After seeing Geoff's posting about juxtaposition, it reminded me to post a photo of my favorite local one: Plano Youth Soccer is conveniently located next to a business where you can buy a replacement leg.
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 2
juxtaposition in Plano
After seeing Geoff's posting about juxtaposition, it reminded me to post a photo of my favorite local one: Plano Youth Soccer is conveniently located next to a business where you can buy a replacement leg.
Tuesday, February 26
attention TiVo programmers ...
I programmed TiVo to record the Academy Awards on Sunday night ... even told it to grab an extra 15 minutes at the end. As it turned out, that wasn't enough .. it ran at least 16 minutes long (at least it captured the Best Picture award). Since I'd seen several of those nominated in the category (No Country for Old Men; There Will Be Blood; Juno) I can't say I was too disappointed .. although I did like Blood a wee bit better.
A few days ago, my (tube) television started power cycling all by itself. At first, I assumed it was some practical joker standing outside with a remote on the same frequency. Then I realised that this television was bought in January 1999! I've been holding off on a (plasma HDTV) replacement until it finally kicks the bucket. Last night, it performed normally so I will (temporarily) blame an overheated component, and restrict its duty cycle for awhile. If it weren't such a pain to remove the back and blow out the accumulated dust, I'd do that too. As such, this 27-inch CRT (a Sony KV27V65) is simply too heavy for one person to move without risking serious injury, so .. I wait.
Worth noting: there's no sign of a KV27V65 on Sony's website (I was hoping for a PDF of the user's manual). So much for customer service.
Note to future awards show hosts: unless TiVo finds a way to automagically adjust for delays (starting and ending) please find a way to end on time. More and more of us depend on TiVo and you're going to alienate more of us as the trend away from live TV viewing continues.During (American) football season, I've learned to program [60 Minutes] to record one hour additional, due to the overtime of so many games. Sometimes, even an hour delay isn't sufficient.
A few days ago, my (tube) television started power cycling all by itself. At first, I assumed it was some practical joker standing outside with a remote on the same frequency. Then I realised that this television was bought in January 1999! I've been holding off on a (plasma HDTV) replacement until it finally kicks the bucket. Last night, it performed normally so I will (temporarily) blame an overheated component, and restrict its duty cycle for awhile. If it weren't such a pain to remove the back and blow out the accumulated dust, I'd do that too. As such, this 27-inch CRT (a Sony KV27V65) is simply too heavy for one person to move without risking serious injury, so .. I wait.
Worth noting: there's no sign of a KV27V65 on Sony's website (I was hoping for a PDF of the user's manual). So much for customer service.
Monday, January 14
Jessica's Fault
Dallas Cowboys (American football) fans have, on average, the same number of brain cells afforded your legendary Big Haired Texas Wummun. Thus, today they're seeking a single source for their frustration at losing in the first round of the playoffs to a team (New York Giants) they'd already beaten twice this year.
That target is Jessica Simpson.
And thus, I am amused. You see, the Star Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo - was doing just fine thankyouverymuch until he and Jessica hooked up a few months ago. Then, his performance (onfield) started nose-diving. The local wimmin who would've been happy to Have His Baby weren't as fixated anymore. Now, the season is over and the city (well, not all of us) is in a state of complete, utter shock. We're talking catatonic stupor. I won't be surprised if there's no mail delivery, the stores all close at noon, and people start wearing black armbands until pre-season.
Rumor has is that the TSA folks at DFW airport have been given orders to turn back any plane with Jessica Simpson onboard. Her posters have been removed from the local stores, and parents who named their daughters "Jessica" are queued up -- blocks long -- at the courthouse, seeking NAME CHANGE PETITIONS.
Oh, the humanity.
That target is Jessica Simpson.
And thus, I am amused. You see, the Star Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo - was doing just fine thankyouverymuch until he and Jessica hooked up a few months ago. Then, his performance (onfield) started nose-diving. The local wimmin who would've been happy to Have His Baby weren't as fixated anymore. Now, the season is over and the city (well, not all of us) is in a state of complete, utter shock. We're talking catatonic stupor. I won't be surprised if there's no mail delivery, the stores all close at noon, and people start wearing black armbands until pre-season.
Rumor has is that the TSA folks at DFW airport have been given orders to turn back any plane with Jessica Simpson onboard. Her posters have been removed from the local stores, and parents who named their daughters "Jessica" are queued up -- blocks long -- at the courthouse, seeking NAME CHANGE PETITIONS.
Oh, the humanity.
Tuesday morning update: worth noting that the US Mail delivery was the latest I can ever remember: sometime after sunset, but before 8:30pm when I checked the mailbox "one last time". Coincidence? Not a chance.
Thursday, November 22
The South American Loophole
Honestly, if a retailer's not open by 7AM Friday, why bother?
I suppose getting the "weekend only" edition of the local paper entitles me to mid-week holidays, too. So, this morning I waddled out to the front yard to fetch the paper, and quickly noticed that the ads outweighed the news - by a substantial amount. They could have saved their money with me, since the last place I'll be tomorrow is anywhere near a B&M.
As usual, they're outdoing each other to see who can open the earliest on Black Friday. This year, the prize goes to Circuit City, who will open from 9PM-Midnight tonight. Sure, you purists will say "but that's cheating! - it's still Thursday" but I say "Huzzah! for thinking out of the box". As Everybody Knows(tm), 9PM Central Time is midnight in Santiago and Buenos Aires (both are in America, albeit South), so it appears the Circuit Cityfolk are taking advantage of the average Texan's ignorance of geography.
