Texas Armadillo Encounter at River Legacy Park

It has been a long long long time since I've biked the River Legacy Park paved trails. I used to pedal this almost daily. When I returned from a short visit to Washington in April of 2006, totally disgusted, I found that by pedaling hard at River Legacy the endorphins made me feel better. Soon, Washington was to fade from my memory. Where it remained, til recently.

I'm not suggesting there is any connection between today's pedaling and the fact that I returned on Wednesday from over a month in Washington.

But. Those endorphins did feel good today.

I pedaled a lot of it at over 18mph. I have about 25 fewer pounds on me than when I last pedaled this trail. It makes a difference. Was pretty easy to go 18mph.

And I saw a River Legacy armadillo. They are darn cute. No bobcats, snakes or tarantulas though.

Craig's List Vexes Me

I know Craig's List is a real good thing. Last winter I found a guy on Craig's List who fixed my brakes and all sorts of things. And it was way cheaper than going to one of those annoying car fix-it places.

During my brief time in Tacoma I put a dining room table for sale on Craig's List. It was easy to set up an account. But goofy things happened that vexed me. Like the listing would disappear. Or Craig's List would tell me to fix an error marked in red. This would bring up an accept the terms type thing, which I'd click and then get told I'm violating the rules by trying to post the same listing twice!

I figured this was a fluke due to me committing some obvious user error. But, this morning I put a Laser Hand Level on Craig's List, that you can go here to see and buy, and the same thing happened.

This time I got told to fix an error. This error was I'd not confirmed my email address. When I did so and clicked 'continue' I got that warning, again, about violating the rules by trying to post the same listing twice.

I'm guessing I'll have about the same luck selling this laser level tool as I did selling my sister's table. Which is still for sale.

Kroger: Wrong Store Wrong Price

An Albertsons is across the street from where I live. I don't get my groceries at Albertsons for the same reason I didn't shop at Albertsons when I lived in Washington. Because of a chronic problem with prices being wrong. And always in Albertsons favor.

A Krogers is about 2 blocks from where I live. When I'm in a hurry I'll go to Krogers. But Krogers is as bad, if not worse, than Albertsons with the price mistake problem.

This morning I wanted to make French Toast. I needed eggs. I was in a hurry so I went to Krogers. I only got eggs, bacon and orange juice. 3 items. On the shelf the sticker indicated the bacon was $2.99 with your Kroger Card.

But it rang up at $3.99 with 50 cents off, making it $3.49.

Krogers used to have a big sign telling you if the price rang up wrong you'd get the item for free. I've gone through that a few times at Krogers. You get to deal with a vacant-eyed teenager in customer service who has a real hard time understanding what you're complaining about.

So, today I was in a hurry. I saw two especially vacant-eyed looking teenagers at the customer service desk. It was not worth it to me to spend a half hour to get some free bacon.

I figured I'd get my revenge by blogging about Krogers. And in doing so I found I'm not the only one who has noticed Krogers has a chronic problem with the prices on the shelves not being the price you pay.

As in here you can read about another person's bad experiences with Krogers.

I may complain about Wal-Mart every once in awhile. But I buy most of my groceries at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart rarely makes a price mistake. When I catch Wal-Mart making a mistake, more often than not, it is in my favor. So, I don't complain.

No Eminent Domain Abuse in Washington

In the Washington town of Ballard, which is pretty much part of Seattle, a little old lady named Edith Macefield became a local legend when, at age 84, she refused to sell her little old house to developers.

Edith died June 15th at 86 years old. Her house still intact, as you can see in the photo. During the course of fighting the construction that surrounded her, Edith befriended many of the construction workers, including the construction's superintendent, Barry Martin.

Edith's last will and testament put Barry Martin in charge of her estate. During the course of constructing buildings that put concrete walls on 3 sides of her house, Edith charmed those building the walls. Barry Martin would drive Edith to appointments and help her with all sorts of things.

I've long said that the eminent domain abuse that occurs regularly in Texas to the benefit of private business, like the Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal in Arlington or the Radio Shack Corporate Headquarters in Fort Worth or the mall parking lot scandal in Hurst would not occur in the more, well, progressive states on the west coast. Or the rest of America.

The survival of Edith's house is a prime example of how different things are in Texas compared with the rest of the United States. Edith was offered more than a million bucks for her $120,000 house. Which she refused. There was not even the remotest suggestion or attempt to abuse the concept of eminent domain to steal Edith's house, like what was done dozens of times in Arlington to get the land to build Jerry Jones his stadium.

