Last Day of November Swimming, Hiking, Texas Fire Danger

It has been very windy here in North Texas this last day of November. Due to the wind and the low humidity and overall dry conditions we are under a Red Flag Alert here, meaning, be careful not to start a wildfire. I'm careful not to do that, even without an Alert.

We are having gusts up to 33 mph. The overnight low was 45. I went swimming about 8am. I stayed in it longer than yesterday. At the start of November I made a video of me swimming and wondered if I'd still be able to do so come the start of December. I guess a video will need to document swimming on the first day of December tomorrow.

This afternoon I went hiking at the Tandy Hills again. I talked on the phone while I hiked. The gusts made that a bit difficult. And then towards the end of hiking I got an incoming second call and I was able, once more, to successfully answer the incoming call without disconnecting the first call. This skill has been years in the making. For a long time I did not even try to answer a second call. Then someone told me to hit the green button. That worked. The switching back to the first call can still vex me. Today it did not work.

Miss Puerto Rico called a bit ago, wanting me to go to Dillards with her to get a new outfit for Friday's Christmas party. Last year her 'new' outfit was wearing one of my shirts. I don't know why a new outfit is needed this year. What I do know is there was no way I was going clothes shopping with Miss Volatile Latina.

When Outrage Is Out To Lunch

Fort Worth's Foremost Activist, Don Young, is in the news again. This time in the Shreveport Times.

Don Young had this to say regarding the article and the controversy it covers....

Fort Worth has never been known a hot-bed of activism, but when the City of Fort Worth foolishly approved a High Impact drilling permit near Scott Avenue it was expected that area homeowners would be up in arms - that civil disobedience would take root - that the "tipping point" had been reached - that things might get ugly. Scott is a narrow street in an historic neighborhood next to an endangered prairie. This gas well pad-site would lead to the first UN-odorized gas pipeline in a neighborhood. Citizen outrage was a foregone conclusion.

Didn't happen. Why not?

Turns out, most had signed mineral leases with Chesapeake Energy and had cashed their "mailbox money" months before. They watched quietly from their front porches as giant Chesapeake trucks, assisted by the City of Fort Worth, rolled triumphantly down their street like Hitler's invading army.

C'est la vie.

Shreveport, Louisiana will likely be the next big city to allow urban drilling. People say that, the city and its residents will embrace drilling despite environmental and safety concerns. As we have learned in Fort Worth, money and false advertising blinds and deafens common sense on contact. Will Shreveportians gamble their future for mailbox money?

At least they've been warned. The message of common sense has been delivered by The Shreveport Times:

Fort Worth deals with shale environmental issues

FORT WORTH, Texas — Don Young, a Fort Worth resident, had a plan: He could park his van at the end of Scott Avenue. It's a public street, after all, and if enough neighbors joined him, they could legally block the trucks going to the natural gas drill site under construction.

But a funny thing happened. Almost no one came.

"You don't do it thinking you're going to win," Young said of his plan. "You do it to draw attention, to gauge reaction. I think I learned a lot from that too. I expected most of the people who live on the street to join me. But I discovered most of the people signed with Chesapeake (Energy Corporation) ... It was a bit of a letdown for me."

GO HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE SHREVEPORT TIMES ARTICLE

In the Land of the Stupid

No, I'm not talking about Texas. I'm talking about the country Texas is a part of. As in a report from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute on America's civic literacy found that most Americans are too ignorant to vote.

1,800 of 2,500 randomly selected residents, college students and elected officials flunked the 33 question Civics Quiz. Even more scary, the elected officials scored 44% compared to the average of 49%.

I first learned of this Civics Quiz while reading Gar the Texan's fascinating Blog. I was not too shocked to read that Gar the Texan scored 77%. That boy's world revolves mostly around fiction. His understanding of politics and history seems quite limited. When I read that Gar the Texan scored 77% I thought that this was a bad score. And then this morning I read a column by the Washington Post's Katheen Parker all about the Civics Quiz. It was there I learned the average score was 49%. So, Gar the Texan's understanding of politics and history is far better than my judgemental rudeness gave him credit for.

When I took the Civics Quiz the questions seemed rather simple. I was surprised I got 3 of the 33 questions wrong, with a score of 90.91%.

You can go here and take the Civics Quiz and see if you are too stupid to vote.

A couple samples of how simple this quiz is...

In what document do the words "government of the people, by the people, for the people" appear?

Identify a right or freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. Only 27% of elected office holders got that one right. 43% did not know what the Electoral College does. 46% did not know that the Constitution give Congress war declaration powers.

I don't believe the majority of my acquaintances would do very well on this Civics Quiz. One thing I've long noticed, while living in the Land of the Stupid, is that the stupider they are the more defensive they are about being stupid. Saying things like "I'm not interested in subjects like that." Or, "I find that subject boring." Or, "Why does anyone need to know this stuff." Or, "I don't need to know history, I'm only interested in today and tomorrow." Or, "I have too much already in my brain, I can't add any more extra stuff."

I can't help but wonder how George W. would do on this test. I think we all have a pretty good idea. On an encouraging note, regarding people so stupid they should not be allowed to vote, one of the more stupid people I have ever known is banned from voting. Now if we could only get more of them banned.

Icy Swimming Again In Texas

As you can see quite clearly in the photo I am not the only person in the world who enjoys swimming when it is icy cold.

But this morning's frigid dip really tested my limits. It was cold all day yesterday, no sun. It was 40 this morning when I went to the pool. It felt colder. The water was warmer than the air, so it was easy to get in the water.

I lasted 5 minutes, tops, before it seemed like a good idea to get in the hot tub. I know I've mentioned it before, but it so strange to go from the cold water to the hot. It takes several minutes before I actually feel the heat. Instead it feels cold. It must have something to do with the way the skin's nerves transmit cold info to the brain. The switch from icy cold to hot must cause confusion in the internal information processing center.

It dripped all day yesterday and is still cloudy. Yet for some reason the Weather Service has issued a dire fire warning through tomorrow. I would think the tall grass would be too wet to easily burn. Maybe the rest of North Texas did not get dripped on like we did here in Fort Worth.

Black Friday Wal-Mart Stampedes and Shootings

The day after Thanksgiving is a very dangerous day to shop. Unless you go to downtown Fort Worth where you'll find very few shoppers because there are very few stores.

Stampeding shoppers at a Long Island, New York Wal-Mart at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, knocked down a Wal-Mart worker and then trampled over him.

Police gave the trampled man CPR to no avail. He died a short time later. One cop said, "When the doors opened, all hell broke loose. The dead man had been trying to restrain the incoming onslaught when he was knocked to the ground at 5:03am.

I was at my nearby Super Wal-Mart yesterday around noon. It was very busy. But there were a lot of checkers, so there was no line to wait in. I saw no stampeding. I did hear some very loud chanting. Dozens of Wal-Mart workers were having some sort of pep rally. It sounded very chaotic.

I've never participated in the day after Thanksgiving shopping madness. However, my mom and sisters have been known to. For years a former friend of mine, known for her habitual lying, told me she'd seen my mom and little sister on a Seattle TV news report about the Black Friday shopping, in which my little sister said something like "every year on this day we go shopping to get our year's supply of socks." A couple years ago my little sister and the person who told me the socks news story were in the same room. My little sister confirmed that it was true, and not only that, she continues to get socks on the day after Thanksgiving.

And people wonder why I've had DNA testing done to see if there was any chance I'm not actually related to these people.

The video of a Wal-Mart Stampede, below, is not from yesterday's deadly Wal-Mart Stampede, it's from another Wal-Mart Stampede were shoppers got knocked to the ground and trampled. Christmas shoppers are such an unruly mob. What would Jesus say about this behaviour one can't help but wonder.

Texas Beauty Queen Felon Julie Steen

Yesterday I was a bit surprised to get the news that one of Big Ed's nephews, up in Washington, got himself a ton of newspaper notoriety when he was arrested for the 14th time in 16 years for driving under the influence. The nephew has previously spent a lot of time in jail. This time he is going to spend 2 years in a state prison, rather than the county jails he previously spent time in. And this time, due to a new law, his crime is a felony.

If this boy was caught driving drunk 14 times, you can't help but wonder how many times he drove drunk and didn't get caught.

In today's Texas News a former Miss Texas contestant, Julie Witt Steen is in jail preparing for her 3rd felony theft charge in 8 years. Her previous thefts include stealing blank checks from a bank where she worked and turning them into cash to the tune of around $9,000. Working as a paralegal Steen managed to steal over $35,000 from a young widow. She got sentenced to 10 years for the young widow theft. The jurors gave Steen the maximum penalty after hearing evidence she took $70,000 from another widow and $75,000 from another employer.

Steen's most recent theft occurred while working for Allen and Melody Shelton, booking weddings for their A & M Gardens business. It's not yet clear how much Steen got away with from the Shelton's. It's believed to be up to $100,000.

The things people do are so perplexing. I've only known one convicted felon. That was a money theft crime similar to Steen's. That particular felon's troubles came about due to a very warped sense of entitlement along with a sense of being impervious to consequences, combined with absolutely no money-sense, as in this person can not keep a bank account open due to chronic check bouncing. And just like Steen and Big Ed's nephew, this felon's behavior was not altered by getting caught and doing jail time. The same fiscal and personal lack of responsiblity and deluded thinking that brought about the BIG TROUBLE is still there, untreated. Likely only a matter of time til, like Steen and Big Ed's nephew, BIG TROUBLE with the law happens again.

Sad, the messes some people make of their simple lives.

Kroger: Right Store Wrong Price

A Kroger is walking distance from where I live. Albertsons is across the street. Rock throwing distance away. Albertsons was the worst of the grocery stores when I lived in the northwest. I was appalled to move to Texas and have people tell me Albertsons was the best grocery store in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone.

I was also appalled to learn, a couple years ago, that Krogers bought Fred Meyers. Fred Meyers is/was a very good, huge department store, that also has/had a good grocery section. Fred's was based in Portland. The Fred Meyers I once knew is no more. It has been Krogerfied.

One of the reasons I do not like either Albertsons or Krogers is the frequency of price mistakes. Never in my favor. Krogers used to have a money back guarantee if the price rings up wrong sign prominently displayed. I don't see that sign anymore.

When the price was wrong I used to enjoy going to customer service and getting my money back and thus the item for free. But that is way too much bother. I get my satisfaction now by Blogging about the bad store.

So, this morning I went to my nearby Super Wal-Mart. I forgot to get popcorn. Air popped popcorn is my dinner most evenings. So, a few minutes ago, with evening rapidly approaching, I did what I don't like to do and went to my nearby Krogers to get popcorn. And cheese. Kroger is one of those annoying stores that has a "Reward" card. Krogers calls theirs "Krogers Plus Shopper's Card." Albertsons dropped the card idiocy, earning points with me. But I still don't shop there.

So, the popcorn had one of those "Krogers Plus" card signs saying that with your "Krogers Plus" card the popcorn was 2 for $3. Regularly $1.99. The cheese was 3 for $5 with the card.

So, I got only 2 items. The popcorn scanned at $1.99, not the expected $1.50. I pondered calling 911 to report the robbery. I've seen shoplifters arrested at this Krogers. I think the Kroger manager should do some hard time in the local pokey.

Ironically, just last week I was in the same Krogers, getting milk. The person with me saw something perceived to be a good buy due to the "Kroger Plus" thing saying it was a certain price. I said, you can't trust anything you see in Krogers, it's messed up half the time. Which tonight, turned out to be precisely accurate.

A Drippy Seattle Like Day in Fort Worth

No hiking or roller blading for me today. It's been dripping and gray all day, so far, today. This is not Texas type rain. This is a gentle dripping Pacific Northwest type of rainy day. Very rare here. In Texas when it rains the clouds mean business, as in heavy downpours that can last a long time.

That is my current view in the photo.

Everything, including the pool, was wet when I went swimming this morning. There was a dry spot under the Magnolia tree where my towel could stay dry.

It's 3pm now. I think I may be suffering from SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder), again. Today is causing me painful flashbacks to my month-long stay, last summer, in frigid Tacoma.

My TV Blog is continuing to go nuts. Due to those Real Atlanta Housewives. It's got to die down at some point, I would think. I need to watch more TV and find some more good controversies to write about. It's so bizarre, now I've got people making comments to the people making comments.

Like this one that just popped up....

To Anonymous.........You're an idiot. Way to let someone have their own opinion that doesn't agree w/yours. Very open minded...NOT! But since you like NeNe, it's not surprising that you think and act like her. Just the fact that you like her...well, that says it all about you now doesn't it?! You talk about all the ladies "faults". Like NeNe did nothing wrong? How 'bout bein jealous 'cause Kim made a new friend? How 'bout talkin trash about your friend? How 'bout gettin drunk and actin loud and obnioxious at someone else's b-day party? Oh yeah, she's a perfect angel. lol

And this one. This person seems to think I'm doing an investigation...

Hey, if you blast yourself on National TV and boast about money and the good life which money can bring you in Atlanta, then you should show for it. Obviously, whoever anonymous #6 might be a little bitter for some stupid reason? Good job on the investigation!!! For you anonymous #6 you get a job and leave this blog site alone if you are too hurt and bitter to read it. Now you have a good day!

Well. What can I say? I have no idea.

Al Hayne & the Texas Spring Palace Tragedy

My first year in Texas one afternoon I was exploring downtown Fort Worth. On the south side of downtown, at that time, an elevated section of Interstate 30 was above Lancaster Avenue, just south of the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Water Gardens.

I drove under the elevated freeway and saw what appeared to be some sort of statue. I was driving my van. I parked and got out to check out the statue. Suddenly I saw dozens of men running towards me. I did not know, at that time, that in Texas you can hire day laborers, likely illegals, who are desperate for work.

After the men figured out I wasn't hiring I proceeded to check out the statue. It appeared to be suffering from years of neglect, hidden away on the wrong side of the freeway. It quickly became obvious the statue was a memorial.

I was very pleased on Thanksgiving to discover that this memorial is now in a setting worthy of a memorial.

It's a memorial to a British man named Alfred S. Hayne. He was born in London, August 1, 1849 and died in Fort Worth on May 31, 1890. One of the messages on the memorial says, "In Honor of the Hero of the Spring Palace Fire Al Hayne who, unselfish as brave died that others might live." That message is one clunky sentence.

Spring Palace? Yes, I was curious too when I read that the first time. The Texas Spring Palace opened on May 29, 1889. It was sort of an agricultural fair. It was a huge success, attracting attention all over Texas, America and the World. Only the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. surpassed the Spring Palace's massive center dome.

The Spring Palace's second season began May 10, 1890. On May 30 several thousand people, including Al Hayne, were attending a dance in the palace. A flash fire swept through the building. Al Hayne helped dozens of women and children escape the burning building. Al Hayne did not make it out of the fire and became the only person who died in the Spring Palace fire.

The memorial to Al Hayne is near where the Spring Palace was located.

When we saw the memorial yesterday someone had placed flowers on it. I made the comment that there are likely quite a few descendants of those Al Hayne saved and one of them must have put those flowers there. The party to whom I said this got all weepy.

The memorial has some strange gargoyle like things on it. I've no idea what they are supposed to be.

Go to my Eyes on Texas website for a lot more about the Texas Spring Palace.

Fort Worth Omni Hotel & Lancaster Avenue Renovation

It has been a long time since I've been to downtown Fort Worth. For months, when I've gone through the I-30/I-35 downtown Fort Worth Mixmaster (mixmaster is Texas-speak for a humongous freeway exchange), I've been wondering what was sticking out from the sides of the under construction Fort Worth Omni Hotel, looking like scaffolding.

Well, today on the way to Zorro's Buffet for my Thanksgiving pigout, I decided I was going to wonder no more. That I would go to downtown Fort Worth to look at that new hotel.

The scaffolding turned out to be huge, scary-looking cantilevered balconies. How in the world did this get past building codes? It gets very windy here. It wouldn't be safe to have much of anything, like a chair, or even a human, out on one of those high up balconies.

The last time I was downtown it was to take pictures of what an awful mess the area south of the Fort Worth Convention Center continued to be, along what is known as Lancaster Avenue. Years before, an elevated section of I-30 blighted the south side of downtown FW. It was removed and relocated, with I-30 moved a bit to the south. Lancaster then became an eyesore of weeds and garbage.

What bothered me the most on that visit was to see that the Haynes Memorial was surrounded by cyclone fence and weeds and litter and was in an even worse state than when the old overhead I-30 separated the memorial from downtown. This is an important memorial to a very significant moment in Fort Worth history. I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

The first photo above is the view looking northwest from behind the Haynes Memorial, looking at the Omni Hotel.

