500 Days of Summer

It's Labor Day Weekend... already?! Where did this summer go? It's gone like all the water in Texas, and with ACL looming I figured it was time to update this because I'm sure I'll have an epic posting coming for that amazing festival weekend. A lot has happened since Memorial Day and New Orleans.

It's been a crazy, hot, rain-less summer here in Texas, and I kicked it off with a trip to Houston for Free Press Summerfest. A smaller, more intimate festival in the heart of downtown, I got to see some pretty good bands for cheap such as Beirut, The Black Angels, Yeasayer, Cut Copy, and the headliners Weezer. Other than sliding down the hill we were sitting on during the festival, fighting the overwhelming humidity and 100 degree temperatures, and a little rain (the last time I felt rain, and this was the first weekend in June) we had a great time with friends. Cut Copy had the show of the festival in my opinion, and I can't wait to see them again at ACL in less than 2 weeks.

The middle of June consisted of a few river trips for floats, a Girl Talk concert on the river that I won free tickets too, some free shows at Blues on the Green at Zilker Park, and a lucky free ticket to see Florence and the Machine's taping of their show for Austin City Limits on PBS #gingergotpipes. Since moving to Austin I've won more free things then I ever did before I moved here, tickets to shows namely (including the pair I use for the first date I went on with the ole lady), "swag" packs with beach towels and water bottles, etc. I digress, moral of the story is moving to Austin was the best decision I ever made. I'm a firm believer that you have to go out and make your own luck, and that being a positive person will mean positive things will happen for you. I'm living proof of that, and sometimes I feel like I'm Forrest Gump-ing my way through life, but that for better or worse it's brought me to exactly where I want to be with some amazing stories along the way.

The end of June brought me to the coast of Louisiana for my friend Blake's bachelor party with the boys. We did some fishing, ate some amazing fresh seafood, and I brought out the mustache for its debut. It got mixed reviews on Facebook, but I have to admit I grew kind of fond of the lip blanket over those 4 days. Trips like those with guys I have been friends with my entire life always help put things in perspective, and having a solid group of people I've constantly surrounded myself with like that is the sole reason I am the person that I am. Poker games, drinking games, constant jokes, and reminiscing on stories from our past, its hard to believe we are all where we are, moving on with our lives and growing older. These are people that have known me since I was 7, 8 years old, and accept me for who I am flaws and all. We've learned that no matter how long we go without seeing each other, how far apart we move away from each other, no time or distance can break the bonds we have forged, and I'm eternally grateful for not only those guys but all the people in my life both now and in the past, because without them I'm not sure I could have made it through some of the difficult times I've been through, and I know I wouldn't be the person I'm proud to be right now.

Fourth of July was spent grilling out with friends and avoiding the craziness of downtown. Not long after that, another group of guys I've been close with for a long time came down to Austin so we could all go see Kid Cudi, and once again he did not disappoint. A crazy night downtown followed, and another river trip the next day. My family I stayed with in Portland when we went back in May came down to Austin not long after that, and we got to party with them at an awesome mansion on Lake Austin they were renting out along with a few other friends and family, and I got to take my 21 year old cousin downtown to show him Austin on a Thursday night. We had a great time, and it was awesome getting to be around my aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins for a few days in my part of the world.

Next, I got to take Lauren to my hometown and show her all that Whitehouse/Tyler had to offer. We went to celebrate my nephew Jude's 4th birthday, which again makes me feel really old. Got to see some friends I hadn't a long time, my family and grandparents, and show Lauren the house I grew up in. It was a good trip, but also reminded me that as much as I'm thankful of my upbringing and growing up how and where I did, I'm even more thankful to be out of that place and on to bigger and better things. I use to be bitter towards Tyler, and even hard on it and the people that live there. I'm not quite so cynical anymore, but I still feel that Tyler has a way of trapping people who become comfortable there. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I just think some people who stay there too long become narrow minded and closed off to the rest of the world, and maybe should learn that there is more out there to see, do, and learn.

Anyways, the summer ended with a long awaited trip to Galveston to stay at a beach house with a bunch of friends. I had never been to Galveston before, or even seen the ocean in Texas before for that matter, so it was nice to finally experience that. The water was actually pretty nice, the house was awesome, including a deck on the roof with a great view of the gulf, and we had a great time drinking and hanging out with friends on the beach. There is nothing like the vast ocean to put you back in your place and help you understand how small you are. We are all just blips on the radar, and we are all here for just a second on the clock of the world, so I live my life trying to make it the best I can, experiencing the most I can, seeing everything there is to see, meeting anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of my life, and creating memories that will make this life seem worth living when I reflect on it in the future. No one lives forever, but we can all create moments, impressions, friendships, bonds, and love that will outlive us even after we are gone.