Anyway, according to the ads, here are the opening times for those stores who didn't take advantage of The South American Loophole:
Note that I'm simply ignoring anyone who opens at 8AM - like that's early.
Observation: two sporting goods stores - Dick's and Sports Authority - bucked the even-hour trend and will open at 5:30. Their rival - Academy - doesn't open until 90 minutes later. By then, the shelves at the former will surely be barren, with nothing left but mismatched pairs of Chinese-made tube socks.
Everybody Knows is a trademark of the state-run media (Fox "News"); Rush Limbaugh Productions; and the Christian Fascist Republican Party.
I suppose getting the "weekend only" edition of the local paper entitles me to mid-week holidays, too. So, this morning I waddled out to the front yard to fetch the paper, and quickly noticed that the ads outweighed the news - by a substantial amount. They could have saved their money with me, since the last place I'll be tomorrow is anywhere near a B&M.
As usual, they're outdoing each other to see who can open the earliest on Black Friday. This year, the prize goes to Circuit City, who will open from 9PM-Midnight tonight. Sure, you purists will say "but that's cheating! - it's still Thursday" but I say "Huzzah! for thinking out of the box". As Everybody Knows(tm), 9PM Central Time is midnight in Santiago and Buenos Aires (both are in America, albeit South), so it appears the Circuit Cityfolk are taking advantage of the average Texan's ignorance of geography.
Anyway, according to the ads, here are the opening times for those stores who didn't take advantage of The South American Loophole:
| 4 AM | JC Penney; Kohl's |
| 5 AM | Best Buy; Circuit City; Fry's; Linens-n-Things; Old Navy; Pepboys; Sam's Club; Sears; Toys-R-Us |
| 5:30 AM | Dick's Sporting Goods; Sports Authority |
| 6 AM | Bed Bath & Beyond; JoAnn Farbics; Macy's; Radio Shack; Target |
| 7 AM | Academy; Burlington Coat Factory; GameStop; OfficeMax; the great indoors; Ulta; World Market |
Observation: two sporting goods stores - Dick's and Sports Authority - bucked the even-hour trend and will open at 5:30. Their rival - Academy - doesn't open until 90 minutes later. By then, the shelves at the former will surely be barren, with nothing left but mismatched pairs of Chinese-made tube socks.
Everybody Knows is a trademark of the state-run media (Fox "News"); Rush Limbaugh Productions; and the Christian Fascist Republican Party.
Saturday, November 3
digression
Jill's been in town for a couple days, crashing my guestroom (she's not couchsurfing), but that's no excuse for not updating my blog, right?
We took the train to watch the Stars lose to the San Jose Sharks 2-4 on Monday night, then (at The Saucer on Friday) got invited to last night's game where they lost to the Phoenix Coyotes 0-5. Jill and Brian watched them lose to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-5 on Wednesday night. So, while Jill was in town, the team was 0-3. Coincidence? I can't think of a more logical correlation!
Melinda bought the tickets (platinum seating!) and her 13-year old daughter was there for comic relief. At least she wasn't texting the entire game, as I saw at a Stars game last year.
At any rate, I was very proud of Melinda and Carson, who (after buying Stars jerseys and putting them on) started dancing and ended up on the JumboTron, about 2:30 before the game ended (woo hoo). I grabbed this still frame from one of the movies I took, which nearly used up my 2 GB memory card. Pretty amazing that the photos/movies I took in 2 hours could easily fill about three CD-Rs (which turns the "could you email me the pictures?" into a monumental task).
Anyway, tomorrow, Jill's running the DRC Half Marathon so I'll provide Limo Service at 7am. Maybe I'll park my car and Text all my friends: "Hey, Britney - I'm at the MARATHON!!!!!!"
We took the train to watch the Stars lose to the San Jose Sharks 2-4 on Monday night, then (at The Saucer on Friday) got invited to last night's game where they lost to the Phoenix Coyotes 0-5. Jill and Brian watched them lose to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-5 on Wednesday night. So, while Jill was in town, the team was 0-3. Coincidence? I can't think of a more logical correlation!
Melinda bought the tickets (platinum seating!) and her 13-year old daughter was there for comic relief. At least she wasn't texting the entire game, as I saw at a Stars game last year.
Deep Thought: why would you spend $100 to sit in an arena (the American Airlines Center), with the sole purpose of Texting Your Friends the entire game? Couldn't you do that in the parking lot outside and save the money? I'm sure the conversations were something like "Hey, Britney - I'm at the STARS GAME!!!!!!!!!!" I suspect these are mostly Park Cities (or - gasp! Plano) teens who are so self-absorbed that all they can think of is impressing their friends that Mummy and Deddy were stupid enough to spend money to send them to the game (which is probably cheaper than bailing them out of jail after being arrested at an underage party at the home of that SMU lawyer who's on a monthlong vacation in The Canaries). Oops/sorry .. I'm digressing ...
At any rate, I was very proud of Melinda and Carson, who (after buying Stars jerseys and putting them on) started dancing and ended up on the JumboTron, about 2:30 before the game ended (woo hoo). I grabbed this still frame from one of the movies I took, which nearly used up my 2 GB memory card. Pretty amazing that the photos/movies I took in 2 hours could easily fill about three CD-Rs (which turns the "could you email me the pictures?" into a monumental task).Anyway, tomorrow, Jill's running the DRC Half Marathon so I'll provide Limo Service at 7am. Maybe I'll park my car and Text all my friends: "Hey, Britney - I'm at the MARATHON!!!!!!"
Monday, April 30
runoff politics
Another fun thing to do here in Texas is to play the Runoff Politics Game when voting in an election. The goal of the game is to select a weak opponent for the person you really want to win the (final) election. Texas doesn't require us to designate a party affiliation, so this makes it much easier to cross party lines and effectively gerrymander an election without rigging district boundaries.
