…now it can legally buy me an overpriced beer on Sixth Street!
The only thing today has in common with the memorable day is the weather, it’s raining intermittently. It was somewhat warmer in 1994, but then again, it was warmer to me since I had left behind the usual freezing temperatures of the Midwest.
Looking back, it’s pretty cool and unusual how things panned out. For the first half of my life, I moved around due to my father’s livelihood (he was an early IT person, not in the military or a grifter). The trend appeared to continue for me when I finished university too; I left Milwaukee for Central Illinois within a year of graduation only to hit Austin in another two and a half years. Chicago or Milwaukee were the original plan. The mistake of going to Raleigh-Durham three years after this would’ve fueled the accusation of gypsy blood. Good thing I wised up, returned in 1998 and have never left. It’s also weird to be living in the same house for 13 years. My brother has avoided the curse too. He stayed in Chicago for 12 years before moving to California. I think he’ll be happier there, Chicago weather is awful.
Some of you have visited me in my adopted home. Many have not. Either way, I think you’re happy for me. I definitely belong here. Contrary to what the author Colin Woodward says in his work American Nations, Austin is surrounded by the Deep South and Appalachian nations but within Austin, it’s very Yankee. I’ll explain more later in the upcoming book review. Again, it’s great to be in a place where having a college degree isn’t a liability and the ratio of intelligent people is higher than most parts of America, it’s not hard to do that in Texas if you learned about the current Lt. Governor.
I am happy for you on your anniversary!!! Hard to believe it has been that long already. Time flies!!