Why I’m plotting my escape from Texas

There are actually more than five things I dislike about the one-star review state of Texas, but I kept it to just five for brevity of the video below, otherwise I’d have created a docu-series. But I did add an additional five things I dislike about Texas in the text below.

I also just saw a typo in one of my subtitles. Damn it.

To make four years short, I moved here for a job I quit the week I moved here. There was no other reason for me to be in Texas, and I hope to rectify this hopefully in 2025. I recorded the above video before my AC went out and then I engaged in what feels like thermonuclear with those responsible for its apparent failure. To read more about that, check out The HVAC hell that’s forcing me to go full Karen and My HVAC broke and all I got was emotional heatstroke and boob sweat.

Honestly, “bad business dealings” could’ve been added to the anti-Texas list. I’ve had more horrendous experiences with businesses and sole proprietors in my 4 years in Texas than I’ve had anywhere else. So the latest drama with the HVAC company is actually par for the course. I cannot wait to be free and clear of Texan-run businesses.

The top 10 things I dislike about Texas

I cited five in the video, but I want to add here (original list typed out because I care about you).

1. The weather

Texas gets the extremes and sometimes those extremes happen in one day. I’m not even kidding. Once I left a ride down in the Austin area at about 7pm to head back home to get there before midnight. I left that late because there was a cold front expected. I left wearing shorts. When I opened my gate when I got home, it was below freezing. The temperature had dropped 50 degrees in hours.

2. The landscape

Texas is a flat soulless place. I mean that in the worst way possible. It is flat for hundreds of miles in any given direction. If you’re in a “pretty” part of Texas, you’re in the exceptional parts. Most of the state is ugly and made worse by the people who live here.

3. Man-made ugliness

We’re talking power lines running on every street (in a state that boasts high winds and tornadoes, so this makes as much sense as selling salt water to the Navy), “architecture” that takes inspiration from shoe boxes and not the cool kind that you want to save postcards in. No. The kind the standard issue dad shoes come in at Costco. McMansions everywhere but not sharing a design aesthetic because ‘Murica or something? There are entire subdivisions, usually right off a busy freeway or tollway, stacked with the ugliest giant houses conceived by hateful architects. Then of course there’s the urban sprawl. Texas is big, so why plan cities when you can spread like milk from a jug a busy toddler knocks over? This pairs well with zero attention paid to city infrastructure. When in doubt, put in a stop light. Who needs traffic flowing when you can clog it?

4. Nothing to do besides eat and shop

One reason the houses are so big here is because you never leave. That’s because there’s very little to do. I should clarify. There’s little to do here besides restaurant hop and shop. If you love spending money on food and stuff to fill your big house, Texas is the place. If you want to hike, bike, swim, ride, SUP, sail, ski or just go for a walk someplace not covered in concrete or waist high in tick-infested grass… well get out of Texas you libtard hippy. And hey, I have horses. So I actually have more to do that the average resident of the state that I think should be uninvented. But even still. It gets so humid and hot for half the year, it’s hard to ride. And there’s only so many places you can go to ride. There’s a reason rodeo is a big deal here. The events are short, and often indoors where it’s cooled. Or at night.

5. It’s not tax friendly

Texans love to tell you how it’s a tax friendly state because it’s one of the states without an income tax. Cool story, but there are other taxes besides a state income tax. Like the property tax. Which is rape. The county can dink around with your property taxes as it so feels. In my view, a state income tax is much fairer, as you know how much you’ll pay each year. Further, what exactly are my taxes buying here? The roads are garbage and always under construction. There are little to no public lands to enjoy. I don’t have children so I can’t opine on the quality of education here, but I’ve heard the Texas school system is okay. So what is it that I’m getting with my tax dollars?

6. Blaming outsiders

I listed five problems above. Somehow the cultist natives of this state will blame outsiders for the problems Texas has. This comes in the form of “those damn Californians are ruining this state.” With claims that it’s the liberal Californians who are moving to Texas and “ruining it.” Cute. Ruining it how? Exactly how do Californians moving to Texas make the roads shittier and the urban sprawl worse? Also “the blue state residents are ruining everything” doesn’t bear out statistically. According to this electoral map by county (click the link to see) Texas got more conservative between 2020 and 2024. So… all of the Texans waving their Trump flags should hug a Californian.