Here's how to play (the rules are simple enough that even products of the Texas Education System can participate):
1- Consider the final race, not the current one.
2- Choose the candidate least likely to win against your desired winner of the general election (it helps if this is a partisan race, but is not required.
3- Make sure that General Election Loser is well funded enough (or well organized enough) to place 2nd, so that he'll make the cut for the runoff but stand almost no chance against the desired winner.
This is how the Republics win most races here. In the first election they cross party lines and vote for a weak challenger to their desired election winner. The only trick is to not overdo it, since you still want your candidate in "the finals".
An example is the 2007 race for Dallas Mayor (mostly a figurehead position, since the mayor here has the same vote -- 1 of 15 -- as any City Council member). There are ten candidates. The chance of any of them getting 50% of the vote in the upcoming (May 12) election is zero .. simply because none of them have broken away from the pack (an apropos metaphor, given Saturday's Kentucky Derby). Mathematically, it's possible they could each receive 10% of the vote, but odds are that the Dallas Southern Sector (mostly black) will support the only serious black candidate (who happens to be under an FBI Cloud Of Suspicion, but that's another rat hole). I fully expect those precincts to have high turnout because the (underlying?) City Council seats there have attracted many candidates and voter interest is high. The rest of the city will split their vote among the top 3 White Christian Republicans and one of them will run in the June 16th runoff election.
So, that's how I'll cast my vote: for the candidate who will provide the weaker opponent for the winner of the upcoming May 12 vote. Golly, this is such good sport. Speaking of good sports .. the Dallas Stars lost in the first round of the hockey playoffs, and the Dallas Mavericks are now poised to do likewise in the basketball playoffs. Like anyone really cares.
Here's how to play (the rules are simple enough that even products of the Texas Education System can participate):
1- Consider the final race, not the current one.
2- Choose the candidate least likely to win against your desired winner of the general election (it helps if this is a partisan race, but is not required.
3- Make sure that General Election Loser is well funded enough (or well organized enough) to place 2nd, so that he'll make the cut for the runoff but stand almost no chance against the desired winner.
This is how the Republics win most races here. In the first election they cross party lines and vote for a weak challenger to their desired election winner. The only trick is to not overdo it, since you still want your candidate in "the finals".
An example is the 2007 race for Dallas Mayor (mostly a figurehead position, since the mayor here has the same vote -- 1 of 15 -- as any City Council member). There are ten candidates. The chance of any of them getting 50% of the vote in the upcoming (May 12) election is zero .. simply because none of them have broken away from the pack (an apropos metaphor, given Saturday's Kentucky Derby). Mathematically, it's possible they could each receive 10% of the vote, but odds are that the Dallas Southern Sector (mostly black) will support the only serious black candidate (who happens to be under an FBI Cloud Of Suspicion, but that's another rat hole). I fully expect those precincts to have high turnout because the (underlying?) City Council seats there have attracted many candidates and voter interest is high. The rest of the city will split their vote among the top 3 White Christian Republicans and one of them will run in the June 16th runoff election.
So, that's how I'll cast my vote: for the candidate who will provide the weaker opponent for the winner of the upcoming May 12 vote. Golly, this is such good sport. Speaking of good sports .. the Dallas Stars lost in the first round of the hockey playoffs, and the Dallas Mavericks are now poised to do likewise in the basketball playoffs. Like anyone really cares.
Thursday, February 8
.. and now, Float #6 in The Jerry Jones Parade
Anyone who's lived in Dallas more than about 20 minutes knows that the Real Power in this town does not rest with The Mayor. Or the City Council. Or the Head Southern Baptist. Or even the County Commissioner. No, the Real (Ceremonial) Power in this town rests with the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Thus, a new Pseudo-King will be anointed later today: Wade Phillips will become the 7th coach in franchise history. It's all over the TV, radio, newspaper .. even Wikipedia has already been updated - and the official announcement is still hours away. It's all anyone will be talking about for the next week or so. All office work will come to a grinding halt. Productivity will approach zero.
I moved to Dallas in August 1993 and watched them win Super Bowl 28 (under Johnson) and Super Bowl 30 (under Switzer). There's been a Super Bowl drought ever since - partly because The Real King (Jerry Jones) cannot keep from meddling. Heck, during the most recent change, he did (in sequence):
1- accept the head coach's resignation
2- hired new assistant coaches
3- hired new head coach
Naturally, this tells the new head coach who's really in control - The Owner - since the decision of who will be assistant coaches does not rest with The Head Coach (well, it did - contractually - under Bill Parcells, but Those Days Are Over).
1st - Tom Landry (270-178-6) - 2 Super Bowl wins - 1972 and 1978
And then here's the Jerry Jones Parade:
2nd - Jimmy Johnson (51-37) - 2 Super Bowl wins - 1993 and 1994
3rd - Barry Switzer (45-26) - 1 Super Bowl win - in 1996
4th - Chan Gailey (18-14)
5th - Dave Campo (15-33) - only Cowboys coach with a losing record
6th - Bill Parcells (34-32)
7th - Wade Phillips (record TBD)
I wonder when Jerry will begin interviewing for the next Head Coach in The Parade?
Thus, a new Pseudo-King will be anointed later today: Wade Phillips will become the 7th coach in franchise history. It's all over the TV, radio, newspaper .. even Wikipedia has already been updated - and the official announcement is still hours away. It's all anyone will be talking about for the next week or so. All office work will come to a grinding halt. Productivity will approach zero.
