RE: Houston

RE: Houston (Full Version)

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LadyPact -> RE: Houston (10/3/2015 4:46:31 PM)
NG, I've fussed about a number of places that we've been. Never once did I come away saying some location didn't have "character". Granted, if you are going to Houston, I would probably say that you might be hiding out in the air conditioning. You'll acclimate. People always do. What if, this might be the experience of a lifetime? Something that, otherwise, you'd never get to see, or be a part of, or do? If you would have asked me four years ago about going to AK, I'd have said, "f^ck you, it's cold there". Have you ever met an armadillo? Seen vultures in the sky? Laughed because something came across your way that you wouldn't have seen it before? Eaten foods that you would have never tasted? Watched waves from a different ocean? I've got a feeling that you'll be ok if you go.

camille65 -> RE: Houston (10/3/2015 5:50:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NorthernGent quote: ORIGINAL: Spiritedsub2 Unless the fire ants got you first. Or the killer bees, or the scorpions... [:D] Aye, I'm used to animals that generally run away from you, such as rabbits or birds or deer; not animals that want to kill you. It twas I think my second spring living in Texas, my Owner emailed me a route so I could drive around and see the glorious spring wildflowers which were truly lovely until the cows. Yes, I was attacked by cows. But Texas cows are nothing like normal cows! They are wild things and apparently not fond of Yankees who moo at them. A total stranger saved me from what could have been a humiliating and inglorious death. :D I still think you should try Houston. Just don't moo at or try and hug random strange cows.

Wayward5oul -> RE: Houston (10/3/2015 6:11:47 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: UllrsIshtar Jumping cactus indeed. And I just scratched Arizona off my bucket list.

Wayward5oul -> RE: Houston (10/3/2015 6:15:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyPact Have you ever met an armadillo? Seen vultures in the sky? Laughed because something came across your way that you wouldn't have seen it before? Eaten foods that you would have never tasted? Watched waves from a different ocean? Don't forget about the jackrabbits. You could saddle those bunnies up and ride the range.

LadyPact -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 2:26:29 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul Don't forget about the jackrabbits. You could saddle those bunnies up and ride the range. Thank you! I don't know how I forgot those guys. Oh, and prairie dogs!

NorthernGent -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:18:15 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thompsonx What's putting me off more than anything is that I have a pre-conceived idea that the place will have no character to it I have read a fair amount of your posts and it seems to me that you bounce well and aren't offended easily. East texas is a unique experience and not one to be missed. I have traveled a bit and I have never found a place quite like it. You may likely not agree with some of their opinions. Your manner of discussion here, that is to say "straightforward", goes over well there. On the up side you "talk funny and ain't from around here" will most likely have you adopted as an honorary member of the local pub crawlers assn. I say go for it but as always keep your wits about you. Thompson, I don't mind difference. I was talking to a bloke the other night from South Africa in the pub, moved over here a few year back to start a business. We got talking and the conversation turned to 'blacks'. Long story short, he genuinely believed that 'blacks' have a certain head-shape that isn't quite human and inferior. I thought just 'fuckin' wow: you're definitely a lunatic but it is refreshing to hear something different. Part of the problem we have, and it may be the same where you are, is that people think the same more or less, there may be slight differences of opinion but nothing to write home about. What made this bloke interesting was that he clearly wasn't a one-off in terms of how people think in that part of the world and I felt like I was getting an insight into another world. There was a degree of Western arrogance on my part in the sense that someone watching me would have thought I was studying him like I was at the zoo, but I'll never forget that conversation Probably says more about the bland everyone agreeing with one another world we live in as it does anything else. So, I'm easily pleased really, providing it has something you can think about.

Wayward5oul -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:22:07 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyPact quote: ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul Don't forget about the jackrabbits. You could saddle those bunnies up and ride the range. Thank you! I don't know how I forgot those guys. Oh, and prairie dogs! Love prairie dogs! We used to go to a prairie dog park all the time to watch them.

LadyPact -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:23:20 PM)
They are cute. They bark.

UllrsIshtar -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:26:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul Love prairie dogs! We used to go to a prairie dog park all the time to watch them. They carry the bubonic plague around here. So while watching is fine, you really don't want to get too close. Local around here call them plague dogs.

PeonForHer -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:38:18 PM)
Lovely. The most dangerous thing NG has probably come across in the UK is stinging nettles.

LadyPact -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 12:39:34 PM)
I'm not saying you're wrong. They do carry disease. I'm not suggesting anyone go out and try to pet one. [:D]

