From D-Town to San Antone

If you're going to move to Texas, might I recommend the creation of a Bucketlist? Sure, sure... the idea is a blatant rip-off of a movie I've never even seen, but it has given my presence here a kind of structured adventure that has actually ensured that I appreciate the eccentricities of my new locale, and my new companions for that matter.

My dear friend Jane wrote a blog about the way a life list can catapult its creator into new and interesting situations almost as if by magic. That Jane is a wise, wise lady... and though the Bucketlist that my "Turtles" and I are ever-creating seems to be more time-limited, it's taught me to two-step, led me to a Hare Krshna temple, let a death-row prison officer serve me real Texas barbeque, put me close to death on a horse called "Mama", and had me volunteering in order to sample the finest salsa and margaritas in all the land. I've historically stated that I engage in a lot of random adventures purely for their kitsch and storytelling value, but this is getting ridiculous. And when I say ridiculous, what I really mean is... ridiculously awesome.

So, I've been able to sneak away for a few short road trips... the first to Dallas, and then a longer stint in San Antonio. More and more I'm embracing the idea that any place is what you make of it. Sure, Waco isn't the epicenter of culture and excitement, but even in a place like New York City which is brimming with those qualities, you can make yourself miserable.

I'm a firm believer that you can turn the most mundane surroundings into something enjoyable, and it's time to start practicing what I preach. Which is why I will be participating in yet another random event this Labor Day weekend... oh yes my friends, it's WestFest. A veritable explosion of Czech culture in a podunk Texas town filled with kolache and polka and what promises to be another checked box on the Bucketlist. Shehzad and I will be undertaking the full experience by running the Kolache 5000 Fun Run (a thinly veiled 5K justification for eating apricot pastries for an afternoon). This is life in Waco.

I'm sad to say that with "real school" (i.e. fall semester) starting, these days of lame adventure have a very short shelf life. I was sitting in supervision today feeling completely overwhelmed, thinking of how to recruit children to practice IQ testing on, when things got really clear all of a sudden. Put it on the list, make it an adventure, think outside the box, and things get easier almost as if by magic. On that note, 8am Assessment looms and this Waco warrior is tired from 10 straight hours of substance abuse counseling. This is life in Waco too.

I'm starting to get used to this.

Starting.

"You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses."

- Ziggy (the man)