Up Early After A Bad Bout Of Insomnia With Morning Aggravation With The Dallas Morning News

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at the second Wednesday of March it appears we have dawned with yet one more blue sky morning in North Texas.

It is 45 degrees out there this morning.

I had myself a bad insomnia outbreak last night. Endless bouts of short bursts of falling asleep and then waking up again, with constant tossing and turning.

I likely burned a lot of calories during last night's attempt to sleep. The problem was exacerbated, I think, due to it being a bit warm and muggy. Opening the window brought in a cold breeze, causing bouts of blankets off blankets on, til common sense kicked in clear enough to cause me to shut the window.

Just typing this blogging I can see this is going to be a rough day. Almost every other word I am either misspelling or typing some odd typo. I don't recollect ever giving the backspace key the level of workout it is getting right now.

I think I am going to have to bail on the Dallas Morning News online. You have to be an online subscriber to read the content. When I open the paper it says "Hi Durango" indicating I am logged in.

However, this morning when I clicked to read a story about the Dallas kayaking whitewater section of the Trinity River that is part of the Dallas Trinity River Vision, which sees a bit more clearer vision than the cross-eyed Fort Worth Trinity River Vision, I was told I needed to subscribe to read the content.

When I clicked on the register and subscribe button I was brought to a subscribe to the hard copy offer. Which I rejected when I clicked "No Thanks" and took off to read the Seattle P-I online.

For free. Except for annoying ads.

I guess I will try and go swimming now and hope that that perks up my tiredness and sloppy synapses.

The Shirtless Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man With Some Possible Good Paradise Center News

Yesterday I was under dressed and cold when I did me some hill hiking in the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Today, at noon, the temperature was in the mid 70s and, as you can clearly see, today it was the Shirtless Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man that went hiking.

It is now around 3 in the afternoon and 83. I think I'll open a window.

Thunderstorms were predicted to be arriving at this point in time. Currently I don't see that happening.

I stayed as long in the pool, this morning, as I did yesterday. But today this did not lead to a bad case of out of control shivering.

I've been told that the owners of the Rainbow Lounge have offered space to the good people at the Paradise Center, so they can re-open in a new location, after Tarrant County, in the form of something called MHMR, kicked them out of their home a couple weeks ago.

The Rainbow Lounge has also been the victim of Fort Worth government hooliganism in the form of a brutal Gestapo-like raid that left many injured and one or two hospitalized.

I don't know if anyone responsible for that bizarre raid on the Rainbow Lounge was ever brought to justice and punished. I also don't know if anyone responsible for that bizarre raid on the Paradise Center will ever be brought to justice and punished.

In America justice would be the eventual outcome. But, unfortunately, America is not where the Rainbow Lounge and Paradise Center are located.

The 2nd Tuesday Of March Has Dawned In Texas Heated To 58 Degrees

We are looking out my viewing portal on the world on the 2nd Tuesday of March at air currently heated to 58 degrees.

That balmy temperature likely means I will be able to go swimming this morning without a repeat of yesterday's out of control shivering incident.

Rain and possible Thunderstorms are on the agenda for my location today. It has been awhile since we've had a good Thunderstorm in these parts. We are due.

Particularly with Spring ready to be sprung on us in about 12 days. Spring is tornado season in North Texas. Along with wildflower season.

In 5 days we roll forward time an hour with the arrival of Daylight Savings Time on the 13th.

It is now time for my scheduled morning swim. I am all about keeping to a very strict schedule.

Shivering On The Tandy Hills While The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Talks To Don Young About Barnett Shale Gas Drillers & The Tandy Hills

In the picture we are standing on top of Mount Tandy in the Tandy Hills Natural Area looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

It was in the 50s and windy. I was under dressed. I should have been in long pants with a long sleeved shirt. But I was not.

This was my second bout of being cold today. This morning it was 47 when I went in the pool. The water was quite a bit warmer than the air. So, I ended up staying a long time in the pool.

Too long.

After I got out of the hot shower I had myself about an hour of extreme shivering before that sensation went away. It sort of feels good.

Speaking of the Tandy Hills. I got back from there to learn, via email, that the Tandy Hills was being discussed in today's issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a 2 part article with the first part titled "Deep in the Heart of the Gas Drilling Controversy."

Part 2 of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article is titled "Natural gas fields have provided a fount of cash for Texas cities"

Part 2 focuses on what drilling in the Barnett Shale has done for and to North Texas. Fort Worth's #1 Watchdog, Don Young, provided input as to the bad stuff done by the drillers. That is Don Young in the photo, standing on the Tandy Hills, in a photo taken by Michael Henninger of the Post-Gazette.

