Facebook Found Out I Know Sarah Palin

Facebook can be entertaining. When I first signed on to Facebook I figured it'd be like MySpace and I'd not like it and see no use for it.

Instead Facebook has me talking to people I've not talked to in in a long time.

Facebook has exercised my lazy brain due to me trying, unsuccessfully, to beat the Scrabble Queen of Washington, known as Scrabble Queen Karen, or SQK. Currently I have a slight lead in one game. That lead won't last.

Facebook is constantly suggesting that this that or another person may be a friend of mine. As you can see in the Facebook screen cap, currently among the many suggestions, is Sarah Palin. Now how did Facebook find out I knew Sarah back during her short stint in school in Idaho? It feels like some sort of Big Brother thing.

Also on the list is my ex-sister-in-law and the namesake of my ex-sister-in-law's grandson, Spencer Jack, with the namesake being my ex-wife, Loretta. How did Facebook know to put Loretta on this list? I have not seen Loretta in over a year. We don't email. How did Facebook know I know Loretta? Even if Loretta and I exchanged emails, that Facebook could somehow snoop, she doesn't use her Loretta name in Internet World. She calls herself Otterpengu.

On the list of possible friends is someone who would, in reality, be on my Enemies List, if I had such a list. How did this person get on a list of my possible friends? We did not go to the same school.

Years ago I made a website for a guy, here in Texas, named Lewis Shallcross. He is on the list of possible friends. I have never even met the guy. His website is not on this computer. How did Facebook make this connection?

Anyway, Facebook is fun and perplexing. And don't get me started on Farmville.

Our North Texas Community

For months Big Ed has been working on what I thought was a blog. I looked at it a few times during it's genesis and it didn't make me cringe as bad as I often do when reading something written by Big Ed. I've only looked at a little of it. It is likely there is something in there that will cause cringing.

Big Ed's blog, or website, I can't tell what it is, I thought it was a blog, but it looks like a website, anyway, it is called Our North Texas Community. It is now ready for primetime.

I see a link titled "We Watch Out For Moms Here." Just the title made me cringe a little.

There is a list of Recent Posts. I see one titled, "What Turns You On?" I don't think I'm gonna click on that one.

The internet has this thing called Alexa Rankings that are sort of like the Nielsen Ratings. Only it is the popularity of a website that is being ranked instead of a TV show. The goal is to get into the top 100,000 of websites. If you do that, you've made it in Website World. It's like having a hit TV show.

Big Ed's Our North Texas Community currently has an Alexa Ranking of just over 500,000. Alexa's stats have Big Ed's visitors staying over a half hour on average.

Of my blogs, the one you are looking at right now has the highest Alexa Ranking, something in the 1,200,000 zone. The average stay of my visitors is under 3 minutes. I get a lot of comments on this blog. Big Ed has gotten 1 comment.

So, now I have yet one more thing to be perplexed about. Alexa Rankings. And our north Texas community.

New Dallas Cowboy Stadium Making Locals Cranky

That is the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium's roof above the FINA station. The view is looking northwest from the industrial blight area southeast of the stadium.

Several events have now taken place in the new stadium, including one or two football games of various sorts. I have seen no reports of traffic or congestion problems related to stadium events.

That surprises me, due to the fact that that area can be a bit congested, due to all the road construction, whenever I drive through the area.

I got feedback to my Eyes on Texas webpage about America's Team from someone who attended the first football game in the new stadium. The Dallas Cowboys call themselves "America's Team." This seems to be some sort of local delusion. The feedbacker was not happy about something he did not see.

Eyes on Texas,

What I noticed about the first game was what wasn't seen. No United States flag during the whole affair. Very little participation of players and fans when the national anthem was rendered. Some America's Team !!!!!!!

— Ray Pettigrew

And then this morning, in the Sunday Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there were 2 letters to the editor from a couple Arlington residents not at all happy with the new stadium. Both letters are below....

Stadium not disability friendly

Now that the world has said all its superlatives about Jerry Jones’ stadium, what does a handicapped veteran think?

When I bought my ticket, I asked about handicap parking. I was told to use the Rangers parking lot, where a courtesy cart would pick people up. There were three carts that could handle two people at a time for 78,000 fans, some handicapped. I waited with eight other handicapped people for 40 minutes. No cart.

I decided maybe I could walk. Along the way, I counted about a half-dozen people in wheelchairs being pushed up the hill by family or friends. I also saw numerous people using canes to help them walk. I talked to people who said they waited about an hour for a courtesy cart that never showed. It appeared that Jerry’s people had carts running here and there to pick up fans who were seemingly healthy enough to walk.

