The Upsides and Downsides of BFE

I have Veterans Day off. Next year, no election day off thanks to the efforts of our judge who thinks Dawson County gives too many holidays, even though next year is when she's up for election. Short sighted? I think so.

With fewer stores to shop in, I don't spend as much money. (But then when I do go to civilization, I tend to overspend.)

I get visited by Jehovah's Witnesses. (Not sure if this is a positive or negative.)

I have a big yard for my puppy. However, Scout likes to dig, so my backyard now resembles a field used for testing small artillery.

Lubbock has a netflix distribution center, so I get new movies two days after the last one was returned.

Small town politics is similar to academia: the politics is so dirty because the stakes are so low. Example: our district judge tries to control what the DA's office and all the county and JP judges do. It's annoying, to put it kindly.

I'm much quieter here than I think I have ever been before, because I spend so much time biting my tongue. It's an interesting experience, being surrounded by religious conservative Republicans.

However, being surrounded by Bible-quoting Baptists is making me want to better understand and define my own faith. I'm planning to read The World's Religions by Huston Smith, an excerpt of which I read in my Asian Religions class freshman year of college. That should give me a good start.

There are fewer cars, which would seem to make cycling safer, but there are also fewer cyclists and mostly trucks rather than cars and lots of glass and other trash in the street, which makes me feel, oddly, less safe cycling than I did in Houston. Part of that could be the new pedals, though.

I have amazing people in my life. Thank you to everyone who has made the drive to visit me. Elise and Treva get the man-miles (woman-miles?) award, but Tony, Michelle, and Kyle (twice!) your visits are just as appreciated. :)

I miss San Antonio, and Houston, and even Arlington.

I did not want to be a homeowner, and possible problems with my plumbing in the wall between kitchen and bathroom reinforces that. Whether it ends up being a big or small problem remains to be seen, but I was really wanting that kind of thing to stay in the responsibilities of a landlord for awhile.

That's all I can think of for now...have a good week!

Happy Veterans Day!