Ahhhh-Chooo! That is the sound of Autumn in Central Texas. If you don't have allergies before moving here, you will soon enough. Austin is the Fall Allergy Capital of the US. Isn't that fantastic news? It is for Kleenex. Just prepared to be miserable until Winter finally sets in. And remember, you'll be in good company because everyone around you is suffering from allergies too. If you are allergic to Cedar (it seems most around here are) it might be wise not to move to Cedar Park. "They didn't name it Cedar Park because of the Oak trees" (that was what my doctor told me...ha ha).
Luckily for you, Fall in Texas is short. Very short. Sometimes it feels like Summer on Tuesday and by Wednesday night you're smack dab in the middle of Winter. For example, this week. Wednesday it was 89. Yesterday it was 44. As I write this it is 42. By Wednesday we're supposed to be back in the 70's. Is it any wonder your body is confused and doesn't know how to react to the seasonal change?
Friday, November 23, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Lesson #1
When you first drive into Texas you will notice a few things:
#1: Turn signals are apparently optional equipment on automobiles sold in Texas. No one uses them. You are supposed to psychically channel the other drivers so you can predict their next lane move.
#2: Everything is bigger in Texas. That includes automobiles. If you drive a small, practical, gas efficient car, be prepared to be intimidated...a lot. Texans drive trucks and SUVs. And they're all BIG. In California Mercedes and Lexus are status symbols, here it's a jacked up Ford F450. If you want to fit in, go directly to the local car dealership and buy the biggest truck on the lot.
#3: Bigger means privileges. When you drive a big truck or SUV you can do what I have named "Intimi-driving". Big trucks drive right up to the very back of your car, almost to where they can read the VIN number on your vehicle in an attempt to get you to move out of their way. There is no point arguing. Just move over and wave. It's the friendly thing to do.
#4: No, that's not a 'bigger' version of 'the finger'. When I first moved here, I thought I was being flipped off...a lot...and particularly in my neighborhood. I wasn't. Here in Texas, they wave, all the time. You just kind of get used to driving along and waving at people you don't know. Thing of it as a pretend parade. The purpose, near as I can figure, is to let people know that you see them. Thus preventing crime problems, which in turn lowers the number of crooks being shot. That, and people are just plain friendly out here.
#5: Off ramps and On ramps: I hope you have noticed that most of the highways here are elevated or at least good portions of them are elevated. Have no fear, no earthquakes here to collapse them. ***A little lesson in Texas-speak: What we call "frontage roads" they call "feeder roads". More on Texas-speak in a future blog*** Ramps here are located in the left (or 'fast') lane of the feeder roads. What we had in California, they call "suicide ramps" here. Always remember that Texas on ramps are superior to California on ramps and you'll be fine.
#6: Embrace the loops. Make them your friend. Since that's the only way you're ever going to get to where you want to go.
#7: Immediately remove all references to California from your car. Californians aren't particularly well liked here (although they are better tolerated than "Northerners"). Join a local church, put one of their bumper stickers on your car. That will immediately remove the impression that you're "not from around here".
#1: Turn signals are apparently optional equipment on automobiles sold in Texas. No one uses them. You are supposed to psychically channel the other drivers so you can predict their next lane move.
#2: Everything is bigger in Texas. That includes automobiles. If you drive a small, practical, gas efficient car, be prepared to be intimidated...a lot. Texans drive trucks and SUVs. And they're all BIG. In California Mercedes and Lexus are status symbols, here it's a jacked up Ford F450. If you want to fit in, go directly to the local car dealership and buy the biggest truck on the lot.
#3: Bigger means privileges. When you drive a big truck or SUV you can do what I have named "Intimi-driving". Big trucks drive right up to the very back of your car, almost to where they can read the VIN number on your vehicle in an attempt to get you to move out of their way. There is no point arguing. Just move over and wave. It's the friendly thing to do.
