I have been working in West Texas for the past several years (9) with my business.
Before I started working there, I had never been to Texas (unfortunately).
I have met some great people in Texas and several of them come up here to hunt with
me here in Utah and I consider them great friends.

I had always heard about Austin Texas being "weird". I saw the Austin shirts at the Midland airport
and was always a little confused. I asked my friend about it and he said yeah, it is a bit different.

Now to the point (somewhat)- I just got off of the phone with a lady from the department of Workforce
services that was from Austin. To say she was a bit naïve (and odd) about the work in West Texas is an understatement.

Maybe she was a move in from San Francisco, I do not know. I am not saying she was rude or anything, just
different from anyone I have ever spoken to from Texas.... Is everyone from Austin odd? ha ha...

Disclosure- I apologize in advance for making you suffer through this banter

I had some clients here in Las Vegas a few years ago. I represented them in a big civil action. They were originally from the California Bay Area. After we successfully resolved the civil litigation in their favor, they decided to move to Austin, Texas and get into the alternative music world that was going on down there. I saw some of their music and shizz a few years later. Weird is a total understatement.

quote:

Is everyone from Austin odd? ha ha...

No.

Austin's weird. It's a rotating docket unless your case is assigned to a particular judge and unless that happens, for every hearing you don't know what judge will hear your case. The jury pool includes tech people who moved in from California, college professors, part-time students or drop-outs. Not a great pool for the defense.

No, we're not. I will admit that being a college town it does tend to be mostly left-leaning. It is an island of blue in a sea of red. Like any city, you have your percentage of good folks to the A.H.'s. I have a lot of good friends here, I just don't talk politics. Times damned sure have changed though. In the 60s + 70s there was no division between right + left + we had a gun store on damn near every corner. Now McBrides on 30th + N. Lamar is about the only one left but they have been there since Christ was a corporal. But yes in answer to your question, there are a LOT of weird people here; but a lot of good ones too.

Norman:

That is kind of what I suspected. When I moved back near the town that I grew up in (Logan, Utah), it has seemed to change to how you have described Austin. I have been surprised at how many of the people and the political climate has changed.

quote:

Originally posted by Jason P:
Norman:

That is kind of what I suspected. When I moved back near the town that I grew up in (Logan, Utah), it has seemed to change to how you have described Austin. I have been surprised at how many of the people and the political climate has changed.

I have been gone from Logan for decades now, but I see changes at my infrequent visits. Cache Valley is the victim of its own successes; the little target range in Smithfield Dry Canyon is gone, winter range for mule deer is gone, the cheese store is gone (I get squeaky cheese in Beaver or Cedar City on the way back), Bourns moved their plant to Asia long ago. I'd be more tempted by Preston now...

quote:

(I get squeaky cheese in Beaver or Cedar City on the way back),

The Cache Valley Cheese Beaver location is right off the freeway and has great ice cream, soups, sandwiches, drinks, souvenirs and other things, in addition to all of the wonderful cheeses, including the various cheese curds.

Jason, Thomas Wolfe's quote is so true, "You can never go home again."

Cheese curds? Did someone mention cheese curds? A friend once described them as "salted pencil erasers." I love the darned things, and especially those from the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the Oregon Coast.
Now speaking of Oregon, I must say that someone liked the "Keep Austin Weird" thing so much they outright stole it and applied it to Portland without shame. But Portland isn't weird, It is just pathetic.

yes, austin is wierd! their "thing" is supporting trannies, pink hair, and bums. the PC attitude is totally out of control. people walk dogs down the streets in neighborhoods, eyes down, no talking. and i'm talking about the GOOD part of austin, not the slum side. on major streets, when the light turns green to you, at least 3-4 cars will run it red going the other way. its a "thing" there. the cops accept it and do nothing. was in an HEB grocery store the other day and KIMBERLY, a 20 something guy looking like a linebacker with boobs was the checkout thing. happened b4 too. once saw in HEB a guy with purple hair, shorty shorts and a tank top, high heels, 3 day old beard look, walking a fukkin poodle down the cosmetic isle. favorite place to eat is an old established place called Lupes Tortilla and inside theres an old hand painted sign says EES REAL GOOOD! heard a group of 4 basement dwellers talking about how racist it was and the ownership should take it down. just who the hell do they think put it up??? the morons there will attack anyone that advocates jailing a violent protester/rapist etc, but supports persecution of hunters and gun owners. they think animal shelters are worse than the holecaust, then applaud dozens of humongous apartment complexes going up in the suburbs that destroy habitat for any number of species of animals. this is not my opinions. i have attended numerous grandkids soccer/ basketball/ etc games and hear discussions about donating money to the lgbtqx whatever causes and animal shelters, and in the same sentence hear "you should see our new puppy, its a xyz breed we paid $2000 for". i asked a couple why they didn't just adopt a tranny "thing" instead of giving em money. got real quiet and i was sitting alone after that. austins not just wierd, its SICK

