Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, March 27, 2024

  • I need to give y’all an update on my mental/emotional and spiritual health. But for now, I want to pass on my physical health (other than my triglyceride count) is the best it’s been for at least the past two years. For the majority of last year, I had to rely on using a cane or a walker to get around. Seriously, that’s not hyperbole. Now, I’ve settled into a pleasant morning routine. After letting the dogs out, I drink a cup of generic grocery store brand’s lightly roasted morning coffee as I check my daily news and social websites. After that, I feel the need to do some light stretching and exercising. I never thought I’d get to the point again in life that I felt so good I wanted to exercise that it wasn’t toil but a desire. When I no longer really notice the chronic physical pain that has plagued me, my mood is boosted, and so is my energy level. I do small things like laugh at my own jokes, dance, play hide-go-seek with the dogs, and do my best to enjoy my wife with the current cards that are dealt to me.
  • I still haven’t started on my taxes, which I usually finish in early January or late February.
  • The Telegraph – The triumphant USA is now producing more oil and gas than any nation ever has. – We and our friends have no need to truckle to the Kremlin or Saudi Arabia
  • A distant cousin of mine lost her mother a handful of months ago. Yesterday evening, while at the grocery store, I found a shirt with a sloth on it. She loves sloths, so I took a selfie with it and sent it to my cousin, just to let her know I was thinking of her, her mother, and the rest of her family on that oceanfront property in Arizona and, while I may no longer have hair, I’m still haven’t forgotten about the time she got gum stuck in my hair when we were kids.
  • I asked my Google assistant what I thought was a straightforward question, “Who is the best player in the NBA?” She said she didn’t understand, I repeat myself and get the same answer, and even tried to rephrase it a few different ways, like, “Who is the best basketball player in the world?” No luck. I asked because I heard someone say it was Nikola Jokic. I don’t follow the NBA closely but I surely didn’t think it would be a lanky white guy. It turns out I’m wrong, and I found several different sources that back up the claim Jokic is the best player in the world right now. Luka is fourth, so two white men are in the top five. Dallas actually has three of the top 100 players, for what that’s worth.
  • Elementary teacher on leave in response to school newsletter item calling for students to dress as ‘slaves and hobos’ for jazz event
    • Perhaps the person I trust most in life lives in Spokane, Washington, where this happened. So, I keep an open ear on all things Spokane. Racism in that area seems to make national news. You may recall the story of the president of their local NAACP chapter presented herself as black despite being born to two white parents.
    • This seems so obvious not to do that I’m led to think it was purposely done to promote an organization or cause. Turning Point USA does stuff related to this, but more so on college campuses. I’ll have to keep an eye on this.
    • This happened at an elementary school named after Woodrow Wilson, perhaps the most racist U.S. President ever. I’m often amazed at how truth can be stranger than fiction.
  • Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills
    • It’s not surprising. I’m wondering what took him so long. Surely, he didn’t have the patience to wait until Holy Week. And included inside are copies of several of our nation’s most important documents like the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Most of his folks treat those docs as if they are scripture anways.
    • Who was the first president to do something similar? Thomas Jefferson. He edited his own version, which took out the miracles or anything mystical. The most complete form Jefferson produced was inherited by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, and was acquired in 1895 by the National Museum in Washington. The book was later published as a lithographic reproduction by an act of the United States Congress in 1904. Beginning in 1904 and continuing every other year until the 1950s, new members of Congress were given a copy of the Jefferson Bible. Until the practice first stopped, copies were provided by the Government Printing Office. A private organization, the Libertarian Press, revived the practice in 1997. In January 2013, the American Humanist Association published an edition of the Jefferson Bible, distributing a free copy to every member of Congress and President Barack Obama. A Jefferson Bible For the Twenty-First Century adds samples of passages that Jefferson chose to omit, as well as examples of the “best” and “worst” from the Hebrew Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist Sūtras, and the Book of Mormon. Check it out online and examine the old pages here.
    • Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month, released a video on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday urging his supporters to buy the “God Bless the USA Bible,” which is inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the song at each of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at events. “Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless the USA Bible,” Trump wrote, directing his supporters to a website selling the book for $59.99.
      https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1772664772577603971
  • I spent 90 minutes trying to find (confirm) the name(s) and/or email(s) of a small-town high school counselor(s), and it was NOWHERE to be found. It was one of those things where you ask yourself, “Surely, their names or contact info can’t be that hard to find,” and continue to search and search even though you know you could contact someone else about it. Really, I just wanted an email address. That made me curious and I wondered how difficult it would be to find the names and contact info for the Perin-Whitt and Mineral Wells High School counselors. Each search result took less than two seconds. Eventually, I caved and went to bed. In the morning, I called the high school in hopes I would finally find what I was looking for. A very friendly woman answered and asked for the contact information of the counselor in charge of scholarships. She seemed confused and clarified, “So you just want to talk to her?” As I inhaled to take a breath to reply, she must have handed the phone to the person right next to her who introduced herself as the high school counselor. Right after introducing myself, she said, “Yeah, I know you,” and then asked me questions. It was like a Bugs Bunny role-reversal moment. There’s a lesson in there to be learned somewhere.

This entry was posted in Interesting, Personal. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.