A one-month Texan

*waves* I'm still here!

I don't actually know who reads this (if anybody), but I find writing oddly rejuvenating. So, I plan to continue writing. I'm hoping for a joint Christine-Kevin blog post-September.

 In a few words: I love my life here. The decision to move was terrifying, but I can't imagine the contrary: staying in Omaha. If I'd stayed, I wouldn't know how amazing I would (eventually) feel about my job and life in Austin. Some risks are worth taking, and in this case, I know that adage applies to my life/job in the short- and long-term. 

So...what are my first impressions of Austin? Where do I even begin?

Austin is an incredibly green/liberal/eclectic city, despite being the seat of a very conservative state government. Although Texans tend to drive more, and typically in very large vehicles, Austin is arranged in a way that encourages biking/walking/generally being active. My apartment is literally across the street from the 'Greenbelt', which is a nature reserve in Austin. If you know me, you know that I absolutely love nature and being outside. Perfecto!

Austin is also very famous for its food trucks. I freakin' love that. Good food for less moolah always gets my thumbs up. Last year, Austin hosted a weekend event, where all local food trucks relocated to one area. The event was bombarded, with 200+ people in line for each food truck. Hilarious, right? Many of the trucks are multi-million dollar operations. Genius. Something tells me a food truck isn't hard to pay off.

Austin is very affordable. For example, gas hasn't surpassed $3 per gallon, and the gas station closest to my apartment hasn't surpassed $2.90 per gallon. My apartment is also minutes from downtown; less than 5 minutes from work; and located in the most popular zip code, but I pay the same as my apartment in Omaha. Nebraskans tend to be reticent about relocating, for fear that living costs will be substantially higher. At least in Austin, it hasn't been an adjustment...at all. I save more per month than I did in Omaha. Again, some risks are worth taking!

My list could go on and on, and I'm sure I'll add to it with time. I miss my friends and family in Nebraska. A lot. That's a given. I don't like to think of my move as, literally, 'moving away' from them, though. Instead, I'm adding great people to my life, and the glass is definitely half full.

The Move

We're here!

After getting back from Houston, Kevin, my Dad and I moved me out of 68124 and into 78746 within 48 hours. Here's the run-down: got back from Houston at 5:30pm on December 28th; packed up apartment from 5:30pm onward; picked up U-Haul at 11am on December 29th; cleaned and moved out of apartment by 4pm.

We immediately left for Austin at 4pm, and stopped at a hotel for (only) four hours in Wichita, KS. Kevin, Sadie, the rig and I pulled up to my apartment in Austin at 5pm on December 30th. For perspective, we had to be there by 6pm, or would need to wait until January 2nd. Yep, we planned the trip well...perhaps a bit too well for comfort.

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew helped me move in on December 31st. After they left, Kevin and I went to the famous Chuy's restaurant, and had delicious Tex-Mex on our first full, rested evening in Austin. Um, possibly not too restful, though. Instead of going out, we decided to rent a Redbox. We both fell asleep on the couch at 9:30pm, though, and missed the countdown altogether. Ah, well, sometimes our bodies know best.

We're now getting things sorted away in the apartment, and generally enjoying our time here. I start my job tomorrow, and absolutely cannot wait.

Cheers to a new city, a new year and a new job!

Content and selling

For a little extra cash, I recently started selling old textbooks on Amazon.com. This isn't my first time, as I sold several books in between undergraduate and graduate school on Amazon.com. For better or worse, I'm now selling graduate school textbooks for cash.

When I took comprehensive exams this Spring, I pondered selling graduate textbooks, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew I didn't have any plans to pursue my PhD (at least, at that point in time), but I felt weirdly connected to them. Possibly due to maturation--but more likely due to cynicism, I'm selling them, and hoping for cash.

As I said in my initial post, everybody told me it wouldn't be possible to get a good job with 'only' my Master's in Political Science. I'm not trying to be self-righteous, and my initial search wasn't easy. However, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

So, I'm selling my textbooks from graduate school. Anybody lookin'?

