Do you ever feel like a YouTube clip is speaking right to you?

Also, an apology for using Grammarly and then not thinking I need to proofread my posts. On how Good Will Hunting, the comfort foods of home vs the local places, & how SEC/BIG 10 are ruining America

Good Will Hunting is my favorite movie. I was trying to tell my dad about it last night, and he told me to not spoil the whole movie because it sounds like one he would like. It’s been out for over twenty five years, but he still hasn’t seen it because of principle: the MPAA rating. Honestly, I respect it so much.

However, ever since then, I haven’t stopped thinking about one particular scene. In it, I also see my dad as Robin Williams’ character calling me out. I think, subconsciously, that is why I’ve always wanted to live in a bigger city than my own. When my parents ask me what I’m doing, I can snap a picture of me at Joe’s pizza in the village. Look how many people eat here! You can’t get a slice like this in San Angelo. When, in reality, you could because it seems like the country is homogenizing and each area is losing its distinct regional flavor. That’s a blog post for a different day.

By the way, thank you to the Ringer’s Van Lathan for so eloquently pointing that out to me and other people when describing going home to Baton Rouge vs living in LA and also when discussing the recent announcement of USC/UCLA to the Big 10 and OU/Texas to the SEC and why it seems like it’s killing college football.

My parents didn’t know about the times I actively went to Penn Station to seek out a Pizza Hut express because it reminded me of home, ordered KFC on Ubereats (of which I refuse to do now because they replaced the potato wedges with fries that are not good at all. I know it’s been years, but I still won’t support that particular part of the company. It doesn’t stop me from going to Taco Bell or said Pizza Hut.)

I also haven’t told them that I spent way too much money at a hill country barbecue on Valentine’s Day because I was also alone and missing home.

When locals tell me they get sick at one, I, as a Texan, take it personally and try to rally all of the Texans I know in the city like Davy Crockett and Juan Seguin. Yes, even for overpriced imitations of the real thing.

Funny story, I once overheard a foreign or maybe local couple at said Hill Country say they should act like “real Texans” as they proceed to order pulled pork, lone Star beer, and other things to make it either seem more Texan or try to attract a more local audience. I would laugh to myself as I munched on my big red, sweet tea, and only brisket. If you use any sauce, that’s an insult to the smoker. Once a server replied to me, “Oh so you’re really from Texas, then” as I ordered.

Here’s to living life and maybe finding someone to live it with some day. Thank you mom and dad for showing me that even when I tried to put my fingers in the ears and tried not to listen.

• To my sisters friends’ husband Jaime who went to the whole series in Arlington during the pandemic hoping his Braves would beat the Dodgers only to tragically lose each game. I respect that way too much and I don’t think I’d ever do it myself. I’d be a nervous wreck.

• To my uncle who is the biggest Astros fan I know. You were watching them as I was thinking who watches baseball during the regular season. I respect that so much. I respect more that you rather go to Enron Field over the newer air conditioned one in Arlington, Texas