I love living here!

Being iced in for most of 3 days means you have waaaay too much free time on your hands to play on the internet.  I spent much of mine on Google Earth, zipping around the globe from the Swiss Alps to the beaches of New Zealand and Oz.

I've commented here before about my neighborhood and our nearby baseball park, our mall, and all the hundred-plus (no joke!) restaurants just a short drive away.  Courtesy of Google Earth, here's what it looks like:

1....This field is where the Dallas Cowboys, the pride of the National Felon Football League, will build their new headquarters and 12,000-seat domed practice field.  It's supposed to open in 2015.

ME....This is our humble abode.  We're on the 3rd floor in a very comfortable apartment with a nice balcony.  I'm looking forward to being out there in the Spring, watching the thunderstorms rolling in from the west.  Just south is a park with a winding (man-made) stream and several ponds that Luke claims as his.  (The ducks dispute that.)

2....This is the Dr. Pepper StarCenter, a public ice rink where the Dallas Stars also practice, and the Frisco Conference Center, a mini-convention venue.

3....This is Dr. Pepper Ballpark where our Texas Ranger's Frisco RoughRiders AA minor league team plays.  I enjoy their first-class fireworks show after every Friday night home game. 

4....This is Stonebriar Mall, one of the largest in the Metroplex.  In addition to the usual better stores they have a 16-screen (?) United Artist theatre.  It also has a huge parking lot where more than a few donuts have been cut during icy weather.  Just sayin'.  ;)

5....Here is the north Texas IKEA.  The first few times I went there I hated it.  Now I've learned my way around and it's actually a fun place to visit.

6....This is where K works.  It's 1.6 miles from home, door to door.

O....These are all mid-rise (4-10 story) office park campuses.  The number of new ones being built right this minute is amazing, but because the highway infrastructure is already in place, traffic is very manageable.

R....retail.  A huge retail district has sprung up for blocks all around the mall.  If you have a tough time controlling your credit card spending, this could be a dangerous place to live.  Ouch!

DNT....the Dallas North Tollway goes north to ? and south straight to downtown Dallas (26 miles +/-).

SRT....the Sam Rayburn Tollway goes northeast to Bonham, TX (home of the legendary former Speaker of the House) and southwest to DFW International Airport (25 miles +/-) and then on to downtown Foat Wuth (50 miles +/-).

All these toll roads take a....umm...."toll" on my wallet.  I probably spend $1,000 a year for the privilege of risking life and limb daily at 80 mph.

PRESTON road....miles and miles of stores and RESTAURANTS!  I once tried to count all the eateries on or within a few blocks of Preston, but gave up at 100.  

The main residential areas of Frisco are a mile or so farther north.  The homes are huge and uber-expensive, and the owners are uber-snooty, too.  By mutual agreement with the residents, we never go there. 

That's home.  All in all it's a pretty great place to live.  :)

S 

Hello....hello....anybody?

I fear I'm the lone human survivor.  They say rats and insects will always be around, and so far Luke the Wonder Dog is still with me, but I'm afraid we're about it.  

From my vantage point 3 floors up I have a good view of the Dallas North Tollway, a major traffic artery, and Parkwood Lane, which normally feeds thousands of people a day into Stonebriar Mall.  For hours now I've been looking in vain for any sign of life out there.  The street lights are still burning so I know the power plant is operating, but is it manned or on autopilot?  An hour ago I saw a light on the horizon and felt a tinge of excitement, but it turned out to just be a light on a radio tower I guess I hadn't noticed before.

So where is everyone?  Have they frozen to death, or just gone insane because of boredom and offed themselves?  K is propped up in a corner staring at words on a page, but I fear she's already too far gone.  So young....  *sniff*

Yes, it's cold....19 degrees....but it's actually rather eerily pretty outside if anyone will just give it a try.  Shortly I'm going to launch a search party (of one) and scour the neighborhood looking for anyone still holding on.  I might even take along a flask of brandy, St. Bernard style.  I've thought about going out touring on my skates, but I fear the crunchy ice will just clog up in the little wheels.  I'd better stick with boots on the ground.

My concern is this isn't limited to just my neighborhood, but has spread like some sort of toxic fog over the entire city.  *gasp*  Or could it even have crossed state lines?  I may top off my car with scavenged gas from cars left abandoned in our parking garage.  That should enable me to widen my search for signs of life elsewhere.

I understand the insidious effects cabin fever has on people....I feel it myself from time to time.  But come on people....be strong.  Whatcha say we meet up for some coffee somewhere?  Even if the barristas have succumbed, I'll bet we can figure out how to work those steam-spewing machines of theirs.  They might even still have some of those dry 'ol nasty sandwiches in the display case.   

Trust me....it ISN'T that cold outside.  Come on....let's go.  WE CAN DO THIS!

S