The 3rd Wednesday Of December Thinking About Fort Worth's Drunk Drivers & Fat People Floating On Ferries In Washington

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world this 3rd Wednesday of the last month of 2011, one day before the start of Winter, it is not too shocking to see what appears to be possible frost on the window.

Not shocking because at the point in time when I looked out the window it was 30 degrees. With the arrival of the sun the outer world has been heated to a balmier 33.

Speaking of the weather, I got an amusingly ridiculous comment, last night, to a blogging from last week, from someone named Anonymous who seems to be obsessed with what s/he perceives to be my weather reports. I think I'll turn that comment into its own blogging, due its wealth of amusing mockworthiness.

Changing the subject to Fort Worth's ongoing attempts to break into any of those ubiquitous Top Ten type lists.

This morning I learned that Fort Worth's plan to increase the number of drunk drivers on its streets via programs like the Trinity River Vision's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, has paid off.

Fort Worth has broken into the Top Ten in a survey of cities with the most Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) citations. San Diego is #1, with the next big city to the north, Los Angeles, coming in in the #2 most drunk spot.

Changing the subject from too much drunk driving, in Fort Worth, to too many FAT people riding the Washington State Ferry fleet.

Apparently the American Obesity Epidemic has forced the Coast Guard to change the passenger capacity of Washington Ferries.

The former Coast Guard calculations were based on the average passenger weighing in the 140 - 160 pound zone. In 2011 the average passenger weighs 185.

So, a ferry, like the Yakima, which formerly had a 2,000 passenger capacity, has been reduced to 1,783.

Washington currently has the highest obesity percentage of the West Coast states. It is no where near the Texas level of obesity, but still, Washington has gotten a lot FATTER since I moved to Texas. I do not believe there is any causal relationship.

In Veterans Park In Arlington Enjoying The Vast Wide Open Space

In the picture you are looking west, towards Fort Worth, from atop a hill in Veterans Park, in Arlington, at what appears to be a vast expanse of open land.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Veterans Park is near the center of the vast Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex that is home to somewhere around 6 million people.

6 million people is more than live in the entire state of Washington, crammed into a metro area, in Texas, about the size of Puerto Rico.

All of which is what makes seeing what appears to be such a vast expanse of open space seem surprising.

The walk around Veterans Park was slightly chilly today. There were not too many people out and about in the park. Actually, the only people I saw were some disc golfers. And groundskeeper Willie.

The 3rd Tuesday Of December Dawns Rain-Free With A Ticket To Fly Out Of Texas

Looking at the picture of the view from my secondary viewing platform on the outer world one might intuit that the sun has arrived, due to the seemingly blue sky, on this 3rd Tuesday of the last month of 2011.

One would be intuiting incorrectly. It was very dark when I stepped outside to take a picture. The blue sky comes courtesy of the filter setting on the camera that somehow illuminates the darkness.

The pool is not looking its usual turquoise self because it is currently lacking its usual level of water, due to being partially drained so a light can be replaced.

When I took the above picture darkness still prevailed. Now, a half hour or two later the sun has arrived and has revealed that the sky appears to be void of any clouds and is as blue as the picture above.

I read no reports this morning of any flash flooding caused by yesterday's downpours.

Changing the subject from rain to something else.

I got a Southwest Airlines gift card last night via a Christmas Party at Springcreek Barbecue in Bedford. I guess this means I need to fly somewhere. Flying Southwest means going to Love Field in Dallas. Not nearly as convenient as the short drive to D/FW International Airport.

Changing the subject back to my favorite.

It is only 45 degrees this morning. Even if the pool was full, I would not be going swimming this morning.

Trapped In Wal-Mart By A Downpour Before Gagging On A Bad Christmas Cookie

The Weather Outside Was Frightful,
While Christmas Cookies Were Not Delightful

Sometime around 4 this afternoon I journeyed to my Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

For those of you who do not live in a zone with Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets, they are different than a regular Wal-Mart.

Much smaller, basically a grocery store without all the other junk Wal-Mart sells at its big stores.

All was fine, rain-wise, on my short drive to WMNM. But when I went to exit the store the sky was in full downpour mode.

I waited for the downpour to let up, along with a throng of other like minded sorts who were averse to getting wet.

After about 10 minutes of waiting I gave up on it letting up and made a run for it. My exposure was maybe 20 seconds. I was totally drenched by the time I closed the door on my motorized vehicular transport.

Upon my return to my abode I found the mailman had delivered a box from Washington. When the box was opened a collection of Christmas cookies was found inside.

Before my mom's eyesight went bad, due to macular degeneration, mom was a Christmas cookie cooking maniac. My mom made all sorts of really good cookies, candies and pastries. Like Dutch Raspberry Almond Tarts. Almond Bars. Fudge. All sorts of tasty treats, including Russian Tea Cookies.

