And now this trip to Texas has confirmed it: The people in Chicago are by no means rude, but there�s a certain city mentality of sticking to oneself that just hasn�t made its way into the South.

This morning I drove my borrowed car to my orthodontist�s office and was immediately pulled into a waiting room conversation about baby Branden and his oh-so-cute stretches. (Yes, that�s how you spell his name. Yes, I�ve been spelling it incorrectly for weeks...) The waiting room of mothers all talked about their babies growing up, and I noted that this sort of conversation sharing didn�t normally happen in Chicago. Truthfully, the only time I talk with strangers is when we�re all drinking.

After my appointment I stopped at the corner gas station to fill up and grab some Diet Coke for breakfast. I entered the store to a �Hey darlin�� -- a Southern greeting, not a sleazy pickup line -- from the older oh-so-country man working behind the counter.

Not only are the people friendlier, but they move at a different pace. I remember the first time I ever drove to Ft. Worth to visit a friend, and I noted how the people there were all mosey-ers.

They walked slower. They drove slower. They talked slower.

The farming-focused area�s pace was so drastically different than Austin�s, but this difference was still compared between two typical Texas areas.

Now make that comparison with the nation�s third largest city, and you�re bound to have your head blow up from impatience if you�ve actually got somewhere to go.

In the gas station I grabbed my Diet Coke and two strawberry Nutrigrain bars and headed to the counter, only to hear a shout from the back call out, �Hold on one sec. I�ll be right up there.�

He indeed took his sweet time getting up there, but I didn�t mind the wait. However, when the bitchtards at Jewel can�t get an item to ring up and have to call for a price check, I have to pull my panties outta my ass to keep them from balling up. It has a lot to do with the difference in their demeanor -- the man greeting me pleasantly and the grocery-skank-hos resenting me for needing to buy groceries.

When I left the corner store I got a sincere, �Have a good�un!� called out to me as I held the door for an approaching customer.

I flipped the radio to a country station and drove the speed limit all of the way to the office.

When I entered the Austin office I was greeted by a secretary who called out login instructions from behind her desk and then gave directions to my assigned desk. She introduced herself and offered to help if I had any other questions.

No sooner did I sit down to my desk did my one-cube(ish)-over neighbor introduce herself. We talked for a little while.

In my time sitting here and being an unknown face, three other people have approached me to say hello and find out my story. The city person in me assumes they�re a bit nosey, but the Texan felt more like they were being friendly. After all, it is �The Friendly State�...

I can see bumper stickers now: Anonymity is not possible in Texas.

However it works, I rather like it. We�ll see how I feel once I get back home to Chicago. �