Week of January 8: Giddy Up Cowboy

This week, I traveled for work to the Informatica Sales Kickoff. It appeared that I had joined Informatica just at the right time. Traditionally, Informatica's Sales Kickoffs were held in exotic places and this year, my first year, would be no different. Hello Dallas, Texas!!! Yeee Hawww!

We all know the obvious factoids about the Lone Start State. Texas is the home of JR Ewing, GDuyba Bush and Barney the Dinosaur. But did you also know these interesting gems about Texas? :

• More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.
• Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.
• The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.
• Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.
• The first suspension bridge in the United States was the Waco Bridge. Built in 1870 and still in use today as a pedestrian crossing of the Brazos River.
• Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.
• El Paso is closer to Needles, California than it is to Dallas.
• More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state.
• The nation's first convenience stores, the vast 7-Eleven chain, now in 18 countries, started in Dallas in 1922.

Now, don't you want to move there?

The Sales Kickoff was actually a lot of work. I would have guessed from the nature of those attending, mostly Sales people, it would have been just a formal business disguise for an all expenses paid 'we are so great' party (my previous experiences from other companies) but it turned out to be three days of 7 AM to 5 PM back-to-back meetings and presentations. And I had to present at one of the meetings! Needless to say, my presentation was flawless and inspiring. With my presentation out of the way on Day 1, I managed to sneak out for a bit and check out a few sights.

Not many Asians can pull this look off like I can. You can't tell from this picture but I was wearing a pair of cowboy boots to match! Who says cowboys don't wear Banana Republic's Stretch Poplin Dress Shirt with J Crew's Boot Cut Jeans? All that was missing from this picture was a mustang horse and perhaps a bandanna around my neck.

This is located in the West End Historic District of Dallas. The building on the right was where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shot that assassinated our president John F. Kennedy.

The X marks the exact spot where JFK was when he was shot.

The picture on the left is the view from the X spot to the Dealey Plaza, the building where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shot. The picture on the right shows 'the grassy knoll', the area where many conspiracy theorists believe shots -- and probably the fatal one -- were fired at President Kennedy.