Or what, Texas?

....is what I can't help but wonder when I hear I shouldn't mess with it. But—in this town at least—what with traffic, what I find to be a highly confusing interstate system (although to be fair, I have yet to encounter an interstate system I do not find highly confusing, especially this summer, when every interstate in this God-blessed country seems to be under massive construction), and the blistering heat (actually, skip blistering and head straight to skin falling right off your sun-baked bones), it would seem that Texas certainly does have some weapons at its disposal.

I am situated at the midtown Studio 6 for the week, which is nice enough, except that if I want to be able to use the internet here, I will need to use it at times like right now, which is to say about a quarter to four in the morning. Thanks, raging insomnia! Always pulling through for me. Nevertheless, this is highly unfortunate as I need to devote the bulk of my time right now to finding a place to live and employment. It would seem that many people in extended stay hotels are in this boat, and as these undertakings tend to be highly internet-based in our modern era, this property's woefully inadequate server makes rather poor business sense, yes?

Ah, well, the cats like it here, I usually am awake in the wee hours, and I am looking at apartments this afternoon with an apartment locating service. The idea is to set up a home base from which to attempt to execute a few adventures I have in the works and of course find a source (hopefully flexible till after this fall, when I will seek something steadier) of income.

In other news, I ventured to some sort of bargain grocery store tonight, didn't get too hopelessly lost on the way back to the hotel, and gave five dollars to a man in a gas station parking lot who told me he was looking to obtain something to drink, like some wine maybe, because it was rush hour and the heat was punishing and the doubts and uncertainties about this whole little experiment were pummeling me like the pugilistic sun, and I thought, man do I hear that, it's my first day in Austin and someone's day is going to be better for it, and sometimes that means recourse to one's chosen poisons. In this spirit, there was a Corona (or two) with lime on my nightstand as I desperately attempted to avail myself of the internet—in vain.

Things to keep in mind: transitions are always difficult, but often (almost always) necessary; I knew when I moved here I would be living in more of a City city, and that was kind of the point, and that this would confer advantages and disadvantages, and just because on day one I experienced more of the latter than the former is no reason to despair yet; I wanted to have this experience of starting over in a region of the country to which I am unaccustomed, and I'm doing it, so good for me—if it doesn't work out, the decision is not irrevocable. This is an experiment.

Things observed while driving through Texas: a window into why Cormac McCarthy's worldview is so bleak (Hint: it's the heat! And the scenery!); many Baptist churches (how can they all be the first?); many Texas flags in addition to the American ones adorning homes, which struck me as distinct, since I haven't seen the same zeal for the state flag anywhere else I've been in the U.S.; some folks really do "drive friendly, the Texas way". Others recall the Hank III song "All Messed Up in Texas".

More Santuario (I know!!!) pictures to follow when internet permits.