1. You drive to the county tax office to register your car. It is located in the middle of NOWHERE, but you do not get lost.
2. You have Texas plates.
3. You have a Texas driver’s license.
4. In a two-mile radius from your home, you know where to find the following:
a. An oil change
b. Car inspection sticker
c. Gasoline
d. Cheap groceries
e. Expensive groceries
f. A haircut
g. A manicure/pedicure
h. A good car cleaning/wash
i. Favorite place(s) for a drink after work/school
j. Favorite place(s) for Sunday brunch/breakfast
k. Comfy coffee shop where you see familiar (yet unknown to you) faces
l. Clothing alterations
m. Dry-cleaning
n. ATM/Your nearest bank.
o. A pharmacy.
p. Local pizza place
q. A good running route/trail
r. The veterinarian
s. The nearest corner store for last minute milk, TP, dog food or vino/beer runs.
t. Favorite taco trailer (yes, this list is officially Austin-centric)
u. Best nearby barbeque
v. Best nearby Mexican food
w. The same vagrant/transients/homeless people you always run into
x. Post office/stamps
y. Dog park
z. Nearby swimming hole and/or record shop.
Phew. I wasn’t sure I would make it to Z.
After a really nice email exchange today with my long-distance friend K. (See How to Succeed in Middle School), I am feeling much better about the state of making friends in a new city and as a new MFA student. If Austin was a person, and not a city, I would count it as a friend. That is a very nice thing to be able to say. Life would be much more difficult if I didn't care for this place in which I've set up camp.
SONG: You're Pretty Good Looking for a Girl, White Stripes
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