The stars at night...

Nothing brings people together like some a song and dance! 

photo found on this neat free stuff site

Thursday night was a fun, relaxing evening. I joined some hundred Austinites over at the Hillside Theater in Zilker Park to watch their free summer musical, Footloose. The ground was pretty hard and the grass was dead. We're in the middle of a drought after all. However, there was a merciful breeze throughout the night. I have to admit it was pretty neat to sit there on a towel with my picnic food, watching actors sing and dance with other people from the community. What I loved most was the small twinge of belonging that I felt there amidst the crowd. Always a good first step to being in unfamiliar territory.




Since I'm about to start my 3rd week in this place, I'm happy that this caterpillar is slowly coming out of the cocoon of isolation. Definitely, need to find more things to do like this and for sure ones that are free!  Seems like Austin has it's fair share. I even found a site that I linked in the above picture, which seems to have a number of free things in general. I'm excited about that.





After the time at Zilker, I did some star gazing around the bend from my house. This is definitely the part that I am loving about this place. STARS! In my head, I keep hearing, "The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas."  Thanks, Sheldon Cooper.

(Only Big Bang Theory fans are going to get this, lol)

From less than an hour of partaking in that age old pastime, I was able to see 3 shooting stars! It's pretty amazing. Back home, since I live 15 minutes out of New York City, that is quite the rarity. Sadly, I was in a salty mood and didn't feel like making a wish on any of them. Since when I have I ever not wished on a shooting star? Missed opportunities for sure. Can't let the realistic, grownup wannabe win out!

Anyway, even though there have been some fun adventures, I still feel my heart calling for home. That always brings me back to a very lonely place in my emotions. How did I manage to move to Honolulu, last time? You'd think moving 5,000 miles away would be more difficult? 

But then again, maybe this is the difference between 22 and 28-year-old Faye. Nevertheless, I always welcome the chance at seeing another side of me when faced with different situations. I just hope I'm brave enough for whatever other challenges await me.

Lost in Austin

When I originally wanted to start this blog, I wanted to name it "Lost in Austin". Yes, it isn't the most original sounding. But, it wasn't because I was being corny and discuss how I am now a wanderer of this new land, hoping to find the meaning of it all. Nope. It is because I am a Jane Austen fan and some time ago, there came out a movie called "Lost in Austen"that I happen to love! The movie is corny, but I don't care. I will not call it a guilty pleasure because there is no shame and no guilt involved with how much I love watching it.


But I digress... (And FYI, sadly that blog name is already taken, hence this blog name instead).

So here I am in Austin, Texas. Why Texas!?! I ask myself that a lot since, frankly, several months ago, I was one of those people who would not have been caught dead here. (No offense, Texans.) But, back in February, as my future post-grad life flashed before my eyes, all I knew was that I wanted OUT of where I had been living for the majority of my life. I wanted something NEW, something DIFFERENT.  And since I'm pretty much a year and a half away from being 30, darn it.. I needed to do it now!

Well, new and different is exactly what I got. I've been in Texas for a week now and there is definitely a lot of adjusting to do. For example, I never realized how big of a snob I was until I got here. Typically, I'm the type of person who is open to anyone and everyone, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and tries not to judge harshly without knowing the person and the situation.  For some reason, I seem to have it in for Texas, and I didn't even know it! Constantly I have to fight myself not to judge everyone. It's like I'm on the defensive and I have no idea why. (Sorry, Texans!)

However, before you shake your head and send evil glares my way as you mouth "damn liberal yankee".... I am not really a yankee.. nor am I completely liberal. But I guess that's not the point.  The real important message to my honest disclosure of that fact is that I am aware of how completely unfair I am being with all that "judge-iness", especially because I know and continue to meet some pretty awesome people who live in Texas. So, maybe spending a chapter of my life in this lone star state might help improve my point of view. At the end of this stint, I will be even more open minded to a fault that you can put me up for sainthood!  Though, I guess some people would say I'm sort of cheating is Austin is the most liberal city in all of Texas and many Austinites are people who have relocated from other states. But we gotta start somewhere, right?