I was happy to see that a lot of improvement has come to the formerly blighted section of Lancaster Avenue. It no longer will scare potential convention bookers away from using the seldom used Fort Worth Convention Center. I was very pleased to see that the Haynes Memorial now sits in a park-like setting with grass and benches and trees. The only piece of litter I saw today on Lancaster Avenue maybe was not even litter, it was a single high heel Liz Claiborne shoe. You can see it and the now much nicer looking Lancaster Avenue in the photo on the left.

For some reason there was no water in the Water Gardens today. I found that disturbing. Other than that, downtown Fort Worth was looking good today.

Hiking, Eating at Zorro's Buffet & Getting Gas

Like I said earlier, the plan for the day, that day being Thanksgiving, was to go hiking then eating at Zorro's Buffet, it being the biggest buffet in Texas, or so Zorro's claims.

The hike took place at Oakland Lake Park, which happens to be on the way to Zorro's, which is located south of downtown Fort Worth on the east side of Interstate 35.

That's Oakland Lake you see above. It was looking very much like a fall day there today. Before I did my pre-eating hike I needed gas so I went to the nearby Tandy Hills Gas Station. To my shocked mortification the price had gone up. It was $1.61 when I drove by there yesterday. Today it was $1.65.

After I got gas and drove back to Oakland Lake I called my Mom in Phoenix to tell her I got gas. My Dad answered so I told him instead. After talking to my Pa for a bit my Mom demanded the phone so she could tell me something.

They are coming to Texas. In January. I'll have a long list of chores for them and a few gallons of berries they can turn into jam. I can't wait.

The merciless hiking went on for about an hour. Then it was time to go to Zorro's. I expected it to be busy, but when we got there it obviously was not. As in there were plenty of parking spaces. Zorro's was good today, but I didn't like it as much as the previous 2 visits. And I didn't get stuffed.

As you can by peeking through the Zorro's covered walkway, the gas at the Zorro's Racetrack gas station is the lowest I've seen here in Fort Worth. $1.59. But I didn't need any.

X-Rated Happy Thanksgiving

Last night I was over at Miss Puerto Rico's, sitting out on her balcony, enjoying the view, when I looked up to see a giant X in the dark night sky. The contrails of 2 jets had intersected above me. I'd never seen that happen before. The photo does not do justice to how weird it looked.

I neglected to mention that I went swimming yesterday. It was not as cold as this morning's Thanksgiving swim.

I'm going to go hiking sometime around noon and then we're off to Zorro's Buffet for turkey.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's editorial page today consisted solely of people saying what they are thankful for. About half were in some way or the other thankful that God and Jesus had done some good thing for them, like fixing their health or getting them a job.

I'm sitting here trying to think of anything I'm thankful for. Well, I'm thankful I'm able to go swimming in November. I'm thankful I'm in good shape and healthy. I'm thankful I'm not obese and stupid. I'm thankful for all the people who are good to me. I'm thankful I'm not cooking Thanksgiving dinner today.

On a sort of thankful, but different note, my TV Blog continues to amaze and amuse me. There was a time when I thought I was doing well if this Blog you're reading now and my Eyes on Texas website got over 2000 visitors a day. I started the TV Blog a couple weeks ago. My TV Blog has been getting around 5000 visitors a day for over a week now. It is now, by far, my biggest ad revenue generator.

It's time to get ready to go hiking, so I can get really hungry and then go to Zorro's Buffet and eat a lot. I am thankful I am able to eat a lot. And not get fat.

Thanksgiving Tomorrow Rhymes With Zorro

Last year I went through the extreme bother of cooking all the basic Thanksgiving stuff, everything from pumpkin pie to turkey. It's way too much bother for 20 minutes of eating. Even though the leftovers are a nice thing to have, they aren't really all that nice.

Some of the previous Thanksgivings, in relative-free, Texas I've gone to restaurants. Twice to one up on Eagle Mountain Lake, the name of which I can not remember. One memorable Thanksgiving was spent in a very crowded Truck Stop Iron Skillet Restaurant in Weatherford.

A couple years ago a nurse friend, who can not cook, invited me over for Thanksgiving. At one point I politely asked to have the platter of rolls passed to me. Rather than passing, her uncouth 13 year old daughter tossed a roll my way. Needless to say this was the last time I ate at that house. I recently learned the uncouth daughter is now 16 with a driver's license and recently ran into a wall in her mother's brand new car, rendering a door useless, among other bits of damage.

Tomorrow I am going to go to Zorro's Buffet for Thanksgiving. If Thanksgiving tomorrow is as tasty as the previous visits to Zorro's, it should be one good Thanksgiving. With no cooking. And no one throwing rolls at me. I hope.

Swimming, Roller Blading & Ballistic Missile Launches in Fort Worth

I'm sorry to bore you with my daily swimming reports, but there is one person, well, my one reader, who religiously tracks my swimming reports, who emails me when I forget. Which I did yesterday. Well, yesterday it was much colder than the day before. I only lasted about 3 minutes before I escaped the cold and climbed in the hot tub.

Now, this morning was very strange, as in it was freezing when I went to the pool, as in actually freezing, as in 32 degrees, with frost on the roofs and ice on the windshields. Because it was freezing the water actually felt somewhat warm. I was able to stay in it for about 15 minutes. My skin's heat sensors were so traumatized that the hot tub water felt cold, even though it was steaming. It took a couple minutes for the hot tub to feel hot.

By 8:30am I had to be at the regional Post Office on Rosedale to pick up a package that had not been successfully delivered. That was interesting. A very strange collection of people waiting for the Post Office to open.

About noon I was tired of looking at my computer screen so I went to Quanah Parker Park to go roller blading. The morning's freeze had turned to 67. Very pleasant. The pool should be quite a bit warmer in the morning.

As I was putting on my roller blades I looked up to see what looked like Ballistic Missiles being launched from southeast Fort Worth. I don't know what it was that was climbing almost vertical. That's the Ballistic Missiles in the first photo.

I don't believe I've mentioned before that Quanah Parker Park sits next to the Trinity River. The Trinity River runs through the D/FW Metroplex. It is one of the few things that Dallas and Fort Worth share. That's the Trinity River, as seen from Quanah Parker Park, in the photo on the right.

Citi-Mets Stadium Naming Scandal & The Federal $20 Billion Bailout

Last summer, when I was in Tacoma, I started questioning the sanity of just about everyone I had contact with. I got back here to Texas and all seemed sane again. But then about a month later I started to think that the world was going insane.

It's not so much the supposed ever-spreading economic meltdown, it's the things being done to supposedly stop the meltdown. Like yesterday the government came to the rescue of Citigroup to the tune of $20 billion.

Citigroup has cut over 53,000 jobs. While paying the New York Mets $400 million over 20 years for the naming rights for the Mets stadium.

Why would this not be one of the first things you cut back when things get tight? Here in Texas the Rangers played in The Ballpark in Arlington when I first moved here. Then a business that got in trouble long before the current troubles, paid to have the Ranger's home called Ameriquest Field. I forgot how much Ameriquest paid for this honor. But whatever it was, they quit paying and so now the place where the Rangers play is back being called The Ballpark in Arlington.

The first time I was in Houston I saw where the Houston baseball team plays. The name of the team escapes me, but the ballpark was Enron Field. Enron disappeared during an earlier meltdown. We sure have a lot of meltdowns. Enron Field is now Minute Maid Park.

So, it is not unheard of for a failing business to get out of the ballpark naming thing. I don't believe either Enron or Ameriquest were given taxpayer's money to bail them out. It seems reasonable to me that Citigroup should not be spending money on such a thing after getting a Federal bailout.

On another note, except for my bank, Washington Mutual, failing, I've had no personal contact with this supposed economic meltdown. If it weren't for reading that bad things were happening, with worse to come, I would think everything was hunky dory. Gas prices are about a third of what they were a short time ago. I go in Wal-Mart and the store is packed with what looks like happy people with carts full of goods. By 5pm every weekday the freeway that goes by where I live is backed up with a traffic jam. I go to a park and see a lot of happy people having fun. I know a lot of people with new flat panel TVs. Every McDonald's I drive by is busy. Last night they were lined up 20 deep at my local Super Wal-Mart's McDonald's.

This just doesn't look like the Great Depression to me. It's perplexing.

Chesapeake Energy Stormtrooper Tactics

A City of Fort Worth public meeting was held at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens last Thursday, the purpose of which was to allow the citizens of Fort Worth to have input into a new ordinance which contains restrictions on noise and pipelines, along with a City Board that would hear cases involving Barnett Shale natural gas drilling sites near residential areas.

Chesapeake Energy did not like these changes, which were made without their usual stamp of permission. In other words, Fort Worth's Ruling Junta had gone rogue, to the great displeasure of Chesapeake Energy. Chesapeake sent out orders to its employees, contractors and anyone who was connected to the Chesapeake operation, telling them to show up at this meeting.

The Chesapeake people wore green badges that said things like, "I have a job thanks to the Barnett," and "I support the Barnett and I vote."

The Chesapeake Stormtrooper Brigade arrived well before the meeting's start time. So when citizens of Fort Worth arrived they found the parking lot full and the meeting room stuffed to the point that Fire Marshals had to clear openings by the time the meeting began at 7pm. Estimates range as high as 850 Chesapeakers participating in this Strongarm Tactic.

As the Fire Marshals tried to thin the crowd many decided to leave, saying they did not want to "be surrounded by a sea of green," referring to the Chesapeake badges.

There was a Letter to the Editor in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding this latest Chesapeake Energy Bad Behavior. Below is that letter....

When’s the public drilling hearing?

I am one of the few residents of Fort Worth who was able to get a seat at the Botanic Garden last Thursday for the public hearing on the city’s proposed gas drilling ordinance.

Witnessing the number of trucks and SUVs in the parking lot, I was encouraged. I was under the mistaken impression that Fort Worth residents were truly interested in an important issue affecting their lives. Imagine my surprise as I was approached outside the Botanic Garden by someone asking me if I was there to support the drilling and attempting to hand me a tag to wear! Entering the building I began to read those wearing the tags.

Then it dawned on me. These are Chesapeake people. But where were the residents of Fort Worth? You know, those civic-minded people who show up at public meetings with the desire to keep our city honest? I finally did see a few residents I knew but learned that several left due to the parking or the implied intimidation by Chesapeake employees.

Being naturally curious, seeing all this activism by Chesapeake, I had to stay to watch the show. I have never seen city officials so rattled by a public meeting. Neither have I heard so many Chesapeake employees making defiant statements to one another over the latest changes in the ordinance.

That leads me to believe that the city Gas Drilling Task Force has written a good ordinance. It was also comforting to see former Mayor Kenneth Barr called into the meeting to assess the PR damage caused by this Chesapeake tour de force.

Notwithstanding, I commend Sarah Fullenwider and Susan Alanis for a job well done under the circumstances. Now, when will we have a real public meeting on the ordinance so important to our community?

— Linda LaBeau, chair, Northcrest Gas Drilling Committee, Fort Worth

Chesapeake Energy's Thanksgiving Gift To Fort Worth

The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year. The downtowns all over America are human gridlock.

Except for Fort Worth. The deadest downtown in America on the busiest shopping day of the year. Which is perfectly easy to understand due to the fact that Fort Worth is the only city in America with a population over 300,000 with not a single downtown department store. No Neiman Marcus. No Nordstroms. No Macy's. No Bon Marche. Not even a Sears or a Penneys.

Now, Fort Worth may be a ghost town during the day of the busiest shopping day of the year, but that night downtown Fort Worth gets really busy with a lot of people on the earlier deserted streets.

People stream into downtown Fort Worth for the annual Parade of Lights. I've been to the Parade of Lights once. It was a very well done, fun parade. Fort Worth does real good parades.

In fact, I've seen more good parades during my relatively short time in Texas than all my years in Washington. Granbury's 4th, Arlington's 4th, the Ennis National Polka Festival Parade, Fort Worth's Stock Show Parade, it being the world's biggest non-mechanized parade. Meaning it's all horses and cows and people. Nothing vehicular pulling anything.

The Official Name for Fort Worth's day after Thanksgiving event is the Chesapeake Parade of Lights, presented by Chase. I guess this means that Chesapeake put up some money for naming rights and Chase bank also paid for something? I don't know. Chesapeake must have made this investment before they fell on hard times with the price of natural gas collapsing and Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon losing a couple billion bucks.

Chesapeake Energy is still paying for billboards, like the one you see above. It is by the Tandy Hills Gas Station were I filled up today for $1.61 a gallon. Chesapeake Energy's propaganda messages are still plastered on Fort Worth buses. All this signage must have been pre-paid.

And, like I said, Chesapeake Energy is going to give Fort Worth a Parade of Lights in about 4 days. I wonder if they will be natural gas powered lights?

Start time? 6pm.
Where? Throckmorton and Belknap Street.
Theme? The Sights and Sounds of the Season.

North Richland Hills Little Bear Creek Park Under Gas Attack

I got email this morning from a North Richland Hills citizen named Barry Thompson. North Richland Hills is north of Richland Hills and is one of the dozens of small towns that make up the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Barry Thompson is fighting to stop yet one more natural gas drilling operation getting ready to do damage to yet one more D/FW park. Yesterday I showed you photos of the current state of the damage done to the Tandy Hills in east Fort Worth.

And now this morning to learn of this latest local city government sneaky operation in cahoots with the drillers, doing their dirty dealings behind closed doors without public input. Shameful.

Below is the email from Barry Thompson....

I am a huge supporter of reforestation in the DFW area and have worked on tree grant programs when I lived in Fort Worth.I am very disturbed by the decision by the North Richland Hills city council to allow Natural Gas Drilling rigs on park property. There is a gas company currently surveying and staking out a very large section of Little Bear Creek Park in the northwest part of NRH. They have flagged many, many mature trees for clear cutting. Many of the trees are native breeds and a large part of them are evergreens planted by the city over ten years ago!

The decision was made with virtually no notice to the public other than what is required by law - posting a public hearing date in the paper. Therefore not one resident spoke when the issue came up to vote ... no one knew about it!

We are currently organizing, passing out flyers and getting petitions signed before a drilling permit gets signed. I have also been talking to John Pistick and members of the Parks and Recreation department for NRH but nobody seems too interested in stopping this activity. Is there anything you can do to help us? Is there anyone in this area that could be an advocate for our cause?

Thanks in advance for your consideration, if you have any suggestions that would help us fight this please let me know!

Sincerely,
Barry Thompson

The Sky Of Texas is Red Tonight

On the coast you often heard "red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky in morning, sailor takes warning." I don't know what a red sky at night means when you live in the prairie, plains zone of North Texas.

What I do know is, tonight's sunset was beautiful. It glowed pink, orange and red, with the blue of the sky filtering through. It's a balmy 66 out there at 6pm. By morning it is supposed to be 38. I suspect that will not happen and I will be happily paddling about in icy water sometime around 7am.

I got gas today at the Tandy Hills Gas Station. It was still $1.61, same as yesterday, when I showed you all a photo of the price. I run one fascinating blog. As my reader may remember, when I get gas I call my mom in Phoenix. And so I did. But I got the answering machine, so I left a gas message. I don't know why my mom was not home taking calls on a Sunday morning. Maybe she's started going to church again. No. That is unlikely.

Chesapeake Energy Disappears From Tandy Hills So I Went Roller Blading

As you can see in the photo of one of the trails at the Tandy Hills Natural Area, it is a cloudy, gray Sunday in North Texas.

Chesapeake Energy's Scott Avenue Rig #2999 has disappeared. All that remains, that I could see, were 2 big bulldozers and a lot of scraped earth.

Just 2 weeks ago this was a bustling operation with a tall drilling tower piercing the sky. The photo on the right is how this location looked 2 weeks ago.

And now, Sunday, November 23, 2 weeks later, all that equipment is gone. That is today's view of the destroyed section of the Tandy Hills on the left. The blue sky of 2 weeks ago is also gone.

When I went over to Scott Avenue I saw that the guard station was gone, with a locked gate in its place. I could see no spot that looked like a capped drill hole. There was something surrounded by orange temporary fencing out in the middle of the forever altered piece of the Tandy Hills. Maybe that's the drill hole, awaiting the next step in the project.

Mother Nature is still standing on Scott Avenue. She is not all that more worn than the last time I visited Her. Someone has added a companion to Mother Nature. It had been connected to the Chesapeake Energy sign. But had come loose. I propped it up again to take a photo. The new poster says, "Save Meadowbrook." Meadowbrook is the neighborhood the Tandy Hills is located in. Above before and after photos of the damaged area, it says "As If We Had A Choice."

