           This has been a very crazy week for us in Dallas. The weather has gone from relative warmth to periods of rain, we are expecting snow again (February 19) and then some sleet and then by weekend, the temperatures begin to rise towards the seventy-degree mark. Sadly, we are not used to this type of weather. This is why many have the sniffles. Well, I have fortified myself with a lot of mint tea and pumpkin soup. I thank God for blessing me with a wife that is a good cook. She loves to cook for me. Talking about soup, I had a crazy experience last week.
           My wife asked me to pick up some limes from my favorite store, El Rancho. Their fruits and vegetables are very affordable. So, I pulled up on my way home from work. Went inside and bought what I was asked to buy (obedient husband). Then I saw a piece of sliced pumpkin/squash and felt It would be nice to have that in soup, so I bought that, a few potatoes, sweet potatoes and half ripe plantain. Then I went over to the meat section intending to buy some beef on bone, for the pot of soup I was going to ask my wife to make. I looked at the different choices and then decided I would get one pound of oxtail ($9.39/lb). I don’t speak Spanish, and the Gentleman didn’t speak English either. I was able to get him to understand what I wanted. He put the small pieces in the bag, and it came to $2.96 – in line with the one pound I had requested. When I saw the price, I figured they were having a special promotion and obviously that price was a steal. So, I requested an additional pound of oxtail He obliged and as he bagged the additional pound of oxtail for me, he realized his previous error and slapped me with correct price -- $20.98. I was irate but could not do anything because he gave me what I had asked for. I shared the encounter with my wife, and she found it very hilarious.
           Driving. On my way to work on Tuesday (February 18), I took the time to observe people driving around me. I lost count of how many were driving and texting. One lady at the traffic light was able to apply lipstick and the powder thing with the brush – she looked like she does this professionally. I laughed to myself. At another light, a gentleman was tossing French fries into his mouth (I am guilty of this sometimes) and one French fry missed the intended target, and you could see him frantically searching for it. The light changed and I could hear the horns honking behind him. It would have been nice to see how that ended.
           Oh, I must say I saw a few people driving and rocking to music that was apparently playing in their cars. The windows were up but it would have been interesting to hear if the solo karaoke sessions were being done in the correct musical key or not.
           And then there were others who were zoned out and focused primarily on the mission, to drive from point A to point B. They had the most serious look on their respective faces.
           My one-hour commute to work from Denton County to Irving, next to DFW, is always filled with interesting moments. All that I have described took place on a four-lane local road. By the time I get to highway 121 (runs from McKinney in the north, through the DFW Airport and into Arlington and down to Fort Worth – that driving experience is another conversation entirely. So, when people hear I have a one-hour commute to work, it is never boring. There is always a lot going on around me. I am sure it is the same in Beltsville, just that I never paid attention like that when I was there. How do you kill time when you have long drives?
           On a final note, permit me to mention the release of my long-awaited magazine-styled newsletter, THE NAIJA BRIDGE. I launched it on February 17, 2025, and the goal is to provide a platform to introduce people to the Nigerian Film and Arts.  It is an 8-page monthly, available online only. I will hopefully have the website go live in May, so you will be able to see and read about a lot of things. The goal is to bridge the gap between Nigeria and the diaspora.
           Well, have a great month in March.  That’s the Jive!