Sleepwalking In Texas While Driving In Afghanistan With Betty Jo Bouvier

We are looking out at the morning of the 3rd Friday of the last month of 2010. Only 14 days to go til the end of this current holiday season's excessive joy.

I had a rough night of nightmares last night. The nightmares had way too much action going on.

I think there may have been some sleepwalking involved.

Because one of my pillows was outside this morning, sitting on a table on the patio. I did not know this til I looked out the window to take the picture you see here and saw the pillow.

I do remember one of my nightmares.

Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, and I were on The Amazing Race. The task was to drive ourselves from Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kabul. We were provided with AK-47s in case we ran into any Taliban. It was a nervewracking drive to Kabul, with Betty Jo complaining all the way, blaming me for getting her stuck on this ridiculous race.

I woke up exhausted.

I have no idea what I am doing today, except for being absolutely certain there will be no driving in Afghanistan.

Standing On A Cliff Looking At The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man

You are looking at the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man, with the shadow being cast on the base of the currently dry Tandy Falls, with the Thin Man standing on the escarpment over which the Tandy River flows, making Tandy Falls, when water is available.

I was last on the Tandy Hills on Tuesday. On that day it was warm and I was overdressed. Today it was not warm and I was almost underdressed, with only a long sleeve t-shirt on top. But it turned out to be just a bit chilly at the start. I soon warmed up.

Unlike this morning's quickly aborted attempt to go swimming. By the time I made it to the end of the pool it was clearly obvious that I needed to quickly make my way back to a warm place.

Usually that warm place would be the hot tub. But its thermostat is still in malfunction mode. The malfunction was discovered when the water was so hot one could have easily slow-cooked a turkey in there.

Speaking of hot. Someone Anonymous commented on a blogging on Tuesday about Elsie Hotpepper's Elf duties, commenting that Elsie was HOT. I shared this information with Elsie, who then said something like, "Too many people up to no good. I don't like it."

Some people just can't take a compliment. I guess HOT Elsie Hotpepper would be one of those people.

Thursday Morning In Texas Thinking About Going Swimming With Ethyl Benzene, Methyl Pentane and Zylene In The Water

It is 39 degrees out there this 3rd Thursday of the last month of 2010. Looking out my window this morning, with no wind blowing, the pool looks inviting. I think I'll accept the invitation.

We got well into the 70s yesterday, maybe even into the low 80s. I'm sure that had a warming effect on outdoor water.

This morning Texas Sharon had a disturbing blurb about a Flower Mound girl in who's blood Barnett Shale Natural Gas well fracturing chemicals have been found.

The chemicals found in the teenager's blood were Ethyl Benzene, Methyl Pentane and Zylene.

Did the girl get the poison from drinking water or breathing air. Or both.

Are we all doomed?

Fort Worth's Field Of Dreams Aborted Streetcar Is Making Some Citizens Cranky

I have heard there are quite a few locals quite upset that the Fort Worth City Council aborted the Fort Worth Streetcar pretty much well before conception was allowed to take place.

All that had happened towards building a Fort Worth Streetcar was a study to look into the idea if conceiving a Streetcar Baby was a good idea. And if Fort Worth should accept the proposal and marry itself to a long range plan to grow a bigger family of streetcars.

This was an arranged attempt at marriage, gone about all backwards from the modern American way of conceiving a plan and then birthing it to fruition.

Apparently the Fort Wort Streetcar Debacle has caused a schism in town, with some young people and business owners, located south of downtown, sending out emails trying to bring about a boycott of Sundance Square.

For those of you who don't know Fort Worth, Sundance Square is a collection of downtown Fort Worth parking lots. The parking lots are under the control of the Sundance Square leader, Ed Bass. The Sundance Square people try to spin Sundance Square as a downtown revitalization project that revitalized downtown Fort Worth, with Sundance Square actually being a multi-block area of downtown, not just parking lots. But, to those who has been to other downtown's squares, the only thing in downtown Fort Worth that resembles a square is the downtown Fort Worth parking lots.

From what I have seen, over my years of being here, Ed Bass is behind a lot of questionable things about downtown Fort Worth. Which the locals don't find questionable, instead they act all grateful. acting as if they are Ed Bass' serfs, greatly grateful for the great things he deigns to bestow upon them.