After looking at all this environmental mayhem I had need of something aerobic to make myself feel better. It was being quite windy, but I decided to go roller blading anyway, a short distance away, at my regular blading location, Quanah Parker Park. While I was blading I got hit with a big powerful gust that threw me off balance and almost caused a crash.

Mother Nature can be a bitch sometimes.

Detroit Automaker Bailout: Just Say No

Count me as one of the majority who don't think the taxpayers should bailout the automakers. The taxpayers have been subsidizing the automakers for decades, paying high prices to buy cars made by workers with overly lucrative contracts in companies ran by overpaid badly performing executives.

My sympathy for Detroit disappeared when Detroit showed no sympathy for me. In 1999 General Motors made a piece of junk car called a Buick Century. I bought one of those pieces of junk.

In 2004, barely 5 years old, the driver's side window ceased to work. This seemed a serious problem that should be a recall type thing. As in it's a bit dangerous to be unable to roll down your window.

It did not take much Googling to learn this was a chronic problem with this make of car. I took the piece of junk to a Buick dealer. They wanted over $500 to fix the problem.

I then found a Mechanic on the Go guy who came to my place and fixed the window for $200.

A week later the passenger side window stopped working. A couple weeks after that the driver's side window quit working, again, followed shortly by both back seat windows. The Mechanic on the Go fixed a new problem with the driver's side window, for free, and it was working again. For a short time.

Prior to the windows no longer rolling down, the piece of junk had developed a bizarre chronic problem of periodically not starting. I'd turn the ignition key and nothing. It could go weeks without this happening. I'd sit for up to 5 minutes, give or take, and then it'd start up. You never knew when you were going to be struck by the random ignition problem.

I took it to a GM dealer for the ignition problem. They had no idea what would cause such a thing to happen, but, for I forget how much money, they could test the components and try and find the problem.

Then there was the piece of junk's problem with over and over again the turn signal light would go haywire.

Now, did GM bail me out of any of these problems that were caused due to GM's bad car engineering? No. I bailed myself out by selling that piece of junk car.

Late November Texas Heat Wave

Yesterday in the morning it was barely above freezing. This morning it was in the 50s. It's 10am now and we're in the 60s.

This morning's swim did not send me into an icy shock like it did yesterday. I lasted about 15 minutes before the hot tub heat therapy was needed.

With only one week to go in November I'm guessing I'm still going to be swimming when December starts. Unless it's snowing. Or we have an ice storm.

Gas Hits New Low Of $1.61 In Fort Worth

The last time I bought gas I paid $1.74. That was about 5 days ago. Yesterday, when I went to my neighborhood Post Office the nearby QT was selling the stuff for $1.71. An hour later I drove by that QT again and it was $1.69.

Today I went hiking at the Tandy Hills. The Tandy Hills Gas Station, once more, is the cheapest gas in my zone, at $1.61.

Why is this happening? How and why did gas go up so fast and now down so fast? Yes, I know the barrel price went high and is now low. But still, what causes QT to drop the price 2 cents in an hour? Just the day before QT was $1.74, by the next day it was down 3 cents to $1.71 and then an hour after that $1.69. What determines the drop? It perplexes me.

On a totally non-gas note. I forgot to report on my icy swimming yesterday. I was reminded of this by an emailer urgently wanting to know. Well, yesterday I could take it for maybe 3 minutes, then I got in the hot tub. This morning it was about 35, when I walked into the water it felt warmer than the air. So I quickly started swimming. And I just as quickly realized this was too cold.

The ice water had so numbed me that when I got in the hot tub I could not feel the heat. But it felt good. Eventually I thawed.

I knew we'd crossed a threshold when I opened the door this morning and realized the air temp outside was about the same as inside here. As in cold. So, I turned on the furnace for the first time this year. I don't like that thing running.

Three Month Anniversary Of My Tacoma Tribulation: You Can't Go Home Again

I realized this morning that 2 days ago it was 4 months since I flew up to Washington, leaving on a very hot July 20, arriving in a very cold northwest to begin a month of what I've come to think of as my Tacoma Tribulation.

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. Tilting more towards the former.

In the 3 months since I've been back to the relative, relative-free sanity of Texas I've talked to 3 people regarding the "You Can't Go Home Again" syndrome. One of the 3 moved to the South the month before I did, moving from the same county in Washington that I moved from. She moved back to Washington this past June.

It's been months and she's still not re-acclimated to the frigid northwest climate. Or being back "home." She too has experienced the "You Can't Go Home Again" feeling.

The trouble is, when you move away from where you've always lived and you go back, it's sort of like going to a class reunion. The people seem stuck in time. They aren't relating to the current you, but to someone who no longer exists. Like when I was up in Seattle some friends showed up, one dating back to high school. This guy has carried around baggage relating to me for decades. It did not take long for the old neurosis to rear its head. I found it very bizarre to experience.

In Texas all the people I know are real nice to me. It's a very positive, re-enforcing environment. And then I go back to the northwest and it's like being stuck in an insult machine. It was profoundly disturbing. I reacted to it with a hunker down mentality, just bear it, this too shall pass.

One of the worst is one of my relatives. You'd think when they haven't seen you in a couple years that there might be some ability to be pleasant for a short duration. The relative I'm talking about is a very unhappy person, sort of stuck in time, is an alcoholic, bossy, very thin-skinned, yet constantly making offensive, off-putting remarks. No adult ego state has ever formed, the poor thing is perpetually stuck in a very contaminated parental ego state. If I can help it, and I can, I intend to avoid this person for the rest of my life. I see no reason to expose myself to toxins, human or otherwise. Unless they grow up. Which won't happen.

In one of the good things that happened up in Tacoma I shed myself of some bad baggage. It'd been sort of bothering me for awhile, but I didn't quite know if I was right or not. I knew the party in question was toxic. My fear was that daily contact with this toxicity, via the telephone, might be having a deleterious effect on me, to an extent that might be unhealthy. And then, with a month of personal contact, while in Tacoma, it showed me, quite clearly, that this was not a person with whom it was healthy to have any sort of relationship. Mentally ill people really should be as purposefully avoided as any other type of sick person. You don't want to catch what they have. Catch their sickness, next thing you know you weigh half a ton.

The change in my mindset, free of the toxic exposure, in the past 3 months, tells me that my intuition had been correct all along.

In the past the mentally ill would be put in an institution. In modern times, more often than not, they are put on medication. I don't know for sure if this is progress. Unless the pills can totally stifle the illness, I'm thinking that locking them away from those of us who don't need pills might be a better plan. In mental institutions they have all sorts of fun arts and crafts things for the patients to play with.

Well, my little sister, Kristin and Max & Blue were nice to me, for the most part. I did have some poodle issues. My mom and dad were nice to see, what with their mammoth jam-making projects and other projects. Be warned, if you stay at my little sister's house you are made to work for your room and board. It's either that or eviction. I've never done so much vacuuming and dish washing in my life.

Speaking of dish washing, I very rarely get sick here. There seems to be a lot of getting ill at my little sister's house. I wash my dishes here in very hot water, likely killing anything bad. Up there they didn't have very hot water, so they relied on chemicals in the form of dish washing detergents to give them the false sense that their dishes were safely clean. It made me nervous, fearful of food poisoning, my entire month there. My fear caused me to politely decline dinner call at times. Or to go to McDonald's. And to consume just enough alcohol containing beverages a day to safely kill anything bad that didn't get washed off the dishes.

My method was successful. I did not get ill. I never even got a slight stomach ache. Max & Blue had some tummy troubles while I was there. I fear their food bowl isn't getting enough hot water and way too much dish detergent. Poodles should not have to suffer like this.

Gar The Texan's Wife Leaves Him With Kidney Stone

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to learn this morning that Gar the Texan's latest wife has left him and returned to Germany.

Giddy at his latest bout of singleness Gar the Texan engaged in a wild night of barhopping with his pre-marriage drinking buddies.

After a night of too much imbibing Gar the Texan woke up to what he thought was miserable hangover pain.

But the pain persisted and got worse.

In my experiences with Gar the Texan about half the time he engaged in any activity that was not sitting he'd get a case of the vapors. But this post-wife leaving ailment was beyond a simple case of the vapors.

As the pain worsened Gar the Texan knew he needed medical help. In his state of failing cerebral function he called a hospital and asked to be picked up. He was told the hospital does not provide such a service and told him to call 911.

Gar the Texan resisted calling 911 because he didn't think his was a 911-worthy emergency. But then the pain got worse, so he called 911. The 911 operator told him help was on the way. Gar the Texan asked them to please be discrete.

Instead a firetruck and ambulance showed up. Gar the Texan was rolled into the ambulance where medics began working to stabilize him.

When he got to the hospital Gar the Texan soon learned that he was not suffering from the hangover from HELL, but instead he was passing a very large kidney stone.

Gar the Texan is recovering at home. No wife to nurse him back to health.

Sad, true story.

JFK Assassination 45th Anniversary

The majority of Americans were not alive 45 years ago today when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. An event that shocked and saddened the entire world.

JFK's last night alive was spent in the city in which I now live, Fort Worth. JFK and First Lady Jackie spent the night in Suite 1530, on the 15th floor of what was then called the Texas Hotel. It is now Hilton Fort Worth.

You can spend the night in Suite 1530, also known as the JFK Suite. It's a 2,200 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath hotel room. There is memorabilia in the JFK Suite commemorating his stay in Fort Worth. It only costs $2,500 a night to stay in the JFK Suite. I was only able to afford one night. I guess it was worth it.

It's cheaper to visit the gravesite of JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald is buried walking distance from where I live.

I don't know what is planned today at Dealey Plaza. There is always a crowd there on this date. The only time I've been at Dealey Plaza on November 22 was 5 years ago for the 40th Anniversary. That was a rather amazing event. You can see for yourself in the video below.

Texas Salvation Army Bell Ringers Accept Credit Cards

I don't like how Wal-Mart lets various charities, petition purveyors or even Fort Worth Star-Telegram subscription hawkers set up at their entrances, harassing shoppers as they come and go. It's very annoying.

For about 2 weeks ago now the Salvation Army has taken up their annual bell ringing positions outside stores all over America, including Wal-Mart.

Whenever I am held up by one of these type things, be it the Salvation Army or someone seeking money to help kids play soccer, I always say "I don't have any money, do you take credit cards?" Of course the person wanting money always says no to the credit card question.

Til now.

A dozen or so D/FW Metroplex Salvation Army bell ringers are now able to answer yes to my credit card question. Since I've no idea which of the 500 or so Metroplex bell ringers are able to accept credit cards I have to find a new way to say no.

If you do come across one of the Salvation Army credit card acceptors and you want to make a donation the minimum donation if you use a credit or debit card is $5. The ruthless, uncharitable credit card companies charge the Salvation Army 25 cents per transaction, plus 2.9% of the amount donated. Heartless bastards.

If you donate by card you'll get a receipt for tax purposes, it being a tax deductible donation.

Texas Executes Another Killer: Robert Hudson

Last night Texas extended its lead as America's #1 Executing State with the 18th killer put to death this year.

Bad car wrecks are bigger news than executions in Texas. Last night's Huntsville life termination was reported in a small article on page 9B of this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In 1999 Robert Jean Hudson stabbed his ex-girl friend, Edith Kendrick, to death, after breaking into her Mesquite apartment. Mesquite is a suburb of Dallas. Hudson also seriously injured Kendrick's 8 year-old son.

Hudson's attorney appealed his case to the Supreme Court, faulting his trial lawyers for not presenting mitigating evidence that this was a crime of passion which significantly reduced Hudson's moral culpability. In his trial, jurors also did not hear about Hudson's unstable childhood, his dad's drug and alcohol problems, his mom's psychiatric problems or Hudson's own psychiatric treatment and medications taken to control his behavior and anger problem.

I used to know a nutcase who was on meds to control her behavior and anger problems. The meds can only do so much. The nutcase regularly lost control. If she killed someone during one of her fits I don't know if she should be put down for it. But I do think she should get a life sentence.

Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have granted a reprieve. But Hudson didn't get one because the rest of the Supreme Court thought he'd gotten a fair trail and needed to die.

Sizzled Turkey Rather Than Deep-Fried

Yesterday I blogged about Thanksgiving and Deep-Fried Turkey. This afternoon a current Seattle-ite calling himself "CB", who spent time in Dallas and Texas and who likes my blogging perspective about my exile in Texas, commented on Deep Frying Turkey and suggested a less troublesome solution.

"CB" also verbalized some concern regarding my roller blading attire. I appreciate it when someone cares enough to give me advice. Below is "CB's" comment, which is also posted at the posting he commented on....

You really ought to consider 'frying' that turkey in one of the new oil-less infrared fryers from Char-Broil. As a Seattle-ite who enjoys reading your posts. (I lived in Dallas and worked all over Texas during the 80's.) I get a kick out of your perspectives that seem to be a 'hybred' of where you've lived.

Anyway, I write the web log called Sizzle on the Grill and we've been featuring this new cooker called "The Big Easy." and it's really pretty darn close to fried turkey. And you save that $45 + for the cost of the oil, not to mention the worries about having it too hot and potentially boiling over and burning the house down. Oh and now mess to clean-up. That's gotta be worth something in the world of Durango? Thanks. Happy Grilling! -

CB

PS. uh, watchyoselfwiththerollerbladinginthebuffcuz

2008 Great American Smokeout

Today is the 41st annual Great American Smokeout. Starting in 1977, on the 3rd Thursday of November and every 3rd Thursday of November since then, the American Cancer Society has been trying to get smokers to stop smoking for one day. And hopefully, with help, turn it into two.

I can't believe it's been this many years I've been giving up cigarettes on this day.

This year the American Cancer Society has added a "Stay Quit Monday" followup day, hopefully to keep smokers off the evil weed.

I see a lot more smokers here in Texas than I do up in Washington. And way more butts on the ground here. But that may be partly due to the greater penchant for littering in Texas.

The Great American Smokeout came about 22 years after the U.S. Surgeon General's Report connected tobacco use to lung cancer, low birth weight and coronary disease.

I'm looking out my window right now and seeing 3 people with cigarettes dangling from their mouths with a 4th holding the cigarette while he coughs. Just a second, I need to go yell at these people that today is the Great American Smokeout.

The smoking rate of Americans has fallen constantly since the Surgeon General suggested people stop smoking. Down from 42% smoking in 1964 to only 19.8% smoking in 2007. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks the smoking statistics.

As recently as the 1980s smoking was allowed in hospitals and on commercial airplanes. Now it's banned in most public buildings and restaurants, even here in smokey Texas.

Midnight Cell Phone Calls & Cold Swimming In Texas

Last night I stayed up past my usual bedtime in order to watch Top Chef. That had me in bed a bit past 10. I'd had me a day, so I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep.

And then at 11:47 my cell phone rang like the alarm clock from hell. The "ring" on my cell phone is like 10 seconds of a loud symphony.

I awoke, startled, saw the cell phone glowing. I figured anyone calling so late had to be doing so due to an emergency. But no. It was someone from the west coast. Even though it was only 9:47 in her time zone, she still should have known better than to call so late. It's just inexcusably rude.

Naturally, after this horrible trauma I had trouble getting back to sleep and was pretty much restless the rest of the night.

I ended up getting up before 6 and was in the pool by a bit before 8. So, that's your swimming report for the day. I was in the pool for about a half hour. I think the water may have been warmer than yesterday, maybe.

Preacher Ed Young's Seven Days of Sex Sermon, Part 2

Grapevine, Texas' Fellowship Church preacher, Ed Young, continues to get a lot of attention from all over the world due to preaching that married couples in his church should get busy having sex every day for a week.

An amusing letter to the editor was in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the subject, with the author verbalizing concerns about the possible strain this task might put on the elderly married couple's in Ed Young's flock.

I'll paste the letter to the editor below, but first I've got to tell you about something else I found about the Ed Young preacher. He's got a Blog! Called the "Ed Young Blog". The current first post is titled "7 Days of ?!?!".

In that post Ed Young writes the following....

"I'm not even sure what day it is! We've been going at such a whirlwind pace getting ready to go to London and Johannesburg that it's been a challenge to keep the challenge.

But don't worry. Lisa and I haven't bailed out. It's just made us think more about our strategy to make time to make love. And there are so many things that Lisa and I have discovered so far.

For one, we are thinking more creatively about sex in order to avoid the monotony that can set in. We know this challenge isn't for competition. It's something that will strengthen our marriage and give us the greater "reward" of deeper intimacy. The last few days we've really had to ratchet up the thought process and communication that goes into sex. "

And now the Letter to the Editor....