I kicked off what I dub as "concert season" here in Austin with a show at Emo's seeing The Ettes rock out, and the schedule of upcoming shows is just unreal. ACL, White Denim, Deadmau5, Pretty Lights, Neon Indian, Incubus, Death Cab for Cutie, Portugal the Man, Washed Out, Beats Antique, Minus the Bear, Ghostland Observatory, and Fun Fun Fun Fest. Also going to check out a tribute to the Beatles play that is coming in town straight from Broadway, as well as a play starring John Malkovich. I moved to Austin because it is the live music capital of the world, and I'm still taking full advantage of it.

The summer of 2011, the summer of no rain, will be one I will always look back on with a smile on my face. Portland, New Orleans, the ocean, the river, concerts, friends, and memories that I wouldn't trade for the world. Being 24 is an odd, sometimes awkward age, but I'm loving every minute of it. I'm still somewhere between being an immature, naive kid and growing up to become a functioning adult, but its fun hovering here in purgatory. To all my friends and family that took the time to read this, thank you so much for making my life one I can be proud of and happy with. I'm eternally grateful to each and every one of you, and I hope that we get to be together soon and make more memories I can write about here to look at later and smile at. I love you all.

-J

New Orleans

Memorial Day Weekend 2011, me and 9 other guys road tripped to New Orleans for our friend Chance's 25th birthday. Having just been to Portland 2 weekends before on a trip that was more or less completely planned by myself, going on this trip having not planned a single thing was quite refreshing. I didn't have to drive, I had no idea what hotel we were staying in, I was simply just along for the ride, and what a wild one it was. We drove to Houston on Thursday night to cut the drive down some, and went and caught The Hang Over 2. More or less the same plot as the first movie, but it was still entertaining none-the-less, especially with 10 guys who were about to head to a notoriously crazy party city. After an uncomfortable nights sleep on the floor, we woke up early and headed to "Nawlins."

The sudden bumps in the road made me look up from my lackadaisical day-dreaming facebook creeping and tweeting on my phone and I knew right off that we were in Louisiana. Entering that state often feels like entering a different county, from the people to the food to the architecture, everything just feels very different from home. I of course started drinking before we actually arrived in New Orleans, since it's so rare I'm afforded the opportunity to not be driving. So as we drove around the French Quarter looking for our not so noticeable hotel, I tried my best to hold the intoxicants in. After a few phone calls and u-turns we finally arrived, and I made it to the bathroom at a photo finish. From there we unloaded all of our stuff and instantly walked down to Bourbon to grab a drink and check out the sites.

Bourbon street is like Austin's 6th street, mixed with Memphis' Beale street, throw in a little of the Vegas strip, all mixed together in a shot tube which is ultimately taken out of the cleavage of some waitress in a bar you can't pronounce. We grabbed some of the famous "hand-grenade" drinks which are supposedly the strongest in New Orleans, and found a balcony to post up on and check out the other tourists. I still have no idea what are in those grenades, or how many of them we ended up drinking throughout the weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised if rufilin wasn't one of the main ingredients. A little tired from the drive, hungry, and sweaty from the south Louisiana humidity, we headed back to the hotel to regroup. After grabbing some pizza slices, we eventually ended up back on Bourbon at a bar called the Beach, which is where we spent the rest of the night. Some friends of ours that are locals came out, and we all drank hurricanes, grenades, and shots from girls who would slap us both before and after taking them, and pretty much danced non-stop till sometime late in the night (early in the morning). I managed to get lost somewhere between Bourbon and the casino, but after a few missed turns I managed to wind up back at the hotel.

The next morning, most likely still intoxicated which can be the only explanation as to why none of us were hung over, we all woke up laughing remembering the nights events. We walked down to a little hole in the wall joint called Hobnobber's for some shrimp poboys and gumbo. After that some of the fellas went over to the casino, while me Chance and Connor headed over to Jackson Square to check out the sites. We saw the Mississippi, which was extremely high. We had feared a few weeks earlier that our trip might get flooded out, but as high as the waters were they remained low enough for us to make it. On our way back from Jackson Square to a little sports bar beside our hotel to catch the UEFA Champions League Soccer Championship game on TV, I once again was playing on my phone when Connor says to me "Holy (crap) is that Vince Vaughn?!" When I looked up, not more than 10 feet away from me and walking in my direction, sure enough it was Vince. A little stunned, none of us could manage a word as we literally walked right by him. He seemed to be in a pretty serious conversation with whomever he was with, and his dark sunglasses also made it seem like he was trying rather hard to be conspicuous, so we thought it best not to chase after him for an autograph or picture. Still, it was another highlight from the trip.

