The forecast was for freezing rain. Ending by noon. It is past noon now. And the freezing rain continues to fall. There are icicles.
I told my Mom on Saturday that we were predicted to have freezing rain on Monday. She told me they would get here on Tuesday.
Right after that a pipeline broke somewhere, shutting off my water. What to do for lunch, I wondered. The water is back running now.
Around 10 this morning I made them a reservation, for tomorrow, at a Studio Plus. Right after that my Mom is on the phone telling me they are almost here, as in at 11am they were passing Ablilene. When I got that call I already had my day planned and was about to head out the door.
So, I called Studio Plus and told them they were 2 or 3 hours out and could we move the reservation up a day. No problem. The Studio Plus has a nice kitchen. Maybe my Mom will have a cooking project. If I were like my little sister I'd assign her one. Or two.
I quickly changed my plans, wrapped their Xmas presents that I'd procrastinated, took care of some other things. And now I wait.
This drippy gray freezing rain is a perfect metaphor for how I'm feeling right now.
Signs are appearing in George and Laura Bush's new neighborhood in Dallas, welcoming them home. In about 15 more days. But, who is counting?
George and Laura's new house, on Daria Place, is way smaller than the White House. Only 8,500 square feet. Tom Hicks is their backyard neighbor. I think Tom Hicks is the guy who owns the Texas Rangers baseball team. Or maybe he's the manager.
I really don't pay much attention to the local sports stuff, except to know Mark Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, who play basketball, Jerry Jones, a heartless shell of a man, owns the Dallas Cowboys, with Tony Romo being their quarterback, with a lot of people here being unhappy with Tony and the Cowboys, because somehow the locals had convinced themselves that this was the year that not only would Dallas win a playoff game, they'd be in the Super Bowl. The Dallas Stars play hockey. I know one of their players is Mike Modano.
So, anyway, some local guy named Tom Hicks, who has some association with some local sports team, is going to live behind George W. and Laura. George used to own, or partly own, the Texas Rangers. I recently read the late Molly Ivins' excellent book about George called "Shrub." It is an amazing story how George came to have the money to buy into the Rangers. And somehow he never got in hot water for it, unlike poor ol' hapless Hillary and her commodity trading.
I don't know how many yards are sporting a "Welcome Home George & Laura" sign. You can order yourself one by calling 214.676.0728. I have no idea how much they cost, or really, why anyone would want one.
I also do not know if anyone has put a "George Bush Go Home. Anywhere But Here" sign in their yard. I suspect there are likely one or two somehow expressing that sentiment by some means.
My one or two longtime readers may remember that I used to subscribe to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That paper provided me a lot of blogging fodder.
I still glance at the paper's online version and read the letters to the editor. There is such a contrast between the Fort Worth paper's letters to the editor and the Dallas Morning News letters to the editor. As in the Dallas paper has way fewer embarrassing ones.
This morning's Star-Telegram letters has one that perplexes me. I can't tell if the writer is being sarcastic, with heavy duty irony. Or what. I can't believe the writer is serious, due to their being so many ridiculous assertions, like Fort Worth's "10 year plan to end homelessness is amazing in its compassionate, yet pragmatic inspiration."
10 year plan? Compassionate and pragmatic? 10 years?
Fort Worth arts are "acclaimed nationwide."
Fort Worth's school system "has leadership that dares to really address our educational problems."
Our "Trinity River Vision is unbelievably far-reaching in its foresight of what can be accomplished in this city."
And my favorite, due to its use of the "envy of" verbiage that always makes me cringe, "Few would question that Fort Worth, led by its forward-thinking "first families," developed a vibrant downtown that is the envy of most cities."
Okay, on homelessness, Fort Worth sent out a task force to towns like Seattle and Denver to look at their successful homeless programs. The task force came back saying those programs were worth emulating. And it's gonna take 10 years?
Fort Worth's arts are acclaimed nationwide? You in the rest of the country, reading this, have you done a lot of acclaiming about Fort Worth's arts?
Fort Worth's school system is a disaster. How are the problems with high dropout rates, bad test scores and bad schools being addressed?
