As of July 11th, it's been two months since I moved to Texas.
As of July 13th, it's been two months since I started my first 'serious' full-time job.
As of now, my life consists solely of consistent, terrifying, and exhilarating change.
Incredible Sunday Brunch at Dish Society
I had seen a few people wearing Dish Society T-Shirts, and my philosophy with food is, “If people want to wear it on a shirt, then it must be good.” (15% of my wardrobe is from Torchy’s Tacos.)
This place did NOT disappoint. I got the Pork Belly Hash with a pancake on the side, and a vanilla latte (meal cost approx. $25) The place was completely packed and the price was a bit steep in my opinion, but I quickly overlooked all the flaws. I certainly couldn’t see myself making Dish Society a regular stop, because of the price, but I definitely see it being a nice treat every once in a while. (I’m used to dropping $20 for two people at Denny’s, so maybe I’m bias with price.)
I still highly recommend checking out this “farm to table” restaurant (Houston locations in Galleria area, Heights, Katy, Memorial, and Downtown/Finn Hall)
Check them out online: https://www.dishsociety.com/
4th of July at Herman Park
I spent the 4th of July at Houston’s Hermann Park with my boyfriend, and another couple. We enjoyed a train ride around the park and a picnic on the hill while watching the fireworks. Afterwards, we met up with friends at Christian’s Tailgate where we ate some seriously great tacos, and embarrassed ourselves at karaoke. (well, to be honest, karaoke is one of my greatest obsessions in life- I’m such a ham when it comes to performing- so I was singing my little heart out without a single ounce of regret, but saying you “embarrassed yourself” makes you sound humble right?)
A Trip To The Record Store
My boyfriend and I took a drive to this Houston legend- a vinyl music store on Portsmouth street in the Greenway Plaza area.There is so much great history in this place, as Houston’s oldest independent music store. The store is just covered with autographed posters and vinyls, written personally to Cactus Music, from big name bands and artists. You can tell those walls have seen enough talent to last a lifetime (or seven).
There are live performances fairly regularly, as well as author sessions, and meet & greets. I didn’t end up buying anything while I was there- but it’s one of those places you can spend hours just exploring. Definitely worth adding to the Houston bucket list.
Meanwhile, Back at the Office
I’m still in awe of this opportunity that I have, here in Houston. Not only do I enjoy the technical work that I’m doing, building websites- but I also feel very grateful for the creative freedom that I have in my position. I get to CREATE- under my own authority- every single day. When I started film school I saw thousands of students, just like me, wanting to make art- and trying to find out how to get paid for it. I used to be very worried that there weren’t enough creative spots in the world for all of us- especially considering the way that our society (and therefore our economy) doesn’t value art. I’m so grateful that I found this job, or this job found me- because I have my creative spot. It also gave me faith that those other artists found their spot too.
I hate confrontation. But, recently, I was forced to deal with it head-on when I had to tell a client that I couldn’t build the complex code structure that they wanted on their website. Just admitting this, via email, was enough to make me nauseous but I then had to verbally explain this to a faceless conference call of unhappy individuals. I hated every seconds of it, and I certainly lost a lot of sleep over the fear that I’d have to have another uncomfortable phone call like that again.
I realized how much of a wimp I am when it comes to conflict though, because at the end of the day I knew this wasn’t a massive issue. My boss had my back the whole time and was willing to chime in on several of these conference call, so I was completely supported and validated in my decision not to move forward with the client’s request. I just hated telling someone that I couldn’t do something. It made me feel incompetant and small. The client’s response was harsh and further supported this narrative I had created in my head. I got through it though. I took the hit, gathered my pride, and MOVED ON. Sometimes there isn’t a philosophical lesson at the end, you just learn to get the hell over it.
Goals for the Upcoming Month
Be more physically active (dare I say, workout?)
Catch up on podcasts
Establish a better sleep schedule
Sign a lease for an apartment
Work on better stress management