To my astonishment, I was able to buy a couple of tickets to the U2 show in Las Vegas this December. I did not budget for this kind of luck.
The Martian is on TV a lot. I like it. As you know, I struggle with my existence, my sense of being, my value to the world, a lot. One thing I really appreciate about the character of Mark Watney is that he’s single and his family isn’t mentioned at all. He’s not trying to survive and get back to Earth for his soulmate, kids, or any family, for that matter. That tired trope is avoided. For some reason, he chooses to live, he wants to live, despite the insane odds, money, resources, and time that will be spent on him. Maybe one day I’ll value myself just as much as Mark Watney.
Yes, I overthink. It’s not because I want to and to feel sad all the time. I just feel too much. I value things, emotions, people, and promises.
I love Star Wars, but not this much – Some Star Wars fans had complained that the cost of staying at the Starcruiser was too high. Bookings started at $4,800 for two guests.
A Russian woman living in New York City was sentenced to 21 years in jail for poisoning her similar-looking friend with sedative-laced cheesecake, then stealing her identification and other valuables.
Texas A&M is building an ungly building in Fort Worth. Man, is that ugly. I guess it’s what’s on the inside that counts?
Texas A&M-Fort Worth construction begins next month. The first 8-story building will be home to @TAMULawSchool and a research campus, with two more buildings to follow pic.twitter.com/igqKDOHwxq
— Bud Kennedy / #ReadLocal (@BudKennedy) May 18, 2023
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Friday, May 19, 2023
Electric vehicle owners in Texas, such as myself, will now have to pay $200 every year when we renew our registration. We all should pay our fair share of taxes, we use the roads like everyone else. Per the Texas subreddit, the TxDOT Study on Imposing Fees on Alternatively Fueled Vehicles document provided some interesting data, and makes me wish the fee was closer to $100:
Most states already have annual flat fees in place for hybrids and EVs. (Page 35)
TxDOT considered different approaches to making up for the lost state fuel tax (ex. mileage-based) but settled on a flat fee. (Page 36)
Based on their assumptions, an equivalent conventional gas light duty vehicle produces $103 in state fuel taxes per year. (Page 27)
Instead of imposing a $100 annual fee based on those assumptions, Texas decided to double the fee to $200. This was probably chosen simply because it was the most common highest fee imposed by other states.
California and Illinois only charge an additional $100, Colorado $50, Oregon $150, and Washington $150.
One thing I have to do for my employer is ensure that our websites and products are 508 compliant. Basically, making sure our product is accessible to people with disabilities. So, I have to test them using the following tools:
ZoomText – for the vision impaired
JAWS (Job Access With Speech), also for vision impairment
Dragon Naturally Speaking – speech recognition software for those with physical impairments, so you control things with your voice.
I use Golden Audio Books to listen to free versions of somewhat current books from time to time. Over the weekend, I listened to Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements, the book Tom Brady said changed his life. I really liked it and listened to several sections twice, now I’m trying to remind myself of those four agreements throughout the day. Just listing the agreements here won’t do much for you, you have to understand the context and meaning behind them, but they are:
Be impeccable with your word
Don’t take anything personally
Don’t make assumptions
Always do your best
I saw several articles applauding Tom Brady for making a Mother’s Day post on his Instagram expressing gratitude and praising the mothers of his children. That got me thinking about how much I would like to praise and express gratitude to the mother of my children. But, the mother of my children kept our children from engaging in any communication with their father for four nights, only allowed me a monitored five-minute phone call with our son on his ninth birthday, refused any request for overnight stays or extra time with our children during divorce proceedings, and made me beg to spend any time with our children on Father’s Day because she wanted to spend it at her parents. Until some of those things are discussed in person and explained to me how that was in our children’s best interest, I’m afraid our co-parenting relationship will suffer. Because of her actions, any simple request doesn’t come across as simple. With that said, I’d like the opportunity to sincerely apologize to her for my shortcomings and listen to anything she would want to say. Now it’s time for me to take another look at those four agreements. Her refusal to have a conversation caused me to make a lot of assumptions and take things personally.
Texas Monthly – Galveston Is a Tourist Hot Spot Once Again – Its fortunes ebb and flow, but the historic island is experiencing a renaissance, with new hotels and renovations and a shiny new cruise terminal.
Churches’ role in Abilene election prompts calls for investigations – West Texas voters rejected three conservative Christian candidates who sought to infuse religious values into local politics. The campaign support the candidates received from local churches has prompted calls for state and federal probes.