MercTech -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 5:17:42 PM)
Houston... I know more about the stretch between Houston and Galveston. I don't care to do serious urban for the most part. Big oil urban. A lot of industry and rather odd politics. The land around is flat. All the way to the horizon flat looking punctuated by canals for water control. Canals allow ocean going shipping to come all the way up to Houston from the port at Galveston. One thing I noticed was that the mosquitoes there have zero fear of man. You don't wave at a mosquito to get it to move on. The buggers that draw blood through heavy jeans and long underwear need to be scraped off with a pocket knife. If you want to really fit in; you wear cowboy boots. The weirder and more exotic the leather; the more nuevo riche you appear. A suit with suede leather shoulder patches and a string tie can be considered formal wear. You have to be a member of the club to buy liquor by the drink except in certain licensed resort areas. (they may have changed that but it was law in the 90s) If you hear the term "Redneck Riviera"; they are talking about Padre Island near Corpus Christie. You see spring break antics they wouldn't allow at Daytona. The last time I had the misfortune to be in that area around spring break, I was waked at 3am by drunk students that had put soapy water in the hallway of the hotel and were racing scuba bottles down the hall. Memories of Houston include learning to ice skate at the Galeria. That was the first time I saw ice skates other than on television. The restaurant two stories above the ice skating rink had a clear plastic floor. You should have seen the 13-14 year old male traffic jam in the center ice when someone spotted a lady sans underwear at the restaurant above. Mexican Spanish, Tex-Mex Spanish, and the formal Castilliano taught in schools are not the same languages. Be very careful with slang terms and dialect. Don't be surprised to find a "Bait and Gun Shop". They just cater to outdoorsmen for all seasons. When you get away from urban areas; you just might see pistols openly carried. The guys who work out of doors for a living keep something around for pesky things like snakes. Stay away from the Armadillos if you see one in the wild. Armadillos can be carriers of Hansen's Disease and all it takes is a scratch. (Commonly known as leprosy) Texas is quite its own culture. I find most in Texas quite friendly and willing to explain the Texas way of doing things. Just don't try to get them to admit the way of doing something from elsewhere is better. Develop a lead foot for the accelerator pedal and ability to stand on the brake pedal. Texas on and off ramps are so short you have to act like you are drag racing to merge into freeway traffic. One thing to remember.. driving from one side of Texas to the other takes two days. A quick run to San Antonio is really an overnight trip.

UllrsIshtar -> RE: Houston (10/4/2015 5:43:54 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MercTech One thing to remember.. driving from one side of Texas to the other takes two days. A quick run to San Antonio is really an overnight trip. Not quite that bad. There and back maybe. I did Dallas to Grand Junction (CO), just a few weeks ago on my motorcycle in a day. Although to the point for Europeans: yeah shit is far away here. I'm in the car at the moment on my way back from going to our local kink club last night, which is a 6 hour drive, to the other side of the Rocky Mountains from where we live.

tj444 -> RE: Houston (10/5/2015 10:18:49 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NorthernGent quote: ORIGINAL: tj444 Can you take a week or two to come here to check it out for yourself before you decide? cuz that would give you a much better idea as each person has their own ideas of what a good place to live/work is.. At the very least, make a list of things that are important to you and google and see what your research turns up.. No. It doesn't work like that. It's a case of take it or leave it. And, in truth I'm not particularly interested in lesbian mayors and malnourished trees. What's putting me off more than anything is that I have a pre-conceived idea that the place will have no character to it. well,.. speaking about pre-conceived ideas... I mentioned the lesbian mayor cuz its not something most people would expect in "redneck" Texas... its something you might expect in CA instead.. I dunno.. i didnt have much of a pre-conceived idea of the place prior to coming here (other than reading that the place was booming and did well during the recession)... A big part of my dislike of the place is the weather and heat..

thompsonx -> RE: Houston (10/5/2015 5:30:27 PM)
The last time I had the misfortune to be in that area around spring break, I was waked at 3am by drunk students that had put soapy water in the hallway of the hotel and were racing scuba bottles down the hall. Omg[:(]was that you? I...we... are sooo sorry[:(]

Wayward5oul -> RE: Houston (10/5/2015 6:56:35 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tj444 well,.. speaking about pre-conceived ideas... I mentioned the lesbian mayor cuz its not something most people would expect in "redneck" Texas... its something you might expect in CA instead.. That's actually a significant observation, since Texas really is known for its conservatism and religion (both Christianity and football). My feeling is that when putting on a collective, public face, the people of Texas come off very close-minded. But when you get in and get face-to-face with people on an individual basis, you find people are really just about doing their own thing. They get their back up when they are not left alone to do their own thing. "Don't mess with Texas", lol, another cliche. But it makes for a lot of interesting interactions that you wouldn't expect.

dcnovice -> RE: Houston (10/5/2015 7:04:46 PM)
FR And what you thought you came for Is only a shell, a husk of meaning From which the purpose breaks only when it is fulfilled If at all. T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

NorthernGent -> RE: Houston (10/6/2015 12:09:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: PeonForHer Lovely. The most dangerous thing NG has probably come across in the UK is stinging nettles. I make a point of not going anywhere inhabited by snakes and crocodiles. As is stands, there seems to be a range of dangerous or disease ridden animals wandering 'round Houston so I'm thinking fuck that, I'll carry on with rabbits, deer and birds.

Spiritedsub2 -> RE: Houston (10/6/2015 12:30:35 PM)
The only thing people who've been there or live there now seem to bemoan is the heat, not crazed armadillos and crocs. How do you feel about heat, with air conditioning available? How much more money did they offer? [:D]

LadyPact -> RE: Houston (10/6/2015 12:44:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Spiritedsub2 not crazed armadillos Probably not when they are used to them. I still laugh at myself for being startled all to heck when I met the first one. Grown woman yelling "What the f^ck is that?"

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