Deep it the Heart of Texas...

ghtOkay, so maybe it's more like north texas, and not exactly the deep heart, but here I am in Dallas! For the past month or so, ever time I told someone I would be moving to Texas, the response was the same: "Oh, it's going to be hot!" Well clearly those people knew what they were talking about. But honestly, it's not too bad. Sure the grass is a little brown in places, but whatever.

Just to add spice and flair, I will start my Dallas narrative with this news: in the first 10 hours of being here in Dallas, I saw two places where people got shot! Haha, don't anyone worry ... one was the Grassy Knoll -- of course I had to be brought there, and I saw the 6th story window and the X on the road where Kennedy was shot. The other was -- and this is just crazy!! -- well, apparently Bonnie and Clyde and/or their family(ies) were residents of West Dallas, and either lived at or were staying in the house next door to the Wesley-Rankin main building. Actually, the center even owns that house now! Anyway, their gang was confronted by the police, a shootout ensued, and the sheriff was shot right there on the front porch. You can see the bullet holes over the house number from the road!

So I've sort-of started working already at the Wesley-Rankin Community Center. I mean, I really have nothing to do yet, it's just been coming in and going to lunch (meetings) or hanging out and meeting people there. Everyone I've met and/or will be working with is so nice and I love them already. So that's good.

I actually don't have my own apartment yet. Sad day. I saw my apartment, where I'll be living -- it's just not done getting remodeled or refurnished/furbished ... whatever the appropriate term may be. So in the meantime, I'm staying with Priscilla and her family (mom and stepdad) in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas. Actually, it's still the Dallas area, and it's not really that far, but rushhour traffic is a bit of a pill. Hey, I don't have to drive it (yet!). Priscilla and her family are amazing, there house is beautiful, I have the fancy guest bedroom, they have two cute and only slightly yappy little white dogs, and a killer flat screen plasma TV that we watch project runway, rockstar, big brother, and other TiVo'd reality TV shows. I must admit, reality TV (other than project runway, naturally) isn't really my bag, but after 2 or 3 nights already, I'm slowly getting sucked into the crazy, mixed up, anything goes world of reality TV. Ok, not really -- big brother still confuses the crap outta me, but it's kind of fun to watch. Priscilla especially is great, which is good, since I spend so much time with her. She graduated the year before I did, and is originally from Boston, so she has the great Bostonian accent with words ending in "ar," and of course is crazy about the red sox!!

That's about it for now. The story is to be continued...