Solving The Mystery Of Foster The People & Pumped Up Kicks

Foster the People

That is Foster the People in the picture.

More on Foster the People later, but first I have to say that when I moved to Texas, late in the previous century, I was not much of a fan of the current pop music.

I listened to the radio on the drive from Washington to Texas, having to find new stations as I drove along. When I crossed the border into Texas I found I could only find Christian and Country radio stations.

I never had listened to much Country Music before. I did not know, at the time, that a lot of it now sounded like old style rock and roll. By the time I got to Fort Worth I was sort of a Country Music fan.

Being a fan of Country Music soon faded.

And then a few years ago I discovered myself finding a lot of new pop tunes to be quite good.

Pumped Up Kicks

For a couple months now there has been a song on the radio that I found myself liking. But I could not understand the lyrics. Nor did I know who sang the song. Or what the name of the song was. The DJs never seemed to identify it.

Then yesterday I thought to Google "American Top 40." That led me to a Top 40 Charts website.

On the chorus of the song that had been vexing me I thought I'd made out the words "Pumped Up Kids."

On the Top 40 Chart I saw a song in the #6 spot called "Pumped Up Kicks." From a group called Foster the People.

I Googled "Foster the People" to learn via Wikipedia that...

"Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. Members Mark Foster (vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitar, programming, percussion), Mark Pontius (drums and extra percussion), and Cubbie Fink (bass and backing vocals) formed the band while in their mid-twenties. The band is best known for its song "Pumped Up Kicks", which reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, number 3 on the Rock Songs tally and number 3 for 8 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100."

So, now I knew the name of the song that have been vexing me and who's song it was.

That left the words to the song and what the song was about as the remaining mystery.

I Googled "Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics" and learned that there are a lot of websites where you can find the lyrics to songs.

Below are the Pumped Up Kicks lyrics and below that is a YouTube video of the song who's name I did not know and who's words were mostly a mystery to me. I may now know the words to this song, but I still am not sure what it is about...

"Pumped Up Kicks"

Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette, hanging out his mouth he's a cowboy kid.
Yeah, he found a six shooter gun.
In his dad's closet hidden with a box of fun things, and I don't even know what.
But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you.

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Daddy works a long day. He'll be coming home late, he's coming home late. And he's bringing me a dark surprise. 'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice. I've waited for a long time. 
Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger,
I reason with my cigarette, And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah.

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

The Ides Of November Dawns Dry So Far In Texas

It is the Ides of November.

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world, in the early morning of the 15th day of the next to last month of 2011, you can sort of tell it is yet one more clear blue sky day, so far, at my Texas location in this parched part of the planet.

So far, as far as I know, none of the predicted rain has hit the ground in my zone of the planet. More predicted rain is scheduled for today.

If I had a place to bet on such a thing, I would bet that no rain is going to fall today.

Currently the predictors are predicting that tomorrow, Wednesday, it will get cold, as in 35 degrees cold.

35 degrees cold means I likely will not be trying to go swimming tomorrow morning. I've discovered that I am not a big fan of shivering.

So, I think I will go swimming now and get in a bout of being waterbound before the predicted chill arrives.

Up A Creek Did Not Win Best Documentary Short Film At Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival

Lone Star Film Festival Did Not Show Up A Creek

Fort Worth's Lone Star International Film Festival ends today, Monday, November 14.

The fact that I did not realize this was taking place is a good indicator of how un-festive this film festival is.

It's not like the Telluride, Sundance, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver or Cannes Film Festivals with a herd of celebrities coming to town.

If I remember right, last year's big deal, at the LSIFF, was low level film star, hometown boy, Bill Paxton, showing up.

The Lone Star International Film Festival rejected the award winning documentary "Up a Creek" from appearing on the roster of films shown this year.

"Up a Creek won the Best Award in some category I'm not remembering, in September, at the prestigious Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival.

It is sort of ironic that Fort Worth's film festival would choose not to show "Up a Creek" due to the fact that it was filmed mostly in Fort Worth and focuses on a Fort Worth issue, that being the Trinity River, deadly flooding and the billion dollar boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision.

I believe "Up a Creek" will be shown at the Seattle and San Francisco film festivals.

I already told the star of "Up a Creek" that I would go to the Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, with her, if "Up a Creek" gets nominated for Best Documentary Short Film.

I suppose I could be talked into going to Seattle and San Francisco. But not Telluride. The high elevation makes me too dizzy.

