Things I Like About Austin

1. A plethora of Mexican beer choices. I never understood those commercials that talked up beer as refreshing until I moved to a ridiculously hot climate. And the Mexicans know how to make a smooth refreshing beer. I'm glad for the options!!

2. Cheeseburgers. Austin does them well. I've always been really particular and not really a fan, but I now crave cheeseburgers from P.Terry's, a drivethrough place that only serves burgers, milkshakes, and cookies. They have the right idea of what makes a balanced meal!

3. Fresh, cheap fruit. Since we're closer to tropical, fruit-growing regions, more fruit is in season for longer and transportation costs aren't as high, meaning you can get a big thing of strawberries that stay fresh for a week for $2 or less. Hooray!

4. Weirdos. There's a whole theme of "Keep Austin Weird" and people are certainly abiding by it. There are the "dragrats," young people who choose the life of homelessness and dirty but creative clothing ensembles.

5. Tattoos. I myself don't think I'd ever get a tattoo, but Austin is ripe with really amazing tattoo artists and the people of Austin are their canvas. So if you go swimming, it's like going to a body art gallery. It's hard not to stare and to fight the urge to photograph some of the more unique ones. Some are really silly, like a map of Texas with a star where Austin is. Come on now.

6. Barton Springs. It's this giant natural springs pool that is like 40 degress Farenheit all year round and about the size of two consecutive football fields. Sounds chilly, but after lying in the sun dripping with sweat, jumping in and swimming around just hits the spot. Also, tattoo- and weirdo-gazing makes for a fun afternoon.

7. Nice people. I've met a good bit so far, mainly through John's really good friends that live here, Greg and Gentry. They couldn't be nicer fellows and they have a very warm and down-to-earth group of friends. It's made it so much easier to feel like I'm making friends.

8. House concerts. I'm still not sure if I like house concerts or not, but I'll put it on here because I'm pretty sure it's unique to the Austin experience, but I might be wrong. So Austin is overflowing with singer/songwriters and all manner of musicians hoping to find a faithful following. So they elicit friends and acquaintances to have people over and then at some point in the night, everyone settles into the living room and they have an intimate concert and showcase their stuff. Last night, John and I went to see a folk singer, Danny Schmidt. The host of the party couldn't be nicer and more accepting of opening her home to strangers. It was a neat crowd, which included Danny's parents and a beautiful dog named Sequoia. I sort of felt like I was eavesdropping on one of his private jam sessions, but it was a neat opportunity to get to talk to him and hear him really up close.

I'm not going to make this an even ten, but instead leave it open to add to as I think of things.

Oh! Something that I don't like about Austin - whoever built the showers here must have thought that only people under 5 foot would ever use them. You have to duck down to get under the shower head! This is a characteristic of the old apartments that is both strange, frustrating, and somewhat charming.

Happy Father's Day!!