Big Tex Sounds Off

I am sick and tired of purusing other blogs and seeing prejudiced thinking towards the South and Texas in general. In accordance with that, I will offer my response to many "opinions."

Myth 1: Texans and Southerners are Uneducated Slobs.
BiT: What? Please. This is narrowminded East Coast thinking. Lumping people into a group is not an intelligent way to form an argument, and thinking that we are not educated is absurd. I went to a 4 year college and am in graduate school. Do you have the stones to apply or even go to graduate school? I enjoy the work of William Faulkner. Have YOU heard of William Faulkner. He is not one of the best Southern Writers, he is one of the best American authors. Why do you think we are uneducated slobs, becuase some of us like to live in small towns? There are many southern small towns I would rather live then some of those bloated Yankee cities.

Myth 2: People in Texas open doors for women becuase they are misogynic.
BT: Huh? DO you actually know the meaning of the word "misogynic"? Obviously you do not. Reread Myth 1. We hold doors open for women becuase that is what is expected of CIVILIZED people. We also stand up when elderly people walk in and offer our seats to them on the bus and train. I know that many of yall do not. I have seen you on the CTA.

Myth 3: Texas cities all sound alike.
BT: Get a Map! Where else in the country(or world) can you find cities like Grapeland and Grapevine. One is a small East Texas town and the other is a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. We also have Athens, Paris, Palestine, Rome, and many other towns and cities with names you should remember like Luchenback, Cut-n-shoot, Mesquite, Mexia, Nacogdoches, Noonday, Bullseye, Onalaska, and Perfect. Yall have any perfect towns...yeah didn't think so.

This is just the first installment, stay tuned as Big Tex rants some more later.

Congratulations Texas

I thought I would be remiss if I did not publically congratulate The San Antonio Spurs and the University of Texas Longhorns for their Athletic accomplishments. The Spurs won the NBA championship and the Longhorns won the College World Series. This is a wonderful accomplishment for all involved and is a testament to the time they have spent on the practice court/field. Big Tex would like to publically congratulate both teams. All of Texas is proud of you.

Crash into Me

A lot of people have been bugging me to write another movie review since my brilliant piece on Spiderman 2. Well you asked for it, so I will oblige. On Thursday evening I headed to the movie theatre with a friend of mine (Miss E.) to see the movie Crash. I must say that it was an excellent movie depite what some critics might say. I will say ahead of time that there is some use of four letter words, so be forewarned if that bothers you.

I am not going to tell you the plot becuase I think it will take away from your viewing expierence, but I will say that you need to pay some attention, because it is possible to get lost early. If you have seen Pulp Fiction and rememeber how it was broken into three seperate stories in which characers interact across all three, that is a good way to think of Crash. While the movie is told via one story, several subplots rise up which may initially cause some confusion. Allow yourself this confusion becuase you will see the brilliance of how these seeming out of place characters interact in a way that makes complete sense.

At the end of the day I reccomend this movie to anyone 17 and over(due to language and violence, and need for cognitive ability). On the Big Tex Movie Leikart Scale, Crash receives 2 thumbs up and a 9/10 on the specified leikart scale, a very impressive score!(Only 2 movies have ever gotten a 2 thumbs up and 10/10 on the Big Tex Movie leikart scale and I implore ypu to guess which ones!)

In terms of violence, yes there is violence. Be forewarned on that too, becuase movie violence can affect people in different ways. Some people see it as a natural culmination of a scene, others as an unneccesary use of sensationalisticly graphic content. Whatever your stance might be, realize that it is in the movie.

In terms of who should see it, I think everyone should. This is not a movie to see if you are tired, nor one of you are in the mood for a good laugh. If you are looking for a Pauly Shore movie(why i do not know), steer clear of this one. However, if you want to see a movie that will make you think a little, this is a movie for you.

However, what I will say is this. If a movie is able to get me to have a discussion afterwards, then it is probably a success. Miss E and I discussed the movie as we left the theatre and even for a couple of hours later, so it certianly made us think. I gurantee it will make you think too.

Are you a Lego Master?

Are you a Lego Master? Do you think your skills in the Lego medium are unparreleld? Do you think you lord over the rest of the world as the unofficial Lego Emperor? Are you a Lego Afficionado? Do you think your Lego creation can never be surpassed? Are you the Lego King/Queen? If so, I have bad news for you: your castle has crumbled and the jester has stolen your crown.

http://www.bulletinboardforum.com/m/lego.php

Time Flies

Yep, its true. 7 weeks goes by much faster then you can realize. I took a seven week class this summer and let me show you how fast it went.

Week 1: Class on Weds, small paper due friday.
Week 2:Class on Weds and proposal for Final Due, small paper due friday
Week 3: Class on Weds and midterm handed out, small paper due friday
Week 4: Class on Weds, Mid Term due Friday
Week 5: Class on Weds, small paper due friday and mid term handed back
Week 6 Class on Weds and do final project, small paper due friday
Week 7: Final Due on Weds, Final Presentation Due Friday

Yeah. That is a packed semester. There is always something to do including tons of reading writing "Small papers" which were 5 pages or so, mid terms which were 8-10 pages, or final which was 10-12 pages. I am now finished with the semester though. I am going to Evanston on Weds morning to help Becks move and I fly back to Texas on Thursday for a month of R&R/reading. I will not be back to Chicago until August, so if you want to see me before I head out, do let me know.

