My Hood Makes the Times

It's not every day that I open the New York Times and find an article about my neighboorhood, in fact it's never happened until today.  The opinion pages have been featuring a series of articles from around the country on local economies, and today there is an article about the recently renovated Kessler Theater, which is a few blocks from my house.  The "leafy, somewhat scruffy streets" of my part of Oak Cliff are where it's happening in Dallas these days and it's nice to see a little national recognition. 

"Who knows — maybe the Ewings can bring some of their big-deal magic back to Dallas once again? In your dreams. Meanwhile, for a slice of real life, there’s always the Kessler."

Read it all here. 

Green Bay Comes to Dallas

The Packers brought their weather with them.  Just in time for Super Bowl week we've been hit with an Artic blast that would make Wisconsin folks feel at home...and wonder why they left.  It was 75 on Saturday and today it's 20 and dropping.  Gusty winds are bringing the wind chill to a crisp 1 or 2.  That's not soft, pretty snow in the picture, it's solid ice.  There are a zillion events planned in the area all week, many of them outdoors.  Instead of a typically mild North Texas January, we've got collapsing party tents and a city at a standstill.  Luckily for me, my new job doesn't start until next week so I don't have to get out in it.  I'd better go now, Wes has the hot chocolate heated up. 

No Wonder the Traffic's So Bad

According to the latest Census Bureau figures, the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the US.  Between 2000 and 2009, it grew 24%, to an estimated 6.5 million people.  It's not hard to understand why.  The state is experiencing an immigration boom plus large numbers of people from elsewhere in the country are flowing in.  Dallas is a business magnet with hoardes of corporate headquarters and major operations including Exxon/Mobile, FexEx/Kinkos, Dr. Pepper, JC Penney, Pizza Hut, American Airlines, Mary Kay, and the list goes on and on.  There's no state income tax, a relatively low cost of living, an amazing new downtown arts center, a large downtown park under construction, a major airport, and of course, a large, visible, vibrant and fabulous gay community.  If you can take the heat and handle all the Republicans in the suburbs (I just stay south of 635), it's a great place to live.      

My Life in the Bible Belt: Strippers to Guns

From The DiSCust.com by way of Floatingsheap.com comes the USA Guns, Strippers and Pizza Map!

It enlarges nicely.  The red dots indicate more references to pizza in Google Maps placemarks.  The yellow dots are for more references to strip clubs and the green to guns.  In my life's journey through the Bible belt, I spent my young formative years in North Augusta, South Carolina, shown here:

I have conveniently pointed out the yellow stripper dots indicating the greater North Augusta/Aiken/Central Savannah River Area.  This most conservative area of the nation is apparently awash in strippers. 

As an adult, I live in North Texas, shown here:

Again, I have conveniently pointed it out.  It is awash in green for guns. 

Thus in my life, I have progressed from bare boobs to armed boobs.  God Bless America.   

Spring Snowpocalypse

Friday night, Wes and I met a friend for dinner outdoors at La Duni.  It was a beautiful spring evening.  All the bulbs and trees were in bloom.  The Bradford pears have been gorgeous this year.  Dallas Blooms has started at the arboretum.  Then, yesterday turned cold and rainy and look at what we woke up to this morning.  It's not a lot of snow, but it broke the record for this day.  This picture doesn't convey the wind and biting cold.  Dallas typically gets about one winter weather event a year.  This year has been like living in Saskatchewan.  The good news is it's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow.  Just in time for the work week.

Icepocalypse 2010 Continues

I took this picture on my Plano Housewife Power Walk yesterday afternoon (a joke locals will get).  It's in front of a grand old house owned by some gays, kind of a local landmark.  Yes, it's a frozen fountain.  It actually got a bit above freezing yesterday, thus the walk, and today it's supposed to soar to 43!  Break out the Catalina Swimwear, contestants!

Arctic Freeze in Dallas

Dallas is experiencing the coldest weather in 20 years with an Arctic front that moved in last night.  We began the day with some delightful freezing drizzle and gusty winds bringing the wind chill to a crisp 0 degrees (the picture above is from 10:45 AM).  The actual temperature was 28 at sunrise and dropping.  By the time I walked the dog (Wes' dog that Wes wanted yet I was walking him in the freezing drizzle.  I am a SAINT), it was 24 with 45 MPH wind gusts.  Trevor loved it but then again, I wasn't wearing his fur coat.  The good news?  There is no good news.  It may not get above freezing until Sunday afternoon.

To think I moved to Dallas because it's a large urban area in a warm climate.