Rednecks and Mexicans.
I spent this weekend down in San Antonio visiting with Stephanie and Kat. Hanging out with them was nice because i don't get to see them often, the activities however were somewhat of a culture shock.
Saturday i went to Six Flags- Fiesta Texas (Steph works there). Kat came and met up with me when she could and it was pretty fun. So far, so good. Later that night though, the three of us along with a few of Stephanie's friends from work went to a bar called Midnight Rodeo. Yeah. The name pretty much says it. Hicktown-USA. It was incredible. It was a pretty big place with this oval shaped dance floor in the middle and people were dancing around it like it was a skating rink. I of course vowed not to 'two-step' but somehow got suckered into it. First with one of Steph's guy friends- that poor guy! I kept stepping on his feet and then i kept losing my shoes (note to self, sandles are not good country dancing shoes) so he was tripping on them. Well i finally after a few spins around mastered the one-two-three rhythm (i think its the waltz) albeit, moving my lips as i counted the whole time. A little while later though i'm sitting at the bar nursing my tequilla sunrise when a one armed cowboy asks me to dance (he had two arms but one of them was in a sling- i didn't ask him how come.) I tried telling him i was bad at it- to date, the thing i was most bad at in the world was laser tag... i think if possible, i might be worse at country dancing. The one armed cowboy insisted i dance with him, though. I was so worried i'd hit his bum arm that i kept knocking his hat off (very strange dancing with a guy with a wide brimmed hat). Other than that though, it was easier dancing with him than guys with both arms. I was more free. I kind of just did whatever i wanted because he wasn't doing a very good job of leading. I think that's my new thing now. I'm going to start looking for guys with only one arm- that way i can feel like i'm a good dancer.
Yesterday Steph had to work again so Kat and i went downtown. We ended up at a Mexican flea market. It was very colorful. There was lots of music (that i didn't understand) and crafts and food and people. There were a lot of people down there. I was definatley the minority of those people, though. Kat speaks Spanish and so when she ordered something it cost her $2. I ordered the exact same thing and they charged me $3. I did get a cool necklace though.
All in all, crazy weekend. Luckily though both places had the same wonderful thing in common- $2 margaritas! :)

My friend Beth has a quote up on her blog from "Garden State" (awesome movie incidently) that i really took heart to when i read it recently: "Maybe that's all a family is, a group of people who miss the same imaginary place."
We went into the office today (ironically my first day back was on Labor Day) and there were 12 of us. We met in the confrence room of this rental space they have and we talked 'game strategy'. They're talking about staying here for 6 months! I'd have to get an apartment and actually live here. I don't know why that's such a big deal to me- i've lived other places before but besides for the fact that i just absolutely hate Texas, this seems different. Its not a controlled experience, not really anyway. When i went away to college, i knew i'd be in Natchitoches for 8 semsters. The semester with Disney had me in Orlando for a set period of time as did my summer in Maine at the camp. Even all my stuff with the airline was on time limits and i could fly into New Orleans as often as i wanted. Here i have no control. I don't have my car, i don't know my way around...i feel lost. Its' okay, i mean i'm not all depressed and all. I'm lucky actually compared to most Katrina victims but it just doesn't feel right being here- even if there are friends of mine from work here. Maybe it will turn out good, though. We all went out to lunch today at this barbeque place called Ruby's, it was very good. And i haven't been downtown yet, i'm sure there's lots of theatres and stuff down there. Besides, i don't exactly have a choice.
My life in New Orleans was predictable. I went to work every day from 9-6 plus three nights a week i was delivering pizza. Most of my free time was spent with Becca and Tommy and lately Matt and Nick- which was fine but predictable. I was like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, resentful of the boring life i was living, unable to appreciate how lucky i was. And here i am, live and in technicolor (sans the yellow brick road and annoying little dog) and while i'm all about enjoying to adventure that lies ahead, i sure hope there's a pair of ruby slippers waiting for me at the end...

The lost city of New Orleans....
I guess i now know what it must have been like to have been part of the underwater world of Atlantis. I don't feel homeless. Homeless people can rome the streets of a house they once had. They are not 'homeless' just 'houseless'. I am the exact opposite because i have a perfectly good house (well maybe) i just can't get to it.
My family left my cousin's yesterday to drive up to Dallas to stay with my great aunt Betty and my dad's cousin Rick. I stayed at my cousin BJs an extra day though because Barrister called... My cousin's hot roomate took me to the Houston airport today to fly out to Austin for work. Evidently the austin office is semi-functional and they're trying to get the company up and running so they wanted me here. Kimber (the former bridezilla) is here with her now husband who works for barrister as is a few other people from work. They have us staying in an extended stay inn for now and as soon as they can get the server up and running, they're going to put us to work. Its kinda crazy. The company i work for wasn't the most organized before so i'm very interested to see how all this will play out. I don't know if they plan on going back to N.O. ever but they at least want to stick it out here 3 or 4 weeks. I just wish i could go back to check on my apt, get some of my stuff, get my car, etc. but i don't i'll be able. A couple of the guys from work managed to make it back into Harahan to get some of the equipment and they said they got pulled over multiple times, each by cops with guns in their faces. They said its horrible- dead bodies on the sides of the road and everything.... .ewwwwww
All i know is that i better get a serious raise if they expect me to stay here. Because it would take a lot for me to stay in Texas of all places....