Taking The Tandy Hills Cure & Getting 10 Loaves Of Bread From Town Talk

Town Talk was the busiest I've ever seen it today. I was there around 12:30.

I'd gone on the longest hike ever on the Tandy Hills, hoping to shake up the respiratory malfunction that has had me feeling the blahs for several days.

The Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium seems to have had its hoped for salubrious effect.

In other words, I feel better.

I took a picture of the Town Talk parking lot for Ms. MLK, up in Tacoma. She would have liked Town Talk today.

I'd not been to Town Talk when the warehouse is opened up, before. Apparently this happens rarely. When I walked in to Town Talk I saw lots of people pushing carts beyond the doors that are usually closed. After I finished my usual Town Talk treasure hunting route, I went beyond the doors that are usually closed.

A nice lady with a full cart explained the open warehouse to me. And pointed to whole wheat bread, cases of 10 loaves. For $2. Real good artisan bakery type whole wheat bread. I also got organic pink grapefruit, 5 for $1. Plus sweet potato chips and tortilla chips made with black, green and kalamata olives, 2 for $1. That's all I found to get in the warehouse area.

This was my first time at Town Talk that required a grocery cart, rather than a handheld basket. It was the case of bread that pushed the load over the top. I had a grocery cart full and it only cost $9.

Now that I am sitting in this enclosed space, typing away and staring at a computer monitor, my respiratory woe seems to have returned. Maybe I've become allergic to computers. Or the Internet. Or blogging. Or a combo.

A strong wind has blown away the clouds, blue sky has returned. Maybe the wind will blow in some fresher, less polluted air.

Getting My $29 Party Pass So I Can Stand In The Cold Outside The Dallas Cowboy Stadium

I've been seeing the above ad at the top of the Dallas Morning News website every morning for awhile now.

For those of you not in Dallas Cowboy land a Party Pass lets you watch a Dallas Cowboy game. While standing outside the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium, watching the game on Big Screen TVs.

I do not know if the Party Passers have access to the restroom facilities inside the stadium, or if they are relegated to using one of the dozens upon dozens of Dallas Cowboy Trademarked Outhouses dotting the parking lots.

Do very many people actually pay 29 bucks to stand outside during a game? Will the Super Bowl have the Party Pass option?

Do other National Football League teams do this Party Pass deal? Or is it an only in Texas type thing?

It Is A Cloudy Saturday In Texas With No Pineapple Express Expected

The 2nd Saturday of the last month of 2010 is not a bright blue sky day in Texas, as you can see by looking at the view from my patio.

I do not believe rain is in the forecast.

Unlike what is going to hit Western Washington this afternoon in the form of a Pineapple Express zipping in from the Tropics, expected to dump 8 inches of rain in the mountains, 3 inches in the lowlands.

The Pacific Northwest has already had a lot of snow fall this snow season. With a Pineapple Express comes rapidly rising temperatures which melts the snowpack, adding more water to the 8 inches of rain, all of it racing downhill to Puget Sound.

I have still not recovered from my respiratory malfunction. This makes me crankier than I usually am.

Walking Through Village Creek Natural Historic Area Looking For Indians & Wondering If The Christmas Lights Have Dimmed In Interlochen

I am still in the midst of my personal recession. I am fairly certain my condition has stabilized and I will not slip into a full blown depression. However, I am currently not seeing a recovery in the near term.

Maybe tomorrow.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., told me to get vertical and mobile.

So, I followed Doctor's order and went to Village Creek Natural Historic Area to commune with nature and talk to all the Indian spirits who hover about the location of one of America's biggest Indian Villages, back before Texans started using a brute force version of eminent domain abuse to kick the locals out of their town.

A proud tradition which continues in modern Texas times, what with the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium, built with the help of what many believe to be the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history, a couple miles to the east.

As I walked through the remains of the Indian Village, I eventually exited to the Bob Findlay Linear Park. This linear park is on the west side of the Interlochen neighborhood,. Interlochen is usually an extremely popular Christmas display viewing venue.

Today it appeared that many of the Interlochen houses are free of Christmas decorations. It seems like I may have read of there being some problem with Interlochen this year, something to do with the Arlington police not wanting to police the traffic mess.

Or maybe the Interlochen canal dwellers have had to cut back on frivolous spending, like Christmas lights. I know I have cut back.

Actually, now that you are making me think about it, I have never burned any electricity on Christmas lights.

The Dawning Of A Cold Dark Friday In Texas With Respiratory Malfunction

I am looking out the window at the dark morning of the second Friday of the last month of 2010.

My bout of WBS (Why Bother Syndrome) seems to have abated, replaced by a bout of NIS (No Imagination Syndrome) that has me feeling like there is a big vacuum where my brain used to be.

