Texas Gas Price & AT & T U-Verse Email Sending Problem

I thought the installation of my new AT & T Internet/TV system had been successful. So, I took off, unaware I was leaving an email problem behind.

On the way to my destination I needed gas. Yesterday I'd seen it at $2.57. There was a long line to save a few cents on a few gallons of gas. So, today I paid a bit more, but had no line. I think it was $2.65.

As my faithful readers know, when I get gas I call my Mom and Dad. Usually my Mom answers. Today it was Dad. We talked for a long time. Dad hears well when he's on the phone. I don't think my Mom and Dad have heard from my little sister in awhile. I fear they feel she's ignoring them. I mentioned that she's real busy taking care of Little Evie. I try to call Mom and Dad at least once a week. I'm what you call the stereotypical perfect son that most Mom's and Dad's dream they'd have.

I got back here and checked email. I had an email that required a reply. But I could not send. With Charter this was never a problem, but near as I can tell, AT & T is in some deal with the devil known as Yahoo and somehow their email is entwined like some demon marriage that produces evil spawn.

I Googled for help. I am not alone. I think AT & T and Yahoo want to make it difficult so you'll use the Yahoo email program and thus be exposed to ads. I, in my innocent, ignorant naivete, thought that AT & T was a legit ISP, that they were just my broadband portal to the Internet. I didn't realize they also were going to play the role of Internet Spam Nanny Cop.

That's what I read more than once. The send blocking is intended to filter spam. I can go through some bizarrely byzantine process to validate up to 10 non-Yahoo email addresses from which I would be allowed to send email via the AT & T/Yahoo connection.

Why was I not informed of this? Does anyone have a solution? Besides begging Charter for forgiveness. But I like the TV part of this deal.

Bye Bye Charter Communications, Hello AT & T U-Verse

Exactly on time 2 AT & T installers showed up, a guy and a gal. Everything about them reeked of quality. They even put on these plastic bootie things when they came inside, so as to not to muddy up the carpets. Even though it isn't muddy outside.

Initially they said the install would take up to 3 hours. But they were done in way less than 2. My entire old network system is gone, including the new router I bought 3 weeks ago. The new system is wireless.

The DVR thing looks like it will take some getting used to. But it isn't like I watch a lot of TV. I like the picture in a picture option. That seems useful. The picture quality is much better too.

After the AT & T people left I had the pleasure of calling Charter Communications to cancel them. I got an American on the phone rather quickly, rather than some random Joe in a foreign land. The customer service person tried see if I'd stay if she could sweeten the deal. I told her, honey, it's already done, I'm using AT & T now.

She had the nerve to ask why I switched. As if she didn't know people aren't happy with Charter. So I told her I didn't like losing things like TCM and Bravo along with a rate increase, that AT & T I-verse was cheaper and I got way more, as in 2 DVR player things, a wireless system and way better service.

The Charter person told me I needed to return the modem that apparently I was leasing. I told her she could have someone pick it up. She was not cooperative with that concept. But what are they gonna do? Cancel my service? Nope, that's already been taken care of.

Mineral Wells Baker Hotel May Be Saved

In my first year in Texas, when it was still all new to me and I was still enjoying going out and about and exploring my new world, I came upon the town of Mineral Wells, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth.

Before driving into Mineral Wells I went to Mineral Wells State Park and discovered my first scenic thing in Texas, that being Penitentiary Hollow. Penitentiary Hollow is a maze of cliffs and caves where a lot of rock climbing takes place.

After I was done exploring the state park I drove into Mineral Wells. Ahead of me I saw this giant, totally out of place, building. When I got back to a computer I quickly learned it was the infamous Baker Hotel. A resort hotel that sprang up in the 1920s which attracted all sorts of celebrities, drawn to the supposed curative powers of what was called Crazy Water.

Years later, in the 60s, it was discovered that Crazy Water's curative powers came from the naturally occurring lithium present in the water. The government shut it down. The Baker Hotel gradually died.

