Something Old, Something New..Getting by in Austin

Hi, everyone. As you can see, this blog hasn't been updated in quite a long time. Well, life happens! And it's continuing at a new blog I'm writing with my husband, Jamie, whom you have met in previous posts here. So come on over to the new blog. There's tons going on!

http://soddingtypical.blogspot.com/

There's news on Jeff and Wendy....Jeff's married and started two crime newspapers. Check the paper out at http://www.muglymedia.com/

And Jamie and I have started a record label featuring Mr Bear's fabulous techno and ambient styles. http://www.bigphilrecords.com/ I'll have a page on the website for my artwork and photography--that's coming soon.

Come visit and drop us a line.....

Slow and Steady Wins the Race...Unless You Are Racing Lance Armstrong

Once upon a time there was a little librarian who moved to Austin,Texas, for a research job. The job fell through within weeks of her arrival, right before Christmas, and she scratched her head wondering what to do next. She soon discovered that the town was crawling with people with fancy library degrees and they were all competing for the same jobs. She couldn't even get a job putting away books. A friend suggested she see about collecting unemployment. She did and ended up drawing the dole for seven months and using up nearly all her savings.

When her unemployment benefits finally ran out, she scratched her head wondering what to do next. The next week, Congress passed emergency legislation extending benefits additional weeks. She filed her form and was kept afloat.

After being in Texas ten months, she was hired by Dell Children's Medical Center to check out movies and make health displays and add a bit of color and fun to the resource center and family library. She had been interviewed for an inter-library loan processing position with the University of Texas and was waiting to hear for their decision when she got the call from Dell Children's. Not wanting to chance losing a definite hire, she called UT and had them remove her name from the pool of applicants. Dell Children's was a nice part-time job with benefits but it didn't cover her bills so she kept applying for other jobs to supplement her income.

One day in the late fall, she received an email for an interview at a library in west Austin. The job was a Saturday circulation clerk position. She went for the interview at the posh library but ended up not getting the job. She scratched her head wondering what to do next.

She kept applying for jobs, library and otherwise.

She had two interviews at the nicest branch of Austin Public library but got none of the positions for which she interviewed. Infact, the second interview turned nearly hostile when the librarian doing the interview realized that the little librarian was currently working hours that would directly conflict with the position she was offering. Evidently the human resources people who had set up the interview had not made note that the little librarian was endeavoring to work the two jobs in tandem should she get the position. The little librarian was literally rushed out the door like yesterday's garbage, which was very unsettling. She scratched her head wondering what to do next.

She kept applying for jobs, library and otherwise.

In late November, with her English sweetheart waiting in the car, she went for an interview at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary for a morning library assistant position. It was a perfect match with her schedule at the hospital and only a quick drive from her home. The interview went well and she left as hopeful as one can be after a job interview when there are more applicants to be interviewed behind you. She waited all December, and just before Christmas received a letter saying the decision was not going to be made until after the holiday break.

The new year arrived, and with it came four UT School of Information graduate students doing capstone projects through the library at Dell Children's. The little librarian was a bit self-conscious around these young women who were close to possessing their big girl library degrees. They were the very sort she was competing with in the job market. But they were lovely ladies and the little librarian quite enjoyed getting to know them over the coming months.

In mid-January, a letter arrived from the Seminary. Due to budget cuts they were not going to fill the library assistant position. The little librarian scratched her head and wondered what to do next.

She kept applying for jobs, library and otherwise.

During one of her evening shifts at the hospital, the little librarian was chatting with the very pleasant Ann, one of the graduate students. Ann had a student job at the Center for American History at UT doing archives work. She had done some reference work for author Judy Blume that morning and was talking about the different sort of jobs she was working during her final semester. She mentioned that she also had a student job at the Presbyterian Seminary in their library. The little librarian laughed and said she had applied for a job there but the position was cut. Ann said yes, she knew that. She had told the director she was working at the hospital and the director told her she had interviewed the little librarian. She went on to say that the director was saddened by the cut because they had really wanted to hire her.

The little librarian screamed when she got home then scratched her head and wondered what to do next.

She kept applying for jobs, library and otherwise.

