Life is good

The days rush by in a whirlwind of poorly constructed emails from students, presentation preparation, endless literature about loggerhead shrikes, grassland birds, and scissor-tailed flycatchers, and a battle with statistics. Some days I love statistics and other days it makes me incredibly frustrated.

Last weekend, I ventured to Austin to attend a Gopher football party with people whom I have never met. I contemplated the decision to go or not to go all week. At first when I arrived in the Lone Star State's capital, I strayed around a corner of downtown Austin. Driven to tears in the enveloping late summer heat, I called my mother frantically because I could not find the address that I sought. I felt like the world's biggest idiot. Wandering around Austin in search of a place that I had never been, full of people whom I never met. After a kind gentleman directed me to the correct cross streets, I spotted a man wearing a Gopher tee shirt. Upon arriving at the party, my anxiety drifted away. The host and guests are friendly, intelligent and diverse. I met with them again yesterday to watch the Gophers play USC.

The rain fell from the sky on a dreary, cooler late summer day in Texas. A shot of the Minneapolis skyline over the stadium came on the television. A perfect 60 degree day with mostly sunny skies. It almost brought me to tears. I long for the Minnesota autumn.

"My whole family is there right now," I thought, "how I long for the crisp air of a Minnesota September."

Driving down the interstate towards San Marcos at sunset while listening to Jimi Hendrix, I still cannot believe that I live in Texas. I drove cross country with my boyfriend, cats, and rats to commence a new adventure.

It all still feels like a dream. Life is crazy. Life is good.