Oh my darling
Over at the new coffee shop that just opened two blocks from my place. It's literally across the street from Mi Madre's, which makes for one hell of a Saturday one-two punch. The place is called Clementine, and it evolved from the Halcyon and Flight Path genus of shops. That's probably because the owners are former Halcyon employees, and one of them, coincidentally, is a friend of mine from Trimble's class.
Inside, it's worth noting, is an example of what seems to be an emerging East Austin aesthetic. The interior framework is defined by sharp, crisp geometric structures, all rectangles and squares, including large windows lining three walls. Warm, saturated colors spot several walls, marked by bright reds and oranges and odd pastel shades of green and blue. Stylish orb lighting, and a variety of soft, rounded furniture, also brightly colored, offsets the rigidity of the building. Hardwood floors and polished steel countertops finish off the look, which, combined with the mid-twenties clientele and the paintings on the wall, has the measured balance between tidiness and quirkiness of a grad student's apartment. I'm just glad I can walk here.
It took about four months from when the first "Opening Soon" sign appeared to the first brew, which makes for a good strained analogy to my time here in town. I'm just now where I want to be in Austin, back on square financial footing, and hitting my stride as far as jobs and creative projects go. There is, of course, never enough time in the day for everything, but it sure beats being unemployed and feeling too guilty to be truly productive.
After grinding out an existence while suckling from the bloated teat of government (i.e., reading standardized tests for a living), I picked up work as a "Quality Assurant" at En/sp|re Learning, the same company for which I had taken a few photos. It too is part-time and contractual, which was a disappointment at first, but ended up being a blessing.
The day after accepting the job at En/sp|re, I received a call out of the blue from — surprise! — the Wa:sh\ing|on P0st. In the preceding month, it turns out, my good friends Lilly and Lomi had both accepted the reporter's assistant job I applied for, then had to renege when they received better full-time posts with other papers (Congrats to both of you, by the way!). So now my formal application, like a worker ant in a giant mound, is wandering through the P0st's bureaucracy.
The job, also part time, will make me the assistant to the Austin bureau reporter (who, rumor has it, can be quite a B) responsible for the entire Southern region. So, informally, my title is Youngin in Charge of Hustlin' the Game for the Filthy, Dirty South (Asst.). Once those damn Washington bureaucrats finally get something done, and I get to start, I'll report back.
In personal news, back in December, Grady found out that, while the UT bureaucracy prevented him from getting into the school of engineering here, nearby Texas A&M had a spot for him. Since it sure beat going back to Tech, he jumped at the chance and is now on Stage 3 of his Great Texas Public University Tour. Unfortunately, that meant I needed a roommate, and, unfortunately, even though Walshy was also vacating his apartment next door, it was not financially feasible for his roommate, and old Wright family friend, Daniel to break his lease and move in with me. Fortunately, Amanda needed a place to stay, and so, with a shrug, we moved in together. As big as that seems when typing it or telling people about it, it really didn't feel that different, since she had been de facto living with me all last semester while "house-sitting" for her parents in Dripping Springs.
So far, so good. Amanda even got a Roomba, which is surprisingly effective and doesn't even freak out the cat. We've turned Grady's old bedroom into an office/Nintendo room/fantasy basketball headquarters, so that's pretty sweet, too.
All right, that's enough for now. I'll post again soon with developments on the creative front, which include the opening of a new studio space that Justin and I will share, what I'm up to for Austinist these days, a renewed consideration of my goals in photography, a rundown of what I gleaned from reading an extensive book on Andre Kertesz, and a recap of a long Q&A with Mike Judge that I snuck into. As they say on King of the Hill, Vaya ... con Dios.
Inside, it's worth noting, is an example of what seems to be an emerging East Austin aesthetic. The interior framework is defined by sharp, crisp geometric structures, all rectangles and squares, including large windows lining three walls. Warm, saturated colors spot several walls, marked by bright reds and oranges and odd pastel shades of green and blue. Stylish orb lighting, and a variety of soft, rounded furniture, also brightly colored, offsets the rigidity of the building. Hardwood floors and polished steel countertops finish off the look, which, combined with the mid-twenties clientele and the paintings on the wall, has the measured balance between tidiness and quirkiness of a grad student's apartment. I'm just glad I can walk here.
It took about four months from when the first "Opening Soon" sign appeared to the first brew, which makes for a good strained analogy to my time here in town. I'm just now where I want to be in Austin, back on square financial footing, and hitting my stride as far as jobs and creative projects go. There is, of course, never enough time in the day for everything, but it sure beats being unemployed and feeling too guilty to be truly productive.
After grinding out an existence while suckling from the bloated teat of government (i.e., reading standardized tests for a living), I picked up work as a "Quality Assurant" at En/sp|re Learning, the same company for which I had taken a few photos. It too is part-time and contractual, which was a disappointment at first, but ended up being a blessing.
The day after accepting the job at En/sp|re, I received a call out of the blue from — surprise! — the Wa:sh\ing|on P0st. In the preceding month, it turns out, my good friends Lilly and Lomi had both accepted the reporter's assistant job I applied for, then had to renege when they received better full-time posts with other papers (Congrats to both of you, by the way!). So now my formal application, like a worker ant in a giant mound, is wandering through the P0st's bureaucracy.
The job, also part time, will make me the assistant to the Austin bureau reporter (who, rumor has it, can be quite a B) responsible for the entire Southern region. So, informally, my title is Youngin in Charge of Hustlin' the Game for the Filthy, Dirty South (Asst.). Once those damn Washington bureaucrats finally get something done, and I get to start, I'll report back.
In personal news, back in December, Grady found out that, while the UT bureaucracy prevented him from getting into the school of engineering here, nearby Texas A&M had a spot for him. Since it sure beat going back to Tech, he jumped at the chance and is now on Stage 3 of his Great Texas Public University Tour. Unfortunately, that meant I needed a roommate, and, unfortunately, even though Walshy was also vacating his apartment next door, it was not financially feasible for his roommate, and old Wright family friend, Daniel to break his lease and move in with me. Fortunately, Amanda needed a place to stay, and so, with a shrug, we moved in together. As big as that seems when typing it or telling people about it, it really didn't feel that different, since she had been de facto living with me all last semester while "house-sitting" for her parents in Dripping Springs.
So far, so good. Amanda even got a Roomba, which is surprisingly effective and doesn't even freak out the cat. We've turned Grady's old bedroom into an office/Nintendo room/fantasy basketball headquarters, so that's pretty sweet, too.
All right, that's enough for now. I'll post again soon with developments on the creative front, which include the opening of a new studio space that Justin and I will share, what I'm up to for Austinist these days, a renewed consideration of my goals in photography, a rundown of what I gleaned from reading an extensive book on Andre Kertesz, and a recap of a long Q&A with Mike Judge that I snuck into. As they say on King of the Hill, Vaya ... con Dios.
posted by Matt at 3:09 PM
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