Memory Hole
3.15.2011
Memories are funny things, no?
Returning to Austin for the first time since finishing graduate school, the campus seems unchanged. Sure, there are a few new buildings and the ROTC has replaced the iSchool in the School of Education building, but the tower is still there, the drag is filled with the same sandwich joints and head shops, and the gingerbread pancakes at Kirby Lane are as delicious as ever.
We were here for two busy, hectic, relaxing, and enjoyable years. We explored town and immersed ourselves in new lives, if only for a short time. It’s funny to realize that I’ve now been gone for Austin for almost twice as long as I resided here. Our favorite bars and restaurants are firmly implanted in my brain, but the secondary places where we would meet friends or dine at once or twice? Their names are hazy and are getting easily mixed up. Was Maudies on South Lamar or South 2nd? Was Rudy’s the BBQ joint or the gross all you can eat buffet chain? How the fuck do I get to Salt Lick from MoPAC?
A friend asked if we would consider returning (if a certain someone could get a good job in town, hint hint), and we enthusiastically said yes. But at the same time, it’s very clear that Austin isn’t home anymore and the lack of mental attachment to the places I am visiting is playing tricks on my mind to make me wonder if it ever was.
Returning to Austin for the first time since finishing graduate school, the campus seems unchanged. Sure, there are a few new buildings and the ROTC has replaced the iSchool in the School of Education building, but the tower is still there, the drag is filled with the same sandwich joints and head shops, and the gingerbread pancakes at Kirby Lane are as delicious as ever.
We were here for two busy, hectic, relaxing, and enjoyable years. We explored town and immersed ourselves in new lives, if only for a short time. It’s funny to realize that I’ve now been gone for Austin for almost twice as long as I resided here. Our favorite bars and restaurants are firmly implanted in my brain, but the secondary places where we would meet friends or dine at once or twice? Their names are hazy and are getting easily mixed up. Was Maudies on South Lamar or South 2nd? Was Rudy’s the BBQ joint or the gross all you can eat buffet chain? How the fuck do I get to Salt Lick from MoPAC?
A friend asked if we would consider returning (if a certain someone could get a good job in town, hint hint), and we enthusiastically said yes. But at the same time, it’s very clear that Austin isn’t home anymore and the lack of mental attachment to the places I am visiting is playing tricks on my mind to make me wonder if it ever was.
