snow isn't the only thing that will cancel flights. Sub-zero temperatures will do it, too! I checked our flight status tonight for tomorrow's (Tuesday's) flight. Cancelled. I wanted to scream at this point.Or cry. Or die. I called Southwest, only to be informed that their system was down, and they couldn't do anything from their end. Are you kidding me?! Oh, and we couldn't rebook online because we had previously rebooked over the phone. We noticed there were still flights getting out of Chicago to Austin tomorrow, so we tried booking the only one with seats available. Gone. But, wait! There was ONE seat left. And, I got it. So, at least I am going to Austin tomorrow, we hope. Steve... well... I found flights available to San Antonio, only about an hour's drive away. So, he's booked to San Antonio tomorrow. We paid insane amounts of money for these flights, and if Southwest doesn't reimburse us, heads are gonna roll at Southwest, let me tell you.
On separate flights at different times to different airports, chances are, at least ONE of us will make it out tomorrow. If Steve makes it and I don't, he'll rent a car. If I make it and Steve doesn't... oh well, I'll have our car. :) Now we are just praying that at least one flight makes it out, or hopefully, BOTH flights make it out. And, maybe, if we search the baggage area again, we might find our missing bag. Not holding my breath on that one!
Worst case scenario... both our flights get cancelled, and I guess we will drive back to Austin. Roads should be cleared, and God knows I'm not about to try rescheduling another friggin Southwest flight at this point. And, next year, let's move the Chicago Christmas to July! :)
At this point on Saturday, it had already started to snow again... as another winter storm was on its way. Our flight was supposed to go out Sunday afternoon... and Chicago was supposed to get a foot of snow before then. We were not hopeful, to say the least.
Sunday morning, I woke up and checked our flight status first thing. Cancelled. Ugh. But, at least we knew before we went to the airport. We cancelled our car, and we rebooked yet another flight. I contacted my friend to feed our cat again. This time, our flight was rebooked for Tuesday afternoon. And, no snow left in the forecast. Huzzah!
But...it turns out, snow isn't the only thing that will cancel flights. Sub-zero temperatures will do it, too! I checked our flight status tonight for tomorrow's (Tuesday's) flight. Cancelled. I wanted to scream at this point.
On separate flights at different times to different airports, chances are, at least ONE of us will make it out tomorrow. If Steve makes it and I don't, he'll rent a car. If I make it and Steve doesn't... oh well, I'll have our car. :) Now we are just praying that at least one flight makes it out, or hopefully, BOTH flights make it out. And, maybe, if we search the baggage area again, we might find our missing bag. Not holding my breath on that one!
Worst case scenario... both our flights get cancelled, and I guess we will drive back to Austin. Roads should be cleared, and God knows I'm not about to try rescheduling another friggin Southwest flight at this point. And, next year, let's move the Chicago Christmas to July! :)
 |
| Good riddance, Chi-beria!!! |
Friday, January 3, 2014
We Are Just Trying to Find a Gate...
So, yesterday may have been one of the most exhausting days of my life... and it involved mostly sitting. And waiting. Lots of both of those things.
We have been in Chicago for the past week visiting the in-laws, and we were supposed to fly out on January 2nd at 2:50pm. We left the house at noon, and the flight still showed "on time." It was snowing and looked awful outside, but flights had been getting out, so we braced ourselves for a probable 4 hour delay and decided to just go to the airport and hope for the best. After all, surely we could get out that day, even if it ended up being late. (See that foreshadowing I did by using italics?)
We got to the airport at about 12:50, exactly 2 hours before our flight. For the first time EVER, we checked 2 bags... because I had liquids that exceeded the allowed amount, so we figured we might as well just check both our bags and avoid lugging them around. The baggage line went pretty quickly... then the security line went incredibly fast. Overall, Midway and Southwest were treating us well at that point. We got to our gate, and it still showed "on time" for our flight. We didn't believe it, but we were hopeful.