Our friends met us at the sports bar as we watched Barca take on (and eventually beat) Man U, and we sipped on some cold beers and talked about how great a city New Orleans is (and how much we like day-drinking). From there, we went back out to Bourbon, where we saw a guy more or less get knocked unconscious by one of his drunk friends, saw some street performers that were apparently also on "America's Got Talent" at one point, and eventually made our way over to Frenchman street. Along the way, we stopped at another hole in the wall joint that our local friends knew about, and ate some amazing jambalaya, crawfish pie, and mac-n-cheese. The place didn't have seating, so we ate on a stoop outside some house in the middle of downtown New Orleans, and got some strange looks from people on carriage tours as they rode past. After we made friends with a bum who played on his drum, we went down to Frenchman to check out what would be the New Orleans equivalent of Austin's "east-side." We didn't feel like paying covers to get in anywhere however, so we just listen to some jazz from the sidewalk for awhile before heading back to the hotel to shower, dub out a little, and get ready for what was sure to be another crazy night on Bourbon.

Saturday night was equally as crazy as Friday night, complete with Shivers and Vrba ending up on stage at a bar doing their best Vanilla Ice and Justin Bieber impersonations, respectively. Most of us ended up staying out till 3 or 4am, and come Sunday morning we were all in pretty rough shape. The 8+ hour drive home from New Orleans was definitely the worst part of the trip, but all in all it was one of the best weekends ever and one that all of us will undoubtedly always remember.

New Orleans is high on my list of places that everyone should visit, just be prepared for the crazy people, the not so pleasant odors, and the strong drinks. The food, atmosphere, architecture, and history of the city are amazing, and I look forward to many more crazy weekends there in the future.

To the guys who are reading this who were on this trip: no homo. muff said. what is dubstep?!

May-day

A lot has happened since my last update back in March. I turned 24. I found out my "sprained" ankle is actually a stress fracture. I changed positions at my work. I went on vacation. It's been a crazy few weeks. Time to find some clarity in the midst of all the mayhem, my daily soul searching that has me closing my eyes when I hear certain songs and leaves me staring at my screen saver as pictures from my past scroll by.

My birthday was an eye-opener. Apparently at 24, I can't hold my liquor like I use to. After a crazy week filled with shows, a drama filled night downtown, reggae fest, and a not so fun-day Sunday, I realized that celebrating birthdays stops being as fun once you hit 21. Now instead of that seemingly never-ending upward journey towards "maturity," its just a depressing reminder that life comes at you fast, and you need to cherish the moments you get with your friends, family, and loved ones, and maybe not let the alcohol consumption throw a dark shadow over the bright light-hearted fun you had imagined. I was thankful for the eye-opener, because at 24 I learned that I'm far from being grown up, and that's okay... but that maybe doing a little bit of it now wouldn't hurt anything. Growing up is a weird, ironic journey. But I'm here trying my best to learn and grow from it everyday.

May came, and with it came a new position for me at Mercedes Benz of Austin. I am no longer the Service Cashier, or helping out in loaner cars, but am now the photographer for the Sales side. I essentially shoot photos of all the new and used cars we get into inventory and upload them onto our website, cars.com, autotrader, etc for customers to browse our selection before ever coming into the dealership. Although I lack professional photography experience, my bosses at MB realized I'm a pretty quick learner, and after a week of training I was on my own left with nothing but a $3000 camera and a studio to start perfecting my shots and getting on par with what they want. I'm really enjoying the position so far, as where instead of dealing with customers all day I spend most of my time alone in a studio with my iPod, camera, and whatever $50k+ car I have on the turn table. I eventually hope to get more into the website side of things, as well as potentially becoming more involved with the social-networking the company does (since obviously I like to do that already), so I feel that the move is a beneficial one for me. I just hope I can continue to improve, learn, and grow, since I'm still one of those college graduates who isn't using his degree and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. I live in the town I want to live, make enough to live on my own, attend all the concerts I want to, and still have enough left over to try and spoil my better half, so I can't complain. Everything happens for a reason, and with enough patience I think eventually I'll find something perfect for me, but for now this is a good fit.

With the arrival of May, some amazing concerts also came, including Arcade Fire, Rusko, and Fleet Foxes. Arcade Fire put on one of the best shows I've been to in a long time, easily in my top 5 performances ever to see live. Rusko had Stubb's rockin and yet again dubstep did not disappoint in providing a fun night. Fleet Foxes filled my eardrums with their sweet melodic tones at Stubb's during a cool evening. The rain that night subsided just in time for them to put on an great set. I've seen so many amazing performances since I've moved to Austin, and I'm eternally grateful for the opportunities I've had in my life to see some truly unique and unforgettable concerts.

Friday the 13th arrived (my notoriously "lucky" day) and with it came a long awaited vacation to Portland, Oregon. Despite a few hiccups along the way thanks to flying stand-by, me and the lil lady managed to make it to Portland late that Friday night. Saturday was filled with walking around beautiful downtown Portland, checking out a farmers market, eating some good "cart" (what we in Austin call "trailer") food, lots of vintage shops, a 3 story H&M, a few record stores, and an awesome cook-it-yourself "Hotpot" dinner at Lauren's uncle's house. Sunday we ate with my aunt, uncle, and cousin and did some more vintage shopping and walking around cool parts of Portland, and got lost in the massive bookstore called Powell's. Sunday night me and Lauren went to dinner at the fancy Portland City Grille. On the 30th floor of the tallest building downtown, it was a perfect place to enjoy some amazing food and take in the beautiful view of Portland. Monday, after we tried the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts, where I had the best donut I've ever had (it had maple bacon on it) we ended up getting stuck in Portland for another day (so sad right?) and got to go see Bridesmaid's and I ended the trip with a beer-flight of 10 amazing beers at a cool brewpub my uncle and aunt took us too. All in all it was one of the best trips I've been on in a long time, and it was nice to experience a unique and beautiful city like Portland. Austin is still home, but if I ever decided to relocate, Portland is high on the list of potential places.

