Fort Worth Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban

Yesterday a small army of what may have been illegals from south of the border descended on my zone to attack the fallen leaves. With gas-powered leaf blowers. The noise is deafening, like a dozen Harley's without mufflers.

It seemed like hours were spent slowly blowing the leaves that surrounded the area around the pool up against a fence right below me. And then on top of the constant blower noise the men operating the blowers would yell at each other. In Spanish. Loud. So they could be heard over the blowers.

I thought to myself I can not be alone in thinking the use of gas-powered leaf blowers should be banned, just on the noise issue alone. Add to that the fact that you can smell the blowers exhaust fumes.

What is wrong with using rakes? These guys are so slow at blowing the leaves it would seem raking would be way faster. They end up using rakes in the end, anyway, once the leaves are blown into a huge pile, then rakes are used to get the leaves into garbage cans.

So, I looked into the issue of leaf blowers and learned I am not alone in thinking they should be banned. In fact, gas-powered leaf blowers have been banned in much of the country.

One guy had this to say on his blog......

"Whoever invented the leaf blower should be shot. See here. These contraptions are noisy, dirty, and environmentally destructive. First, they throw dust, dirt, and organic matter into the air, making it difficult for people (especially those with respiratory problems) to breathe. Second, they use gasoline, which pollutes the air. Third, they're infernally noisy. Whatever happened to sweeping or raking? Brooms and rakes are quiet; they don't throw dust into the air; and they don't destroy the ozone layer. They're also less dangerous. Would you want to walk around wearing a container of gasoline on your back? What moron would do such a thing? Nothing symbolizes our wasteful, arrogant, obese age more than the leaf blower. The sooner it is outlawed, the better."

Los Angeles has banned gas-powered leaf blowers. There is a website devoted to enforcing the LA ban. The website's URL is zapla.org. "zapla" comes from Zero Air Pollution Los Angeles. I found the following blurb from the Zapla website amusing...

"Los Angeles Residents, if your neighbors can’t or won’t control their gardeners after your polite requests, REPORT a blower in progress to 877-275-5273 and select number 1, Non-Emergency Crimes."

So, while it pleases me to learn I am not alone in my aversion to noisy leaf blowers, I know there is not a bat's chance in hell they will be banned in what one of Fort Worth's best known citizen activists, Don Young, refers to as Dirty Ol' Town.

So far today, no noise.

Alma's Men

Alma, the Songbird of the South, currently singing down at Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf Coast, sends me the funniest stuff. Some people who send jokes and forwarded things they think are clever, should do some re-thinking. But Alma's stuff is like it's gone through the Alma Good Humor Filter and so it's always worth opening. Alma sent a record breaking amount of good stuff today; disturbing video, a disturbing history lesson, the Redneck Book of Manners, all sortsa good stuff.

And then tonight Alma sent me an amusing thing about men. And how women really don't much need us. I'll copy and paste below...

For all those men who say, "Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free"? Here's an update for you: Nowadays, 80% of women are against marriage. WHY? Because women realize, "It's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage".

MEN ARE LIKE

1. Men are like Laxatives....They irritate the crap out of you.

2. Men are like Bananas.....The older they get, the less firm they are.

3. Men are like Weather....Nothing can be done to change them.

4. Men are like Blenders....You need one, but you're not quite sure why.

5. Men are like Chocolate Bars....Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.

6. Men are like Commercials....You can't believe a word they say.

7. Men are like Department Stores.....Their clothes are always 1/2 off.

8. Men are like Government Bonds.....They take soooooooo long to mature.

9. Men are like Mascara....They usually run at the first sign of emotion.

10. Men are like Popcorn.....They satisfy you, but only for a little while.

11. Men are like Snowstorms....You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

12. Men are like Lava Lamps....Fun to look at, but not very bright.

13. Men are like Parking Spots. All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped.

Now send this to all the remarkable women you know, as well as to any understanding, good-natured, fun kinda guys you might be lucky enough to know !!!!!!!!!!

Now, see why I like Alma? She is such a good judge of character. And humor.

Foggy Fort Worth...etc.

Today started of with a zero visibility fog cover which had everything wet with slow motion drizzle, like a stereotypical day in the Pacific Northwest. But from what ocean is this Fort Worth fog coming?

I was in the pool, in the drizzly fog, before 8 this morning. I liked it. The view in the photo is well after the fog began to lift, taken about 2pm from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony. That's my official weather reporting station.

