Spellbound Keeps Me... Entertained; Homey Home Crib

Late post today, but things have been busy. Last night Jamie made a really good chicken dinner, and I watched Spellbound with both she and Ryan. It was a 2002 documentary about kids who were competing in the 1999 national spelling bee, and it was pretty good. The film did a good job of covering the lives of some extraordinarily intelligent kids who were engaged in an extremely competitive situation, and the film's focus on their lives outside of the contest kept it more interesting than I expected. Thanks to DK and Suzy for recommending it (and loaning it to me).
Well, since I didn't have much time to write for today, I'm going to include something I wrote a while back but never bothered to post....

10 Reasons I Like My House a Lot (A Tribute to 4604 Tejas Trail- "The Hop-a-Long Lounge")

1. Windows- my house has windows in the front and windows in the back, and when I open the blinds, the light sort of shines through. I also love to watch the light and shadows bounce around the rooms as the sunbeams pass through the leafy trees outside and through the wooden blinds.

2. My yard- I don't spend a lot of time doing yard work or sculpting my shrubs, but I like my yard, and it's brought me a surprising amount of happiness. Before I bought my house I was dreading the idea of taking care of a yard, but I've sort of let nature shape it (it gets mowed on on a weekly or biweekly basis, and nature pretty much takes care of the rest), and now it has a quasi natural feel that just seems like home. I planted a few trees this winter through the City of Austin's Neighborwoods program, and I'm just trying to keep those things watered enough to get them through the summer. I like my shaggy, natural yard. (now grow, trees!!)

3. Cassidy- in an apartment, it's really hard to have a dog. Living in a house with a yard has allowed me to have a dog and to keep her much happier than she would have been if cooped up in an apartment. We hang out in the yard together on nice nights, and she listens to me play guitar. Cassidy has been the only audience present during some of my finest performances. Anyway, having a house made it easier to have a dog. And that's a good thing.

4. Neighbors- I have some nice neighbors who are good people, and some of them are great friends. Mandy lives right across the street with Gene and Laurie just a few doors down from her, Kate lives right around the corner, and Mike and Meredith live right next door and seem to be cool with letting my band practice at the house at least once a week (we try not to push it too late). Anyway, the neighbors are good folks. They're friendly, and they seem concerned with the well being of the community. Also, when some entrepeneurs decided to open some kind of brothel on our street a few years back, the neighbors rose up in solidarity to discourage the parade of prostitutes and johns from wandering up and down our street. So we look out for one another a bit.

5. Band Room- It's nice to have a place where I can make music with my friends without (hopefully) pissing anyone off too much. Ever since I moved into my house I've had a dedicated "band room" full of drums, amplifiers, guitars, and other musical equipment. We try not to play very late at night, but the neighbors have always seemed pretty cool about the whole thing. Anyway, I lived in an apartment for many years, and I could never play my instruments very loudly (and drums were pretty much out of the question entirely), so it's great to have a place where I can join my friends in doing something I love.

6. Tile Floors- Much of my house has tile floors. In addition to being easy to clean, I really like the feel of cool tile on my bare feet (especially in summer). My three legged dog slips and slides a bit on the tile, but I've strategically positioned runner rugs around the house to help her out. The tile also provides for some good acoustics when I play my guitar.

7. Friends- The living areas of my house are sort of arranged in sort of open areas (living room next to family room with both opening onto the kitchen), so my house is good for having people over. I've got a backyard with a patio that's good for hanging out on with some cold beverages. In addition to that, it seems like my friends feel really comfortable at my house. I like having a place where my friends enjoy hanging out. From parties to band practices to just hanging out to watch movies, it's nice to have a place that can accomodate a few friends.

8. History- I grew up in houses which were pretty much brand new and that no one had ever lived in before. My current home was built in 1961. I live on a street with big, shady trees that took decades to mature. I like the fact that my house has some history to it, even though I don't know what much of it is (I bought the house from a woman who inherited it from her grandmother. Apparently the grandmother passed away in the house, and I was warned of a possible ghost when I moved in, but so far no sightings. I think this lady doesn't pop up much because she knows that I'm cool with her being there, and because I try to treat her house with respect).

In addition to the pre-Steanso history of the house, I've already got quite a few powerful memories of my own in the place. My good friend Jeff Wilson helped me pick the place out and helped me with all of the purchasing arrangements (he served as my real estate agent). I've got great memories of hanging out there with Jeff, I've got great memories of Crack and Mono E practices, some great party and dinner memories, memories of simply hanging out with good friends, memories of bringing home Cassidy and spending time with her, and memories of a few Thanksgivings and other holidays spent in my house. I've also got a few memories of some really hard times that occurred while I was living in this house (Jeff passing away and Liz passing away leap foremost to mind), but those are still important memories that make up part of who I am, and all of these experiences taken as a whole somehow feel at least partially tied to my house (if I didn't experience all of these events right in the house itself, I was living there when they happened).

9. Part of Austin- Owning my house for some reason makes me feel a little more connected to the city that I live in. My house isn't exactly downtown, but downtown is just a short drive away and really easy to get to. I also feel that to some extent owning a house in this city makes me a little more invested in the things that are going on in the community around me. There's something about apartment or rental life that feels more temporary and transient (the upside of this is can be a certain sense of freedom, but home ownership has the benefit of making you feel a bit more settled). It's mostly just a mental thing, but owning a home has made me feel like I've put down some roots.

Anyway, Ryan and Jamie live a couple of miles down the road to the south, Cousin Sue is in North Austin, and my parents have bought a place out near the lake. I've got friends all over this burg ,and a job which funnels a majority of the mental health defendants in Austin through my caseload. I live a short drive from Barton Springs, the Alamo Drafthouse, and very close to Central Market.

So I feel connected to Austin, I really like Austin, and the house is part of what makes me feel connected to this place.

10. It's just home- Places take on personalities of their own, and the more time you spend with them, the more personality they seem to develop. Good times, bad times, and the places associated with those memories lend a feel to a place. My house feels like a place of refuge and a place where I can just be myself. It's not a mansion, and maybe it's not perfect, but I think it's a nice place, it's comfortable, and at this point it sort of feels like a part of me. Without Jeff Wilson to kick me in the butt and make me go through the home buying process I'm not sure I would have ever purchased my own place, so I'll always be grateful to him for that (and to he and Mandy for taking me in and feeding me several times a week for the first couple of years that I was in my house and helping me to feel settled into my new home).


So that's it! Come on by and drop in on Cassidy and me sometime over on Tejas Trail. We both enjoy visitors, and would like to see your smiling faces.