Thanksgiving in Dixie

I spent Thanksgiving with Jason and his family this year. It was a lot of fun, I have to say. His family is really nice and they give a lot of hugs. We had turkey, ham, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs and cake. Obviously, they were missing the tamales. And I got to watch the Cowboys play!

I did miss my family this year. I missed the traditions and I missed seeing my sister, who was hope for Thanksgiving, but won't be for Christmas. It's weird, I miss all of my family, but sometimes, it's mainly Jeanette and Joey, my siblings, my playmates... the most major pains in my behind. Joey's in high school and Jeanette is married and has a good job, but I wonder if they still need me. Do they need money? Hugs? Someone to talk to? Do they need to know that I think about them everyday and hope to God that they're happy and safe? Do they need me anymore? Do they think about me? Sappy, isn't it? Well, they're my little brother and sister and they will always be. And one day both might be more successful that me, happier than me, but I'll still want to wish them more. I miss them so much sometimes, more than words can say. I don't have anyone who can possibly replace them, or be substitutes here in North Carolina. Jason's brothers aren't anything like my siblings. They're boys, so they spend all day hitting each other, which is kinda how Joey and I are, but Patrick and Trevor wouldn't hit me back. I need a girl, I need my sister.

Alright, enough of my whining... I'll get back to work now.

Run, Jackie, Run!

After thinking about it for a few days, and being inspired by Tina, I think I might try to run/walk the New Orleans Mardi Gras half-marathon, or maybe the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth on the last weekend of February.. A half-marathon is a little over 13 miles, to be done in 3 1/2 hours. I'm not completely committed to do it yet, but I am committed to training for it. I might change my mind at the last minute, who know. Now that I've got my asthma under control (Thank you, Dr. Zgoda), I can actually jog, and I really like it! It makes me feel good knowing I can run for a bit without wanting to faint.

I was inspired by Tina because she just ran/walked the half-marathon in Raleigh. She plans to run the whole thing next year... and I plan to run it with her. I've got a year to train for that.

I like running outdoors better than on the treadmill in the gym, but with winter coming up, the gym might be my only choice on those really, really cold days. I'm from South Texas, I don't know how to deal with cold weather.

I'm also inspired by my Uncle Tiny. He's been running these things forever! It's got to be in my blood somewhere, doesn't it?

Brownsville-bound... or at least, McAllen

I bought my plane ticket for Christmas this week. Do you have any idea how much it costs to fly into South Texas?? No, Mom, it's not that I live too far away, it's that the Valley has such small, crappy little airports that it's just too much effort to fly in if you're not on Southwest that they charge you and arm and a leg. Either way, for about the same amount that I put a down payment on my car, I get to fly from Raleigh to McAllen. It was way too much money to fly from Charlotte to Harlingen or Brownsville. So, I have to get up way early to make a 6 a.m. flight (that's 5 a.m. to you guys in Texas) on Thursday (Dec. 20) in Raleigh, which is two hours away. Then I land in McAllen at about 10:30 (central time) and drive to Brownsville. Yes, I'll be grumpy that Thursday, forgive me.

Sadly, I fly back on Christmas Day because I have to work early the next morning. So, it's the same trip, just backwards, and maybe not as grumpy.

But I'm looking forward to coming home for the holiday. I haven't spent Christmas in Brownsville in years. Years!! Mexican Christmases are definitely different from Redneck Southern Christmases, to begin with, there won't be sausage gravy on the stove on Christmas morning. Or maybe there will be... it was good! I know it won't be cold, it's South Texas, after all. But maybe I won't have to wear shorts.

Digging through the Cowboys' trash

In a surprise move today, the Carolina Panthers have signed Vinny Testaverde for a year as their veteran quarterback, behind David Carr. I have one thing to say to Panther fans, "I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry." What were they thinking? Did they not see the fiasco that was the Cowboys two years ago, before Drew Bledsoe? Did they not see the shame in our eyes?? Testaverde was drafted into the NFL in 1987. I was 5 years old when he came into the league! But the Panthers needed a veteran now that Jake Delhomme is out for the year because of elbow problems. I told a few Panther fans at my job that as a Cowboys fan, I felt obligated to show them clips of the Cowboys season back then! I was sorry for them. But it might be better than current starter, Carr, who has been sacked more times than a bag of flour. One good hit to his back will send Testaverde onto the field, with an oxygen tank, wielding his AARP (American Association of Retired People) card and a cane.

And it seems like they're digging through the Cowboy's trash! They were the ones to pick up Keyshawn Johnson after we let him go. Now Testaverde? Who's next? Will the Big Tuna be making an appearance in place of John Fox soon?