On Super Bowl Sunday, she returned from her shift at the hospital to find a message on her phone from the director of the Lake Travis Library in Lakeway, a suburb of far northwest Austin. She returned the call and chatted with the director, who sounded as though she might have been celebrating a Super Bowl win a little early. The director said she had enjoyed the little librarian's cover letter very much but wondered why she was applying for a library assistant job when her hospital hours were in direct conflict. The librarian pointed out that the hours for the job had not been listed in the ad. The director agreed they had not and wasn't that a bit stupid. After asking how much the librarian made at the hospital, the director said with no shortage of panache, "Well we couldn't have paid you what you are worth anyway, dear." A week later, a letter arrived from the Lake Travis library saying the position had been filled and thanking the her most sincerely for applying for the position. The little librarian scratched her head and wondered what to do next.

She packed her now English fiance back off to England in mid-February to wait for US Immigration to return him to her, and she applied for more jobs, library and otherwise.

Out of the blue on February 26, the little librarian received an email from the HR person for the library in west Austin where she had interviewed back in the fall. They were opening a branch library in the coming summer and would have a circulation manager position available in the new location. She had remembered the little librarian from the fall interview and encouraged her to apply for the position when it was officially posted if she was still looking for work. The little librarian wrote back that yes, she was still seeking work and asked if the hours for the new position would work with her schedule at the hospital, as the manager position was not offering benefits and she needed to keep what she had if at all possible. The HR person said the position was still in development and thus still quite fluid. She said she would send the official posting once it was ready and strongly suggested the little librarian send in her resume at the proper time. The little librarian thanked her then she scratched her head and wondered what to do next.

She kept applying for jobs, library and otherwise.

On the last day of February, she sent an email for a posting on Craigslist looking for a groundskeeper at a marina on the lake in west Austin. A few days later she heard back that the owner had hired someone, but he asked if he could keep her name and number incase things didn't work out. She said yes. Two weeks later he contacted her again, asking if she possibly did cleaning work. He had a rental house across from the marina. His tenant had bailed out, owing two months rent and leaving behind a bunch of stuff. He was looking for help giving the house a thorough cleaning and sorting through the junk that was left.

The little librarian thought it over and asked to meet the man and see the house before she committed. He happily agreed, and they met and walked through the house while the librarian's security unit waited vigilantly in the black Suburban. The house was huge but not filthy dirty. It just needed a good going over. She agreed to the job and would work mornings at the lake, dash home for lunch and a shower, kiss her fiance on Instant Messenger, and then dash to the hospital.

During that first meeting, the little librarian thought there was something familiar about the owner. She knew he reminded her of a library patron back in Maine. As they chatted, he mentioned that his family had recently been at Dell Children's as his daughter had taken ill with pneumonia and had been hospitalized. When he said that, the little librarian had a flash of seeing him in the lobby of the hospital and thinking that he reminded her of a patron back in Maine. Then she recalled waiting on him in the resource center. Big city, small world.

As the conversation moved to libraries, he mentioned that Westlake had a great library there in west Austin. The little librarian laughed and said she knew. She had interviewed for a Saturday job at that library but had not gotten the position. She did not mention the job opening at the new branch as she had not received any further notice about applying at that time. He said his family loved the library and used it often now that the kids were starting to read.

Weeks went by and the little librarian travelled back and forth from the lake to the hospital, scrubbing walls and floors and bathrooms in the morning and answering all sorts of library questions in the afternoon and evening. She saw an ad for the position of Library Director at the library in far northwest Austin. She chuckled, thinking about her conversation with the woman who was now leaving that job. The position did not require a master's degree but did require an undergrad degree in library science. The little librarian considered contacting the library to see if experience could be factored in in place of the undergrad degree, but in the end, she did not make the call. She was too busy working two jobs. There was no time for scratching her head.

More weeks went by. The hospital gave the little librarian four more hours a week until the end of the current budget as they had grant money to be used up. There was talk of adding an additional four to that for the upcoming budget, but those hours would be dependent on grant money as well. There was no guarantee the hours would hold through the next fiscal year.

At the lake, the kindly owner kept finding more and more things for the little librarian to do. He decided he would turn the house into a vacation rental and began pulling family artifacts out of storage and ordering things left and right on eBay. The little librarian kept up with washing dusty furniture and old plates, unpacking boxes of grandma's glassware and trying not to drop things when giant beetles emerged from the bottoms of decrepit boxes. Sometimes she was at the marina. Once she even washed the owner's pickup, secretly referring to it with a giggle as one of the polo ponies. Being always a reference librarian, though an unlicensed one of course, the little librarian did some research on her employer. She found a lovely story about his family and the marina/ beach they created. http://www.westlakebeach.com/visitwlb/history-20040507.htm

As promised, the nice HR lady emailed the job posting and application for the library in west Austin, which was not far from the lake house. The little librarian filled it out and sent it off with a cover letter explaining her hours at the hospital and her desire to to work the jobs in tandem if possible.

