Bag of Randomness

• We think this is week 12 of the pregnancy.  The first sonogram will be the week after Thanksgiving.  Hopefully FetusGeeding is doing well.
• She’s not as sleepy anymore, doesn’t crave sweets, and has trouble finding pants that are comfortable.
• The Blind Side comes out this weekend and I have no desire to watch it for two reasons – I know the ending, and they over-hyped it with way too many commercials.  Oh, and that horribly fake accent that is coming out of Sandra Bullock’s mouth.
• Not only have I still not found what I’m looking for, but I still don’t know who let the dogs out.
• Lost will no longer air on Wednesday, but on Tuesday.  It starts back up Feb 2nd.
• I saw that the 10-campus University of California raised their tuition by 32%.  That’s quite a hike in just one year.  It kind of reminds me of how crazy my health insurance was jacked up for next year.
• Scroll Clock
• Chain Clock
• Amendment Goof May Have Banned Straight Marriage in Texas
• Full frontal hugs can lead to impure thoughts, so there’s the Christian side hug.
• Beyonce is either brave or stupid to crowd surf chest down.
• Man, this season of Survivor is really, really good.  I’m pulling for Russell.
• Happy birthday to my Favorite East Coast Pastor.

248935 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-266/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-20+11%3A00%3A30Geeding November 20th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I have a feeling the Cowboys are going to play a very sloppy game this Sunday.
• There’s a pothole commercial that is driving me insane.  Basically some car gets a flat after running over a pothole and then the pothole starts to talk like a drunk Britney Spears.
• I really don’t want to put up a Christmas tree this year.
• With Obama in office, I expect to be getting a lot of email forwards about how he is responsible for taking Christ out of Christmas.
• I get a lot of extreme right-wing email forwards which gives me tired head, and a lot of them are pretty silly, but the silliest I think is one that said that Obama wanted to negotiate with Somali pirates.
• I found out that if you leave a comment on this website using an iPhone browser that it won’t display, and I don’t have a clue on how to fix it.
• Some of the four way stops in my neighborhood now have traffic lights which doesn’t make me happy.
• You may recall that I bought a new AC unit this summer.  The other night we tried to turn on the heat but it never came on.  Turns out the AC part was installed correctly, but not the heating part.
• I’ve been watching the V on ABC – it started off strong but is losing steam.
• This book staircase makes me dizzy.
• Father only speaks Klingon to son for first three years of his life
• Sarah Palin’s ‘Going Rogue’ as Christian Literature
• Friday Night Lights has just been exceptional this season.
• R2-D2 in the new Star Trek
• This is a pretty good idea – a website about sharing stuff, like tools, with other neighbors, but I think it’s only based in California for now.
• It appears WifeGeeding has finally settled upon a doctor for all this pregnancy/baby stuff.
• She’s only about 12 weeks, but she’s got a decent bump and has gained about 14 pounds, I think.
• I’m glad The Daily Show will put a full interview online if it can’t fit it during its air time.
• That girl from the Twilight movies has really bad posture.
• I wonder if Jay Leno understands that having celebrities drive through a car course isn’t really that entertaining.
• The Texas Governor’s race continues to get more interesting with Dick Cheney endorsing Kay Baily Hutchinson and Sarah Palin endorsing Rick Perry.  Man, I just don’t know who to vote for.
• 15 Google Interview Question – with answers
• I read that one of my friends and his wife read the entire Bible in just a little over 90 days.  Link
• The average age of a member of the United Methodist Church is 57 – the church has now set a goal to lower that average by a decade in a decade.  Link Yes, I did find that interesting, but the one thin that stood out to me the most was the name of the Bishop quoted in the article, Larry Goodpaster.  Yes, spelled different than the profession, but still interesting.
• Brady Bunch floor plan: Upstairs Downstairs

2485612 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-265/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-19+11%3A00%3A11Geeding November 19th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I remember on Sunday nights there was a sports show called the George Michael Sports Machine.  For the longest time I always had to do a double-take because I always first thought of the British singer, thinking, why the heck would he host a sports show?  I also thought it was a bit hokey that before he went to a clip he had to press a button to start the machine.
• I notice when a lot of women, usually younger women, smile for a picture, they automatically stick their neck forward.
• I find it interesting that Reunion Arena only stood for 29 years.
• U2 will spend $3 million on a temporary stadium to play a concert in Montreal.  After the concert, the stadium will be torn down for a real estate project.   Link Man, that’s just crazy.
• One of the morning shows I listen to had each host list their top five TV theme show songs.  That made me wish I continued my daily TV theme show song I did for about a month.  A few TV show theme songs that automtically pop in my head that might make my list . . . Growing Pains, Silver Spoons, Golden Girls.
• Since Hollywood can’t come up with anything original and likes to make old TV shows into movies, I wish the would get on the ball with The Fall Guy. But I hope they never touch Magnum P.I.
• To me, there’s just something ultra-cool about Tom Selleck.
• When people tell me they find Sarah Palin sexy, I just can’t agree because I just don’t want to think of a grandmother being sexy.  But for a grandmother . . . not bad.
• I have a lot of friends who are having a birthday this week, which must mean all of their parents took Valentine’s Day very seriously.
• I can’t tell if this Space Chair Project commercial by Toshiba is real or not.