The First Monday Of March Dawns Late Because Of Jennifer Anniston

As you can sort of tell by looking out my viewing portal on the world, I am up well after the sun on the first Monday of March of 2011.

I had myself a night of restful dreams, that seemed to play out in real time.

Suffice to say this morning I know Jennifer Anniston way better than I did before last night.

It is 15 degrees above freezing this morning. A refreshing increase in warmth from yesterday morning's sub-freezing temperature that had me being wary of going swimming.

A wariness I was able to get past.

I don't know for certain what I am going to be doing this first Monday of March. The only thing I know for almost certain is I will be doing some hill hiking today.

In the meantime I am going swimming.

Calling Honey Lulu While Walking With Cbonesmom In Veterans Park & Hearing Lame Excuses From Elsie Hotpepper

Today I wanted to go to ALDI in Pantego. Veterans Park in Arlington is in the neighborhood, so I went there for a virtual walk with my sister, Cbonesmom, in Arizona.

By virtual walk, I mean I called and we talked while I walked.

I had a few questions to ask regarding my plans to go to Phoenix in April.

Cbonesmom is going to Tacoma for a few weeks in April to see my new nephews and niece, David Jay, Theodore Ryan and Ruby Jean. She said she can change her flight north so she can be in Arizona when I'm there. I'll just push off going to AZ so my sister doesn't have to change her plans.

Cbonesmom is my sister's email nickname. She is CJ and JR's mom. I've no idea what Cbones means. I don't think I've ever asked.

Before calling Cbonesmom I called Honey Lulu. Honey Lulu called me at midnight last night. I did not know this until I flipped my phone open this morning. I called Honey Lulu 12 hours after she called me. I got voice mail. Until a few months ago Honey Lulu lived on Oahu, where she regularly appeared on a TV show called LOST. Honey Lulu is now back on the mainland, having trouble adjusting to the cold Washington winter weather.

This morning Elsie Hotpepper called. Her excuse for not showing up at last night's TRIP event was that she forgot. And her phone was supposedly dead, which is why she was not reachable by phone. Elsie Hotpepper is so unimaginative with her excuses.

I need to call Elsie Hotpepper to tell her we are going to Finn MacCools next weekend to meet some Special Powers. Finn MacCools is a pub. I think they may serve alcoholic beverages there.

Driving around today it sure does not appear that people are cutting back on their driving due to the big jump in the price of gas. There were a lot of people having fun at Veterans Park. ALDI was real busy. Yesterday Town Talk was the busiest I've ever seen it. For the first time ever I had trouble finding a parking space.

I rarely get headaches. I have a slight one right now. I think it may be from spending too much time on the phone today. I don't like spending too much time on the phone.

I forgot to mention, though earlier today I said I would not be going swimming due to the temperature being below freezing, I later re-thought that and realized the water would be significantly warmer than the air. So, I managed about 15 minutes of swimming in water noticeably colder than it was yesterday.

And then I got in the hot tub.

Another Freezing Sunday March Morning In Texas

Looking out my viewing portal on the world this first Sunday of March you can see I am up well past the arrival of the sun.

What you can not see is the sun has not been able to warm it up out there past the above freezing point.

It is two degrees below freezing out there this morning.

I am currently of the opinion that I will not try to go swimming this morning.

I am up way later than my norm due to being kept up way later than my norm due to going to that TRIP event in Fort Worth's Botanic Garden last night.

I remember, way back before I became a virtual elderly person, being easily able to stay up past 2am, topping the evening off with an early breakfast at places like IHOP or Denny's or the Old South Pancake House. Apparently, those days are long gone.

I wish I could say I'm going swimming now. But I can't.

I TRIPPED Up In The Botanic Gardens In Fort Worth Tonight Without Elsie Hotpepper

I lasted longer at the TRIP meeting tonight than I thought I would. I made it through the meet and greet part.

Then I made it part way into the main show, before my Adult Attention Deficit Disorder kicked in, which had me thinking I could be doing something else, until the impulse to leave could be resisted no longer.

It would have helped if Elsie Hotpepper had showed up, as expected, at Fort Worth's Botanic Gardens tonight.

The promised hors d’oeuvres turned out to be a buffet table laden with tasty goodies. Waiting in the line reminded me of good times in Las Vegas and Reno waiting in a slow buffet line behind people older than me.

I was deathly afraid someone at this thing might recognize me. I hate it when that happens. So, I went in Clark Kent mode, with glasses. It worked. No one recognized me.

