Bag of Randomness for Thursday, May 12, 2022

  • A long-time loyal reader gave me a huge laugh yesterday afternoon. Y’all know how much I hate wind chimes. Oh, I loath them and can rant for days about it. To my surprise, he had Amazon deliver one to me. Bravo, great joke! I immediately sent him a thank-you text, and his reply was almost as good as the initial joke.
  • Random memory – Umbro shorts. I never wore any. I think they were more for girls.
  • Not only was this a gift within a gift, but the memories will last a lifetime – Northeast Philly Catholic school accidentally sold Mother’s Day flowers stuffed with thongs
    • St. Anselm School, at 12650 Dunks Ferry Road in the Parkwood neighborhood, which serves about 250 students from pre-K through eighth grade, mistakenly sold fake roses that had red thongs folded inside the flowers. One St. Anselm family shared the discovery on social media – and the mom and dad didn’t seem too upset by it.School officials explained that the roses were purchased under the impression that they were suitable for Mother’s Day. The school didn’t realize they were frisky Valentine’s Day gifts obviously intended for adults, and not ideal for an elementary school, let alone a Catholic school.
  • Ransomware has gone down because sanctions against Russia are making life harder for attackers – The number of ransomware attacks has gone down in recent months because sanctions against Russia are making it harder for cyber criminals to organise attacks and receive ransom payments, Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency (NSA), has revealed. 
  • It’s such a sad and crazy world we live in – North Texas teen who went missing from Mavs game was advertised and sold for sex in Oklahoma City. Her family says many people could’ve stopped it.
  • This happened in Luxembourg, and I will sheepishly admit I thought was a city and not an entire country – Dance teacher asked to apply for “stripper, escort” position in job agency blunder
  • Unfortunately, there’s a paywall. I feel like the intro make help some of those who just don’t understand why some folks just love talking about BBQ – The unspoken legacy of Black barbecue: 12 D-FW restaurants that are ‘guarding tradition’
    • I’ve begun examining Black-owned restaurants with time-honored traditions in D-FW that have one singular focus, and in doing so I have rediscovered my familiarity with what perhaps is one of the South’s greatest exports — not cotton, not rice, but barbecue. For me, barbecue has always provided an intangible closeness with my family. We may not have been the best communicators, but I don’t think an argument ever continued over a plate of ribs. When words fail us, barbecue — or rather, the act of standing over a pit and watching the fire subside — has been an emotional pull that helps us recount our past.
  • I got a kick out of these series of tweets, and you will took if you have been keeping up with the costs of housing and familiar with pop-culture.

    https://twitter.com/floraoddchild/status/1522989505975930880

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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, May 11, 2022

  • Last night was DaughterGeeding’s softball team’s first and only playoff game. Yup, they lost. But I’m proud of her for challenging herself, playing in a sport she knew nothing about and with none of her close friends. Since she’s at a charter school, the league is weird. For instance, and as I mentioned, she’s a sixth-grader playing against juniors and seniors in high school.
  • The game prior to her game got intense, with parents coming out of the stands trying to get up close to the umpire. The coach for those parents had to come out of the dugout and talk the crowd down. I started to record just in case something really got out of hand.
  • It appears one girl in the game last night tore her ACL. She said she heard and felt a loud pop. This was very telling. It was our coach who went to check on her and literally carry her to her dugout while her coach watched. It was surreal.
  • I learned our coach will sometimes speak Spanish to our Spanish-speaking players because he noticed it calms them down and they perform better. He said he first noticed it when Spanish-speaking parents would root for their children in Spanish and not in English.
  • Because DaughterGeeding and BoyGeeding had games at the same time, there was no way both parents could attend each. Again, with my ex not there, I had a great time interacting and getting to know the other parents. When she’s there, I feel I must guard and keep to myself, otherwise she might accuse me of harassment.
  • On Monday, Jake on The TICKET said he gifted his wife a wind chime for Mother’s Day. Longtime readers know I hate the wind chime with extreme prejudice. After letting it hang outside for one day, he went on a huge rant on how annoying, nerve-wracking, and inconsiderate they are.
  • Yesterday when I picked up DaughterGeeding from school, a random kid walked up to me and said, “Sir, I just wanted to say thank you for your service.” I had to level with him and tell him I never served, but my dad served enough for all of us and I’ll take what he said as way too honor my dad.
  • I’m not sure why, but the term “bucket list” annoys me. I think I used to like it until the movie by the same name came out. Well, on my list, I’ve always wanted to stay at a Ritz-Carlton. In college, I did a case study on them for both my undergrad and graduate degree and was heavily impressed. Yesterday, I realized I can potentially mark that item off the list because my employer will reimburse me up to $5,000 on a vacation as a reward for being with them for ten years. I looked up the D.C. location, but it seems not to be centrally located to all the places we want to visit.
  • I donated blood last week. Two benefits of doing so are you get tested and results for covid-antibodies and your cholesterol. For years, I fought high cholesterol numbers. Every time I’d get it tested, at least twice a year, I would let my wife know. I thought she would care, look at it as an opportunity to bond, and I wanted to share a health concern I’ve been battling. She would always comment, usually something generic, like asking if it was better than last time. But one day it hit me, despite me telling her every time I got my lab results for the past 15 years, she never knew what constituted as good or bad cholesterol. Looking back, I’m surprised, but not, that she never took the time to ask or clarify. The worst part is feeling placated. For instance, she used to talk to me about ARDs at the school where she taught. I had no idea what they were, but one time I asked and she explained that “ARD” is an acronym for Admission, Review and Dismissal, and it deals with student eligibility. I asked because I was interested and cared about what was going on in her life. Looking back, I now understand she never took the time to ask because she simply didn’t care. Welp, now I know what to look for in the next relationship.
  • In case you are wondering, my blood is o-positive.
  • Yesterday was Bono’s 62nd birthday. U2 fans mark the occasion by donating money for water wells to be dug in Africa. Yesterday the band announced he’s written a new memoir. I don’t think I’m going to read it, but if the audio book is anything like what’s below I’ll all for what. I really wish the whole thing was animated like this sample. I’d be all over that.