I left here about noon. When I got back here I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to see "Pool Closed" signs on my pool. Apparently the city of Fort Worth has closed all the pools in the city. Why I do not know. Last summer they were all closed due to the outbreak of some parasite. I was in Tacoma when that happened. But why close them now? No one but me is swimming. I'm taking this very personal.

Neither rain, nor ice, nor bitter cold has kept me from my appointment with my pool. And now I'm to be stopped by the city of Fort Worth?

At noon my destination was Arlington, driving through the fog to Veteran's Park to do some walking and its attendant thinking. Walk/Think time is very important. At Veteran's Park a big statue has been added to the new Veteran's Memorial. It was impressive. Obviously that is what you see in the photo. That and the fog.

After I'd had enough walking I went to Chinatown to the Hong Kong Market. I got a lot of good stuff. There was something sort of disturbing going on in the Hong Kong Market though. The store has the usual piped in Muzak. It is usually Chinese sounding music. Today I could tell it was Christmas music classics. In Chinese. I heard Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, White Christmas, Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. All in Chinese with the music part sounding very country western.

It is supposed to get back into the 70s for the next couple days. In the 70s and me without a pool. Life should not be this difficult.

The Great Success of Texans on Reality TV Shows

As my one longtime reader may remember, I canceled my subscription to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at the start of December. My reader may also remember that I had one or two things I liked to point out and make fun of in that failing newspaper that I thought were goofy or funny or both goofy and funny.

The goofiest and funniest one was over and over and over again in all areas of the paper, including editorials, I'd read verbiage along the line of this, that or the other totally ordinary thing in Fort Worth was making cities and towns and people, far and wide, "green with envy." There were variations of the verbiage, like it could be some lame thing in Fort Worth was the "envy of" cities and towns and people, far and and wide.

I don't have any idea if it is true, but I like to believe that it was my making fun of this embarrassing trait that caused it to end. It's been a long time since I have seen the "green with envy" verbiage. Now that I no longer read that paper, I hope someone out there is monitoring it close enough to report if there is a fresh outbreak of cities, towns and people being "green with envy" over some Fort Worth thing.

Click here to read some examples of what you in the rest of the country have been "green with envy" about.

One of the other things that always struck me as goofy was if there was even the most remote connection between someone in the news or on TV and the Fort Worth area, that connection would be part of the story. It could be that some person on a reality show lived in Fort Worth for 2 months when he was 4. Or someone on a reality show is married to someone who lived in Fort Worth for 3 months 12 years ago. I am not exaggerating.

So, yesterday, or was it the day before, I told you that the banished Fort Worth Star-Telegram had been slammed up against my front door. Well, I read it. Why wouldn't I?

In an article about The Bigger Loser, Michelle Aquilar, winning and being from Fort Worth, the Star-Telegram's TV writer, Robert Philpot had this to say...

"That Dallas-Fort Worth residents tend to get on reality shows isn't unusual, but their success this year---in which So You Think You Can Dance, Nashville Star, Last Comic Standing and The Amazing Race were all won by people who were North Texas residents at the time---has been noteworthy."

"That's the Texans," said Bridget Braxton, another Aquilar supporter at Boston's (a Fort Worth pizza joint were a Biggest Loser viewing party took place). "It's their competitive spirit."

Gray Sky and Thawed Swimsuits in Fort Worth

Today the bone-chilling freeze of Fort Worth lifted. My swimsuit thawed and was once more wearable. It is a balmy 45 at 4 in the afternoon.

We have been covered by gray skies for 3 days in a row. I am slipping ever deeper into Seasonally Affected Disorder. A couple hours ago the gray skies started to drop little bits of moisture. The Weather Service just issued an alert for Dense Fog tonight.

In other words, even though the weather is being a living hell, here in Texas, this morning, unlike yestermorning, I managed to get in the pool. I lasted all of 2 minutes. It was by far the coldest yet. Which, I guess, makes sense, due to the temps not getting above freezing for about 48 hours.

My getting in the pool in the morning is starting to be an issue with the neighbors. I was told, minutes ago, that someone called the paper to tell them they had a crazy Yankee who was going swimming every morning, one of those damn Polar Bear Yankees. I will not cooperate with someone wanting to do a story about a damn crazy Polar Bear Yankee going swimming in Texas in December. Especially if it's the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Return of the Unwanted Fort Worth Star-Telegram

My one longtime reader may remember that at the start of this month I cancelled my long standing subscription to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I had a lot of reasons to cancel. I've not missed reading a morning paper. I thought I would. A couple times this month, out of deeply ingrained habit, I've headed to the front door to get the paper in the morning. I've always caught myself before I actually open the door.

