Lubbock!

It's official - I'm taking a job at Texas Tech University. It's a swell gig, and I'll be living in the land of Tex-Mex food, cotton fields, and awesome belt buckles. A friend of mine who has lived a good part of her life in Texas noted that I will be "good for the place", as in "Get ready, Lubbock, here comes a free thinker!"

Many blogging opportunities will no doubt ensue...

Travel in Style

This illuminated billboard is in the Dallas/Forth Worth airport.  It is advertising the American Paint Horse, which is one of your transportation options in Texas.  If I end up there, maybe I can be like Chuck Yeager and ride my horse to the airfield to go flying.  Before you know it, I'll break the sound barrier.

The fine print refers to "your one-of-a-kind" Paint horse.  It seems odd to describe an animal as one-of-a-kind.  As opposed to what?  A cloned cyborg horse?  What are they not telling us?

Lubbock Landscape

I just returned from a very successful interview in Lubbock, Texas.  My tour of the city included a trip to Prairie Dog Town, where I was able to photograph a local resident.  If you squint just right, you can spot him in the middle distance.  

Texas Toast

I think it is fair to say that of all the American states, Texas is best suited to representation in waffle form.  

Sensual Delights

To keep you posted on my hotel-room observations, the hotel in Texas has a flat-screen television, complimentary popcorn and hot chocolate, and a whirlpool bath.  

Thank you, black gold!

Rejection

A while back I wrote a post about a job ad that stipulated that, as a Film Professor, you had to be able to treat other people like human beings, think rationally, occasionally use your eyes and fingers, and be capable of reading a newspaper.

I just found out that I won't be getting that job.

Should I be worried or relieved?

Culture

Since I've been staying in hotels all over the continent, I've noticed that the room amenities can tell you a lot about a given cultural milieu. 

In the bedside table in Minnesota, there was a copy of The Book of Mormon.

In the bedside table in Montreal, there were condoms.

There you go.