248073 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-264/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-18+11%3A00%3A29Geeding November 18th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I’m happy for TCU and hope they continue to do well.  And I’m happy to see that they are finally starting to sell out their Amon G. Carter Stadium.
• In case you didn’t know who Amon Carter was, here’s some important facts about him for you local folks:
  • Creator of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.  That newspaper had the largest circulation in the south and created WBAP.
  • Responsible for getting Lubbock a four year college that later became Texas Tech University.
  • Persuaded Southern Air Transport to move their headquarters to Forth Worth.  That airline later became American Airlines.
• It’s amazing that Gary Patterson hasn’t been picked up from some major college, but I hope he stays at TCU and builds a legend.
• As a kid, my family drove from Mineral Wells to Fort Worth to do a lot of shopping and head over to Carswells AFB for all sorts of stuff.  Heck, I remember when eating at McDonalds in Fort Worth was a treat because Mineral Wells didn’t even have one.  But I often remember eating at Furr’s Cafeteria before heading to the Air Force base.  That memory came to mind as I read this article that Furr’s is moving away from the cafeteria model to the buffet model.  I haven’t been there in a while, but I do like me some Furr’s.
• I learned a little trick with the electric paper towel dispenser.  Usually when it dispenses, it’s not enough paper to dry my hands, so I just have to tear off another piece.  But I learned that if you don’t rip the paper and just tug on it and wave your want again to activate it, it will dispense more paper without you having to tear it out.
• There was a story last week about how a $1.6 million Bugatti crashed into a body of water in Galveston.  Now there’s actual video of the crash as it happened – I think I smell something fishy.
• The Who will performing at halftime of the Super Bowl.  I know of them, but can’t name any of their songs.  But I can name several Black Eyed Peas songs.
• I wonder what Richard Marx has been up to as of late.
• Bono’s latest op-ed for the NY Times
• I read an article about the discovery of two Japanese subs that the U.S. Navy captured at the end of WWII.  That story is interesting enough in itself, but I was more amazed that one of them was the largest non-nuclear submarine ever built and could circle the Earth one-and-a-half times without refueling.  Link
• Neiman Marcus letting children climb into store displays
• Those slow motion NFL commercials where the camera is zoomed in all nice and close are pretty cool.
• That’s a bright dress
• Belichick’s arrogance got the best of him, and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy or team.
• I’m glad to see Cincy winning, and I’m happy to see that they swept Pittsburgh for the season – well, unless they meet in the playoffs.
• Believe it or not, I still have not adjusted to the time change.
• I plan on watching the Palin/Oprah interview.
• I wonder what McCain really thinks about her now.
• Stan came home with me again over the weekend and he wanted to check out a few things . . . .

He’s never been to a playground, so I made sure he got to experience some fun.

While at the park, Stan ran into a friend that he felt he would relate with.

They bonded quickly . . .

Little did I know that Stan is a Cowboys fan . . .

And it turns out he really likes hot wings . . .

247554 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-263/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-16+11%3A00%3A35Geeding November 16th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I enjoy watching The Office but Jim is starting to annoy me.
• I thought WFAA did the strangest thing yesterday reporting about former Yankee and Texas Ranger Hall of Famer John Wetteland’s possible suicide attempt.  As the anchor was reading the story, the images on TV was of Wetteland pitching as a Ranger.  I know, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the video clip was of someone hitting a homerun off one of his pitches.  You figured they would want to show a positive clip of a former local athlete with suicide problems.
• For the heck of it I decided to check out his Wikipedia page to see if there was any mention of the suicide reports.  As of this time, there was no mention, but it did mention he was a born-again Christian.
• From my fortune cookie last night, “In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.”
• I wish the NFL would stop playing Thursday night football.
• Rice and potatoes are my Achilles heel.
• This weekend I plan on working out some numbers in regards to my health insurance.  I had an idea that coverage was going to take a dip, just not this drastic.   You’d think the largest human resources company in the world could negotiate better rates.  Thanks to all of you that left comments yesterday leaving me your two cents.  All of a sudden the whole health care debate has come very real to me.
• I don’t think I would ever want to buy an electronic book device.
• When you really think about it, the advancement of HDTV’s has really been amazing.  When I first moved to DFW ten years ago I didn’t know one person that had one, now I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t have one.  Heck, even WifeGeeding’s 92-year-old grandmother has one.
• I guess you can say the same thing about cell phones.
• Before the cell phone, I use to have a lot of phone numbers memorized.  Now, I probably have no more then a handful memorized.
• I’ve noticed that when I’m at home watching YouTube videos, it takes forever for the video to load – like it’s 1998 or something.  I checked out Speedtest.net and my speed certainly seems sufficient enough.
• 
• I invited one of the new guys from work to come home with me yesterday.  His name is Stan Still, and he’s a bit of an introvert, a very quiet fellow, so I decided to try to get him out of his shell.
• Here’s a picture of us cruising around.
  
• After spending all day working indoors, he wanted to spend some time outside, so we decided to walk the dogs.
  
• He was even nice enough to help me rake up some leaves.
  
• After dinner, we all decided to play a game of Monopoly.
  
  After a few beers, he really starts to loosen up and cracks a few jokes.  I didn’t want to break it to him, but we heard those jokes before, so we just gave him some courtesy laughter to build up his self-esteem.
  
  You know, we think the more he drank the better he played.  He really started to show his competitive side.
  
