On the road again

highway 281, originally uploaded by Mr. Wright.

The rumors of my job's demise are highly accurate. I strike out from this pit-stop town for the bright lights and assorted tacos of Austin at the end of August.

My ultimate destination, for the next year, is the glorious food mecca on Manor Road, just east of Interstate 35. Get this. I will live in walking distance of: Mi Madre's, Hoover's, Eastside Cafe, Mueller's Bar-B-Q, Vivo, and El Chile Cafe and Cantina. To rephrase: I can walk in five minutes to some of Austin's best breakfast tacos, chicken friend steak, chicken artichoke soup, roasted meat, margaritas, and some place I never been but which Reid says is pretty good — and he's the man who introduced me to DC's Cafe, in Dallas, so his word is scripture. Danny and I are starting a pool for when my bulk will crest 200 pounds.

But wait, there's more: what made all of this possible is Grady's return to Austin in the fall. That decision to return, the details of which are unimportant, sent the Wright Bros. seek the grail of Austin: cheap housing. And, lo, there was Craigslist. It rendered unto us a miracle — I think I saw an ASCII Virgin Mary below the listing — in the form of Eastside Commons.

This freshly remodeled apartment complex sits on Manor Road, just east of my shmorgasborg, hidden behind a dull facade. But much like, uh, Willy Wonka's place, or something, once you walk into the middle of this rectangular complex, you enter a magical world where rents are reasonable and amenities are given to you. Instead of a contract that openly mocks your never-to-be-seen-again deposit, tha Eastside gives your free high speed Internets. Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The real deal: two bedrooms, one bath, 800 sq. feet, new hardwood floors, new appliances (including a gas stove), new fixtures, new carpet, huge pool, hot tub, workout room (with Wi-fi, TV, and stereo), barbecue pits, 24-hour laundry room, a move-in special that asks a mere $300 to cover application fee, deposit, and first month's rent, and free fucking hi-speed — for just six hundred and fifty dollars a month. 6-5-0.

Oh, did I mention the number 20 picks up directly across the street? Five minutes to campus, maybe 15 to downtown. Oh, and that they're opening up a new coffee shop across the street from Mi Madre's? Oh ho ho, and that last weekend I interviewed for a wedding photography position that, while sporadic, would pay between $25 and $50 an hour?

In light of all this, it almost makes it seem ho-hum that some guy contacted me today about using a couple of my photographs in Digital Art Photography for Dummies, which doesn't pay, but could provide free advertising on a large scale.

Hey, I'm just saying, things are looking up right now. And I'm going to savor it, like a fresh #0 drowning in salsa, for as long as it lasts.