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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

  • Some days you just want to kick back and crank up some Wilson Phillips to 11.
  • The man who has been mentoring me through my divorce, as he had a similar divorce decades ago, revealed to me he’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Man, bum deal.
  • I think I was the only person in the U.S. not interested in that escaped convict and that law enforcement official he had a relationship with.
  • I think everyone likes that Jake from State Farm guy.
  • Things that are still around that surprise me – Amway, Barbara Eden and Feldon, Bob Barker, Angela Lansbury
  • It will be interesting to see who will win between Trump and DeSantis in the Republican primary.
  • I wish I was appointed ambassador of french fries. I’d start a holy war against tater tots. First, I’d send in the crinkle fries, followed by a battalion of curly fries, and finishing the mission with a regimen of waffle fries. I’d then start diplomacy talks with onion-rings. And later, baked potatoes. But I know my limits. No way am I taking on mashed potatoes.
  • New Poll Shows Texas Republicans Believe Christians, White People Most Discriminated Against
  • Texas National Guard Soldiers Trying to Unionize – When Governor Greg Abbott took immigration policy into his own hands, sending ten thousand troops to the border, not everyone went along.
  • At least East Texas is no longer a major part of my life – A Fundamentalist East Texas Church Bought a Sawmill. Injuries and Child Labor Violations Began to Pile Up.
  • I always wanted to try an open-mic night – Standup comedy course for men at risk of suicide wins NHS funding –  Comedy On Referral will help vulnerable adults in London after successful course in Bristol for trauma survivors
    • Standup comedy is regularly listed as one of the toughest jobs in the world, featuring heavily in 90% of people’s top 10 fears. But a course helping some of the most vulnerable people in the country by teaching them to be comedians is proving so successful that it is being socially prescribed by NHS trusts and private practices across the country.“I’ve taught comedy for 10 years, and students often told me how much stronger, more resilient and happier they were after exploring their personal histories through standup comedy,” said Angie Belcher, founder of Comedy on Referral and comedian-in-residence at Bristol University.“That inspired me to prove that the models, exercises and games used in a standup comedy course can help people to recover from emotional problems such as mental illness, postnatal depression, PTSD and anxiety disorders,” she said.
  • Haley Taylor Schlitz isn’t old enough to buy a beer, but she is set to become Southern Methodist University’s youngest-ever law school graduate, at just 19 years old.
  • Couple live aboard cruise ships after calculating it makes more ‘financial sense’ than a mortgage – After crunching the numbers, the couple, in their 50s, realised they could live the rest of their lives hopping from cruise ship to cruise ship – for as little as $A62 ($43 U.S. dollars) each a day.
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Bag of Randomness for Monday, May 9, 2022

  • I was not aware of how muscular Willie Mays was. He’s currently our oldest greatest baseball player.
  • The new pharmacist in town is an Anna Kendrick doppelganger. As a matter of fact, when I first saw her, I wondered if I was on one of those Candid-Camera/Punked shows. When asked how often does she get mistaken for the adorable actress, she said it happened that morning. While standing in line at a Starbucks, a young girl approached her, asking for a selfie and saying how much she likes her Cups song. If you want to know my pharmacy, here’s a hint: It’s the northernmost pharmacy in Coppell.
  • In high school, I had a friend claim he poked a needle through a condom packaged in his cousin’s wallet because he hated his cousin.I think his cousin was half the responsible party to one particular teenage-pregnancy that occurred. That story came to mind after reading this article –  Germany: Woman sentenced for poking holes in partner’s condoms
  • Years ago, I was considering getting a vasectomy. At the time, the then wife wanted no more children. But one thing held me back. What if a certain fateful event happened that changed my mind? I heard there are often complications with reversals. For once, I’m glad I didn’t lay my balls out there.
  • the On Tuesday, BoyGeeding and DaughterGeeding both have games at the same time in two different cities. Their mother sent me a message asking how I would like to handle this. Remember, she told the judge that I’m controlling and manipulative, and has pending litigation against me to further restrict my access to our children. She won’t have a discussion with me, with a third party present, and won’t provide me answers or examples on how she thought I was controlling and manipulative. As much as I would like to propose win/win propositions, I can’t provide her my thoughts and ideas in order to protect myself, as well as my continued access to the children. I wish we could be more collaborative with things concerning our children.

  • I thought of my daughter and her struggles about thinking of ending her life when this 60 Minutes segment aired last night – Suicide, self-harm, depression and anxiety rates rising among U.S. kids
    • If we were all living together as a family under one roof, I would have called my daughter and wife in the room to watch this segment together. I’d then ask my daughter if she could identify or relate with the nine-year-old in this story and have a heart-to-heart. Divorce prevents such things.
  • Man, I thought this was a good question and one I’d love to have sitting around a campfire with my closest friends. Brady is obvious, but my heart says no since he benefits from rule changes. Sentimentally I want to say Jordan. But I think the correct answer is Michael Phelps. Serena Williams and I think Carl Lewis should at least be part of the conversation.
  • The actor who provided the voice of the snowman in Frozen shared a unique coincident.

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