That they have never learned, or been taught, to bestow upon themselves. Such as vote to fund a new performance hall, or museum, or public square, or streetcar, or anything.

As a person who came from an area without the Fort Worth style of relying on the kindness of supposedly philanthropic benefactors to do good things for my town, I early on found the reliance on the Bass Family to be detrimental to the health of Fort Worth.

Like it was some sort of modern era company town.

To my outsider's eyes, the Bass Performance Hall is nothing to be pleased about. It does not fit its surroundings, is not set back from the street, is across from a Barnes & Noble and kitty corner from a big pub that sits on one of the Bass parking lots.And it has two totally incongruous giant angels stuck to its sides blowing on big horns.

Other examples of the Bass taste in architecture in downtown Fort Worth are equally bad. All of which I am certain Howard Roark would happily blow up if he could.

And Ed Bass was behind thwarting what may have been Fort Worth's first actual iconic structure recognizable to the rest of America and the world, that being the now thwarted downtown Tarrant County College.

Many blame Ed Bass for being behind the Fort Worth Streetcar being aborted. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. I doubt Ed Bass is wrong all the time and I think he may have been right to think Fort Worth is not ready for streetcars.

Streetcar systems work in densely populated urban areas where a lot of people live and work. The downtown Fort Worth area and the areas to the north and south of downtown are not densely populated areas where people live and work. It is rather telling that there is no grocery store in downtown Fort Worth, or north of downtown Fort Worth or south of downtown Fort Worth, in the area of the proposed streetcar.

There were some who thought, "build it and they will come." Methinks that is wishful of the same sort as those who thought build the Santa Fe Rail Market and they will come.

I think Fort Worth sent out task forces to study other town's streetcars. I believe a task force went to Seattle to look at Seattle's South Lake Union Trolley known as SLUT. Did they not notice how filled in the served by the SLUT was? How many people were working and living within the area served by SLUT? Did they not ask which came first? The SLUT or the people?

Did they not notice how heavily used Seattle's bus system is? Did they not go into downtown Seattle's bus/rail tunnel and see the cavernous stations teeming with people and buses and trains with lots of riders?  Do they not notice how underused Fort Worth's buses are? How many people ride Molly the Trolley a year?

And, did they check out the ridership statistics on the SLUT? Even though it serves a much busier area than that where the Fort Worth Streetcar was proposed to run, the SLUT's ridership is less, per day, than the Fort Worth Streetcar's projected daily ridership.

In my opinion the day Fort Worth can no longer afford to have huge parking lots in its downtown core, due to the value of that land being so dear, is the day streetcars become viable in Fort Worth. Until that day building a streetcar line would be based on wishful thinking and waste a lot of money, hoping that if you build it, they will come.

Like a Field of Dreams. Only that Dream worked.

Almost 80 Degrees In Texas In Mid December Causing Me To Think About Rush Limbaugh & Millard Fillmore.

77 degrees at 3 in the afternoon this December 15 at my location in Texas.

I've got my windows open. Again. I was running the A/C while driving today up in Hurst. Yesterday I was running the vehicle's heater.

I do not remember opening my windows or running my vehicle's A/C in December in Texas, previously.

Maybe I am remembering wrong.

I listen to Rush Limbaugh for a few minutes every once in awhile.

Ex-President Millard Fillmore, who after getting kicked out of the presidency and the Whig Party, later ran for president on the Know Nothing Party Ticket. The Know Nothings were strongly anti-immigration. I don't know if going on and on about global warming being s hoax was part of their platform, way back then.

But if radio had been around in the 1850s, that being Millard Fillmore's time on the planet, and I was around to listen to it and Know Nothing Millard Fillmore had a talk radio show, I would listen to it just to be entertained by the astonishing buffoonery on display. Just like I do when I listen to Rush Limbaugh for a few minutes.

Yesterday Limbaugh was going on about the record breaking cold temperatures at his location in Florida being proof that there was no such thing as Global Warming. I think a listener, or someone, may have pointed out to him that the actual issue is Climate Change.

I am wondering if Mr. Limbaugh were located in my location how would he spin it being a warm almost 80 degrees today in Texas, with December windows open?

Ironically, with it being short wearing, possible shirt off temperatures, I don't think I am going to be doing any hill hiking today. Just not in the mood....