Once I reached the stadium, my knee was killing me so I asked the attendant if I could I go in the door. He looked at my ticket said sorry but my gate was on the back side. Once I got to the gate, I had to walk half way back to find an escalator to get upstairs.

I was unable to find a handicap stall in several restrooms. Aren’t there federal laws about handicap parking and restrooms? Did Jerry’s facility slip below the federal radar?

— Senior Master Sgt. David A. Fitzwater, retired, Arlington

Prisoner in own home

My home is cut off by barricades and if I want to go anywhere, I’m routed all over the place because I happen to live about a half-block from the new Cowboys stadium. Helicopters were overhead the entire day of the first game.

I have been subjected to this harassment many times this summer. Paul McCartney’s concert brought Excalibur Towing, parking two tow trucks in front of my house. Nobody else can park here, but it seems the tow trucks have priority, whipping their big trucks up and down this little street.

We had a buyer for our property, but when the buyer tried to get zoning for a parking lot, the Arlington City Council said, "No way!" The deal fell through. Now I see in the Star-Telegram that the council is going to approve the use of the city lots for Cowboy parking.

It’s becoming clear why they turned us down! They didn’t want the competition.

The city has ruined my and my neighbors’ chances of getting out of the rat race that this stadium has brought to our little neighborhood.

I am 74 years old and have been hospitalized twice this summer for surgeries, including an aneurysm, and I’m sure that I’m an unimportant person in your eyes. But I have lived here for many years and intended to live out my life here until the city plunked the stadium about 500 feet from my house. Now they’re making sure I’m stuck here.

The city of Arlington should be ashamed!

— Anne Blanchard, Arlington

The Skinny Texas Summer Weight Loss Diet

Every summer since I moved to Texas I've lost weight. Except for last summer and the summer of 2004, because those summers I spent a month in Washington.

Last summer in Washington I only gained a few pounds, even with the boarding house matrons, who ran the place I was staying at, insisting I eat dinner, despite me repeatedly saying I don't eat dinner. Big breakfast, big lunch, something light at night. But no dinner.

When I got to Washington, last summer, I think I weighed about 170. If I remember right I weighed 178 when I got back here. So, they did manage to fatten me up, somewhat. I suppose I caused some fatten me up motivation when I remarked that I weighed less than any of my adult female relatives.

So, why am I going on with this boring subject you're sitting there wondering? (if you've read this far) Well, I had not stepped on the scale for awhile. This morning I stepped on it to see I've hit a new low. As in 168. I have noticed that going up the Tandy Hills has seemed easier of late. And now I know why. I'm hauling less of me up those hills.

I've also noticed lately that I have very little floatibility when I'm swimming. The most I've ever weighed is 217. With all that fat I was my own air mattress. I could just lay on my back and float. I try that now and I slowly sink.

I knew I'd been losing weight and have been trying to eat more. I've observed the feeding habits of people who know how to pad themselves with thick layers of adipose tissue. But ice cream, bag of chips, butter on everything and lots of bacon just do not appeal to me.

This morning, as part of my stop the shrinkage campaign, I had a 3 egg omelet with lots of cheese, two slices of whole wheat toast and hashbrowns. And a banana.

I see a lot of really BIG people here in Texas. There are many reasons Texas is known as a BIG state. It seems to me it must be miserable carrying around all that heft in high temperatures. Then again, you really do not see the real Biggies out and about much in the outdoors. They are probably masters at going from one air-conditioned venue to the next.

So, why does the Texas summer make me skinny? Well, heat depresses my appetite. I'm sort of addicted to enjoying going out in the heat. I burn a lot of calories out in the heat. That's my simple skinny Texas diet. Eat less and go out in the heat. Anyone can follow this easy diet. Well, you do have to move to a place where it gets hot. But, other than that, easiest diet ever.

Tandy Hills Fossils & Eagles Soaring

I saw some wildlife whilst hiking the Tandy Hills today. There were several birds that looked like eagles circling above me, trying to decide if I was a rodent worth grabbing, or not.

Apparently I did not look like a good dinner, so the birds of prey did not prey on me.

I rarely see humans hiking the Tandy Hills, other than the humans I bring with me once in awhile. Today I was lost in thought in the peaceful solitude when I was startled by a man and his son.

I startled them too. The man said he'd been hiking the Tandy Hills for years and rarely sees a human, so it startles him when it happens, too. The man and his son had been fossil hunting in a dry creek bed. He told me there are a lot of fossils to be found.

It got into the low 60s overnight, in the 80s when I went hiking. There was a slight hint of cool in the breeze that sort of felt like September is almost here. Swimming this morning was noticeably cooler. Very pleasant.