Then... came the first delay. Let's remember throughout this post that our original departure time was 2:50 pm. First delay: 3:45. Ahh, not so bad. We decided to grab a place to sit close to the gate to wait it out. People were sitting on every available inch of floor against the people movers and walls, so we found a column to sit against. Of course, tons of flights had been delayed at this point, and the airport was packed. As boarding time neared, the second delay came. 5:55. Ok, that sounded more realistic. A 3-hour delay wasn't so bad. We left our gate area in search of food and actual seats to wait out the 2 hours and charge our phones. We found comfy chairs in another terminal and had some late lunch. Great, doing good.
Around 5:15, we headed over to our gate in hopes of boarding. Nope, sorry, three more flights have moved to that gate and are scheduled to go ahead of us. Delayed another hour to 6:55. Then, we heard nothing... for a long time. They boarded a plane to LAX, and they sat at the gate for 90 minutes before pulling out. Then, a flight was moved out of our gate... which allowed us to get some seats. They boarded another flight... then cancelled it before it could leave. Those poor people had been loaded on two different planes, only to be deplaned twice and their flight cancelled... after 12 hours of waiting. I felt a bit uneasy after that cancellation. They had been cancelled because there weren't enough crew members available. Everyone had been waiting for so long, crew members were timing out.
At some point, we got another update. Our plane was on its way! 8:20 departure time. Hooray! Then... 8:20 came and went. Changed to 10:15. Another announcement: our plane was on the ground, just waiting for a gate to open. Changed to 11:15. 12:15. We heard about an Austin gate... so we all moved to that gate, only to realize it wasn't our flight. Came back. Waited. More announcements: don't worry Austin passengers, you are the next flight... your plane is here, just waiting for a gate... your flight is not cancelled.
At this point... we had been at the airport for 12 hours. Parents were running out of diapers for their infants. People were sleeping on the floor. People were getting a bit loopy. The airport was slowly emptying as flights were cancelled. We saw some irate customers... the gate attendant had to call the police to remove one couple who were shouting and becoming aggressive. One woman cussed out an attendant in front of her young child, vowing to ruin Southwest's reputation FOREVER, and stormed off with the child in tow. We were all bonding at the gate, discussing the absurd situation we were in... sitting there, forever delayed, with no idea when we would leave... if ever.
Around 1:30am, the announcement finally came. "I am sorry to inform you that your flight has been cancelled." We all raced for the line to rebook. I got on the phone with Southwest while Steve waited in line. I got through first... but the first available flight was Sunday afternoon. Three days later. We took what we could get and left the gate area. The gate attendant said we could get our luggage back, because otherwise it would be on a flight to Austin first thing in the morning... exactly where we would NOT be until Sunday.
So, off to baggage services we went. First, we got in the wrong line, where we waited for 30 or so minutes until they said they couldn't help us. So, off to the next line. It was around 2:30am at this point. While in line, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "For those of you with cancelled flights, we are NOT pulling any luggage. Your luggage will be sent to your final destination." We knew it was a futile effort, but at least we might be able to find out what was happening with our luggage. After all, all of our clothes, toiletries, medication, etc. were in those bags. We finally got to the front of the line around 4:30am. They told us our luggage was being flown to Austin... but that we could request that they send it back... and then we could pick it up at Midway when it got there. We decided to take a risk and hope it made it back by that night. We put in the request, then got a cab back to the in-laws'. At 5:15am, we were finally there. And, our cab driver completely price-gouged us... who knows if it was the overnight hours or just a guy taking advantage of the situation, but it was about twice the normal price. Oh well, WHO CARES AT THIS POINT. We just wanted to get out and go to bed. We paid the exorbitant fee and got inside. At least we weren't paying for a hotel for the next 3 nights!