Over the years there have been attempts to restore the Baker Hotel. Always with good intentions. But it always falls apart. The latest attempt was announced yesterday. It seems like this attempt might be viable. The plan is to remodel the Baker Hotel into a mixed use building with various levels of senior type housing and elderly care.

I'm guessing that once the renovation plan is costed out the people interested will decide it's not viable. I hope not, though.

Dallas Cowboy Con Job

Yet one more letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from a disgruntled Texan cranky at what was done in Arlington to get Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys a new stadium.

I particularly liked the heading on this letter. "Cowboy Con Job."

Here's the letter.......

Cowboy con job

The latest Pacman Jones debacle has the silver-tongued Jerry Jones describing it as a personal thing. This is the same silver-tongued mega-wealthy man who conned the Arlington taxpayers into paying for a new mega-stadium for him. No matter that eminent domain displaced many out of their homes for a mega-stadium parking lot. The emperors of Rome offered free bread and games to keep the masses happy, so it follows that the Arlington taxpayer will get the same benefits.

Jones will charge mega-prices to watch his band of not-so-merry men, and not one dime will arrive in the taxpayers’ mailbox in the form of a royalty check. It seems that Jones will hire anybody if it means winning a Super Bowl.

-- Alexandra W. Wolf, Fort Worth

Getting Rid Of Charter Communications

If all goes well, by later today I should be able to report that I am rid of Charter Communications and that my new AT & T U-verse Internet and TV cable system is working.

Charter annoyed its customers across the country in July when they arbitrarily moved several popular channels, like TCM and Bravo to new locations not accessible without some sort of converter.

Calling Charter about the missing channels got you to some foreign land where gibberish was spoken and the call quickly became an attempt to sell Charter phone service.

Last week to compound the aggravation Charter had the gall to send a letter detailing a price increase! Lesser service now at a greater price.

With this AT & T U-verse thing I get a DVR, whatever that is, that can record 4 channels at once. I can't imagine having 4 things on TV at the same time that I'd want to watch. And I'll have TCM and Bravo back viewable. Just in time for the new season of Top Chef.

Chesapeake Energy Cancels Shale.TV

Falling prices has Chesapeake Energy and the other gas drillers doing some major changing. As in stopping the poking a hole in the ground process at some locations. I've seen one pull out in my neighborhood.

And now Chesapeake Energy is cancelling their controversial Shale.TV show.

A well known Dallas/Fort Worth TV news guy named Tracy Rowlett had been hired to be the face of Shale.TV. There was a lot of local derision about his decision to be a shill for Chesapeake Energy. Rowlett becoming a Chesapeake shill had closely followed the ill-fated Chesapeake ad campaign that used actor Tommy Lee Jones. That ad campaign caused a lot of controversy due to its over the top ridiculousness.

Jerri Robbins, Chesapeake's public relations manager, said the move comes in response to the “economic challenges” faced by the country and the industry.

I wonder if we'll get to see all the Chesapeake Energy signs removed from the Fort Worth buses soon? That'd be nice.

Hiking Turner Falls Park and Dinosaur Valley State Park

A day or two ago, maybe three, maybe yesterday, I made mention of what I thought was the fact that every time I went biking, hiking or roller blading with Gar the Texan he got a case of the vapors that would cause a swoon-like collapse.

Well, I totally wrongly disparaged Gar the Texan's record regarding doing anything that requires physical exertion and its resulting bad case of the vapors.

I'd forgotten I went hiking with Gar the Texan down at Dinosaur Valley State Park. It was a long hike up steep trails. He did not get a case of the vapors. If I remember right he was gung-ho to take off on another section of trail. But I was hungry and ready to quit hiking.

There was a second time that Gar the Texan hiked around without getting the vapors that I also forgot about. Now, that second time he did get a case of the vapors, but it occurred on the drive north to the hiking destination, that being Turner Falls Park up in Oklahoma.

By the time we got to Turner Falls, Gar the Texan was totally over his vapor bout and was a hiking machine, including climbing a steep cliff to get to a cave and at another point standing on top of a pinnacle. I am a bit of an acrophobe, but Gar the Texan, despite his potential for getting a case of the vapors at an inopportune time, was willing to be quite risky.