• Grace

2473411 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-262/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-13+11%3A00%3A56Geeding November 13th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• Fifteen years ago if you told me the lead singer from Hootie and the Blowfish would win a music award for country music I would have told you that you are nuts.
• Norah Jones now has short hair, I don’t think that’s a good look for her.
• Actually, I’m not a fan of short hair for women in general.
• Google helps you find a place to get a  seasonal or H1N1 flu shot -Link
• Contrasts in How Google Suggest Searches
• I’ve found it liberating to let go of some of the little things in life that I considered big things.  I use to get upset if someone parked in “my space” at work, now it doesn’t bother me.  I use to feel like I had to work out right when I got home, but now I work out whenever I feel like it in the evening.  I use to feel like I had to watch the nine o’clock evening news, but then discovered it’s pretty much the same news that comes on at five or six.  I guess I found my life becoming ritualistic, which to me means I was really living my life but being controlled by it.
• ZeroEdge Aquariums
• Fox News – Fair and Balanced or just did they just make a mistake? – But at least Hannity admits to the “mistake.”
• Steve Carell and Tina Fey will be starring in a movie together.  I’m afraid it’s going to be one of those where the cast is great, but the movie is subpar.
• Andre Agassi coming out about using crystal meth and wearing a wig wasn’t earth shattering news to me.
• Along with flying in a fighter jet, another one of my life-long goals is to appear on Sesame Street talking to Muppets as if they are real.
• For breakfast yesterday morning WifeGeeding had potato salad and chocolate milk.
• I got more details about the changes to my health care plan, it turns out other than the high deductible plan I can also choose between two plans that is somewhat similar to what I’m paying now, but it will only cover the first $30,000 or $60,000 in medical coverage.  I’m not sure how much pre-delivery visits are going to cost, and I’m not sure how much a delivery is going to cost, so I’m thinking I need to play it safe and choose the $60,000 option.  But then again, it might just cost more than those amounts.  I don’t want to sacrifice care for cost.
• I get paid weekly (which I think is great btw) and my health care premium is about $55 a week to cover both me and my wife.  If I choose the $30k option $65 will be taken out of my paycheck, but as soon as BabyGeeding is born $108 will be taken out.  If I choose the $60k plan, then the weekly amount deducted is $81 pre-baby and $134 post-baby.  Here’s the comparisons of all the plans if you are interested.
• No matter how I look at it, my health care costs have increased quite a bit with less coverage.  It’s going to be time to put pencil to paper and work out some numbers to see what’s in our best interest.  As of right now, I wish there was another health care option for us to choose, like a public option.  Maybe I can find some supplement insurance to help out with things.  It’s time to do some research.
• Grace

247126 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-261/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-12+11%3A00%3A21Geeding November 12th, 2009

Bag of Randomenss

• When was the last time you complimented your mother’s cooking?  If you still have the opportunity to do so, don’t let the opportunity slip by.  It will make both of your days.
• I wish I knew how to play an instrument, any instrument.
• I run by a lot of Will Rogers quotes – that guy had a lot of interesting things to say.
• Same goes for Winston Churchill.
• And Mark Twain.
• I try my best to remember my friend’s birthdays, and I don’t care if that makes me a little gay.
• I wish I wrote more thank-you cards and hand-written letters.  That reminds me, I want to buy some stationary.
• I’m often amazed how easy it is to travel and the miracle of flight.
• I fear the ocean.  And heights.  And the Teletubbies.
• Everyone should have a favorite poem, or at least be able to name one.
• Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it’s the best.
• When it rains, sometimes it’s just best to be still and listen and realize you really don’t have control of some things.
• Walks are under-rated – especially the ones without an mp3 player or a cellphone.
• One line that runs through my mind all the time, “The overflow of the heart the mouth shall speak.”  Because of that line, I’m able to forgive what people have to say.  Sometime people just speak out of passion.
• But at the same time, people should understand that once something comes out of your mouth, you never have the opportunity to take back what you said and risk damaging a relationship for life.
• Most likely, your dad is cooler than you think.
• Sometimes it’s hard to open a door for a lady, like when you reach a double door entry.  I open the first set of doors, and sometimes the lady will open the second set of doors for me returning the favor, but I feel weird.
• I don’t like small talk, but I like saying stuff to strangers in elevators.
• I need to make a pilgrimage somewhere.
• I put too much sentimental value in things.
• I like to sing along even if I don’t know the words.
• A real man will never sit on a playing field – he takes a knee.
• My favorite “7 Habbit” – Think first to understand, then be understood.
• I think the throwback jersey thing is starting to get out of hand.
• One day I envision a football helmet without a facemask.  The facemask will be replaced by some kind of shield . . . maybe even an energy field.  Sorry, I got a little sci-fy on ya.
• You are never too old to stop saying “yes sir” or “yes ma’am.”
• Sometimes it just feels good to pick up the tab, but it feels weird when someone does it for me.
• It’s best to never take a call or text while at dinner.
• Unless you’re a doctor.
• People should never jog shirtless unless on a beach.  Let me rephrase, men should never jog shirtless unless on a beach.
• Seriously, I prefer putting the punctuation mark outside of a quotation unless the actual quotation is the end of the sentence.
• I like to cuss and personally find nothing wrong with it, but I only do so around people I know that won’t be offended.
• When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to chip in for food or gas.
• I appreciate the beauty of models before photo-editing software.
• Setting up people is well intended but usually a bad idea.
• Never post a picture online that you would be embarrassed to show your mother, or your boss.  It’s also probably a good idea to never pose for a picture with booze.
• I forget names easily.
• Geeky is the new cool.
• The worst time to get a haircut is right before a big event.
• I do my best to make eye contact when speaking to someone.
• I haven’t worn a tux since my wedding, which makes me wonder if I’ll ever wear a tux again in my life.
• Men should always carry tissues at a wedding or funeral – not for their own use, but for others.  The ladies will remember your thoughtfulness.
• I guess you can also apply that to umbrellas.
• A piece of advice I recently overheard – identify your most common used phrase or word and eliminate it.
• I’m one of those that prefer grades and salaries be made public.
• I wonder what the world would be like if there wasn’t a PC on every desk.
• As much as I hated it, I’m glad I waited tables and worked at a restaurant twice in my life.  I feel I have a better perspective on just how hard of a job that is, and it makes me not only more patient but a better tipper.
• But if my glass is out of  iced-tea, you aren’t doing your job very well.
• I’ve always wanted to sit down for a caricature drawing, but fear what the artist will do with my weight.
• You’re an ass if you gripe or grumble about having your picture taken.
• When people are opening a wrapped present, they shouldn’t guess what it is out loud – they only ruin the moment for the giver.
• I’ve never jumped in a pile of leaves.
• When you are upset over an email, never reply within the first six hours.  Think things over and let them sink in, you’ll be more apt to respond rather than react.
• It was always great surprising my dad at the office.
• Grace

