Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Leaving for London UK

Today is the day - passport in hand, headed to the airport in a couple of hours, destination "London" - Excited, nervous, good mix of a bunch of emotions.... everything seems back on track. Lets hope this all works out!

Patrick, best boyfriend ever, is driving three hours to get me to DFW - One of the most insane airports ever. American Airlines - I will be getting into London at 10:30am tomorrow. My photographer for Thursday, is meeting me outside of baggage - I am relying on a lot of things to just 'happen' - hope they do.

*crosses fingers*


Lurch to the Capitol

Attended "Lurch to the Capitol" - The zombie protest march for equal rights. Three hundred zombies, with oozing flesh wounds, descended upon the state Capitol on Sunday. "We eat brains! But how does that give people the right to swing their bats in ours faces or shoot us up with their shotguns!? We are all citizens of the United States (or used to be) and should be treated with the same respect that you give your neighbor." Zombies picketed. Signs scrawled in bloody letters, read, "Give me rights or I will eat your brains!" "Perhaps, someday, when you die, you will care too." "Michael Jackson lives!" Small children, little tote dogs, a zombie with an undead baby hanging out her stomach - dead people everywhere.

After the protest, all the zombies who were of-age, were led to a local bar here in Austin called Club De Ville, which threw a free kegger for all bloody dancing zombies! Swaying to the hypnotic beats of Thriller, downing Fireman's Ale - enjoying the company of both the living and the undead - all things, finally, seemed to be right in the world.

....Well - until the zombies got drunk and ate the bartenders...

But.... that is another story....

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Getting ready for London, UK!

Been in Austin for about a week and a half now - Pat and my roomies have the munchies and keep eating all the chocolate-chip cookies I picked up at Herbet E. Butt's grocery store this morning.... It's cool - Haven't smoked in years. Always end up lethargic, snoring in the corner.... Instead, I sit..... enjoying my state's LoneStar beer, working on Pat's Halloween costume. Ha. Drinking for a cause! Patrick is building a full suit of armor created from LoneStar beer cans (Origin, you ask? Red Fang on youtube - 'Prehistoric Dog' - Check it out).... Crafty idea for a Halloween costume....

GOING TO BE IN LONDON, UK for Halloween this year (do they celebrate the freedom of slutty costumes in the UK?!) A photographer bought me a ticket to fly to to London UK in two weeks to shoot with him! *excited*

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Why Austin?

Whenever I mention to people that I have always wanted to live in Austin Texas - They usually screw up their face like they smell poop in the conversation, "Eww Reallllly? Texas? Why would anyone want to move to TEXAS?" ....... I have gotten used to how they spit the word out of their mouths. "Texas"- Wishing it was a physical form they could step on, kick and abuse.... It is ok. People either know about Austin TX or they do not... it is ok....

Austin is like the oasis of Texas - It's own Republic - A little blue city in the midst of a giant red state. Voted #1 place to live in Money Magazine 2006, and #3 in 2009. Also voted the Greenest City in America by MSN. This place has it's own culture, it's own style, it's own niche' - Everyone looks like someone you would like to know. Huge Burning Man community is located down here (Burning Flipside is next month) and they DO keep Austin Weird - today, all the people who did not get into Austin City Limits, can attend a Zombie Concert down the road for free.... zombies and beer! Bikes bikes and more bikes - Austin loves to bike, Austin City Limits only proves that..... In fact, Lance Armstrong, who owns a bike shop here in Austin, is out riding around town today with anyone who would like to join him.... Voted #1 college town by the Travel Channel, Austin's slogan is 'The Live Music Capital of the World' - Austin has more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city (for Pat and I, that is a huge seller - we are live music junkies - Beauty Bar seems to have a bunch of fun shows) Music festivals of the year involve: SouthXSouthWest and Austin City Limits. They have a Record Store down here called WaterLoo that still has in-store shows and they hand out beer! Tons of hiking, biking, yoga classes all over town - Average age is 28 years old. Average sunshine is 300 days a year....

Yea - this city pretty much rules all other cities. Lakes, rivers, hills, beautiful people, fun things to do every-single-day/night.... This city is happiness.

Photos: Austin Skyline, Hill Country just outside the city, SXSW on 6th Street downtown Austin, Barton Springs

Thursday, October 1, 2009

New home - Austin!

Traveled down to San Antonio to stay with my buddy, Tim Summa. Tim has always been a good friend of mine. He first wrote me in 2005, when I was traveling with Matthew. Offered us a free place to crash, keys to his house, keys to his car, full use of his studio, all the equipment I could possibly ask for, a workshop where I would make money without leaving his house. At first, it put me on edge a bit, kept thinking to myself, "Sounds too good to be true.... this guy probably watches Silence of the Lambs on repeat. Probably raises Moths in his basement. When I get there he is going to steal my makeup, snatch my heels, dance around his bedroom naked...." Ha. But get this. Tim is really really really nice person.... among many things (...mostly, I find him fascinating) - he sincere, honest, incredibly welcoming to all his guests....

When I told Tim that I was moving down to TX, he immediately offered up his spare bedroom within seconds, "Be it three weeks or three months - you guys both have a free place to stay as long as you need it."

Ha - I will not take any credit for finding the apartment! Sounds silly and ridiculous - You will probably think that I am overreacting - but for me, the idea of finding a residence to live in is a completely terrifying concept (terrifying). Living in one place, seeing the same people, doing the same things over and over again - knots my stomach into dry heaves. When I explained this to Patrick, who had just traveled the US with me for two months, he understood where I was coming from. Pat took initiative and starting researching Austin himself, immersing himself in craigslist ads for hours, occasionally reading ads outloud to see if I would be interested....

Arrived in San Antonio Tuesday - by Friday Pat had set up four walk-throughs - by Sunday, we had an apartment!

Never apartment hunted before - very exciting! Knew that I would not be able to settle for
anything less than what I pictured - Nice, clean house (not apartment complex) with a lot of natural light, under $600 in rent. An apartment that would allow pets (but did not have pets) - - cool roommates that would not mind if people crashed in the livingroom now and then - It also had to be less than 5 miles from downtown.

Moved all our stuff in yesterday! Paid our first month's rent ($450 total) - Pat has been interviewing for 'real' jobs all week - manager positions, insurance desk jobs - I am looking for a part-time bartending position - that way I can still travel a couple days a week, but I will be forced to stay home in Austin and meet some local people.... I want Austin to be home. I really do.

Photo Credit: Emmett! Shot yesterday at a super seedy fun Motel in San Antonio!