Movin again

Well, here is only a few months into the Houston life style and I already have to pick up and move again. Don't worry, nothing major - just down the street actually. But the act of moving is what really sucks. Why do I have to move? Because my land lord has lost his mind. When I first got to Houston I found my place off of Craig's List and started a month to month lease in a large four bedroom house with three male strangers. This turned out surprisingly well. The four of us somehow (don't ask me how) get along, don't fight, and have no drama. It's the easiest roommate situation I have ever had. Well, our land lord began having extended stays in our house in the cedar closet. He told us up front that he would be in town probably about one weekend a month. Well these weekends turned into weeks. The last time he was here for two weeks - all up in the (larger than it sounds) cedar closet. He moved furniture around, ate our food in the middle of the night, and didn't even have a car to take himself anywhere else. He was there ALL the time.

This last trip of his he decided that he wanted to add two roommates to the house. Interesting concept. He blocked off half of the game room and created a tiny room up there. He blocked off the office (subsequently blocking off the master bedroom behind it) and put a room there. He rushed to find two roommates in his last three days here, and stuck us with a 20 year old friendly but quiet girl with a large lizard as a pet, and a 51 year old man. It was.... interesting, to say the least. My roommates and I have had it. A few days after he left we gave him our months notice and are moving out in about 2 weeks. It couldn't come quick enough. This whole situation has turned into something much more difficult and uncomfortable than it should be. We are hoping for our next house to be much more "normal."

H-Town

Well, I never thought it would actually happen. Here I am graduated, working at a real job, 8am-5pm. It's just crazy. It's one of those things that you always think about while in school and it is in the distant horizon, and somehow you just don't think it will ever really come. Somehow, it is here... and it's totally absurd.

How do I feel about it so far? Well, I hate getting up early. I am not a morning person. But surprisingly, I am getting used to it. I like being done with work at 5pm on the dot, and not having to work late hours like everyone did at my old job. Back then it was ok because I was getting paid hourly, but I would not be ok with it on a salary. Plus I talked to one of my old coworkers last weekend and it sounds like everything is absolutely going crazy there and it is even more and more busy, so I am happy I don't have that stress.

As far as Houston goes, I haven't experienced too much of it yet. I have had dinner at some amazing places - the Red Onion being one of the best. It had amazing Brazilian style food with queso and lots of plantains, mangos, etc. Yummm. I will update as to more places I get to try out.

Houston Bound

Today is one of my last days in Austin. On Sunday I pack up and leave for Houston. It should be interesting. I drove up to Houston yesterday to check out a potential place for me to live, and decided to go with it. It's a huge house with tons of space, but in what I perceived as a bit of a sketchy neighborhood. It's super close to my work though, and a month-by-month lease, so I figured that I can at least do it for a while. If I ever want to move out, I just have to give 30 days notice.

I have realized that I don't know too much about my job that I start in three days. Everyone asks me and I can give a general description of what I will be doing, but how it will take up 8 hours a day, I don't know. I guess I will be figuring this out very soon. It's a bit nerve racking to start a new job. I hope I enjoy it and I hope I don't regret turning down the other job offers that I did.

In the BCN

Well, some time has passed and I am now in Barcelona! My old home... it is so odd coming back to a place where you once lived and were intimately familiar with after being gone for a few years. I feel like I remember everything perfectly, but in reality, time changes things quite a bit. It's very strange. Still, I feel great being back and love automatically knowing my way around and where I want to go while I'm here. I also don't have the nagging feeling that I have to do more, see more, get to all the sights in just a few days because I have already seen them all, and if I don't see them one more time I'm not worried.

So I started out in Paris, then went to Lisbon, then Porto, then Salamanca, and now I am here. I am just 10 days into my trip and it already feels like forever in some ways, but it feels like time is flying in others. Lisbon was my favorite stop so far. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. Such a cute city, easy to navigate, and a wonderful atmosphere. I stayed in the most amazing hostel ever - Oasis Backpackers Mansion. They have a bar where I got 2 euro mojitos during happy hour (only 3 euro regularly), and a home cooked meal for 5. The meals were the best. They were better than I EVER eat at home, much less while traveling, and for so cheap! I ate there every night, and loved it. I could have stayed there for weeks.

Now, I'm off for a much needed siesta.

L-i-v-i-n

Well, schol has officially ended and it is an absurd feeling. In reality, it is no feeling at all because I don't think it has hit me yet. I don't think things like this ever actually do hit you.... you know a huge change in your life is coming, and then it passes, and then your life is different. Then you look back and think, man, things are so much different now. But never does it come and actually hit you that very few things in your life will ever be the same as they were in that time period. It's so odd. Does any of that make sense?

So now what do I have to worry about? A few more Sweetheart events left - one tonight, one tomorrow. Then I think the tears will start streaming. Especially tomorrow, at our traditional Senior Call where everyone says goodbye to the graduating seniors. I hate having to say goodbye. And lots of these girls I won't be seeing for quite some time, if ever. So crazy.

Now everyone has begun to as me where I am going to live in Houston. I don't know! I think I better make a list of things that I need to get accomplished throughout the next two weeks, or else I might just spin out of control and be a lazy freak with my first free time in sooooo long. Oh, I have made a list of what I need to do in Austin before I leave. Here it is:

1. Eat pancakes (I'm not sure why).
2. Shop for work clothes.
3. Go to outlet mall.
4. Get snowcones, Zen, Hut's, La Madeleine, Juan's

That is all so far. Lot's of it involves food. Interesting. Now, I have to figure out what to do with the rest of my day before this cocktail business begins.

In the Beginning

And the blog has begun....

Expect me to be all over the place in the next few weeks. In the midst of graduation, leaving my internship, traveling for a month, and starting a new job in Houston, I will have a wide variety of things to write about. Besides that, I find my thoughts quickly changing from one subject to another naturally.

Right now, subleasing is on my mind. Since I won't be in Austin much over the summer, I decided a while back to sublease my room and save a bit of money. Now that I am definitely moving to Houston, the idea is even better. I had someone set up to lease my room several weeks ago that should have moved in last weekend. Silly me, believing in the honesty of people, didn't make this guy sign anything or give me any money upfront. Then, when I go to get a hold of him, he doesn't ever respond. At least if you are going to flake out on something, let the person know!! This guy has yet to make contact with me. I don't get it. So, the last two weeks of my life have been frantic as I have tried to secure a new person. Of course, now that school is winding down, EVERYONE is thinking about subleasing (all those UT students who want to go back home for the summer). I sadly watch as the Craigs List posts pile up day by day, and realize that it will be much more difficult to find someone else - now, weeks later.

To make a long story short, I have JUST found someone, after multiple apartment cleanings, meetings, and fall throughs. Hooray!! I thought the day wouldn't come. I am counting the minutes until I have that check in my hand, and then (and only then), will I be completely happy and breath a huge sigh of relief for the $1000+ dollars I have saved for this summer. And with that, I am done.