I Filed A Report With The FBI & Other Nonsense

Well, I've had me a sort of sickening morning. The sort of sickening that would be funny if it weren't so sad and sickening.

I got an email this morning from my Anonymous Tacoma emailer with a link to Facebook.

Imagine my joy when I clicked on the link to see myself being discussed by the entities I call Fubbo, Mister Sister and Mega Nag. Discussed on Facebook.

Apparently I am stalking (or stocking) Fubbo on the Internet. And it's very creepy. And sloppy.

The FBI has been contacted by Fubbo and she has her people working on the case, including Mister Sister, who Fubbo suggests might do some IP digging.

Now, where this turns funny, and sad, is a couple months ago Fubbo showed up on Gar the Texan's blog, anonymously, at first. The Queen of Wink sent me the Anonymous comment, along with the IP address. I could tell it was Fubbo. I then said so on Gar's blog. To which Fubbo, almost immediately, commented, denying ever being Anonymous.

And yet Fubbo somehow knew she'd been exposed on some random blog, denying it was she making the Anonymous comment. Fubbo's damage control comment was pretty lame, the Queen of Wink pretty much amusingly countered Fubbo. Fubbo then deleted her comments and went away. Or so I thought.

The Queen of Wink was able to use some IP tracking thing to see where Fubbo was going, blog-wise.

I then commented that it was pretty ironic that Fubbo has said she forces herself not to read my blog and now to find out she's not only stalking mine, but also stalking the blogs of people I know in Texas. If you look at my FeedJit stats you can see Tacoma is constantly showing up on my blog.

Fubbo must have stewed about this embarrassment for a couple months and then decided to project her behavior on to me.

What profoundly disturbs me is that Mister Sister and Mega Nag are feeding into these delusions. I'd told Mister Sister that she needed to be wary of Fubbo due to the girl being a pathological liar.

It's all very perplexing to me. And sad. And just slightly funny.

My Chesapeake Energy Neighbor Has Returned

This morning, early, I started hearing what sounded like the bangs and booms of a construction project.

A few minutes ago I went outside to do some contemplating whilst sitting on the picnic table, one of my favorite contemplating spots.

I was barely into contemplating mode when I heard a bang and turned around to see that today's bangs and booms were being brought, again, courtesy of Chesapeake Energy and the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling operation across the street from where I live.

I guess it must be time to freshly frack the well. I believe this happens several times during a well's lifespan. Or maybe this isn't fracking, maybe it's a new drilling operation. It did appear that pipe was being shoved downward, with that guy you see in the picture appearing to be directing something.

I hope this is not an around the clock operation like the initial drilling was. I suspect it will be, though, with an army of trucks delivering water, soon to follow.

Swimming In Texas With The Lake Worth Alligators

You're looking at an alligator, recently spotted on Lake Worth. Lake Worth is in Fort Worth. People swim and water ski on Lake Worth. Apparently this is the time of year when gators usually get real active.

There is more water than the norm flowing out of Lake Eagle Mountain, which flows to Lake Worth. The alligators don't like fast moving water, so they head to where it is calmer. Which, apparently, has caused many of the big boys to leave the Fort Worth Nature Preserve for the calmer waters of Lake Worth.

I have not seen an alligator in the wild since I've been in Texas. I have seen the signs in the Fort Worth Nature Preserve informing visitors of the presence of gators.

Last year a 10 foot long alligator was killed in my neighborhood when it was crossing a road on its way to or from the Trinity River.

It has been years since I've gone swimming in a Texas lake. I think the last time may have been when I was chased by a big turtle.

Calling Mom Prickly Pears Tandy Hills & Spencer Jack

I need no help identifying the new "wildflower" I saw blooming on the Tandy Hills today. What I don't know is if it is actually a wildflower. What I do know is the flower pops out of prickly pear cactus. And then turns into an edible prickly pear.

In addition to prickly pear cactus blooms, I've had me a day. I got up around 4 this morning.

Sometime after getting out of bed, but before getting into the pool, I logged in to Facebook and saw a surprising bit of news from the Queen of Wink. We need not go into details. Suffice to say I submitted a formal inquiry to the Queen and she alleviated me of my concern.

By mid-morning Elsie Hotpepper was obsessing over getting into a car with a stranger. I had trouble understanding the obsession. But did my best to alleviate Elsie of her concern.