Checking Out The Tandy Trojan Horse Looking At The Stunning Smoggy Skyline Of Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth

The Tandy Trojan Horse Looking At The
 Smoggy Skyline Downtown Fort Worth

As you can see looking west from halfway down Mount Tandy, today, it is currently smoggy in this parched part of the planet. The smog makes the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth look faded.

Thunderstorms and rain are supposedly on the menu for later today.

The Tandy Trojan Horse Shrine seems to be losing its shrine elements. Currently all that remains is the Tandy Trojan Horse, a couple golf balls and a glass insulator.

Who is desecrating the Tandy Trojan Horse Shrine?

Could the desecrator be the guy I encountered today in a rare Tandy Hills human encounter?

I was peaceably walking along, lost in my thoughts, when I was suddenly startled by a tall lanky guy armed with a big camera, a big camera which I, upon first seeing it, mistook for a handgun, instantly causing me to be concerned I was about to have an encounter with a dangerous armed man.

But, we exchanged polite "hellos" and continued on our way with no shots fired.

Changing the subject from not firing shots to my favorite subject.

Currently we are 3 degrees short of today's predicted high of 81. I've got windows open and a ceiling fan spinning. This seems unusual for mid-November.

Up With The Sun The Second Monday Of November Thinking About Incoming Japanese Floating Balls

The dawn of the 2nd Monday of the next to last month of 2011 has arrived with the sun illuminating what appears to be a clear blue sky.

Even though currently the sky is clear, rain is in the forecast for today. A 20% chance of wet stuff falling. With a greater chance of getting wet tomorrow.

Currently, at this early hour of the morning, the outer world is being heated to 67 degrees. The high today is scheduled to reach the low 80s.

I had my windows open all night long. I do not previously remember leaving my windows open, at this location, all night long in the middle of November. This almost switches me back to being a global warming believer.

I saw two interesting things in the news this morning. Both involved Japan. I was surprised to learn that Japan's economy expanded at a 6 percent rate during the most recent quarter. That is a much bigger expansion than the American economy experienced in the most recent quarter.

And, unlike Japan, we in America have had no HUGE earthquakes or tsunamis to deal with.

Speaking of which, that's the other interesting news this morning that relates to Japan.

The debris field washed out to sea, following the Japanese tsunami, a debris field the size of California, is due to start washing up on our west coast shores any day now.

That should make for some interesting beach combing.

When I was a kid I recollect beach combing on the Pacific beaches in the Ocean Shores/Copalis zone of the Washington coast. At that point in time the Japanese fishermen still used glass balls to float their fishnets. Those glass balls would  break loose from the fishnets and make their way to west coast beaches. I recollect only finding one. A small one.

Speaking of small balls floating long distances, it is time for my morning swim before it gets any hotter.

Walking With The Ghosts Of Village Creek Talking To Miss Puerto Rico About The Bad Experience Of Flying Home On Spirit Airlines

The Village Creek Bayou On Sunday November 13, 2011

Miss Puerto Rico called whilst I was walking today with the Native American ghosts who live among the giant oaks of Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

This was the first I'd spoken with Miss Puerto Rico since her return to her home island. She was calling from her hometown, Coamo's Super Wal-Mart.

Miss Puerto Rico flew Spirit Airlines home this time. She says she will never fly on Spirit Airlines ever again.

Miss Puerto Rico does not check in any luggage, ever since American Airlines lost her luggage a couple years ago. She keeps most of what she needs, when home, at her parent's house in Coamo. All she takes with her on the plane is one small bag and her portable DVD player. Spirit Airlines charged $38 to carry those two items onboard.

I find this hard to believe, but that's what Miss PR told me.

The next outrage was there were no complimentary drinks or snacks after being airborne. Spirit Airlines charged Miss Puerto Rico $3 for a Diet Coke. Same price for water or coffee. And you could not pay with cash. You had to use a credit card.

I find it hard to believe that airlines are not required to provide hydration to its customers. The inside of a plane can be very dehydrating.

The last time I was in the sky. by the time I got to Albuquerque. I'd had several refills of my glass of Coke. My throat was burning bad. And then on the next leg, to Seattle, the nice Southwest Airlines stewardess took pity on my parchedness and gave me a whole can of Coke.

Changing the subject from Miss Puerto Rico and Spirit Airlines to my favorite subject.

The temperature.

It is currently 82 degrees in the outer world, at my location, in the middle of this Sunday afternoon. My windows are open. I may go swimming again. This morning's swim went well, with no shivering after effects.