2467316 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomenss-4/Bag+of+Randomenss2009-11-11+11%3A00%3A43Geeding November 11th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• Everytime I see that Robert Patterson from those Twilight movies all I can think about it that guy looks like he reeks of body odor.
• Stuff Christians Like is raising $30,000 to build a kindergarten in Vietnam – check out the info here.  And here is an interesting interview.
• I didn’t know that Jennifer Love Hewitt was dating Jamie Kennedy.  He was performing at our local Improv over the weekend, and I hear that she actually set up a table and started to sell his merchandise.
• How I Met Your Mother was great last night.  It was funny seeing Alan Thicke, especially when he said, “I don’t want to pull the ‘I’m Alan Thicke’ card, but . . .”
• I also cracked up when Lilly said, “Shut up Alan Thicke.”  It makes me laugh when a celebrity is only spoken to using both the first name and last name – just like the “I’m sorry, Dick Butkus” FedEx commercial.
• But it was weird seeing Robin look all roughed up.
• Jim Carry has an interesting website: http://jimcarrey.com/
• Lots of leaves are falling outside, I’m waiting for a few more to fall before I mow one last time and mulch what’s on the ground.  With the sun setting earlier in the day, it’s hard for me to get to after work.
• Last year I started a tradition with one of my readers from Philadelphia.  When the Cowboys and Eagles play for the first time each season, the fan of the losing team has to post a picture selected by the fan of the winning team on his blog.  Lucky for me, the Cowboys have won the first game for the last two years, and like a good sport, he paid up.
• Hakuna Matata.

246391 commenthttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-260/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-10+11%3A00%3A09Geeding November 10th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I had to work a lot of overtime this weekend and spent most of Sunday afternoon napping.
• WifeGeeding and I did go to a maternity store together – that was certainly an interesting trip.  I think instead of buying maternity jeans I just let her wear some of mine.
• Many of you know that I work at a certain airline, but what you may not know is that I don’t work for that airline.  Well, maybe if you get really technical.  I’m a consultant, that’s my title, and my consulting firm that pays me has me working on location at that particular airline.   I wanted to make that clear because I’m about to gripe about my benefits which are provided by my consulting firm, and I don’t want anyone to think that I have anything negative to say about the airline that I’m currently working at.
• It’s that time of year again to enroll for benefits, and I finally got some information in the mail about the changes in our health care coverage.  What I didn’t like about the information is that it’s not detailed enough and I’m still left with a lot of questions, and with a baby on the way, I’m paying a lot of attention to this stuff.
• That image on the right is the cover of the paper work that describes the changes to our health plan – it’s anything but simple.
• As I mentioned before I use that have an option of using a Flexible Spending Account.  That is no longer a choice, but what I can get is a Health Savings Account, but that means I’m forced into a high deductible plan.  I’ve never been a fan of a high deductible plan, but I’m finding out that’s my only option.
• In the packet is information that describes a Health Savings Account, and it mentions that I can put money in it and invest it and all, it’s not use it or lose it, and it’s portable.  But what confuses me is if I can use it before I reach my deductible or not.  In one section it mentions that the deductible for “Employee +1″ – that is, me and WifeGeeding, is $7000.  It’s $10,500 for a family, which we will be this June if all goes well.  But there’s another part section in the packet that says the deductible is only $200.  Needless to say, I’m gonna have to call in and ask a slew of questions.  I’m usually good at deciphering this information.
• Speaking of health care, the lone Republican that voted for the bill in the house was born in Vietnam and is a Baylor alumn.   I found it interesting that he was being interviewed by CNN’s and Bag of Nothing’s Half-Asian Hall of Famer Betty Nguyen, who is also half Vietnamese.
• Who would have ever thought that Tampa Bay’s first win of the year would be in those old and gawd awful looking throwback jerseys.  I remember seeing those as a kid and being thankful that the Cowboys colors weren’t so ugly.
• I don’t give Phillip Rivers enough respect because I thought Drew Brees got screwed in San Diego – but things are working out for both of them.
• Every game in which Vince Young has started this year, the Titans have won, and he hasn’t thrown any interceptions in his starts, but he did throw one in New England after coming in for Collins.  He was Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, I never really understood why Fisher gave up on him so soon.
• CBS Sunday Morning had a feature on Milton Bradley.  I always thought it was a company named after two men, but Milton Bradley was actually the name of the man that owned the company.
• BibleScholarGeorge was telling me about a sermon he heard about how people are always expecting grace for ourselves but want justice done to others.  That sounds like a sermon I would like to listen to.
• Kids make an AT-AT costume
• An impressive home-made Wall-E computer
• An interesting energy drink map
• I posted way too many videos today me thinks.  I prefer bringing balance to the force blog.
• The Cowboys have won six games this year, which means that it won’t be a 5-11 season which cursed us for so long – so now this season is successful in my view.  Yes, my standards are low for the Cowboys.

