Bag of Randomness

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  • We took a roadtrip to Abilene and back on Saturday.  For our first lengthy car trip as a family, three hours there and back in one day, I thought it went relatively well.
  • With my fellow scholarship board members, we help present a scholarship set up for my dear late friend and the Big Country FCA Coach of the Year award at the annual FCA All Star Classic football game with his mother.  It was quite a honor to be a part of this group to honor such a man at such an event.  I’m very thankful and grateful his mother lets me be a part of this.
  • That friend, who was to be the best man at my wedding, died exactly one week before I got married in a tragic drowning accident saving his girlfriend.  I always felt like I became a man that week, burying my best friend on a Wednesday and marrying my best friend on a Saturday.  This Friday will be the tenth anniversary of his death.  It’s always weird knowing that as my wedding anniversary approaches that it coincides with the death of such a great, great friend.
  • The trip to Abilene was a quick trip down memory lane.  We arrived to town early, so to kill time we went to my alma mater, Hardin-Simmons.  WifeGeeding seemed to love the campus (I have very mixed emotions), and I was curious to see how much may have changed when I visited the two dorm rooms I lived in.  It was crazy to see how much hasn’t changed in about 20 years.  GirlGeeding seemed quite impressed with the stained glass at Logsdon Chapel.
  • Best job I ever had was as an RA in college, which I was from my sophomore to senior year.
  • My mother-in-law visited last week and made mention how her pastor predominately used an illustration from Back to the Future in a sermon.  She thought it wasn’t the best use of illustration as people her age, mid sixties, haven’t seen the movie.  I later talked to WifeGeeding about it and she agrees with her mom, but I think most people her mother’s age has seen the 28-year-old film since it’s not only iconic, but has been aired on cable television a plethora of times and has been available on VHS and DVD. I guess that will be the equivalent to me in 28-years if an iconic movie was released this year and I haven’t seen it.  Looking at the top grossing movies of the year, I don’t see anything iconic.
  • I loved the Huey Lewis cameo in that movie.  I saw an interview with Lewis on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday and he mentioned that his band peak at the right time, as his music was originally bought on vinal, and then rebought on cassette, CD, and mp3. So that’s basically coming up with something once and selling it three times, that’s a good way to make some money.
  • WifeGeeding can’t stand it, but an major enjoyment of mine is sitting next to her at church, waiting for that moment when she crosses her legs and lets the shoe dangle just on her toes and off her heal, and then kicking it right off when she least expects it.  There’s nothing like getting the one-eyed “go to Hell” look while sitting in church on a Sunday morning.
  • It was interesting that the Miami Heat had a 12-year-old girl to sing the National Anthem last night, usually for such a high profile event, some big names are rolled in.
  • I was eating in a Choptle the other day and noticed that a man also eating there drinking out of a large drink.  I never understood why one would order a larger drink when there are free refills, especially if they are eating at the establishment.  I guess some folks just have more disposable income that I.
  • I remember a time when fast food places didn’t offer free refills.
  • Speaking of free refills, we stopped at a Quik Trip in Weatherford to fill the gas tank on our way back from Abilene.  I went inside to purchase a drink and when I took it to the cashier he asked if it was a refill, and I told that it wasn’t.  He then said, “No sir, I’m pretty sure that’s a refill,” and then just charged me for a refill.  He then said I looked like a man that needed a break.  I guess that roadtrip took more out of me than I though, but I was certainly thankful for his generosity.
  • I saw a picture of the new turf that’s being put in at Cowboys Stadium, it’s a darker green.
  • I like hearing stories of how a low budget film like The Purge, which was made for only $3 million, win number one at the box office with $36.4 million.  It proves investing in good script writing is the way to go, substance wins over style.  I’d like to think the same goes for preaching.
  • Until yesterday, I didn’t know that God is not mentioned in the book of Esther.  I’m surprised that I didn’t know that bit of biblical trivia.
  • At the grocery store I say someone wearing a “I still hate Laettner” t-shirt.  I decided to text a friend about it, but decided not to type but use the voice-to-text feature.  Surprisingly the voice-to-text feature was able to recognize “Laettner” with correct spelling and capitalization.
  • Something for you fellow Parks and Rec fans – Adam Scott and Amy Poehler re-creating the opening title sequence to Hart to Hart
  • There seems to be more than normal amount of lake drowning and accidents this summer, and it just started.  So far we haven’t heart much of deaths of children being locked in cars, and hopefully it will stay that way.
  • A political book about the Sandy Hook shooting.
  • I knew Ernest Hemingway killed himself, but I didn’t know he did it by putting a shotgun in his mouth.  His Wikipedia page states the altar boy at his funeral fainted when he saw the open casket.  Wow.
  • I’ve always been fascinated by that iconic photo of the bus boy kneeling next to a shot RFK, but there are several things I didn’t know about that bus boy and incident until recently.
    • His name is Juan Romero, and he delivered food to RFK when he called for food service a few days prior.
    • He was shaking RFK’s hand when he was shot.
    • At first he thought RFK only hit his head on a shelf.
    • He gave RFK his rosary beads as he lay dying.
    • Romero reported RFK’s last words were, “is everybody all right?”
  • ‘Mad Men’ thoughts:
    • Roger starts the show off juggling, yup, that’s symbolism.
    • When Peggy met Pete’s mother and she mentioned their child, that was kinda chilling, even if it was just mistaken identity.
    • Betty sure can hold a cigarette with attitude.
    • “He can’t spend the rest of his life on the run.” Hey Don, you calling the kettle black?
    • Pete can also see the look in Peggy’s eye when she flirts with Ted.  But Ted looked a bit jealous seeing Pete and Peggy laughing together.  But then again, it’s not like they have a child together or anything.  Oh, wait.
    • Peggy knows everyone better than any other character.
    • 18-19 year old kids have no sense of their mortality or that of others, that’s why they make good soldiers.  Scary, but true.
    • Ted likes facing Don more than the clients, I guess I was slow to put that together.
    • “I warned you about the memos, Ted.  The more you send, the less they get read.”  What’s true back then is still true today, even if it’s in electronic form.
    • In case you were wondering who was on the poster hanging above Stan’s bed – Moshe Dayan
    • It was funny seeing Peggy trying to woo a favor out of him.
    • Maybe I’m looking into things too much, but was the Air National Guard a slight dig at W?
    • It must be nice to have Don wright a application letter for you.
    • “I have children too”…”I know that’s not why you are doing it.”
    • Pete was wearing a double breasted vest, I’ve never seen such a thing with a suit.
    • Give me more Bob Benson.  And I guess we all know he’s not going to hook up with Joan anytime soon, that is, unless he was just playing that way to a bigger plot.  Maybe if Mad Men fans are lucky, we’ll Sal return and find love with him.
    • You know, I think Pete was actually considering Bob’s advance.
    • I think Sally Draper has a lot of her father’s mannerisms, which mean that child actor is good at what she does.
    • That doorman sure is good at his job.
    • It was about time Don got caught red handed, and being caught by your daughter has to sting.  It was quite interesting to see him have that look of helplessness and despair on is face while he was in the lobby.
    • Sally sure does have bad timing walking into the act of affairs of her relatives.  First with Roger and her step-mother’s mother, and now with her father.
    • “Sylvia sends her gratitude, she’s overwhelmed.”
    • “You are the sweetest man.”
    • “I don’t know what you think you saw, but I was comforting Mrs. Rosen.”  – Gosh, Don really disgusted me when he couldn’t owe up to his actions.
    • If I know Sally like I think I know her, she’s going to use this to her advantage.
Posted in Personal | 5 Comments