Such is the case when you live in Dallas - the town that worships Big Haired Cheerleaders and High School Football - but couldn't give a flip about academia. This is evidenced by SMU's decision to host the President Quagmire Liberry, completing their transition from a nondescript pseudo-academic institution into a purely Right Wing Political Vomitorium - where future Buffys and Brads will get their non-educations. Yet, I digress ...When I moved to Dallas in 1993, The Original Coach [TOC] -- Tom Landry -- had been out of a job for 5 years. Jerry Jones bought the team in February 1989 and the first thing he did - before saying hello - was to fire TOC and replace him with Jimmy Johnson, who stayed about 5 years (winning Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994).
I moved to Dallas in August 1993 and watched them win Super Bowl 28 (under Johnson) and Super Bowl 30 (under Switzer). There's been a Super Bowl drought ever since - partly because The Real King (Jerry Jones) cannot keep from meddling. Heck, during the most recent change, he did (in sequence):
1- accept the head coach's resignation
2- hired new assistant coaches
3- hired new head coach
Naturally, this tells the new head coach who's really in control - The Owner - since the decision of who will be assistant coaches does not rest with The Head Coach (well, it did - contractually - under Bill Parcells, but Those Days Are Over).
1st - Tom Landry (270-178-6) - 2 Super Bowl wins - 1972 and 1978
And then here's the Jerry Jones Parade:
2nd - Jimmy Johnson (51-37) - 2 Super Bowl wins - 1993 and 1994
3rd - Barry Switzer (45-26) - 1 Super Bowl win - in 1996
4th - Chan Gailey (18-14)
5th - Dave Campo (15-33) - only Cowboys coach with a losing record
6th - Bill Parcells (34-32)
7th - Wade Phillips (record TBD)
I wonder when Jerry will begin interviewing for the next Head Coach in The Parade?
Thursday, December 21
SMU Jumps The Shark
It took 20 years, but Southern Methodist University (a/k/a SMU) here in Dallas finally found a way to top its previous worst-ever event. I wonder how many people remember 1987, when a recruiting scandal earned it college football's "death penalty"? (see SMU and The Death Penalty)
So, how did they top it? They just announced that they'll house the presidential library of the Biggest Disgrace In US History: that of President George W. Quagmire.
Oh, the shame. Sadly (!) the average SMU student aspires little more than finding a way to avoid jail while spending Daddy's Money for four years, then be hired by an SMU alumni who couldn't care less if their employee can read or write. In that sense, the George W. Bush Presidential Library is a perfect fit.
Has SMU jumped the shark with this one? You bet.
So, how did they top it? They just announced that they'll house the presidential library of the Biggest Disgrace In US History: that of President George W. Quagmire.
Oh, the shame. Sadly (!) the average SMU student aspires little more than finding a way to avoid jail while spending Daddy's Money for four years, then be hired by an SMU alumni who couldn't care less if their employee can read or write. In that sense, the George W. Bush Presidential Library is a perfect fit.
Has SMU jumped the shark with this one? You bet.
Saturday, December 9
no victory at Victory
Check another "thing I've never done before" off the list: I rendezvoused with a DART train (34°F on the platform) so that Jill-Bob and I could ride to a Dallas Stars game. Following her directions closely, I allowed a Red Line train to pass, then hopped onto the one which goes directly to Victory Station at the American Airlines Center. Voila!
Here's the view of the rink from our seats in section 312:
The only one doing any scoring (the Stars lost 0-2) was Jill-Bob, who scored a free Chipotle burrito coupon:
from the Chipotle blimp (doing acrobatics a few feet above our heads):
Jill-Bob was entertained by the guys from a local radio station (the "Jack FM Speedo Team"):
while I was entertained by the Dallas Stars Ice Girls. I wonder if they make house calls? I have some snow that needs shoveling too!
Aside: one of the advertisers was Yet Another Energy Drink : HAVOC. Isn't that market (pardon the pun) oversaturated?
Here's the view of the rink from our seats in section 312:
The only one doing any scoring (the Stars lost 0-2) was Jill-Bob, who scored a free Chipotle burrito coupon:
from the Chipotle blimp (doing acrobatics a few feet above our heads):
Jill-Bob was entertained by the guys from a local radio station (the "Jack FM Speedo Team"):
while I was entertained by the Dallas Stars Ice Girls. I wonder if they make house calls? I have some snow that needs shoveling too!
Aside: one of the advertisers was Yet Another Energy Drink : HAVOC. Isn't that market (pardon the pun) oversaturated?
Friday, October 6
Texas Governor = US President
Tonight's the night for the Top Secret Debate amongst the candidates for Texas Governor. What makes this absurd (typical Texas) is how the challengers are complaining that incumbent Rick Perry planned this solo debate so as to minimize the audience. After all, it's a Friday night, and that means that 94.3% of the population will be attending the local high school football game, and not glued to the television.
If you dig long enough on the Dallas Managed News website, you'll find:
If you dig long enough on the Dallas Managed News website, you'll find:
TEXAS VOTE 2006: THE GOVERNOR'S DEBATE Gubernatorial debate with Gov. Rick Perry and candidates Chris Bell, Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn. The media panel will consist of Wayne Slater (The Dallas Morning News), John McCaa (WFAA-TV), Sara Lucero (KENS-TV/San Antonio) and Christine Haas (KVUE-TV/Austin). KHOU-TV's (Houston) Greg Hurst moderates. Live and commercial-free from Dallas. It will also be available for viewing at DallasNews.com. (7 p.m. Ch. 8.)Amusingly enough, I found NO sign of this on the local TV station's website: WFAA.com. Welcome to the state of Apathy. America: we're choosing Your Next President down here, so .. pay attention.
