Returned from my Tour in Texas.
Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:04 pm
Well, I'm back from the holidays in my Texas hometown of Arlington. However, this year covered more ground than previous times. I drove across 700 miles of desert and farmland to get to the DFW metroplex. The Panhandle of Texas is always uneventful and bland, aside from the over-zealous state troopers. (Yes, they do exist.)
I left Albuquerque, New Mexico while it was SNOWING! We already had five inches of snow the day before, and I got to miss work. More time for packing my things. The drive out of the area took me through the nearby mountain pass in the Sandia Peaks. The only eastern route out of Albuquerque. The mountains were covered in white, and I never got the chance to see it like that before. It is usually too dry to get that much precipitation, but I suppose this year is El Nino.
I did a lot of the things I used to do with my friends. We played Magic: The Gathering, went to the local Anime Store, and played Soul Calibur II at the Putt-Putt arcade. The first thing I did though, was attend a birthday party for my friend Shawn. We went to downtown Dallas and ate at a great Indian restraunt. Best I ever tasted. Sadly, the friend of mine that owns The Anime Store, was closing up shop. Luckilly, I arrived the day it was closing to give him my best wishes, and take advantage of his huge clearance sale. I bought the entire series of Angel Links for $40. Unlucky for him, three of his co-workers stole ALL of his remaining merchendise later than night. They have yet to be caught. (I think they left town. Bastards.)
Plenty of time spend with family too. After several Christmas parties, I went on a night on the town with my uncle, sister, and her boyfriend. First it was a stop at Fox And The Hound. An english bar in Downtown Ft. Worth where they bought me my first round, ever. Next, we went to a biker bar in downtown Arlingtion called Showdown. We played pool, talked a bit, and I started to get drunk for the first time, ever. During my stuper, I met and chatted with the owner of Dallas Scene Magazine, who had a beer with me. He gave me his buisness card and wants me to do some art for him in the near future. After we left that place, my Uncle had to split off from the group. My sister took me to a bar near her house. I have no idea where or what it is called because I was smashed. I just remember talking, being very dizzy, getting kissed by a gay guy, and making the comment that I'm not ok to drive a car. After that I went to my sisters apartment where I threw up three times, and eh... I can't remember anything after that. I merely woke up on the couch the next day with a horrible hangover. The rest of the visit was rather relaxed. I didn't feel well after that "Texas Man's 21st Birthday", so I didn't do anything too crazy. I did get to see a lot of old faces though.
As it turns out, the return home took two days instead of one. The snow storms in the mountain time zone hit Albuquerque, and the mountains east of it. I knew for a fact my home was buried in a foot of snow, because I called my neighbors about the weather. The highway was completely shut down. My solution? Drive all the way to El Paso, and take the highway to the south. Worked like a charm after a loooooong drive. Although I did enjoy the view. West Texas has no tourist interest, but the windmill-covered plateus, rolling hills, and El Paso mountain landscape were lovely to see. My Texas heart near bursting from the beauty of my state I had never seen before, I finally crossed the New Mexico border, and had clear sailing through mountain-desert terrain all the way into the snowy Sandia Valley that I live in.
Well, I'm back. It was fun. I'll do it all again next year.
I left Albuquerque, New Mexico while it was SNOWING! We already had five inches of snow the day before, and I got to miss work. More time for packing my things. The drive out of the area took me through the nearby mountain pass in the Sandia Peaks. The only eastern route out of Albuquerque. The mountains were covered in white, and I never got the chance to see it like that before. It is usually too dry to get that much precipitation, but I suppose this year is El Nino.
I did a lot of the things I used to do with my friends. We played Magic: The Gathering, went to the local Anime Store, and played Soul Calibur II at the Putt-Putt arcade. The first thing I did though, was attend a birthday party for my friend Shawn. We went to downtown Dallas and ate at a great Indian restraunt. Best I ever tasted. Sadly, the friend of mine that owns The Anime Store, was closing up shop. Luckilly, I arrived the day it was closing to give him my best wishes, and take advantage of his huge clearance sale. I bought the entire series of Angel Links for $40. Unlucky for him, three of his co-workers stole ALL of his remaining merchendise later than night. They have yet to be caught. (I think they left town. Bastards.)
Plenty of time spend with family too. After several Christmas parties, I went on a night on the town with my uncle, sister, and her boyfriend. First it was a stop at Fox And The Hound. An english bar in Downtown Ft. Worth where they bought me my first round, ever. Next, we went to a biker bar in downtown Arlingtion called Showdown. We played pool, talked a bit, and I started to get drunk for the first time, ever. During my stuper, I met and chatted with the owner of Dallas Scene Magazine, who had a beer with me. He gave me his buisness card and wants me to do some art for him in the near future. After we left that place, my Uncle had to split off from the group. My sister took me to a bar near her house. I have no idea where or what it is called because I was smashed. I just remember talking, being very dizzy, getting kissed by a gay guy, and making the comment that I'm not ok to drive a car. After that I went to my sisters apartment where I threw up three times, and eh... I can't remember anything after that. I merely woke up on the couch the next day with a horrible hangover. The rest of the visit was rather relaxed. I didn't feel well after that "Texas Man's 21st Birthday", so I didn't do anything too crazy. I did get to see a lot of old faces though.
As it turns out, the return home took two days instead of one. The snow storms in the mountain time zone hit Albuquerque, and the mountains east of it. I knew for a fact my home was buried in a foot of snow, because I called my neighbors about the weather. The highway was completely shut down. My solution? Drive all the way to El Paso, and take the highway to the south. Worked like a charm after a loooooong drive. Although I did enjoy the view. West Texas has no tourist interest, but the windmill-covered plateus, rolling hills, and El Paso mountain landscape were lovely to see. My Texas heart near bursting from the beauty of my state I had never seen before, I finally crossed the New Mexico border, and had clear sailing through mountain-desert terrain all the way into the snowy Sandia Valley that I live in.
Well, I'm back. It was fun. I'll do it all again next year.
I wish it snowed here. 