246054 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-259/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-09+11%3A00%3A53Geeding November 9th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• Wowzers, yesterday was one crazy news day if you really think about it.
• The biggest news event of course was the tragedy at Fort Hood.  Man, what a shame, and there’s so many peculiar things about it.  The killer was a mental health professional with the very respectable rank of major and was of Jordanian descent.  But another thing that really stands out for me is that he graduated from Virginia Tech – where another mass killing happened not too long ago.
• Every news source I was checking on for news regarding that tragedy was giving MSNBC the credit for all the latest news.  They must have some good connections in that area.
• It also seemed that Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchinson were both making themselves quite visible yesterday after the tragedy.  It’s gonna be an interesting and ugly governor’s race.
• There was also some important news out of Washington yesterday regarding health care reform that I’m sure people on both sides of the issue wanted noted.
• The House bill put together by the Democrats got the approval of the AARP and the American Medical Association – two major endorsements if you consider that the AARP represents the elderly that seemed to be the most concerned about health care and the AMA that represents professionals in the health care industry.
• There was also a very, very vocal mass of Republicans at the capital that were making their presence well known and how angry they were regarding the latest health care bill.
• I hear many Republicans and tea-baggers often state that they “want their country back.”  To be honest, that baffles me a little bit.  When I hear that phrase, it makes me think that something was taken away from them, as if something was stolen.  And I think they feel like there has been massive changes since the last election such as higher taxes and rights that have been taken away – and that simply isn’t true.  I can understand their frustration at bailouts and such, but that whole “I want my country back” stuff is a bit over dramatic.
• And yes, I know the bailouts started with the previous administration.
• During the Bush administration when I disagreed strongly about many issues such as the Iraq War and the handling of aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and many other things, I never felt that I “lost my country.”  That phrase never entered my mind because I had faith in democracy.  But that’s just me.
• I think Republicans/Conservatives are more vocal than Democrats/Liberals, but I think many of you will disagree with me on that one.
• And the last bit of interesting news item, if you want to call it news, is Miss Christian Values, the one that posed topless and had breast implants that were paid for by pageant officials, has a sex tape.  TMZ But I still don’t think she should have been vilified for her answer during the pageant.  The nut in that scenario was Perez Hilton and his over-reaction.
• CBS 11 is going to do the whole restaurant cleanliness inspection investigation for sweeps.  Seriously, hasn’t this been done a million times over?
• Yes, I know Megan Fox likes bacon, but I refuse to post the picture because it’s too racy for this blog.
• As I was driving into work yesterday I just happened to be behind a bunch of vans from KISS FM that were bringing kids for Kidd Kraddick’s Kidd’s Kids trip to Disney World.
• I always find it interesting how English speaking musicians perform in non-English speaking countries because you never see non-English speaking musicians perform here in the U.S.  If music isn’t in English, we really wouldn’t give it the time of day.
• NBC does something that’s real annoying to me.  After the last commercial break they will say there is more to come of a show, when it’s only just about another minute of the show as the credits role.  At first I kept thinking another episode of the show was about to air.
• Fictional town appears on GoogleMaps.
• Wear orange and get a free Whataburger
• One heck of a door handle
• My manager thought I was still in my twenties.  I’m not sure what to think of that.
• Watch a 3D movie as you shower?
• A collection of loafers
• The break of a curveball
• A cellphone for grandma

245717 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-258/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-06+11%3A00%3A57Geeding November 6th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• The readers of SmarterTravel.com really like Southwest Airlines.
• I finally connected my Ooma device and imported my old phone number to it from Vonage.  I really liked the Vonage product, and it was relatively cheap at about $25 a month, but with Ooma I don’t have to pay anything unless I want certain advanced features or make international calls.  What I didn’t know was that Vonage was going to charge me a disconnect fee of about $40, but I’ll make that back in two months.
• But now since I have a Google Voice account, there really isn’t a need for Ooma.  I would have to deal with the “inconvenience” of not having my old number, but otherwise I don’t need the Ooma device.  See, I bought the Ooma device, opened it to read the instructions, but let it sit around long enough I could not longer return it and then I got a Google Voice invite out of the blue.  It was bad timing and lack of initiative on my part.
• Everytime I hear about capping medical malpractice I often think of this man.  Granted that story is a bit old, but that’s just one story I can’t forget and would think that man would value his manhood for more than $250,000 – which I think is the cap in Texas.
• I like the tax advantage of using the flexible spending account, but I don’t like the use it or lose it provision.  Medical expenses can be hard to budget an entire year for, and a lot of times things are just unexpected.  For instance, lets say I set up my FSA at the end of a year but then my wife becomes unexpectedly pregnant early the next year, like February.  That’s a lot of out of pocket medical expenses that I never had the chance to budget for.  Or lets say we planned on getting pregnant, budgeted the FSA for it, and the pregnancy never happened – that’s a lot of money that I would just lose.  I think I would prefer it more so if a certain amount of any remaining funds can be rolled over from year to year.  But I guess none of this matters as I just found out that the FSA is no longer an option for my benefit plan.
• The Dodge Viper symbol turned upside down looks like Daffy Duck.
• What not to say to the car dealer
• Hillary from The Fresh Prince hasn’t worked in Hollywood since 2002.  Her best work was in Major Payne.
• I don’t really follow baseball, but I do have an appreciation for it and its part in our past and culture.  I guess you can call me fair weather, but I do like to root for the Rangers, Yankees, Reds, and Padres.
• It sure is interesting how the Yankees are able to win a championship when they opened  the last two stadiums.  It would be nice if the Cowboys could do the same like they did when they opened Texas Stadium.
• Twenty-seven world championships – that is just amazing for an organization.
• I never thought I would see the day when former Texas Rangers Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira would be part of a championship team.
• I liked watching the Yankees play in the old stadium better – it just felt more intimate and nostalgic, especially when Sinatra starts to sing.
• Game 6 of the 1987 World Series between the Twins and the Cardinals was the last World Series game played in daylight.
• I think Arizona was the last team to wrap win the October Classic in November.

