Bienvenido a Tejas! (Partido Dos)

Things Elisel has Decided:

• I like not having a job. I dislike not having an income. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking and unpleasant suspicion that the two are related.


• There is, in actuality, a language requirement for residency in Texas. They don't really talk about it, but it exists, and is enforced through the simple and effective method of ensuring that if you don't speak Spanish, you can't go anywhere without feeling very uncomfortable. In fact, I have begun to suspect Texas was actually annexed by Mexico some years ago. It's just that the paperwork hasn't been processed, yet.


• Texas roads are the most redundant things on the face of the earth. There are - I do not exaggerate - usually at least four ways to get to anywhere. And I don't mean the sort of city-grid, "Do I want to turn on Evergreen, or continue down North Parkway to Avalon, then take a left there instead?" type of alternate routes. I mean frontage roads, and on-ramps, and things that involve A LOT OF CONCRETE. This is good in that if you miss your exit/turn/whatever, it's easy to get where you're going without turning around. But I've gotten lost several times already because I didn't realize two roads 100 yards apart led to exactly the same place.


• Pets are expensive. I bought pet food and me-food this morning. The pet food cost more.


• Telephone books are a useful and vital tool when one has moved to a new town. Sooner or later, perhaps I shall acquire one. As it is, I'm limited to locating stores by line-of-sight. Fortunately almost everything I need is in very close range, with big ol' identification signs. (All I have to do is figure out one of the eighteen-billion ways to get to said Mecca of supplies.)


• Texas is full of Characters. Like the man who drove up to the gas station the other day on his motorcycle. He was wearing stonewashed black jeans, cowboy boots, a powder-blue longsleeved shirt, and a helmet. Something seemed odd as soon as I saw him walking. When he took off the helmet I realized what it was: This man was seventy years old if he was a day.

This concludes our broadcast day.