Arriving at the hospital one afternoon, the library was abuzz with news that one of the graduate students had been hired for the directorship of the library in northwest Austin. She didn't even have her MLS in hand yet and was already a library director. There were congratulations and longful looks all around. A few days later, another of the grad students passed along a posting to the little librarian for a librarian position in Blanco, a town about 75 minutes southwest of Austin. The job did not offer any benefits but had a decent pay and was not requiring an advanced degree or even an undergrad degree in library science. What they did want was library experience in a public library setting. The little librarian sent off a candid and funny letter of interest along with her resume. She figured she had nothing to lose at this point.

In mid-May, the library in west Austin checked references. They reached Jeff just as his mouth was numbing up for dental surgery. Satisfied with the references, they called to set up an interview. The little librarian mentioned this to her boss at the lake and he asked if she would like him to write a letter of recommendation. She was delighted to accept. He had only known her since March, but he had been pleased with her work and was happy to share his observations about her with the library director and her staff.

Friday the 15th, the little librarian toddled off to Westbank, letter in hand, hopeful that her hours at the hospital would not be a problem but fearing that they would be. Surely there were many people interviewing for the position with far less complicated schedules. Her bosses at the hospital were leaving that day, all in a row, on trips to Hawaii and Venezuela and Boston for conferences. She would be running the resource center for several days and hoping for the best.

The interview was relaxed and lively. The director had not been at the interview for the Saturday job, nor had the assistant director. Only the nice HR lady, Barbette, was a familiar face. Things were going along very well until the hours for the position were presented. The little librarian's heart sank. There was almost total overlap with her hours at the hospital. She explained that it would make no sense to give up the hospital for about the same hours, less pay and no benefits, especially when she was about to take on a husband who would not be allowed to work for several months after they got married because of immigration restrictions and further paperwork.

There was a communal sigh in the room.

The director asked what hours the little librarian had hoped to work. Upon hearing the envisioned mornings in Westbank and afternoons/evenings at Dell scenario, the director said that would be very tough for her to do, as there were three other circulation managers already in place. Then she looked at the little librarian and asked, "If I up the hours to 30 and offer medical benefits, would you consider leaving Dell?"

The little librarian was caught completely off guard. So were the other two staff members it seemed. She took a deep breath and said yes, she would consider leaving Dell.

Shortly after, as the interview was ending, the little librarian handed the director the letter from her boss at the lake, mentioning that she was working for one of the library's patrons. The director chuckled as she read the letter, telling the two staff members that it was from David Depwe. She read a portion of the letter aloud then tucked it back in the envelope saying, "Oh, I've known David a long time. He was one of our trustees for a number of years." The little librarian was caught off guard once again. "He didn't tell me that," she replied.

There were a few more people to interview and a choice would be made by the end of the next week. Going out to the borrowed Jeep in the parkinglot, the little librarian scratched her head and wondered what to do next. She decided to just go home and lie down.

Back at the apartment, the little librarian realized she had forgotten to turn her Texas cell phone back on, having diligently silenced it before the interview. This was the phone she used mostly for calling England and for putting on resumes and applications as it had an Austin number. People other than the lovely Englishman rarely called or left messages.

"Oh puppy," she said sarcastically to the stuffed dog on her pillow. "I'm sure there are just tons of messages waiting for me." She was rather surprised when the phone chirped that there was a voicemail waiting. She was extremely surprised to hear it was from the head of the selection committee at the Blanco library, calling to set up an interview. Talk about timing. The little librarian rang the gentleman back and they decided she would be part of a series of interviews on Memorial Day. The committee was thoughtfully gathering on the holiday, figuring that most folks would have the Monday off and thus not have to take time from work to make the drive to Blanco, it being a far piece from just about everywhere. The little librarian thanked the gentleman for his kindness, and hanging up the phone, scratched her head, wondering what to do next.

She treated herself to some Central Market sushi.

The following Tuesday, as the little librarian was pulling into the hospital parking lot, 15 minutes late for her shift, her phone rang. It was the Westbank library calling to offer her the circulation manager position--30 hours a week and benefits. She nearly cried right in the middle of an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Parking Only spot. She accepted the job standing under the Texas flag that was flying straight out in the breeze.