245333 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-257/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-05+11%3A00%3A14Geeding November 5th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• A few years ago the NBA failed at trying to bring in a new basketball.  But this year they are actually using new rims.  The result – league-wide scoring has risen by nearly five points through the first seven days of the regular season compared to last season.
• Back in 1967 Sweden decided drivers should switch from driving on the left side of the road to the right side.  Interestingly enough, there were no fatalities and accidents actually decreased the following year.  Link
• I watched V last night on ABC.  In one of the opening screens a statue of Jesus on the cross falls in a church and breaks to pieces.  I wonder if the network got any calls about that.
• I watched a little Leno last night and the stars of Paranormal Activity were on.  That guy was just basking in the starlight and trying to soak in every moment of it.  He was a bit annoying, but I can’t blame the guy for being excited.  The female was wearing a very short skirt but didn’t have the legs to show for it.  I was reminded somewhat of the Curb Your Enthusiasm midriff episode.
• They mentioned that Spielberg saw the movie and afterward contacted them to help reshoot the ending.
• Leno also had a Biggest Loser contestant on the show.  I think it was someone that was just eliminated.  Leno asked her current weight but she decline saying that a lady doesn’t reveal her weight.  I thought that was odd because she was the one that would step on a scale half naked for every episode.
• For my U2 readers – Does U2 Still Matter?
• I looks like ATT doesn’t like those new Verizon 3G ads as there is now a lawsuit.
• Laundry Room Collections, aka “things in little pockets that almost went in washers.”
• Man Accidentally Ejects Himself from Plane
• This would be a dream come true for me.  Imagine eating in a casual restaurant and Bono comes walking in and he takes time to greet your baby and pose for pictures.  I guess it pays to always wear a U2 concert shirt. And to think the closest I ever came was a blurry and dark picture of me on the floor and him on the stage.

245172 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-256/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-04+11%3A00%3A32Geeding November 4th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• Alanis Morissette sang the U.S. national anthem before the start of the World Series last night.  That was a bit of surprised because I know that she is Canadian, but after a little research I found that she became a U.S. citizen back in 2005 and maintains dual citizenship.
• Her rendition of it wasn’t bad, but it was just ‘different’ if you are familiar with her voice.
• Another person’s view of the First Baptist Dallas project.
• Dr. James Dobson is leaving radio.
• I love it when Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory talks about his Texas upbringing.
• It’s fun watching the Saints and Vikings play.
• Jared Allen is my mid-season favorite for MVP.
• I wonder how much stuff or scouting Jon Gruden is doing this season.
• I love it when the Yankees are in the World Series – it just feels right.  But it was better when they were still in the old Yankee Stadium.
• America’s Less-Fattening Favorite Foods
• This essay made me laugh.
• WifeGeeding ate a pound of potato salad in less than 24 hours.  She even had it for breakfast the other day.
• I’m still not use to the new CNN.com
• My laptop battery is about to die and the cord is out of reach, so Bag of Randomness is going to end here.
• Grace

244962 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-255/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-03+11%3A00%3A26Geeding November 3rd, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• WifeGeeding and I were married on June 21, 2003.  One week before that date, my best man, Micah, died from drowning while saving his girlfriend during a kayak accident.  The greatest honor of my life was when his mother asked that I speak at his funeral.  I had to bury my best friend on a Wednesday, and marry my best friend on a Saturday.   There was no replacing him, so on the alter I just saved a spot for him.
• Driving to the funeral was a surreal experience, and was one heck of a long drive.  During that drive, my soon to be wife broke the silence and stated that she thought our first born should be named Micah.
• Last Friday instead of partaking of the legendary Halloween festivities at work, I woke up early to make the three hour drive to Abilene to ask Micah’s mother her permission to name our son or daughter after her son.  It was something I felt that I just had to do in person.  We knew we could name our child anything without anyone’s permission, but for some reason I just felt I owed that to her.  Thankfully she said yes.
• I find road-trips very therapeutic. It’s a great chance to clear one’s mind and embrace the beauty of solitude.  I’m not going to get much solitude pretty soon, so I’m enjoying it while I can.
• A lot of the trip was spent listening to the audio book version of Outliners (Wiki).   Absolutely fascinating.
• After I met with Micah’s mother I met an old friend for lunch at the world’s best BBQ joint (trust me, there’s not debate on this whatsoever).  He was kind enough to congratulate me and buy my lunch.  Going into lunch I expected for it to be brief and just a bunch of small talk, but it turned out to be one of the best times I ever spent with him.  As we started to talk, I realized I wasn’t on any sort of schedule and tossed time aside to embrace the moment.  We talked about a lot of substantive stuff, everything from fatherhood (he’s already a father of three girls), family, in-laws, how our past shaped our future, what kind of man we want to be.  As iron sharpens iron . . .
• After lunch I mustered up enough courage to finally visit Micah’s grave.  Thank goodness for GPS on my Pre because the cemetery is out in the middle of nowhere.  I have to admit I was a little spooked when I finally found the cemetery after driving through the country side.  When I got out of my vehicle there wasn’t a hint of a person or building in sight, and it took me a few moments of walking around the cemetery to find my friend’s grave, but after six years when I helped lay him to rest I found the beautiful marker his mother picked out for him.  I tell ya, it was one emotional and surreal moment.
• When I got back into my vehicle and collected my emotions I found that I could no longer get a signal for my GPS, but luckily I found my way back to I20.  As I approached the highway I saw a massive windfarm that was quite interesting to look at.  Earlier that morning as I drove into Abilene I saw a lot of windfarm tower materials, and always heard of the massive windfarm, but this was the first time actually seeing them.  You’ll be surprised at just how huge they are.
• There was an abnormal amount of dead coyotes on the road that day.
• My weekend ended by going to my old church to listen to one of my buddies give his testimony to his Sunday school class.  I really appreciate his courage to do such a thing, and it turns out there was a lot I really didn’t know about him.
• I think this Christian has a great perspective about Halloween.
• On Halloween night I turned on the Mavs game and saw Gina Miller dressed as Wonder Woman.  Here’s a pic.
• Mick Jagger and U2 sing Stuck in a Moment.
• A book about consumerism, Christmas, and Frisco, Texas
• The Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas is going to be rebuilt, which mean the current one is now retired.

