Austin, I want to be on you.

Street food galore. 

Location: Austin, TX
Date: 11.18-11.19

But at the other end of the planet, there is Austin, and I'm staying in scha-wing apartment above a garage that I found through Airbnb.

The couple, the hosts, have some dogs, three I think, but I've only seen two. Sophie and the retard. I can't remember the retards actual name but my host said she kind of is, so that's her name in my book.

Both of these two dogs are deaf, born deaf, and it's no coincidence, the wife used to work at a shelter. Well, they aren’t deaf because she used to work at a shelter, they are deaf because they cant hear.

I get in around 6 or so, and I might already be in love. Because I can feel myself getting giddy and I'm in a hurry to shower and get out.

So I go to the Continental Bar and right away I spy my girl, and she is tattoed everywhere and she has a lip ring and I sit down next to her and she is working there and shes a five-percenter for sure, and within maybe ten minutes or so I'm giving her a nice long hug, and I just love long hugs, and I'm pretty sure I found my spot.

The digs.

HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENNED TO ME? I BECAME A FUCKING LOVE CHILD IN 49 DAYS!!! Haha, holy shit. I really did. I'm one of those people I thought I hated.

Why the hell wasn’t I like this before? When did I lose myself? Oh, I'll tell you when, when the world started treating me like an eccentric and I started caring. Well, I am eccentric, and I used to embrace this, but then add up all the negativity and the sideways glances and after a while I think I gave up on the inside, and the outside.

Well, no more. I'm me, all soft and juicy and smiley and huggy, and I like it.

The next day I go for a ride. Yes, I'm mashing this shit up. I am combining days.

Sure, why not? Nice day...

The ride I downloaded was called “Epic Austin” and it was…ummm…epic and also a grueling ass work out. Meaning it worked out my ass and every other muscle I had that hasn’t been called to duty lately on the flat rides.

But it did produce some pretty epic scenery and the traffic was light and this town is built for bicyclists. It’s a wide berth, patient kind of driver out there. And after Houston, its good to find a happy town.

People here are happy. And they exercise, and they are healthy and have local farm markets and locally owned restaurants and free parking and lakes and mountain parks and are you getting the picture?

Colorado River and Austin..way back
there in the distance. 

People who get out and live, they produce happy towns. So, happy, fit, active, green, modern houses, great shopping, tons of foot traffic, a walkable city, and no pretense, so what is this place missing? When I find out, Ill let you know.

In Austin, somewhere along the way, someone decided that selling street food out of a little shack, like an airstream kind of thing would be cool. And then ten other people did it. So there are these little strips of cool places to sample and benches and guys playing guitars and families hanging out. I have some pork dumplings from one place, a rattlesnake and rabbit sausage from another, and some fish tacos from another. Its all delicious.

Missing a word, but I
get the point.

I head over to the other side of the river to explore a bit and the bars there are packed with, I'd say mostly college kids but it’s a good mix too, not like I felt at the places in London Ontario where everyone, including myself, was wondering what the fuck I was doing there.

I will tell you that Austin is as described.

And that might be my shortest entry to date. Which is what happens when I get all crazy in love, I get all tongue tied.

And I think I might just stay here for a while.