Friday, September 29
poll extension
I read about the security guards that were stationed at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (President Puppet's "home church in Dallas") when Garrison Keillor came to town Wednesday night. For those not from here, you should know that Highland Park is a whites-only (well, okay .. 99%) city surrounded by Dallas, and filled with some of the most caustic Republicans alive. Actually, they'd prefer it be named White Settlement, if that city name weren't already taken.
So, it didn't surprise me that Keillor was ordered not to even mention the name of his latest book (Homegrown Democrat), lest he offend those in attendance.
So, it didn't surprise me that Keillor was ordered not to even mention the name of his latest book (Homegrown Democrat), lest he offend those in attendance.
Dallas County Precinct 1226 (Highland Park)Speaking of polls .. a recent Zogby poll revealed this of Americans:
87% voted for Bush in 2000
76% voted for Bush in 2004
73% can name all Three Stooges (Manny, Moe and Jack)if they'd polled Highland Parkers separately, they'd have found:
60% can name Superman's home planet (Krypton)
42% can name our three branches of government (Big, Bigger, Biggest)
37% can name which planet is closest to our own sun (Ecuador)
83% know Terrell Owens' jersey number.. and to think Texans are widely thought to be Big Haired, Football Lovin', Corndog Eatin' Morons.
64% know in their "heart of hearts" George W. Bush is the Second Coming of the Messiah
Friday, September 8
TWOT
I caught a piece on one of the national news feeds saying that Fantasy Football was good for office morale, "only" requires an hour a day to participate, and that employers should encourage this behavior.
Well, excuse me, but I always thought the workplace was for work and not chewing up company bandwidth (and stockholder profits) on this - or any other Total Waste Of Time (TWOT). Then again, I find the vast majority of workplace conversations to be TWOTs. People seem okay on spending hours talking about their:
Today's the day that Rambo goes back to his home. Here's a photo of him in his new diaper.
Unrelated: Paula and I dined with Jill-Bob at the Bavarian Grill last night (the lamb und Brussel Sprouts were tasty).
Well, excuse me, but I always thought the workplace was for work and not chewing up company bandwidth (and stockholder profits) on this - or any other Total Waste Of Time (TWOT). Then again, I find the vast majority of workplace conversations to be TWOTs. People seem okay on spending hours talking about their:
- latest real estate/automobile/home appliance purchase
- sports of any kind
- poor child being misunderstood when he ran a red light and got an automated ticket
- you name it -- absolutely zero talk about working with customers.
Today's the day that Rambo goes back to his home. Here's a photo of him in his new diaper.
Unrelated: Paula and I dined with Jill-Bob at the Bavarian Grill last night (the lamb und Brussel Sprouts were tasty).
Thursday, June 15
Travel Is Glamorous, Part 3
It's amazing how easy it is to fall back into a routine.
Doing something like flying 250 miles to another city, working for a few hours, then coming back the same day in time for dinner with Beta the Wonder Dog .. it's just so .. routine. I popped down to Houston yesterday; it was mostly uneventful.
The alarm went off at 5:30am, but I was already awake. Insomnia comes and goes with me, lately it just means that I'm operating on less sleep than usual. Not that I'm up for a few hours, sleep for a few. No, I've had those in the past. Now, if I can get 5 or 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I've done good.
I let Beta outside to play (or whatever dogs do in the backyard), fetched the paper, and proceeded to Take The Pills then Feed My Face. I'd already stuffed my rucksack (the night before) with the toys I needed, so it was off to the shower, dress and go. I reached Love Field in about 15 minutes, parked Jack in The Parking Spot, and was on the shuttle. I noticed a TV news crew filming a stand-up shot (is today The Day that they'll settle The Love Field Controversy?).
I used Southwest's self-checkin machine (there are a lot more of them than the last time I flew from here, maybe 5 years ago) and was handed two boarding passes. Then, it was Off With The Shoes and the obligatory cursory TSA check. Onto gate #3, and since I was early I hopped on the 7am flight, which would land at Houston Hobby at 8am. Flights to Houston are every 30 minutes, so this shaved 30 minutes off my day.
I sat in a window seat near the back; the plane appeared about 2/3 full. I remembered to power down my cellphone. Only a few stragglers had to suffer The Middle Seat. I was offered coffee or juice, read one of my fellow travelers' USA Today ..
Upon landing, I headed directly to Budget's van and found myself in their Fastbreak Shelter a few minutes later. The sales rep in Dallas had called me while I was on the shuttle, just checking in. Budget's "rapid rental" allows you to select your car from a few others (probably within a class) and then I just showed my license to the Nice Man At The Gate and was on my way.
Mostly ignoring Yahoo Maps' directions,
At lunchtime, I was escorted downstairs to The Food Court, composed of a dozen-or-more mostly familiar names. I chose The Philly Connection, all the way at the end .. there was no line at 1pm. Several World Cup fans were there watching a game on the plasma TVs. For me, watchingsoccer football is like watching baseball: you know that there's an end a few hours away. The goal, as a spectator, is to simply stay awake until it's over.
As the ball was kicked from one end of the stadium to another, I couldn't help but be reminded of leisurely flicking a beachball from one person to another. My theory about Soccer and the lack of enthusiasm in the USA is because soccer lacks the thing Americans crave in their sports: the possibility that somebody's gonna die, or be maimed for life. Think Fiery Crash at NASCAR, or a man's knee going The Opposite Direction in American Football. When's the last time a soccer player was killed during a game (except by one of his own crazed fans)? Soccer's a lot like watching golf. Zzzzz.
