The 2nd Thursday Of The 2nd Month Of 2012 In Texas Thinking About Moving To Washington Where You Can Now Marry The Girl Or Boy Of Your Dreams

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell as the sun begins to arrive on the morning of the 2nd Thursday of the 2nd month of 2012 it appears the sky is without clouds, even though my weather predictor says it will be cloudy today.

Currently, according to my computer based temperature monitoring device, it is only 4 degrees above freezing in the outer world at my location.

If I do any hill hiking today I will be wearing an appropriate level of layers of clothing, unlike yesterday's chill inducing lack of an appropriate level of layers of clothing.

Changing the subject from getting chilly to getting married.

Yesterday I was surprised to learn that my former state of residence, that being the State of Washington, has approved same sex marriage. I would expect such a thing from a liberal, progressive state like Texas, but for repressive, conservative Washington to approve such a thing? That is just really surprising to me.

I guess this news means I can now move back to Washington and marry either the girl or the boy of my dreams.

Which, apparently, is progress.

Before I make the move back to Washington I wish I could say I was going swimming this morning, but I can't.

It is too cold.

If only I was fatter, with a better developed layer of insulative adipose tissue I might be able to continue to enjoy the salubrious benefits of swimming, even when it is cold.

Delicate Arch Evidence That Texas Has Aged Me Beyond My Years

Tonight I was looking for a picture of myself when I was fatter than I am now, due to having a use for a picture of myself being fatter than I am now.

But, I could not find a picture of myself being fatter than I am now.

While looking for a fat picture I came upon one of my all time favorite pictures. I applied the Picasa Picnik CinemaScope filter to the picture, which explains the black bars at top and bottom.

This picture was taken about a year before I moved to Texas. I'd been stuck on a Lake Powell Houseboat for 4 days, and then to Moab, where eventually we went to Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch, which is what is in the background in the picture.

Looking at this picture it is appalling to see such stark evidence of the degree to which Texas and its harsh climate has so greatly aged me. Maybe the passage of 12 years made some contribution.

On The Tandy Hills Enjoying New Brush Free Vistas

The New Nude Tandy Mesa

It was barely 40 when I took off for the Tandy Hills a few minutes before noon. I did not realize til I got cold that today required long pants.

Lacking long big boy pants caused me to need to run up the hills in order to warm up.

I parked on View Street to enter the hills via the main entry point. Off the main trail, I took the first option to the right.

I was soon surprised to see the formerly brushy view totally altered by Saturday's Brush Bash, with there now being a clear view of a now bare, flat mesa.

I am thinking this newly bared, flat mesa is going to provide a colorful wildflower vista in a couple months.

I heard no unseemly motorized vehicle noises today. I did not get near the site of the recent massive Tandy Hills Raw Sewage Spill to see if the ecological disaster is still being worked on.

Or cleaned up.

The 2nd Tuesday Of February Dawns Bright White After A Night Of Too Much Repartee

When I looked out my primary viewing portal on the outer world at the pre-dawn darkness on this second Tuesday of the second month of 2012 a bright flash of white temporarily blinded me.

When the temporary blinding abated I could see that the sun was beginning to light up what appears to be a partly cloudy sky.

Last night, when I turned off my TV, Mitt Romney was leading in Colorado. By morning Rick Santorum had won Colorado. And Minnesota and Missouri. And not by a small margin.

Methinks the Republicans are messing up real bad and the result will be 4 more years of Barack Obama.

Last night, for the first time in a long time, I exchanged multiple messages with Wee Cheng in Singapore. Wee asked me if Obama was a Republican or a Democrat. Wee said she likes Obama.

Last night, in addition to Wee, I had multiple messages going from various sources. Both my monitors were popping up with messages. Facebook  messages, Facebook comments, blog comments and email.

It can get confusing. When making rapid comments I tend to go short, succinct and snarky. And try to be a bit amusing and possibly witty.

Trouble is, if it is multiple messages going on to multiple people I lose track of who I need to be totally literal with and who can handle obtuse humor. With the non-literal, banter is more easily exchanged, With the literal I can go off the rails, with those earnest types confused.

By 11, last night, I was tired of too much messaging and went to bed, where I think nightmares caused the erratic messaging to continue.

I am looking forward to today being a message free day. If you email me, Facebook me or comment me and I do not reply, that is why.

