The Big Report - The Dallasian Woman
For those of you we have spoken to over the past weeks you will know that we have confirmed the Texan stereotypes, and introduced you to a whole new world of thinking about people, places, religion, politics and a general way of life. What we haven't given much attention to up until now is what I call the Dallasian woman. Within this geographical area we have  observed 3 distinct species, 2 with very unique characteristics. The first species, barely worth a mention is what we all consider the normal woman. These probably constitute half the population, are a pleasure to meet and socialise with, and can be found anywhere else in the world!
Secondly and thankfully becoming more difficult to find in the wild, is one living the American FOOD dream! Initially we thought the stereotypes of Texas being one of the fattest states, was a fable. Unfortunately the more we get out and about the more it becomes a reality. Hopefully with education, restrictions of "soda size" and removal of some addictive snacks (Flamin Hot Cheetos!one of the most addictive snacks apparently available, there has been discussion about banning the sale, if you watch the clip, take not of the reference to the red hands, this is a tell tale sign of a Hot Cheetos junky!) this species continues to decline in numbers and soon becomes extinct (that's Aaron being positive, Erin is a little less confident)...

The final and most interesting species exists in pretentious circles, enjoys yoga and tanning, has a surgeon on speed dial, has not seen her feet in years, self injects Botox, is friends with Louis Vuitton and wears more gold than Mr T. This unique breed is always worth a gaze purely out of amazement and occasionally to work out if it is a man or a woman. A growing species that usually migrates in packs and often referred to as GCB's (Good Christian Bitches of course). Certainly not a dying breed and as time progresses we will try to get a live photo. At present we have been too afraid to whip the camera and face these beasts, but with time courage will build. 

The week past...
Our working lives are now fairly routine with Aaron starting his new job and having to finally get out of bed when the alarm goes off in the morning. Aaron or should I say Coach P is enjoying his school and the challenge of teaching a new subject - Forensic Science for those of you we haven't told yet! Luckily he is working in a school which is not be as scary as he thought teaching would be here based on what we see in Australia. He applied for and thankfully did not get a in the Dallas State School district where he would have to get through security and metal detectors each morning. He is working in a charter school which means the school is neither a private or public school. It is state and privately funded, the students are generally from financially disadvantaged families who parents would not of attended University. There is a simple lottery system (just the student name) to allow entry to the school, with 2000 families on the present waiting list. So far there has been no talk of small weapons training for him in his role as a teacher, and Aaron has been making the most of his opportunity in forensics to discuss with students their opinion and views on weapons, which he is pleased to say the next generation is not as gun happy as their parents and they generally want to see a change to gun laws and definitely don't want teachers armed!

A delightful cowhide...

Now on to my soap box. Everyone back in Australia next time you go in to one of the large chain supermarkets, or hopefully local independent supermarket or market be thankful that this food has not been kept in cold storage for months before making it to the shelf. Fruit and vege in Texas is not what we are use too. It is a struggle to find truly fresh fruit and vege, let alone the quality we have in Australia. This perhaps helps explain why there are such issues with weight in this country. The second astounding thing is the amount of additives in apparently fresh meat. Not only are most of the animal products treated with antibiotics, they also have colour added after processing and salt! Incredible. Anyway I am almost now a vegetarian  however the quality of the vege is questionable and I would starve, or just have to live on giant onions. Anyway rant over, please everyone enjoy the fresh fruit and vege available to you.

Just what we always wanted, decorative cow horns. 

Getting some pony action...finally!

Some serious head gear! 

Last weekend we attended the Fort Worth Stock Show. This was our first trip to Fort Worth, which is an older area and more stereotypical Texas like than Dallas. Dallas is not considered to be very representative of the real Texas... Anyway we were excited to see the other half of the Metroplex. The Stock Show included the usual fair that you would find at an agricultural show in Australia. It was just a lot larger and there were a lot more cowboys. We spent an hour or so walking through the trade stalls and seeing the delights of country Texas. Aaron and I were amazed at the cost of a real pair of cowboy boots (Emu and Alligator are popular, look cool, but are expensive -$500+!); there were plenty of shiny rhinestones as new age cowgirls like their belts to sparkle; there were cow horns for the bonnet of your car or your lounge room; lots of wooden furniture; guys selling tractors, windows and statues. It was an eclectic mix. We were hoping to see the rodeo, but unfortunately it had sold out. So that just meant we had more time to walk through the livestock area and gain an appreciation for the $$$$$, grooming and blow-drying involved in showing animals. Certain schools have programs for there students that requires the students to work with the animals and take them to shows. They collect winnings and when the animal is sold they also collect those funds which they then use towards paying for their graduate education. Amazingly they can make enough money to pay an entire University education!

Ez meeting the Longhorn

Longhorn giving Ez the evil eyes... after the mother to the just outside the picture charged at her!

We hope to be able to make it back to Fort Worth and see the rodeo as it runs for the next couple of weeks. Hope everyone is well in Australia and safe in the wild weather.