My Mind Has Gone Blank

I feared, actually knew, this day would come where my resolve to write something in this Blog each and every day would come up against my ever more strained brain pan's ever diminishing number of ideas and thoughts.

This morning it had crossed my mind to tell you about the World's Most Unique McDonald's. It's in Dallas. But then I thought, "McDonald's?", I'm thinking of going from talking about something elevated like the Super Bowl and politics to being a shill for the World's Most Unique McDonald's? I was somehow going to tie McDonald's to Wal-Mart by mentioning Lulu's rather irrational and situational aversion to both.

Situational aversion due to incidents like the last time I was up in Tacoma and heading back to Sea-Tac to fly back here, I was hungry, so I drove up to the drive-thru of the Tacoma Chihuly Glass McDonald's, it is also unique, but not as unique as the Dallas McDonald's. I ordered a couple things off the dollar menu and then heard Lulu sort of mutter, at low volume, "can I have a fish sandwich?". I said, sure, but I thought you can't eat anything from McDonald's? She just glared at me with that how dare you try and hold me accountable for my contradictions type look. She wolfed down her fish sandwich as if it had been something she had been craving for years. About a year after this incident I called Lulu during a time I knew she was preparing for a show in the Tacoma Dome. When she answered I heard the tell tale sound of the McDonald's drive-thru squawk box. Apparently Lulu had discovered she liked some sort of McDonald's wrap with which I was unfamiliar.

Regarding Wal-Mart Lulu is not nearly as contradictory as she is with McDonald's. Likely due to the fact that there are no Wal-Marts in Tacoma. When she lived in Gig Harbor, that's the first town you come to when you cross the Narrows Suspension Bridge to the Olympic Peninsula, Lulu participated in protest marches demanding that Wal-Mart not be allowed to build in Gig Harbor. However, a Wal-Mart has now opened in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood. Lulu went there yesterday, ostensibily taking her son there, while she waited in the car. I have seen with my own eyes Lulu going into a Wal-Mart in Ontario, Oregon. Ironically, when she got what she needed from the Oregon Wal-Mart (a replacement headlight) we all walked across the street to a McDonald's where Lulu had a McRib Sandwich. And pronounced it dry and inedible. But she ate the whole thing. And a chocolate shake. And fries.

Maybe by tomorrow I'll have something to Blog about. Like maybe I'll detail the reality of who pays the most taxes. And who doesn't. The truth pretty much contradicts the democrats current soak the rich by raising their taxes mantra. But that's for another day. Today is all about McDonald's & Wal-Mart. And Lulu.

Super Bowl vs. Super Tuesday Bowl

On Sunday a record 148.3 million Americans watched the Super Bowl on FOX TV. Two days later, Super Tuesday was covered non-stop by all the cable news stations, CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC. On the networks ABC devoted its entire prime time to the elections. NBC and CBS also had extensive coverage. The Super Bowl station, FOX did not devote much coverage to the political Super Bowl.

It is not known how many Americans viewed the Super Tuesday coverage on all the various networks. It is known that Americans voted in record numbers on Super Tuesday.

According to a poll by ABC when asked which they were more excited about, 40% of Americans said the Super Bowl. In a near upset, 37% said they were more excited about Super Tuesday.

About 50% of Americans call themselves football fans. Of those, 63% were more excited about the Super Bowl than Super Tuesday. But, of those who have no use for football, 48% were more interested in Super Tuesday than the Super Bowl, with 17% preferring the football game. What the remaining 35% were interested in I have no idea. Maybe they were enjoying the outdoors or working on their yoga postures.

The level of education is an interesting factor in determining which of these events holds more interest. 53% of college graduates were more excited by Super Tuesday than the Super Bowl, with 33% of the college grads picking the football game. Of those who did not make it past high school, 45% were more interested in the Super Bowl with 28% more interested in Super Tuesday....I have no idea what one might conclude from these statistics.

Southerners are more likely to be interested in the Super Bowl than Super Tuesday. Again, I have no clue what one might conclude from that information.

