Ten Course Meals and Jason Schwartzman

Well, dear readers, September is finally here, which means that some of my favorite things are now upon us:  Pumpkin Spice Lattes, college football, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, and fall leaves, one of the absolute best things in the world (although those are pretty rare in Texas).   August is behind us (and I’m so thankful because it’s my least favorite month of the year - apologies to all of you August babies), and even though temps in Texas are still topping out at 100 degrees, I’m oddly hopeful for the cooler weather that should come around, oh you know, December (hey, this week’s highs are in the low 90s –that’s downright chilly).

I’m always excited about September because it means that fall is pretty much here (did you pick up from that first paragraph that it’s my favorite season?).  But this September brings something else with it – it marks my one-year anniversary in Austin.  Now, I’m not one really to put a lot of focus on those kinds of things – I don’t get particularly sappy about anniversaries and such.  But this is kind of different for me because I can’t believe that I’ve already been in Austin for a year.  I still feel like such a newbie (and I am, if you ask anyone who lives here).  I don’t know if any of you have experienced anything like this or not, but it’s kind of crazy to look back and realize that something you dreamed of and planned for so long is not only a reality, but one that you’ve been living out for an entire year.

For so long, Austin was this goal for me that I didn’t know if I would reach.  I thought about it, hoped for it, and then wondered if it would ever happen when life got in the way and started making other plans for me (hello, universe, did you not get my detailed itinerary for how things were supposed to go?).  There were times when I honestly wondered how or if I would ever get here. 

And, I know, some of you are thinking, seriously, friend? It’s Austin, Texas.  I mean yeah, it’s cool and all, but it’s not like we’re talking about space travel or climbing Mt. Everest or something.  And I totally get that.  But for me, this is what I needed to do for myself.  To go out on my own (well, with two friends) and start living my life for a while.  To jump ship from my small town and immerse myself in a place that celebrates all of the things I love the most and that just lets me experience being 20-something for a while. 

So it’s kind of weird to suddenly look back and realize that I’ve been doing exactly that for a year.  It’s amazing, really.  And now you’re thinking, “Ok, is this the girl who said she doesn’t get sappy about this kind of stuff?  Because clearly, she’s lying.”  So I’ll stop and quell some of this ridiculous internal dialogue that you don’t want to hear.  But I’ll leave it at this: it’s awesome to have that moment of realization every once in a while that the dream is now a reality – it’s your life. It’s rare, so enjoy it when you can.

If you muddled through those first few paragraphs without feeling positively ill and are still with me – thanks.  You deserve a gold star.  So here you go.

Moving right along…now that summer’s pretty much over and I, of course, didn’t write at all during the season, I’ll give you a quick recap of just a couple of the things I did.

One of the coolest experiences of my summer was attending my co-worker Timmie’s wedding in Houston.  It was my first time going to a Vietnamese wedding and let me tell you, if you think Americans know how to throw a good reception, you’re sadly mistaken, my friend.  A traditional Vietnamese wedding reception consists of a ten-course meal.  Yeah, you read that right.  Ten courses.  I’m talking shark-fin soup, crab balls, steak, crème brulee…and it just keeps going.  Are you miserable at the end?  Absolutely.  But it’s all delicious. 

I really enjoyed experiencing a different culture’s take on a universal event.  Timmie and Rocky, her husband, had a dragon dance team perform at their reception, and the wedding was done in both English and Vietnamese.  It was very different from any other wedding I’ve ever been to, and it was interesting to see something so common done in a way I’ve never seen before.

I also went to my fair share of concerts over the past few months because, hey, this is Austin and that’s kind of what you do.  In fact, I went to four shows in five days just last week, a record that I’m proud of but don’t intend to compete with/duplicate for quite some time.  What’s so great about Austin is you can find live music every night of the week.  Seriously.  Some of the shows I went to were bigger events, like seeing The Tallest Man on Earth perform at the Parmount Theatre, an absolutely amazing and unbelievably talented musician in an incredible venue.  Others, though, were just local acts playing in bars around the city, like seeing Shakey Graves and Whiskey Shivers perform at the Hole in the Wall.  It was a totally different situation, with  tons of people crowded into a tiny space, dancing and stomping their feet (Whiskey Shivers is a bluegrass band), but each was cool in its own way and says something about the fantastic music scene in Austin.  You can pay $30 or $5 and still see a great show on any given night of the week.

I went to San Antonio for the first time this summer, too, and it was a nice break from Austin (I know, I know – but for all that I love it, it can be nice to get away for a day or two).  We rode a boat down the river that runs in the middle of San Antonio, and I got to visit the Alamo, which was a pretty cool experience as well. San Antonio was a good vacation from my normal routine, and I liked seeing another part of Texas, but it also made me appreciate Austin even more, and I was happy to be back to my quirky city after a few days away.

Other than that, my summer was filled with the usual – work, weekends on the town (yes, I’m 90 and say things like “on the town”), and hot days that were surprisingly milder than I feared they would be (I was legitimately nervous about the heat this summer after last year’s record-breaking streak of 100+ degree days.  Everyone said I got off easy this year, and I’m completely ok with that).

And of course, Mustache Mondays, where I discovered that I have a mustache twin:  Jason Schwartzman.  I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with the similarities. 

So I’m just saying:  Mr. Schwartzman, if you ever find yourself in Austin on a Monday night, head over to Gibson Bar on South Lamar to meet your doppelganger.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.