Don’t come here for instruction

I’m puzzled why Ed Young, the Fellowship Church preacher, decided to preach his “Seven Days of Sex” sermon. I’m not writing to judge the guy, just to give my opinion on the wisdom of his actions from my point of view as a Christian. Was he motivated by the desire for media coverage? Probably! He should confine his “bed” and arbitrary “seven days” to individual marriage-counseling sessions in which couples may ask his advice about sex and the frequency thereof.

As for myself, I don’t want to listen to any preacher lay out such a regimented plan in an entire sermon on sex; let him incorporate some messages gleaned from the Bible in an ordinary sermon! You know, topics like the plan of salvation, loving your neighbor (and wife), and the ordinary subjects that have to do with how to get to heaven.

Hey, what about the poor souls who try the preacher’s plan and can’t carry it out? How rotten they must feel; maybe they made it past day two but then ... Oh, well, I guess they just didn’t love each other enough. What about the more chronologically advanced couples and their perhaps declining “abilities.

”What about singles in the audience. Oh, forget I brought that up!

My advice to couples who might be tempted to follow the prescribed regimen: don’t buy into it! Young may have a plan for 365 consecutive days of sex. Unless you’re Superman (or Super-sex Man) you might be in for a bumpy ride!

Preacherman should have left it at this: love your mate, show affection genuinely, get plenty of rest and pray a lot. Good sex should follow. No guarantees are offered, however; and don’t ask us for more advice on sex — please!

— Jim Gill, Euless

Thanksgiving & Deep Fried Turkey

I erroneously thought that this coming Thursday was Thanksgiving and since it is Tuesday today there was not enough time to thaw out a turkey to cook 2 days from now.

Just minutes ago I learned I have another week til it's too late to thaw out a turkey. Last year I went to the bother of doing the whole classic Thanksgiving dinner. It's way too much bother to go through for 20 minutes of eating.

Maybe Zorro's Buffet is open for Thanksgiving. Or, I could get a bird and drag out the Turkey Fryer. It's a bit scary dipping a big bird in a big vat of super hot peanut oil. But what comes out in about a half hour is the tastiest turkey you'll ever have. And totally non-greasy, which seems even stranger than being able to swim when the water is icy cold.

You can go to my Texas website for more about Deep-Frying a Turkey. Below is a Deep-Fried Turkey Recipe to help you with your Thanksgiving cooking project.

Deep-Fried Turkey

Serves 20

4 to 5 gallons peanut oil

12- to 15-pound whole turkey, at room temperature

Cayenne pepper, optional

Begin heating the oil outdoors in a 10-gallon pot over a very hot propane flame. Don't set the burner to its highest setting, as you may need to increase the heat after you've added the turkey. It will take about 20 minutes for the oil to heat. Use a candy/deep-fry thermometer clamped to the side of the pot to determine the temperature of the oil.

Meanwhile, rinse the turkey well, pat it dry inside and out and set it on end in a sink to drain.

When the oil reaches 375 degrees, pat the turkey dry again and sprinkle with cayenne, if desired. If your cooker has a basket insert, place turkey in the basket and set it over a baking sheet; if not, set an oven rack over a large baking sheet, place the turkey on it and take them outside to the cooker.

Check temperature of the oil. When oil reaches 390 degrees, carefully and slowly lower the basket with the turkey into the oil; or lower it by holding it by its legs or by a long, heavy tool such as a clean fireplace poker inserted into its cavity. (Or, pull a length of cotton twine through the flesh loop that is holding the legs in place. Double the cotton and tie securely, fashioning a handle for dropping and lifting.) Immediately check the oil temperature and adjust the flame so that the temperature does not dip below 340 degrees. You want to maintain the temperature at 365 degrees. As it cooks, occasionally move the bird around in the oil so that it doesn't scorch. The oil near the heat source will be hotter.

A whole turkey takes only 3-4 minutes per pound to fry to perfection. Small ones, around 12 pounds, will take about 35 minutes; large ones, around 15 pounds, will take about 1 hour. When the turkey is done, it will float to the surface with a perfectly crispy, brown skin. If you are unsure, you can test the meat for doneness at the hip joint, or insert a meat thermometer into the breast; it should register 180 degrees.

Using the basket insert if there is one, or by again inserting a long, heavy tool such as a clean fireplace poker into its cavity, carefully remove the turkey from the oil and hold it over the pot for a moment to allow any excess oil to drain back into the pot. Then lay the bird on the oven rack. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Very approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 415 calories, 27 grams fat, 0 carbohydrates, 40 grams protein, 116 milligrams cholesterol, 96 milligrams sodium, 60 percent of calories from fat.

Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal Part 8

The Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal has sort of faded from my memory. I don't remember when I last drove by the new stadium.

The Dallas Cowboy organization was in the news this morning due to announcing plans to build a parking lot west of the stadium. I assume they have successfully bought the houses to do so. I know months ago there were a few holdouts and the City of Arlington made clear there would be no more eminent domain abuse by the city on the Dallas Cowboy's behalf.

This morning I got feedback from someone in Austin who thinks what was done in Arlington was a perfectly legit use of eminent domain. But then the guy didn't know how to spell eminent, so, I'm thinking he likely could not explain how it is properly used. The feedbacker also thinks the new stadium will be a huge economic engine for Arlington, generating jobs and new money.

Somehow that type revenue generating boon didn't happen where the Dallas Cowboy stadium is currently located, in Irving. It's a bit of a blight around the stadium. In all the years that stadium has sat in Irving it hasn't spawned hotels or restaurants or much of anything that I've seen.

One of the feedbackers comments was really wrong-headed. And I've heard it stated before in various ways. That being that the area where eminent domain was abused was crime-ridden. And thus deserved to die. This "crime-ridden" area had many homes in which people had lived for decades. People tend not to remain living in crime-ridden areas. And right in the midst of this "crime-ridden" area sits one of the nicest Super Wal-Marts I've ever seen. I don't think Wal-Mart builds its more high-end Superstores in crime-ridden areas.

The feedbacker does not understand why Jerry Jones gets demonized when it was the people of Arlington who voted for this stadium. However, the part about using eminent domain was not on the ballot. Jerry Jones has been demonized because he has shown absolutely no sympathy for the thousands of lives his private business disrupted.

Anyway, below is the feedback from a guy in Austin. I didn't fix his misspellings below. On my Eyes on Texas website version I did fix the misspellings....

There was an election on this issue right? So if a majority of the community thought that the stadium was a good idea, then why are you demonizing Jerry Jones? The people who are unhappy that they were forced out should be complaining about their neighbors, not the tam and its owner.

The city of Arlington figured that putting a revenue-generating stadium in the place of a crime-ridden neighborhood would be a wise move. The new stadium will bring in new money for local businesses and new jobs for the pepole of Arlington. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. This is what emminent domain is all about, and I don't see any "abuse" in this case.

James
Austin, TX

Durango Texas World Update: Swimming & TV

I got an email this morning from one of my two readers asking why I didn't go swimming yesterday, wrongly assuming that I had not, due to me neglecting to mention that I had.

So, yes, I did go swimming yesterday. It was cold. But not as cold as this morning. It barely got into the 50s all day yesterday and with the overnight temps being in the 40s it made for some chilly water at 7am.

But I somehow managed to stay out there for about 30 minutes. You can see by what's on the TV screen that it is yet one more sunny day here in North Texas. Sunny and warmer than yesterday, with it already being warmer than it got all day yesterday, as in it is 56 out there right now, heading to a high today of 75. So, tomorrow morning the pool should be warmer. But after tomorrow the prediction is for temps in the 30s.

Speaking of TV, my web stats have gone way up the past 5 days, with yesterday my total number of visitors being 4,675. Of those 3,477 were visitors to my TV Blog. Previously the most Blog visitors I've ever had in one day was around 1000. This morning the TV Blog is being even busier than yesterday, with 677 visitors so far, when I looked at the stats at 9am. So, today should end up being a bigger number than yesterday.

Go here and you can see the bizarre phenomenon of people all over the country coming to my TV Blog due to Googling after watching a TV Show. Aren't there more important things to be curious about?

Durango TV Has Exploded

A couple weeks ago it crossed my mind to make a TV Blog, because I thought it might be a good thing and might get a lot of hits.

Well. It's only been a couple weeks and I've not had a blog on fire before like this TV thing is.

The fire is caused by The Real Housewives of Atlanta show on Bravo. And the search for who "Big Papa" is, among other things. Right now I'm hearing the hit beep going off about every second.

Go to my Durango TV Blog and scroll down til you see the Live Feed Stats thing. Click view in Real Time and you'll see and hear the noise I'm hearing.

The Internet is such a strange, entertaining world. It's addictive. Like coffee. Which I've currently cut back on. I'm not cutting back on my Internet addiction. No matter what it does to my blood pressure.

Don't Mess With Texas At The Tandy Hills

Texas has an anti-litter campaign that tries to convince Texans to stop throwing garbage on their great state. The anti-litter campaign's slogan is "Don't Mess With Texas." Unfortunately a lot of people do mess with Texas. There is so much litter here.

Washington has kept Washington Green for decades now with its anti-litter campaign. You see so much less litter on the ground in Washington and Oregon. It gets a bit messier by the time you get to Southern California.

Maybe it's a function of too many people, so here in the D/FW Metroplex and in Southern California you have too many people willing to toss their McDonald's bags and beer cans out the window.

At Tandy Hills, hiking today, I saw a big mess of litter that must have washed into the park from last week's big rainstorm. Huge mess. That's what you see in the photo above.

In the second photo you see the new low price at the Tandy Hills Gas Station. $1.77. I didn't need any so I got none, so mom did not get a call telling her I got gas.

Am I Going To Ecuador?

On Sunday Miss Puerto Rico told me she wants to take me to Ecuador for 2 weeks sometime in early 2009. Two weeks far south of the border with a volatile Latina? Yikes. I've barely recovered from dealing with too much exposure to volatility when I was in Washington last summer.

Still, this Ecuador thing sounds intriguing. I've never been any further south than Mexico. So going all the way to South America and being in a country that straddles the equator would definitely be doing something new and different.

Miss PR has quite the itinerary planned out. Anyone who knows me knows one of my pet peeves is pointless, endless itinerary discussions. So, the fact that an itinerary seems to be well thought out is a plus. She has us landing in Quito and staying in something called Hotel Patio Andaluz in the center of the historic Old City of Quito. This was one of the first places UNESCO designated as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Quito is at about 9,350 feet above sea level. I've only stayed overnight that high once, spending the night in Silverton, Colorado. It was very easy to get winded. My hotel room was on the 4th floor, no elevator. It felt like 20 floors. And one beer in the saloon hit like 6.

Quito is built on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano. The scenery, from what I've seen, reminds me very much of Western Washington.

Miss PR has a rafting trip planned, floating down the Quijos River. It goes through a jungle and ends at Papallacta Hot Springs. I don't know if it is a clothing optional hot springs. I hope so.

Then just to please me there's a bike ride. To get to the biking destination you drive the Pan-American Highway through the "Avenue of the Volcanoes." The avenue leads to the entry to Cotopaxi National Park, which is where the bike ride begins. There are Inca Ruins in the park and great views of Cotopaxi Volcano.

She's got a lot of hikes planned. One that sounds scary ends at a hut on the Cotopaxi Volcano. The hut sits at 15,748 feet above sea level. I'll be gasping for air. But it gets worse. From the hut we hike to the summit. At 19,347 feet. Yikes.

After the volcano overload there are several days planned doing various things in the Amazon Jungle. Apparently there are a lot of monkeys there. And you can fish for piranha and take a dip in something called the Cuyabeno Lagoon. I assume there are no piranha in the lagoon.

So that's the trip as it's been explained to me. Miss PR wants to add a sidetrip to the Galapagos Islands, but that adds a lot to the cost. The Galapagos are part of Ecuador. There are big turtles there.

Texas Twilight Roller Blading

I was feeling aggravated due to too much time wasted fiddling with annoyingly aggravating webpage stuff.

And so at a bit past 5pm I pushed myself away from the computer and out the front door.

I drove the 2 miles, give or take an inch, to Quanah Parker Park and went roller blading. By the time I was done the sun was setting.

You can see me, sort of, in the line of trees, as darkness falls. I'll likely do this again. I came back here in a much better mood.

Odd Creature Spotted At Indian Village Natural Area

Over the years I've seen many critters at Indian Village Natural Area in east Arlington. I've seen possums, armadillos, rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins, turtles, lizards of various sizes, many bugs and way too many squirrels and birds.

Today I came across a critter I'd not seen before. Very pre-historic dinosaurish.

It was sort of cute, way smaller than an armadillo. But I had no inclination to take one home with me. I've got all the pets I need or want.

A Very Cold Monday Morning Swim

Yesterday it was barely above freezing when I got in the pool. The water felt warm compared to the air.

This morning it was the opposite. It was 48 when I went outside this morning. The air temperature felt warmer than the pool water. So, this morning it was a bit more bracing than yesterday.

I got adjusted to it though and swam for almost a half hour. I continue to find it odd that I can get in the hot tub for a few minutes and then get back in the pool with it way less bracing than when I first get in it. That's the hot tub I'm heading towards in the photo.

My privacy was violated this morning by a surprise visit by Miss Puerto Rico. She was bundled up like she thought it was going to snow. I got out of the pool and chased her with the threat of a wet cold hug. But that turned chilly for me so I jumped back in the water.

Rats Are Taking Over North Texas

No, I'm not referring to someone like Jerry Jones, I'm talking about the real deal, the rodents known as rats. The rat population of North Texas is booming, bringing a lot of work for North Texas Pest Eliminators.

People are finding rats in place like their swimming pools, bird feeders, attics and dog houses.

Usually what the Pest Eliminators call "Rat Season" does not begin til the weather gets cold and the rats start invading warm spaces. But with the rat population boom the Pest Eliminators have been getting calls all year.

The rat problem is not limited to any particular part of town. The nicest of neighborhoods have rats. They are everywhere. Some blame the rats showing up in new locations on all the Barnett Shale gas drilling disrupting the rat's homes, forcing them to move. That doesn't sound too plausible to me.

Other than stopping a nearby gas drilling operation, to protect yourself from rats you can make sure you don't have any holes in your house. A rat can squeeze through a quarter-size hole. Don't put any food outside for your pets. Don't have any thing growing up against your house. Rats love living in ivy. If your house has been invaded don't battle the rats yourself, call in the experts.

I've not heard if anything has been done with the Big Cheese Rodent Factory. The city of Fort Worth had given the rat growers til the first of November to quit stinking up the neighborhood.

Paris Hilton & Jesus Christ For President

I live in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is in Tarrant County. Tarrant County is in Texas. In Texas write-in candidates for President have to register with the Texas Secretary of State before Election Day. If someone writes in a name that is not on the Secretary of State's list their vote does not count.

This did not stop over 350 Tarrant County voters from wasting their vote for President on people and non-people, living and dead, like Jesus Christ, Paris Hilton, Bugs Bunny, George Orwell, Jerry Jones, Mickey Mouse, Ozzy Osborne, Ross Perot, T. Boone Pickens, Willie Nelson, God and Larry the Cable Guy.

You can go here to read the entire ridiculous list of who some Tarrant County voters voted for for President...

Bye Bye High Blood Pressure, Hello Peaceful Solitude

Well. Today was all about peaceful solitude. And my high blood pressure, which is no longer high. Maybe in part due to days like today.

Sunday started off with the aforementioned photo documented icy cold skinny dip. During that icy dip I decided I was going to have a human free day. Just me to talk to myself all day long.

At 11 I needed to be in the Tandy Hills zone again. So, even though I'd hiked there the day before I decided a solo hike would be a totally different thing. I thought it would be cold like yesterday, so I totally overdressed. I was dressed for the 40s, but it was in the low 70s.

So, I thought to myself the early morning skinny dip was refreshing, why not go on a skinny hike?

I rarely see anyone at the Tandy Hills. It's actual name is Tandy Hills Natural Area. I know where the isolated trails are. I thought it might be a liberating blood pressure reducing type thing to do. I was right.

When I was done with my au naturel nature hike I decided, since it was nearby, roller blading at Quanah Parker Park would be a good thing. I don't think roller blading would be a fun thing to do au naturel. That and it'd look ridiculous wearing the protective pads and nothing else. I'll spare you a photo of me roller blading today.

After the roller blading I decided to make a 3 park day of it and went to Oakland Lake Park. Just to sit and watch the birds. There are a lot of birds in Oakland Lake. And turtles. I never saw a black goose before, but I saw one today. The black goose was with a pair of white geese, which you can see for yourself in the photo.

