The stars at night are big and bright…

The last two weeks, I have finally had what I consider a summer break. This may seem odd considering it is already after Labor Day, but I actually think it was better this way. Gas prices were down, the children were back in school, and temperatures were beginning to cool, if only slightly. Regardless of the date on the calendar, I had two weeks of fun, where I did not have to worry about getting up for class, reading books on weighty subjects, or writing exhaustive term papers. I took full advantage of my time off and had an amazing two weeks.

It began last Wednesday, when after probably the most hectic night of work, I was able to wake up, pack my bags, and head out on the open road. One of the things that really gets me down sometimes is my inability to just get in my car and drive. I used to love taking off for hours at a time and watching the world fly past my open windows; unfortunately however, Los Angeles does not really allow for a lot of this. But here I was, four friends and I loading our rented Chrysler Pacifica, getting ready to drive from Pasadena to Austin.

The seven day trip called for two full days of driving, and a weekend full of good times and amazing music. We were trekking to Texas for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Although I had had several opportunities to attend this festival while I stilled lived in Texas, this was my first time. The line-up of artists was well worth the price of a three-day ticket and a fifteen hundred mile drive. I was able to experience the awesomeness of several of my favorite performers live and in person.

As expected the performances I enjoyed the most were given by Ray LaMontagne and Ben Harper. These were probably the two shows I was most looking forward to, and I was not disappointed. I was surprised by Ray’s small frame, yet blown away by his powerful voice, and although I was not able to stay for his whole set, the handful of songs I was able to hear from Ben were still enough to inspire awe. The one performance that I was truly amazed by was Nickel Creek. I have always liked their music, but have not really sat down and listened to any of their albums in a couple of years. They put on a fantastic show, and I have honestly been listening to their stuff almost nonstop since then.

Just as significant as the shows I got to see at the actual festival, were the two shows I saw at other venues during the weekend. Andy and our friend Wes have been playing music for a while now and recently have been playing quite frequently around Austin. Friday night they played a show at a bar on 6th street, and Saturday night they played at Threadgills, opening for Bob Schneider. Both of these shows were excellent and quite possibly the highlight of my weekend. I am so excited for Andy and the opportunities that are coming up musically for him. The fact that I was able to share a couple of these with him meant so much to me.

Along with spending time with Andy, I also got to hang out with some of my other Texas friends. Randi met up with us on Friday night, and then I saw her again on Sunday at Andy’s church. Eating lunch and having conversation with those two was such a comfortably enjoyable time that I did not want the meal to end. Monday I swung through College Station and saw a bunch of old roommates. It was fun having old friends and new friends meet and showing the girls where I used to live.

The weekend was over way too soon, and before we knew it we were once again on I-10 driving back to California. As if I needed any more good memories of Texas, we pulled off the highway in the middle of the night, in the blackness of West Texas, and gazed up into the starry sky. I have only seen the sky look like that a few times in my life, certainly not since moving to LA. It was as if the stars were reaching down and giving me one last hug before I had to leave the place my heart calls home.

Luckily, when we got back to Pasadena, there was enough going on that I was able to remind myself why I like living out here so much. The students here at Fuller made good with the last few days of freedom. There were nights out in Old Town, red carpet cocktail parties, new student welcome events, and enough free food to put a smile on a grad student’s face. I can’t say I feel rested and ready for this coming quarter, in fact I am quite exhausted, but at least I can say I am content. Over the last two weeks I have driven thousands of miles, I have listened to excellent music, I have spent time with my dearest friends, and I have lived life to the fullest. You can’t really ask for much more.