The Texpatriates Thread

[StassneyHorn 6577]

I’ll clear all my covers for typos with you in the future.

[Goredho 17408]

Even though I left for my aforementioned reasons, I'm kind of amazed at how many people there are here who have already or are considering leaving Texas with politics playing at least a partial role.  I had no idea this thread would get this level of response.

I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of a Great Migration 2.0 as people of different ideologies sort themselves into parts of the country where they feel comfortable, safe, welcome and at ease with the governance.  If so, it will be interesting to see how things play out.  If a lot of center-to-left voters in purple states move to a handful of blue states, the 66/30 senate problem gets worse faster.

I'm sure that's part of the plan.

['stache 21816]

3 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Also, as some others have said, Western NC.  If were weren't basically ensconced in Northwest Arkansas, Asheville would be on the short list for retirement.  Good weather, great food scene, pretty, and yet drivable to tons of stuff (major cities, the beach, etc.)

While I like Northwest Arkie, it's a fucking drive to get anywhere.  Closest city is Okie City or KC and that's a 3 hour drive.  Dallas is five.  However, solid airport with direct service into DFW, IAH, and now SAT with some airline called Breeze.

I feel slighted. Tulsa is a 2 hour drive (or less depending where in the NWA corridor you're located) and has everything OKC has except the Thunder. When a big show is at the BOK Center there are tons of NW Arkies in town. There are also tons of Pig grads here.

[Brisketexan 105151]

35 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Even though I left for my aforementioned reasons, I'm kind of amazed at how many people there are here who have already or are considering leaving Texas with politics playing at least a partial role.  I had no idea this thread would get this level of response.

I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of a Great Migration 2.0 as people of different ideologies sort themselves into parts of the country where they feel comfortable, safe, welcome and at ease with the governance.  If so, it will be interesting to see how things play out.  If a lot of center-to-left voters in purple states move to a handful of blue states, the 66/30 senate problem gets worse faster.

I'm sure that's part of the plan.

They absolutely want to run us off.

And my messican ass isn't going to be one of the jews who stayed in 1930s Germany because "this is our country, too, and we're gonna fight for it!"  I'm still here, and still fighting, and will do so as long as I can and as long as I have to.  But I know this will be an unacceptably inhospitable place in 15-20 years, and it will be even worse for my kids.  No thanks.  Xenophobic totalitarian regimes lead to diasporas - the folks who got out are always better off than the ones who stayed behind.

[Neonmoon 38129]

The two reasons people usually don't move are work and family. Once you figure out those issues, the world is your oyster. 

 

[Goredho 17408]

One thing we did as a hedge against my losing the ability to work remote is to buy a camper.  Worst case scenario, I have to work during the week in an office in Colorado Springs or Denver which are 1.5 and 2.5 hours away respectively.  If that comes to pass, I will park our camper at a campground nearby and stay in it during the work week. So far that has been unnecessary, and it has just been a toy for weekend getaways. But having it as a relatively cheap insurance policy against losing the ability to work remote does a lot for my personal peace of mind.

[hookemATL 11739]

1 hour ago, Neonmoon said:

The two reasons people usually don't move are work and family. Once you figure out those issues, the world is your oyster. 

 

Are you telling me to kill my boss and family?

[Brisketexan 105151]

15 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Are you telling me to kill my boss and family?

Neonmoon, the voices in your head, does the distinction really matter?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

So you're saying it's basically just like...literally everywhere else in the world where money solves most of your problems and inconveniences?

Correct. However, this forum has some preconceived notions of Brazil and Latin America. Some are warranted, others not. Got most of the world, Brazil = Rio. And that is just not the case. There are some beautiful, calm and relatively low crime cities and towns throughout the country, many in the southern part.

[Sbbruin 21858]

Are you telling me to kill my boss and family?

Of course not...

[Goredho 17408]

29 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Are you telling me to kill my boss and family?

[morehornsepower 887]

On 6/22/2022 at 12:02 PM, staboner said:

been gone since 2019. If we move back to the US it will not be Texas. I just can't do it. I don't find Austin that nice at all anymore (visiting now) and the rest of the state is full of people more than happy to go full fascist, so whatever. 

I will certainly have to get closer to US sometime soon enough, prob mexico (if not a firm blue state)

If others are in and/or considering Mexico I would appreciate their input. I can do the same for Oz but don't think any of you motherfuckers are heading that far

Hell, I'd be interested in hearing about expat life in Oz.  Also considering UK or Luxemburg due to family & citizenship options...

