blah blah blah

Today I stopped by Fiesta to pick up a few necessities and to check out my new necklace: 14k gold cut to say "Texas." It looks perfect, cute but ghetto. I'll pay for it and pick it up tomorrow. I didn't have the cash today.

I think about what I'll miss about Houston:

The paleteros with their tricycle ice cream carts, gliding slowly to a chorus of bells. Many wear crisp, pale cowboy hats. Every time I see one I am tempted to flag him down and relieve him of a coconut paleta.

The parts of town that could be mistaken for a Mexican barrio.

Stuffing myself on the buffet at Bombay Sweets.

Third Ward. Grills. Slabs.

My typical Cali Sandwich meal: a tofu sandwich, an avocado smoothie, a mung bean ball. It costs less than five dollars.

Suffocating, sensual heat.

Texas thunderstorms.

Walls of jasmine.

Magnolias.

Azaleas.

Gregarious strangers.

Friends.


But seriously, what I won't miss:

Car culture.

Strip malls.

Aesthetically repugnant architecture.

Buildings air-conditioned to sweater temperatures.

Conservatism.

That people think you're crazy if you're a pedestrian or a cyclist.

The feeling that I'm missing something by being here.




Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. I've invested in a lap steel guitar. Watching Bob Wills clips on youtube makes me think I should actually learn to play it. I've been meaning to get another harmonica as well. I had it in my head that that would be a good instrument for an itinerate girl. However, the one I had didn't stay in my possession for more than a month. It escaped my bag in Croatia.