Embracing Texas

Since I am going to be a Dallasite (Dallasinian? Dallasan?) soon, I decided to stop complaining (okay not really) and embrace my new home state. I have taken to the interweb and made some great discoveries about my new home...

Dallas is the birthplace of some great celebs, including Aaron Spelling, Demi Lovato (not sure who she is but she is famous and thus important), Jesse Plemons (Landry from Friday Night Lights), Josh Henderson (don't pretend like you don't know who that is), Lacey from Rock of Love (awesome!!), Lane Garrison (who know...the guy from Prison Break who killed someone), Meat Loaf (I always thought he was British...probably because he ran around a castle with a cape on), Peter Ostrum (Charlie form the original Willy Wonka), Tara Conner (did you hear MTV might bring back Singled Out with her in the Jenny McCarthy/Carmen Electra role?), and Vanilla Ice ("no...there's was da da da dada don don and my beat is da da dadada don don"). Also, Kourtney Kardashian went to college in Dallas. And Jessica Simpson and President Bush live there.

And not only is Dallas home to celebs, some excellent movies and TV shows have been filmed there, including Debbie Does Dallas (duh), RoboCop, Barney & Friends (who knew?), Wishbone, Batman & Robin, Boys Don't Cry, and Office Space.

The record high is only 112 degrees.

The Dallas County Sheriff is a lesbian.

The Ritz-Carlton in Dallas was named 2009 Best US Hotel and restaurant inside was named 2009 Best US Hotel Restaurant. Thanks Zagat!

Dallas is home to 15 billionaires, placing it 9th worldwide among cities with the most billionaires.

I will be living 5.8 miles from the nearest Waffle House and 2.2 miles form the nearest Whole Food.

Dallas...I am on my way.

I Shouldn't Be Allowed to Shop Online

I figured that since I will be spending most of my life in a lab, I needed clothing that shows how much I love science, especially evolution. So maybe I bought these shirts off Etsy this weekend:

Steven Does Dallas

After exciting trips to UT Southwestern, University of Texas, UC Davis and University of Utah I have finally made my decision. And it was not an easy decision. Dallas was great because I got to see my brother Matt and his wife Meagan and the world headquaters for Chuck E. Cheese. It is down the street from where they live.

Davis was also a great visit. The best part of the trip was seeing my family and friends. My sister and Dad came down one morning to have brunch and it turns out my 15-year-old sister and I have the same sense of style because we were wearing almost identical sweaters. At one point someone even stopped us and asked if we had coordinated our outfits. And yes, she is taller than me. And yes, we are looking at rescue dogs at a Farmer's Market.

To help with this decision-making process, I made the largest pro-con list ever. However this list was only in my head because I did not want this list to get out and thus be judged according to my priorities. (So what if proximity to a Target Supercenter was a big factor?) But anywho...looks like I will be moving to Dallas this summer to start at UT Southwestern!

Why April Will Be The Greatest Month Ever:

4/3: Premiere of 4 Fast 4 Furious. New model. Original Parts.

4/8: Lily Allen concert
4/8 New season of Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Dual II
4/9 The Ting Tings concert
4/14- Britney Spears Concert
4/15 Dooce's book signing
4/15 Lupe Faisco concert
4/21 Franz Ferdinand concert
4/22 Earth Day and release of the movie Earth. I almost cried in the trailer.


I can't wait!

"Quit laughing at me or I'll kill you"

Well, 1 down...3 to go. In my neverending quest to finally leave Provo (seriously...I think I have left for good like 5 times now), I had my first interview for a PhD program at the Universiy of Texas at Austin. And I use the term "interview" loosely because my three interviews with faculty members consisted of chats about Mad Magazine, divorces, and beer.

But overall I really liked the city and the school. I especially liked my day with my buddy Danielle, the Tex-Mex food we shared, and Dualing Piano Bar. But mostly, I like the activities that Austinites participate in. Their time is spent either sitting and listening to music, sitting and watching movies, sitting and eating, or sitting and talking about "life" (music, food, movies, art). And if there is anything I excel at in this life it is: sitting, listening, watching, eating, and talking. So I feel that I could really fit in with Austinians.

However, I have a few complaints. First, I understand how much you love the University. It is a great campus. However, I think it is time ya'll stopped buying all your clothes at the athletic shop on campus. By the end of my three-day trip, I was really to kill the next person I saw wearing a orange shirt with longhorns.


Second, this might not be so much Austin's fault as just a problem with bars and restaurants in general, but can we please just call the bathrooms Men's or Women's? At this one bar, I saw only one bathroom door and it was labeled "Does." I really had to think for second if I was a doe because doe sounds like dude. Turns out, I was a buck. At another bar, I almost walked into "Gulls" because it sounded like guys...but turns out I am a Buoy.

My exciting tuh-rip ended with an outrageous flight home. I settled into my seat and opened up my magazine to read about how fat Jessica Simpson is (Two belts? Mom jeans? Really?). At this point almost everyone had boarded and all the overhead bin space was full. This gentleman (who obviously had the same stylist Nick Nolte used for his mugshot) then boarded the plane and tried to find room in the overhead bin for his garbage bag.


The Utahn sitting across from me jokingly said maybe he should try putting his stuff on the wing. To which Crazytrain responded by saying, "Quit laughing at me or I'll kill you." Needless to say, Homeboy was escorted off the plane while yelling "Where are you taking me?" "What are you going to do with me?" and "Is this because of the ethnicity of my skin?" (he was white).

All I can say is, if all my trips are this exciting, I am in for 3 more awesome weekends.

What I've Been Doin' and Where I'm Goin'

During my Christmas break (which in my mind should extend to the week after MLKJ day, which is why I have abandoned my blog until now), besides taking a pyramid photo shoot with my siblings...
...my parents pulled me aside to ask when I would finally start getting a real paycheck. This encounter was almost as great as last Christmas' parental intervention when my mom offered the diamonds from her old wedding ring to me...if I should propose anytime soon.

So in my pursuit to finally get a PhD and finally get a real job, I will be spending four upcoming weekends touring some of this country's best campuses. One week from now I will be in Austin, TX...2 weeks from now Dallas, TX...4 weeks from now Davis, CA...and 5 weeks from now Salt Lake City (I am counting this as a trip because I am getting a hotel room). Not only are all the trips free (I am even getting reimbursed for my gas to the airport and parking expenses), but I also have people to visit in each city. Dani in Austin, my brother and sister-in-law in Dallas, my family and friends in Davis, and...okay SLC doesn't count for this one.

And on another note, what do I wear to these things? A suit and tie? Slacks and a button up? An Affliction tee with Ed Hardy jeans? A snuggie?