I was driving one of the 1,013 miles I logged last week in Texas.
Like Ruth wrote in here a few days ago, we spend some time each fall visiting high schools, doing slide show presentations in hotels, and (if you're me) eating some really great barbecue. While we can't visit every high school (not by a long shot), I do think these visits help us understand where you come from a little better. We chat with students and counselors about everything from zoning laws (or the lack thereof ... I'm looking at you, Houston) to state-mandated requirements for graduation (like when you're required to take a course on state history or pass a graduation test) to the differences between The Common Application, the UnCommon Application and the Texas Common Application. (Yes, that's a real thing.)
I have to give props to Grace from Austin, TX for giving me the best possible way to describe what it's like being on the road. I used to say it's like being a poorly paid rock star, but Grace pointed out it's much more like being on the professional wakeboarding circuit. As in, you roll from town to town, seeing the same competitors again and a again, but no one except the other professional wakeboarders recognize your mad skillz. Or even know there is such a thing as pro wakeboarding.
To give you a glipse of the explosion of excitement that is fall travel, here's a partial list of things I did while on the road:
- rode in a golf cart (possibly for the first time ever, since I have no memory of doing so before and it moved me to childish delight)
- accidentally ran a toll on the Dallas North Toll Road (seriously, TXDOT, it was a mistake; please don't send me a bill for $0.40)
- mistakenly mapquested the Texas state capitol building instead of my hotel
- drove around for about 20 minutes until the fact that the Texas capitol building was not going to rent me a room for $90 a night sunk in
- got really bad heartburn by overdoing the Diet Dr. Pepper (which I picked up in honor of my driving past Waco)
- drove 1,013 miles (yeah, I said that already, but it's, like, a lot)
- mourned the one year anniversary of the passing of Ann Richards
- learned how to do a really gnarly half-cab*
*Not really. That sounds dangerous.