Once inside the hospital, there were no bosses to tell. They were scattered across the continent and two hemispheres. The little librarian had a few days to figure out how to break the news that she was leaving. She emailed the Blanco library to withdraw her application and received a lovely congratulations note in response. She learned that the graduate student who had given her the Blanco tip had been hired by a library in Rockford, Illinois, where her husband had landed a paid internship and full scholarship for a master's program in public administration.

When the bosses returned from their respective conferences, they took the job news very well. Resource center volunteers magically appeared, one new and one a long-lost returnee, to fill in the evening shifts the little librarian was leaving until new staff is hired in July. Infact, it works out that the little librarian will get to travel down to the coast and stay at a friend's house on her own for a few days before beginning the next chapter of her bibliotastic life in mid June. Until then, she continues to work at the lake in the mornings and the hospital in the afternoon/evenings, washing up dishes and furniture and helping sick kids and their tired families.

Life is like a book...you don't know what happens next until you turn the page.

The Bear Chronicles

The Bear Chronicles



Happy New Year everyone! I thought I’d begin 2009 (well, a month and a half in) by introducing you to Jamie Pearson. He’s a lovely lad is our Jamie and we’ve had a jolly good time since he arrived for a visit a few days before Thanksgiving. Jeff and I picked him up at the airport very late on November on 24th after his all day journey from London. His trip actually began on the 23rd when he left Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, in a snow storm, for a multi-train ride south to London.

Jamie was born in Leeds but spent most of his youth in the town of Thirsk. Thirsk might not be a place you have heard of but if you are a fan of the fictionalized British veterinarian, James Herriot, and his town of Darrowby, then you know Thirsk better than you realize. The actual James Herriot was a man named Alf Wight and his vet practice was located in Thirsk. I grew up watching “All Creatures Great and Small” and unfairly judged every veterinarian I had contact with against James Herriot…poor things. So when Jamie and I began chatting online after becoming friends on myspace.com, I was tickled pink to know he was from Herriot country. The big surprise came when he told me he and his grandparents had, for a time, lived over the surgery of Alf Wight in Thirsk. They were there during some of the filming of the series and they had their share of interactions with fans of James Herriot who travelled from all over the globe on pilgrimages to Thirsk. I peppered poor Jamie with endless questions about Yorkshire in the early days of our friendship and bless him, he was patient and answered every one.

As if it wasn’t enough that our Mr. Pearson was a bit of a celebrity with the whole Herriot thing, it turned out he was a musician as well. He began playing keys in high school and soon after bass guitar as well. He also plays acoustic guitar, mandolin, sitar and just about anything he can get his hands on. He spent a number of years in punk bands and ska bands. He likes to juggle and he’s a wiz with a yo-yo. I know…quite a combination of talents is our Mr. P.

Along with the traditional modes of creating music, Jamie is also an electronic artist, composing with his computer and various sorts of turny buttons. He is a laptop dj of remixes and ambient works and I can’t begin to describe what it all sounds like. Much better that you visit his site at Reverb Nation……www.reverbnation.com/mrbear….and hear it for yourself. He’ll have to tell you the story of how he got the name Mr. Bear!

And did I mention that he and his ex had their own pub for a spell and that he has also spent time running a fish and chips shop with his grandparents? It’s true. Jamie is quite possibly as quintessentially a Brit as you are ever going to run across. Any rumors you’ve heard about wretched English cooking will fly right out the window if you’re lucky enough to have this bloke cook for you. Let me tell you about his turkey curry!

Jamie and I were penpals for a couple of years before I decided to take a trip to England to meet him in person. He met me at Heathrow a few weeks before I came to Austin. We went north to Yorkshire and I stayed with him and his grandparents in Northallerton. We had such a great time that I went back again in late June of this year when Jeff gave me the gift of the airfare. Jamie and the grands met me at a small airport not far from Northallerton. We had breakfast together after my 24 hour trip from Texas and then much to my surprise and delight, Jamie put a train ticket to Edinburgh, Scotland, into my hand and off we went further north to a place we both love. I had visited the city when I was in college in Winchester and Jamie had lived there for a spell. We had another great week together then I trekked it back to the Lone Star state with promises that he would come to Austin.