1 senator, 2 sons, 4 days, 1 deserted island: Jeff Flake escapes again to the North Pacific

Nearly four years after sneaking away to a deserted island in the North Pacific, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) took a secret four-day trip during the Memorial Day congressional recess to the same region where he fulfilled his lifelong dream of spending a survivalist week alone.

But this time Flake took along his two youngest sons — and didn’t completely disconnect from the office.

Flake and his sons set off from Phoenix last Sunday on what would be a 10,400-mile round-trip journey. They flew first to Hawaii and then eventually to Kwajalein Island, a part of the Marshall Islands where the United States still has a lease for missile testing. From there, father and sons hopped on a friend’s fishing boat and traveled 62 miles to Biggarenn, an unoccupied island that Flake estimated was just 55 to 70 acres in size. The fishing boat left them behind.

“Tens of thousands of coconuts littered the island,” Flake said. “You just had to pick up the ones that were still ripe. We ate coconut and crab and fish.”

The Flakes brought along a lobster trap in hopes of capturing meatier fare, but lost it within the first few hours after it was attacked by a shark. They also carried two pumps to desalinate ocean water, requiring them to spend hours each night pumping for just a few gallons.

“For a dad it was a wonderful thing. No video games around, no television, no distractions, no texting,” Flake recalled. “To just sit there and pump water, that was my favorite time, frankly, on the island. Just talking. Just to have no distractions.”

Flake did, however, bring along a satellite phone — at his wife’s insistence — and aides said Flake received regular updates by phone.

Full Washington Post Article

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Training for half-marathon, woman has baby; unaware she was pregnant

A Minnesota woman training for a half-marathon gave birth to a baby girl on Monday. Trish Staine welcomed her third child into the world, which seems rather ordinary, except Stain had no idea she was pregnant.

Staine, 33, experienced severe back pain on Sunday, and she attributed it to her intense training for a half-marathon. An emergency room visit, however, resulted in the discovery of a fetal heartbeat. A day later, she gave birth.

“I had a sore back Sunday evening. I had taken a hot shower and was dealing with it,” Staine said. “Monday morning, I woke up and had more back pain, and as the day went on it got worse. I thought I should go to the ER. I thought I ruptured a disc or pulled a muscle.”

No, it turned out a human being was growing inside her body and, despite this, Staine said she didn’t gain any weight or feel any fetal movement.

Staine and her husband, who has had a vasectomy, named the child Mira, short for “miracle.” Though born five weeks premature, the couple expects to take their new baby girl home in about a week.

Article

I don’t care how faithful you think your wife is, go ahead and get a paternity test.

But this is also a warning to a good friend of mine who had a vasectomy, those things may not be 100% reliable.

I do recall a friend of mine who stayed the night at my house when his mother called him early next morning.  I’ll always remember how the fast the color faded from his face when his mother was talking to him, I thought his father died.  But it turns out his older sister of a just a couple of years gave birth, and she and no one else knew she was pregnant.

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Bag of Randomness

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Posted in Personal | 2 Comments