Edith lived in a place that respected the basic American concept that one should be secure in ones home, safe from predators misusing the law for their own private gain. I still foolishly hold out the hope that the lingering court cases against the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones and Arlington will somehow reach a courtroom outside Texas and result, somehow, in criminal charges being brought against those who committed crimes against citizens of Arlington, with jail time and huge fines being imposed on those who did the dirty deeds. I know it won't happen, but I naively cling to the concept that justice prevails in America, while I now it often doesn't.

A Death in the Family

I'm not sure I should blog about this. But it's so sad.

Several years ago I somehow managed to set in motion a series of steps that ended up causing the biggest family reunion in my family's history. In July of 2002 100s of relatives, few of whom I'd ever met, or heard of, descended on the Washington border town of Lynden.

The thing that led to this reunion was me making what is pretty much known as the most elaborate family history website on the Internet. During the course of making that website I learned my family history. Some of it was surprising, like my grandpa was a bootlegger. Some of what I learned was just a function of how dumb I can be. Like I didn't know that Aunt Agnes was my grandpa's sister. And I'd spent time with Aunt Agnes.

Well, during the period of gathering family info I learned of a cousin named Steve. He was a tall basketball star. He'd had some tough times battling depression. When Steve's cousin Kristi moved to Dallas I met her and heard more about her cousins.

This branch of my family suffered a shocking tragedy back in the 1980s when their Grandma, my Aunt Fanny, was brutally murdered. This led to my little sister becoming a lawyer.

So, my cousin Steve, whom I've never met, in October of 2002, got married to Bridget Bomberger. I remember getting an email about that, asking me to change the info on the list of family info.

I'll copy and paste why Bridget has been showing up on my webstats in the past day or so. I finally looked to find out why and was surprised. The photo above is of Bridget and Steve's baby who you'll read about below.........

I have posted a couple of updates on Bridgett Slotemaker, the young wife and mother in her 30's who found out in May of this year that she had Stage IV cancer. If you remember, June 23, her daughter, Chloe was born at 26 weeks weighing a mere 1 pound 2 oz. The doctors advised taking the baby early due to complications with Bridgett's chemotherapy. At 10:03 pm August 12, Bridgett went to be with the Lord. With her family by her side, she left her sick, physical body and now has a new glorious one. While it is a sad day, it is not a bad day for her (to steal the words of our former pastor!). However, my heart is just so sad for her husband, two year old daughter Gracie, parents, in-laws, friends, etc. who will not see her on this side of eternity. Above is a a picture of Chloe that I believe was taken shortly after she was born. Please pray for this precious little one, that I think currently weighs less than 1200 grams! At birth, she had a 70% chance of survival, but only about 20% chance of no complications. Her Daddy Steve has battled depression in the past and this devestation has great potential to set him back. I do not know this family, but I have been so touched as I have followed their story. Their faith and walk with the Lord although tested, has been more than inspiring. Bridgett's desire was that someone come to know Christ through this trial.

Alabama Cracks Down On Fat Employees

The State of Alabama, #2 in national obesity rankings, is putting State of Alabama employees on a diet.

Alabama has given its 37,527 employees a year to lose the fat and get fit or the state workers will have to pay $25 month for insurance that is currently free.

Employees must get a health screening. If the tests show blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity problems the employee will have a year to improve their health. If the employee shows progress by the end of the year they won't be charged. If they don't make progress they start getting charged starting January of 2011.

Gar the Texan blogged about the obesity issue a few days ago. Apparently Gar the Texan was denied an alcoholic beverage due to the server thinking he'd had too much. After that Gar the Texan was in a fast food joint getting himself a greasy burger when an obese person waddled up to the counter and ordered a couple Mega-sized Happy Meals.

Gar the Texan opined that the same principle involved in denying booze to a drunk should apply to denying excess calories to an obvious chunkster. Even though the chunkster is just doing his part to contribute to the Strategic National Fat Preserve.

I think I agree with Gar the Texan on this serious issue. I have been in situations recently where I eye witnessed a morbidly obese person buying stuff that should not be stuffed in an obese person's mouth. I would have loved hearing, "I'm sorry ma'am, I can not in good conscience sell you that because you are obviously morbidly obese."

