Missing Texas?

It is strange that I have lived in Oregon for 12 years, but I still do not call myself an Oregonian. When people ask I say I am from Texas. I have not lived there since 1991, and I wasn't born there, but somehow it dominates my sense of self. The bigger mystery to me is why I still identify with Texas so strongly when I have no intention of ever moving back there. My parents, brother and sister all live there so I still have very strong ties to the state. We visit once or twice a year so it's not like I am pining for a long lost motherland. And the biggest irony of all is Oregon is much more in line with my personality and beliefs. Oregon is a blue state, Texas as red as they get. The Prius is the state car of Oregon, in Texas the SUV is king. When it comes to race and sexual politics Texas is still the old south, while Oregon is a little more forward thinking, etc., etc.

However there are some drawbacks to living in Oregon. All you ever hear about are Pac 10 sports and I wish most of the Pac 10 teams would fall off into the ocean with all the Florida schools following close behind. Crowding into a sports bar with a group of alumni you have very little in common with at 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning is not as fun as heading out to Darrel Royal Memorial stadium on a Saturday afternoon.

Basically I am saying I would be happy to have a private jet that lands in Austin every Saturday morning and leaves loaded up with Green Mesquite BBQ at 2:00 a.m. on game days and buzzes by Houston for Christmas and birthdays. And for less than 400 hours a year Texas still gets to be where I am from, versus the 8,360 hours spent in Oregon.