Yes, I'm still in Dallas. It's a great trip and I'm so glad I'm here. I've gotten to eat a lot of good food, meet up with my best friend who I helped move to San Antonio last July, eat a lot of good food, do some shopping, eat a lot of good food, do some shit kicking in a real country bar, eat a lot of good food, and visit with my dad.

Some tips to remember next time I make an extended trip, however, in the interests of being sure to enjoy it to its fullest:

Don't wear boots if you are travelling by plane. If you have to wear boots (for packing purposes, for instance), DO NOT take them off during the flight. You'll have a helluva time getting them back on. It's not worth it.

Keep your eating schedule (what and when) as similar to what you're used to at home as possible. I know, I know, vacation is a time to sample and enjoy the exotic delicacies offered by your vacation spot (Dallas??), but the gastric distress you experience by eating whatever is available whenever possible will lessen your ability to enjoy said delicacies. And anything else that comes along.

And regardless of your cell phone's ability to change time with the zone that you've entered, your computer will not be able to adjust accordingly. So if you're in a place that's 2 hours ahead of where you live, and you start a chat with someone from home, pay attention to the time on the bedside clock, not the computer clock, or you'll lose much more sleep than you bargained for with the daylight savings time change.

I think that's all the lessons I've learned so far this week. Oh, and my family and my friends are all cool and get along really well.

Coolest bumper sticker I've seen in a while: Isis! Isis! Ra! Ra! Ra!

And pointed out to me by Jish:
RespectThePussy.com -- it ain't what ya think...

Gotta love that sense of humor.

ps
anyone wishing for email from me, please be patient with me a while longer. I'll get to it as soon as I can.