Packing the packed

I moved to Omaha 6 months ago. Not only is it crazy that I've been working at PSI for 6 months, I also can't believe that I never fully unpacked my belongings in Omaha. That (probably) means one of two things: 1.) My I-can't-believe-I-just-completed-my-eighteenth-year-of-school hangover never fully ended (i.e. lethargy); or 2.) I don't need this crap.

I'm hoping for the latter.

A few months ago, Kevin sent me an article from the New York Times about how recession-induced minimalism has, unexpectedly, made people happier. In other words, the less stuff you own, the happier you become. When I moved to Omaha, I de-junked my life majorly, and I plan on doing the same before I leave for Austin. Even then, I have trouble packing, because I use (almost) everything I own on a daily basis. I can genuinely say that owning fewer 'things' has made me a happier person, if not simply because I have fewer 'things' to pack.

Shoes, though--there's something I might have trouble giving up.

My lasts (for a while, at least)

During college, I traveled a lot. In 2006, I spent 5 months, studying at a university in Rome, Italy. In 2009, I interned for a German state government for three months in Magdeburg, Germany. In between, I traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Greece, Spain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, among others. Despite always searching for (another) excuse to travel, Nebraska has always been my home base. I knew for a fact that I would return to Nebraska, every time I left for a trip or academic program.

This time, I'm moving away. For real. That fact hasn't hit me, and probably won't until I've lived in Austin for a month or two. I'm incredibly close to my family (most of whom are in Nebraska), but rationalized accepting the position in Austin, because a.) My sister lives two hours away in Houston; and b.) There's no way in hell I can do what I studied--international relations/business--in Nebraska. Pretty legit reasons, if I do say so myself.

To aid in my transition away from Nebraska, I'm compiling a list of lasts--well, 'lasts' for a while, at least. It's not like I'm dying, or never visiting Nebraska again. I'm getting married in Lincoln in September, after all. Still, I'll only spend 7-14, instead of the usual 300 or so, days in Nebraska each year.

So, without further ado, Nebraska-y things I should do before leaving in 18 days:
1.) Eat Runza. Non-Nebraskans simply don't understand.
2.) Outing with UNL speech friends.
3.) Bisonwitches. Greasy bar food that, more than anything else, reminds me of college.
4.) The Mill.Mmmm...coffee grounds.


This list is on-going, so more to come...

Choices and decision

As I mentioned in my first post, I'm engaged. Kevin proposed on October 31st, 2010 at a collegiate speech tournament. I'm also moving 900 miles from the wedding location in three weeks. Thus, I've been presented with a dilemma: do I make potentially hasty choices while I'm still in Lincoln, or make choices from afar in Austin?

We know our wedding date is September 17th, 2011, that we'll be married at Christ Lutheran, and our reception will be held at Hillcrest Country Club. My bridesmaids bought their dresses in 'golden khaki' from J.Crew on Sunday. I went dress shopping for the first time on Saturday, and fell in love with the second dress I tried on.

This isn't like me at all, though. As a middle child and twin, I've never been a decisive person. Put an engagement ring on my finger, though, and I'll make decisions in seconds flat. For you and your dog. Fortunately, I don't regret any of the choices I've made so far. My wedding is about marrying Kevin. Nothing else.

Tomorrow, I could have a wedding dress.

Two weeks

Putting in two weeks notice is stressful enough; putting in two weeks notice five months after you accepted the job...worse. Fortunately, my boss took the news very well, even telling me that she's happy I accepted the job. Like so many college graduates today, I was under-employed. Ah, well. It was a job.

Still, I managed to start the meeting off on the most awkward note possible, and made my boss cry. I made her cry! The site manager came over to my cubicle later, fake choked me, then laughed hysterically. Awkward? Indeed. So, that's the story. Not nearly as scary as I thought, but leagues more awkward than I ever imagined. That's my style.