Bag of Randomness for Friday, April 26, 2019

  • Last night I took WifeGeeding to watch Hamilton at The Music Hall in Fair Park. As we approached the entrance we ran into our old friend Roger Staubach. Well, at least to me he felt like an old friend. It’s funny, for the last several years I’ve been working on implementing several tenants of stoicism in my life, trying to set apart feelings and emotions and think more rationally and logically, mind over heart. All that went out the window when I saw Captain America. For the next half-hour, I couldn’t think straight, put together a coherent sentence, or walk in a straight line. I checked my FitBit and my heart rate was elevated for the next ten minutes.
  • I asked Mrs. Staubach if she would be kind enough to be in the photo. I’ve heard so many great things about her, I really wanted her included. After the picture, she asked what district did I live in. I told her we lived outside of Dallas but we’d vote for whoever she told us to vote for. She then politely requested we ask any of our friends who live in District 13 to vote for her daughter for Dallas City Councilmember.
  • In case you are wondering, Roger Staubach smells like freedom, but not just any kind of freedom, but the sweetest and most heroic kind with a slight twist of liberty and patriotism mixed in.
  • As for who took that photo of me and WifeGeeding, I’ll just let you take a guess. (You don’t really have to guess, I’m being rhetorical.)
  • After the photo was taken, a high school or college age girl approached me and asked, “Who was that, some kind of famous politician?” I wanted to respond by simply stating, “Captain America,” and walking away. I also was tempted to tell her that he played football in that big stadium over my shoulder called the Cotton Bowl and detail how he won the Heisman Trophy as a cadet in the Naval Academy, served our country in Vietnam, won two Super Bowls (one of which he was MVP), is an NFL Hall of Famer, a better Catholic than the Pope, a recent Medal of Freedom recipient, and the holiest and most humble figure in all of Dallas. But I simply told her he’s the most legendary Dallas Cowboy and she replied with, “Oh, okay, thanks,” and walked off.
  • I lucked into some really good tickets for a reasonable price. Ticket prices changed throughout the hour depending on the demand at the time you visit their website, I simply found the night there wasn’t as much demand and bought them at an odd hour. We were only ten rows from the front, inside aisle seat, side section. To my surprise, Mr. and Mrs. Staubach sat ten rows behind us, but in the center section. Also making an appearance two rows in front of us (but also in the center section) was Emmitt Smith. Between us three, we won five Super Bowls.
  • Some musicals have spoken dialog between musical numbers. Hamilton is not one of those. I’ve seen a handful of musicals, but this is the only one which kept me engaged the whole time. And the woman who planed his wife had perhaps the best singing voice of any stage performer I’ve ever heard.
  • The stage, or set, was quite simple. However, it did have an embedded rotating or slowly spinning floor, like a huge lazy susan. It was really neat seeing how it was used to add emphasis to certain parts.
  • It may be a musical about Alexander Hamilton, but Aaron Burr the better musical numbers.
  • The entire cast is made up of minorities, except for King George who was portrayed by the sole white person. The sole Asian in the show played George Washington, which I didn’t like at first, only because I thought Washington should be taller and older, but the actor eventually won me over.
  • WifeGeeding had a great observation about all the songs King George sang, the music had traces of The Beatles.
  • As well received as this musical is, I don’t think the older generation will like it, but that’s okay. What I do like is that it’s a musical for my generation, the ones who grew up with R&B, pop, and saw the creation and evolution of hip-hop and rap. We are the ones who will really appreciate it. This isn’t Oklahoma or Guys and Dolls, something traditional and connected with the past. This is something defining of our generation and a glimpse of the future of theater and something we can call our own.
  • It’s a crazy weekend for me in regards to emotional investment and entertainment. It started with Hamilton last night. Today it will be watching the latest Avengers movie, and I’m sure there will be a handful of deaths in which I’ll have to say goodbye to some characters I’ve been attached to for the last decade. And, on Sunday, Game of Thrones will have an epic battle and I know for sure I’ll have to say goodbye to some characters I’ve also emotionally attached to. See, I do this thing in which I try to relate to the characters as much as I can to get into the story, I relate their struggles and any adversity they go through with similar events in my life and then I feel as if I know what they are going through. And that, in a weird sort of way, gives me motivation and hope that I can endure and conquer adversity just like they did.
  • I think it’s amazing how this musical started as an experimental or concept hip-hop album by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The first time any hint of what was to be was performed at the White House by a young-looking Miranda in May 2009, and some folks even laughed at the idea and performance.
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Bag of Randomness for Thursday, April 25, 2019