And now, today, the 17th, at about half past 6 in the morning I heard an extremely loud bang on my front door. The only thing that makes such a bang is the arrival of the paper. But it'd never been that loud.

So, I got up and looked out the window. There was a paper laying up against my front door. Maybe it's the Dallas Morning News, trying to get me as a subscriber, I thought, hopefully. But, I opened the door to find that it was the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that had made the loud thump.

Now for the weird part. I took the paper out of its wrapper. An envelope fell out. There was nothing on the envelope, no address, no name, nothing.

I opened the envelope to find a card, the cover of the card said "Christmas Wishes." Inside the card it said "Hope you have a Christmas that's as merry as can be!" Followed by the stamped signature and address of my fired newspaper carrier. Written in big letters under the teeny stamped signature was my fired carrier's phone number.

I've never gotten a card from my paper delivery person before, not that I remember. It perplexes me. I know she's an on her sleeve, constantly blessing you, Christian sort. Maybe she was turning the other cheek. I know some practicing Christians actually know how to do that.

Only Child Syndrome: Part III

Way back when I first blogged about Only Child Syndrome it was one of my ways to try and understand some astonishingly weird behavior I had been subjected to last summer. At the time I wrote about the Syndrome I didn't realize that there are a lot of other people out there equally perplexed by the vexing Only Child Syndrome.

Every day a lot of people come to my bloggings about Only Child Syndrome. They come from all over the world. Awhile back I found that Google has my Only Child Syndrome blogging in the #1 spot. I do not understand why. There is a lot more detailed Only Child Syndrome information out there than my musings.

There has been a lot of research into the Syndrome, a lot of papers written, there's a lot of opinion out there. Strangely, some of the research and opinion tries to claim there is no such thing as Only Child Syndrome. It's likely that that research and those opinions were from Only Children in denial, because the amount of anecdotal Only Child Syndrome info out there, from those who believe the Syndrome is real, because they've been victims of it, would seem to validate the reality of Only Child Syndrome. Many of the Only Child Syndrome victims believe the Syndrome should be treated as a disease with a search for a cure.

The common behaviors that people seem to experience when dealing with this disease is the Only Child is universally self-centered, self-absorbed and lacking in self-awareness. Only Children are insensitive, can say the rudest of things, are often downright mean. However, the Only Child has extremely thin skin, will get upset at the slightest perceived provocation. In the Only Child's world it can do no wrong, can get away with anything. The Only Child will get very upset if someone treats it the way it treats others.

Tootsie Tonasket has an Only Child who exhibits all the classic behaviors. On his MySpace page, in his profile, part of his self-description is, "I am an Only Child, so I expect all the focus to be on me." All the Only Children I've known have that attitude. What is sad, very few have the social skills to cause the focus to be on them. So, it becomes a demand for attention. Or they go to bizarre lengths to get attention and be the focus.

The attention getting behaviors can be things like dressing odd, eating like a pig, getting drunk and obnoxious, committing a crime, overdrafting a bank account, having a fit or assuming an elevated air of accomplishment. For instance, doing some simple task like baking cookies or some handicraft type thing and then acting as if they are a gourmet chef or a creative artist of the top order.

Only Children often tout themselves. They'll tell you what fabulous taste they have. They'll be quick to denigrate the taste of others or say something is beneath their taste level. The Only Child will set itself up on a pedestal from which it will dispense accolades to those it deigns to honor. But it is always self-serving, it is always, in reality, about the Only Child, not about the object of the Only Child's twisted praise.

The Only Child can be a social miscreant of the most venal low-life sort and yet give itself permission to talk about how it warms their heart to see someone doing such good for humanity, giving the Only Child hope for the world of the future. The Only Child is very rarely aware of their flagrant, ironic, hypocrisy.

The Only Child can be the laziest, sloppiest, most unkempt type of individual, basically living in squalor with a filthy floor, unwashed dishes and clutter everywhere. And not hesitate for a second to comment about someone else's standards. The Only Child always has an excuse for the messes in its wake. It is never their fault. The dishes didn't get washed because there was something more important to do. "You can't expect everyone to be like you," the Only Child says when asked why there are so many dirty dishes. "Clean dishes and a clean house are not the most important thing in my life," as if what is important in its life was the point. Turning a question about dirty dishes into the issue having to do with what's important in its life is classic Only Child Syndrome nonsense.

The Only Child can turn an inquiry about a health issue, such as if you ask if a grossly overweight Only Child wouldn't feel better if they lost a few hundred pounds, the Only Child will say something like, "If other people have a problem with me being fat I don't care. I'm happy with how I look." Where a non-Only Child Syndrome person would say something like, "I wish I could get the weight off, it's so hard, I know I'd be happier, I'd fit on a plane better and I'd feel better on a beach. Thanks for caring about my health."