This weekend I head to New Orleans for Chance's 25th birthday, and considering the Portland trip was the first time I had left Texas since going skiing in Colorado before moving to Austin last January, I think another trip out of state is still in order. Just the fellas on this trip, so hopefully we don't get into too much trouble. The following weekend I'll head to Free Press Summerfest in Houston to see some great bands like The Black Angels, Yeasayer, Beirut, Cut Copy, and Weezer just to name a few.

Summer is finally here, and with it is the inevitable river trips, amazing concerts, and the 100+ degree days Austin is famous for. I'm thankful for how great 2011 has been already, and I think Summer '11 in the ATX will be no different. I don't know how much longer I'll be in a place in my life where I can be selfish, do what I want whenever I want, and only be responsible for myself primarily, so with those thoughts in mind that is how I anticipate spending the rest of 2011. Hopefully once my ankle heals up I can start training for half-marathon number 2, which I also hope comes before the start of the fall soccer season for my club team Celtic. Already anticipating my second Kid Cudi concert in July, and looking forward to what else the summer has in store. One thing about living in Texas your whole life, you learn to enjoy those hot summer nights, where your skin is tinted tan and red from a fun day in the sun, and the breezethat hits you makes you close your eyes and reminds you how thankful you are that you have a cold beer in your hand and good friends laughing around you.

"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." - Kurt Vonnegut

March Madness

Heading into March and spring, I knew it was going to be a tough month. I already knew in advance I was scheduled to work 3 of the 4 Saturday's of the month up at Mercedes Benz, and throw in my first half marathon (see: A Race to Self Discovery), SXSW, a 10k, soccer games, pops spring break, the NCAA tournament, and the addition of some roommates, and this month has been downright madness.

I started this month off by completing my first half-marathon in San Marcos on a grueling 13.1 mile hill-filled course. That following week, I got to hang out with my dad for the first time in awhile as he came in town during his spring break week, and for the rally for Texas teachers at the capital. We got to play our usual tennis match (in which he finally won back the infamous trophy, on which I of course blame my sore legs since it was 2 days following my half-marathon), and we got to have some beers, laughs, and celebrate fat Tuesday together. Anytime I get to spend time with him, I realize how blessed I am to have such a cool father, and best friend. I learn more and more how much of who I am is directly because of who he is, and that I wouldn't be half the man I am were it not for the values he instilled in me from a young age. I can only hope to be half the man he is, as his selflessness, caring, and overall love for life is an inspiration to me everyday.

The following week I put in my second 60 hour work week ever, and ultimately had my ankle sprained by a cheap-shot foul during one of my club team's soccer games. Not exactly perfect timing considering SXSW was just kicking off, and a 10k and more soccer games were looming in my future. But I suffered through it, and after an eventful St. Patrick's day downtown with friends, I took my first paid-day off from Mercedes, and spent it working for a booth at the Style X(by) event at the convention center held during SXSW. This fashion based event offered booths of different types of styles, clothing, shoes, etc. and had fashion shows, alcohol, and tons of different vendors. I worked for an up-and-coming online eye-wear company called Tortoise & Blonde, and after two 12 hour days on my feet selling shades, I sadly couldn't muster up enough energy to ever use my artist wristband I had acquired to catch any South-By shows. But with money in my pocket, some new connections made, and hopefully a potential future career change (fingers crossed) I considered the week a success. Thanks to a heavy ankle brace, I managed to push through the exhaustion just long enough to play in our next soccer game, where we remained undefeated and took down the top team in the table.

This week I finally got a raise from the company I have been working at for the past year. Thursday night I went to an awesome jazz club on Congress and thats when this sense of peace started. Being in a pretty good place financially and mentally, I now open my doors to my sister and Jude who will be staying with me for the next few weeks as Monica looks for a new job here in Austin. It might get a little stressful at times considering how O.C.D. I am about everything, but I'm extremely excited to have them and get to spend time with them. I am especially excited that I may get the coolest person in the world to live in the same city as me again, as I love anytime I get to spend with my fashionista, all knowing musically, and overall better-than-hipster sister and rock star nephew.

