Volume 12 - Day 352/14, 2020 - Thursday

I have lived in the Austin area since 1985, and it is not the same place it was when I moved here. I have changed a lot in 35 years, and Austin has changed a lot in 35 years. I am pretty sure that it would be hard to find something that has not changed in 35 years. I hope I am a better person now than I was 35 years ago. If I am, it is because of the people I have surrounded myself with over those three and a half decades. But that is not the point of this journal entry. The point is, what a beautiful city Austin is. It has its' faults to be sure, and there are plenty of them, but to most people that live or visit here, the good stuff tremendously outweighs the bad. We had out annual office holiday party this evening, and once again we were on a boat on Lady Bird Lake. It was called Town Lake when I first moved here. All social distancing protocols were observed, masks were worn, and we had a very nice time. I took the photo that accompanies this journal entry, just so you can see this side of Austin. Many people who don't know any better, still think of Austin as a provincial little place, all hat and cattle (or all hat and no cattle), but it isn't, and if this does not change your opinion, my advice to you is to just stay where you are.