#4: No, that's not a 'bigger' version of 'the finger'. When I first moved here, I thought I was being flipped off...a lot...and particularly in my neighborhood. I wasn't. Here in Texas, they wave, all the time. You just kind of get used to driving along and waving at people you don't know. Thing of it as a pretend parade. The purpose, near as I can figure, is to let people know that you see them. Thus preventing crime problems, which in turn lowers the number of crooks being shot. That, and people are just plain friendly out here.
#5: Off ramps and On ramps: I hope you have noticed that most of the highways here are elevated or at least good portions of them are elevated. Have no fear, no earthquakes here to collapse them. ***A little lesson in Texas-speak: What we call "frontage roads" they call "feeder roads". More on Texas-speak in a future blog*** Ramps here are located in the left (or 'fast') lane of the feeder roads. What we had in California, they call "suicide ramps" here. Always remember that Texas on ramps are superior to California on ramps and you'll be fine.
#6: Embrace the loops. Make them your friend. Since that's the only way you're ever going to get to where you want to go.
#7: Immediately remove all references to California from your car. Californians aren't particularly well liked here (although they are better tolerated than "Northerners"). Join a local church, put one of their bumper stickers on your car. That will immediately remove the impression that you're "not from around here".
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A Little Background
In February of 2006 we moved from Temecula, California to Leander, Texas. Big move. My husband didn't have a job yet. He had come out here a month earlier with our son (who was 19 years old at the time) and stayed with some friends to look for a job and a house. Two years prior we had started looking at leaving California. We were about to have a daughter and I wanted to be a stay at home mom. Instead, we refinanced our house. I still couldn't stay home. I had to work. I hated it. We lived in Temecula but worked in La Jolla. For those of you who don't know the geography of the San Diego area, I will educate you a bit. Temecula is north of San Diego...way north, and east too. It's kind of this gray area of Southern California that everyone tries to claim as their own. Los Angeles considered Temecula a suburb. Orange County likes to consider Temecula a suburb. San Diego considers Temecula to be a suburb. I would say that we were closer to Orange County but since we were San Diegans and still worked in San Diego, we considered it a suburb of San Diego. We lived in a beautiful house, high up on a hill above the wineries. I loved that house. But I HATED that commute.
That commute was 55 miles each way. Since we worked near each other John and I would carpool. Which was great for the company. It was a miserable drive. The I15 is really the only freeway from San Diego to Temecula so EVERYBODY uses it. Our drive in to work took anywhere from 2 to 3 hours and the drive home was just as bad. To make matters worse, once I had our oldest daughter we brought her with us. I was breastfeeding at the time and would pump in the car on the way there and on the drive home. It sure made for some interesting drives but you do what you have to do.
When I became pregnant with our youngest we decided that we couldn't continue living like this. So we picked several places to move within the United States and did some serious research to find out where we were going to settle. We decided that we couldn't deal with super-cold weather so we settled on the South. We decided on Austin because of my husband's career path. He is in the computer industry and Austin has many corporate headquarters here (Dell, Apple, Samsung) and he really wanted to work for Dell.
At the end of June, our youngest daughter was born. We put our house on the market. It took several months but finally sold. In January, my husband and son drove out here and I moved in with my parents until our house closed escrow. I flew out after a couple of weeks and we found a house. We closed escrow and moved into our current home in early February. In March, my parents came out and visited. They loved it and bought a lot and had a house built in this area also. The moved here in July.
I guess you could consider us part of the great mass migration from California to Texas. There are many many former Californians here in Austin. We seem to be magnetically drawn to each other. It's strange, kind of like a sixth sense. The vast majority of former Californians love it here. Every once in awhile I'll run into one who hates it. Kinda rare tho.
Texas is a strange beast. It really is it's own country. Once you acclimate yourself to the Texas lifestyle you'll find that your outlook on things change. It is those things and observations of Texas life that I plan to write about on this blog.