A bit before noon I headed up to Euless. I had to get gas on the way, so I called my mom, like I always do when I get gas. Mom was being in chatty mode. So, we chatted. I learned that my little great nephew, Spencer Jack, attended my Uncle Mel's funeral. Spencer Jack is named after my dad, Jack, and my ex-wife, who's last name is Spencer. My nephew, Spencer's dad, had been told you can't go wrong naming your kid after your richest relative. I believe Spencer's namesake was also at the funeral.

Don't I have interesting family dynamics?

I talked to my mom til I got to my destination, La Hacienda Ranch, in Euless. I was meeting up with Miss de Loca for lunch.

I over ate.

On the way back here, from Euless, I called my sister in Phoenix. My sister in Phoenix is the go to girl if I want to know what's going on with my relatives. She's an accurate, coherent, rational reporter.

I got back here a bit before 3. A short time after that, with it being in the 90s, I decided I needed to overheat on the Tandy Hills. And so I did.

It is now almost 6. I'm ready for this day to be over.

Memorial Day Weekend In Texas At Rockport Festival Of Wine & Food With Alma Squillante & Havana Daydream

Alma Squillante, also known as "The Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast," currently headquartered in Port Aransas, has partnered with a guy named Luis in a duo called Havana Daydream.

On May 30, Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, Alma and Havana Daydream will be playing at the Rockport Festival of Wine & Food in Rockport Texas.

Havana Daydream takes the stage at 4pm.

In Alma's words, "C'mon down and join us chomping on shrimp, oysters, beer, margaritas, and grooving, sassy relaxing Havana Daydream rock!"

Who wants do drive down to the Texas Gulf Coast with me this weekend to see Alma and Havana Daydream? And to have some shrimp and beer.

Walking With Tootsie Tonasket While Thinking About Queen Of Wink Love Shacks With The George & Laura Bush Drunken Divorce

You are looking at part of the Village Creek Natural Historic Area Bayou, in Arlington, today around noon.

I tried to get my camera turned on fast enough to take a picture of a bright red bird that was sitting atop the big stick in the bayou. But the bird flew away before I could catch it.

Tootsie Tonasket went walking with me today. Tootsie picked chamomile whilst we walked along. When she wasn't picking chamomile Tootsie gave me very good instructions as to how to make Chicken Pot Pie. In the last 48 hours I've become obsessed with wanting to make Chicken Pot Pie.

Elsie Hotpepper wants me to do lunch with her. Trouble is, Elsie's is a very odd schedule. She has lunch at something like 4 in the afternoon. I'm usually done with my day's eating by 4 in the afternoon. If I remember right, I've not had lunch with Elsie since she conned me into having a Dirty Love Burger at The Love Shack in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Speaking of Love Shacks, the Queen of Wink called me yesterday afternoon. The Queen wanted my opinion regarding a subject of great import. I was instantly quite concerned. My opinion is rarely solicited, and when it is, often unintended consequences follow.

Back to the subject of Burgers. I read today that In & Out is going to open in Garland.

I was told, at the aforementioned Love Shack outing with Elsie Hotpepper, by one of Elsie's cohorts, he calls himself the White Knight, that In & Out was rumored to be moving into the D/FW Metroplex zone. Today's news confirm the incoming In & Out.

I have only had an In & Out burger twice. It was in Phoenix. I had a 10 hour layover. My sister had taken me to a Happy Hour where I had way too many appetizers. Then we went to In & Out. I was already in no need of food. But, I had 2 In & Out burgers. Best I've ever had.

If In & Out totally invades this zone it should wreak havoc with some of the burger joints locals hold dear, about which I've never understood the reason why. Like Kincaid's, for one. And I was very very disapointed in the aforementioned Dirty Love Burger. That particular burger has gotten a lot of hype, some of which has emanated from outside this propaganda heavy zone I'm currently typing in.

The most disturbing thing I've seen today, so far, was in Wal-Mart. I was walking along on my way to the whole wheat burger buns when I saw headlines on some of those tabloid rags that were profoundly disturbing. Apparently Laura Bush has had enough of living a lie, covering for husband, George's, heavy drinking. Laura wants a divorce.

Shocking.

Not very believable. You see George out and about, mountain biking, all the time, on the various local mountain bike trails in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone. George really can not be much of an alcohol consumer and be out and about riding mountain bike trails.

But, now that you are making me think about it, I can not remember the last time I've run into George Bush on one of the area trails. I hope no longer being the Great Decider has not driven the poor guy to drink.