The weather

Mom and Dad always ask me how the weather is up here. So, here's the final weather reporter for Charlotte, North Carolina: It's never good. It's always too hot, too humid, too cold, too rainy, too icy... it's just too much. We have many four nice days out of the year where we can go outside and say, "Man, it's nice day." OK, I lie. We have more than four days, we have plently in between the days where it's too hot and too cold. Being from South Texas, there are plently of too colds in there. But most of the time, it's hot, unless it's February, when it's too cold.

Carolina Panthers, 2-2

Everytime I tell someone I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan (born and raised, yes sir), I get the look. The Look. The oh-you're-one-of-those-ridiculous-Cowboy-fans Look. And I get the single, "oh." Yes, people, I'm a Cowboys fan, like my dad and granddad before me! My parents' Christmas tree is decorated in blue and silver! My brother has Cowboys stuff all over his room, like he's had since the day he was born. But to be a Cowboys fan in Carolina is a sin, apparently. So, fine, I'm a sinner... but we have a 4-0 record while I just saw the Carolina Panthers barely miss being shut out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I may be a sinner, but I'm a proud one at that. The first Panthers game I went to was Dec. 24, 2005, Christmas Eve, when the 'Boys came to town. Heading to Bank of America stadium here in Charlotte (with Panthers fan, Jason), I got comments about how I'm cheering for the wrong team. One guy even asked Jason if he was actually dating me, a Cowboys fan. But I found my group... a group of Cowboys fans standing in front of the stadium. We talked about where we were from and how awful we're treated because of who we cheer for. I felt at home, standing next to people who were like my uncles in their blue jerseys. The Cowboys won that game, thanks to a Billy Cundiff mishap. I stood in the middle of the stands as the game came to an end, proud and with misty eyes, I turned to Jason and said, "HA!" Then I ran away because there were some angry Panthers fans around...

Lucky and Dotty

Since arriving in North Carolina, I've adopted two cats. I didn't actually go out and get them. I didn't choose them. They didn't choose me. We just found ourselves with each other, and eventually, in the same living arrangements. So, Lucky and Dotty live with me now. I like cats, I like sweet, fluffy, caring cats. These are not those kind of cats.

Dotty is the one at the bottom of the kitty pile in the photo. She's the mean one. Oh so mean! She doesn't like being touched if she doesn't like you, and she doesn't like being picked up if she doesn't love you. She meows loudly all the time, just to get attention. She also looks at people like they're morons and makes you feel dumb. She's truly here to rule the world. But she's so soft and is full of personality. Too bad the bad outweighs the good.

Lucky (the one on top of Dotty) is sweet, but dumb. Oh so dumb! She falls off couches because she doesn't see where it ends. She hits herself on walls and stares at the ceiling fan for long periods of time. But she's really nice and playful.

So, these are my cats. Sometimes the three of us can't be in the same room because someone's yelling, usually, it's me. But they do like "The Lion King." They can watch that movie for a while.

Grad school = No fun

So, I decided that I could try my hand at grad school. I decided on the University of North Carolina, the top journalism school in the state (like the University of Texas for, well... Texas). They're offering a Certificate (not a full graduate degree) in Technology and Communications. Classes are all online, and they're kicking my tush, but I am learning a lot and they are fun. I drove over to the UNC campus in Chapel Hill on week for orientation and I got a small tour of the school (through Jason's small experience at the school and an easy-to-find campus map off Franklin Street). I even got to eat lunch at the THE PLACE TO HAVE LUNCH IN CHAPEL HILL, The Rat. It's some cruddy restaurant in a basement on Franklin Street, but everyone loves it. Jason (whose dad is UNC alumni) visited the school a lot as a child and told me about the place. Anyway, so I'm a Tar Heel now. Don't ask me what that is. I'm still trying to figure out what an Aggie is. I don't consider myself a Tar Heel, I'm a Mean Green Eagle through and through.

Well, in the photo I'm standing next to the Old Well on the UNC campus. You can apparenly drink water from it, but no chance was I going to put my mouth anywhere near where hundreds of thousands have before me. Eeww.

The Prince of NASCAR

I happen to live in NASCAR county. That's right. NASCAR. I hated NASCAR before I moved here, hated the sight of traffic at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. But living here, I saw how important the sport (yes, sport) was to the area. And when the races came to the Lowe's Motor Speedway, it was a big deal, a huge deal... you'd like Elvis came back to life. So who's the sport's largest name? Well, that would be this guy, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Like his daddy before him, he's a star. Well, his father, Dale Earnhardt, grew up in the town next to mine, Kannapolis, where they used to make towels. The road that goes from Kannapolis to Concord (my town) is Highway 3 (named after Daddy Earnhardt's number 3 car).

Welcome to Carolinas!

OK, so it occured to me that I don't call people enough to tell them about how I'm doing in Charlotte, North Carolina. So, in an attempt to let you all know how I'm embracing the South, I'm setting up this blog to tell (and show) you. I'll make frequent updates, tell you about the interesting things I see and do and (attempt to) add photos.

Remember, I miss you guys!