Anyway, back upstairs to work a few more hours, then .. back in the car (they want $25 for parking??) and a return to the airport. If I drive less than 75 miles, there's a $9.50 refueling charge, so I stopped at a gas station and spent 60 seconds pouring $3.51 worth into the tank before locating Car Return. Then back on the shuttle, back to the terminal, Off With The Shoes, onto the gate, onto the plane (nearly full for the return leg) and back to Love Field. We landed at gate 5.
Onto the shuttle, back in my car, pay my $7.50 and receive a complimentary half-liter of water (Nestle's Pure Life), and aim for home. Since I was able to see (from the plane) that The Dallas North Tollway was stacked up, I took surface streets instead. Home again, let Beta outside to Do What Dogs Do in the backyard, and sit back to watch last night's TiVo offerings.
I wonder if I'll have to do this again tomorrow?
Doing something like flying 250 miles to another city, working for a few hours, then coming back the same day in time for dinner with Beta the Wonder Dog .. it's just so .. routine. I popped down to Houston yesterday; it was mostly uneventful.
The alarm went off at 5:30am, but I was already awake. Insomnia comes and goes with me, lately it just means that I'm operating on less sleep than usual. Not that I'm up for a few hours, sleep for a few. No, I've had those in the past. Now, if I can get 5 or 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I've done good.
I let Beta outside to play (or whatever dogs do in the backyard), fetched the paper, and proceeded to Take The Pills then Feed My Face. I'd already stuffed my rucksack (the night before) with the toys I needed, so it was off to the shower, dress and go. I reached Love Field in about 15 minutes, parked Jack in The Parking Spot, and was on the shuttle. I noticed a TV news crew filming a stand-up shot (is today The Day that they'll settle The Love Field Controversy?).
I used Southwest's self-checkin machine (there are a lot more of them than the last time I flew from here, maybe 5 years ago) and was handed two boarding passes. Then, it was Off With The Shoes and the obligatory cursory TSA check. Onto gate #3, and since I was early I hopped on the 7am flight, which would land at Houston Hobby at 8am. Flights to Houston are every 30 minutes, so this shaved 30 minutes off my day.
I sat in a window seat near the back; the plane appeared about 2/3 full. I remembered to power down my cellphone. Only a few stragglers had to suffer The Middle Seat. I was offered coffee or juice, read one of my fellow travelers' USA Today ..
Deep Thought: why are passengers on Southwest friendlier than American's passengers? I suspect it's due to the formality of American's assigned seating, which is a joke since I don't get to choose my seatmates either way... and then re-read some of the technical stuff I'd need at the customer, in downtown Houston.
Upon landing, I headed directly to Budget's van and found myself in their Fastbreak Shelter a few minutes later. The sales rep in Dallas had called me while I was on the shuttle, just checking in. Budget's "rapid rental" allows you to select your car from a few others (probably within a class) and then I just showed my license to the Nice Man At The Gate and was on my way.
Mostly ignoring Yahoo Maps' directions,
"Travel on First Street for 0.2 miles. Proceed onto First Street for 1.2 miles. Proceed onto First Street for 0.4 miles."I moseyed over to I-45 and proceeded north to downtown. Exit at the Theatre District, locate the visitor parking area, go find the customer, get down to work.
At lunchtime, I was escorted downstairs to The Food Court, composed of a dozen-or-more mostly familiar names. I chose The Philly Connection, all the way at the end .. there was no line at 1pm. Several World Cup fans were there watching a game on the plasma TVs. For me, watching
As the ball was kicked from one end of the stadium to another, I couldn't help but be reminded of leisurely flicking a beachball from one person to another. My theory about Soccer and the lack of enthusiasm in the USA is because soccer lacks the thing Americans crave in their sports: the possibility that somebody's gonna die, or be maimed for life. Think Fiery Crash at NASCAR, or a man's knee going The Opposite Direction in American Football. When's the last time a soccer player was killed during a game (except by one of his own crazed fans)? Soccer's a lot like watching golf. Zzzzz.
Anyway, back upstairs to work a few more hours, then .. back in the car (they want $25 for parking??) and a return to the airport. If I drive less than 75 miles, there's a $9.50 refueling charge, so I stopped at a gas station and spent 60 seconds pouring $3.51 worth into the tank before locating Car Return. Then back on the shuttle, back to the terminal, Off With The Shoes, onto the gate, onto the plane (nearly full for the return leg) and back to Love Field. We landed at gate 5.
Onto the shuttle, back in my car, pay my $7.50 and receive a complimentary half-liter of water (Nestle's Pure Life), and aim for home. Since I was able to see (from the plane) that The Dallas North Tollway was stacked up, I took surface streets instead. Home again, let Beta outside to Do What Dogs Do in the backyard, and sit back to watch last night's TiVo offerings.
I wonder if I'll have to do this again tomorrow?
Sunday, June 4
Dignification
Looks like the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat are the final 2 teams in the NBA playoffs. Does that mean one of them will win The Super Bowl? This whole Sports Thing continues to be mostly lost on me.
Mildly amusing:
The Mavericks play in the AAC [American Airlines Center] while
The Heat play in the AAA* [American Airlines Arena].
I'm guessing the notoriously ham-handed American Airlines HQ will find a way to royally screw up the marketing opportunity they've been handed on a Silver Taco Platter. Maybe they'll run ads against repealing The Wright Amendment during the games? That'll certainly show their class.
Lay Wah Bob says that her allergies have all been cured, by using Olive Leaf Extract. Hey. whatever works. Rock on.