So, the Super Bowl is over for another year. And Super Tuesday is over for another 4 years. Now if only we could get the Super Bowl on the Super Tuesday schedule we would not have to endure all the overwrought, overdone Super Bowl hype every year. Think of all the beer that would be saved. That would be a good thing.

Super Bowl XLII

The ratings are in. A record 148.3 million Americans watched at least part of Sunday's Super Bowl, making it the second most watched TV show ever, with the finale of MASH still being #1.

I was among the record 148.3 million. Why I do not know. I don't like football. Have never liked it. Have never been able to understand what it is that people find so compelling. To me it's like endless variations of the same thing, over and over again. Grown men dressed in ridiculous looking uniforms, unmatched anywhere else in sports world, except maybe American Gladiator. And other grown men commentating on what is going on on the field, as if they are narrating some great moment in history, like an ongoing battle that will determine if civilization survives, when all they are doing is watching a bunch of grown men paid to play a game, dressed in tights with giant shoulder pads and car crash helmets throwing and kicking an oblong object that is not even shaped like a ball.

And even a game like Sunday's, a close game with a close finish, I still don't get why this is so thrilling to watch. Even as I watch it. Not that I watched the entire game. But I did catch the final few minutes. So the team led by Eli Manning beat the team beat by Tom Brady. This is important and affects the bulk of humanity how? And why?

I usually watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and the half time show.

But neither much interests me anymore. The commercials, if any get a buzz, you can watch on YouTube. Or they will be repeated ad nauseum for months on network TV. As for the half time show. This anymore consists of some somewhat over the hill band staging a mini-concert with hundreds of swooning pseudo fans who have been told to act as if they are having the thrill of lifetime.

Sunday's Halftime Show was Tom Petty and the Pacemakers singing their 4 hit songs. The stadium was darkened and a lit up arrow slowly made its way to a heart. Then the stage lit up and the aforementioned kids swarmed towards Tom Petty, emoting great excitement while waving their arms overhead.

A few impotent fireworks lit up when the Halftime Show was over. I guess there are limits to what you can do with fireworks when you are in a stadium with a roof.

I'm thinking they need to go back in time and do a modern day glitzed up old-fashioned halftime show with an overly produced overly choreographed legion of young people putting on a show. With a marching band. With a lot of tubas and drums.

And another thing. Why the pomposity of using Roman Numerals to denote a Super Bowl. Why XLII rather than simply Super Bowl 42? Isn't this just a tad pompous? And I can't help but wonder how many of the football fanatics could decipher a Roman Numeral without a coach? Is the Super Bowl more important than the U.S. President? Apparently so. We are content to number our Presidents using the plain simple normal number method, as in George W. is U.S. President 43, not U.S. President XLIII. Lincoln was President 16, not President XVI. It would look ridiculous and a bit imperial if we used Roman Numerals in reference to our Presidents. And to me it looks even more ridiculous to use Roman Numerals (indicipherable to 89% of football fans according to Durango Research) to number a football game. Even if it is the most watched football game on the planet.

Okay, that is enough sports talk for the day. Soon I must vent what I think of soccer being the most popular sport in the world.

The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge

I am never a good judge of what is in good taste or tacky or not. For the most part. In my neighborhood there is this bar, well, they call it a lodge. The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge. The East Side's (of Fort Worth) hippest new watering hole.

I saw an ad for The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge this morning in our local alternative news source called FW Weekly, a much more reliable source of information than the local propaganda rag that calls itself the Star-Telegram. In the Ozzie Rabbit ad, at the top, it says "CLASSIC COUNTRY WITHOUT ALL THAT PESKY INCEST!" What does that mean? There is classic country music that does have a lot of pesky incest?

And then another part of the ad says "Don't blame us for the Whiskey Dick!". Again, what does that mean? Whiskey Dick?

Now, maybe I should tell you what the theme of The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge is and why it is named The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge. Ozzie Rabbit was the nickname of Lee Harvey Oswald when he was in the army. Inside The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge there are a lot of iconic images, some huge giant poster size, of well known images from the JFK Assassination and aftermath, including the famous photo of Jack Ruby shooting Oswald.

