Monday, October 24, 2011

Houston Day 155: News from the War Zone

It's been three days since the Mosquitoes declared war on the Residents of Texas.  They're freakin everywhere.  Their attack mechanism is dastardly.  They hide until a Resident walks outside, then swarm around him or her, and even hide on his or her clothing to gain access into buildings (formerly safehouses for Texas Residents, but now falling fast to the Mosquitoes).  In response, residents have been practising the government-mandated swatty-slappy-spinny walk, although this issue has divided the community.  For example, I met two parking garage attendants who used their free hands to practise the swatty-slappy-spinny while forced to work on the frontlines, and yet the guy next to me at the bus stop this morning refused to join me in the swatty-slappy-spinny. You are not cooler than me, guy in black.  And this was after I had already sustained wounds to the neck, face, head, feet, back and legs, including parts of my back and legs covered by clothing.
There is no escape.  Pray for us.
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S., a hub of wealth and the arts, and filled with trees that look lovely on the beautiful sunny days.  And yet, sometimes I feel like I am living in a post-apocalyptic version of far north Queensland.  Tropical bugs and other creatures, almost zero foot traffic, roads of appalling quality, rubbish public transport, and until recently, unbearable heat.  Sigh.  I have heard both good and bad things about Houston, and they are all true.

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