Up Late On The Last Saturday Of January In A Dark Mood Waiting For An Invitation To A Super Bowl Party

Somehow my digital mood capturing device accurately recorded my dark mood when I looked out my viewing portal this morning at the blue sky dawn of the final Saturday of the first month of the new year of 2011.

Apparently, if I am understanding correctly, today pretty much kicks off Super Bowl Week here in my zone of Texas.

In the coming week there are BIG parties all over the D/FW Metroplex.

Mark Cuban is hosting, along with HDnet, a Super Bowl XLV party at Victory Park the day before the Super Bowl. This party is only open to those who receive an invitation. I have not received mine yet.

Pamela Anderson is hosting a party called the Dallas Super Bash 2011 at the Fashion Industry Gallery in downtown Dallas. There will be some Playboy Playmates on view. I do not know what the Playmates degree of clothing will be. Tickets are only $500 if pre-bought, $750 at the door.

Apparently, Playboy and Maxim magazines are known for hosting the best Super Bowl parties. Totally separate from the Pamela Anderson party the Playboy party will be on Friday the 4th at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Dallas. The day after that Maxim will have its party at Centennial Hall at Fair Park in Dallas.

Sports Illustrated is also having a B4 party at Fair Park, in the Tower Building, on Friday, the 4th, with the Super Bowl halftime performers, the Black Eyed Peas, being the hosts.

At the same time the Black Eyed Peas are busy at Fair Park, the singer known as Prince will be singing at an event called The Event, at the location formerly occupied by Reunion Arena.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, ESPN's The Next Bash is a private, by invitation only party at River Ranch on the north side of the Fort Worth Stockyards. I don't know what day The Next Bash takes place. I do know I have not been invited.

Also in The Stockyards, at Billy Bobs's Texas, Coors Light is throwing its annual Super Bowl Party. It is on Friday, the 4th. It is also an invitation only event to which I have not been invited. Blake Shelton will be singing to the invitees.

So many parties. What is a Party Animal like me to do?

Probably just stay home and brood in my dark mood. Waiting for an invitation.

Does 72 Degrees On The Last Friday Of January Make This The Hottest Day Of The New Year In Texas?

Today when I got to the Tandy Hills and saw a photo opportunity I reached in my pocket for my digital scenery recording device and found the pocket empty.

I'd left my camera at home.

Of late I never leave home without my digital image recording device.

So, today when I got back from the Tandy Hills I took a rare afternoon picture of the view through my patio prison cell bars.

The pool looks inviting doesn't it? It'll look even more inviting to you when I tell you the current temperature is 72. It is January 28 and I have all my windows open. Hiking was done in shorts and t-shirt today, with the t-shirt eventually being removed.

It has not been this balmy in my zone of Texas for quite some time. This is probably the hottest day of the new year.

I have not heard from that slow walking Elsie Hotpepper today. I think she may be mad at me for complaining about her slow walking.

A few minutes ago someone calling him or herself "Anonymous" asked if I pick up litter when I am out and about hiking. I told "Anonymous" that I pick up litter all the time, not just when hiking.

I have to go now. I see some litter that needs to be picked up down by the pool.

An Amazing Amount Of Litter Indicates It Is Perfectly Okay To Mess With Texas

I think one of the biggest industries in Texas must be the production of litter.

This is particularly noticeable when a lot of rain washes an amazing amount of litter into the Trinity River.

You see a lot of "Don't Mess With Texas" signs in Texas. I've been here for awhile now and I still don't understand this slogan. It obviously has nothing to do with no littering.

I took the picture with the "TRUE TO TEXAS" beer can at one of my favorite Fort Worth locations, Oakland Lake Park.

In this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram there was a litter letter-to-the-editor, with the litter letter writer making an amazing litter claim....

Road hazard

Passengers of designated drivers must consume a large volume of alcohol. On a two-mile stretch of highway south of Benbrook, I counted 1,638 cans that had been thrown out of vehicle windows. That was in addition to all the bottles.

Do you think a few people have forgotten "Don't mess with Texas"?

-- Allen McDermott, Fort Worth

I would think Mr. McDermott was exaggerating if I'd not seen similar things in Texas with my own eyes. But, I've never taken the time to count cans. I don't know if I could count that high without getting distracted.

Yum Yum Food Truck Back In Downtown Fort Worth Proving You Can Fight City Hall & The NFL & Win During The Super Bowl

The City of Fort Worth and the NFL have reversed themselves on their NO Yum Yum Food Truck in Downtown Fort Worth, until the Super Bowl is over, ban.

Starting Monday, the Yum Yum Food Truck will be back serving burgers and burritos to Fort Worthers and non-Fort Worthers visiting Downtown Fort Worth.

So.

What changed Fort Worth's City Hall and the NFL's position on the super-sensitive Yum Yum Food Truck issue?

Could it possibly have been that City Hall and the NFL heard the collective noise being made from locals via various media? And realized how Dumb the Yum Yum Food Truck ban was?

