The good, the bad and life in Texas

Last night H and I made a list of the pluses and minuses of living in the US. Here's what we came up with (in no particular order)...

THE GOOD

-More opportunities to do new things, like trying golf, tennis and taking flying lessons, all of which would have been a lot more expensive to do back in Europe.
-Cheap cars and gas (sorry I mean petrol). Meaning H could buy the car he'd been wanting for years without the big price tag.
-Big weather (tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes etc) - not a plus for everyone I admit, but fascinating. H is hoping to go on another tornado chasing expedition in June.
Storm seen from our balcony:

-Great autumns and springs. It was still 25 degrees in November, and now, early Spring, we have about 25 everyday. Brilliant for walking around with baby. And soon the outdoor pool will be warm enough to use.
-Eating out doesn't cost and arm and a leg. Pre-baby we used to eat out about once a week, whilst in Scotland it was only for special occasions.
-Things are generally more relaxed, less formal, including at work. H used to have to wear a tie everyday in Edinburgh, no such thing here. And they wear jeans in the office on Fridays.
-Lots of SPACE everywhere, big houses, big rooms, big roads... I particularly like the fact that almost every house or flat has at least two bathrooms and generally several large walk-in closets (dressing rooms if you prefer). And 2 sinks in the master bathroom. Love that (hubby not convinced though). Don't know how I ever managed with our tiny Edinburgh bathroom with no storage and a minute sink.
A house nearby:

-People are generally very friendly. When I am in a shop with Madeleine, or even just in the elevator, everyone coos and tells me how 'precious' she is. Staff in grocery stores are very helpful (even though being asked about 10 times how you are and if you are looking for anything can get a bit tedious).
-Things do not get vandalized! Ok, not in our neighborhood at least, but I suspect it is the case in many areas of Houston. People respect other people's properties, as well as communal property. The kiddies park opposite our building is spotless, no graffiti, no litter. To tell you how clean it is, I even saw kids running around with bare feet in there. I see many front yards, with no fence, with swings or pieces of furniture in them, and noone steals them.

-Last but not least, we have Ben & Jerry's ice cream cafes. Even Madeleine has already been there a couple of times. Oh, and did I mention cupcakes?

THE BAD

-It's too hot in summer (main complain from H). Although I think you do get used to being in air-conditioned environments for most of the day (home then car then shop then wherever else), and take a dip in the pool in the late afternoon. But no, you can't really walk anywhere or do anything outside for more than 10 minutes.
-'Stupid big crap cars' (I quote the hubby). Let's name the Chevrolet Suburban (below) or the Dodge Ram.

-People driving too slowly around corners.
-Turning left. You always have to wait for the green arrow to turn left and it can take a very LOOOOONG time. The idea is to plot a route that does not involve turning left too much.
-Too many stop signs, a 'yield' would be sufficient in most cases.
-Superficial relationships: as much as the average American is very friendly on the surface, making actual friends is a challenge. I meet up from time to time with a group of American mums, but only time will tell whether we actually keep in touch.
-Feeling less safe (which kind of contradicts what I said earlier about the lack of anti-social behaviour, but this is a different kind of 'safe'). We're talking bad driving, feeling unsafe if driving at night through dodgy areas, and knowing that lots of people carry a gun).
-Insurance costs are sky high (probably related to people driving craply).
-Very flat boring landscape around Houston.
-Crap TV. Ok, we only have the 'basic' cable package, but that's still about 50 channels and some evenings there is nothing at all. Although I discovered 2 very 'interesting' programs recently - namely 'Selling New York' and 'Dog the Bounty Hunter'. Might talk about these another time.
Anyway, thank goodness we have Netflix.
-Too commercial. Buy this, buy that, a 30-minute program is usually interrupted by 3 commercial breaks.
-a lot of poverty around. A lot of illegal immigrants too. Ok, you can't know if they really are illegal, but when Mexican men gather in some areas of town, waiting to be picked up to work on building sites... me thinks they probably don't have a legal visa...
-And one last one for the road; I am quoting the husband again: 'Somebody saying 'Happy Friday' in the elevator'. Which goes back to the 'people being (over)friendly' bullet point.

Feel free to add or comment on anything!