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The drive to Austin wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be regarding stopping and charging. All the super-chargers at all the Buc-ee’s on I-35 made it pretty easy. There’s a little range anxiety driving there because you know you have to drive back. However, driving back was a cinch. Because the parking garage where I interviewed had car chargers, I was able to leave Austin with a full charge. So I only had to stop once to charge, which I would have done anyway for a restroom break and to stretch my legs. That charge was less than 25-minutes and cost under five bucks. It turns out that not renting a car was a good thing, and I might drive to places like Austin more often.

Traffic stunk on the way there, but was great on the way back; though I was surprised by the number of law enforcement I passed trying to catch speeders. I counted at least seven on the way home.

It’s always unsettling seeing the Confederate flag flying high off I-35 while driving through Waco.

It was fun having the dogs along for the ride and to keep me company. They really enjoyed the attention they received when we took a stroll on the University of Texas campus.

I typically don’t like talking about how my interview went. It’s a silly superstition that I might jinx myself. But I guess I feel comfortable saying it was solid. I guess there was a certain relief about having an in-person interview, even if I had to drive four hours, as opposed to yet another AI-interviewing tool or video conference.

I appreciated the interview’s format. After I was escorted into a conference room, I was given a project schedule and outline to study for five-minutes. Then a small panel of folks walked in for introductions. I was then given four pages of questions. I was told they would read each one aloud. I could take some time to think about a response, without having to answer immediately. Having a visual and being able to reference something was helpful, and I wrote notes as each was read. Most were scenario-based, and only one was the typical “give me an example when” variety. In all, the interview lasted about 70 minutes, and I felt I had a good rapport or chemistry with the team.

Even if I don’t get this job, unlike most interviews I’ve had during this drought, I felt there were lessons I could take away. That I had something to build on. It was also the first time I felt like I wasn’t being tested but being treated as a consultant. I guess I felt like I was on offense this time and not on defense. That is, when each item was read to me, my concern wasn’t how they would grade my answer. Instead, I felt like I was identifying the need, want, or problem, and then telling them the best way to accomplish it.

Speaking of lessons learned, yesterday marked the five-year anniversary of when the person I was married to decided to break apart our family.

I was surprised to learn that Abilene ISD’s (former) superintendent last worked as Mineral Well’s superintendent. He recently stepped down wrinting the following:

On December 30, 2025, I suffered a serious heart attack – a “widowmaker,” with 100% blockage of my left anterior descending (LAD) artery and 80% blockage of my circumflex. Thankfully, I was at home at the time; my wife and children called 911 and acted quickly to treat me with aspirin.

Regarding the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, I predict a future news article about the increase in sales of Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpacks.

New York Times

I didn’t think the gondola rides at Las Colinas were still operating, let alone popular.

Often privy to multiple marriage proposals a day, the gondola king of Irving has learned a thing or two about the affairs of the heart. 🚣💕 https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/irving-las-colinas-gondoliers-love-advice/

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— Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly.bsky.social) February 11, 2026 at 4:00 PM

🥇🥇🥇

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— George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 (@gtconway.bsky.social) February 10, 2026 at 7:06 AM

Cartoons are real. pic.twitter.com/iCfj9Qnxzm

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) February 11, 2026

New combat sport league where heavyweights just sprint full speed into each other pic.twitter.com/KhMfUYWlUn

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 7, 2026

My next interview will be with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Thankfully, I already have my Public Trust security clearance, which is valid through April 2029. The description, if you are interested, is after the jump.

Continue reading →

Surely, Christopher Nolan will include this in his version that comes out later this year.

Last week, someone from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission contacted me about a fully remote position. However, it would require an in-person interview in Austin, all on my dime. That interview is at 10 AM today.

When the interview was confirmed last week, I used my credit card reward points to book a hotel and a rental car. My Chevy Bolt has a range of about 210 miles on a full charge, under normal driving conditions. Austin is about 225 miles from my house. But highway driving drains the battery more, and you also have to account for elevation changes. There are Tesla Supercharger stations along the route, and with my adaptor, my Bolt can get an 80% charge in about 40 minutes. Many are available at Bucc’ees. Not wanting to stop or worry about range anxiety, I figured renting a car the week before would be the smart thing to do.