2446010 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/11/bag-of-randomness-254/Bag+of+Randomness2009-11-02+11%3A00%3A18Geeding November 2nd, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• You’ve heard of the A-Team, but I think this is the a-team.
• No matter how much they clean the silverware, I don’t think I would ever use these.
• I heard Cambell Brown make a statement that if the White House is going to accuse FOX News of conservative balance, that it would only be fair for the White House to accuse MSNBC of a liberal bias.  I have never watched MSNBC, but I hear a lot about how far left-leaning many of their shows are – so I think she has a very good point.
• I don’t think many people care or pay attention to MSNBC, they are small potatoes compared to FOX News.
• I don’t really have a problem with FOX News being biased.  I just don’t like the false advertisement of “We report, you decide” and “Fair and Balanced.”   They make it appear as if they are unbiased, when in reality they are not, and I feel like they are trying to fool people.  Its as if they are full of reporters pulled from the editorial page.  But that’s just my perception.
• If there is anyone that can get away with a Kunta Kinte joke, it’s LaVar Burton.
• I wonder how many of my readers actually get the Kunta Kinte reference.
• My parents “made” me watch Roots when I was in high school, and I was extremely thankful that they did.  I ended up writing on of my first term papers about the author.
• Now that’s a periodic table.
• Today is Halloween at work, and it’s one of the most exciting days of the year, but I won’t be there because I’ll be taking an important road trip I may write about later.  However, a lot of decorations started to go up as shows, performances, activities, interactive walk-throughs, and other things go up.  Here are a few pictures.  Not everything there is scary, there’s a lot of fun and cute stuff as well, but this was what I saw the day before.  Too bad I’m going to miss all the costumes – there are always some very creative ones.

244325 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/10/bag-of-randomness-253/Bag+of+Randomness2009-10-30+11%3A00%3A29Geeding October 30th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• WifeGeeding and I used those pumpkins to reveal to her parents that she is with child.
• WifeGeeding informed me early on a Monday morning.  She gets up before I do to get ready for work.  After she showered she woke me with the words, “Honey, I think I might be pregnant.”  Talk about a way to start a Monday.
• Later that Monday we confirmed the pregnancy at the doctors office.  Once the doctor confirmed the pregnancy, WifeGeeding looked at me with a smile and the first words out of her mouth were, “Honey, your boys can swim.”  And that’s reason 5,424 why I love my wife.
• As many of you have guessed, my writer’s block came from me trying to keep a secret.  It’s hard to write about random things when you mind is preoccupied with one aspect that will forever change your life.
• I wonder how many of you caught on to yesterday theme before reading Bag of Randomness.
• Wowzers, I had a record day of comments, something like a total of forty.  For this little blog, that’s a lot.  Heck, I only thought I had only about 20 readers.
• I want you to know how much I appreciate all the kind words and all of the encouragement that were expressed to me and WifeGeeding.
• It’s been fun throwing around the terms ZygoteGeeding, EmbryoGeeding, and FetusGeeding.
• I guess the big question for all of you is how far along are we into this new journey.  Well, only about eight weeks.  Yes, I understand that we are suppose to wait until the first trimester before revealing anything, but hey, the overflow of the heart, the mouth shall speak, right?  Not to mention, word has been slowly leaking out and it turned into a sooner rather than later kind of thing.
• Yes, I’m excited, but I’m like most males that it doesn’t seem real, and probably won’t until the actual birth.  And like most future fathers, I’m preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.  We are too scared we are going to jinx things.
• There are times I think I’m going to be the best father ever, and there are times I think I feel nothing but sorrow for this little kid because somehow he drew the short straw and got stuck with me.
• I’m going to do my best not to become that parent.  The one that always says things like “Well, I can tell you don’t have any children” or “Just wait until you become a parent . . .”  Gosh darn those people annoy me, in the most Christian way possible of course.
• I totally got a kick out of some of the U2 comments left here yesterday regarding our future child.
• This darn kid is so totally going to cut into my media room fund.  Talk about sacrifice.
• I found out a lot more people that actually know me read this blog. like you, Lisa, working over in Westlake.
• Damn shame my parents never got the opportunity to become grandparents.
• It has already been predetermined that our child will be brought into this world while U2 is playing in the room.  WifeGeeding and I are already working on a playlist of our favorite U2 songs that will randomly play when she is in labor.  There’s no telling what song BabyGeeding will be born to, perhaps I should open it up to guesses.
• Speaking of U2, they will hold a free performance in Berlin on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  I remembered when that event happened.  I was watching television late at night and woke Mom and Dad asking them if this was a big deal or not.
• WifeGeeding is doing well, she’s tired most of time which means she does nothing but teach, eat and sleep.
• She’s not craving sweets or anything weird, but she is real particular in what she wants at a given time.
• We are trying to find an OB/GYN in the area.  So far we have had one consultation.  I was a bit surprised how difficult it is to schedule an appointment.  Too bad Dr Huxtable isn’t still practicing.
• I have a very close friend whose wife is also pregnant.  He also brought a tear to my eye when he wrote in an email, “I’m so happy to be going through this journey with you.”
• Grace