The Trinity River Vision is unbelievably far-reaching? Now this was the one that I thought the writer had to be being sarcastic, as in the River Vision is unbelievably far-reaching. It has never been voted on by the public. To fund it they had to come up with an un-needed river diversion channel, to replace humongous flood control levees that the public has already paid for. And to make it all work, in one of the weirdest cases of nepotism I've seen, Kay Granger's son was appointed to run the thing. Kay Granger being Fort Worth's representative in Congress, who now has a vested interest in trying to get funding for the Vision. So, her son can have a job.
Fort Worth's downtown is the envy of other cities? Okay, you reading this in other cities, are you envious of downtown Fort Worth? Do you even have the slightest inkling of what downtown Fort Worth looks like? Do you have any image in your memory of downtown Fort Worth? I have been to a lot of downtowns in big cities all over America. Fort Worth has the most unsubstantial skyline and downtown of any American city with a populaton over a half million. It's the only American city with a population over a half million with no downtown grocery or department store. It is the least lively downtown of a major city I've ever been in.
I'm not saying downtown Fort Worth is not a perfectly fine place. But to say other towns envy anything in downtown Fort Worth is ridiculous. What do you people, who think this type stuff, think the first time you visit the downtowns of Seattle or Denver or San Francisco or Portland or San Antonio, Dallas, Houston or Austin? Let alone New York City, Chicago, Miami, Phoenix or even Oklahoma City or Tulsa?
Anyway, below is the letter that I can't tell whether it is serious or joking....
Fort Worth, a paradox
As I was reading the Jan. 1 editorial, and the excellent column by County Judge Glen Whitley, I was struck by the paradox presented by Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
Few would question that Fort Worth, led by its forward-thinking “first families,” developed a vibrant downtown that is the envy of most cities; that our Trinity River Vision is unbelievably far-reaching in its foresight of what can be accomplished in this city; that our 10-year plan to end homelessness is amazing in its compassionate yet pragmatic inspiration; that our arts are acclaimed nationwide; that the Fort Worth school system has leadership that dares to really address our educational problems; plus many more examples that all of us could name.
Yet I read that Tarrant County is the most conservative county in the most conservative state in the nation. Our progressive actions and our accomplishments and goals belie that! Maybe we vote a certain way out of tradition or habit, when, if we really examine our values and actions, we would find we truly believe differently.
UPDATED: 1/5/09--New input from a reliable source I will refer to as Deep Throat
That's a map on the left. Some call it an infamous map. Why, you ask? Well, that map was found at what is known as the Thomas well site. The Thomas well site is the Chesapeake Energy drill site that has stirred so much controversy due to it being next to Tandy Hills Park. And being part of the Tandy Hills.
So, why is this map infamous, you continue to ask? Well, the map belonged to and was made by Dunaway Associates. That's a consulting firm. Big deal, you're thinking. Well, Jim Dunaway was one of the developers on the first Gas Drilling Task Force. The Task Force makes decisions regarding drilling. The company Jim Dunaway's father founded and ran for years is directly involved in the destruction of land next to Tandy Hills Natural Area. Dunaway work trucks have been photographed at the Thomas/Tandy Hills drilling site.
The infamous Thomas well site map gets most of its infamy due to the fact that, despite Chesapeake Energy applying for and getting approval for a single gas well permit at this particular site, the map clearly shows more than one gas well.
Task Force member, Gary Hogan, reports that Dunaway did not participate much in the first Task Force. Dunaway was replaced, early on, by Walsh Ranch representative, Rob Green. He being another pro-driller. Dunaway has extensive connections at city hall. Regardless of the amount of time Dunaway spent on the Task Force, this still was a fox in the chicken coop situation, with Dunaway later profitting from drilling operations he was, earlier, part of overseeing.
To help set government policy for some business activity from which you profit is generally thought of as a conflict of interest. This is usually frowned upon, sometimes to such a degree that those participating in such dubious deeds end up doing jail time and paying large fines.
A reliable, anonymous source, I will call Deep Throat, had this to say about Jim Dunaway, "I'll quickly note, not for attribution, but for your info, that whenever I see Jim Dunaway associated with something I already know it's wrong and probably evil. He is a lowlife SOB that has not an inkling or care about the world we live in. Other than that, he is probably a fine person."