During this entire time, all I could think about was that our petsitter's last day to feed our cat was on January 1st because we expected to be home on the 2nd to feed her. And, now our petsitter was on vacation, and no one else had keys to our apartment... so who would feed our cat until we got home 3 days late?! I knew I couldn't do anything about it at 5am, so I went to sleep. I verified that our petsitter was out of town when I woke up, and then I contacted my wonderful officemate and begged her to please feed my cat. I got my apartment complex to let her pick up an extra key, and she was able to do it. Only then could I truly relax and just not care about whatever else happened. Lucy would not starve! Hooray! I had her give her extra food, because, who knows if we will get out on Sunday!
Now, it is 9:30pm... and we still have received no word on our baggage. We called the number the baggage people gave us at Midway... and no one answers... and their voicemail is full. I called Southwest's main baggage services, and they could only contact one of the airports to ask them to call me. Steve left a message on Austin's baggage services voicemail. Hours later, still no call from either airport on where exactly our bags are or when we can get them back. Hopefully tomorrow... since otherwise we are getting them on Sunday, just as if we had left them in Austin to wait for us.
In the meantime, we are OK. It could be so much worse. We have somewhere free to stay. Yes, that dang cabbie gouged us on our fare, but it pales in comparison to the money other people are spending to stay in a city that isn't their final destination for another 3 or 4 days. We don't have babies who have no diapers or formula left... and no stroller because it was checked baggage. We don't have children crying because their vacations have been cancelled or they don't understand why they can't get home. We aren't missing work or planned activities and losing deposits and entire vacations. We aren't sleeping at the airport or stuck in a hotel with nowhere to wash our one set of clothes.
Except for the baggage debacle, this is a best-case scenario for having a cancelled flight. Granted, I hope to never spend 16 hours in an airport ever again, unless I am doing it willingly. I am not happy with how Southwest handled things, but there's no point in being upset about it. It's a blip; life goes on. We aren't missing anything important. We're fine. We will hopefully be home on Sunday evening... as long as that new winter storm doesn't get in our way. It has just been a frustrating, colorful travel experience that we can look back on and say "Well, at least it's not as bad as that one time!"
We have been in Chicago for the past week visiting the in-laws, and we were supposed to fly out on January 2nd at 2:50pm. We left the house at noon, and the flight still showed "on time." It was snowing and looked awful outside, but flights had been getting out, so we braced ourselves for a probable 4 hour delay and decided to just go to the airport and hope for the best. After all, surely we could get out that day, even if it ended up being late. (See that foreshadowing I did by using italics?)
We got to the airport at about 12:50, exactly 2 hours before our flight. For the first time EVER, we checked 2 bags... because I had liquids that exceeded the allowed amount, so we figured we might as well just check both our bags and avoid lugging them around. The baggage line went pretty quickly... then the security line went incredibly fast. Overall, Midway and Southwest were treating us well at that point. We got to our gate, and it still showed "on time" for our flight. We didn't believe it, but we were hopeful.
Then... came the first delay. Let's remember throughout this post that our original departure time was 2:50 pm. First delay: 3:45. Ahh, not so bad. We decided to grab a place to sit close to the gate to wait it out. People were sitting on every available inch of floor against the people movers and walls, so we found a column to sit against. Of course, tons of flights had been delayed at this point, and the airport was packed. As boarding time neared, the second delay came. 5:55. Ok, that sounded more realistic. A 3-hour delay wasn't so bad. We left our gate area in search of food and actual seats to wait out the 2 hours and charge our phones. We found comfy chairs in another terminal and had some late lunch. Great, doing good.
Around 5:15, we headed over to our gate in hopes of boarding. Nope, sorry, three more flights have moved to that gate and are scheduled to go ahead of us. Delayed another hour to 6:55. Then, we heard nothing... for a long time. They boarded a plane to LAX, and they sat at the gate for 90 minutes before pulling out. Then, a flight was moved out of our gate... which allowed us to get some seats. They boarded another flight... then cancelled it before it could leave. Those poor people had been loaded on two different planes, only to be deplaned twice and their flight cancelled... after 12 hours of waiting. I felt a bit uneasy after that cancellation. They had been cancelled because there weren't enough crew members available. Everyone had been waiting for so long, crew members were timing out.
At some point, we got another update. Our plane was on its way! 8:20 departure time. Hooray! Then... 8:20 came and went. Changed to 10:15. Another announcement: our plane was on the ground, just waiting for a gate to open. Changed to 11:15. 12:15. We heard about an Austin gate... so we all moved to that gate, only to realize it wasn't our flight. Came back. Waited. More announcements: don't worry Austin passengers, you are the next flight... your plane is here, just waiting for a gate... your flight is not cancelled.
At this point... we had been at the airport for 12 hours. Parents were running out of diapers for their infants. People were sleeping on the floor. People were getting a bit loopy. The airport was slowly emptying as flights were cancelled. We saw some irate customers... the gate attendant had to call the police to remove one couple who were shouting and becoming aggressive. One woman cussed out an attendant in front of her young child, vowing to ruin Southwest's reputation FOREVER, and stormed off with the child in tow. We were all bonding at the gate, discussing the absurd situation we were in... sitting there, forever delayed, with no idea when we would leave... if ever.
Around 1:30am, the announcement finally came. "I am sorry to inform you that your flight has been cancelled." We all raced for the line to rebook. I got on the phone with Southwest while Steve waited in line. I got through first... but the first available flight was Sunday afternoon. Three days later. We took what we could get and left the gate area. The gate attendant said we could get our luggage back, because otherwise it would be on a flight to Austin first thing in the morning... exactly where we would NOT be until Sunday.
So, off to baggage services we went. First, we got in the wrong line, where we waited for 30 or so minutes until they said they couldn't help us. So, off to the next line. It was around 2:30am at this point. While in line, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "For those of you with cancelled flights, we are NOT pulling any luggage. Your luggage will be sent to your final destination." We knew it was a futile effort, but at least we might be able to find out what was happening with our luggage. After all, all of our clothes, toiletries, medication, etc. were in those bags. We finally got to the front of the line around 4:30am. They told us our luggage was being flown to Austin... but that we could request that they send it back... and then we could pick it up at Midway when it got there. We decided to take a risk and hope it made it back by that night. We put in the request, then got a cab back to the in-laws'. At 5:15am, we were finally there. And, our cab driver completely price-gouged us... who knows if it was the overnight hours or just a guy taking advantage of the situation, but it was about twice the normal price. Oh well, WHO CARES AT THIS POINT. We just wanted to get out and go to bed. We paid the exorbitant fee and got inside. At least we weren't paying for a hotel for the next 3 nights!
During this entire time, all I could think about was that our petsitter's last day to feed our cat was on January 1st because we expected to be home on the 2nd to feed her. And, now our petsitter was on vacation, and no one else had keys to our apartment... so who would feed our cat until we got home 3 days late?! I knew I couldn't do anything about it at 5am, so I went to sleep. I verified that our petsitter was out of town when I woke up, and then I contacted my wonderful officemate and begged her to please feed my cat. I got my apartment complex to let her pick up an extra key, and she was able to do it. Only then could I truly relax and just not care about whatever else happened. Lucy would not starve! Hooray! I had her give her extra food, because, who knows if we will get out on Sunday!
Now, it is 9:30pm... and we still have received no word on our baggage. We called the number the baggage people gave us at Midway... and no one answers... and their voicemail is full. I called Southwest's main baggage services, and they could only contact one of the airports to ask them to call me. Steve left a message on Austin's baggage services voicemail. Hours later, still no call from either airport on where exactly our bags are or when we can get them back. Hopefully tomorrow... since otherwise we are getting them on Sunday, just as if we had left them in Austin to wait for us.