We bought some land in the hill country, thinking that would be our retirement, but it's looking more and more like something we'll end up selling instead.  The politics in Texas  (and much of the US  ) are reaching idiocracy levels.

[South Austin 52515]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

And my messican ass isn't going to be one of the jews who stayed in 1930s Germany because "this is our country, too, and we're gonna fight for it!" 

You should stay until they make you go to the showers. And then you should go in, because they might actually be showers, and you could use a good washing.

[Hefeweizen 5324]

9 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

I will say another thing that hits you when you leave Texas is the amount of public land versus private in other States.

 

https://www.summitpost.org/public-and-private-land-percentages-by-us-states/186111

Truth.  Access to just about everything is awesome.

 

I just starting the finding out portion of my move today.  Some of my clients in Texas are pretty sarcastic about it.  I offered to not work on their stuff anymore.  So far no takers.  
 

I will say, Texas pride is probably going to end up costing me a lot of my business.  But I was prepared for that too.

[tokamak 6431]

Yeah but you’re young and you got your health. What do you want with a job?

[LTbear 4170]

I moved to Colorado (mountains + masters degree + weed) then to California (PhD) then to Montana (career + mountains + wildlife + low population density + cold weather). Can't imagine living in Texas now. 

[Hefeweizen 5324]

9 hours ago, tokamak said:

Yeah but you’re young and you got your health. What do you want with a job?

Not that young anymore.  And I’m not really sure I want the job.  I’m trying but it’s tough to work remote.  It would be a lot simpler to just work out here on local projects.

[Vegas64 676]

Was hanging out in what I would guess is the more tony (and conservative?) parts of LA and Calabasas and Malibu this week and noticed something hilarious. On a bus bench you had realtors advertising their services with a “Ready to Move to Dallas?” Tagline.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Vegas64

[DaysOff 7951]

Gf has family in Colorado Springs and south Denver so we are in the process of lucking out with a cheap rental place in the next 2 years while they are working on moving back to Alaska for family. Love the area except for the fires, that scares the shit out of me but I will be pushing to try out that move for a year or so. 

Springs is the college station of Colorado with nice views.

[hookemATL 11739]

7 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Springs is the college station of Colorado with nice views.

I refuse to believe that there is an appropriate approximate for CS, anywhere in the world. It’s shittyness/creepiness/lack of any redeeming qualities make it truly one of the worst places to visit that I can imagine. And I’ve been to Paramus, NJ. 

[Vegas64 676]

1 minute ago, hookemATL said:

I refuse to believe that there is an appropriate approximate for CS, anywhere in the world. It’s shittyness/creepiness/lack of any redeeming qualities make it truly one of the worst places to visit that I can imagine. And I’ve been to Paramus, NJ. 

What’s wrong with Paramus, NJ?!?

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

17 hours ago, Goredho said:

Even though I left for my aforementioned reasons, I'm kind of amazed at how many people there are here who have already or are considering leaving Texas with politics playing at least a partial role.  I had no idea this thread would get this level of response.

I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of a Great Migration 2.0 as people of different ideologies sort themselves into parts of the country where they feel comfortable, safe, welcome and at ease with the governance.  If so, it will be interesting to see how things play out.  If a lot of center-to-left voters in purple states move to a handful of blue states, the 66/30 senate problem gets worse faster.

I'm sure that's part of the plan.

I assume politics can play a role not just because someone disagrees with the direction of the state govt but rather is embarrassed and/or angry about it. It used to be that I was proud to say that I was from Texas. Now if I say it, it's more that I have to acknowledge that our state govt sucks. Which means >50% of our population does as well.

I would be curious to know what people are proud about Texas these days. The biggest flex that Texas can say is that others from around the country want to move here. But are there really any Texans, outside of the real estate industry, that want population increases?

[hookemATL 11739]

9 minutes ago, Vegas64 said:

What’s wrong with Paramus, NJ?!?

[Vegas64 676]

9 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I assume politics can play a role not just because someone disagrees with the direction of the state govt but rather is embarrassed and/or angry about it. It used to be that I was proud to say that I was from Texas. Now if I say it, it's more that I have to acknowledge that our state govt sucks. Which means >50% of our population does as well.

I would be curious to know what people are proud about Texas these days. The biggest flex that Texas can say is that others from around the country want to move here. But are there really any Texans, outside of the real estate industry, that want population increases?

