Oh my gosh!!!! I love a good rainstorm and this my friends is a GREAT rainstorm. I woke up initially this morning to some thunder which encouraged me to roll over and go back to sleep. I finally looked at the clock just a few minutes ago when the thunder woke me up again and it was 10:15!!!! Greatness! So, now here in north Dallas we are in the midst of a good old fashioned downpour.
This creates one small problem. I have two cats attached to me like Velcro which makes it sort of hard to type. Jingle is worse than Shiner. Shiner is trying to act manly and will hop down between the claps of thunder. Either that or he is not smart enough to realize that just because the most recent clap of thunder has passed doesn't mean that there is not another on the way. So, each time it thunders he comes running back over to the desk. Jingle, however, is taking no chances. If I didn't get so ugly when he set on my keyboard that is exactly where he would be right now.
So, last night was dinner club. We went to an Italian restaurant in Richardson. It is called Cappuccino's Italian Bistro. I tell you this because there were only a few people there last night including the five of us. We asked for a table in the back (since we tend to have a really good time and sometimes get a little noisy) so it was hard to see most of the other tables. But I could see the door from where I was sitting and I only recall seeing a few people coming into the restaurant. The food was good. I had been there once before and recall it being really good. I don't know if Tuesday is just a quiet night for them or if business is off. But if they have a lot of nights like last night I can't imagine them remaining open for long. I would really like to see them succeed.
That restaurant and many others like it are one of the things that I love about where I live. You know how you always hear realtors using that location, location, location, phrase? Well for me, this is the perfect location. Sometimes I hate my condo, particularly in the summer when it is 100 degrees outside, but if I could move this house out of the way and replace it with my dream house in this exact location I would be the happiest person around.
My address is Dallas, yet I am in Collin county and Plano ISD. So I think it is the best of both worlds. To my east and southeast is Richardson and about 4 miles southwest of my house is Addison, but a small sliver of Dallas comes up north as far as the George Bush tollway and I live in that sliver. I can ride my bike to do pretty much anything I am inclined to. I am able to ride it to the grocery store, Target and Pet Smart, to any of 20 or 30 restaurants (including Cappuccino's). Yet my neighborhood is fairly quiet with big old trees and street parties. The city of Dallas does have a police and fire station a few blocks away so I do hear sirens at times. But that has never bothered me. In fact, I think I sort of like the sirens. I know that is weird, but when you live alone and don't have constant contact with others it kind of reminds you that there are other people out there living their lives.
When I first came to the Dallas area 20 years ago, I went into Dallas a couple of times a week. At the time I lived way out in Plano at Legacy and Preston. So, it was a long haul to go into the city. When I say into Dallas, I mean at least inside LBJ. I was an apartment dweller until 8 years ago so I moved fairly often.
While I lived in that first apartment, I worked at the old Prestonwood Mall which was torn down years ago. I transferred to Towneast while still living at Preston and Legacy. I hated that drive. So, I found an apartment in Richardson at Jupiter and Beltline. It was a decent location but the apartment itself was very dated and a little scary. Then I got transferred to Tyler, so I got the greatest patio home in history there and paid 2/3 of what I had paid for a crappy apartment in Dallas. But six months later, I was transferred back to Dallas to work at Park Central, in the area where the "high five" is now. For some reason, I got a patio home in Rowlett. It was less expensive, but I made up for that in gas. I could see the lake if I went out to the front yard, but I never went out there because there were too many bugs.
When I was pretty sure that I would be moving to the home office soon, I got a new apartment in Plano on the tollway where Willowbend Mall is now. Willowbend had not been built at the time. I got transferred to the home office a few weeks after I moved. I lived in that apartment until I bought my condo. As I lived in each of those locations, I would say that I went into Dallas a minimum of 2 or 3 times a week for entertainment purposes. But now I think the closest I get to LBJ on a regular basis is when I go to the gym. Is this an indication that I am getting old? Or is everything just so conveniently located here that I don't feel a need to go into the city?
Growing up, we lived on Nottingham Dr. for about 6 years. That is the second longest I have ever lived in one location. I have lived in this condo longer than that. Maybe that is part of what makes this feel so much like home to me. I know, to a lot of people this place wouldn't see like such a great prize. But for me, there is no place like home.
I hope you all get some of this rain because it is wonderful! Have a great day!
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