Jerry Horton Gives Up Fight Against Cheseapeake Energy

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to learn this morning that Jerry Horton has given up her fight against Chesapeake Energy. On the same day Jerry Horton was scheduled to be in court for a condemnation hearing she reached a settlement with the people threatening her with eminent domain abuse in order to run a natural gas pipeline under her front yard.

A few of Jerry Horton's neighbors continue to fight against settling. Jerry Horton will get $15,500 for signing over the right of way. Chesapeake, well, actually a division of Chesapeake Energy that does the pipeline laying, called Texas Midstream Gas Services, has contracted with Jerry Horton to put the pipeline at least 20 feet below the surface, with no vents or any other surface protrusions. And will replace any of Jerry Horton's trees that die within 6 months.

It is very rare for a gas line to be installed under houses. The gas line will affect the property value. It must be disclosed to any potential buyer. Having a gas line under heavy pressure underneath your home is not seen by most people as a good thing.

There are currently more than 1,100 gas wells drilled or planned to be drilled within Fort Worth. These wells require a growing web of pipelines throughout the city. Nothing like this has ever been done in an urban zone before.

Jerry Horton felt she did not have the resources to fight Chesapeake. She could not afford the legal fees. I would think that in all of Fort Worth, or Tarrant County, or Texas, there would be at least one good lawyer with a conscience who would take on a case like Jerry Horton's, pro bono. For the public good.

Toxic People Populate Tacoma

I don't know what put me in mind of this book I read years ago. Toxic People. One of the best books I ever read. Helped me understand all sorts of things that perplexed me. Transactional Analysis was another good one that's stayed with me. I dealt with some Contaminated Parental Ego States during my month in Washington. That's Transactional Analysis speak.

Almost every human on the planet has at least one Toxic Person they have to deal with. It's how you deal with them that presents the challenge. For me, it's the buffer. As in a good deal of geographic distance between myself and toxic people in my life. Buffers are great. I had a real fun discussion about buffers on the flight into Dallas with another appreciator of the buffer.

As a Public Service I'm gonna paste some How To Deal With Toxic People info from a Toxic People website below.

Be comforted in the fact that you are not alone. Every person walking the earth knows at least one toxic person in their life. The toxic person is a family member, friend, associate, workmate, boss, etc. Toxic people come in all shapes and forms as they know no boundaries.

The most important thing to remember is that you have the power to stop a toxic person. You do this by controlling your own actions and reactions. As you probably already know, you cannot control the actions of other people. But the good thing is you can control yourself and your life. You have the power to walk away from a toxic person and not allow them into your life anymore. Freedom is a wonderful and liberating experience.

Realize that toxic people can drain your health, energy, well being and sanity. It helps to move away from toxic people and move towards people who are positive and uplifting. Positive people are a blessing. Rely on your instincts, they never lie. Train yourself to move away from what hurts you and move towards what feels good. This is one of the smartest life skills you can learn, and also one of the best gifts you can ever give to yourself.

Toxic people are extremely negative, nasty, miserable, whiny, jealous, inconsiderate, financially irresponsible, selfish, and abusive. They can be criminally minded, mentally ill, or just plain evil. Toxic people are also the ones that abuse alcohol or drugs and then hurt other people. The toxic individual exudes the dark side of human nature all of the time. They cause other people pain, craziness, and aggravation. They are not hard to recognize. Just take notice of how you feel when you are around one of these people. It will be easy to determine. You will immediately feel sick and experience physical symptoms like a headache or stomach pain. Or you will just feel like you are going crazy, but don't worry that is the true mark of being with a toxic person. Remember this so that you will be better able to identify a toxic person. That is the first step towards eliminating one from your life.

Know that when a person is toxic it is because of their own issues. Sometimes these issues can consist of mental illness. Accept that a toxic persons behavior has nothing to do with you. In life, each of us has to take responsibility for our own actions. Toxic people do not do this. They have a habit of turning things around so that you feel bad, you feel guilty, and you feel like you are at fault. Remember that when dealing with a toxic person, they are responsible for their own actions, but often do not. Realize this and you take back your power.

When dealing with toxic people remember that exercise is your best friend. Exercise relieves both mental and physical tensions. It helps the body to produce healing chemicals that will repair your body and help you think more clearly. Exercise also encourages the release of endorphins, chemicals that relieve pain and help you to feel good both mentally and physically.

