BagOfNothing.com

Any cookie with M&M’s is an over-rated cookie.

I love how Better Call Saul is a slow burn. It’s a great way to wind down a Monday.

My place of employment is having a Bring Your Child to Work Day via Zoom this Wednesday. They will be making a craft and will be asked to provide their name, age, hobbies they enjoy, and describe what your parent’s job. Gulp.

The staff at a doctor’s office will often annoy me as I feel a lot are condescending and cathartically enjoy the power trip. I have an appointment tomorrow and was asked to bring in a 16-month-old MRI scan which is on a DVD, but that isn’t possible since the appointment changed from being on location to the phone. The office worker, in a matter of fact kinda tone, told me to fax it.

Are doctor office staff members also considered to be heroes? Should they be included in my thoughts when I see a white ribbon tied to a tree?

We compared top Google searches during the same weeks in 2019 and 2020 to see what has and hasn’t changed.

Yesterday I wrote about the challenge it must be to unseat an incumbent. I find it funny I didn’t even consider the presidential election when it came to mind. I was thinking like Senate, House, and statewide office elections. Compare MJ Hegar to Beto’s run against Cruz two years ago. Beto was able to travel county to country and meet and greet a lot of Texans – selfies, rallies, door-to-door, etc. At this point in his campaign he was well known to many Texans. Compare it to Hegar, and I doubt many Texans can tell you the name of Cornyn’s opponent. The challenge of getting coverage over anything COVID-19 is tremendous.

George Packer, Staff writer for The Atlantic – We Are Living in a Failed State – The coronavirus didn’t break America. It revealed what was already broken.

Note not sure why, but this one sentence, which isn’t profound, stopped me down and had me pondering for a while, “This is the third major crisis of the short 21st century.”

How could he be so blind to everything on the right? https://t.co/KL2nTlxFaz

— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) April 19, 2020

In Peter King’s Monday column, he linked to a Boston Globe article which is behind a paywall.  It’s about what the future of arena and stadium crowds will look like.

Decontamination of stands will have to become a staple of stadium operations. Hand sanitizer will become omnipresent in concourses. Cleaning staffs would have to be vigilant about the “high-touch” areas of facilities — including railings (both in stands and on escalators) and elevator buttons. Might there be a requirement for spectators to wear masks? If so, masks with team logos might replace caps or jerseys as the most frequently seen form of team apparel. With diminished crowds, it’s possible some of the standard issues at sporting events of overcrowded restrooms would be resolved. Still, teams might restrict the number of people in a restroom at any given time.

It’s a quintessential part of the stadium experience: A hot dog passed from vendor to fan to fan to fan, with cash flowing back in the other direction. In all likelihood, that familiar ritual will be gone. “They’ll have to have no stadium vendors,” said [Smith College economics professor Andrew] Zimbalist. “They’re not going to have people passing hot dogs down or passing anything down. That has to stop.”

Enormous bottlenecks form after games as people try to rush home, which could create considerable stresses on the public health infrastructure — not only for the sports venue, but also for surrounding neighborhoods and public transportation systems. It’s possible those bottlenecks would be resolved by a diminished number of fans attending events, as well as by self-policing habits. Facilities might also need to control the pace of departures from each zone of the park.

Florida police enforcing social distancing rules find Pennsylvania murder suspect sitting on beach

Tom Brady was thrown out of park by a Tampa recreation worker – Mayor Jane Castor says the Bucs quarterback was working out in a closed park.

Netflix adds a ‘screen lock’ feature to prevent accidental pauses – It can be frustrating to accidentally tap a button and mess up playback when watching Netflix on your phone. Thankfully, Netflix is rolling out a new feature for Android devices that tries to prevent that.

Back, and to the left… back, and to the left… back, and to the left.

A Woman’s Breast Implants Saved Her Life From a Gunshot, Doctors Say – Doctors say a woman’s silicone breast implants deflected what could have been a fatal bullet, stopping it from reaching her heart. Amazingly, this is not the first time such a thing has been reported in the medical literature.

Wow. I’m what you call a little slow. Not until now have I put together that Wayne Knight, “Newman” in Seinfeld, was in JFK. I watched the movie before watching the “Second Spitter” episode, never watching it again, and never put together he was in Oliver Stone’s JFK. Now, I see why it’s iconically funny.

Stunt school students do a little homework.

Back in October 2018, a nationwide text alert from President Trump was sent out as a test. I wonder if it will ever be utilized. As big and widespread as this COVID-19 pandemic has been, it’s almost a surprise it hasn’t been used.