So after a VERY long November 24th for both of us, he was greeted at the Austin airport by me and Jeff in his sombrero with his big sign to make it easy to spot us in the crowd. The plane was late landing and Jeff was the source of many giggles and curious looks as we waited for our arrival. We zoomed off into the dark in the war wagon with rap music peeling the paint off the truck from the inside out. Welcome to Austin!

Jamie has done incredibly well taking in the weirdness that is life in Austin with Crazy Jeff and the library assistant at Dell Children’s. He’s been out doing night photography on the cliffs near the Pennybacker Bridge with Jeff. He’s been to a massive fire at an apartment complex in Round Rock at midnight when we delivered photo gear to the boss after a “do you know what bloody time it is!” response to his phone call. He’s performed at several open mic nights as well as providing guitar and mandolin music for an open house we had here at the library. People love his accent but keep thinking he says his name is Jeremy! If they don’t get Jamie on the third try he just relents and says “Yes, that’s right…it’s Jeremy.” See….patient. Oh my goodness how I laugh!
(The artwork for the album cover is one of Jeff's paintings and now you can download individual mp3 tracks at Amazon.com! You can buy the album there too!)

We had rather a mixed up Thanksgiving that ended up with Italian meatloaf from my bocce repertoire but we nailed Christmas with fabulous turkey and lots of fixings, including chipolatas, a standard with a British Christmas dinner, which are small sausages wrapped with bacon and roasted…..oh my. Jamie used breakfast sausages he cut in half and then wrapped with bacon. Meat covered meat…why didn’t I think of this earlier. Fantastic! Go ahead…you know you want to make them now. Do it then come back and read the final few paragraphs on a full stomach.

We had a fun-filled Christmas. I borrowed a little silver tree to put our presents around…it was too small to put much under but a few things fit. We had a string of colored lights and a gorgeous wreath David had sent down from Pownal. After breakfast and getting the turkey ready we took turns opening cards and gifts. Despite the relatively small size of the packages, each one Jamie picked up he looked at knowingly and said, “I bet it’s an LP.” Meanwhile, having asked repeatedly for a pony for every major holiday and Wednesday for the past several years, I approached every gift with “I bet it’s a pony.”

When we got to the last of the gifts we were exchanging, I found myself with a little box that said OPEN LAST on the tag. I shook it and listened then looked at Jamie and said, “I bet it’s a pony.” And I fully expected to find a little plastic pony inside. So imagine my surprise when as I started to open the box, Mr. Pearson pointed out that he was down on one knee and as I looked confusedly between him and the silver & peridot ring that was nestled in the cotton of the little gold box, he said, “Wren, will you marry me?” Well that pretty much put a wrap on Christmas except for the chipolatas…..

So there you have it. Jamie Neil Pearson in a nutshell. I’m well chuffed about him.
Now before you start asking questions, no there is no date set. Infact, as I'm writing this Jamie is actually back in England. His tourist visa expired last week so we had a teary good-bye on the 21st and it will be months before we're breathing the same air again. We have to file forms with Homeland Security and Immigration to be granted a fiance visa so he can come back and we can tie the knot. This will be the next great adventure...sigh. Thus we are together but apart. Thank goodness for phones and instant messaging is all I can say.

Well there you have it. I think the only person happier than me about all this is my mother!!

Big loves to every one and I hope those of you buried under all that snow up home get dug out soon.

Another Year Done

Hi, Everyone, and welcome to Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas! Since I haven't checked in since I started working at the Family Resource Center at DCMC, I thought I would show you a few photos of where I spend part of my days right now.

Dell Children's is a new breed of children's hospital so I am told. It runs on the tenets of Family Centered Care which means we treat not only the patient but the entire family when someone walks through our doors. Evidently the mindset is considered revolutionary, which is so often the case when someone finally puts into effect common sense things we've all known for a long time. Parents are allowed to stay in their children's rooms for the duration of their stay. Each room has a fold out bed, big closet and full bath. Each floor has a family lounge with a stove, microwave, refrigerator and more. There are no "visiting hours"..parents have access to their kids at all times and family is always welcome outside the times of appointments with doctors and specialists and tests.

Moving kids around the hospital is innovative as well. For those too small for wheelchairs, there are big, plastic wagons. Kids travel through the hospital with their blankets and pillows and toys and often medical equipment in tow. It's a riot. And for patients undergoing certain types of physical therapy, there are big tricycles and other types of bikes that go zooming through the halls, often followed by a nurse at a brisk trot. At times it's easy to forget you are in a hospital. There is the smell of freshly popped popcorn coming from the gifts shop, the aroma of cappucino from the coffee shop, visitors arriving with sparkly bags full of get well gifts.