The first photo at the top is also at Oakland Lake Park. I was sitting in the lotus position on the edge of a wall.

In two weeks I've gotten my blood pressure down to a good reading, as in 118/69, pulse rate of 56. I think getting off the sleeping pills is one cause. Amping up the exercise so as to not need the pills, due to being worn out by the end of the day, is another likely cause. Zero tolerance for Toxic People likely has many benefits, including lower blood pressure. And I've cut way back on coffee. I think the early morning cold swims also might have a salubrious affect.

Well, it's time to put some clothes on and go have some human interaction. All this solitude gets sort of boring after awhile.

Seattle Naked Bike Riding Causing Fort Worth Skinny Dipping

On Thursday I blogged about a current Seattle issue, that being the efforts, by some, to curtail the rather liberated behavior of riding around town on your bike. Naked. I have no problem with the being naked part. But as a bike rider, to me, it would be very uncomfortable to pedal about without attire.

I think way too many Americans are way too prudish when it comes to some things. Like being naked. We were all born naked.

If one believes what one reads in the Bible, God has no problem with people being naked. The very first humans he created were perfectly comfortable wandering around in the Garden of Eden naked, feeling no shame.

Then Eve went and ate that damn apple and Adam and her suddenly got all prudish.

And apparently a lot of humanity has been prudish ever since.

Well, I am not prudish. And I'm not all that shy. So, this morning I decided to introduce a bit of Seattle/West Coast type liberalness to Fort Worth. So, I went skinny dipping. I've always preferred skinny dipping to wearing a swimming suit. I hate how the liner in the swimsuit gets all twisted. Sliding through the water without such an encumbrance is much more pleasant.

This morning the water was the coldest yet. And not because all I was wearing was a cap. Overnight it got to freezing. There was a coating of frost on the roof when I first got in the water. With the air being so cold the water felt almost warm. That was very strange.

I'm feeling all natural today. Maybe I'll make like Adam and go hiking at the Tandy Hills Natural Area today. No, it's too cold for that.

A Cold Day In Texas Hiking The Tandy Hills Where Gas Is Cheap

The Tandy Hills have dried out enough from the Big Storm earlier in the week that hiking was doable. Cold, but doable. It's only 49 out there, with a heavy wind making it feel like 45. Brrrr.

The view in the photo is from the highest point in the Tandy Hills, looking west towards beautiful downtown Fort Worth, with the notorious Chesapeake Energy Tandy Hills gas site drilling rig visible on the left. It wasn't making hearable noise today. The wind likely drowned out the drilling noise.

Gas at the Tandy Hills station once more set a new record low for my zone of Fort Worth. I didn't need any so I got none and so mom did not get a gas call from me. Maybe I'll get gas tomorrow and call my mommy.

Azle Christian School Teacher Sex Assault

A 38 year old woman named Julianna Christine Sauls was a teacher at a private school in Azle, Texas. Azle is a suburb on the northwest side of Fort Worth. Sauls taught at a private school named Azle Christian.

Sauls taught algebra. But she got in trouble and is under investigation for some extra-curricular activity with teenage boys. The school says she was fired for lack of work. Whatever that means.

Sauls was let out on bail Wednesday, from the Tarrant County Jail, shortly after she turned herself in due to arrest warrants accusing her of sexual assault and an improper relationship between a teacher and a student.

Parker County is investigating possible prior Sauls' assaults. She faces possible criminal charges in both Tarrant and Parker Counties.

One of her students said there was an incident where she would not let him out of her classroom unless they made out. She also wrote him a note with her phone number and address "so he could come to her home and have sex while her children were asleep." Another time he agreed to meet her at the Azle High School parking lot where she, uh, forced herself on him orally. I don't mean in the speaking sense of the word. But the student was repulsed by what was happening and made her stop, telling police he didn't find her attractive and felt uncomfortable because she was his teacher.

I know this type thing happens all over the country, female teachers seducing students. But here in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone it seems sort of epidemic. Maybe it seems that way because there are more people crammed into this D/FW Metroplex zone than live in the entire state of Washington. Or maybe a lot of Texans are sex crazed. We do have a preacher here telling us to have sex every day for a week. That's been a tough calling to follow.

My Daily Icy Swim Report

Last night the high was 51, by morning it was 41. When I stepped outside the heavy wind made it feel way colder. WeatherBug right now is saying the Wind Chill Factor is making it feel like 36 out there.

Consequently the water in the pool felt warm by comparison to the air and was easy to get in to.

But that constant wind was a bit bracing on the skin exposed above the water.

I only lasted about 20 minutes this morning. I should have waited til later rather than going before 8am. It is supposed to get down to 35 by tomorrow morning. Tomorrow may be the day that ends my string of swimming days. Maybe.

Red Alert in North Texas

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Alert for North Texas for tomorrow. A Red Flag Alert comes about when the humidity drops and the wind blows hard, creating perfect conditions for grass fires.

It rained a lot earlier in the week, so I don't quite see how it would be all that easy to catch grass on fire.

It's been being real windy for hours now.

But before the wind came along I had to go walk off some over eating. So, I went to Village Creek. It'd been closed due to the aforementioned rains of Monday and Tuesday. What you see in the photo above is part of the paved trail crossing Village Creek on a little dam. This gets overflowed during heavy rain. This time it made a huge mess of litter and debris on both sides of the dam.

If I don't do a daily swimming report I get an email asking me why. I forgot til now. Yes, I did go swimming this morning. The low overnight was 58. The water was pleasant. I swam for about a half hour. I don't know if it'll be doable tomorrow, the low tonight is supposed to get to 42, with Saturday being even colder with a low of 35. I keep thinking that one day it is going to be too cold to get in that pool. I'll let you know if tomorrow morning is that day.

40 Days Til Christmas. Ugh.

I went to my local neighborhood Super Wal-Mart today. I've been seeing Salvation Army bell ringers for about a week now.

Today I walked into Wal-Mart and was assaulted by a sound I dread every year. Christmas music. It felt time warpy. But also put me in some sort of momentary odd wistful mood.

And then as I was leaving the store, near the exit, I saw something that appalled me. My first Christmas tree of the year. A real big one with real big balls.

The most appalling thing about the Christmas tree was not the real big balls. It was what was also hung on the tree.

An electronic sign counting down the "Days Til Christmas". As in the sign on the Christmas tree said "40 Days Til Christmas".

Ugh.

Sweet Tomatoes & My Shadow

Within the past year or so a restaurant called Sweet Tomatoes opened in Arlington. Since then 2 more have opened in the D/FW zone, one in Addison and one in Irving.

Sweet Tomatoes is like Fresh Choice. Without the roasted chicken. Fresh Choice used to be my favorite Fort Worth restaurant. And then it closed.

I'd not been to Sweet Tomatoes til today. My Shadow wanted to take me there for lunch to meet up with a couple of her friends I'd not met. My Shadow has forbidden me from putting her name on my blog. Or much of anything about her for that matter. I was given permission to mention going to Sweet Tomatoes with her if I called her My Shadow.

Well, here's my restaurant review of Sweet Tomatoes. I liked it. I probably like Zorro's Buffet in Fort Worth better. And I may have liked Fresh Choice better, but it's been so many years since it closed that I don't trust my memory.

Sweet Tomatoes is a buffet-like setup, like Fresh Choice and Zorro's. The menu consists of Tossed Salads, Prepared Salads, Soups, Pastas, Muffins and Desserts.

In the Tossed Salad category there was Azteca Taco with Turkey that I liked and one called Won Ton Chicken Happiness that was real good. I did not try the Caesar Salad Asiago.

Of the Prepared Salads I liked the Whole Wheat Creamy Chipolte Salad and Joan's Broccoli Madness. I didn't try the Southern Dill Potato, Three Bean Marinade or Tuna Taragon.

Of the Soups I tried the Yankee Clipper Clam Chowder and the Chicken Pot Pie Stew. Very good. There were at least 9 different soups. You'll have to go to the Sweet Tomatoes website to see what the rest of them are.

I didn't try any of the Pastas. The Macaroni & Cheese looked good. There was also a Vegetarian Marinara and Steamed Veggies with Lemon Butter.

The Muffins category is a bit confusing because there were also Buttermilk Biscuits and a couple Focaccia bread choices in addition to some muffins. I tried the Quattro Formaggio Foccaccia.

I'm not a big Dessert fan and there weren't all that many dessert choices. My Shadow thought the Tapioca Pudding was good. That stuff always reminds me of baby food.

So, that was lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. I'd go back. But not tomorrow. Right now I'm in need of walking off eating too much.

Artists Call---Buzzworms in the Backyard: Strikes again!

buzzworm n : a quaint, western euphemism for a rattlesnake 2 : an insistent, noisy vibration 3 : a warning sign 4 : a metaphor for a natural gas drilling rig.

~ Call for Entries ~

FWCanDo makes an open call to all artists to submit entries in all media to the second annual Buzzworms in the Backyard, an exhibition of art against ALL irresponsible gas drilling. Artists may enter up to three works at a fee of $10.00 per entry, or three for $25.00. Art will be juried from the actual work (no slides or cd’s) with $500.00 in prizes to be awarded.

Exhibition Dates and Location
January 9-30, 2009

Fort Worth Community Art Center (Back Gallery)
1300 Gendy Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107

Jurors: Ed and Linda Blackburn
Ed and Linda are nationally-recognized and revered artists and collaborators “who live in Fort Worth, show here and beyond, teach some, are interested in our town, it’s doings and the art done here”. Recent exhibitions include two solo shows at Artspace 111. Ed’s work was recently seen at SUNDAY L.E.S. in New York and he received the Distinguished Texas Artist Award in 2006.

Pre-registration Deadline: Monday, December 29th
Delivery Date for all entries: Saturday January 3rd, 2-5PM

Rules of Entry and Registration Forms:
http://www.fwcando.org/

For further information:

Go to: http://www.fwcando.org/
Call: Don Young @ 817-731-2787
Email: donyoungglass@earthlink.net
Or write: FWCanDo P.O. Box 470041 Fort Worth, TX 76147

Co-sponsored by:

CREDO (Coalition For Reformed Drilling Ordinance)
Heliotrope

New York Parolee Executed Thursday In Texas

The Texas Death Row lost another resident Thursday night. That makes 2 days in a row of executing here in Texas. Three more are scheduled for the lethal injection gurney next week.

Last night's latest visitor to the Texas Death Chamber was a parolee from New York named Denard Manns. He was 42.

Manns got the death penalty for robbing, raping and fatally shooting an Army medic at her apartment near Fort Hood. The victims name was Michele Robson. She was 26.

Manns came to Texas after he got out of prison in New York. He got in trouble twice there for armed robbery.

Manns claimed to be innocent of murdering Michelle Robson who lived in the same apartment complex as Manns. DNA and fingerprint evidence tied Manns to the crime.

The story of yesterday's Texas Execution was buried inside the second section of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Page 6B.

The Idiots Will Always Be Among Us

Maybe one day in the distant future natural selection will have weeded all the ignorant idiots out of the collective gene pool. But til that happens, we are stuck with them.

Earlier in the week I had a day of getting very bizarre ignorantly idiotic comments about a blog I'd written months ago. There was something very disturbingly off about this person and his comments.

I don't get a lot of up close and personal contact with idiocy, ignorance or bigotry, so I was a bit surprised at an accounting of some local idiocy, ignorance and bigotry in this week's FW Weekly, idiocy, ignorance and bigotry that I fear may not be localized to Fort Worth, but may be a nationwide outbreak of fresh idiocy, ignorance and bigotry.

The FW Weekly article I'm talking about is the Second Thought column of the Wednesday, November 12 issue. The title is "Surviving Their Raising." The writer is E.R. Bills who tells of some local bigotry witnessed by Bills' children. I was appalled.

I'll copy the column below, I don't think FW Weekly archives their Second Thought columns, so the point made by E.R. Bills can live on here til this Blog dies.

Surviving Their Raising

Could we make this the last generation of racists?

By E.R. BILLS

A few weeks back, a 7th-grader who hangs around the neighborhood told my kids that Barack Obama was a stupid Muslim terrorist and that if that “nigger” got elected he and his family were moving to Canada.

A week ago, my 10-year-old daughter related the new joke going around her elementary school: What’s the difference between Obama and Simba? Simba is an African lion and Obama is a lyin’ African.

And the day after the election, in a high-school lunch line, a sulky-looking kid standing behind my 15-year-old son was asked by a friend what was wrong. “There’s a nigger in the White House now,” he said. “Yeah, I know,” the girl replied. “I don’t like him either.”

As a parent of mixed-race children, I find the ignorance inherent in these sentiments offensive. I would find it just as revolting if my kids were white, Hispanic, or of any other ethnic background. But I’m not upset with the children who parrot such ideas. I’m unhappy with their parents.

Teenagers are not genetically predisposed to use ugly racial slurs. That kind of prejudice starts at home. Ten-year-olds don’t independently question a politician’s integrity or sit up thinking of ways to mock half of his ethnicity. And young middle-school students don’t instinctively suspect Obama is a Muslim or equate that with being a terrorist. It’s something they get from Mom or Dad — from the language routinely used at home, or the jokes repeated there, or the attitudes that, subtlely or overtly, the grown-ups at home display in dealing with other people.

The “trickle-down” theory of economics may have proven to be a terrible blunder, but the moniker itself is solid. It’s simply misapplied.

Wealth doesn’t trickle down, but ignorance sure does.

If a child’s parents are members of the Ku Klux Klan or the Aryan Nation or are simply active, vocal racists, chances are that child will absorb those repugnant ideologies and learn to discriminate against ethnic minorities. If a child’s father hangs out on street corners holding up signs that say “God Hates Fags,” the chances of that child becoming a homophobic bumpkin who is afraid of gay marriage increase exponentially. If Mom and Dad are shallow, xenophobic neocons who mock anyone the talk radio jocks tell them they should feel threatened by or disagree with, little Timmy is much more inclined to denigrate people who make him uncomfortable or who have different political opinions.

Hate breeds hate. So many of the evils that plague our nation — racism, sexism, homophobia, and general narrowmindedness — are passed down from grandparents to parents to kids like family pictures or precious heirlooms.

Hence, ignorance and cruelty continually dim our collective future. American poet Anne Sexton put it best: “Live or die, but don’t poison everything.”

If you’re so eaten up with hate and fear that you can’t abide the skin color or free will or liberty of others, that’s your prerogative. But please, do us all a favor and keep it to yourself.

No offense, but the world might be a better place if the chains of which you are a link were broken — not to mention the chains you’d like to see the rest of us wrapped in. If we could stop stuffing our children like Thanksgiving turkeys with our preconceived notions and prejudices, they might grow up to figure things out for themselves.

Trust me, as a fellow parent: For my children and yours, life is too short to make them spend years trying to transcend our follies. Let’s allow them a fresh start, a clean slate. And who knows, one of our kids might grow up to be president someday.

Me & My Shadow Roller Blading and Swimming in Texas

Yes, that is me and my shadow rollerblading at Quanah Parker Park a couple hours ago, before lunch. Usually today would be a go hiking at Tandy Hills Park day, but we had so much rain Monday and Tuesday that the Tandy Hills are likely still too wet in places.

The photos in this blogging are showing you parts of Quanah Parker Park I've not shown you before. The paved blading trail meanders for several miles through some interesting terrain. I have had bobcat encounters in this area. And snakes.

You may notice that unlike 2 days ago, today I kept my shirt on. It got a bit nippy, temperature-wise overnight, as in down to 41. It was in the 50s at midnight.

Consequently the pool was a bit cooler this morning. But I still managed to swim for about 45 minutes, starting at 7am. Saturday it is supposed to get down to 35 overnight. That may test my tolerance for cold.

I kept my shirt on for rollerblading, but went shirtless when swimming when it was a lot colder. One more indication of my convoluted thinking.

Both my blogs are on fire at the same time for the first time. Well, actually this is the first time my Durango TV Blog has been on fire, ever. By on fire I mean I somehow blog about something that people are searching for and so the blog gets a lot of hits. It was the blogging about Naked Biking in Seattle that caused this blog to get a lot of hits. On the TV Blog it was blogging about The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Lee Najjar being the supposed boyfriend of the Kept Woman Kim.

When the Blogs get busy the Google ads get clicked on more. For a long time I thought I was having a good ad day when I made 10 bucks. Lately I don't think I have a good day if the total isn't over 30 bucks. That isn't much, but it makes wasting time on blogs seem like less of a waste.

