Hello from Keller!

I'm all settled in here, where the traffic sucks balls and the heat is dry. Of course, I much prefer this heat to the thick-as-peanut-butter air we had back in Brazoria County. We live out on the furthest edge of the Mid Cities, about one mile east of I-35W. In order for us to get anywhere of import, we have to bypass all the residential areas. We should have done more research before we decided on a house, but that's why we rented instead of buying a house. Now we know. When we're ready, we'll thinking about North Richland Hills or Hurst, which are closer to Dallas and easier to get to.

I'm teaching two percussion sections right now, at Keller HS and Highland Park HS in Dallas. Keller is more advanced, since their program is more established, and HP has a new director that is already whipping them into shape versus what they've had going on in previous years. That's all I'm comfortable discussing right now. The drive to HP sucks in the morning, and it sucks in the afternoon. The sun is in my eyes to and fro.

I've already been to a Rangers game, and let me tell you, the experience there doesn't even compare to Minute Maid. First off, parking is atrocious, since it's just lots and fields. In Houston, since the park is downtown, you can easily get in and out via all the streets, and parking on the street isn't so bad; the distance may be far, but you've got stuff to look at on the way, whereas in Arlington all you see is a tiny ballpark that can't get big enough soon enough. Perspective, you know? The Rangers won that night, but it was so damn hot and the sun was in our eyes that Brett and I just got up and walked around, had a beer, and found a porch to stand in to watch the rest. Good game, though.

I've found my sports radio station: 1310 The Ticket. I was surprised that I don't like ESPN 103.3 up here; for some reason I can't get into the local shows. I do listen to Mike and Mike on ESPN in the early mornings, but if I'm in the car after 9, I'm listening to The Ticket ("The" is capitalized for some reason). At noon it's back to Dan Patrick on ESPN, then at 3 it's back to 1310. The guys on that "Hardline" show at 3 are hilarious and much less grating than Galloway and Co. Plus all the lingo they use make me feel like I'm talking with my college buddies. Good times.

We like shopping at Super Target, even though it's further (or farther) and harder to get to than Wally World. The quality of the food (even generic) just seems nicer and better. Plus we don't have the barefoot-baby-in-a-diaper-with-no-shirt-on-and-a-Kool-Aid-mustache factor at Super Target. Plus the meat is better, since they carry Laura's Beef, which I'm in love with.

We've gotten our fill of the restaurant/foodery scene already, and it's been cooking at home for a while now to save money and keep the scene fresh for when we're making money again and we want to dine out later. But my favorite thing so far has been the hot dogs at Quick Trip: 99 cents and WAY better than any dog I've had at any baseball game. The coffee isn't as good as Buc-ee's, but that's ok; I'll manage.

That's about it for now. Hi Banjo. Anonymous: You suck.