It's a sunny day in Germany, which is a rare enough thing. They call it "wetter" for a reason: If you go outside, you can only get wetter. Today the sun is sparkling on the leftover snow, and families are out happily crunching around on winter's grunchy leftovers.

Most Americans assume that because I am living in Germany, and because I am sort of Scandinavian looking (in an American Irish sort of way) that I AM German. They're half right, but off by a couple five generations on my mother's side. My ancestors didn't feel like they could change things enough to survive where they were, so they went somewhere where it was possible. Sometimes I feel the same way, looking across the Atlantic to the rapidly narrowing field of view coming back this way.

Let's get it straight: I'm Texan. I'm Texan three generations on my father's side, and at least three on my mothers. Liasons with natives and alligators (father's side is East Texan) aside, like most Americans, I'm a mixture of three or four generations of rejects, escapees, adventurers and optimists from Western Europe.

The rule in Texas is this: If you didn't come outta yer mama in Texas, you ain't a Texan. That's that. This leads to my next point, and one you are welcome to research if you like: The 43rd president of the US is no Texan. Sure, he's got the accent down, but I bet he can do New England just as well. He moved to Midland when he was three, and he never actually spent any time there. http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/George_W._Bush
It was just a tax shelter for them, as Texas has no state tax. One good thing, as long as the Bushes have property in Texas, there will be no state tax. Um, yay, I guess.

Here are some interesting links on the Bushes: http://www.bushfiles.com/bush_toc.htmlhttp://www.moldea.com/bushology.html

The dude can't even run a business. No wonder the deficit is swelling up like a dead dog on the side of the road in July... http://www.sptimes.com/News/102900/Business/Influence_and_bailout.shtml

They certainly do have their own "family values": http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1992/09/bushboys.html

Every time I hear a European say, when I introduce myself as being from Texas, "Oh, like Bush" I wince. The fact that the guy even lies about where he's from is excruciating.

Part of my goal here is to further publicize the damage being done by the current administration. In part, I'm trying to follow the brazen (Brazosian?) example of one of my heroines, Juanita- gotta head down to Fort Bend to get my hair done sometime: http://www.brazosriver.com/index.html

I am also going to talk about life with the military as a civilian, life as a "Texpatriate" my career in bodywork and massage therapy (I have a massage practice on a military post, and am in training in Munich as a Rolfer), my adventures in Germany as a "strange person in a strange land".

This is just a sample of what you'll get here at the Tex-Pat diaries. Same price every day, bargain basement rambles, rants, ravings and revelations. Step right up and give it a try!