The Only Child can be a grossly overweight slob, homely to a degree painful to the eye, dress like a cartoon character, yet think nothing of commenting on someone else's looks, clothes, or weight.

Only Children are immune from hearing the irony of what comes out of their mouths.

Okay, that is enough Only Children rambling for the day. The next time I blog about Only Children I'll tell you about the worst cases I've ever experienced. And they both have the same first name! Along with many many many other shared attributes.

Foggy Freezy Fort Worth

Anyone who knows me knows it's not my nature to complain. Oh, who am I kidding, whining is the only thing I'm really good at. We are rapidly approaching 48 hours of sub-freezing weather here in usually warm Fort Worth. Just 2 days ago, on Sunday, it got to almost 80.

And now today I came the closest to breaking my neck since I almost fell from a high spot last summer at Mount Rainier. Today I had bundled up as best I could to buffer my sensitive skin from the bracing cold, walking in a very deliberate fashion, when I stepped on to ice.

It was only through the miracle of a hand railing and my George Bush fighting-off-an-incoming-shoe quick reflexes that I was saved from a severe bruising, or worse, as in broken back, neck, leg or foot.

I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a very religious person. Religious about making sure I get a good dose of daily exercise. If I don't attend to my religion I can get back aches and get in a bad mood. SAD sets easily in. SAD as in Seasonally Affected Disorder.

In other words this has been the most miserable day I've spent since I spent an entire month in Tacoma last summer.

I couldn't go swimming because my swimsuit was frozen to a chair. That and it was 22 degrees out there. I could not go on a hike or a walk or a bike ride due to the icy spots. I couldn't do any exercise thing in here due to it being too hot due to the furnace constantly trying to keep it above freezing in here.

My one escape today, that involved physical motion, was to walk over to Miss Puerto Rico's to take a photo, about noon, of how miserable it looks here today from her balcony. I forgot, I did drive to the Post Office too. That was treacherous.

And now the National Weather Service has put North Texas on a fog alert, through tomorrow, which could bring a coating of ice. I fear I have not reached the nadir of my misery. If I can't get my swimsuit thawed, I think I may try to make my way to Wal-Mart to get a fresh, unthawed new swimsuit. I must go swimming in the morning. And afterwards I must not leave my swimsuit outside to dry. Because it won't. It'll freeze dry.

An Iraqi Shoe For Bush? A Fort Worth Boot For Mayor Moncrief?

George W. getting shoes thrown at him at a Baghdad news conference made for one of the weirdest things I remember seeing in a long time. W.'s reflexes were quite quick. As was Iraqi leader Malicki's running interference on the incoming 2nd shoe.

The thrower of the shoe was quite good, too. Great aim and speed. A shoe is not the most aero-dynamic of items to be thrown. It's no baseball, football or frisbee. Yet the thrower hit a bullseye twice, or what would have been a bullseye were it not for George's deft ducking.

George handled it quite well, sort of turning the lemon into lemonade. I doubt many would want to drink George's lemonade, but it was a valiant effort, nonetheless, at off the cuff spin control. You can hear that and see the flying shoes in the video below.

Last night on MSNBC Keith Oberman was running and re-running over and over and over and over again the Bush Shoe Attack. With running commentary. It was sort of funny, in a sort of perverse way.

In the meantime, Don Young sent out an email that suggests that maybe this particular tactic might be used to get the attention of Fort Worth's corrupt Mayor Moncrief, he of the multi-conflicts of interest in the gas drilling business, with the Mayor owning interests in the companies seeking political favor in Moncrief's jurisdiction.

Deep Freeze Stops Fort Worth Swimming

It has not been above freezing here in Fort Worth, Texas for well over 24 hours. It got to 22 last night. Up to 25, right now, at about an hour before noon.

It had been my intention to test the pool this morning. My usual pattern is to step outside to where I leave my wet swimming suit and wet towel to dry, then come in here and put on the swimming suit.

But this morning the swimming suit is frozen into a big red ball, frozen stuck. I couldn't budge it to take it in here to thaw. I've got a back-up swimming suit, a black one, but it's nowhere to be found. I don't know how it has managed to come up missing. I suspect some nefarious evil-doer is trying to sabotage my swimming efforts.

Our forecast does not have us getting above freezing until tomorrow.

Meanwhile up in my old location, that being the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest, they are having record breaking lows, colder than here. With snow.

When does this global warming thing we hear so much about kick in?