Tracy Mueller

Yesterday marked our first full week in Tucson, our home for the next three years. Since neither Travis nor I have ever lived outside of Austin, you could say it’s a slightly monumental change. I’d like to write a poignant essay on the journey and experience of uprooting my life and settling down in unfamiliar territory, but I barely understand my new time zone yet, so I’m just going to write a bunch of lists instead.

Things I’ll Miss About Austin

1. Galaxy Cafe chicken chipotle wraps and french fries (both the regular and -sweet potato variety)
2. Alamo Drafthouse
3. Driving by the lake everyday
4. Working on campus
5. Food served from trailers
6. KGSR
7. All the weird murals
8. The most amazing friends and family a gal could ask for

Things I Gladly Say Goodbye To

1. The death-tunnel known as I-35
2. Spending 1 hour+ in the car everyday
3. Kerbey Lane and Magnolia waiters
4. An alarmingly unbalanced hipster-to-normal-person ratio
5. It’s not the heat, it’s the HUMIDITY

Things I Learned in the Move

1. When handed a walkie-talkie, I MUST talk trucker.
2. Harry Potter books on iTunes are insanely expensive. For $50, you’d better have Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane AND Alan Rickman recreating Hogwart’s in my back seat.
3. Some parts of West Texas are exceptionally beautiful. Also, some parts are El Paso.
4. Most gas stations sell t-shirts with American flags and spray-painted tigers but not crossword puzzle books. As engrossing as tiger tees may be, they are a sorry means of keeping me awake on road trips.

Things I Already Like About Tucson

1. Flat roads and wide bike lanes. EVERYWHERE.
2. An apparent obsession with pizza. One spot near our house has three pizza places on one corner. Clearly a town with its priorities in order.
3. The mountain view out my front window. Yes that’s it below. Yes.
4. Really really really nice people. I mean really. I think it’s all the sunshine.
5. Two words: Spring Training. Hopefully Tucson can keep it around.
6. Anonymity. No one knows us here, no one is missing us or needs us. That can be lonely, and I’m sure it will soon change, but right now it’s kinda fun to just be on our own and start building up a new life.

This entry was posted Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 3:32 am and is filed under Austin, Life Upheaval, Personal, Tucson. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.