scrooge drives a chrysler 300

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My first moments in Houston were very Texan:

Rental guy: Let’s see, you reserved an economy car. Would you like a free upgrade to a Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Me: I don’t think I’d even know how to drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Rental guy: What do you normally drive?

Me: A Honda Civic.

Rental guy: Okay, I’ll see what we have.

[Twenty minutes later]

Rental guy: I’m going to give you the smallest car we have, the Chrysler 300. It’s, uh, more like a Honda Accord.

Friends, the Chrysler 300 is more like a boat. Your grandpa’s big-ass gold boat. But despite this introduction, Houston was a lot greener and more beautiful than the dusty land of strip malls I had pictured after talking to my friend Kristi, who lived there for several years. (Granted, I probably talked to her during the hellishly hot summer, not warmly misty December. Now that Kristi is back in NorCal, she speaks quite highly of Houston.)

Anyway, all of this is to say I’ve been out of town and just now discovered that my guest post (along with many other holiday thoughts from fine guest bloggers) is up on Kaply, Inc. To enjoy my Scrooge-y side, click here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Those rental car people - always trying to upgrade you! My Honda Civic was in the shop for a while and the rental car guy kept trying to get me to upgrade. I had to tell him seven times that nothing wider or longer than a Honda Civic would fit in my micro-parking space.

I loved that you released your inner-curmudgeon over at Tracy's! But... didn't Starbucks create xmas? Can I still get my peppermint mochas there?
December 15, 2006 at 3:40 PM
Cheryl said…
It's true, sometimes we get so caught up in all the Santa-and-Jesus stuff that we forget the real reason for the season: peppermint mochas and cranberry bliss bars (which can only be described as celestial).
December 16, 2006 at 7:35 PM
aggiebrett said…
I laugh that first-timers always seem to expect Houston to look like something from RIO BRAVO-- tumbleweeds and tabletop mesas.

It's called "The Bayou City," people-- not "Dry Gulch City" or "Alkali Flats With A Side Order Of Shimmering Mirage On The Bare Empty Horizon City."

And no, we don;t ride our horses to work, don't have six-gun nattles in teh streets (much) and as for all those clichés of drinkin' and cussin' too much... well, OK, that part's pretty much on the damned money.
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B
January 18, 2007 at 9:01 AM
Cheryl said…
I blame the lack of geography education in American public schools. And Kristi, of course. :-) But it's always nice to be pleasantly surprised.
January 22, 2007 at 9:23 AM
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