Bag of Randomness

  • I griped about my PayPal dilemma the other day, and now I have a new gripe about another transaction.  I found out about that PayPal unauthorized transaction because I checked the balance on the bank account I have linked to my PayPal account before making a $150 purchase on Overstock.com.  Instead of using PayPal because of that snafu about the unauthorized transaction, I decided to use the debit card for that bank account.  After making the purchase, I checked the account the next day only to find that I was charged twice for the transaction, leaving my available balance pretty darn low.
  • Yes, that means I’m waiting for a $199.99 refund from PayPal, and now I’m waiting for $150 refund from Overstock.com.  It’s funny how companies can take money out of an account almost instantly, but it takes about five business days for funds to be refunded.
  • I called Overstock and they told me they would look into it, and later in the day they contacted me to say that there were two pending pre-authorizations placed on my debit card but they will only collect the funds once, that it will look like a double charge, but assure me that only once transaction was processed.  OK, I somewhat almost kinda sorta understand that, but when they perform the two pending pre-authorizations, they basically took out $300 for a $150 purchase.  So once again, I wonder what would happen if I didn’t have double the funds available and an overdraft fee was charged to my account from my bank.  And I don’t really understand the need to double dip me only to decrease my available funds, and then decide to only charge me once.
  • PayPal, Overstock.com . . . you are on notice.
  • I heard Obama not only called Coach K and congratulated him on his team’s victory, but he also spoke to the Butler team via speakerphone.
  • Several of my readers have recommended the movie W. to me, and I’m guessing that’s because it’s showing on Showtime.  I have it recorded, but just haven’t got around to it.
  • Every year April 4 rolls around and I always feel like I’m forgetting something about that day, and then a few days later I’m reminded how it’s part of a U2 song.
  • I ate at Bubba’s for the first time yesterday, it’s basically a fast food version of Babe’s.
  • Web-based email clients like Hotmail and GMail need to have some sort of urban legend filter or application.  I get easily annoyed when people forward me that crap.  It’s amazing what some people will just believe.
  • I’m going to be a new dad pretty soon, but the one thing I absolutely don’t want to hear is someone telling how to do things or that I’m doing things wrong.  Yes, all this is new to me, and I certainly don’t know it all, and I’m willing to be taught, but at the same time, let  me learn from my mistakes, and I can guarantee-damn-sure-you that I won’t do anything to harm my child.
  • People mean well when they say my daughter is going to have me wrapped around her finger, but I’m seriously considering pepper-spraying the next person that says that to me.  Personally, I find it insulting.  Yes, that girl is going to melt my heart, but that comment tends to hint that fathers are easily manipulated and aren’t very smart, much like how many fathers are portrayed in televisions and movies today.  Like I say, I know people mean well, but I find it insulting.
  • I can’t remember if I mentioned that Home Depot just allowed me to just exchange my new weedeater for another one because of that battery issue.  All that to say I’m going to try the new one out later today.  Yea springtime . . . yea yardwork!
  • Obama indicated that he was black when filling out the Census.  I admit, I was stumped filling out the Census as there wasn’t a category I felt comfortable checking for my mixed race.  When choosing a race, I almost feel like I’m forced to choose one of my parents over the other.
  • Speaking of my race, there’s casting for a Jersey Shore kind of show for Asian-Americans.  Oh boy, as if we aren’t stereotyped enough.
  • I’m looking forward to Tina Fey hosting SNL.
  • Tiger sure did sound refreshed during his press conference.
  • I’m not sure how I would feel if I new all eyes were on me like Tiger on the golf course.  You know, every now and then you just have to scratch your nose, which might look like a pick, and then you are left just looking silly.  Or what if you underwear starts to ride up and you need to make an adjustment with millions of people watching – it’s hard to pull that off and look cool.
  • It’s been so windy here in North Texas that I’m certain if I installed wind tower for power that the electric company would end up owing me money.
  • I’ve done a lot of painting touch-up around the house as of late.
  • There’s a park in Coppell that use to have a sign that said “Andy Brown Park”, now it says “Andrew Brown Park”.  I wonder why the name was changed when the new sign went up.
  • There’s just something about watching a dog dream.
  • I haven’t watched V since it came back on, and for some reason I don’t think I’m missing anything.
  • A guy at work stopped my and asked my why I never stop by his cube for chit-chat.  Yeah, that was awkward.
  • Steve Jobs leaving an Apple store
  • I wonder if I will be able to hear the Texas Stadium implosion from my house.
  • America, if you prefer Kate Gosselin to Buzz Aldrin, I don’t know what to do with you.
  • If San Fransisco were flat
  • I applaud you Senator Tom Coburn.
  • Grace.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Gov Good Hair Sponsors a Race Car

Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s re-election campaign said Tuesday that he’s sponsoring Bobby Labonte’s car for the April 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Perry and Labonte were at a suburban Dallas car dealership Tuesday to unveil the car. It has the words “Governor Perry” painted on the hood, the campaign’s Web address emblazoned on the sides and the message “Perry Governor 2010” on its back.

OK.  I thought a campaign sponsoring a car was a bit cheesy, but here comes the real cheese:

Perry says Labonte’s driving reminds him of Texas’ strong economy.

ESPN Dallas

Posted in Political, Texas | 1 Comment

This will be one of BabyGeeding’s first meals

As parents, we are always looking for a competitive edge for our children. Research about the importance of high protein/high fat diets for early stage infant brain development recently caught our attention. According to Dr. Bill Sears, author of the groundbreaking book The Nutrition Deficit Disorder, in a recent article on Brain Foods:

The most rapid brain growth occurs during the first year of life, with the infant’s brain tripling in size by the first birthday. During this stage of rapid central nervous system growth, the brain uses sixty percent of the total energy consumed by the infant, and the brain itself is sixty percent fat. Fats are major components of the brain cell membrane and the myelin sheath around each nerve. So, it makes sense that getting enough fat and the right kinds of fat can greatly affect brain development and performance. In fact, during the first year, around fifty percent of an infant’s daily calories come from fat.

This got our brains spinning. What about using bacon (which is 65% fat) to deliver these proteins and fats? we thought. Yet babies are not able to consume this most delicious of meats because they lack teeth and digestive systems that can break down solid foods.

So we consulted with pediatricians and began to experiment with drying and grinding bacon into a fine powder, then applying a patent-pending process to concentrate this powder into the most essential nutrients and ingredients for brain development. This potential infant superfood was then added to a test subject’s infant formula.

The results were absolutely impressive. By the age of 4 months, our test subject started to exhibit some amazing abilities including walking and talking. By 6 months of age, she could read and memorize her early stage children’s books and showed an extreme level of coordination and balance – so much so that she was enrolled in gymnastics and ballet with children 5 years older than she was! At two years old, she read her first 300 page book, memorized the Declaration of Independence and (this is absolutely true) began composing her first symphony.

Numerous other tests with similar results – including a very interesting A-B test using twins of an anonymous but very famous celebrity couple – have proven this formula to be just as effective at accelerating brain development in early stage infants.

Based on this and a lot of other research, we developed our newest product, Bacon Baby Infant Formula. It ensures that your infants get the fat, proteins and complex nutrients that they need to excel at an early age, all in a savory, delicious tasting formula.

Link

Posted in Goofy | 4 Comments