One of the best things about my vacation last week is that I found the California that I can really get behind. Previously, my only experiences have really been in Los Angeles. No offense to my friends there, but that place is a hell hole. It's hot, smoggy and has an unnatural fascination with traffic. As I headed out of town up the coast, I ran into the California that all those songs are written about. Please bury me in Napa Valley....
09.24.08: Oh. My. Goodness. Now UPDATED With MORE Oh. My.Easy to see why Sarah Palin has to hide from the media. Even her recitation of the talking points is so incoherent at times that it's almost shocking. I had no idea it'd be this bad. Tell me Katie Couric isn't a better option... I'm not trying to be a jerk about this; but this is the reality we find ourselves in today. A potential President who cannot articulate common knowledge is the same kind of President who will invent a new doctrine of "pre-emptive" war and the necessity...
09.21.08: Two Different Videos; Both Worth the WatchBack from vacation; somehow got sick in the most wonderful weather on earth. More later.....
09.03.08: Politics and a Sad Day for AmericaI've very much tried to stay out of commenting on politics this go-round. I realize that none of you care and no one reads it. On a personal level, it's very sad to me to watch and participate. The honest truth is that I don't feel like participating because I really wonder how I should even expect my vote to count. I don't mean that as a Texan with no chance of electing anything but a Republican. I don't say that because of the distrust we should all have over...
08.24.08: Tough Guys and PuppiesOne of the stranger things I've read from the NYT....
08.09.08: Congrats!Big ups to the future Mr. and Mrs. Hoover who were engaged last night. Wedding on Nov 1st in Burbank. Very happy for these guys; I'm pretty sure that the first time he mentioned her, I said "you're going to marry her." He probably said "pssh" or something like that. I do remember there was some serious concern early on that she didn't like cigars. We were very worried....
08.06.08: There's No Way to Title This StoryJust goes to show that there is some humanity... Just before noon on July 13, 2005, a Plant City police car pulled up outside that shattered window. Two officers went into the house — and one stumbled back out. Clutching his stomach, the rookie retched in the weeds. Plant City Detective Mark Holste had been on the force for 18 years when he and his young partner were sent to the house on Old Sydney Road to stand by during a child abuse investigation. Someone had finally called the police....
08.05.08: California, You're Not MineA lot of people love Southern California. I am not one of them; maybe it's that I'm really only ever there for work or maybe it's the frequency of visits I've made there over the past six weeks. Put simply, it's a desert with a coastline and a lot of smog and traffic. Pros, however, include getting to the see Team Hoov/Hawk regularly, the DoubleTree warm-check-in cookie in Monrovia and the fact that the cheapest rental car happens to always be a convertible. Also, I've been frequenting a chophouse where...
08.03.08: Immigrants DeportedMostly, I read the NY Times. Besides having a great breadth of topics, the care and detail of their subjects is just unmatched by anything else I've read. Story after story are written so poignantly, and most often, about a subject I'd never have considered. In this one, I can see and feel for both sides. Nobody wins. Eight years ago, Mr. Jiménez, 35, an illegal immigrant working as a gardener in Stuart, Fla., suffered devastating injuries in a car crash with a drunken Floridian. A community hospital saved his...
07.19.08: Me and My GirlsJunkies and drunks frequently end up putting a megaphone to their own pratfalls in the form of memoir because they need to believe that all of the time they spent with their lips wrapped around glass, whether is was a bottle of vodka or a crack pipe, actually meant something. That impulse suggests that I don’t regret the past — it brought me here to this nice, happy place — but I’d also like to squeeze something more from it. And so I have. Two years of reporting and a...
07.15.08: Super HumblingClick through to see how you stack up to the rest of the world. I make what I thought to be just "ok money", but top one percent? No way....
07.14.08: Perhaps Twenty-Eight Was Too Many...Holy crap......
07.12.08: Makeshift DiamondNYTimes:There’s plenty of local history in Wiffle ball (it was invented up the road in Fairfield) and Greenwich land-use disputes (where to start?), but Vincent and Justin say they just wanted a place to play Wiffle ball. They got materials from a friend’s basement plus two big pieces of plywood being thrown away by a Shell station on East Putnam Avenue. They fished pallets out of Dumpsters and spent perhaps $200, mostly on green paint. But even before they were finished, things began to get complicated. They were told the...
06.23.08: These are Interesting TimesAt work today, I talked to a woman who just started with our company. She's probably early thirties, african-american and a very, very hard worker. The kind of woman that you watch work and you feel extremely guilty about the sham I call hard-work. A lot of people come and go that I hardly notice, but this woman, I've always noticed. Her first day was last week and I remember it more vividly than I do my own. She literally kicked the parking lots' ass. See, she's a cleaning lady,...
05.26.08: Wrigley Field; How About Them CUBBIES!!I've been a Cubs fan since before I can remember. I got it from my father, who used to always watch the Cubs lose on WGN when I was a kid. I guess it all started when we got cable television (a day I can actually remember) because the Cubs, playing all of their day games, were always on TV. "The Good Lord wants the Cubs to win!" "Way back... It may be out of here... IT IS! Holy COW!" These were the days of Don Zimmer, Andre "You're...
05.06.08: Amazon ServiceI ordered a book today from Amazon. It's a beautiful, recently-released, cookbook from Michel Richard. I ordered the book at 11:11am this morning and at 3:11pm, the receptionist walked up to me and handed me the package. Apparently, Amazon has a depot in Irving and since I'm a "Prime" member, they took the liberty to courier it over immediately. I've never heard of such a thing......
05.05.08: Marrow Donor Kitshttp://www.marrow.org/ You can sign up right now (well the first 10,000 people) to have a self-testing kit for the ability to become a marrow donor. As someone who knows someone who has benefited from this, I think it's something we can each very easily do that can really help. They'll mail you a few swabs to take sample from your cheeks for tissue type and then if matched, will contact you for your help. I'd encourage everyone to get tested....
04.18.08: Alinea, PrimeHouse, Vermillion and Chess?May 17-20, I'll be in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association meeting. It's a gigantic convention of all facets of the food industry. There'll be suppliers, customers and everything in between in one place. On my side of the industry, it's a good chance to get away from work, wine and dine the customers and enjoy ourselves. We work a lot and we work very hard. In a typical day, I'm there for at least 11 hours or more and I rarely sit. It's hard, but it's fruitful and challenging....
04.17.08: The Race to Save the Cougar AceFrom Wired: Salvage work has long been viewed as a form of legal piracy. The insurers of a disabled ship with valuable cargo will offer from 10 to 70 percent of the value of the ship and its cargo to anyone who can save it. If the salvage effort fails, they don't pay a dime. It's a risky business: As ships have gotten bigger and cargo more valuable, the expertise and resources required to mount a salvage effort have steadily increased. When a job went bad in 2004, Titan...
04.16.08: Perhaps We Had Really Good SeatsUnofficially, the company has some seats behind home plate. We don't get at them very often, but I was lucky enough to get them for Monday nights game against the Angels. While I'm not an American League fan at all, it was still pretty cool to be so close to the field. It's still hard to really pay attention and the game does fly by, but the ability to talk trash in a whisper to a player 4 feet in front of you is pretty awesome. There's some definite...
04.01.08: April Fool's Day revived...This day is a big waste of time because it's never funny. It's not satire, it's lame attempts at tricking people without being truly creative enough to really pull it off. People make it too complex to where it's overwrought with details and sheer stupidity. somee cards, however, did a good job (as usual), with their online e-cards....
03.26.08: Just call me PeleMy brother deserves an award, perhaps a certificate of some-sort. I say this, because these are possibly the coolest groomsman gifts ever bestowed. Personalized Team USA soccer jerseys are great, but let's think about a few things that might have been cooler? Here's a short list of what I've come up with: 1) a station wagon with fake wood trim 2) a cornflake shaped like Illinois 3) a miniature elephant 4) a rocket; though i wish i could be more specific, but I suppose any rocket would do 5)...
03.18.08: Why am I Holding a Watermelon Inscribed with Traley?Because my eldest brother is married, of course. Hi, I'm Regan, this is my weblog. I haven't been around much lately, so I thought I may re-introduce myself. This past weekend, Trey and Haley tied the knot in a lovely service in North Dallas. It was the culmination of a very long week for me personally, so it was nice to unwind a little bit and get to see some old friends I haven't seen in quite a while. Cable and Hi-Speed Internet were installed this evening, so I'm...
03.05.08: Man, This Thing Is DeadI'm semi-settled in Dallas. By settled, I mean not at all settled. It's a subtle nuance, but I guess it's all the same. I'm crashing on Lee's floor, on a sweet air mattress gladly loaned from Buddha and Becca. Now, this isn't really the life I dreamt of whilst graduating, but it's alright. Lee and I have had a good time, enjoyed nightly beers, and laughed ourselves silly while watching two episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos every single night. I'm part-living out of my car, part-living at lee's apartment....
02.12.08: Congratulations, You've Been Approved!Back in Texas; trying to catch up on sleep and relaxation. Graduation was nice; packing went semi-smoothly and the trip home was only mildly hellacious. There's something to be said about getting up at 4:30 in the morning and traveling all day and finally arriving home at 5:00pm. I don't know how you couldn't feel miserable after all that. I've had a job waiting for me since last year, but only today did it become official. I accepted a job as "Corporate Chef" with CTI Foods. It really is a...
02.02.08: The Most Beautiful Article Concerning Lubbock, TXI belong to a group on Facebook called "No human is illegal." I believe this to be true for several reasons, the most apt being that I can't find a moral reason to try to exclude a race or class status because it doesn't fit into my "standard" of being legal. Legal is what we decide it to be, not something that is dictated by some great Moral Code that we've always held so dear. An article (from the Austin Chron) in the group that I hadn't noticed before does...
01.28.08: "The Natural"Great write-up at ESPN about Wes Welker. I'll never forget how many times I beat my brother in NCAA Football 2003 on the gamecube by playing Wes Welker at RB. Unstoppable. She went to her bedroom and cried that night, not because of what the man said but because she knew the whole world was wrong. One hundred and five faxes, 104 "no"s, and it was about to end there, on a harsh winter day, when Wes Welker sat at a long table at the University of Tulsa. All he...
01.21.08: "Confused and Unable to Call Home"This war claims so many victims... The man accepted this open-ended question in terms of food only, muttering an order of scrambled eggs and grits and requesting water, with lemon. He ate everything on his plate, continuing his private conversation all the while. He paid his bill, left no tip, and slipped back behind night’s curtain. A woman walked in 20 minutes later, carrying leaflets. Her name was Sheryl Futrell and she had been searching for weeks for her disoriented son, an Iraq-Afghanistan war veteran named Gary Chronister. Here...
01.16.08: Old, Grumpy and 900 WinsJust saw: Interviewer: "Coach Knight, I know you take great pride in being a teacher; what we saw you go over as a game plan yesterday, that's what they did tonight! How gratifying is it that YOU really taught them and they executed it?" Coach Knight: (gruffly) "It's not gratifying as much as it is... just a damn good thing that they did." (scorns and walks away) I love it....
12.28.07: she was Brave"It is dangerous to stand up to a military dictatorship, but more dangerous not to." It's always very warming to see people stand up for what is right, no matter the consequence. Obviously, ether the Pakistani Government or the extremists weren't ready for Western'ized Democracy....
12.16.07: Imagine, Having, To, Worry, About, Commas!Another problem with trying to find meaning in the Second Amendment’s commas is that nobody is certain how many commas it is supposed to have. The version that ended up in the National Archives has three, but that may be a fluke. Legal historians note that some states ratified a two-comma version. At least one recent law journal article refers to a four-comma version. Interesting article about the second amendment and a current court case which is based on interpretation of the commas in the second amendment. Hoover will appreciate...
12.01.07: WTFMute Autistic Boy Stabbed in Eyes LAUDERHILL, Fla. (AP) -- A woman stabbed her 12-year-old autistic nephew in both eyes with a military-style dagger, likely leaving him permanently blind, police said. The woman then stabbed herself in one eye after attacking the boy on Friday, police said. Relatives, for unclear reasons, waited more than 10 hours before calling 911, police said. No charges have been filed and no names have been released. The woman gave no reason for the stabbing and the boy is mute, police said. ''The preliminary prognosis...
10.15.07: Ray of Hope: Life, Death, RebirthThe pain might never to go away. The scars might never heal. Losing a child is something no parent should have to endure. But now, Emmitt and Charlotte can't help but remember their son walking into that kitchen, flipping his license onto the table and smiling about being an organ donor. They can't help but think about David Erving, who, for the first time in 27 years, isn't battling the pitfalls of diabetes. They can't help but think about Ronald Griffin, standing and smiling at the reunion, sharing stories...
06.15.07: my vote for head of DHSSecurity guru Bruce Schneier takes a look at the recent "terrorist plots" -- JFK, Fort Dix, the Sears Tower, the liquid bombers -- that the government has foiled, and wonders why we get so worked up over terrorists whose plans are so stupid that they could never have worked. There's an analogy to DHS checkpoints where we take off our shoes and shed our liquids. Blowing up airplanes with your shoes doesn't work -- if it did, we wouldn't know about it. It's only because the plot failed miserably that...
05.14.07: defend the honorConsider the white male reader who, after reading a column on the subject, wrote to inform me that "no 'Latinos' fought in the war. They were Americans." That's a lovely thought, and I can't wait to share it with those in my grandparents' generation who suffered through decades of second-class citizenship. They weren't "Mexicans." They were Americans all along. How about that? They'll be so relieved....
05.03.07: the whipI don't know what's more bizarre, Kenny Mayne writing something that's serious, or Yum! thinking this is a good idea. I have every faith that the trainers and jockeys involved in the 133rd Kentucky Derby will disregard the special promotion that Yum! Brands has devised. I'm as certain of this as I am Affirmed won the last Triple Crown. I know how much these trainers and jockeys care for the game, for their horses. It's an honor to enter the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, a greater honor to...
05.01.07: zericaWhitney and I attended Zane and Erica's wedding on Sunday. As we speak, they're living it up in the Dominican Republic on their honeymoon. Congrats to those guys......
03.08.07: 33 x FunIn the past 15 or so days, I've made a soup thirty-three times, all different versions, searching for the one that would satisfy what we were looking for. It became so monotonous that I could recite the recipe by heart and I could taste it in my dreams. So I present to you... Thirty Three Things Less Fun Than Making A Soup Thirty Three Times: 1) not getting to see the Shins live this week 2) having your whataburger taste like it was smeared with onion 3) getting punched in...
02.28.07: the hurting folk“Every restaurant has people like him Rolando. Every one.” “Ain’t that the truth.” I go back into the dining room. The old man’s staring off into space. His watery blue eyes remind me of a fearful child scanning the horizon, wondering who’s going to be the next person to hurt him. He looks like the world broke him like a dollar bill and didn’t give him back any change. The world’s full of people like him, hurting folk who, for whatever reason, are profoundly cut off from the human race....
02.26.07: engaged!Oh Haley, what were you thinking? Ha, Congrats!...
02.26.07: i had no idea...This has got to be the stupidest caption I've ever seen; until I started wondering if some people are really dumb enough to think that eating out is healthier than cooking at home? The report goes on to find two items at Ruby Tuesday's that have 2,000+ calories and 120-140 grams of fat. That's just ridiculous....
02.23.07: on britneyPretty down-to-earth reasoning from the Dooce about Britney's latest breakdowns. If only we really worried about real problems instead of these contrived spectacles of celebrity. I am surprised that no one has brought this up yet, that no one in the media who is hounding her has taken a step back to consider that she might be on the brink of something disastrous, tragic for both her and her children. I can honestly say that if I had filed for divorce from my husband within the first year of Leta’s...
02.12.07: designer for hireI'd like to take a moment and point your attention to the 2006 Texas Tech Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry's annual newsletter. Whitney designed it, and i think she did a pretty stellar job. I've composed a brief q&a of common questions that people have not asked me in regards to the creation of this newsletter: Did it take a few months of bitching and moaning? Hell YES! no. Was she pleasant while working on it? yeah right! yes. Did she do a good job and that's all that...
02.11.07: the triumph of loveAs the scale of his injuries sank in, his heart tightened. One arm was a stump and his remaining hand had only two fingers. Later, his big toe was grafted on in place of a thumb. One eye was blind and milky, as if melted, and his ears had been burnt away. The top of his skull had been removed and inserted by doctors into the fatty tissue inside his torso to keep it viable and moist for future use. He was a mess. Renee received the news that...
02.03.07: stay classy LubbockI rarely read the letters to the editor in the Lubbock paper anymore. It seems like the editorial board is a bit crazy, and will allow anyone to publish whatever nonsense they choose. I just wish they'd show more integrity than this. Smoking Dangers Don't Compare With Alcohol Re: The letter "Raise Public Awareness About Impaired Driving" (A-J, 01-30). If legislators and others would put as much force behind alcohol as they have tobacco, maybe we could get rid of alcohol all together, but that's not going to happen. In...
01.11.07: republicans are for smaller gov't, right?The United States taxpayers have paid an estimated $357 Billion thus far in this Iraq debacle, the National Priorities Project reports. Remember when the President said in 2003 that he was sending $74 billion to pay for the war? (as in the whole thing!) The amount of money spent in Iraq (of which billions have gone missing or stolen), the United States could have: * hired SIX million new teachers * built THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND new schools * hired EIGHT million new police officers * bought a years' worth of gas...
12.19.06: Grayson Cooper AllenAlmost a week old... One of the first things I asked was, "chubby cheeks I presume?" Oh yes! My goal in the next three weeks is to get this kid's name in my head as either "Coop" or "Lee Three", whichever sticks. Seriously though, it's great to see smiles all around and a healthy baby boy....
12.18.06: a tale of love, loss, and Peyton Manningin a weird way, it's good to read stories that put you back in your place. From espn.com: Kris hurt so bad, and big, burly Mark could do nothing about it. Trips to the emergency room were awful; their daughters would stare at them like mama wasn't ever coming home again. Those are memories that keep a man up at night. Bright spots were few. One of them, of course, was the Colts. They'd seen Peyton Manning play before cancer had changed their lives. By God, they were gonna do...
11.11.06: borat!If you can't laugh at silly, crass humor, Borat is not for you. But for me, it was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a very long time. I laughed so hard I cried and could barely breathe at certain parts....
10.28.06: she's all mine...When I look at this girl, I wonder how I got so lucky. That smile is kryptonite to me... I remember this tacky old country song called "she don't know she's beautiful." Grammar problems aside, it's one of the traits about Whitney that perplexes me. I tell everyone that I'm doing very well for myself and she doesn't understand. But spend five minutes around her and you'll see what I see. A beautiful, carrying, funny, personable, sarcastic, loving... did i mention beautiful??... woman who loves me as much as...
10.15.06: imagining a human-free earth...I ran into a really neat article in the New Scientist about how long the earth would need to revert back into a state where human existence were not obvious. Pretty neat stuff... The same lack of maintenance will spell an early demise for buildings, roads, bridges and other structures. Though modern buildings are typically engineered to last 60 years, bridges 120 years and dams 250, these lifespans assume someone will keep them clean, fix minor leaks and correct problems with foundations. Without people to do these seemingly minor chores,...
09.23.06: "The Ballad of Big Mike"An absolutely beautiful, well-written article from the New York Times Magazine about Michael Oher. It's a must-read for everyone. While some is about football, the real beauty is in the story of the people who helped make Big Mike. If there was a less promising academic record, Simpson hadn’t seen it. Simpson guessed, rightly, that the Briarcrest Christian School hadn’t seen anything like Michael Oher either. Simpson and others in the Briarcrest community would eventually learn that Michael’s father had been shot and killed and tossed off a bridge, that...
08.28.06: Happy Birthday Whit!Still looking good at 24!!...
08.28.06: huh.The Lexington airport offered a tenser scene. “Everyone on our flight had their cellphones out, calling,” said Diane Boyer, of Versailles, a Lexington suburb, as she left a flight from Atlanta. Ms. Boyer said she had heard about the crash before leaving that morning, but had decided to fly because she did not want to wait to return to her family. In the background, officials periodically announced that the security threat level had been raised to orange. “Our children were worried about us,” Ms. Boyer said, “and we’re just praying...
08.22.06: indexed 08.19.06: father hoover (1980 - 2006)HE'S BACK! my heart is heavy now, as I'm saddened to break the news that Father Hoov died. it was unexpected and i definitely didn't see it coming; but his blog is dead (you didn't think I was talking about him, did you?) For several years, Thoughts From The Third Floor and Former Third Floor provided hours of laughter for those who read. Now, however, Hoov is too much of a bigshot to post anymore. It's like passing the bar has a requisite of giving up on your faithful...
08.06.06: culture gone wildAn interesting look at the founder of "girls gone wild" and how his business grew to what it is today. Also, a very personal look at the man who sells sleaze, but isn't that far removed from it himself. Maybe you've seen the "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials that run on late-night cable, advertising mail-order videos of women exposing themselves ("and more!" as the jackets promise). Francis didn't invent the notion of spring break—and all the binge drinking, flurried hookups, wet T-shirt contests and general you-only-live-once exhibitionism that it entails—but he...
07.19.06: both are wrong, both are rightOneof my, if not my absolute, favorite bands sends out a weekly email. Typically, it just gives out an update on the band and where they're heading out this weekend. Occasionally, as they did today, they drop a gem of social commentary. (Dr.) Buddy Huffman (seriously, a microbiologist), lead singer of Macon Greyson, gives this account as to how the current situation in Israel makes him feel. How are we? We are all super, thanks for asking. I haven't editorialized much recently, but I have been watching a lot of...
07.13.06: israel v the worldI admit, I had been a normal American this week: dumb to international news. Also, the lack of weblogs covering the events in Israel and Lebanon had limited my exposure to what's going on. I suggest everyone pick up the New York Times or CNN to see what's going on. Israel spent several weeks attacking Palestine in response to a soldiers' kidnapping. Now, they're blaming Lebanon for rocket attacks and kidnappings and have attacked targets in Beirut. I read one account that said that Israel is posturing to attack...
07.11.06: home, sweet homeDefinitely a sight for sore eyes... After 31 hours or so in the car over three hellacious days, I made it back to Lubbock. Seeing Whitney has been absolutely wonderful and it reminds me how good I've got it. I've tried to rewrite my post about passions and how lovely it is to find yours and follow it. But I've not been able to explain it as eloquently as I did the first time. So I'm not even going to try, and I'm going to work on loving Whitney...
07.04.06: like a childThere's still something amazing about a space shuttle lift-off. I watched today with nervous anticipation and the awe of a child. When you see a shuttle fly, you just can't help yourself from getting the big doofy smile and the bug eyes. They're just so neat......
06.29.06: dooce: must read!! 05.13.06: let's face it.In two weeks from today, I'll be hopping on a plane for Albany, NY. For the past several weeks, i've been able to ignore this fact and just relish the last few weeks I have in Lubbock. So much has gone through my head and I've probably encountered every emotion possible. For one, it's scary to jump out of your comfort zone in such a radical way. It's one thing to move to another city near home where you know people, it's another to pack two suitcases with everything you...
03.31.06: from the onion. 03.27.06: a quick word from our sponsorsi took a four hour nap today. this weekend was THAT good. i traveled over to dallas to spend time with lee, justin, and beek. it's probably the most i've laughed in the past year. it was good to spend time with old friends who've succesfully transitioned into the "real world". it gives me confidence that i can do the same. also, i'm comforted to know that anus jokes still have the same effect of people with "real" jobs, as they do on the rest of us. anyways, thanks to...
03.24.06: is it still tea?Time to start my "grown-up spring break". Heading over to Dallas to see Lee and Justin and have some good times. I shall return......
03.19.06: excellentMutiny at the Cafe...
02.24.06: you'll think i'm kiddingThis week, the following has happened: 1) A warrant was issued for my arrest. On the same day, I got two pieces of mail from the Municipal Court. The first, a letter from the City Marshall, letting me know that a warrant was issued because of a delinquent citation. The second being a packet of materials and confirmation that I was approved to take defensive driving. 2) My power was disconnected. I come home today and there's a note on my door saying my power was disconnected due to non-payment....
02.21.06: the onionHa! The Onion......
02.14.06: this day sucks.My valentine is in the hospital (for dogs)....
02.05.06: ramblesI think one of the hardest parts of life is becoming comfortable with yourself. So much is taught about success and relationships, that it's easy to forget who you are. For some, that's an easy question to answer. Some are gifted with the knowledge of the passion they wish to pursue. They're born with a knack for science, a passion for people, and ultimately pursue a career in medicine. It seems like this is the type of person who easily finds their mate, easily has kids, and has what seems...
02.01.06: nothing to see here...a recipe i need tomorrow....
01.14.06: brokeback mountain.two thumbs up....
01.12.06: letaIt's amazing how engrossed you can become in someone else's life when they're an incredible story teller. A tidbit from dooce's latest entry: Sometime within the first month Leta met her language goal and started using 20-30 words spontaneously, and since then she’s more than doubled her vocabulary. She’s stopped throwing explosive tantrums in the morning — what was once her most ferocious time during the day — because unlike many adults she can communicate her needs. Once her needs start expanding to “Barney,” though, I’m going to shrug my...
01.10.06: enjoy jail.Each of the defense attorneys asked for mercy, one calling his client a churchgoing boy who made a foolish mistake. Another attorney repeatedly referred to the incident as a fight. But the judge was unmoved. "You're an embarrassment to the community and yourselves," Judge Early told the defendants. "You acted in a despicable, cowardly way." CNN...
01.09.06: prickhoodWaiter Rant is a very good read. Now you might think I’m being a little hard on this woman’s hubby. Maybe the guy’s closing the biggest business deal of his life and he’s a bundle of nerves. Maybe he’s madly in love with his wife and I just caught him on a bad day – we all have ‘em. I only get to see a small slice of a person’s life when they’re in The Bistro. I’m well aware there are other slices that I don’t see. But what I...
12.31.05: aww. lainie.I'm not going to lie, owning a dog isn't always the most interesting thing to do with your time. Whether it's them waking you up at 7 am after a long night out, or the 20 minute ritual of petting, peeing, and pooping that you have to do every time you come home; there's just something to these little guys that makes life just that much better. Maybe it's the companionship, the loyalty, or just the overall cuteness they embody. But for me, this dog has been a huge...
12.29.05: 5ives: will sayFive things I will say next time, that I should have said in the last 24 hours. * "Lee, just give me a fucking hug, already." * "hi" to the pretty blonde at the gym making eyes at me * "thanks man, but are you gay?" to the guy buying lee and i shots last night * "i hate you" to my boss' dog that tried to freaking bite me * "you were never that innocent" - oh wait, i did say that. ha....
12.28.05: 5ives: songs5 Songs I Hate To Admit I Love: * We Belong Together - Mariah Carey * Boyfriend - Ashley Simpson * Soldiers - Destiny's Child * You'll Think of Me - Keith Urban * Breathe - Anna Nalick...
12.24.05: yule tide (b)logOver the past two weeks, I've laughed harder, had more fun, and enjoyed most everything in a way I haven't in a long while. From the Corleone's Christmas Party to drunken Cricket's to Wesley going to jail, this was a good lead up to Christmas. But to temper that optimism, three hundred thousand people died last year in the tsunami. how quickly the hot news fades, right? Happy Holidays to everyone....
12.06.05: white chocolate popcornTomorrow, I'll be decorating the christmas tree. It's going to be weird for me, because for one, we've never had a fake christmas tree. To me, this seems like sacrilege, but to my mother, it makes sense. The part that bothers me most is that I'll be the only one there without a significant other. My brother will have his girlfriend, my sister will have her husband, and my parents, well, they will have each other. I'll be sipping the wassail by myself, and hating on that feeling that gets...
12.05.05: learn a little every dayover the past month, i've realized a lot about how life can really run you over if you're not a willing participant. every time i would shy away from a situation i wasn't comfortable with, i was cheating myself out of something. every time i would avoid being social, i was just moving farther inside my own mind and once you occupy your own mind, it's hard to get out. it's hard, but i really feel like i've got to seek out those opportunities because unless i do, i'll...
11.29.05: finallyafter weeks, WEEKS!, of saying I would clean my room. I finally did. if I were to guess, my carpet color would be "root beer" and I'd totally forgotten what it looked like. special thank you to the movie "lovely and amazing" for keeping me company in my 2 hour endeavour!...
11.17.05: let's recap the daychisum travel center narrowly avoided being shut down today when a federal judge ordered the assets of 5 lubbock companies frozen, in wake of the pending charges (any day now) against Jody Nelson, the main benefactor. luckily though, we'll be able to operate as normal until it's resolved. minutes after learning that i still had a job, i went outside and found that my car had been broken into for the second time in three months. last time, my car got broken into and the camry couldn't recover. this time,...
11.06.05: good times this weekendHere's one of those annoying posts where I recount my entire weekend... I was lucky enough to go to Waco this weekend to visit the grandparents and get some welcome time away from the job. My grandmother hadn't been doing very well as of late, so I was attempting to make an effort to spend as much time with her as I could. My grandparents have been very big in my life and some of my, seemingly, best memories and a constant source of encouragement. My grandfather taught me so...
10.21.05: one plus weekJust wanted to take a few minutes and let everyone know that I'm feeling much better. I've done a lot of soul searching and have realized that I'm ok if I want to be ok. Don't misconstrue that as me saying I've conquered depression because I "think" that I can do it. It's not that, it's just that I saw what I needed to do to get better and I did it. Problem is, I replaced those things with Emily and I just got lazy. Now we're back to not...
07.04.05: ratingsi've always wanted to do something where i could list out movies i've watched, cd's i've listened to, and books i've read. most of the reason is because i want to remember that i've seen or heard it, but also so i can share my quick thoughts on the particular piece of media. enter the ratings on the right sidebar. at the moment, it's garish in looks, but functional. i'm going to make it better and more aestheticly pleasing, but until that point, this is how it'll be. hopefully, i...
06.27.05: i just threw up a little...Ok, not really. Losing my camera to the beast I like to call "the lake" has really killed the blogging momentum I had going for me. I've mainly just been hanging with friends, hitting the pool and enjoying this self-created vacation I like to call "unemployment". But sadly, I accidentally got a job the other night. So the ride is about over, and I'll be back to my boring old self. Actually, that's a lie because I'm really excited about the new work. I'll be working for a good friend...
06.09.05: bravo makes you gayI know I'm a year behind in finding this show, but lately I've been very impressed with Bravo's offering Blow Out. It's a reality series following Jonathan Antin's opening of a new Beverly Hills Salon and launch of a new product line. Now, I'm not really that into hair (as you can tell from my crappy hair style) but this show has me hooked. First, it's good to see a guy with style who's not gay. After seeing every episode of Queer Eye, this is a welcome change. Bravo's...
06.07.05: this is great....flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }...
05.31.05: "... but social failure."There was a quick blurb on kottke.org about a new Sleater-Kinney song about an article written about suicides at the Golden State Bridge in the New Yorker. I highly recommend reading it... As a Coast Guard cutter idled in the fifty-five-degree water below, the bridge’s guardians tried to talk Alarab into coming up. “When CNN gets here, I’m back over the other side of the railing,” he promised. One Highway Patrol officer said, “Hey, don’t I know you?” Alarab squinted, and said, “Oh, sure!” They had met during Alarab’s...
05.16.05: the hoov is doneAs most of you know, Adam Hoover (a.k.a. Sonar) is moving to CA this week. Tomorrow night, drop by Rocky LaRue's on Broadway between 10:00 - 12:00 to get one more eyeful of the Hoov. He's sexy people, and he's leaving. There's an Open Jazz night at Rocky LaRue's, and we'll be in attendance. Cigars and all....
05.15.05: stupidThis is so dumb, that I'm almost believing it was made up. There a comment for this story that says this whole thing is a comment on society when Alexander Graham Bell appears on the list, yet isn't even American. What do Bill Gates, Richard Nixon, Dr. Phil, Helen Keller and Tom Cruise have in common? According to America Online and the Discovery Channel, those five, and 95 others, are in the running to be voted the "Greatest American" of all time. The two media companies asked their constituents to...
05.14.05: very coolThis is one of the neatest things I've encountered on the web....
05.13.05: TresThree Things That Everyone Is Excited About, But I Am Not: 1) XBOX I caught the first part of the xbox release party last night and Tony Hawk was there. The guy asking questions on the red carpet asked him "what's your favorite video game", and without missing a beat, Tony replied "oh, definitely anything with Mario." I bet that made the XBOX people feel real nice. Seriously though, could that thing be any freaking bigger and uglier? It looks like the old workstation pc's that the monitor would sit...
05.12.05: put me in coachESPN is reporting that Major League Baseball finally agreed to allow it's players to play in a World Cup type-tournament. While this sounds a little weird at first, if you're like me, you think the United States would just destroy everyone. But luckily, Page 2 has broken it down into a pretty realistic simulation. Dominican Republic 2B Alfonso Soriano SS Miguel Tejada 1B Albert Pujols DH David Ortiz CF Vladimir Guerrero RF Sammy Sosa 3B Aramis Ramirez LF Jose Guillen C Miguel Olivo Starting pitchers: Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, Odalis...
05.07.05: todayIt's been weird. Here's a run-down. 1) This lady's house Seriously? The kid writing acts as if it's just a fun quirkiness, but I'm sure some licensed pyschologists could break it down in a slightly different direction. 2) Stop Signs When I ride, I rarely stop at stop signs. For those who ride, you understand how valuable momentum is and you understand that stop signs are like hills. They make you work harder. In the past, I'd never (i don't think) seen a police office nearby when I ran a...
05.01.05: ebflo -> no!I'd encourage everyone to avoid ebflo.com.(update: Apparently no one works on the weekend, so it was fixed on Monday morning. Still too long in my opinion) A few days ago, I got the monthly update from Justin McRoberts; in it was a link to ebflo.com where you could download Justin McRoberts' latest. I was interested and so I visited the site. It looked alright, so I bought a song to see what it was like. A few minutes later, I finally receive a confirmation email that I had, indeed,...
04.28.05: Maryn Grace Noble.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Maryn, originally uploaded by caycedilla.. Nice!...
04.28.05: declining mother landBrooks at the NY Times has an interesting article about Russia today. Definitely worth the read I think.Most of us are grateful for the fall of communism, but the phrase "epidemic of collapse" is not a bad description of what Russian society is suffering through right now. You can measure that collapse most broadly in the country's phenomenal population decline. According to U.N. projections, Russia's population will plummet from about 146 million in 2000 to about 104 million in 2050. Russia will go from being the 6th-most-populous country in the...
04.08.05: a realistic assesmentIf you're not reading McSweeney's, daily, you're missing out. Your average 12-year-old boy is about 5 feet tall, weighs in the area of a buck-fifteen, and has developed little muscle mass. I am 21, approximately 6 feet tall, tip the scales at an even 180, and have a moderately athletic and muscular build. Judging on these statistics and what I assume would be a natural ferocity that would spring forth in a moment of physical danger, I estimate that I could beat up seven 12-year-olds before they overtook me. Of...
03.26.05: don't f with ovidA great story of how an intrepid nerd busted his identity thiefs. Includes a Denny's, a Red Lion Motel, and a bunch of needles. "Oh! I know who you're talking about. He has a roommate and they're in room 327." How the hell this lady remembered the guy and which room he's in, I'll never know, but I'm completely blown away at my stroke of luck. Do I have my thief? The people behind the desk start rooting around for information and we get the smoking gun. They have a...
03.23.05: commentif you want to comment and can't, you're entering the wrong word. it's bicycle. Also: I changed the way it works a little. I think some of you were clicking the links under the comments recently listed in the sidebar. You can click read over there and skip the spam killing page where you have to enter the secret word. Now, you can click 'read' to avoid the spam killing page and just read the comments, or you can click the 'comment' to read and comment, but you have to...
03.22.05: to which audience?Electablog reports that: In 1999, then-Gov. Bush signed the Advance Directives Act, which lets a patient's surrogate make life-ending decisions on his or her behalf. The measure also allows Texas hospitals to disconnect patients from life-sustaining systems if a physician, in consultation with a hospital bioethics committee, concludes that the patient's condition is hopeless. Bioethicists familiar with the Texas law said Monday that if the Schiavo case had occurred in Texas, her husband would be the legal decision-maker and, because he and her doctors agreed that she had no hope...
03.20.05: sideways"Sideways" lived up to all the hype and adulation. I can't think of very many better film I've seen in the last few years. The humor and personal strife was so real in this film. Everything about it was genuine. If you haven't seen it, it's only in Lubbock for another week I believe. It's out on DVD on 4/5/05. I'm thinking of having a viewing on the 5th with some nice wine and the film. Let me know if you're interested....
02.28.05: update: comment spamCommenting is now working as good as can possibly be expected. No spam comments have been received in almost a month, so I'm going to say that the changes were a success. Sure, it's not as convenient as a few years ago, but comment spam gets woefully large, very quickly. Now, you may comment without using Typekey or without having to wait for moderation. They only thing different is that all individual archive pages (see comments) are now hidden behind a nospam page that makes you enter two words. A...
01.17.05: postal experimentsHaving long been genuine admirers of the United States Postal Service (USPS), which gives amazingly reliable service especially compared with many other countries, our team of investigators decided to test the delivery limits of this immense system. We knew that an item, say, a saucepan, normally would be in a package because of USPS concerns of entanglement in their automated machinery. But what if the item were not wrapped? How patient are postal employees? How honest? How sentimental? In short, how eccentric a behavior on the part of the sender...
01.12.05: snopes: seat beltsIn this vein, we note with a sense of both sadness and irony a couple of articles recently called to our attention. The first is a 17 September 2004 editorial published in the Daily Nebraskan and entitled "Individual Rights Buckle Under Seat Belt Laws," by Derek Kieper, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in which the writer inveighed against mandatory seat belt laws, opining that "Uncle Sam is not here to regulate every facet of life no matter the consequences," and that "Democrats and Republicans alike should stand...
01.08.05: unimpressed.after hearing such great things about it, i was pretty unimpressed....
01.07.05: let's try againcomments are working again, in an unmoderated fashion. you ought to just be able to post without using typekey or any other tricks. in a day or so, we'll see if the changes i made have any effect on the deluge of comment spam. one complication so far has been the speed at which the comment script finishes loading. so if you comment, don't freak out if it takes a long time after you press "submit". it accepts the comment immediately, but for some reason takes it's sweet time loading...
01.05.05: jowlsNot long ago, I got up, mixed the proper pre-measured amount of water with the proper pre-measured amount of formula, stirred it up well, picked up the baby, settled him in my lap in his favorite feeding position (reclined), picked up the bottle, and inverted it over M. Tiny’s mouth preparatory to slipping in the nipple. Whereupon I realized—too late—that I had forgotten to screw the nipple back on. Yes, I literally threw my son’s drink in his face. He took it really well. In fact, he had no reaction...
12.31.04: wow. 11.19.04: finallyDear Molly, You were right, I Heart Huckabees was really good. Maybe even better than Garden State!...
11.13.04: orcaespecially poignant on a day when Lainie ate a bunch of pills... here was a gentle vibration still going on under Orca’s hide, and I seized on it as a potential sign of life. I begged her to hang on, just please hang on, just another minute, we were almost there, just please hold on for us. I kept begging, even after the vibration stopped. And now that we were off the freeway, I drove faster. I didn’t know if it was possible or feasible to resuscitate a cat that...
10.27.04: typekey woesApparently, TypeKey is not working well on this site. I have no explanation as to why; i promise it's not an act of censorship. It's quite comical, because it won't even let me comment these last few days. I'm not sure of the cause, nor do I know why it's letting some people comment all the time, some people some of the time, and others not at all. I've changed a few settings, but I don't know it will do anything. So please try to comment on this post and...
10.24.04: playing with fireWhen the talk turns to politics, everyone shuts up. Literally. The traffic this weblog has done in past two months (6000+ visits) has really astounded me. I guess it's because it's moved from fluff, into substance. However, this traffic doesn't associate with an increase in comments, which I thought was weird until I took a minute to realize what was being talked about. 20 days of October yielded 1900+ visitors, but only three dozen or so comments. Do you hate typekey that much? Or is it the politics? I'm...
10.17.04: the heart of a champion 10.15.04: track safetyThis may only be interesting to Adam and Big Jer, but the NY Times has an interesting article about train safety... It is no mystery why, one spring day two years ago, an Amtrak passenger train jumped the tracks near Crescent City, Fla., and skidded to a stop on its side, killing 4 people and injuring 142. Investigators concluded that the track, owned by the big freight railroad CSX, had not been properly stabilized and that management's oversight of maintenance had been lax. But when millions of dollars in damage...
10.11.04: america: the bookPage 99 of America: The Book has to be funniest thing I've seen in a while. "Dress the Supreme Court" Please go to Barnes and Nobles and see why....
10.11.04: a hero"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."...
10.08.04: typekey and comment spamAs I mentioned several weeks ago, I've had a great deal of comment spam plaguing my blog in the past couple of months. It appeared to level off, and things were manageable, but in the past week, things have gotten significantly worse. It's gotten to the point where every time I sit down, I have to delete comment spam and approve valid comments. This wasn't a big deal until I was deleting 20-30 spam comments every couple of hours. I know that Movable Type 3.1 has a great plug-in to...
10.04.04: braffismwhere the genius from Garden State comes from... Onto more important things: I really enjoy washing my car in those "pull your car into the stall and rent our water, hose, brush and vacuum" places. I don't know why, but there's something very cathartic about it. If you've never tried it, give it a try. I recommend going alone, cause if you go with someone else, you're gonna be all in your head if it's someone from the opposite sex about whether or not you should go for the "slow-motion...
09.18.04: making the internet interestingupdate: the memory stick was identified and returned and the site is now gone... I Found Some Of Your Life is a blog devoted to a memory stick found in a taxi. Every picture is being posted, with the author imagining the circumstances and reasons for the pictures. There's one full year of pictures on the memory stick, so it'll be interesting to see the evolution of the story and the pictures. Dianne is loaded. In fact, we all were pretty loaded. Grant is enjoying a clove cigarette. I used...
09.14.04: comment spamfor the mean time, comments won't be displayed automagically. i'm having a big problem with comment spam again. until i get typekey registration working, or the mt-blacklist plug-in installed, i'm going to accept comments only in a moderated form. so you'll post and then i'll approve and it will be posted. i know this isn't the best option, but i'm tired of being a billboard for porn and online medication. i think that if you've submitted a comment before, your comment might pass through without the moderation, but new commenters...
09.09.04: too bad to wearI realized today that I had no idea that Elise's blog had been around for so long. So I got to reading; here's a favorite part of a funny post. However, much like my grocery shopping schedule, or my class-going schedule (well, any schedule, really, who am I kidding), my laundry schedule is somewhat nonexistent. This is where I would link to Emily's blog to exemplify what I do instead of my own laundry, but since, sadly, her blog is gone, I will just say that I get it done....
09.06.04: gone southFor the past two or three days, I've had a very mild tootache that comes and goes every 6-8 hours. It was nothing bad, just a mild irritation that I was going to have checked out after Labor Day, since it'd be damn near impossible to find a dentist. That all changed last night, when I got home from work and commenced the worst toothache/headache of my entire life. It started out normal, just a little uncomfortable and then transitioned into someone drilling into my jaw bone with a dremel...
08.28.04: garden stateFor lack of a better way to describe how I felt about this film, I'm just going to rattle off some words: funny. real. deep. quirky. best soundtrack ever. challenging. changing. or as Zach Braff described it: "What Garden State's really about is how short life is. And how we get caught up in so many entanglements and insecurities and worries and obsessions and trivial arguments while life races right by us shaking it's head at how seriously we take ourselves. Keep in mind that the sun's gonna burn...
08.20.04: my main man, MikeI seriously can not say enough about how great my web hosting provider is. Mike Middleton, who owns Texas Star Net, has saved my butt on so many times. If you're looking to start a website, or start a blog, seriously take a look at this guy. His rates are very competitive, but his support is the best I've ever run into. When I've run into a problem, or had questions, he's always very quickly to respond and help out. It's usually me screaming and crying, and him figuring and...
08.18.04: a look backLainie: 9 months old When I got home this evening from work, I was frenzied upon by my dog. She loves it when you come home, it's as if no one had ever played with her in her entire life. She'll run up to you with her tail wagging so hard that her butt moves from side to side. Be ready, because she jumps all over you no matter how hard we try to get her not to. If your carrying a bag, she'll jump on to it trying...
08.18.04: Thing's I'd Like to Do: #1First in a series. I'd like to be able to sit down with someone belonging to Hamas or Al Qaeda. I want to sit down and talk to one another. I want to understand them, understand their passion, and their side on things. So often, I think, we forget that these people are not crazy, they just have more passion than we see fit. I value each and every human life. I don't want these people to spend their life trying to kill for a cause. Sure, there are terrorists...
07.23.04: wow!I need more tv's!! Tivo's for $49 and $99!!...
07.19.04: The SpinesThey Might Be Giants released a new album last week. It's available for download on their website at iTunes prices in mp3 format. These guys have always been a group I've admired. I remember first hearing them back when I was young. My sister had just gotten the first cd player our family had ever owned and Flood was one of the first cd's she bought. I remember listening to "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and others and wondering what in the heck was going on. This music was good and...
07.18.04: sarsparilla?A few weeks back, I bought a text ad from Haloscan. I was bored and felt like mocking the Third Floor. Not a single person noticed out of the 10,000 times that little text ad appeared. I was bit puzzled because I know from personal experience that every three times a Haloscan comment page was reloaded, my ad would appear. (Apparently, there's not a big line of people waiting to purchase HaloScan textads). So I'm having to post it here, because, well, I paid 10 dollars and what a waste...
07.13.04: fuh2I have a disdain for the Hummer H2. I've found the penultimate site for haters of the H2. http://www.fuh2.com The H2 is the ultimate poseur vehicle. It has the chassis of a Chevy Tahoe and a body that looks like the original Hummer; i.e. it's a Chevy Tahoe in disguise. The H2 is a gas guzzler. Because it has a gross vehicle weight rating over 8500 lbs, the US government does not require it to meet federal fuel efficiency regulations. Hummer isn't even required to publish its fuel economy...
06.29.04: quick pollAllow me to step off my high horse and land sqaurely in the gutter. Go Here Tell me your first thought when you see the picture and then read the headline....
06.27.04: poor and obscureclassic velcrometer This guy's got three number-one albums and he's out at the airport stealing cars? I don't think so. The whole point of being rich and famous is having people to go to the airport and steal cars for you. Otherwise why bother? You might as well stay poor and obscure. Furthermore, what's up with that M.O.? I'm the first to admit that I'm nobody's idea of an expert on street cred, but what kind of thug tries to steal a car by impersonating an authority figure? That's not...
06.24.04: walmart is learningWhile searching for photographs of Wal-Mart stores, I came across the Web site of one Chris Cheatwood, a 23-year-old native of Oxford, Alabama, and an assistant manager of the Wal-Mart in the neighboring town of Roanoke. “The Roanoke store is very small,” Cheatwood notes, “one of the smallest stores in the state.” But that’s about to change. A Wal-Mart Supercenter is due to open there soon. I was looking for photos to remind myself that Wal-Mart stores are so big, so dumb, and so ugly that they appear to be...
06.19.04: ronald reagan freeway?The emphasis is totally mine, but come on, was he that great? On top of that, the letter writer totally disqualifies her opinion by stating that she, in fact, knows nothing about him. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ronald Reagan Freeway? Re: The letter "Rename Street For Reagan?" (A-J, 6-16). I agree with the letter writer, but I think that instead of renaming Frankford Avenue to Ronald Reagan Avenue, it should be something bigger to symbolize what a great man he was. I am only 21 years old, so I don't know much about...
06.13.04: FX: Unlikely CrewWho's making the best TV these days? FX. You heard right. I'm calling it, FX is the best. I can't tell you how many things I've seen on there in the past several months that have just blown me away. I guess they're no longer trying to fit in the B-movie, cable tv genre that they occupied for so long. It's not just syndicated re-runs of Friends and Married with Children. It's shows like The Shield, and Rescue Me; I can't forget about Nip/Tuck and their latest original movie Meltdown....
06.11.04: stuck after 1:30There's an interesting story in the NY Times today about the people who miss the last train out of Grand Central. I like journalism like this piece, it's so different than what we are immersed in these days. Cable News and the Internet have really stripped the story out of the news. Now it's just 24 hours of observations and facts. It's all about the story, but lacks the story-telling. As an aside, look at how large that advertisement is. Seriously, should the ad take up more of the...
06.09.04: a fresh startAfter many days of fighting a new installation of Moveable Type, and many days of fighting pure apathy, things are back up and running. I know my bitter, unhopeful, political commentary has been missed. But I've got a whole gaggle of things to post from the past month, so get ready....
04.07.04: Funny Quote #2Second in a series of Funny Quotes. (for Patrick) An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an "Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order" sign, just "Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience."...
04.06.04: Funny Quote #1First Funny Quote in a Series of Seven. When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy they start a waiting list. They start calling out names, they say "Dufrane, party of two. Dufrane, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say their name again. "Dufrane, party of two, Dufrane, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, what happened to the Dufranes. No one seems to give a shit....
02.03.04: true majorityBen Cohen, of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream fame, has started an organization called True Majority. One of their most recent works was the creation of a flash presentation detailing our government's lust for military and utter complacency about "real" issues. It's a great watch for anyone, no matter Democrat, Republican, or Person-Who-Won't-Vote. After watching the presentation, you'll see how ridiculously hell-bent our government is on building our false sense of security through homeland security. I for one, don't really think the Office of Homeland Security is really doing...
01.25.04: rapping the blogThere's a great rapper who wrote a song about blogging over at hiphopmusic.com. It's actually of really good quality and will make you laugh. Here's a portion of the lyrics: I fill suckaz all over the blogosphere with dread walk mean streets these geeks fear to tread but every now and then I hear footsteps behind me another small timer like yourself getting grimy tiny.abstract about to catch a clapback next time you post about me, watch your trackback cuz I'm about to ping you with the real when a...
01.23.04: Do's and Do Not'sI can't say I've always been the most on-topic, or the most interesting to read blogger, but I think I can share some Do's and Do Not's to help out everyone. Seven Do's 1) Do link to good articles you've read. Build our awareness. 2) Tell everyone about your favorite music. We need it! 3) Do tell everyone your secrets. Holding things in only makes you seem more distant and boring. 4) Post spontaneously. Most of the time you'll forget what you wanted to say anyway. 5) Take and use...
01.05.04: spiritI love how pictures from other planets or outer space still give me the chills. I'm not looking forward to being older and losing the zeal for things like the Mars Spirit Rover. I mean, seriously, we shot a golf-cart (basically) onto another planet. How cool is that?...
01.03.04: lesser thingsthis may seem like a cheap ploy to thank a new person for commenting on my blog, but it's not. ok, maybe it is, you'll never know. i'd like to reccomend lesser things as a blog to add to your daily readings. it's new and so it's only three days in, but she writes so well. after reading her stories, i want to know more about her. where she lives, what she does.. because her writing is original. also, if you're not reading the dooce, you're just not in....
12.12.03: trial of the centuryMy partner contends that his email submissions of plagiarized material was simply an accident. His accounts of how he prepares for papers was just as troubling as what had happened with the bogus submissions. For every paper he writes, he'll google the internet for texts. When he reads something he likes, he'll copy and paste the text into a Word file and then take his ideas and write a paper from that text. Is that not a form of plagiarizm I asked him? He says no, our professor agrees that...
12.10.03: guess who..I just wanted to mention that in my effort to evangelize the world about how awesome Market Street United is, I offer to you this little story. So I'm at work this past Saturday. It was the first time in a very long time that I'd worked the 8-5 shift, so I was a bit delirious from the early morning. Around 3pm, I was standing there thinking about how lovely adam hoover looks in a skirt, when I noticed a gentleman standing in one of our register lines. I thoughht...
12.10.03: update: a shamSo what do you do when confronted with overwhelming evidence of plagiarizm? Of course, you lie and blame the innocent party. Instead of taking the high road, my partner decided to get down and dirty and accuse me of conspiring it all. It's times like this that make me glad that I'm a freak when it comes to a challenge. Tommorow, we have a meeting with our professor (associate dean) and the dean of the Arts & Science college to discuss the allegations and make some decisions. I'm actually...
11.19.03: A QuickieWhat on earth were the Lubbock Christian University Eagles thinking when they agreed to play the University of Miami in men's basketball? That's like Monterey High School versus the Knicks!...
10.31.03: Horrible ShotDid anyone else see this? When I watched it the first time, I really thought that the shooter had missed the guy 6 times. It really looked like only bullet came near him. He apparently got him a few times, but this guy should be embarassed. If I have the opportunity to shoot you from point-blank range 6-times, you aren't going to be able to walk off to get help. It's like he was using a BB gun....
10.18.03: 96/4Over the past few weeks, I've learned the true meaning of the 96/4 rule. I doubt anyone has ever heard it before, but it's just a simple reminder about service. The idea is: Of 100 people who are dissatisfied with your product or service, 96 people will walk out the door unhappy, while only 4 will tell you about it or make a scene. I think everyone can benefit from knowing this rule. Any business, church, or group should know this because it speaks volumes about how important complaints are....
10.05.03: Wrecking CrewI mean, Wrecking Who? I spent a good deal of my life watching Aggie football while my brother and sister were there. What's happened? I thought Coach Fran was going to be their Savior, but they hardly put up a fight. Unlike the Aggies of old......
10.03.03: hold the cow still...LONDON A peace activist attempted to pay a court fine with a check chiseled on a small tombstone Friday, as a protest at the number of civilians killed in the recent war in Iraq. Court officials refused to accept the check. Nick Buxton, a 31-year-old aid worker from London, was fined 120 pounds (US$200) for blocking the entrance to a military base in January. His "check," complete with account number signature, was made from cast stone and weighed about five pounds. On the reverse side was written "RIP 25,000...
10.01.03: the hardest gamego ahead, try and milk the cow......
09.27.03: NL Central Champs!Sorry Kyle, it looks like your Houston Astros aren't going to the playoffs. The Cubs magic number is down to 1 and they are ahead in their 2nd game of the doubleheader!!...
09.23.03: no fair-weather hereI am not a fair-weather fan, but it's going to seem like it. The Chicago Cubs moved into a 1 1/2 games lead in the NL Central Pennant Race tonight. My Cubs are making the playoffs!! I grew up watching the Cubs sitting in my dad's lap. I've been to Wrigley, I cried when Harry Carey died. I actually laid in his parking spot when we were at Wrigley. I owned a copy of "Andre Dawson, You're our Hero!" back in the 80's. The Cubs are the only team...
08.27.03: stem cell successI took my first flight since the operation on March 7. It was very bumpy and I was keeping my mind off this by working. After about 30 minutes, I suddenly realised that I could look out of the window, so I did. I could see some white lines in the distance and brown and green patches sliding by on the ground. I was so excited and eager to find out what I was looking at that I asked the person sitting next to me: "Excuse me, I just got...
08.24.03: powerOne after another those six lines failed, each transferring more power onto the remaining lines, Stauffer said. Finally, the last line failed and a power surge rocketed through Indiana, into Michigan, careening up the west side of the state, across its center and back down into Ohio, leaving dead power plants and transmission lines in its wake. AEP says that electricity meant to move through FirstEnergy's system reversed itself when the transmission systems in northern and southern Ohio separated, sending the power through AEP's system into Indiana, Michigan and Ohio....
08.09.03: tires kill girlsThe court upheld a lower court ruling in a case stemming from the 2000 murder of Amy Stahlecker, a freshman at Wayne State College. Prosecutors said Richard Cook, 36, of Omaha, picked up Stahlecker and later shot her. Cook was convicted of first-degree murder, and is serving a life sentence. He remains the only defendant in the wrongful death lawsuit. The woman's parents, Susan and Dale Stahlecker of Fremont, claimed in the suit that a Firestone Wilderness AT tire on their daughter's 1997 Ford Explorer failed, setting off the chain...
08.08.03: i don't like methis may sound weird; i bought a cologne of a guy i don't like. you probably know what i'm talking about. it seems like all the jerks, the drunks, and the guys just in it for sex all smell the same. the ones that ruin girls and college for the rest of us. they're always slathered up with cologne and it's always some sugary, acidy smell. i don't like that smell and i can tell a jerk without even talking; just by smell. well, i've become that guy because Curve...
07.28.03: classic velcrometerSo last night Im spending about ten minutes trying to adjust the soaker hose just so on the back yard so my most recent seedlings can get just the right amount of water per blade for precisely seventy-nine minutes. And I think back to the days when I tried to convince Trash that we should attempt a prairie conversion, my code for screw it and whatever can grow back there is welcome to try. The days when we considered applying for Superfund status. The days when we thought the yard...
07.28.03: two quick things1) I was talking to a sheriff's deputy that i know at work. I asked him if he'd shot anyone or written anyone a ticket today. He laughed, and calmly explained that he writes very few tickets, and that the Sheriff's dept. as a whole probably writes about 25 times less than the Lubbock Police Department. I was dumbfounded as he explained that since the Sheriff is an elected official, they treat everyone really nice. His exact words were "you don't write a voter no ticket." So speed past those...
07.10.03: good dogBECKLEY, West Virginia (AP) -- It was canine intuition when an injured black Labrador retriever did a doggone good job of getting medical attention. The dog, apparently struck by a car on July 4, found his way to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, hobbled through the sliding glass doors and waited for assistance in the hallway. "It's the darndest thing," said Ted Weigel, marketing director at Beckley. "The dog limped in and laid down where people could see it. It seemed to know exactly where to go for help." Hospital workers...
07.06.03: insultIf I were your wife I would put poison in your coffee. - Lady Astor And if I were your husband I would drink it. - Churchill The Lost Art of the Insult...
07.05.03: weird dream 07.05.03: weird dream 06.20.03: weapon's grade laughterTrash's favorite meal is Penang Curry with Mock Duck from Chiang Mai Thai. It's an evil-looking, green-orange, coconut-milk-based brew that loyalty to my wife prevents me from describing accurately. A couple of times a month, we'll get a takeout order in a clear plastic container. Mixed with rice, it's enough food for three or four meals. Not least of all because I won't touch the stuff. Velcrometer is straight funny. i love the note he wrote....
06.20.03: weapon's grade laughterTrash's favorite meal is Penang Curry with Mock Duck from Chiang Mai Thai. It's an evil-looking, green-orange, coconut-milk-based brew that loyalty to my wife prevents me from describing accurately. A couple of times a month, we'll get a takeout order in a clear plastic container. Mixed with rice, it's enough food for three or four meals. Not least of all because I won't touch the stuff. Velcrometer is straight funny. i love the note he wrote....
06.19.03: a brothers loveIf McFarlane wins, he says he'll probably lend all three balls to the Hall of Fame. "I can tell my story away from the balls," McFarlane said. "I don't have to be standing there next to them, saying, 'That's mine, that's mine, that's mine.' I don't even need a plaque with my name on it. As long as I know that they belong to me and I can rub it in to my brothers that these are mine, that's just fine with me."...
06.19.03: a brothers loveIf McFarlane wins, he says he'll probably lend all three balls to the Hall of Fame. "I can tell my story away from the balls," McFarlane said. "I don't have to be standing there next to them, saying, 'That's mine, that's mine, that's mine.' I don't even need a plaque with my name on it. As long as I know that they belong to me and I can rub it in to my brothers that these are mine, that's just fine with me."...
06.15.03: looking at the tastes"Our natural sense of beauty becomes refined by frequent attention to the most beautiful objects, and guidance of improved understanding." ~ Hugh Blair (1718-1800)...
06.13.03: idea shareSomeone should produce a short-film quarterly, published on a DVD. It would include short films by independent filmmakers. Each issue could have a central theme or genre, documentary, gender issues, cold medicine abuse, etc. A subscription would be cheap and the packaging would be tasteful and recyclable. There should be a device hooked up to your car's stereo system that displays whatever song and artist you're listening to whether it be tape, CD, MP3, even radio (it would look it up using the Internet) in a scrolling LED ticker tapetype...
06.11.03: fhqwhgads 05.13.03: iBookoh yes!...
04.09.03: falling baghdadBaghdad has fallen and the Iraqi's are free from Saddam's tyranny. For those who are still against the war, I'll remind you of what i heard an Afghan say on the news shortly after we went into Afghanistan. The man said "what happened to you was horrible, but it caused one of the greatest days of my life". True for the Iraqi's too....
03.31.03: geographic 02.26.03: neighborhood herofirst I'd like to thank emily for ruining the rest of the story in the comments section of my last post. however, she didn't tell it right and she doesn't know the ultimate outcome. so without further ado, the rest of the story:After the strange guy who's out ringing doorbells late at night moves down a few more houses, i decide to check it out. I walk outside and watch him walking from house to house. One thing you need to know is that I live on a street with...
02.25.03: neighborhood crookLet me set the stage...It's almost midnight and Emily and I were watching some SpongeBob Squarepants. It's getting late, and I'm starting to zone out and I've got my new glasses on (they rule!). SpongeBob is almost over when the doorbell rings. Who is it? Why are they here so late? What do they want? These were all questions that went through my head in the seconds after the doorbell sounded. I walk over to the window with my new glasses on (they rule!) and take a look out to...
01.31.03: saturn spreadSure enough, it was the part my dad thought it was. To fix it, they only wanted a thousand dollars.My dad does tend to quote auto repair estimates in terms of what he would charge for the same work, but this was ridiculous. Thats the thing about Saturn. They advertise themselves as a different kind of car company. A different kind of car. But in the service shop, its just the same old spread your cheeks.Velcrometer is very funny....
01.10.03: things i dothings i did today:* went grocery shopping at the store that i'm now a manager at* watched 6 episodes of The Simpsons on Tivo* watched 4 episodes of That 70's Show on Tivo* watched Trauma: Life in the ER and decided i ought to be an orthopaedic surgeon* watched 2 complete Colorado Avalanche hockey games, and was pissed after both* played with my Simpsons bottle opener over and over again* ate a few jelly beans* laughed at the nipple scarves some more* watched Dane Cook play the role of a...
12.25.02: europe!!!My mom nagged me for three weeks about what i wanted for Christmas. It was kind of sad, because the whole time i couldn't think of anything i wanted. So in lieu of any request, I was given a trip to London for spring break. For the first time, I was actually shocked by a present that i got for Christmas. I'm really excited and I will never ask for anything ever again. This is way better than when i actually got what i wanted!...
12.20.02: stupid doggieI spent the last twelve hours babysitting Emily's new god dog Dixie. We ate together, took naps together, went for a really long walk, and licked each other all day. Well, maybe I didn't lick her, but whatever. I learned three things while there:1) Dixie won't eat her dog food out of her bowl. She will only eat it off the floor or out of your hand.2) If your name is not Dixie, Emily doesn't care about you. It's all about the dog. =)3) There's nothing funnier than watching a...
12.15.02: failure3. Within every failure is opportunityDon't be ashamed of failure. So it's you who's been screwing up, not everyone else. Welcome to the club. As Henry Ford said "failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Failure is a misunderstood and underutilized asset. Look back on your failures and try to extract one thing you learned from each. These are keys to breaking your negative patterns. And for inspiration, consider this man's resume:age 22: failed at businessage 23: ran for legislature and lostage 24: failed at...
12.09.02: 25 mega-tonKey:12 psi Radius: 6.5 miles[Note: The outside edge of this shaded area represents the 12 psi (pound per square inch) ring. Blast pressure within the ring is greater than 12 psi; blast pressure outside the ring is less than 12 psi.] The remains of some buildings' foundations are visible. Some of the strongest buildings -- those made of reinforced, poured concrete -- are still standing. Ninety-eight percent of the population within this area are dead. 5 psi Radius: 10.7 milesVirtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5 psi rings....
11.25.02: great going MagellanIt's like movie makers are going out of their way to make your bladders explode these days. The reason these types of movies are so long is because all you book reading nazis who go to see these movies always come out saying "the book was better" like you would be able to tell a screenplay from your asshole in the first place. It's not meant to be a book, it's meant to be a movie. Why are all these people going to see the movie if they've read the...
11.02.02: smart girls are prettyb-may: When doling out the compliments, one should always tell a pretty girl she's smart, and a smart girl she's pretty.Words of wisdom from a really hot, wicked-smart chick....
10.13.02: third-world laughterYou know you are third-world when your country erupts into riots because of something Jerry Falwell said....
10.09.02: opening nightStars vs. Avalanche 7pm ESPN...
09.28.02: rational leadershipIraq Matter For U.N.It would be appreciated if you would exercise your influence and do all within your power to help stop any preemptive war on Iraq. This is a matter for the U.N. to become involved with, of which we are a part and not the total.I know Saddam, himself, is a rogue. However, let's not allow the United States to become a larger one. Such an act, in my opinion, would be completely against all our morals, values and heritage.We have to protect ourselves, but we have for...
09.27.02: anthraxAnthrax: A Possible Case History Thomas V. InglesbyJohns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USAFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offices in five U.S. cities have received warnings of an imminent bioterrorist attack. Each threat indicated that a "shower of anthrax would rain on U.S. cities," unless certain demands were met immediately. One of these calls was in Northeast, a large city on the Eastern Seaboard with a metropolitan population of 2 million. The threats were credible, but no information was relayed to city officials in Northeast or elsewhere. On the...
08.27.02: handicapped 08.23.02: fiscally responsible??I believe the Sharp Center, a new facility that will break ground this November, is an unnecessary project. The Sharp Center is a facility that will help student athletes with their academics. What bothers me is not the fact athletes should study, but there are already sufficient facilities to help students with their studies. Is something stopping them from using the PASS Center or the university Writing Center? It is true the $4.1 million project is being funded by donations, but is there a reason we should accommodate athletes yet...
07.31.02: resident evil37 hours 50 minutes 30 secondsIt took me that long to beat Resident Evil on Gamecube. Some might say that i just wasted 37 hours of my life, but i enjoyed it. I'll admit the first 20 hours of the game weren't all that great; they were fun, just not as great as the end. Some of the puzzles towards the end were downright hard. Good thing i went to Lubbock High!...
07.26.02: velcrometer's truckThis was the first time Dirt had driven the truck on the freeway, and it wasn't what you might call the ultimate driving experience. Apparently, someone at the rental office had put a "governor" under the truck's hood, making it impossible to drive over fifty miles per hour. We figured this was something they do when the renter is moving within town and thus shouldn't be on the freeway much anyway. Not that Dirt was at all happy about this. After having to pay ten more dollars for the truck...
07.25.02: how about no, scott?God bless special showings!...
07.20.02: rush-hour sniperAnd I promise not to bring my rifle this time. That was a bad idea, I'll admit it. That was my bad, yo. But how the hell does a newspaper get to print a headline like "Rush Hour Sniper Captured Before First Shot Fired" when they have no idea whether I was going to shoot anybody. As far as I know, it's legal to own a rifle and according to my lease, I have roof access. Is this Russia?...
07.17.02: don't grab my nutsMorse, a three-year police veteran, said in the police report that Jackson was arrested after he struggled with officers, scratched Morse above his ear and grabbed the officer's testicles after being handcuffed. Morse was in "extreme pain" and punched Jackson to make him let go, according to the report.Morse's attorney, John D. Barnett, said what his client did was "reasonable" given the circumstances of the arrest.I completely agree. You grab my testicles, you're going to lose your civil rights. I don't understand what the real big issue here is? The...
07.06.02: elijah and ronnieI've been to seven weddings in the past year. It's really weird to grow up, and watch everyone ascend to married life. When i was in junior high, we had a really close knit group of friends at church. We were all the same age, and of similar backgrounds. They always picked me to be married first, but as i think about it now, there's only two or three of us left. I can't imagine being married right now. I can barely keep track of myself, much less another person....
06.19.02: the bourne identityEntertaining, handsome and gripping, "The Bourne Identity" is something of an anomaly among big-budget summer blockbusters: a thriller with some brains and feeling behind it, more attuned to story and character than to spectacle. The exciting action sequences, for the most part efficiently and clearly shot and edited, serve the story instead of overwhelming it. Sometimes movies surprise you. The Bourne Identity suprised me today in a great way. It's an action movie, but strangley enough, it has a plot!...
06.11.02: you wouldn't wantThe Accident No One Would Want To Survive The day before Thanksgiving, the local TV news featured a story about Jason's recovery. An old photograph of him in his police uniform, smiling before an American flag, filled the screen. Zane, now 3, walked into the living room just then. He stopped in his tracks, transfixed by the face. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "That's my Daddy!" No more than a foot away, Jason watched from his favorite chair. He quietly studied the boy by the television, the boy whose own image mirrored...
05.25.02: plugging velcrometerIf you're looking for a really good read on the internet, day in a day out, I recommend velcrometer. I found it a week ago and have loved it ever since! Actually, it's a little more complicated than that. Last month, a cop pulled me over, ostensibly for having expired tabs on my license plates. The thing is, though, that I had the tabs with me in the car; I just hadn't stuck them on yet. I even showed them to the officer. I found out later that they can't...
03.28.02: foppa returnsDENVER -- Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg plans to skate for about 10 minutes on Thursday, marking his first ice time since surgery to repair tendon damage in his left foot on Jan. 10. update: Forsberg skated with relative ease his first time back on the ice. He made some soft cuts at first, then skated harder after a few minutes. Forsberg later took some laps around the rink, shot some pucks at the net and traded passes with Hinote up and down the ice for several minutes before...