So I have been doing okay. Really okay. Today, out of nowhere, it's hit me as a ton of bricks hits a sidewalk from faulty pulleys or worn ropes. Sorrow. (Read: Hormones.) Anyway I have no real reason to be sad, I've actually been doing lots of fun shit. In March, for 6 days mid-month, I took a Texas-Sized Road Trip with my All-Time Best Friend, Danielle. She told me on the first day in the car that she had decided and was already making plans to move to Hawaii to be with her ex who's stationed there as a cryptologist for the Navy. Of all places! Hawaii! They are getting back together and she's as happy as a clam. I know The Islands will totally suit her. She informed me she's leaving in August after her birthday. Holy Shit. From that moment on, in the car, on the street, in the club, sleeping on other people's couches, jamming to whatever crazy music we agreed on, drinking Mai Tais at lunch in the best eateries in the state--everything was more important, more urgent. I don't know how long she'll be gone. I feel confident in our friendship that it will endure the (literal) distance. She'll settle back in Texas and we'll have babies together, as women sometimes do when they're close. But Hawaii--so far away! Beyond the Continental United States! It will take much more than a Road Trip to see her then. On the other hand, I get to visit her in Hawaii. Fucking Aye. (Maybe even participate in a Destination Wedding there??? Mere speculation, of course!)
The Trip was marvelous. We left my hometown of Lufkin (in deep East Texas) and headed West to Bryan-College Station, home of our alma mater, Texas A&M University. We whizzed through town and took in the scenery along the historic El Camino Real or "the road of kings" (now State Hwy 21.) We then hit State Hwy 290 to Interstate-35 South on our way to Austin to catch a couple of the last shows at my old hang out Red Eyed Fly (where The Deng like to play) on the final night of the massive South by Southwest Music Festival, held annually. Danielle and I knew a guy from back in the day who worked Security and snuck us in. Hell Yeah! Rock on! The first performer was an awesome retro-country singer who I would have totally been a groupie for back in the 1930's. (Think Hank Williams III.) The next band was an all out rock band with a pretty, badass frontwoman and a super-hot (though barely legal) straight-up awesome lead guitarist. After that we, having had plenty to drink, were like to pass out somewhere soft. And we did.
The next day we enjoyed the amenities of Austin, my adopted hometown. There were Mimosas and Bloody Mary's for brunch at Shady Grove across from Barton Springs and Zilker Park, shopping at the trendy South Congress Shops while having Amy's Ice Cream--afterwards heading to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to have a glass of wine and appetizers while watching the movie Juno (can you believe neither of us had seen it yet?!) Then we ate dinner at our absolute fave Austin restaurant/hangout, THE Kerbey Lane 24-Hour Diner. The next morning we hit up The Drag at The University of Texas campus and shopped the vintage shops and of course, Urban Outfitters. I got a shirt that said "Global Warming is so Uncool" and laughed about it all day. We dined on the most delicious pizza I've ever eaten at the Magic Mushroom Pizzaria there on The Drag for lunch, before heading south again through San Marcos to San Antonio for some R&R at Danielle's good friends Jacob and Hannah's apartment. As much as I adore Austin, it just reminded me of all I'd lost and all I miss and just how much I miss my own personal Austin. I wished he was there so badly.
When we got to San Antonio, we slept a lot. The weather was bad so we watched the entire first season of 30 Rock and I am hooked. I'm totally gay for Tina Fey. On my second lazy day in S.A., Austin called and told me that he found out his discharge date from the Treatment Center; and he'll be getting out April 15. Then he's got to go to Sober Living for at least 2 months. He's found a really nice place in North Austin that he thinks he can get into. So there begins Our New Life...
The next morning we got dressed early and got out to our car and all the cars in the parking lot were covered, and I mean covered, in thick dirt. As we go to driving, we noticed that it seemed like every car in town was as dirty as ours. Turned out there had been a HUGE fire in Mexico and the weather dumped all the ash on San Antonio. It was so bad we actually had to wash it before we even felt comfortable drving it. The car went from yellow to brown, and it was ugly. That's not how we roll. So on we went to The Riverwalk (where the San Antonio River cuts right through downtown) to eat lunch and drink margaritas (what else?) and see The Alamo. Neither one of us had been there in so long, we'd forgotten how truly gorgeous The Riverwalk is. Sadly I have no pics because Danielle needs to get a new memory card for her camera. But will get them up as soon as I have them, no doubt.
After a great meal of Authentic Border Mexican Food, we stuffed ourselves into Danielle's Volkswagen Beetle. Oh did I forget to mention that? We did our roadtrip in a newer model, light yellow VW Beetle. That's just how we roll. Anyway we hopped on Interstate-10 and shot li
ke a rocket east to Houston, because we had tickets that night to see Fergie-Ferg at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I told you we were travelling Texas, didn't I? Anyway, after fighting rush-hour traffic, booking our hotel, dressing, and fighting the goatscrew of trafficular carnage around Reliant Stadium, we missed the entire Rodeo (which was a bummer) but got there just in time to see my girl Fergie! And boy did she put on a hell of a performance, for sure. She covered Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Stones, The Black Eyed Peas, she did most of the songs from The Dutchess, AND even rapped Will.i.am's parts. She rocked the house. Three costume changes and backup dancers and all. She performed like she wanted to be asked back next year, and we had awesome seats to see it (thanks to my old friend Hal from high school, pictured.) I'm totally gay for Fergie now, too. She's the most beautiful chick I've ever seen. my opnion she beat out Gwen Stefani at the No Doubt show I saw in 2002 for hottest rock chick ever.We spent the night in Houston and woke up and had sweet Gulf-Coast Seafood and cocktails before heading back to Lufkin for me, and eventually Dallas for Danielle. It was a bittersweet luncheon because we both knew the end of the trip was nigh and I know I wasn't particularly thrilled to say goodbye to her, knowing the futures and the accute uncertainties of those futures right in front of us. We discussed our impending marriages, and impending pregnancies...it was a revelation for me. We are Adults. We are Women.
Sometime this idea scares the shit out of me because I'm not sure I know how to be the Woman I so desire to be. Not to mention the inevitable Identitiy Crisis that follows such a promotion, as marriage or motherhood most definately qualify. Sigh. Then I look at my finances. On paper my life is in shambles and I have no idea how/if I'm going to be able to come back from all the damage I've done to myself in the false belief that I didn't deserve the things I'd worked for and were capable of. I've destroyed my "life" to the point that I wonder what's the worth at times. I can only hope and pray that life or God himself has something in store for me because I don't know how much longer I can make it alone in this perpetual ghost-town of a home-town, absolutely starved for affection. I eat too much fried food and smoke way too many cigarettes as it is. I need to feel happy to feel healthy.
Feel Me?
