Day 8 Of July Thinking About Kava Kava Tea & The Dangers Inherent In Being A Texas Rangers Baseball Fan

The second Friday of July, Day 8, has dawned with the hottest morning so far in 2011, at 83 degrees.

In the view from my patio prison cell you are looking at a jar of Kava Kava Sun Tea busy brewing naturally.

Kava Kava is an intoxicating beverage drinking habit I picked up the last time I was in Samoa. Or was it Fiji?

The predicted heat level for today has been revised upward. We are now scheduled to get to 105 with a real feel Heat Index of 108.

I have never been much of a baseball fan, but I've never thought being that type fan was any sort of fatal pursuit. Yet at last night's Texas Ranger's game at the Ballpark in Arlington a Brownwood firefighter named Shannon Stone fell over a railing, head first, when he tried to catch a ball thrown at him by Texas Ranger, Josh Hamilton. Mr. Stone died of head injuries.

Almost exactly a year ago, on July 6, 2010, another firefighter, this one named Tyler Morris, from Lake Cities, fell while trying to catch a foul ball. This fall was not fatal.

Methinks the Ballpark in Arlington needs to work on the safety of their safety rails. Or ban fans from trying to catch balls. And ban players from throwing balls at fans. And maybe seat firefighters at least 3 rows back from the nearest railing.

It is time to go swimming now before it gets any hotter.

Waiting For Rain With No More World Series Games For Texas For Now

Another sign that I may be going senile. Hours ago I took the picture you see here, a dark cloudy November 2 morning in Texas, with incoming rain seeming eminent.

I was sure I'd already done the blogging thing this morning. I think maybe Elsie Hotpepper distracted me with an email assignment.

I remember taking care of Elsie's email and then heading off to my DurangObese Blog to blog about 1000 plus pounders. Which showed me another sign of my senility.

Betty Jo Bouvier also distracted me this morning, with a Facebook controversy of possibly scandalous proportions. That has now died down. I think.

Maybe I'm being distracted due to being so devastated that the Texas Rangers lost last night, thus ending their attempt to win the World Series. It was rude of those San Francisco Giants to administer the Death Blow right in the Texas Rangers' Ballpark in Arlington home.

Actually, last night I forgot there was a terribly important baseball game being played in my neighborhood and thus did not learn of the crushing defeat until this morning.

It was windy and only 51 this morning when I went swimming. It went swimmingly well. I think I've grown addicted to the thrill of the chill.

If the rain holds off I'm going to make it the 6th day in a row of hiking the Tandy Hills. If the rain starts up, I'm going to go vote and then go walk around Sam's Club pushing a cart. One must always have a backup plan.

Shivering After Swimming While Wondering How The Duo Bush First Pitch At The Ballpark In Arlington Texas Rangers World Series Game Works

It is the day before the last day of October. I think that makes tomorrow Halloween.

As you can see, looking out my bedroom window, today is a nice weather Saturday morning, unlike last Saturday, when tornadoes touched down in my neighborhood, lightning struck, thunder boomed, rain drenched and my bike was stolen.

It was in the low 40s when I went swimming this morning. It is over 2 hours later and I am still sort of shivering.  I do not remember having a shivering episode, like this, previously.

Unless I count the time I learned a certain someone referred to me as her second husband. Thinking of that can still cause a shiver.

The Texas Rangers need to beat the San Francisco Giants today or they will be behind 3 games to 0 in the World Series. If the Rangers lose today and tomorrow then it will still be able to be said that the Texas Rangers have never won a World Series game.

Today's game starts around 4. This means I need to get my Tandy Hills hike in early, so as to be able to be at the Ballpark in Arlington in time to see the Bush's throw the first pitch. I think that is today. How do both Georges throw the first pitch? Can't there only be one first pitch?

I must go find some more clothes to put on. Or take another extremely hot shower.

It Is Almost November & I Am Shivering From The Texas Cold & The Rangers Losing Their First World Series Game

It is the morning of October 28, which means it is 4 days until November. And Christmas is less than 2 months away.

We are rapidly approaching my least favorite time of the year.

I think it got down in the 40s last night. The pool was the coolest it has been since last winter. I stayed in it for quite a long time. And now I'm shivering as I type.

The Texas Rangers did not win their first World Series game last night.

Elsie Hotpepper sent me a link, this morning, to a funny local (to Texas) TV report from whatever the name is of the home ballpark of the San Francisco Giants.   Didn't it used to be Candlestick Park? What became of Candlestick Park?

On Sunday we will be having Perfect Storm conditions in Arlington. For the first time both the Ballpark in Arlington and the Cowboy Stadium will be full of fans at the same time. Plus, due to it being the Halloween time of the year, I suspect Six Flags Over Texas will be open too.

I have not had confirmation that Miss Puerto Rico made it successfully back to Texas.  She had 3 different airports, on the way back, in which she could have had herself an incident.

Lunch is at 1. Barbecued pork chops. Don't be late.

The State Fair of Texas In Dallas Ends Today While Last Night The Texas Rangers Beat The New York Yankees

One would think I could sleep in late on a nice quiet Sunday. One would be wrong.

Looking out my bedroom window you can see it is very dark out there.

It is already October 17. The last day of the State Fair of  Texas. By the end of today another State Fair of Texas will have closed for the year without me managing to make it to Dallas to have me some Deep-Fried Beer.

The Texas Rangers are one win closer to being in the World Series, via beating the New York Yankees last night. I think I could hear the cheering. The Ballpark in Arlington is only a few miles east of where I am sitting right now.