Why, you might ask, would someone decide on this theme for their hip watering hole? Well, The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge is located in the urban village known as Handley. In the urban village of Handley there is a cemetery named Rose Hill Memorial Burial Park. Located in Rose Hill Memorial Burial park is the Gravesite of Lee Harvey Oswald. Yes, I live in the neighborhood where one of the world's most notorious criminals is buried.

And so you can have a few drinks at The Ozzie Rabbit Lodge ($1.50 Domestic Can Beer, $2.00 Lone Star, The Wagon Wheel spins all night with $2.50 shots) and then after you are suitably fortified you can walk out of Ozzie Rabbit's and head east on Lancaster in search of Lee Harvey Oswald's Gravesite. You can't really have a more hip nightlife experience than that!

The Eye of God & The Super Bowl

It is Super Bowl Sunday. So I won't be going to church today.

Speaking of the Buckle of the Bible Belt, there is an ongoing debate here, played out in letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and other places, regarding the relative validity of the concept of evolution and creationism, or as I prefer to call it, cretinism. Now, despite the fact that I think it is ridiculous to believe that the earth and all that lives here magically appeared about 6000 years ago, it seems almost equally ridiculously to believe that all life, in all its various forms, somehow magically evolved from the primordial ooze into all its amazing current day wonders, like humans and lobsters and elephants.

What I do know for a fact is I have no real clue to what the truth is, well, except for being fairly certain that the cretinism belief system is pretty much an ignorance based faith, like being a Conservative Republican.

So, this Sunday morning among the several letters to the editor regarding the cretinism/evolution debate was the most amusing one yet. I'll copy it below and then continue with my personal spewing.

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As proponents of intelligent design go on and on about the “logic” of their belief, I thought I’d use their line of reasoning to put forth my own proposal.

Like the intelligent design people, I’ll ignore the mountains of evidence and proof put forth by the various sciences, except where it suits my needs, while fixating on minor, unresolved details, (such as how the Neanderthals died off), as flaws in the theory of evolution and science in general.

Then I’ll fall back on their favorite: “You can’t prove me wrong, so I have to be right,” which is an attempt to ignore the requirement of testable evidence that is the basis of science.

Using the creationists’ line of reasoning, I now conclude that humans, and everything else, are too complex to be explained, especially if we avoid empirical evidence and proof.

Therefore, I conclude that we are in truth and fact blueberry muffins dreaming that we’re humans, and everything else is part of that dream.

Now that I’ve shown the world the truth and demonstrated that I’m using the same line of reasoning as the creationists, the Blueberry Muffin Truth must go into those science textbooks if intelligent design is allowed.

It should also be understood that, in accordance with the intelligent design system of reasoning, you’re not allowed to ask who baked us, or who made the maker.

It’s also clear that, as with the creationists, my wondrous knowledge is in no way responsible for the deterioration of education or knowledge, or America’s losing its edge in science, technology, etc.

Now I wonder how long it will be before I’m awarded a Nobel Prize.

— Allan Vrasich, Watauga

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Now, even though I must say the above writer's Blueberry Muffin Truth seems more believeable than the Intelligent Design Theory, I will admit that at times I think maybe the Cretinists have it right. Like how do you explain the fascination the masses have with football and today's absolute religious holiday level of celebrating of the Super Bowl?

Yesterday I went to get supplies for my annual Super Bowl Party. Yes, I admit I am a fellow Cretinist when it comes to the Super Bowl, but I don't actually watch the game, I watch the commercials and the half time show, not wanting to miss a potential civilization destroying moment of extreme tackiness.

So, I went to 3 stores to get my supplies, Market Street, Sprouts and Super Wal-Mart. Each was throbbing with a Christmas Eve level of madness with people in a frenzy buying their Super Bowl Party supplies. Sprouts had run out of cilantro. Which is what forced the stop at Wal-Mart. A stop I'd hoped not to have to make because I was up in the nice part of the D/FW Metroplex where there are good grocery stores. But, because I was up in the nice part of the D/FW Metroplex and not in the, well, ghetto, where I live, the Super Wal-Mart was quite nice with polished floors and plasma tvs overhead and price check devices that actually worked and no cops guarding the entrance or working girls walking the aisles.