  • A trusted source has informed me that current and all-time Jeopardy! champion, James Holzhauer, is half-Asian and I should consider him for entry to BagOfNothing’s unkempt Half-Asian Hall of Fame. I guess it’s been a good year for the half-Asian, first with Tiger and now with Holzhauer. This doesn’t make me happy because now I feel pressured to actually succeed in something.
  • If you are a married contestant on Wheel of Fortune I guess you are obligated to mention your spouse and/or family and describe them in overtly affectionate tones.
  • In case you ever wondered who was the “Dewey” in the Dewey Decimal system, it’s Melvil Dewey, not George Dewey, the only officer of the US Navy ever to hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy
  • I thought it was a historical fact that George Washington was posthumously appointed a six-star general so that he’d never be outranked. Close, but not quite:
    • In 1976, as part of commemorations for the US Bicentennial, General George Washington was posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States. Although the law did not actually specify the number of stars, some U.S. newspapers and Members of Congress described this as a six-star rank.
    • Here’s a bit more info on Washington and his Army rank, which surprised me. I notably left out Pershing stuff for brevity.
      • When Washington actually served in the army, he was a merely a major general—two stars. After his presidency, John Adams promoted him to lieutenant general—three stars. It stayed that way for centuries, with every four- and five-star general who came afterward outranking him.
  • I’m taking WifeGeeding to Hamilton tonight. I thought I should study a bit about early U.S. history to be better aquatinted with the story and performance but got lost in reading about the duel he had with Vice President Aaron Burr.
    • The duel took place in New Jersey but Hamilton actually died in Manhatten. While dueling was illegal in both states, the laws were a bit less strict in Jersey.
    • I remember being in NYC for a college class and we visited some place associated with the duel. Our guide was a pretty young woman, perhaps fresh out of college, and asked if we had any questions. I simply asked, “What was the duel about?” She turned red and bashfully remarked she didn’t know. Interestingly enough, no other adult or student knew either, but all U.S. history scholars know it was over Miller Light and whether it’s less filling or tastes great.
    • The duel took place during the last full year of Burr’s single term as vice president. That’s such a crazy U.S. fact, an acting Vice President shot and killed someone. Burr was charged with multiple crimes, including murder, in New York and New Jersey, but was never tried in either jurisdiction. He fled to South Carolina, where his daughter lived with her family, but soon returned to Philadelphia and then to Washington to complete his term as vice president in 1805. Unrelated to the duel, he was arrested on charges of treason in 1807. The subsequent trial resulted in acquittal,
    • Coincidentally, the duel took place relatively close to the location of the duel that had ended the life of Hamilton’s eldest son, Philip, three years earlier.
    • Burr’s Wikipedia page states Episcopal Bishop Benjamin Moore baptized Hamilton the day before he died, but I’ve read other accounts it was communion.
    • In 2004, for the duel’s bicentennial anniversary, kin of Burr and Hamilton held a re-enactment of the duel, near the Hudson River. In the re-enactment, Douglas Hamilton, fifth-great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, faced Antonio Burr, a descendant of Aaron Burr’s cousin. More than 1,000 people attended the re-enactment, including an estimated 60 descendants of Hamilton and 40 members of the Aaron Burr Association.
    • I totally forgot about this fantastic “Got Milk?” commercial, and I loved how it was recreated years later with the actor who portrayed Burr in Hamilton.

Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, April 24, 2019

  • Those are my grandparents. I’m guessing the photo was taken in the early Sixties.
  • I don’t think I’ve tasted no more than a dozen different cheeses. Those of which I know I’ve tried are American, cheddar, Swiss, provolone, white American, mozzarella, Monterey jack, blue, and feta.
  • Houston ISD principal sets dress code – for parents
    • James Madison High School will turn away parents if they show up at the school wearing bonnets, pajamas, hair rollers or leggings, among other clothing items, according to a memo signed by the school’s new principal, Carlotta Outley Brown.
  • Sure, this looks like a regular house in Buda, TX, but it’s the interior which is the real seller.
  • I have many, many ‘Game of Thrones’ theories and prognostications, but I shall only share one for today – The Mountain will defeat The Hound; however, Sir Brienne of Tarth will defeat The Mountain.
  • The amount of time I’ve spent in the last two weeks reading various Wikis on ‘Games of Thrones’ would stagger you. It’s a wormhole which pulls me in. I read about one entry which causes me to open tabs for other entries and tabs on those entries and the next thing I know I have over 20 tabs opened which I’ll probably never get to.
  • 1929 – Anne Frank, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ed Asner were all born in the same year.
  • Starting in July, any Kohl’s store will handle your Amazon returns – Return your Amazon stuff in person and for free
  • This colorization is a bit haunting.
  • Oscar Mayer Wienermobile facts
    • Carl Mayer, nephew of the company’s namesake, created the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in 1936. In the years since, more than a dozen Wienermobiles have promoted the brand at stores, parades and festivals. Spokesman George Molchan, playing the character “Little Oscar,” traveled with the Wienermobile from 1951 to 1987. Today the vehicles are accompanied by college interns known as “hotdoggers.”
    • The 1952 Wienermobile resides at the Henry Ford Museum.
  • Tobacco company Philip Morris starts life insurance firm that offers discounts to smokers who quit
    • 2.5% discount for switching to e-cigs, 50% discount for quitting
  • Why Are We More Prone To Scams As We Get Older? – Sure, We Have More Experience — But That May Actually Be Part Of The Problem
  • Baptist exception granted
    https://twitter.com/mrmedders/status/1120095220857737216?s=09
Posted in Personal | 3 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, April 23, 2019

  • I looked through the other postcards my father sent his parents when he was stationed overseas and the only one dated was the one I posted yesterday. However, one is postmarked on January 1, 19-sixty-something. I may post the rest sometime in the future.
  • Speaking of my father’s parents, his mother died 33 years ago today. No need to offer any condolences, it’s been 33 years. She’s buried in the cemetery between Mineral Wells and Weatherford.
  • For the few folks who care about the Mineral Wells comments yesterday:
    • I’m surprised but happy to hear Wilmer Crum is still alive. I can’t name another Wilmer.
    • The Wilmer Crum building I was referring to was on one of the northern blocks of Highway 180 and NE 40th Ave. I remember the top front of the building was blue, possibly made of sheet metal, and “Wilmer Crum” was in big white letters.
    • I remember the car dealership across from the country club as Barnett Motors. I attended high school with the owner’s son. There’s no telling how many different names that car dealership has been through.
    • When my father was teaching me to drive, I use to chauffeur him to and fro Weatherford and Fort Worth. One little lesson which has stuck in my mind is to move to the left lane of the highway as we near the brick plant to avoid any cars slowing down to take a right onto the base. Sure, the base was closed for decades at that point, but he still preferred me to get in that other lane and I didn’t want to risk any potential driving opportunities.
  • ABC has a new show which is basically a reboot of ‘Green Acres’ called ‘Bless This Mess’. The network runs a lot of commercials for it and for the longest time I thought Amanda Peet was the actress in the show, but it’s actually Lake Bell.
  • Meet The Man Responsible For Restoring The Art In Notre Dame Cathedral. He’s The Insurance Agent
    • Officially, Honore’s job is to assess the damage caused by the fire for the purpose of insurance claims. But to perform that role properly, he must understand the value of the art himself and assemble a team of artisans to help with the restoration.
    • Yet he had little time to contemplate the pain. As firefighters worked to stop the blaze, Honore was already assembling a team of 30 specialists in sculpture, stained glass, fabrics, painting, frames, ancient instruments, and more. These are the people who will work on assessing the state of the Treasure and restoring the cathedral’s damaged altar.
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