Last night, as I prepared to have some friends over to celebrate my raise, I sat back listening to some Stevie Ray, and finally took a breath. Despite all the chaos, I again find myself in a really good place. Unlike the craziness that the NCAA tournament has held this year, I find myself at peace. I have a job that puts money in my pocket and allows me to live in a city where I can live the type of life I want to. I have friends who I can count on anytime I need them, and a girl that I absolutely adore. I have an amazing family that keeps me grounded and is primarily responsible for all the good that is in my life. I find these moments of nirvana are important to note, because when the times of chaos undoubtedly come again its being able to remember these moments that remind you that in the end it all works out for the best, and no matter how unpredictable it can be, more times than not it's usually worth it.

Tonight I am spoiling myself and finally updating my wardrobe some, and taking the girl that has been part of that nirvana feeling for me out to dinner. Tomorrow I run the Capital 10k and hope that my ankle holds up for my soccer game later that afternoon. This up-coming week I'll see Ghostland Observatory in concert for the fourth time, Cold War Kids for the first, and go camping for the first time in over a decade at Enchanted Rock with friends. April will be another chaotic month with shows such as Warpaint, Gogol Bordello, and Sleigh Bells; as well as some festivals such as Reggae Fest and Psych fest. I will also turn 24, and when I stop and look around at just where my life will be at that point, I can confidently say I will be for the most part satisfied. And I think that is something to be proud of, because I know not everyone my age can say the same. I read a quote today that I'll end this with because I found it very appropriate for this time in my life:

"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something."- Thoreau

A Race... to Self-Discovery

As 2011 approached, I, like most people, contemplated what my "New Year's Resolutions" would be. The year of 2010 had been an incredible one, full of dozens of concerts and music festivals, late nights downtown followed by 4th meals, new restaurants and old habits. All extremely fun things, but not exactly the healthiest life-style I had ever had. Granted I did still run and work out here and there, I still knew that the new year brought an opportunity to reevaluate my choices and make a few changes that could improve my well-being. The typical things came to mind; get in shape, eat better, drink less, etc. These all seemed somewhat mundane and boring, however, and I wanted something a little more challenging. Something that would ultimately drive me to do all those things, but with an end goal. Something that I couldn't give up on after just a week and say "oh well, better luck next year." So with those things in mind, I decided to start training and sign-up for my first half-marathon. There was one in Austin towards the end of February, but 6 weeks seemed awfully soon to try and get enough running in to be prepared, plus it was pretty pricey, so when I stumbled across one in nearby San Marcos at the beginning of March for nearly half the price, I jumped on it and registered for "Moe's Better Half-Marathon."

After an extremely over-indulgent New Years Day full of alcohol and unhealthy food, I started training the second day of the year. I printed out some work-out routines, and started altering my diet. I ate fast food maybe one time a week if at all, cut-back on my drinking, and hit the pavement putting in miles. I had run cross-county in high school, and throughout college had run a few miles a week just because I liked the way it made me feel (aka helped me justify my vices from time to time). Just a month in, I was already running 4 to 5 miles a night 4 or 5 days a week, and seemingly making good progress. February hit, and the temptations for eating poorly began, so I tried to kick those out by doing even more athletically. I joined a soccer team in Austin's Men's Soccer Association league, and with trainings on Tuesday nights and games on Sunday's, I was given even more incentive to continue trying to stick to my resolution.

Shortly after Valentines day, I went on a run and managed to put in 8 miles. Now this might not seem like much considering the half I was training for would be 13.1 miles, but it was a milestone for me as I had never run more than 7 before at one time. Feeling confident, but also a little under the weather due to allergies, I took a few days off after that. Big mistake. For future reference, I will never do that again. I peaked in my training earlier than I had wanted to, and the last 3 weeks before the race I never ran more than 3 times a week, and never further than 5 miles. Soccer, work, concerts, and having a girlfriend all jammed up my schedule, and as race day approached, I felt a little uneasy about the prospect of trying to accomplish the goals I had set out for myself for the race, which were to run the entire thing without walking, and to finish it in under 2 hours (which would require a pace of around 9 minute miles). The weekend of the race I had come, and I ended up going downtown Friday night and staying out late drinking before I had to get up early for work, and didn't get in bed till after 11pm that night (due to nerves if nothing else) even though I had a 4am wake up call Sunday in order to make it down to San Marcos in time for the 7am start. To say I was nervous would be a massive understatement, but the day was here, I had paid my registration fee and picked up my race packet, so there was no turning back now.

Arriving to the Tanger Outlet Center in San Marcos where the start and finish line for the race were around 6am, I was trying to keep positive thoughts in mind. The weather was a little cooler than I would have preferred, a brisk 36 degrees, but there was a hallway by the bathrooms we hung out in to keep from the wind while we stretched and warmed up for the race. This was a great marathon to do as my first one, because it wasn't very crowded and pretty low-key. All the participants and organizers were friendly and up-beat, and I was losing my nervousness and finally sliding into that feeling of anticipation. I was ready, or at least as ready as I'd ever be, to see just how far I could push my body. We lined up near the front of the pack at the start, and at 7am set off on the 13.1 mile long course through the hilly San Marcos countryside.