Alma Sings at the Tarpon Ice House in Port Aransas Thursday

Alma will be singing tonight at the Tarpon Ice House down in Port Aransas. I can't tell you how much I wish I could be there.

Alma will be singing about 7pm to 10ish pm Island Time at the Tarpon Ice House 103 Roberts (by the VFW Hall on Alister at Beach Street) Port Aransas TX 78373.

Grab a sweater and come on down to the Tarpon Ice House.

We'll be burning pinion wood in the chiminea and tipping ice cold brewskys in this outside venue. I'm doing this one for fun so we'll just see what mischief we can get into! Don't waste your time at the lame-o local imitation coffee house. They just want your money. Trust me when I tell you this. Just come to the Tarpon Ice house where you can be yourself. We love that!

I'm playing for tips so bring your $1s (bigger bills always welcome) to help me make rent. I want your money, too, but I really care about you. I will sing my butt off for you! This is free music, so anything you can contribute will help! It's the slow season in Port A so I don't have to tell you what that's like! You'll have fun and my friends, known as the locals, will hopefully all come out and you will see why I love them so much! There's no place like Port Aransas and I'm feeling the love today for some reason! :-)

Come - Be Yourself.

Texas Executions

We executed another murderer here in Texas yesterday. It seems barely a week goes by without at least one murderer getting murdered here by lethal injection.

Yesterday's executed killer was named George Whitaker, III. He was 37. He killed the 16 year old sister of his ex-girl friend. And wounded another sister and the sister's mother.

In Washington I only remember a couple of executions. There it such a big deal that it warrants big headlines on the front page. In Texas the executions are about as common as car wrecks, with the article about any given execution being buried far off the front page.

Many Texans don't realize the rest of America does not execute as often as Texas does. Or that Texas executions are one of the few, if not the only thing, that Texas ranks #1 in the nation.

Below is a list of some of the executed this year in Texas. I got the list from a website about Texas executions. There are several of them, including the official State of Texas Department of Criminal Justice Execution webpage.

I am not against capital punishment. I do think it is very unevenly carried out. In Washington the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, got life instead of the death penalty. He murdered dozens upon dozens of women. He should have gotten the death penalty.

11/6/2008
Elkie Taylor
Murder and robbery of a two men in their homes.
10/30/2008
Gregory Wright
Murder and robbery of a woman in her home.
10/28/2008
Eric Nenno
Murder and rape of a 7-year-old girl.
10/21/2008
Joseph Ries
Murder and robbery of a man in his home.
10/16/2008
Kevin Watts
Murder and robbery of three restaurant employees.
10/14/2008
Alvin Kelly
Murder and robbery of a couple and their baby in their home.
9/17/2008
William Murray
Rape, murder, and robbery of a 93-year-old woman.
8/14/2008
Michael Rodriguez
Murder of a policeman while on escape from prison.
8/12/2008
Leon Dorsey
Robbery and murder of two store employees.
8/7/2008
Heliberto Chi
Robbery and murder of a store manager.
8/5/2008
Jose Medellin
Rape and murder of two teenage girls.
7/31/2008
Larry Davis
Murder and robbery of a man in his home.
7/23/2008
Derrick Sonnier
Rape and murder of a woman and murder of her child.
7/10/2008
Carlton Turner
Murder and robbery of his adoptive parents.
6/11/2008
Karl Chamberlain
Rape and murder of a woman in her apartment

Seattle Naked Bike Ride & Fort Worth's Naked Bike Ride

I read the Seattle P-I every morning after I'm done reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It takes me a lot longer to read the P-I than the Star-Telegram. The P-I seems to have a lot more content that catches my attention.

Like this morning there was an article about an activity the likes of which I can't imagine happening here in the Buckle of the Bible Belt. Then again, we do have a local preacher advising his flock to have sex every day for a week, so maybe there could be a Ride in Fort Worth sanctioned by the WNBR (World Naked Bike Ride) Association. Not that there is any connection between riding a bike naked and having sex every day for a week.

Seattle is considering putting some restrictions on people riding bikes naked through the Seattle Center, Gas Works Park, Alki and other locations.

I did not know there was so much naked bike riding going on in Seattle. All I knew about was the annual Fremont Solstice Parade's collection of naked bike riders.

One of the Seattle Naked Bike Riders, Daniel Johnson is quoted as saying, "This is very Seattle. Seattle is one of the most liberal and tolerant cities in the world."

Well, without a doubt Seattle is more liberal and tolerant than Fort Worth and its surrounding area, but I don't think Seattle comes close to being as liberal and tolerant as, well, Amsterdam. I don't think they are selling beer and wine in Seattle's McDonald's yet.

Fort Worth has some areas where I don't think being naked would be a big deal. Like hiking at the Tandy Hills might be more pleasant if one were naked when the temps get real HOT. 95% of the time I go hiking at the Tandy Hills I could be buck naked and know one would see me. Maybe I should organize a Naked Tandy Hills Hike when the weather turns warm again. I will confess to a naked hike up Church Mountain in the North Cascades. This was due to necessity more than the desire to hike naked. I will spare you any further details.

Gas Gets Down To $1.89 In My Neighborhood

Yes, $1.89 is the new low in my zone of Fort Worth.

I remember in July of 2001, my last road trip back to Washington, filling up in Amarillo for $1.19. Gas remained in that range through Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. But then I needed gas in La Grange, Oregon. I was appalled that it was $1.79.

I figured it was so high in La Grange due to the town being up in the mountains and out in the middle of nowhere. And that it'd be cheaper in Washington. So, I only got enough gas to get me to Washington. And soon learned gas was even higher in the Evergreen State.

On the way back, a month later, gas was now $1.41 in Amarillo and people were grumbling about President Bush. I don't recollect what he'd done at the time that had people blaming him for the gas price jump. 9/11 happened a week or so later, with most of us happy with how George Bush handled that. For awhile.

And now gas is almost back to being at pre-9/11 prices. Likely actually lower if inflation is factored in.

One personal note of how this drop in gas prices is affecting me. When last I talked to my mom she told me with the newly cheap price of gas they are thinking of taking a road trip to Texas again. I hope they don't plan on making any raspberry jam. We don't have raspberries in Texas. Not that I know of.

Roller Blading Storm Therapy & Glass Explosions

I think I already mentioned I had me a day yesterday. A 12 hour storm had left me powerless. The morning started off nice with a pleasant swim in a pool filled to the brim with fresh rainwater. The day went downhill from there.

About 9 in the morning I took off on what ended up being about 100 miles of driving, taking care of multiple little problems.

By the time I got back here, around noon, I decided I needed some relaxing, endorphin producing activity. So, I drove some more, the short distance to Quanah Parker Park. There was a little leftover flooding, but it was mostly dry.

After about an hour of roller blading I got back here and sat down powerlessly wondering when I was going to see light again. And then with a beep and a flash I was at full power once more.

I peacefully took care of some business and pondered what I wanted for lunch when I heard a horribly loud explosion and crashing noise coming from my kitchen. I ran to see what it was. There was glass covering the floor and the stovetop. At first I could not figure out what glass thing had shattered.

And then I saw that a stove top unit was on. I had it on when the power went out. And hadn't turned it off. Unfortunately I'd put a big Corningware glass baking pan on the unit. Lesson learned, I hope, I won't make that mistake again.

I wish I had taken a photo of the glass mess, but, I had another power issue, my camera batteries were dead.

Texas Preacher Urges A Week Of Sex Daily

I'm up real early this morning, a bit before 4am. I had me a day yesterday and went to bed way too early.

I heard the newspaper clunk against the door about 4:30, so I quit reading the most interesting book I've read in a long time, that being Richard Nixon's In The Arena and switched to reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Lately the Star-Telegram has been a bit of a disappointment due to me not noticing anything amusingly weird to make fun of.

The only thing amusing in this morning's paper was a story about a Grapevine, Texas preacher, Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church, who, from his pulpit, urged the married people in his flock to have sex daily for a week. I don't know what the preacher advises be done after the week is up.

I also don't know why unmarried people are being discriminated against. Every day for a week sounds like a lot of work. Great timing though, my 6 month supply of Viagra arrived Monday. In the box of blue pills was the amusing light switch you see above.

Now I've got to plot my schedule for the week, extremely religious person that I am.

Stormy Monday in Texas With Day After Damage

From Monday night til Tuesday morning, starting at 6pm, ending about 6am, we had ourselves the longest lightning storm that I remember experiencing here in North Texas.

Along with the lightning and thunder we had a lot of rain. The rain just about overflowed my pool. But that didn't stop me from going swimming about 7am. All the rain seemed to have warmed up the water.

But the lightning and rain had a more personal effect on me than the constant booming making sleeping a challenge, along with 6 new inches of water in the pool. The storm also managed to zap my electronic world. There were a few very direct strikes. I suspect one of them is the reason I am still having trouble connecting to the Internet.

And could not watch TV last night. I've no idea if anyone got injured on Dancing with the Stars or Prison Break. Or if the local Weather Reporters interrupted TV over and over again with possible tornado sightings.

So I am over at Miss Puerto Rico's blogging, waiting for my system to get back working. I don't know why I'm not more upset by this inconvenience than I am. Maybe it's because I've gone down this particular road before. And it always works out. Eventually.

The City Of Fort Worth Was Recognized For What?

Baffling incoming info from Don Young this morning. Something called the North Texas Clean Air Clean Air Coalition named Fort Worth as a Clean Air Champion and as the 2008 Working for Clean Air Fleet Operations Employer of the Year. Wow, that's a mouthful.

In foundationless type verbiage usually seen in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the City of Fort Worth official website had the following opening sentence in their article about being an air pollution champion---"The City of Fort Worth prides itself on taking the lead in reducing air pollution."

How did someone ascertain that Fort Worth prides itself on this that or the other thing? I live in Fort Worth. I don't pride myself regarding Fort Worth taking the lead in anything, let alone reducing air pollution.

Regarding Fort Worth's air pollution, new research by The Emissions Inventory (EDF) conducted by Dr. Al Armendariz, Prof. of SMU's Environmental and Civil Engineering Dept. and announced at various university and public lectures in the past few weeks has a radically different view of Fort Worth's air pollution.

As in.....

--Toxic emissions of, NOx (Nitrogen oxide) and VOC's (hydrocarbons), directly attributable to gas drilling, are equal to ALL the motorized vehicles in the 9 county Metroplex, including Dallas.

--Barnett Shale drilling produces 262 tons per day of these pollutants.

--This does NOT include "fugitive emissions" which would at least EQUAL the NOx and VOC's.

--Nor does this include many other toxic pollutants such as, CO2 and NORM.

--This study does NOT include impacts on water supplies or other issues of human health and safety or environmental degradation caused by gas drilling.

--VOC's released into the environment can damage soil and groundwater.

--All contribute to global warming.

Does the City of Fort Worth, led by Mayor Mike Moncrief and his staff deserve recognition for cleaning up the air?

Consider this and draw your own conclusions:

--The City of FW has permitted about 300 NEW gas wells in 2008, alone.
--The city continues to issue new permits at the rate of approx. 30 per week.
--The total number of permitted gas wells in the city limits is near 1,500.
--Up to 7,000 gas wells are projected to be drilled inside the city limits of FW.
--The human population of Fort Worth is approx. 700,000.

Sunday With Chesapeake Energy & Mother Nature

I am sorry about my lazy slacking yesterday. I know my one reader looks forward eagerly to my daily swimming report. Well, yesterday it got down to 38 from a high at midnight of 51. So, the water was a little colder. But it remained easy to get past the bracingly cold first minute and swim for 30 more.

By noon I'd decided to bail on going to the Fort Worth Stockyards til next weekend. A Dirty Love Burger from the Love Shack will have to wait.

Instead I decided to go to the Tandy Hills and take some video, mainly of the Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling operation that has pretty much de-naturalized a large area of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

After I was done with taking video I decided to go roller blading at Quanah Parker Park. That was fun. It was windy. I don't believe I'll be doing any roller blading or hiking today. It is supposed to be quite stormy here in North Texas today. I will try to go swimming. Rain is irrelevant when one is already all wet.

I got back here about 3 and grilled steak. After that I made the video you can watch below. I did not get around to YouTubing it or blogging about swimming or blading yesterday because I got a desperate call from a desperate person who desperately needed help with a female problem. That took up the next several hours.

And then I went to bed. But did not sleep well. So, I got up at 5am. The sun is finally up. An attempt to go swimming in the rain and cold will likely soon follow. I'll let you know how that goes. It ought not be too bad, the high at midnight was 60, currently it is 59. So, the water and air temperature will be warmer than yesterday's swim.

Oh. I forgot to mention that is the current state of the Scott Avenue piece of guerrilla art known as "Mother Nature" at the top. She is getting a bit threadbare. Today's storm may do her in. You'll see "Mother Nature" in the video below as well as above.

45th Anniversary of JFK Assassination

It's less than 2 weeks til the November 22 45th Anniversary of the John F. Kennedy Assassination. It seems like just yesterday I went to Dealey Plaza for the 40th Anniversary. That event attracted a very large crowd.

I got some good video that day. You can watch that below. If you've never been to the 6th Floor Museum and you are in the Dallas zone, either residing or visiting, you really need to go. The museum very eerily takes you back in time. The 6th Floor Museum may be the best museum I've ever been to.

I've been twice. The first time was good. The second time was with my mom and dad. They weren't too interested. Mom said it's because they lived it and remembered it all. But, when we were outside I pointed out the Grassy Knoll. What's that mom asked? I pointed out the Triple Overpass. What's that mom asked? I pointed out Dealey Plaza. What's that mom asked? I pointed out the 6th Floor window. Mom knew what that was.

After we were done with Dealey Plaza and JFK mom and dad were hungry. So, I took them to the one of the World's Most Unique McDonald's. They knew what that was.

Opinionated Germans & Kristallnacht

Today is the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht. If you don't know what that is you should ask for a refund of what you paid to get educated.

I know there were good Germans who did not like the Nazis. But the vast majority of Germans did like what Hitler was doing for them.

I've long thought the Germans got off way to easily for their bad behavior during the last century. Unlike what the U.S. did in Iraq in booting all Baathists from their jobs, after WWII the U.S. only chopped off the top of the Nazi hierarchy. I think thousands of Germans should have been held accountable at Nuremberg rather than the 100s who were and the even fewer who were executed for their crimes against humanity.

Here in Texas we regularly execute murderers who don't come close to the bad deeds of Nazis who were allowed to live.

It grates on me when I read that in all the world it is the Germans who currently have the lowest opinion of the United States and what they see as America's bad behavior. Unlike the Germans during the Nazi era the majority of Americans are as tired of George Bush and his inept government as the rest of the world. And unlike the Germans us Americans have taken care of our problem, it didn't require an invasion to topple our bad regime.

I don't think enough years have passed for Germans to mouth off about any other country. Germans should still be eternally grateful for how the rest of the world, particularly America, helped them recover after their country wreaked havoc on the world. Maybe in a thousand years it might be okay for a German to mouth off about America. Maybe.

Alma Sings Tonight at the Tarpon Ice House in Port Aransas

When Alma aka The Songbird of the South Gulf Coast has a singing gig she sends out an email announcement. The way Alma describes it it always makes me want to go.

There is a place on Lake Eagle Mountain called Augie's Sunset Cafe that is what I picture Port Aransas to be like. I don't know if Augie's Sunset Cafe survived flooding a couple years ago. It was in very deep water.

Anyway, below is Alma's Tarpon Ice House singing info. If you're in the neighborhood you'll likely want to go. I'd go, but my neighborhood is about 400 miles north of Port Aransas. I love the part about 'island time' and 'leash your doggie if it is skittish'....

Alma will be opening for Al Barlow at the Tarpon Ice House on Saturday November 8, 2008.

103 Roberts (by the VFW Hall at Alister and Beach)Port Aransas TX 78373

5pm to 8pm-ish Island Time

Come join us early and secure your good seats to watch tonight's show. Alma will be opening at 5pm and singing until Mr. Barlow starts. She will be doing all her old favorites and re-introducing new material she's worked up in the past few weeks.You can bring your doggie. Leash the doggies if they're skittish.

You can meet the friendly and interesting Port A locals who call the TIH their second home. The lovely Sheila or Julie will be your bartendresses. These wonderful ladies have a talent for knowing just when your beer is iced down to perfection! Join us and relax and chill in this unique open air venue. If you get hungry, there are a coupla restaurants where you can take a break and eat or you can call the Port A Pizzeria or Thaiphoon and they can deliver munchies to you. Alma recommends the chicken wings and the green chicken curry. Her favorites.