Most importantly develop supportive relationships with your life partner, friends, family, workmates, and associates. There is strength in numbers. Talking things over with the people in your life who love and care for you, can help you to overcome the negativity of toxic people. Just as animals and children instinctively can sense when someone is good or evil, the people who love you are very good at recognizing when someone is toxic and hurting you. Loved ones are a good defense against toxic people because they can offer you good advice and support for eliminating negative influences in your life.

One Of The Best Downtowns In America

I've got a month's stack of Fort Worth Star-Telegrams piled up that I'm not going to look through. Then again, how many gems might I miss if I don't.

Like this from yesterday.

Texas U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson was in town, sucking up to the locals, feeding the bizarre need to feed the local ego.

Regarding Fort Worth's slowly going plan to build a little lake, some canals and a river diversion channel. And restore some wetlands. A plan pompously called The Trinity River Vision, Senator Hutchinson actually said, "Fort Worth has always been a leader in urban development and perhaps has one of the best downtowns in all of America."

And regarding the river project the Senator said, "I think it is just amazing."

Do I really need to say anything. And where do I start? Fort Worth has always been a leader in urban development???? Including now? How is Fort Worth a leader in such development? Who is it leading? Who is following Fort Worth's lead??

Fort Worth perhaps has one of the best downtowns in all of America??? Has the Senator been to any other downtowns in America? I've been to a lot of them and I can not think of any lamer downtown that I've seen than Fort Worth's.

I just got back from a month in the Seattle zone. Spent one Thursday in downtown Seattle. The population is a bit over a half million. It seems like another half million is out on the streets busily going to all the attractions. Pike Place Market was human gridlock. Pioneer Square's streets were full of people. The waterfront was human gridlock. People from all over the world. New construction going up all over town, the skyline being altered yet again. Hundreds of stores, including several huge department stores, grocery stores, restaurants, museums, galleries, cruise ships docking, street musicians playing. Seattle actually is one of the best downtowns in all of America. Though no Washington Senator would say such a thing. Because it would sound stupid and self-aggrandizing.

Seattle is a bustling city. All the west coast cities are that way. Dallas is bustling. San Antonio is bustling. Houston's downtown is a good thing. So is Austin's. I like El Paso. But Fort Worth is SLEEPY. There is not even one single department store downtown, no grocery store, few stores for that matter. The deadest downtown in America on the busiest shopping day in America, the day after Thanksgiving, because there are few places to shop.

One of the best downtowns in America can't even keep open it's signature park on its north end, that being Heritage Park, now surrounded with cyclone fence and Keep Out signs. Downtown Fort Worth couldn't even manage to get a little public market right. Even though they modeled it, um, after Seattle's Pike Place, with something going wildly askew with the model.

And people wonder why those who watch what goes on here think this plan to make a fake lake and some canals is likely going to be a money-sucking boondoggle? I'd like to believe it won't be. I'd like to believe it'd be a great thing, fast-tracked to success, built quickly, transforming downtown Fort Worth into something special for the first time in its history. But, I just don't see that happening. Not from what I read about it.

And it doesn't help to have politicians feeding some Fort Worthers illusions about Fort Worth, rather than face the realities of all that doesn't quite work right in downtown Fort Worth and work on truly making it one of the best downtowns in America. The city could send a task force out to check on how other cities are doing. And compare it to Fort Worth. Start with Seattle and head down the coast. If the task force returns and still claims Fort Worth has one of America's best downtowns I'll have to realize something being added to the water here is causing some rather strong hallucinations.

Jerry Horton Battles Chesapeake Energy & Fort Worth

Just when I think that the bad stuff being done in Fort Worth by corrupt companies like Chesapeake Energy can't get worse, they find a new way to hit a new low.

One of Fort Worth's best blogs, West & Clear, recently told the story of what Chesapeake is doing to one fine lady in East Fort Worth named Jerry Horton. I live in East Fort Worth. I am often in Jerry Horton's neighborhood. I was there today.

West & Clear and others produced the below excellent video in which Jerry Horton tells you what Chesapeake Energy is doing to her. You who don't live in Texas, can you imagine this happening in your state? In the West Coast states I'm pretty sure Chesapeake Energy would be run out of town or end up in jail for fraud and illegal intimidation tactics and who knows what else. In Texas, though, it's still the Wild West and the law does not do a good job of protecting the interests of the little guy.

Shocking stuff. Watch the video below. Read the West & Clear article here. If someone wants to send me the source video I can YouTube it for possible viral/worldwide distribution.