After about a half hour of sitting solo, eating hors d’oeuvres, this nice lady in a slinky black dress indicated I should come to her. I did so. She told me the show was about to begin. And that I could go get myself a good seat.

Good seat, to me, means a seat located in the back near an exit.

Well.

Imagine my surprise when the show starts up and the nice lady in the slinky black dress was introduced as, and I hope I get the name right, Layla Caraway.

Like the seeds, I think.

Miss Caraway gave a good introduction as to what TRIP is all about. As in sane management of the Trinity River. As opposed to the current insane management of the Trinity River.

Miss Caraway ended her speech introducing a documentary, produced by KERA in Dallas, about the Trinity River. It is a good documentary.

But.

I had already seen it.

This was when my AADD started kicking in.

So, I decided to slink away in the dark and return to my present moment, free of something I'd already seen.

Imagine my shock, as I exited, to literally bump into Miss Caraway. It was very awkward. I explained that having seen that documentary had caused my AADD to kick in. Miss Caraway explained that the documentary would soon be over and speakers would be speaking.

But.

Once the AADD kicks in, there is no turning back. It really is a difficult condition to live with.

I must say, the Trinity River Improvement People have put together a rather impressive operation. It obviously is more reality based than the Trinity River Vision. TRIP seems to be wanting to actually solve actual real problems, rather than build Wakeboard Parks and unneeded flood diversion channels and a little pond pretending to be a lake.

It seems to me that if TRIP gets its message right and accurately aims that message at the Trinity River Vision, that the people in the rest of America, who are helping pay for the Trinity River Vision, will join with TRIP in demanding that the Vision to Nowhere be permanently blinded.

Before it hurts people.

An XTO Energy Gas Site Blows Frac While I See My First Tandy Wildflower Of The Year & Contemplate Taking A Trip To TRIP

The arrival of the first wildflowers coloring up the Tandy Hills was a good indication today that spring is almost here.

Only 15 days until we can say goodbye to the worst winter I've experienced in all the years of my Texas exile.

Yesterday I blogged about a potential gas leak at an XTO Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Operation next to Pappy Elkins Lake in Dalworthington Gardens.

Today, the source of the potential gas leak information, Kim, followed up with what she's found out about what happened at the XTO site next to a lake and apartments and Veterans Park, in Arlington....

Last night, the Dalworington Gardens XTO site had a failed valve and loudly blew (radioactive?) frac sand all in the air near an apt. complex and never called the incident in to the RRC. Since I called this in (thanks to an email tip), the RRC rep called me back and told me that the choke valve leaked into their cellar and blew frac sand out of the well. XTO shut in the well and made the repair. While there was "wash out" in the area, no chlorides or effluents came off the pad into Pappy Elkins Lake. I do not know if any evacuations of the nearby apartments were attempted.  Also unknown is if any people were exposed to any gas or other effluents that the frac sand was under pressure from. 

On a different incident, the drilling spill at Lake Arlington last summer was reported by the Star Telegram as a small water spill, but a report I received today states that at least 95 barrels of produced water was recovered. The five barrels is what they estimate made its way into the lake which is the drinking source for over 500,000 souls.

My next door Chesapeake Energy drilling site has erupted with loud noises a couple times, loud popping noises. I did not know about the Lake Arlington spill. Lake Arlington is fairly close to my abode.

Change of subject. Back to the Tandy Hills. In the picture we are looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth. As you can see it was a bit overcast in the noon time frame. It has since brightened up a bit.

I may be taking a TRIP to the west side of beautiful downtown Fort Worth in a couple hours.

The Cold First Saturday Of March Thinking Of A TRIP & Swimming

The view is steamy looking out my viewing portal on the world on the first Saturday of March.

There may be various reasons for the steamy window, but I think the primary cause is the temperature outdoors has plummeted to a measly 7 degrees above freezing.

39 degrees may wreak havoc with my plan to go swimming this morning.

In addition to the cold temperature, gusty winds are blowing with a steady pace of around 20 mph, making it feel like 25 degrees out there.

Tonight, starting at 6, TRIP has its first event. TRIP is the short way of saying Trinity River Improvement Project. Near as I can tell TRIP is an adult version of the infantile Trinity River Vision, known as TRV.

With TRIP you get no Inner Tube Trinity River Happy Hours. And no Cowtown Wakeboard Park. And no un-needed, unnecessary flood diversion channels.

I don't know if I'm going TRIP up tonight. With my go with the flow nature it is too early in the day to commit myself to something as far away as 6 o'clock.

In the meantime I think I'll put on my long underwear and go swimming. Or try to.