It's definitely not the big little town that it was in the 60s,70s,+ 80s. Mores the pity. The current atmosphere has not been helped at all by the influx of Californians. It's a real shame because back in the day it was a great place to live. I have property outside of town + haven't been to Austin in over 8 years.

"Influx of Californians ..."
Sure wrecked Oregon.

Years ago, I was called in to try to settle a case that was going to trial in Austin. I got there after voir dire and after the jury had been seated.
My first question to defense counsel was "Who the hell did you strike?" There was a guy on the front row that was the spitting image of Jerry Garcia. Two other pony tails on the jury. (Three pony tails on any jury is a record. They are an almost automatic strike for me.) A "ponytail" in my parlance is a male that has a ponytail or a "man bun".

When I worked for the Department of Transportation I went through their school in San Marcos.

What a world away that 50 miles was.

Marfa is also full of weird people.

It is a very visible liberal location in what has historically been a conservative state.
Relative to the surrounds it is would feel a little out of place.
Probably fit right in at southern California.
Highway system has not kept pace with population growth. Thankfully they built a high speed by way around the east side of town.
Sort of a local Texas music mega.

EZ

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
When I worked for the Department of Transportation I went through their school in San Marcos.

What a world away that 50 miles was.

Marfa is also full of weird people.

both my sons graduated san marcos. i live 10 miles south. in the 60s and 70s i hunted mulies in the marfa area a lot. thats HUNTED, not sat in a tree waiting for em to walk by. back then marfa was nothing but ranch and farm people, typical texas country folk. now its a hippie shit hole.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Years ago, I was called in to try to settle a case that was going to trial in Austin. I got there after voir dire and after the jury had been seated.
My first question to defense counsel was "Who the hell did you strike?" There was a guy on the front row that was the spitting image of Jerry Garcia. Two other pony tails on the jury. (Three pony tails on any jury is a record. They are an almost automatic strike for me.) A "ponytail" in my parlance is a male that has a ponytail or a "man bun".

in the 90s in el paso i got called up for jury duty. seeing as how i worked for the adult probation gang unit i couldn't wait to get out of the jury box and leave. then i got picked! i was about to throw a fit when the baliff called me outside and told me it was a joke and to get lost. haha. the judge and i had played on the same little league baseball team and it was his idea.

A lady I know that had a shop downtown called "Things Celtic" had all this Irish + Scots accented stuff + I was selling some of my copper wall sconces on consignment in her store, displaying Celtic knotwork from the Book Of Kels. Anyway, she was telling me that her shipment of kilts got waylayed in Midland + never made it to Austin. I told her it would be a cold day in hell when they sell a kilt in Midland.

John, I've been picked for jury duty 5 times. The next to last time I was with another potential juror, who turned out to be a Texas Ranger so you KNOW who got the shaft.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Jason, Thomas Wolfe's quote is so true, "You can never go home again."

That is 100% true.

To derail a bit - On any given Sunday in the the 80's, you would drive down main street of Logan and would hardly see any cars. Now it is just another day. I see few American flags in front of houses. However, neighbors are in full force force displaying their political opinions on their front lawns. I guess these people thought they could come to a great place and make it better

So I guess it should suffice it to say that Austin is not the only "weird" place....

I

There used to be guy that prowled 6th street at night in nothing more than a thong.
I guess all the locals just took him as part of the attraction and left him alone.
Rather strange.
Hell he may still be there. Probably 70 yrs old.

he rode the busses everywhere that way too and ran for mayor each election

That was "Leslie". He generally ran around on the streets in a tutu + parasol. + ( beard). He's dead now, got beat to death, no big surprise.