In his letter from NYC, Dan Piraro floated some implications about Dallas that weren’t necessarily flattering. I’ve gotten some e-mail from folks sounding a little defensive. Easy, folks. Just know that Dan is a good guy. Anyway, a FrontBurnervian who recently moved back from NYC to Collin County puts things in perspective:
I had a look at Dan Piraro’s missive in Front Burner. Last year I moved back down (to Collin County!) after years of New York City and Brooklyn living. Dan sounds a lot like I did, 15 years ago. Ah, NYC virginity! Eventually those “slow city services” are going to start seeming a bit more than an annoyance to him, I’ll bet, and one day it’ll dawn on him that he’s become the right wing voice in every conversation he has–even if he was the prototype leftie in Dallas. (“What do you mean recycling should pay for itself? Fascist war-mongerer!”)
After years of tiny apartment madness in New York, I really like living in exurbia. Leashless pit bulls are not attacking me and my daughter. I don’t have to constantly tell her to stop playing with the crack pipes on the sidewalk–only what that funny laboratory looking thing is at the neighbors with all the empty Sudafed packs beside it. Bjork and Henry Kissinger are not constantly dropping by asking to check their e-mail on my computer because their DSL is down.
Best of all, I no longer have to live in the space of a single-wide trailer divided down the middle with a bathroom in the kitchen. I’m also kind of amazed at the ethnic diversity on my block. I thought I would be giving that up, but we’re all colors and creeds around here–yet we all blow our lawn trimming out into the middle of the street as one people.
Been reading FrontBurner for months now. Really got me up to speed on that populated area that I hear lies south of Plano. Last week I started, egads, a blog about my experiences learning about my new environs. If you’re interested, it’s at Central Sprawl. I’m going to give it 6 months or so and see if anybody cares.
Enjoy your magazine a lot.