For some unfathomable reason, Mike Moncrief continues to avoid being charged with serious conflicts of interests, while Moncrief and his wife have substantial holdings in most of the gas drillers operating in Fort Worth. In other words, Moncrief profits from the operations he is part of regulating.
And in yet one more example of a conflict of interest, this morning I learned that Lead Gas Drilling Inspector, David Lunsford, now works for a pipeline company. Lunsford has been quoted as saying he rarely received complaints. Lunsford was known to dismiss gas drilling concerns out of hand. One can not help but wonder how much effort Lunsford put into protecting the public, when he had a cushy pipeline job waiting for him. And then we have Don Behrens. Hired by the City of Fort Worth to consult and offer advice to the city and the Gas Drilling Task Force on sound mitigation. He is now selling products to Barnett Shale drillers. At one point Behrens had a monopoly on sound mitigation blankets. Behrens had a direct influence on the sound mitigation rules specified in the city's sound mitigation ordinance. Behrens misrepresented his Los Angeles drilling experience to the FW City Council and the Task Force.
Why are these type conflict of interests allowed in Fort Worth? I don't know. It's like there is no oversight.
I can't imagine the same type thing happening in Seattle. If the mayor had a vested interest in Starbucks he knows he would have to recuse himself from having any part in approving or disapproving some request from Starbucks. That's only common sense. Except in Fort Worth, where an entirely different set of rules apply to how things get done.
Commenting on Only Child Syndrome, someone told me that "Eric Cartman (South Park) is a spoiled only child of a mother who smothers him with attention and food. He’s a greedy, manipulative being, is a smartass and a foul-mouthed little brat, is vindictive & shallow AND a liar, a cheat, a smug winner and a backstabber!"
Yup, Cartman is just like one or two of the Only Children I know. Or used to know. Only Children tend to wear out their welcome. Or steal from you, swear at you, try to get even with you and in some way or the other stab you in the back.
When I first blogged about Only Child Syndrome I had no idea there were so many people out there dealing with the Syndrome. Every day there are people coming to my blog using various search strings, such as "Only Child Brat," or "Only Child Syndrome," or "Only Child Problem," or "Only Child Liar," or "Only Child Sickness," or "Only Child Disease."
If you scroll down til you see my FeedJit stats on the right, then at the bottom of that you can click "watch in real time" and you'll likely see one or two people looking for help in dealing with an Only Child.
I've gotten quite a few comments regarding Only Child Syndrome. This morning I got a real good one, which quotes me up til the LMAO part....
"Googling 'Only Child Syndrome' I found several blogs written by Only Children, basically admitting they are different and another blog blogging about the Syndrome with several Only Children commenting on the blog and ironically and cluelessly confirming the Syndrome with their comments."------LMAO. I googled the same and could not believe the comments that were being left by only children regarding the fact that in no way did they conform to such a terrible stereotype!!! They would then continue on to contradict themselves and be completely clueless that they had done it too! Hilarious! I am engaged to an only child. I deal with the very real syndrome every day of my life. Now, probably not all only children have it, but it exists. It DEFINITELY exists!!!!! "This is mine! I won't share it!" "Look at me!! I want attention!!!" " Waaaaaaaaah you made fun of me just like I just made fun of youuuuu only I cant handle it!!!" hahaha. I wish there were more blogs about this topic. Very interesting.
One of the things I find most troubling with Only Children is their irrational, easily triggered tempers. The Only Child can say the rudest, most inappropriate of remarks, but if you reply in kind, the Only Child will erupt. I've known an Only Child who will erupt if she simply perceives you are somehow being critical of her. It can be over something as simple as saying "Take a right at the next intersection." or "The change is 6 dollars, give her 6 dollars."
If you deal with an Only Child you learn to avoid the triggers. So, this sort of makes the Only Child an overbearing bully. I have an aversion to someone yelling at me, particularly when it makes no sense and is caused by the yeller's screwed up thinking, so I definitely try to avoid the triggers.
If the Only Child makes a demand, like, "Hey, I want a flat of those raspberries," you have to weigh the situation carefully. You think to yourself, "they are my berries, I got them, I've got a use for them." You think to yourself, "I know the raspberries will just go to waste if I give this pig a flat." And then you conclude, "If I tell her I'm taking all 3 flats, she will lose her temper. She's already had one fit today, it's not worth it, I'll give her a flat." And then a week later I'm at the Only Child's pigsty house and sure enough, there are the raspberries, in the fridge, maybe a third eaten, the rest starting to mold.