When I lived in Washington every Christmas my mom would deliver a big box of her Christmas baked goods. After I moved to Texas I'd get a big box mailed to me, before Christmas, with a few hundred thousand calories inside. Until mom's baking slowed up.

Today's box did not come from my mom. Upon opening the box I saw what looked like Russian Tea  Cookies. Anticipating my mom's type of deliciousness I took a bite. That is all I took. It was not a Russian Tea  Cookie. It was some banana flavored ball of hard dough. Maybe it got roughed up in transit.

Don't worry about me hurting the feelings of the baker. The baker does not read my blog. And, if you want to get technical about it, the cookies weren't actually sent to me. It was more a thing where I had to forward the cookies to the proper recipient, who then opened the box, thus exposing me to the fraudulent Russian Tea Cookie that made me gag.

And reminded me of how good my mom's Christmas goodies used to be.

Walking Around Fort Worth's Emerald Isle Of Fosdic Lake After Seeing A Police Standoff With A Gunman & Helicopters

The Emerald Isle Of Fosdic Lake

Looking at that lushly green grass one might think I was in Ireland taking a walk on the Emerald Isle.

One would be wrong.

I was in Fort Worth taking a walk on the paved trail that winds around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

I remember awhile back when Betty Jo Bouvier saw my pictures of Texas being green and asked if it was really that green here. Betty Jo is located in Western Washington in the Evergreen State.

The last time I was in the Evergreen State was summer of 2008. At that point in time Western Washington was not being very green, except for the Evergreen trees. Western Washington was in drought mode, and thus browner than Texas at that point in time.

Washington calling itself the Evergreen State is a bit misleading. The east side of the Cascade Mountains, as in Eastern Washington, is mostly only green where irrigation provides water. Other than that Eastern Washington is browner than my location in Texas ever gets.

Changing the subject to my local neighborhood gunman incident.

A few minutes prior to exiting my above to head to Fosdic Lake I heard on the radio that there was a police standoff with a gunman at something called Texas Health Center near East Loop 820 and Randol Mill Road.

Yikes, I thought, that's right by where I live.

When I exited my abode and got a view of the sky I saw 3 helicopters hovering above. I assumed they were police helicopters.

Gunman Standoff At Texas Health Center

I drove down to Randol Mill, then took a right turn and then drove south on the 820 frontage road. On the other side of the freeway, at the Health Center, I saw a lot of police activity, cop cars with lights flashing, two news crews and a lot of people milling about.

Apparently a man walked into a doctor's office and aimed a gun at the office's employees. Then the police showed up, which had the guy with the gun threatening to shoot them and then himself.

Before anything bad could happen the police tasered the gunman and took him into custody.

Why were 3 helicopters in the air part of this operation, I could not help but wonder? Isn't it rather expensive to keep 3 helicopters hovering over head? What could helicopters do to help resolve this type situation?

Changing the subject from possible shootouts to my favorite one.

Rain has been falling ever since I finished walking around Fosdic Lake a couple hours ago. And the temperature has shot up to a relatively balmy 61. So far no thunder has been heard by my ears.

Happy First Birthday Of Theo & Ruby While Spencer Jack Celebrates In Disneyland

I did not realize til the Tacoma Adventure Poodles, Blue & Max, told me on their blog, that this past weekend my twin nephew and niece, Theo & Ruby, had their First Birthday Party.

My invitation to the twin's birthday party must have gotten lost in the mail.

I don't know if Ruby & Theo's cousin, Spencer Jack, was invited to their First Birthday Party.

If Spencer Jack was invited I don't think he was able to attend, due to the fact that Spencer Jack was in the air, heading to Disneyland this weekend.

Spencer Jack's Grandma sent me this picture, this morning, of Spencer Jack helping pilot the plane that was taking him to Disneyland.

The 3rd Monday Of December With Incoming Thunder In A World Without Kim Jong Il

The view appears to be a bit blue on this 3rd Monday morning of the last month of 2011, looking out my primary viewing portal on the world on Day 19 of December.

Currently the outer world at my location is being heated to 21 degrees above freezing.

The weather prognosticators are prognosticating that today lightning may be striking, along with rain, on this slightly parched part of the planet.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to other parts of the weird world we live in.

It was not shocking news to learn this morning that the little man who ruled North Korea, Kim Jong Il, died on Saturday. The little man's young son, Kim Jong Un, was picked by the little man to be his replacement. I don't know if this is how Lenin envisioned a communist government's leader picking method to be. A family hierarchy, like the Windsors in England.

Or the Grangers in Fort Worth.