I think it’s going to be next to impossible to unseat an incumbent politician of the opposition can’t interact with voters. I’m not sure how well any of them can make an emotional connection via digital means.

There’s an effort to tie white ribbons around trees as a sign of support for our healthcare workers. I like the idea of supporting them, but I think the ribbon concept is silly. No one will ever remover them, they’ll eventually wither, become an eyesore, and then blow away and become litter. I always thought it odd when it comes to these things. It seems like something people do to make themselves feel good about themselves as opposed to actually doing something which supports healthcare workers, troops, or whoever’s efforts.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an order allowing online marriages, as many weddings are canceled under lockdown restrictions.

Pregnant Georgia woman gives birth during a car wreck then can’t find baby

Never-built prototype for Ford Mustang station wagon, 1966: pic.twitter.com/yj2sVohQgk

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) April 17, 2020

Man in Search of Rare 1969 Mustang Boss 302 Prototype Discovers He Already Owns It

What a great story.

https://twitter.com/leefeiner/status/1251954668307197952

Efficient tree planting.

A Louisiana pastor who defied coronavirus orders is asking people to give their stimulus money to the church

I finally sold my fireplace mantle yesterday. I’ll count that as a Win/Win all around. The man who bought it from me is going to gift it to his sister in Houston, which for you non-locals, is about 250-miles away.

I yearn for the days when the biggest news in the area was when all locals were rushing out to get a picture next to the Leaning Tower of Dallas.

I’d like the see the producers and technical folks for The Simpsons make a new episode without the use of the voice actors, just relying on voices recorded from all previous episodes.

The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks, which it’s never manufactured

#OTD in 1945, HST wrote a 14-page letter to his mother & sister, detailing his swearing-in as President & first days in office. We recently digitized these copies, as Mary Jane destroyed the originals. #Truman75 https://t.co/lP9CQcXMsq pic.twitter.com/CPLMSIWNcL

— Truman Library (@TrumanLibrary) April 16, 2020

What a fantastic piece of history. A firsthand, hand-written account to close family, of what it was like being informed you are now the president of the United States. Thankfully, the Truman Library transcribed the handwriting. I’ve included some highlights below, but I get a kick out of the envelope. Truman, the simple man that he was, handwrote the return address, and notice the lack of a street address. Why no ZIP code? Well, two years prior to the date on the letter, only large cities had ZIP codes, they didn’t become nationwide 1963. I also find it noble act of his sister burning the originals as a way to protect her big brother. And I found it noble of him paying his apartment rent for the current and following month.

• When I arrived at the Pennsylvania entrance to the most famous house in America a couple of ushers met me, bowed and scraped and took my hat; and then took me up to Mrs. Roosevelt’s study on the second floor.Mrs. Roosevelt put her arm on my shoulder and said “Harry, the President is dead.”It was the only time in my life I think, that I ever felt like I’d had a real shock. I had hurried to the White House to see the President and when I arrived I found I was the President. No one in history of our country ever had it happen to him just that way.
• I asked Mrs. Roosevelt what I could do, and she asked me what she could do to help me.
• Mrs. R. said she wanted to fly to Warm Springs that evening and did I think it would be proper for her to use a government plane. I told here that as soon as I was sworn in I would order that all the facilities of the Government should be at her command until the funeral was over. That wasn’t necessary but it made her feel that her using the plane was all right.
• We then had to survey around and find a Bible for me to put my hand upon to take the oath. They finally found one. If I’d known what was afoot I’d have used Grandpa Truman’s Bible which was in my office bookcase.
• This afternoon we moved to this house, diagonally across the street (Penna. Ave.) from the White House, until the Roosevelts have had time to move out of the White House. We tried staying at the apartment but it wouldn’t work. I can’t move without at least ten secret service men and twenty policemen. People who lived in our apartment couldn’t get in and out without a pass. So — we moved out with suitcases. Our furniture is still there and will be for time. But I’ve paid the rent for this month and will pay for another mother if they don’t get the old White House redecorated by that time.
• Mrs. Roosevelt told Bess & me that it is infected with rats!

Testing The Strength Of Different 3-D Printed Bridge Designs With A Hydraulic Press

We had design competition where our viewers designed their own bridge designs that we printed out and tested with the 40 ton press and 20 ton force sensor. All test items are printed using PLA plastic with 0.15mm layer height

This has happened to me way more than I’d like to admit. I’ll receive an invitation to a meet or event from my work email and I’ll forward it to my personal email so I can put it on my personal calendar. I’ll soon notice that I just received a new email and check it only to forget I was the one who sent it.