In the meantime, we are OK. It could be so much worse. We have somewhere free to stay. Yes, that dang cabbie gouged us on our fare, but it pales in comparison to the money other people are spending to stay in a city that isn't their final destination for another 3 or 4 days. We don't have babies who have no diapers or formula left... and no stroller because it was checked baggage. We don't have children crying because their vacations have been cancelled or they don't understand why they can't get home. We aren't missing work or planned activities and losing deposits and entire vacations. We aren't sleeping at the airport or stuck in a hotel with nowhere to wash our one set of clothes.
Except for the baggage debacle, this is a best-case scenario for having a cancelled flight. Granted, I hope to never spend 16 hours in an airport ever again, unless I am doing it willingly. I am not happy with how Southwest handled things, but there's no point in being upset about it. It's a blip; life goes on. We aren't missing anything important. We're fine. We will hopefully be home on Sunday evening... as long as that new winter storm doesn't get in our way. It has just been a frustrating, colorful travel experience that we can look back on and say "Well, at least it's not as bad as that one time!"
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Let's talk about Tex, baby...
So, I've been in Texas for a few weeks, and I thought I'd reflect on some of my experiences thus far...
Driving
Seriously, the biggest thing I've noticed about Texas is how driving is approached differently. At first, I thought people were just bad drivers. After seeing a few near-accidents and almost being hit a few times myself, I have finally learned the secret to Texas driving. The secret is... you have to drive like you're the only person on the road and just hope for the best. Poof! You're now a Texas driver! Changing lanes? No need to check if there is anyone in your way. They will move if they don't want to die. Want to get around someone but there isn't enough room? Just cut in with inches to spare. They will brake. Trying to make a right turn, but traffic is too heavy and fast to let you in? Who needs an opening? Just turn. People will slam on their brakes, and you will make it... probably.
This same concept applies to parking. I have seen, hands-down, the worst parking jobs in history in Texas parking lots. Especially my apartment complex parking lot. Rule of thumb for parking: assume you are the most important car on the lot, or perhaps the only car. Park however you want, and if you take up two spaces, bonus points. People don't even try to hide the fact that they are parking like jerks. They just completely straddle a line and take two spots. Or park almost completely diagonal in a spot, making it impossible to park next to them without risking being stuck in your car, or getting door-dinged. I almost had to resort to crawling in through my backseat the other day when I returned to my car and discovered I had about 6 inches to open my door and get in. Luckily, just sucking in helped me wiggle through.
And, it's not even just Texans... the license plates are from everywhere. It's like people get here and just adapt this Texas-sized attitude about driving and parking. I'm learning to stop considering others and just do it. Whatever it is, just do it. Who cares?
Weather
I read somewhere that there are two seasons in Austin: summer and not-summer. It was an account of a Northeasterner's first year in Austin, and they wrote that they kept thinking it would cool down "in the fall"... only to realize that fall wasn't coming. There is summer, when it is ridiculously hot. Then there is the rest of the year, when it's not. So far, of course, I'm only getting summer, but boy is it a doozy. I've experienced heat living in Missouri. It gets hot in the summer... miserably hot. But, it's one thing to experience a heat wave in Missouri and another to realize it's going to be like that for 4 months straight in Texas. Granted, the heat is a bit drier, and we get more of a breeze here... so it's not as miserable. But, 100 degrees every day is still 100 degrees every day! I'm adjusting and learning how to cope with the heat.
But, the thing is... the heat doesn't shut down the city like it does in most normal cities. People are still out and about in 100+ degree weather - running, eating outside, just sitting outside reading, whatever. It doesn't faze them. I went for a walk the other day when it was 100 degrees. It wasn't awful, really. So, perhaps my body is adjusting already. Everyone says I'll get used to it... to an extent. I think they're right... but for now, 100 degrees still feels really freaking hot.