Now although I rarely am awake for it, the times that I am and get to the sunrise I always have a sense of accomplishment no matter what I'm doing. So seeing the sun come up over the farms of the central Texas hill country as I ran by was a very rewarding feeling in itself. I was enjoying it so much that I ran my first mile entirely too fast, and thought there had been some kind of mistake as I passed by Mile Marker 1 and looked down at my watch to see 7:13, a little under my 9 minute pace I had intended to run at. I tried to slow myself down, but still came in too fast at Mile 2 around 14:45. This ended up being a good thing, because my nervous tick seems to be drinking water, and I had drank 2 to 3 bottles worth en route to San Marcos that morning. So at the first porta-potty stop at Mile 4, I had to make a pit-stop. Having to wait on someone in front of me, this took about 2 minutes time. So when I left I was just under 36 minutes, so right on pace for where I wanted to be. Miles 5 and 6 were both right on pace just under 9 minutes each, and as I approached the steep downhill between miles 6 and 7, I was feeling more and more confident.

As I finished zig-zagging the hill and realized I was just about halfway done with the course, I was having an out-of-body experience. Here I was at 8 in the morning and had already been up for 4 hours, was 7 miles into my first half marathon, the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky, the temperature was a perfect 45 degrees, and I felt like I could run forever. I was smiling to myself, feeling very much like Forrest Gump, and almost as if on cue, "Freebird" came on my iPod. That lengthy song alone killed almost 2 miles, and an array of eclectic tunes accompanied me as I continued on my way from Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, to Radiohead and Rage Against the Machine. As I approached and then ran by Mile 8, I knew that anything past this point was a new personal best for my distance wise, and I know that the photographers and on-lookers cheering us on during the race probably found my huge smile a bit odd.

Entering double digits at Mile 10, I began having the debate with myself about rather I should try and pick up my pace a little (I was still hovering right around the pace I had set for myself of 9 minute miles), of if I should relish the fact that I was still feeling great and push myself more. It was at that exact moment that I saw for the first time of the race someone off the side throwing up. This to me was an omen that I did not ignore, and I maintained my pace rather than speeding up. After nearly being spit on by a guy running with his friend, I ended up staying with them for awhile as they seemed to be right at the same pace as me, and having been running alone for most of the race it was nice to have a little company. A few laughs as we hit Mile 12 and I decided that there was no point in leaving anything left on the course, so I kicked it into gear and decided to try and start passing anyone and everyone I could. The fact that a lot of the people in front of me were girls and/or people in their 50's and 60's was both impressive on their end, and made me become a little prideful on mine, and gave me just the motivation I needed to try and beat as many people as I could coming down the home stretch.

As I came around the last turn and could see the outlet center in my sights, I began running even faster. I then caught sight of my friend Blaine, who had already finished, with my camera (as I had asked him to) taking pictures, and that also helped pushed me through. I passed 2 girls on the last 100 yards and finished with a time of 1 hour 58 minutes and 12 seconds. I had accomplished all my goals; I hadn't walked any and I had finished in under 2 hours. The course was pretty challenging, as there were a lot of hills (a few of them pretty killer), and the colder weather at first and a slight breeze (headwind) here and there also came into play but all in all I would say it went about as perfect as possible. I devoured a cookie, banana, orange, and Gatorade, and had a permanent smile on my face the rest of the day.

I had my first experience at The Mighty Cone trailer on South Congress, and then went out to Zilker Park to check out the Austin Kite Festival. I finished off the near perfect Sunday with dinner and drinks at Chuy's with my dad. It was one of the best days of my life, and most rewarding, because I had accomplish a goal that I had set out completely for myself. I was not trying to impress anyone, or make a soccer team, or win a race, I had simply set out to achieve something, done it, and the reward was the feeling it left within me. Now I can cross that off my bucket list, and have a memory to look back on forever. Next up, I have a 10k in Austin at the end of March, as well as 5 more soccer games this season as we try to move up the table in our division. Its been a very rewarding year so far in 2011, and I can't wait to see what else I will be able to accomplish. I've already read more books in the past 3 months than I did all last year, and am planning on running at least one more half-marathon before 2012. So who knows what 2012 may hold, possibly a full marathon? The possibilities are endless, because when you learn how far you can push yourself, you learn how much it takes to be able to push it even further. And I think thats what this half-marathon meant to me, a journey, a race to self-discovery.

Nocturnal Festival

Labor day weekend of 2010, me and a few friends decided to make the drive out to Apache Pass Event Center outside of Rockdale, Texas which was more or less about an hour away from Austin. We had all purchased tickets for a music festival, one with a very interesting line-up and theme, and also one that in all reality we both didn't know much about, nor what to expect once we got there. The aptly named Nocturnal Festival lasted from 4pm to 4am every evening that weekend, and included such performers as Girl Talk, Bassnectar, and Rusko. We were heading out on Sunday evening to catch Lotus, Pretty Lights, and Kid Cudi. With much anticipation, excitement, and a little bit of uneasiness, we pre-gamed at my apartment in north Austin for a little bit and then left with the sunset around 8:30 to head up highway 79 to the pass. Almost immediately, we all realized we had made a very good decision.

