anniversary

I arrived in Austin 4 years ago today, my car packed with everything I owned (or at least everything I gave a shit about), and my best friend and I wedged into the front seats. We were shell shocked from over-exposure to Texas; we spent a night at Texas A&M and went to a football game on our way into Austin. Kristen was afraid to leave me here.

Other than birthdays, i don't usually note dates as being significant. So I am not sure why this one is the exception.

This is the most amount of time I’ve spent in one place since I left Hillsborough. The wandering spirit visits me often, yet I continue to stay here. There is something comfortable about knowing a city this well, and with having a friend and acquaintance network. It’s taken a long time to get here and my life has gone through a couple of significant transformations since October 2000. There is something charming about Austin, even though I can easily list all its flaws and look forward to living somewhere new. It’s more home than Connecticut, which I hated, or DC, which I passed in and out of every couple of months in college, ever were.

So I guess today marks the passing of time in a way that feels more deliberate than my birthday. After all, I choose to move here, make friends, get a dog and a job, buy a condo, etc. I know my Austin anniversaries are limited. Hell, we might be broken up by next year, but in the meanwhile, I’ll keep it marked on my Significant Date calendar. And use it as an excuse to have a celebratory cocktail.