YouTube Rattlesnakes, Australians, Americans, Texans & Nazis

This morning I learned I do not get sent an email every time someone comments on one of my YouTube Videos.

I learned this when I did get an email, with a comment, from an Australian about my Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup video.

I then went to my YouTube Account to see that there has been a lot of commenting going on about Rattlesnakes, Texans, Americans, Nazis and other things, that I had no idea people were saying, spurred by watching my video about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

I'll share comments from 3 commenters. First the Australian, OneiroscopeB...

I'm an Australian. Our snakes are far more venomous than rattlesnakes, or any other American snakes. Yet they are protected as native wildlife and a vital part of our ecology. I can't imagine any civilized country allowing such public displays of horrendous cruelty and slaughter! It wouldn't even get off the ground here. But we are obviously more civilized than Texans are.

I don't understand why you need to prove your virility (or something. It doesn't make you any kind of hero, just another inadequate American trying to prove what a 'man' he is. Or might be, if no-one is looking too hard. They are native wildlife and should be protected, as they are in more civilized countries.

I am not sure what comment OneiroscopeB is reacting to, but it would seem someone must have brought up how civilized, or uncivilized various countries are, regarding the snake issue, I guess.

jimandmarcus had something to say about Civilized Countries...

Oh Yes-civilized. Countries where killing a snake is a horror, but abortion is rampant. Civilized. Like morally decadent France? Or Germany, who produced the Nazis? Or how about Greece? THEY are acting REALLY civilized. And I don't have to prove anything. Not to myself, and CERTAINLY not to you.

And then asmodayose weighed in, sharing his view that the Rattlesnake is an American symbol. This was news to me...

Rattlesnakes play an important part in the ecosystem, hence why they evolved to live in the areas they do. And as for livestock lost to rattlesnake bites, it is minimal. If you want I can post you to a paper written by a group of herpetologists that states the statistics for livestock deaths relating to snake bites. Besides, do you really want to get rid of an animal that is an American symbol of freedom and fighting? 'Don't tread on me.'

You can watch the YouTube Video these people are talking about, below....

LOST & Dizzy Looking Down Tandy Hills Manholes

I am having myself another Dizzy Day in Texas. DDT.

I gave up on watching LOST, to the end, last night, when my DVR caught up with the commercials. Waiting for commercials ruins my TV viewing mood.

Watching what I did watch of LOST made me even dizzier. Prior to LOST I'd been over at Miss Puerto Rico's where she added to my dizziness. Prior to going to Miss Puerto Rico's I'd gone for my second swim of the day.

And then I was back swimming really early this morning. I don't seem to be very dizzy when I'm swimming.

I have to be at a location in Euless in about an hour. So, I decided to get my endorphin fix earlier than normal. I parked by the Tandy Tower. I soon could tell the Fort Worth Water Boys were back in the jungle playing with their pipes.

The Water Operation has now crossed Tandy Falls. The Falls is currently a Dry Falls. A large truck had crossed the Tandy Falls Escarpment and was on the north side of the Falls doing whatever it is it was doing. Another smaller vehicle, a jeep-like device with 3 big people onboard, was crossing the Tandy Falls Escarpment, in reverse.

The jeep-like device in reverse is what you are looking at in the picture above.

South of the Falls there were 2 trucks by one of the manhole covers, which was uncovered. Next to the uncovered manhole was an interesting looking device. I asked what it was. A mechanical robot type thing. I think it chopped roots.

I looked into the manhole hole and was surprised by the amount of water I saw rushing by.

Looking into the manhole hole and seeing the rushing water did not make me dizzy. Each of the Tandy Hill climbs did make me dizzy, today, though.

Speaking of even more dizziness, today, Elsie Hotpepper and I have been talking about going to hear some music at the Red Rock Amphitheatre by Denver.

That's been my exciting, dizzy Monday, so far, today in Texas. Now, I'm out of here, again, for a couple hours.

RadioShack's $10.7 Million Fort Worth Extortion Scheme

I have been in one of my cycles of feeling like why bother whining about the latest bizarro iteration of the Fort Worth Way's way of running a town.

After awhile you can't help but realize it is pointless to point out anything, when you can point out something so obvious as the fact that Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief has multiple criminal conflicts of interests where he monetarily gains to the tune of over $600,000 a year from the Barnett Shale gas drillers poking holes all over the town of which he is mayor.

