Monday, October 25, 2010

On a new adventure

It's been a crazy week but, finally, I am out of Salt Lake City and on the road towards my new life. Since the drive to Austin is 24+ hours, Adrian and I decided to make it a vacation and spread the trip over three days. For Day 1, we visited Kolob Canyon and Zion National Park. I've lived in Utah for about 11 years and never made it to any of the parks in southern Utah. They are amazing!! Especially during this time of change, it's great to have an opportunity to go somewhere peaceful and just marvel at the wonderful works of nature.

The drive through Kolob Canyon only took about an hour; yet, it had some of the most amazing red rock formations I've ever seen. Around every turn ascending the canyon, the view continued to open up and expose more breathtaking views. I was definitely grateful that we didn't bypass this short, scenic drive.

With only a few more hours of daylight left in the day, we headed to the main part of Zions. Access to the majority of the park was limited to shuttles that went back and forth along the path. The shuttles were actually a very efficient way to see the main views of the park. We even had time to take a short hike up to the Weeping Rock. I wish I had more time to hike up to some of the other sites, especially the lakes. All in all, it was a great first day. Tomorrow, the Grand Canyon. 

Presenting Beautiful Kolob Canyon
Adrian and me in Kolob Canyon

Amazing Cliffs in Zions
Mini waterfall by the Weeping Rock

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Take a dart and throw it at a map

Since I announced my move to Austin, one of the most popular questions is, "Why Austin?" Sure it seems random because I only announced it a few weeks ago, but this decision has been a long process. The timing of my move is quicker than I even thought; I wasn't planning on moving till next summer. But when everything is yelling at you it's time to move, you go.

At the beginning of this year, I made my decision to go to grad school; the first question was where. I was definitely wanting to leave Utah because I've been here for so long (11 years!!). Adrian first suggested Arizona because that's where his dad lives. Then we were looking at San Antonio. Then Austin. My family lived in Arizona for a year when I was younger and the only things I can remember are the intense heat and the fact that everyone had a pool; Arizona was not my first option. So I began to look into Texas.

I will admit that one of the main factors in deciding where to live was weather. I have lived the majority of my life in places with snow (Indiana and Utah). Winter to me equates to hibernation and cold. I loved going to California for Christmas and seeing lights on palm tress. When I went online and searched for the weather information on Texas cities, Austin was the most moderate. Sure there's the humidity and it does get fairly hot in summer, but very little, if any, snow. Winter is actually the nice, cool season!! I could go for that kind of a switch. Plus, compared to the other major Texas cities, Austin doesn't have many of those pesky natural disasters like hurricanes.

Once we decided on Austin and I looked into the University of Texas, I become excited. The university has a lot to offer: great professors in what I want to study, great resources, a progressive attitude towards journalism and diversity(!!). I'm excited to visit the school when I arrive in Austin. Hopefully everything will work and out and next year I will be attending as a grad student.

Other perks to Austin are the great community and social activities. Austin is known as one of the top spots for live music. Pretty much every night you can find a band playing somewhere. Plus there is a great downtown area, 6th Street, that they sometimes shut down for festivities. As for culturally, Austin has many museums, including the Blanton Museum, Mexic-Arte Museum and George Washtington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. I am extremely excited to be around more diversity and cultural activities.

The more I learn about Austin, the more excited I become. I'll be closer to a beach. Austin has bike trails, natural springs and a lake. Wow!! There is so much to do. My official moving date has been set for Oct. 25. In a week I will hop in my car, filled with all my belongings, and head off to my new adventure in Austin. And once I'm settled, anyone can come and visit. By that time, I'll be the perfect tour guide.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Up, Down and All Around

Wow. It's amazing how many different emotions you can go through in a day. From getting up and getting ready for the day to stress over living arrangements to coming up with solutions to having a great evening with friends. All that and it's still the middle of the week.

Wednesday brought more ups and downs. The room we thought we were renting in Austin ended up not working out; probably for the best since the lady kept going back and forth. But now we are back looking for apartments. No stress like more stress. The minute I found out, I went into solution mode. I went back online, searching through Craigslist and other apartment sites. I sent out emails and am hoping some of them work out. If not, I do have a back up plan. No matter what, we're moving to Austin and nobody is going to stop us!

I was so glad my friend Oscar had his birthday on Wednesday because it was the perfect excuse to go out to eat and enjoy the company of friends. Sometimes socializing helps to get away from all the troubles. Plus I always enjoy an excuse to dress up. Happy Birthday Oscar and thanks for being born!!