About 10 minutes after my encounter with the fossil hunters I heard voices. I don't often hear voices while in the Tandy Hills Natural Solitude Area. I looked the direction of the voices and saw the fossil hunters making their way up the hill I'd made my way up minutes before. I zoomed in on them and got a bad picture of one of my rare human encounters in the Natural Area.

Thinking About Moving To San Manuel

I have had me a rough few days. Savagely, brutally attacked by hackers, twice. In between hack attacks I got a text message from my mom and dad that caused me to collapse while hiking the Tandy Hills Natural Area's mountains.

Today was my first day back stomping on the Tandy Hills since I got battered and banged by rough rocks. I was slightly concerned that there might be another fall. Apparently falling down is a common malady of the elderly, I learned this morning from Nurse Martha.


We had a good storm last night. A lot of thunder, but not a lot of water. Today, for the most part, the Tandy Hills were mud free. But whatever rain fell, it made for extra humid hot air. But it was not too bad because it was not even in the 90s. I think our 100 degree days of the year may be over. Overnight it is supposed to get down to 65. That should make the pool refreshing in the morning, for the first time in a long time.

It is almost September and there are still wildflowers coloring up the Tandy Hills prairie. I do not remember seeing flowers this late last summer. And I was back on the Tandy Hills by this time last year, using strenuous hiking and its attendant endorphin release to help mediate the pain I was feeling from all I endured in Tacoma. Maybe I was too distracted by all I was aggravated by to notice something like a flower.

I am thinking about moving to San Manuel, Arizona. That's a mining town. There is a house there waiting for me. It is semi-close to Tucson, with a semi-good buffer from my brother, sister and parental units. I'm sure they'd call first before dropping in for a visit.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., sent me an email this morning with the word "love" in the subject line. That sort of word in the subject line always makes me a bit nervous to open the email. Turned out there was nothing I needed to be nervous about. The "love" in the subject line was the first line in a sentence continued in the body of the email, as in "love the blog!!! you rock."

I like it when someone uses teenage type lingo directed at me. It does not happen very often.

J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision In 2021 Dollars

That is my Facebook friend, J.D. Granger in the picture, guzzling down some beer. J.D. is the son of Congresswoman Kay Granger. Kay Granger represents the district Fort Worth is in.

Sometime late in the last century a vision came to Fort Worth that became known as the Trinity River Vision. That vision foresaw building a little lake at the confluence of two forks of the Trinity River on the north end of Fort Worth's downtown.

As the vision grew brighter 3 signature, fancy bridges were added. After awhile the vision started to see some canals. As the vision grew clearer the price tag kept rising. A way to pay for the vision had to be found.

And so an unneeded flood control diversion channel was added. With the unneeded flood control diversion channel added, Federal dollars might more easily be secured. To secure help in that regard, Kay Granger's son was put in charge of the vision, even though he had no experience with such things, but it sure gave his mom a reason to be an ardent supporter of the vision.

The Trinity River did flood real bad back in the 1950s. To make sure that did not happen again massive levies were built, likely with help from the Federal government. Those levies have kept dry parts of Fort Worth from getting wet for over 50 years.

On August 24, 2009, the Fort Worth Business Journal had a very interesting, sort of bizarre article about the Trinity River Vision. The price tag has now inched closer to $1 billion, with the latest price tag being $909.6 million.

In the article, and this is one of the bizarre parts, J.D. Granger explains that the cost figures are based on 2021 dollars. Huh? How is that done? In our mixed up economy someone is able to say what the dollar will be worth in 2021?

The $909.6 million price tag being based on 2021 dollars, is, according to J.D., "A move few projects make because of its shock value."

The above and below quotes from Granger are excerpted from the FW Business Journal article.

Granger said, "You'll not find another project done that way. Funding estimates for projects are always done on the front end. They're always done based on the year in which the estimate was made. But we wanted a clear picture of the end amount for this project. I don't know if anyone will ever do it again after we've done it, but the public said it wanted it, so we did it and we'll see how everyone likes it. Everyone is still watching us to see how it turns out."

J.D really likes to use the word "it" a lot. How did he find out the public wanted it? I am part of the public. I didn't want it. With it being the cost figures being based on 2021 dollars. I know other members of the public and I've heard none of them say they wanted it.

I have heard a lot of the public verbalize concern over this boondoggle, particularly with the 2021 price tag going up and up, while the vision fades, with the signature bridges gone, replaced by bridges designed by a local architect. The canals are gone. And the lake has shrunk. The FW Business Journal says it will be a 33 acre lake with two islands. I had not heard of the islands before. A couple weeks ago the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had an article about the growing boondoggle which said the lake had been shrunk from its original size to something like 17 acres.

I don't know if 17 acres qualifies as a lake. Sounds to me like the lake vision has turned into a big pond with a big price tag.

