A week from today, we will be on our way to Texas, by way of Louisiana. Waiting is the hardest part, it seems. All of us, kids included, are excited to be going. My wife says she's more excited to see her folks (which I can understand) while I'm more excited to see the campus we're touring (which might be somewhat true). Our daughter tells everyone she meets that we're going to see her grandparents, which makes me proud because it's my wife's parents who she only occasionally gets to see. She sees my parents all the time now, but in the future she might have similarly positive feelings for trips to (or from) my parents. Mostly I'm just glad she loves both sets even though she sees mine more.
I would write about other things, but my own little world seems to take up most of my thoughts. Between enjoying our new son (who is getting more alert by the moment but still remaining peaceful and quiet), planning for our trip, and waiting for other schools to contact me, my mind seems perpetually preoccupied. I find myself wanting to check email constantly. I also find myself thinking "Did I forget to do something?" a lot because of the preoccupation. I'm not exactly anxious, and I'm certainly not down by any means (I'm truly excited, quite frankly), but I am looking forward to knowing more soon.
Sorry for anyone still reading if this blog has become too much like "Henry VIII, I Am". I will try to bring my head up enough to notice other things again soon. I have plenty of thoughts on the craziness in Washington, but I see no point in commenting. Something is going to happen regardless of what I say or do at this point. We will all simply have to deal with whatever that "something" is. I do like the idea of encouraging home purchasing - for my own selfish interests. It seems somwhat providential to me that I might get such an incentive to become a home owner. We're checking into a lot of options in that area right now, but like everything else, we can't plan much until we know more.
And so it goes, same song, fifteenth verse, this one's bad but so was the first....
-- Robert
3 comments:
You certainly don't seem "down." You just seem antsy! Texas, huh? I've never been to Texas. I'm not sure how to picture it either. I sort of see the state catering to the masses, filled with shiny modern conveniences. I don't know why I see it like this.
I interviewed someone in Houston tonight and I was having the hardest time picturing her in Houston.
Do you do that, too? Try to picture people in their surroundings?
As I do more and more business online and over the phone, I find it absolutely necessary to conjure up a face and place.
I imagine Houston as my version of Hell, personally. Hot, humid, and not the most charming city. So I'm told by people who've been there. I have not had the pleasure. Where I'm headed, though, I have been. Texas has quite a lot of different terrains, being so expansive. It actually takes an entire day to drive across it at its widest part. I'm headed west of Dallas a ways into the fairly, more elevated region. I believe it qualifies for what some refer to as "West Texas". It's fairly flat in that part from what one person let me know. Still, the town itself sounds charming enough, and the school sounds wonderful.
I do sometimes try to picture people to go with voices, but I'm wrong so often that I tend to avoid it if possible. As for their surroundings, sometimes I might do that. I'm probably more interested in sounds than mental images. I am very good at picking up accents and at remembering a voice I've heard before. I find that skill helpful in communicating in business - customers and vendors feel I "know" them that way.
For your mental picture of most of Texas, though, I suggest you think of huge expanses of farms and ranches. There certainly are several large cities, though, which have varying degrees of modernity about them. That's my take on a state I've mostly passed through. I have several Texas based commenters who might weigh in more accurately on your question, though.
Lovely response. My favorite person from Texas is writer Mary Karr. You ever read her stuff? Her two memoirs - Liars Club and Cherry - are off-the-charts amazing recollections of growing up in Texas, in the 1960s. Strongly recommend.
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