Today is one of my favorite anniversaries…my first day in Austin. Unfortunately, the weather is certainly lousier than the day I arrived 13 years ago. I’m not sweating it. Historically, the cold will be over soon (until further notice according to scientists). I only ask myself now and then about why I even left in 1997 for a year to make a go of Raleigh-Durham when I was never impressed with it the first place.
Relocating to Austin is probably the smartest move I’ve ever made in my life, next to returning in 1998. I still miss my friends back in Illinois but the majority of them had gone to the Chicago area by the time I left in 1994. The Silders went to the DC area in 1995 so staking out for a new place worked. There’s still a part of me that wishes I could’ve made the migration to the Windy City because it’s the center of the Midwestern Universe, it’s the NYC of the area. Then I look at the weather widget today and see that it’s -15 degrees C (5 F) with snow and my mind quickly returns to remembering how Austin was the wiser choice. Maybe I should e-mail my brother to needle him about the forecast, it’s supposed to remain below the freezing point for another five days. Then a quick note to Lee who brought me here.