2433820 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/10/bag-of-randomness-252/Bag+of+Randomness2009-10-28+11%3A00%3A30Geeding October 28th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• I’m still on my old pastor’s email distribution list and yesterday in an email he mentioned that his father, an Irish immigrant that came to this land on the Queen Mary, passed away.  He wrote about the love of his father, and stated how his father found the love of Christ while listening to the testimony of R.G. LeTourneau – the founder of the university that I’m lucky enough to be affiliated with.
• If you are interested in reader that email, check it out here.  What’s even more heart wrenching is that Pastor Andy is stricken with colon cancer.
• Here’s an interesting NY Times piece about how CNN ranks dead last among the cable news networks, even behind it’s sister station HLN (formerly Headline News) and how viewers preference has migrated towards opinion-oriented shows of news networks.
• I didn’t know Martha Stewart sold turkeys – Link.
• This batman likes to scare people.  YouTube
• Great White bites another Great White in half.  YouTube
• Shawn Marion’s picture on NBA.com is quite interesting.
• The original U2 Joshua tree fell down back in the year 2000, but it’s still a shrine to U2 fans.
• I thought YouTube was only going to live stream the U2 concert, but they are actually nice enough to leave the almost two-and-a-half-hour concert online for all to enjoy.  WifeGeeding and I watched it last night since nothing really was on TV.  You can watch it here.  I loved it when Bono kept yelling “grace abounds” during City of Blinding Lights.
• Oh, and I can’t forget how he lead a crowd of over 100,000 people in that beautiful hymn that is  Amazing Grace.
• While watching Extra last night they talked about both the L.A. and Las Vegas concert.  As I mentioned, Bill Clinton was at the Las Vegas concert.  What I didn’t know was that Jessica Alba was in the same suite.
• I can’t tell you how much fun it was watching it live on YouTube the other night and IM’ing my sister who was also watching it.  It was like we were there together.
• Oh, in case you didn’t get the hint today, perhaps this personalized package of M&M’s will tell you WifeGeeding couldn’t attend the U2 concert with me a few weeks ago.
• Amazing Grace

2428427 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/10/bag-of-randomness-251/Bag+of+Randomness2009-10-27+11%3A00%3A00Geeding October 27th, 2009

Bag of Randomness

• It’s amazing that 2006 the Miami Dolphins chose to sign Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees.
• The NFL played a game in London yesterday and while watching it I heard “God Save the Queen” performed by one of their locals.  I had to look it up just to be certain, but the title of the song changes depending on what gender is on the throne.  (chuckle)
• I wonder if any Brit got caught up in rooting for the Patriots and then found the irony in doing so.
• I know Prince Charles is the Prince of Wales, but I really didn’t know what Wales was – heck, as a kid I always thought the he was the Prince of Whales.  But anywho, and this is probably stuff you already know, but the people of Wales are called Welsh – I really never new that.  And I always got confused about how Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the like related to each other.  So know I know that Wales is a principality inside Great Britian, which is inside the United Kingdom.
• In my research I discovered there’s a possibility that America was discovered by a Welsh who actually landed in Alabama.  Source1 Source2 A little research on the Mandan indian tribe will provide some interesting resutls – that some of their language was eerily similar to Welsh and they were lighter in skin tone – not to mention several European explorers while exploring this region were surprised to discover Celtic like graves deep in the American wilds.
• Saturday was such a great day getting rid of some junk in GeedingManor with the help of a sickened BibleScholoarGeorge and the resourses of loyal reader Scott.  Once again, Scott, thank you so very much for extending some generosity to some dude you never met but only know because of a silly little blog.
• CNN has redesigned their website – this was the change I voted for.
• How the heck is TCU not in the Big 12 and Baylor is?  Oh, that’s right, Bob Bullock.
• Some of my friends wonder why I prefer the NFL over college football.  A few reasons: College games are longer (because of a half hour halftime), stupid weekly rankings, stupid BCS rules.  But I do enjoy the enthusiasm.
• For those of you that listen to sports radio KTCK 1310 AM The Ticket you have heard a lot about the George DeJohn 21 day cleanse.  I’ve been hearing him talk about it so much I decided to do some research, and after some research I decided to give it a try.  I’ve done it for exactly one week and have lost ten pounds, but I’m not sure I have the mental fortitude to keep it up for another 14 days.  I’ve keep a journal of it, but have slacked off the past few days.  I may post the first weeks entry at some point.  I provided all sorts of details and observations of the program.
• U2 played in Vegas over the weekend, and on the day of the concert The Edge and his father played a game of golf with Bill Clinton.  Article I’m trying imagine what it would be like playing golf and running into the Edge and Bill Clinton, it would be like a mirage, and I wonder if anyone would actually believe me if such a thing did happen.
• Speaking of U2 I watched their concert last night that was streamed on YouTube.  It was cool seeing some behind hind the scenes stuff such as how the band made their way to the stage and seeing the concert from an angle that I didn’t get to see it from.  I was actually impressed with the live streaming provided by YouTube, the quality was surprisingly nice.
• It was nice watching a live U2 concert with my wife and two dogs in bed last night.  It’s the little things that make me happy.
• I think it was just three years ago was the last time we changed our clocks the week before Halloween.
• For you Windows users, this hill should look familiar.  If not, check this out.
• Soon there all cell phones will have the same charger.  Link
• Watching bats mate is very weird. YouTube
• A seal gives a cameraman a penguin? (about the 1:20 mark, but if you watch the whole thing you get a better feel for it)
• How to make bacon soap
• Since I teach at a university, I was able to use my university email address to purchase a Windows 7 upgrade for only $30.  Install was quite easy, and so far I really love the operating system.
• I want to drink whatever Miles Austin is drinking.
• I want to pee like Larry David, for all you Curb Your Enthusiasm fans.
• The ultimate wedding cake for the ultimate Star Wars fan.  Link
• I’ve been asking myself where has the football teams of A&M, Texas, and the Dallas Cowboys have been, and man oh man did they show up over the weekend.

242435 commentshttp://www.bagofnothing.com/2009/10/bag-of-randomness-250/Bag+of+Randomness2009-10-26+11%3A00%3A59Geeding October 26th, 2009