O hi, Asia!

Austin’s so weird – I love it! Where else would you find this guy:

His website reveals that he used to be a pro tennis player and plays in a band called Mud Doctors. (So… he’s a lawyer and a doctor.)

Long Hair. Chelsea took Evelyn and me to Sweet Ritual, a vegan ice cream place which was delicious. The entire place was homey with interesting things on the wall, like the eyeball you see here. Another customer had the longest hair I’d seen in my life – it swept around her ankles! She actually has a long-hair blog you can glance at here.

Smart Child. I wish I’d had my camera with me the night I went to Torchys for a dinner burrito. I met the most charming 9-year old, Nevaeh and her mom. She excitedly told me about her blog, but I see she hasn’t posted anything in several months. If you’re inclined, hop over there and give her a nudge. She had many things to say and I’d love for some of them to appear on her blog!

The Wedding. I had the perfect timing and good fortune to get to go to my sister’s best friend’s wedding! Weather was great and Zilker Park was a great location. A short-but-telling conversation I had:

The Conversation. Someone asked me where I live, so I said “Austin”. After all, it’s true. I figure I’m “living” where I’m sleeping these days. “How long have you lived here?” came the follow-up question. My sister and I kind of laughed.

me: About a week.

“Where were you living before?”

me: Asia for a few months. Ohio before that.

“Are you going to stay here?”

me: Probably not. I’m going to Colorado Sunday.

“For work?”

me: No, for snowboarding.

“Do you have a job?”

me: Not at the moment.

“Well how old are you – have you thought about going to grad school?”

me: No. What would I go to grad school for?

This person clearly couldn’t wrap his head around someone who wasn’t working or living anyplace in particular, and yet not in a frantic state to find something. Why does “not working” have to be a bad thing? Aussies, Kiwis and Europeans often take a gap year; time off work to relax and travel. Why don’t more Americans do it?

I think saving is quite feasible, as long as you’re making over $25k a year or so. When I lived in Ohio, I lived off 1,000-1,500 a month. (Someone making $25k a year would bring home about $1,500 a month.) Because I choose to not spend my entire salary as it comes in, I have funds to take a break or a vacation if I want to. Of course, I’ll have to work at some point; I don’t have a money tree stashed somewhere. When I’m working I only live off about half the money I make. The rest I save.

It’s clearly too foreign a concept to casually introduce during small talk at a wedding. Why do you think it’s such a strange idea to not be working all the time, and so common to spend money on things other than time off?

Pictorial highlights from the wedding:

More friends. Finally, here’s Chelsea with her soul mate, Roxy. And here’s my old friend, Anna and me. We’re the same age and she has 5 kids! (That she had herself!)