While Small Operations Struggle, Chains Land PPP Loans – The Relief Funds Have Flowed To Operations Such As Ruth’s Chris And Potbelly.

While mom-and-pops struggle to get a loan through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), a number of sizable restaurant chains are cashing multimillion-dollar checks from the relief initiative, a cornerstone of federal efforts to help small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis.

The parent of the Ruth’s Chris steakhouse chain collected $20 million by applying through each of two subsidiaries. Taco Cabana qualified for a $10 million loan, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop landed a $10 million loan, the largest advance permitted per applicant under the PPP.

The approach taken by Ruth’s Chris’ parent—having subsidiaries each seek a loan—is likely to be followed by other big restaurant companies, according to Stifel, a brokerage and investment banker. It aired the possibility in a communication to clients that Chili’s Grill & Bar parent Brinker International might take that route to secure $100 million in PPP loans.

I love this idea, one big national commencement address, but I’d extend it to include all current and former presidents. If I were advising the current president, I’d have him out in front of this and issue a press release that understanding this unprecedented even, the president would like to speak to all upcoming high school and college graduates.

Hi @BarackObama! Like most high school/college seniors, I’m saddened by the loss of milestone events, prom & graduation. In an unprecedented time, it would give us great comfort to hear your voice. We ask you to consider giving a national commencement speech to the class of 2020.

— Lincoln (@lincolnjackd) April 15, 2020

I also appreciated his response to this one reply.

Ticket revenue is 75 percent of the money for college football. It’s 15 percent of the money for the NFL. That’s why it doesn’t pay for college to play without a crowd and it does pay for the NFL to play anyway.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 15, 2020

March 2020 was the first March without a school shooting in the U.S. since 2002

For most of those students, this is one of the longest stretches in their lifetimes without a school shooting. As first reported on Twitter by Washington Post reporter Robert Klemko, there hasn’t been a March without a school shooting since 2002 — the year most current high school seniors were born.

Dallas-area Food Banks Are Seeing Unprecedented Demand

That article is about a week old, but it made me feel better about having that check I received from the Trump support go straight to the North Texas Food Bank.

Wait for it.

Explosion at the Verso Mill in Jay, Maine on Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Spring Breakers Viciously Defend Themselves Online After COVID-19 Outbreak – After 44 spring breakers from the University of Texas tested positive, angry students (and at least one parent) ignited a backlash involving legal threats and a lecture from Matthew McConaughey.

Time to vent about some disappointment.

As many of you know, I have the privilege of serving as one of six trustees of a $2,500 memorial scholarship set up by the mother of my friend who was to be the best man at my wedding. He died a week prior to our wedding. When I say “our wedding”, I’m referring to the ceremony of matrimony between me and WifeGeeding, not me and five dudes I went to college with. Each spring, we get together to select a recipient from a graduating senior of the high school he graduated from and the school district he was employed by at the time of his death.

For the past 15-years, we’ve awarded a scholarship. However, we won’t be this year. Not because of COVID-19, but because not one single graduating senior took the time to apply. I could give them the benefit of the doubt that things are chaotic, but there was ample time to apply before this COVID-19 crisis started.

In an attempt to make some lemonade out of these lemons, we’re considering making a donation to a local cause or something benefiting the senior class. While looking up contact information for the school counselors I saw they maintain their own blog. One it, they have a list of scholarships, two actually. One is a junior achievement scholarship and the other is a memorial scholarship. Count me as disappointed that our scholarship isn’t listed, we’ve only awarded 15 straight scholarships to a graduating senior of their high school in honor of a former employee and graduate. I haven’t and don’t on mentioning my disappointment to them, I’d rather be passive-aggressive about it and vent on my blog.

A counselor and the vice-principal did respond to my email about a local organization we could donate to. I researched the organization and saw that it awards scholarships to graduating seniors and was set up about five years ago. To my surprise, when I looked at their criteria and application process, it’s almost identical to what we used for the first 13 years of our scholarship, even the wording is eerily similar. I’m not upset by this, I just thought it was a little peculiar and found humor in it all. We revamped our application process and modified the criteria two years ago so that the applicant can submit via the website. One reason we changed it is because we bickered each year over the wording of what we were asking from the applicants, so I’m left to wonder if this organization is experiencing any of the frustration we had.