Then stay and have some more ice cold beer and listen to the very cool sounds of Al Barlow. Alma will be hanging around to meet you and check out the show.

If you have TOO much fun, they will call you a cab. The fare is only $5 anywhere in town.What a deal!

So, come on down. They'd all love to meet you! It beats hanging around the house and watching TV. It's another gorgeous day in Port A and of course, it will be another gorgeous night!

Gas Falls to $1.94 in Fort Worth

On the way to the Tandy Hills today to go hiking with Anonymous 1 & 2 I saw gas had gone down another nickel at the Tandy Hills Gas Station. So, when I was done with the hiking, 2 hours of hiking, I got me some gas.

It was not convenient to call my mom likely I usually do when I get gas. I'll call tomorrow to tell her I got gas. She'll want to complain about her weather. Last week when I called after I got gas she told me they'd not gotten under 90 in the Phoenix zone yet. But last night I saw it got down to 49. So, mom should be chilly.

Mom and dad suffered along with me with the frigid winter-like cold of Tacoma last summer. Those who've never acclimated to a HOT climate don't understand what it's like to go from being acclimated to 100 degree plus temps to a place where 60 is considered hot.

Have I mentioned my friend from way back in grade school who moved to the South the same time I did? She moved to Ada, Oklahoma. She has now moved back to Washington. They have been up there since June. I talked to her earlier in the week and I asked if she's gotten acclimated to the cold yet. She said she hasn't.

I remember my next to the last day up in Tacoma, it was so cold, I was shivering. Someone called and I said I was freezing. I was told I complain about the cold to get attention. That annoyed me. Because it was an ignorant thing to say. It still annoys me. How can someone be so stupid as to tell someone they are trying to get attention due to saying they are cold? What is the attention one would be getting. I really can not stand stupid people. I've just now made up my mind on that serious issue.

The hike on the Tandy Hills trails went in some new directions today, all the way out of the park to the west to view the Chesapeake Energy Tandy Hills Desecration Zone and all the way to the east on a trail I don't remember being on before. This trail went over the boulder strewn creek bed you see in the photo. It ended at a nice little pocket part that had a picnic table, BBQ and strange square wooden places to sit.

I think I'm going to the Fort Worth Stockyards tomorrow. That plan may change. I want to have a Dirty Love Burger at the Love Shack. That's one of Fort Worth's celebrity chef, Tim Love's restaurants.

The Love Shack used to be the outdoor singing zone for the White Elephant Saloon. But now it's been turned into the outdoor eating zone (and likely singing, too) for the Love Shack.

The Love Shack's Dirty Love Burger keeps getting mentioned as being among the best in various venues, like magazine articles, ranking burgers. My best all time burger is an In & Out burger. The locals think this place called Kincaid's is the best local burger. I didn't care for Kincaid's. These people need to get out of Fort Worth more often.

Swimming Does Not Make Me SAD

I've noticed the telltale signs that SADness has begun to take its annual toll on those in the gray, wet, cold Pacific Northwest.

Seasonally Affected Disorder (SAD) is also known as winter depression or winter blues. Those affected with SAD may sleep too much, have little energy and crave sweets and starchy foods. In other words, being SAD can make you fat.

When I was up in Tacoma, this past summer, I felt SAD almost from the time I landed. By the time I was back in the air, a month later, I was really SAD. It took about a week of Texas sun and heat to put an end to my SADness.

You people who live with SADness need to get yourself to some sunlight. Drive over to Eastern Washington. It's usually sunny there. Or get a sunlamp. And get yourself vertical and go do something physical outside, even though it's cold and raining. That's what long underwear and umbrellas were made for, to keep you warm and dry.

In Texas I never experience SADness, likely for a variety of reasons. Including, everyday I go swimming, early in the morning. The low this morning was 41, at midnight the temperature was 52. When I went swimming this morning it'd warmed up to 48. It's a bit past 10am now and it's 65. I think by the time I got out of the pool it was in the 60s because I was able to warm up in the sun, as you can see in the photo.

I Am A Grammar Nazi

Everyone makes a grammar mistake every once in awhile. Even I have made one. Or two. I know we are not all blessed with the same level of either brain power or education. But most of us made it through high school. By the time most of us got out of high school we had been subjected to many many hours of English classes.

Unfortunately, for some those English classes did not do a lot of good. What is perplexing me right at the moment is how can someone write a sentence with the following mistakes....

"If your gonna ask what there doing why dont you just do what there doing if your so curious?"

How hard is it to remember that "they're", "their" and "there" have 3 different meanings? And to use them appropriately?

How hard is it to remember that "your" and "you're" have 2 different meanings?

Now, I am totally cognizant of the fact that it is easy to make the mistake of typing "your" when you mean "you're". I've made that mistake myself. But when I make it it is a fluke, a typo.

I am aware of someone who has seriously degraded thinking, she's on the left side of the IQ Bell Curve. She made it through high school but any higher education was not feasible due to acceptance standards. But still, how does one write paragraph after paragraph of barely coherent sentences verbalizing barely coherent thoughts and not realize that the word they are looking for is "you're" not "your"?

I get the concept of making your own rules sometimes when it comes to grammar. I do that. Like I think the correct thing to do when using quotation marks is to do this, "quote." As in the period goes inside the quotation mark. I put it outside. Why? I dunno. I think it makes more sense, I guess. So, this is a conscious choice, not something that occurs because of degrading thinking.

Anyway, if me writing about they're, there, their, your and you're causes just one person to pay attention to this all too common mistake I will have done my bit to serve humanity for the day.

But now I must go serve my own humanity by going swimming. It's only 48 out there. I hope it's doable. Yikes, that's another one. "Its" and "it's". "Its" is a possessive pronoun, "it's" is a contraction of "it is". How hard is that to remember? I suppose I shouldn't be so judgemental. It can't be easy to go through life with degraded thinking.

Yikes again. That's another one. "Through" and "threw". Even with degraded thinking how can one mix up those two words?

Debating the McCain Palin Feud

It got a tad nasty on the Republican side, in more ways than one, as the election drew to a close. The worst of the nastiness seemed to be being directed from the McCain side, not towards President Obama, but towards that lil' ol' Diva, Sarah Palin. What an unseemly spectacle....

Texas Gas Under 2 Bucks, Car Wrecks & Roller Blading

About noon I had to go to Washington Mutual again. On the way, on I-820 near the Northeast Mall, I saw my first bad wreck in a long time. A van and a car had a bad meeting. Both looked totalled. But I don't think anyone was injured. The drivers were out of the vehicles, the passengers were still inside. The police had arrived. There seemed to be no worrying about the condition of those in the vehicles.

Cars have gotten so much safer, what with air bags and better designs. 30 years ago I don't think anyone would have gotten out of a wreck like I saw today without bad injuries or, most likely, dead.

After I was done at the bank I headed back south and went to Village Creek Natural Historical Area to go roller blading.

Yesterday's heavy wind caused the trail to be covered with leaves in places. Leaves are not a roller blader's ally. But I negotiated them without a fall. The armadillos were being real busy today. They also are not a roller blader's ally.

As you can see from the photos, gas has fallen under 2 bucks all over my zone of Texas. And there are no long lines. Just a couple weeks ago when it went under 3 bucks in a nearby gas price war, the line of cars extended out on the road.

Just a couple months ago, when I was in Tacoma, the Puyallup Tribe lowered the price at their Reservation Station to $3.99, causing lines of cars to back up onto I-5.

Okay, that's my report from my zone of Fort Worth for the day. Did I already remember to mention I went swimming again this morning at 7am? It got down to 45 last night, the high at midnight was 60. The water seemed way warmer than the air. I swam a long time.

Follow the Money-Brick Road to Chesapeake Energy Way

Fresh Incoming Info From Don Young........

It wasn't enough to have bought-off elected officials and institutions eating out of their hands.

It wasn't enough to cover our billboards, buses, newspaper pages and airwaves with their propaganda.

It wasn't enough to buy and pillage our most sacred land for their dirty deeds.

With Chesapeake Energy, too much is never enough. (apologies to Mae West)

In their latest display of arrogance, to sear their filthy brand on Dirty Ol' Town (aka: Fort Worth, Texas), Chesapeake Energy has arranged to rename a public street. (see photo above) Formerly known as Pier 1 Place, the street has been re-branded as, Energy Way.

How quaint.

What strings does one have to pull at City Hall to get a street renamed, anyway?

Hmmm. Not a bad idea.

I think I'll call MaYoR MiKe tomorrow and ask to have my street renamed. Maybe something like.... Just Say NO (@#$%&*!) Way.

Maybe you will do the same.

Mayor's Office
1000 Throckmorton St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102

Telephone: 817-392-6118
Fax: 817-392-6187
E-mail: mike.moncrief@fortworthgov.org

I Am A Drug Addict

Yes. It's true. I am a drug addict. I've got 2 monkeys on my back. One in the morning. One at night. The morning monkey has plagued me for decades. I've tried to get the morning monkey off my back but the withdrawal headaches are so bad I've never stayed clean for long.

Every morning my day starts off with me laying on the floor, reading a newspaper and drinking 5 or 6 cups off coffee. The current pattern is I get wired up and then go swimming. This morning that happened a bit past 7. Overnight the low got to 45, the high at midnight was 60. The water didn't feel any colder than yesterday.

I used to think I had to drink coffee in the afternoon, by 4pm, or I'd get a coffee withdrawal headache. I long broke free of that habit and I no longer get headaches. The only thing these days that makes my head ache is if I am around annoying people. I know no annoying people in Texas, so I'm pretty much headache free.

My other drug addiction started last summer when I was in Tacoma. I was having trouble sleeping so I started taking Unisom sleeping pills. I continued taking them when I got back to Texas. I hate insomnia and these pills pretty much knock me out, yet I'm able to wake up early without being at all drowsy.

But, I believe the sleeping pills are part of the cause of my periodic high blood pressure. So, last night I stopped taking sleeping pills cold turkey. And I had no problem sleeping

I know the coffee also contributes to high blood pressure. And may contribute to having trouble sleeping. Maybe I could cut back, but there's no way I'm going through coffee withdrawal again.

I may have a 3rd drug addiction. That being an addiction to endorphins. If I don't do an aerobic exercise thing during the day I start feeling not so good. This is why I think I'm liking this early morning ice cold swim. It starts the day off with a good combo of caffeine and endorphins that leaves me feeling a bit sedated.

I don't think I'll give up the exercise endorphin addiction. If anything I may amp it up so as to tire myself out so as to sleep easily without craving a sleeping pill.

It's difficult coping with these addictions, there are no support groups, but I get by, taking it one day at a time.

Fort Worth Gas Below $2

On the way to going to the Tandy Hills to go hiking I go by a gas station that always has the cheapest gas. My regular co-hiker and I regularly guess as to what the latest price will be. There is no prize for being closest to the correct price.

Today as we neared the Tandy Hills gas station I guessed $1.99. My regular co-hiker guessed $2.03. $2.03 was correct.

Then, a bit over an hour later, driving back by the Tandy Hills gas station, the price had fallen by 4 cents and I now had the correct amount.

And now for today's early morning swimming news. The overnight low got down to 54. So, it was a bit nippy going outside. But the water was warmer than the air. I swam for a half hour or so.

Voting on Boondoggles in Texas and Washington

I mentioned last week, or was it the week before, that voting is so different in Texas than I was used to in Washington. In Texas it seems you vote on dozens upon dozens of judges. And a couple other things. I didn't bother voting on the judges because I knew nothing about them. It took me less than 15 seconds to vote in Texas. It used to take way longer in Washington.

I did vote yes on the only to non-human things on the ballot, that being allowing booze to be sold in stores and restaurants in Fort Worth. I did not understand the need for these two propositions because you can already buy booze in stores and restaurants in Fort Worth.

By way of showing the extreme contrast in what the citizens get to vote for in Washington and Texas, three Washington counties, King, Pierce and Snohomish voted in favor of expanding the, soon to open, light rail. And to expand the regional bus system. The light rail will now go north to Lynnwood in Snohomish County, south to Federal Way and east, across the I-90 floating bridge, to Bellevue and Redmond. Redmond is where Microsoft is located.

I can't imagine any combo of the counties that make up the D/FW Metroplex voting on a proposition together for their mutual benefit. When the Dallas Cowboys demanded a new stadium there was no suggestion that all of North Texas vote to fund it, or the towns of the D/FW Metroplex, or even one county of the Metroplex. Instead it fell to the little town of Arlington to vote to tax themselves to build the $billion plus stadium. And abuse their neighbors with the most outrageous use of eminent domain in American history.

Contrast what was done to Arlington to get a new stadium for Jerry Jones with what was done in Seattle to get the Seahawks a new stadium. The entire state of Washington voted and passed the proposal to tear down the Kingdome and build a new stadium. The population of Washington is smaller than the population of the D/FW Metroplex.

Fort Worth is moving ahead with a, in my opinion, bizarre, likely boondoggle plan, to alter the Trinity River to build a little lake, some canals, a flood control diversion channel and some wetlands restoration. This is called the Trinity River Vision. The main trouble I see with this supposed vision is that the citizens of Fort Worth have not been allowed to vote on this project which will greatly alter their city.

In my opinion it should be against the law to use eminent domain to take property for projects the public has not approved of via the ballot box.

The fact that the citizens of Fort Worth do not get to vote on Fort Worth projects may be why so many of them turn into boondoggles. The Ruling Junta does not have to make its case to the people, they just plow ahead, like a dictatorship. Stalin used to come up with some rather goofy Trinity River Vision type boondoggles. There I would have been likely shot for calling a Stalin project a boondoggle.

Here in Fort Worth I feel relatively safe from the Ruling Junta. Relatively.

The Reddest State in the Union

Slightly edited incoming from Don Young....

Which is the REDDEST state in the U.S.A.? (red from embarrassment?)

Is it Texas? Nope.

Is it Alaska? Nope.

Is it Alabama? Nope.

Is it Arizona? Nope.

Is it Utah? Nope.

Is it Arkansas? Nope.

Is it Wyoming? Nope.

The winner of the honor of being the REDDEST state in the nation goes to Oklahoma! Home of Chesapeake Energy and Aubrey McClendon. And likely Snidely Whiplash, but I'm just speculating on that.

There is not a single county in Oklahoma that went BLUE. Oklahoma voted 65.5% for McCain to 34.4% for our new President, Barack Obama. A larger McCain margin of victory than any of the other 49 states.

Obviously, this is a strictly non-partisan message. That goes without saying, so why did I say it, I can't help but wonder....

Making Juneteenth a National Holiday

I got a comment this morning on a blog I wrote way back on June 19. Before I moved to Texas I'd never heard of Juneteenth. Now it's a holiday in 29 states, including my home state of Washington. There is a movement to make this a National Holiday. I'm of the opinion this is a good idea. Below is the comment I got from "Doc" about making Juneteenth a National Holiday....

Juneteenth is America’s 2nd Independence Day celebration. Americans of African descent were trapped in the tyranny of enslavement on the country's first "4th of July", 1776, Independence Day. We honor our ancestors, Americans of African descent, who heard the news of freedom and celebrated with great joy and jubilation, on the "19th of June", Juneteenth, 1865.

It took over 88 years for the news of freedom to be announced in Southwest Texas, over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln.

The National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign has worked diligently for several years to establish legislation in 29 states to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance, the District of Columbia, as well as the Congress of the United States. This has been a great accomplishment for the "Modern Juneteenth Movement" in America, reaching far beyond the establishment of Juneteenth as a state holiday in the place were it all began, in Texas, first celebrated in 1980.

Together we will see Juneteenth become a National Holiday in America!

“DOC”
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
www.Juneteenth.us
www.19thofJune.com
www.njclc.com
www.JuneteenthJazz.com

Another Warning of an Upcoming Texas Ecological Disaster

The Weatherford Democrat, that's a newspaper in Weatherford, Texas. Weatherford is in Parker County. Parker County borders Tarrant County to the west. Tarrant County is where Fort Worth is.

Enough of the geography lesson. Yesterday the Weatherford Democrat reported in a report titled "Another saltwater leak found" that a leak has been discovered in a salt-water transmission pipeline owned by Barnett Gathering.

The leaking pipeline runs through property owned by Cole's Plants, Inc. and Harry's Greenhouses, Inc., near the town of Brock. The leak has already killed plants.

The saltwater running through these type pipes is a by-product of the Barnett Shale fraccing process. The saltwater contains chemicals, metals and other materials that are detrimental to the environment.

This spill is the second in the area to come to light lately.

Click to read the Weatherford Democrat article....

