Amarillo

Travelling on business in Amarillo, TX this week.

Aparently, you can't get to Amarillo from Phoenix. Had to fly to Houston, then back halfway to Amarillo. Reverse course to go home. Good for the frequent-flyer account though.

So, um... Amarillo is small. S.M.All. But damn, they know how to make steaks. Had steak three nights while here. All were excellent. Rib Eye, Texas T-Bone, and Prime Rib. mmm.

Taxi in from the airport. Driver is real down-home Texan. Starts talking politics. Not real fond of Barack Obama. We heard all about it. Eventually he asks what we do for a living. We tell him we're advanced secret service detail for Barack. I asked him what the weather is typically like here in Amarillo, he says, "Son, this is the Panhandle. There aint no way t'answer that question, it's so unpredictable. Old sayin' here: In Amarillo, you can be up to yer nuts in mud and git dust in yer eyes."

Learned a few things about Texas:

1. If you delete (we're in technical training) or make something disappear, you "smoked it."
2. Yes, they really do say, "Howdy" and "Y'all."
3. Windows Vista is pronounced "VEE-sta."
4. People here are friendly to a fault.
5. They know that they understand steak better than the rest of us. Our first night, we asked the hotel desk for a restaurant recommendation. I said we'd like steak. She asked, "Where y'all from?" We said, "Phoenix." She said, "Oh... You want Outback." We had to convince her we wanted real steak. No chains. She finally sent us to the right place.

Amarillo is a nice place. Friendly people. But get used to horse-flies and the smell of manure in the morning. Overall, I'm ready to go home; but this was a good place to visit.