Our Little Family

So we have now been in Austin nearly 2 months. I am, however, still unemployed. Dave has dabbled in a few different positions; mover, line cook and now prep chef. He's working for a company that prepares and delivers veggie boxes, which results in Dave getting to take home excess. I have been holding out for one job in particular for which I have already had 3 interviews, plus given a presentation. It started by them sending me a questionnaire loaded with quirky questions, then 2 phone interviews, followed by 2 hours of interview, presentation and skill tests. I have one more interview, next week, and this I am told is the final step. I'm admittedly getting impatient with the process as I applied for this position within a couple of weeks of arriving in Austin. But they seem like a cool company and I'm hoping my patience is rewarded.

In the meantime much more interesting things have happened. Dave and I went out with a couple of mates and had a great time. We went to our first live, free Austin gig. We found an amazing pizza place set up on a farm and next to a brewery, complete with stage and wooden dance floor ready for the texas two step. We

found some of the best swimming holes in Austin. This was a surprise to both of us. I knew that there were springs all the way through Austin that are protected as the Austin Greenbelt, which is great (although as we can see in England, the greenbelt will eventually make way for urban development). This city has so much to offer, and now that we are down to our last pennies we are denying ourselves the greatest pleasures until we can do so guiltlessly. The picture to the right was taken on one of the highest points in Austin, hence being called Hill Country. There was a woman walking in front of us, up the stairs to the top of this hill. She was decked out in gym wear - not the type you would expect to hear complaining about the 20 steps we had to surmount to get to the top of this hill. I have never heard anyone complain so much about a menial amount of exercise. At least the really fat guy behind us just kept quiet and panted - and fair play to him as he obviously had more dignity than the high maintenance woman in front. Anyway, I shall kick my pedestal aside.

There was one thing we could no longer wait for though. It's something we have been talking about since we arrived in the states. We had always decided against it as our logic always won. But this is the first sign of  growing up for me. We got a cat. A beautiful, loving, playful little guy called Chester. We went to one of the many rescue centers around Austin and nervously walked in. We were both scared - taking on another life is not something Dave or I take lightly. This little bundle will be our responsibility for a long time. Not just his health, but his happiness and comfort. We had arrived on the day that they had started rehoming pets again after a particularly bad virus strain had hit the cattery. It was a sign. We went through lots of cats, and nearly didn't see our man at all. He was in a cage all his own and hadn't been pointed out by the staff. We instantly had a rapport with him. We were told he was 2, but found out later that he 5 or 6.





He was instantly at home with us. He had a look around the flat and then settled down to watch TV with us. Within minutes he was on my lap, purring contentedly. He's cuddly, but also playful. He gets in little moods if he doesn't get his way or if he's made to remove himself from a lap. He is an indoor only kitty - we were told he has FIV, which is a feline version of HIV. He should lead a full, healthy life as long as he doesn't pick up infections or viruses from other cats. I couldn't help but think of him in some alley with other alley cats, needles falling out of his paws as he sat in an opium induced ecstasy. But anyway, that's the crazy cat lady in me.

It has occurred to me that this cat is going to be around for all the next big things in my life. Getting married, having kids, perhaps taking up a space in a trailer with us! While many of my friends are already a few steps further up of the ladder of life, this is my first step onto the rung of responsibility. And you know, this will do for now. Actually, this will do for a while!

I promise to make my next post a little more interesting to other people. I'm working on a piece that's trying to get certain thoughts out of my head. America is a confusing place, and I feel I am particularly vulnerable to a particular kind of confusion. However, the more I read, the more I find out I'm not alone. So my next post will be a little more, or well, a little less...actually, just wait and see.

But in the meantime, I think one more picture of Chester is necessary to push it into the realm of a truly annoying cat post.