World Celebrates America & President Obama

It appears the People of the World woke up this morning to find themselves in a happy place. Those are Kenyans celebrating America's Election in the photo. Similar scenes have been happening all over the world.

Suddenly there seems to be optimism in the air. I read one quote, from I think it was a person in Iran, that overnight America had become, again, the America the world has long looked up to. Or something like that.

I was surprised by my reaction last night. I stayed up way past my regular bedtime. At 10pm when the polls closed on the West Coast and California was projected for Obama, thus making him our new President, the scene at Grant's Park in Chicago was one of the more amazing things I've watched on TV.

You had Jesse Jackson with tears running down his cheeks. You had Oprah with a look of utter peace and contentment.

As I channel chased after Obama had won I saw many moving moments. Civil Rights hero, now Representative John Lewis, a man who in the 1960s was left beaten and bloody on an Alabama bridge, beaten because he was marching for the right to vote, 40 years later voted for Barack Obama. Rep. Lewis said he really never believed he would live to see what he saw happen last night.

What surprised me about me last night was several times I got, well, sort of choked up. I'd been a tad reluctant about Obama, particularly after his choice of Joe Biden. I would have much preferred someone like Bill Richardson. But last night as that scene unfolded, as I saw how people were affected, and then I sat there feeling affected, realizing this was one of those moments that does not happen all that often, as in being eye witness, via TV, to a historic world-changing moment.

I have long thought that America was better than its reputation regarding race relations. I've long thought the majority of Americans had long ago decided that being racist was pure evil ignorance and that it was just plain wrong. I think the majority of people of all races, religions and ethnic groups are not racist, are embarrassed by those who are and want us all to just get along.

Some are saying that Obama's election proves America has now moved beyond its racist past. I think we moved beyond it long before Obama's election. For a long time now we've seen people like Colin Powell, Condalezza Rice in positions of power. Colin Powell might easily have won this election had he decided to run.

Decades ago there were few people but white people on TV. Now we have diversity on news shows, entertainment shows, all over all media. At one time it was a big deal that Sidney Poitier won an Oscar. At one point it was a big deal that Diahann Carrol played the title role on a sit-com named Julia. A couple decades after that Bill Cosby had the top-rated sit-com showing a very successful, very functional, very funny Black family.

Barack Obama is not the first person with African roots to be embraced by America. Remember the profound affect Alex Haley's Roots had on America when that mini-series aired night after night with the country riveted? We took a great leap forward as a nation after Roots raised America's consciousness of the real history of the Black experience in America.

Remember when America first met the late Barbara Jordan of Texas? Back in the 70s, during the Nixon Impeachment Hearings, she, with a voice of authority that demanded attention said the memorable words, "Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States: "We, the people." It's a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that "We, the people." I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in "We, the people.""

And now, it is totally undeniable, we are all included in "We the People." That's a good thing. For everyone, everywhere.

Washington State Celebrates Our New President Obama

I stayed up way later than my norm last night, glued to the TV. Best night of election viewing ever. More on that later. Most of Texas went for McCain. But my zone of Texas, that being the D/FW zone did not. Nor did the Austin zone, and a few other isolated pockets of Texas.

Meanwhile the zone I lived in in Washington, that being west of the mountains, the Puget Sound region, one of the bluest, most liberal, most progressive parts of America went solidly for Obama.

That first photo is people in my old home town of Mount Vernon celebrating Obama's win. The other photo was taken by my little sister in Tacoma. That's a line of Washingtonians waiting to vote. They look so cold.

I did not hear any horn honking or celebratory noises here last night. Maybe downtown Fort Worth and Dallas had a lot of people on the streets. I don't know. The Star-Telegram made no mention of such a thing this morning.

Check out the video below to see what happened in downtown Seattle last night after we got a new President. From the video it appears people flooded downtown from Pike Place to Westlake Center and beyond. You never see this many people being happy on the streets of downtown Fort Worth.

I Feel Good About America Tonight

That's all I've got....

My Right To Life, Sax & Roller Blading In Texas

More on the sax later.

First, my daily swimming report. I got in the water about 7am. It was a bit cooler than yesterday, but it was very pleasant. After I became numbed.

Rush Limbaugh didn't wear on my nerves today. Because I turned him off after about 10 minutes.

I had to go to Washington Mutual again today. Before that I went to the Post Office and got gas. Not at the Post Office, but at the gas station near the Post Office. $2.08 a gallon. I didn't call mom to tell her I got gas. I'd just done that on Sunday. It'd just worry her if she knew I got gas again so soon.

After Washington Mutual I went to Quanah Parker Park to go roller blading. As I put on my blades I started to hear music. A mournful sort of sound. In the distance I saw a guy standing, playing a saxophone. He seemed to be quite good. But I'm tone deaf, so who knows.

That's the sax player in the first photo. That's me roller blading in the second photo.

I had me quite a fine time roller blading. Today it was windy which makes rolling on wheels a bit more challenging.

After I was done with Quanah Parker Park I went to my polling place to check out some books. There seemed to be a lot of voters. There was one annoying woman holding a big "Vote Right to Life" sign. I don't care if that's her point of view. I just don't want her waving a sign at me when I'm going to get a book.

So, that's my Election Day excitement for now. My Election Night Party starts at 7. You are welcome to come. Just don't bring any signs. Or say anything stupid. I maintain a Stupid-Free Zone nowadays. If I can help it. Which I can.

Dixville Notch & Hart's Location Pick Obama in a Landslide

Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, in New Hampshire, have voted. And their votes have been counted. Obama won by a landslide.

Is this a predictor of how the rest of the day goes?

Who knows?

Historically the two town's have gone for both the winners and the losers in the elections since 1948 when they began their on and off tradition of being first in the nation to be counted.

The voters in the 2 New Hampshire villages started voting at midnight. Each voter gets their own voting booth, so that there is no line, so as to speed up the vote counting.

Dixville Notch gets a 100% voter turnout. I don't know about Hart's Location. I do know Hart's Location is an odd name for a village. It must be the location of Hart.

Barack Obama the Terrorist

In a this could only happen in Texas type thing a member of the Texas State Board of Education, Cynthia Dunbar, in a column published in something called the Christian Worldview Network, said that Barack Obama, likely to be our next President by the end of today, is plotting with terrorists to attack the United States.

Ms. Dunbar has been asked to retract her bizarre assertions. She says "I don't have anything in there that would be retractable. Those are my personal opinions and I don't think the language is questionable."

In her column Dunbar said that there will be a terrorist attack on America during the first 6 months of Obama's administration. And that this attack "will be a planned effort by those with whom Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is a threat to tyranny."

Dunbar also asserts that Obama will use the terrorist attack as an excuse to declare martial law.

In response to those who are appalled and disgusted by this woman's idiocy Dunbar said, "Right now, we're still in America and we still have freedom of speech. And unless that's changed I'm not aware of it."

That freedom of speech thing includes the freedom to suggest that whoever has firing power over people on the State of Texas Board of Education should immediately remove this idiotic woman from a position where she has any say regarding the education of Texas children. Then maybe there needs to be an investigation as to how such an idiot could have been placed in such a position.

Obama's Obscene Gesture Towards John McCain

I heard it first this morning while I was doing Yoga while listening to Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh has really been wearing on my nerves the last few weeks. Gone is most of the humor, replaced by a ranting blowhard. He's taken a huge credibility hit with me.

And then today, between ranting about Obama not helping his Aunt Zeituni, who is in the country illegally, lives in a slum and who managed to send Obama a $260 contribution, which Obama sent back, without adding a penny to help his poor aunt and Obama's brother living in a hut in Africa, Rush managed to mention that Barack had given John the finger today.

I found this hard to believe. But then I remembered the reports of him doing the same thing to Hillary. I figured it was just an accident in the Hillary case. So, it turns out that Obama did appear to do what Limbaugh said he did. It looked quite calculated to me.

To late for me to change my vote.

You can watch the YouTube video of Barack's obscene gesture below. But hurry, YouTube seems to be pulling these videos soon after they appear....

Veterans Park & Veterans Day

Yes, I realize you want my daily swimming report. Yes, I went swimming this morning about 7am, swam for about an hour. The water was warmer than yesterday.

I had to go visit Washington Mutual today. I decided to go to the one by Veterans Park in Arlington, due to thinking I'd like to take a nice hike there. And so I did.

The Veterans Memorial at Veterans Park isn't finished yet. As you can see in the first photo it was being feverishly worked on today by a large group. I suspect they may be getting it ready for some sort of dedication ceremony next Tuesday, that being Veterans Day.

Fall has fallen hard at Veterans Park, just like it has everywhere. But, flowers are still blooming. One of the cool parts of Veterans Park is a Wildscape garden called a Xeriscape. Or a Xeriscape garden called a Wildscape, I forget which way it goes. It's all plants native to Texas, hardy plants that don't need much water. It's a show garden to give people an example of what they could do in their own gardens. The Xeriscape/Wildscape is designed to survive on only 2 waterings a year during a drought.

This put me in mind of last summer in drippy, cold Tacoma where I was chastised several times for not watering enough. I knew from my own successful plant growing that my sister's plants were being drowned. Poor, sickly tomato. Made my heart ache to see the drowning torture those plants were put through.
So, all these photos except for the first one and the last three are of the Texas Xeriscape. I pray my little sister reads this and stops with the watering madness. It's profoundly disturbing. Particularly where it rains a lot.

In the distance, in the photo above with a lot of trees, you can see the flags you saw in the first photo.

The next photo is of the wildside of Veterans Park. Very steep hills. It can be treacherous due to the need to watch out for flying frisbees tossed by the disc golfers. Bizarre sport. Looks funner than normal golf though.

The last photo was part of an area of chalk art scrawled on the paved trail. The one in the photo appears to be the Empire State Building with the message saying "I Love NY."

That's it for today's look at Mother Nature in Texas.

Crying Wolf For Chesapeake Energy

I've mentioned previously that I get a lot of comments from what I suspected, though the suspect denied it, was a Chesapeake Shill, using a slightly less obvious propaganda technique than their previous more ham-handed approach which used embarrassingly stupid boilerplate comments that us who received them exposed them for what they were.

The suspected Chesapeake Energy Shill in question calls himself wolfcry44.

So, my crack team of Internet Fraud Investigators has uncovered evidence that wolfcry44 is, in fact, associated in some way with Chesapeake Energy. Whether this makes him a shill or not, I'll let you decide.

And now that that is out of the way, it is time for lunch. Homemade Pea Soup with Grilled Cheese on Whole Wheat. No natural gas was used in the grilling of that cheese.

Durango Texas: The Documentary

Last week a Director / Producer / Film Maker / Documentarian / Reality TV Maker contacted me to see if I'd be willing to be interviewed for a documentary about the Barnett Shale drilling.

Apparently it is what I've written about Chesapeake Energy and Aubrey McClendon that I would be interviewed about.

Trouble is, I don't know that I'm interview-worthy. It's one thing to be a blowhard spewing words in this venue. It's an entirely different thing to answer questions about a subject that I'm really not all that deep about, except for having my simple opinions.

There are people way more involved than I in objecting to all the urban drilling that is going on in the D/FW zone.

I think I'm afraid I'd be tongue-tied and stuttering, my mind gone blank like when I couldn't remember the code to turn off a security alarm a couple weeks ago.

And on an entirely different yet somehow related note. About once a week I get a comment from someone who sounds like a Chesapeake Energy shill, but claims he's not. This person calls himself 'wolfcry44'. I usually don't publish his comments because, well, they don't make a lot of sense.

Like this morning's. Mr. Wolfcry commented on my blogging yesterday about hiking in the Tandy Hills, getting gas and calling my mom. The comment was this, "why dont you post views different than yours."

I'll ignore the grammatically challenged parts of the comment and simply comment that it seems this person only reads the stuff that in some way references Chesapeake, totally unaware that the majority of my blog is not about that. Secondly, why would I post views other than my own on my blog? Why would I do that? And why is this person reading my blog in search of opinions other than mine?

Tandy Hills Hike And A Gas Call To Mom

Yet one more very pleasant Sunday in Texas this fine second day of November. It's in the 80s out there. 60 when I went swimming at 7am. I'm liking the time change.

Today I was talked into driving someone to an appointment near the Tandy Hills Natural Area. I thought, fine, I'll go hiking and maybe take some new video, perhaps of the Chesapeake Energy drilling operation that is taking the natural out of the natural area.

After I dropped the aforementioned at the aforementioned's appointment I saw I needed gas. The gas station nearest the Tandy Hills is the cheapest around my zone. As in today it was $2.06 a gallon. Practically giving it away these days.

Of course, as my long time reader may remember, whenever I get gas I call my mom in Phoenix. I'd gotten an email from my dad yesterday telling me my Mom was concerned because I'd not made a gas call in a long time. Mom answered on the first ring. She claims it's been 2 months since I've called. She may be right.

I told my Ma about my recent memory problems and that that might explain forgetting to make gas calls.

When I was talking to Mom I got a call from Tootsie Tonasket. I kept talking to Mom. But when that conversation finally ended I called Tootsie Tonasket. Soon into that my cell phone started making the dying battery noise. I knew I needed the phone working so the aforementioned could call me when the aforementioned's appointment was over.

So, I temporarily terminated my Tandy visit and came back here to charge my phone. And made rice pudding while I waited. And worked on a website. Then I headed back to Tandy and took the photos you see in this particular blogging.

The photo at the top is me looking towards the Chesapeake Energy desecration zone. The other photo is a look at the fall colors covering the Tandy Hills.

Texas Early Voting Breaks Record By Huge Margin

Texans early voted in record numbers. Early voting ended Friday. Millions of Texans have already done their voting duty. Other states with early voting have also had record breaking numbers.

Tuesday will be an interesting day. I'll have to remember to go to my polling place, the library, to see how busy it is. I need a new book to read, anyway.

Barack Obama is going to spend election night in Chicago at an event with thousands of others who managed to get tickets. Up to a million more people are expected to be on the streets of Chicago. Those people riot over all sorts of things, winning or losing a sports game, political conventions.

John McCain will be slumming it election night at the Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. No word on if a million people are expected on the streets in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, over in Africa, should John McCain's opponent win, celebrations are expected to be huge all over the continent. I expect that might happen in other areas of the globe as well.

Say what you want about America's supposed fallen standing in the world, what other nation's election can cause people all over the world to want to celebrate?

Durango TV Blog

Sometimes I enjoy writing about something I've watched on TV. Usually I enjoy writing about it because in some way it has appalled or disgusted me. It's a good thing to vent.

But, except for the fact that I watched the TV show while in Texas it has nothing else to do with my life in Texas, which was what I thought the theme of my Durango Texas blog was going to be.

Sometimes I stifle myself from writing about something I've watched on TV due to it seeming somehow out of place. Well, dense boy that I am, the solution was obvious, but came to me slowly.

As in I've started a new blog, all about TV. Durango TV. I think I'm going to have fun with this one.

If you haven't heard Sarah Palin getting punked by a pair of Canucks from Montreal pretending to be French President Sarkozy, go to my new blog and listen to it. It is pretty funny. My favorite part is when Sarah gets asked if Joe the Plumber is her husband.

Seattle Pike Place Market YouTube Video Debacle

I'd wondered why the number of viewings of a short YouTube video I'd made of my August 7 walk through of Pike Place Market last summer seemed perpetually stuck on 24 views. Today I found out why.

YouTube had made several of my videos "No Longer Available For Viewing" for apparently no good reason. Including the Pike Place Market one.

I had not intended to spend more than the time it took to eat breakfast making and uploading a video of this morning's swim. And now this YouTube debacle has wasted most of the day. And made me cranky. Lord knows it is hard to make me cranky.

I did manage to escape YouTube and go hiking at Tandy Hills today. It was hot. Some like it hot. I didn't use to. But I do these days. If you don't like it hot you shouldn't live in Texas.

November 1 Swimming in North Texas

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight. I hate hearing that reminder over and over again. And what tragedy would occur if, God forbid, you forgot?

Today is the 1st of November, a couple days til the election, a few more weeks til Thanksgiving, then a few more weeks til Christmas, then one week til the New Year.

Unless it is freezing I intend to go swimming New Year's Day morning. I've pretty much figured out if the average temperature for any given day is in the 50 to 60 degree range, the water is okay to get in. As in this morning. at midnight it was 65, by morning it was 60. This made the pool the most pleasant temperature it's been in a week.

So, I stayed in it a long time. And my videographer documented my first day of November swim. (The video was uploaded to YouTube the morning of November 1. The upload seemed to be successful but YouTube is saying the video is no longer available. Why I don't know. More Google incompetence maybe?) I'll try again with the video...Okay, finally got the thing to work. What a waste of time.