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Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

Tyler Texas is My City

September 21st, 2010

One of my favorite quotes is by an anonymous Greek who said, “No man loves his city because it is great, but because it is his.” Similarly G.K. Chesterton once wrote “Men did not love Rome because she was great, she was great because they loved her.” These maxims were recently brought to mind by a conversation I had with a new friend of mine who just re-located to Tyler, from Austin. He was telling me of his love for the city he had just left, and while fond of his new surroundings, he admitted that the transition had been a little difficult. As we spoke I began to contemplate my own relationship with my hometown. What is it that keeps me coming back to Tyler? What are the aspects that despite the sometimes, frustrating inconveniences of relatively small town life, make Tyler, Texas my city? What aspects of our community life make Tylerites unique, and give us character?

When I was growing up, more than anything I wanted out of Tyler. I realize this sentiment is far from unusual for young people in almost any city. At my first opportunity I traveled around fairly extensively. I’d leave, come home, leave again and return. I’d take teaching positions at little private schools here and there, but whether I was in New Orleans or St. Paul, I would eventually feel the pull of my old hometown. So what is it about Tyler? I’m an Anglo- Catholic (meaning conservative Episcopalian), living in a city that is predominately Baptist. I find the smoking ban to be a restrictive fad, the dry county law a nuisance that actually creates more problems than it prevents, and I miss being able to pick up the phone and have nearly any kind of food I want delivered to my front door, when I don’t want to cook. On the other hand, I love local Texas Barbeque, fall football, and raising my son with traditional values, in a politically conservative community.

So in recent years I’m finding that I’m growing out of my youthful notions of what it means to be from Tyler. Instead I’m exploring new ones. I’m finding new things to revel in and love about my city, things like Brady’s Coffee Shop, Bruno’s Pizza, the Purple Pig and Stanley’s Barbeque. My son lives for a weekend visit to the Caldwell Zoo and I’m enjoying the community that happens around a high school football game, or the East Texas Fair. I really enjoy a cool drive to work over the brick streets of the azalea district in the morning, (and no I don’t live there). To those who balk at my thoughts as silly nostalgia, let me say two things. First autumn is the season for nostalgia. And second, go away for a while. If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll be back, and when you return the city will look different to you. Make no mistake Tyler’s shortcomings won’t simply vanish in your absence, but her good points will loom just a little larger. I still get itchy feet now and again. But after a little travel and exploration coming home is never drudgery anymore. There are certainly other cities and places that I love, but I’m realizing more and more that Tyler, while it may not be a “great” city, at least not yet, it is for better or worse, my city.

Halloween is Soon Around the Corner

August 24th, 2010

Halloween in Tyler Texas is funny simply because it has changed a lot in the last 20 years. I remember it was much more of the traditional American family holiday but it is now a bit of a nuisance for many neighborhoods and is enough fun for many to just go to your local church.

We usually pop in to our church o a church nearby and play some “Fall Festival” games and grab some candy and go. This is the tradition for many in Tyler Texas which is far different than when I used to walk my neighborhood gong “trick or treat”.

Now when you walk around a neighborhood hardly anybody has candy out or opens their door. It is a bit sad when I think about the happy memories walking around doing the traditional trick or treat thing in my neighborhood.

A few years ago we went with my brother n law on an idea to go try trick r treatin in Holly Tree. This was really funny because we ended up in a big traffic jam as everyone else had this same idea.

I also noticed there were large large mobs of people walking on the streets in Holly Tree and almost all the houses had their lights off and doors securely locked. No one was answering their doors to give out candy and a majority of the people on the street did not have any kids with them.

Holly Tree was covered in obnoxious teenegers either in an emo wolf pack or wearing the catholic school girl outfits and sexy tight shirt and short skirt sex costumes usually reserved for the bedroom.

So now when you go trick or treating in your neighborhood you might just see a bunch of teenagers wearing bedroom costumes walking around like everything is normal.

Last year I remember seeing these girls walking around in these costumes during broad daylight and I nearly sprayed milk out of my nostrils from the hilarity of it all.