As I mentioned I just spent the last week tooling around LA-> Bev Hills -> Malibu-> Calabasas with a range of people across a range of wealth, and was with a bunch of locals and LA lifers (USC people, CAA, Hollywood people) as well as folks from Texas, and there did seem to be appreciation for 1) Real Estate prices in Texas 2) Taxes (had a guy tell me he grossed 2.5mm and netted like $900k in Cali, which seems “not great, Bob!”) and 3) BBQ & Breakfast Tacos in that order. One thing everyone in Texas and Hollywood it seems agrees on is Matthew McC should be our next governor.

[gmr548 16580]

2 minutes ago, Vegas64 said:

(had a guy tell me he grossed 2.5mm and netted like $900k in Cali, which seems “not great, Bob!”)

Assuming all $2.5mm is earned income, your friend would owe $889,072 in federal taxes and $291,368 in state taxes; total $1,180,440 in income taxes; $1,319,000 net.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/federal-income-tax-brackets

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/california-state-tax

1.45% Medicare tax with 0.9% additional on earnings over $200,000 is $56,950 in Medicare taxes. SS taxes at 6.2% on first $142,800 of earnings is $8,854. That makes $65,804 in Medicare/SS taxes bringing net down to $1,253,196.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/fica-tax-withholding

To net $900k, I guess he paid his CA state tax bill twice? Y

Your friend's effective tax rate would be almost exactly 50%, and 77% of that tax liability would be federal taxes payable wherever he lived. I'm not debating that it's a lot of money, because it is, and if that's a priority I can absolutely see why you'd be seeking "greener" pastures. But I also am not losing sleep over someone earning $2.5mm paying an extra 11.6% of their income in taxes form a policy standpoint. Somehow I think they'll manage to stay out of the food bank.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

Work has been nuts, so I am just now putting this here.  

I spent my formative years in Texas (Belton, TX), then was in NOLA for college, Alabama for grad school (AVOID, sorry @Bama Chick), then SoCal for 4 years (LA and then Laguna Beach), New York City for 1 year, then back to Houston from 2009-2019, so I have seen quite a bit.

I did not move for political reasons but for a job.  I was offered a great job in NYC.  I took it, and I am so, so glad I did.  Yeah, it is a lot more expensive than Houston ($1950 per month rent for a house in Shady Acres vs. $4650 a month for rent for a big 1 bdrm in Sutton Place), I pay more taxes (state and local in NYC sucks), and I had to deal with COVID up here which from Mid March 2020 to the end of May 2020 it was rough.  However, it is all worth it.

I live in a state that respects that I can make my own decisions as a woman and has protected my bodily autonomy.  I live in a state that does not hate people for who they love or vilify drag queens (who are absolutely fabulous by the way!).  Up until recently, New York was relatively safe from gun violence, but it seems like the Supreme Court really wants to throw a wrench into that.

And you know what, I know Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, and whatever other fear mongering GQP propo all say that New York is dead, crime is running rampant, but they are full of shit.  We absolutely have a homeless and mental illness crisis.  And that absolutely needs to be addressed.  But New York City is still the safest big city in the United States, even if violent crime is up from where it was in 2019.  FYI, Manhattan was so incredibly safe in 2019 it was like adult Disneyland or something.  I do not mind a little grit with my New York City.  You just have to be aware of your surroundings.  Constant Vigilance!

The pros of New York City are easy to enumerate.  You are in one of the best cities in the world for food, shopping, cultural events, etc..  You have Broadway, Off Broadway, the Met, the Guggenheim, MOMA, the Whitney, the Frick, etc....There is always something to do here, and a lot of it is free.  If you get bored in NYC, you are an asshole.

 

 

[Bateshorn 9928]

12 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Work has been nuts, so I am just now putting this here.  

I spent my formative years in Texas (Belton, TX), then was in NOLA for college, Alabama for grad school (AVOID, sorry @Bama Chick), then SoCal for 4 years (LA and then Laguna Beach), New York City for 1 year, then back to Houston from 2009-2019, so I have seen quite a bit.

I did not move for political reasons but for a job.  I was offered a great job in NYC.  I took it, and I am so, so glad I did.  Yeah, it is a lot more expensive than Houston ($1950 per month rent for a house in Shady Acres vs. $4650 a month for rent for a big 1 bdrm in Sutton Place), I pay more taxes (state and local in NYC sucks), and I had to deal with COVID up here which from Mid March 2020 to the end of May 2020 it was rough.  However, it is all worth it.