Before I hit the publish button I must go back to religion and mention the Eye of God. That is the image you see above. It was taken by the Hubble Telescope. It is being thrown around the Internet with some believing it depicts God's Eye and thus proves He is watching us and you better be good or you won't get any Christmas presents and your special team won't win the Super Bowl.

But, what it actually depicts is the so-called Helix Nebula, which astronomers claim is "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is a dying star which has ejected masses of dust and gas to form tentacle-like filaments stretching toward an outer rim composed of the same material. Our own sun may look like this in a few billion years.

While I wait for that to happen it is time to start my Super Bowl Party preparations.

Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal

I got my best feedback email yet this morning, regarding the Dallas Cowboys Stadium Scandal. This person seemed to go right to the heart of why what was done to so many victims is so very very wrong. And that justice has yet to be served. Unless one counts as partial poetic justice the early booting of the Dallas Cowboys from what the locals thought was to be their certain win in tomorrow's Super Bowl. Go to my Eyes on Texas website for a look at more Feedback on this ongoing scandal and read the full text of some of the victim's injuries in stories in the local news media.

Below is the Feedback Email I got this morning about the Dallas Cowboys Stadium Scandal.

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Is anything being done to right this bizarrely shocking wrong? What if an individual forced hundreds of people out of their homes, paying them what he arbitrarily thought was fair market value, with the victims having no say in the matter, as if being robbed at gunpoint, then destroying their homes. Would this not be considered an outrageous crime of the most despicable sort? To do this to build a football stadium? Where is the conscience of these people? I'm not much of a Christian, but I do believe in a lot of what is attributed to Jesus---"what you do to the weakest of my brethren, you do to me." In the Buckle of the Bible Belt was there not a Christian anywhere who acted on the behalf of Jesus to protect those who could not protect themselves from this predatory outrage? Is it too late for a clever lawyer somewhere in the nation, a lawyer with a conscience and with a clear feeling of what is right and wrong, to bring some sort of civil, if not criminal charges, against the perpetrators of this crime? Including the mayor of Arlington and the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones. Seems for certain if an individual committed this crime, that person would be looking at life in prison. And a huge fine. That this crime was committed while hiding behind the cover of a likely corrupt local government does not make it any less a crime. This stadium needs to be razed to the ground and the land returned to its owners.

Alan S.
Tempe, Arizona

Columbia Anniversary

It was 5 years ago yesterday that north Texas was awakened by an explosion high overhead with debris falling from the sky. I did not hear the explosion or see the debris falling. But many did. I was laying on the floor reading my morning paper when the disaster struck. I didn't know it had happened until I checked my email and saw a news update from MSNBC.com.

When I realized what had happened I performed my post 9/11 duty of calling those I know on the west coast, who were still asleep, to let them know something awful has happened and that it was time to get up and turn on the TV.

The morning of 9/11 calls were very strange to make. I didn't want to tell people outright what had happened. I just told them they needed to turn on their TV and probably not go to work today. I particularly thought my little sister should stay home since she worked high up in a Seattle skyscraper and at that point in time who knew how many more airliners had been hijacked.

That day 5 years ago yesterday brought about the most unusual freeway warning signs I've seen. Sort of surreal. The one above was taken looking west past the Fort Worth UFO towards downtown Fort Worth.

And The Oscar Goes To...

Last night's Super Tuesday Debate on CNN was pretty much the most, well, theatrical debate I've yet seen. First off there was the setting. In Los Angeles' Kodak Theater, where the Academy Awards take place. There seemed to be almost an Academy Awards number of celebs in the audience, from Pierce Brosnan to Quentin Tarantino to Leonardo DiCaprio to Christina Applegate.

Up on the stage Hillary and Barack didn't look quite like they were ready to accept an Oscar but both did seem to put in a real good performance.