7. Distance between everything

Gas prices are cheaper here. A lot cheaper. Like 2004 cheap. But you have to drive twice as far to get where you want to go. So really… are you saving any money in gas? I don’t know that I am. A friend I ride with lives over an hour away. Another horse gal friend lives 45 minutes away. We’re all very spread out here, and that’s normal?

8.Not a low cost of living state

Texas loves to say it’s cheaper. But it’s only cheaper on paper, not in reality. When my AC actually works as designed (lol) I have to run it more than 9 months out of the year. My electric bill gets into the high two hundreds a month. When I lived in Washington, I think the most I paid for electric was like $65 dollars. I’m not making this up. Car registration in Washington State was also cheaper. Registration here is okay, but Texas also has tollways. Fortunately I don’t venture into the cities much because I value my life, but when I do, the tolls are far safer given fewer people with a death wish drive them. And then again I say… if it’s not actually cheaper to live here… why am I here?

9. “Freedom” to be an asshole

This one is going to possibly trigger an errant Texan who’s read this far into the post. There is “freedom” here to do dumb shit that directly impacts, often negatively, other people. So I’ve come to the conclusion that when many Texans say they have “freedom” what they mean, besides just gun rights, is freedom to be a dick. As an example, not far from me, a very loud, very busy business built itself into an already established neighborhood. A barrel racing facility in a resident neighborhood. This means that a few weekends a year, hundreds (HUNDREDS) of giant rigs traverse single lane roads to head to a giant horse facility dropped into a RESIDENT area. The owner of this place, with all his millions, put in his own road all by himself. Did he do it right? Who knows. Did he use the right materials? Who knows. Was he allowed to have done such a thing? Again, who knows. Is the area where he put his giant horse facility zoned for such a business? I don’t think so. Does it matter? Nope. FREEDOM! But what about the “freedom” of the people who lived there before he built his loud monstrosity? Fuck ’em. Money + few regulations = screw you.

10. Texas is a cult

I mean that. I’ve visited other states. I’ve never seen this level of state pride in my life. Is there anything wrong with that? No…? It’s just bizarre. And it means if you don’t automatically LOVE Texas like Texas loves itself, you’re a weirdo. Hence I describe this as a cult. As far as I’m aware, New York doesn’t have waffle irons made in its shape. As far as I’m aware, there’s no “Colorado” edition of a truck. As far as I’m aware, the radio stations in Kentucky don’t broadcast “this is the SOUND OF KENTUCKY” as the radio sign off. As far as I’m aware, Walmarts in Utah don’t deck their stores with the Utah flag with messages they’re “proud to serve Utahans.” Yet in Texas, all of those things happen everywhere. All the time. Look at this:

Insanity.

What do I like about Texas? Right, that’s the tough question. Here’s a short list:

1. The sky. Texas truly has a gorgeous sky. Because it’s flat here, with no mountains or hills or any topography worth mentioning, the sky is bigger. And man can it put on a display. Stunning sunrises and sunsets. Beautiful puffy clouds that may or may not produce an isolated thunderstorm that may or may not be severe. Wait and see.
2. Thunderstorms. I love watching the storms roll in and out or even from a distance. As long as I’m safe and my horses are safe, the storms are insane to watch.
3. I’m struggling to find a third thing. And that’s the problem.

As mentioned in the video, it’s not just Texas I’m leaving, it’s the person I was when I got here that I’m also leaving behind. I wrote more about the importance of shadow work here: Shadow work isn’t “woo woo.” It’s survival. And it might save you…

When something doesn’t work out, it’s actually okay to quit. “Never quit” is a stupid thing to say. We should all leave things that are wrong for us. Including a state or a state of being.

For me that’s Texas. It’s simply not me. Not my vibe. Not who I am. Not who I want to be. It doesn’t foster what I want from my future, nor does it even honor my past. And that’s okay. Texas can be Texas as much and as hard as it wants. I don’t like it, and I’m not trying to change it. I’m just trying to leave it if it’ll let me.