But the often carnival-like atmosphere never quite covers the fact that this is a hospital full of sick kids. From spina bifida to cancer, pediatric AIDS to burn victims, heart patients to organ transplant recipients, Dell Children's serves any child that is ill. This is a Catholic hospital and its mission is to help those who are in need. Families come to DCMC knowing they will not be turned away if they cannot pay. Some days at the library are truly humbling. My work consists of checking out dvds for famlies to watch in their room, helping with internet searches on our public computers and generally coming up with displays and handouts to keep folks entertained and informed while they are with us. It's a super little job, only 3 miles from where I live. I work part-time and am still looking for another job to go with this to make ends meet. But it's a good place with nice people. I'm lucky to have found it! I hope that anyone who has friends or family in a children's hospital finds themselves in one as great as Dell Children's.

Jeff and Wendy are doing well. Wendy is recovering from her massive surgeries. All her "catitude" is back in spades and she's as much of a monkey as ever. She's walking and has figured out how to jump up onto the couch again. You can tell she wants to do much more but she is still quite weak in the hind quarters. The surgeon was very pleased with her at her last check up. It's just going to take time. She will always walk with the slippery hips of a runway model but she's just happy to be up and about.

Jeff has finished his trip on the Lower Colorado River and is now exploring sea kayaking. He and Wendy are down at Jeff's dad's place in Rockport quite a bit enjoying the fishing and the quiet of this coastal town. Jeff had a number of acting jobs while close to home for Wendy's recovery. He's working on being the "go to" guy for when a director swings into Austin and needs a tattooed, bad ass biker/gangster for his film. It's a big stretch for Jeff but he's not afraid to grow for his art.....ha! What I like is when he comes home from a day of being a creepy thug on Friday Night Lights, kisses his cat and makes us risotto while we watch Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares." Makes me giggle every time.

I've been doing some painting when the mood hits me. I've sent a dozen garden fish north for Dave's family's Holiday Sale this weekend (Nov 22 & 23). I haven't done any of those in a while so if you'd like one all the way from Austin, pop on over to the sale in Pownal. They are $10 and come attached to a thick stake. They look great in the garden...or in snow banks!! As in the past, at the sale there will be Connie's beautiful wreaths and gigantic pies and Dave's exquisite wooden spoons and cutting boards, plus tons of other stuff. It's odd to be here watching the pecans dropping from the trees and listening to the wild parrots when I know that the north smells of fir boughs and bushels of apples and winter squash in unheated garages and cellars. I was at Central Market, choosing fresh green beans from the big bin and the smell of garden and earth was so poignant and reminiscent that I started to cry. Funny how scents can immediately transport you places. I do miss having a garden here, rooting around in the soil like a little grub.

Just in time to share the holidays with me, my dear Jamie will be arriving from Yorkshire this coming Monday, the 24th. Jeff and I will pick him up at the airport with his bass guitar, magical laptop and the grand pianobong in tow. There's going to be lots of music and high spirits on Guadalupe Street in the weeks ahead to be sure. Check out some of his recent music at www.reverbnation.com/mrbear Infact run, don't walk, to that site and listen to his beachboys vs faith no more vs kraftwerk...oh it's a rocker!

Well, it's bedtime here so let me wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and joyous holidays. Today marks my one-year anniversary here in Austin. I've seen and done so many new things in the past twelve months. Time flies when you're having crazy!

Big loves from the Lone Star State........xoxo wren

There and Back Again

Now you may very well ask yourselves "what has she gotten up to down there?" when you hear Chet Baker cool jazz flowing out of the CD player and then spy that bottle of Falanghina wine open on the counter. Well the fact is, I'm celebrating because on September 15th I will start work as the new library assistant at Dell Children's Medical Center's Family Resources Library. http://www.dellchildrens.net/patient_and_family_resources/family_resource_center/

I got the happy call while I was in a library of all places. Naughty me with my phone on. I quickly set down my copy of Texas Cowboys and my two DVD choices and rushed outside to chat with my new boss, much to the dismay of the gentleman in the beret who sits on the bench near the entrance and uses his computer. The job is part-time, 20 hours a week, but has benefits, all of which I will find out next week when I go fill out Human Resources forms and pee in a little cup. I don't recall the drug testing when I got hired at the library in Freeport fifteen years ago but perhaps I've just blocked it out of my mind....