Friday Morning With No New Hacking Attacking

Google is no longer telling people that my website is a threat to humanity and their computers. That's a relief.

Yesterday's hack attack wasted a few hours. After spending an hour on the phone with my web host tech support person I was able to combine what she told me with the confusing Ukrainian written instructions and figured out how to add to files to the root directory of my website.

Below is what was added that supposedly makes it impossible for bad guys to penetrate my space.

ftp.deny:
ALL: ALL

ftp.allow:
ALL: 201.6.100.90
ALL: 91.24.12.0/255.255.255.0
ALL: 76.162.

The numbers above have been changed so that any of you bad guys reading this can't attack me.

I agree with what one of my Facebook friends had to say about my hack attack...

"I never could understand why somebody would do that kind of stuff. In my mind, the only people that have something to gain are the "anti-virus" people. Without viruses, they would be out of business."

I Have Been Hacked Again By Malware Miscreants

This morning I got a message telling me that Google was warning searchers, once more, that visiting my Eyes on Texas website could harm their computer. I quickly did a site:durangotexas.com check and saw no problem.

Shortly after that I found out I did have a problem. Again. Last Saturday's hacker attack was from something called metastatic.net. Today's is from mega-tracker.net.

I checked my Google Webmaster Tools to see the red "This site may be distributing malware" warning. When I click for details it says upon further review the website was found clean. This was before I'd found and removed the infection from the 10 pages Google listed.

After I removed the infection I called my web hosting company to try and find out why this is happening. After Saturday's debacle I'd changed my passwords, making them way more complicated. I'd made other suggested security changes. Today I was told to make changes to my FTP permissions. It was confusing, but I think I've made the changes.

The day started off real nice, with a long swim in the dark. It has gone downhill ever since then.

Wednesday At The Fort Worth Stockyards With Germans

Because I was in downtown Fort Worth yesterday afternoon I thought I'd also go to the Fort Worth Stockyards, which are a couple miles north of downtown. I had not been to the Stockyards in awhile. The most recent time was months ago when I pedaled from Gateway Park to the Stockyards. Previous to that it was with my mom and dad, BBQing at Riscky's BBQ, way back in January.

The Stockyards may be my favorite tourist spot in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It's usually the place I take out of state visitors that they like the best. I think because the Stockyards fits a Texas stereotype with its Cowboys and Longhorns.

I expected there would be more tourists than I saw yesterday. On the weekends the Stockyards are real busy. But in the middle of the week, on Wednesday, the place was not the hopping spot it will be on Saturday and Sunday. I did see some tourists. I sat there thinking us Americans really need to stop dressing so weird when we are in tourist mode.

And it wouldn't hurt to have the Stockyards security guys cowboyed up a bit more than just a cowboy hat.

I watched a particularly strangely attired couple walk into the Visitors Bureau. When they came out they walked to where I was sitting by the misters. And then I hear them talk. They weren't Americans. They were foreigners. German. A half hour later another group of Germans got misted. They were not dressed goofy.

I think no one with a gut should wear a t-shirt. And no one over 21 should wear a t-shirt that says anything on it. Like this other group standing by the mister. The older mister of that group had a t-shirt that said "North Cascades Highway Washington." So, I asked, "Are you from Washington?" He said, "No, why do you think that?" To which I said, "Because you are wearing a Washington t-shirt." To which he said, "No, we are from Texas." That's the misters and the Texan with the Washington t-shirt in the picture.

When I first set eyes upon the Fort Worth Stockyards it was after dark. The place lights up real nice. Back then daylight allowed you to see that the Stockyards needed some sprucing up. Over the years, that I have been here, there has been a lot of sprucing up done. Yesterday I saw a lot of sculptures have been added. One sad thing has not changed at all, that being the New Isis Theater. Ever since my first day in Texas this theater has been boarded up with the marquee saying "Coming Soon The New New Isis Theater." A couple years ago I got email from a guy who said he was restoring the Isis and that he was selling the original theater seats because they had to be replaced because Texans' butts have grown a lot bigger since the Isis last sat people.

I like Stockyards Station. I think it used to be where they put cattle before putting the cattle on trains. Which is why a train track runs through Stockyards Station. Now the Tarantula Train uses those tracks to take tourists to Grapevine and back. I have not ridden the Tarantula Train. Trains do not appeal to me. I got nauseated from motion sickness, which I'd never had, before or since, riding Amtrak from Seattle to Portland and back. Stockyards Station also looked spruced up yesterday. But there were very very few people in there. Ghost town.

It's been years since I've gone to the Stockyards after dark. I should do that again someday, if I ever decide to do something for fun again.