Orange
Ok, I know, I am attending UT in the fall. UT's color is orange. Out of all of the colors in the world, orange is the color I absolutely do not like. I do not own a single piece of orange clothing... well, until I moved here, when my mom got me a UT shirt. But, the proliferation of burnt orange in this city is insane. Everyone of all ages is wearing orange, it's in the stores everywhere, even people's cars are orange. Yes, I saw a nice luxury car the other day... that was burnt orange. And, the orange longhorn symbols are everywhere. Austin is definitely a college town. I think this is a bit new to me because Northwestern wasn't really in a college town. Evanston was very separate from Northwestern... and while you'd see purple close to campus, NU grads, for the most part, moved away after graduation. Evanston wasn't just full of NU grads like Austin is of UT grads. So there was never this culture of the whole town being about the university... but it feels a lot more like that here. I am interested to see just how much that explodes when the undergrads come back in the fall. Yikes!
Food
Before moving here, if you asked me what my favorite foods are, I would consistently rank three things at the top of my list: french fries, barbecue, and tex-mex. And, now I am in a mecca for two of those three foods! (And, they still have french fries in Austin, too... lol.) I have to avoid eating out so I don't gain 100 pounds in my first year here. I would like to thank the hipsters for the insane array of food in Austin. I think hipsters attract awesome food places for some reason. Now, they aren't responsible for the barbecue and the tex-mex, but they probably account for just about everything else... and I have seen a ton of restaurants I want to try! Good thing I am living like a poor grad student now and can't afford to eat out every night... or I would totally eat my way through Austin in a year...
Driving
Seriously, the biggest thing I've noticed about Texas is how driving is approached differently. At first, I thought people were just bad drivers. After seeing a few near-accidents and almost being hit a few times myself, I have finally learned the secret to Texas driving. The secret is... you have to drive like you're the only person on the road and just hope for the best. Poof! You're now a Texas driver! Changing lanes? No need to check if there is anyone in your way. They will move if they don't want to die. Want to get around someone but there isn't enough room? Just cut in with inches to spare. They will brake. Trying to make a right turn, but traffic is too heavy and fast to let you in? Who needs an opening? Just turn. People will slam on their brakes, and you will make it... probably.
This same concept applies to parking. I have seen, hands-down, the worst parking jobs in history in Texas parking lots. Especially my apartment complex parking lot. Rule of thumb for parking: assume you are the most important car on the lot, or perhaps the only car. Park however you want, and if you take up two spaces, bonus points. People don't even try to hide the fact that they are parking like jerks. They just completely straddle a line and take two spots. Or park almost completely diagonal in a spot, making it impossible to park next to them without risking being stuck in your car, or getting door-dinged. I almost had to resort to crawling in through my backseat the other day when I returned to my car and discovered I had about 6 inches to open my door and get in. Luckily, just sucking in helped me wiggle through.
And, it's not even just Texans... the license plates are from everywhere. It's like people get here and just adapt this Texas-sized attitude about driving and parking. I'm learning to stop considering others and just do it. Whatever it is, just do it. Who cares?
Weather
I read somewhere that there are two seasons in Austin: summer and not-summer. It was an account of a Northeasterner's first year in Austin, and they wrote that they kept thinking it would cool down "in the fall"... only to realize that fall wasn't coming. There is summer, when it is ridiculously hot. Then there is the rest of the year, when it's not. So far, of course, I'm only getting summer, but boy is it a doozy. I've experienced heat living in Missouri. It gets hot in the summer... miserably hot. But, it's one thing to experience a heat wave in Missouri and another to realize it's going to be like that for 4 months straight in Texas. Granted, the heat is a bit drier, and we get more of a breeze here... so it's not as miserable. But, 100 degrees every day is still 100 degrees every day! I'm adjusting and learning how to cope with the heat.
But, the thing is... the heat doesn't shut down the city like it does in most normal cities. People are still out and about in 100+ degree weather - running, eating outside, just sitting outside reading, whatever. It doesn't faze them. I went for a walk the other day when it was 100 degrees. It wasn't awful, really. So, perhaps my body is adjusting already. Everyone says I'll get used to it... to an extent. I think they're right... but for now, 100 degrees still feels really freaking hot.