Whatever it is in the air that has me having an allergic reaction continues to vex me, irritating my eyes, clogging my nasal passages.

I am looking at the computer screen right now through the filter of a watery haze.

Very unpleasant.

Still Suffering From Why Bother Syndrome Even After Tandy Hill Hiking & Looking At Downtown Fort Worth

This morning I mentioned that I was over come, again, with a bad case of "Why Bother Syndrome."

I can not say my case of WBS has gotten better as I have shuffled through today.

I have no idea what is ailing me. I suspect it is an allergy. It is not a cold. But, I'm stuffed up and have this weird slight difficulty breathing.

I'd blame my breathing woe on the recent reappearance of my Chesapeake neighbor and whatever it was they were doing to their gas well. But, that would be irrational. They are gone now.

I went to the Tandy Hills thinking some semi-fresh air might help. I had no trouble breathing going up the hills, which was my concern going in. If it weren't for needing to use a nasal spray to keep my nasal system working I'd think I was being a hypochondriac.

After MLK read my lament about suffering from a bout of WBS she prescribed a visit to downtown Fort Worth to give her a virtual visit to her old hometown, suggesting something weird/good/interesting might happen. Well, it is true that I don't think I have ever been in downtown Fort Worth when I did not see at least one weird thing.

But, sadly, the closest I could get to downtown Fort Worth today was looking at the stunning skyline of downtown Fort Worth from the Tandy Hills. So, MLK, that picture at the top is the best I could do for you today.

MLK's situation is the opposite of mine. I was exiled from Washington to Texas. MLK was exiled from Texas to Washington. MLK's specific location of exile is Tacoma. I know of one or two real serious nutjobs who live in Tacoma. MLK is not one of them.

I don't know when MLK was last in downtown Fort Worth.

It has changed drastically, and not in a good way, since I moved here, with the now defunct Radio Shack corporate headquarter's destruction of the huge, free parking lots and free subway that took you easily to the heart of downtown.

Fort Worth is now like downtown Seattle, well, not quite as bad as Seattle, but it is no longer easy to find free parking in the downtown Fort Worth zone. That last time I was there I paid, I think, 6 bucks to park in one of the Bass parking lots known as Sundance Square, for a couple hours.

The last time I parked in downtown Seattle, August 7, 2008, I paid, I think, $25 to park all day on a lot in Pioneer Square. Pioneer Square is not a collection of parking lots. Pioneer Square is an actual square, unlike Sundance Square, where there is no square, just parking lots. Where a square should be.

I think maybe I should go saloon hopping with Elsie Hotpepper. That might break me out of my current bad case of WBS.

Why Bother When You Are Behind Bars?

As you can see, I am being very negative this second Wednesday of the last month of 2010, December 9, trapped behind the bars of my patio prison cell.

December is almost a third gone.

It seems like yesterday I was saying November was a third gone.

Tomorrow it will seem like yesterday I was saying December was almost a third gone.

Anyway.

I have been consumed, of late, with an overarching feeling of "Why Bother." I have suffered bouts of "Why Bother Syndrome" in the past. Usually the feeling fairly quickly passes.

This time "Why Bother Syndrome" seems to be lingering.

The lingering "Why Bother Syndrome" is likely exacerbated by endorphin withdrawal, due to yesterday's absence of any aerobic activity, which now has me thinking why bother with any aerobic activity.

Why bother with anything? What's the point? Nothing matters.....

Is George's Specialty Foods Back In Operation After Successfully Battling Chesapeake Energy?

Well. I saw this morning via an ad in FW Weekly that George's Specialty Foods is back after being closed to deal with some eminent domain abuse issues brought to George's Specialty Foods courtesy of one of the world's biggest abusers of eminent domain, Chesapeake Energy

I do not know what the outcome was, or if there was an outcome, in this particular eminent domain abuse case.

If this particular case of eminent domain abuse was covered in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I missed it.

I'm guessing that in Star-Telegram world it is not newsworthy when a local business closes in order to defend itself against having its property taken so a pipeline can be run through their property carrying non-odorized natural gas.

Can someone tell me what the outcome was regarding this particular case of eminent domain abuse? Or what the current status is?

Walking A Wal-Mart Parking Lot With #23, Oregon Christmas Trees & OC Burgers

I had a half hour to kill. I was in Hurst, after having been to North Richland Hills. I forgot that I was supposed to look at a big pipe today in North Richland Hills. Or was it Haltom City? I hate my age-related memory woes.

