David Rhoden

My house in Austin.

by David Rhoden. Day .

pink squiggle painting on a wall

I liked my Austin house but I didn't love it. It was comfortable. My neighborhood was fine. It seemed like all the fun stuff was south of the Colorado River and I was way north, off Burnet Road.

i had a stereo in my living room and another one in my office. I had a nice painting space in the carport I shared with my neighbors. The kitchen was all brand new, I was the first to microwave a burrito or think about a salad there. I gained weight.

I would go down the street and walk or occasionally jog on the asphalt track at Burnet Middle School. There was a pick-up soccer league that played there so you could watch the games. I could bike to Guitar Center and Walmart and a public library and GameStop and plenty of tasty non-chain fast food take-out (Indian, Thai, Mexican, Chinese) and a giant karaoke place. I could walk to "Buddy's Place: Home of Happiness" (a sad bar for old men; but maybe they liked it) or to a taxidermy shop.

I had about three guests in the two years I lived there. If it hadn't been such a lonely place I might have loved it. i drove to New Orleans every month for the twenty-six months I lived there, so 26,000 miles in a '99 Ford Ranger.

My bedroom in Austin

My bedroom in Austin.

My office in Austin

My office in Austin.

Austin library

The public library around the corner. I loved this place.

Austin tacos from Jefe's

I could eat tacos every day if I wanted to. I lost a nice fountain pen at this taco stand (Jefe's, near the UT campus) and I got it back.

Sally trying to enjoy our Austin yard

Sally trying to enjoy our Austin yard.

Stupid-looking heart painted on a tree that didn't deserve it.

Some dunce did this to a tree on the road (Ohlen Road) to my house and I had to see it sometimes; I hated it so much.

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