I live in a state that respects that I can make my own decisions as a woman and has protected my bodily autonomy.  I live in a state that does not hate people for who they love or vilify drag queens (who are absolutely fabulous by the way!).  Up until recently, New York was relatively safe from gun violence, but it seems like the Supreme Court really wants to throw a wrench into that.

And you know what, I know Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, and whatever other fear mongering GQP propo all say that New York is dead, crime is running rampant, but they are full of shit.  We absolutely have a homeless and mental illness crisis.  And that absolutely needs to be addressed.  But New York City is still the safest big city in the United States, even if violent crime is up from where it was in 2019.  FYI, Manhattan was so incredibly safe in 2019 it was like adult Disneyland or something.  I do not mind a little grit with my New York City.  You just have to be aware of your surroundings.  Constant Vigilance!

The pros of New York City are easy to enumerate.  You are in one of the best cities in the world for food, shopping, cultural events, etc..  You have Broadway, Off Broadway, the Met, the Guggenheim, MOMA, the Whitney, the Frick, etc....There is always something to do here, and a lot of it is free.  If you get bored in NYC, you are an asshole.

 

 

I always say:  The problem with New York isn't actually New York, it's fucking Midtown, which is the worst.  Once you get out of that part of town, NYC is as charming, fun, and varied as ever.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Bateshorn

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

20 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I always say:  The problem with New York isn't actually New York, it's the fucking New Yorkers Midtown, which are the worst.  Once you get past that part, NYC is as charming, fun, and varied as ever.

Fixed that for you.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

21 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I always say:  The problem with New York isn't actually New York, it's fucking Midtown, which is the worst.  Once you get out of that part of town, NYC is as charming, fun, and varied as ever.

I would agree with that, though I will say, for me, the worst of Midtown is 3rd Ave to 8th Ave from 34th to 53rd.  There are nice places in that, like Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center (lots of new stuff opening there), the Morgan Library, Le Bernardin, etc.., but for the most part, yeah.  

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

3 minutes ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

Fixed that for you.

LOL.  People from Boston and Philly are MUCH worse than New Yorkers.

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

1 minute ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

LOL.  People from Boston and Philly are MUCH worse than New Yorkers.

I am from neither but would disagree.  My family is from Boston.  They are just very "cold" people but New Yorkers (whom I have tons of friends from there) can be a little much.  

[Biff Tannen 45691]

Just texted my wife that Roe was overturned.  Her response: "time to leave".

Edited June 24, 2022 by Biff Tannen

[Celery Man 20962]

It’s going to be a pain in the ass if NC goes over the edge and we have to leave again

[Mo Horn 8848]

Retirement in Spain it is

[Beau Vine 54236]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

I always say:  The problem with New York isn't actually New York, it's fucking Midtown, which is the worst.  Once you get out of that part of town, NYC is as charming, fun, and varied as ever.

 

The problem with New York is the fucking Yankee fans.

[Michael Knight 12981]

The problem with Texas is its full of Texans

[Goredho 17408]

I am guessing this thread will get some traffic today.

[BrickHorn 18237]

58 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

Retirement in Spain it is

Where do you recommend in Spain and what kind of housing can you get for the minimum 500,000 Euro investment?

[Goredho 17408]

Gonna need some "Ya'll can stay in hell, I've left Texas!" T-shirts.

[Mo Horn 8848]

Just now, BrickHorn said:

Where do you recommend in Spain and what kind of housing can you get for the minimum 500,000 Euro investment?

We are looking at Barcelona, but it's really about what you prefer. Madrid is great as well, if you want a big city, but a totally different vibe. There are plenty of places on the Mediterranean that are gorgeous, and you could get something nice for that. But, those are smaller with less big city things. We want the ocean if we choose, but we also want theater and things like that. We are also thinking about someplace like Valencia, which is medium size. We haven't made a final decision yet. 

[We’reTexas 1473]

2 hours ago, Vegas64 said:

As I mentioned I just spent the last week tooling around LA-> Bev Hills -> Malibu-> Calabasas with a range of people across a range of wealth, and was with a bunch of locals and LA lifers (USC people, CAA, Hollywood people) as well as folks from Texas, and there did seem to be appreciation for 1) Real Estate prices in Texas 2) Taxes (had a guy tell me he grossed 2.5mm and netted like $900k in Cali, which seems “not great, Bob!”) and 3) BBQ & Breakfast Tacos in that order. One thing everyone in Texas and Hollywood it seems agrees on is Matthew McC should be our next governor.