So if you are going to do Trick or treating try a trailer park instead of Holly Tree and stop by a local church. You will have much better luck.

Tyler TX Craigslist

September 18th, 2009

For those of you like me you may have been brought up using Ebay to buy your good deals and merchandise on the internet I think you will find Craigslist to be less of a headache. I absolutely loved ebay for years and years until things started to happen that became a real nuisance. After I had enough with Ebay because of several different issues I tried out Amazon and Craigslist. I found that Amazon allows you to buy everything immediately without having to take it to auction. Since many of Ebay’s auctions seem fake because of fraud I moved over to Amazon and started buying several things from the cheapest verified seller offering what I wanted on Amazon. This setup on Amazon worked very well and I could pick between used or new. I immediately decided that in almost every case Amazon was a better choice over Ebay. There are exceptions to the rule and a great example is when I needed to buy an antique triple block pulley. I could only purchase a used item like this at an affordable price on Ebay. Amazon did not offer used or new triple block pulleys. Antiques like the triple block pulley example are why Ebay is still needed. Ebay really needs to create a separate place to go for those who want to completely avoid the whole fake auction experience. It just has become too much to want to deal with.

Craigslist fills the gap between Amazon and Ebay by being a place for those wanting to find good deals on larger items that cannot be easily shipped for an affordable price. For instance, I bought a large wooden filing cabinet that originally retailed for $500 for $100. It was a great buy and all I had to do was drive 5 miles, load it up in my truck and deliver it to my house. It was worth it as I would have to deliver a new item like this anyway if I were to buy something like it at Office Depot. Tyler Texas Craigslist has also allowed me the ability to buy a bicycle, a car, bike rack, and several other items at discounted prices I could not find on Amazon or Ebay. Rather than fight it out over a week in an auction only to see the auction go to retail price for some used junk I can go on Craigslist and buy the same thing at a negotiated price that does not have to go to auction.

Tyler TX Craigslist has had its opposition mainly due to its adult section and I agree that Craigslist should really shutdown that sleaze but the rest of the site is really amazing. You can find jobs, very cheap merchandise, free classifieds for selling your own junk, and some interesting money making opportunities. I will warn that most of the “too good to be true” opps on Tyler TX Craigslist really are too good to be true and you should consider getting a real job or at the very least attempt to go about doing an opportunity without handing your money over to a swindler.

Craigslist Tyler TX is a place where you will find what is known as “I don’t want it anymore” syndrome. I have actually participated in this syndrome when my 1999 Saturn was sitting in my front yard for over a year not running. I took the car to the shop and although they were able to get it back to running with little repair they showed me that it had many issues. The cost to get the car back up to a reliable standard would be more than the car is worth. I decided I didn’t want the car anymore. I found a city employee here in Tyler Texas that would buy the car knowing about all issues wrong with it for $300. Now the car probably had a few years left in it and I think it was worth more but I really wanted the car gone. I could just see the car back in my yard sitting there filling in that white trailer trash stereotype that I seem to immolate every so often. I thought I would do me, my neighbors, and my family a favor and get rid of the car ASAP. Craigslist is full of cars, and merchandise like this where the person just really doesn’t want it and you can usually haggle the price down further once you show up with cash in hand.

It is important when considering using Craigslist that you are not being tricked into coming to some perverts house, or a robber of some kind. If you are a woman I recommend bringing a guy along with you when you pick up your item. As a woman or man if you are paranoid about the other seller you could agree to meet at a local Coffee Shop or something and exchange money and goods there. You really want to be careful especially if you are being offered an iphone for $50 or something as chances are the guy is setting a trap for you to come to a location where he can then steal your cash. As long you follow some common sense when using Tyler TX Craigslist you can get some really good deals. Between Ebay, Amazon and Craigslist I think you will come up with a really good guage on where prices are at for what you want to purchase. There is no place like Tyler TX Craigslist as it is the impulsive buyers paradise for used I dont want it anymore local Tyler Texas merchandise.