It is 59 degrees at the current point in time, about a half hour before the sun finally gets around to lighting up the place. When that happens I am going swimming and will be staying in the pool til I am chilled to the bone. Which should not take too long.

The Day After Columbus Day Thinking About McDonald's & The Texas Rangers Winning The World Series

I did not get up as early as yesterday's early start to Columbus Day, but I did get up well before the sun, this post-Columbus Day of October 13.

The sun should be appearing in about 20 minutes, if it has not been delayed.

I'm not a baseball fan, except sometimes. Like the year the hapless Seattle Mariners got in the playoffs. If I remember right I went to one of those games. I think they were playing the New York Yankees. I do remember, whoever the Mariners played, they beat. And that I was in the McDonald's luxury suite in the Kingdome. Being in a luxury suite made watching a baseball game much more tolerable.

I do not foresee getting to watch the Texas Rangers play in the playoffs whilst viewing from a luxury suite at the Ballpark in Arlington. I know no one who here who has a luxury suite. The Texas Rangers beat Tampa Bay last night to win their series. I don't pay close enough attention to know if this means the Texas Rangers are now in the World Series, or if they must win another playoff series to be in the World Series.

I know I could easily find the answer to precisely where the Texas Rangers are in their quest to win the World Series, but that would take at least 30 seconds to find out and right now I am more interested in going swimming.

Walking With The Devil In Arlington Looking At Caelum Moor Environmental Art

Last Sunday I had to abort an attempt to check out what is being called Caelum Moor Environmental Art, due to a Dallas Cowboy football game left me no place to park. Today I figured there would be no football game and since I was in Arlington, I'd check out the satanic sculptures that have some local bible thumpers in full thump mode, predicting all sorts of dire devilish harm to come to Arlington, which is clearly ridiculous.

Arlington long ago, well, about 5 years ago, sold its soul to the devil when Arlington allowed Jerry Jones to commit the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history. I really don't think these devilish Caelum Moor pieces of rock are going to cause the evictions of thousand and destruction of 100s of buildings.

When I arrived in the stadium/ballpark area I was concerned I was heading towards another aborted visitation. There were a lot of cars parked by the Ballpark in Arlington. I was fairly certain the regular baseball season was over, that the World Series was in play and that the devil has made it certain that the Texas Rangers will never play in the World Series, at least not this year. And likely not next year.

Speaking of the Ballpark in Arlington, where no World Series game has ever been played, that's it in the background on the right. Further in the background, on the left, you can see the Titan Hypercoaster at Six Flags Over Texas. And in the foreground, you get a second look at the first Caelum Moor Environmental Art you saw in the second picture above. This piece sits out in the lake and drips water. I do not know the name of the lake that is on the north end of the Ballpark in Arlington. The Richard Greene Linear Park paved trail runs along the lake and then continues along Johnson Creek.

Now we are looking west, standing on the Richard Greene Linear Park trail in front of the north side of the Ballpark in Arlington. We are looking at the leaking Caelum Moor piece of art that is in the water with the Dallas Cowboy Stadium looming menacingly overhead. I have to admit, as much as I dislike what was done in Arlington to build that stadium, I do think it is one impressive structure. If only the area surrounding the stadium was all as aesthetically pleasing as the area between it and the Ballpark in Arlington.

I don't know where the idea came from to compare the Caelum Moor stones to Stonehenge. The only resemblance I could see was a couple of them were pillars with a stone laid on top, like Stonehenge. Caelum Moor certainly is not arranged in anyway like Stonehenge. Caelum Moor is just sort of randomly placed. Stonehenge is a circle.

The Caelum Moors in this picture look as if they are some sort of symbolic obscene gesture. The bible thumpers hopefully will not make note of that. That is another Caelum Moor to the right, looking as if it is under the tree. Instead it is standing free of the tree, right up against Randol Mill Road.

I don't know if all of Caelum Moor lights up at night, but I did see lighting by the one by Randol Mill Road.

I would not recommend going too far out of your way to see the Caelum Moor Environmental Art. But if you are in Arlington, you might find taking a look at it to be interesting. Especially if you've not seen the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium up close.

Paul McCartney & The Texas Rangers Jamming Arlington

Today is going to be the first real-life, non-simulated test of Arlington's ability to handle two big events at once in its always busy Entertainment District.

Six Flags Over Texas is open. Hurricane Harbor is open. And tonight the Texas Rangers play the Minnesota Twins in the Ballpark in Arlington, while a short distance away, my favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney, is going to be singing in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Somewhere in the range of 60,000 people will be finding their way to the two venues. Arlington officials have activated what they called their Traffic Command Center.

You can go to Dallas Cowboys Maps and enter your ZIP code and your assigned parking area to get your best route past all the road construction and barricaded roads. To park in one of the Dallas Cowboy lots it will cost you $30. To save $18 you can park in a Ranger's lot for only $12. With the short walk to the stadium being a little exercise side benefit, in addition to saving money.

I'm guessing that before today is done I'll will likely be seeing the results of a massive traffic jam as far as my abode. I am so old I remember traffic jams as being something that only happened in the Los Angeles area. I remember our first family trip to Disneyland and me and my siblings being so excited to be in our first traffic jam. We took pictures. Now traffic jams are the norm, not a novelty.

On Friday the Arlington Traffic Command Center gets another test, with the first Dallas Cowboy game in the new stadium. 70,000 are expected. One would have thought the stadium would be full for the first game in the new stadium. A lot of people must have balked at the high cost of renting a seat for a few hours. That $24 parking fee likely irks some, as well.