Give me a kiss to build a dream on

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Will Rogers US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)

<---- By the way, this is my favorite World War II poster ever. A close second is the Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It!" propaganda. So, speaking of History...I got a 94 on my test!!! Woo hoo!! The withered black hand of death that I received from writing the thing out was totally worth it. I don't think I've ever gotten a grade that high on a test since High School...at least, not in the hard subjects (and yes, I consider American History a hard subject...there's just too much stuff to remember...especially when it's all crammed into a summer session). I'm very excited, and I feel like I deserve a little mini-celebration for myself...don't know what exactly that will consist of yet, but I'm open to ideas. Any suggestions?

Well, now that I've pretty much secured myself an A in my final class EVER at UNT, I can't help but think about my impending graduation and even more impending move to Boston. So, in today's issue of Frecklehead's Life, we are going to play a little game:


10 THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT TX
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

1. Even though we never get any "real" snow here, there's a certain crispness that is in the air around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Plus, there's always the fact that if there's even a little bit of freezing rain, every kid in Texas turns on the news to see if school is cancelled (and it usually is).

2. What other state has more pride than Texas? I mean, no building can be built in San Antonio that casts a shadow over the Alamo. And NO OTHER state that I know of has beer slogans that read, "Be True to Texas, She's True to You" and car slogans that proclaim, "Cuz it's better in Texas, better in a Dodge."

3. We have foods called "Chicken Fried Chicken," "Texas Toast," and words such as "Y'all," "Ain't" and "Fixin' to." Plus our own language, which can be accurately described by Jeff Foxworthy on any and all of his albums. Believe it or not, I will miss this stuff. Even though I shake my head at it when my own family can't string together a coherent, 100% grammatically correct sentence, it's what I grew up around.

4. Bluebonnets. They're so beautiful in the Springtime, and I love driving home and seeing the parents and kids after church taking pictures amongst the bluebonnets. I think bluebonnets are the prettiest state flower in all of the United States.

5. Friendly strangers. Granted, sometimes it's Creepy Cletus with his remaining teeth driving up in his beat up Chevy, but dammit you won't stay by the road for long in Texas (especially in smaller towns) if your car acts up. People are just generally more polite down here. Men will open doors for you and neighbors offer you glasses of iced tea or lemonade if you're out working in your yard.

6. Mexican food. Holy crap, there is NO WAY I will get Mexican food up north that is as yummy and authentic as it is here in Texas. Granted, it's because there is a large Mexican-american population in Texas, but still. I'm going to have to have care packages sent up with food from the little restaurant in Sanger, "Miguelito's."

7. Dr. Pepper. There is a lovely, carbonated Dr. Pepper river running through the south that stops waaaaaay before the Mason-Dixon line. Dr. Pepper is just not as readily available up north as it is here. And I am addicted to the stuff.

8. The Conservative way of life. Granted, I'm a pretty liberal conservative, especially being one fo the few conservatives in my line of work (the Arts). I like open-mindedness and tolerance, and that doesn't exactly run rampant in Texas, or any other part of the South....however, down here there is such a general feeling of "Christian brotherhood." Some may vehemently disagree with me, making their opinions solely based on George W. Bush et al, but trust me, I grew up here. Prayer in schools was never even thought to be wrong, and lemme tell ya if you run into any struggle in your personal life, there's a church down the road that is loading up your house with soups and casseroles and envelopes with cash in them anonymously stuffed under your doormat. It's really comforting.

9. The stars. One thing I will miss about being in a wide open space like Texas is that I can see the stars out every night, depending on cloud cover. In the city it won't be like that as often. The skies in Texas are different and more unique than any other place in the US...I firmly believe that. The sunsets, sunrises, and starlit nights are absolutely incomparable.

10. Do I have to say it? My family and friends, obviously. They are all down here, and they always will be. And there's nothing wrong with that...it's just not for me. The Will Rogers quote at the beginning of this post was chosen with this thought in mind. I can't continue to just sit here. While I will miss Texas terribly, I'm really excited about moving along this track.

To quote from Pippin..."Easy, baby! You're on the riiiiiiiiiight.....track!"