Saturday, August 12, 2006

Way Too Proud of Texas

So, okay I’m the “way too proud of Texas” gal. We have it all, you know – piney woods, prairies, mountains, coastlines, plains, hill country and Lubbock. Oh sure, a lot of us actually do wear ten gallon hats and ranch for a living or rodeo every weekend (FYI- do NOT wear sandals to a rodeo) and no, you don’t have to drive far to find a Mexican guy selling his wife’s homemade tamales from the back of their station wagon, but not everything Texan is stereotypical. Just today, I was driving through Smithville when a guy in a parachute landed on the side of the highway right beside my Chevy pickup truck. I was still marveling over this anomaly when I drove past a mobile home sales lot with a sign that said, “free beer with every new home purchase”. Yeah, I love Texas.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your digital alter-ego looks a lot like Lisa Loeb.

Texas is alright... I've been there twice in my lifetime (well, four times... twice in a pan handle drive-through).

My only misgivings about Texas would be (like the Dixie Chicks) with their native son... our wonderful leader, "W". Not a big fan.

That said, there are plenty of good people there.

Best Regards,
Devin

Chesher Cat said...

Does your Chevy pick-up truck have a rifle mount in the rear window?

MaryAn Batchellor said...

No, Deb, it's a decal of the outline of this great state.

Devin, our leader is one man. Good or bad, I'm sick to death of people pointing to him and crediting Texas for his behavior. I don't see the entire State of Texas sitting in the White House and he doesn't call all 22 million of us before he makes an executive decision. Being born on Texas soil as a first generation Texan does not make him the embodiment of Texas.

You want to gripe about the president? His politics? Go right ahead. But don't direct your "misgivings" at Texas. Direct them at the man, not the state he was born in.

By your logic, we must drive really fast cars in Texas since A.J. Foyt was a Texan, we're great boxers becuase Jack Johnson was a Texan, or we're murdering bank robbers because we birthed Clyde Barrow. I have wire coat hangers in my closet but whadya know? Joan Crawford was a Texan and don't ask me to swing a golf club even though Ben Hogan came from Texas. And, I don't think anyone is going to hire me to write a Star Trek screenplay just because Gene Roddenberry was a Texan.

As for the Dixie Chicks, if Natalie Maines is ashamed of being from Texas, that's her prerogative and she's entitled to say what she thinks, but Texans launched their careers and if the people on Dallas streets had not given Martie and Emily their spare change, Natalie wouldn't even have a platform on which to voice her opinions.

p.s. George W. Bush is a first generation Texan. His father was born in Massachusetts and his mother was born in N.Y.

Anonymous said...

It seems as though you didn't read the statement I made directly after my slam on "W":

"That said, there are plenty of good people there."

Sorry if you took my post the wrong way.

Best Regards,
Devin

AMY said...

That sign sounds like the one I saw here in Oregon that read "Girlfriend Wanted" with a cell phone number listed underneath.

Anonymous said...

MaryAn,

In response to your question on my blog, regarding my "Fencing with the F[r]og" fragment... yes, I removed it as soon as I had written it, unfortunately not before posting it.

You can read my full statement on my blog, if you like.

Best Regards,
Devin

P.S. I don't know why my brain processed your blog title as "Frog" instead of "Fog"... sorry about that. I am an artist, as well as a web animator. Let me know if you would like a little animated GIF of a 'fencing frog'... consider it an olive branch. :-)

MaryAn Batchellor said...

Think I'll skip reading the rest of that statement. Sounds like it wasn't pleasant. No olive branch necessary though. No hard feelings. Thanks for the offer.