looking back...

austin holds a weird place in my heart. it can best be described as a love/hate relationship. for the two-and-a-half years i lived there i was always wishing i were someplace else, san antonio, ingram or sequin. anywhere but my wretched dormroom in jester. i associate that city with so many horrible memories and through no fault of its own, i hated it with a red-hot passion. i remember the feeling of dread that would come over me the closer i got to the austin city limits sign and by the time i got to the william cannon exit i would be almost in tears. when i thought of austin i thought of my failures, my broken heart and my bitter loneliness.

but, i can't forget all the amazing things that happened to me while i lived in that fair city. i really stepped out of my box (for lack of a better term) and experienced things that, for the most part, i don't regret. i met some crazy people along the way, most of which i will never see or talk to again, but the impression they've left on my life is impossible to ignore. i really found my true self while living in austin.

the reason for this rant? as i was searching for drink specials in austin for tonight i ran across this picture. it reminded me why i will always, ultimately, be drawn back to austin:

its the polka-dot lawn at west 29th & glenview. i ran across it one afternoon in a rush to get from toy joy to a friend's birthday dinner off mopac. just a good reminder of what i really loved about austin. there is just something about the spirit of a town that celebrates multi-colored polka-dots on a lawn of dead grass that is immensely lovable!

so anyway...its back to my old stomping grounds tonight. $1 margaritas rock my face off, especially after a week like this!!!