And I'm not saying we are better, I'm saying these are differences I just became aware of recently. I've only lived here. I've traveled but that's not the same as living in another place. Hard to see the water you are swimming in, you know?

When I say we talk to strangers, my partner literally said "a stranger is a friend I just haven't met yet" with a huge grin on his face when I expressed social anxiety

I didn't think about that as a societal norm until recently. I'm realizing that Texans are exceptionally extroverted

When people say "people are so friendly here" does that mean that people less friendly everywhere else? Talking to people in the northeast, I'm realizing that is might be literally true. I can talk to anyone here and they'll usually chat with you. People up north apparently don't talk to strangers

The idea of leaving central Texas was always hard for me because I hate the idea of leaving my family and friends. But now it's the cultural differences that scare me. Friends who moved north have all become quieter since leaving, just turned down. And I don't want to turn myself down

I know I will be priced out eventually. As I'm looking for jobs, it might be sooner than later. Culturally, Texans don't move out of state as much as people do in much of the US. The idea scares me

As the population of Austin becomes mostly people from out of state, I sometimes feel like a stranger in a strange land in my own city. The culture is changing so swiftly here. We've always had a booming population but that had historically been from other places in Texa

And after being in the city this long, I'd thought I'd lost my accent. People back home say I sound like a television reporter now. I think it still remains in my syntax if not my inflection. And the insane contractions that Southern speech is famous for. All the "y'all'd've"s and such

I'm from the country. After a couple decades of moving to the city, Austin, I had thought myself quite metropolitan. But the newcomers seem so much more sophisticated. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Just different. I don't remember expensive name brands on people before the pandemic for example

I never felt Southern until the most recent influx of immigrants from the north east. Not saying I'm proud of it. Just, I didn't realize how much this place has shaped me. I should have realized how strange we are when I learned the Norwegians who use the word Texas to mean crazy

No honey, that is how Southern men talk to each other. I agree, they shouldn't talk to their friends that way. Yes, the offer for help was genuine. Yes, that was meant to be nice too. Yep, strangers will continue to randomly talk to you as long as you are here, it's not you, that's just Texans

On a date with a Yankee, we ended up having a discussion about cultural norms. He asked me about a few different situations where he thought the guy wanted to fight him.

I've been thinking a lot about the indirectness of Southern speech. Is it all passive aggressive or... What's going on?

Drag is people performing an exaggerated feminity. Wrestling is people performing exaggerated masculinity

TXDOT had all their documents on de-icing removed because the first three letters are "D", "E" and "I"

So remember the snowpocalypse, imagine that but with all plans erased for dealing with ice

Do y'all ever catch yourself talking real Texan? Not just our love for contractions but like phrases such as "those are fighting words" "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" or "all hat and no cattle"

Trucking is the most common job in rural America

Like what? Bluesky definitely isn't it

YouTube video by vlogbrothers It Makes a Kind of Sense -- The Trump Tariff Tier List

youtu.be/8JuuGjRhSYE?...

Back in Corpus Christi, I guess I'm a boat person now

Vouchers are in committee today at the Texas Capitol!

Succulent

I want more graffiti like this

👇👇

Don't get angry. Get cold. Get calculating. Make a plan

Canada tariffs: Trudeau hits back against Trump with 25% levy Canada announces retaliatory tariffs against the US, in a move that is likely to be costly for both nations.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.

www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...

Luigi Mangione fundraiser update after some money was taken away A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Luigi Mangione continues to get donations after having to refund fraudulent contributions.

www.newsweek.com/luigi-mangio...