Texas Miscellaneous Madness

Another goofy day in Road Rage Mad Fort Worth. Up before the crack of dawn, swimming at day break. Computer burnout continued over from yesterday.

I am finding myself learning way more about Texas than I think is healthy. My Regions of Texas Project is wearing me out. I'm learning all sorts of odd things. Like little Midland, Texas is nicknamed "The Tall City" I assume by people who have never seen a tall city. Midland used to brag that their 22 story Wilco Building was the tallest building between Fort Worth and Phoenix. That's like saying that some building in Spokane is the tallest between Seattle and Chicago. Or so it would seem to me.

And then I got one of the more absurd comments in a long time, from what I assume to be either a know-it-all Texan or a Chesapeake Energy shill operating out of Oklahoma City. This comment was in regards to yesterday's blogging about today's EPA meeting at D/FW Airport regarding pollution from cement kilns.

Anonymous said.......

Dude, Seriously, you think that a drill rig that uses 1000 gallons of diesel fuel per day to drill a well is "pumping" out more fumes than all the cars and trucks in the DFW area in one day - You are getting some seriously wrong information. There are over 1 million cars in DFW and all of them are using 1 gallon per day bud... and there are only 72 rigs drilling in Texas as of today. Go ahead and drive your car to a meeting about pollution... That a joke. you are the problem - not the solution.

Apparently the Anonymous dude does not pay a lot of attention to the news. As in last week it was widely reported that Dr. Al Armendariz was right about the Barnett Shale drilling operations contribution to North Texas air pollution.

With the State of Texas agreeing.

As in "State environmental officials say that an SMU researcher (Al Armendariz) was correct: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale contributes about as much air pollution to the Dallas-Fort Worth area as car and truck traffic."

I'm guessing that Anonymous Dude is one of those Texas Road Ragers that have us being America's second most mad drivers.

I'm hitting the road in a bit, to head north. It being Wednesday I'm likely going to go to Sprouts Farmers Market while I'm out dodging Road Ragers.

Dallas/Fort Worth Drivers 2nd Most Angry Road Ragers

I don't know who did the survey, but the results somehow determined that New York City drivers are the worst Road Ragers in America.

25 Metropolitan areas were surveyed. The #2 location for angry, aggressive, tailgating, horn honking, overreacting, temper losers is my current location of Dallas/Fort Worth.

I have been accosted by a Road Rager or two in Texas. Just a few days ago someone got quite agitated at me because I'd stopped in the middle of an intersection to take a picture of a spouting leak.

If I'd been taken that picture in Baltimore, Sacremento, Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Portland I likely would not have gotten yelled at, due to those towns being the top 5 with the most courteous, considerate drivers.

I don't know what makes these Texans in D/FW so angry. It could have something to do with the heat. We are expected to hit 100 tomorrow.

I'm feeling a bit angry and aggressive today. I have not felt any rage on the road though. I did get a bit agitated at Wal-Mart due to seeing this woman in super short shorts and a top barely covering her top, with a big belly button adorned by a piercing. She was not fat, but she was super homely, with a pimply face and stringy hair. Why does such a person bother to get a belly button pierced? I don't get it.

I'm also agitated due to having been up since 4 am. I was in the pool this morning while it was still dark. That was a bit odd. Then I turned into a webpage making machine again. Then around 8 am I realized I needed to alter every page on my humongous Eyes on Texas website, removing elements that only Internet Explorer displays, which look odd on other browsers.

To make the fix involved 5 changes on each page, with each change involving multiple mouse clicks. I figured I could go through the entire website in 2 hours. I was wrong. It took til past noon. My mouse clicking hand is worn out. If I were to drive anywhere right now the slightest little thing might set me off with an explosion of Texas-worthy Road Rage. I say might, because it's never happened before, no matter how cranky I am.