Oscar and me
Adrian and me not thinking about anything serious

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

GRE here I come!!

In addition to moving to Austin in the next few weeks, I am also, finally, finishing my application and taking the GRE for grad school. Friday, Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m. I will be taking the test that determines my future (well, not totally but right now it feels like that). One good thing about not having a steady job is the time I have had to study. I bought the study books (Princeton Review, Cracking the GRE and the ETS study book) back in April and tried to study around my two jobs, but I never gave it enough time. Since last week I have studied every day during the week (I have to give my brain the weekends off). It has been invigorating and difficult.

I have always been strong in English, so the book has given me good test strategy tips. It also makes me realize how I need to continue to expand my vocabulary; perhaps I need one of those word-a-day calendars. Reading has always been fun for me, and I can feel my brain getting excited about the learning. The verbal part I am ready for.

Now, Math, on the other hand, makes me feel like I'm going back to middle school. The only math I took in college was basic statistics and, nowadays, I pull out my phone calculator anytime I need to do basic math. I think it took me the majority of last week to get my brain reacquainted with numbers. Luckily, one day it did, so I'm feeling a little bit better. Though today and tomorrow I begin relearning Geometry. Wish me luck.

Since I made the date I am on deadline, which is a familiar situation. This is when I work my best and when my endorphins kick in; I'm counting on it. So even though the problems may seem enigmatic and my understanding ephemeral, I am intransigent on doing my best. And I am sure my work will be redoubtable.     

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

And now for the bad news

Apparently with good news there also has to be some bad. Adrian's temp job that he was supposed to have for the rest of the month has ended (oh, Utah and it's crazy right-to-workness). It brings up money issues again. We're both trying to work temp jobs till we leave but, obviously, they are unreliable. It just overall sucks because it's money that we needed and were halfway depending on. More stress to add to the pile. I wish that we could head to Austin now and start looking for jobs. I've heard that right now Austin is one of the top places to find jobs. We've already been browsing online and it seems to be true. This situation of job or no job seems to have been a constant in Utah for the past few years. I'm not going too crazy about it because we've been here before and somehow gotten through it. Sometimes you just wish you could fast forward to a solution; the solution being moving. Right now we just have to continue on our schedule and be extra tight with money; and hope that tomorrow brings another job.

And for a little pick me up, here's a video with a perfect message for anytime you're feeling down or going through something.


A place to call home (for a couple months)

Good news!! We will have a place to stay in Austin for November and December. It's not in the price range we wanted for a room, but at least I know it will be nice. We will be renting a room from a lady named Cyndi (who is a friend of a daughter of an artist who Adrian's dad knows). One nice thing is she has an Italian Greyhound, which is the breed of dog that I want.


It will be nice to be around pets and living in a house. I'm a little apprehensive about living with someone I don't know (I never really had that feeling with college roommates; I must be getting old). I think it's just the whole stress of a new situation. At least this one decision is made and I can focus on other things.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Movin' on up (or actually, down South)

My prior attempt at blogging didn't quite work out. It was helpful for me, but I didn't blog often. My goal is to remedy that with a new blog that is more general about the going ons of my life. And this is the perfect time since I will be moving to Austin in 3 weeks from Salt Lake City.



No, I have never visited Austin. No, I do not have a job there. No, I do not have family or close friends there. It is a completely new experience, one I'm glad I'm sharing with my boyfriend, Adrian. It is a daunting task to up and move to a new place, so I'm glad Adrian will be with me. Already, the stressful decisions have begun.

Currently our apartment is almost bare. A few weeks ago I sold off all the large furniture, except for the bed. Last week we had quite a successful yard sale, and then took all the remaining stuff to charity. Towards the end of the month, I'll begin boxing up what remaining things we have. The rule is that we can only take what will fit in the car or in a few boxes to ship. So with all that taken care of, the biggest stress is housing.

It is quite difficult to pick a place to live when you have no idea about the area. I've talked to people who live in Austin or have lived there and tried to get as much information as I could. Online I've searched through so many apartment sites and talked to realtors. I'm finding out about differences in deposits, fees, utilities and amenities. And it seems the more I learn, the more confused I become. There are so many options and I feel like I'm missing the crucial key to understanding them. We would like to stay with someone for a few months before we sign a long-term contract so that we can have time to explore the city, but that's still up in the air. Right now I'm throwing out lines and hoping something catches. So, basically, I end with a prayer that we won't be living in our car when we arrive in Austin.