The NEW American Idiot

I have gotten really fed up with the Media Bias in America, so I rewrote the Green Day song American Idiot.

I Don't want to be your American idiot.
I Don't want a nation under one media.
And can you hear the sound of their hysteria?
One biased media f*cks over America.

Welcome to this bullshit tension.
All across this alien nation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
Thats not the ones I want to follow

There is no f*gg*t America.
Nor some secret redneck agenda.
Now listen while they shovel their propaganda.
And usher their age of paranoia.

Welcome to this bullshit tension.
All across this alien nation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
Thats not the ones I want to follow

I Don't want to be your American idiot.
I Don't want a nation under one media.
Listen to their mindless chatter
Its being enjoyed by Idiot America.

Welcome to this bullshit tension.
All across this alien nation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
Thats not the ones I want to follow.

And You Wanted Proof of the Liberal Media Bias in America?

I have said for years of the liberal media bias in this country. Many people have done their best to convince me that there is no such thing, but it is obvious it is happening. Want proof, look at the recent media outcry over John Kerry's transcript.

What outcry you ask? Thats my point. There was none. John Kerry's transcript was worse then George Bush's yet Bush was raked over the coals as an "idiot." People made fun of his intelligence and called him a moron because of his poor grades. Countless hours were spent in the news as each grade was looked at and scrutinized. However when Kerry relaeased his grades last week, nothing was said. Why? Simple. Kerry is a liberal and the media is simpley protecting one of its own.

Anyone who thinks the liberal media bias does not occur is an idiot. It amazes me how much biased the media has gotten. As a moderate I hear the liberals bash the conservatives all the time. What I think is occuring is a sense of jealousy. The liberals control the print and television media and still are not able to win national elections. They have not actually won a nationaol election since Carter (Regan in 80 and 84, Bush in 88, Clinton in 92 becuase of Perot, Clinton in 96 becuase he ran like a moderate, Bush in 00 and 02). This tells me that the American people are not listening to the media and are capable of making decisions for themselves. They are not allowing the liberal swill to pollute their mind.

Q&A 1

I hve received questions that people want to know about me, so I figured I would take some of the more popular ones and answer them here.

Q: With your busy schedule how do you find time to update?
A: Great Question! The answer is I barely get it done. I sometimes have to juggle a few things around but I am typically able to say something every week or two.

Q: I am new to Houston. Can you recomend a few restauruants?
A: First off welcome to Htown. As you know its one of my favorite cities and a place I call home. Recomending restauruants is tough becuase I do not know what kind of food you like, but here are a few places I like. For Texas BBQ, the only place I go to is a place called Goode Company BBQ. It is a local chain, but it is excellent. If you like large burgers, I recomend a place called Pappas Bugers on Westheimer. If you like Chinese, the only place is a small place in Chinatown called Lai Lai Dumpling House. Enjoy the gastromnoic delights!

Q: Do you like sports. If so which is your favorite?
A: Yes, I do. Favorite sport is easily Football followed by baseball, and ice hockey. After ice hockey, i would rank nascar and gold as sports i like to see.

Q: What kind of books do you like to read?
A: Well, during the school year I read so much clinical material that i lose my interest in pleasure reading. However when not in class I have an eceltic taste. The last few books I have read include: Surely your're joking Mr. Fenyman, The Art of War, The Art of Happiness, A Confederacy of Dunces, and The Millionaire Next Door(reread).

Q: What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?
A: Well lets see. I like to listen to music, play video games, and hang out with friends. When not in school, I also like to read good books. I also enjoy exploring different areas of Chicago and have done a little of that in my free time here, and hope to do more as time goes by.

Q: What do you hate?
A: I do not really hate anything. I get frustrated when people stand in the middle of doorways. I do not know why but that really gets to me. I also really do not like hypocrites. I do not like people who say they are one way then act in another. But hate is a strong word, and I am not sure I hate anything.

Q: Good luck ith your new job in the psychiatric center...will you be sharing any good stories?
A: Thanks for your kind wishes. No. I will not be able to share anything from my job because of patient confidentiality. The only thing I will say about my job is that I will relish the expierence, but I will nto be able to say anything specific. Sorry!

Q: Do you like art?
A: I sure do. I have a couple of prints hanging on my apartment walls. Both are pieces by Innuit painter Tok Hwang.

Thanks for the great questions.
Keep sending them here and I will do another Q&A: Big Tex style!

Its been a while since my last post, so I thought it was time for an update. Unike some of yall I am not traveling anywhere for summer. I am not going on a european criuse, frolicking around Paris, or lounging in Romania. Nope, I am studying in Chicago and Htown. Now, I did nto write that to make you feel bad for me, far from it actually. I am just a tad tored of saying what I am going to do...so I reckon its just easier to post it here.

So I have a meeting on Tuesday, the last of the year, and I am pretty impressed with what we have done this year.

Class goes on uninhibited. I actually have only 2 more weeks of it. It is amazing how fast this semester is going. 7 week semesters are tough becuase they go by way to fast. Witin the first couple of weeks you are thinking of midterms(given in week 3 due week 4). You get midterm back in week 5, and start work on the final that is due in week 7. Wow. Thats just wrong.

My next post, which will actually be later today or tomorrow will be a Q and A with BT.
Look for it!!!