Last week marked my seventh anniversary as a resident of central Virginia. Since I’ve moved from New Jersey, I have done a number of things in Virginia that I never did in NJ. They are, in part:
- Voted for a Republican for President (twice)
- Voted for a Republican for Congress
- Went to a shooting range and fired a handgun
- Went to a shooting range and fired a rifle
- Went to a gun show
- Bought a handgun
- Bought a rifle
- Keep a loaded handgun in my home, easily accessible at all times
- Spent Fourth of July on an Army base
- Discovered beef barbecue
- Went to a county Beef Festival
- Joined a synagogue
- Taught religious school
- Attending synagogue regularly
- Bought a condo
- Changed my political leanings from liberal to centrist, with some issues on the right (and a few still left)
- Muttered “Damn NJ driver” when a NJ driver annoyed me on the road
- Went to two Republican political rallies
- Say “That’s fine” instead of “Okay.”
- Added “Yes Ma’am” to my vocabulary
So my question to my fellow Southerners is: Can I call myself a Southerner now, or am I still one of those damned Yankees who came to stay? (A Yankee comes to visit. A damned Yankee comes to Virginia and stays here.)