Playing With Long Necked Fosdic Lake Birds Thinking About Foregoing Wells Fargo Bank

In the center of the picture is a long necked bird standing in the shallows of Fosdic Lake, in Oakland Lake Park, surrounded by sticks.

The long necked bird seemed not to care at all that I was near. Usually the long necked birds are a bit on the skittish side and are quick to take flight.

Fosdic Lake was seeming a bit on the full side today. I have no idea if Fosdic Lake is having its water elevation raised by any of Fort Worth's multiple water and sanitary sewer line leaks.

I started off today feeling quite the ball of energy.

Then, before I went to visit the birds who float on Fosdic Lake, I went to Wells Fargo Bank. Suffice to say, Wells Fargo Bank aggravated me. I believe Well Fargo Bank is in some sort of hot water due to bad deeds done in the whole home foreclosure mess. Wells Fargo Bank seems to be a not too competently run bank.

But, the tellers are friendly.

My other bank, First Convenience, which I took to calling First Inconvenience, a year ago, when first opening an account, has turned out to be a perfectly fine and convenient bank.

I think Wells Fargo will become Wells Forgo, soon.

And on the temperature news front. It is only 57 degrees in the outer world at my location, according to my computer based temperature monitoring device. But, I was feeling overheated in my interior space, so I've opened windows.

I fear I may be in the first throes of Male Menopause and may be having Hot Flashes.

It is almost always something. And usually it is aggravating.

Spencer Jack Enjoying Waterfront Not Brought About By Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger's Corrupt Earmarking

Spencer Jack Climbing On Larrabee Rocks

My nephew of late has been sending me pictures of my great nephew Spencer Jack in danger.

If I remember right I blogged about my Nephews in Danger last week.

My nephew's photos of Spencer Jack exploring some of my favorite places has the effect of making me a bit homesick.

The picture you see here is Spencer Jack exploring the rocky beach at Larrabee State Park.

Larrabee State Park was established in 1915 as Washington's first state park.

The water you see in the picture is saltwater. I'm not quite sure of my geography. This saltwater is either at the northern reaches of Puget Sound or the eastern reaches of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

What I do know, for certain, is this big body of water was the not result of any demented River Vision Boondoggle created to give Western Washington some waterfront property and a local congresswoman's son a job.

Speaking of which, just minutes ago I heard from Beale that the Washington Post has an article today titled "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties", in which mention is made of the nefarious earmark dealings of Fort Worth's controversial congresswoman, the mother of J.D., Kay.Granger.

Congresswoman Kay's earmarks send money to the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle to help fund Fort Worth's important public works project that will give the town a little lake, some canals and an un-needed flood diversion channel, with some nondescript bridges across the un-needed flood diversion channel.

Oh, and to give her son, J.D., a job.

For which he has zero qualifications.

Nepotism was banned years ago from Fort Worth dictionaries.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, my great nephew, Spencer Jack, is enjoying countless miles of waterfront hiking, courtesy of Mother Nature, not Mother Kay.

The First Tuesday Pre-Dawn Of February In Texas Is Glowing Golden

I am up well before the sun on this first Tuesday of the second month of 2012, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at a pool of water glowing golden and turquoise.

This year's February has 29 days. Which would seem to indicate almost 25% of February has already passed into history.

And that a lot of people will be having their first birthday party in 4 years this coming February 29. I am not certain, but I think those born on February 29 are called Leap Year Babies.

Before the arrival of the golden orb in the sky to begin its daily heating duty we are already warmed to 47 degrees in the outer world at my location, heading to a high of 59 today, if those who predict such things are correct in their prediction.

The time of the year is rapidly approaching where I will be able to say, every morning, I am going swimming now. I look forward to that day.

I think my aerobic stimulation today will once again come from running up the hills of Tandy. I will need such a break after multiple hours of re-tooling webpages.

Looking At The Dry Tandy Raw Sewage River Wondering If Fort Worth Is The Leakiest City In America

Tandy Raw Sewage Semi-Dried Riverbed

It was not all that many degrees above freezing when I hit the Hills of Tandy today to run at high speed up 7 hills, both to warm myself up and to finally get rid of feeling bloated from yesterday's Super Bowl overindulgence.

As I was nearing the end of today's endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, a convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks was making its way down the Tandy Highway towards the site of the recent massive raw sewage spill.

A convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks makes quite a loud racket, with a lot of beeping and revving engines, disrupting the peace and quiet of the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area.

As you see in the picture above, the river of raw sewage has ceased flowing down the Tandy Highway.

What remains is a riverbed of raw sewage muck.

Perhaps the convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks was heading towards doing some environmental cleanup.

I suspect, though, that that was not the case.

I really don't think very many people in this part of the planet are all that concerned about raw sewage flowing into creeks and rivers.

Though there was a matter of fact mention in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram of the chronic problem of Fort Worth's water pipes and sanitary sewer pipes, breaking and spilling.

But, as we all know, we have more important things to worry about spending money on in Fort Worth than the water/sewer infrastructure. Or sidewalks.

The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and its billion dollar price tag, that's the priority project for this town.

A town in dire need of having a little lake, some canals and an un-needed flood diversion channel to replace flood control levees which have worked fine for longer than half a century.

With all of Fort Worth's water main and sanitary sewer breaks I wonder if the town can lay claim to being the leakiest town in America?

Yet one more thing about Fort Worth that has towns far and wide Green with Envy.

The Monday Morning Post Super Bowl Bad Commercials Muted Madonna Blues

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this first Monday of the second month of 2012, the view is frosty this morning, with this morning's frostiness caused by the outer world, at my location, being chilled to a freezing temperature of 32 degrees.

I was up real late on Super Bowl Sunday, causing me to be up late on post Super Bowl Monday.

I actually watched the entire Super Bowl. I think I have only done that once before, that being the one and only time the Seattle Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl.

I think it is time to retire the myth that Super Bowl commercials are all that special. This year, once again, for the most part, the commercials were not very memorable. Or just downright embarrassing.

Methinks whoever signed off on that Audi commercial with vampires needs to lose his or her job.

I don't think the Coca-Cola Polar Bears are cute. And being able to interact with them via a smart phone ap is just silly.

I did not like seeing Grandma launch a baby with a sling shot to grab a bag of Doritos from the baby's big brother. That seemed like baby endangerment to me. That and baby's should not be eating Doritos.

The commercial for a new Chevy car called Sonic was really bad and really made no sense to me. I kept thinking it was the burger chain being advertised until the end of the ad.

Most of the beer commercials were not at all good. And certainly did not motivate me to want to try Platinum Beer.

The exception to the bad beer commercials was one for Budweiser with an End of Prohibition theme.

Another commercial that I liked was the dog going on a diet. But, sadly, this commercial did not imprint on me what it was an advertisement for.

And then there was the Madonna Halftime Show. This was a suitably slick over production. But, on my TV, Madonna's vocals were way too muted.

I spent way too much of the Super Bowl feeling bloated after having over eaten.

I'm still feeling bloated this morning. I wish a swim was in my future today. I know some hill hiking is. That and spending way to many hours upgrading a way too technical website.

A Super Bowl Sunday Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts While Chili Simmers

Village Creek Unpaved Trail

Around noon I felt the need to leave my giant simmering pot of Super Bowl Chili to go walk with the Native American Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

I don't know if the Indian Ghosts were as cold as I was today.

Soon upon hitting the ground I found myself jogging to try and warm up.

It was barely 40 degrees when I communed with nature. Only 43, right now, about 2 and a half hours before the Super Bowl starts bowling.

I forgot to previously mention that last night I went to Wal-Mart to stock up on Super Bowl supplies. Saturday night is always, reliably, the most entertaining time to visit Wal-Mart.

Every once in awhile Betty Jo Bouvier emails me a collection of photos titled "People of Wal-Mart."

Last night, for the first time ever, I saw someone worthy of being in Betty Jo's "People of Wal-Mart" collection.

It was a plus-sized woman, walking with a man in army camouflage attire. The woman was wearing ultra-short shorts that left the lower third of her buttocks exposed. Almost all exposed flesh had tattoos, including the exposed part of the buttocks. A large area of her breast zone was also exposed. And tattooed.

When I described this appalling spectacle to someone later, I said if I were a cop I would have arrested her for indecent exposure.

This woman was walking out of Wal-Mart as I walked in. The looks on the faces of my fellow shoppers told me I was not the only person appalled at the spectacle.

Now, I must cease thinking about last night's spectacle at Wal-Mart and finish setting up the buffet table for my Super Bowl Party.