Let The Good Times Roll

I had a little Mardi Gras celebration a few days early in, of all places, San Antonio, Texas. There was a parade of boats, circling the Riverwalk, there was modest throwing of beads, and I nearly fell into the San Antonio River while trying to catch some - not that I don't have a half-ton in my apartment already.

Today is also the Texas Independence Day, and some people want to leave the Union and go back to Mexico (though I‘m not sure about the latter).  Meanwhile, in Germany, times are interesting:  Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had to step back as Secretary of Defense, due to plagiarism of his dissertation. Now there is a new guy, Thomas de Maizière, who used to be Secretary of the Interior. They still have rallies pro and contra Guttenberg, mostly on the web, though. Well, that was fast!

So, what is Guttenberg doing now? Rumor has it, he will relocate to the USA. He is said to have an offer from a consulting agency already. And he might even end up on the board of a blue chip company. And if that doesn't work out, he can still go to Hollywood.

Houston - I Have a Problem

I made it to Texas - Texas is huge! It is so huge that I'm basically spending all my time in the car, driving up and down I-45. This time, they gave me a Dodge Caravan that qualifies as an economy car (in Texas). Yesterday, I visited a Rodeo in Houston; actually THE Rodeo in Houston. I nearly lost my car because the area is so huge that I forgot where I‘ve parked it.

Also, the food is huge. At the Rodeo, they sold "a mountain of fries" for ten bucks. Ten bucks! I‘m sure they'd feed a family (in Somalia), but this also drains your resources. The Rodeo itself, I had the feeling that the horses and cattle were in the act. The horses violently kicked the Cowboys from their backs, then calmed down all by themselves and trotted back to the stable, as if they'd punched a card.