I think it's important that we should remember the real reason for Old Boys weekend. To this end I set my alarm for 5 in the morning and shared a minutes silence to think of absent friends and family and also how different the world could have been if it wasn't for the people who gave their lives. It does feel weird being an absent friend.
I thought Texas was supposed to be hot. I've been here 4 days and it's been cold and rainy. Just like home. I asked a local how often they have weather like this. Apparently about 4 days a year.
The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL team that I follow, I have the jersey at home and the cheerleaders calender. They are due to play at home today, but it transpires that they play in Irving (just outside Dallas) and there is no public transport. Needless to say I'm a bit gutted.
Right so there's 3 things to do in Dallas. Firstly you can go to the South Fork Ranch, but it's 20 miles out of town and public transport is crap. So I had no feasible way of getting there. I'm also from the 'Who Shot JR? Who Cares' school.
Secondly I could go to watch the Dallas Cowboys. I've finally reached a city where the NFL side is at home and I can get tickets. The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL team that I follow, I have the jersey at home and the cheerleaders calender. It transpires that they play in Irving (just outside Dallas) and there is no public transport. Needless to say I'm a bit gutted.
I plumped for option 3 which was to visit downtown Dallas. The first stop was the JFK Memorial. Which is a big yellow cenotaph (empty tomb). I thought it was a bit ugly. Next to the memorial is the John Neely Bryan log cabin. He's the man who is credited with starting Dallas. It was just a log cabin.
Afterwards I went to the 6th floor museum which was formerly the Texas Book Depositery. Of course this is the place from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. They've recreated the corner from where the shot was fired. It provides a fascinating insight into JFK and his assasination. I do question the American's morbid fascination with these things, but I guess they were moments that changed the world. I still did the audio tour for $13.00 and the chap giving out the headsets asked if I was French. I checked my breathe and my armpits and said 'I don't look that bad do I?'. Outside the musuem you can explore the grassy knoll, Dealey Plaza and listen to any number of conspiracy theories.
I then headed back to the hotel to catch up on my admin. I bought a Dallas Morning News. It's got 20 sections to it and numerous other leaflets. It's 3 inches thick and full of drivel.
Flicking through the TV today the headline news includes 26 National Guard Soldiers who have returned from 4 months in Iraq. Yes that's 26 returning soldiers.
I've also seen the Professional Bullriding World Championship and the Scrabble World Championship. Only in America.
In the evening the film 'Saving Jessica Lynch' premiered on TV. This is the story of the female American soldier who was allegedly tortured when she was captured in Iraq. It's being billed as the rescue that gave a nation hope. I wonder if it is an effort to get Americans to further back the war.