I have noticed that most native Californians I know have considered leaving, for obvious reasons. Unlike transplants, they invariably stay because family and, well, California, but also they fear if they leave they’ll never afford to return. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:

The problem with New York is the fucking Yankee fans.

This is 100% accurate.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, Mo Horn said:

Retirement in Spain it is

I am looking at France.

[InkaUtexas 25951]

1 minute ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I am looking at France.

Yep, same here. Main client informed me today they don't care where I locate and since it is an international mandate they have no issue with anywhere in the EU with good travel to Africa. France meets that requirement. plus have some great friends there and would love to collaborate with one of them on a book or two. 

[mchookem 16336]

On 6/22/2022 at 4:40 PM, 6th Street said:

I love in Denver and it's just about perfect. Highly recommend for anyone relocating from TX. Good weather, strong job market, close to the mountains and skiing, lots of breweries, manageable traffic, and reasonable home prices. The fact that there's plenty of nonstops from DIA is a huge plus as well. Really the only drawbacks are that the nightlife is somewhat quieter and the restaurant scene isn't going to blow you away. 

i love this...and this is exactly our plan. well...more like the suburbs, but def around Denver. and yes, i know not all Denver 'burbs are equal...been doing research on demographics and the like, and we're gonna spend the first few days actually visiting them in person, check the vibe, etc. can't wait. 

so...yeah. managed to sell our Allandale/Wooten home apparently literally JUST as the market hit its apex. AND...we just found out that we share mutual friends with our buyer, so i don't even have to feel guilty about selling to an investor or corp! lol

we're up in NE Texas for the weekend for a last visit with dad...a few loose ends to tie up in Austin early next week then we'll be on the road to CO! 

i'm not particularly religious, but i am a firm believer that the universe 'directs' you and - if you start taking steps in a particular direction...if the road opens in front of you, doors open, obstacles are minor and easily overcome, and the pieces start falling into place easily...then you are headed in the right direction. (of course, the opposite is true - if it's one problem after another, major obstacles some up, red flags all over...well, the universe is telling you to change course duh lol). 

barring some catastrophe in shipping or on the highway, the details of this long process have worked out really, really well. we obviously still have to find a home in Denver...but even that, our realtor out there is already telling us the prospects are looking WAY better than two months ago, it's slowing down there as well...🤞and we have a stable, free living situation in Denver-proper for at least the next 90 days, so we're in good shape i think! 

and as i posted in the other thread...once we do get settled, i am absolutely planning to research and volunteer and will provide a rest stop on the women's reproductive health underground railroad. fuckers. 😡

no-so-funny story: my niece is off galavanting in Spain for study abroad this summer, but we ran into her oldest BFF the other night at an Austin restaurant...i was saying goodbye and then was just moved to tell her (by three glasses of wine lol) the above (i.e., 'if you or any of your friends need help, tell [my niece], i will be able to help in CO!')...that girl, who is 20 yoa and has a bright future, threw her arms around me and got all choked up and just said 'thank you. thank you. you have no idea how scared we all are!!'

i mean it was fucking heart-breaking. 💔

so yeah...The Why... 

been visiting our friends (both Texas grads) in Denver for over 20 years now. all times of year. my very first trip...i left thinking 'omg this city is beautiful, the climate is beautiful, i LOVE it here! i wish i could live here!' and that was the seed that has grown and culminated in us getting out of here now, June 2022. 

originally, my top three reasons (don't laugh, we all have our things man!) were:

1) i'm just fucking SICK of being HOT all the gotdamn time... SICK OF SWEATING TRYING TO COOK GOTDAMN CHRISTMAS DINNER OR HOST A NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY OR JUST HAVE A DINNER PARTY IT'S SOME FUCKING BULLSHIT AND IT'S LITERALLY BEEN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I'M SICK OF IT!! yeah...that kinda remains the number one reason haha

2) some people not only specifically attract mosquitoes but some people also get massive welts that itch for an hour...and that's me. so i am also SICK OF GETTING FUCKING MOSQUITO BITES IN DECEMBER WHEN I'M TRYING TO PUT UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARRRGHHH!