I'll need to find another job to go with this one but still, oh what a relief to be moving ahead. The hospital is beautiful. It's a new facility and still has that new hospital smell. There is artwork everywhere. I believe there are four, maybe more, courtyard meditation gardens. I haven't had a tour of the whole place yet but what I've seen is lovely. And as I was leaving after my second interview two weeks ago, a therapy dog was signing in for duty just across from the library. When I saw her, I knew I would really like to work at this place. Lucky for me, I get to do just that!

So, in a word.....phew!

In other news, oh we've had a lot going on here at Casa de Loco. Jeff is prepping for the solo kayak trip down the Lower Colorado. From Austin to Matagorda Bay is nearly 300 miles, most of it extremely remote. He made the final payment on the big kayak and brought it home last Thursday. It's a 14' rascal and we've spent a few evenings going through some of Jeff's military gear as he decides what to pack. His departure date depends on water levels and weather patterns but the window is any time after the 15th of this month really. We're still working on sponsors for the journey and plans for fundraising.

We've also got Jeff's career as a rapper underway. He's now recorded two tunes he's written and has several more in various stages of production. You can have a listen here: www.myspace.com/512crazyjeff Both tunes need to be professionally mastered but you'll get the idea. Be forewarned, the language is a bit rough. The tune Don't Give a Damn is a powerhouse though. And I'm even on the recording!

Oh, and as if Jeff isn't keeping busy enough, he's had more acting work since I last wrote to y'all. He's even had his first paying gig..though come to think of it, I don't think he's been paid yet. Hmmm... But here's the funny part about this gig. It is a Public Service Announcement about internet safety and it was produced by (drum roll please) The US Department of Justice! Oh I thought I'd bust a gut laughing when he told me AND that he played a gang member. Art imitating life? I believe it's going to be a nationally released PSA so if you happen to see one about internet safety, look at the gang member who welcomes a young kid after his father effectively hands him over by not monitoring his child's use of the internet. The dude with the black bandana is my boss. You'll also notice a really really really tall gang member. That is Mr. Incredible, also known as Justyn Credible..as in just-incredible. That dude is 6'8 and so funny. He's a rapper and a delight to hang out with.

There's tons more that's gone on that I can't recall here at 11:30 on a Wednesday night but it's all pretty much good. In the category of "Only in Austin", I left for a walk last weekend only to find two Jehovah's Witnesses, or some door to door religious envoys, had cornered several of the deaf tenants here in the complex and were spreading their word in sign language. The looks on the faces of the three deaf guys, that sort of "why did i answer the door?" look, put me almost in stitches. Now bear in mind, the two guys below me are always getting up to something a bit suspect but it did come as a surprise to hear why there were two squad cars parked in our lot last week.

Evidently, the deaf lady who lived here was quite good at reading lips and she would take the time to help my neighbors in situations they were not quite understanding because of communication problems of one sort or another. This was, however, part of a larger plan it seem. I know precious little about drug use but I was pretty sure I had seen the lot downstairs huddled around a crack pipe when I came home one afternoon. Plus it's no secret that dope dealers are making deliveries here daily. Those friendly people driving up to those friendly apartment dwellers who for some reason are mysteriously hanging out by cars they don't own for a few minutes, well none of them are friends stopping for a little chat. As Jeff said, when he first took me to the east side: Sharon, those people are not really waiting for the bus.

So it turns out that our deaf lady was providing the fellas downstairs with methadone and while the boys were high or passed out, she was stealing money from them when their disability checks arrived! I'm telling you, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Heaven only knows who alerted the cops but that's the story. When I noticed the two squad cars in the lot, I called Jeff and asked him if he was alone....ha ha ha.

Well, that's enough story telling for tonight I reckon. I've been in Austin over nine months now and a day doesn't pass that I don't learn something new or re-learn a lesson I thought I had aced. My visit to Maine at the beginning of August was a strange one. It was nice to see the folks I got to see and it was good to be out of the infernal heat of Texas summer. But it became quite clear to me that while you can go back to where you are from, it's true that you really can't go home again. Maine is where I am from...Texas is where I am...and who knows where I'm bound.

Hope this missive finds everyone savoring the onset of autumn, my most favorite of seasons. Be well. Be happy. Treasure what you have and be thankful. Our blessing are many.

Much love from Guadalupe Street.

xoxo wren

ps. stay tuned for stories about these photos