As most of you know, I am from the great state of Texas. I was born and raised in Dallas (well, a suburb of Dallas really but who cares?). I went to Texas Tech University for college out in the panhandle, Lubbock. Then I lived in Austin for a few years before heading back up to the DFW area for one more here before leaving texas.
I left Texas in august of 2020 and moved to Denver, Colorado. It has been crazy fun being up in colorado and I have been learning a lot and growing a lot. I haven't made it back much in the 2 years that I've been in Colorado, only visiting 1 time at Christmas 2021. I flew into texas so I didnt really drive all that much. In June 2022, I headed out to my hometown and other important texas landmarks that made me the girl that I am… via car. Since I spent 12 hours in a car just getting to the DFW area, not including the many hours of traffic and travel to go around the state of Texas, I have realized that I have become accustomed to a few things from colorado. Now while I'm on a long drive from one city to the next, I have made a thick list I'm going to call “Things I Forgot about Texas”. So please join me as I list some things that have had to rediscover since being here in the last few weeks.
1. COP CARS! : seriously. This is probably why I had so many tickets in my younger 20s. I didnt think it was all that weird until I didnt drive in the state for 2 years. I'm sure that other states also have ‘invisible cop cars” but I hardly ever see regular cop cars. They are all “invisible”. This poses concerns for many reasons like “how do I know if there is an emergency?” and how can I see through those tented bullet-proof windows that your lights are on? It literally makes zero sense to me. most of these cop cars are posed to look like regular cars that have lights on the inside and no outside headlights or siren lights and is hard to read the “police” on the side. A lot of them are black or silver. Which poses no real benefit to catching speeders on the highway because drivers can see you sitting a mile away with your invisible black car sticking out like a sore thumb in the median in all of the green and yellow dried-out grass. Way to go, guys. I guess.
2. Speeding: the ONLY and I mean the ONLY reason why I think that SOMETIMES invisible cop cars are helpful is to catch speeders while speeding, obviously. The thing is, in texas, it seems like the speed limit is more of the speed suggester. There are some people in the middle lane who are going like 5 miles under the speed limit. There are people in the left lane (THE PASSING LANE) that are going 5 - 10 miles over the speeding limit. Then in the right lane, aka the slow lane, you have people going anywhere between merging onto the highway to 20 miles over the speed limit. Like its dangerous to go anywhere. Also, why are people so nonchalant about people weaving in and out of traffic 20 miles an hour over the speed limit? I can't believe that I was one of them.
3. Speed limits: WHY IS THE SPEED LIMIT 75?! Colorado could NEVER!
4. Whataburger: I think it's unfair that the only good thing to come after a long day fighting your thick long hair in the 100-degree weather and 80 percent humidity is only in texas. I would like to get the best burger around after fighting traffic in colorado when it's raining. I would like to get the best burger around after shoveling my car out of snow for 30 minutes. I would like the best burger around after I walked around or up a mountain and pair it with a nice beer. Listen, Whataburger needs to be everywhere. It's just a fact. Yes, I know that they recently opened one up in colorado springs. But like honestly why? Why did they choose the springs first and not freaking Denver/Aurora/Lakewood/Golden? Now I have to drive 2 hours and sit in the parking lot to enjoy my burger while listening to lame country music rather than watching in my nice comfy bed watching New Girl.
5. Country music: I think I actually cried when I heard the term ‘texas country” for the first time in almost 2 years. I forgot that texas plays a very large, wide variety of different kinds of country music and country artists. You are getting the best mix of 80, 90, 00, and 10’s country music. In Colorado, I don't feel supported. You don't have Shania Twain’s “Feel like a Woman” play. You don't get to hear the latest from Tim Mcgraw. You don't get to hear much of rascal flats or Eli Young Band. No, you get the same songs played over again every hour. You get crazy famous country songs that most likely feature pop artists that get played once every hour.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk/rant fest. The end. Clap now.
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