3) flying.tree.roaches. waterbugs. palmetto bugs. wood roaches. whatever the FUCK you want to call them, everyone of you knows exactly what i'm talking about, and half of you are just as freaked out by them as i am 😒 i grew up in Houston and my sister and i had so many traumatic encounters...i fully admit it's irrational but it's a legit phobia. i can't even sleep if i know one's in the house. 

just last weekend we were having a final get together with friends, sitting around the pool chatting into the evening...and one of those motherfuckers flew onto my neck, where i immediately reacted by slapping it away from my body...directly onto my sister who ALSO had an immediate freak out and slapped it off into the yard somewhere...at which point i stood up and honestly yelled "I CANNOT WAIT TO GET AWAY FROM THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS!!" 

now...marijuana decriminalization jumped to the top - but i wanted to move there before then, i swear! lol ☺️

but the crux...the past few years politics has absolutely moved to the forefront. i've ranted elsewhere in other threads, everybody knows the thinking (hell just read this thread, we're all thinking the same)...i just can't take it anymore. i really CAN'T. especially as a woman. i don't even have kids but i have a niece and goddaughters and friends of all stripes and friends that work in education and everything, all of it, it's just too much. it's all so STUPID and POINTLESS and CRUEL.  

Texas leaders do not care about Texans. that's pretty much it.

if you'd told me ten years ago a Longhorn would be governor and it would be exponentially WORSE in so many areas than it ever was under gotdamn aggy Perry i would have laughed in your face. but it is...it's not just worse, it's legitimately terrible. 

Texas leaders DO NOT CARE about Texans. 

i do feel a little guilty for basically giving up the fight and running away...but everything here is just so hot and mean and angry, it's all IN YOUR FACE all the time...but i'm just exhausted and want OUT.  

BUT...i will say this...I never soured much on Austin. i still love it and there is no other place in this state i would rather live. yes, it's changed and it's expensive and crowded and led by a bunch of idiots...but since i came here in 1988 and never left, i have grown with those changes. and my spouse and i have been lucky enough, planned enough, and made smart enough decisions where we've been able to embrace that growth for the most part. 

i love Austin and always will. there's a reason people move here. 

but i cannot wait to GTFO of TEXAS. 

the final nail, i guess...and i know i don't have to elaborate on this...fucking UT football lol. i'm not the first one on here to say it's no longer fun...but i mean, this last season, it became actively UN-fun. like, it made me feel BAD. i stopped watching completely after 10/16. i suppose it's a stupid reason...but no longer attending or even following games was just one more thing i no longer loved here. and now, the Liberty Institute or whatever, just more heinous bullshit...i'm just done. 

anyways...like @Goredho said, i'm kind of shocked at how much of a response - and how consistent - this thread has gotten so far. i mean i knew my own reasons, but i guess i still thought i was more an anomaly. 

it's really fucking tragic 💔

 

TL/DR: it's too fucking hot, Texas politics is a dumpster fire, as is UT football, and it's only going to get worse, and i'm terrorized and traumitized by both mosquitoes and flying tree roaches. and CO has legal weed. bye.

Edited June 24, 2022 by mchookem

[mchookem 16336]

oh...and i guess i should add b/c i know family is holding a lot of you here...

the only close family i have left here is my dad and sister, and she is planning to move up there with him in the next year, so that is also all working out well (he's got 30+ acres and is going to put a modular home on his property for her). she'll be around permanently as he ages. we'll just have to fight about inheritance at some point 😂

and once my niece finishes at UNT she can't leave this state fast enough and i don't expect her ever to come back - she hates Texas with the fire of a thousand suns. and who can blame her. 

now...i have one aunt and a bunch of cousins...but the cousins are all wealthy (O&G, finance, etc.) and most are super well-connected in the Texas Republican heirarchy. by that i mean...Abbott's inauguration committee, appointments, etc. 

so, uh, you could say we aren't close and don't have a lot in common heh. not really gonna miss them, and they assuredly won't miss me. and who the fuck cares haha. me and my extended family 😋:

 

  

Edited June 24, 2022 by mchookem

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

 

 

[gmr548 16580]

Gonna need some "Ya'll can stay in hell, I've left Texas!" T-shirts.

Hah. Needed that laugh.

[Smax 3800]

I moved to California in 2019 and have not regretted the decision. My quality of life is so much better now
The only downside is missing tex-mex..

[mchookem 16336]

8 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

 

 

holy shit lol. in my defense it didn't look nearly as long on a tablet as it does on a phone 😂

also...massive, major life event for me, i vented a bit 😋