The closest car rental place for me was at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine. Getting to the car rental terminal inside is no easy task. When I finally made it to their front desk yesterday, the young dude behind the desk looked like he was going to be upset that I was about to bother him. I told him I was there to pick up my rental car, and he asked for my name or confirmation code. A few seconds later, he informs me that no vehicles are available to rent. Confused, I told him I made a reservation last week, so how can there not be a car waiting for me? He didn’t have an answer, but I asked whether he could check whether one is available at another location, and I’d drive there. That’s when he tells me there are no available vehicles in DFW to rent; they are all booked.

Bewildered, I asked to speak to a manager. His rot reply, “I’m the manager.” He didn’t seem happy that I requested a refund and was exasperated when I asked if I could have my parking validated.

When I got in my car, I tried to find another car rental company, but for some reason, no vehicles were available to rent. Odd, and I didn’t have the time to research why.

I’m not in a position to decline an interview. So, with just half a charge on the Chevy Bolt, I drove to Austin, making frequent stops at Tesla charging stations. And since the plans on pet sitting fell through, I took both DogGeedingII and OtherDogGeedingII. They love going with me on car rides, but there’s no telling what they were thinking about going on this journey.

However, the highlight of yesterday was taking BoyGeeding to an early orthodontist appointment to get his braces removed. I was grateful to be part of that moment.

I mentioned dogs. Well, this dog wandered into my house during the Super Bowl. He had no collar, but I took him to the 24-hour animal hospital to see if he was chipped. He was, and I took him to his owner.

I love Austin. I’ve always wanted to live here. Maybe one day, I’ll make it happen.

I also had the hardest time buying a new dress shirt. For some reason, while all my dress shirts still fit and I haven’t gained weight, I can’t close the collar button. I wonder if my neck has increased in size after my neck surgery. Anywho, I thought it would be easy-peasy to order a fitted men’s dress shirt online, especially off Amazon. Oddly, they don’t have an easy interface to select such things as arm length and neck size. Seems like that would be easy.

Okay, I admit I didn’t know “rock glue” was a thing until I saw it for sale on Woot yesterday.

If you are interested in the job description, I’ve included it after the jump.

Continue reading →

I read that over three million shipwrecks are estimated to lie scattered across the world’s ocean floors, rivers, and lakes, ranging from ancient vessels to modern ships. To be honest, I feel like that’s a low number.

One reason I used to listen to The Ticket throughout the workday was to escape the stresses of the world, like politics. Unfortunately, it’s inundated with political commercials.

As Green Day is known for its political messaging, its plans for a pregame Super Bowl performance have been widely speculated about. I’m not expecting anything headline worthy, but I bet they’ll be trending.

News like this makes it hard to be optimistic.

The Winter Olympics will officially open this weekend. Twenty-nine-year-old Amber Glenn is a Plano native and is the first woman to win three consecutive U.S. figure skating titles since Michelle Kwan. So, I guess you can say she’s a favorite. Emily Chan is also a figure skater, a year younger, and graduated from McKinney.

It’s rare for Texas to have Winter Olympians, especially a standout. That got me thinking about how the Dallas Stars have played a role in this. Seriously, think about it, the Stars started to play in Dallas in 1993, 33 years ago. No one cared about ice sports in Texas at the time. Since that time, a total of eight Dallas Stars skating centers have opened, and two other ice skating facilities not associated with the Stars have also opened. Before the Stars, all we had in the area were maybe two skating rinks, one at the Galleria and one at the Tandy Center. The Stars Centers opened ice-skating-related sports to the local public. You can reasonably argue that if it wasn’t for the Stars, we wouldn’t have any local products competing in the Winter Olympics, and it’s only going to grow.

Fun Fact: Figure skating is named for the intricate patterns, or “figures” (such as circles and eights), that skaters historically traced on the ice to demonstrate control and precision. Originating in the 1700s, it focused on these designs before evolving into the jumps, spins, and artistic performances seen today.

