Bag of Randomness

  • WifeGeeding and I went to the “good” Braum’s for a little dessert on Friday night.  An old man limping with a cane walked in nice and slow, sat in the booth in front of us, laid out two dollars, and sat back comfortably.  In a few minutes a manager and a female coworker came by with some ice cream and a cup of water, both of them greeted the man by calling him Harold, and then they carried on some small talk with him.  Apparently he’s been doing this a while.  And I think this proves that even in a large metropolitan city, sometimes you can go to a place where everyone knows your name.
  • IKEA hasn’t changed much since 1965
  • For fans of the television show The Office, here are some spoiler pictures.
  • I noticed in Barry’s blog that some flag poles were not set to half-staff in our area.  That thought entered my mine as I drove around Saturday by several businesses that still had their flags at full-staff.  WifeGeeding thinks it wasn’t intentional, I hope she’s right, but this Star Telegram article makes me think differently.
  • The Ted Kennedy graveside service was quite poignant.  Cardinal Emeritus Theodore McCarrick’s words were very touching, and I was very moved as he read the senator’s letter to the pope, and the Vatican’s response.  I thought those letters would never be revealed.  Kennedy’s letter was almost like a letter to God, and to hear it read right before he is put into the earth just makes it all the more moving.
  • Imagine just how hard and emotional it would be to write a letter to God (or even the pope) as you know you are living your last days asking for grace and admitting your faults.
  • I’m fascinated with Catholic tradition and ritual.  I wish I had a Catholic priest or expert with me during the funeral to answer all my questions.  For instance, during the begging of the funeral the coffin was draped in an American flag and was brought halfway down the church aisle.  The honor guard removed the flag (I wonder where the flag was placed during the ceremony?  And I don’t think it was folded into a triangle.) and then the Kennedy family placed a white cloth that covered the entire coffin.  I’ve seen the white cloth on the coffin before, but sometimes there’s a different color stripe on the cloth.  Then there was other ritual things performed using instruments I’m unfamiliar with.  It’ all just quite fascinating, and makes for one classy service.
  • The 49’ers should have never changed jersey’s.  What they wore on Saturday night is what they look best in.
  • I turned 34 yesterday.  WifeGeeding got me one of the following:
    • A manicure/pedicure gift certificate.
    • A traditional straight razor shave gift certificate.
    • A gift certificate for a massage.
    • A 1080P HD projector.
    • A Bob’s Steak and Chophouse gift certificate.
  • She also got me a Baskin Robbin’s ice cream cake.  Mmmmmm.
  • I was lucky enough to have lunch with a couple of my good friends and my wife on my birthday.
  • I usually have a hard time enjoying my birthday.
  • An old roommate from college called and talked to me on my birthday.  It was a long conversation, and I loved every minute of it.  I can’t tell you how much a simple phone call meant to me.
  • Speaking of phone calls, my family from Vietnam even called to wish me a happy birthday.
  • When both of your parents are dead, your birthdays are just ‘different.’
  • Grace
Posted in Personal | 2 Comments

West Texas field reads: ‘Say no to Obama!’

LUBBOCK — A former art teacher used his West Texas field to carve out a protest about the Obama administration’s proposed overhaul of the health care system.

Sam Bates recently plowed some weeds and left behind the message “Say no to Obama!” that’s best viewed from the air.

Bates said he had some “free time” and wanted to offer his unhappiness with what’s been going on in Washington.

“This is a sign of frustration,” Bates told KCBD-TV on Monday.

“You know, it’s not so much Obama, but just some of the things he’s done recently with the health bill he’s trying to pass through, and it’s just as much Republican and Democrats fault in the House and the Senate that won’t stand up to some of the things. That’s basically what’s frustrated me,” Bates said.

The Obama administration has been pushing its proposal to reshape the $2.5 trillion health system.

Bates said he dug out his message for the benefit of pilots flying in and out of Lubbock.

“I thought, maybe some pilots flying from here to Dallas would get a good chuckle,” he said.

Bates said his friend who is a crop duster helped him put aerial photos of the field on the Internet.

The sign in the lake bed will disappear when the season changes.

“Once winter hits it will kill these weeds, and who knows, maybe next year I’ll have something else,” said Bates.

Houston Chronicle

Posted in Political, Texas | 3 Comments

The Quest for 31 is Almost Over

NFL super fan, Hans Steiniger, has been attending professional football games in different NFL cities for the past three years in an attempt to see a game in each home stadium, a feat he calls, “The Quest for 31”. Now in his fourth season of NFL travel, Steiniger sits a mere five stadiums away from completing his journey. The remaining “Final Five” are the cities of Denver, New York, New Orleans, Washington, and Baltimore.

What began as personal challenge for the longtime Bills fan from Buffalo, N.Y., quickly became a city-by-city immersive study in the home team experience across the nation. Like an NFL chameleon who adapts to his surroundings, this fan tailgates with locals on gameday, eats traditional local foods, and wears a home team jersey for each game he attends.

www.nflfootballstadiums.com

Some of you local folks may wonder if he will visit the new Cowboys Stadium.  Yup, he’ll attend the Carolina game at the end of September.

I have to admit I’m a bit envious of this man, it would be a total blast to watch a game at every NFL stadium.  But I couldn’t go as far as he did wearing a cheesehead and doing whatever he could to root for each home team.  But then again, he was mature enough to put things behind him so he could have a true home field experience.

And the guy loves his NFL football, he even proposed to his wife during an NFL game and had an NFL themed wedding.  Heck, he even dedicated a website to sports themed weddings:  www.sportsthemedweddings.com

That must be love, getting married where the Detroit Lions play.

But I will also admit, this wedding invitation was pretty creative.

Hans is actually a reader of BoN, and you may recall me posting about his quest a while back.  Other than our love for the NFL, we are both half-Asian.  When he eventually completes his quest for 31, he may just be worthy of my Half-Asian Hall of Fame.

Posted in Pop Culture, Sports | 2 Comments