To austin or not to?

THE FUTURE (crap): So I got the phone call the other day. National Instruments offered me a job in Austin TX. I'm not sure how much it pays yet (I'll know soon enough, but it'll definitely be something worth of an engineer), but now I'm in a dilemma. Do I stay or do I go?

It's really a tough decision, possibly harder than picking a college. After you graduate high school, it's pretty simple - pick a college and go to it. But graduating college is a little different. There's no "accepted" path. You could become a pan handler, get a job, travel, start a business, pretty much do anything you damn well please. I suppose the "secure" thing to do is get a job and get some cash under my belt before I do anything else. One of my fears is that this the last stop on the "life train" -- the last chapter in my life books reads "...and then he got a job, the end."

In reality, of course that won't be the case, but you never know. I'm seriously considering this job, and to be honest if it was in Atlanta I probably wouldn't hesitate. The big hurdle is the moving thing. Relocating cities is nerve-wracking in itself--I've built up quite a network here in Atlanta, but the prospect of starting over in a new city is pretty exciting.

Of course, the idea of having to make all new friends, learn new roads, and adapt to a different culture (I'll have to trade in my Hip Hop CDs for the "Texican" variety of music...) is scary but exciting at the same time. I kind of wish I had hated Austin when I visited it, that all the people there were assholes, the roads were bad, and the weather awful. That would have made the decision easier, but it's not the case. Austin is a beautiful city. Damn.

I have a hunch that once my other buddies graduate and move on (people take their damn time at Tech, that's for sure), it will be an easier decision.

My big hesitiation is that I know a good plumber in Atlanta, and that's a rare thing to find.

Good news is that I have until March to decide. I'll ask the kangaroos what they think.

JOTD: What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs floating in your pool? "Bob".

MOVIES: So I went to my friend's house last night and watched Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King, Extended Edition. First impression: that was a long-ass movie. Second impression: that was a good-ass movie. Once you get over the nerdy mythical-land stuff ("what the hell was that ugly thing called again?") it's pretty engrossing and entertaining. If you have 4 hours to kill, this is one of the better ways to kill it.

T-minus 11 days until Australia. I'm pumped.