Bag of Randomness for Monday, October 17, 2022

  • In case you ever wondered – How TJ Maxx and Ross offer such deep discounts
    • Unlike brands and stores that lock in their inventory six months to a year in advance, TJX and other off-price chains buy surplus merchandise to sell it right away. They also capitalize on orders that have been canceled or when companies manufacture too many items.
  • If you are a Texas resident and want a free condom package every 30 days, here you go – www.TexasWearsCondoms.com.
  • In somewhat related news – Personal lubricant made from cow mucus may protect against HIV
  • Conservative Muslims join forces with Christian right on Michigan book bans
  • Obama’s right and many Democrats are too stupid to heed his advice, and that’s why many are hated – Barack Obama takes shot at cancel culture, rips ‘buzzkill’ Democrats in interview
    • Former President Barack Obama chastised how Democrats can sometimes be a “buzzkill,” too often framing issues through the lens of identity politics that force people to feel as though they’re “walking on eggshells.” “Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes,” he said on the podcast “Pod Save America.” He later added: “I think where we get into trouble sometimes is where we try to suggest that some groups are more—because they historically have been victimized more—that somehow they have a status that’s different than other people and we’re going around scolding folks if they don’t use exactly the right phrase.”
    • Nobody likes people they feel like they have to walk on eggshells with. I felt that way the majority of the time I spend with my older brother. I hated the feeling so much I told my wife at the time that if she ever felt she was walking on eggshells with me, to let me know, because I don’t want to be that person. But, instead of working through that problem together, she chose to internalize it and literally run away from the problem. The thing that puzzled me the most was wondering what else could I have done or said to prevent a separation? I guess nothing, especially since she wouldn’t go to a single counseling session together.
  • There’s a difference between giving up and letting go, but sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge or identify the difference.
  • Paul Ryan Says Trump Won’t be GOP Nom in 2024: ‘We All Know He Will Lose’

    • “We all know he will lose, or let me put it this way: we all know he’s much more likely to lose the White House than anybody else running for president on our side of the aisle. So why would we want to go with that? “He’s going to try to intimidate people out of the race as long as he can,” Ryan continued. “Whether he runs or not, I don’t really know if it matters … He’s not going to be the nominee, I don’t think.”The stuff he said about cycles is an interesting political insight that I’ve often been fascinated with. Running for office, especially the presidency, is all about timing and being at the right place at the right time.“There’s a handful of people that are going to run, because it’s the only cycle they can run in. They can’t wait until 2028,” he said. “They’ve got to go now, if they’re ever going to go. And they don’t want to die without ever trying.”
  • Remember this scene from the original Top Gun? Many said it’s impossible and they may be right.

    But this is the closest to pulling it off in real life. I’m astonished at this, it’s remarkable.

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, October 14, 2022

  • I had no idea the two ever met much less play against one another.
  • I wasn’t a fan of the orange uniforms and helmets the Chicago Bears were wearing last night.
  • The only thing that can save any relationship is commitment, but it takes all parties.
  • The team you play with is more important than the field you play on.
  • News from where I spent my childhood, though “Mountains” should be in quotations – Palo Pinto Mountains State Park in North Texas set to open in late 2023
    • Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will be the first new state park in North Texas in more than 20 years. The park has spent years in development and is expected to open to visitors in late 2023, the 100th year of the state parks system.
  • The New Republic – I Voted for Trump and DeSantis—and Now Regret It. Here’s How Democrats Can Appeal to Voters Like Me. – There are plenty of conservatives willing to join an alliance to put the GOP out of its misery and preserve democracy.
  • I like the Mavs new court. It’s white-washed and navy.
  • The article really isn’t that in-depth – KERA – Here’s what it’s like to be a food vendor at the State Fair of TexasThe State Fair of Texas is the holy grail for some food vendors — and a unique business opportunity.
    • I never thought about it like this – Business is practically guaranteed: more than 2 million visitors show up to the fair each year, according to organizers. But getting a spot on the fair’s midway isn’t always so easy.
  • Misinformed Hawaiian politician – “My understanding, New York just passed a law where when you give birth, you have 29 days after giving birth to decide whether or not you want to infanticide that baby,
  • But this one has some depth – Meet the Rare Dallas Restaurants That Have Their Own Booths at the State Fair of TexasFor these four local restaurateurs, running a food concession booth at the State Fair of Texas has more benefits that go beyond a big payday.
  • Halloween Things to Do in Dallas
  • I’m usually sympathetic when it comes to the police, but these guys give the profession a bad name.

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Bag of Randomness for Thursday, October 13, 2022

  • This should be good and generate a lot of tears – Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks planning John Candy documentary
  • It was only until yesterday I realized that home plate in baseball resembles a house.
  • An architect breaks down every Wayne Manor in every live action version of Batman.
  • Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson is now a professional photographer, and often shoots at NFL games. If you are familiar with Johnson, you know his history of accidentally killing a bird with one of his pitches. I mention that because it’s incorporated in his website’s logo.


    My career as a Major League baseball pitcher has been well documented, but what is not as well known is my passion for photography, which began when I studied photojournalism at the University of Southern California from 1983-85. Baseball became my occupation for two decades but my love of photography never left. Following my 2010 retirement, I was able to focus my attention back to this passion.
  • I didn’t know Jerry Orbach voiced Lumiere the candlestick in Beauty and the Beast. https://twitter.com/DannyDeraney/status/1579974593569517570
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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, October 12, 2022

  • Angela Lansbury died. I remember when Murder She Wrote would follow 60 Minutes. As a kid, I couldn’t think of anything else that could have been more old and boring than those two shows back-to-back. Both signaled the end of the weekend.
  • You just don’t see football facemasks with a middle vertical bar in the center between the eyes anymore. I never understood how anyone could wear those things without getting cross-eyed or distracted.
  • The two Lewisville locations seem to be speedy, but I’m surprised the now lack-luster Whataburger isn’t on the list – Chick-fil-A has slowest drive-thru, 2022 fast-food report says – But the chicken chain did rank first in customer service.
  • American Airlines to open exclusive 600-room, $250 million hotel in Dallas
    The employee-only ‘hospitality complex’ will be built on a 300-acre corporate campus the Dallas-based air carrier is constructing in Fort Worth.
  • In 1955, a devout Mormon set out on an archaeological expedition to prove the claims in the Book of Mormon. After 15 years, he found nearly every claim in the Book of Mormon was incorrect, and the papyrus Joseph Smith claimed was written by Abraham, was actually just a page taken out of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. He wrote about all this and put it in a book, here’s a summary.
  • Richard Nixon’s Secret Visit With Coretta Scott KingNixon came in part to avoid attending the funeral, but he also brought a check-later lost-for her children’s education, according to a family friend finally telling the story.
  • Pastor who gave kids ‘I ❤️ hot youth pastors’ stickers placed on leaveThe church said the sticker was a “poor decision,” adding that it was “offensive to some”

  • ‘Ballots have been stuffed’: voting scandal rocks Alaska’s fat bear contestKatmai national park, which runs Fat Bear Week, forced to discount votes after irregularities in semi-finals discovered
  • iPhones calling 911 from owners’ pockets on rollercoastersNew iPhones which can detect car crashes and notify emergency services appear confused by thrill rides
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, October 12, 2022