Also, the first date I took the mother of my children on was to an ice skating rink. She laughed her ass off as I fell on mine all night. It was the first time I ever tried to ice skate, and I should have thought things through more.

In other noteworthy Winter Olympic news:

As reported by the BBC, there’s been a strange rumor floating around men’s ski jumping, and it all started after German newspaper Bild reported in January that some athletes were injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises before being measured by officials for their tight-fitting suits. Why? Apparently, the acid, which is not banned, causes the injected penis to grow in circumference by about one to two centimeters, or a little less than an inch. In theory, this would increase the surface area of the ski suit during jumps, which could possibly increase how far a skier flies and help them eke out a win.

“Hell” isn’t that bad of a curse word, but it was odd that President Trump said it 13 times at the National Prayer Breakfast. Stuff like:

• Fortunately, he has no idea what the hell I’m saying and he’s watching right now.
• They call me “Razin”. I said what the hell kind of name is that, right?
• And we knocked the hell out of them the other day in Nigeria because they were killing Christians.
• We hit them so hard, they still don’t know what the hell happened.

And this was a bit of a head scratcher.

• You know, Mike Johnson’s a very religious person and he does not hide it. He’ll say to me sometimes at lunch, sir, may we pray? I say, excuse me, we’re having lunch in the Oval? It’s OK with me. But he’s a very religious person and he is popular and he’s doing an unbelievable job. So, I think God is watching over you. God is watching over him. I don’t know about me. So, I hang around with him because I feel I’m protected a little bit.

Jackie’s fears became a reality.

Jackie Kennedy expressed hesitation about naming the Kennedy Center after her late husband, John F. Kennedy, in a private 1964 letter to arts venue’s founding chairman

• “Last winter, when the decision was made to name it after him, I was not capable of making any decision — and so many people were pressuring me,” Jackie wrote in a private 1964 letter to Kennedy Center chair Roger Stevens. “I don’t think he needs any memorial — his grave and his Library are that.
• She wrote that, given how hard people had worked to make the Kennedy Center a reality, she was willing to overlook her concerns for the time being so that the project could move forward as planned, but warned Rogers, “If, after a fair amount of time, I do not think [the memorial] is what I wish for him, I will ask Congress to change its name — which they will do.”
• To mitigate her concerns, she laid out strict requirements about how she wanted the facility to be run if they were to make it part of JFK’s legacy.
  • First, she was adamant that the director of the center should live in Washington, be devoted to the job, and treat it as a full-time position, so that they would be as respected as the head of the National Gallery or the leader of the Fine Arts Commission.
  • “The appointment of trustees must never be allowed to fall into the realm of political patronage,” she wrote. “If the incumbent president has a friend who is interested in the arts — fine — he should be on the board — as he can help — but someone who is being repaid for past favors … or named in hope of campaign contributions — should not be on it.”
  • She further demanded that if the center were to be named after JFK, one of his relatives should always remain on the board.
  • The former first lady also made it a point to request that she get her own representative on the board who could serve as a liaison between her and the Kennedy Center leadership, vowing that with a personal representative who she trusted on the board, she would happily respond to their questions within “five minutes.”

I saw that singer Lorde announced she is donating the full $204,000 merch haul from her two October 2025 Minneapolis Ultrasound World Tour shows at The Armory to Minnesota immigrant rights groups.

I always wondered how much an artist makes from merchandise after one of their performances. In this case, I had to do a little research to get a better perspective. The Armory holds about 8,500 for a sold-out concert. That’s roughly $102,000 per night. But I’m sure that’s net, not gross.

Fun fact: This is where the Lakers played before they moved to LA.

Hubie Brown teaches creative passing at a clinic

A true lifer of the game

pic.twitter.com/kaamCcN5Yr

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) February 5, 2026

@connectwithgrowth At first glance, it looks impossible. A kid on a playground trying to lift a tire that clearly weighs more than he should be able to handle. Most people would stop early, not because they lack strength, but because they’ve already decided the outcome. What makes this moment powerful is that no one told him it couldn’t be done. No warnings. No doubt planted. So he keeps trying. He adjusts. He struggles. He fails. And then he succeeds. Not because the tire got lighter, but because belief stayed intact long enough for effort to continue. Many limits in life are learned long before they are proven. When doubt enters early, effort exits quickly. This moment reminds us that belief is often the gatekeeper of persistence. Remove the voice that says stop, and people surprise themselves. #belief #mindsetgrowth #limitingbeliefs ♬ origineel geluid – GROWTH™

A text I received from one of my closest friends who’s a Baptist pastor.

I can’t put into words how much it bugs me that he didn’t crop out his shoe at the bottom of the photo.

This is a good opportunity to repost this old story about the plot next to the JFK assassin.

The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review

The Trump Administration has created an exclusion for new experimental reactors being built at sites around the U.S. from a major environmental law. The law would have required them to disclose how their construction and operation might harm the environment, and it also typically required a written, public assessment of the possible consequences of a nuclear accident.

Nixon thought no one over the age of 40 should be able to run for a U.S. House seat. He also believed no one over the age of 70 should be in Congress.

Two weeks before his second inauguration, President Nixon discusses the realities of an aging Congress with Chief Justice Warren Burger. pic.twitter.com/LGOlARMcnG

— History Defined (@historydefined) January 31, 2026

Per The Dallas Morning News: Between 2014 and 2023, Dallas saw an average of nearly 14 fatal motor vehicle crashes annually per every 100,000 residents, according to a recent analysis.

I haven’t read the Texas Monthly article, but I’m just going to guess it’s about what’s ailing most Americans: affordability.

Texas Education Agency moves to correct 4,200 errors in Bible-infused elementary school curriculum – State Board of Education members criticized the publishing errors and postponed their vote on the agency’s request until their next meeting.

Republican board member Audrey Young, who chairs the board’s instruction committee, said Friday that her committee has seen a high number of corrections before, but not “in the 1,000s, plural,” she said.

Four other publishers that submitted correction requests, for comparison, reported a combined 16 errors.

I didn’t know that Ken Starr represented Epstein and became friends with him. Baylor sure knows how to pick outstanding leadership. It’s also interesting that Epstein had a liking for James Dobson’s counseling approach.

Jeffrey Epstein recommended reading James Dobson – julieroys.com |An article by Christian psychologist James Dobson caught the attention of millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Aggies aren’t handling the new Texas Monthly cover story well. The imagery is certainly provocative to anyone near and dear to College Station. The article is long, maybe too long, but definitive. So I could read it later, I printed it as a PDF using the “Reader Mode” function, but it was still 41 pages. However, I thought I knew a lot about Aggie history, but I learned a lot more. Especially how much of an honor it was for the male student body to dress up as women before they allowed females to enroll.

Interestingly, most of the old photos of their campus were attributed to the Hardin-Simmons University library.

And to try to stick the landing, Texas Monthly is offering its help.

Two Memphis City Council members are facing criticism after posting social media videos questioning whether last week’s snowfall in the Mid-South was real.

In separate posts, Yolanda Cooper-Sutton and Pearl Eva Walker suggested the snow may not be natural. Both referenced melting ice with a lighter as part of their claims, sparking backlash and widespread discussion online.

The sincerest apology of all-time pic.twitter.com/0JcRMa02AA

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 1, 2026

I have arrived in Italy for the Olympics and this is what they think of us pic.twitter.com/XDqnoizZ3F

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 31, 2026

Keep an eye out for any Murray State games and his 20-year-old French freshman. A little research tells me he already played a bit of pro basketball in Europe, which doesn’t disqualify him from college play.

6’9 G/F 🇫🇷 Roman Domon is having a strong freshman season at Murray State averaging 13.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.3 APG on 53/42/80 splits in just 21 MPG.

Strong frame for a multi positional threat at 6-9 225 lbs, he’s got great feel, tremendous footwork and touch, and he’s shooting… pic.twitter.com/MQrgCfr4G8

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) January 30, 2026