Houston, We Have Liftoff!

Houston. A city as humid as a newborn's diaper after feeding. Situated on the Gulf it can't help it, BUT thanks to modern technology it is quite livable in the summer; provided you don't go outside.

I've lived in the city for all of a month and the first three words that come to mind when describing the city (outside of the weather) are progressive, nice, and gritty. H-Town didn't become the 4th largest city in America by sitting on it's laurels and hoping someone else would discover all of that 'oyahll' in those waters 100 miles away. No siree! A few folks decided it was their turn to get a piece of the American pie and built an entire industry off of that Black Gold-Texas Tea. And although I'm over a century behind I'm finally getting a taste of what makes this Texas town tick.

Now I'm not one to make a point of sexual orientation when it comes to anything really. You be you, and love one another is mostly what I follow, but in this case it I think it speaks volumes about the people when they elect an openly gay woman to lead the city. My perceptions of Texas has been the entire state, excluding the Babylonian city called 'Austin', is RED; politics, money, blood, etc. And while those are all true H-town has proven itself to be this quiet anomaly to the norm. Almost half of the population is Hispanic and the booming energy sector has brought an influx of foreign nationals. Let's not forget technology and engineering pieces of the puzzle (NASA Duh!). All of these help to make Houston a progressive cosmopolitan city big enough to rival those cities on either coast that claim to be the center of the universe.

Most people think of the lack of zoning laws inevitably when the topic of Houston comes up and rightfully so actually. Recently I was out looking for a new abode and the realtor showed us a quite expensive low rise condo in the Nuevo Chic area of Montrose. There was a tattoo parlor, sex shop, and 4 star Spanish restaurant right across the street and of course I was tempted to put a bid on the place. The area was appealing because of it's proximity to the aforementioned as well as for the people. They are nice. Everyone I've come in contact with has been helpful and down to earth. When I came down, I took my old mountain bike to a local bike shop to get a tune up; something to get me to ride it vs. push it from one room of my house to another. The place looked like somewhere I would like to work; gritty, laidback, and a little chaotic. After talking with the proprietors and taking a leap of faith I left my baby with them. Minor surgery is still a cut, and trust is something you look to your gut for when nothing else presents itself. As a gesture of faith and trust that they would take care of my baby (Ieva called it a bribe), I decided to show them what my brand of nice was.. So I took them a 4 pack of Tank 7 to remember "that guy from Kansas City" when they were putting on my new forks. It worked.

Houston has its many reasons for calling me, love, career opportunities, new adventures..destiny. All very worthy causes but now it's time to peel back a few more layers and see how this KC Kid can integrate with these Mud Turtles. One thing's for certain.. we'll be nice.