Taking A Sunday Rest From Chronic Walking With The New Wife Of Santa Claus While Vibrating From Tao Te Ching

With one week to go til Christmas, today I'm spreading Christmas cheer with a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

And since it is Sunday, I am taking a semi day of rest. So, my only walking today was to walk around in Wal-Mart in order to get a bottle of lime juice for tonight's Merry Margarita Christmas Party.

Back to Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus used to be known as Martha the Nurse. But, yesterday I was surprised to learn, via Facebook, that Martha the Nurse is now Mrs. Claus.

Before she married her latest husband, Martha the Nurse was one of the foremost practitioners, in Texas, of the ancient discipline known as Tao te Ching.

Using Tao te Ching, Martha the Nurse is able to cause thousands of special vibrations that are able to cure hundreds of ailments.

I have experienced, myself, Martha the Nurse using her special Tao te Ching vibrations to cure one of my chronic complaints.

That being my chronic grumpiness.

Before Martha the Nurse vibrated me, with Tao te Ching, I was way grumpier than I am now.

I doubt now that she has married Santa Claus that Martha the Nurse is still being a nurse or still doing her Tao te Ching vibrations.

Then again, Martha the Nurse is a highly evolved multi-tasker, so maybe she is still curing ailments with Tao te Ching and being a nurse.

It is now time to have my Sunday lunch of tasty Southern food.

Fried chicken and biscuits. And some other tasty stuff.

One Week Until Christmas Thinking About Being Naughty To Fat Judgmental Bastards

When I stepped outside to look through the bars of my patio prison the sun was at least a half hour from its scheduled arrival.

The heater in the sky has now arrived, illuminating the 3rd Sunday of the last month of 2011 sufficiently that I can sort of see that it appears the sky is semi-clear of clouds.

Currently it is 47 degrees in the outer world at my location on the planet.

It is now one week til Christmas, the day in pre-Jesus times that celebrated the Winter Solstice, though 3 days later than the day when the sun reaches its lowest position as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.

The most amusing thing I've seen today, so far, was from CD0103, on Facebook. CD0103 is a bit of a bad girl. She let Santa know that she had been naughty this year, and that she did not care that she had been naughty, telling Santa that, "I've been naughty...and it was worth it, you fat, judgmental bastard."

Methinks CD0103 is going to find some lumps of coal in her Christmas stocking.

Walking Under The Quanah Parker Park Pecan Pondering Breaking Bad Mad Men & Rolling Eyes

The Leafless Quanah Parker Park Pecan

It seems like just a few days ago I took a picture of the Quanah Parker Park Historically Heritaged Pecan Tree in all its full leaf glory.

And now, just a short time later, a little bit of freezing has pretty much de-nuded the Parker Pecan of its leaves.

Judging by the number of cars in the Quanah Parker Park Parking lot today one might come to the conclusion that all the Quanah Parker Park improvements are drawing in more people.

I had multiple human encounters today on the Quanah Parker Park Paved Trail. The norm is zero human encounters.

Even though it was somewhere in the mid 40s, when I went walking, I overheated in just a t-shirt and long pants. Now, late on Saturday afternoon, coming up on 5, it is 3 degrees shy of 60 in the outer world at my location.

Speaking of the temperature, just minutes ago I learned from a prince of a person calling himself Anonymous that my weather reports cause this particular Anonymous person's eyes to roll. I am impressed, impressed I tell you, that the power of the words that make up my weather reports are such that they can cause someone's eyes to roll.

This is what Anonymous said.......

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "On Top Chef Texas This Week We Learned That Tim Love Owns Fort Worth & Loves Tequila": 

You watch terrible tv (really, ever heard of Breaking Bad or Mad Men), the weather reports are eye rolling and could skip all the family/friends stuff....BUT when you turn your attention to other topics like J.D or the Love Shack--scathingly funny. May you survive the holidays to amuse me further. 

I have no idea how Anonymous knows what all I watch on TV. I don't care for Breaking Bad or Mad Men. I won't watch anything on AMC. I also thought The Sopranos was totally overhyped back when it repeatedly won Emmy awards for HBO.

As for me being scathingly funny. I find my weather reports to be scathingly funny. And my family/friends stuff to be intensely fascinating. The J.D./Trinity River Vision Boondoggle stuff I just find really sort of sad. And like shooting fish in a barrel.

It is not just people in Texas who read my Texas weather reports. People shivering up north read my weather reports of it being yet one more sunny Saturday in Texas, heated to almost 60, in the middle of December.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to Town Talk.

Town Talk was super busy today. I suppose due to it being the last Saturday it will be open before Christmas. I'm assuming Town Talk is closed next Saturday, what with it being Christmas Eve.

I had an incident in Town Talk today involving broccoli, the details of which we need not discuss, lest I cause some inadvertent eye rolling.