H-town rapid fire

So I definitely think of writing a lot more blog posts than I actually do. I’d say my thought-of to actually-posted ratio is probably like 20:1. Usually this is because I’m too lazy to actually type it out, or the idea is only a twitter-ish couple sentences – and I’m still woefully unable to post in that style.

But anyhow, here goes some Sheridan-inspired rapid fire on my first month or so in Houston:

Houston is big. Like, really big. So it’s not NYC or Mexico City or anything like that, but it’s still a lot of people, and it shows. The whole highway system is massively complex compared to anything in like Calgary, and (to me at least) often very impressively so. If I had a nice camera (and a helicopter?) I’d take pics of some of the sweet interchanges with multiple flyovers stacked up and crisscrossing mid-air. Of course this also means the traffic can be really bad, but overall I’d say it’s not as bad as I was expecting, whatever that was. I quickly learned what times to leave for / come home from work, and – moreover – what times not to do so.

Like most things in the U.S. (and everywhere…), having more money means immediate reward. I finally got hooked up with an “EZ tag” that lets me take the tollway and it just scans the sticker on your windshield, instead of having to wait in a stupidly long line just to pay like a $1 toll. Although sometimes it’s actually faster not to take the tollway, and to stick to the “feeder” roads that run parallel to it, providing access to the on/off traffic.

Sometimes Americans seem more friendly than Canadians, and sometimes less so. In customer service, there are places where I’ve definitely experienced waaay better service here in Houston than I ever did in Calgary. Take getting that EZ tag for instance. I was expecting like stereotypical DMV bureaucracy. But instead it was superfast, and there was like a dude whose only job (apparently) was to find the right pamphlet for me, and flip it open to the correct page to start. I’d say Houstonian customer service people call me “sir” about half the time, whereas I can’t really remember the last time somebody in a similar position used that term towards me in Alberta. I think a lot of it has to do with the comparative labour markets – you’ve got like 14 yr. old punk high school kids in Calgary making $10/hr. who could get a job anywhere even if they got fired, and then these people in Houston who probably value their jobs a lot more. I dunno, I make these statements with zero hard evidence to support me, but that’s the impression I get at least. One thing is certainly true – the vast majority of customer service people in Houston aren’t white.

I sometimes wonder how I’d be treated here in Houston if I was black or Hispanic? Certainly racial tensions are a lot more palpable than back home. Not that it’s American History X or anything, but still, there’s a whole different vibe. One time I walked into a club and it’s like, oooh, no other white guys in here. Nobody said anything to me, but I didn’t stay long. Oh, and the bouncer there was the most awesome bouncer I’ve ever seen – 350+ lb., 6′4” black guy wearing a black suit, sunglasses, ear piece, and white gloves. Totally like Secret Service.

Been to two Rockets games so far, and I definitely hope to go to more in the next few months. It’s a great experience. I really enjoy watching basketball, NCAA or NBA, and although being there live you miss some of the TV benefits, you get a whole other “entertainment experience”. Unlike NHL, they play music and stuff during the play, instead of just during breaks in action. And there are way cooler acts at halftime. Last time there was this Chinese acrobat, “Red Panda”, who flipped bowls stacked along her leg up to on top of her head while riding on top of a 10′ pole on a unicycle. And the Rockets cheerleaders are ridiculously hot. Seriously, ridiculously. I guess that’s an added benefit of having a larger population? :P

There’s this one cute black cheerleader who does a frontflip dunk off a trampoline during each game, and I think I’m in love with her. Or at least her dunk. It’s freakin’ amazing.

Watching the Rockets on TV is the new watching the Flames game. The only hockey I ever see here is either Dallas or Detroit, and I’m usually not interested enough to watch the whole game. Oh, sometimes there’s the Houston AHL (?) team vs. whocares. Blah. I miss watching Flames hockey. When the playoffs come, I hope I actually get to watch the whole thing. And, hope beyond hopes, not just on NBC. I really don’t like Pierre McGuire – never have, never will. I’m setting my expectations low though, to avoid major disappointment.

My new place is actually pretty nice. Still humourously under-furnished and undecorated, but better than any place I’ve lived in “on my own”. I have my own bathroom which is huge, with his-and-hers (?) sinks, and a massive walk-in closet that makes me feel like a high school girl. I can seriously hang up every single piece of my hang-up-able clothing, with lots of room to spare. The only thing I need a drawer for is underwear and socks.

