One week later.

Well, I've officially been back in Texas(ish) for a week. What's the "ish" for, you ask? The "ish" is because I'm technically in Louisiana right now, which isn't part of Texas. I spent my first two days back at my dad's house in Houston. That was...ummm...thrilling. Right. I needed to get some car stuff taken care of (insurance, registration), so I did that. And it was nice to hang out with my dad for a bit. On Saturday I drove to New Orleans to see the ladyfriend. You know the one. I actually haven't talked much about her on this blog, strangely enough. A quick refresher - she and I had a whirlwind, three week, end-of-summer romance that was supposed to end when she went back to college and I moved away. Well, we kept talking while I was in New York, and over the past six weeks or so, we've actually forged a bit of an actual relationship. Weird. So I went to see her.

Let me say this about New Orleans - it is fuckin' awesome. Everything about it appealed to me. It's got the classic "big Victorian houses, giant magnolia trees" Southern beauty, a progressive, free-thinking, deeply artistic heritage, and a slow, easy-going, come-as-you-are pace. Not to mention an extremely lax alcohol policy. Say you're at a bar and everyone wants to leave but you just ordered another drink. Shit. What to do? Throw it out? Chug it? Throw it across the bar?! Well, here you can just ask the bartender for a to-go cup, and they pour your drink into a plastic cup and let you walk out the front door with it. The first time I did it, I had my eyes locked on the bouncer, just waiting for him to put a hand on my chest and say "where the hell do you think you're going with that?" Nope! I don't know why more cities won't allow this.

Saturday night we bounced around to the "local" bars (Bourbon Street is strictly for tourists, apparently. Is that surprising?). Sunday we went to a beloved local diner that Harry Connick Jr. re-opened after the hurricane then walked around the French Quarter being tourists. The city is a lot more historical than I'd realized. Apparently it was a bustling port city long before the U.S. ever bought it (I'm almost positive this is common knowledge, but I sort of sucked at history and never really paid attention).

Anyway, I'm in Monroe now visiting Mama Knox, and I'll probably head down to Austin on Friday. Today I've been scouring the internets for work. This is easily the most frustrating and discouraging activity any human being can engage in. Where to begin?! Monster? Newspapers? Employment agencies? There are so many options and yet, it still feels like you're stuffing your resume into a bottle and throwing it into the ocean. But I'll find something soon. I think. I hope.