The 2nd Sunday Of November In Texas Pondering The Temperature & The Origins Of Life

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at an outer world currently heated to 31 degrees above freezing at my location on this parched part of the planet I see yet one more clear blue sky sunny Sunday in Texas.

The 2nd Sunday of the next to last month of 2011.

At day 13 we are already half way through what was recently a new month.

Changing the subject from my favorite subject to the Universe.

Last night I was tossing and turning and then found myself laying wide awake pondering how a long ago big bang spewed inanimate matter all over the Universe, with eventually one piece of that matter turning into the Earth, revolving around the sun, with conditions on the Earth somehow conducive to producing massive amounts of water.

And then somehow, due to the presence of water and an atmosphere something magical happened that caused living cells to emerge. And then somehow those living cells magically turned into a huge variety of flora and fauna.

Including giant dinosaurs.

And then the giant dinosaurs went bye bye, followed by the even more magical arrival of what eventually became known as human beings.

All the organisms that magically appeared over the passage of time are mind bogglingly complex.

The gradual evolution of inanimate matter into a HUMONGOUS multitude of living things really doesn't seem like a sensible explanation for all that is living that inhabits the Earth.

And that is what kept me awake, wondering how in the world all that inhabits the world actually came to exist.

Very perplexing.

And now it is time to go swimming. I hope not to have too bad of a shivering after swimming effect.

The Afternoon View From Miss Puerto Rico's Balcony Of The West Wall Of Fort Chesapeake

Saturday Afternoon Look At Fort Chesapeake

This morning for my requisite first thing in the morning blogging, rather than use a picture of the current view from one of my viewing portals on the world, I used a picture taken last night of the dark view of the West Wall of Fort Chesapeake from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony.

And now it is late in the afternoon of the 2nd Saturday of the next to last month of 2011, so I'm showing you what the daytime view of the West Wall of Fort Chesapeake looks like from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony.

We are looking east in the picture, towards Dallas, which is now blocked from view, by Aubrey McClendon and his cohorts in mayhem.

The daylight view of the West Wall of Fort Chesapeake looks sort of like the wall of a Medieval castle. Not that I've ever seen the wall of a Medieval castle, it's what I imagine such a wall would look like.

Changing the subject from Chesapeake Eyesores to my favorite subject.

The temperature.

Currently it is 74 degrees in the outer world at my location in this parched part of the planet. The temperature currently at my former location in a not parched part of the planet, the Skagit Valley of Washington, is 41 degrees. And it is raining.

A 73 Degree Day In November With The Tandy Hills Not Teeming With Texas Hikers

Fall Color On The Tandy Hills

It was another perfect conditions day on the Tandy Hills today.

Even though there are still some wildflowers coloring up the hills, the primary coloring this time of year is being provided by leaves that are no longer green.

Perfect conditions and yet I saw only one other human on this humongous natural area that is at the center of a city of over 700,000 mostly over weight people.

Appalling.

If you were able to plop the Tandy Hills down in the center of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Vancouver, B.C., you'd find those plopped down hills teeming with humans on a beautiful 73 degree day in November, like we are currently enjoying at my location on this parched part of the planet.

This morning I stayed in the pool long enough to cause my first shivering reaction of this colder part of the year. I find out of control shivering to be an interesting phenomenon.

Shivering is a perfectly natural reaction to getting cold. The shivering/twitching is Mother Nature's way of vibrating the muscles, warming the cold core. But it sure was a challenge trying to type til the shaking subsided.

I must go feed a cat now.

The Morning Of The 2nd Saturday Of November Pondering Tearing Down The Walls Of Fort Chesapeake

The Western Wall Of Fort Chesapeake

No, that is not the view from one of my viewing portals on the outer world on this 2nd Saturday morning of the next to last month of 2011.

What you are looking at in the picture is the walls of Fort Chesapeake as viewed last night from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony.

Why is such a thing allowed? Eyesore is too polite a word for it.

If a homeowner decided to put a fence that tall around his house I think, even in Fort Worth, city ordinance enforcers would issue some sort of citation insisting the wall come down.

Mr. McClendon, tear down this wall. I want my view east restored.

Changing the subject from Fort Chesapeake to the temperature.

It is currently heated to 52 degrees in the outer world in my vicinity, shortly after the sun has arrived to begin its daily heating duties.

I think another hike on the Tandy Hills is in my future today. But, before that happens I am going for a morning swim in a pool that will be warmer than it was yesterday morning.