If at first you don't secede, try try again...

"Thank God we're so darned proud to be from Texas, even of our pride we're proud, and we're proud of that pride too.  Our pride about our home state is the proudest pride indeed, we're proud to be American... until we can secede."

-Austin Lounge Lizards   "Stupid Texas Song"

Though I've been living here for almost a year now, perhaps I've been oblivious to my own obsession with my home state.  I love Texana and Texas kitchness, and I love The Texas Phenomenon (depending on what mood I'm in and who's asking).  Living in Texas, it's hard not to get caught up in the pride.  Even Nigel, during his brief visit, began to feel it too last time.  He was declared an honorary Texan after being forced to say "y'all" anyhow.  I suppose that I never really noticed that Texas pride was any different to anywhere else.  Maybe this is because I've been living in Yorkshire, the Texas of England.  Proudest and biggest county here, there's certainly a Yorkshire Phenomenon for people here who go to, say, London for a visit.  I've transferred a small amount of my pride over to Yorkshire.  I'm proud to be living here... probably more so than my dearest.  Scary?  Yes, indeed.

As a child I thought this pride was normal, but looking online today, and talking to Frank this afternoon, I can see it's not.  I was totally brainwashed by all the Texas songs we had to learn in school.  Do you know all the words to your state song?  I do.  I know all the words to hundreds of songs about my state, and I will prove it to you if challenged.  Did you have to take history classes in junior high about your state / county / country?  If you don't believe how brainwashed we are, rent Pee Wee's Big Adventure and fast forward to the part where he's in San Antonio.  Or better yet... go to any elementary school in Houston on Go Texan Day.  I had forgotten about this.  I thought that all schools had this sort of thing.  We had to square dance in Phys Ed class, we had to wear bandannas and participate in a junior rodeo.  This isn't normal.  I'm blocking it out now.

It's not an aggressive nationalistic pride though.  I think our pride is more ironic than literal.  There's a lot of reasons for me to be embarrassed about being from Texas (dubya, good ol' boys, baptists, dallas...), but for the most part i'm glad I'm from there.  If only for my friends, mr. kitty, tex-mex, blue-bell ice cream, bluebonnets, bright stars at night ... well, quite a few things actually...

listening to:  Klaus Nomi - "Eclipsed"

reading: Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?