I even recollect he ran up and down the rock stairway of the Turner Falls Castle.

So, to set the record straight, the Gar the Texan cases of the vapors occurred on 2 different bike rides up by Lake Grapevine, once at the Horseshoe Trails that involved a spectacular wreck and another time at the other end of the lake that didn't involve a spectacular wreck, just a case of the vapors.

Then there was a bike ride along the Trinity Trails, going from the Fort Worth Stockyards to downtown Fort Worth's Heritage Park. This incident was a very bad case of the vapors and included Gar the Texan taking on a sort of green tint.

I previously mentioned the Gar the Texan case of the vapors that occurred a few minutes into, as far as I know, his only roller blading attempt.

Okay, I've now set the record totally straight regarding Gar the Texan's vapor cases history.

Very Scary Halloween Worthy Video

Sweetwater Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

There is a town called Sweetwater out in the eastern end of West Texas. I was last in Sweetwater in 2002 to go to the Rattlesnake Roundup. At that time Sweetwater was a run down town that had seen better days. Since my last visit I understand Sweetwater has turned into a bit of a boomtown due to all the Wind Farms that have sprouted up.

My one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup occurred about a week after I got my first video camcorder. The video I made of that visit was the first I put on YouTube. It has generated some interesting comments. With a fresh one today being the most well-reasoned among them.

Two hours ago leotheroach had this to say....

Rattlesnakes are relatively slow to mature, have only modest litters, and are already adversely affected by habitat destruction and persecution. These events remove thousands of animals, including large numbers of reproductively mature animals. Since rattlesnakes are an apex predator, a sudden decline in their population could have ecological consequences, particularly for the rodents they typically feed on.

A week ago dumdeedum2 had this to say...

I hate hate hate snakes. But this annual event - especially the snake taunting - seems very cruel and unnecessary.

A month ago FuzzyLogic0101 had this to say...

Animal abuse. . .period! These people have no idea what impact on the environment this causes. For that matter the thought never crossed their mind about the environment. I definitely understand and feel garter10895 anger on this, It's disturbing. I unfortunately live in Alabama where they hold one of these horrid events. It's in Opp, Alabama. The name is about the same size of the town. Morons...

4 months ago DNR001 had this to say...

It amazes me how people can spend one day torturing and making a mockery out of some of God's most fascinating animals and wake up and go to church the next day. Not only are rattlesnake round-ups cruel and inhumane, they are also very destructive to the environment. Habitats are thoughtlessly destroyed. Gasoline is sprayed into dens and burrows, driving snakes out, but this also kills many other animals that use them as shelter. Humans use and abuse this snake for their entertainment.

5 months ago yikeroo3 had this to say...

Okay, I do not like snakes. This event is very creepy to me.

5 months ago idn had this to say...

Pathetic display. Get bitten please.

6 months ago tjensensandiego had this to say...

what is wrong with these perverts?

6 months ago garter10895 had this to say...

this rattlesnake roundup is a sick sick ****ing thing you all know what causes sickness in food right, its mice and rats, which they eat, and of your worried about them remember that hawks eat them, and this is inhumane, and soon they will shut it down!!!

7 months ago avbiker had this to say...

jus to say first no they cant use the venom for anti venom its 3 different snakes in one jar and its not steril and its crule lets see how many snakes we can slaughter heres a cool show they could try bring out there inbred hick kids and see how fuckin deformed they are thats a good show.

Below is the video that generated the comments.

Unstoppable Woman™ Mentoring Conference

There is this Unstoppable Woman in Dallas named Dina Moor. I made her an Unstoppable Woman website a year or two ago.

For the past few months the Unstoppable Woman has been preparing to hold a meeting in Plano this coming November 3 called the "Unstoppable Woman™ Mentoring Conference."

Unstoppable Women from all over North Texas will be there, including an appearance by Laura Bush. And an astronaut. I don't know if the astronaut is an Unstoppable Woman or not.

Okay. I'm done with my shameless Unstoppable Woman plug now.