My 15-year (same employer) Door Prize arrived last week. Given about 24 items from which to pick, I decided on a shiny new digital camera, to supplant/replace the Canon PowerShot A230 I've been carrying for a couple years. So, I chose the Pentax Optio T10. It's actually not half bad, but (naturally) uses a different media format - Secure Digital [SD] - than my others, which have CompactFlash or SmartMedia. So, it's off to The Store to fetch an SD card.
Everybody Knows is a trademark of Fox "News"; Rush Limbaugh Productions; and the Christian Fascist Republican Party.
Mildly amusing:
The Mavericks play in the AAC [American Airlines Center] while
The Heat play in the AAA* [American Airlines Arena].
* not to be confused with the American Automobile AssociationNot sure why American Airlines calls this "Center" versus "Centre" as Everybody Knows™ the latter is more dignified. Oh, wait .. this is Texas. Never mind.
I'm guessing the notoriously ham-handed American Airlines HQ will find a way to royally screw up the marketing opportunity they've been handed on a Silver Taco Platter. Maybe they'll run ads against repealing The Wright Amendment during the games? That'll certainly show their class.
Lay Wah Bob says that her allergies have all been cured, by using Olive Leaf Extract. Hey. whatever works. Rock on.
My 15-year (same employer) Door Prize arrived last week. Given about 24 items from which to pick, I decided on a shiny new digital camera, to supplant/replace the Canon PowerShot A230 I've been carrying for a couple years. So, I chose the Pentax Optio T10. It's actually not half bad, but (naturally) uses a different media format - Secure Digital [SD] - than my others, which have CompactFlash or SmartMedia. So, it's off to The Store to fetch an SD card.
Everybody Knows is a trademark of Fox "News"; Rush Limbaugh Productions; and the Christian Fascist Republican Party.
Friday, April 7
`cause I'm a follower
Thanks to Trish-Bob for the inspiration for this post
Go to Wikipedia and look up your birth day (excluding the year). List three neat facts/events, two births and one death in your journal, including the year.
Events:
- 1609 - Henry Hudson lands on Manhattan island.
- 1776 - British-American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolution.
- 1970 - The Ford Pinto is introduced.
Births:
- 1924 - Tom Landry, American football coach
- 1965 - Moby, American musician
Deaths:
- 1971 - Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Soviet politician and leader (b. 1894)
Bonus fact:
It is usually the first day of the Coptic calendar and Ethiopian calendar (in the period AD 1900 to AD 2099).
Go to Wikipedia and look up your birth day (excluding the year). List three neat facts/events, two births and one death in your journal, including the year.
Events:
- 1609 - Henry Hudson lands on Manhattan island.
- 1776 - British-American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolution.
- 1970 - The Ford Pinto is introduced.
Births:
- 1924 - Tom Landry, American football coach
- 1965 - Moby, American musician
Deaths:
- 1971 - Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Soviet politician and leader (b. 1894)
Bonus fact:
It is usually the first day of the Coptic calendar and Ethiopian calendar (in the period AD 1900 to AD 2099).
Monday, January 23
Super Bowl Extra Large
Okay, the playoffs are history; now all we have to do (as a nation) is to prepare several hundred million chicken wings, for Super Bowl XL.
XL Roman == 40 Decimal. We're not talking T-shirt size, you twit!
.. and in the "Unscientific, but ..." category: my rain gauge says 0.8 inches of rain fell at my home in the past 24 hours. That's the first rain in 33 days, so say the local weather girls. At least the Red Flag Warning has expired.
Thursday, December 8
the pinnacles of success
Maybe it's because the servers are overloaded, but I couldn't get a decent download of any podcast Wednesday. I've been playing with iTunes & Podcasts for a few days, but honestly ... pig vomit in North Dakota in February runs faster than this. Several days ago, the podcast downloads were nicely quick .. not so anymore.
If there was a rational way to blame SBC's DSL speed on the sub-32 temperatures (Fahrenheit : a quaint scale), I'd do that.
Honestly, what a bunch of wimps. Texas is dead last in education in this country, so driver's education couldn't have been much of a priority. Certainly nothing like high school football, or being a cheerleader (the pinnacles of success in Texas). Then again, somewhere between 25-60% of the Dallas population was born in Mexico, and I suspect Driving On Ice wasn't even the subject of Science Fiction class.
If there was a rational way to blame SBC's DSL speed on the sub-32 temperatures (Fahrenheit : a quaint scale), I'd do that.
Aside #sqrt(-e): the SBC Self Support Tool is about as worthless a piece of software as I've ever encountered (unless of course, your Internet connection consists of exactly one Windows PC directly connected to the Internet, which is another quaint remnant of the past).Now, Dallas is virtually shut down due to the 0.03 inches of sleet that fell Wednesday. Grown men are shaking in their ostrich-skin boots, fearful of driving their F350s out of their driveway. Instead of road noise, I can hear crickets chirping (for the first time since gasoline hit $3/gallon).
Honestly, what a bunch of wimps. Texas is dead last in education in this country, so driver's education couldn't have been much of a priority. Certainly nothing like high school football, or being a cheerleader (the pinnacles of success in Texas). Then again, somewhere between 25-60% of the Dallas population was born in Mexico, and I suspect Driving On Ice wasn't even the subject of Science Fiction class.
Tuesday, February 15
Canadian Flag Day - one of my favourite holidays
It's Flag Day in Canada! How shall I celebrate this most joyous of holidays, eh?
1) Use "eh?" a lot at the end of sentences, eh?
2) Spell the words like a Canadian would spell them (e.g. "favourite")
3) Say "God save the Queen!" when I'd normally say "Yep."
4) Say aboot (about) a few times.
