I just moved to Texas. My friend Griffin, who's lived here for a few years, gave me one piece of newcomer advice: stock up on allergy medicine. I forgot to stop by the pharmacy this weekend, and now I understand. I am regretting my mistake. This image of sail boats in Lake Starnberg in southern Germany is a metaphor for my nasal cavities.

You see all that beautiful yellow in the water? That's pollen. Even the maximum strength allergy medicine would drown beneath this tide. And yet, like the springtime, the scene is so beautiful.

Here's the difference between looking at Lake Starnberg and being on Lake Starnberg: