Durango Texas

Riding The Horse With The 2 Amigos To Wal-Mart To Get A Turkey Fryer Picture

2009-11-23T17:04:00.004-06:00

A few minutes ago I drove to my nearby Wal-Mart Supercenter to get some vittles. Vittles means food items.

My route to Wal-Mart goes down a 4 lane boulevard called John T. White Road. It's got a wide median between the lanes.

This afternoon there were 3 amigos riding their horses on the John T. White Road median.

Is median the right word? My brain is being fuzzy right now.

The horse on the right was way too frisky, darting back and forth. I was concerned the horse would dart out on the road.

I remember previous recessions, recessions that were supposedly not as bad as the current one. During the previous recessions you would notice a big difference in customers in stores, as in way fewer of them. This afternoon Wal-Mart was a madhouse of people buying stuff, carts loaded. I do not remember a previous recession where I would see so many people yapping away on cell phones. Seems a luxury, like a cell phone, would be the first thing to go when times get tough. I guess cell phones have become a necessity, not a luxury. How could one get by not being able to call from Wal-Mart to ask what brand of beans to buy?

Speaking of things to buy. Wal-Mart had a big stack of Turkey Fryers Sets and Peanut Oil by the frozen foods. Do Turkey Fryer Sets show up in stores up north these days? Are they on the west coast? I'd never heard of frying a turkey or a Turkey Fryer til I came to Texas.

Click here to read everything I've learned about frying a turkey.

Finding Pig's Rectums & Strange Berries In Arlington Texas

2009-11-23T15:19:00.004-06:00

I had to be in Arlington to sign something around noon. On the way to do that it was being such a perfect day I thought a walk around Veterans Park would be a good thing.

Many people thought the same thing. The desire to get outside and enjoy the nice day was likely somewhat prompted by relief at having the heavy fog of this morning disappear, replaced by a solid blue sky.

Walking Veterans Park I searched in vain for another Arlington outhouse for my Arlington Outhouse Series. I took a picture of the composting exhibit, but that's really not the same thing, even remotely, as an outhouse.

Walking through the Veterans Park Xeriscape I thought I was smelling roses, but could not find them. I did find a strange plant that had no leaves, but did have very colorful clusters of purple berry-like things dangling on twigs. My picture does not do justice to how both cool and odd, this plant looks.

After I finished signing something I decided to go to the Cho Saigon New Market to get an apple and orange for the cranberry chutney I'm making for Thanksgiving. I also needed fresh Ruot Gia for the exotic stuffing I'm sticking in my bird. For those of you who do not speak Vietnamese, Ruot Gia is Pig's Rectum. Yes, I know this sounds disgusting, but you really must try and expand your world into an appreciation of the foods of other cultures. I've learned to do this from watching Anthony Bordain's No Reservations show on the Travel Channel.

The party who rode with me to Arlington was not believing my account of the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium being surrounded by outhouses, despite the photo proof, so I had to do a drive-by of the stadium after I got my pig's rectum. This drive-by was coming from the south on Collins. I had not seen the extensive stadium outhouse collection on the west side of the stadium. I was in a hurry, so no photos were taken.

Who wants to come for Thanksgiving Dinner at my place now that you've heard about my tasty stuffing?

Jessica Simpson's Strange Smooch With Tony Romo Who Gave Dallas A Win With Last Minute Touchdown Pass

2009-11-23T10:40:00.007-06:00

That is former newlywed, Dallas girl, Jessica Simpson, smooching her former boyfriend, Dallas Cowboy quarterback, Tony Romo.

Now that looks to me to be one disturbingly odd smooch, made more disturbing by the blue substance under Miss Simpson's nose.

Anyone have an answer to the question of what's going on here?

Thank you in advance for solving this mystery.

By the way, Tony won yesterday's game for Dallas, after being behind the Washington, I think, Redskins, 6 - 0, til the last few minutes of the game when Romo threw a touchdown pass with the extra point kick giving Dallas the win.

I am never happier than when Dallas wins a football game.

It Is Foggy In Fort Worth This Monday Morning In Texas

2009-11-23T08:24:00.003-06:00

That is a very foggy Fort Worth you are looking at this morning around 8, looking out my patio window. I don't know where this fog came from or why. Fort Worth is hundreds of miles from the nearest large body of water, that being the Gulf of Mexico.

It is currently 45 degrees out there. That was also the temperature when I went swimming in the fog an hour and a half ago. I only lasted about 10 minutes in the cold water.

I'm going to Arlington around noon today. This trip to Arlington is not part of my very popular Outhouses of Arlington Series, but if I see an outhouse today in Arlington I will be sure to take a picture of it.

I Have Become Insane In Texas And Am Paying $450 For 10,000 Twitter Followers

2009-11-22T17:55:00.005-06:00

Twitter continues to perplex me. There seems to be a lot of Twitter spamming and scamming. I've had someone somehow using my Twitter account to send out weird "Direct Messages" saying stuff like "I think you look weird in this picture." Of course, the person clicks on it. I did. Next thing you know you're taking an IQ Test that wants your cell phone number.

Then, just seconds ago, Irma Rogers became my latest ardent Twitter Follower. I clicked on Irma to see she wanted me to check out this wonderful thing that automatically got me Twitter Followers.

For a fee.

Why I would so desperately want Twitter Followers that I'd pay for them is a mystery to me. Somehow I've gotten some Twitter Followers, like Irma, without paying a single dime.

Apparently, for only $450.00 I can get myself 10,000 Twitter Followers. What a bargain. If I'm feeling like being cheap I can get 500 new Twitter Followers for only $50.00.

I think I'll take the go for the gusto option and get 10,000 Twitter Followers for a measly $450.00.

What a bargain! Follow me on Twitter!

A Blimp Leads Me To A Wal-Mart Closed By The Dallas Cowboys

2009-11-22T15:51:00.008-06:00

After a quick visit to River Legacy Park I drove towards the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to see why a blimp was hovering in the vicinity. I did not think there was a game today because I thought the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving because they are America's Team and for some reason that means they play football on Thursday.

I had not driven south on Cooper Street very far when I saw that the blimp said Direct TV on it. Not Goodyear. I took the picture you see above, that looks like someone has launched a missile to take down the blimp, and continued on towards the stadium.

Evidence quickly accumulated that indicated the Dallas Cowboys were playing football today. I saw dozens of buses, of the commercial sort, like Trailways, parked in one of the new lots that Arlington would not let Jerry Jones take by abusing eminent domain.

Soon I was at the intersection of Randol Mill Road and Collins. It was clearly obvious a football game was happening, due to all the tailgate parties on the corner of that particular parking lot, which you are looking at in the above picture.

Yesterday, that being Saturday, I dropped in on the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to take pictures of outhouses. I was surprised by what I found and blogged about it. There were high school football games going on, with lots of cars parked in the lots. I went to Wal-Mart yesterday, had no problem parking. Wal-Mart was busy, like the day before Christmas type busy. I thought to myself that I thought there had been complaints about Wal-Mart suffering a loss of business when the stadium was being used. I thought, well, one more crackpot making a bogus complaint.

So, imagine my surprise today. I wanted to go to Wal-Mart to get a missing ingredient for the curry thing I was making for lunch. The blimp had led me to the Stadium Wal-Mart so I figured I'd go there. Nope. Could not happen. There were a few cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but all entries off Randol Mill were blocked. The above picture shows the west entry blocked.

I figured maybe I could get to Wal-Mart via one of the side streets, and that maybe that was how the few cars in the lot had gotten in. Nope. All roads in were blocked. I was appalled. How is Wal-Mart being compensated for this?

Just past Wal-Mart I saw a pair of Pedicabs with no customers. I was to see maybe a dozen more, all with no customers.

Arlington is notorious for being the largest city in America with no public transit. That's right, the town that has Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, The Ballpark in Arlington and the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, in what they call the Entertainment District, has no bus system. Except for the aforeseen Pedicabs and the trolleys you see above, that were lined up today by the Ballpark in Arlington, I assume after dropping people off for the game. The trolleys travel around the Entertainment District, stopping at the District's many lodging locations.

In the above picture you are looking past one of the Texas Ranger parking lot's outhouses at some Tailgaters having a BBQ. This particular lot charges $60. It is not close to the stadium. Maybe a 3/4 mile walk. How much did those first Tailgaters pay to park in that first lot I showed you, that is right up next to the stadium?

Above you see an Event Parking $60.00 sign. Along with another sign spelling out the Tailgating Rules. Such as you can only BBQ on the grass. And pick up your litter. Why must a sign tell Texans to pick up their litter?

The Outhouses Of Arlington Texas Series: The Outhouses of River Legacy Park

2009-11-22T15:26:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I toured the Dallas Cowboy Stadium's Outhouses. And blogged about it. In that blogging I made mention of outhouses in my favorite Dallas/Fort Worth park, that being River Legacy Park in Arlington.

Today I decided to drive to River Legacy Park to continue my Outhouses of Arlington Texas series.

I was barely on the road when I saw a big blimp. No, I am not talking about a plus-sized person in the Albertson's parking lot. I'm talking about a Goodyear blimp type of big blimp. A couple miles further and it appeared to be hovering above the Dallas Cowboy Stadium.

I was talking to Tootsie Tonasket on the way to River Legacy. Tootsie directed me to take pictures of the blimp after I was done with the River Legacy outhouses. Which is what I did. You don't say no to Tootsie Tonasket.

But, back to the River Legacy outhouses. The pair you see in the picture serve the River Legacy Pavilion. You can see the Pavilion in the background behind the outhouses. It is a very nice structure, with some glaring omissions. There is no sink or water faucet. There is a nearby drinking fountain, which would seem to indicate it would be possible to have running water in the River Legacy Wedding Pavilion. I have seen a dozen or so Saturday weddings taking place over the years in the River Legacy Pavilion. Usually with meat products being BBQed on the provided BBQ pit.

There is a modern facilities type restroom in River Legacy Park. It is built on a knoll, due to the fact that a large area of River Legacy, including the Pavilion, can go under water during a major flood of the Trinity River. I have seen that happen twice. The outhouses are evacuated prior to an incoming flood.

I know building another knoll and putting another restroom on it would be more expensive than outhouses. But, isn't it the right thing to do in such a nice park? In such a nice city as Arlington? And it would set a good example for Jerry Jones. Maybe he'd decided that real restrooms might be a nice thing to provide his customers who pay $60 or more to park on his lots and use his outhouses.

I wonder why Jerry has not thought of a way to monetize the Dallas Cowboy outhouses? He sells Party Passes for $29. I'm thinking a one use Potty Pass for $5 seems reasonable.

46th Anniversary Of JFK Assassination In Dallas Texas

2009-11-22T10:30:00.004-06:00

In about an hour it will be 46 years to the minute since John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade drove by Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

I was at Dealey Plaza for the 40th Anniversary, along with thousands of others.

It was a sober, sort of macabre, experience. The moment of silence and countdown to when the shots were fired was disturbed by the arrival of Dallas police in full riot gear. I have never learned why that happened. The police quickly backed off when it was apparent there was no riot.

And then the moment arrived, suddenly the mournful sound of a lone bugle filled the air.

Go here and watch the video I made of what I saw on this day, 6 years ago. Or watch it below...

Dallas Cowboy Cadillac Outhouses & Other Unsanitary Eyesores

2009-11-21T17:24:00.007-06:00

We are looking at a Tailgate BBQ Party taking place this afternoon on the east side of the Dallas Cowboy Stadium before a high school game. This Tailgate Party was taking place on one of the Cowboy's parking lots. Not on one of the Texas Ranger's lots, that are also used by the Cowboys.

What got me back to Arlington this afternoon was something I saw when I drove through this area on Friday. As in I was amazed and appalled by all the outhouses. Some were in the parking lots, some were on the grass at the side of the road. Some were solo. Some were lined up. I saw a truck with a load of outhouses. I don't know if he was delivering or removing.

The outhouses on the Texas Ranger's lots were particularly tacky. Bright blue with a big sign saying "NATIONAL PORTABLE TOILETS" and some other stuff, with a toll free number to call and a website address, rentnational.com. Also attached to the outhouse was another sign that said "PUBLIC RESTROOM".

Public Restroom? As opposed to other outhouses that are Private Restrooms?

Now, the Texas Rangers are on real tough financial times. Their owner, I think his last name is Hicks, has all sorts of money woes. So, I guess he can be forgiven his low rent outhouses.

Which brings us to the outhouses on the parking lots of the new $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboy Stadium. When I first walked on to the most expensive parking lots in the world I was distracted by the wonderful smell of a Texas BBQ. BBQers in the Cowboy's lots get to park on grass parking strips. I thought that was interesting.

That is the Ballpark in Arlington on the left in the background. You can see a couple of the blue outhouses in the Ranger's lot with the BBQers parked on the grass in the foreground on the Dallas Cowboy parking lot.

A short distance from the BBQers I came to my first up close look at a Dallas Cowboy Outhouse. I was immediately struck by how much more substantial the Cowboy Outhouses are than the Ranger's. And then I saw something that really struck me. These are outhouses specially made for the Dallas Cowboys, as in molded into the plastic that makes up the outhouse is a Dallas Cowboy star and the word "COWBOYS".

And then I realized the Dallas Cowboy Outhouses are made in the Cowboy team colors of silver and blue! The Dallas Cowboys, like the Texas Rangers, also have signage that refer to their outhouses as Restrooms.

Now, maybe I am way off on this, but to me a Restroom has running water and a sink. The Dallas Cowboys may have bought themselves the Cadillac of Outhouses, but these are not Restrooms.

Which leads me to another thing. How does it make sense to spend $1.1 billion to build a stadium and then surround that building with outhouses? You have people spending $40, or more, to park, then $100s, some $1000s to watch a game and you provide outhouses in your parking lot? Would it not have made more sense to have built actual real Restrooms? The stadium was built with the knowledge that the football fanatics have tailgate parties before a game. Why were Restrooms not built for them?

It's not like all these outhouses don't cost anything.

And don't get me started on the sanitation issues. Well, I guess I started myself. So, you have all these people BBQing, having a picnic. They use the outhouse. Nowhere to wash their hands. Maybe they have hand sanitizer back at the Tailgate Party.

I can understand the use of portable outhouses at some types of events, like a 2 day festival. But this stadium is a permanent facility. A Super Bowl may be played there. A Super Bowl surrounded by 100s, or is it, 1000s of outhouses. And nowhere to wash your hands.

I have been vexed by outhouses in Arlington previously. Like in River Legacy Park. Which I consider the best park in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. But River Legacy Park needs to lose the outhouses. There is a pavilion in River Legacy Park. Used for weddings. Serviced by 2 outhouses. There is running water (not hot) there, though, so you can wash your hands.

I dunno, maybe a wedding with outhouses is a perfectly normal thing in the South. Seems sort of outdated and early last century to me. I know most of America got indoor plumbing a long long time ago. Maybe Jerry Jones owns an interest in an outhouse business.

Looking At Gateway Park Barnett Shale Gas Driller Damage & Litter Art

2009-11-21T14:44:00.004-06:00

It rained last night here in North Texas. On Saturday my usual boring habit is to go hiking on the Tandy Hills. But rain renders the hills muddy.

So, I went to Gateway Park instead. On Thursday I was on Beach Street and saw the notorious Barnett Shale gas drillers water pump and pipeline was no longer sucking water from the Trinity River.

I was curious to see if the rut makers had restored the river levee to its pre-damage state.

As you can see in the picture, the mess has not been fixed. It appears heavy rain has smoothed out the ruts I showed you the last time I checked out the water pumping mess.

Many months ago I saw a similar gas drilling related water pumping mess at Village Creek. I took pictures and blogged about it. Three days later I was back and the ruts had all been smoothed over, with grass seed sprinkled over the damaged area.

Gateway Park and the Trinity Trails do not seem to have been as blessed with a responsibly acting gas driller as Village Creek Park was.

Speaking of pipelines. There is a huge pipeline that crosses the same ravine that the Gateway Park bridge crosses to get to the Trinity River Trail where I take pictures of mud. I don't know what flows in this huge pipeline. What made it interesting today was the astonishing amount of litter surrounding the pipeline and in the trees. It almost looks like an art installation.

I'm out of here in a bit and heading to Arlington to take pictures of something I saw yesterday associated with the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. I was appalled by what I saw. But I was in a hurry yesterday and so did not stop to take pictures.

250 Bodies Are Being Exhibited At West End In Dallas

2009-11-21T09:50:00.006-06:00

For awhile now, every morning when I check in on the Dallas Morning News I see an ad about bodies being revealed at some exhibit at the West End in downtown Dallas. The pictures in the ads seem a bit creepy to me. But I paid no further attention.

Til this morning when I saw the headline of an article about "Bodies: The Exhibition" opening this weekend.

Here's a blurb from the article...

"Featuring more than 250 real human specimens consisting of whole-bodies and individual organs that have been meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process, the Exhibition provides visitors an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body."

Okay, am I understanding this correctly? These are real bodies being exhibited? Including the reproductive system? Preserved by some innovative process?

The Bodies are touring the country. And other countries. Here's a blurb from about the Bodies when they were in New York City....

"Both captivating and edifying, Bodies ...The Exhibition- New York, NY unveils the many complex systems, organs and tissues that drive every aspect of our daily lives and unite us all as Humans. Featuring over 200 specimens consisting of whole-bodies and individual organs that have been meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process, Bodies ...The Exhibition will enlighten, empower, fascinate and inspire."

So, an additional 50 real human specimens were added between New York and Dallas. Where do these bodies come from? Are the bodies identified? As in "This is Bob Smith's Reproductive System." Are these the bodies of people who willed their bodies to science?

I'm likely way off base here, but it all just seems unseemly to me.

Please Don't Let Your Kids Play With The Crabs In Arlington Texas

2009-11-20T14:59:00.005-06:00

No. Those are not the catfish in my fishtank I call a pool.

Speaking of which, the temperatures the past 24 hours never got under 50, so this morning swimming was not the bracing glacial experience it'd been for a few days.

I had to be in Arlington today. On the way to my destination I drove by Johnson Creek and the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. I thought Johnson Creek might be in flood mode due to last night's rainy thunderstorm.

On my way to Arlington I saw that Village Creek is in flood mode, causing the closure of Village Creek Natural Historic Area. But, Johnson Creek did not appear to be running any extra water. I was hoping to see what happened when flooding water hit the cement fins you see in the picture.

Since I was in the neighborhood I went to Cho Saigon Market in Arlington's Chinatown. I love going there. I'm almost always the tallest person in the store. I feel like a giant when I'm in there.

Today when I was seeing dozens of Vietnamese people it occurred to me that had there not been a Vietnam War. And had America not sort of lost that war, I would not be shopping in a Vietnamese grocery store in Arlington, Texas. All those Vietnamese immigrants have been a real good thing for America.

I had not paid much attention to the Cho Saigon Market's live seafood selection til today. The picture of the catfish in the tank shows only a few of the dozens of catfish swimming in the tanks. A Vietnamese man was very excitedly trying to point out which of the live catfish he wanted for his own.

The crabs that the sign references are smallish blue crabs. Another tank held what the sign said were Alaska Dungeness Crabs. I didn't know there were Dungeness Crabs in Alaska. I've caught and cooked Dungeness Crab. It's one of my favorite seafoods. But, somehow the idea of driving home, in Texas, with a live crab in the vehicle did not appeal to me. Dungeness Crab can get very fiesty. They are like giant hard-shelled spiders on steroids that taste good.

I had a slight wait in the checkout line, which moves very fast and is very high tech. Due to the wait I was able to check out what the persons in front and behind was buying. The most interesting thing in front of me was a big chunk of squid. It was frozen. The guy behind me had pork intestines. I saw them when I checked out the butcher area. And wondered what one did with pork intestines. He also had a bag of clams that looked like steamers. And 2 Dungeness Crab. The crab were not moving. So, there must be a they will cook it for you option, like there is with the fish.

So, that's been my exciting, cloudy, wet Friday in Texas, so far.

It's Time To Move From Texas Back To Mount Vernon Washington

2009-11-20T09:42:00.007-06:00

You are looking at the Skagit River in flood mode as it flows past downtown Mount Vernon. I have seen the Skagit almost go over the top of the sandbags on a couple occasions. I believe the sandbagging no longer takes place in downtown Mount Vernon when the Skagit goes rogue, due to some sort of flood wall that can quickly be put in place.

The flooding Skagit isn't what I wanted to talk about. Mount Vernon is on my mind due to some surprising news I read this morning.

BusinessWeek Magazine has ranked Mount Vernon as the #1 city in America to rebound from the recession by the first quarter of the new year. The magazine says among the reasons for this #1 ranking are the town's diverse tourism, its retail and hospitality industries and its location 60 miles north of Seattle and 80 miles south of Vancouver.

Not that I don't think Mount Vernon is a great town, because it is, but still, how in the world would a magazine zero in on little Mount Vernon as the #1 town in America to rebound from the recession? Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County. Skagit County has, as long as I can remember, had the lowest per capita income of the Puget Sound counties. The per capita income is way higher than the county I currently live in, that being Tarrant County in Texas.

For all I know in the 10 years I've been gone Skagit County has become the most prosperous of the Puget Sound counties.

I'm thinking this news is a sign that it is time to move back to Mount Vernon to somehow benefit from the Mount Vernon rebound from the recession. The year I moved, Mount Vernon was picked as the "Best Small City in America." Why? I don't remember.

Mount Vernon is a very good-looking town, particularly the downtown. I liked living where I could go 10 miles east and be in the mountains or 10 miles west and be at a saltwater beach. Mount Vernon is the hub of a big tourist zone, the likes of which I've never seen in Texas.

Those are tulips and Mount Baker you are looking at from the westside of Mount Vernon. The tulips and other flowers bring in a lot of tourists causing big traffic jams all over the valley.

But, the #1 town in America to recover from the bad economy? That perplexes me. Not as perplexed as I would be to wake up to find Fort Worth named the Most Livable City in America or the Cleanest Air in America or the Highest Per Capita # of College Graduates.

One town in Texas did make the BusinessWeek list of 25 towns poised to rebound, that being Brownsville, way down on the far south Texas Gulf Coast. It'd be closer to move to Brownsville, for me, than Mount Vernon. I like the Texas Gulf Coast. I'll have to think about it.

Arizona Desert Invades Fort Worth Prairie & Message From Fort Worth Star-Telegram

2009-11-19T15:35:00.004-06:00

I don't know if those are fresh 4-Wheeler tracks rutting up the Tandy Hills Natural Area, or if they are the remains of 4-Wheeler vandalism of weeks ago and I just noticed it freshly today. The tracks appeared new to me. But they went nowhere. As if the vehicle was lifted away by a helicopter. That and the location of these tracks would not be easily reached by a vehicle, 4-Wheel drive or not. It's at the top of a hill, with all approaches to the top being either very steep or very narrow or hemmed in by trees.

So, we have yet one more Tandy Hills mystery. Maybe it's the ghostly Billy Hill returned once more.

I am still sore from my ordeal Tuesday where I found myself pounding the Fort Worth pavement for mile after mile. My aches and pains give new meaning to the "pain in the butt" phrase.

Swimming this morning in my melted iceberg made my aches and pains feel better for awhile. As did the endorphins that hiking the Tandy Hills drugs me with. But now, a couple hours later, my Tandy Hills fix is wearing off and the throbbing pains are starting up on me again.

I love whining about my aches and pains like an arthritic ol' geezer.

My mom called me last night to ask me which of my addresses she should mail me some beef jerky.

I just got what is called a "Direct Message" from the Star-Telegram, sent courtesy of Twitter, thanking me for following the FWST news and updates. And telling me they'd like to hear what I think about their Tweets.

My one longtime reader may be thinking, along with me, oh, the irony.

I went to Town Talk after Tandy and got some real good tomatoes, mangoes, petite brussels sprouts and other stuff I'm not remembering right now.

Being at the Tandy Hills today I got to see for myself Fort Worth's latest public art installation, called, I think, "Arizona Desert Invades Fort Worth Prairie."

I've yet to learn who made this beautiful piece of art or how much it cost. Currently Fort Worth is planning to spend about a quarter million dollars to build a memorial to JFK commemorating the fact that JFK spent his last night and morning alive, in downtown Fort Worth.

Meanwhile the Fort Worth Public Libraries have cut back and the city pools are being shut down.

Only Child Syndrome Strikes Again

2009-11-19T09:50:00.004-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that a blogging I wrote a long long time ago about Only Child Syndrome has generated more comments, I think, that anything other thing I've blogged about.

The comments can be pretty funny. I get ones totally agreeing with my take on Only Children. And others, from Only Children, who confirm the Syndrome at the same time they are angrily denying it.

Last week I saw from my Blog Stats that a lot of people were coming to the blogging about Only Child Syndrome from something called YELP. I went to YELP and found it was a forum type thing where someone named Brandy had posted the link to my blogging about Only Child Syndrome and said, "Interesting article. What are your thoughts? True? False?"

Well, Brandy's question got a lot of replies. Some of it reminds me of how bent out of shape some Scarborough Faire nutjobs got over my take on their Renaissance Festival.

This morning the Only Child Syndrome thing was back fresh in my mind due to a comment from Jan, who said...

"I've read the OCS blogs with alot of interest. Unfortunately, I have an only child, age 28 and when I read this she jumped off the page. You have nailed her perfectly. There is not one single description that does not fit my only child. Unfortunately, she has cut me and all of her aunts out of her life. very sad, but this was extremely interesting."

So, one more believer in OCS.

I'd not read the blog of one of my own personal worst cases of OCS in awhile. Recently she blogged about some new friends, saying one of them, let's call her Margie, "really gets me." That somehow struck me as funny and so stereotypically only childish. The Only Child is so special, so unique, so one of a kind, that it takes someone with special powers of observation to appreciate all that is so special about the Only Child. The particular Only Child in question has used this "really gets me" verbiage on a number of occasions. I have heard it with my own ears, in addition to reading it. In person the tone sounds sort of conspiratorial, as if I, the listener, am also privy to really getting what is so special about the Only Child.

Okay, that's enough about Only Child Syndrome for today.

I Am Wearing My Skinny Pants To School In Mesquite Texas This Morning

2009-11-19T09:11:00.006-06:00

Yeah, that's me in my favorite skinny pants, giving you a good look at the tattoos on my arms.

I did not know til this morning that skinny pants were a current fad amongst us youngsters.

If I wore my skinny pants to Mesquite, here in Texas, today, to go to school, I would be told to go home and change in to non-skinny pants or wear a pair of school provided slacks.

When I was in grade school, in Washington, there was a skinny pants fad. They were not called skinny pants though. Back then Levi Strauss made a blue jean out of stretchy material. If we could, we would persuade our mom's into tapering the jeans til they were really tight and difficult to get on.

I can now understand why my mom took a lot of convincing to mutilate a pair of jeans. Tapered blue jeans looked really bad. The current skinny pants don't look all that ridiculous to me.

A Mesquite middle school student, Seth Chamlee, came to Kimbrough Middle School in skinny pants and was told to take them off and put on the school's slacks. Or go home. Seth went home, where his mom, Cindy Pope, said yesterday, “He can learn more without the distraction of what to wear.” As in the boy will now be home schooled in his skinny pants.

I can understand the need to have some dress codes. For instance it seems perfectly reasonable to insist that boys not wear their jeans down around their knees, exposing their underwear. I don't know when the droopy drawers fad migrated to the South, from it's origin on the coasts, where that fad has long faded, but it might behoove local educators to somehow educate the local droopy drawer boys that that fad is as badly outdated as wearing a Gar the Texan style mullet haircut.

When I made a visit to Fort Worth, in 1998, to see if moving here was at all feasible, I was staying with a friend who had moved from Mount Vernon, Washington to Fort Worth, about a month earlier than my visit. My first day in Fort Worth I was asked to take my friend's 15 year old boy to his first day of school. I dropped him off at the school and was surprised at how, well, sluttily, for want of a better word, a lot of the girls were dressed.

So, imagine my surprise, when 15 minutes later, I get a phone call from the 15 year old boy. He was told he was not dressed appropriately for school. He was wearing what he wore to school in Mount Vernon, granted, a much more liberal, with much better schools, location. He was wearing long shorts and his skateboard shoes and a t-shirt.

He was given a piece of paper with all the instructions as to what was proper attire. I read it and could not get past how so many of the girls I'd seen at his school looked like what I later learned might be characterized as working girls on Harry Hines Boulevard

There were several comments about Mesquite's anti-skinny pants policy in this morning's Dallas Morning News.....

"If it wasn't for the name "skinny" jeans, I doubt that the MISD would have made such a fuss about these pants. I saw the kid wearing them on TV last night, and they really weren't even skin tight. Maybe if schools in Texas concentrated more on teaching our kids, instead of policing what they wear, the state wouldn't have one of the lowest academic ratings in the country."

Good point.

"I am SO GLAD that Mesquite is spending time legislating pants and their dimensions. Students are obviously perfectly proficient in all classroom subjects, so this is definitely how teachers and administrators should spend their time. Good job, folks.

Another good point.

"Rules are made for a reason......so why all the fuss about following them?"

Bad point. The above type thinking is basically fascist. Rules are not made for a reason. They are made as a guideline. And they are made to be broken. To blindly follow rules is not a lesson I would want to teach any kid. To question rules and authority, that is a lesson I would teach a kid.

To the kids in Mesquite I would suggest you all get together and all decide to wear skinny pants to school. Get sent home. Then show up the next day, again, in your skinny pants. Trust me, you will quickly be allowed to wear your skinny pants to school, and you will have taught your school administrators a valuable lesson.

Finding Alternator Alternatives In Fort Worth With Pizza

2009-11-18T14:47:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago when I switched my websites to Host Gator I would not have been able to imagine what scenario would cause me to spend time, a couple Wednesdays later, standing underneath a Host Gator billboard, with a Free Month Coupon using the word "COWBOY."

But, that is what happened today.

My one reader may remember that yesterday did not start off well, due to me skipping my morning swim, followed by a multi-mile walking trek over the mean streets of Dirty ol' Town, Fort Worth, after a serious vehicle malfunction.

Noon today was Part II of fix the vehicle malfunction. To start Part II off well, I made certain I went swimming this morning, even though the water felt as if it had recently been a glacier. At noon I took the ailing vehicle to meet Jonathon the Battery Mechanic, so he could put in a new alternator.

Jonathon arrived 15 minutes late. I left the alternator and vehicle in his care and went to Sam's Club for pizza. Jonathon said it'd take about an hour to make the fix. An hour later I show up. Ooops. Big problem. Don't have a needed tool.

Then another guy shows up, friend of Jonathon. He is another Mobile Mechanic. Is there an epidemic of Mobile Mechanics? The Mobile Mechanic's name was M.R. Block. M.R. directed me to associates of his at Auto Docs, located right by my neighborhood QT and Post Office. M.R. Block said he'd call ahead and tell them an incoming alternator was arriving.

I get to the Auto Docs. They'd not heard from M.R. Block. Then M.R. Block shows up and tells me that KC, at next door Joe's Emergency Auto Repair, would quickly replace the alternator. So, I followed M.R. to Joe's where KC quickly went to work.

I took a walk and called my mom. This was an unusual call because I had not gotten gas. As I was talking to my mom I looked up to see the Host Gator billboard.

A short time later the new alternator was in place, with the old alternator in its box, to be returned to O'Reilly's for the alternator core refund.

It is almost 70 out there. I was overdressed today in long pants and a sweatshirt. I am no longer overdressed.

Tumbleweeds & Cactus Roll Into Fort Worth From Phoenix

2009-11-18T08:59:00.004-06:00

On Monday I blogged about some odd alterations done to benches at the Tandy Hills Natural Area playground.

I also mentioned an odd construction I called the Fence to Nowhere. That fence sat there, making no sense, for about a year.

And then this morning I get email from Don Young with the subject line being "Welcome to Phoenix."

The email had several photos of what has been to done to the Fence to Nowhere since I took photos of it on Monday. The same, uh, symbols, as what's been stuck on the benches, have now been stuck on the fence.

Seeing the bigger fence version of what's been stuck on the benches, it appears to be blue cactus and green tumbleweeds. This is Fort Worth, not the Mojave Desert. Cowboy hats and longhorns would have been more appropriate.

This morning I read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that local newspaper I know longer pay for, but read for free online, that the City of Fort Worth is mothballing the city pools due to cost cutting.

How much did the beautiful tumbleweed cactus artworks cost? How much did that fence cost, before the beautiful artwork was added? Why have Phoenix type symbols been added to the Texas prairie?

It's very perplexing.

Walking The Mean Streets Of Fort Worth Texas With Bad Luck & Good Luck

2009-11-17T17:38:00.004-06:00

I have had me a day. I skipped the morning swim due to the temperature being in the 30s. So, that started the day off bad.

Big Ed had an appointment in west Forth Worth, a bit west of University Drive. I wanted to go to Panther City Bicycles and finally get my wobbly wheel fixed. So, I set out on a car pooling adventure.

I dropped Big Ed off at his destination, then continued on to mine, about 2 miles away. I got to Panther City Bicycles to see a "Back in 5 Minutes" note on the door. Not a good sign. I was going to Panther City Bicycles because Fort Worth Weekly every year has it being the best bike shop in the area.

Well, FW Weekly greatly oversold this little hole in the wall. FW Weekly said the place had a test track out back. There was no such thing. So, I sat there for 5 minutes or so and then decided I didn't think I wanted to trust this place. So, I decided to head back to University Drive.

And that's when the fun started. My bike van would not start. I opened the hood, looked at the battery cables, tried again. Totally dead.

I decided to walk back to where I'd dropped Big Ed off, which seemed to make sense at the time. I take off walking, going from Magnolia to Rosedale. But then at the point where Rosedale heads over the Trinity River it did not look like safe walking.

So, I took a left and headed south into the Mistletoe Heights neighborhood. Beautiful homes, the road sort of meandered. About a mile or so later I realized that I had to get back across the Trinity River and that the first crossing was the University Drive bridge. Finally I came to Forest Park Boulevard and then to Colonial Parkway. I knew I was nearing the Fort Worth Zoo, so I was no longer disoriented.

About a mile later I was where I'd dropped Big Ed off. I went into a Barnes & Noble and waited for a phone call. It was now about 3:30. Phone rang. Found Big Ed, explained the problem. I figured we could take the bus back to Magnolia, but then we realized we had no clue how to do that. So, we started walking. This time I knew to go up Rosedale and not worry about it looking unsafe.

Got back to the bike van about a half hour later. Opened the hood. Tightened the battery connections. Tried to start it again. Still dead. Then a guy walks up, says he's a Mobile Mechanic, asks if we need a jump. Yes, please. He says he'll be right back. A few minutes go by, no mobile mechanic. So, I call AAA. They are on the line sending someone to help when the Mobile Mechanic shows up.

The Mobile Mechanic sticks on the cable, the bike van starts right up. Headed east towards home, needing a new battery. Or so I thought. After a few miles it became clear that something else was wrong. By about mile 10 it was decided that maybe the alternator was malfunctioning.

I decided to go to Super Wal-Mart. That's where I'd bought my last battery. Drive up, left the bike van running, saw a mechanic, asked if he installed batteries, explained the problem, he had me park the van in his garage and go buy a battery.

Then the battery mechanic, named Jonathon, very nice guy, discovered the alternator was, indeed, malfunctioning. Jonathon said the alternator was easy to replace, that he'd be willing to do so, tomorrow. So, we headed to O'Reilly's Auto Parts, bought a new alternator and Jonathon is coming here to install it tomorrow.

I tell you, I have the best luck with vehicle problems. It goes back to my first car, a 1965 Mustang Fastback. That car caused me so many fun breakdown adventures. I remember the best was the clutch going out after watching a taping of Laverne & Shirley at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Spent the night in a Chevron parking lot.

You Are Invited To Wimberley Texas For The Winter's Eve Festival

2009-11-17T10:08:00.005-06:00

Wimberley is a little tourist town in Texas Hill Country, a bit northwest of San Marcos, a bit southwest of Austin. Wimberley is known for its artist community, with many small shops and a lot of bed and breakfasts.

Cypress Creek flows out of Jacob's Well with crystal clear water that flows through the Wimberley Valley and makes for some good, popular swimming holes.

Market Days is held the first Saturday of every month, drawing tourists from all over America.

Yesterday I got an invitation from Sarah Barlow to Wimberley's Winter's Eve Festival. Ms. Barlow is with the Wimberley Merchants Association.

I'll copy the invitation below....

The Wimberley Merchants Association would like to invite you to join us on for the Winter’s Eve Festival on the Wimberley Square on December 5, 2009 starting at 5:00 pm. Enjoy two stages of live entertainment, gourmet food booths, including wine and beer. Santa will be arriving around 7:00 pm and over 90 shops around the Wimberley Square will be open for holiday shopping. This is a free event for the family. The Wimberley Square will be adorned with holiday lighting as well. Come to the Texas Hill Country for an enchanting holiday event! Click for more information.

So, who wants to drive down to Wimberley with me on the first Saturday of December?

It Appears The City Of Fort Worth Has Added Graffiti To Tandy Hills Park Benches

2009-11-16T16:37:00.005-06:00

In the blogging previous to this one, from earlier this afternoon, I mentioned seeing some ornamentation being added to benches at the playground field by Tandy Hills Natural Area.

I erroneously thought this was some sort of Christmas decoration when I got my short glance, earlier today, while the "art" was being installed.

As you can see, the seat of the bench spells out "FORT WORTH." So did the bench back. Now the bench back looks as if it has had some graffiti sprayed on it.

My best guess as to what the added artwork is supposed to be is green bushes alternating with blue prickly pear cactus.

All 5 of the benches in the park had this treatment done to them. I think it would be interesting to know how the decision was made, and by whom, to spend money on this. And how much money was spent.

