Zen and the Art of Living Out of a Standard Roll Aboard for More Than Two Weeks

The past two weeks have been pretty exciting. I packed up my home in San Francisco and touched five states before landing in Austin. I've also undergone some pretty variable weather, from cool, temperate living in San Francisco, to dry heat in Arizona, to thunderstorms in New Mexico and finally, my favorite, sweltering heat that makes Hades look like Ka'anapali beach with free Evian mister bottles and Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Team fanning all comers with palm fronds.

What is even more amazing, in my opinion, is that I have been able to live out of a standard 9" x 14" x 22" roll aboard suitcase. In this bag, I have strategically packed enough clothing for me to attend orientation, social events, formal events, and networking events, while dressed appropriately for the occasion. I haven't lived like this since I backpacked through Europe for months on end with little more than a backpack full of my closest belongings. The key is to avoid seeing people too many times. Otherwise, will think that either I really love my green short sleeved button up shirt, or that I have nothing else to wear. And then the jig is up.

One thing that I did fail to pack in my beloved suitcase, however, is a standard black belt. I don't know where it is. I don't know where it went. I guess I will just have to break down and go to the store and buy one.

15 days down, 8 more to go.

Settling In

I've been in Austin for about 5 days now, and I still don't believe that I live here. Part of it may have to do with the fact that I am somewhat of a transient and living out of a suitcase. All I need is a guitar, a rucksack and a sign that says "Luckenbach or Bust" and I would truly be the transient.

The other day, I was invited to go out on Lake Travis with a couple of new B-school friends. I was really geared up for a fun afternoon out on the lake, since I really hadn't done much since getting to Austin. Not 10 minutes after we put the boat in the water, some ominous looking clouds started creeping in on us. While standing on the dock, we watched as torrential rain walked its way across the lake, soaking us to the bone. Then came the lightning and thunder. Needless to say, we pulled the boat out of the water immediately. I really didn't want to die from lightning my first week in Austin.

I could really imagine the joy of some waitlisted candidate though.

"Um, is this Mary? Yes, this is the director of admissions for McCombs. We have an opening at our school for you. There was a tragic accident where five of our incoming students were killed because they were idiots sitting in a boat on Lake Travis drinking beer in the middle of a thunderstorm. Congratulations!"

The next couple days, I'm just going to be gearing up to go back to school. Boot Camp starts on Tuesday and I really need to get my mind into thinking mode. To tell the truth, I've been somewhat bored without any work to do. I'm sure that will pass though.

Shake....and Bake...WOOOO!!!

Without giving too much away, Talladega Nights was one of the funnier movies I have seen in quite a while. One of the highlights for me was actually where we watched it. We spent the night in Abilene, TX, a small town in West Texas where my girlfriend lived for about 7 years of her life. Now, I know, West Texas isn't known for Nascar culture, but it does account for a large majority of rednecks, hicks, country bumpkins and about 90% of the pickup trucks in the United States.

We got into the movie theater and it was like a reunion for all the town folk. EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY ELSE. In fact, many of the people, we saw just a couple hours earlier at Joe Allen's BBQ, a great restaurant in Abilene. My girlfriend explained to me that dinner and a movie really was the extent of dates in Abilene. Of course, there are variations on dates, like dinner and the mall, dinner and beers in the back of a pickup truck, or dinner and a drive through Daquiri. (Yes, it does exist.)



OK, gotta pack up and get headed out of here to Austin.

In the words of Ricky Bobby...

"I WANNA GO FAST!"

Left at Albuquerque

We got into Albuquerque pretty late last night after a great time in Sedona and decided to lay low and just grab a quick bite to eat. Much to my chagrin, the only restaurants that seemed to be open in the area were Chili's and Shoney's. I chose the former. We had the bellboy unload the car completely, gave him a hefty tip for carting 37 bags, and went to grab a bite. Then I fell into the most blissful sleep in weeks. I guess the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper/Westin Heavenly Bed had something to do with it.

Today, we had a pretty busy day. After enjoying breakfast in the lounge, we set off to take a look around. The guy at the front desk recommended that we stay in Albuquerque and check out Nob Hill and a couple other neighborhoods. We ignored him and trekked out to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, Bandalier National Monument, and Santa Fe.

First, we went to Tent Rocks, which was pretty cool. The drive in was very interesting to say the least. Directions to this National Monument were sketchy, to say the least. Here is a picture of the road into the National Monument. And here were the directions: Drive through the Cochiti Indian Reservation. Take a right at the big water tank shaped like a drum. Drive on dirt road for about 5 miles. Park your car and enjoy the view. Once you got there, the rock formations were very cool.


After we left the Tent Rocks, we made a stop in Santa Fe to grab some lunch at a great restaurant named Tomasita's. The food was amazing. Afterwards, we walked around the plaza and bought a couple gifts for friends and a couple new pieces for our condo.

We then made the short drive over the the Bandelier National Monument. This place was pretty cool. We saw the dwellings of the Anasazi Indians in Frijole Canyon near Los Alamos. It's amazing to think that an entire group of Native Americans could build their homes in the side of a cliff. The final stretch of the climb went up 140 feet on rickety ladders and stone steps. The alcove at the top was huge and the view was amazing. They even had a huge Kiva built into the stone at 140 feet above the canyon floor. To think that they climbed up and down every day is pretty amazing. I would post some pictures, but what fun would that be? Take a trip to New Mexico and make the climb yourself!

Pink Jeep Tours

We took a jeep tour in Sedona through the red rocks. It was amazing. Sedona really is a beautiful place. Not too hot. Not too cold. And it has an awesome backdrop of red rock spires, plateaus, and mesas. I could sit there and look at it for hours on end.

Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona is a class act. We went out in highly modified Jeeps and took on some pretty awesome terrain. Now, this isn't exactly the Jeep Jamboree, but it does expose people to some beautiful scenery tied together with the capabilities of a properly outfitted 4x4 with a skilled driver. We were going up and down craggy roads that would pose a challenge to those on foot, let alone a modified jeep carrying seven people.

Pink Jeep Tours
P.O. Box 1447
Sedona, AZ 86339
(928) 282-5000
www.pinkjeep.com

Sedona Rouge

We got an amazing rate staying at the Sedona Rouge and our room is beautiful. We have a great king size bed, a wonderful soaking tub and full size body products. My girlfriend noted that quite early on and has already made room in her bag to take them with her.

More to come on Sedona, but this seems like it will turn into a highlight of the trip.