I've never said all Only Children fit the Only Child Syndrome mold. I will say, I have known many who do. The ones who do are all despicable, difficult human beings.
I fear China is setting itself up for a future disaster with their one child only policy. Over a billion Only Children. That can not be good for the world.
Below is a YouTube video in which what appear to be students are practicing a debate. About Only Child Syndrome....
I don't know what it is with those people up in Washington. Is it epidemic Seasonally Affected Disorder? I know they are having yet one more bad storm, today, in a winter that's been the worst in a long long time.
But, gray skies and sub-zero temperatures and a case of SAD, does not explain the stuff that goes on in Washington's Peyton Place, where Tootsie Tonasket lives.
The Tonasketans have more over the top nonsensical soap opera than a Mexican Telenovela. Just today, Tootsie's husband, Alfred, 57, freshly smitten with the charms of 22 year old, pimply-faced vixen named Misty, got a call from Misty wanting Alfred to come spend the night at her apartment in Omak.
Tootsie heard the arrangements being made. And then it got worse. Tootsie and Alfred's 25 year old, ne-er do-well son, Spade, wants to go along so he can spend the night with Misty's roommate. Spade is feeling lonely ever since the mother of his child, Beulah, booted Spade out, so she could take up with a Chinese Alaskan fisherman, who is keeping Beulah and Spade's child Nervada in a style that Spade was never able to afford. Spade has now turned pretty much into an alcoholic, drinking up to 2 six packs a day.
So, it is below zero in Tootsie's town. There is ice and snow on the ground. To be able to get out to the cleared roads, much shoveling was needed. So, Alfred has been out in the cold for a long time, trying to move the white stuff. That's poor ol Alfred in the picture, above, trying to shovel his way to Misty's.
Now, Tootsie is just beside herself with worry about all these shenanigans spinning around her. So, she's called me twice today. I am currently a great resource for advice about these type matters, due to I am currently reading "Jackie Ethel Joan: Women of Camelot." I knew Jack and Teddy were serial womanizers, but I had no idea Bobby was a bad boy too. I figured how could he have the time or energy, while helping Ethel pop out that huge litter they produced.
Tootsie seemed to appreciate hearing how Jackie, Ethel and Joan handled their womanizing husband woes. I'm sure she'll do as I suggested and look the other way while she works at re-decorating the house.
Meanwhile, here in Texas it is so darn HOT. I've got the windows open and the ceiling fan spinning. There is no chance of having Seasonally Affected Disorder in Texas at the current moment. I think I'll go over to Miss Puerto Rico's for some Telenovela type interaction.
As long as I've been paying attention to Chesapeake Energy's public relations machine, it has always seemed so bizarre to me that someone like myself, who really does not have all that much contact with what Chesapeake Energy is up to, finds himself seeing so many contradictions between how Chesapeake Energy describes what they are doing. And what they actually do.
For example, until Chesapeake Energy went into operation across the street from where I live, I did not realize that all the complaints about noise and dust weren't just some whiny person with a delicate constitution getting all upset due to a little dust and noise.
Instead, I was to learn that it is VERY noisy. And the dust is more like airborne mud that gets on everything. Did Chesapeake send anyone through the neighborhood to offer car washes and new filters for our cars and air conditioner units? No. They did not. We were covered in dust, as if we lived next to a cement plant and nothing was done about the pollution or the polluters.
From that point on I become a shrill anti-Chesapeake Energy shill.
And then there's the case of my beloved Tandy Hills. Chesapeake Energy bought a plot of land in the Tandy Hills. Those who see what a great recreational resource Tandy Hills represents were mortified that this rogue defiler of the land was going to do drilling in the Tandy Hills.
Well, Chesapeake Energy assured the public that the area affected would be very small, that little damage would be done to the Tandy Hills. It was not long into the operation when it became obvious that the area affected was huge and the damage done to the Tandy Hills was enormous.
