Rocking Out!!

This weekend I went with a Meet-up group to hear a band play out in Pflugerville (which is the berbs south of Austin).  I caught a ride with 3 other people. I had a blast,check out the clip

We heard a 80's/90's cover band play called Suede

When it Rains,it Pours

Here in Austin when it rains, it really rains and you would think it was acid falling from the sky (well maybe now days there is a bit) but literal acid that would burn your skin.

The other day as it was time to leave work, many of my coworkers decided to stay and work-overtime because they didn't want to go out in the rain.  Me, I was ready to come home and no amount of rain was going to stop me.  People here love and hate the rain.  The hate getting wet and messing up their hair and close but they love the fact that rain means the swimming holes will fill up for the weekend.

I rode the elevator down with a few brave souls.   But once in the lobby everyone was not willing to go outside everyone keep saying "I don't want to get wet".  Hey, whats a little rain right?, I was willing to risk it...

But before I swung the door open to step out into this freak afternoon storm, I took my shoes of something told me to, don't ask what I just figured I should.  An thank God I did.

Once outside I started jogging across the sidewalk and once I came to the curb and just before I stepped onto the  parking-lot what did I see but a river of water running by me.  I gingerly stepped down and the water and it came up over my ankles and I found that I had to wade through the water to my car.

The rain was hot, the air was muggy and nothing of this down pour screamed a break in the heat.  I am finding myself having many first here in Texas.  This was my first experience wading through a parking lot, in a down pour to get to my car.  To many more firsts

Friends After 30

So 35 is knock, knock, knocking at my door and I must say I don't care that it is because I am loving every second of my 30's.  But I will admit I have one glitch in this decade thus far....and......it is......

MAKING FRIENDS.....I have friends but we are spread all over the country and life has changed so very much since our twenties and 99% of them have kids and that isn't a bad thing but as many people know kids take up what  little time adults have.  I love all my friends but now I am living in a new place so I am trying to make friends and build a community.

So I have mentioned I joined some meet-up groups and I find it a good way to be social but finding friends is like what it was like dating and finding a man.  You see its difficult you don't want to appear needy but you don't want to be to stand-offish either.

When you ask someone to hang-out it feels like asking someone out on a date.  I feel like I have a flashing sign on my head that says PLEASE HANG-OUT WITH ME.

I have  hung-out with someone from work, she is 22 and I had  nice time but everything in your 20's is so emotionally intense....But its like listening to a reality show never a dull moment.

I have a lady I met she is 60ish and we trade massage she is amazing and hilarious and a hippy/activist.  She is one funky lady when I go for my massage or when I go to give her one I factor in about an hour of time after the session to just chat.(Texans love to talk) She had me in stitches this past Saturday talking about men and sex.  I will just leave it at that but aside from our talks she is a garden queen front and backyard she grows it all.  An she loves her music.  I hope when I am her age I am as positive, vibrant, active and funny.

When I first moved her I meet a young lady that worked at the store right next to my apartment complex and she had just moved to the area as well.  Talking one time she said it was hard to make friends, I said we should go out some time and I left it at that.  By the end of the next week I was out at a swimming hole alone watching people swim and hangout together and I felt so alone because I had nobody to share the experience with.

I will be honest I cried a bit as I drove back from swimming and when I drove home I stopped at the store to see if the lady was working and asked her if she felt up to grabbing a drink this weekend she said yes...And we had a blast last night at the bar this place made specialty whiskey of all flavors.  It was called BuzzMill's it more of a Coffee/Bar Bar.....They have a yard with all kinds of chairs and food trucks, it stays open 24hrs....We talked until 2 a.m. and it was so nice to just talk and get to know someone.  I can't lie and say it wasn't awkward at times trying to make chit chat and what not but....I must say I may have found a new Austin friend.

To Anyone over 30 trying to make friends...Remember
1.  Its going to be awkward
2.  Take it slow (aka don't share your life story)
3.  Your not looking for the perfect friend

WAIT ONE MINUTE!!!!! Does that sound like a first date?  I think it does

Welcome to making friends at 30!!!

My Meet-up life

Being in a new city with no real friends to speak of, I was finding myself getting lonely.  Which is rare for me because I love being alone.  I enjoy eating in restaurants solo, going to the movies with me, myself and I and riding my bike alone.

Its evident I like being alone but in life its important to be social as well.  Its key to making connections be it personally or professionally.  So I made a decision to sign-up for some activity on Meet-up at least once a week.  

For those of you who don't know what Meet-up is, its a social  online  network to find groups of people who like things you like.  Basically its a big bulletin board with awesome get together's.