En route, we passed Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express baseball team. They had just finished up their game that night, and apparently were treating visitors to a surprisingly good fireworks show. We managed to pull up just as it had started, so I pulled my car over the side of the road and we got a free showing to start the trip off with. It seemed like fate, as we laughed and listened to some road-trip music and drank our "to-go" drinks (sorry mom, sorry dad) and watched the display. So once it finished up we continued on our way, our spirits even higher than before at this point.

Once in Rockdale, we decided to stop at the lonely gas station in town and pick up a few more supplies (water, ice, gatorade, advil, etc). It was at this point that I noticed the first dilemma of the trip. Looking at the reflection of my car in the store's window, I noticed my front headlight was out. I instantly was a bit panicked due to the aforementioned to-go drinks and knew that an out light was just the kind of excuse the cops in these po-dunk towns of central Texas would be looking for to pull me over on a night such as this one. But, having taken defensive driving shortly after moving to Austin (due to a speeding ticket I received speeding back to Tyler to pack up and move my things to the Atx), I knew that in this situation the smart, and legal, thing to do was to simply turn on my brights and hope for the best. Turns out having somewhat low-powered lights, although a problem in certain situations, was a blessing in this one. Because we safely made it to the venue and back to my apartment again much later that night without any issues, despite passing quite a few of Texas' finest along the way. Again, this night was shaping up to be a good one.

^Kid Cudi

So finally around 10 we made it the event center, a.k.a. the farm, parked, chugged, and found our way inside. Lotus was set to take the stage around 10:30, so we grabbed a few beers and found a good place in the crowd. The festival was set up into 4 different stages, each one themed, with about 8 artists a night performing at each. Lotus put on an incredible set, complete with a great light show and killer beats, and we were buzzing like bumblebees. But as good as Lotus was, that was just the kicker, because the only reason I bought a ticket in the first place was coming on next: Kid Cudi. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd get a chance to see Kid Cudi at a festival, let alone at one this close to where I lived. So the second his name popped up on the Festival list, I instantly purchased a ticket (despite the increase in price that his name being added to the bill, added to the bill). Loving life, me and my friends all sang loudly together as we too were successfully on "the pursuit of happiness."

Kid Cudi's amazing set ended in fireworks, the only concert I've ever been to that did, and it was absolutely perfect. Pretty Lights came on after Cudi, and in retrospect I wish I would have stayed for more of that show than I did, but riding on high from Kid Cudi and general curiosity led us to venture away from the stage we were at and check out the other sights and sounds around the park. There were all kinds of lighting fixtures, some in trees, other's standing alone, and the unique array of concert attendees were a sight in themselves. It was one of the most eclectic displays of people in one place I have ever seen, with half-naked girls in body paint running past guys dressed in all black and gaudy gothic stones and belts, to your average wanna-be hipsters such as myself, and everything in between. After walking through a maze of Christmas lights complete with 3d glasses, we decided that it was getting pretty late and we should probably try to beat the rush out of the farm and head back to Austin at a somewhat decent hour (it was around 2am at this time).

^Pretty Lights

We successfully found our way back to my apartment, with me free-styling more or less the entire car ride home in order to ensure I stayed awake and coherent for the trip. Not wanting the seemingly perfect night to end, we all crammed into my hot tub once back at my apartment complex, where we had some cool stories to share with some intoxicated (even more than we were) neighbors, who's foreign accents to this day escape me as to where they were from. Finally crawling into bed around 5am, the smile I fell asleep with was one of pride, success, and contentment. We had conquered and survived Nocturnal, and come away with memories from a night that could only be described as simply perfect.

This April, Nocturnal Festival returns to the Apache Pass Event Center in Rockdale, Texas, and for 2 nights will transform peoples lives. I have not decided yet if I will be returning, as I am simply afraid to try and top such a perfect time, but I highly recommend that any and all who can attend this amazing event. My advice would be to try and find a designated driver (as you always should) since I have heard stories of people who were not as successful as we were at avoiding the 5-0. Also, bring lots of water for afterwards, which looking back on the night was the most important purchase of the evening at the gas station.

