Opinion Forum

Brian Bagent

I am a Texan.

I wasn’t born here, but I got here is quick as I could, which was way back in 1991.

I was a Houston police officer for 7 years when I decided I didn’t like working for the government any more. Then I was a programmer (I studied computer science as an undergrad at Louisiana Tech) until the bottom fell out of the programming market. So, I changed careers. Again.

Upon graduating from nursing school, I worked as a full time Med/Surg nurse in a small community hospital in east Texas for almost 2 and a half years before landing perhaps the best job I’ve ever had: I am an on-call hospice nurse. I only work every other week, and then only at night and on the weekends. I still work part time at the same hospital about 5 or 6 days a month.

I love to read. When I’ve finished my log home, the loft section is going to be my library, and I’m going to need it. I have books neatly arranged where I have the space, and stacked up and nearly falling over in others. I love Sci/Fi and fantasy, thrillers (Clive Cussler is a favorite), philosophy, logic (yes, there are books on formal logic), and instructional books. I have a TV, but no satellite or cable. I watch movies on it, and that’s about it.

I own just under 4 acres in Paradise. Around here, Paradise is officially called Coldspring. My little slice of heaven has enough black locust (that’s a tree, not an insect), persimmon, and hackberry to keep me busy hand-crafting long bows and recurve bows for the next couple years. As soon as I get enough fence repaired and replaced, I’ll be raising goats. I haven’t yet decided if it’s going to be Boer goats or Kiko goats, though I’m leaning towards Kikos – they do better in the heat and humidity. I’ll be raising rabbits (preferably New Zealands, but maybe Californians), and I’ll put in a bee hive or two in early spring of 2011. My German shepherd was run over a while back, so I need to replace her, too.

If I’m not working or studying, most days find me working on my barn or my fence; that, or target practice with my .22, or with my Glock.

I love to cook, so the first thing I did when I moved out here was to put in a little herb garden. I love it out here, but it’s tough to find fresh tarragon, Greek oregano, or cinnamon basil at the grocery store when you live 30 miles past the middle of Nowhere.

Imagine slicing a tomato that you just picked from your garden, and then topping it with fresh basil and oregano leaves that you also just picked from your garden. That’s the way it is out here, at least for me.

Brian’s e-mail address is brianbagent@eastex.net

Brian Bagent

Brian Bagent

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