Last weekend I went on a Intermediate Hike 2.5 miles....I know its hilarious that is a walk for me, what we did wasn't even a hike but what can I saw these Texans think hiking is putting on hiking boots and walking anyplace outside that consists of more then from your work office to your car.  That may have been a bit harsh but its the truth.  So back to the "hike", it was a good walk interesting people 2 guys and about 6 ladies.  The ladies were in there 50's and a kick in the pants the whole "Hike" they talked about how they couldn't find a man and for the ones that had a man they complained about how there man argues with them.  Now just think this conversation with a southern accent.  It was funny!!! 

The "hike" it was even more funny because everyone showed up like we were going on a day hike.  Full backpacks, snacks, water bottles, hiking poles and one dude had an umbrella.  I had it all in me not to laugh.  Me I show up in shorts, t-shirt and a small water bottle stuck in my back pocket.  I decided this meet-up group is not the hiking group I am looking for.  For such a short hike they were awful slow.  

But I am joining them for a Water & Wine Hike....Once again its 2 miles but we are hiking to a place to swim and I am all about that.

Then the following week I am joining a group of folks headed to a festival and next month a group going roller skating.

I decided when I moved that I would make it a point to get out and do things I normally don't do, meet people I never would and make a major effort to build a community for myself.  It feels weird putting myself out there but its important to stretch outside my comfort zone and that is just what I do each time I go to a Meet-up.  I Stretch A Little and it helps me grow as an individual.

Getting out of the City

I completely understand the saying of "Getting out of the City" now.  This past Thursday I packed a small bag and got what I needed together for a weekend on the Gulf.  I headed to work Friday morning and simply counted the hours till I could hit the road.  It had been another long week "working for the man" and I can say that, I work for a government agency, I really work for the man.  When my clock on my desk phone hit 5 o'clock I was nearly running out the door to the car.

Once to the car I took of my work shoes, I really hate wearing dress shoes.  I have worked barefoot for 8 years and now I put on dress shoes everyday another tough thing (our secret I take my shoes off under the desk most of the time).  Anyways I put on my flip flops literally let my hair down, started the car, rolled the windows down and hit the highway headed south for Rockport, Texas.  

I must say it was not a bad drive little over 3 hours, I rocked out to music ate granola bars and did 80 on the freeway...Did you know the speed limit is actually 85 mph.  

Since arriving I have been cooked for and taken care of, that's the bonus of having a sister who is a mom.  I just get lumped in with the broad and feed and cared for.  AWESOME!!!

We spent Saturday on the beach in Port Aransas laying around, playing in the waves and napping.  Its hurricane season right now so the wind on the beach was crazy but the sun was blazing and the water so warm.  The Gulf is so salty, the most saltiest place I have ever swam.

Tomorrow by noon I will climb back into my car and head back to my job and new city but I know I will be making more frequent out of town trips to other places.  This is a big state and life is to short to sit in the city every weekend.

Revolving around work & Life

Recently I have been thinking about how different my life has become.  An not because I have made a big move to a new state or that I started a new career.  Yes those are changes and these two things have made my style of living change.

I have lived my 20's and half my 30's in a very unique way...My "Work revolved around life" not many people can say that.  My work always came second for the last 15 years, my happiness was built on getting my needs met and then making work happen around me.  Taking this job has changed my whole belief system and I must say it scares me to death.

The past 15 years were amazing, I took jobs that made my life easy.  I didn't wake until I wanted to and if I did wake early it was because I choose the job that I wanted to and I did it because I enjoyed it.  I took jobs that had me exercising for a living which is something that is high on my list of ensuring my happiness.  And over the past 10 years I have made my own work schedule...

Today my "Life revolves around my work"....work is the center of all that I do, it feels as if I am trying to make time to have a life and you know what its hard.  I wake at 6:30 a.m. each morning and am out the door by 7:15 a.m. and work from 8-5 Monday-Friday....I never in my life thought that would be me but it is today and its an adjustment.  So each night I get off, I try to find time to workout, then I eat dinner shower and before I know it the day is over.  Then I get up the next day and do it all over again.

I sound like I am complaining but I am not, I am verbalizing how I feel (what isn't that kind of like complaining) and realizing I am learning how to adjust to a new way of living. I know that nothing is forever and one day I may not be working an 8-5 job.  In the mean time I am learning how to adjust and it isn't so bad but I do feel like I am being cheated out of a life at times.  But we sometimes have to do things to build our career and right know this is it.

THIS IS LIFE!!! And the reality is 3 months from now this will feel normal.  I understand now, how precious weekends are and I try to value the time and make the most of it, because there never seems to be enough of it. As Hugh Prather once said "Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes".  And I know it will change again.