Up Way Before The Sun 25 Years After The Space Shuttle Challenger Blew Up

I am up way before the sun on the last Friday of the first month of 2011.

It is currently a relatively balmy 11 degrees above freezing.

I was surprised when I saw that today marks a quarter century, 25 years, since the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up soon after it was launched.

I do not remember if I was watching that launch live, or not. Were launches even carried live at this point? Again, I don't remember. Had CNN been born by January 28, 1986? I don't remember.

But, I suspect this launch was covered live due to school teacher Christa McAuliffe being on board.

The idea of sending a school teacher into space as some sort of stunt seems sort of bizarre to me now, 25 years later.

The coolest thing I've seen since I've been in Texas, even cooler than my first Ice Storm experience, was the night landing of a Space Shuttle. We'd been told what time to watch the western sky. I was starting to think this was going to be a dud when suddenly a bright white ball of light appeared above the barn. Moving incredibly fast.

I don't remember which of the Space Shuttles this was. As it streaked across the sky the Space Shuttle left a glowing trail behind it. Most spectacular thing I have ever seen above me. Ten minutes later I was inside watching the Space Shuttle land in Cape Canaveral.

And now the era of Space Shuttles is about to end, with America once again not having a manned space flight program.

Way back when the Challenger blew up could anyone have imagined a scenario where America would be relying on the Soviets, which is what we called Russians back then, to take Americans to space in a Soyuz capsule?

Fun Hotpepper-Free Hiking With Illicit Assignations Today On Top Of Mount Tandy

You are looking north on the Tandy Highway in the picture. As you can see it is a nice clear blue sky day today here in my zone of North Texas.

I was overdressed for hiking the Tandy Hills today. Long pants and a long-sleeve shirt were way too much clothing material covering way too much skin.

In other words I overheated just a bit in the balmy mid 60 degrees temperature.

Elsie Hotpepper so enjoyed our walk around Fosdic Lake yesterday that she asked to go Tandy Hill Hiking today.

But, the Hotpepper Hiking Time Frame was way past my scheduled hike time.

Yes, I could have time shifted, but the truth is, I don't know how much I'd enjoy Hotpepper Hill Hiking. I think I already mentioned Elsie talks fast and walks slow. I could see where the steep Tandy Hills would likely very quickly Overheat the Hotpepper.

I entered the Tandy Hills today from the top of Mount Tandy. I was semi-pleased to see that the Tandy Shrine is back under construction again. Semi-pleased I say, because it is so disheartening to see the Tandy Shrine grow back to its former glory, only to see it destroyed yet one more time.

I think some people are under the erroneous assumption that the top of Mount Tandy is an isolated parking zone. As in, when I returned to my vehicle, I saw two more vehicles had arrived.

The drivers of those two vehicles appeared to have no interest in hiking, but were instead involved in some sort of strenuous looking activity in the smaller of the vehicles. The frequency of what appear to be illicit assignations seems to be increasing in this location.

Up Early The Last Thursday Of The First Month Of 2011 After A Night Of Nightmares & A Morning Learning From Mayor Moncrief That Fort Worth Has Been Cleaned For The Super Bowl

I am up way before the sun looking at the view from my patio prison cell this last Thursday of the first month of 2011.

It is not freezing this morning at 3 degrees above the frost point. Even though it is not freezing I still think I'll avoid swimming this morning.

I had a rough night last night. I was up late talking to Elsie Hotpepper. After that I had myself a fitful night of nightmares.

Both nightmares had me back in the house I grew up in in Burlington, Washington. The first nightmare involved little troll-like monsters who were like Tasmanian Devil human flesh eaters.

The troll nightmare did not bother me too much, but the second nightmare of the night did. It involved snakes, lots of them. Inside the house, with my mom chasing them with a broom. At one point it was a copperhead and it was heading right at me.

I woke up.

And then immediately after waking up something made me think a snake was slithering on my bed. This caused me to let out what must have been a bloodcurdling scream.

On a different nightmare note. This morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram online had an article on the front page titled "Mayor declares Fort Worth ready for Super Bowl Party."

I assumed if Fort Worth's Moron Mayor Mike Moncrief was doing some declaring that it likely was goofy and mockworthy. But, the Star-Telegram would not let me read the article. I'd get about 2 paragraphs in and I'd get switched back to the front page.

Eventually I succeeded in quickly copying and pasting the article into Notepad so I could successfully search for the goofy Moncrief quote.

I was not disappointed.

Here is what Moncrief said in declaring that Fort Worth is ready for the Super Bowl, even though the game is not being played in Fort Worth, "Are you ready for some football? Fort Worth is ready. When you're going to have a party at your house, you clean house. You want to make your home attractive. We are ready."

I guess I need to go visit Downtown Fort Worth. I can't imagine what it must look like now that it has been cleaned and made attractive.

Also, the article about being ready said that volunteers will be posted throughout the city to help visitors navigate Cowtown.

I can't help but wonder how this navigation system works. And where it is that visitors are navigating to.