Your Bag of Nothing for Friday, April 4, 2025

 

  • I didn’t plan my day very well, which meant I had little time to blog. I’m sorry, I just threw this together. But, I’m happy to report I received my first full paycheck since DOGE let me go on February 14.
  • Nice save!

  • One of my favorite SNL episodes was when Val Kilmer hosted with U2 as the musical guest. Perhaps the best skit was Val reprising Iceman from Top Gun after his Navy years.

  • I’m definitely looking forward to this.

  • And yes, I’m also looking forward to this. Although I bet it’s going to be cruder than I’d like. But, I do like how they honored the original cast at the end of this clip, even OJ.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Your Bag of Nothing for Friday, April 4, 2025

Your Bag of Nothing for Thursday, April 3, 2025

  • Night Vision Temptation: When Your Inner Child Takes the WheelThe other day, while browsing Woot, I stumbled upon a pair of night vision goggles priced at just over a hundred dollars. Let me be perfectly clear: I had absolutely no need for night vision goggles, nor was I remotely shopping for such a device. But man, were they cool.My inner 12-year-old immediately perked up, whispering persuasive arguments about tactical advantages and backyard adventures. For a solid twenty minutes, I found myself transfixed by the screen, mentally constructing elaborate justifications for why this impulse purchase wasn’t just reasonable but practically necessary. “Think of the wildlife you could observe at night!” my inner child insisted. “Imagine exploring the backyard in complete darkness!” “What if there’s a power outage?” “You can be the cool dad with all the great toys they can borrow.” “You’ve worked hard—you deserve this!”The adult part of my brain struggled valiantly against these arguments, but the temptation was fierce. Who among us hasn’t briefly considered becoming the neighborhood’s nocturnal scout?
  • A heartbreaking incident unfolded at what should have been a regular high school sporting event in Texas.Man says son was stabbed in the heart at Texas track meet, died in twin’s armsFRISCO, Texas – The Frisco police said one student was killed, and another student is in custody after two students got into a fight on Wednesday at the UIL District 11-5A Championship track meet.

  • My church has been holding a small dinner and Lent event. When I attended last week, one person who has known me for about a year told me, “There’s a lot of pain in your heart. I can see it in your eyes, and hear it in your voice.” I’ve been chewing on that observation for a while.

    Last night, we focused on brokenness. One person remarked, “It’s one of those words you’ll only hear in church, we don’t use it in everyday conversation.” That same person then turned to me and said I have every right to slap her after she finished talking, but she could tell I carry a lot of brokenness.

    All of this was a bit of an epiphany for me. We discussed how brokenness and suffering aren’t things that should be ranked or compared. And we should bring our wounds to the presence of God so they can become part of our healing.

    We were then handed flash paper, something I was unfamiliar with. Flash paper is thin paper treated with nitrocellulose, which makes it burn quickly and completely with a bright flame, leaving behind no smoke or ash. We were instructed to write anything we felt broken about on the paper, take it to the altar, light it to give it to God, and be free, letting go of our suffering. I recorded a brief 17-second video of the experience. The experience was pretty moving, especially since no residue or any ash was left of the paper. I’ve been reflecting on what she told me, “There’s nothing left to see. It’s gone. You don’t have that anymore. It’s not yours.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Your Bag of Nothing for Thursday, April 3, 2025

Your Bag of Nothing for Wednesday, April 2, 2025

  • The last time I checked, “Keith” is a one-syllable name. But that wasn’t true according to the customer service representative who helped me on the phone yesterday.
  • My internet service provider bill reached as high as $85 a month. I called to see if they could give me any sort of discount for being a loyal customer who always pays before the due date, or if I should start looking at some competitors, because that seems high. They knocked it down to $21.99 for a year.
  • My trivia team was in first place going into the Wager of Death, which is like Final Jeopardy. From largest to smallest, put the following in order:
    • Number of performances of the longest-running Shakespeare play on Broadway. (296, Othello)
    • Total number of deaths in all of Shakespeare’s plays. (Across Shakespeare’s 38 plays, there are a total of 74 deaths, including staged and off-screen deaths)
    • Total number of Shakespeare’s sonnets (154)
    • And I can’t remember the fourth. But we bet zero, and still didn’t place.
  • I heard an HHS employee who was on probation talk about how she was let go by DOGE. She said she received an email stating her position was “Abolished.” Yes, that specific word was used. She said that opening that email triggered the deactivation of her badge.
  • I think Senator Chuck Schumer’s days of leadership are numbered. This year is not going anywhere near what he thought it would be. He had a book tour that got cancelled because of his crashing popularity and likability.  I’m getting the sense there’s some behind-the-scenes movement within the party to boot him. Granted, this is just a Teen Vogue article, but I’m getting a feeling that it’s becoming a movement, akin to how Biden was replaced after the debate, but to a lesser degree.
  • I may detest the guy, but I can appreciate the humor
  • Trump Proposed Eliminating Social Security Taxes. Here’s the Bill That Could Make It Happen – President Donald Trump has promised seniors they will no longer pay taxes on Social Security. Can he deliver?
  • McAllen, Texas – Inside ‘fattest city in US’ where nearly half of the population is obese – The ‘fattest city in the US’ has been named, with one location in particular having a staggering 44.9% of adults who are obese – and it might not be entirely their fault
  • Mississippi governor signs typo tax overhaul bill into law to phase out income tax
    • Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill to overhaul Mississippi’s tax system — one that many lawmakers inadvertently voted for because of typos — into law on Thursday. This sets Mississippi on a path to become the first state to eliminate an existing income tax, when the tax is phased out in about 14 years. Reeves said the law marks a turning point in the state’s history and that it would make Mississippi a magnet for corporate investment and workers from other states.
  • Members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council have conducted government business over personal Gmail accounts, according to documents reviewed by The Post and interviews with U.S. officials.
  • Obama Photobomb.

  • She confused her Stones when stating LBJ was responsible for JFK’s assassination.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Your Bag of Nothing for Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Your Bag of Nothing for Monday, April 1, 2025

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Your Bag of Nothing for Monday, April 1, 2025