Perhaps I could celebrate by reminiscing aboot one of my adventures to the Great White North? Okay, here goes (eh):
Sometime in the late 70's ("if you say you remember the 70's, you really didn't live back then") three of us went camping in Ontario province. The trio was composed of myself, Wayne and what's his name. Yes, I've purged his name from my long-term storage. I remember he was one of Wayne's friends, and was from Pittsburgh. We joked aboot how we'd answer the "where are you from?" question by the Border Patrol as we drove into Canada, from Michigan, since the three of us were from different parts of the country.God save the Queen, eh.
BTW, "camping oot" is a relative term. As I recall, we slept in the back of an enclosed pickup. We hiked a lot, and got lost in the woods (when we came upon a memorable object twice). We came across a weird copper-coloured lake, and the apparent remnants of a moose which had met it's demise in a most unfriendly way.
The defining moment was when we canoe'd to a small island, and decided to have lunch. The weather was perfect, the water was pure blue, and there was a crisp stillness in the air. We sat on the shore, munching our grub, taking in all that nature had to offer.
Then -- we heard a tremendous rustling in the leaves, and began to panic. We talked aboot how we'd get back in the canoe quickly, leaving the food for The Bear (undoubtedly the same one who made that Moose Sandwich described above). The rustling got louder, and then .. THERE IT WAS! Just a few feet away from us was the biggest, brownest thrush we'd ever seen! After checking our underwear for stains, we switched the subject to American Football, to reassure ourselves what manly men we were.
On the way oot of the woods (day 3) we stopped for a brewski, but were told that (due to local law) we couldn't have them alone .. we'd need to order food, too. We weren't really hungry, so asked what the least expensive food item would be. Answer: a bag of crisps (chips). So, we shared a bag-o-Lay's and 3 brewskis, then made our way across the border. The Killer Thrush is surely happy we left her eggs alone.
Monday, January 31
stay the course, no matter what
Miles is in town (for a couple weeks) and came to visit Beta (the wonder dog) today. They get along famously (always have) and it's good to watch them run and play together in the backyard.
<context switch>
Only about a dozen people (of 150 attendees) returned their surveys at last week's meeting, which is far fewer than I'd hoped for. Perhaps the rest took them home, so as to spend some quality time formulating insightful responses? Somehow, I don't think so.
One person chided us for jumping around on the agenda (necessitated when a city official had to attend another meeting and we had to move her from 15th position to 2nd). {sigh} We covered all the items, but not in the precise order on the printed sheet .. and yes, many presenters used more (or fewer) minutes than they were allotted. Just goes to show .. you can't please everyone. Some people are more interested in keeping to an agenda than the content, which really frosts my marmalade.
Tonight, I thought about moseying up to Plano Super Bowl to visit my Old Bowling Pals, but I'd committed to attend the Dallas Comprehensive Plan Open House with a neighbor, so chose not to back out. Alas, the meeting didn't go as I'd hoped, and I found myself nodding off about halfway through it, and am lucky not to have fallen fast asleep. City Planning just doesn't get me excited; seeing all the pretty colors on a land use planning map just ain't my cup of Joe.
<context switch>
Only about a dozen people (of 150 attendees) returned their surveys at last week's meeting, which is far fewer than I'd hoped for. Perhaps the rest took them home, so as to spend some quality time formulating insightful responses? Somehow, I don't think so.
One person chided us for jumping around on the agenda (necessitated when a city official had to attend another meeting and we had to move her from 15th position to 2nd). {sigh} We covered all the items, but not in the precise order on the printed sheet .. and yes, many presenters used more (or fewer) minutes than they were allotted. Just goes to show .. you can't please everyone. Some people are more interested in keeping to an agenda than the content, which really frosts my marmalade.
Tonight, I thought about moseying up to Plano Super Bowl to visit my Old Bowling Pals, but I'd committed to attend the Dallas Comprehensive Plan Open House with a neighbor, so chose not to back out. Alas, the meeting didn't go as I'd hoped, and I found myself nodding off about halfway through it, and am lucky not to have fallen fast asleep. City Planning just doesn't get me excited; seeing all the pretty colors on a land use planning map just ain't my cup of Joe.
Friday, January 21
wouldn't be prudent ..
Now that we have President Quagmire's Coronation the Inauguration behind us, we can start collecting evidence to use in President Quagmire's inevitable Incompetence Proceedings.
What did He* know, and when did He* know it? Then again, it's unlikely that His brain's been able to grasp much more than the halftime show at the Super Bowl, so there may not be much to those hearings.
I should retreat to some Comfort Food (to me, that means Thai Food) .. but then, I'd be undoing the gains I've made (losing nearly 100 pounds) and (to quote King George Bush I) .. I ain't gonna go there.
What did He* know, and when did He* know it? Then again, it's unlikely that His brain's been able to grasp much more than the halftime show at the Super Bowl, so there may not be much to those hearings.
Deep Thought #58: the Google spell checker suggested Dubious as the correct spelling for Dubya. I can't think of a more appropriate definition.I'm still amazed at the audacity of those who put on the most expensive, lavish inauguration balls ever, but I've stopped being surprised at how a political party that says one thing ("fiscal responsibility") talks out of both sides of its mouth, with abandon.
I should retreat to some Comfort Food (to me, that means Thai Food) .. but then, I'd be undoing the gains I've made (losing nearly 100 pounds) and (to quote King George Bush I) .. I ain't gonna go there.
* yes, I used a capital H in [He], ever since President Quagmire said "God speaks through me."PS: calm down .. put your party favors back on the table, and step away from the punch bowl: the Sundry on Thursday blog has been updated.
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