Fw: Texas Facts

[plinsenmayer]

Hi --

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Amanda" <editor at t...> wrote:
> These were fun. I have inserted commentary.

And, I, a native Texan, have inserted additonal commentary: 

> > There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas, 
plus a couple no one's seen before.
> 
> True. <snip>

Can't believe there seems to be no commentary about the insects I 
think of most readily in Texas: those damn large flying cockroaches 
(palmetto bugs I"m told) that I'm terrified of.  They're as large as 
small mammals ... and have a wing span... you'd think they'd rate a 
mention in this list of Texas facts.  
> 
> > The wind blows at 90 MPH from Oct 2 until June 25, then it stops 
totally until Oct 2.
> 
> This person is obviously from west Texas, a huge place we non-
affectionately refer to as "God's ping-pong table."

Agreed!  Am a native West Texan ...

> > All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, 
vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
> 
> Let's see. Poteet Strawberry Festival. Noonday Sweet Onion 
Festival. Floresville Peanut Festival. Hah! Wait! The Czilispiel is 
none of the above! Hah! But mostly, this is true.

I agree with fellow Houstonian Jennifer that this is not true of 
most Central Texas German festivals, most especially WurstFest, our 
favorite.  Obviously ... Festival of the Sausage.

:::waves at Jennifer::: We must have a Houston get-together with 
Katze...

> > When the world ends, only cockroaches and mesquite trees will 
survive.

Ah, there's the cockroach mention.  Agreed.

> > You know you're from Texas if:
> > 1. You measure distance in minutes.
> 
> This is true. It's an hour and a half from here to Austin, 30 
minutes to downtown, four hours to Houston, etc. I can call up the 
actual mileage if I think about it, but we think of it in terms of 
time.

Agreed!  And, yes, when you're talking about distances within a 
city, you're counting in the time you'll spend in stop-and-go 
traffic (the West Loop Jennifer?).  I measure all distance in terms 
of time.  
> 
> > 2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same 
day.
> 
> There are whole months we have to do this, on both ends of summer.

The most severe example of this I've ever experienced occurred in 
Lubbock while I was in college there.  The temperature dropped about 
60 degrees in 2 hours.  I was in shorts when I went into a class & 
it was decidedly *not* shorts weather when I walked out.  Gusting 
freezing winds in fact.  :::shudders:::

> > 10. You know everyone on TV has an accent.
> 
> Actually, San Antonians don't have much of an accent. Only north 
and west Texans have much of what the world thinks of as a Texas 
accent (thank you, "Dallas").

No -- must disagree. East Texans have a decidedly distinct accent 
IMO.  
> 
> > 11. You think sexy lingerie is a tee shirt and boxer shorts.
> 
> On either gender.

:::looks down at sleeping attire:::  Eep ...

> > 12. The local papers covers national and international news on 
one page but  requires 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
> 
> High school sports alone gets two pages.

2 pages?  You're clearly not from *West* Texas, Amanda.  There's a 
separate section within Sports during football season -- it's more 
than 2 pages for sure.  2 pages gets devoted just to the less than 
5A programs.  5A programs get about 6 pages of coverage on average.  
<g>

> > 15. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, Summer, Still 
summer, and
> Christmas.
> 
> Sadly, this is too true to be funny. 

Yes, I agree.  Christmas can also fall under "still summer" sadly.  
You know it's bad when you're excited that it's cold enough to wear 
your Christmas sweater ... if you turn on the AC and sit under the 
ceiling fan.

> > 19. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good 
chili weather.
> 
> I don't like chili. But anything under 82 is cool weather.

I love chili ... but agree that anything that starts with a "7" 
is "cool."  If it's below 55 and you're a River Oaks matron, you can 
also feel free to drag out the fur coat.

Penny