At the start CNN's Wolf Blitzer told the audience that this would be a no-holds, anything goes debate, just like the previous Democrat debate that he hosted. So there was a lot of cheering and clapping and laughing.

I'd say Hillary got the biggest candidate laugh and applause of the night, even if overall her acting was not quite up to Barack's polished delivery. Hillary's big reaction of the night came in response to a question posted to co-sponsor Politico.com from a 38 year old woman who said it bothered her that at 38 years old she's only had the chance to vote for either a Bush or a Clinton since casting her first presidential ballot at age 18. The questioner wondered how a Clinton could promote change after decades of a Clinton or Bush in power.

Hillary responded that she understood the questioner's concern, "However, it did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush".

It sounded funnier when she delivered the line and I likely didn't get the quote 100% accurate due to my memory having serious lapses at times. But she made the line work with her Academy Award level performance of the night.

The biggest eruption of applause of the debate came when Wolf Blitzer asked, "Are we looking at the dream Democrat ticket on the stage right now?"

When the debate ended Hillary and Barack engaged in a rather warm embrace and lengthy whispering in each other's ear. Their mics did not pick up what was being said. My limited lip reading seemed to indicate Barack was asking Hillary out for coffee, with Hillary replying she'd prefer to go to McDonald's because she was starving. I think they'd agreed to meet at the McDonald's at Hollywood and Vine in an hour.

And then the pair worked the stage signing autographs for their fans, just like one would expect from major stars after a big night in the Academy Awards building where almost a year ago Hillary's first husband's Vice President, Al Gore, actually did win an Oscar. Not for acting though. He'd make a really bad actor. Too stiff.

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I forgot to mention, regarding last night's debate. I did find a couple Hillary things a tad jarring. One is she over and over uses verbiage regarding her plans that sounds odd to me, as in she'll say "I'm offering", or "my plan offers", or "I'd like to offer". It makes her sound like Santa Claus giving out gifts. It'd be much better if she'd say "My plan provides" type verbiage. I don't believe I remember hearing a candidate making offers like this before. It sounds very used car salesmanish.

And then there was this quote from last night regarding giving illegal immigrants driver's licenses in which Hillary said, "I do not think that it is either appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who is here undocumented, putting them, frankly, at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally."

Huh? I thought as I heard that last night and again when I read the quote in the morning paper. She used the word "either" but there is no "or" in the sentence. It's either appropriate or what? And how does giving them a license put them at risk? At risk for being caught here illegally?

Another Hillary "offer" that perplexes me is she offers over and over again her plan for a 90 moratorium on home foreclosures. Followed by a 5 year interest rate freeze. First off, if she does become president it won't be for another year. If the foreclosure problem is still bad by then I don't know how much good her 90 day offer is going to do. And, while I'm not an economist, though I did take an economics class or two in college. Hated it. But regarding freezing interest rates. Is that something the government can mandate lenders to do? Isn't the government only able to control the Federal Reserve rate?

Texas is Still Burning

More wind and more wildfires in the forecast for today. So far, unlike last year's wildfires, I've only faintly smelled the smoke. The closest wildfire to me has been about 3 miles away, this time,

and it was not a big one and was quickly extinguished.

On a non-Texas wildfire related matter. You who ardently read every word of my Blog, yeah, both of you, may recall me mentioning that whenever I get gas I call my mom in Phoenix to tell her how much it cost. I got gas yesterday, $2.66 a gallon for unleaded at a QT up in Southlake. So, I called my mom with my gas report. That and to wish her happy birthday.

Texas Burning

Yesterday a low-pressure system bumped into a high-pressure system that then mixed in a cold front that combined to cause hour after hour of 40 - 60 mph winds. The wind knocked down power poles which caused sparks which caused wildfires. Two of the fires were blamed on smokers tossing their cigarettes to the ground. One of the smoker caused fires burned 15 houses, another grew to be over 2,000 acres.

How do they figure out that a fire was started with a cigarette, one can't help but wonder?

Today it is supposed to blow hard again, but not as hard as yesterday. Currently the sky is very blue, very clear, as you can see from the view from my back porch. And it is very cold.