In a little bit over 24 hours, I'll...finally and thankfully...be landing in Portland. After three weeks in Hell Houston, it will be nice to be back home. 'Course, I'll be back in a week, so I'm not celebrating too much just yet. I'm going have a week off, and then I'll be back at it here. What I'll be coming back to is anyone's guess, but I suppose I'll worry about that when I get here. I can't imagine it could be anywhere near as bas as what I walked into four days after Hurricane Ike decimated the Houston area.
Before I go, I feel as if I owe at least a modicum of an apology to those of you who live in Houston...and like it. Those of you who've hung 'round these parts for any length of time are well aware of my antipathy for Houston. After living here for 3722 days (yeah; what was I thinking??), I can speak to this subject with some authority. Nevertheless, I would be remiss were I not to recognize that Houston does have some good points, and the fact that so many millions live here attests to the reality that it certainly has a lot to offer. To each his own, I suppose. I'm a small-town boy at heart (I grew up in a town of less than 1,000 in far northern Minnesota), and I hate the trappings of a big city. I'm happy in Portland because the lifestyle, the topography, and the size suit my temperament. Oh, yeah...there's the climate as well (no mosquitoes!).
To be honest, I do have to admit to the things I do miss about Houston. I do miss going to Astros games at Minute Maid Park, which for my money is still and by far the best ballpark in baseball. I miss Tex-Mex (Just try getting decent Mexican food in Portland. Go ahead. I dare you.). I miss Galveston (well, not how it looks like now, of course)...and palm trees just won't thrive in the Pacific Northwest.
Truth be told, I recognize that my dislike of Houston has far more to do with me than the city itself. I can't conceive of a circumstance that would convince me to return here on a permanent basis, and I really am happy in Portland. Perhaps if the Astros moved to Portland, and a decent Tex-Mex place opened in Beaverton I could give free reign to my antipathy for Houston. Since neither of those things are likely to happen, I'll just have to own up to the reality that, while it's still not and never will be my kind of place, Houston does have a lot to offer if you're so inclined. Clearly, I'm not, but to those of you who are, more power to you. After all, someone has to buy those Astros tickets.
I STILL hate the pollution and the traffic, though....