That commute was 55 miles each way. Since we worked near each other John and I would carpool. Which was great for the company. It was a miserable drive. The I15 is really the only freeway from San Diego to Temecula so EVERYBODY uses it. Our drive in to work took anywhere from 2 to 3 hours and the drive home was just as bad. To make matters worse, once I had our oldest daughter we brought her with us. I was breastfeeding at the time and would pump in the car on the way there and on the drive home. It sure made for some interesting drives but you do what you have to do.
When I became pregnant with our youngest we decided that we couldn't continue living like this. So we picked several places to move within the United States and did some serious research to find out where we were going to settle. We decided that we couldn't deal with super-cold weather so we settled on the South. We decided on Austin because of my husband's career path. He is in the computer industry and Austin has many corporate headquarters here (Dell, Apple, Samsung) and he really wanted to work for Dell.
At the end of June, our youngest daughter was born. We put our house on the market. It took several months but finally sold. In January, my husband and son drove out here and I moved in with my parents until our house closed escrow. I flew out after a couple of weeks and we found a house. We closed escrow and moved into our current home in early February. In March, my parents came out and visited. They loved it and bought a lot and had a house built in this area also. The moved here in July.
I guess you could consider us part of the great mass migration from California to Texas. There are many many former Californians here in Austin. We seem to be magnetically drawn to each other. It's strange, kind of like a sixth sense. The vast majority of former Californians love it here. Every once in awhile I'll run into one who hates it. Kinda rare tho.
Texas is a strange beast. It really is it's own country. Once you acclimate yourself to the Texas lifestyle you'll find that your outlook on things change. It is those things and observations of Texas life that I plan to write about on this blog.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The Death of Bambi
Driving home from the Sunday night dinner with the grandparents the other week my husband decided to drive down a less-traveled road to get home faster than if we took the freeway. I warned him not to take this road at dusk or night because of the high deer population in the area.
Does he listen to me? NO. Typical male.
So we're driving along happily with all three kids in the car. Sure enough two beautiful, adorable baby deer appear in the road. Husband brakes. I scream. Son closes his eyes. The toddlers are blissfully napping and unaware of the horror that is about to unfold.
With relief, I see the cute and adorable baby deer dart off to the side of the road. Then, as if in slow motion, one of the fawns turns back and stops. And hubby hits it. Smacks right into that Darwin Deer. Denting my license plate in the process (I have now learned that Toyota SUV bumpers are tougher than they look)
So, what exactly are you supposed to do when you've just killed Bambi?
Do you pull over and check on it?
Do you drag it to the side of the road?
Do you run it over again, just to put it out of its misery in case it's not dead yet?
Do you pick it up & give it to the neighbors who have no problems with eating venison?
Well, if you're a California transplant, you just keep driving and you feel guilty about it for weeks.
A few days later (on our 6 year wedding anniversary) hubby and I were in the Disney store and saw a big stuffed Bambi in the store. I asked hubby if he felt the urge to run it over. He didn't think it was funny. I thought it was hilarious!
Does he listen to me? NO. Typical male.
So we're driving along happily with all three kids in the car. Sure enough two beautiful, adorable baby deer appear in the road. Husband brakes. I scream. Son closes his eyes. The toddlers are blissfully napping and unaware of the horror that is about to unfold.
With relief, I see the cute and adorable baby deer dart off to the side of the road. Then, as if in slow motion, one of the fawns turns back and stops. And hubby hits it. Smacks right into that Darwin Deer. Denting my license plate in the process (I have now learned that Toyota SUV bumpers are tougher than they look)
So, what exactly are you supposed to do when you've just killed Bambi?
Do you pull over and check on it?
Do you drag it to the side of the road?
Do you run it over again, just to put it out of its misery in case it's not dead yet?
Do you pick it up & give it to the neighbors who have no problems with eating venison?
Well, if you're a California transplant, you just keep driving and you feel guilty about it for weeks.
A few days later (on our 6 year wedding anniversary) hubby and I were in the Disney store and saw a big stuffed Bambi in the store. I asked hubby if he felt the urge to run it over. He didn't think it was funny. I thought it was hilarious!
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