About a year ago another mysterious thing was added to the Tandy Hills Playground. Over the course of several weeks I wondered what was being constructed. First, I saw a form built. Then cement poured into the form, with posts added. Eventually rails were added to the posts, making sort of an aluminum fence. But it fences nothing. And is only about 50 feet long.

You can see 2 of the 5 tarted up benches in the distance in the above picture of the fence to nowhere.

The fence to nowhere sits to the northeast of playground equipment, like swings. Long ago I gave up trying to figure out what the fence was built for.

And now these bench enhancements.

It's all very perplexing.

The Big Chill In Today In Texas

2009-11-16T14:55:00.004-06:00

Two days ago I went hiking the Tandy Hills shirtless in shorts. It was almost 80. Two days later I went hiking the Tandy Hills Natural Area wearing sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt, a windbreaker and the knit stalking cap I wear to keep me warm when I go swimming.

That's today chilled Tandy Hills view in the picture. You can not tell it due to my weak photographer skills, but you are looking west up a very steep part of the Tandy Trails in the picture.

Wind chill of around 40, today, when I was shivering over the Tandy Hills. It is 51 out in the cold, right now, here in frigid Fort Worth, with a windchill of 46. Yes. It is windy today.

I saw some Fort Worth city workers putting some Christmas type decoration on one of the benches near the main trail that leads to the Tandy Hills trails. This bench is quite a distance from the road. Few will see this decoration.

Two guys were working on the bench. They'd driven a City of Fort Worth pickup on to the lawn to park by the bench.

Now, Fort Worth is cutting back on library hours, cutting back on all sorts of things. Yet money is somehow found to put a decoration on an isolated bench? I've got to go the Post Office. Maybe I'll swing by and get a picture of what Fort Worth spent some money on today.

See you later, maybe with a picture of a bench.

Winter Arrives In Fort Worth, Cold & Windy

2009-11-16T08:44:00.004-06:00

That is the foggy view looking through my patio door this morning in Fort Worth. We have had a reversal of temperature fortunes, careening down into the low 40s from days nearing 80. Brrrrr.

And it is being very windy, with the windchill factor making it feel like it is the 30s out there.

Again. Brrrrrr.

But, even though it is a bit chilly out there, I managed to go swimming this morning. The water was actually quite a bit warmer than the air, so it was very easy to get in the pool.

I discovered something new this morning. I wanted to make ham and eggs and hashbrowns, but could find not any spuds hiding in here. But, I did find a sweet potato. So, I shredded it and made sweet potato hash browns. Turned out quite tasty. And way more nutritious than a hash browned spud.

It rained a bit yesterday, but I don't think enough of the wet stuff fell to muddy up the Tandy Hills. So, I see a cold hilly hike in my future for the day.

Middle Of November Sunday Storming In Texas

2009-11-15T16:39:00.004-06:00

That's my stormy 4 in the afternoon view this mid-November Sunday in Texas. There has been some dripping, no hard rain. And, so far, none of the predicted thunderstorming.

I was in the pool this morning when the sky was relatively blue. And again about an hour ago when the sky was relatively not blue.

After the afternoon swimming I lounged on a lounge chair. Tootsie Tonasket called. I talked to Tootsie til little pinpricks of concentrated cold started hitting me.

I have convinced Tootsie Tonasket to start blogging. She has many tales to tell about the town she lives in in Eastern Washington and the characters who reside there. We'll see how that goes.

Earlier today, in anticipation of the expected incoming deluge, I went over to Miss Puerto Rico's to help her put a new cover on her jeep. That quickly turned into a boondoggle. Today I realized every time I've tried to help Miss Puerto Rico do something with her jeep it turns into a boondoggle. Today I really could not even tell what problem we were trying to solve.

So, that's been my Sunday in Texas. Possibly a tornado to top off the day.

Deep Fried Thanksgiving Turkey In Texas

2009-11-15T10:00:00.006-06:00

I had never heard of Deep Fried Turkey til I moved to Texas. I knew all sorts of unlikely things get the deep fried treatment in Texas, but I thought it was some sort of joke when deep frying a turkey was first mentioned to me.

And then I was in Krogers and saw stacks of Turkey Fryer kits, next to jugs of peanut oil. So, I bought a Turkey Frying kit. It came with a high-powered burner, a 34 quart pot, a turkey stand and turkey lifter, thermometer and injector.

I've never used the injector. You use it to squirt marinades into the bird.

Before I had my first taste of deep-fried turkey I assumed it would be real greasy. I was wrong. There is not even the slightest hint of greasiness. The turkey comes out the most golden brown I've ever seen a turkey be. With the meat very moist.

You have to fry the turkey outdoors. Don't even think of frying it in your garage. A covered patio is the best location. You'll want to get yourself some heavy duty work gloves to insulate yourself from the heat and the burn of splatters.

You heat the oil to about 350 degrees, then slowly lower the turkey. You use the lifter to lower and raise the turkey. There will be some splattering when the bird first hits the oil.

The turkey cooks way faster than the old-fashioned in the oven method. Figure about 3.5 minutes per pound. The turkey is done when the thermometer reads 160 degrees when stuck into the thickest part of the breast.

Keep kids and pets away from the frying operation. When the turkey is done be sure to turn off the burner. It will take awhile for the oil to cool. It remains dangerous until it cools. You can re-use the peanut oil if you filter out the turkey remnants.

It is less than 2 weeks til Turkey Day. I still have 2 seats open for Thanksgiving if you want to make a reservation for Deep Fried Turkey Dinner.