Orange
Ok, I know, I am attending UT in the fall. UT's color is orange. Out of all of the colors in the world, orange is the color I absolutely do not like. I do not own a single piece of orange clothing... well, until I moved here, when my mom got me a UT shirt. But, the proliferation of burnt orange in this city is insane. Everyone of all ages is wearing orange, it's in the stores everywhere, even people's cars are orange. Yes, I saw a nice luxury car the other day... that was burnt orange. And, the orange longhorn symbols are everywhere. Austin is definitely a college town. I think this is a bit new to me because Northwestern wasn't really in a college town. Evanston was very separate from Northwestern... and while you'd see purple close to campus, NU grads, for the most part, moved away after graduation. Evanston wasn't just full of NU grads like Austin is of UT grads. So there was never this culture of the whole town being about the university... but it feels a lot more like that here. I am interested to see just how much that explodes when the undergrads come back in the fall. Yikes!
Food
Before moving here, if you asked me what my favorite foods are, I would consistently rank three things at the top of my list: french fries, barbecue, and tex-mex. And, now I am in a mecca for two of those three foods! (And, they still have french fries in Austin, too... lol.) I have to avoid eating out so I don't gain 100 pounds in my first year here. I would like to thank the hipsters for the insane array of food in Austin. I think hipsters attract awesome food places for some reason. Now, they aren't responsible for the barbecue and the tex-mex, but they probably account for just about everything else... and I have seen a ton of restaurants I want to try! Good thing I am living like a poor grad student now and can't afford to eat out every night... or I would totally eat my way through Austin in a year...
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Year of Awesomeness
I am declaring twenty-nine the year of awesomeness. All awesome... all the time. I figure I can whine about the last year of my twenties, or I can rock it.
For some, 29 is a depressing age. I know I was not too thrilled about it at first. But, so far, it's pretty great. I think the big changes in my life are really helping me "come into my own," so to speak. A clean slate can do wonders. I feel like this is an opportunity to make myself into the person I want to be. And, I finally have the focus, the motivation, and the energy to spend some time on myself. Not by myself, though I am that, as well. But, on myself. I don't mean pampering days at the spa... I mean really being my own person apart from any kind of identity I may have established for myself up to this point. I'm keeping the best parts of "Old Manda" and building on them to make an awesome "New Manda."
I think when you are dissatisfied with portions of your life, you get lazy. You just kind of coast along without really taking stock of your life. In my "new life", I'm realizing just how much I stopped taking care of myself and how little I really know *me* anymore. One major realization was the hold that fear had on my life... on my decisions. I have often joked about my many fears, but my general trepidation and anxiety was having a paralyzing effect on my independence. I pride myself on being a strong, independent woman, but I have been so focused on others that it caused me to lose sight of myself and the way I wanted to live my life. How others perceive me, what others want, what others expect of me. When you shun those kinds of pressures and expectations, it's really freeing, and I'm enjoying the experience of taking control of this life of mine. I'm learning to ascertain my own wants and expectations and focusing on working to meet only those.
I am basically here alone until mid-October, except for 2 weeks when Steve is visiting. I kept saying that I was looking forward to some "alone time," but really, I wondered how I would cope being in a new place all alone. I've lived alone before... but I've always had a support system of some kind to fall back on. This is the first time in my life since I left for college that I've been truly alone. And, I must say, I'm impressed with how I'm rising to the occasion. Old Manda would have been afraid to do anything new alone. But, I'm doing pretty well! I've gone out to eat a few times alone. I've driven all over Austin to different stores and such. I have gone on walks alone, to the pool alone. And, today, I tried out a church alone. This may not sound like a big deal to some people, but after doing things with someone for so long, it's an adjustment to do things alone. I feel like a big part of being an adult is being able to "fend for yourself" and being comfortable and happy alone. Perhaps I am finally becoming an adult... or at least accepting the fact that I am one.
