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Why I Didn’t Join the Border Patrol

Join the Border Patrol Study GuideOne day, around 2008 or so, my boyfriend (now ex) brought me a book from the library. He couldn’t wait to show it to me. It was a complete study guide for the Border Patrol entrance exam.

He was fascinated with the U.S.-Mexico border in general, but he was especially fascinated with the music and the concept that it was a militarized zone to keep out the Mexicans. He even wrote a song about it, written in an ironic sort of way that both small town conservatives and big city liberals seemed to enjoy.

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Married Once, Divorced Twice

First Wedding
Me with my family at my first (and only) wedding in May 2001. Thanks to my brother, pictured on the right, for not letting this part of my past die by posting it to Facebook thirteen years later.
(Also, he got sick the day of the wedding and puked.)

I was married once and divorced twice.

My first marriage was prompted by a visit to Mexico with an old boyfriend – we were about twenty-three years old at the time, two years out of college. Even though we had already been living together for a couple of years, once we crossed the border, we had to sleep in separate houses. It was the proper thing to do.

According to my relatives in Mexico, “though shall not live together if unmarried” was the eleventh commandment. One of my grandmothers tried to help and urged us to get married right away – she knew a Catholic priest in town that could unite people in holy matrimony in emergency situations.

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Menudo in Austin, Texas: Casa Maria

4327 S 1st St #101
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 444-8861

Casa Maria

The Highlights

Menudo in Austin: Casa Maria

  • Meat: mix of smooth cut with lots of the honeycomb cut, although some pieces seemed overcooked and soggy
  • Hominy: great ratio to meat (1:1)
  • Broth: tasty!
  • Toppings: cilantro, limes, onion, and jalapeño were all available, however the cilantro portion was rather skimpy; upon request for more cilantro, it was mostly stems
  • Tortillas: nothing memorable
  • Availability: any day of the week
  • Price: $8.99 for a bowl (one size only)

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Tempered Explosions

Duralex Picardie TumblerIn the middle of the night, I heard the sound of shattering glass. I thought a glass had fallen from the counter or the shelf, or perhaps that the dog had toppled my tea mug off the wooden futon armrest, where I’d precariously left it the night before. But the explosion of glass was so loud and intense, it couldn’t have simply been a glass falling to the floor.

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Menudo in Austin, Texas: Mariana’s Kitchen

5510 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #410
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 382-2105

Mariana’s Kitchen

The Highlights

Menudo in Austin | Mariana's Kitchen

  • Meat*: cooked almost near perfect
  • Hominy*: plenty of it
  • Broth*: tasty!
  • Toppings: all of ’em…cilantro, limes, onion, and jalapeño
  • Tortillas: they were all right, nothing memorable
  • Availability: any day of the week
  • Price: $7.59 for a bowl (one size only)

*Although the meat to hominy ratio was spot on, in general, the actual volume of it was less slightly disappointing. I ended up with lots of broth at the end. (Kind of like when you end up with a bowl of sugary milk after the cereal is gone.) But it was tasty broth!

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