Got to spend a couple days in Texas this week... Unlike the last two trips this year, I had some holes in my schedule and was able to get back up towards our old house, and see some friends. A good time, no doubt, but damn, I really don't miss this place as much as I thought I did.
The first welcome back was at DFW. My rental car was tagged with 35% in taxes... Yes, that's 35, and not 3.5 with a missing decimal... Unbelievable. I hadn't rented a car at the airport in over 18 years, so this was a shocker to me, and I actually pondered the idea of saying "no thanks" and just taking a cab to the hotel...
The second welcome back was the humidity... Jeez... It was only 95F outside, but after ten minutes outside waiting for the rental car bus, I was drenched in sweat...
Third welcome back was the traffic. I had to jump online and do some work before leaving the airport (thanks to the Admirals Club wifi... lifesaver!). By the time I left the airport it was after 7pm, but I still sat in bumper to bumper traffic going down TX-360 to Arlington.
The upside to the evening... I stopped at Six Flags for an hour, and got to ride the Titan, Texas Giant, Batman the Ride, and Mr. Freeze. All that in an hour. Not wanting to press my luck, and with my brain somewhat scrambled, I headed out to dinner and finally to the hotel...