In The Middle Of December Thinking About The Texas Holiday Trail Of Lights & Interlochen

We are already about half way through the last month of 2010.

I was up late last night and up late this morning. A very rare occurrence.

Looking out the mid morning view from my window it appears to be yet one more blue sky Texas day. Rapidly approaching 60 degrees.

At one point last evening some dancing activity occurred. Shakira's Hips Don't Like started an involuntary reaction that has plagued me previously. That song turns me into a 21st Century Fred Astaire.

I got a comment from someone Anonymous verbalizing the opinion that I should alleviate my lack of Christmas Cheer by heading out to the East Texas Piney Woods Region to follow the Texas Holiday Trail of Lights.

That particular trail takes you to towns like Nacogdoches and Marshall and Jefferson where you see a lot of bright lights and Christmas displays.

I don't need to drive all the way out to the East Texas Piney Woods Region to see bright lights and Christmas displays. All I have to do is drive about 3 miles to the east to the Interlochen neighborhood to see bright lights and Christmas displays.

The Texas Holiday Trail of Lights link will take you to info about that particular trail. The Interlochen link will take you to info about Interlochen and maps directing you to the location.

I need to go take some Ibuprofen now. I'm having chest pains....

Elf Elsie Hotpepper Spreading Christmas Cheer To Me With Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie & Coconut Cake

As you can see, Elsie Hotpepper is in Elf Mode today. Before I say anything else, I must say, Elsie is not going saloon hopping in Elf Mode.

Elsie is out and about, today, bringing Christmas Cheer to those in short supply of Christmas Cheer.

That would include me.

My normal state of mind is pretty much Cheer-Free, but during what is commonly known as the Holiday Season, my Cheeriness really hits a low ebb.

This begins some time after Halloween and then begins to abate quickly following January 1 of the New Year.

This means I have about 17 more days of feeling fairly Cheerless.

I did experience some small amount of personal Christmas Cheer last night, at Gaylord Texan, partaking of desserts, which is something I usually do not partake of. But the few things, in Desert World, that I actually like, were present at Gaylord Texan.

I had what may have been the best Cheesecake I've ever had, topped with several types of berries. Then there was Key Lime Pie. Just a small slice of that. And Coconut Cake. I had never had Coconut Cake before, til I discovered this place called Sam's Buffet, about midway between Dallas and Houston. Gaylord Texan's was at least as good as Sam's.

This morning, when I got on the scale, I was mortified to see I have ballooned to 212 pounds. I'm so fat I likely will have no problem getting in the pool when I get around to doing that again, what with this nice layer of insulative lard I've added, keeping me warm, that will also likely let me float like I've got my own built in air mattress.

I have long envied Fat People regarding their advantages whilst playing in water. And now, thanks to a couple months of overeating, I am one of them.

I think it's time to go eat my nightly bag of tortilla chips with melted cheese.

The Thin Man Of The Tandy Hills Thinking About ISO, Scrabble Queens, Climbing Mountains & Texas Sharon's Bad Gas News

With my camera's ISO setting set on the correct setting, today I was able to take a non-overexposed picture of the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man.

This morning I was pleased to learn, from a link provided by Waldo, what ISO means. ISO makes sense to me now.

Thank you, Waldo, for alleviating me of one of my many areas of ignorance.

I was overdressed when I took off for the Tandy Hills today. There was no need for a windbreaker. There was no need for an extra shirt layer. There really was not a great need for a stocking cap. I was probably glad I was in long pants.

Right now, at almost 4 in the afternoon, it is a few degrees shy of 70, here in my formerly frigid zone of Texas.

The Scrabble Queen of Washington is currently Scrabbling from Pullman. That is over in Eastern Washington. Far eastern. Almost to Idaho. It is snowing and cold in her location. The Scrabble Queen wanted me to go out to Starbucks with her this morning, but distance restraints made that a bit difficult. The Scrabble Queen is over in Pullman, at Washington State University, staying with her daughter, Danielle, who's birthday is tomorrow.

I have mentioned Danielle before. She is world famous for being the youngest person to reach the summit of the tallest mountain on each of the 7 continents.

Today I got Facebook Friended, for the first time, by a dog. Shelby. Shelby is one of Princess Annie of Wink's guard dogs.

