History Of Home Part 7

I decided to get real. I wanted to move to the Eastside, ride my bike, go to coffee shops and cook at home. I could not believe how lucky I was to find a room for rent in a house I had recently got to a party at--hard wood and tiles, a garden, bright Mexican decorations and an amazing kitchen. I didn't know the girls who lived there other than that they were a bit older and activists. I met them in a "roommate interview" and we really hit it off. Andrea was in law school and getting a masters in Latin American studies, and Julie was in school to become an art teacher. They were both vegetarians (big plus!) and talked about cooking together and gardening etc. It was perfect. They interviewed a bunch of girls and it eventually boiled down to me and this girl Mariette. I'm positive they would have chosen her but she was only looking for a 6 month lease before her fiancee moved to town. So I was the lucky winner of the roommate contest! I moved into the front room and shared a bathroom with Julie. Rent was $550 and well worth it. Mariette became a perma-friend and the best dinner party guest imaginable. She moved in a few blocks away.

New Years Eve: Kristen, Josh, Brian, Meg, Keith

Julie probably making BBQ tofu

Andrea on talent night

Board games with our house guests from New York, Ish and Cory. 

After the storm. 

*The first night I slept there I heard giggles from Julie's room and in the morning I peered out the window to see a cute boy in a red hoodie walking away. It was Ryan! And they just got married last week.

So Dancy house it was. One of the first things I did in the house was participate in Seder dinner. Andrea's mom had helped her prepare all the traditional dishes only vegetarian, and we read the literature  with a feminist twist. We had a chore chart on the fridge that we didn't really follow. We kept track of what groceries we bought and split the totals. I was sort of the "kid" in the family who never seemed to cook but ate at our family dinners and then did the dishes. Those girls took great care of me. In return I would encourage debauchery.  I convinced Andrea to drink the bottle of Absinthe she was saving for a special occasion. We turned down the lights, turned up the industrial music, put on wigs and leather corsets, and had ourselves one very interesting night. We had game nights. We had talent night where our friends read excerpts from books, sang songs and showed off their French. I joined a band and we practiced in the garage.  I met so many wonderful people and definitely matured.

After a year I had quit my cushy advertising job and moved into the garage. I asked Andrea if I could pay $350 if I cleaned it out and made it livable. (David Israel had lived there previously but it was not cozy.) So I eventually got it clean and built a room out of it. Wes Johnson built me a hanging closet. I bought a giant blue bamboo rug. I still had my pillow top bed. Things were better than ever.

One evening I went to the bathroom (which was inside, detached from my room) and left Wes in my room. I felt something electrical in the air but didn't think much about it. Within a minute I heard hail, howling winds and torrential rain. I ran to Andrea's room and she and her boyfriend Sharif were huddled together.  Trees were falling down outside. Sharif, sensing the danger, ran to the garage and grabbed Wes who was hiding under my mattress. I had a copper roof and Wes said he truly thought he would die. They made it inside safely and a few minutes later the storm had passed. We walked outside to find downed power lines, trees split in half, holes bigger than grapefruits from the hail. Crazy.

Eventually I would leave to go traveling in Guatemala. But that was my last house in Austin and by far the best. I had an epic garage sale to get rid of all my things. I've not had a permanent home since then.