The Stadium Blues: Part Deux

Not that I mean to discount the urgency of the post below, but . . . . well, I'm not sure how to end that sentence. Anyway, on Tuesday I will leave the Stadium behind. I have only lived there for nigh on three months, and at the most, it only had four residents (Edison doesn't really count cause he was never there, even if he was, you didn't know), but it felt like a home to me.

As Cabe was saying, the character of the house and the residents within was what made it great. It didn't matter that it doesn't have a dishwasher, or a washer/dryer, or central air, or insulation of any kind. It was the surprises that made it great. The fact that you could open the pantry door and, supposing you didn't see any, you could hear about a thousand bugs, similar to the bug scene in Temple of Doom. Plus, there was the greatness of the airsoft guns used as pest control. That, or the numerous fires we set on the front porch. Or the time the cops came after Cabe and I for setting off fireworks in the trash can out front. Numerous good times.

One of the reasons I loved the place so much was the fact that the house was almost a 6th roommate, and it fit in so well. It was in a perpetual state of dirtiness, the fridge would break down, not all the stove burners worked, the A/C units never quite worked right, all the floors creaked, the nails on the stairs stuck out, the bathroom looked like it had been mold-plated, the front door was never consistent in opening, often confusing first-time visitors and making them think it was locked.

Sadly, this is all coming to an end. With the exception of Brandon Fain, the Stadium will have complete newbies in the house. What I mean by that is that there will be no overlap of old housemates with the new, to influence and guide them as they make their transition into the entity that is the Stadium. Thus, the Stadium has recently lost part of its soul. Those responsible: Nathan Brasher, Richard, and sadly, yours truly. Within two days of moving in the house, Nathan Brasher completely cleaned the kitchen, bathroom and living room. And by completely cleaned, I mean the only remnants of dirt were those stubborn stains that simply won't budge, God bless 'em. He also replaced the shower curtain, that dear shower curtain. Then, Richard added on to it by mowing the yard, replacing the linoleum in the bathroom, cutting the trees that were touching the roof, and cleaning out the A/C units. My part in this whole mess has been letting them do all this. This day will live in infamy.

Lastly, I will miss the vicinity to Hyde Park and surrounding areas. I am moving to East 16th Street. Yes, I am finally moving on up to the east side. I finally got a piece of the pie, but it is a bittersweet pie. A blackberry pie, if you will. You see, I never really took advantage of the area until last night. Sure, I visited several places in the area with Cabe and the likes, but we usually drove everywhere. This is so unneccesary, and I didn't truly realize this until last night.

You see, last night I got tired of hanging out with people and left the traditional nightly social gathering early. I went home to the Stadium, grabbed my cigarrettes, my wallet and a copy of Blue Like Jazz. I don't normally smoke, only in times of stress, and recently things have been weighing down on me. Anyway, I walked towards JP's Java in hopes that they were open at 11:30 at night. When I got there, I decided I didn't just want to sit, smoke and read, but I wanted a beer. So, I headed towards Crown and Anchor. But when I got there, it seemed too much of a bar scene, whereas I just wanted a coffee shop with balls. So, naturally, I headed to Spider House. I went in, ordered a Chimay on draught, sat with my chalice, lit up a Dunhill cigarrette (a British brand, to be sure in my elitist attitude) and began reading that last of Blue Like Jazz. It was amazing, not only the book, the smoke, and the beer, but the atmosphere. At around midnight, a band started playing a kind of country/bluegrass/down home music. I felt like I had discovered a new world, yet everyone knows about it. I feel like such a yuppie writing this, but I will definitely miss this area of Austin. My only hope is that I get a bike and the weather is nice for most of the year so I can traverse 35 without driving.

I guess all this is to say I got into Austin a couple years too late. If I had started here instead of the pirate whore that SMU is, I would have a completely different view of college life. My life has been completely changed since March when I started giving a damn about other people. If any of you are in town, feel free to stay at my place. Funds permitting, I'll even buy you a beer.