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.