keep Austin weird.

I’ve been trying to find a thread, something to make this blog stick. I’m not in a foreign country, nothing in my life really updates interestingly enough for me to tell you about. But hey, maybe it’ll come.

I’m in Austin, TX right now visiting my dad and the Haney family. I caught some of the South by Southwest music festival, Cayah has a new-ish french bulldog puppy named Banner who isn’t fully house-trained, throws up sometimes and doesn’t like his leash, but is so adorable, and it’s St. Patrick’s day. Meaning I’m having an entertaining and successful trip.

It’s nice to get out of the the Bay area. I’ve been debating the merits of both places. So far the most deciding factors have been: the Bay has the ocean,people in Austin are really nice. Has anyone else noticed how mean people in California can be? Is that all of California? I’m sure there are pockets in the middle where everyone’s nice, but it’s probably farmland or near Bakersfield, which I don’t really consider California. I think they should chop it up into two states, make the middle part of Nevada or something.

Back to the mean-people thing. I see it in huge contrast when I get back from Denver, Raleigh, or someplace where people make eye-contact and chat with you in line at coffee shops. As someone who talks to everyone, frequently people behind me in line or waiting for the same bus (who am I kidding, I don’t take the bus), I go through a mild culture shock when I arrive in a new city and strangers are friendly.

I guess what I’m saying is if they picked Austin up and dragged it closer to the Gulf of Mexico I’d move out here in a hot second. But if that happened, I’m sure the cost of living would skyrocket, plastic surgery would take off, and everyone would get snotty and rude. Back to square one. So I guess I’m better off just staying in the bay or braving the heat.