It’s kinda weird living in a place with a gate that you need to scan a card to drive into. The fences aren’t very imposing, I could easily climb over them myself, but I guess it deters against random people driving around casing our joints.

Houstonian winter weather is the best difference for sure. Almost enough on it’s own to make me seriously consider not moving back. I wouldn’t say that I hate “real” winter, but I’m certainly enjoying the lack of it. At least for now, maybe nostalgia kicks in at some point? I mean, it’s freakin’ February, and I can go outside at night with a t-shirt and shorts. Not everyday, but sometimes. Technically, the same could be said of Edmonton – although the comfort levels involved differ substantially…

Restaurants are way better in Houston than Alberta. You get more food, better food, for less money. Guaranteed. I can see Texan people being shocked at how crappy and expensive our restaurants are in comparison. So ya, if you have Texan friends visiting you in Calgary, don’t try to impress them by taking them out to eat. They will not be impressed. I’m just saying…

Mexican food especially. There is no such thing as good Mexican food in Calgary. I can now attest to that fact. Or, if there is, I’ve never experienced it. Whereas there is literally a plethora of really good Tex-Mex places all over the place here.

I like the fact that lots of places are open 24 hrs., or at least extended hours compared to Canadian standards. Do I want to go buy something at 3am on Saturday morning? Maybe I do! Well, now I can! This is awesome. Carpe noctum!

I secretly find Texan accents mildly amusing. Although I’ll admit it’s quite a functional contraction, I hope I never start using “y’all”. I wonder if people are amused by how I talk? I doubt it. I have that “American Television English” accent that is geographically indeterminable. I could tell people I’m from Ohio or Alaska, California or Florida, and they’d probably believe me. Although I have said “booot” (like “ooot and abooot”) a few times, much to the amusement of others. I’ll have to watch for slip-ups like that if my “marine biologist from Florida” pick-up story is going to work at the bar next time… :P

I should really take advantage of this nice weather and 24 hr. gyms with cheap membership fees and work out or something, do whatever it is normal guys do when they go to the gym (besides checking out the hotties :P). I fully realize that I’m skinny to an almost ridiculous degree, perhaps even beyond ridiculous. As much as a enjoy not being fat, not even the slightest bit fat, it would be nice to outweigh guys within 6” of my height. Of course, I’m also lazy, and moving here hasn’t changed that, so I probably won’t be starting this exercise regime anytime soon.

Oh, there might be an Obama / Clinton debate here in Houston at the end of the month, over at the big convention centre, and I hope I get a chance to actually go in person if I can. I’m sure the crowds will be huge though. But still, I’d like a chance to see something like this in person. I hope Obama wins the presidency. If he wins the nomination, I’m pretty sure he will. I’m not exactly a political pundit, but I really don’t see any way that McCain is going to be the next president. Republicans are screwed for this ‘08 presidential election, and for good reasons. I like Obama’s message and image, and if there’s any substance to his campaign (which, from my naive viewpoint, there appears to be), then I think he could do a lot of good in the White House. Of course, I can’t vote, so it doesn’t really matter what I think, but I might go buy a “got hope?” t-shirt or something. I wonder if that could lead to trouble? Texas might have a really redneck image, but Houston is fairly progressive I think.

I think I should go buy and read Obama’s two books. This would also help my unstated New Year’s resolution to “read 6 books in 2008″, which I have yet to actively pursue. About the closest I’ve come was finishing off a copy of Wired on the airplane on the flight down here. This hardly counts for true literature, although it did have some really nice photos… So now I’ve got to polish something off by the end of the month to keep on pace.

I’m looking forward to March Madness already. Go Tar Heels! Watched the home loss to Duke the other day, it was tragic. I watched the near-upset by Clemson at Chapel Hill today, and I was intensely pissed off to have ESPN switch the feed from the game to some crappy MMA thing at exactly 8pm instead of letting the OT play out. I mean, ok, do you really think that the number of people who are going to tune in, and be like “Oh, hey, 8 seconds to go in OT, tie game, and I want to watch some random fight” are going to outweigh the number of people already watching who are going to be upset that you leave them hanging like that? Apparently so. Blah. Anyhow, the fact that UNC almost lost is still cause for concern, even if the Tigers are rising stars in the NCAA who will (mark my words!) make it to the Big Dance sometime in the next couple years (no more NIT baloney for them).

And now, I sleep.

I wish I could be like all my heroes, I wish I could be like all yours too,