I learned from Texas Sharon today that I am not alone in thinking the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Driller's dirty polluting practices may be why I have not been feeling my usual tip/top self of late.

How ironic. Just as I typed "tip/top self" my throat itched and I coughed. Followed by a sneeze.

I need someone to come to my rescue and transport me to a place where the air is clean. I may be too weak to do this myself...

Going To Grapevine's Gaylord Texan & Getting A New BBQ

That's my new gas BBQ grill sitting outside on the patio.

I have yet to use the new BBQ. I got it out of its box this morning. I hauled it in here last night, late, returning from a Christmas Party at Gaylord Texan.

Christmas at Gaylord Texan is quite a spectacle. If you don't want to go inside and experience all of Texas under one roof, things like the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Alamo, Palo Duro Canyon, and more, just driving the road into Gaylord Texan you'll go by some over the top, well done Christmas displays.

In fact, you can pretty much say that for all of Grapevine, as in the drive through the main part of the historic town is done up quite nicely. And you will see some mighty big Xmas balls sitting on the ground. Biggest Xmas balls I've ever seen.

At last night's Christmas Party the gift part was done via a method I have done before. Only previously I was required to bring a gift to add to the gift pile. When I have done this style of Xmas present exchanging, before, it was called the Greed Game. A person opens a gift, the next person can either take it or open another. On and on it goes.

This can be amusing.

Last night's method was called The Chinese Gift Exchange. This somehow seemed borderline politically incorrect to me. The gifts were not wrapped. When your turn came you either took something from someone or took something from under the tree that no one else had taken. After 3 iterations of taking something new you were stuck with your 3rd choice.

I picked the BBQ and no one took it from me. I have an intimidating scowl when I want to keep something. I'm assuming. Maybe no one else wanted a portable BBQ. And found the digital cameras, flat panel TVs, I-Pads and trip to Las Vegas more enticing. Those items were heavily exchanged. Among others.

So, my first Christmas Party of the season is out of the way. At the next one I know I will not be bringing home anything good, because it is a work party and only those who work at this particular place get to play in the gift part of the party.

I usually don't blog about anything I do between 6pm and 6am, but this morning I made an exception. Maybe because unlike most periods of time between 6pm 6am, this time I got myself a new BBQ. It is so rare I get something new....

Looking At The Litter In Two Flooding Rivers With One In Texas & One In Washington

Above you are looking at a railroad bridge across the flooding Skagit River, from the Mount Vernon south side of the river, a couple miles from my Washington abode. This picture was taken yesterday.

A log jam has built up against the bridge that has caused some concerns. Bridges in Washington have often been badly damaged by log jams.

The Skagit River is a bigger river than the Trinity River, which is my current neighborhood river. The rivers styles of flooding are quite different. Note how clean the Skagit River water looks. Do you see any litter besides those vexing logs?

I have been looking at a lot of pictures of the current flood event on the rivers of Western Washington. I have not seen any litter floating in the flooded rivers. Not in any pictures or video. I am sure there is some litter floating in the current flood, there would have to be.

But not in the astonishingly copious amounts I have witnessed in the Trinity River.

Above is a picture of the Trinity River during its most recent flood. The picture was taken from the south side of the river, at Quanah Parker Park, about the same distance from my current abode as the first picture, above, was from my Washington abode.

Do you notice any differences? To my eyes the Skagit River appears to be clear, clean water, while the Trinity River looks to be rather dirty, with litter floating in it.

I have boated on the Skagit River, long floats on my rubber raft. I've eaten fish caught in the Skagit River. I have inner tubed the Skagit River. These are things I can not say I have done in the Trinity River. Though inner tubing in the Trinity has become a bit of a fad among life-risking daredevils.

Below is a video of the most recent flood event of the Trinity River. In the video you will see a lot of litter float by. Ironically, this flood occurred a short time after the more dire flood that was caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hermine. One would have thought the supply of Texas litter would have been a bit in short supply for a flood following so quickly after the biggest flood I've seen since I've been in Texas, but one would have been wrong, the supply of litter had been re-stocked, totally ready for the next flood event.

Texans seem to pride themselves on being World Class Litterers. We  like World Class stuff here. Soon we will have the World's Premiere Wake Boarding facility. Where people can come from all over the world to enjoy the fragrant waters of the Trinity River....