Three for Two

I've spent the past two weeks or so in Texas. Thanks to my fabulous boss, I got to stay in Houston and work from my parents' house between a bachelorette party and the accompanying wedding.

Texas and my parents provided me with the following three items:

1. Vietnamese food has come to the suburbs. As I was noting the new businesses on one of the roads near my parents' house, I spotted Pho King. I said the name aloud. That's when I realized either the owners are making fun of Americans, or they're clueless about English.

"Pho" in Vietnamese is said f-uh, not faux as many people think. So Pho King sounds like ... well, the participial form of an indelicate verb. How's that for a grammatical innuendo?

2. Parents say the darndest things. The conversation turned to politics one night last week. My parents and I don't see eye to eye when it comes to politics. They assume I'm a "damn liberal" now that I'm in Boston. They don't understand that I didn't agree with them about politics while I lived in the great state of Texas.

Anyway, our talk turned to the 2008 presidential candidates. And my mother said:

"What do you think about that black guy, Obama bin Laden?"

She claims she said it on purpose. I guess I embarrassed her with my unbridled laughter.

3. I saw a modern version of a Texas stereotype. I was stopped at a light on FM 1960. That's Farm-to-Market 1960 for you non-Texans. Despite being a "farm" road, FM 1960 is a major thoroughfare and has six lanes.

So as I was waiting, three people on horseback crossed in front of me. One was a woman wearing a gigantic cowboy hat. It was hot-pink. So was her shirt. She was also talking on a cell phone!

Here's to a few more days of beautiful Texas weather and a fun wedding weekend in Austin!