So, with a half hour to kill, and after having gotten what I wanted to get from ALDI, I went across the street to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.  After I got garlic powder and peanut butter I decided to walk around the Wal-Mart parking lot and enjoy the brisk refreshing temperature and see if I could find anything of interest to look at. Or something odd.

Sadly the tour of the Wal-Mart parking lot rendered not a lot of oddness. But, there was the vehicle you see above. All its windows, except the front windshield, had a message on them. Apparently a football team named the Chargers won a football game. Which evidently had these people wanting to insist that their window viewers have a Happy Christmas.

Now, what amused me is that the football player is #23. So, on dad's driver's side window a square box is drawn in to frame dad's head, with the message saying, "#23's DAD." And behind dad is seated #23's Brother. On the other side we had #23's MOM and #23's Sister. #23's DOG Cajo sits in the back.

Next on my tour of the Wal-Mart parking lot I came to Wal-Mart's puny display of 5 Christmas Trees. Priced ranging from $30 to $60. And, just like the Christmas Trees at my neighborhood Kroger, these trees came from the Pacific Northwest. Kroger's were from Washington, Wal-Marts from Oregon. Noble Mountain Tree Farm based in Salem, Oregon, to be precise.

Why does Texas not supply Texans their Christmas trees? I've seen plenty of pine trees growing in the Piney Woods Region of Texas.

A few months ago, to some small fanfare, a California based franchise named OC Burgers opened in Hurst, adjacent to the Wal-Mart parking lot. OC Burgers did not last long. I noticed it closed last week. Most of the OC has been stripped away, except for the drive-thru menu.

I assume OC stands for Orange County. I've no idea why OC Burger failed. The burgers, as depicted on the menu, look tasty, except for the California Avocado Burger and the Jalapeño Burger.

This week In-N-Out Burger, also based in California, let it be known that they are opening an In-N-Out in Hurst, also on Precinct Line Road, just a couple blocks south of the now dead Hurst OC Burger.

I hope the OC bad burger outcome in Hurst does not bode ill for In-N-Out Burger.

There you have it, my very eventful, exciting walk around the Hurst Wal-Mart parking lot.

FW Stinks On Kathleen Hicks & Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief''s Political Calculations

I've been getting some good blog comments lately. Some times the comments are to bloggings from months, or even years ago.

Or the good blog comment might be to a blogging that was blogged on the very day it was commented on, such as one I got this afternoon from FW Stinks.

I do not know if FW is a man or a woman. What I do know is Mr./Ms. Stinks has rather strong opinions about about the shenanigans of Fort Worth's city officials, such as Fort Worth's esteemed by few mayor, Mike Moncrief, and District 8 City Councilwoman, Kathleen Hicks, currently somewhere in Europe spending some of Fort Worth's abundant budget surplus.

Below is what FW Stinks had to say...........

Very interesting observations, historical facts, and questions Mr. Durango. This situation could just be coincidence = not likely with this mayor and his crew. 

A theory based on past history and pattern is that this was a cynical ploy involving political calculations. Remember elections are just around the bend for the mayor and Ms. Hicks. She serves as some kind of member of big bother big sister version for cities, mainly FW and European cities. So this may be the official city business for which she's deployed, during a crucial vote on a major issue for the city. Not only are travel related expenses much higher during this busy holiday period, but then to be absent while knowing ahead of time that there will very likely be a tie vote (an unusual thing for this group) is awfully fishy. Going with the calculated politically-motivated theory, this scenario benefits both the mayor and the councilwoman. 

With a strong challenger already in place (see FW Weekly, forget the S-T for real news), the mayor wants to be able to point to this "difficult decision" and his decisive and courageous tie-breaking vote THAT SHOW HIS RESPECT FOR THE CITIZENS WISHES AND FOR RESPONSIBLE USE OF TAX MONEY. 

After a rough two years, mostly from her mistake in taking the side of the bullying gas corporation Chesapeake in a very high profile and intense battle of wills between this corporate Goliath and a sickly immigrant man (who won, by gosh!!), the council rep. needed no more "political damage or liability" going into the May 2011 election. Not really known for courageous votes or strong leadership, this conveniently timed trip gives her that political cover.

So either the mayor has felt that she has gotten over her punishment from him last year, and deserves his "protection" now, for not getting that CHK pipeline down Carter Ave. in the form of a blindside straight out of "Survivor" in which he publicly stripped (and embarrassed her and her supporters) away her precious title as mayor pro temp without the usual courtesy of letting her know in advance OR she has not not gotten over that public humiliation and took the trip in order to force him to be the deciding vote and pay whatever political price for his decision.

Or, once again, it's all just a perfect set of coincidences. I'd like to feed you some fish from the Trinity River if you bite on that explanation.