Fort Worth's goofily corrupt mayor's latest goofy corruptness has been urging the Fort Worth City Council to approve a proposal to give RadioShack $10.7 million in tax breaks. Moncrief told the City Council that the deal, also known as an extorting shakedown, with RadioShack, is a "unique and productive partnership" that is "a good deal for all of us."

Just 8 short years ago special tax districts were created with tax breaks lasting 30 years, while eminent domain was abused to boot low-income citizens from the Ripley Arnold housing project, so RadioShack could build a new corporate headquarters. All the RadioShack incentives totaled up to $96 million.

The new RadioShack Corporate Headquarters was built. Soon, RadioShack found they could not afford it. Then another Fort Worth Boondoggle, the downtown campus of Tarrant County College bailed on its new building, and bought into the RadioShack building for their new campus.

Now, inside the rarified chambers of Fort Worth's city government, one of their operating premises is that it is a great benefit to Fort Worth to have a prestigious Fortune 500 company, like RadioShack, headquartered in Fort Worth.

And so, in those rarified chambers it makes sense to give RadioShack a lot more money if RadioShack would kindly stay in town for another 5 years.

I really don't see how having RadioShack in your town is all that great a deal. I really have never understood how they stay in business with their junky stores.

Now, what I'm thinking is Fort Worth would be well rid of RadioShack. Look at the damage RadioShack has done to Fort Worth. Where the new headquarters were built there had been huge, free parking lots. A free subway took you from those parking lots to the heart of downtown Fort Worth. This made it so easy to go to downtown Fort Worth. I used to do that frequently. I have seldom gone to downtown Fort Worth in the years since RadioShack destroyed downtown Fort Worth's best asset.

I don't know what the problem is with Fort Worth and new corporate headquarters. Pier One Imports built a new corporate headquarters, about the same time as RadioShack. The Pier One Imports Headquarters has now been taken over by Chesapeake Energy, used as the base of operations from which Chesapeake runs its shadow Fort Worth government.

The RadioShack CEO, Julian Day, was paid $8 million in 2009.

Fort Worth is closing swimming pools, cutting library hours, not filling potholes, not doing a lot of things, due to revenue shortfalls.

How is it anything but insane for Mike Moncrief and the Fort Worth City Council to consider giving a company like RadioShack, which has already done so much damage to Fort Worth, $10.7 million more? Instead, why is there not a demand that RadioShack return money to Fort Worth, due to the fact that their new Corporate Headquarters did not live up to the bill of goods RadioShack sold the city. It did not spur development on the Trinity River, it did not end up being a commitment to the city that lasted generations.

The commitment lasted a couple years, if that. Fort Worth should now sue for divorce from RadioShack, in my humble opinion.

The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You Dirty Litterbugs

I saw this sign out in East Texas, at an I-30 rest area. I was on my to Kilgore. Kilgore has a good museum about the East Texas oil boom, but I digress.

When I first saw this sign I thought it was an anti-litter sign. But, those always say "Don't Mess With Texas." Not, "The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You!"

This sign was imploring cell phoners to be snitches. Maybe that particular rest area, on the way to Kilgore, had a lot of criminal activity and emergencies.

Texas litter is freshly on my mind due to Zelda del West putting it there. Zelda is currently vexed about Texas litter, particularly in the San Antonio zone.

Apparently the San Antonio litter problem has become a serious issue. My one and only time visiting San Antonio I did not notice all that much litter.

But, I may be warped in my litter perceptions due to my current location, which I believe must be the Litter Capital of the World, also known as Fort Worth, also known as Dirty ol' Town.

A few weeks ago there was a letter to the editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram opining that North Texas had a natural anti air pollution system, where Mother Nature simply blew the bad air across the Red River to Oklahoma.

I believe a lot of North Texans subscribe to the same Mother Nature method for disposing of litter. My favorite disposal method, that I have seen many many times, is to drive down the freeway with your pickup bed loaded with trash, letting the rush of air dispose of it as you drive along.

I don't know what direction the prevailing wind blows here. Is it north, most of the time? If so, does the litter relentlessly march on Oklahoma, just like the bad air? Why don't the Oklahomans get cranky about this? Or do the Okies subscribe to the same litter disposal method and send theirs north to Kansas?

Anyway, I really don't understand why way too many Texans are way too cavalier about trashing their part of the planet. It really is not all that difficult to pick up after yourself and toss litter into a proper receptacle.