For those of you that don't know me too well, you may be surprised to hear that I am on the road again. For those of you that do know me... well, I can see you rolling your eyes. 

Let me tell you what I've been up to:

I left Austin on Wednesday (missing my friends there!) and spent the night in San Antonio... which is where we watched Thor. After San Antonio, I headed out west. Ended up in Fort Stockton. Truly a riveting place. In fact, it is so riveting that the happening place in town is Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart was a total blast from the past. It hasn't been updated since the early 90's. There was also swimming in the pool, but really nothing awesome happening in Fort Stockton. 

Next stop on the list was Fort Davis. Fort Davis is a small town in the Davis Mountains. It kinda reminded me of Stillwater, Minnesota. A half an hour outside of Fort Davis is the MacDonald Observatory. Checked out the daytime tour which was about the sun. After that, I got to check out Fort Davis... well, not the actual fort, but I did wander around the town a bit and got in some good photography. Went back to the observatory for the Twilight program, took some great sunset shots, and went to a star party. Now, let me tell you, if you ever get the chance to go to a star party... DO IT!!! Super cool! The MacDonald Observatory is in the darkest place in the continental US. It's like it was perfect timing. The moon didn't rise until around 12:30am and the Milky Way wasn't visible, so all the stars were visible. Then, they set up a few telescopes that pointed out certain things... for instance, I got to see Saturn at 300x magnification. It was so bright! It was awesome. I've never seen so many stars!! 

Or... if you prefer... The Post For Which You Have All Been Waiting. I finally have some pictures of Austin! YAY!  Trish, Jazz, Joe and I went to the Austin version of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear compliments of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. The rally was live in DC and we watched at the capital via satellite feed. It was hilarious, and you should watch it if you get the chance. There were oodles of signs that covered all manner of ideas and randomness. That night, we partook in a murder mystery game. The gist was a major poker player had been murdered after winning lots of money. He was murdered outside a small diner on the way from Vegas to LA. I was Shirley Knott, the jilted lover. The deceased, Jack Pott, had dumped me on live television just before he won his money. It was pretty awesome.

So, that's what these pictures will be.

Rally first...

I suck at life.  I keep telling you I'm going to take pictures and never get around to it.  I'm going to be in the suburbs for the rest of the week, so don't expect anything until, at the very earliest, next week.

So, I've told you my first impressions of Austin, but what I didn't really delve into was how I am actually doing here. Here goes:

I've been asked if Austin meets my expectations. People think that my expectations were too high, and I was just putting it on a pedestal.  I honestly didn't know what to expect from Austin. Having never been here before, my expectations were only as high as my knowledge of the place. I really love it here. The people are great, the weather is amazing, and it's just artsy enough for me without being too over the top. I haven't done much here, but I have time. I will admit that I get frustrated from time to time while looking for a job.  The housing situation is still a question mark, but I like where I'm staying right now. There is a whole lot of instability going on in my life right now, everything is in flux, and I just want something that is stable.  I get a little down or anxious about it sometimes, but I would so much rather be here in Austin with no residence and no job than in Duluth with the same issues. For those of you in Austin and the surrounding areas that see me and wonder if I disillusioned myself before coming down here, I didn't. I really love it here; I'm just in limbo for the moment, and that's a little frustrating. Am I still in the honeymoon phase? What honeymoon phase? There was none for me. My theory is that if you have expectations of things, you limit the potential good that can come from a situation.  I doubt it's possible to have absolutely no expectations, but to keep them in check would be ideal for me.

So, how do I like Austin? Does it meet my standards?
I love Austin, and my standards were pretty low, so yes.

It's Monday.  It's my last full day in Minnesota. My mom just got back from an Alaskan cruise, and she had more luggage than I'm bringing with me.

I'm nervous. I'm terrified. I'm completely stoked. I'm so ready but completely unprepared.

I will miss my friends up here, but am looking forward to expanding my list of friends.

I spent the day in the Twin Cities yesterday with as many friends as possible.  It worked out perfectly, and I had a lot of fun and ate some awesome foods!

My thoughts are totally scattered today. I'm trying to put everything together in my head, but I just can't think straight right now. My family is having a going away dinner for me tonight, and I feel like I should be preparing or doing something. Right now, no one is home except me. I feel like I should be packing (that's probably because I'm so used to packing at the last minute that being totally packed a week before I leave is totally throwing me off). Hmmm nothing to do... maybe I'll go play with the dogs...

Next time I update this, I will be in Texas!

Yes, it is true.  My time until I move to Austin, Texas (for some reason, all the Minnesotans I've told that I was moving to Austin asked if I meant Austin, Minnesota or Austin, Texas.  Yes, Austin, Minnesota is a thriving metropolis...) has moved into the single digits!  I have 9 days left here.  I can't believe it.  I have everything packed and my house has a few things that need to get moved into storage.  Other than that, I am so ready to go.  Also, I have these 9 days to try to cram in all my visits with my friends up here.  It's not enough time, but it's been nice to see everyone.  I have been up here for quite a while and my friends have been busy, but, tell them you're leaving and they come out of the woodwork! Maybe I should leave more often....

If you're interested, you should check out my other blog to find out what I'm reading and watching. 

Because I have the attention span of a goldfish I feel obligated to go back to the ever so exciting fact that I am moving soon.  I keep hearing how great Austin is, and I hope to soon share that opinion.  So, if you have any fun Austin stories, post them, I'd love to read them!