Now, I'm not saying I don't miss Steve. I do miss Steve... though we've only been apart for a week at this point. He is coming to visit next weekend for 2 weeks... then we will only see each other one weekend between August 4 and October 12 (not that I'm counting... lol). What I am saying is that I think this time apart can only be good for both me and our marriage. We are lucky to have such a great marriage, and tomorrow is our 7th wedding anniversary. We are both different people than we were when we got married, but we have grown together instead of apart. But, part of what makes our marriage work is that we are our own people, and I think we can only benefit from each of us being the best possible versions of ourselves. This time apart will not only help us understand ourselves better but will also help us appreciate each other more than we already do and not take each other for granted. Already, I am gaining a deeper appreciation of Steve's height as I struggle to fill the top shelves...
In short, what I'm trying to say is... bring it on, 29. And keep it coming...
For some, 29 is a depressing age. I know I was not too thrilled about it at first. But, so far, it's pretty great. I think the big changes in my life are really helping me "come into my own," so to speak. A clean slate can do wonders. I feel like this is an opportunity to make myself into the person I want to be. And, I finally have the focus, the motivation, and the energy to spend some time on myself. Not by myself, though I am that, as well. But, on myself. I don't mean pampering days at the spa... I mean really being my own person apart from any kind of identity I may have established for myself up to this point. I'm keeping the best parts of "Old Manda" and building on them to make an awesome "New Manda."
I think when you are dissatisfied with portions of your life, you get lazy. You just kind of coast along without really taking stock of your life. In my "new life", I'm realizing just how much I stopped taking care of myself and how little I really know *me* anymore. One major realization was the hold that fear had on my life... on my decisions. I have often joked about my many fears, but my general trepidation and anxiety was having a paralyzing effect on my independence. I pride myself on being a strong, independent woman, but I have been so focused on others that it caused me to lose sight of myself and the way I wanted to live my life. How others perceive me, what others want, what others expect of me. When you shun those kinds of pressures and expectations, it's really freeing, and I'm enjoying the experience of taking control of this life of mine. I'm learning to ascertain my own wants and expectations and focusing on working to meet only those.
I am basically here alone until mid-October, except for 2 weeks when Steve is visiting. I kept saying that I was looking forward to some "alone time," but really, I wondered how I would cope being in a new place all alone. I've lived alone before... but I've always had a support system of some kind to fall back on. This is the first time in my life since I left for college that I've been truly alone. And, I must say, I'm impressed with how I'm rising to the occasion. Old Manda would have been afraid to do anything new alone. But, I'm doing pretty well! I've gone out to eat a few times alone. I've driven all over Austin to different stores and such. I have gone on walks alone, to the pool alone. And, today, I tried out a church alone. This may not sound like a big deal to some people, but after doing things with someone for so long, it's an adjustment to do things alone. I feel like a big part of being an adult is being able to "fend for yourself" and being comfortable and happy alone. Perhaps I am finally becoming an adult... or at least accepting the fact that I am one.
Now, I'm not saying I don't miss Steve. I do miss Steve... though we've only been apart for a week at this point. He is coming to visit next weekend for 2 weeks... then we will only see each other one weekend between August 4 and October 12 (not that I'm counting... lol). What I am saying is that I think this time apart can only be good for both me and our marriage. We are lucky to have such a great marriage, and tomorrow is our 7th wedding anniversary. We are both different people than we were when we got married, but we have grown together instead of apart. But, part of what makes our marriage work is that we are our own people, and I think we can only benefit from each of us being the best possible versions of ourselves. This time apart will not only help us understand ourselves better but will also help us appreciate each other more than we already do and not take each other for granted. Already, I am gaining a deeper appreciation of Steve's height as I struggle to fill the top shelves...
In short, what I'm trying to say is... bring it on, 29. And keep it coming...
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