Last Monday, returning from Zorro's Buffet via Interstate 30, heading east back to here, I went by the Tandy Hills Chesapeake Energy operation and saw it from the freeway for the first time. It is appalling how it looks from the freeway. A total flattening of the landscape with huge berms and drainage ditches.
When I saw how bad it looked I decided I'd figure out how to get a picture of the view from that perspective. It took a rather adventurous hike, where no trails existed, to get to the freeway and the vantage point I wanted. The sun was in an unfortunate location, so the photos did not turn out all that great. But you still get a real good idea of how Chesapeake Energy has turned this part of the Tandy Hills Natural Area into something very unnatural.
I think we are going to break a temperature record, again, this Saturday, 3rd day of the new year. It is 81, right now, at a bit past 3 in the afternoon.
I have my windows open. I'm starting to think I may need to close the windows and turn on the A/C.
I went hiking at the Tandy Hills today, a bit past noon. I was not long into the hiking when it started to feel like summer. This is not normal. I do not remember having the slightest inclination to hike shirtless, last winter. But, today, there was no way I could keep the shirt on.
I think I may have a bit of a sunburn. I've never had a sunburn in January before.
By the end of hiking I was a sweaty mess, just as if it were a HOT day in August. I am now, finally, a believer in this Global Warming thing.
I had trouble sleeping last night, due to it being too warm in here, even with a window open. I think it's almost a foregone conclusion that, before the day is done, I will have turned on my air conditioning for the first time ever in January. That just ain't right. This is the time of year I run my furnace and put logs in my fireplace.
I hope we get some days like this when Mom and Dad are here.
I've confirmed my Mom and Dad are locked and loaded and ready to head this way early Sunday morning. They are currently scheduled to get here early Tuesday. They have a history of arriving earlier than scheduled. If they show up late Monday, they'll find me hard to find.
That's my Mom and Dad in the picture, from last summer, up in Skagit County, north of Seattle, at Bay View State Park. That is my Grand Nephew, Spencer Jack and his Mom, Jenny between my Mom and Dad.
I got Mom and Dad a Texas type Xmas present. If they are cooperative I'll, later, show you what that is. I don't know how cooperative they will be regarding letting me take video of their visit. Likely, that will prove difficult. Mom has trouble seeing. Maybe she won't notice the video camera.
I can find no Christmas wrapping type paper in this place. Would butcher paper suffice? I'm known for very tacky wrapping.
I don't have any chores for my Mom and Dad to do here. No raspberries to can, no holes to dig, no cars to fix. When you stay at my sister's in Tacoma you are given a daily Chore List, first thing in the morning. She runs a very strict house. You are not allowed to move on until your particular chores are checked off and approved as being properly completed.
It was hell for me, hell, I tell you. I'd never experienced anything like it. I don't know where my sister learned to be such a militaristic taskmaster. It certainly wasn't from my dear saint-like Mommy.
Anyway, my windows are currently open. It is a very nice warm Texas winter day. Tomorrow a big chill blows in. And then my Mom and Dad.
Below is video taken the same day as the above picture. You'll see my Mom and Dad (and me) meet Spencer Jack for the first time.
I am up early. Again. Though not quite as early as yesterday. This morning's early wakeup came after 4.
I'm being cranky right now because Fort Worth is still keeping my pool closed. It is 65 outside right now. It was warm yesterday. My pool water is likely a somewhat swimmable temperature. Certainly, more so than the last time I got in it.
Clear Lake is only a couple miles from where I used to live, in Mount Vernon. My nephew, Joey, lives in Clear Lake. I don't know if Joey was a Penguin dipper. My longtime reader may remember me blogging about Clear Lake last August, when Clear Lake was the site of the infamous Mannequin Murders.
About 100 men, women and kids ran into the 34 degree Clear Lake, when a Countdown Clock reached zero. Apparently there was a lot of screaming and shrieking when the Penguin Dippers hit the water.
There were 2 large bonfires on shore to warm the Penguin Dippers, after they quickly got back out of Clear Lake.
The Clear Lake Penguin Dip began in 1990. I had no awareness of this event when I lived there. I suspect I would not have participated had I known
The forecast was for freezing rain. Ending by noon. It is past noon now. And the freezing rain continues to fall. There are icicles.