This years line up is amazing, and includes:

Above & Beyond
Bassnectar
Big Gigantic
Crystal Castles
Excision
Ghostland Observatory
Kaskade
STS9
Zeds dead

Here is also a link to the trailer for this years festival, which is footage shot from last years which I just described above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6fLNL-N_CQ

Year One

On January 31, 2010, I packed every thing I owned into a u-haul and moved to Austin, Texas. I had lived in Whitehouse and/or Tyler in East Texas my entire life, and besides a few stints of living with some friends in apartments in Tyler here and there, had never lived completely on my own before, either. Needless to say, it was understood that moving from the shiny buckle of the bible belt to the liberal island floating in the sea of Texas conservatives that is Austin was going to be a bit of a "life-changer." Having been in Austin over a year now, and my one-year of working at Mercedes-Benz of Austin coming up on March 8th, I thought it was time to update the blog again and reflect on the past 13 (my lucky number) months of my life

When I moved down here, I did it almost on a whim. I had gotten a job at a Marketing Agency (that ended up being more or less a pyramid scheme selling Direct TV at Best Buy that I immediately quit 3 days later), and after receiving the job offer in mid January after a trip to Austin for a party following a "graduation trip" skiing in Colorado, I immediately found an apartment in North Austin near where my work would be in the Arboretum. After signing my lease and paying my deposit (and getting a ticket speeding on the way back to Tyler due to excitement), I packed up all my belongings, which sadly could all fit in a relatively normal sized u-haul, and made the move to the Live-Music Capital of the World.

Now to say this was completely on a whim is not entirely accurate. When I was 14 years old, I came to Austin for the first time with my dad over Thanksgiving break and got to watch the Longhorns take it to the Aggies at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, and I was forever changed. A few months later in March, I came back with my dad and sister for my dad's college roommate's dad's 80th birthday party (now that's a mouthful). That party took place at the Omni on 8th Street and just so happened to fall on the same week as the infamous South by Southwest music festival here in Austin. Even back then, my sister was always in the know and infinitely cooler than me, and she managed to find a few shows we could go to while we were in town. So as a freshman in high school with curly hair and a mouth full of braces, I hit SXSW and saw a few shows like Starsailor, and the kicker being Better Than Ezra with Johnny Lang at Stubbs. From that week on, I knew that if I were to stay in Texas past high school or college, that Austin would be the only place I would live. The people, the city, the music, the feeling, everything was different from what I had grown up with in my small little hometown of 4,000+ people in the East Texas pines. Through some circumstances outside of my control, I wasn't able to attend the University of Texas at Austin as was my dream, but I managed to live vicariously though other friends college experiences, and got to travel all over the country with the money I saved from staying close to home for college. But after graduating in December of 2009, it didn't take long for me to make the move out of that sea-of-settling Tyler trap that so many people fall into (no disrespect to all my friends still "on their grind" in Tyler, just wasn't for me).

So here I was, 22 years old and living out my dream, sort of. After quitting the pyramid, I was in a bit of a bind. I already had bills piling up from my new apartment, so I was on the job hunt hardcore. I don't think I've ever sent more emails out, browsed Craigslist and Google more, or had more sleepless nights due strictly to stress in my entire life than I did that month of February. Thanks to some graduation money I had saved up, and the love and generosity of my parents who I am and will forever be in debt to, I managed to survive until I lucked into a position with Mercedes-Benz of Austin through a Craigslist add I hadn't even remembered replying to. A year later, here I am still living paycheck to paycheck, but living a life as good if not better than I had imagined when I pulled out of me and my dad's apartment in Tyler for the last time (with teary eyes, I might add).

Since I've been here, I've been to more concerts than I would have ever dreamed imaginable (some of which can be read about in other blog posts i.e: Nocturnal Fest, ACL, etc.), met some of the most interesting people I will ever know (including a beautiful girl that lets me take her on dates), made some friendships that I think will last a lifetime, and still managed to stay close with the people that have always been in my life (and always will be). and through it all discovered not only a new city and a new life, but a new me. I've always been one to value self-awareness, but I never realized how much more important self-discovery is. Sure I try to pretend like I know exactly who I am or what I want, but the truth is that changes everyday. So I don't think anyone can ever be completely sure of those things. What I've learned is that you just have to roll with the punches, make yourself open to new people and new experiences, and try to do it all with an open mind.

I haven't left Texas since I moved here over a year ago, so I'm commemorating this amazing 1+ year in Austin by booking a trip to Portland, Oregon today in May. I made a promise to myself that Austin would change me for the better, and I can undoubtedly say it has. I've been crossing things off my Bucket List (see blog post) left and right, and this Sunday I will scratch another one off as I run in my first half-marathon in San Marcos. Fittingly enough, I will wrap up that day by heading to one of Austin's most popular locations, Zilker Park, to see a vintage Austin event, a Kite Festival. Followed by a visit from my old roommate, my dad, for his Spring Break. The next few months are lined up to be exactly what I moved down here for, full of amazing concerts and festivals, good times with friends and family, and experiences that I could not have if I were not living here.

So to everyone who has made Austin worth while for me since I've gotten here, I thank you. Without you, all of this would not be possible, and I would not be the person I am right now. I am so thankful to be this blessed and lucky, and I do not take you or my life for-granted. I know that mine is a life a lot of people would love to have, and I try to live daily as though it could all be taken away from me at any moment. Because in my nearly 24 years, I've learned that it really could.